Mission Stories

Title: Lanterns in the Sky
Fandom: Naruto
Characters: Yoshi Aoki, Ryouichi Aoki, Akimitsu Sugimoto, Tamie Aoki
Pairing: N/A
Ratings: K+
Warnings: N/A
Author Notes: Since I can dish out fics faster than drawings, I'm gonna stick with these for now 8)

"Ok boys, are you ready?" Sachiko asked as she walked towards Ryouichi and Yoshi.

"Yeah!" The boys said in unison.

Yoshi was looking forward to this day for months. He loved the Lantern Festival and every year it became more and more amazing. He couldn't wait to see all the lanterns and how everyone was dressed. He was super excited to play games with his teammates but was sure Akimitsu was probably going to avoid him again. He didn't care, he was going to be with his brother, which wasn't too weird since he spent most of his time with his cousins, teammates, or friends.

Yoshi ran with his older brother towards the center of the Aoki Compound. Many of the Aoki were standing around with lanterns in their hands. The children and other young clansmen were excited about the festival. Ryouichi trailed after his little brother. Both were excited for the first wave of lanterns. They tended to stay in the air until the final wave of lanterns when the festival was almost over. Well that he noticed, he knew people often threw lanterns into the sky whenever they were about to join.

Regardless, he was excited. He approached his cousin, Tamie Aoki. She looked happy as she stood with her siblings. Yoshi waved at his cousins and watched as they ran off somewhere, maybe to go send their lanterns somewhere else with friends. He didn't mind, he loved seeing his cousin happy, even if she looked grumpy most of the time. Ryouichi bumped into his brother, knocking Yoshi a few steps forward. Sei, Ryouichi's red panda, climbed up his brother's kimono and sat on his shoulder. He looked at them as Yoshi looked back with a smile.

"Let's do this!" Yoshi grinned.

"Yeah!" Ryouichi laughed.

He handed his brother one of the lanterns he was carrying. Yoshi held onto it and looked around for a match that someone had already it. One of their clansmen handed them one that was still lit. Yoshi took it, after saying thank you, and lit his lantern. He handed the match to his brother and waited for Ryouichi to light his. As soon as it was lit, there was an immense cascade of howling nearby. Everyone looked towards a mass of lanterns flowing upward from the Kitsune Compound. Yoshi and his brother laughed as only Kitsune would get this excited for a festival. The howling died down after a moment and the brothers, along with their clansmen, joined the Kitsune in releasing their lanterns.

Yoshi watched in awe as the lanterns floated towards the sky. He felt his excitement running through his veins, making the smile on his face as wide as it could stretch. The orange glows looked like a Great Spirit was blessing them with the intent behind the lanterns. The first batch was to celebrate the village's well-being and to remember how the village was formed. He remembered the lessons from the Academy and was still excited every time he saw it. Something about this moment, this festival, made Yoshi want to strive to become a better individual. He looked at his brother, who looked at him back and they laughed.

"The festival's started!" Yoshi laughed. Ryouichi nodded and returned his brother's wide smile.

"Let's go play some of the games now!" He said.

"Yeah!" Yoshi cheered. He followed his older brother for a few steps before looking back at the lanterns. He hoped moments like these never went away because these moments made him feel like he could do anything. With another laugh, he sped after his older brother and the two raced into the village.