At Home

Shizue was lying down on a tree branch out in the courtyard of the Uchiha clan compound. It was yet another pleasant afternoon, following a series of pleasant afternoons. He enjoyed when things were upbeat, rousing and more than anything, soothing. The wind blew against his face and some of his abundant, blue-black hair wavered with the breeze; it was as if his hair had a mind of its own since its movements were independent of his own will. His right leg hung off the side of the branch and he kept his left leg fixed with his foot secured on the branch's surface. This was his home and he could remain idle and just contemplate for however long he wanted so long as he attended to his responsibilities beforehand. This period of relaxation was well-earned for Konohagakure's ever diligent servant. Yup, nothing would ruin this state of lasting illumination.

Kazuma had been residing in the Hokage Residence when he had remembered that he left a portfolio containing important business documents at the Uchiha Compound it was only early in the afternoon and Kazuma had the spare time to collect the portfolio from the Uchiha Compound himself. He had gathered his belongings and set out in the direction of the compound. It was a nice day, the breeze was soothing as it caressed against Kazuma's face, his long ponytail moved in a pattern that had matched the direction of the breeze. His two legendary swords the Sword of Heaven and the Sword of Earth had been sheathed against his robe on his right side. Kazuma kept the weapons close to him as they held sentimental value, suddenly he spotted in the distance a young girl carrying an object walking up to a boy perched against a tree branch. As Kazuma approached the two individuals he witnessed an object being thrown at the boy in which then the girl had caught the object and perched herself on a different branch in the same tree that the boy had been resting on. Kazuma gently approached the two from behind "That would have been a waste of a perfectly baked Pastry had you not caught it Yoshi..." he said unexpectedly, revealing his presence. He then turned his attention to the boy "And you Shizue, lazying about again are we?" he muttered softly it was hard to tell if Kazuma was joking or if he was serious as he was a master of putting on facades.

Unfortunately for the budding Uchiha, he had two very closely related family members, one of which was more aggravating to him than the other. The flamboyant one, Uchiha Yoshi, had the gall to throw a honey bun his way, with additional force... It was clear that she had no intention of letting him catch it, but she did want it to serve as a "rude awakening" which Shizue most definitely didn't appreciate. Before she was able to situate herself on the neighboring branches of the big oak tree, Shizue whipped out his kunai, and sliced it in half, one half fell down to the grass and another continued on its designated path; the years of experience with the Medical Corps was evident in the exactness of his strokes. "...I wasn't hypnotized, itoko. I was simply enjoying my afternoon after having completed a C-rank mission earlier." He didn't want to be impolite, afterall, this was his cousin's usual behavior. Those in the family who weren’t used to her erratic behavior probably ever spent more than an hour or so in their own compound. Yoshi was more or less the black sheep of the family for said conduct and also for her physical features, her figure was perkier, less modest and her hair was blonde. She could've easily been mistaken for an Uzumaki. What was a shared genetic trait were her Sharingan eyes; the latent jet black and the virulent crimson.

...Then came the House-Head of the Uchiha, straight-faced, all-business/no-play Kazuma-niisan. The one thing that was always fairly disconcerting for Shizue about his brother was how soundlessly he could remain in the same room without anybody knowing. He had been watching ever since Yoshi arrived... or perhaps before. That would've been creepy. The ever-so-loving Kazuma was more worried about a pastry than he was about checking up on his own family. Shizue cherished the solace being alone provided him, but, not once had Kazuma ever bonded with him. It was when Kazuma took note of Shizue's rested state of mind. "...This is my home, niisan. I devote the whole day to serving the good of the village, I think that merits me being permitted to unwind when my missions are complete." He tried to avoid giving his brother any attitude, but it was kind of hard since the relationship between the two was...well, not there. "...And if it really bothers you so much, niisan, the fact that I’m training my Spiritual Energy should bring you some level of relief." He had to remember that Kazuma likely spent the bulk of the day behind a desk, so it would make sense that he’d be somewhat irritable.

"Slothing around will never get you anywhere in life Shizue" Kazuma said in a soft but stern tone of voice, he continued "You could make all the excuses you want but in the end there is nothing to be gained by resting" the advice he gave his younger brother had seemed harsh but deep down he was only trying to offer him some helpful guidance. Shortly afterwards Yoshi had thrown Kazuma the bag of her pastries that she was carrying, Kazuma reached out with his right arm and caught the bag as he turned his attention to the girl, "I am not hungry" he said as he threw the bag back to Yoshi. Kazuma paused for but only a second, "Furthermore how goes that assignment you were tasked with Yoshi?" Kazuma knew that she had a tendency to procrastinate.

"I'm fine." replied Shizue. Though the two had a different approach to life and duty, one thing that Shizue did appreciate about Yoshi was her mindfulness for others. There was always something going on inside Shizue, but the only one who ever addressed any kind of concern for him was his older cousin, Yoshi. At times however, he felt like he should be playing that role as well and admired his cousin's openness for inquiring of his feelings. She offered him a treat, which he accepted, reaching his hand in the bag and pulling out a chocolate chip cookie. His body was relaxed as it is and this cookie just made it all the better with every bite. "Did your old man bake these? They're delicious." He wasn't referring to his uncle, he was referring to her grandfather. Her father had passed away when Shizue was only two years old, he never met the man. It was likely the same illness that resulted in his great-uncle's death; one that ran in the family.

Shizue ignored his older brother's scolding, it was all he ever did, anyways. In a way it reminded him of his father's attitude toward taking a break. Both Kazuma and their father were always so uptight about the use of chakra and how it was wasted doing nothing. The funny thing was both of them had a very strong chakra and it was only partially because of physical exercise. The least Kazuma could've done is give him credit for his exceptional chakra control; it was prodigious even in the medical community. Kazuma had the nerve to just throw the bag of pastries back at Yoshi, how could he deny her that kindness? Yoshi had a good heart... then Kazuma brought up an assignment she was tasked with. Damnit. She was doing it again, eh? How come Shizue didn't see it?! Yup, she was bribing them with sweets. He went pan-faced and simply glared at Yoshi, finishing his cookie with an unamused expression on his face.

Kazuma heard no response from Shizue in regards to the advice he had given his younger brother, it was no surprise the two were not what one would consider intimate with each other. Yoshi was not too happy about being discovered by Kazuma "You are required to deal with children because that is the duty you were assigned" Kazuma said softly but sternly to his cousin, he continued "and if your excuse is that they stare at you then you obviously are being irresponsible with your duties as a Jounin Yoshi..." Yoshi had then moved on to saying that she would perform her designated duties the next day, that statement did not bode well with Kazuma "No, you will stop stalling with your responsibilities to this village Yoshi. You were not promoted to Jounin to simply stand around doing absolutely nothing productive with your time I would expect better from someone of lineage to the Uchiha Clan" Kazuma scolded.

Scolding after scolding after scolding. Sure, Yoshi's behavior was annoyingly consistent but she was harmless as opposed to Kazuma, he showed very little remorse with his words and he did it so very often. It was almost a hobby for him. Perhaps he was compensating for something. He very well could be. His attitude and behavior became more apparent to Shizue when their father died. It was different then. Back then it was mainly due to his brother being a busy-body, but, now... now his brother almost seemed cold and indifferent to everything around him, even among family. Was it the stress of the job? He shrugged it off. "...What is that? A D-rank Mission? Babysitting? Come on, itoko-san." His scolding was more lenient and tolerable, it was probably why Yoshi got along better with Shizue than she did with Kazuma. "Hey bro, why do you have a Jōnin babying kids around anyway? I really could've used one on that mission I completed earlier." He had to pursue a smuggler. It likely fell under the Jōnin Commander's authority, but, anything to get on his brother's case.

"It matters little to me of what you think in-regards to my childhood Yoshi, you were tasked with an assignment and like everyone else tasked with one you are required to carry out that assignment whether you prefer to do so or not. Konohagakure did not get to where it is today because the shinobi did nothing and I shall continue to expect more from the shinobi of Konohagakure to ensure that the Village is both secure and functioning at it's best. Kazuma had then turned his attention to his younger brother who had commented earlier in regards to Yoshi's assignment "Shizue you should know better than to assume that I assign everything to the shinobi of Konohagakure, had it been my decision I assure you that Yoshi would have been tasked with something more difficult than that which she has currently been placed in-charge of performing." Kazuma than transitioned his attention back to Yoshi "Even things that may seem small and irrelevant in your perspective Yoshi will have a greater impact for the future of Konohagakure..." he said in a calm tone of voice.

The apparent differences of both Yoshi and Kazuma were obviously far and wide; Shizue tended to get on his brother's nerves at times, but the two of them were usually on the same page when they needed to be. Yoshi and Kazuma though... Both grew up at around the same time with two wholly different upbringings. It was Heaven and Earth and Shizue was the Sea. Or at least that's how he looked at things when it came to the three of them. "...Don't mind the boys, itoko-san, that just means you're cute. I'll help out if I'm available next time. Kids tend to take me a little more seriously anyways." In other words, he had no reservations if a couple of brats needed to be taught a lesson, after all he was only what?... two years a part from them? Kazuma saw right through his little jive. It didn't surprise Shizue. He ended with a few wise words that you'd expect to come from an old soul. Shizue was afraid to say more without having to choose sides; so, like a crab, he crept back into his shell and remained silent.

Yoshi had decided to tend to her duties as Kazuma had requested. He let out a grin that one could only see if they were close enough to Kazuma's face, it was a sign of approval directed towards Yoshi. Shizue however had remained silent during the confrontation "I shall return to my duties, something that you too should consider Shizue" Kazuma remarked as he continued towards the entrance into the Uchiha Clan Headquarters to gather the papers he had come to collect.

Both Yoshi and Kazuma were on their way out of the Compound, Kazuma followed shortly after Yoshi left. To be honest, it disappointed Shizue. He savored those moments that he had together with his family, but now, such moments were rare. He was hoping that Kazuma would pardon Yoshi, but, what was he thinking? That wouldn't happen if it came down to Kazuma and his say-so. "Yeah, yeah. I know what's expected of me, nii-san." He felt like he should acknowledge his brother before he departed. When the two were gone, Shizue simply frowned. There was naught more he could do. Hopefully there'd still be room for family among Uchiha in the near-future.

(OoC: Is this thread over? If so, I'll lock it up.)