[attr="class","dramaturgypost"]



The sound of his footsteps plush against soft grass and loose dirt is easily muffled by the cool breeze and the accompaniment of rustling leaves belonging to Quercus and cherry blossom trees. His steps are light but languid, gingerly carrying Kōki through just a small patch of the dense wilderness that stretched itself across the Land of Fire. The shadows of sleeplessness cling to his eyes like a dark wreath, and yet his gaze is focused— searching. There’s a lidded, transparent box with just enough intentional gaps cut into its plastic surface to indicate its purpose as a cage cradled in his arm.
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He moves across a small clearing, stopping at its edge to drink in his surroundings. His brows furrow in concentration as he looks for a telltale shadow against the rough texture of Quercus bark. He’d come across many such shadows in this outing, but none were all too pleasing to his passenger; and when he spies another dark spot and approaches it with all the quiet stealth of a cat on the prowl, Chōmei’s voice rings in his head yet again, loud and commanding.
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Not that one. I don’t like that one.
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All the tension in Kōki’s movements dissipate like air released from a balloon. He practically deflates with a sigh, “Maybe if you weren’t so picky we’d have caught more than just one by now.” He gripes, suddenly wondering what it was that possessed him to listen to the tailed beast inside him in the first place. “Besides, it feels wrong to hunt for kabutomushi with you here. Aren’t you technically a kabutomushi? What if you’re related?” A subtle touch of joviality accents Kōki’s every word, hardly noticeable through his perpetual deadpan.
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There’s only one Lucky Seven Chōmei that stands above mere insects! Don’t lump me with them.
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“Just feels wrong, that’s all I’m saying.” Kōki shrugs, “What do you want me to do with them?” He asks, realising he hadn’t probed the tailed beast for a reason as to why it dragged him all the way to the Land of Fire to scour for its native rhinoceros beetles.
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I think they’re cute. You should start a collection.
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“… Right, we’re going home now.” Kōki sighs, ready to give up on what ended up being quite the pointless endeavour. He’s about to push past some foliage and trudge back in the direction from whence he came when Samehada bristles in its place on his back. It’s enough to give the Hidden Mist shinobi pause. An interesting chakra signature in the middle of nowhere? Sudden alertness draws the muscles in his shoulders tight as he quietly inches forward, one hand resting cautiously over the hilt of his tanto.
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It’s when he pushes past a dense patch of maple trees that he finds it: a dog, fully alert— but wearing a kasa hat. The sight is so odd it almost paints an obvious expression of shock on Kōki’s normally dead-faced features. “Good… boy?” He says with no small amount of hesitation; his hand has moved from the tanto by now to hover defensively in front of him as Samehada writhes uncomfortably in its place. The sword doesn’t like dogs— or maybe just not this one.
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It’s a ninken, by its features. Though Kōki can’t help but find it adorable. He remembers a time in his childhood when he could afford to appreciate cute animals until the habit was literally beaten out of him. Slowly and carefully, he lowers to a crouch, an outstretched palm inviting the creature to pick up his scent, before setting the caged beetle on the grassy ground as well. A single, large rhinoceros beetle sits within, almost entirely motionless save for the subtle bobbing of its impressive horn.
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Don’t give it to him, he might eat it!
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“Great. All the more reason to give it to him.”