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Team 9
Topic Started: Dec 16 2008, 05:33 AM (703 Views)
Des	Jan 31 2009, 11:09 AM Post #31
Normal Member Posts: 130 Group: Members Member #7 Joined: May 27, 2008	As Jin ran, he felt the presence of another closing in on him. He looked quickly to his left and noticed that Zara was running along side him. She saw that Shadow was unconscious and there was the scent of blood in the air, the source was apparently her back. "What happened to Shadow?!" Zara asked, concerned. "She got stung by one of those bees and went comatose as a result of the venom." He said quickly, purposely leaving out how exactly she was stung. "We need to obtain the honey of those bees to cure her, it's the only way. Have you located the hive?" "Ehh?! She got stung?!" Zara was almost in a state of shock. She was thinking that a ninja such as Shadow would have easily been able to avoid a bee. Something wasn't quite right. She shook her head and looked back at Jin, putting those thoughts out of mind. She would investigate later. "Yeah, I'm getting this strong sugary smell coming from this rock formation a bit north from here...but..." "But what?" Jin asked curiously. "Well from what I could see, there's an extremely large number of those bees up there." "Heh no problem. When we get there, I want you to take Shadow and get a good distance away from here. Oh, and do you have any type of vial or something to contain the honey?" "Sadly, I do not." Zara replied. "Well that changes things...guess we'll all just have to go in there." They continued running for a good distance before arriving at their destination. About 100 or so meters from them was a massive swarm of the vile insects. They were significantly larger than the one that had stung Shadow, so they had to be some sort of guard or soldier bees, not workers. Jin and Zara sat crouched in front of a broad tree, with Shadow propped up against it. Jin surveyed the area and noticed that behind the rocks that they could see, seemed to be a cave of some sort, most likely the hive itself. Hopefully the honey was not all that far in and they could just run and run out, but Zara suddenly said something that threw that idea right out of the window. "Jin, the scent from that black cloth...it's in there too like we thought. But....it's really feint. Must be pretty far in there." "Damn...that's great. Well at least that doesn't really affect my plan all that much." He said, scratching the back of his head. (What exactly is this plan of yours?) Shadow spoke to Jin within his mind. Don't worry about it. Just know that it'll work. (Why do I still feel uncomfortable though? I'm picking up something from you and I don't like it...) I'm sure you won't like it, but it has to be done. Jin looked behind the tree, still observing the swarm. They seemed to be following a set pattern. First the would go left for a few yards, then right, past the rocky entrance to the cave, come back to the center, and then disperse in every direction before returning back to the center and moving to the left again. Jin smiled and looked back at Zara. "Okay, take Shadow. We move when I say go. Follow as close as you can behind me and try not to breathe too much. Cover up Shadow's nose and mouth as well. You may also want to keep Tala in your shirt or something." "Err okay..." Zara pulled out the two pieces of black cloth in her ninja pouch and wrapped it around her and Shadow's faces. She then pulled her top a little ways away from her chest and let Tala hop inside of it. She picked up Shadow's limp body pulled her onto her back, locking her elbows around Shadow's knees which steadied her. Shadow's arms were then draped over her shoulders. "Now what?" "We wait..." They weren't sitting for very long when Jin noticed that the swarm was heading back to the right and was about to disperse at the center. "Now go! Remember follow close!" They two dashed out from behind the tree and headed straight toward the swarm of killer bees. Jin clasped his hands together and formed a series of quick seals, ending saying, "~Kaji Bunshin no Justu!~" and a giant cloud of white smoke enveloped them. Ten flaming clones of Jin then shot out the cloud. Two ran left, two right, four ran straight ahead into the heart of the swarm, and two hung back running alongside Jin and Zara. Their flaming bodies scorched the bees they encountered and cut a line for which Jin and Zara could safely run through, though the hive had been alerted and more bees began pouring out of the cave. Zara got a panicked look on her face but Jin only smirked, raising up his hands, forming the dragon seal. "Release!" In succession, eight of the ten clones exploded violently like bombs engulfing the field in flames and creates copious amounts of smoke, some of which flowed freely into the cave.The smoke disoriented and confused the bees greatly and they flew sporadically in every direction. Under the cover of the smoke, Jin, Zara, and the two remaining clones made a mad dash into the cave. The floor inside was quite sticky, making it slightly difficult to run. Jin pulled ahead of Zara and one of the clones pulled ahead of him, creating a sort of convoy line. Jin shouted to Zara. "Alright we're in! Where do we go from here?!" "Keep going straight! The cave seems to go straight back, so we just keep running!" She readjusted Shadow on her back continued running. She also started to hear a distinct buzzing. "Oh and Jin, we seem to have more friends up ahead." "Alright then. We'll need a bit of help then. ~Kaji Bunshin no Jutsu!~" Three new clones burst into existence and ran in front of Jin, burning a few bees that were still down the tunnel. As they moved, an unsettling feeling came over Jin and Zara noticed that Tala was shaking, and the buzzing seemed to be moving farther and ever deep back into the cave. They were apparently nearing the second item. "Jin, it's close..." Zara said in a low tone. "Yeah I know...I can feel it..." The group had arrived in an ovular shaped cavern with no ceiling or bees, so the sun was shining in brightly. On the rocky walls was the honeycomb, golden, sleek, and numerous. Zara began to sniff at each little compartment of honey, trying to pick up the scent of the black cloth, but she didn't find it in the room. She lowered Shadow against the wall, removed both of their respective cloths, and sighed. "Well at least we found the honey...How are we going to give it to her?" "Err...I have an idea, but I'm not sure how it would go." (My jaw is paralyzed you know. So I can't eat it.) I know, I know. "So what do we do?" Zara said while slowly inspecting one of the fire clones that was on guard at the entrance of the cavern. "Turn around." "What? Why?" "Just turn around." "I'm not going to unless you tell me why." (Yes Jin, do tell.) "I can't." "And why is that?" She placed one hand on her hip as one of the fire clones cut down two random worker bees. "It's...embarrassing..." He said with a slight blush. "Oh? You're not going to rape her or anything are you?" "Wh-whaat?! What the hell?! Where in the heck did you get that idea?!" "I dunno. You are a pervert and all." "I am not..." He said looking away. "Well do what you need to, I'm not going to stop you." She turned her back to Jin and laughed a little. "Ahh thanks..." Jin walked over to a half full pocket of honey near him and scooped up a small handful. It was warm...so very warm...and sticky. It smelled of exotic flowers and sugars, which had a bit of a soothing effect on Jin. He walked back over to Shadow and crouched down in front of her. He thought maybe he could just tilt her head back and drizzle the honey in, but it could get stuck and maybe choke her. So he had to do the other thing, which he really didn't want to do. Zara peered over her shoulder and looked back at Jin, raising her left eyebrow and smiling. Jin caught her looking at him and shot her a menacing look, which made her turn back around with a quickness, laughing to herself. "Do have fun!" she called over her shoulder. "Shut up..." Jin said almost to himself. He then looked from the honey in his right hand to Shadow's mouth, and gulped. (What are you planning?) You can be quiet too you know. Jin gulped again. He raised the honey his hand and slowly downed it, but did not swallow. It was very sweet, as honey should be. Then he leaned forward, gently parted Shadow's lip with his other hand and placed his mouth upon hers. He slowly pushed the honey from his mouth into hers as far as he could with his tongue, trying not to make contact with anything inside. He was greeted with alarming thoughts from Shadow. (What the hell do you think you're doing!) He ignored her and continued until he barely had any honey left in his mouth at all. Then he tilted her head slightly back and massaged her throat, causing the muscles in her throat to involuntarily swallow. He scooted backwards away from her, heart racing and breathing heavily. Never again, he thought. Never again. Though when she eventually comes to, he would probably be dead so it'd be inevitable. So how long does it take for you to regain movement and consciousness? (About five to ten minutes if I recall...but that's besides the point! I felt..that!) It was the only thing I could think of. Sorry. It's not like it was a kiss or anything. Felt pretty darn close if you ask me. Again, I apologize. He didn't get another response from Shadow until she began to awake. He noticed her eyes beginning to flutter, then suddenly her hand flew up and slapped him with a great amount of force. The sound of her hand meeting his cheek resounded all throughout the cave and Jin's fire clones flinched. Zara burst out laughing. "Don't EVER do THAT again." She said sternly. Jin just sat in silence, rubbing his sore cheek and Zara giggled girlishly. "Now, let's get on with the mission." She attempted to stand, but was unable to hold her own and nearly fell, but Jin caught her. "She looked at him, with the giant red hand print on his cheek and laughed. "Guess I'm still too weak to stand on my own." "Yeah I hadn't noticed." Jin said sarcastically. He turned to Zara. "Hey, go look for the item we're supposed to be getting. You said the scent of the cloth is in or around here somewhere right?" "Yeah I think it's a little farther in." She said, sniffing the air. "Well then, take two of the clones and try and find it. Send one back if you do." "Will do!" She said excitedly. "C'mon boys." She motioned to two of the clones that were just standing around, inspecting the honeycomb and they ran over. "Let's go." She went down to the far end of the ovular area, and disappeared into the darkness. Though the two fire clones could easily be seen as two bouncing orange specks. After they had gone, Jin and Shadow were again alone with each other. They had both sat down and leaned against a portion of the wall that wasn't covered in honey.They sat in silence, as they did before for a bit before one of them started speaking, and it was Jin who was first to speak."So I get no 'Thank you' or 'Thanks' or 'I appreciate what you did' kinda thing?" "Well I could say any one of those things but I'm still slightly aggravated by what you did." "I said I had no choice. It was necessary." Jin pleaded. "Indeed it was, but I'm still aggravated." Shadow said, turning her head away from Jin, who in turn sighed. "Anyway I could perhaps earn your forgiveness?" "Oh...you could become my slave, obeying any and everything I tell you to do." "Umm yeah, I think I'll pass on that." He laughed a little. "I'm just glad we got here in one piece. Didn't take all that long either." "Mhmm, we're making great time I think. I hope that Zara finds the next item alright." "Me too..." He said turning to look down into the darkness Zara disappeared into. ----- Zara walked in silence beside the two fire clones, though they were far away enough so not to singe her. She decided to break the silence out of sheer boredom. "I take it you two don't talk much?" "Mehh more or less. Don't see the reason in it." The clone on her left replied. "Speak for yourself. I don't want to talk because I'm anti-social. I mean my whole reason for existence is too explode." Said the clone on her right. "This is true." Zara said. Zara sniffed the air again and realized that they were very close to the objective, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was going to be dangerous up ahead. "Hey, anti-social clone, go check out what's up there." "Fehh...whatever." He sighed and ran ahead. The other clone and Zara remained behind. They waited a few moments, and then heard a violent explosion and a high pitched screeching sound of an insect. Zara took a step back, turned around, and ran back as fast as she could back to Shadow's and Jin's location. When she arrived, Shadow and Jin were already standing. Jin walked forward and saw that the remaining clone was coming up right behind her. His face was serious. He had obtained the information that his clone had recorded before it was dispelled and looked concerned. "I saw something, and that something was huge. Behind it though, I swear I could see that black cloth on a stick in a pile of what looked like crystals of honey." "Must be royal jelly." Shadow said. "It's a special mix of honey specifically for the queen and future queens of the hive to eat. I'm assuming we have to get one of them." "If that's the case, why not just have Jin create a few more clones, have them charge in, and try to get them to swipe one or two?" Zara asked. "Well for one, they'd probably end up melting the things and two, I'm low on chakra. It takes much more chakra to detonate the clones than to actually have the dispel on their own. If you don't remember, I detonated eight. We've only got these four left. Which isn't really the least of our troubles either. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of bees in that room, including the queen." "I've got an idea then. We could send in each clone one at a time, detonate them, creating a series of smokescreens, then retrieve a crystal from the pile." "That sounds plausible." Zara said. "Well we really don't have much of a choice here so let's try it. Shadow are you well enough to run and fight?" "I seem to be. I am standing on my own right now if you hadn't noticed." "Well good, let's move out then." Jin said, while motioning for his remaining clones gather up. They proceeded down the dark tunnel together, all four clones at the head while Jin, Zara, and Shadow brought up the rear. "I hope this ends well..." Zara said to herself. This should be fun. Jin thought. (That it should.) Shadow replied. --- They group neared the entrance to the queen's chamber and as they drew closer, the noise of the insects grew almost deafening. They could no longer communicate verbally so the resorted to using hand signals instead. Though they only had to do this with Zara, as she could not communicate telepathically. This noise is almost maddening. Jin thought. (Yeah I know what you mean. I never knew insects could create this much noise. Must really be bad for Tala's sensitive ears.) Indeed... They all suddenly stopped. They were a few yards away from the entrance of the queen's chamber. It took lacked a ceiling and one could see inside of it. The queen was large and grotesque. It had menacing mandibles that were larger than its own head and bulging pale green eyes. It lacked wings and resembled more of a giant grub since its legs were nowhere to be seen. It was shiny white, with yellow and black stripes going down the length its ugly form. At the end of it's abdomen were eggs, thousands of eggs in a gooey white mass. Then near her head was the honey that Jin's company sought. They reminded him of giant sugar crystals, but golden. They were about the size of half an apple. As the group looked in, the queen had spotted them and made an ear shattering racket that sent the room into chaos. Bees poured into the tunnel and Jin was forced to detonate one of the clones to create a shield to hide under. Jin, Zara, and Shadow each pulled out a kunai and began slashing at and cutting down any bees that had gotten through. The smoke began to dissipate and the swarm was again upon them. At this point they were inside the chamber of the queen, dodging her snaps at them while still trying to dodge and kill the deadly bees whose stingers would be the end of them. Jin again detonated another clone, this one was in close proximity to the queen and it blew a hole in her side, which spewed a green liquid-like substance. It cried out in another high pitched scream, curled up and ceased to move. The explosion also set the bundle of eggs a flame. With the amount of smoke that was present, it was difficult to see what exactly was going on but somehow Shadow had laid her hand upon one of the crystals and also the black cloth near it. She grabbed Jin's shoulder and flashed him the two items. He nodded, found Zara and gave her the signal to escape. The smoke clearing, the bees realized what had happened to their queen and went berserk. They flew at great speeds behind the group and the two remaining clones in a great black and gold colored cloud. When the reached the first ovular chamber, another cloud poured in through the ceiling as they ran under it. Jin turned around and turned to Zara shouting at her. "Toss one of my clones into the air!" "What?! Why?!" Zara said confused. "Just do it!" Zara obeyed and allowed one of the clones to step off her hands and leap into the air. "Release!" The clone exploded and forced the swarms to disperse into a confused heap. With all of the explosions however, the cave had grown weak and the last explosion started a cave-in. Boulders from the ceiling and walls came tumbling down everywhere. Some crushed a good deal of the swarm and some came close to crushing Jin, Shadow, and Zara. They were all running at top speed with rocks falling all around and deadly bees at their backs. "Look we're almost out!" Shadow shouted while pointing towards the exit. They made one final dash and threw themselves out of the cave. In mid-air, Jin turned around and looked back at the cave while forming the dragon hand seal. "Release!" The clone having lagged behind to fight off a few bees detonated at the entrance of the cave and closed off the entrance, trapping the bees inside. Outside, the trio were gasping for breath on the ground in the morning light. Jin rolled over to face Shadow, panting. "See! Done before evening!" He then passed out, having exhausted almost all of his chakra. Zara and Shadow laughed and looked up at the sky, still breathing heavily. They then decided to pick up Jin and move him to a safer location since they couldn't be too sure that all of the bees had died within the cave. They found a shallow creek and decided to set up camp there. Jin was propped up against the base of a tree, napping, Zara was fishing, and Shadow sat in a tree branch just above Jin. She looked down at her hands and noticed that they were still clenched into fists, and slowly unclenched them. She had a sparkling crystal of royal jelly in one hand and a shred of the black cloth in the other. She sighed in relief and placed both in her pouch.
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Shadow Kazekashi	Feb 5 2009, 05:44 AM Post #32
Newbie Posts: 23 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: Dec 16, 2008	She glanced over at Zara fishing and sighed. Jin looked peaceful. His slumber was dreamless, probably due to his recent strange. It was good; he needed a break from his awful crippling dreams. And Shadow needed a break from his thoughts. She needed to sort things out. She had shielded him instantly. It was complete instinct. Regardless of the fact she had just been scolding him for his similar rash actions, she had put herself in harms way. She had a good feeling she knew how Jin felt, he wasn’t very good at hiding his thoughts. It would slip out every now and then, and she found herself felling flustered on occasion. Quickly she shook her head vigorously. It was something she couldn’t bother with. She and Jin were strictly professional. She was a problem and he would be the solution. She couldn’t think of a better way to go. She would be honored to end at his hand. Yet again she shook her head. She never intended him killing her to be anything more than business. Jin just felt right. He felt like the one. To end it, that is. Shadow jumped down angrily. Her mind was defiantly wandering to a dangerous place. She was glad Jin was asleep. Her foolish pondering would give him the wrong idea. She stood over him, almost glaring. If she hadn’t been able to read his mind, then she wouldn’t be in this mess. She would have said hi. She would have went back to the forest. He would have just gone on with life, with his psycho father and doting mother. He would have be a stranger, and insignificant stranger… A chill went down Shadow’s spine. Why am I so upset? Why do I feel like crying suddenly? Shadow stared harder at Jin, as if wanting to impale him with thoughts. He was the only person who ever made her feel like she existed. He shared things with her, his secrets. And he didn’t push her away. Jin was a good kid. A really good friend. Shadow crouched down to look Jin in the eye. He was such a good person. He had no idea what he was getting into. Something along the lines of a lion and a lamb. Jin’s eyes fluttered suddenly, and Shadow gasped. He was staring straight at her. (Were you… watching me sleep?) Jin asked, a bit freaked out. Shadow didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Her face was bright red and her heart stopped. She toppled over backwards. Jin sat up quickly, and Zara laughed loudly from the creek. Jin offered his hand to Shadow, but he ignored it, dusting herself off and climbing back into the tree. (Are you… embarrassed?) Jin asked. Shadow continued ignoring him, climbing higher up. Zara was beside Jin, very amused. “Shadow trying to kill you in your sleep?” Zara asked. “You brought this on yourself. Better sleep with both eyes open.” Zara giggled and Tala yelped at her heels. Shadow stayed up in the tree all night, trying hard to suppress her earlier thoughts. That morning, the three headed off. Zara had a feeling the last one would be much further. The scent wasn’t clear at all. It was very faint and masked by the strong sweet scent of royal honey. The three continued in silence. There was no room for error. No mess ups, no passing out, no other chance. As they traveled further, their hope began to drop. A whole day passed them, and Zara believed they weren’t even close. They would have a day to travel back, and they had made great time thus far, but it seemed more and more bleak. Nightfall came and there was still no sign. Reluctantly, Jin allowed Zara to scout ahead. Shadow and he were just too tired to go on. Shadow sat propped against a tree trunk, exhausted. (Talk to me.) Jin ordered. I don’t want to think about it. Shadow responded. You’ll get the wrong idea. (Try me.) Jin smirked. I was just thinking about you. How you make me so very angry sometimes. (Look, if it’s about the honey thing, I’m really sorry. I panicked. I didn’t see any other way to help…) It’s not just that! Why are you so upset? It’s not like I’m… I mean I… you… and before the bee stung me… and… She quickly tried to jumble her thoughts, so she wouldn’t recall her earlier emotions. You’re a odd kid Jin, really odd. And stubborn, and persistent, and I … Shadow stood up quickly. Zara is back! And She’s pissed off. (What is she thinking?) A crapload of slander and jumbled cuss words. Shadow answered. Sure enough Zara came out of the brush, and in her hand something white twitched frantically. She held it up for Jin and Shadow to see. “A rabbit!” She yelled a roar so loud that the land seemed to tremble. “That rat bastard tricked us! Does this look like a lizard to you! No! That scent was wrong. There’s no way we’ll be able to find it and get back tomorrow, there’s not enough time! How could I be so careless? Dammit!” She let out another pained yell, flinging the rabbit away from her. Shadow caught it gently, the poor creature’s heart beating like a drum. She cradled it softly, waiting for Zara to calm down. “it’s not your fault Zara. This is just another part of the mission we have to get through. We’ll regroup. We’ll all take solider pills to increase our stamina.” Jin tried to reason. “I only have one left and even still how far can it take us? We all have to find it and we all have to get back. That bastard won. He failed another class. Yay him.” Zara paced vigorously, trying to control her anger. “Jin, imma take the bunny back, okay?” Shadow asked calmly. Jin nodded and let Shadow off. Jin pondered their options. It did seem like they were soon to fail. “It doesn’t really make since, why would he give us the wrong scent just to throw us off? I guess on the line, you receive false information, but still I don’t think he would do that…” Jin trailed, remembering one flaw in the logic. From the brief time he had met his sensei, part of him could tell he was insane. “What a jerk.” Zara growled. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll…” “Wait a second, think about this. From the beginning, we have been collecting what we thought were regular items, but in actually they are all somehow really strange.” “AND!” “Well, anything out of the ordinary about where you found the rabbit? Any thing strange?” “I just kept following the faint scent and found that rabbit wandering. It’s scent matched perfectly. There is no doubt about it, that’s what he wanted us to find.” “Wait, you found one rabbit?” Jin asked. “Yes.” Zara seemed to get annoyed. “Just ONE?” Jin asked. “Isn’t that unusual. I mean, rabbits usually have lots and lots of babies, don’t they?” “I guess.” Zara started to think. “come to think of it, the rabbit wasn’t very old at all. It should definitely have a mama and some little siblings wandering around…” “You know what I’ve noticed all day?” Jin asked. “What?” “Not many animals at all. Even now the forest is silent. Shouldn’t some kind of creature be calling out?” “Yes…” Zara began to sniff the air quickly. “Know what else!” Jin surged up suddenly, looking in the area Shadow had run off to. “I noticed our sensei has a thing for abnormally large creatures.” He and Zara nodded at each other and began to dart off after Shadow. “Big bees…” “Big Falcons…” Zara mumbled. “And a big lizard.” Jin raced frantically. (Shadow) --- Hum? Shadow stopped running, the rabbit squirming in her arms. Jin? (Shadow! Quick, get back here. Zara and I figured out something terrible. That scent was totally relevant.) Eh? Shadow lifted the rabbit above her head. How could this little thing possibly… Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew, rustling Shadow and causing the rabbit to shiver. It desperately tried to escape her. (Shadow?) Jin asked, sensing Shadow’s tenseness. (Shadow, Tala is getting an awful feeling. She is barking about something coming…) Something is coming… Shadow tried to concentrate. Whatever the presence was, it was huge, and Tala and the rabbit knew what it was more than any of them. Jin, the rabbit is scared. Scared to death… Shadow put her head on the rabbit’s forehead gently. Show me what’s wrong… She asked softly, and activated her mind reading powers. Instantly the image of a large shadow erupting came into her mind. Shadow was startled and deactivated almost instantly. (What was that?) Jin gasped at the image. Jin, it’s close to us. Shadow seemed to panic slightly. (Shadow, stay where you are, we are coming.) No… it’s here… Shadow tried hard to concentrate. It’s… BELOW! Shadow jumped up suddenly just as the ground below her feet crumbled, a large beast erupting from it and letting out a crippling shriek. (what the hell was that?) Jin asked. “The lizard!” Shadow yelled in shock. It was huge. It’s face alone was larger than Jin. Was close to ten yards in length and could easily swallow Shadow. It eyed the rabbit in her arms, it’s mouth watering. “Damn!” Shadow tried to advance higher up the tree, but the lizard shot out its tongue like a whip, snapping the branch and sending Shadow tumbling into his mouth. “Jin!” She yelled. Jin and Zara appeared seconds later, awestruck. The were facing the back of the beast, dodging it’s wildly swinging tail. “Shadow! Shadow!” Jin cried. The beast turned it’s head suddenly, and Tala barked fiercely. Shadow was holding up the creature’s mighty jaw with all her strength, the rabbit trembling on her should. Blood steadily trickled down her arms from her upturned palms. “What took you so long?” She asked sarcastically. “I could use a little help here.” “Shadow! Don’t move!” Jin ordered. “Like I really have a choice in the matter.” She scoffed “How long can you hold this Shadow?” Zara asked breathlessly. “Erm…” Shadow did some mental math. “I’m gonna say sixty more seconds before the brute applies enough pressure to cut me in half.” She tried to lift her arms higher, but lost grip a bit. “Make that thirty.” She started to bend down slightly, struggling to keep up. “Jin…” Zara looked at Shadow intently. “I need one clone…” Jin nodded, creating one almost instantly. “Shadow, I need you to use all your strength, and open the mouth as wide as you can.” “Imma try.” Shadow’s voice began to quiver. She summoned all of her strength and held the jaw high above her head. Just as she did that, Zara gripped the clone by it’s feet, swinging it a few times and flinging it into the beast. “Detonate him! Now!” Jin obeyed, and the force of the explosion sent Shadow flying out of the lizards mouth. Jin jumped up and caught her quickly, and she clung to the rabbit as if her life depended on it. “You alright?” Jin asked. “Just a flesh wound.” Shadow wiped her palms on her pants. “We shouldn’t of let you go by yourself.” Zara seemed to apologize. “Hey, one of us had to get into an accident that ends up bringing us closer to the objective.” Shadow laughed. “Not that I don’t love reunions, but… JUMP!” Jin and Zara surged in the air just as the lizard swung around and slashed at them with its tongue. “Put me down Jin!” Shadow ordered, but Jin held fast to her. “JIN!” She tried to hit him, but they had to jump again as the lizard slashed and lashed with his tongue. As the lizard would smash one tree, they quickly relocated to another. "We will run out of trees soon..." Jin tried to stay calm. Beside him, Zara was gripping Tala tightly avoiding getting hit. "Jin..." Zara pointed towards the area behind the lizard. "We can jump on it's head and make it to the other side by running the length of it's tail. we have to be fast, or he'll lash us off..." She eyed Shadow in his arms. "Can I count on you to carry Shadow across safely?" She grinned, already knowing the answer. Jin wouldn't let go, no matter what. "I'm fine." Jin responded. "Wait!" Shadow opened her palm. " Zara, that last solider pill. Give it here." "Eh?" Zara looked confused. "Gonna use it?" "Something like that..." Shadow reached into her own pocket, taking out a pill she had used earlier. " Ya'll just need to be ready to run. Fast." Zara and Jin looked at each other, then nodded. (What are you planning?) Just trust me... Zara went first. She jumped high in the air and just as the lizard closed it's mouth, she scurried across the snout, sliding town the back and escaping as he flicked his tail, landing in a tree behind him. "Jin, when you jump, make sure it's when the snout is fully open." "What?!" Jin moaned. "are you gonna tell me what your up to?" "Jin, just trust me." Shadow pleaded. Jin sighed. "Alright, but I can't guarantee a smooth landing..." and with that, Jin bounded into the air and landed on the tip of the lizards snout. It snarled and lashed it's tongue, and just as it did Shadow dropped the two solider pills on it. "Eh!" Jin, startled by her actions, falls on his butt and slides down the length of the lizards back. As the reach the end of the tail, it flicks them, sending the two soaring into the tree. Jin hits the branches and slides to the base of the trunk. Shadow lands on a branch, doubled over her stomach, swinging. "What did you feed it those pills for!" Zara almost screeched. The lizard spun around quickly, it's entire body seemed to smoke and burn red. It eyed Jin and quickly slithered towards him. Suddenly, it's body sputtered and spazed. It jerked wildly, clearly in pain. "That's why." Shadow smirked. "Too much energy. It's like it's on a sugar rush. we don't have to tire him, he'll do it for us.We just need to steer clear of the meltdown." after saying that, Shadow proceeded to drop the bunny on top of Jin. "Take care of her. hold her like you held me." Jin blushed at the words, but clutched the rabbit tightly. "Alright big guy, what's the big idea?" Shadow scrambles quickly to the top of the tree and jumps back on the lizard's head. "Are you CRAZY!" Zara screams. "... Perhaps!" Shadow responds as she latches on to the lizards head with a kunai. "Calm down guy. Tell Shadow whats wrong..." She forced her forehead onto his as he jerked and moved wildly, trying to fling her off. "... I see. That is very unfortunate...oh really now... I see..." She scrunched her eyes tighter. "Now see it my way..." Jin could see the images flashing rapidly in Shadow's mind. Most of them were cloudy, may black and white, but every so often a few colors would erupt out of nowhere. Alot of read flashed in the lizard's mind. But gently, Shaodw began flashing images of her own, cool and blue. As she did, the lizard seemed to calm down until all jerking stopped. The beast submitted, like a trained dog. Zara and Jin looked in awe. "No way..." Zara gasped. (What... what did you do?) Well, in a way, you could say I spoke to him. Animals communicate different than humans. The have no language, just exchanges of emotions and such. In the mind, the exchange can often be associated in colors. Red for pain... (It... was in pain?) Jin asked. Yes... someone made it hungry. More hungry than ever before. Lizards don't usually try to eat rabbits, or humans for that matter. But someone made it so hungry that it couldn't stand itself... our sensei... (It makes sense, I suppose... but just what do we do now?) Well, I sent him some images. I told him if he could exhibit self control, I could take him to the man who could help him. he'll be good so long as we get him help for his hunger... She trailed, opening her eyes and looking into the darkness of night. "What now?" Zara asked, still astonished and unaware of Shadow's feat and just how much she'd uncovered. "I get the feeling... we've been observed this whole time..." Edited by Shadow Kazekashi, Feb 6 2009, 08:02 PM.
Des	Feb 8 2009, 10:37 PM Post #33
Normal Member Posts: 130 Group: Members Member #7 Joined: May 27, 2008	"And you wouldn't be that far from the truth!" A familiar voice called out from within the trees. "Sensei..." The three said at once in a dull tone. "Correct! See you back at the training ground! By the way...." he paused, "I'm thinking of maybe halving your remaining time so that gives you oh...a few hours to get back?" "You're joking right?" Jin said in an annoyed tone. "I could be, but wouldn't you like to know? Sayonara kids." The voice faded off into the distance. "That's great...so how do you suppose we pass now?" Zara said depressingly. "Umm hello? Giant lizard? Moves fast?" Shadow said, still sitting atop the lizards head. "Err you're not suggesting we ride that thing are you Shadow? Isn't it like...feral and...tired from our battle?" Jin asked, concerned. "Oh no, he's fine. Aren't ya boy?" Shadow patted the lizard on it's scaly head and it made a low growl of acknowledgment. "See, Jin?" "Well we don't really have much choice so we might as well. C'mon Zara, Tala." Jin said whilst he jumped onto the lizard's spine covered back. He held on to a rather sturdy one for leverage and balance and beckoned Zara to follow his example. Zara apprehensively jumped on the lizard's back as well and grabbed onto a bony spine. "Everyone ready?" Shadow looked back behind her, smiling. "Who can ever be ready to ride a giant lizard?" Zara chuckled. "Good point, hehe." Shadow leaned down and again placed her head upon the lizard's and briefly flashed images of the far off gates of Konoha. They broke contact and the lizard nodded, spreading it's front arms across the ground and lowering itself. "Alright guys and gals, you better flatten yourselves and get as close to this guy as possible because he's about to start digging!" "Digging?! Wait wait I thought he was going to run!" Jin said shocked. "Does he look like a runner to you, Jin? Because I remember him popping up out of the ground not too long ago." Zara laughed and hunched down on the giant's back. "Haha very funny...you're such a comedian..." Jin also hunched down and tried to make himself as flat as possible. The moment he did so, the lizard used it's massive claws to tear into the earth, throwing dirt and rocks everywhere. It made a tunnel in a matter of seconds and plunged into the darkness head first, throwing the three ninjas forward a bit. Jin could feel every muscle of the thing moving about. They were almost rippling like water. It's powerful front legs digging, and back legs propelling it forward, and it's torso moving in a fashion similar to a fish swimming in water. Around Jin, he could smell the damp inner earth, it couldn't be any 'earthier". Occasionally a thin root would brush across his head, or something wet and slimy. He didn't know what was going on around him as his eyes were shut. ---- Some time had passed since the three had initially went underground and somehow Jin had fallen asleep, though his hands were still clenched upon the spine. He dreamt soundly. In the dream, Jin was standing in front of a grand waterfall, but the water was not moving, as if time had been stopped. In front of it, a black steel barred cage sat upon a flat stone. He could not see within the cage at all. He looked about the area and realized the place seemed familiar to where he saw Shadow's tattoo and had asked him to basically do her in when the time came. He shuddered for a moment at the thought, and then felt compelled to investigate the cage. He walked slowly towards it, his feet almost moving on their own. It was like the darkness within was dragging him to it. Then he suddenly heard a deep growling from behind him and a hot breath on the back of his neck. He turned around to see what appeared to be the silhouette of a serpent with fierce blueish purple eyes. He quickly averted his eyes from the thing and tried to move forward again, trying to get closer to the cage. It beckoned him, but he felt something wrapped about his waist. He looked down to see that a thick black band had encircled his torso, the tail of the dragon. He struggled to remove it and the growling became deeper and more threatening. Jin kept struggling until all of a sudden, there was a piercing pain in his right shoulder. The shadow dragon had bitten down onto his shoulder with great pressure and strength that completely stunned Jin. He looked down at his shoulder, the dragon still biting into it, but it was looking into his eyes. Jin heard a low voice from the recesses of his mind. You mustn't go. Dire consequences await you if you do. A severe burning sensation came over Jin's entire body and he yelled out in pain. It felt as if he was being burned alive. His mind darted about, thoughts of Shadow, death, life, and then darkness. ---- Jin shook himself awake, panting heavily. He felt uncomfortable and restless. He attempted to reposition himself on the lizards back but was met with a sharp pain from his right shoulder. He looked down at it and noticed that a good amount of blood had seeped through his shirt and down the length his arm. He stared at it blankly, not believing what he was seeing. How could a dream do actual bodily harm?! What the hell?!"
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Shadow Kazekashi	Feb 11 2009, 05:45 AM Post #34
Newbie Posts: 23 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: Dec 16, 2008	Are you alright! Shadow’s thoughts seemed fearful. Jin could hear her guilty theories sprouting about in their heads. (It’s nothing serious…) Jin commented casually. Jin you are bleeding! I saw everything! That cage, that shadow of a serpent, and the bite. Your dreams are physically affecting you. And it’s all… (Don’t say it! Don’t you dare say it!) Jin ordered. (This is what it means to be born into my family. The same type of thing must have happened to my father when he awakened. I told you, it’s my family’s blood. We are just as much monsters as you are.) Well it still concerns me. The dream didn’t show you the being inside the cage, but I can pretty much guess it was me, in some kind of way, shape or form. Or at least what is caged inside me. And all that aside, how do we explain that to Zara. She can smell your blood. She and Tala have been suspicious of us all morning. (Eh?) Zara knows that there is some odd conflict going on between us, and Tala is sensing my abilities. It alarms them both very much. Zara is ready to approach us about the way I was randomly able to calm this beast. And how I know we were being watched. She couldn’t smell anything. The man left not a trace. She seemed cold as she thought of their sensei. (Well he was masking himself, like before. And we can figure out an excuse later.) Jin quickly tried to change the subject. (Is it me, or do you seem cold toward our sensei?) …It’s complicated Jin. She admitted. Best you not worry about it. (Hey, I know his training mission was and still is a pain, and he halved our time, but still he’s supposed to do that stuff. He’s our teacher…) It’s not that Jin. If anything I admire the creativity. But it’s just that… She stopped short. I can’t read him Jin… (Well he is hiding his presence…) No Jin you don’t understand. It is physically impossible for me to read him. His frequency doesn’t exist. It’s been destroyed. (Eh? You can do that?) It’s not that simple Jin. The mind and thoughts are very complex. I couldn’t just decide to short out mu frequency, there are certain conditions that could create such a situation. Loopholes you could say. Cracks in the system. (You mean to tell me there is some way for us to finally separate our thoughts and you never cared to mention it to me?) Don’t get pissy. I told you before it wasn’t simple. Besides, you are different. Our minds collide and our frequencies mesh perfectly. I couldn’t block you if I tried. I don’t know if the condition would work on you… (But still, there’s a way to end this? Give us our mind privacy back?) Jin… (Yes or no!) He ordered. …yes. Shadow replied reluctantly. But the process is indeed a bit extreme and I don’t recommend… (Tell me!)Jin ordered. … In order to sever the frequency… someone needs to tamper with your memory. Shadow’s jaw tensed slightly. When I was younger, as you know, I destroyed my village. The man who sealed and saved me had a wife. They were the only two survivors and fled with me to a remote property they had somewhere in the forest. As the year went by, he kept me in a room to myself. I was too frightened to even move. Every day he would come down and feed me, take care of me. After that year I was finally able to bring myself about the house. His wife, a kind old woman, still tried to look at me like the child I was. That’s when the trouble started. She would sit at the table with me, eating or maybe sewing something, and all of a sudden she would scream at the top of her lungs. Just sit there screaming until her husband would come and cradle her. Politely, he would request for me to go to the other room, and she would point at me all the way out. Other times she would throw things at me, try to run and hide, once she even pulled a knife on me. I could read her thoughts, she was still old and kind. It was like her mind was telling her I was still a sweet child while her body was trying to destroy me. Soon she became bed ridden, and we were certain she was going to die. That’s when she asked her husband to remove the night from her memory, so that she could take care of me… Shadow gripped the lizard tighter. So he altered her memories so that night never existed. Instantly she was better and cheerful as ever, but still… I was never able to read her mind again. I would just sit by her sometimes and hear the emptiness. I wondered if it meant she couldn’t think anymore. I was so sad that she had to sacrifice memories just because I had tainted them… (Sorry Shadow, I never knew.) Jin seemed full of remorse. (I don’t mind us being linked, really. I was just curious. We’ve had too many good memories together. I want to remember every single second.) Eh? Shadow couldn’t help smiling. Jin you are such a weird kid. Suddenly the lizard growled slightly. Almost time. She grinned. (Time to get off?) Jin asked. “Something like that.” Shadow started speaking out loud. “Jin, Zara, Tala, brace yourselves for impact.” “Eh?” Suddenly the lizard surged up, earth and dust rattling everywhere, and a blinding light shone around the ninja. The sun burned their eyes and the clean air felt odd in their nostrils. Jin blinked, trying to get his bearings. “Jump off guys!” Shadow ordered. Jin and Zara obeyed, and the lizard dove forcefully into the ground, causing the earth to shake. Gracefully, each ninja landed next to each other, side by side. “Nicely done.” A voice sang. “And with a few seconds to spare. Excellent.” “You!” Shadow stood rigid and pointed at multiple directions. “Look! We got all the objects like you said, yes?” “Indeed.” “And you are satisfied, correct?” Jin asked. “Very satisfied.” Sensei responded. “So we completed the task correctly in the time provided?” Zara confirmed. “I feel as though I am repeating myself…” “Then the test is over, so we all pass and you can stop hiding and change the lizard back to normal!” Shadow blurted. “Eh?” Jin and Zara looked at each other quizatively. “Normal?” “Wait now little runt, the test is far from over, I would much rather stay hidden to increase the effect, and how did you know about my little surprise?” with a poof, the lizard increases down to the size of a regular one, and Shadow lets him crawl up on her shoulder. “It was simple logic. Lizards that big don’t really live in the wild naturally. You summoned this guy, didn’t you?” Shadow asked. “Something like that.” Sensei admitted. “He enjoys the task, it means food and fun for him.” “Wrong! I means confusion and pain and hunger like you never felt!” Shadow spoke harshly. “It’s selfish to exploit him for you little test.” “Shadow, how about lets not lecture our sensei about animal abuse until he officially passes us.” Jin requested nervously. “Indeed Shadow.” Sensei chuckled. “Temper temper.” Shadow gritted her teeth. “Can you promise me you won’t use him like this again. Please?” “Hummm, well that’s an odd request, so here is what I will do. If you pass the test, I will fulfill that wish. But that will require some changes. Do you really want to put that on your team mates? Just for a little lizard?” Shadow turned to Zara and Jin. Jin nodded, understanding, but Zara crossed her arms. “Shadow, I trusted you and Jin throughout our mission, and when you randomly decided to ride a lizard to our destination, I agreed. When you somehow led it here, I was amazed. But as helpful as it’s been, give me one good reason I should let it jeopardize my ability to pass.” “…I promised it.” Shadow said softly. “ I promised I could help him if he helped us.” “So you expect me to believe you can talk to lizards?” She eyed Shadow, a grin on her face. “Well now, you just keep on entertaining. Go ahead and let him make changes. I trust Shadow, Jin and me can handle it.” “Good to hear.” Sensei laughed. “ Glad to know you all get along so well, because two of you will pass.” “Eh!” They all shouted in unison. “You heard me.” The voice seemed to drift. Silence filled the air. “Did he just say…” Suddenly a kunai whizzed past Shadow’s head. Zara caught it angrily, reading the attached scroll. “Students, you all completed the task with flying colors. I wasn’t expecting this at all, and I was prepared for at least one of you two get eaten, impaled, mangled, trampled, ingested, or just plain killed in action. So I am prepared for two of you and will choose two of you tomorrow…” the scroll became harder for Zara to read. “Each student will take one item from the hunt. Tomorrow you will meet here and describe the item to me and the story behind finding it. From those stories, I will pick two…” Zara trailed dropping the kunai to the ground in frustration. The three stood silently together. Nobody could dare speak a word, they just stood, letting the wind wisp around them. “So you mean to tell me… after we all worked so well, worked so hard…” Jin said through clenched, grinding teeth. “One of us gets left behind…” Zara growled “And the others move on… it’s so twisted.” Shadow kicked the ground. “Dammit!.” “… Jin, Shadow, you two deserve to move on.” Zara said. “ You work well together and came up with plans to get us through the objectives…” “Yes, but if it weren’t for you we wouldn’t have had a clue where to go.” Jin said. “ And Shadow, if you didn’t know all that stuff about the bees, we would have been poisoned. Not to mention you got us home. You have a promise to keep too. You and Zara deserve to stay…” “Don’t you start Jin.” Shadow complained. “ All my book smarts meant nothing without you there saving me from falcons and feeding me honey. Besides, if you fail, your dad will kill you. You two have family honors to uphold. I’ll fail.” “NO!” Jin objected. “ Shadow, you deserve to be a ninja too!” “I think we all deserve to be ninja.” Zara said quietly, and instantly everyone was silent again. Gently, Shadow reached into her pouch, revealing the honey and the wilting flower. The lizard perched on her shoulder softly. “I think we should all take the items that show our talents more during the mission.” Shadow said softly. “ Zara, your amazing tracking skills were the only way we had a clue. You deserve the flower.” Zara nodded, taking the flower gently from the palm. “ Jin, you used great judgment skills and not only saved my life, but protected our squad from killer bees. You deserve the honey.” “Indeed.” Jin took it from her, smiling. “ And you deserve the lizard, because if it weren’t for you two we would have all been eaten, or at least not made it back on time.” At this, everyone laughed heartily, trying to hide their sorrow. “No matter what happens,” Zara started. “ I want us all to promise right now that we will tell the best most impressive stories, and all try to win. No wimps. You all gotta try.” “Agreed.” Jin and Shadow said in unison. “No slack, no backing down. And may the best Ninja win…” That night, Jin and Shadow were glad to return to their warm beds. Des had shown more or less casual interest in the details of Jin’s mission and absolutely no interest in the mention of Shadow’s efforts. Risa was slightly alarmed by the lizard on Shadow’s shoulder, but decided to tolerate it if it was for training, as long as it wasn’t anywhere near her. At dinner, Shadow and Jin stuffed their faces rudely while Risa giggled with delight, happy to refill their plates and glasses. After a quick bath, they both laid in bed listening to each others thoughts. (It’s good to be home.) Jin thought. If you say so… Shadow sighed. Your pop is gonna turn me out, so it won’t be home for me much longer. (Eh?) He convinced Risa that I would be a distraction if I wasn’t your partner, and that I could find a place someplace else. Someplace I could learn a trade. (He can’t do that!) Jin worried. Chill out, it’s cool. I can live with it. And I’ll still visit just to bug him… She trailed. As she sat, she stroked the lizard’s back slowly. When I read his mind, I saw our sensei summon him. That’s how I knew we were being watched. That’s also how I knew he was in pain from hunger. Sensei makes him hungry so he’ll be more vicious. Shadow smiled. If I fail, I’ll still take him off. I dunno, maybe I run out to the country to see the old place my guardians lived at. You’d like that, wouldn’t you boy? Shadow giggled. (You are having too much fun with that thing.) Jin laughed. (You name it yet?) Nope. (Good. Once you name it you get attached. You should wait and see what tomorrow brings.) Jin advised. Good idea. Speaking of which, lets’ go to sleep, we have a lot to contemplate tomorrow. (Yeah… our story…) Jin trailed, a worried look on his face, and he turned over to sleep. The next day, the trio met at the training grounds. They didn’t speak, didn’t warm up, they just stood, barley breathing. As their sensei approached them, Zara mumbled under her breath. “Your best. Remember, we all promised…” The group nodded quickly before their sensei pointed a strict finger to Zara. She didn’t bat a lash, and she stepped forward with Tala at he heels. “So you chose the flower.” He nodded. “ I guess you could say your tracking skills came in handy on the trip, eh?” “Meh, I was okay.” Zara smirked. “I passed out after pinpointed the location, so I don’t really have a clue. Shadow and Jin, they were a sight to see though. Shadow ran off with an egg in hand to distract and angry bird while Jin snatched the flower, not to mention also saving Shadow from the falcons. I wish I were awake for it sounds epic, don’t you think?” Zara’s grin is from ear to ear, as usual. “Mhmm, Jin, Shadow, is this true?” he asked. “Yes…” They sputtered in amazement, shocked at Zara’s testimonial. “And the honey?” Sensei pointed at Jin. “Oh this?” Jin pointed. “ Shadow took a sting for me, just so I could get it. She warned us about the deadly poison the bees had and revealed to us the antidote. Then Zara comes in and locates the queen. You should have seen us. Bees were everywhere and Shadow remained focused. I blew up some stuff and then we were free. I passed out afterwards though, and they took me to safety.” Jin concluded. “Well now.” Sensei chuckled. “ And you Shadow?” “It was the greatest thing ever. There I was sandwiched between the jaws of the lizard, about to be crunched on for lunch, and Jin comes out of nowhere to save me. He exploded a clone in the beast’s mouth and caught me in mid air. Zara and he continued to find safe places for us to land until the beast calmed down. They were really level headed and calm. Great leaders, really.” Shadow finished crossing her arms. “ You’ll never find a better squad than ours.” “Save me the sentimental.” Sensei yawned. “I guess it’s time for my decision. Are you ready?” “Yes.” The three looked gravely at one another. “ We are ready.” “Well, let me be quite honest when I say all three of you piss me off. Here I give you a prime opportunity to show off. I gave you all time to explain to me why you should be the two to move on, and instead of convincing me you should pass, you advertised your teammates instead. I wanted selfish self advertising and all I got was selfless friendship. Well, for all of your efforts, I can tell you that none of you pass today!” “Eh!” The three jump up, astonished. “No, not one of you passes today.” Sensei emphasized. “ Instead, you will all come back tomorrow, and pass all together, as a squad of three.” A cocky smile showed through his mask. “Eh?” The kids were shocked. “You mean… we…” Shadow quivered with excitement. “Yes. You all passed my test. Congratulations.” “But… how…” Jin stared in disbelief. “You see, my test has many parts to it. Part one was simple, you completed the objective. All of the correct items were brought back in good time. The second part was team work. Most teams split from the get go and try to collect everything in a day. You were smart, and stayed together more or less during the entire thing. You even got the bonus, by Shadow somehow figuring out I was there the entire time.” He winked at Shadow a bit. “And the final you just took is something even the smarted ninja never pass. You work as a unit to support the squad, not yourself. If I asked any other new squad to do what you just did, they would try to make the cut and struggle to make themselves look good rather than each other. The way you talk about each other makes team 9 shine.” “Wow.” Zara said in shock. “But if the two had passed, what would have happened?” Shadow inquired. “Oh, training from hell. Training designed to make the two ‘winners’ quit…or die… whichever happens first, some people can be real stubborn.” He laughed, shrugging. “ Well students, I bid you good day. Rest, relax, and enjoy, because tomorrow the real work begins.” And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. “I still can’t believe we passed!” Shadow cheered happily. “I can’t believe I got all sentimental.” Zara chuckled. “Aw well, whatever passes me.” She patted Tala’s head. “ I’d love to celebrate, but Tala and I have much needed rest to catch up on.” Zara waved bye before darting off. “Sweet!’ Shadow cheered again. “ I guess it’s time to name you!” She lifted the lizard from her shoulder. “Erm…” She trailed. “Any ideas Jin?” “Me?” Jin asked. “None at all.” “’none at all’ is definitely not a good name.” Shadow teased. “You know what I mean.” Jin rolled his eyes, resting his hands behind his head. “Anyway, you have the whole day to think of something.” He grinned. “ We should spend it chillin’.” “And by we you mean all three of us?” Shadow grinned. “ And what makes you think we want to spend the day with you?” “It’s up to you. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Jin replied. “Well… It just so happens that I don’t think that’s too terrible of an idea.” She chuckled. “What do we do now?”
Des	Feb 20 2009, 02:31 AM Post #35
Normal Member Posts: 130 Group: Members Member #7 Joined: May 27, 2008	"Ekiruu." Jin said suddenly. A puzzled look crossed Shadow's face as he said this. "Ekiruu? What's that?" "The lizard's name. Ekiruu. I think it has a good ring to it." "Uhh that was a bit random but uhh...yeah it does. How's that sound to you ehh?" She said, turning to the lizard sitting on her shoulder. It nodded approvingly and Shadow stroked it's back with her forefinger. "Well we have a name for him now....so about what we're supposed to be doing..." "Hmm I can't really think of anything at the moment, which I'm pretty sure you already know on account of the mind reading, so why don't we take a walk around the village? I mean, I don't think you've ever been formally acquainted with this place so I might as well give you a tour I guess." "That sounds kinda boring, but ok." "Alright, we can start now then." Jin replied, while he took a look at their current surroundings. "Well yeah, as you know, this is our team's designated training ground. There are about three or four others nearby and various ones scattered about throughout the village." "Well yeah, I see that much." Shadow said shrugging. "Moving along..."Jin said lowly, and the two began walking north of the training ground. They passed through a small thicket of forest and arrived on a bit of a barren street, parallel to the training ground. It was devoid of people pretty much. There were a few wanderers here and there, but more or less deserted. Tiny shops dotted the buildings ahead of them and long banners stretched from one to the next. "This is...the red light district I believe. It's dead in the mornings and afternoon but at night, this place is packed with people from end to end. It's mostly adults though...if you catch my drift." "Yeah...right...adult's only type of thing." She said laughing a bit. "Yep so uhh...we're going to move on to the next district now." Jin said while he leapt on top of a low lying building, and scaled its taller neighbor. Shadow quickly followed after him. "We're going to the residential district now by the way." Jin said before jumping to another building further ahead. "Oh good, then I can maybe look for an apartment to move into or something!" Shadow said excitedly. "Yeah...your own place..." There was an air of disappointment in his voice. "Off we go then." Jin ran top speed towards the ledge of the building and jumped off witha lot of momentum. He easily cleared the roof tops of three four buildings before landing on the fifth, Shadow being right behind him. He looked back, making sure she was still there and turned back around to continue on to their destination.It didn't take them very long to arrive at all. The residential district sprawled out from the length of the Kage Monument mountain straight down, then branched out at the center of the village around the Hokage building. There were apartments galore but also many private homes speckled throughout it all. From their current position on a very tall building, Shadow and Jin could see pretty much all of Konoha. Jin himself often came to this spot after rigorous training with his father to relax and forget about the near torture experiences he went through in the process. He thought about it almost unconsciously. "It was that rough, huh?" Shadow piped up. "Uhh yeah, dad's brutal...in his methods..." Jin looked up towards the golden sky, reminiscing about his training. "Such high expectations..." "Mmm..." Shadow looked at Jin, who seemed to be in another world at the moment, his eyes slightly glazed over and seemingly lifeless. "Oh yeah, back to your tour. " Jin said, suddenly snapping back into reality. He peered over the building's ledge and scanned the ground below, his eyes passing over the dozens of people bustling about with whatever they were doing. They looked so busy and unorganized, but so carefree. Then his eyes landed on a long apartment building, some yards away from the building they resided on. It was small, with a red roof, white outer walls, and a green lawn encircled it. The whole building seemed vacant, and it probably was. Jin motioned for Shadow to come over and then pointed down at the apartment building he had spotted. "How's that?" "Ehh...a bit unaesthetic...is it cheap?" "I think so...just uhh keep that one in mind, I've been in it before, pretty spacious." "Well that's good...but uhh what were you doing in there?" "I was...running away kinda...I broke into the building after a particular incident happened..." His voice dropped and lingered on the last few words. "Oh...I see...and what was this incident exactly?" "I'd rather not talk about it at this point in time. Besides, this tour is about you, not my personal history." "Well we can stop and talk about that, I mean it's not like we had anything else planned." "That's true...but I really don't want to talk about it..." "Ok then, Jin. But you will tell me about this later." It sounded more like a demand rather than a request or question. "Fine, deal....so back to the tour...I can pretty much point out the rest of the stuff from up here I guess. I'm getting tired of running and jumping here. "Yeah, pretty pointless...with the amount of energy we're expending and all." "Mhmm." Jin agreed. "Sooo..." Jin pointed at the Hokage's building. "That's the Hokage Building." "Yeah I know that. I stopped by there when I first arrived here in Konoha." "Right then..."He raised his finger and pointed to the Hokage Monument mountain. "That massive mountain over there, with all the faces over there is a monument to our past Hokages. I'm pretty sure the mountain itself wasn't originally this large when the village was founded because I've heard every few years or so, a couple of meters are added to the mountain to make room for future Hokages." "Wouldn't it be much more efficient if you just made statues?" "Yeah it would but you know...it's tradition and all. We've done it this way for decades and decades and I doubt they'll be changing it any time soon." "Guess you're right..." "Moving along then. That over there, where I'm pretty sure most of that faint chatter we're hearing is coming from," Jin said, pointing to a colorful region of the village, " Is the market, or shopping district...or whatever. You buy basically anything you need there. From food to weapons. It's got it all." "We're going there." Shadow simply stated. "Ehh? But I'm not quite done -" "We're going there. I'm in need of food to replenish the energy you had me waste." Shadow interrupted. "Umm ok then..." Jin looked a bit puzzled. "Well I know this one place, it's great. Been around forever too." "Good, that means that they're food has been good enough to keep them afloat over the years." "Indeed it does. Now then," Jin crouched down, "Let's be off." He sprung off of the high ledge and down towards a low building below. He caught a wire, probably a telephone wire, and swung himself far and long across several rooftops. He sailed through the air and propelled towards the ground, landing in a busy street full of restaurants and food kiosks. Shadow came some moments later, Ekiruu seemed a bit dazed from the whole ordeal. She looked down at him and laughed. "I forgot that he's probably never been in the air like that before, seeing that he's a ground lizard and all. Poor little guy must have almost had a heart attack." "He'll be fine, I'm sure of it." "Yeah probably..."She said and stroked Ekiruu's back. "So about this place, where is it?" "Oh, it's just up ahead. Follow me." He said, as he started pushing himself through the mass of people. "I've been following you this whole time, why would I stop now?" Shadow said as she pushed through the people as well. "Good point." Jin lead Shadow to a little store at the edge of the strip. There were hardly any people around, and it was fairly quiet. "All right, we're here." "Umm..."Shadow looked around the area,"You sure, Jin? Wouldn't a popular restaurant have a lot of customers?" "Yeah it would, but I never said this was a popular restaurant now did I? C'mon, you'll see." Jin grabbed Shadow's hand and lead her under a paper, white banner with red lettering across it, and into what seemed to Shadow to be some type of bar. A delicious smelling aroma wafted out of the back of the place and into the lobby area, which was just a few stools in a row in front of the counter. They seated themselves and a young woman of maybe 17 or so approached greeted them. "Welcome to Ichiraku's! Hey long time no see, Jin! How's it been?" "Oh good, good. I just officially became a genin today and got back from a bit of a training mission from our sensei." "Oh that's nice." The girl turned to face Shadow. "And who's this you've brought with you? Your girlfriend?" "Ahahhaha, no no no no no." Jin laughed nervously. "This is Shadow, one of my new squad mates." "Oh I see, well a boy your age wouldn't be interested in that type of thing would he?" Jin laughed again nervously, quickly looking from the girl to Shadow, then down at the counter, blushing a bit. "Well, like he said, I'm Shadow of Team 9." She said, extending her hand out to the girl. "Nice to meet you Shadow! I'm Leena. I would introduce you to the cook, but he's a bit shy around new faces." "Oh that's fine with me." Shadow replied. "Wait, you mean to tell me Tirukko is still like that? Gahh that man needs to grow up already." Jin said, surprised. "I know I know. My brother is just way too shy for his own good, but he's a nice guy. Maybe if he finds a nice girl, she'll be able to change him or something...anyway, what will you two be having this evening?" "Ahhh, I'll have some Miso Pork Ramen." "Alright one Miso Pork Ramen...and what will you be having Shadow?" Leena said as she wrote down Jin's order. "Umm I really don't know." Shadow turned to Jin. "Any suggestions?" "Yeah I've got one." Jin turned to Leena. "She'll have what I usually have." "Ok! Miso Pork and the Ichiraku special, be right back with you." Leena turned around and walked back into the kitchen her brother was to deliver the order. "You know you didn't need to be so shocked by what Leena said." "I had every reason to be shocked, ok?" "And why is that?" "Because...you know..." "No, I don't know. Tell me." Just as she finished her sentence, Leena return with two white bowls of steaming ramen. They smelled delightful. "Hold that thought, Jin." "Alright guys, enjoy." Leena smiled and went back into the kitchen. They looked down at the bowls that had been served to them, absorbed the flavorful aroma and said. "Itadakimasu!" They broke open their chop sticks and mixed the noodle goodness with whatever meats and vegetables they had in their respective bowls. Jin wolfed down his ramen quite fast and was already slurping down the soup before Shadow had even moved her hand twice. When Shadow had finished, Jin and Shadow both swiveled their stools around so that their backs pressed against the counter and they had a cutoff view of the outside. From what they could see, the ground was being illuminated by overhead lights, signaling that the sun had set and it was dark out. "You know, this was pretty interesting...kinda." Jin said. "Yeah, it kinda was." replied Shadow. "It almost seems like a date doesn't it?" "Ehh?!" "No, really. Think about it." "Well I guess so..wait...great so you've stolen my first kiss and my first date from me. Anything else you plan on taking from me?" "Uhh...no...Sorry..."Shadow sighed at the pathetic apology that Jin had made and a silence passed between them. "It's getting a bit late huh?" Shadow asked. "Mhmm. Indeed it is. Is there anything else you want to do before the day is over?" "Well..." Shadow looked up at the ceiling and paused. "I want you to tell me about that incident that made you want to run away." "Ahhh that...well...umm...are you sure? I mean, can't we go look around the village some more?" Jin pleaded. "No, I want to hear about that incident. Tell me now since it's going to be on your mind soon anyway now that I've brought it up." "Gahh...guess you're right." Jin sighed and placed his hands behind his head, rocking back and forth gently. He took a deep breath and started, with Shadow listening intently. "It went like this...as I said before, dad has high expectations for me and during an early training session of ours, he felt it necessary for me to feel the fear of death upon me..." He paused. "So he utilized our clan's power and transformed into the highest level our bloodline can go..." He stopped rocking and leaned forward, with his hands on his knees. "He came right at me, with no mercy...His presence, that overwhelming killing intent he had froze me, paralyzed my body. I remember seeing his monstrous silhouette coming right at me, with those purplish blue eyes, and then I found myself embedded in the ground, in a crater, bloodied, battered, and broken. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, and all I could do is taste the familiar taste of something metallic on my tongue. I had never been so afraid in my life. I blacked out after a few moments and woke up in the hospital apparently about two weeks later.The worst thing though..."he hesitated, "was that I was 'found'. I wasn't taken to the hospital by dad, he just left me there..." Jin took another deep breath and continued the story. "So back in the hospital, no one comes to see me, not even mom. I'm there, alone, only with my thoughts. I felt I was going to go insane or something. But I got a bit of my strength back and was able to walk after a while. As soon as I was able to do that, I left the hospital on my own and found my way over to that apartment, where I stayed for a few days." "Why'd you come back?" "I didn't want dad to think I was a quitter or failure. I mean the future of my clan is riding on my back...I mean there's other Kanefura out there but all of them have lost the gift of the serpent a long time ago. It doesn't awaken in their bloodlines anymore, just ours...." Jin trailed off, and again there were plunged into that awkward silence. Edited by Des, Feb 22 2009, 07:23 AM.
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Shadow Kazekashi	Feb 22 2009, 11:38 PM Post #36
Newbie Posts: 23 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: Dec 16, 2008	Shadow kept silent for awhile, listening to the sound of people passing them by. After a while, she chuckled a bit. "Your father is awesome..." She said sarcastically. "But at least you have one still. Remember that..." She became quieter and stroked Ekiruu. "Meh." Jin shrugged. "You never knew your parents, did you?" "As far as I'm concerned, they never existed." She replied. "But I used to imagine what they were like. When I was younger." She smiled warmly. "Risa reminds me a lot of what my mom would be like. Making dinner and washing clothes. She would always smile and look happy to see me. Like moms you read about in books." Shadow stopped. "I probably sound like a silly little kid now." "No, continue." Jin urged. "You don't talk about your childhood too much. I want to hear more." he looked her in the eyes, a genuine smile sitting in his face softly. "What would your dream father be like." Shadow was suddenly at a loss for words. She blushed red and turned away from Jin quickly. "You know, nice and caring. That type of thing. Always worried and perstering me. Wanting the best for my future, that type of thing." "Why are you blushing?" Jin asked. "No reason." She said quickly. "Out with it!" Jin ordered. "You're gonna think about it anyway and then I'll know. Better for you to get it out in the open." "Damz." Shadow caved in. "My perfect father would be more or less an older version of you." She said finally. "Really?" Jin didn't quite know how to take the statement. It wasn't quite the emotion he was trying to put across. "Why is that?" "Well first off you are always in my business. And you always are encouraging. You value my life for some unknown reason. And I don't know..." She trailed and blushed brighter. "I like being around you sometimes." "I see." Jin turned away from her too, trying to conceal a tiny smile. "Glad I could have impacted you." "Yeah sure whatever." The embarrassment Shadow felt was unbearable. "Anyway, you are the last of your kind eh?" "Yup." Jin responded. "The only child of Risa and Des. The only one able to pass the blood trait. That's kinda why he works me so hard. If I can't master the trait, it will be impossible for me to pass it. As my father, it is his responsibility to make sure our power lives on thought me." "Alot a pressure for you." Shadow swallowed. "Yeah." Jin grimaced slightly. "It's weird to think about, but sometimes it's like that's my only reason for existing. So I can pass on this trait and let my clan survive." He looked up at the sky. "But sometimes I wonder, is it something worth passing on to generations." "Sure it is. So long as it is your purpose." Shadow smiled. "I read a quote from a famous Kazekage once. He said 'to live without a purpose is the same as being dead.'. Don't you agree?" Jin didn't respond. His thoughts wandered to some things Shadow said when they first met. "Is that why you tried to kill yourself when you were younger?" he asked quietly. "..." Shadow chose her words carefully. It was such a nice night, she knew Jin was sensitive about her want for death and didn't want to upset him. "Once right after the incident, I jumped off the roof.I was broken and banged, but not killed. Next I tried locking myself in the bathroom and sleeping in a tub full of water in the winter time. I thought it worked, but I woke up with my guardians frantically trying to revive me. I also tried to swallow a few herbs and medicines we had in the house, but they got me to puke up the stuff before it could get in my bloodstream. I think I tried to hang myself, but my neck didn't snap right away. I was waiting to suffocate, but they ran out the house and got me down before I finished..." Shadow trailed, realizing she had gone too far. Jin's face was red with anger. "You must realize, I was traumatized Jin. There was and is so much I don't understand." "Let's not talk about this anymore." Jin's plee was more like an order. Shadow obeyed. She was pissed that she had bothered Jin. It was supossed to be a day for them to relax. She jumped up frantically. "What can we do now?" Shadow asked. "I can wait to hear Des curse when he finds out I pass. I wonder if Risa will still let Ekiruu stay with me?" She started to walk forward. "Actually, I wanted to ask you, about my dream." Jin said. "I don't think we can really talk openly about it at my place. I think this needs to be discussed rather than thought." "Alright. We can go to the training ground." Shadow suggested. "No." Jin stood. "I was thinking more along the lines of that old apartment..." "Well alright then..." Shadow agreed. "Shall you lead the way?" Jin darted onto the rooftops back the way they had come. As they found the old apartment, the sun began to set. Jin found a old branch, lighting it ablaze quickly. He surveyed the home until he found what he was looking for. He pulled up a small crack in a window. "Think you can fit?" He asked. "Is that some kind of fat joke?" Shadow smirked as she easily entered the home. Ekiruu slithered in behind her. Jin struggled in head first, getting stuck at the chest. "You seem to be having some trouble." "I was much younger when i tried this." Jin wiggled helplessly, not wanting to break the window. "Here." Shadow grabbed his head and gave it a quick pull. Jin popped into the room, falling atop Shadow. "Ouch." She complained, and pushed him off. "If you get stuck on the way out, I'm gonna leave you." "I'll keep that in mind." Jin dusted himself off. "Well here it is." Jin reached out the window and pulled in his fire branch. The place was dusty and bare, but very big. besides the main room, there was one bedroom and a kitchen area. Shadow walked around timidly. She seemed to survey every corner and concentrate on every inch of the potential new home. "Kinda big, isn't it?" She questioned quietly. "I suppose." Jin shrugged. "But you can add furniture and you'll be training alot so you will only use it to sleep. And you might have some company now and then..." He said hopefully, trailing. Shadow didn't seem to hear him. She was consumed in her own thoughts. Kinda reminds me of the old place. He used to take me there all the time... Jin tried to interject, but Shadow was much too consumed, it was like their minds were separate again. (That gives me an idea! I can surprise her.) Jin slowly creaked out the front door and dissapeared down the path. And he would take me whenever he was sad. I remember so clearly. He was always so sick, and we would sneak out whenever his father and mother were busy...It’ kinda funny. He was my first friend. My best friend. My only friend. And he’s gone because of me… Shadow felt a single tear drip down her cheek. Dang, why am I crying? Jin’s gonna think I’m nuts. Darn, now I’ll have to explain myself. “Jin.” Shadow snapped back to reality and turned around to face him. “Jin?” she spun around the room. It was empty. Her heart began to race, she could hear it beating wildly. Suddenly she was short of breath. Ekiruu looked at her, confused. He’s gone. She gasped. Jin suddenly opened the door, carrying to blue Popsicles in his hand. “A vendor has a cart a few blocks away. Hope you like blue raspberry.” He stared at Shadow, puzzled. “Why are you on your knees?” Shadow turned to him quickly. A few fresh tears had escaped her eyes. “Are you crying?” He asked, suddenly alarmed. Shadow looked around frantically. No place to hide. She dashed into the nearest corner, tucking her knees into her chest. Jin followed her, still alarmed. “What happened to you?” “I can believe I was scared for a moment.” Shadow shook her head. “I panicked.” She rubbed he eyes dry. She looked up at Jin, smiling. “I was just thinking of some old memories I’d forgotten. Sorry for the scare.” “I'm sorry too. I was gonna tell you, but I figured you were so consumed in your thoughts.” Jin began to open his pop and handed one to Shadow. “Thoughts about an old friend…” He trailed, grinning. "Shaddup!" Shadow ordered and took a bite of her pop. "You caught me at a bad time. I don't usually zone like that." She sighed. "Whatever. It's none of my business i suppose. But if you ever want to talk about it, I wanna hear it. Till then we have plenty of other things to talk about." Jin smiled. "Like my odd dreams." he suggested. "Alright then. We can try to figure out why the hell you were bleeding earlier..." Shadow trailed, her voice becoming softer. "And thanks for not prying Jin. It means alot." Shadows voice began to crack slightly. "But still, could you do me a favor?" She slowly lost composure. "Eh?" Jin's first instinct was to try to comfort Shadow, but he stopped. Shaodw was the type of person who bottled things inside. Jin needed to let her cry one off. "Anything." Jin promised. "Tell me about your dreams, don't stop talking please." She wiped her cheek again. "Please distract me while I try to calm down." She didn't sob, scrunch her face, or whine, but tears ran from her eyes in two gushing waterfalls. Jin believed Shadow was the only being on the face of the earth who didn't look completely shitty when she cried. "Sure thing." he sat beside her, careful not to look directly at her face. "Well, lets see. I suppose I could start with a tiny bit of backstory..." Edited by Shadow Kazekashi, Feb 24 2009, 06:53 AM.
Des	Feb 28 2009, 04:26 AM Post #37
Normal Member Posts: 130 Group: Members Member #7 Joined: May 27, 2008	"Well since I was little, I've always aspired to be a great ninja, maybe even become a legend. I idolized famous ninja of the past like Naruto Uzumaki and his father the Fourth Hokage, the three legendary Sannin, people like that. Heck, even dad and mom have a bit of fame to their names for partaking in the final assault on the Creed. But...I wanted to surpass them, by far. Dad trained me so I would be strong enough to live on and pass our clan's genes onto the next generation, and nothing else. That's all that mattered to him. For me, I want my name put to something important you know?" He laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "I know it's a bit immature sounding, but that's the path I've been trying to follow. When the opportunity for greatness presents itself, I grasp it and run with it. But who knows how long that will be huh. Could be tomorrow, next week, three years from now...10 years even. I know for a fact that I will seize it though. I will." He stopped speaking for a few moments , his eyes darting about the dark,shadowed room before re-realizing that Shadow didn't want him to stop talking. "Oh sorry...ummm I really don't know what else to say. Err...your...dreams...Shadow?" (I can't really think of anything else at the moment.) Edited by Des, Feb 28 2009, 04:28 AM.
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Shadow Kazekashi	Apr 11 2009, 05:57 AM Post #38
Newbie Posts: 23 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: Dec 16, 2008	"mmm..." Shadow smiled, the tears still flowing. "It's okay. You tried. I can't really ask all that much more of you." She stood up and wiped her face again, the bare popsicle stick clenched in her fist. She walked around a bit and turned away from Jin. "I know I really shouldn't be crying right now. It's childish and dumb. But once I start I just can't stop myself." She turned to him, a smile forced on her face. "Besides, I look better with a smile, not a frown." Jin nodded, but stood up in front of Shadow sternly. "What's the point of a forced smile?" he asked. "It's just a sign that you're hiding the hurt. It means you are lying." he turned his head away from Shadow. "Hiding things to seem stronger dosen't make you stonger at all. It just means you're a coward. I wanna be the type of friend you aren't ashamed to cry in front of. If your smile isn't genuine, I'd rather you just not look at me with it." Jin's words were blunt and left Shadow speachless. Her mouth was pressed in a firm line. "... Jin..." Shadow stared him directly in the eye. "Eh?" Jin stared back, intense. Suddenly Shadow bursted out in laughter. She started too hold her sides and roll on the floor in amusement. "You are halarious." She looked up at him. "Of all the things I've said to you, off all the things I've said I've felt or done, you get most upset when I force a smile? You aren't normal at all." she continues laughing. "Eh?" Jin looked confused, turning red. "Hey I didn't mean it to be however you took it. What I meant was... well... oh you know what I meant!" Jin said finally, frustrated with Shadow's unusual behavior. "Yeah sure." Shadow sat up . "Hey you." She motioned for Jin to come closer. "Huh?" Jin walked over, cautious. "Thanks." She grabbed his leg and pulled him down to the floor. He stared at her, shocked. "I hate to admit it, but you are a pretty good friend." She smirked. "But a suckish rival." "Eh?" Jin looked confused. "You were serious about that?" "Yeah." She pushed him down playfully. "What's wrong? Afraid of being beaten constantly by a girl?" "No..." Jin blushed. "It's just..." he mumbled slightly. "I just don't see myself competing with you." "Well sucks for you cause I'm competing with you." Shadow pushed him again. "But..." He started to mumble again. "I could never use my full strenght on you." He mumbled quickly. "really now?" Shadow jumped up suddenly. "Even if I came at you with all I got?" She stood in a stance. "Shadow?" Jin sat up slowly. "Jin, spar with me." Shadow commanded. "No way." Jin refused. "This isn't the time or place for..." "We'll do it outside in cover of moonlight." Shadow insisted. "Common. Spar." "No..." Jin refused weakly. He did indeed want to test thier power against each other, but was still cautious. "I'll make it interesting." Shadow promised. "If I lose, I'll grant you a wish." She teased. Jin pondered a moment. He had yet to really see Shadow in action, but was confident in his ability. If things got to out of hand, he could stop her quickly. She was, after all, new at this. All talent but not too much training. "Fine." Jin agreed. "I'll hold you to your promise though." "Wouldn't have it any other way." Shadow grins. "Please don't be dumb and hold back, because I won't."
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