C rank - Messenger:

---

“Thank you,” Daremo said to the shopkeeper handing him a bag of groceries. The silver-haired male had woken up earlier in the morning to do some quick shopping upon realizing they were in terrible need of food. He did not bother in waking up the rest of the household, but he did leave a note, telling them where he was going, in case they got worried. He and his family had only been back in Kumogakure no Sato for a few days and considering everything that was going on, it would be foolish not to tell them where he was going. The last thing he needed was for them to worry and stress over him.

With the bag of groceries in hand, he walked out of the store, accidentally bumping into someone, “Sorry about that.”, the other male said, before looking up at the skies, “The heaven’s look nice today, no?”. Thankfully, the bump did not cause him to lose his grip on the bag, ad he blinked at the male’s question, “Indeed, but, one must be careful for at any moment the heavens can turn into hell.” he recited, getting a look of recognition from the male. “Indeed that is true, young one.” The elderly man said, before bending down and picking up the receipt on the ground “Here you dropped this”. Taking the receipt in hand, Daremo continued on his way home, leaving the man to his own devices.

Glancing down at the piece of paper, Daremo noted there was a symbol on it. A symbol that he had become familiar with since he returned back to Kumogakure no Sato. A sigh escaped his lips, “So it has begun.”, he murmured to himself as he neared his own. Opening the door, he called out to the other occupants, “I’m home! Also, I have some news to share with you all.”, he said. There was no point in hiding what was on the letter from the rest of them. With Zaylee wanting to help with the resistance, Amaya, and Mamoru both doing their path, it just seemed right to tell them all. While waiting for them, Daremo moved towards the kitchen and began to put away the stuff he bought. Once everything was put away in their correct location, Daremo started to make breakfast.

He did not have any particular thing in mind. So he was going to keep it simple with fried sausage, eggs, and french toasts. With the needed indigents out, he began to prepare food for him and his family to eat. Putting on a black apron, it matches the black kisode he wore, Daremo allowed the grease to get hot before adding the sausage. Only a dot worth of grease would be needed to start frying the eggs. While those were going on, he began making the french toast. He did not mind cooking for his family. He enjoyed the active a lot. He found it relaxing, to say the least. Humming to himself, he waited for the first person to come downstairs to the smell of food.

---

520

Cloud Headband | S-rank:

“What shall I do? It’s me or you. You’ve crossed the line now, so this has to go down. Your breath on my skin, eyes filled with sin. Three seconds more and blood will be pouring. I don’t want to hurt you, but I have no other choice to. I’m sorry about this, but you made me do it. Yeah, you made me do it. Damn you blew it.”, her beautiful voice filtered downstairs while filling the upstairs hallway as she made her way out of the bathroom and across the hall to her bedroom - having finished washing her face and brushing her hair and pulling it up into a bun held in place by two lacquered black chopsticks. She had no plans that morning - at least, none that she knew of presently - so she was a bit late crawling out of bed: well, late for her, considering it was still fairly early. Into her bedroom she adjusted the headphones her music was playing from before making her way over to her bed and straightening it up, ensuring that it was in the same clean and orderly position as the rest of her room. Zaylee wasn’t exactly a germaphobe or a neat-freak, but she liked to maintain a certain amount of cleanliness - something she had done since she was much younger. Even when she was a toddler she had to put her toys away before she was willing to go to bed, and it was a habit she didn’t stray from.

”You broke my trust and blew in dust. Like bribes on my face that can't be erased. You leave me no choice. You can’t avoid the consequences. I've left you defenseless. Unforgivable. Caught you red handed. Every stunt you pulled? Can't understand it. Now you're gonna pay. Say goodbye today. Here's the bed you made… You made me do it.”, her singing brought her downstairs after her room was clean, having missed her father’s announcement of being home over the sound of the music from her headphones and the water running as she had been previously washing her face. Yet, the smell of delicious food filling the air certainly caught her attention as she made her way to the kitchen. Lowering her headphones so that they rested around her neck, another song beginning to play softly from the speakers, she made her way to the stove, peaking at what was being made while her stomach roared to life like some great giant beast. ”Morning daddy. What’s for breakfast? I’m hungry enough to eat a horse - though I don’t know how good a horse would taste. That looks delicious though.”

Finishes speaking she made her way over to the cabinet, doing her usual routine of pulling down a stack of enough plates for those who would be eating and setting them on the counter next to her father. Silverware would then be pulled from the drawer and deposited neatly in place around the various seating areas of the table. Finished with her usual helpful prep of breakfast she would head back to the cabinet, pulling out a glass and setting it to the side before heading to the fridge and pulling out some juice. After pouring herself a glass and placing the juice back she would lean against the counter with her glass in hand, sipping at it with a thoughtful expression. ”What are we doing today?”, she would ask curiously, hoping that there was something going on to turn what was looking to be a very boring day into something that wasn’t. She had no issues with spending the day training, going off to handle a mission on the fly, or anything really, provided she had something to do. Hearing a soft tapping on the window as she waited for her father’s reply she would glance over to find Riku perched on the window seal, pecking lightly at the glass to catch her attention. With a giggle Zaylee would place her glass off to the side before opening the window up, watching as Riku hopped in and then flapped her wings for enough height to glide gracefully over to a nearby chair, perching on the back of it. ”You got back later than usual. Did you have a successful hunt?” Her answer came in a soft and happy sounding pip before Riku began preening her feathers, throwing glances over at the stove as if she were still willing to take some sausage despite having already eaten.

---

765

The humming ceased to exist. The reason due to the singing coming from upstairs. It did not take him much to realize who was the one responsible for the singing - Zaylee. She was the only plausible one to be singing in the room. This would not be the first that he had caught or heard her singing, just one of the many. Listening to the words of the song, Daremo chuckled at the lyrics. It was something that he could see himself singing when dealing with those who had crossed the proverbial line, messing with someone that was not theirs.

The song reminded him of many times in the past where he had to deal with others that had hurt his extended family. The men and women who abused the Geishas that called him brother. If he had any conscious at the time, the song would have perfectly described the thought he felt when confronting those individuals. Feeling sorry for whoever had to witness the terror that he was going to inflict on the guilty. Though, now that he thinks about it, the song reminded him much of the incident with his last student Jet.

One of his favorite and promising students, she just had to cross the line, and endanger what was not hers. Checking on the food, making sure none of it was burning, Daremo remember the damage he did to her. The number of senbons which riddled her body. The stench coming from her flesh as necrosis ate away at her. The rage he felt that day was palpable, and it cut him deeper than he willingly admitted at the time. Though, he knew the reason for that lied in the connection the pair shared. He trusted her more than anyone else, and she destroyed that trust. It was only because he felt merciful that he healed her wounds, and left her naked in the room. He could have done far worse things to her.

Hearing Zaylee coming downstairs, Daremo dismissed the dark thoughts and continued cooking breakfast. Glancing at his daughter, who was peeking at what was being made, he kissed her on the cheek, “Morning princess. Scramble eggs and fried sausage, something simple.”, he chuckled at her comment regarding eating a horse, “I could tell you what a horse taste like, but, I will let that be a surprise to you.” For shinobis, any food source is a reliable one, and in the case of a horse? Well, it was just another meat.

“Can you fix me a glass of orange juice as well? The food is nearly done.”, Daremo said, checking the sausage to make sure it was cooked thoroughly. Seeing that it was, both the sausage and eggs were slid on individual plates. “Yeah, after eating, we have to relay information regarding some of Hastur’s movements to other members of the rebellion so that they are aware of what is going on. Apparently, another group, who proclaiming their alliance to the rebellion has been causing issues and confusion amongst the ranks. We need to get the correct information out there so that none of our members believe this other group.” Daremo stated, carrying the plates to the table.

Hearing a tapping at the window, Daremo glance over to see Riku perched on the window seal. Grabbing a glass of orange, he sipped on it as he watched Zaylee let the bird in, and before the window could shut, Hiretsu flew in as well. The king vulture perching on the back of the sofa and started grooming her feathers, “Hello Hiretsu. Did you enjoy yourself?”, of course, Hiretsu ignored him and continued grooming her feathers. Sighing, Daremo started fixing his plate, just as Amaya and Mamoru joined them, “Come on everyone, let’s eat.”, he said.

---

633[1153]

A smile crossed her face as her father gave her cheek a kiss while her stomach roared like the hungry beast it was in not-so silent demand to be fed. It brought momentarily back a memory of when she was younger and she used to comment about how the monster in her stomach had needed feeding. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago, especially after her recent kidnapping. In a way that she hadn’t noticed she felt almost older: more mature, more weary of the world. Gone was her childish innocence, and now was the first time she had truly realized such. As she thought about it she realized that she hadn’t bothered playing with her toys since they had returned to the country, in fact she hadn’t touched them at all. They simply remained idle within her room, like a relic of a past that was now gone. It was saddening really, how things could unexpected and so suddenly change.

Yet, Zaylee knew that with her experience had come wisdom: she knew how to handle herself in dangerous situations, was more adept at handling her own fear when her life was on the line. She had grown from what had happened despite the nightmares and night terrors that had plagued her those first few days home. She had adjusted well enough, the whole process taking less than a week, but it had been an adjustment that had forever altered her in ways she could never come back from. Instead of dwelling on all of this and allowing it to spoil her mood she instead allowed her father’s words about horse and what it tasted like to give her something to focus on. Eyebrows would raise as she went about pouring herself, and him, some orange juice - passing him his glass before taking up her own and drinking from it. ”You’ve eaten horse before?”, she would question with curiosity.

It was then another avenue of distraction would come as her father mentioned what their task for the day would be: not training, something different. There was another group claiming to be a part of the rebellion to overthrow Hastur that was causing issues within the ranks - chaos and confusion, questions without answers. If things were going to go smoothly than a stop to this would need to be made, and the confusion cleared up. Zaylee couldn’t help but to wonder who was leading this supposed group, and what their true intentions were if they were causing such issues. It didn’t sit well in her gut, and made her instincts flair. ”Do you know whose in charge of this other group? I’m curious as to what their motives are.”, she would question after letting in Riku and Hiretsu, noticing the way that her father’s companion ignored his greeting in favor of preening her feathers. She would await his answer as she took a seat at the table, her stomach once more growling and her mouth watering due to the food on her plate. Watching her mother and brother join them at the table she picked up her fork and dug into a piece of sausage, not caring that it was hot as she nibbled on it happily, hoping to silence the beast of hunger that was rampaging within her gut. Yet, even as she focused upon her food she awaited her father’s answer: was another working within Kumogakure that hoped to bring Hastur down, and if so why were they causing such problems? Or was this another entity altogether who was creating such confusion and chaos?

---

605 | 1,370

“Thank you.”, Daremo said, wrapping his hand around the glass filled with orange juice. Taking a sip of the beverage, he thought about the inquiry of what horse tastes like. “I have.”, he admitted, remembering the incident vividly, but due to the nature of what conspire could not reveal everything to his daughter, thus, he was sorting through what he could tell her, “When I was in Anbu, the squadron I was apart of ended up in a tough situation where our supplies had run out of supplies. Knowing that food is must, we ended up killing a horse who belonged to the one we failed to protect. The meat wasn’t terrible. Just not something I would want to eat again though, but, as a shinobi, you must do what is needed.”

Bringing the eggs and sausage to the table, both on individual plates, he fixed his own plate, though making sure that enough remained for everyone else. He was not the type of person to take the majority of the food when there were others who still hadn’t eaten. Only after the rest had their fill, and none of them wanted some for later, would he finish off what was left. Sitting down beside his wife, Daremo took a bite of his food. Putting the fork down, he shifted his attention to Zaylee, and ponder on the question which was asked. “Yes, I might have an idea who might be in charge, or, at the very least, apart of this other group.”, his thoughts shifted to the Iwa-nin who made it clear that he going to Kumogakure no Sato and deal with Hastur’s forces. “While in Iwagakure no Sato, I ran across an Iwa-nin named Maikumaru who showed interest in Kumogakure no Sato, particularly the removal of Hastur. The last time I talked to him, he was heading here to ‘deal’ “, he made quotation marks with his hands, “with Hastur’s forces. I don’t know what came of that though, but seeing how he was heading here.” Nothing more needed to be said about the topic, at least for now.

A small smile spread across his face at the appearance of Amaya and Mamoru walking into the kitchen. Getting up, he met gave his wife a quick kiss on the lips, and playfully ruffled his son’s hair, “Good morning, you too.” Returning back to his seat. Taking a bite of food, he told Amaya and Mamoru about the mission given to them, “Although the mission mention it would be ideal to complete it at night. Doing it at night might increase the chances of us being caught, for it would be suspicious if we are seen venturing into the other places during the dead of night. Personally, I suggest us doing the mission during the day. Many of those who we have to come in contact with work at varying stores, so, talking to them would not be that difficult, and would be overlooked as mundane conversation. We just need to be careful with our words.”, he mentioned and forewarn.

For the remainder of the breakfast, Daremo would talk to his family about a mundane of topics. Asking Amaya and Mamoru what their plans were for the day, along with telling them when to expect him and Zaylee back, and if they were not back in the allotted amount of time, then expect something had happened. He did not do this to scare them, but, to remind them that what they were doing is extremely dangerous, and could lead to them being captured, or worse, executed. Finishing up the last piece of his food, he stood up from the table, plate in hand, and made his way to the sink. After placing the plate in the sink, he turned his attention to Zaylee, “Are you ready to go?”, he asked, feeling the familiar weight of Hiretsu on his shoulders.

Giving a quick goodbye kiss to his wife, and ruffling Mamoru’s hair, Daremo would exit the house, pausing long enough to wait for Zaylee and Riku. “One of the first stops in a locale weapon shop. The owner has been supplying the rebellion group with supplies, give us discounts and the likes. He is not too fond of Hastur for. . . personal reasons.”,  Daremo spoke, deciding not to enclose the male’s name in case someone was eavesdropping on them. Walking down the street, it filled with people going about their day, Daremo spoke to Zaylee, “How is your training going? I hope you have been training outside of me training you.”, he asked, showing an interest in his daughter’s training outside of what he taught her. The small talk continued for sometime before they came to a non-descriptive weapon shop.

The door chimes announcing their presence. It was not surprising that the store had a fair amount of people. The place was one many did come to buy their weapons from. Looking around for a moment, Daremo managed to find the man he was looking for, the feminine-looking guy with brown hair was emerging from the storage room. Citrine eyes meet cyan blue ones, “Ah, Eishi! Come this way, I have your order ready.”, the guy spoke and waited for them to follow to the back the room. With a quick glance to Zaylee, Daremo guided them both to the back.

Stepping into the spacious room, the walls aligned with varying weapons both common and exotic ones, Daremo stood beside Zaylee. “Hello, Ryou. This is Amaranth”, he spoke, not using the male’s real name, and glancing at  Zaylee, introducing her as apart of the rebellion.“Word is that a snake has been spotted messing with the foxes. He has been causing some confusion and chaos with the hatchlings, and now some are believing in the snake. The snake is foreign from the mountains, and much like the foxes are enemies to the hatchlings.” To those who did not know, Daremo would just be speaking about the issue regarding Maik. and his involvement in the civil war, and that he should not be trusted.

“Very well. The hatchlings will be told this.” Ryou said while handing Daremo a package. With the package in hand, Daremo guided Zaylee out of the storage room, and of the weapon shop. An additional stop would be made before the pair returned home for the day.

Zaylee listened intently as her father mentioned his personal experience when it came to eating horse. The situation had been a dire one, but there had been a worse way that could have gone. She knew well that starvation could trigger all sorts of dark desire in the hearts of men and women alike, and there were more than just a few stories that circulated around about teams who had found themselves in situations much like the one her father briefly described, only instead of killing an animal one of their number had died and then been eaten for the survival of the others. It was one of those things that made Zaylee more keen to work alone, or with those she could definitely trust, compared to a random team, yet she also knew that in her career path that wasn’t always a possibility. Sometimes you had to work with strangers, or people you didn’t like, it was just the way it was depending on the skills needed for any particular task.

As her father mentioned who he thought might be behind the issues that were being caused a curious look would appear on Zaylee’s face as she fixed herself a plate, deciding for the moment to keep her opinion to herself. What would someone from another country gain from causing issues for Hastur? It sounded a bit too personal for her liking, as if there was some other motive behind the actions beyond just wanting to help Kumogakure free itself from the clutches of a tyrant. Yet, she chose to eat her breakfast in favor of comment, pausing only to wish Amaya and Mamoru a good morning as they came downstairs for breakfast.

As she ate she listened intently to what her father was describing: this was something that was supposed to be done at night, yet that would make them look more suspicious, especially considering those they needed to talk to had day jobs that would allow them to blend in more. She thought personally that this was a wise idea: two people moving about during the way wouldn’t even give them a second look, compared to the same happening at night. For the remainder of breakfast, as lighter topics were discussed, Mamoru and Zaylee decided to play a little game, attempting to stick spoons to their noses and see who could keep theirs there longest - Mamoru winning simply because Zaylee had attempted to go for another bite of food while her spoon remained, causing it to fall.

Ready as every she followed her father out of the house after breakfast was finished, nodding to where he said it was that they were going: considering she tended to visit one weapons shop or another at least once a week to check out what they had in stock this wasn’t exactly going to make anything think twice of what she was up to. Distracted by her father’s words she tilted her head a bit thoughtfully, [color=#0099ff]”I have. Actually, mama took me out for some training yesterday….”[color], she paused, rubbing the back of her neck as she walked alongside her father, remembering what had happened. ”I got a lesson in judging people wrong. For being a former Uchiha she doesn’t fight like one at all, she doesn’t fight like a Guanyin for that matter. She fights like an Inuzuka - which she told me when I was laying there after she knocked me on my butt quite a few times was because she was raised around them. I’m just glad the dogs she borrowed yesterday were friendly, but I was covered in dog drool by the time she was done.”, Zaylee paused, shuddering. While she didn’t hate dogs she wasn’t exactly a fan: she preferred birds, not dogs, mainly because they drooled and shed everywhere.

Arriving at the shop she kept rapt attention, watching her father take the lead and quite happy such a task hadn’t been passed to her since he seemed to have been in the habit lately of having Zaylee take charge of things. Even with the words spoken in code she didn’t miss the meaning behind them, and neither did the individual her father was speaking to. The whole situation was handled in a non obvious way - for anyone who might have seen them or heard them, it would sound and look like nothing more than a couple of people shopping and having a random conversation. After the conversation, as brief as it was, was finished she followed her father out of the store without so much as a backward glance.

---

780 | 2,150