Ninja’s Soft Weakness 2: Electric Boogaloo (TK)

 Cover illustration by TwoMario

Finally, a sequel to this old thing! This story started off as an RP I did with superdes513 involving my ninja boy Raiju and his OC Hoshi a while back, done at about the same time as when I commissioned the above pic from the legendary TwoMario. That said, there wasn't any scene in the RP based on that pic, so after I bought that up with Des, we proceeded to co-write it over the past few nights, and I added it in just today. Along with a few quality control checks, I feel that this new addition was what made the story truly pop! :D

When I first posted the story in question, it was meant as a gift for Des' birthday, but in the interest of being on time I had to submit an incomplete version because, as I've said, we were still working on the scene we'd were gonna add at the time. It was a struggle between completeness and timing, but ultimately I came up with the above-mentioned plan of "post first, edit later", and the end result is worth it all the same anyway. I know I subscribe to the "better late than never" policy, but sometimes I just can't reschedule self-imposed deadlines, especially for close friends, so please excuse this being the plan for at least some of my works in the future. ^^;

Enjoy, guys! And go check out Des' gallery - he's got quite a lot of colorful characters in there!

Raiju Inarizushi, Feather Flusters (c) me
Hoshi Fujimoto (c) superdes513

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Ninja’s Soft Weakness 2: Electric Boogaloo

by Skaea

Contains: M/M and */M tickling. SFW.

Word Count: 5,189

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The brown-haired ninja ran down the forest path without a care in the world. His middle-length hair fluttered as the air whipped past it, the hair strand sticking out from the top of his head waving like a flag in the wind. His light brown eyes and fair skin nicely contrasted the pine-green and salmon-pink sleeveless top he was wearing, with a black neck cover and an armor plate strapped in a middle of the chest. He also wore yellow-green gloves with fishnets, and yellow-green dogi pants held by a yellow sash around his waist, and bronze-yellow foot bandage wraps over his otherwise bare feet, which made a rhythmic, gentle padding and pounding as he raced over the soft soil and leaf litter.

He had just gotten back from a surveillance run of the area around the town where he and his friends lived; there was, thankfully, nothing major to worry about. So it was off to the local noodle shop, his favorite spot in the town - he was determined not to miss the order of the day, and if nothing else, he needed to get there before the sun went down and the shop closed up until tomorrow. Luckily, he didn't see anything that would hinder him, or so it seemed...

"Well, this is going to be an awesome day," Hoshi thought aloud to himself. "Everything's fine, the town's safe, and my friends are definitely gonna be at the shop waiting for me. I gotta be there as fast as I can! There's absolutely nothing that can stop me!"

As if on cue, however, a blur of movement seemed to outpace him, just out of view. He barely slowed down, wondering what it was, until a flash of movement and a loud SHING caught his attention.

Perhaps those delicious kebabs would have to wait.He was just about to investigate the oncoming threat, when the creaking sound of breaking wood attracted his attention. As it happened, it was directly in front of him - the thing he had noticed had sliced down a tree in front of him, sending it toppling towards his path...

"What the-?!" Hoshi yelped, only now noticing the shadow directly over him. "Woah-woah-WAAAH!" He dived in a bid to get out of the way, but too late. With a tremendous crash, the tree collapsed on top of him, and it felt like a heavy bag of flour had landed on the back of his legs.

The good news: the tree was relatively small, and he had managed to find a gap under its branches so he wouldn't be outright crushed.

The bad news: He was now well and truly stuck.

With a frustrated groan, he tried to push his way free, to no avail. But just as he was about to demand as to who or what would do such a thing, a figure leaped into the air in front of him, sailing gracefully clear over his head.

The dark-haired, blue-clad ninja, with a yellow scarf, a long ponytail, and only fishnets covering his bare feet, landed gracefully on top of the log, before posing in triumph. "Hah, no tree in the world is a match for my legendary Crescent Shockwave technique - AAAAAH OMIGOSH!!!" He had noticed something move below the log, and now leaped off it with a cry of fright.

Hoshi growled in frustration, trying and failing to free his legs. "Hey, what's the big idea?!" he yelped. "You almost got me squished!" It was then that he noticed the feet of the young unknown ninja in front of him, and looked up. "Who are you?"

"Hey, I didn't even know you were there!" The dark-haired boy looked down at the other ninja. "What are you doing around this neck of the woods, anyhow?"

"Well I was headed to the village I live in to get some beef kebabs," said Hoshi. "But now I'm stuck. Because of you."

"Oh, maybe I could help you out," the dark-haired boy replied. But then a thought occurred to him. He leaped over the log, and then noticed that Hoshi's bare feet were sticking out from the other side... "But first, maybe I could have a little fun..."

A moment later, Hoshi saw him leap over him again, this time to land behind him. "H-hey, what are you doing?"

Not really minding the brunette's concern, the other boy sat down next to Hoshi's feet, smiling mischievously. Without giving Hoshi any warning, he started tickling one of his feet with his fingers.

Hoshi felt his feet touched from his fingers and he couldn't hold it in. "No, I can't!" he grunted. "Mmmmmm....I'm...not... going..."

"Not gonna what, give up?" The newcomer smirked, before continuing to spider his fingers over Hoshi's foot.

"Hmmm! Hehehehe, hehehehehehe! No, please don't! N-not my feet!!" Hoshi pleaded, his feet wiggling from the mere touch of the dark-haired ninja's fingers.

"Oh yes, your cute ticklish feet~" The other boy teased as he continued tickling. Before he knew it, Hoshi could feel his captor's fingers now moving to the bases of his toes.

"Ehahahahahahahahaha! Wh-why are you tickling meeeheheh?!" he cried, his feet getting tickled even more the further he struggled to escape. Wiggling his feet in a bid to get free from the log, he seemed to only mire himself even deeper.

The dark-haired ninja chuckled deviously, deciding to proceed with the next step. He lifted his fingers off of Hoshi's soles... and then his fingertips began emitting sparks, not even near the lethal voltage but definitely enough to tickle the skin.

Hoshi felt the first electric spark on his feet, and shrieked at the especially ticklish sensation. "Oh NOOHOHOHOHOFAIREHEHEHEH! AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" His toes wiggled frantically and his soles scrunched, the sensation comparable to dozens of feathers tickling him all at once.

The dark-haired boy laughed cheerily, letting his electricity have its way with his captive. "Does it tickle? Tell me it tickles and I'll go easier on you~"

"OKAY OKAY! It does tickle!" Hoshi guffawed. "Plehehehehehese! Stop! HAHAhaha MERCEEEHEHEHEHEEE!!"

The electricity stopped, mercifully, though it was replaced by gentler tickles using the other's nails. "Awww, but I haven't gotten to your other foot yet~"

Panting and catching his breath, the brunette felt his heart sink. "Ooh man, I can't take it that much," he sighed. "Man, so who are you anyway?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! Hi, I'm Raiju. You?" He continued stroking his nails up and down Hoshi's sole as he spoke.

"I'm Hoshi, a junior ninja," he managed to reply through his giggles. "A-and I gotta say, you have some interesting powers."

"Aww, shucks~ I've been told I'm a prodigy at lightning jutsu!" He emphasized his point by letting a little electric spark zap Hoshi's toes. "Hmm, do you know any jutsus of your own? I'm sure you'll wanna get even~"

Hoshi felt the spark as though it were zipping straight up his spinal cord. "Oooo! That's tingly, haha! Well... I've been little practicing of my family's elemental jutsu, I'm learning the plant-based stuff."

"Oooh, interesting! Well, I'd like to see what you can do..." He smiled, moving his hand over Hoshi's other foot, his fingers wiggling. "...after I'm done with your other foot," he added with a malicious smirk and wink.

"Wait what?" Hoshi cried, raising an eyebrow. "And I have to ask, do you think my feet are cute? They're size eleven..."

"Of course. And so soft and sensitive, too!" His fingers started sparking again... and a few of the sparks jumped to Hoshi's toes as well.

The brunette's eyes opened wide. "Ooh! That tingles," he giggled. "Say, Raiju, mind if I play with your feet, too?"

"After I'm done with yours," he replied, before wiggling his electrified nails into Hoshi's sole...

That made him burst out into giggles. "Ohhohoho, oh my!"

And then the electric sparks start dancing from Raiju's fingertips as well, jolting against every inch of Hoshi's sensitive sole.

"Ohohohohoho nohoho!" Hoshi's feet began wiggling and spreading in ticklish excitement.  "HeheheheheHEEHEHEEEP!!"

Raiju smiled and adjusts his position so he's sitting in front of both of Hoshi's feet. He proceeds to make more electric sparks tickle Hoshi's soles and toes. At the same time, he was also moving his other hand towards the other foot.

"Ehahahahahahahahaha!" Hoshi felt his feet becoming even more ticklish from Raiju's sparks on both toes and sole, struggling in earnest now to break free. "Ahhahaha! That tickles so much! HahahHEHEEEHEEE WHAHAHAHAEEEHEHEEYYYYY?!?!"

And then the other hand joined in, with sparks dancing across his feet and between them too...
"Coochie coo, Hoshi~"

"HAAhahahaha! Y-y-youuuu-! I'LL GEHEHET YOU FOR THIHIHIISSS!!" Hoshi squealed, his head moving left and right and left again. He was being tickled so much that he was getting sweating and teary-eyed - the fingernals without electricity had been nothing compared to this.

After a few more moments of this, Raiju smiled deviously. He inhaled, and then proceeded to give Hoshi's left sole a ticklish raspberry, complete with a few sparks.

Hoshi eyes grew wide from that move. "Oh no, not that! PfffHAHAHA HeheheHEHEEEE! Not the raspberry!"

And then Raiju delivered another raspberry to the other foot. The electric sparks also jump between both feet, tickling the first one too! "BWAWHAHAHAHAHAHA! NooooooOOOOOO!"

Raiju proceeded to nibble the sole lightly, letting sparks from his lips continue to tickle the skin.

"EEEHEHEHEHEEEAHAHHAHH!" Hoshi kept laughing harder than ever, struggling not to go insane from all that electricity.

After a few more moments of this, Raiju decided to relent, though not before planting a tickly static-laced kiss on each sole. "Well? How was it?"

Hoshi's upper body flopped onto the forest floor, panting heavily. "O-okay.... It's good. I....give up, you win."

"Awww... Guess I overdid it a little. Hmm, you want that log off of you, or...?

"Or what?" Hoshi raised his eyebrow.

"I meant, uh, you think you can get outta there?" He backed away slightly, realizing what was going to happen if he didn't make his escape.

"I'll guess I'll try." With one final push, Hoshi managed to free himself. It turned out that his struggling had loosened the soil around him, giving him more room to move about.

There was a yelp and a massive spark of electricity like a lightning strike where Raiju was standing, and a smoking charred patch of ground remains a second later. He seemed to be gone, but his voice could be heard in the treetops. "Whoa! That fast, huh? I'm impressed... and a little scared... Oh nohoho..."

There was a POOF of smoke, and Hoshi appeared right next to Raiju. "Hey there buddy, missed me?"

He had judged his distance almost perfectly. Next to him, Raiju was hanging by his toes from a branch - the static cling allowing him to plant the pads of his toes onto it - meaning that he was hanging upside down. As soon as Hoshi showed up, he nearly lost his grip with a startled yelp! "Ah! Uh... h-hi?"

Hoshi was laying forward on the branch now. "Oh hey, sorry I scared you. Hope you forgive me?" He giggled. "So what you think of my escape?"

"Y-you mean you could've gotten out the entire time?!" He giggled nervously, realizing that his soles were extremely exposed and vulnerable. "Why didn't you, then?"

"Well, I don't know? It was a bit hard, but eventually, I kinda felt something that was handy in getting me out of there." It was then that he noticed a tiny spout somewhere on the ground below them, and he realized he found a potential means of getting revenge. "So... about that..."

"W-what do you mean?" asked Raiju, feeling more than a little uneasy but not daring to move lest he lose his grip. But no need - the plant vines were now growing around the tree and latching on to his toes, soft and fuzzy in texture.

"AH! AAAAH! AAAHEHEHE N-NO, D-DON'T!" Raiju squirmed in place, his toes stuck to the branch like glue by his own static cling with his feet utterly helpless to escape.

"Hehehe, hope you feel so good with those vines," said Hoshi.

It was mere seconds before plant vines began tickling his quarry's armpits. "So... how do you think, my friend?"

"GYAAAHAHAHAH NOHHOHOHOO~!" Raiju squirmed in place, unable to take the same level of tickling he could dish out - though he was enjoying it still. At least they hadn't gotten to his soles yet...

Hoshi noticed his feet, and thought back to what the dark-haired boy had done to his soles and toes. It was payback time. With that, he willed his vines to wrap around Raiju's ankles, before peeling him off the branch to show his soles fully. "Wow dude, you have the same foot size as me," he commented. "Maybe... I could return teh favor..."

Before Raiju could react, the other boy had started to lick his helpless soles.

Raiju was now hanging by his feet from the branch, having to divert his static cling to the tops of his feet to avoid falling off... leaving his poor soles unable to avoid the tickly licks from his tormentor. "YAIEEEHEHEHEHEEEE NOHOHO! AahahhAAA STOHOHOAHAHAHAP!!"

Still licking his lovely soles, Hoshi noted that they tasted nice. He probably avoided especially dirty areas, and kept his feet washed regularly. "Mmmm, your feet are soooo gooooood. I could do this all day, but... with my fingers." As he said this, he use his fingers as stated to tickle the other foot.

Raiju shrieked at the top of his lungs, the combination of licks and tickling fingers being too much for him to take, and he couldn't even move his feet at all in case he fell off the branch. He flailed about below, the vines still tickling his pits as well...

Hoshi giggled as he continued to tickle torture him. "Are you enjoying this Raiju?" he asked between licks.

The other boy couldn't even speak coherently, nor could he really answer. He couldn't stand the tickles, but they felt so nice as well, the licking especially.

"Well, looks like he's enjoying it," Hoshi concluded, now using both hands to tickle his feet. "I just like it."

"AAAAAAAH NOHOHOHOHOOO NONONONOOOO!!" Raiju wailed, still tickled out of his mind. Hoshi was certainly having fun, though, and he was glad for it. Indeed, he now decided to zero in on Raiju's heels to suck on them as well.

Poor Raiju was completely helpless... He couldn't stand tickles on ANY part of his feet, even his heels with their somewhat thicker skin. He shrieked and flailed about below, not daring to move his feet even a millimeter for obvious reasons

"Oh man, this is soooooo good," cooed Hoshi. "Just one more thing and you're free." Then, he licked Raiju's soles together, and then proceeded to nibble and suckle on them until they were sopping wet.

Raiju screamed like a little girl, finally curling his toes after that last bit to try and get the tickle sensations off... which caused him to slip off the branch, of course. He managed to grab onto one below him, but it was too thin to save him; next moment, it broke, and he landed flat on his back in the leaf litter with a startled, pained yell.

The boy stuck up a weak thumbs-up and called, "I-I'm okay!"

WHUMP! A smaller branch fell on top of him. "Less okay...!"

Hoshi gasped in shock. "Okay... Maybe I took it too far..." He glanced down at the other boy. "Dude? Are you okay there!?"

Raiju didn't respond clearly. He just mumbled something incoherent and slumped against the tree, holding up a finger as though to say "one second".

There was silence for a few moments. The two would swear they could hear birdsong in the distance, but paid no mind to it. Neither of them could've known that they had strayed by no insignificant distance from the forest path - and of course, the two of them wouldn't realize this until much too late.

Wait... What kind of sound is that? Hoshi thought to himself. Then he shrugged. Eh, not a bother.

Returning to minding his own business, and still perched upon the branches of the tree, the brown-haired ninja glanced down at the roots and vines near Raiju's bare feet, and an idea sprang to his mind...

The dark-haired boy was just around coming to by this point, and had no idea what was going on. He was about to respond that he had recovered, when...

Just then, something blocky sprouted out of the ground, hinged and holed with the texture of tree roots. The stocks closed on his ankles with one swift snap. His eyes widened, and he started to panic in earnest. "What's going on?" he whimpered, trying to pull himself free. "W-what are these things doing here?!"

He looked up to see Hoshi, laughing impishly from the other tree. "How's your legs!? Are they feeling 'numb' for you?"

"Tch, I can come up with better roasts than that!" Raiju shot back with a smirk, though the nervous look in his eyes remained. Then he noticed the vines all around him, and realized what was happening.

"Also, uh... h-have mercy?"

"Hehehe! Are you suuure~?"

Before Raiju could respond, Hoshi began channeling his jutsu into the vines all around his companion. They sprang to life like snakes, and additional plants, with red and yellow mouth pods, sprouted from the ground in front of him. Before his captive could respond, they all closed in, and started to tickle up and down his soles and in between his toes. Worse yet, the mouth pods started to lick the Raiju's feet as well, drenching them with a saliva-like secretion the color and smell of honey.

Raiju's eyes widened as the sensation hit him. He started struggling in earnest now, the tickling becoming ever more intense, as even though he was loving it he could only take so much. "PFFFT H-Hhehehehey! Hoshi, w-what are you dohohOHOING?!"

"Well... I just wanted to spring a little revenge on you," Hoshi called back. "Plus, I kinda find it cute when you're laughing." He giggled evilishly, watching the plant still licking the other boy's feet, with one of them about to suck his toes.

Raiju gasped and guffawed heartily, struggling to escape. But the stocks were tight enough that there was no getting out of there, even as he also noticed the vines creeping towards his shirt, as though preparing to remove it...

Perhaps a closer look might be better. Hoshi didn't want to risk getting within range of the plants, though, so he settled for turning and then grasping the branch with both hands before tilting himself off. His legs were positioned in such a way that when he released his grip, he ended up dangling upside down, the tops of his feet hooked around the branch, so that he was facing Raiju again.

"Hope you don't mind if I keep 'hanging' around here," he giggled, a silly grin on his face as he folded his hands into the same jutsu position as before, resuming control over his plant-controlling power.

Raiju glanced at Hoshi, now hanging by his ankles with his soles in the air, and silently longed to get him back for what he was about to undergo. Then he glanced back at the plants, now realizing that the root stocks had sprouted little tendrils of their own about to wrap around the stems of his toes. He whimpered in fear, though he still bore a teasing smile on his face as though wanting it to happen.

"Soooooo... Do you want some more tickle action~?" Hoshi called down in a singsong voice.

He shook his head frantically, even though he wanted so badly to say yes; even he had his limits, though, and he was very close to reaching them for the time being.

The sound of birds rang out from somewhere just a little bit nearer to the two of them.

"Oh okay then... Maybe just a little bit," the brunette replied. With that, the tendrils wound around Raiju's toes and pulled them back, leaving his soles stretched nice and tight.

"No no no NO NO NO-" Raiju pleaded, but too late. The plants immediately proceeded to tease and torment all over his honey-coated feet, licking and stroking and brushing and tickling the poor boy. And then there were the ones taking off his shirt...

"NONONONOOOOOOOHOHOHO! HEHEHEHEEELLLP! SOMEBODY PLEHEHEHEEEEASE!!" Raiju howled, thrashing around and trying to blast the plants away with sparks of electricity, but finding it too difficult to concentrate as his toes were sucked and his soles brushed and stroked and licked to utter distraction.

Hoshi couldn't help but chuckle himself. He especially relished how his power was making the black-haired ninja go absolutely crazy, the plants sucking his toes like lollipops and brushing and scrubbing and stroking over his sensitive soles from bottom to top. "Hehehe, this is too fun! Man, though, I wish I could join in..."

The vines now caressing his chest unfastened his shirt and slid it off his body, showing his topless bare chest. Even at his most mischevious streak, Hoshi couldn't help but wolf-whistle. "Wow! Nice abs, my friend!"

If he were still coherent enough to speak, Raiju would've replied "No autographs, please!" or some variant thereof. Alas, though, he was much too lost in his own hysterics to consider it. Especially now with the vines binding his upper body tightly to the tree.

Together, they descended upon every inch of his exposed skin.

Raiju screeched and flailed around as much as he could, sparks of lightning flashing in his palms in a useless effort to fend the vines off. He would've gladly returned the compliments Hoshi had tossed his way if he wasn't laughing so hard! The poor boy was in a literal bind, and even though he was loving every second of it (again), he was now beginning to panic in earnest, wondering how soon it'd be before Hoshi would let up.

Somewhere in the distance, the birdsong began again.

"Are you okay there Raiju? Do you need some honey on your sexy body?" He giggled about that question and his toes wiggles of excitement. The more plants goes up to him and giving a little lick of his chest or his armpits.

Raiju's laughter went silent by that point, only a snicker or chuckle betraying his hysterics. It was by this point that he realized that the singing of the birds had grown ever closer.

His eyes widened even more than they had previously as the realization hit him. He turned to look at the hanging Hoshi with a pleading expression, trying to communicate that they had to leave, right now. But alas, through his laughter he wasn't able to even speak.

"Oh man, I never had so much fun before," Hoshi mused to himself. "Seems like it's fun to hang out with him. Maybe I could try it again sometime..."

Raiju's thoughts were much more urgent, however. He frantically tried to pull himself free, but too late. A pair of little songbirds had appeared on a nearby tree branch, each with a crest on its head and a brush-like tuft of tail feathers, one orange and one purple. Right in front of Raiju (well, some twenty feet to his left, but no matter), they were eyeing Hoshi's upturned soles from directly above him with him none the wiser, and there was no way the other boy could warn him in time.

As he continued tickle-torturing his friend more or less everywhere he could reach, Hoshi suddenly felt something touching his feet, like two lightweight objects had alighted upon the nicely stretched soles. But even as he started giggling once more, having failed to notice the strange birds that had landed upon him, he was still focusing on Raiju - to the detriment of both of them. Meanwhile, the plants still continued licking Raiju's soles up and down at a leisurely pace, sucking his toes one by one and leaving them coated with that honey-like drool. And the brush-like flowers were now making their rounds all over his chest, resulting in quite an experience to remember.

Raiju couldn't even respond by now; all this tickling had reduced him to a pile of giggling ticklish mush. His vision was getting blurry, but he would swear that aside from the birds now perched on his tormentor's naked soles, there were at least half a dozen more in the canopy above him - purple ones, red ones, orange ones, yellow ones...

It was clear that things were about to get catastrophically worse for both boys. Before Hoshi could realize that the birds had landed upon his feet, they had started brushing their feathery tails against his exposed and tender arches.

"W-what the?!" Hoshi cried, struggling and failing to hold his laughter in. "Hmhmhm HAAHAHAHAHAAH NOOOO!!!"

The birds continued to tickle him, now using their beaks to peck at his toes as well, coming dangerously close to loosening his feet. His jutsu was moments from going out of control, tickling poor Raiju to near insanity and keeping him from doing anything to save the poor brunette! Two more swooped in to join them, then four more. As they proceeded to dust his soles with their wings and tails, the maddening sensation seemed to multiply exponentially, his jutsu fizzling out within less than a second.

Now with no clear signal from their master, the plants were tormenting Raiju so much that he was dangerously close to passing out. Not that the brunette ninja could restore order - Hoshi, on the other hand, was getting tickled to nigh insanity himself by no less than ten colorful birds wreaking havoc all over his hanging feet, five per ticklish sole. "Hehehehe HAHAHAHAHAhahahaha!!! No! PLEASE STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHPPP!!!"

"GYAHAHAHAHHAAAAA HOSHIIEIEIEIHEHEHEHEEE! HEHEHEHEHEEEEELLLP MEEEHEHEHEHEEEE!!!" Raiju shrieked, the plants ravaging every single inch of his trapped, helpless feet, along with his pits, sides, hips, and stomach - even his neck wasn't safe! The birds were making it too difficult for Hoshi to control his jutsu, and now there was no way either of the boys could escape...

"I CANNHEHEHEHN'T!! AHHHAHAHAHAHAH!!" Hoshi was laughing so hard from the birds pecking and feathering and tickling the arches, heels, and balls of his feet, and around and between his toes as well. But from that, his toes was about to curl one by one, his grip on his perch slowly loosening. "GYAHHHAHAHAHA!! I CAN'T!! I CAN'T!!!"

Raiju's vision was starting to blur at the edges. His laughter became helpless wheezing, his breath became ragged, and finally... he passed out.

Almost a second later, Hoshi's feet finally slipped off the branch he was hanging from, scattering the birds with an explosion of colorful feathers. "Wahahah- wh-wh- whaaaaAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

CLONK!

It was lucky that there weren't any rocks directly below him. But Hoshi landed on his head regardless, and was instantly knocked out cold.

It was quite a while before the two of them come to. Raiju was the first to wake; the stocks had apparently remained locked, but the plants had gone, with only a few buds and stems remaining. It took him a minute to cut himself free, and another minute to retrieve his shirt from the branches above him, but he managed.

Wondering if Hoshi was okay, he made his way over to the downed boy, and prodded his shoulder with his foot. "Uh..."

Hoshi moaned as he too regained consciousness. "Ehhhh... Owwww, that hurt..." He rubbed his head gingerly, feeling a sizable lump where he'd hit the ground.

The other boy's face was full of concern. He instantly sat down next to Hoshi's head, pressing his palm against his temple. "Oh man... You don't need any help with that, do you?"

There it was, another sound of birdsong. Raiju stiffened a little. "...I think we should go. I'll get you somewhere safer. Hang on a sec..."

"Yes," Hoshi replied. "And hurry."

Raiju didn't need to be told twice. Wrapping his arms under and around his companion's shoulders, he proceeded to drag him off and away, back towards the forest path. He didn't stop until he had gotten there... whereupon he collapsed in exhaustion onto the dirt.

Hoshi sat up, and immediately noticed his tuckered-out companion. "Are you alright there dude?" He put his hand on the other's face with a look of worry.

"...Well... I-I've had better days..." Raiju flopped onto the forest floor, wiggling his toes. "Shoulda roped my toes to that branch up there. So y'know, you could have your fun without the risk of me fallin' off?"

"Oh... My fault." With an embarrassed laugh, Hoshi helped Raiju up to his feet. "Didn't even realize those birds were there. W-what were they, anyway?"

"Feather Flusters," Raiju wheezed. "Didn't know those damn things had found their way here of all places, but oh well. We must've ended up on their turf without knowing it. Easy mistake to make, though - I've done that at least half a dozen times before. Fun times," he added, a little sarcasm in his voice.

"Well look on the bright side," Hoshi said with a smile. "At least we have each other now. It was fun." He hugged him, and in the process helped pull him up to a sitting position.

Raiju blinked in surprise, and then returned the hug. "I'm glad for that, actually!" he replied. "Though I'm definitely gonna have to remember to get you back for makin' me fall off a tree..." he added, poking Hoshi's side.

Hoshi giggled a little, and though he did feel his toes curl at the prospect - he certainly looked forward to it. But then he remembered what had transpired earlier. He was prepared to round on the other boy, when he noticed his suddenly downcast expression.

"Sorry, by the way," said Raiju. "About the tree, I mean. I didn't even know you were there until I noticed you stuck under it. Kinda selfish in hindsight. Maybe next time I'll keep my jutsu practicing away from the footpaths..."

"Hey, it's cool," Hoshi replied, gently patting his buddy's shoulder. "It's kinda my fault as well for being careless. No hard feelings." He smiled warmly. "In fact, I think I like you... uh, as a new friend, I mean."

Raiju was not oblivious to Hoshi's wistful tone. Maybe more than just a friend, he thought to himself. Interesting. Perhaps he's given me a new way to mess with him in the future...

Perhaps the pranks could wait, though. As it was, he grinned happily. "Same to you, buddy. So, race you to your place, wherever that is? I bet I can find it even without knowin' the way like you do!"

Hoshi laughed, and then he crouched down, preparing to dash off once more. "Well, to the noodle shop! Ready, GO!"

Raiju laughed in surprise. "H-hey, no fair! Wait for meeeee...!" With that, he headed off after his companion, laughing all the way.

It truly was the start of a beautiful - albeit competitive - new friendship.