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My knock at the door had been promptly answered by Reiko, who took notice of the carriage in the background and thanked me for completing my task. Done delivering the bed sheets I had set out to obtain, I would have to make haste should I desire to end the mission by today. To add on to the haste, the afternoon was ending, and the moon would take over the sky soon enough. We'd be off to the orphanage ASAP, to pick up the children and deliver them to their new home, but not before I unloaded all the countless sheets in the back of my- Then suddenly, a breakthrough! The daimyo's carriage had arrived, parking itself right behind my own. Within it, a small group of helpers and moving men.

"Right-o! Let's go, Snow Pea. Your carriage awaits you." I smiled, hoping a child her age would still appreciate the sight of those beautiful creatures known as horses. Standing against the wall, gesturing for her to exit through the open front door, I followed. As we headed out, I jogged towards the daimyo assistants awaiting us at the side of the street. Their carriage was far bigger than mine, and was pulled long by- not two horses- but four! Each of them adorned with expensive cloths that held the insignia for Kumogakure. "Hey fellas-" I began, slowing my jog until I stopped right beside their large carriage. "Can you unload the sheets and supplies in my carriage, please? I'll be taking yours, if I may. Send the daimyo my regards, huh?"

With a charming smirk, I spun around to face Yukiko. "C'mon kiddo," I continued, picking her up easily as I placed her on the front bench of the carriage, on the passenger's side. "Now, you just hold on firmly to the sidebars, okay? It's gonna be a bumpy ride, but we're bound to make it to the kids before the sun falls." With that, I briskly jogged to the opposite side of the carriage, taking notice of its sheer size, and hopped up onto the driver's side of the front bench. Taking the reins, it was time to go! A whip- not harmful to the horses, mind you- and we started to move, the trot of hooves beginning its rhythmic song.

I gauged the expression on my little sister's face as the carriage took us quickly through the streets of Kami no Shima. I bet she hadn't known that I could drive a horse-drawn carriage! But that was part of the experience in taking missions together- each time we grew a little closer, learned something new about each other. Her silly behavior and often optimistic attitude only made me more positive and optimistic in the long run. It was something as golden as all the treasures on Earth, something I wouldn't trade for anything in this world or the next. "So kiddo," I started, turning my attention to the street ahead of us as we hurried along to escort the orphaned children. "How'd it go while I was gone? I hope you had at least a little bit of fun, ha ha."

+25! @ Sohyo
+25! @ Ruth
+16! @ Spade

A storm of trampling hooves- going faster and faster- terrorized the stone-cobbled streets of Kami no Shima as I guided the horse-drawn carriage onwards towards the old orphanage. I was rushing to meet the deadline, to get this move done with so I could help the head mistress in any other goals she wished to achieve. My job here wouldn't be done until the orphaned kids and their guardians had successfully moved into their new establishment with all the supplies adequate enough to meet their needs. By now, I figured we were halfway done.

The horses whined and reared their heads as I whipped lightly on the reins, wondering in the meantime how Yukiko was faring with her own mission. Good, I hoped. For I would be there soon, ready to help them pack up the last of anything they had managed to miss. Then after that, escorting the carriage that was bound to arrive there later this afternoon. The carriages that would take the kids safely towards their new home.

Passing countless establishments and apartment complexes, I made sure not to frighten or get into any close calls with any of the pedestrians nearby. Two horses pulling along a carriage with as heavy a load as mine was dangerous enough to hurt- or possibly even kill- someone. I needed to be careful driving it, despite my haste. Years before, during my youth as a soldier of Kumogakure, this type of driving had become common and useful. Now, on rare occasions like this, I needed to put that past and often missed carriage-driving experience to use.

Then finally! I reached the old orphanage. Parking the carriage in front of the old black gate, I hopped off and tied the reins firmly to a black bar sticking out of the concrete near the property. With the horses, the carriage, and its contents, in place, I advanced quickly towards the old orphanage door. It was locked, just as I had left it before leaving it, so I knocked. Tap, tap, tap. "Yukiko? Miss Reiko? I'm back with the sheets- it's Atlas." Then I awaited an answer, hoping to help them with whatever they needed next. Had the kids been gathered, the boxes packed? These were all things I'd find out soon enough.

So she was a Genin- a medical ninja, at that. Rather impressive, to say the least. Although, to be fair, any and all array of medical techniques managed to amaze me- considering the fact that I knew very little about them and have always, unfortunately, been at the receiving end of such practices. And, although she was practically a stranger to me, this new tidbit of information managed to spawn within me a newfound respect for Blanche. Medical ninja. Life-savers. Even Mal, being the annoying prick he often proved to be, had managed to gain my trust and regard through his various medical exploits in our squad. His specialty.

I’m going to be the best, though... one day I will. Hopeful, a goal set in mind. I liked that, it was relatable. Little to my surprise, Chaima agreed. "That's the spirit, love." She grinned, tugging her prized Kusagakure arm candy along. I sniggered, turning my gaze to the destination ahead- towards the Flying Dice. Almost there, almost to the exuberant and naughty paradise we had all learned to respect and love. But the guys? Nowhere in sight. I'd been expecting that. Probably off somewhere hazing each other, which meant- if I made a beeline to the bar with Chaima and Blanche- I wouldn't have to pay for three extra drinks.

As we walked, nearly at the entrance of our destination, our guest would voice a question. What brought us here? Well, pretty much what brought everyone else here. The lights, the fun, the excitement. But, of course, my female friend had a much more articulate manner of explaining it, so I kept quiet as she did her thing, trying not to run into people as I kept an arm locked with Blanche. "The beer and the bitches!" She laughed, hurrying towards the entrance, forcing this linked chain to straighten into an oddly slanted line.

The crowd at the entrance was dense, drunks and party-goers sharing drink and conversation. The building itself, a nine-story masterpiece flooded with sparking and chic neon lights. The most prominent? Well, the one at the front that read "THE FLYING DICE", of course. Pushing ourselves through the crowd, we were forced to disband our linked arms, until finally we regrouped at the front lounge of a bustling and brightly-lit casino floor. "Young at Heart" played over the ambiance, laughter and the clinking of drinks an ever-present sound in the background. And, suddenly, we were approached by the three "numbskulls" we had lost earlier- the three remaining squad members.

"Ay-o! Look who arrived!"

"We've been waiting forever."

"Who's the gal?"

"Just a girl who lost her purse in this god-forsaken city. Name's Blanche- she's from Kusagakure." Chaima smirked, locking an arm with Blanche once more as if protecting a prized possession. "None of you lay a finger on her! Friendly or otherwise." To which the boys replied with snickers and murmured responses- She lost her purse here? Psssh. Probably being sold in the next city over by now, ha ha!

Finding it appropriate to do so, I introduced Blanche to the boys. I raised a single finger, half-heartedly pointing them out one by one. "Blanche, this is Mal," The muscular one with the shaved head. "Hei," Shaggy brown hair, a sleepy look in his eyes. "And Lucky." A constant smirk on his face, the pretty boy with blonde hair, blue eyes and expensive eye wear. "They're the rest of our squad." I informed. When we were done here, off to the bar afar for a well-needed drink.

Her name was Blanche. What an interesting name, I thought as I moved on through the crowd with Blanche and Chaima leading the way. Hei, Lucky and Mal were surely ahead, waiting for us at the entrance, if not already engrossed in a game of poker or blackjack. I could never depend on their patience out here in Kami no Shima, after all. Times spent here previously had attested to that fact. Here, they were incessant gamblers and fun-lovers. It was like asking a congregation of chimps to refrain from eating bananas for a moment. A seemingly hopeless endeavor. But sometimes I would find myself surprised. Keeping a good pace, I continued to follow the two women ahead of me.

"It's Chaima, my love." My bi-sexual companion replied to our 'guest', in a rather sultry manner of speaking. I only barely managed to hear their brief conversation over the roar of the crowd surrounding us, the ambiance of the city itself. And it was that shred of auditory capability that allowed me to hear Blanche's following question. I'd noticed her taking a peek at me before, curious it seemed. And this question only confirmed it. But to me, there wasn't anything to be alarmed about- yet. I was whole-heartedly expecting some sort of argument or grudge to surface sooner or later. But for now, Blanche seemed like a perfectly cool chick. Nothing out of the ordinary for a girl in her twenties.

"Not much to tell is there, At?" Chaima started, looking over her shoulder at me. "I was born and raised here. Just got my Chuunin title about a year ago, and now I'm in At's squad- with the rest of those Jounin numbskulls." She added, with a jokingly sullen look upon her face. "On the bright side, I'm pretty much set-up for a promotion within the year. At here, though... I've known the guy since I was promoted- and I could literally fit everything I know about him on a post-it note. Least he's not a stick in the mud, though!"

I sheepishly smiled, hands in my pockets, never missing a beat as I walked. "Well, uh... thanks, Chaima. You're not a 'stick in the mud' either." It was true, I'd known her since the day she attained her Chuunin rank, but not as close as I did now- with her as a part of my squad. I'd acted as a mentor to her, we'd become convenient friends, but our personal lives tended to be kept away from each other. She hadn't known I'd had a family until she joined my squad, for instance. And I hadn't known she was bi-sexual. But in terms of combat skills and tactics, we were practically each other's biographers.

Blanche locked an arm with me, unexpectedly. I cast her a slightly amused glance, a mixture of confusion in my eyes, paired beside that trademark smile. Acknowledging the fact that we were going to reach our destination soon enough, I shrugged off the notion of unlocking myself from this link. It made things a bit difficult, maneuvering through the thick crowd, but I didn't want to appear rude to our newfound guest. I just hoped Chaima wouldn't get possessive over her 'date'. I took a deep breath, a pleasant breath of cool air filling my lungs. "What about you?" I asked Blanche, turning my gaze back to the crowded street ahead of us- Dorothy, Scarecrow and I, the Lion.

"Anything interesting?"