Game of Titles [Ayumu - Kaji]

[Kagetsu Yuii]

As expected, Ayumu was quick to tease her about her admitted attraction to the new Vice Commander. He always enjoyed poking into her romantic life, or for all he knew, lack thereof. A slow, playful smile spread across Yuii's face though she neither spoke to confirm or deny more than her attraction to their Leaf bound colleague. She didn't want to admit their relationship outright but giving Ayumu some inkling of her affection for the well-travelled leaf embassador couldn't hurt. It would likely appear no different than her girlish swooning over Yoshi's good looks without admittance of their established relationship.

He couldn't have known how close his comparison between his own time love struck for and forced into close proximity with Shinrya Kahako was to Yuii's current situation. The level of perception Ayumu showed on the matter made her nervous, though Yuii shouldn't have been surprised. The Raikage could be an insightful man, even if he didn't realise how close he his carefree statements could be. It was like his superpower. Yuii squirmed in her seat like a child with a secret, at least Ayumu would be able to gauge as much having known her this long. It was all she could do to fight the blush that threatened to envelop her entire face. For a lack of answer, and desperate to keep the conversation away from her, she focused on the bit of the conversation that was safe; Ayumu's past love affair. "I'm sure it was just awful," she laughed nervously, "I bet, if I were to look back of the records, the Main branch and Medical branch sennin probably worked very closely with one another and had many, many late-night meetings, training sessions and in office visits. One can only assume a great deal of work got done." The romantic relationship that had happened in the background during Ayumu's Main Branch career likely answered the question of why he was so interested in Yuii's own love life. It was probably one of the high points of his life, and kind-hearted Ayumu just wanted that for her. She prayed to Raiden turning the attention to such a beloved time would distract from her fumbling emotions. "Or did you just get into lots of training accidents and beg for healing!?"

The greatest mystery left unsolved had been what had prompted Umashi to trade capable, attractive, athletic, talented Kaji for a toad summoning medic she hadn't even known the name of. The Hokage might have had a love affair for the healing and science branch, but Yuii found them insufferable to deal with. The truth was disappointing, but a relief. It really had just been Boot's bias. "Is that all it was? The Toad guy was pretty good but nothing so exceptional that I would have made that trade over. Maybe Umashi saw something in him. Maybe he's happy there and the matter will be easily decided." She said with an edge of hope. If Yuuto was doing as much good and Kaji was for them, then there would be no drama, no bargaining, and everyone would be happy. Especially Yuii.

Of course, they couldn't threaten the new formed alliance over Kaji. That would be irresponsible when the benefit of hundreds of thousands of people rested on their cooperation. The happiness of two people just did not compare, though Yuii hated it. She raised her chin and stared at the intricate ceiling above in deep thought at Ayumu's question. Was there any other course of action if Umashi did say no that wasn't far-reaching or asinine to attempt? It hurt to admit, but the answer was a resounding no. And yet she tried. "I suppose that is the most pragmatic approach. We could fake his death? Trade another medic? Boots was a pirate, maybe he would take alcohol and gold?" Of course they would never work, but what else was she to do, "I guess I just wanted to know what the choice would be in the worst case...."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu watched Yuii carefully as she pondered a response to his question. Surprisingly, she actually had some ideas... albeit, some ideas were better than others. Faking Kaji's death was out immediately. Alcohol and gold could be translated to money, which might be an incentive they could actually use if Umashi was amenable to the idea of giving up Kaji at all. Trading another shinobi wasn't completely out of the question if Yuuto wasn't crazy about the idea of making the arrangement permanent, but was there a shinobi Umashi would take in exchange for Kaji? The truth of the matter was it all depended on Umashi's willingness to relinquish Kaji permanently and if he was completely unwilling Ayumu couldn't jeopardize the alliance over it. They would have to have faith in Kaji's confidence that he could convince Umashi.

The slightly disappointed voice in Yuii's voice as she relented to the truth of the matter added to Ayumu's growing suspicion. Ayumu's personal romantic experience had been largely limited to his crush on Kahako which led to their eventual relationship. He was certainly no guru or matchmaker, just someone who liked to tease his friends. However, even he could only be so oblivious to the innocent glances the two were constantly stealing at one another. She had already freely admitted that she found the man attractive, but the way she was acting suggested even more to Ayumu. If two of his selected branch leaders were developing a relationship, it might be important for him to know that for various reasons to avoid complications.

"Yuii, joking and teasing aside... a number of things you've said and done are making this feeling I'm getting hard to ignore. I can't help but think that my teasing hasn't been too far off the mark," Ayumu began, wondering if she would pick up on where the conversation was headed. It almost felt as though she was subtly trying to let him know with this line of questioning since Kaji had left the room. It couldn't have been more clear that for reasons she hadn't really divulged, she really wanted Kaji to stay. It would be embarrassing if she denied it outright and he was clearly in the wrong, but Ayumu felt the need to ask her sincerely. "Have you actually... developed feelings for Kaji?" he asked her directly. Truth be told, it was a little embarrassing just to ask outright. Even more so as he forced himself to watch her expression to try to glean the truth from her reaction.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

The motive behind her line of questions had been too obvious. Her misdirection had been clumsy and ineffective.

Damn.

Yuii closed her eyes, took one, long deep breath in then slowly released it. All at once the blush that she had been fighting back spread across her face like a pox of embarrassment. Raiden curse her, she had gone well beyond giving Ayumu an inkling of their relationship. That was her carelessness, and that ever-present desire to just tell someone. For a kunoichi, she was just awful at keeping secrets- this was why she chose to stay away from subjects she needed to lie about altogether. That this was Ayumu, the one person she absolutely should never need to deceive, made it even more complicated. Why couldn't he have just taken the bait, or bantered more about bartering with Umashi!

With another breath, she stretched back in her chair in a semi-dramatic pose of exhaustion complete with an arm covering her eyes."Is it that obvious!? Oh, I'm doomed. You're going to laugh at me," she complained loudly, peaking from the cover of her arm. Then in a strained but relaxed tone, "I wouldn't say feelings is the right word for what has developed. We've been in a relationship for some time." She plucked up her pendant and began fumbling with it for comfort. It was hard to put into words what her heartfelt, especially since it conflicted with everything the clan taught and stood for. She couldn't help but feel selfish for wanting to be with Kaji, especially since the very existence of their relationship could potentially offend so much of the clan.

"I feel that Kaji was made for me, to be with me, and now that I've found him I don't know how I would ever live apart from him." Her face grew redder in colour and spread through her neck, "It's like not knowing colour or taste, I was alright before I knew he was missing from my life but now. Calling it love would be superficial." Yuii had not cried since early childhood, but she felt like if there was a moment she needed to, it was then. Putting her feelings into words made them overwhelming to deal with, and the fear of loss so much worse. "I didn't want to be Sennin, and I didn't want to have to live my life out in the village under Kaegtsu's thumb but with him here it's been tolerable. I don't know what I'd do if Umashi demands to have him back. Thats why I wanted to know, to think and prepare for the worst."

"I'm sorry Kogami. I'm just the worst. I should have told you sooner, but I struggle to tell anyone anything like this. Not even Sunuke knows." she sighed again and lowered her head, prepared for a lecture.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu watched Yuii, half expecting her to burst out laughing and tell him what a dolt he was for thinking she was truly interested in her colleague. That didn't happen. Her eyes closed and she took and released a deep breath. 'Hit the mark, huh?' Ayumu thought, scratching his cheek. Despite her resistance, her face reddened and betrayed any attempts to hide the embarrassment. She covered her eyes as she lamented that she had been caught. Of course, the majority of the matter had escaped Ayumu until she made the decision to admit it all. Apparently, this crush Ayumu had sensed from Yuii was way more than that. The two were in a full blown relationship and had been for a while. With this revelation, a lot of things started clicking. Ayumu had disregarded so many little things that now seemed like they should have been much more obvious. Ayumu chuckled quietly, amused by his obliviousness to the relationship going on without his knowledge.

This was more than a little fling, as Yuii would reveal next. The sincere honest feelings she had for Kaji were surprising. She had fallen hard. Ayumu was all too familiar with the feeling of discovering someone and realizing that your life was incomplete without them. Things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated. This was exactly why it was a terrible idea for the two of them to grow close to begin with. There was no guarantee that Umashi was going to be willing to release Kaji, and in the case of that happening the two of them would be faced with a horrid situation. That said, it was too late now. It had already been done, and love like that was impossible to undo willingly. Ayumu covered his face with his hands for a moment as Yuii continued, apologizing for keeping it a secret, though he was the first to know outside the couple itself. Ayumu couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride in being the first to find out, despite the problems the situation could cause.

"Of all the attractive men you work with, it had to be him, huh? I guess that's the way love works, though. Not like it was your choice to begin with," Ayumu said, pulling his hands away from his face. He looked at Yuii, who looked pitiful. She was dealing with the idea that the man she loved might be stolen away by the leader of another village and feeling guilty for those feelings. Ayumu sighed, getting to his feet and walking quietly to Yuii's side where he raised his hand and formed a furious karate chop which he brought gently down upon her head. His hand then shifted down to pat her on the shoulder.

"Well, what's done is done. We'll have to convince Umashi, won't we?" he said resolutely. This had convinced him even more that it was worth quite a lot to keep Kaji. Losing Kaji meant potentially losing Yuii, if not to something as dramatic as the two of them eloping, then losing her to the despair of losing Kaji. "You should have told me sooner. I'm more motivated than ever now!" he said, turning away and returning to his seat which he dropped into once more. "I'm touched that you told me, though," he said before sighing and shaking his head. "Can't believe I didn't see it sooner. How long is 'for some time'?" Ayumu asked, wondering at what point the two of them had become an item. The first time Ayumu had seen Kaji, the brat from Leaf had implied that Kaji had a thing for Yuii, but Ayumu was still pretty sure that was their first meeting too.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Ayumu was being so understanding, too understanding. She wanted him to yell at her, throw a book, tell her she was a terrible Kunoichi; anything to validate the horrible way she felt right then. Stupid, understanding Ayumu, didn't he understand how she felt! Her overlarge blue eyes grew large and began to shimmer and pupils turned glassy with the threat of spilling over. "I know, I should have picked better. Love is never an excuse, we're shinobi I know better. I have my duty to you and my clan and I 've made a huge mess of it! It wasn't meant to last! He was supposed to go home. I was supposed to not get attached. I should have been stronger than these feelings. I shouldn't have even let it happen in the first place. I was so weak. If my-clan-finds-out-they're-going-to-kill-me! Do you have any idea what kind of drama I've caused myself! And I'm not sorry! I'm ashamed I'm not ashamed because I really really really really-" Her rambling was cut short with an expertly delivered karate chop.

"Eep!" She squeaked, disarmed and distracted from her self-depreciation. With a soft growl not unlike her contract beats, she rubbed absently at her 'wound' as Ayumu's hand found her shoulder. "I-I hope we can," she muttered, peaking around her arm with a sullen frown, "M-maybe we could give him more mednin." It was a joke, but Yuii had never hidden her discomfort around the healers of Kumogakure either. One or two fully qualified mednin were sure to equate to one Kaji, right?

Then came the dreaded question of when the relationship had started. Yuii baulked, then began to turn red in the face all over again. Their first night was a jewel amongst the days they had spent together, but that didn't make it easy to talk about with others. "The night before the meeting," she squeaked out again with a nervous laugh "Ahh!! I'm so embarrassed." Like a turtle, she half buried her face into her scarf, " I just wanted to find out what he was like. Recon, you know? Then we had drinks and played darts a-and then went upstairs to talk and have more drinks because it was noisy. T-then he showed me his lizard...tattoo... and ummmwellyouknow." Her words trailed off into half intelligible mutterings that were far too spicy for the rating level.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Yuii breaking out the tears just wasn't fair. Ayumu was now more invested in keeping Kaji than ever. Placing himself and Kahako in their situation and imagining being split apart by politics was devastating to think about. Nevermind the whole "Kaji is a great asset to the village" thing, this was a matter of love now! Ayumu was willing to let a shinobi go in exchange for Kaji, though he wasn't as sure about letting two go. Still, he had to think about how it could be arranged and how Umashi could be convinced. The one who knew the man best was undoubtedly Kaji. He would probably have the best insight on how to convince the man. He had seemed fairly confident he would be able to when he announced it earlier, after all.

Meanwhile, Yuii was dropping truth bombs about just how long Kaji and her had been seeing one another. Ayumu had guessed that it had started sometime after it had been decided that Kaji was going to stay for a while. Nope, it all began before Ayumu had even had a chance to sit down with the Leaf shinobi. Like a good Main Branch Sennin, Yuii had decided to scope out the foreign shinobi and make sure they weren't planning something nefarious. Fighting through embarrassment, she revealed that the two shinobi had shared drinks. Ayumu chuckled knowingly... this was an all too familiar story. It was obvious where it was going from here, but Yuii continued anyway, mentioning how Kaji had showed her a lizard tattoo. She almost seemed like she was going to continue but Ayumu held up his hands to stop her.

"Whoa whoa, I get the picture, Yuii. I don't need to hear about Kaji's lizard," Ayumu said, covering his eyes as if she was about to show him a photo for good measure. After being sure she was finished with the details, Ayumu dropped his hand to his side and heaved a sigh. "Thinking about it seriously, Kaji should probably go to the Hokage personally first. I think that would be best since the two of them appear to have a good relationship. He can give whatever conditions he might have for letting Kaji go permanently and we can take it from there, negotiating if necessary. Umashi seemed like a decent guy to me. Who knows, maybe he's as much of a softie as I am? If he's too resistant we'll just have to bring you in to give him that teary eyed face you just gave me," Ayumu said before walking to his desk and sitting on the edge.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Buried in her scarf and lost in the tide of love that repeating a bit sordid affairs with Kaji created, she hadn't noticed that Ayumu was becoming uncomfortable. The grey fabric folds hid her abashed smile when he called for her to stop. "I'm sorry!" she apologised quickly, realising that her words had gone far beyond what anyone wanted to hear, even in half muttered words. It was just so difficult to NOT go into detail now that she could finally say something to someone other than an apathetic tiger. As awful as she felt for blabbing out the truth AND making Ayumu uncomfortable, being honest had set her free in some ways. In others, even the Raikage couldn't easily save her.

As usual, Ayumu's assessment dead on what Yuii's own. Kaji's best chance laid in his own ability to convince the Hokage to let him stay. It was terrifying to know that the future of her relationship was in the hands of a man she had only met twice and that lived hundreds of miles away. That was the way of the world though, not that it made what Yuii would need to decide any easier in the worst scenario. "You're right," she sighed the trepidation, "I know Kaji will do his best, and Boots didn't seem like a horrible guy but who knows. Kage are supposed to do whats best for the village, not the individual right? Staying here has to be worth more than his leaving." Crying in front of the Hokage wasn't high on her list, but if she had to Yuii would.

Her voice still warbled on the edge of melting down she realised. It took a dozen breaths to get her emotions back under control, but once it was done Yuii clicked back into a mask of her usual self. That was shinobi training used at its best, and it illustrated just how upset she had been to ever willingly let go even that much. In a calm, even measured tone, she returned to the second issue that their deeply rooted but barely budded bond. "If Kaji can stay, you still may need to find a new Sennin. I think I'll be dead and dumped in the forest." she paused, letting Ayumu realise what she meant. Surely now that he had been prompted to, he would remember her familial dilemma. Kagetsu wasn't known for accepting modern views on marriage. Romantic love and its twin sister lust were considered incredibly dangerous enemies of the family-oriented clan. While not outright shady, there were training accidents that occurred at interesting times and the occasional 'run away'. Yuii's fate would not be so violent or suspicious, but knowing Ishiyo's ire and hatred for insubordination there was a possibility of sabotage. "I...now that I know he intends to stay, I can't expect things to stay this way, can I? Except, when I tell them I don't know what will happen..." Not knowing was the worst, but one thing was certain, it would not be good. Punishment for crossing the clan ranged greatly depending on your standing. One cousin, she remembered vividly had been forced to shave bald and join a monastery for sleeping with her childhood love. Another had been to marry a widower three times her age for trying to elope with another.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu cocked an eyebrow when Yuii mentioned that she might be murdered, her body hidden in the forest. She didn't explain immediately, instead letting Ayumu ponder her meaning for a moment. It clicked after a few seconds. The Kagetsu clan. The upper echelons of the clan were very picky about who the clan associated with. Everything to benefit the clan. What would Yuii's relationship with Kaji mean to them? That was an interesting question. Yuii herself seemed unsure, but was realizing now that she wouldn't be able to keep her secret forever. Ayumu sighed, running his fingers through his hair with a bit of exasperation.

"Clans are such a pain... even when you think you've got enough to think about with inter-village politics, you've got clan politics to worry about as well," Ayumu complained, knowing he was preaching to the choir. Growing up, Ayumu's family was part of no larger clan. They were just a normal family unit, a mom, dad, and two boys. He had no idea the kinds of things that went on with clans. Getting involved with Kahako, he was introduced into a whole new world of clan drama. The Higa clan she came from and the Shinrya clan that adopted her had more than their fair share of politics which Ayumu got to see for the first time. Back then, he had little taste for it. Now, as Raikage, there were so many clans he was forced to consider when making every decision for the village. The Kagetsu, of course, were one of the big ones.

"If you don't know how they'll react, I sure as hell don't. Kaji is more than respectable as a shinobi... and he's vital to our alliance with Konoha now. Would they have any reason to protest your relationship with him? Ayumu asked. Yuii's position as Sennin made her important in the village, and Kaji was on his way to Sennin if he was able to remain. That was a recipe for a power couple... wouldn't that be the kind of thing the Kagetsu would try to arrange on their own? "Maybe you could frame your... courtship as... ugh... political?" Ayumu suggested, feeling a bit disgusted by the idea that he would actually encourage a relationship based on politics.

[MFT]