[Muramasa Uemon]

a port does harbor

---

So it was recent? "Congratulations on the promotion." He said. Becoming jōnin was no small feat, at least as far as he understood. Uemon was mostly content to stand and listen. Glad that the child was acting like... well, a child.

Until mention of one 'Missus Scar-Face' came up. "You didn't... call her that when you talked to her, right?"

Muted as his expressions were, a bit of worry crept into his face. Comically, almost. Try as he might he couldn't imagine how that conversation must have gone. Though Mikazuki had taken Kota's dislike of her in stride before... 

A hand rose to rub the back of his own neck. "I hope I don't hear about this later..." Quietly, he removed his journal from his belt pouch. Flipping open to a page, he wrote down 'Manners' near the bottom. Darkened and underlined. A reminder to himself. "If it's not kid stuff..." Uemon shut his book, sparing Kota a glance.

Then a slight smirk. "It has to be cool." Honestly he was rather interested to see what it might be. Knowing him, he probably picked up on it quickly. Hearing excitement and feeling a tug on his shirt, he looked down.

Kota was nearly beaming. It was... good. The child had a rough time of things lately. Seeing Sora hand him some ryō, the wanderer placed a hand atop the boy's head. "Get something good, alright?" A nod. Glancing around, he spotted a standing menu board and gestured towards it. A good opportunity to test out his budding literacy.

Cleanly written and simple enough. "There are all kinds of different flavors." From the assorted smells filling the shop, it certainly didn't lack variety. "See what you can find." A child given free reign in a candy shop... 

If it were any other kid, he might say they'd been spoiled. But if anyone deserved to be it was Kota. The wanderer turned to his cousin. "You didn't have to do that, Sora." A pause... then a grateful nod. "Thank you."

Uemon would keep an eye on the boy as he explored. Surely there wasn't too much trouble he could get up to picking out dango. "So, these students of yours..." He glanced to the woman briefly. "What are they like?"

Teaching was something he was rather new at himself. Perhaps her experience offered her insight on the matter?

---

[Kota]

The sun will be guiding you They're dying to stop you This race is a prophecy Break out from society Kota wandered into the shop with the rest of the trio, his brown eyes scanning carefully over his surroundings. Bright colors everywhere of the sweets and desserts that were to be found, shelves full of goodies on display. A sweet aroma filled the air, pleasantly filling his senses. This place was nice. Though, any shop that sold any kind of edible delectables would be seen as such, to him.     The young boy turned his attention upward when the woman addressed him, offering him a small bundle of ryo to spend as she wished him a happy birthday. His face lit up with excitement as he took the currency from her. "Really? F'r me?" he asked, the gift unexpected and happily welcomed. "Oh wow," he breathed, counting the coins over. This is definitely enough to get something really good.     Exciting.     The young boy looked up at Muramasa, a bit confused at the man's apparent concern over what he'd referred to Mikazuki as. "Naw, at first I just called 'er 'scarface'." No 'missus' or any form of politeness initially. He'd hardly been fond of the woman. "But it turns out she ain't so bad, even though I don't like 'er. She's like a panther, 'cept I don't think she actually sees me like prey." Which he hadn't been convinced of, at first.     No, she probably saw him more like a cub.     Moving on to what his heart desired, the young boy nodded at Uemon's words, smiling a bit as the elder ruffled his hair. Get something good, the man said. "Damn right," Kota agreed, turning and nearly sprinting away from where the adults stood--completely ignoring the sign that had been gestured to. No, if he didn't have to read, he didn't want to. Asking and pointing at whatever looked good would do just fine--he didn't care what the flavor was, so long as it looked good.     And everything here looked good.     So it'd be determined by what could best catch his eye.     He'd look around the shop for several minutes while the adults chatted, carefully assessing the options and looking over the choices. When the shopkeep beckoned for him, Kota drew nearer and engaged--the man showing him a variety of freshly-baked treats. Bright and colorful dough, drenched in sweet syrup...     It would only be a moment longer before Kota made his purchase. Running back over to the adults, two sticks of dango in hand. "Look, look!" he called out for Uemon's attention, holding one of the treats up for the older male in an offering. "I got you one, too." He only had two hands, though, as it were.

✜

[Sora Minami]

"Yes, I did." Sora said, glancing at her cousin as she watched Kota zip around the dango stall as if it was his first time being let loose in a candy shop. Which, given what little she knew of his life, it very well could have been. "You’re welcome."

The Jounin shifted her weight onto her back foot as her cousin spoke, lips parting in a soft smile at the interaction between him and his ward; for all that coincidence seemed to have played in bringing them together, Uemon certainly had the protective older brother act down pat when it came to the boy. Perhaps it was a familial thing, the instinct to protect and nurture those weaker than oneself, to try and save them from a life of pain and toil. Or maybe…

"My Genin?" She replied, looking back at Kota as she crossed her arms beneath her chest, her mind falling back to her last training session with Enyo and Ikana. "My GeninI are… alright. One of them is difficult, but he’s nothing I can’t handle if I stay focused." And calm. She had to remember that when Enyo was involved. Always calm. Even in the midst of the storm.

"Why? Want some advice?" Sora asked, chuckling to herself as Kota came back with two sticks of dango- one for himself and one for Uemon, which only made her smile widen even more. Kids.

"What, no dango for me?" The Jounin said, still smiling as she lifted one hand and spread it out over her heart in faux sadness. Truly, the greatest of betrayals, this was.

Muramasa Uemon Kota

[Muramasa Uemon]

a smile woken

---

No 'Missus Scar-Face' at first... just plain old regular 'scarface'. One corner of his mouth perked up and his brow furrowed just slightly in worried thought. In the boy's defense, Uemon had called Mikazuki a bad name first...

Sometimes, it was easy forget that he was supposed to be setting an example... though something told him that Kota may have done so either way. Had to keep his cool— especially in tense situations. Aikawa was one of the few to ever crack his steely exterior. Being road-weary and seeking medical attention for a child caused a small slip.

And in his own defense... that woman had a certain way with words. "Agreed." He said in concurrence with the child's description of Mikazuki. "So let's do our best not to get eaten." A discerning glance was cast Kota's way...

...then a faint smirk. Nodding towards the treats in the store for him to run along to. Originally he had not been her biggest fan either. Still, she did offer them a place to stay in the end. Try as she might to deny it, there was more to her than just an abrasive personality. Buried somewhere deep, likely. Not unlike his own 'true' self in that regard.

Dwelling in the depths of his heart. Dormant, perhaps. Or else smothered by his normally expressionless face and the weight of the burdens he carried. Uemon nodded again to Sora as she spoke. Half-smirk holding as he did so.

Most definitely appreciated... and Kota seemed ecstatic. "Difficult, hm?" He repeated as he watched the boy dart around. "Is this one uncooperative?" Another question. To Kota's credit, he was normally anything but. A surprise considering his own discomfort around children. Perhaps it was because he saw himself in the child...

But to say it was just that would take away from the boy's own efforts. Kota was sharp, had good instincts, and was a fast learner— much quicker than he had ever been. More than that even... he was a good kid. Through and through.

A little wild, lacking in some social graces, but nothing some socialization could not fix. "If you have any, I don't think I'd ever turn down advice..." Uemon said at his cousin's joke, still smirking a bit as Kota returned. Eyes widening just a touch as the boy offered up a stick of dango for him. "Really? For me?" He said, a hint of surprise in his voice. Reaching a hand out, he graciously accepted the treat. Some warmth spreading across his face.

Uemon glanced to the skewer then to the boy. Slowly, his free hand came to rest on Kota's head again. A grateful nod given but a moment later. "Thank you, Kota." He said, voice softer than usual. "And happy birthday."

Another gift, and this time from someone other than him. A very, very good thing. "Is it alright if I share some of mine with Sora?" He asked, looking to the boy for his go-ahead. It was his gift after all, so he wanted to check first. Kota was usually fairly good about sharing— at least with him. So he imagined the boy would agree.

No lesson, no paternal reminders at least not for now. It was his celebration... and he deserved to have fun.

---

[Kota]

The sun will be guiding you They're dying to stop you This race is a prophecy Break out from society When Kota returned to the duo, his eyes darted up to Sora as she lightly teased him for his lack of dango for her. His face turned red, a bit bashful at the observation. It wasn't that he was trying to exclude the woman... she'd not done anything to get on Kota's bad side yet... but... "I've only got two hands," he hissed in response, more embarrassed than angry. Still, he gave small nods to Uemon--affirmation that the man could take the gift and he was allowed to share with Sora (if he wanted).     And then, without further engagement or conversation, the boy happily began munching on the dessert. One ball of dough at a time, humming lightly in delight at the sweet flavor. "You ain't mad are ya?" he asked after a few moments, looking cautiously up at Sora as he snacked.     She didn't seem cross with him... but it was true that he'd left her out--whether intentionally or not, it made little difference in his mind. And while he didn't really care... there was the concern of whether or not she did.     She wasn't part of the pack. So, in Kota's eyes, he didn't need to look out for her like he felt he needed to look out for Uemon. And Kota didn't see anything wrong with that... But if Uemon wanted to include her as well, and also was trying to look out for her... sharing resources with the woman... what exactly did that make her?     Kota wasn't sure, just yet.

✜

[Sora Minami]

Sora watched the confusion and conflict as it danced across Kota’s face, his thoughts plain to see as he ate his dango, thinking. Uemon looked on next to her, clearly interested in what Kota was thinking as well, though not quite as invested in it as she was- likely because he knew, deep down, what the boy was going over in his head. Though it soon became rather clear what he was thinking when asked her, almost off-handedly enough to be casual, if she was mad.

"Not in the slightest." She said to the boy, glancing at her cousin as he offered her some dango. She took a piece, chewing slowly to enjoy the flavor, and smiled, making sure Kota saw it. "You picked a good flavor, Kota." Sweet without being cloying, strong without being overwhelming, the dango was well made- a real treat, given how rare it was in Kirigakure to find a stall that could make the stuff properly.

"’Difficult’ doesn’t really describe Enyo." Sora said as she ate her dango, returning back to her conversation with Uemon. "Pig-headed, certainly. Arrogant. Annoyingly smart-mouthed." And as crazy as the rest of his family, but she didn’t have to mention that bit. There were some things even family didn’t need to know.

"As for advice…" The woman paused, glancing down at Kota again as she thought about the best bit of advice she could give a new teacher, something that would stick and help, even when he didn’t know what to do or how to reach his student. "...Be patient with him. And don’t assume he won’t understand. You’d be surprised how much kids get when they put their mind to it."

Muramasa Uemon Kota

[Muramasa Uemon]

one thought long lost to the years

---

Watching as Kota nodded, he offered the skewer to Sora so that she could take some of the pieces if she wished. 

Pleased with the child's behavior so far. No outbursts, no threats, no kicking or biting. It was odd... but somewhere along the way he had started to worry about these things. Concern himself with the boy's day-to-day conduct.

No longer just some wandering 'older brother' figure... but something more paternal. Maybe he had simply lied to himself at the onset. Told himself that he would only train the child until he could look after himself. Swear off any further attachments or deny any bond that may form. It was how he was taught. But he knew now that was wrong.

Being abandoned by his mentor crushed him. If he could at all help it... he would not put Kota through the same thing. Could not. "Your student certainly sounds like an interesting one." He said as his cousin explained, the exasperation plain enough in her choice of words. Glancing to Kota, his eyes seemed to smile. "I've never thought of myself as fortunate, but I suppose I am in some regards." Kota was many things, but arrogant? Well...

...no less than any other child his age might be. Definitely not obstinate when it came to important things. Uemon stayed quiet as he listened to his cousin's words. Nodding a bit in agreement. "That's sound advice. Thank you."

Truthfully, he was simply trying his best. Comparing himself to his own parental figures clued him in plenty on what not to do. "When I was a child, I used to hate when adults spoke to me like I was a fool." He mused aloud. "So I try never to do that. You're right, though." Mussing the boy's hair a little, he glanced down at him as they stood there. "Kota's much sharper than I was at his age." Nine. The last year he was ever truly a child.

Life since had been little else but strife and wandering. "Come." Eventually he said, taking a bite out a dumpling and heading for the door. To hold it open as he looked to the others. "Let's see if we can't find that park."

---