Hola! (Entering country)

[Kairyuu]

His boat was far behind, and for the first time in a while Hoshikata was walking by himself. He had sent the ship of refugees on ahead to their new home when he jumped port at the coast of Wind. The trek through this land had been interesting, beginning with a city on the sea full of merchants hawking their wares, and now he was wandering in a desert of hard sand and harder winds. The heat didn't bother him, he felt neither hot nor cold any longer, but the sand was a nuisance. He'd taken to walking with a kinetic shield around him in order to keep it off.

He was whistling a tune as he moved, quite a sight to be sure. A man with golden skin and eyes, whistling a jaunty tune as he walked along with his black robes on. Still, he had places to go, things to do.

 

[Yong]

Spoiler

Are you ok with me entering this topic?

Edit: added spoiler... sorry I thought I PMed this to you, my bad

 

[Wakatsuchi Momoka]

The boat ride had been as uneventful as she’d hoped. The stillness that settled on the boat as they left gave her time to calm her nerves, which were still on end despite having already sailed miles away. But as the cold ebbed slowly off her skin so did the nervousness at the pit of her stomach and soon she started to feel better, more than she’d had for a while. Her lips had curved into a gentle smile and for once without a trace of worry. A new country was filled with exciting new opportunities, and Youko began to look forward to it. She spent the rest of the ride attending to those who’d needed it and when they docked, she’d followed after Hoshitaka, although with some difficulty as she’d strayed about in amazement of the unfamiliar territory. Eventually the port had disappeared and the environment soon changed into a desert.

She trailed behind after Hoshitaka, losing herself in her own thoughts as she wondered what would lay ahead.

 

[Yong]

[legend="-"]The two black robed shinobi walked slowly through the sands, though their feet left no tracks through the soft dunes. They moved in silence, vocal communication was not necessary between the two. Besides keeping their mouths closed stopped the unrelenting torrents of sand from collecting in their mouths.

The wind howled, carrying something that seemed completely out of place in the middle of a dead wasteland... A whistle... Not a howl as my have been caused by the wind through the dunes but a song.

They turned to each other, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment before a burst of sand trailed in their wake as they moved with inhuman speed towards the source of the sound.

---

They crested the dune, their eyes quickly focusing on the two people walking through the dunes. The gold man stood like a beacon... A beacon that Kiko longed to see again.

They walked down the dunes towards the two travellers, Kiko's voice rang clear towards the two, "Isaki Hoshikata, second Mizukage and leader of the Isaki Clan..."

She knew these words would gain his attention faster than almost any other... How much he had told her in their last, ever so brief encounter.

The two of them moved closer, until they were within normal speaking range before she continued, "...My business with the Konoha Anbu has been concluded... Kaze Kouin was indeed a man of his word, though it was for naught."

Yong stood behind her, a clear foot taller than his sister. He remained silent, his mask obscuring his scared and disfigured face and his metal lower jaw beneath it.

She tilted her head slightly to the side and gave a warm smile to the golden man, "Now, if you care too, tell me of this third option... Tell me of this protection you offer...<i></i>[/legend]

Ooc: topic entered with Yong (he will speak in grey<i></i>) and Kiko (blue<i></i>)... Sorry again about the earlier post, I derped

 

[Kairyuu]

Youko would find the man she was following waiting for her as she topped the next dune, a canteen held out to her and a smile on his face. ”Drink up. I have a feeling we're going to be in this scorching sand for a bit longer yet.” The boat ride had been mostly uneventful for him, but the knowledge of this capable medic following him had given him a pleasant surprise. He could only hope she would remain a member of the group once things settled back into a rhythm. Akane, Akihiko, Tatsuya, Kouin, Temujin and Hoshikata himself. A rather large group.

He was about to ask her about her experience in the medical field when his name rang out, followed by his professional titles. He turns on heel and stares out over the sands, spying the two rather easily. Much like himself they had opted for black robes. Unlike himself, he doubted they were immune to the heat. Still, here they were. They stood out, much like he himself did.

And then he would recognize the woman, the one he'd left behind in Lightning. Apparently she had survived the ordeal with Kouin and the other man. That was good. And now here she stood with a friend, coming at him. That could be bad. As soon as he imagined an attack he also dismissed it. The woman was trained well enough to take advantage of surprise, so by giving herself away she had shown she meant no ill. Unless she began gloating. Then he'd be wary.

”A pleasure Kouin stuck to his word and more of one that you are well my lady.” What did she want? He would stand with that smile on his face as she neared and spoke again, a smile on her own. ”Protection from all who would bring harm upon us. I am leading a small group of people who have lost their homes over the past months. So far it includes eight shinobi. Granted at the moment we're split into small teams for various reasons. But once we regather into a group I expect we'll be even larger than that.”

”So the protection is actually simple to realize. You must be parched in those outfits, would you like some water? I've more canteens.”

 

[Wakatsuchi Momoka]

The climate was just as harsh as it had been back at the village, only this time it was extreme heat. Despite this, Youko had been coping under Kirigakure’s cold temperatures enough to be prepared for their walk across the desert. It also provided her ample time to practice regulating her chakra flow again, an effort that she tried to manage unconsciously. She stopped as she caught up with Hoshitaka on top of the dune, blinking as she got pulled out of her thoughts and refocused on their surroundings.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling gratefully as she took the canteen and did as told. As much as the heat hadn’t bothered her, thirst and lack of conversation had and she was glad for the reprieve. The water was a welcome intrusion to her otherwise dry throat and she’d gladly taken it in large gulps.

An unfamiliar voice spoke out, and she’d drop the canteen from her mouth as she turned around. It was hard to comprehend running into people in the vast desert, but here were people she didn’t recognize, but clearly they knew Hoshitaka As they reached them, Youko watched their exchange quietly, observing the two strangers as Hoshitaka spoke.

 

[Yong]

[legend="-"]Kiko waved her hand to decline the offered canteen, "It would be madness to walk these wastelands without water, but thank you for the offer."


A mechanical whirring started a moment before Yong began to speak, the voice modulator in his mask made his words no louder than a whisper "...protection in numbers... but protection from what... or should I say whom?"


Yong moved forward, to stand beside his sister. He moved his hand to his mask, removing it and placing it into his robe. Its removal revealed his scared face and metallic lower jaw, obvious massive reconstruction had taken place at the hands of a gifted surgeon.


The whirring did not stop when Yong spoke again though his voice was stronger, without the whisper. "My name is Hirato Yong... former Hunter of the Bloody Mist, now wanted fugitive... This is my sister Hirato Kiko, it is a... pleasure to meet the man that... left her to the wolves. If she had have been murdered... we would be meeting under different circumstances..."


Kiko placed her hand on her brothers chest to restrain him, her eyes moved to Yong staring for a moment before she broke her gaze and continued talking, "...But that didn't happen, I survived and all is well, no harm no fowl."


Yong lowered his head and stepped back slightly. Kiko's smile returned to her face, "But answer me this Hoshikata, why is the second Mizukage seeking refuge in numbers out here in these, our wilds? Shouldn't you have an entire village of mindless drones at your every beck and call?"<i></i>[/legend]

 

[Kairyuu]

He could tell that Youko was lost in the conversation, but sadly there was little he could do to bring her up to speed at the moment. Instead of even trying, he drops his hand to his robes and and the canteen seems to vanish into thin air as he brings his arm back up. Madness indeed, even for him, but madness was something he seemed to not only possess but attract like a flame brings in moths. The two before him was proof enough of that, he felt.

When the other with the woman spoke, Hoshikata took note of the sound just before he did so. Part machine this one, but his spirit showed nothing unusual. Nor did her own now that he.... no. There was something indeed present unusual between their souls. As the mask comes off, a smile began to spread across Hoshikata's features. He knew this one, oh yes. The face was changed from the surgery, but the rest matched quite well.

”I'm aware of who you are, my friend. You fled Mist rather quickly, and this resulted in the death of one of the ANBU of the village as you did so.” Golden eyes flash with a hint of excitement as he steps closer to the two. ”Yes, I did indeed leave her. Kouin, one of those wolves, happens to be one of my allies. I took his word, as I take the word of any who choose to align themselves with me. But, your sister here is not of very much interest to me standing next to you.”

He snaps, and his staff flies into his hand even as his arm rises. And when it falls, the weapon buries itself in the sand as his feet and a ripple seems to move through it. Within a heartbeat there was glass under his feet, the sand compressed by kinetic force until it fused into something more solid. ”I do not seek protection. I offer it. Those mindless drones you mention are civilians, not soldiers. They have been sent to a new home. But people like you, like your brother? You are warriors. And warriors alone in these lands tend to vanish.”

He lifts his staff, which slides easily free, and uses the pointed cap on the end to begin scratching into the glass below him. Soon it would be obvious it was a map. ”Your mere existence, a sword without a hand to wield it as it were, is seen as a threat to many of the powers that be. You asked earlier what you might need protection from? From any who would bring harm upon us for nothing more than our desire to live free of their laws.” As the map was finished, he would circle an island just under Lightning country.

”This is the land of Moon. Those willing to move to their new home have gone there already. Those who prefer to wander, I offer protection of this land. My clan has already moved there. The leaders of the major lands in this world, however, are human. And human nature will not change. They see only that a major player in the world, Kirigakure, is no more. They see that many shinobi from that land wander the world without a village. And they will either try to subjugate or kill those shinobi. I offer protection from those people. The protection of Moon, where the best of Kirigakure are even now calling home.”

He rises from his map to look once more at Yong, tapping the staff down and shattering the glass below him. ”I assume by now you've heard of the death of Migoya? Yojimbo struck him down as he attempted to leave the village himself. Yojimbo then went into a coma. Quite an odd scenario. But I spoke to Migoya often. He never mentioned a sister.”

 

[Yong]

[legend="-"]Yong grinned... sort of... "...So you are the same Hoshikata... Migoya spoke fondly of you, said you had... a gift with the manipulation of minds almost as strong as his... pity he could not be with us today..."</B><i></i>


Yong continued to talk, his momentary aggression faded as he spoke of his Brother, "...I left the village under his request... He had a vision for a new world... It appears he was mistakenly supremely confident in his ability to bring it to pass."<i></i> the whirring became more of a subtle hum as the servos warmed up.


Just as Migoya had said Hoshikata really did have a gift with words. He spoke of people moving to a different country. Spoke of them being a sword with no hand to wield it. He was right to an extent, the two of them had no outside guidance, no one to wield them.


"They see it correctly Hoshikata, we are a threat. Though a sword with no hand is only sharpened metal, a shinobi with no master is a force to be reckoned with. It was not for our protection that I was asking for, for we seek none, it was fort he protection of others..."<i></i>


Yong continued talking where Kiko had finished, seamlessly following on from his sister. "The refugees of Mist and Leaf flood this land. If we come across someone who is worth letting live... We hoped you would have somewhere we could direct them... A safe harbour."


They watched as he made a map in an overly complicated yet effective manner, as well as showing off a tiny percent of his power.


Kiko looked over the design, taking in the words he spoke. <B>"Do not run your county of Moon with the corrupt ways of these shinobi villages and you will have our blade to call on if you need it. This country of moon is not for us... We are monsters and you know it Hosikata... But we can help you to protect these innocents from the other monsters of the world."<i></i>


Hoshikata shattered the map in the sand, as he spoke of Migoya's death, of the loss of Yojimbo... Then he mentioned that Migoya had never mentioned a sister... "Nor would he have mentioned her, for he knew nothing of her.<i></i>


He drew a deep breath before continuing, "I don't know how much Migoya told you of his youth but we were not blood brothers... He was adopted by a man named Doku. Doku was my master at the time and we grew up together, from the age of eight until his last breath at the gates of Mist he was my brother in spirit. He knew nothing else... Though he did see this chaos coming, if only he was with us today... this world would be a brighter place...<i></i>


Yong shook his head for a moment before he continued "...But enough of the past, let us talk of the future... How do you know those you welcome in won't betray you? Wont destroy your efforts from the inside like has happened so many times in the past..."<i></i>[/legend]

 

[Ryu Hime]

[Entering Dnpc Hakkai]​

There was another walking through the desert sands following a scent that was carried in the wind. The scent was of an individual he decided to pack with, but got separated in the forests in the village of Cloud. Hakkai was a white wolf with a grudge against humans.. Humans gave his brother and hunted animals for shear sport. They disgusted him and he hated them for all they did. Kiko shared in his hatred and that is why he bonded to her. Long has he thought she was dead? The white wolf still miles away from the group, howls in hope that Kiko would hear it. He can only hope she would remember the sound of a howl coming from a child of Moro.

[Ooc: Kiko, you're still alive? I apologies for npc's absence.]

 

[Wakatsuchi Momoka]

Youko listened to the conversation with her eyebrows knit lightly in confusion. She didn’t follow their line of thoughts, but she would gather with what she was given. It was something she’d been doing often the past few months so while it was frustrating to be left out of the contexts, she was well acquainted with having to pick in between the lines herself. And in this case, there would be a lot to process in order to fill in all the blanks. She kept quiet, knowing that under other circumstances this probably won’t be a conversation she’d be invited in, but as it was they were having it even in her presence so it couldn’t be that big of a secret, and maybe she was allowed to listen in.

She didn’t know anything about Hoshitaka’s plans, and the only reason she was tagging along was because she was a creature of routine –someone who preferred the comforts of what was familiar than to go out face the unknowns alone. It was only wise to take what she could from this exchange and file them away for questions later. Her gaze fell on the ground as the map formed, and she continued to watch it until the glass that it was drawn on had shattered. She only raised her head again after one of the strangers had posed an interesting question.

 

[Kairyuu]

He grins at the words, seemingly in good humor of them but inwardly he had his own reasons for such. Migoya had been a rather interesting person. He did not respond as most do to situations, and his goals were far too lofty for the newly appointed Mizukage that Hoshikata had been. Roping him in with a senninship was hard to do, mostly because he had to remove Tatsuya to make it happen. But to hear another say that Migoya thought his skill at manipulation better was almost hilarious.

After all, it was not because he expected him to be a good leader that Hoshikata had chosen Yojimbo to follow him. He knew Migoya would rankle under that, because he himself would have. The former sennin was far too similar to Hoshikata, they thought far too much alike, for anything else to occur. He had aimed for a confrontation between the new Mizukage and the new Sennin. In truth he only thought Migoya would be wounded, easier pickings. He did not anticipate that Yojimbo would kill him. Still, in the end Migoya did just as Hoshikata wanted him to. The puppet master never even saw the strings.

”Moon is not mine. It belongs, as it has, to the Shrine which it was founded around. The priestess of that shrine runs Moon, I merely am attempting to bring her a greater flock. As for protection from betrayal...” He gives another smile, a wry one. How to explain to them that he could see into the hearts of men? That he could pass through the barrier between this world and the next, and peer into the very thing that brought life and death? That such sight had left him with such a unique gift to see the souls of people, and to read them through such? He could not.

”I have ways. My eyes are not merely for show, they show me things about people that they would prefer be hidden. I am not inviting everyone, only those with reason to be there, only those who need solace. I take precautions, but no one can forsee everything.”

A hand reaches out, laying softly on Youko's shoulder. ”Worry not, should you desire I will be more than happy to explain to you what we're talking about once we've reached a more hospitable location.”

 

[Kairyuu]

Inactivity LEaving, need to exit Wind guys. Sorry.

 

[Yong]

[legend="-"]Kiko smiled as Hoshikata spoke, he made a lot of sense and she was glad that there would be no Kage to corrupt the village called Moon...

"If that is the case then may it outlast the hidden villages surrounding it..."<i></i>

She turned her head slightly as the sound of a wold howl carried on the wind... A wolf in the desert was unnatural, she had a feeling it was calling to her.

She turned back to Hoshikata, her eyes focusing on him "...If you can see our secrets with those eyes of yours then you know what we hide and why the world fears us...

...if you have need. If something escapes your gaze and you find Moon in danger... Call us and we will answer."<i></i>

Yong stepped forward to give Hoshikata a small, mechanical bird. It was one of Migoya's messengers.

"This will find us and we will come."<i></i>

They both bowed slightly before they moved away into the sands.[/legend]


ooc: sorry guys, my new corse has been hectic, just finished two assignments so should have more free time for a bit

We will continue this later.

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