Fire Warning

[Kanade]

Kanade drafted the third missive and stared at it. It would have to be worded so that it elicited the right reaction from Shinjiro, and wasn't immediately tossed in the bin. She rocked the cradle with her foot, her green eyed child staring up at her as she read the letter aloud in a soothing voice to little Atsuko, or that was what she was calling the babe. She thought that perhaps she and Shinjiro could decide on her name together.

"Shinjiro,

I hope this missive finds you well. It has been almost a year since our tryst and I am doing marvelously well, having recovered over the last couple of months. I have missed your face and know that you are doing well in Kirigakure no Sato. I have heard word of movement within Earth Country borders of advance scouts and rumors of a coming war. I have been stationed here to defend my village, and more importantly my family. Should this missive find you in time enough for you to gather yourself to reply, I would ask but one question. Would you lend your aid, and forever have me in your debt? I would find no greater solace than fighting side-by-side with you in the coming weeks.

Yours, faithfully,

Kanade."

Kanade giggled as Atsuko's face stretched in a warm smile toward her mother. She picked up her daughter, and held her, face over her shoulder and bounced her, paying mind to the small horns that had sprouted at the small girl's hairline. She sighed and turned around to look out the window. "I think that's enough, Atsuko. There's no more time to write another draft." She smiled at her daughter, balancing her on her stomach and wiggling her nose on her daughter's nose. Atsuko squealed and laughed as Kanade watched her plunge her small hands into her mother's hair. She had been worried about the baby, and therefore hadn't thought of going into what she deemed 'demon form' while she was pregnant for fear of hurting the child, but as the green eyes stared at her small hands, enveloped in the magmatic hair, she remembered that the shinobi delivering her had been terrified of the small child with magmatic hair and startling green eyes. The color of burning copper.

Kanade smoothed back the child's hair and sighed contentedly before sitting her down with a pillow behind her and wiggling the note in front of her face. She picked up the butterfly, sighed, and channeled chakra into it, far far away Shinjiro would get the message, that she wanted him, and would find, atop his own butterfly, the self-same missive, sent through her Jikukan jutsu, waiting for a reply back.

He only need channel chakra back through the butterfly to let her know that he wanted her to open the portal, or leave it untouched to signal he was not, in fact, going to be coming.

Kanade sighed as the deed was done, feeling a weight come off her shoulders and looked to the writing desk, it was cluttered with the failed attempts at missives. Her eyes were tired and old, even though she was young and healthy. Atsuko cooed and then squeaked once again, getting Kanade's attention, who instantly brightened at the infant, "Who wants a raspberry?" her eyes were a pale orange with delight as she stepped up, bringing her lips to her daughter's belly and blew a raspberry. There, safe in Iwagakure, her daughter would grow up. Kanade would make sure of it.

[Izanagi]

The assassin’s charcoal black hands clenched the letter tightly. It smelled of her. A slow exhale escaped his lips. “Another war” his cold, dead tone carried across a lavish room. The man leaned back against a decorated chair, portraying a Kraken dragging a ship to its ruin. Would answering her call be his ruin? Kirigakure demanded his constant attention, for many months the Karagata family had been fending off assassins sent by the Kawazaiwa and even the Toukai clan. And yet they had remained elusive, leaving no leads to directly implicate their leadership. But he knew, and he would retaliate. The Karagata needed Shinjiro in Kirigakure, he was the greatest symbol of their strength and influence within the village. And without him their enemies would be emboldened to act with their full force. It was one thing to slip out into the night and return by sunrise, but to fight in a war would flaunt his absence and bring question to his loyalties.

And yet, Kanade had become his family. The child she bore was of his blood, of Karagata blood and he was bound to protect it. His other daughters, Nozomi and Kiyome were under constant supervision, kept under the same roof in the Karagata mansion and under the protection of his father and siblings, each powerful Jounin. Not to mention the half dozen servants of Jounin level taijutsu proficiency. But it wasn’t just enemy families that Shinjiro needed to keep in line, it was his own men within the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Nearly all of them were ambitious killers who would readily attempt to overthrow him if he showed any sign of weakness.

Grasping a crystal glass filled with expensive rum, Shinjiro drank deeply. It was nearly impossible for him to feel anything more than a fleeting buzz of intoxication, but still he enjoyed the taste, and it helped him focus his mind. “Okay Kanade. For you I’ll risk it” he spoke lowly, pensive as he contemplated the consequences of his actions. Outwardly he projected only strength and confidence to others, but his killer instinct, the fear that kept an assassin sharp had never dulled. He had other lovers, and if he began favoring Kanade he might risk them turning against him. Chisaki of the Toukai clan was particularly jealous, though his cousin, Karagata Asami was far more powerful. But women were not to be underestimated and either were capable of killing him if the timing was right. It was no easy task keeping the three mothers of his children satisfied. At least he had only bore daughters thus far and didn’t have to worry about an ambitious son wishing to overthrow his position within their noble family. Sighing, the man opened one of many secret compartments within a nearby desk and stored the letter away. He wouldn’t write back, but preparations would be made and orders would be sent to his men. He could use his absence as an opportunity and give them something to focus on. The Kawazaiwa be emboldened when they heard of his departure, and as they relaxed he would strike. His men needed blood and he would give it to them.

---

As the war neared, Shinjiro would set off with a surprisingly powerful array of Kirigakure shinobi. He hadn’t expected his 2nd sword and his newest Dagger to jump at the opportunity to strike Suna. Nor had he thought his conflict averse cousin Kinsue would be eager to defend a foreign nation known for the same heavy handed tactics Kinsue had warned Shinjiro against. And most fortunate was that Aisu Naohiro had joined him, the man who was considered the front runner for Mizukage, favored by the politicians at least whereas Shinjiro rivaled him much closer on a basis of popularity among the masses. But without an existing Kage to challenge Shinjiro refused to name himself leader of Kirigakure. If and when he donned that title he would earn it through combat and prove himself the strongest. Until then, he could focus on the strength of the Karagata and continue to build up his legendary swordsmen until they were the greatest force Water country had ever seen.

After arriving in Iwagakure and going through the customary processes, Shinjiro made his way to Kanade’s home. The man sneered at the locals of such an unfavorable part of town. He had insisted on buying her a home worthy of raising a Karagata in, but Kanade was perhaps the most stubborn woman he had ever met and refused his money at every offer. Without knocking the man slipped inside the building. In fact he didn’t even test the door and instead transformed into a fly and went in through a window before glowing in a aura of green once more and rematerializing inside. “I’m back” he said simply as he began moving toward her. The woman’s scent and even the sounds of her heartbeat were familiar to him, but he was slightly surprised to notice that of another. A baby. In fact it had only been about 6 months since he had impregnated her, the last favor she had asked of him “How is this possible?” he questioned coldly, his deadly green-eyed gaze searching for answers. He had seen Kanade only a few weeks prior in Aroma country, she had been showing notably but he hadn’t thought much of it and figured there would be months yet before the child arrived.

[Kanade]

When he materialized, the first thing that she did was put a barrier between him and her daughter, Atsuko, with her butterflies, while she flew through the hand seals for her silicone, skin tight, barrier which she put on the infant. The little one cooed and started to poke herself, feeling the gummy substance give way, "By all the spirits, do you know how to knock?" She glared at Shinjiro, "At least this time I didn't use my lightning jutsu." She dismissed the wall of butterflies in another instant and let the barrier go. She knew that he wouldn't harm her daughter.

"Nice to see you too." She pursed her lips tightly, "I had a little help from a young friend of yours. I tried many different ways, but it never stuck. I had to have her safe, with the warning that the fire country ninja would be arriving soon." Kanade moved to the bed, picking up the infant, she carried little Atsuko to her father. The little one looked at him, her eyes wide, along with her mouth. "She seems to be fascinated by things touched by the spirit world." She shrugged, "I couldn't tell what was bothering her the other night, but it turns out it was a small spirit that was residing in a corner of the house. A little nudge out of the door and she was right as rain. She also keeps looking at my-" She broke off and looked between her breasts to where her scar was, and where her 'core' was. "I think she can see things that I can't without the aid of jutsu."

Atsuko's eyes widened and she reached out a small hand toward Shinjiro, making a grabby motion, before she decided that it was best to stick her small hand up Kanade's nose. "Ouch." Kanade retorted, and gently pulled the small hand out, "She still has sharp fingernails, and her horns are especially rough if you manage to poke yourself on them.” She indicated the small sharp nubs on the top of her daughter’s forehead. Red hair, green luminescent eyes with strange pupils, high cheekbones and angular features like her father, it was definitely the product of Kanade and Shinjiro, though her skin tone and fiery red hair marked her as an Enkouten. “She can also-” She picked up Atsuko and wiggled her nose on Atsuko’s nose, the small girl squealed and grabbed Kanade’s burning hot hair, nothing happened to her little hands as she moved her hands through the molten strands atop Kanade’s head. “Grab my hair, so I am thinking she might have inherited some of the, er, problems I have. I’m going to need a fire-proof crib here soon. She’s been sleeping with me.” She explained.

Front loading him with all of this information seemed like the best thing to do, to get him used to his daughter. Atsuko, hands in the molten hair, looked back at Shinjiro and shrieked at the top of her lungs happily, her voice making the butterflies stop for a millisecond, and made Kanade wince.

[Izanagi]

Before he had even fully taken for, a thousand wings and a sea of shimmering blue scales flooded his vision. The legendary assassin of the bloody mist village smirked proudly. Kanade’s reflexes were still sharp, it brought him comfort to know she was capable of defending herself and their child in his absence. Shinjiro sauntered forward, his lurid gaze fixed on his lover. “I’ve tried it once or twice” he shrugged. “Lightning would be fun” he said, smirking as an arc of green electricity danced between his darkened fingertips. Smiling softly the man approached as the butterflies parted way.

He moved with a natural grace, motioning as if to kiss her while placing one hand across the woman’s lower back while the other playfully sent a light jolt along her stomach. His head tilted slightly at the mention of a young friend of his. “Ah, clever. But risky. Kotori still lacks much control” he considered as his brow furrowed in concern. His gaze shifted toward Atsuko as Kanade moved to retrieve the child. There was certainly no denying that the girl was his. “She has my eyes…and horns” he noted, reaching out to poke the odd little protrusions. Smiling softly, two small wisps of green chakra manifested against his forehead and similar, but full-sized black horns erupted from his skull. “So much for convincing others she has an Enkouten father. We won’t be able to keep our relationship a secret after all” he realized. And yet, he felt oddly relieved. Yet still terrified. It was perplexing. “She’s special and destined for greatness. We’ll need to train her after all, and she cannot be allowed to set foot in Kirigakure. It will never be safe for her there” he decided. She was not the first of his children to have a strong connection to the spirit world, Kiyome too had been touched by Vorashu upon her conception. Perhaps one day the girls would be allowed to meet one another, but for now it was best to keep their lives separate.

Reaching out, Shinjiro would allow his daughter to grasp his finger. His gaze softened, his unnaturally vibrant green eyes matching hers. “Hello Atsuko. I’m your father” he introduced, shaking the girls hand with a gentle wag of his finger. He observed as Kanade displayed the child’s resistance to fire. That was to be expected for her to have survived in a womb of a woman whose body could reach temperatures as hot as lava. “I figured as much. She wouldn’t be here if she couldn’t withstand heat” he noted, chuckling lightly. The idea of her also flaring up and setting buildings on fire was problematic, however. “Right, that could get her in some trouble” he realized as he rubbed the back of his head. Suddenly he was glad he didn’t have to be a full-time parent of the girl. Kanade would surely figure it out. And he could always pay for whatever damages ensued. “Spare no expense. Whatever you need, just send me the bill and I’ll take care of it” he insisted. It was the least he could do to show his support. The longer he watched the child the more his gaze continued to soften. Eyes that could become cold and detached in an instant were now glimmering with new life.

[Kanade]

“Ay!” Kanade cried out in surprise and a bit of discomfort from the super-charged static shock, “We spent a lot of time practicing. She is still getting the complete hang of her power, over life and the many workings of it, bringing it to fruition, stunting it etcetera. There were a lot of broken eggs, not all good ones in the beginning. I had to keep undoing them because of the failed attempts. Kotori looked rather worried all said and done at the end of it. But there was really no getting around it.” She looked at Atsuko worriedly, “But I don’t see any side-effects right now. You know, she is going to grow up surrounded by Jinchuuriki, and by the Genma that give them power.” Atsuko looked at his horns with a wide mouth and even wider eyes before letting out a delighted shriek and completely ignored his hand after having shaken it, instead grabbing hold of one of the horns with the strength that always surprised Kanade, given her newness to the world. Perhaps he was right, perhaps she was destined for greatness, even if she looked a bit different than any other child Kanade had ever seen. Well, with the exception of Nozomi.

“Well, actually, I think that Cherisa and Tandala’s thoughts on her are probably good enough to convince the rest of the clan. One, I am not an Enkouten by birth, but by my taking over a dead host using my Animus. Therefore the demonic features.” Atsuko started babbling, not knowing what was said, nor caring, just wanting to make noise herself. Kanade’s nose wrinkled and her eyes sparkled as she nuzzled the little noggin, “And the green eyes are actually a recessive trait that are known in the clan as ‘primordial traits’. Or so I was told. I am supposed to take her to the temple when she is old enough to have the Enkouten priest take a look at her and decide what she is, truly, and whether or not she has the ‘gift of the primordial’.” She shrugged, trying to put off the worry that had crept into her voice at not knowing exactly what had happened to make her daughter exhibit these physical traits or whether they would be detrimental to her, “Whatever that is.”

She thought of his offer and nodded, “Alright, I’ll do that if the damage costs become too much.” She smiled, “I still have my Jounin stipend, and I have been making armor for general use in the Iwagakure no Sato army, so I get a bit of money here and there from that as well.” She left out, intentionally, that she wasn’t able to sell her more rare and delightful wares, as she had been mostly black-marked in the smithing business by the competition in the Enkouten Compound. She was working on it.

She noticed the glimmer in his eyes and asked, “Do you want to hold her?” She proffered the infant, who cooed, looked back at her mother, looked at her father and then let out another ear-piercing delighted shriek as she wiggled in Kanade’s grasp. Kanade would make sure that his bond with her would be more than it ever was with any of his other children. A dark thought came into her mind which whispered, “or else”. Good thing he couldn’t read minds. Butterflies flitted underneath the infant, just in case she twisted in an awkward way or decided that she would rather not be held at the moment.

[Izanagi]

Shinjiro nodded slowly, satisfied by the precautions Kanade described. He knew she would have been careful before taking such a risk with their child but it was reassuring to hear nonetheless. “The Jinchuuriki…” he mused, “It may be that she is able to unite them in a way that I never could. I only know how to create warriors. Perhaps under her, they could become something more” he considered. Wouldn’t that be something? Combining his strength and leadership with Kanade’s dreams of peace. Perhaps she would outshine them both. One could hope; Kanade, and now Atsuko had gifted him that privilege.

The legendary swordsman exhaled with a slow hiss, one only heard his breathing when he meant to make a point of it. Kanade was naïve, and at times her innocence was endearing. But their enemies were not to be underestimated. The Enkouten were the least of his worries. “Kotaru will know, and so will the Hirohito” he replied sharply. “Still, these primordial legends will help muddy the waters, give some room for doubt” he nodded to himself, yes, that was better than nothing. His attentive gaze fixated on Kanade, “She’ll be fine. She has our strength, everything she has inherited from us will be to her benefit” he insisted. Like his other daughters, Atsuko was not truly human, but she would become a fearsome force of nature. Her destiny would be grand, perhaps greater than even his own.

Wisps of green chakra flowed around the infant’s hands as she held his horns. The black keratin stretched and twisted, forming spirals and bending 90 degrees. As Jinchuuriki of the body Genma he could change his form at will, altering any part of him, limited only by his imagination. A shame that he typically only used his talents for murder and intimidation. The bestial man absentmindedly listened to Kanade as he watched his daughter’s fascination as he began to change to colours of his horns, from black to green, his own favourite colours and then considering the girl's Enkouten heritage he shifted to a more vibrant orange with swirls of red. His thin lips twisted into a gentle smile. ‘How can such a monster create something so beautiful’ he wondered. The answer was obvious, it was Kanade’s contribution of course.

At first Shinjiro shook his head to the side, refusing to hold the infant. His hands were ill-suited to nurturing a child, they were forever soaked in the blood of a thousand corpses. He would not wish to taint a child with such a stain. But he felt Kanade’s disdain at the notion of refusal. She would not take no for an answer. “Just for a moment” he relented. Gingerly he accepted his daughter. He knew how to hold an infant properly, Asami had similarly insisted he bond with Kiyome, though he had largely neglected an emotional attachment to Nozomi, seeing her as little more than a weapon of the Karagata family. Perhaps one day Kiyome too would become a mindless killer like Nozomi had. But with Atsuko there was hope for something more, something good. “Don’t let her become a mere weapon, let her forge her own path, whatever that may be” he pleaded softly. He held her close for a few short moments, breathing deep and closing his eyes for a moment before he felt the slightest flutter as his heart began to warm. “Take her” he insisted with outstretched arms.

[Kanade]

"Hmm." Kanade thought for a long moment about uniting the Jinchuuriki, "I don't know. To be honest, I don't know what the world has in store for her." She grinned as she watched her daughter cling to her father and how he interacted with her, saw the ice thaw even more, saw the love in his eyes for his child. Good, she needed a father, especially one who would take care of her. "Kotaru can go sit on a pike, and whoever Hirohito is I can deal with." She said, confident in her own ability to protect her child, "I'll point her to the Primordial legends and see if those can help with the muddying even further, have them stir up old legends and chase phantoms, making them come up with another reason for her green eyes. The people aren't blind though, and know my fondness for you." She raised an eyebrow, "You know, if it weren't for your family, I wouldn't have kept it a secret you were the father. You explicitly told me not to, or there would be more headaches to come." She kissed Atsuko as she took the babe back.

"I don't think that we need another war, especially between the two parents' villages over a mixed blood child." She smiled, "Seeing as the Karagata are a proud family, I'd rather keep her away from it at all costs." She then bounced Atsuko on her hip as Atsuko's lip started to tremble and she reached out for her father, then looked up at her mother and decided that she might want to have a cry soon since she didn't get to play with her daddy very long. Kanade shushed her gently before looking back to Shinjiro, "You know that I will support her in anything she does. My mother said the same, but I-" She cut herself off, feeling the hatred for Kumogakure no Sato boiling up inside her stomach again, then shook it off, "I wasn't able to help her live long enough to see where I am now." She smiled and kissed Atsuko's forehead before giving the thousand mile stare at a painting of the great Iwagakure Wall at sunset, looking past the picture and inward to herself. "I still blame myself for many things, and wonder what she would say if she knew the woman I am today. Or what she would say about Atsuko, I think she would love her."

Atsuko, still reaching for her father but unable to reach him, decided that yes, she did want to have a cry. The tears welled up in her eyes, and her horns grew from the small nubs to a larger version of themselves, slightly curled, her fingers ended, now, in delicate and sharp claws. Her toothless mouth erupted in small sharp teeth as she howled in futility and want. She opened her eyes and made clutching motions at her father and Kanade took their daughter in her arms, holding her close. Atsuko only had eyes for Shinjiro though, her green gaze boring into him, seeing both the man and the beast inside him, the kindred souls to hers. "She likes you, you should take this as a compliment." Kanade said in one of the pauses between the howls.

[Izanagi]

Shinjiro scoffed, but quickly stifled his amusement at Kanade’s naivety. Even illiterate beggars in the most backwater towns in Water country knew who the Hirohito were. Yet despite having traveled across the world and residing in two separate shinobi villages it seemed international politics and the powers at work escaped Kanade. It would be endearing if it was not so dangerous. “The Hirohito are one of Kirigakure’s 6 noble families, they command spies across the known world, from beggars to royalty and everything in between. They are unparalleled in their exploitation of secrets and blackmail and with both the Aisu and the Fushinkou clans at their beck and call to give them enough might to take seriously” he informed in a cold, even tone. Sighing again, he furrowed his brow, knowing it was hopeless. “Just be careful who you trust” he insisted, nodding in agreement to her efforts to stir up legends. Superstition was a powerful tool, one that could sway the hearts and minds of nations. In fact, there were several cults that worshipped Shinjiro as a God of Death, and others devoted to Vorashu and by extension Shinjiro as his living avatar.

After returning Atsuko, his hand moved to gingerly caress Kanade’s delicate face as she spoke of her fondness for him. “I know” his own affection toward her wasn’t the most subtle either, as much as he wanted to believe he wasn’t one to get too attached. He nodded, agreeing. Atsuko could never fall into the hands of the Karagata. She would be experimented on, tortured and molded into a lifeless weapon if his father got his hands on her. Just like he had been as a toddler.

“You had a good mother, and so does she” he affirmed, placing his other hand on the baby’s head to soothe her. It was a foreign concept to him, it felt wrong, but he couldn’t stand the thought of hearing a child cry. Painful thoughts, long-supressed threatened to rise up. Infants shrieking in agony, torture, isolation and starvation dolled out as punishment for any sign of weakness or non-compliance. He had seen too many siblings die at the hands of his elder sister; Chiasa, the closest person to a mother figure he had ever known. Fighting to supress his own trauma he instead focused on these blessings before him, a family that provided him with a warmth and happiness that he didn’t deserve and which he thought he would never know. “She would be proud. As long as I’ve known you, since you were Chiaki, all you’ve wanted was to be a mother and to have independence. You’ve made a life for yourself here, accomplished everything you’ve dreamed of. Your own restaurant, a forge, a beautiful daughter and a position of respect. I never met your mother, but I can see the kind of influence she had on you, someone like you can only come from a heart filled with love” he spoke evenly, but the signs of his own great sadness, perhaps even envy were there in his eyes and the subtly of his features. He paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in, they were among the most genuine and tender words he had spoken. “My mother was a drug addict and a whore. She sold me to a man who tortured me all my life. When she died, I felt free for the first time, but I know I never truly will be. But you have given me something more meaningful. Love, that’s what this is” his eyes watered at that realization as he looked upon Kanade and their baby. He had felt affection for Chisaki, and a deep familial and protective bond with Asami and Kiyome. But this was beyond that, it penetrated deeper and filled him with a warmth he had never known before.

It terrified him. The thought of losing either of them bordered on madness. An inner voice urged him to supress his feelings, cut them off and never return. Kill them even if he had to. But he had long ago departed from the strict code of the assassin, Vorashu had opened him to primal impulses that had finally manifested in the most treasured human emotion. But nothing good ever came without cost ‘Kirigakure will kill them, they’ll never be safe’ Vorashu’s sinister haunting voice, clawed at the back of his mind, echoing throughout his being. ‘I won’t allow that. Kirgakure will bow to me. One way or another’ he asserted. ‘You know what you have to do’ the shaman insisted, cackling like a murder of crows flocking around a clan of laughing hyena’s. Shinjiro tensed, willing the chains to wrap tighter and drag Vorashu back to his cage, but he struggled, straining visibly and hardening his mind before finally managing to suppress the ancient spirit.

[Kanade]

"Ah, well, they can join Kotaru on that pike of his." She looked at him, "I can take care of my own. I know I can, and I have killed only once, but I know deep down in my marrow that I would in a heartbeat to save Atsuko. I haven't ever felt anything like that before. A fierce possessiveness and protectiveness." She frowned, it almost scared her, but it also made her thrill at the thought of it. Defending her daughter, a flash of a scene came across her eyes as her imagination provided a scenario where she could protect her daughter, had to protect her. She could be as savage as Shinjiro if she had to be.

Kanade saw that Shinjiro's affection was barely boiling beneath the surface. Good. Maybe he would stick around and be more a father to her than he had been with his other progeny, of which one Kanade had trained herself with Hanako. As he touched Atsuko she could feel her heart melting, this was the man that she wanted around her child. This was the Shinjiro she had seen only barely, once in a while, hiding beneath the thick veil that he draped about himself. One of blood, and apathy. "Yeah, but she is dead all the same. And I was the one who helped her to that death. Though, I think that even if Atsuko is the death of me, I would never hold her in any sort of contempt." She smiled and nuzzled her nose to Atsuko's which elicited a high pitched squeal, "Which gives me some solace." Kanade looked at him with her luminous orange eyes and Atsuko did the same with her bioluminescent green ones. "Atsuko will probably grow up knowing more of the world than I did. She does, after all, live across the way from a brothel." She pointed her chin out the nearby window, since her hands were occupied with baby Atsuko, toward the brothel in question.

Kanade could see that Shinjiro's mind was turning to more unpleasant thoughts, his own mind making the imaginary appear before him like she had experienced scant seconds ago. Though it seemed that he was on the losing side of his inner battle. She took a step toward him as she saw him tense, saw the eyes that looked inward rather than outward, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to either of us. I'm not planning on doing anything dangerous in the near future, and if I do, I'll be sure to let you know beforehand." She would leave him to interpret what he wanted to do with the information when he got it, but she wiped her hands clean of the responsibility for a Shinjiro that heard about Kanade putting herself in danger. A jounin, after all, would have to defend her village, would have to make it a better place. She wasn't some stay-at-home wife, waiting for her man to come home. She was a master smith in her own right, and she had earned the title that she wore here in the village.

Still, she did owe him that much at least. She kissed his stiff lips, a quick sensual motion, which was meant to convey a tenderness. That is, it probably would have if Atsuko hadn't taken that moment to yank on Shinjiro's earlobe and try to use it to scramble into his arms, grabbing at him in a vain attempt to get him to hold her again.