The Guards and Escorts (Open)

Jr nodded his head when his father spoke to him in his mind, telling him to watch Okami Uchiha. That was not a problem. As long as he didn't do anything stupid, attack any kids or perv over any little girls, he didn't have to worry about being cooked from the inside out.

His father and the other Kage went into that secret room, and the doors closed. Jr grabbed a sandwich from off the table and crammed it quickly into his face, chewing and swallowing. he started to hand Shizuka a sandwich, but then he remembered what his father told him about her; that she didn't actually have to eat. All she needed was water and sunlight. there were plenty of drinks on the table, and he could produce all the light she needed.

He stood in front of Shizuka with his back to her, and put her arms over his shoulders while lowering his temperature so that he wouldn't burn her, and causing light to shine through his skin. "So, Suna and Miyuki, yeah?" Jr said, looking towards them. "In the desert with Emiko, Holeman and Mitsukai, huh? They're like family, real good people. Since i'm here now I think i'll have to come visit Sabaku more often. Maybe we could be friends!"

Shizuka kept an eye on everyone during the entire trip, as well as the journey back to the Kane Mansion. Instead of taking her usual position perched at the top of the left tower she instead followed everyone inside and kept close to Junior. Alec mentioned that the Kage's were going to be separated from their guard, and Shizuka wasn't worried: she knew Alec was more than capable of defending himself, not that she expected the Summit to erupt into violence of anything.

Sticking by Junior she began to hum softly, which only grew louder to show her content with him positioning himself in front of her and placing her arms over his shoulders. She loosely wrapped her arms around him before as she had done before she began to play idly with his hair with her right hand. She listened in the meantime to him speak, absorbing everything like a sponge. The light which Junior was giving off caused a smile to form on her face, as well as a bit of a high look in her eyes: her powers increased greatly due to it all.

Shizuka looked to everyone in turn while waiting for Suna and Miyuki's response. Every so often she would glance toward the door the Kage's had gone through, wondering what sort of conversations might be going on. All the while her content and happy humming continued on and would continue to do so so long as no one did anything stupid to anger her, or make her have to react with violence.

From the forest and back into the burning desert they went, with Myuto having to momentarily put back on the sand cloak and goggles that he'd found during his on-foot trek into the burning hot wasteland.

This didn't last long, and suddenly he found that Alec Kane's big ship was being swallowed by sudden darkness. The rumors were true: Kurayamigakure was always shrouded in darkness even during daytime. A cool blackness that enabled him to take off the goggles and cloak again. Myuto couldn't see much through the shadows and the dark, but Echolocation informed him that there were all manner of creature and beast hiding out there. It reminded him of some of the horror novels he'd read.

A large village out in the middle of the dark appeared, and Alec was parking the ship in the dock area. Off the ship, Myuto wanted to perform his water ritual, but he figured now wasn't the time and he'd do it later. He went along with them through the big village, bigger than any previous that he'd visited. The villagers all knew Alec, waving and smiling at him, and Alec waved back. He had to have been known and loved here. Myuto could see that it was very easy to get lost here. There were many pathways, bridges and back passages that lead... who knew where.

All of them were lead to a big mansion, with 2 towers on each side. Myuto wondered how far one could see at the top. They were lead inside, and to the living room, where there was food laid out and prepared on the table. The 4 Kage went into a meeting room. Myuto didn't worry about Umiko; if violence erupted he knew she could easily take care of herself.

This left him in the dining room with the guards and escorts from the villages. While glowing and in the embrace of a female, who didn't seem to have much to say, much like himself, Alec Kane's son began to question the Sand Nin. Myuto in the meantime began to look over the table filled with food. Myuto didn't exactly have to eat; all he needed was water and to stay hydrated, but that didn't mean he didn't eat at all. Myuto did pour himself a glass of water, looking long at the glass, turning the glass in his hand, moving it back and fourth to watch how the water moved in the glass.

Myuto sat down and pulled out a couple of bottles of his own water to compare it to the waters from Kurayamigakure. He occasionally took sips from several. What he was doing probably seemed weird to others watching him but he didn't care.

(RP post #23, WC: 2,622)

(Current Word Count: 2,047)

A ride on Alec Kane's ship. It was fast. Like that, they were out of the forest, through the desert, and in the dark of Kurayami. Everyone got off the ship and walked through the big village. Everyone seemed to know and like Alec. It was cool to see that his people loved him and didn't fear him like some kind of tyrant.

They went to that big house in the north. Suna had been here before, with Coach Emiko, but he'd never gone in. Now he was getting the chance to set foot inside of this big, nice house. The inside was just about what he expected it to be. In the dining room there was a lot of food on the table, but Suna himself wasn't hungry. Furthermore he didn't eat around other people.

Alec's son spoke to him and Miyuki. He said Holeman, Mitsukai and Emiko were like family to him. Alec's kid was glowing, and the girl holding on to him seemed to be... absorbing the light being given off by him, judging from the grin on her face. The silent water guy began to mess around with the water on the table, comparing waters with other waters he had with him. It wasn't the weirdest thing Suna had ever seen.

"Sure, fine by me, little Kane," Suna said, sitting at the far end of the table, farthest away from the lobster Okami. The 4 Kage went into a room nearby, and the doors seemed to close on their own. Suna wasn't going to question how that happened. "Besides Miyuki and Holeman I don't have any friends. Could always use a few more, yeah?"

Miyuki had every intention on keeping several arm's lengths between herself and Okami at all times. Seeing that Suna seemed to be doing the same Miyuki picked a spot nearby him, and relaxed while grabbing a sandwich. She took a small bite of it, found it to be delicious, and took a bigger one. The kid who looked like a mini version of Alec had a girl who had yet to speak playing with his hair. The girl looked almost like she was high, and seemed to definitely be absorbing some of the light that Junior was giving off: it was strange to see, but she didn't want to stare.

When Junior mentioned how he knew Holeman, Mituskai, and Emiko was when Miyuki looked back and grinned. She wasn't opposed to making new friends, so she nodded in agreement with Suna's words. "I don't have many friends myself, I'm all for having a few more."

Miyuki fell silent then, returning to eat her sandwich which was causing the growling in her stomach to slowly subside. She hadn't realized just how hungry she actually was up until that point. While she ate she looked curiously over to Myuto and watched him go about some sort of process with the water he was near.

With her sandwich finished she then grabbed herself a cup of juice before sitting back down again. She was curious what was going on in the other room, but figured that Emiko sensei would probably let them know when she re-emerged: she seemed to trust her and Suna a lot after all, especially since she had picked them to act as her guard.

Jayr smoked quite a bit on the ship as they made their way out of the forest, through the desert, and then into the most creepiest place she had ever seen. When they disembarked from the ship the place began to seem not as bad considering the way everyone greeted the Kuraikage. The place might have been dark but it was definitely friendly enough. She followed everyone else into the big house that was clearly the Kuraikage's home before everyone was separated from their Kage's who went into another room to hold the meeting.

Jayr noticed that the kid who looked like a younger version of Alec, as well as the girl who had yet to speak, seemed to be quite cozy with each other. The two sand people stayed near each other and well away from Okami.

As everyone started talking, and Myuto started doing something with the water, Jayr found herself a comfortable spot to sit in and pulled out a small little pouch that held her bowl and chill. She packed herself a fresh bowl and then grabbed her lighter. She flicked the switch only to find no flame. Trying again and getting the same result she frowned deeply: she had to make sure she didn't go into a uncontrollable rage, and now her lighter wasn't working.

She shook the lighter a bit, tried for a third time, and found it still not working. Frowning even deeper now she held her packed bowl in one hand and began to dig through her shoulder back with the other in a rather desperate but quiet sort of way...

Jr didn't see the idiot Okami. He didn't even sense him. Did he even get on the boat? Did Muninn for that matter? Those guys were true morons. This was serious business, but they weren't taking this serious at all.

From the way she was humming and messing with his hair Jr could tell Shizuka was content with the light being given off by him. The water nin, who hadn't said anything at all, started messing with the water on the table, and even looked to be compairing it with other water he had. It made Jr look confused for a second, then shrug his shoulders. The guy liked water, big deal.

"Hey water dude, I thought those were swords on your back, that's some kinda... gituar, eh? I heard you playing it back on the ship, you're pretty good at that!"

Suna and Miyuki both said they didn't have many friends, and that they didn't mind becoming cool with him, which made Jr nod his head. The other Mori girl seemed to be having trouble lighting her pipe which resembled the one his father was always smoking on. Jr closed his right hand and concentrated a little, then opened it and blew a small ember from his palm over into Jayr's pipe.

"You don't seem like an idiot like those other two guys," said Jr. "But if I know dad, you won't really have to deal with them much anymore when this is over with. That Muninn guy should be here but he isn't, and that Okami guy is just stupid."

While humming and continuing to play with Junior's hair she shifted her attention onto Myuto and what he was doing with the water. It was quite interesting to watch especially given her own relationship with water, and she was curious as to what he was doing and why. It all made her feel a bit thirsty and she pondered in her usual silence how everyone would take to seeing her 'drink'. As she debated between drinking or waiting it out she listened to the conversations going on.

Junior was interested in making friends with Suna and Miyuki, and Suna and Miyuki both seemed to be on board with that plan. Meanwhile, Okami still hadn't shown up and the other Mori female seemed interesting in lighting up the bowl in her hand yet seemed to not have a lighter. Junior fixed this problem for her, however, with what looked to be a hot ember that he sent drifting into her bowl.

While Junior commented that Jayr didn't seem like an idiot like the other two Shizuka reached over with the hand she had been using to play with Junior's hair and took a bottle of water off of the table that had been left out by the maids when they were putting all of the food and drink out. She unscrewed it with one hand and then stick a finger into the bottle; it was fresh water like what you'd get from a stream. Deciding that her thirst wasn't going to be ignored she stepped back from Junior long enough to pour some on herself without risking getting him wet. Her body absorbed it as if she were drinking it, leaving her completely dry mere seconds later. Smiling once more she positioned herself back behind Junior and after placing the bottle back down would return to playing with his hair unless stopped beforehand.

Young Kane was trying to make friends with the Sand nin. Young Kane was making light come out of his skin for some reason, and the girl - who was beginning to seem like she didn't talk, much like himself - looked to be absorbing the light being left off by him. She didn't talk, but she did hum. The Sand nin were alright with becoming friends with the Young Kane, both saying that neither of them really had any friends. Myuto could say the same...

The Mori female that he hadn't seen in his visit was having trouble lighting her smoking apparatus. Young Kane blew what looked like a small flame over into it. Young Kane also spoke about his Koto, saying that he thought they were swords. He complimented on the way he was playing it on the ship ride, and Myuto nodded his head; a way of saying thank you.

Myuto poured water from glass to glass. Occasionally he would smell it. The silent girl with Young Kane poured water onto herself, but she wasn't wet for long. Not a drop of the water met the floor, leaving Myuto to look confused. How did she do that?... Myuto wasn't one to pry or to stare too long, and seeing as she hadn't said anything meant that she was likely mute just like he was, or was just choosing not to speak, meaning he likely wasn't going to get any answers or explanations out of her.

He wasn't going to let it bother him too much. The Kurayami nin were proving themselves to be powerful and mysterious. Echolocation told him that there were many others in this village - the most he'd seen so far. Kurayamigakure was seeming like the village with the most manpower. Myuto continued pouring water between glasses. Kurayamigakure water had a certain flavor to it just like the other villages. He bottled some to take home with him.

(RP post #24, WC: 2,952)

(Current Word Count: 2,253)

Miyuki was alright with being friends with the little Kane. He blew some fire over the the smoky lady, who looked like her lighter wasn't working anymore. Little Kane told her that there was probably going to be some changes in her village if he knew his father.

Suna suddenly felt a headache beginning. His head would throb with every beat of his heart, and used his hands to massage his temples. This didn't feel like any normal headache, and Suna soon had to go sit down. Beneath his mask he squinted his eyes, wondering why his head suddenly began to pound.

Suna sat in his chair, holding his head in his hands. Okami and Muninn didn't even bother to show up, and Suna ordinarily would have plenty to say on things, but the headache that was building up was just too much for him to care about those two morons at the moment. Not even the quiet girl pouring water on herself, the water seemingly disappearing into her skin was enough to keep his attention.

His eyes hurt in the sockets. It hurt to see. It hurt to move his head. Suna hoped this was just temporary and it would pass soon...

Jayr seemed to be having trouble with her lighter not working but Junior quickly remedied the situation for her. As Miyuki watched Jayr for a moment she found herself wondering if the girl was addicted to whatever she was smoking, and if it was addicting to breath in the 'fumes' of it. The last thing Miyuki wanted was to end up craving some sort of drug, or having to rely on it to function. However, given how polite she was, she couldn't just burst out with such a rude sounding question.

Myuto was messing around with the water, and Shizuka went so far as to pour some on herself - however, she didn't look wet when Miyuki took a second look. It was as if the silent female had absorbed all of the water into herself somehow just as she seemed to be doing with the light that Junior was giving off.

She would glance then back to Jayr, about to ask her question, when movement out of the corner of her eye made it clear that Suna was having some sort of issue. "What's wrong, Suna?", Miyuki would ask in a voice laced with concern. He was her teammate and she considered him a friend, so the last thing she wanted was for something bad to happen to him. Given she couldn't see his face she would simply have to wait for an answer to see what exactly was happening with him.

Just as she was about to really start thinking that today was going to take a turn for the worst since she couldn't have her drug the kid that looked like a smaller version of the Kuraikage came to the rescue and provided a well needed light for her bowl. She gave a nod of thanks in his direction while inhaling deeply. The Chill, like usual, gave off a sweet fragrance; albeit not too sweet to the point of being sickening.

As she exhaled she tilted her head back so that the smoke would go up into the air instead of being blown at any of the individuals in the room. As she lowered her head she noticed Miyuki staring at her oddly and glanced at her bowl and then to her, figuring they were owed some kind of explanation. "Don't worry, you can't get high off of just being around me. In fact, no one's ever smoked this stuff except me. My mom created it for me because I have a little issue; I suffer from Berserker Rage Syndrome. Makes me fly into a blind rage when my emotions get too uppity. Pretty bad; I can't distinguish friend from foe when I'm like that... Anyway. So my mom made me this. Keeps me calm, and keeps my little problem at bay." A simple enough explanation. While Jayr didn't enjoy sharing private information she figured they all deserved to know the kind of beast they had in the room with them at that moment.

Though, with the way that Jayr was feeling, and how high she was, she doubted she could have let loose her rage even if she had wanted to. She then shifted her attention onto Junior: she had a feeling from his words that something big was happening behind that door dealing with the Kage's, though she wasn't exactly sure what.

While she waited for someone else to speak she noticed Miyuki showing concern over her companion, and took another inhale of the Chill while waiting to see what was going on with him.

It was at that moment that Okami decided to walk in. He had been listening outside the door, and was frowning form the way everyone seemed to hate him. Sure, he had done some stupid shit, but it wasn't that far-fetched to think that he could change for the better. Of course, he understood Suna's rage, and was genuinely concerned when he saw the pain on the kid's face. He didn't pry, however, as that would be rude. Instead, he took a seat over by Jayr and let every emotion cross, then wash off his face. Gathering Natural Energy about him, anyone else considered a Sage in the room would realize the true reason behind the sudden change in attitude. Ferocity and balance in equal measure. That was what Fell had told him, and he took that to heart. He wasn't the temperamental Uchiha that he had been before, but instead he was a calm, caring individual once again. He couldn't blame Kurai for what he had done, but it had set him on the wrong path, and he understood this.

Meditating, he would open his eyes, not quite in Sage Mode yet but able to activate it at a moment's notice if anything happened either behind the door with the Kage or in the room with them. Of course, summoning Fell in this enclosed space was likely a horrible idea, even though it was his best bet to end any fight. Instead, he would listen to Jayr explain her prognosis to the group, and give her a small smile. At least she was still a friend.

Shizuka poured water on herself, and looked to absorb it through her skin. Jr looked surprised. "Hey, that was pretty cool!" he said to her with a grin. He didn't mind her messing with the mop of white on top of his head at all. The water guy nodded his head when Jr complimented him, and Jr was beginning to think that, just like Shizuka, he didn't talk. It was alright with him; everybody had that "something" about them that made them them.

Suna sat down rubbing the sides of his head, but it was impossible to tell if something was wrong with him since he was wearing a mask. Miyuki asked if something was wrong. The Mori girl explained that no one could catch a contact high off the herbs she was smoking, and said that she smoked it to keep her calm. She would fly off into a rage if she didn't smoke, and her mother created the herb to keep her emotions in check. "Hey don't feel bad," Jr said to Jayr. "I have problems with rage too. If I get too mad, people usually end up burned into charcoal, or torn to pieces. My dad had me make friends with Shizuka here to keep me calm I guess... so we're the same."

...And then in walked Muninn and Okami. Muninn went into the room with his father and the other Kage, while Okami took a seat at the table near Jayr. Maybe he'd heard everything that was said about him, but Jr didn't care at all. "Hunh, look who decided to show up," said Jr. "Seems like you're kinda pissed off, heard what we were saying about you? Tough titties, fella.... Oh and Hi No Seishin, the phoenix spirit I have sealed inside of me? She just told me about all that energy you're gathering up, so I wouldn't get any ideas if I were you. It doesn't matter if you're a sage or not, you'll still die if you try any funny business in my dad's house. Please try me if you think i'm bluffing."

Jr had been given the green light to do the guy in by his father if he had to. Cooking him was nothing. His eyes began to glow a red color in anticipation.

Junior thought her ability to absorb water was cool which made Shizuka grin from ear to ear. It was definitely useful in most cases, though sometimes a bit of a pain to deal with such as when being around salt water or ocean water. She couldn't absorb that safely, and in fact got what would look like acid burns when hit with it. Instead of worrying about that though she continued to play with Junior's hair while watching Myuto go about his water-thing. She had no idea what exactly he was doing but it was interesting to try and figure out.

It was then that something seemed to happen with Suna; he looked to holding his head in his hands though the reasoning behind this was lost to her. Miyuki, his friend, asked him what was wrong, and Shizuka too wondered the same.

Her attention would shift, however, to Jayr as she explained why she was smoking. She suffered from a disorder that made her rage out hard; that kept her from being able to tell friend from foe. Because of this she smoked as hardcore as she had been so that she didn't lose herself to her emotions. Shizuka had heard about this disorder in her time in that cage because those experimenting on her and others had tried to force that state of mind into them in hopes of controlling them better - it hadn't worked.

It then at that moment that Okami and Muninn entered. Muninn went into the room the Kage's were in while Okami went over near Jayr. He started doing something she recognized immediately because of her own Sage Chakra. Her humming stopped, instantly, and her gaze narrowed. Her own Sage Chakra flared to life: her mastery over it on point. This wouldn't harm Junior of course, but it was there just in case she had to call on her speed to keep Okami from doing something dangerous. She had sworn to herself to protect the Kanes, all of them, and that's precisely what she would do - there were little children living in the Kane Mansion after all. She could hear then Junior mention someone and how because of this - person? - he knew what Okami was doing - which meant he knew now what Shizuka could do too.

Something seemed wrong with Suna. Myuto couldn't really tell, because he was wearing a mask, so Myuto couldn't see the look on his face. He started to massage his temples, and Miyuki asked him if something was wrong. Myuto tried to think of something he could do to help, but Suna didn't seem like the type to ever take off that mask of his.

The Mori female began to speak, explaining that the herb she was smoking was to keep her calm. She had a berserk condition where she would fly into a rage without it. No one had to worry about breathing in the smoke and being affected by it, she said. The silent girl near Jr poured water onto herself and absorbed it into her skin, much to the surprise of the young Kane. Myuto scratched his chin as he watched.

Around this time is when 2 other people walked in. One of them he recognized to be Okami Uchiha. The other he'd never seen before, and he only had one arm. This had to be the Harukage. He went into the room with the other Harugake, while Okami took a seat nearby the other Mori female. From the look on his face, he probably heard what was being said about him.

Young Kane said he had anger problems too to Jayr, and said that his father most likely had him make friends with the silent girl in order to keep him calm. It was an excellent strategy in Myuto's opinion. Jr also went on to say that he didn't care if Okami had heard what he said, and that a phoenix spirit sealed within him said that Okami was currently gathering energy. The silent girl seemed to pick up on it too, from the way she stopped humming and started looking in his direction. Young Kane warned him not to do anything stupid in his father's house, and that it didn't matter if he was a sage or not, he would die.

Myuto had no expression on his face. He poured water into a glass, looking at it. He smelled the water several times, tasting it. He took some of the water into his mouth to slosh it around a moment before swallowing it. If a fight broke out in here, he wasn't going to get involved in it until he himself was attacked.

(RP post #25, WC: 3,358)

(Current Word Count: 2,515)

His head started to throb. The pain started to get so great that there was a nasty feeling in his chest. Where was this coming from? He'd made sure to eat before he left home, and he wasn't suffering from any ailments. All jokes were out of the window now. Why was his head throbbing like it was? This was no laughing matter.

Miyuki seemed concerned and asked what was wrong. He had his mask on, so she wouldn't be able to see the pained looked on his scarred face. "Huh?... Oh, it's nothing," he said, lying to her. He didn't want her to be worried about him, and possibly go and inform Emiko, and from there a big fuss would start. Suna sat back in the chair, taking his hands from the sides of his head, as the massaging was doing little to nothing.

Okami walked in with a one armed guy, but Suna didn't care. The one armed guy who had to be the Senju wood guy he'd heard about went in with Emiko and the others, while Okami sat down near Jayr with a salty look on his face, like he was mad. Suna would have much to say in a situation like this, but he kept quiet. With the pains in his cranium at the moment he couldn't be bothered to rile up that lobster.

These were no ordinary pains. Something was wrong. Suna didn't even think that the Mystical Palm Technique would be enough to dull these pains...

.oO(Er, why am I getting notifcations of people posting out of order? The order is Jr, Shizuka, Myuto, Suna, myself, Jayr, then Okami.)

Jayr put her worry to rest by explaining that a contact high couldn't be caught from being in the vicinity of her; apparently someone would actually have to smoke that drug to be able to get high from it. It was nice to know that she wouldn't inadvertently pick up on any bad habits. Jayr also explained why it was she was smoking to begin with: she suffered from a serious disorder that could cause her to attack people without meaning to, and thus she smoked that drug to counteract the issue. It sounded like a smart idea.

Suna dropped his hands and said that he was fine while at the same time Okami was doing something that was easy for Miyuki to sense since she too was a Sage. This caused not only Junior to respond who could clearly tell what was going on but Shizuka as well who clearly was also a Sage. "Wow... so many in one room, eh? Okami, I suggest you calm down. The smell of burnt flesh is kind of nasty, and I have no wish to be stuck in a room with you stinking of it while our Kage's continue to meet."

She then looked back to Suna and frowned. He said he was alright, but he wasn't being his usual self when it came to Okami which told her that something was in fact wrong. Normally he would have had plenty to say, especially during a situation like this, but he wasn't. Miyuki didn't press though, she simply remained nearby and tried to keep an eye on him without staring at hole in him at the same time.

Jr Kane seemed to understand all about rage from what he explained, and it made Jayr feel a bit better about herself that she wasn't the only one who could suffer such an attack. Rage was hard to deal with during the best of times, more so in situations such as this that could become heated quickly. "Everyone seems to have a method to keep them calm; until I find mine this will have to do. So far no one person has been able to keep me from losing my head."

Something was going on that she couldn't see, something that had the Kuraikage's son making a comment to Okami about how he knew thanks to a spirit sealed within him about the chakra he was gathering up, and that he'd die either way if he tried anything in his father's house. Jayr threw a glance over to Okami while taking another hit from her bowl and shifted several inches away from him: the last thing she wanted was to end up in the middle of a fight between him and Jr Kane.

She would look then over to Suna who dropped his hands and said he was fine, Jayr thought he was lying but didn't call him out on it. If he didn't want help with whatever was going on then that was his business and she would leave him to it. She then shifted her attention to the female who had been humming a moment ago, noticing that that had stopped. The girl hadn't said anything up until that point, same as the guy with the water, so she was beginning to figure that they just didn't like to talk, or perhaps had taken religious vowels or something to make them not want to speak. Still though.. the lack of humming all of a sudden was unsettling.

"Let's calm down whatever we're doing, kay? Chill out. You cause a problem, Okami, and the Harukage will probably punish both of us. I have no interest in getting into trouble, or worse..."

Wordies: 2,235

(OOC: Sorry! I got the threads mixed up a bit in my head.)

Okami sighed and let the energy go back to settle everyone down. Seriously, why the fuck was everyone up in arms all the time about him when everything he had done was in the past. Speaking up, he explained what he was doing before everyone decided that a roast wolf was in order. "Honestly, people. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm meditating. Most Sages that have actually trained with the Animal Clans do in order to maintain and balance their connection to nature, while those who sign a pre-written contract draw upon the training and experience of another. Anything wrong I have done is in the past now, and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. Believe me, if I could I would. I was set on that path by trying to help a friend, and it nearly drove me to ruin. That same friend attempted to steal from those who taught me and proclaimed that we weren't friends anymore, so I beat him half to death. I'm amazed that Luke even survived long enough for you to kill him. I'm trying to turn a new leaf, and it saddens me that my prior curse of actions has driven so many people to hate me this much without even getting a chance to know me."

With that said, he settled for meditating without the Nature Energy, a calm look descending upon his face. Remembering everything that Fell had taught him, he began to simply perform breathing exercises. In for four counts, out for four counts. In, and out. Idly, he wondered how the hell the phoenix spirit sealed within the young Kane could possibly detect Nature Energy. While he was surrounded by it, he had noticed the other Sages in the room, and he definitely wasn't one. The girl he was with was a definite, and from the way the energy flowed around Suna and Miyuki, they likely were too, not to mention the cryptic verbal confirmation from Miyuki herself. Slowly, he would begin to gather the energy around him again passively, slow enough that it would be obvious to those who could sense it that it wasn't a spike as much as a flow, confirming his state of meditation.

"Honestly, people. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm meditating. Most Sages that have actually trained with the Animal Clans do in order to maintain and balance their con--

"Blah blah blah blah," interrupted Jr, his red eyes still glowing. "I don't care. It looks to Hi No Seishin like you're gathering up energy for something, and I have sisters and family in this house. Hi No is older than all of us put together and has seen more than we can imagine, so it's easy for her to see natural sage chakras. My people's safety is all that matters to me; you don't. I don't even see why you came. If I know my dad he's about to take your village, and no one here likes you. From what I gather you tried to draw a sword on that dude," Jr pointed to Suna. "Over a stupid bell test, and he's a long range fighter. From what i'm seeing, he's way stronger than you now, so I don't see why he hasn't killed you yet. I would have... Respect, Suna, you got a better hold on your emotions than me."

Suna was a joker, but he was quiet right then. He was rubbing the sides of his mask a second ago, and when Miyuki asked if something was wrong, he said "it's nothing." But Jr wasn't stupid or blind. He couldn't see Suna's face because of the mask he was wearing, but something was wrong with him. Ordinarily he'd be cracking jokes or being a smart ass; this silence from him wasn't like him at all... but Jr wasn't one to pry. The situation would sort itself out soon enough.

Stepping into the room, Muninn would hear the altercation going on between the smaller Kane and Okami. From what he heard, Okami was being egged on, and wasn't falling for it. Turning mismatched eyes to Junior, then to Okami, he sighed and explained the basics of what had happened in the room, if only to interrupt this before Junior killed probably the second most powerful shinobi Morigakure currently had. "Junior, I highly doubt your orders were to ANTAGONIZE Okami into an all-out brawl, where you would simply kill him with no remorse and without a second thought. He has done NOTHING to deserve this sort of treatment from any of you - except MAYBE Suna, who is more than likely over his little grudge for the most part. Sure, he was a dumbass in the past and made some stupid decisions, but that doesn't mean he isn't trying to change. Now, back to the matter at hand. As of today, I am temporarily stepping down as Harukage until I get stronger. Until that point, Kurai Yanagi is taking over as Kage of Morigakure. This is only temporary, but I expect you, Okami, and you, Jayr, to respect him as much as you would Temaki-sama or me. Now, do I make myself clear?"

The sternness in his tone certainly didn't make anything other than his speed and natural vitality, but it was fairly effective at getting the point across. Hopefully.

Alec Kane had saved her life, he had freed her from a prison she had been born into, he had freed her from being experimented on and continuously tortured while being treated as nothing more than a disposable weapon. That day she had been saved had changed her life and the course she was on for forever, and because of that she had made a silent vow to protect him, his family, his friends, and his village. He didn't expect it from her, but that mattered little: it was simply something she had sworn to do and something she planned on doing. It was this exact reason that she did what she did next.

Shizuka was first and foremost an assassin. She had been trained as one since she was a toddler. She had secrets and methods that even her friends knew little about. She might have been labeled and ranked as nothing more than a Genin but she had skills that surpassed even most Jounin.

So as Muninn began to speak, as he began to disrespect Alec Kane's son and make assumptions as to Junior's methods, Shizuka began to get angry and her anger is what instantly triggered her Sage Mode: Mastery Level. This granted her a raise in her stats to SSS-1 each while costing her chakra to remain in the senjutsu state. The chakra drain, as little as it was, did nothing to deter her. If no one stopped her, if no one could move fast enough to do so, one second she would be nearby Junior and the next she would have Muninn grabbed up by his throat and pinned to the nearest wall, using her stat boosting sage mode to ensure she was fast enough and strong enough to do so. Oh, she had no intentions of killing him - at least not yet. But, she wanted to get her point across that his mouth was getting him into trouble, and given she didn't speak this was the best way to do it.

A low whistle would start up were she to successfully pin him. She wasn't worried about Jayr or Okami intervening either; they could easily be dealt with too. She only cared that her point was gotten across - insulting the Kane's in front of her was a bad idea, she didn't like the way he was acting and it needed to change. Shizuka would have figured that losing the title of Harukage would have been a humbling experience but it seemed like Muninn was intent on still acting like he was in charge.

As an after thought she found herself finding it amusing that Alec had had her come along to keep Junior's temper in check and here she was losing her own: even if she felt the situation had called for it.

Chakra: 845 - 25 = 820

Myuto had pulled out some paper and his pencils and began to draw. He did a sketch of the entire room they sat in, and everyone sitting in it. This was an interesting experience to be gathered together with shinobi from every village, even if tempers were flaring and it looked as if violence could erupt at any moment within this dining room. When asked what was wrong with him, Suna said nothing. The echos coming back from Suna told Myuto that something was off with him. But of course, Myuto wasn't going to voice this.

Miyuki and Jayr told Okami to calm down and chill out. Miyuki told him that she didn't want to smell his burnt flesh when the young Kane decided to fry him, and Jayr added that she didn't want to be punished because of his antics. Okami tried to explain that he was merely meditating before young Kane rudely interrupted him, saying that he didn't care what it seemed like, and that he had family in this house and that was all that mattered to him. He said the spirit sealed within him was very old and could easily see sage chakra. Young Kane went further, saying Alec Kane was about to take Morigakure, no one liked him because of an incident with Suna, and that if it were him he'd have killed him. Young Kane praised Suna for his ability to keep his emotions in check.

[OOC Note: I am a neutral party not involved with any situation in any village, but I have to concur with Shizuka here: There is no way that Muninn could have known about what Alec told Jr because Alec told it to Jr telepathically. From the looks of things, the only other person in the room that could possibly have picked up on those orders is Miyuki. Muninn has no psychic-type abilities whatsoever, so what he just did is technically Meta-gaming.]

This was definitely an interesting bunch, but it seemed that things were about to get more interesting. The one armed Harukage re-entered the dining room and began to yell at young Kane like a parent scolding their child. He said no one deserved to treat Okami they way they did except for maybe Suna, who looked like he'd gotten over their "little grudge," and that even though he'd done some stupid things in the past, it didn't mean that he wasn't trying to change. The Harukage then stated that he was no longer the Harukage; that the position had been passed to someone named Kurai Yanagi, who was probably the man who passed through here with the pet monkey. he told Okami and Jayr to respect Kurai as they would him or the former Harukage Temaki.

Myuto quickly sketched a picture of the situation, all the while thinking that this was a bad move on the Harukage's part. Echolocation told Myuto that, even though Young Kane was the smallest in the room, by all rights he was the most powerful. He'd just admitted himself that he had problems with rage as well, so this would probably equal out into a really bad situation. Right as he expected the young Kane to... "Heat up" to put it lightly, the silent girl with him suddenly became much, much more powerful, and had the former Harukage pinned up against a wall by his throat in the blink of an eye, so fast that Myuto could not track the movement. A surprised look spread across his normally blank face. Kurayami shinobi had the ability to conceal their true powers?... This village was seeming like the most interesting one he'd visited so far.

The quiet girl seemed to be very protective of young Kane, and probably the whole Kane family. She wasn't going to stand by and allow the former Harukage to talk down at him; this much was obvious. Drawing a picture of the situation, while also noticing that she'd began whistling for some reason, Myuto wondered how this situation would further escalate. Would Okami add to it by trying to assist him? Would Jayr?

(RP post #26, WC: 4,059)

(Current Word Count: 2,931)

Okami was acting like a jackhole again. Miyuki and the smoky lady told him to chill it out. Okami started to bump his gums about how he was only meditating, but Jr shut him up before he could say too much, basically telling him that he didn't care what he was doing, and that he had sisters and family in this house.

Suna's head throbbed hard while Jr continued with Okami. Suna couldn't help but to grab the sides of his head again, grunting. For some reason, in his mind's eye he could see the quiet girl with Jr holding the wood guy pinned to a wall by his throat. Why was he seeing this?... The wood guy wasn't even in the room.

But then he was walking in. He started yelling at Jr like he was Jr's father, berating him for trying to start shit with Okami. He tried saying no one had the right to be treating him the way they were except for him, but for the most part Suna had gotten over his little grudge. Little?... Who the hell was this moron to even talk, or even try to speak like he had any sort of authority? He was the weakest Kage here, or, with how he was saying Kurai was the Harukage now, he was just a weak Jounin.

Then something moved fast through the room, and the next thing Suna knew, the Harukage was pinned against the wall, by the quiet girl. It was just like he'd seen a second ago. Had Suna just seen a glimpse of the future?... Why had that happened?... Was this some new ability that was awakening within him? Or was he just losing his mind?

Suna couldn't think about it too long; the throbbing of pain in his head was getting worse. Although what the one armed weakling said did incite some anger. "Little grudge?... LITTLE? So I suppose some emo piece of shit trying to pull a sword on me would make me have a LITTLE grudge then. Would you? I bet you have a grudge against those freaks out in the woods or pulling off your arm... Screw you, you one armed weak fuck... Don't talk like you know anything about how I feel... Uggghhhhh..."

Suna held his head in his hands, his elbows on his thighs as he looked at the floor. Looking down seemed to dull the pain, if only somewhat.