[Kuronmeru Keiji]

     There was still time left to ruin the day for another one or two of Ichigoni's fishy relatives. Keiji wanted them to simmer and rot in their stink while he was away at the Red Keep, like the day's catch forgotten under the unrelenting sun. And when Ichigoni returned, he'd have tales to hear and a nagging around each corner about the Kuronmeru who'd been harassing them.

     That was, if he was the sort to even visit his Ama relatives. If he wasn't, Keiji would just move onto the sailors on his crew. Then, the employees at his favorite places to eat. Then, his squadmates. On and on and on until his meddling was evident. Make his life utterly miserable. The traitorous Uzumaki bastard would crack, soon enough, and the truth would arise. Keiji's misuse of his position's resources meant Ichigoni could hide nothing from him.

     Next on his mental list, Taneda Risa. Thirteen year old academy student. An easy target. Make her feel unwelcome in the village. Insult her abilities. Let her know her clan were cowards for not fighting in the civil war. Easy. Soon enough she'd start bawling her bulging eyes out and go running to her teacher, or her parents, and Ichigoni would eventually find out. Probably.

     The slimy Kuronmeru appeared out of the shadows beside the Academy's fence, as their last break was winding to a close. He spotted his target for bullying, lingering somewhere in the yard. Like a snake dangling from a tree branch, he called out. "Risa! Kotetsu sent me."

---

taneda risa | 258 words

[taneda risa]

Risa was… … she wasn’t well, exactly. Kyouka’s words echoed on repeat in her mind, but alongside her doubts and fears there was now also encouragement: Ichigoni and An both offering her desperately-needed support and guidance in a time of deep crisis. She was still unsure of herself, unsure of her place in the shinobi system, what it was that she was working towards… but she felt more stable now, at least. Her dad told her that part of it was just a consequence of growing up. He’d been through tough times too, when he was her age: to a degree, it was normal to feel these intense bouts of anger and sadness, so overwhelming that you barely felt in control of your own actions. She wasn’t a bad person for feeling that way—what was important was that she remembered that her actions and words had consequences. Self-control, he said, though that was easier said than done. Training helped. Getting the energy out physically made her too tired by the end of the day to while away the hours fretting over things she couldn’t change. During breaks between lessons at the academy Risa sat on her own by the side of the pond, focusing intently as she tried to pull strands of suiton up from the surface of the water and shape it into a bubble, just as she’d seen Ikana do while fishing. Her concentration was broken by the sound of her name; she jerked, the bubble popped, and with a furrowed brow Risa turned to find the source of the sound. "My dad?” she asked, puzzled. She got up, wiping her wet hands off on her pant legs, and walked over to him. She didn’t recognize him, but her dad was a chuunin and worked with lots of different people—if this guy knew him, then that was fine. Right? "Is everything okay?”

Kuronmeru Keiji -- 318

LAIKA OF THQ