A Web of Intrigue [PM for Info/Entry Plz]

[Morishige]

Mori Hana​

"Hmm de hmm de da. Some tea for you and for you! All get along now, don't make a big fuss." said the small girl with unique magenta hair. In fact, it was this trait that was being discussed nearby by her parents. Little Hana had not always had such a hair color, it used to be the boring dark brown that really just looked black color. So in her spare time, the young girl had conjured up a ninjutsu that changed her hair color. Unfortunately, she had yet to discover the release to that jutsu and it was somewhat...eh...permanent. Never the less, she had grown used to it with time and stopped trying to find a cure for it in the end.

But besides that, her parents were off in the other room, watching their young prodigy play with her teddy bear and other dolls. Next to them stood her tutor, Tachibana Shirou. There gaze was soon broken by words from the tutor. "We are taking a break today. She is progressing quickly, and another Shinobi has actually be ordered to come assist in her training." he said. But he could see the concern on their face and quickly added to his words. "Don't worry, you won't have to pay an additional fee. The one they are sending over has needed a more...permanent situation." he said with a small smile, wondering how they were going to react this time. The information he knew, and was purposefully leaving out is what made the grin appear.

"What do you mean permanent situation?" asked Hana's father. Of course he would be concerned. Shirou spoke in such a way only to court curiosity. So he would sate their desire for knowledge with appeasement being his intention. "Well, she purposefully requested to be placed into a position where she could help the youth of the village. And the headmaster deemed it proper to send her to help me out. Unlike me, however, the new tutor will be spending all her time within your residence. I am sure you can spare an extra room?" Shirou said, inclining the tone of his voice near the end. This time, Hana's mother spoke. "Yes of course, when will our new guest be arriving?" she then inquired. "Anytime now." Mr. Tachibana responded in a quick fashion. A small smirk drew across Mrs. Mori's visage and she hurried off to find a made.

"It's a good thing they aren't apart of the force, or else keeping them in the dark would be a lot harder." Shirou thought. See the truth was, Shirou requested the main branch send over someone to actually guard Hana. The experiments she had been delving into had been getting out of hand lately and he was going to need assistance in containing Hana's creativity. When he learned who was being sent over, he was outraged, but quickly learned the reasons behind his superiors decision. Of course, if he were in charge, he wouldn't place such an unstable individual in a position of protectiveness over a girl with unstable power. But those decisions were above his pay grade. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how the small child reacted to her new guardian angel.

Speaking of the devil... the loud chimes of an expensive doorbell resounded through the manor and Mr. Mori quickly made it his mission to answer the door to see whom his guest might be.

Kato Haruka​

So here she was, the troubled female herself. Haruka's thoughts ran rampant with reasons for her new 'prolonged' mission. In her briefing, she had learned that her directive was to protect a small girl named Hana, as well as remaining aware of the fact that this little girl had the power to cause immense damage. It was Haruka's job to be able to quell her power should it get out of hand. "Leave it to the government to learn how to use my curse for their benefit." she grumbled to herself as she rang the doorbell. It was well known that Haruka's ability to heal, and protect herself, was far above anyone else in the village. Of course, it came at the price of part of her soul, but she wasn't just going to give up a powerful gift. And should the village need her to watch some brat, then so be it. Haruka felt somewhat indebted to Kumo for letting her abomination self back into society.

But her sad thoughts of the past were quickly pushed aside by the door opening; a fierce looking man starred at her for a moment. They always stared. No one ever seemed to expect a kunoichi to be really good looking. But of course, her curse help her from aging and made men oogle her like some toy to be played with. Haruka sighed silently. She knew it was going to be hard to convince them she was a good shinobi capable for the job. "Oh that's right, I'm not a shinobi. I was told to inform the parents that I was a tutor sent to assist some guy named Shirou." she thought, making the customary bow and waiting to be invited in. An embarrased Mr. Mori quickly followed suit and brought her inside.

"Ah good you've arrived!" Shirou said with false enthusiasm. In reality, he wanted to be as far away as possible from the woman. Haruka bowed once again and took a look around. The place was nice, really nice. Perhaps this assignment wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be. "I am Kato Haruka, thank you for having me in your home." she said, speaking to Mr. Mori, whom eagerly replied with: "The pleasure is ours!" Naturally Haruka felt a bit queasy due to this; her mind was already worried about this guy trying to peep on her during a bath or something of the like. Thankfully, a small high pitched voice broke the tiny silence.

With a tug on his sleeve, Hana voiced her concerns, though they were hardly that at all. "Who's the pretty lady Daddy?" she would ask, to which Haruka quickly blushed. It had been quite some time since anyone called her pretty. Normally it was just 'hot and sexy', so this was a nice breath of fresh air. Mr. Mori quickly patted his young girl on the head and introduced Haruka by her false title. "This is Haruka, she's a tutor that will be joining Tachibana-san as an assistant." he said, looking to the pair of shinobi for confirmation. Needless to say, they both nodded their head with smiles. Hana then slowly made her way forward, her teddy dangling in her hand. Haruka responded by kneeling upon one knee so she was eye to eye with the young girl.

For a moment, they just looked at each other trying to get a sense of what the other was thinking. But Hana noticed something the took her attention away from Haruka's vibrant eyes. Reaching out with a finger, the small girl pulled on the cloth cover up some of Haruka's chest and pointed to the black mark on her bust. "What's this?" she asked curiously. Mr. Mori quickly intervened and pulled his daughter back toward himself with a red face. "S-sorry about that!" he stammered. But Haruka stood up straight with a smile of her own. "Oh it's quite all right, no problem at all." she replied and then looked to Hana. "Maybe I'll tell you about it soon? I saw that you were having a tea party, why don't you introduce me to your friends?" Haruka suggested and offered Hana her hand to be lead. Hana's eyes watched Haruka's smile for a moment before grabbing onto a pair of her fingers. "Okay come on!" she said with a wide smile, dragging the tall woman toward the play set.

Mr. Mori was surprised at how Haruka handled that and looked to Shirou with surprise. "I guess they really did send the right person, she seems great with kids-- girls at least." he said. Shirou seemed to be deep in thought and could only muster a nod of the head. This woman seemed nothing like what he had heard about. How could something so serene looking be so dangerous?

Well, you know what they say, don't judge a book by it's cover.

[Topic to be Continued.]

 

[Morishige]

Kato Haruka​

It did not take long for Haruka to settle into her position as a tutor. Because Hana was so intelligent, there wasn't much tutoring that actually needed to be done. She was mostly there to answer questions, most of which Haruka knew little about because she had never delved into ninjutsu all that often. It was Shirou who was the real teacher; and that saddened Haruka a small bit. She was just the safeguard against a jutsu that got out of control, which rarely happened. If anything, it was something easily quelled and otherwise uneventful.

But still, she enjoyed the easiest job she had had in a while. Hana did not know about her past and therefore did not judge her based on it. So they had light conversations, fun times during Hana's breaks, and all around became good friends. There were even times where Haruka even doubted her presence at the Mori estate. The little girl she was ordered to watch wouldn't hurt a fly, at least that was how Ms. Kato judged her. Maybe, just maybe, there was another side to the young girl? What if she was just like Haruka and had a friend. She was isolated, and quite adept with her imagination; it was definetly a possibility. Or maybe... no it couldn't be. Haruka had been assigned to Hana so that she wouldn't become just like the crazy abomination herself. "I am to be that friend so she doesn't manifest one..." Haruka reasoned rather quickly.

The alarming revelation made her look within herself. She had not had an episode in months; the medicine prescribed to her seemed to be helping a little. But Haruka knew it was because she had not been in combat for those months either, and that was when Tomomi usually came out. Shuddering, the jounin looked around to try and find Hana, only to find the youngster gone from where she was before. "Hana-chan?" Haruka called out. "How long have I been absorbed in thought?"

Mori Hana​

The small child reached up and tugged at Haruka's sleeve with a frown. "I'm down here, silly!" she squeaked.

Just moments before, Hana had stopped studying a scroll and looked up to find Haruka troubled, and moved to investigate. "What's wrong Haruka-chan?" she asked, a concerned tone both in her expression and voice.

Haruka looked down in shock only to realize her height had kept her from seeing her tiny friend. "Oh you don't need to worry about me, just thinking, ya know?"

"But isn't worrying for each other what friends do? We are friends right?" Hana responded with a loaded question.

The tall blonde's mouth formed a crooked smile and couldn't help but shake her head. Did Hana plan this little question of was it just her luck? It didn't really matter though, cause Haruka wasn't going to have to lie in the slightest. "Of course we are! But that's doesn't mean I should trouble you with my, uh, for lack of a better word, problems."

Miss Mori frowned and crossed her arms and anyone in the right state of mind that she was about to spew some kind of argument that in the end would make sense, no matter the convoluted journey. "You help me all the time when I am stuck with my homework and with reaching things on high shelves. I help you reach your back in the shower and get things in hard to reach places! So don't stop letting me help you." she said in cute frustration that Haruka would only give into because the the aforementioned adjective.

"Oh all right, all right. Come here." Haruka said and tousled her hair shortly before making her way to the couch. Hana followed promptly with a winning smile across her face and quickly took a seat next to Haruka, who had leaned back with a sigh. "You see, when I was your age, I didn't have real friend like you. I had... well an imaginary friend. People made fun of her and it made her mad. Something happened and I was put into the hospital to fix me. It worked for a little while, but when I completed my training as a kunoichi, I was called into war." Haruka explain, a stray hand going up to rub the solar seal on her neck; it itched. Hana followed her hand up to her neck and then found the seal on her breast she had seen weeks before when they met.

"Does it have something to do with those things?" she asked. Haruka was amazed at her perception and ability to work things out in her mind. The young woman only nodded her head, seemingly choked up about the matter. The memories were still fuzzy, so she only stared back at Hana, questioning how her young friend would take this information. Hana only smiled widely and bounced a little in her seat. "I can make a new jutsu to help you! To get rid of your friend, or the special marks on your body!" she exclaimed, obviously smitten with the idea of a new challenge. But Haruka quickly shook her head protectively. "No, you have to leave them...they, they make me strong." she sighed, somewhat troubled with her dependency on them.

Hana smirked with the denial of her proposed mission, but quickly came up with another question. "Well if they help you, then why are you troubled Haruka-chan?"

Haruka looked down for a moment and sighed. "Tomomi-- the other girl-- doesn't obey, well, I have no control over her. When she gets control I hardly even remember the time between when I list control and regained it. The things she does are usually unlawful and lewd. I guess I just wish I had more control over her, to really for her to go away. Oh dear, I'm sorry, this is getting all very complicated." The young woman said with another sigh, but Hana only had that genius smile back on her face. "Why don't we find a way to control her! I'll find some way don't you worry!" the small child exclaimed and quickly ran over to the pile of scrolls Shirou had provided. Haruka blushed a little in embarrassment; she had a real friend-- and that friend was 11 years old.

[Topic to be Continued]

 

[Morishige]

The two young ladies sat in the guest living room, but only one of them knew why. And if someone happened to be listening, it would sound like Haruka had planned this meeting of some kind. "Settle down or we won't make a good first impression!" Haruka warned as she struggled to get Hana off of her back. "But I'm bored! He's late, it's his fault really..." the small child whined and wrapped her legs around Haruka midsection. "Look I'm a koala!" she giggled and squeezed tight to avoid being pulled off. The sight was quite funny indeed, as Haruka struggled to pull the small girl from her back to no avail. "I'm sure you are you little dork, no get off before he gets here and refuses to help." she warned, but Hana would just not get off. Perhaps she had already met with the man and knew that he wouldn't mind this kind of play?

But Haruka had the right idea. If they didn't come off as seriously needed, there was a chance he could just walk away for he had better things to do. But it was Hana who did indeed meet with him once before to set this meeting up. Shirou and she had taken the time to go find at least one of Kumo's seal experts, and apparently this man was listed as one. The young fair haired woman began to wonder just what kind of man he was going to be. The stereotype for experts in seals were usually book nerds who knew nothing of fighting or rather...the chance of Tomomi popping out and causing havoc. Hopefully thought, when he arrived he would find away to seal that part of her away; or take it away completely.

"Ha! Finally!" Haruka cheered as she finally got Hana's legs unhooked from around her ribs. With a powerful yank, Haruka stood up with the girl dangling upside-down in her hand, a goofy smile on her face. Her small skirt flipped over revealing a flaw in her dressing standards. "Hana! You go put on shorts or leggings right now!" she ordered and flipped ehr in the air, catching her easily and plopping her on the ground. Hana was going to object, but Haruka simply held her finger outward toward where Hana's room was. "All right..." she mumbled in a sad tone, looking for sympathy. But Haruka wouldn't fall for it, not one bit!

Kioku looked at his watch and smirked. He was going to be late, and he did hate that so. But it was necessary, as he was gathering up the necessary scrolls and information needed from the library. While the large man prided himself in being good at what he did seal-wise, there were always new obstacles in life that he needed to be prepared for. And from what the tiny girl had described, this next little project was going to be one of those obstacles. Something about sealing some inner demon perhaps? That he had done once before, in a small nameless town, within a close relative of his. So he had some experience there. But this time there was not a raging demon rampaging through the village so he questioned just where this inner demon was... Nevertheless, he was eager to find a new challenge and begin work on a new seal.

Checking house numbers, Kioku found the large manner with little to no trouble and made his way up to the large door. "Well this should be the place." he said and reached forward with a fist and knocked on the door three times. Moving his head, he began peering into the glass panes on the door to see what the place looked like from outside, and maybe catch anyone coming to the door. Haruka on the other hand had just told Hana to go add something to her outfit when the knock resounded through the front of the home. "Looks like he's here." she said and reached up to straighten her hair and make sure she looked nice. Walking over to the door, she caught sight of him through the glass and her idea of what she was expecting was shattered. He was massive, and burly, and...manly! Total opposite of what she thought he might look like. Shaking her head a small bit she reached for the door knob and pulled the door inward with a smile. "Konichiwa, I am Kato Haruka, please come in." she said with the proper bow.

"Konichiwa." Kioku responded with a kind smile, bowing as well before removing his shoes and entering. "Ishikawa Kioku; a pleasure to meet you. I've been told you are in need of my services?" he asked, making sure this was the right Kato Haruka he had been told about. "Yes, that would be me." she said with a short giggle. "Why did I giggle, terrible first impression. You look like a ditz now Haruka. Stop talking to yourself!" she cursed in her mind and gestured toward her left into the room where Hana and her were waiting. A small blush could be seen in her cheeks from embarrassment, but Kioku didn't seem to notice. "I apologize for my lack of punctuality, but it was necessary I grab the right scrolls from the library." he said in an absent tone, taking in the surrounding decor. He seemed to approve it, almost like he has a interior designer. Or perhaps he was apart of an equally rich clan whose home rivaled this. Eh who knows? Anyways, as they entered the room, so did Hana from the other side and her face lit up with joy.

"Ishikawa-sama!" she squeaked and ran over to hug one of his huge legs. Kioku responded with a kind smile and patted her on the head. "Hello little one! Happy to see me?" he asked; an obvious answer, but it was just habit. Hana nodded her head furiously and looked up with a smile as Kioku began walked with ease event though she was attached to him. But Haruka was positively puzzled by two things. The first was the unimportant one of how Hana greeted him, and the second was why Hana was treating him this way. According to knowledge that Haruka had, they had only just met, so she had to ask. "Do you two know each other?"

Kioku smiled and nodded his head while tousling the young girls hair. "We're neighbors I guess. I live in the mansion near the end of the street. I was invited to her welcoming party when she was born. It was right after I was named leader of the Ishikawa." he revealed, looking at her with eyes that seemed almost enlightened. There was an aura about him that Haruka could literally feel. Was it his chakra or something else, she wondered. Her own eyes looked at his for a moment before turning away in an embarrassing realization that she was studying his features. Kioku would break the silence as Hana seemed to have changed the hug into a game of how long she could hold on. "Well, I suppose we should first discuss what brought me here today?" he suggested, turning over the conversation to Haruka.

As the woman took a seat in a chair next to them, Hana fidgeted her way around to a more comfortable position for this test of endurance. Haruka marveled at Kioku's patience for bit before starting. "Well you see, I have an unfortunate psychological condition. A split personality. And she is rather troublesome. I was wondering if you knew of anyway that you could suppress her permanently." she asked, to which her face grew solemn because of Kioku initial response. He face seemed trouble and his mind looked like it was at work. A few moments went by and he finally said something, much to Haruka relief. By this point, Hana was listening in as well. "Well, I suppose that if we learned what triggered Tomomi's 'taking over' per say, we could create some seal to prevent that trigger. But with matters of the mind it is hard to discern what the trigger might be. Do you have memory of the last time you lost control?" he inquired, which lead Haruka to ponder herself. The last time Tomomi came out to play was when Haruka let her do so. It had been so long since a forceful take over, maybe she really did have control.

"You sure this is the one he wants? I mean look at her." Tori asked, showing Hato the picture. "I'm positive. She's next on the list, and if intel is correct, we can kill two birds with one stone too." he responded. Though Tori wasn't convinced. Why on earth would he want someone so...young? She could be a genius for all she cared, but Tori would have gone for someone more mature and experienced. Nevertheless, it was her hand that was raised up to knock on the door. "Remember your manners, Tori, it's different than the cronopolis here." Hato warned. He didn't want the wrong impression to be made.

Another knock at the door came at a surprise to the three in the guest room. "Huh that's strange. No one else was supposed to be coming today." Haruka noted softly and stood to her full height. Kioku did as well, but Hana was already running to get the door before Haruka. With her little hand, she opened the door with some strain and looked at the two tall people with curiosity. "Who are you?" she asked in a rude tone, though it was not her intent. "Hana! Mind your manners. Sorry about that, is there something I can help you with?" Haruka asked with caution.

Tori and Hato exchanged looks as Hato's prediction came true. Both of them were at the estate. "Well yes, we were actually here to see Miss Hana here." Hato said in a calm kind voice. But before Hana could interject, Haruka's concern grew slightly. "What is this in regards to?" she asked. Hato smiled and simply responded. "Her future as a kunoichi in Kumogakure. May we come in?" he responded, and as soon as Haruka nodded, his foot was inside and there was no stopping him. Tori followed behind him with a smile until it changed to a look of surprise when they saw Kioku. "Oh my have we come at a bad time?" Hato asked. As a guest, it was not Kioku job to respond. So Haruka made her way past them with a shake of her head. "Not at all, we were just discussing daily events. Would you like some tea? May I ask of your names?"

Tori took this point to speak as Hana stood back aways and seem to be inspecting her faces for something. "I'm Tori, and my associate is Hato. We represent a private institution whom works closely with the academy for evaluating individuals for service." she lied. But before they could continue, Hana was pulling Tori's hand to kneel. "Is that a cursed seal?" she asked. Tori's brow rose and she looked to Hato. "I'm surprised you even know what those are, but no Hana, it's not. Just a tattoo-- a memory." she said and stood back up with a smile. Hana seemed to be pondering some as she moved next to Haruka. Hato began once again. "Ms. Mori's skills have been brought to our attention and we have been tasked with requesting something of her. Her skill in ninjutsu has been demonstrated before and it is our impression that she as been tutored in this as well. We would like to extend to her an invitation to come develop jutsu in our facility to not only help her learn, but also give Kumogakure a better arsenal in times when we would need one."

Hana looked up to Haruka for guidance and Haruka could only shrug. She wasn't even a real tutor, but a body guard. "It's up to you Hana, I'm sure your parents will support your decision no matter what. And I am subject to their will, so I will support you as well." she said with a smile. But Hana put a finger on her chin in thought, then smiled. "As long as Haruka-chan can come along, then yes! I can make more fun things right?" she exclaimed. Tori chuckled and nodded her head. "Of course you can, and Haruka can come see you whenever she wants to." she replied, giving a sly look toward Hato. They both knew that was how they were going to get her alone. "Well great! That's all we really needed. Lemme give you my... hmmm..." Hato said, feeling around his pockets. "There it is, my card. The address is on the back. We expect you there by Monday. We do have rooms available if you feel like staying there permanently, and anything you need will be at our expense. Good day." he said and gave a short bow along with Tori. And just as quick as they had arrived they had left. Probably so Hana couldn't have time to reconsider.

With their exit, Haruka and Kioku continued their conversation, trying to find some way to help with her other half. And Hana was busy reading the scrolls Kioku brought about seals...particularly cursed seals....

[All NPCs Topic Entered/Left]
[NPC Run Time: 1 hour]