Getting the Gang Together; Sword, Steel and Snow.

So here he was, a genin for a couple of weeks and he had only just received the missive telling him that he was getting put on a team. The other members of his squad were one Musei Shinto, Yuki Kuroshio and himself. He'd heard of them both, done a little research into them and their clans as well, he disliked going into things without information. A Shinto and a Toketsu alongside a Kaironokuma, made sense to put clanned ninja together, foster relations between them, inspire teamwork. He smirked and chuckled quietly before putting the piece of paper away. They were allies, perhaps they would be friends. He remembered Yuki, she was pretty cute.

He got up and pulled on his boots, buckling them up before grabbing a long jacket and throwing it on, leaving it open of course, Hakagakure was relentlessly humid, no need to kill himself out there. There was something missing, he definitely hadn't put something... Oh yes, his Gourd. Wouldn't do to go anywhere without that. He opened up his closet and pulled the large gourd out before slinging it around and sticking it to his back with chakra flow, the weight immediately fading due to the connection. It was made with some of his own flesh after all.

He wished his parents a good day and slipped out of the house, walking through the Kaironokuma compound, heading towards the Academy where they had been told to meet up, well it was just off to the side, a small sparring pit where they would meet their teammates. The only other things that his letter told him was that it was to be a bonding thing, spend the day together and he'd been given a small allowance to let that happen a bit more naturally without having to worry about missions or the like. He didn't know if the others had been given something like that but he didn't really care. He shrugged and shifted his Gourd slightly before making it to the meeting spot. He sat down on the ground and leaned back against the large container on his back, chin tucked to his chest and eyes closed, waiting for the others to show up.

"Kori...Please.. Let me go. I'm going to be late if you don't!" As much as Yuki enjoyed affection from her sister, she had to meet her teammates. "Then just... one little... Ok, there." Kori said as she stopped playing with her sisters hair, age gap of only a year. "You've got that mirror I gave you right? The small one you can contact me with?" Yuki huffed a sigh, barely managing to breathe in what Kori put her in. "Yes, Kori. I have the mirror." Speaking of mirrors... Yuki decided to get up and look at exactly what Kori had dressed her up with, a kimono. "Is this... really... necessary...?" "It is absolutely necessary! You're meeting your team mates, people who will protect you with their lives and trust you to protect theirs. We Kuroshio aren't gonna skimp out on making good first impressons." Kori went on to pat her sister down to smooth out any creases whilst also checking she still had her nin-cessories. Just in case. "Kori...I can't breathe... And besides, I can't really do much in this other than look pretty! Can I please go in normal clothes and save this for festivals?" "... oh you're fine." Kori waved her comment off, whilst also making sure she would loosen the waist a little. "Now c'mon, your team mates will be waiting for you. Wear your normal shoes and the like just in case, and give me a call if you need anything." She further made her point by using her own mirror to pass her hand through and out of the one she'd given her sister. I'd still rather wear something a lot less formal..., she thought. Yuki went to the entrance to put on her shoes. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one really dressed up for this too... She looked at the mirror Kori gave her and gently pushed Kori's hand back into the mirror before putting it in her obi. "I'll be fine, I promise. But I will call you if I'm in trouble. ..Right... I'm off then.", she mewed, trying her best to reassure her sister.

She headed the the Academy, doing her best to ignore any stares she may have received on her way. She was already nervous to meet her team. The added stares just made her more anxious. To try to drive her mind away from the stares she may have gotten, she decided to try to recall her teammate's names. Occam... and...Musei... Occam I remember seeing in class. Musei... Musei.. The other name didn't ring a bell... Bump. Yuki hopped back only to realise she walked into a wall. I'm really hoping no one saw that... Then again, with how she looked... Anyone could have seen that. So much for first impressions...

Mu had awoken to this day with a smile brighter than the shining sun. Why, one may ask? Because he was meeting his new teammates! He sat up in his bed and stretched extravagantly, letting out a loud and rather dramatic yawn. After that was done he slipped from the covers and into his bathroom in order to take a quick dip in the bath. He used several different oils with flowery scents in order to get himself to smell like a spring time meadow. He climbed out a short while after, drying himself thoroughly with a fluffy towel before wrapping that one around his chest and another around his hair. He moved from the shower to his bed in order to rub himself down with lotion. It was dry here in Hakagakure, but that didn't mean his skin needed to be dry as well. Once he was convinced his skin was smoother than a baby's bottom, he moved to his armoire, opening it up in order to rove over his selection of clothing. Said selection was very large, but as his eyes searched he found that nothing seemed right for a meeting with his new teammates. After fifteen minutes of pulling things out, looking at them and putting them back, he selected a pair of shorts that displayed his boy-curves, a black skintight turtleneck shirt that was backless and placed his arms on display, his normal heeled shinobi sandals, some accessories and his favorite red kimono. Now that he looked at the outfit all together, he realized he would look absolutely ravishing. That was probably the best impression he could make, right? He nodded to himself before moving other to his vanity to put on his "face". He placed a bit of pink blush on his cheeks, black liner on his eyes, a dusting of dark purple on his eyes and blood red paint on his lips. He meant to make his look subtle, but now he looked a bit like a whore from a red lantern district. "....I love it!" He let out a small giggle and moved to his clothes and carefully put them on. He looked at himself in the mirror once he was done, with only the kimono to place upon himself. He grabbed the kimono and put it on, positioning it correctly on his shoulders. He didn't like it, it felt cumbersome. He let it fall so that it pooled in the crooks of his arms, exposing his shoulders. The sleeves were large and belled around his arms, and the rest of the garment completely cloaked his body. "I. Love. It." He nodded and tied a sash about his waist to secure his kimono. He pulled the towel from his hair and watched the silky smooth strands fall about his face. His hair looked like it was wrought of gold, and the way it fell gave him a bed tossed look. "I would do me....No, actually, I would carry my own kids..." He smiled and blew his reflection a kiss before moving to his beside and grabbing his two swords. A quick transformation technique one was a golden bee earring whilst the other was a silver one. He put them on as he left his room, his heels clicking against the wood of the stairs as he descended. He waved to his mom and flipped his sister off as she made a comment about "clown make-up". He didn't care what she said, he looked fabulous.

He made his way down the streets of Haka, making his way to the training area where he was supposed to meet his new team Yuki Kuroshio and Occam Kaironokuma.... He didn't remember them from his classes, so they must have recently been promoted. He was extremely excited to meet them. Mu reached the training area just in time to see a girl walk into a wall. Her hair was white and she was wearing a rather formal kimono. He stepped to the side a bit and he could see her face "OH MY  GOODNESS YOU ARE JUST THE CUTEST THING!" Mu rushed forward to stand beside Yuki, looking her up and down. A bright smile lit his face and he just couldn't get over how absolutely adorable his new teammate was. He hoped Occam looked as good, so they could have a team of drop-dead gorgeous people. Mu dipped into a little bow in front of Yuki as a greeting, before rising to speak "Sorry for my little outburst!" He giggled "My name is Musei Shinto, but you can call me Mu. You are Yuki Kuroshio, correct? If so, we're teammates! If not, I hope we can still be friends." Another giggle followed this statement "I would just like to say that I love, love, LOVE your kimono. Kimonos are so in this season, don't you think?" He took a step backwards in order to execute a twirl, showing off his own crimson kimono. When he finished he crossed his arms, giving Yuki a look that held all the brightness of the smile he held on his face. He waited for her to give confirmation on being his teammate before speaking again, his voice bright and cheery "Have you caught sight of....Occam? I think that was his name....We were all supposed to meet here, yes?" As he asked the question, he looked around for their missing third member.

They were taking a while to get here it would seem... Had he showed up early? He was pretty bad for that but it was always better to be early than late. He opened his eyes and let out a long sigh, the sunlight filtering down from the glass above was too damn bright. He reached down to the sleeve of his coat and tugged it up, looking at the watch there, a minute past the meeting time. That wasn't really late but he still couldn't see them anywhere. The boy pulled his sleeve down again and leaned back against his gourd once more, head bumping against the strange, almost metal substance that it was made from. He crossed one leg over the other and then stopped, ear cocking slightly as he heard some talking nearby. He recognised one of the voices, or he thought he did anyway. "That must be them... Guess I'll go say hi."

The young boy got to his feet and lifted his gourd, sticking it to his back and loosening the cap slightly, just in case something happened. He didn't really think anything would but it never hurt to be careful or, in his case, paranoid. He shoved his hands in his pockets and readied his chakra, waiting to activate the Circuit Zone to fight. He walked over and around the corner of the wall that Yuki had walked into, not that Occam had seen it. He paused and looked between the two of them, both of them were incredibly feminine although he could tell that one of them was indeed male, slight details in the shape of the jaw and the stance. He recognised one of them but not the other, they must be his teammates. At least they were somewhat attractive, wouldn't need to look at ugly people while they worked. They were both shorter than him by a few inches it would seem.

He pulled off his gourd and dropped it to the ground with a thud to let them know that he was there. "Meeting point was actually just around the corner you two... Was supposed to be in the sparring field." He said with a smile, his hand resting on the gourd and casually slipping the cap back into place. "Yuki Kuroshio Toketsu and Musei Shinto, I imagine? My name is Occam Kaironokuma, nothing special in regards to the clan... Just a guy trying to get by is all." He scanned them both once more, eyes almost too focused upon the little details. "Both of you look quite good, Musei... Bit too much make-up, might want to go a little easier on it." He told the boy, he wasn't about to fault him for his choices. After all, Occam wasn't exactly dressed well either. A pair of black trousers, two loose belts around his waist and heavy boots with multiple buckles covered his lower half. A black t-shirt and a loose black coat covered the top, glittering piercings showing in his bottom lip and his ears. He'd chosen silver today, a pair of rings in each ear and snakebite piercings. "Want to go get something to eat? It's still pretty early, we could grab breakfast somewhere... I know a place that does pancakes."

...Somebody saw.... Yuki's face flushed with a reddened colouration to that fact. It didn't help that this new person was fawning over her appearance either. Though, when she caught a glimpse of the person, and then watched him twirl around, she felt somewhat relieved that she wasn't the only one dressed up. In contrast to her kimono, which was white with a flurry of blue flowers accented with a purple obi that had faintly imprinted cherry blossoms, his was a brilliant crimson in colour with a black undershirt to tone the brightened red down. "I..I'm.. Yes..", she barely managed to speak out. "Oh.. Thank you. Yours is very pretty too...Mu, right..?" Yuki was still incredibly nervous about meeting her teammates and the fact that one of them saw her literally walk into a wall... Nevermind that! She tried to cast the thought aside just before Occam appeared from around the corner. He wasn't dressed up like they were.. Then again, he didn't really seem like the type to really dress up for moments like these.

"Oh.. right... the field.." She sheepishly reached up to straighten her bangs, hiding any lingering embarrassment she still had. "Yes. I'm Yuki Kuroshio.", she mewed to confirm that she was their other teammate. At least they appear friendly. That's good... "....Pancakes..? Oh.. Oh n- I... I mean... W-we could b-but... Kori would probably kill me if I got anything on this.", she stammered out, shying back a little and looking at the ground. "Sorry.. I.. Whatever you two want to do is fine." She still wasn't very good at this socialising thing.

Mu practically squealed at Yuki's shyness. It was absolutely adorable. Before he got a chance to speak though, he was drawn to the origin of a third voice. When his eyes found Occam, he could feel his heart literally skipping a beat. He was absolute perfection. The color of his hair and the way it feel into his face, the dark tone of his skin that made his steel-like eyes seem to glow. His attire, though not formal, seemed to fit the male's image to a T. The dark colors and piercings making him look like some punk rock god. Mu was immediately smitten, and one could tell by the look he gave the other male. It was as if he was in a trance, his eyes simply roaming up and down the other. He realized just how creepy that might look and quickly snapped himself out of it, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat when Occam appeared. His eyes flicked between the two as Yuki spoke, always being drawn back to his other teammate. My goodness, what is this boy doing to me? He shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts and his smile returned full force "I wanted to go for something subtle with the make-up, but I wound up with something more Red Lantern-ish. I decided to roll with it!"

His arms draped around Yuki's shoulders after she was finished speaking, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head. He was a good three inches taller than her, so it was rather easy for him to do so. He was careful not to disturb her perfect kimono or muss her hair "You are just so cute! But believe me, my dear, spend enough time with me and we'll shimmy out of your little shy shell." He pat her head lightly with one hand, his eyes turning to Occam "But her outfit is perfection. I'm all for pancakes, but we should probably try to think up something a bit less.....prone to making messes, no?"

"Hm... I feel kind of out of place without something formal on." He mused quietly to himself. He noticed that Mu was staring at him, it was difficult to not notice that but he wasn't going to mention it, he hoped it wouldn't turn into anything strange but if the boy wanted to look at Occam like that, he wasn't really one to say otherwise. He let out a soft sigh and leaned on the gourd, letting his body relax for a quick moment as he looked over them again. "She does look quite adorable, doesn't she? Seems quite restrictive though, probably not great for combat, you might want to think about something easier to wear when that comes around and believe me.... It will." A grin split his features and an odd light entered his eye as he said that, almost as though he looked forwards to it. He'd sparred a good few times but he had yet to properly fight someone, to spill blood. There were a few things he wanted to test in that regard but it could wait for later, these people were friends.

"Damn... Guess we will need a different plan..." Occam didn't actually seem too bothered by it and he passed it off with a shrug before shouldering his clan weapon. "So then, I'll let one of you two choose where we go, my treat and punishment for not looking my best." He told them with a quiet chuckle, moving over to ruffle the hair of his teammates as he stood a few inches above Mu and nearly a foot over Yuki. "So, what kind of conversation do you guys want? Want to compare fighting styles, talk about what we want from our lives as shinobi? Maybe juicy gossip on people you find attractive? We don't... Seem to have a sensei yet so someone might as well start this sort of sh... Stuff up." He said once it was settled where they were going. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kept his voice almost entirely neutral, a bored look on his face... Although that seemed to just be his resting face.

All the attention Yuki was getting from her new team was making her feel a bit overwhelmed. She covered her face in her hands to hide a blush, not exactly used to attention like this. "I.. I wasn't really planning on wearing this other than during festivals...", she mumbled quietly, once again straightening her bangs to try to cover the previous motion. The girl caught the odd glint in Occam's eye and felt a light shiver ripple on her back. ...S-scary... Yuki wasn't one to really fight and she silently cursed herself for her preference of evasion over attacking. She had a feeling that Occam was a complete opposite to her when it came to combat. And Mu... She couldn't even venture a guess to where he was other than being more comfortable with fighting than her. No.. Yuki, you will get better and you'll help your team instead of dragging them down!, she told herself, trying to snap out of a spiral she's been in all too often.

"Oh.. Um.. Mu? Where would you like to go?" Yuki couldn't think of a place to go herself. There were lots of good places to eat around here. Maybe Mu had a place in mind, she hoped. Yuki listened to Occam's question and thought about it. He really did seem like the kind of person out to get as much information on things that interested him as he could. What do I want to do as a shinobi..? Med-nin always seemed like a good way to help people..., she thought to herself. But was that all she wanted to do? She wasn't entirely sure. And even then, what if her goals changed from med-nin to something else? The future is so uncertain.. Yuki didn't seem to realise that she was thinking a bit too hard until she suddenly felt a bit lightheaded and saw her vision go black for a mere second before returning with strange little sparkles flying around. She rubbed her forehead gently to try to get the weird fuzzy feeling out of her mind. Ow my head...

"You'll definitely need to find something with better range of movement, honey." He fingered the fabric a bit with a thoughtful look. Maybe a shorter kimono with shorts underneath? She'll be able to move and still look cuter than a button... He gave it some thought and nodded. He could definitely find something that would look cute on her, that wouldn't be an issue. He saw the look Occam had when he mentioned fighting and it sent a shiver down his spine. He enjoyed sparring on a friendly level, there was nothing better than the sting of a wooden bokken against one's bear flesh, but he had a feeling Occam had a different kind of fight in mind. Mu wasn't that fond of spilling blood or killing, which was ironic since his sword was oh so good at the latter. As he thought that, his hand went up to the golden be earring unconsciously. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Yuki address him.

"Oh! I know this little sweets shop not too far from here that we can go to! They have the best little honey candies and a lot of other amazing things. It may not be the healthiest place to go this early, but they are really a-ma-zing!" He clapped and bounced on his heals a bit as he spoke, rather obviously excited about going to the candy shop. He grabbed Yuki's hand lightly and turned to look at Occam. He had a feeling the other male wouldn't take too lightly to being randomly touched by someone he just met, teammate or no. And frankly he didn't trust himself to touch Occam without it escalating to fondling. He instead beckoned to the male and began to gently tug Yuki down the street, their arms looped through each other's "Hmm. Asking about normal things like our likes and dislikes would be instrumental in helping us become friends, but asking about our combat capabilities will help us work better as a cohesive unit. I think we should discuss both, just to get it out of the way. I'll go first!" Mu cleared his throat a bit dramatically before speaking "As you both know, my name is Musei Shinto. What you don't know, however, is that my middle name is "Itami". I don't really advertise it because that is quite a dismal name, 'Silent Pain'." He paused at that, his smile faltering a bit before coming back to full brightness "Anywho! My favorite color is crimson, because it makes my skin look paler and it makes my eyes pop. One of my favorite things to do is actually design clothing, so I know quite a bit of sewing and stitching techniques. My favorite food would have to be...nanbanzuke. Or sea food in general. Along with most fried things...I like to eat. My favorite sweet would have to be honey candies. I just love honey! My mom said I must be part bee." He giggled at his little joke, before realizing the other two might not get it "That's about it for my personal tidbits, unless you want to know more intimate details about me." Mu's eyes flickered to Occam as he said this, secretly hoping the other would ask about other things. Not that he would admit he was hoping that... "Onto my combat info! I am a Samurai specializing in the Tenmetsu-ko style. My sword possesses a Wind Release nature, and I use Wind Release genjutsu quite often. I belong to the Shinto clan, which is a Hiden Clan that utilizes insects in battle. My insects are Ninhachi, which are basically Ninja Bees." Mu lifted up the arm that wasn't entwined with Yuki's and wiggled his fingers a bit. A solitary bee buzzed up from within the wide expanse of his sleeve to rest upon the back of his fingers, resting comfortably "This is why my little "part bee" joke was so funny to me. Because I literally have bees living inside of me. Besides that, I am an aspiring medical ninja. I think I may explore the mental and physical sides to medical techniques, as there are already so many practices that use chakra as a medium to heal the body, but not that many dealing with repairing the mind or using basic means to fix up wounds." He shrugged at bit as he spoke, finishing his monologue up. The bee had seemed to disappear, his hand dropping to his side "Well, that's me in a nutshell. Who's next up in the sharing circle?"

"Sweets at this time? Not really a wholesome breakfast but I guess it'll do. I was suggesting it because it would let us sit and talk without having to worry about where we were going or any interruptions really. So yeah, let's go, once again I will pay for it so no need to fret about that." He chuckled quietly and reached up, gently resting his hands on the heads of the other two, gently ruffling their hair before before he nudged them to walk in front of him, taking up the rear to form a triangle. Going by the first gleaned information, it would be better for Musei to take the lead with Yuki and Occam taking up the back to provide support when needed. He let out a sigh and shook his head, he really needed to stop immediately going to combat tactics, didn't work for how badly he wanted to just be relaxed and laid back. So he rolled his neck and pulled out a small notebook, flipping it open and writing a quick heading. His handwriting was quick, more so than usual due to his training as a Kaironokuma, and he quickly put down Mu's name and details about him.

"Guess it's my turn next. My name is Occam Steele Kaironokuma. I am a member of the Hakagakure Kekkai Genkai clan, the Kaironokuma of course. I am capable of using Pulse Release, essentially control of electromagnetism, and its composite elements; Lightning and Earth Releases. Due to a rare ability, my Pulse Release is much more powerful than those of most of my clanmates and techniques of that element are generally much less tiring to me. I am capable of utilising my clan's signature ability of Iron Sand, which is what is in my gourd as well as a few other types of metal. In addition I have started to learn a unique variant of both materia manipulation and attack. Other than this I am looking to become a Sannin and serve with the ANBU to protect the ASN from all whom may seek to harm it. A bit about myself, I hold no mercy for those that abandon their nation, that abandon their friends or family. Don't think I'll be bothered by you, Yuki, you're young, it likely wasn't your choice to leave your clan and a clan isn't worth holding loyalty to, not over something as important as your actual family." He paused and scratched his chin for a few moments. "I'm being a bit serious, sorry about that, I get a bit into things I'm passionate about. I like many different foods, mainly because I'm too lazy to actually care about what I'm eating but I am a fan of pancakes and steak, those are probably my favourite food and are definitely worth thanking the West Continent for bringing here. I like sleeping a lot and listening to music as well as going out of the village to explore the wilderness, it's always more amusing than being stuck in a village all your life... Even if it is technically not allowed." He grinned and let out a soft laugh before nodding to Yuki. "Your turn, Cold stuff, hope you don't blush too much or you might melt."

Yuki out a soft sigh. Why do I have a feeling they won't let that go until the first mission..? She let herself be dragged along by Mu and listened to his introduction. Making clothes..? Kori would probably love to learn and collaborate with him if we ever have any free time together., Yuki thought, thinking of Kori's latest personal non-combat challenge, sewing.

At the mention of bees and the sight of one, the girl felt a shock shoot down her spine, making her jump and hoped that no one noticed it. Though, Occam was behind her and Mu and Mu was holding her hand. It'd be impossible for them to not notice. A small shiver ran down her spine and she was really hoping that it wasn't an actual shiver of cold air being released along with that. Bees weren't made for the cold, and the cold wasn't made for the bees. I- I'm holding hands with... a living hive... of.. bees?! Oh no... Oh no... She's not from an area where many bugs thrived, if any. And even then, Yuki found bees absolutely terrifying... Especially wasps since they seemed like they could sting forever. She saw her vision fogging slightly, but quickly came to realise that she was actually breathing out small clouds of mist. Oh no..

It wasn't helping that she was panicking more and more over her own reactions than the fact that one of her team mates was a living hive of horrors. She tried her best to contain the reaction, but it was increasingly harder when Mu finished his introduction and Occam began his. Joining the ANBU and hunting missing-nin, when the clan she's from is amongst them... "A bit about myself, I hold no mercy for those that abandon their nation, that abandon their friends or family. Don't think I'll be bothered by you, Yuki, you're young, it likely wasn't your choice to leave your clan and a clan isn't worth holding loyalty to, not over something as important as your actual family." Another shiver rippled through her body. Why was that particular bit so... scary..? He was right that she didn't make the choice to leave her clan. It was her parents who decided so. But, should she have stayed with the clan, she'd be hunted down for sure if Occam achieved his dream. "Your turn, Cold stuff, hope you don't blush too much or you might melt."

Yuki snapped out of her cold freeze, though only slightly. The air around her was still getting colder and colder at the fear of her teammates and their goals. "I-I'm Kuroshio Yuki. From the Toketsu clan... I..." she mewed, her breath shaky as she tried to speak. She shook her head, trying to shove aside the newfound fears. She tried talking about combat first to get it out of the way. Though, she wasn't really one to fight but evade. "I... I use bell needles for genjutsu. And... And because of what my clan does.. Um.. We... we make things.. colder? Frozen..?" Trying to explain combat capabilities was a bad idea. She never really knew how to describe them and felt as thought she can't really give her team what they'd expect of her if she did explain what she could do. She went quiet a few moments before trying to speak again, the chilling of the air halting a bit now that she'd manage to distract herself, though the air was still very cold around her. "I um... I enjoy skating and music. And um... hmm.." Yuki pondered on what else to say. "Nature is also pretty to look at..." The girl had surprised herself with how little she had to say about herself. Maybe she didn't have so many interests as she thought or felt like what other details she could have shared could easily be considered stereotypical.

haha whoops:

Mu listened to Occam with rapt attention, as if what the other was saying held the secrets to the very universe. The blonde cataloged everything he said in the back of his mind, saving it in case it came in handy later. He shook his head inwardly at himself, wondering when he had become this obsessive. Maybe he was always like this and Occam just drew it out of him? Or maybe it was Occam himself. Mu smoothed his hand up and down Yuki's arm as she spoke, trying to calm her. She seemed to be more nervous than she had been previously, she had even jumped when he was speaking. Maybe it was the bee? She wouldn't be the first person he met to have an aversion to insects. He made a mental note not to use them as much around Yuki, just in case. He noticed his misting breath and the sudden coolness of the air around them. Yuki was definitely nervous.

Mu pulled Yuki a bit closer with a cuddling motion in an attempt to calm her a bit. Also trying to stop the cold that was encroaching them all. He could feel his skin slowly forming gooseflesh "There just has to be more things that you like, Snowflake. But you don't need to put absolutely everything out there right here and now. We have time to get to know each other. Who knows, maybe we can help shape each others dreams and aspirations." He rested his cheek atop Yuki's head as they walked, not speaking for a moment. He had almost forgotten to comment on what Occam had said. Or rather, he wanted to make it look that way. He didn't understand his own logic, but it seemed sound "You're quite the character, Occam. You're serious at times, but mostly lazy. Hehe one could say you're..." He waited a few heart beats, looking at Occam with a face that showed nothing but a serious mask "...seriously lazy." He did his best to contain the laughter that burned at his lungs, instead letting out a few giggles. In his mind, the joke was hilarious, but he didn't want to risk looking like a fool in case the others didn't share his sense of humor. He took a few silent deep breaths in order to keep the laughs he didn't let out contained "Either way, I think we'll make a wonderful team! We'll be the best, our team of sword, steel and snow."

It was pretty obvious what was bothering Yuki and why things started to get colder. Natural reaction to a fear of insects and they didn't react well to cold temperatures. The fact that Mu was still close and was getting closer likely wasn't going to help Yuki calm down as much as the young boy wanted it to. Occam sighed and stepped forwards, gently taking hold of Mu's hands and moving them aside. He then placed his hands on Yuki's shoulders and rubbed them and the tops of her arms, slowly and gently. "Calm down, Yuki, it's okay. I know a little bit about Shinto, they are in absolute control of their hives, the insects inside Mu aren't going to harm you and besides, you are one of the things that insects hate most; cold." He told her before ruffling her hair and stepping back and inbetween Mu and Yuki.

"We're a fairly balanced team, Yuki can handle long-range and support functions as well as hampering the foe. I have mid-range on lock as well as area control and denial, things I excel at. You are close combat and offense, it would seem, Mu. With that we have most bases covered. We'll need to get some sparring in to make sure that we can gel as a team when it comes to actually fighting... I'd really love to meet our sensei to help us out with that but it seems they, whoever they are, are too fu... Damn lazy to come help out their team." He chuckled quietly and shook his head, once again preventing himself from swearing in front of his friends. He really needed to be careful with that, he was pretty rough but that didn't mean he had to make his team like that. "Now then, we were heading somewhere to get some sweets, yeah? That sounds pretty good, I hope they've got some good coffee or at least tea, I could really go for some about now." He smiled and then looked around for a few moments before offering an arm to Yuki and Mu to let them hold onto him as they walked towards the store. It was a little embarrassing but they were still young and if he hid his forehead protector properly, which was wrapped around his left thigh, then he might just be seen as some kind of normal kid having some fun with his friends... Not a chance of that happening though.

"And before you start whining, I am not acknowledging your joke Musei for it was terrible... However, Sword, Steel and Snow has a nice ring to it, I like it. So props to you for thinking up that one." He smirked and flashed the boy a wink before leading them onwards.

Yuki felt Mu begin to hold her in attempts to calm her down, his words seemingly reassuring. She felt Mu's arms being removed and what she could only guess without looking to be Occam's hands on her shoulders. Occam's right... Why would they not have control of their bugs..?, she thought to herself. Mu was a very nice person and she had no reason to judge him for his clan's signature attributes. It was wrong of her to do so. You're the worst, Yuki., she scolded herself. The girl took a deep breath and let out a small cloud of mist before the chill halted itself. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just.. Not really used to being around bugs...", she mumbled quietly.

"You're quite the character, Occam. You're serious at times, but mostly lazy. Hehe one could say you're...seriously lazy." A silent snort came from Yuki, completely dispelling the fear she felt. She reached up to cover her face, or at least her mouth while she tried to stifle a giggle. The joke was bad, but at the same time, was a little funny.

Yuki felt Occam release her shoulders and moved over when she saw he was stepping in between her and Mu. She was thankful that he made himself a barrier but she also couldn't help but feel a bit horrible that he had to do that. Mu didn't really deserve such a reaction, regardless if he was used to it or not. We're a team... You need to treat him like a teammate instead of a vessel of fear., she told herself. Sword... Steel... and Snow... The thought of the three words lingered in her mind enough to make her space out from the conversation for a bit. It was simple, catchy, and described them perfectly... Perhaps she was thinking into things a bit too far but the first letter of each was an S. And that made a triple S... Would that be considered an underlying expectation of them as a team...?

Mu was a bit shocked when Occam removed him from the girl, but he soon found out why. Yuki was terrified. Terrified of the insects he kept within his body. Terrified of him. He let out a shaky little breath and prayed they hadn't heard. He busied his hands with pulling his kimono tighter around his frame. Inside he wanted nothing more than to curl in on himself and maybe cry a little bit, but he wouldn't. Self pity wasn't something that mad anything better. It lead to dark places, and Mu was a ball of sunshine dammit! Dark places didn't mesh well with him. He breathed in and out evenly until the lump in his throat went away. He blinked slowly until the tears building up behind his eyes faded. His cheeks were heated and flushed, though he could easily blame that on the blush he had applied when preparing. Another reason why crying completely sucked: he didn't have on water proof eyeliner.

When Mu was done making sure he didn't melt into a puddle of tears, he found that Occam was offering his arm to him. Mu looped their arms together with a small smile in an attempt to act as if nothing was off. He pouted dramatically when Occam said his joke wasn't funny "Well then you don't have a very good sense of humor! At least Yuki thought it was funny." Mu raised the arm that wasn't looped with Occam's and flipped a bit of his hair over his shoulder, though it wasn't very successful since his hair fell to a bit above said shoulder "And thank you. I thought it was fitting, with my skill as a Samurai, your middle name and Yuki's first name. Plus it also be said as 'SSS', because we'll be the strongest team around. In friendship and in battle. The shop is right around the corner, by the way. Not too far now." Now his smile was less a cover up for his sadness and more genuine. The wink from Occam wasn't lost on him, though. The heat returned to his cheeks and he prayed that the blush he was wearing would hide it.

Being aware was one of the few things that Occam was good at, it was one of the reasons he kept a notebook, he didn't want to forget details and watching Mu for a few moments it was pretty clear what was wrong with him. Occam let out a quiet sigh and looked up for a couple of seconds. "People can't mesh perfectly, that's not how they work. There are hangups, there are personal issues and problems but that's the thing about a team, we can get over that together and learn to deal with them, fighting together despite adversity. I'm not the sappy kind, doesn't fit me but I want you two to know that I'm going to do the best to make this team work. You'll need to deal with how rough I am, how focused I am. I don't do breaks well and I hate losing purpose. Yuki, you'll need to deal with the bugs and learn how to work with them, they are a powerful and versatile weapon of Mu's. Musei, you'll need to deal with the fear and your own emotions, you're as obvious as a neon sign. We'll find more issues but we are going to communicate, do not hide your problems with each other. You've got a problem with me, either talk to me or punch me, I'll respect you a lot more after a discussion be it with words or fists than if you ball it up and let it explode later down the line, yeah?" He looked between both of them to make sure they got the message.

Once that was done he unhooked his arms from theirs and wrapped his arms around their shoulders, pulling them in tight against him. "We're going to be the damn best, trust me on that." He told the two of them as they walked around the corner. "Right, Musei, you're in the lead now, point out this shop so that we can head in. I should've eaten before I came out." He sighed softly and then let go of them, arms coming up so he could rest his hands on the back of his head and go back to his normal, lazy self, a yawn leaving him. He hated being serious like that but he knew it was needed to prevent any other issues.

Yuki focused on her breathing, forcing herself to take slower and controlled breaths to calm down so she wouldn'5 further concern her teammates. The girl jumped a little when Occam began his spiel, his words increasingly direct compared to before. When he was finish, all she did was nod in reply. ...And there it was. But of course! Why wouldn't her teammates think of the same correlation of their attributes and the topmost rank? I suppose it's good to hold such an expectation as a goal though..., she thought to herself. No, they were going to be the best. She and Mu would definitely need to find a way to work together despite her fear of bees and his bees' intolerance to the cold. Somehow, they'd figure something out. They had to... A thought flashed in her head as they followed Mu's lead. Kori seemed to have a growing interest in fashion... Perhaps- no no. This would be too silly... A quiet giggle escaped her lips as the image of tiny little coats or matching sweaters on Mu's bees popped into her head. When she realised she made a sound in response to the thought, Yuki immediately covered her mouth, a small flush of red on her cheeks again.

Mu nodded as Occam spoke, knowing his words to be true. He would have to find a way to get his bee's used to Yuki's cold. And Occam's lightning for that matter. Doing so would allow them to fit better. He would work on it later with his mom, as she was kind of an expert on modifying bugs. He punched Occam's side lightly with a little smirk "That's in case you do something later. I get what you're talking about though." As Occam let them go, Mu would point at a little store front in the distance. Light filtered out from the window's at the front of the store. A sign was situated above the doorway read "Honeydew Hollow" in big golden script "There it is. My aunt owns the place and she keeps it open for the kids around here. C'mon!" Mu picked up the pace a little and lead the other two to the door.

Once he opened it, the almost sickeningly sweat air flooded out. It was warm within and the air carried that quality as well. Stepping inside they would see that the shop was a bit bigger than the outside would've denoted. Along the walls were high shelves  of different types of candy in containers, with ladders going up so one could reach. Thrown haphazardly in the middle of the shop were hug bins of candy, with racks of licorice and taffy interspersed with them. Children of all ages were running about and picking the candies that caught their fancy, with parents surpervising them to make sure that no big messes were made. At the front of the shop, to the left was a cashier's desk and behind it was a giddy blonde woman. She was laughing as she watched some children play around, taking small amounts of Xel for the candy that was taken. When the bell on the door jingled, she looked up and her green eyes sparked with joy. She let out a small squeal and swirled around the table, rounding on Mu in an instant. She took him into her arms, all the while smiling "Mumu! It has been far too long! I talked to your mother and she told me you became a Genin and joined a team! That must be exciting!" She let go and held him at arms length, just looking at his face before her eyes flickered to the two behind him "Are these the two?"

Mu nodded and motioned to his new friends with a smile "Yep, these are my teammates! The hunk of man candy is Kaironokuma Occan and the little cutie is Kuroshio Yuki. You guys, this is my aunt Aoi." The woman gave a giggle and a wave to the two before quickly moving back behind the counter "Well don't be strangers! Come in, look around, take some candy. Anything you want is on the house!" Mu smiled to his aunt as a form of thanks and then motioned for his friends to come and join him in candy searching.

He committed what he could to memory, knowing he'd need to write it down later to keep it fresh but that was acceptable. For now he could be a normal guy, closer to a kid, spend some time with his new team. They were a rough bunch already; a girl nearly crippled by her shyness yet possessing the most dangerous intrinsic powers of the three of them, a boy that dressed to show off yet was so easily damaged emotionally and him, the roughest youth, aged beyond his years and without a fear of death... The thoughts brought a smile to his face and he closed his eyes for a moment. Doing so let him hear the giggle that Yuki let out but before he could respond to it and embarrass her about it, he received a smack in the ribs from Musei. So either the boy could read minds and was stopping him from teasing the team's snowman or he got really lucky. Either way, Occam was thoroughly dissuaded and he looked to the building they were about to enter.

A horrible feeling washed over him as he looked at it and when the door opened it was made all the worse by the smell. He took a deep breath through his nose and choked silently, letting the other two members of his team walk in while he leaned against the doorway. It took a few moments to mentally shift gears so that he was breathing through only his mouth and he stepped into the building. He liked some sweet things, not many though and the saccharine stench of this place almost made him sick but he forced it down so as not to upset Musei anymore than he already had. He spent a few moments looking around at the sweets. "Hello ma'am, lovely place you've got here. I'm going to stand outside for a few moments, sweets aren't really my thing. Please treat my teammates well, they can take my share." He told Aoi with a smile before stepping outside and slumping against the wall, breathing deeply to try and clear the horrific sugary scent from his nose and mind.

The place they were nearing seemed quite colourful as much on the outside as it was on the inside.Oh my... The overflowing scent of so much sugar was strong to where it was sickeningly sweet at the same time...held the similar scents of fumes by molten masses of glass or paper. It took a couple minutes for Yuki to adjust to the heavy air, and she looked around as Mu's aunt greeted him. "Oh um.. Th-thank you." The idea of things being on the house was weirdly unsettling. She looked around again, a mixture of curiosity and worry.

She took a step forwards to look at one of the candy cases, stopping as a few younger children ran past her, seemingly having the time of their lives here. She then stepped closer to look at the sweets. Each in their own container and vibrantly coloured and decorated. It seemed like some were liked more than others, some of the containers getting near empty and others practically full. There were many hard candies and gummy candies about, and she looked around to see what types there were, the variety incredibly large. On shelves below, there were neatly wrapped boxes of what seemed to be packaged chocolates, cookies, or small tea cakes, some of which were clan or regional specialties imported. Yuki felt more inclined to try something from the lower shelves than the actual candies showing through their transparent containers, since these tended to be more for those who like semi-sweet treats.

Mu noticed Occam's reaction to the place, though it didn't truly register until his bag of candy was half way full. He would have to remember to apologize for dragging the others there, realizing this was probably not the best place to be when you were trying to get to know your team. He was stocking up on the sour candies, placing scoops of assorted candy into his bag before shaking it in order to jumble the candy and eliminate the layering effect that was occurring. Once he was satisfied with the amount of candy in his bag, he moved over to Yuki who was looking at the more desert-like sweets. Now that he thought about it, some chocolate did sound pretty enticing...He grabbed another smaller bag and placed two chocolate bars within it before moving back to Yuki's side, clearing his throat to make his presence known and praying he didn't startle her "Ready to go? I have a feeling this place didn't really sit right with Occam, as he looked like he wanted to wretch for a moment. I don't want to make him wait an eternity." He held his arm out to Yuki after receiving her answer, walking with her to the door and their teammate outside. Mu would give one more wave to his aunt before exiting to join Occam.

Once outside, Occam scanned around a few times before taking his gourd off and sliding down the wall to sit against it. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in before getting back to his feet. He didn't really mind that he wasn't going to get any sweets, the smell of that place had sent his stomach turning and he was sure that the other two had noticed. He'd need to apologise to Mu about it, Occam didn't want to upset him. After shaking his head and fixing his hair, Occam opened his gourd and checked inside it for a moment before nodding and closing it once more, bringing the large vessel up and attaching it to his back. He'd need to upgrade it at some point, maybe he'd do a few missions to get the money so he could do that. He then dusted himself down and waited for his friends to be finished, once they walked outside he'd turn and smile. "Sorry about that, you two... Didn't realise the place was going to be so fragrant. Not my sort of jam, gets straight to my stomach, gives me the green." He chuckled and reached up, scratching his cheek. "Anywhere else you want to head? Maybe somewhere nice to sit and talk for a while?"

"Oh um... Y-yeah..", she mumbled as she picked up two pastries wrapped up separately. One was twisted into a spiral and filled with a chocolate custard and the other was a flat, circular pastry filled with a vanilla custard on the inside. She hooked her arm around Mu's and turned to wave at Mu's aunt, as a thanks and farewell. As they stepped out, Yuki noticed Occam seemed to be recovering from the initial shock of the heavily fragranced air. The outside air felt much fresher, colder, and ironically sweeter. "Sorry if we kept you waiting. There's so much in there that it's hard to pick something." She offered the pastries to Occam to pick one, she'd have the other and share with Mu. "Is there a park or something we could go to?"

Mu bit the corner of his lip a bit as he looked at Occam apologetically "I'm sorry. I should've thought about this more before I dragged you two here. Not everyone is used to the stifling smell in there and I forget....I'm really sorry." He trailed off a bit and looked down slightly, thinking of a better place they could go. A thought came to mind and he perked up a little, a small smile coming to his face and a happy little glint in his eye "I don't think there are any parks, but there is a little square we could visit. It is centered around a fountain dedicated to Gaia. It is really breath taking when you look at it and think of the time and effort it took to create such a thing." He pointed off down the street, in the opposite direction of the way they came "It is just down that way, if you two don't mind the walk?"

"It's not like you're a telepath, you didn't know that wasn't my sort of thing. So you don't need to worry about it." Occam stopped himself from frowning. Mu really was quite sensitive when it came to emotional troubles so, as it seemed, was Yuki. Was he the only one able to split himself from his emotions? Then again not many people could do that sort of thing. Occam sighed quietly and reached over, ruffling Mu's hair and smiling at him. "Let's go, no worries." He turned and put his hands back in his pockets, waiting for Musei to lead the way. He followed along, humming quietly to himself and just staying silent mostly, apparently deep in thought. He was deep in thought... About Gaia. That was until his reverie was interrupted by Yuki. Occam looked at the pastries and then gave a shrug. "No thanks, you can keep both, wrap them up and maybe save one for later. My appetite is kind of gone anyway. Thanks anyway though." He smiled and nodded to her before going back to what he was thinking of. He wasn't sure if he should mention to Mu the God that he actually worshiped, because that would make them enemies technically but how much stock did either of them put in the divine? He chewed on his lip and brushed his hair away from his face, hopefully it wouldn't be too bad.