[Mission] Love and Sand

[Mortalvis]

Mission requestShow

viewtopic.php?&t=4402515/1/?x=0#post1079499

"As you can see, we've got a crack team of researchers here," a tall, tanned man said. His dark hair was covered with cloth, no doubt as a precaution against the blazing sun above. While the area carried the same, unremarkable dunes and sandy terrain as the rest of the desert, there was one utterly beautiful spectacle that was like a gem in the sand.

It was still partially swallowed by the dunes that had once fully encased it, its green-blue stone aged yet still marvelous to behold. Tall columns held up the grand entrance inside, which had been lit with torches placed there by the research team during their exploration.

"We uncovered the temple only a few weeks ago. Judging by the carvings we've found, it's dedicated to the Goddess of Love, Benzaiten. I hear you're from the Scribes, Haruna. Surely you've read about Her? I think it's mighty appropriate that you brought along your friend here," the man smiled and turned to the genin, making a slight joke about the pair.

"We haven't gotten a precise date yet, but there's little doubt that the temple is six or seven centuries old, if not older. It's truly magnificent. However, before I go on, do either of you have any questions?"

[Pokefan137]

Haruna yawned as the site director mentioned that she probably knew about the details of the temple.

"If you're insinuating that I purposely brought the boy I'm dating to a temple that I knew was devoted to what an ancient society believed was a diety of love with some kind of ulterior motive..." here Haruna let out a loud yawn. "Then I have no idea what you're talking about."

Haruna's eyes slowly slid to the side away from Jiigo as she suddenly took great interest in the carving and architecture of the column farthest away from his direction. "The temple is quite a piece of architecture. The color is very interesting, and I really look forward to finding out what material it's made of, how it looks on the inside, exactly what style the people who built it used. It should be quite fascinating. So, has anyone been inside yet?"

[seiuchiblarg]

All this historical crap wasn't meant for Jiigo. He got the importance of it and all, but it was not up his alley. He was meant for the battlefield, not museums and old temples. But then, it was an old goddess of love. Maybe he'd be able to finally find something to get Haruna to break those contemptible rules set down by her family. Perhaps he could locate some kind of something to ignite something in her... Maybe the trip wasn't a total loss. He'd had that train of thought the entire trip... which may have explained the unusual glint in his eye and the grin that stretched just a little bit wider on his face than usual.

The researcher gave them a little bit of information, and Haruna was the first to respond. He was glad for it, as Jiigo himself was about to bite the researcher's head off for insinuating that the two would treat a mission as a date, or that Haruna had brought him along, rather than the two having been assigned to it together. His pride bristled, but Haruna yawned widely, and the genin calmed a touch. She made her comments on it, and Jiigo listened as well, having been wondering particularly at the material used. It was such an odd color... And Jiigo had to admire the initial symmetry of it all. Such beautiful symmetry there at the entrance, worn some by time but overall quite beautiful.

Anyway, Jiigo just wanted to get inside. He gave Haruna a sidelong glance as the researcher answered, listening half-heartedly. This would be interesting.

[Mortalvis]

"We've made mediocre progress into the temple. The main chambers are easy to access, but there's a large portion of the temple that is far too dangerous for any of our team to explore. There is a strange darkness in the inner chambers of the temple. I can't truly describe it, but it was haunting. My colleges say that the possibility of booby traps is far more dangerous, but that darkness... it was not natural by any means."

Slowly losing himself to thought for a moment, the man shook his head clear and led the pair toward the half-sunken entrance to the temple. Despite the torches, it was still difficult to see any deeper than the entrance hall, and what was inside remained a mystery for now.

"For your sake, I arm you with these matches. These torches were not placed here by us; in fact, they were already set up here. Most are still filled with material that can be lit, and I assume this remains true even in the chambers we cannot reach. This is all I can do. If you return to us safely, we need a full account of your trials. May Benzaiten watch over you while you tread on her grounds." The man handed the matches to Jiigo before nodding affirmatively at them both.

Once the two were ready to enter the temple, they would find themselves traveling down a long, torch-lit hall until they reached a grand chamber set at the top of a wide, stone staircase. Loose sand garnished the floors, though most of it seemed to have been swept away by that point.

The high ceiling of the main chamber was magnificently set with stone carvings and sculptures of winged reptiles and serpents standing eternal vigil over the temple. It was a masterpiece of a room; aside from its size and architecture, there was a beauteous statue of the goddess herself. Her kind eyes stared down at all entering her place of worship, while her small, serpentine messengers twisted about her legs.

While the chamber was beautiful, the most important aspect of it were the exits off of it. Past the statue of Benzaiten was a tall set of aged wooden doors. There were several other smaller sets on either side of the chamber, some up stairs and some down, but past those large doors was undoubtedly where things would start to look rough.

[Pokefan137]

Haruna nodded, and took out an extremely thick note book filled with blank pages. "Understood." she said before making a single handseal. She flipped the book open as she started walking forward, her chakra string attached to Pharoah as he walked beside her. She moved a ways ahead of Jiigo and started using the matches the researcher had given her to light the way for him.

As she walked, pictures of her surroundings and notes on all that she was seeing began to appear on her notebook. As each page filled she would flip to the next one so she could see what she was using her jutsu to write and draw. She tried to get every detail possible so she could document the place to the best of her abilities.

As she walked along the hallway, her mind temporarily drifted to other things, namely the researcher's question. While it had been true that the two of them were assigned the mission together, she hadn't been telling the whole truth about not having ultirior motives. She briefly looked down onto Pharoah's back where two seals sat idelly. The first contained Goliath, sealed away in case of danger, but the second contained a special suprise she had made for Jiigo. She wanted to wait until the mission was over to show it to him, but she really thought he would like it. Still, she had to make sure he didn't suspect anything. Luckily, secrets were one of her specialties. She had been training in spy work so she could infiltrate places that might have information the library wanted, which also meant she had been practicing how to make it look like nothing was amiss. Hopefully her training would help as she strove to keep her little secret from Jiigo.

Eventually the two arrived in a large, beautifully carved chamber. Page after page filled at Haruna's direction as she recorded everything that she saw. She wanted to capture it all and catalogue the unique aspects and implications of the art work. After a single minute of recording her observations, she noticed the many doors surrounding the central statue. She turned to Jiigo.

"So, any preferances?"

[seiuchiblarg]

(Remember Poke, if you use jutsu, you need to include it in a spoiler beneath the rest of your post. Also Poke, Kate, is Jiigo's color irritating to look at? I try and color all of my character's posts to give them a better feel for it, but if it's difficult for either of you, I can try and find a different one, or only color quotes, for the sake of making this mission more enjoyable.)

History and art may not have been his thing, but even Jiigo took in a breath. The temple was something truly to behold, a work of genuine art, a masterpiece that left his breath behind, hiding it in his chest and forgetting it's face. "Wow..." the first impression was certainly a strong one. He hadn't the jutsu Haruna did to record everything, but the kairainin took in every detail he could to call it back later. Already, the beautiful scenery had established a romantic setting, and Jiigo stepped closer to Haruna, just for the sake of proximity.

He didn't mind waiting for Haruna to finish recording; her drawings were remarkably accurate, and every bit of information and intelligence they recorded would better the library, and make it's collection all the more thorough. Jiigo was patient, and enraptured with his own view of it. There was limited rhyme or reason to it, in that each scene portrayed on the walls and ceiling were not once repeated, and symmetry was ignored completely. The architecture, however, held every ounce of similarity he sought, and somehow, made the beautiful mess above them okay.

Finally, Haruna asked him where he'd like to go. The big, ornate doors on the end captured Jiigo's interest the most, but he knew they needed to clear this room and the branches thereof before they moved on. "It'd probably be best if we followed the stairs on the side first. We need to clear out the rooms that will be behind us before we move on, to make sure nothing's on our six if we need to make an escape." Jiigo looked to his left, and then to his right. not really caring which way they started. "Go ahead and pick which way we go, Haruna. If your defensive puppets can take point to clear out any traps, I'll have Nefarious keep an eye on us from here. Jiigo sealed and called Nefarious forth, the spherical puppet resting on his shoulder with the spikes hanging low and the chains loose. He'd be ready to defend against something that came up... but in the darkness, who knows how he'd deal with threats he couldn't see....

jutsuShow

*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.

Used to summon Nefarious

[Ace Trainer]

The passage way they seemed to be leaning towards choosing was dark. However, just as the curator had suggested, a torch sat in the frame, suggesting that going along this path meant they'd certainly be accompanied by some light. The path went down, deeper within the temple, and it was a thin path. They wouldn't be able to go side-by-side on this one. Which meant one of them would have to take the lead.

No sounds seemed to emit from the passage way, and the darkness meant they wouldn't be able to determine how far along it went until they lit enough of the torches. This would be troublesome.

[Pokefan137]

Haruna shrugged as she took the lead towards the dark and unsuspecting tunnel. If anything happened, she would make sure to protect Jiigo from harm. Having had Pharoah taken the torch in his mouth, the pink haired genin walked forward with her puppet lighting the various torches along the way ahead of her. She decided to go slowly so she could make test for traps as she went. She didn't want Pharoah, or herself, to suffer any damage from the things that may lie in wait deep below.

[seiuchiblarg]

Haruna moved forward, making to light the first torch, but jiigo had another idea. "Hey, Haruna, wait. Uh, listen, I wouldn't want you, uh, springin' any traps or anything, uh... I mean, I guess I can.. Here, let me light the torches for you." With a hint of a blush, Jiigo attempted to defend his girl. For all they knew, lighting the torches themselves could be springing the traps! But, Jiigo didn't have to worry about that at all.

Extending his arms, Jiigo allowed his chakra strings to do the work, channeling Katon force down the paths he created and igniting each torch down the way. "THe torches could be trapped, y'know," he said. Kazekage help us all if they are. "I don't want to let you risking any traps if we don't have to." Because I don't want you getting hurt. [/b]

[/b]

jutsuShow

Fire Writing Technique
D-rank Ninjutsu
Pre-requisite: Burning Strings Technique; Intermediate Puppetry Technique
With the use of his Intermediate Puppetry Technique, Jiigo is able to thicken and shape his chakra strings into letters and words, and then set them aflame, or else make them glow in the same way an ember does. This may be used for dramatic effect, distraction, or stealthy communication.

[Ace Trainer]

Occasionally, a brick along the pathway would shift, or shake, suggesting that the foundation for this shrine was more than a little aged over the years. On top of that, the two little genin would probably jump occasionally, as when lit, the torches would shift a little, as if they were about to fall. However, the path continued on, winding in a wide curve downwards. The walls seemed to be getting farther apart, however, and the path was getting a little steeper. Suggesting maybe they were getting closer to their destination.

[Pokefan137]

"Such a gentlemen." said Haruna smiling before letting out a long yawn. Haruna placed a hand on his shoulder. "You light the torches, and if there are any traps, I'll make sure to protect you from them. Can't have you get injured now can I?" And with that Haruna walked forward down the tourch lined hall, allowing Jiigo to light the tourches as she prepared for any danger that might try to hurt him. Kara had already taught her about how a girl needs to stand up and protect her boy from harm. A girl needed to be strong and ready for anything, and with her trio of puppets, she we ready for anything this temple could throw at her...hopefully.

As they wound their way down the temple passage, Haruna made sure to be extra wary. Or at least as wary as a girl who loved sleep could get in a dimly lit, tourch warmed temple. She had to fight against sleep though, one of her number one least favorite things to do, so she could be more aware of the dangers. Pharoah was walking before her, turning his head as she turned hers. She watched the tourches carefully should they really be traps, but luckily none of them were. There were several occasions where something would shift, and she would through herself in front of Jiigo to keep him safe as Pharoah did quick skitter steps backwards to avoid danger, but it just turned out to be noises. She would wait a moment just to make sure before giving a reassuring smile to Jiigo and pressing onwards.

Eventually the walls started to widen allowing the two to walk side by side, but this didn't stop Haruna from being wary of the things around her and walking ever so slightly ahead in case of danger. She looked to the side at Jiigo every now and then just to make sure he was still alright. She had had plenty of experience exploring temple before and she knew that the first time could be a bit unnerving. She decided that conversation might be the best thing to keep him him calm.

She thought for a moment before she decided an introduction might be in order. "Hey, Jiigo. There's someone I want you to meet." With a single hand seal and a poof of smoke, a ghostly figure rose from behind Pharoah, floating in the air as folds of fabric seemed to float around her. Her beautiful face, illuminated by the tourch light turned towards Jiigo. "This is Sheba, my newest puppet. I met her right after winning this weird tournament in an alternate dimension, though that might have actually been a dream, I'm not sure. I remember I was on my way to meet my family in the desert when it all happened. It was like I was teleported into this alternate universe, and fought all these boys, and even made friends with some of them, except maybe the one who stripped off all his clothes and peed on my puppet. Didn't really like him that much. But once it was all over, I was back in the desert right where I had been, except there staircase leading down into the sand. I thought maybe I had stumbled upon a new temple and went down the staircase. At the bottom was a single room lined with walls of gold and gemstones. It was all so beautiful. On the back wall was a picture of two angels blowing trumpets and between them was an inscription reading 'Chambers of Victory.' I was confused at first and then I saw this big square coffin right in front of the picture. It was made of what looked like sandstone with a big cross on the top with a line underneath it, just like the Rekishi Juu symbol. Something told me to open it up. I went to touch it and then suddenly there was this big flash of light. When I could see again the coffin was open, and inside was Sheba. I got this weird feeling that I was supposed to have her, like we were meant for each other, so I took here and left to find my family to bring them back to the place. The weirdest thing was that, even though I marked the way to the staircase, when I got back the entire thing was gone, stair case and all. Pretty crazy, huh?"

[seiuchiblarg]

Wider and steeper the path became as Jiigo listened on, lighting torches all the while. She complimented Jiigo, and his pride bristled while his cheeks burned. Who was she to make him blush like that? Whatever, it doesn't matter... We just need to get to where we're going... Something here is bound to put the girl in the mood... It's a love temple, for Suna's Sake! The ground, meanwhile, shifted under them now and then, proving unsteady and unstable. It felt like the sands of the desert themselves could crash in and consume them at any minute... every sound seemed to echo in the hall, and it was rather unnerving.

Until, that is, his comrade spoke. Maybe it was just something to pay attention to. Maybe it wa shis interest in puppetry. Maybe it was the simple fact that it was difficult to get a really good look at the puppet in flickering torch light... Maybe it was the torch light on her. All he knew was, with Haruna speaking, it was a little more difficult to be unmanned by an empty chamber, and just a little more forgivable to assume that the world and everything in it could someday be okay.

It was quite an odd tale that she told, and she had Jiigo chuckling by the end of it as they went. Someone who... pissed on puppets? Heh, Jiigo wouldn't mind getting his hands on that guy... but then, what difference does a dream make? Though, it was odd that she should get her new comrade in such an odd way.....

"Yeah... What a dream! And, somehow, you managed to get Sheba out of it. I don't suppose you're a sleep walker, eh? That might explain it, you know..." Steeper and steeper, wider and wider. Soon, Jiigo sensed, very soon they would arrive at what may end up a passable destination -- or maybe just something to get Haruna interested in breaking rules. [/i]

[Ace Trainer]

The pathway eventually opened up into a huge circular room. Cob webs and dust marked the walls and floors. There was a large golden statue in the center of the room, that looked like it could use a little tending to. There was a dip in the ground around the statue, and divots shot out in straight lines, making the statue the center of some sort of sun shape. It seemed that at some point, water ran through this area, likely making this some sort of shrine. Otherwise, the room was peculiarly empty.

There were 3 doors in this room. Two to the left of the door they came through, spaced about 20 feet apart. Then, on the far side sat a huge double door entry way. The door was marked with what seemed to be hundred of different designs. And it was clear this entryway was locked, due to a huge circular lock on the face.

[Pokefan137]

Haruna continued taking notes and making drawings to record everything she was seeing in her notebook with her jutsu, yet at the same time she couldn't help but marvel at the architecture and beauty of the room itself. It may have been covered in cobwebs and dust, but to her that made it all the more beautiful. The thrill of history filled the room and set her blood and bubbling, though the only outward indications of this was a small smile and a twinkle in her sleepy eyes.

Haruna moved ahead into the room, recordning everything. The statue especially caught her attention as she ran her fingers over the smooth surface. From the looks of it there had once been water in it. She smiled as an idea came into her head. With some quick handseals the girl created a seven foot long whip of pure water from her hand. She drug the whip all around the statue, cleaning off dust and dirt to once more make it shine, and then, once the statue was clean, she set her whip down in the basin, and released the jutsu causing all the water that had composed the whip to fill the statue with water once more. She didn't know if it would actually do anything, but she wanted to see a glimse of what the room had looked like in the past.

JutsuShow

*Suiton • Mizu no Mushi [Water Element • Water Whip]
D-ranked Ninjutsu
Suiton • Mizu no Muchi is a Ninjutsu technique that utilizes water to create a 7 foot long whip. The ninja can also send an electric current through the whip to electrocute their opponent if the user has a Raiton affinity or Nature Chakra Manipulations aside from Suiton. The whip will function in the normal fashion, such as allowing the ninja to whip the opponent, and grab hold onto limbs or inanimate objects.

[seiuchiblarg]

The room was beautiful, or rather, it seemed to promise a long forgotten beauty in sparkles and luster jidden beneath rhe dust and conwebs. Jiigo eyed the statue and door-- alojg with the rest of the room, of course -- in very much the same way as anybody of low both generaly would: with a soft sort of reverence towards both the detail and thouht put omto the artwork, and also just how much a pie e of art like that would be worth. He watched s Jaruma cleaned the pie e. Jiigo hadm't noticed before, simply for the foreign-ness of water in hos desert home, but water did seem to belong there. Whether it did anythong for them remaomed to seen. If nothing happened, Jiigo would allow his ciriosoty to get the best of him, approachong the door whi h had been so ornately carved and decorated, and trying to find any sort of hints as to the nature of the room behind ot, or the door and lock whi j was prote ting it.


forgive the horrendous typistry. Im on a new phone, and habe never done this before. Ill go back and edit as soon as I get a more precise instrument. Tnx for being patient. ^^

[Ace Trainer]

As Haruna inspected the statue, she would find that, despite the age of the beautiful piece of art, it still had the same gleam it likely held those many years ago under a thick cover of dust and grime. Algae collected in the rivets that guided the water along. Soon enough, Haruna had gotten the brilliant idea of putting water where it belong, and what a brilliant idea it was.

The water flowed delicately down through the divets in the ground, it seemed to wash away all the grime as it flowed along ,creating a new shine, bringing a bit of life to the room. As it ran through, however, it disappeared into the walls, and a great shifting could be heard. The statue rose, the base getting taller, and suddenly, water began to flow from the open mouth of the woman, trickling along her body into a full flow until it completely recreated the glory the room was once in. The water continued to flow, creating a gleam and shine, as the room was filled with a light him of the water flowing along it's way.

And finally when everything resumed the way it had once been built to do, the statue rotated, and the golden woman stared forward at the door. Clearly, this is where they needed t ogo.

[Pokefan137]

"It...is...ALIVE~!!!!!"

Haruna couldn't help but laugh in wonder and happiness as the room was filled with life once more. The pages of her notebook filled with sketch upon sketch of the room, but they would never compare to the beauty of this moment. The wonder of seeing history ressurected before your very eyes! These were the moments that Haruna lived for, and to experience such a moment filled her heart with life. He sleepy eyes danced and sparkled in a way that only occured when she experienced these miraculous things. The pink haired moment took a long moment to let it all sink in, to experience this new life and forever bind it to her heart and mind. The spray from the minature waterfall now rushing from the maiden's mouth caused droplettes of moisture to form in her hair and on her face, falling in rivulates down her face as if she was crying for joy.

After a long moment, Haruna moved towards the door the maiden pointed to. Behind the door were more treasures of history, and she so deperatly wanted more! A lock was a delicate thing sometimes, and she didn't want to risk damaging the relic, therefore she decided to take the gentle approach to opening it.

As he hands moved, Sheba moved in front of the lock, her many ribbons moving inside to feel around and try to shift the mechanisms inside. The ribbons were thin enough to go in easily, flexible enough to move around in small spaces, and had the Sheba's strength to hopefully move even the most stubborn of lock mechanisms. It might take a while of experimenting and working at it, but she was determined to move onwards and explore more of this wonderous temple.

[seiuchiblarg]

Beauty usurped dust from it's throne on the golden woman's breast, and as water poured from it's mouth and the sound of stone turning on stone filled his ears, Jiigo had to turn in curiosity. Haruna's cry was not far off, but the statue lived more in luster than motion. He watched as it turned, curious about what sort of something Haruna had triggered. A trap, or a key? Jiigo was unsure. Nefarious' coils rose about him efensivel,y prepared to take whatever came....

But no such threats arose. Instead, the statue pointed in a new direction, gesturing towards the door. Haruna was there in a flash, and Jiigo followed close behind, Nefarious' coils at the ready as Sheba worked on the lock. He worried about whether or not just going at the lock like that was a good idea, but she had more experience than he... surely she wouldn't just rush into a trap, right? Either way, Jiigo stood close to the door, with Nefarious' chains poised around her as well as himself, to defend either one if need be. Two or three of them were mere inches away from the locking mechanism, ready to strike away anything that came through it.

[Ace Trainer]

The lock eventually gave way, and the doors swung inward, revealing a short corridor (one of the water pathways flowed through this corridor, and light was shining brilliantly from the flow-path, lighting up the corridor. At the end of the corridor, another double door rested. However, an complex series of pathways and bearing held the door tight. The bronze and gold design spanned from one side of the frame to the other. Most interesting of all, there was no sort of key hole.

However, the were a small disk that sat in a pair of silver hands that stood out in the design. On the disk it simply said, "Love will show the way"

[Pokefan137]

Haruna smiled as the lock opened. She loked back at Jiigo, who for some reason seemed to be extremely nervous and on edge. "Relax." she said. "You act like the entire place is going to explode."

With a smile, Haruna began walking down the halls, her puppet walking/floating on either side of her. She looked down at the water way flowing beside her. It looked so clean. So pure. She was half tempted to wade in it for a while. She stared for a long time at the water, so tranquil and soothing. Eventually she arrived at another door, though, curiously it didn't have a lock of any kind. SHe examined the door, searched it, looked it over. Nothing really she could reach except for this silver disc that was held in the center of a pair of silver hands.

"Love will show the way..." she read aloud. She pondered. What could this mean. She thought for a long moment. Love will show the way...SHe stared at the hands that were holding the disc. She wasn't sure, but she remembered hearing that holding hands was a sign of affection and love. Her family hadn't let her start holding Jiigo's hand until their third date, though she couldn't actually remember much of the last one. Just that somehow Jiigo had looked like he had been beaten up and that for some reason her hair of snakes jutsu had been active.

The pink haired girl stared at the disc for a moment longer before shrugging. Well, it wasn't alive so technically she didn't have to date it three times before holding its hands. Thus, Haruna reached out her hands, and placed them over the silver disc and the hands that held it.

[seiuchiblarg]

Relax. Yeah. Just gotta relax and forget the whole "this-ancient-ruin-could-collapse-on-us-at-any-time" thing. That should be easy. What's a little unavoidably mortal peril to a shin obi of the sand? The thought was sarcastic, but somehow, when she said it and looked at him with those tired eyes of hers, alight and sparkling with adventure and nuance, he couldn't help but calm down some, feel the tension in his muscles relax. He shrugged it away as the effects of the temple, and wondered if she was feeling anything similar...

The water looked crystal clear and beautiful, but Jiigo knew not to drink of it. Who knew what creatures shat in there, or if the water itself was poisoned? He still expected some kind of booby trap... but then, maybe in the tunnels of love, they decided it would go against the ideals of their goddess to try and harm someone with traps? That almost made sense... but he wasn't willing to let his guard down completely.

He smirked when he reached the door, investigating it the same way Haruna had, but coming up with a very different conclusion. "Love will show the way, huh? Well, I guess there's only one thing --" And then she placed her hands on that of the door, gentle and sweet. Well. I guess that's one way to do it.

He couldn't help but smirk all the same. If it did work, and the door itself wasn't lying in it's telegraphed importance, then whatever lie beyond it could complete their mission for them, and Jiigo would chalk it up as a victory. If it didn't, well, there were other ways to get shown things with love. He'd scan the door, looking for clues as to what they were looking for; with luck, something he could... appreciate.

[Ace Trainer]

When Haruna's hands were placed on the disc, the great door gave a shudder, then went still. Clearly, what Haruna had tried had failed. However, moments after the calmness had returned, the water shook, and a single squirrel, normal size, made of water, leapt from the river. It stared at the duo before racing towards Jiigo, teeth bared. For a squirrel, it looks intimidating. They'd need to make quick work of it, so they could return to the point of the mission.

[Pokefan137]

"Hmmmmmmm..."

Haruna stared contemplatively at the disk, completely oblivious to the fact that a water squirrel was now trying to maul Jiigo. She stared hard thinking about the things she had done. Holding hands didn't seem to do it. It did something, but it wasn't quiiiiiiet there yet. She started thinking. What was the most romantic thing after holding hands...

This was a tough question. Holding hands was the farthest she had ever gotten in any romantic relationship. The next step after that was a hug, but the disc seemed to small to hug. So what could it be. The only thing after that was...

Haruna blushed. It was asking for that. She smiled as she turned her head away, hoping Jiigo wasn't looking. Technically, outside of family, she wasn't allowed to do it until she was 18, possibly older, and had been dating someone for at least a year. The thought of doing it now was a bit much for the young genin. Still, for the mission, it might have to be done. She shifted her eyes a bit, before manuvering her back to where she thought Jiigo still was, hoping he wouldn't see her. This was so embarressing, even if it was just a silver disc and not technically alive. She took a deep breath, before, gently, slowly, planting a soft kiss on the silver disc. If this didn't work, she was completely out of ideas on what to do.

[seiuchiblarg]

The sound of an odd sort of splash caught Jiigo's ear, and he turned to the "river" beside them to see a small, transparent-blue little squirrel, baring fangs and scampering towards him. Jiigo was expecting an attack with every fiber of him, and he knew he should be fighting it... But this was a temple of love, and squirrels weren't particularly vicious animals, despite how mean it may have looked. He looked over to Haruna, who seemed to be blushing deeply with her own concerns... if nothing else, she wouldn't like seeing him impale a little creature, even if it was just made of water and aiming to attack him. It might be risky, but for her sake if nothing else, he'd try it.

Nefarious' spikes darted in with no less alacrity than their usual sinister attacks, but took on a more gentle edge when it approached, aiming to wrap around the creature and take hold of it rather than kill. If successful, Jiigo would bring it to himself, still bound tightly (though not enough to destroy it, if Jiigo could manage) and glimpse at Haruna, with a thought in mind. He would much have preferred just to kill it, but logic would not allow it. An act of love where anger could work just as well... that seems like the kind of sappy crap the builders of a love temple would want from anyone trying to bust in. Haruna caught his eye just as her lips touched the plate, and Jiigo's eyes widened. "Oh, I see how it is. I've gotta date you for two more years, but the glorified coaster gets to first base in a moment." He was only poking harmless fun, but the point stood none the less, hanging almost (but not quite) accusingly in the air.

[Ace Trainer]

The disk seemed to shake and glow when Haruna's lips pressed against it. Surely this would be a success! However, it quickly came to a halt. What she had done had been a failure. The squirrel had been captured, and they were back where they started...Until Jiigo decided to make a comment, poking fun at the clearly embarassed Haruna.

The entire temple seemed to give a gave shake as the squirrel that had just been captured seemed to let out a "scream" before starting to bulge. It began to grow, to be only a bit larger. When, suddenly, yet another water squirrel, about the size of a cat, jumped out of the water, and rushed towards Jiigo. It seemed Haruna's failure had caused another squirrel to appear, and Jiigo's rude-unloving comment had caused them to grow. They'd need to figure it out quick.

[Pokefan137]

Haruna shot immediatly to standing, back stiff as a mighty blush crossed her face. Jiigo had seen her. And made fun of her. Needless to say, for her this was pretty high on her list of most mortifing moments in life. At Haruna's direction Sheba quickly moved in front of her, blocking her from view by Jiigo with her cloth based body. She really didn't want to let him see her blush, lest he make fun of her again. There were few things in life that Haruna was shy about, but kissing was pretty much up near number one for her. To be caught giving a kiss and mocked for it was roughly equivilent to having a kunai toungue piercing.

"We hold hands, don't we?" she said quietly behind her puppet veil, a single embarressed tear falling down onto the silver disc.

[seiuchiblarg]

"Uhhh, ah geez, Haruna. I didn't..." and then another squirrel came up, and Jiigo allowed Nefariois to defend him, mentally multi tasking. Nefarious' chains darted in, attacking the air beside it on each side rather than the creature itself. As it darted in to attack Jiigo, the coils would wip around, curving in onthemselves and aiming to ensnare this squirrel just the same as the last one. He had heard her tone, the distress, the embarrassment. Something about hearing her blush that made him want to... Ah, dammit. Now he had to fight these squirrel things (preferably without destroying them, for Haruna's sake,) and console the girl, while battling.... Himself. Hopefully, Nefarious' coils could trap them relatively quickly, and then all he had to fight would be her embarrassment and his own nature. If the squirrels were successfully captured, he'd approach her. He'd want to kiss the tears away himself, but he knew that wouldn't do... For now. Of course you do, Haruna." His voice was softer than he knew it could be as Nefarious worked to defend him, poised to strike anything new that came out of the water but otherwise occupied with the small little water creatures already on the field. "I'm just... Used to other girls, that's all." No, wait, that didn't sound right. "Dammit. I'm no good at this... Nefarious moved before the pair protectively as he watched the shore for new comers. Between them and the river waited Nefarious, and between Nefarious and Haruna, Jiigo stood protectively. She was in no position to fight, and hd was in no position to let her get hurt. "What I mean is... Most girls aren't special like you... Uhh, look, I'm no good at this... But I don't mind waiting for you. You're different from other girls, Haruna. You're worth the wait. That's what I mean."[/b]

In honesty, Jiigo normally didn't mean it when he said stuff like that. Usually, stuff like that was just something he said to placate what ever girl he thoight he had a shot with. At first, he was rather proud of how this felt like a particularly convincing performance... and then he had to wonder how much of it really was a performance, after all. Cripes.... What am I thinking? She's nobody, Jiigo... Just another girl to... and then he remembered how stricken he'd been when she read him like the short story he was. How on that day, with her acting so oddly, she'd made him question everything, and... Just how deep under his skin could she get?

But then he rememhered the way she sounded, heard her blush again, wondered if maybe she was crying. dammit... Why do I even care!?

[Ace Trainer]

The squirrels were successfully ensnared once more, and now the little couple was doling out their relationship troubles. How boring. They needed to finish this mission, not cry and whine. They were SHINOBI. Oh how the ninja gods would frown upon such behavior on a professional mission. But what else could be excepted of children, tampering with such power things like love.

[Pokefan137]

Haruna had to smile slightly at the way he was trying to make things better. It was sweet. A boy that was willing to wait and cared more for who you were as a person than as a physical being was always best. Maybe this temple would do good things for their relationship after all.

...

Their relationship

Haruna's eyes opened ever so slightly more as it dawned on her. Love will lead the way. Love was not something that was just one person. There had to be more than one person for love to happen. Which meant...

One of Sheba's ribbons quickly reach out to grab Jiigos hand and thrust it upon the disk, and Harunas free hand did the same. When the two hands were hopefully together upon the disc, then hopefully something would happen. Haruna still kept Shebas body between them, not quite ready to let Jiigo see her face just yet.

[seiuchiblarg]

Sheba took hold of Jiigo's hand, and he cursed aloud at the feeling, at first thinking it was somethign harmful he hadn't noticed. One of Nefarious' spikes darted in, stopping just a moment before he impaled his own hand, and saw what Haruna was doing,. With his hand directly beside hers, just barely having managed to maintain his hold on the squirrels, he could feel the warmth where her hand, her lips, had been just a moment before, saw her hand as well.

He allowed his hand to move over hers, if there was no immediate result. His other hand would move upwards, as he prepared to speak. "Haruna," it was a rather brilliant idea... though Jiigo had other plans if it didn't work. His arm touched on Sheba, aiming to brush the puppet off to the side to look into her face, see the crying, runny eyes. Appreciative of her thought, he smiled. "You're... beautiful." Somehow, in a way he did not realize, he did not just mean the way she looked. He wasn't referring solely to the softness in her face, the redness in her eyes he wanted to kiss away. It was something... more. Even if he didn't really get what.

[Ace Trainer]

This small moment of affection caused the disk to glow. Suddenly, it had jiggled itself out of their hands and floated through the air back at the door they had just approached. Complex locks and mechanisms moved about, as the water flowed through the pipes, eventually opening the doors.

Wow...it was quite the sight.

They were over-looking an enormous chasm of shelves. The river Haruna and Jiigo had given birth to dropped down a good 100 feet into the chasm, creating a moat around the central circle containing all the shelves and books and tables. It was enormous. Stalagtites hunt from the ceiling at incredible lengths, but none long enough to reach even close to the bottom of the cavern. The opening of the doors had awoken a groups of birds that flew around of the top of the cavern tweeting and cawing as if they'd just woken up from thousands of years of sleep.

Around the wall, you could see maybe 30 doors much like your own overlooking the area. Oh, yes. This was the place they were heading to. Both to the left and the right a long stairway lead down.

However, an architect ran up from behind them, and gasped, pulling out a walkie-talkie and saying simply "Get down here.....now.", after that, she ran down the stairs, laughing giddily.

It seemed the couple had finished their mission.

[Pass]