At the Monument ~Sorien~

[Tensei Kaori]

It wasn't long before dawn when Tensei Kaori made her daily visit to Konoha's monument to fallen heroes. The names of many people she knew were on here - three of the freshest, those of her family she had looked up to the most. She swept away the wilted flowers she had left there the day before and placed the fresh ones in their place before putting her hands together in a silent prayer for the dead.

Just two days ago she had been inaugurated as Konoha's Tenth Hokage, and already she felt lost, like a child among giants. So much needed doing right away that she hadn't had much time to go through everything the Ninth had left and equip herself more properly for the job. It was clear he hadn't been planning on dying anytime soon; that much Kaori knew as soon as she stepped into the office for the first time. It was as though he had just stepped out for five minutes and would soon be back. You're the only ones I can confide these thoughts to, she thought as she ran her fingers gently down the rows of names on the stone, pausing on those she knew. I don't even talk to Akina about this.

Suddenly she stopped, her fingers beside the name Ichimu Kameko. The whole village was filled with a warm red light; the sun would be rising soon. And Kaori knew she was not alone.

[Sorien]

It was early morning. Sorien was already out training. He was training in the lush forest close to the ninja memorial. The sun had yet to rise, and the surrounding air was damp and smelt like the spongy moss that surrounded him. Sorien stood with his head slightly bowed, eyes shut. He concentrated his breathing and his meditation, becoming one with this body he inhabited.

When he had focussed all of chakra in his body his eyes snapped open. He suddenly engulfed himself in waves of fire, rippling from the group upward. After a short while, of this warming up, he extinguished the surrounding fire. He placed his hands together, with the right hand vertically and the left horizontal. He twisted his hands together, so that the fingers and palms lined up. He then began to shake, and he struggled to pull his hands apart, when the gap was evident, a small fireball took its place. The further he pulled his hands apart, the bigger the fireball got. He shaped it and then put it into his right hand. He threw it at a nearby tree, as it got closer he clenched his fists. With this motion, the fireball then exploded into a fiery heat, exploding outward in a wave like motion, like the rings of Saturn or Neptune. As quick as the silent explosion happened the fires dissipated, leaving the surrounding area untouched by the fire.

Sorien closed his eyes once more. He then anchored his legs to the ground, before rapidly moving hand on top of hand, like that of a boxer, using a mini-boxing bag. Chakra begun to build up between his arms, he then broke his arms apart and bring them horizontal/level with the ground, with his arms glowing with a red aura around them. He then run across the ground at incredible speed, and leapt in the air punching at nothing as he soared about. He then charged up more chakra into his arms and then began firing off small rounds of fire from his palms, extremely rapidly toward the ground. The shear speed and power of the blasts being emitted from him was enough to keep him suspended in the air. Once again, in respect for the environment, before every blast hit the ground, he would silence them, as to not create unnecessary fire.
He landed carefully and correctly. He stopped once more, to breathe in the air, as it returned to its previously quiet self. The sun had begun to rise. Sorien took note, and calmed his body. Curiously, as Sorien did this, he begun to look darker than before, the glowing being emitted from his body had ceased with his deep breath. Sorien then took a stroll to the nearby stream, and took a sip from the cool, clear liquid. He lifted his head from the water. "Another person’s chakra…quite strong too…"

“Ohaiyo!” He called, awaiting a response

[Tensei Kaori]

What in the world.... Kaori thought curiously. Just what is going on over there? Soundlessly and gracefully she maneuvered closer to the source of the commotion. When she could see, she was rather suprised.

"Ohayo!" the Genin called out. Kaori couldn't help but smile. She had gotten all worked up over someone's early morning training. "Ohayo," she replied in her usual musical tones. "It's awfully early to be up and about training, isn't it?"

[Sorien]

Woah...wait...Thats the...Hokage. Sorien turned away for a second, slightly embarrased to be meeting her in this fashion. "It's awfully early to be up and about training, isn't it?" She replied.

"Well...I ahh...I... I have this motto, something my foster dad taught me...'Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man happy, healthy and wise.' I've always followed it...and I guess you could say I have a weakness for sleeping...I sleep a lot...but" Sorien wanted to make himself clear. "Not on missions Hokage-sama...just...when I get to bed, I like to get 10 hours sleep." Sorien finished... Calm down. He told himself...Like you were before.

[Tensei Kaori]

"I see," Kaori said with a nod. "You must go to bed quite early, then, if you can sleep 10 hours and still be up this early. I take it you like the mornings, then?"

[Sorien]

"You must go to bed quite early, then, if you can sleep 10 hours and still be up this early. I take it you like the mornings, then?" She said. Sorien had a bit of a ponder. "Well, it depends what time the sun goes down really, and what time you have dinner. I mean you can't go to sleep with it being light now can you? Well...I can't. But...I try to get to be by say 9-ish. Means when I get up, generally its still just getting light." Sorien stopped there. "I do like the mornings, and I love the bird chorus in the morning...most people don't hear it, but I do. And another thing about the mornings is that its a lot quieter...you can get in touch with yourself a lot better."

Sorien had another question he had to ask. "Umm...Hokage-sama...how much of my training did you see? I mean...I don't mind...but..." His voice trailed off.

[Tensei Kaori]

"Not much," Kaori said. "I reached this spot just a moment before you finished. And before then..." she paused for a moment, thinking which words to use... "...let's just say I had something of my own to take care of," she said with a small smile.

[Sorien]

"Mmm, you come to pay your respects to the monument too?" Asked Sorien interpretting his current location, and what Kaori had said. "I do the same thing before I commence my daily regime, it gives you a very clear train of thought before you start training though, it just reinforce the fact that I must become stronger, in order to protect what I care about the most."

"Anyway, the reason I asked about how much you saw of my training...I didn't mean to be rude, its just that you of all people should know that its quite good to keep your techniques under wraps, and as it stands at the moment, I don't have a team either, so I can't train on missions as of yet...my last team...well..." Sorien sighed before his eyes lit up again. "Hey you know Mazz don'tcha...the day of the inaugeration...I'm sure you met him...tall dark and" Sorien giggled "Not quite handsome...he was on my team...as a matter of fact though...hes headed off out of the village to train...him and his Otou-san"

[Tensei Kaori]

Maz...? He knows... "Heh... yes, I've met him," Kaori said. "If I hadn't told them to stay back, the ANBU could have arrested him on the spot for what he did. So he left...I see...."[/i] Kaori had a feeling she knew why he had left. She remembered a member of his clan - most likely his Father, Kaori now thought - working as assistant to the Ninth.... In that case, I wonder what he thinks of Akina? she thought bemusedly.

"Yes, I come here every morning," she said, referring to his other question. "Before dawn, before I go to the Administration building. It reminds me of the price that has been paid for our village to continue living." She paused, remembering all the familiar faces that had left this world to join the names on that monument. "There are so many names written on that stone, now, that someone like me shouldn't be able to look at it without being overwhelmed with sadness. However.... I feel honored, more than anything else, to have known so many heroes. I would see it as a great privilege, should I be allowed to join them when my time has come." She chuckled. "I'm sorry. I'm being awfully morbid, aren't I?"

[Sorien]

"Heh... yes, I've met him," Sorien heard his Hokage reply. "Oh cool then" Sorien grinned. Kaori went on to say about the memorial. "Well...no, I believe that...sure it would be good to die in a natural way, leading a full life. But, should the circumstances mean that you should have to make a sacrifice for things that matter the most for you, there is nothing better than dying for that cause, its the greatest honour...and as you said, its a privilege." Sorien stopped. "Sorry...now I'm off preaching again. Its just something I firmly beleive in...I'll do anything for my mates" Sorien shot a serious look at Kaori-sama. He could feel the fire burning in his eyes.

[Tensei Kaori]

Kaori nodded. "The Third Hokage spoke of the Will of Fire that all Konoha shinobi inerit.... that strong sense of wanting to protect one's loved ones..... I'm glad to see that Will of Fire is still burning brightly," she said with a smile, "even after some have tried so hard to snuff it out." A sudden gust of wind was all she needed to cast a small Genjutsu; suddenly she seemed to be holding a live flame in her outstretched hand; it played in the breeze but, despite having nothing to fuel it, it did not die. "And it is my honor as Hokage," she said, as the breeze died down and with it, the Genjutsu flame, "to continue to feed and protect the fire in Konoha." She winked, closed her hand, and the flame went out.

[Sorien]

Sorien smiled at her demonstration. "Nicely put Hokage-sama" Sorien giggled... Kaori gave him an inquisitive look. Sorien decided to explain. "You see...my jutsu, they involve fire" He decided to be do something flash. He crossed his hands, with the index finger extended. Two flames jetted out from the ends of them. The two flames created a circle, and joined in the middle. Three dots appeared inside the ring of fire, and one longer line, close to the bottom. "Hehehe" Sorien giggled. The smiley face of flame was complete. With a wave of his arm, the fires disappeared and he returned his cheeky face to Kaori. "I guess you could say I really inherited that will of fire Kaori-sama"

[Tensei Kaori]

Well, I suppose it was too much to expect someone so young to completely understand, Kaori thought. Wisdom does come with experience, after all... "Well, I suppose you'll understand it better when you're older," she said, shaking her head slightly. "You're more like your teammate than I first thought," she said with a slight smile, not adding that it was their tendency to show off that made her think it.

[Sorien]

"No, I fully understand what you mean Hokage-sama. Just...you know...a little too much serious talk...I just like to lighten things...no disrespect Hokage-sama...you were getting a little morbid though." Sorien smiled. He did not like to be talked down to like a child. With Sorien bringing up himself and his younger brother, he had an angle that most people did not aquire until a lot later in life. Even those who lived in the village and didn't have parents didn't fully share this angle. Sorien had seen much of that which older people hadn't seen as well. "Anyway, you do take on traits of those who you spend a lot of time around don't you? You should see me and Amnis...my little brother...we're almost exactly the same."

[Sorien]

Sorien looked up and caught his reflection in her eyes. In a nano-second he pieced something together. He knew when he looked in her eyes what she was thinking. "I've made a bad impression...I'm now just a delinquent genin in her eyes" He thought. He turned away and sighed, his eyes dropping to the grass carpet below. "I just thought that maybe..." his thoughts trailed on. He sighed again. He turned back to his Hokage, flashed a fake smile as her, he knew it failed. "Well I'll see you round then"

With that he turned on his heel and run as fast as he could, his thoughts racing as fast as he was. "Just a child..."..."I'm 19...I'm old enough to start a family should I want to...I can't be angry at her though...shes Hokage..." His footsteps slapped the pavement shortly as he run faster, working off his glum face as he went.

(OoC: I decided to end this myself...as you didn't know what to post to continue it...so ^_^)