Silence (Open)

[jinnosuke]

The street was mostly quiet, all considering it was getting rather late. It seemed like everyone was heading to their homes and back to their families. Though not all apparently, as there was a young woman making her way quietly down the main street. Her pure white hair gently waving in the breeze as she took her nightly walk; she found it calming, no one around to bother her for anything stupid... Like directions or 'small talk'. Slowly making her way along she heard something, like someone taking a large step forward. Choosing to ignore this, Yuuki felt someone grab her arm and pull her away into a dingy side-street. Only moments later she would be surrounded by a trio of older men, not shinobi by the looks of things, they way the 'leader' was holding that knife to her throat seemed untrained. The moment of surprise was already gone, these men had already chosen the wrong 'victim'.

Despite the fact she was unarmed, it seemed like she wasn't particularly  worried with the situation. "Scream and I'll off you right here" this seemed to be the 'leader'. "Are you new to this?.. You're shaking" Yuuki would state rather nonchalantly, only to have the cold steel pressed a little harder against her neck, not quite breaking the skin. "Shut up bitch! " the three seemed confused, making quite. A bit of noise most probably attracting attention, this was supposed to be an easy job, their benefactor only wanted one girl apparently defenseless girl after all, how hard could it be? They weren't supposed to injure her, so he was going to have to be careful with what he did from here on in...

[sesshi]

It had become incredibly quiet in the Kirigakure streets by now. The sun was starting to set and the streets flowed empty. Everyone made their way back home to enjoy dinner and sit down with their families; Apart from this one, formidable sized boy. Sesshi had no idea the weeding mission would turn out to get as late as it did, thus he made his way towards the cafe to get himself a couple of pork chops before going home. There was no way he was going to get there before dinnertime, anyway. The streets had looked empty so far, silent and empty. But a loud noise from an alleyway, catching Sesshi's attention, once again proved that looks can be quite deceiving.

"Shut up bitch!"

Sesshi's yellow shark-eyes slid towards a side-street to his left, only to notice 3 older men threatening a girl, 17 or 18 years old by the looks of it. White. White was the best way to describe her. Her bright dress was an absolute eyecatcher and her porcelain skin exceptionally pale, unhealthily pale. But despite her ill appearance, the girl beamed of a certain vitality and showed no fear whatsoever. The 3 men appeared weak, appeared nervous. They were definitely not shinobi, or even proper thugs for that matter. The young lady however definitely had an ace up her sleeve. She could unmistakably be recognized as a ninja.

"You 3 rats have quite the nerve to challenge an actual shinobi like that". Sesshi entered the fray by setting foot into the alleyway. Despite planning to let the girl do whatever she was planning, his right hand moved up and grabbed the handle of his large mallet; Just in case. If there would be any combat, something he silently hoped for, he would be the first to hammer the thugs into submission. He grinned widely, revealing his sharp teeth, and nodded casually towards what appeared to be the leader of the trio. "You should pull that thing off her throat, if you know what's best for you"

[Shinryu]

It was a late night, but not an unpleasant one. The moon was full as I returned; my smile sallow as the moonbeams above lit my path. The streets of Kirigakure were simply such interesting places after dark. Such vile skullduggery and intrigue always seemed to be waiting around the corners. My steps were practiced; silent footfalls on a damp, soggy earth that led me down that particular alley. An alley that changed my young life.

I bore a grin as wide as a cheshire cat as I saw the scene unfold before me. Three men accosting a young woman, the frail thing with a knive wedged against her throat. I smirked. She was pale, but not afraid, and I recognized her as one of the kunoichi whom I'd graduated the academy with. A true ninja at heart, and even though she'd been forced into such a situation, I could tell she knew at least six ways she could physically end all three men around her without breaking so much as a sweat. I struck up a chord as my deep voice pierced the now silent scene and betrayed my feminine face for my true self; there stood a man to my right, with a mallet in hand, ready to fight, but I knew this wasn't needed.

"Now, now... gentlemen. Surely you wouldn't dare try to accost or attack a trained kunoichi?" I nodded briefly tot the other gentleman. "Put your mallet down, friend, she more than has things under her control. I'm sure our appearance has provided ample distraction."

I cracked my knuckles, however, and eyed the would-be rapists darkly. "However, you fine gentlemen are in for slow, painful deaths. You planned to rape this woman, didn't you? I personally find rape appaling, no matter whom the victim, and feel that those who facilitate the crime deserve the same punishment.

I smiled evily as I betrayed the truth of my plan. After all, I had no attraction to men.

"Only where you drunken fools would stick your unwashed selves, I will ravage with serrated steel. I drove the point home by withdrawing my katar and holding its glimmering blade in the moonlight, emphasizing the serrated tips. The eyes of the most dangerous assailant bulged as he was threatened, the knife shaking in his hand as he held it to the kunoichi's throat. My smirk became a malice filled grin as I stared him down.

And if you murder her, then I will make sure I cut you ten thousand times over, none of the wounds fatal of course, so that while you writhe in the dirt with my katar wedged inside your bowels, the only thing you'll be able to feel is the pain and shame you've brought upon yourselves. However, if you drop your weapons and plea for my mercy, I might be convinced to make your deaths quick and... relatively painless..."

I finished my drawl with calculated menace, appearing every bit the judge I was. If they were remorseful, I might spare them some of my harsher punishments, but I had no plans of letting this criminal filth survive the night. I held no care for any families who would miss them. Their crimes were unforgivable, and they would face my wrath, however I chose to dispense it.

[jinnosuke]

The men looked to the side… two shinobi, by the looks of things, had appeared out of nowhere, and they seemed to have the idea that this girl was also a ninja. That wasn’t right, it couldn’t be right! She looked so helpless, she didn’t have a weapon on her at all. The leader pushed the knife further for a moment, the sharp blade causing a small wound, enough to draw blood but not enough to be fatal. ”Don’t move! I’ll kill her I swear it!” he called out, though he seemed to be losing what little nerve he had for the whole ordeal anyway. Looking around frantically he looked to his partners, who seemed just as scared as he was. All the while, Yuuki seemed perfectly collected and calm… Had they been measuring her heartbeat, it wouldn’t have risen at all. As the tall man drew his weapon, their grips loosened, he seemed like a true threat rather than a weak looking unarmed shinobi… but how wrong they were.

The moment that the blade had moved from her neck, the young woman quickly began her escape, pulling loose of the men’s grip, quickly lifting a knee up to her chest and kicking the first man to the opposite side of the alleyway. Startled, the other two men fumbled for their weapons, but it was far too late for that. The young woman’s true nature was revealed as two sharp looking bone staves grew from her palms, like some kind of demon she stepped to the left and with a single thrust pierced the man’s gut, a pained scream followed before being silenced by a second strike, to the left of his chest. When the bloodied bone was withdrawn, she was already on the move for the final thug, without a hint of emotion on her face; she cut him down as quickly as his comrade… When she was finished she turned to the leader and walked up to him slowly. ”G-get away from me! DEMON!” Without a word she pointed the unnatural weapon at his throat and repaid him the cut he had given her. ”Go back to your master… Tell him I will not be captured so easily… Go, now” she ordered. And without a moment’s hesitation the man got up and scarpered. Letting the odd weapons detach from her hands she turned to the other two shinobi.

”Thank you for your help… But it wasn’t nessecary” Her words seemed to be quite true, she had managed to handle herself quite well considering she had been jumped like that. Of course, had these been shinobi it would have been a whole different story.

[sesshi]

It amused Sesshi to see the young girl manipulate her bone structure and dance through her attackers, killing the first two in the process and threatening the last one. At the same time, he felt a slight disappointment Tightly grasping his beloved mallet, regardless of the advice of the somewhat feminine boy who entered the fray shortly after himself, the shark-boy had hoped to jump in and take his share of violence. But it looked like the girl had hogged up all the action, slaying her attackers in the blink of an eye and finishing the fight before it even properly started. Letting out an exited and impressed chuckle, Sesshi took a couple of steps forward and briefly poked one of the corpses. Blood squirted out of a gaping hole in its chest as it rocked back and forth. This guy was as dead as he could be.

"I never doubted you were capable of dealing with this lowlife". Sesshi walked up to the second corpse and poked it in a similar fashion. Having suffered less messy injuries than his comrade, namely only a couple of cuts in vital spots, the second mans body showed less of a bloody spectacle upon being jabbed with the mallet. He was equally dead, nonetheless. Gesturing at the two corpses, and gesturing at the pale skeleton girl, Sesshi continued. "But this, I didn't expect. Why did you let the third guy go? A bone in the gut would've served him right!"

[Shinryu]

”Thank you for your help… But it wasn’t nessecary”

I nodded, having known all along she was capable of handling herself. I'd just hoped to inflict a bit of terror, and perhaps punish the puny malfeasants as I saw fit. I was a bit disheartened as she let the third go, but as she mentioned a master, my eyebrow raised and furrowed slightly. I was somewhat intrigued at the possibilities that this former acquaintance had brought up.

"Oh, I'm aware. I simply sought some amusement. Aside from the scenery, the nights here can be somewhat... boring. I'm sure you know what I mean." I said casually. I wouldn't lie, the alabaster girl was attractive, for all of her lethality, but I wouldn't betray my conscience to my hormones. I had more self-control than that... at least when I wasn't shedding blood, anyway.

"If I wasn't able to read people so well, I'd probably be socially awkward enough to use a cheesy pick-up line to make your acquaintance, but frankly something about you tells me you really don't give a damn about me, or daggermouth, so I'll spare you the pleasantries and get to the point. You said they had a master. Someone you know?"

I narrowed my eyes at the thought of trailing the fool who ran off. He'd likely be leaving a blood-trail, which sharky could follow, provided his olfactory senses were anything like one would suppose a mutant half-breed sharkman to possess. I gestured non-chalantly. "I don't know about you, but I'm bored, and I'm willing to bet our fish-skinned friend here can track that fool back to his master, that is, if you want to put an end to him. I don't much care what happens, to be honest, but I won't lie, I'd love the opportunity to punish a crimelord and his cronies. You could say I have a bit of a... justice fetish." I said, a familiar smirk gracing my feminine features.

Feeling it only appropriate, I decided to offer my name, and a hand to shake, which I doubted she'd take, but an offer of camraderie, nonetheless. "Yukina Shinryu. I think I remember you from the academy, but it's been some time. Sorry to admit it, but I've forgotten your name."

[jinnosuke]

Yuuki glanced at the two she had addressed. By the looks on their faces she could tell that they hadn't worried about her well being at all. Rather, they looked disappointed that they hadn't got a chance to play hero... Or maybe they didn't get to shed any blood. Either way, she felt that it was pathetic. Loss of life wasn't something to wish for, nor was the aspiration to be a hero. With a generally neutral expression she heard them ask about the 'master' she had been talking about.  It seemed the Yukina was a bit more intelligent than the Hoshigake... But really she wasn't going to comment.

"He wants me to pay off my families debt. He doesn't even care that they are already dead" despite the grim news, there wasn't a flicker of emotion shown as she explained who this 'master' was, there were only a few guesses as to why he'd want her to pay that debt off. "Those were just some hired thugs, he doesn't care what happens to them, I doubt he even cared  enough to tell them I was a shinobi" the point she was trying to get to was this wasn't a man to screw with, he was cold, calculating and he had no empathy for human life whatsoever.

While apparently she was supposed to remember this man, she wasn't even sure she knew him when he named himself. Crossing her arms over her chest she looked to the pair. "I'm Yuuki..." after seeing her abilities before, they probably wouldn't need a surname. "While I'm sure you think you could dispense your own justice... Shinryu. Better men than you have tried and failed. They all end up dead." it wasn't supposed to be an insult, it was simply how she saw it.

[sesshi]

Sesshi stood by the second corpse as he listened how the pale girl explained her situation. She was a Kaguya, apparently, who was capable of morphing her bones into the most deadly weapons. Many times had he heard of this infamous clan, feared for their excellence at melee combat just like his. This was the first time he actually met one, however. Let alone see one in action. The intense contrast between her strength and fragile appearance was intriguing and Sesshi's disappointment for not being able to take part in the fight was quickly replaced with a healthy dose of fascination.

By the time both Sesshi's fellow "hero", apparently named Yukina Shinryu, and the girl, Kaguya Yuuki, had introduced themselves however, the shark-boy began tool feel left behind in the whole conversation. In addition, his plain and direct Hoshigake language and manners made him feel like a barbarian in comparison to the two older and apparently more intelligent shinobi. Cleaning his throat and taking a large step forward, the Genin did his best to introduce himself as civilized as possible. "Hoshigake Sesshi, I am pleased to make your acquaintance"

By the looks of things, Shinryu was as eager to pursue the attackers as Sesshi himself, despite longing to do so for justice rather than a brawl. For this reason, the Hoshigake instantly took a liking in the somewhat feminine boy, figuring they, despite being complete opposites in speech and manners, complimented eachother nicely on this one. Sesshi grinned manically while picturing the hunt, almost tasting the action. To his surprise however, it was the very girl who was attacked that seemed reluctant to track the criminals down. "While I'm sure you think you could dispense your own justice... Shinryu. Better men than you have tried and failed. They all end up dead.". She was not joking, she was not scared. The girl was dead serious.

"How can you say that if you don't know how good men we are, Yuuki?", Sesshi protested as he made an eccentric gesture to Shinryu and himself. "Since you haven't seen us face the thugs just now, the extent of our power might surprise you, like your Kekkai Genkai did to us. There is three of us now and, as the saying goes, safety in numbers. Besides, this might be an unique chance to find your enemy and launch a surprise attack! You should seize this opportunity now you have the chance!". Sesshi paused for a moment and thought about Yuuki's words again. Though he found it hard to admit, they did stir up some fear and doubt. "Besides, if he really is that dangerous and powerful, the village council would have dealt with him already, wouldn't they?"

[Shinryu]

"While I'm sure you think you could dispense your own justice... Shinryu. Better men than you have tried and failed. They all end up dead."

I quirked an eyebrow... Yuuki... this one had never been much for comedy... something about her eyes told me that this girl was nothing but serious in her statement. I bit my lip silently, cursing my own ineptitudes. He was a ninja, then? And probably a strong one, probably well beyond my current strength... That angered me. It always made me angry when justice went undone. Just then, fish-face barged in.

"Since you haven't seen us face the thugs just now, the extent of our power might surprise you, like your Kekkai Genkai did to us. There is three of us now and, as the saying goes, safety in numbers. Besides, this might be an unique chance to find your enemy and launch a surprise attack! You should seize this opportunity now you have the chance!"

I rolled my eyes. Such naivety. The chances of us successfully defeating such an opponent as but three genin were slim, even with our combined power. All it would take would be a significant numbers advantage or a slight advantage in tactical awareness, and we would all be dead. While it was true that making a sneak attack would be a good thing, Yuuki's enemy might well be expecting such an attack, and preparing an ambush. Why this man would send mere civilian criminals if they knew she was a ninja puzzled me, but something stunk of this being far more planned out than it had appeared.

"Besides, if he really is that dangerous and powerful, the village council would have dealt with him already, wouldn't they?"

"That seems a foolish assumption to make. The yakuza regularly bother the citizenry regularly, but our victories over them are only for show. Why? Because there's more money to be made that way. The village sends pawns to take down pawns, and everyone applauds our efforts, meanwhile deals are brokered behind closed doors, and profit margins increase, while the Yakuza peddle their drugs and strong-arm the community."

The yakuza had been a problem in the shadows, causing minimal havoc, but raking in money. Ninja had been dispensed to deal with them before, but it was a problem that was never fully dealt with. I'd figured out why some time ago... I was just far too weak to do anything about it, presently. However, I brought up the more direct consequences of this problem.


"What makes you believe that the Council and/or the Mizukage haven't made a deal with someone for profit's sake? And who's to say they haven't been given ninja for protection? This city is far too corrupt..."

One day it wouldn't be... one day I'd wipe the scum from the streets and kill any punk who got in my way... I'd send them all to their doom, and make them pay for what they'd done... But that was for another day. Right now, I would address the two and explain my reasoning.

"I just assumed the man in question was low-ranking, after sending inexperienced dolts to hunt a ninja, but it would appear instead that such a tactic was part of the plan? Either that, or he doesn't much care to waste assets hunting you, as he believes you'll eventually either slip up, or come to him."

I sighed in futility. There would be no justice for this place for some time, yet. Maybe once plans were set in motion...

"Well, it's been fun meeting you two, but I have other places to be... Anyway, I'll see you around. Who knows, maybe once I'm stronger, I can help you with this problem of yours... I daresay Mizugakure could use a good culling of its criminal population."

And with that, I turned and left the two. It had been nice catching up with Yuuki, in a sense. I might have myself a future ally in her. Then again that seemed unlikely, given her cold attitude. But whatever the case, I would have to hurry along. I did indeed have places to be...

[&&_-Exit]

[jinnosuke]

Yuuki looked the Hoshigake with disdain… she thought she had been quite clear with what she had said. ”Listen to him… If you cross this man, he will kill EVERYONE important to you. Then, he’ll come after you, if he doesn’t get you first.” She seemed to be quite adamant about this, because she knew she didn’t have to gauge either of them on their level of skill, even if they were jounin she wouldn’t really like their chances trying to take out this crime lord… As long as she just stayed a little loose end it’d be fine, fighting back was not an option, not for her.

Seeing Shinryu leave, the girl didn’t exactly seem to care all too much, it wasn’t like he had done anything to help her. In fact all he had done was make himself a potential target by speaking up like he did. That man would remember everything that had happened; he wasn’t stupid enough to forget really. Well maybe that was going a little far, sometimes stupidity could have no bounds. But it was also beside the point. For now, she just wanted to get home and maybe have a nice bath; she had nothing left to do here, someone would clean up her mess in the morning she was sure.

”Anyway… just… lay low for a while. It’s for the best. I must be going” And with that, the pale girl would slowly move past him, giving a final glance with those piercing green eyes before moving out of the alleyway and back onto the main street, sticking to the dim lights that lit the way, until she was safely in her family’s home, despite it only housed her now, she couldn’t leave… Not now anyway.

-Exit-

[sesshi]

The girl looked at Sesshi for one last time as she walked past him, into the main street. Her green eyes were memorable and had something unearthly calm over them; Surprisingly calm once you were aware of her current situation. Life must be incredibly hard as a target of the yakuza.

In the end, it seemed like Shinryu and Sesshi were not as alike as he initially thought. Sesshi being confident in his abilities and casting aside any possible risk, Shinryu expressing his doubt on both their ability to face this crime lord as well as the reliability of the village council. It looked like Yuuki choose Shinryu's side on this one, claiming crossing this criminal would be plain suicide and bear risks for his friends and family. Having seen the Kaguya in action, Sesshi admitted, proud as he was, that he was not likely to be much stronger than the girl. Therefor, he took the skeleton kunoichi's word on this one and put his mallet back on his back. There would be no fighting this evening - Or any more action for that matter, but Sesshi swore to himself this would not be the end of things. He refused to accept there might be a problem he could not solve. Even if he lacked strength in his current state, he had yet to reach the peak of his power and would be capable of much greater feats in the future. He smirked and let out a short and confident snicker before moving back into the black of the streets, finally heading home.

They would meet again, sometime. That one day, he would help the poor girl out...

[Exit]