It was just a normal day within the Kozai Estate, the birds could be heard singing all over the village-like estate grounds and the children were playing in the park by the lake. However not everything was peaceful, up on top of the hill inside the Kozai mansion there was a large crash like glass breaking. "What do you mean you arranged for me to marry Lucian?" Rei asked her father in a raised voice. "I don't even like him he is nothing more than a meat head with no brain." "Now, now you know I did what had to be done" Darian responded to his daughter with authority in his voice, stepping back into the room after having dodged the vase his daughter had thrown at him. "you know the law in order for you to lead you must be married and must carry on the bloodline" he continued more somberly as he reached out and hugged his young daughter. "Lucian is a great warrior and already has the respect of most of the clan, you may not like him but he is the best choice for you, and one day who knows you may come to love him."

Rei glared at her father as he spoke how could he say that she would love him one day, there was nothing about him that she found attractive. Of course she could not go against her father, if he says she was to be married for the good of the clan then she must marry despite her disapproval of the subject. "Alright father, for you I will try to get to know him... For the good of the clan" Rei's father simply smiled, "I knew you would understand" he said before kissing his daughter on the forehead "Now I need to get back to work, Lucian is waiting downstairs, why don't you go see him and try to get to know him, we will talk more tonight." He said bidding his daughter goodbye and then heading out of her bedroom. Left alone in her room Rei grabbed a pillow from her bed and began screaming into it, why did this have to happen to her why did she have to marry some lug head just because her father was the clan head and she was next in line. Why did they have to have these stupid laws about women leading the clan, she hated all the responsibility and stress this was putting on her.

It was the middle of the day, and after she recollected herself and fixed her makeup she decided that her father was right and she did need to at least attempt to get to know the man she was arranged to marry. She checked herself one last time in the mirror to make sure she was presentable, she knew that her father would not except her looking badly she had been raised to always be elegant in public letting the sophistication ooze out of her every pore. She headed down the stairs walking as slowly as she possibly could, she did not want to do this but she had to so she figured she would take her time walking at the very least. As she rounded the hall and reached the balcony that was the top of the stairs, she saw her husband to be. Lucian was an physically attractive male who took good care of his body, and was at the top of the Kozai in the sense of strength and ability. Rei's father was right he was the best choice for her as a husband, despite the fact that he did not have a brain, in her opinion. She took her time walking down the stairs sizing up her husband to be, if she was going to have be with him at least he is not that bad looking she thought to herself as continued down the stairs.

All the while Lucian was sizing her up as well, he had not taken his eyes off of her since she first came around the corner at the top of the stairs. She was beautiful a sight to behold, he had seen her before however usually from afar. She had come to most of the events that her father hosted over the years and he had thought her to be beautiful then. Now that she was right here in front of him, he realized that he had underestimated her beauty, she was even more stunning than he had thought. When she finally reached the end of the stairs Lucian extended his hand out to her, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you Lady Rei" he said bowing briefly. Rei looked Lucian over one last time before accepting his hand and returning his bow with a courtesy, "The pleasure is mine I am sure" she said with just a hint of sarcasm that Lucian did not pick up on. "I was thinking that we might go for a walk and maybe talk and get to know each other." Lucian said with a smile. "So that is what that smell is, I thought I smelled something burning" Rei saud with venom in her voice, "Are you sure you can walk and talk at the same time?" she added with a small chuckle. Lucian did not laugh nor smile he simply nodded and motioned with his hand towards the garden for Rei to accompany him. Rei let out a sigh as she moved past Lucian and towards the garden, Lucian just shook his head and began following her, he was going to have his hands full with this one he thought to himself as he caught up to her pace.

---

960

The pair walked in silence until they reached the garden where Lucian once again tried to break the ice, "So what do you do for fun?" He asked Rei, who seemes to ignore the question and just looked at the flowers that surrounded the garden. Lucian waited for a few minutes before trying again, "which flower is your favorite?" Which was once again left unanswered by Rei, who just sighed loudly. Finally Lucian decided that if she did not want to talk about herself then he would talk about himself, "I like the flowers and the sound of the birds, my favorite color is silver and my favorite thing to do during my free time is to train."

"Big surprise there" Rei scoffed at the end of Lucian's sentence, "do you do anything besides train?" She asked him in a condescending voice. "Well I am always trying to improve myself with training but yes I do other stuff than train, I am about to be deployed to Sunagakure to assist with a mission and ..." "Do you have anything to talk about other than how tough you are?" Rei interrupted in the same condescending voice as before. Rei's attitude was starting to annoy Lucian and despite the fact that he was trying to get to know her she seemed to just want to push him away and so finally he looked at her and spoke the honest truth,  "look I can understand you are not that thrilled about this whole arranged marriage thing, but there is no need to be a snob about it." He said pausing briefly taking in a breath before he continued,  "I know I may not be your first choice or he'll I may not of even been on your radar, but you know what when I first found out that my father had arranged my marriage I was not that thrilled at first either. But then my father told me it was you, and I thought no way I must be dreaming I am going to marry the most beautiful girl in the entire world. But now after actually meeting you, I figured it out, I am not lucky because underneath that beautiful outer shell is just an ugly mean snobbish woman who hates the world and wants to make everyone miserable".

Rei had been looking at him with her normal glaring eyes while he spoke dismissing most of what he said, until she heard him call her the most beautiful girl in the world and it caused her eyes to soften. Lucian turned to walk away, but Reo reached out her hand to stop him. "Look I am sorry I have been so rude, your right I am not thrilled about this whole thing I think I should be allowed to make decisions for myself and not have others push their opinions onto me, but I should not take that out on you this is not your fault." Rei paused brushing a piece of her hair that had fallen in front of her face to the side before asking, "do you really think I am the most beautiful girl in the world?" She asked blushing slightly at her own question. Lucian turned back to face her and could not help but chuckle, "I did, I mean I guess I still do it is just you were so rude." He said looking into her eyes. Rei looked down at her feet, ashamed of how she had been acting towards him. He was thrown into this situation just like she was, the only difference was he was looking at the positives where as she was only looking at the negatives. "If you are willing to give me a second chance I am willing to lose the attitude and get to know you." Rei said with a weak smile. Lucian stood there for a few minutes thinking before finally saying something, "we will take it slow, instead of us worrying about a marriage that does not have to happen for at least another year, why don't we spend that time in the present and getting to know each other better then in a year you can tell me whether or not you want to marry me" Rei scoffed a little and looked down at the ground before responding, "it is not like we have a choice my father has already decided my fate for me and he plans on making the announcement to the entire clan tonight" Lucian took Rei by the hand and pulled her close to his chest, "I promise you this right here with Raava as my witness, if you do not fall in love with me by the end of the year than I will disappear and you will never see me again, your father would have to find someone else for you to marry" Lucian paused briefly staring Rei directly in the eyes before continuing, "but if you some how do fall in love with me as I have fallen for you then I promise I will spend every minute of everyday thanking Raava for bringing you to me and making sure you understand just how happy you make me."

Whether Rei wanted to admit it or not she was already falling for him, her entire life had been people telling her what to do, how to act, telling her a proper lady must never do that. Yet here was Lucian telling her that if she chose to not marry him then he would disappear so that she would not have to, it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever offered to do for her in all of her sixteen years. Maybe just maybe there was something to this, Rei thought to herself as the pair began walking again and talking, Rei made a mental note to stop being so rude and actually try to get to know him before she made her decision.

The year seemed to pass by faster then either of the two could imagine, and soon they were standing at the alter giving their vows in front of the entire clan. The same day Rei's father stepped down as clan leader, handing the reign over to them.

---

1043 + 960 = 2003

It was a dark night and a sand storm raged on the outside of the estate, despite the fact the estate itself was shielded from the storm had every one of the Kozai.


"Come in" Lucian calls from his desk, only looking up for the paper to see that is was a young woman who entered the room. "Sir, its time" was all the woman said, Lucian's face lit up at her words and he jumped up from his seat knocking it to the floor as he rushed to the doorway. Without another word to the young messenger he was out the door and down the hallway in a matter of seconds, almost sliding down the stairs and knocking over two servants before busting in to another room filled with people rushing around while one lauded in the middle of the room.

Rei was in labor with their first child and Lucian was more excited than he had been in his entire life, he was going to be a father. Rei share his enthusiasm although not at the moment, however soon the room was filled with the sound of a crying baby as their son was born. She was holding her newly born baby boy and she could not have been happier, when the doctor ask her what she was going to name him, she looked to her husband, with a single tear in his eye he said "Raphael, his name will be Raphael" Rei grabbed his hand she knew he was choosing to name their son after his grandfather, whom he had loved dearly. Lucian did not leave her side for the rest of the night, sleeping in a chair next to the bed holding his wife's hand.

The next morning the storm had subsided and the sun was back in full force of the sky, as was customary for the Kozai the two walked their new born son down from the main branches mansion to the shrine of Raava in the center of the estate for him to be blessed under the Goddesses light.


"Raphael... Raphael.."

The voice could be heard throughout the entirety of the mansion that was his home, it was the voice of his mother and she was looking for him. Raphael was not in trouble, but merely playing hide and seek with his mother. He held his breath as he heard the door to the room he was hiding in creak open, he did his best not to move to give away his hiding spot. Suddenly he was pulled from under the bed and a storm of tickles and laughter ensued, his eyes filled with tears from laughing so hard that when his mother finally released him he was having to wipe his face off to see as he stood up. "You hide, you hide" the boy said to his mother with a wide grin, "ok sweet heart remember to count like we practiced" she said as she stood to leave the room as the boy began counting.

"1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 8.. 9.. 10.." The boy counted with his eyes shut as tight as he could. He paid no attention to the fact that he had skipped the number 7, something he had always done as if the number just did not exist. When he had reached the number ten his eyes flew open and he began his search for his mother, he knew she had left the room but still he checked some places in there anyways in case she had snuck back into the room while he was counting. With the room clear, passing the three year olds inspection he headed out the hallway and began his search of the rest of the house. He search was cut short as he rounded the corner to the stairs, and saw his mother knelt down at the bottom of the stairs in front of the door holding something in her hand. "Mommy no hide" he said as he came down the stairs to stand in front of her, "why mommy no hide" he said as he tried to get his mothers attention. When his mother looked up at him her eyes were filled with tears, and her face was flush red from crying. Rei reached out grabbing hold of her son and hugging him tight as she continued to cry, "what wrong mommy?" The young boy asked as his mother squeezed him in a tight hug, Rei did not say a word she just held him tight and crumbled up the piece of paper that she held in her hand. She could not bring herself to tell him what the paper said, she did not know how to tell the young boy that she loved so dearly that he would never see his father again.

---

818 + 2003 = 2821

Raphael woke up early in the morning excited for the day to begin, he had been waiting for this day for months he had been so excited that he almost did not sleep the night before. Today was his seventh birthday and the day that he was suppose to begin his training in the way of controlling his gift just as all the other Kozai have done before him, just as his father had done. He did not really know his father accept for the stories that his mother told him and his sister about him, Raphael made a promise to himself that he would live up to the stories of his father and the great warrior everyone told him his father was. Raphael's door opened and he heard the sound of his younger sister waddling into the room, "happy birthday, bubba!" She said in her highest pitched voice as she ran towards him and jumped up to give him a hug. "Thank you sissy" he said with a smile as he hugged he back before releasing her, "where's mother?" He asked his sister who grin widely and exclaimed "she's in the kitchen!" as she ran from the room. Raphael could not help but to chuckle as he went to leave the room following his younger sister towards the stairs. He loved his mother and his sister and they had a good life, his mother was the clad leader yet she always made time for her children. His mother was more than likely supervising the creation of his birthday cake, and whatever other surprises she had prepared for his birthday. But in Raphael's mind the only thing he was excited about was the thought of beginning his training later today and beginning his journey to becoming a great warrior like his father.

The young boy rounded the stairs and headed into the kitchen where his mother and sister were waiting for him, as he pushed on the kitchen door the young boy heard a group of people all shout, "Happy Birthday!" A shower off party confetti rained down on him as a wave of party horns blasted his ear drums. The kitchen was packed with people, most of them of course were those that worked in the mansion. His family members were also scattered across the room, however he did not see his mother or sister. Walking out the back door of the kitchen into the courtyard he was greeted in an even larger capacity, "Happy Birthday" came the large collective voice of the whole of the Kozai clan, who all seemed to be there wait for him "Happy birthday, my boy" came a familiar voice from behind him. Raphael turned to see his grandfather Darian smiling behind him. "Thank you, Grandfather" the young boy said as he jumped into his grandfather's arms giving him a hug, "where's Aurora and mother?" He asked as his grandfather as they released each other from their hug. "Your mother is getting some last minute things taken care of and your sister is around here somewhere" his grandfather said with a smile, "come walk with me, my boy we have some things to discuss."

The two walked out into the yard greeting those that came to tell Raphael happy birthday, as well as those who came just to get a glimpse of the prodigy of Lucian and Rei, the future of the clan. Once his grandfather had gotten him away from all the gawking clan members he began. "Raphael today is a big day, not just for you but for the entire clan." Darian paused briefly looking down at his grandson with teary eyes, "I know it can not be easy for you, having the weight of all this responsibility on your shoulders, the whole clan looking to you watching you, as if they are just waiting for a mistake." He paused again looking out across the field that held the livestock of the Kozai clan, "not long ago I was forced to put this burden on your mother, forcing her to marry your father as well as take on the responsibility of the clan... Now unfortunately the responsibility falls to you far too soon, you are to young to truly lead the clan but the clan follows you still. They are waiting for you, your mother still has the mantle until your seventeenth birthday, but after today you begin your journey to take that mantle and all the responsibility that comes with it. I guess what you could say is that the future of the clan is in your hands now." Darian stopped speaking and by this time his eyes were filled with tears, Raphael looked up to his grandfather and to Darian's surprise smiled at him, "do not worry about me grandfather, I have known for a while now that all the eyes of the clan were on me, and i do not plan to fail them, I will master my chakra and I will be a great leader just like my father was and just as my mother has been since." The boy's optimism as well as his genuine belief that nothing could go wrong brought a smile to his grandfathers face, "well now, lets go see if we can find your mother and see about enjoying this party" Darian said with a chuckle.

---

907 + 2821 = 3728

The pair returned to the party and was able to find Raphael's mother on the balcony of her office looking out over the large group of people that had gathered for her son's birthday. "Hello mother" Raphael said as he rushed into the room to give his mother a hug, "happy birthday, Raphael" came the reply as she hugged him close. "Are you enjoying the party, Raphael?" His mother asked him as they pulled away from each other, "everyone came out to see you for your special day" she added with a smile. "Yes, mother. Thank you so much for this party" came the boy's reply, even though he had not really even paid attention to the party he knew his mother had worked hard on it and she deserved appreciation for it. The was an eerie silence in the room that was soon broken by Raphael's grandfather, "well now today is a special day, are you ready to begin your training, Raphael?" He asked looking to his grandson with a serious look in his eyes. "Yes.. " Raphael began to answer however he was quickly cut off by his mother, "there will be time for talking of training later, now its time to celebrate and party" she said as she grabbed hold of her son and began dancing with him around the room.

As the day went on the party soon began to die down, as the party goers began to disperse. Soon all that was left at the mansion was Raphael and his immediate family, as well as the help who was already cleaning up. Raphael had spent most of the party in the pool, after most of the guest had left he went to find his mother and grandfather again. The sun was beginning to set and the full moon was the biggest Raphael could remember, "no I will not allow it" came his mother's voice from down the hall, she sounded upset as if she had been crying. Raphael rushed down the hall stopping just outside the door, leaning in close to the cracked door to see what was going on. "You know you cannot deny it, if you try he will die it's the price we pay for the power Raava granted us" came his grandfathers voice, "he is too young, he is not ready" his mother argued. "He is the same age you were when you began, the same age I was, he is the same age ever Kozai was when we began, you have to let him go." His grandfather countered, at that point Raphael mist have pressed too hard against the door as it suddenly swung open, revealing his presence to the arguing pair. His mother's face was flush red and tears streaks ran down her face, he had not seen her this upset in many years, when she saw him she quickly dryed her face and walked towards him, "Raphael there is something we need to talk about" she said softly as she took his hand and lead him into the room where they were to sit in one of the chairs. After they were all seated his mother asked, "Raphael sweet heart what do you know about the awakening?"

"It's where we learn to understand the true power we have and train to control it" the boy answered although he was not sure why his mother was asking this question, or why she seemed so upset. "It is more than that, my boy" his grandfather stated before receiving a dirty look from Rei, "do you understand where our power truly comes from?" His mother continued looking back to her son, "of course mother our power comes from the goddess Raava, she is our protector and our strength" the young boy answered. "That's right, however there is something else" the woman paused as she began to cry causing her father to continue where she left off, "you see Raphael, the power of the goddess is not just a gift it can be a great burden, you must under go a special type of training in order to control your power or else your body could actually give out because of the strain that the goddesses chakra puts on your body." Darian stopped to judge how well his grandson was taking this well of information before he continued, "your training must begin tonight, and you must stay within the Training building until it is complete" at these words a puzzled look crossed the young boy's face. "Wait you told me that it took most five years to master, my father being the only exception by finishing it in three," Raphael said as he looked back and forth between his mother and grandfather. "That is true, but it is something that we all went through, and now it is your time to do the same" his grandfather answered as his mother continued to cry. "But I will be allowed to come home and sleep in my bed and see my mother and sister right? I mean we live right next door to the training building" the boy stated waiting for the answer that he was hoping for to come, unfortunately for him the answer that came was not the answer he was wanting to hear. "No" his grandfather answered, taking a pause before he explained to his grandson as to why he would not be allowed to leave the training building, "you see Raphael at the stroke of the hour you were born on your seventh birthday your true power is awakened, and all the power of Raava flows through your body. However unless you are able to control it, the chakra can be very harmful not just to you but to those around you, the training building itself was built for the specific purpose of dampening this power until you are able to control it for the protection of everyone as well as protecting your body from the chakra overwhelming you." Raphael finally realized why it was that his mother was crying, she was crying because they would not be able to see each other for many years, this caused the young boy to start crying as well. "But... Why... Can't... I... Just... See.. My.. Family?.." Raphael asked through the sobbing, his mother quickly took her son in her arms and held him tight as close as she could get him, "I will always be with you my son, and me and your sister will be waiting for you to finish your training and return to us." She said as she continued to hold him tightly to her.

A strange feeling went through Raphael's body, as if he was being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles causing him to cry out in pain. His mother pulled him back away from herself to see what was wrong, only to see her son fall to the floor doubled over in pain. "It has begun," he heard his grandfather say, but whatever else that was said was drowned out by the young boy crying out in pain as the pain seemed to intensify.

---

1199 + 3728 = 4927

Raphael woke up in a dark room alone and in different clothes than before, the pain was much less than it was before, however it was still there. "Hello, is anyone there?" The boy cried out hoping to hear his mother's voice or even better he would see her face. However he was disheartened by a voice that he did not recognize that came from an intercom on the ceiling of the room he was standing in. "Good morning Raphael, I am Ryuk, I will be your guide through the awakening process" the voice said. "Where is my family?" Raphael asked wanting to see his mother and sister. "I am sorry Raphael, but the time for goodbyes has passed, the awakening process has already begun, and until you learn to master your chakra it is unsafe for anyone to be around you." At this Raphael began to become upset, "you will allow me to see my family, I command it" he yelled at the top of his lungs, having come from the main branch of the Kozai he was used to getting his way when he commanded something. "I am afraid that is not possible, you must remain here until you are in control, if you were to leave now the power of the chakra would destroy your body" the voice stated in a monotone with no real emotion behind it. Raphael screamed as loud as he could as he began beating on the door to the room that he was locked in, "that will do no good" the voice stated over Raphael's screams, "the only way to leave is to master your body and your chakra, then you will be able to see your family again."

"But it will be years" Raphael sobbed as he fell to his knees in defeat, "well then we better get started" the voice replied. With that said Raphael wiped his eyes and stood looking up to the intercom, "so what do I have to do" he asked the bodyless voice. "We will begin with some meditation, you must clear your mind and make your spiritual energy and your physical energy harmonize, once this has been achieved we can move on to the next stage." Raphael sat down crossing his legs, "how am I suppose to know when my energy is harmonized?" He asked the voice, "you must clear your mind, young one you will know when it happens" the voice replied. Despite the fact that he did not exactly like the man's answer he did his best to clear his mind and begin meditating, this went on for days, the only break he took was to eat, sleep, and use the restroom, and the only voice he heard was that of Ryuk over the intercom. After weeks of meditating trying to allow the energies within his body to harmonize, something finally happened, the slight pain he had been feeling throughout his body stopped as if it was gone altogether, at first he did not think anything of it, but he started to feel different as if his body was not falling apart around him. "Ryuk, I don't feel the pain anymore" he stated looking up at the intercom again, "Really?" The voice asked as if he was skeptical, "that is fantastic, this means you are now ready for stage two, I will open the door and you will be allowed through to continue your training."

---

576 + 4927 = 5503

Raphael stepped through to the next room and was surprised by the size of it, it was well over ten times the size of the room he had been in for the past couple of weeks and there was someone standing on the other end of the room, "now we can begin your training" the man said in the voice that Raphael recognized from the intercom, 'this must be Ryuk' he thought to himself as he began walking towards the man. However he was suddenly stopped and found it hard to move as if the air in this room was more condensed then the air of the other room, it felt as of there was a giant weight on him pushing him into the ground. "The second stage is much different than that the first," the man stated as if he read Raphael's mind and knew what he was thinking, "now that your energies are in synchronization we must prepare your body for the strain that the chakra can put on it when you use a technique" the man continued. Raphael looked around him there was nothing else in the room besides himself and the man that stood in front of him, yet something was stopping him, something was making it hard for him to move. "This is a specialized jutsu meant to increase the pressure of the area of my choosing, it is meant to prepare your body, in order to pass this test you must make it all the way across this room to me" the man stated with a grin on his face, "if at any time you get exhausted and would like to take a break you may return to the bed and we will rest for the day" the man finished as he pointed back to the room which Raphael had come from.

Raphael forced himself forward by a step, the weight of the air around him pushed on him harder as if it did not want him to go further, "the air gets denser the closer you get to me, do not push yourself to hard or you might end up killing yourself" the man said taking a brief pause be for adding, "you are definitely Lucian's son, like him you finished the first stage faster than most but even this stage took your father a year to be able to cross the room, and he finished it with the fastest time." Hearing those words put a new drive in Raphael, it took his father a year to cross the room, so he was going to do it in less time, he was going to be better than his father, he was going to be better than everyone. He forced himself to take another step, the weight of the air was almost unbearable, and it became harder for him to draw a breath. "Your persistent I see," the man said with a chuckle, "but you cannot hope to be able to achieve completion of this in a single day, you should take it slow." Raphael ignored the man's words and tried yet again to take another step, he was only a couple of feet into the room and he had a long way to go. His breathing grew shallow and his vision darkened, the man across the room said something but Raphael could not make out what it was that the man said as if the man'svoice had been muffled. Raphael opened his mouth to say something, but no matter how hard he tried no sound would come out, and then his vision went totally dark.

---

606 + 5503 = 6109

Raphael awoke in the same room that he had grown familiar with over the past couple of weeks he was unsure as to what had happened to him, but he did notice that the door was open. He stepped out of the small little room to find himself standing in the same large room he had been in before he blacked out. The man was still standing at the other end of the room, "I see you are awake," the man said as Raphael stepped into the large room. "I do hope that you learned your lesson, this is not something to be taken lightly, this puts a serious strain on your body and can kill you if you are not careful, so how about we do not try to do that again, hmm?" Raphael knew what the man was speaking of he tried to push himself too far before despite the man's warning, he would have to be smarter about how he proceeded if he was going to beat his father's time of a year and prove he is more than his father's son but that he is better than his father.

Raphael spent months in that room trying to cross it, to no avail, but each day he found himself a little bit closer to the end before he blacked out from the lack of oxygen. Finally after six straight months of trying, Raphael finally made it across the room beating his father's record of a year. "Congratulations Raphael you have done it now you are ready to learn to control your powers, you will need to rest up tomorrow the real training can begin" the man stated looking down at the young boy who fought so hard to cross the room that he was completely out of breath. It was simply amazing the man how quickly this young boy was able to conquer both tasks in less than half the time anyone else had been able to complete them before.

The next day began his training in the basics of the Hiden techniques of the Kozai clan, and just as he had done with the first two challenges Raphael impressed Ryuk even more by mastering not only the Kozai's Taijutsu style but also most of the basic techniques. In just over a year of starting to learn these techniques he was done, become the fastest to master his chakra and techniques of the entire Kozai clan.

---

414 + 6109 = 6523

There was a large celebration as Raphael came out of the training building, he had done what took most five or more years to do in just two short years becoming the youngest of the Kozai to complete their training. "Bubba!" He heard a yell from a distance, despite the fact that everyone was congratulating him, his vision tunneled to where the word had come from. His younger sister jumping up and down as she tried to push through the crowd and then finally running and jumping into his arms knocking him to the ground as she gave him a giant hug. "How was it? I have missed you so much" his sister exclaimed as she continued to hug him. "It is good to see you Aurora, where is mother?" He asked as he finally got his sister off of him and began to stand back up. "She is waiting at the shrine with grandfather" his sister answered as she took him by the hand and began dragging him through the crowd of those who had come to see the prodigy that completed the training in such a short amount of time.

When they finally reached the shrine that was in the middle of the estate he saw his mother and grandfather again for the first time in two years, tears welled up in the your boy's eyes as he ran to his mother and embraced her in a hug, "oh mother, I have missed you" he said through his tears, "and I have missed you my son" his mother replied as she returned his hug and tears began rolling down her face. "The thought of seeing you again pushed me to never give up and finish my training as fast as I could," Raphael said as the two pulled apart and he hugged his grandfather before they all ensued in a group hug with him, his sister, his mother and his grandfather. "I love you all so much, and you all were the reason I never gave up and pushed myself further than I thought possible" he said as they broke the hug. His mother wiped tears from her eyes as she looked at her son's smiling face, "it truly is so great to see you, I was afraid it would be a few more years before we would see you again" she said somberly. "I was too, but then I remembered that Aurora would be having to go through the same thing soon and so I fought and fought to make sure I was out in time to see her off for her awakening, I just got done a year too early," Raphael said with a slight chuckle. Raphael's grandfather cleared his throat, "um Raphael, Ryuk has told me that you have already decided what it was you had planned to do now that your training is complete, is it true?" Raphael's smile faded and his face became serious, "yes it is true" he said looking at his families faces, he had fought so hard to be able to see them again could he really just up and leave them again? "Well what is it don't keep us in suspense," his younger sister said punching him in the arm. "I have decided to travel to Sunagakure amd become a Shinobi like father was," Raphael stated, as he watched the color fade from his mothers face. "What? But you just got done with training and now your going to leave again, what about you preparing to take over the clan? What about what you just said about being here for your sister when her awakening began? What about..." "Rei that is enough" his grandfather said cutting his mother off. "He is entitled to whatever he wishes to do with his life now and there is nothing we can do to stop him, it is his decision not yours" his grandfather finished in the tone Raphael knew all too well as his grandfather's authoritative voice when his mother had tried to do something that his grandfather did not approve of. Rei took off in tears towards the mansion, Raphael reached out for her but was stopped by his grandfather, "give her time my boy" he said before looking to Raphael's sister, "Aurora why don't you go after her and try to comfort her. Me and your brother have some things we need to talk about," "yes grandfather" aurora said before hugging her brother once more and then chasing after their mother.

---

759 + 6523 = 7282

"Raphael, I know how hard this is for you, and I know your decision was not an easy one, but I have to ask why do you want to be a Shinobi?" Raphael thought for a few moments before looking up to his grandfather and staring straight into the man's face, "my whole life everyone has said 'oh there is Lucian's son' or 'you are just like your father' or something to that effect, the past two years I have strived to become better than him and prove that I was more than just his son" Raphael paused taking a deep breath before he continued, "I realized that the only way to prove that I am truly better than him is to become a better Shinobi than he was."

A few weeks after he completed his training Raphael was all set to travel to Sunagakure under the escort of twelve of the Kozai guards for protection.

"Aurora, look after mother while I am gone, and take care of grandfather," Raphael told his younger sister as he hugged her goodbye. "I will and you have to promise me that you will be back before my awakening begins and that you will stay until I am finished," she replied as they released each other from their hug. "Of course I will, a year will be more than enough time for me to finish my Shinobi training at the academy and return back and still have a couple of weeks together before your awakening begins," Raphael told his sister with confidence, before turning to his mother and hugging her tightly. "I promise I will return mother, this is not goodbye by simply see you later." He said as he kissed his mother on the cheek as they released each other from the hug, "my darling son, I have no doubt that you will be the greatest Shinobi Sunagakure has ever seen, and I know you will return to us." His mother replied as she kissed him on the forehead, and then looked to the guards that would be escorting him, "if anything happens to my son I swear I will have all of your heads on a spike," all the men nodded in unison, as no one doubted her words they all knew that although she did not look like a fighter she could easily take out even the strongest of the fighters, there were stories that even Raphael's father feared her wrath and would do anything he could to keep her from getting upset. Finally Raphael turned to his grandfather hugging him before saying, "I promise to make you proud," his grandfather just smiled at him, "my boy, there is not a moment in your entire life that I have not been proud of you."

---

466 + 7282 = 7748

The travel to Sunagakure was mostly uneventful for the you boy, although there were twelve guards sent with him only three of them stayed close to him as the other nine split up into groups of three and maintained a perimeter around him and the other three. It was not until they had almost arrived at the hidden sand village that the other nine guards came in close and the all kept Raphael within their sights.

When he arrived at the academy to enroll himself, he was surprisingly shocked to see that most of the students were actually younger than himself, but he did not let that detour him from his goal. He had made a promise to his sister and he intended on keeping that promise, he was going to apply himself fully to his study and complete all the test the academy had to offer so that he could return to his family in time to see his sister off to her awakening next year and nothing was going to stand in his way. He came from wealth so he did not have to worry much about having a place to stay, the money sent with him was more than enough to get him set up with a nice loft for him and the guards to stay as well as gave them more than enough money for anything else that they might need during their stay at the hidden sand village. After a goods night rest he awoke in the early morning and began his first day at the academy.

"Alright class let us begin, first order of business please help me welcome Kozai, Raphael to the class" the teacher stated at the beginning of the class, Raphael stood and bowed to the class before returning to his seat to begin his studying. The days in class went on and on without any incidents, and Raphael's determination shown through as he demonstrated the fact that he could perform the academy techniques without any problems. Raphael was able to keep his word to his younger sister, he completed the academy in just a year, and after receiving the headband of the hidden sand he returned to the Kozai Estate under a hiatus from the hidden sand. He was officially a Shinobi of the sand however he was not assigned to squad like most of the graduates were, under his own request to return to his family before starting his work as a Shinobi.

---

415 + 7748 = 8163

Raphael heard the fanfare before he had even reached the Estate, and as he entered the great walls that surrounded the estate he saw his sister and his grandfather, however his mother was no where to be seen. "Where is mother? I thought she would be here to greet me with you all" he said as he hugged them, "your mother is extremely busy, my boy, but she will be with us soon" his grandfather answered as they began their walk up the street of the estate. There were a lot of people out in the street, all of them waiting to greet Raphael as he passed by, "I did not know returning would have such an effect on people," Raphael said as he shook yet another hand. "You are the future leader of the clan, bubba of course they are happy to see you again" his sister answered with a large grin on her face. "Well, well, well, it is good to see you nephew" came a voice from behind them, Raphael turned to see his uncle's smiling face, "Uncle Azulon!" Raphael shouted as he ran to give the man a hug. "It has been so long, I was starting to fear something might of happened to you, so much has happened since you left" the boy said as his uncle released him from his hug, "no kidding I'm gone for five years and return to hear that you not only completed the awakening but you also graduated from the academy in half the time of me and your father" his uncle replies with a chuckle. "Azulon," Raphael's grandfather said with no emotion, "shouldn't you be debriefing about your assignment or getting your next one?" his grandfather spat. Raphael never understood why it was that his grandfather did not get along with his uncle, he was his father's twin brother and was one of Raphael's idols and yet both his mother and his grandfather had a problem with him that Raphael just did not understand. He had asked them before about it when he was younger but they just dismissed the question and Raphael had not asked about it again, he might just have to ask his uncle. "I just returned, forgive me for wanting to see my nephew and niece before I was shipped off again to who knows where." His uncle replied before giving Raphael and his sister a hug, "we need to talk," he whispered in Raphael's ear as they hugged before standing back straight and saying "well I guess I need to go to the debrief I will see you soon"

The celebration was more than just a welcome home for Raphael but it was also his sister's birthday, which meant that her awakening would begin soon. "I am sorry I did not make it back sooner, sissy" Raphael said softly as they entered the mansion and was finally away from all the crowds. "It is ok bubba, at least you are here now" she replied giving him a big hug, "I am just glad I got to see you before I went in." There was a short silence between the two before his sister asked, "how long are you back for?" Raphael thought for a moment, "well to be honest I do not know I am hoping I will be here when you complete your awakening, but I could be called at any moment to return to the Hidden Sand Village to serve so it is impossible to say," he answered. They spent the rest of the day talking as his sister told him everything that had happened in the year he had been gone, and he told her all the things he had done while he was in the village hidden in the sand. Unlike with his awakening they both knew what to expect and so as it drew closer to the time for it to start he walked his little sister down to the training building and they said their goodbyes, "do not be surprised if I beat your record," his sister said as they parted ways, "I am counting on it sissy" was all he replied.

---

703 + 8163 = 8866

Raphael remained in the Kozai Estate for the next three years both waiting for his sister to emerge from her training as well as learning all there was to learn about what would one day become his responsibility when he took over as the clan leader. He spent most of his days shadowing his mother as she performed the tasks that the leader should so that he could learn it, and the rest of the time he was with his grandfather studying the different laws and learning all the paperwork that came with his future position within the clan. He did not want to be the clan leader, he hated the tedious tasks and would often find himself day dreaming about training7 and on some occasions he actually snuck off to do some training in his secret location. He was not sure why, but he always felt better after spending a few hours training, it helped relieve the headache that he was given from all the clan leader crap.

Present Day

Raphael had found some free time, by sneaking out his window after everyone had gone to bed. He took his time walking in the moon light, until he reached his spot it was a beautiful little garden area that his mother had shown him a long time ago. She used to tell him stories about how his father and her spent a lot of time in the garden, she does not come here anymore and she doesn't really talk about his father anymore either. He began training in his usual way slow fluid motions of calming strikes, etc. Letting his mind clear away all the junk that had been on it, and all the stress that it put on him just wash away.

"You are just like your father," came a voice from the shadows, startling Raphael and drawing his attention to it to see his uncle standing there watching him as he had been training. "Uncle Azulon, where have you been? I looked for you the day I had returned because you said we needed to talk but I could not find you" Raphael stated as he approached his uncle to give him a hug. "Ah yes, well unfortunately I was placed on another mission immediately following that and had to leave before we could talk but I am back now, I figured I would find you here and wanted to talk to you before anyone else knew I was back and tried to send me off again." His uncle answered as the two embraced in a hug. "So how did you know I would be here?" Raphael asked, "are you kidding? This is where me and your father use to come everyday before he married your mother," his uncle answered, "and after he was the clan leader he told me he would come here to clear his mind of all that nonsense of the clan leader, I would honestly had been surprised if you were not here" his uncle finished before smiling and waving for Raphael to walk with him. "Why is it that you and mother and grandfather do not get along Uncle?" Raphael asked as he began walking with his uncle, it was something that had been bothering him for a while now and he decided he better ask now while he had the chance. "Well I guess you could say it is because of our different opinions on certain things, and the fact that me and your father were twins so I look a lot like him." "What do you mean a different opinion?" "Well now I do not want to upset you by speaking against your mother or grandfather" his uncle started and after a moment of thought continued, "you see when your father first died I offered myself up to run the clan in his stead but your mother did not want me around because I reminded her of your father. Then when I discovered they were throwing you into all this I again stepped forward because I knew my brother would not want that for his son, and again I was tossed aside because I am not of the main branch." Raphael's uncle stopped talking for a moment and just looked at Raphael as if he was trying to judge how he was taking the information before adding, "I still believe that you should not be dragged into this until you are ready, I have begged and pleaded with your grandfather and your mother about how your father would want you to have a normal childhood and not have all of this responsibility on you. To let you go back to Sunagakure and serve as a Shinobi until it was time for you to take the mantle of clan leader, but they will not hear of it. That is why I wanted to talk to you, if you were to say you were going to leave to go Sunagakure they would not be able to stop you. As a Kozai what you chose for your life is your decision and they cannot object to it."

"I can not just up and leave uncle, I have responsibility to the clan, to my mother and grandfather, plus Aurora is still going through her awakening" Raphael said although he knew deep down what his uncle was saying was what he wanted to do, have no responsibility and being able to live his own life. "Raphael listen, your a kid you should be allowed to live your life as a kid and not have all this responsibility" his uncle began, "if you were to say you were going to do that instead of what they want, then maybe they will listen to me and let me help your mother run the clan until you are actually ready." He finished as the reached the mansion, "at least think about it, we can talk more in the morning" his uncle add as they parted ways, as Raphael walked up the steps of the mansion heading for his window he could not help but think about what his uncle had said maybe there was more that he could do instead of spending his life locked in the mansion preparing for his future and instead live his life.

---

1051 + 8866 = 9917

The next morning came faster than he expected it to, and he did not sleep a minute, he was awake all night long thinking about what his uncle had told him as well as thinking about how his mother and grandfather would take the news. When he heard noise coming from the other side of his door he new that the rest of the house was up and moving and he headed straight for his mother's office. When he arrived at her office he was surprised to see that his mother as well as his grandfather were already there discussing something, and when he entered the room they got quiet. "Raphael, what are you doing up so early?" His mother asked when she saw him in the door, "mother there is something we need to talk about."

---

138 + 9917 = 10055
Strength trained from E-Rank to D-3: 1925
Speed trained from E-Rank to D-3: 1925
Endurance trained from E-Rank to D-3: 1925
Perception trained from E-Rank to D-3: 1925
Reaction trained from E-Rank to D-3: 1925
Total words used for training: 9625
Total Ryo cost: 750
Words left: 430