Digging Through The Rose Gardens

These weren't ninja in any sense... at least not trained ninja. But these were veteran bandits would have certainly been a challenge for genin... except for the fact that one genin suddenly grew massive and furry. In an instant the first blood went to their team with a bandit that was suddenly just... no longer together. Arashi saw the "beast" in his periphery, but when he felt the blood, the other shinobi's warning finally came back to her.

Watch him...

The jounin pushed the head bandit down and took a giant leap behind him. Here he was able to get a vantage point of what he had to work with. Evidently this young shinobi had a vast and powerful ability... but the question was how much control did he have with such ability? A reminder of his own childhood and his parents came in. They were taught to have complete chakra control, because while their abilities were vast, they were also dangerous. The main difference was that without proper training, the Tekiatsus would be a harm to themselves. This Sebastian might be a harm to others.

After the first guy went down, a couple of the bandits took off and ran as fast as they could. Those being the greenest of the group. The others, though, were hesitant, but they were also professionals. It was the classic dilemma; money or life? The others who stayed all pulled something on their garments, clearly some sort of armor. Most likely able to withstand chakra and blades. Maybe even the claws too. IF anything, it was unlikely that they were going to go out as paper men like their comrade did.

Arashi's assessment had to end there, as their leader threw more weapons. Arashi dodged, as kunai and shuriken impacted the ground where he had been. Twirling the shortsword in his hand for a better grip, the jounin kicked off and made himself he was between his charges and the bandit leader. As the two clashed it became clear that this leader may actually be a shinobi.. or have been one. A ninja leading bandits.

"Stay calm and focus! This is what you've trained for.. see it as your training!" he called out, hoping to aid and inspire the other two. It looked like of the original group, there was only 4. One was centering on Ishii as the perceived weaker of the bunch. The leader was and will probably stay occupied with the jounin, and that left the two remaining focusing on the werewolf. While the words of his associate played in his head again, he had to push them out. He would rather have faith in his comrades than treat them like a threat. So instead.. he fought, clashing with the leader so that his team could take care of their own combat.

(WC: 471; Total: 2029)

The younger, greener bandits fled from the horrible sight before them. Some might call it cowardice, but honestly they were the smart ones that valued their lives. The snarling beast standing before them caused them to hesitate, deciding to shift some basic body armor on of some sort. Sebastian was still in there, pulling the reins to keep the creature under control the best he could. The wolf wouldn’t have given them the opportunity to flee like the man had, and honestly the time was spent with the enemies better preparing to fight. They made their choice…
 
A quick scan of his surroundings would note that Ishii projected some sort of clones. *sniff sniff* No, they were figments without substance. Hopefully they would give him the needed time to best the rogue that decided it was a good idea to attack the Kamigawa.
 
The two that focused on the werewolf weren’t given the opportunity to make the first attack, the beast dashing forwards to meet them, a claw rake at the body of the now armored enemy who nearly dodged, the claws scraping across the armor. It was enough to prevent being easily disemboweled, but the claws would gouge deep enough that it was clear it wouldn’t hold up for long. The wolf testing the one attacker left his flank exposed to the other, a lunge thrust with the blade aimed for the creature’s ribs. The beast would shift ever so slightly, allowing the blade to dig into flesh but miss vitals as an elbow would drop into the bridge of his nose. The bandit was now too close to escape the wolf’s reach, even with the limited range of an elbow. The hit surely pulverized the man’s nose and flung him to the ground. If he was still conscious from the first attack it would take him a moment to return to his feet which allowed focus on the other one. The beast would lunge at the standing man this time aiming higher with his claws. The armor didn’t cover the face, and so it was a prime target. The bandit was quick, but barely avoided the attack. The wolf, upon missing, would land on all fours and quickly around turn to strike again. A full blown sprint at the man would end with the massive creature tackling the bandit to the ground and driving all air from his lungs from the impact with the beast on top of him. The man was defenseless as the wolf would bite his face, fangs piercing through bone and crushing the skull. The creatures head would rise, blood dripping from its maw as it shifted targets. The other bandit was still picking himself up and getting his bearings as he too was leapt on and finished off.
 
Sebastian would then glance around to see how the others were doing, his rage pounding through his body as he struggled to keep from shifting his fury towards his own comrades.

WC: 496
TWC: 2311

Some of the other bandits scattered, and Ishii wished that he could do the same. Yet his legs wouldn't obey his mental commands. They remained locked in place, refusing to allow Ishii to move. His hand shook beyond his control, threatening to send his only weapon careening into the sand below. Panic started to seize his brain and take control of his rational thoughts, causing him to devolve into little more than an animal himself. Yet not the same beast that had seized control of what was once Sebastian, no. He was a wolf, a predator, something to be feared. Ishii on the other hand... he would be a deer. He would be prey.

A lone voice pierced the fog. Ishii's head snapped to the sound of the voice, barely heard over the roars of the beast and the screams of its victims. It was Arashi, telling them to keep calm and fight on, insisting that it was part of their training. He himself was already engrossed in battle, fighting tooth and nail with the leader of the bandits, doing his best to take him down. Seems that everyone was fighting but Ishii.

That wouldn't be for long however. To Ishii's right, a bandit approached with a scimitar in hand. A sadistic grin spread across his face as he stared down the wild eyed Genin.

"End of the road."

He brought the scimitar in a wide slash, hoping to decapitate Ishii at the neck. Numerous conflicting impulses vied for supremacy in Ishii's brain, all insisting to stop, go, duck, parry. Yet what saved him wasn't his instincts. Louder than Ishii had ever heard it, the voice hollered in his head.

"MOVE!"

Ishii made a quick sidestep to the left. The blade narrowly missed Ishii's neck, instead slashing through part of Ishii's cheek. He cursed to himself as the searing pain arced through his face and checked the cut quickly with his fingers. The bandit sliced clean through to inside Ishii's jaw. If he hadn't opened his jaw slightly, he likely would've lost a few teeth in the swing as well. He followed through with his swing, continuing with his forward spinning momentum to gather speed and raise his arm out. The back of his fist slammed against Ishii's face, sending the boy to the ground. He saw stars, and his vision faded in and out. The bandit simply laughed.

He held the blade above his head, preparing to plunge it into Ishii's chest. Ishii's breathing ran ragged once again. His vision continued to shift between his normal sight, and one of strange and starry masses. For some reason the bandit paused, squinting in confusion. It was Ishii's last opportunity. Ishii quickly reached into his back and stuck his kunai into a bundled cloth before bringing it out and shoving the cloth back into the bag. The bandit didn't take any chances, and moved in for the kill. He brought the scimitar downwards, and Ishii countered with the kunai in response, using the flat of the kunai to alter its trajectory enough to where Ishii could position himself out of the way of the falling metal, twisting his body to the right of the blade to avoid near certain death. The bandit let go of the scimitar and brought his leg backwards kicked into Ishii's spine, sending waves of pain up and down his body. Then again. Then again. He scoffed, and yanked the shinobi into the air with one muscled hand, and held him aloft by the scruff of his shirt. He brought his fist back and slammed it into Ishii's jaw, causing the young Genin to spit up blood.

"We're done here."

He readied another punch, this one was certain to have his full body weight behind it. There was no time to lose. Before he could bring it in for the final blow, Ishii's kunai darted forward and into the man's face, driving the blade through one cheek and out the other. Howling in pain, he dropped the panting ninja to the ground. Ishii took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.

"Don't move too quickly, or the poison will spread faster."

He yanked the blade from his mouth, flexing his jaw muscles. He looked at Ishii with rage and confusion.

"The what?!"

Ishii spat up more blood, slowly standing up.

"Remember that cloth from earlier? That had hemlock stored inside it. It's fatal even in small doses, so I would be careful moving around. Your best chance for now is to find a medical ninja, and quickly. If you surrender peacefully, you may just make it out of here alive."

The man's face grew pale, though Ishii couldn't tell if that was from the shock or the blood loss. For now however, he seemed to be halting his advance, letting his opponent get just a bit of breathing room while he processed the situation. Ishii himself just leaned on the scimitar buried in the sand, huffing and catching his breath. He turned briefly to look at the others, just to see how their battles were faring.

Word Count - 850

Total Word Count - 3232

By this point, the opposing shinobi had pulled out a longer blade, and they continued clashing. As much as Arashi wanted to keep an eye on the battlefield... he was no superpowered ninja. He needed to keep himself alive, as well as keep the actual shinobi's attention on him. That wasn't too difficult; the leader seemed intent on taking out the jounin. The two continued to trade blows, until a misstep gave the shinobi the opening he needed.

A kick of the desert ground into sant and dirt flew into Arashi's face, causing him to turn away, and the bandit plunged his sword into Arashi's stomach. The shinobi had a look of victory for a moment, until the dust from the kick settled and Arashi was still standing... with a half handseal. Sure, there was a sword that had gone through him... but there was no blood. No sign of tear. It was just... there. The jounin grabbed the sword arm of the opponent, and slowly moved the sword towards his side. The blade appeared to be passing through nothing, but once it had exited his side, pieces of his skin and jacket seems to wisp away with the movement of the sword, before coming right back and forming back into him. The bandit was confused, but he was now desperate.

Above them, the storm that they had race ahead for was now on them, and it had built up to be more than rain. With a rumble of thunder, it started to rain pretty heavily.

Refusing to surrender, the man fought hard even with his other companions lying either dead or dying. Arashi clearly had the upper hand, and as he parried and finally knocked the sword out of the bandit's hand, it seemed he won. He was about to take this guy in when he pulled his shirt away to reveal a bunch of exploding tags. As the shinobi started to light them, Arashi quickly made the handsigns for a jutsu, and water in his canteens exploded from behind him, swirling forward and encasing the shinobi in a sphere of water. Then, a flash, and the water was shot out in an explosion... but that was it. The dead corpse fell flat, leaving really only the lower torso, and the fight was over. The jounin reached down and picked up what looked like a headband. What he saw disappointed him. The Hoshi headband... with a slash across it.

The jounin looked at the others. Sebastian seemed to have taken care of his two easily. Ishii was breathing a bit, while his opponent looked scared looking in his direction. Whether it was fear or distrust, the bandit who was clearly told not to move or risk the poison moving faster decided not to heed the warning and offer of help, and he also ran, leaving just the three of them, a couple of dead bodies, and the soaking rain.

Ishii seemed okay to him, but Sebastian was a concern. Or maybe was a concern. Clearly some of the other Hoshi-nin weren't too comfortable with the older genin. But fear and distrust only lead to the monster forced to self-realize. He wasn't going to let that happen. As a precaution, Arashi got a sealing ready, and then walked over.

"Sebastian. How are you doing over there? Seems we have stuff to talk about." he said, not in a lecturing tone, but of a caring tone.

(WC: 575; Total: 2604)

Reining in the fury proved difficult, the beast struggling for control. The metallic smell and taste of the blood nearly driving the wolf into a complete frenzy. He could feel his pulse in his whole body. *Thump-Thump* It would seem as though the bandits were bested, which meant that he could relax. *Thump-Thump* He just needed to focus all of his efforts on it, making sure to take in deep, slow breaths.
 
The calming voice of their commanding officer gave him something to think about other than his bloodlust. This was it, the final test if all of his work had finally paid off. Who had truly been in control? The creature dropped to its knees, placing hands on his head and howling in pain. His fur would fade and begin to recede, some falling out around him. His limbs would return to their normal sizes, claws becoming fingernails covered in blood. Fangs would shrink back down into teeth. What was left of the tattered and torn clothing of the man would fall to the ground, leaving an exposed man gasping for breath as his painful transformation reversed itself. Blood stained his hands and face, and it was clear that he had been wounded from the earlier stabbing. It was unnoticed in his adrenaline fueled battle, but it would need treated. He would walk naked over to his fallen cloak, wrapping it around his waist to over himself to avoid making the others uncomfortable.
 
“I am sorry that you had to see that…” He would mutter to the others, hoping that they would understand that he wasn’t truly a monster. He would walk over to Ishii, making sure that he was okay. “Looks like we both could use some patching up?” The wolf’s wound wasn’t much and basic medical jutsu would easily mend the flesh enough for his body to begin to rapidly heal on its own. “I know you will have to report this to your superiors.” He would state to Arashi, “Just please know that I didn’t change without control. I made the decision to shift, knowing that it would help us survive the battle.” His decision to transform might have been to his detriment in the reports, but he counted all his teammates being alive and breathing as a success regardless.
 
The man would then look around, hoping to spot these roses. If the bandits were defending this area they had to be close to their target.  

WC: 410
TWC: 2225

Ishii's opponent began to run off. Ishii felt a small surge of... something.

"Don't do it! You won't make it on your own!"

Yet it was too late. The direction that he was running in wasn't towards Hoshigakure, nor any ninja village that Ishii knew of that could help. He was exposed to only a small amount, but it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours for symptoms to show. Not to mention that traditional antidotes weren't readily available for the toxin. His only chance would be the very flowers that his group was looking for originally. Ishii closed his eyes. What would happen to the man, Ishii didn't think he would ever know.

The beast that was once Sebastian was still a problem however. Ishii readied himself and stood up on his own two legs. He placed a hand on the pommel of the scimitar, just in case. He didn't want to attack that thing, not yet. Maybe it was just some kind of strange jutsu, some variation of the transformation technique that Ishii hadn't heard of. Yet... when he looked in its eyes, Ishii struggled to find the small shreds, the barest dregs of humanity left inside.

Arashi approached the creature with caution, trying a calm approach before anything. A better idea perhaps, if not necessarily safer. If anything, it worsened Ishii's fears. The horror that had been muted by Ishii's life or death struggle began to swell once more, overwhelming that mental barrier that needed to be placed for Ishii's own survival. His knuckles turned white from involuntarily gripping the scimitar's handle.

Yet those fears were for naught. The beast's form began to compress and change once more, reforming, turning back to the Genin that they had started the mission with. Relief flooded through Ishii's mind, and his grip on the scimitar loosened. He approached Ishii with kind eyes, checking if he was alright. Ishii nodded.

"I'll live. I don't think that I'll be eating anything until we get back though."

He couldn't look Sebastian in the eyes. Maybe it was fear of what he was, or the shame of his subconscious reflex, or even just the fact that Ishii couldn't bear to look at the blood on him. Yet at the same time, Ishii felt he had to look, just to be sure. There weren't any hints of the beast left in his eyes.

He turned to Arashi, leaving Ishii to stew in him own thoughts. His cheek felt as though it was on fire, and each individual raindrop that collided with it stung like an insect. He could feel the copper taste in his mouth, and see his blood leaking with the rain into the sand below. The reality of what happened began to set in, and Ishii felt bile come up his throat. He tried to hold it back, but was too much. Ishii ejected the contents of his stomach onto the earth, causing his cut to feel even worse.

"Damn it. What's wrong with me? They were just bandits..."

Ishii wiped his mouth. Questions for later. Now was the time to look for the flowers.

Word Count - 525

Total Word Count - 3757

It was with complete relief that the wolf-ninja remained in complete control, and Arashi was proven right... at least for now. As soon as the transformation was done the jounin turned away to give him privacy as he robed up. Sebastian and Ishii were focused on each other, and that brought a smile to the wet face shinobi. It wasn't until the younger of the two finally hurled that he frowned, but not in disappointment.

"I know you both aren't fans of the weather. Let's get you inside before we take care of those wounds." he said, pulling out a scroll and unfurling it. With a seal release, a large open tent appeared on a wooden platform, with cots inside. Arashi led the pair inside, and started up a lantern for light and warmth. With the rain falling around them, Arashi put up a mist to obscure them, though he had the distinct impression they would be safe from this point on.

Though the wolf was more injured, Arashi checked up on Ishii first, especially after evacuating his stomach. "Have a seat and warm up. Drink some water. Slowly." he said, before going over to Sebastian... with the larger wound. Arashi closed his eyes for a moment, activating Mystic Palm, and holding his hand over the wound. Sebastian seemed worried over the fact that he showed his power... probably thanks to other shinobi having predispositions.

"I had the benefit of not knowing who you are when this was assigned. That was some power you displayed out there. I'm guessing the warning from earlier was about control? You seemed to be mostly in control. That must have taken some heavy training. I'm guessing the other shinobi in the village aren't as sure about it, right?" he said, offering a smile. "Sometimes we are forced to jump into the deep end before we fully know how to swim. It's dangerous, but admirable. If that was a conscious choice, then you have my complete thanks." he said, as him finishing up paired with Sebastian's own healing took over, making recovery incredibly fast. As soon as Arashi was done, he pulled the sleeve on his arm, showing an old worn golden bracelet. The scorch patterns around it suggesting lightning.

"I know how it feels to have an ability stronger than your body can handle. If it wasn't for this gift, I may have done a lot worse to myself. I choose not to think about it." he said, covering his wrist. He walked over to Ishii to look him over, and heal what needed to be healed.

"So... about those flowers. I think this is a perfect spot... especially after what we just went through." he said, sitting down. "Here is the deal with the flowers. It takes some time for them to grow. So we'll rest up here overnight, and then see what grows. That will also give the storm a chance to permeate into the ground and loosen the surface." he said, finally taking off his pack. "I know this tent here isn't usually how shinobi travel, but out in the desert there aren't very many options. Normally I would use this time to get to know you two, but I have a feeling that we're all pretty wiped. A day dash plus a fight. Not necessarily what I was planning." he said chuckling to himself.

"You both did well, don't think overwise. Ishii... what you did was very much keeping with the shinobi way; you found a way to neutralize your opponent and then extended the hand to him. The fact that he ran is his own doing, not yours. Sebastian, from what I saw, I don't see too much of a control issue. It would be difficult for a regular person to resist getting into a groove in fighting, let alone one who uses the power of a beast. Not only that, but you were able to rein in the beast when you needed to. If any of the higher ranking shinobi give you a hard time, just say you're friends with Arashi Tekiatsu. That will give you some leeway."

Arashi would chat with the two for a while, until finally it was time for rest. By the time Arashi woke up, the desert was starting to lighten up. He stood up as softly as he could, and slipped out of the tent into the fresh morning air.

It was a scene from when he was a young man; the desert tan gave way to green and white, like a layer of snow on grass. There were flowers as far as the eye could see within the bowl, with a few patches here and there that didn't seem to have any roses. The dried pond in the center was no longer dried, and already had a couple of petals on its surface. Part of him wanted to wake the boy up now.. but he would wait, standing out in the middle of a sea of white.

(WC: 830; Total: 3434)

The young wolf couldn’t help but be concerned for his comrade as he threw up. It was a lot to deal with, especially if he hadn’t come face to face with death prior to this. Sebastian knew first hand that it never really got easier. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. One could grow accustomed to the taking of life… but it never got easier on your conscience. The blood stains on your hands and the weight of killing another never went away…
 
“Taking another life is no simple thing. You were probably trained for this, but that doesn’t ever make it easy. All we can do is pray for the strength to bear these burdens.” The wolf would add, hoping to reassure his comrade that his unease was not uncommon and he was not alone.
 
Arashi would then offer to patch them up as he managed to spring a tent up from seemingly nowhere. Likely some sort of ninja technique, but a tent would allow Sebastian to dry himself and so he would happily enter to warm up out of the rain. The Jounin would check on Ishii first, something that the young wolf preferred. He knew that even if left untreated his body would end up healing fairly quickly on its own. Once Arashi came to mend his wounds the wolf would sit and nod as they discussed his condition. “You are right, the warning was about control. I sometimes lose myself in the bloodlust, the wolf taking over and hurting those around me.” He would shake his head, heavy thoughts and sorrows weighing on him and showing clearly in his eyes. “Because of this, I stay outside of the village walls. It was only recently that I have mastered this level of self-control. I thank Dr. Terumi for his efforts in this matter.” As Arashi thanked him, he offered a nod of acceptance. It was good to know that he was gaining a better grasp over his curse and that Arashi did not see it as a poor decision to take that risk.
 
Arashi would show his own memento of a time before he had control of his own powers. The bracelet looked as though it was struck by lightning, something that seemed odd at first. Then again, many ninja were capable of creating fire and lightning from seemingly nothing. It was reassuring to know that he wasn’t alone in his struggles and that those before him had not only struggled, but overcame those obstacles and became valuable assets and defenders of the village. The man would then go over to Ishii to mend his cut.
 
The Jounin was right, Sebastian was tired. Not as much physically as he was mentally drained. All in all it would seem as though they did well, and their commanding officer would praise their efforts. Sebastian would close his eyes, listening to the words of the others. He would note that Ishii offered to spare the bandit. Once Arashi had finished speaking the wolf would thank him for his kind words and lean back and rest, muttering a quiet prayer to himself and his God. Once finished he would speak to Ishii aloud, “The fact that you offered him his life… you are a better man than most. Please don’t lose that kindness. It is far too easy to just take the simple road and be merciless.” The wolf would then chat with the others, listening to anything his comrades had to say before finally drifting off into a slumber.
 
The sleep felt short as he woke up and stretched. He would note that Arashi had already left the tent, and so he too would follow. As he stood before the desert there would be a sight that seemed so out of place, like it was from another land entirely. Flowers had bloomed, and it was a beautiful vision of what seemed like perfection. Once Ishii had gotten up as well, the wolf would collect some of the flowers as best he could. He figured that the flowers might die on the way back if removed from their soil, so he would find himself pulling up soil and all. He wasn’t entirely sure where to put it, as he hadn’t thought that entirely through, but once the others had a plan he would follow suite.
 
As they readied themselves to leave, Sebastian would find himself staring at the bandits’ corpses. He would look to Arashi, “If permitted, I would like to bring them back for burial.” It might have been an odd request, but unless ordered not to he had no desire to just leave them here to be eaten by scavengers.

WC: 780

A cursory glance over the barren desert was enough to tell Ishii that he wasn't going to be finding any flowers here today. Sebastian tried to reassure Ishii that his response wasn't such a rarity, but it didn't change the way Ishii felt. Ishii gave a slow nod of his head.

"Yeah. I knew that it would happen eventually, but I never expected it to be so visceral."

Did they deserve it? Maybe. Maybe not. It wasn't a call for Ishii to make. Still, he couldn't help but feel pity for them. Maybe in another time, another life, they could've been something more than bandits. Now, it was too late...

Arashi pulled out a sealing scroll and unfolded it to reveal a tent for the shinobi to rest in. Ishii gladly went inside, satisfied to be out of the rain and into a warm environment. He tossed the scimitar aside lightly, taking care not to throw it in such a way as to get it stuck in the ground or damage the floor of the tent. Arashi began to make his way over to his two wards, checking their respective wounds. Sebastian was definitely the more damaged between the two shinobi, yet their sensei checked on Ishii first.

Ishii was fine, albeit a bit shaken from the experience. The cut on his cheek may become infected if left untreated, yet there wasn't anything more than a couple of bruises to worry about after that. Arashi insisted that Ishii sit down, which he gladly complied with. Ishii took the liberty of grabbing a nearby water container as well and taking a slow swig, also at Arashi's request. It did help, though Ishii had to do a bit of positioning with his tongue to make sure that it went where it was supposed to. Ishii nodded gratefully to his sensei, waving him off to go take care of the more injured of the two shinobi.

He listened calmly as his sensei and teammate discussed the oddities of his biology. Apparently he struggled with controlling that power from time to time, something that made Ishii's heart skip a beat. If what he became was when he was in control, he feared to see what would happen if he ever lost it. A silent shudder made its way through his body at the thought, yet he clearly saw the look in his eyes. It wasn't something Sebastian enjoyed, of that Ishii was sure. It was in that moment, as Arashi healed the man of his physical ailments and Sebastian's emotional turmoil shone through, that Ishii understood. Maybe it wouldn't last forever, maybe it would only last a moment or two, but it was that image that painted the picture clearly for Ishii. He wasn't a figure to be reviled or feared. He was as human as anyone else.

"If it makes you feel any better, you did very well in containing whatever that was. From what I can tell, it was an impressive display of strength and willpower that not many people could manage. If not for you, I wouldn't have had the strength to fend off those bandits. You saved my life. I can't thank you enough for that."

Of course, Arashi had mentioned something earlier that had piqued Ishii's interest. A scorched bracelet around his wrist, and a mention of power that could barely be contained. What he meant by that escaped the man, and he wasn't about to go prodding. If he wished to reveal that information, it would come in its own time. For now, Ishii would simply place that information in a pocket towards the back of his mind for safekeeping.

Arashi patched Ishii up next, fixing his wounds in a matter of moments. Ishii nodded his head in gratitude. He explained how they would wait until tomorrow to find the flowers, as they took a while to grow anywho. For a moment, Ishii was glad for the rest. Then another, less pleasant thought came to him. If it would take them a night to grow, the man who ran away didn't have a prayer. Ishii closed his eyes to pray for the man. Almost as if he knew, Arashi assured Ishii that he did what he could, that what happened was the man's own fault, not his. It was true, and in Ishii's logical brain he knew it to be the case. Yet he just couldn't bring his heart to do the same. There was some way, some facet of the situation that made it his fault.

Yet those words from Sebastian were the tipping point. It wasn't going to fix the way he felt instantly, but with the two comrades assuring him, Ishii didn't feel quite so bad. Ishii gave a small chuckle before laying down into the cot.

"Heh. Here I am wallowing in self pity over something that I had no control over. Thank you, both of you. I appreciate those words. I just hope that this life as a shinobi doesn't change who I am deep down inside. Don't worry, this won't affect my mission performance from here on out. I'll find and pick as many flowers as we need in the morning."

Ishii stayed up chatting until the inevitable lull to sleep overtook him. His night was dreamless, devoid of any thought or image that would remind him of the day before. Yet when he awoke, he found himself in a sea of white flowers and petals which coated the desert. If Ishii hadn't known better, he would say that they were in some form of grassland.

"It's so beautiful... I've never seen so many flowers gathered in one place..."

Word Count - 947

Total Word Count - 4704

Seeing the other two awaken and step out of the tent, he couldn't help but smile at the stunned looks he got.  He remembered it all too well himself; the first time he saw the flowers of the desert.  It was humbling to see how these two reacted to the sudden change in scenery.  "One day.  That's how long these flowers live out in the wilds.  By the end of the day seeds will be carried by the winds to land in the cracks of the dried ground.  Then, if the soil is right, the next storm will flood and moisten the soil, and the seed will grab the water it can and grow.  For us, the key time is six hours.  In six hours, the ground dries completely, which starts the flowers on their end of life cycle. These first six hours are the only time we will be able to harvest the entire plant.  After that the roots are sealed in, and the plant is stuck where it is for the rest of its short life."

Arashi pulled out a couple more scrolls, and laid them out on the tent floor.  Releasing the basic seal, three large strapped baskets came into existence.  "Alright, each of you grab a basket and start picking the flowers.  Gently twist and try to grab the whole thing.  There is soil at the bottom of the baskets to hopefully keep them protected and moist.  Its going to take a couple of hours to get back, as you can imagine."  

Before they could get started, the request from Sebastian shocked him... but a smile formed on his face.  Arashi reached to a pocket behind him as he spoke.  "There is absolutely no way you will be able to carry your gear, a basket of flowers, and two bodies.  But your request isn't without merit.  So I'm going to reveal to you two a hidden secret about shinobi missions." he said, holding two small scrolls in his hand.  

"These are specialized sealing scrolls.  In any given mission, the captain of the team will always carry enough for the entire team minus one.  I trust I don't need to tell you why." he said, handing the scrolls to Sebastian.  "With the seal already put on the inside of these scrolls, you want to lay the scroll either on top of the body facing down, or below and facing up.  Either way, the body needs to be in direct contact with the seal, obviously.  Then a simple seal is all you need to perform to activate the scroll.  The body is sealed into it, and you can reroll it to carry it.  We will have to turn these things in for identification first, in case there is someone that needs to be marked off the bounty list, but afterwards, I'll make sure you are able to get them to bury." he stated, before adjusting the strap on his basket and leaning down to gently pick the first flower.  

"We pick until the baskets are full, and then we carry them back.  Let's finish this mission up and head back." he said, as he started picking not only the flowers, but gathering sample of the soil for analysis.  They were still trying to crack the code of growth, after all.

A few hours later, with full baskets, Arashi resealed the tent, and make sure everyone was ready.  "You guys did well.  We'll have the wind at our backs on the way back, so we should be able to get there in less time than it took to get here.  If we need to stop we will, but a shinobi will always try to push themselves.  Its the only way they build up strength and endurance.  Let's go!" he said, kicking off the ground.

Arashi's report would include praise for both individuals, as well as a suggestion of an assignment of personalized one on one training to help Sebastian build up his control.  Also a scathing letter to not treat him as a threat.

END MISSION

(WC: 672)
(TWC: 4106)
(Unable to claim mission rewards; claiming 41 stats)
Jutsu:
[*]Wandering Oasis - A Rank
[*][url=https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t45586-v7-rupture]Rupture - B rank[url]