Funbari hills [Kininata, closed].

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Picture of building: Here.

'Uuuugh...I hate spring showers' thought the female as she walked through the streets of Amegakure no sato. Funbari hills were not too far away from the tower, but the rain had grown stronger since she left.
'Finally' thought Marii as she approached the small cluster of apartment complexes that were spread around on the top of the flat hill. She removed the hood on her jacket once she got under the roof and shook her head a little. Her animal companion now sat on a parked bike and shaked his body.

'Inoue...Jinkama...Kawashima...Kino' thought the young woman as she read the list of doorbells. She rang the one marked 'Kino' and waited for a reply.
"Hello?" said a female voice at the other end. "It's me" said the Jounin with a smile. "I'll open up" said the voice before a weird buzzing noise was heard.

Ice blue eyes scanned the street but there were nobody there. She opened the door and Daiki flied in with her. Her feet hit the stair steps with small 'tip-tap' sounds as she jogged up to the third floor in the building.
All of the doors were similar, but they had different name signs next to them. The young woman then saw a black sign that had a silver kanji for 'Kino' on it.

A small 'click' was heard as the door opened, revealing a small old woman with a big smile on her face. "Ah, hello Marii-chan! How was your trip?" said Kumeko as she let her in.
"It's not been that bad; I've visited a total of five countries. Nobody has threatened me or anything so far, so I suppose it's good" informed the brunette as she removed her rain jacket.

"You told me you were hungry, so I made some vegetable soup with some ramen. I made a little cocoa too...it's really cold outside today" said the older female.
"Where's grandpa?" asked the female as she stepped out of her shoes. The ivory-haired woman pointed towards the living room before she opened the cupboard. Marii stifled a giggle at the sight that awaited her.

Her older male relative had fallen asleep in his chair while watching a kendo match on tv. "Hoy, Satoru" said the young woman as she shook his shoulder.
"Whoa, what? Oh, Marii-chan! Nice to see you" said Satoru before he stood up to give her a hug.

"I hope none of the shinobis here tried to rob you. But I'm sure you could have beated them up if they tried. There aren't a lot of Jounins left here" said the elderly man with a small smile.
"No, nobody have tried to rob me or anything since I arrived. But I'm glad you two are living here so I can sleep on a safe place" replied the Jounin.

"Dinner's served!" said the older woman. "Coming grandma!" answered the female before she went into the kitchen.
A bowl of vegetable soup stood next to a cup of cocoa. There was a small plate of raw fish that the bird had already started on. "Thank you grandma, it smells lovely" said the brunette before she started to eat.

[kininata]

[Enter]

Rain never seemed to touch Kininata anymore. He wasn't really supposed to be using the jutsu to keep dry the way he did, but after spending so many weeks in dry places, he just preferred being dry for a change even in his village. He only wore a traditional straw hat in case as part of a habit from his youth more than a necessity. He recalled that the Kino family was somewhere around the Funbari hills area, but with his recently busy schedule he had barely found the time to track down the former council members.

As the apartment complexes came into sight he sighed in relief, seeing an end to the search in the rain finally. He slowly wandered over to the complexes, scanning through each building until he saw the familiar name. 'Kino... this must be the place.' He spend a few minutes collecting himself, cleaning his suit a little. He had not seem these people in some time, and it had not been a pleasant experience in the past. He only hoped that things would go easier this time around. He pressed the button that was next to the Kino name and waited.

'Hello?' said an elderly female voice. 'Hi there, this is Kininata Hyouketsu. I was... wondering if I could come in for a few minutes?' He said nervously, not entirely sure how they would take the request.

There was a long pause - or at least what felt like one to him - then the voice came over the speaker. 'Come on up.' A buzzing noise marking the door was unlocked sounded, and Kininata stepped in.

He released the technique the moment he was within the corridor, and took off the hat. He started the walk up towards the third floor where their apartment was, kind of curious as to why they let him in. He wasn't quite expecting such a quick response with such a unprepared visit. His mind was wracking over why they seemed so unconcerned with his sudden arrival. Eventually he reached the door for the Kino apartment and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door was opened and there was a familiar old woman standing before him. 'Ahh Hyouketsu-san. It's been a long time since I've seen that face so close.' He smiled politely at her, nodding and then bowing in respect to her. 'You look well. It seems retirement suits you quite well. I won't be a bother too long, I just thought we could talk, catch up...' He left that linger for a moment, recalling that some of their conversations ended rather poorly at times.

'Well, we have dinner served at the moment, and one extra guest wont be too inconvinient. Marii! We have a visitor!'' He stood wide-eyed at the name being called, and realised that it made perfect sense. She had mentioned her grandparents a few times, and that she did intend to visit them eventually. He took off the completely dry raincoat and folded it over his arm, stepping into the apartment respectfully as he followed the fomer council member to the dining area.

He saw Marii at the table and smiled like a child at her, rubbing the back of his head. 'Well, it does seem fate puts us in the same place more often than we think, eh Marii-chan?' He kept the honorifics in the current company, as he had no idea how they might view such a close connection between the pair of them. He stood there waiting for her response to his arrival, feeling a little obtrusive with his sudden visit.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Someone rang the doorbell and the older female answered. The younger female had started on the soup together with the male. 'I wonder who it is. I hope it's not someone who's tracked me down' thought Marii.
Her grandparents were above 80 and less able to defend themselves than she was.

"Ahh Hyouketsu-san. It's been a long time since I've seen that face so close" said Kumeko as she opened the door.
"You look well. It seems retirement suits you quite well. I won't be a bother too long, I just thought we could talk, catch up..." said a male voice that made the young woman's eyes widen.

Some steps were heard before Kininata arrived with the elderly woman. "Sandaime!?" exclaimed Satoru as he saw who it was. "Well, it does seem fate puts us in the same place more often than we think, eh Marii-chan?" said the young man with a somewhat childish smile. "It does...give me a moment please" said the Jounin as she swallowed the soup. The old man stood up before he came closer to the Chuunin.

His cobalt blue eyes ran up the younger male's frame before they looked into his green optics."Hm...you look a bit different from the last time I saw you" said the Kino with some scepticism in his voice.
The male was perhaps two inches shorter as well as four times older than the person in front of him. He did however know jutsus that had long been forgotten and had at least three times more experience. Satoru then did some handseals; it was a sensor jutsu.

"We're safe. Please sit down" said the man as he sat down at the left side of the table with his wife. The female Kino had placed a bowl of soup plus a glass of water next to her female grandchild.
"What brings you here? We have not seen you in a while, but you look a lot healthier now" said the older female as she poured herself some water.

"What do you mean grandma?" asked the brunette after she had swallowed some soup. "Take a look at that photo over there. It was taken for about four years ago" said the Kino before he pointed at a photo behind her.
She turned; it was a photograph of the entire council with the redhead in the center. But he looked awfully thin and his emerald eyes looked...dead for the lack of better words.

"You look a lot better now Sandaime. At least you don't look like I did during the first war we had with Iwa and Kusa" chuckled the male. His smile was almost identical to Makoto's, but a lot wiser.
"But how...was that...you?" said the young woman as he looked at her boyfriend and back to the photo. He had been rather skinny during their stay in Taki, but he looked downright emaciated on the photograph.

[kininata]

"Hm...you look a bit different from the last time I saw you" said the Kino with some scepticism in his voice. Kininata nodded in reply, and waited until the old man had finished his jutsu before making a verbal reply. 'I've change my diet from back then.' he said in a slighlty sarcastic tone.

"We're safe. Please sit down" said the man as he sat down at the left side of the table with his wife. The female Kino had placed a bowl of soup plus a glass of water next to her female grandchild. "What brings you here? We have not seen you in a while, but you look a lot healthier now" said the older female as she poured herself some water.

Kininata was about to reply when Marii asked "What do you mean grandma?". The older man, someone reputed for making any meeting silent to the world around him, pointed to a photo behind Marii."Take a look at that photo over there. It was taken for about four years ago."

She turned; it was a photograph of the entire council with the redhead in the center. He recalled those days with some regret, but here in the current company he smiled at the old photo, scratching the back of his head. 'That never was a good picture of me.'

"You look a lot better now Sandaime. At least you don't look like I did during the first war we had with Iwa and Kusa" chuckled the male. He had focused on the look of surprise and concern on Marii, however, who was still looking at the photo of a rake-thin and deathly-looking younger version of himself.

"But how...was that...you?" said the young woman as he looked at her boyfriend and back to the photo. He moved over to the photo and picked it up, the memories of those days fresh in the forefront of his mind.

'Recovering from what that Uchiha did to me in the exams wore me out, and being Kage did not help me get much stronger back then. And then the assassination attempt made things worse.' He placed the photo down back where he took it from and touched on the face of one of the AnBu standing in the picture. 'It took me a long time to get my health back, and more... but lets move to better things, shall we?' He spoke with a more uplifted voice at the end, and turned to see the three family members giving him a bit of a look.

'I came here to talk, more than anything. There are so many new faces in the village I dont recognize, yours are about the only ones left that feel comfortable and familiar. Even if we did have issues with getting along at times - a child will act a child when he is young, after all.''

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Recovering from what that Uchiha did to me in the exams wore me out, and being Kage did not help me get much stronger back then. And then the assassination attempt made things worse" said the male as he placed the photo down back where he took it from and touched on the face of one of the ANBU standing in the picture. "It took me a long time to get my health back, and more... but lets move to better things, shall we?" said Kininata. The female raised an eyebrow in wonder as she chewed her vegetables. Both of her relatives did the same.

"I came here to talk, more than anything. There are so many new faces in the village I dont recognize, yours are about the only ones left that feel comfortable and familiar. Even if we did have issues with getting along at times - a child will act a child when he is young, after all" said the young man.
"I know what you mean...there has been a lot of changes in the last couple of years. The last time the village was in such bad state was probably back when I was at your age" replied the older male.

"The new Amekage surely has a lot to do now. I know that some of the corrupt members have been fired according to a friend of mine, which is good. But we still have a long way to go before we are as economically strong as Konoha or Kumo for example. I'm sure you've already noticed though" continued Satoru before he took another spoonful of the soup.

"Coming to this place made me feel quite sad. I've never seen Amegakure like this..." muttered Marii with a sad look at her face. This village was almost like a second home to her since she had been here so many times.
"Don't worry Hyouketsu-san. I'm sure many of the council members are still supportive if they're still around" said Kumeko with a small smile on her face.

"Gochisosama Kumeko-chan" said the older man as he stood up. The young woman noticed that he had slightly more difficulty doing so compared to her last visit. It looked like the age had started to catch up with him.
The Kino clan was notoric for having a long lifespan; her grandfathers mother had actually turned 100 years old before she passed away. And despite being 83 years old, the older Kino could easily pass for being 75.

But the downside was that many of the Kino members were small in size. Satoru was only 5'6" and had passed on the small frame to the Jounin plus her younger brother. "I have raspberry manju* for dessert if you two are interested" said the older woman. "Ah, I would love some. Haven't tasted that for ages" replied the female with a grin.

"So...you're here to seek some support? Good thing I was here. I was afraid you were gone on a mission" said the brunette as she removed their bowls from the table. She was happy to see that he was doing well and had not let that monster inside him take control again. But he have had the upper hand for a while; perhaps it would disappear soon.

Manju = buns filled with something sweet (red bean paste etc.).

[kininata]

"The new Amekage surely has a lot to do now. I know that some of the corrupt members have been fired according to a friend of mine, which is good. But we still have a long way to go before we are as economically strong as Konoha or Kumo for example. I'm sure you've already noticed though." Satoru mentioned before he took another spoonful of the soup.

Kininata nodded in reply to his rhetorical question, fully aware of the state of affairs the village has been in. 'I've been helping with the reconstruction projects in the academic district, doing wht I can. We can't afford to waste what we have on old rivalries and grudges anymore, not when we are this vulnerable.' He said, and leaned back into the chair.

"Coming to this place made me feel quite sad. I've never seen Amegakure like this..." muttered Marii with a sad look at her face. 'It will recover, Marii-chan. As we say here, rain clears away the dust to reveal the silver. It will just take a while is all.'

"Don't worry Hyouketsu-san. I'm sure many of the council members are still supportive if they're still around" said Kumeko with a small smile on her face.

"Gochisosama Kumeko-chan" said the older man as he stood up. The young woman noticed that he had slightly more difficulty doing so compared to her last visit. It looked like the age had started to catch up with him.

"I have raspberry manju* for dessert if you two are interested" said the older woman. "Ah, I would love some. Haven't tasted that for ages" Marii replied with a smile only a grandchild could make. Kininata waved his hand in response. 'Thank you but I will pass. I ate not long ago.'

"So...you're here to seek some support? Good thing I was here. I was afraid you were gone on a mission" said the brunette as she removed their bowls from the table. He could see that concern was on her face, and he understood why.

'Well, I was supposed to be heading out on a mission, but my subordinate had an unfortunate family matter to attend to, so I have delayed it until news of the family member has arrived for her.' He said, then glanced back at the photograph of the council he knew. 'As for the support... I find myself at a crossroads after every decision I seem to make these days, and it gets more complicated every time I choose a path. I swear the gods are playing with me at times.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"It will recover, Marii-chan. As we say here, rain clears away the dust to reveal the silver. It will just take a while is all" said the male. "Here Marii-chan; two raspberry manjus" said the older female as she placed the plate with the two buns on the table.

"Thank you" said the younger female before she started to eat them. Both of them were delicious; this was one of the things she had missed about Amegakure apart from the people she knew here.
"Well, I was supposed to be heading out on a mission, but my subordinate had an unfortunate family matter to attend to, so I have delayed it until news of the family member has arrived for her" informed Kininata before he glanced back at the photograph of the council he knew. "As for the support... I find myself at a crossroads after every decision I seem to make these days, and it gets more complicated every time I choose a path. I swear the gods are playing with me at times" said the young man.

Marii swallowed the manju she had chewed as she looked at him. He was in a relatively hard position at the moment and the village was in ruins at the moment. "I'm sure they are just testing to see how capable you are" replied the young woman and gave him a small, comforting smile.
She started on her second bun while Kumeko went into the living room. The only sound that was heard was the man who commented some sports at the TV.

"As for the future, I think you are able to make the right choices. I hope that Amegakure is in a much better state the next time I get here" said the Jounin as she finished her bun. She swallowed and put the plate in the small dishwasher machine.
"I almost forgot...I'm would like to stay in your house for three-four days. I'll come to your house on Thursday, is that OK with you?" inquired the female.

[kininata]

"I'm sure they are just testing to see how capable you are." replied the young woman and gave him a small, comforting smile. She started on her second bun while Kumeko went into the living room. The only sound that was heard was the man who commented some sports at the TV.

"As for the future, I think you are able to make the right choices. I hope that Amegakure is in a much better state the next time I get here." said the Jounin as she finished her bun. 'He is showing signs of leadership that I lacked in that chair, at the time. If he can hold strong and stay in good spirits, he will make a fine Kage.'

"I almost forgot...I'm would like to stay in your house for three-four days. I'll come to your house on Thursday, is that OK with you?" inquired the female. He nodded politely in reply. 'It would be an honor. I rarely have guests at the house anymore except when it is work related, so a friend would be a most pleasant sight.' He said, and turned back towards the remaining elder.

'So, tell me, how goes the quiet life? I hope you dont miss being on the council anymore than I miss being the kage.'' He inquired, curious as to how they enjoyed their life after all that has happened since their days on the council. If anything, it would give him the slightest of glimpses of the days he looked forwards to seeing for himself.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Italics = bird language.

"It would be an honor. I rarely have guests at the house anymore except when it is work related, so a friend would be a most pleasant sight." replied the younger male. The female smiled in happiness; this would actually be the first time she visited his house.
"So, tell me, how goes the quiet life? I hope you dont miss being on the council anymore than I miss being the kage" said Kininata as he looked at the older male.

"Can't say that I really miss it; I have more time for my interests as well as my family. Too bad my children live so far away" said Satoru as he put on the dishwasher machine.
"But my former position was not that busy anyways...only a couple meetings per month at the most. Now, I'm going to enjoy the finals in the kendo cup" said the old man with a smile as he went into the living room.

"My mother has an older sister living in Yozamu; hence why he said children" informed Marii in case the young man had forgotten it. "I agree that the Amekage seems to be more suited for leadership than some of the previous ones that grandpa told me about.
I was handcuffed and brought to the tower once I showed up at the gates...I felt like a criminal" chuckled the young woman. A small 'squawk' made her look up at the fridge. Her animal companion looked down at the Chuunin with a somewhat hostile stare.

"Oh, this is my animal companion Daiki. I got him right after I received my Chuunin promotion" said the Jounin before she waved her hand. Daiki flied down at the fridge and landed two feet away from the male.
"Who's he?" asked the bird as he looked at her. "He's my...mate" explained the female with a slightly sheepish voice since she could not explain it in better terms.

"He has a weird colour on his hair. And his eyes looks kinda like yours sometimes when you're fighting" stated the Coopers hawk as his eyes glanced at the redhead. "Well, he's healthy. Not to mention that he likes me" said the brunette.
"You can say he's my travel companion; Daiki has travelled with me on most missions or affairs outside Kaminari no Kuni" said the young woman.

[kininata]

"My mother has an older sister living in Yozamu; hence why he said children." informed Marii in case the young man had forgotten it. "I agree that the Amekage seems to be more suited for leadership than some of the previous ones that grandpa told me about. I was handcuffed and brought to the tower once I showed up at the gates...I felt like a criminal" chuckled the young woman.

A small 'squawk' made her look up at the fridge. An animal - a small bird - looked down at the Chuunin with a somewhat hostile stare. The bird seemed oddly familiar, but it eluded his though as to from where

"Oh, this is my animal companion Daiki. I got him right after I received my Chuunin promotion." said the Jounin before she waved her hand. Daiki flied down at the fridge and landed two feet away from the male. He started getting glimpses of seeing a similar one at his home some time ago.

'Don't you have another bird as well, kind of looks similar? I think you've sent one of these two to my house a couple of times.' He asked, curious as to which one he was recalling.

"You can say he's my travel companion; Daiki has travelled with me on most missions or affairs outside Kaminari no Kuni" said the young woman. It was a cute enough animal, he supposed, and he didn't mind them. His father once kept a raven at the house - mainly for work, but sometimes it would come with them on trips away from the esate. 'Its nice to meet you, Daiki.'' He said towards it. He wasn't sure if it understood his words, but it seemed the polite thing to do.

'Right, I'm going to head off and get the guest room ready. And restock the fridge... I usually eat so little, I forget to stock up for when guests come around. I'll see you later, Marii-chan?' He said as he rose to his feet, fully aware that the grandparents might walk in at any moment.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Don't you have another bird as well, that looks kinda similar? I think you've sent one of these two to my house a couple of times" said the male. "Uhm...My family only has Kuroyabun.
I think the one you're talking about is Tou-kun, but he is a summoned bird. The difference is that my summons can speak human speech while Daiki-kun and Kuroyabun can't" explained the female.

"It's nice to meet you Daiki" said Kininata. "What did he say?" said the bird as he looked up at her. His scarlet eyes were curious and confused at the same time.
"He said that it's nice to meet you" said Marii with a small smile. "It's nice to meet him too" said Daiki as his head turned towards the young man for a few seconds.

"Right, I'm going to head off and get the guest room ready. And restock the fridge... I usually eat so little, I forget to stock up for when guests come around. I'll see you later, Marii-chan?" inquired the Chuunin as he stood up.
"I suppose so...I'll follow you out" said the young woman as she walked out of the kitchen. The Jounin had never been to his house, but she knew she would be safe there.

Apart from her grandparents, nobody knew about her connection to the male. Not to mention that she had Hiromasa that would practically follow her movements. "I'll see you in a couple of days then" said the female before she looked into the living room.
Her grandmother was reading a magazine while her grandfather had his back facing them. "Bye then" said the brunette and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

She opened the door to let him out. 'Hm...I've never stayed overnight in a house with a guy before. I will most likely have a guest room, but still' thought the young woman. She had always had her own hotel room at out of village missions or shared room with the other girls in her team. But the redhead would not molest her or anything, which made her feel quite safe.

[kininata]

"I suppose so...I'll follow you out" said the young woman as she walked out of the kitchen. He wasn't sure about how the two elderly former council members would feel about their relationship, and he wouldn't ask. It wasn't a polite thing to do... so he maintained his composure even all the way to the door.

"I'll see you in a couple of days then" said the female before she looked into the living room. 'Absolutely, two days. Hopefully I'll be a better host than the kage was.' He said, partially playful, partially sincere. He was not happy with how they had treated her on entering the village.

Her grandmother was reading a magazine while her grandfather had his back facing them. "Bye then" said the brunette and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled, blushed for a moment, and opened the door - at least, he did so after returning the peck quickly so as to not risk being noticed. 'Take care, and have fun.'

As he closed the door to the apartment, he suddenly realised that he had never had a woman stay in his home before besides his own mother... and they would be alone. I have to be a complete gentleman, or else its not respectful. Kind, polite, and a good host. Right... shopping! He made his way quickly down the stairs and towards the market; he never noticed the rain was falling on his clothes. He was just too happy.

[Exit]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female could not help but to giggle a little when she noticed that his cheeks started to turn into the colour that his hair had. "Take care, and have fun" said Kininata after he had returned the peck.
He closed the door and it was her turn to blush. Marii walked into the living room to chat a little with her relatives who were now watching the news. How would they react if she told them that she dated their former boss?

Granted, the young man was actually a year and a half younger than she was. "So Marii...how long do you plan to stay here?" inquired the elder female as she looked at her granddaughter.
"I will stay here for two days more days before I stay at Kininata's house" informed the young woman with a somewhat nervous look on her face. She hoped that her grandparents would take it nicely. Particularly since the Chuunin lived in the house all by himself.

"Why are you staying at his house?" asked the old male as his cobalt eyes looked at her. "Uhm...well...you see..." stuttered the Jounin as she tried to figure out a way to tell them this.
Things like this puzzled her a little; she was capable of giving orders to adult men but unable to tell two elderly people that she dated a guy at her age. "All right. Hold onto your chair grandpa" said the female as she decided to tell them this.

Satoru gave her a nod while Kumeko looked at her with some curiosity in her eyes. "Me and Kininata-kun have been in a...romantic relationship for a while" said the brunette as she prayed that the elderly man would not get a heart attack.
"WHAT!? FOR HOW LONG!?" exclaimed the Kino, his eyes rather wide with something that looked like shock.

"We started dating last July...so almost a year. We have seen each other a couple times a year" said the young woman in a slightly frantic voice. "Well, now I know why you told us to keep an eye on him. It was to make sure that he did not cheated on you or anything. Or am I wrong?" inquired the elderly woman.

"No. You are right grandma. And both of my parents already know about this" confessed Marii with a somewhat stressed-out look in her eyes.
"At least you picked an all right guy to be with. Kininata-kun has worked quite a lot to get the village back at track" said the elderly man as he leaned back in his chair; he now had a somewhat more relaxed look at his face.


Two days later.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you two!" said the female as she gave the female Kino a big hug. "We're glad you could stay. I hope you have a nice trip back to Kumogakure and have a nice time with your friend" said the older female wit ha smile.
"Bye grandpa, take care" said the Jounin as she hugged him. "You too, say hello to the rest of the family from us" said Satoru.

She walked down the stairs with her backpacker on her back. The two days with her grandparents had been great, but the next stay would be just as good. But the young woman felt a little sad that her trip home was so close.
'Eh, I look forward to see my brothers again. Not to mention the rest of the family plus the other shinobis' thought the Jounin as she went towards her boyfriends house.

[Exit Marii]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

[Enter Hikari]

"Hello mum" told the female as she entered the apartment. "Hikari-chan! It's so lovely to see you again!" replied the older woman. She gave her child a big hug after she had closed the door.
"I'm glad to see you too. How are you?" inquired Hikari as she put down her backpacker.

"I'm doing quite well. The eye surgery went really well. Just one or two more days and my vision should be back to normal" replied Kumeko with a big smile on her face.
"Where's dad?" asked the woman as she took off her jacket. "At the mall - he's buying some food for us to eat tonight" told the older female.

"Good good. It's been a really long trip. But I managed to get my hands on a very good body guard" informed the Chuunin with a big smile on her face.
"Oh? Who may that be?" inquired the former Chuunin, her cornflower blue eyes widening a little.

"He's a very capable Chuunin who I think you may already know. The guy is a specialist in kenjutsu" replied the female. She untied her shoes and placed them at the shelf.
"He should be here quite soon. I thought it would be best to get things sorted prior to our family dinner" informed the blonde.

"I agree. I prepared your room Hikari-chan. The towels are on the bed. I'm afraid you can't use the washing machine until tomorrow" told the older woman. The younger woman smiled - it felt good to be home.

[kininata]

[[Enter]]

Kininata hadn't been up here in a few years. It was about time he made another visit. He recalled that the Kino family was somewhere around the Funbari hills area, but with it being so long, he almost felt a sense of nostalgia the from the last time... he remembered struggling then as well trying to find the former council members.

As the apartment complexes came into sight he sighed in relief, seeing an end to the search in the rain finally. He slowly wandered over to the complexes, scanning through each building until he saw the familiar name. 'Kino... I hope they're both ok.' He spend a few minutes collecting himself, cleaning his suit a little. He had not seem these people in some time, and this time he hoped would go as well as the last time. He pressed the button that was next to the Kino name and waited.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

A sharp 'bip-bip-bip!' could be heard from the hallway. The older woman smiled as she went towards the phone. She was a little excited to meet the person who would be their body guard.
'I just hope it's not one of the ANBU's. They're not all bad, but I know that the corruption must have ruined some of them' thought Kumeko and picked up the phone.

"Hello? May I help you?" inquired the female in her 'kind grandma' voice. This was a trick that countless former shinobis used when they were regarded as 'old'.
She may not have the physical youth that her daughter had, but her amount of experience made up for it. The former Chuunin was above the age of eighty after all.

The younger female had decided to take a quick shower while her father was reading the newspaper. A sigh could be heard from the living room when the male turned up at the news page. Apparently, the economy in Amegakure was finally on its way up.
"About time darnit" muttered Satoru as he read the text. He was relieved that the village was getting one part right.

[kininata]

"Hello? May I help you?" inquired the female in her 'kind grandma' voice. It was the same voice she used the first time they met years ago, after he stopped being Kage.

'Glad to see you still keep that voice in practice, Kumeko-sama. It's Kininta Hyouketsu. I thought drop by, check that your daughter got here without any hassle, check on yourselves while I was at it.' He said, waiting a moment to let the message sink in. 'Also, maybe a few questions. If that's ok?'

He took a glance around the area, seeing if ANBU had sent people this way to keep an eye on them. He didn't expect to see any, if they had the right training, but there was always the change they made a mistake. In his history, it wouldn't be the first time.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Glad to see you still keep that voice in practice, Kumeko-sama. It's Kininata Hyouketsu. I thought drop by, check that your daughter got here without any hassle, check on yourselves while I was at it.
Also, maybe a few questions. If that's ok?" inquired the male.

"Sure. Just give me a second" replied the female. She clicked the button below the telephone.
Kininata would hear a low buzzing sound that would inquire that the lock had been opened. He could now enter the apartment complex where the Kino family lived.

'What on earth...did Hikari-chan just performed a miracle?' thought Kumeko. The person at the other end DID sound like the person he said he was for starters. Secondly, he commented on the type of voice she had used.
'They either got a really skilled impersonator or the real deal coming up. I better tell Satoru!' decided the old woman.

She went straight into the living room. "Satoru? Brace yourself" told the former Amegakure shinobi.
The male turned around, his face looking a bit worried. "You look like you've seen a ghost...are you all right Kumeko?" inquired Satoru.

"I have nearly seen a ghost. Or heard it. I think Hikari-chan has found a body guard who we thought had fled Ame no Kuni for good" started the woman as her daughter entered the room.
"The person she's talking about is no other than Kininata Hyouketsu. I met him near the gates" informed the younger woman.

"What!?" hissed the man as his steely blue eyes widened in surprise. He had not seen or heard anything from that man in nearly four years. What had made the former Amekage return to his village?
Was it related to the recent change in Amekages? Or was it something related to his now abandoned family house?

[kininata]

"Sure. Just give me a second" Kumeko Kino said and he heard the buzzer sound. He gave a slight smile and opened the door, gaining access to the properties. Every time he entered the courtyard here it felt far larger than how it seemed outside. Definately taller, at least.

He started to take his weapons off his belt and back, wrapping them up into a cover, and made his way to end up at the Kino door. He had been away for a while, and he wondered just what was going on in the village now. Something had shifted, and he was worried. He had said he would escourt Hikari, and see Marii, but if things in the village were bad, he might have to change that.

He arrived at the door, gave a few light, respectful knocks, and waited patiently at the doorway. He remembered a few times he'd spoken with the Kino's and in truth wasn't sure how'd they react to him now. He was in a relationship with their grand daughter, he wasn't exactly great at avoiding trouble, and they never did get completely along while he had his short period being Amekage. Saying that, maybe they've relaxed a little... or at least, more amicable to him. That would be a victory here.

He waited for the door to reveal the future of this visit for him.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Some light knocks could be heard. "I'll get that Kumeko" told the male. He stood up from the comfortable chair and walked straight towards the door.
Satoru did some quick handseals to sense the chakra outside. The signature definitely FELT familiar, which was a good sign.

A small 'clack' could be heard as the older man opened up the door. "Nice to see you again. Come in" told the former Jounin. He stepped aside so he could let his visitor in.
The male was moving a bit slower compared to the last time Kininata talked with him. But then again, he was 87 years old.

The Kino man went into the living room together with the younger male. 'His hair is a bit too long for my liking. He looks like a girl' thought the man.
The younger female entered moments later. She was wearing navy blue yoga pants plus the same sweater she had worn earlier.

"Glad to see you found the Funbari hills Kininata-kun. Have a seat and I'll explain everything" told Hikari. She pulled up the newspaper from her backpacker so her parents could see too.
"As you can see, Marii-chan is having her induction ceremony. She has asked you two to come as her guests" informed the woman after she had laid the article on display.

"Yeah, you wrote about that in the letter you sent us. I'm surprised Marii-chan reached that title prior to her 40th birthday. The youngest Sannin in my generation was 36 when he got his title" replied Satoru.
"Exactly. So I have hired Kininata-kun to escort the three of us back to Kumogakure no Sato in two days" said the Chuunin.

"Sounds good to me. Are we going to do any stops? Me and Kumeko aren't as you as you two" told the male.
"Hm...I thought we could spend the night in the north of Hi no Kuni if that's all right. They have a nice hotel there that many merchants use" answered the female.