A Test of Faith

Kneeling in front of the giant marble cut mural of the thunder god Thor in one of his exploits after venturing into giant territory was a young boy, he seemed to be mumbling something and thats because he was saying a prayer to his deity for guidance as well as the safe and swift return of his father that was away training several important villagers. HE stayed there for nearly five minutes and most of what he said was lost in poor articulation but the basic idea was that he missed his dad and wanted him back home as soon as possible. When he finished he got up and started looking for his mom, she had gone to another room but would be back soon so he found a bench and sat down singing his legs back and forth.

She walked into the room and saw Lag sitting on a bench. "I am back my sweet boy" she went to the bench and sat near, wrapping her arms around him for comfort. "I know you miss your father and I do as well but he will be back very soon" she strokes his hair. "I went and found some gold coins for us to leave as offerings for his safe return" she ruffles Lag's hair then rises to go over to the statue of Thor. Rou placed the coins near the base of the mural in a small bowl and softly murmured a blessing. She paused to look up and wiped a tear from her eye, not wanting Lag to see her sadness.

His mom hugged him and in typical twelve year old fashion sighed since it embarrassed him in public, she had found some coins though and was going to use them as offering during her own prayer. He went and stood near her as she did and although she tried to wipe away her tear before he saw it he noticed and hugged her legs, she was his mom so whenever he saw she was sad he felt the same way.

Rou put her hand on his head. "Really Lag I am fine I promise, I just miss your dad is all but it will be alright. We should get home soon or the others will wonder where we went off to." She takes his hand and starts to walk away from the mural.

His hand is taken and they start to walk off, as they exit the room they would come into another one that contained a group of men in ceremonial robes, it seemed the clergy were out and about today. Normally his dad would be walking with them in full robes since he was acting head of the church, often times he had brought Lag along with him during certain ceremonies and he had gotten to know the men they now passed by. He waved as they walked by and they returned the gesture with smiling faces to both him and his mother, he smiled and then kept on walking towards the door a few more rooms ahead.

She smiled at the clergy but her mind was elsewhere. She walked towards the door to their family quarters in the main house. When she got there she opened the lock with a key and took Lag inside. "Why don't you go train Lag I know it helps you to relax." She lit the burner under the kit for her medical studies and placed in some dried plants which she pulled from a small satchel fastened over her shoulder. Working with herbs would help to sooth her as it gave her a task to keep her hands busy.

He would walk in one of the guest quarters set aside for the family to use when they liked, she told him to go train but the room was big enough that he would be able to do something in here. He took some time and set up a practice dummy before searching for Raijin, when he couldn't find it he went over to his mom and tugged on her sleeve. "Mom have you seen dad's old sword he gave me? I know I brought it with me while we stay here but maybe you put it somewhere?"

She thought for a moment, where had she put the sword... "Try looking in the locked chest under the bed dear, I think I remember putting it in there to prevent possible snooping." She handed him a crystal which could be used to unlock the chest and started grinding different plants in a mortar with a pedestal.

He took the crystal and crawled under the bed, pulling out the chest with him and opening it with the crystal key. Inside he found his white sword with a single black stripe down the center inside. He re-locked the chest and gave his mom the crystal back before he approached the dummy he set up and held the sword in front of him before he began, muttering a battle prayer his dad taught him years ago that he always said before beginning.

She smiled seeing him holding the sword. Lag looked more like his father with every passing year but she wouldn't say so for it would only cause him embarrassment. Rou began to focus on her task meaning to create more medicines to refill the supplies of the house.

He finished his chant and slowly pulled the sword from it's sheath, setting the case on the floor he assumed his fighting stance and adjusted his hands so that his grip was as perfect as he could manage. He took a step back and then quickly lunged forward to make a powerful strike at the dummy's shoulder, slicing into the clavicle nearly four inches and then pulling it free to make another pass and another after that one. Each time hitting a different point to test his aim.

She watched him for a while, his skills were developing quickly and soon he would be ready for her to teach him the family element. Although Lag looked mostly like her husband Rou knew that he had inherited her powers and would one day be a great force just as his ancestors had been.

Swinging the sword one more time he stopped and held it at the ready, the training dummy was nearly in pieces on the ground. With one more powerful strike it would be finished but Lag wanted to try something that he hadn't been able to do since he was given the sword but had often seen his dad do, the storm swim. The sword in his hands pulsed a bit as he focused chakra through it, a slight yellow glow formed around it and he prepared for his last strike before moving on to something else.

Rou watched silently anticipating as to how powerful the move would be. Seeing the stance yet again reminded her of Takeshi and she wished he was home to see how their son was quickly improving his techniques. Her hands kept busy filtering powders into small bottles as she knew the task by heart.

His blade erupted in a flash of lightning chakra like a yellow lightsaber with sparks flying from the blade and he slashed quickly. With no effort at all his sword cut clean through the entire training tool. Normally this technique would last longer but he was still very new to channeling his raiton nature through the blade so the coating faded and he breathed a little heavy.

Spoiler:

Pushing open the door slowly Takeshi came into the room his fellow clergy members directed him towards and found his family inside, though they hadn't noticed at first so he was able to watch secretly as Lag for the very first time managed to pull off the storm swim ability in Raijin. He smiled and slowly clapped to congratulate his son as well as alerting them of his presence in the room. Still wet with rain water and fully armed in all his battle gear including the giant hammer strapped to his back from his journey home he looked a wreck but he was just happy to be home.

She saw him standing near the door water droplets clinging to his hair. Her husband had finally returned from his journey and was only a few feet away. At first she was hesitant wishing to seem proper and not overly dramatic in greeting him but eventually she decided it didn't matter how it looked to the others and ran to him folding against his chest. "My dearest Takeshi I missed you so terribly and was afraid something might have happened to you. I am so happy to see you returned safely home." She looks up at him smiling but also a tiny bit sad.

Lag turned around to see who had come in and started clapping and was shocked to see his father standing there. Tears welled up in his eyes and he ran over after his mother did and clamped onto Takeshi's leg as hard as he could. He said not a word but at this point there was a little snot running from his nose, he had missed his daddy and just wanted to hold onto him for now while doing nothing else.

Takeshi dropped the hammer from his back so that it hit the ground and wouldnt get in the way right before Rou folded into him. One of his arms around her shoulders while he gently kissed the crown of her head while Lag grabbed him and started crying like he had been gone for years. He placed his other hand on his son's back and just enjoyed the moment, it felt good to be home.

She cuddled against him missing the sound of his heart and his scent. Did your journey go well my love?" She reached down with a tissue to clean up Lag's face some from the tears.

Lag buried his face deeper into his dad's pant leg when his mom tried to wipe his face thus getting all his face junk on Takeshi which he wouldnt realize yet he would later on when he finally quit crying but for right now he just wanted to touch his dad meaning nothing else could possibly matter.

His hand on Rou moved to her head as he started stroking her hair as he spoke, "Indeed, Rosuto and Renga stayed behind for a little additional training but their bijuu are being very compliant to this mastery process." He then looked down at Lag, his first and only child and smiled. It wa at times like this that he remembered that his boy was still just a kid and although technically a man by society's standards he would forever be his little boy.

She caressed his cheek I am glad things are going so well for them but also that you let them stay behind and returned sooner."

Lag finally quit the crying and wiped his face off with the tissue his mother offered, when that was done he looked up to see his dad looking back at him like he always did and he smiled. "So dad, when do you and me get to go train in Yggdrasil? Can we do it soon?" Lag had very often heard stories of the world tree but never actually been there himself, it was now a common thing for him to pester his dad about going and he would always get the same answer but maybe this time would be different.

"Yes indeed, there are still many things for them to learn. One of those being my priorities with you two at the top of the list." When Lag asked about going to the tree he chuckled, every other time the boy had asked he had responded with his token answer, 'when youre older', but he had a different air about him today so he decided to shake it up. "Whenever you become a chuunin my boy, Ill take you to train there the very next day. We got a deal?"