Kazeraikou and Kino house.

[kininata]

"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 the mother. What the hell was Shiki doing out here anyway? His mind had vastly calmed down now, and he was just starting to realise the huge mistake he had made in front of Marii's parents.

"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 father. He nodded in reply, already thinking about how to keep a decent shadow on her to find out why she was out so far in the first place... it didn't make sense. At least, none he was aware of.

"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. He opened his eyes a little, glancing at both of them. I guess she only told her brother... this is going to go down well.

'Well, I don't know what Marii told you about me, but as you know I lost my mother a long time ago. Not long after I graduated, the Amekage made me his successor and I ended up becoming the Amekage myself for a while... and in that short space I watched my best friends get murdered by my brother before my eyes, crippled from an assassin's attack on the tower itself, killing hundreds. I watched as people died because I could do nothing.' He flashed back to those dreadful days, to the boy he once was.

'After that, every single person who seemed to get close to me died when I wasn't around, like some crazy conspiracy. In the end, I killed my own brother because he been made mad from... from what is inside me still - even though it's almost gone now, I can still feel it inside. I had to kill the only other friend I had left in Amegakure, the Rokudaime Amekage, because he had gone mad himself after losing his wife and children - and he took my father's life. I've lost pretty much everyone who I knew and cared about from childhood.' He took another moment, and looked up at them with a stern, confident face.

'And then there's Marii. She's been a great friend, she reminds me of Miyani in some ways, my own mother in others. Strong, confident, honest. She makes me feel like I still have something left, some part of my family, something worth living for after losing everything else. To have her come so close to being lost with them... I think I'd lose myself in rage like Souzen did when he lost his family... I get it now.' He didn't want to say anything else, because otherwise he would tell them the last bit of truth... and he wasn't sure that was wise considering where he was. What he said was honest truth, though, and that should be enough for them.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Cobalt and azure connected with jade as they listened to him. The female knew that he did not lie about the part where his family was dead or that the Rokudaime Amekage had been killed by him; her parents had told her that.
'I think I'm realizing what he feels for her' thought Hikari while she nodded towards the younger male. "Please have us excused for a few seconds. We need to talk...feel free to watch a TV program or anything while you wait" said the older male.

Masao walked out with the woman in his heels; there was something that had irked his mind. "Hikari...do you know if any of those things he told us are true?" asked the man as he looked at her with a curious expression.
"I know for a fact that his parents and brother are dead. The thing about the Rokudaime is also true according to what dad told me" said the woman. "One thing that almost worries me a little is his closeness to Marii" said the Jounin.

"You didn't notice?" said the Chuunin with a small smile. "What? That he almost seems to be stalking her or something?" said the male with a slightly worried look on his face.
"That too, but I think he's in love with her! I just hope Marii feels the same or someone will get their heart crushed tonight" said the female while a door slammed shut downstairs.

"WE'RE HOME!" yelled a male voice that sounded quite young. The black-haired man glanced at the brunette as two of their children came up the stairs.
"I've grown 3 inches and I've gained 10 pounds since last year" said Ryota. He was the physical opposite of his older siblings except the arms, fingers and feet. The male was 5"6' tall and big boned despite that his 14th birthday was 3 months away.

His hair was short, thick and golden blonde, his skin was warm peachy-pink with freckles while his eyes were sapphire blue with cobalt specks.
The Genin had a somewhat round face with more childish features than his brother. "I've lost 2,5 pounds but no change apart from that" said the female while her brother headed into the kitchen. "Marii...you have a visitor here who claims to be very close to you. Is there anything you have not told me?" asked Masao. Her face paled and failed to notice that the younger guy walked right into the TV room.

"Yes...I've been in a long distant relationship with a guy called Kininata Hyouketsu. I had planned to tell you when he had passed his-".
"MUUUUM! Who's the ketchuphead sitting in the sofa!?" yelled the blond. Something clicked in her mind and she ran into the TV room to see who sat there.

Her eyes widened when she saw the male who sat in the sofa. "Kininata...you made it..." muttered Marii when she saw Kininata sitting just five feet away.
She knew it was him; it had to be. Nobody knew about the relationship except Makoto and this guy said that he was close to her. She waited for a reply from this guy while the male next to her raised a light brown eyebrow in confusion.

[kininata]

"Please have us excused for a few seconds. We need to talk...feel free to watch a TV program or anything while you wait" said the older male, and then the pair left the room to allow them to talk about this whole situation most likely. Kininata chose to just sit there, pondering his situation. Ok, they know that something is up between me and Marii. Just relax, act cool, it'll be fine.

"WE'RE HOME!" yelled a male voice that sounded quite young. It could have been any of the family members coming back from the local school or an academy based on the age of the voice. "MUUUUM! Who's the ketchuphead sitting in the sofa!?" The same boy yelled, and Kininata looked back to see the kid - and ins saw something much more enjoyable. Marii.

"Kininata...you made it..." muttered Marii when she saw Kininata sitting just five feet away. He smiled at her in gratification that she was alright. 'Well, I did say I would drop everything to come if you needed me. And, well, considering the message your brother sent me... I'm just...' He was struggling to get words together, and almost went to hug her before remembering who was in the next room most likely. 'I'm just so very glad to see you are alive. I was worried so much...'' He stopped himself from going further, doing his best to calm himself back down again.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Well, I did say I would drop everything to come if you needed me. And, well, considering the message your brother sent me... I'm just..." said the male. 'A message my brother sent? Did MAKOTO do this!?' thought the female while her heart beated quite fast against her ribcage. "I'm just so very glad to see you are alive. I was worried so much..." said Kininata.

Something then hit Marii like a cold slap in the face; he had survived the exams while she had risked her life in an unecessary fight. "I'm...I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have fought against that girl. I supposed I overrestimated my fighting abilities; genjutsus really DO stink" said the young woman as she tried to not cry.
"Could you please tell me who this guy is sis? I've never seen him before" said the male next to her.

"I almost forgot. Kininata, this is my youngest brother Ryota. And Ryota...this is my boyfriend Kininata Hyouketsu" said the Jounin as she glanced at both of them.
"He's your BOYFRIEND!? Why haven't you introduced him earlier?" asked the Genin, unaware of that his parents had entered the room again.

"We've been in a relationship for...at least 7 months depending on what we define as our first date. Not to mention that we're both shinobis who live far away from each other, so we could only see each other a couple times a year" explained the female.
"I've made some porridge if you guys are hungry" said the adult woman.
"YAY! PORRIDGE!" said the boy and followed his parents out of the living room.

A smile appeared on the brunettes face as she walked over to the young man. She took his left hand, pulled him up from the sofa in a gentle manner and gave him a hug. "Congratulations on passing the Chuunins. I'm so proud of you...and I could have kissed you if my dad wasn't it the room next to us" said the young woman. She let him go before she walked into the kitchen with him.

[kininata]

"I'm...I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have fought against that girl. I supposed I overrestimated my fighting abilities; genjutsus really DO stink" said the young woman as she tried to not cry. 'Hey no one likes those things except the damned cheats themselves.' He said when he saw the young "man of the house" enter the room.
"Could you please tell me who this guy is sis? I've never seen him before" said the male next to her.

"I almost forgot. Kininata, this is my youngest brother Ryota. And Ryota...this is my boyfriend Kininata Hyouketsu" said the Jounin as she glanced at both of them.
"He's your BOYFRIEND!? Why haven't you introduced him earlier?" asked the Genin, unaware of that his parents had entered the room again - at which point Kininata started to rub the back of his head in a nervous "I'm going to be in trouble" look on his face.

"We've been in a relationship for...at least 7 months depending on what we define as our first date. Not to mention that we're both shinobis who live far away from each other, so we could only see each other a couple times a year" explained the female. 'Well, I'd say 7 months is about right. It's nice to meet you, Ryota.' He said to him, trying to sound like a nice guy.
"I've made some porridge if you guys are hungry" said the adult woman.
"YAY! PORRIDGE!" said the boy and followed his parents out of the living room. Kininata sighed in relief that he wasn't going to get the parental beating he was partially expecting.

A smile appeared on the brunettes face as she walked over to the him; She took his left hand, pulled him up from the sofa in a gentle manner and gave him a hug. "Congratulations on passing the Chuunins. I'm so proud of you...and I could have kissed you if my dad wasn't it the room next to us" said the young woman. 'I was thinking the same thing when I first saw you, and thanks. The exam was pretty intense at moments, I'm glad you warned me. Though, I think I might rather prefer that exam again over the few hundred words your parents are going to have about this.' Once she let him go to head into the kitchen together, Kininata continued to hold her hand - might as well let them see the whole truth now since it's out in the open.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"I was thinking the same thing when I first saw you, and thanks. The exam was pretty intense at moments, I'm glad you warned me. Though, I think I might rather prefer that exam again over the few hundred words your parents are going to have about this" said the male.
The female laughed while her head rested on his shoulder. She understood why he was scared though...her mother used to know his mother and her father was a wee bit intimidating.

Both of them walked into the kitchen hand in hand, which Marii was fine with since they all knew their relationship by now. Makoto had gotten up from bed (he was probably hungry) and there were two unoccupied chairs.
"Don't touch the porridge Ryota-kun. Kininata-kun is the guest" said the female while she gave the boy a slightly sharp look. She pushed the bowl and a mug with water over to Kininata.

"OK Kininata-kun...you will sleep in the guestroom tonight. Reason why is because it's almost 10 PM and it's not safe for an Ame shinobi to walk around in Kumo at this hour" said the older male before he looked out of the window.
It was pitch dark outside by now; the full moon shone upon the large village. "The guestroom is right next to the kitchen while the bathroom you will use is downstairs. There is an ofuro and a shower in the room right next to it" said Masao before he drunk some water.

After the dinner, Hikari stopped him once the others had left the table. "I would like to talk with you tomorrow. Masao will leave early tomorrow morning on a mission while Makoto-kun and Marii-chan will prepare Ryota-kun for an upcoming mission.
Don't worry...it's just some formalities. Sleep well" said the woman and left the young man alone.

[kininata]

As the walked into the kitchen, it was a little less stressful knowing that their relationship was out in the open here. It took some issues off of his mind, but he was still thinking about why Shiki had done what she had - it didn't make much sense to him. As Marii and Kininata came towards the table, Hikari looked over to the young Ryota who seemed eager to dive into his porridge.
"Don't touch the porridge Ryota-kun. Kininata-kun is the guest" She pushed the bowl and a mug with water over to Kininata, and he nodded in appreciation. 'No need to wait on me, really. But thank you anyway.' He kept a glancing look over to Masao, in a way waiting for permission to begin. It had been a while since he had dined with someone other than Marii.

"OK Kininata-kun...you will sleep in the guestroom tonight. Reason why is because it's almost 10 PM and it's not safe for an Ame shinobi to walk around in Kumo at this hour" said the older male before he looked out of the window. It was pitch dark outside by now; the full moon shone upon the large village. "The guestroom is right next to the kitchen while the bathroom you will use is downstairs. There is an ofuro and a shower in the room right next to it" said Masao before he drunk some water. Kininata bowed as best as he could while seated, saying 'Of course, Masao-san. I'm grateful.'

Dinner was unusual; Ryota was excitable about having a guest, while makoto maintained his stern, silent look towards him - understandable considering the circumstances really. After the dinner, the others headed off out of the room, and before Kininata could go to collect his belongings Hikari stopped him. "I would like to talk with you tomorrow. Masao will leave early tomorrow morning on a mission while Makoto-kun and Marii-chan will prepare Ryota-kun for an upcoming mission. Don't worry...it's just some formalities. Sleep well" said the woman and left the young man alone.

Formalities... I really hope she isn't thinking about what I think she is... it's way too early to consider that kind of thing yet. He left his mind blank about the topic in possible question, and collected his pack. He moved quietly down the corridor to the guestroom, entering it. It was a nice simple room, quaint yet spartan to not feel intimidating - it kind of reminded him of the lodge he had in Hi no Kuni near the waterfall; simple enough to not be distracting. He placed the bag down in the corner of the room, closed the door, and started to prepare for sleep.

He pondered whether or not he should go and say good-night to Marii. He knew it would make him feel better, and it probably would make her fell better too, but he wasn't about to tempt fate with both parents in such close proximity. He carefully laid his clothes near his pack, and slowly crawled into the bed, getting what rest he could.

He awakened early in the morning, hearing footsteps around outside the room. He rolled out of his bed, and pulled out a roll mat to lay it out before him before he would begin his morning meditation. It had become part of his routine and now more than ever he was going to need it before that conversation with Marii's mother began. After half an hour of peaceful mindfulness, he took a towel from his pack, sneaked into the shower for a quick wash, then did his best to get back into his room without disturbing the daily routine of his hosts.

Roughly an hour after he had awakened that morning, he stepped out from the room dressed in a suit of white with a light-blue shirt and belt, something he found both comfortable and formal at the same time. He enjoyed wearing it more and more, and now here it felt a little easier to be like that in the presence of the family. He would wander around the house slowly, enjoying the various aspects of family life he had long lost until he saw Hikari. 'Morning.' He would say to her before the conversation would truly take its run.

SPOILER: Click to show

The suit - you might remember this.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Morning" said a voice from behind. The female turned to see her guest, now dressed in more formal wear that earlier. "Good morning. Sit down please" said Hikari as she gestured to the table next to them.
"Now...Marii-chan told me that you two have dated for 7 months. I understand why she has not said anything before considering the relationship between our villages" said the woman as she looked out of the window.

"There are a few things I would like to tell you first. Marii-chan is her generations heiress and will become the leader in 2 years. Which means that it's not very likely that she is able to move to a place that is closer to Amegakure.
The current leader is my 55 year old sister in law. Marii-chan has given me permission to tell you this but don't tell this to anyone...this is very serious business" said the Chuunin.

"Now for the other things; I know about what your grandfather did to you for almost 21 years ago. But is your Kaishin blood or the bijuu still active? I am a little concerned after what happened yesterday.
I doubt you will lose your temper around Marii, but what if she is hurt by someone and you hurt her in the process?" said the female and looked into his eyes.

"I see you are very close to my daughter, which I appreciate. She has lost a lot of students and teammates over the years. Marii-chan barely got to know their names before they ended up in heaven.
But in case you consider to move here...I wouldn't do that yet. I got nasty stares all the time when I moved up here, especially since I was 6 months pregnant. But at least people refrained to harass me since I was on good terms with Masao's family" said the brunette with a slightly grim look on her face.

[kininata]

"Now...Marii-chan told me that you two have dated for 7 months. I understand why she has not said anything before considering the relationship between our villages" said the woman as she looked out of the window. It wasn't the reason that he didn't speak about his relationship, but her reason would suffice for now.

"There are a few things I would like to tell you first. Marii-chan is her generations heiress and will become the leader in 2 years. Which means that it's not very likely that she is able to move to a place that is closer to Amegakure.
The current leader is my 55 year old sister in law. Marii-chan has given me permission to tell you this but don't tell this to anyone...this is very serious business" said the Chuunin. This was a conversation that he suspected was not going to have a happy ending.

"Now for the other things; I know about what your grandfather did to you for almost 21 years ago. But is your Kaishin blood or the bijuu still active? I am a little concerned after what happened yesterday. I doubt you will lose your temper around Marii, but what if she is hurt by someone and you hurt her in the process?" said the female and looked into his eyes. He remembered everything about what had happened yesterday, where the power had come from, and what she was truly concerned about... but he didn't want to say anything until she had finished.

"I see you are very close to my daughter, which I appreciate. She has lost a lot of students and teammates over the years. Marii-chan barely got to know their names before they ended up in heaven. But in case you consider to move here...I wouldn't do that yet. I got nasty stares all the time when I moved up here, especially since I was 6 months pregnant. But at least people refrained to harass me since I was on good terms with Masao's family" said the brunette with a slightly grim look on her face.

He placed his hands before him on the table, fingers locked together, and looked at her. 'For the moment, I can't move here. When I make a promise, I keep it - and unfortunately, I made a promise to bring peace to Ame no Kuni first... it's a burden that has cost me greatly over the years, but one I need to accomplish. And I also have a promise to keep with Marii, with not taking risks and getting myself killed - a promise we both made to each other, one proving to be difficult in this age.' He opened up his coat and pulled out three headbands of Amegakure, placing them on the table.

'One belonged to Tazuma, my brother. One to Kouushimei, my best friend, and one to Miyani, my first love. These people meant a great deal to me, and I dont want to add to this collection. I'm tired of seeing people die, of watching blood spill over beauty.'' He placed the headbands back under his coat, and resumed his former sitting position. 'As to the concern about my anger, and what happened yesterday. Because of Marii, it only ever happens in extreme situations, and that was the worst its been since we started seeing each other. And the actual cause of it lessens every day - my doctor says that within a couple of years it will be completely gone... as will all of power of my bloodline, leaving me with just my natural skills. So, soon enough, it won't ever be a problem again.''

He looked down to his hands, staring into his memories of what he had gone through to get here, to become the man he is now. 'Marii respects her family and duty greatly, and I am proud that she has such a responsibility she is fully able to handle - she seems more capable of being that woman than I think I ever could of myself being Amekage again. She has the strength and wisdom to be good at it. I would never interfere or allow her to ignore her responsibility to her clan and family - its too important for both of us. Hell, I'm the only one even thinking of leaving my home village for our relationship... what does that say about me? That I am weak? Untrustworthy? I don't know...''

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The male explained her that he could not move to Kumogakure due to a promise about peace in Ame no Kuni. 'For someone that young, that is quite a promise to make' thought the female as she listened to him.
"And I also have a promise to keep with Marii, with not taking risks and getting myself killed - a promise we both made to each other, one proving to be difficult in this age" said Kininata. "It is" said Hikari with a somewhat sad look on her face.

A pair of taupe eyebrows raised in surprise when three headbands were laid on the table. "One belonged to Tazuma, my brother. One to Kouushimei, my best friend, and one to Miyani, my first love. These people meant a great deal to me, and I don't want to add to this collection. I'm tired of seeing people die, of watching blood spill over beauty" said the young man.

"As to the concern about my anger, and what happened yesterday. Because of Marii, it only ever happens in extreme situations, and that was the worst its been since we started seeing each other. And the actual cause of it lessens every day - my doctor says that within a couple of years it will be completely gone... as will all of power of my bloodline, leaving me with just my natural skills. So, soon enough, it won't ever be a problem again" said the Chuunin.

A smile appeared at the older woman's face; it gave her face a much lighter expression than usual. Jade eyes then looked down at his hands. "Marii respects her family and duty greatly, and I am proud that she has such a responsibility she is fully able to handle - she seems more capable of being that woman than I think I ever could of myself being Amekage again. She has the strength and wisdom to be good at it. I would never interfere or allow her to ignore her responsibility to her clan and family - its too important for both of us. Hell, I'm the only one even thinking of leaving my home village for our relationship... what does that say about me? That I am weak? Untrustworthy? I don't know..." said the male.

"Call me naive Kininata-kun...but I don't think so. I felt the same when I felt in love with Masao. It's only natural that you want to be close to those closest to you, especially when your surroundings are in conflict.
I think Marii-chan needs someone to rely on as well despite that she denies it. Most of her teammates and friends lives far away or has left this world" said the Chuunin as her eyes looked out of the house.

Suddenly, two flashes of light appeared next to the Ame duo. "I've got the help I need. This mission will take about 4-5 days so I need to pack some food supplies. Makoto went to bed to rest" said the young boy.
"I'll leave you two alone...I have some errands to run" said the female as she left the house with Ryota in her heels. The remaining female sat next to the redhead with a somewhat shy look on her face.

"So...how do you like my family? I'm sorry that we have not gotten a chance to talk together yet but my mother wanted to talk to you a bit. I can understand why; she has been in the same situation as you when she was a little older than us" said Marii with a skinny grin on her face.
She took his left hand with her right...it was a little cold. The young woman could not blame him since Kumogakure was colder than Amegakure was.

[kininata]

"Call me naive Kininata-kun...but I don't think so. I felt the same when I felt in love with Masao. It's only natural that you want to be close to those closest to you, especially when your surroundings are in conflict. I think Marii-chan needs someone to rely on as well despite that she denies it. Most of her teammates and friends lives far away or has left this world" said the Chuunin as her eyes looked out of the house. He smiled back at her, and nodded. 'Thanks. Sometimes, it's hard to read her, and others, it's like an open book. I suppose it'll all come with time... thank you... Hikari-kun.'

Suddenly, two flashes of light appeared next to the Ame duo. "I've got the help I need. This mission will take about 4-5 days so I need to pack some food supplies. Makoto went to bed to rest" said the young boy.
"I'll leave you two alone...I have some errands to run" said the female as she left the house with Ryota in her heels. Marii came in and took the empty seat that her mother just left behind.

"So...how do you like my family? I'm sorry that we have not gotten a chance to talk together yet but my mother wanted to talk to you a bit. I can understand why; she has been in the same situation as you when she was a little older than us" said Marii with a skinny grin on her face.
She took his left hand with her right... she felt warmer than he, and realised that only just at that moment.

'I think shes a good woman, and the rest of your family seem nice. Makoto is a little quiet, but he seems capable. Ryota is just bursting with energy, like he should be. Your father... well, he is a father of a daughter.'' With no one in immediate site, he lifted her hand up enough so he could bend down to kiss it, and smiled at her. 'I think that you got the better deal between our families. And I am glad to have met them.' He looked around the kitchen for a moment, and then back at her. He had a lot of questions, and many other things to say to her, but he was unsure as to where to start.

'About your cousin... I'm sorry. I did the best I could to watch for him, but you were right - these examiners seem to be out to kill people these days. It's not right. And I only got a couple of scratches from the whole thing... though my left shoulder might fall off it it gets hit again - a spike, two swords, a shuriken and now an arrow. I think that someone painted the bullseye on me in the wrong spot.' He did his best to insure that the part about his shoulder was told in as much jest as possible, trying to lighten the mood a little.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"I think shes a good woman, and the rest of your family seem nice. Makoto is a little quiet, but he seems capable. Ryota is just bursting with energy, like he should be. Your father... well, he is a father of a daughter" said the male. The female let out a small giggle about the last thing; she felt a bit sorry for him.

Kininata then kissed her hand before he looked up at her with a smile on his face. "I think that you got the better deal between our families. And I am glad to have met them" said the young man. His eyes then looked around in the kitchen; he seemed to be a bit thoughtful about something.
Marii looked down at his hand; his was tanned, somewhat calloused and a bit large while hers was pale, a bit thin and with smooth skin.

"About your cousin... I'm sorry. I did the best I could to watch for him, but you were right - these examiners seem to be out to kill people these days. It's not right. And I only got a couple of scratches from the whole thing... though my left shoulder might fall off it it gets hit again - a spike, two swords, a shuriken and now an arrow. I think that someone painted the bullseye on me in the wrong spot" said the Chuunin; he had a joking voice at the shoulder part.

A small laugh escaped her lips as she remembered the scars she had removed at his shoulder for about half a year ago. "I know you tried to protect Shigure-kun, but I heard that he sacrificed his life to save another Genin from Konoha. At least I can say that I taught him the right morals when I was his teacher" said the young woman.
She was silent for a few seconds...she was not sure where to go from here. He had comed all the way up here to see her, despite that it put his life at risk.

"I would like to thank you for coming up all the way here to meet me and my family Kininata-kun. I'm sure you have lots of thoughts buzzing around in your head now since you've met them. But trust me; my brothers are more than happy and my mother is probably quite happy too.
My dad will probably trust you after a while despite you have that scar. He has probably seen quite a bit...he's been a Jounin before we were borne after all" said the Jounin.

"As for our next date, I will let you choose. But I was thinking a bit about the rooms. I mean...jeez, this is awkward" said the female. She had no idea where that thought had comed from. Good thing the house was empty at the moment or else her parents would ask the brunette some questions she did not wanted to answer.

[kininata]

"[color=Teal]I would like to thank you for coming up all the way here to meet me and my family Kininata-kun. I'm sure you have lots of thoughts buzzing around in your head now since you've met them. But trust me; my brothers are more than happy and my mother is probably quite happy too. My dad will probably trust you after a while despite you have that scar. He has probably seen quite a bit...he's been a Jounin before we were born after all[/color]" said the Jounin. He nodded, and tapped her hand. 'Both our father's were... I don't think he ever liked the fact I wasn't considering AnBu like he had done, but we can't all be children in the shadows of our parents.'

"As for our next date, I will let you choose. But I was thinking a bit about the rooms. I mean...jeez, this is awkward" said the female, and instantly she wore a look that said everything - it was an awkward situation for both of them, considering where they were at the time. He spent a moment listening for others nearby, and chuckled lightly under his breath.

'No need to say anymore. I get what you mean. As for the location... I know a great spot. In Tsuki no Kuni, there is a holiday resort that is kinda aimed at couples; a nice place for them to get away from it all and just be with one another, enjoying the scenery and sights as such. I was thinking, sometime in mid-spring when it warms up, we both head out there and have a good weekend away. I need to get adjusted to Chuunin life, and I'm sure the new Amekage is going to need some guidance from me for a little while - and you probably have your own responsibilities here too.'

He looked over to her eyes, staring right into them with his own jade-green gaze, a look filled with affection. 'There is no need to rush things until we are both ready. Anyway... I think Ill stay here for a little while, and then when I can I'll ask for an escourt to be taken back to the docks. I've been heading out of Amegakure no Sato alot these last few months, and people are going to get suspicious as to why. But I am truly glad both that you are alright, and that I came.' He wanted to hear her opinions on his decisions, but she would understand his reasoning - she had been in his position at least a few more times than himself.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

A chuckle escaped the males lips after a few moments of silence. "No need to say anymore. I get what you mean. As for the location... I know a great spot. In Tsuki no Kuni, there is a holiday resort that is kinda aimed at couples; a nice place for them to get away from it all and just be with one another, enjoying the scenery and sights as such. I was thinking, sometime in mid-spring when it warms up, we both head out there and have a good weekend away. I need to get adjusted to Chuunin life, and I'm sure the new Amekage is going to need some guidance from me for a little while - and you probably have your own responsibilities here too" said Kininata.

"Yeah...I remember how hard the first time as a Chuunin was. I probably have some stuff to finish when I have recovered from my bloodloss and whatnot. Tsuki seems nice; I was for about a half year ago on an interaction mission" said the female.
She was glad that he understood what she tried to say. Good thing that nobody were around or they would have been in for trouble.

When the jade eyes connected with her own, it felt like her inner got all gooey from the affectionate expression. "There is no need to rush things until we are both ready. Anyway... I think Ill stay here for a little while, and then when I can I'll ask for an escourt to be taken back to the docks. I've been heading out of Amegakure no Sato alot these last few months, and people are going to get suspicious as to why. But I am truly glad both that you are alright, and that I came" said the young man.

Marii nodded in agreement to what he had said to her. "I think it's a good idea to stay here for two days or so. I think my family, me and you will benefit from that since we get to know each other better.
Since I'm a Jounin, people usually don't ask me since I only leave the village on missions or other things. And I appreciate that you traveled all the way from Amegakure to see me" said the young woman before she looked up at him. Her ice blue eyes shined like snowflakes in the sunlight.

"I just noticed something funny...your hands are quite a lot larger than mine" laughed the Jounin as she compared their hands. Her was kind of small, boney and pallid with soft skin and long fingers. The Chuunin's hand was larger and stronger with tanned, somewhat coarse skin and medium-length fingers.
"Kind of weird that your hands can swing a deadly sword and caress my face. I guess that's just a mystery I'll never figure out" said the female as her fingertips graced his palm.

[kininata]

"I think it's a good idea to stay here for two days or so. I think my family, me and you will benefit from that since we get to know each other better.
Since I'm a Jounin, people usually don't ask me since I only leave the village on missions or other things. And I appreciate that you traveled all the way from Amegakure to see me" said the young woman before she looked up at him. Her ice blue eyes shined like snowflakes in the sunlight - a look he was finding more and more enjoyable as their relationship continued to blossom.

"I just noticed something funny...your hands are quite a lot larger than mine" laughed the Jounin as she compared their hands. Admittedly, he did have larger, coarser hands, calloused slightly from his training with the sword, while hers were more delicate, soft, gentle. "Kind of weird that your hands can swing a deadly sword and caress my face. I guess that's just a mystery I'll never figure out" said the female as her fingertips graced his palm.

'Well, it's not that weird really.' He started to say as his other hand came over to her fingers and started to rub them gently, with precision delicacy over her soft skin. 'You see, using a sword isn't all about strength and power... it's also about finesse, about grace of movement, and about precision.' His hand moved up her arm slowly, caressing the skin with an almost wind-like touch. 'To hold a sword with just muscle is pointless - you have to have the right kind of touch to become a master; to hold it lightly, gently, and then switch to the strength, and back again. We only get callouses from long hours of training specific katas, otherwise they would be closer to the fine touch of your hands.' He reached down and kissed her hand, and then pulled back the hand that had been slowly sliding up her arm. 'Nothing weird about it at all."

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Well, it's not that weird really" said the male as his other hand started to rub her fingers. He did it in a very precise manner and the female could hardly feel it at all. It gave her goosebumps for some reason.
"You see, using a sword isn't all about strength and power... it's also about finesse, about grace of movement, and about precision" said Kininata as his hand moved up her arm. "I see..." said Marii as her pale blue optics observed his movements.

"To hold a sword with just muscle is pointless - you have to have the right kind of touch to become a master; to hold it lightly, gently, and then switch to the strength, and back again. We only get callouses from long hours of training specific katas, otherwise they would be closer to the fine touch of your hands" said the young man.
He reached down to kiss her hand while the other one was pulled back. Something clicked in the young woman's brain. Many of her family members were sword users but they all trained different styles.

All of them had a thing in common, which was the calloused skin on their hands. "Nothing weird about it at all" said the Chuunin in a rather neutral tone. "I suppose not...ninjutsu and genjutsu specialists like me have to take good care of our hands in order to do handseals.
I can learn how to do one handed seals if one hand gets injured. But if both of my hands are injured, my shinobi carrier is pretty much over" said the Jounin as she tapped the inside of his palm.

"Anything you want to do now? Have you eaten breakfast yet?" asked the female as she looked up at him. She knew that both of them were terrible cooks but she knew how to make toast, omelet and that kind of things.
The brunette slid down from her chair before she opened the fridge to see what they had inside it. "We have eggs, leftover rice from yesterday, milk, some breadspread, sugar-free raspberry squash, ham, tomato, apples, pears and some oranges" said the young woman as her eyes darted around in the fridge.

[kininata]

"Anything you want to do now? Have you eaten breakfast yet?" asked the female as she looked up at him. 'Breakfast sounds great, but nothing too fancy. A bit of fruit with water or juice is fine.'

Marii slid down from her chair and headed over to the fridge, seeing what was inside. "We have eggs, leftover rice from yesterday, milk, some breadspread, sugar-free raspberry squash, ham, tomato, apples, pears and some oranges" said the young woman as her eyes darted around in the fridge.

'Well, we can grab a pear, slice it into small pieces and if you pan-fry it for a few minutes with the rice, you can have a lightly-sweetened rice meal. Add a little juice and we have a fresh breakfast.' He said, standing up to join her at the fridge. 'Let's get started, shall we?' He gave her a peck on the cheek and grab a couple of pears, then started searching around for a peeling knife and an ordinary cutting knife.

He peeled the skin from the pears, ensuring to take off the ends as well, then cut each pear into halves, and starting slicing them into small long pieces. 'Would you mind getting the rice and a wok please Marii? Well add a little oil to the wok, let it warm up, then toss in the pears. After a minute, we'll mix in the rice and give it a good stir, and that should be all it needs.' It would only take a few minutes for the whole meal to be done, but hopefully nothing would go wrong with it.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Let's get started, shall we?" said the male before he gave her a peck on the cheek. He took some pears while she removed the rice from the shelf in front of her. The female removed a wok pan from the cupboard before she turned on the ceramic oven.
Kininata had already started to slice the pear into small, long pieces that could be added to the mix. Marii had never tried pear in a wok before but it was a first time for everything.

"Would you mind getting the rice and a wok please Marii? Well add a little oil to the wok, let it warm up, then toss in the pears. After a minute, we'll mix in the rice and give it a good stir, and that should be all it needs" said the young man.
"Coming right up. I just need to find the oil" said the young woman as she looked into one of the drawers for oil they could use.

"I found some soy oil; should be good enough" said the Jounin before she poured a little bit of it into the frying pan. The wok was put into the frying pan, which was now warm enough to be used.
She put in the pears right afterwards and waited for a minute or so. Some rice was put into the mix and the female let it warm up for about three minutes. The brunette then found two plates as well as two glasses.

The wok was then put onto the two plates before she put them on the table with the glasses. She poured some squash into the glasses and sat down with the Chuunin so they could eat.
"If we die, it won't be hard to find the murder" said the young woman with a small laugh. She gave him a pair of chopsticks before she started.

[kininata]

"I found some soy oil; should be good enough" said the Jounin before she poured a little bit of it into the frying pan. It was good to see both of them working together to get breakfast done, and she seemed more than capable of doing what was needed without any extra instruction. It all seemed to be going well, or at least, it didn't seem like they were attempting suicide by bad cooking yet.

The wok was then put onto the two plates before she put them on the table with the glasses. She poured some squash into the glasses and sat down with the Chuunin so they could eat.
"If we die, it won't be hard to find the murder" said the young woman with a small laugh. 'Absolutely. I'm sure whoever cooked this rice last night will certainly be blamed.' He said in a sarcastic voice and started to chow down upon the light meal - as he suspected, the juices of the pear had mixed into the flavour inherent of the rice, adding a light sweet taste to the entire dish. 'Perfect.' He took a sip of the juice to moisten and cleanse his pallete a little, and took another bite - the juice added even more flavour to the rice and pears, complimenting it just right.

'And here we thought that our cooking skills were going to get us killed, eh? He said amusingly, enjoying the meal. 'However, we now have something else to think about - what are we going to do, or more accurately, what am I going to do?'' He placed the chop sticks down for a moment and took a sip of the juice. 'After all, I can't wander around the village un-escourted, so that does limit our options just a tad. What do you think?'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: Reason why I came with the onsen comment is because the Raikage is there now. But Marii does not know that she's still there))

A smile appeared on the females face when the male seemed to like the meal that they had made for themselves. "And here we thought that our cooking skills were going to get us killed, eh? He said amusingly, enjoying the meal. 'However, we now have something else to think about - what are we going to do, or more accurately, what am I going to do?'' said Kininata.

"After all, I can't wander around the village un-escourted, so that does limit our options just a tad. What do you think?" said the young man. "I'm afraid we have to tell the Raikage about your stay here first. We might do something after that" said the older woman. Both Hikari and the man was back from their errands.

"You mean...like a family trip or something?" asked Marii before she raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps, but our choices are a bit limited. We cannot go to very crowded places since Ame shinobis are not the most wanted village.
But perhaps we can go to places that are not that crowded at this hour" said Masao. Both adults then went to the bedroom to change into casual wear.

"So...do you have any wishes Kininata? There is not that much to see apart from a famous restaurant and a park. The rest of the stuff are probably boring or Kumo shinobi only. I guess the onsen is out of question unless you want to test out the henge or camouflage cream" said the young woman with a wry smile.
Many kuinochis used camouflage cream to conceal wrinkles, blemishes, dark circles or scars and the women in this house were no exception.