[Sora Minami]

Sora stared down at the stack of papers on her desk with bleary eyes, her face slack with exhaustion as she shuffled through the information Kuni had sent her for the tenth time in the last few hours. She’d gone over the genealogy (well, what she was allowed to see anyway) of the Hinode clan a dozen times since it had come in the mail, but the details in it were sparse, yielding little in the way of actionable information. She’d found a distant cousin, a cloth merchant who operated out of Takigakure and had no clue about anything having to do with her mother, but other than that… nothing but scraps of information, too small to be useful for anything but an educated guess.

There has to be something here. The Jounin thought, her lips pursed in a tight line as she shook her head, focusing on the kanji. It was the first page of the family’s lineage, a long branching tree that went back almost a hundred years, each name diligently compiled with the date of their birth and death, though the further back one went, the more vague the information became. Sora’s eyes followed the tree down, finding her mother’s name near the bottom left corner- the only one on that particular branch, as the library in Taki had no record of her after she’d gone to Mizu no Kuni.

She knew that history though, and for a moment the pink-haired woman sighed, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes as she traced her mother’s lineage back, one line at a time. Koharu Hinode, born 962 to Kurodo and Maki Hinode. Kurodo had been her grandfather, a merchant of some repute in Bonchi no Kuni whose wealth had supported the clan for a good while after her mother had left; his wife, Maki, had no information attached to her other than a small note about her dying in childbirth, so she moved up the tree, cross referencing the massive stack of papers when she could.

Kurodo Hinode, born 922 to Sayaka Hinode and… Kuroshi? Sora paused, her gaze narrowing at the name; something in the back of her head tickled with familiarity, as if she had heard or read it somewhere else. She had spent a good amount of time studying what she could of Sayaka, but she’d somehow missed this- the tree listed him as her great-grandfather, but the written lineage listed another man as Sayaka’s husband, a Todo Hinode who’d been utterly unremarkable.

"So who the bloody hell is Kuroshi?" She murmured, shifting through the stack of papers one by one, looking for any mentions of that name. It took awhile, almost twenty minutes, but eventually she did find a small blurb about him near the end of the stack, a note that spoke less of a bureaucratic hand and more of a personal one, as if someone were putting the information to print so she wouldn’t forget. Kuroshi, the one man I ever loved. True father of Kurodo Hinode, a man who deserved better than he got. May your blood sing strong in our descendants, my love, and may the bastard burn for taking you from me.

Sora read the note over once, twice, three times before she set the paper down, blinking. Despite the exhaustion that clung to her bones, she felt something- a tiny thrill, a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she might have found something worthwhile. A real lead, if only a small one. She’d have to do more research of course, but for now…. For now she had something to go off of.

[Sora Minami]

Kirigakure’s public archives had, over the last twenty years, taken a beating unlike anything in its long, storied history. The civil war, then with the Sanbi Rampage and the near collapse of the economy that it resulted in, and finally years of neglect had all come together to form a near perfect storm of events that made the once impressive collection of publicly available information all but useless. Even now, with the village finally beginning to recover and step out of the depression it had been, the Archive sat as a monument to what had been, its dilapidated building and peeling paint a sore sight for anyone who lived nearby.

Luckily for Sora, that meant the place was almost always empty; even the people in charge of keeping the place swept and ordered usually only visited it once a week, though the old woman who manned the front desk came in every day. It made the place a wonderful spot to relax in if you wanted some peace and quiet… especially if it meant there wouldn’t be any prying eyes and ears around to see what she was doing.

So, the day after discovering Kuroshi in her mother’s lineage, the Jounin had made her way to the Archive and, after a short talk with the woman who manned the desk, settled her things into a small culvert near the back. She had been here before, looking through what was left of the archives to try and piece together something of her family’s history, but with this new lead she had another angle to inspect- one that, perhaps, might finally give her a familial connection beyond a stray cousin or two.

Alright. Sora thought, strolling down the aisles of shelves with slow, deliberate purpose as she perused the information, wondering where to start. "Kuroshi” wasn’t a particularly common name and, while it certainly sounded familiar, the Jounin had no clue where she had heard the name before- it could have been a passing mention, a single glanced word on a page, a misread title of some sort. The only way to know, however, was to search through everything she’d touched in the last few months, every scrap of writing she’d looked through in her quest for answers.

"Let’s get to work."

[Sora Minami]

Sora stared down at the jumbled stack of scrolls and loose leaf papers with bloodshot eyes, her head pounding as the sun set beneath a cloudless sky. She had been at it all day, pouring over every scrap of information she had put her hands on in the last three months, using the signout logs to cross-reference whenever her memory didn’t serve as a good source… and had found nothing. No mention of Kuroshi, nothing of Sayaka Hinode, not even a whisper of anything related to what she was looking for. And she had looked- checking and rechecking every page, every sentence, even the tiny little notes scribbled on sides and top, most of them frivolous and none of them relevant.

She still had a mountain of papers and information to go through, of course, but for the moment, the Jounin needed to take a break; her head was pounding, her vision blurry and unfocused, her muscles sore from sitting for hours on end. So, the pink-haired Jounin stood, stretching her sore muscles with a quick trip to a food stall she knew stayed open until well past sunset. Armed with a bowl of fried rice and a side of pickled fish, she returned to the archives with a full stomach and a somewhat renewed resolve to find what she was looking for- only to be met with something she didn’t expect. The book keeper.

"You’ve been here for eleven hours young lady.” The elderly bookkeeper said as she stood before her in the doorway, her old face a mask of elderly annoyance as she pointed a long, wrinkled finger at Sora. "We aren’t a homeless shelter. If you’re so hard up on housing you need to sleep here, you’ll find me a poor hostess.”

"I’m not homeless, Ma’am." She replied, lips parting in a slight frown at the woman’s tone. It had been a long time since a civilian had taken any kind of lip with her, let alone someone so… blatantly disrespectful. "Nor do I, a Jounin, have to explain myself to-"

Before she could finish, the old woman moved, shoving her finger even closer to her nose, a look of stern disapproval flashing across her face as she spoke over the pink-haired woman, not letting her get a word in edgewise. "Now don’t you lie to me missy. I’ve been keeping these records for forty-seven years, and I know the look of someone at the end of their rope when I see one! This is an archive, not a bloody hostel, so don’t go acting like you can fool me!”

Batty old coot. Sora thought as the elderly bookkeeper kept going, her rant growing in volume as she stood in front of the archive, not letting her pass even as she raved about the conditions, the lack of funding, and thousand other things, none of them really related but all circling back around to being some sort of injustice done against her, personally.

"Ma’am. Ma’am! MA’AM!" The pink-haired Jounin said, increasing her volume each time until she was shouting along with the bookkeeper, her voice echoing across the mostly empty streets as she took her teaching tone with the lady, putting every ounce of annoyance and frustration she felt at not being able to find what she was looking for. "I understand you are… upset about the state of the archives. But I am not a vagrant. I am a Jounin of Kirigakure doing important research. And you are impeding that."

The elder woman, surprisingly, actually stopped at that, her face flushing red for a moment as she composed herself, clearly somewhat embarrassed at the outburst- still, she stepped aside, allowing the Jounin to head back in, though not without a fair bit of grumbling under her breath. Most of it was too quiet to be heard, but one bit was just loud enough (or she was just close enough) for her to make it out- and that bit had her whirling about to face the old coot, sky-blue eyes suddenly very focused. "...bloody stupid girl, digging into ancient history.”

"What do you mean, ‘ancient history?”" She asked, her voice soft but sharp, like a honed edge as she stared down at the older woman, her gaze narrowed down to a fine point. Did this… did this woman know something? could she know something? Kuroshi was supposed to have been alive almost a hundred years ago, whoever he was, which put her, as old as she was, squarely out of the age range for knowing him personally, but maybe…

"What do you know, ma’am?" Sora asked, the old bookkeeper glancing away from her in what had to be shame- though at what, she had no idea. She knew the woman had likely peeked into her notes (even counted on it, having put most of the important bits in code), but that was to be expected in a Shinobi village. The only information that ever truly remained secret was the stuff you never told anyone or wrote down… and even that could be scraped from your mind given the right jutsu. "Please. I… I need to know."

For a long moment the old woman said nothing, merely looking away with that same shameful visage, though her lips moved, as if she were speaking to herself- or arguing. Eventually though, she sighed, shoulders drooping before she squared them again and looked her right in the eyes, the shame gone, replaced by a quiet, kindled flame that surprised the Jounin with its fierceness. "I suppose there’s no harm in it now. It’s all ancient history, after all. The man you’re looking for isn’t in these records- or in any records in Kiri. He was… from Amegakure. A deserter. You probably recognized his name from a Bingo Book. He was never removed from Ame’s.”

"Ame?" Sora breathed as the old lady shuffled past her, mumbling under her breath about ‘kids these days’ or something; she wasn’t listening anymore, her mind racing as she headed back into the archive to collect her things. A Missing-nin from Ame. That explained why she felt like she knew the name- Bingo Book entries could be vague when they were provided by another village, especially if it was an entry from that long ago. But who was he? Why had he deserted? How had he ended up in Bonchi no Kuni? And, more importantly, what should she even do, now that she had a lead again?

I need to think.

[Sora Minami]

Sora spent two days processing.

She had canceled all lessons with the team, shut herself in her home, and took forty-eight full hours to rest, eat, and think. She had a chance at answers, at a possible connection to her family, but was it worth the risk? After the mistakes she had made at the Red Keep, she wasn’t exactly seen in the best of lights in the Mizukage’s office. Whether that extended to Toru himself or not was almost irrelevant- she would be asking a lot, even without the negativity attached to her name. But with it, she might very well walk out of there a Chuunin. Or a Genin, if the Mizukage is feeling particularly vindictive.

And yet… It was her only shot. Her one link to the past, to a family of people who might actually understand her. She had to take that chance, even if it cost her. So it was that, after two days, the Jounin made her way to the Mizukage’s tower, dressed in her newest combat uniform; a dark-blue qipao with a wide collar, patterned with dark clouds along the left sleeve, and missing the right entirely. It was a swordsman’s pattern, one that more fully denoted exactly what she was meant to do on the battlefield. She wore her hair in a tight knot, bound by beads, but kept one long streak of it loose on the right side of her face, flowing down almost to the middle of her chest. Samidare, as always, sat nestled on her left hip, the blade notably quiet today- perhaps sensing her apprehension.

She approached the front desk of the tower with a neutral expression, knowing no smile or flattery would get her far here; she had no appointment, yes, but the Mizukage’s door was always open to his SHinobi, even those who were out of his favor. So when she relayed her name to the Chuunin manning the desk, she wasn’t surprised to get a frown in response, but nothing more. Appearances had to be maintained, after all. She waited a good while, nearly two hours, but eventually the same Chuunin told her that the Mizukage had a few minutes to speak with her- and with a dismissive gesture sent her up the stairs and down the hall to where her leader’s office stood.

Taking a deep breath, Sora stepped in through the doorway and, after a moment, bowed slightly- in respect, yes, but awkwardly. This was bound to be a far different meeting than the last time she was here. "Thank you for meeting with me, Mizukage-sama. I have… something I wish to discuss with you, if you have the time."

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sora Minami

The assault on the Red Keep had been a success, perhaps not a marvelous success but it had been one. There had been a few obstacles that had made the entire thing just a touch more difficult. The genin had arrived not as one force, one team having failed to work smoothly as well-oiled machine. It had been a test for the genin on his behalf, and it was certainly disappointing to hear of Team Three's disappointing performance even if they got the messages to the jounin regardless.

The chunin and special jounin had done their jobs, with varying levels of success as well. It seemed that he would need to host a village-wide teamwork bootcamp as to encourage individuals to stop thinking so selfishly...

What the young leader had not expected was for the jounin teams to have such a disharmonious start as they had. He had received word of just how badly they had been battered when certainly one opponent should not have been too much for them if everyone had been on board.

But in spite of orders one particular individual had put the rest of the team in danger and thus put them at a disadvantage for the rest of the assault.

Minami Sora.

He had intended to have a talk with her, though it had not yet happened. He was busy putting finishing touches on dispatching the right individuals to be more permanent holders of The Red Keep itself. So when the woman arrived without his knowledge at her own will and initiative it had come as a shock.

Toru agreed to seeing her in between all of the meetings and business he was caring for, in a small frame of time.

There was not a lick of empathy on his features - though there rarely ever was - and his jaw was tight. He did not get angry, not ever... But the lives of other individuals had been threatened because of her doing. She should have known better.

"What do you wish to discuss?" It was clear he had time, as little as it was. He made time for everyone, but his heart had sunk in revolt. How could she think so selfishly, even now?

OWL

[Sora Minami]

In the Academy, Sora had learned to read faces. It was nothing extraordinary, just simple observation really, but the ability to tell (or at the very least guess) what a child or parent was feeling was a skill that had come in handy more times than she could count. The Mizukage’s face had always been a hard one to read, the changes in his expression subtle enough that he’d earned the nickname "Stoneface” from some of the meaner children… but that just meant picking up on the changes was harder, not impossible. A twitch of an eyebrow here, a soft grimace there, the clenching of the jaw- all of it pointed to one, impossible to ignore fact- he was angry. Very, very angry.

"I-if you recall," She began, her voice hitching slightly at the cold, furious stare that bore down at her from her Kage (since when had he grown taller than her?), "-I recently spent some time in Bonchi no Kuni to track down the remnants of my family. My research has lead me to the name of a man connected to Amegakure." The Jounin paused for a moment, glancing away from Toru as she gathered her thoughts; this had all gone so much easier in her head.

"Given my… recent failures, I thought it prudent to speak with you before I… Well…" Sora said, once more forcing herself to meet Toru’s gaze as she spoke, firming her voice without broaching into disrespect. She was already pushing her personal matters into his likely busy schedule- he didn’t need her insulting him (however accidentally it might be) on top of that. "I would like to pursue it further, sir."

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sora Minami

Toru had grown still, as still as a windless valley. A mountain unmoving. Another might have clenched their fingers, rounded them into fists over the scrolls he was holding. But he was steadfast, breathless, like a cold storm brewing in the distance. The hitch in her throat was an indication of anxiety, but that anxiety did not relinquish her from the stare that Toru was giving her, imprinting on the woman.

He remembered her escapades in Bonchi no Kuni, it had been something he had approved. In Toru's mind, there was hardly ever any harm done in searching for one's truth, as long as one remained steadfast and loyal to the place that had raised them into the individual they were today. If that understanding was present, then he provided the freedom to explore. After all, Toru himself understood what it meant to have an understanding of family. Even though he had distanced himself from the idea more and more, or else it might pierce him too deep - the nation did not need a leader that cried over lost family members. The nation did not need a boy who wanted his mother. The nation only needed a leader.

So he allowed, for others to do what he could not do.

Yet, here and now he felt Sora's mind was focused on the wrong things. Her priorities were not for her nation, her village, but to act as a hero in the heat of a moment, endangering teammates before gallivanting off so that she might pursue family.

It made no sense to Toru.

"You have strange priorities," He would begin, his voice even still though the way the light was bouncing off of his eyes made them seem more intensely red than normal.

"After your actions at the Red Keep I should demote you, and ground you for the foreseeable future."

Toru stood then, fully. No slouch to his shoulders.

"You search for long lost family, a connection that matters little while endangering the lives of those who mean the very most to this nation." He was a hint louder then, suppressing his fury the best he could as he looked on at Sora.

What she said next could very well determine the trajectory of this entire meeting.

OWL

[Sora Minami]

Sora stood there, staring up into her Kage’s eyes as he spoke, his words short and simple, but laced with an edge of fury she had never heard from the boy before. His every action spoke of repressed anger, of the swelling indignation that flashed across his eyes, which seemed far more red now than normal. Her own storm surged in response, instincts screaming for her to draw, to cut and stab and fight and kill, before the looming predator that stood before her did it first- but she pushed it down, forced it to settle, caged it beneath her will and the images of those she had nearly killed through her recklessness. Again.

"My actions at the Red Keep were inexcusable, my Lord. I will not pretend otherwise. I will not run from the consequences of my foolishness." She replied after a moment, taking a deep breath to steady her heartbeat before she continued; her entire frame was tense, every muscle locked in a state of readiness, as if she was a rope frayed to the last thread, ready to snap at a moment’s notice. But that was nothing new for her. She had lived with that tension her whole life, walked the line between control and insanity since the day her mother and father had died before her eyes. It didn’t make it any easier though, just familiar.

"I am… aware of how this sounds, sir, but I know." The Jounin began, forcing herself to keep her gaze on Toru’s own, forcing herself to stand firm beneath the fury of a Kage and speak the truth, even if it did her no favors. "I understand my search is frivolous. I know it will probably not mean anything in the long run, or benefit the village. I likely won’t even benefit me.”

And yet. She had to try, even if it ended in failure.

"I am asking anyway. I… I need to know, sir." Her voice was soft now, vulnerable in a way she likely shouldn’t be with an angry man capable of wiping her off his shoe with a swing of his arm- but honest, unashamedly honest all the same. "If only to put the questions to rest."

Kaguya Toru

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sora Minami

In Toru's mind there were only a few needs in their lives. A need for water, food, shelter and security. Everything else was a want, a desire that did not befit a high-ranking shinobi in the village. The young man did not see her request as a need, but a selfish want. A desire to close a chapter on something that could have never opened, that did not need opening. It would be the same as him, searching for his mother in Mizu no Kuni forests, searching infinitely at the risk of his safety, and the risk of the nations downfall.

He was here because it was his duty, but to Toru, Sora was not following through on her duty first. She saw her own belligerent wiles of faceless family members elsewhere to be more important.

The boy did not snap though, he inhaled deeply to still his furious mind. The redness of his eyes dulled as he took that breath, but the anger was somehow still there, staring at Sora as if he might reach out to break her neck right off of her shoulders.

Silence stretched between the two of them after she was done, after she had shot off her mouth and practically begged him.

"I shall punish you then, in a way that fits your station and your request." There was a darkness in his tone, the usually bland boy spoke in a deeper tone, the implication heavy like the promise of furious rain, the smell of petrichor.

"You will be returned to the Oinin Butai until a time comes I deem you worthy of another station. Perhaps turning you invisible will remind you of your duty as a shinobi first."

OWL

[Sora Minami]

Sora knew, from the moment she had stepped into Toru’s office, that there would be consequences. She had known it in her bones, the way an old soldier could feel the weight of a coming battle, could understand, without having to know every detail, that things would be bad. She had hoped that her earnestness, her honesty, her willingness to submit to the Mizukage’s orders would help stymie some of his anger- that he might understand her reasoning and take pity on her. But when the white-haired boy spoke at last, his voice like darkened storm clouds, she knew any hope of leniency was lost. Taking a deep breath, the woman braced herself, readying her mind for whatever punishment her leader was about to hand out…

And froze almost as soon as the words left his mouth, every fiber of her being stuck.

"T-the Oinin Butai?" She asked, voice weak as she took a step back, hands
Trembling at her sides. She had been part of the Oinin Butai once, had served as Hunter-Nin; he knew the duties they were tasked with, the black deeds they were made to do in the name of Kirigakure. She had committed atrocities in that name. She had slaughtered in that name, killed the innocent and the guilty, civilians and shinobi alike, all in the name of the village, in the name of duty. And then she had gotten out. Escaped the darkness that had tried to claim her soul, found a better way. And now, here she was. Being forced back.

"M-my Lord…" Sora began, her gaze going blurry as she tried to step closer, her hands coming up in a pleading gesture- only for her knees to buckle as everything around her spun, her breathing short and sharp, every exhale shaky and rethink as the Jounin tried to hold back sobs. Tried, and failed. "P-please, I-I can’t… I can’t go back. I can’t. I won’t.” Had it been anything else, she could have bore it. Had it been anything else, she would have simply accepted her lot and been on her way. But not this. Never this. Not again. Never again.

"I slaughtered for this village." She whispered, her body still shaking as sobs wracked her frame. She couldn’t think, couldn’t feel beyond the pounding, seething storm in her chest; it was all she could do to hold it at bay, to keep the raging hate and pain from lashing out at the boy who had threatened her so. But the more she fought it, the stronger it became, and the more the anger leaked through, making her speak. "My soul is stained black with the blood of children I have killed for this village. I have committed atrocities for Kirigakure!"

The shaking wouldn’t stop, but somehow she found it in herself to stand, the storm inside roaring, the pane of glass around it stretched to the breaking point, her control so thin she could barely keep her hand from Samidare’s hilt; and still she spoke, sky-blue gaze wild and frenzied as the world darkened around her. "When is it enough?! WHEN?! YOU HAVE ALREADY TAKEN MY SOUL, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!?”

And then, before she could utter another word, before she take even a single step, the weight of it all crashed onto her shoulders, voice catching in her throat as she went limp, collapsing in a heap, unconscious.

Kaguya Toru

[yamaguchi daichi]

Daichi never strayed far from the Mizukage’s office when he was on duty; if he wasn’t needed at Toru’s side, he was undoubtedly a few rooms away, a familiar face offering assistance with mission reports and running missives while Toru conducted private meetings. Since expanding his sensory abilities, keeping tabs on who was coming in and out of the Mizukage’s office had been notably easier—he knew Sora’s chakra signature like the back of his hand by this point, was passively aware of her patiently waiting for a couple of hours until Toru’s schedule had the barest glimpse of free time. He’d learned the hard way to respect Sora’s privacy, and made an effort to ignore the swell of emotion churning through her chakra network. An effort that, in the end, would be in vain. Daichi had been helping a genin fill out their first D-rank mission report, pointing out the little important details that couldn’t be missed, when he paused and cast his gaze up towards Toru’s office, his brow creasing into a frown. While he’d made an effort to give Sora some privacy, he could afford no such measures with the Mizukage, and noted with some small concern the swell of anger that ripped through the vast expanse of Toru’s chakra. With a silent apology to his former sensei, he focused on Sora’s signature, keeping the lightest of tabs on her as the minutes ticked by. Then, between one second and the next, everything went to shit. He flash-stepped three times in quick succession to make it up to Toru’s office between breaths, his muscles aching with the effort; he heard Sora yelling through the door, felt the overwhelming rage and despair and unimaginable pain that she was feeling. He stepped into the office right as it all went silent, finding Toru at his desk and Sora collapsed to the floor. "You’re okay?” he asked the Mizukage; a question with an answer that was visually clear and obvious, but Toru's chakra was telling a different story. He knelt beside Sora and activated his Jaakugan, visually checking Sora’s vitality as he checked her pulse, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief to find that she hadn’t just suddenly dropped dead. "She’s fine, just passed out,” Daichi said, glancing over at Toru. His concern was writ clear on his face: brow pinched, chewing on his lower lip. "She had a panic attack, I think. I can take her to the medics.” Sora was taller than him, but much lighter; it wouldn’t take much effort to lift her into a fireman’s carry and get her where she needed to go. But Daichi hesitated, weighing the words on the tip of his tongue—not for fear of speaking out of line to the Mizukage, but rather for violating the privacy that Sora so fiercely guarded, that he had promised he would respect. Better to beg forgiveness, he thought, and he said softly: "I don’t know what you were talking about, but Sora—whatever it was, it was deeply important to her. Bone-deep, fundamental stuff. She has this… this anger, this rage, like a hurricane trapped in a glass bottle. It’s overwhelming. I don’t know how she stands it.” Daichi took a deep breath, trying to push the memory of Sora’s tempest out of his mind. "I know you’re angry, I don’t want to take away from that, but… I think, on some level, she’s more fragile than she tries to be. Too much of that tension and she’ll snap. You can help her or you can break her, and this is heading towards breaking her.” His gaze fell, suddenly self-conscious; having access to all of this information was still a new experience, overwhelming in its novelty, and he felt intensely vulnerable on Sora’s behalf. Guilty, too, for betraying her trust, but what was he good for if not to be the Mizukage’s information feed? Wasn’t that what he had mastered this ability for to begin with? There was the thought in the back of his mind that he was way out of line—he was just a bodyguard, not a council member, and certainly had no right to be counseling the Mizukage on how to handle his jounin—but that fear vanished quickly, dismissed for the brief flash of anxiety that it was. Daichi threaded his arms under Sora’s armpits to lift her up and over his back, securing her in place before tilting his head towards the door and asking, "Permission to go?" Then, earnestly, after a brief pause: "We can talk about it after I get her admitted, if you want."

Sora Minami Kaguya Toru -- 766

LAIKA OF THQ

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sora Minami yamaguchi daichi

Toru stood there, uncertain of the welling of emotions that was coming from Sora. It was hard to tell at first, was she fearful? Did she hate the idea? Excitement? But then it became apparent, it was fear and anxiety, mixed into a poisonous concoction that pointed in one direction - panic.

She cried out, speaking of all the things that she had done for Kirigakure no Sato for Mizu no Kuni. Toru continued to stand there, the darkness in his eyes had receded slightly but he was uncertain of how to act with all the rage and anxiety that was spilling forth between the two of them.

It was not the first time he heard cries, it was his duty as a leader to shoulder them. Not every decision he made would benefit everyone, it was the most evil part of his position. The one he could not turn away from. Hated, loved, every emotion... Perhaps it was best that he was so bad at being emotional. It allowed him to take every extreme with a leveled head. For the most part.

But then Sora inhaled rapidly and before she could get another word out, she collapsed in a heap on his floor.

Toru stood there in contemplation, processing what had just occurred as if his mind were lagging behind what he had seen. Unable to understand.

He too had killed for the village, he too had done things most would never dream of doing. The Oinin Butai was a dark place to be, and very few had the aptitude for it. Sora was perhaps among those that did possess that mentality. Had he made a mistake?

It was then that Toru acknowledged Daichi's presence, the red of his gaze looking towards his bodyguard who was checking on Sora's limp body on the ground - searching to see if she was alright. Toru did not answer if he was alright. Physically speaking nothing had happened, but emotionally and mentally he was confused. Uncertain of how to proceed, usually he was decisive but this was one of those moments where he did not know how to react.

Daichi took the tempest of confusion, the promise of rain, plucked it easily from the sky with his fingertips and presented it to Toru as nothing more than passing white clouds moving through on a light breeze.

This was important to Sora, in a way that Toru had not been able to see.

His jaw tightened a moment, quivering with tension before releasing.

Slowly his limbs started to move him towards both Daichi as Daichi lifted Sora.

"I'm coming with you to the hospital." He uttered quietly. He had to remedy the mistake he had made.

So he walked with Daichi and helped to check her in at the hospital. And Toru waited diligently - bidding Daichi to stay nearby - in the white linen draped hospital room with her, until she regained her consciousness again.

OWL

[Sora Minami]

When Sora opened her eyes, the world that greeted her was one of whites and greens, colors meant to soothe and quiet the senses… though, in her case, they rarely did. The white of the hospital was too cold, too sterile, too much like bone for her liking; it brought back memories that were better left buried, feelings and thoughts that a woman, a Jounin, had no business allowing through her head. Her temples were sore, and every breath came with the tell-tale rasp of a long sleep without proper hydration beforehand; she had to have been out for hours, for that to be the case. What in the hell had hit her to make-

...Oh God. The memory of her panic came to the pink-haired Jounin just as she rolled to one side, her sky-blue gaze landing on the pale blue and white robe of the Mizukage. The Mizukage, in her hospital room. The Mizukage who she had yelled at. Screamed at. Come within an inch of trying to kill, because she couldn’t keep a handle on her emotions. Again.

Bolting upright as quickly as she could, Sora scrambled to her feet, swinging over the opposite edge of the cot only to pivot on her bare feet, ignoring the shock of cold that shivered up her spine on touching the floor as she turned to face Toru and bowed, going as low as she could without looking like she was trying to hide behind the bed. The window in her curtained off room spilled soft moonlight onto the empty space, the only true source of light coming from the fluorescent lamps that soaked the air with an orange glow, casting everything in shades of yellow and red.

"Please forgive me, Mizukage-dono. I-I have no excuse for my outburst." The words came out softly, full of the bitter shame she felt at her lapse in control; she hadn’t lost control like that since the massacre at Hishi Village, when Zaizen had let her loose on the children with a cold glare and a quiet, unyielding demand. It was a tone of authority, one she knew well- Toru had used it plenty of times, up to and including in his office earlier, when he had ordered her to rejoin the Oinin Butai. The thought of that happening sent a spike of fear bursting through her chest, but this time she was ready for it. She pushed it down, smothered it, strangling the rage and pain and grief and fear until the storm was mercifully dulled. Not quieted, but she would take what she could get.

"I… I will accept your proposal, sir." If he would even let her remain a Shinobi, after what she had done.

Kaguya Toru

[yamaguchi daichi]

I’m coming with you. Daichi just smiled, reaching out with one hand to lightly touch the small of Toru’s back; one part reassurance, one part gesture for them to go. It was a brief walk, Daichi quietly handling the check-in and description of what he understood Sora’s symptoms to be before she passed out. And then all they could do was hurry up and wait, minutes sliding into hours as Sora slept. Toru bid him to stay, so he stayed. He kept busy; making tea for the medics at nurse’s station just next door from Sora’s bed and amicably chattering at Toru about the genin he’d been helping earlier that day, but never straying more than a few meters away, hovering around Toru and the hospital room like a moon in orbit. Night fell. Daichi had been sitting next to Toru, one leg slung over the arm of his chair, and between one blink and the next he had dozed off, starfished in a way that would undoubtedly give him a sore hip and a crick in his neck when he woke up. The sound of voices made him stir, one eye gummy with sleep as it cracked open; but he closed it again, drifting in the realm of partial wakefulness and partial awareness, content to be present in the illusion of privacy. His kicked-out leg shifted just so, lightly brushing up against Toru’s; easily mistaken for the idle stirrings of someone asleep and uncomfortable, but the touch allowed him to begin a transmission of sensory information, offering up real-time context for what he had relayed before.

Sora Minami Kaguya Toru -- 269

LAIKA OF THQ

SPOILER: Click to show

感知伝々 | Kanchi Denden
[Sensing Transmission]
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium - Very High
RANGE: Arm's reach [Direct contact]
REQUIREMENT: Sensor SA
DESCRIPTION:

By making physical contact with another individual, the user is able to transmit what they are currently sensing directly into the said target's mind.

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sora Minami yamaguchi daichi

Toru had not left the woman's side much. He had inquired briefly about how things had been going on in the hospital, and there was a soft complaint about the amount of youngsters who kept coming in from their missions. But it was not much different from how things had always been, it was in a manner of speaking the way of shinobi, to sustain frequent injuries. It would be ideal to never sustain them, but it was unusual.

At some point he had just fallen into a lull of staring into space. He was very good at this, staring without a thought in his head. An eternal buzz, filled with total silence and sensory deprivation. Toru did this so often that he thought nothing of it. The only problem was that he usually did this at home, in privacy and seclusion.

So when Sora suddenly woke up, suddenly panicked he snapped to attention out of nowhere. His body alert as if he were about to go into battle.

Fortunately his shoulders relaxed soon enough, almost as soon as he felt Daichi touch him slightly. He glanced over to his bodyguard, lolling around, sleeping lazily.

Then back to Sora's form that was bowing to him in respect.

"I am taking back my assignment."

Toru started to stand then but did not do anything else, not even get closer to Sora.

"You have my permission to go to Arashi no Kuni, return within a week from your departure." That was ample time for her to leave and return. There was a long stretched out pause.

"I feel your punishment should not be orthodox," He began and it seemed a little strange that he would say this when the woman stumbled out of her hospital bed.

"A long rest. Consider it a short-term retirement from duty. Whatever is looming in your mind, whatever is going on... It requires rest, physical, emotional, mental. Rest so you can be a better, sharper tool for when you return."

OWL