Can I pay you in peppermints?

Brown eyes scanned over black and white, over and over again, for several hours. Normally this would be the point where thoughts of complaint and self-pity come on, but then what would distinguish it? Cicera loved the tedium. She ran through paperwork like an addict through a pack, devouring every word, every signature, every stamp. She loved it for the same reason she had taken the job: it's safe. Nothing but papercuts could touch her behind the skyline standing on her desk.

Piles and piles of loose sheets built skyscrapers in front of her, connected by bridges made from binders, rivers of scrolls running underneath. Somewhere to her right was an inkwell and a brush, to her left a stamp and its ink pad. At any given time she couldn't tell you where it was, but somehow her hands always managed to find them with expert precision. She kept her eyes down on the paper, her hands reaching around her periodically for another bit of paperwork, a refreshment, or simply another dip into the pool of black ink.

Periodically Cicera would push wavy brown bangs back behind her ear; she had left her hat hung up by the door of the office. Her loose-fitting Hokage robes danced in the light breeze from the open windows, each of them containing a massive set of wind chimes that played her symphonies while she worked. The sounds soothed her, and she needed soothing.

Reaching below her, between her feet, she groped for her mug. Finally finding it she wrapped her fingers around the still-hot ceramic, bringing it to her lips so she can taste semi-spicy Chai. The warmth trickled through her, invigorating and pacifying her all at once.

"Now where is that man," she wondered aloud, casting her gaze up to her closed door for just a moment. She'd called for Ark, or at least for her assistant to call for him, so that she might discuss something very important with him.

A child's body would soon fly through the window making a crashing and squishing noise as the corpse shattered against the glass as kikaichu insects could very obviously be seen assembling around the floor at the Hokage's feet with a note reading "BAD NINJA" with an arrow pointing to the dead child.

The child's face was caved in and a bloody mess was left. The blood was accented by glass shards from the window, however that did nothing to draw the eyes from the gory central section of the torso where a small army of Kikaichu insects had begun to assemble the ribs of the dead child into a message via breaking and re-arranging them. The message was being made letter by letter from start to finish and as of now the moving image that would soon spell something would read "Grr Ev" leaving the rest to be wondered how it would turn out.

The Kikaichu that were holding the note at the feet of the Hokage would attempt to get her attention by nipping at her skin with their teeth so that she would realize what was going on while MG Ark crashed in through the door in a rolling motion with his hands wrapped above his head as if the cieling itself were falling down and an earthquake was taking place that truly terrified him. Pointing at the child with an over-reactive open mouth expression painted on his face Ark exclaimed "EEK BUGS" and curled up into a a fetal position ball with his eyes squeezed shut and his ears attentively paying attention to evreything going on outside of his balled up position. Mumbling noises could be heard from his form as Ark now waited for the Hokage.

Cicera squealed as she heard a crash behind her, hitting the ground. Her chair flew out behind her, thudding into the wall just below one of her windows. It was most likely cracked, she thought, but she had the money to buy another if she really needed to. She watched the ground as a shadow flew overhead, crashing into the door and flopping to the ground.

Chittering filled the air and Cicera was three seconds away from snapping when she looked down between her legs and saw a sign, carried by Kikaichu beetles. Recognizing the beetles, she let loose a sigh and stood up. She looked past her desk just in time to see a man crash in through the door, exclaim something about bugs, and ball up into a corner.

Cicera sighed once again; she needed a vacation. Grabbing at her left shoulder, she pressed fingers deep into the muscles, pressing them until they relaxed a little. Rolling her shoulder she confirmed that the tension had left. When she was confident that she hadn't broken herself in her panic, she stepped over the sea of beetles to her door, closing it quietly. She spared just one glance to the child ninja and forced vomit back down her throat.

It was at this point that she noticed the harmony of a set of wind chimes and realized that she hadn't actually ever opened the middle window. Another thing she'd have to repair.

"Stand, Ark-sama. Please," Cicera said, the first sentence a command, the second softening her tone. "I have a proposal for you."

With this, she returned to her desk, picking the chair back up and sitting down in it.

Ark cracked his neck while remaining in the position he was in and made a clicking noise with his tongue against the roof of his mouth once the moaning had finished. The Kikaichu took off into the air and along the ground in a swarm fashion and were sucked into Ark's body through his skin. As this happened he stood up in response to the command given by his lady Hokage Cicera. Grinning as he stood up and allowing his eyes to close in a more natural way than they had before when he squeezed them shut cowering from his own insects in a corner of the hokage office.

As Ark did this he stood up blinded and stumbled a bit in either direction befor finally steadying himself and opening his eyes much like a drunk trying to get a hold of himself after a long night. Finally achieving this goal Ark spied an insect that was not his own that had snuck into the Hokage office, probably unknown to the Hokage herself! Ark was incredibly curious how this thing would fare and how it managed to get inside of a ninja leader's office without being noticed by said ninja leader.

In any case Ark had something to do here as he had been summoned by his mistress leader. Lady Hokage, Cicera! To which he faced and bowed his head lightly eyeing the bug on the ground that was NOT his. "Lady Hokage, what is the proposal your mightiness and ladyship would have to offer one such as me, MG Ark the ANBU Aburame!" Ark maintained a jester-like tone throughout his speaking to keep with the appearance he was going with since enterting the office.

Cicera folded her hands together, fingers weaving, so that she had something to rest her chin on, and stared up at the crazed man with pitying eyes. As she stared at him, she noticed him glancing down to the floor, twice. She followed this glance both times, and both times notice a small insect on the ground. The bug didn't resemble an Aburama creature at all. Realizing that this thing might be displeasing Ark, she leaned back off her hands. Unweaving them, she let them fall to either side of her desk.

The back of her hand struck a book sitting on top of a small building of papers. Smooth cover slid across smooth paper and the book fell, landing on the insect and crushing the life out of it. It hurt, a little, taking any life, but Cicera had learned to numb it.

"As you may know, Ark-sama," Cicera began, trying to ignore his speech patterns, "you are considered to be one of the most brilliant of my ANBU. You come highly regarded, and well-recommended. I have even, once or twice, had the occasion to see you in action myself."

At this point there was a great pause while Cicera reflected on the carnage an Aburame's insects could create. She tried to ignore the corpse sitting on her floor. Taking a scroll from her right hip, she tossed it to him.

"In that scroll is a contract you will sign, placing you as Captain of the ANBU. This will give you sole power to make any and all military decisions, so long as they are co-approved by myself. However, I can promise you that I will differ to your greater judgement on most all things. I will still have minute roles in the military branch of our village, but your promotion will allow me to focus more on what a leader should. Can I ask you this favor, Ark-sama?"

Ark was tickled pink by the elaborate way Cicera crushed the obscure insect. So tickled that when the book fell and crushed it Ark danced from side to side waving his arms around in the air and spinning full circle dancing in a bizzare way that involved mostly wagging of fingers and swaying of hips. All the while paying a small attention to the words that the Lady Hokage was speaking to him from behind the desk. Praise of being a brilliant ANBU and talking about the great process that was, Ark's work on missions. However Ark was dancing during these statements and while hearing them and paying SOME attention to them he was mostly concerned with his moves.

However after the pause was made and the scroll taken from the right hip of Lady Hokage Cicera Ark ceased dancing and faced her with his gaze returning to normal...er assumed to be normal under the ANBU mask adorned on his face. While his eyes would be visible when looking directly in only skin would be seen as they were still closed. For a few moments they remained such while the Lady Hokage Cicera explained what the scroll she had pulled from her side was. Ark remained still and silent during this explanation.

Finally Ark replied, taking the scroll and pricking his finger to bleed a bit. "I accept this duty Lady Hokage, I humbly beg to the gods themselves that you did not choose wrong in appointing me as ANBU captain miss Cicera." Ark bowed his head before taking his thumb, coated in blood, and signing his name along the scroll in large and elequent caligraphy. Autographing his signature along the scroll and sealing the deal that he would be the military commander of Konohagakure and allow the Hokage to be the leader that she wished to be.

Cicera watched in awe at the man's little dance. She could feel, in the back of her head, doubt was given birth. The thing wriggled and cried like a newborn, and like an alcoholic parent she ignored it. She needed this man. She needed this deal. There was a release from all this stress and all this death and she was going to take it. Not for me, she promised herself, he will lead our people much, much better than I ever could. Forcing a smile to her face, she allowed the man to take the scroll, watching as he pricked his finger with an ink brush in hand. When she realized the purpose, she opened her mouth a little, gave up entirely before trying, and stuck the brush back in its inkwell.

The scroll was handed back to her and she looked it over, taking the ink brush and signing by her x. The deal was done, and he now had all the authority. At least she could take comfort in the fact that she still had authority over him. The only way he took power now was a coup, and if that happened, well.. She wouldn't know what he did after, would she?

"Thank you, Ark-sama," she said placidly, her eyes glazing over to a sense of profound peace that can only come from the simultaneous relaxing of every muscle in one's body after years of stress. "I mean that sincerely. You have done your village, and myself, a great favor. Now, if you would kindly leave me to my work?"

With that she looked back to all the paperwork on her desk and suddenly found in herself a second wind. She would get all of this done tonight, she promised herself, and maybe order in some food. Her mind wandered back to the floor and she felt acid tickle her tongue.

"Oh, and Ark-sama?" She would call out to him, her eyes trained on the letter she was reading -- reports from the field. "Could you remove that.. Corpse?"

Ark was feeling pretty damn erratic at the moment but he surpressed it. The Hokage had suffered enough of his random actions for the current situation. Ark had signed the contract and given himself completion of the final step of taking control of Konoha's military and thus becoming captain of the ANBU black ops forces as well. However Ark firmly believed in the mission system and the military power that was divided and used in that way...so long as the system was out of war. If war ever did break out Ark would take a much different approach to use the ninja of Konoha and would work with Lady Hokage to do so.

So when Ark was told to remove the body he debated for a moment and then decided on a quick and easy solution! Grabbing a sheet from the wall that was serving and should be called by name as a curtain Ark covered up the corpse Only after placing his hands on the destroyed section of the body, done by his own insects, and released the fire chakra nature in a controlled burst that spread throughout the body of the dead evil ninja child. The fire spread and made ashes out of the body in a neat pile that Ark covered with the curtain in a way that almost looked like he was trying to mask it into the environment as part of the carpet itself.

Ark raised his hand when he turned to leave and said. "Contact me via messenger bird if you need me for anything special, at the moment i'm going to apply through the normal routes for a mission and continue helping the village. Your current system is working very well for me and I firmly believe in it's effectiveness. Continue approving missions as you do and I will do my part in the same duty minus approving my own missions. Just do your duty as leader and I will take care of everything else. All the nasty bloody stuffs. See you around Lady Hokage."Ark said as he walked out of the office. Moving farther away after finishing leaving the Hokage Office building entirely and looking for a mission to apply for.

[Exit]