Satisfying A Tea Obsession [Private]

Emotionless with a smile. That's what Katsuro called his current state of composure. It was the calm before the storm that resided deep within his soul and rarely got to come out now that he had retired from ANBU. He had been invited the earlier to come drink tea with the Mizukage and her daughter, he had even been told to bring his own sister with him so the Mizukage's eldest would have someone to talk to while the two higher ranked shinobi conversed whatever topic the Mizukage wanted to. Of course that didn't stop the former ANBU member from being completely on edge as they walked through the streets. Many years under the threat of death from shinobi puts one on edge, especially when they were as skilled at their job as Katsuro was. And then a faint voice brought him out of his reverie of caution back into the real world. No one knew that he was former ANBU except save for the Mizukage and then it wasn't something one talked about openly.

And then he found the source of the voice. A small girl of thirteen with pigtails tied in red ribbon he caught subtle hints of her father in her eyes and mannerisms. She was a girl that would break many hearts when she grew up, thanks to the genes passed on to her by her mother. And then Katsuro remembered the orders passed to him by the girl's mother. Make sure no harm ever comes to the child no matter what. At that thought he smiled a genuine smile. If anyone could protect the girl, it was him and the village of Kirigakure.

Suddenly the leisurely walk had come to an end as they stood outside the prestigious tea house known to serve the Mizukage often as well as visiting dignitaries. He didn't know why but he felt nervous. He had met the Mizukage on several occasions before but he was worried about his sister's reputation around the village for being a troublemaker. He wasn't sure if he was going to get chastised or if she was, which wouldn't go well if he felt the Mizukage was being too harsh on the girl. Harm could come from physical causes as well as emotional and Katsuro swore to protect her from all harm.

The bell rang as he stepped through the door, holding it open for Kiyoko to enter through, before letting it close behind him causing the bell to ring out once more. He quickly spotted the Mizukage and her eldest daughter before moving to their table. With a deep bow he offered his greeting.

"Greetings Mizukage-sama, Karma-chan. I am Katsuro Senju and this," he put his hand on top of Kiyoko's head, "is my younger sister Kiyoko. We thank you for inviting us out to Tea." After rising from he bow he awaited permission to have a seat from the Mizukage.

Kiyoko was very happy and full of energy on this very day. She was on her way to tea with the Mizukage and her daughter. She traveled alongside her brother, who had told her she needed to be on her best behavior. However, Kiyoko didn't know if she would be able to obey her brother because of her excitement. The girl hadn't met the Mizukage before so this would be a great time for her to show off. Plus, her daughter would be there so the girl might just be able to make a friend in this very day. In order to calm herself down a little, Kiyoko had started to make a pattern of her walk. She would take three steps and hop. This style of walking would continue for a few moments before the child got bored. " I hope this is fun. " Kiyoko would say as they continued towards the tea shop.

Upon reaching the shop, Kiyoko would watch her brother open the door and would walk in as he held it open for her. The girl would look around at the shop. She didn't know if she liked it exactly but she would make it better somehow. The girl followed after her brother, who had made his way towards the Mizukage's table. After seeing him bow, Kiyoko would giggle a little but quickly stopped. She didn't wish to get into any trouble right away and she didn't know how her brother would feel about her laughing. He would then introduce the both of them. Kiyoko would smile with all her wonderful white teeth showing. However, the girl obviously didn't understand the meaning of the word manners because she would sit right down in front of Karma.

"Hmm... So, your the Mizukages daughter? K... ar... ma. I like that name." Kiyoko would then turn to the Mizukage and stare at her. " and you are the Mizukage. You're pretty. " Kiyoko would smile again. The girl spoke her mind a and did what she wanted really. Until, her brother told her wether or not she was being rude. Then and only then, would the girl try and change the way she was acting.

Spending your entire life being taught that people of a higher rank deserved respect and honorifics, Katsuro found himself stunned with the Mizukage asked him to refer her to Kali. Of course he didn't let this shock rise to the service of his face, a trick mastered over the years of being a Shinobi and ANBU. A trick he was sure she herself had mastered over the years of being Mizukage, a job she had taken quite early in her shinobi career.

"As you command, Kali-sama." He said as he seated himself at the table, offering a disappointed look at his Kiyoko. He knew he had taught her better manners than to seat herself before permission was granted and he would have to make sure she would remember later. Of course the look of disappointment lasted merely a second before it disappeared and his face resumed his normal smiling face. "Please, Kali-sama, you may call me by my given name instead of my surname."

And then the Mizukage turned to his Kiyoko and accepted the compliment and offered one of her own to the young Senju girl who was seated next to him. He had to agree with the Mizukage about Kiyoko. She had more aspects of her mother about her than her father, which Katsuro counted towards the many blessings the girl had going towards her. Though he wondered when she would notice. And then his reverie was broken by the the Mizukage asking him a question.

"Hm? Oh, no. Nothing terribly important. I was just lounging around the family home trying to keep young Kiyoko here out of trouble. I was quite grateful for the invite to be honest. I find myself terribly bored when there are no missions assigned to me. Also, I do hope we aren't intruding too much on your time with your daughter."

He then turned his attention to the waitress before ordering what he wanted, "I would like some green tea with a rice cake please."

Kiyoko would smile at the compliment she had just received from the Mizukage. She would not see the look of disappointment her brother had shown considering her eyes had been too focused on the Mizukage. The woman truly was pretty and she must have been strong, since she was the Mizukage. However, Kiyoko still wasn't sure about her so until she thought otherwise the girl would continue to treat her like most but maybe a slight bit better.

Kiyoko would turn her eyes towards the woman's daughter and giggle. "You sound like your mom. Just call me Kiyoko or Kiyo. Either way I like them both. " Kiyoko would then smile and listen as Karma had asked her a question. "Actually, yes it is. I think it's a little... boring though." The girl would look around as she spoke about the place and then speak again. "I think it needs more..." The girl would cut off with a grin setting in on her face as the waitress brought menus. As the woman left, she quickly turned back, ".. more tea! Yeah, I mean they do have a lot but I mean can never have too much right."

Kiyoko would then prop the menu up to cover the blush she had on her face. The girl couldn't believe she almost said something like that out loud. Especially around her brother and the Mizukage. Then, she would lower the menu and smile once more. No trace of blush would be evident on her face.

Katsuro chuckled along with the Mizukage as she made a joke directed at her daughter. Katsuro was tempted to do the same for Kiyoko but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was truly wrapped around her finger and he dreaded the day she finally figured it out. After ordered he handed the waitress his menu and nudged Kiyoko with his elbow in order to urge her to order whatever she liked from the menu.

"Silence isn't as boring as most people think. When I was with the Organization," he said with a hint of subterfuge being in the presence of the two genin, "We would use the silence as a sort of game. We would memorize everything we heard before and during the escalation and after the mission was over we would compare what we heard. Those who heard the least amount would be forced to buy food for the entire squad." He gave a soft chuckle of his own as he remembered the games they played while on mission.

And then the question came that he had no answer to. He still didn't feel comfortable helping train genin to become like him. To secretly relish in the death of their enemies and to hide their emotions from their family. But he would still need a diplomatic answer to shrug it off.

"I think that is ultimately up to you Kali-sama. But I don't know if the genin would be ready for my training style. I'm used to training shinobi who have been around longer and have a higher tolerance to certain aspects of being a shinobi." He was not sure if the Mizukage was aware of the difficult ANBU training regime but if she was, she would know that it might not be the best for genin to be subject to that type of training. Though it would be an interesting special project to give ANBU hopefuls a taste of what the life is like.

"But what about you Kali-sama. Did you have a squad before you became Mizukage? You became Mizukage quite young if I remember correctly."

Kiyoko would grin as Karma started talking about her tea comment. She was glad to know that the girl didn't catch on to the fact she was turning the girls attention away from what she was truly about to say. If the girl were to have noticed, Kiyoko surely would have gotten in trouble. Today, she wished to not get into much trouble until after the Mizukage was not arround. Kiyoko was afraid of what might happen if the woman were to catch her doing something wrong and she also didn't wish to make her brother look bad. However, her mind would turn back to the girl words once again, "You know. You must be smart because you say some big words. I don't even understand them sometimes." Kiyoko would say as she giggled.

The female would have her attention on Karma, until she felt an unexpected touch. When Kiyoko's brother nudged her, she would gasp a little with a slight jump. "Uhh green tea!" Kiyoko would say as she tried to cover up what she had just done. She might have ordered something else had she taken time to look instead of talk. However, it was the first thing that came to mind after the moment of her little scare. Sure she knew that everyone at the table was safe to be around but she had never gotten over the scare of that one night. The child's face would turn a slight pink as she nervously laughed. She would listen to the Mizukage order and then Karma. The young Senju would sigh and look down but her head would snap back up as she listened to Karma.

"Uhh yeah I graduated not to long ago. Hmm... a team.. I'm not sure." Kiyoko would say out loud but in her mind ither things were being said such as, 'I hope not. I don't want a team. All I need is my brother.'

Katsuro nodded. He could relate to the pressures of having a demanding job while also taking care of your family. At the mention of it he couldn't help but smile warmly as he sneaked a glance at Kiyoko. He stilled wondered what would happen the day she found out the truth behind their relationship. How much she would hate him. The pain of those thoughts were easily hidden beneath the warm outer exterior that his face had morphed into. Though he recognized the muttering of the Kage, he couldn't help but sneak another glance at Kiyoko.

"It's possible," Katsuro said to the Mizukage's words about not making a good squad leader. "No disrespect intended, of course. It's just that you were still quite a fresh faced shinobi when you were made Mizukage by the council. Many of the shinobi didn't trust you but you have since proved yourself to be a dedicated Kage," He turned his head and smiled at Karma, "And an excellent mother. But now..." He was about to offer another compliment to the Mizukage when the waitress arrived with the drinks and food, sufficiently distracted him from his speech that he soon forgot about it.

First he took the cup with both hands and brought it delicately to his nose to let the aroma fill his nostrils. "Mmm," was the only audible sound that escaped Katsuro's throat as he smelled the delicious aroma of the tea before he brought it to his lips and took a small sip. The tea was still hot but he let it move over the surface of his tongue, letting each and every one of his taste-buds get a sample of the tea. It was good to say the least. Better than anything he could ever make, though he was sure his mother could have it beat. Not that he was biased.

He listened to Kali as he took a bite from the rice cake. She made a point. He couldn't help but worry if the genin were not ready for the the always possible chance of war that ruled over the lives of the higher ranks such as himself and the Mizukage. There was always the chance of a mistake being made by shinobi abroad and war being declared between two villages. His only concern was that the genin, though trained by excellent shinobi, were not adequately prepared for war and the inevitable loss they would face on the battlefield. Though he also believed that great care must be used to make sure that the shinobi trained under this principle didn't become someone he relished in death. He felt that would ruin the Shinobi forever.

"I agree, Kali-sama. The genin should be prepared for the inevitable of their lives as Shinobi. Loss to civilians is devastating. To us shinobi, loss is something that must be devastating but also be seen as a way life. A difficult one yes, but it is one they, and we, have chosen to live. Though great care must be taken to insure that a shinobi doesn't start to relish in the death they will most likely inflict on the enemies of the village. I believe that is the quickest way to ruin the shinobi and the village." He paused a moment to let his words float through the air as he took another small sip from the tea. "You will undoubtedly find shinobi who wish to bring us back to the days of the Bloody Mist but those are the shinobi, I believe, that have been ruined. Ruined by the death that is so prevalent in their lives they wish to inflict it on everyone." He had plenty more to tell his Kage but before he would be able to do that he would need to know her reaction, and not be in the company of genin.

Kiyoko sat in silence for a moment as she watched Karma. The girl wasn't saying anything, which caused Kiyoko to think she had said something wrong. This would make the young Senju start to worry slightly as she glanced at her brother and back to Karma. If there was anyone she didn't want to upset today it was her brother and especially while they were with the Mizukage. However, the girl in front of her would begin to speak again, which would make Kiyoko sigh. She spoke about the two being on a team. This would make Kiyoko begin to blink. Karam on a team with her? Kiyoko would shake her head slightly. How could she be on a team with anyone else? She was dumb and couldn't do much of anything at all. Considering this child was the Mizukage's, she was sure to be smart and good at a lot of things. It may be fun being on Karma's team but she was hesitant to say yes at the same time.

Kiyoko had looked down to see the tea in front of her that she had ordered. The child really didn't wish to have anything at all but her brother's unexpected nudge had caused the girl a slight panic, which in turn caused her to blurt out. Once again, the child would turn a little pink before calming again. Kiyoko really didn't wish for anyone to know that one thing about her but eventually someone would notice. The girl would look back p to Karma as she had asked a question. Kiyoko would blink once again. She had to answer this question with caution although, the Mizukage probably already knew many of the things the young Senju did. However, Kiyoko would think very hard about her answer and then speak. "Well, I like to do art, I like to go on adventures, and I like to train." Kiyoko would smile after speaking. However, in he mind she would be saying something else. 'I'm just not good at most of it...'

Katsuro frowned at the mention of kidnapped. Kiyoko's kidnapping as a child was still fresh in his mind. Fresh enough to know that he could still smell the metallic scent of the blood of those who attempted to take his precious girl away from him. Still, he was thankful that she didn't remember what happened that night with clarity or the nightmares would have been far worse with the images of bodies shredded and spikes of wood protruding from their dead or dying forms. He showed those men no mercy and simply left them to die a slow painful death as he hugged her close to his chest.

"I agree. Poise is indeed necessary when dealing with these things." What he wanted to say that he would answer Death and Kidnappings with death itself. Just as he had done all those years ago. "As you may know, I prefer to answer a few of those things with adequate justice. While one mustn't enjoy killing, it is necessary to insure that your enemies are afraid of attacking you. Or if they do attack you should be afraid of the repercussions of such an attack. I call it Shock and Awe."

He knew if Kiyoko was listening she probably would have heard the word kidnapping. Regardless, if she heard or not he was soft place his arm around her shoulder and give it a squeeze. He wasn't sure how she would react but he was prepared for whatever she acted like. Well almost prepared. As he waited, he brought the tea cup up to his mouth and took a sip.

Kiyoko stared at her tea as things seemed to get quiet between the two younger girls. She was deciding on wether or not she should drink the tea. It would be a waste but then again she really didn't think she wanted it. What if she started to drink it and then wanted it? But what if she didn't want it? What if she didn't drink it but then felt guilty that she didnt? Maybe, drinking it would be a good idea. The girl would tap her fingers on the table as she stared at the tea. Her fingers slowly began to inch their way closer, when the Mizukage began to speak. Kiyoko really wasn't paying much attention, until she heard that word. This would cause Kiyoko to freeze in her tracks.

Kiyoko didn't remember much of what happened but she did remember sounds, blurry sights from the tears she shed, and things going dark at one point. Most of all, she remembered her brother was there to save her but it still frightened her to think about. What if he had been gone? What if he hadn't been able to save her? What if it happened again? Kiyoko often found herself wondering if somebody would come for her or her brother for hurting those people. She didn't want to think about it but sometimes she just heard noises at night and it just happened.

Kiyoko would shiver slightly as she felt her brothers arm around her and a squeezing on her shoulder. The girl's eyes would continue to stare at her tea but then would slowly move to look at her brother. She didn't care about the fact that he would think she was eavesdropping. It was evident that the girl was slightly scared by the look in her eyes but looking at her brother she would know she was safe. However when Karma spoke to her, she couldn't find the words to speak nor could she find it in her to look at the young girl in front of her. It was almost as if the girl was stiffening in cement. It was hard for her to move, to speak, or to even get her mind off of the thing that was keeping her at bay.