Shimiko & Seigi's Wild Adventure Part II

The Sealing Brigade showed up, late as always. Seigi liked that some things were constants in this universe. Death, Seigi, and the Sealing Brigade being late to when they were needed. Back in his universe, Seigi had been asked to lead the Sealing Brigade, but turned it down because he didn’t want to deal with that very same issue. That, and he didn’t want to be yelled at by ANBU like Shimiko.
Seigi watched amusingly as Shimiko laid into them with some of the finest insults he had heard in a bit, picking himself up off the ground to look halfway presentable. After all, he saw the way some of them had looked at him. He knew they saw their former Kage. He didn't want to disrespect his alter-self. Standing up from his quick break, he would check his gear, his clothes, and his limbs to make sure everything was good, before approaching Shimiko's side.

The Sealing Brigade was a dreadful sort. He would comment to Shimiko later that she needed to order someone to whip them into shape, or replace them.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! YOU CALL THAT AN ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE TIME. YOUR COMMAND OFFICER COULD HAVE MADE LOVE TO YOUR WIVES AND TOOK HER OUT TO DINNER IN THE TIME IT TOO YOU GUYS TO GET HERE! IS THIS WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TRAINED TO DO?!”

Shimiko shouted herself hoarse as she screamed at the group. They had arrived in a few minutes which Shimiko had considered to be piss poor reaction timing. The blonde struck each of them with an open handed slap. Her Ketsryugan was active and she bore a hole into their souls with her menacing eyes.

“YOU ALL SUCK! YOU’RE SLOW, AND YOUR SEALING SKILLS ARE MEDIOCRE AT BEST! YOU’RE NOT EVEN EQUIPPED FOR THIS MISSION…. WHAT IS THAT?!”

She said pointing to the large inkbrush on the man’s back

“IS THAT A 5 FOOT OPT-BRUSH 14.5 INDICA?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU BRING AN OPT-BRUSH 14.5 INDICA SEALING TOOL TO A LIFE OR DEATH FUUINJUTSU CRISIS?”

Shimiko would suddenly become calm.

“Are you retarded?” she’d say in a quiet and concerned voice. The man shook his head. She turned to his comrades. “Is he retarded?” she repeated in a softer tone. They said “No ma’am” in unison. Shimiko turned to Seigi.

“Oh so I guess I’m just blind then...Seigi can you please describe to me the brush that’s strapped to this guy’s back?”

Seigi was well informed when it came to sealing things so he’d know a 5 foot opt-brush 14.5 indica when he saw one. And that was it.

“It’s a 5 foot opt-brush 14.5 indica.” He would reply, chuckling. “But honestly, those things are so outdated and unreliable, I’m surprised they’re still in use. What you need, if you can’t create chakra ink, is an Auto-Etcher. It may cause slight cosmetic damage, but the seals are stronger and they’re 100 percent correct. They take the human error out of the equation.” He would explain, stepping closer to them. “Or, if you’re a bit of a classical guy like myself..” He would open a small pouch and produce a small brush. “A Hideyoshi Mega. Perfect craftmanship, easy application, sleek as hell. Check it out.” He would say, handing the novice the brush for him to admire. He didn't often use brushes anymore if he didn't have to, but he carried one on him at all times due to his training. His brother used to smack him any time he didn't have it on him, to the point that he very quickly learned to never leave the house without it.

“SO I’M NOT BLIND” she’d yell at the Sealing Brigade. Seigi commented that that those types were outdated and that an auto-etcher would be better. Shimiko took out the Hideyoshi Mega, it was a well crafted inkbrush and she smiled for a moment while she examined it and held it up to the Sealing Brigade.

“I wouldn’t waste this on such a sorry group of so-called fuuinjutsu experts. The only reason we give these fools Opt-Brush 14.5 indica is because we can’t risk them breaking the more expensive tools but apparently I need to micro-manage every decision they make. Ugh! Get out of my sight!”

Shimiko would dismiss the group and they’d all move away in a flicker like motion.

Shimiko sighed and shook her head.

“I’m sorry you had to see me get like that but its the only way these ANBU learn. They think just because I’m young, pretty, and a woman with pigtails they can act however they choose. They need to know that I became Captain for a reason and its not because of my good looks. Although that does tend to run in the family…” she laughed trying to release some tension and pressure.

“I’ll have ANBU clean up and tell the PR office what to say. I’m sure the recovery team will find some useful clues in the wreckage….”

“Speaking of clues, we should recover the body.” Seigi would suddenly say, coming back to the mission. “I won’t be satisfied until I see it.” Seigi would tell her, quickly eyeing the carnage. He couldn’t remember exactly where the man’s body had fallen, and he had seen his head severed from his body, but Seigi had seen crazier things happen, and if he can come back to life, then so
can the guy they fought.

Seigi would walk over to the pit of sand and earth where he had thought he had seen the man’s body fly, beginning to try and move some wood by hand, looking for any sign, but didn’t get any luck. He would tell the ANBU around him to make themselves useful and help look.

Seigi's gaze turned around the rubble, trying to eye limbs, a body, clothes, anything but... he wasn't finding anything. His heart began to race as he began to increase the speed at which he searched. "Leave no stone unturned! This man is dangerous, move!" He would yell.

Shimiko was sure she had struck the man. Pun aside, there was no coming back from decapitation. Then again, Jashin worked in mysterious ways. Shimiko watched as Seigi dug through he wreckage trying to find the body. He ordered the ANBU to help and they immediately got to work digging throught he rubble. Yet no one was able to find the body. Shimiko slammed her palm into her open fist.

“Dammit!”. The Sealer had somehow gotten away. “He’s working for Dart Frog….I know he is. If he’s this good then this village is in serious trouble.”

They’d need to find him and end him quickly. ANBU came to her with some findings and she waved them away. “Keep working, I want all the clues and information that you gather sent to my office stat!”

Shimiko went over to Seigi and put a hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to get him...and that kid...I don’t know his role in all this but I think he’s being misled. We’ll see what we can do about him”

Somehow, he had gotten away. Seigi felt disappointment that they didn’t get him this time, but he supposed he couldn’t be too angry seeing as they had come out on top anyways. He would take a deep breath in, calming his nerves before they were allowed to tense, nodding to Shimiko.
“Right.” Seigi could feel the weight on his shoulders that if they didn’t stop him and something bad happened, it would be on him. Or at least pinned on him. He knew how these things went, and he knew how easy it was to be scapegoated.
“We need to find him. Next time, I’ll make sure he’s buried deep.” Seigi would mutter, thinking of their next steps.
“Where do we go from here?”

“I think we should pack it in for today. I’ll have some of my best intelligence gatherers look into the situation and they should get back to us soon with some hard evidence. I think they were planning on taking out the entire residential district which would have been a total disaster for ANBU, the Office of the Raikage, and the country as a whole. We’d be so busy cleaning up the mess they created we wouldn’t have time to stop their more nefarious plans. But since we beat them here, I think we have them on the run. They weren’t expecting to lose which means that they are behind and we are ahead. Once we get the intel we should be able to move on the Dart Frog directly”

Shimiko spoke with calmness and conviction. Her emotions were runnning hot but yelling at the Sealing Brigade had done wonders for her disposition. She was never very good at bottling up her emotions. Seigi was better than her at it. Akame had been better her at it. It was always a point that she struggled with and it was one of the reasons the Old Guard within Kumo Anbu did not like her. Yet at the present moment, she was calm and centered. She knew what their next step was.

They’d meet in three days time for an intelligence briefing.

3 DAYS LATER


Once again, Seigi was alone in the briefing room. He liked to come here early, just to people watch. The ANBU HQ never slept, a datacenter of constant work and insanity, the true backbone of the village. Most people didn’t know the things that went on in their own village, and if they did, it would probably keep them up at night. The ANBU’s number one goal was village protection, which usually meant at ANY cost. It was a view Seigi was unsure if he shared or not. He would have for his Kumogakure, but would he for this one? He was unsure. But would he for Shimiko? Yes. He was loyal to her before he was loyal to Kumogakure. In fact, it was something Seigi needed to talk to her about. He had heard reports of Konoha he didn’t like. He heard of their quick adoption of imperialism, attempting to take over countries to the north of them, even going as far as changing their headband. Seigi still had his Konoha forehead protector, sitting in a drawer in his room.

Lost in thoughts, Seigi would wait for Shimiko to arrive.

Shimiko arrived in the ANBU Briefing Room and she was followed by a line of intelligence officers. Shimiko took her place at the head of the table as Captain. Seigi’s seat would be to her right,, a symbolic show that he was her right hand and confident. The move would undoubtedly rustle some jimmies among the elder and more conservative intelligence officers in the group. Who was this strange man that wore Seigi Chinoike’s face? Was this some kind of bizarre Jashinist black magic? The Officers were wary of him but they said nothing as everyting took their seats. Shimiko would nod to her head lieutenant and he would begin.

“After the Residential Fuunin Scare, the Dart Frog’s organization has gone underground. We were able to retrieve some clues and leads from the wreckage but they all ran cold….However….luck has been kind to us”

“Jashin” Shimiko commented audibly. The man stopped in his tracks. “Jashin has been kind to us. Comrades luck has nothing to do with any endeavor this village undertakes. Every action that Kumo takes is guided by the hand of Jashin and we would do well to remember that”

The comment rankled several of the officers but that was precisely why Shimiko had said it. She wanted to make it completely clear to them that just because they were hunting a Jashinist that didn’t mean Shimiko was ready to betray her Church. The man apologized and continued:

“Excuse me, er Jashin has been kind to us. We know that the Dart Frog has fallen ill. Its an aggressive and rare form of cancer. It targets the chakra system. Because he has become sick, all of his terrorist activities have ground to a total halt.”

Shimiko asked a question: “Can we confirm that this illness is natural? Are there any other parties acting in our interest?”

Seigi blinked.
Cancer.
He had...cancer? There was no way it was that easy.
“Where’s this information coming from? Is it credible?” He would ask, cutting anyone off before they could answer Shimiko. “And what does this mean for the operation?” He would add quickly. If he was still alive, they needed to move… right? And how did they just now hear about this? Doesn’t cancer happen fairly gradually? Something just felt off about it and he couldn’t put his finger on it. What did his gut instinct mean?

Seigi had seen cancer firsthand. Kazuya Dochiwa, his own father, was on his way to his death from an aggressive cancer before taking his own life by Harakiri, before it could take that away from him. But even as aggressive as it was, it had taken months for it to develop. Perhaps he had it this whole time and they had been none the wiser? Seigi refused to believe it. There's no way he wouldn't have known.

The man looked at Seigi as if sizing him up. Who did this doppelganger think he was. The rude looks quickly melted and the intel officer that had been speaking quickly ajusted his face. Shimiko glowered at him silently telling him that he should afford Seigi all the respect that he was due. The man responded in a polite tone:

“This information is accurate and credible. As of right now, we can confirm that the Dart Frog is not an active threat to Kumogakure. He is hoping to be transferred out of the village for treatment but we have already arranged for him to secretly be brought to an ANBU Black site. His organization has largely disintegrated…not only is he sick and infirm but the work you and Shimiko-sama have done thwarting his terrorist plot appears to have broken his supporter’s spirit."

Shimiko sensed Seigi’s unease and spoke up.

“This doesn’t sound right. Cancer doesn’t work like that. Its been all of three days and they are already calling it in? What’s really going on here”

The intelligence officer looked red in the face and as if he was aware how stupid he sounded.

“Shimiko-sama, I assure you we recognize the bizarreness of the situation but the intelligence reports are iron-clad on this….a panel of high end doctors reviewed them, this level of aggression is not one we’ve seen before but at the same time we are unaware of any viruses or man made carcincogens that could be capable of such a thing...Your husband Vi-”


“Where is he? Bring him in. If there isn’t anything else. Everyone out.”

The man wrapped up and then the whole group of intelligence officers vacated the room leaving her and Seigi alone.

She gave him a look that said: No way what the hell!

“I know.” Seigi would say as soon as she gave him that look. “I don’t buy it either.” He would say, standing from his seat in an anxious motion, beginning to pace the room. With his hands behind his back, his head would lower, and he would begin to think of what they missed. Was there someone internally behind this?

“Who gave us this mission exactly?” Seigi would ask, turning to Shimiko. “This is obviously a Black Op happening right under our noses.” He would cross his arms, trying to unclench his jaw. “We can’t just let them get away with this, right?”

Seigi flashbacked to his first Black Op, rescuing his sensei from underneath Konohagakure many years ago. Different factions within the village's leadership ran them all the time, everyone above Jounin KNEW they were doing it too, but his mind was racing as to who would be capable enough. He didn't have all the pieces to the puzzle.

“If what they say is accurate then whoever killed Dart Frog is running around with a powerful bioweapon. You’d need the intelligence of a lesser god to pull off something like that. My husband is a lot of things but a liar he is not…..at least not to me. If the Dart Frog is dying of cancer then he’s dying of cancer. The better question is how and by whose hand. Depending on the answer to those questions we might be able to do something about it”

Shimiko and Seigi waited for Vik Chinoike to appear. He didn’t appear to be that much older than Seigi himself but in reality he was forty years old. It was all thanks to the Chinoike Clan’s vampiric genetics. They tended to all stop aging after a certain point, or more accurately age slowly. He was known as Scarlet Fever due to his experience in biological warfare. He was one of the village’s best doctors and it was even said that he worked alongside the legendary Morikawa Mikiri.


Vik walked into the room and Shimiko stood. They kissed each other on the cheek and he sat to Shimiko’s right. He didn’t even say hello to Seigi and in fact he avoided eye contact with the young man. It was as if as far as Vik was concerned Seigi wasn’t there at all. This irked shimiko but she said nothing.

“What do you got for me Vik”
“Well, I can tell you two things. Dart Frog is dying and his death wasn’t of natural causes”
“But they sai-”
“Yeah, see I knew if I told them that Dart Frog died to a bioweapon I have no answer for that would cause a lot of political problems. Problems for you, problems for me, Problems for our Clan, problems for the church and problems for…..other individuals”. It was clear who he was talking about here.
“So someone poisoned him?”
“Its not quite that simple. I don’t fully understand how this thing works but whatever they did was frightfullly specific. Someone keyed a cancer virus to his DNA and his DNA only to ensure that it would not respond to any generic treatments. By the time I map his DNA and whip up a cure, he’d be long dead. On the brightside, this was a one-trick pony. A zero-day exploit if you will. Whoever did this didn’t have any intentions to harm Kumo or else they would have saved this for a rainy day and not on some random terrorist named Dart Frog. It didn’t come from within the village either….”
“So someone infiltrated Dart Frog’s organization, stayed inside long enough to gather a DNA profile, and build a specific bioweapon for him”
“Bingo. I’ll leave the “Who” to you Shimiko I just wanted you to hear it from me. I know things are fractious right now and we aren’t sure who to trust but above all else know that you can trust me my love”

Shimiko didn’t say “I love you too” or anything sappy or lame like that. She really didn’t love Vik. Their marriage was one of mutual convenience. She did trust him though. And that meant that for now, their mission against the Dart Frog had been a success (of sorts).

Seigi hadn’t actually met Vik yet, but could tell the man had no interest in Seigi by his body language alone. The way his eyes refused to meet his own directly, the distance he took.. Seigi refused to budge from his spot, listening to the conversation. The man honestly sounded like some sort of genius, which from Shimiko’s high praise of him, he may have very well been. For all intents and purposes, it seemed as if their mission had come to a finish. Despite everything, however, Seigi didn’t feel right about it. He didn’t like the outcome and he didn’t like the fact that someone with an extensive ability in Ijutsu was out there fabricating cancer viruses. He supposed that for now, he could call it a day. They had accomplished their mission and saved Kumogakure from destruction, but his mind was going to hyperfocus on this until they figured it out. Seigi didn't like to leave colossal problems such as this unsolved. He would clear his throat, crossing his arms. He supposed he could call it a day.

Shimiko turned to Seigi and could see he was upset about the lack of closure. She turned to Vik and nodded as though accepting his explanation. She gave him a peck on the cheek and he returned it. The doctor then left the room.

“We should go see the Dart Frog. ANBU is arranging for him to be transported to a black site. I think it will help us get some much needed closure if we see him. I want to know what happened to that kid”

She knew Seigi was probably a bit disturbed and angry about what had happened. Unfortunately, that was what the job was like sometimes and the best they could do is go see this dying Dart Frog and get what little answers they could out of him.

As soon as Vik left, Seigi would exhale. “Man, he really doesn’t like me.” He would say, chuckling. “Remind me to never get married.” He was pretty sure he was finished with trying to have a love life, there was no time for relationships when you were an interdimensional ninja. His mind did wander for a moment, back to Makita, and he felt his heart drop slightly, frowning. He did miss her at times. He thought about her a lot, in fact, and if she was okay. He was hurt from her betrayal, bur he couldn't help his emotions towards her.

“Yeah, I agree.” Seigi would say solemnly, letting Shimiko take the lead. “Where’s this black site at? You have the location?” He would ask, ready to go whenever. It wasn’t like he had any other place to be anytime soon. As sooon as she was ready to depart, Seigi would follow her lead. He needed to stretch his legs and get outside.

Shimiko laughed as the tension of the moment was alleviated by Seigi’s joke. Vik wasn’t like the other subordinates that were in the room previously. He was her husband. She could carry on and shout at him and demand that he acknowledge Seigi but that wasn’t appropriate. Shimiko despised her parents more than death but their teachings had stuck with her. She was raised in a conservative household and she respected the bond between husband and wife. Love or no she would not force Vik to respect Seigi at least not yet. They’d need to come to this on their own terms.

“Oh I have a list of suitors just waiting for you Seigi. You’re not getting out of this one.” she said in a joking manner.


“I know exactly which black site they’ve taken him to…..”

Shimiko and Seigi would find themselves in an abandoned and dilapidated, one story home. The place was very decript but that was because it was kept purposefully so. The home was in a bad neighborhood and no one would think to find a high value target inside. Shimiko walked up to the front porch and pressed her hand on the doorbell. She released several specific pulses of chakra and the door creaked upon. She walked inside and let Seigi follow her in.

She walked through the house until she reached the master bedroom. A man was lying on a bed with a few hospital monitors linked up to him and a nurse in the corner. He was bald and looked to be on the verge of death. His eyes wandered over to see Shimiko and Seigi enter the room.

Seigi hadn’t expected this, and now, he felt kind of sorry for the guy. This was how he was going to die? In a hospital bed in a run down home? Seigi would take note of his surroundings, what was in the room, every way in and out. There seemed to be just the one, which would make sense for a black site.
The man honestly looked terrible. How had he progressed this quickly? His eyes were sunken in, his skin discolored, even his fingernails looked as if they were decaying. Everything about him was dying. At this rate, he had hours, maybe even less than that. Seigi would keep to Shimiko’s side, letting her do all the small talk on this one. He wondered how he had survived the beheading, Seigi taking note of no visible scar lines on the man’s neck. As far as Seigi knew, there was no way to medically bring someone back to life like that. Not without extreme sacrifice. It was odd that a beheading wouldn't kill him but onset cancer would. But, being a shinobi, you're met with strange things such as this. He had heard of stranger, but this was definitely up there.

Shimiko stared down at the man and spoke plainly.

“Your the first person I’ve ever beheaded to live to tell the tale”

The man coughed and smiled. He was dazed and drugged but he recognized her.

“Ah yes, an old trick….Lady Mora might tell you about it one day.”

“Where’s the boy?”

“As I said….safe. His job was to lure you back to the house where you could watch the district crumble...I’m impressed with your Fuuin skills Shimiko, I heard you were good...I didn’t know you were that good”

Shimiko looked down at him and gave him an icy stare. If the child was a threat to Kumo she’d have to neutralize him. The dying Dart Frog appeared to have noticed her concern and he spoke up.

“He’s a good boy. Trust me when I say you have little to worry about. Keep tabs on him if you like, I think he’s had his fill of shinobi for the rest of his life...I’m sure you’re wondering why I went against the Church”

“The madness of heresy doesn’t interest me. I just wanted to ask you some questions and see you take your last few breaths. I’d kill you but I think that’d only muddy up the autopsy.”

“Ah, ever the dutiful soldier of Kumo….I did this Shimiko because I care about you, I care about the Church. One day you’ll have to choose. Us or them. Lady Mora would not force that choice on you...she kept allowing compromises, half-measures, but we know how this all ends don’t we? You yourself know it. That’s why you married Vik isn’t it? That’s why your twi-”

Shimiko reached out and lunged for his throat. She began ripping out the life-support wires and choking him with it. The nurse was too afraid to scream lest she give Shimiko a reason to kill her as well. The woman was paralyzed with fear and she cowered in the corner as Shimiko began to choke the dying man.

Hopefully Seigi would hold her back or at least try to get her to stop.

“Shimiko, no!” Seigi would yell, quickly lunging forward. He tried to grab her wrists, to pull her away, but she was too goddamned strong for him. He took a step back, and then would let her continue, having done his part, but sure that if she wanted the man dead, she would finish the mission one way or another. Seigi would move to the nurse, gently grabbing her, pulling her away while Shimiko had her fit of rage, leading the nurse into another room, before rejoining Shimiko.
“Shimiko, that’s enough.” He would say, hoping his voice would help snap her out of whatever it was that had gotten into her. “Shimiko, he’s had enough.” He would say, whether the man was alive or dead. He really hoped he never had to be on her bad side.

Shimiko ignored Seigi as he tried to stop her from choking the man to death. He went over to secure the nurse and by then the Dart Frog was on the brink of death. Shimiko had activated her Ketsurygan and she stared into his eyes, communicating years worth of anger, hatred, and pain. The man couldn’t even scream as he was forced into a Genjutsu of pure hell. Shimiko heard Seigi call her name again and this time it was in a more authoritative fashion. It reminded her of when she had been caught doing something bad and he wanted her to stop. Shimiko didn’t always listen to her parents but she always listened to her older brother. She suddenly stopped just before killing the man. The Genjutsu had put the man into a coma, he wasn’t dead but the cancer was sure to finish him off before the end of the night. The monitors beeped erratically and Shimiko could see that she had almost killed him.

She had lost her temper. Again.

Shimiko rushed out of the room and the nurse rushed in. The nurse began hooking up the monitors and administering doses of medicine. The Dart Frog would live but not for much longer. The Genjutsu had robbed his body of what little fight it possessed. He wasn’t long for this world and he’d go painfully and slowly. She wasn’t going to get in the way of that. Shimiko stormed out of the house and into the street. She wasn’t crying but she was on the verge of it. The only thing that hurt worse than what the man had said was her reaction to it. Why couldn’t she be more like Seigi? Why couldn’t she just control her emotions?

If Seigi joined her she’d lament to him.

“I’m sorry its just….he got to me. I love my Church, I love my family, I love my country but ever since I was a kid I never knew how to balance it all...I’m not like you were Seigi. I can’t just...balance it all….I love them all too much and when I try to fight for one or all of them….I hurt things, people, anything and everything...even things that I wanted to protect. That’s why Nariko-sama doesn’t trust me to be Kage, that’s why she doesn’t have faith in me like she had faith in you.”

Shimiko had spilled her guts to Seigi. Normally, she’d curse herself for talking about her personal life on a mission but at this point Seigi was like family to her. He wasn’t exactly like her brother but they shared an undeniable filial connection. One that spanned universes. If she couldn’t confide her insecurities to him, then who could she to? The Twins and Miyu were too young and immature to understand, Nariko was more of a mother than an older sister to her, Lady Mora was her pastor and grandmother, there was no one else she could share this with and now the universe had brought her someone she could finally talk to not just as peer and friend but as a sibling.

Following her outside, Shimiko broke down to him exactly how she was feeling, the man hesitating for a moment before simply just hugging Shimiko.
“Hey. It’s okay. Just breathe.” He would say, trying to help calm her anxieties. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t know how to balance either. That’s how I got here.” He would tell her, letting go of her and stepping back to give her some room.
“I have always thrown myself headfirst into being a shinobi. I didn’t have the same family you did, and do now. I had nothing to balance against it, and that’s why I fell headfirst into power. And the truth is, nobody knows how to balance things. We make mistakes. That’s what makes us human, Shimi.” He tell her, reassuring her.

“It took me quite literally losing my mind and then years of retraining myself to be this assured in my emotions. And even then, I have lapses in judgement, moments where it gets the best of me, like those children of Nazgul’s. But I’m a shinobi and I do what I must. And so have you. It’s okay to feel. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.”

Shimiko was a bit stunned when Seigi hugged her. She stiffened for a moment unsure how to react before returning her embrace with a tight squeeze of her own. He instructed her to breathe and she resisted the order. If she slowed down and started breathing she’d start crying and it was not fitting for the Captain of ANBU to cry. He reassured her that he didn’t have all the answers. He wasn’t perfect and neither was she. That was what made them human. He told her that it was okay to feel and that he should never let anyone take away her emotions. It was what made her who she was.

His words were powerful. It was exactly what she needed to here and it was from the person she needed to hear it from. It brought her back to those days when she needed a shoulder to cry on. Shimiko couldn’t hold it in anymore, she started crying. She was angry with herself but she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. She’d nod and cry for a good bit before slowly regain her composure.

“Now look what you’ve done!” She said trying to interject humor into the moment. “You’ve got the Captain of Kumogakure ANBU crying….to the brig with you!” she said trying to make him laugh. The moment was intense and cathartic. She was glad that he was here. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep going striving to always balance everything perfectly. She needed someone she could rely on to help her shoulder the burden. She was thankful that Seigi appeared willing to help her, it meant the world to her. She broke the hug and wiped her eyes. The smile on her face was pure. It was clear that she had needed that release.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” He would joke back to her, glad to see she was feeling better.

“I think we’ve just about ran up our time here.” He would then comment, yawning. “We at least have some additional info we had before, and no one but the bad guys got hurt, so I’d say we can count on this success. We know that the man in there won’t be getting away with his crimes and he’ll die within the hour. That’s good enough for me for the day… say, know any good places to eat?” He’d ask, curious about the local cuisine.
Truthfully, he hadn’t seen any shops from his universe. When it came to food, it was fundamentally different, which Seigi hand’t even considered before.

“I could really go for some Takoyaki right about now.” Or Ramen. Or even a bowl of rice. He needed SOMETHING to fill his stomach up, only just now realizing he had gone the whole day without eating.