Tenmei will have done at some point in this thread:

Solstice had been working hard for the past couple of days, though not in the kind of work people would expect of the average Kage, al of her paperwork was now handled by a duo of clerks which were promanent sensory jounin able to get in touch with her at any given moment should a serious issue arrive, the Kage manor very seldomly housed the mizukage. Which was an interesting change of pace. Instead she had been helping the village rebuild and becoming a walking good Samaritan to the city, from building to performing odd jobs and running around, attempting to make people's lives just that little bit easier, it also made her harder to track and captured as her location around the city was ever moving, and blended in with everyone else.

The now black shroud of the Mizukage had become well distinguished as she had blatantly created the image of a Kage which was pro active and not pro policy. She had already thrown out and shattered many of the old ways which would determine how a kage was supposed to act, and the people of kiri were only just beginning to bind together for a single great cause, and that cause was justice, or vengeance, against the people which had taken her kage away from them. They had every right, and she could still see the anger in their eyes as the event still harboured in their very souls. The lamenting sorrow of people who had been walked over one too many times.

Solstice during her training to lead up to this position had finished her Kage training, and was beginning to take instructions from the mysterious tutor of her dreams, though just as her schooling in the art of being a sage began, he left, proclaiming that she needed to practise her art and discover the power of nature chakra on her own. The memory of their talk while she was fighting her friend Kaguza still remained in her mind, the thought of a Genjutsu being so long ranged that he could harm and communicate with a student over so far was astounding to Solstice. But so much had happened, and Solstice needed a rest, thinking about who she would be able to go and visit she thought of the young heat user.

Smiling to herself as she remembered the very polite, passive, innocent girl she had met only a few weeks ago, last she saw her she had taken a mission with strafe, which she heard went well, and Yuudai claimed to have met her. It seemed she was getting around the Aisu family just well, and that they were taking care of her... The thought of dropping in on her house unannounced seemed rude, but solstice was never one for etiquette, not bothering to head to her house and get her fuuma shuriken she walked through the barely crowded mid-morning streets toward the house of her friend. They might even be able to continue their training, which to solstice was a wondrous thought.

For a Genin to overcome so much so quickly when it came to her training, it was astounding to her, but even solstice feared for her slip ups. Her confidence in herself was shaky at best, and everyone was going to get knocked down once or twice when it came to training like this. The process of reigning in a complex and powerful kekkei genkai could take years of hard practise, while it seems her family and the rest of her clan had been running from the power in their blood all their lives... It was a sad ordeal, if only they were able to embrace that power before it spiralled out of control they would have potentially been some of the strongest fire users in the ninja world next to the sarutobi and the uchiha.

Walking through the markets, Solstice stopped by at a shop and picked up some ramen and some fresh tea leaves which were being sold, as well as a clove of lavender and a couple of aromatic herbs which would no doubt bring a smile to her face on Solstice arrival, it would also be more or less an apology for her not being around as much as she would have liked. Solstice admittedly had not seen her friend as much as she should have in recent days, hoping to change that once things calmed down their squad would be able to kick off strongly and as one be able to perform trainings and missions together.

Not wanting to bother Tenmei enough to go to the door, the plastic covered bowls in her hands Solstice jumped to the veranda, crouching down to one knee with the various materials all tightly held in each of her hands. Looking to and fro she wet her lips and called out as she moved to the sliding ranch door which was the entry point to Tenmei's house. "Hey, Tenmei, it's me Aya, I just thought i would drop in and say hello, i hope you haven't eaten too much... i come bearing gifts! She said with a slight laugh as she placed the two bowls down at the table, which they had sat at before, placing the herbs and tea on the center of the table between the two bowls.

Interlacing her fingers and stretching to the heavens solstice waited for her friend to show herself.

WC Training Senjutsu: 914
(im not doing the mission)

It had been an exhausting couple of weeks.

Just a month ago, Tenmei had been living what most would regard as an isolated life. She would always wake up before the chilled hours of dawn and go out to train while there was no one about. Then, as the sun started to rise, and the people along with it, the young Genin would disappear with the night shadows and retreat back in to her empty house where she would complete her monotonous morning ritual, like she had done for as long as she could remember. 
It was in fact during this part of her day when she had first showed up. A Jounin who went by the name of Solstice, the very female that had only recently become the new Mizukage, showed up on her balcony and instantly recognized the instability of her soul. Without batting an eyelid, she had offered to help and from then, they had become good friends.

But that was only the start of it.
A couple days later, she been asked to go on her very first mission, one with another member of the Aisu clan no less. He had taken her in and lead her through what was supposed to be a dangerous mission of attacking and forcing back people that wished to rebel against the new order of the village. Luckily they both had come out of it, relatively unscathed....which was not the case a couple of days later. 

All Tenmei was doing, was picking up a book that had been delivered over from a small town in Kumo and some groceries when they had cornered her against a wall. Before she had a chance to call for help, the Genin had the air knocked out of her and she was left to their mercy. If it wasn't for Yuudai showing up when he did, she would still be stuck out there, partially soaked from the rain with everything she had intended to bring home, scattering the ground around her. 
   She had resided at the house hold, of the new Aisu clan's head for a short time before returning home, and even then she needed help finding her way back to the rather humble abode. 

And that was where she was now. 

It was the first decent night she had since before that first mission and somehow she had managed to sleep past sunrise.
With heavy legs and restricted breathing, the younger female rolled off the futon, and on to the cool tatami mats that covered the floors of her house. For a long lingering moment, Tenmei just lay there while the chill soaked though her clothes and settled in to her skin. But when the floor started to heat underneath her, the female decided it was time to move and continued to peel herself from the floor and lumber towards the bathroom. Tenmei could already feel how bad she looked, and would need to do something before anyone saw her in this state.

The stone cold water felt like heaven against her lightly tanned skin. 
Not only did it work to soothe the pounding headache that had developed in the few hours she had taken to adjust to day light, but it numbed the colourful areas on her cheek and opposite temple, as well as getting what was left of the swelling down. It was such a shame that it didn't do anything for the pains that stabbed at her ribs every time she took in a fast breath. Hell, she had not even tried eating anything yet in fear of bringing it back up the wrong way. 

And that was when something caught her attention....a slight noise coming from just outside her balcony.
  "Hey, Tenmei, it's me Solstice, I just thought i would drop in and say hello, i hope you haven't eaten too much... i come bearing gifts!"

Tenmei recognized the voice instantly, as a light but honest smile formed on her lips. In those few moments where it took her to grab the towel to dry her face and emerge from the bathroom with her long dark hair hanging loosely down her back and her silver like eyes still full of last night's sleep, she completely forgot how bad the bruises looked and how it must seem with her shuffling about the house while supporting her ribs with her free arm. But in the end, by the time this realization hit, it was too late and all Tenmei could do was turn her face to the pot on the bench and hope she had not been paying attention to either the guilty look on her features or the ever so slight raise in temperature around her.

"Hey. It's been a while hasn't it?" Tenmei continued politely as she played it like nothing was wrong. "What did you bring me? It smells really good. And no, I have not eaten anything since yesterday. Would you like some tea? I have a fairly light blend of green tea and rose this morning. I promise that it would be nice" 

Mission Word Count: - 858

Was happy to see her friend, but as she walked out from the shower, Solstice's jaw dropped an inch, Tenmei noticed and tried to hide the bruises on her tanned skin but the deep purples which graced her skin, looked far more compelling than what she would have managed to attain in any training spar, Solstice could not believe it, who would have done something like this? Though, she did recall a mission passing through her office about a small group of young upstarts which were causing trouble with traders and people who were visiting the village, ruining relations in an almost socialistic sense. She was going to send other people on the missions to deal with these brats and their political opinion, but if it was them, she would no doubt pay them a visit herself.

Solstice moved closer, stepping one foot after the other as she approached Tenmei's location, tilting her head to a side so that she could better see the mark, she was her friend, but she was also a Kage, her powers of perception were supposed to be, and were expected to be amongst the highest in the village. Reaching her hand out to her face, the water or moisture that had been on her skin her warmth had already led to the evaporation of, running a cool hand through her hair solstice's skin was like an ice pack in comparison to Tenmei as she tilted her head to the side so that she could better examine the bruise, assuming Tenmei would not resist once she realised that she had already been caught.

This isn't the kind of bruising you get from training, I know, i can see the trajectory of the blows from the patterns of the bruise, so, who did this to you Tenmei... please, tell me. Solstice spoke lightly her eyes worried for her friend, knowing that she was only a genin, but she was also under the protection of the Aisu clan, Tenmei did not know it just yet, but Solstice was already in the process of writing formalised notifications and processed for Sotsuji clan based emergencies and how best to handle them, a predecessor to inviting members of the Sotsuji clan to Kirigakure to be housed, where they could be trained like Tenmei to be able to control their flame.

This was how deep the friendship had begun to run between Tenmei and Solstice from Solstice's perspective was. Willing enough simply in dedication to her friend to open the gates to all members of the Sotsuju clan who no longer wanted to run and hide, they were expanding the city as it was, and with the recent attack by amaterasu it was likely that many of the houses were going to be made many times more fire retardant than they already were. But as solstice looked into Tenmei's slightly reluctant eyes, a sternness and protective animal nature came over solstice, her village was meant to be a standing pillar of justice, and while these things happened under her nose it was undermining her ideals, and all the things she was working for.

If you tell me, I can make it better, these people, if they're the one's I'm thinking about, they weren't just targeting you, they've been terrorising other newcomers as well, and if you can give me a description of them, i can promise you that they will not be able to hurt anyone else. So, tell me what happened, tell me everything... Solstice was almost ready to put her mask on, but she wanted to listen to the event first before she jumped to any conclusions.

"I don't remember much"

It took her a moment, but Tenmei placed the pot back on to the stove and turned back around with a heavy sigh. There was no use hiding it now. She had already seen the large purple and blue splodges on her left cheek and right temple. No doubt she had seen the guarded way that Tenmei had been walking too. On top of that, Solstice didn't seem like someone that would forget easily, and she probably could see through the lies that the female was tempted to spin. Basically, the younger female had no choice but to tell her mentor the truth of what happened....for what she could remember of it anyway. Even now things were hazy. And that was no lie.

"I can barely remember their faces everything is kinda hazy" She started by saying as she recalled what happened for the second time in the last couple of days. And though she would be basically repeating herself, things became clearer after each time.
  "I was just heading out to pick up another book and some groceries from the market when these three guys cornered me. They told me that they didn't want me to be....here anymore. They told me that I didn't belong here"
She didn't need to say anything about how she felt about this. It was written all over her weary features. Despite what Solstice said, those boys were right. She didn't belong here. She was a heat user amongst a world of Ice which meant that even though she had some friends here now, Tenmei was still very much alone.

"I didn't say anything to them. So they....they pinned me up against the wall and started hitting me. I cant remember how many times, I think I blacked out for a seconds after they hit me in the head....the next thing I knew I was getting hotter and the boys that were holding me started screaming"
Out of all that had happened, this was the part that she remembered the most. The look of pain on their faces as she grew hotter underneath their palms, scorching the flesh and caused it to blister and burn. The look of horror that followed when the shock caused their joints to lock up so there was no escape.
She could never forget those looks of pure rage and utter contempt. It hurt her worse than any of those punches did.

"The one that kept hitting me before tried to hit me again in the face but I stopped him....and then he got hurt. I couldn't help it...I was angry and upset and scared and I couldn't control it. I didn't know how badly his hand was burnt until he let go....
And that was when Yuudai, the new head of the Aisu clan showed up.
And then I blacked out, I barely even remember being carried back to his house"

Once the explanation was done, Tenmei slumped back against the wall with her hands over her face, as if that would work to hide the shame and the anger she still held on to. Despite all she had achieved so far, the young female still wished she were stronger. If she had been stronger, she would have had better control and none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have those looks burned in to her mind, or have to keep listening to the voices that told her to 'let go'.
None of these would have happened if she didn't go out that day.

She wouldn't make that mistake again.

"I stayed with Yuudai for a short while. He gave me some ideas on how to get better control but....I don't know anymore" Tenmei continued to say as she remembered the older Shinobi's words about finding someone skilled in Genjutsu and channeling her heat in to an object so she wasn't bottling it up as she had done before.  It seemed  such a good idea at the time but could she really be able to handle that sort of training? Her last time attempt had failed after all.
 "So I have two broken ribs, internal bruising and a mild concussion, or so I have been told by some medical ninja who paid me a visit yesterday. It took all I had to not burn him when he tried to feel how bad the damage was. Maybe I would be better off if I just stayed away from other people. That way...no one would get hurt.
Because of me"

As far as she was concerned. Tenmei saw it as no other way.
This was why her father had been so insistent on staying at the edge of town and away from the crowds. He saw this happening and now the young female was starting to see why.

Wordcount: 1865

Solstice listened, and realised this was exactly the MO of the group which had been plaguing the town, they'd damaged Tenmei and now she was barely holding together, moderating her own temperature, Solstice stepped forward, looking at her and listening to each and every one of her words, solstice could barely handle the pain that was creeping through her voice, and though her words. She was not the only fire user in kirigakure, it was more of a rarity for sure, as was the use of raiton. But to attack someone solely for the element they have a disposition toward in the village was the cruellest joke Solstice had ever heard, and it was enough to make her furious.

Stepping forward Solstice with the utmost care slid over her shoulders and looked down at her, her eyes full of worry, and fury forming their own spirals of Yin and Yang within her eyes as her cold flowed through her body, it was true that Tenmei's temperature was very far above normal. But solstice noticed that she also was not breathing properly, it was also more than likely this heat was her bodie's reaction to the loss of her own control especially if she was blacked out by a punch to the head. Leaning forward, within Tenmei's personal space she looked deeply into her eyes, Solstice's cool sapphire pools looking and searching Tenmei's eyes for understanding.

There are those in this world, close to home or from far away that will oppose you, and they will come up with whatever reasons they can to attempt to justify themselves and psychologically attack you. I understand what loosing control means to you, you know i understand more than most because of my ice. Yuudai probably said that you were in the right for defending yourself, but I understand that's not how you felt, all you no doubt see is that you lost control, and it was only by luck that it was only your attackers who were hurt, hmm?

Solstice broke eye contact and moved to hug Tenmei very carefully, so not to hurt her ribs and her many other bruises which were scattered over their body. Though she was the Kage, Solstice was still just a woman, whom had feelings and cares for the people who were close to her, and Tenmei and her own mother at this point in her life were the only few people she really had the chance to express that with. So, she did not feel odd holding Tenmei close for a few moments, running some of her fingers over her hair. But, I think you expect far too much of yourself right now, your training has only just begun, and it will take a long time, but that's why we're here and willing to lead you threw it. But i promise you, this is the hardest part. You got this Tenmei.

Solstice looked back and broke off, Come on, i bought ramen for us. She spoke lightly moving over to the two bowls, her cold had protected her against Tenmei's heat, though she had to put a little more effort into it than she normally did. But it was worth it for the hug, whether or not Tenmei was ready for it was another story but it didn't matter too much to the mind of Solstice. But the fury of what the other people were doing was still at the back of her mind eating away at her as she picked up her chop sticks and began to eat the pasta rapidly, starved, she finished in a matter of moments, before burping audibly in a very UN-ladylike fashion.

Listening to whatever Tenmei would say in the in-between, solstice began to talk looking out the window. Excuse me if i could for a moment Tenmei, She said tapping her head lightly, There's something I need to take care of. And with that, she was gone, on the wind, like she had never been there before, her speed so extraordinary she was gone without even the lightest breeze. Solstice could not let violence and targeted isolationism and scare tactics on this level slide in her city, and she was going to put a stop to it before it devoured her whole. Putting her mask on, it was time to get serious.

Running through the city, the locations of one of the hideouts had been noted on the mission slip for the others who had wanted to take this. Solstice was going to crush this in one night, so hard, that the mission which was expected to run the course of over a couple of weeks or months as the people involved were reasoned with, would be completed overnight, and the problem would be solved. Finding the hideout was easy, Solstice kicked the door in to find the freeloading ninja within. Each of them jumped to arms at the black masked intruder, they thought was the cereal killer before they noticed on the woman's mask the four waves of kirigakure.

They knew now that it was the Kage herself had come to crush the resistance. Leader... Solstice muttered under her breath as she watched some of them break down in tears. Gripping the side of their house the ice began to spread like venom, encasing some of the room as the temperature spiked down so drastically that some of them began to cough due to the frigid air. This campaign is OVER, if you continue it, i will personally bingo book you ALL as missing ninja, and I will have the Anbu corps handle you! Savvy!? The kids, in the biggest trouble imaginable gave up the location of their leader.

Following their clues to another hideout, she kicked a door in once again, and there she saw a table with about eight genin and chuunin surrounding it. They al jumped up, looking to the door in fear as Solstice walked in, fear turned to terror as she whispered one word Treason... The one who was the leader became more then terrified, the movement was socialistic in nature, but when the Kage herself was non-socialistic, it could be considered a coup, and he knew it. Moving into the cener of the room she put a foot on the table as the wood froze right through over its entire length. Kicking it for the leader it caught his gut and threw him to the other side of the room, walking into the middle of them all and spinning once.

Her rotation knocked everyone else off their chairs, but as some of them turned to run, Solstice span, her chilling voice freezing them to the bone as she commanded them to stay. Remember what i said when i became kage? No prisoners...? Ring any bells? The boy began to quiver and shake, the chuunin becoming the embodyment of fear, and Solstice the freezing form of terror as the ground at her feet froze outwards. Coiling her fist she reared it back. Thrusting it forward as it glowed brightly with a pulse that would have ended him, and anyone who was within six meters of it. But solstice restrained.

This is your one, and only chance... to all of you, take your blatant socialist elitism elsewhere, before i condemn you for it. And you... she insinuated to the leader, grabbing the collar of his chuunin jacket, freezing it through and shattering it. Demoted, you can begin AGAIN at the academy next year... and believe me, it will be harder this time. Taking his ninja headband, Soltice also froze it through, and crushed the frigid metal before him. Walking out, and heading back for Tenmei's place, it had only been about thirty five minuted by the time she returned, now feeling de-stressed, removing her mask and walking into her room.

Hi, im back... sorry i took so long. Just had some... trash to take out. She smiled, Solstice was a terrible liar, and the smug look on her face would be a dead give away .

There was always going be things that were out of her control.

-----------

Even though Tenmei knew in her heart that Solstice was a friend and would never intentionally hurt her, there was no stopping the subtle flinch that crept over her skin when the older female got closer. 
These last couple of days; they had not been easy when even the slightest pressure on her ribs sent pain, stabbing deep in to her chest and every movement of her waist left her feeling nauseated and dizzy. But this was only one of the reasons why she had not seen, nor spoken to anyone since leaving Yuudai's home a couple days before. 
Hurting these people had sent Tenmei, spiraling back to where she had started, with little control and even less self confidence.
If it was her friend, her only friend that she had hurt then....well, the very thought of it sent another wave of heat bursting forth from her centers, causing the young Shinobi to tense up and worry further.

Being so completely focused on her breathing and trying to remain calm, Tenmei barely registered the honesty and kindness of what Solstice was saying. How she need not say anything herself because her mentor already knew exactly had been racing through her mind since that morning.  It wasn't until the stronger female had wrapped her arms around her and eased her in to a warm embrace, that she even realised that a few tears had made their way half way down her cheeks before evaporating in to nothing. And with the release of those tears, came the release of her tension and Tenmei found herself leaning in to her strength, her suddenly heavy head resting against Solstice's shoulder with her own arms coming around to hold her in return. Just for now, the pain and sickness didn't matter, nor did the aching that followed the days without human contact. 

She was starting to be okay now.

Once she had calmed down enough to let go, the lightly tanned female simply nodded and sat down where the bowls of Ramen had been left by the table. Peeling the covers off, she helped herself to a pair of chopsticks, praying that she had cooled enough so they wouldn't burn, and started to help her self to the lightly salted dish. 
Now one thing that she had learned from the old man, was that food could help with anything. Naturally, Tenmei had always been skeptical about this. But after only a couple bites, she felt the clarity returning to her thoughts and was pushed to change her mind. 
But it was only after she had devoured half the bowl that she noticed the icy fire that built up within her mentor's eyes. A rage that she had not seen before when she was looking earlier. Something had made her friend upset, and this time, Tenmei was sure it wasn't her. 

"I wish I could tell you what they look like or where they went to"
She had said, speaking softly as if testing her voice after having not spoken since she had told of what had happened. 
"I just got so tired afterwards and my head hurt. All I remember about them, was that they were quite large and they all wore similar clothing. Everything else is just blurry" 
No sooner had she finished talking, Tenmei bade her guest leave and watched as she disappeared out the door in a gust of wind, leaving the papers on the table to scatter and the bowel she had just cleared, to sit there to be washed up later. For the first time since she had gone out the other day, a light smile pulled at the exhausted female's lips as she shook her head and stood to start clearing up.
Of course she had an idea about what Solstice was going to do and Tenmei could only hope that she didn't take it too far. But if she did happen to do as the Genin feared.
Well....there was clearly no stopping the Mizukage.

Now left alone and feeling much better with that off her chest, Tenmei took the time to carry the empty bowls to the sink, before washing them up with special soaps and leaving them off to the side to drain and air dry. But now with them clean, it made the rest of the house look dirty. So Tenmei grabbed a damp cloth and wiped up the table, dusted off the shelves (being careful around the books), swept the floors and picked up the clothes, she had so carelessly tossed about the floor. Within a quarter of an hour, the house was nearly up to scratch. All that was left to do was pick up the books.....
But then she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the oven door. 
Her eyes still held a light shade of red from early and were encircled with dark, unflattering marks. Hair ebony hair was hanging in a tangled mess and there was much to say about her clothes. 

So, abandoning her duties to the worries which she left behind, Tenmei snuck away back to the bathroom where she stripped away the last of her tension and scrubbed away the evidence of her tears. 
Scraping the shampoo through her hair and finishing off with a short soak in the bath; by the time Solstice returned, Tenmei was sitting by her book shelf wearing a new, clean set of clothes and was looking much cheerier than she had when the Jounin had first walked in nearly an hour ago. With her hair brushed out and put up in a comfortable pony tail, fastened with a leather tie and light layer of make up to only slightly mask the extra colouring of her cheek bones, it was like the earlier events had not even taken place. 

"You weren't long at all" Tenmei had replied lightly, her light smile softening her features. "And thank you for the food. You kind of ran out before I could say earlier. I trust there was no trouble with....taking out the trash" 
Of course Tenmei knew what she was talking about. She also knew that, with her position it would not have been too hard to track them down and deal with them. But still, she was polite and most grateful. These were her people that she went to punish. People that were born and raised here in the village. She was an outsider no matter what Solstice had said. Yet, she had taken her side and wasn't even close to being mad at the younger female, which helped to hush her nerves. But that being said, there was still one thing on her mind.

"So....what now?"

Word Count 2825

As solstice came back she was pleased to see that the air had lifted somewhat around the room, looking down to tenmei she noticed that she was a little cleaner sitting by her bookshelf and with the one book she always seemed to have close to her nearby. Not only a few seconds after she landed and moved to open her mouth there was a flash of light outside as lightning cracked the sky, followed by a rolling thunder as it began to rain. The rain broke the foggy haze which often surrounded kiri giving a degree of clarity which was not common for about a minute, as moments later the rain increased to a downpour which left the village drenched with what seemed to be like a tropical monsoon.

Solstice smiled at that she wasn't caught in the voracious winds and the wet, looking around the house her eyes were drawn back to Tenmei who seemed a lot more relaxed. Walking past the table where they had eaten their ramen. She took the fresh tea herbs and leaves and bought them to jer kitchen and placing them on the bench so that Tenmei could put them away wherever she felt best. Moving back to where Tenmei was she inspected the book again that she had often seen following Tenmei's presence, curiosity began to peak inside of her, but rather than state it now she left the concern for the moment and was drawn back by the realisation that she had not said anything more than giving Tenmei a slight affirmative smile.

Take out was easy, they're just people who are turning my words into something that they were not meant to spread their own hate and anger. So, I gave them a slight nudge, that being said, no-one's going to give you trouble for a while now, or any other people for that matter. And as for the food, it's fine, you bring me tea, so it is the least I can do to bring you something else. Solstice moved close and interlaced her fingers rolling up onto her toes and stretching up for the heavens, curling her back and flexing backwards to such a level her shoulders would have been able to be seen rotating at odd angles were she not wearing her coat.

Breaking her fingers apart and releasing her hands there came a series of relaxing cracks from all the way up her spine and shoulders as well as her hands as she stretched, she could feel pins and needles running through her hair as her entire body relaxed, she let her arms swing limp at her sides for a moment as she gave out a gratifying sigh of release, sitting down on the floor not too far away from Tenmei with one of her knees kicked up and her arms wrapped around it, her body leaning forward and against it with ease as the other lay out in front of her, until once again solstice found herself eyeing up the bookshelf. She remembered Tenmei telling her about her books, and that they were something she liked, but there was always that one.

So, what's in that book? I remember you telling me that you weren't often able to reed books because your heat ruined the pages, has that gotten any better with your training? Solstice asked with an inquisitive mind that only sought out knowledge her eyes locked on the book and was almost wanting to reach forward and grab it with two hands skim its pages and see what was within it. But her eyes moved to the bookshelf as she scanned it, there were books on a lot of things, some simple and others more advanced and refined as well as specific. Some of which Solstice had managed to read and were simple ninja academy books any ninja needed to study and learn their skills, she noted one book about the art of tea, and another compilation history and time.

I only ask because I think i've seen you with it set apart more than once, is all.

"Oh, this? This is one of my father's works"

It didn't take her very long to clean up the house. Tenmei liked to keep things neat and packed away in the right places. Organized. Clean. Just in case she needed to suddenly pack up her things and leave like she had done before...like all those other times. But this time around it was slightly different. Here, she had been welcomed with open arms and when she had hurt someone, they were the one's that had got in trouble. Despite everything she was still here, still living in this village when so many others had her kicked out. And so, for the first time since her father died, Tenmei had unpacked what little she had and made herself a home. Even going so far as to getting her fathers old friend to send her the books she had been promised  years ago at her first resting place. It was these books that she was putting on the shelf with the others she had been given.

But the one that Solstice was referring to was the one she had found up on her shelf that other morning. The old hard back journal that was sitting on the front of the shelf, out of place. How had it even got there? She had no clue.  It was not like her to leave something like that out on its own.

As she watched the older female stretch out and then take a seat down beside her, Tenmei carefully reached over to her left to the small pile of five books and picked up the top one, placing it down in front of her. Then, gripping the narrow edge of the cover, she opened it to reveal the clean white paper of the front page. With absent minded reverence, she brushed her fingers over the Author's name. Haruto Sotsuji. It was only for a moment, a slight flicker of sadness brushed across her usually neutral expression, lingered for a bare couple seconds later, then was drawn back along with her touch on the slightly roughened surface. Every book was important to her, every story. But there were some that had special meaning to her and these were the most important.

"My father wrote most of these. He had this fascination with History for as long as I can remember" Tenmei explained, her eyes not leaving the carefully scripted name. "Everywhere he went, he would talk to people about their history, about their clan; finding out everything so he could document it down later. He would tell me their stories as he wrote them. It was kind of our special night time 'thing' we had. You know I bet there is a couple books here on the Aisu clan too. I wouldn't at all be surprised"
For a few moments she glanced around the books that surrounded her, and the ones she had already organised on the shelf. The one's belonging to her father were at the top and grouped in to the villages, the last one being Yuki, where he had resided before....well before he left this world. She had always wondered why he would send each book away the moment it was finished. Even now, she still couldn't quite understand. What if they had been lost on the way? All that information would be lost....just like he had been.
  
"I found this book the other day. It's in my fathers hand writing but I don't remember seeing it before. It's not like the others and I..."
Tenmei moved her hands down to the corner of the page and let them sit there for just a second, lightly resting on the parchment. At first, there was no change to the white surface. But as the seconds ticked by, the area under her fingers started to yellow. And as they watched on, the paper went from being a 'barely-there' tincture to a darker yellow that further degraded in to a dry leaf like brown. As it was only on the very corner, she left her fingers there until the paper crumbled off on to the floor, disappearing against the tatami mats. 
  "Most of these are old books with old paper. They can withstand warmer temperatures fine but when heat is applied directly to the paper it will cause the writing to fade and the paper to dry out. As much as I love to know about these stories, I can't touch them for longer than a second before I do damage. This one, this book of my fathers. It's older than the rest, so I am worried that if I touch it for longer than a few seconds it will dry out too and be destroyed. 
As much as I want to know what's inside I am not going to risk losing the last things I have of my fathers"

All this talk of her childhood, these stirring of emotions she had spent many nights of trying to bury; it was enough to marginally raise the temperature of her skin so it was just noticeable but no where near as bad as it had been when Solstice had walked in here the first time. 
Putting one had on the table beside her, she used it as leverage to push herself up from the ground, stretching out the hour of sitting down with her legs curled underneath her. For just a moment, she stood there, stretching her own arms out behind her head and arching her back ever so slightly, enough to get the kink out before righting herself once more and stepping slowly towards the bench, picking her way through the books. 
She needed a distraction from those memories. Something to help push them back until tonight where she was sure to relive them once more. 

"I put some sweet chamomile and lavender tea on while you were out, and I am pretty sure I have chocolate pudding left from earlier. Would you like some? It's good for weather like this. Warms you up from the inside out in the best of ways" 

Word count: 3860

Solstice watched and listened with her words as she told her about her father's books, and also talking about the stories he had gathered from around the countries on his travels, they seemed extravagant and interesting, but Solstice could only think in horror of the stories he had noted down about the Aisu clan. Not too long ago they were considered monsters of people and hostile to the ninja world as a whole, the Aisu clan had engaged Kirigakure in a savage civil war and their famous figure heads were known for their demonic crystal ice mirror technique which has long since been forbidden. They were part of the name of the village of the bloody mist and Solstice was not too proud of that achievement.

Though when it came to the offering of tea solstice closed her eyes and allowed her other senses to soak in the world around her. The chakra of the natural world was still new to her, so lifting a hand Solstice made swirling gestures as she lay down on Tenmei's floorl, feeling the natural chakra of the world slide between her fingers and soak through her skin, it was not so different from meditation to reach this state, and it felt refreshing if not addictive to remain in it for a considerable time. It would be addictive were it not for the level of concentration it took to hold it and focus on all the little things which through osmosis, absorbed into her skin and became more or less a part of her.

Solstice heard Tenmei talk of tea, still tuned into her voice through what she was doing, it was not too difficult, though Solstice was never the best at multi tasking, that being said for a woman it merely lowered her to the status of mortal on the matter. I'd love some thank you Tenmei, and yeah, sorry for stepping out so fast, i would have offered to bring you a long, but you always seem quite nervous and impactual when it comes to the opinions of others, so i didn't want to have to put that burden on you when it came to retribution. She said holding the conversation down its natural course. Solstice's eyes as they talked moved back to the books though, it was a shame she could not read them, until her abilities began to mature and remain under control.

You know, at least your not setting the paper up in flames any more, with those injuries and your increased temperature, if that was before our release and practising you would simply be setting the paper alight with all that pent up chakra and your shocked body, you've improved a lot. She said in confidence, cocking her head back to look at Tenmei who had headed back toward the kitchen to fetch either of them a cup of tea. Solstice as the water hit the leaves could smell the rich aroma, she was beginning to love the concept of Tenmei bringing her tea, and the fact it was becoming a constant only seemed to multiply the positive attitude toward it.

Though, if you'd like to know what's in the book, i could read some of it for you, i have the time, and i have no real want to head home in this storm.

It was quite therapeutic really. 
Tenmei barely noticed the heat change under her hands as she carefully pulled the teapot lid off and put the delicate silver strainer in it's place. Just simply by knowing how much to add, she then took a pinch of the small yellow flowers and half a spoonful of the even smaller violet buds, placing them in to the shallow dip before pouring the ready boiled water over it in a slow circular motion. As soon as the liquid had reached the top of the dried flowers, the female replaced the lid to stop the steam escaping and stealing away the flavours she had created.  
  All in all, she had finished just in time to turn around and see Solstice's expression when she mentioned about the rather gruesome history of the Aisu clan. A story that she was now remembering hearing one chilled evening when there was nothing left to do. So, while she waited on the tea to settle, Tenmei turned to address her dear friend as she sprawled herself out over the slightly softer, treated tatami mats. 

"You know, the Aisu clan was just one of the many who were notoriously vicious back then. My father used to tell me stories about all the rogue and villainous ninja and the clans who would massacre whole bloodlines and burn down entire villages. And sure, it's pretty scary when you hear about it. But after every tale, father would always tell me that it's important to learn about the past, no matter how bloody it is. We learn from our past to realise how far we have come in the present so we can strive to be better in the future"

With new memories on her mind, Tenmei turned back around to see to the task at hand. The tea had been resting long enough now, so the young female poured the pale mixture in to two clay cups, adding just a half teaspoon of sugar in each. Once those had been set down on to the wooden tray along with the pot, she then turned to the fridge in the corner and took out two bowls of freshly made chocolate pudding. With them now resting on the tray too, Tenmei carried it over with steady hands, placing it on the low table. By the time she had pulled her hands away, everything would be freshly heated.
Solstice had been right, Tenmei did have more control than before, but it still wasn't enough. It took a lot of concentration still to maintain this level, which was maybe why she had been sleeping so heavily of late. 

"I guess you're right. I don't destroy them completely....but they are still too precious to be damaged by the likes of me" 
Tenmei had said as she settled herself down by the table, curling her legs under her weight and leaning forward ever so slightly. As soon as she was in the most comfortable position she picked up her spoon and dug a small portion from the chocolate dessert, the thick mud sauce oozing out the side from where it had melted under her touch. Another bite, another inaudible moan from the pleasant smell and she placed the utensil down to reach for the oldest book in her collection. 
  "Really? You will read this for me? It would mean a lot....I mean, I found this back on the day I first met you and have been dying to know what is inside ever since.I just have been too worried about damaging it that I haven't been able to get past the cover"

'Dying' was a relative word merely brushing up on what she felt when it come to knowing the contents of the leather bound journal. 
She had watched and heard her father write every book since she was old enough to comprehend what it was, that he was doing and from then she remembered every story. Even the smaller, obscure ones that slipped her mind on occasion, came back with the right reminder. But this one was new to her. Untouched. Like an unopened box with the word mystery painted on it's lid. The very thought of knowing what he had been hiding was enough to heat the spoon in her finger tips and cause steam to slip from the rich pudding.

  "Well...if you really will like to, then you shouldn't find it too hard to read. My father's penmanship was always more than decent. Even on his minor works" 

We learn from our past to realise how far we have come in the present so we can strive to be better in the future... Solstice repeated thinking out loud to herself, she thought of all of the applications of that single sentence and how it could be used to triangulate her opinions on the Kirigakure she had begun to make, it was true, but the examples set before them in their past were not the best. Mankind were petty, horrible and dangerous creatures when they want to be, or if they feel that they have been wronged by one person or another they are not happy until they feel they have either been rewarded for the experience or are able to repay the experience to the people whom caused it.

I like that, she commented further, Remind me to say that next time you're upset, or anyone for that matter, it is a very good, very true line. And one which applies to all of us. The tea was placed on the table nearer her head, reaching up and backward she felt for her teacup, before acquiring the subtle nectar. Holding it over her head, able to smell the aroma of the herbs which had been mixed into it. It smelt divine, and even before she touched the delicious bitter sweet tea to her lips it had already begun to relax her body and calm her nerves even further. Tipping the cup just enough to spill some from the top downward she opened her mouth allowing the liquid to collide and roll down her tongue.

Savouring the taste she held it there for a moment, lowering the cup and balancing it on her firm exposed stomach, she reached backward and searched blindly along the table until she felt the soft leather of the books bindings, clutching it in her fingers she lifted the book up and pulled it to her, taking a couple of moments to inspect the book a little better and closer. She checked to see the title of the book, whether her father used a pen name, if there was a date or anything on the outside of the book which could give her a little more information of the author before opening the cover and looking at the first page. Looking inside both covers for the same thing.

Once she had completed her little search for the likes of information on her father, she opened her mouth to speak. Of course I don't mind reading this to you, I dont really have anything to do right now, and my mother would not be happy with me if i trudged water through the house and probably wake her up, I'm also pretty interested in the kind of things your father wrote, so, this can be a learning experience for me. Solstice opened the book to the first page where her esteemed father had written his first word in context, taking little more than a few moments of looking over his penmanship, and just as Tenmei had predicted it was rather neat, written in script as opposed to print so he must have been taught calligraphy at some point by either family or his own schooling.

Slowly but surely Solstice began to read his writing with charisma and enthusiasm, she was a natural born leader which translated into her ability to tell stories with an amount if energy and finesse which was great for when she was reading to younger people, often able to capture the mood of the passages she was reading with her voice almost perfectly and down to a level which could be considered an art. It was fun and exciting to be able to read something which was not the usual notes a Kage had to read, even with two other ninja doing most of her desk-work for her, there were things which were still for Kage eyes only which she was not able to ignore, most of it village stuff or to do with other villages, boring, but this was a little different, fun, especially considering she was with her friend.

The book in itself was quite plain when you look at it.
The dark leather covering, faded around the edges had no markings on it other than a few small stains that could have been caused by anything at any of time between now and way back then. The strap that used to hold it closed had long since snapped and while it was well looked after, there was no hiding the signs of aging across the edges of the paper and spine. Inside the cover, there was a hint of a date marked down in pencil in the top right hand corner. The first number, a 'three' was the only digit visible while the others had been faded beyond readability. There was however a name on the page that was somehow left untouched by the reaches of the time. The perfectly simplistic script of it was unmistakable. Haruto Sotsuji. Her belated father's journal.

With slightly shaking hands Tenmei placed her hands around the warm clay cup, feeling a sense of comfort in the familiar roughness against her skin. Slowly as to not spill any on her fingers, she brought the cup closer and placed it on her lips tipping so only a few drops would fall on her tongue. It was sweet like the pudding but it left a slightly bitter after taste that sat well with the teaspoon of sugar. It was perfect.
So, with her new favourite blend in hand and making herself comfortable a the table, the young female turned her full attention to Solstice as she read from this mysterious book, the very one that had been burning a hole through her shelf for weeks.

It has been a long, long month. It was only supposed to be a delivery mission. Low ranking, easy, something just to fill in the time until she got back. The last thing I expected was to find my charge lying on the ground with his throat slit from ear to ear. We suspect that they didnt want this individual to receive the message which is odd. Either way, its out of my hands until someone more qualified looks in to it.
Some one like her. I can't believe it's only been a week since she left for that mission. I miss her every day. My beautiful Mirage, how did I end up so lucky to end up with someone as talented and as beautiful as you.

She couldn't help it. Tenmei was simply spell bound by the words.
Back then, her father never spoke of her mother much. It was always one of those subjects that you just don't bring up because you knew how it would hurt and make both parties feel uncomfortable. But here, in these pages he was worshiping her, praising this woman within every paragraph. It was a side to her father that she wished she could have seen. But it was never meant to be, Tenmei had accepted that a long time ago and she loved him with everything she had.
But this new side to her father was not the only thing within those pages that brought more questions to her mind. Like, what mission had her illusive mother been on, what had her father delivered that had gotten someone killed? Tenmei wanted nothing more than to keep reading and have them answered so her mind can rest at ease....
But there was something else that had been resting on her mind.

"Hey Solstice. Do you mind I ask you something?"

If Solstice had not have shown up on her doorstep earlier that afternoon, then there was a good chance that she would be standing at the door of her place instead. Something had come up recently and she was wanting to ask her Mentor something. Actually, it had come up two days ago and she had been building up the courage ever since.
It was the Chunin exams, and the rules stated that a Genin was not to travel alone. Tenmei knew of no others but her squad mates and she barely knew them as it was. It was a big ask, but the young Genin felt like she had no choice in this matter.

'Here goes nothing'

"I signed up to the chunin exams the other day. I thought, since I have been trained well by my father and by you that I will be ready for it. The thing is....I don't....well Genin aren't supposed to go alone to places outside of the village. I don't know anyone else that would go with me and I know you probably cant because of you being Mizukage and all...." Tenmei stopped to take a breath, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink as she averted her eyes to the floor.
  "Would you come with me to Sunagakure for the exams with me? I don't trust anyone else. Please?"

Solstice spoke the words softly and read forward into the story a little as the book seemed to be more or less of a personal diary of the ninja's exploits as well as his thoughts and feelings at the time, for his no doubt loving wife, which obviously at this point was not with child, or during the more early stages of the pregnancy, though he had been careful not to spell out the details of his missions, which meant that this notebook did not become something of an item of political intrigue, at least not at this point. Solstice pondered the inner workings of the book lying on her back and reading upwards to the roof with the book firmly between her hands as she heard Tenmei begin to talk.

The question and the point she was going to make seemed to be an awkward one due to the amount of build up she was giving it, but Solstice could loosely guess what the subject matter was about. The world was a dangerous place, and nobody liked to travel alone, she had already signed off on dozens of sheets of paper pertaining to the up and coming exams. It was becoming a sizeable chunk of her workload, though, it was manageable, and with the skilled help of her two other clerks she had managed to get through almost literally all of it in little more than a few days. The piles on her desk were at a constant minimum thanks to their efforts, and she was paying them enough for it too.

Looking up at Tenmei as she finished her message solstice folded the book shut but placed the page marker there to ensure that her place in the book was kept at this point, the glimmering in Tenmei's eyes made the reading worth it, she could see the wonder and the excitement, maybe even the hint of sorrow within the steel coloured eyes. Perhaps it was only because the two of them were similar in enough ways that she could pick up on a couple of these things, but it was also more likely that it was because over the short time she had known Tenmei, Solstice already considered her something close to family.

The Kage leaving the country is a big deal, but only recently, Strafe, Yuudai, and Kaguza each managed to reach the ranks of the villages sanin, and are more than capable of looking after things for the month or so of the exam, so, I'd be more than happy to come with you... you have about a week that you need to leave in, so, can you give me a few days to get everything in order first? And then i would be more than happy to take you to Sunagakure. She spoke with a smile, closing her eyes with it to make it more genuine. The question to Solstice was somewhat of a silly one, she could see no reason why she would not be able to go.

Though, knowing Tenmei she would probably act in somewhat of a surprised manner, one which Solstice would not mind particularly, looking back to her book she picked it back up and skimmed through a couple more of the pages to get a brief overview of what happened in the next little while, simply to ensure that the up and coming stories were not terribly tragic and harsh on Tenmei, as it seemed to be a diary, Solstice did not want that kind of surprise to hit the two of them out of nowhere, and would prefer to be able to give Tenmei the warning should there be that kind of content for the next little while.

Sunagakure is hot, even for you, i would ensure you trade out your normal ninja gear or at least pack some silks, or something which is going to keep you cool in the blisteringly hot weather.

"The Kage leaving the country is a big deal"

Tenmei knew this. She knew and dreaded it.
Sitting there with her elbows on the table, leaning forward slightly with the mug oddly steady in her hands. It was all she could to stop those words from choking her ability to breath and to swallow the now steaming drink in her hands. She had been here, in this village for months and the only person the young Genin knew enough to trust to travel across a different land, one so unfamiliar, was her mentor and dearest friend, the Mizukage herself.
If her fears had come to land though, if Solstice abandoned her in favour of the Kage duties, in which she knew were more important. Well then...the ebony haired female would simply miss out again and wait for another year. As much as she wanted to prove herself to her father, to the people here of Kirigakure, Tenmei could not do it alone.

Strafe. Yuudai. Kaguza.

The young female had an immense respect for the three Sanin of this village, but that only seemed to grow with every passing day. Two of them had saved her in the past, helping her when she most needed: Like when her life was in danger and her self confidence, control, was at an all time low. And yet...here they were, saving her again by taking on the duties that Solstice would neglect while she would take the younger female to the Village hidden in the Sand.
It was probably not needed, but Tenmei would find a way to thank them later. Maybe....she could make them a special selection of her best tea bags and leave it in the Mizukage's office with a small note to say how much she appreciated what they were doing. But this would have to come later as she had someone more important to thank. The very female that was lying on her tatami covered floor.

"Take all the time you need. Just let me know when you are ready to head off" The young female had said, the smile on her lips bringing a new, warmer blush to her lightly tanned cheeks.
  "Really, this means a lot. Everything you have done for me....I can't ...I mean, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. No one else has ever really given me a chance. They always thought I was a hopeless case with my.....with my abilities. But you, the old man....my father. I've never really had anyone else. Thank you"

The gentle sweetness of the tea helped to melt away the last of the lump in her throat and return her senses back to where they should be. Sound. Alert. Steady. Carefully, she placed the cup back on to the table and crawled over to where Aya lay, before sliding over to lie down beside her. With her arm just touching hers, she stared up at the ceiling with thoughts of her gift to the three older males and what she would get for Solstice.
No more words needed to be said. Some time next week she would be leaving here for the first time since she had moved to Kiri and would be doing so with a person who she cared deeply about.
It was a big step and for the first time in a long time. Tenmei was not afraid.

Solstice embraced Tenmei like a loving older sister, laying out her arm and allowing tenmei to be as close as she would like to solstice's cold body, Tenmei's warmth was as comforting as an open fire to the Mizukage, who herself through all of her training had never really had anyone other than her mother to truly say she cared about. Her late dead father was ever present in the back of her mind, but that seemed to have faded in the now, Tenmei's heat was beginning to cool as her nerved began to settle and Solstice's ice cold skin touched hers, running the fingers of her other hand up and down Tenmei's back as she looked over the tanned skinned female. It was in this moment, that here, in a house in kirigakure, that she knew everything was going to be okay.

You don't need to thank me tenmei... But i'm really happy that you did, one day, I promise you, you will only have to reach out and coil your hand around the happiness you deserve... Solstice spoke lightly, her eyes moving back to the pudding which in coming moments, solstice would place to her lips and devour happily lying on the tatami covered floor with her friend in the pleasant silence for the next couple of moments, looking to and from wall to wall as she continued to read out more of her father's journal to her to pass the course of the evening until night was well established, and the idea of sleep began to creep into the minds of the two ninja. Not moving and deciding that she quite liked the floor for the meantime Solstice spoke.

The road to the chuunin exams is going to be a hard one, I know the heat will not effect you much on the road, but you will need to pack for the sand, and you will need to pack for the cold of the night, I want you to keep warm, so that your body does not need to overcompensate itself. The nights in the midst of the desert will make the frigid nights here look and seem like nothing, but, you're the one who has travelled, so i guess i dont really need to say all of this. Bunkering down for the night, solstice placed her father's book carefully on the shelf behind her, and sprawled out on the tatami mats, she had slept on harder and less comfortable surfaces for quite some time, other than her bed of course, but soon sleep finally began to come to her eyes.

After listening to whatever Reply Tenmei had to offer, Solstice's eyes would close, and she would fall asleep more relaxed than she had been in a long time, the taste of tea and sweet desert on her lips, which was well congratulated by the somewhat suspect sounds falling from Solstice's lips, she found herself soon in the land of nod, accompanied by anyone who was willing to join her. Solstice was not looking forward to the travel through the desert, in her last moments the two mental sensory ninja got a-hold of her, and Solstice relayed her plans to them mentally, it was a good thing she had two capable people like that in the kage office, they were good workers, and their skills came in handy when it came to co-ordination.

But soon solstice found the diamond blade forest enveloping her as her own nightmare began to take hold in the middle of tenmei's house. But now that she had learned her own sage mode, the mysterious man was easily knocked back, and the genjutsu was broken one again, and this time, with only one new scar which would appear deeply in the location of solstice's upper thigh to anyone who had the pleasantry to look.]

Senjutsu D - C 6084