Team Shadowfax: The Beginning [P]

[Shinryu]

The Meeting: Redux

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A week had passed since the decision to form team Arashi had been abandoned. For what reasons, I could not say, but if I had to guess, it would have been a clerical error on the part of whoever had tried to stick two chuunin on the same team. Either way, it had been rectified with the recent addition of a new member and a shifting of Oshe off the team, placing me in command. Of this, I was uncertain, however, I could not say we didn't make a good combination, the four of us. Looking over the files that had once been in the possession of Oshe, I could see why he had been excited from that initial meeting. We held a lot of potential in our hands; albeit, we were also in the running for sufficient danger should something happen.

Essentially, with our skill-set, we were a ready-made infiltration squad. Information gathering, scouting, tracking; it was what we were built to do. I had poured over the files myself in some detail, admiring the immense potential of the team, and I could not say I wasn't pleased at what I saw. We blended together well on so many levels; albeit, that wasn't to say there weren't... interpersonal quirks we would have to deal with. I had gone over each of their files in detail, and some things stood out as odd to me. There were notes in particular attached to Draco's file. Apparently there had been investigations into a human finger that her dog had vomited up. I'd found that particular piece of information a bit troublesome. She was also apparently quite headstrong and had problems with authority. That could be a real problem on a field mission if not dealt with. She would have to be a special project.

The others were somewhat more mysterious. Kiyoshi was an enigma himself to me; we had met twice now, and still knew so little about one another. Even his file had little to share; mainly that he had been a genin in steadfast service to the mist for a number of years now. It was odd that he hadn't opted to try for promotion, especially with his age. I'd have never imagined him to actually be that much older than I was. It seemed a shame for his potential to be wasted for so long. Maybe he just needed a self-esteem boost? Who was I to say? I supposed the only way to know for sure would be to crack his shell and find out who he really was. But that would come in time.

Last of the three, and the baby of our group, was Nemuru. He was a bit of an enigma as well. We had not yet met, but I assumed with good conscience that he would hopefully be less troublesome than Draco, at least. He seemed the quiet type from what I read about him in his file, albeit apparently he was also an orphan. That was no strange thing to see in the village these days; between the great war, and the war that had since followed, many had died, both parents and children alike. Even so, I felt a twinge of pity for the boy. I had grown of age with the luck of having parents who cared about me and respected my choices. To be deprived of that... I decided then I would have to take care of him, and be a good mentor, if for no other reason then to try and fill that void. I was already seeing how this could be troublesome; I had some respect for the jounin sensei of the village now. Managing a team on an interpersonal as well as professional level is a hard job.

Even so, having sent letters out a few days previous, I fully expected my new team to show up as instructed, to meet me atop the village hospital. It wasn't much as far as hospitals go, mind, but any shinobi worth his salt in the village knew where it was, and the roof provided a good view of the rest of the village. I stood atop a water distillery, used to keep a healthy supply of untainted water around inside for general use, cleaning, and consumption. On the roof below me were lines of laundry and linens hung out to dry in the midday sun. A few hours had since gone by, and the day was passing towards mid-afternoon now. I had high hopes that my team-mates would not be late, even if I had done so, albeit for reasons beyond my control, once we had sought to form Team Arashi.

Only time would tell if they would show up as expected. Team Shadowfax would be a force to be reckoned with, if properly trained, and that job fell on me. I certainly hoped I wouldn't have to discipline anyone on our very first day as a team.

[Django]

When first hearing that I was to be transferred out of Yamoshe's team I was somewhat elated. That feeling has quickly turned to horror however- I've been reassigned to a team led by the poorly dressed puppet-lady who was one of my teammates on Arashi. I've been trying to recall her name for the past few days with little success. Still, the notion fills me with a bottomless dread.

In my typically punctual fashion I arrive first to the designated meeting place, preceded only by the hag herself. Despite the feeling of dismay that has taken hold of me since receiving my reassignment papers I'm still rather chipper- I read an extremely gripping autobiography at the library yesterday about a famous Sunagakure torture expert and I'm anxious to try some of his techniques on the noisy little shit who lives down the hall from me and who's parents are never home. Today I'm wearing a brown asymmetrically-zipped leather jacket with tapered sleeves (Tudai's collection, 25,000 ryo) zipped up to my collar bone, blue jeans (Deguchi, 12,000 ryo) and a pair of brown calf-top boots (also leather, also from Tudai, 20,000 ryo). One of the techniques the torturer used involved a bee hive and pliers and I'd really like to try that on the kid down the hall though I'm not sure how I'm going to contain the bees.

Because I'm always on time I arrive first at the designated meeting place and a smile is plastered on my face; congenial, casual and innocent.

"I remember you." I say, extending my hand to zombie-woman who is, to my surprise, wearing the same outfit that I'd seen her in before. I imagine in my mind's eye that her closet is filled to the brim with replicas of the exact same outfit, and every morning she looks at her wardrobe and wonders aloud "Hmmm what am I going to wear today, the tacky black outfit or the tacky black outfit?". The thought makes me grin, though I cover this up with a light joke.

"So, has the party ended already or am I just really early?" All smiles.

[Pwn]

Nemuru, although not first to arrive, still made his entrance punctual. He was never the type to be late to meetings, unless something of utmost importance presented itself. Strands of blond hair swayed in the meager wind that danced between the mist. His eyes had adjusted to these things by now, allowing him to see through the mist as if it was clear. Appearing, out of nowhere almost, he stood roughly five feet away from Omoi. Already, his interested in her had been piqued. Something about her elegance left him breathless.

Gazing over, he could see, what he assumed was his teammate. He never met either of them, so there encounter would be something to remember. Yamanaka tended to take note of the many events in their life, keeping memories of their past stored within their mind. It could be useful for a variety of situations. With the current state of the shinobi world, peace was just an illusion. This was something he had been used to already. He did not mind it. Society had much more to offer when somebody else made the decisions.

“Aye,” he subtly said, saluting with a smile on his face. He always greeted those superior to him with the most respect. Placing down the hand that was used to wave, he would wipe off the dew lingering upon the railing of the hospital, and situate himself comfortably down. His eyes were closed at this point, thoughts running wild. There had been a lot for him to accomplish, but you never knew what life had to offer you. At anytime, he could be killed, and it could be all over. He would have to watch himself for both his sake, and the team.

[Shinryu]

"Hm. You two are punctual. I like that."

They'd both shown up as per instruction, which was definitely a good start. Something about Draco's smile bothered me, though. It seemed a little too genuine. Surely someone with her track record wouldn't be this enthused about meetings? The words she spoke and the way she acted belied the report I'd read about her. Then again, maybe I was just reading too much into it. I supposed I'd have the chance to probe later, if I felt truly curious about it... It'd probably be my job to pierce through that designer fashionista exterior and figure out just who she really was. Regardless, it wasn't Draco that my mind was primarily occupied by; our new arrival boasted quite a fair amount of potential himself, and he was a bit of a looker, too. I couldn't say for sure if he was my type or not, but he didn't appear to be the talkative sort, and he was at least well groomed, which was more than I could say for the Airontoku...

Speaking of which, I was starting to wonder about then where Kiyoshi had gotten to. He'd shown up late to the last meeting as well, but I could not discern if that was merely a one time occurrence, or if he planned to make a habit out of showing up late. I shrugged it off. If he wanted to show up late, that was his prerogative. I'd just have the Mizukage dock his pay for it as a consequence. It would make him learn soon enough, I imagined. I bowed to my two students and introduced myself formally.

"I'm Li, Omoi; but I'm sure you already knew that much. I'll be your team captain and leader. You can call me Taicho, Sensei, or just Omoi if you want, except in front of the Mizukage; he's a bit of a stickler for his military nomenclature. Anyway, we've been designated as Team Shadowfax, and we're currently missing one of our number, but I think we'll get by just fine for the time being without him. Why don't you two introduce yourselves to one another, and get properly acquainted? From there, I've got something planned afterwards that we should be able to tackle fairly well as a three man team, if our elusive fourth doesn't show his face."

It was about then that another ninja arrived; albeit not in the manner I'd imagined. What appeared to be a messenger from the Kage tower had arrived, bearing news.

"Don't mean to interrupt, but some news has come up concerning your team. Apparently Kiyoshi Airontoku requested some temporary leave to visit a foreign nation. Looks like he might not be back for a week or so, maybe more."

That news was surprising, but welcome. At least it explained where the man had gotten to I thanked the woman kindly, although she seemed indifferent to it, before she headed off across the rooftops once more, towards the slowly waning sun. Meanwhile I opened my mouth to speak again, being much more wordy today than was usual; then again, these were introductions and they needed to be done one way or another, so best to do them right; even at the risk of sounding a bit long winded.

"Guess that settles that. Looks like we'll be a three-man cell for the next little while."

I wondered silently how they would take the news. I could only guess, really, given how little I knew of them. I only hoped they were ready for what was in store for them, and almost as if reflexively, my hand closed tight over a scroll resting in one of my pockets. I would have to see what my team was capable of, after all...

[Django]

What do I say to these people? That I meet men and women at bars and clubs and bring them to my home, where I violently dismember them and perform explicit sexual acts with their corpses, sometimes in that order?

Should I tell them that even though they're looking at skin and bone and tendons and biological cells, to claim that I am like them in any way would be a mistake?

"Well, I guess I'll get the ball rolling." I say, shrugging playfully. "My name is Draco Inuzuka, and... I like to dissect people." Immediately I laugh, the grin on my face not wavering even a fraction. "No but seriously, I'm uh, not really sure what to say about myself..." I giggle nervously, then clear my throat. "I suppose the most obvious thing for me to talk about would be my rank. Yes, I'm still a Genin, yes, I know I'm a little old to still be one. Suffice to say, I've fallen behind the rest of my class- that's something I hope to rectify." And it's true- I can not in words explain how infuriating it is for me to be a rank below most of the people my age. It's so maddening that the thought of it sometimes makes me break down in tears, like several weeks ago where I spent an entire Saturday wandering around my apartment sobbing, wearing the decapitated head of a beggar I'd killed the morning prior like a hat. I can might be able to lure bees into a glass stoppable jar if I can figure out the proper bait. What baits a bee though?

"Aside from that though, I wouldn't say there's anything really special about me. I prefer fighting in close combat with my dog, Aoi. I usually bring her along with me wherever I go, but she's not feeling too good today."

I turn slowly to regard the blonde-haired fellow, only just now realizing that I was supposed to be talking to him specifically.

This man is wearing a heavily patterned kimono. It's a beautiful fabric and I'm honestly feeling jealous so I focus on how gaudy the miasma of colors are. It really is gaudy, but at the same time it's also kind of hip looking on him and admitting this sends a shockwave of grief and resentment flowing through my body. I feel a choking sensation in my throat, like my vertebrae trachea has been blocked with a bar of soap or a sponge or any number of small items that can be fit into the throat and used to quickly asphyxiate people. Choking someone to death is one of the more practical forms of murder because by cutting off one's air-supply you are in fact fulfilling the duel-function of preventing them from crying out as well as

"Sorry, I think I may have gotten ahead of myself." I say, extending my hand to shake. "And you are?"

[Pwn]

Nemuru had already managed to satisfy his sensei by showing up to their three men, or more appropriately two women and one man, affair, but even he know that this would not be enough to testify his loyalty. He had a lot more to do, but after their introductions, he became confident that the two that surrounded him at that moment were whom he would be able to establish bonds. Ever since the death of his parents, years ago when he was still a child, that feeling of love that he yearned for had finally present itself once more.

Placing his right hand above his left side of his torso, he felt for the beat of his heart. The pain he had been experiencing was something that he would have to heal over time. Turning his head to the side, away from his group, he gazed off the hospital building he stood upon, looking down at the people below. He had been wondering if they felt the same way he did. Unlike most animals, humans had remained at the top for being the most mysterious. Everybody had a story to tell, but his had only just begun.

“I’m Nemuru Yamanaka. There are things I love, and things I hate. Some people don’t cherish the life they have, but that’s what I’m here for. My goal is to gather knowledge from all around the world, and use it to promote peace to get society to stand together again as one. I consider you guys to be my first step toward achieving that. I can only hope that you will aide me in my conquest as I aide you with yours, as a team, of course,” he said, shaking the hand of his teammate, though keeping his eyes fixed upon his sensei.

[Shinryu]

I smiled a bit as I saw them introduce themselves to one another. It was quaint, and almost cute, but even so, we were all adults here, and there was no point in getting caught up on the formalities.

"So, now that everyone's on a first name basis, let's address the elephant in the room."

With that I pulled out the mission scroll I'd held, and tossed it to Draco, whom I assumed would be quite capable enough to notice it flying towards her and thusly to catch it. Then again, I recalled she was still a genin in her twenties, and it was then that I figured that perhaps I was being a smidgen more optimistic than I should have been. Either way, I would begin to speak with a rigid, authoritative tone; my lips would deliver a speech I'd been practicing and revising for the past couple of nights once I found out I was to be a team leader.

"It's my job to make sure that the both of you are not only eligible, but fully capable of competing in the next set of chuunin exams. To ensure this, we're going to be having regular and frequent training and sparring sessions, as well as handling some missions which should hopefully be both challenging and interesting. I'm not going to put training wheels on and make you do D ranks, unless for some reason that's all that's available on a given day, but needless to say, I'm assuming that despite your rank, you're quite rather more capable than the average academy graduate, and I will be picking your mission assignments thusly. Such as that one."

I made a motion to the scroll I'd tossed to Draco, whether or not she had caught it initially, I would hardly think it improper to assume that she would have recognized it for what it was and would have started reading the contents, although I would pause to check that she did indeed do so before continuing. Inside she would find the descriptions of several men who had been noted as trouble-makers and as such had earned the ire of the village, being marked down as a problem to be dealt with.

"Hand that to Nemuru when you're done. Anyway, to summarize what's on there and brief you two on our mission: The Mizukage has offered us a chance to prove ourselves as a budding team. Eight miscreants have made a bit of a racket in the west quarter, and it's our job to shut them up. Your goal is to work together effectively and learn to compliment one another's skill-sets. I will be performing in a supervisory role and will step in only if necessary. Lethal force is authorized if the situation should call for it, but use discretion, and do attempt to keep at least one of them alive. We suspect they have a leader who's directing their movements and we need to gather information from the members in order to discern who he might be and how best to handle him. Otherwise, do whatever you please in order to take them out. You have half an hour to go gather anything you need, and from there we'll meet up at the west bridge at 14:38 sharp. Any questions?"

I let the query ring out in what I hoped would be stale air between us. I didn't think anything more needed to be said, and if they were good, nothing else ought to have been needed to be said. I wasn't one for fooling around when there was work to be done, and I could only hope that these two felt the same way. Regardless, I would wait, letting them speak whatever might be on their minds if they did have something to say.

[Django]

I stare blankly at the ground and say nothing for several movements. I don't really need any of my normal gear- the body armor, tomahawk and my claws probably won't be necessary and Aoi's in no condition to do much fighting -but it occurs to me that as I've yet to find a drycleaners that's adept at removing blood from clothing (and trust me, I've looked) the chances are high that if I get this outfit dirty I am probably going to slaughter everyone around me in a berserk rage and eat their eyes. That being the case, I should probably go home and change.

I look up and grin at my new teammates, my face betraying none of the total apathy I possess for this mission. Killing hillbillies while being "supervised" is hardly my idea of a great time, mostly because it means I have to use restraint, but I suppose that everyone's gotta start somewhere so it doesn't bother me too much.

"Well I'm excited." I lie, casually waving a peace sign at the two of them as I turn to leave and head home.

"I'll see you guys in a bit."

[/justify]

[Pwn]

Nemuru simply opted to listen, not speaking as his sensei spoke. She had told him, as well as his partner, everything he needed to know. They had about a half of an hour to get themselves ready for the mission she had prepared for them. Already having everything he needed, there was nothing for him to gather. Instead of heading home, he would travel around the village, looking for people to converse.

“I guess I’ll see you guys then,” he said, smiling once more, tossing the scroll back to his sensei. He saluted for the final time, signifying his departure, then he leaned back, falling off the railing he had sat upon, and into the mist, that lingered below, disappearing from sight. If they decided to check, and see if he had been all right, they would realize that he was already gone.

[Shinryu]

Things were going swimmingly. It would seem that everyone understood quite well what I'd had in mind; and thus, I felt I had no reason to linger here on the rooftop any longer. Our briefing was over. It was time to head home, gather my things, and get ready for what was sure to be an interesting, if perhaps one-sided, mission.

My hand reached the railing and I pulled myself over, sliding down the side as chakra raced to my feet before I skidded to a halt and continued my descent. As I left I began considering the possibilities of how things would turn out, and no matter what, it always came back to how I could only hope those poor bastards who thought they could get away with ransacking the village had made peace with their respective gods...


[EXIT]

[~Kohana <3]

Shane- 36 x4 = 144
Para- 30 x4 = 120
PWN- 32 x4 =128

+10k ryou each