Starring:
Kiyoshi (emitter), Kiji
Date: March 14, 2015
Summary:
While taking it easy in the Hidden Oasis, Kiji is approached by a younger member of the Shimizu Clan. A young man that sought the secret behind her demonstrated "technique" in the dammed arena…
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Bloody Pursuit - Striking the Deal"
Hidden Tropical Oasis [Land of Water]
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Marvelous, strange and exciting. A literal forest domed right inside the large cliff face. Its walls span high into the sky surrounding the entire area, high above there are large openings where light seeps in providing just the right amount of light to light up this area. The dome shaped area from within the caves is filled with life, trees and bushes. Some trees spanding 100 meters into the sky with thick green leaves. The area is heated in the days and cooled in the evenings, a constant cool wind brushes throughout.
There are vegetables, fruits and a natural source of water in this area allowing the flora to grow. There are rocks, small caverns and openings with flower patches. Further north there are ruins of what seemed to have once been a stone city, now a relic of its former self. Overall this area is a miracle to exist, undisturbed by the human race it is a natural living habitat of great marvel and mystery.
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Kiji had heard the announcement that the exams would be postponed and had gone to the Oasis first thing. She liked in here. Her long white hair glistened in the early spring sun, making her seem a touch ethereal amongst the budding flowers and trees. Her eyes were a simple blue and her clothing was pretty much the same as usual. Black silk top, black silk skirt, all bearing the white shimizu crest woven into it. Underneath she had on shorts and of course her belt. She was sitting on a log by the stream reading, a book about Shimizu history no less, just enjoying the sunlight….
Things were peaceful, calm, and relaxing. A few minutes, or perhaps even an hour or so drifts by before Kiji might experience any new changes in the Oasis. A turn of events stemming from the arrival of another. He made no effort to hide his presence, so sensing or hearing him would be no problem. If the Shimizu did happen to catch a glimpse of him prior to his speaking up, she would see a man completely dressed in black and dark purples from head to toe, pale-skinned though not to the point it stood out starkly against his clothing or surroundings, and dark-haired. What truly stood out about him is perhaps at first might be his clothing design not being unlike those of the Shimizu Clan, crest and all.
"So the reports were true. You do frequent this place." He says calmly as slowed to a stop a few feet away. That is, assuming he's allowed to get as close without some sort of warning to do otherwise.
Kiji had sensed the incoming movement but thought it was just some people out to get some herbs. She had been reaading quietly when the boy came up to her and spoke. So Kiji looked up over her book at him, curious who he was. His clothes were Shimizu but she had not met him and did not recognise any of the other signatures. So she tucked her book into a pouch and shifted to face him, still sitting. "How can I help you…..Who are you?"
The boy began to smile more broadly upon seeing Kiji take a greater interest in him. "Me? Oh, I'm just.. a nobody… But you can still help me." He folds his hands over one another behind his back and starts closer. "Word has gotten around about what you did back in the arena… you know, while the exams were still going… You managed to do something that, well, frankly, none of us could believe; especially if we weren't there to see it." The boy stops short a foot away. "Anyways… I was wondering about if it were true and… how did you do it?"
Kiji eyed the guy as he spoke. A nobody? "Clearly we're cousins so a name would be nice." Her eyes visibly shifted from blue to a very deep shade as she could sense this guy was out for trouble. Quietly, easily those crimson vines wound their way up her arms and coiled there as she listened. She sighed when his intention had been given. "Well, It's not something that should have happened. And I don't think I'd tell you anyway."
Shock lit up the boy's features, but it lasts only a moment. "Right, Sensor. That was mentioned too…" He murmurs, eyes averted and lips bent into a frown as he rubbed his chin thoughtful, ignoring the fact that his clothes were a dead give away. If he notices the crimson vines at all, the boy gives away nothing of the sort. He truly seemed lost in thought until she spoke up again. "Oh? Oh… Hmm.. no, I don't think that will do. I think.. you will tell me. That is, after we take a little walk." He states calmly with that easy going smile.
Kiji tilted her head, her eyes going from dark blue to a deep purple as her curiosity took her over for a moment. Who was this guy? And he thought he was ging to take a walk with her? Not likely. "Look, whoever you are, I'm not going anywhere with you.. or them. At least not until I have a good reason to. And I'm telling you it's impossible for you to learn. It was a fluke. Get it?"
She put her hands on her knees, watching the guy closely. If he was going to try and attack her she was ready to try and defend herself. He was older than her, though even if she didn't look like that was true so he might be stronger…. She sighed softly, her dark purple eyes shading back to deep navy blue. "So why don't you tell me your name and start over?"
A change gradually overtakes the boy. Nothing extreme enough to cause an interruption; but nevertheless, his smile becomes more forced as time passes by. Sensing his chakra, it would become clearer that he was growing increasingly impatient; especially after it becomes clear the others were discovered.
"I'm afraid I… can't give up so easily. Not without putting in the effort like the progenitor of our clan. Nor will I bother starting over or saying my name. All that matters now is that you either come me — /us/ by choice, or by less savory means." He smiles slyly. "I'm sure your dear 'pet' giant would appreciate being in your company again. He has just been so.. antsy, so unable to just keep himself busy, you know?"
Kiji saw the shift in the boy's chakra. He was on edge, getting antsy. He was up to no good. They all were. Kiji stayed sitting where she was though. The boy's determination that he would have her take a walk with them like it or not made her raise an eyebrow. She wasn't sure if she could win in a fight with him or not but anyone would be hard pressed against three opponents.
When he suggested that her 'pet' was in thier hands her eyes slid into a deep golden color ringed by orange, not a good start to a conversation. "IF you were able to capture Kiyoshi, Don't you think I'd just ignore you anyway?" She looked annoyed but really she was actually focusing her chakra to broaden her senses and locate Kiyoshi wherever they had him. On her arms those crimson vines grew thorns all along the length, a sign of her displeasure….
Instead of paying her any immediate mind, the boy starts digging about in his pockets. By the time Kiji reaches the upper limit of her sensory abilities, two things become clear. The first and most obvious is that whatever it was the boy was fishing around seemed to bear Kiyoshi's signature, or at least a faint imprint of it. How it went missed before could perhaps be explained as a matter of interference from a larger and more stable source of chakra overlapping it, or some other means available to the Shimizu before her. The second and perhaps most disturbing piece of information is that Kiyoshi's real signature did seemed to be coming from nearby the concentration camps. Too close, in fact, to incite doubt about whether or not the boy was lying. Only the fact that his signature seemed calm would say otherwise. Then again, he could be just drugged somehow…
"That is a possibility; but then, we would be left without other options now, wouldn't we." He says absently, still fishing around until his hand enclosed the fragment of Kiyoshi's chakra. What is pulled out turns out be none other than the necklace Kiyoshi always wore and bore both a human bone sliver and blood soaked carving; gifts she knew were from herself and Yuriko. It is perhaps the first time in a long while however since the item has actually been seen by her. Days perhaps before Kiyoshi entered the Blood Marsh…
"So, what will it be, Kiji? Will you comply? While we may be more interested in you then he, his body is very peculiar. The way he heals so quickly, and yet exhibits none of the abilities of a Kaguya. There's those rumors too about his being enshrouded in chakra as well… Hmm… Perhaps we should simply stick with what we have…" His gaze had been off elsewhere as spoke until the end. Then, his eyes zero in on Kiji, disecting her.
Kiji could tell by Kiyoshi's signature that if he was caught he was either asleep or unaware they were after her. She had little doubt that he would tap into Kokuo's energy to protect her if he felt it necessary. But his signature was stable. For the moment. The fact that he was probably /in/ the concentration camp annoyed her to no end. How dare they try to take her mate hostage and use him against her? Cowards the lot of them. "Meruin-dono will not be pleased if he is harmed. For your own good I suggest you let him alone." Her voice was deep and threatening.
Finally she stood up, her arms falling to her sides. "I cannot teach you what I did. It should never have happened. But I suppose if you need to have my attention you have it." She looked at him with an expression that spoke of pain. for him.. if she wasn't appeased.
The boy managed to maintain an air of calm when threatened about the Mizukage's involvement, conveying a sense that either had a means of dealing with the Mizukage, or their actions were sanctioned. Either way, things did not bode well. A chink in the armor however appears after she looked at him with such an intense expression. A subtle gulp and a bit of collar adjusting gave away a bit of his nervousness.
The boy could be intimidated, but what of the others?
"He will not be, so long as your willing to cooperate… Which you seem to be now." The boy grins weakly. "Good… As for your not being able to teach us, I'm afraid I — we would have to disagree. With the right amount of dedication and incentives, we may yet learn alot… Even if that something isn't entirely what we sought. That is the way of science, as you are no doubt aware. Now—" He claps his hands together. "Shall we be off elsewhere? The sooner real our business is concluded, the better… Or are you mad enough not to see reason."
Kiji spotted that hesitation, that worry when she mentioned Meruin. Good. Because even if some idiot elder in the Shimizu had sanctioned this, Meruin was not involved and it was he that they would have to contend with when his favorite experiments were suddenly missing and or possibly injured. She saw the chink. He ws nervous. Stepping up to him she came real close and spoke quietly. "You haven't seen rage yet. Don't push me."
She sighed, though and motioned for him to lead on if he insisted on this. "If I even knew what I did I'd try but I was just too bargained off. I don't remember what happened." Was she lying or telling the truth. The offhand way she'd said it spoke of a novice accidently getting something right and then wondering what the heck they'd just done. It was possible wasn't it? She sighed and moved to walk with him. "If we're being nice now why don't you tell me your name or should I Just call you kid?"
The boy held his ground by the narrowest of threads. He held together solely because of the others. That much he made clear by shooting a glance in the general direction of where Kiji sensed the other male's presence. Relief soon enough flood's his eyes the moment Kiji motions for him to lead the way. An action the boy practically jumps to accomplish, considering it meant not having to look directly into Kiji's eyes for a lengthy time.
"Th-the…" The boy winces and rubs at his throat, then again shoots the general direction of the male presence before trying to speak again. "… Shimizu Nobu." He states, begrudgingly answering truthfully. "…We concluded as much based on the rumors and reports. Still, we are hopeful that the means to replicate what happened remains possible… We've even obtained a few things that should make the process easier. Exceptionally so, if anger truly proves to be the key."
Kiji saw the way he was acting, the kid was nervous around her. Either she could defeat him easily, or he was afraid she'd do to him what she'd done to Sorako. It mattered little, the point was he was afraid of her. That was good. She could work with scared. She shook her head lightly as if laughing at a junior. "Skittish aren't you Nobu-san? I don't suppose you and your little friends are afraid of me…. I'm just an experiment. See my hair?" She indicated her white hair where his and most Shimizu were dark haired. She walked along quietly for a long distance and then suddenly piped up with, "You know maybe it's something Meruin-dono did to me. I mean I have this scar and I shouldn't be able to scar you know?" Her tone was casual enough, but she was watching Nobu closely. "Like my eyes changing all the time. He did that too. Have you thought that maybe you're asking the wrong person?"
She scowled at the back of his head when he said — politely enough — that they had plans to make her angry in order to pull out that ability…. She did not like the sound of that but she'd been through a lot worse most likely… They would see…
Unless Kiji's intentions were to keep the boy off balance, calling him skittish seemed to have the opposite effect. The smile is all but gone now that he didn't entirely have to play nice anymore. He glared at her more openly from the corner of his eyes, but continued to listen respectfully nevertheless. The only time there is even the briefest of changes exhibited by the boy is when Kiji mentions scarring. He immediatly turns away and held his chin in the nitch between thumb and pointer finger as he mused over the implications of her words with all due seriousness. "The thought has occured to us before.. yes… Still, we would find out what we can using other means first before dealing with someone outside of our clan… The Okumo and our own are entangled, but.. leaning on them for everything does not sit right." The hand falls away as a sudden realization dons on him. He turns more fully to Kiji, and after a hesitant few moments, a question is asked. Well, questions…
"If what you say is truly the case… Do you know of what went into your being.. what you are? Are you perhaps more closely related to our dare Mizukage?"
Kiji caught his sudden disdain for her after she called him skittish. She was curious what he would react like and that told her a lot. He seemed to be childish and easily provoked, but he had a mind that made up for that to an extent. But Kiji was suprised he hadn't called her a liar about the scar she had. She sighed when he made the assumption that perhaps she was more Okumo than Shimizu. She snerked at that thought. If he knew what was in her braid… Buuut now wasn't the time for that. She shook her head. "If I'm more Okumo than Shimizu i'm no good to you anyway. How long until we get there?" She had been keeping tabs on where Kiyoshi was in relation to where they were moving…
Her lack of an immediate answer was telling to Nobu. It is even more so when she doesn't deny his claim. Albeit, he wasn't ready to stake everything on simply an assumption alone. "Maybe, maybe not. We will find out soon enough for certain…. As for the where, I'm inclined to say you need not know, but that would be pointless … especially thanks to that ability of yours. Suffice it to say, it will take a while, as you no doubt are aware." The hint is clear enough. The kid intended to lead her to the concentration camps, or at least some place close to there. He turns from her the moment recongition sinks in, and focuses purely on the path ahead. By this point they were in one of the few tunnels that remained relatively safe to travel through in order to leave the Oasis. It would be a few hours if not more before they truly reach their destination.
Kiji frowned at Nobu as they continued. So she was being led to the concentration camp… She shook her head slowly, wondering why these people even bothered. But she wasn't actually cooperating she was letting him get her closer to Kiyoshi so she could assess his condition. As they traveled Kiji finally sighed and spoke up. "Why are you so sure I can show you how to do anything? Besides, the camps aren't enough to hold me and if you have been watching me that closely you know that." Kiyoshi would break free if given half a chance and she intended to give it.
She was pretty sure what answers she would get so after that she would be quiet for the most part ont he way to the camps. Her eyes never left their ready state, however, staying a deep gold ringed in orange. The further away they got the more she felt like popping Nobu's head off his shoulders.
Nobu offered little to nothing more during the trip personally, so it would be up to Kiji to speak up. A small, oily smile began to form upon hearing the sigh, for he knew she broke first. Soon enough, that smile is wiped off his face from the words Kiji assaulted him with. Nobu had to clench his hands tightly at his side to keep from acting on a whim as she spoke. Even then, it took a few moments of silence following the 'assault' for him to regain his composure once more. Kiji would notice that one of the chakra signatures following them grew a little closer to the duo. Whether or not the source would've intervened or not however would fortunately go unknown. This time.
"Call us over-confident if you must, or desperate if you want. Either way, it doesn't change the outcome of things. And if you really are so sure that we cannot hold you at the camps, why mention security at all instead of trying to use an "oversight" like that against us secretly? It would be in your best interest, would it not?" He asks dryly, switching now to a jog to hasten their arrival at the camp.
Kiji shook her head. "Why lie about something so obvious?" She remained silent for the rest of the walk, letting him stew. She'd gotten plenty of verbal barbs in against him anyway. At one point she bent to pick a flower, looking at it and smelling it lightly. "These are hard to find in the Oasis, I'll have to remember that they grow here." Just idle conversation… When the camps were in sight Kiji suddenly stopped and opened her mind to scan the area. It was not hard for her to search out a single chakra signature. At this range she could locate Kiyoshi and she could tell he wasn't drugged. Good. He might get out of this unharmed yet. "I suggest you let Kiyoshi go. With just me you could have claimed it was a clan thing but if you do something to him you can't claim that."
Nobu scowled at Kiji, but refrained from answering the question. The girl had made a point of either intimidating or aggravating him at every opportunity, so for his own sake, it was best not to engage any further. Her stopping to pick at flowers threatened to rekindle what had been a dulling fire. Thankfully, no incident occurs. He simply stares at her flatly for a silent moment before turning to continue onwards with the expectation she would follow again.
Though he doesn't convey it visually, Nobu's chakra signature gave away his relief at seeing the camp. "… That may be true, Kiji-san, but he shall remain in our company until you are secured." And with that, Nobu would continue onwards until given a reason otherwise. It is as they draw closer to the gate that the two other energy signatures emerge from the surface of the ground and continue on top side. The male was an older and perhaps more masculine version of Nobu, for all intents and purposes. The girl on the other hand… didn't quite bear the family resemblance. At least nothing beyond a few snippets of traits all Shimizu bore. While the elder male pressed on faster than the others to reach the security at the gates, the girl spoke up. "I shouldn't have to say this. Frankly, it might even be interesting to see what might happen if you ignored this warning, but… Do try not cause trouble once we're inside. Just because you have demonstrated an impressive ability does not mean your are suddenly back in favor with the clan." She giggles lightly. "Though I don't suppose something like that matters to you.."
Kiji almost smirked as Nobu annoyance. Almost. She knew what she was doing and yes she could tell he was relieved when they came upon the camp. Kiji paused at the top of that hill staring at the camp and remembering her two years there under Sorako's instruction. She was allowed a full ration of food of course, unlike some of the prisoners, but she was no more free than they. It had been a dark time though she could not comprehend how dark until she tasted true freedom.
Moving forward she glanced over as the female approached her. The warning made Kiji eye her foor a long moment with an odd combination of confusion and boredom in her eyes. "I've never been accepted by the clan. Why start now? But just calm down. If I had wanted to I would have ripped your boyfriend to pieces once we were out of the oasis. No point poisoning the plants." She smirked lightly then turned to follow them in.
To be honest, Kiji was pretty sure she wouldn't like their ideas of 'containment' but she had been through much worse with the slavers right? If they wanted her crying and begging they would have another thing coming….
Nobu snorts loudly. "She wishes she was my girlfriend." He states without bothering to look back. The girl grins mirthlessly, then after giving Kiji a sidelong glance, she points to the side of her head and makes a circular motions. Obviously this team was a little dysfunctional, though given the techniques used by two-thirds of the team, they were not without resources.
The guards allow the trio to pass freely. As soon as the trio are inside, the elder rejoins them following the perhaps abrupt conclusion of a conversation with a Shimizu and Okumo pair. Scientist or doctors by the looks of them. Noone — not even the guards — appear to pay much attention to the passing group. Such a level of apathy for a new arrival may not be something new to Kiji, or perhaps this is apart of some arrangements made? Either way, they are to go unmolested during the few minutes they are forced to remain in public view. Eventually they reach a small, unassuming building to the furthest end of the camp.
Kiyoshi's chakra signature is clearer now. The sense of calm that radiated earlier seemed to be slowly evaporating. A sign that the giant's patience perhaps was wearing thin.
"Now might be perhaps your last chance to abandon him, you know? Just escape somehow and go to, I dunno, the Mizukage perhaps? It may be wrong of me to hold any rumors with a grain of salt, but… he is rather fond of you is he not?" The girl asks nonchalant. Nobu freezes in place. If not for her tone then perhaps the question itself gave him pause.
Kiji continued to follow her cousins, quietly observing and paying attention to Kiyoshi's signature. He was growing restless.. Not a good sign in any case. If Kokuo took full control ther could be a major incident on their hands after all. Of course she could not tell them that. They were not aware of why Kiyoshi's chakra ws different or why he was regenerating so fast after battle. But Kiji knew… She kept it to herself too.
She noted as they passed that the elders and higher ups in the camps were all pointedly ignoring the small group as they moved toward the smallish building. Not a good sign for her perhaps… She sighed softly only to have her attention grabbed by the girl. Her statement that Nobu wasn't her boyfriend made Kiji grin. "Sorry, I've always wanted to accuse someone of that." Was she lying.. maybe maybe not… Was it amusing anyway? Yes, yes it was.
However the girl's suggestion that she could still excape if she abandoned Kiyoshi made Kiji shake her head. "I'm not like some people. I'll not abandon a friend like that." Kiji then entered the indicated building, looking around, trying to get a handle on how they planned to hold her…
Curious, Nobu turned fully to guage Kiji's reaction to the question and listen attentively. He is somewhat taken aback by the answer, but retained enough of his senses to step aside while Kiji proceeded on ahead. Nobi quickly follows after. His other two compatriots however lingered behind. The easy-going air about the girl had evaporated almost instantly, unvieling behind a much colder and unforgiving persona staring at the backside of the clone. After a moment's pause, she too wordlessly enters the building, leaving the elder male to close the door behind them and stand watch outside for the time being.
As for what awaited inside the building… nothing. Nothing except just enough light to four white walls, a floor, and a ceiling all as blank as a canvas. The only light source came from seal array above. Something similiar to what one might find in a medical hospital at a first glance. That is to say, the more advance ones villages like Konohagakure was known to possess. Between the mindset and simple fact that most Kirigakure clans had so means of 'repairing' their injured, the need for something greater dependent upon the medics as most knew.
As if either sensing her confusion or simply because, Nobu moves on towards the center of the room and performs a specific set of seals. The light of the seals above not only brighten at the completion of the sigment, but also alternate to a blue-ish hue. Six feet from the center of the room, another set of seals appear in a circular pattern, only to fade away a few seconds later. Again, Nobu forms a few more necessary seals, giving away in sharp relief his connection to earth manipulation, but also causing parts of the floor where the seal resided to rise up, then slide away.
"We need something less exhausting for this, Ko-san." Nobu complained following a sigh of relief. The girl offers no response to suggestion beyond taking the lead down the slanted tunnel, lit by real light fixtures along its roof. "Hmph.. After you, Kiji-san." Nobu states dryly.
Kiji caught the girl's attitude shift and shook he head lightly. It had been obvious from he start that these people did not like Kiji so why had they pretended to be polite? She reached out to sense Kiyoshi's presence again and let out a shallow breath.
The room was bare for the most part which was curious. She had drained of chakra to keep her under control, had basicly been crucified to the same end, she wondered what they would do with some seals… Kiji watched with intent eyes as Nobu activated the first seal, then the second and others. Kiji tilted her head at the array befoore her. So seals were thier plan… Interesting but she wasn't sure what they were capable of. and then the floor moved and slid away to expose a tunnel. Kiji blinked, her eyes shifting to purple, filled with curiosity.
The girl's order to continue made her simply move to obey. She remained silent as she followed them down the tunnel…
Whether or not the seals had a greater or lesser purpose than they seemed, no answers are offered up by her 'captors'. They were content to keep her as lost in the dark as possible regarding their methods. Only the intent remained clear so far.
After descending perhaps ten feet underground, the tunnel stretches forward to the point it is impossible to tell if there's an end to it from its starting point. Several long uneventful minutes pass in the virtually uniform tunnels before the feeling of the ground slanting upwards becomes noticeable. In less than a few minutes, Nobu is again forced to perform a similiar line of seals, opening the floor to another room. Though a void in terms of style, everything else about the room suggested it be meant for waiting for all intents and purposes. Only a single obvious door of wood connects to it, leading to who knows where. Kiyoshi had paid no initial heed to the sound of grinding earth and stone. He did however grew stock still just as soon as Nobu steps beyond the portal, giving room for Kiji to move on forward.
"Chi-chan?" Kiyoshi spun about to fully regard the Shimizu. He starts towards her first, only to stop and look towards the others suspiciously.
Kiji couldn't help feeling a bit excited. She had always liked exploring and despite technicly being a prisoner, she enjoyed the walk through the tunnel. The second set of seals and earth slid to the side and as Nobu stepped aside she entered.. and came to a dead stop. Her eyes narrowed and she focused her atention on Kiyoshi, searching for any indication that he was some other shinobi henged to be Kiyoshi. She came up with the fact that he was the real Kiyoshi. She stepped toward him. "Kiyoshi… Are you alright?" She looked at him with orange rimmed eyes that showed concern for his health not her own.
Kiyoshi had a difficult time dragging his attention away from the other girl in particular; but soon enough, his gaze does fall back on the concerned Shimizu. He is less hesitant to approach now, and answered her question with an uplifting hug that lasted perhaps for a full minute. As soon as he placed Kiji back on the ground, Kiyoshi started to open his mouth, only to be cut off by the girl, "Ko-san" speaking up.
"He is, as you can clearly see, though had we not intervened, I cannot say he would've been otherwise. Trespassing here without proper clearance is a rather serious offense, after all… Not to mention simply knowing of this place." The girl smiles thinly. "Which is something he has been reluctant to share with even us." Kiyoshi kept his eyes upon Kiji during most of the change. The moment she made mention of his relunctance however, he stares at her intensely, lips curling slightly away from his teeth as if he intended bite her if necessary.
Kiji smiled and hugged Kiyoshi back, only refraining from kissing his cheek because Nobu and the girl did not seem to get he was her mate nto just a friend. The hug made herr smile and even as she was set down she could sense the tension in him. Kiji turned to them as well and looked annoyed more than anything. "Then let Meruin-dono deaal with him." She looked at Kiyoshi and tried to appear calm and collected, but she was concerned for him. "Why don't you get to it. I can't give you what you want."
Kiyoshi did not calm easily while in the presence of an agitated Kiji. This was especially true today. His guttural, grating growling only quiets from confusion over Kiji's words. He look down to her and lofted a brow. Nobu opened his mouth to speak, but it is 'Ko' that actually gets a words out first. "Your friend has already generated quite a bit of a record, Kiji-san. We only wished to prevent that record growing to the point that Meruin-sama might feel more inclined to re-evaluate such a specimen. Which is something I'm sure both of you can appreciate not happening." She pauses for a moment to let the information sink in, arms casually folded up over her chest. "And as Nobu has already said to you before, what you say does not automatically negate the possibility of things being otherwise. Now up to this point, we have kept to our word… It is time for you to do the same, Kiji-san… Or do you intend to go back out on it?" She asks calmly.
A possibility. The tunnel was open on both ends after all…
Kiji sighed as Ko spoke about Kiyoshi's 'record' and how they could punish him for it with impunity. It wasn't necessarily so, but they could hurt him anyway. Consequences were the issue here. "Let him go and then see if you can figure it out. I told you I really don't remember what I did that day." She stared them right in the eyes as she spoke, no sign of hesitation. "If anything happens to him you'll never know any of my secrets I can tell you that." Her voice was calm but cold, her eyes still ringed in orange. She shook her head. "So what do you want? I'm pretty sure if we so chose we could fight our way to freedom just the two of us." She was trying to give Kiyoshi verbal clues that they were both in danger without actually saying it, she hoped he wouldn't snap…
At the words 'Let him go' Kiyoshi's demeanor changes almost instantly. He doesn't outright snap as Kiji fears, but that built up annoyance over having to wait around in some weird room for no good reason certainly left him primed to turn to Nobu and 'Ko' with a renewed sense of suspicion and anger. What Kiji skirted around took him longer than it should've to understand. But as soon as he did, bared teeth and growling didn't seem to be enough. He wanted to harm them, and was growing more than willing to risk freedom for the sake of punishing them for threatening her with his safety.
Nobu visibly paled, but the girl remained as calm as ever. Her demeanor in some ways grow to seem more alike to Sorako's in a matter of speaking. "You two should really calm down. As Nobu said before, so long as you remain cooperative, so shall we. Truthfully… you two weren't even supposed to have encountered each other. A mistake that I shall have to rectify soon enough." She shook her head in exasperation, then narrowed her eyes at Kiji. "I do believe even you understand that it is time for you to go, Moto." Kiyoshi didn't budge an inch. He just kept glaring at the woman, daring her to try and force him to obey.
Kiji noted Kiyoshi was nearing the edge of his patience with these people but she turned to him as he bared his teeth at Ko and Nobu. Kiji reched up and cupped his face in her hands, a soft smile on her lips, pulling him down for a kiss and then another on his neck right by his ear. However, as she was 'kissing' by his ear she whispered to him, ust barely loud enough for Kiyoshi to make it out. "Kiyoshi, get out of here so I don't have to worry about you. Get Meruin-dono or Yoichi-sensei. You're the only way out for me.. please." pulling back she looked up at him, eyes watching him warily, hoping he would find the wisdom in her idea. She was strong. She could wait for them to return. Then, aloud, she said, "See? It'll be fine. They're my cousins after all."
Kiyoshi almost fights her hold. He wanted to without a doubt, but seeing the smile compelled him to simply go along with the motions. His reserve slips away the moment their lips he meet. For a moment in time, the Kirryu did not care about the 'outside' world and its occupants; only Kiji. The haze that drifted over mind kept him from blowing Kiji's cover immediately. But soon after they part, his anger is back again, if albeit a shadow of its former self. Some of that anger seemed focused on Kiji as he gazed back at her. He sighs in defeat and inclines his head.
"If you say so, Chi-chan." He murmurs quietly, and after one last hug, he turns to the others. He doesn't so much as say a word, but stares at them expectantly. It takes Nobu a second or too to catch on to the glaring giant's silent expectations before he simply shook his head and motioned for the giant to step down into the tunnel. As soon as he sunk deep enough, the tunnel begins to close. Kiyoshi waited at there for however long it took the 'door' to close, silently entreating for Kiji to be safe up until the last moment.
"Are you finally ready dear cousin?" 'Ko' asks with what amounted to relief for her being openly shown.
Kiji nodded to Kiyoshi as the door separated them. She hated to do that to him, hated to send him off but this was to do with the clan as well as Meruin's little experiments… She wanted him safe and if possible he could bring help to get her out… If the elders of the Shimizu clan were involved then she might not be able to beat these people after all. As soon as Kiyoshi was away,Kiji held still and quiet, waiting for them to let Kiyoshi go free. If that happened and Nobu's chakra separated from Kiyoshi's she would nod to Ko and motion for her to lead the way.
