(not so) typical teenage machines

[seiuchiblarg]

This time, Jiigo would not have to deal with her family. Haruna and he had agreed to meet outside the Ageha manor, in the more public business end of it. Sealed away in Jiigo's glove today was more than his puppets, but a picnic basket. The general plan was to take her to one of Jiigo's favorite spots and have a picnic, where they could get to know each other better. The last time they had been out, they had made the decision. It had taken time -- Jiigo had decided, as a good shinobi should, that training comes before lust, and had decided to master Insidious before anything.

Now, though, after a week's or so waiting, Jiigo again looked halfway decent, trying to look carefree as he waited for the girl in the shop at which they had decided to meet. It was cooler inside than out here in his desert home -- and he would prefer not to sweat too much before he saw her again. He only hoped he would be able to keep his composure this time. Last time, the puppeteer probably seemed half an idiot, staring at her the way he had. The fact that it was theatre had saved him: Jiigo didn't need to speak a lot, and so long as he remembered to look at the dancers more than at Haruna, he could get through fine... though it had been more challenging than he'd anticipated.

Damn that old woman... Who knows what she's got Haruna in this time... They're going to kill me with anticipation before I ever even get to kiss the damned girl.... Jiigo sighed heavily as he thought of the woman who deliberately incapacitated Jiigo with Haruna's body before, only able to anticipate a repeat performance. He placed his hands into deep pockets as he tried to find ways to distract himself from the present's impatience, and the future's... distractions.

[Pokefan137]

"Are you sure this is what girls normally wear on picnics?" asked Haruna as she stared down at herself. Haruna's family all nodded in unison.

"Of course it is." said Mogu smiling. "It's what all the young girls are wearing."

"The height of picnic fashions." said Aime, clapping her hands.

The pink haired girl looked uncertain as she adjusted the folds on her outfit, which consisted of a long, ornately patterned brown, coat, hat, and veil that covered every inch of Haruna's body, revealing no skin except for Haruna's eyes. The only other part visible beneath the heavy garment were her two pigtails, which stuck out through two holes in the hat, and her hands, which barely peeked out from under the large, rounded sleeves.

"Plus, it will keep that little pervert, Jigo, from getting any ideas." whispered Waka to Kenji. The old man nodded. “And remember,” said Waka out loud. “Don’t take it off. No matter what.”

Haruna nodded as she turned to Kara and Hanako, who, as usual, were sitting smiling side by side.

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Of course!" shouted Kara. "Just remember to do exactly what we told you, and it will be a picnic that Jigo never forgets.”

“I made those clothes.” said Hanako smiling.

“I thought we bought that outfit.” whispered Mogu to Waka.

“Just go with it.”whispered Waka back.

“Now, run along, Haruna.” said Kara as she started pushing the pink haired girl out the door. “Oh, and don’t forget your basket.” The white haired woman quickly slipped a small basket into Haruna’s hand before waving, and shutting the door quickly behind her. The pink haired girl stared at the door for a long moment before she started to make her way down the street, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but trusting that her family always knew best.

As she walked, she started thinking about how long it had been since their last date. It seemed weird that so long had passed, but she understood it was necessary. Both of them had needed to train. Haruna was excited to see Jigo’s new puppet. She had heard about it through a friend, but had never actually gotten to study it, but that could wait for another time. Right now, she had to focus on what was to come, and focus on remembering all the rules for such an occasion. After a while of walking, Haruna finally spotted Jigo, standing in front of their meeting place.

‘Here we go.’ thought the pink haired girl as she walked up to Jigo.

“Hi Jigo.” said Haruna as she let out a yawn through her facial veal. She stood for a moment, smiling at the boy from behind the cloth covering her face before suddenly grabbing hold of the front of her coat and flinging it open revealing a slender, form fitting, pink, belly dancers outfit beneath the large, ornate coat. “Like my outfit?”

‘KaraHana rule number twenty five.’ thought Haruna as the coat slowly drifted down around her, creating the perfect accent to the slender outfit. ‘As long as it’s touching some part of you, it’s technically still on you.’

“Hanako made it for me for our picnic.” added the pink haired girl. “What do you think?”

[seiuchiblarg]

(Oh Lord... Jiigo and I are laughing and loving this post so hard right now. Poke, you're so awesome. ^^ Oh, and it's spelled with two "i", silly. jiigo. Not Jigo. =P Or was that a conscious thing you were doing for Haruna's character? And she's still wearing the veil, right?)

She said hello, and Jiigo almost didn't recognize her. Were it not for her pigtails, Jiigo would have had no idea who was approaching him, calling out to him. She was completely covered, head to heel, in some kind of clothing. Jiigo raised a skeptical eyebrow at it initially, but recovered fairly quickly. Her face was almost completely higgen, but for her eyes, and the kairainin had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't Haruna's idea to bundle up in a desert.

I understand her family being paranoid, but all this in a desert? She's got to be dying fromt he heat! Heh, it is sorta cute though... Just wish I could s-- Oh my God.....

She asked if he liked her out fit, and did he ever! The coat came off, revealing much more of Haruna's slender body than Jiigo had expected to see... ever. Swallowing hard and remembering himself faster than he had on their first date, Jiigo put on his best nonchalant, calm expression. "Yeah, Haruna-chan. You look fantastic!" Smiling at her, he took a step forward. "So, I know just the place to take us... shall we?" He held out his hand for her to take -- then retracted it quickly, remembering the ground rules her family had laid down before. But then, with an out fit like that... maybe her family isn't so bad.... His smile was more wry than innocent, and he had to keep himself from looking at her body in ways she wouldn't appreciate. Apart, however, from frequently needing to remind himself to look at her face more than anything else, Jiigo felt he was doing relatively well.... outwardly.

[Pokefan137]

(No perverted thoughts now. I mainly did it because I thought it was something Kara and Hana [mainly Kara] would make her do. If they ever get caught at it, you can expect much heavier coats with locked zippers. >u>)

Haruna smiled sleepily beneath her veil as she adjusted the sleeves on her coat. Her arms were still in the coat, and so was the rest of her body, but the front was open revealing her second outfit. Kara had said that this outfit was what the female desert bandits of the Wokoko tribe wore hundreds of years ago, and thought that Jego would like to see some genuine historical clothing designs. Haruna had felt scepticul about wearing a historical outfit on a date, but since Jugo seemed to like it, she was glad she wore it. It would make a great conversation topic.

She looked down to notice Jago try to take her hand, but quickly withdraw. This made her smile. He remembered her family rules, and respected them. A good sign, or so Kenji had told her. No hand holding would be just what the doctor ordered. The girl was about to start walking forward, when she remembered an old custom that Hana had told her the Wokoko tribe females used when being courted. Kara had said that since she was in the outfit, that she should try her best to imitate the tribe so that Jugular could be as educated as possible. If he was going to date her, the her family demanded that he know his history.

With her goal in mind, Haruna quickly strung together a set of hand seals. Her long ping pigtails all the sudden started to writh around her and grow into ten foot long tenticals or hair. Before the boy could look around, Haruna's tenticles quickly surrounded him, wrapping him fully before moving to cover his hands, and neck.

"Thank you. Hana modeled this outfit after the female bandits of the Wokoko tribe. They were powerful warriors. When someone actually got up the confidence to court them, they would often engage in a ritual known as hair holding, to show that they had absolutly no weakness in them by letting they suitors hold one of their most vulnerable areas." the pink haired girl yawned before she started walking. "It was meant to display confidence that they were stronger than any person that courted them, though back then they didn't actually use hair jutsu. That was just a persoanl touch that Kara said you would like. The Wokoko tribe is interesting in that..."

And with that, Haruna was off into an in depth discussion of the Wokoko tribe, her hair still wound gently around Jigo, ever writhing, as the two walked on towards their picnic area.

[seiuchiblarg]

And... then there was hair. Not entirely sure of what was going on, the young puppet master stood still and allowed Haruna to do whatever she had in mind as the hair found it's way around his body. He raised in eyebrow, this time in fascination. Just what is this girl planning to do with all this hair on me? He took in a breath as he waited for her to finish, and noted the floral, fruity scent of her hair. Noticed how soft it felt on his skin. It was enough to damn near drive him up the wall, when combined with that nearly sadistically cute little out fit she was wearing.

It closed around his neck, his hands, and Jiigo gulped hard. Has her family... did I... Oh, what now? He half expected the girl to deliver him to a murderously angry Ageha family, where he would meet his end. He closed his eyes, biting down on his lip and enjoying the feel of Haruna's hair on his neck while he waited for the end. Man... Going down a virgin. Well, not without a -- huh?

All at once, it stopped, and her hair was around only his neck and his hand. He looked at her confusedly, and then she explained. Finally, jiigo was able to breath again. This was just a history lesson. Jiigo hadn't heard of the tribe before, but as the girl described it, Jiigo found himself breathing more easily. Carryin' on a dead tradition like that... It wouldn't be cute on anyone but you, y'know that girlie?

She then gave Jiigo a rather extensive history lesson. It was easier learning from her than the proctors at the academy -- her voice was softer, and she was dressed in such a way that made Jiigo not mind paying much attention. It occurred to him that it may look to others, with her hair around his neck, that Jiigo's eleven year old little girlfriend had the shinobi on a collar and leash, walking him around the village. Oh, no, He could practically picture himself explaining to a snickering old class mate. It's just an old tradition from a tribe, and... If Jiigo hadn't remembered his manners, he would have sighed at the thought. Not that he minded, so much -- the thought of being on a leash and collar -- especially with someone so obliviously innocent as Haruna - couldn't hlep but be appealing. A million less than appropriate, flirtatious comments filled him, but he bit his tongue, but to ask her questions about the tribe and nod as he understand her answers. He didn't so much mind listening to her talk about these old tribes and the like... Especially if it meant she was touching him in such a sensitive spot as the neck. Half the time, it tickled, half the time, it felt like it was about to chafe, and somewhere in between the two halves, the occasional, gentle touch in juts the right place brought a sparkle to Jiigo's pubescent eyes.

He posed questions when she finished speaking, keeping the conversation alive and interesting. "So, why 'Wokoko?' Kind of a crazy soundin' name, if ya ask me..." Surely, it had to have some sort of meaning or history, right? The answers kept coming, and with them, the questions, and Jiigo was fairly certain he would be able to fill textbooks with information on the tribe by the time they were done.

The entire time they spoke, Jiigo had a slight lead, taking them to just the place he'd had in mind. In their desert home, the biggest goal to staying social was beating the heat, and Jiigo knew just such a place for that.

[Pokefan137]

"Well, actually, the name Wokoko originates from one of their earlier leaders. She was a powerful woman, and fell in love with a rather strange man with an afinity for eating cactus pulp. Every time he got ready to eat the pulp, he would do a dance he created while shouting the world 'Wokoko' over and over again. The other members of the tribe made fun of him for this, which in turn enraged his wife. She became so furious that people were mocking her man that she commanded that the entire tribe be called the Wokoko tribe, and that a festival would be held every year where the men of the tribe danced her husband's dance, and ate cactus pulp. At first people had very mixed feelings about it, but as time progressed it became one of their most important traditions."

Haruna continued talking, and was very happy that Jiigo was paying attention. The more he learned about history, the better the chance that her family might like him. The pink haired girl paused in her lecture. "So, where exactly are we going?"

OOCShow

Sorry for the short posts. Hopefully it will get better once we get to our destination.

[seiuchiblarg]

The story Haruna told was actually pretty funny, and Jiigo found himself smiling at the thought of an old man, dancing around and shouting gibberish before eating cactus, and yet... Jiigo couldn't help but smile, considering. Jiigo continued asking questions, letting the conversation flow, glad to let Haruna stay interested in the conversation. He just kept it going -- admittedly, actually not getting too bored with the conversation, even though most people would have him asleep by now -- and listened, learned.

She asked, eventually, where they were going, and Jiigo smiled. They had been walking for a little bit now, and had left the public area of Sunagakure. Now they were in the desert, and as hot as it was, a cooling breeze seemed to bless them. The shifting air was hot, but cooler than the blistering stillness that would have been the alternative. "It's not too far, Haruna. Just over that dune." The boy smiled at the girl with a playful grin. "Race to the top? Last one there is Wokoko cactus pulp!" He laughed and took off running up the dunes playfully, hoping Haruna would join him in the race. If not, he would feel rather awkward indeed.

Once at the top, they would see a very small oasis at the bottom. A single palm tree grew -- from whence it's seed had come, Jiigo had no idea -- over a tiny pond of still water. Jiigo knew from harsh experience that the water was less than safe to drink, but alright to swim in, and made for beautiful scenery. Beneath the palm tree, a long shadow was cast, leaving the ground blessedly cooler. A few cacti grew on the edges, blossoming with brilliant pink and purple blooms. The wind blew in their faces, but not in a harsh way, and it carried the fragrant scent of the flowers along their senses. Jiigo would breathe in deeply, and smile at Haruna's reaction. Not many people knew about this hidden little pocket of the desert -- excluding the Eidolons and the Figments, of course -- but Jiigo had discovered it while training a while ago, and it had sense become his favorite training ground.

"So Haruna, whuddya think?"

[Pokefan137]

Haruna looked around as they entered the desert. It was generally one of her favorite places to go considering all the history beneath the sands.

'...History...' at that moment Haruna realized where they must be going. Ruins! Jiigo must have found some ruins in the desert, and he wanted to show them to her. She imagined the two of them dining amoungst the ancient tombs, laughing and smelling the stale air. Haruna sniffed as she imagined that smell. That musty smell from when you enter an ancient tomb or from an old book was one of her favorite scents in the world. It was like home. She smiled, as she closed her eyes, trying to get closer to the scent in her memories.

It was then that Jiigo challenged her to a race to the top of a dune. The pink haired girl quickly opened her eyes, to see him running off. "Um, Jiigo, my..." But it was too late. Her hair was still tied around his hands and neck. As soon as he got more then ten feet, the pink haired girl was jerked off her feet, and dragged face down in the sand until the boy stopped. She attempted to tell Jiigo to stop, but her mouth quickly filled with sand as she was dragged along, leaving her chocking on the ground. Eventually he stopped, meaning she stopped as well. She lie face down on the ground for a moment as he asked what she thought. The pink haired girl continued lying down in the sand moment before her hands slowly moved from her sides. Instead of moving to lift her up, instead the slowly moved over her head, and began making a short string of hand signs. After the string was done the word "Ow" suddenly appeared on the ground directly in fron of her head. Her hands then dropped back down to the ground where she lay motionless.

JutsuShow

Hayaku Kakuno no Jutsu (Speed writing Jutsu)
E-rank Ninjutsu
This is a special jutsu used by scholars that is activated by a one handed handseal. Rather than spending all that time writing their note, this jutsu allows them to automatically write with their minds for ten posts. This can be used to take notes, and make pretty pictures, but cannot write seals. When used by itself, it allows the user to only write on solid objects and surfaces that are up to ten feet away, but this jutsu can be combined with other jutsu to allow it to write on liquids or even the air itself. Also, the writing from this jutsu can be affected by other types of jutsu that would alter writing, such as any jutsu that would make the writing a different color, or a jutsu that would make writing invisible.

Kuchuu Kakuno no jutsu (Air writing technique)
D-rank Ninjutsu
This is a special jutsu that allows the user to write on thin air rather than on actual material for five posts after making the appropriate hand seals. The writing is more or less levitating, and adheres to anything that runs through it as it's floating. The writing will stay floating until something runs into it. If combined with any kind of jutsu that would allow one to write with their mind, or something similar, the writing can be created within a five foot radial sphere of the user, but if written manually, it can be written as far away as the users writing implement can reach.

[seiuchiblarg]

Oh man, Poke, I totally forgot about the hair! Um... well, Jiigo would probably not, like, keep running after he felt the tug on his neck. If it's alright, instead of dragging you all the way up the dune, Jiigo'll stop when he feels the pressure, after Haruna first falls. I feel so stupid... xD anyway, if you're okay with him doing that, I'll fix it here in this post. The "ow" in the air was absolutely adorable, though.

jiigo had been running, until the tug on his neck reminded him of the leash he had been wearing. He gagged as the hair suddenly constricted around him, and then Haruna was on the ground. "Oh, no -- Haruna!" Jiigo called out to the girl as he ran back to her, kneeling. the word "ow" appeared above her head. Man, even now, she's just so adorable... Jiigo half sighed, half chuckled at the situation. "Haruna, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking, I -- Are you alright?" Jiigo's cheeks were burning a brilliant pink. This was absolutely humiliating -- probably for both of them -- but jiigo was mortified! Of course he shouldn't have started running, while she'd had the hair around his neck. What was he thinking!?

Jiigo held out a hand to her. "I don't think it counts as holding hands if I'm only helping you up..." He wanted to help her get up, partially because it was the right thing to do, and also to make sure she really -was- okay. "Are you hurt anywhere, Haruna?" A large portion of his mind was genuinely concerned with her being hurt, but a larger portion was terrified of what her family would do to him if she came home with a bruise or a cut.... That would not end well for anyone.

[Pokefan137]

OOCShow

Okay. I have altered my post to fit yours a little better. ^^ And actually, the mistake was funny. XD

Haruna lay still on the ground for a moment more as Jiigo apologized and checked her over. Eventually she reached and grabbed his arm, slowly lifting herself up onto her knees. She looked at him for a moment before she doubled over and started throwing up sand onto the ground in front of her. She remained bent over for a moment as more words appeared over her head.

"I don't feel so good. And my hair hurts."

The girl continued coughing, clutching her stomach from the sand she had accidentally swallowed.

"The Wokoko women must have been either very confident or very trusting."

For a couple minutes she remained doubled over, feeling sick. Eventually she slowly got to her feet, her hair unwrapping itself from around Jiigo and returning back to her normal pig tails. The girl examined her hair for a moment making sure it was okay before weakly smiling at Jiigo. The words: "Do we have any water? My throat hurts a bit from the sand." appeared in the air above the pink haired girl as she pulled she felt around her face. Luckily the sand was soft, so she hadn't suffered any injury from the fall. Her stomach and hair were the only things that actually hurt at this point.

[seiuchiblarg]

Jiigo checked her over to make sure she was alright, and then over she doubled, coughing up large amounts of sand. Jiigo flushed, embarrassed and upset that he had been so stupid as to do this to her -- and less than excited about her family finding out about any of this. More words appeared over Haruna's head, and as he read them, it occurred to him that Haruna was actually writing words in mid-air. This, Jiigo realized, was less than normal. How did she learn.... Well, there were more important things at hand. She made a joke about the Wokoko clan, and Jiigo was glad to see she was at least in good spirits.

water. That was something Jiigo could do, though it meant he couldn't support her anymore. He felt the hair slip away as he sealed, and the picnic table he had stored in his scroll emerged after his hand was pricked by the tiny pin. Jiigo removed an empty bottle, running to the nearest cactus. "You'll have to show me that Wokoko dance sometime, Haruna," Jiigo said in an almost laughing way as he ran to a nearby cactus. The water at the oasis was not safe to drink, but jiigo also knew from experience that the water within the cactus was -- and it was delicious at that. The sugars in the cactus' xylem sweetened it, and would make it taste almost fruity, which Jiigo remembered Haruna liked. As both of the small bottles he had placed in the basket filled, he looked back at Haruna nervously, to make sure she was okay.

With the bottles full and the cacti a little thirstier but unharmed, Jiigo rushed his way back to Haruna, handing her the bottle. Jiigo apologized was more as (assumedly) she drank. "Sorry about that, Haruna-chan.... Guess that wasn't one of my brighter moments, huh?"

jutsuShow

(given in order of use)


*Ninpou • Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Ninja Arts • Spiritualism Technique]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
A powerful jutsu, Ninpou • Kuchiyose allows a ninja to summon animals, objects and the dead to fight on their behalf. The ninja normally signs a blood contract with the animal species, which allows him to summon different size and skill levels of creature.The chakra used for this technique varies depending on the size and power of the summoned creature.

*Firu [Fill]
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user does the needed hand seals, then grabs a container. Then, they say what they want the container to be filled with, if they have that substance with them. Then, the container fills with whatever substance was chosen.

[Pokefan137]

As Haruna thankfully drank the water, a certain ser of ten were displaying very kixed reaction.

"Ooooooooooohohohohohoo~!!! The boy blew it!!! Oooooohohoho~!!!"

"Waka, hush." Sora shook her head before turning to Kara and Hana, both of whom were smiling their own unique smile, with a glare. "So this was what you meant when you said you made her outfit."

"I made that outfit." said Hana smiling.

"Kaaaaaaaaaaakakakakakakaa~!!! I have no regrets!" shouted the white haired woman. "It was both a valuable history lesson, and it got me one step closer to my goal of having our little girl give someone a nosebleed!"

"That dream will never happen!" shouted Aime pointing. "And why is no one else upset? She just got pulled down by the hair, and threw up sand!"

"She's right." said Kenji. "We should be punishing him, not sitting here hiding like a bunch of desert rats."

"I agree." said Mogura. "We should tie him down and force a bucket of sand down the little brats throat."

"You know very well," said Sora. "that we can't let her know we're following her. She might think we don't trust her."

"We do trust her." said Akira. "It's all the boys we don't trust."

"Besides. Even if we told her flat out that we were following her, she still wouldn't mind. All we have to do is ask, and she would say we could come on every date she had. She has a cool, passive acceptance of the flow of things." Sayuri flipped her long, dark hair as she cooly stared forward. "She gets it from me."

"A she gets her prowess with the other gender from me." said Waka pointing to himself with a broad grin.

"You dirty faced lier." said Kenji. "None of us have courted or been courted since we joined the Rekishi Juu."

"Aye, maybe so, but before I joined, I was the biggest catch in all the village. Ladies swarmed for the chance to feel my massive biceps." The balding man, flexed his arms to emphasize his point. Enourmous muscles rose from his arms, causing the loose sleeves of his robe to pull back towards his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah, we've seen your muscles before." said Aime waving her hand as if brushing away bothersome flies. "Now, how about we get back to watching the two of them before something happens."

"Great!" said Waka laughing. "I want to see exactly how bad the boy can mess up before Haruna slaps him senseless."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Haruna smiled sleepily at Jiigo. The pink haired girl cleared here throat. "Thanks." she rubbed her throat a bit more, before letting out a loud yawn. "So, let's get back to the picnic." The girl stood up, brushing herself off, before picking up her tiny basket. "Oh, and you'd have to ask Sayuri about the dance. She's the one trying to replicate it."

[seiuchiblarg]

"umm... yeah." Jiigo felt a little awkward now... he had just sort of choked Haruna with sand. Still burning in the cheeks, he resisted the urge, this time, to offer his hand, and just walked beside her, being sure to keep a pace. There was no temptation to run now. He was content just to walk beside her. The moment may have been ruined, but at the top of the dune, the view would not. It wasn't ruins like she was expecting, but then, Jiigo didn't know where any of those might be, and this was, well... special for him. A place no one but the figments and he knew about, as far as he could guess.

Upon reaching the top of the dune, Jiigo let his date take the view in. "I do a lot of training here, Haruna. It's one of my favorite places in the world. I never thought I'd show it to anyone, but... well. " Jiigo sighed, coming at a loss. "I'm not good at this whole... romantic, thing. I wanted to show you a place that'd impress you, and... I guess I always just really loved this one."

His hand went nervously to the back of his neck in a nervous sort of way as he blushed. He was trying, but, well, this was not something he did often... He usually tried looser girls with less morals. Haruna was something different. Jiigo wasn't a hundred percent sure why he was trying, if he wanted to be honest with himself, but... Maybe it'd be worth it.

"So... Whuddya think?"

[Pokefan137]

Haruna smiled calmly as she took in the view, but inside she gasped at the beauty. It was truly beautiful. Haruna watched as the light of the desert sun sparkled off the oasis waters. She made sure she showed no outward sign of her marveling as she slowly began walking down the hill towards the oasis with a plan in her head.

"Hmmmm, so this is your special place." she continued walking until she got to the very center of the area right next to the oasis. "I don't see you're name on it." She quietly set her basket down before standing up straight, and looking back to smile at Jiigo with a mischivous glimmer in her sleepy eyes. She began making hand signs before holding out her hand with her palm facing up. "So why don't I put it there for you?"

Without warning Jiigo's name appeared floating in Haruna's hand. The symbols of his name floated in a circle in the palm of her hand before she blew on them and the flaoted over to rest in front of Jiigo. If he touched them, he would find that they were completely solid, and could even be grabbed. Haruna smiled once more at Jiigo before she spun around, and swiped her hand across the air. In front of her a giant version of Jiigo's name appeared, written in a fancy font and surrounded by pictures of roses and vine drawings. Haruna looked at it before making a single handseal. The name disappeared before coming back into existance a moment later, only this time it was written in a bold, edgy, slanted font, and surrounded by picutres of chains and kunai. She smiled, nodding in approval, before a large, smiling caracature of Jiigo flashing a peace sign appeared next to the name. She swished her hand causing the name to float up and up until it was high over the oasis, floating as a sentinal over the entire area.

"Better." said Haruna as she looked up at her handy work, but she didn't stop there. Soon more words and drawings began to appear around her. Floating, two dimensional drawings of fighting warriors, kunai, and shuriken mixed with bold words of encourangment to keep on fighting and never give up as they floated throughout the area. Haruna practically danced around the perimeter of the area as four four high versions of Jiigo's name appeared next to her, joined together in a kind of fence, with the opening facing directly towards Jiigo. Haruna took one last look around before smiling, and partially leaning on the Jiigo fence.

"Now your name's on it." said Haruna smiling. "If you like it, then it's yours. If not, then I can erase it all. You're choice." The pink haired girl smiled one last time, before turning to go further into the Oasis. She sat down lightly next to her small basket

JutsuShow

Kakuno o Ugokimawaru no Jutsu (Technique of moving writing)
D-rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Kuchuu Kakuno no jutsu (Air writing technique)
This jutsu allows the user to move any writing that has been written on the air within a thirty foot radius of themselves at a speed equal to the average of their ninjutsu and control stats for five posts after making the appropriate handseals. This is very convenient if you are in a large lecture hall trying to write a bunch of stuff, but don't want to have to keep going from one bunch of floating notes to the other. This jutsu is not limited in the ways they can move the writing. This means that the user can rotate the writing, make it undulate, or take pieces away from certain sections of note, and move them to other sections of note.

Ishi no Kanuno no Jutsu (Stone Writing Technique)
C-rank Fuuinjutsu
This is a special jutsu that makes anything that the user writes for the next 7 posts as hard as stone. This may seem weird, but it makes it so the writing will never smudge, and, if combined with other jutsu, it can be used for defense and/or offense. If words written with this jutsu are written in the air, they take on a hardened quality, no longer automatically sticking onto whatever surface passes through them, but becoming more like floating pieces of stone than anything else. It takes 4 strength to break through words at this level.

Keshi no Jutsu (Erasing Technique)
E-rank Ninjutsu
A specialzed jutsu developed by Haruna that is activated with a single one handed hand sign. It allows her to erase any words or drawings, or a part of any words or drawings, that she has written within a ten meter radius of herself from existence for the next ten posts. This is mainly used because Haruna has a lot of word and drawing related jutsu, and if, say, an opponent were to try and send one of her own techniques back at her, it would be very useful to be able to get rid of such a thing before it hits her.

[seiuchiblarg]

(Sorry I took eighty kajillion years to post)

The letters took shape and form, and Jiigo blinked a few times to make sur ehe was seeing it right. The erased and vanished and moved and shifted, and Jiigo stood, mouth agape, watching. "Ha-...Haruna..." He was more than a little impressed. Jiigo had taken the time to work with Insidious, and had certainly become more deadly for it, but Haruna was able to make words with her mind, and move them! Where had Jiigo been through all of this!? Haruna had gotten stronger, it seemed... Jiigo could only imagine the many ways the techniques could be used in battle.

"Do I like it? Haruna, that was amazing!"" His eyes peered over each name, blades dancing over the characters in one art, while others merely claimed his spot boldly. It wasn't often that Jiigo found himself at a loss for words, but even he had to take a moment to think of anything beyond that. "You've really improved, Haruna. I love it, thanks." He smiled brightly at her before looking to the palm tree. "Now then... how about that picnic?"

Allowing his palms to be pricked once more, Jiigo sealed and brought forth the picnic basket he had sealed within before. Inside were pre-made sandwiches, the glass from which Haruna had drank before, a companion glass for Jiigo, and home-made sweets for desert. It was made clumsily, and the wrapping was makeshift at best, but Jiigo had had help from his mother in it's making, so hopefully the taste would be fine. "Don't take any water from that lake over there, it's not exactly safe to drink. If you need another drink, I can fill these glasses with water from the nearby cacti. They're enriched with the vitamins they take up from the soil, so it's really good for you, and it's sweeter than most fruit juices, too!" He was rambling a bit. Really, he couldn't be blamed for being nervous. He had already sort of choked her and made her vomit. While the date had nowhere to go but up, Jiigo was reasonable in his hope that he could make it work from here.

[Pokefan137]

Haruna smiled brightly, even though her eyes were still tired. She was extremely thankful to get down the the picnic. Using all those jutsu had made her tired. She kind of wanted to take a nap, but, although she wanted to, she also wanted to stay awake for the quality time with Jiigo.

She picked up her small basket from the ground and walked over to beneath the palm tree, dropping down onto the sand with a smile on her face and sleepy in her eyes. She rubbed her tired eyes, before looking at the basket that Jiigo had brought. "It all looks wonderful." she said. "And I brought something too." She pulled the cloth off the top of her basket revealing a basket of lush, red strawberries, each filled with juicy, sweet goodness. "They're from Sayuri's garden. Kara packed them for me to take along. I hope you like them."

[seiuchiblarg]

Jiigo's eyes widened at her offer, smiling gladly. Delicacy fruit like strawberries were not something often available to the Samata clan. How any member of Haruna's family could grow such a thing in the desert was beyond him. "That's amazing, Haruna-chan!" Surely she'd know how difficult they were to come by? And they looked so juicy and ripe... Jiigo's mouth was almost watering at the site of them, as if Haruna's out fit and frame wasn't enough.

Not wanting to seem rude and reach for them immediately (and didn't desert come after the meal anyway?), Jiigo unwrapped Haruna's for her, peeling the plastic away carefully before offering it to his date in the hopes that it wouldn't be as terrible as he feared. Even before Haruna took the thing, Jiigo had to remind himself to breathe. Man, what's wrong with you, Jiigo? So you had a little set back. I'll be fine... She'll see how great I am. How could she not? Yeah... I'll be fine. Reminding himself that he was awesome, Jiigo was able to smile as he offered it to her.

"I hope you like it, Haruna-chan. I made it myself!" Mostly, anyway.... If she took it from his grasp, Jiigo would then occupy his eyes and hands by unwrapping his own sandwich, ready to eat with her. The genin had the presence of mind to remember that she was not into eating meat. Jiigo was himself a big meat eater, but... well... He may have been guilty of hoping Haruna would be willing to kiss him early. As a result, his sandwich was very much like hers -- more cheese and vegetable than anything, with dressing and herbs to give flavor, rather than meat. It wasn't quite what Jiigo would normally choose, but he didn't mind, for Haruna. Not if it got him what he wanted int he long run, anyway..... Why on earth was Jiigo not able to smile at that thought?

[Pokefan137]

"You picked fruit from my garden for him?"

Sayuri slowly turned her head to Kara, who was smiling broadly as if she had nothing in the world to be ashamed of.

"Not just for him. Remember, Haruna's going to eat them too. Besides, you're garden is the best in the village. You've got things there that other people would only dream of seeing, especially in a desert like this. Why not share a little? Give something back to the community."

"My garden is used for growing specialed plants to recreate ancient medicinal remidies."

"And fruits." reminded Waka. "And vegetables, and anything else that you might want Yama to try cooking for dinner."

"Regardless. That garden is extremely special and extremely valuable. I work extremely hard to recreate the environment needed for those plants to grow, so I'd appreciate it if you would at least ask before taking something from it."

"Fine fine, no need to get you knickers in a twist. Kaaaaaaakakakakakakaa~!!!"

Sayuri glared at the old woman before turning back to watch the pair. "He better kiss the ground she walks on after trying those strawberries, or so help me I'll wreck every corner of his mind and then some."

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Haruna smiled as she took the offered sandwhich. "It looks delicious." she commented with a smiled. Jiigo was so sweet. He actually cooked something just for her. Yama said that the way to a person's heart was directly connected to their stomachs, this must mean that he really liked her. Then again, Kenji said to beware food given to you by strange people outside a resteraunt for fear of poison, but that was mainly on missions. She took a small bite of the sandwhich, and smiled yet again. it was delicious, so fully of vegetables and herbs. It wasn't anywhere near what Yama cooked, but he was a master chef who had had years of practice. Still, it was wonderful, and Haruna eagerly ate more.

"This is really delicious. I admire your cooking skills." The girl let out a yawn before started to eat more of her sandwhich. About half way through she grabbed one of the strawberries from her basket, and used a kunai from her hip pouch, which Waka had insisted she wear, to cut it into thin pieces. She opened the top of the sandwhich, and carefully placed the fruit slices on the vegi sandwhich, and then took a bite. Immediatly her face lit up (at least the slightly brightened version of her usual smile which qualified as being lit up for Haruna). It was so wonderful now that it had fruit. She set her sandwhich down, and cut more slices of the berry, and offered them to Jiigo.

"Try it. It tastes great."

[seiuchiblarg]

She took the sandwich, and Jiigo counted it mentally as a victory when she seemed to enjoy it. He took a bite of his own, and nodded with approval; it wasn't half bad! Jiigo thought he'd ultimately be disappointed by the lack of meat, but he was rather impressed, actually, with how good it was. Could have used some bacon, but it was passable as is. Haruna complimented Jiigo's cooking as she pulled out a kunai, and Jiigo watched the motion of the blade as he shook his head. He was about to disagree, but then the strawberry emerged, and Jiigo watched. He'd never actually eaten one before, and wanted to watch carefully, if she was about too. He would've hated, after all, to bite something that first needed to be peeled! he could imagine the various ways he could --

On the sandwich? Haruna was either insane or ingenious, and her look when she tried it suggested the latter. She cut a few more slices and offered them to her date, who accepted eagerly. "Why not? I'll give it a shot...." The strawberry slices found themselves on the sandwich, and Jiigo bit down.

he closed his eyes in ecstasy. Oh, my--... So this is how she can stand life without meat! Sweet and tangy and juicy and refreshing, just a little tart but only enough to balance out the sweetness, he could taste it through every flavor, seeming to compliment every one which already had been on the sandwich. No. No longer was this a sandwich. Such a simple term was undeserving of what now had become a culinary masterpiece! Jiigo's tongue seemed to dance, and as he swallowed and opened his eyes, he had a whole new respect for Haruna's kind of living. "Oh, man... I don't know if I've ever had something as good as those things!" The red little berries tantalized Jiigo, but he controlled himself (just barely,) focusing instead on how Haruna was somehow capable of being cute even while chewing -- and trying not to look like an ass doing it himself.

[Pokefan137]

"Sayuri's garden is one of the few places in Suna that grows fruit, at least to my knowledge." said Haruna smiling as she watched Jiigo eat. "Outside is too hot for the plants, so Sayuri made her garden deep down in the archives where it's much cooler. There's a special room devoted just to her garden. She uses water produced by low level jutsu to make sure the plants always have enough. Not very many people outside the Rekishi Juu know about it though, so don't tell anyone."

Haruna took another bite of her sandwhich, smiling as she did so. Everything in life was better with fruit. She was partially convinced that if she ever tried to eat sand, she'd be able to do it as long as it was mixed with a couple berries. Still, she didn't really want to test that particular theory. As she munched, she tasted the herbs on the sandwhich. They were delicious, and she thought she recognized what they were. She tried to remember the name of the spice, but couldn't actually think of it.

"Hey, Jiigo, what spices are on this sandwhich? I think I recognize them, but I'm not sure."

[seiuchiblarg]

Jiigo listened as Haruna spoke of her family's garden, listening only half-mindedly at first, preferring to devote his attention to her midriff, her bare stomach, and above. Now and again, he reminded himself to look up ather facew, and then he was captured by it, adoring the way she could smile so sweetly even while she ate. Jiigo, meanwhile, was just trying not to make himself seem like an ass doing so. After a while, he had to remind himself where most sane boys his age would be staring. What on earth is this girl doing to me...? He enjoyed the view, to say the least, but when she said that what she had been saying was a family secret, Jiigo's attention was returned in full to her words. Telling the secrets of one's family, even so inconsequential ones as that, could sometimes be considered tantamount to treason! For her to trust him enough to share something like that...

The genin's body flooded with warmth, his chest seeming fit to burst. She was so sweet, so naive, almost innocent. If it weren't for his having seen her in combat before, for her Suna headband glinting in the desert sun, he would never have guessed such a perfect girl could be a ninja. Before the boy could make a coherent response, Haruna asked about the sandwiches again, and it was Jiigo's turn to speak. He gathered himself and answered, listing them off, and then they were off on casual conversation again, talking and laughing and generally having a good time. Jiigo was amazed he'd even been able to keep her entertained at all, let alone laughing! Another bite of strawberry and Jiigo was convinced he was in heaven, her dulcet tones, the decadent taste, her beautiful body, and all the while this... whatever it was inside of him, seeming to fill his chest, his spirit. He truly was baffled regarding the effects she'd had on him.

The two of them ended up laying together, but in no way so bad as to rile her family. Jiigo had at first attempted to lie beside the girl, but Haruna seemed less than comfortable with that, so casually, he turned himself. Now, the only parts of their bodies that were truly beside one another were their heads, resting on part of the coat Haruna had been told to wear so as to avoid getting sand in their hair. A lock of her's had fallen close to Jiigo, and so he found himself toying with that one lock between his fingers as they spoke. Soft and smooth and well taken care of, Jiigo found himself admiring even the way she cared for herself.

It was enough to make him question just what they were doing out there in the first place....

[Pokefan137]

"I say we break him." said Waka as he stared intently at the two genin. They may not have been laying side by side (though they had seen him try it ,the little sneak!) but he was still far to close for their comfort.

"He's not doing anything...yet" said Sora, though she too was staring daggers at the boy.

"Just keep an eye on them, and if he tries something, then we can break him." Akira yawned, taking a cue from their little girl. "There's no point getting angry before he does something."

There was a brief moment of silence before Waka finally spoke up. "Fine, but the moment he makes a wrong move, I'm gonna shatter every bratty bone in he prepubescent body."

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Haruna stared up at the sky. It was such a peaceful day. So peaceful...

As the pink haired girl lie there on the sand, her eye lids began to grow heavy. Laying down was generally bad for her because at least ninety percent of the time it lead to her falling asleep. The fact that they were in the shade of a tree near a peaceful oasis and that she was full of delicious food, including fruit, really didn't help much either. Vaguely she felt her hair being twirled about somewhere behind her. Perhaps a bug had crawled out and decided to tug on it. If so, she really didn't mind. She loved insects.

With a final almost effort, she finally gave into the calm and drifted off into slumber. The shimmering sunlight as it fell through the branches of the tree flickered over her now sleeping face. Her breathing remained calm and serine as usual, her muscles were relaxed like always. In all reality the only difference between awake Haruna and asleep Haruna was the lack of movement.

Her mind began to float away from the tiny oasis, off into dreamland. She landed on a road of clouds somewhere far away from her body, a smile spread gently across her face. Her dreams were like a second home to the pink haired girl. She spent alot of time asleep and every time she had a dream, sometimes active, other times simply just her exploring some magic place away from the waking world. This time seemed to be the later.

The pink haired girl smiled as she walked gently along the road of clouds. Small baby clouds with smiling faces flew over and around the road, laughing and giggling in their play. One flew over to Haruna, and rubbed it's nose gently against hers, and Haruna rubbed back, smiling. The baby cloud laughed before flying away, behind a small pillar of cloud. Haruna watched with a gentle smile. Only in her dreams were her eyes fully open, and even then that was on a very rare occassion.

As she looked at the pillar of cloud, she noticed a dark shape within. The cloud pillar began to thin, and she started to see the silohuette of a person. Haruna stared. It looked familiar. After a moment more, she started to recognize the shape. It was definitly a male, but who was it. The fingure seemed to smile from behind his cloudy covering, yet just as Haruna almost thought of who it could be, a strong wind came along and blew the cloud away, dispersing the cloud pillar and the silohutted boy within.

The dreaming girl stared for a moment longer. He had looked so familiar, yet he had never appeared in her dreams before. Usually only her family came there. So who was he? Before she could get too deep into thought, a group of baby clouds flew over and began to jerk at Haruna's clothing. She laughed as all thought of the mysterious figure disappeared from her mind. It probably wasn't important. The pink haired girl once more began to walk along the road of cloud, happily oblivious to all things outside of her little dream world.

[seiuchiblarg]

Forgive my bunnying your character, Poke. I figured that falling asleep was more or less a signal to end the thread. xD

"Hey, doesn't that cloud look like a cat?" Jiigo pointed up, and Haruna did not answer. He hadn't known her for very long, sure, but that didn't seem like her.... "Uh. . . Haruna?" Jiigo turned his head towards that of the girl, and sat up, looking back. She was fast asleep, her expression peaceful. The girl was adorned with the softest of smiles, and Jiigo couldn't help but wear one of his own. Man... She's fast asleep. What does trhat say about me as a date?

He sighed, with a first thought to rouse her, but changed his mind. Instead, in a display that surely would have been odd to any on-lookers, given the context, Jiigo removed his shirt. With his top half now nude, he looked back at Haruna, standing over her, and got to tying.

Using the tree under which Haruna had fallen asleep, Jiigo tied his shirt up as a makeshift canopy, to give her protection from the harsh desert sun. He'd let her sleep, but he didn't want her to get a sunburn, and so Jiigo took it upon himself to let the sun beat down on him instead. The rays may have bothered him, but the heat would not. Acknowledging and accepting the sun burn to come, Jiigo dove into the oasis, warm and comforting, to beat the desert heat.

---

An hour or so later, the angry sun having cooled off some, and traveled further west to ravage some poor village far and away from them. Jiigo approached haruna once more, this time with his body dripping wet, his toned frame and mildly muscular build soaked from his entertainment int he oasis water, he knelt down and brushed some hair from the girl's face lightly. "Haruna?" His voice was soft and gentle. "Haruna-san, it's time to wake up. I've gotta get ya back to your family, you know." His smile was gentle and soft as she woke slowly. His face would be the first thing she saw.... Jiigo liked that.

And the pair walked home, Haruna's hair returned to his neck and hands -- and this time, she wasn't forced to the ground for it. [/color]
Fin[

Hope i did right by her family..... lawl.