The Village Hidden in the Sunlight

Felix woke up the next morning and showered in silence. He'd not wanted to wake Kymin by accident, so once he was done, he went outside and sat on the porch. His silver hair dripped with water. Hunter had told him that Serenity hadn't revealed her soon to be location, which meant tracking her down would be hell. He crossed his legs and pulled a kunai, carving random drawings in the wood. "Damn it, why'd she have to go and run off. If only I'd had a bit more time I could have apologized and found a way around this, but no, she had to go and run off like a small child." Felix stabbed the kunai into the woods, anger washing over him. "Why can't she just grow up." Felix gave a sigh. "That's the reason we had issues to began with. I'm an idiot." He kicked the kunai off the porch and put his head in his hands. "I should invest in therapy. Too much built up anger and there's no way to release it without hurting someone, even when I'm not being intentional." He got up started into the house. They had to pack so they could leave.

When Kymin woke up, he realized that he was alone in bed. Sitting up, he stretched, pursing his lips slightly when he stretched that wound of his too far. When he realized that Felix wasn't in the house, he decided to stitch the wound up before going to find him. After stitching it with things he had in his bag, Kymin bandaged it to avoid worrying Felix more than necessary. Getting dressed in white shorts and a black collared shirt, Kymin started outside. His outfits didn't vary much, mostly because he was so used to wearing ninja attire of some sort. Just as he'd gone to look for Felix, the silver haired man came back in. "Mornin'," he smiled.

"Good morning," Felix said as he walked past Kymin. "We'll leave in two hours or so. It's going to be cool most of the day, so we might as well take advantage of it." He entered the bedroom and started to pack his bag. He was ready to leave this village. Too many memories of the people he cared for. It had only been because of Serenity that he'd stayed so long. He wondered if Serenity had felt the same. Now that he was no longer with her, had she no longer had a reason for staying? Felix clenched his jaw and packed quicker, allowing his mind to go blank. When he was done he stood up and sat on the bed, looking at the black curtains. "Kymin, I need to make a stop before we leave the village. It won't take long, so you should come with me."

Kymin nodded. "Okay." First he wanted breakfast, so he went into the kitchen and got a bowl of cereal. Since he usually ate fast anyways, it only took him a few minutes to finish it. Washing his bowl out, the black haired ninja went down to the dryer to pull out his clothes so he could pack them, then headed back up to the room to where his bag was. "Yeah, sure thing," he said with a smile. "Mind letting me know where we're going?" he chuckled. He was in a surprisingly good mood, and didn't have the faintest idea as to why.

Felix looked to Kymin when the guy came in smiling. Why was he so happy? Felix would blame it on the excitement of seeing a new village for now. It could have been that Kymin was up to no good though. Felix decided not to ask. "We're going to the local orphanage," he said. "I have to give Mori the director some instructions before I take off again. As well as the keys to my house." Felix slid off the bed and stretched. "He usually takes care of it for me when I'm gone."

"The orphanage?" he asked, tilting his head as he packed his clothes into his bag. Wait, instructions? "You have some power there, I'm guessing?" he asked, zipping up his bag. He hadn't taken so much of his things out of his bag without putting them away. Usually never did when he was staying in an unfamiliar place. It was so that he could grab his bag and run if he needed to. Not that he'd expected to need to at Felix's house, it was more habit than anything. "Are we leaving right after we stop by there then, or do you have a pitstop after that?" he asked with a smile.

"Not really," Felix replied. "I built it after I got back here. It was something to keep me busy while I wasn't a ninja." He shrugged. "Mori's in charge though. Well, he took over when the last director passed away." Felix gave another shrug. "And I don't have anywhere else to stop aside from there. That is unless you have some place you have to go." When Kymin was all packed, Felix headed out the door, waiting for Kymin and Vishnu before he closed the door and locked it.

The orphanage was in the center of the village. It was a very large building that looked very welcoming. "Vishnu can come inside, if he likes." Felix then walked inside the building. He looked to the guy at the desk. "Mori," Felix said as he approached the desk. He had his head down and there were headphones in his ear. Felix tapped him lightly. The guy sat up and pulled the headphones out. "Hi Felix." He gave a smile. "What's up?" Felix shook his head. "They're going to start leaving without you noticing." The brown haired male gave a dismissive wave. "I have seals all over the place, they're not going to go anywhere without me noticing first." He leaned back in his chair and peered at Kymin. "Hi," he greeted.

Kymin followed Felix with his bag, looking around once more as he walked, though not very actively. He took note of what he saw though. Vishnu pranced behind the two, occasionally running ahead, only to circle back around towards them again, sometimes pouncing on Kymin's foot. "Come on Vishnu," he called, giving a small whistle to get the dog to follow once they went inside. The black haired ninja blinked upon seeing the kid at the desk. He didn't look older than sixteen. "You have a teenager running an orphanage...?" he asked. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. "Oh, uh, hi there."

A couple kids came running down the stairs into the room, giggling all the way. One girl and two boys. They all stopped upon seeing Kymin, their eyes lighting up. It was the blond boy that spoke though. "Mr. Kymin, hi! What're you doing here?"

Mori blinked when Kym called him a teenager. "I am not a teenager," he answered for Felix. He didn't seem offended though. "It's a genjutsu that's constantly active, thanks to Felix. I may look like I'm fifteen, but I'm really twenty-seven. It helps them get used to having a new person around. Kids don't usually let adults know what's going on, so acting as a child helps them confide in me when trouble arises." He gave a small smile. "That and my ears." He'd had them hidden beneath a green hat he was wearing, so he wasn't sure if Kymin would think he was talking about his visible ears. When the kids came running down the stairs he smiled.

Felix blinked when the three addressed Kymin before him. He visited at least three times a week and those runts went straight to Kymin. "Nice to see you three as well, Joey, Kin, and Tyler." He looked from the kids to Kymin. "How do you know them," he asked.

Kymin chuckled lightly, giving the kids a wave. "Hi there. I'm visiting with a friend," he spoke. He gave a light laugh when the kids noticed that Felix was with him and perked up even more. "Hi Felix!" all three of the kids chirped.

"Ah, remember those kids I told you about yesterday? This was them." He looked between Mori and Felix. A genjutsu, huh? "Your ears look normal to me..." he said, raising an eyebrow. Had that been a joke? He didn't get it, if it was. "By the way, that's smart, using a genjutsu like that," he told Felix with a smile.

"I told you I have the brains." He gave a small chuckle then focused his attention on the kids. "That was pretty late last night," Felix commented. He looked to the three who'd perked up. "That's more like it." He smirked. "However, you being out that late is not acceptable." He shot Mori a glare and the guy just shrugged, looking very uninterested. "How about the three of you go outside and take Vishnu with you," Felix suggested. "He's friendly, but I'd watch your feet, he likes to bite them, or so he likes to bit Kymin's." Felix gave a small shrug and then nodded to the door. He waited until the kids were outside before speaking. "Mori, you're supposed to be watching them."

Mori smiled at Kymin. "No, not these ears," he said. "These ears." He slipped off his hat, showing the cat ears on his head. "I'm a neko." He then looked to the children as they left the place. "I do watch them, but I have sixty kids here Felix. They were supposed to come home right after they got out of class. I can't control what they do in the meantime between class and home." He looked down at his hat. "I'm only one person." His ears flicked nervously.

Kymin rolled his eyes when Felix said he was the smart one. Ah, just how long was the guy planning on holding that over his head? Why did Felix think he was unintelligent anyways? Or was he just playing with a long-running joke? Either way...Kymin shook his head lightly, blinking as Mori pulled the green hat off, revealing cat ears. He was a..."Oh...those ears..." Kymin had to look at Felix when he spoke, for fear that if he stared too long at the ears, he'd be even more tempted to pet them than he already was. It wasn't every day he came across a neko, and he loved cats. Well, all animals, really. He glanced back at Mori when the guy spoke, noting that his cat ears had twitched. Dammit.

The three kids smiled happily, saying bye's to Kymin, Felix, and Mori before calling the puppy out to play with them, the latter of which happily followed, running after the kids. It made Kymin grin. He was glad he'd convinced Felix to let him get Vishnu.

Felix gave a sigh. "Well, maybe I can find someone to help you. I apologize for not taking this into consideration sooner." Felix wondered if the other orphanages were having the same issue. He'd left three people in charge in the other villages, but here in the Crested he was capable of helping out, but he still had missions to go on. And he was about to leave. "Kymin, we might be here for a few hours longer, I need to find someone to hire so Mori can have a break every now and then."

Mori looked embarrassed. "No, you don't have to do all that. You've already spent a lot of money building this place and you're also paying me a ridiculous amount of money to keep this place going on top of additional stuff for the kids." He scratched his head. "I can handle them, I swear I can." He looked back at his hat, tugging at it out of habit. "Besides, you're already keeping up this jutsu and to use it on more than one person would be a strain, would it not?" He looked up at Felix. "I wasn't trying to complain, I really wasn't." On top of that, Mori had no children of his own. Sure twenty-seven was young, but there were no other nekos in the area that he knew of. So these kids were like his own, even if they thought of him as an older brother.

Kymin nodded to Felix. "No problem, I'm not in a rush," he said with a smile. "I can stay here and help a bit while he's looking," he said, turning to look at Mori. God those cat ears were so tempting. And with the way the guy looked like a teenager only made it worse, because it made him look that much more adorable. "Everyone needs a break some time," he said kindly.

Felix looked at Mori and gave a small smile. "I know you're not trying to complain," he said with a smile. Felix nodded to Kymin. You're useful after all, I'll be back in a few and don't worry about the jutsu, I'll be fine." He then headed out the door without another word. When he got outside he looked to Vishnu and the kids. They looked like they were having fun. Felix headed down into the streets and found his way to the nearest childcare center. He had to find someone willing to take over part of Mori's shift. Felix paid very well, ridiculously well, so that wouldn't be too hard.

Mori gave a small wave when Felix left. He then turned to Kymin with a bright smile. "Thank you for staying to help. If Felix doesn't pay you, which I'm sure he will, I'd be more than willing to give you half of my check. Felix pays me a ridiculous amount of money, so it wouldn't do any harm." His ears were flicking happily, so he picked up his hat and played with it as if it were a yarn ball. He couldn't help that his feline instincts were just as visible as an actual cat.

Kymin gave a small wave, briefly sticking out his tongue at Felix when the guy pretty much said he'd thought Kymin useless. Ah, he knew Felix was joking of course. He turned to look at Mori as the guy thanked him. "Don't worry about it. Felix is an old friend, so I wouldn't dream of having him pay me for any favors. Same goes with you, you keep your paycheck, I don't want a cent," he said with a grin. The black haired ninja blinked and was silent for a moment as Mori started playing with his hat. "...Ah, you'll have to excuse me for being blunt, but...that's ridiculously adorable," he chuckled lightly. He'd never seen a neko act so obviously feline.

Mori only glanced up when he saw Kymin speak of him and Felix being old friends. "Really, Felix doesn't seem like one for friends. It took him a while to warm up to me, but the kids, not the kids. He has a soft spot for them." Mori smiled. "It's nice to know he has friends though." He then looked down at the hat when Kymin pointed it out. He dropped it and put his hand to the back of his head. "I-I...." Mori blushed a little. Picking up the hat he slipped it onto his head. "I should probably do a room check," he said. He pulled a clipboard from a drawer. He'd forgotten that he shouldn't act in such a way when he was around strangers. He was just glad he didn't have a tail, or rather that it was hidden by a genjutsu.

"Yeah, well, I suppose I'm a special case," the black haired ninja said with a smile. Okay, well maybe that'd sounded a little strange, but oh well. After all, who would think right off the bat that the two were together? Kymin chuckled when Mori started getting all flustered. "It's okay, your secret's safe with me." He nodded lightly when the guy pulled a clipboard. "Sure thing. I'll stay here and watch the desk for you. Ah, just so I know...which kids are allowed out?" he asked with a slightly embarrassed grin, raising a hand to the back of his head with a chuckle.

Mori blinked when Kymin said he was a special case. He'd ask about it when he got back. "All the kids under the age of eight aren't allowed outside unless they have adult supervision," he said with a nod. "Don't worry though, I have seals up, they won't be able to go anywhere if they're not allowed to. And if they ask you, just send them away and I'll deal with them later. This shouldn't take long though, there's two to a room." He then gave a small wave and disappeared up the stairs. It took him about forty minutes to walk though the place and come back down. When he did, he no longer had his hat on, for one of the younger children had taken it and his headphones were missing as well, for one of the older ones had asked to borrow it. And there was paint on his face, giving him poorly drawn whiskers from another of the younger ones. "I'm back," he said. "Did anyone try to leave?"

Kymin sat down at the desk, leaning back in the chair and waiting for Mori to come back. In the meantime, he put in one of his headphones and plugged it into his cellphone, playing music and watching for kids to come around, his green eyes shining. Only a few kids ran through the room now and then, but none tried to leave. When Mori came back, Kymin couldn't help but grin. "That happen often?" he asked, referring to the face paint. "Nope, no one tried to leave," he told the neko, pulling his headphone up and standing up from behind the desk so Mori could sit back down. "They're a lively bunch though. I don't see how you've been handling them up until now, I don't even think I could keep up with them," he laughed lightly.

Mori smiled. "Very, but it's okay with me. It makes the littler ones happy, so that's all that matter." He then took a seat on the desk. "You can stay seated." He did however reach over into the desk an pull out a napkin. He wiped his face until he was sure the whiskers were gone. " He gave a small shrug when told Kymin couldn't keep up. "It's not as hard as it seems. I've been doing this for a while now." He gave a smile. "I like being here and I like kids because I don't have any of my own." He wouldn't go into detail unless necessary.

Kymin wasn't going to argue, and merely sat back down when Mori told him it was fine. "How long's a while?" he asked curiously. He paused when Mori said how he didn't have any kids of his own, but then gave a small smile, casting his gaze down. "Eheh...I know how that goes," he said with a small nod. He'd never admit it aloud, never had, never would, but one of the things Kymin wanted most in any one of his lifetimes was to have a kid that didn't have the soul of an Onihana inhabiting it. "Don't get me wrong though, I love kids. I'd just get a little worn out," he admitted with an embarrassed smile, looking back at Mori, his eyes inevitably landing on the guy's ears until he forced himself to look to the side. "Sorry if it seems I'm staring. It's been a while since I've seen a neko," he said with a grin.

Mori scratched his left cat ear as Kymin asked him about how long he'd been doing this. "Five years," he answered. When Kymin commented on his other statement and looked away he wondered what was wrong with the guy. He was going to ask, but he figured it might be too personal. "Ha, don't get me wrong, I get worn out as well, but I usually get some sleep when the kiddies are sleep." That was until someone had a nightmare and found their way to his room, or when someone wet the bed, or need a glass of water. He however didn't mind. It came with the job. It was a twenty-four seven job after all. Mori smiled when Kymin kept starring at his ears and looking away. "It's fine, I'm used to it. I know it's rare to see us." He then paused. "Um, is this other neko still around?" He asked. Mori seemed a bit nervous about asking, resulting in his ears twitching lightly.

Kymin had to remember that Mori wasn't actually fifteen years old, but twenty-seven. Which meant that the guy had started at twenty two, the same age that Kymin was now. "That's good, at least," he smiled. He seemed embarrassed when Mori said it was usual for that kind of behavior. "Hm? Uh...no, they're not..." He paused. "Did you lose someone? I could keep an eye out, if you'd like," he offered. Was Mori nervous about asking? Kymin couldn't help but wonder what was up.

Mori tried not to look down when Kymin said the person was no longer around. Can't be helped, he thought a bit depressed. When Kymin started questioning him about losing someone he shook his head. "Unfortunately no, that's not the case." He wished he'd still had his hat. At least he could keep himself distracted. "You see, I come from a long line of purebred Nekos. Both my mother and father and their parents were are purebreds, and both families wish to keep it that. Mean, if I ever want a family of my own, I have to find another purebred Neko." He gave a small sigh. "No humans, no half breeds." He paused for a moment. "And as you know, it's rare to find nekos as it is, let alone a purebred." He looked to the door, ears flicking. "And unless my parents happen to up and die, which is unlikely because us nekos have nine lives...not really, but it's hard for us to get rid of us, which is why I don't understand why you can't find us." He shrugged. "Anyway, that's the reason I asked and also the reason I stay here. It was lonely at my house, so it was a relief when Felix asked me if I wanted the job." He smiled happily. "I have a house full of kids that love and adore me."