The Curse That Never Was

[Bexhex]

Fog writhed and swirled around Nanami as she walked the long docks in the small off the beaten path fishing village. The Swirling mass of white vapor looked as if it were trying to consume the village from the ground up, stretching its tendrils along the old musty wood and across the connected boards. With each step the fog would recoil from the impact of Nanami's light footsteps as she skipped along the board walk. The docks upon which the town was built sat just high enough above the water that it enabled high tide to rise and fall without submerging the entire village, but the water below remained covered by a thick fog that lay just above the water allowing on to only hear the churning sounds of the tide below. The sounds of which would leave ones mind to wander, as the churning sounded like an obscured beast hidden behind a thin veil waiting for some victim to fall prey to the enticingly soft bed of fog above it. For Nanami however, this was nothing, eerie as it was this was nothing more than a place to hideout, a small town off the maps within dragon country. It was more or less a vacation in her eyes having come to such a remote place, even if it was quite disgusting and the barnacle encrusted wood made her stomach churn. Here, she would never need to worry about local authorities giving her chase. The dilapidated buildings that lined the perimeter, and the distinct zombie like apathy of the residents made for a great place for her to reside if not a few playmates along the way. Nanami giggled at the thought of new playmates, oh how she would love to watch as these townsfolk began to break, really liven up this dying town.

Nanami had been trudging up and down the many docks and boardwalks for days, and it was apparent the village had once been home to a population much larger than what it was today. While the current population was still quite large by what Nanami could manage to count, but the amount of people she saw only accounted for half the total number of homes she had seen since arriving. To add to the odd nature of the town, many people when asked about the dying nature of the town seemed to be blind to it. Many answering in confusion, that the dilapidated buildings had always been there or that no one had ever lived in the abandoned homes. Not all the buildings however looked like they were forgotten ages ago, some buildings while quiet and abandoned looked new like someone had just swept off the porch a day or two ago, windows left hanging half open, clothes hanging out to now have long since dried. It left Nanami feeling perplexed, in no way would someone up and leave their home and their things in such a way. Piquing her interest, Nanami found herself grinning at the curious nature of town. Something was ailing the townsfolk here and she whole heartedly wanted to unmask whatever it was that was causing the town to shrink like it was.

Excitement welled up inside her as she began to wonder what could cause such a disparity between the people and the land. Genjutsu? A missing ninja? she was practically salivating at all the potential answers most of which how interesting it would be to use this town. Whatever was going on here would better increase her own abilities. She stopped at a small stall built into the side of the dock, over the last few days it served as a great spot for her to enjoy tea while she people watched. It was a great pass time for her especially when she felt butterflies in her stomach, she giggled again at the thought. The sad weather was just not forgiving for her little friends like it was for her. She strode up under the small awning that reached out across the dock, granting any patrons a nice block from potential rain, as she pulled out a small chair giving her plenty of room to sit lightly on the chair. She looked back at the young shop keep and smiled "One cup of tea please, I'll take the whole pot today I would like to share if I meet someone new today," Nanami said gingerly to the woman at the counter. A useful trick she had picked up for finding new victims, someone who piqued her interest would walk by and she would bring down their guard with a kind gesture for tea. It didn't always work, but it gave those around her a great impression, and one can never forget the importance of a good first impression.

The young woman appeared from behind the stall, her pale and sickly complexion seeming blending into the backdrop of the dying town around them. She carried the small tea pot, and a singular cup before coming over towards Nanami. She set the cup down and lightly poured the black tea into the cup filling. Nanami took a small sip of the tea as the woman stood upright, "Anything else I can get for you?". Nanami opened her eyes meeting her emerald eyes to the young girls channeling chakra into her doujutsu. She smiled for a moment before a searing pain shot down the girls arm causing her to drop the small ceramic pot filled with tea breaking eye contact with Nanami. The shards skittered across the soft moist wood, as the girl yelped in pain. Nanami's eyes reverted back to their black pupils while she maintained her smile, "Oh dear, are you okay my dear?" she said as she pushed forward to stand up. "Oh uhm, no worries Miss, I'm just alittle clumsy, I'll get this cleaned right up and another pot," the young girl said as she turned to run back behind the counter. "Oh also, if it wouldn't be to much trouble please remember to bring another cup as well this time," Nanami said said as a small smirk pulled across her face. Perhaps pain and embarrassment would serve as a good teacher, she thought to herself as she sat back down and drank what little tea had been poured beforehand. A small butterfly fluttered out from under her dress, as it fluttered around her before landing gently on her idle hand, "Good service really is hard to come by these days" she whispered quietly to the butterfly as she crossed her legs and sipped on the warm tea.

OOCShow

Awaken
C-rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: 10 Control, 10 Will Power
The user will do a single hand seal, activating their Gensyruugan to the [Awakened] state. While in this state the clan members can utilize [Shared Cognizance] techniques. Activating at this stage drains a C-rank worth of chakra every 5 posts.

* Carpal Tunnel
D-rank Ninjutsu
[Hypnotic Shock]
The user will do a series of hand seals, locking eyes with their target. The target will experience a sudden cramping pain in their hand. At any point where the user’s Control is greater than the target’s Will Power, the pain will be too great to be able to close their hand, forcing them to drop anything they’re holding, for as long as the user retains eye contact with their target.

sleep
D-rank Ninjutsu
The user will do a single hand seal, turning off their Gensyruugan

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

It had been several days since Emi had left the village of Konoha behind her for the foreseeable future, having traveled through the night to escape the forest before making her way north towards a train station. It was odd, riding along the rails of the infrastructure created as a joint effort between two villages she had left behind. The rails even passed over a massive bridge that crossed over a small section of Wind Country, a particular venture signed off on and supported by her mother to connect Fire and Wind and strengthen their bonds by providing safe passage to the west, to Emi's current destination - Dragon Country. Rather, it was part of Fire Country now after the Great War, but it was easier in her head to remember the country for what it was originally named, especially since Konoha had done a decent job of preserving the culture of the country after they claimed it under their domain.

The plan was simply to head west for now, away from the villages and their movements, away from the world of shinobi... The only world she had ever known. If she was being honest, it was terrifying to leave everything behind like this... She had no idea what was in her future, no plans beyond searching for any hint of a path that would lead her to her ultimate goal of saving her people and restoring peace to Wind Country. But the further she was from the villages, the safer she would be in her search, or at least that was what she thought. In this case, she chose the devil she didn't know over the one she did, and the uncertainty of that future left her afraid of what it might be. It could be better, sure... But could it be worse?

These were the thoughts that kept the girl company now, her only company in fact, as she trekked south towards the southernmost tip of the main continent, the southern coast of Dragon Country. Her goal was to move towards the Shrimp continent, a place that little was known about, at least to her and those she knew. But as she neared the coast, the pungent scent of stale salty air and fish met her nose before she even saw the thick mass of fog that enshrouded the small port village she was approaching. Her nose involuntarily scrunched up at the odor, and it didn't improve as she made her way through the streets towards what she hoped would be the docks, in search of someone who would ferry her to the Shrimp Continent. She hoped she didn't have to stay here long, this place had clearly seen better days, and yet the people here all seemed somewhat amicable. At the least, she wasn't being given any trouble nor was she the focus of many people's attentions - Simply passing through.

But it seemed odd that the population of the town seemed smaller than the amount of buildings would lead one to believe. She hadn't walked the whole village of course, but in the hour or so she had been traipsing through the village, she had noticed a lot of buildings and a distinct lack of people to fill them all. Had there been a recent exodus perhaps? As she neared the wooden docks, the almost spongy wood beneath her feet gave her a bit of concern that she might just fall through the docks and into the brackish water below. The barnacle encrusted support beams offered little comfort, the obvious wood rot was clear even to her untrained eyes... such disrepair didn't bode well for her future. She even considered simply leaving this fresh hellscape behind in search of greener pastures, perhaps there was another port towards the east or west that she could find proper passage from.

But as the thought crossed her mind, the sudden sound of shattering ceramic caused her ears to perk, and her head whipped in the direction of the jarring noise to see a woman sitting by herself at a small stall. It seemed to be a refreshment stand of some sort, and only a single patron was there, a woman who's eyes suddenly shifted from an emerald green to a deep, dark black, not unlike Emi's sclerae. At first she thought she simply imagined that change, it was so sudden after all - But a Henrin's memory is never wrong. She knew what she saw in that moment, and while the girl who dropped the pot may not have realized it, Emi was quick to recognize the art of Chakra manipulation when she saw it.

"Another ninja? Out here of all places? Maybe a nukenin... I should avoid her, I'm not in a position to get involved out here..." Was the only thought that went through Emi's mind as she turned to move towards the docks, in search of her quarry. She hoped to leave that woman in her mind as a fleeting memory, but she'd remember her face - and those eyes - in the event she ever had to deal with her more personally.

[Bexhex]

Nanami returned to people watching, her eyes surveying the dockside, until she saw something odd. There walking down the dock stood a young girl dressed unlike the villagers, with long black hair just kept barely together in a ponytail and out of her eyes with an assortment of hairpins and the like. What really stood out to Nanami, was when the girl made eye contact with her, red iris' and black sclera that peered at her like a beast beyond the shadows. The girls eyes darted back making a double take, "did she notice my doujutsu?," Nanami was sure of it, this girl was apart of the same world, similar to her former master's. What did he call himself again....? she put her two fingers up to her head and massaged her brow a bit trying to pull the word out from her chaotic memory. Ah yes, a shinobi, she must be with an appearance like that, the epiphany had almost vocalized as she opened her eyes wide excited as she recalled the memory. She began to smile lifting her butterfly up to her face once again, "Perhaps our culprit has walked into our hands," she said as she blew a soft puff of air at the blue butterfly causing it to flutter up into the air around her.

Nanami pushed her chair out from table and stood up, slowly fanning out her blue dress as she began to walk towards the odd girl. Her head was spinning as she began to decide how to approach the girl. Surely a simple approach would be best, but how would she present herself. Should she greet her as a simple resident, of the village. She remembered the look the girl gave, it was quick but there seemed to be a sense of avoidance. No it would be much better if she maintained her approach with a simple kind gesture, and a simple bond of two travelers that were in a foreign land. Sure the girl would be guarded but Nanami could work around that. The payout was huge if this girl really was connected to what was going on, or even in the case she was not, she would still prove useful in Nanami's craft.

As the girl was walking ahead of her, Nanami lightly stepped up, "Excuse me miss, but you don't look like you're from here," she said tapping the girls small slender shoulders. Now that Nanami had approached closer, she noticed they were both similar in height, and stature, perhaps with herself looking a little more malnourished than the girl in front of her. "Oh, I'm so sorry to bother you like this, you see, the village is just so far out of the way I didn't expect to see another traveler come through," her eyes looked gently at the girl as she turned around to face her. Nanami put the most friendly smile on her face as the butterfly landed softly on her shoulder. "Say, by chance, do you enjoy tea?," she let the question hang for a moment. Nanami wove a conversation quickly, a simple manipulation tactic, a kind out of the blue approach to catch someone off guard, followed by a humble apology, to then slide a quick question or offer in. It didn't always work, but she found many times that kindness followed by false humility managed to leave some unguarded long enough to leave a lasting impression. She place her hands together letting them hang crossed down in front of her as she smiled sweetly at the girl, hoping her spun web would hold strong.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

For a few moments, Emi was sure that she had avoided the confrontation that she could sense would arise with that strange woman at the tea stand. She thought she had been subtle enough in her attempt to turn and leave before she even noticed Emi, that she could slip away on a ship to the Shrimp Continent and lose the woman altogether before ever their meeting could take place. But as she felt the light tap against her shoulder, and heard the woman's voice behind her, her blood turned to ice in an instant. She spoke with a playful candor, but with a touch of elegance and a good deal of proper respect. The words she chose to use were not what she would expect of a commoner, lending credence to her claim of being a traveler, and yet she couldn't place any kind of accent that would denote her homeland. Of course, Emi wasn't the most worldly traveler...

However, it was clear that she wasn't going to avoid this encounter as she had hoped. She could run of course, or at least try - She wasn't slow by any means, but the chances of this turning into something more dangerous to the people around them was too risky for Emi's tastes. She didn't want to bring calamity to these poor villagers... She turned to face Nanami, her eyes scanning the woman's features and finding her to have a similar, though skinnier build. The woman's body language, her words, her kind expressions and warm offer of tea, they all made it seem as though she were simply a kind soul who wanted to share a bit of company with a passing stranger in this foreign land.

So why did Emi feel so uncomfortable? Why did Nanami's mere presence make the hair on Emi's neck stand on end? Why did she feel like a sheep being eyed down by a hungry wolf?

A small, reluctant sigh escaped Emi's mouth. "It's... No bother ma'am. I really should be going, but I can spare a few moments for a cup of tea I suppose." Emi tried to mask the tension in her voice, to relax her muscles and tendons and hide the genuine fear she was feeling right now. She tried, but she wasn't the best at hiding her feelings; If anything, they had a tendency to burst forth, with or without her consent. As she followed Nanami back to the tea stand, the woman from before having brought a second cup this time per Nanami's instructions, Emi would take a seat and allow Nanami to pour the tea for her, eyeing her movements ever so carefully to assure herself that she wasn't subtly being poisoned or something.

"What brings you to this sleepy village anyway? Pardon my observations, but you don't look the type that would hang around a place as smelly as this. The odor of fish is enough to turn even my nose, and the fog rests uncomfortably on my shoulders like a heavy weight."

[Bexhex]

Nanami maintained her cheery smile as the young girl politely indulged her contrary to the tension she could see in her shoulders. "Oh please, you can call me Nanami, ma'am is much to formal for me," she said softly, there was no reason to lie, it made Nanami feel old to be called ma'am and really it was much nicer than what many of the denizens called her on shrimp continent. She slowly walked over and pulled out a seat from under the table gesturing the young girl to sit, before she reached across and poured the tea into the girl's cup. She eyed the girl as she poured, her eyes studying Nanami who acted as if she were unaware of the tension the girl was feeling. While clear the girl was guarded, she was now caught in Nanami's web, in reality this was her favorite part. She could now begin the long dance of breaking down her guard to see what she could gain from this girl.

Nanami then poured more tea into her own glass adding several scoops of sugar before sitting down across from her. She leaned back in her chair took a sip from the ceramic glass, and gestured towards the girl to drink her tea. After some silence the girl spoke up to which Nanami chuckled, "Well even if it smells of fish and sea water, it most certainly is nicer to sleep at an inn than on the side of the road wouldn't you agree?" she looked out across the dockside into the water, she could see the vague silhouettes of fisherman in their boats off in the horizon. "If I were to be blunt, the town has some mystery to it, and the people don't really seem to notice outsiders, all in all this town has been quite charming," she humbly said, again sipping from the tea. It was sweet just the way she wanted her pallet was still much like a child's.

"How about you? Aren't you a bit too young to traveling like you are? You're eyes dear may I ask where it is you're from they are unlike anything I've ever seen," Nanami expected an excuse but honestly the question was poised in such a way that she would gain more information than whatever answer the girl came up with. She swirled her cup of tea that was half full, before her blue butterfly landed along the side surely attracted to the sweet scent of the sugary tea. "I apologize, I hope I didn't ask anything that made you uncomfortable?" as Nanami smiled she watched the girl, looking for any sign of chakra manipulation, whether this girl was a treasure or tool would soon be discovered.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

Emi gave the woman a simple nod of understanding as she clarified that she would rather be called by her name - Nanami. Proper custom and respect would indicate that Emi should then give her name to Nanami in response, but she had a feeling that that wasn't a good idea in this case. Her every instinct was telling her to flee as it was, the last thing she wanted was to give this woman any indication of who she was, lest she be followed by her even longer. There were stories of beings that could steal names after all - For all she knew, this Nanami was one of those.

"In truth, I'm as comfortable up in a tree or under some brush as I am in a bed. Roughing it in the wilderness isn't a problem for me, in fact I think the smell of this place is going to keep me awake more than any outdoor obstacles." her nose crinkled up as a particularly strong odor crossed it, herself fighting the urge to gag as a fisherman went by with his "fresh catch". If that's what fresh smelt like here, Emi would prefer her trail rations to anything these people might serve up. At the mention of the strangeness of the townfolk though, Emi hadn't really thought about it at first... However, as she quickly searched her memory, taking a moment to really observe the people she passed, she realized that Nanami was right - Not a single one even glanced at her. And while that might be a good thing for her given her nature as a missing ninja now, she found it mysterious indeed that only Nanami had taken note of her eyes, or really the fact that a young girl with a golden hilt dangling from her hip was wandering through a sleepy fishing village alone in the first place.

It was as if she was a ghost...

Of course, Emi wasn't about to give Nanami any information regarding her eyes, or her clan, or her homeland. If she was unfamiliar with the Henrin, she was unfamiliar with Suna, and Emi would prefer it stay that way. "It's just a birth defect, one I'd rather not talk about if I'm being honest. I was... picked on for them. And as for my traveling, I assure you I can fend for myself out here. You don't need to worry for my sake." Emi spoke bluntly, lifting the cup to her mouth to punctuate her statements with a sip of the freshly brewed tea. To her surprise, it was actually quite good - Nothing like the tea leaves that she grew herself of course, but more flavorful than she expected from a place like this. "Is this sleepy little fishing village your final destination then? Do you intend to make your life as an angler?"

Emi's eye darted towards the blue butterfly that landed on Nanami's cup, an eyebrow arching in suspicion and concern. She had noticed the other one earlier too, a blue butterfly that seemed to flit around before landing on the woman's finger... She had never met anyone who could control butterflies necessarily, but she knew enough about the shinobi world to be familiar with the likes of the Aburame clan. And if they could utilize ninjutsu to form a symbiotic relationship with their Kikaichu beetles, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility to suggest that this woman had some kind of similar power. Of course, it was mere speculation... but butterflies weren't known for being so social. She'd be sure to commit those blue butterflies to memory...

[Bexhex]

Nanami chuckled as the young girl mentioned sleeping in a tree or under the brush, in truth Nanami was lying about resting in a bed, her body was beyond the need for sleep. It had been years since she dreamed her last dream, she remembered the nightmares and the fantasies that would be played out, but now she had all the hours in the day. She smiled leaning the side of her head into her hand, gently setting the tea cup down, "I hope you took no offense to that, where I come from, the wilderness if filled with dangers, riddled with bandits at every turn, why even the towns aren't safe," Nanami said her smile turned into a smirk. travelling through tide country was a wonderful experience. A young girl alone deep in the woods was, to bandits and thieves, a nice catch, of course this catch was one that bit back. She would play with them for hours before they finally broke, simple minded beings in all fairness, but ones that made for wonderful toys. She watched the butterfly on her hand, "and I'm positive you can handle yourself, I know full well that small frail things can be very deadly," Nanami let butterfly continue to feed on her chakra before looking up again. She eyed the girl once again, the girls response was plenty for her to go off of, her unease joining the table, combined with hesitance to share anything about where she was from, as well as the unfamiliar tool at her hip. The unorthodox appearance of the girl screamed ninja, but as Nanami observed the girl, she guessed the she was not powerful enough to cast a genjutsu that could afflict a town like this, the girl was far to young, tragic she was not the treasure she desired from the town, but there were many uses for a shinobi nonetheless, Nanami was lost in thought for a moment.

Switching tactics Nanami lightheartedly spoke, "In any case, this isn't my final destination, heheh. I'm afraid I would make a poor angler, the sensation of slimy fish one that I abhor. I planned to take a boat out along the coast, but the ship that frequents here has been permanently moored. The ships crew seemed unable to recall the man who once captained the ship," Nanami took a long sip before looking out into the dense fog. "It is a tad tragic, the next port town to my knowledge is several days away, and the vessel that was to leave now sits abandoned home to rats and barnacles. The men unable to hoist anchor and leave without a captain, I would be lying if I said the entirety of this story left me a tad perplexed, most don't even remember if their was ever a captain at all," Nanami feigned a worried look, "I'm worried for the townsfolk, I'm sure you've noticed, most act like they are in a stupor. Why look at the girl who had served my tea, she can barely keep her head on straight her hands shake as if she is afraid of something, perhaps that was why she had dropped the ceramics earlier.". Nanami made the motion of putting her finger to her lower lip, pursing her lips to show how perplexed she was. She looked over at the young waitress, she looked tired, as if she hadn't slept in days and while in truth it was Nanami that caused her to drop the ceramics, it was good credence to bring the girls attention to the woman. Her hands shook as she prepared tea, and her eyes looked glossed over when she wasn't being spoken two. She would frantically run back and forth behind the counter looking for things before stopping and rubbing her head. "Poor thing, If I may be frank, I stayed to uncover whatever this ailment is, I'm a bit of a bleeding heart if were being honest, I really don't like to see people suffer," Nanami painted the endeavor as heroic, and while true Nanami didn't enjoy suffering, her sense of what was considered suffering was quite warped.

Nanami was sure the girl had a sense of duty, she sat at the table, unable to turn down Nanami's initial request. That act alone told Nanami many things whether she was afraid to say no, or simply to kind to say no she went against her judgement to sit down with her. Perhaps painting herself as a bleeding heart would be enough to win the girl over, not just to let her guard down, but also for her saved as well. The guarded nature of the girl screamed to Nanami as someone who desperately needed her help. Excitement filled her chest, her empty body was all but ready to bounce up and down, but keeping her head she continued to sip from her tea.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

Emi fought the urge to roll her eyes or shrug at the mention of a few simple bandits - She may not be the most adept shinobi, but she was pretty confident in her ability to handle a few low lifes making their living by stealing and subjugating those weaker than them. Still, she wanted to appear at least as if Nanami's concerns meant something to her, and so she simply nodded and continued on with the conversation. Still, that butterfly that she was holding so effortlessly left a feeling of concern within Emi, her eyes fixating on the blue winged insect for a few more moments. "You seem to have an affinity for butterflies. Strange, I don't think I've seen many since I got here, yet they seem to have no problems finding you. Perhaps you're blessed with good fortune." She wanted to gag at the mention of luck or fortune, as if that had anything to do with it. This woman was a shinobi, Emi had no doubt in her mind about it, just the air around her screamed it in Emi's head like a siren. But... what if it was just paranoia? Maybe this really was some random passerby just wanting a cup of tea? Was she really so sure of herself already, having only been a wanderer in the past couple weeks or so?

She perished those thoughts for now, as Nanami lead Emi on a verbal jaunt through the recent history of the town, and the sad fact that there weren't any ships currently willing to take her to the Shrimp Continent. The only ship that made the trip was moored, because... the crew lost their captain? "What do you mean, they just forgot who their captain was? All of them?" Her eyes flitted back to her tea cup as her mind wandered along the possibilities of what could be causing such an effect on these people... No, surely this woman was full of shit. You don't just forget things so easily, especially things as critical to your livelihood as the one you're employed by. She shook her head. "Garbage, that makes no sense..." She struggled with the thoughts in her head - Was it a Yamanaka? No, she had never heard of anyone capable of such a far reaching amnesia effect, and even if it could be done, why all the way out here in this lonely fishing village?

But... what if Nanami wasn't lying? If these people truly were suffering, and Nanami was out here to help them, shouldn't she help? Was it possible that there were other shinobi wandering around who had morality and values, more so than personal gain or ambitions of power or domination? Maybe not all missing ninja were criminals... After all, she wasn't. She crossed her arms and gripped her bicep tightly, grumbling audibly as her intuition about this woman and her desire to help those in need came to blows inside her mind. "What proof do you have beyond the strangeness of this place? I haven't forgotten anything since walking in here, have you?" She wasn't about to let it slip, but being a Henrin, it was practically impossible for Emi to forget anything. She could accurately recall the entire trip here, every single step, from the train station to the stool she now sat on. If there was any kind of amnesia-like effect, wouldn't it have effected her by now? Something wasn't adding up...

[Bexhex]

Nanami felt a twinge of surprise as the conversation turned towards her, was the girl prying her for more information? How interesting this one is she thought to herself. Nanami was impressed the girl knew her way around a conversation, their was definitely was intelligence hiding behind those black and red eyes. She casually rested her chin on the palm of her hand, "We have been friends since I can remember, they really are quite beautiful wouldn't you agree? I daresay, I don't think I would be half the woman I was today without them," there was a slight chuckle after her statement. "Oh my, I wouldn't call myself blessed," she let out an louder giggle, Nanami didn't recall much from all those years ago, perhaps she was lucky but if their were gods out their she certainly wasn't on their good side.

Nanami noticed the girl fidget no less thinking about things that could be the cause before her own doubt took over, "I'm glad to hear I was not the only one who was unable to make sense of the matter, I'll admit to it sounds like utter rubbish, however, every single sailor on that ship has no recollection of a captain ever sitting at its helm," she said with a casual tone as she waved a hand back and forth, disturbing the butterfly causing it to flutter about the table once again. "You saw the abandoned homes as you entered the town yes? Many buildings falling to disrepair, as well as whole docksides that have collapsed, one would think the town would do what it could to keep the docks properly maintained. In fact I also learned that some homes a recently abandoned in the last few weeks, but in the time I've been here not a soul has entered or left the town except for you. As for forgetting anything myself," she took a moment to think hard, before she knocked on her head and giggled. "I know that ship had a captain when it docked, I had spoken with him on several occasions about my next passage, but it is all a little fuzzy," Nanami said calmly.

It wasn't often that she was caught off guard by genjutsu like this, and usually she would bounce back quickly. To have something that took her by surprise and had begun afflicting her in small effects, left her quite impressed. There was a pause of silence between the two before Nanami spoke again, "the ship is nearby if seeing the proof personally is something of value, I most certainly wouldn't mind attending you."

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

Emi calmly filed the woman's butterflies away for later; At least she recognized that Emi had noticed and she had a story conjured up to explain away their presence. Ultimately though, the foremost issue here was the state of the town, which Emi couldn't deny... things did feel off around here. She had noticed the abandoned homes, some dilapidated yes, but others that seemed well maintained until recently. It was uncanny actually, the houses in shambles made sense to a degree, but to up and abandon your home in a state of maintenance left the whole house looking even more eerie. And then there was this ship with no captain that Nanami kept coming back to, a captain that she supposedly had spoken to herself, yet no one else could remember them. She could be lying of course, and this could all be some grand manipulation... but to what end? Emi didn't see much of a way for Nanami to benefit from any of this, not in any tangible way at least... Maybe she really did just want to help?

She hadn't realized it, but her left hand that had been resting on the counter of the stand was gripping the table tightly, leaving dents in the wood as she physically struggled with herself. She wanted to help, she wanted to protect these people from this potential threat, but she couldn't escape the thought that she was putting herself in danger for a people who she knew nothing about. With a swift motion, Emi picked up her cup with her other hand and quickly threw the rest of the liquid into her mouth, gulping it down audibly as if it were a shot of liquid courage. "Alright. Show me to the ship then." As she said the words, dread washed over her, as if she had just signed a deal with a devil and resigned herself to her fate.

[Bexhex]

Nanami watched as the girl dug her nails into the wooden table, seemingly unaware that she was having such a reaction. Nanami felt envious, she wished she could activate her doujutsu and peer into her eyes sharing in the girls lament. She could feel her face grow warm, and the butterflies flutter about inside her leaving her barely able to contain herself, reveal each of her secrets to the girl just to share in the moment. For now though she took a long sip of the now lukewarm tea, calming herself and collecting what little sanity she had. She took a deep sigh as the girl knocked back the remainder of her tea like a shot of hard liquor, leading Nanami to giggle as she slowly stood, "Heheh, to the ship it is then,". Nanami turned pulling the large purple wagasa off her back and extending it, "It looks like we may get some rain soon to match this dreary weather," she looked up at the sky to see the white cloudy day had begun to turn dark as the black clouds began to come together, "if you need to stay dry, I'm happy to oblige," she said gesturing to her side. The purple wagasa extended well over her with plenty of room for another if one so wished to share in the haven it created.

---

Like Nanami had predicted the rain had come, a light rain that would match that of early spring. The wet air exacerbated the smell of rotting fish and moldy wood, making a pungent aroma that made the eyes water. Nanami however slowly danced across the puddles that had formed on the boards of the dock, skipping and tip toeing as she weaved between them. She hummed a small child's tune from her home country, a happy upbeat tune, that was easy to follow and dance to. "Good news is that all this rain should help to separate that pesky fog," she said smiling wide, she looked as if she were a child playing in the rain nearly unaffected by the surrounding scenery.

As they made their way across the dock a large ship slowly arose from the waters below jutting out the admittedly less dense fog. the ship contained two large mast, one with a small sail bound up in the front and one with a large sail that was bound up behind. Surely the ship looked beautiful once upon a time, the bow was a black lacquered wood rising up to the railing that was at one point a beautiful red, that gave the ship the look a beautifully scaled koi. Now however, the ship was covered in mayflies surely feeding off rotten wood and mold, it gave the edges of the ship a fuzzy look, like a fluffy dog floating in the water. Many deep gouges and scratches to the bow of the ship had begun to stand out as the ship had bobbed an rubbed against the side of the dock. The many ropes that held down important parts of the ship had begun to wear and fringe in places with many nets and ropes draped off the edges of the ship. The illusion of spiderwebs was all that came to mind, adding to the aura of abandonment.

"Well there it is the captainless ship, The Dancing Koi, although catfish would probably be a better analogy here don't you think?" Nanami said smiling towards the young girl. There were several grunts as a large man cleared his throat in response. "Excuse me, it's not nice to talk about another lady's appearance like that..," a brusque voice said behind them. Nanami turned to face the voice and was met with a man towering over her by at least a foot, his arms wider than his head, with a long beard that ran down to his chest, interwoven with silver rings that clanged together as he moved his head. He was carrying a large barrel of something heaved up over his shoulder, the barrel itself looked quite small to the giants size. The man eyed the two women, looking at the both of them, "care to tell me why the two of you are out near our ship?" he said with a loud huff.

Nanami looked up at the man maintaining her smile as she tilted back the wagasa just enough to see the man's face, a large scar ran down along his left eye jutting through his beard, adding to the intimidating appearance. Nanami maintained her casual attitude with the man and spoke, "Why yes I would love to, you see, my associate and I..." Nanami gestured looking back at the young girl before looking over to the man again, "You see we are here to see the captainless ship, in fact, it would be wonderful to talk to you, perhaps we could ask a few questions," Nanami stood with a childlike innocence looking up at the man. "Ah yes my manners, introductions are important are they not, I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting you, I am Nanami, just Nanami I was here roughly a week ago, this is my associate....," she gestured to the young girl. Nanami began to gather chakra towards her eyes, preparing a countermeasure if the man proved to be a problem for the two of them.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

Emi couldn't help the fear that crawled through her as she stood from the tea stand to follow along with this cheerful devil, feeling like she had signed away her life merely by offering to see what the hell was going on around this village. It was the contrast, Emi finally surmised, that lead to this feeling of dread - The village around her, dreary and dilapidated, stood in stark contrast to the bubbly, lighthearted woman guiding her through the muddy streets. It was as if Nanami was ferrying her along the river to a destination of torment and suffering, and she was giggling and laughing like a young child the whole time, like Emi was just some plaything for her to have fun with before tossing her aside when she eventually wasn't fun anymore. She didn't verbalize her refusal, but she made clear by standing a few feet away from her that she would rather be wet than accept Nanami's offer to shield her from the rain.

---

The damp air around them magnified the odor of the town, prompting Emi to remove a small black bandana from the large pack on her back and wrap it around her face as a shield against the various smells of the village. It didn't help much, but the placebo effect did a little to put her at ease. Her clothing and hair were both also slightly soggy now, the rain having seeped into her clothes and brought a slight chill to her bones - She would have to start a fire later to dry herself, lest she get sick out here in the middle of nowhere. Still, the fog was dissipating, as Nanami stated - She would take her vision for some slightly wet clothing. "Yeah, it helps to make this place look at least a little less depressing. Although, now we can see the decaying wood and ramshackle buildings with more clarity... perhaps the obscurity was better."

The sight of the ship was no better than the rest of the village - It was no doubt breathtaking in it's construction with some proper upkeep, but left to the elements it had fallen to ruin. She wasn't sure she'd even trust the floorboards to support her weight, and that was assuming the thing was even capable of shipping out anymore. It was sad, to say the least, knowing that that ship once served as a vessel for sailing the seas in search of fish to support this town. "...More like a hagfish than a catfish. But the sentiment is the same." As the words left her mouth, the man behind them spoke up, and Emi instinctively turned whilst reaching for the hilt at her waist. However, before she actually drew and ignited her blade, she realized that the burly man wasn't looking for a fight - He merely wanted to know what their intentions were.

Nanami would do the talking to start, putting all parties at ease as Emi's hand returned to her side, allowing her hilt to swing lightly from her hip as she released her grip on it. However, as Nanami turned the conversation to Emi, she did so by making introductions... Clever Bitch... The girl's snide curse echoed through her mind as she eyed Nanami from the side, a glance that could freeze blood, before it passed a moment later. Emi released a sigh - She still didn't want to give her name, not to Nanami or this man, but to give nothing would be a step in the wrong direction for making an impression here. And so, the first name that came to her was that of her mother and father... "...Kiyori. Fujitsuna, Kiyori." The name tasted bitter on her tongue - The one thing she had always strived for, to step out from under her mother's shadow, and yet when push came to shove, Kiyori was the first thing her mind turned to. Would she ever truly be free of her mother's grip on her life? Would she release herself from that self imposed grip?

"Anyways..." Emi fought back her thoughts to return to the situation at hand, looking up at the man's scarred visage. "You really don't remember your own captain? You don't have any memories of anyone leading your crew, plotting course for destinations, passing out responsibilities and managing the day to day to keep everything running smooth? Surely someone must have come up with the name for this vessel - You don't remember who that was?"

[Bexhex]

"You ladies talk a lot," the large man said both to Nanami and Kiyori. "The names' Botan, I am...well was, the quartermaster of this ship," he said, his beard bounced as he spoke jingling the beads together to create as satisfying sound. Botan looked over at the young girl as she let loose her inquisition, for a moment a twinge of annoyance fell across his face, before settling back down. "Ain't never had a captain far as i can remember, been with the ship for awhile. It's always been this way, the men get up in the bunks and man their stations while....," he reached up his free arm to the side of his head and squinted as if he had a headache.

Nanami's gaze had focused on the man as he slowly reached up, seemingly in a daze as he went stupefied. Her instinct was to activate her gensryuugan, peer into the man's head and experience what he felt. The urge was quickly quelled as she spoke up causing him to re-orientated himself, "Looks like a terrible migraine, perhaps we should get out of the rain?" she tilted her head looking at the man, with an added eye flutter for effect. Nanami knew she wouldn't need her genjutsu for this man his demeanor proved it all. Botan frantically looked around as embarrassment rolled across his face, "I....I'm so sorry, I didn't think about that, yes lets get out of the rain come on up, we can discuss more where it is dry,". Botan picked the large barrel up shaking his head as he headed up the gangplank, once he reached the top he turned towards the two women and hollered, "Well come on then you two, stay too long in this you'll catch the chills," he then turned and walked further onto the deck.

Nanami stood and chuckled as the man made his concern known, she looked over at Kiyori and in a sly happy tone said, "well Miss Fujitsuna, come along now don't want to catch the chills". She skipped ahead, bouncing on the gangplank as she boarded the deck. She looked back and seeing if Kiyori followed her up.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

Emi listened quietly to the man as he relayed his understanding of the ship that he served on, noting quite curiously that the ship "Never had a captain". She wasn't much of a mariner, having lived in a desert all her life, but the idea of a ship without a captain was practically sacrilege. The men simply got up, manned their posts and ran the ship without anyone taking the helm? No one to steer, to navigate, to dole out responsibilities? None of it made any sense. Botan's head began to ache it seemed, a feeling that Emi too was slowly beginning to feel as well as a slight pressure built up behind her right eye. The rain didn't bother her at all, but as Botan and Nanami seemed to want to make their way on to the boat, Emi nodded and followed along, quirking an eyebrow at the woman's cheery demeanor.

This ship, the Dancing Koi... I wonder if it's crew is under the effect of some kind of illusion? No, there's no way... maybe the ship, but the entire town? I don't think anyone could catch an entire village within a genjutsu like this, especially not one that lasted for any sort of extended time. Something else has to be at work for these people's memories to be so foggy... That, or it's all a ruse that this bitch is playing on me. Maybe she's the one using genjutsu on these poor people, and she's tricking me into believing that it's been going on for weeks. That would explain why both of us are unaffected - She hasn't done any sort of chakra manipulation that I could see, so I haven't been initiated. But it's too soon to tell... all I know is I have my faculties about me, and as long as I'm watching her like a hawk, I should be able to avoid any genjutsu initiations. Or at least, identify that she's using a jutsu before she catches me.

Her thoughts were racing on all of the possibilities here, trying to decipher the mystery of this town and it's inhabitants. Her chief suspect was of course Nanami, but she had to wonder - Why? What motive would the woman have to lead Emi on some sort of snipe hunt here? She kept her senses peeled and followed along, wondering what else Botan had to show her on the Dancing Koi.

[Bexhex]

Once up on deck Botan walked over to two doors on the back of the ship, opening the left one and pushing it inwards revealing a small staircase that moved downward seemingly into the bowels of the ship. Nanami looked over the mans shoulder noticing the dark stairwell ahead of them and just smiled, as botan walked down into the ship. Nanami followed along heading down the steep stairs, she looked back once for Emi, locking her pitch black pupils with the girls odd black and red eyes, she smiled widely.

As they reached the lower deck, it opened up into a large cabin with plenty of room to house twenty or so men, as well as several loads of cargo. She felt the thick humidity of the stagnant air wade around her it felt thick like soup and the stench was foul, as if something had died deep in the dark corners of the ship. Botan walked through the darkness slammed down the barrel he had been carrying and struck a match, the flickering hissing light that emitted beamed through the dark around them. He placed it inside of a wrought iron torch and a small hammock and several crates and barrels were suddenly exposed before them. "Please ladies, have a seat," he said his speech still slurred due in part to a heavy naval accent.

"Oh, don't mind if I do, One moment," Nanami said as she closed her wagasa, the large umbrella made several clinks into place as the many blades and latches locked into place before she laid it against a wall. "Ya know they say opening an umbrella inside grants bad luck, ha-ha I suppose I may already be late," she giggled once more making light of her mistake. Then she channeled the Futon in her body pushing it outward through her clothing drying off the few areas where water had moistened her dress. "There that is much better," she said before lifting her dress slightly and sitting on a small dusty crate. She hoped that her chakra manipulation wouldn't go unnoticed by her protege.

"Fancy trick, haven't met many who can do something like that," botan said, he had the look of uneasiness wash across his face as the woman in front of him made a small gust of wind below her. Nanami giggled "Oh nothing to fancy just something small I picked up while I travelled very convenient though, now I believe we were discussing the oddity of your ship, surely no captain has made sailing a bit unpleasant," she said. Nanami glanced at Emi since nearing the ship the tension had grown increasingly thick, as thick as the fog outside their ship. Nanami was eating it up, the girl had fear and hesitation, the mental hoops the girl must be jumping through being placed in this. She wondered when the headaches would start on the girl. Botan was experiencing them, and Nanami well she couldn't recall if the headaches were affecting her or not, but she had noticed most in this town were afflicted in some way, or wait was it headaches or something else, Nanami couldn't place her finger on it but something evaded her memory and she couldn't quite recall what it was.

"Well to reiterate, none of the crew could remember a time when we had a captain," he paused for a moment then looked around in hesitation before continuing. "Well we certainly did have a captain, I have proof, proof that there was someone who captained this ship, and led us, the other men, they didn't believe me and well most of them think im crazy, but I went into the door to the right of the cabin door... The one you saw above, its a mess in there, I don't know what happened but it was like someone was trying to claw their way out from the inside... I-I'm getting ahead of myself. Look you wanted proof little lady?" botan said glancing up at the girl, before he threw a heavy book from off a crate next to his hammock on the floor in front of him.

The heavy leather bind read,


Captain's Log
The ends of the book were frayed and worn, the book was certainly well traveled. It was apparent that many addendums had been added over the years which were clearly seen by the many slips of parchment that hung uniformly from the book barely nestled into its contents. Nanami flipped the cover open and red the first page aloud, "The Dancing Koi, Logbook, Oh 15 years of operation I see, the ship really was well travelled," she interjected after seeing the starting year for the book. "Owner: Captain Tozawa," she read of the words before flipping through each of the pages disinterestedly reading the passages that told the many stories of the ships voyages, cargo count, and salaries for each of the men. For Nanami the book was proof enough, why Botan in the flesh was proof enough for her, however she noticed the stains on the back pages, a darkened brown, and crisp. Sadly her growing disinterest with the book overtook her and she slid the time across to Kiyori. "Well Miss Fujitsuna, I hope you brought your reading glasses, tell me what you can make of the book?"

Nanami turned to Botan, he seemed shaken while he looked at the book. Something in that time was setting him off, and she wanted to pry into it. "can you tell me the accuracies to the books passages? Do they coincide with anything you have experience in your tenure?" She let the question hang, and waited to see, if anything, what her newfound patient would find in the book she read.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

As Emi followed the duo inside the ship, the smell of the place washed over her and gave her a moment of pause. It smelled of death itself, mixed with the odor of fish and alcohol. A foul concoction, it took all she had to steady herself and move through it. As they moved to the table and the woman put away her Wagasa, Emi's eyes grew wide as she saw chakra flare for a moment within Nanami. It wasn't anything dangerous, but Emi was immediately on edge, her hand falling to the hilt of her blade. Instead, the girl simply dried her clothing with a bit of wind, and Emi's brow furrowed as her hand came back up to cross over her chest. So she is a shinobi... I knew it. This was all some ruse to get me out of sight and into this damn ship... Stay calm Emi, keep it together and you'll find your out."

Once again she was questioning how much of what she was seeing right now was reality. Now that she had confirmation that the girl was trained in the arts of chakra, she couldn't rule out the effects of genjutsu. And at this point, she felt that Nanami already knew that Emi was a shinobi, so she had no issue putting together a single hand seal before purging the chakra from her mind with Kai. She hoped to rid herself of any illusions, but as she performed the technique, Emi found that she didn't feel any different and that everything was as she saw it. So... it's not genjutsu? Either it was all real, or she was simply not able to escape the technique.

As the man continued to explain to them that the dancing koi once had a captian, he produced a book. A logbook, maintained by a captain Tozawa, for fifteen years. There's no way someone like this could just be forgotten, right? As the book was passed over to her, Emi took the moment to practice a trick that she had actually learned from her mother. While she wasn't anywhere near as good, Emi would simply flip through each page as quickly as possible and glance at the page for a fraction of a second before moving to the next, essentially "scanning" the pages into her mind through the power of her eidetic memory. This would allow her to later recall anything from the book with near perfect accuracy, but the process did take a while, and she likely skipped a few pages here and there as she wasn't trying too hard to be efficient.

Towards the end of the book though, As the passages grew closer to the present day, an odd pattern was beginning to emerge. About three months ago, the captain began complaining of headaches and missing crew members. But as the entries drew on, the headaches subsided, and there were no more mentions of missing crew members. Just a footnote about how there were "so many unused uniforms and boots lying around the ship" and a wonder for where they had come from. The last entry was about a dream he had, where everyone around him was surrounded in clouds of soft black feathers, and he could see the feathers starting to gather around him.

"It's strange... Tozawa was complaining of missing crew, then complaining about a bunch of unused boots lying around the ship. As if the people weren't the concern anymore." She slid the book back across the table to Nanami, carefully watching the woman's movements for any sign of hostility. "I'm not sure what to make of it, but it would seem there's a problem here for certain."

[Bexhex]

Nanami watched as the girl brought her hand up, creating the seal of kai. The girl was exactly what she had hoped for, cautious, meticulously so, secretive. Oh this one will be fun, she thought to herself, she could feel the excitement welling up like a tickle inside her chest. Her smile widened more as a reflex, while maintaining her composure. "Didn't work for you either did it? Been giving myself a pinch since I entered this town but haven't seemed to wake up yet," she said after the girl completed her kai. Nanami having tried several prior, was still honestly flabbergasted as far as how to stop the progression of it.

She watched as the girl flipped through the pages at lightening speed, it was impressive. But there was no way the girl could read that fast. It was rare but Nanami had heard of a trait that allowed people to retain images of what they read. She hadn't believed it before, but she surmised she was seeing it in action. What did they call that ability again? Was it.... Oh yes I remember now her eyes lit up at the realization as the girl finished reading, sliding the book over to her once again. Nanami met her gaze slowly pulling the book into her lap, "Mrs. Fujitsuna you didn't mention you had a photographic memory," her smile was warm as she closed her eyes tilting her head slightly. "How rare, your family must be very special to have such a trait," she pressed onward, with a false envy. It was tactical, designed to put the girl more off guard. As far as Nanami saw it as the girl became more guarded it created several blindspots, she was giggling in her head it would give a multitude of ways for her to prod into her secrets, and secrets were of course the tell tale sign of someone who desperately needed her help.

"Oh so he was worried about boots? I can understand why he would worry boots only walk when there are feet to walk them here and there," Nanami said, as if making some big epiphany. "There indeed is something that just isn't right here. Botan who walked the boots?," she said looking around the large room. There were of course no boots in sight. Her odd phrasing was a clear jab at the fact that if boots were a problem for the dear captain surely they would still be here. Botan looked at her with a confused stare before shaking his head and looking around again, "You mean where did all the boots go?" he looked around then gripped his head with another wince, "I-Im pretty sure I had p-, no wait where there....Uhm what were-" he gripped his head harder his eyes going wide with pain as he looked up at Nanami then over to Kiyori, before falling forward off his seat rolling around on the floor. "Oh my this certainly doesn't look good," She set the book down taking the lantern that sat before them and handed it to Kiyori, "here Miss Fujitsuna, please hold this before he knocks it over," her voice was calm as she kneeled down to the squirming man. Chakra pooled near her eyes as her pupils bloomed from a pure black to a bright emerald green. Her gaze fixated on his as he looked up at her, he began to relax as his eyes glossed over. Nanami ran her her hand through his hair with care in effort to calm the man. She invoked her technique, she had been waiting since she had come whatever was ailing the man perhaps she could catch it here. Her vision was hazy as the technique connected, she looked around viewing herself and Kiyori as something less than they were. They appeared as amorphous blobs in the mans vision, to him they had no discernable traits it was as if they were shadows in his mind. She could only see it faintly but for a moment there seemed to be two red eyes in a dark corner of the room peering out from the shadows. She broke eye contact immediately ready to send a surge of fuuton into the dark corner of the ship but when she her vision cleared the red beady eyes were nowhere to be found.

She looked over to the man once again, he looked up at her his mind looking like it was in a stupor. "Uhm, hello lassies are you knew travelers on our ship?," he said as he looked himself up and down then across the decking running a hand through his beard confused as he pulled on the hairs seeing that he had a long beaded beard. "You poor man, it seems you have lost quite a bit," her voice was more serious and calloused than it had been before. "I guess we do have a bit of a problem, Miss Fujitsuna," she said as her pupils returned to their pure black state, "would you mind holding the lantern to that corner over there, I swore there was something just outside the shadows," she raised a hand up to her head feeling a dull headache comming over her.

"Oh-oh the headaches are back I wonder what I'll lose this time," she thought to herself.

[Jin the Sugar Glider]

Emi's eyes flicked away from the book and towards the other side of the room as Nanami noticed her scanning the pages. She hadn't considered that that wasn't a very subtle thing to do... then again, this shinobi probably knew what the Henrin were, and was just playing along to keep Emi's guard down. "It's... not a family thing. Just me." She almost choked on the lie, but if they were keeping up appearances in front of these villagers, she would too. Plus, it gave her more time to come up with an escape plan that wasn't just "run for the door".

The situation turned grim quick however, as the man seemed to have some kind of episode, falling over and writhing on the ground. Emi was quick to take the lantern and look the two over, but there wasn't much she could make of the situation - She didn't have any understanding of medicine or treating issues such as this. Before long, the guy came out of it though, only to speak as if he didn't recognize the two women. "You've gotta be kidding..." Emi shook her head in disbelief and annoyance, still unsure how much of what she was seeing was reality. But as Nanami asked her to hold a lantern over to the corner of the room, Emi's eyebrow raised. Yes, I think I saw a creature in the corner over there, please go get as close to it as you can so it takes you first.

The girl's thoughts swam with contempt as she moved over to the corner, turning the knob on the lantern to cause the flame to burn brighter, illuminating the dark corner with ease and revealing... Nothing. Whatever Nanami had seen must have been some shared delusion with the man as he fell unconscious. "It's clear." With the coast being cleared, Emi simply hung the lantern on a nearby hook, turned to look at Nanami and the sailor, and made her way casually towards the exit of the ship.