“I’m sorry.”, Daremo looked in the direction of his partner, reptilian eyes meeting reptilian eyes, both having an animalistic coldness to them. A deep lust for carnage and destruction of the world around them with the only difference being the intensity in the owner’s orbs being greater than his owns. Bare-chested, the upper part of his chiseled body was scarred from various battles throughout his life caused by the hands, or claws, of enemies and allies alike, Daremo sat in the center of the living room floor, legs crossed, and patiently waiting on his partner to speaking, and wondering why she chose this time to do so. He already knew the reason behind the apology and had accepted it the moment he can to grip with what happened.


“I’m sorry for causing your death.”, he did not say anything, briefly thinking back to the moment of his second death, this not being planned like the other. The fault did not lie solely with his partner but rather shared between the two of them. Neither one took the training serious enough despite the warning coming from his partner’s mother. In the end, it resulted in his death, briefly lost of memory, and an untold amount of suffering for his wife that was sleeping in their shared room. He sighed, the action breaking the silence that had settled, and took a moment to truly look at his partner. Despite her human voice, she was anything but that. Roughly four meters in length, she was an impressive Komodo dragon with black and green scales covering her body. She was his partner, the daughter of the Komodo dragon bosses, and his teacher in Senjutsu.

“I, along with Kaia, have forgiven you for what happened. The truth is, we both played a part in what happened. We were both careless in believing that we did enough, but that was not the case. We can not change what had happened, so there is no use in dwelling on it, Hikari.”, Daremo spoke, making it clear that there was no ill-will held between him and Kaia against towards the animal. Both of them have had an extensive conversation regarding the incident and came to terms with what had happened. Though, he briefly wondered, if Kaia still held some resentment towards the lizard for what had happened. For the incident did cause her untold amount of suffering when she thought he truly died. He would not be surprised if she did feel some form of anger towards Hikari, it was warranted.

With his meditation interrupted, and Hikari oddly quiet now, Daremo stood up, stretching as his bones popped. Looking at the time, he noticed it was fairly early, 5 a.m, in the morning. It was too early to wake up Kaia. They both having been woken up to the wails of their hungry children. He staying up with Kaia as she breastfed them both, and helped her tucked them back into their cribs. He did fall back asleep afterward, laying in bed till his wife was sound asleep before slipping out just an hour ago.

Walking towards the refrigerator, he pulled out a bag containing a rather large slab of raw meat. Taking it out of the package and placed it in a bowl, he placed it on the floor, watching in slight amusement as Hikari came over, sniffing the meat in question. “You know I prefer to hunt for my own food. I am a predator after all.”, Daremo snorted at the comment, watching the Komodo dragon devour the meat with gusto. “Even predators would take advantage of an easy meal.”, he spoke, plucking a raw cube of meat into his mouth, savoring the taste of it, something that did not go unnoticed by Hikari. “I see you still have the taste for raw flesh even after having returned back to being human nearly a year ago. Are you suffering from any other side effects?”, Daremo shrugged, popping another cube into his mouth. “Not that I enjoy the taste, just get the craving for it every so often.”, the taste of meat having been developed during his time as something not exactly human, “Certain emotions are still heightened more so than normal, mainly my territorial and protective nature. Have to reign in the urge to kill those who I deemed a threat to my mate.” he admitted. For the next two hours, the pair would quietly talk about a mundane of things.

Walking into the bedroom, Hikari following behind him, a smile appeared on Daremo’s face upon seeing the sleeping form of his lover. The linens having come down to exposed her assets, something she did not cover after breastfeeding the children. Walking over towards her, he moved a strand of hair from her face, and leaned down, kissing her on the lips, “Wake up love. The grandparents should be over shortly to watch the kids.”, he whispered, waiting until she had woken up before heading to take a shower. Leaving the bathroom door open, an invitation for Kaia to join him, though nothing asides from petting would occur. Once showered, Daremo looked up at Hikari who was staring at the sleeping babies. She having to take a shine to the ‘tiny hatchling’ upon their birth. Whenever neither parent was busy with something, she could be found watching over them.

Reaching the closet, Daremo pulled out a dark blue, short-sleeved, buttoned-up shirt. Slipping it on, he went about buttoning it up, leaving the last two buttons on the top unbuttoned. Glancing over at his lover, he marveled at her beauty, eyes lingering on her assets longer than intended. Before any naughty thoughts could take root, he slipped on a pair of black casual dress pants. A simple black belt being worn and hidden by the length of his shirt. A pair of black dress shoes were slipped on and tied. There being nothing of particular to note of them. Grabbing plain silver ring, with the words ‘hers’ being engraved in the inside of it, he slipped it on his left ring finger. The ring being one of two. The other one belonging to Kaia, with the only difference the words ‘his’ being engraved on the inside. Combing his shoulder-length hair, he put the purple hair into a low hanging ponytail it being held together by a silver hair clip. The accessory having a dragon motif engraved on it.

Now dressed, Daremo kissed his love, wanting to deepen the gesture but could not do to someone knocking at the door. Having an inkling who it might be, he went to answer it, greeting his grandparents with hugs. Pleasantries between the three were shared along with information regarding some of the Geisha houses still under their influence. Despite having left the lifestyle a long time ago, he still kept informed on his. . .investments. “The babies are still asleep, and Kaia should be finished getting dress.”, hearing this, his grandmother went to talk to her granddaughter-in-law, leaving the two men to their own devices.

The only thing of importance talked about was Tsuchi no Kuni still believing he was dead. No one has realized the body used was a fake. While he was not worried about anyone coming for him, one could never be too safe. Once Kaia had got done dressing and talking to his grandmother, the couple would leave the house.

A chilly morning breeze greeted the couple upon stepping outside. Daremo welcoming the cool sensation rolling across his exposed skin. “Let’s go find breakfast, love.”, he spoke, interlocking his right hand with hers. The streets were not as crowded as he thought they would be considering the Chuunin exams were going on. There were just a few people about among the street, asides from the Raikage’s representatives, moving about the streets. The exams, this would be the first one where he did not have an invested interest in anyone participating. Unlike the pass exams, none of the participants have caught his eyes to the point of wanting to train them for his own amusement. He quite like not being involved in these exams, especially now with everything considering.

Hand and hand with his lover, the sweet aroma of baked goods wafted through the air, causing his stomach to grumble, demanding food once more. It did not take them long to come up to a restaurant called ‘Cloud Nine’. The establishment being something of familiarity for them both. It is one of the few places that sold his wife’s addiction - bubble tea. Walking into the crowded place, the normal design within having been changed to a more elaborate one, an attempt to garner the attention of the foreigners. With there not being many places to sit, Daremo spotted two overlarge chairs, with a wooden table between them, on the right-hand side of another pair of chairs being occupied by two females.

Moving towards the empty spot, Daremo allowed Kaia to take her seat first before following suit. Seeing how most of the waiters were busy, he did not immediately try to grab one attention. “Do you want to watch the final part of the exams that should start in a day or two from now?”, he asked. He would not mind watching the exams, if only for the entertainment value of it, but would only do so if Kaia went. From the corner of his eye, noticed the auburn-haired woman, seated to the right of them, had two headbands wrapped around her leg. The first headband being a Kirigakure no Sato and the other from Sunagakure no Sato. Having worked in Kaze no Kuni, he knew the village did not have an alliance with Kirigakure. In fact, the village had very few alliances, to begin with. Being curious, he looked over at the woman, taking a quick glance at her companion, his eyes never lingering on neither of them too long that it would be considered as staring, “Excuse me, I’m curious about something. Why is it you have two different headbands?”, he inquired. There were a few reasons why someone would have two headbands, but those reasons were morbid.

As he waited for an answer, he hoped Kaia would not get the wrong impression about the two unknown women - especially about the red-haired one. The girl looks oddly similar to one of the Geishas that he was familiar with. Even her style of dress, accenting her assets, was something that was coming with the females in that particular lifestyle. Yet, her assets could not be compared with Kaia’s who Daremo constantly lusted after. He just hoped she realizes this.

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1793

There was something peaceful and relaxing about Kaia’s slumber; ever since she had fallen back to sleep while staring at the two cribs next to her where the twins slept soundly she had not budged more than the slightest of shifts as she slumbered. She was oblivious to the fact that Daremo had left the bed a mere hour after she had passed out, and it wasn’t until she felt his lips pressed gently against her own did she awaken, returning the kiss as naturally long and thick black eyelashes fluttered open as her half-asleep mind made sense of what he had just said. A soft yawn would escape her as she stretched, feeling bones pop as she did so from having remained in roughly the same position for well over five or so hours. ”Mmm… alright, I’m getting up..”, she whispered softly, though the thought of ‘five more minutes’ flashed through her mind. However, temptation came in the form of the bathroom door being left open, a shower far too tantalizing of a treat to ignore especially as she knew the hot water would do wonders towards waking her up for the day. So, instead of giving in to another five minutes of slumber she tossed the covers back and followed Daremo into the shower - yet not before checking on the slumbering twins who were still fast asleep, as well as throwing a half yawned greeting of ”Good morning.” to Hikari who seemed rather fascinated with the children. It was almost strange how easily Kaia had accepted her presence, and how easily Kaia trusted her around the children: there were few too little people who had the same benefit.


The thought flashed through her mind as she felt eyes upon her and turned to see Daremo staring. Perhaps only a year earlier the gesture would have caused her to blush until she was completely red in the face, but now it was something she was so used to that her cheeks didn’t even hint at being pink - she just smiled and chuckled a bit as she made her way to the closet, searching through the many different forms of attire hanging there as she searched for what she wanted to wear. It didn’t take her long to come upon her favorite sweaters; they were baggy and warm, the kind that you wore when you wanted to snuggle up with a book and a cup of hot tea on a cold day. It was perfect for a day off duty, and she found herself picking a light gray colored one, as well as a pair of leggings. No sooner had she chosen her outfit, something which took longer than Daremo’s had, she found herself being kissed which she returned happily enough - at least until the sound of someone at the door interrupted the moment. ”That timing, though…”, she found herself thinking as Daremo left to go answer the door, leaving Kaia a chance to get dressed which she did fairly quickly, completing her outfit with a pair of knee high black leather boots.


Hearing the knock on the bedroom door she opened it for Daremo’s grandmother, chatting idly with the woman as she finished getting dressed; brushing through her wavy pink hair that had long ago been naturally blond, turned to black, and then which had faded to white during Daremo’s death, and which she had settled on turning a pink color. Deciding to leave her hair down, the strands free and wavy she instead just slipped a hair tie into her pocket incase she needed it later and paused in front of the dresser just long enough to stare down at the new Kumogakure hitai-ate she had acquired: her and Daremo having joined the village officially after their children were born. She ran her fingers along the engraved plate before snatching it up and tying it around her left leg; though her baggy and long sweater hid it from view. The final piece to her outfit was slipped on last, the silver ring with ‘his’ engraved on the inside of it resting snuggly on her ring finger.

She kissed their slipping children both on the forehead lightly before saying goodbye to Daremo’s grandparents and following him out the door, immediately glad for her choice of clothing as she felt the cool breeze. Holding hands with her husband she nodded to him, smiling - her stomach roaring to life at the mention of food and causing her to laugh softly. ”Breakfast is definitely a good idea.”, she would comment, following along with him.


It was unsurprising to find the restaurant of their choosing a bit busy, but thankfully their seats were found easily enough. She sat first, slipping gracefully into her seat while glancing around with light blue colored hues before her focus snapped back onto Daremo as he began to speak. She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully before smiling and nodding. ”That would be interesting.. .” It was then her attention would shift over to the two females nearby, listening to Daremo’s question and feeling equally as curious. She too was interested to find out the reason behind having two headbands. She knew the more criminal element to practice the idea of stealing the hitai-ate of the dead and wearing them like trophies, but perhaps there was a far less ill-intended reason behind this…

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The words of his lover brought a smile to his face and a warmth that reached his eyes. Though he did not say it out loud, he really wanted Kaia to agree to his suggestion. It had been some time since they were able to do something by themselves without the twins involved. Do not get him wrong, his love for his children is absolute, and nothing would change that. He would do anything for them, even damning the world to hell, if it meant saying his children. However, he thought, both he and Kaia needed some time away from their children. A chance to do activities that did not involve them. Sometime to remind each other what made one another so special. And while watching the Chuunin exams might not be the ideal way of doing this, in the eyes of other people. From his perspective, there was not a better choice.

Though, he never entered the Chuunin exams, his career path having to take a detour with his sensei, turned lover, nearly killed him when she went rogue. He getting an internship at the main hospital and pouring all of his time into that avenue. Much like now, he did not care about the exams. His viewpoints have been jaded by the words of his later mother who spoke about them in a manner that made them seem like cheap entertaining for noblemen and noblewomen, village marketing, showcasing their newest talent in hopes clients would be intrigued enough to make their requests, in the form of missions, there. Because of these views, he never had a reason to care about the exams.

Yet, in almost every exam, he had helped an examinee participant in either training or giving them advice. During so, not out of the kindness of his heart, but for his own amusement. To see if the individual would make the exams worthwhile. Sadly, everyone who he did train for these exams disappointed him. Shameful really, none had done anything that interested him. Maybe this time would be different? Maybe something in the exams would interest enough for him to care? He was doubtful.

As he spoke to the lady wearing the teal tank top, his eyes took in her appearance. The teal tank top hugging her assets in a way that would draw the attention of any other man or hormonal teenager to oogle her, he did not. His yellow, reptilian orbs never leaving her face, only doing so to glance at the headbands that contrasted against her pale skin. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the other woman slyly looking and smiling in his direction. Taking his eyes off of the unknown female in the tank top, he focused on the other.

She was different than, what he assumed, was her friend or an acquaintance. The kimono worn hug her body, accentuating her feminine body. The generous amount of cleavage being tantalizing for any man or women who saw her in said attire. Just like with her friend, his eyes did not waver from taking an unnecessarily long glance at her assets, instead focusing on her face. His smile broadens a little, and eyes gleamed with a friendliness that hid something darker behind them.

His attention focused back on the other who he had inquired about the headbands. Listening to she spoke about being a Suna-nin. It was when that tidbit of information was revealed did Daremo remembered having learned of the destruction of Sunagakure no Sato through his contacts, Geisha, that managed to flee the village in time. He did not mention anything about it to Kaia. Not having wanted to burden her with the dark reality that had happened. Unfortunately, Sunagakure no Sato would join the long list of villages destroyed by the hand(s), knocking Iron Country out of being the most recent village destroyed. Out of them all, the lost of the village was the hardest for him.

He felt a little sympathy for the young woman. She having to represent another village. Living in the said village without any familiarity. Heartbreaking it might be, at least she was alive, that being the most important thing. While he might have felt the emotion, only the barest amount of it showed within his orbs. A soft smile forming as the woman spoke on feeling that Suna should still be represented or at the very least memorized. “The destruction of Suna was a terrible loss to the Elemental Nations. Though I do not know the reasons, there is nothing that can justify the senseless and unjust atrocity. Just like you, I hope the rest of those who survive manage to find new homes amongst the other. “, even as he said that, there was a small hint of remorse, “So long as there are survivors Suna will never be forgotten.”. There was a possibility that many of the Geisha he knew had perished in the incident, along with the hospital he funded so many years ago. Though there was no time to mourn them now, he will do that in private.

Extending his right hand, he shook Nova’s, his rather large, and lacking any signs of hard manual labor, hand engulfing hers in a gentleness that might be unbecoming for someone of his stature. “Nice to meet you, Nova and Izumi.”, he smiling warmly at the pair, with his eyes no longer having the hint of danger behind them, to the normal observer, but being inviting and warm. It was also too easy to slip into his geisha persona. To go back to the teachings taught to him as a young child, and perfected even before his shinobi career begin. His hand fell back to the waist side, “I’m Kobayashi, Daremo, Jounin of Kumo And,” his eyes briefly looking at Kaia, “And the lovely lady with me is my wife.”.

Before anything else could be said, a waiter walked up to his and Kaia’s table, asking them for their order. Ordering chocolate cornets and a Gyokuro green tea, Daremo already knew what his lover wanted. They were together long enough to know each other’s taste. He waited until she had ordered before speaking to the two females, “Focus on the exams, they are far more important than trying to familiarize yourself with the people in Kumo, that will come during your downtime between events.” he spoke, giving his own opinion, “Speaking of the exams, how are they going? Have any difficulties yet?”. He was curious about their experience for the exams so far.

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