[Dual Contract Search] Journey To New Lands

[Siu]

​

Marsh Country...

The travelling kunoichi inhaled the fresh air of her new surroundings, a highly pleased expression upon her face; It almost seemed like a vacation. Aside from the tournament in Tea Country, Siu had not had an opportunity to explore lands outside of her own. To be able to visit such a new and unfamiliar land so far from home such as Marsh Country was truly a wonderful experience. The Genin had read about the land's beauty through various books in the library, yet to actually see and experience everything in person with her own eyes was something entirely incomparable, far more enlightening than any book could ever teach her. It was truly a shame that such a beautiful country continually endured suffering from such a dark and gruesome past.
While Siu was no expert on the historical background of the land, a few trips to the library had educated her on the fact that the land had unfortunately been victim to a multitude of wars, wars which had divided their beautiful nation. As a result, many cities and areas had either been abandoned in search for safety and left uninhabited, or completely destroyed altogether due to the the raging conflict. Many of these abandoned or destroyed cities and areas still withheld great historical value and cultural significance to the country. It was precisely for this reason, Siu had been requested.
Her task was rather straightforward; Investigate such said important areas, recovering the requested artifacts and historical documents from each, for various museum and research purposes. Something which allowed the people of the country to better understand and connect with their historical and cultural roots seemed to be a noble enough task in her eyes. It was also a precious opportunity which allowed her to experience and learn about a new country and people aside from her own.

It was due to the relative safety of this mission, Siu had requested permission for Shizuka to actually accompany her on this journey, despite the fact that the younger girl was still greatly inexperienced as a shinobi; seemingly belonging more in the academy classroom, rather than out in the field of a foreign country for a mission. Had it been the more usually dangerous of missions, Siu would've undoubtedly never even entertained the idea. However, she deemed it a extremely beneficial for the upcoming kunoichi to also have an opportunity to travel to lands outside of her own, and broaden her perspective the world; far more beneficial than anything she could have attained from merely sitting and learning from classroom lectures alone.
The Genin's pupils sparkled with intense intrigue, as her eyes partook of the beautiful scenery of the country's natural landscapes; Everything was truly a wonderful site to behold. For a moment, the young girl actually felt a sense of freedom, despite still being a shinobi assigned to a mission. She pondered what it would be like to live in a beautiful country such as this, and how different her life might have been had she grown up in such a land. Although, she also knew Marsh Country was also not without it's own dangers and difficulties, it still didn't prevent her inquisitive mind from entertaining such possibilities.
The youth considered that perhaps she would have to make time to explore more of the world one day in the future, maybe even while writing a book of her endevours. While her previous aspirations as a normal citizen had come to an end, it didn't necessarily mean her aspirations as a book writer had to. Her experiences and adventures as a shinobi, she realized, was actually a living book in itself just waiting to be written, far more intriguing than anything her mind could have possibly conjured had she remained as a normal citizen otherwise.

After another week or so of travel from their last investigation site, the young duo would eventually reach their next designated location. And what a location it was...

---

"Magnificent..." Was all the youth could respond in complete awe. How could such an extraordinarily beautiful place still remain completely uninhabited? The scene almost seemed unreal, like something only existent in fantasy novels or wondrous dreams. Siu had been in such a state of awe, that for a time, she'd forgotten all about the reason she'd actually come there in the first place.

"O-Oh. Right.." The youth reminded herself, as her thoughts recollected. Reaching into the bag on her side, she pulled out and unrolled the scroll containing the contents for the duo's task. Reading through it in silence for a few moments, Siu eventually turned her attention to her companion. "Apparently, this city was once greatly renowned for it's advancement in the arts, especially theatre performance and painting. The task reads that there should be various documents of historical significance here, detailing the traditions and customs of the city before it's abandonment, which should serve as great importance to museums and schools of the country."
Pausing, the older kunoichi looked up towards the various architectures, bridges, stairs, and peaks of the city. There was undoubtedly a massive amount of ground for the duo to cover. "Hmmm." The youth noised in a musing tone. "My guess is we'll be here for a while, maybe even possibly a week. And even then, I don't think we'll be able to recover everything within the city. We'll just have to recover however much we can in the time were here, and hope they'll be satisfied enough with that. If we spend too much time in one location, then we won't have much time to investigate the other areas."

With that, the seasoned Genin began her steady ascent closer towards the city's entrance. "It's a shame war left such beautiful places uninhabited." She somewhat gloomily commented. "I certainly wouldn't mind living here. It'd be a good place to write a book."

OOC
Using: 'Discovery of Contract of Your Choice' Card - Fox Contract. Approval Here
Participants: Siu, Shizuka
WC=979

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Re: [Duel Contract Search] Journey To New Lands

Every bit of doubt she’s had at the start of the trip about going so far away from home with Siu vanished when she looked down from the mountain they had climbed for the past hour or so. Rough edges stuck out from the ground like broken teeth, cliffs ended in straight lines here and there as if a giant had carved the earth with a knife, then there were those from which enormous amounts of water were falling down while the water body behind them was glittering white and purple beneath the setting sun. The cold air bit into Shizuka’s rosy cheeks. She felt it try to take away her breath as well. It caused her to tilt her chin downwards further into her dark red scarf she wore and the warmth it had to offer. Fortunately she had learned from previous field trips to prepare herself well. The survival class with Kyo had left her unwilling to be dealing with nature without any sort of preparations. The idea behind it was the entire opposite, she knew that, but that didn’t change the fact she preferred to have a blanket and some food already with her.

*​

From that breathtaking spot the road had twisted and curled, and they had followed it. Changing words here and there, taking turns staying up, Shizuka wondered if they would have been more talkative if it hadn’t been for her own stiff demeanor which she hadn’t been able to shake off so far. Every time a part of her wanted to give in and speak, explore, try to move Siu and see what else the older girl was thinking, she found herself freezing. Stubbornness kept her from opening up. The exhausting journey did the rest. Aside from that she had enough to look out for, and much more to take note of.

Fumbling with the bottle of water on her side she only looked up when Siu started to talk. After a moment she realized that it wasn’t a real conversation, it was more of a .. -

Silence.

“We go up?” she found herself asking with eyes widening to the proportions of saucers. “Look, Siu! There is a face ca- no, it’s.. oh woah, it’s a whole body!” Lost in the amazing sight that welcomed them she missed a part of the girl’s explanation, but nodded regardless. Her eyes were still glued to -what she thought to be- the hand. Equally if not larger than a part of the tower in the distance it appeared to be missing a finger from where they were standing.

“Yeah.. well, you could always return here later, or use what we find to fuel a potential story?” Melting a tiny bit, she came a bit closer to Siu. Keeping her distance now seemed like a silly thought. She had shown the other that not everything was smoothed over yet, but now that they were here the mission took priority above her dormant annoyance and the remnants of bitterness toward her sound defeat at the hands of the Genin.

“Why is it that everything becomes even more beautiful when it’s uninhabited? Like.. imagine there to be people here on the road before us, or there, hanging over the edge of the roof while yelling toward those standing behind some sort of booths in the street selling stuff. Kids would run around making noise, there would be smells, garbage of sorts, and probably fights here and there.” Painting the scenario she had in mind, Shizuka nodded toward a lone bench on the side that was now claimed by long blades of grass.

“While people have built this impressive town, they would also taint its beauty with their presence, no?” Only when abandoned did this creation become a piece of art.


**
[Words: 631]

 

[Suika]

*CUES Siu's First Post Theme Music*

T'was a beautiful day in Marsh Country, indeed. The wildlife hummed a new day's song as the winds rustled the plantlife rhythmically. The shades and hues of both the crystal sky and the earthen structure contrasted deeply, but both were merged and complimented by the vibrant colors of the towering trees that surrounded it. Were the cherry blossoms in bloom? Or did Marsh home even more extraordinary plants? Overall, the exquisite sight was breathtaking to behold for most. It appeared as both girls present were susceptible to Marsh's vivid, yet subtle imagery. Again, t'was a beautiful day in Marsh Country. An abandoned city towered before the kunoichi and the student; it boasted intricate structures as the fine details on its mortal construct were quite masterful. What lied beyond this city that was once ridden by war and sorrow? The sun shone and the animals sang. That was, until, a darkened cloud hovered eerily over the grand, empty city. It was spontaneous as the weather revealed no prior signs to weather deemed less-than-perfect. Was this an ominous foreshadowing?

​

When Shizuka made the decision to gaze out into the statues, it appeared, for a split second, that the statue's eyes burned a fiery-red as they glared furiously at her. If she adjusted her own eyesight, they would appear normal again. Siu, on the other hand, looked mesmerized by the ancient structure before her. As she neared the entrance, she would witness a most gruesome sight. A man, indistinguishable by the downpour of blood that coated his face, hung over the city's entrance with a darkened, rusty chain around his neck. A blink later he was gone. As the Genin did not see the reddened eyes of the statues, so did the Senju not notice what Siu saw. Each corrupt vision was unique to each girl. What wasn't, however, was a chilling, ghoulish wind that circled around them. The once awe-inspiring city now radiated a blighting presence. What was the cause of this turn around?

Suddenly... whish. An arrow flew from no where and landed right in front of Siu's feet. Attached to the instrument was a note. It read: "Get out". The words were written sloppily with a crimson smear. Blood? Who knew. The bench that Shizuka sat on would then begin to emit a prolonged 'creeeeeeeek'. If she were to further examine the piece of woodwork below her, she would notice the words "DEATH'S SEAT" scratched violently into it.

How would Siu and Shizuka choose to proceed (or not)?

 

[Siu]

“Yeah.. well, you could always return here later, or use what we find to fuel a potential story?”

The older girl ruminated on the idea for a few moments; that had actually seemed like quite a good idea. Siu definitely reckoned that she would indeed have to make time to return back to the country and uncover the rest of its mysteries in the future, outside of only missions.
As the group began their descent further upwards, the young academy student then went on to speak what one either might consider deep philosophical musings--or simply the ramblings of a little girl.

“Why is it that everything becomes even more beautiful when it’s uninhabited?

Now there was a thought the older kunoichi hadn't initially considered. Siu had found it such a pity that conflict and warfare had left such a beautiful and fantastic city wholly uninhabited, that she hadn't actually taken into the consideration the opposite viewpoint; what if the fact that the city was uninhabited is what actually 'made' it so beautiful and fantastic?
If the city streets had been overcrowded with numerous citizens and obnoxious commotion, would Siu still find such a place as an attractive retreat to write her book? The thought was quite intriguing to meditate upon, as the older kunoichi found herself giggling in response to the younger girl's rather vivid examples.
The young Senju often had a rather unorthodox and even humorous method of communicating her thoughts, from what Siu had witnessed from her thus far. Yet, as unusual and entertaining as hearing them often was, there still seemed to always be a logic behind the younger kunoichi's words. Siu reflected upon the time when she had first met the young student and witnessed the younger girl's explanation regarding the reason one should become a shinobi, through a rather humorous comparison of carrying bags for old ladies; That day had definitely been a treat.
Taking a moment to eye the indicated bench, Siu shortly after found herself distracted by the sudden absence of once abundant sunlight. Rather puzzled by the occurrence, the young kunoichi shifted her view upwards, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she observed the sudden change in the sky above the duo. "..Rain? So suddenly like this?" The girl inwardly questioned.
With the two approaching closer to the entrance, Siu eventually began to lower her focus towards the destination ahead. "I suppose you have a val---"

What the...

The youth's eyes suddenly widened in great horror at the suddenly gruesome scene before her; Which a second later, mysteriously disappeared. "Wha...what...." The youth mumbled in shock, before turning towards her companion. "Di...Did you see that?!" That couldn't have been a hallucination, could it? The once calm and serene atmosphere suddenly took on a haunting aura.

And as if that had not been enough..

WHISH

The greatly startled youth instinctively jumped back in response, readying herself in a defensive stance; Yet, no visible enemy could be seen. A further observation of the offensive projectile would reveal an attached note inscribed with the words 'Get out' in what appeared to be...blood?

Just what exactly had the duo walked into?

[WC=543]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

When the ominous looking cloud crawled over the city Shizuka slowly started to feel uncomfortable. Her eyes went back to the statue just to find it glaring down at them with crimson around its stony pupils. The sight had her shaking her head and was gone the second after. Damn, she must be incredibly tired, more than she had thought for sure. Perhaps, after they took a quick look inside, they could set up camp and take a quick nap. Maybe have some food. Yes, that would definitely help to ease her senses and stop her from hallucinating any further.

“See what?” The young Senju wanted to know while leaning against the bench’s back. A couple of raindrops hit her thigh and she looked down to wipe it off just to see the awkwardly scratched words on the seat she sat on.

Dea-?
Death’s seat?
What?

“Siu!” she called out with her heart jumping into her throat. Already standing next to the bench with a kunai drawn from one of her pockets she felt like this was a bad joke. Well, she would have thought it to be a melodramatic message from someone who had come before them, but the fiery gaze from the statue didn’t want to let her go.

Shivers ran up and down her spine. Something about this place was off.

A glance to the side had her wondering if that was an arrow she saw. And if- Damn it, they were wide open here in front of the gate. The panic she felt crawled at the back of her throat. She didn’t want to be pierced here, in front of the ruins of an ancient city they were about to explore. If they wanted to be safe, they had to move. Move somewhere that could be a cover, that could be an advantage, and right now the maze of the city could be the better option.

Without thinking any longer she put the kunai between her lips and started to rush through seals while running toward Siu. Managing to time the last seal right before bumping into her friend with open arms, she pushed off with gravity letting go of her presence. It took some more chakra to create a strong enough force to lift the both of them, but it worked. Awkwardly hugging the older Shinobi she leaped into the air and over the gate. The landing would be less smooth, and unsure if crashing with Siu still in her embrace would be a good idea, she let go. The Chuunin would certainly be skilled enough to get away from the fall unscratched.

Meanwhile, Shizuka wasn’t fast enough to create the necessary seals to soften her landing and only got to grab one of the nearby walls. It worked, for a moment, but soon the little Shinobi to be was sliding down toward the messy pavement. At least she had broken the fall. All that this escape would take so far would be some bruises on the side of her body. And a single long scratch on the back of her left hand.

“Siu?” She whispered after rolling back onto her feet. The kunai had been lost in the process. Probably a good thing considering she might have cut her face with it during the fall.


**
[551]

 

[Suika]

As this whole occurrence was quite purposeful in nature, it appeared almost too easy that the young kunoichi were directing themselves right into their trap. Honestly, they thought it’d take a bit more scaring for them to jump the gun and scale the walls of the city, but it was as easy as slicing cake. As the girls began to prove predictable, stopping here would be boring. Why not spice it up even further? It wouldn't be now, but soon. The best time to strike was when one thought they were safe.

As Siu and Shizuka, thanks to Shizuka’s spontaneous decision, landed across the gate and into the city, they would behold a beautiful sight. As if never touched by time, the landscape and architecture of the city was a sight to behold. Every building appeared perfect, as if upkept, but all seemed empty. It would be apparent to them that this location was, indeed, desolate. Despite their previous ominous encounter, the abandoned city itself was quiet. Nothing moved, and hardly anything substantial occurred. What were they worked up about?

If the kunoichi chose to proceed in their exploration, they would encounter the still city in all its splendor. They would encounter numerous artifacts and other signs of previous life (that you’re free to RP as however you’d like). It wouldn’t be until they set up for camp or rest that their true adventure would begin. If and when they set up to rest, they would hear a “pssss” in the distance. It sounded as if someone was calling out to them. “Pssss!” The luring whisper grew louder. Was someone else here? “PSSSSS!!!” The call emitted from a nearby shadow corner. How would they respond?

[OOC: Feel free to RP your exploration of the city however you like! Nothing strange or dark will occur during that. When you decide to set up camp, that is when you both hear someone/thing calling out to you]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

The older girl turned out to be just fine. As if something else could have been expected of her. Shizuka smirked at the thought, feeling a bit silly for having rushed in without talking about what she thought - in fact, she had been so worried that she had barely had any time to think. The feeling of being watched was still there, vaguely, but way less than before. No longer did she see blood, shining eyes, and odd words carved into surfaces. Everything suddenly appeared to be fine - looked splendid, even.

As they explored the magnificent city Shizuka started to wonder if she had imagined things. Perhaps both of them had been quite exhausted by the trip. Coming closer to potential civilisation - there could still be people hidden here, they treaded carefully for that reason - might have triggered some unconscious type of worry. That or.. there could have been something poisonous in the air. Yes, that made quite some sense. They were in a foreign territory with some plants they held no knowledge of. At least Shizuka didn’t, and she knew that both flowers and trees had their tricks. While a green scene was beautiful to the eye it could prove to be dangerous. Both of their brief panic could be potentially blamed on hallucinations brought forth because of the pollen they’ve inhaled.

Leaving it up to Siu to decide whether or not to proceed further into the city, she relaxed more and more as they did. Drinking in the incredible sights of the foreign infrastructure she felt quite surprised that everything looked so neat. Wherever the plants were they didn’t wrap themselves around buildings and columns in any way that would suggest wild growth gone out of control. It was almost as if someone was taking care of it all. That, however, would be a massive undertaking and Shizuka doubted that there would be anyone insane enough to do that here. Honestly, she doubted one or even a dozen of people could do it unless they’ve spent every day of their life working on keeping the city pristine and wonderful.

By the time they were settling in their camp her only solution to this magical place was the plants being smart. She had even mentioned it to Siu, and nervously hoped now that the girl didn’t think that she was crazy. But it made sense! If the plants were aware of their surroundings and made conscious choices not to invade areas that one, weren’t destined for them, and two, weren’t even that ‘friendly’ for their survival (because what plant would find light and water in a stone building?), then the necessity of humans being present to tidy all of this disappeared. Plants took care of the city that now belonged to them. Maybe they appreciated the beauty behind the design. Maybe they simply co-existed with the marble and glass. All in all it was amazing. It also left Shizuka slightly cautious about sleeping inside of the city. Looks were deceiving.

Making herself comfortable she couldn’t help but to hear an odd noise that sounded very much like a voice calling. Well, not really calling. But the persistent ‘psssing’ was more than just the sound of a snake nearby. It forced Shizuka to get up from her freshly made ‘bed’ and silently move out of the tent. Judging by the regular breathing she heard from Siu, she was sleeping. That left the young Senju with the dilemma of waking her up or exploring things on her own. Because there was no way that she would be going back to bed as it was now. The sound would keep her up anyway. And to admit to her worry and wake up Siu just to have her take a look.. well, she didn’t want to be labeled a coward.

This whole situation was giving off an eerie vibe. Were the plants working their magic and causing her to hallucinate again, or was there something else going on here?

With those questions in mind she twisted and turned until more sizzling and hissing forced her to follow the lead. Worst case scenario she would have to scream for Siu’s help, right? Surely the emptiness around them wouldn’t prevent the Chuunin from hearing her call. Well, she could only hope for that, because she could no longer stay in one place.

Quietly leaving the camp she carefully followed what she thought to be a voice in the distance.

“Anyone out there?” Shizuka countered the sound with her own whisper, eyes wide while trying to see in the darkness of the night.


**
[771]

 

[Suika]

Curiosity killed the cat. But cats have nine lives, no? Smirking, the young fox was excited that his not-so-subtle call caught her attention. The other one remained fast asleep, but the green-eyed girl wandered into their territory. He hoped she enjoyed the fall.

The fall.

Shizuka fell. As she tracked the origins of the voice, the girl would find herself stepping directly into a hole and tumbling down in it. The hole was curved, almost as if a slide, but the sheer surprise of it would negate any chances for her to recover her ground and climb back out of it. She’d tumble down for a good amount of time. It’d feel like forever until Shizuka finally ‘thump’d on the ground. Once she was back on her feet and if she decided to look around, she’d see nothing but pitch-black darkness. The hole behind her sealed as it was apparent that she was now underground. It’d appear as if she was alone, but she wasn’t. The perpetrator, the one who lured her into this trap, watched her from afar with his night vision. The young fox sat, blushed, and stared at the girl.

She was so pretty. He had to reveal himself to her.

Suddenly, Shizuka would see the room slowly light up as multiple candles flickered on. It would reveal that she was in an underground tunnel, with openings to her right and left. More obviously, she’d see a small table propped randomly near the wall of the tunnel. There were two chairs – one was empty, but the other was occupied by a flushed boy. He just stared at her.

Once and if she locked eyes with him, the obviously flustered red-headed boy would turn his head and sputter a false narrative. “Why are you in my home, dumb girl?” A bead of sweat fell from his brow. “Go away.” Wasn’t he the one who brought her here?

Foxes were confusing creatures, but more tricky than anything. He was purposeful in his approach to Shizuka, and his human appearance was intentional. BUT, there was one minor flaw in his plan. Hidden in his bushy hair were red little fox ears. If Shizuka looked closely enough, she would have the opportunity to notice them almost instantly.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

By now she was tempted to use a bit of lightning to create some light in order to have a better feeling for her surroundings. Just a light would have been even better, but at the moment Shizuka’s mind couldn’t come up with a jutsu that sim-

The next step was a mistake. She tumbled. All of her thoughts were lost in the fall. She briefly wondered if this was a dream, because the fall was so deep and at times seemingly weightless. It was as if this wasn’t actually happening and yet it was. Panic, fear, a bit of anger. She suppressed the emotions while taking out a kunai to slow her fall by digging it into the wall - if she found one. How wide was this hole anyway?

Briefly jerking back when her kunai found grip, she slowed just enough to come down with a soft thud. Having landed on her feet, she remained crouched for a moment while studying the darkness around her. It was way too dark for her to see anything. Even when squeezing her eyes she couldn’t make out any shapes. That’s where she changed tactics. Trying to hear if there was someone down here with her, she hoped that a jutsu would help her get out of this place. She didn’t like small, dark spots. They gave her the goosebumps. There was no doubt that it was the reason why she shivered.

On edge, she shrunk back toward what she thought to be was.. well, no. Shizuka stopped. She couldn’t go back toward the ‘exit’ because that one was right above her. And so the young Senju worried and worried for what felt like an eternity until little lights popped up in various locations. Blinking slowly she allowed her eyes to get used to the light. There wasn’t much of it but after the prior darkness it was a huge change.

About to dash to the left, because the opening there was closer, she noticed the table - then the chair. And finally, the young man sitting there. From where she was she could only see his hair that was dark, but redder than hers. He seemed pale. And very young too. Perhaps a year older than her? Maybe two? What was he doing here?

Was this a trap?

Shizuka tensed.

“W-what?” Was the only thing that came over her lips in a whisper when he pointed out that she had invaded his home. A tunnel with two chairs and a table was no place for a kid to live. This was.. was this a genjutsu?

She tried to remember what she knew of the art, tried to sense out any foreign chakra, but failed to notice anything interfering with her senses. So, instead of panicking, she cautiously went from there. Even as her heart beat too quickly, Shizuka managed to take a deep breath and connect with the young guy. A step closer shower her his green eyes. They were quite similar to hers. Another step had her thinking that he was blushing, but it might have been the lights.

“You live.. here?” The frown and hesitation showed that she didn’t quite believe it. His clothes didn’t appear dirty. He looked well fed. So why would he be spending life in the tunnels?

“And.. well, I didn’t come here on purpose, you know, I almost died stepping through a hole. The city above is.. badly lit.” Nodding, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. The kunai had been dropped somewhere along the way - or maybe it was still stuck at the exit of the hole she had fallen through. She wasn’t sure. The shuriken, however, were safely in her pouch. If this wasn’t a genjutsu and he would strike, she would fight.

“Be honest, why are you h-” her gaze caught something, something little and fluffy on top of his head. For a second she thought something had crawled onto his hair, but then she realized that those were little ears. Pointy. Cute. They moved a little. She fell into a silence. Then moved closer with a curious expression on her face. Wide-eyed, and somewhat excited, Shizuka reached out across the table - she placed a hand onto the surface to lean on - and tried to gently touch one of his ears.

“Are you a shapeshifter of some kind?” Came the question with very little to none subtlety.

* * *​

[#741]
MFT

 

[Suika]

As the girl disapprovingly questioned his habitat, the fox boy let out a scowl. Tch. Who the heck was she to comment on where he might have lived? And fell through a hole due to a dimly lit city? …Yeah, that one was accurate. The redheaded youth crossed his arms firmly and turned away his head. Feigning annoyance, he acted as if was ignoring her. He wasn’t too irritated, but he was digging the response he was receiving from her. She nibbled on every piece of bait he threw her way, and he loved every second of it.

Well, until she noticed his ears. His irritation then became sincere.

“Don’t touch the ears!” he reprimanded as he attempted to slap her hand away. He resumed his stand-offish stance. “Shapeshifter? You ask too many damned questions. Hasn’t anyone ever told you to mind your own business? If not, then some one grant me an award because I just provided a public service.” His tone transitioned from perturbed to sardonic as he spoke. He smirked as he stood up. Revealing himself to be only a few inches taller than the girl in height, he held out the same hand he fended her away with.

“Just kidding. I’m Kitsu. What’s your name, pretty human?” He tilted his head and revealed a deceivingly charming smile. This fox was all over the place. Was this a game to him? “Anywho, I’d love to stay and chit-chat, but I gotta run. Feel free to follow me if you'd like.” Winking at Shizuka, he turned toward the east end of the tunnel and then dashed forward. He never turned back once to check if she followed; he knew she was his. Like a bunny, the fox had finally found his prey.

[OOC: Thanks for the wait! Kitsu, the fox boy, decided to travel to the east part of the tunnel. The west end is still available to venture to. Shizuka has two choices: follow the mysterious boy named Kitsu who keeps sending mixed signals, or head down an untraveled path by herself. Each will lead to a different storyline that MAY be connected. A third choice is she can stay put and try to dig her way out, but nothing fruitful will happen from that choice.]

 

[Senju Shizuka]

He wasn’t happy with her trying to touch his ear. Well, in a way she understood his reaction. Perhaps, if some stranger would try to touch her ear, she might have reacted the same way. Oops, it might have been a bit rude. She figured she had carried away. “You don’t have to be so rude,” oh damn, well, she had meant to apologize but the guy was really pushing her here. So, instead of a ‘sorry’ he got a glare. Her jade colored eyes darkened ever so slightly. A short sigh followed.

Then, all of a sudden, his demeanor changed. Turning a hundred and eighty degrees this guy was suddenly all happy and playful. By now she was sort of assuming that this wasn’t a genjutsu. This.. might be a crazy teenager who had spent too much time wandering an empty city on his own. Maybe he needed help. He probably did. In fact, perhaps he had lost the skills to properly interact with others because of his ‘isolation’.

“Senju Shizuka,” the young Senju let the odd fox-male know, eyes still somewhat wary from the previous tone he had used. “run where? What?”

Confused as hell, she took a step toward him as he darted. Something about this seemed dangerous, but she didn’t feel like she was ready to let him go. Perhaps he needed help. She and Siu could bring him home if he were to tell them more. But in order to do that, she would have to grab him first. For a moment, only briefly, she considered to try to tackle him or use a jutsu to drag him back, but that seemed like a bad idea. For one, she might injure him. Then.. he might turn hostile or violent. And in the end, if he needed help and she attacked him, well, chances were real he wouldn’t trust her enough to go with her should she hurt him first.

So.. she did the only thing she could do, she dashed after him. Following Kitsu through the tunnel that seemed to go on forever. She could see his motions. Then he took a turn, she followed. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the very small amount of light. The candles had helped there, but now it was way darker again, she had to squeeze her eyes to make sure she wasn’t running into the wrong pipe. Were those huge pipes?

“Wait up!” she slid and almost fell when some sort of thick root chose to be an obstacle on her way. Growing tired of being unsure what her surroundings where like, she let a quick Storm Bolt fly through the upper side of the tunnel. It lit everything white for just a split of a second. Like a flashlight the jutsu allowed her to get to know where she was heading to. And as it died out with a sizzle of crackling earth where it had hit the upper side of the newly found ‘room’, Shizuka came to a stop.

“Kitsu! What is this?”

* * *​

[#508 || Total: 2.744]

 

[Suika]

As the young fox noticed the Senju girl trail after him with his peripherals, he revealed a slight smirk. He knew she would follow. He continued to dash through the dimly lit tunnels; the duo ran and ran along a path that seemingly had no end. Where was Kitsu leading her and did he even have a particular destination in mind? The tunnels grew darker and colder as they went through. They were almost at the rendezvous point, he calculated, and his escape plan was going unhitched. Well, it was until the dense green-eyed girl shot forth a small, crackling lightning bolt. Kitsu’s eyes widened as he almost hissed at her. “Dammit!” he muttered between his teeth. Jolting forward faster, the two soon ended up in a new room.

This room in the tunnel was very much like the last – it had a few chairs, a book shelf, and a little firepit. As soon as they came to a stop, Kitsu shifted his body toward Shizuka and angrily shook his fist. “What are you, stupid or something?!” The young fox huffed and puffed, but he began to simmer down as his expression grew more rested. It was clear he was irritated, but he knew now wasn’t the time to dwell on the girl’s idiotic choices.

“Listen, Shiznit-chan, no flashy jutsu until I say it’s fine, got it?” The boy swung his arms and span his body toward the direction of the book case. Gliding over, he trailed his fingers along the different books on the shelf. He hummed as he searched, and finally stopped when he found the one he was looking for. It was an orange book titled “The Fox and the Rabbit”. Pulling it from the shelf at a certain angle, the bonfire near them lit up dramatically. The flames of the fire crackled brightly and, oddly enough, were multi-colored. The fire changed color every three seconds… was this some type of magic? Kitsu placed the book back to its normal position and pointed at the fire.

“That bonfire is our ticket out. Once we jump in, we will be with the others.” He placed his finger on his chin as if contemplating. He then grinned mischievously. “How about you hop in first, Shiznit-chan? Since you have a crush on me and insisted on following me here, prove your loyalty to me and hurl yourself in. What do you say?” The fox’s eyes grew more slit as he quietly observed the Senju girl. He was curious – how would she respond? Part of him knew he was wasting time and had to move, but another aspect of himself couldn’t resist playing games. She was his rabbit, after all.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

“Well, you could have placed some lights out there!” she retorted slightly annoyed with the received nickname. Only a moment later did her brain caught up with the fact that to any sane person this would be going over the limit. Lights in a tunnel? For who? For a fox kid? What the hell was going on?

By the time Kitsu was pulling out a book she was wondering if she should be heading back. Siu might be worried about her. This might be the start of something bad. But.. this could also be a trip she was in, one caused by plants growing somewhere nearby. If her brain was simply on drugs, then there wasn’t really a way out. Climbing up would only bring her into the endless darkness. She preferred to stay here, with the annoying teen, instead of falling again.

“The others?” The Senju skeptically asked, eyes narrowing with light suspicion. He, however, found it funny to mock her. Well, if he thought it to be a good idea to jump into the fire, then he was in for a surprise if he assumed her to actually go first on her own. No, she wasn’t afraid. Somehow she was excited. This was after all just a dream, right? A crazy, out of control experience with an annoying in the form of him being the representation of whatever her subconsciousness was struggling with. So, she rolled with it.

“Fine.” Her eyes darkened. She grinned, bare teeth and no laughter. Then, as quickly as she could, Shizuka rushed forward, extending her arm to grab him by the shoulder before dashing into the fire. If they were to get first degree burns then it was all on him. If they were to walk into a wall, well, it was all on him too. If, however, by some magic, they would actually end up elsewhere, then she wouldn’t be arriving alone.

Once again the world tumbled. She felt no pain or heat, nothing at all. It was the same weightlessness. An odd sensation. She lost her grip on him, tried to make sure to land on her feet wherever she would be next. Honestly, she half expected to jerk away in the bed she had made herself next to Siu. It would be awkward, but funny. And then, in the morning, she would tell her friend about this silly dream painted in bright colors that had started with a hole in the ground.

Oddly enough, when she blinked again, the fall stopped but she wasn’t in bed.

“What’s.. going on?”

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[#429 || Total: 3.173]

 

[Suika]

Wide-eyed and unexpectant of her physical approach, the young, mischievous fox was dragged into the magical flames by the Senju girl. “Let go!” he barked as she strung him into the fire alongside her. As soon as the duo entered the crackling wisps, they were immediately transported above ground. The sensation of falling did occur, but both Kitsu and Shizuka landed inside an abandoned church. Their means of travel was totally contradictory to any reality within this world, but such was the result of a fox’s bag of tricks. “Hey!” the red-headed teen called out.

The cathedral they were in was expansive; it was at least three-stories long. The architecture was unique and unlike anything in Kumogakure. Although too dark to really fathom any detail, there were odd ruins and symbols alongside the trimmings of its walls. Tattered, old pews rested in dozens of rows from the front of the holy place to its back. Kitsu and Shizuka were somewhere in the middle. “Hey! Get off me, Shiznit-chan!” If Shizuka looked downward, she would notice that she was directly on top of the devilish fox boy. He waved his arms, clearly too weak physically to fend her off.

If the Senju removed herself, the teen would quickly stand on his feet and dust off his pants. He revealed his consistent irritated expression. Almost growling, he rebuked the girl for her actions. “Are you crazy or something? What if I was lying to you? We’d both be singed.” After a short pause, he then grinned in amusement. “But you must really be wild about me, ay Shiznit-chan?” Pointing his finger to the church’s back exit, he marched forward. “We’re almost at the rendezvous point! If you’re wondering where we’re going, I’m heading to meet up with some pals of mine. Follow me!” As flighty as ever, Kitsu dashed toward the back exit. In the back of the monastery was a small warehouse well covered by trees and plant life. Instead of entering through the front door, Kitsu formed a seal which unveiled a small, burrowed opening into the building. He then crawled inside.

If Shizuka followed, she’d see exactly what most would expect, which was an empty abandoned warehouse. After whispering some type of code, the room almost lit up magically. It revealed the appearance of three cloaked figures. One was at least seven-feet tall, and the other two appeared the size of Kitsu or smaller. Kitsu grew a wicked smirk.

“I have brought the sacrifice.”

 

[Senju Shizuka]

A soft landing, a nice seat - she thought - then the seat moved. At first she had been certain that her feet had briefly met something solid. Well, solid as in ground, not the sneaky fox-boy. Realizing what had happened, she almost jumped off, but then figured that having gone this far she could troll him a bit as payback. That’s why the young Senju stubbornly remained seated, grinning widely as Kitsu waved his hands wildly. “What? You’ve never been this close to a girl before, hmm?” Giving him a toothy smile she finally got up and lazily wrapped her arms around her torso. Her eyebrows rose - she really hated the nickname. In time she would find a way to push him as well. He just had to wait a bit.

“Wild about you? Of course! I’ve never met a weirdo with fox-ears before. I’m intrigued.” She let him know while opening her arms as if she was readying herself to give someone a hug. She wasn’t. It was just a wave to get on his nerves if that was possible. Her voice had been somewhat amused and a little bit annoyed. Obviously he had her attention, but he also had a bit of her wrath coming. She would take it slow, wait to strike when the opportunity would present itself.

Cold walls made room for life. Dark green vines, old trunks in various sizes - she studied the same old wood the warehouse was made of. It was an interesting scene. She thought to feel the softness of the grass give away beneath her feet. If this was still a dream she was in then it was very life-like. That, however, didn’t allow her to leave behind her cautiousness entirely. Hence, without even thinking twice, she left a clone at the entrance of the warehouse, figuring.. it might be of use later on. The odd thing about it was that it appeared to work, but the link felt cut off. Chakra existed but when she crawled through the small opening Kitsu had disappeared into, well, the moment the lights came on the channeling of her chakra became so vague she wasn’t sure it was even there.

The clone might be out of her reach - she wasn’t sure, but aware of it.

What held her gaze - and therefore her mind - were the figures in front of her. Kitsu’s words almost went lost in this new space when the tallest figure came into her vision. All of a sudden she wasn’t sure if this had been a good idea. A dream or not, this creature was huge. Perhaps dangerous, too.

Narrowing her green, cat-like eyes, Shizuka tensed. Regardless of her sanity pointing out that this could be bad, she felt curious. Prepared to fight but hoping not having to the little genin calmly smirked. “Brought? You think you could have gotten me here if I hadn’t wanted to be here?”

A twisted truth was still the truth, right? He hadn’t carried her here and she had followed him on her own. Besides, should he have tried to pull her along, she was sure to have put up a fight. It showed in her proud stance. Chin up, eyebrows rising. Briefly her lips twitched. “We’re curious about you.” she let the tallest figure know. Hopefully they would fall for it. She wasn’t really good at lying, but the fact that she was good at staying calm helped her during situations like these.. or ones similar to the one she was in. Because, honestly, this was a first.

“We - the shinobi - would like to know more about you.”

Now they knew she wasn’t alone.. they would know some had her back, right? If she was fortunate that would be enough to keep her safe. Perhaps it would even win her some information about this.. sect of sorts.

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[Suika]

Kitsu and his associates ignored Shizuka’s bait. They were foxes, so they weren’t about to be outfoxed by a small, human girl. No, not at all- “WAIT, a shinobi? How about you help us fight off the adults-”

“Shush, Kyuu!” reprimanded Kitsu with a snarl. The small hooded figure lowered their head; they clearly took orders from the red-headed teen. The bigger figure remained silent, and the other that matched Kitsu’s size began to speak. Her voice was feminine, yet slightly whispery. “Fool, return to your home. Only tragedy awaits you here.” This whole scene grew muddled by the second. Kitsu, irritated beyond belief at this point, pinched his brow and shook his head.

“All right, the jig is up,” he announced as he waved at his comrades. The figures slowly unveiled their hoods and revealed their identities. “You guys really know how to kill a joke.” Shizuka would see three young faces, even from the giant boy who appeared the oldest. The giant teen had dark skin, was brawny, and had silver hair. The one Kitsu’s height was a thin female with pale skin and hair. The smallest, known as Kyuu from their dialogue, possessed blue hair with very large fox ears protruding from the top of his head. Kitsu gestured toward the group as to introduce his gang.

“Shizuka, meet Jo, Kasai, and Kyuu. Guys, meet Shiznit-chan.” Kyuu waved peppily, the pale-faced Kasai just held out her finger, and Jo continued to pose like a statue. Like the fox boy, each person sported animalistic ears. They were an odd bunch, indeed. “But, you do have a point, Kyuu,” announced the red-headed devil as he grew another smirk. He pointed his thumb toward himself.

“Join us, Shizuka, as we fight against the powers that be and reclaim our freedom. What do you say?” Clearly, Kitsu was keeping their intentions vague, a pattern Shizuka might be used to by now. Kyuu, looking a bit nervous by this point, shook. It took not but a second for him to blurt out the truth. “WE’RE CRIMINALS!” cried the small, blue fox. “WE RAN AWAY FROM THE ADULTS AND ARE REBELLING. THEY ARE AFTER US AND WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WIN!”

“Idiot,” shot Kasai with a half-lidded expression. Jo remained expressionless as Kitsu shook his head disappointingly. Today was going to be a long day.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Things really didn’t get any clearer from there on. Obviously these were kids. Even to her, a young Genin, they appeared to be childish in their reasoning. It’s why she probably ignored the offensive nickname he had decided to give her. A glare was what he got in return before she took her time taking in all the other ‘people’. For all she knew this was still someone’s genjutsu she couldn’t get out of, but that idea aside she had to get through this situation one way or another.

“Alright.. who are the adults and what’s with the whole reclaiming freedom thing?” The young Senju wanted to know with eyes slowly closing as she got a bit more of information out of these ‘rebels’ as one of their own had labeled themselves.

“Oh.. basically you’re a bunch of kids who’re running from their parents? Or.. teachers?”

This was such a headache. Honestly, if this was a genjutsu someone of eight must have cast it. Otherwise this could have been someone that’s been done at the Academy after having failed a class. The memory of situations akin to these brought a small grin to her confused looking face.

“Let’s see.” she thoughtfully said, fingers rubbing the side of her head as if that would scare away the headache caused by the rapid development of confusing events. It was almost enough to throw her off, almost. The little gang was a bit too interesting to simply walk out on. Mostly because they all had fluffy ears. And partly because she was unsure if she wanted some ‘revenge’ on Kitsu or actually sort of liked him for some unfathomable reason.

“Well, to start with I would say you guys need to make some sort of trap to get an advantage on the ones chasing you. If you can’t fight them head-on then you have to find a way how you can fight them.” Nodding, she wrapped her arms in front of her and waited for anyone to start out. Apparently they had to be pushed a bit more. Maybe this was a bit new to them.

“We should probably start out with finding the strengths and weaknesses you all have and then try to figure out what the opponents have to offer. So.. what about you, Kyuu?” They had appeared to be quite eager to talk. She hoped they would do so now too.

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