goddragonking: Thank you! I hope this is soon enough! I really like writing this so I'm glad you enjoy it ^^
Wicked Neko: Kakashi was like. Dead on his feet in the last chapter. He didn't have the energy to question this strange girl next door. She's not really trying to keep it a secret, since its not a middle ages and she won't, you know, be burned at the stake. As for the jutsu, I think she would have a basic understanding via assimilation.
Reuel: Thank you so much! I actually don't care for kids personally, so its super weird for me to be writing a character that likes them.
Day 225: Konohagakure, Ochiai Apartment Complex, B5
"How come we don't use spells?"
Her student of half a year was ever inquisitive, and recently he had picked up a few of the books she had brought with her. There were more than those that had sat in her backpack. Within one of the boxes she had placed in there was a few hundred more that she had been steadily filling her apartment with until there was nary the space for anything more.
Riley turned away from the plants she was watering, foxgloves, snapdragon and coltsfoot, to look over at him. He was midway through the Prisoner of Azkaban. She was surprised that the question hadn't come up before, since he had been reading Harry Potter for the past few weeks.
The young woman set her watering can down and hobbled inside, moving over to one of her bookshelves and pulling off an old tomb.
Not that many of them were new, mind, only that this particular one had been written by the Trinity of Macbeth. Fury, Grace, and Fate had recorded their spells and set the book into the walls of the castle of the king they themselves had placed on a throne. It had remained hidden for so long that it wasn't until they were razing the land for Inverness Castle that anyone even knew it existed. It was found by a serf during the deconstruction.
She set it down on the table in front of him.
"The magic that we use is Ambient. We don't deal with absolutes, or set scores. There are no words our magic needs. No set gestures or thought processes. Ours is a magic of creativity and expression. The world itself is our greatest supporter, and so long as we trust in our magic we are never alone.
The magic within those books, and what others typically think of, is Erudite. It is very exact, and must be executed properly or it will backfire. It's not like ours, where we can draw energy from around us and be filled from the outside. The power needed for those spells comes from within the magicians themselves, a bit like the chakra ninja use," or so was her understanding. "If you really want to learn that, I can teach you, but it is very different from what we have been doing for the past few months." And, in all truth, she didn't like the restrictions of it. Even what she did use was still tainted by the filter of her own natural affinities.
Naruto looked down at his book, then at the thick, complicated letting on the front page of the grimoire. Finally he shook his head. "Maybe some other time," he said at last. "I gotta learn all the ninja stuff too, so I can be Hokage!" he declared the last part louder than strictly necessary.
"Alright," she reached over to ruffle his hair lightly.
"Hey, hey, Rei," he turned bright blue eyes up at her, leaning into her hand. He was affectionate. Like a puppy.
"Mmmm?"
"Can we go out for ramen tonight?" he asked, giving her his best pleading pout. By this point he practically lived with her. The only times he was even at his place was when he had to sleep. Even then more often than not he just took up residency on her couch.
Riley smiled a bit at him. "What, you don't like my cooking?" she teased, flicking his ear harmlessly.
Naruto ducked his head, whining. "I didn't say that!"
Riley laughed at him.
"Alright, we can go out," she promised. "If you finish your homework first."
His face scrunched up. He flopped against the chair. She didn't know why he hated homework so much, he had clearly shown a love of learning. So why did he hate school so much?
"Come on, I know you can do it," she encouraged.
He shook his head. "No, I can't. No matter how hard I try I'm always wrong! Even when I think I'm right, even when it's what the books say I always end up being wrong!"
Riley frowned at him. If he was that frustrated there was no way he wasn't trying. The young woman pulled away and started walking. Unless she was mistaken, her neighbor with the cute dogs was home.
She limped over, and knocked on the door. Then knocked again. A third time and she was about to give up when the door swung open to reveal the little pug with the vest.
"Hello Pakkun," she greeted, "Is Kakashi around? I didn't hear him leave earlier." Given that he was a ninja there wasn't much a chance for her to hear him in the first place. Regardless, she had to ask.
"Eh, no?" Pakkun scratched behind his ear. "Why?"
Riley flapped her hand at the door, where Naruto was poking his head out to see what was going on. When he saw her looking at him he smiled sheepishly.
"My kid is trying to be a ninja but its not working." Riley was truly underwhelmed with how eloquent that sounded. She was getting more fluent, but only so much.
Pakkun turned to look at the kid. Something interesting passed his eyes.
"He's saying he's not here," Pakkun corrected himself. From inside was a rude mutter of 'traitor'.
Riley smiled ever so slightly.
"When he says he's come back, tell him I'll take him out to dinner if he helps," she requested.
The dog turned his ear up to her. "Are you asking him on a date?"
Riley snorted.
"I don't want to scare the big bad ninja away with that kind of talk," she chided lightly, "More like a payment for private tutoring."
"I'll tell him," Pakkun assured, to with Riley thanked him nicely. She waved her hand at Naruto.
"Come on Youngling. Let's take a walk," she encouraged. Naruto scrambled to get his shoes and came back at a bounding pace, rushing for the stair case. Riley went after him as a jaunting pace. As much of one as someone who had to use a cane could, at least. He was sitting on the banister waiting for her when Riley hopped up on with her good leg and slid down the spiralled stairs to the ground.
It was one of the reasons she had chosen this place as opposed to some of the others that were in her price range. It made getting down so much easier.
Naruto stuck to her good leg like a bur, recounting the tales of the boy who lived and his classes to the young woman, who listened with most of her attention. The rest was on navigating the area around them until they were making their way through a park.
Nature sang around them in the voice of cicadas and leaves falling from trees. Clouds called warning from far off.
Riley liked this place.
