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| - "She's the only woman I respect besides my sister and cousin. Even my mother has her faults and my other....grandmother is off-limits as a topic," the woman pondered as stack of completed papers appeared full at last. The woman cracked her knuckles, deciding to what she would attend to next. It had been nearly a decade since the incident that threatened to wage wat amongst the Yuri kin. And even as time went on, things were just not the same with such a large piece of the family's puzzle missing. Kirei longed to be reunited with her precious grand daughter. Being a woman of prestige and class, Kirei bore ties with people all across the shinobi world. Under the guise of a simple vacation with her once lively husband, Kirei took this chance to reacquaint herself with the lost grandchild. "The Yang Damiyō, she's certain made a name for herself." The woman commended happily, approaching the huge estate. With the woman's otherworldly charm, and the somewhat remarkable resemblance, Kirei eased get way into the Damiyō's quarters. It was a surprise indeed and one that warranted a beyond overdue embrace. Kirei sat at the table, excitingly motioning the now young woman over. "Come drink tea with your Grandmother, dear." She beckoned, waving her hand. "But of course. How did you find me? Not that I've been exactly laying low but still, I've kept a relative sense of anonymity since...leaving," she noted, studying the person who had preoccupied her mind just a few second earlier. The chuckled a bit, pouring tea in to separate cup for them to enjoy. "I have several connects, so finding about where you harbored wasn't too much of a chore. And don't worry, your father does not know." She contemplates this for a second. "I suppose we all have our secrets don't we?" Kuru smirked. "I am your grandmother, after all." Kirei shot back with a grin. She laughed. "Beauty and wisdom mixed together like fine wine. I only hope that I can strike the same balance sometime in the future." "Don't be silly child." The woman laughed aloud, patting Kurumi's head. "It's in your genes. Though this type of thing may just run through the women in out family. Lord knows your father and grandfather are several brain cells short." "So I've heard. Tsugumi finds them both infuriating on a regular basis. That reminds me, what made you choose grandfather as a spouse? Was it his supposed "good looks", his silliness at times...or something else?" the woman asked, reclining slightly as she studied the fading rays of sunlight. She sighed as the corner of her mouth began to rise slowly. "Despite how he appears now, your grandfather is a very charming man. His personality is one that beckons you to be around him. His warmth, makes you feel safe and secure. You should know of all people, you once adored him." She said through a widened smile, remember when times where alot more peaceful among them. Kurumi nodded. "The ice breaker is what I called him. He could break any frigid atmosphere. Dispel a room that was fraught with tension. He was a touchstone after my accident," "Darling, did you think I'd let you forget about us? I have to let you know that you're old grandmother is still kicking." She chimed, nudging Kurumi. "I know you're still kicking grandma. When I'm old and infirm you'll still be alive and well, fresh as a morning daisy," Kuru responded with a smirk, noting the longevity of both sides of the family. "Oh darling, you're too much." She laughed once more, taking a sip from her tea. "So what brings you out here? Surely you didn't travel all this way just to see little old me." Kuru said, turning serious. Seeing members of her Kumo family, while comforting also put her on edge. It could spell trouble in her mind. "Well, you're grandfather and I are on vacation, we needed some time away from home." She admitted. Life in Kumogakure could indeed bore a person to. And knowing thus all too well, Kirei could sympathize somewhat to why Kurumi ran the hell away when she got the chance. "So I decided to drop by, I figured you needed to a familiar face." She relaxed ever so slightly even as her poker face remained. "I see. It is nice to see a familiar face every now and then. Both my cousin and I are extremely busy so we have little time to socialize with each other. Is grandfather in the area as well or did you come by yourself?" Kurumi asked. She could repress the smile that slithered across her face once more. "He fell asleep and as you know, once he's out; there's no waking him up." She said, thanking her husband uncontrollable sleeping habit. Looking at her wristwatch, she continued. "And I doubt that he'll be getting up anytime soon. It was perfectly timed. I couldn't have him trailing me." Scoffing she poured her more tea. "If he found out then Kiyoshi would find out." She paused, darling to continue. "Though you'll have to face your father eventually." Rumi sighed. "I know I will. It's a day that grows closer with each passing second. I expect that nothing good will come of our meeting. I suppose you heard what my other grandmother has done with my......warning," she said. Sayuri wasn't one to keep things quiet, particularly if it related to those she despised. "From what I hear, that woman is very detestable." Kirei waved off, dismissing the mention of Sayuri as soon as he arose. "And yes, it now stands as a monument. 'The day Kumogakure ninja were slaughtered by their own.'" She said, emphasizing it as a headline. "Your grandfather was quite shocked and perhaps even saddened to see that you're capable of such things." As much as Kirei wanted to not touch on this subject, she felt it needed to be done, just to see where Kurumi's mind was. "Do you realize the position you placed your father in?" Sighing again, Kurumi shifted her position, "An ultimatium was necessary. Everything else I tried wasn't effective. Throwing them off my trail was insufficient, pleading with them to leave me alone, games and tricks would not deter them. They would not get it through their thick skulls that I was not returning. So a hard line had to be drawn," "So you had no other choice that to slaughter them all. I purpose that action was justifiable to you at the time." Kirei nodded, feeling as though her duties as a grandmother had failed. "i wish there could've been something else done to prevent it from happening." She wanted to know more. "What were you so afraid of? Why were you so reluctant on being brought back home?" She questioned further. "I refuse to be under my father's thumb. I refuse to be confined to that small section of the world. What I know means they would never let me "walk out" and travel so I seized the day when the opportunity arose. Otherwise, I would still be there now. The moment I return to that place I would be locked up. Kept under watchful eyes for every millisecond of my life. All to make certain that the Raikage's "wayward" daughter doesn't see fit to "run away" once more," was Kurumi's adamant response. "My darling, it was your birthright. The Yuri have been at the forefront of every Kumo affair since the very beginning." She informed. "Our clan is of the highest regards in the entire Lightning County, of course there would be no easy was out. You were confound to Kumogakure the moment you decided to join the Council. And as such a young age, you were the future of our clan. Your father considering you, his youngest at the time, to be the rightful heir to the Yuri should your sister not accept it." Kirei said, remembering the high hopes Kiyoshi had for Kumuri. But it was the life he planned for her. "Your actions tarnished our reputation, and you left that mess for rest of us, mainly Tsugumi and Kiyoshi, to clean." It appeared the time had come for a deeper conversation. Seeing as she was all set for the day, the daimyō obliged. "A birthright that I vehemently deny. There are two children older than me. Tsugumi and Blu are more than capable of handling the clan's affairs," she began, "I have no interest in running a clan or dealing with preconceived notions and traditions. The small-mindedness of the Council was enough to dissuade me from that path. Joining the council was an effort to move myself beyond the pitiful station I resided in at the time. Yet it only taught me that this place was not my own." "I yearned to start from as close to scratch as possible. It helped that I met like-minded people during the intervals were I wasn't being doggedly pursued. A carefree monkey child, a thief turned mercenary and raider, a lost family member who felt the same dissatisfaction. I understand the reprecussions of what I did. People died. I killed people in a way that made my demented grandmother so proud that she had it preserved. Apparently she even had a ceremony. I felt fear not because I was being chased, but because when I completed all of those actions, when I saw those dead bodies....I felt nothing. Not the sadism that my other grandmother enjoys so much, not the powerful consuming regret that should accompany taking so many lives. Nothing. Emptiness. Somehow that sounds worse than any malicious barbarism that Sayuri could cook up," Kurumi paused. "How would my great-grandfather describe it? Like clockwork. He would know better than anyone after all; he's taken hundreds of lives if not more during his war days." "You're more like your grandfather than I realized." Kirei said, reaching out to rub Kurumi's face lightly. "It wasn't right for him to attempt burden you with those responsibility. Maybe it's time for these old traditions to be abolished. It is not up to us as parents to choose paths for our children, that's what I did to Kiyoshi. And he was trying to do the same with you." And for the lif e of her, Kirei couldnt wrap her head around why killing was necessary. She wondered if there could've been more behind the Anbu's "retrieve" mission. "Sometimes, your father gas a very hard time expressing how he truly feels." She admitted. "When the accident happened, the man was a mess. He wanted nothing more than to shelter you from the world, to ensure that no one else could harm his baby girl. He was dumbfounded upon hearing wind of what you did. He swore on his life that you were not capable of such things. Not his little Kumi" Kirei's hands gripped Kurumi's face gently. "But it was the Council that forced him to blacklist you." Kurumi harrumphed. "It may not be right, but he went for it anyways. Thus, I rebelled against his heavy handed tactics. What I needed was support, not smothering." she responded, studying the face she knew so well. Her indigo gaze darkened to a shade of violet as a silent conversation occurred between the two of them. "Because the Council was terrified of me. Imagine a child swaggering into a room full of elders and carving out a place of respect and influence in the space of a few years. They saw a burgeoning intellect and a hunger for knowledge that made fear grip their hearts." Kurumi continued. Indeed, there was more the retrieval missions. A young girl who was quickly growing into herself during years on the run. It appeared roving the world agreed with her as the quiet and studious child became a flowering and rebellious beauty. No doubt aided by the power that bloomed within. Like calls to like. Her growing power making her not just a threat in the council room but on the battlefield. Yes, they wanted to do more than capture her. The birth of her Wood Release sent a flurry of interest that made it paramount that they bring her back for the sake of cultivating the First's coveted ability. Others desired her for more heinous reasons, crass language and crude desires she overheard while sneaking around encampments. All Kurumi saw at the end of the Kumo tunnel was a broken girl turned broken woman, used up by her village's desires for power and prestige of various types. They were an enemy that she would not submit to. Kuru only hoped that her sister came to the same realization soon.
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