Kinaga walked through the Crested silently. Nothing had changed. Except the people. It was surprisingly a nice day. He wasn't used to it, having lived in the Storm for so long. He sighed. He couldn't help but wonder how the Storm was doing without him. He wondered how the Stealth valley was too. And Rumiko as well. He almost missed his old life. But he couldn't do anything now. He'd already betrayed everyone he knew. And for what? For just another traitor whom he'd become attached to. He hated to think of Jaymaru that way, but there wasn't much other way to say it. Kinaga kept walking, his head down, then stopped and looked up as he heard someone calling him.

Rumiko walked through the Crested. It'd been a few months since he'd last been here when he'd come with Kaoru and Kinaga. So much had happened back then, but now he was a bit more mature. He was acting like a real ninja and everything about him was a tad bit different. As he wlaked he saw just the person he was looking for and headed for him. "Kinaga," he called. He saw the other ninja turn and Rumiko came to hault infront of him. "Long time no see," he said.

Kinaga blinked as he saw Rumiko walk up to him. "R...Rumiko, hey," he said a bit surprised. "Yeah, it has been a long time hasn't it? How ya been?" he asked with a smile. He hadn't expected to see Rumiko anytime soon, so when he'd appeared out of no where and ended up in front of him, he was a little shocked. He wondered if he should tell Rumiko about the new Mizuraki who'd just come to live in the village. He knew that Rumiko wasn't quite fond of Mizuraki's though, so he was doubting if he should. (I'm thinking of bringing him in, lol. when the thread gets boring, I might bring him in just to liven things up.)

(heh, that shall be interesting)

Rumiko looked a little solemn. "Almost half a year," Rumiko said. "Anyway, I'm kind of here on buisness." Rumiko looked directly at Kinaga. "It's taken me six months to figure this out and avoid making excuses." He rubbed the back of his head then sighed. "Listen, that day I made a real stupid move. I put both of you in danger. I was wrong and you have all rights to be mad." He excluded that part everyone uses, the 'I won't hold it against you' because it made people feel guilty. "Anyway, I want to apologize once more because I want to make things right, for good. I've already talked to Kaoru, but since you were my sensei, I wanted to get things really straightened out with you." Rumiko paused. "I'm sorry," he said and bowed. "I swear on everything that I will never raise a kunai at you again."

Kinaga looked at Rumiko as he said that he was here on business. A mission in the Crested, hm? he thought. Though it was struck down moments later when Rumiko brought up what'd happened. Kinaga would've rather forgotten that and just let things be. He was tempted to tell Rumiko that he had been wrong and that he was right in saying that Kinaga had a right to be mad at him. When Rumiko apologized, Kinaga only looked at him. He couldn't help but be a bit angry at the mention of what'd happened. When Rumiko had said that he'd already talked to Kaoru, he just barely kept himself from yelling at Rumiko and telling him to stay away from her. He only blinked when Rumiko bowed. He sighed. "Don't worry about it Rumiko," he said, looking off to the side. His smile had faded as soon as Rumiko had brought up the subject. It was obvious that Kinaga was still mad about that day, but he tried not to hold anything against Rumiko. This is the same thing that happened with Jaymaru. You trusted her like you trusted Rumiko, and you got screwed over both times, the less tolerant side of him thought. But as always, Kinaga ignored it.

Rumiko stood up straight when Kinaga said not to worry about it. It didn't sound like forgiveness, but he didn't care. He'd had what he needed to say, sort of. What Rumiko failed to say was what had really happened between him and Remus before they'd gotten involved with Kinaga. Rumiko felt it was unnecessary and the story was excessively long. "How are you liking being back home?"

Kinaga looked back at Rumiko with a softer expression when he asked about how he was liking it back home. Kinaga'd had many, many homes, never having stayed in the same place for more than a few years at a time. He shrugged. "I'm getting along," he said with a small smirk. He wanted to mention about Kyzer, but again decided against it. "But all in all, things are going good. How've you been?" he asked, changing the subject up a little bit. Not much had really happened with him. He met a new person and found an old relative. Nothing much. But he was curious as to what Rumiko had been up to.

Rumiko was glad to here that things were good. "Well, I can't say the same for me as a whole, but for the most part I'm doing fine as well." The whole part was the war that was currently raging in their village between the snake ninja. The stealth had come in to help, but they were still in a jam. Rumiko smiled. "Meet anyone new?"

Kinaga nodded was he said that for the most part he was doing fine. "That's good to hear." When he asked if Kinaga'd met anyone knew, the first person to come to mind was Adre. "Yeah actually. There's a temporary transfer ninja here from the Rain Village," he told him. "And...well, there's also-" he started, but was cut off by someone calling his name.

"Hey Kinny!!" Kyzer grinned as he walked up to Kinaga and propped an elbow on the guy's shoulder. "I finally got things all figured out with the temps here," he said with a grin, then looked to Rumiko. "Who's your friend?" he asked with the same grin.

Kinaga pushed Kyzer's arm off him with an irritated look. How could this guy act so damn casual after what'd happened? "This is Rumiko, a former student of mine. Rumiko, this is Kyzer. My cousin," he said plainly. This guy still pissed him off, but he was family.

Rumiko was listening to Kinaga when some guy just showed up and broke in. Rumiko blinked suprised. He didn't even have to ask who theguy was because Kinag was already explining. He didn't look to happy to see the guy, he looked annoyed. "Um, your cousin?" Rumiko was hoping it was from Kinaga's father's side, even if that side of Kinaga's family was a bunch of ninja who wanted to make sure everyone in the family was powerful and junk like that. That was only becau Rumiko despised the Mizuraki. They were very evil and had tried to kill him and Kinaga. Rumiko smiled lightly. If you took out all the trying to kill him and his sensei parts, he loved his adventures with his sensei. Those were the days.

Kinaga nodded when Rumiko said his cousin. "Yeah, he-" Again Kinaga was cut off by Kyzer. "Why you have to be so rude Kinaga, if you're gonna introduce someone you should do it properly," he said, then held his hand out to Rumiko. "Kyzer Mizuraki," he said with a grin. Kinaga was obviously irritated, because the next second he whacked Kyzer in the back of the head. "Lemme finish my sentences, will ya!" he said angrily. Kyzer had always brought out the worst of Kinaga, even as kids. Retracting his hand, Kyzer put it on the back of his head and looked at Kinaga. "Jeez, still as impatient as ever, I see," he said with a sigh. Kinaga crossed his arms and looked back at Rumiko. "I apologize for my cousin's childishness," he said. He was a bit worried as to what Rumiko's reaction would be to his annoying cousin. Especially since the idiot had just given away that he was a Mizuraki.

Mizuraki. That was all Rumiko remembered out of that entire introduction. He stepped back away from the both of them. Had Kinaga gone that far as to allow a Mizuraki into the Crested. The same people that had tried to kill them so many years ago. Rumiko's confusion was clear upon his face with a bit of hurt. There was just nothing he could say about that. Mizuraki. Why was Kinaga being so calm about it, why hadn't he mentioned it before? So, this was what it felt like to be betrayed, or atleast believe to be betrayed.

Kinaga uncrossed his arms and sighed as Rumiko stepped back. He looked at Kyzer. "Leave." Was all he said to him. For a few moments, Kyzer looked confused beyond mention. He had no clue hat he'd done. "I'll tell you later, but for now just leave," he said again. Kyzer shrugged and started off giving a small wave to the two. "Catchya guys later." With that he disappeared around a corner. Kinaga looked to Rumiko. "Listen Rumiko, it's not as bad as you think. Kyzer....well, he's stupid, not evil." That was the best way he could describe Kyzer. Stupid. Not evil. Kinaga believed that, now all that was left was to get Rumiko to believe it.

Rumiko waited til Kyzer was gone to speak to Kinaga. "I...understand," he said simply. He wasn't going to argue with Kinaga. He'd done enough of that. If Kinaga said the guy was good, he'd believe him. If Kinaga had been lying, welll that was a different story, and right now he didn't want to think about it. He then sighed and tried to put on a smile. "Glad you have family."

Kinaga only looked at Rumiko as he said that he understood. "He's not a bad guy, really," he said. When Rumiko tried to smile, Kinaga sighed. "Rumiko I've known you since you were a kid, don't try to fool me," he said with a kind smile. He knew Rumiko too well to be fooled by that little bit. He saw the look in Rumiko's eyes only moments before. "Like I said, the guy's just stupid. He's not gonna hurt anyone," he said.

Rumiko sighed then rolled his eyes. "I said okay Kinaga, stop nagging me on it," he said. He then turned his head. "I don't care if he's good bad, sad or mad, doesn't mean I have to like him," he mumbled. He then looked at Kinaga. "So just how did you find him." The word him was obviously over exaggerated with a hnt of dispisement.

Kinaga looked at Rumiko as he started mumbling. He didn't mind it, because Rumiko was right, he had no obligation to like Kyzer. Hell, at this point Kinaga didn't even like him. He was just family. It was kinda like a person with their in-laws. Except Kinaga liked his would-be in-laws more than he liked Kyzer. When Rumiko asked how Kinaga found Kyzer, he looked off to the side. "Funny story, that one. I met Kyzer the same day I met the ninja from the Rain Village I told you about. I was out buying groceries, and I literally bumped into her," he said with a chuckle. "But anyways, soon after it started storming out, so we both went into one of hte nearby shops. We talked for a bit, whatever. But anyways, Kyzer had deliberately set off a black lightning bolt in the sky which had been meant to signal me. I headed that direction, Adre tagged along a bit behind me, and...well, when I got there a fight sort of erupted," he said with a shrug like it was no big deal. He knew that Rumiko wouldn't have seen it that way though.

Rumiko just looked at Kinaga as he explained the story. Rumiko couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Kinaga fought the guy and now they were friends. Rumiko sighed. Whatever, it didn't matter. "Okay, weird story, but seriously you should stop going off by yourself. One day you're going to get into some real mess." Rumiko eyed his sensei. "Try and be less reckless."

Kinaga looked at Rumiko as he told him to stop going off by himself. He chuckled. "Yeah....I'll take that advice into consideration," he joked. "Anyways, while you're here, we should do a bit of catching up. Unless you have to leave?" he asked with a shrug. He wasn't dead set against hating Rumiko, after all, he was his former student. And he did want to do some catching up, to see how things had been going for him.

Rumiko gave a shrug. "I've got time," he said. "Where can we go?" He didn't expect that from Kinaga, but hey it was better than arguing with the guy. He missed joking with his sensei. He actually wished he was a kid again fighting off the Mizuraki and working on the Black Sage. Those were the days.

When Rumiko said that he had time, Kinaga gave a small smile. He had to take a minute to think when Rumiko asked where they could go. "Hm, I'm not sure. You hungry?" he asked. He himself wasn't that hungry, but at the same time, he hadn't eaten anything for a long while. For a while now, well, ever since he'd become an ANBU again, he'd been progressively losing his appetite. It wasn't very healthy for him and he was sure that Kaoru would scold him for not eating.

Rumiko hadn't eaten since he'd gotten into the Crested so food was sounding real good right about now. "Yes," he said. "But I'll buy." Rumiko then gave a smile. "So where's a good place around here?" He asked. Rumiko didn't mind paying for stuff, it'd be one of his steps to recovering his relationship with Kinaga.

Kinaga looked at Rumiko as he said he'd buy. "Well..." he went to argue, but stopped himself. "Suit yourself," he said with a shrug. Kinaga had to think for a second. He figured that Tim's place was pretty good. Tim was an old friend. To say the least. He was a good guy though. "I know a place," he said, then started down the street. "It's actually right down here," he said.

Rumiko was waiting for Kinaga to say something in disagreement so he could completely blow up on the guy, but Kinaga had changed his mind and told where the restaruant was instead. "Okay," he said and followed without a second thought. "Um, so have you talked to Kaoru much?" He asked.

Kinaga looked at Rumiko as he asked if he'd talked to Kaoru much. "Believe it or not, I was gonna go see her today," he said with a smile. He then looked back in front of him. "I've yet to meet her family though," he said with a shrug. He had no problems saying that. In fact, he was kind of glad that Kaoru didn't grow up part of the Unabara family. He was sure that she'd probably had a better life with her family in the Crested than she would've in the Unabara clan. In only about a minute, they were already at the restaurant. They were seated immediately and given menus. The waitress left them to look it over and turned to go to other customers.