Unofficial Kaguya Clan District

Tsubaki was seemingly successful in rallying her fellow kin into taking a mission. Internally this made her gleeful, though on the exterior she maintained her usual, bubbly appearance. It was somewhat odd getting used to Yanagi. Being the dumpy sister of Yui she was quite the difference in attitude, though appearances were neigh identical. Yanagi was better developed, almost paring with herself though not quite. It was one of the tells she used to help differentiate the two. He silent nod was enough. Alkaid on the other hand gave a more lively response. "Then it's settled! We will all go on a mission together." Tsubaki said this while trailing off from the training grounds after motioning the others to follow her. The missions in Kirigakure were quite easy. At least those she was used to seeing. Tsubaki would make a quick stop at Mission Office with her group to choose the best mission suited for their ability, as well as not being anything too strenuous.


[Exit]

“Mission time, mission time.” Hummed Alkaid in a sing song tone as she padded after Tsubaki. Her cousin was faster then her so she’d have to work to keep up or get left behind. Considering what they where about to get up to she wondered if she should stop and buy a weapon along the way but figured in all likely hood Tsubaki wouldn’t pick a task dangerious enough for her to need one.  

The fact that she was trying to be a swordswoman when she didn’t actually own sword seemed odd at the surface, but it made sense if you stopped to think about what her bloodline was.  she could Theoretically produce one for herself on the spot ion demand which was a large reason she’d been chosen for infiltration.   The only problem with that theory was she hadn’t quite learned to manifest that talent yet.

She was a failure as a Kaguya and yet they still treated her better then her more talented red eyed cousins.  Clenching her fist she resolved to do her best to catch up with them. She needed to be strong if she was going to continue to support Tsubaki in the future.

[exit]

Yanagi pulled her arms over her own head, folding her fingers between one another and stretching them in tandem with her arms. She stands to her feet, rolling her shoulders as she glances at the backs of the heads of her fellow clan member's. The female moved along at a quaint pace--just doing her best to keep the duo of Kaguya in her line of sight. Tsubaki came off as far less of a 'weak-witted, pureblood heiress snob' that Yanagi had initially thought of her to be as just general assumption.

And Alkaid just... whew. Too much energy for Yanagi, at least. It was a relieving to be hugged for once, though. She kept an eye on the other background purebloods that stood on standby as she trailed behind the pair, pondering if there'd be some means of insult--and naturally there was, but in the form of murmurs. The girl carried onward, folding her arms behind her back as she mused how this mission would go, and furthermore, what she'd reap from it socially.

'One step at a time.' She thinks to herself with optimism that's otherwise devoid on her face.

Alkaid sighed as lifted Yanagi’s listless form down from her arms into the younger girls bed, trying to be as gentle as possible. Many of the other clan members would have simply dropped her like a rock, or not bothered to carry her back home from the beach at all, but Alkaid was one of the few that actually gave a damn. Softly she reached out a hand and stroked the unconscious’s girls hair.

“You know, you’re too cute to be wearing something so drab.” said Alkaid even thought she doubted her cousin could hear her at the moment. The simple black tank top with matching pants was far too plain. But then again maybe Yanagi simple didn’t want to stand out among the clan, similar to how Alkaid was dressed to blend in among the other kiri villagers.

“Here, let’s get you into something a bit more comfortable for you to rest in.” with those words Alkaid changed her cousin into a pair of white pajamas with a decorative pink flower petal pattern before tucking her into the covers. Noticing that their was a rather large wad of ryo stuck in a pocket of the pants she had just taken off she smirked as took it out and put it in her own pocket for safe keeping.

“I’ll hold on to this for now. You can have it back once you get better.” she promised. In a way she was hoping it would give the girl a reason to wake up and come back to her rather then continue to sleep until she inevitability passed away.

“You’ve always been stronger then you realized. You can beat this silly plauge, I know you can.” said Alkaid her voice shaky. She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more, Yanagi or herself. She just knew that right now both of them needed to be strong and she couldn’t afford to cry right now or she’d fold like a house of cards.

“Sit tight for now. I’ll go get your sister.” she added as she got up and went to leave the room. Yui deserved to know what was going on, and if anyone could bring Yanagi back from the brink it was her sibling and the special bond they shared together.

[exit]

Alkaid came back into the room carrying Yui in her arms. She knew where their house was but had had never really been inside of it before today, but she was guessing from the size of the twin bed that the two sisters shared a room together. It wasn’t exactly a secret that they where the outcasts of the family which meant they weren’t financial well off.

Despite that they where pretty stubborn about accepting help, saying stuff like they weren’t worthy of it. Maybe once Yanagi woke up Alkaid could slip some of the money she’d taken off that dead kid into the money she’d taken from her cousin for safe keeping. I mean how likely was it that she’d notice an extra bill or two?

She went to put Yui down into the bed beside her sister when she noticed that Yanagi had moved from her original position and her eyes where now wide open and alert once more. Not closed like after she had passed out, or glazzed over like shortly before that.

“Oh my god you’re awake.” exclaimed Alkaid in excitement as she finished lowering Yui into the bed and then ran around to the other side to an attempt embrace Yanagai in a hug before she broke into tears.

“Thank goodness, I was so worried about you.” she managed to say between sobs. The though of losing Yanagi had been like a stone weighing her down, but it was a stone that couldn’t be lifted quite yet since Yui was not in a good condition after being left unconscious outside for days. The odds of her recovering where not great.

But how did one tell someone who had been very sick that their sister was practically at deaths door? The shock alone could cause a relapse. Alkaid wasn’t sure she had the strength within herself to find the right words.

Tsubaki was booked. After completing their mission alone in maximum overdrive, making a stop by the mission board to finish the report and deal with the financial, and then coming back to the residence had worn her out. Despite moving fast, her stamina was nothing to applaud. In fact, it currently served as her only notable weakness. She was focused on training her performance that she never exactly got around to physical conditioning. The stamina she has worked up now was simply a byproduct of her other training. Her legs could not run anymore by the time she reached the residential area. The sight of kids playing and people lounging demotivated the last bit of energy she had left in her. Her legs burned. Maybe this will make my thighs juicier! She thought, motivating herself after running around town like a chicken with its head cut off. She wanted to go home now and collapse in bed, though there was still daylight left, not including other things she had to do like bathe, eat, chores, and the like. Tsubaki almost regretted breaking her back.

Arriving just outside the residence of Yanagi and Yui, she recalled the incident which lead up to her having to be the errand girl. She cared for Yui, and Alkaid a lot more. Making sure Yanagi was in good health happened to be one of her unofficial duties as clan leader.

Yanagi's family house was no more than a ten minute walk from her own. The Kaguya were more-or-less a lesser clan in the eyes of Kirigakure. They had an unofficial district within the village's living section. A high population of Kaguya resided in the south-western portion. Although the homes there were not exclusively Kaguya owned, it was easy to tell that was their territory. The Kaguya were not prized like the Hozuki, who very much had their own island as territory. Tsubaki was determined to change that, making the Kaguya clan a highly respected one. The house was vacant with activity aside from light, feminine chatter coming from the second floor. The window was open, allowing circulation throughout the room. That was where the conversation was coming from. Tsubaki scaled the wall in a casual walk. Using the tree climbing technique she walked up the side of the wall, not having a lot of energy to do more. As she got within arm's reach of the window she would climb through.

"Oof!" Tsubaki's foot caught on the outer window seal causing her to fall face first into the hardwood flooring of the bedroom. Her legs were exhausted and could barely carry themselves, let alone, Tsubaki herself. Though, she did see Yanagi and Yui accompanied by Alkaid. She everything was assumed to be alright. With Yanagi conscious once again her nerves relaxed. After her fall Tsubaki simply crawled herself closer to the others before sitting on her rear, her legs in a knock-kneed fashion. "Yui is a snoozer, too? This isn't good... Tsubaki said, quickly accessing the situation. If Yanagi was stricken ill, and Yui, it was too much to be seen as a coincidence. Could it be their defective gene weakening their body? It would explain all the disdain towards the two defects. Perhaps the older clan members knew something she didn't about the two "mistakes." She could not believe they were shamed just for color. At least, that's what she hoped. Perhaps their form had some negative drawbacks attached to it.

"Alkaid...where did you find Yui?" Scooting herself closer to Yui's bedside she gave an unofficial analysis. Placing the back of her hand on her forehead she checked for fevers. Her skin was somewhat cool to the touch. Next she would press against her cheek using her index finger. Holding it for a mere few seconds she would retreat her hand, observing the blood rush to the recent contact made on her pale skin. "Mmhm. Mmhm." Finally, Tsubaki would gently open Yui's mouth by pulling on the bottom of her chin. Pressing her tongue down with a Popsicle stick she checked the back of her throat. "I see... Setting the stick aside and releasing her face, letting Yui's mouth naturally close up she would turn to the others. "There's no doubt about it.
Yui is sick." Turning her head ever-so-slightly she directly her full gaze towards Alkaid. "She needs fizzy pop and curry. Oh!
And some extra blankets!" Tsubaki said this in full confidence, folding her arms and nodding in agreement to her own words.

Yanagi didn’t say a word as Alkaid continued to sob into her shoulder, For someone who was always acting all the time it was a rare moment of vulnerability for her as she had taken off her mask completely and was letting her true feeling flow freely and unrestrained.

Not to say that what she said other times wasn’t true. Just that she had a tendency to either ham things up and be over dramatic or worse bottle her excess emotions up. Sometimes that was a good thing. She had so much love for her elder cousin Tsubaki that it boarded on fanaticism. Keeping the amount she allowed to show in controlled doses was for the best. But the sheer amount of anger she had locked away was slowly bubbling and boiling insider her couldn’t be healthy.

When she heard Tsubaki enter the room with a loud thud a look of panic came over Alkaid’s face. There was no way she could let her Onee-sama see her like this. Thinking quickly she tried her best to wipe her face with the back of her sleeve. Most of her tears had been soaked up by poor Yanagi’s pajamas so it was simple enough to dry what remained on her face, though she couldn’t quite hide the streak marks that had been left on her face without actually washing it or how red her eyes had become.

“I found her at the training grounds. Did she tell you anything about what she was going to be doing their before we left on our mission?” replied Alkaid before shooting back a question of her own. She excluded some information about the state she’d found Yui in since Tsubaki really didn’t need to know about the murdered kid.

A spy though and through Alkaid already had the report on the body ready to go in her head, grabbing a piece of paper from th satchel that sat on her waist she began scribbling the details down before she forgot something important. She knew Yui had spoken to Tsubaki shortly before they had left to clean up the beach which offered a possible lead to figuring how who else might have been on the scene of the crime.

As she wrote stuff down she watched out of the corner of her eye in amusement as Tsubaki did her best to diagnose Yui. It was so cute watching her work that she had to ruthlessly stamp down the temptation to stop working and glomp her cousin.

She knew Tsubaki wasn’t a doctor but then again normal doctors didn’t know enough about their clan to be useful anyhow while Tsubaki was the figurehead of the clan, so Alkaid figured maybe she knew stuff about taking care of the family that Alkaid herself didn’t.

“Fuzzy pop, curry and blankets huh? Well I suppose that can’t hurt. I’m on it.” said Alkaid as she stood up and left the room forgetting for the moment that she was still carrying all of both Yanagi’s and Yui’s money on her for safekeeping.

After about fifteen minutes and a quick trip to the nearest convince store noise could be heard coming from the kitchen as Alkaid set to work cooking. About half an hour later she returned to the room carrying a large tray with four servings of mind chicken and carrot curry in one hand and a couple large blankets folded over her other arm.

She hadn’t been sure if the fuzzy pop comment had meant the candy or a carbonated beverage so she’d brought several of both with her. She had several packages of grape, orange and green apple flavor fuzzy pop candy, as well as a few cans of diet cola and cherry cola.

“Alright dinners ready girls, time to dig in.” said Alkaid as she held tray out to Yangai and then to Tsubaki letting them pick out what the wanted before sitting down down beside Yui and attempting to spoon a small mouthful of curry into her mouth.

"You do that. I have to see my parents real quick so they know I'm okay. I told them I would be back home by four." Tsubaki would follow Alkaid down the stairs and out the house only to head in a separate direction. It would not take long, as mentioned she only lived a few blocks down from Yanagi and Yui's residence. She would check in with her parents, stating she was going to head out for a few more hours before returning for the night. Her parents were very protective over the naive Kaguya for obvious reasons. After a quick wash up she would return to the house where the others stayed. The smell of cooking was in the air. May not be what I had initially planned...but I worked hard today. The sound of seafood Udon was still on her mind. It was a lot more nutritious, and when coupled with fried dumplings it would serve as her treat. Curry was still fairly nutritious. She did not have to worry about her body going into shock due to lack of nutrients.

The small bedroom was more-or-less a slumber party scene. With comfort food, soda pop, and blankets everywhere. She had really hoped the remedy would work to improve Yui's health. Seeing strangers die did not bother her the least, but Yui was no stranger to her. She had a bad wrap due to her birth defect. Her and Yanagi were disliked by a lot of the clan. Tsubaki saw herself as more accepting, as did Alkaid. Grabbing a bowl and a can of cherry cola she would sit on the floor with her legs out chowing on the curry. A quick dram of the cola to wash it down emptied her can. Setting the tin aside she grabbed another of the same flavor. "About Yui...she was in quite a rush earlier to meet up with her Sensei. That was around noonish. She couldn't have been out for more than three or four hours. But assuming she was knocked unconscious,
she shouldn't be out for more than an hour. Unless she was sleep deprived,
was knocked unconscious, and then shifted into sleep mode."

Tsubaki tried to make any excuse to convince herself that Yui was alright. The girl was tough, though didn't like the idea of losing a clan member regardless of their status. Shutting her mouth she spooned a few heaps of curry and rice before drinking more soda, her second can lasting much longer than her first. "If she had a Sensei...I wonder why they just left her there." After giving the situation some thought, she found it odd she was just abandoned. The sort of cruel behavior was to expected by some of the clansmen, but general villagers and Shinobi should have a neutral opinion on the Kaguya, unless there was something she didn't know about.

Alkaid caught the look of slight dissatisfaction of Tsubaki’s face as she she served the curry. Being a spy she was usually pretty good at reading people but that went double for her beloved cousin since they had spent so much time together growing up.

“What you don’t really think I’d forget the udon did you?” she asked in a playful tone. The truth was that she had left it simmering on the stove since it wasn’t quite ready yet, and had been planning to bring it up later for a second course since she figured Tsubaki had to be pretty hungry after all the work she’d done cleaning up the beach. And to be frank Alkaid felt like she needed to extra nutrients herself is she was going to have a hope of catching up to her cousin in the busty department.

“I’m afraid the noodles might be a bit heavy for Yanagi and Yui at the moment, but they should be able to drink some of the broth at least once it’s ready.” said Alkaid who frowned slightly at the fact she was having trouble feeding Yui. It turned out feeding an unconscious person was harder then she thought, no wonder they usually had people hooked up to an iv drop in hospitals instead.

“Well I guess if she can’t chew I’ll have to do it for her. Yanagi can you feed yourself or do I need to do you the hard way too?” she asked. Yanagi was awake for the moment but only just barely. It seemed like the sickness still had some hold on her, and she was on the brink of falling asleep again at any moment. It wouldn’t be surprising if she couldn’t eat on her own

Placing the spoon in her mouth Alkaid chewed on the curry and then leaning forward kissed Yui straight on the mouth, spitting the ground up food inside similar to a mother bird feeding her chicks. It was the only way to get the bits small enough so that Yui wouldn’t chock on them as she swallowed by pure reflex.

“Too bad she’s asleep. I bet her reaction would have been cute.” said Alkaid half jokingly. She had to be flippant because the moment she started taking the situation fully serious was the second it would come crashing down on her tearing her world apart.

“Her Sensai huh? I wonder if that means that other kid I found sleeping beside her was on her team.” replied Alkaid skillfully censoring the truth just a tad without even lying. After all the kid was sleeping in a matter of fashion, just the eternal kind. Until now she hadn’t considered the possibility that the kid could have been a ninja as well.

He couldn’t have been older then five, maybe six. Attending the academy would be one thing but the very idea he had been on active duty was reprehensible. She knew first hand how being a ninja was dirty business and it was not a job suited for young children. There where a lot of lines they had to cross but some but that was simply going too far.

“I don’t think she was knocked unconscious. They would have had to use force to do accomplish that and I didn’t notice any signs of it when I examined her. Whatever put her in a coma is the same thing effecting Yanagi which isn’t good since they are both showing symptoms of the plague that swept though not long ago….” explained Alkaid while clenching her fist. If only she could punch the sickness away.

“I though our clan was immune to such things, but I guess that was just arrogance. To be frank the odds they’ll make it aren’t very good, but then again as far as I know nobody has ever woken up again once they’ve fallen into the coma stage so it’s too soon to give up.” said Alkaid trying to emphasize there was still hope.

“If I had to guess, her sensai abandoned her because she was sick. The bastard probably figured it was a lost cause.” at those words her fist clenched even tighter, tight enough that her nails began to draw blood. However Yui’s sensai was, they were now the primary murder suspect. The only other people who where likely to have been on the scene of the crime where Yui’s other team mates. Either way someone was going to pay dearly for leaving Yui out in the cold to die like that.

Tsubaki's ears rung up when Alkaid mentioned the udon. She did not mind the curry, though a woman's heart was true. Especially when it come to food. She would remember to eat light with the curry to save room for the seafood udon. Alkaid was unforgettable, a feature Tsubaki appreciated in her cousin. She would make a great wife one day... She fantasized a wedding between Alkaid and a random Kaguya male suitor. Her imagination was crushed as she witnessed her cousin leaning in to Yui, placing her lips on hers after chewing a mouthful of food. Her cheeks blushed out of disgust, insult, and embarrassment. "Alkaid!" Tsubaki hollered across the bed at her cousin. "What are you doing to that poor girl?" Aside from being grossed out at the fact she was spitting in her mouth with chewed up food, but they were both females. Tsubaki was very closed on the idea of two women being intimate. Despite Alkaid doing such things for safety measures so Yui wouldn't choke, Tsubaki found it very difficult to approve.

Tsubaki would pivot herself, regardless of Alkaid's answer, to face the other way when eating so she wouldn't have to look at the two make contact. She still listened, though. Alkaid did have a point. If she was beaten, odds are she would have some type of internal injuries to show for it. They could no longer rule out the fact that they were stricken with illness. Alkaid clearly did not like the answer. The fact was her assuming was most likely correct. The mist was known for having a rocky "customer service" satisfaction rate, per-se. If Yui did fail to impress her sensei, odds are she was left to "rot." Still, she considered Yui to be quite powerful. Enough to give herself some troubles. She knew the Jounin weren't exactly lightweights, recalling her training session with the buxom black haired Jounin.

She would eat it partial silence, finishing her udon and going through a whopping three cans of soda. "I should probably go. I can have my parents explain to Yanagi and Yui's about their situation. I'll see you around, Alkaid." Giving her farewells she would leave through the door after cleaning her mess. Back at her own home Tsubaki would greet her parents and tell them both exactly what had happened, being promised to relay the information to Yanagi's family. After that she would bathe and rest up, readying herself for the next day of work.

[Exit]

Alkaid might not be able to get a reaction out of Yui from kissing her but it seemed she was able to get a fairly priceless one out of Tsubaki instead. Even if it didn’t quite go in the direction she would have liked it was almost enough to make Alkaid want to burst out in laughter…. almost except for the fact she didn’t want her cousin to get the wrong idea here.

While she wasn’t adverse to having a bit of fun with someone of the same gender as long as they where cute this kiss in particular had been almost entirely utilitarian with no impure motives behind it. She had just wanted to help get a family member back to health in the most efficent way that she knew was possible. There was nothing frisky about it.

“What’s wrong Onee-sama? I was just preforming a standard medical procedure.” She said feigning an air of innocence as if she didn’t understand the unspoken implication that she’d done something that could be construed as improper depending on the context.

“I can’t just feed her broth, otherwise she’ll starve to death. We’ve gotta keep Yui’s strength up as much as possible if she’d going to have at beating this.” she added speaking with conviction even though she was stretching the truth a tiny bit here. She knew humans could go awhile without eating as long as they had water, but that was when they where healthy. Having Yui go without for a bit was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

“Good idea. If her parents take care of them it’ll be easier for me to investgate.” said Alkaid who was more focused on getting the sisters feed then herself and as such found her curry had grown cold by the time Tsubaki exited the scene.

“Alright you two try not to get up to too much trouble.” Alkaid said as she picked up her plate and left to get it reheated. Once she was done eating her investigation would begin.

[exit]

A cyan egg with pink stripes appears in Yanagi's inventory.

A blue egg with red stripes appears in Yui's inventory.

It was the day after training and Tsubaki had rested up. She suffered no injuries, aside from some light scuffling from being tossed into Alkaid. Her cousin, on the other hand, suffered serious battering. She couldn't look at Alkaid straight seeing her in that state. Yumi on the other hand was beaten quite well, too. She was unresponsive from then. The day before Tsubaki remembered she promised herself to check up on Yui and Yanagi, the two outcast who were her friend. Tsubaki saw herself as accepting of all Kaguya. The infighting was pointless as long as they all bore the same name and ability. She had to be cautious when visiting the outcasts, as it was generally frowned upon. Unfortunately for Tsubaki, her planned visit slipped her mind being distracted by a candy store on her way home from training. The general neglect the outcasts had to deal with gave Tsubaki an "I'm sure they're fine" outlook on the entire situation. If no major news with them in the headline showed up, she figured they were somewhat stabilized in their recovery.

Tsubaki started her routine the same as she did everyday, awakening naturally in her luxurious bedroom, showering and pampering her hair and skin before dressing up in her usual outfit. She wears a pair of deep blue sandals popular among many Shinobi which is coupled with a lavender haori kimono. The kimono is secured with a blue sash secured around her waist. Beneath the kimono Tsubaki wears a light mesh shirt to provide additional coverage. Tsubaki herself is of short height among her clan, standing only 5'6 and weight 140 lbs. Just like her kin she shares a very pale, soft skin. This is coupled with sapphire eyes and pearly white hair which extends all the way down to her lower back. Although having a somewhat fit figure her endowed chest and lower body balances her out.

In the living room she enjoyed a full, traditional breakfast of sausage, rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, salted salmon, rolled egg omelette, and fresh green tea. It kept her well fed and maintained her perfect frame. It was pleasant day for some more training. She requested Alkaid to come to her house when she started feeling better. As such Tsubaki tried her best to help around with cleaning up and remain domesticated until she arrived.

Alkaid could tell something was seriously wrong before she even made it to Yanagi and Yui’s house.  As she approached the building carrying a basket full of her own home cooked food and a change of pajama’s she couldn’t fail to spot a splotch of blood staining the walkway leading up to the residence.

A spike of fear jolted though her, shaking her to the core as she wondered what could have possibly left the crimson liquid behind.  Worse when she took a second look to appraise the situation she could see that it formed a clear trail though wither it lead towards or away from the home was hard to say.

Could someone had come and brazenly attacked her beloved cousins while she had been away?  Who would have the balls to sneak into the Kaguya district unnoficall as it was and try such a thing?  Or had one of the clan elders gotten fed up with the so called weaklings and gone to finish the job?

Trying her best to still the panic that was quickly rising within her Alkaid knelt down and touched the blood with her fingers.  The crimson substance was somewhat cool to the touch, but still wet and sticky enough to be fairly fresh.   Whatever had happened, it couldn’t have been too long ago.

Deciding to leave that thread for now she threw caution to the wind, dropping the basket she was carrying with a loud clatter and rushing forward at over triple her normal pace, barreling though the front doorway which had been left open which only served to increase her panic all the more.

That door should have been closed and locked.  Aside from a master key that Tsubaki had to ever building the clan owned the only keys should have belonged to Yanagi and Yui themselves.  Truth to tell Alkaid had borrowed Yanagi’s key to get inside the first time when this whole mess had started and had switched to Yui’s ever since she’d brought her back from the training field she’d been abandoned in.

As she clambered up the stairs to the second floor two or three at time she was scrambling so much she was in serious danger of tripping and falling down them with only one misstep.  Luckily all the visits of the last couple of months gave had familiarized her with the building enough that she was able to avoid sending herself to the hospital.  

Dashing into the twins room she almost gagged from the stench which was almost overwhelming.  It was a smell she’d only encountered once before. The day she’d found Yui lying in a ditch she’d also found a young boy with his skull caved in.  The look on his face had haunted her so much that she’d spent weeks trying to solve his murder only to discover just before leaving to meet her team that the most likely culprit had fallen victim to the plague.

“No… No… No….No.” Alkaid muttered repeating the one word over and over again to herself as she feared the worst.  From the state of the room it looked like it had been trashed by an animal of some kind.  Something had smashed the lamp and their where dents in both the fame of the wall and bloody impact marks on the walls themselves.

Stepping into the darkened room, Alkaid approached the bed steeling her heart for what she would find.  In her heart she was praying for a miracle.  Maybe the smell of death that was filling her nose had been an assailant that Yanagi had fended off but in deep inside her soul she already knew the truth.  

She’d known it ever sense the night before when she’d had that bad feeling after finishing her training when she had been preparing to take Yumi to the hospital.  Someone close to her had passed away, she’d just refused to admit it to herself until she had been so confronted by reality that she couldn’t deny it any longer.

Lying on the bed, her body partly covered in sheets was the rotting from of Yui.  If Alkaid had been a doctor she would have been able to tell the time of death better but as it was it must have happened sometime since she had last visited about a week ago.

She had tried her best to visit ever few days at the very least but things had gotten so busy that she hadn’t managed to make it quite as often as she would have liked.  She’d been too occupied trying to track the man responsible for leaving Yui in a ditch that she’d neglected the girl letting her pass away in her sleep and leaving her to decay.

Traditional medicine didn’t work on her clan so from the very start there was nothing she could have done to save Yui.  Either her immune system would pull though or it wouldn’t.  The only one’s who might have know a way to save her had been the elders and they hadn’t been forthcoming.  

And yet Alkaid couldn’t help but blame herself. If only she’d found Yui sooner maybe she’d still be alive. If only she’d been here she could have at least witnessed her passing and sparred Yanagai the trauma of waking up beside her deceased sister. Trauma that must have been quite sever judging by the reaction.

A range of emotions played out across Alkaid’s face.  A storm of regret, sadness and anger washing over her in waves that made her want to cry so hard she could barely see straight but instead she bite her lip hard enough to draw blood usign the pain as a way to focus though the grief.

There would be time for those feelings later. She could afford to lose herself now.  The release was what she needed and yet she didn’t deserve it, not until she made sure that Yanagi was safe.  There where no words strong enough to console her, no applogy enough to make up for her sins and yet she still had to try.  

Try rest of the clan bar Tsubaki might not give a shit. Deeming them failures that deserved this sad twist of fate but Alkaid still cared and she was going to do everything in her power to make things right and look after Yanagi, she owed Yui at least that much for missing out on her final moments.

Despite herself Alkaid couldn’t help but have tears streak down her eyes as she took off down the stairs following after the trail of blood Yanagi had left behind in her wake.  Her cousin had a head start on her, but Alkaid was bound and determined to find her come hell or high water.

[exit chasing after Yanagi]

The next day Alkaid arrived at Tsubaki’s doorstep wearing little more then a dull red jacket and red short shorts which where extremely skimpy. The jacket was unzipped in a way to strategically emphases her ample chest and underneath the jacket was a simple black mesh. Complementing her outfit was a simple golden tiara she was wearing as a headband and a simple pair of black sports boots.

Not even bothering to knock on the door knowing that she was always welcome here she invited herself in and made her way directly to where her cousin would be. She wasn’t a sensor type by any means but the two of them had been so close for so long she developed a knack of just instinctively knowing where to find Tsubaki wherever she may be.

There was a glint of cold steel in Alkaid’s eyes as she passed thought the hallway, but that look quickly vanished as she caught sight of her beloved relative, replaced by one of warmth and compassion that was reserved only for those closest to her heart.

“You summoned for me Onee-sama?” asked Alkaid as she leaned against the nearest wall trying her best to look cool and laid back despite the screaming in her heart that said otherwise. Vengeance for Yui would come another day, and Tsubaki certainly wasn’t a target for it.

Tsubaki was in the kitchen, the Kaguya Princess drying the dishes left over from breakfast. Tsubaki managed to clean the kitchen and do the dishes in ample time. As the door opened she already knew who was here. Throwing the dish towel over her shoulder she turned to already be greeted by Alkaid. At first glance, Tsubaki was embarrassed. Embarrassed and ashamed by her cousin's sense of dress. This beckoned Tsubaki to place both hands on her hips, her eye brows furrowing. "I hope you didn't walk here like that." She said bluntly, her eyes scanning the girl's outfit before making eye contact. Tsubaki was neutral on boots, though the tight red shorts and revealing top was unacceptable. One could potentially argue her outfit of choice was equally or even more revealing, however the Kimono was a traditional garb. Alkaid chose to wear something more trendy AND revealing.

The princess would shake her head not willing to dwell on the topic. "Anyways...I don't think the shark guy is coming back anytime soon. I figured we could try do run a few missions in his absence. We can even take that one weird girl with the red eyes. Yumi I think her name was?" Tsubaki said trying to recall the new people she met the other day. She could at least recall the black haired kid since she stuck around longer than the shark man. Tsubaki did not entirely trust the girl nor did she want to be associated with her, but she had little choice when it came being placed on a team with her. At the very least she could include her in some missions.

Alkaid wasn’t surprised to find her cousin in the kitchen slaving away. She was a decent cook in her own regard but Tsubaki was so good that it made her look like an amateur in comparison. Seeing Tsubaki’s face turn almost beat red in embarrassment over her choice of outfit Alkaid let off a soft giggle.

“What’s the matter Tsu-chan? Too much skin?” she said in a sultry teasing tone. Her outfit was very revealing but she hadn’t really picked it to show off her body but because it was very practical for using her bloodline with. The more skin she had uncovered the more places she could pop a bone out from without wrecking her cloths. The fact it made her look sexy was merely an auxiliary benefit.

“Do some missions huh? Might as well.” said Alkaid feeling amenable to the suggestion. She’d never been good at sitting on her hands for long and it would be a good way to keep her out of trouble. She might be out for blood but she wasn’t in a position yet to enact her revenge. If she was hasty she wouldn’t get very far.

“Oh great idea to bring Yumi. She was useful during the the match against the Mizukage so she’s sure to come in handy. Plus it’ll be a good chance for us to learn to work together.” said Alkaid as she gave a short hoop out of exicetment. Leave it to Tsubaki to come up such a fantastic plan.

“She should be out of the hospital by now. Should we drop by her place to pick her up?” asked Alkaid who’d gone and dropped their team mate at the medical facility in the first place before quickly skedaddling to take care of her own business.

She didn’t really know much about Yumi and was eager to learn. The file her handler had provided on her team mates had been brief and incomplete. Just a picture, a bullet list of their skills and an address. It was her job to fill in the blanks.

There was a long drawn out pause as Alkaid finished talking and waited for her cousin to say something, anything back to her. Growing impatiant her fingernail began to tap on the nearby kitchen counter as she waited and waited and still received no reply. Surely Tsubaki hadn’t been that pissed off about the light teasing she’d been doing had she?

“Oh it’s the silent treatment huh? Fine be that way.” said Alkaid as she left the room in a huff it was very rare for her to actually get angry with her cousin who she adored but she couldn’t stand being ignored for so long.

Part of the reason she’d came was because she’d wanted to discuss donating some of the money she’d recently acquired to Tsubaki to aid her in her attempts to reform the clan and prevent anyone being treated like Yui had been but that would have to wait for another day.

[exit]