Hiron Hon - Gerontis

[Gerontis]

Going home,
Very soon!

A collab between J8cob, Alice and Gero.

Setting: Immediately following the conclusion of the Hon Siege
Characters: Keiko Moto, Hiron Hon
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Panting, Hiron was bending over as he had both his hands on his knees. There was some cheering, but he wasn't cheering at all. Just a grin on his face as he then closed his eyes and sighed. ''Glad that shit is over now.'' He mumbled to himself. The group of shinobi near him acted like they had seen something incredible. And it probably was. Letting out another sigh, Hiron straighten his back as he raised his right arm. Trying to get the sweat, blood and dirt of his forehead he looked at the sight. They had managed to not only defeat the forces on the ground, but also that huge flying benemoth. ''Feng.''' Hiron said, still staring at the sight. They were some distance away from it, but it wasn't hard to miss. The Hyuuga jogged towards Hiron as he also stared at the scene. ''Yes?''

''I have one question.'' Hiron asked. Though he was really happy, he had a bad feeling. Though he had been captive by the enemy forces, he had picked up some things. The question made Feng look a bit worried in the direction of Hiron, but he just nodded. ''I just need to know if one or a group attacked that thing with fire.'' Now Feng really started to frown. Rubbing the back of his head, he wavered. ''Not sure, why?''

"Hiron Hon!!!" Before he had a chance to turn and look at the frighteningly angry voice behind him, a flaming foot connected with the side of his head, sending him spinning into Feng and putting both of them on the ground. Standing where Hiron previously stood was the very woman he was inquiring about. Keiko Moto, only she looked different. The fury in her eyes made it look almost like they were on fire. And on top of this, it was obvious by looking that she had received beatings, as she had a black eye and several cuts on her face and arms. The clothes were unharmed, suggesting she had changed since her last beating, but it was clear that she had recently been through a lot. "Where the fuck were you!?"

The shinobi that had been led by Hiron, turned around as they had heard something. Actually, they were pretty confused to see another Konoha shinobi kicking their once rebellion leader. Grunting, Hiron felt like the world was shaking. Something he wasn't really happy about. ''Jerking off, bitch.'' He mumbled, not too loud. He wasn't in the shape to do much. Feng was clearly in pain too, but Hiron wasn't paying any attention now to his friend. Getting up slowly, Hiron finally noticed how his fiancee looked like. The regret he had, was coming back. ''Hey... I''

As soon as he was standing, Keiko grabbed him by his shirt with both of her hands. Due to him being quite taller than her, she had to look up to maintain eye contact. "Don't you hey me!" Her volume was quickly gathering attention, but it appeared that Keiko was entirely oblivious to any onlookers among the shinobi around them. "You fucking vanish without warning and then I am left to cover you!" She tried to shake him somewhat, but the fact he was larger than her made it a bit awkward and difficult. "And this fucking scrub comes and starts asking questions about you and starts saying you've been cheating on me!" Now Keiko's hands caught on fire, still holding Hiron's shirt. "And then I get thrown in a fucking cell where I'm chained to the fucking wall for them to laugh at me! Where the fuck were you!?"

Some of the shinobi were about to seperate the two. But Feng coughed, rising up and raised his left hand. A sign that they should leave the two. ''Like if I had a fucking vacation. Calm the shit down.'' Hiron said, without raising his voice. Just like Keiko, he didn't really had an eye for the bystanders, but shouting wasn't something he did. His tone however made it clear he was getting angry as well. Placing his left over the wrist of her right arm, he sneered again. ''Why are you even here?''

Despite his hint to let go, Keiko held her ground against him. "I have no reason to be calm!" She tried to shake him again, but gave up and simply shoved him back, finally freeing him. Though, her hands were still ablaze. "I'm here because I fucking knew you would be here! You disappeared so of course you would be exactly where you shouldn't be!" Keiko seemed to finally notice that people were looking, but she only spared them a glance before returning her furious gaze to Hiron. "Was it really so difficult to let me know what you were going to do!? Did you have to just fucking leave without a trace!? The way I see it, the correct answer is NO!!" She stomped her foot down as she shouted the last word with even greater volume. It was increasingly evident that this woman was about to truly explode.

And all Hiron did was to cross his arms while he seemed to be waiting till she was done with talking. He scoffed as he then looked away. ''This was the reason why I vanished.'' He mumbled, loud enough for her to hear it. It was just that he was starting to get pissed off that he was acting like a jerk. Looking back, he glared at her again. ''And damn woman, you act like I did something wrong. Are you thinking I had any fun, do you? Cause screaming and shouting now won't make it any worse!''

"Listen here you son of a bitch," Keiko began, pointing her finger threateningly at Hiron. "I wouldn't know if you were having fun or not. I wouldn't know if you were fucking around with other women or not. And that's because you fucking left without a word!!" With that, she began to stomp toward him again. Though, this time she didn't grab him in any way. She just simply got unnecessarily close, to emphasize her anger. "Don't you dare act like you're some victim here, you ass!"

Leaning a bit forward, he sneered back, again. ''Oh, I would just vanish and fuck another. Cause I have nothing with you. Just think, damnit.'' He gritted his teeth as he was kind of tempted to force her to stay calm or at least back down. They had just managed to defeat the force that had caused this trouble. Actually, Hiron wished he could meet the person who had caused this mess as it was his fault that Keiko was now exploding on him. ''I haven't fucked anybody else than you, get it? Bitch.''

With his last word, Keiko's face contorted in a sneer before she grabbed his shirt again. This time, only with one hand vertically, yanking him closer to her eye level. "When you can't do something as simple as fucking warn me you'll be doing something like this! Something that easy!" She had pulled his face just before hers now, where he would have a clear view of the fire in her eyes. "The problem here is that you're a total jackass! You can't even think of me when trouble starts to arise!" She took a deep breath now, perhaps the first breath she's taken since she found him. "Instead you decided to act like a piece of shit and just upped and left!!"

He actually tried to release himself. But being exhausted as he was, he just couldn't. ''Well, guess what? You make like a jerk. The problem is that you're a complete bitch. That is why I couldn't let you know, cause else you would have come as well. Get it?'' He sneered back. It seemed that it wasn't going to become any better, in a way that they would both calm down or stop calling each other names. Walking towards the two, Feng had a kind of awkward smile as he was trying to help to cool down the situation. ''Keiko, Hiron. Please, calm down.'' Placing a hand on Keiko's shoulder, the poor man just tried to do something about the situation.

As soon as he put his hand on her shoulder, Keiko let go of Hiron and turned her fury on Feng. "Shut up!" Without any form of warning, Keiko brought her flaming fist across directly into his face. There was surprising power behind the blow, sending Feng flying back several meters with a steady flow of steam drifting from his face. Not waiting to see the consequences of that action, Keiko turned back to Hiron. "What's the problem with me joining!? It would've spared me this!" Keiko pointed at her own face now, toward her black eye and her cuts. "It would've spared my family from being thrown in those fucking cells! What's your fucking problem!?" Keiko stopped pointing at her face now, bringing her hand to her side in a fist.

There it was. It wasn't hard, but the sound would make many flinch. Hiron still had his right hand up. He had slapped her, but not with much force. ''You're really stupid. Cause like I would let you run around while being pregnant. That is the problem. You're pregnant. Get that? Do I need to fucking spell it? Do I?'' He sneered again. Trying to free himself, Hiron tried to straighten his back while using his left hand to push away her hand, that still held him. Meanwhile, Feng was laying on his back while three others were attending to him, worried that the lieutenant of Hiron was badly hurt.

Keiko was immediately silenced once Hiron had slapped her. In fact, she entirely froze, surprised he would react in such a way. In this state of shock, she stared at Hiron while he spoke. After he finished, there was a tense moment of silence. But the moment passed, and Keiko slowly came back to her senses. The sneer on her face returned and one could get a visual representation as her rage began to climb. The flames on her hands began to burn brighter and grow more intense. "So what!? What about being pregnant keeps me from spending time with you!? Why do I have to sit at home, alone, while you're off playing hero!? Is it really because I have your child, Hiron!?"

''What do you think? Of course that is the reason.'' He was slowly raising his volume. Grabbing the wrist of the hand, that she used to keep holding on to him, Hiron flinched a bit. He finally started to notice the fact that she was really about to explode. ''Now calm down. Really, calm down already. This is going to help both of us, you know.'' Trying to act a bit calmer, Hiron had some trouble with it. He was still pissed off about this whole ordeal, but he hoped it would have some effect.

"Don't you tell me to calm down!" In another surprising display of strength, Keiko rotated and threw Hiron onto the ground, still holding onto his shirt. With Hiron on the ground, Keiko straddled him just over his chest, to keep him pinned. "Do you know what would fucking help us!?" she shouted again, leaning forward slightly to bring her face above his. "If you would be honest with me, you piece of shit!" Despite the rage in her voice, tears began to form in her eyes. "If you would just tell me things, Hiron!"

He panted. As if he wasn't already exhausted and in pain, she had to threw him on the ground. Closing his eyes, he gave up on trying to free himself. It became pretty clear that he wasn't in any shape to do anything about the situation. At least not physically. ''I couldn't. Okay? I couldn't. You...'' Opening his eyes slowly, it became clear he wasn't liking this either. ''You always overreact. For crying out loud, look at us. Happy now? Are you?'' Hiron started to breath heavily again as he feeling that shouting or getting even more angrier wasn't doing him any good.

Keiko still held onto Hiron, though she did nothing to ease up with the flames. "I'm not overreacting!" was her instinctive defense. It was clear that this wasn't the first time she was accused of such. "And I'm not happy, Hiron! I can't be happy while you're vanishing and making me worry! You bastard!" Keiko brought her other hand down and grabbed onto Hiron with both hands now, lifting him up slightly before slamming him back into the ground. "You always do this in little ways but I can't look past it anymore when you disappear right before the village gets invaded! Are you going to be pulling this once we have our child!? Are you even thinking about me!? Us!?" Keiko pressed down on him now, specifically to keep him pinned even more in case he tried to escape this argument.

He looked surprised for a moment. The pain was getting worse, but it wasn't stopping him from reacting back. ''What the fuck.'' He started. ''Are you calling me a coward? Is that it? If I would run away, it wouldn't be because of my duty. Not because of our child, but because of you! Get it? Because of you! How can you demand me to stay, while you are like this?! Well? Got any clever to say about that?'' He tried to raise his right hand, wanting to push her away, but it was even too painful and tiring to lift it up. Instead, he would just go on with glaring in her direction.

The young woman gritted her teeth at his words. The flames on her hands began to glow even brighter. "Fuck you! You piece of shit!" Keiko stopped pressing down on him just long enough for her to slam him again. "I waste all my time worrying about you and this is how you're going to be!? I waste my thoughts on you when this is all you think of me!? That I'm just some bitch that bothers you!? That keeps you from having fun!?" Keiko raised one of her hands instinctively now, forming a fist aimed directly at Hiron's face. She wasn't even aware she was doing this. "Is that it!? Am I the only one that cares anymore!?" The tears were now rolling down her cheeks, and the flames on her hands were constantly growing more intense. "Answer me, Hiron!!"

He wasn't. Looking away, there was blood dripping on the ground. The place where she had kicked him started to bleed. It was making the mess on his face even worse. He hadn't even noticed it before. But that was clearly because of his anger and with Keiko being there. Then after some moments, he turned his head to glare back at her. ''You're really stupid.'' He told her. ''This piece of shit was having ''fun'', because of you. I didn't tell anybody about us, because I cared. Want to hear that? Want everybody to hear me say what I have trouble with? Is that your aim?'' Raising his right hand, he finally managed to grab a wrist of her again. ''Is it?''

Keiko's fist began to shake, still poised to deliever a punch. "No." This was the first time she hadn't raised her voice with him. "I just want you to stop and to tell me the truth." As if she realized what she was doing, she brought her fist back down, placing her hand on Hiron's chest. The flames also vanished from her hands, but the rage was still evident in her eyes. "I want you to stop being an ass to me! All I do is love you and care for you and worry about you and then you act like I'm some burden!" Now she was yelling again. "I want you to man the fuck up! That's what I want!"

He narrowed his eyes briefly as he then scoffed. ''You're one to talk! You complain me not being around, while I just did my job. Just fuck off already.'' He told her, trying to get away from her. Only to realize again what kind of shape he was at the moment. ''And hard to man up when you are getting kicked down every time. Or when you are living with a bitch like you. Like, really? You say that I am a jerk and maybe that is true, but that is just cause you're not an angel either, Keiko.'' Though he was talking back, it became evident that he was slowly giving up. His voice became hoarse as he wasn't talking that loud or angry anymore.

"I know I'm not perfect, Hiron!" Keiko continued, tightening her other hand into a fist while she rested it against Hiron. "But you don't have to treat me like... like something secondary! That's what it is! You put me to the side! You always do that!" Briefly, Keiko lifted her fist and used the back of it to wipe the tears out of her eyes and off her cheeks. "I try to do everything right and then you go and do shit like this! And you haven't even apologized yet! You haven't even said sorry!! You don't even see what you did wrong, you asshole!" Keiko placed her hand back on him again, putting her weight on him once more. "After all this and all you can do... all you can see is me being a bitch."

''Something that isn't hard to forget.'' He mumbled. The people around them were trying to get away. It became clear that getting too close wasn't very healthy, which was supported that Feng still was knocked out. Hiron looked away. ''You try to do everything right? That is the first funny thing I have heard from you in months. If that is what you're trying to do, then why are you beating me up like this is all my fault?'' He asked. Hiron was still angry, but he didn't had the energy left to show it off.

Keiko began to stutter for a moment, before giving up and grabbing Hiron again to slam him one more time. "This is your fault!" she shouted first, holding him still. "I don't care about what else is going on! All you had to do was tell me! That was it! And you... fucking... didn't!" Keiko was about to say something else, but suddenly lost the words, creating a silence. "And I am trying, you fuck. I try hard. I don't like being like this. But then you go and treat me like I don't even exist and I can't control myself!" Keiko made one last shove and let go of Hiron. Now that she had finally let go, it was evident that one part of his shirt was burned all the way through and another was charred. However, she still straddled his chest, which was now more-or-less a half-hearted attempt to keep him pinned.

Letting out a grunt as she again slammed him, Hiron started to breath irregular. The pain was getting worse. But it did helped to cool him a bit down. Not completely, but at least a bit. ''If you don't mind. Would you stop doing that already? It isn't the right thing to do.'' Hiron glared at her again. ''And tell me something new! You come here, angry at the fact that I had been ordered to lead an underground movement. Then we are finally back together, you starting to beat me up? Have you even looked at us? We're both a mess. What is up with that? Do you want this?'' Clenching his left hand in a fist, Hiron tried to ignoring the pain. Which was kind of hard, seeing he felt like he was suffering some burns too. He wasn't very sure about it, but it felt just like that.

"Fuck you." Keiko looked away from Hiron, taking a moment to catch her breath and examine her surroundings. There was a sort of crowd around them at this point, all standing at a relative safe distance. It seemed that Feng's unconscious body was an effective deterrent to any interference. That, and both Keiko and Hiron were recognizable faces. "I just want you to love me, you bastard." She looked back at Hiron now, looking down at him with her furious eyes. But, unknown to her, the rage in her eyes had significantly died down. But it was obvious that she was still fired up.

Hiron wasn't answering back. He had his eyes closed, but he was still awake. Scoffing, he still said nothing back. Moments passed until he finally replied back to her. ''You're one hell of a bitch.'' He mumbled. Frowning he turned his head. ''I do more than that. I missed you.'' It was nothing more than a whisper. It wasn't even maybe that loud enough that Keiko could hear it as Hiron had said it very softly.

The silence continued a moment longer, before Keiko let out a sob. Before any tears even began to flow, she brought one of her hands up to wipe her eyes. "You're a real piece of shit, you know that?" she said, looking away from Hiron again as she wiped her tears. "You make me so stressed." With that settled and the tears wiped away, she looked back down at him. "I'm going to get grey hairs from this. You get me so worked up." Her irises finally began to change color. No longer a burning red, they had shifted to a softer purple color.

Sighing, he still looked away. ''You're fine. At least you're not suffering burns or being pinned down.'' He mumbled. ''Just calm down. You shouldn't be stressing like this.'' Like if he was getting calmer, Hiron spoke with a less angry tone than before. Becoming silent again, Hiron tried to breath regular. Knowing that it wasn't smart to keep arguing with Keiko in his state, he was going to regret it. But he kind of had to admit to her, in order to improve the current situation. ''I am sorry.'' The words came out, but it seemed forced. Hiron actually felt sorry, but it was like he had really lost something, as if she was now the winner of some silly game or argument.

Keiko glanced at Hiron, before looking away. "I was chained to a fucking wall for a week," she told him, still staring into the distance. "I spent that entire week worrying about you. Wondering why you left without a word. Whether the lies I was told were actually lies or not." With a sigh, Keiko looked back at Hiron. She simply stared into his eyes for a moment, before all the steam she had suddenly vanished. Keiko practically collapsed onto Hiron, proving that she was also exhausted this whole time. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she whispered to him, since her face was right beside his.

He was still angry. It was because of his anger that he was thinking she only said it on the purpose of rubbing it that what he had done, even though it was something he had done as his duty, was wrong in some way. But as she cooled down and collapsing onto him, Hiron stayed silent for some moments instead of talking back. ''It wasn't fun either to stay underground.'' He said, surprisingly trying to make it sound amusing. ''You look great, know that?'' That wasn't a joke or an attempt to be funny. ''Can you do me a favor?''

The young woman that was laying on him slightly lifted her head, before moving one of her hands and placing a finger over Hiron's lips. "Just..." she began, before removing her hand from his face. "Just stop talking." She had a weak smile on her face, before rolling off him onto her back next to him. Now that she had lost all her steam, the fatigue had caught up to her. She was quiet for a moment as she stared up at the sky. "Promise me you won't do something like that again," she demanded, still looking up at the sky as she lay next to Hiron.

It was great that she got of him, as he had been willing to ask that. Hiron sighed again as she laid next to him, saying that he should stop talking. Only to then asking him to promise to not do something like that again. He wanted to comply with that, making the promise. ''You know I can't. But.'' He paused. ''I will do it different if this happens again.'' After saying that, he became silent again. Then remembering what had happened during their argument. ''I feel bad for Feng.''

Keiko continued to look up at the sky as Hiron talked. She could still see distant wisps of smoke that came from the fire she created earlier that day. She figured he would say something along those lines, and her expression was that of disappointment. But his small joke brought a chuckle from her. "He should know better than to put his hands on me," Keiko said quietly, before chuckling again. She was tempted to tilt her head to look at Feng, but decided against it. Instead, she closed her eyes, having felt that she couldn't fight her exhaustion anymore. In a matter of seconds, Keiko was passed out next to Hiron, with no warning of the change. Except for the fact she had become surprisingly quiet and her breathing had gone down to a fairly normal rate.

''Yeah, but..'' Hiron slowly stopped talking as he heard that her breathing had changed. Getting worried, he looked at her. ''Finally. You've calmed down. Was close to say it, but this is better.'' Mumbling, he sighed again as he closed his eyes. The people around them were also starting to do all kind of things. Most were celebrating and cheering. Others were attending to those who were wounded. Not that Hiron really cared for it at the moment. His body was still aching, but he managed to move one of his arms. ''Sorry.'' He managed to finally place a hand on her head, just before two medics were approaching them.

Only after both Hiron and Keiko had calmed down and some medics were approaching them, Lilia felt confident enough to come out of hiding. She wasn't need of Samehada to know and locate both of them. It was pretty evident where they were as Lilia had noticed Keiko already. But she hadn't approached Keiko, because she had seen in what kind of mood her mother had been in. Covered in blood, dirt and sweat, Lilia carefully walked out of the small crowd. Then, after watching both for some moments, she started to run. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she was really happy. ''Mommy! Daddy!'' Running as fast as she could, Lilia only slowed down once she was closer. It seemed two medics were treating them. For a moment, Lilia was worrying. Both of them looked in a bad shape. What if they had exhausted themselves completely? If it could be seen, than somebody would be able to see how Lilia's face lost some color as she thought about that outcome. ''Mom? Dad?'' Lilia repeated, in a much more hushed manner.

Hiron would let the medics do their work. But hearing Lilia's voice, he would briefly move up. Still in pain, he found some strength in knowing she was there. Hiron smiled a bit as he reached out a hand towards Lilia. She was there. Safe and sound. Maybe a bit dirty, but she had both her arms and legs. Nothing that seemed to be grave. Sighing, the man had been worried that she would have been worse. But here she was, in one piece. More worried about them than herself. Typical. He would likely have to blame himself and Keiko for that. ''Sshhh, Little Wolf. We are fine. Just a bit tired.'' Hiron said with a calm tone.

Feeling more than relieved, Lilia whiped some tears away. She wanted to hug both of them very badly, but they were in need of some medical attention. Dropping on her knees, she then just started to cry. Her hands shot towards her face as she leaned a bit forward. It weren't tears of sorrow, but of being happy. The time she had been seperated from both of them had really made her worry about how they both were. But seeing that both of them were alive, made her truly happy. Lowering her hands, she looked at her parents. It was finally over. They would go home and everything would be alright.

Leaning back to place himself on his back on the ground, Hiron let out a sigh. He heard Lilia cry, but he didn't seem to rush to get to her. He understood why she was crying. And to be honest, he was starting to feel some tears being formed at his eyes as well. Closing his eyes, he would let the medic continue do his work. The people were starting to celebrate their victory together. It made Hiron briefly wonder about something that crossed his mind. ''Shhh, Little Wolf.'' Hiron mumbled, a smile appearing on his face.

[Gerontis]

Comforting words,
Wise words from a young man.

''Sometimes it takes a smaller candle to lit up a bigger one.''

A collab between Gerontis and Alice.

7 months after the start of the timeskip.

Summary :
Hiron Hon coming home after another mission. A lot of has happened in the past months and though he couldn't be around that much, he managed to change the heart and look of somebody on life. His own daughter. He managed to make her smile the day after, picking up her dream.

SPOILER: Click to show

Walking home, Hiron sighed. For the past few months, his schedule hadn't changed much. He had gone out on many missions, done a lot of training and arranging things. With the Hon's having a compound in Konohagakure now, Hiron had done some things for the clan. Even though the fact he wasn't seeing himself as a very proud clansman, he had used his good connections in the Inuzuka and some clans that he knew to strengthen the bond between them and the Hon's. As the sun was setting down, he was looking forward to come home. He knew that Keiko could use some help. Lilia too. With Jinkama's dead, he knew that they could use somebody to comfort them.

As he walked around the corner, nearing his home, he noticed somebody sitting on a bench. The person was looking at the sky, her knees pulled up and embraced by her arms. ''Nice sunset, ain't it?' Hiron said, halting.

Lilia looked surprised. A smile crept on her lips of seeing Hiron. He had been so busy, that she was glad by seeing him now and then. Even knowing he had a lot of responsibility as a jounin, she was always glad to see him home. However, the smile faded away. As snow, that melted by the warm rays of the sun. ''It is... Hiron-chan.'' She told him with a soft tone.

Hiron said nothing for a few moments. Then he simply walked to the bench and decided to sit down. He said nothing as he kept looking at the sunset. The face of Hiron revealed nothing of his thoughts, simply a calm and relaxed expression at the moment. He knew that Lilia was in a lot of pain with Jinkama's death. And could he blame her? Through his missions, he never had lost watch over her. After a long silence, he spoke.

''Heard you went and searched for Katsuko... And brought him back. As well sneaking in one of the Dragon Lotus hide-outs.'' Hiron said. Actually, he had watched from a distance. Not actually being around when the two had fought, but seeing it on the big map in one of the Dragon Lotus bases. Glancing in her direction. ''Tho-''

''I don't want to become Hokage anymore...'' Lilia suddenly told Hiron. A few tears rolled down. She had shown more happiness towards Keiko, Katsuko and Akira. But after she had came back, she wasn't happy at all. The pain was still there. The doubt never had went away. Sobbing, she felt miserable. The person she wanted to see smile. To be proud, praising her by others. She just wanted to run away, but running away from Hiron was something she would never do again.

''I see... Cause of his death?'' Hiron asked in a calm manner. He was on one hand not surprised, but on the other hand he was. It had been a dream, a goal for her. She had trained, bleed, shed tears and sweat for it. She had bonded with a lot of people. Had lost so many battles, but managed to win also a lot. She had managed to proof her worth to many people. Inspiring everybody around her. All because she had a goal. Something to strive for. And she gave it up.

''I let him down... I helped so many people, yet I lost him. I lost him, Hiron-chan!'' Lilia said, she looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. Slowly one of them already rolled down her cheeks. ''I can't become Hokage if I am not able to help somebody.. Somebody that literally died slowly in front of me!'' She told him, growing mad. Mad on the fact she hadn't been able to help Jinkama in any kind of way. He had rotten away, just in front of her. While they had eaten apple pies, trained and laughed together. What kind of Hokage would be good if the person would let somebody just die like that?

''Didn't I ever taught you that it's just part of life? Nobody lives forever.'' Hiron calmly responded. If that was her reason, he didn't agree with her. Not that he couldn't understand it, he very well could understand that she was wavering and about to give up on her dream. ''You know-'' ''You know nothing?!''

She interrupted him. Realizing what she had said, Lilia stuttered. The expression on Hiron's face was surprised and she had said something that had hurt him. Was she going to hurt him now? Was it all going down hill from here? After months of praise, progress and good results? Lilia wanted to say something, but felt that something blocked it. Tears freely ran down her cheeks.

Hiron looked down as he became silent for a moment. ''I am not a wise and smart person. I've done a lot of wrong. A lot of stupid things. And you're not going to believe this...'' Hiron sighed as he closed his eyes and straighten his back. He looked at her with a very worried look in his eyes.

''I still look back with a smile that you stood on my doorstep. So small and fragile. Yet already having endured so much in life... You even then managed to make me laugh, proud and smile. You're the reason I smile a lot, Lilia. Nobody else did. The day that you ran home, so full of energy and pride when you graduated from the Academy. Claiming you would become Hokage for sure... I will never ever forget that moment. I hold you up and imprinted that memory. Those moments.'' Hiron placed his right hand at his chest as he smiled a bit. ''I hold them in here. Every day, every second of my life, I keep them there, Lilia.'' The young man shook his head lightly as he then made a pointing gesture with his hand to the Hokage mountain. To one of the four faces against the cliff. ''I remember telling Zakito.'' Hiron paused as he smiled, looking up to the cliff. ''This kid is going to be somebody. Somebody better than everybody else. This kid is going to better than everybody ever knew.'' He told her, returning his head to look at her.

''And you grew up good. From a little girl that had some pronunciation problems, to a young woman who is starting to surpass so many people. Even me, believe it or not. You already surpassed me a long time ago.'' He told her. Placing an arm around her, he sighed. Lilia did nothing as she was surprised by his words. She kept listening as her guardian, the father figure in her life continued.

''I saw it as a privilege. To hear how you surprised somebody with your skill. Your personality. That you inspired them. Managed to get them out of a deep valley of sorrow, depression and what not. It was great to see every step and moment. And when the time came you started to take the world head on, alone...'' Hiron paused, tightly hugging her sideways, placing the side of his against hers. ''You showed everybody what Lilia Hon stands for. What kind of amazing person you truly are.'' He paused for a moment. ''But you shouldn't beat yourself up for Jinkama's death. You shouldn't give up your dream because you don't believe in it anymore, Lilia. It's not only your dream anymore. when I hear people talk about you, they praise you. Some even say you will become a fine Hokage.''

His tone changed. It became a bit more serious than before. He slowly went back and placed a hand on her cheek, looking deeply in her green eyes. ''Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit.''Slowly his hand went to top of her head, gently ruffling through it. '' It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how I taught you to take on the world.. And you did it better than everybody had expected.'' He told her, pausing again. He didn't care that he talked a lot. It was more than he ever had done to somebody in such a time span.

''Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! You.. You, Keiko and Aimi are the best things that I have in this life. And I rather take everybody on than to see you or them ever cry and give up a dream again... I love you, Lilia. You're not like a daughter to me.'' Slowly he hugges her as he felt a tear rolling down his right cheek.

''You are a daughter of me. And I don't care what people think. I'm the proudest father with two amazing daughters that will rock this world.

I believe you're going to become the best Hokage we'll ever see...''

So there they sat, until it would be very late. Silent, but hugging. Together.

A young father and his adopted daughter.
But...

His daughter.

[Gerontis]

The Talk between two people who experienced struggling.
A lesson that has been given, to only one.

Walking with his hands down in his pockets, Hiron had a calm expression on his face. The hall was dark as there was a clear absence of light. Nothing that shine a light on the empty halls that he passed through. Nothing but the echo of sounds in the distance. Somebody was clearly training. As he entered another large hall, he spotted that there was some light coming from an opening of the roof. A girl was practicing her taijutsu. Still standing and not approaching or greeting the girl, the man held his calm expression on his face. As the girl slowly stopped, her head turned towards Hiron's direction. There was no emotion revealed on her face, but the two different eyes stared into his direction.

Clearly not impressed at all, Hiron walked into the light as he sighed. ''Training eh? Its not really a place for training, is it?'' He casually asked, but it wasn't a real question. He walked, but not towards her. Instead it seemed he was heading to one of the big boulders that was there. Maybe when the part of the roof had collapsed? Maybe.

The girl gave no response back as she seemed to close her left eye. Only a white one stared at Hiron. ''Why are you here?'' Was the neutral question. It wasn't hostile, but it also lacked friendly and politeness in it. It made Hiron glance in her direction. ''Cause I think you've been quite wrong and its time that somebody present you the ugly truth.'' He told her bluntly. folding his arms in front of his chest, Hiron lowered his head. ''Zakito is too busy with his responsibilities and though I suspect he would rather like to do this, I have taken the duty to do so.''

This earned him a reply back from the girl. ''How noble.'' Now it was spoken with sarcasme as she clenched her hands into fists. Something that was noticed by Hiron, but he smirked. ''I can be like that. Just when I had managed to send Team 4 after you.'' He told her out of the blue. It remained quiet for some time, but suddenly there was sound.

A thud was heard. Falling behind, a grunt was the sound that followed afterwards. Sitting on her rear, she looked up to the man she had tried to charge. ''That was easier than expected. You should try your left eye when you want to face me... Matsuri Hyuuga.'' Hiron said with a mocking tone as he scoffed. ''As much as I would like to mettle against somebody, you're not really interesting for me.'' He continued, to mock her.

Growing angrier by his words, Matsuri kept her mouth shut as she slowly rose up from the ground. Almost she was going to open her left sharingan eye to show him that she had enough skill. That her hard work would outmatch him. That he wouldn't be able to talk that high and mighty after she would be done with him. ''W-Why?!'' She asked in a cold tone.

''Simple. It was going to be a bother if you would remain a missing nin while some of the others were going back. Did you think that Zakito was able to keep you off the track for that long? What would happen if Hisoka would notice that you were still a missing. Do you think he would have send forth Kensuke? A former friend? No, that isn't reality.'' Hiron coldly replied back as he scoffed again. ''You would have to face a more tougher team of ANBU. People that wouldn't have waver to either kick your ass and drag you back. Or kill you on spot.''

''L-Like that would happen. Zakito-sama trai-'' ''So you were trained by the Third Hokage for some time? Think again. So were I. So was Kensuke. So were others before you. You think that you can just be like this without thinking about others? For crying out loud, suck it up.'' Hiron interrupted her. His words seemed to sting Matsuri as she took a step back.

''You.. Y-You have n-no idea what I-I went-'' Again she wasn't able to finish her words. Another thud rang through the air as she fell on her back. Her left cheek was blue as Hiron scoffed. ''You think that you have the right to complain. That you have endured trails and such. Guess what, others did too. And they aren't complaining. I know people who have lost so much more, but are out there. Trying to keep on going and help to make sure that the Leaf is safe. That it will keep on going.'' Hiron told her on a stern tone.

Matsuri wiped the corner of her mouth. She noticed there was some blood and felt her anger fade away. It was still there however. ''I feel s-sorry for y-your prote-'' ''I didn't mean Lilia. Yes, she has been through a lot at her age already. But I meant so many others. Hisoka, Meisa, Zakito and Sakamoto. I can continue to call the list. Maybe you also remember your fellow team members. Guess why your former team leader and member went so far for you? Cause he knows how it is like to be disappointed. To experience grief. But want to know a grim fact? You're not even close to get respect as they deserve. Cause unlike them, you keep sheltering yourself away. You never thought of anybody else. Just about yourself. You should be ashamed.''

Suddenly Matsuri shot forward, launching herself from the ground towards Hiron. A kunai was held in her hand as it was aimed for his heart. ''Y-Y-You talk like you're such a wi-wise person, but you... You don't have a-a-a cursed mark! You're not i-imprisoned!'' The kunai stopped just an inch from Hiron's chest. He narrowed his eyes as he tightened his grip. A flicker of lighting crackled through the air.

''I might not have one, but others do. Some had it in the form of a treaty. Others in the form of living a lie. Others for how they were born. Like I said...Suck it.. up.'' Lightning soared through the air as Hiron unleashed a wave of it towards Matsuri. Still holding her in a tight grip and with this distance, she couldn't escape the incoming attack. Wanting to scream out of pain, she sink through her legs on her knees. Breathing heavily as Hiron stopped shocking her, she could hear him scoff again.

''You have the right to complain about your situation once you have tried to do something about it. As long as you keep trying to rely on Zakito for shelter. Or from the Dragon Lotus, you have nothing but to bite the bitter pill and just accept it. What happened has happened. Neither you or me can change that. However, sitting and being angry on the world won't help.'' As she clenched her hands into fists, Matsuri thought about the lecture of Hiron. Then she heard some footsteps, going away from her. Looking up, she saw him walking away. His hands back in the pockets of his pants, walking into the shadows again.

''W-where are you going?'' She asked, more surprised than curious for the answer. Hiron seemed to slow down and stop. He sighed out loud before half turning around to look back at her. ''I am going home cause I want to make sure that I won't run away. I have been hiding my true self for years. It took a small kid and a stubborn wife to make me realize that. I see that you're struggling too. Another struggle, but you keep rejecting that person that always has been for you. That could ease the struggle and make you feel more alive.'' Turning around, he chuckled. ''Also, he is a punk for thinking he is better than me. Even when I had saved his hide back then.''

With that said, Matsuri just stared as she saw him fading away in the shadows, walking away from her. As soon as he was gone, she looked at the ground and pondered about the conversation she had. Still angry, she felt how the anger was making place for something else. It became a bit more clear what she had to do. Getting up, she looked up to the opening of the roof. Then after a moment, she walked towards the shadows, into the darkness.

[Gerontis]

Aimi's Path.

A collab between J8cob and Gerontis.

---

Time : Aimi being around a few months old
Location : Konohagakure
Characters :
Hiron Hon,
Keiko Moto
Aimi Hon
Plot : A little foreshadowing. But where is it?~

---

Donning on his jounin atire, as he didn't really had a casual looking one, Hiron didn't closed the zipper of his flak jacket. After he was ready, he went downstairs and straight to the kitchen. It was rather nice weather outside, the usual in Konohagakure and he didn't had any plans to train or any missions. Today he had a kind of a free day. It wasn't really free as he had made some plans what he would do today. Humming a familiar tone, he was packing in a shoulderbag. With some food and drink, as well several other things. Once that was done, he moved back to the staircase. ''Need some help?'' The young man called out, waiting for a response before he would move up the stairs.

"Nah, I've got her," Keiko called back from Aimi's bedroom. The little red haired girl was still in her crib, watching as her mom packed a diaper bag with all the toys and such, before watching her mother fix her hair in the mirror across the room. "You ready to go on a picnic?" Keiko asked Aimi, raising her voice to a higher pitch to appeal to Aimi's infant tendencies. This earned a smile in return, and Aimi tried to say something but it came out as excited gibberish. "Come here." Upon saying that, Aimi lifted her arms up, a sign for Keiko to pick her up, and the mother did just that. With Aimi in her arms and the diaper bag strapped to her back like a backpack, Keiko made her way downstairs. "Are you ready?" she asked Hiron, using the same "baby" voice she used with Aimi earlier.

Frowning, he heard the tone she used against him. But he had a smile on his lips as he shook his head lightly. ''Usually its me who ask that question at the evening...'' Hiron mumbled before he glanced at his youngest daughter. He felt a warm and proud feeling inside. Every time he just saw Aimi, Hiron gained the feeling he could the be one of the most proudest people on the world. Walking to the door, he opened it and stepped away, making room for Keiko and Aimi. '''After you, miss.'' Hiron joked back, using a more serious tone.

Keiko chuckled a bit to herself. "That's ma'am to you," she joked as she walked outside. In the sunlight, Aimi's hair seemed extra bright. It was a nice day outside, perfect for their plans. "We're gonna have fun," Keiko said to Aimi, taking up the baby voice again. In response, Aimi actually made out a word among her gibberish. "Mama," was the only intelliglbe word in her brief response back, and it put a wide smile on Keiko's face. "Did you make sure that you won't get in trouble for taking the day off?" Keiko asked Hiron, still smiling about her daughter.

Closing the door behind them, Hiron nodded. '' Yes... ma'am'. I made double sure.'' He told her with a wink. Walking next to his wife, Hiron glanced a look in Aimi's direction. He was pondering about something. ''I do wonder when she will be able to say my name or... daddy.'' He told Keiko, sounding more worried than he actually felt like. Or wanted to sound like. Maybe he was going on too many missions? But then again, somebody would need to get the income coming in. Though there was always the option to use the reserves he had managed to win with the lottery. Seven times.

"Well, Aimi is still a baby. If we just say it enough she'll be bound to catch on," Keiko tried to explain. She wasn't an expert on children, but Akira was so Keiko could always ask for advice. "Can you say dada?" Keiko turned to the girl in her arms. Rather than any real response, Aimi just giggled at her words. With that, she looked to Hiron and shrugged. "Worth a shot."

The young man smiled, but felt a bit sad. Not that he was blaming anybody for it. ''Oh... maybe she will learn another word in time.'' He said, trying to sound more cheerful. He hadn't taken the day off to just sob around the fact his youngest daughter could say mommy and not daddy. So what if she would loved her mother more than him? He was perfectly fine with being on the second place! Maybe she would say big sister sooner too! Third place would be fine. Hiron started to lose himself a bit in thoughts as he looked a bit worried as he kept on walking.

Taking Aimi in just one arm, Keiko reached out and gave Hiron a light smack against his arm with her free hand. "Cheer up. She's just barely started talking more. She only has like four or five words down. Be patient," Keiko told him, before bringing her arm back to continue holding Aimi with both hands. "I would think you would be more curious as to when she would start walking on her own. You know she's been getting really close. She tries on her own. If you keep taking missions she might get it while you're out one day." With all this serious talk, Keiko had to take a small break and focus on Aimi. "Isn't that right Aimi? You want daddy to be home when you start walking."

Snapping out of his train of thoughts, Hiron rubbed his arm. It didn't hurt, but he still rubbed it. ''I know, but somebody needs to keep the income coming. We can't live with just sitting around and doing nothing, ma'am.'' Hiron replied. He did thought of missing such chances. To see his own daughter taking her first little walk. Meaning she would be one step closer down to be able to discover the world on her own. ''I will try... I promise.'' He mumbled. The fact he mumbled was because he still didn't like to admit Keiko was right about it.

"We have plenty of money, Hiron," Keiko told him, give him a cynical look. "What we don't have much of is time. Soon you'll have to manage your team again. And once Aimi is old enough I will get dragged back in too. I don't want her growing up with both of us gone all the time." She turned back toward Aimi and gave her a smile. "Because I love you so much and want you to be happy," she used her baby voice with Aimi, earning some more giggles followed by another attempt at talking. It almost sounded like she was mimicking Keiko, but it wasn't clear enough to make any true distinctions.

Rubbing his neck, Hiron glanced back. ''Keiko, you know I am saving that for the girls later. So that they can both start in a reasonable apartment.'' He sounded like he was trying to defend himself, a little bit, and it annoyed him. Sighing, he smiled at his daughter. ''Besides, seeing you like this is rewarding enough. Never could imagine you to talk like that. Other than that one time...'' He said, teasing Keiko a little bit. Shoving his hands down into his pockets, he tried to look more cheerful.

Keiko looked up at Hiron with a sly grin. "You like seeing me like this? I still haven't lost all my baby weight. I'm so fat compared to what I used to be," Keiko said, her voice dead serious but her face suggesting that she was seeing if she could catch Hiron in a trap. Not particularly waiting to see if it worked, she giggled a bit to herself. Aimi then spoke up, starting with "Mama." This caught Keiko's attention, but Aimi continued with more baby talk. At least she tried to have conversations.

''You're lovely, ma'am'' With that said, Hiron leaned in to plant a kiss on Keiko's cheek. He then glanced at Aimi when the latter tried to say something again. It made him wonder a bit, out loud. ''You know, I can't help it but to wonder what she will have inherit from me. Maybe she will become a great singer... like me?'' He joked, trying to keep the mood light.

This made Keiko start laughing out loud. It seemed to startle Aimi briefly, but she also began smiling. "Oh, I'm sure of one thing though," she began, once she got herself under control. The young mother looked at her daughter in her arms. She looked so cute and innocent. "She's going to grow up to be a bitch just like you and me." With that, Keiko started laughing again before giving Aimi a quick hug. Now she decided to return Hiron's kiss. "But hopefully that won't be for a long time. Let us enjoy it."

The words of Keiko made Hiron's neck hair rise. Just as bitchy as her? He wanted to say he couldn't or rather didn't want to imagine that. The fact that Kiyomi wasn't like that was likely cause she had been more or less raised more by him than by Keiko. But even the slight influence of the latter was still noticable. To imagine a girl that had the sharp tonge and nature of his wife, wasn't a really happy future. ''I just hope she will call me daddy... if she will grow up like that.'' He mumbled to himself. They were already in the park and Hiron looked for a suitable place. There weren't many people around, for which he was grateful. He wasn't looking forward to meet anybody he was friends with. Today it should just be him, Aimi and Keiko. Seeing a spot, he nodded towards it. It was covered by the shadows of a big tree. So it was also a nice cover for the sun as well. ''Should we go there?'' He asked, glancing in Keiko's direction.

"Looks good to me," Keiko agreed, walking over with Hiron. Since he had all the supplies, Keiko stood and waited for him to set down a blanket. "If she turns out anything like me, you'll just learn you will be more hoping she won't call you certain things rather than hoping she will call you something." Keiko chuckled to herself with that, before realizing it wasn't quite as funny as it sounded in her head. "Don't worry about it. You're her daddy, so she will call you daddy. Isn't that right Aimi? You'll call him daddy?" Aimi began gibbering again, and it seemed for a moment to Keiko that Aimi almost said it. "Did you hear that Hiron? She almost said it."

A smile played on his lips as he looked up. He had just managed to spread the blanket and lightly shook his head. ''It does remind me...'' Hiron began to wonder again in thoughts as he began to unpack. It was clear he was thinking about something as he wasn't really fast with it or looking like he was paying any attention. More or less being thinking about the past.

With the blanket down, Keiko sat upon it. However, she continued to hold Aimi rather than set her down and let her crawl around. "Reminds you of what, Hiron?" Keiko asked, though her eyes were focused on Aimi. In fact, she seemed to be sort of playing with the child. Though, at the same time she was also trying to get the diaper bag off her back and set it down without letting go of Aimi at the same time. True multi-tasking.

Looking at Keiko, Hiron seemed like he was confused before he let out a short and soft laugh. For a moment he kept looking at the two, before deciding to help Keiko. He would take the diaper bag, so that Keiko could keep holding Aimi. At the same time, he responded back. ''Its silly, but it just reminds me of the days when it were just me and Li- Kiyomi. Its... It just brings back some memories. Even if Aimi turns up to be a bit of a trouble like we can be, I am looking forward to it. Cause at least she has a mother that is ready for her, every moment of the day.'' Hiron winked at Keiko before giving the two more space. He loved to see them together and didn't mind to stand on the sidelines. He then decided to finish the unpacking and almost had wondered why he hadn't brought any sake.

Keiko flashed Hiron a smile as thanks for handling the bag for her. Just as she was about to say something back to Hiron, Aimi started gibbering again. And this time, she also reached for Hiron. With another smile, and without a word, Keiko lifted Aimi up and handed her to her father. "And you were worried she didn't love you," she joked, also leaning in and giving Hiron a quick kiss while she handed Aimi off. "With your discipline around, she can't grow up to be all that bad anyways. I think she will be pleasant company."

Taking over Aimi, Hiron kept her supported with one arm as he held his other hand free. Very gently and softly he poked Aimi against her stomach, as he looked up to Keiko. '''Maybe I should get worried? I remember that the person I love so much once threatened, more than once, to kill me.'' Hiron smiled as he looked at Aimi. He couldn't help it but to look into the eyes of his daughter and get the proud feeling again. Even though she didn't had the eyes of her mother, he could see the same resemblance of Keiko's smile. It just crackled a genuine happy smile with Hiron.

"Here's to hoping that not all the girls you love try to kill you," Keiko joked, before holding up a baby bottle filled with formula as if it was a toast. She had retrieved it from the diaper bag, and now set it down next to Hiron. "And besides, I was joking around. For the most part. Nothing to worry about." With that, she gave Hiron a silly grin, before ruffling through the bags he set down. "You didn't bring any, did you?" she asked, looking back up to Hiron while she continued rummaging through the bag.

Hiron scoffed as he briefly looked at Keiko. He held Aimi close as she could amuse herself with trying to grab his index finger, that he would try to pull back gently. ''Of course not. We need to be responsible parents from now on... ma'am. We're lucky that Kiyomi didn't end up as a drinker. I prefer we try to avoid that with Aimi as well. Maybe we can drink something tonight.'' Hiron's head turned around to look at his daughter. He smiled as he then talked in a similair higher pitched voice.as what Keiko did to talk with Aimi. ''No, daddy isn't going to drink in front of you. Neither will mommy. Right?''

Keiko gave Hiron a smile. The idea sounded good to her, though she had previously assumed nothing bad would come of it. Better safe than sorry. "Though, by the looks of it I don't think you packed any kind of drink at all," Keiko joked, before ironically finding a water bottle. "I stand corrected." With water in hand, Keiko leaned back and sat comfortably, just watching Hiron and Aimi with a smile. "Have you noticed that she doesn't look too much like you. She's got the nose, but everything else looks like me. I could probably find old photographs somewhere and we can compare. Doesn't that sound fun?"

''It does, but she does look like you. At least that means she is pretty.'' Hiron responded, keeping looking at Aimi. He let her have his index finger before sighing and glancing at his wife. He was pondering out loud. ''Maybe also an idea if we start to think about we'll both work as well find somebody who will look after her. And not just somebody.'' Hiron added the last part, knowing that Keiko would likely rather kill a whole village than let somebody just watch over Aimi. Not that he felt any different about it.

The young mother immediately frowned. "Not many I would trust for that. Kiyomi will be just as busy as the rest of us, Aiko too. I do not trust Katsuko in any way, shape or form. There is Akira, but I don't want to put her through all too much. She's getting a bit old even if she won't admit it," Keiko began, now talking in a business tone. "And most the people I can think of that would have the time... Well I'd rather just leave Aimi home alone than have them watch over her." With a sigh, Keiko closed her eyes and began to calm down. "Do you have any ideas?"

Thinking about some ideas and people, he knew that most would be turned down by Keiko. Most? Likely all of them. And resigning from being a shinobi wasn't an option either. He wouldn't be able to bear it to be at home for that long time periods. Even smithing, silver or weapons wouldn't keep him calm for a long time without the prospect of training or missions. Not to mention, they were needed. Whether they liked it or not. ''Somehow I am thinking about a pet. But she is too young to likely say what kind of animal she likes. That and the only kind of pets we have, that have some sort of intelligence... are a sentient blade and something grumpy.'' Hiron responded, knowing that it would be likely turned down by Keiko. Looking at Aimi, Hiron mumbled some words, trying to see if she would respond to any of them.

"I swear, Hiron, if you're talking about that bear I am going to yell," Keiko retorted. "I don't want Aimi to get hurt. We just need someone to watch her. To keep her from getting hurt. Ger is not a babysitter and that's final... And while we're on the subject, neither is Katsuko's summon. Or anyone's summon." Keiko crossed her arms dramatically with a huff, before resigning herself to opening the water bottle. At this point, Aimi began to start gibbering again. Somewhere in it were the words "mama" and "bear." Upon noticing this, Keiko started to go through the diaper bag for Aimi's teddy bear.

''You can save that for tonight. The yelling.'' Hiron mumbled to himself. But he had expected such a response. Looking at Aimi, Hiron chuckled as he tickled his daughter a bit. He made sure to do it gently as he kept her supported with his left arm. ''You want a big teddy bear? Who wants a big teddy bear?'' Hiron asked Aimi, suddenly getting an idea. He peeked around, as he noticed Keiko was searching for Aimi's teddy bear.

"What was that, Hiron?" Keiko responded absent-mindedly, still searching for the teddy bear. However, she quickly realized exactly what he said and halted the search. Turning rather quickly, Hiron would be able to see the fire in her eyes that would be all too familiar by this point. "Don't you dare do it," Keiko commanded, pointing at Hiron threateningly. Though, she still had one hand in the diaper bag, she looked just as menacing as ever.

Raising an eyebrow, Hiron didn't faze at the sight of Keiko's anger. He knew too well he was on the edge, but he smiled. ''Not where Aimi is, ma'am. What does daddy's girl want?'' Hiron turned his attention back at Aimi, smirking as he held out his right indexfinger. Before Keiko could restate her instructions, Aimi spoke up again with just one word. "Bear." The small child also grabbed on to Hiron's finger, and then continued to babble again.

Not able to surpress a chuckle, Hiron glanced at Keiko. It was a big gamble, Hiron spoke up. ''Don't worry. Nothing bad can happen. Besides, with Samehada slithering around, I think that she will get used to... menacing things?'' Hiron tried to calm down Keiko. He kept holding Aimi, fully knowing that he wouldn't have any kind of protection if Keiko felt the need to lash out.

"You're going to scare her. And if she gets scared she's going to cry. And if you don't scare her, she's going to become fearless and do stupid things when she gets older. Just don't Hiron," Keiko commanded, before continuing to rummage through the bag. Rather quickly, she withdrew the teddy bear. "See? Mommy's got the teddy bear." With that, she handed it to Aimi, who took it in her hands with a brief screech of happiness.

Scoffing, Hiron had his reply ready. ''You worry too much. Besides, she has a sister who has a tailed beast that can pop up around. What is more fearsome? A big flaming cat or a big bear? Not to mention that sentient sword that sneaks around. Or you being angry.'' The last sentence was more or less muttered as Hiron wouldn't use that as a real argument. He held up Aimi so that Keiko could take over. ''Just let see how this turns out, okay? If it doesn't, then the massage is on me. Promised.''

Keiko quickly took Aimi in her hands and held her close. She seemed entirely unaware of what her parents were saying and doing, as her main focus was on the teddy bear in her hands. "She isn't even seven months yet. Can't this wait until she's a couple years old? This is the exact sort of thing that can mess with her head at such a young age," Keiko continued to protest, before looking down at Aimi. "If you summon that bear, Hiron Hon..."

Hiron already rose up as he winked at Keiko. ''You really worry too much. I will not let anything bad happen. Just trust me on this, Keiko Hon.'' Hiron told her as he looked around. Nobody was around and th grassfield next to them would provide enough space. At least, so far he could tell. flexing his right hand, Hiron generated a bit of ligtning chakra in his right index finger as he used that to prick his left thumb. Weaving the handseals at a rather slow pace, he glanced over his right shoulder at Keiko. ''You do trust me on this?''

"Well, I do... But this can still wait a long time. Seven months doesn't sound too young to you?" Keiko pleaded, her angry tone stepping back. Though, if Hiron looked, she still looked quite angry. "Let's just relax and not try to freak Aimi out?" Upon hearing her own name, Aimi began speaking unintelligably again, though she kept her eyes on her teddy bear.

''She doesn't freak out at Samehada, so a big teddy bear won't freak her out either. Else I can make him go away in a flash.'' Hiron replied. He crouched as he placed his hand at the ground. Black lines crawled over the ground and grass before a big smoke cloud poofed out. A low growling sound was made. Snorting, the huge white bear looked at his summoner. ''Me not want to fight now.'' The bear complained, clearly thinking he was being summoned to join a fight. Seeing Keiko didn't raise the motivation nor the mood of the creature as he narrowed his eyes. The woman brought the memory back of the kid who had tried to challenge him. ''Shhhh, easy now.'' Patting the big nose of the bear, Hiron glanced at Keiko and Aimi. ''All under controle, see?''

As Hiron summoned Ger, Keiko muttered just loud enough for Hiron to hear. "If she cries I'm killing it..." The giant puff of smoke and low grumbling sound got Aimi's attention, but it took her a moment to properly deduce the source of it all. Once she saw the giant bear, she froze and her jaw dropped. Rather than cry, she lifted her arms toward it. "Great," Keiko started sarcastically. "We've made her a fearless idiot. Fantastic." Though Aimi didn't say anything, she made it apparent that she wanted the bigger "teddy bear."

''Dear, give it a rest. You are aware that Kiyomi else would have try the same? And I prefer that you're around then finding later out that Aimi wants a big flaming cat as doll or such. Besides,'' Leaning against the nose of the bear, Hiron smiled in her direction. His tone changed to what most called honey sweet. ''Being such a fearless and beautiful kunoichi, what else did you expect from your own daughter?'' Hiron asked. Meanwhile, Ger had noticed Aimi and frowned. The bear made a brief high pitched sound, like he wasn't sure if he wanted Aimi near him. In the thoughts of the bear he didn't see her as a threat. It was actually a bit of a mixture of not interested and doubts. Seeing that Keiko held Aimi and his opinion on Keiko wasn't that great.

Almost as a mimic, Aimi also made a high pitched screech in response to Ger. It made Keiko chuckle a bit, as the thought of the two somehow communicating like that flashed through her mind. But as she settled down, she realized Hiron wasn't all that crazy for doing this. "Considering some of the other fearless people I know aren't as smart as me, it makes me worried," Keiko said, holding Aimi tightly as she stood up from the blanket. "But this doesn't mean that I'm going to let her play with him. Like I said: not as smart as me. Try as you might he will hurt her. He can look... but he can't touch." Aimi seemed to have given up reaching for Ger at this point and looked back up to her mother now.

The words of Keiko made Hiron sigh, but caused Ger to produce a low chuckling sound. He closed his left eye and held his right eye half open. The bear kept his gaze focused on Keiko and Aimi, as Hiron wasn't a 'threat'. The latter responded back to Keiko. ''I wasn't suggesting to let her play with a huge bear either, Keiko. Just introduce her to a bigger bear. You know that in some clans or families that the child takes over the summoning of their parent?'' Hiron asked, thought it wasn't that serious. However, this caused Ger to look at his summoner to frown again. Clearly he wasn't sure about having the little infant as his summoner, not thinking further that Aimi would grow.

The idea made Keiko pause. Not so much about Ger, but her thoughts went to Jinkama. Though he's been dead as long as Aimi has been alive, Keiko hadn't seen his summon in a very long time. Does Katsuko have a contract with that lizard now?[/font] she thought to herself, but as it began to drift back into thinking about her uncle, she shook her head and brought herself back to reality. "I wouldn't know. My father never had a summoning, my mother wouldn't give me anything if she had something, and I don't have a contract with anything myself," Keiko retorted, as if she took his words offensively and was defending herself. "And we don't know if Aimi will want Ger as a contract anyways. Maybe she will find something on her own when she's older? There is still a lot of time."

''Pfff, woman is r-'' Patting the nose of the bear, Hiron made Ger stop talking. He sighed and looked a bit worried at Keiko. ''Keiko, I didn't mean anything with it. Really, stop seeing it as it something that I really want. Its just something that was on my mind. Besides, if we want Aimi to be safe and knowing we nor Kiyomi can't be around all the time, we could rely on other sources.'' Moving away from the bear, Hiron rubbed his neck with his right hand. ''Besides, you said your self. We created a fearless idiot, using your words. We already experienced Kiyomi going after a Swordsman of the Mist. Imagine if Aimi does the same acts? I prefer to know that we have some kind of plans in case such things will happen again.'' Ger simply followed the conversation with only his right eye half open. It seemed it didn't important right now to the creature. All it did was bathing in the sun and keeping an eye on the people in front of him. His gaze focused briefly on Aimi as he frowned. ''Little one strange.''

"Little one strange? I'll show that fucker," Keiko began, focusing on the words of Ger about her daughter. But before she could do anything out of anger, Aimi began gibbering again and caught her attention. With a sigh, she resigned herself from exacting motherly retribution on the giant bear. "It's not that I think you're pushing anything on Aimi. It's just... well... you're thinking really far in the future. I don't want to think that far ahead because I think that will make us look less at the present." Keiko walked up to Hiron now, still holding Aimi in her arms. At this point, she was completely ignoring Ger. "I've spent enough time with Akira to know that the time will fly by. I want to enjoy what we have now while we still have it." With that, she looked back up to Hiron. As compared to the fiery red in her eyes before, they were now violet.

Seeing the color in her eyes, Hiron felt a bit calmer. He sighed and nodded. ''You and Akira-san are probably right. Its just that I will be less around with leading Team 9 again. Not to mention that there is something going on... So Dragon Lotus might also call me for my services. And don't forget you'll lead a team later in the future. I simply want to make sure that if anything happens, we're prepared. And are able to avoid Aimi comes home with a sentient weapon.'' Hiron joked, trying to keep Keiko from getting in an angry mood again. He looked at Aimi as he pondered. However, Ger scoffed. ''Puny one fearless. And idiot.'' It seemed the creature was rephrasing or at least attempting to do it properly before closing both his eyes and snorting softly in another direction before laying his head on the ground to look at Aimi again. ''Euhm, seems that no matter what we'll decide, he already made his choice.'' Hiron mumbled, a bit disappointed.

Once again, Keiko flared up at Ger's words. But as she was beginning to hand Aimi to Hiron, Aimi once again spoke up. "Bear." Keiko glared at Ger, before looking back at Aimi. Using the high pitched baby voice, Keiko began talking to her. "Bear is gonna go bye-bye if he doesn't shut the fuck up," Keiko told her, before giving Ger a threatening glance. With that out of the way, Keiko began giving Aimi a light rocking as she continued her conversation with Hiron. "I think we need to just focus on spending as much time with her as we can now. If we spend our time worrying about what comes next, we won't truly be happy with what's happening right now. I didn't learn that until..." Keiko stopped now. Even though it has been several months, she still didn't want to talk about Jinkama. She had already worried what it would be like on Aimi's future birthdays, because that day would also be forever etched into their minds as the day Jinkama died. It would never be truly sweet, for it would always have that bitterness. "Let's worry about it when it comes, okay honey?"

Seeing that Keiko was troubled, Hiron nodded as he stepped towards her and planted a kiss on her forehead. ''Sorry. Will do.'' He told her. Hiron glanced at Aimi, who he took when Keiko handed her over. Smiling at Aimi, Hiron nodded towards Ger. ''Can you say it? Bear? Can my little girl say that?'' Hiron asked, wondering if she had really mastered that word. Ger on the other hand was looking in the direction of Keiko. While he hadn't mastered to speak like a human, he wasn't that stupid to ignore Keiko's words. The lips of the creature seemed to move as he then shifted his attention back to Aimi and frowned. Again, he made the brief high pitch sound as well opening his left eye.

Keiko giggled a bit at Hiron's words, and began laughing when Aimi mimicked Ger again with the high pitch squeel. "She plays so much with her teddy bear she got it down. Can't quite say teddy, but she's got the idea," Keiko explained, though she knew Hiron already knew that. Keiko closed in and started talking to Aimi as well. "Can you say da-da? Da-da?" she asked with her baby voice. In response, she began gibbering again as she tried to say the word, but just couldn't quite get it.

''Don't worry.. I was told by a smart person she will learn it over time.'' Hiron responded He didn't look disapointed, but rather with a little smile as he rocked Aimi a bit in is arms. However, he looked disturbed at what he heard. ''Daddy is a good man.'' The bear said it with a growling voice, but the way he said the sentence without any flaws was something unexpecting. Frowning this time, Hiron wanted to say something but couldn't. The bear kept his gaze locked on Aimi, like it seemed he was waiting on her reply.

"Good," Aimi repeated. Keiko began to get excited. This was a new word. But she rather quickly realized it wasn't exactly the new word they were hoping for. She gave Hiron an awkward smile. "Well... Maybe-" she began, an attempt to make Hiron feel a bit better in case that upset him. But she was interrupted by her daughter. "Dada. Good dada." This made Keiko pause entirely. She did not expect that in the least. After the brief surprise, Keiko became excited again. "Did you hear her!? I think she said it!"

Hiron looked surprised as his daughter said the word. It was just unexpected, but he started to laugh as he brought Aimi up and gently kissed his daughter on her forehead. A little tear was formed at his right eye before it rolled down his cheek. The man also became excited as he nodded. ''She did. But...'' He glanced at the bear who seemed to tilt his head a bit. It was still odd. He had asked it and Aimi hadn't been able to produce it properly. Not even Keiko had managed that. A bear that had serious talking problems was able to teach his daughter new words? ''Maybe you should give him a new chance?'' Hiron mumbled, carefully glancing back at Keiko, only Ger snorting as he kept his attention at the infant.

Keiko looked at Ger for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, fine. My rule before still applies, but since she isn't scared I guess there is no real harm. Just... don't let him do anything scary in front of her though. Don't bring her to any training regimens or whatever. Just keep it... family," Keiko concurred, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She realized that she has become a lot nicer than she used to be, but perhaps it was for the better. "Mama, dada," Aimi said, almost as if she was about to announce something important. This got Keiko excited again, but Aimi only began to babble again with the occasional "good" thrown in there now.

Hiron laughed briefly as he had became excited as well. Glancing at Keiko, he then proceeded to move towards the big nose of the bear. ''Big teddy.'' Hiron said to Aimi, wondering what she would say. He was half expecting the word teddy or good and half that she would babble again with something they couldn't understand. The word teddy however made Ger a bit grumpier as he moved his lip. He didn't revealed a fang, but it was clear the bear wasn't fond at all of being called like that. Sniffing at the new scent in front of him, he remained quiet.

Aimi began babbling again, but several times she tried to say "teddy." The only intelligable word from that small speech was "bear." This display was too cute for Keiko, who started to giggle again. "One thing is for certain, she's going to be quite the talker. I can tell that already," she said, before leaning in and giving Hiron a kiss on the cheek, and then giving Aimi the same treatment. This distracted Aimi from her father, and she looked back over to Keiko. Without a word, she raised her hands toward Keiko. However, she also started squeezing her hands into fists and releasing them again. This meant she didn't want to be held, but rather wanted Keiko to feed her. "One second, Aimi," Keiko told her, baby voice and all, before walking back to the blanket to grab the bottle.

Hiron nodded in agreement with Keiko. Ger however stopped sniffing as he then closed his left eye again. He held his right eye half open, but in a more relaxed kind of manner. ''Good. Ger wait till next time.'' With that, the bear disappeared in a big smoke poof. Hiron didn't say anything as he was still surprised by this all. He glanced at Aimi and somehow go the feeling this would be the first of many surprised the little girl would have in store for him. ''Good. You're good too.'' He whispered, as he turned around and began to walk back to Keiko to hand over Aimi so that she could be feed. ''I am beginning to think that she has picked up something off me. She learns quite fast.'' Hiron told Keiko, but didn't continue. He seemed to be thinking about something.

With the bottle in one hand, Keiko accepted Aimi with her free arm. "Well, that could also come from me too..." she said, before giving Hiron a sly grin. She was just fooling with him. As she tried to give Aimi the bottle, the girl seemed defiant for a moment. "I shouldn't have listened to Akira on this one, Hiron. I started her off with breastfeeding and now she's a pain to ween off." Aimi made a small protest, before finally caving in and taking the bottle. Relieved that this didn't become a battle, Keiko chuckled a bit and looked up to Hiron. "Maybe she got stubborness from me."

''That is more than sure.'' He said, trying to tease Keiko a bit. Hiron glanced at Aimi before he said something else, with a more hushed tone. ''You're a great mother, honey.'' He told her, before looking at her. The reason why he had said that wasn't just to make her happy, but she would likely be able to catch on the reason why he had said that. ''And while you're feeding her, I think its my duty to feed you... with a sandwhich?'' He had waited a bit with the last addition to this question as he grinned and winked.

Keiko gave Hiron a light shove with his last words. "You can be such a pig sometimes," she scolded, though considering she was laughing while doing so it didn't come off very intimidating. Aimi ignored the two as she drank from her bottle, so Keiko took the opportunity. She grabbed Hiron and pulled him in close for a passionate kiss, before releasing him and adding "And don't forget you're a great father." With that, she flashed him a smile and looked back at Aimi. As if she suddenly had a realization, something Keiko would call "Hiron moment" in the future, she suddenly spoke up again. "What are we going to do when she's old enough to be interested in boys!?" she shouted, somewhat startling Aimi but the child ignored her mother again quickly enough. Realizing how random that was, Keiko quieted down and explained. "Well, uh, I was just thinking that since she looks like me and she might grow up to be pretty and all..." With an awkward smile, Keiko realized she had just broken the recently established idea of not thinking too far into the future.

Hiron first frowned at his wife, first considering that she was trying to tease him back. He was trying to make some lunch with the food they had, but he had stopped when Keiko had kissed him and then came with the question. He scoffed as he had his answer and solution ready. ''Simple. Seeng that she oddly can get along with Ger, we will use that to our advantage. Nothing more intimidating that a pretty girl that has a bear like that is winded around her finger. And if she is really like you, she will be able to keep the boys from her.'' Hiron was about to continue, but he didn't do that. He shook his head as he continued to make some sandwhiches. ''I am a bit afraid however of that we'll need to watch our drinking habit. If she is a fast learner, I want to avoid some things. Like certain words, hmmm?''

Instinctively, Keiko's initial response was "I don't have a drinking problem." After a brief pause, she elaborated. "I don't drink all that often. It's just like a social thing, ya know? But I guess I can work on my language a bit..." She looked down to Aimi, before chuckling a bit. "She hasn't picked up on any of those words yet, surprisingly." With that, Keiko looked back at Hiron. She just stared at him quietly for a moment, smiling. "I love you," she told him, already flashing a big smile for when he would inevitably look back at her.

He stopped making a sandwhich. Hiron listened to the words of Keiko and then a smile slowly started to play on his lips. He glanced at her, his smile growing. ''Do you now?'' Hiron asked back, teasing her. He asked it in a playful tone as he was simply trying to tease her a bit. Though after a moment he said something else. ''I love you too.''