Tsunake
Perhaps he'd hoped that isolation and long, brooding periods of thinking would be enough to wrest away his turbulent thoughts of the tattered and tangled mess of the 'family' he'd left behind. In truth, it'd simply opened his eyes to the facts he'd repelled with bristling shields of denial; Kakashi had not forced him to conceive children, and would never be able to be blamed for it. As much as it pained him, the Uchiha had grudgingly come to reason with himself that...he had been wrong. He had been wrong to blame the older for Kitsusagi for such a thing, and he had been wrong to resent his children because of it. It made him no better than his father--or, he thought many times with a low, venomous hiss, than his brother. Funny to think he'd realized this only after he'd wandered away from the Mountain he knew to be his home, stripping himself of all contact and worldly possessions in order to train and muse to himself. But that was all right; he'd come to understand how that it was time for him to go home. Pale paws and sandaled feet brushed fleetingly across hundreds of thousands of tree limbs as the dark-haired male bounded through the forests, a silent smudge of shadow against the tangled tree limbs and leafy foliage. Once murky eyes now bled a bright crimson, flickering blots of ink swimming rapidly around his pupil as the kitsu continued his silent search for the one who he now, though with a trace of difficulty, considered to be his mate. He hardly knew how Kakashi would react upon seeing him again, considering, of course, that his presence might not be welcomed.
That mattered little right now. Landing with a faint rustle on a particularly slender branch, feeling the young, green wood bend underneath his weight, the kitsusagi scanned the area quietly and efficiently for signs of the silver-haired nin, leaping back into action whenever his search turned up empty. He would locate his quarry eventually; of that, he had no doubts.
NinetailedNightmare
After all her time learning and training as a shinobi, on could say that Raikiri's best skill was tracking. In any case, it happened to be the one she used most often, so it was not as if she really had a choice in it. Her father was never in the same place every time she looked, her son was always on the run- the only being she could ever seem to find right away was her insecure mate, and he wasn't much for fun conversation. So she was out again, on the business that Ross had failed to report in like he almost always did. After some time of trailing his scent, tracking footprints, and trying to estimate how far he had taken his traveling to the tree tops, she found herself soon within a glade not so far from the mountain's river, scanning the tall grass with a lone gray eye. Damn the boy for being so damn shor--"Lost him again, huh?"
The female felt her heart leap into her throat at the sudden appearance of a face rising out of the dull green and gold ribbons of grass, which soon warped itself into a shriek of outrage upon realizing it wasn't just any face. Raikiri smacked a reproachful paw against Kakashi's forehead, looking thuroughly unamused as she attempted to shove the male right back into the grass from whence he'd came. The elder did nothing to fend off the blow, chuckling and simply moving back when she shoved so that she would have to stumble a little to regain such an offended stance.
"You should know better," He chided amusedly, rising fully to his feet now out of the grass so that the top of his vest and undershirt could be seen as well. When she huffed, he simply smiled, which probably only infuriated her a little further but served to calm her. Somewhat."Who says I didn't come to see you?" She pointed out, settling back on her haunches and flicking strands of silver away from her face with not quite an impatient sigh. Even if he had snuck up on her, something he was quite good at, she was still happy to see him without having to seek him out. After a small silence, in which the message of 'you're not fooling anyone' seemed to pass over anyway, she would inquire, "Have you seen him?"
"Seen him? Of course I have! What kind of grandfather would I be not to?"
Raikiri stared flatly, and this time she did sigh. Great- one of those moods.
Tsunake
It wasn't long before the gentle sounds of a river long unseen reached his sensitive hearing, and the male gritted his jaw as the left side of his body throbbed longingly for water. He'd almost forgotten about the burn he'd sustained from those two violent idiots--that apparently knew him by some means. Almost. It was true that he'd done little to prevent himself from antagonizing them, but nothing that should have provoked physical retribution. Well, all that mattered was that he'd been somewhat victorious in the end, and, more importantly, not completely fried. Silently, Sasuke allowed himself to drop from the tangled tree limbs he was currently preoccupying to approach the rushing waters, only pausing long enough for a quick mouthful to soothe his aching throat.
There would be time to treat his injuries later; he had a feeling he was close. Rather than take to the trees again, the male simply walked across the river with the aid of chakra, the cool, soothing water doing wonders to numb his left paw. It was almost irritating to think he'd been caught in a gout of flame like that...Soon, the soft, earthy banks of the river transformed into glittering fields of grass that swept across his sides and under his belly, and the dark-haired kitsu did little to try and blend with his surroundings. The sound of a screech rung out across the open plains, and Sasuke froze for only a moment, eyes narrowed to better help him pinpoint the location of the sound. Silent and swift, he set off again, his strides long and unbroken until two glimpses of silver were enough for him to slow.
Kakashi...and a female that looked almost just like him. At once, his calm, collected manner on the situation fluttered with the first hint of unease; Kakashi had told him that they'd had a daughter, though he had never met her. Fully grown, and...with kits of her own now. To think it took him a moment to even remember her name. Snorting faintly as he pushed back this irritating uncertainty, the lone male was slow in his approach, murky eyes flickering faintly between the two with a stirring hint of what might have been curiosity. There was no reason to call out; his presence would be noted in a matter of seconds. From there, he had no inclination as to what would happen next.
There would be time to treat his injuries later; he had a feeling he was close. Rather than take to the trees again, the male simply walked across the river with the aid of chakra, the cool, soothing water doing wonders to numb his left paw. It was almost irritating to think he'd been caught in a gout of flame like that...Soon, the soft, earthy banks of the river transformed into glittering fields of grass that swept across his sides and under his belly, and the dark-haired kitsu did little to try and blend with his surroundings. The sound of a screech rung out across the open plains, and Sasuke froze for only a moment, eyes narrowed to better help him pinpoint the location of the sound. Silent and swift, he set off again, his strides long and unbroken until two glimpses of silver were enough for him to slow.
Kakashi...and a female that looked almost just like him. At once, his calm, collected manner on the situation fluttered with the first hint of unease; Kakashi had told him that they'd had a daughter, though he had never met her. Fully grown, and...with kits of her own now. To think it took him a moment to even remember her name. Snorting faintly as he pushed back this irritating uncertainty, the lone male was slow in his approach, murky eyes flickering faintly between the two with a stirring hint of what might have been curiosity. There was no reason to call out; his presence would be noted in a matter of seconds. From there, he had no inclination as to what would happen next.
NinetailedNightmare
It would be the daughter that spotted him first, as he had come along Kakashi's blind side. Skin-toned ears tilted back somewhat at the sight of a stranger in the vacinity, the more territorial side of her willing him to either pass through or move on in general. She wasn't sure how much she liked him looking their way like he was expecting something of them. His attire did not escape her scrutiny, however- that was a hitai-ate on his head, and those armbands were not so unlike her own either. The more she looked, the more aware she became that she might have seen him somewhere before. It made her uneasy, and she was considering calling out to the male herself when Kakashi addressed him himself.
"Well, look who's in the neighborhood," Drawled the silver-haired male as he tilted his head only towards his mate, his eye barely visible under the shade of his headband. "Was beginning to think you'd found yourself another bitter woman down the mountain and weren't coming back. What's the occassion?"
"You know him?" Raikiri murmured at him demandingly, frowning a little and curling her tails about her feet to reflect her disturbance. Why couldn't she recognize the guy too? What was Kakashi hiding?
"...Well, come on over, hm? Or did you think you could get away with just looking?" He suggested after a moment. Whatever Kakashi was feeling stayed out of his tone, and perhaps his features as well, though the latter couldn't really be seen.
"Well, look who's in the neighborhood," Drawled the silver-haired male as he tilted his head only towards his mate, his eye barely visible under the shade of his headband. "Was beginning to think you'd found yourself another bitter woman down the mountain and weren't coming back. What's the occassion?"
"You know him?" Raikiri murmured at him demandingly, frowning a little and curling her tails about her feet to reflect her disturbance. Why couldn't she recognize the guy too? What was Kakashi hiding?
"...Well, come on over, hm? Or did you think you could get away with just looking?" He suggested after a moment. Whatever Kakashi was feeling stayed out of his tone, and perhaps his features as well, though the latter couldn't really be seen.
Tsunake
"Hm." Came the low, idle note from the darker male; his way of polite response. No outright disdain or animosity...He took that to be a good sign. The thought of another woman earned another faint snort from him, this time with an added shake of his head. "Don't get your hopes up." Came the murmur, rough and slightly hard from disuse but not unfriendly. As his eyes again slipped to the girl, the Uchiha felt a wave of discomfort though he obligingly padded closer to take a light seat. "...No occasion. I'm tired. ...Figured I'd...stop by on my way. We need to talk later." His words had been muttered quietly at first, but the last statement was firm and directed solely to Kakashi. He had no desire to speak in front of a daughter he hardly knew; could he even call her his daughter?
Old feelings of disdain began to rekindle, but the Uchiha seemed to catch himself with a mild shift, a silent sigh expanding his ribs and painfully reminding him that he had other business to attend to. The silence was uneasy at best, and Sasuke had to wonder what sort of game Kakashi was playing here; revenge, of sorts? Was he working to get back at him for having been gone for so long, abandoning his responsibilities of sorts? It was likely. Instead, Sasuke allowed his attention to slowly focus in on Raikiri, noting her features with a keen and critical eye. "...She looks almost just like you." He noted in a low, husky tone, what little amusement he felt on the subject carefully veiled and sealed away.
Old feelings of disdain began to rekindle, but the Uchiha seemed to catch himself with a mild shift, a silent sigh expanding his ribs and painfully reminding him that he had other business to attend to. The silence was uneasy at best, and Sasuke had to wonder what sort of game Kakashi was playing here; revenge, of sorts? Was he working to get back at him for having been gone for so long, abandoning his responsibilities of sorts? It was likely. Instead, Sasuke allowed his attention to slowly focus in on Raikiri, noting her features with a keen and critical eye. "...She looks almost just like you." He noted in a low, husky tone, what little amusement he felt on the subject carefully veiled and sealed away.
