First Arc: [The Coming Storm]

[suzaku]

I had a dream that the ground was shaking, and water was pouring from the heavens...

___

He curled his hand around the black silk that clung to his neck, listlessly drawing his fingertips across the emblazoned silver crest which hung just over his throat. He remained like this for some time—unmoving, like a statue whose glory stood proudly against the shrill winds.

___

...and as the heavens wept, and as the ground trembled, I could see that they stood amongst us...

___

He kissed the wind with a sigh, spinning softly on his heels until his disregard was cast upon the village, and with a swift stride the silver-haired shinobi began his journey outwards, into the thin veils of mist just outside of the village's northern gate.

"They do not see; when will they open their eyes?"

___

...then I opened my eyes, and realized that this was no dream.

[☆ HYP ☆]

“Rain...rain...R A I N N N N!!!” And so much of it! A hop, skip and dive later, little boy blue raced gleefully across Kiri's hazy hallowed grounds, embracing with wide arms that which made most want to hide away. Though rain was all too common for the Water Country, this precipitation represented something else to the child which few could ever related to – for to the rookie Jounin, water was life!

“And it's soooooooo cold!” Pure joy etched itself across the face of the boy whose gift for chakra was the one responsible for thrusting him into such a cold and dangerous world, and for a moment, it seemed he had preserved the innocence all nice years of his life had gifted him.

He remained like this for some time—unmoving, like a statue whose glory stood proudly against the shrill winds. 

The time to run free had come again, and after a brief moment of puddle skipping, his mad dash resumed. Donning nothing more than a jet black flack jacket, a pair of shorts and some typical shinobi sandals, the streamlined Hozuki moved amongst water like lions did amongst plains. Such is why he didn't see it, the hardened, imposing structure hidden within the folds of wispy white; he didn't see him, the Man of the Mist.

'WOW!!!” Impact was sudden, all five feet of his watery self breaking up into what seemed like an aerial puddle. His clothing, lost, would float off in a nearby drain, while the rest of his body crashed to the ground. Slowly but surely, he would reform, an ascension marked by a random puddle at the mysterious man's feet. “Hi mister!!”

Yay, new friends!

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[suzaku]

Perhaps the Heavens thought it a joke; what better way to disgrace this man who had lost so much than to curse him now with these memories of times long past; what manner of disdain was more cruel than to invoke the sounds of childhood, when the storm was but a nightmare, and utopia was no dream.

Hey there mister!

Caught up in his own thoughts, the shinobi was either unaware of the small figure that approached him, or led to believe that his reminiscing had simply manifested itself in some strange body of lucidity. It wasn't until the cool splash of water blemished his figure that his gaze was torn from the horizon.

"You're rather careless, Aki--"

He caught his tongue, partially embarrassed that he had allowed himself to be so foolish.

"...boy."

He added this last part quickly, hoping to convince himself that he hadn't allowed memories to engross him so. Again, his hand curled around the fabric at his neck, though this time it remained still.

[☆ HYP ☆]

“Care...less...?” The high-pitched voice traied off as he mouthed the man's words over and over, slowing his enunciation each time more in a futile effort to discover some kind of secret meaning between syllables – y'know, kid shit! “What's that...” By now he would have finished his re-composition, though even in his humanoid state, his size was dwarfed by the man as cold as the rain that bathed him. And although he was still “naked”, his demeanor and expression showed virtually no shame.

La la la...To a Hozuki, nudity was a meaningless word, a fictitious existence which brought about no feelings other than those he already possessed. This is due to their constant shift in paradigm, once hard “skin” breaking down into jelly at the behest of a mere thought. As such, he'd spalsh about freely, his figure never truly holding on to a fixed shape, until he had collected all of his things. “...and WHY are you out here, huh!?”

Left arm then right, through the hoops and behind the back; his iconic flack jacket with Kiri pride plastered across would be donned once more. Now kneeling on a half-puddled knee while humming a half tune, it'd be obvious the power of youth was flowing through him at one hundred and twenty percent - obvious. “It's cold man!!!”

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[Messatsu!]

"Its been so long" Masuyo mused to himself, ruminating upon the past seven years of his life, reflecting upon all the things he'd done since the day he first met Faust and abandoned his village to ensure the survival of his sister. Unfortunately its been so long, the threads to his sisters love were dwindling one be one, drawing closer to her end with each pull of air. He realized he hadn't much time left and needed to act fast. At this point it was either get rich or die trying. He accepted this as his own reality and refused to fear it no matter the outcome.

He surveyed the land of water and mist intently, crouched silently and inadvertently upon towering trees with licks of chakra at his feet which hugged against its bark. Its thick and ample boughs wound down towards the ground as if it had been a spiraling staircase. He hadn't stayed put for long, he knew that being in a new country meant that there were new clients that needed work to be done for a price, work that they couldn't do themselves.

His spiritual sense flared, expanding outwardly in all directions for 50 meters; it was his way of picking up potential clients as well as targets, however, today he had not known what to expect, but he was sure to have found out. With a quick tense in his calves, he silently leapt from the thick boughs, and landed on another, repeating the process several times until he came up on two chakra signatures and used the two as his area of interest. His chakra suppressed itself as he breached a 15 meter distance between his objectives and despite not having them in physical view, he knew of their positions which allowed him to remain 10 meters above the ground.

He heard voices albeit faint, and having let curiosity take him over, he moved closer in a fashion where the three lines temporarily ended which allowed him to be at a distance where their words would be audible and comprehensible with concentration.

[suzaku]

"...and why are you out here, huh?"

The stranger's stoic gaze befell the Hozuki for only the first time since their chance encounter; for a brief instant, the boy was given the opportunity to notice the violet stains which sat beneath a flowing torrent of porcelain—a pair of crystal-like fragments which did not look at the boy, but merely in his direction; a set of eyes which did not see a child before him, but instead, the storm looming beyond him.

"Why do the heavens cry?"

In a single deft motion the shinobi fixed his gaze on the treeline which hung just beyond the mist; in the same deliberate motion, he withdrew his hand from the sash at his neck. It fell lifelessly at his side, and again, the stranger was like a statue.

[☆ HYP ☆]

“Uhhhhh...” A stupid expression formed over the Hozuki as he attempted to understand the strange words spoken by the man, the shinobi of nine years young unable to comprehend the abstract side of life. Upon closer inspection, it was hard to discern whether the twisting facade had actually changed, or if he was merely donning the same feeble minded expression all along, and he only THOUGHT he looked different; either way, it did not matter. Whereas he was serious, it was not.

“...don't tell me you're a weirdo man!!” As if suddenly inspired by a jolt of electricity, the boy jelly shot up from his crouch, no longer wearing his stupor on his sleeve. Instead, his skinny blue arms crossed his chest and his chin went high. “I'm NOT showing you mine!!!” In a few moments, he'd storm off a few steps, splashing puddles along the way. The demeanor change was quick, the staple of a child's swinging moods.

His stride was steady, the man a few meters behind. However, after a few lazy steps he'd stop. Nothing occurred at first, the boy quiet and still, appearing to stare off in the same distance as the man. However, that silence didn't last for long. “Waiiiitaminutehere...” With his sandaled heel acting as the axis to his progress he'd turn in place, a quick spin bringing his bright blue eyes back towards the oddity standing still within the shimmering rain. “...is this some sort of....game?”

He jumped up a few times before letting out a joyful scream, loud enough that anyone within fifty meters could here. ”I LUV games!!!”

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[suzaku]

...have the heavens cursed me so?

The childish antics of the young Hozuki did little to break the elder shinobi from his statuesque posture; he remained still, balanced in a lifeless pose that made it unclear if he was unperturbed by the child or simply ignoring him.

"You're naive."

For only the second time since they met, the stranger's violet gaze fell upon the boy; just as before, his eyes only glanced in the Hozuki's direction, never giving any true indication that they looked at the boy.

"Or perhaps faking a jovial nature; you seem rather calm for a boy outside of the village on his own."

For a moment, albeit brief, it seemed as though his eyes did set on the boy.

[Messatsu!]

"Jounin?" Quietly he thought whilst having observed the attire worn by both the man and the boy below him. It was odd, this boy appeared to be around the same age as Masuyo himself when he first attained the prodigious rank of Jounin; the ranks must have been handed out these past few generations, or maybe shinobi as a whole have evolved and created a new breed of skill and talent. Needless to say Masuyo was intrigued by this feature and because of it, it allowed him to continue to eavesdrop with interest. Translating what little he managed to extract, he came to realize that their conversation sounded rather young and childish, but that was a given when considering the age difference between the two.

"Or perhaps faking a jovial nature; you seem rather calm for a boy outside of the village on his own."

Kirigakure? That must have been the village the older man had spoken of given that it was the closest village from their current location. As far as he could think, Amegakure held no qualms against Kirigakure for the most part, which to Masuyo meant one thing, these two weren't initial enemies.

[Mamushi]

ENTER - Kaguya Ijitome

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[/i]

I hated the rain.

I was used to it, of course. Mizu no Kuni had been my home for the entirety of my life, as it would be until my death. Rain, death, chaos... these three things were constants in this godforsaken land, as perpetual as the mist that gave my village its namesake. I considered them companions by this point, friends whom I longed to be away from but could never leave. It was ironic too, because in my youth, I had loved the rain...

And the death and chaos that came with it.

"I LOVE games!"

[/size]

The voice was faint through the dense jungle brush, but it was clear, and decidedly young. I wonder who it is... I hefted the buck onto my left shoulder and walked to the road, bare arm curled around its torso to hold it steady, white-wrapped fingers clenching skin and fur. It's tan hide was a richer brown than my drab flak jacket, and it was large, its hooves tapping the back of my black clad calf with each step. The forests outside of Kirigakure were perfect for hunting, but I rarely encountered others on my ventures outside the village.

And then there were two.

It was good to see that the child was not yelling to himself, but I hadn't expected his companion to be so much older. I didn't announce my presence, as it was clear they were shinobi from their clothing; if they didn't notice me, then they were piss poor shinobi indeed.

I slowed, however, as I came nearer, bare feet wet from the drenched earth. My hair was plastered to my face, and probably tangled with sticks and leaves - I was sure I looked like a wild woman, not to mention the animal slung over my shoulder.

One of them would have to move for me to pass by. "Ahem."
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[☆ HYP ☆]

Letter by letter and word by word only grew bigger, and so did the boy's confusion. But upon hearing the last words of the broody strange man, he would suddenly come to life. “I'm not a boy – I'm a MAN!” It was then that he chose to puff his chest up proudly, flexing his nonexistent muscle as his tiny blue body tensed up for dear life; if he wasn't a Hozuki, dare we say he had turned blue?

To prove his point further, the boy decided to “wield his might”, which consisted of executing a series of wild punches and kicks in the air with no real target in mind. Rather than exercise a calm caution and display his deadliness through his opponent's wonder, he would explode in a hyperactive fit that would last a good minute or so. “See! I'm tough!”

Unfortunately for the child whose attention lay solely on the one doubting him, those punches and kicks would eventually find an actual atarget – the passing man, no doubt.

One of them would have to move for me to pass by.

His face filled with joyful horror as the kick found its target, the man's half moist facade. “OH CRAP!!!”

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[suzaku]

.....

The child's antics went unnoticed; something had caught the stranger's attention, and his stoic gaze had befallen the mist to his west. It was from this direction that the newcomer slowly emerged from the mist, steadily moving in the direction of the two.

"Toughness has little to do with how you swing your fists."

The Shinobi did not turn from the newcomer, but did not look upon her either; like before, the stranger's cool, violet gaze seemed to linger on something just beyond the Kaguya.

OH CRAP!!!

With lightning-like speed and a fluidity unbecoming of lesser men, the stranger seized the flailing leg of the young Hazuki, sparing the quarrel that might have resulted had the newcomer been marred with such a reckless appendage.

"Truly naive."

[Messatsu!]

Patience had been the key to his surveillance, the discipline to have sat back as idly as a stone statue and mute himself life snakes in grass. Hidden amongst the trees, he noticed the presence of another as her

[/u] presence gradually came into Masuyo's physical and spiritual sight. "A third shinobi perhaps?!" He couldn't quite tell as her attire lacked the stereotypical clothing of the general shinobi, but even so, that consideration remained etched into the forefronts of his mind. "C'mon, I've got two - possibly three shinobi under surveillance and nothing is being spoken of that I can benefit off of. I'll wait just a little longer, something interesting could come up, if not, I'll simply try another approach."

Crouched upon thick boughs, Masuyo silently remained above the trio's level perception and watched them with hidden interest. There had to be something to gain, and he refused to leave until that something was extracted. [/font][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Mamushi]

[Night, I have on a drab brown flak-jacket and black tights... pretty obvious shinobi.]

[/i] It seemed I was just as inattentive as the child, however, as my musings carried my right into the path of a foot. Before I could walk into the kick, the man caught the offending object with a deft move. Quick hands...My gaze caught his face and I nodded him my thanks.

I focused my eyes on the child then, allowing my face to stretch into a soft smile. "You're full of energy, aren't you?" I scrutinized his features, from his eyes to his feet. He wore a black flak jacket - the kind that Jounin wore. Was this that child?

"I am Ijitome. You?"

I considered myself good with children, in spite of, or maybe even because of, all the ones I had murdered over the years. They were simple - succinct and to the point, and they reacted well to positive energy. In my work for the Yakuza I'd had to console many a child over the death of a parent, only to kill them after they'd calmed - it was simply to cruel to murder them while they were so distraught. Everyone deserved a bit of peace.

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[☆ HYP ☆]

With lightning-like speed and a fluidity unbecoming of lesser men, the stranger seized the flailing leg of the young Hazuki, sparing the quarrel that might have resulted had the newcomer been marred with such a reckless appendage.

Though he had not been looking for it, the stranger's lightning fast reflexes would nonetheless go unnoticed by the Hozuki, whose leg had gathered the proper momentum for the kick to be somewhat significant. "Wow!" Only when contact was achieved had the boy realized what had transpired.

He intended harm to no one, merely “drunk” on the potency of his hyperactivity. As a result, he was truly unaware. Unaware of the female, and now of the man's hands; however, such was not the case in the battlefield!

Alas, the child, recently returning from a tour, was simply suffering from a deficiency in normality, a disequilibrium he was fast to work at undoing. In a rare moment he'd remain still for more than a few minutes, as if then contact the stranger made on his jelly frame had somehow pacified everything aspect of his active body. “Ehh-Geee-Toe-Meee...”

Her name was playfully mouthed in a most innocent way as he took in her introduction openly, smiling at the pretty girl while suddenly not minding his momentary imprisonment. And then, just when the peace seemed to have finally settled in, an unfortunately familiar energy came to the child once more. “Wanna see something cool!?” His voice, high-pitched and happy, sought the attention of the scantly clad kunoichi.

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