[Graded]A Strong Brew

[Oddric]

"Yeah, that's it, thanks." Kashou said, a weak smile to accompany his words.

"Sure." The taller man said. The sliding tea cup across the counter was simultaneous with coins being pushed forward by Kashou. Typically the innkeeper saw customers ordering spirits as a nightcap. Given how bitterly cold Saishuu was, it didn't surprise him too much that this weary traveler wanted something hot. Some days the cold never really left the bones.

Kashou gingerly took the cup, his other hand holding the plate underneath. He gave a small head nod to the man before turning about and finding a table to sit at somewhere near the back of the inn lounge. There weren't more than a dozen people in the lounge for how rather sizely the inn was. Then again, it was awfully late.

Planting himself down, Kashou took a sip of the richly imbued tea. It wasn't as hot as he would have liked it, but it was very flavorful. The raised eyebrow the innkeep gave him made Kashou worried that serving tea was not one of his specialties. Looking around at the beverages of the others in the lounge, it was clear that he had been in a rhythm of serving drinks of a stronger kind.

This village had been a welcoming sight for a tired Kashou. Trekking up a path through a mountain with nothing but trees, a creeping darkness, and a piercing wind had made him so weary. His father had told him to make the travel and do the job no matter the conditions... but he wasn't here, he didn't feel how cold Kashou was. The fox cloak wrapped around him just didn't feel like enough. He needed to be warmer.

Kashou formed hand signs before lifting the cup of tea off the plate. He gave a couple glances across the room. No one appeared to be looking, but maybe no one would mind anyway. "Just not hot enough..." he mumbled. A flame emerged from his index and ring fingers, running briefly up the sides of the cup as Kashou brought it down onto the flame. He pushed the katon chakra out quickly, expending the flame's life in return for a hotter fire. A hotter tea.

The fire gone, Kashou put the tea back down onto the plate briefly. He pulled away from the tea cup and shook out his hand a bit. It was near the heat for too long. Picking it up again, Kashou took another sip. He could feel the steam condensing on his chilled face. "Aah." He couldn't help himself, it was scalding hot. Just how he liked it. Just how he needed it.

SpoilerShow

*[Fire Element • Zippo Technique]
E-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed hand seals, the user concentrates Katon chakra into one of his or her hands. They then snap their fingers, causing a small flame to emerge from the tips of the second and third fingers. This flame has the same strength as a lit match and lasts until the end of the third post before disappearing.

[Trucro]

Jeiku rubbed his nose as he stepped forwards. He had often hiked in the mountains, but he rarely did so with such little sleep, and it was particularly difficult. His legs were burning and he hadn’t been able to feel his feet for hours now. He had resorted to swinging his arms with each step, trying to gain enough momentum to continue moving up the mountain. He was sweating profusely, and already out of breath. He stopped for a moment, bent over, and placed his hands on his knees. He needed to rest.

Jeiku was on his way back to the Village Hidden in the Clouds after a mission in the middle-north of lightning country. He had left a small town at daybreak, and hiked through the mountains all day. The trip was pretty long, but he was making good time; in just one day, he had made it half way back to Kumogakure. He tried to avoid traversing as many mountains as possible, but this one here was directly on route to the village, and he regrettably accepted the challenge.

As Jeiku began to breath normally again, he looked back towards the road. Off in the distance, he could see a small group of buildings, likely a little town, which likely had an inn! The sun had passed its zenith some time ago, and Jeiku quickly decided he would rather not sleep outside; besides, it looked likely to rain. While Jeiku did like the rain, he was not so fond of sleeping in the wet and cold. He made his way into the village, and quickly found the nearest inn.

As he entered, he noticed how few people there were; the inn was rather large, and yet most of the seats remained empty. That was no problem for Jeiku, since he enjoyed his privacy. He walked up to the small bar, and sat down in one of the seats that was adjacent to no one. The man behind the counter, whom Jeiku could only assume was the bartender, was a tall man, and he towered over Jeiku as he took the shinobi’s order.

“Yea, I’ll take some warm tea please.”

“Black or green?” the tall man responded.

“Green,” Jeiku responded instinctually. As he waited for his tea, he took a look around the room. His eyes quickly fell on the young Genin siting a few seats down from him at the counter. Jeiku had met Kashou Akido when the young boy was just an Academy Student. Jeiku had suffered a serious injury when he was a Genin, and spent some of his time recovering volunteering at the Academy; Kashou quickly became one of his favorite students. But he hadn’t seen the young man in months. He stood up and strolled over to where Kashou was sitting, taking the seat beside him.

“Hey there, Kash! It’s been a long time!” Jeiku smiled. “What are you doing here?”

[Oddric]

Kashou took another sip of his self-warmed tea. It was nice to have a moment. He had been moving all day, and even though his job wasn't finished yet he was able to relax. The beverage was just an additional comfort.

Suddenly, the genin jolted. He heard a familiar voice and either someone using a nickname or they had forgotten his full name. Kashou immediately turned his head to the voice and looked over the man approaching him.

Kashou instinctively scooted over a bit as the older man sat beside him. "Uh..." The gears in Kashou's head turned, trying to remember about a dozen things at once. Where did he know this man from, what was his name, and what was their relationship? "Jeiku." Kashou said, both as a greeting and a distinctive sign that he remembered the man. Thankfully. "It's been so long since I saw you at graduation... five years?" Kashou's eyes moved from the man and down to the table. Five years? Really? Where had the time gone, what had he really accomplished?

It was no surprise that Jeiku had interest and concern in Kashou's activities. It was rather far to be from Kumo for a genin. Also sort of embarrassing, Kashou was still genin status. He kept tabs on some of his old friends from the academy, about half of them were chuunin. He suddenly was thrown back to his previous life and didn't want to make Jeiku disappointed, what a strange feeling.

"I'm on a mission. I don't have a team or anything. It's been easier to do them solo. I uh... need the money." Kashou lied. Well, sort of. He wondered how much Jeiku knew about what had happened to him this past year. His mother died and his father went missing. As far as Kumo was concerned, Ren Akido was a Missing-Nin. But Kashou knew his father had left good reasons. Still, there was a part of him that hoped that Kumo would find and catch him. He missed his father. Kashou was surprised how many emotions were being stirred by talking to someone.

"So um, what about you Sen-- Jeiku?" He tripped on his words, falling back into old habits, as he tried to change the subject quick. He didn't want Jeiku prying too much, despite Kashou genuinely enjoying his company. Kashou's father's work in hunting evil was known to some higher ups in Kumo, or at least that's what he told Kashou. However, it wasn't something to just tell people. Kashou was here on a personal mission, not on Kumo's orders. There was something wicked in these woods. "I can only imagine it's work. Are you due for a promotion or... something?" Truth be told, Kashou was hardly even sure how the rankings and titles in Kumo worked. Kashou needed to be a bit more involved in his village duties.

[Trucro]

Jeiku happily listened to his old student. Well, he was never really Kashou’s teacher, and for certain he wasn’t a student of Jeiku’s anymore. Friend was probably the better word; they were old friends. It had been a while since Jeiku had seen the boy, and he did look older. He was better built as well, not as scrawny, like he and a lot of the children at the academy had been. But Jeiku decided not to say anything about that. After taking a long sip of his tea, he replied to Kashou.

“Well,” Jeiku couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “I might be getting promoted sometime soon; hopefully, anyway.” Jeiku rose his eyebrows as he spoke. Bang! As Jeiku finished talking, another man walked into the inn, slamming the door behind him. Jeiku turned and watched as the man entered and plopped down at a nearby table. He then turned back to his friend. “Yea I had a mission not far from here. Wait, did you say you had a mission alone? I guess you’re probably a Chunin then, eh?.” Jeiku’s tone was more impressed than it was inquisitorial.

“Anyway, are you heading back to the Village soon? I was thinking I’d stay here tonight and then trek the rest of the way through the mountains tomorrow. You’re welcome to come with me if you like,” Jeiku offered, taking another sip of his tea.

[Oddric]

Kashou sipped his tea as Jeiku talked. He was rather relaxed, until Jeiku mentioned being a chuunin. It would be suspicious if Jeiku knew he was still a genin. This was an awfully far journey to go alone for a solo mission. Rather than actually reply to Jeiku's comment, Kashou gave him a smile instead. He felt bad not telling him the truth, but this would be better. He was relieved that the question of what exactly he was doing wasn't asked. He could come up with something, but it wouldn't have been very convincing.

"Oh, uh..." Technically, Kashou was leaving the village soon. Kashou planned on leaving the village the next day, taking care of the... issue during the night. This could actually work out quite well. "...Yes. I was planning on leaving in the morning." Company down the mountain would be nice too. Kashou would just have to be sure to leave the inn while Jeiku went to sleep. It should be easy. "Going with you would be great," he said.

"It surprises me these people would stay up here. It's too cold to make a life up here for me." Kashou said with a frown, taking another sip of tea. He wasn't usually such a downer, but the cold had put a twist on his mood. "I can hardly stand it. Ever been up higher in the mountains? It's so bitterly cold." Kashou made treks often. He had spent many nights more north. Usually with his father, but recently it had been on his own. It felt even worse without him, he wondered if it actually was.

[Trucro]

Jeiku continued drinking his tea as Kashou responded. He nodded along, and, after taking a final large gulp, he smiled, and took a deep breath. Jeiku had not liked tea as a child; he had only really begun to drink it during his recovery. The doctors had told him it was healthy, so he tried it again, and never stopped. Oddly, it was ritualistic for him, in a way; every night he would drink a cup of tea before he slept. Of course, that was only when he was home. When he was away, he rarely had access to the luxury of tea. It was for that reason that he enjoyed this tea that much. As Kashou finished speaking, Jeiku returned to the conversation.

“Perfect! I’ll be sleeping in if you don’t mind, so let’s leave a bit late, eh?” Jeiku chuckled. He turned away for a moment and let out a quiet burp before looking back at Kashou. “You know, I really don’t mind the cold. I love the snow, and I definitely feel at home here in these mountains. Did I ever tell you how my father and I used to hike in these mountains? Yea… I’ve got a lot of experiences up and around here, most of them good.” Jeiku sighed and took another sip of his tea. As he finished his sip, he put down his cup. “Now, let’s nail down a time for departure. How about… 10 AM? Does that work for you?”

[Oddric]

"Sure," said Kashou. The later, the better. It would give him plenty of time to get done what he needed to get done and even some extra time to sleep. Hopefully. He had a lot of experience with sleepless nights.

Fingers tapped against Kashou's cup as he listened to Jeiku. He felt the need to connect with him. "My father and I also used to make treks up in the mountains. It was usually cold, but... I never used to mind." Maybe it was just having someone to make the journey with him that made the cold bitter hikes not as bad. Now it was lonely. The more Kashou thought about it, the more he thought about taming a wolf or a fox. A fox to match his fox fur cloak. It seemed incredibly fitting.

"Ten sounds fine by me, Jeiku." Kashou nodded, already finished with his tea. Now it was merely something to occupy his fidgeting fingers. He twisted the cup on the table, soft sounds of wood scratching were hardly even noticeable to the boy.

The cup came to a stop as Kashou looked around the room quickly. People were leaving, it was just the two of them and a couple scattered others. Finishing their harder beverages. "I'm probably going to head up now." Kashou let off his grip on his cup as he slid out from his seat. "Thanks for the company," he gave a partial bow, "and I'll see you in the morning. Does down here seem okay?" Kashou asked.

The room he reserved was up on the third floor. Kashou planned on making a quick exit, jumping out of the window as soon as he got in. The promise of a longer sleep made finishing the job quickly very appealing. Hopefully he could make a smooth exit and come back into his room unnoticed. Someone scaling the wall was about as suspicious as jumping out of a window and vanishing into the woods.

[Trucro]

Jeiku nodded at his friend as Kashou stood. Jeiku himself was getting tired, but he had a bit of tea left, and decided to wait until he finished. As Kashou began to walk away, Jeiku responded. “Down here works fine. See ya tomorrow.” Jeiku turned back to his tea. As Kashou disappeared into a stairway, Jeiku took the last sip of his tea. He slammed his mug on the table, a bit harder than he meant to before calling over to the bartender.

“Can I get a room here?” Jeiku asked. He was certain there was space; by the way the bar had been attended, almost the entire inn should have been free. Jeiku wasn’t wrong, and he was able to book a room on the second floor for the night. The cost of the room, however, was nearly two thirds of the money he had left; it looked like he’d have to live light for the rest of the trip back to Kumogakure. The village wasn’t that far, Jeiku reminded himself; a one or two day trip tops. Jeiku stood from his seat, handing the bartender his empty mug.

He walked to the stairway, and quickly ascended to the second floor. It didn’t take him long to find his room, and as soon as he entered, he collapsed on the bed. He hadn’t slept much for the past few days, and when he had slept, it was on the ground. It would be nice to have a bed for a change. Jeiku closed his eyes.

[Oddric]

Kashou had very little cash left on him. "Ugh." He groaned audibly as he walked into his room. The inn room had cost him more than he was expecting. The size of the inn and the amount of people coming in certainly wasn't helping either. Supply and demand, he assumed. Doing his sort of work wasn't terribly rewarding, at least for now. His father always managed to get more money out of. Kashou had to learn to barter better. Then again, when a poor farmer was asking to slay the creature harming his cattle and terrorizing his children, Kashou was hard pressed to ask for more money than the man had offered.

Shutting the door behind him, Kashou made sure it was locked. He pressed his ear against the door, staying that way for nearly a minute, making sure he wasn't being followed. Not that he was expecting to, it was really only Jeiku, but he had to be sure.

Walking over to the bed side, Kashou pulled a scroll out from underneath his pillows and activated it with a hand sign. A sheathed sword emerged from it, Kashou strapped it to his waist along with the other sword that was already there. This sword was made of refined iron, blessed by a monk. It was a necessity.

The window opened with a grunt from Kashou. He put one foot on the sill as he looked out, gazing briefly into the cold night sky, eyes wandering across the fields below that lead into a more wooded area. It was only a kilometer from here, according to the farmer. Convenient for him, but not for the village. Kashou stuck a hand on the outside wall after charging it with chakra, quickly flipping himself over to be pressed against the wall like some sort of man-spider. Using one hand, Kashou shut the window and leaped off the wall, landing skillfully onto the ground below.

"Okay, right." He muttered, brown eyes peering through and past trees. From here, he certainly wasn't going to pick up on the thing's trail. Kashou straightened himself and took off into the woods, one hand on the hilt of his newly summoned sword. There were distinct tracks of the thing he was hunting, but he doubted it would be so close to the inn. It was a major light source, and realistically the beast had no reason to come near a decently populated area. A farm made sense, a farm had less threats and more food. But given enough time, it would get brave and approach the village more often. Kashou was here to make sure it didn't have that time. The farm was where he had to go.

[Trucro]

Silence. The room was remarkably silent, Jeiku thought, his eyes still closed. There must have been very few people left in the bar; maybe all of them had left. It was pretty late after all. As an insomniac, normally Jeiku had trouble sleeping. Not tonight though, Jeiku thought to himself. He had done a lot the past few days, and he was extremely tired. Jeiku let out a deep sigh as he relaxed the rest of his body.

Thud. It was a quiet sound, but Jeiku heard it. It broke the silence that had taken over the building. Jeiku made note of it, but decided to ignore it. He was far too tired to worry about that. He shifted in his bed, bringing one of the covers up to his face. Thud. He heard the noise again. Was it people leaving the bar from the floor below? No it couldn’t have been; that noise was coming from above him. Jeiku opened his eyes. As a ninja, the noise was truly bothering him. He heard another quiet creak. He sat up in his bed and sighed. He had to take a look; his senses were still on high alert. He walked over to his window, and pushed the curtains away.

There, on the ground besides the building Kashou dashed away. What was he doing? He was leaving Jeiku at the hotel! What a jerk! Jeiku angrily opened his own window. He wasn’t going to let Kashou escape. He decided to follow the brat stealthily, grabbing his trident before quietly emerging from his own window.

[Oddric]

Hhss

The leaves rustled with the cold wind. Kashou thought it a wonder there was even a farm this far north. It wasn't as cold as more up the mountains and even further north, but still. It was probably much easier for the farmers to make a profit, given how long a distance supplies had to travel to get here. The economy of the village probably depended heavily on this farm. Kashou liked to think his work made a significant impact, even if hardly ever knew the work he was doing. It let him sleep better at night.

Kashou's movement came to a stop. One hand on a tree, he peered out from behind it, the dim light from a house and a large crop field behind it. Well, from Kashou's angle, the crop field was in front of the house. Barns off to the left side, Kashou decided to head there. If that thing's feeding, it'll be where the food is. That's how these beasties usually worked.

Circling around, Kashou was in the woods adjacent to the barn. He crept more quietly now, his body lower as he diverged from the location of the farm and deeper into the forest again. This thing had to be smart, waiting to get into the barn when no one was around to watch. Surely the farmers have been increasing their security. Probably a frightened teenager with a cross bow. Poor kid would hardly slow the fowl monster. The kid would anger it, and the creature would have an honest taste for human flesh. Then there would be a real issue. The village filled with people would be much more appealing.

Kashou stopped prowling and hopped off a low lying branch and up a taller one a couple meters off the ground, barely making a sound as he did so. He slumped down, one hand on the trunk of the tree and other on the branch. The monster hunter quieted himself as best he could, listening and observing. If there was something out there, he would find it. It just had to be around here.

[Trucro]

Jeiku followed the Genin as quietly as possible. He was very confused. Where was Kashou headed and what the hell was he doing? It was a cold night so high in the mountains, and Kashou was moving fast; this was no midnight walk. He wasn’t leaving Jeiku at the hotel either. There would be no reason for him to move like this. What was going on?

Jeiku was mulling over the possibility of just going up to speak with his friend and asking what was happening as they continued through the forest. Frost had accumulated on the leaves on the trees, and Jeiku had to be careful not to step on them as he ran; he knew they could make a rather loud noise if he did. Jeiku himself was a bit cold; he wished he had brought some warmer clothing, but he had left in a rush. He actually was not wearing much of anything; not even his vest. He just has his trident, a long sleeved undershirt and a pair of sweatpants.

Suddenly, Kashou came to a stop. Jeiku stopped several meters behind him, and watched. The Genin appeared to be looking at something beyond the trees. Jeiku ducked his head around and tried to see what Kashou was looking at. Apparently, there was some sort of shed in a clearing ahead of them. Jeiku spent a few seconds looking more closely, and saw a field full of crops. It was some sort of farm. What was Kashou doing at a farm?

As he contemplated this, Kashou jumped up to a higher branch. Jeiku still didn’t move; he simply watched carefully from his branch, hidden behind some brush.

[Oddric]

The wind blew again, but Kashou stayed unwavering. If Jeiku had a good view of Kashou, he'd see the younger man not shivering. On the inside, though, Kashou was very aware of the cold. He'd give anything to be inside. The boy was used to this sort of abuse. Kashou could be out here until dawn, and he wondered if he just might. It wouldn't be his first all night stake out. Jeiku's going to be concerned if he doesn't see me in the morning. But if I don't find the thing tonight, I can't go back to Kumo. He'll come looking, no doubt. I have to find it. If Jeiku doesn't--

"Whoa, hey, what the hell are you doing!?" A few meters away, a young man shakily held a cross bow in his hands. However, rather than having it pointed at Kashou, it was pointed into a different tree. When Kashou squinted his eyes, turning on his branch, he saw who was hidden in the brush.

"Jeiku?" Kashou's head tilted as he leaned forward.

The young man jumped, cross bow pointed into Kashou's tree. "Ah! Hey!" Kashou looked a bit annoyed, hand running through his brown hair. "How many of you are out here? What do you want?"

Kashou landed on the ground, hands in the air. "Your mother hired me. The thing in the woods, right? That's what has got you so spooked. Killing your cattle. Might kill you soon, too. Your mother had the sense to hire someone to get the job done. In retrospect, maybe I should have told her to tell everyone on the farm what I was doing."

Eyes bouncing between Kashou and Jeiku, the boy shook his head. "No, no. That thing isn't real!" He pointed the cross bow out into the woods. "It's just some wolves. There's no monster. I'm not stupid!" He readjusted the crossbow, aiming it at Kashou. "Get out of here."

A sigh came from Kashou, looking up to Jeiku. Sudden, his eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell...? Are you carrying a trident?" The boy glanced up into the tree for just long enough for Kashou to bash him across the face.

The farmer boy hit the ground, completely unconscious. Kashou shook his left hand, glancing about to make sure there weren't any other unwanted visitors. If the creature was around this part of the forest, it certainly wasn't going to be coming out now. "Seriously, though. Is that a trident?"

[Trucro]

Jeiku watched Kashou carefully, barely even realizing there was another man waiting in front of one of the buildings on the farm. Once the man shouted at him, Jeiku dropped to the ground and began to walk forward. When Kashou did the same, Jeiku nodded. He watched mutely as Kashou spoke with the man with a crossbow. He shot Kashou a look when the Genin turned towards him and commented on his trident.

”Yea, I’ve had this trident for a while now!” Jeiku responded, furrowing his brow. ”I’ve been using it for years! Did I never show you? It’s more effective than that sword of yours, I can promise you that,” he countered, pointing to the sword hanging around Kashou’s waste. ”But more importantly, what the hell are you doing here? You can’t just leave me at the inn, not to mention you’re trespassing on this man’s farm!” Jeiku turned to the man with a crossbow who was obviously nervous, who was now lying on the ground unconscious. "Why would you do that, Kashou? What did he do? He wasn't going to shoot us!"

[Oddric]

He didn't remember Jeiku ever wielding a trident. Though, perhaps it wouldn't be the most appropriate thing to carry around the academy. It was a bit intimidating. The brown eyed genin glanced to the two different swords strapped to his waist. Was he... making fun of his swords? If the scenario was a bit different, he might have had a comeback for his old teacher's aide.

"Technically, I'm not trespassing. Ow." He hissed, clenching and unclenching his left fist. "That hurt my hand way more than I thought it would." Kashou looked back to Jeiku. "His mother really did hire me. There's a creature in these woods, Jeiku. It's been killing her livestock and I think soon it'll kill her family." He raised his eyebrows.

Turning about, he walked over to the boy and knelt down. "I think he might have shot us. Maybe not, though. He didn't seem the most confident. But, he would have gotten in my way." His head was tilted up to look at the older man. "He's better like this. Could you watch my back while I carry him to the barn? I don't want him getting eaten."

With a grunt, Kashou stood up with the farmer boy in his arms. He walked out of the woods and toward the barn. It was tough to see in the moonlit night, but it was a very dull red color. The paint was not holding up very well, the brown wood of the glorified shed showing on a lot of places. It definitely needed a touch up.

"I would ask you to leave, but I don't think that you would. Normally I try not to get people roped into this sort of thing." Kashou looked over his shoulder at Jeiku. "It's dangerous. And I realize this is me, a younger shinobi, saying it to you. There are honest to goodness monsters and evil out there. Right now, there's a thing in those woods that means to do this family harm. If I don't deal with it tonight, I'm afraid of what will happen to this farm and that village we have had to luxury to stay in."

Stopping at the entrance to the barn, Kashou nodded his head at it. His hands were full and needed Jeiku to open it. "Stay and help, or leave. But you gotta listen what I have to say." This wasn't anything Jeiku had dealt with before, Kashou was sure. There wasn't any nicer way to say it then that. Even if Jeiku did take offense, maybe he'd just leave. Kashou normally worked alone, and he certainly didn't pull in random people, but something told him that having Jeiku would be helpful. Not like he had much a choice now.

[Trucro]

Jeiku listened to Kashou carefully. What was this kid thinking? He supposed that attacking a man like this really only made sense if everything he was saying was true. That, or Kashou had gone crazy in the time since he graduated the Academy, which was not an all that out there theory. Either way, for his friend’s sake, it made sense for him to stay with the Genin. And that would mean that he would have to play along.

He watched as Kashou picked up the unconscious man, and moved him into the barn. He didn’t so much look out for danger while the Genin did this, but quite literally he stared at Kashou’s back. As Kashou dropped the body in the barn, Jeiku began to look around. The farm appeared to be a nice place; very peaceful. He didn’t know what Kashou was talking about.

”Alright, Kashou. I’ll stay, but I need you to explain better. What’s going on here? What is this creature, and why is it that you are the one to be fighting them?”

[Oddric]

A sigh of relief came as Kashou released the boy from his arms. Bent over, he let him drop onto the hay and dirt covered floor. Kashou stood up straight, hands on his hips as he looked to his elder. "Those are some loaded questions." The young man gave a weak smile, walking about the barn, hand rubbing the back of his head. He looked around as he walked, making sure everything was as it should be. It seemed it was.

"All right. I'll try and make this as brief as possible." If he wanted a longer explanation, it would have to wait until after the night was over. There wasn't time for chatting. But, he couldn't imagine Jeiku would be very cooperative until he had some questions answered. "The thing out in the woods is what people like me refer to as a Black Dog. It's like a wolf, but a bit bigger and... well... meaner. It's quite demonic and feeds on nearly anything. Cattle, corpses, human flesh. The Black Dog out in the woods has only been bothering these farmers' livestock. But I guarantee it'll get a taste for human, and soon. From what that kid's mother told me, the creature is being sighted more and more and further from the woods." Kashou explained, stopping his pacing to look at the chuunin. "As for why it's me to be going up against that grizzly thing... well, it has to be. A regular shinobi wouldn't be able to handle it. Not really. It's not just some overgrown pup, it's real evil. Things like that can't be stopped so easily. That's why you see Genma sealed away into people rather than killed. It's nearly impossible to actually kill them."

Kashou gripped the hilt of one of the two swords at his waist. He pulled it out, the thing flickered the moonlight that broke through the high open window of the barn. "The Black Dog can't be killed so easily. There are few ways to get rid of it. I could seal it away like a spirit, into a special object or a living thing. Which, I always try to avoid. The other easier way is to kill it with iron blessed by a monk. This katana here will do the job. Made a visit to a temple on my way here from Kumo." He slid the blade back into place. "My father trained me on how to hunt these things. I do it a lot. I'm not as good at tracking them as my father was, but I still have some of his old contacts who I reach out to for information. That's what brought me here." He spread his arms slightly.

Arms folded across his chest, he gave a little shrug. "I hope that clears things up a bit." Kashou rarely had good experiences with explaining this to people. He imagined he came off as a bit loony. "You still up for helping me? I'm not even sure where the dog is now. For all I know, it could be back at the village hunting some wandering drunk. The farm just seemed like the best first place to check. I could use your help."

[Trucro]

Jeiku nodded along, silently as Kashou spoke. He knew a lot about Genma; more than he would care to, actually. But he had never hear about these demon dogs. He was still skeptical, but he decided he would indulge the Genin. Jeiku was fully awake now, and so he didn’t feel the need to return to his bed quickly. He raised his hand to his chin as he finished taking in all the information. He took a deep breath before beginning to speak.

”So, it’s basically up to you to make sure these Black Dogs are taken care of? Man, if that’s true, this place is in big trouble,” Jeiku chuckled at his own joke before acting more serious. ”I’ll stay and help you out; after all, how many times could you have done this before? I’m guessing it’s generally a pretty risky battle, especially for a Genin alone. We’ll take care of this one.” Jeiku finished confidently, raising his arm. But nothing happened. He swung about, looking for some movement, or rustling; anything to indicate a coming ambush. But he heard nothing. ”So, how do we find this thing? Do we hunt for it, or just wait it out?”

[Oddric]

A single finger raised from Kashou's hand. "Hopefully it'll just be a single Black Dog. From what I know, they don't traditionally hunt in packs." Letting his arms drop to his sides, he shrugged once more. "Of course, you never really know with these damned things. They have patterns, but sometimes they stray from them." He kicked at some of the hay on the ground, the gears in his head turning.

"One on it's own isn't bad. The last time I tackled this sort of thing was my father. He let me handle it on my own, but he stayed by and watched to make sure I wouldn't have my throat torn by the monstrosity." Kashou explain. His short quips probably spoke volumes for the bizarre father and son relationship they had. Kashou fighting a literal hell spawn while his father stood by and analyzed him. Kashou thought nothing wrong of it. In his mind, he had to be trained and that was the only proper way. A year without the man might have made Kashou grow fonder of him, though. "This one still feeds on chickens and calves, it should be weak compared to a fully realized monster. But, who knows? I've been wrong."

Pacing in the barn, Kashou gave a glance to the unconscious boy. Yeah, I slugged him good. He was tired too, he'll be out 'til dawn. That was a mercy, or at least Kashou thought so. With the boy safe in the barn, the duo could go outside and hunt for the beast. Maybe even split up. Jeiku could probably handle himself, but Kashou hated taking the risk. This wasn't just some canine predator.

Kashou stopped, pointing at Jeiku. "It wants to feed, I'm sure." He had a game plan. "We need to stay around the perimeter of the farm. We need to watch over the barn and stables, as well as the farmers' home. We just gotta keep moving around the area, not staying in one place for too long. I don't want to risk the thing getting into their home. If it gets in their home and sees vulnerable human meat, it will eat, guaranteed." Kashou swiped the air for emphasis. "Black Dogs prefer an easy meal, baby cows over full grown ones, for example. True to their 'dog-like' nature, they are scavengers. They know how to search for low difficult prey. A sleeping human is exactly what it'll want, I think. The family has locked doors and they've probably boarded up their windows and added extra security to their doors like I suggested. So I'm not too concerned. The stables and the sheds with animals have also been locked up a bit tighter. So for the Black Dog the only possible quick and easy meal left is... just..." Kashou's voice trailed off as he looked again to the unconscious boy and then looked out into the darkness of the wide open barn. "Uh..."

Rark! Rark!

"Shut the door, shut the door! Quick!" Kashou shouted as the Black Dog's bark screamed in from the darkness. It didn't sound too far off, and Kashou didn't want to take the chance to find out just how close it was. They were quick and if it got past the two shinobi, Kashou didn't want to risk the defenseless boy getting injured or killed. Running forward, Kashou grabbed one of the two open doors and quickly brought it shut. He expected Jeiku to do the same, leaving the two of them stuck inside the barn with the beast outside.

[Trucro]

Jeiku sighed as he listened to Kashou’s explanation. It made logical sense, provided these dogs actually did exist, but Jeiku still had his doubts. People often liked to take themselves too seriously, which led to over-exaggeration, and sometimes simply an overactive imagination. All of these remained possible explanations for Kashou’s actions, and Jeiku didn’t rule any of them out.

The two ninja stood in the barn over the unconscious farm boy’s body, speaking when they heard something from behind. It sounded like a bark, but not quite like a bark one might hear from a normal dog. It wasn’t a growl, and it wasn’t a whimper; it was simply far deeper than any bark Jeiku had ever heard. Jeiku spun around to see if there actually was a demon dog. He squinted, looking out into the dark, searching for the shape of an animal.

Kashou turned to Jeiku, and shouted, ordering him to close the door, and motioning towards him to do so. Jeiku, who still hadn’t seen the animal, reluctantly grabbed the other door, and the two of them slammed it shut. Jeiku grabbed a long board of wood that had been lying on the ground, but it didn’t seem to matter; the bolt was on the opposite side of the door, so it was impossible to lock from the inside.

It was all for the better, Jeiku figured. After all, they were there, hypothetically, to kill this creature. Hiding from it seemed counterproductive.

”So, Kashou: Let’s come up with a plan. I can try to catch the beast with my Lightning Whip technique. It should arrest the creature, hopefully paralyzing it. I just need to make sure I can catch this thing…

[Oddric]

Kashou held the two doors shut, one hand pushing furiously against each door. In the panic he listened, the chilling bark came again. It was just outside these doors and it wanted in. There was no resistance against the doors in the time the genin had put his strength against them, but he kept it up until Jeiku slid a plank between the door handles. That should hold the beast off if it tried to get in. At the very least, it'd hold it long enough for Kashou or Jeiku to take notice it was trying to work its way inside.

"I wasn't even thinking about the kid." Kashou sighed, looking over again. The "kid" was probably a year or two older than Kashou. "That could have gone a lot worse. Damn it, I'm so stupid." He shook his hand, letting his hands fall onto his waste as his heel tore at the loose hay.

Jeiku brought him back from his self-loathing, and Kashou was quick to listen. "Yeah... okay. That might work." Kashou thought, absent-mindedly scratching as his lower cheek. "They don't like fire much, lightning either, I imagine." He nodded, liking the plan more and more with each head bob.

A spin about the room brought Kashou's eyesight to the moon. "Oh!" Kashou pointed directly at the moon. Well, obviously, not the moon but the open window that was letting in the bright moonlight. "We can scale the wall and get up on the roof, we should be able to see the feral thing from up there. It shouldn't be able to scale the side of the barn, so the boy should be safe."

Taking the lead, Kashou moved over the boy and ran up the back of the barn's interior. One hand on the window sill, Kashou threw his body, feet-first, out the window and planted his feet against the exterior wall in one fluid motion. Kashou ran to the roof and approached the side that would allow full vision of the field in front of the barn. Kashou came to a dead stop, looking down at a moving dark object a dozen meters back from the withering barn's locked doors.

Creeping, a beast bigger than the size of a wolf had its bright red eyes focused on the doors. Its fur was black and scraggly and its claws scraped against the grass. A full set of teeth were the most obvious in the night, the moonlight made them almost glow, saliva pooling and draining from its large lower jaw. "Jeiku..." Kashou brought his arm out to where Jeiku was, as if to stop him from moving. Or maybe just to make sure the man was paying attention. Kashou felt his heart beat pick up. He had done this dozens of times, against things even fiercer looking than the Black Dog, but he never stopped being scared. His father had told him to use his fear. Only a fool wouldn't be scared.

[Trucro]

Jeiku followed Kashou out the back window. Leaping up to the top of the roof of the barn, he looked out over the farm and saw the demon beast. It was roughly the size of a wolf, which disappointed Jeiku; he had expected the beast to be bigger. However, a closer look revealed the creature’s true details. It was dark, an evil looking, with only its seemingly glowing eyes and saliva reflecting in the moonlight. Jeiku was taken aback for a moment before shaking himself out of it. He never really liked to fight animals. They were far too unpredictable, certainly more so than humans. But they were only animals, and animals could be easily outsmarted.

He heard Kashou say his name, and reach his arm out to him without looking. Jeiku was unsure if the Genin was trying to show him the dog, or if he just needed someone’s hand to hold. Jeiku bumped against his arm to let him know he was there. He stared at the dog for only a second longer before speaking.

“Well, can…. Should we begin?” He turned to the Genin trying to force smile. The truth was, he was afraid, but standing on the top of the barn wasn’t going to do much. He began weaving hand seals as he nodded to Kashou. He reached out his arm as he finished the last hand seal, and it began to glow blue with lighting energy. All at ones, the lightning extended from his middle and pointer fingers several meters long.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Lightning Element • Whip Technique]
B-Rank Nintaijutsu
Pre-requisite: user must have a stat of at least five Taijutsu
After the correct hand seals are performed, the user creates a whip of Raiton from their middle and pointer fingers. The whip can be up to five meters long and can be used like a blunt object in terms of impact while also delivering painful shocks that numb the area of contact for two posts. The whip can sustain itself for six posts before dissipating. Otherwise, the user could very well harm themselves in the process of performing this technique.

[Oddric]

Feeling Jeiku knock against his arm brought Kashou back to the situation at hand. Seeing it from so far away brought a sense of surrealism to everything. If he had been just thrown into a fight against the thing, he imagined he would have been much more responsive. It was like jumping off a cliff into a pond, the longer you have to think about it the more anxious one becomes. Kashou had to just... jump.

He watched the older man whip out his arm, a long length of electric silk ejecting from his fingers. That would definitely work to keep the dark animal immobilized. "Yeah. Let's." Kashou managed to say, locking eyes with the beast below. It was definitely looking him... could it sense his blessed blade? It didn't matter now, he had to jump.

Landing on the dew coated grass, Kashou formed several hand signs. Rushing the beast wouldn't do any good, he had to get it to come close, but Kashou had to have it on his own terms. Throw attacks at the thing and slowly close the gap. One wrong move and those razors on its paws would carve the genin like a jack-o-lantern. He had to be cautious.

The Black Dog made a movement, adjusting itself as if to get ready to dart for the genin. Before it had the proper time to do so, Kashou hopped back, using one hand to form a 'circle' over his mouth and the other to grab shuriken from his holster. Several spheres of flames ejected from the genin's mouth, shuriken hiding within them.

As Kashou skidded to a stop, the beast rushed around the flaming weapons. It let out a snarl as flames from one of the spheres licked at the thing's heel. The dog didn't stop, it continued to run, continuing to circle Kashou. It must have been weary of Kashou's partner, as it should have been. It knew it'd have trouble taking both of them on. Kashou kept one hand close to his tunic and the other on shimmering blue of the hilt of his iron sword.

Used no JutsuShow

*[Fire Element • Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed hand seals, the user draws in a deep breath before emitting it in the form of a series of small fireballs, about the size of a basketball at a speed of 6. The ninja can also hurl a projectile, which is covered in these same flames. To the opponent, the attack appears to be only the balls of flame, they do not see the hidden threat within the flames. Even if the flames are put out, the projectiles still converge on the target. The flames can be used to cover different projectiles like shuriken or kunai. The flames can travel up to thirty feet before dissipating. If the flames hit flesh, they will cause minor second-degree burns.

[Trucro]

Jeiku moved his tongue around in his mouth as he prepared for his own attack. He was impressed at Kashou’s growth. That fire style technique was not for beginners. He had truly mastered a relatively high ranked jutsu. Jeiku would have smiled if he wasn’t using his mouth to think. He brought his eyebrows lower on his forehead as he squinted, trying to see the dog a bit better.

Then, all of a sudden, he raised his hand over his head before dropping it down towards the ground. The lightning whip followed close behind the movements of Jeiku’s hand, rising above Jeiku’s head before slashing downwards. He aimed for the dog, who was still circling the Genin. The beast was quick, however, and the whip simply slapped the ground where the dog had been.

“Kashou, I need you to keep the beast from running like that! I can’t pin him down!” he shouted to his comrade below. He realized that it was a bit odd that the younger Genin was fighting on the round, with Jeiku attacking from afar. However, he reminded himself that the two of them had different skill sets; Jeiku’s just happened to be long ranged.

[Oddric]

The grass where his fireballs had shot caught flame, hot shuriken impaled the ground. It shimmered briefly, but the wind and the wet ground didn't sustain the bright in the darkness for long. Catching the area on fire was not exactly a concern of Kashou's at the moment.

"This thing is too damn quick!" Kashou shouted back. He wasn't filtering his words, merely saying the first words that fell from his mouth. He had a feeling of panic in him as he prepared his next move. It was stressful, having the job of stopping the beast. As of now, the only thing he could think of was having it lunge at him and try and keep the dark thing from mauling his chest open. Jeiku wouldn't enjoy the soup of blood and intestines that he'd have to bring back to Kumo.

Kashou formed hand seals, running parallel now to the Black Dog. Infusing a kunai from his holster with katon chakra, Kashou tossed it directly in front of where the beast was heading. Stopping on a dime, Kashou pulled a scroll from within his cloak. With a puff of white smoke, Kashou had a pair of kunai strung together by tough wire.

Boom!

The Black Dog lurched back, the original kunai Kashou had thrown exploded, sending flames every which way. Kashou threw one of the strung kunai, a curve to his throw. The kunai wrapped around one of its legs, the kunai partially cutting into its flesh. It let out a chilling shriek before running again, though this time it was hindered by Kashou pulling back against the beast. Kashou slid on the ground, hands on the handle of the kunai, blade partially slipping and cutting Kashou's flesh as well. But the Black Dog wasn't going much of anywhere. "Jeiku!"

Utilized TechniquesShow

*[Fuuinjutsu • Storage: Minor Weapon]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
By writing out the needed fuuinjutsu on a scroll, the user is able to seal small weapons. These weapons are about the size of a kunai or a pocket knife. The size of the fuuinjutsu is directly equal to the object that is stored into it. Weapons can't be sealed this way in combat.

*[Fire Element • Bomb Creation Technique]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the needed hand seals and forcing katon chakra into an object that the user is touching, the user will throw the item at a target. On contact, the object lets out a powerful blast of flames in a 3 foot diameter around it that can cause first degree burns and expands with roughly the force of an exploding tag. The user can hold the explosion in the object for a single post but this technique must be released before the post is over or it will fizzle out and waste the chakra. This does not damage the object at the center of the explosion.

[Trucro]

Jeiku was impressed. Kashou had not only learned some complex techniques, but he was able to employ them quickly and with tact. Jeiku wasn’t sure he would have been able to do the same as a Genin; he remembered working on attacks like that, but when fighting an unpredictable enemy like this, he wouldn’t have known what to do. Perhaps Kashou was telling the truth, maybe he had been fighting these things for some time.

He heard Kashou shout his name, and Jeiku immediately raised his arm. Bringing it down, the whip made of lightning crackled as it swung towards the beast. In a flash, it had wrapped around the creatures neck. Jeiku watched as the demon dog was electrocuted, blue sparks running up and down the creature’s body. Jeiku smiled; this was a high ranking jutsu, and there was no way, he thought the creature could get free.

The dog did not fall to the ground, however, instead shaking its head wildly. It pulled the whip from Jeiku’s hand, dispelling the jutsu. The whip slowly disappeared into nothing as Jeiku’s eyes opened wide with surprise. How could anything break a jutsu like that? He shook himself out of it as the beast lunged forward.

“Kashou, watch out!”

[Oddric]

A flash of yellow zipped by the genin, lightning wrapping around the creature's neck. It was totally bound. "Yes!" Kashou exclaimed, not even realizing he had done so. It would be easy now. Kill it quick. If you hesitate, you'll die.

Kashou jammed the wired kunai in his hand into the ground, drops of blood running down the handle. Kashou darted forward to the struggling beast. Suddenly, the whip dispersed, the beast's struggling had undone the jutsu. Halfway to the thing, Kashou slid on the grass, one hand on the hilt of his iron sword, the other was helping to maintain his balance. Falling in front of the foul thing wouldn't be the best mode of action.

The Black Dog now was running to Kashou, the genin's eyes widened as it did so. It still had a wired kunai wrapped around its leg and stuck in the ground, but that alone wouldn't do much to contain it. If he could wrap a few more around it... then maybe.

With a single movement, Kashou pulled both swords from his sheaths. His usual steel sword in his right hand and the blessed iron sword in his better left hand. He slid a foot back as the beast lunged for his chest.

"Ah!" Kashou grunted, the metal of his blades clashing against the beast's claws as it tried to overpower the boy. It succeeded. Kashou fell on his back, his swords in an 'X' formation, the jaws of the beast centimeters from Kashou's face as he pushed up against the damned thing, though it remained unmoving. He had to think of something, quick. In the chaos of the moment, he forgot he had a partner with him. It seemed the beast did, too.

[Trucro]

“Oh Shit!” Jeiku said aloud as the beast pounced on Kashou. The Genin wouldn’t be able to hold on long, he thought. He quickly began to eave hand seals. He had to get the creature off his friend. He grunted as he finished the last seal, and stretched out his arms. In front of him, a glowing blue ball of storm energy, liquid lightning, gathered and formed. It was about the size of Jeiku’s head. After holding it for just a moment, three streams of storm energy left it, flying towards the demon dog at a great speed.

These beams caught the beast in its side, piercing through it as if its skin was paper. The first cut through its upper torso, the second hit it in the gut, and the third cut through its behind. Each of the three streams continued for a few feet after cutting through the creature before holding in the air. Jeiku raised the beams up, lifting the beast off the ground before ending the jutsu, dropping the creature to the floor.

“That should do it,” Jeiku said out loud, breathing heavily. He dropped his hands to his sides. “You alright, Kashou?”

Jutsu UsedShow

*Laser Disco Technique
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: At least 5 other Storm Style techniques, *Laser Spotlight Technique
An advancement of the well known and respected Storm technique, the user first performs several hand seals and then spreads their hands out wide, several strobe-like balls of Storm sliding out of every finger on both hands and then collecting into a head sized ball ofStorm in the middle of both hands. It is then launched forward into three beams of Storm with a speed equal to the user's (ninjutsu+control)/2, to a max of 8. Each beam can be controlled limtedly over it's 40 foot distance just like the originating technique, though these beams can make one sharp turn during this control. These three beams of storm are like lances, piercing through up to six inches of rock each and easily cutting through most weaker defenses. As a focused technique the user cannot perform any other jutsu and must hold their hands in the formation position for this technique or the beams will be interrupted and dissipate, they can also be interrupted by damage to the user.

[Oddric]

The Black Dog was lifted up into the air by bright beams of light. It was clear after a moment that Jeiku had been the one to do this. The thing lifted into the air, it howled in pain as Kashou felt the decrease in pressure around his chest. An amazing relief, but the battle wasn't over yet.

Taking the opportunity, Kashou held his blades to his torso and rolled out from underneath the wounded beast. Kashou stopped and stood, iron sword in his hand as Jeiku released his jutsu. Landing hard on the ground, the thing remained unmoving for a moment, Jeiku asking if he was alright. It jerked suddenly, its damaged legs attempting to lift itself and, undoubtedly, run straight for Jeiku.

Kashou leaped, grip tight on his iron weapon, and he drove the blade through the damned creature's skull. Its legs buckled and gave out, the thing's head halfway between Kashou's blade. Its glowing red eyes flickered for a few moments before diminishing entirely. Kashou stood over the thing for a moment, letting out a few breaths before pushing against with his foot and drawing his blade from the organic sheath.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." He nodded, eyes still on the dead monster.

He whipped his sword to the side, a stream of blood falling against the grass. He put it and his other sword back into their holsters on his waist. "I think I got it from here." Kashou circled to the side of the beast, lifting it and cradling it in his arms. "I'm gonna burn it in the forest." It was the safest way to deal with the corpses of the supernatural. "Come with me if you'd like. Either way... thanks for the help." He wasn't sure how the battle would have gone if Jeiku hadn't assisted. Kashou preferred not to ponder on that.

[Trucro]

Jeiku dropped his jaw when the dog, with three large holes through its body, stood and began to growl at him. The creatures legs were shaking, but Jeiku was surprised the dog could move at all. He’d never seen an animal with wounds like those move, much less prepare for an attack. He was beginning to plan out his next move when Kashou drove his blade between the creature’s eyes, and it dropped to the ground.

Jeiku nodded at Kashou as he watched Kashou lift the dog up in his arms and head towards the forest. He followed. Jeiku was surprised Kashou was willing to do that; wouldn’t he get the blood all over him? Either way, the darkness forest seemed far scarier than it had earlier that night, before he had known about these dark creatures. It appeared as though Kashou had been telling the truth the whole time.

[Oddric]

"Oof..." Kashou grunted, dropping the creature to the ground without an ounce of grace. It flopped slightly as it hit the grass, blood beginning to redden the area. He briefly checked over his clothing, his tunic had a bit of blood splattered over it. It certainly wasn't the first time. Hopefully next time it wouldn't be his own blood.

Kashou briefly checked the area, eyes rising from the ground and to the trees. There were a lot of low hanging branches. "Would you mind grabbing a few of those branches?" Kashou asked, pulling out his steel sword again. It didn't take long, a few hacks gave quite a number of leafy, dry branches.

Laying down a bed of branches with a series of rocks surrounding it, Kashou moved to the dog on top of it. He tossed the rest of the branches the duo collected on top of it, along with a handful of some sort of dust that Kashou pulled from a pouch in his holster. "That should about do it." Kashou whispered, not really speaking to Jeiku in particular.

Forming several hand signs, Kashou snapped his fingers and a flame formed over a couple of his fingers. Kneeling, Kashou blew against the flame, it spread over the branches, the leaves catching fire and the dust seemed to began to sparkle and glimmer as the fire rapidly began to spread and consume.

A sigh came from Kashou's mouth, itching his head as he turned his back to the large fire. "I think that about does it. People save. Dead creature. No corpse left." His hands fell to his hips, sighing again. Partly out of relief, and partly out of exhaustion. When Jeiku showed up, he wasn't sure how the rest of the night was going to go. Kashou disliked extra variables in his hunts. "I don't need to wait for this damned hound to smolder," Kashou threw a thumb behind him, "it isn't very exciting." No more than a bonfire.

"I'm ready for sleep. Honestly." He added. "I don't think I could manage another midnight exertion if I tried." The hotel was safer and more inviting than it had been when he first arrived, he felt.

[Trucro]

Jeiku felt as though he had spent a very long time without speaking. After following the Genin a distance into the woods, he was asked to collect branches and leaves; Jeiku assumed that he wanted to burn the creature’s body. He did so as quickly as he could, and watched as Kashou cut up his collection before surrounding it with rocks and some sort of powder that Jeiku didn’t recognize. After moving the dog’s body on top of the fire, the Genin lit it with his figure. Jeiku sighed as Kashou spoke to him.

“I agree,” he replied, speaking for what felt like the first time in a while. “You know, I was just about asleep when I caught you sneaking out. I never would have guessed what you were doing!” Jeiku chuckled to himself as he turned around. The fire was beginning to pick up, but Jeiku assumed Kashou knew what he was doing. “I think the in was…. That way.” Jeiku pointed into the forest, before following his own finger. He didn’t remember exactly how far away the inn was, and he hoped they would get back soon. With the danger gone, his eyelids were beginning to droop.

[Trucro]

Removed because my computer messed up

[Oddric]

Kashou lifted an eyebrow, pointing in the same direction that Jeiku had. He let a moment pass, thinking for a moment, before deciding it was the correct direction to head in. The light from the small village wouldn't be too hard to miss.

The hunter gave the fire one last look before turning his back on it. He didn't care much to check to see if it was totally reduced to ashes, nor did he want the fowl smell of burning flesh caught in his nose. He nearly gagged thinking about it.

"Truth be told, I wouldn't have snuck out if you weren't staying at the inn." Kashou said, looking to his partner as they walked the long path back to their comfortable rooms. "It's the only reason I climbed out of my window. I didn't want you trailing me or seeing what I was up to. I guess that sort of backfired. You probably wouldn't have seen me if I just walked out the back door." A smile passed his lips, rubbing his arms as a colder wind passed by. In retrospect, it was very suspicious seeing someone jump from their window and run off into the forest.

The inn light was approaching, and the dark night seemed a bit less foreboding. "You and I made a pretty good team back there." Kashou said. While it was true there was a general skill difference between to two differently ranked shinobi, Kashou had the knowledge and know-how on how to fight the beasts while Jeiku had excellent combat techniques and a unique skill set. "I haven't had a hunting partner since my father left. I forgot how much easier everything was with someone else there." Kashou admitted with a solemn tone. "I shouldn't have taken that for granted, I guess. It was nice to have just... have someone there." And not getting filleted was a pretty nice bonus, too.

[Trucro]

Jeiku smiled at the praise he was given, although it was pretty slight. Jeiku could tell Kashou had enjoyed having him there, and he turned to his friend as they headed back to the inn. It had been an odd night for sure, but not necessarily the oddest night Jeiku experienced. Still, he wished that Kashou would just have told him about the whole thing, rather than try to sneak by him. As one of his former associates, Jeiku would have liked it if Kashou had been more trusting.

“We did make a good team,” Jeiku nodded at his friend. “But you still haven’t told me enough about those creatures…” Jeiku asked many questions about these beasts, and Kashou answered as best he could. The two of them continued towards the inn, talking as they went. There wasn’t nearly enough time before the two arrived at the inn, and although Jeiku had many more questions, he and Kashou were both so tired that they decided to go to their rooms immediately.

The next morning, the two slept is, as they had arranged. However, they both slept in far later than they had planned. After a short breakfast/lunch in the village, the two of them headed back towards Kumogakure. The old friends enjoyed each other’s company and they reminisced their way back home.

[End Thread]