Semasu walked along the edge of the port and admired the almost calm waters, the boats out in the waters caused occasional small waves that made a pleasant sound against the pier. The wind was moderate but cool in the hot sun and gave a very graceful feeling; it wasn't a hot day, but the sun's rays were quite bright today. Merchants traveled to and fro, unloading their merchandise and loading up their bounties- Tsukigakure was considered the most wealthy and neutral village in the era, it was relatively safe to travel here and do business with little to no fear of robbery or death.

Heads turned in her direction as she continued to walk, she was a Rankujo- a clanswoman of extreme beauty and a very curvaceous body, it was only natural that men and even some women would fawn over her physique and stare to the point where it was rude. She was used to it though, being this beautiful was also one of the "gifts" of being a Rankujo.. more like a curse. Their explosive element required them to train constantly so their bodies didn't become soft and easily damaged by their own explosions: their high metabolism caused them to gain no excess weight no matter what they ate.. in fact, the only "extra" weight the women ever gained was in the buttocks and the breasts, hence their extreme beauty and well "gifted" bodies.

Even in her clan, Semasu was considered a "beauty" she was now just 23yrs old and rivaled even the most senior of prime women's youthful bodies. Given her beauty, she had an odd characteristic about her that added to her charm. Donuts. She loved donuts with a passion and even now walked with one hanging from her mouth as she looked around.

Ah there is it...

She ignored the attention her looks got her, most of them were males anyways; she preferred women. She walked up to one of the far pier benches and sat down- this seat was so close to the edge and far enough away from everyone else that she could relax and let her feet soaf in the water without gawking men bothering her or ruining her mood.

---

Word count- 369

Kyomu Kowareta ko, that was the name her mother , Sagi, had given before her untimely death, but it was not the name she had grown up with. For all her life, Kyomu had been called Sagi. To the world, she was Sagi Kowareta ko, an name that had never really fit with her, and yet was hers nonetheless. It had been this way because of her mother's strange misuse of Medical Ninjutsu, accidentally causing her womanly form to take that of her younger, teenage body. Sagi Kowareta ko, the Jounin woman, had become a child, despite still carrying the power she had possessed. And it was for that reason, that Sagi had looked like a child until the day she died, that Kyomu had survived as long as she had, even with her naturally adventurous personality. She had always been good at getting into trouble, and she had always been saved by her "father", to keep up the illusion that she was in fact a jounin. Dai, Kyomu's adoptive father, had utilised his Swift Release to defeat any enemies without being seen, therefore giving the illusion that Kyomu could defeat her enemies without needing to move, exaggerating her power and giving the appearance of a Jounin.

However, yesterday Kyomu had discovered the truth, and why she had pretended to be her mother for so long, and would continue to long into the future, until she herself became Jounin, strong enough to fight without her mother's protection. And now that she knew, she had asked Dai to stay at home for the first time in her life. She had a new life now, her own, and she wanted to experience life as it was. Dai had already trained Kyomu in fighting, so she knew what she was doing if anything happened to her that was not in her best interests, but now Kyomu was going at it alone, and her first stop was the Tsukigakure seafront: Port Caerula.

There were many people in the port today, it was indeed a busy day, and who could blame everyone for coming out today? The weather was lovely: bright and cool, with the waters in the port calm except from a few waves here and there. The weather was perfect, and there was a woman sitting alone on a bench near to the water itself. She seemed harmless enough, but Kyomu knew Ninja Villages. For all she knew, this woman sitting alone on the bench could be an enemy spy, but she could also be a simple villager. Either way, Kyomu didn't care. Today was the day for her to start her life, and she was going to do whatever came to mind, within reason of course, so she walked over to the bench, sat down on the opposite end of the woman, and spoke, not directly to the woman, but more to the world around herself, a general comment to be heard by whoever was listening, "The water is so calm today. Almost makes you want to jump in a let the water carry you wherever it may."


503

Her feet were in the water and she was munching on a donut as the wind blew softly against her skin and the water soaked her toes. It was a good day, not much could make it better without actually being somewhat of a hassle for her. Today wasn't one of her "good" days, thus why she was enjoying the sunlight and warm water- getting along with people today wasn't on her to-do list.

Things would see it differently though, a small girl had seemingly sat beside her without Semasu really noticing. She saw the short figure out of the corner of her eye only seconds before the girl started to speak out loud as if to her, but not directed to her. She had just about asked if the little girl was lost and what her name was when the girl had spoken up: she used a statement with a deeper meaning than Semasu thought possible for such a young girl. Was she a Genin?

Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad actually... but I can't very well do that right now myself.

She looked down at her own clothes to emphasize her point, she was wearing silk white clothing... not the best choice to go swimming with so many males around. She looked over at the girl and admired the simple beauty of this girl, she seemed somewhat out of character like she was nervous or something... or maybe that was because she had just engaged a casual conversation with a stranger?

You can jump in if you like, I'd be happy to sit here and watch you play in the water.

She wasn't treating the girl like a small child, but like a little friend who might understand a somewhat motherly or big sister persona. Semasu had never had siblings, nor children; but this child seemed like someone she could really get along with.

---

Word count- 316

To Kyomu's surprise, the woman had replied almost immediately after Kyomu had finished speaking, saying that, although it was a nice idea: to let the waves take you, it probably wasn't the smartest idea for her at the present moment, before gesturing downwards towards her clothing. She was wearing white silk, the kind that became see through and basically non existent once it met water, but that wasn't all. Kyomu now got a chance to actually see the woman she was talking to, something she couldn't do on her way to the bench because of the angle at which she had approached. She could now also see why swimming and letting her clothes go see through was a bad idea: this woman was beautiful, truly a magnificent sight for Kyomu's eyes. And, looking around, there were many men here, middle aged men that could quite clearly see how beautiful she was, and their minds were no doubt racing about certain aspects of her beauty, aspects of which Kyomu didn't really care about. The woman had been kind, and had responded to Kyomu, and the little girl did not want this nice ladies form to be ruined by the men, thinking of it made her shiver.

The woman, who's name was unknown to Kyomu at this moment, then suggested that Kyomu herself jump into the waters, and do what she had thought of doing a few seconds ago. The young girl smiled and the woman before speaking, a very child like smile, "You have no idea how amazing that sounds, how calm and peaceful. But alas, I doubt I should. Knowing my luck, those waves would send me right into one of the cargo ships. The water is calm, but it is also busy, and I do not want to tamper with nature's intended course anymore than necessary. Besides" Kyomu said with a giggle, running her hands along the hem of her dress, "this ragged grey thing is the only item of clothing I actually have right now. I really need to go out and buy some stuff. Otherwise no one will take me seriously."

Kyomu then looked once more out to the waves, and up towards the sun in all its radiance, before speaking, once again indirectly to the woman, "Oh by the way, my name is Sagi, Sagi Kowareta ko, and don't let the whole fragile child thing fool you. Technically I am actually a Jounin, just...for the moment stuck in the body of my younger self. It's a really loooooooong story, and I'd hate to bore you with the details, but hey, if it means people don't notice me as much, it's kind of a good thing don't you think? Easier to get around."

440

Semasu almost laughed at the idea of the little girl swimming and getting carried further out, surely she had a cute little panicked face. The amusement was ruined though by the thought of the little girl being carried too far out and being smashed against one of the giant boats- this little girl had a lot of common sense for her size. How old was she exactly? She didn't look but maybe 9 or 10yrs old, but her thoughts and words showed a bit more maturity than was usual.

Semasu would never let that happen though, her first instinct would be to run across the water and scoop the little girl up in her arms and smother her in her bosom. Which in all likelihood was just as deadly; though undeniably the better way to die. The most effective way to avoid that situation would have been to use her sword and save the girl through a teleportation, or maybe a substitution. Either way, this little girl would have been safe. These thoughts bothered Semasu a bit and she suddenly felt a bit protective of the girl, Semasu didn't have family anymore and had felt no real connection to anyone except a few friends and her current special friend Rael... but this little girl was different, there was more like a motherly urge to look after this girl.

Suddenly Semasu's surprise was complete...a Jounin? It seemed off by a bit, maybe the girl was just too small now to show it; but she seemed to lack the proper posture for a seasoned shinobi, although her intelligent thoughts and words somewhat convinced Semasu to believe her. It didn't seem to realistic, but there had always been weird scenarios of cases of abnormal growth... but shrinking? Had how skills in combat devolved as well?

Semasu studied her clothes, she was wearing a poor looking grey garb that made her look a bit homeless... but it still had a cute vibe to it. Surely Semasu could help this girl with some clothes or something.

Nice to meet you Sagi-chan. I am SPC Jounin Semasu Rankujo

She tilted her head slightly as she thought of this little girl being her superior ninja; it was an absurd idea.... though she was considered a genin right now? So did that make Semasu the one who should be taking care of her?

Um, Sagi-chan. I know you don't know me too well, but I want to help you. I know you're capable of living on your own, but why not enjoy it some? You could live with me in my little apartment & I could help you with some clothes.

Food was never a problem, Semasu did so many assassination missions that she was one of the richest shinobi in Tsukigakure; besides the kage himself of course. Would she allow Semasu to help her or would her pride get in the way? Semasu had never considered taking on a Genin before as her pupil, she didn't have the patience to deal with kids who always fought and bickered with each other... but this girl was unique and Semasu couldn't deny the pleasant thoughts of taking this girl under her wing.

---

Word count- 534

In response to Kyomu's introduction as her mother, Sagi, the woman introduced herself. Her name was Semasu Rankujo, and she was a SPC Jounin, the strange rank between Chuunin and Jounin that Kyomu had never understood the purpose of. She didn't know what the difference between a Jounin and a Special Jounin were, but if she stayed in contact with Semasu, maybe she could gleam some information that would help her with her guise as a Jounin, and a powerful Jounin at that.

And then, as if powered by some divine intervention, Semasu offered to have Sagi stay at her house, where she could get some clothes. Semasu had wrongly assumed that Kyomu had lived by herself, but Kyomu had to pretend that she was correct. Dai, for all intents and purposes, was Kyomu's father, but Kyomu did not exist, only Sagi, and that meant that Dai had to remain a secret too. He was known by some ninja for his Swift Release prowess, but he was an enigma to most, and none knew of his attachment to either Sagi or Kyomu. He lived alone, and that was how everyone had to view it, which meant Sagi did live by herself, in a strange way, but it seemed like that was about to change.

Kyomu looked at Semasu, having thought about her request, before answering, "It seems strange for a Jounin like myself to be asked to live with someone a rank below me, but considering my current... shall we say, figure, I guess a few more exceptions couldn't help. I am not the richest Shinobi, I've used most of my money to buy books on different medicinal practices, all of which have been read and are at my own home now, but I can help afford the apartment if you so desire. One of the bonuses of our ranks are that the missions are very well paid, provided you don't mind getting your hands a little bit, sometimes a big bit though, dirty. But yeah, sounds like a good idea all in all. I'd love to." Her last words were said with the most child like grin she could muster, which was easy since she was actually a child, and ironic considering how mature she always spoke. It was always hard for someone to understand whether they were dealing with a child Genin, or an adult Jounin inside a child's body: Kyomu was a master at making either seem plausible, but she was always Sagi, never Kyomu.

400

Semasu nodded her head as smile smiled when the little girl agreed to live with her and allow her to help care for Kyomu; Semasu was excited, but she contained her mirth. Even though this girl was supposed to be a Jounin, her smaller body made Semasu subconsciously consider her a younger sister or maybe even a daughter. A sudden interesting thought crossed her mind as she imagined introducing the cute little Kyomu to Rael in the near future.

I may be a SPC Jounin, but I am just as strong as any Jounin. I use the explosive advanced element and I am an expert in Nintaijutsu. I only do assassination missions, so I have no problem getting my hands a bit dirty. It's hard to do escort missions or a bodyguard mission if I just blow everything up.

The logic was sound, but it was so absurd it sounded a bit funny to Even Semasu; she laughed to herself at the irony of her scenario. Semasu wanted badly to pick this little girl up and let her ride on her back or shoulders as they walked around the village; a normal little girl would like that, but what now since Kyomu was more mature? Did she still even have childish desires? Her smile seemed genuine, especially since she was indeed in a child's body; the whole situation just felt a bit weird, but Semasu didn't mind. All she wanted to do right now was spoil this little girl and shower her in affection, she was just too cute for Semasu to not be able to help. What to do first though? There were so many options as where to start.

I know this village pretty well, what would you like to do first? We can get you some clothes or I could show you to my apartment. Whichever one you want to do first.

---

Word count- 315

Semasu was indeed happy to see that Sagi was prepared to stay with her, as she smiled after the agreement, but Semasu was not finished. She had more to say. Although she was a Special Jounin, she was confident enough in her own abilities to say that she was as strong as a Jounin, using her advanced element: Explosion, one that Sagi had never encountered, but could imagine the implications and potential of, it sounded fun, but Semasu was also an expert on NinTaijutsu, then strange fusion of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, which were obviously her other two main areas of fighting, as they were with Sagi as well, although she specialized in Fuinjutsu instead of NinTaijutsu: the Art of Sealing had more interesting qualities that Sagi had yet to uncover herself, but as Sagi she had to learn to use Medicinal techniques as well, even if she couldn't replicate her mother's own style of fighting, she had to at least make it look similar, but there was something Kyomu had to ask Semasu about, something she found amusing, especially since Semasu said she specialized in Assassination, since Escorts and Bodyguards weren't good if they blew everything up.

"I dunno, that doesn't fit right though. Assassination, usually, is the silent art of killing, not walking in and blowing everything up surely? I've done my fair share of assassinations, but what you describe doesn't sound like assassination as such, more like an execution. Don't get me wrong, there are some assassinations that will ask for you to go loud, but usually I like to stick to the shadows, and kill me target without being detected, or make it look like an accident. Blowing stuff up sounds amazing in theory, but it's not really my style."

Semasu then asked if Sagi wanted to go buy clothes first or go straight to her apartment, to which the answer was simple, "Considering the positioning of the Sun, we still have a few hours left until dark, we might as well go into the main market and buy some stuff, clothes being on the list definitely." Sagi jumped off the bench she was sitting on, and waited for Semasu to do the same before they would set off.

373

Semasu could see that Sagi was intriqgued by her interesting ability, coupled with the unusual fighting style on Nintaijust- explosions and close-range fighting, didn't ever seem like too good of a combination. Semasu could see Sagi was trying to contain a small smirk as she thought about assassinations with such a bizarre element. Her suspicion was confirmed when Sagi mentioned exactly what Semasu had guessed she was thinking.

True enough most assassinations require stealth and silent kills to be accomplished: however, the fact remains that I am proficient in Taijutsu as well and can accomplish these tasks with melee as well, not to mention basic ninja tools. I also have Raiton & Doton at my disposal, bakuton is just my strongest element. Besides, I can infiltrate a large compound that's heavily guarded by causing distractions with explosions, imbue opponents to explode and a whole bunch of other nifty tricks.

Maybe Sagi had been thinking too narrow in the way of assassination, but surely her experience in assassinations would have allowed her to think of other conventional "kill methods" besides silence, right? Semasu shrugged it off, any person with basic knowledge of explosions would automatically assume explosions would be too apparent for silent missions.

Semasu got up from the bench as Sagi got up, she quickly finished her donut she had been enjoying and used a napkin to wipe her hands off. She threw the napkin away in a small trashcan by a food shop close by and continued with Sagi down into the busy section of tsukigakure's very busy and loud business section. Today was especially busy and hectic, Semasu wasn't sure why; but now she feared she might lose Sagi in the bustle of people, would Sagi feel comfortable being around so many tall people who nearly stepped on her everywhere she went?

Semasu stayed close by Sagi and walked a little ahead of the girl to make sure some random merchant or group didn't trample her little friend down. She looked back at Sagi often to ensure she hadn't lost her.

I know of this great shop just a couple minutes from where we are now, I buy my clothes from them all the time. I'm sure they'll have some stuff your size there.

It was true, Semasu bought from this particular shop often because her clothes were often blown up and ruined. Being nearly naked was never a good thing for a woman.

---

Word count- 406

Kyomu started to think that maybe she had insulted Semasu by, basically, saying how useless her power was for something as... delicate as assassination, but, once Semasu had spoke, Kyomu realised her mistake. She had thought too closed, she hadn't opened her mind truly to the possibilities. Just proof that she was not yet a true jounin mentally, and still had to work on it. Silent killing could be achieved in ways open to any ninja, a kunai, a kick, simple ways. However some assassinations needed to be louder, sometimes you had to make an impact, send a message. And besides, Kyomu did not know the extent of Semasu's ability. If what she said was true, that should could imbue explosive natures into a person, effectively making a bomb out of a person, without the need for explosive tags, then Kyomu now knew just how powerful Semasu could be.

As they both walked into the town, Kyomu had to dodge out of the way of many people who could not see her. The main issue with being small was that sometimes she couldn't be seen. Usually, as a ninja, being invisible to the people around you was a great thing, which it was, and it allowed Kyomu to sneak into nooks and crannies that no normal sized person would be able to fit through. But on busy roads with many people like today, being invisible was probably the worst thing that could happen to Kyomu, but she squeezed through wherever she could, and Semasu was always there so she could follow her if she couldn't see anything, which eventually led them to stop, so Semasu could tell Sagi about a shop she went to often to buy clothes which, being an explosive expert, was probably quite often indeed.

Kyomu felt quite sad about having to let Semasu think she was Sagi. Semasu was treating Kyomu like a little sister, buying her clothes and giving her a place to stay, but she had no idea about who Kyomu was, she knew Sagi, Kyomu's long dead Jounin mother, who's ashes still scoured the Kazangakure Ruins to this day. But Semasu could never be told. Somehow, Kyomu was going to have to become a Chuunin in secret, then a Special Jounin, and then a Jounin herself, all without letting anyone know that she ever was anything other than the Jounin she is meant to be. She must carry on her mother's legacy.

"Well, if you buy your clothes there, then maybe we'll get a discount on the clothes for me, provided they have my size. I'll take your word for it on this one. Which way?"

431

Discounts? Fore sure, Semasu was a regular customer at this shop and the owners appreciated her business- they knew her on a name basis and gave her great deals on clothes. She regarded Sagi, she was a small girl with a large mind... what would her taste in clothes be like? Semasu couldn't help but wonder about all kinds of clothes she wanted to have Sagi try on, there was sure to be cute outfits her size meant for lolicon types and such: Semasu wasn't really a lolicon, but she couldn't help but be excited about having Sagi try on the cute clothes. She smiled as she regarded the girl and tried to guess her proper sizes.

If anything, the owner's wife could help her find Sagi some clothes. When Semasu had first started coming to this clothes store, she had been just a little bigger then a Sagi now. Even then she was "gifted" in the womanly charms that made other older women jealous and feel inferior. She had ben so self-conscious about it that she didn't even know what size of bras she was supposed to wear. That's when the owner's wife greeted her and helped her, the older woman was impressed with her growth and Semasu had continued to go to this shop because of their friendly atmosphere. Eventually with Semasu's financial aid from buying their clothes, their shop grew larger and they could afford better clothes at great prices. Now they were booming with business and was always glad to see Semasu pay them a visit.

Oh I'm sure they'll have something for you... let's see, I think we turn here.

The way she had said the first part of that sentence was somewhat of a tease and had a mischievous sound to it. Semasu turned left suddenly at one of the main intersections; the shop was nearly straight ahead, but Semasu turned back to make sure Sagi was right behind her. She had turned too sharp and Sagi was a bit behind her still, the crowd of people was thick and no one seemed to be paying Sagi any heed. Semasu could see ahead and realized a large group of travelling merchants and tourists were headed right towards Sagi and the girl was too short to realize the mob walking straight towards her.

Instinctively Semasu jumped backwards and landed lightly behind the little girl; she scooped her up in her arms and picked her up. She held Sagi close to her chest and let her long black hair fall over her face and down onto Sagi's head as she jumped forward with Sagi tightly in her arms. She landed softly back in her original spot and looked down at the little girl; probably bewildered by her actions. Semasu glanced over her shoulder as the mob of travelers zoomed by: she glowered at them and was half-tempted to blow them up or something.

Today is really busy. Let me carry you until we get to the shop, I don't want my little Sagi to get stepped on.

She said it playfully, but she knew being so small in a large world was probably very frustrating. She wouldn't belittle the girl and would let her down if she was bothered by the attention, but she wouldn't let go of the cute little girl until then.

They made their way down the path until they finally stood before the shop; the building itself wasn't that grand, it was mostly a plain brown building with a large sign above the double doors. Inside was different however, the building was so large that Semasu couldn't even see the back wall: all she could see was rows and arrows of clothes. They had gotten bigger since her last visit it seemed, several new sections of clothes and styles had added. She was pleased with the improvement, now they could find what they wanted with little trouble.

Then there was the owner, he appeared as if by a ninja skill... but he had only walked up from behind them without even Semasu noticing at first. He smiled warmly as he recognized her and then called for his wife to say hi as well... that and he didn't want to go through the trouble of helping this girl that would probably give him a fatal nosebleed from even modest clothes. His wife appeared from a nearby row of clothes and smiled as she recognized Semasu, then her face contorted a little as she saw Sagi.

Hello Semasu, nice to see you again... Is this your daughter? You never mentioned any children.

Daughter? Well, Semasu was around that age: being twenty three years old and no children wasn't too uncommon, but still. Semasu wasn't expecting children, at least not unless she planned to adopt. The owner's wife bent down to be face to face with Sagi and greeted her warmly, maybe too warmly as the older woman would a child- Semasu wondered how Sagi would react.

Umm.. Could you help me find some clothes today? I need you to point me in the direction for small girls, I think I can handle the rest.

The older couple pointed to the right side of the shop and down in the center section; there were changing rooms nearby with mirrors and benches as well. Semasu rubbed her hands together excitedly as she inspected the clothes from afar... they would be there for a while at least. Might as well make good use of the time while they had it, travel was no problem for Semasu- they could buy as much clothes as they wanted and not worry about carrying it all the way back to her apartment.

What kind of clothes do you want, Sagi-chan? I have some ideas, but I want your opinion as well.

She mostly meant for Sagi, but Semasu was also there to buy some clothes for herself. One of her recent missions had destroyed a set of her nice clothes and now she planned to replace them. Maybe she would invest in some under-garments as well, her most recent bra seemed to be a little tight... which was somewhat of a startling realization: could they get any bigger?

---

Word count- 1,037

Kyomu was now on her way to a clothes shop, to buy something new for herself, something a little nicer looking than her grey, lifeless, ragged dress that was currently all she had. Dai had asked if she had wanted new clothes many times, with the money he had made, but she had preferred to spend that money on more productive things, like books on Medicinal and Sealing Techniques she could employ, to both advance her own knowledge, and further increase her mother's skills. Besides, having never really ventured beyond her own house, Kyomu had never really had any need for clothes, to appeal to the public. But now times were changing, now was the time to show the world who Sagi was, and what she could do.

Semasu was sure that there would be something for Kyomu to buy and wear, which was hopeful, but having something that fitted was only part of the issue. Fitting was the first part, but it also had to suit Kyomu, her blue eyes, her grey hair, that was going to be the biggest worry for Kyomu. She wanted something new to wear, but only if it wasn't going to make her look like a homeless person, well, more so.

It was then that Semasu spoke, and she said that they would definitely have something, as if she had known what Kyomu was thinking, but that was impossible, her power was Explosions after all. But then Semasu turned sharply into another road, and Kyomu stopped, she could hear something. Voices, loads of voices, a mob of people, and they were getting louder. A mass of people were coming straight towards Kyomu. They were going to trample her, and she could tell they wouldn't even notice, no one had noticed her all day except Semasu, so this group would just walk straight through her without batting an eye. She would simply be knocked aside, which would be a massive pain. She thought about jumping out of the way, but she couldn't jump high or far enough away, so she was going to have to just jump onto the back of some random villager, and hope for the best.

Semasu had other plans, she had jumped behind Kyomu and picked her up, cuddling her and carrying her a few metres away from her current position, back to where Semasu herself had been standing. She then said she was going to carry Sagi the rest of the way until they reach the shop, but then she said something that really irked Kyomu, she had said she didn't want her "little Sagi" to get hurt. Oh that really got under her skin. Kyomu was young, and very small, some may call her cute, but she hated being patronised like a cute child. It happened often, people usually forgot that Sagi was actually a jounin, and Kyomu had developed the brain power to keep up with that. She was, mentally at least, quicker, smarter, and all round better at mental things than anyone her age, and even some adults, so being talked down to really bugged her, however she said nothing to Semasu. She was going to let it slide this time, but not twice.

They arrived at the shop just a few minutes after, and the shop owner and his wife appeared quickly: the husband appearing from behind them, and then calling his wife over from behind one of the many rows of clothes dotted around the massive building. The first thing the wife asked was if the child, Kyomu, was Semasu's child, which made sense in a way, considering it was just the two of them, but she then, without waiting for an answer, crouched down to Kyomu's level and spoke, in the most patronising voice ever heard in Tsukigakure "Hello there little girly. What's your name? Are you hear to buy some new clothes? Yeah? Uh huh, yes you are, well you should get a treat being so cute."

Now, see when Kyomu had said that she was only going to let Semasu be patronising this once, this woman was not going to get the chance. Sagi, looking the woman straight in the eye, and speaking in a sarcastic voice that most adults would speak if someone had been condescending, "I really am truly sorry, but please, never speak to me like that again. I am not some prissy princess, I am a Shinobi and, right now, a customer, and so I would much rather prefer it if you speak to me like you do your other customers. Thank you very much." The woman was taken aback, but she said no more to the little girl. Semasu, possibly trying to diffuse the building tension, asked where they could buy clothes for Kyomu, and that they would be fine themselves after that, probably a good idea, Sagi thought, as they walked to where the couple had pointed.

There were many different styles of clothes, in many different shapes and sizes, and only some of them fit Kyomu, but she could also see Semasu looking at clothes further away: clothes for someone Semasu's size, so Sagi thought she'd just let Semasu get what she wanted, and Sagi could focus on her own clothing, with things that would fit her. There were two sets that particularly caught her eye, both of which were in her size. The first: a simple white dress, with two furry sections for which her arms fitted in quite nicely. It would be a lovely dress to go somewhere while wearing, like a party, but also to travel, but in terms of fighting, it wasn't much use.

The second, however, was still a fashionable dress, but also a nice piece that could be worn while going on missions. It was a Victorian looking dress, with white stockings and black shoes to go with it. It seemed flexible enough that Kyomu could wear it and still move as she would be able to normally, while keeping her modesty intact, something that would be trickier if fighting with the white dress on, a dress which was not as long, and lacked much else other than the dress, but it was also the one she wanted to put on, so she quickly ran into the changing rooms, and changed out of her ragged grey dress, into this pure, white, simple dress, which fitted perfectly. She stepped out of the changing room, the grey dress and the Victorian set over one arm, before looking to see where Semasu had gone. She had to see this, it even came with little fuzzy baubles that let Kyomu put her hair up slightly, it was so cool.


1095

The Dresses:

There it was, Sagi had pointedly corrected the store owner's wife and shown that she did not appreciate being considered a child or small. Semasu took mental note of this as the two of them headed near the clothes and began to look around; foremost Semasu was there to get Sagi some clothes, but she also needed some undergarments herself. She glanced at Sagi and saw the girl was attentively inspecting the quality and sizes of the clothes near her, Semasu would make her shopping quick and help Sagi choose some pretty clothes.

Down the isles she went, row after row of colors and fabric passed her and soon enough, she found herself standing in the lingerie department and gazing at the lewd apparel. She never bothered with exotic clothes, her body was already exotic enough as it was, anymore and it might kill males and some females even instantly. From the lack of blood of course- nasal hemorrhaging would be an embarrassing way to die.

Semasu made her way into the myriad of colorful and interesting choices in undergarments. They all looked nice and had plenty of colors to choose from, but most of the sizes were too small or just nor Semasu's style. She continued to look and even dug into a few piles to find what she was looking for. Eventually she found one size bigger than what she was currently wearing and there were three different options; all three of which were appealing to her. She chose the black one finally, it was more of a neutral color and clashed beautifully against her white clothing. She tossed it across her arm as she quickly walked over to the casual apparel and leafed through a few racks of clothes before she again found what she was looking for.

With a look of accomplishment, Semasu turned her attention back to Sagi; she looked around for the girl but didn't see her, likely she was in a changing room. That was a good idea, Semasu wanted to try on her new choices as well before actually buying them. She walked over to the changing area with her clothes on her arms and ignored the few male customers in the tore whose eyes followed her almost the whole time. This was why she hated most men, they let their minds wander in dangerous areas without even considering how a woman would feel about being thought of in lewd ways. She refrained from her temptation to blow them through the store walls, mostly because the owners of the store were considered friends to her.

Sure enough, the bra fit perfectly; comfortable and not compressing her bosom. she tried on the several outfits: one being short shorts with white leggings and a yellow top. Another outfit was black and red leather, consisting of a shirt, leggings and a tight fitting t-shirt. One sleeve had a leave sleeves glove while the other hand just had a leather bracelet.

The last two outfits were a bit more than "casual" but to her liking as well. The first was a Christmas outfit, complete with red leather and white frilly edges and a hat. The other outfit was a white and pink maid outfit- normally she wouldn't buy these kinds of things for herself... but these were just too cute to pass up. Never know when she might need them even.

She opened the door the the changing room with her choices slung across her arm and she saw Sagi with a couple different outfits herself. She smiled at the girl and sat down on one of the benches nearby- they had ended up being here a couple hours... how fast time goes by when changing clothes.

Ah, I see you found some clothes Sagi; do you need or want my help with any other choices right now? I was thinking we could go for some food after we get home and put the clothes up.

They needed to get home, Semasu had a spare bedroom that was furnished; she would use the bedroom for Sagi. If Rael came by, then they could all three sleep in the livingroom like a slumber party or something. Semasu was curious to see how Sagi and Rael would interact.

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word count-710

Red casual:

Christmas:

Maid:

Jean shorts & yellow top:

As soon as Kyomu stepped out of her own changing room, with her white dress on and her Victorian dress, not to mention her old grey dress that she couldn't wait to throw out, slung over one arm like she was a waitress at a restaurant, she heard a voice behind her: Semasu, asking if Kyomu had everything she wanted, or if she wanted to buy some more choices of clothing. Sagi just looked at Semasu, sitting on the bench across from her and smiled, saying "No thanks, I'm fine with what I've got. Now I just want to grab a bite to eat and go home, unless you need anything more?" It was true, Kyomu's stomach had started to rumble, she was hungry and wanted something to eat, but also she did not want any more clothes. Semasu was doing Sagi a great kindness in buying her clothes that she otherwise did not and would not have herself, as she had chosen to buy books over clothes. But now she was getting a life, being able to live as she wished, and get things she wanted, other than just things that would let her become her mother. This was a day for Kyomu, not Sagi.

It was then Kyomu saw what Semasu had purchased, as they both walked to the counter to buy the clothes. She had said that she needed new clothes, but there was easily four different sets of clothes, and then more in the form of undergarments. If she was buying that many different clothing items, even if she would be given a discount by the owners, would she be able to afford both her own and Kyomu's clothes? Kyomu, having never bought clothes, or anything, herself, did not actually know what the pricing system was. Dai, her father, had always bought her what she needed, never her buying things herself. As such, she was basically poor, and didn't have any knowledge about how much money she needed to buy things, or what that money even represented. Would it work only in Tsukigakure, or in the other villages in the other nations too? It was definitely something Kyomu was going to have to work on, and learn about, along with everything else that she needed to learn. That was the problem with only having been taught Medical Ninjutsu, and different abilities she could learn to become like her mother, it was all she had been taught, nothing else. Everything everyone knew about the world, Kyomu had no idea about any of it, and it was definitely going to become an issue for her guise as Sagi if she didn't learn it soon enough: who had ever heard of a jounin that didn't know what money was after all?

But Kyomu walked over to the counter, where the wife served her, still looking confused, and slightly hostile to the little girl that had clearly spoken out of turn for someone her age, but not so for an adult that was being patronised, something Kyomu and Sagi viewed herself as. She placed her Victorian dress on the counter, keeping her ragged grey dress, and then she jumped onto the counter herself, for two reasons. The first was that she wanted to learn everything she could about the currency in the land from Semasu by watching what she did, and how much everything would cost in the future, if Sagi or Kyomu ever wanted to buy something for herself. The second reason was much more practical: Kyomu was wearing the dress she intended to buy, which meant that, if she wanted to have it priced, the woman needed to see the pricing herself, and take the money off of Semasu, not to mention the great view of the huge shop from the counter seat that she now occupied.

631

So, Sagi was done shopping as well: women really did take a long time to shop- but it had been mostly Semasu. She had said she was only going for a couple things, but ended up getting several outfits...they were just too cute to pass up though! She had planned to wear one today and she was now, she was wearing the short jeans and the yellow top.

Both her and Sagi approached the shop register and began to set the price for all the clothes. The woman began to check the prices and make note of them, Sagi had suddenly jumped up on the counter and began to watch intently, but also to let the woman see the price of her clothing she was wearing. Semasu just ripped the tags off her own clothes and handed them over to the woman- it was interesting to see how interested Sagi was with such boring aspects of daily life.

Sagi-chan, we can put this stuff at my apartment and then we can go find somewhere to eat.

It was still very busy today and Semasu could see the streets were still full of people who would likely trample over her cute little sister-like friend. It was decided, she would use non-conventional means of travel to reach her house: she would show Sagi how to get there when the streets weren't so busy.

The owner's wife made the summed amount and cut off a large sum for Semasu's personal discount before revealing the total cost. 20,000 Ryo. That was a considerable chucnk to the average person, but Semasu was no civilian, nor a lazy shinobi- she had killed several high-risk targets to receive the large surplus of Ryo that she possessed. She handed over the amount if asked that the clothing be bagged for them; after they had the bagged clothing in their hands, they neared the doors again before Semasu stopped.

She wrapped her arms around Sagi's delicate waist and held on firmly as she spoke in Sagi's ear as a rift in the air appeared before them and threatened to pull them into the red swirling vortex.

Hold onto me Sagi-chan, we are taking a shortcut to my house~

Instantly as if granted by her permission, both of the girls were sucked into the vortex and then found themselves standing in the livingroom of Semasu's apartment. She held onto Sagi for a few moments longer, being new to teleportation, anyone would have weak knees and stomach. She set the clothes on the table and used one of her hands to motion around to Sagi.

Welcome to my little home Sagi-chan! I have a spare bedroom that we can set up for you to stay in: this house isn't too far from the missions board as well if you ever feel you want to take on a mission- in fact, you can see it straight across the street.

She pointed out a window at the large mission board where several shinobi were standing around inquiring about civilians needing help.

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Word count-510

Semasu prepared to leave again, with Sagi of course- they would go to a wonderful restaurant and she would impress the small girl with how much a Rankujo could eat. She would share a bit about her early life and childhood, why she had become a shinobi and what she was up to now.

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{Exit}

They soon exited the shop, bound for a restaurant where Semasu was prepared to eat a lot of food, and Kyomu was pretty hungry herself too, but she didn't eat much. She had to stay in shape, and also she had to be like her mother, eating slowly instead of embracing her childish urge to completely tuck in and devour the meals placed before her. Once their meal was done, Semasu would take Kyomu back to her house and, along the way, Kyomu would hear Semasu's tales. Not the full story obviously, but enough for Kyomu to become interested, as she shared some details, almost teasingly, about her past missions, things Sagi could not show much interest in, having done some herself, but Kyomu secretly loving every moment. She was going to enjoy living with Semasu, she just knew it.

-Exit-