A Single Pale Rose [Kizmaru]

The stillness in the Yuki household was nothing new to Kiyomi. This was something she had grown up with for most of her life, even before the birth of her brother. She didn't live in the home with her parents anymore but she came by every day, multiple times a day just to make sure the two ate. Today would be no different, it was her second time here today and she was cutting up some strawberries to finish off the lunch she had prepared for them. With every two strawberries cut, she would cut up two more and place them in a bento box, neatly along with some rice and grilled chicken. Quickly she finished up her task and brought the two boxes of food upstairs of the rather large home. Once in front of the door to her parent's room, she would knock twice, signifying that it was time for lunch before placing the food on a nearby table. Kiyomi never entered her parent's room but she knew they always ate what she made because the trays would be gone when she returned for their next meal. Returning downstairs to the kitchen, Kiyomi would complete packing two bento boxes before tying them up in a green and light blue fabric to carry. She would be on her way to the Mizukage's chambers to deliver him lunch, but before that, she had to make sure her parents were fed. With her daily task out of the way she was free to leave the house for now and she would return to the home later to prepare dinner.

Kiyomi stepped out of the home to the brisk air of Kirigakure. She was dressed in a white and blue kimono that held her clan's symbol on the back with a simple but elegant snowflake design on the sleeves. Her voluptuous figure filled out the kimono in a way that still to this day caught the stares of many. She thought people would get used to her by now but it seems her body would always be the center of attention for the common man, and some of the not so common men as well. Fortunately for her, no one ever made an inappropriate move towards her, well at least those who knew better. Kiyomi didn't make it a habit to put herself out in the spotlight but she was someone you just couldn't miss even if you wanted to ignore her presence. Quickly hurrying to her destination, the wind blowing her bangs from her face, Kiyomi would stop only for a moment to pick up some Sake from her uncle who was well known and well-liked for the sake he did make. The two would speak briefly about her parents before she continued on her way. Her uncle was worried about his sister since no one has seen her for years now. Kiyomi was the only person to inform everyone that they were ok as she caught a glimpse of them both in their private training room under the home when they thought she was not around. She was happy to see they did, in fact, leave their room and she was also happy to see them keeping their bodies in tip-top shape, even at their age they knew it was best to be in the best condition one could achieve. Upon arriving at the Mizukage's building she greeted the guards and the front desk staff before seeing her way up to his office. The staff knew her well and didn't hassle her when she wanted to go up to see Kizmaru. They were kind to her and she always dropped off food to them when she could and today was no different as she gifted them with the fresh strawberries she cut up earlier.

Fixing her windswept bangs to make them a little neater she would knock on the door three times before calling out to Kizmaru from the other side of the door. " Hello Dear it's Kiyomi, I bought some lunch. I hope I'm not intruding. " She would await his answer before entering.

WC:683

It was a chilly morning in the land of Kirigakure. Slightly cloudy with a bit of a chill, sunlight seaming through the  cracks of the cloud here and there. Sitting in a large, blue couch like chair. The Mizukage himself could be seen scribbling away at paperwork that had been piling up for the months the village has gone without having a proper Kage. This frustrated him but since he decided to step up and take the mantle of Mizukage, this would be one of his daily duties from now until he retires or he dies. Pushing his pen back and forth, he mainly just signed his name at the bottom of each page after reading through it or stamps his seal of approval for most he shifts through. What a boring day and a boring routine, he thought to himself, continuing to push his pen along paper, he figured he had made a dent in the amount of paperwork to warrant a break, at least, in his own opinion. Placing his pen done, Kizmaru got up out of his comfortable blue chair, walking towards the window which overlooked the village he was in charge of. 

Looking at what was once a simple island building was now a formidable metropolis filled with oddities and rare structures. He was proud of himself for making it this far in terms of technological progression. A new training facility, an established Hunter-Ninja foundation and a national bank of Kirigakure. Already things were looking better for the economy of his village but he wouldn't stop there. He decided he would start construction of four new creations when ever he had the time and the funds to do so. Placing his hands behind his Kage Robes, he saw his reflection in the window panel of his room. He was dressed in blue and white robes with the words 'Mizukage' on the back and the Kage hat that conceals his face to where only his eyes are revealed. As he peered through the window, he heard somebody approaching from the opposite side of the door. A familiar, sweet voice was heard from the door.

It was Kiyomi, his lovely wife. Even though their marriage was arranged, he eventually grew to love her of his own accord. It was made relatively easy mainly because of her figure and motherly nature. Chuckling to himself, he turned around from looking out the window towards her responding, "No, no. Come in, come in. I was just feeling a bit peckish. Sit down and rest. You must have been busy from your daily routine." Kizmaru walked over towards her, giving her a loving hug, gently kissing her cheek before leading her by the hand and sitting her down in his blue hair that he worked from. Massaging her shoulders, he peered over her to see what kind of food she had brought him.

W.C: 481

With permission granted to enter the office, she did so quickly. Once inside she closed the door behind her before walking right into her husband's loving embrace. His kiss made her cheeks prickle in a good way and she could tell a blush was already settling over them. Not many found love in marriages that were already arranged for them but she was lucky she was able too. To her, he was strong and kind and it was because of him that she was allowed to enjoy the world as she always wanted. He made her heart flutter and she promised herself that she would always be there for him, no matter what he did. Once he took her hand she followed him to his seat and allowed herself to be guided into his chair. His strong touch on her shoulders allowed her to relax as she placed the neatly tied boxes on the table, plucking the bottle of sake from the top of it before unwrapping the cloth to reveal their lunch. I'm no more busy than the next person. Well, today we've got some fresh strawberries, rice, grilled lemon pepper chicken, and some steam mixed vegetables. Of course some of my uncle's sake, who by the way says hello. Opening both bento boxes she removed small cups from each of the boxes and began to pour the sake. Each item of the bento box was separated from the other and the strawberries were placed in a special compartment that kept them cool while to rest of the food stayed hot.Come My Love. Sit, tell me about your day. She didn't know all the ins and outs of being the Mizukage but she knew that his job was a hard one. He rose to his position fairly quickly and in his short time, he had done a lot for the village. Kiyomi worried though, as with being the Mizukage their was always a risk. There were people out there who would relish in seeing his downfall and she felt that other village's respective leaders might not respect or see him as the leader he is due to how he went about getting his position. Her worry only fueled her drive to get stronger though, she wanted to protect him and though the thought hadn't crossed her mind just yet she would soon realize she wouldn't know what to do without him.

WC: 402

Looking over her shoulders, he spotted a delicious looking meal composed of fresh strawberries, rice, grilled lemon pepper chicken, and some steam mixed vegetables. This delighted him as he even though he could already smell it before the container was opened, he still found it to be a pleasant surprised, despite not knowing the exact ingredients used to make said meal. Watching his wife unpack the meal, his eyes began to wander someplace else. Instead of food, he had found something else he found 'edible' at tucked away in his wife's kimono. Letting his mind wander on his perverse thoughts, he eventually walked over to the opposite side of the desk and grabbed the chair he would normally let his visitors and clients sit on, placing it next to her before sitting down on it. Sitting on her left side, he placed his right arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a snuggle, awaiting her preparations to be complete. Watching her pour sake into a cup, she had said something about her uncle sending his greetings to which he replied, "Tell him i said hello and thank you for providing me the gift of sake. It is always most welcomed."  

Getting up once more, he decided he would like to spend some alone time with his wife as he reached for a telephone that was sitting that the end of the desk. He had called his receptionist, telling them to cancel any appointments or meetings he had for the day as something 'urgent' had come up. The receptionist assured him nobody would disturb before kizmaru thanked them and hung up the phone. As an extra precaution, he decided to walk to the entrance of his office in order to lock the door before hearing his lovely wife tell him to sit down and tell her stories of his day. he smiled and nodded as he had to make sure one more thing was done before he could do so. Closing the curtains of the large window behind, he finally sat down in preparation to begin eating with his wife. Letting out a large sigh, he began to talk of his day. 

"Where to begin, love, where to begin. Day in and day out nothing but paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. It gets frustrating sometimes; Listening to the complaints of villagers for petty squabbles and deputes. Construction of buildings that have been held up since the previous Mizukage had gone missing for however long. And the worst, there's no end to these sorts of situations. Now I have the daimyo to deal with as well about the future of Kirigakure. Its all one giant headache. I'm still learning about the day to day life of it all but nothing seems to give. there's also talk of rumors going around of a war since we have weakened in recent days, which is not a lie but I would at least like to rally up some decent soldiers, as well as get a little training in every now and again. but in these turbulent and yet, peaceful times, I'm glad to have met you,' Kizmaru had said, starting from a very aggravated tone to a loving one.

W.C: 534

It sounded like for now she had little to worry about. Her husband’s work was mostly keeping him inside of his office and it would take a lot for someone to reach him if they wanted to harm him. Kiyomi relaxed in her husband’s chair and took a sip of the sake from her cup before eating some of the rice and chicken from her bento box. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as his last statement caused her to blush a bright pink over her smooth pale skin. Arranged marriages hardly went well because forcing someone to marry another person was never a good idea but what they had was special. The bond the two shared was built on more than what was
“ expected “ of them, and with that, they grew to love one another which is much more than most people in their situation could say. “ My feelings exactly. Oh! Speaking of training. I need some training done of my own. All those years of wife training have prevented me from unlocking the potential of my clan’s element. “ Taking another sip of sake and popping a few strawberries in her mouth she needed to learn the water element in order to even think about using the Ice element. Still, she was a fresh-faced ninja with much to learn and as much as she wanted to ask her dear husband for help she didn’t want to burden him with any more work than he already had.

wc 248

Now that he as done with his story, it was time for Kizmaru to eat some of the delicious meal his wife had taken the time to prepare and bring him. Reaching for his portion of the food, he picked his utensil of choice and began to dig into the chicken and rice himself. Placing small amounts of food i his mouth, he began to chew slowly, savoring each and every individual spice and flavor his tongue could perceive. He had always fancied his wife's cooking, even if he was biased seeing as they there married but still it was always welcomed and delicious when she came around. Eventually, he heard his wife's claims of trying to learn the water element, an element Kizmaru had been particularly adept in, in order to realize her clan potential. If he recalled correctly, she was a descendant of the Yuki clan so it was only natural hat should would want to tap into her clan abilities. After he finished chewing and swallowing his food, he assured her that he would help her train unlocking her water element when he made a dent on his paperwork. How he'd love to just skip out on his work and continue to spend his time with his woman but alas, he had roles to fulfill. He then turned back to his food and continued to eat. 

Training with the Mrs, huh? He never really thought about doing that, seeing as harm coming to his beautiful wife has never once crossed his mind. Well, eventually there would be scenario where she would be in danger and he or his guards will not always be there to protect her so it was better if he could train her as best he could, himself. At least, in the arts of water anyways. He did need a reason to try out his new training facility in the first place so he figured he could at least to this much. It was great for training himself, his wife and testing out the building as a whole. 

W.C: 344

As she enjoyed the taste of her own simple but delicious meal, Kiyomi felt a warmth in her heart. When she was younger she could remember always being upset that she had to learn the things that made her a desirable woman, or at least from a “ traditional “ standpoint. Now she could see that some of those skills really did come in handy no matter what situation called for them. Cooking was one of them, everyone needed to eat and it was not only that she knew how to cook but she also knew how to hunt and what was edible and non-edible as far as wild flora went. It hit her that perhaps maybe she had been given some skill to be able to flourish as a ninja. Some of the tasks required of her were much more geared toward the less feminine side of a woman’s duties even if it really all came back around full circle to something that would make her a prime candidate for a great wife. She could remember chopping and gathering wood, hunting for food, now that she thought about it she had quite an array of survival like skills at her disposal. Kiyomi could feel herself smiling as she popped a strawberry into her mouth. Perhaps her parents didn’t just want for their daughter to be someone’s wife, but a woman who could also take care of herself if things didn’t go well. Taking a sip of sake she made note of all the things she had to do at home. It was a short list but once she was done here she had to go back to their home and feed the dogs, water the plants, write up some letters to her extended family for her parents and go down the household budget for both her parents and her own home. Once all those were done she could get some physical training done and perhaps enjoy a bit of a rest at the hot springs, and perhaps drag her husband along as well. She knew he had to work hard but she just didn’t want him to work too hard. She worried about his well being, mentally of course and it seemed that the mess made from the last kage had him working overtime. She wondered if she could assist him in any way in order to make his job much easier. For a moment it hit her, like a bolt of lightning to her brain.

Popping some steamed vegetables in her mouth she chewed them. They were buttery and had enough of a bite to them that they weren’t overcooked or undercooked at all. She would finish at least half of her meal before wiping her mouth clean and having some more sake. It was clear to her that she could be a lot of help to her husband if she was, in fact, his assistant, helping him take care of mundane things around the office to make his life easier. She could get paperwork filed, take care of the smaller and more frequent disputes of the villagers in his place, schedule out his meetings and appointments so that he’s not so overrun with work, and assist in helping him ‘ release “ stress while he was on duty rather than him waiting all day to get home from work. It was a perfect idea in her mind but of course, he had to say yes to it. She could pitch it the best way that she could but in the end, it was his choice if he wanted the help or not. With this, she could knock out two birds with one stone. His comment about helping her train only made her sure that if they were together a lot more could get done on both of their ends. Kiyomi was happy with herself, yes she was very satisfied but realized that she would have to juggle her duties at home and her duties as his assistant should he say yes to her proposal. Standing up she made her way across the room towards the small stove near the back of the office which led to a smaller, more home-like space. There she prepared a kettle of hot water and got out some cups from the cabinet above the stove and began to prepare some tea. This area was for resting as it had a daybed, a small fridge, and yes even a stove. It was a nice place to relax but she was almost sure as shit that he wasn’t using it. Returning to the chair she was allowed to sit in she ate some more strawberries, a little nervous at pitching her idea to her own husband. “ Maybe I could help around here you know. Become an assistant of sorts to make your life easier. I could take care of a lot of small things to better assist you. “ Kiyomi went on to explain those very things that she had in her mind, just as she had thought them before. Of course, she put on a bit of a flair for some dramatics but overall she got her point across. The deciding factor, of course, would be left to her dear husband. The two would be spending a lot more time together if he said yes, something that she always welcomed since their time together currently was scarce. She really hoped he said yes but if he decided not to then she wouldn’t pout and of course she would accept it.

wc; 922

Continuing his meal, Kizmaru reached over for some vegetables he's been ignoring for some time. Under normal circumstances, he was very picky about the kind of vegetables he was served. Of course, he loves the way his wife makes them since they taste good and were overall, still relatively healthy and good for him. Reaching over with his utensil, Kizmaru picked up some vegetables before placing them into his mouth and chewing them. They had some savory butter sauce on them which made them taste better, overall letting it go down easier than it normally would. This delighted him since not only they were they nutritionally, they were also delicious. Now that he has established that fact, he counted to both the chicken and the vegetables until there was no more left for him to consume. Now finished with his meal, it was time for him to go back to work. It was nice of his wife to bring him a meal while he was in the middle of getting things done for the greater good of the village. After he reaches what he considers a checkpoint in his work, he would go and train with his lovely wife in the training center, even if he was against. She was still a shinobi of the Kirigakure, whether they were married or not and he wanted nothing but the best for her.

As he started his work back up again, his wife hesitantly ask him something. Placing his pen down, tilted his head up and turned it towards her, giving her his full attention when she began to speak to him. Listening to her request, Kizmaru raised his left eyebrow. Her request was that she would become his assistant in order to help him with his day to day menial tasks. He loved the fact she was willing to help and all but, she already had so many duties to do at home that he couldn't possibly think of burdening her with anymore work than he had too. He was very intrigued at her last comment though since they didn't see or spend much time together. As he thought about it, his eyes unconsciously gaze onto her opulent chest as they stood out to him after their exchange. Shaking his head, he focused his gaze to her face before giving her a response.

"Are you sure about this? It's not exactly as easy as it seems and there's mountains of work to go around. You're already busy enough as it is with matron duties as well as taking care of your clan and family. I do not wish to see you overworked and over stressed by placing placing my work on yourself. On the other hand, if you're sure you can handle it, I won't stop you. I could use the help but promise me one thing, if it gets too much for you, let me know," Kizmaru said, with a worried tone in his voice. Sure, he could use some help and he'd take it from anybody that had offered. Having an adviser would have been nice. On the other hand, he didn't want it to be his overworked wife, or anybody overworked in general, to be forced into more work. In the end, he relented since he couldn't say no to that beautiful face of hers. When all was said and done, he turned back to his work, picking up his pen and continuing on with his writing.

W.C: 579

Kiyomi stood up once her husband finished speaking, making her way towards the little room in the back and cutting off the heat for the tea before preparing a cup of green tea. Making her way back into the main room of the kage's office she set the tea down in front of him, a smile on her face. She was happy to hear how worried he was of her. Though it would be a bit of work she was sure she could manage. Planting a small kiss on Kizmaru's cheek, her bosom pressing up against him as she did so, the young woman whispered to him not to work too hard. Quickly cleaning the desk of the bento boxes she made her way out of the office but not before saying she would meet him on the training grounds when he had some free time. Kiyomi was excited to train on the new training grounds. She had heard so much about it from Kizmaru. He seemed very proud of the work he was getting done within Kirigakure. In all honesty, it was probably the biggest boost to the economy and infostructure that Kirigakure had seen in a while. Kiyomi could recall how Kirigakure was missing leadership for quite some time, causing it to crumble as a village but Kizmaru was single-handedly taking care of that all on his own. She was proud to be his wife and she was even more proud of the steps he was taking to provide a better future for Kirigakure and all it's ninja.  

-exit-

wc: 260
total wc: 2515

Stats Gained
6 - Stanima
6 - chakra

Jutsu Learned
Hiding With Camouflage Technique
Wind Style: Air Pistol (C Rank)

Continuing his work, Kizmaru was signing papers and stamping them with his seal of approval. He was almost done for the time being, quickening his pace in order to finish sooner, keeping his signature and stamps as neatly as possible. He was genuinely content with the offer his wife had made him but he still worried about her overall health when it came to tacking on too many tasks and duties. He noticed his wife went off into another room of the office before returning to his side, pressing her lips against his cheek as well as her 'assets' to his shoulder. Being told not to work hard, Kizmaru responded in a hushed tone, "I'll try not too." She then began to clean up after them having a meal. All things considered, he was feeling relatively well, calm and overall, full. This allowed him to work in a relaxed state and not stress over every small thing like he normally did. When he was first told he had to marry some random village girl for political reasons and to have an heir for Mizukage in case of an early death or he ended up going missing, he was feeling skeptical about it. 

Thinking it would it would have been one of those marriages that would have prevented him from having any sort of fun or it being another job or 'duty' in itself, he wasn't up for it. He thought about protesting but he figured that wouldn't sit well with his villagers so he decided he would at least be able to choose or see what kind of girl he would marry. However, it turns out, she was a real beauty with a very warm personality almost like he married somebody else's mother and she was treating him as her own son. It feels weird but at the same time, it made him feel 'invulnerable' to the problems of the outside world. Smiling as he worked, it took him awhile to realize he had actually filled his quota for the day and was now going into overtime. He quickly put his pen down and neatly stacked the remainder of his work into file cabinets underneath his desk, sorting them between what's done and what isn't done yet. He hopped up out of his seat, changing into his disguise Jounin attire in the Kage's common room away from prying eyes before setting off to meet his wife at the training facility. He hoped he didn't keep his queen waiting too long as he hurried out of the Kage's office through the lobby and out the door.

[Exit.]

W.C: 435
T.W.C: 2418

Claiming 12 Chakra. 
Claiming 700 words for Suidanha
Claiming 700 words for Water Shark Bullet
Claiming 1,500 words for Needle Jizo