Naruto: Shadow of the Beast

Marako had literally the world's worst timing—well, in certain situations, his timing could be considered ideal, but right now, it was less than ideal. Hyosuke inwardly cursed. Just as he was getting Maiko to open up a little, she was probably closed off now—embarrassed and wouldn't want to be alone with him anymore now that Marako had ruined it. He really wanted to get to know her because, well, she was his teammate and that was reason enough. They were going to be in this group for most of their teenage years and it was best to get an early start on getting to know your teammates, because they would be the only ones that he'd be able to trust during missions and in countries unknown.

Hyosuke didn't even offer Marako a look of pity as he watched Maiko corner the boy. "I can't hear you, I can't help you." With Hyosuke rather impersonal reply, Marako knew he was out of luck.

"I'm sorry!" Marako yelped, "C'mon, Maiko. Don't be like that! We—We can talk… right?" It didn't seem like Maiko was wanting to talk right now and slowing, Marako was backed further up into the tree while Maiko approached at a slow pace. Realizing that he was heading towards the edge of the branch, Maiko walked up the tree slowly, egging him closer and closer to the edge until she was finally on the branch and he was at the edge of the same branch.

"Maiko, please… I'm sorry?" He tried again, but Maiko only smirked, stepping out further, making sure her steps bounced the branch.
Hyosuke caught wind of what she was doing and smirked, trying to stifle his laughter. "I wouldn't if I were you, Marako." He finally said, but it was too late. Marako back up, surprised at how small the branch was and the little bit snapped, sending him spiraling down into the water with a large splash. Chiko jumped out of the way as Marako hit the water and when he came up, it was quiet for a moment before Hyosuke chuckled slightly. His chuckles turning into a heavy laughter while Maiko did the same from up in the tree.

"Not funny!" Marako blushed darkly, though he knew it was funny. It didn't take long before he was laughing with them.

"Neh, what's so funny?" Ritsuko approached, hand on her hips. "What happened?"

"Marako fell in." Maiko responded, hopping down from the tree.

"Ah." Ritsuko chuckled out a snort. "Well, after Marako's finished with his dip in the river, we can start our training. We'll be working jutsu today."
 
Marako pulled himself up and out of the cold canal of water, a smile on his face as he didn't bother drying himself off, the sun's warmth would do it for him. As Hyosuke walked over besides Marako, who stood beside the giant known as Maiko, Chiko clinched onto his legs and ran up his body where he held onto the boys shoulder. After the events at Takakumo, Marako was left was a scar against his cheek from that battle he had against the mysterious boy who was trying to summon that 'God'. Or whatever he was getting to. Either way, he failed, or at least Marako thought he did.

Marako sported something very different than usual, instead of wearing his usual outfit he wore a blue head band, a tight blue short sleeve shirt, and orange shorts. If they didn't know any better, Marako looked like a nine year old in these clothes. "So," He ran his fingers through his drenched white hair, "What're we doing today?"

"Sparring?" Maiko smirked.

"Uhm," Ritsuko smiled nervously as she broke a cold sweat, "Nope!"

"Dodging your traps and climbing that mountain to break our timing record?"

"Nope!" I can't believe I forgot to set those traps up! What the hell are we going to do today?! She thought to herself as she awkwardly chuckled scratching the back of her head.

"Then what are we gonna do?" Marako asked, some what dumbfounded, expecting Ritsuko to have something awesome planned.

"...Tag!"

"TAG?!" All three said at the same time, their jaws dropping after she said that.
 
"Yes! Tag!" Ritsuko repeated, eyes darting around before she steeled her gaze, coughing slightly. "Do you have a problem with that?" She then asked, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. Hyosuke looked from Maiko to Marako and then back at their sensei. Were they really going to play tag as a training exercise? Hyosuke hadn't known his sensei for very long, maybe a little more than a month, but he had seen her everyday since they first started and he was also really good at observing people, so he knew the truth.

"You had nothing planned for today, did you, sensei?" Hyosuke spoke up, all eyes moving towards the boy. Marako opened his mouth to press the issue when Ritsuko barked. ALl eyes went back to her as she began a strange combination of barking laughter at Hyosuke's accusation. He nodded towards the two: he'd caught her. Ritsuko rubbed the back of her neck, coming down from her odd laughter in a light sweat at being caught.

"Oi, you shouldn't question your sensei, don't you know? I did have something planned! It was tag!" Ritsuko waved her arms wildly.

"Where are we playing tag? Who are we catching?" Maiko crossed her arms with a sigh. If this is what Ritsuko had planned (and the purple-haired girl knew that her sensei didn't have anything planned and made this up on the fly), then they needed to know these things. Ritsuko looked around, taking in the environment before she looked back to them, a slight mischievous glint in her eyes.

"In Konoha." Their eyes grew wide at Ritsuko's words, "Yeah, in Konoha. It's basically the best place. It'll... teach you how to maneuver? In small spaces a-and how to track... with chakra... You can't use the rooftops." It sounded more like a question than a statement. "But you won't be catching me... ha, I don't wanna brag, but it'd take you days, maybe weeks to even tap my shoulder." Hyosuke didn't doubt the statement. The woman had created a crater with her finger back in Takakumo. And he already knew she was fast. The woman--he'd looked her up in the ninja book--was nearly an S-class ninja. That was scary.

"Okay," Maiko placed her arms akimbo, a smirk playing at her lips. "I'm game. Who's it?" Ritsuko then smirked once more, her finger waving around before she stopped on one of the students.

"You."

At the word, Marako and Hyosuke immediately scattered, heading in opposite directions with the same goal in sight: get to konoha and don't get caught by Maiko. Maiko cursed under her breath and leaped away, chasing the boys. Ritsuko looked at Chiko who still sat by the river, watching her curiously. "You're playing too." Ritsuko says after a minute.

Seemingly happy, Chiko chitters and runs off. Ritsuko sighs, "Maybe I'll go take a nap or something..."
 
With a blink of an eye, they were gone. Marako darted to the left, taking the route through the trees, away from the canal to zip into the village. While Hyosuke, like a gust of wind, took the faster shortcut, hoping she would go after Marako, or if she didn't he would lose her with a maze of turns through alley ways. It didn't take a smidgen of time for the boys to rush off the way they did, especially Marako. The word tag, was a beautiful melody in the ears of a kid who played the game growing up. He was the tag champion after all, nobody could catch him, absolutely nobody! Marako reached down to his mask, drooping and tied up to the side of his pants. He took ahold of the mask and pulled it over his face, his eyes sharpened, and he forgot about everything except for the one goal in his mind. Run.

Hyosuke on the other hand was using his wits as a edge in this game, now don't get him wrong, the boy was nothing short of athletic and his legs were muscular enough so that he could sprint for hours. But he's seen the work Maiko puts in, he saw her speed during their first training assignment when they were being assaulted by Ritsuko Sensei's traps, and she was amazing. She may not look like much the runner, but her speed and swiftness is nothing short of a A-Class Ninja. He turned the corner, once, twice, darted around into the market place and ran past familiar places. Some of the older folks waved hello, and old friends from the academy gleamed at him with weird looks confused as to why he was running through the streets like a mad man. But he seemed to block out all and any voices, much like Marako, his only objective was to elude Maiko.

The tension was high, the two boys focused on running and getting away. Maiko on the other hand? Well...Maiko was having trouble. Chiko ran as fast as his four paws could take him over rooftops, pouncing from one spot to another. If you were wondering just how fast four paws could help Chiko run, let's just say it was fast, maybe too fast for the critter's own good because Maiko was behind him but struggling to keep up. The lemur looked back at the girl, from where he saw her she looked pissed. Her pigment was a sizzling hot red color, and her markings emanated violently. Looks like she was quite embarrassed that this lemur was able to out run her. But this put her at a disadvantage because it only forced the lemur to scurry off faster.

Chiko jumped into a open window, comparably to his master and long time friend Hyosuke, he was using his cleverness to get away. He was running through a kitchen, over a table of food, pouncing into cold oatmeal and then jumping onto the table. He glimpsed around at a gasping family, two kids and their parents. The father was rolling up a newspaper and started swinging wildly as Chiko zig zagged away from any of his swats with the newspaper, before jumping out through the window that was adjacent to the one he came through. He thought Maiko just gave up and decided to find someone else, oh how wrong he was. He heard screaming coming from inside the apartment he came out of, it seemed to be coming from the mom. Chiko looked back and saw a steaming hot Maiko, with cold oatmeal dripping down her purple hair coming after him.

"CHIKO!" She called lividly and Chiko froze, his eyes grew big as he noticed just how fast and quickly she was getting to him. Suddenly he opened his arms and jumped up into the air, flying off into the sky. She stopped, breathing heavily while looking up at the lemur who was gliding off, "You can't fly! That's cheating!"

Marako was now in Konoha, running through the city streets, still no sign of Maiko but he wasn't planning on turning around now. He ran passed his favorite noodles place, the same one Ritsuko keeps refusing to go to because of the dumb incident with Maiko. Then he sprinted past the pub, before turning through into the common place where he heard a familiar voice shout a habitual name. CHIKO! Oh no, Maiko was nearby. He dived into the nearest thing he could, closed the lid, and hid there.

Hyosuke turned another corner, and stopped to take a breath against a building trying to plan what he should do next since it didn't seem like Maiko was anywhere to be seen. Then suddenly, like a shrill scream in the night CHIKO! Hyosuke looked up at a roof and there she was, yelling up at Chiko who just flew away. But she looked mad. He turned around, found a dumpster, and ducked for cover. This was the protection he was going to use for the bomb set to explode, that bomb being Maiko. It was silent, it smelled terrible, and the air was dense. Once his breathing calmed down, he heard another faint noise. Breathing? He slowly glanced to his right, and he saw two fingers, with a fire ejecting from the tips. Then an illuminating face came into sight, "Shhhhh."

Hyosuke almost screamed and was ready to jump out of there, but Marako grabbed him and covered his mouth, "It's me! Shut up, Shuddap' already!"

"Marako?! What the hell?"

"Shhhh!"
 
They were quiet. Only the semi-harsh breathing of either boys, amped up by the fear they felt for being near or inadvertently incurring Maiko's wrath was heard in the dumpster. The only smells were coming from this disgusting place, full of old and rotten foods among other things that Hyosuke really didn't want to think about. Instead, he turned his thoughts towards Maiko and Chiko, wondering what his pet could've done in order to make Maiko so upset. He really had to ask Chiko what he'd done later.

The two waited: they really didn't want any of her attention on them, since they both knew that she was rather volatile. Especially because she was upset at a member of their team. Marako and Hyosuke held each other's mouths closed, waiting for the girl to leave the area. It didn't take much longer, seeing as Chiko was fast and Maiko had to catch up with him. It seemed like she'd made it her personal mission to catch the lemur and that kind of meant that he and Marako were basically out of harm's way and were going to get off Scott-Free. That was lucky, Hyosuke thought, but the two didn't take any chances in making sounds as they waited, just in case she had that 'demonic hearing' that the other kids in the academy said that she'd had.

It wasn't long, however, until Hyosuke could feel Maiko's chakra signature get further and further away, heading in the same direction he had been. Well, Hyosuke thought, he'd have to pick a new direction and hopefully lose Marako too. This was tag and inadvertently war. Take no prisoners and be no-one's shield. Hyosuke wasn't about to get caught for Marako and the boy was the same way, he was sure. Hyosuke sighed in relief, pulling his hand away from Marako's mouth as the boy's other free hand did the same. Marako looks to Hyosuke in the dim light he'd created before he leans back, having become accustomed to the smell and nastiness of the dumpster. "Well…" Marako says after a moment.

"I don't want to have a conversation in this dumpster." Hyosuke opens the lid, looking around, "I have to go wash my mouth out… I don't know where that hand's been."

"It's been attached to my body!" Marako shot up, climbing out after Hyosuke. "Where have your hands been?"

"Not touching the inside of a disgusting dumpster, that's for sure." Hyosuke dusts himself off. "Ugh, so gross."

"Hey! You're lucky I let you hide there! I could've kicked you out!" Marako pointed at him, accusingly. Hyosuke rolls his eyes and walks down the opposite way. Marako looks around, "H-Hey, wait!" Marako runs after Hyosuke, tripping over his own feet before he stumbles into Hyosuke.

"It's tag, not group hide-and-seek, Marako." Hyosuke said, "If we're together, she'll find us easier."

"Fine, be like that!" Marako huffed, turning around and heading the other way. "I'll be the winner!"

"Sure…"
 
Thence the chase continued, the boys were off to the races and Maiko was vigil again, on the lookout for the three of them. She turned a few corners, at first running with a skip to her step, but her momentum curbed until she was walking. She mumbled to herself about a number of things, pulling cold oatmeal from her hair, trying to calm down her breathing and anger concurrently. It had been an hour since they first started playing and she's only sighted Chiko from above rooftops, but every time she would make chase he would only take to the skies. Smart lemur, but still a big cheater in her books.

"Why did I agree to even play this game? How is this even training?! I still have oatmeal in my hair!" She was mumbling angrily to herself, stomping away through the streets.

Suddenly, everything went silent, and her anger has succeeded. She furrowed her eyebrows as crack almost interrupted the silence, coming from her right. She looked over and smirked, it was a dark alley way and something or hopefully in this case someone was moving down at the end of it. But she halted at the cutoff that led to darkness, it was pitch-black, and she abhorred places that didn't have any source of light. She scrutinized the building that was casting a wicked shadow into the impasse.

She took in a breath of air, and when she exhaled her markings began to emanate. Then she nodded to herself, her body would be the source of light, she knew what she would have to do. She took a few steps in, before finally obtaining enough confidence to walk in with her eyes open. She focused her eyes on a contouring figure in the corner, under a bundle of sheets. Her snicker recurred, "Found you!"

Suddenly the figure jumped up and turned around, swinging his cloak off to the side. Whoever this person was, they were wearing a mask, a white oval shaped one with swirls circling it. He reached out and tried grabbing Maiko, who shrieked because she was caught off guard by the strange person sporting the weird disguise. He took ahold of her wrist and Maiko swung violently, the man in the mask moved his head back and another one appeared behind Maiko, taking a hold of her other arm.

"You are under arrest!" A female voice came from under the masks of the second Spec Ops agent, "Stop resisting before I have to use force!"

Above the rooftop, Chiko saw everything, witnessing the even as it went down. Luckily for him, if it weren't for the light shining off of Maiko he wouldn't be able to see a thing. He jumped off, and flew over to find Ritsuko at the camping grounds. When he arrived, he found her, slouched over sleeping against a tree. His first thought was to wake her up and tell her what happened, leaving out the details of the roof running and getting to the important parts.
 
With a snort, Ritsuko woke up to the pestering of Chiko's paws on her face. "Chiko, Chiko, stop." She swattted the lemur away, frowning as she sat up. That had been a really good nap. His chitters were insistent and yet, Ritsuko still didn't know what he was talking about. "Maybe I should've taken that animal speech class..." She ran a hand through her hair, looking down at Chiko, "C'mon, I'll just follow you because we're not getting anywhere with... ha, is that supposed to be Maiko?" Ritsuko snorted out a laugh, watching as the lemur tried to push all of his fur over to one side, drawing swirls on his face with dirt and pretending to glare at any and everything. Chiko dropped the act, nodding vigorously. "Is something wrong with her? Was she... cheating? Wait, were you?" Ritsuko sat up even further, staring at the lemur. He jumped around in a circle, acting something out that Ritsuko wasn't too sure about. "Maybe I should just... go check on them, hm." She finally concluded, standing up to her full height. Ritsuko dusted herself off and picked up Chiko, tapping her sandal on the ground once more before she disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

A rooftop, one where Chiko had been moments before was where Ritsuko landed. She saw a large bout of darkness practically inking out into the street, yet none of the civillains were any the wiser. It was a genjutsu of some kind--and a silencing jutsu. While Ritsuko could see what was going on, she couldn't hear what was happening. It was easy to see Maiko struggling against the konoha ninja and it didn't take much of a glance to make the usually calm and cheerful sensei angered. She jumped, landing heavily on the ground, just enough to shake it. The screams told her that the shakign had reached the entire area. Ritsuko stood between Maiko and the ninja, her glare harsh as they paused, waiting to see what Ritsuko would do. "You guys are ANBU." Ritsuko said after a beat, "Tell me," Ritsuko didn't change her stance, almost immediately radiating a menacing aura that only brought Maiko and Chiko to a cold sweat. The purple-haired girl looked on, breathing harshly as she watched her sensei.

"We have orders to arrest the dem--the one known as Maiko." The female ANBU said after another moment. She pulls out a scroll. "Stop us would be obstructing, Ritsuko...san." The 'san' was added on rather awkwardly, as if it pained the girl to have said it. Ritsuko rolls her eyes, snatching the scroll from the female and breaking the seal, opening it. She scanned it, her facial features not changing while Maiko racked her brain for what she could've done before eventually, they landed on what she'd done just before leaving to Takakumo.

Ilona.

Maiko clutched her arm, digging her nails deep into her skin, hard enough to leave marks, maybe draw blood. She knew. Dammit, she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Hey beast girl," He mumbled as she walked past him, trying to control her anger to the best of her abilities.

"Maiko..." Ritsuko turned to her, slowly. "Is this..." Maiko looked away from her sensei, confirming that it was true. Ritsuko sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Maiko, I..."

But then he grabbed her arm and that was a wrong move. Her cheeks quickly glowed and she turned around and held him by the throat, tightening her grip.

"I... I didn't mean to!" Maiko mentally berated herself for sounding like such a little kid. That was horrible excuse, but it was the truth. She hadn't mean to. It's just... he was so irritating! So grating! So... right. And Maiko wasn't a fan of the truth. "I'm sorry..."

He started to make choking noises and was able to tell her something before she went too far, "Go ahead-" He gagged, "Kill me, they'll just fear you more."

"They'll just fear you more."

"More,"

"More..."

"More!"

"Stop!" Maiko clutched her head, crouching, "Sensei, I'm sorry! He just--! He got to me... I... I shouldn't have but..." Her words were weak, barely above a whisper. She wasn't crying, but it was apparent by her broken repetition of the word 'sorry' that it was only a short matter of time before she started.

It was hard to watch, Ritsuko cringed at seeing Maiko's broken form. "Maiko... you'll have to go with them." Maiko looked up, eyes shiny with unshed tears. "But it'll only be for a little while. I'm gonna get you out, okay?" Maiko sniffles, wiping her nose on her bandages and nods. Ritsuko turns, watching Maiko slowly make her way over towards the two ANBU, frowning heavily as Maiko's miserable expression catches her eye. They disappear in a whirl of wind, effectively cutting off the jutsu that had darkened the area. "Shit!" Ritsuko kicks a building, creating a large crater-like dent in it.

Before she did anything, she had to round up the boys. Then find out what else she could about this supposed trial... and whoever this little shit Ilona was.
 
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Marako was still on the run, looking over his shoulder every so often to make sure he wasn't being chased by whoever was it. He knew it must've been either Maiko or Hyosuke, because Chiko was a little bit too smart to get caught, that and he had wings. The streets were cramming up with Konoha residents, the average people walking around to market places, kids running over bridges bypassing canals playing (very ironically) tag with their friends enjoying the weekend off from the academy. Then there were workers at the stands, selling food. His dad was a retired soldier, still having somewhat of a diplomatic stance in Konoha, he doesn't take advantage of it hoping to live a normal life as a owner of a small business. One in which sardonically enough he passed by, and his stomach began roaring.

He looked about, halted, and glanced at the store that had it's door wide open for customers. There was a big shining red sign that read "The Warm Grill" on the ceiling, it wasn't the biggest of establishments, but pretty well known for the local villagers. Marako glanced around again, nobody's coming after him, the streets are calm. He could always stop for a bite, that wouldn't hurt anybody. Plus, he does have that one book in his pocket that had to be put on hold last night after the beef roll incident. That toilet may very well never be the same. He removed the mask before wriggling in through the curtain beads at the front door as he stepped inside, the smell of fresh soba, meaty Yakitori (skewers), and Tonkastu, those deliciously baked pork cutlets. Tonkatsu was probably Marako's absolute favorite meal from the restaurant.

It wasn't a high end place, it was an affordable place at the very least. The people who inhabited this part of the village seemed to love it. Couples sat adjacent from one another on the cushions of the snug seats, that have preserved their comfortable state the same number of years Marako has been on this Earth for. Yes, for twelve years his father has owned this business, he retired after realizing his wife Kurimu would be birthing a boy. Ever since then, this business and Shizi's family were his pride and joy.

There were some customers who ate alone, a few single mom's feeding her two kids sat in the corner, but most of the tables were empty. Looks like it was a pretty peaceful morning, occasionally it can get pretty scary during rush hours. Marako walked up to the counter where Iho, the big lady who has been the faithful waitress and cashier for ten years, greeted him. "Well if it isn't Marako! Hey sweet heart, shouldn't you be out on one of those missions or whatever you ninjas do?" She asked waving around her pen and pad, "You usually show up around dusk."

"Oh, ugh...yeah no, my sensei gave me a day off!" Marako seemed flush and scratched the back of his head, "Hey, is my dad in the back?"

"Marako, I know your lying, I've known you since you were in diapers! I can read you like a book. But nah, your father hasn't come in today. Strange, he's usually the first one in here. " She bit down on the end cap of the pen, pondering before shrugging her broad shoulders, "Anyways, is there something I can get you deary?"

"Yeah I'll take the-"

"Lemme guess!" She smiled at Marako, who couldn't help but smile back. Iho was a great lady, almost like an aunt to him. Her and Shizi have been friends for years (longer than he's been alive obviously) and when there was no one Marako had to talk to or hang out with Iho gave him some awesome company. They would play cards together, sometimes she would teach him a thing or two about life, or she would take him over to the book store where she would buy him a book just for the heck of it. "Tonkatsu?"

Marako giggled and nodded respectively , "Tokatsu."

Iho turned around and started shouting out orders to the workers in the back, then went around the counter to usher Marako towards one of the seats. She sat him down in the corner and went off back to the counter to address two other customers who walked in. Marako attached the mask back to his pants, realizing he was holding onto it the whole time, and then sat there awaiting his delicious meal. But suddenly, someone sat beside him, and before he could say a word he was dragged out of the store by the arm.

"Come on," Ritsuko yanked him outside, Chiko sitting above her shoulder, then she formed a few signs with her hands and both of them went up in a puff of smoke. Some of the townsfolk looked at the puff of smoke, confused, but simply just went on with their day after they disappeared. What happened wasn't any of their business.

"Here you go Marako!" Iho walked up to the table then froze, "Huh? Marako? Where'd he go?"

Marako landed on his butt at the training grounds, besides where his book bag, and Maiko's stuff were placed under a tree. Hyosuke was standing there with his stuff strapped onto his back ,"Was sensei it?" Hyosuke shrugged, not seeming to know what was happening either.

"Sensei what's going on?"

"Get your stuff."

"But what's happening, wait how did you find me?"

She slowly glanced up to Hyosuke, who just looked away from Marako's sharp look.

"Dude! What the hell!"

"C'mon, who doesn't know your dad owns that place! There's not many people with the surname Arita!" Hyosuke retorted then they both froze.

"Where's Maiko, Ritsuko Sensei?" Marako asked, getting up from the floor, rubbing his butt. Chiko glided off of Ritsuko's shoulder and onto Hyosuke's, his ears flopped down and he sadly whimpered.
 
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It wasn't like Ritsuko wasn't prepared for the question. It was the whole reason that she'd gotten the two and brought them back. Marako looked up at Ritsuko as she ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "Maiko is…" Ritsuko stops for a moment, looking down at the ground before she looks between the two boys, "Maiko's probably in jail right now." The gasps of shock were to be expected and Chiko's sad whimpering was to be expected as well. Marako shot up into a standing position.

"Why? What'd she do? What happened?" Questions tumbled out of Marako's mouth faster than he could even form coherent thoughts. "Sensei!" Ritsuko sighed once more, shooting Marako a look and making the boy back down slightly. Hyosuke looked from his sensei to Marako and back again, waiting for the woman to calmly explain what happened.

"Although it doesn't concern you outright, something happened the day we left for Takakumo." Ritsuko vaguely responded. It was clear to the two boys that she wasn't going to say much more. Either she didn't know the whole story or she was protecting Maiko' privacy by not telling the two what actually happened.

"That was weeks ago!" Marako waved an arm outward, incredulous at the information he'd just received. "Why is this just happening now?"

"These things—legal things between ninja and civilians take time. They have to go through the court system and everything. It's pushed back even further if it's an orphan case. If it had been a normal case, we wouldn't have heard about it for months, maybe even years." Ritsuko crossed her arms, "But because it's Maiko—"

"They pushed it to the top… because of… what she is, for lack of a better term." Hyosuke concluded for his sensei. He ran his fingers through Chiko's fur, soothing the grieving animal as he did so. "Sensei, what can--!"

"We can't do anything—rather, you can't do anything." Ritsuko cut Hyosuke off. The boy looked away, sadness clear in his purple eyes. "But it'll be fine, I'm going to do something about it. So, for now, I think that concludes our training. If anything new comes up, I'll tell you both. You should go home."

With that said, Ritsuko grabbed Maiko's things and disappeared once more, leaving Marako and Hyosuke alone in the quiet of the training grounds. The silence between the two wasn't awkward, it was more of a needed grievance for their teammate. "What's going to happen to Maiko?" Marako suddenly asked. While he hadn't known her for very long and they were only mere acquaintances and teammates, Marako did still care for her, after all, they'd been through a few things together, he couldn't picture their team as just him and Hyosuke—or with a new member and he was sure it was the same for Hyosuke, Chiko and Ritsuko.

Maiko was a part of their team and that wouldn't change.
 
Hyosuke hung his head in silence, pondering on all the possibilities all the while stroking Chiko's fur. He looked up at the younger boy, who was staring back at him for reassurance, or at least some type of answer. "Whatever happens, Ritsuko sensei has it under control." He smiled at Marako, "She hasn't let us down yet, right?"

Marako nodded, a half smile on his face, "Right," He turned around and let out a gasp of air before walking towards the path leading back to the village.

"Where are you gonna go?"

"I'm going back to The Warm Grill, eating myself some tasty Tokatsu. It better have not gotten cold, or I'm going to be pissed!" He looked back, "Ugh, why, you want some?"

"Nah, I'm good." Hyosuke waved him off with a smile.

"Suit yourself."

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Maiko was used to being treated differently, but she's never been in this kind of trouble in her life. The two ANBU spec ops held her by the arms, pushing her through the cell rooms, guiding her towards a cell for the most dangerous of prisoners. They stepped forward to a check point, and the female ANBU removed her mask, revealing a narrow pale face and long black hair as she also pulled the hood back. Her partner did the same, revealing a strong faced black man with dark orange hair, he was smiling as he shook his head while looking down at Maiko.

"Your in a whole lot of trouble, what is it that they call you? Maiko or something like that? Whatever your made up name is." He shrugged. Maiko didn't answer, she decided to just remain silent, as if the voices in her head weren't enough talking back to authorities behind closed doors where Ritsuko sensei can't help her may be a bad idea.

"What do you have here?" One of the guards squinted from behind the bullet proof counter that opens the checkpoint door. His eyes widened and he almost spit his coffee all over his tie. "Wow! You guys got the demon?"

"Yeah, she was a real struggle to find. Better believe the village is a whole lot safer now though." The female ANBU laughed, "Come on Taku, open the door already, I don't want to stand here all day."

Taku, the guard, nodded and unlocked the door opening it and both ANBU agents walked through the hall way, towards a cell at the end of the hall. "I can't believe this new hokage reset the laws for the demons, now they can join squads. Fucking insane isn't it Rishu?" The dark skinned ANBU asked his female counterpart.

"Yeah, but have some respect. Even if he did make one ludicrous decision, he's done a lot of good for these people. That's all that matters. Hey, Shiba, open the door for me." She ordered him forward as she gripped tightly around Maiko's arms, "Welcome home," She whispered in her ear. Maiko shivered as the tall dark skinned man unlocked the padded door and opened it, inside it was a padded room, no windows on the door or nothing.

"In here, it's indestructible. Tested by the strongest ninjas of all the land, not even you can break through it. So make sure you behave, and don't get pissed. Or else you won't live long enough to make it to trail," Shiba smirked as Taku unlocked the chains and chucked Maiko inside.

Maiko hit the ground, but didn't move and waited for the door to close behind her. She sat up, and started breathing heavily, looking around. There was nothing in here. Just padded walls, no light, no bathroom, no nothing. She was alone, in the dark. She crawled towards the corner and sat in a fetal position, her markings flickering now, trying to produce some light. Finally it started shine very dimly, and she dug her face down over her arms.

"Ritsuko sensei, please hurry."
 
There was hardly anything that Ritsuko could do that rest of the day. The ninja who'd escorted Maiko to the Konohagakure Shinobi Penitentiary would not, under any circumstances let her in. She should've, at least, been able to see her student. "If it was any other kid you'd have let me in, wouldn't you? Any other kid and we wouldn't be having the stupid conversation!" Ritsuko yelled at them, refraining from banging on the shatter-proof glass. It wouldn't be shatter-proof in a minute if they kept this up.

"Yeah, because any other kid is just a kid. This girl's a demon." One of them scoffed from behind the glass. Ritsuko narrowed her eyes, willing her killing intent away. "Anyway, get outta here before we throw you in there."

"Like you could ever fuckin' catch me. I could have your head across the room faster than you could even form another thought, dick-for-brains." Ritsuko sneered, though she didn't push it any further and instead turned, stomping her way out of the main lobby just a delivery boy came into the lobby. She sneered at him, grabbing the box of pizza and dropping a few bills into his hand.

"Hey! That's ours!" The man stood up from behind the shatter-proof glass. "What are you doing?"

"This pizza isn't any other pizza." She mocked him, "This pizza's a demon." She opens the box, pulling a slice from it and walking out, "Ooh, I love pepperoni." While it wasn't much, it did make her feel a little better about it. "Just hang on, Maiko… I'll get you out."

--

The Jōnin kunoichi's next stop was actually the Hokage's tower. The man had always been a close advisor, mentor and friend to her. And so, she didn't care that he was in a meeting when she showed up at his office with a half-eaten pizza box and a mask of 'I-don't-care' clear on her face. However, the Hokage was easily able to read through it. The meeting was easily dismissed. "I don't understand." Komine frowned as he and the others who had been in the room with the Hokage were easily dismissed. "Why do you get priority?"

"Because I'm better than you, Ahomine." Ritsuko responded promptly. "I'd offer you pizza, but I don't want to."

Komine scoffed, leaving the room and closing the door. The moment the door clicked, the Hokage's fingers formed hand seals, though there seemed to be no effect to it. "Hiro-ji--!" Ritsuko stepped forward, dropping her former mask.

"I already know why you're here, Riccha." The Hokage stood up from his desk, holding a hand up to stop her. "It's about Maiko." Ritsuko stood there, tense for a moment. "And right now… well,"

"Well what? They were coming for her! That boy! That little—that little shit!" Ritsuko approached the desk, dropping the pizza box on it. "They wouldn't even let me see her when I went!"

"Of course not." He replied, "I may have changed the way things have been from the years before I became Hokage, but people change and revert.They begin to fear things that they once didn't... They may have been accepting during my great-great grandfather's time, but not after what happened during the Black Fire War. They don't see Maiko for what she is: a child. Instead she's a demon."

"But we can't just… if they let this go any further, they'll… they'll lock her up. Experiment on her!"

"I know!" He nearly shouted. Ritsuko punched the desk in frustration, watching as it splintered and cracked. "…I should've stuck with the metal desk." He says after a moment, sighing. "Look, Ritsuko." He sits down, rubbing his temples before looking up at the sensei. "I'll try. I don't know what I can possibly do, seeing as this… court-thing gives the people a lot more power now. I may have absolute power, but…"

Ritsuko scoffs, "This court is a load of bullshit."

"You're tellin' me." He says after another moment. "They've moved her date up to two days from now. So, when that day comes—if I can't stop it, it'll be a private trial."

"Fine. We'll be there." Ritsuko turns, leaving the pizza box on the table. The door slams behind her and the Hokage sighs once more.
"What a problematic group of genin…" The Hokage eyes the pizza box before taking a slice. "At least this is pepperoni…"
 
Konoha's max security prison was a fortress compared to the neighboring buildings surrounding it like a moat. One second you could be walking through the tranquil village, but as soon as you mosey around a subtle turn you'll be met face to face with the overshadowing colossus that is Konoha's penitentiary. This prison is a government managed building, unlike the one on the other side of town runned by the reputable Hyuga family that has seen its fair share of wealth over the last few generations. Rumors have surfaced that the Hyuga use their privately paid prison to run tests on the prisoners and have some back ground knowledge on them for their families personal use, but most people in Konoha seem to have no problem with that since it seems like only the worse criminals go there. From murderers to rapists, and whenever there's a bounty on the heads of any real scum of the earth one of the Hyuga family members gets the job done.

Or at least that's what Maiko used to hear around town when she would roam the streets. She seen a Hyuga once and only once before, a girl with her eyes glazed over, a very stern look. She has lengthy hazel hair and walks around with a robe and black tights underneath. A very beautiful girl, naturally, all Hyuga's are stunning (from what she's heard and read) but there was a sense of envy in Maiko's eyes when they first laid upon her. Despite the pallor pigment of her skin, the pale lavender color of her eyes, and the unnatural amount of veins rushing from the bottom lid of her eyes to her cheeks she was loved. She wasn't in prison for being different, for being being peculiar in orientation, no she owned a fucking prison. Maiko and the Hyuga girl despite being so similar in oddness compared to the rest of the world, were on polar ends of society.

For the last two days these are the type of things Maiko was thinking about, when she wasn't being served her food from the little slide of the door that would open twice a day once in the morning and once at night, or when she wasn't doing her pushups and situps she would be sitting in the corner thinking about this. The only light source she had throughout the constant hours of isolation was that of her own markings and at times the light from outside the door when they would throw in her food, but that would only last for a few seconds. She imagined what life would be like if she were to stay in here, alone, for the a year. What if something happened and these corrupted cops made it so that she would stay here for life. She would surely go insane. She couldn't believe it, but for the first time in forever, she missed the Orphanage.

She sat in the corner, knees to her chest, her marks still glowing faintly as she had her face pressed into her knees. Suddenly there was a rattling at the door and her eyes shot up, the slide came open and a voice from the other side yelled, "Prisoner, put your hands through the slide, we need to cuff you."

"...Where are you moving me?"

"It's time for your court case." The steady voice of a man replied and Maiko sighed and stood up to walk over towards the door, she dropped to her knees and wiggled her small hands out the little slide. The day before two female officers came into her cell to remove her of any clothing that she can use as a weapon, so they removed all the wrapping of the wrappings on her arms and legs. They even removed her clothing and gave her a red jumpsuit around three sizes too big. The jumpsuit color was for the most dangerous of inmates, hell there are murderers in here and Maiko got it for choking a kid who forced the situation on himself.

Once the cuffs were applied she slid her hands back in and stood up, the clanking on the door started again until it came ajar. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, quickly noticing the 6'4 correctional facility officer that was too muscular and big for his uniform. He took a firm grasp of her shoulder and yanked her out, "Prisoner...Maiko," the first officer to actually call her by her name, "Is on the way to the court room," He announced through his radio as he walked coherently besides her.
 
The Konohagakure Court House was a large building, reminiscent of the hokage tower in structure, as it is circular in design and red in color with accents of bright orange around the rim and white on the roof. On top of the front of the building boasts a large sign depicting the Court House's name as well as a large circular sign with the kanji "火" for fire. Smartly dressed civilians come in and out of the building as Marako, Hyosuke and Ritsuko stand outside for a moment, the former two taking in the sight of the building. Large steps lead up to the large double oak doors painted a rich brown color. Small windows line the building and Marako's eyes travel from the two obviously jonin level ninja standing outside to the large signs on top of the building then back to his sensei.

"I've never been here before." Marako breaks the silence, still looking at his sensei.

"Most people haven't." Ritsuko says, "Shinobi usually don't go to court because generally, if they do something wrong, they're just put in the bingo book. But for cases of... I guess domestic violence, like Maiko, they come here." Ritsuko looks between the two. "Maiko's judge is a kumogakure shinobi."

"Wait, so it's not a konoha shinobi?" Hyosuke asks, "I didn't know the villages were so close."

"I'll explain as we walk." Ritsuko tells them, picking up the pace as the three head into the building, "Because all of these villages are members of the Allied Shinobi Forces from a long while back, they've grown in how they interact."

"How they interact?" Marako tilts his head.

"Yeah," Ritsuko turns a corner, "Like, how we can trade with Kumo and Iwa without any wars starting. How ninja can move from village to village and stay there with little to no problems. I mean, I wasn't born here in Konoha." Ritsuko added as an afterthought, "And it's all thanks to the Allied Shinobi Forces from the time of the hokage Uzumaki Naruto."

"But that doesn't explain why Maiko's judge is a Kumo ninja." Marako pipes in. Ritsuko nods for a moment, turning another corner.

"In the court system, we use judges from different villages when it comes to shinobi cases so that there's no biased. And Maiko's situation serves as the perfect explanation for the court system." Ritsuko continues, "If we were to have a Konoha shinobi judge Maiko's case, because of Maiko's bad rep in the village, she'd obviously be found guilty and given a much longer sentence than is possibly necessary."

"So if there's a ninja someone doesn't like who ended up getting sent to court, if the judge is on that person who sent them to court's side, they'll get an unfair sentencing?" Hyosuke surmised, looking to his sensei.

"Yup," Ritsuko nods, "Same goes for if the judge likes that person--they'll get an unfairly short sentencing. Since the formation of the court systems within the shinobi world, that's been a huge problem, and the Kage's got together during one Summit and found that using shinobi judges from other villages to handle shinobi cases reduces the amount of biased because..."

"...They... don't know our ninja?"

"That's right." Ritsuko responds, "Since they don't know our ninja, they're going to judge them solely on the crime committed. And because of that, Maiko may have a chance at a lenient sentence. Because all she did was pick a kid up and slam him against a wall." The three stop in front of the unmarked double doors and Ritsuko sighs, "Alright, well it's time to go in there."
 
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"You say that as if that's a good thing sensei," Marako retorted on the way Ritsuko said 'all she did was pick a kid up and slam him against the wall'. He was sweating, and he didn't know why. Maybe it was the hitai-ate, was it too taut around his forehead, causing him to perspire? Or did he just really worry about Maiko, what would happen to the group if she was no longer around? They would be undermanned, and it just wouldn't be the same. "Here we go..." He mumbled under his breath.

Ritsuko looked back the two boys, Marako seemed nervous and he wasn't even the one being judged.Only people allowed in here with any actual kunai though were the Jonin ninjas outside or any ANBU guards. Usually there would be one within every court room, in case anything got out of hand. Hyosuke looked back at his sensei, "I just wish they would've let me bring Chiko along, poor little guy had to stay home," He tried to soften the intensity in the air with the offhand joke but then readied himself mentally for the sternness that will be needed for this day. Both of the boys nodded concurrently and she gently pushed the giant doors open.

Ritsuko gently opened the lyptus double doors, they were heavy and thick, but she opened them with much ease. What they saw inside surprised the three. There was a long carpet leading from the entrance up to the bar which was the border between the audience and the stand for the case. Standing in front of the door used to get past the bar and onto the floor were two ANBU guards with a normal Jonin ninja standing between he two. He was waiting patiently until everyone took their seats, constantly reminding everyone of the amount of time left before the court case would begin, politely asking if each Ninja in the room can turn off their phone. With one quick sweep of the room Ritsuko noticed at least six ANBU guards, there were two stopping anyone from interrupting the case hearing, and one in each corner of the room. Looks like Konoha is taking this case very seriously, so seriously that these guards are here to protect Maiko from any danger...or possibly protect everyone from her. That mad Ritsuko furrow her eyebrows but she sighed and shook it off, 'Stay cool Ritsu. It'll be fine.'

There were already a lot of ninjas gathered about, whispering about the case, what they think will be decided, or about how they'll get to see this Demon of Konoha for the first time. Suddenly a familiar voice erupted out in the air, "Ritsu-Chan, come sit with us." A blonde beauty jumped up from the front row, flailing her hands about, "It's just me and Komine, come on, we saved your seats!" She was a short girl, jumping up and down enthusiastically, wearing a crop top (with a fishnet under), calling out for them. This wasn't your usual court hearing attire, but really what do you expect from Konoha?

"Kishara sit down, everyone's staring at you like some sort of idiot," Komine spoke up from his seat, pulling on her shirt.

"Shut up Ko-dime, live a little," She rolled her eyes then went back to Ritsu, "Oh, those must be your students! Sit over here so we can catch up!"
 
"Aiya…" Ritsuko frowned, her hand colliding with her forehead at Kishara's attitude. It was almost like their roles were reversed. Ritsuko was trying her best to be the strong and in control one while Kishara was… well, she was loud and energetic even though she didn't need to be. This was a court hearing, not a day at the fair for Naruto's sake! "C'mon… she won't stop unless we go up there." Despite there being less than ten seated occupants in the court room, all the chairs were set up, probably in preparation for a later court hearing. Hopefully that meant that this one wouldn't take that long. Seated opposite Kishara and Komine, were the few caretakers from the orphanage was well as the boy who looked fine physically. Glares from the three remaining members of Team Four made the boy look forwards at the oak of the Judge's bar.

Ritsuko took a seat next to Kishara, waving slightly at Komine as she sighed. The other blonde smiled, peering over Ritsuko to look at the two students. "Yo, what's up?" She threw a hand in the air in greeting. Her voice was strangely deeper than the two kids had originally thought it to be, and while it wasn't unpleasant, it was a little odd, seeing the bubbly woman with a voice slightly deeper than Ritsuko's.

"H-Hello…" Hyosuke responded politely. "I'm, um, Yamanoue Hyosuke."

"Arita Marako." Marako replied, slightly relaxing due to Ritsuko's posture. "Who're you?"

"Kishara. Motoyasu Kishara." Ritsuko answered, twirling her finger in the air tiredly, "She's, um, the sensei of Team One, you know? That one's Chamine Otake." She jabs her thumb at the man dressed in a dark trenchoat and dark purple pants. He bristles at the name she's given him and sits up a little straighter.

"Nice to meet you, Chamine-sensei, Kishara-sensei." Hyosuke bows politely while Marako tosses a wave in greeting.

"My name is Komine!" He finally says, frowning. "Anyway, Ritsuko, I have something interesting to tell you," Ritsuko quirks an eyebrow, sitting up,
"It's about one--!"

"All rise, honorable Judge Day presiding." One of the jonin yells, prompting all conversation to stop immediately. The group of ninja stand, just as the judge comes from the chambers and into the room. He is a large man, dressed in a red robe—the color of the Shinobi Allied Forces flag—he proudly wears a Kumogakure Hitai-ate on his forehead, and the kanji for day, '日', is tattooed underneath his left eye. The large tanned man holds his arms up, motioning for one of the jonin guards to bring Maiko in.

Maiko is brought it quietly and Marako gasps quietly. She looks much the same, if not a little skinnier due to malnourishment and a few days without sunlight. Her eyes remain cold, though there is the slight flash of an emotion the three other members of the team haven't seen on Maiko: fear. Ritsuko can feel her heart hurting for Maiko but remains silent. Hyosuke looks away and Marako grips his pant leg.

Kishara frowns, as does Komine as the judge finally says, "You may be seated." He seats himself as well as the jonin on the left stands.

"First case on the docket, case number 414859, Maiko Vs. Children's Home of Konohagakure." The jonin speaks, handing the judge a file. It takes him a moment to rifle through the file before he finally looks up.

"It says here that… Maiko, no last name…" He begins, "Assaulted… Ilona, no last name. Offence is slamming victim against a wall and choking." He looked up, eyes moving from Maiko to Ilona. "How do you plead?"
 
The path to that court room was a lengthy one, when the buff guard escorted her out of the god forsaken room. He took her down a long path of prisoners who either whistled at the young girl's beauty, watched with eyes of envy, or bowed their heads in fear and acknowledgement of the Demon of Konoha. Finally after being out of the max security ward, she was passed on like a baton in the incarnate of a human to a pair of guards, two ANBU guards who leisurely walked her down a path of steps leading to a tunnel made under ground. Once being checked for weapons at the interstate of the tunnel two more ANBU guards were added to the escort group, none of them conversing. Just walking with those dumb masks on, those dumb yet subtly eerie mask.

'All of this for me...' She looked at each of them, shifting her cat like eyes at each ANBU member. These were top trained fighters, the very best of the best Jonin leveled ninjas. Used for secret missions, escorting the most important targets, protecting the Hokage, and even used for warfare. But here she was being escorted into some court room by these people, it kinda scared her. Especially since this tunnel was so long, maybe this was the last time she would see people. What if the punishment was unfair, what if she would be stuck here for life in that terrible prison alone with no sunlight for the rest of her existence. She would truly be decreased into the form of a monster.

"They'll fear you more..."


Stop.

No more thoughts.

Just clear your mind.

She closed her eyes and took in deep breaths, inhaling and waiting a few seconds before exhaling. By the time she reopened her eyes she realized they reached another section of steps. There she reached another prisoner interstate, and a Jonin was waiting at the very top. Once at the top she came to the realization that she was in the back of the court room, where usually the jury would go to speak on a topic of the case, there were file cabinets everywhere and in the far right a big round mahogany table with almost a dozen chairs surrounding it. The female Jonin grabbed her by the arm and simply said the five words that struck fear into her, "Good luck, you'll need it." Then she walked Maiko through the doors and her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw all the Jonin looking at her.

Not only did she see Jonin, she saw the soft placidity that was sunlight. Not artificial light, but sunlight. Then after two days she glanced down to the front row and saw three familiar faces, Ritsuko, Marako, and Hyosuke. She just stared at them for a long time, mouth wide open, but then her eyes started to quake.

'Take one long look Maiko, this may be the last time you see them,' She thought to herself and bit down on her bottom lip.

Kishara opened her mouth her mouth in awe at the girl who was escorted into the room, she looked over at Ritsu and then back at Maiko, then over at Ritsu one last time. "So that's the demon of Konoha...she doesn't look very scary at all," She whispered low enough so that only Komine could hear her.

"Shhhh, Ritsu's touchy about the whole demon thing," Komine whispered in her ear and looked at Ritsuko watching Maiko deeply. He remembers she went on a drunk rant a month ago about how everyone loves to judge Maiko, without truly knowing her.

"I-..." Maiko looked around, shifting her eyes from the judge to the crowd behind her, over at Ritsuko sensei, then at the boy Ilona. He was staring at her as if he was scared, playing the victim after saying those harsh words.

"They'll just fear you more..."

Maiko closed her eyes and started to breath, her markings glowed dimly. The audience started to rustle and speak to one another in low whispers at what was occurring now.

"What's she going to do?" One random Jonin whispered.

"She's going to turn," Another lower leveled Jonin answered with a snicker following his dumb joke.

'Oh no...' Marako thought to himself ready to get up, but Ritsuko grabbed his arm, not bothering to shoot him a glance. Marako gulped nervously and slowly sat back down.

"Everyone please take a seat, order in the court! Silence!" The Judge banged on the sound block with his gavel, he shifted in his seat and exhaled in annoyance, " Now then, Maiko continue,"

Maiko opened up her eyes and the confidence was back, her markings ceased to emanate any light. "I plead...guilty your honor." Her voice was poised and she stared at the older Jonin in his eyes. He was picking at her every look, scrutinizing her, watching her with his eyes. Down from the tip of her feet to the top of her head. What was he looking for? Why was he staring at her like that?

He was testing her honesty, and the way she presented herself when speaking. From what he could see, she was doing pretty well for herself.
 
The group of three waited with bated breath as Maiko was asked how she pled. It was a shame that she didn't have a lawyer, Ritsuko looked from Maiko's barren side where she sat alone to the other side which held three lawyers with one standing behind them, whispering something to the boy. He nods, his face taking on a much sadder look after the man turns around again. The platinum blonde narrows her eyes at the boy, but doesn't do much else before sharply turning her head back to face forward, as Maiko seems to be having a mini episode.

As much as she wanted to get up there and help the girl out, she knew she couldn't without being held in contempt of court. And the thought irked her. How useless was she? She reached out, scaring Hyosuke as she grabbed Marako's arm a little more forcefully than necessary. The boy gulped, getting her meaning and slowly lowering himself back into his seat. The only thing they could do was sit here and support Maiko… and all three of them felt terrible for it.

Despite the whisperings—which is really why Judge Day wanted this to be an even more private hearing—the Judge could only watch Maiko as she finally answered. If he was impressed, he certainly didn't show it. The man nodded firmly as he looked over towards the prosecution. His heavy gaze swept over the line of Chūnin Ninja as they all seemed to bristle under it. At least he still had the effect to strike fear into the hearts of others. "And what evidence have we against the girl?"

"Your honor," The one on the far left stands, "We have pictures of the boy's neck after the incident." He holds up a file. The judge nods, motioning the man to the bar. He hands off the photos and the Judge looks through them.

"There's barely a scratch here." He says after a moment. "What does he look like now?" His eyes scan the courtroom, finally landing on Ilona, who is then motioning up into the stand. With a wounded look on his face, Ilona moves to the stand while the Judge looks him over with a raised eyebrow.

"If this were a domestic dispute between children—which they both are, mind you—we would not be here." He begins. "If this were a dispute between genin, we would not be here. If this were anything but a dispute between a jinchuriki and a civilian, we would not be here. Now tell me," He turns his eyes back to the judges, "How far did you think this case would get with this small injury—if we can call it that—and extremely biased care takers against a kunoichi of your own village?"
 
The lawyers looked amongst one another, the most experienced of the three glanced at the other two who fiddled through their notes sweating nervously. They leaned in and whispered to one another with a huddled mixture of nods one of the Lawyers turned around, the most experienced one who was probably in his mid 30's, cleared his throat. The court room became tense, anxious on what kind of reply the man had to this. All the Jonin in the room didn't have an answer for it either. Why was this girl so dangerous? Why did everyone fear Maiko, the demon of Konoha? Has she given us a reason to fear her? No, they simply fear the demon within her so why must she be so incessantly teased and picked on for absolutely nothing.

Maiko looked over at the lawyers and then caught the eyes of the boy Ilona, she shook her head and looked back at the Judge. This man knew about her being a Jinchuriki, but yet didn't despise her about it or gave her an unlawful sentencing. If only Konoha can be as understanding and unbiased as this man and maybe her life wouldn't be such a pain. She never had anybody by her side, she was always despised by everyone who would approach her. But when she turned her head to the left and looked at those three sitting in the front row, she felt something she never felt before. Love.

Maiko

Ritsuko

Hyosuke

and the only one of the group missing was Chiko.

There were people in this world who actually cared about her, despite all of her problems and the true monster that lurks within.

"First your honor, this girl isn't a native of Konoha, she showed up at the walls sixteen years ago. I remember the day because I was there, just having joined the Institution of the Green Leaf (The local College) trying to get my degree as a lawyer, I was tired walking home. Then there was this terrible cry in the night, half human, half beast. I gathered around the outside of the entrance where a crowd was building up to see a Jonin carrying the girl inside. We begged him not to let her in, we begged him to leave the girl out to die, because this was a Jinchuriki. Nothing, and I mean nothing good comes out of them. Yet through orders of the hokage she was allowed in. They always seem to unleash some hatred and take it out on us. Sixteen years later the Demon girl is standing before us, right there your honor,for attempting to choke my client with her incredible and inhumane strength. Luckily she came to her grips, but who's to say that the next time she decides to attack it wont be one us," He turned around to look at the court room, "Who's to say it won't be one of you, or your brother, or sister, or next of kin, what if it was your parents? So let me assure you, your honor, this case isn't about the damage that she's already done,which can be psychological not just physical; but the damage she may do in the future as well."

"What's your name Mister?" The judge leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands.

"Mr.Ute, your honor."

"Mr.Ute, do you think I don't check the records between every case I go through? Ilona doesn't have a therapist, never had one in his life. This boy is no where near scarred, and he's physically healthy. For all I know he could've gotten that scratch mark by picking at his neck just yesterday. It is a minor wound, there is no reason for Maiko to be so unfairly judged. Like you stated yourself, what occurs in the past may lead to future action, but as of now Maiko has not committed an actual crime. This was merely a scuffle between two juveniles. Oh, and about that nothing good comes from Jinchuriki comment? One of the greatest Kazekage's in the world was Gaara. He was a Jinchuriki, just like Maiko here. And must I remind you, the great grandfather of your Hokage was Uzamaki Naruto. A Legendary Sanin, one if not the greatest Ninja to ever live, and one of the Great heroes of those times was a Jinchuriki. So I'm pretty sure greatness can come out of a Jinchuriki. Yet, Maiko did admit to it. No one is in the right, so I have made my decision. Maiko, I declare you to 100-"

Marako glanced up his eyes widening

Hyosuke, quickly closed his eyes and wished for the best.

Ritsuko almost swallowed her heart she gulped so hard.

"days of community service."

The three let out a sigh of relief concurrently, Kishara smiled softly and looked at Komine who was smiling as well. Then she smirked and whispered in his ear, "Your actually smiling, so your not a serious butt head all the time huh?"

"Shut up," Komine sighed and the smile immediately vanished but a blush quickly rushed over his face. Kishara stuck her tongue at him and giggled to herself.

"Case closed!" The judge banged on the sound block again then stood up.

Maiko was smiling happily and she looked back at her sensei, "Ritsuko sensei..." She let out a sigh of relief as the ANBU guards came back into the room to escort her back to the prison for her stuff.

"I'll come pick you up outside of the Prison Maiko, don't worry." Ritsuko smiled softly as she stood from her seat, it all worked out in the end.
 
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As Maiko didn't come in with much, she left with hardly anything. They didn't give her back her ninja tool set, but that was fine. What was another couple hundred Ryō compared to getting out of jail nearly scott-free? Nothing. Maiko grabbed her bandages from the man behind the chakra-nullifying glass and nodded her thanks, though the man didn't waste much time on her before he called up the next person and Maiko was ushered along towards the doors. She stood off to the side for a moment, wondering if her sensei and the others would be there when she got out. Sure, they'd come to the court case, but anybody would've—probably out of obligation. And while she did recall hearing Ritsuko say she'd come to pick he up, Maiko didn't know if that was true. Already, she was trying to figure out how she would live. It was obvious that after this little stint, she wouldn't be welcomed (not like she was from the beginning) back into the Orphanage.

If she became a charge of the Hokage, she could probably get reduced housing—maybe he'd take pity on her and let her live near the outskirts. The rent out there was dirt cheap because there was hardly anything out there. And hopefully they'd be able to get better missions so rent wouldn't be a problem. Maiko finished wrapping her bandages, patting herself down and letting a small smile turn up the corners of her lips. Her situation wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. At least she wasn't in jail and that's pretty much all she could ask for. Maiko pushed open the door, walking out into the ever present sunshine found only in Konoha only to hear the exaggeratedly loud and exasperated voice of Marako. "Finally! I feel like we've been waiting forever!" He sighs loudly, swinging his arms. "If you took any longer, I think I would've eaten this cake all by myself."

Maiko looks up, spotting her team. Hyosuke holds a boxed cake in his hands while Ritsuko has hers crossed. Despite Marako's words, he's also smiling, with Chiko standing on his head. The lemur jumps, gliding until he lands safely in Maiko's arms. "What's this?" Maiko asks, slightly unsure.

"It's a cake." Hyosuke states he obvious. "I mean, it was short notice and we had, like not a lot of money between us, so we couldn't get 'We're glad you're not in jail' or something written on the cake."

"But it's chocolate." Ritsuko adds, "It'll make a great snack after we've moved your stuff."

"Chocolate's always—wait, moved my stuff?" Maiko rose an eyebrow, "I mean, I've got like a couple things I could easily put in a bag, but… where am I moving it?" Did the Hokage already claim her? Did they have a house ready for her?

"Normally after one has been kicked from the orphanage or decides to leave but it under aged, they become charges of the Hokage. But after some persuasion…"

"You mean begging." The long-robed man walks up to them. Ritsuko frowns, crossing her arms and mumbling. "It was begging, Ritsuko. Don't try to lie. Anyway," Hyosuke steps back at the presence of the hokage, as does Marako, both surprised to see the man, "After all that begging, Ritsuko has become your legal guardian." He looks Maiko over once before he nods, "I wanted to see you in person, to congratulate you."

"I… uh… thanks." Maiko rubs the back of her head, "So then… what does Ritsuko-sensei being my guardian mean?"

"So that means you'll be staying with me!" Ritsuko jabs a thumb at herself. "It'll be great."

"Kami help your soul…" The Hokage shakes his head in pity towards Maiko as he cuts himself a piece of cake. "Oh, chocolate."

"You didn't pay! You can't have any!" Before Ritsuko can stop him, the man disappears and she sighs, "Greedy old man."

"Wow, that's the first time I've been so close to the hokage!" Hyosuke's eyes are still wide. "A-And he stole half our cake!"

Ritsuko looks in the box, frowning, "Damn, you're right… um… Marako, you're not getting any."

"What?!" Marako squeaks. "That's not fair."

"Tell that to the Hokage."

Maiko smiles, watching Marako argue and bicker with their sensei while Hyosuke tries to get them to stop. Chiko chitters in her arms and she looks down at the lemur, still smiling.

"Oi, Maiko, c'mon!" Maiko looks up, noting that the others are a little farther away. "Don't make us wait!"

"Coming!" Maiko yells back, running towards them.

This wasn't perfect, but it was better than everything up until now.

--

"So, sensei." Maiko still isn't used to Ritsuko's house, but she's getting there. The woman's house is a lot cleaner than she'd originally
thought and there aren't many windows. Where there are windows, they're heavily sealed so that nothing can get in or out without alerting Ritsuko. The woman, despite how she appears, is a jounin through and through and with the territory, as Maiko remembers learning in school, comes the paranoia.

Ritsuko tosses the rest of the cake box in the trash before looking back at Maiko. "….does this mean I'm the favorite?"

"It better not!" Marako yelps, "I should be the favorite!"

"Why?" Hyosuke asks, "You're the most accident prone one. We've been on a team together for only a few months and you're the reason I need to keep restocking bandages." Hyosuke crosses his arms, "I'm on a first name basis with the people in the medical store and they give me discounts. They even named a product after you."

"Really? I'm famous!" Marako puffs out his chest.

"Don't be so happy, it's a butt ointment." Hyosuke tells him. Maiko snorts and Ritsuko laughs loudly.

"I can't believe you told them about the butt thing!" Marako's cheeks burn. "That was a secret!"

"It slipped out, sorry." Hyosuke doesn't sound or look sorry as he turns to Ritsuko, "So answer the question sensei." Maiko and Marako nod.

"It's obviously me. I live here now." Maiko says.

"No way! I'm the one who is the best, so I'm the favorite!"

"Pssh, I don't know why you're all so worked up when we all know that Chiko is the favorite."

"Yeah that makes sense..."
 
The warmth of the early sunlight snuggled up against Ado's face, tickled her eyes open. She was a "messy sleeper" of sorts, she usually fell asleep pretty neatly, resting on her stomach with the sheets perfectly wrapped around her. But just like every morning she was a complete mess; she awoke with her shirt tangled up and clumped right beneath her breasts, contouring the outline of it. The pillows were all over the floor and her leg was taut over the blanket that ended up under her feet even if she had it draped over her body that very night. Her eyes shifted from the opened awning window to her pale legs in the tight shorts she wore, then over at the door that was still locked.

She sat up in the bed, letting the now crinkled shirt droop down over her toned waist and hips. Lifting her head up to face the window she smiled, Konoha had a bad habit of shifting seasons, in this case going from Winter to Spring very quickly, and this was a habit she didn't mind at all. Usually this spring weather wasn't as bad as last month though, the heat was almost blistering especially in those robes that she wore at times. It was time for an outfit change, but that wasn't something she was so worried with at the moment. As of right now she only had her mind on taking a cold shower, just how she liked it, and munching on something before meeting up with Yori on a mission they were informed about a few weeks prior.

She stood up, checked her digital clock, all dusty and old resting above the dresser adjacent to her bed. "7:15," She mumbled followed by a yawn. She fiddled through the dresser pulling out her ninja supplies and undergarments before tiptoeing out into the hall, then going obliquely from her room, past her brothers bed room and into the bathroom. She gently shut the door and locked it before letting out a puff of relief, she was able to sneak past without waking up her brother or that demon cat that he loves so much!

Ms.Cuddles, the family's old miserable cat that she absolutely positively hated. Kyoshi got her when he was 5 years old, and he absolutely adores that cat. Even her parents love her, and Ms.Cuddle loves them, she loves everyone in the house except for Ado. Now Ms.Cuddles was eleven years old, and an even more miserable ball of fur when it came to how Ado felt about her. Her body wasn't as smooth and untouched as it was five years ago, she received many battle scars on her arms, legs and body. But about a quarter to a half of those abrasions were inflicted by Mr.Cuddles.

She stripped, glancing at herself in the mirror. She traced the scars on her body from the smallest to the biggest and deepest, remembering every story behind each scar. If this is what it's like to be an ANBU guard, she would imagine the wounds that would be inflicted on her ten or twenty years from now when she's an old veteran with a much higher ranking. Even though she was at times looked up to by the higher ranks for being such a young age and being strong enough to become an ANBU guard. She wasn't a protege for nothing now was she?

After a quick shower she slipped out of the bath tub, drying herself off with a towel then getting dressed in her more temperature appropriate clothes. She wore a net shirt under a white crop top then pulled on a no sleeve open jacket with the Uchiha emblem stitched onto the right side as well as the back. As well as putting on latex shorts that were covered by bandages. She grabbed her sleeves (the ones tightly pressed against her arms), and tightened the hitai-ate around her forehead. She was ready, that was all that mattered. She quickly snuck out of the bathroom, rushing down the steps, grabbed an apple off of the table and off she went.

"Time to find Yori," She mumbled to herself.
 
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