[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi was in a bit of a pickle. She had grown, over time, increasingly reliant on Daisuke’s help. When she’d first donned the hat of her new office and had to barrel through learning a host of new responsibilities, each one more pressing than the last, she’d been determined to do it all herself. But as time went on and she grew more comfortable in the role, and she and Daisuke fell into a regular routine, she delegated more and more of her busywork to her assistant. It was, she thought, a good working relationship. But nothing was ever simple, and something always had to go wrong, and this time that meant that Daisuke was gallivanting off to the mountains to train with the wolves. Sage things, responsibility to Nature, et cetera. Of course she’d let him go, no hesitation: it was clear this was important to him. Indefinite leave of absence, go do your thing, write once a month and come back when you’re ready. Easy. The paperwork was mounting, though. She did her best, but at 2100 on a Sunday evening and half a bottle of liquor deep into writing letters to the Akazaya merchants’ guild trying to arrange the chuunin exams: she snapped. She needed an assistant. The letters were done and Kizumi was hungover. face-down on her desk, by the time she called Eri into her office Monday morning. The wood was cool and felt nice against her flushed cheek, and it would probably be a while before Eri was able to stop what she was doing to make her way to the tower, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she closed her eyes for just a few minutes…

Yamamoto Eri -- 287

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Eri]

Genbu-san

Most people in the Raikage's building knew Genbu-san, the somewhat aloof but generally friendly Chuunijn was rather distinctive in appearance what whith the massive size, metal backpack of intdeterminate use, bright yellow kimono and purple fur collar. They never quite got over how quietly he could move though. Still, no one thought to question as the large dark skinned individual wandered up towards the Raikage office, offering a wave here and there and a rumbled greeting.

Slipping into the Raikage's office, Genbu stared for a few moments at the sleeping woman sprawled out on the desk, the scent of alcohol potent in the room, a massive stack of paperwork that was... completed it seemed.

Kizumi-sama looked exhausted, and while normally there might be judgment for a booze fuelled nap, this time... there was some understanding. Thus it was that Genbu stood still and at attention quietly as he waited for the Raikage to wake, a silent, staring sentinel. Meanwhile, deep beneath layers of cloth, hardened wood and laquered iron, a small figure shiftd within the comfortable padding of the puppet and pulled out a small book, taking the time to read while she waited for her kage to wake up.

People had no idea just how cozy Genbu-san was after all.

Word Count: 211
Tags: hirana kizumi

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

It was well after Genbu-san had slipped into the room that Kizumi awoke with a start, filled with the panic of someone who knew even in their sleep that they were dreadfully late for something important. She shot up in her seat, the impression of the wood’s pattern seared into her cheek and a faint line of spit trailing from the corner of her mouth—and she bit back a short, quiet scream of surprise as she realized that someone was in her office. She swallowed it back effectively enough that it sounded more like a strangled, gargled sound than anything that would sound any alarms. Kizumi wasn’t in any danger, and she knew that objectively, but Genbu-san scared the shit out of her. She sighed, slumping heavily back in her seat and rubbing her throbbing temple with her fingertips. "I’m starting to think you enjoy this,” she grumbled, more to herself than to her visitor. "Always a pleasure, Genbu-san. Eri, can we speak face-to-face? It’s important.” Politely averting her gaze to give Eri a chance to extract herself from the puppet with some modicum of privacy—Kizumi didn’t know why, but it seemed rude to watch, almost like watching someone undress—she took the effort to tidy up both herself and her desk, tossing an empty liquor bottle into a nearby wastebasket and fixing her hair, wiping her face. "Sorry you had to see that,” she added after a moment, chagrined. It wasn’t a great look for a Kage, and she was at least somewhat aware of that. "Had a late night.”

Yamamoto Eri -- 260

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Eri]

Yamamoto Eri

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, the book having entranced her attention and the comforting embrace of Genbu-san helping her feel warm and safe. It was only when the muffled sound came from outside that she too jolted upright and reconnected with the puppet properly to allow her to sense the outside fully in time to hear Kizumi-sama's speculation that she enjoyed startling her. Eri would, of course, deny it vehemently, but it was hilarious how she seemed to manage to keep sneaking up on the older shinobi. If she had intended harm she doubted the Raikage would be so lax in noticing her, but for the time being... it was amusing.

A rumbling sound of displeasure emerged from Genbu-san at the instruction, but Kizumi would hear the hiss of the seal undoing, and the near silent whisper of well oiled joints as Eri extricated herself from within the puppet. It was oddly touching that the elder kunoichi would look away, and Eri appreciated that even as she closed the puppet back up and made sure her uniform was presentable again. Once done, Genbu-san would lumber off to the side of the room and into a ready stance, awaiting Eri's return as the small orange-haired Chuunin stood in front of Kizumi, her uniform mostly covered by her red poncho, and most of her face covered by her gas mask, her hair shading much of her face as well.

"I have seen worse Hachidaime-sama, and it is understandable. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone" she assured, head tilted earnestly to the side a little.

Word Count: 267
Tags: hirana kizumi

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi had to listen carefully for the sound of Genbu-san moving off to the corner; for such a large puppet, Eri had masterful control of it, and it was exceptionally well-made. It seemed nearly silent. That or Kizumi was just oblivious. One of the two. Eri’s voice came clearer once she was out of the confines of the puppet, though still slightly muffled by the gasmask, and it occurred suddenly to Kizumi that she could count the number of times she’d seen Eri’s uncovered face on one hand. The girl shrouded herself in layers upon layers, and Kizumi wondered if it was strictly pragmatic, for protection—or just to hide herself away from the world. "Discretion!” she said, clapping her hands. "This is why I like you, Eri.” She gestured vaguely to the chair opposite her desk, inviting the chuunin to sit. "Get comfy. I’ve got a big question for you. Drink?” She paused, then hurried to add: "Non-alcoholic.” A shot would be just the thing to get rid of the pounding in the back of her head, but she could anticipate in her mind’s eye Eri’s disapproval if she went back to the liquor bottle, and set about making them both some hot tea instead. "Long story short, I don’t have Daisuke anymore. Sage stuff, you know how it is. Running with the wolves in the mountains.” The process of making tea was soothing, the rhythm of it familiar and comforting—like making a cocktail, her hands knew what to do without her brain needing to think too deeply about it. "Thought I could tough it out until he was ready to come back, but I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon, and it’s—honestly, it’s too much to do on my own. I need extra hands in the office. You were the first person who came to mind.” She turned to face Eri, leaning against the side table that housed her teapot and electric kettle and sweeteners and things, waiting for the water to boil. "Downside is it would mean leaving genin team one behind, though I know you haven’t had the best experience there. Thoughts?”

Yamamoto Eri -- 355

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Eri]

Yamamoto Eri

Moving over to sit as requested, the small Chuunin folded herself into a chair that was big enough for Genbu-san... meaning she was basically swallowed by it. She shook her head quietly at the offer of a drink, not quite wanting to remove her mask and not feeling.... mischievous enough to use its inbuilt straw to drink from, though it seems that Kizumi was going to make it anyway, which had her sighing internally a little at the social expectations that would bring.


She was quiet as Kizumi explained the general details as to why she had been summoned, eyebrows furrowing slightly as the only sign of her contemplation. Honestly the thought of being taken off the Genin team position didn't bother her, the whole situation had not gone well at all, a dead weight that would have potentially been a black mark on her reputation in the end so the offer to have it taken away... and for what was undoubtedly a more prestigious position...

Well, there was the downside of the work requirements.

"What would the expectations be?" she asked after a few moments of consideration. She could practically hear her uncle urging her to accept before the opportunity slipped by, but she wasn't going to just agree without hearing what it was that the job entailed, no matter how enticing it might be.

Word Count: 226
Tags: hirana kizumi

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

It was subtle, but Kizumi caught the small shake of Eri’s head, and without saying another word about it the second cup was flipped upside down on the side table: the tea she was making was for herself, with no further expectation placed on Eri. She was, to a small degree, relieved that Eri asked for more details first: evidence that she’d been correct in her estimation that she was a sensible young woman. The difference between this conversation and the one she’d had with Daisuke when she’d first taken on the hat was stark: Daisuke had been so offended by the offer at first, she’d had to coax him into it, let him work himself through his own temper long enough for him to understand what she was putting on the table. "Admin is a good chunk of it,” she said. "Most of the mission processing gets handled by the rest of the admin team—jounin hanchou handles the team leaders, team leaders handle their teams, all that good stuff. But I need to have regular meetings with my council and with my leadership team to make sure everything is running smoothly, and I need a right-hand lady to take notes, help me keep organized. You’ll be able to notice things that I can’t—that Yamamoto blindsense will be great for that.” She went down the list of responsibilities in succession as she finished fixing her tea, loading it up with a truly abominable amount of sweetener before settling back into her seat. Still going on missions, yes, but also taking mission reports, going through correspondence, organizing meetings, absorbing and dissecting team configurations and shinobi report cards, et cetera, et cetera. Everything that Kizumi put her eyes and hands on, Eri would also be putting her eyes and hands on, a level-headed copyeditor to help make up for Kizumi’s fallible human nature. "It’s a lot of work, I’m not gonna lie,” Kizumi admitted. "Me and Daisuke were pulling a lot of late nights before he fucked off. I’d do my best to make sure you’re not overworked, and try not to slam you with too many missions on top of all the rest.” A pause, and then: "Take as much time as you need to think about it, but you can say no.” No judgment, no pressure: just an earnest affirmation that the ball was well and truly in Eri’s court. "And if there’s any other questions you have, just ask.”

Yamamoto Eri -- 410

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Eri]

Yamamoto Eri

The young redhead was quiet as Kizumi spoke, considering carefully what was being suggested. Truth be told, she wasn't fond of the assignment for the Genin team leader, while it was certainly a sign of trust it had gone poorly thus far and she didn't really feel confident that she could go forward with it either. Her alternatives weren't all that appealing either, she could join an operations team, but that was a little too much for her. She couldn't join the ANBU, her combat style was far too distinctive for the black ops, and she wasn't a medic.

On the other hand, she was dutiful, diligent, and admittedly a little neurotic, which would be useful when serving as the Raikage's personal aide. Beyond that, she would have access to a lot of opportunities that she might not otherwise be able to gain through close contact with the village leader. Her uncle would likely be quite happy about the move too, as it would put her in a better position amongst the clan...

Really, when weighed up in such a way there really was only one answer to give. Any other answer would just not make sense to her, from a personal, social, and even career based perspective.

"When do I start?"

Word Count: 212
Tags: hirana kizumi

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi was tense as she watched what she could see of Eri’s masked face, though she did a decent job of concealing it, holding her gently steaming teacup in both hands and blowing on its placid surface. If Eri declined, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do—she had a different path in mind for Shosuke’s development, Akihiko was lovely but a bit of a ditz, all of her high-performing genin were either too well-suited to their current team dynamics or directly related to her, and she had no desire to deal with accusations of nepotism. Jounin had better things to do with their time than babysit Kizumi—any jounin handholding her through her work was better suited to the war council or a team lead position anyway. She could go without an assistant for a while longer if she had to, but she’d need something stronger to keep her going through those long work nights, keep her focused and alert and spelling correctly… But Kizumi was saved from considering alternate solutions with one simple question, and her exhalation of pure relief took a massive weight off her shoulders. "You’re an angel,” she said warmly, gratefully. "Take the rest of the week to make whatever arrangements you need to make with your team—I’ll draft up a plan for temporary leads and assignments until I can find a permanent solution for the two of them.” A Shitai and a Kyuumu with wildly different skillsets… it would take some time to find a suitable replacement, and a third genin to fill that final slot. A ninjutsu specialist to fill the long-range niche? A generalist lead to fill their respective training needs? Things to think about. "Weekend off, then you’ll start Monday.” Though a good chunk of her relief could be attributed to simply having another body helping with her workload, she was quietly eager to see how Eri did in this new role: she was sharp, sensible, diligent, attentive to detail, creative. A capable shinobi with a natural talent for leadership—if she could just work her way a little more out of that puppeteered shell. Kizumi was immensely pleased with her own judgment, and eager to see what the future held.

Yamamoto Eri -- 369

LAIKA OF THQ