It turns out the reason genjutsu is almost never specialized in is the sheer amount of layering and willpower involved. You have to believe your illusions before you can toss them at another. It says a lot about those who delve into the eerie ones. You have to be rather crazy yourself to wrap all those around you and luckily it comes about in an idle remark Ten-ten tells me as we are twisting into funny shapes in the back yard for our warm up.

Ten-ten's family runs a weapon shop and the gossip she hears is sometimes priceless to our future as ninja.

There's a random remark that apparently those who become known for..disturbing..genjutsu often have mandatory psych evals.

It makes me rewrite some of the ones I was working on. It seems eerie is better. Something just uncanny enough to make people uncomfortable as opposed to terrifying. I'll save those for later, when as a ninja who has run into a few cases of things going downhill fast playing a xylophone has supposedly provided the inspiration for those twisted genjutsu I want to make.

"So how is the mastering of the four types going, Ten-ten?" I ask as I shift just a little further to pop my hip out. It burns!

"I have staffs, staves, bo's, and sticks in seperate hands down." She says happily. As a future weapons mistress my distant cousin intends to be good at everything but she rotates what she's delving into further. It keeps her very happy and as a result she's teaching Lee and I anytime we will let her. Mastering is done by helping to teach others how to use something, after all. I rather like fighting with staffs but Ten-Ten has told me she thinks I'll take really well to halbred's and pole arms but she hasn't gotten there yet.

I am totally not going to judge. Whatever the expert thinks I may do well with I shall try.

The afternoon passes in a hazy blend of stretching and chatting about weaponry and our year mates. It's sad that only Ten-Ten and I are taking the art of the shinobi serious amongst all the girls in our class. Of which there are easily over a dozen. Even the Uchiha 'bratty-hime' as I like to call her (Ten-ten always does this snort giggle which is insanely cute on her) isn't really trying for anything beyond pride and bragging rights.

"Have you had 'the talk' yet?"

"Ugh. The baby or the hair one?" She responds as we sit sipping cooled tea and enjoying the afternoon transition into twilight. We rarely get a day to spend together, even if it has almost all been training it is such a pleasure to be around Ten-Ten.

"The hair one I think was actually worse."

"Don't I know it.." Ten-ten ruffles her bangs, sparse as they are. Both of us wear the traditional hair style in the twin buns though I have the long forelocks interwoven with bells now. She regards mine for a moment, and then sighs.

"I don't think I'll get bells before we graduate since I started with weapons before agility." I nod back at her remark, it's true. In a way we started on opposite ends of the spectrum and are trying to meet in the middle to pass along what we can to the other. It helps we have similar builds, both a little more solid, a little more broad of rib and shoulder and hip than most girls. It shows our heritage, the women of our clan are not prone to extensive curves but to lean solid forms, our small waists will give an illusion of curves we won't have later on and no doubt with training we shall have kunoichi physique. Neither of us expects to grow much if anything in the way of a bust though and privately have expressed that we are grateful for it. Because the less we have to bind, the less painful.

"Have you considered colors?" I ask finally, curious if her talk was as traumatic as my own. I know Lee had it too because he was there with me but I won't humiliate him, not even to dear Ten-Ten by recounting the expression and colors he made.

"Probably purple. I'd do red but I think purple makes a fun contrast.." She grins at me and her eyes sweep over my hair, and I smile back.

"I don't think brown would work for me."

Her eyes dance, understanding I saw the reference of making us look more alike and favor it.

"You could do black. More like Lee then. I like the idea of black actually, subtle. People are less likely to ask about it for me."

I make a hmm sound and sip my tea. Essentially in the Yue clan we both have ancestor's in, the males grow their hair long and braid it..as my brother does. The women grow out their front locks between the forehead and the ears. Once it is past the level of the heart on both genders they can color it. Coloring the hair shows that we are of age to consider 'partnership.' There are casual relations amongst ninja of course, but we Yue descendants are loyal and true and value that. If for reasons it cannot be done physically there is no shame in it. Indeed the family considers denying the body to be a falsehood as much as telling lies.

It is the heart that is so valued.

A girl colors her hair in accordance with her clan's tradition showing she is unmatched. When she falls in love she's to cut them off and present them as a sign of herself, one first to show affection. If returned when she has decided there is no other for her she gifts the other. Her hair must be as long as her heart to gift and if denied she removes the color and waits until her hair is long enough before she can offer again.

We can of course, remove the 'offering' hairs to show we are not accepting any and then we cannot make such a proposition until it grows back out.

"You know..I asked my Okaa-san about if it got cut in battle." Ten-Ten remarks, with the soft sigh that shows she thinks the idea of hair and coloring and cutting it to show love as others would flowers just as silly as I do. "She suggested I not allow anything to get that close. She actually told me I can't pull it up!"

"Mine too." I grimace and shake my head. "For an otherwise very forward thinking group..how is it the Yue clan came up with such a silly ritual?"

Ten-Ten shrugs and gives me a wry grin. "How did they come up with Konoha? People are crazy..amazing sometimes but there's a lot of crazy involved."

She's right of course. I look at the slowly darkening sky though and humm.

"I think I'll cut mine off when I graduate.." I feel my lips forming the words but until now, since 'the talk' I hadn't told anyone this idea.

"Dedicate to your career for now?" Ten-ten tilts he head and then I feel her bump my shoulder with hers, brown eyes meeting my gray with a knowing grin to her lips.

"Let's do it."

I laugh because she's so practical but then Ten-Ten is holding out her pinky for a swear and..I catch it with my own.

"If I do find someone worth my locks though Ten-Ten..you'll be the first I tell."

"Likewise."

For just a moment we are two little girls and collapsing in giggles that has nothing to do with training or being ninja or anything. It feels..it feels really nice.

I think I've been forgetting to actually live.

"Don't let me go so long lost in training again, okay?" I ask her softly and Ten-Ten nods. We both have that habit, we become entirely absorbed in what we are doing. It is in the blood.

And then just because Ten-Ten is trying so hard at everything and I think she deserves credit for how much improvement she has made since she started on the agility training and I yank out a few strands of her hair from the buns and braid in a single bell off mine.

"You know your granny is going to kill you for that."

I nod, my cheeks hurting from how large my smile is.

"It'll be worth it."

Ten-Ten shows she has that issue in her blood too as she tackles me in a hug and we are found by Lee not long after laughing on the ground still in an embrace.

Lee wouldn't be Lee if he didn't join in.