Ishiaki stood at the docks, leaning on his sword as though it were a cane, and he an elderly man. "I do not understand why I have to accompany the two of you. You're Chunin now, do you still require a babysitter?" He asked, his voice filled with amusement, despite his words.

"You know as well as we do, Master Hirameki, that we must all do as the Kage commands. Even if it does seem senseless." Kano replied smartly, crossing his considerable arms across his wide chest. He looked out at the small ship as it came in. He knew little of what they were getting themselves into, he trusted in his partner to know the fine details of their mission, and who was actually on that boat.

Kami came running up, seemingly out of breath and late as usual. "Sorry... sorry!" She exclaimed, leaning a hand on Kano's elbow to steady herself. "I... had a... a thing..." She left it a mystery as she righted herself and began to tie her hair back where bits had flown free.

"Get tied up at the greenhouse again?" Kano asked her curiously. He still had no idea how she managed to juggle her job there, her missions, and her training. It was as if she never got any rest. He smiled fondly as she leaned on him, he did so enjoy her touch, whenever it came.

"Yeah.." Kami said after one final deep breath. "The new girl..." She shook her head. "I might have to move my poisons to the house. She got the paralysis poison mixed up with the ingredients to the plant food... Now she's at the infirmary... The medic said she won't be able to move for a week... I have an antidote, but..." Kami smiled a little guiltily. "I think she needs to learn her lesson."

"That's..." Ishiaki wasn't sure if he wanted to say 'brilliant' or 'barbaric', either one really fit. He shook his head slowly. "Are you two ready for this? It isn't every day we're given a prisoner to hold as insurance for a treaty. Should something go wrong, we'll be going right back into that war..."

"I'm ready." She told her old sensei. "Besides, I could always give him five minutes with Misuri. She's liable to paralyze him and we wont have to worry about him..." She paused, thinking of a saying she'd heard in town once. "getting up to dickens."

"Getting up to dickens?" Kano asked her curiously. He hadn't heard that one before. And given Kami's... flare, for misuse of words, he really had no idea what she was talking about.

"It means mischief." Ishiaki explained with a proud smile. His student did have quite the knack for saying the wrong thing, but this time she'd managed to get one right. "I haven't heard that phrase in quite some time though."

"Old Lady Nagume used it last week when she came into the-" Kami paused and looked past Kano. "Is that his boat?" She asked. The long black vessel looked like something that would come out of The Shroud.

"Probably..." Kano said with a drawl. It sure looked like it would've come from The Shroud. "I can't think of any other place who'd make such a gaudy vessel as that..."

The boat was lined with several Jonin from the shroud standing at the railing. It was a sleek, intimidating looking vessel, but it was flying a white flag. That didn't mean it was surrendering, that meant it came in peace. Perhaps in a gesture of spite, nobody else got off the boat but Higen Ryusora. A long plank was lower to the dock, and a boy who looked perhaps a year or two younger than the Chunin at the dock walked down. The boy had big eyes which seemed at once watchful and suspicious. He was pulling a little trolly of his things, bundled up with rope. He had only just stepped off the boat before the ship returned it's plank and began to back out of the harbor. Those shinobi standing along the railings didn't even move , let alone wave goodbye.

Kami frowned, not at the boy, but at his sendoff. No one from his vessel helped him with his things or said so much as a 'So long.' That seemed very cold to her, but then again that was The Shroud for you. She licked her lips and figured someone had to break the ice. She was after all supposed to be this kids sort of... off switch. She pulled away from Kano and approached him. He was just a couple inches taller than her. "You must be Higen." She said with a little bow. "I'm Kaminari Kemuri, everyone just calls me Kami. I'm from The Smoke. That's Kano Kurosaki from The Volcano and Ishiaki Hirameki from The Waves. Welcome to the Island Nation Coalition."

Ishiaki inclined his head in a polite nod as he was introduced. "It's the Crashing Waves, but close enough." He smirked. "It's not like our home villages matter much, we're all part of the Coalition."

Kano crossed his arms and looked at the little boy. "Our homes are very important. Don't listen to him." He tilted his head towards his superior officer.

The boy didn't respond at first. His dark eyes looked at each Coalition ninja in turn, Kami, Ishiaki, then Kano. "Yes, I am Higen Ryusora." He have a nod of his head, and a slight bow. His hand still held the handle to the little wagon thing that held his belongings. He was very still. The only thing that moved on him was his chest, rising as he breathed, and the wind blowing his hair. He looked like he was trying to act calm, and hide how angry he was.

"We should probably show you to where you'll be staying." Kami said. "So you don't have to lug your stuff around. We readied a room for you at Kano's. One of his old teammates went back home and El is never around so it'll just be you two mostly till he pops back in." Kami wasn't trying to be nice, she just was nice. The circumstances behind Higen being here weren't the best, but she wanted to try and make the best of it any way. Until he proved her differently, everyone had the potential of being a new friend.

Kano grinned and relaxed his arms. "El enjoys traveling, but his Mom continuous to send him care packages too. We're never short of snacks." He could still remember that first care package she'd sent 'her little nino'

Higen looked at them blankly. He was a good bit shorter than Kano, and probably outweighed by a good thirty pounds, but that didn't keep Higen from glaring at him. After an uncomfortably long few seconds, Higen looked back at Kami. "Ok. Lead the way," he said.

Kami smiled, but it was a nervous kind of smile. She led the way, looking up at Kano and whispering, "Be polite, offer to grab his stuff." She said, trying to help Higen's impression of the INC.

Kano sighed and rolled his eyes a little. "Lemme carry that stuff for you. That way you're free to relax." He offered, though the way he'd said it certainly sounded forced...

Ishiaki shook his head and poked Kano in the back of the head with his sword. "Now I see why I was forced to chaperone you." He smiled friendly to Higen. "Go ahead and make him your pack mule. The boy can shoulder far more than you'd think he could. And remember, the best way to get a mule to move is a swift kick in the backside." To emphasize his point, he delivered one to Kano.

Higen's eyes widened. These were strange people, he thought. Ishiaki's gesture was disarming, though. Higen looked a little less tense after that. He looked at his belongings, which were heavier than they looked, but not so bad with wheels to drag them along on. He looked up and around, seeing what kind of city this was.

Kano cursed as he stumbled forward awkwardly. The poke in the head, he was rather used to. His own sensei used to do the same, but a kick? He caught himself before collapsing to the ground and straightened himself back up. He hefted Higen's luggage and slung the entire thing, wheeled cart and all, up over his shoulders.

"There. That's better, isn't it?" Ishiaki asked with a wide grin. He'd managed to knock Kano off his high horse and let Higen know that he wasn't to be viewed as a prisoner all in the same stroke.

The village had grown much since the earlier years of the Coalition. The streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of the trading community. Shops lined each side of the streets and the air was filled with the cacophony of business transactions. Salesmen were pushing their products on everyone who happened across their paths. The insanity of it all would die down once they got away from the docks, where the majority of the stores and stalls were located. Towards the heart of the village, they would find the restaurant district, with its much more appealing odors.

Kami rolled her eyes at her sensei and Kano. "We're not all buffoons, I promise." Kami told Higen. "Though I can't speak for these two." She smiled, trying to get one out of Higen.

Higen looked at Kami again. Her dress was very provocative, and the girl wearing it was shapely. and it made him feel a bit flummoxed to have her talking to him. He thought for a moment about what to say.
"Why do you wear eye makeup below your eyes, as well as above?"

Kami was glad Higen had something more to say than one or two words, but what he did said flummoxed her for a second. "Um... well... my people paint their faces." She told him.

Higen blinked. "Then why do your people do it? I'm curious." He followed the group towards, well, wherever they'd be keeping him.

"It's sort of a mark of being a warrior." She said. "Like Kano's tattoos or wearing a headband. Only ninja paint their faces back home. Usually whatever we paint depicts our chakra nature. I'm lightning type, that's why I paint mine on like this." She was glad he was talking. Talking meant they'd get to know one another and he'd hopefully not feel so much like a prisoner.

Higen nodded and looked ahead again. None of these people looked like the appropriate person to be talking to about what was expected of him. He was used to being kept alone and people were usually ordered not to talk to him. It might be different here, but he wasn't sure yet.

"My people tattoo their entire bodies. Each level depicts a different achievement in our lives." Kano explained when she prompted about his tattoo. "I display my rank as a ninja with the height of my flames."

"And how do your tattoos reflect your rank? Are there only tattoos for genin, chunin, and jonin? Or are there "ranks" between?" Higen looked to Kano now. At least things like ranks and titles did interest him.

"You've got it." Kami said. "He got the red ones when he became a Genin. The orange came when he became Chunin. You get yellow when you become a Jonin right, Kano?"

"Not everyone does the flames. But yeah, I'll be getting a yellow level when I make Jonin rank." Kano said with a nod. "For the most part, we represent our base chakra nature with the tattoo. Since I'm a fire user, I use the flames. There is a woman in my village who uses water style. Her tattoos are a varying shade of blue."

"I wonder what wind chakra people draw on themselves..." Higen thought tattoos were silly, but was trying not to make a joke of it. He was officially a genin. Honestly, he didn't even know why he had even that rank. He wasn't allowed on missions.

"They're depicted by swirls and clouds in the Smoke." Kami told him. "Oh, there's Kano's place." She pointed ahead to an apartment building a couple blocks away.

"We've got the whole top floor. My kage spared no expense. It's probably the most luxurious apartment in the entire village." Kano said proudly.

"Why do you have such a nice home?" Higen asked. He thought only adults, rich or high ranking ones, could have things like that.

"They don't do anything small where Kano's from." Kami said with a smirk. "Isn't that right Kano?" He knew he was quite proud and so were his people. If his Kage could flaunt his villages prosperity here, he was going to.

"Just me." Kano replied with a grin. She had been there, she knew his story. He was the village runt, even after his long awaited growth spurt, he was still tiny compared to the others.

Higen didn't get the reference. Compared to Hidden Shroud villagers, Kano was plenty big. Higen didn't know how big men from Kano's village got.
"Am I staying here?"

"That's right." Ishiaki told him with a nod. "It's either here or the spare bedroom at my cottage." It wasn't really an option. He had a spare room, but he didn't really want anyone in there...

"And I live in the back room at the greenhouse." Kami said. "Kano's place is much more comfortable."

Higen let them lead him upstairs. He was used to living alone. Being alone, too. This was going to be very different. He was also wondering how long it would be before he'd have to train in front of people, too. That thought bothered him.

Ishiaki opened the door, seeing as Kano had his hands full, and held it open for the young ninjas.

N:INC Kazankage's Commissioned Apartment