Kazeraikou and Kino mansion [NDE].

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

It did not take long until the male turned to face her. "Good morning Marii. I hope you slept well" told Kininata in a quiet voice. He leaned over to kiss her. She kissed him back without hesitation.


He sat up in bed a few moments later. "So, what shall we do with this day off we have today? What would make you the happiest?" inquired the young man. The playful smile at his face made her chuckle. She sat up in bed a few moments later.

"Hmmm....good question" replied the woman. She looked up at the ceiling for a few moments. The Raikage rarely had a day off without any plans.
"Maybe we should go to the hot springs. Or something we both like" told the young woman.

Her ice blue eyes glanced over at her partner. She wanted to let him know that his opinions were just as valuable as hers. In addition, it was not often they did things together.
'I actually miss those dates we had together. We don't do that as much anymore' realized the brunette.

[kininata]

[ooc: sorry for the long wait on the reply]

"Maybe we should go to the hot springs. Or something we both like". Kininata gave a warm smile to the idea. 'I think the hotsprings is a fantastic idea. It'll be like the good old days.' He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, and slid back a little to give her a bit of room. 'If we get started packing now, we might be able to get to the nearest one by mid day with plenty of time to relax.'

He rolled to the side of the bed, taking into hand his plan beige robe. With one graceful motion he swooped the robe over and onto himself as he rose from the bed, covering himself within a second of standing onto his feet. He tied the robe shut, then turned back towards the bed. He knelt down to reach under, pulling out two empty packs and then placed them onto his side of the bed.

'Why don't you have a quick shower while I pack a few things for myself, then you can pack while I shower after you?' He suggested, poised to open the drawers by the bed containing a few essential items for a short trip, especially for one to the hot springs.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The male smiled at her idea. I think the hotsprings is a fantastic idea. It'll be like the good old days." replied Kininata. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, and slid back a little to give her a bit of room.
"If we get started packing now, we might be able to get to the nearest one by mid day with plenty of time to relax" told the young man.

Both of them slid of the bed. The female took her vanilla yellow robe while the Chuunin took his beige one. He knelt down to reach something under the bed.
"Why don't you have a quick shower while I pack a few things for myself, then you can pack while I shower after you?" suggested the male.

"I like - OH! I almost forgot! Did we visit the village spa when you were here to meet my family?" inquired the Raikage.
The facility in question was located to the eastern region of the village center. She had not been there since her relatives visited her seven years ago.

[kininata]

"I like - OH! I almost forgot! Did we visit the village spa when you were here to meet my family?" inquired the Raikage. Kininata had talked to her brother about the the spa, located to the eastern region of the village center.

'Yes, I remember speaking to your younger brother about it, but I don't think we ever got around to going there. I think this is the perfect chance to get that visit in.' He smiled, starting to place items from his drawers into one of the packs. It would be be a fairly simple endeavour - a change of clothes for travelling, for bathing and cooling off, a think long robe for changing.

'I think its name was something like "The lips of paradise" or something? It sounded like a luxury spa from the way he described it.' Kininata stated, packing a few toiletries with the clothes, and reaching for a small medicine pack. One Marii had given him a long time ago - he kept in stocked up, and was the closest thing to a Ninja tool he carried anywhere these days.

The rest of his old equipment were now locked up in the mansion, left in a box, and hadn't seen the light of day since he moved in. And he was happy with that - it was a symbol of his change to a simpler life, that of being a husband and family man first.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Yes, I remember speaking to your younger brother about it, but I don't think we ever got around to going there. I think this is the perfect chance to get that visit in" replied the male. His sincere smile made the female feel quite happy.
She started to pack her toiletries plus the yukata. 'Huh - this is the same yukata I wore back in Aoyama' realized Marii.

It was hard to believe that it was nearly ten years ago. 'We have been together for quite a while. I hope our relationship keeps growing' prayed the young woman.
"I think its name was something like "The lips of paradise" or something? It sounded like a luxury spa from the way he described it" stated Kininata.

His voice sent her straight back to reality.
"It is a village resort actually. One of the previous Raikages built it to reward the shinobis" informed the Raikage. She put some clean underwear in her backpacker and put on her summer disguise.

It consisted of a floral summer dress, straw hat plus some sunglasses. The female did not carry any weapons since it would reveal her profession. "Let's go Kininata. I bet you will enjoy this" promised the brunette. She would leave the mansion with him once he was ready.


[Exit Marii]

[kininata]

"It is a village resort actually. One of the previous Raikages built it to reward the shinobis" informed the Raikage. While Marii was packing Kininata gave a nod. 'I tried to do a similar thing back in the day. A sakura tree park, with pagodas and benches, for people to try and relax. It was used, but I imagine a resort would have gone along better.'

It wasn't too long before they were both packed and ready to head out, though Kininata was a little behind. "Let's go Kininata. I bet you will enjoy this" promised the brunette. He gave her a nod, checking the last of his essentials were in the pack, and then slung it over his shoulders. 'Ready when you are Marii.' And together they left for the resort.

[Exit Kininata]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

[Enter Marii]


The female was sorting through the mail. 'Advert, bill, veterinarian for Shiori -'. Her train of thoughts stopped for a second. It was a letter from the hospital.
Furthermore, her name was on the envelope. Marii felt a lump form in her throat.

'I hope it's nothing that will affect my body. Or that specific part of it' thought the young woman. Her shaky fingers managed to rip away the top of the envelope.
She sat down to read the letter. The positive thing was that her virus result came back negative.

'So I am...all right. That makes sense. Guess all that is left is to tell Kininata when he returns' concluded the Raikage.
Ice blue eyes glanced at her wristwatch. He should be home any time now.

She went to the kitchen and made a pot of tea. The female poured two cups prior to letting in her animal companions.
'Fingers crossed that he will say yes' thought the brunette. She took a shaky breath while she lifted her tea cup.

[kininata]

[Enter Kininata]

Garbed in plain, cleath clothes, Kininata entered the mansion carrying a few items for shopping. Some rise, some assorted meats for the house companions, some mixtures of juices, but otherwise he was quite comfortable. Life had become normal, as he left his old life behind.

'Hi Marii, I grabbed a few bits for tonight. Some treats for Shiori and co as well.' He said in a jovial manner, giving a quick stare over to Shiori. He then saw that Marii was looking a little out of sorts as she was drinking a fresh cup of tea. He slowly moved over to the kitchen to join her, putting away the shopping along the way.

He placed the last item away, and took the other cup that had been poured, still quite hit and fresh. 'Thank you, Marii.' He gave her a kiss on the cheek, a warm smile, and took the tea to sip. 'So, what's wrong? Something happened at the office?'

He knew that she really couldn't say what it was if it was the office, but he had to ask something to start it off. Since he had pretty much left his official career in the past, he spent most of his days training, exploring or fine tuning his talents.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: Prepare for the drama))


The sound of the door closing made her look up. She tried to smile when the male entered the room.
"Hi Marii, I grabbed a few bits for tonight. Some treats for Shiori and co as well." told Kininata in a jovial voice. His jade green eyes looked at the small animal companion.

He slowly moved over to the kitchen to join her after putting away the groceries.
"Thank you, Marii." told the young man. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. The warm smile on his face made the female smile too. Shiori jumped up on the table moments later.

"So, what's wrong? Something happened at the office?" inquired her partner. She took a deep breath.
"You know I went to the doctors last week? I decided to get some tests since I did not feel right" started Marii.

"I got the test results back today. The good news is that I am not ill. However...there was one thing I tested positive for" continued the young woman.
She handed him the paper. "You need to have a look since it concerns you as well" stated the Raikage.

The paper contained data about her vitamin and mineral levels. Further down was the blood pressure numbers. The latter was at the lower side.
Her antibody and metabolism however were a bit different. The reason for this could be found at the next page.

There was one test that came out positive. It was a test for the hcG hormone. This could only mean one thing.


The brunette was pregnant.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"I see. I'll leave you alone for a little while so you can think about this. See you in an hour or so" muttered the female.
She left the house after feeding her animal companions. It was time to send some messages.


[Exit Marii]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: kininata, I am referring to the posts above))


[Enter Marii]


"Here we are twinsies. Home sweet home" muttered the female as she opened the door. Both of the babies had been for their checkup. Apart from somewhat low weight, they were doing great. Especially since were borne a bit earlier than usual.

Marii carried Ichiki to the playpen. Next, she sat down in the chair with Shuji. He was quite hungry. "You're getting bigger by the day Shuji-kun. I still remember when I found out about my pregnancy" muttered the young woman.

She looked at her red haired duo. Two pairs of huge blue eyes looked back at her. A smile formed at her face. She still remembered the day when her test came back positive. Not to mention how Kininata reacted to the news.

[kininata]

Kininata smiled as he heard Marii coming back into the house after taking the twins for their checkup. He put his pen down from making sme notes for the architecture and design for their house outside of the city, and looked over frm his chair to where she was taking the kids, She placed Ichiki into the playpen and took Shuji to a chair where she could comfortably tend to him. He thought back to all those months ago, back to when she first told him.

'Pregnant?' He said, taking a moment to gather and support himself. Shock was the first reaction he had, but he quickly felt that vanish at the erupting feelings of joy, pride and love overwhelming him. 'I'm going to be a dad?' he said, taking a few jaded steps over to Marii, his hand reaching down to her belly. 'Hey there...' he said softly, crouching down a little, then back up to face Marii eye to eye. 'We're going to have a baby!' He lifted her up into the air, holding her tightly for only a moment before remembering she was pregnant. He let her down and just went to holding her. For a long time.

He rose up from his seat, taking a few steps towards the playpen. He looked over to Marii for a moment, the pair of them catching each others eyes, then carried on slowly stepping over to the playpen. 'Hey there Ichiki.' He said softly, catching the baby boy's attention. The big blue eyes widened for a moment when they saw him, and he giggled. He slowly reached down to him to pick him up, the giggling getting louder.

'Twins?!' He said loudly, sitting back into the chair as the toughts went over his mind. He tried to imagine the chaos having a pair of kids running around, but all he could focus on was just how great having two little kids to hold and care for would be. 'This is just amazing!' he said to her.

He hadn't slept all that well since they were born, but he hadn't regretted any second of having them. He was probably just as surprised as Marii that it was twins but that just added to the joy of it all. While he was holding Ichiki, he checked where their shots had been for any signs of allergic reaction.

When he had been young he had reacted badly to the shots, and was in hospital for a while because of it, but that was mostly because of what his grandfather had done to him. Once that was found out, he never had any problems since, but there was always that chance they might have inherited part of that issue from him. Thankfully he seemed to have taken the shots well and couldn't see any issues.

He turned to his wife, giving Ichiki a playful bounce as he did, and nodded to her. 'Hello there, you two. How did the checkups go? Any issues?'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female looked up when she heard some steps. She smiled when she saw who it was. He picked up the baby from the playpen. "Hi there Ichiki" greeted the male. The baby started to giggle when it received the attention.

"Hello there, you two. How did the checkups go? Any issues?" inquired Kininata. "Just a somewhat low body weight. Shuji is solving the issue right now" told Marii while pointing at the baby.

"How are the plans with the other house going? Remember that we have a couple of years. I still can't believe it's just over a year since we told my parents" recalled the young woman. That day had been very special for them. Especially for her husband.


Flashback.

'All right. It's crunchtime' thought the Raikage. She was at her parents house with her loved one. They were having a family dinner with her brothers. The female had used a henge for the last couple months to disguise her pregnancy.

She did not wanted the media to find out. Furthermore, the brunette wanted to avoid work gossip. "I want to say something very important. This is not shinobi related. It's literally family related" started the young woman.

Her brothers and parents looked at her. Their plates were empty, and nobody was chewing their food. "I went to the doctors yesterday. Me and Kininata are having babies" told Marii. The reactions were just as expected.

Her mother's teal eyes and smile were wide. Makoto and her father turned somewhat pale while their eyes were huge. "About time sis! I have been waiting for this since Kininata moved in. Congratulations!" stated Ryota.

The young man patted Kininata on the shoulders. The female undid her henge so they could see her stomach. "I-I can't believe it! Congratulations!" exclaimed Hikari. She gave her daughter and son in law a big hug.

Her head then turned towards her husband. "We're becoming grandparents Masao! I better start planning" stated the woman. Masao looked at his daughter. "Hold on a little. Did you say "babies" Marii?" inquired the man.

"Yes dad. I'm having twins. Hence my HUGE stomach" replied the Raikage. "Well...congratulations Marii and Kininata. You have some exciting times coming up" told Masao with a smile.

He knew what they were up against. After all, he was a fraternal twin with three children. "Congratulations. I am happy for both of you. I can't wait to become an uncle either" told Makoto, his smile a copy of his mothers.

[kininata]

"Just a somewhat low body weight. Shuji is solving the issue right now" told Marii while pointing at the baby. He nodded in response to that, happy to hear there were no major issues in their health. It was one of his biggest fears considering his past.

"How are the plans with the other house going? Remember that we have a couple of years. I still can't believe it's just over a year since we told my parents"

He tilted his head from side to side. 'It's going alright so far. I've planned out the ground floors, for the most part. We have a kitchen, a lounge, a small reception area at the front door, a nice convservatory leading onto a large garden and patio.' He paused for a moment to return his attention to the baby in his arms, giving him a little bounce and a grin.

'Still working on the next floor. Wanting to make sure our room and theirs aren't too far, but not too close. I'm also working out if I can fit a nice large attic for a office and workshop space. A small one. I'll probably leave it for the garden area, but I like the idea of an attic space. I'm also waiting for some checks for the ground, as I want to get a basement there as well. For storms, mostly.'

It wasn't the only reason he wanted the basement, but it was the main reason. Then he turned back to Ichiki, staring into his eyes as he thought back to last year.

'It still shocks me, having twins.' He said softly, still smiling. 'I just hope they never have to grow up without us. I don't want to miss anything with them, or them miss anything with us. We're going to need lots of pictures.' He said as he reached down to put Ichiki back into the playpen. 'Enough to decorate the walls of our new home.'

flashback

...Marii's mother's eyes and smile went wide and she was clearly excited and overjoyed. Makoto and her father turned somewhat pale while their eyes were huge. "About time sis! I have been waiting for this since Kininata moved in. Congratulations!" stated Ryota.

The young man patted Kininata on the shoulders, and he could feel that he had some enthusiasm as he had to hold his stance with effort. Then Marii undid her henge so they could see her stomach, and the large bump where their children were growing. "I-I can't believe it! Congratulations!" exclaimed Hikari. She gave her daughter and son in law a big hug, and Kininata returned the gesture. This was his family now, truly.

Her head then turned towards her husband. "We're becoming grandparents Masao! I better start planning" stated the woman. Masao looked at his daughter. "Hold on a little. Did you say "babies" Marii?" inquired the man.

"Yes dad. I'm having twins. Hence my HUGE stomach" replied the Raikage. Kininata gave a little shrug that reflected the same surprise in her father's face."Well...congratulations Marii and Kininata. You have some exciting times coming up" told Masao with a smile.

He knew what they were up against. After all, he was a fraternal twin with three children. "Congratulations. I am happy for both of you. I can't wait to become an uncle either" told Makoto, his smile a copy of his mothers.

'I'm looking forwards to every moment of it' He said to them, grinning as widely as he could and reaching around to hold his beloved, along with his children.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"It's going alright so far. I've planned out the ground floors, for the most part. We have a kitchen, a lounge, a small reception area at the front door, a nice convservatory leading onto a large garden and patio" started the male. The female nodded while supporting her baby. She glanced over at her other son for a few moments.

"Still working on the next floor. Wanting to make sure our room and theirs aren't too far, but not too close. I'm also working out if I can fit a nice large attic for a office and workshop space. A small one. I'll probably leave it for the garden area, but I like the idea of an attic space. I'm also waiting for some checks for the ground, as I want to get a basement there as well. For storms, mostly" told Kininata.

"I agree. Even Hi no Kuni gets its share of horrible weather" replied Marii. She adjusted Shuji a little. He was not as hungry as he was earlier. The young woman stroked his head.

"It still shocks me, having twins. I just hope they never have to grow up without us. I don't want to miss anything with them, or them miss anything with us. We're going to need lots of pictures." said the young man. He put the other twin back into the playpen.

"Enough to decorate the walls of our new home" told the Chuunin. "I second that. I already started on a photo album for each of them. Thank Kami that technology has made such progress. Still remember how long we had to wait for our photos" recalled the Raikage.

She looked down at the baby. He seemed to be satisfied. The female pulled her sweater back down after he let go. Next, she put him back in the playpen. The two brothers started playing with each other moments later.

"I am glad we got twins. They're double the trouble, but double the joy as well. Wonder what kind of profession they'll get in the future" said the brunette. She smiled while looking at Kininata. Her father was right - exciting times were ahead of them.

[kininata]

"I second that. I already started on a photo album for each of them. Thank Kami that technology has made such progress. Still remember how long we had to wait for our photos" recalled the Raikage. Kininata nodded. Even with everything that had progressed, getting anything done took almost as long, for the queues, and getting the quality right.

Marii looked down at the baby who seemed quite fulfilled with his feeding. She pulled her sweater back down after he let go. As Marii moved to place the brother back together again in the pen, Kininata moved up next to her.

"I am glad we got twins. They're double the trouble, but double the joy as well. Wonder what kind of profession they'll get in the future" said the brunette. She smiled while looking at Kininata.

'Well, with no offence...' he said, his left hand reaching over a now faded, near invisible scar from years ago, 'I almost hope they step away from our lives. A little less violence would be something good for everyone. And I would hate for them to start collecting battle memories like ours.'

He thought back to all those years of his childhood in Amekagure no Sato, about everything he felt and went through. One of the very few things that were positive from that was Marii, and he had been happy to leave that dark, crimson past behind him since coming here. 'Saying that, the pair of us would make sure that they would never be hurt like that. Master medic, and mast survialist. Makes a great combination.' He leaned in to kiss his wife on the cheek. 'I pray the Kami's never let them face the pains we have.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Well, with no offence...I almost hope they step away from our lives. A little less violence would be something good for everyone. And I would hate for them to start collecting battle memories like ours." replied the male. The female nodded. Many events from his and her mothers childhood could definitely feature in a horror movie.

"Saying that, the pair of us would make sure that they would never be hurt like that. Master medic, and mast survialist. Makes a great combination." stated Kininata. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "I pray the Kami's never let them face the pains we have." stated the man.

"Maybe they'll become diplomats or explorers. We're from different countries after all. I hope they inherited your perseverance. They are going to need that" replied Marii. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Furthermore, their ryuugan will help them see things others can't. Those two are going to be a terrifying duo if we raise them right. I am so excited about the future!" told the young woman. She turned to look at her husband. Her voice and eyes did not hide her happiness.

[kininata]

"Maybe they'll become diplomats or explorers. We're from different countries after all. I hope they inherited your perseverance. They are going to need that" replied Marii. She kissed him on the cheek. He gave her a confident glance about the ideas she implied. 'Wandering diplomats, uniting everyone, stopping everything we had to grow up with. Now that is a nice thought.' he replied to her, staring down at the little blessings in front of him.

"Furthermore, their ryuugan will help them see things others can't. Those two are going to be a terrifying duo if we raise them right. I am so excited about the future!" told the young woman - she turned to look at her husband with the most natural, purest look of joy he had ever seen from her. 'Excited is definately the word for it. Maybe... this was what Corrin really meant.' He said to her, smiling as he thought back to the promise Amekage's make to each other as they passed on the mantle.

'One who will stop the rain. Our children. Every child born has the chance to do it.' He held her with both hands, now, feeling relaxed, at peace, happy. 'If any children could, these two certainly have every chance to be that for everyone. Now we just have to hope we can help them make it happen. And maybe make sure they respect their elders the right way too.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Excited is definitely the word for it. Maybe...this was what Corrin really meant." told the male. The sincere look at his face made her smile as well. She knew how important Corrin was to Kininata.

"One who will stop the rain. Our children. Every child born has the chance to do it" said the young man. She squeezed his hands a little. What he said rang true in so many ways.

"If any children could, these two certainly have every chance to be that for everyone. Now we just have to hope we can help them make it happen. And maybe make sure they respect their elders the right way too." concluded the Chuunin. Marii could not help but to laugh a little of what he said. She remembered all the pranks she and her brothers did in the past.

The worst thing was that they were not grown out of it. "As long those elders have earned their respect that is. My mother told me about that teacher in Amegakure. This teacher had some - ahem - room for improvement. Fortunately, the parents co-wrote a letter to the vice principal" recalled the young woman.

"Joke aside, I need to stay on top to lead this village. Especially since we have more international relations compared to earlier. Plus that I got an extraordinary person right next to me. I couldn't have done all this without you" finished the Raikage. She reached up and kissed her husband on the cheek.

[kininata]

"As long those elders have earned their respect that is. My mother told me about that teacher in Amegakure. This teacher had some - ahem - room for improvement. Fortunately, the parents co-wrote a letter to the vice principal" recalled the young woman. Kininata had to spend a moment thinking about that, then he recalled some stories he remembered about a somewhat less than helpful teacher... one that had a reputation for being a little over harsh, and was often a target of the children. 'Maybe.'

"Joke aside, I need to stay on top to lead this village. Especially since we have more international relations compared to earlier. Plus that I got an extraordinary person right next to me. I couldn't have done all this without you" finished the Raikage. She reached up and kissed her husband on the cheek. He smiled, thinking that she was just as extraordinary as him, and whispered a prayer under his breath for the fortune he had finally received.

He stepped away from the children and headed over to the kitchen, moving over to the fridge to start getting ingredients together. 'Now the kids are fed, what are you in the mood for? Some fish? Chicken?' He reached in to start sifting through the options they had to go over.