Civil Affairs

Chapter 2

The Beginning

I heard Genma rustling around in our kitchen from where I was at the bathroom mirror. There was a bit of loud clicking and the sound of a hand banging plastic that indicated he was trying to get our old coffee machine to brew. The stupid thing had been poor quality when it was bought and had been on its last legs for about three years, but as if sensing our desperation it was refusing to die. It usually took some frustrated button pushing, unplugging and the odd slap, but it would eventually figure out how to make coffee again. Sure enough, I soon heard the sigh of relief that signalled he'd managed to get it working.

I hadn't thought to brew a pot of coffee. Genma had been gone on long-term missions a lot lately, so I had gotten into the habit of waiting until I got to work before I poured myself a cup. I liked coffee just fine, but it would be a waste to brew a whole pot for myself. At work, if I brewed a single pot it would be gone before I made it back to my desk. It was just more economic to save my coffee brewing for work when I was living by myself. Thankfully, my brother didn't seem to mind my lack of forethought.

I'd woken up rather early, going about my routine. Some morning stretches, then a shower and brushing my teeth. Living with my brother through my teenage years had forced me to learn how to dress in our bathroom, no matter how confined it was to do so. Mostly because my bedroom didn't have a door, just an archway, and both my brother and I didn't want him to risk seeing something he couldn't unsee. I usually had to perch my leg up on the closed toilet seat to maneuver pantyhose and depending on how tight the skirt was, I sometimes ended up having to brace against the sink to pull it up. I was in my typical outfit; a knee length black skirt, dark pantyhose, and dark blue kimono top.

I was just finishing my hair; pulling the chest length, brown locks back into a loose bun that rested on my neck. Since some of the strands were shorter, a few of them slipped out to frame my face. My features were angular and accented by my feminine, indigo eyes. I checked one last time to make sure there was no smudging or mistakes with my makeup, I gave one final tug on the hem of my shirt and left the bathroom.

We'd never had a kitchen table, there wasn't much need, so I wasn't surprised to find Genma sitting on the counter next to the coffee maker. He had a shinobi magazine of some kind and was leafing through it with a very bored expression, likely because he already knew the information inside. He had told me once that he usually just bought them for the weapon and gear reviews nowadays, since the articles were just common information.

At twenty-three years old, Genma had clearly established himself as a trusted jonin of the village. While he could be considered rather unassuming in appearance, that was ultimately a strength for him and he excelled in his career. He was 5.9ft, had straight brown hair that fell to his chin and lazy brown eyes. He wasn't particularly strong looking, or intense but he wasn't scrawny either. As I said, unassuming. His colleagues however, from what I heard, knew that it wasn't a good idea to dismiss him. His biggest strength was in his composure. Unlike me, Genma had friends who would come over and drink with him from time to time (now that he didn't have young girls to watch over) and from what I'd overheard, Genma was unshakable. He never lost his head. This, was not surprising in the slightest to me not only because I was much the same way, but because I had spent most of my young life trying to be like my big brother. There wasn't a person in the world I admired more.

I did finally notice the presence of one of my brother's former teammates, Might Gai, on the couch.

"Good Morning, Kiyoko!" Came the booming welcome. He was seated on the couch but had swivelled his head to watch me when I emerged from the other room.

I liked Gai; mostly because I'd been around him a very long time and had been given an opportunity to…adjust to his eccentricities. Atsuko and I were seven when we were first introduced to Might Gai, over ten years ago, and ten years is an exceptional adjustment period. Besides, it was hard not to like someone who so genuinely enjoyed my elder brother's company. While my brother's other former teammate, Ebisu, only happened by when he needed something from Genma, Gai had become something of a fixture. He used to make up silly excuses to drop by, until after about a year Genma told him to drop the act and just come by to hang out if he wanted.

"Good Morning, Gai. How are you?" I asked in return, not stopping my momentum towards the door where my briefcase and high-heels were waiting for me.

"I'm very well! I've come to get Genma! We're going to go out for breakfast!" Gai said excitedly, springing up from the couch.

A quick glance at Genma, shirtless in his long pajama bottoms, a magazine on his lap and an unfilled coffee cup in his hand, informed me that if my brother was going out to breakfast he had been unaware of it until this moment. Cool headed he may be, but I noticed the corner of my brother's lip curve downward slightly.

"Oh?" I asked, slipping on my high heels. They were my only pair and they were second-hand. They used to belong to my mother, simple and black but clearly very well worn. They had small scuffs on the toes and there had been clear attempt to buffer them out over the years. Not to mention, if I wasn't careful, one of the lifts at the bottom of the heel would sometimes come off while I walked, leaving me with a lopsided gait. New heels however, were expensive, and I was trying to save my money.

"Is there a special occasion?" I followed up once I'd righted myself from pulling on my shoes.

"Not really!" Gai boomed, "Just an opportunity to spend time with an old friend!" He looked about to say more but stopped himself.

"Well, I hope you both have fun." I said sincerely, checking my bag to make sure I had my keys and money before flashing them both a small smile and yanking the door open.

I was only a few steps out in the hall when I heard Genma call out.

"Kiyo, you forgot something!" As I was turning around to enter the apartment again, I soon realized what he meant.

Gai had moved to stand at the exit and had a puzzled expression on his face. In his hand he was holding a small, square piece of black plastic, with three small pegs sticking out of one end. He must've seen it on the ground with his keen jonin eyes and moved to inspect it. She supposed to him, it would be a completely foreign object.

The lift from my heel. It had come off already.

I reached out and he handed it to me with a beaming smile, still watching with mild curiosity as I bent at the waist with my leg lifted so I could see the bottom of my foot and jammed the piece back where it belonged. Something about Gai's face lit up but I didn't have time to pay it any mind, I shouted out a quick thank you to them both and quickly bolted back through the door. The rush wasn't because I was late necessarily…but If I didn't get moving I would be late for being early.

XxX

When the village was first founded, everything pertaining to the village was handled by The Hokage. Konohagakure was, after all, a military city-state and while it was located within the Land of Fire it was independent. Due to the geographical location, it was important to have good relations with the Land of Fire, but co-operation was different from being governed by. Just because you were from Konohagakure, didn't mean that you were a citizen of the Land of Fire.

In the beginning, not only did the Hokage govern the military and international political affairs, but he was also responsible for birth certificates, immigration, death certificates and everything that happened in between. When the village was smaller, it was a more manageable task and the First Hokage had shouldered the burden well. But inevitably the village had grown and when the Second Hokage came into power, he was quick to find a more efficient way to manage the village's affairs. So, the Civil Affairs Office had been founded.

Originally, it had only handled births, deaths, business licensing and immigration (although Lord Second continued to be very involved in immigration). As it was rather small an office had been cleared for them on the third floor of the Hokage tower. However, as the village grew, so did the office. Now, more than six decades later, there were over fifteen different departments and the Civil Affairs Office took up four of the five floors in the tower. For the most part, Lord Hokage himself was uninvolved with most of the matters that kept the village running, his attention only being needed when something had run the gauntlet of the office and failed to be resolved. He was there for the big picture; the office was responsible for the brush strokes. As a result of this system, Lord Hokage was free to busy himself with the military and foreign policy matters that only he could do. It was a solid system and it worked.

I was relieved when I made it to my desk without losing my lift a second time. Considering it was more than five districts and three flights of stairs, I was actually a little impressed with my own luck. By all rights I should have lost it again at least once.

The Department of Immigration was located on the east side of the tower's fourth floor, one of the closest to the Hokage, as it was the department most likely to require his input. It was a simple office, with clean moss coloured walls and aged wood flooring. There were three rows of seven desks that sat facing the back window. A lone palm plant sat in the far back corner and the florescent lights beat down on the stacks of paperwork on each desk. All along the wall that divided our office from the Department of Children and Youth Services, were black filing cabinets. Two chunin were stationed on either side of the main entrance to the floor and down the hall that connected the five departments on this level, one could see two more at the entrance to The Director's office.

I sat down at my desk, smiling at the black haired woman seated next to me at her own. She hadn't begun working yet, but had two cups of coffee on her desk – one of which she pushed in my direction. I looked at her, a little puzzled, but grateful for the unexpected courtesy. I grabbed the cup with a nod of thanks.

"Social Services are negotiating with Finance over an increase in pension for veterans. The two sides tried to beat each other into the office so they could plan their debate. Both sides arrived at about 6 this morning and have been at it ever since. They ran out of coffee in both their departments so they started stealing from ours. I thought I should probably grab some while there was still something to grab." The young woman explained, leaning back in her chair and twirling a loose curl around her index finger.

At almost seventeen, I was young to work for the Civil Affairs Office. It wasn't that it was odd to see my age group in the workforce; legally the village classified you as an adult at sixteen. It was, however, odd for someone my age to have this level of maturity in order to sit at a desk, day in and day out, and devote themselves to this type of work. Usually seventeen year-olds were doing manual labour, apprenticing in a trade or working in restaurants. A job like one obtained at the Civil Affairs Office wasn't usually obtained until someone was in their later years. I'll admit, I had a degree of pride in my accomplishment.

My ebony haired co-worker, Tamaki Miyajima, was the closest employee to me in age at only twenty and I had seniority – having been hired almost a year before her. Tamaki was relatively new to the office, but she was perceptive and so far had proven herself a joy to work with. We'd bonded, which has pleasantly surprised my big brother. I didn't connect with other people easily. It wasn't that I disliked them; it was just that I was reserved and most relationships felt forced and unnatural to me. The only ones that did feel natural were my relationships with Atsuko and Genma. When I reflected on it, Tamaki was my only friend that wasn't family.

Tamaki had long, curly black hair that she left down, fair skin and sharp green eyes. She had a feminine figure which was a contrast to my petite, compact one. She wore black dress pants, heels and a white button up shirt with long sleeves. Despite the attire, she was always cold so there was almost always a blue blanket draped over her shoulders like a shawl while in the office. This morning was no exception.

"How did you know that?" I questioned, bringing the cup to my lips to take a sip of the bitter liquid. I drank coffee more out of habit then necessity.

She tilted her head in the direction of the hallway, but I noticed what she was trying to tell me. Ah, the two guards at the main door. Now it made sense. Tamaki was good at getting information, which was why for the most part she was assigned to the final part of the immigration screening process. The interview.

The interviews had to be conducted in partners and while we were usually encouraged to select different people for each interview, I almost always selected Tamaki to help me with mine. I wasn't the only one who'd noticed her talent and often, Tamaki spent most of her workday in the interview rooms down on the first floor. She enjoyed the interviews too, so she didn't know how to say 'no' which meant her paperwork tended to pile up. I was guilty of taking a few files and adding them to my own on more than one occasion out of pity and I likely wasn't the only one. Tamaki was well-liked and would be a shame to see her quotas suffer because she was helping others with what was widely considered the hardest part of our job.

Even so, it was odd to see Tamaki actually on time for work – she was routinely five minutes late but The Director seemed to let it slide for the most part. I didn't have to say anything, she read my expression.

"Idate started at The Academy this morning. We had to be at the opening ceremony for 7:30." I felt the corner of my lip curl up slightly; I'm sure she had just loved that. Joke as I may that she was always late; usually Tamaki had a very good reason for it. A good reason in the form of a fussy eight-year old named, Idate. Tamaki often joked that ever since Idate came running into her life (cause the kid never walked…anywhere) she had forgotten what it was like to sleep in.

Idate Morino was the younger brother of Tamaki's busy, live-in boyfriend Ibiki. Of course, the arrangement hadn't started out that way. Originally, Tamaki had just been looking for employment. The recently orphaned Ibiki was searching for a nanny for his little brother, as much like mine he was often away for long periods of time on missions. Eventually, the two discovered they had a lot in common and after a few years become a couple. Tamaki had assumed much of the responsibility of caring for and raising Idate, providing him with the affection I was sure Ibiki had a hard time communicating. I had no doubt the man cared but he wasn't exactly the type to freely express his emotions.

"So I guess you won't be late anymore, with Idate at school from 8 until 4." I commented, watching as Tamaki almost deflated at the thought.

"As hectic as it was, I'm going to miss him making me late for work in the morning…that's weird isn't it?" I shrugged in response; I had no way of knowing whether that was weird or normal. I had nothing to compare it to. After they became a couple, the two had decided it was weird for her to still be their paid nanny, so Ibiki had encouraged her to find employment. Then a few months ago, she was hired at the CAO.

"It's not him making you late that you'll miss." A middle-aged woman with brown hair commented as she walked past, having overheard the conversation. Saki, was one of the senior staff members in Immigration and was a classic example of it. The CAO used to have a strict dress code that stated all women working there needed to wear black skirt-suits and keep their hair in a tight bun. When our current Director took over and changed the dress code to include other types of business attire, the older ladies in the office hadn't taken advantage of it and continued to dress as they were used to. I supposed if you wore the same tacky suit for enough years you would get attached to it. "You'll just miss him. You suddenly have less opportunities to spend time with him; that can be rough. I felt that way when my eldest started going to school."

She didn't stop to talk anymore, she just carried on to her desk and sat down. Saki had three children; the eldest was planning to get married next year and the youngest was a year older than I was. She was nice but reserved. She would be retiring in less than two years, so she was content to just come to work everyday, do her paperwork and not get caught up in gossip or office politics. That was admirable in a place like this. Eventually, everyone got dragged into something in the CAO – it was virtually impossible not to. Recently, the only reason I had avoided it was the only person I ever talked to was Tamaki and she was too new at the office to get involved in anything too scandalous. She was still learning how things worked around here.

"What are we talking about?" The question and the sound of designer heels on the hardwood announced the arrival of Yuzuha Nara, our department's supervisor. At thirty years old, Yuzuha was 5.6ft with a medium build and had fair skin. Like many of the other members of the CAO who had been hired more than a few years ago, she still conformed to the old dress-code but since it was changed she had started 'dressing up' her outfit with colourful scarves. This month's flavour was a teal scarf with gold leaves embroidered on it that she said her sister-in-law had sewn for her. She had medium length, spikey black hair that seemed to have a mind of its own despite being fought into a bun and intense brown eyes. At her current age and with her talents, Yuzuha should have been an asset to the village as a kunoichi but due to some sort of clan politics I didn't understand, Yuzuha had been all but forbidden to study the ninja arts. Everything about her screamed that she was meant for the field of battle; but instead she was here.

Considering that, she had adjusted well over the years to her position.

"We're talking about how Tamaki is going to miss Idate now that he's in school." I informed her, watching as the supervisor 'ahhh'd in response.

"But it's not like he's my son!" Tamaki protested half-heartedly, slumping in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Isn't he?" Saki's voice echoed from closer to the back of the room where her desk was, still partially involved in the conversation but obviously not invested in it.

"He may as well be." Yuzuha confirmed, "You have been the one primarily raising him since he was, what? Three?"

"Two." Tamaki said before she could stop herself.

"That's six years of his life that you've been the closest thing that he's had to a parent." I pointed out, hoping that a little bit of logic would help the situation. Also, I found it fascinating. I had never fully considered the extent of her relationship with Idate before, but I supposed, when it was put this way, she really was his mother.

"He had Ibiki." Tamaki threw out half heartedly, to which I just stared at her. That was a weak argument.

"We're talking about the same Ibiki Morino, right?" Yuzuha said as she leaned against my desk, unafraid of speaking her mind, "because if it's the one I'm thinking of you'd find more paternal instinct in a bowl of ramen."

There was silence as both Saki and I waited for Tamaki's response to the rude comment. We were all thinking it; but it would be her who finally said it. I was used to Yuzuha's harsh and open analysis of others, especially shinobi. Yuzuha Nara noticed everything about everyone – even if they were skilled jonin.

After a few seconds, Tamaki began to laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She agreed through her laughter. I watched her, a little confused at the reaction. Most people either told Yuzuha off or would wait until she was gone and start talking behind her back about how rude she was. No one had ever laughed before.

"Is there a reason you came by, Yuzuha?" Saki questioned as she made her way over to the filing cabinets, simultaneously leafing through a folder in her hands. Again, a part of the conversation but not necessarily invested in it. She had a point though. While it wasn't necessarily rare to see Yuzuha in the department, she was our boss after all, she was usually tucked away in her office taking care of her managerial duties.

"Not necessarily," the Nara woman shrugged, getting up from her leaning position, "The Director asked me a question I didn't really know how to answer. So, I came out here to see if I could get a fresh perspective. You helped a lot; thanks." She gave the three of us a soft smile.

"Well…I'd better get back then." She said with an almost lazy slur to her tone that I knew from experience came out when she was planning something. When she had finally turned the corner into the hallway and her footsteps faded, Tamaki quickly turned in her seat to look at Saki.

"What was that about?" She asked, also having noted Yuzuha's tone.

Saki ignored her and continued to go about her business even as the young woman stared her down. Saki knew something but as I had mentioned before, was determined not to get involved in gossip so was willfully refusing to participate. The thing about gossip was that usually the well-meaning people who were trying to avoid it, would end up being the people who heard firsthand what was going on.

I had learned that the hard way how detrimental secrets and gossip could be after only having been working at the CAO a week. On my first day my brother had warned me to keep my head down and not get involved in such things and, as was in my nature, I did what he had told me to do. But then I had stumbled onto the fact that the former Director was trying to cover up a major privacy breach. It was a nightmare for me to have that knowledge and not know what to do with it. Surely, I needed to tell someone but not just anyone. Like Inuzuka's prized hounds, the women in my department had smelled that I was keeping a secret. When I refused to tell them what was going on; they started rumors about me. I don't think it was intentionally malicious; I just think that they were trying to guess what was going on out of concern, then people from different departments overheard the speculations and it had evolved from there. By my second week here suddenly half the CAO thought that my brother was beating me, I was about to be fired, I was jilted by a lover or I was pregnant. I took the stares and whispers for about a month until I finally spoke with Yuzuha in private and explained everything; I was in tears by the end. A rarity for me. Long story short, Yuzuha turned into a full fledged mama-bear, the rumors stopped and within a week we had a new Director.

Everyone completely forgot the rumors; like they'd never heard them in the first place. I thought it was rather magical that they forgot so quickly, but Yuzuha told me that they were only gossiping out of boredom and once it was no longer relevant anymore there was no need to retain any of it. It was pretty common for that to happen.

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you but keep your voice down! Don't spread it around either!" While I had been thinking, Tamaki seemed to have worn the older woman down. Saki came up and got close to the two of us, leaning in and bringing her voice to a panicked whisper.

"I forgot my bag last night and didn't realize until I got home, so after Ronin and I had our supper I came back to get it. I didn't expect anyone to be here except for the guards, it was so late, but there was a light on in The Director's office. I didn't mean to listen but it's so quiet in here when no one is around that voices carry. I…might have overheard The Director talking with Yuzuha, Moemi and Rika. They were discussing a transfer of some kind…" She said hurriedly. Moemi was the head of the Children and Youth Services Department and Rika was the head of Registrations.

I was quiet. Transfers were rather common; I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. When you were hired at the Civil Affairs Office you were simply classified as an employee of the office and you were assigned to the department where they believed you would fit best or where they needed the most help. Because of this, transfers happened all the time. If Immigration was short handed but Registrations was running smoothly and Registrations had employees they knew could assist in Immigration, they would get transferred. It was a well-known fact that anyone could be transferred at any time.

"So what else is new?" Tamaki commented, a little dejected. She was probably disappointed that it wasn't something more exciting.

"Here's what's new…Lord Hokage was there." Saki said quickly, eyes darting around as if she expected ninja to descend upon her just for telling them.

That did catch mine and Tamaki's attention.

"Whatever this transferred person is going to be doing, they'll be reporting to The Director and Lord Hokage on a regular basis! I hope it's not me! Sounds stressful…" Saki muttered, looking troubled.

Tamaki looked about to ask a question but there was a sudden parade of footsteps in the hallway, signalling the arrival of most of the floors occupants. I glanced at the clock. 8:30. Gossiping aside, it was time for work. As the rest of my colleagues flowed through the door, making their way to their desks or the coffee maker (agitated groans following when they discovered we were out) I buried myself in my work.

By my lunch break, I had completely forgotten about Lord Hokage and the mysterious transfer.