Starring:
Date: January 16, 2014
Summary:
Misaki talks to Nariko and Hiei
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Talking in Circles"
Raikage’s Training Area
Misaki is still in her cage. She didn't test it or try to get out. She was meditating most of the time in fact. Something she usually doesn't do. Spending a lot of time… Well inside … Practicing with Matatabi, discussing… And generally just trying to pass time. She had no idea what Ogo was up to. But she hoped they would be able to clear up this mess and eventually find a happy medium. She briefly touched the feather on her head too, it calmed her to know she wasn't entirely alone.
Walking into the Raikage's hall, was Nariko. She was looking for Hiro to take him out to lunch, due to his workaholic nature. She looked into the office to spot Hiro and only caught a glimpse of a mountain of paper, he must be trying to perfect his mountain goat skills. "Hiro?" She asks, no response. She sighs and walks back towards the entrance. As she walked towards the entrance she peered into the room where Misaki was, checking on her.
When Nariko peeks into the room to check on Misaki, she would hear footsteps behind her as Hiei walks up. "I'm sure she's still in there. Those seals that Sensei put on her suppresses both her and the bijuu." He then moves past Nariko and walks into the room completely to see Misaki meditating or talking to her cat, or whatever it was she was doing. Instead of speaking, he remains quiet, standing against the wall..waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.
"Yees?" Misaki says, opening one eye. She looks at Hiei, a gaze begging for some symphathy. This must be the longest period in a row she was sitting on her ass. That has to count for something.
Nariko looks at Hiei as he speaks. "I just had to check. I'm very wary." She follows him in and tilts her head. "Hi." She gives a hand to her and then looks to Hiei before looking back to her. It was the first time she would see her cousin talk to Misaki since they brought her back. "Gonna be okay?"
Hiei replies to Nariko. "Nothing to be wary about." He turns to look at Misaki. "When we last spoke, I told you to keep an open mind and to listen to the Raikage." He motions to the seals. "This is what happens when you don't." He runs a hand through his long hair as he pushes away from the wall. "I came to check in on you. I asked Nariko to speak to you like you requested, but I'm told that it didn't exactly go well."
"I'm sorry… It's my fault." She looks at Nariko. "I just don't get it. Whenever words come out of my mouth it's just.." She makes a hand-flapping motion kinda wildly.
Nariko looks from Hiei to Misaki. She folds her arms on her chest and shakes her head. "Well, thinking before speaking is usually a good idea." She shrugs and looks to Hiei, watching him curiously, hoping those lessons did him some good.
Hiei shrugs. "You've said that before, and then you turn around and do the exact same thing over and over again." He taps the side of his head. "I'm not the smartest guy…but I do have a disciplined mind. I think twice before I speak once…especially when talking to a higher ranked shinobi. Our village works the way it does because of it's command structure. For example, if I had spoken with such disrespect to my clan head the way you did with Sensei the other day he would kill me. The fact that he's my grandfather wouldn't even matter. You get where I'm going with this?"
"Yes and no…" She looks at Hiei and blinks a few times. "Okay, I can try to adress Ogo differently. But the essense of my message stays the same. Yes, I want to serve the village, yes, I want to serve him… But I can't agree to do so blindly without it also including my higher moral obligation. I discussed this with Matatabi. His power simply can't be used for certain ends, and I need Ogo to acknowledge that. Then this impass can end and we can move forward."
Nariko touches the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "You're repeating yourself. We've been over this. We know what your message is." She shakes her head and looks to Hiei before looking back to her. "Your moral obligation should be to the village. This is what Ogo-Sensei has been wanting you to understand."
Hiei shrugs. "This is the bottom line. You, or Matatabi don't have a choice. You do what you're told, or the flaming cat goes back in his bottle. There is no amount of diplomacy, or negotiation to this. We don't live in a democracy where a /Genin/ gets to dictate the actions of the Raikage. I'm tired of this discussion. Personally, I don't want anything bad to happen to you or the bijuu. But that's a decision that's not mine to make, and whatever comes I'll have to live with it. I've been trying so hard to get you to understand this. No other shinobi in the village has issues with this except you. You keep going on and on about make believe situations instead of focusing on the present and what is..not what will be or might be. Right now, we have a pretty great Raikage. I judge his actions on what he does in the present, not what's done in the past. I say this not because I'm heartless, or because I don't care. I say it because I am a realist, and this is just what is."
Misaki looks at Hiei and places her palms on her knees. Considering her options here. It's clear that she doesn't get to make any demands it seems. "Well, fine… I'll take the oath." She mutters defeatedly. "If it gets me out of this cage and treated normally again. I understand it will take time. But it's better than getting Matatabi in a bottle. That's unfair for him. Would you appreciate being put in a bottle?"
Nariko looks at Misaki. "That isn't what put you in this cage in the first place." She shakes her head. "You have said and done things that have put you in this situation. It's not about taking the oath, that you have already taken and broken, it's something much larger. I want to ask you why you think you were put in this cage?"
Hiei doesn't say anything at this point. He really was tired of having the same old conversation. Instead, he listens to Nariko and allows her to talk to Misaki now. She was much more articulate than he was when it came to speaking afterall.
"Because some oaf in administration doesn't see the difference between a threat and a compliant girl?" She sighs. "Because I said and did what I did. I already told you, I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted to be left alone! I wouldn't ever do something like that! And you should know that too." She throws Hiei another look, this one more pleading. "You guys should know by now that I don't always convey what I want really well… I guess it's why I fell in love with that other oaf over there." She points at Hiei. "I guess we're both turtles in heat.." She chuckles at that. "And by that I don't mind… Ugh.. SEE! Nevermind…"
Nariko looks at Misaki and just shakes her head. "Telling people that you will destroy a village and kill children is a threat. It doesn't show a compliant girl. You threatened lives. How would others know you didn't mean it? How am I to know you didn't mean it?" She looks to Hiei before looking back to Misaki. "He is a lot smarter than you give him credit for." Hiei better not repeat that, ever.
Hiei shrugs. "You know, Nariko is right. I know you well enough, but at the time you were angry because of me, and you were feeling betrayed. I've seen shinobi go on killing sprees for lesser things. I saw Fudo attempt to kill our team members because he thought someone had betrayed him. How the radius was I supposed to know that you didn't mean it?" He slams his fist into the wall, apparently angry. "How the circumference was I supposed to know that you were bluffing? I even asked you to reconsider several times. You told both Nariko and myself that you would have your new friend Mushi to level our village. That you would target the childen..the very children who I instruct in the way of being a /proper/ shinobi. Just because you were angry. What do you think would happen to me if I had done the same? Would people trust me again just because I said..hey guys, I'm sorry…I just wanted to be left alone. I didn't really mean it…" He snorts and crosses his arms over his chest. "And now you say that it was because of a parasite. What someone had genjutsued me into killing members of the village. It's not directly my fault, but then I'd be compromised. They couldn't be able to tell if I was truly genjutsued, or if I just succumbed to bloodthirst. This is what we're dealing with here."
Misaki looks at Nariko, a little angry this time. "Hiei is the smartest man in this village… Okay maybe not the smartest, but right there with them!" The guts to claim she thinks otherwise. She then sits down and crosses her arms. "I don't get it though. Why get me out of there without harming me. If you're planning on putting me in a box? This isn't making me more inclined to fight for you." She looks at Nariko. "It's really fueling the us and them vibe…" She then looks at Hiei and nods. "Yes, you're right. It's a difficult situation. But keeping me in this thing isn't going to give a positive outcome either way. Did I actually attack the village? No… Did I attack you when I saw you? No.. Did I attack Nariko? No… Did I ever show any sign of hurting anyone anywhere where they don't deserve it? No… Do I show inclinations for not showing mercy when it's due? No, on the contrary, I nearly got myself killed at that festival for taking pity on criminals." She looks at Hiei. "If you don't want to help me, or kill me… Then what do you want?"
Nariko walks over to Hiei and puts a hand on his shoulder, to give him a "It's okay" type thing. "Cool it Hiei." She whispers to him before looking back to Misaki. "But see, no one knew any of that. How was anyone to know if you would or wouldn't? It was just what was best."
Hiei shakes his head. "No, you didn't attack me. You did worse. You had someone do it for you." He looks at Nariko. "Sorry. I guess there's a reason the Raikage doesn't want me talking to her alone." He runs a hand over his face is frustration. "I want to help you. Why do you think I've been talking until I've been blue in the face. But you're probably going to stay here until you realize that you're not going to get your way. Sensei is furious. So furious that he won't even listen to me. You should focus on convincing him of your innocence."
"I said fine right? Not my way, we'll do it your way. I just said it and it didn't change squat." Misaki says while looking at Hiei. "And did he actually hit you Hiei? Think about it. I asked Ryoji to not hurt you. I told you this before. I just wanted him to distract you until Daisuke could get me out of there on his nimbus. So that nobody would get hurt!"
Nariko looks at Hiei and nods. "And Ogo-Sensei is right." She looks to Misaki before shaking her head. She gives a smile to Hiei. "Let's go get some lunch. You're probably hungry." She motions her head to the exit. "Come on, I'll even pay." She starts to head out, waiting on Hiei.
Hiei snorts. "Because I dodged him. I'm a taijutsuist..I know he was aiming for my vital organs. It would have been incredibly painful. Maybe he didn't listen to you. I don't fully trust any shinobi not from this village. Ever." He nods to Nariko and then turns to walk out of the door. "I'd like to go to the kebab stand in the village center. They have the best food."