So It Goes [Mizu]

So It Goes...:

Lying in his bed, Guren stared up at the ceiling of his tidied room. It was a dull day out, as the sun didn't shine as bright as it normally would. Without the Regulatory Dome around Sunagakure, it likely would have been muggy out. Maybe even an unusual downpour. Oh how he wished it would rain. But instead, the dim rays of the sun would cast their light into the casement window of the Chinoike's room. Continuously, Guren would toss up a kunai towards the ceiling, and watch as it would spiral downwards and travel straight towards his neck. With each downfall, he'd intercept its trajectory and catch it with his finger. And in one motion, he'd throw the kunai right back up to the ceiling. It was repetitive, but it kept his mind from falling into a cycle of overthinking on the events going on in his life. All he could do was focus on the kunai. 

Finally he would cease his juggling, and toss the kunai towards the wall where it would lodge itself firmly into the smoothed structure. Leaning up, Guren would sit up straight, twisted his hips, and swing his feet off the bed. He'd stand and make his way over to his closet, where he'd get himself dressed with his pinstriped clothes and drape himself in his hooded kimono. Today was the day he planned a visit to see the Second. Having just returned from the Summit, Guren had heard rumors of the aftermath. Souji was captured. The gates were closed. And Mizuki was determined. Yet Guren wanted to give her some space, and instead of immediately storming her office to question her...he waited a few days to give her the time and space to think. 

He decided to skip breakfast, leaving straight out of his apartment once fully dressed and equipped. Living only minutes from the Spire, Guren would make his way over in no time. And upon entering the front door, there was a line of people waiting by the receptionists. Supposedly, it was people looking to request authorization from the Second to leave the village on business. But with the gates appropriately closed, they would likely be denied. Bypassing the line, Guren would make his way to the front desk receptionist. 

"Is she in?"

"Not yet. She's not scheduled to start her day for another 20 minutes. This line is just...people overreacting to the news."

"Mm," Guren would respond with a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Well I'll go up and wait for her."

With that, Guren would continue his stride past the desk and form the appropriate seal to transport him to the Kazekage's floor. Once on the appropriate level, Guren walked through the lobby and light pushed the doors of the Kazekage's office open. They would swing, and close shut behind him. Now in the office, he'd make his way to the chair which faced Mizuki's desk and sit in it. His back would be facing the doorway to the room. The tails of his braids hung over the back of the chair, accentuating the tremendous amount of hair growth he had in his year of travels. And although some time had passed, the biggest appearance change Guren maintained would be the short, filled beard that began from his skinny sideburns and faded onto his cheeks, chin, and mustache. Yet Mizuki wouldn't see this upon entering her office, all she would note should be Guren's head leaned against the back of the chair.

In the moments he waited for Mizuki, he closed his eyes and reflected on the last time he saw her. Oddly enough, it was when he had been appointed Deputy Kage. She had been in such a jovial and jocular mood, that Guren just wished she would be in the same form when she'd walk in. But he was no fool. Now was no time for light hearted laughter. He knew not what to expect from her entrance, but he had a feeling she may be surprised...

WC = 669

Hollow. The whole village felt hollow and empty - not even due to Souji’s lack of existence in her range but there was something deeper to the feeling; she felt disconnected with it all. The village held less and less for her as the days passed since the summit in the Land of Tea, and her drive to continue lessened by the hour. Entering the Spire she saw the lobby full of people who were all shuffling around or else berating the staff at the desk - upon her entrance some of the bravest turned on her choosing to yell at her instead. With her hands in her pockets she stared up at their expressive faces, watching as the veins in their necks bulged in anger or irritation at her decision. Her expression was blank as she stared at them, their words falling on deaf ears - with more force than necessary she shoved past the group that had surrounded her and stepped to the seal, instantly transporting herself to the kage floor. 

Upon arrival she saw a worried looking receptionist and not one, but two heart beats in her range. Sighing she walked to the doors, ignoring the frantic explanations of the woman she shoved the doors open and stared at the back of a familiar head. Guren Chinoike. Sitting calmly in one of the chairs in front of her desk, crossing her arms she stared at his back for a second before striding past him and sitting with little grace in her chair. It had been a long time since she last saw him and his hair and facial structure had changed to show that passage of time - though she would physically look the same age her demeanor was foreign and dead. “You’ve returned, how was your time out in the world?”, it was small talk to say the least as she had little idea how to communicate with her village anymore, her heart that left it.

The sound of Mizuki's footsteps could be heard from Guren's resting position in the chair. As they grew closer, he stretched out his basic level of chakra sensory to detect the status of her signature. It was dark, despondent, and dangerous. Not akin to how he remembered her signature from a year ago. But still amongst all of that, he still could discern a glimmer of the woman he remembered. His face relaxed, and bore a soft smile. So that when Mizuki would enter her office and see the man, she was met with a fragment of reunion and consolation. Upon their eyes locking with each other, there was a brief moment of silence. Guren would take the opportunity to inspect the changes to Mizuki's appearance that occurred over the last year. But it wasn't just physical, it was her spirit too. She walked and sat with a certain intensity to herself. Perhaps the title of Kage had hardened her even further. Something Guren didn't think was possible. The Second had a dejected, obscure manner of carrying herself now. It was strange to see her in this way.

Mizuki would break the silence, commenting on Guren's absence from the village during his stint of long range missions. Still wearing his soft smile, he'd close his eyes momentarily and offer a subtle laugh. His eyes would reopen and meet those of the Kazekage once more. "You make it sound like a vacation," he answered before continuing, "But all in all, it was quite eye opening. Learning of our neighboring countries and cultures during scouting reports, and getting my hands dirty when needed. A bit of a change of pace. And my time away has given me some ideas on how to implement some changes to Sunagakure....I understand you've had time outside of the village as well. Tell me how that went. I can tell you're bothered." Guren eluded to the summit and events that occurred after it. As direct as it was, Mizuki should have expected such forwardness from her Deputy Kage. 

WC = 341. TWC = 1010

She would nod slightly, her gaze dropping to the desk top as her fingers on her left hand fiddled with a fountain pen idly, listening to his words with intensity that was not wrote on her face but was very much in play. “Seems we had similar experiences overall, I too learned a great deal of the very nature and ruling forces that reside in this country of sand, and I dare say they do not lie in this office. Unlike you however I have yet to get my hands dirty… but that is set to change I feel.” Her gaze would raise to his again, staring with an almost relaxed nonchalance but just under that surface roiled rage. Her muscles were tight even as she moved in a languid manner - she was just off - as if wearing a skin she was no longer comfortable in. “I have indeed had some failure outside of these walls.” Cutting right to the point of the summit as to not mince words or beat around any bushes. 

Only with this abrupt cut to the truth did her body language become more like her true self - eerily still with bursts of sudden movements as if she had forgotten to come off human; her breathing would stop for far too long and she would find herself staring at a point as still as a statue before coming to as if recalling suddenly that she was in real time. “I also believe that there are… are changes to be made to Sunagakure as a whole. I am very curious as to your thoughts, it has been far too long since someone brought something aside from disappointment into my life - heh - including myself.”

Guren slightly perked up upon hearing Mizuki's comments on the power dynamic of Sunagakure and also on her hands potentially getting dirty soon. What exactly would that mean? His eyes, lowered and appeared shifty as he reflected more on this comment. When the kazekage would raise her head to him and offer her comments regarding the summit, Guren could sense the pent up frustration that his friend had within her. It was hard to see her like this, but at the same time he tried to understand her perspective. He closed his eyes momentarily and let out a low sigh. "Hmm" he hummed briefly aloud as he thought to himself.

His eyes would flicker open, and they'd meet Mizuki's. "As cliché and unorthodox this may sound, failure is something we can embrace. We can take our blunders and learn from them, improve them, and be more prepared for next time. Don't wallow and hang your head low for too long. There's always another day."

Upon saying that, Guren would note Mizu seeming to drift off in a trance like day dream. Like the words he had been saying to the kazekage had fallen on deaf ears. It was almost like talking to a ghost, or a shell of the woman. Seeing this version of Mizuki weighed heavy on Guren's heart. But soon she would snap out of it, and provide her insight on the state of Sunagakure. "My thoughts on changes to the village?" Guren repeated in a confounded tone with a brow raised. "In what ways do you mean? Physical changes to the village, the hierarchy, or our way of life?"

WC = 272. TWC = 1282

The smallest smirk, a glimmer of Ohta still remaining under her new visage, shined through as his words sank in. “Of course my friend, wallowing has since ended I assure you. I only see the hard road ahead and it is going to be a wonderful and terrible road at the same time.” Rolling back her shoulders tenderly she adjusted her seating position, relaxing into one of her now signature positions - one leg braced up on the seat itself, while her torso leaned heavily in the opposite direction held up by her elbow on the armchair as her chin rested on her closed fist. It was relaxed, and guarded at the same time - all the while her eyes bore into his; Kyuketsuki. 

“In all ways, as second in command and the one who has seen the village in many different stages as well as its current state with the freshest eyes, I can’t help but wonder what is going on in your mind. Old faces missing, new faces roam around, culture has shifted and the world around us has seemed to stagnate. Do you have any ideas as to how the tides can turn in favor of the land of sand?” Her eyes would only glance away once, staring at the door behind his head for a split second as the thoughts of the last time all of her advisors congregated here shot through her memory - the small indent in the door frame from her slamming Kenshin into it was hard to make out but there all the same. Even then the rage of her clan was boiling under the surface - how long had she been set to explode? Lazily the gaze would return to the man, the first Chinoike to ever be in the presence of a Kyuketsuki without harm or hatred - he had long since shown his ignorance of the atrocity done long ago. 

“Have you noticed any cracks? Any weak points?” It was a small jab at herself actually, an opportunity for the man to look just a little closer at the shattered Kage.

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It truly seemed as if the Kazekage was speaking in a cryptic and mysterious way. Almost as if she was concerned to provide the true meaning of her words. Nevertheless Guren attempted at empathizing with the deeper message behind her speech. A wonderful and terrible road ahead? Combining this with her previous mentioning of getting her hands dirty, Guren toyed with the idea of several different hypotheses. The first of which, was the obvious route. Perhaps Mizuki was referring to the tensions between Kirigakure and Sunagakure? Where dirtying her hands meant fighting a war, and the wonderful and terrible road was more of an indication of the spoils and turmoil of war. No, this didn't make sense. He quickly dismissed this idea, as there were already negotiations of ending violence and pursuing peace, with the future exchange of Souji from Kirigakure to Sunagakure. Thinking a bit deeper on this, he turned inward. Reflecting on his own journey of life, the times when he experienced the bulk of his dirty work came from physically being outside of a village. The first being when he was a missing ninja, prior to joining Sunagakure. The second being his extended stint at missions outside of Sunagakure, which interestingly enough is the subject that beckoned Mizuki's comments on dirty work. Somewhat coming to an conclusion, he took an extra moment to contemplate that possibility more. Could Mizuki be referring to embracing the role of a missing ninja and departing from Sunagakure? Or was she alluding to a future of her performing missions for Sunagakure, exclusively outside of the confines of the village? Either way, it was an uncharacteristic path for the Kazekage to that.

Defensive yet cautious of what her true intentions were, Guren's posture somewhat stiffened and his demeanor developed a twang of intensity to it. He hated when people were indirect with him. It seemed to always employ his mind to overthink and come up with a slew of scenarios to speculate on. And the way his mind worked, he would rifle through all these different thoughts within a second. 

Refraining from commenting on Mizuki's mystery, he would continue onward with his questioning. Mizuki would elaborate, referring to the changing dynamics of Sunagakure, and then go on to question how these dynamics could be twisted to benefit the village. Reflecting on the question, he would stare into the eyes of the kazekage. She'd seem to divert her gaze elsewhere momentarily, almost as if she looked past him. Yet her focus would flicker back to Guren. Not once did Guren shift his focus. Before Guren chose to respond, the Second would further nudge Guren for an answer. She seemed to prod his thoughts, inquiring on if her deputy noticed infirmities anywhere.

Breaking his silence, Guren would sigh. The conversation was seemingly approaching a personal, and touchy subject. 

"In all honesty..." Guren began while rising from his chair. "I think everything has changed since I have been gone."

Guren would start unloading his thoughts as he paced towards the right side of the room. "The tensions with Kirigakure, the new faces in Sunagakure, and the mentality of our genin...Everything is different. I'm not so certain that the investment of where our efforts are devoted to are truly paying off. Personally, the public involvement in the rest of the world's affairs has seemed to hurt us more than benefit us. Which prompts me to think that we need to begin any change by focusing internally...." he would pause, both in speed and in stride as he reached the right wall of the room. Turning in place, he'd lean his weight against the wall and center his attention on Mizuki again. "And I don't just mean the internal affairs of Sunagakure. I guess I'm referring to you as well. You don't seem like you. And you speak as if you can't speak freely. You say that you are not wallowing, but I can almost feel like I'm speaking with a different person. Broken. Detached. Almost dead inside. And frankly, part of me wonders if you wished you were dead....Do you? Do you wish that the battle in the Land of Tea freed your soul from the burdens of this world? Forgive me for being, invasive and direct. You know that's always been my nature though."

While Guren answered Mizuki's question with his initial comments and the questions of his own, his tone remained curious. He did not like the subject matter they were discussing, but he was mature enough to realize this was a conversation that needed to be had. He waited in anticipation of a response from the Second. Hopefully she didn't take his inquiry too much to heart. 

WC = 783. TWC = 2065

Her body grew rigid again as her last confidant began to speak again, rising with a smooth grace as he began to pace the room - his thoughts being too much to draw on without motion - she could understand that itch. His initial comment drew a small smile from her, everything had indeed changed - and she was relieved to know that he too saw it that way. Guren had always been a thoughtful man, one who took a glance at a situation and had more to say than most would dare to think; his thoughts were of deep interest to her. 

She would begin to nod slowly along with his words, his pacing matching up nicely with his heartbeat which always gave her a sense of calm - tranquility in rhythm. Returning a focus onto the village internally would be the best course of action, whether she headed it or not. Her eyes tracked his movements like a cat following a mouse, not aggressive but content and focused. Giving a small comment in the midst of his words, as he settled against the wall, “Agreed. The meddling in other villages was a mistake and I take that upon myself wholly, it did far more harm than good, and that is still ringing true now as the only ones paying any price for the Kirigakure and Konohagakure issue.” 

Then as his gaze settled center on her once more she drew back from commenting to give his words their due attention. His words hit her like a truck of recognition, finally someone was seeing something past the exterior even if it was still shallow… it was more. The smile that broached her face was not something she had ever shown to Guren, and less so in this office - but it was fitting for his comments. The smile, if you could call it that, was akin to chaotic wonderment - contorting her expression into a predator more than any glare ever had. Eyes blazing with the fire of unending life - no she had not wished she were dead… at least this part didn’t, the other however….

She took a long moment before commenting, the silence between them only hindered by the mans’ heartbeat and breathing. Biting her lip for a moment she nodded again before finally answering, “To start my friend, you never know who is listening now do you? I have not warded this office to outside forces, even then you can’t always be so sure of what you tell people. I am not me or… rather I'm not the one you met all those months ago, to put it in the most simple of terms Mizuki Ohta died and all that remains now is Mizuki Kyuketsuki-”, she too would suddenly rise from her seat, placing her hands on the desktop as her nails grew out to their full length - scratching slowly into the hardwood top, her tone rising sharply with vindication. “-I do not wish I was dead, but I wish many other things were. Systems governed by wavering and ever changing hearts, decisions made on the basis of love and emotion rather than the reasoning that this world needs. Had I been less empathetic Sunagakure would have no qualms with any other territory on the planet, had I taken the reasonable route and internalized our motivations toward our own people we would be miles ahead of where we are now - had I been who I am now. Unfortunately-”, the claws would recede back sharply as her tone dipped back into contained calm, “- who I am now had to see it all, had to go through it all the way it happened, forge me into who I was supposed to be…but now I do not want to internalize my efforts on Sunagakure.”

With a sharp laugh she turned her face from his, staring at the perch Pakuun usually sat on before turning again to him, “The Land of Tea has in fact freed my soul from the burdens of this world, it opened my mind through consequence and insight, but in my place in power I can no longer do as I feel I must.” With that she fell back into her seat, the Kazekage chair, her fingers coming up to pinch her bottom lip as she thought through her own words. “I do love your brashness and direct form of communication, someone has to talk to me this way or else where would we be?” her hands were now clasping the arms of the chair gently, her form leaned back as if the weight of posturing had been released from her shoulders. “I am not one for the climate of the desert I don’t think.” Her tone suddenly shifted once more to one of idle musing, not a mask exactly but a glimpse into the chaotic mindset of a Kyuketsuki hidden and starved.


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Guren nodded in agreement, the two had deliberated upon a consensus in regards to the state of affairs with both Konogakure and Kirigakure. And as he furthered delved into the topic, specifically on his perception of how his friend was holding herself together, he noticed an unsettling expression creep upon her face. Chilling, menacing, almost as if her entire demeanor had transition into something that wasn't her own. He continued his deduction, and when he finished the room was once again met with a wisp of silence. Unbothered, Guren continued to keep his eyes locked with Mizuki's. She seemed to be silently reflecting to herself. Yet he couldn't shake the thought that this shift in her behavior and her expression almost seemed akin to things he had read during his short study on psychology. This slight tweak in the Kazekage reminded him of what was known as multiple personality disorder. It was more cynical than the previous broken hearted spirit that sit in front of him. And then that silence was abruptly broken.

She warned Guren of those who may be eavesdropping on their conversation. And then she began to digress on the change in her essence as a whole: losing her old self and embracing her new destiny as a proud clan member of the Kyuketsuki. Guren himself could sort of relate to this, as his recent travels to the Valley of Hell had awoken something within him himself. However, he had not let it consume him. Still though, they were both different. And Guren nodded in recognition of this.

Mizuki would then stand, allowing the nails upon her finger tips to elongate and they'd scratch the surface of her desk. Her voice had sharpened as well. Almost as violent and volatile as lightning itself. Like she was hissing at her Deputy. She confirmed that she did not wish she were dead, but further elaborated on all the things she wanted to kill. And thus, her resolve was clear. She had grown to detest her life in Sunagakure. In a sad response, Guren let out a defeated sigh. He had no longer recognized the woman who stood before him. Both her being and her resolve had become something foreign to him.

A sadistic laugh would cackle from her voice, as she'd focus on the perch of her trusty owl. And with that, she would provide Guren a short insight on her time in the Land of Tea. Returning to her seat, her stature would shift and seemingly calm into more of a reflective state. She offered a twang of appreciation of the honesty that Guren provided. He lightly shrugged in response, for it was the least he could do. While the woman talked, he did not change his posture or stance at all. He remained silent and still, reflecting on the spiel of the Second.

And finally, she would confirm his thoughts. She wanted to leave.

"Mizuki, if I am interpreting your words correctly...It sounds like you seek to desert Sunagakure." he'd pause momentarily before propping his back from off the wall so that he stood upright and erect. Hanging his arms down by his side, he stood with a certain intensity about him. "Is this true? And if so, what are your intentions? Being the Kazekage, you have the deepest understanding of this village's secrets and structure. Leaving Sunagakure would mean that the village will forever have a potential vulnerability. Is that the state that you would leave your beloved villagers and shinobi in? And how would you perceive the village would respond to such a decision? And more personally," he said with a stint of hesitation. "How would you anticipate me to react?"


Though his guard was up, he remained calm. With this woman standing in front of him, he was unsure of how she would respond. For it truly seemed like he didn't even know who he was talking to anymore. The kunoichi he had grown and learned with seemed to have abolished her ambitions and admiration for the village she served. It was painful, and concerning to watch. And here he was, at a crossroads. Torn between wanting what was best for his friend, and what was best for the village.

What would happen now? 

WC = 704. TWC = 2769