New Beginnings [Requesting Entry w/ Maikeru & Daenerisu]

[Saitou Rei]

Snow. Yes, she'd seen it before. No, not like this. As Rei, Maik and Danii scaled the lone southern-central mountain range of Lightning Country toward the Village Hidden in the Clouds (whose location had not been difficult to ascertain thanks to the alliance between their villages and the maps provided to them), Reicheru battled a new kind of snow at the mountain peaks. 'We should go back.' It was the first time those words had crossed the kunoichi's mind with such a definitive tone since they'd made the decision to leave all those months ago. Of course, she was being dramatic - uncharacteristic for the level-headed Nanjirou. Turns out she really hated the cold. But it was infinitely better than what lay behind, and she reminded herself of that with every frost-bitten step up and down the various hills and valleys within the strange stone structure.

Eventually, finally, they would come across an unnatural opening in the cliffside. As the trio clambered down into Dragon Tooth Pass, they were shielded from the storms that raged on the outside of the deep ravine. Reicheru gave silent thanks - who knew how much longer that leg of the journey would have taken if they had waited any longer to depart from Konoha. Brushing away the snow that had built in the crevices of her scarf and on her shoulders, the dark-haired lass walked in step with her companions toward an unfamiliar but similarly imposing fortification. Memories of all the hardships associated with the Phoenix Gate flashed through Reicheru's mind, but rather than deter her they gave her strength to move forward in hopes that these gates would be different.

"Best to have these ready now," Reicheru commented to Maikeru and Daenerisu as she retrieved her passport from her bag. Moments later, they would come face-to-face with the great stone entrance. Looking up at the guard towers, Reicheru gave a smile and a wave. "Hello! Is there someone we can talk to about coming in?"

[Saitou Reicheru, Nanjirou Daenerisu, and Uchiha Maikeru - Requesting Entrance.]

 

[Maikeru]

The will of fire. A metaphorical flame that was said to burn inside of every shinobi born inside of the leaf village, and one which burned especially bright inside of the Uchiha clan. Well, at this moment, Maikeru was wishful that it was a literal flame rather than a metaphorical one. The winters in Konoha were cold, but this was something completely new to him. Even with the hood of his traveler's cloak pulled tight around him the chill seemed to bite and claw at his bare skin, the thin layers he had been wearing before hand not nearly enough protection from the frigid weather. A change of wardrobe would have to be the first thing on the agenda once they were settled in.

He was thankful for the cavern that the gate had to be set into, giving his body at least a bit of respite from the cold. Exhaling as he took another step in the snow, now looking up at the massive gate, a smile now crept onto his face. They had made it. Despite everything that stood in their way, they were out of leaf, and they were standing at the gate. He would have laughed if not for the chill that ran through every bone in his body.

Doing as Reicheru suggested, his cold chilled and stiff finger fuddled in his pouches until he found his passport, tucking it into the inside of his Hakama for easier access. Reicheru spoke first, and really, until someone showed up much more didn't need to be said. Still, he found his hand resting on his hip, near his blade. Leaf had made him paranoid, distrusting, it was time to see who would greet them.

 

[Santaru Kaede]

As the trio lowered down into the pass, Danii took the chance to shake off the snow gathering on her cloak and lower her hood as the walls shielded them from the worst of the storm. The snow brought back the faint memories of her short life before her and her gramps moved to Konoha. True, she was young when they had left their first home, and she had grown quite use to the milder temperatures in the land of fire, but she pushed through. With her hood still down, she pulled the rest of her cloak tight around her as she begins to question her fondness of skirts and dresses over pants. She probably should have brought or bought some of the latter before this stretch of the journey, but by the time she realized how cold it would truly get, it was too late. She turned to her friends with a smile on her face.

“Well, we made it. It didn't take that long.”

She rummaged in her bag and pulled out her passport as they began to approach the gates. She waited patiently as Rei announced their presence.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Her headset cracked to life as a call from one of the gate-guards rang to her. She responded to the call and made her way to the gates. In the call given go her, she was informed that three children were at the gate seeking entrance. Before stopping by the gates, she quickly stopped by the local cafe and grabbed 3 hot chocolates for the newcomers. Nothing beats a warm welcome to those beaten by the cold and blizzard-like conditions in the mountains. Armed with a cardboard cup carrier, holding 3 paper cups full of warming hot-chocolate, she made her way to the gates only to encounter two teenagers and a child with them. Nozomi was dressed in a winter-version of her parka, having white and blue colors in the camouflage. She wore a hat with 'cat-like' ears upon it having the Kumogakure emblem emblazoned upon the front of the cap. She approached the children and offered them, each, a warm cup of hot chocolate; having lost some of it's heat from the cold ambient temperature of the village.

"Hot chocolate?" she asked as she presented the cup-holder to the group of travelers. There needs to be a warm-drink station at the gate for weary travelers -- she could ask Yuii-sama to have one installed. "Hellish hike, right?" she asked with a small smile. It wasn't forced but it wasn't exactly natural for her. She did have a weak-spot for children due to her upbringing, so any smiles upon their faces at the hospitality was enough to warm her heart. "My name is Kanagawa Nozomi and welcome to Kumogakure," she said as she held out a gloved hand, as if waiting for passports.

"If you have passports, please present them. Also, please state the nature of your visit," she said in a firm manner. Her left hand seemed pre-occupied holding the strap that kept the massive anti-material rifle strapped to her back. "Once all entrance procedures have been cleared, we will provide you with disposable space-blankets to assist in keeping you warm."

[Topic Entered, please display passports]

 

[Kiri]

He may as well never tire of this role. Not even the cold winds of the mountains would deter him, especially not when the fire within burned endlessly. Uri was pretty much aware how this wasn't his workstation at the moment but seeing how he always seemed to wander about, and having made acquaintances in the past within the watch tower per se, it didn't seem like a bad idea.

He gazed out to the wide open vista of snow covered canopies to one side and the defiant frigid mountain face to the other. All the while standing by the edge of the watch tower's balcony. He could hear their merrymaking from inside. Ryorisuru was making his traditional meals again and the guards had been looking forward to it, so he took it upon himself to give them a bit of a break to gather and have food. He wasn't that hungry anyway.

And as he looked up, he caught sight of a group heading this way. It would appear as though it was a group of three, and as much as he would brand them suspicious, for he had quite the running with suspicious-looking people by the gates in recent times, he decided to defer judgement. Instead, he would drop down from the railing of the watch tower and land quite confidently and squarely just before the gates. Wearing his dark overcoat that pretty much colored him bland and dark, it was the few spaces along his neck, and hands that showed a bit of his pale complexion. But the black mask he wore still hid his identity save for the short reddish hair that spiked and waved as the wind blew past him.

Ah! It appeared as though one of their own was already seeing to it. Now this made his entrance a little.... Unnecessary.

"How goes the weather?," he said, trying not to sound as cold and apathetic before. The one thing he was trying to change was something that he heard as a feedback from the captain himself. Though he wondered if speech really has anything to do with it. But this was a really strange conversation.

[Topic entered and observing]

 

[Otani Ryuichi]

Ryuichi wasn't exactly allowed to grant access to those at the gates, nor was he even on duty at the moment. However, he did have one tiny thing that's been nagging on the back of his head since a peculiar letter arrived at the Sileo.

The note was pretty simple, claiming to be related to him. A while before Maikeru's arrival, Ryu got into his mother's old belongings and did some digging. In time, he found several mentions of her brother, and a boy named 'Maiky' along with a single photo of a black haired man, and a similarly haired young boy, no older than 3. Taking this as enough proof of the situation, Ryu's curiosity was more than excited. Of course, digging through his mother's belongings again after so long left a sour, rotten taste in his mouth but at this point it was fine.

In time he found himself at the outpost, unburdened y the chilling winds that he had grown used to after so many years. He was met with Nozomi and three people who were requesting entry. Raising a hand, Ryu looked them over with his rippled rinnegan, and his otherworldy chakra became very clear to anyone sensitive to chakra senses. "Sorry for breaking protocol, lady-san. I heard I had distant family coming to cloud and thought I'd come to verify any claims. " he said to her, holding out his fake genin ID.

Looking over the three of them, he was easily able to get a grasp on their chakra, and it's potency. Before long he greeted himself. "Welcome. I assume you're Maikeru? Or....'Maiky'. Take your pick." Ryu said to the Uchiha young man, and gave a small smile and nod to the two girls. Of course, noticing his sensei wasn't exactly a planned event, but he simply gave a small nod to him, knowing he'd be chastised later for ditching any patrol duties.

"Do as she says and I can give you guys a tour through Kumo. Show you all around." Ryu said, hoping Uri would think it as a form of multitasking

[Topic entered]

 

[Saitou Rei]

After getting confirmation that someone would be meeting them momentarily, the three waited. As she stood there in the cold, the weight of the journey that led to this point suddenly became monstrously heavy on Reicheru's shoulders. This next interaction could color the rest of their lives, render the whole trip a waste if she wasn't careful. If she said the wrong thing, Maik and Danii would suffer for it. They would end up stranded in a strange land with no food or shelter or clothing or…

Just before her thoughts spiraled out of control, an angel appeared. Complete with the bright heavenly lights shining about her, coming down out of the clouds! It didn't matter of course that the bright lights was just the light illuminating the steam rising from the cups of hot chocolate, as this was truly the closest thing to heaven in Reicheru's frost-bitten state. "Thank you so much!" the younger girl gave the woman a deep bow, her face practically in the snow to hide the tears of joy the froze to her eyelashes. Though slightly depleted, the warmth of the cup on her hands and the beverage in her stomach, as she drank while the Cloud kunoichi introduced herself, did wonders. "Thank you again, Kanagawa-san! My name is Saitou Reicheru, it's a pleasure to meet you."

As Maikeru and Daenerisu introduced themselves, Reicheru offered up her passport to the saintly woman. As she handed it off but before she could answer Nozomi's inquiries, the young Nanjirou was alerted to the presence of another… no, two more shinobi arriving. She nodded to the first who'd appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a bit perplexed by his question. "Uh, cold, though I guess more for me than you," Reicheru said, somewhat awkwardly. Before she could save face though, the newest arrival addressed Maikeru by name - she presumed this was the cousin he had mentioned before - but better than that, called him Maiky. 'That… this is good. Gotta hang on to that one.' She gave the boy a smile of thanks, but quickly turned back to Nozomi, not wanting to come off as rude and ignoring her after she'd done them such a kindness.

"You'll find everything in order there. As far as the nature of our visit…" Reicheru's voice trailed off; she wasn't quite sure how to put this, or how much information to divulge in this place. Looking to Maikeru to signal the need for his ability to talk through things, she picked up where she left off, not wanting to give the wrong impression. "…we've come seeking a transfer," the word 'refuge' sounded more apt, but Reicheru thought it would cause a greater stir and concern than she intended. Well, at least for right this moment. She looked again at Maikeru and also to Danii, looking to see if either thought they needed to say more.

[OOC: Passport!]

 

[Maikeru]

Well, this wasn't exactly what he was expecting, though it wasn't a completely unimaginable scenario. Not only were they offered something to warm their cold racked bodies, but, the person doing it seemed kind. At least on the outside. It was probably his PTSD from his home sparking up, but, there was something about Nozomi that struck him as odd, though he chalked that up to his own paranoia. When she gave him the hot chocolate, his hands flared green for a moment, channeling medical ninjutsu into his palms to check for poisons. When none were detected, he took a small sip of the beverage, giving the kunoichi a thankful smile.

"Aye, it's as she said." He commented, handing her his own passport. "Uchiha Maikeru, Chief Medical Shinobi of Konoha. We come here seeking asylum from a home where we no longer feel safe. To that end we request a meeting with your Raikage, Lord Ayumu I believe?"

As he waited on his passport to be returned to him, he noticed two new figures joining the little gathering at the gates. The first was pretty standard, probably ANBU from the way he covered his features, but that was just guesswork on Maikeru's end. He gave the man an acknowledging nod, before he moved his eyes to look at the second man who had joined. He was around the same age as Maikeru, with a strong jawline, and striking features of the Uchiha clan. It was the eyes, really, that stuck out to him. Purple with a ripple pattern that ran through them. The Rinnegan.

'So, it's not just Lord Fourth who posses the eyes of the sage...' Maikeru thought to himself, examining the fellow Uchiha with trained eyes. 'Wait did he just..'

As he called him Maiky, a name that his mother and father had lovingly referred to him when he was a small child, Maikeru just let out a tired sigh. Shooting Reicheru a look of 'don't even think about it', he returned to looking at the Rinnegan user. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a small, faded photograph. One that showed a small boy with stark white hair sitting at a kitchen table, making a mess of the food on his plate. The boy was around two or three, but, as Maikeru looked between the man and the figure he smiled.

"So, you must be Ryuichi then?" He called out to him, his stance going a bit more casual, less defensive and on alert. "Dad told me about you, or well, at least what was in the letters your mom sent. What's with the eyes though cuz? Not proud of your Uchiha heritage anymore?"

 

[Santaru Kaede]

Danii gives Nozomi a polite bow and accepts the cup of hot chocolate. She followed Reicheru and Maikeru's lead and produced her passport. Danii took a sip of her hot chocolate as Reicheru and Maikeru introduced themselves. Warmed by the drink, Danii looked at the gate guard that had first approached them.

“I'm Nanjirou Daenerisu. Former genin of Konohagakure. Like they have said, we have travelled here in hopes of finding refuge. An incident occurred at the Leaf that led to our departure as Maikeru said. I have proof of our woes and would be pleased to share them in a… warmer setting.”

No use beating around the bush, Danii keeps it simple and honest. She didn't mind the wait of bureaucracy of a situation like this, but she hopes getting straight to the point would expedite the process and get them out of the weather.

Danii turns to the man in black as he walks up. She looks from him up to the clouds dropping snow above them.

“Well, it's cold and snowing, but I'm guessing you already knew that. If you meant how are we doing, then the answer is tired and cold, but relieved and optimistic for the first time in a while. I'm Nanjirou Daenerisu, pleasure to meet you.”

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

After she handed the hot-chocolate to the asylum-seekers, she heard a noise, causing her to turn her eyes in the general direction. Someone dropped down, near them, and asked a simple question -- asking how the weather was. She looked at the new person with a blank expression for a brief moment before turning her eyes towards Reicheru, her expression softening as her attention returned to the refugees. A group of passports were placed into her hand as the three began to explain the reason for them showing up. It was at this time that another Kumo-shinobi appeared, speaking to the one named Maikeru with an air of familiarity. He asked for forgiveness, but Nozomi didn't pay it any mind. While they were conversing, she looked at the passports. She looked through the names, ranks, and their reason for showing up. "You are all here for sanctuary? Yes, you'll all have to speak with the Raikage. He's approachable from what I have gathered. Never actually met him, myself though," she said as she finished examining the passports.

She reached into her bag-of-holding, a strange bag with a face upon it, and rummaged through it until she felt a fuzzy face inside the bag. With a grumble, she grabbed the cat by the scruff and pulled it out of the bag. In it's mouth was a stamp, the stamp she was looking for. Seeing this, she couldn't be TOO mad about it. Placing the black cat atop of her head, she started to stamp their passports and handed it back to them. "Your paperwork checks out," she said with a smile before turning to look to Ryuichi. It didn't matter what he had to do with them, she wouldn't let him get in the way of her performing her duties. "Your tour will have to wait. We have asylum seekers requesting permission to have an audience with the Raikage," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. She isn't going to tolerate any backlash from Ryuichi.

A click upon her headset, already set to the Main Branch Sennin channel, prompted her to speak. "Lady Yuii, please arrange a meeting with Lord Ayumu. We have three leaf shinobi requesting asylum at the gates right now. Their names are Saitou Reicheru, Uchiha Maikeru, and Nanjirou Da-en-iris-u," she said, taking her time to pronounce Daenirisu's name. It was an awkward name that she had troubles saying. She removed her hand from her headset and turned to look towards the three, still sipping upon their hot chocolate drinks.

Her attention turned to look towards Daenirisu, interested in the events that had transpired, which caused them to leave. However, it wasn't any information she felt privy to; information that the Main Branch Sennin or the Raikage should hear. "You can show the Raikage. I will be granting the three of you entrance, but you will follow me directly to the Raikage's office. You will not deviate from the path, do you all understand?" she asked, turning her once soft demeanor to a serious one. These three, while their plight ached her heart, were still foreigners. Without the ability to detect if the words they said were a lie or not, she can't (in good conscience) take them, wholly, on their word.

Nozomi turned to look towards the gate guard and waved him over. With the gate guard, he held three silver-colored blankets. He passed them along to the three that entered, allowing them to swaddle themselves to their own liking. She turned her eyes to Ryuichi, indicating that she has no patience for screwing around and him potentially encouraging them to walk off of the path she had laid out for them. She took a few steps forward and turned to look towards the refugees. "Welcome to Kumogakure. As long as you follow what you are told, you will be safe here," she said before turning her back and leading the way to the Raikage office.

[Allowing Entrance]
[Leaving Topic with Maikeru, Reicheru, and Daenirisu]
MFT -- 658 words

 

[Maikeru]

Finally, they were safe. A metaphorical, and what felt like a literal, weight was lifted off of Maikeru's shoulders. Though quickly replaced by the heavy blanket the he wrapped around himself, the tension that seemed to fill every muscle in his body was relieved. He still held a bit of apprehension towards the cloaked figure near the gates, but, it was mostly gone at least. After all, they were still foreigners. They knew nothing of cloud outside of Ryuichi living there, for all they knew this alliance between their villages was nothing more than a farce. Still, at least it was partially over.

As he walked toward the gates, he put an arm around Reicheru's waist, and a hand on Danni's back. Part as a sign of reassurance, and partly to keep them moving. Their safety was still to be assured, and they were really all he had left now. Giving Ryuichi a slight nod, he finally passed past the large gates of Dragon Tooth pass. Their trip was over, they were home.

[Topic left]
[Cloud village entered]

 

[Kiri]

Uri felt a little awkward. Well, it didn’t matter how most of them seemed to have looked at him as if he was the odd one out of the three that appeared. Even glancing at Ryuichi only gained a nod from the boy. Did he really raise him to be such a bore? Now he understood a bit of what the Captain was saying about his teaching methods. He could already see a hint that Ryuichi was going down the same path and he wondered if he’ll make the same mistakes.

He sighed after hearing the answers from the visitors. Yeah, nothing much but cold, huh? As if there was anything different. But he supposed that even ready to said answers could hide certain truths, and with the way they were keen to see the Raikage, it seemed that there was more to this episodes of asylum seekers. And while he can’t really outright say that he would have to tag along because he was pretty much following the path that would one day lead him to be the shadow of the Raikage, he would at least see them off entering the gates before he would tail behind them.

But not before he walked past Ryuichi and gave the boy a nudge to the back of his head. Whatever that meant was up to the boy.

[Topic Left with them. Got my eyes on you. Raikage-protecc]

 

[Santaru Kaede]

Danii nods as in confirmation of Nozomi's orders. One warning was enough for her to understand that, while they are welcome as visitors, they were still foreign ninja and would be treated as such. She had no plans to betray the hospitality granted to them with hot chocolate and blankets. Standing at the before the gates and looking on as they opened, a sense of home fillled her and she had to shove it back down. It was still early for those feelings. Convincing the guards to let them in was only the first step in their transfer. A long process still lay ahead of them. Maikeru's hand on her back comforted her and gave her the strength to take the first steps through the gates.

As they walked down the street, Danii made mental notes of all the new and interesting places she wanted to check out in this foreign village. Around every corner she had to squash the urge to walk into the different shops or to stop and talk to the Cloud citizens. She understood that their actions were being watched and Nozomi had been clear with her instructions. So, she walked on next to Maikeru and Reicheru as the trio followed Nozomi.

[Topic left]
[Cloud village entered]

 

[Saitou Rei]

"Welcome to Kumogakure."

How… surreal. Though these were the words Reicheru had been yearning for, and though Nozomi had in fact just said them moments ago when introducing herself, there was a new implication with this iteration. Between the kindness they'd received and the fact that it had all gone more smoothly than she could have hoped for so far, the young Konoha kunoichi began to wonder if she were only dreaming. But the warmth of the beverage that she was savoring on her lips and the touch of Maikeru's hand as he began ushering them in behind the Kumo kunoichi tethered her to reality, assured her that this was happening.

Then, the unbreaking gaze of their friend in black garb also reminded Reicheru that it wasn't over yet. Though she was certain Konohagakure must have some sort of diplomatic procedure in place, she'd never caught wind of any sort of meetings with their only ally nor seen any missions posted for anything outside of Leaf's own sphere of influence. She wondered if this bond was really as tight as Kenshin made it seem; if not, the sudden unannounced arrival of three foreign shinobi may have raised more red flags than the trio would have thought. On the flip side, if that alliance were as steady as it had been made to seem, the news they brought could put them in a whole different kind of difficult situation.

No, it wasn't over yet. But this was the most hope Reicheru had been able to grab on to in years, it she wouldn't let go of it easily. "Would love to take you up on that tour as soon as we get sorted," Reicheru commented to Maikeru's cousin as they passed him. It would happen - she was sure of it.

[Topic Left]
[Village Entered. We come in peace friends \o/]