Chapter 4
In the morning, Reioki got herself ready to go. She walked out the door and walked to work. She greeted Kashu when she got there and started to boil water for the tea. The morning was busy with people coming in and going out. It was nice to see all the smiling faces. She liked to be busy. It made the day go by fast and made her feel like she accomplished a lot.
Around 11:00am, she took a small break and had a cup of tea with some dango herself. It was nice to sit for a bit, since she was on her feet all morning long. As she sat at the table by the open entrance, she looked out to see all the shops around and how peaceful it was here. She watched all the people walking from store to store and noticing that nobody had a fear that someone would come and attack them at any given time. Reioki had a smile on her face with this thought. She realized that she was lost in thought so, she got up and went back to work.
For the rest of the day, Reioki took orders, cleaned up tables and helped Kashu with the dishes in the back and helped make the teas to be served. It kept her busy and made the time fly by. She didn't even notice the time until Kakashi came in.
"Oh! Hi. I am sorry. I forgot all about the time." She said as she looked at the clock on the wall, which read 3:22pm. She gave him a look with one eyebrow up. Kakashi looked at her with his hands in the air.
"Umm, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm a little late myself. So, I'll just grab a table over here and wait." he said pointing at a table by the door. Reioki smiled.
"Sure. Would you like some tea? I can bring us some when I come back." she asked. Kakashi took a seat and faced her.
"Uhh, Sure. That would be nice. Thanks." he said. Reioki walked back to make the tea and told Kashu that she was done for the day.
"Hey Reioki. You did a great job today. Thank you." Kashu asked. Reioki smiled as she was making tea for her and Kakashi. She bent down to her backpack and fumbled around a few minutes looking for her pouch with her money. When she found it, she took some out and stood back up.
"Umm, Kashu? I wanted to say thank you for giving me a chance here. I really appreciate it." She said handing Kashu the money for the tea she was making. Kashu smiled at her.
"Reioki. I am glad you came here. I should be thanking you. Anyway, you're welcome. Please don't worry about paying. That is my way of thanking you for helping me. You work here now." He said to her with a smile. Reioki gave a small laugh.
"All right. See you tomorrow." she replied. She poured two cups of tea and started to walk out to the table where Kakashi was sitting. She brought the tea over to the table and sat across from Kakashi.
"It is jasmine green tea. I hope you like that. So, what do you need to know about training someone?" she asked with a curious look on her face. Kakashi gave a small laugh.
"You get right to the point. Well, yes, I like jasmine tea. So, the answer to your other question is, I need to know what you can do now." he said. Reioki looked at him with a scrunched up face.
"Ahh, haa, Yeah. Well, not much of anything. I can run." She said sarcastically.
"I can heal as well." she continued to say. Kakashi looked at her and gave a nod.
"I see. A clean slate. Ok. You can heal, so that tells me that you have some chakra control. You also made the comment about not wanting to kill anyone the other day. So, maybe we shall start off with accuracy. How does that sound?" He asked. Reioki smiled.
"Your the teacher. Sure. Sounds good to me. So, what about payment? What would you like for this?" Reioki asked. Kakashi smiled through his mask.
"You probably don't make to much here, so we will see how it goes. You need money to live here, so we will say, pay what you can afford that week. How's that sound?" Reioki looked suspiciously at him.
"That sounds great, but... why so nice?" she asked with concern. Kakashi gave a small laugh. He put his hand to his chin with his elbow to the table.
"Still the cautious one, huh. Well, I'm not here to rob you or anything. I am here to help. I know you just started to work, so you are going to need to budget yourself on what you make. So, once you figure all that out then pay me what you can. It's as simple as that." he replied. Reioki sat back in her chair and smiled.
"Thank you. So, when do we start?" she asked? Kakashi smiled back through his mask.
"Well, I have a mission starting tomorrow. It should only last for about a day. Today is Wednesday, so how about we start Friday. You work until 3pm right?" he asked. Reioki nodded her head.
"Yes. 7am to 3pm, Monday thru Friday." she answered.
"All righty then, lets start Friday about 3:30pm. We'll meet here. How's that?" he asked. Reioki gave a smirk.
"Ok, but let us make it for 3pm. I do not feel like sitting around for a half hour." She said. Kakashi gave a small laugh.
"Ok, 3pm it is. I will try and be on time this time." he replied as he got up from the table. Reioki gave a small laugh.
"Ok then. I will see you Friday." She said as he waved good-bye and walked out the door. Reioki finished her tea and left for home.
On her way home, Reioki decided to wander around the village. She stopped by the fruit and vegetable stand and bought a few apples, leaks, carrots, and pears. After she paid the salesman, she began to walk home again. As she walked around, she saw a clearing with a large upright stone in the center of a flagstone area and behind the stone was a flagpole. Reioki approached the rock and noticed there were names engraved into it. Hmmm. This must be a memorial of some sort. She thought as she looked at it. She looked to one side and saw the river with the mountains in the background. As she looked to the other side, she saw three stumps in the ground and hedges surrounded the entire place. It was beautiful and peaceful. Reioki turned around and walked back towards town.
As Reioki walked through town, she noticed a small shop with books in it. She stopped in to see what they had. She greeted the salesperson as she walked in. The shop was small, but quaint. It had scrolls and pens for writing, notebooks, cards, books, and gift things around the store. Reioki noticed a book that caught her eye. It had a small purple and blue butterfly on the cover. She picked it up and looked at the cover. She opened it to see what was inside, but it only had blank pages. She put the book down and looked around again. This time she went over to where the books were. She rummaged through the books to see if there were any that struck an interest. She found on plants and herbs. This one looks interesting. I think I will get this. At least I will have something else to read. She thought. Reioki brought the book to the counter and paid for it. She smiled and walked out of the store. I need to stop buying things. I need to keep what money I have left to live off of until I get paid on Friday. She thought as she walked home.
When she got home, she put away her groceries she bought earlier, except for an apple, and then walked over to her bed. As she sat on the bed, she took out her new book. She then took a bite of the apple she bought earlier. She picked up her new book and decided to eat and read on the balcony. She walked over to the sliding window, climbed out on to the small balcony she had and sat down to read while she ate her apple. This is stuff I pretty much already know. She thought as she read. She came across a page with some pictures and started to laugh. She noticed in the book that the labels were mixed up on the pictures of what plant was what.
"Opps. That is wrong. They should have caught that before they printed. Heh… Oh well." she said softly to herself. She continued to read for a bit longer until the sun started to set. Reioki put the book down and looked around. Hmmm. I could get some planters out here and grow some stuff. That would be a nice touch out here. She thought. But that will have to wait a bit. I need to see what I need to live off of. She continued to think. She got to her feet and walked to the edge of the balcony to see what was around. There are a lot of trees around here. It is really nice. My village is more buildings and water. We do not have as many trees. I do, however, miss the lake. It was beautiful to look at. I loved wading in it with my mother. I also miss the private baths. Which reminds me... I should go take one. She thought to herself. Reioki picked up her book and climbed in the big window that went out to the balcony. She put the book on the shelf that was next to the one other book she owned. She went into the closet, grabbed her cloak and walked out the door towards the bathhouse.
Reioki made it to the bathhouse in 15 minutes. It was a nice walk there. She walked into the women's side of the bathhouse to the locker room where she got undressed and wrapped up in a towel. She walked into the hot spring and took off the towel and sat down into the water. She leaned up against the side of the spring, leaned her head back and closed her eyes to enjoy the hot water. As she lay there, she remembered the book at the store with the purple and blue butterfly on the cover. Reioki gave a small smile to the thought. That is funny that memory should pop into my mind. She thought as she continued to think about the butterfly and how pretty it was. Then she remembered a memory she had with her father about chakra calling.
Reioki was in the courtyard at their home in the rain village. Her father, a tall red haired man, stood next to a 7 year old Reioki who was looking up at him.
"Now, all you really need to do is this." he said as he showed her one hand sign. As he did this, a few birds came to him. Reioki looked amazed.
"WOW DAD! Can I do that?" she asked him. He looked down to his daughter.
"That is why we are here. Now, do the hand sign, and then call out in your mind to what you want to attract with your chakra." he instructed her.
"Anything?" she asked. He gave her a smile.
"Start with something small, but yeah. You will be able to ask for the assistance of many animals that are around you." He told her. Reioki beamed at her father with excitement. Then she did what her father told her to do. She did the hand sign and called out with her chakra. Then a swarm of butterflies came at her and landed on her. Reioki's eyes widened as they came.
"Oh wow! Look dad! I did it! I really did it!" she exclaimed. Reioki had a big smile on her face as she looked at him. Her father smiled at her.
"Butterflies, huh. Heh.. You need to tone down the chakra a bit. You don't need to call so many, but I'm proud of you. It will be very helpful to know this." He told her. Reioki nodded her head as she looked at the butterflies.
"You will also be able to send messages though them as well." Said the soft voice of her mother. Reioki looked over towards the courtyard door to see her mother, a pale faced woman with white-silver hair with black that flowed in the long spiral curls and eyes that matched Reioki's, standing there watching. Reioki smiled at her.
"Mommy! Did you see? Did you see me do that summoning thing?" she asked excitedly. Her mother walked over to her and gave her a smile.
"Of course I did. You were great. But that does not surprise me. You were learning from the best." Renai said with a big smile on her face. She walked over to her husband and kissed him on the cheek. He put his arm around her and kissed her back. Reioki rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"It's not an actual summoning, just a simple calling with chakra." Her father explained. Reioki giggled.
"Umm.. dad? Uhh, how do you get them off?" said Reioki with a concerned look on her face. He looked at her and gave a small laugh.
"Use the same hand sign and say, scatter." he told her. Reioki did this and they all flew away.
"Wow! That was cool. Thanks dad." she said. She walked up to her mother and father and gave her dad a hug. He let go of his wife and picked up his daughter and gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. Reioki wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back and then put her head on his shoulder.
Reioki smiled at this memory she just had. Just then a woman came into the hot spring and sat next to her. Reioki looked at her and smiled. The lady had long dark purple hair and dark eyes. She smiled back.
"Hi." she said to Reioki as she sat. Reioki lifted her head and faced her.
"Hello. Nice night, is it not?" Reioki asked. The lady leaned back against the hot spring wall.
"Yeah. It sure is." she answered. Reioki put her head back against the wall again and closed her eyes. Reioki lay there for another 5 minutes in silence, just enjoying the hot springs.
"Your new around here. I haven't seen you before." Said the lady. Reioki didn't move.
"Yeah. I just got here a few days ago. It is really nice here. I like it." Reioki answered.
"Yeah. It is. I love it here." Said the lady. Reioki turned her head towards her.
"My name is Rikudo, Reioki. Nice to meet you." she said to the lady. The lady turned her head towards Reioki and smiled.
"Uzuki, Yugao. Nice to meet you." Reioki turned her head back to where it was.
"Reioki, huh. Your the girl Kakashi and Guy brought back." Yougo said. Reioki scrunched her face.
"Great. Everyone and their mother must know about that. How embarrassing." replied Reioki. Yougo sat up and looked at her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention. I just work under the Hokage and know information. I just recognized the name." She explained sympathetically. Reioki gave a small smile, but didn't look at her.
"Do not worry about it. You are just trying to be nice. Yougo smiled at her and leaned back against the wall.
"That's good. You seem to be a really nice person. I'm glad I met you." Yougo said. Reioki turned her head towards Yougo.
"Thank you. You seem to be a nice person too. I am always glad to meet new people that are nice. It is the ones that are not, you have to watch out for." Reioki said. Yougo gave a small laugh as she put her head back to relax.
"Oh, how true that is." she replied. Reioki sat up and grabbed her towel that was on the side of the spring. She stood up and wrapped the towel around her and got out.
"Well, It was nice to meet you. If I stay in here too much longer, I will pass out from the heat. Hope to see you around." Reioki said. Yougo lifted up her hand and waved.
"Yeah, nice to meet you too. See ya." she replied as Reioki was walking away. She went into the locker room and got dresses.
As she walked out of the bathhouse, she noticed how dark it was out and how pretty Konoha was lit up. She walked home feeling relaxed and clean with a smile on her face.
Reioki woke in the morning and got ready for work, like she did the past few days. But this morning, she wasn't her bright cheery self. She felt like she had a black cloud hanging over her head. I do not feel so good today. She thought to her self. She checked herself with her doujutsu and found herself to be fine. She walked out the door and went to work.
When she got to work, she greeted Kashu and started to boil water for the tea. Kashu walked over to her.
"Are you ok? Is something bothering you today? You're not your cheerful self." He said. Reioki shrugged her shoulders and looked sad.
"I do not know what is wrong with me. I just woke up feeling like something was bothering me, but I do not know what it is." she replied. Kashu looked at her and smiled.
"Ahh, Just one of those days. I get those sometimes. Just try and think of the good things you have. It doesn't always work, but At least I try." he told her. She gave him a smile.
"Well, I can start off by thinking about this job. I am happy to have it." She told him. Kashu smiled at her.
"I am glad to hear that. I like having you around." he told her. Reioki felt a little better as the day went on. She was cheerful to the customers that came in and, tried to make the best of her funky mood. By the time her break came she was feeling better. Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I have to train with Kakashi today. That should be fun. I wonder what we are going to do. She thought. That seemed to brighten her mood. After her break, she cleaned up tables before the rush came in for lunchtime. Kashu looked at her when she came into the back.
"Looks like your feeling better." he said. She smiled at him.
"Yeah. I just remembered that I am going to do some training today. I am excited about that." She told him. He looked at her.
"Training? What are you trying to learn?" he asked. Reioki grabbed a bunch of dishes and put them into the sink.
"Well, I am going to learn self defense. I want to know that I can hold my ground if confronted." she told him as she washed some cups. He looked to the counter he was wiping off.
"Oh. That's good to know. I'm glad your learning that." he told her as he brought a few more dishes to the sink. Reioki finished what she was cleaning and started drying the cups and set them on the counter.
"Yeah, me too. Kakashi said he is going to start to teach me accuracy first. I wonder how that will be taught?" she asked. Kashu shrugged his shoulders.
"Have no idea. He is the teacher." he replied. Reioki laughed.
Reioki walked out to the counter and saw a lady with dark short hair and, had on a long coat. She ordered some dango and a cup of tea to go. Reioki took the order and went back to get it ready. Kashu brought it up front when it was done. She heard him talk to the lady.
"Oh, hello Anko. How are you tody?" he asked her. Anko gave a small laugh.
"Oh, everything is going well, so I see you have new help. That's nice." She said. Reioki started to finish the dishes that she didn't do. She dried them and put them away. Just in time for the lunchtime rush. That made the day go by fast.
At the end of her shift, she got herself a cup of tea and sat down at a table. Kakashi should be here soon. I hope. She thought to herself. Reioki sat there and thought for a while. I am glad I got this time to rest. My feet hurt. She thought. I wonder how I am going to learn accuracy today. I should be able to do something. My dad could do things. So could my mom. …I seem to remember doing things too when I was younger, but after our house was raided, I could not do anything I learned except for healing and chakra calling. She thought. As she sat there and waited, she looked outside to watch the people walk by. She saw a little girl walk by with a butterfly on her shirt. Reioki smiled when she saw this. Pretty butterfly. I should send my father one. At least he will know I am alive. She thought. Reioki did a hand sign and a butterfly came to her. It landed on her finger and she looked at it. She focused her chakra encoded with a message then gave it to the butterfly. She gave a smile and whispered, scatter. Reioki watched the butterfly fly away. When her eyes came back to the table, she saw Kakashi standing there.
"Uhh, Hi. Sorry I'm late. Ready to go?" he asked her. She looked at the clock and saw it was 3:40pm. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Are you ever on time?" she asked with a laugh. Kakashi smiled through the mask he wore.
"Well, sometimes I am." He replied. Reioki stood up and gave a small laugh.
"Well, It just so happens that I needed the rest. My feet hurt for a while. They are ok now, but not when I first sat down." She told him as they walked out the door.
Reioki and Kakashi walked down the street towards the memorial.
"So... What kind of training am I going to be doing?" she asked. He continued to look forward as they walked.
"Well, I am going to see how well your chakra control is. Then we will go from there." He said. Reioki nodded her head.
"And how are you going to do that?" she asked.
"Heh, well, you are going to climb a tree." He told her. She looked at him with a funny look.
"Ahh, ok... climb a tree. You are the teacher." She said. Kakashi gave a small laugh.
"You'll see what I mean." He told her.
