The Outcome

Kinzoku soon found himself standing in front of the Hokage's building with the Aburame close by at his side. She hadn't shown any signs at an attempt to escape or try anything tricky, which was good. It however did not stop Kinzoku from keeping a close eye on her. Just in case. He opened the doors ahead of him while removing his hat and letting Cho enter the building first. As the two entered, Kinzoku informed the receptionist that they would be waiting for the Lady Hokage in Conference Room 1. He requested that she send someone to get them once the Hokage had arrived as well as send over a wet cloth. With the receptionist confirming everything, Kinzoku led the way up a few flight of stairs and down a hallway to the conference room. It wouldn't do to be in the Hokage's office without her present. So the Jounin decided it was best to wait here.

Opening the door, he would let Cho in first before entering himself and closing the door behind him. In the room was a rounded table with chairs situated all around it. The back wall contained an array of windows which let in the bright rays from the sun. The rest of the walls were lined with images or past Hokages and displays of the village. "Have a seat while we wait for the Hokage" Kinzoku informed Cho as he himself placed his hat onto the table and moved over to the windows. Propping one open, he sat back onto the window's ledge as he pushed his shoulder-length hair back and observed the Aburame who had just killed her fellow shinobi.  

Shortly after a man opened the door holding a white cloth that had been soaked in water. "For the young lady" he informed the man, as he handed it to her (or placed it on the table) and exited the room. "Please, clean yourself" he began referring to the dried blood on her hands and face. "It won't do to have you in the Hokage's presence covered in blood. But before you do, put the katana on the table. It doesn't belong to you so I'm afraid you won't be keeping it." With that he crossed his arms, watching Cho attentively to see how she proceeded while they waited for Risako to return.

Cho entered the Hokage’s building for the first time in her life with the anticipation to be severely punished for killing a fellow Konoha shinobi in her match in the Chuunin exams. She felt as if her souls had left her body as she went through the motions of being scheduled to meet with the Hokage. She hardly even remembered when she had found time to freshen up with a moist towel and change out of her combat attire. Cho’s face was blank. Remorseless, even. Set in her ways and questionable moral tendencies inherited by Yensung Aburame, Cho did as she was told to a tee up to the point where her escort demanded that she give up Avalon’s sword. She gripped it tightly as she adjusted herself in the seat. Her steely eyes did not meet with Kinzoku’s. In fact, they pierced through him and were trained on Risako’s office desk, symbolizing her intentions to blantanly ignore his latest order.

“Sorry Kinzoku san, but I will not. The dead have no use for this katana. Whatever becomes lost in battle is claimed by the victor, and there is no going back from that, is there? <3”

Cho’s eyes lowered to Kinzoku’s metallic arm, out of curiousity. Though her face was expression was neutral overall, an incredibly attentive eye would be able to observe the tiniest crack of a smile.

Kinzoku caught the sudden shift in Cho's posture and seating as she reacted to his order. It was clear at that moment he was going to be met with resistance by the Aburame. In all honesty, it was to be expected. Being apart of the Nazar clan, Kinzoku possessed very keen eyes even without his Arahant bloodline activated. Thus he was able to pick up on all of Cho's bodily cues. Just as her body suggested, she declined the order to give up the katana, stating the victor gets to claim what's lost in battle and that Avalon no longer had need of it. In some sense, she was right. Unfortunately she had mixed up two very difference scenarios and merged them into one. Before Kinzoku gave a response to Cho's words he couldn't help but grin himself as he noticed Cho's own sliver of a smile when she noticed his arm.

"I'm afraid the arm's off limits" he spoke before retrieving a cigar and lighter from his jacket pockets. After lighting the cigar and blowing a few puffs out the window, the Nazar would go on. "In some sense you have the truth of it. The victor may take the spoils of their battle. But Avalon was not your enemy. He was your fellow shinobi. What happens with his equipment is not for you to decide. It will be returned to his family. If there are no kin of his to be found, it will be buried along with his body." After taking another puff of his cigar, he would go on speaking to the Aburame. "What you did may or may not have been an accident, I cannot truthfully say yet. However, one does not get rewarded for making such grave mistakes. Only presented with a second chance, if you're lucky. Keep the sword as you please for now and try your luck with our Hokage instead. It will be for her to decide."

Flicking his cigar with the tip of his thumb, Kinzoku let the ash trickle out the window and be blown away by the wind as he continued to study the female. Truth be told, she showed signs of potential. But she also gave off an uneasy feeling to her. A feeling that if not put in check could send her down the wrong path. So Kinzoku would dig a little deeper. What else was there to do until the Hokage returned? "Why did you kill him?" he asked before taking another puff. Her eye's may not have been looking at Kinzoku, but his own were studying her every move. Every switch in her face, every flick of a finger, the Nazar would see.

Didn't even make it halfway to the hospital before she heard a voice via her earpiece. 

"The boy didn't make it."

A small sigh escaped her lips as she turned around and began to move towards her office. As the building came into view, her brow furrowed. Accidents were bound to happen, and forgetting to feed the dog or wetting your bed were happy little accidents that didn't really deserve a punishment. Killing a fellow villager in combat on the other hand was usually not a happy little accident. 

The building was vacant, save for the two in her office. The Hokage began to ascend the stairs to the entrance. Slowly, her hand met with the door to open it. 
 
Risako managed to make it within earshot just in time to hear Kinzoku ask why Avalon was killed. She quieted her foot steps as she began to creep down the hall, stopping outside of the door to her office. Certainly the jounin could hear her approach, but she was unsure if Cho could. If the conversation was paused, she would walk through the door and stop just inside the room. Her left hand was nestled in her pocket, and her right remained attached to the doorknob. This left a solid two meters between Ris and Cho.

Immediately, Ris noticed that Cho was still clutching the sword. "Put the weapon on the desk and sit down," she demanded.

the female Aburame was finally able to sit back in her seat as Kinzoku began to lecture her. She casually rested her chin on her hand with her index finger extended outward as if to point at something while the two of them sat waiting for Risako to arrive. A majestic looking butterfly appeared from seemingly nowhere and rested on the tip of Cho's finger. Burying a brand new katana along with the boy who, unbeknownst to most because of the mist's shroud, intentionally chose death over dishonor? Cho had not heard such nonsense in a while, not since she had last sparred with Shinoskay. 

Suddenly, something in the air had caused her precious moth to sieze up and fall from its perchon Cho's finger. Cho for the first time, expressed compassion in her face as she wondered what was wrong with her precious moth. Eventually, she smelled the cause.

Cigar Smoke.

Cho's eyes rolled hard until they were refocused on Kinzoku. This time, there was distaste in her eyes. Whether by intention or otherwise, Kinzoku had killed one of her precious minions. The man was smoking more than a chimney as he asked the first interesting question since the two ninja met. "Why did you kill him?"  She could see how serious he was about this matter, which in turn, tickled the kunoichi. Cho responded with an incredibly creepy smile as she opened her mouth to answer. Before she could respond however, Risako had entered the room. As if on cue, Risako gave a demand immediately upon laying eyes on the sword.

"Put the weapon on the desk and sit down,"

A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. The Aburame had never experienced this feeling before. Intimidation. Cho was already sitting, in this moment, but she would rise to her feet, and immediately proceed towards the table. Her eyes never left Risako's as she laid the sword down gently onto the office table before returning to her seat.

W-What had just happened? All the nerve and gumption the kunoichi had mustered up while being escorted had vanished in the instant that the Hokage entered the room. Even the likes have Cho was capable of following orders, it seems.

Kinzoku's eyes found their way onto the moth that had just freed itself from its masters body and was now resting on the tip of her finger. He knew each Aburame were all specialized in the use of specific insects. Based on her match and the critter currently on her finger it was safe to say she fancied moths. But just as quick as the insect appeared, it was gone. Withered away and dying like the feeble little insect it was. Although Kinzoku had no idea why it died but based on the look he got from Cho it would seem it was somehow his doing. The only possible thing he could think of was his cigar, as he wasn't doing anything else but enjoying the small pleasantry. With the window open and Kinzoku sitting right on the its ledge, the majority of the smoke had not found its way into the room. If the moth had died from the minuscule amount of smoke that found its way into the office then she had a lot to improve on. Rather, her insects did.

Kinzoku noticed the presence of someone else standing outside the door as well as said persons chakra signature. Although he couldn't see who it was, he knew it was likely the Hokage. Shame he hadn't asked his question sooner. Just as Cho was about to respond Risako entered. As if almost on queue, the first thing she ordered was for Cho to place the katana onto the desk. Almost as if Kinzoku wasn't crazy to think the Katana didn't belong to the Aburame. But what did he know? 

Squeezing out the flame on the tip of his cigar with his metal fingers, he lightly tossed it into the nearby trash before picking his hat up from the table. "Lady Hokage" he'd say while giving a slight nod. Once Risako had entered the room and made her way to her desk, Kinzoku would move to the door positioning himself right beside it as a guard would have done. With his back to the wall he would simply stand there motionlessly, almost as though he weren't even there. Some may say so still, he had gone invisible. Unless of course Risako had asked for the room. Then he would politely take his leave.

ooc: You can skip me in the posting order now, unless I'm needed for something.

It seemed a tad funny that the murderer chose to follow orders after what took place. For now she would ignore Kinzoku aside from giving him a slight nod, otherwise treating him as if he was invisible. One foot over the other, Risako strutted across the room to her desk before removing her hand from her pocket and grabbing the sword by the handle while turning to face Cho, still maintaining a two meter gap between the two. 

Turning the blade over in her palm, she removed it from its sheathe if it was still in one. Keeping Cho within her peripheral vision, Risako scanned the blade from hilt to tip before rubbing her thumb across the surface of the weapon. Studying the faded crimson stain the mostly dry substance left on her thumb with an empty, haunting gaze, she turned her full attention towards the Aburame. Rather calmly, if disappointed, she would inquire what she had heard Kinzoku ask before entering the room.

"You took a life today." As she spoke, Risako's head tilted back slightly so that she was looking down upon the girl, "Why did you not show restraint? Why was the last thing he saw some idiot taunting her own ally?" While she spoke she was questioning whether or not some of Kirigakure's culture was seeping into the village. If that proved to be the case, brutality would be met with brutality.

Her voice didn't quite reflect her full anger at this point, yet she started to spit words at the girl through clenched teeth. "Why should his family be the only one to suffer loss today?" This question was rhetorical, her punishment had already been decided.

The tension in the room was bringing Cho to the point of exhaustion. Cho admired the handiwork in the Pendragon's blade. Truly one befitting for a noble knight. But was Risako seeking to intimidate Cho? Regardless of her intentions, it was certainly working. Damp from the profuse sweating in the hot office room, the Aburame was basically trembling from a mix of exhaustion from her match and fear from the outcome of this meeting. Still, the kunoichi did not dare lower her head or tuck her tail, even when Risako's words cut through the silence of the room sharper than the katana in her hand ever could.

"You took a life today. Why did you not show restraint? Why was the last thing he saw some idiot taunting her own ally? Why should his family be the only one to suffer loss today?"

A hard gulp was audible only to Cho in that instant. Risako's tone rose in intensity with every word. Cho could see her fate sealed deep within her leader's eyes. Was she to die here? Though the trembling had not stopped, through sheer willpower alone, Cho found the words to reply sharply and respectively. She would at least die completely devoted to her nindo, her ninja way.

"The mist made it difficult to strike with accuracy. I never meant to...." Cho would trail off as she began to give her excuse. This didn't feel right. Grovelling. And for what? Because her opponent gravely underestimated her? Cho was utterly confused with why she was not being congratulated by the Hokage herself right now. She was undoubtebly the best among Konoha's female Genin, and she knew that. Why won't Hokage sama acknowledge her? "Hokage sama! This was unfortunate, but today, I fought with valor in YOUR name. For my clan. For my village. My nation."

Cho's words would eerily echo the ideals of a shinobi Risako was not too fond of. Still, Risako would be able to see the sincerity in the budding Aburame's eyes. What would the Hokage do in this situation. Would she crush her hopes for mercy, disqualify her from the exams and crush her ambitions, and bring the young girl to the realization that Konoha was a place where she could not feel free? Or, would she use this opportunity to take her under her wing and mentor her, and try to teach her what it means to truly be a ninja of the Leaf? To respect her comrades, and to protect the Will of Fire over all else. Cho could not keep her eyes open out of fear for Risako's response. She stood there, now visibly shaking, chin held high, and sweat dripping down her chin, just waiting for the consequences that were ultimately out of her control.

Kiri found efficiency in brutality, but it appeared as if they showed loyalty to one another. Cho appeared to be genuinely fearful for her life, but that wouldn't be enough. One of the founding principles of this village was selflessness, and this girl was in it for herself or so it seemed. "You killed a man on accident and rather than show actual remorse, you try to pander to some vague sense of honor?" Ironic, given that there happened to be no honor among thieves. "You don't fight for me, you fight for your allies." Certainly it wasn't too hot in the room, so it had been assumed that she was sweating from fear or anxiety. "Friends," her own voice began to trail off for a moment. She paused shortly before continuing. Her voice returned to its stern expression as she made another demand.  "Kneel, put your hands under your knees." If Cho did so, Ris would set the sword down on her desk before walking behind the girl. 

The Hokage pushed the chair out of the way so that she would have plenty of space between the two to do what was necessary. Risako reached for her waist, clutching the handle of her own sword. It's a shame Mako's best work was to be blessed with the blood of a second Konoha villager, but it was necessary. Right?

"Keep your head upright." This would be her final demand of the girl. A dull ringing sound came from Risako's blade as it was pulled from its sheath. Cho might have felt the wind from the maneuver if she was lucky, but the sword connected with the girl's flesh as she swung the blade at her neck. A heavy thud brought an end to the sound of the of the scabbard. The blade was returned to its scabbard after the act was done. 

"You will be under the surveillance of Kinzoku at all times," she said, placing a hand on the back of the Aburame girl's neck. If she didn't resist, Risako would place an FTG seal on her. The Hokage stood far enough away that the tip of the blade barely nicked her target's skin, leaving nothing more than a scratch. "Whatever team you were a part of, who ever your old mentor was, those days are over. You'll be given until the end of the day to pack your things, then you'll be moving in with him, he should be able to set you on the right track." 

Risako returned to her seat before deciding that this meeting was over. As she moved, her left hand returned to her pocket. "Don't remove the seal on the back of your neck. You'll report back to me at the end of every week, dismissed." After they were gone she would call someone in to remove the large lock of hair that Cho left.

Cho was doing everything to bite her tongue even as Risako continued to lecture her. She could even feel Kinzoku's smug face on her backside. Her humiliation aside, Cho immediately obeyed the commands given to her. She stood uncomfortably on her knees and continued to hold her head up high. Her long braid was over her shoulder and coiled in her lap like a snake.

This is it.

Cho savored her last breathe just as the Hokage instructed her to keep her head just like that. From the periphery of her vision, Cho could see Risako grabbing the hilt of her sword. Whatever, her life was a waste anyway. Since the death of her own parents, her rightful place as the head of the Aburame clan had been usurped anyway, making her a failure to her lineage. She only wished...she had the opportunity to make things right. To reach the goals she had dreamed about for so long.

In a gust of wind, something had happened...but Cho saw nothing. The sound of the blade scraping against the sheathe had ended in a thud as if Risako had already finished using it. But how could this be, when Cho had not even seen the blade's steel once? Suddenly, one of the knots that held Cho's neatly braided hair together was cut loose, and all of her hair scattered as a result. The kunoichi's long, jet black hair fell all around her, even covering her face. Not a single hair was out of place, save for the lock of hair that had been cut. Cho stared at the hair on the ground in disbelief. Though not much hair was cut, the gesture struck Cho deep to the bone. Her hair was was so precious to her, that she had a delayed reaction when blood started to trickle from the side of her neck. She would grab her neck to stop the bleeding, while partly checking to make sure her head was still attached to the rest of her body. She was breathing heavily, almost panicking as Risako continued to give further instruction.

Her spirit broken, she helplessly watched Risako come up behind her and mark her with the seal of the Flying Thunder God. Once this was done, she made it known that Cho would be assigned a baby sitter from here forward. Things just kept getting worse and worse. However, it would soon dawn on her that Risako had been extremely merciful. Rather than take an eye for an eye, Cho was being allowed to remain active as a shinobi, under a jounin's watch. Perhaps Cho should just count her blessings and roll with the punches. The kunoichi rose to her feet as Risako finished up. Before she would have a chance to dismiss her, Cho would squeeze out a few words as quiet as a mouse.

"And the Chuunin Exams...?"