Making Preparations [Private][Travel](Done)

[Aiko Yukina]

*Begin Memory Sequence*

“You must train Aiko... Train and grow strong. I will teach you what I can in the time that I am here.” Hana instructed. Aiko’s gaze was fixed on her aunt as she spoke. “Afterwards, I want you to leave the village of the mist. There are too many memories here that will hold you back.” Aiko nodded, worry plastered on her young face. “Travel on your own and see what you can learn in a new environment.” Aiko shook her head, feeling a bit skeptical about the idea. “Hana, how will I go? It is so dangerous...” The woman smiled.


“The war has ended Aiko… the land is in pretty bad shape, but you should be able to travel now without as much difficulty. I will arrange for your transportation.” With a sigh, Aiko nodded once more, although she still had her doubts. Hana’s eyes grew serious as she continued. “I will be not staying here very long Aiko, so you will need to learn quickly.” Aiko sighed, thinking it over for a moment. Hana waited patiently for her reply. Would she be able to handle that much pressure? Hana’s eyes widened slight as Aiko finally replied. “When do I start?” A smile graced the woman’s lips as she patted her shoulder. “Tomorrow.”

*End Memory Sequence

[/center]

Aiko sighed, standing on the doorstep of her old house. The past month had been filled with difficult training. Her taijutsu was still as poor as ever, but that wasn’t too much of a problem anymore. Hana had taught her to cope with her lack of taijutsu, even better than she had before. She had shown her how to go on the offensive, without making herself vulnerable to close range attacks. She taught her how to aim at a moving target, practicing on her aunt rather than the still ice sculptures that she had grown accustomed to. As Hana had requested, the Genin had learned quickly. Aiko’s level of intelligence had surprised her, showing amazing potential when properly trained. The young kunoichi had made a great deal of improvement, making Hana very proud to call Aiko her niece.

With a deep breath, the Genin slowly opened the door to her old house. It was quiet now; no lights, no sound, no life. Shaking her head Aiko stepped carefully inside, shutting the door silently behind her. She felt a bit silly for taking so many precautions so long after her father’s departure. No one besides Aiko had been living in that house for over a year now. After moving in with her aunt a month ago, she had left the house empty. The chances of anyone being there now were slim to none.


Once her feelings of doubt had subsided, Aiko wandered freely around the house. She examined the kitchen, looking into the empty fridge which had run out of food only days before Hana’s arrival. She took a look at the dishes in the sink that she had used only a month before. Aiko even went so far as to examine her father’s old bedroom which seemed oddly empty now. All of his weaponry had been stripped from the room, his drawers emptied. That room had been silent for a long time. After exploring the empty house for a while longer, the Genin sighed and made her way to the last room of her journey: her old sanctuary.

[Aiko Yukina]

The room held no warmth now. The rustling of fabric sounded loud and obnoxious against the silence. The room resembled a scene from a violent film: clothes scattered carelessly on the floor, drawers lying on the ground separated from their dressers, dried blood on the carpet in the center of the room. Near a corner, Aiko Yukina sat on her knees, sorting through her various possessions scattered on the floor. She had only been in her room one time since the night of the attack. She had taken to sleeping in various other parts of the house, making a point to avoid that room at all costs. The last time she had returned had been to end her life.

With an old wire in her father’s bedroom, the Yukina woman had attempted to behead herself. The dull wire had only cut into the skin on her neck, leaving her dangling above the floor and waiting for death to come. It had been shortly after that her aunt had come to visit, finding her niece hanging from the ceiling. It had been one hell of an evening. Now, she was in the room again. Finding a pair of unharmed undergarments from the floor, Aiko tossed them into her bag.

The girl didn’t make a sound, packing in utter silence. She put various items in her bag: undergarments, bandages, kunai, throwing stars, everything that a shinobi would require on a journey to new lands. Moving from the corner, Aiko crawled beneath her bed. After a few moments of searching, she pulled out a long wooden box. Smiling, the girl placed the box gingerly in her bag. Rising to her feet, the Genin scanned the room for anything else that she might need. Her eyes froze they came across a photograph lying on the floor in the opposite corner of the room.

Aiko’s feet made soft sounds against the carpet as she slowly made her way towards the corner. Kneeling, the girl scooped up the photograph and took a closer look. In the frame was a very pretty woman, skin as white as snow with eyes as blue as the ocean. Her long dark hair was pulled back, held in place by a long red ribbon. The girl raised a hand to the top of her head, her fingers running over the fabric of the red ribbon in her hair.

“Aiko, are you almost finished?” Hana called from the kitchen. Aiko jumped, placing the picture in her bag before closing it. How had Hana made preparations so quickly? Slinging the bag over her shoulder, the Genin quickly made her way to the door. With a sigh, the girl turned her head to give one last look at her bedroom. If she ever did see that room again, it would not be for a very long time. After her mental farewell, the kunoichi closed the door behind her and made her way towards the front door where Hana was waiting for her.

[Aiko Yukina]

“Are you ready?” The woman asked worriedly, her eyes examining the look of sadness upon her niece’s face. Nodding, the girl replied. “I am… thanks to you.” Hana shook her head, patting Aiko on the shoulder before opening the door. She had grown so much in the past month it was almost frightening. Aiko was very different now. She was bolder, stronger. She watched her young niece make her way out the front door before following, closing the door behind them.

The two of them walked along the streets of the village, eyes watching them as they passed. Aiko had grown accustomed the stares of other shinobi. Yukaina weren’t very difficult to spot with their pale skin and vibrant blue eyes. With so few of them left, it had to be unusual seeing two of them wandering the streets. She wondered how alien she would become once she ventured away from Water Country, to new lands where Yukina were almost non-existent. “Are you alright?” Hana asked curiously, watching the trees carefully for any signs of movement as they exited the village. There wasn’t much left of the forests after the war, a single one could serve as a hiding place for enemy shinobi. The cool mist filling the area didn’t necessarily help either.

The sound of a snapping branch caught the women’s attention. “Hana...what is that? Aiko asked worriedly, noticing the humanoid figure wandering in the mist. The woman gazed forward, her eyes narrowing as she focused her eyes. She could see something moving in the mist. It looked human... but something was off. The zombie-like creature was limping, its leg making sickening cracks as it continued moving forward. What was going on? “Aiko...let’s go.” she muttered, taking her niece by the wrist and moving away from the threat. Aiko felt Hana’s hand on her wrist, dragging her from the area as she ran. Whatever the creature was, it was now far behind them.

“Hana, what the hell was that thing?” she asked, jumping over a fallen branch to avoid tripping. The woman remained silent for a moment, keeping a tight grip on Aiko’s wrist as they made their way across the landscape towards the port. After a few moments of silence, Hana replied quietly “I don’t know Aiko... I don’t know.” The Genin grew silent, worry washing over her as the two approached the shore. It wasn’t like Hana to ever give such an answer. Hana knew everything...

[Aiko Yukina]

The sound of running water, reached her ears as the two of them approached the shipyard. As the water came into view, Hana let out a sigh of relief. A rather small ship was waiting for them, a man standing on the shore in front of it. “Hana, hurry up. You’re late!” he called, his arms crossing over his chest as the two women drew closer. “Sorry Toushi.” Hana apologized, letting go of her niece. Aiko rubbed her wrist, scowling as she looked up at the ship. “That her?” the man asked impatiently, looking over the petite young woman beside Hana. Her aunt nodded in response, the man nodding in return. “Alright then little lady, hop on so we can set sail.” Toushi replied, turning on his heel and heading back towards his ship.

Aiko watched the man leave before turning her attention to her aunt. “Thank you Hana.” she said gratefully. She wasn’t sure how she would ever thank her. With a smile, the woman wrapped her arms around her niece. “You are welcome. Now go on, you don’t want him to leave without you.” Aiko’s eyes widened. Pulling away from the older woman, her smile fell into a frown. “Hana... you aren’t coming?” she asked, her voice filling with sadness. She had thought that her aunt would at least accompany her on the ship right before they went their separate ways. The woman shook her head, placing her hands on Aiko’s shoulders.

“No Aiko... I can’t. This is your journey. You need to go it alone.” Aiko looked away, contemplating ways to protest and convince her aunt to stay with her. Hana saw through the girl’s intentions and shook her head once more. “Don’t worry Aiko, you’ll be fine. I know you will. Besides, I have to figure out what is going on with that creature we saw in the forest.” The girl sighed, knowing that she had lost. Hana wasn’t going to go with her and that was final. What worried her more was leaving her there with those... things.

“Aiko, go now. Toushi isn’t a patient man.” Hana warned. Leaning forward, the woman gave her niece one final embrace and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Remember Aiko… you can always return when you feel you are ready. Good Luck.” After letting go Aiko watched the Yukina woman walk away, disappearing into the mist and trees. For a few moments, she remained there. She worried for Hana’s safety. Whatever those things were, they didn’t seem very fun to be around and Hana was heading right back towards them. Surely, that couldn’t be a good thing. Hearing a whistle, Aiko realized that the man was getting impatient. Turning, Aiko slowly made her way towards the ship.

Once onboard, the girl leaned against the railing and washed the waves hit the shore. “You ready?” Toushi demanded impatiently, eager to set sail. The Genin only nodded, deciding that remaining there any longer would only make departure more difficult. “Alright then.” Aiko sighed, hearing the man’s heavy footsteps fade away. She was leaving Water Country, leaving Kiri. Her home was there. Everything she had ever known was in that village. It almost felt wrong to be leaving that place.

Aiko held onto the railing, stumbling as the ship jerked. Regaining her balance, she could see the shore slowly moving away from her. They were setting sail. The Genin watched the shore move farther and farther from them, mentally waving goodbye to her home. As the the island became more and more distant, Aiko drifted into thought. Everything she had ever known was there…Ashi… her father… and the years of abuse. What was wrong with leaving it all behind? Suddenly, Aiko felt new resolve. She vowed that she would return one day; a day when she was ready. The Genin’s eyes no clouded with worry and despair. Instead, they burned with new determination.

[Aiko Yukina]

Aiko wasn't sure how long she had been at sea. It felt like days, perhaps weeks. She had stopped keeping track after the first day on the ship. Her journey had been fairly enjoyable. Food had been available, allowing the Genin to eat as she pleased. The bed was fairly comfortable, ensuring that she received a good night's sleep. When awake, the kunoichi had enjoyed wandering the upper layers of the ship. She liked to watch the seagulls drift lazily through the sky, acting as though they hadn't a care in the world. Overall, she had enjoyed herself with the exception of Toushi. His impatience combined with her appetite had caused a great deal of friction during the journey. Regardless, Aiko remained in a semi good mood, even as they approached land.

The Genin immediately leaped to her feet at the sound of Toushi’s shouting. “Land ho!” he bellowed, a typical thing for a sailor to say. Indeed, there was land ahead. At least, that was what Aiko thought it was. The land ahead was in no better shape than where she had come from. It appeared that the war had indeed affected every country. Aiko’s sadness only grew as they approached the port. With everything such complete disarray, she feared that she would have a great deal of trouble navigating the landscape.

“So I take it you’ll be getting off here?” Toushi asked, a bit perturbed by the state of things. What a nightmare. Aiko sighed and shrugged. “I suppose so… listen, do you have any clue as to how I might get to Konoha?” The man stared in disbelief at her question. “Well uh… that’s a pretty good distance from here…” he replied. Noticing her look of disappointment, he quickly continued. “But, I will help you however I can…here.” The man reached into the folds of his jacket and handed her a rather worn looking map. “That might help.” Aiko nodded, taking the parchment from Toushi’s hands. “Thank you.” Toushi shrugged. “Good luck kid… it’s rough out there.”

Aiko happily accepted Toushi’s warnings taking a few moments to gather her things before departing. Once off the ship, the girl gave a heavy sigh. From the looks of things, the journey to Konoha would be very difficult. With her bag over her shoulder and map in hand, the Genin began her journey. She wasn’t sure just how long it would take her to reach the Hidden Leaf Village. All the girl could hope for was that her journey would be a successful one. Praying for her safety, Aiko turned and gave Toushi a wave before heading on her way.

It is easier to run when things get tough... But that's not who I am anymore... I'm done running.

[/center]

Please move me to Fire Country

[Aiko Yukina]

The following weeks resulted in fruitless wandering. Aiko had traveled for hours on end, stopping only to find food and water. With such chaos, it was far too dangerous to stand still for too long. She would check with the map periodically to see if perhaps she were getting closer. Unfortunately, the landscape was in such disastrous form that the poor girl couldn’t tell if she had travelled 5 miles or 50 feet. The only good thing about her journey was the new clothes that she had received prior to departure. Her old kimono had been ripped to shreds, and her aunt warned that fire country was much warmer than Water Country. She had been right. Her shorter, sleeveless kimono top made it much easier to move around. She didn’t have to worry about the bottom catching on anything while she maneuvered the landscape. Not to mention that her new clothes were much cooler.

Sadly enough, her new clothes could only be of so much help. Aiko was tired and hungry, as well as growing increasingly frustrated. It seemed that the longer she walked, the farther she was getting from her destination. Was it possible that she was going in the wrong direction? With a heavy sigh, the girl leaned against a tree, pulling the map from her kimono folds and looking over it once more. Her eyes scanned the parchment rapidly, trying to find some sort of clue that would help her find her bearings. She had been walking in the Northwest direction for a good while. According to the map, she couldn’t be too far off… Exasperated, Aiko shoved the map into her bag and continued forward once again. After a few moments of walking, she shrugged her bag higher onto her shoulder. It felt heavier for some reason… Deciding that it was unimportant, the Genin continued on her way towards Konoha. What she didn't realize was that the Hidden Leaf Village wasn't much farther away.

[DAVID BOWE]

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