[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

The initial act of opening his mind’s eye had been—overwhelming, to say the least. The sheer amount of information that was available to him was overwhelming, and he struggled to fine-tune his control of it enough that he could actually glean anything useful from the barrage of information. In the open wilds of Mizu no Kuni, where there was nothing around for miles but flora and fauna, it would be critically useful; in the urban environment of Kirigakure, it was just too much. But too much was unacceptable. He needed to get a handle on this ability: he could feel that he was on the precipice of something deeply important, something that could fundamentally alter his skillset for the better. It would be useful to the Mizukage, and so Daichi was pursuing it tirelessly. They sat together in Toru’s office, taking a brief break from going through reports from the head academy instructor: Daichi was making tea, boiling water and pre-warming the heron-printed cup he’d gotten Toru for his fifteenth birthday. Daichi's arm was bound tightly in a sling, still recovering from the injuries he'd sustained in his spar with Sora; it made the tea preparations somewhat difficult, but at this point he was becoming an expert in doing things one-handed. "My lord,” Daichi said thoughtfully, "can I ask for your help with something?” He was nervous, though he couldn’t quite identify why. It was an effort to keep his hands from trembling. "I’ve been trying to, uh, fine-tune my sensory skill. I’ve made a breakthrough, but I want to work on something specific—I think if I really focus in, I can read fluctuations in a person’s chakra, tell how they’re feeling or if they’re lying or something like that.” His head tilted, his mouth tugging into a faint grin as he carefully measured out tea leaves. "You’re the most stoic person I know, so I figured I wouldn’t be able to cheat, if you’re willing to let me practice on you.”

Kaguya Toru -- 332

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

Toru had been staring at the same scroll for the last fifteen minutes, finding himself reading the same few lines over and over again. A certain Gure An had been recommended to graduate. There had been a few drop outs, someone had put bubbles in the school water fountain and something else. He was trying to focus but he kept missing it. That meant he needed a break and some tea, that was usually what it meant anyway. Perhaps a physical activity could break up the monotony of reading a report. It was important, yes, but ones eyes started to blur and close with sandman's sleep after so much information was filtered into ones brain from the early hours of the morning.

The mackerel he had eaten was still brewing. Maybe he needed to go to the restroom and relieve himself?

Daichi's words brought him to reality, and out of the academy report that he was mentally not totally focused on.

Toru rubbed at his eyes, removing any sleep from them as he gave Daichi his full attention. The smell of tea suddenly became very prominent, now that he was paying attention. He should have realized it before.

"That's fine, if you would like." Toru was not the kind to deny a training session, even with those that would not in an orthodox sense need to train with him. He gave everyone equal opportunity in some regard - if he was not horribly busy - and tried to give attention to all shinobi that came inquiring. Though this was easier said than done, he did do his best. He felt it made a difference if he were around and participating in the bettering of his village on a micro-scale, not just the big picture. The littlest drops made up their ocean after all.

So he shifted, standing and stretching out his joints.

"Though I must report, I feel little but exhaustion currently from the reports. You may not get an adequate read on me in anything."

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Daichi had been objectively aware that Toru had gotten taller, but it was not until this very moment, when the Mizukage stood and stretched and his eyeline was an inch above Daichi’s, that he realized exactly what that meant. Toru had always been slim and stern, but some of the baby-softness had left his face, revealing the sharp, handsome features beneath. The kettle began to gently steam, pulling Daichi’s wandering attention back to the tea. "You need to rest,” he chided gently, pouring hot water over fragrant leaves. It was a delicate black tea blend, light and clean, smelling of stone fruit and honey. It would only need a couple of minutes to steep. "This won’t be physically strenuous, we can just… sit and talk for a while. It’s all a mental exercise for me.” He brought the tray over to the more comfortable seating area of Toru’s office and served two cups, negotiating skillfully and uncomplaining around his injured arm. He would only settle in after Toru did, making sure everything was neatly arranged and that no high-clearance documents were out in their workspace before claiming his own seat. He took a deep breath, centering himself: and felt a flare of pressure in the back of his mind as he opened his Eye, his sensory awareness suddenly flaring out exponentially. Daichi reigned in his focus, thinking of the vivid array of chakra that flowed through the village as nothing more than a picturesque backdrop. What mattered was here, in this room. "Sorry, it’s—a lot,” he said, grimacing slightly as he held his teacup in his hands. "Almost two thousand square kilometers of sensory information. Still getting used to it. Uh—” He shook his head, trying to refocus his thoughts. "Have you ever played two truths and a lie? Three statements, two true, one false, and I have to guess which one is the lie. I thought that might be a good place to start.”

Kaguya Toru -- 325

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

Toru had not had a lot of time nor privilege in his life to have gotten to play games. When he was with his mother, they had done little but try to survive the war - a task she had failed at, and he had only marginally succeeded at, most likely at her expense. Then he was at the orphanage, and few played games in those times. Toru spent most of his time near the academy trying to educate himself, to learn how to read or do absolutely anything that would improve him. He had no skills after all, not back then. It had been a blessing that he had become a decent shinobi in due time. Not long after all of that, he became the Daimyo's son and then after the Daimyo himself. It came to him suddenly that he had really never played games, and on small occasion observed others playing.

He didn't think more on it.

"I've heard of it."

That was all he said, going back to sit where Daichi had arranged the tea. He watched the steam curl and billow like a chimney from a warm and welcoming home on a cool night, or a winters day. Soon all the homes would be this way in Kirigakure no Sato, and around the nation too. Toru stared at the steam for a while, contemplating what two truths and which lie he should tell. It seemed more difficult to him than to simply have Daichi try and read his inner machinations.

"Alright - I only learned how to read well around thirteen years old; I get cold easily; I've had two mothers."

In reality he was not sure which of these he had told Daichi before in their many conversations. Toru was not the most forthcoming nor talkative, and so he often forgot what he had shared with Daichi and what he had not in all of the time that they spent working or idle in this office space.

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

Maybe it was a testament to the Pathfinder's good decision-making, that Daichi had enjoyed an early childhood in relative safety and isolation in Hoka no Mura. There weren't many other children in the community at that time, with many of them having enlisted as Shinobi or Ashigaru in the wake of the civil war, and Daichi had spent much of his time working on the farm or begging the stationed Shinobi for lessons regardless; but he and Kyoko had a scant few friends when they were small, and time to play games with them, and that in itself was something not many children of Kirigakure could say.

In retrospect Daichi thought that Toru was perhaps *not* the best option for this particular exercise. Layered beneath his own chakra network, already substantial, was an even greater power: the great turtle sealed within him, what seemed to Daichi's Eye like truly boundless wells of chakra. Picking apart the changes in Toru's chakra network with so much background noise was going to be a unique challenge.

He focused, taking another deep breath in as Toru spoke, trying to stay attuned to any small hiccup or shift in chakra flow. Even if he didn't necessarily know what it meant yet, just being able to *see* it would be a good step forward.

He'd learned that Toru had been older than most when he learned to read early into their time working together, that was easily crossed off the list. Was that--something, when Toru said 'two mothers'? There and then gone. If the Mizukage was especially sensitive to the cold, it wasn't something Daichi had noticed before; but Toru so rarely spoke of his vanished mother that it was difficult to tell.

"Do... you count your birth mother?" Daichi asked hesitantly. "I know you never knew her, and that Nanadaime-sama was the one that mattered, but *technically* I suppose you've got two." Maybe he'd misread, picking up on the fluctuation a beat too late? "Are you prone to the cold, my lord?"

He found himself oddly charmed by the idea, a faint smile tugging at his mouth.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

"Is that not what you are trying to figure out without me saying anything?" He inquired evenly, looking at Daichi almost suspiciously when he started to ask him follow up questions. Toru did not oblige to answer. He knew his birth mother, he still had a locket with her picture inside as old and torn as it was - it was still her. It had been the only thing he had at the orphanage until Minako had come to save him from brutal starvation. The village was much better now, with a lot more safety nets but it was almost entirely thanks to Minako that these things were possible. Whether by her own hand, or the fact that he had been the one to take up the mantle of leader in her stead.

The lie of the three was that he got cold super easily. Toru was thin, lithe. But he wasn't constantly chattering his teeth at the cold. Of course, it probably affected him more than most being he had little fat reserves to keep him extremely warm but he was an exceptionally resilient boy trained for the worst of conditions so he wasn't one to really feel any one way easily at all.

There he sat though, unwavering and unrelenting, refusing to answer the questions given to him. Just staring quietly at Daichi, a subtle glimmer in his red eyes that seemed to heighten. The intrusion of chakra from Daichi seemed to awaken something else inside of Toru.

What's with all the bright lights?

Isobu chimed in, casually.

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Whoops. Daichi hadn’t even realized he was asking probing questions until Toru pointed it out, and he offered up a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right, right,” he said, and sure enough, Toru offered no further elaboration. The fluctuation in his chakra had long since settled, however, and Daichi was left with only his own memory of the sensation to ruminate on. With anyone more tonally or facially expressive it might have been easier to match up the subtle change to a shift in tone or a twitch of the mouth, but Toru was as stern-faced and neutral in tone as ever. Daichi chewed on his lip, frowning as he picked over his recollection. Like the cresting of a tidal wave on a beach’s shores, that second layer of chakra swelled just slightly to the surface, though it was difficult for Daichi to get a read on anything finite within that fathomless well of energy. The great beast, the Sanbi, was making itself known… but Daichi felt nothing other than curiosity. He had seen the Mizukage cloaked in the Bijuu’s power; he had the Sanbi well in hand, and Daichi knew in his bones that Toru would never hurt him beyond what he could handle. "You get cold easily,” Daichi said decisively, settled on his final answer; and then, a cheeky smile tugging at his mouth, he said: "Good morning, Isobu-sama.”

Kaguya Toru -- 234

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

"You're right, I don't get cold easily." Not anymore than anyone else with his level of muscle and fat ratio. It was two truths and a lie, after all, and though Daichi had answered as if his lie had been a truth, he still had picked out the singular lie out correctly.

Oh do me, do me next!

Isobu piped up, clearly excited by the idea of getting to play a game with more than just Toru, who never really played games aside from Isobu's begging and childlike insistence. It was hardly like having a beast of great power inside of him, it was more like a child that wanted attention and to play games.

Before Daichi could so much as agree or not, the beast's chakra swelled with excitement and though maintained by Toru's emotional control and seal, there was an aspect of Toru that physically glimmered at that excitement - his eyes, a touch more red. But only if one really looked.

Okay okay, two truths and a lie, right? Okay! Yes, yes, hmm - Isobu is non-violent, Daichi-kun looovvess Toru-kun, or Isobu loves lettuce.

Toru looked up as if rolling his eyes to get a better look at Isobu sitting in his grandiose bowl of water.

"Seriously?" He murmured, before looking back towards Daichi totally unfazed.

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Success. He still felt like he’d cheated a little bit, though—relying less on his Mind’s Eye and more his own deductions to suss out the lie. He’d do better on the next round— His train of thought was interrupted by Isobu’s excited interjection, quickly followed up by the realization that he could hear the Sanbi, clear as day, as though they were just having a normal conversation. He had to pull his focus… outward, in a way, like getting a birds-eye view of the full scope of Isobu’s enormity, but once he had a better perspective he felt like he could see the flow of the bijuu’s chakra. If Daichi’s chakra was a bubbling stream, easily diverted where it needed to go, then Toru’s was a still, placid reservoir, and Isobu’s was an ocean. Once he understood the push and pull of the bijuu’s chakra’s tides, it was not so hard to read. He swelled with excitement, almost childlike in his innocent anticipation of getting to play a game. There was the barest reflection in Toru’s eyes, a deepening of crimson saturation, but otherwise he seemed unaffected. Isobu is non-violent, Daichi-kun looovvess Toru-kun, or Isobu loves lettuce. Daichi’s heart hiccuped in his chest, stumbling over several beats before accelerating up to top speed. Heat suffused his neck and ears and he cleared his throat, quickly gathering his now-empty teacup—and collecting Toru’s, if he was in need of a refill—before zooming over to fuss with the teapot. "It’s oversteeped,” he said, his voice cracking. "I’ll make more. Um—” He’d known instantly what the lie was: while he was too close in perspective to Isobu’s chakra, it was difficult to read, but once he had the full picture the teasing, playful swell around Isobu loves lettuce was clear as day. Daichi loves Toru. As a protector loved their charge, or a citizen loved their leader, yes. Even as a friend loved a friend: they’d spent so much time together over the past couple of years, Daichi saw Toru more frequently than anyone else in his life. Affection between friends was completely normal. And they were friends, weren’t they? Inasmuch as Toru allowed himself to have friends. You don’t have to do that. I don’t, but I am. His heartrate was not slowing down. "Isobu loves lettuce,” he said as he set about preparing a new pot of tea, his back carefully angled so that Toru could not see his face. "Is the lie, I mean. What do you like to eat, Isobu-sama? Are you a hunter or gatherer?”

Kaguya Toru -- 426

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

The majority of Toru's tea had not even been touched, but the way Daichi jumped at Isobu's suggestion and disappeared - not truly disappeared but disappeared from Toru's direct line of sight - to make more tea, Toru could not help but find the behavior strange. Why would he do such a thing? It was an easy answer, was it not? He did not think that Daichi loved him, not in the true sense. Loved him as one could love a nation. He was first and foremost an icon for the country to stand by and behind. Daichi could love him like that... But the way Isobu had flourished the words, it felt like he had implied more. Had Toru missed something entirely in all of the interactions he had with Daichi, that the beast inside had not missed?

Daichi's dismissive attitude as he answered and went about setting the pot of tea to brew more tea - seemed like a waste - had Toru turning not only his head, but his entire body to face the more built shinobi, leaning back into his chair a little bit as he contemplated the interaction being had.

Was he not supposed to be helping Daichi dive further into the sensory arts? Why was he standing and walking away now, their tea was not even that bad. If there was any over-steeping it was a far cry from the most overdone tea that there was. Toru could handle it, even if he had grown to love well brewed teas and carefully assembled packages of teas. The different aromas and flavors took him to new places that he had never seen, at least they did in his imagination.

A bit of both. Seaweed, kelp is the best plant. But I will also eat anything that swims in my mouth... Mmm octopus. Hehe...

Isobu almost grinned, if he could do such a thing in Toru's mind, chuckling as if he knew something about an octopus which Toru could not help but find odd as well. All in all, the leader let out a soft sight that tumbled heavily from his lips. He was surrounding by oddities and strange things. In the past he would have never believed in the supernatural, and yet here was talking to something in his head and Daichi speaking to that something as well. It was a strange thing, very strange. No less, this being was speaking in a knowing way as if it were highly educated in the world around it, in a way that Toru and Daichi could only dream.

"I thought the tea was fine."

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

The unfortunate reality of his Eye being open was that even as his back was turned, even as he tried to avoid Toru’s sharp, perceptive gaze, Daichi could feel the swell of confusion within Toru’s chakra network, could feel him turn slowly and pointedly in place to watch Daichi fuss with the teapot with trembling fingers. He selected a different blend this time, brewed at a lower temperature over a longer period of time, the kind of loose-leaf that lent itself well to sitting in a pot for hours and enjoying a new batch of warm water to bathe in. A blend from somewhere in Arashi no Kuni near the Nohara no Kuni border, if he remembered correctly. ...anything… in my mouth… Daichi’s vain attempts to distract himself ground to a halt as he felt that red flush grow more violently across the back of his neck, flushing up his cheeks and ears until he was sure he looked like a vibrant cherry tomato, ready to pop. He cleared his throat, scratching at his face with his shoulder, and took a deep breath. "I like seaweed too,” Daichi said, trying to keep the bijuu engaged. "I don’t know that I’ve ever had kelp, though.” It didn’t mean anything. Isobu was just teasing, playful— —but it hadn’t been a lie, either, and Daichi couldn’t pretend he didn’t understand the inflection there, the heavy implication laden in the great beast’s intonation. Toru’s confusion only compounded the sick feeling twisting in Daichi’s gut: Daichi had understood, and knew instantly that he was in deep shit, but Toru seemed completely none the wiser. That weighed heavier, somehow. That Isobu had seen something in Daichi that even Daichi himself had not was understandable: the bijuu was ancient, worldly, timeless. That Toru was equally oblivious… Daichi didn’t know what that meant, exactly, but it was nothing that boded well for him. I thought the tea was fine, Toru said, and Daichi knew he was speaking the truth. He shook his head. "I know,” he said. The water had warmed up, but he was taking his time measuring out new leaves, trying to stall for as much time to collect himself as possible. "I thought it was—well, I thought it could be better. Next round, while I work on it? I can still sense your chakra just fine from here.” Smooth it over and move on, Daichi thought. This was—this was something he’d have to dissect on his own time.

Kaguya Toru -- 413

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

It's all the same stuff. Isobu responded, he had a not so imposing voice, an almost childish way of speaking when he interacted. The beast as it were, was not so threatening or terrifying in these moments, it had been what Toru had learned in his rather short time of being his vessel. They had grown to become good companions for each other, though Toru still refused to be called friends in the true sense. There was simply too much emotional attachment to the idea, and he wanted to be close to no one like that, to save them the grief.

Toru's lips turned thin, a thinner lip as he pursed them still with a lack of a distinct expression, but one enough that Daichi could likely feel in the fluctuations of his inner machinations. The boy king turned with a slow reverence for his own body, facing back towards the desk as he shifted a scroll from a pile, read it over briefly before putting it off to the side once more. The silent in the room permeated outwards now as Daichi had concluded that could make the tea better and that he could still, from there, continue the exercise.

He forced Isobu down, away from the exercise and it let out a whine that would echo through both of them. Eyes returning to the natural rust that they often were. Another scroll and he thumbed through it idly, thinking of what he could say next to give Daichi something extra to think on, all the while, his mind kept circling around what Isobu had said, and the strange way that Daichi had responded.

It was an unusual feeling for his stomach to coil with anxiety, he was often so confident in himself, and yet he sat there nauseated by a feeling that he was entirely unfamiliar with, it prickled him with irritation and this fluctuation too Daichi would likely feel. Toru was a maze of emotion, even if he showed none of it on his face. He held all of his cards closely so that their enemies could never know their great nations next steps. There was a lot still to do, but he was on the way up. Soon...

"Pick out my least favorite fish: Tuna, Mackerel, Salmon." This seemed the easiest, and there Toru sat without giving another hint as to what his favorite was, at least not outwardly. Perhaps Daichi would be able to pick up the fluctuations as he spoke of mackerel - he ate it so often after all - and tuna - a special treat when he had the extra funds to invest as despite Toru's wealth he was still quite frugal in how he spent.

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Isobu was childish, cheerful, seemingly unaware of the chaos he had wrought in Daichi’s mind—or if he was aware, utterly unrepentant. Silence stretched long and thick and heavy after Daichi’s attempt to move the conversation along from his busywork-distraction of preparing new tea. Isobu was locked away, whining all the while, and the silence felt grander for his absence. Toru was—anxious. It made Daichi sick to realize, but there was no other explanation for what he was sensing, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was his fault. They’d worked together too closely and for too long for Toru to not realize when Daichi was acting strangely, and Daichi had always been a roughshod actor, wearing his heart on his sleeve to his detriment more often than not. He needed to get a hold of himself. This was his problem to manage, but he was making it Toru’s problem despite his intent. But when he finished preparing the tea and turned around to carry fresh cups back to their shared space, Toru’s expression was as impassive as ever, inscrutable and betraying no hint of the anxiety that coiled within. Daichi’s face was still tinged with pink, his residual embarrassment clear in spite of his efforts to collect himself. The tea was, in fact, better than before, with a richer flavor and body that made it linger nicely on the tongue. "Salmon,” Daichi said instantly, with hardly a moment’s thought. He knew that objectively—Toru caught and salt-grilled his own mackerel so often, while tuna was a rare treat—and being able to match up what he knew was the truth with the subtle swell and fall of Toru’s chakra was helpful. Three instances of pinpointing the lie was giving him a better sense of what to look for, what the flow of Toru’s chakra felt like. He tried to settle comfortably back in his seat, gloss over the awkward interruption to the exercise as though it simply hadn’t happened—if he didn’t acknowledge it, he didn’t need to reckon with it. Not yet, anyway. "Another?” he asked. "Something harder. I’m starting to get the hang of it.”

Kaguya Toru -- 357

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world yamaguchi daichi

"Harder?" Toru exhaled, thinking it over as he glanced towards the ceiling. He wasn't sure of what to give Daichi that would be formidable as it was clear he was getting the hang of it even with Isobu's slight interference in the moment. What would be a good thing to tell two truths and a lie about?

"I used to hate clans, when I was younger - I wanted to be a basket weaver, I have a little sister." That was maybe a little harder, but he wasn't sure if it was any good either. If someone had not been knowledgeable about Toru before Toru became who he was today they would know that he did truly hate clans in the past. He believed that they had been the sole reason for all of the suffering of regular people their money funded the wars that others fought. Nowadays the boy had a more nuanced view of the world, but he kept some beliefs still close to his heart.

He had no marketable skills growing up in an orphanage so of course he had turned to the military as an able-bodied boy, basket-weaving? It had never been a consideration.

As for his little sister, most did not know of it but the woman he had called his mother before she disappeared - Kaguya Minako - had a child before her disappearance. A child he considered his sister. She must at least be three years old now...

OWL

[yamaguchi daichi]

I COULD EAT THE WORLD RAW

Allowing his mind to sink into academia pulled him away from the anxiety clogging up his through, the distinct sinking feeling that there was a massive problem on the horizon that he would have to take a pickaxe to sooner or later—facts and theories and theology kept his thoughts occupied, away from Isobu, away from the grim realization that there was something to be perceived in how he conducted himself within this office. On a purely clinical level, it was interesting to study the Mizukage’s chakra flow. Daichi knew that everyone had a physical tell that indicated when they were lying, and there were certain physiological responses that were generally unavoidable—but those same tells and responses could come out under other circumstances too, like when someone was stressed or upset or aroused. Chakra was different. It felt different. Maybe there was something spiritual buried there: like a person’s chakra was a part of their soul, and in telling a lie that disrupted the network, disturbed the spirit. Something like that. Theological study was way beyond Daichi’s ken, but regardless he understood what that odd little twist and jerk of Toru’s chakra was when he sensed it, and he was able to quickly reply: "You’ve never wanted to be a basket-weaver,” without putting very much thought into it at all. And then, very softly: "Nanadaime-sama had a daughter. I’d forgotten.” A question unasked; an open invitation for Toru to speak more about it, if he wanted.

Kaguya Toru -- 251

LAIKA OF THQ