Entering the Veil

A visage of home:

Landing in the quiet forest around the hidden home of Yugure was akin to taking her first easy breath in weeks - her seal burned hot as she approached the veil that housed her family and their estate. Slipping through it was nothing, and only when she passed onto the familiar steps leading to the main house did the burning cease - she knew the burning would have reciprocated to all the other members. A signal that she had returned, the maker of those seals and the Lady of the home - had returned.

She stood just inside the veil for a few moments longer, breathing in the familiar scent of Yugure, the slice of haven she had carved out for her and those like her; in their way. Her time in Tanbogakure hadn’t gone exactly as she had wished but that was a discussion for a later moment - for now she simply lavished in the fact that she was moments from seeing her family again. Moments from being able to be herself again, the fear of having to appear proper washing away from her with the breeze that pulled at her hair. Though the air was chilled as spring struggled to show itself she was thrilled even for it’s cold touch against her skin.

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As if she knew who would be the first to appear, the smirk on her face was already forming as the figure she trusted most appeared in front of her - whirl of wind pushing his hair around a bit. The breadth of his arms welcoming as his face spread into a warm smile, a smile she realized she rarely saw on anyone’s face but his; not towards her at least. Eyebrow quirking as if she fought the amusement of his words as they rang true in their happiness. She noted the swaying and the abrupt shift into more formal tones as he granted a slight bow to her.

Face falling slightly, her mood banked into something closer to regret - of which he didn't notice as he turned at that moment to gesture to the main house looming above. What had she done to those around her… had it been the response Codex presented at her mind that made her contemplate it - the fact she could be something else here. She was forgotten as she had wished to be, she didn’t have to be this cold all the time anymore. Her fingers twitched at her side as if fighting to lift and pull him into an embrace as he had welcomed to her. The urge was stifled with a hollow feeling in the back of her heart like she had chosen wrong. His words rang once more in her mind - ‘I am sure you can’t wait to see your home again’ - it was those words and her most recent time away that caused her to think softly; I already am.

Instead though she slid to his side and wrapped her arm around his, her voice sly and teasing - a new tone to his ears. “An escort, what are we royalty now?” She allowed her gaze to remain away from his - allowing her eyes to miss his reaction; gracing privacy from her unnerving gaze. How often had she stared down those in her presence with that gaze ringing like a predator. Their steps up toward the house were soft and swift as both moved with the ease their clan provided - the silence of the cold struggling to form into blooming spring at their ears.

As their steps reached the landing she gripped his arm tighter for a moment before extracting hers from his eyes still not looking to his - business was needed to be spoken. “Arantima..”, her voice was gentle enough it would cause alarm in anyone who knew her even faintly. She hadn’t used this tone with someone since her last pleading conversation with Kenshin-  cutting her thoughts off as they began to swell like waves she swallowed instead and started again. The iron grit returned to her voice again, “Tima, I saw things in that village that I wasn’t supposed to see. What I went for, my business of which I will explain, fell through in a spectacular way.”

Her mismatched gaze twisted into a protective glare as she glanced quickly over his face - as though reassuring the rumble in her blood that he was unaffected. “We need to call the others to a meeting, I need to explain everything I have learned. We need to practice together… I need to become stronger..-”, her gaze broke from his as the full might of her steel gaze returned to glare at her home. “I will never allow what I saw to befall my family here.” With that she would hold her glare, storming forward to push the doors open - each footfall like an earthquake - into the warmth that the home provided for her; the wash of home relaxing her muscles once more from the sudden tense that had washed over her.

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The burning sensation was something Yazui had not experienced before, but he knew what it meant. Mizuki had explained it to him previously, and now it signaled her return. Yazui had been up reading in his room when it struck him. He knew Mizuki had been on some unspecified business in Tanbogakure. How long had she been gone? Months? Weeks? Was the trip supposed to take this long or was she held up by unforeseen circumstances? Putting on his dark-red robe, the man would get up and head towards the entrance to find out.

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Yazui would approach the entrance through the hallway. His pace was brisk, betraying an urge to not appear lax in front of their esteemed leader. He suspected Arantima would have beaten him to it -the guy had been fast even before he started teleporting all over the place. He was four meters from reaching the door when he stopped. Even through the thick gate he could faintly hear her voice. While he couldn’t make out the words, her tone and pitch revealed an urgency and coldness he had not yet heard from her.

Yazui stopped, not wanting to risk the door slamming into his face. This was a good decision as only moments later the door swung open and Mizuki walked in. Confident and purposeful. “The queen has returned.”

“Welcome back, Mizuki-sama.”, Yazui said with a smile. He followed his greeting with a deep bow, a clear sign of respect yet also distance. As he suspected, Arantima was already with her. The demon was the closest to her, and he suspected their greeting had been much more familiar. But with Yazui, while he showed her the appropriate respect, there was still a lack of familiarity.

“I hope your travels have been good.” He raised his head again to meet her gaze. Ready to act as she desired. Or ordered.

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His words caused imperceptible cracks in her heart as they slammed into her - always looking to assuage her own worries with his words. He had done as she wanted and kept them active in some manner, worked with them. She hadn’t looked back as she schooled her face into some semblance of control so she hadn’t noted the lingering hand. The heartbeat approaching from the other side of the door on the other hand drew her face into it’s usual stone mask. Even the shock of Arantima flying over her head and landing in the entry way as the door was flung open.

The lights of the room hit her first, then the sight of his own hand flying up to stop his words - then Yazui’s greeting. It caused her to halt in the doorframe - staring at the mix of their two behaviors in stark relief. Eyebrows raising up in quiet shock she simply stared at the two for a moment before crumbling into laughter; true honest laughter. Lowering her head and shaking it slightly she braced herself on the door frame, simmering down into long breaths of laughter before finally composing herself enough to look up at the two. She was home.

Raising a hand to cover her mouth, her cheeks burning slightly at her outburst, “I’m sorry… but after the time away I must have forgotten how much I adored you all.” Straightening, she would move through into the room, kicking the door closed behind her with a flick of her toe. The robe she wore that clung to her skin was growing uncomfortable in the heat of the room - so as she moved forward she untied the ribbon at her waist allowing it to flow behind her and off her shoulders to the ground as she moved past the men. A side glance at Yazui the only indication that she recalled their last private meeting. Underneath the robe she was still dressed in her normal skin tight jumpsuit - so while not immodest it was a show all the same.

Reaching the kitchen across the room she rooted around until finding the bottle of gin tucked into a cabinet, only speaking when it was unstoppered and she had had a drink. “First of all, weapons, I would be delighted to see them, when can we set that up? Second of all, Yazui… they were eye opening and blood boiling travels. Which is why I hope the spar with Arantima he was telling me about went as well as I hope it did.” Taking another swig from the bottle she would jump up to sit on the counter, leaning back on her free arm to watch them - one leg crossing over the other. Making any seat she took look like a throne with attitude alone.

The spark in her eyes was growing as the liquor ignited in her body. “So much to discuss… so many people to kill. We have our work cut out for us.”

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Mizuki’s laugh took Yazui by surprise. So much so that he visibly froze up for a short moment. It was the first time he had ever seen her express herself so purely and honestly. She would compose herself before declaring her adoration for their new family. Adoration. It was a word Yazui didn’t use easily. While he didn’t react to Arantima’s compliment, it was appreciated. The Wind Demon had been intimidating when they first met, and still could be whenever he got riled up by bloodlust. But the way he treated Yazui showed that he too had excepted him as part of the group.

To be honest, he still had trouble letting his guard down around his new allies. Even as all the signs showed he was being accepted, part of Yazui remained hidden away behind easy smiles and polite manners.

Then Mizuki passed him, her meaningful glance and skin-tight clothing making him blush. He didn’t plan on acting on his desires for a multitude of reasons, but the type of attention he was receiving was nice. As she searched the kitchen on her quest for a drink, Yazui took the opportunity to ogle at her behind, although he was careful enough not to make it too obvious. He was wary of Arantima’s reaction if he did. Luckily, the Tenka was wearing his signature reflective sunglasses. There were various reasons he wore them so often. Being able to covertly perv on pretty women wasn’t the most important one, but it was a reason all the same.

Finally retrieving what she was looking for, Mizuki would take a swig before addressing them. Getting down to brass tax. “Our sparring session was very educational.”, he would reply. While Arantima had been the superior of the two, Yazui was satisfied with how well he did. Considering how out of practice he had been, ever since their spar Yazui’s body and mind had been rekindled. Already his abilities were growing, his body relearning old patterns and skills. “I’ve got some new tricks up my sleeve since then, all of which I’m dying to put to good use.” He would give Arantima a sideways glance as he said this, as a way of letting him know that an eventual next sparring session would be more difficult for him.

Although judging by Mizuki’s last few words, the opportunity to put his new jutsu to good use would come much earlier than expected. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”, he’d say with his lips curling into a smile. It had been too long…

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A large exhale left his body as he realized the burning sensation coming from his seal. The torches were lit; the beacons were signaled. The True Lady of Yugure had returned, the arrival of the Queen. A day he had been patiently awaiting but he did not picture it like this. He was almost dejected as he trudged through the cold, dark woods. Kinko always wanted to have more face time with the boss; he really hoped the two would be able to spend more time together...

Similar to back home, Kinko was sneaking out. He had spent a lot of time lately with locals, assisting in any way he can. He figured it was a good way to develop public relations but most importantly, the selfish reason of creating a lore of himself. He has been hoping people will spread the stories of the Ghost of Yugure, one who will help the poor. Either way, Kinko knew he needed to get back home, before people really started questioning what he was doing, nothing more then they can gather.

Kinko also had the difficult task of running back home, which was not far, but also, not wanting to sweat, to be able to maintain some sort of composure and poise. He clearly was overthinking this. With haste, Kinko found himself through one of the many back doors. Fixing his hair to be presentable, he straightened out his long brown robe over his black shirt and black pants. He walked through the hallway, now completely comfortable and familiar with layout of the castle. Still, his feet silent and shift and in that moment, he passed the kitchen. A sharp exhale left his mouth, as while he did not want to, he needed to take the opportunity presented. 'Fine.' Kinko quickly stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a small basket and filling the basket with small fruits, some berries, oranges, apples. He was hoping that Mizu would not think he is trying too hard to impress. Kinko held Mizuki in high regard, she was always so poised and graceful, something Kinko admired about her.

His feet shuffled throughout the castle as he carried a small basket of fruit. A kettle for hot tea was beginning to boil, if needed...Kinko was hoping it would not be needed. Soon, Kinko found himself walking up upon Mizuki, Arantima, and his dear friend, Yazui. "Howdy, folks." He said, using the slang from his hometown. As he got close enough, He gave a polite but quick bow to Mizuki. "Madam." . He said after completing his bow and extending his arms, the basket of fruit towards Mizuki. "I assumed you may be hungry for some local fruit." He said with a smile and a nod to both Arantima and Yazui, signalling they can have fruit but only AFTER Mizuki. "We are eager to hear how Tanbogakure treated you." Strangely, he could not remember being this happy in awhile, perhaps it was due to the collective positive energy he was feeling. Though, he did notice some people missing.

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The heat of the forge seared into her memory as she took another deeper drink from the bottle in her hand - the darker memories that crept forward chased away by the liquid. The feeling she savored as she entered her home reminded her of the last time her previous family were all together in a similar setting; and the rage she felt at its crumble.  Forcing focus into her mind she listened to the report from Tima of Yazui’s ability and his unique genjutsu; this brought another memory to the forefront of her mind - a sand storm and a conversation with an illusion. Clamping her jaw tightly she shut the memory off and blew out a tight breath from her nose.

As the rooms sounds came back into focus, when had they become hazy, she heard Yazui’s words and his side glance at Tima - as his eagerness to hear about her travels reached her so did another set of words. ‘Howdy folks’, turning her face slowly to watch as Kinko joined in their reunion, a basket of selected fruits held within outstretched to her. Reaching a hand that felt disconnected from her body she accepted the gift and cast her eyes down to stare at the assortment - eyes unseeing. The sound of the village she had just returned from brought her focus back - through the haze of memory burning the edges of her mind.

Her family was mostly converged and her body was seeming to lock up at their proximity, suddenly realizing that this wasn’t just a collection of people, it was a family. The faces of her last family flashing before her eyes as she moved from each of their faces. Eyes glazing over she shut them from view and took another long dreg from the bottle and set the basket down to her right. Removing the bottle from her lips she swallowed once more and leaned forward on her knees, still seated on the counter as the events of the past weeks were dragged forcibly dragged forward.

“Tanbogakure as I knew it is gone. I was set to accompany the Kage to a summit overseas but before our agreement was solidified they were invaded by unknown powers… those powers murdered her and stole. I stayed hidden and watching so as to not give myself away… waited until the dust settled and as I went to leave, well-”, the recall was halted as she brought the bottle back up, taking two gulps before setting it down on the counter next to the basket. “-I was stopped at the gates. Apparently forces move quickly in the walls and a new leader was implemented. I do not know them yet other than that they are female. The one I talked to was not normal..” Eyebrows furrowing she flicked her wrist and suddenly transformed into an exact replica of Codex sat before them. His chakra flowing through the room and his voice continuing to speak, “This form seemed to speak for the Kage in their stead and told me that further word would reach us in time. Also, to note, they have a raging hatred for Sunagakure.. Go figure.” As she reached the end of her sentence she dropped the guise and became herself once more.

The faraway look on her face was lost in memory as she choked out, “I watched as a village was under siege and thought only of this place, what have I done to ready any of you for those that might come knocking… nothing.” Biting the inside of her cheek she stared at the floor that met between the four of them, glaring at it as her anger sharpened her finally to the face they were most familiar with. Marble mask firmly in place, she spoke with authority once more. “We are to meet in the training field tomorrow morning, three on one, to assess all of our abilities. Agreed?” Eyes lifting from the floor only at the last word she met their gazes one by one, Kinko, Yazui, and finally Arantima.

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