It's Time To Go, "ADIOS"

[Estilo]

There was a great difference between the Land of Thunder and the Land of Iron that Atlas would undoubtedly miss. He hadn't come here expecting to fall in love with such a sight, nor did he expect himself wanting to stay in Tetsu no Kuni for a few days longer. But the snow. The soft, white and ever-present snow. When he had come from the Great Samurai Bridge, all set to head off to his home village and get back to work, he would find a beautiful backdrop waiting for him. A winter wonderland, stretching for as far as the eye could see and towards the horizon. It was mid-day, but a bit misty, the sky covered in a drab gray color. The chill of winter present still, as always.

He would stand at the far end of the Great Samurai Bridge, among an outcrop of rock and snow-covered trees, waiting for Yukiko so that they could take their leave together. His emerald eyes stared off at the scenery afar, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with his silver lighter. He was done with the Chuunin Exams at last, and in the process, he had learned many things about himself that he needed to think about. That memory, for example. The one he had experienced in his room. The one he had experienced at the Samurai dojo, when he had been teaching his Kumogakuran companion the Mind's Eye technique. It had formed itself in his mind and become such a vivid thing, like he had only just lived it recently the day before. But no, he knew it wasn't that way. That had happened a long time ago, back before the war even. And now that he was thinking about it, it would resurface as clearly as it had before:

The rain began a new tirade, pelting the sidewalk, clearing the small crowd that had stopped to exchange condolences. Emptied of people, the courtyard berated him. He should have made alternative plans for the day, something to distract from the unfurling drama across the street which, though it held no more emotional juice for Atlas than a back page news story, was impossible not to watch. It had been one of the gossip items circulating for the past few weeks among his former academy classmates. Only recently married, dead by twenty-five from a stage four something-or-other. It was a tragedy that had unfortunately fallen to one of his closest friends, but Keiko he had never actually met before. Therefore, the whole idea of being depressed at her funeral was somewhat absurd.

A person in a black trench coat darted across the courtyard, exiting through the iron gate, and crossed the street. She went into a gift shop and a minute later retraced her path back to the church. Inside the gate she stopped. It was Charlette, standing in the downpour with her face to the sky, her famous ringlets soaked and punished into lifeless strands. She remained there for what seemed like a long time under the circumstances, knees bent as if she might collapse, trench coat no longer repellent under the sheer volume of rain. Despite the situation, she looked absolutely stunning. Atlas felt obliged to put on some decent clothing and make his way down there.

[Estilo]

He dressed in thirty seconds, grabbing the most available clothes- blue jeans, black sweater, worn-out boots, his own black trench coat. Then he ran down the stairs of his apartment with a pep in his step, determined to make it down to the street before he lost sight of her. By the time he reached the courtyard, taking the shortcut, splashing through puddles, Charlette was gone. The muttering of voices echoed out from the open church doors, she'd gone in there. After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Atlas proceeded. He entered tentatively. Would Charlette have helped choose the church if she'd known he lived across the street? He'd only been here twice before, both times for festivals, both times thinking of it as a place both hip and historical more than religious, though it was true they held Sunday services every week. He stood at the far back, behind a packed house, with standing room only.

For an event that had been billed as a celebration, the atmosphere was forbiddingly solemn. A male cellist on the stage in a pocket of celestial blue light played an adagio solo. Atlas vaguely recognized the guy from the academy though he couldn't have said his name. He rocked back and forth with each stroke of his bow. Behind him a harpist awaited her turn in the shadows, head bowed. The village-wide announcement had encouraged people to bring offerings- artworks, poems, songs- it was so like Charlette to want to dress an event like this in the gauzy garb of art. She was a painter with flirtatious blue eyes that sometimes turned inexplicably inward, a low center of gravity, light flawless skin from her mother's Amegakuran family, and hair that, when dry, fell past her jaw in Little Lord Flauntleroy ringlets. Her congenial manner drew people in and hid her artistic ambition. She was beautiful, inside and out.

Atlas had gone out with Charlette right after the two had met during a festival in Amegakure, but broke up with her after several months in a preemptive strike, sensing she was about to break up with him. But this had been years ago, in a time when they had both been teenagers, living life by the quality of each day. She'd been a sweet lover, but spacey and inattentive, and after a while Atlas had lost track of who he was with her. He scanned the crowd, looking for a place to settle, trying to match the backs of necks and the cant of shoulders with ninja he expected to be there. Yuuya Mako, Diruyu Sanja, Toshiro Hyuuga. Only a few feet from him Charlette leaned against the wall. She had shed her soggy trench coat in a heap on the floor, but her black shirt and black skirt were also drenched, and locks of her wet hair shed drops like leaky spigots.

A wind howled past him, snapping him out of his trance. The cold was unforgiving, unbounded. He saw the outcrop of rocks he had seen earlier and walked towards it, aware that the Great Samurai Bridge and the samurai patrolling it were only about twenty meters away. He'd take his seat on one of the snow-capped boulders available, wiping off the snow before sitting. A figure appeared in the distance, short but familiar to his eyes. It was Yukiko, and she was finally approaching. In a way, he felt like he was betraying himself for not delving into his most recent memory further. But that would obviously have to wait until later, when he had the time to spare. When he wasn't preoccupied with ensuring the safety of his little sister during her return home. When he locked eyes with the young Kumogakuran from afar, he would wave with a smile. "All set to go, kiddo?"

[Kii!]

+20 EXP

[Yuki-chan]

[Enter]

The female had packed everything she needed before she checked out from the hotel. After that, Yukiko had bought some nice souvenirs to her parents as well as her brothers. 'I feel kinda homesick now' thought the girl as she jogged through the rain that came down.
She was dressed in a purple rainjacket, a blue sweater, brown corduroys, black wellingtons while her belongings were in her brown leather backpacker. Her eyes then caught the sight of a male that stood perhaps 50 meters away.

"All set to go kiddo?" asked Atlas as she approached him. "Mhm! I just hope the rain will stop soon" said the Genin as she adjusted the headband around her neck. "I bought some nice souvenirs for my family.
My parents will get a small bottle of that iron bath salt that is supposed to be good for your skin" said the female as she looked up at the young man.

"Aaaand I bought a pair of plush samurais for Hi-kun and Ko-kun. I spent the rest of my money on a purple T-shirt that said 'I saw the Tetsu samurais and survived!'. Did you buy anything?" asked the brunette with a semi-excited look on her face.
She knew she had a tendency to talk too much, so she decided to give the young man a chance to speak as well. Perhaps he had bought some really cool katana or something since he liked swords?

'I wonder if senpai has a girlfriend. I mean, most of the guys who are at his age usually have one or had one' thought the girl as she looked into the sky. But that might be a little rude since there were adults who were not dating anyone as well.
"My mum told me that she would be at the gates to pick me up. I called her once we left the hotel; are you meeting anyone at the gates?" asked Yukiko as they walked up a somewhat steep hill.

[Estilo]

While Atlas had not had sufficient time to buy himself a souvenir or two, Yukiko seemed to have fared well in that department. She bought a bottle or iron bath salt for her parents, plush samurai for her younger brothers and a t-shirt that very optimistically pointed out that she'd survived the samurai of Tetsu no Kuni. The last of the items brought a look of merriment in his eyes, and even caused him to bark out a laugh. "Ha! Nice! You have an eye for gifts, don't ya?" When she asked whether he'd bought anything, Atlas felt a rueful grin suddenly spread over his face. His cheeks glowed red with the bitter breezes that hit them as they walked on. "I didn't, sadly." He answered. "I was a little preoccupied with the second round of the Chuunin Exams when I'd planned to buy one, then it completely left my mind afterwards. But it's okay, I plan on coming back here someday. And for now, the memories I have of Tetsu no Kuni suffice. I had a splendid time~"

They continued on, trudging through the snow, turning from time to time to see the Great Samurai Bridge gradually disappearing over the horizon behind them. It was interesting to see the scenery around them evolve as they headed towards Kaminari no Kuni. At first, everything was covered with a thick white blanket of snow. The trees, the boulders, the cliffs, the ground, the hills. But the more they moved on, and as more minutes passed by, these natural inhabitants would begin to emerge from the cover of snow, gradually revealing themselves to the world. They were moving out of the snowy terrain that constituted as Tetsu no Kuni's most common territory. He couldn't say the air was getting warmer or anything like that, since Kaminari no Kuni shared the same frigid chill, but he could tell they were moving in the right direction. Snowflakes that had once fallen from the sky ever so gently eventually became droplets of water- drizzling that was most common in the Land of Thunder.

As the two travelers made their way up a somewhat steep hillside, still hidden under the pearly white snow of foreign lands, Yukiko would inform him that she'd called her mother before leaving, scheduled to be picked up at Kumogakure's gates once they arrived. Then she asked whether he was meeting anyone at that same location. "Ahahaha," Atlas chuckled, more of a sheepish reaction than a humor-filled one. "No, I'm afraid not. First thing I'm doing when I get past the gates is heading straight home. Then I'm going to take the looongest nap ever." He'd add, smiling with his intended exaggeration. Though he did plan on taking a long needed rest, then afterwards fulfilling his promise of missions to his imoto.

They found a path among the snow, and they moved on to walking across it, letting it guide them home. Sickly green plains began to appear in the distant horizon, a drab gray sky growing even darker still, pine trees beginning to sprout in all directions. It was beginning to look like home. And as cold and silent as it was, Atlas felt the warm feeling of happiness glow within him once more. The land itself was drawing him in, landmarks he recognized becoming more and more present. Soon they would arrive to their desired location, soon they would be in Kumogakure once more. It wouldn't take long for them to exit Tetsu no Kuni, the last traces of snow having disappeared a little less than an hour ago. The land that had hosted the traditional Chuunin Exams long behind them. Adios, Tetsu no Kuni!

Move to Kaminari no Kuni

[Trigga]

Travel approved.

Moved !

+10 To Espada!
+8 to Yuki!

[Yuki-chan]

"Ahahaha, no, I'm afraid not. First thing I'm doing when I get past the gates is heading straight home. Then I'm going to take the looongest nap ever." said the male with a smile that was a little exaggerated.
"I'm gonna go to bed early too. But first, I'm going to watch anime while I eat something tasty" said the female as they reached the top of the hill.

All of the snow had now becomed a drizzle. This type of rain was quite normal in Kaminari no Kuni and they were probably getting close to the border soon. 'Hm...that mountain chain over there looks quite familiar' thought Yukiko as she squinted a little.
The mountain chain was not that big, but it had a rather pointed mountain right in the middle that was quite famous. Both of them continued the walk back to Kumogakure no Sato while they looked out for stalkers.

"We should be home soon" whispered the girl as she looked up at Atlas for a moment. She whispered in case there were someone nearby that they could not see.
'Eh, what am I thinking!? Senpai is a sensor; he can sense anyone that's probably 30 meters away or something' thought the Genin as they entered a somewhat large forest. Ice blue eyes darted around to see if there were anything nearby that looked out of the ordinary.

They had now reached the path that went up to the village gates. "Have you sensed anything senpai?" muttered the female as she looked up at him. If the answer was no, the duo would walk up the 'forebidden' path to the village gates.
The sun was not that strong anymore and it was clearly afternoon now. 'No wonder my legs are tired...we've been walking for several hours!' thought the brunette as she looked down on the small watch on her wrist.

[Exit]

[Estilo]

As they neared the secret passage that would lead them to their home village, Yukiko began to show signs of minor anxiety, as if she were paranoid or afraid that someone might be following them to obtain the location of Kumogakure. In response to this, the Akegarasu would mentally switch on his sensory vision, expanding the range to as far as fifty meters and taking in all the chakra-related sights around him as he walked. A lot of birds and animal-life, but nothing that took the shape or held the chakra signatures of a human. A deep breath was taken, a breath of fresh Kaminari no Kuni air. It ran through his lungs with such a relieving scent that he couldn't help but smile widely.

The smell of the pine trees surrounding them was strong, the path they were following littered with pine cones and dead leaves. It was only early afternoon, but here in the Land of Thunder it looked more like late evening. A thick blanket of gray clouds in the sky above seemed to be the culprit. Striding past all this beautiful wildlife made Atlas wonder what kind of experience he would have as a stranger here, the kind of nightmares that awaited for any fool who dared to search for Kumogakure and trek the lands of Kaminari no Kuni. Of course, his village had its own share of traitors and rats, who gave away the location of their home- their families- away so easily. Maybe, if he were to be promoted to Chuunin once he arrived to his destination, he could do something about these vagrants.

The eerie blue glow of his sensory vision remained activated in his mind, informing him on any living creature that entered his fifty meter radius as he walked. His imoto, not surprisingly, kept a close distance and an open eye for any potential danger. The hidden path they both knew, the same one they had taken to exit Kumogakure and head off to the Chuunin Exams, was coming up real soon. He wondered how the Chuunin Exams had gone for her, whether the fact that she hadn't done so well in the first part of said exams had gotten to her in some way. But before he could ask her, they had arrived to the first landmark in this pine forest that would lead them to the secret path only Kumogakure ninja were supposed to know. They were almost there.

She asked him if he sensed anything as he looked around. "Nah. No one. I think we're cleared to go." He smiled down at her. He would ask her about the Chuunin Exams tomorrow, after they'd both returned to their respective homes and gotten a good night's sleep. For now, he'd finish the journey he had taken with her and return his companion to her mother. To think, that this part in his life was already over. He had trouble imagining it, wrapping his mind around all the events that had taken place in the last month or so. But despite all of this, that one objective he had engraved in his memory banks when he had returned to Kumogakure from the Great Flash was still there. He would find Charlette... someday. Together, Yuki and Atlas continued.

EXIT

[KID GAMBINO.]

Yuki-chan | 10 EXP
Espada | 10 EXP

[Estilo]

ENTER

A deep gray sky covered the wide and ever expanding canvas above, a myriad of pine trees surrounding him at every side. The scent of sap and fresh mountain springs wafted throughout the cold air, its chill bringing a shiver to the kage bunshin's arms. Although a detailed and refined copy of the original, Atlas still felt, thought and knew everything his creator already had known at the time the forbidden technique had been casted. And to add to this little bonus, he had spawned with all the equipment the original had carried in his person as well- duplicate equipment, of course. Equipment formed out of the same chakra that formed him. But sufficient enough to be utilized like the original creations. One of these was the World Map.

With this little piece of work, the clone would begin to make his way from the depths of Kaminari no Kuni to the desolate wasteland that constituted as Tsuchi no Kuni. He had business there, a gate to find- and he wouldn't stop until he found it. Memorizing the paths he was meant to take on the World Map, he safely tucked it away into the side of his black boot and moved on. The jingle-jangle of metallic equipment in his butt bags resonated as he walked on. The sedated look in his exposed green eye scanning the path in front of him as he walked, looking for any potential danger or interesting thing. According to the World Map, he had a long travel ahead of him. The pine forests here were great in size and shape, after all, and his walk would have to be equally as astounding and big.

The road he followed wasn't the main road, but a shortcut he himself had discovered during his youth. It took him through the pine forests in zig-zags and curves, a potentially confusing way of traveling but something he got used to in the first hour of his stroll. Wild animals hid in the bushes everywhere- he could see them, their beady black eyes, their matted brown fur. But he paid no attention to them, just kept on walking forward with that drone state of mind he held in his cranium. His duty was paramount, his victory the only thing on his mind. As he continued on, the fauna surrounding him in the environment became less and less frequent. Bushes and trees replaced with boulders and cliffs. Dead shrubs bordered the path he followed. Desert mice scampered about, looking for any trace of food.

Before too long, the kage bunshin reached a territory he figured was Tsuchi no Kuni. The sandy brown rocks littered around the path he had followed had become frequent road blocks during his travels. The cliffs rose so high some of them even managed to cover the horizon from view. The weather, the climate, it had all changed. Like the astounding transformation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the weather had taken a turn for the worst in his mind. When it was once comforting and chilly, it was now aggressive and hot. A brief tsk escaped his lips. How unappealing. With half a mind to simply return to Kaminari no Kuni, the clone immediately put himself back on track. He could leave once he achieved his objective. The faster he got done with it, the sooner he could return, and that fueled his effort!

MOVE TO TSUCHI NO KUNI

[KID GAMBINO.]

Moved.

[Estilo]

EXIT

[Estilo]

ENTER KAGE BUNSHIN

And so his quest would begin anew, but this time with a different objective entirely. While he had decided not too long ago to go in search of Sunagakure's gates, he found the task to be a little redundant and boring at the moment, especially after he had just discovered the entrance to Iwagakure. No, now a different idea came to mind, a different venture. Having seen Iwagakure in that sad state of affairs, he felt obliged to make contact with another particular village. Kumogakure, during his reign, was still distant from the other four great nations. He wanted to change that. He wanted to see where he stood with them and how they could, if possible, help each other. A hopeful dream, a distant one.

Now, however, he would have to completely change the course of his travel and devise the safest route available from Tsuchi no Kuni to Hi no Kuni. He pulled out his World Map and stared down upon it with analytical optics, pinpointing his current position and calculating the route he would take to the Land of Fire. When he decided upon a specific path, and memorized the directions in his head, the Raikage copy stored the parchment of paper away by folding it neatly and concealing it in the side of his boot. He would head east first, then travel northeast along a stretch of canyons and plains. With a slight huff, still struggling mentally against this god-damn heat, the young half-masked male would continue on. No time for rest yet, no time for bitching.

He walked onwards at a brisk pace, hours spent gazing about at the rocky scenery he passed. Within due time, the sun fell. Nighttime had taken over the scenery, and the moon had risen to cast its eerie glow on the continent below. With a variety of rocky outcrops suitable for surprise ambushes during the night, the Raikage felt it was about time he picked up the pace and kept his wits about him. So he hurried along, jumping and flickering among large stones and desert plains, not giving any potential bandit the chance to catch him off guard. He was quick, diligent and unrelenting- his speedy form of travel quickly taking him through the land that constituted as Tsuchi no Kuni. The wolves howled with his presence, birds flapped their wings to hastily get out of his way as he ran.

A few hours past midnight, he had decided to make camp within an empty cave beside the canyon he was now following. There, he lit a small fire, issued a raven to keep patrol, and slept. When he awoke, the sun was barely rising. It was then that he would continue, at the same speed as a few hours before, off the last stretch of desert plain and into a lush green jungle. All sorts of insect life buzzed around, birds chirping, frogs croaking, leaves ruffling with the warm breeze that swept through them. The climate was different here- less heated than Tsuchi no Kuni, but warmer than Kaminari no Kuni. He felt a strange ease here, neither comfort nor irritation. When he felt he was at the center of these lands, he would stop to think for a moment.

MOVE TO HI NO KUNI

[Sayomi]

plus 10exp & moved^

[Estilo]

Taiga, don't forget the one before Laz's "Moved" please! D8

EXIT