The Guardian Kirin

"I love you Tomoe, but you're wrong. This isn't he path we should be taking the Minawa down! Do you want to go to war? What are you thinking?!"

"I thought you'd say something like that, Ren. This is the time to take action, not sit back and let our enemies walk all over us!"

"So we're taking action by abandoning the Asukai?! AND TAKING ON EVERYONE BUT THE SHIROGANE? YOU THINK THE TACHIBANA ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO CRUSH THE KITSUNE? THE ASUKAI? WE'RE BETTER OFF THAN THEY ARE- AND WE AREN'T EVEN THAT WELL OFF!"

He hadn't meant to startle her, however her shock wore off as she was clearly offended,"Oi, this is about our outside enemies, not about crushing the other clans! Who do you think I am?"

"Who do you think we've joined?" Why did she always miss the bigger picture? "Do you think that this is just gonna end peacefully as we protect the village?"

"This isn't about peace, Ren- this is about protecting our village from outside attacks! The best defense is offense!"

"So we go to war right, then what?! Get decimated again, only to come home to another fight? This isn't the right answer!"

"Have some confidence! Do you think sitting and cowering in our village is the answer? It will not solve anything!"

"We should be making alliances! We should be solving our own problems at home! You think that mess from a few weeks ago is over?!  You think we can win anything if we're not united as a village?! What does it matter if we go out and destroy are outside enemies, if in a few weeks we'll destroy ourselves from the inside!?"

"Then perhaps the rest of the village should stop acting like cowards! I will not wage war on them, nor will I let any other Minawa do so! But to do nothing in a time where Toro has so many enemies is nothing but naivety!"

"And to blindly follow a man who believes in the need to go to war to satisify some need for glory is the upmost in foolishness! YOU CAN'T PROTECT ANYONE THAT WAY."

"..Have you not seen what we have allowed to happen to our village? Enemies killing our own left and right? Do you really think raising the walls and picking flowers together will do anything to stop them?"

He slammed his hands down on the table, "FIGHT OR HIDE?"

She crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed by his outburst, with some other feeling hiding just below the surface. "Don't you? I don't see any other way, at this point. Did our excursion to Tonbo Kyuden not bring us a strong ally? Who knows what other excursions could bring us!"

 "A strong alley with fortified defenses, who was hiding from us! Maybe they're strong, but we're supposed to be stronger - and we're crumbling from within! Tomoe - Dad would have never gone down this path and you know it."

She winced at his words,"...I'm not dad. You should know."
 "I have to choose my own path, now.."

"and it's the path the rest of us are being lead down."

"Yes. To prevent more disaster from befalling us."

"This isn't prevention! This is provocation! Provocation the village isn't ready for.  I - I can't follow you Tomoe. It's wrong. I know it's wrong."

"Then WHAT? WHAT THE HELL WOULD BE BETTER?"

"I'm TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT, BUT IT SURE AS HELL ISN'T THIS!"

"THEN TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! YOU ARE MY HEIR! YOU CANNOT JUST WALK AWAY FROM THIS!"

"I AM TELLING YOU WHAT I THINK! I CANNOT WALK WITH YOU ON THIS!"

 "NO, NO. THIS CLAN IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TOO. HOW CAN ANYONE TRUST YOU IF YOU DO NOT SUPPORT YOUR OWN?"

"The people I care about are my responsibility. I hope - I hope that my actions will be enough for them to trust me. Tomoe-"

She sat back down, her eyes burning but not wanting to show it, "Then what. Join another faction all on your own?"

"the Aoki have some ideas I agree with, Tomoe - I- I'm not trying to hurt you.  I'm not going to try and sew dissent in the Minawa.  I'm just trying to find another way before this gets out of hand."
 
She laughed bitterly, "Not trying to hurt me by rejecting the first choice I make as clan leader? Well done. Well done, Ren."

His voice softened, and he felt the stinging in his eyes - it's not like he wanted it to come to this., "Tomoe, this is going to be one of many choices you make, as your second - no as your brother, I'm letting you know - this is not the right one."

She inhaled deeply, and with a forced shuttering breath said,"Fine." She looked away, "Go on, then. Go and.. do whatever the hell it is you want to do."

"Hey Tomoe?...thank you."

Her eyes narrowed, "What for?"

"for letting me go."

"Please just leave me alone right now.
And just... don't come crying to me if it doesn't work out."
Not wanting to have him see her cry, she quickly moved aside, desperate for this conversation to end.

He quietly laughed with an air of defeat as he turned towards the door, "alright Tomoe, I won't.  You can always come cry to me though, even if it's because everything is working out. I'll listen."

He didn't see her dismiss him out the door, his eyes too busy looking ahead to see what was behind him.


HOW DO I FORMAT AN RP I am not a lyrical wordsmith at all.