Respecting One's Elders

It was a quiet day in the office, a rare occurrence that allowed for some much needed productivity. Most had already went home for the day in lieu of the upcoming long weekend. With the onset of a warm spring, the festival season had begun. All of the towns and villages that dotted her country were ablaze with laughter and food, joy and drinking. In some aspects it reminded the daimyō of the few fond memories she had of Kumogakure and her family. This caused her thoughts to drift to those she held near and dear to her including her beloved grandmother.

"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.

Kirei: Come drink tea with your Grandmother, dear.

"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.

Kirei: 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.

Kirei: I am your grandmother, after all.

She laughed. "Beauty and wisdom mixed together like fine wine. I only hope that I can strike the same balance sometime in the future."

Kirei: Don't be silly child. pats 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.

Kirei: 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.

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,"

Kirei: Darling, did you think I'd let you forget about us? I have to let you know that you're grandmother is still kicking.

"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.

Kirei: giggles Oh darling, you're too much

"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.

Kirei: Well, you're grandfather and I are on vacation, we needed​ some time away from home. 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.

Kirei: He fell asleep and as you know, once he's out; there's no waking him up. Looks at wristwatch And I doubt that he'll be getting up anytime soon. It was perfectly timed. I couldn't have him trailing me. If he found out then Kiyoshi would find out. 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.

Kirei: From what I hear, that woman is very detestable. And yes, it now stands as a monument. The day Kumogakure​ ninja were slaughtered by their own. Your grandfather was quite shocked and perhaps even saddened to see that you're capable of such things. 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,"

Kirei: So you had no other choice that to slaughter them all. I purpose that action was justifiable to you at the time. I wish there could've been something else done to prevent it from happening. What were you so afraid of? Why were you so reluctant on being brought back home?

"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.

Kirei: My darling, it is your birthright. The Yuri have been at the forefront of every Kumo affair since the very beginning. 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. 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."