Winners' Luncheon (Notte/The Twins)

Having emerged victorious from her bout with Halycon Yomi, Shimiko decided now would be a good time to chat with her new student Notte and the twins. The twins would be having their own Chuunin Exams trials coming up very soon and she wanted to give them a pep talk. Notte would also be participating which meant that she needed to do the same for him. It would be best to talk to them both at the same time and give them each a chance to meet and get to know one another. She knew the twins might be a tad bit jealous that she had taken on another genin but she figured that with their sweet and pleasant demeanor they wouldn't demonstrate any animosity. Notte for his part was a bit of a wildcard. If his dark side revealed itself at the lunch then that would make things a bit awkward. She wasn't seriously considering him as a potential suitor for the twins given how volatile his personality was. Until she learned exactly what this split personality was, where it came from, what its intentions were, and how it could be controlled she would not risk her twins being with a psychopath. That didn't mean the two couldn't learn from one another and train together as peers. She felt confident that her twins could handle that much especially now that they were committed killers in their own right. The pair were rising up in the Church's ranks and the Lady Superior saw a future for them in the Church's leadership. Managing difficult personalities would of course come with the territory.

The luncheon was hosted in a skybox overlooking the arena with several small tables littered around the room should others wish to partake in a meal before their next match. Shimiko sat down at a white cloth lunch table with two seats arranged to either side of her. The table was filled with all sorts of lunch delicacies including but not limited to: finger sandwiches, dim sum, biscuits, fruit, cheese, and an assortment of treats to fill one's belly. She wasn't going to stuff herself during a tournament but she would indulge here and there. She had purposefully avoided learning who had won the other matches. Part of her wanted it to be a surprise and part of her was afraid of losing focus if she found out that Ryuko had lost. Shimiko had slipped out of her armour and was instead wearing a white dress shirt, black tie, and mini-skirt. The dress shirt's buttons being mostly undone to expose ample cleavage. She waited patiently for her guests to arrive.

Yui and Yua were surprised at being invited to this dinner and happy at the same time, the pair of them would smile widely as they entered the area seeing all the various foods they would quickly move over to find what they liked the best. Shimiko had it there of course and that was strawberry cheesecake as the pair would grab a large slice each and continued to eat it with a smile. They knew she wanted to introduce the pair to many people and they did not mind.

"Shimiko thank you for inviting us, we are very happy you have our favorite food thank you very much."

They would continue to wait for the guests to arrive, Shimiko was doing so well in these battles, they truly were impressed as expected she was a powerhouse and they never doubted this. Lord Jashin had granted her strength and later that night they would sacrifice someone to ensure Shimiko wins as God intended. They had heard rumors of some terrible sinners around these parts with the exams in town it was hard to resist punishing the wicked but they had to control themselves.

Not long after her very close match Ryuko was making her way to the skybox where her friend Shimiko was located.   She wasn’t on the guest list but knowing that her fellow thundercat had won her fight and they where set to go against each other in the next round she decided it would be best to seek her team mate out so that they could have a chat.

In the grand scheme of things it hadn’t taken much to track her down all things considered.  After Shimiko’s last match against Halcyon Yomi the beast of Kirigakure everyone was talking about her and the way she had taken down such a well known and terrifying person so easily.   All Ryuko had to do was ask around a bit if anybody had seen where Shimiko had went and before long one of her new fans had pointed her in the right direction.

Ryuko’s own fight had been pretty intense,  down right to the wire. She’d worked up a lot of sweat and so she’d taken a break to hit the showers and get changed with the help of her lady in waiting Sophie who had been waiting in the wings watching her match and was now currently quietly following her just a few steps behind.

No longer in battle mode gone was the set of heavy duty armor and face markings, in their place she was wearing an extremely high end causal but elegant white pink dress with golden colored threads woven in.   It was pristine without a speck of dirt or smudge on it. It happened to be one of her favorite dresses and she often wore it when she was off duty because it was classy without being pretentious.  

Arriving at the skybox she knocked politely at the door. “Pardon the intrusion.” she said before letting herself in not bothering to wait for permission to be granted to enter.   Shimiko was basically a sister to her, they where family if not in blood then in spirit.  

The only room of her’s that Ryuko would be hesitant to enter without a clear invitation was her private bedroom. That was more out of consideration of not wanting to walk in on her when she was in the middle of being intimate with her boyfriend Sakata since the priestess was pretty sure their wasn’t enough bleach in the world to burn that image out of her eyes if she ever witnessed it.

“Yui, Yua good to see you again as always.” said Ryuko warmly as she walked over to them and attempted to playfully ruffle their white hair.  Being that they where more or less Shimiko’s adopted children she had seen them plenty of times over the past couple of years and it warmed her heart to see that they where doing well under her sisters care.

“I’ve brought you a treat, make sure you don’t eat tis all at once” added Ryuko with a wink as Sophie walked over and held out two boxes of high end chocolate that Ryuko had imported from overseas.  It was amusing to play the cool aunt figure for them since she didn’t have any little siblings of her own to dote upon.

Taking a moment to glance at the other figure sitting at the table the priestess raised a curious eyebrow the sight of an unfamiliar face.   Well at least he was dressed well enough unlike a certain slacker ninja that had once attended one of their dinner parties many moons ago.  “Oh who might you be? Have you started taking students as well Shi-chan?” she asked having taken some on herself.   She’d almost wanted to ask if he was one of the twins boyfriends but she didn’t want to embarrass any of them since they where at a delicate age.

Turning to her friend and sister Ryuko flashed her a v for victory sign before throwing her hand out to give Shimiko a high five.  The fact they’d both cleared the first round made seemed like a miracle which made what she’d wanted to say next all the much harder.

“Well done on your victory. I’ve seen how tough Miss Halcyon can be ever since she went toe to toe with Shiori in the vally.  With this you’ve proven beyond a doubt you are one of the strongest woman in all of the elemental nations.” said Ryuko with a grin.  She’d been using Yomi as a bench mark with which to measure herself against to prepare herself to face off against the white sage.  

To see Shimiko take down an even stronger version of that benchmark and make it look easy while she’d had such a tough time against someone who was within the same class had left her confidence shook.   She didn’t really care which of the two of them was strongest and she didn’t have anything to prove to Shimiko, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she herself was really ready to face the big guns.

“I”ve been a bit big headed lately haven’t I? Thinking I was one of the best in the village and yet Shimiko might have surpassed me.”  Thought Ryuko to herself. It was a very humbling experience.  She had thought herself to be their masters Nariko’s equal now, and even been toying with the idea of challenging her for the Raikage’s hat since she knew her sensai had really only wanted to fill the void until a better suited candidate came along.  

Before today she would have said she was the best prospect in the village to take on the role.  As a noblewoman and one of Nariko’s attendants she was well versed in politics and had basically been learning everything one would need to know by acting as an intern of sorts.   By Shimiko’s brother Seigi had been the last Raikage before Nariko which meant she was equally knowledgeably about the role and she’d more then proven she had the power to back it up.

“I have a big favor to ask you Shimiko.” said Ryuko using her friends full name to show how serious she was being about this.   Considering how selfish she was being brought her no end of shame. “Would you consider dropping out of the tournament?” she asked nervously.

Shimiko smiled as she saw Yui and Yua arrive. The twins were first to arrive which was not entirely unexpected. They thanked her for the food and began to dig into a strawberry cheesecake. "No problem Yui and Yua" she said with a smile. "Dig right in". She was happy that the twins were enjoying themselves. They'd be nice and relaxed for when they met her new student Notte. Speak of the devil, Notte entered into the private skybox luncheon with the same bluster he had when she met him. He addressed her by "Capo" which she took to mean something akin to "Sensei" in Notte's mother tongue. If she ever found out it meant something vulgar or disrespectful she'd have his tongue. He went to punch her arm in jest and she deftly caught it before aiming to give it a slight twist and pull. Not painful enough to put him on his knees but painful enough to communicate: Cut it out.. She released his wrist and gave him a cheery smile. "Nice to see you too Notte. No roughhousing at the lunch table please." Notte would know his sensei would have no rough play at a nice lunch like this. She half expected Hachi to reveal himself which wouldn't be that terrible of a thing. She wanted her twins to meet both halves of their fellow student. They may be off-put by the double's vulgarity and propensity for violence but it was better they got exposed t that now than at a time where they were more vulnerable.

Notte gave himself a shaky introduction after his clear look of confusion. He had not met the twins and the twins had not met him. Shimiko took the time to make formal introductions.

"Yui and Yua, this is my new student. Notte Inazuma. I ran into him *quite literally* and was intrigued by his peculiar personality. I have agreed to train him and make him my new student."

Shimiko turned to Notte.

"Notte, these are my twins Yui and Yua. I adopted them two years ago. They've had a rough life and were in a bit of a terrible situation. I helped them out of it and now they live with me, are members of my Church, and are a part of my family."

Shimiko was giving her charming and pleasant smile as she spoke but she hoped that Notte would pick up on a key detail. The twins were a large part of her life and she was quite protective of them. He would do well to treat them with the utmost regard. She understood he couldn't fully control Hachi or his vicious outbursts but if it escalated to serious physical harm then she would not hesitate to reduce him to eating through a plastic tube and shitting into a colostomy bag. She watched for their reactions and added.

"I will be training the both of you which makes you two peers. I suggest you two get to know each other and exchange ideas and tips. We will be stronger as a team if we learn about each other and our strengths and weaknesses."

She didn't want to put pressure on either of them. For now she was content for them to be cordial and respectful peer students. She was looking for a suitor for the twins but Hachi's rough nature worried her. Even though Notte's ambition and lineage was an attractive trait she had to ensure he was a stand up guy. And of course, the twins themselves would need to approve. Shimiko began to munch on some finger sandwiches right when her friend Ryuko entered into the room. Her eyes widened as she hoped her friend brought good news. She had purposefully avoided news of the other matches. She wanted to surprise herself and she wanted news of her sister's victory straight from the source. Ryuko however apparently saw fit to keep her in suspense. She said hello to the twins and gifted them a box of chocolates. Now that Shimiko was more or less a parent to them she couldn't spoil them as much as she wanted to sometimes. Luckily, Ryuko was more than happy to fill the void. She expected the twins of course to say thank you for such an expensive delicacy. Ryuko was super rich now but all the same imported chocolates were hard to come by.

Ryuko turned her attention to their other lunch guest, Notte. Shimiko spoke up on his behalf. "Yep. This is my new student Notte Inazuma. Notte, this is my squad-mate and best friend Ryuko von Shize von Rose." She hoped Notte would be on his best behavior for his own sake. If he thought his Capo was strict then he wouldn't survive an encounter with a pissed off Ryuko. Shimiko was trying to play it cool but it was becoming increasingly obvious that she wanted to hear news of how her match went. The Thundercats were all powerful in her eyes and she was disappointed that Natsuru had elected not to join the tournament. This of course meant that she expected Ryuko and herself to prevail in their respective matches. If they fought each other then it would be one hell of a match. It would be a battle of love, respect, and friendly competition. She couldn't wait any longer, the suspense was killing her. She raised an eyebrow and made a face that practically screamed: Aaaaand?!.

Shimiko let out a sigh of relief when Ryuko flashed the V sign. She raised her hand and there was an audible clap as they made contact. They'd be fighting each other in the next round. Shimiko didn't know much about Ryuko's opponent battle-wise but she had heard of the woman. Masuyo Kaede was no slouch, she was one of the strongest warriors in Konohagakure. Apparently after the fall of Iwa she had continued her career in the Leaf and had made quite a name for herself. Ryuko praised her for her sound defeat of Yomi. It was a very flattering statement and she was glad that Notte and her twins were here to hear the compliment. Shimiko blushed and responded:

"All glory goes to Jashin" she stated while trying to maintain a semblance of humility although in her head she was fist-pumping. Ryuko lamented that she might have been too cocky and that Shimiko may have surpassed her. It was certainly possible as far as the Chinoike was concerned. Ryuko had started out significantly stronger than her and Natsuru. But Shimiko had trained hard and her bloodline afforded her a higher ceiling than Ryuko. It was a blessing of course but it came with its drawbacks. "We've all come along way Ryuko...you've got to give yourself more credit. You just beat Masuyo Kaede who is one of the top kunoichi in the world. As for whether or not I've surpassed you...well....only one way to find out" she said with a playful smile and wink.

Ryuko's serious expression however caused her smile to fade. Ryuko then proceeded to ask her for a favor and used her proper name. This indicated that it would be more than a mere "favor". The Jashinist sat up straight and looked her sister in the eye. "Yes, anything what is it?". Then Ryuko proceeded to drop a bomb on her head.

"Wait, what? Why? What's the problem?" she asked more concerned than angry. If it had been anyone else she would have taken it as an insult. But she knew Ryuko would not ask for something like that unless there was something truly serious at work here. Shimiko caught herself and realized that Notte and her twins were present. "Do we need to talk in private?" she asked Ryuko before taking her friends hands into her own.

As the pair sat more people entered one was a boy they did not know as he went and tried to hit Shimiko, a rage entered their eyes as they wanted to grab a knife and stab it straight through his throat, rip his skin from his body and devour his flesh. It was clear they were angry as when he went to speak to them they smiled but the killing intent was immense, they remained polite not doing any actions of violence. They knew Shimiko simply wanted to have an enjoyable dinner with everyone.

"We are Yui and Yua it is nice to meet you Notte, we do hope you know you will never be able to harm Shimiko, she is far too strong for you."

If he looked into their eyes the pair had a frightening look on their face, like a predator stalking its prey, studying its movement. The desire to end his life made them think back to their old days of murder, the days they had to kill without question. Their hands trembled even in rage before they would take a deep breath with Ryuko walking over and patting their heads. They suddenly would smile a real smile and stand up rushing over and snuggling into big sis, they considered her part of their family and deeply cared for her. Not as much as Shimiko but she had become an important part of their life as well.

The pair would notice Shimiko and Ryoko talking privately as they would focus their attention back toward the boy. They would both turn their head and smile at him, this smile felt wrong however as they offered the shake his hand, if he accepted they would teach him a painful lesson, as one of them would begin to merge with him just a little bit to let him feel the immense pain and suffering one of them being part of his body could be. They would unmerge if he did shake their hand and continue to smile at the boy, a warning toward him, do not touch Shimiko in such a way.

Ryuko smiled on the surface as she went thought the standard round of receiving hugs from the twins. It wasn’t that she wasn’t glad to see them but more that she was so depressed about her situation that it felt more like she was going through the motions, unable to give them the proper attention they deserved.

A small corner of her mind made a mental note of Notte’s name as introductions where made.  Even as she was conducting her negitoations with Shimiko that part of her kept following what else was going on in the room.  She found it curious that he keep refering to his sensai as Capo.   Wasn’t that an Italian word?  Truly the village was a veritable melting pot of all kinds of people.

“I didn’t come here to bribe you Shi-chan and I’ve got nothing to hide from our extended family.  Let them hear this, I trust them not to spread any sensitive information beyond these walls. Besides it might do them good to see what the adult world can be like at times.” said Ryuko firmly knowing full well how ironic that statment was when she and her sister where barely older then the twins or Notte.

“Tis simple really,  we both know that as a Jinchuriki Nozomi will be the one to reach the last round and wish to be the one to face her.  She’d already defeated Rin and she did it while holding back. As for the last match the kunoichi from Kirigakure  made short work of our resident runaway Bayushi.” she explained.

That at least was a bit of good news, with one eye taken out and an arm severally damaged that was a major blow to Shiori’s forces, at least the forces they knew of at any rate.  It was ironic how female dominated the entire tournament had become to the point their where now only woman in the running.

“That means she’s up against Tsubaki next.  From what I’ve the Kaguya is good, but good won’t cut it once our blond friend decides to get serious.  I simply can’t picture a scenario where the bone wielder comes up on top.” said Ryuko with a sigh.  That was the easy part of explaining the reason behind her request. The rest was more difficult.  

“After our last conservation about her you’ve probably already realized it by now but I have feelings for Nozomi.  Not just of friendship and sisterhood like with you and Nat-chan but romantic ones. I… I love her.” said Ryuko her voice strained by her admission.   It was the first time she'd been able to say those feelings out loud and it would have felt very liberating if not for the fact so many people wanted her darling dead.

“Have you ever heard of the ninshu religion?  They believe that by sharing chakra people can communicate on a spiritual level with each other.  I experienced that firsthand  when I attempted to heal Nozomi after she took a fatal shot in the valley.  My chakra mixed with hers and I discovered that we where kindred spits.”

“You probably think I’m crazy and perhaps you’re right.  After being rejected by Nat-chan I’ve just felt so terribly lonely.  I wanted desperately to find someone who would accept me for who I am,  Someone to hold me.  Maybe I just convinced myself I was seeing something that wasn’t there…”


“Either way, my feelings are what they are, Not even Hakkin himself could change the color of my heart.” said Ryuko uttering a statement that showed just how firm and unwavering she was about liking the other girl.

“I’m never spoke of this to you before and I’m sorry for keeping secrets but the truth is I met with Nozomi when I went overseas.” continued Ryuko dropping one bombshell after the next.  “We spoke but only briefly before parting.  I wanted to dance so badly but she had somewhere else to be.  I don’t think she ever saw me then not really.  Her eyes where on another.” said Ryuko her voice bitter since she had a feeling she knew exactly who Nozomi was longing for and why.

“The only way to resolve this tension between us… the only way to make her face me is to meet her in the arena.  If I could have but a chance to demonstrate to her my strength then maybe… just maybe I can sway her to our side.”  It was a long shot but at the moment it was the only one Ryuko had left.

“The trouble is the only way to get to that stage, to get to her is through you Shimiko.  If it where just a friendly sparring match that might be one thing but if the two of us where to fight seriously I don’t think I could win without resorting to lethal force.  If I did that what kind of person would that make me?  To kill own of my own sisters in cold blood for merely a chance to save my beloved.  I… I could never do that.” said Ryuko looking away in shame that the idea had even crossed her mind.

“Shimiko you are a noble warrior the same as me. To ask you to throw the match on purpose in the middle of it would only bring great shame to us both so instead I ask you respectful to step aside before it has even begun.” said Ryuko as she knelt down on her knees and bowed down her head so deeply it was almost touching the floor.

“After our talk at my forge I came to accept the reality of our situation.  As things stand I cannot be together with her.  I intent to take full responsibly for the consequence of my request should you chose to accept it. If for some reason I can not turn things around, if the future refuses to change then at least allow me to end things with my own hands.” she added darkly.

The exchange between Notte and the twins did not escape Shimiko's attention even as Ryuko shocked her with her request. The twins were fiercely protective of her and cared for her well being which was touching. They even went so far as to threaten Notte if he ever tried to harm her (which of course he couldn't). Notte for his part handled himself relatively well. She wasn't focused on the details of their conversation but he hadn't flipped out or tried to attack Yui and Yua. At the same time she could tell by the tone in his voice that he wasn't afraid of them either. This was good. Iron sharpens iron. Maybe in time they'd be more friendly to each other but for now she'd settle for them feeling each other out. For the moment though, Shimiko remained focused on Black Panther. Ryuko declined to make their conversation private and while she respected her wishes she was a bit concerned for what Ryuko was about to say. She didn't want her twins hearing anything that might make them thing less of her best friend.

Ryuko predicted that Nozomi would reach the final round. She nodded in response. She figured that would be the case. Anyone who was working under Shiroi was probably extremely powerful in their own right and to add on the power of a Tailed Beast would make it a near certainty that they were at or near S-Class level. Shimiko wasn't afraid of Nozomi but she knew that she could not afford to underestimate her if the two fought. She had been preparing strategies just in case she encountered the Ex-Kiri Nin but preparation only went so far when one faced such an indomitable threat. When Ryuko revealed that she had feelings for Nozomi, Shimiko's expression grew from worry to anger. She sat back in her chair and tossed a finger sandwich she had been holding onto her plate. She folded her arms and cut her eyes at her sister in disgust. Her suspicions (and worst fears) were confirmed by the Priestess's own lips. It felt like a stark betrayal and the only reason Shimiko did not get up and leave right then and there was because she felt that if she walked out on Ryuko as a friend then it would only be giving the Nuke-Nin what she wanted. Shimiko hated being lied to betrayed but she also hated losing to her enemies.

It hurt that Ryuko had fallen in love with someone who had tried to kill their best friend. Someone who was affiliated with a terrorist that had murdered their fellow countrymen. Of all the people in the world, Ryuko had chosen their sworn enemy and all because she had felt some kind of "connection" during the heat of battle. Shimiko had a dim view of other religions and while her contempt for Ninshuu was not particularly higher than the rest she thought it a poor excuse for falling in love with someone.

Shimiko listened as Ryuko lamented that Nozomi was not interested in her. They had met again overseas, probably at the Count's Halloween Ball. If she had the audacity to try and dance with Nozomi at the Ball then it was clear she was more than smitten. The blonde wondered if Genjutsu of some kind could be at play but when she thought back to how Ryuko had confessed to Natsuru she realized that this just might be the type of person her sister was.The girl was lovesick and craved affection. It was sad but what bothered Shimiko was that rather than restraining herself or asking for help, Ryuko had allowed herself to fall in too deep. The thought caused Shimiko to purse her lips as she continued to listen to Ryuko's explanation.

The conversation they had at the forge was put into context now that Shimiko understood the real reason she wanted to convert the jinchurriki. She wanted to be with Nozomi and she believed that if she could turn the girl on the path of righteousness then perhaps they would have a future together. It was naive and optimistic but love often caused one to do crazy things. Shimiko shook her head but said nothing when Ryuko finished. Her own sister was asking her to forfeit a match just so she could have the chance of facing off against her crush. Shiroi wielded power and Shimiko guessed that Nozomi was someone who lusted after power, trying to push her off that path was a long-shot especially doing it in such a public manner. If Shimiko dropped out of the tournament then she would be letting down her Clan, the Church, and even her students. What would they think of her? She couldn't very well tell them that her best friend had fallen in love with a renown Missing Ninja and that she had stepped aside so that the two could meet each other. Ryuko was putting her in a tough position and she didn't like it one bit.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me Ryuko...." she said with a hint of anger in her voice. "I really wish you hadn't said what you just said in front of my twins or even Notte for that matter".

She understood that transparency was important when it came to family but she also knew that the twins needed to be protected from things like this. She didn't want them getting the impression that falling in love with foreign ninja was okay or that throwing fights or even asking for someone to throw a fight for the sake of forbidden love was a romantic and noble thing to do. Notte wasn't as close to her but she wanted him to respect her. The fact that she hadn't attacked Ryuko on the spot would give him the impression that her patience for treason was a long longer than it truly was. Worst of all they now knew something that they shouldn't. Information that was dangerous and extremely valuable to certain groups of people. Ryuko had unwittingly put them in danger just be revealing her feelings for Nozomi. It wasn't accurate to say that Shimiko hated Ryuko at the moment but there was a palatable sense of hostility in the air as she looked Ryuko in the eye.

"You're my sister Ryuko, and I love you but if it was anyone else...anyone I wouldn't be sitting here so calmly. You're putting everyone in jeopardy playing love games with Nozomi. I'm not afraid of fighting you to the death, I'm not worried about you having to go all out against me, it'd be an honor to die at your hand in combat....but asking me to humiliate myself and those I care about just so you can have a 1% chance of reforming a demon?"

Shimiko was restraining the anger in her voice but she could feel it rising all the same.

Shimiko shook her head again but and gave a sigh as she scanned the room, appearing to look everywhere but at Ryuko. She thought about their relationship. She thought about what the Thundercats meant to her as a team and as a family. She thought about what she wanted for herself, her Twins, her Church, and her Clan. But for some reason, most of all she thought about her parents. About how they said they loved her and would do anything for her but the second she decided to do something with her life they didn't approve of, they turned on her. They refused to let her take risks and be her own person even if it meant destroying their relationship with her. She knew they wanted to love her but she wasn't willing to make excuses for them. If they really loved her and truly cared about her then they'd let her make her own decisions even if it tore them up inside. That's what real family did for each other. Its why she had loved Seigi so much, he was willing to let her walk her own path and when she stumbled he would be there to help her up. Shimiko had lost the love of her first family through either death or disownment and now she hoped to make a second. If she wanted the twins to learn anything from this, it was that this family of hers would be based on unconitional love, trust, and sacrifice.

"Ok-" she was about to relent when she saw her friend sway in her seat. The words hadn't even escaped her lips before Ryuko fell to the ground with a thud. Shimiko was stunned by Ryuko's collapse but only a second passed before she leapt into action. The kunoichi sprang out of her chair and attended to her friend. She turned Ryuko over on her back and checked her pulse and breathing. Her vitals were steady but weak it was as if she was in a coma of some kind. The Jashinist's eyes widened as a particularly nasty possibility ran through her head.

No No No No No No NO! Shimiko began calling for help and several of the staff entered the area. It wouldn't be long until medics arrived on the scene as well. Shimiko had offered to take Ryuko to the hospital at her top speed but the medics informed her that her friend was now in a delicate state and that it was best not to move her recklessly. The doctors would cart away Ryuko and take her to the hospital so that she could recover. They said that they would need to take her to an isolated wing of the hospital as the Society was currently housed within the hospital. Shimiko was aware that Nariko had allowed them to use the institution as a base and while she whole-heartedly disagreed she wanted to trust Akame and Nariko's judgment. At the present moment however she began to fear for her friend's life and was incensed that the village's mortal enemy was taking up space at the hospital. Space that could be used to treat Ryuko. Shimiko watched in sadness and horror as Ryuko was taken out of the skybox to receive treatment.

She was completely and utterly stunned, devastated, and distraught. The plague had already taken her brother away from her and now it threatened to take away her best friend. She didn't even get the chance to step aside and give Ryuko the shot at love she so desperately craved. She felt guilty for even being angry at the Priestess in the first place and the conflict of emotions threatened to make her cry. But in that split moment, she swallowed her emotion. She remembered her training as a member of ANBU Black Ops and killed every stray thought that could lead to instability. She calmed herself and turned to Notte and the twins. When she addressed them her voice would be level, calm, and her eyes although watery had yet to shed a single tear. They were cold and filled with determination.

"Notte, Yui and Yua. I want you to go the Raikage's Office and tell her what happened to Ryuko. Make sure Nariko-sama fully understands the gravity of the situation and that she ensures that Ryuko gets the best care possible. Even if it means evicting our new guests. Once you do that I need you guys to find Natsuru and Sakata and tell them as well." the word guests was emphasized indicating her disdain for the terrorists that had taken up residence in the hospital.

"Do not dally. Do not delay. I'm relying on you two to send word to the people that matter. I have a match to prepare for." and with that Shimiko walked of the door and sped out of the building to prepare for the final round of the tournament.

Exit

(Changed my post because Ryuko told me that she's taking a break from RPing and that I should go ahead and fight Nozomi.)

The two seemed to be having quite a back and forth as the twins still did not know how to feel about Notte. He was a very strange guy and seemed to have two sides to him, so maybe he was a little crazy not like they could say much about that. As the twos heated argument continued the twins could only wonder if that was having another family was like, they had only known each other so seeing this was interesting. Before they could make a commit suddenly Ryoko collapsed to the ground. They knew the signs looking at her face it was certainly the plague, once more someone close to Shimiko had fallen to it.

"Oh no, big sis has fallen to it as well...we need to find the cause for this sickening disease..."

They watched as Shimiko panicked calling for medical help as she ordered the twins as well as Notte to find Nariko and inform her what had happened. They would simply nod and wave for the boy to follow. Even if he chose not to they had to go, this was to help Shimiko and Ryoko had become so close to them as well.

"We will rush with the news Shimiko...we will be back later, I am sorry this has happened again to you."

The pair would rush out the door and head off to talk to Nariko, this was very important so they were sure she would accept them talking to her. Once again the plague seemed to be affecting the village, this was not good but at the same time, this could work for the followers of Jashin. They had not got sick it appeared to be striking those who were not part of Jashin, either way, they would not let Shimiko down.


-Exit Thread-

EXP:10X3=30