Kazeraikou and Kino house.

[Koji Kazeraikou]

Shigure stood with his shoulder resting upon something just big enough to hold him up. The Sky would start to turn gray as this caught his eye. With all the training Marii had put him through. He heard the door swing open behind him. He kept his gaze upon the sky. He only would look back once he heard him name said. "Shigure-kun...I want to talk to you for a few seconds. Can you come inside for a few seconds?" He smiled as glance at her “Yeah Marii what is it? “ He paused for a second before walking in to the house with her. While she wasn’t looking at him again he would grab her from behind in a hug. “Thanks for letting me stay here for now, and I tried to look for Lucas but no luck on my part so I waited till you came back” He spoke again after releasing her from his grip.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

A pair of cobalt blue eyes looked at her and the male smiled for once. "Yeah Marii, what is it?" asked Shigure. "I need to discuss the Chuunin exam with you" said the female and stepped aside so he could come in.
When she turned to close the door, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her torso. Her body went rigid for a second or two before she relaxed.

"Thanks for letting me stay here for now. And I tried to look for Lucas, but no luck on my part, so I waited till you came back" said the young man after he had released her from his grip.
"Heh, you're welcome. You are probably one of the best students I have had...and this is the fifth or sixth team I am teaching, so that says something. I made some cocoa for us" said Marii and walked into the living room.

She sat down on the couch and gestured him to sit in the comfortable chair that was on the opposite side of the table. "Now, I have had a look through your mission record. You have done four missions all together; two "D"-ranks, one "C"-rank and one "A"-rank.
I am afraid you have to do eight missions in total to take the exams, so I will make you do two more "C"-ranked missions and two more "D"-ranks. There are not many Chuunins or Jounins around, and you need the time to train" said the young woman, her voice quite serious.

She rolled up her right sleeve and showed him a scar on her under arm; it was 3 inches long and 1/3 inch wide. "I was lucky on my exam; I only got a few wounds and cuts. But the exams nowadays are much harder...people DIE there" said the Jounin and put a bit more weight on the second last word.
"So, I know that you have managed to learn all the Kazeraikou ninjutsus and mastered the raiton. Your medic skills seems quite good as well considering the last mission" said the female and smiled.

"However, we need to work on your taijutsu and your ninjutsu; I suggest we can train on mokuton and daton first. You can do some suiton later on.
I have heard that the second round in the Chuunins have started now, so we do not have that much time on our hands. I am afraid I do not know any daton or mokuton myself, so I will ask one of the Chuunins to look over that.
As for taijutsu, you will train with Satoshi and if we get time, I will help you with suiton and genjutsu. Any questions?" asked the brunette and sipped some cocoa from her cup.

She knew that the Genin had been on this rank for a while and that he should be able to enter the Chuunins quite soon. The young woman did not wanted him to die, which was why she had put him through all that training. Not to mention that it was also the reason why the blond had accompanied her on all those hard missions.
'I hope he gets the title; he has worked quite hard. Not to mention that I'm even asking more out of him now, but I know he can do it' thought Marii.

[Koji Kazeraikou]

He looked as they walked deeper into the house, and for once he was smiling again. This was rare even more so now. The darker side of him has been showing its self-more and more each and every day. He had been fighting it for far too long he needed it and it needed him, but after so long he thinks he had found a balance that made him happy.

He looked at her once again as the brunette spoke to him again. "Heh, you're welcome. You are probably one of the best students I have had...and this is the fifth or sixth team I am teaching, so that says something. I made some cocoa for us" the smile on his face would grow There was no hiding it. She gestured to the chair and he picked up his coco. He placed the cup to his lips and started to sip from it.

"Now, I have had a look through your mission record. You have done four missions all together; two "D"-ranks, one "C"-rank and one "A"-rank. I am afraid you have to do eight missions in total to take the exams, so I will make you do two more "C"-ranked missions and two more "D"-ranks. There are not many Chuunins or Jounins around, and you need the time to train" The sound of her voice had changed very quickly.

He looked at her Marii and stopped her “Yes Marii but I have also completed a few things over from leaf as well. To make that correct I have two more C ranks under my belt” He said as he blink slowly. he then noticed her lifting her sleeve "I was lucky on my exam; I only got a few wounds and cuts. But the exams nowadays are much harder...people DIE there" she paused then spoke again "So, I know that you have managed to learn all the Kazeraikou ninjutsus and mastered the raiton. Your medic skills seems quite good as well considering the last mission" He would glance at her scar the whiter part plainly sticking out on her now tanner skin. He only would sit to think of his old scars on his body.

He moved out thinking about what he needed to learn and how quickly he would need to do so. This was starting to get very serious very quickly. He knew of the dangers but never seen any of it first hand before. He would keep listing to her as she asked him if he had any questions. The one thing popped into his head. He would sip his coco on last time before placing it back down. He looked her dead in her eyes.

The deep side He had found a balance with had won out some within. “When do we start?” He face begin to take on a blank look. As he sat there looking and thinking what he was going to need to do to earn this title.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The male interrupted her for a short while. "Yes Marii but I have also completed a few things over from leaf as well. To make that correct I have two more C ranks under my belt" said Shigure.
"All right...that makes the total up to 6. You still need 2 more missions or so" said the female and put the cup on the table.

"When do we start?" asked the young man, the look on his face now blank. Marii's eyes darted over to the calendar that hung on the wall. "We will start tomorrow at 11 AM or so...Satoshi-kun just come home today from a hard mission.
Speaking of which; I will go on a solo mission soon, which is why I will let other people train you. Also, some variation will only be good for you" said the young woman and gave him a half-smile.

She did like the blonde; he was not a bad student unless you made him mad, which was one of his bad qualities. The Jounin had never seen or made him angry, but it seemed like he was more serious nowadays. She decided to ask him how he felt.
"Shigure-kun...I don't want to be rude, but I know you have a slight issue with your temper. I want to know how you're doing. Sorry that I have not asked you about that earlier...and sorry for pushing you around and make you do so much work" said the female, her voice and expression a bit somber.

[Koji Kazeraikou]

He waited intill he heard her speak again. "We will start tomorrow at 11 AM or so...Satoshi-kun just come home today from a hard mission. Speaking of which; I will go on a solo mission soon, which is why I will let other people train you. Also, some variation will only be good for you" HE watched her give a small half smile. The thought of others training him was fun. Shigure was lazy but when he had someone to work with it was fun.

"Shigure-kun...I don't want to be rude, but I know you have a slight issue with your temper. I want to know how you're doing. Sorry that I have not asked you about that earlier...and sorry for pushing you around and make you do so much work" His face begin to gain back its expressions from her question. His cobalt blue eye would train them self on hers. His eyes would almost look as he was looking right through her, but he would move his focus in and out on her.

His lips would slowly part as a breath of air pulled in between them. “Marii where has this come from we have known each other for over a year and I have never seen you act like this.” He stopped as he looked away for a second then back to her. He took another deep breath “As for how I have changed… Yes I do have a temper, but it has always been there. I’m not a kid anymore I can’t keep going through life acting like a kid. I thought it was time to grow up and pull from all my strengths and get more serious with my life. Dose that answer your question Marii? He ending almost running out of breath then leaning back into the chair sipping his coco again.

[Camus Comprix]

Lucas would still be training in the training grounds. He tried to dodge kunais one after one. He still got hit this time but by less. He was getting tired of the repeating and repeating of the same thing. He would continued to try to dodge some. He still got hit. Now theres a larger field of wooden kunais surrounding him. He would continue to dodge them.

'Will this training ever end?' Lucas thought to him self. He continued to dodge them. When he dodged one he jumped straight into another kunai. He would continuously dodge a kunai then get hit by another wooden kunai. He would try and try again. But he would never get a continuous dodging streak. That barrage was over. Hoshiko went to get some more kunais. He would try to dodge them too. (Your post mari remember your NPCing hoshiko.)

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: Please come to see me and Shigure when you are finished Lucas. And my name is Marii))

Hoshiko.

The woman smiled; his son had quite a hard time out there, but it was necessary. An enemy would not show him much mercy on a battlefield. She picked up some wooden kunais and continued to throw them towards him.
Some of them were aimed at his legs and others at his shoulder; how would he dodge this? He had already jumped into a weapon, which would have caused him a lot of injury if it was real.

"You're improving Lucas-kun, but keep your eyes on my shoulders! That will make it easier to predict my movements" said Hoshiko before she hurled another shuriken towards his neck.
She made it a bit harder now; it was fair since he had been given a clue and has becomed a bit better on this. Next, the female would throw two kunais aimed at his kneecaps before two shuriken were thrown. These were aimed at his waist.

A smile graced her tanned face; she knew that her son would master this sooner or later. However, many people found this particular jutsu a bit hard to learn, despite that the rank was not as high.
Especially since the raven-haired woman was a high-ranked kuinochi who was good with secondary weapons. She looked at how her son was doing at the moment. Had he managed to learn the jutsu by now?


Marii.

"Marii, where has this come from? We have known each other for over a year and I have never seen you act like this" said the male. 'Great, now I made him worried...' thought the female.
"Well, it's just that I feel guilty for pushing you so hard; you have done a lot of missions, one of them even an "A"-rank. You were so exhausted after that mission that I had to drag you into Kumo and back to the house" said Marii.

She could still remember how tired he was; he was barely able to stand on his feet. Shigure looked away for a second before he looked back at her. "As for how I have changed… Yes I do have a temper, but it has always been there. I’m not a kid anymore, I can’t keep going through life acting like a kid. I thought it was time to grow up and pull from all my strengths and get more serious with my life. Does that answer your question Marii?" said the young man.

The young woman's eyes widened; he really HAD grown up. She remembered when they first met; he had almost killed Ryota when he had called the blond a fag one time. True, Ryota was 12 at that time and would have earned himself some yelling for that, but the older male had almost threatened his life.
But now, he was not that mad anymore. "I see..." said the Jounin while her eyes looked to the side; raindrops pelted against the window.

The next Chuunin exam would find place this autumn, which was only a couple months away. And during that time, her students had to do two more missions and train like a madman. On the good side, he had already got down the clan jutsus and some medic jutsu.
However, the Genin had to improve his taijutsu if he wanted to get to the finals. The Genin nowadays were no pushovers.

[Koji Kazeraikou]

"I see...” As they both turned their attention to rain now smacking on the side of the house. The sounds where so soothing to Shigure. He remembered sitting up all night with his father watching the rain and lightning strike the ground. After the event with him being hit by it as a kid he never got to close again. He would always lie under cover as he watched the show. His thoughts would return to the matter at hand.

The Chunin exams where coming up and fast. He knew this was it. This was his shot so show everyone what he was made of. This was his turn he needed to train like his life depended on it. As he remembered the scar Marii had showed him. His life may very well really depend on it. His eyes would train them self on Marii once again. They are family and he was now living there for the time being. He owed her for this. She had gone out of her way to help him and he was not sure how to react to all of this.

He learned back in his chair his hand would grip the arm of the chair tightly. His fingers pushed deeply into the material. He was ready and waiting to train. He took one last sip of his now luke warm coco. “Ok Marii when do you want to start training?” He asked with a serious sound to his voice.

[exit]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Ok Marii when do you want to start training?" asked the male. The female sweatdropped; she had just told him that they would start tomorrow! "We will start tomorrow morning..." said Marii with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"As for me, I have some herbalist work to do. Remember to go to bed early today...you have to be bright and alert for tomorrow" said the young woman.

A lightning struck outside and she jumped a little; she did not like those. The Jounin stood up from her chair and exited the house as soon as the lightning storm had subsided. It was time to see what she could make out of the plants she already had.

[Exit Marii]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female entered the house, now dressed in a white ANBU cloak and her mask. 'Hm, I wonder if anyone are home' thought Marii and removed her shoes before she entered the house.
She got her answer quite soon; someone taller than her appeared from behind. "Welcome home Tats-" said Hoshiko's voice. Her body stiffened; she would probably notice quite soon that she was not Tatsuya.

"Wait a minute! You are not Tatsuya-kun!" said the woman and twirled the petite woman around, her tanned hands on her shoulders. The Jounin removed her mask and looked at her relative.
"Sorry to disappoint you Hoshiko oba-chan" said the female and gave her an awkward smile before the mask was put back on. "Bu-but why are you in a white cloak? Are...are you CAPTAIN now!?" asked the older Jounin in disbelief.

"I am afraid so. I got promoted for two hours ago" said the brunette and made a giant grin. "CONGRATULATIONS!" said the older woman and gave her a bearhug. Then, the real Tatsuya entered the room; he was dressed in the same mask and cloak as his niece.
"Hm, did someone's cloak got bleached or did someone got promoted while I was in Suna?" asked the man.

"Tatsuya-kun! Marii-chan just got promoted to captain" said Hoshiko. The other Jounin went silent before he approached the other masked shinobi.
He raised his tanned hands and removed the porcelain mask, which revealed the young womans face. "Hello Tatsuya oba-san" she said and smiled at him. He put the mask back on and pulled her into a hug.

"Congratulations Marii-chan. You never stop to surprise me...remember to take care of your division" muttered the male into her ear. "He he, thanks; I worked hard for the title.
How was Suna?" asked Marii and rested her head on his shoulder. "Very warm, but at least I have a decent tan now" said the mint-haired shinobi.

A laugh escaped the female's pink lips before they pulled apart and took off their cloaks and masks. He was right; his skin now had a nice tan on it, which made a nice contrast with his light green hair and hazel eyes.
"Too bad my parents are in Cha no Kuni on a honeymoon. But hey, they have been married for 20 years now, so they deserve it" said the Jounin. "Speaking of which, I better call Usagi; she's turning 44 today" said the older woman.

This made a bell ring in the younger woman's ears. Usagi's birthday was on the 18th of June. She walked into her room, checked the calendar and let out a small gasp in shock. Kininata's birthday was in just two days!
'Oh Kami, he's becoming off age this year as well! I better come up with something nice' thought the brunette and looked through some brochures her parents had picked out for their anniversary thing.

'Hm, there should be some summer festival going on soon. Flower festival in Kusa is out of question for obvious reasons. Moonstone holiday in Tsuchi - nah, sounds boring. Tsuki and Umi is too far away and I don't know how the relationship with Ame and Suna are at the moment.
Yuki is WAY too cold and there is nothing happening in Kaminari until the first week of July. Hmph, this is not easy' thought the female.

Suddenly, she spotted a colourful brochure that laid at the bottom of the bunch. This picked Marii's interest, so she opened the brochure. 'Summer waterfall festival in Taki no Kuni, near the capital.
Starts at the 19th and ends at the 21st of June. Shinobis are free to enter and the festival is for people between 5 and 85 years old' read the print.

'Hm...I have heard that Taki is quite nice, and we are on a lot better terms with them compared to a few years ago. And I do think Ame is on good terms with that village as well, at least according to oka-san.
I better send Kininata-kun a message about this. Taki is not far away from Kaminari or Ame, so that will work out' thought the young woman.

She picked up a pen and started to write down a message. Then, the Jounin walked into the garden and saw Kuroyabun sit on the fence. "Here Kuroyabun-kun. Fly with this one to Kininata-kun" said the female and handed him some leftover sushi.
While the barn owl ate up the food, she laid the letter in his silver carrier on the back. "Off with you now" muttered the brunette and patted its back.

Kuroyabun spread his wings before he flied into the sunset. She smiled; it would not be long until she saw Kininata again. The young woman went downstairs and started to think how she would travel.
'I will take the boat to Kiba no Kuni before I go to Taki by foot. I suppose I can take my spring kimono with me' thought Marii and picked up a light purple kimono that the Raikage had given her for a little more than a year ago. She smiled and laid it into her backpacker.

[kininata]

Later that day, the owl Kuroyabun would gently land on its perch, tooting to let its masters know that the journey back was uneventful and quick - with its clutches a scroll marked with the symbols of Amegakure no Sato.

SPOILER: Click to show

Marii my dearest friend! So good to hear from you again, and thank you for the invitation. In truth, I had forgotten that my birthday was so near, And would have never remembered if not without you. I will be leaving within an hour of writing this letter, so I hope to see you there around the start of the festival.

Kininata

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female sat in her room, helping her brother Makoto with his first report for a "B"-ranked mission. Suddenly, the younger male looked towards the window. "I think Kuroyabun-kun is home" said the Chuunin and nodded towards the window. She heard a light 'hoohoo' and turned around. The barn owl sat on the perch with a small scroll in its clutches.

"Just a second" said Marii before she went outside. She took the scroll and the bird went off to its usual place. The young woman returned to the room and opened up the scroll. "Is it from gramps? Or grandpa?" asked the young man and raised his light brown eyebrows. "Uhm, no...it's from my boyfriend" said the Jounin.

She knew that the dishwater-blond teen would not tell; she did not tell his parents when he started to date Junko last year. "I'm going to Taki tomorrow, can you please tell Hoshiko oba-chan?" asked the female.
He gave her a nod and the duo managed to finish up on the report.

NEXT DAY.

The brunette woke up at 8 AM and decided to pack. She had already packed her kimono in the bag, so she decided to travel in her civil clothes. The young woman than ate her breakfast and darted off towards the gates.

[Exit]

[kininata]

[Enter]

Kininata had been given the spartan tour of the village, meaning that he was allowed to see as little as possible while being directed to a large estate house, marked clearly with the family names of Kazeraikou and Kino. 'Well, shall we go in?' He said to Makoto, awaiting a response. Of course, it was likely that he was going to have to be watched every single second of his stay here as a "guest", his pack likely confiscated for his own safety of course. He was more concerned with how the rest of the family would react to his being here, considering that is Makoto knew about him and Marii, than so would the others.

Makoto directed him forwards, and together they moved onwards into the compound of the family. 'Nice gardens, really. Better than the one at my home. Then again, I live alone these days.' He was trying the small talk approach to lighten the mood that seemed to have been following the pair since they met at the harbour town. It didn't really matter, because the main event of the visit would be when he and Marii met up together, followed by the encounter with her family. It was not going to be a pleasant experience for at least the first five minutes, he imagined.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

[Enter]

Kumogakure bustled with life as per usual despite that it was 09:10 PM in the evening. It had been a bit bothersome for the male who had to escort him via shortcuts so people didn't see him. "Nice gardens, really. Better than the one at my home. Then again, I live alone these days" said the young man.

Makoto opened the door as soon as Kininata was next to him and let him enter the house. "Who is it?" said a female voice that came from the other end of the hallway.
"It's me; I brought a guest with me" said the guy as he removed his jacket. "Really?" said the voice...it was not very far away from the duo by now. The owner turned out to be a woman who appeared to be in her mid-forties and looked like an older, female version of the Chuunin.

She had the same complexion, facial shape, hair shade and texture and mouth shape. She had cobalt blue eyes while her hair reached a few inches below her shoulder.
But this woman had hands, fingers and feet that were average-sized for someone her height. She was definitely not the one who had passed on the Ryuugan to her children. It was no doubt about who this was...it was the former Amegakure Chuunin Hikari Kino.

"OK...This is my mother Hikari Kino who used to be a Chuunin in Amegakure no Sato. Mum, this is Kininata Hyouketsu. He played with Marii and me when we went to Amegakure for 16-17 years ago. I have already intorregated the guy and he is the real deal" said the male.
Hikari now had a wide-eyed expression as she examined the male who stood in front of her.

"Kininata-kun...you're all grown up now...I-I'm sorry to hear what has happened to your parents, really. But I'm glad to see that you're OK" said the woman and smiled. Her smile was pretty much identical to Marii's but had more warmth in it.
The foreign Chuunin had been the son of a friend who had gone through quite a lot. "You should go to bed Makoto-kun; you're ill and should rest" said the Chuunin.

"Fine mum. Oh, here's the photo of grandpa" said the brunett as he laid the picture that he had sent to Amegakure in her hands. He gave the redhead a wink before he went into the bathroom to change into pajamas.
"Please come with me. Me and Masao wants a word with you" said the female and walked towards the stairs.

[kininata]

"Who is it?" said a female voice that came from the other end of the hallway after being let inside by Makoto.
"It's me; I brought a guest with me" said the guy as he removed his jacket. "Really?" said the voice...it was not very far away from them now, and there was an odd familarity to it. The owner turned out to be a woman who appeared to be in her mid-forties and looked like an older, female version of Makoto, probably his aunt or... she had the same complexion, facial shape, hair shade and texture and mouth shape. She had cobalt blue eyes while her hair reached a few inches below her shoulder. Memory flashed before his eyes as a child, and recognition glimmered in his stare. Hikari Kino.

"OK...This is my mother Hikari Kino who used to be a Chuunin in Amegakure no Sato. Mum, this is Kininata Hyouketsu. He played with Marii and me when we went to Amegakure for 16-17 years ago. I have already interrogated the guy and he is the real deal" said Marii's brother, and waited for a response.
Hikari now had a wide-eyed expression as she examined the male who stood in front of her.

"Kininata-kun...you're all grown up now...I-I'm sorry to hear what has happened to your parents, really. But I'm glad to see that you're OK" said the woman and smiled. Her smile was pretty much identical to Marii's but had more warmth in it - after all, it was her father's side that possessed the Ryuugan, not her mothers; some bloodline traits can be quite detrimental in ways people do not expect. 'It's good to see you again, Kino-sama.' He said to her, keeping his tone civil and respectful as he bowed before her.

"You should go to bed Makoto-kun; you're ill and should rest". She still had the commanding tone of a ninja about her, and a mother. "Fine mum. Oh, here's the photo of grandpa" said the brunette as he laid the picture that he had sent to Amegakure in her hands. He gave the redhead a wink before he went into the bathroom to change into pajamas. 'He's a good kid, and smart. Reminds me of Kouushimei in some ways, and or Marii in a few others... and, thankyou... about my parents.'

"Please come with me. Me and Masao wants a word with you" said the female and walked towards the stairs. Kininata followed, trying to mentally prepare himself for the torture that was no doubt laying before him. Masao was a Ryuugan user, and was likely to be more in tune to it's particular traits than his girlfriend. 'So, how is life in the village? Enjoying your retirement?' He asked, hoping that the small talk would ease him as much as help set a mood. 'You know... I have some other news. Marii's cousin, the one who attended the Chuunin exam with me this year... I, er...' he opened his coat and pulled out his headband. 'I did what I could to protect him, but these examiners are really trying to kill people these days. I was just too far away to save him... I am sorry.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"So, how is life in the village? Enjoying your retirement?" asked the young man. "I'm not retired yet; I'm teaching the younger grades at the Academy. But I'm fine otherwise" said the woman.
"You know... I have some other news. Marii's cousin, the one who attended the Chuunin exam with me this year... I, er...I did what I could to protect him, but these examiners are really trying to kill people these days. I was just too far away to save him... I am sorry" said Kininata and pulled out his headband.

Hikari just nodded. "We received a message from the Chuunin examiner office for a couple of days ago. Thank you for trying though...I will give this to Marii-chan once she gets home" said the female as she took the headband.
She continued to the kitchen. It was empty, save a man who sat with his back facing the two Amegakure shinobis.

His skin had a light tan to it like the young man while his hair was cut short and mattè black. Some flecks of gray could be spotted in it. A yawn escaped his lips and he stretched his arms; they were longer than most men at his height. The same went for the fingers...these signs were tell-tale sign of Kazeraikou blood.
"Thanks for the ramen Hikari...it was really good" said Masao, his voice somewhat deep with an edge to it.

"You are welcome. Oh, this is Kininata Hyouketsu. He's the son of one of my friends back in Amegakure" said the Chuunin with a relatively neutral tone. The man stood up before he turned around to face the duo behind him.
He was 3 inches taller than the male Chuunin and had a sturdier body build compared to his son.

Masao had some uncanny similarities to his daughter. He had long, narrow feet, an oval face with high cheekbones, a somewhat long nose and a slightly pointed chin. His eyes were a mix of azure and royal blue with darker specks.
They contrasted quite a bit with the dark colours and it did not help that he had dark circles underneath them as well. A smile formed on his face but it was almost devoid of warmth...it was a result of his wolf ANBU missions.

"My name is Masao Kazeraikou. I'm pleased to meet you" said the male before he gave him a polite bow. "Reasons why Makoto fetched you is because we have a suspicion about who almost killed Marii.
There is unfortunately a chance that the killer was from your village. As for Marii, you'll met her in a half hour or so...she and Ryota are at the hospital for a checkup" said the Jounin before his eyes glanced at a watch strapped to his left wrist.

[kininata]

"We received a message from the Chuunin examiner office for a couple of days ago. Thank you for trying though...I will give this to Marii-chan once she gets home" said the female as she took the headband. As she started leading him towards another room, Kininata followed until they entered what seemed like a kitchen - within which was another man with his back towards them.

His skin had a light tan to it like the young man while his hair was cut short and mattè black. Some flecks of gray could be spotted in it. A yawn escaped his lips and he stretched his arms; they were longer than most men at his height. The same went for the fingers...these signs were tell-tale sign of Kazeraikou blood. This must be her father, then. Oh hell, I really am meeting the family...

"Thanks for the ramen Hikari...it was really good" said the aged man, his voice somewhat deep with an edge to it - an edge that felt familiar somehow.

"You are welcome. Oh, this is Kininata Hyouketsu. He's the son of one of my friends back in Amegakure" said the former Amegakure Chuunin with a relatively neutral tone. The man stood up before he turned around to face the duo behind him.
He was 3 inches taller than his son and had a sturdier body build compared to him as well - obviously other traits associated with being a bearer of the Ryuugan.

It was also eerily strange that he had some physical similarities to his daughter. He had long, narrow feet, an oval face with high cheekbones, a somewhat long nose and a slightly pointed chin. His eyes were a mix of azure and royal blue with darker specks.
They contrasted quite a bit with the dark colours and it did not help that he had dark circles underneath them as well. A smile formed on his face but it was almost devoid of warmth...something that he had also seen before, in himself long ago.

"My name is Masao Kazeraikou. I'm pleased to meet you" said the male before he gave him a polite bow. Kininata bowed in similar respect, doing his best not to create a negative impresion. 'It's an honor, sir.

"The reason why Makoto fetched you is because we have a suspicion about who almost killed Marii." Kininata held a stone-faced look, bracing himself as to the rest of the comment... something he almost didn't want to here.
"There is unfortunately a chance that the killer was from your village. As for Marii, you'll met her in a half hour or so...she and Ryota are at the hospital for a checkup"

He stopped paying attention to the world for a moment, thinking about what he had said. Someone from my village? A rage was building inside of him, and from there his eyes would change from their natural jade shade to a cold, hollow ice-blue shine. I need more details. 'What did this attacker look like? I might recognise the shinobi responsible if they are from my village.' His tone seemed indifferent, but an attentive ear would pick up the anger that was inherent with the words. He could barely hold back the urge to scream at the world.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The male's eyes widened when he saw the young mans eyes go from jade green to ice blue in seconds. His eyes resembled ice cubes; cold with almost no emotion in them whatsoever.
"What did this attacker look like? I might recognise the shinobi responsible if they are from my village" said Kininata with a voice that revealed his bottled-up emotions. 'Hm...looks like my children were able to make a good plan' thought Masao.

"Calm down now Kininata-kun; I'm just as angry as you are. I got this from the owl squad today" said the older man as he removed a video tape from a nearby shelf. "I have to warn you...it contains rather graphic things" said the Jounin before he went into the living room with the other two in his heels.
He put the tape into the VCR before the TV was turned on. A forest setting appeared and the camera then zoomed in at two people.

One was a tall, lanky male with short, brown hair clad in black from top to toe. The other was a short female with shoulder-length brown hair; she was dressed in a white shirt and a blue skirt. You could not see their facial features or clothing details but both of them had pale skin.
The camera then changed to heatvision. A small human, some catlike-creature and another weird animal stood about 50 meters away could be seen.

It sounded like a fight since the female's voice commanded someone named Kin to use a fuuton jutsu on a dome. The camera then suddenly turned sidewards and stared into something empty. "Marii told us that her enemy used a genjutsu at this point. Brace yourself, the next scene will get quite nasty" said the male.
The camera was suddenly thrown backwards before it was turned onto normal mode...which did not make the next scene any better.

Even though the angle was a bit ajar, it showed a lion that stood above Marii with blood on its teeth. The snow around her head went from white to scarlet with an alarming rate; the animal had given her a nasty bite.
The young woman's skin lost all colour before a white-haired man entered the scene. "I don't know what's going on here. But let's call a break, I take this girl, and we won't involve in any hostilities. You can duke it out later with her if you feel like it, mkay?" said the newcomer.

A females voice was heard but the voice was not high since she was too far away from the camera. The scene changed again; it was in a hospital room where the Jounin as well as two ANBU's who sat on a chair.
"The one I fought against was a small female with brown hair and light skin...she was probably in her teens" said the female. "Do you remember what jutsus she used?" asked the wolf-masked shinobi.

"She made a dome of some sort with flowers and used genjutsu against me. She also rode on this huge butterfly and her lion was the one that sent me to the hospital. It bit my neck" said the brunette and shuddered.
The next scene featured a Coopers hawk that tapped two symbols; one was Kirigakure's while the other was Amegakure's. The camera had zoomed in here so everything could be seen clearly. Everything went black.

[kininata]

"Calm down now Kininata-kun; I'm just as angry as you are. I got this from the owl squad today" said the older man as he removed a video tape from a nearby shelf. "I have to warn you...it contains rather graphic things" The group moved towards the living room, holding a tape of the event. He placed the tape into the VCR, and pressed play.

Most of the next moments of his life were spent in both horror and rage - he saw things that made him want to lash out in absolute anger; he finally understood Souzen's maddening rage, and for a brief moment, he himself lost control... though not in the way people expected.

The air lost its warmth; the breath of humans was visible in the room, and anything of liquid started to turn to ice... black ice. Kininata's eyes seemed to darken for just a moment, and then, as the questioning came up, his eyes slowly reverted back to those cold ice eyes - the liquids returned to normal, the temperature of the air back to its original state. He had no control of that power, only the monster within himself.

'I'm sorry... I'm sure that Marii told you something about what is inside of me. That... I'm sorry.' He said, pausing to control his thoughts once again. 'Shiki Osaki is her name. She was at the Chuunin exams with me, and passed. She returned home alot faster than I did, but I recognise the butterfly technique, the style, its all in her files. Shiki Osaki.' He lowered his head into his hands, the tears finally coming out, his eyes warming to his jade green.

'Ill ensure that you get whatever information you and your clan need to handle this. Anything to get justice... Was there even a provocation to the attack?''

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The male blinked...he let out a breath and saw that the water in it made it look like white smoke. Azure eyes then looked at the young man; his eyes were black. 'What is wrong with this guy!?' thought Masao before he caught the sight of something slightly disturbing.
The water in a vase with a white rose (his daughter had got it from her grandparents when she was hospitalized) had turned into black ice. The older female seemed to be in slight shock too...she knew what his grandfather had tried to do.

'But I thought he would have gotten rid of that thing by now. Or perhaps it has something to do with his emotions' thought Hikari and looked at him once more. His eyes were back to ice blue as the interview with the younger female came up at the screen.
"I'm sorry... I'm sure that Marii told you something about what is inside of me. That... I'm sorry. Shiki Osaki is her name. She was at the Chuunin exams with me, and passed. She returned home alot faster than I did, but I recognise the butterfly technique, the style, its all in her files. Shiki Osaki" said Kininata.

Cobalt optics looked at the vase and saw that the ice was now water. His face was hidden in his hands...it looked like he was crying. The adult man gave him a neutral look since he did not like that people cried like that.
The older woman on the other hand felt a sting in his heart; he had no parents and he had just seen one of his closest friends almost die. But they now had a name to go with her face.

"I'll ensure that you get whatever information you and your clan need to handle this. Anything to get justice... Was there even a provocation to the attack? asked the young man.
"All we know is that there were two shinobis who appeared at the gates. Marii-chan told me that they had attacked one of the Jounins and the girl challenged her to a fight" said the female Chuunin.

"We don't want you to kill this girl when you get back...it will do more harm than good. Please keep an eye on her once you get back and don't injure her unless necessary" said the Jounin.
"But I'm wondering on something...why did you react with such anger when you saw that tape? You looked like you were ready to kill Shiki" said the female. Her womanly intuition had a suspicion but she wanted it confirmed.