Chapter 1x2: One out of a Thousand

With the day coming to an end, Val brought himself to think further on what was discussed earlier with his Instructor. It had to be something important due to the fact that he recalled his Mother speaking about the same thing. Finding this Answer was something that had to happen, otherwise he could forget about completing his task. Given that the only two individuals that seemed to mention it was his Instructor and his Mother, he figured it would be best to go speak with one of them. The Class was done with for the day, and everyone gone home to rest up, which left one other person. Val began walking away from the academy, his hands in his Pocket and a calm...or more so Stoic expression on his face. There wasn't too many individuals on the streets nor on the way home so he was able to travel without being stopped by anyone. His pace began slow, though started to pick up bit by bit as he slowly closed the distance between himself and his destination. Slowly but surely the skies above him darkened as it became Night. Val didn't stop by the home of his Foster Parents, which was Technically his real home, but of the home of his real mother, the one in which held many of the answers he sought after, and hopefully ' The Answer '. Yuki Ari's home came into view, and with the passage of Minutes, the Young blue haired individual would step upon the steps of his Mother.

Before he could even Knock on the door, he would look to the ground to find a a folded piece of paper, in which upon unfolding revealed that it was a not from his mother. " Hey Val. Im so sorry that Im not home at the moment, but there was something that I really needed to tend to. I absolutely love my Plants and one of the pots are busted. I know that's not really important to others and I know that the second broken pot should have taught me a lesson, but you know what they say...Thirds the charm Am I right ? Anyways, come see me as soon as you can ". A Good portion of the Note really didn't make sense because Val knew his mother wasn't a big fan of plants, despite having 16 Potted Plants on both side of the home. Taking a moment to make sense of the note, Val figured that there was more to it than what the average individual would pick up on. He folded the Note, placing it into his Pocket and made his way over to the ' Right ' Side of the house, where there was 16 Pots with small plants. Upon making his way over to the 3rd Plant, he would noticed that the soil had been slightly disturbed. Val utilized his fingers to Dig into the disturbed Soil, only to grasp upon what felt like another note. Extracting it from the Soil, the young individual opened it and read what was on the Paper.

" I know you've been trying to find the Answer. I know it's quite strange that your mother would know of this, but I have not been keeping an eye on you. This is something that we've all been through in order to get where we are, and so I figured that at some point it'll be brought up to you sometime within the Academy. Your Father was my Answer until you came along...and then the both of you became it. Dont take my Answer for yours...all Answers are different, but just because you can't have my Answer, doesn't mean that I can't help you find yours. I will always be here for you in your time of need...so Meet with me at the Location below, and lets seek your Answer out together. Oh! One more thing Honey, be careful of the night. Its Dangerous in both Day and Night, but with Night comes a far greater Danger when most is asleep ". Val eyes scanned the lower parts of the note and read the Directions, which seem to Originate from where he was, so following it to a key should yield him no kind of issues whatsoever. Moments after completely reading the Note, Val began moving from his current position, walking straight ahead until he came across the first right corner, making a right turn and eventually making his way to some trees, and behind them an open path. Val was to follow this open path for a while, passing the trees beside him until arriving to a somewhat open Field, Surrounded by the trees at the far ends of it, and a somewhat huge watering hole in the middle.

The Open Path seem quite long for some reason, though it was quite okay for the Yuki. While he wasn't the most Physical individual, or even half way there, he just really didn't mind all too much. He walked in a nonchalant manner, not increasing his speed as much as he did before when he was initially heading to his Mothers house. The Fatigue eventually began to kick in as his pace began to slow down much more than before. He couldn't understand why she would have him come out such a long distance for something. Maybe it was Training and he knew how she was about keeping clan related things a secret, but this was really silly. It was with this realization that he actually started noticing things in the area in attempts to pinpoint his position from the initial starting point. His eyes widened a bit in confusion at some of the things he saw on the side of the Path, a Huge Rock with a broken sign right behind it, utilizing the Rock as Support. This is the same rock he had passed around 89 times, and only just picked up on it now.

" What's...going on ? "

He asked, looking around him, noticing alot of the things around him was the exact same as before. Unbeknownst to Val, He was placed under a Genjutsu, and have been walking in place the entire time, believing that he was actually making progress in his Travels. It was then that Val tried to recall how to handle Genjutsus.

Images of his time at the academy flashed into his head in a mere instant, the answer once again being revealed to him. He quickly motioned his fingers to form the Ram Handseal with one hand while it was still at his side, and in an instant the Genjutsu dispersed and his Reality returned to normal. There was a sigh of relief, though a bigger question would strike him. Where did the technique come from, and was he in actual danger ? With things back to normal, Val looked around quickly for signs of an Enemy, unsure of their location. Nothing happened after a few moments of waiting so the Yuki Progressed forward to the destination, arriving to the entrance of the Open area. In the middle of the area was a lady on the ground, one he could barely make out. His eyes widened upon recognizing the individual, followed by a mad dash towards her. He knelt down on the ground, lifting her head up easily.

" Mom! "

She appeared to be unconscious, with minimal injuries. The same individuals that had done this had to have been behind the genjutsu moments ago. Thats the assumption that Val made at the time, and so he began scanning the area once more only to see a figure slowly walk out of the watering hole in the middle of the area, slowly closing the distance between the Party. The Figure looked quite unstable in form, almost like some kind of water person. They lacked eyes or anything else that would make up the face. This had to be the Culprit, and with his Mother down, there was no other person but him to fight.

Quickly reaching for a Shuriken, Val grasped it while jumping backwards. In that very same motion, He released the Shuriken as hard and precise as he was capable. Normally jumping back wasn't Idea, but he needed to see what this thing was all about. Was it capable of reflecting it at him, or catching it while in motion ? Bum rushing an enemy that brought down his Mother seemed like a impossible task, but he was left with no other option but to fight. As the Shuriken traveled, the figure would bring it's wavy hand up and swipe the Shuriken down before it made its marks. Upon landing, Val reached down for 3 more, and this time threw them in rapid succession. The Figure slowly began to pick up speed as it dashed towards the Incoming Shurikens, knocking them away just as fast as they were launched, and then continued for Val. The Arm of the Figure would shoot towards  Val like some kind of snake, a wavy one and wrap around his leg. Upon tugging, it forced him to lose balance, landing on his back, and continued with a 180 degree turning motion. With doing so, Val was pulled from his position, being dragged along the ground until lifted slightly up off the ground.

"....!"

The Surprise that swept him was a bit overwhelming, it all happening so fast. Before Long He found himself being slung by the figure in the opposite direction. His arms came up to Cover his chest and face as he made contact with the ground hard, taking on some damage as he began rolling. Being unable to stop due to the force utilized, Val continued to roll until he fell in the water hole behind him.

The Reaction speed of this Figure to Val's Shuriken made him realize that it was too fast for him, completely outmatching him in every sense. For the first time in Years, Val felt fear overtake his body. Not for the threat of Death, but the image played in his mind was that of Loss. He couldn't take the thought of it, so much so that he began to push through, forcing his arms and legs to pedal him upwards to the surface. Upon breaking through, his arms grabbed to the earth before him, pulling himself out of the water with his eyes and facial expression still the same. The thing that was different than before was his breathing, as it was more erractic....uncontrolled. He Looked around quickly for a weapon outside of his Projectiles, and saw nothing but a Twig about the length of his arm. Picking it up, he made a dash for the figure, playing a Positioning Gamble. His arms raised up as if he was going to swing the Twig like some kind of sword at the figure. Upon coming in striking distance, right as he swung downwards, the figure caught the Twig in its hand, and placed it's other hand on Val's Stomach. It lifted him above the ground, holding him up like some kind of Weight, and then Tossed him back in the direction of Val's Starting point, more so near his mother. Upon hitting the ground, Val Positioning gamble was a success, Hoping the Figure would put them in the position where it's back would be towards the water.

" Ack! ".

As Val followed through with his plan, his breathing began to become more at ease, as if he was regaining his composure. It was an intense Situation for the Yuki, but losing his shit wasn't going to help it out. Recalling the words of his mother, explaining the unique abilities of their clan, He shifted his body to the side, where his Left arm would be aligned with his Enemy, and his right arm being completely Hidden. He had to make it where it was impossible to Telegraph his actions, making it appear no more than a mere stance shift. The Left arm reached in for a Kunai, giving the idea that his next actions would somehow involve the use of the Kunai, when infact it was far from the truth. The Kunai itself was a misdirection, as his Left hand had been making a string of Handseals, performing the true intended action. He recalled his mother saying a Skilled Yuki could pull moisture from the very air itself, while a a beginner like himself needed a water source, that being what was behind the Figure. The Moisture collected into the air behind the Target, silently forming one Ice needle, which was aimed down at the back of the Target Neck. It went unnoticed, which was his intention. Surprise was the only was he was going to be able to take this Foe down. The needle launched from in the air straight down upon the enemy, Passing through it's neck and plugging itself into the ground before the Foe. If this was an actual human being, the needle would have pieced through the Sternohyoid if it went through and through.

All Figures on the field was still for a moment, enemy frozen in place while Val stared it down. A Second later, the figure began shaking erratically before bursting into what was clearly water, leaving huge puddles on the ground. There was another sigh of relief as the enemy was no more. Val really didn't expect to win that fight, but he came out on top. Much more was gained from that fight than just the life of his mother, but he felt like he really accomplished something this day. He Protected someone he really cared about, even with odds that was completely against him. There was a moment where he felt like he was going to lose everything, but he pulled through, and for that he felt like he was born anew. Val turned in the direction of his Mom and quickly moved to her side. He was not strong enough to completely lift her up so he began to figure out how he was going to get her back home. Before this, he figured that it wouldn't be wise to leave his projectiles here. Those things cost money, and an Income was not something he was bringing in at the moment, so he began to move away to collect the projectiles he utilized during this bout. Upon collecting all of them and placing them back in his pouch, the Yuki turned back to his mother once again, with his stoic expression despite how relieved he was.

With his items collected, he once again motioned down towards his mother, but this time he would throw her arm around his neck and attempt to carry her as much as he could. Her legs would be dragging along the ground, but any injuries that may occur from that would be something that would have to be tended to later when they were safe at home. While being dragged, unbeknownst to Val, a smirk would creep up on his mother's face, he left eye opening only slightly. It was almost as if she was never unconscious to begin with, which would mean that she was behind the entire thing, Placing him under the genjutsu before he arrived, making herself appeared Injured and unsconscious, and even the Figure which happened to be a Mere water clone distorted to give a monstrous appearance. She forced him into a Dire situation where he would be pushed up against a wall with everything to lose, thus making him put into action what she taught him. Utilizing the abilities in a stealthy manner inorder to achieve victory. Of course she had been holding back a great deal of her strength as she didn't want to critically hurt or Kill her Son. At the end of the day, due to this crazy set up, they both achieved something. Ari got to help her son get stronger and Val got one step closer to the answer he was seeking. It wouldn't be too long before they arrived home and called it a day.