[Sora Minami]

It was rare for Sora to reach out to one her old squadmates directly, and even rarer for them to try and contact her. Unfortunately word had spread through the Kuronmeru compound about her bout with Inei which, on top of her being Enyo’s Jounin Sensei, had finally managed to catch the attention of her least favorite living person: Kuronmeru Keiji. He had been the most vile member of her old Hunter-Nin squad, the one most likely to kill simply because he could, rather than because he had been ordered to. Cruel and sadistic like his cousins, Keiji was as Kuronmeru as they came, dripping with their telltale arrogance and pride, the lowest of the low, beaten out only by the monsters in human skin that were Enyo’s parents.

And he wanted to meet with her. For sake.

Why the hell am I even doing this. The Jounin thought, letting loose a long, heavy sigh as she strolled down the street, one hand resting on Samidare’s hilt. She already knew how this meeting was going to go; they’d bicker for a little while, Keiji shooting insults and needling her about quitting, and then she’d knock him flat on his ass (again) and storm off. It had been that way with every last member of her old squad save Captain Zaizen, and Keiji was unlikely to be different. It might have been unfair of her to assume he was the same as he had been back during the war but… well. Blood was hard to change. Especially when it ran as black as his.

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

"Sora!" he called out from down the street. Keiji's arm were splayed wide in a mockery of a welcome embrace. "How good to see you!"

"You know, I was just thinking about the good old times. Come, come." he motioned her towards the staircase to his apartment and led her in. They passed through the entrance room and down the hallway into a small room, simple with tatami floor and a few cushions surrounding a low table with tea equipment set upon it.

His apartment was larger than most, though the choice to keep a room perpetually empty just for uses such as this may have seemed bewildering.

Keiji sat down on one of the cushions, in seiza. Reaching across, he poured himself a cup as well as one for Sora. "Well, how's it been? You feeling much better with yourself now that you've given up a real job for, uhh," Keiji lifted his hand up and squinted at it as if reading off a card. He mumbled as if reading it off. "That's too many words, let's just call it 'babysitting'."

"I mean, what do you even do all day?" He laughed while shaking his head with an incredulous look on his face. Stretching his facial expressions into an exaggerated eye-roll, he said: "I've seen Enyo lately, doesn't seem like he's learned all that much."

---

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Oh wonderful, he’s spotted me. Sora thought as Keiji’s voice caught her attention, his lanky frame standing out from the crowd with its bleached blonde hair and dark red, nearly brown eyes. To look at him, he wouldn’t seem to be much of a Kuronmeru, even if he adhered to some of their stylistic tastes, but the mocking edge to his words were a dead ringer for Enyo- she’d heard the boy use that exact tone when explaining how he, despite being just Genin, was superior to her by dint of his blood. And he hasn’t changed at all… lovely.

"Hello Keiji." She said, voice flat as she followed him up into his apartment complex, passing by several other units before at last coming to one near the end. A short walk down a hallway led them to a small room with a tatami floor, a low table and some tea equipment, along with several cushions for seating. She took a seat opposite the man, removing Samidare from the obi on her hip as she sat down in seiza, angling the blade so that the hilt would be in range if she had to draw.

"I see you haven’t lost your touch for being belligerently ostentatious." Sora said, treating Keiji’s question for what it was- a provocation, meant to incite and annoy her into doing something he could hold over her head. Again. "And I’ve been doing quite well since I left, thank you. Made Jounin, as you may have heard."

She gave the man a sly smile at that, just shy of being a smirk, and lifted her cup of tea, blowing on it gently before taking a sip. The old her would have been wary of poison or drugs but… Well. He could only do so much in the village. Particularly when she was his superior, if only by a half-step.

"And as for what I do… well. That’s rather easy. I teach your pig-headed cousin how not to die when a bandit tries to cut his throat." She tried to, anyway. Getting Enyo to shut up and listen long enough to actually learn something was difficult, particularly when he was in one of his moods. At least Ikana and Kasumi were learning. Slowly. "He’s doing a very poor job of learning at the moment on account of him being an entitled little shit, but I have hopes he might rise to your level of inane pomposity soon enough."

Sora paused then, taking another sip of her tea (which seemed fine, if not exactly wonderful) before she spoke again, setting the cup down on her right side. "But enough about me. How have you been now that you don’t wantonly murder people in the shadows?"

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

Keiji cradled his head in his hands as though he were about to weep. "Oh! It's horrible, simply horrible."

"I've had to put up with living like a shmuck - menial, boring tasks; every day the same." he said while dragging his hands down his face, tugging his eyelids open.

With a fake look of defeat and then a wry smile, he took a sip from his cup. Keiji let out a satisfied sigh."But the worst part are my moronic relatives. I'm not quite sure how you put up with training that annoying brat daily."

"At least you aren't expected to spend time around the lot of them." He motioned to the walls. "It's a blessing that I've got this place to hide out in. Thank the gods Yosei or Enyo haven't found it yet." The thought of them pestering him at home was a dire one.

The cup warmed his hands as he took a long drain of tea. Keiji set it back down with a relaxed look.

"Well, it seems I may be getting transferred some permanent members for my operations team." he said while scratching at the bit of stubble that'd grown in. "Give me a chance to get out in the field some more. You know, engage in some wanton murder."

---

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

"Yes, I assumed it would be for you." Sora said as her former squadmate spoke, bemoaning his inability to do as he once had during the Civil War with mock sadness, though she thought there might have been a touch of real bitterness hidden beneath the sarcasm. He always had been one to aim high, even with his bastard status, and it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if he felt resentful for the simplicity of his current position.

"It helps that I get to hit him. Repeatedly.” She said, leaning back slightly on her cushion as Keiji kept going, motioning to the walls as he explained that he had his own apartment to get away from the insanity of his relatives. She could understand wanting to stay away from them, even if he didn’t see the hypocrisy in calling them crazy. "I’ll have to try and steer the team away from here, to spare you." And them, of course.

Sora tilted her head to one side as Keiji continued on, making small talk as if they really were just old friends catching up after a long absence- which was as far from the truth as one could get.

"...What do you want, Keiji. Really." She said once the man was finished, her tone flat and even, gaze focused on him, every muscle relaxed and ready to explode into motion all at once. "I know you didn’t ask me over here to reminisce and gripe about your work woes, so spit it out. I don’t have all day."

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

He smirked while jabbing at his chest. "You've wounded me, Sora! A simple man like me isn't allowed to see his old friends?"

Of course, there wasn't little that was simple about Keiji, or his life. If his life appeared plain and boring, it was because being an Operations Team leader was the only publicly acknowledged position he held. In reality, his work as Shireikan Tantei kept him more than busy enough.

Keiji regarded her with a look that seemed unreadable. What he was thinking must've appeared a mystery, though from her opinion of him one would assume something unsavory.

"Why would you assume I want something from you?"

It wouldn't be wild to imagine Keiji wanting all sorts of things, of course. Sora already knew the kind of person he was, so his jovial facade was readily apparent as such to her.

"I mean, what do you really have to give me?"

"There's plenty I could ask you to help me with. I mean, did you see the place coming in?" he laughed. "Could always use help cleaning."

He'd said it plainly, but she'd no doubt heard the hidden sneer behind it. "You know I'm not that well-endowed - with chakra - to be wasting it on shadow clones for chores." Keiji held back a chuckle. He so did enjoy needling her. It was almost a tradition at this point.

"No," he sighed. "nothing so mundane as all that."

"Well, in a sense maybe it is." Keiji finished off his cup in a gulp much too big to be considered polite. "It's simple, really. I know you have high ambitions too. I'd just ask you to keep an eye out for little old me. Put in a good word here and there."

"We go back, don't we? I mean, we've both done some pretty heinous things." he drawled as he side-eyed her while pouring himself another cup. "But you and I know how to keep secrets, don't we?"

"We've got to watch out for each other, no?"

---

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Sora listened to Keiji’s answer (or lack thereof) with a look of impassive annoyance, her lips pursed in a thin, tight line as he went on and on, using half-spoken thoughts and innuendos to hint at what he meant without ever actually saying anything at all. Ribbing and needling was practically a tradition amongst her old squad, but the Kuronmeru had taken to it better than most, elevating it to an art form, though nowadays it came across as annoying rather than infuriating.

"We were never friends Keiji, just comrades." She said, while he took a gulp of his tea voice flat, eyes fixed on his face, left hand clenched in her lap. The squad had proved just how little they cared for her when she’d put in for the Academy, each one berating and then abandoning her in turn. Even Sayu. "So I’ve no obligation to help you with any-"

The Jounin paused when Keiji spoke up again, his words like a shock of cold water down her back as she pieced together what he had been hinting at, now revealed. For a moment, she had no words, nothing beyond the slight opening of her mouth that someone, anyone would stoop so low as to use what she and her squadron had done as blackmail material, even Keiji. She could feel her head pounding, the room shrinking as the memories flooded in of what they had done, of what she had done, all in the name of the village, for its glory, so a dead woman could rule unopposed by the Daimyo. It was almost too much for her to control, the surge of emotions Keiji’s threat brought… almost.

Breathe. Sora thought, taking in a slow, steadying breath as she closed her eyes and found the center of the storm. The void where emotion did not rule, where she could let her rage and violence go without fear of them controlling her, directing them to do as she wished, not the other way around. Another breath and she opened her eyes, expression soft and almost serene as she unclenched her left hand and slid it to the middle of Samidare’s saya… and exploded into motion, her body a fluid whip as twisted in place and then uncoiled, right hand ripping her blade free of in a perfect sitting iai that came screaming for Keiji’s neck.

Only to stop, the edge on his skin, unbroken but pressured.

"Perhaps you’ve forgotten, old friend." She said, voice soft despite the violence that soaked the air. "What we did, our identities, everything about our squad back then? It’s classified. If any of it were to leak to anyone, the person responsible would be a traitor."

And he knew how Kiri dealt with traitors.

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

Keiji felt the blade against his skin, pricking up the small stubble on his throat. A thin cut opened as he swallowed.

"Come on now," he said with a smile. "When have I ever been anything but secretive?" It was true: he'd never blabbed to anyone about anything such as this. A threat was not the same as doing.

Cradling the edge of her blade in the crook of his index finger, he applied a little pressure to indicate he wanted it let off his neck. "You're the one stating specifics, not me."

"I love my village," he laughed. "Certainly more than my family." He wasn't as susceptible to the never-ending pride and praise of his clan, most of them were worse off than his weakest colleagues.

His dark eyes regarded her with a calmness that seemed to imply he was utterly unperturbed by the situation. "I'd never become a traitor. I'm just trying to appeal to you, squadmate to squadmate."

He pinched the edge of her blade, running his fingers down to the tip. A drop of blood welled on his fingertip as he removed them to lift his cup. With a raise of his eyebrows, he lifted it and carefully let a sip fall down his throat.

Setting the tea down, he lifted his finger up and gingerly licked the small black drop of blood off.

"We've both got too big of ambitions to let something as silly as the past hold us back."

---

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Sora held Samidare to Keiji’s neck, her gaze flat and cold against his as he spoke, laying out his argument. He had always been secretive, yes, but people could change- and she had no desire to find out just how willing he was to sabotage her career just to be vindictive. Still, the Jounin kept her blade against his neck for a moment longer, staring down at him before she relented and sheathed the weapon in a single, practiced move, gaze never leaving his face. He was angling for something, something specific, and she needed to know what.

"I’ll ask again." She said, not sitting as the man drank a drop of his own, vile blood, mingling it with the tea he’d made as if it were some exotic sweetener. "What do you want, Keiji. Specifically." Being a Jounin had its perks, but as far as the Mizukage or the Hanchou were concerned, she was just another face in the crowd, an asset to be used and tended for the village’s gain. Nevermind that Sayu knew her, that they had a history. Her influence was small, painfully so, limited to just a few contacts in the Hunter Nin Corps and the Academy, so whatever the man was looking for had to be within that sphere.

Or whoever. She thought, staring down at him as she waited for a reply.

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

Keiji rolled his eyes emphatically, as if to say: you wouldn't do anything I asked you to specifically anyway. He sighed.

"You want specifics? I want an in." He gesticulated.

"To the next generation, in particular. I don't know what illusions you hold about me, but I've always cared about power. And the village is looking more and more bankrupt of it every year." If Keiji could gain more influence over some of the younger shinobi in the village, perhaps he could sway things towards his goals. At the least, if Sora put in some good words for him he'd find it easier to commandeer particular shinobi for misisons.

"I want Enyo on my Operations Team, once he gets promoted." Keiji waved a hand to stifle any of her objections. "I know, you don't have the authority to decide that. But you can suggest, which I'm sure Tooru will be swayed by in a vacuum." The Kage likely wouldn't see anything inherently wrong with Keiji wanting his cousins placed under his wing. Besides, Keiji had never shown any violent intent towards his charges.

"And Yosei too, eventually. The village aside, my family is weak - I want to make them stronger."

---

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Sora blinked, the surprise evident on her face as Keiji made his demands. That was it? No grand scheme, no diabolical plot, just more access to having who he wanted on an Operations Team? God, that was almost tame! The thought of it brought a soft, bemused smile to her face- though not for long, as her old comrade soon showed his true intentions, if only indirectly. Always the power-hungry one, weren’t you.

"I can swing Enyo fairly easily." She said, her voice soft and flat despite the churning that was going on in her gut. She didn’t much like the little shit, and as far as she knew Keiji had never been violent towards him without due cause, but the idea of having even the most annoying of her Genin spend time under his tutelage put a twist in her stomach that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard she pushed it down "Yosei is harder, but if he ever gets off his ass and actually graduates from the Academy I may be able to persuade him your way."

Sora paused, her lips pursing together in a tight line as she thought about what to do, what to say next. She understood, to a degree, why Keiji thought about the village the way he did- why he assumed Kirigakure was weaker now than it had been in the Civil war, why his family was weaker now than it had ever been. And, to a degree, she agreed. The Kuronmeru were weak, just not in the way he probably imagined. "Is that all?"

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

Keiji shrugged hard. "If you think so, sure. Unless you want anything from me." he said with a smirk. "I'm no miser. Just ask." Despite everything, Keiji could be generous at times. A long career and his family's resources meant he was quite well off. He lived rather austere and didn't care much for excess wealth.

"I wouldn't expect your cooperation for free. Surely there's something you'd like in return." Keiji poured some more tea into his cup. He watched the steam rise from it like a pillar of smoke. It floated away like fog as he blew on it.

"You'd be surprised how many doors are open to me." he said with a smile. While she wouldn't know it, or probably even suspect it, his position and relative lack of oversight meant practically anyone or anything in the village was open to him.

"Need new paints? Brushes? I'm still waiting on that portrait, by the by. Shall I get you plenty of blacks and reds?" he joked.

He sipped the still-scalding tea. Keiji was always a little sentimental when around old squadmates, though he rarely let it show overtly nor would most assume it of him. He'd earned his reputation for bloodthirstiness, very much so. One wondered how he wasn't constantly unnerved without action in the village: perhaps he was getting it from another source.

"Or, give me a name - I can get you in touch with practically anyone, or get you some info. You know that I've always been good at snooping."

---

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Sora stared down at her former colleague with a look of bewildered confusion. This… was not the Keiji she had come to know in the Hunter Corps. He was similar, yes, but the man she had known back then would have been chomping at the bit with as little action as Ops Team 1 was getting, acting like an addict too long from his last fix rather than the calm, almost sentimental man before her now. What in the world is keeping you sane?

"A name?" The Jounin said, placing her left hand onto Samidare’s hilt, her expression shifting to one of thoughtful consideration. There wasn’t much she couldn’t do without Keiji’s help, but perhaps… Yes. There was one person she wanted information on- someone who, despite holding an esteemed position within the village, had been rumored to be quite the malcontent, particularly towards the Mizukage and his reign.

"Koshutora Ryu." Sora said after a long moment, sky-blue gaze holding steady with Keiji’s as she spoke. "He’s supposed to be some kind of Sage for the village, but he moves about too much to get anything other than the basics on him." If he really was against Toru’s rule, then she couldn’t very well let him keep spreading his poison amongst the people of Mizu no Kuni, and if he wasn’t… well. Having a powerful backer in the Tiger Sage couldn’t hurt if she ever made a bid for the hat, be it against Toru or not.

"And I draw, not paint." That was an important distinction to make, even if it didn’t seem like it to the Kuronmeru; drawing and painting were vastly different in their approaches to creating a portrait, after all. God I miss Sayu.

Kuronmeru Keiji

[Kuronmeru Keiji]

Oh well, he thought to himself with a smirk. I wouldn't look as good in black and white anyway. Evidently he'd never cared to remember the distinction in her medium.

He'd always been more focused on the here and now - he'd never asked his squadmates much in the way of personal questions, and social gatherings like this one were few and far between. The only art he cared all that much about was on the battlefield.

"The Tiger Sage, hmm?" Keiji said while scraping his lower lip with a fingernail. "Sure, I can do some digging. Dunno what exactly I might find," he drawled with a shrug. "but ask and ye shall receive."

He wasn't all that intimately familiar with the sage, but if Sora felt the need to look into him then Keiji imagined she had good reason. With some snooping and perhaps a prodding encounter with Ryu, he'd have plenty to bring back to her.

With their 'official' business concluded, Keiji relaxed. He pulled his legs out of seiza and sat with an arm wrapped around his knee. "I'd ask you to stay a while longer, but I feel we don't share the same tastes in diversions." he croaked with a sick laugh.

---

Exit Thread
Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

"Right." Sora replied, her face twitching into a slight frown as Keiji finally got out of seiza, spooling out his long, spindly legs and wrapping an arm around one knee. She’d seen him in that pose a hundred times out in the field- though he seemed relaxed, she knew he could spring up and into action in the blink of an eye. He’d done it to her more than once, though it had been a long time since she’d underestimated the man.

"Just tell me when you find something." She said, brushing off the man’s innuendo and strolling out of the tea room. She moved through the rest of his apartment without a word, closing the door behind her and heading out of the complex towards her own house, her own long legs carrying her through the crowd quickly. A part of her was glad to be done with the man, his oily presence still festering in her head despite how little time she’d spent in the same room with him- and a part of her was simply glad she’d gotten out of there without having to sell her soul to the devil.

Although, I’m not that far off…

fin

Kuronmeru Keiji