Hey guys, Hurricane part two.
Sorry, it's sort of short and rushed (to me, anyway)
I wasn't sure how to end it, so here's a random horse chase and the fastest ending ever.
Though not as fast as KHR. lol.
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. If it did, Obito would've declared that he was going to the DMV alone, and that Madara had to give him the keys - It's time to get his license. XD
Chapter 9: Hurricane - Part 2
Tobirama had met Mariko's father once before. He was an intimidating man, tall and broad-shouldered with an air of formality always carried with him. His grayed hair held a dark tinge of what must've been the Aokami line of blue hair many years ago, and his eyes were the same emerald green darkened and wizened with age. The slight crinkles around his eyes suggested that he once smiled a lot, but not anymore. His usual appearance was stiff and strict, a presence in which Mariko grew deadly silent, Ryouichi maintained his professional stance, Katsurou didn't dare make a smart remark, and Sumiko dipped her head respectfully. From what Tobirama could tell, all four seemed to be trying for approval.
Whatever the situation, this was a man to respect. King Hiroto of Hurricane.
The meeting was brief, the group paid their respects to the busy man before proceeding on their way. Tobirama got a strange tingle of nervousness when they entered his office; after all, this was the man that arranged his fourth's daughter's marriage with Hashirama, who just as easily handed over Tobirama. It was a strange thought.
Afterwards, they had a pleasant dinner—Tobirama couldn't help but feel that the maids were staring at him, and quite blatantly too—and then they had a tour of the nearby streets, and then very quickly the sun had set and night was upon them.
"This is Mariko's room, but it's too small for two people," Sumiko said, tapping her heels against the hardwood floor as she introduced Mariko's old home to Tobirama. It was massive—five rooms, each the size of four of Tobirama's room back in Konoha, made up Mariko's quarters. One room was entirely dedicated to her belongings (in the past), while another was a luxurious bathroom. It's basically a pool, Tobirama thought.
Another held her bed, a puffy-looking thing with veils and drapes hanging over it from the ceiling, delicately connected to tall posts. It was all a shade of peach and rose, which seemed to suit Mariko, despite her aquamarine hair.
"This…is big." Tobirama continued to gape at it.
"Too big for me," Mariko reassured him, smiling. Considering her small size, perhaps such a living space had been too much.
"Well, moving on," Sumiko urged, clicking out the door. She shut it behind them and led them to the guest quarters. "Here's our guest wing, and here's your room. It's got a bigger bed for you two."
They pushed their way into a room slightly smaller than one of Mariko's, but still with its own bath and whatnot. The bath was like one of Konoha's hot springs, almost; huge enough for a group to relax in.
Katsurou appeared then, peeking into the room. He held some of the couple's baggage.
"We're bringing this up now. Hold on a sec."
When they finished, Tobirama thanked them quietly, for Mariko had already curled up in the bed and was fast asleep. After the long trip and plenty of activities, it was natural that she was spent. The blunette snored lightly into the pillow, occasionally smiling in her dreams.
"Good night, guys." Sumiko waved and took her leave.
"Do anything funny to my sister tonight, and you're gonna get it." Katsurou grinned and waved as well.
"I'll keep that in mind." Tobirama shut the door after them. He soon joined Mariko in the bed, wrapping his arms around her curled up body.
Maybe it was the slight time difference, or maybe it was the distant neigh of horses, but Tobirama woke up exceptionally early. Dressing in casual slacks and a polo, he took a walk outside. He happened along the stables, just a ways away from the east end of the castle. He had great timing, because Mariko's gray mare, Katrina, appeared along the fence line and snapped her teeth at him.
"Hey," Tobirama said tiredly. He found himself staring off with the horse. Tobirama was never fond of horses. Maybe it was because they were big, bold, and dangerous at both ends. With sharp hooves and those dark eyes, Tobirama preferred to keep his distance.
Meanwhile, Katrina kept on following Tobirama until he reached the paddock gate. There, she was obstructed by the fence bordering the next field, and Tobirama smirked. No more creepy horse eyes on him, now.
Katrina was probably just as stubborn as her owner, because she backed up, rolled on her haunches, and easily sprang over the barrier. Landing with a soft thud, the mare cantered up to Tobirama, shaking her head and whinnying. Tobirama glared; it was like the horse was laughing at him.
"Are you following me?" he joked aloud, as if the horse could understand him. The gray bobbed her head up and down, like a nod. "Oh Hashi, if you could see this. I'm talking to a horse."
Tobirama recalled what Sumiko had said the day before. Katrina was a nearly untamable horse, wild and frenzied under saddle unless Mariko was the one present. Why in the world would they keep such a dangerous horse, then? This was an animal even more picky than Mito, he supposed.
"I would be careful around that one," called a voice. Tobirama glanced over to see a young stable boy holding a pitchfork. "She's got a nasty bite, and a worse kick."
"I see." Tobirama continued to walk a good few yards away from the fence, where Katrina whirled and spun and taunted him with a few snorts.
"I've heard that no one can ride her."
"Oh, really?"
"She's wild."
"I see." Tobirama ventured a step closer, but Katrina lunged at him with a fierce snap of her teeth. His shinobi skills pulled him away quickly. The horse whinnied again, amused. Her tail swished happily, and she pranced along the fence.
"She's a smart one, too." The stable boy nodded to himself. He continued on to ask if Tobirama was new around these parts, rambling about how the royal stables were so grand and majestic. He proudly displayed his new nametag to Tobirama: Maki.
"So, Maki. Do you ride the horses?" Tobirama asked.
"Oh no. The most I can do is bring them in. Though I would like to, I learned how to ride when I was barely four." Maki smiled up at the older man proudly.
"Can you bring in this one for me?" Tobirama jerked a thumb at Katrina, who flattened her ears at the gesture.
"Oh no, I don't think I'm allowed to. Unless you can give me permission, from the royal family?" Maki seemed to be naïvely full of suggestions. Tobirama stopped, considering his answer.
"I'm related to them. Does that count?"
Maki supposed that anyone who was allowed into the castle area at all must have some sort of clearance. The poor, young teen didn't know much about castle rules, but he knew the security was insanely tight. One time, he barely got back in because he tried the front gate instead of the members' entrance.
"You are?" he asked first, noticing the lack of blue hair.
"Married," Tobirama told him. Maki nodded thoughtfully, before approaching the nearest gate. Katrina saw this and trotted eagerly to meet him. Tobirama wondered why she didn't just jump it.
As soon as the gate was opened, Maki reached up to slip a halter over the horse's head, but she bolted out with a defiant kick.
"No!" Maki cried, helplessly flailing as he avoided the dangerous hooves and the mare thundered down the path. Tobirama frowned and ran a little ways before pressing his hands together and calling up a water wall. The reverse waterfall rose up in front of Katrina, who whirled in fright and galloped back their way again. Tobirama tried confronting the horse, whilst wondering why he got himself into such a mess.
Katrina skidded to a halt and pushed Tobirama with her nose angrily, trying to shove him off his feet. Maki tried cornering her, but she threatened to kick again, and body slammed into a nearby paddock fence. The few ponies grazing there looked up, interested. They soon returned to their grazing, though, upon seeing the feisty mare and her usual antics.
The mare kept shoving at Tobirama, ears flattened and teeth snapping. Tobirama's hand flew to his leg, but found that his kunai pack wasn't present, of course, and backed away. Suddenly, Katrina lowered her head curiously, moving her muzzle closer to Tobirama's chest again, as if to push him one more time. Her nostrils flared as she smelled a familiar scent—Mariko. Nickering, the horse ambled a bit closer to the man, ears swiveling back and forth.
Abruptly, Katrina pulled away harshly and turned away, ears tilted forward, eyes wide.
In the direction of the stables, a faint rumbling was heard. There was a shout, a scream, and then a few men dressed in shinobi attire and masks galloped out on a few horses, several more in tow.
"Horse thieves!" a woman screamed.
"Stop!" Maki wielded his pitchfork threateningly, but the first rider jostled him with a staff and threw him to the ground, thundering past on the panicked horses. Katrina's neighs turned to angry horse screams, ears flat on her neck as she attempted to hinder the thieves. Useless against the large group, she was pushed back against the edge of the pathway until the entire raid passed, making their way to the end gate.
"That's towards the closest exit!" wailed Maki. The young boy's eyes began to tear up as he picked himself up from the ground and started hyperventilating.
"Calm down," Tobirama ordered, kneeling. He pressed two fingers to the ground, and the chakra pulses that he sent to and from his hand like echolocation informed him of the exact number and their current direction, as well as speed. "I'll follow them."
Soon after, shouts from the castle were heard, and several guards came to the scene. However, Tobirama knew that they'd be to slow. It seemed as if Katrina had the same idea, because she whinnied angrily, stomping her hooves, before shoving Tobirama with her muzzle again. The Senju easily leapt up onto the gray horse's back, hands grasping the coarse black mane to steady himself. Without waiting for the man to adjust, Katrina took off at a dead bolt in pursuit of her friends and their captors.
Tobirama leaned low over the horse's neck, trying to remember when the last time he rode a horse was. As a shinobi, several skills seemed to be necessary, and at one point, horseback riding had been included.
His legs gripped the animal's sides firmly, and he maintained a rather balanced seat as the mare galloped away.
Mariko had awoken to an empty bed, not warm, but not cold either. She quickly dressed, brushed her teeth, and went in search of Tobirama to call him in for dinner. She had circled the castle, gone through the many gardens, and peeked into several rooms, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a bell went off, and people were rushing to the barn. Mariko followed Sumiko, who said something that sounded like "horse thieves" and ran in the direction of the fields.
She barely made it to the west gate when a familiar horse was seen pounding down the pathway. Sumiko and Katsurou, who appeared at the same time, gaped as Katrina slid to a halt on the slightly gravelly ground. On her back, Tobirama sat tall, far from being throne.
"I guess…she likes you?" Katsurou asked.
"Maybe it's just because I smell like Mariko," Tobirama reasoned, before pointing in the direction the thieves had gone. "They went that way."
Then, without waiting for an answer, he and Katrina took off, galloping faster than any other horse on the island, leaving the three siblings gaping.
Eventually, the horses were returned, the thieves caught and punished, and the most memorable thing on the entire trip with either Tobirama riding the impossible to ride horse, Tobirama falling in the pond, or Tobirama picking strawberries.
See how terribly fast that was?
I'm so sorry I ended it like that, but plot-no-jutsu doesn't work with me, and to be honest, I'm tired and should go to bed (or do homework).
Actually, I used plot-no-jutsu because BAM it's finished like that. Imagine the kage-bunshin-disappearing poof, and then my story ending. There.
I think I prefer TobiMari short stories. We'll get back to that eventually.
IN ANY CASE if you want to see what Katrina sort of looks like...
Look up "dapple gray horse" and maybe add "black mane" to it in...say Google Images, and something should pop up.
When Obito finally got to the DMV, Rin pulled out her notepad and got into the car.
"Let's go!" Obito exclaimed, putting the car into drive.
Rin automatically failed him, because he'd forgotten the a very important part of the Driver's License test: Tell the examiner to put on his/her seatbelt.