"Damn that was a long ass boat ride!" Sanosuke yawned out loudly as he stretched his body walking out of the ship. The morning air hung clean in the mountains as the ferry ride that Sanosuke and Gin took touched down on the harbor of Kaminari no Kuni. Looking around, Sanosuke could already see the great mountains of Kumogakure in the distance. They were still very much far away from his home village, and walking there would take just about 2 days. It would be nice to come back to his apartment and actually take some time and enjoy the solitude of doing nothing in his apartment. That's when Sanosuke noticed that ever since he had returned from his 5 year training journey with Guru Pathik, he barely had time to relax in his dorm and do nothing. The next day he had unpacked, Sanosuke was called on by Reika to assist Kiri in the war. True he had done a great dead in assisting in the defeat of Seven Bell's, the sage wanted nothing more than to just relax. On the upside however people in the shinobi world knew his name well now. The Wasp Sage. Some people even called him the Buzzing Swordsman. Either way, people would fear Kumo shinobi because of the actions he did. Sanosuke would get to reconnect with old friends like Skye and Hiromasa. He might even try and locate his old teacher Midnight and have tea with him. In case he got bored, Sanosuke always had Gin to talk to since she was crashing at his place.

That reminded him. "Are you coming or not?" Sanosuke called out to Gin as he waited for her to get off the ferry. Navi was sleeping in a jar right now because she doesn't really get up this early in the morning. So for the most part he had been standing out on the deck talking with Gin for the most part of the morning trip to the harbor. Even though she irks him greatly, Sanosuke had to admit that Gin is a great person to have a conversation with when there is nothing to do. So maybe if she didn't burn his apartment down, she might make good company. Though barely.

Gin stretched while she walked onto the docks. She had slept through the entirety of the boat ride, catching up on lost sleep, so to her it hadn't seemed half as long as it had for Sano. Looking back into the small ferry, Gin stretched her hand and offered it to a small boy of blonde hair. She smiled underneath her bandages, though he probably wouldn't be able to tell. She and Sano now had a new travelling companion with them: Yuzu Ren. Strong as he was for his age, the boy was also rather innocent and emotionally frail, from what Gin had managed to gather so far. She hardly knew the boy, of course, but they were family now. She would protect him with her life and care for him in whatever way she could. And maybe in a few months, he could meet his siblings. Gin's heart gave a pang in her chest at the thought of her children. How she missed them... She had to constantly remind herself that her presence in Sunagakure was a danger to them. It was the only thing that kept her from rushing back to the family she had left behind.

The young woman wondered how her children would react to their new little brother. Shinji would welcome him with open arms, no doubt. Kiku would take a little time to warm up to him, she thought. Chie would be thrilled, of course. And Reiko... it would take a while for her to accept Ren, but she would, in time. She could only hope to find out soon. She thought of maybe sending a ciphered letter. She would have to ask for Sanosuke's help in that endeavor.

Gin would walk across the docks to where Sanosuke was, holding Ren by the hand if he decided to take it. "Calm the hell down, Sano-teme," She said, looking around, searching or something in particular. She narrowed her right eye - the left was covered by her bandages. She shielded herself from the sun by placing a hand on her forehead. Ah! There it was. "Well will you look at that? He does deliver when I need him to," Gin mumbled to herself. In front o the small group was a rather large and comfortable looking carriage bearing an all too familiar insignia. No doubt Taichou - as she called him - had gotten her message. The carriage would take the three of them to Kumogakure. It would take them a few hours to get there, but it was far more comfortable than running.

Sure, the three of them could have made it there more quickly if they decided to go by foot, odd as that sounded. Sanosuke and Gin were quite fast and one of them could carry Ren without exerting much effort at all. But it was nice to treat herself to some luxuries every once in a while. The carriage would do. "Ta-da!" She said, presenting the carriage with an extended hand. "We get to travel in the company carriage to Kumo! Not only that, but the company's paying for our hotel, Ren - a luxury suite!" She said. Gin didn't know that Sano expected her and Ren to stay with him while they were in Kumo. So if he was in any way disappointed that they weren't staying together, she wouldn't know.

They had arrived on the boat and Ren was still a bit confused, but he had a mom now something he had gone his entire life without. He was nervous and not sure what to do, but as soon as they got on the boat his new mom Gin decided to go sleep. He did remember her talking to some guy in dreads when they first got on, but he did not take note of that since he was busy eating some snacks he found on a tray. While Ren was meant to be sent to Konohagakure to provide services to their village, with his new mom heading to Kumogakure the Mizukage had to sort out that paperwork. The events of earlier had still been in the back of his mind. He watched over Gin as she slept and through boredom mistook a small rat for an enemy and attacked it, but then missed as the boat rocked to the side as he fell hitting his head a bit. Not one to cry out in pain all the time he kept quiet as the Rat just ran around like crazy before disappearing. He looked at her and as much as he wanted to explore he did not want to leave his new mom. After a while he fell asleep not sure when but he did enjoy having someone with him rather than sleeping alone as he latched on to her arm. A habit no one would have picked up on was that Ren had a small reflex of hugging someone’s arm when he attempts to get close to them. He was sleeping with her arm hugged to his chest and his mouth over the side of her arm filling it with some drool. Ren never realised that this was something kids did since he hardly got to hang out with other kids.
His new mom Gin woke up and he fell on the floor at first, ten yawned and rubbed his eyes a bit. He slept really well for a change as he watched her start walking on as he followed behind her about half a meter away. She began to stretch as she walked onto the docks, with Ren yawning all the while before latching on with his hand to the back of her top. She then stopped and looked back to him stretching out his hand as he hesitated for a moment before latching on to the entire arm leaning on it a bit. The people from his clan or the village in general would never believe that this was the same boy in the Seven Bells War.
She finally stopped by the dreaded man as he remembered him gripping Gin’s arm a bit tightly then nudging behind her a bit. He heard her say Sano-teme and this confused him cause he was sure this man was Sanosuke. He looked up no longer interested in the Sanoteme or Sanosuke, not sure either of those even mattered as she said someone delivered something as he looked around not realising that she meant the carriage. A few things then began to confuse Ren as he finally decided to start talking. “ What is a hotel? And is Sanoteme a friend?” he through two questions at her straight from the start to which perhaps Sano could easily answer. Ren had some understanding of what a friend was, but he had never stayed in a hotel and he also did not know what a luxury suite was. He stuck close to his new mom but you could see there was some darkness in his eyes as he looked up to his mom with the corner of his right eye watching Sano, until his mom would give the okay.
She managed to gain his trust with her sword, and gained some of his love from just being there. He was not complete as a human being but he was rather complete as a shinobi with Kenji and Ayakashi teaching him the last few things he needed to become a true shinobi of the mist. However it would be Gin who would show him what it means to have a family.

"Calm down Sano-teme" Gin shot back at him as she got off of the ferry. The woman was holding the hand of a young blond child whom looked to be around the age of 10. The child had a face that looked awfully familiar but for the life of him, Sanosuke couldn't remember for the life of him remember where he had seen him. The boy sported the Kirigakue headband, meaning that he was a shinobi from the village hidden in the mist. Maybe the child had been under his platoon during the war. It wouldn't surprise him since he led many shinobi on numerous missions during the war.

The way he clunged to Gin was something that he noticed. She did say something about adopting a child. Wait was that the child she adopted? Sanosuke asked himself mentally. That was right. She adopted a child before they has departed together for Kumogakure. If he remembered correctly, just like the house they bought together in Kiri, Gin had listed him as a cosigner for the paperwork for adopting a child. Gin, though under a new identity, was still a bit too shady. So she needed someone to cosign the papers so she can adopt the child. Thus entering Sanosuke. So according to the papers, the child holding on to Gin's hands for dear life was his step-son. Great. If it was for anyone else Sanosuke would've shot down the idea immediately of having a child. It was a favor and nothing more. Just then Sanosuke just realized what he had thought.

That was a bad thought indeed. Having a child with Gin was only doing this as favor for a FREIND and nothing more. Shaking his head of such thoughts, Sanosuke stood beside his "family" while Gin was looking for a certain thing that caught his curiosity. What was she looking for anyways he wondered. When she found it, Sanosuke rose an eyebrow. "So let me get this straight: You can get a luxury carriage just fine. But you need ME to sign under as the kid's step father so the adoption papers can be pushed through? Sanosuke looked at Gin quizzically. "Shinobue you're something else you know that?" He decided not to call Gin by her original name for a few reasons: the people surrounding them and also he had no idea exactly how much Gin revealed to the child. As for the question he asked about Sanosuke, he wouldn't get on the kid's case for the disrespectful title he gave him. Besides he didn't know any better: he's just a kid.

Stooping low and slowly to not alarm the child in case he felt threatened, Sanosuke smiled at the kid. "Well let me put to you this way. A friend is someone whom you don't mind being around. So the answer to my question, is also the same answer to your very own." Sanosuke answered kindly and at the same type cryptic enough so the child has something for his mind to wrestle with for a bit as they board the mysterious carriage that Gin got her hands on.

Gin smiled as Ren held onto her arm. She let him, knowing that it probably gave him a sense of safety. She almost lost it when he called Sanosuke by the nickname that she often used on him. She considered correcting him for a moment, but then shoved the thought aside. Gin approached the carriage, keeping Ren by her side should he want to be there. The young woman snickered and looked back at Sanosuke. "What? I have a life outside of you people. It involves a stable job with nice perks," She said nonchalantly. She would let Ren get on the carriage first before climbing in there herself. It was spacious inside, with open windows that let the light from outside flood into the interior. It was comfortable enough that they could be able to ride in it for a few hours that it took to get to their destination. It even included a mini fridge for their convenience. For a second, she wondered if there was any hard alcohol in there. Once again, she quickly shoved the thought aside, shuddering at the memories of what had happened the last time she and Sano had been out drinking together.

She had to admit, though, it had been quite hilarious to see him detained by the Kirigakure police for no reason other than a) being black and b) letting Gin blow up a nearby building for shits and giggles. Of course, she had then compensated by breaking him out of jail. It was the least she could do after letting him get taken away while she munched on popcorn and watched.

Oh, and there was also Ren and setting a good example or something. Truth be told, she had openly gotten drunk in front of all of her other children ant, to her knowledge, there were no real lasting consequences. Sure, Chie and Reiko made a habit out of melting things, but that wasn't her fault. They were just hyperactive. They'd grow out of it eventually.

In any case, Gin spoke as she got onto the carriage. "Did you even read the paperwork? You didn't sign as Ren's step-father. That would require us being - god forbid - married. You just signed saying you'd take care of him in case of my untimely demise. Same applies for the other kids," Gin said as she settled into the carriage. The leather seats felt nice compared to the wooden ones on the boat. "Think of it as an incentive to keep me breathing, lest you end up as a father of five."

Gin would wrap her arm around Ren, letting him rest against her while they were in the carriage. Now was a better time to answer his questions, though Sano had already answered part of it. "A hotel is like a temporary house. And we get to stay in a big and comfy one while we're in Kumo. And if you call the people that work there, they bring you food and pamper you." That was her best shot at explaining what a luxury suite at a hotel was. She supposed it worked. If he raked up a huge bill for calling room service, it wouldn't be on her anyways. "And Sano-teme is a friend, yes. You can relax around him, love. He might look mean, but he won't bite. And if he does, mommy will kick his ass, ok?"

The carriage would immediately begin to move towards Kumo once they were all on. The sooner they got there, the better, after all.

It seemed that his new mom Gin was talking to Sanoteme for a while as he was still waiting for her to answer, they seemed to be really close and a bit of Ren felt an emotion he did not understand.
He mentioned something about adoption papers and stuff when Ren for a moment was confused by the fact that he announced himself as being his step dad. He got a mom, but now he was getting a dad as well. The emotions and confusion built up as his heart raced, gripping Gin's arm a bit too tightly so it left a soft reddish area where he was gripping. If she had been a normal woman her arm might have been crushed or hurt badly by the force. This was the main reason the adoption agencies would not allow people who did not atleast have some degree of training.

The man then stooped low and smiled at him, he thought it was a bit creepy but it did make him feel a bit better. He then gave a cryptic answer which just left him wondering what not minding being around and then wondered about family and nearly got lost deep in thought. He did not even realise he was being guided into the carriage as he just sat down. He was all spaced out which was actually a sign of great trust. He woke up from his spacing out when some light hit him in the eyes as he looked to his mom. He noticed there was a fridge inside and he opened it to find a bunch of strange bear items and was slowly throwing them out the window before finding a nice orange juice and began drinking that. Strangely enough some bandits were running out of the bushes grabbing hold of the beers and making a dash for it.  

He could hear his mom Gin speaking about Sanoteme not being his step dad but being the one to look after him if something happened to her. He felt this was better since dads were people who leave you to go on missions and die. The leather seats they sat on did not feel too comfy as he moved around a bit. She wrapped her arm around him while he was still drinking his juice spilling some on her lap the fridge left a bit wide open the cool air clashing with the heat of the sun through the window. She then began to tell him that a hotel is a temporary house which sounded just like an inn, then continued to saying something about the people getting you whatever you want. He then thought to himself that this must be what its like for the head of his clan who mostly just sat around and had people do stuff for her. She did tell him that Sanoteme is a friend and if he bites she will beat him up.

One of the bandits had started drinking as he laid next to the carriage if it rode off now then he would fall over. He did start crying softly cause like most bandits hearing about struggles helps relate to some of them, the others who dashed off well. They were stealing the beers that fell outside as they did not want to fight two strong looking shinobi when they could steal beer tossed out the window. If Sano or Gin still wanted beer the fridge did have a bottom half still full just the top and middle were empty as Ren had dug deep to get the orange juice. He then rested his head on his mom's lap something he had not done since his grandmother died long time ago. This was the first time he could relax in roughly four years. He had a family for the first time and they were on their way to stay in a place for a while, with Sanoteme as a bodyguard. He then yawned a bit and said. He blushed nervously then said "mom, are you stronger than Sanoteme?". His curiousity in this was half due to training and also due to him having seen Sanoteme fighting with Kenji back in Kirigakure, he just wanted to know. It still felt strange calling someone mom for the first time in his life as he tried not to fall asleep.

"Oh I'd rather get a speared through by a katana than have the privilege of marrying you." Sanosuke retorted back  sarcastically with a chuckle when he said 'privilege' as he got himself into the carriage with the three of them in the back. Gin held Ren close to her so that he can rest as the carriage traveled them closer and closer to Kumogakure; his home village. Along the way though, Ren had done the deed of throwing away all of Ren casually threw out rich beer and wasted it. It angered him greatly as a throbbing tick mark was appearing on the back of his head where nobody could see it. He had to make sure that Ren didn't see him pissed or else the kid might hate him, thus the ride to  Kumo much more difficult. There it was again. The kid seemed to be getting quite used to addressing him as Sano-teme. He would've thought that at least Gin, his mother, would stop the kid from calling him a disrespectful name like that when he was technically his guardian. But then again this was Gin we were talking about. Sanosuke would have to wait and talk to him on his own to get the boy from talking to him like that. Sanosuke had no idea how Ren felt about having a male authority figure above his head. But Sanosuke would have to find out eventually.

That's when Sanosuke noticed that he finally figured out the boy's name. It was Yuzu Ren. From what he remembered by his name was also the same name of the child that viewed the sparring march between himself and Kenji. So that was the kid. It all made sense. As Sanosuke leaned in carriage, he gently listened to Gin speak to Ren in such a motherly way. The way she stroke Ren as the boy rested on his lap. Even while bandaged up, Sanosuke couldn't get his eyes off the two as Gin was treating his son to a peaceful discussion. Even her voice changed. Before it was strong and harsh, the voice she normally uses when talking to him and pretty much everyone else. Now, it was gentle and tactful, full of love and nurture. She sounded like a true mother, that grew beautiful with each moment of kindness she exhibited. Sanosuke snapped his head out of the stupor and shook it off once more by scratching the back of his head. He seriously needed to know exactly how badly wounded he was in the Seven Bells War because a couple of things, like fantasizing over Gin, were things that made him get off topic. Returning to Ren's question, Sanosuke recomposed himself swiftly before speaking.

"Definitely going to be me kid. Your mom may be strong, but she's not all that strong that she says she is. Ask her how man times I had to save her." Sanosuke laughed as he looked at Ren in his eyes and smiled at the kid. "Even though your mom is strong, she can't protect her and you at the same time. Which is why I'm here. Don't worry if anything happens to you kiddo, I got your back. Mom and you won't get hurt as long as I'm around. That's a promise all right?" Outreaching his pinky finger, Sanosuke rose it so that Ren would link his own pinky finger with his own while smiling softly and making sure he didn't give all a powerful and intimidating presence onward to Ren. Doing this was something that his father and him used to do whenever they would make the dumbest promises about the most random things. Ironic how he was doing the same thing, but this time with Ren.