Evicted

[Kanade]

Kanade awoke, not too much later than her eventual drifting to the sound of her front door being kicked in. The jamb had been burned out, so the only thing in its way was the piece of metal that was under it.

"That's probably the landlord." She sat, bolt upright, and raised a hand to her left eye, her obsidian cooled hair heating almost instantly to match the intensity of the alarm that her body had being woken up by the sudden noise, "Shinjiro, I'll get it, you should put a shirt on." She pointed to her closet, "I have some dress shirts or a Yukata that's way too big for me that I like to sit in in the closet."

Going to the bedroom door, she opened it to blink blearily at whoever kicked in her front door. Whether it be the fire brigade, her landlord, or the kage himself, she was rather grumpy that they hadn't even managed to knock, much less announce themselves before they kicked in her front door. Choice words came to her lips, and promptly died as she recognized the man from the Bingo Book. Kotaru.

"I uh, Hello?" She asked, unsure whether she should be alarmed, relieved that he had thought she was in harms way, or annoyed that he had just destroyed what was left of the front door. She was left hanging half-way out of the bedroom door, dressed in naught but a backless sweaterdress which she had pulled on last night. Her hair had gone from the color of hot magma to settling in a dull red with an obsidian coating. Too late to act anything but mussed now, she regretted.

[Kao]

It wasn't unusual for Akari Kotaru to essentially disappear for days on end. Whenever he wasn't in the mood to be in the public eye not even the Tsuchikage or the very few people closest to him knew exactly how he spent his time. Sometimes he'd disappear in the countryside, gathering information needed for the upcoming wars. At times he'd merely take time to whore around in one of the smaller villages scattered throughout the country. The man was unusually popular with certain women despite his casual cruelty, near permanent scowl, and demonic physical features. Normally no matter how foul his mood, the bannin welcomed the distraction of beautiful, fawning women. Few questioned his disappearances; his underlings simply carried on, business as usual, and updated him on important business whenever he returned.

This time, things were different.

Akari Kotaru had been in a particularly sullen mood for weeks. Immediately after the ordeal in the Akari arena, the man had hardly spoken for days. Sleeping was out of the question, for he refused to give his mind even a moment's opportunity to recreate the images of carnage and loss. Every cell in his body wanted to leave the village for a while so he could clear his mind and get away from the rumors floating through certain sectors of the village about the Akari clan's downfall. But someone had to deal with the fallout. The Akari elders were dead. A prominent part of the compound lay in ruins. The surviving clan members were restless, and naturally needed leadership before the clan fell into chaos.

On top of the issues facing the Akari clan, the bannin also shouldered responsibilities related to the upcoming war. The man was buried beneath so many high-stakes affairs that he thought his head would explode. So when one of his underlings approached him with a frantic look in her eyes, he expected something catastrophic was in progress. But when she sputtered something about 'that woman the Tsuchikage had taken in' and 'a fire,' his countenance shifted from concern to burning frustration. The veil of silence that enveloped the two was like a death shroud, and the woman looked as if she would crumple under Kotaru's gaze. But to her relief, he simply released a low growl deep in his chest and disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.



Kotaru had wanted nothing to do with this Kanade woman. The minute Tatsuo told him her background, he had hated the idea of having the woman in the village. He was one of the few people who challenged the Tsuchikage on anything, and he had nearly pushed back on having her in their ranks. But the man knew how to pick his battles with his elder brother, so he had chosen to express his displeasure with a dark scowl and curt remark and had left it at that. Despite not wanting to deal with the woman, Kotaru was unfortunately a bannin and a founding member of Jousai. Keeping track of persons of interest both within the village and without was quite literally the core of his job.

The smell of burnt wood and plastic wafted through the neighborhood for several blocks. Kotaru scowled at the door, noting the charred wood at the bottom of the frame. In that moment irritation boiled in his gut, and he impulsively rammed his foot into the door and nearly shattered it. Splintered wood shot through the apartment, sounding like a small explosion, and the bannin huffed as he stepped through the threshold and waited for Kanade to show herself. When she did, another low growl reverberated in his chest.

"Hello?" he echoed, his tone taking a deadly edge. "That's all you have to say after failing to have the decency to report to anyone that you've had a fire in the home we gifted you?" The bannin looked around, pushing stray strands of hair out of his face as he took in the damage. "What the hell did you do?"

[Kanade]

Kanade wound up clearing her throat as he asked her what she had to say, and whether or not she had reported it to anyone that she had a fire in the home that they had gifted her. For a bare moment that was exactly all she had to say, just staring at Kotaru, hardly believing her luck that he was the one that had stumbled in, and then turned her gaze to the room. It looked a thousand times worse in the daylight. To be honest, she hadn't thought that much about reporting it to anyone given the lateness of the event and, since the rooms were still structurally sound, and the butterflies had put out her mess, she didn't see much use in reporting it until the sun was up anyhow. She scratched the back of her neck nervously with her eyes shifting to the floor in embarrassment before she cleared her throat, "I um, am still trying to get a handle on being a primordial Enkouten, you see." Kanade explained in an apologetic tone, a furtive glance to Kotaru showed that she probably wouldn't get very far if she only was able to explain it to him while he was standing in the door.

"I can get some tea on, and um. If you would like to sit down I can explain exactly what happened. Uh." She fished around the kitchen for a chair and found the least charred one, placing it near the burnt out metal husk in the middle of the living room where the couch had been. The one which had caught fire as soon as Kanade had been aroused. There were definite obsidian footprints that led to the direct middle of the room, from where she had walked to, and then eventually through her portal. "I didn't, actually, know that flare ups could happen with uh, with that sort of emotion. Apparently." She waited for Kotaru to tell her whether or not he wanted tea or if she would be only making it for Shinjiro and herself, "Apparently um. Apparently it's any strong emotion. I er, I did eventually get it under control though, and I am a lot less scared it will happen in the future." Her speech was full of the uncertainty in her voice. Kanade's body posture showed it too. She was trying to make herself as small as possible, while waiting to see if he wanted any refreshments before she would pull up a chair to sit across the burnt couch from him.

And why wouldn't she be embarrassed, caught unawares by not a fire brigade, or a chuunin, or even her landlord, but a Bannin of the village. It was almost as bad as wishing the Kage had been there, to be honest. She hadn't had the pleasure of ever making acquaintances with Kotaru, but this surely was the wrong foot to be leading on. She had hoped to meet him, well, anywhere but the half-burnt apartment she had lived in, and hopefully wearing at least some make-up, and something more appropriate than what she was wearing.

Not expecting anyone had meant that she was left in comfortable attire, which just added to the discomfort of the whole situation.

[Izanagi]

Shinjiro’s body reacted before his mind did, grasping Kanade and rolling her off the bed protectively as the door crashed to the ground. He paused for three heartbeats, hearing the cold cadence of a trained killer at the entryway. Just one and they made no motion to immediately approach. Slowly he released the woman and allowed the tension to release from his tightly coiled muscles. Standing, he exhaled slowly, the sound imperceivable to all but the most highly trained shinobi. His mind caught up to his reflexes and reminded him that they were well within the heart of Iwagakure, safe by most standards. At least if he wasn’t one of the most wanted men on the planet.

But if they were here for him, he would know it soon enough. Nodding to Kanade he stretched in a cat-like fashion before deftly opening her closet and adorning the yukata in question. Tying the obi across his waist, the purple fabric contrasted against his vibrant green eyes and rich brown hair. Not his best colour but it would do.
Sauntering slowly behind Kanade, Shinjiro would wait in the bedroom while she conversed with the newcomer. He would adorn his greaves and fasten his arrow sheath at his hip, but for the moment his swords would remain with his brown cloak crumpled in a pile in the corner of the room. The poisons throughout his body would surge in full force in preparation for any potential trouble. But as he heard the man’s voice, he recognized the distinct tone of annoyance immediately. It had been some time, a few years in fact since he and Kotaru had fought together within the catacombs. Had that been before the war or after? Honestly he couldn’t recall, he had visited Iwa a few times since then and the trips had started to blur together.

As Kotaru began to chastise Kanade, and she became flustered by the situation, Shinjiro boldly strode out to meet them. Shinji waved his charcoal black hand dismissively, “Relax. I’ll pay. Nothing to get worked up about” he said, smirking as he sized up the fellow Bannin. He had always felt Kotaru to be Iwagakure’s counterpart to himself. Besides being similar in age, stature and skill level, their demeanor and reputation possessed striking parallels. “It’s been a while, Kotaru” he greeted, a playful mocking tone tainting the usual cold vitriol of his words. “How’s everyone been? Tatsuo, Maido…” he contemplated for a moment. Was there anyone else important in Iwagakure? He ran a hand through his short, ordinarily well-kept hair, now messy after an eventful morning, “Was there anyone else?” he wondered, feeling like he might have been forgetting some other important figures in the man’s life. Scratching the back of his head he couldn’t quite recall anyone of note. Sitting at the kitchen counter, the handsome young man tapped the surface impatiently. “I’ll take some tea” he said, offering a brief smile to Kanade as she passed him, his eyes lingering possessively on her form.

[Kao]

His burning gaze bore into her as she meekly offered up an excuse and a chair. Kotaru made no move to take a seat and he didn't want any tea. What he wanted was a real explanation and ammunition for when he went to Tatsuo and told him that taking in this stray had been a bad idea. "With what sort of emotion? What were you doing?" The answer came sauntering out of the bedroom, and the moment the word 'Relax' came from that man's mouth Kotaru bristled. The bannin's head reared back slowly as he looked from Shinjiro to Kanade and back again. Realization flooded his features, drops of disgust throughout. "...Seriously?"

At first he was going to ignore Shinjiro and he had just parted his lips to disparage Kanade for her mistake, but his attention snapped to the man at the mention of a certain name. "Maido's dead," he blurted out, a touch of bitterness seeping into his words. "Or rather, she is as far as I'm concerned. Last I saw her she said she'd died and has a new body. She didn't bother to tell me the details, but whatever she did left her with about as much strength as a newborn. I'm surprised you didn't already know that, considering." He punctuated his statement with a shrug. Kotaru had always hated the relationship Shinjiro had with Maido. It was something that was beyond his understanding and the thought of them together in any capacity made him grit his teeth. But now it didn't matter. Since that day at the riverside inn when she suddenly shouted at him and left him confused and alone with a corpse, he hadn't given her much thought. Whoever he had met that day was a mere fragmented shadow of the woman he had once obsessed over. The spell had snapped and had recoiled and slapped him in the face.

With that off his chest, Kotaru's eyes narrowed. "You know what, Kanade. There’s a lot of people in this village who don’t trust you or want you here. And this,” he gestured between them, “probably won’t win you any points or help your case.” He smirked. “How are things going with the Enkouten tribunal?”

[Kanade]

"Well-" Kanade dragged out the 'L' at the end, thinking about how to phrase it delicately. She had no idea what tastes or triggers Kotaru had, so she didn't want to accidentally fumble and set him off. She had two dangerous people in what, well, what used to be her house. There was enough damage already. As she was about to say what she was feeling, the emotion that sprang up to cause this damage, "Y-yeah, he was the one who introduced me to the Tsuchikage, and uhm, he has been a-" she didn't know what label she should use for Shinjiro. Lover? too intimate for their relationship right now. She wanted it, but she knew that right now it was a pipe dream. Companion? Well, that was a stretch since he rarely if ever went on adventures with her. Sparring partner? Just the once, and it didn't turn out well. "He's one of the only friends I have left." She finally stated. There wasn't more to the relationship for now, and as much as it hurt to put the feelings into words, she knew that she couldn't have all of the time she wanted with him anyway.

As soon as Kotaru said that Maido was dead, a wave of guilt assaulted Kanade's stomach and she visibly flinched, looking down and away from the two men, inching her way toward the wall subconsciously. Maido was dead because of her, all because she was stupid and wanted for Maido to see her mother, her dead mother. Emotions blurred her vision for a moment before she blinked and sighed, looking up to Kotaru, "I know that. Every day I live it. The Enkouten Tribunal gave me three months to show that I am an asset and not a detriment to the Enkouten clan." She grit her teeth, hot words poured out of her then, her hair turned a golden color and her eyes flashed a dangerous hot yellow, "I am spit on in the compound and can't sell my wares to anyone who is part of the Enkouten clan, I have had to place my smithy and restaurant outside of the compound and it already seems like I am an outcast even though the jury is still out with the verdict. I do my work in the hospital every day, I make weapons, armor, and items at the kage's request, and I help tame the spirits that run amok in the streets of Iwagakure." She laughed, a mirthless sharp laugh that was full of glass and vitriol, "Do you know what I earn in return? Suspicious glances, parents who cling to their children tighter, men who interpose themselves between me and their wives, did you know that I can't even go into an Enkouten restaurant without someone, not the cooks, spitting in my food?"

"Shinjiro is an ally, I would have thought that seeing an ally would help but-" She tossed her hands up, her temper on the cusp of exploding, "I don't know why I would expect that since I am a sower of chaos, everywhere I go, I bring destruction, despair, doubt, and death." She calmed herself with a couple quick breaths and kept herself from burning the building anymore, "So, it's not going well with the Enkouten tribunal. I am doing everything in my power to show them that I belong. I am a person, though, and I have no friends, no allies, no contacts here." She gestured to the village, "I have a home, and a stipend, and jobs. I cannot live with those alone. Shinjiro is the last thing that is mine, and even he isn't."

[Izanagi]

Shinjiro huffed in amusement as Kotaru claimed Maido was dead. His predatory green eyes aglow as he sized the man up, the Kirigakure Bannin smirked. Had she really not even bothered to contact him? He wondered, amused. But he went on to explain that he was aware of her current situation after all, and Shinjiro’s smirk faded, replaced by a cold stare. Kotaru seemed dismissive of Maido because of her current state of weakness. ‘Tread carefully’ he seemed to say with his gaze as he felt the beast stirring within. Even more so than Kota himself, Shinjiro was known for his volatile temper and aggression. But he had gained some semblance of control as he matured. Some. “Of course I know. I felt it, both times. Like a piece of myself shattering. But she lives, it doesn’t matter the form she takes or what strength she retains. My bond with Maido will not be so easily severed. Unlike you, I view her as more than just some fling to be discarded and ignored” he started off calm, sentimental and then like rumbling thunder before a lightning strike his tone became seething. He had killed countless times over the slightest insult to the Karagata name, to his family, and Maido was closer than that. She was a part of him. More precious than his own life.

He held the stare for several long moments, assessing, searching, perhaps hoping for the slightest sign of provocation. As much as Kanade had brought a sense of comfort, as brief as it was, what Shinjiro needed more than anything was to overcome true challenge, to prove to himself he was still sharp and ready to take on all who would oppose him in Kirigakure. Shinjiro didn’t pay Kanade much attention as she allowed her nervous energy to spew forth. It was simply her nature, though even Kotaru wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on her while Shinjiro was present. And Tatsuo would be a fool to ignore the incredible asset Kanade was to Iwagakure. Her position as a influential Jounin would remain secure and ultimately a mere apartment fire would be inconsequential. After all it was merely property, such material possessions were of little concern to those of wealth and privilege. With a wave of his hand any costs would be easily covered. After all Shinjiro was one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Water country.

Shinjiro smirked again, his intensity once more replaced with amusement as Kotaru chastised Kanade. He would sip his tea smugly and bite his tongue until Kanade said her piece. As much as he was eager to belittle Kotaru he found himself angered by the experiences Kanade spoke of. He felt his body tense, pulses of green chakra surging through his already vibrant eyes. If this were Kirigakure he would hunt down every last person that had scorned Kanade, and they would suffer. Tenfold any suffering they had inflicted on her. He had respected Kotaru, seen him as his counterpart, a worthy opponent. But hearing the way things were run in Iwagakure sickened him. How could such a valuable and talented shinobi be treated in such a way? It was unthinkable. Merchants and commoners speaking down to Kanade? In Kirigakure their tongues would be ripped from their heads and they would be shamed for all to see.

As his own anger threatened to surge forth, he observed Kanade heating up as well. Inhaling deeply, he focused his mind. Gradually he began suppressing his violent thoughts, at least for the moment as he reached out to touch Kanade’s arm in a show of gentle support, urging her to center herself. Finally, when Kanade was finished speaking, Shinjiro stood up abruptly, digging his fingertips into the stone counter until it began to crack. “What the fuck kind of village do you run here? I told her to come here because I thought it would be safer than Kirigakure. More civil perhaps” Shinjiro scoffed, lips curling into a sneer. “Despicable, this is how you treat someone of her talent? Yapping on about a damn burned couch while you allow your underlings to spit in her food and treat her like a damnable untouchable. I thought you were Tatsuo’s right-hand man, someone people fear, but you cant even keep one clan in check. What’s the point of a mad dog if all it does is bark?” Shinjiro challenged. It was clear Kotaru was not invested in treating Kanade with respect and didn’t trust her himself. That was the only reason that could explain his inaction. Still watching Kotaru closely, ready for any threat, he tilted his head slightly toward Kanade, “If they won’t treat you with the respect you deserve, you can come with me back to Kirigakure. I can assure you nobody will ever cross you when you’re with me” It wasn’t ideal for his own situation. Some of the noble families would plot against her, and his girlfriends would not be fond of her presence, but he could buy Kanade her own estate, anything she ever desired. And Kirigakure would learn to respect her quickly or suffer the consequences.

[Kao]

Friend. He almost scoffed at that. How these two ever met and fell into bed with one another was beyond him, but that mattered less than the fact the two were clearly together. Kanade danced around the full truth, but beneath the smell of fire and smoke the Akari could smell it on them, all they'd been up to. He briefly scrunched his nose in disgust but tried to move on. Shinjiro's assertion that he knew about Maido amused him. Kotaru frowned, a look of mock sympathy on his face. "The way your bond transcends her death would tug at my heartstrings if I had them." His expression shifted back to an icy glare. "She gave me her literal heart so spare me. I don't give a fuck what you think." And he left it at that.

Kotaru listened to Kanade's story wordlessly, allowing her to finish since she clearly needed to vent about it. Her rhetorical question drew a shrug from the man. He didn't realize things were that bad for the woman, but he didn't particularly care. The Enkouten were a proud clan, and what happened within the walls of their compound had nothing to do with him or any other non-Enkouten. Shinjiro didn't seem to understand that. Kotaru didn't flinch at Kanade's display of emotion. But when Shinjiro's demeanor shifted and murderous rage seeped from him, the Akari stiffened. An angry Kanade he could extinguish easily. Shinjiro and his beast, however, were a different entity. A predator blooded with power.

Despite his volatile temper and acerbic personality, Kotaru was quite gifted at letting people finish their impassioned rants. It was a skill he had developed over the years after inexplicably finding himself in more and more situations that required diplomacy. When he spoke again he was a picture of lethal calm. "Watch yourself," he began, his eyes hardening into steel. "It's not just a burned couch, it's a fire that wasn't reported because you two were too busy rolling around naked. It shows she had disregard for the building and the other people who live in it." Kotaru inhaled deeply and then let out the breath in a slow, steady stream before continuing. "You know nothing about this village. 'Mad dog,' 'keep a clan in check.' You really don't get it, do you? The clans are self-governing entities with their own districts and rules. As long as they don't move against the village and the kage we leave them alone. If not...." He let his voice trail as he was thrust into the memory of ripping through his own clan for crossing him and Tatsuo. "She came here wearing the body of a beloved member of the clan. She's lucky they didn't kill her on the spot. What do you expect? A parade? If she can't handle it, if she can't understand their grief, their fury and distrust and endure it, then she shouldn't have sought out a place among them. This has nothing to do with me so don't expect me or anyone else to intervene in her little hazing."

Kotaru could easily dismiss Shinjiro's words for coming from a place of ignorance. But that almost self-righteous tone, that misplaced blame, that made his blood come to a steady boil. But the bannin kept his expression calm; he wouldn't give Shinjiro the satisfaction. He turned to Kanade and shook his head. "You'll do no such thing. You can live outside of the compound if you want and carve out a life they'll be forced to acknowledge. If you leave this village then you can forget about being accepted among your new brethren. "