Operation: "Principle", Searching Rock Country [P]

Fri May 12, 2017 9:12 pm

On the way to this place, the group has scaled mountains and traversed the low valleys between said mountains. Just as when Shiro had travelled to gather information on Tengakure’s ruins, they do not rise to an altitude with dangerous oxygen supply for very long. Keeping Atsuko’s own well-being in mind, Shiro spends more time in the lower regions though they take more time to traverse as they possess curves and detours. The delay of their arrival is clearly worth keeping Atsuko comfortable. However, Shiro’s instinct to protect her has bypassed his usual course of action, this being to ask Atsuko of her opinion.

    “Atsuko, would you rather we remain in the low altitude areas or rise to a mountain path?” Shiro inquires as the three of them pack up their camp site and prepare for another day of travel.

    “If the mountain paths are faster, we should use them. Unless you would prefer higher oxygen levels. Which one suits you?” Her response is not one which Shiro expects. She shows that his care for her and her care for him is mutual and unspoken.

    “Alright, we will climb thirty meters.”

    Just an exchange worth noting.

    When the group does arrive at their destination, Iwagakure’s ruins, they are met with what is to be expected: a large area where the village had once stood mightily now decimated and changed nearly beyond recognition. The three are even unable to distinguish the uses of each building. There is no dust picked up from the ground as there was at the ruins of Tengakure. Instead, larger rocks ranging from one third of a meter to a full meter in width. These must have fallen from atop the surrounding mountain ranges as a result of the force exerted to destroy the area. As for the gates, where the three currently find themselves, nothing can be said of them as they do not exist nor are their former places recognizable.

Shiro, Atsuko, and Hanzo proceed forward with their senses sharp and their defenses up. This location is the first place in which Shiro believes Genri to be taking refuge. Should this hunch prove correct, they will have a fight on their hands in short time. On the way to this place, Shiro had explained to his teammates what to expect from Genri in terms of abilities and specialization. He has learned that Hanzo is less than moderately equipped to hold his own against the enemy however his skills are enough to ensure Atsuko’s safety. With Shiro being the leader on this mission, Hanzo has been assigned this task. Knowing that he will likely be the one member to actually fight Genri, ease comes over Shiro’s mind.

“Hanzo will do his job well. And should Genri lay his sights upon the two of them, I will be directly in front of him to cease his approach. Nothing will go wrong…” Is this a slight hint of doubt? Shiro continues to think as he walks along a faded road and peeks around corners. His chakra sensory is on as are Hanzo’s and Atsuko’s with the three of them walking in a line a meter or so between them. “No, this is a smooth situation. All I should worry about is incapacitating Genri as quickly as possible. If I can do that, Atsuko will never be in any danger. That’s all... just be quick.”

Hanzo’s voice interrupts Shiro’s thoughts. “I don’t know about you, but I would say that the target isn’t here. You know his chakra signature and we’ve been looking for nearly an hour. I mean, if he were here, we should have found him by now.”

“We haven’t entered the range of mountains further beyond the village. An area with a lower chance of getting attention is favorable for hiding.” Atsuko suggests, her words directed at Shiro.

Shiro stops walking as do the rest of them. He gazes upward at the mountain range in the distance and contemplates how a fight in that area might affect their success. In the end, he determines that the terrain is not a negligible factor. After this much time on the run, Genri must be used to residing in ideal locations for a confrontation or escape. One must choose their battlefield wisely and Genri is no stranger to a fight. “He may ambush us if we get close, that is assuming that he is up there… OK, let’s check. We’re going to travel higher to avoid giving him a height advantage. Stay close and don’t get picked off.”

In this instance, as Shiro and the team move to the outskirts of the area, Shiro makes multiple assumptions which reflect his flaw on this mission. And that flaw is extreme caution. While this comes from a good place and is purposed to keep Atsuko safe, it hinders his haste on this mission by causing him to take longer than normal to decide a course of action. He is fortunate to have Atsuko make her suggestions to him. Without her, Shiro would waste time wandering in areas in which Genri most likely not hiding. Shiro has yet to acknowledge this.

To the mountains they again trek. This time, no care is taken to decrease their altitude as Atsuko has expressed her indifference to how high up the team is. That fact is a relief to Shiro as it allows him to remove the high ground advantage from Genri, again, should he even be here. How long until Shiro finally spends himself on precautions based upon blind possibilities?

Half of an hour passes and not a trace of chakra, recognizable or otherwise, has been sensed by any member of the group. Genri is nowhere near the area. Shiro realizes this and puts himself at ease. Realizing this, Atsuko moves forward to have a word with him. Hanzo is farthest behind, watching the flank. Shiro stands in front with Atsuko close behind him. The two converse.

“Genri probably isn’t in this country at all.” Shiro comments first.

“Do you have any other ideas?” A simple question. Her reason for initiating a conversation has yet to come.

“I do. We head for Tengakure next. I would say that those ruins have a better chance considering its past as a business oriented village. Odds are there are no religious traces there, and religion seems to be one of Genri’s strongest hatreds.”

“Ok. And about him… meeting Genri again seems to have you anxious.” She eases into the topic at hand.

“I’m unsure, yes. It isn’t about having to fight him, I’m not at all afraid of him. What I’m most worried about, aside from you of course, is his philosophy. He would share his viewpoints on village affairs with me, telling me about what he thought and how he felt about everything.” Shiro pauses before continuing, thinking about his next words and how to accurately convey his thoughts. “And he and I have diverged since then. I know already that my own philosophies are not in line with his. But he has such a way with words that I cannot guarantee to myself that I will not change when he speaks to me after all of this time.”

With Shiro finished speaking, Atsuko responds. “Well, I can help you with that. Lay out your values and your drives. Then, do the same with how you knew Genri to be. We can reason through your strengths and his flaws in thinking. If you always remember the difference between what actions are morally right or wrong to you, defending your beliefs will get much easier.”

Shiro has been listening intently to Atsuko’s advice and he sees again that she really is a virtue on this mission. He had forgotten until recently how well the two of them synergize this way. Previously eyeing the ground, Shiro raises his head to look straight forward. “I can do that.” Next, he turns over his shoulder and speaks to Hanzo who is not far behind. “He isn’t up here. Our next destination is Tengakure’s ruins.” Finally, Shiro turns back to continue with Atsuko. “Alright, I’m ready.”

    “Good. Let’s start with you.”

    “Coincidentally, my central philosophy starts with you. You are the center of my actions.” Shiro comes right out and expresses himself with minimal anxiety. He acknowledges that the two of them have a mutual understanding about how they feel about each other. However, neither Shiro nor Atsuko has uttered the words “I love you” in any direct form. In fact, this is the first instance of that feeling being expressed indirectly. Before Atsuko can respond, Shiro continues, not wanting her to get the idea that his decisions are simple. “But wanting to make your life as enjoyable as possible has proved… difficult at best. You already know that not letting you see how I was feeling when my parents fled the village or when Genri’s events took place, I wouldn’t let you in because I knew that you cared enough to place yourself into my equation. You would have wanted to make things easier for me. But then you would have to bare some of my difficulties. I couldn’t let you do that for me.”

    “That’s understandable. You realize of course that seeing you in such a bad situation made me feel even worse.” Atsuko mentions, keeping her voice as regular as it normally is so as to retain the atmosphere.

    Shiro places a hand over his eyes in shame and chuckles. “I know… I know. That was my mistake. I didn’t think far enough ahead. Rather, I didn’t think that I would ever break down and involuntarily let you in. If I hadn’t fallen unconscious that night, you wouldn’t have visited the hospital on my account, you wouldn’t have seen through my rouse. I hope you don’t think that I was being deceitful.”

    “Of course not.” Atsuko quickly responds. “Your efforts were admirable. Though, I can’t say that they were very smart. Nevermind that, get on with the rest of it.”

    After a pause to think, Shiro continues. “Alright. Everything that I do which requires that I make a choice also requires that I take multiple factors into account. Is there a course of action which improves Atsuko’s quality of life? And if this is so, I take said course of action. A simple situation until you take into account how my actions may affect others in the near future. Sometimes, I am forced to choose between yourself and some other person. I care so much about you. But can I use that to justify the misfortune of another? I ask myself that question often.”

    “So when the opportunity to please me presents itself, you jump on it. And when there are more factors in play, you have to consider more possibilities. To be honest, it sounds to me like you think too much. And all for my sake?”

    If Shiro were to possess a lighter skin tone, he would be blushing. “For your sake. I know that I need to see the world in a simpler manner. In fact, I did just that back when you had yet to reenter my life. But now that you’re here and I enjoy that so much… I don’t want to go back to any aspect of my previous life. I can’t help but feel like a life with you in it simply has all of the better qualities.”

    Now Atsuko, possessing a light skin tone, does openly blush. As he often does, Shiro looks at her and notes her reactions to his words. “...Thank you.” This is all that she says but Shiro can tell that there is much more going on in her head than a simple “thank you”. So very much does Shiro hope to become worthy of knowing her mind.

    “That sums it up for me. Life with Atsuko is good, so do what you can to enhance that life which means enhancing your life…. Do you want to know about Genri now?” Shiro begrudgingly picks the conversation back up, not wanting to see Atsuko’s blushing and flattered face disappear. But it does change as the last sentence is uttered.

    Atsuko settles herself and prepares to listen once again. “Yeah… continue.”

(2,043/2,043)
(3,854/10,000 towards mission completion)

[Exit to Moon Country Borders]

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Sat May 13, 2017 2:36 am

Approved Shiro, I look forward to reading the rest

Operation: "Principle", Searching Rock Country [P]

Operation: "Principle", Searching Rock Country [P]

Re: Operation: "Principle", Searching Rock Country [P]