Admissions and Consequences [Requesting Ayumu, PM to enter]

[Shinrya Kahako]

Leave the Raikage to me…

Those were the words Kahako spoke in confidence only a few hours ago, but as she stood outside the aged doors of the Torre Celeste, the conviction she uttered then had long washed away. It took every fiber in her being not to charge her way through the building, screaming like a madwoman. She wasn’t sure if it would be cathartic enough. Squaring her shoulders, she moved forward. Slowly compartmentalizing the anguish that finally bubbled to the surface and squishing it back down.

On the outside, Kahako kept a stoic façade. She’d nod to those she recognized as she passed, showing proper credentials that would allow her to the Raikage’s private quarters. The sight of a Jounin she tended to a few years ago almost made her carefully suppressed emotions explode again. He was a Chunin then, come back from a terrible mission. If he needed her help now, she was about as useful as a civilian nurse. The feeling of no longer belonging welled up again and she had to forced it back down before she jumped out the window.

When was the last time she ever felt this desolate, she wondered as she made her way up. Probably never. The shinobi leadership allowed her to keep her title as medical chief, but she was essentially out of commission until further notice. There were conversations about her retiring if she couldn’t get past her mental state, but every time it was mentioned she vehemently rejected it. Kahako would rather die than settle with the thought of never being able to control her chakra again.

Now, to top it off, she had to approach Ayumu with a matter that was extremely personal, a matter of public safety, and a ticking time bomb between the both of them. Though she saw him often, she didn’t confide in him very much as to what was going on with her. Apart from the knowledge that sometimes she wasn’t at the wheel, she purposefully kept him in the dark to her current situation. He had to lead a village after all. Hiding it never really ate at her like it did today. She found herself forcing the bubble of emotions down again. She needed today to go smoothly!

As she finally reached the door that lead to the Raikage’s living quarters, she almost let out a long guarded sigh. Things never went smoothly when she brought up the topic of Ketsueki Satou to her lover. Kahako placed a soft, customized knock on the door. It was one Ayumu would recognize it as hers since she came by as often as his schedule would allow, and waited for him to answer. One good thing about being inactive: You suddenly had a lot of time to spend with your boyfriend.

As she waited, she glanced to the guard who stood near the door, resisting the urge to fidget under his gaze. She let her mind wonder, lightly questioning if she knew the ANBU shinobi who stood next to her silently. If her time in the SH lead her on missions with him. Maybe he saw her often when she came to visit Ayumu or vice versa. Regardless, she didn’t exchange pleasantries with the man. He was on duty, and absolute focus to his surroundings was paramount.

The soft click forced Kahako’s eyes to shift swiftly to the doorway. Deep pools of vivid blue locked with her own, and it was as if her senses were set free while she was anchored back to reality all at once. Her shoulders visibly relaxed, the worry in her eyes melted to relief at the sight of the man she loved. “Hey,” she breathed, trying her best to keep her voice level and emotions withdrawn until they were in the privacy of his quarters. “I know I’m early, but mind if I come in?” she smiled, immediately ceasing the anxious twisting of her fingers she was so apt to do in his presence by clasping them behind her and tilting her head to the side. How this one man could unravel her with just a look was beyond even her comprehension. But he did every time.

Once inside and the door firmly closed, Kahako rounded on the man and began placing passionate kisses on his lips. She knew he saw the worry in her eyes, and he would ask her what was wrong. But she couldn’t tell him. Not yet. She forced the bubble down further. Needing to distance herself from her own thoughts, she pushed at him just enough to make his back bump lightly against the door. Her kisses grew more aggressive. Her heart began to pound as she traced a finger delicately around the curve of his ear before combing her fingers through his hair and tugging lightly.

“Would you like to have some fun before Susumu comes home from school?” she boldly whispered as she pulled away with a now brilliant smile before placing a teasing kiss along the side of his jaw. She mentally sank her teeth into the emotion of being happy to see him, and silently prayed he wouldn’t reject her. Right now, she felt like she needed him. Her wonderful anchor. The only normalcy she felt she currently had in life.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu's office hours for the day had concluded. At times, he stayed in his office anyway until later in the night. On nights like tonight, however, he opted to simply take the work to a more relaxed setting: his couch. He was alone at the moment, save for the ANBU guard outside of his apartment. He had sprawled some paperwork out on his coffee table and sprawled himself out on his couch next to it where he could comfortably work on it. It was nothing immediately necessary, more so getting a bit of a jump on the next day while he nursed a beer. He had cast aside his usual uniform in favor of much more comfortable clothes, a plain white shirt and gray shorts, barefoot naturally. Susumu would be coming after he was finished at the academy, but that was still a while off. He had joined an after-academy program where he was currently occupied, expanding his learning experience beyond the scope of just the usual academy classes. After the bizarre kidnapping incident, Ayumu had made sure that he would be informed when Susumu was leaving the Academy from now on.

A knock at the door distracted Ayumu from his paperwork and as usual he was glad for the distraction. That particular knock meant he had an unexpected guest- one he was more than happy to receive. He pushed the coffee table away from the couch, content to stop with it for the night, and got to his feet before walking quickly over to the door. He opened it to the sight of Kahako, looking as lovely as always. As she admitted, she was early. He had been expecting her to come around the same time as Susumu, but yet here she was outside his door. "Of course not. Heck, you're the only one allowed in here without my being present anyway," Ayumu said as he stepped aside for her to enter. With her arrival, he had already forgotten whatever he had been working on moments ago. It became an even more distant memory as the door closed and Kahako practically jumped him. Ayumu hadn't been expecting this ambush, but didn't mind it by any means.

He was immediately drawn into her pace and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer, returning the intensity of her kiss as she pushed him back against the door. She paused for a moment to ask him between kisses along his jawline whether or not he wanted to have fun while Susumu was still out. Without a word, Ayumu reached behind to make sure the door was locked and then pressed his lips against hers once again, providing her with her answer. His hands found their way under her jacket and began to pull it off as he kissed her neck. His hands set to work next at undoing the top few buttons of her shirt before pausing and pulling back. "Before I get carried away..." he trailed off with a mischievous grin, knowing the pause would frustrate her. He took her by the hand and led her across the apartment into the bedroom.

"Now, where were we?"

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Her reward for her daring question was the soft click of the lock on the apartment door and a strong arm wrapped around her waist. A pleased breath left her nose as he pulled her into a deep kiss, cementing the idea that he was very willing in giving what she wanted from him. Her uniform jacket slipped off her shoulders with little effort and her head tilted back to give him better access to her neck.

The moment her arms were free, they wrapped themselves around his neck. Fingers grasped black tuffs of hair, combing through his scalp in a loving and desperate manner. A soft gasp escaped her chest as she felt him start to pull at the buttons on her shirt. Suddenly he stopped.

"Before I get carried away..."

The whimper that slipped from her lips was completely involuntary. A half-hearted glare accompanied a heavy blush as Kahako allowed Ayumu to direct her to his room. Upon entering, their grapple with each other grew stronger, rougher. The urge to be near him was almost wild. Warmth swelled from her chest as he returned his attention to her. “I love you,” she whispered between a breath and a kiss when he finally pushed her onto his bed.

[FTB]

It was the gentle brush of his fingers against her cheek that pulled her from the dredges of her quick nap. At some point after, she nestled her way into the crook of his arm, and dosed happily under the sheets while they caught their breaths. Whether the touch was to waken her or pull a strand of her chestnut hair away from her face, she wasn’t sure. As she shifted her head to get a better view of him looking at her, Kahako found herself smiling and not really caring about the reason she was conscious. After all, no dream could accurately replicate the blue in his eyes or the confidence of his smile quite like the real deal could.

But with consciousness, came reality. The light in her smile dimmed as she remembered her original reason for showing up early. It crept into her mind and slowly tore through her chest, and all she could do in return was wrap her arm around his bare chest and hold him tighter against her own nakedness. She knew he would say it even before it left his lips. ‘Are you alright?’ ‘Is everything okay?’ ‘what’s on your mind, babe?’ She played every conversation in her head through its entirety long before she knocked on his door.

So it frustrated the mednin when all she could do with his inevitable question was feel the right words die at the tip of her tongue. A brow furrowed and she turned her head away and cuddled back into the crook of his shoulder. “What would you say…” she started softly, trying to gather the last of her bravery. “if I asked you to marry me? Today. No ceremony, no family, no village…. Just… just us and the necessary witnesses?” She bit her bottom lip before she turned her face back up to him. Her eyes shined, but they didn’t fall like when she first confessed her feelings for him. They were so much younger then. Life was so much simpler. “I love you beyond a doubt. Would you say yes knowing that?”

Kahako placed a finger on his lips, momentarily stopping him from his immediate retort while she tried to reign in her now released emotions. “I know... beyond a doubt I know that I do not wish to spend the rest of my life with anyone else. But… my mind is slowly not becoming my own. I don’t regret what I’ve done that led to this point… but I…I’m scared.” By now, Kahako’s voice filled with gravel. “I am still scared of what I’ve done to myself and what I might become. For all our research, there is nothing here in Kumo that can help me without me losing a significant part of who I am. For all I know, there may be nothing in the world that could fix what's happening to me.” Slowly, she lifted her finger from his lips. Placing her hand again gently on his chest. Now her body shook from the feelings that ripped through her. Love. Pain. Fear. Anguish. Trepidation. They all took turns tearing at her as they made themselves known to the man before her.

“I don’t know who I’ll be tomorrow. But will you marry the me that loves you today? So that… so that if I’m someone… something else tomorrow I can find peace in what makes us… us?”

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

As he laid motionless, letting his body rest, Ayumu glanced down to check in on Kahako, whom had found her favorite pillow in the crook of his arm. Unsurprisingly, she had drifted off into a light doze as she so frequently did at these times. He watched her face for a couple of minutes as his mind wandered, but eventually he realized that they would need to get up soon. He gently caressed her cheek- it didn't take much to wake her- and watched as her stunning green eyes slowly opened and found his. He smiled quietly back at her, but the blissful moment didn't last for long. A thought darkened her expression, Ayumu did not have to be her lover to see it.

"What's wrong?" he asked cautiously, fearing that he had done something to upset her. She wrapped her arm around him, burying her face in his shoulder as if to obscure it from him. Quietly she began, hesitant as if she wasn't entirely ready to say it, but she fought through. The words that came were some that Ayumu had almost convinced himself he would never hear from her. 'Marry?' the word echoed in his head. The circumstances of the wedding were over little consequence. They had discussed the idea before, but Kahako had never been one to want it before now. What had changed? Before Ayumu could say a word, she placed one of her fingers delicately against his lips to stop him. She had more to say and she needed to get it out.

She gave voice to the concerns that had been relegated to a dark corner of Ayumu's mind. The idea that she might be losing the fight against the dark spirit that was literally trying to take control of her body from her. She had stepped down from her position as Sennin, stepped away from the hospital almost entirely in order to protect those around her and try to find a solution. Everything she had found, every promising lead, had come to a dead end. The very thought of losing her, of her mind being altered in a way that he might no longer recognize her, wrenched his heart. Would he even be able to go on if that ever happened? His free hand balled into a fist as she suggested that there may be no solution. Her hand moved down to his chest as she continued, once more asking him, directly this time. Ayumu pushed aside the painful feelings and lifted his hand up to gently cradle her chin, bringing her gaze to meet his.

"Of course I will. For you to be my wife... that's everything I've wanted for years. I love you, Kahako," he replied the moment she gave him the chance. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, holding the kiss for a few moments before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. "Nothing will change that. Today, tomorrow, years from now. Nothing," he said, gazing sincerely into her eyes. "But I don't want you to give up. If you ever lost yourself, I'd find you and bring you back myself. We will find a way to fix this," he continued as he took her hand in his. Many in the world of shinobi dealt in the spiritual realm. Ayumu refused to believe there was no way the spirits couldn't be separated from Kahako somehow. They just needed to find the right person with the right knowledge. He couldn't bear to think otherwise.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako pressed her cheek into the palm of his hand when he said yes. The gentle kiss they shared healed her pained heart more than any amount of words could. He would not give up on her. That’s what it boiled down to. No matter where she went, how dark her soul grew. He was swearing to her in that kiss that he would never leave. Never give up. She didn’t deserve such love and loyalty, but she greedily consumed it regardless. “Thank you.” She whispered.

They sat there for a moment longer, forehead against forehead before Kahako dared to break the silence. “There is more.” She whispered, reaching up to cup his cheek opposite the one of hers he caressed. “It’s about Satou.”

Immediately she felt him pull away from her, but now she knew it wasn’t in repulsion. Her hand slipped back to her side as she carefully regarded his reaction. “Gin Keiji, the man who helped us jump into Satou’s memories all those years ago, paid a visit to the Shinrya mansion earlier today. He… came to me in a moment of desperation, as he was unsure of where else to go.” Kahako bit her lip of only for a second before she continued. “Satou attacked him before he left the village, and… and left him with a foul parting gift.”

At this Kahako stood. “Have you seen my pants?” she asked while searching. Their clothes were thrown everywhere, and his room wasn’t super tidy to begin with. When finally found, she quickly pulled a set of folder papers from her side pocket. “It is only one test, but I still fear that we may need to act before we can prove its legitimacy.” She said as she handed it to him and slid back in bed beside him. “What you see are separate blood cell analyses of three different subjects who have in some way or form have come in contact with Satou’s demon blood.” She pointed to Satou’s results first. “These are Satou’s cells. Apparently one of the side effects of being a jinchuriiki to this demon is a virus-like destruction of the immune-system. This one… subject C,” She pointed to the next regression, “is Keiji’s.”

Kahako grimaced, “Keiji said that when Satou attacked him, he wasn’t in control at all. The demon rounded upon him and forced him to consume Satou’s blood. I’m no Virologist, but here and here you can see the deterioration of the normal human blood cell as a foreign substance begins to force a transformation.” Kahako paused to allow Ayumu to take in what she was saying. “Do you remember what happened when we went into Sakana’s death dream before I destroyed it? The people of her castle feasted on Satou’s blood and flesh, and it… transformed them into something chaotic. They’re eyes glowed red and their bodies no longer resembling that of humans…” Kahako closed her eyes in disgust. What was years for the Raikage was only earlier that week for Kahako. Sakana loved showing Kahako how she died. The sick creature probably knew it would only be a matter of time before Kahako herself found out the truth behind the transformation.

“Keiji has a good way of slowing it, but he, himself is transforming. If Satou thought he were truly fit to travel, then it meant that the demon took full possession of him without him knowing. Without anyone knowing. Maybe I am being overly cautious, but I am worried that the demon's sudden willingness to remain dormant was not because Satou was getting better. I think it may have been planning something.” The worried pit twisted in Kahako's stomach again. It came surprisingly easy for her to accuse her most trusted friend of a high crime against the village, but Ayumu had to be aware, and she didn't know how much time she had left to find a cure for both her, and at the very least, Keiji.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The moment was sweet, but brief. Ayumu had but a short time to enjoy the fact that they had finally agreed to marry before Kahako moved on to the next subject that she needed to speak with him about. The name Satou was one he hadn't heard in a while. The man had obtained a long term passport to Sand from him and had been out of the village for a long time now. Though Satou was not a person Ayumu disliked, his name usually came along with some form of bad news unfortunately. Instinctively, Ayumu pulled back to study Kahako's face with concern. "What happened?" he asked. The last thing he needed was to hear that the man had finally lost control in Sand and caused some sort of incident.

Another name came up that Ayumu hadn't heard recently, the one whom had enabled them to enter Satou's memories. Something Ayumu regretted immensely given what had happened to Kahako as a result of it. Unbeknownst to Ayumu, who had thought Satou to be well in control of himself after their last encounter, the man had attacked Keiji. Of course, if Ayumu had known this he would never have allowed Satou to simply leave. The question of finding Kahako's pants broke Ayumu's train of thought for a moment as he realized that he himself might want to get dressed. He looked around briefly and located her pants draped over the headboard of the bed before grabbing and tossing them to her. As she pulled out paperwork from her pocket, Ayumu stood and located his own pants which was all he managed to slip back on for the moment.

He paused and took a seat on the bed as she showed him the results of a test which, according to her, was an analysis of the blood of three subjects whom were exposed to Satou's blood. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but Kahako was thankfully there to explain. Apparently Satou's blood, when forced upon a human, caused transformations like what they had seen in Satou's mind. The proof was evident in Keiji, who was himself transforming though he had managed to slow it. The thought of seeing transformations like that occur in the real world was unsettling to say the least. Kahako's suspicion was that the demon in Satou was planning something related to this blood disease.

Ayumu took a deep breath and set the papers down. Receiving news like this was part of being the Raikage. He had gotten used to it to some extent. "Well, that's not good..." he muttered with exasperation. He wiped his hand down his face and stared at the wall as his thoughts raced. He wasn't a Med-nin, but it stood to reason that to understand more about the disease they needed to look at the source. Satou was most obviously that source, and he was presently in Sand.

"We need to recall Satou to the village. Get him back and secure him here so our people can check him out and figure out what his blood is doing exactly. For all we know, the demon's been spreading it all along. Who knows who else might be infected?" Ayumu said, already beginning to think of logistics. "If Satou won't come back, we might have to send a team to Sand..." he continued, stopping as he came to a realization. "If you're bringing this to me now, you must have already had something in mind?"

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Under less dire circumstances, Kahako would have giggled as Ayumu’s initial response to the news of Satou. Instead, a sympathetic smile graced her lips as she gave what comfort she could by touching his still-bare arm. “I told Keiji to reach out to Junko as soon as we parted ways. My hope is that if anything happened to someone unknowingly, they would end up in the hospital, and he would be able to share his insights there.”

She leaned back on the bed, looking up to the ceiling as she contemplated what the next move should be. “My best assumption is that Junko will issue a quarantine should something dangerous occur on a large scale. But I agree. Satou needs to return. He is patient zero.” She looked down at him from her position. “I want to be a part of that team. Keiji and I know him best. He would be less likely to resist if there were a friendly face coming to retrieve him, and Keiji is in no shape to travel. In addition to the likely danger inside our own walls, we could be facing an international incident if the demon is planning anything of the like in Suna.”

Kahako stared back up at the ceiling. “I would also need one or two members of great skill to accompany me should we have to use force. Preferably members of ANBU who are familiar with the inner workings of Suna. If the demon is making such plans, then discretion would be paramount. Keiji gave me a means with which to find him. We’d only have to follow the breadcrumbs.”

Kahako sat up again and looked at the man who sat beside her. The discomfort of how… cold she was with her plan to retrieve Satou was the cause of her restlessness. She looked to her lover to see if his expression would tell her anything with which she was thinking. She would have to get used to calling him her fiancé, now. “I was hoping you’d release me from my medical leave and approve for such a venture. Not exactly the proper channels, I know, but time seemed of the essence, and… I wanted to hear from your mouth what you planned to do with him once we brought him back.” The worry returned to Kahako's features. She squeezed his hand in a desperate plea. "He is still dear to me, even after all this. I... I cannot bear the thought of having to bring him back under the guise of safety if that is not what he is returning to."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu nodded as Kahako speculated on what Junko's plan of action would be in the case of an outbreak. The only problem presently was that Junko was still not in the village. This simply reinforced the fact that there needed to be someone who could take lead in Junko's absence. It was becoming more and more obvious that this was a pressing issue that Ayumu was going to need to address. The question was who would he turn to in order to take that responsibility? It was something to think on later. At the moment, they needed to get Satou back to the village to try to understand what was going on.

It came as little surprise to Ayumu that Kahako stated that she wanted to be part of the team that went to Suna. It didn't stop him from feeling uneasy about it. First of all, the last experience Ayumu had with Wind Country was when Cloud-nins were attacked attending the Daimyo's daughter's wedding. It hadn't been Suna behind the attack, but it still showed the nature of the country to him. This was where Kahako wanted to go. Compound that with the fact that her condition made it incredibly risky to use chakra and this was something that made Ayumu very uneasy.

"Why'd he have to be in Suna, of all places?" Ayumu muttered.

The one redeeming aspect of this plan was that she wanted to bring shinobi with her. Ayumu was already trying to think who would be a good fit for the job. ANBU who had familiarity with Suna and who weren't already otherwise engaged? A couple came to mind, one whom Ayumu didn't really want to suggest and one whom he was much more trusting of. Availability was a concern, too. With the thoughts circulating in his head he didn't even notice Kahako sit up. He was snapped out of it as she spoke again.

Of course, she would need to be returned to active duty to go on a mission of this nature. She admitted to her concern for Satou's safety upon being brought back to the village. Ayumu had suspected this was part of the reason she wanted to be there when Satou was found. She didn't want there to be a confrontation that turned ugly and there was less chance of that if she was there. As much as Ayumu hated the idea of sending her, this was undeniable. Ayumu felt her hand squeeze around his and he turned to look at her.

"I don't want to hurt him, but you know his safety depends on his own actions. If he resists, he will need to be taken with force. Are you prepared for that?" Ayumu asked, giving her a moment to think about it. "As for once he is back... I've no intention of having him executed, but it's clear to me now that he's a risk to everyone he comes into contact with, even if it isn't his fault. We'll have to keep him contained until something can be done about that demon in him," Ayumu said, squeezing Kahako's hand in return. He knew she cared about Satou like family and was concerned for him, but this was the truth of the situation they were in now. Ayumu couldn't ignore the danger Satou posed.

[MFT]

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako bit her bottom lip, and nodded, but couldn’t put into words that she was prepared to use force if Satou did not want to return to Kumo. She knew this may be what was expected of her. So many times, she travelled with ANBU teams to retrieve persons of interest alive, whether or not they wanted to return. Even now a member of her family stood before her and expected her to put her feelings aside for the sake of their village. No longer could she risk the safety of the many over the safety of one. There was little solace in the fact that she would be bringing Satou back to a prison cell. At least she wouldn’t be bringing him to his death.

A knock at the door resounded from the other room, interrupting the couple’s conversation. “OTOU-SAAAAAAN OPEN THE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!” Susumu started banging on the door louder, his muffled yells growing increasingly impatient. Kahako, startled out of her revere, couldn’t help but chuckle at her son’s antics the glassiness of her eyes started to lose their sheen. “Honestly, if you were half as reckless as he is, I have no clue how your mother handled you and your brother. Raiden help me if we have another.” Standing, Kahako sighed deeply. “Let me know if there are any ANBU you believe would be good for me to travel with. Write them missives, and I’ll make sure they are delivered.” Another round of loud banging filled the main room of Ayumu apartment followed by the jerking of the door handle. “I’ll go ahead and start dinner, you let him in.”

But there was one last thing Kahako failed to tell her soon to be husband. As she walked towards the kitchen, worry returned to her eyes. When he would open the door for their son, and picked the boy up for a large hug, Kahako couldn’t help but peaked from the edge of the doorway. It was a common scene in this household, and the reason why she let part of Keiji’s findings die with her.

When she not much older than Susumu, she made a binding contract with Ketsueki Satou. One that contained the transference of blood from him to her. She was the third subject in the report that now rested on Ayumu’s bedside table, and she feared that if she tested Susumu’s blood, she would find the same results that Keiji found in hers.

“Mom?” Susumu called out worriedly, having caught Kahako’s gaze. Quickly she hid her troubles before Ayumu turned around, forcing a smile on her face. “Welcome home, dear.” She said simply before walking into the kitchen.

[Topic entered with NPC] [Topic left with Kahako and Susumu]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The jarring knock at the door forcibly grabbed Ayumu's attention as he realized that in the time they had spent talking, Susumu had arrived. "Ack," Ayumu groaned, spotting his shirt at the foot of the bed and using his foot to kick it up high enough to catch. He quickly pulled it over his head as Kahako bemoaned her son's recklessness. Ayumu laughed out loud, shaking his head. "You have no idea. You had better hope his teenage years aren't like mine," Ayumu said as he smoothed out his shirt and stood up. Kahako asked him to think of any ANBU that might be a good fit to travel to Sand with her. He groaned, still struggling to think of one more suited than the one he was trying to avoid.

"I've got an idea, but you're not going to like it," he responded. More racket at the door interrupted the conversation once more as Susumu vehemently demanded to be let in. Chuckling, Ayumu followed Kahako's advice before their son started trying to bust down the door. Opening the door and giving Susumu the ol' dad hug, Ayumu had been successfully diverted from learning the secret Kahako was still withholding for now. Whether it was a bad idea or a terrible idea to keep it a secret, time would only tell.

[Topic Left]