Devilish Damnation of Delights[Yuri/Makoto/Shunro]

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The wind was howling, bringing with it a sense of cheer that seemed both utterly out of place and yet somehow fitting for this time of year. Moon Country was not particularly known for its harsh temperatures, that honor being given to the Land of Snow and the Land of Iron, but on this particular day fat flakes of snow were certainly giving it a run for its money. People scurried about as they prepared for days of celebration, for festivals, for the lighting of candles and the ringing in of the new year with all sorts of pomp and circumstances. But none of that would be happening this year. Not if a particular set of determined individuals had anything to say about it.

This sort of a job was for a ninja, Shunro thought- not a ‘mercenary’ individual such as himself. Still, the pay was good, and there was promise of cookies at the end. Actual, delicious ones, completely unlike the poisoned and tainted goods that he had been tasked to destroy. The sudden approach from the individual known as Itazura was as strange as it was opportune, allowing him both the opportunity to travel and also to procure a respectable amount of money to send home to his family. The fact that he would be keeping a group of people out of harms way was icing on the cake- although he was starting to doubt that any of them would appreciate that particular sentiment after the fact.

Leaning against a free a respectable fifty feet from the Yoi granary, Kaneki would puff a breath of hot air into his thick winter gloves. Currently bundled up much like a polar bear, his thick white winter jacket certainly was making him look far more barrel shaped than usual and more ready for a sledding race then what was essentially an act of sabotage. Oh well, that was simply the works. He had been told to wait here for other individuals who would be undergoing the job as well as himself. Three, if he remembered correctly. Now, nothing to do from here but wait…

[359]

Makoto shields herself from the winds with a hood, the Yoshida shrine's devout having practically armored her with heavy winter clothes just so their clan head would not get a cold. It's not like she ever gets sick! She's got Yul inside her body, for goodness' sake, and is a deft hand at medicine like all her predecessors. What almighty virus of the common cold is going to have the audacity to fuck with her?

...Granted, the white, fuzzy clothes were very warm, and it'd warmed her heart as well to have everyone worry for her. While she wasn't exactly a picture of strength, she figured it was kind of hard for the average person that lived in the shrine to not see her as she was still a few years ago- an awkward mess who hadn't quite grown into leading or... grown into much of anything, truth be told. If only they knew how hard she'd been training...

But enough of those thoughts, Makoto figures, waving them aside. The promise of cookies to share with Yul was enough to lure her out of her training. Not the poison cookies, though, she just wanted those out of healthy academic curiosity and not because she'd been developing an unhealthy interest in all the ways the human body breaks down when people eat what they shouldn't, which would be unbefitting of a priestess.

"...Yul." She whispers. "...Am I weird?"

"...By my metric, or by an average civilian's metric?"

"I care about your opinion, mostly."

"Ah. Then no. I've certainly had weirder hosts, one of your ancestors had quite the fixation with trying to walk barefoot over hot coals without injuring herself..."

"Weird..."

"Apparently people really liked watching it for some reason."

Makoto nods, quieting down as she approaches the tree and sees one of the teammates she's been assigned, taking a deep breath and waving. "Hello! Is it just the two of us for now?"

[330]

In the muggy and hot climate of a village's refugee homes a young blonde man rolls a scroll in his hand. He sits thinking about the letter that had come with it. About some evil figure tricking his followers and preparing to kill them. That part didn't spur much. He wasn't exactly someone that could really afford to combat evil leaders. But the second part of the letter talking of "easy money" and being "greatly compensated" were what got him to move his ass. Hmmm. Should at least make a good first impression if he'll be working with some new people. Need to find some nice clothes. Plus something actually good to wear in that freezing cold.

A puff of smoke breaks through the snowfall as another joins the two outside the factory. An expensive coat from flower country adorning the new arrival. Blonde hair whipping amongst the wind as they spot the two others.

"Oi!" He'd head towards them, excited to get to making some new money and meeting new people. "Guessing you two are my other teammates for all this?"


He'd also b e able to catch the sight of the massive bakery. According to the letter which had been making poisonous cookies ready to kill whoever ate them. In all honesty Shunro had felt the letter and its contents were probably bogus. Whoever this Itazura and Yoi were it was probably some petty rivalry between them and now they decided to hire Ninja as new pieces in whatever game they played. But whatever the reason Itazura was ready to pay handsomely at least according to the missions he was given. And that was all the persuasion he needed. He kept his sleeves together, half to shield his hands and half so he could perform his hand seals without worry.

Beneath his coat he'd form a few to first form paper press and then explosive touch. A piece of his skin flaking off into paper before it was tagged with the mark of an explosive seal. Kept nice and close to himself for when he would need to blow something up in his missions. Honestly it had been so long that just the idea had him smiling.

[376]

The howling winds, the bite of cold, the endless expanse of white, and the constant fall of snow. Yuri xouldnt deny it, it felt like home. Inclement weather, hostile to the unprepared, but always like home. It wasn't home though, this was the Land of Moon. It was strange to receive such a sudden letter and dubious at best. The strange and sudden event reminded her of her not too recent nightmares culminating in a curious and morbid discovery by her bedside. Reading the contents of the letter it made her wonder if this was connected. 


Poisoned cookies, a cult like festival. Maybe it wasn't, maybe it was. This could be a trick played against her or it could be a genuine risk, but at worse she ruins a festival, and at best she saved many a life. When the math was done it simply made more sense to take the chance than not. The compensation was just icing on the cake at that point. She'd considered the possibility that this could be a trap, but who would do something like this? There were definitely better options for capturing a Shinobi, especially a genin. Those were the justifications she told herself as she went further in. 


Like a ghost in a blizzard, she crosses through the piles of snow without leaving a trace. Taking a deep breathe, feeling the sharp icy air enter her lungs before hot, foggy breathe leaves. It hits against the mask she was wearing a spread a slight warmth on her face that quickly cooled again. There were three figures in the snow scape. Two were unfamiliar but the third was...Makoto? 


Over a small dune of snow Yuri approached the group. Wearing an armor made of fabric and meteoric iron giving it a black and blue color scheme. A mask with maroon glass covering the eyes obscuring her face, and with Karuma sheathed at her hip. With the absence of attempt to call out, the heavily armored nature, and the clearly brandished weapon it was almost like an assassin had suddenly appeared, like a ghost. Even the lack of footsteps could be considered alarming. A simple wave from her was the only promise that the newcomer wasn't hostile. 


Casually sauntering over to the group before stopping a few meters away. She turns her attention to Makoto first and foremost. It wasn't expected to run into her or these two strangers here, but if they were here it was probably for a similar purpose as her. Still she couldn't just be careless here. 

"Hey'ya, guessing you're not here relaxing in the cold. I'm guessing all of you  are here together though. Mind if I ask why? I was supposed to meet some people here and I wanted to see if maybe it was you guys. If not I'll have to continue on alone, but I don't really mind." 


Waiting for their answer as she looks around. She could already see a few buildings, and she had a strong idea of the place she was going to hit. She could see it from here after all, it wouldn't be too much to listen to all of them answer her as she schemes a little in her head. She didn't know who these people were besides Makoto, but they didn't seem that worrying. Not much in the ways of weapons and armor, though it was always possible the most innocuous seeming types were hiding the greatest dangers.


WC: 578

"Ah! Yuri! Hello!" Makoto waves enthusiastically at the armored menace, smiling brightly "Yeah, I guess they're our teammates for this one. This cold is far from relaxing..." She sighs, shoving her cold hands back in her pockets. "It's bad enough Yul can feel it."

"Hah! Please, an old worm like me is used to the cold. I'd be more worried if you were running a fever. Make sure not to catch a cold, you hear...?"
Makoto just grins, glad to see someone she knows join in on this mission. It's not like she was the best with strangers, and Yuri being around would make things go a lot more smoothly. Now she just needed to get a grasp of the other two and make sure everything would go smoothly regardless of whatever differences they had.

"This is our first time working with non-Kirigakure shinobi. Perhaps it'll be a good opportunity if you befriend them. One can hardly claim to be wise knowing only of home."

Mm. She had to agree, it's not like she wasn't bothered by the fact she'd rarely left the village, but with things as they were... No, best to focus on the mission at hand, strange as they were- poisoned cookies and explosive gifts just sounded like a bad dream. Makoto turns to address the two unknowns, still smiling brightly.

"I'm Yoshida Makoto. If any of you get injured during this mission, let me handle it! I hope that we can all work together well."

[585]

And one more joins the band. That makes the four of them atleast. His interest is piqued however by the headbands on Makoto and who he could guess was Yuri. Kirigakure ninja huh? Wouldbe good to keep an eye on them. Just in case he needed to book it from here. "And that seems like it'll be out last member hm? Well I'm assuming you at least got the letter from Itazura like our little frightened friend pointed out correct? Poisoned cookies, cultists, destroying their production, good compensation, all that stuff?"

The odd ninja then would give a bow to the two village ninja. "The name is Shunro Nomura. Travelling painter and someone looking for easy money. Pleasure to meet you three."

Not technically a lie. He was a traveler and he was a painter. Not like they needed much more information on him. Thankfully he didn't remember relations between Hoshi and Kiri exactly being the best.

He certainly looked to keep a very blasé attitude about the whole affair.. The cold here was a bit annoying but he'd struggled against worse, and the people here while a bit spooky he figured were here for much the same reason he was. Profit. Maybe they had their own more righteous reasons but he didn't exactly expect paragons to come out of the bloody mist.

"Though if you've all decided to take the other two options Itazura gave in terms of missions probably best not to linger much longer right?" He'd start leisurely making his way towards the bakery. Happy to have people for idle chatter that werent trying to watch him like a hawk for the first sign of trouble

[666] (lmao)

"Yuri. I'll take lead." 

She kept it short. It wasn't like she was in her village with friends or anything. Right now it was technically foreign territory and she had to be careful. Moving a few meters ahead of the pack as she walks over the pure white sheets of snow. It gave her a slight bit of pleasure to pass through it and leave it unbroken. Even if her teammates were plodding through and disturbing the whole thing not long after. A bit concerned for Makoto's casualness, she wonders how trustworthy her newfound companions were. 


At the very least a similar benefactor called them. So the worries of immediate betrayal were minimal. Though it still left the issue of a plan. She didn't know what the other two were capable of, and she knew Makoto was strong but not much besides that. So if they ran into anything like a real Shinobi this might become real trouble. In a way there was something even more wearing than being here though. It was almost that time of the year again, and she still hadn't managed to pull it off. Maybe it really was egotistical to expect that much progress but still, it kind of stung. 


Walking to the workshop while letting the rest of the group talk as they please, eventually the landscape would have a small façade where the land dips. Forming a slight crevasse with a frozen river at the bottom. Yuri holds in a yelp as she slides down the decline. Crossing over the the frozen river without a sound, before clambering up the other side. The peak of the other end immediately goes into another decline that leads to the bakery, but Yuri doesn't go over it, instead going on to her stomach near the edge of the crevasse and peaking over to scout out the area. 


It was a pretty wide clearing that was a dozen meters down the decline Yuri was peering over. It was steep too, and easy enough to slide down. It made her wonder why someone would pick here until she saw a couple of things. The stairway, there was only one all the way down the decline without risking slipping, and even then it'd probably be a few minutes routing the effective crater and reaching them. Plus the stairs were probably iced over, making it just as slippery as taking any other route down. 


Then there were the guards. The letter mentioned that followers of Yoi. Counting one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... by the time she got to sixteen she let out an exasperated sigh. Sure sixteen wasn't alot even for a minor village, and sure maybe only half at most were as good as an average genin at best but, that would still be a hassle if they did this poorly. Though even taking account to how there may be more places like these the security felt way too light, there was something bothering Yuri about all this. Turning on her back and propping herself up by her elbow in a casual laying down position she considers her options. 


Though there weren't many options without gaining some critical info first, a slight smile under her mask as she looks at Shunro and Kaneki once they catch up to her. She didn't know these people at all, which was a downside but that also meant maybe they'd surprise her. Surprise her, maybe, by being top class shinobi, even top class genin would make this alot easier, so she tried asking. 

"So it seems like security isn't too tight, but it'll be hard for all of us to get in there as is without a fight. How good is everyone here at fighting. There seems to be about sixteen people with an unknown amount of strength behind them. If we're lucky they're basically civilians, decent odds they're low ranking shinobi, poor man's luck and they're something that's too much of a hassle like Anbu, so I'd like to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses before we do this."

WC: 1257

"Uhm... why did you take a job like this if you can't..." Makoto just stares at them like they're some sort of alien, poking her fingers together. "Do you have actual training?"

Oh god, were they going to die on her? Or worse, what if he got injured, she ran out of chakra, and then she couldn't heal Yuri? What if he lost a hand and had to quit his job and starved and-

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

"Wow, that is..."

"...Brave is a word for it?"

"It sure is."

"...Maybe we should knock him out now and deal with the aftermath later." She whispers to Yul, considering the pros and cons of not having to deal with a civilian tagging along on the mission. Was it always like this, going out for mercenary work? The horror, the terrible anxiety, having to put up with weird people who don't know how to fight but are willing to get into dangerous situations for money?

For that matter, did she fit that description herself? She didn't fight all that much- No, no. She'd trained plenty, at least, and had applicable skills. Who knows if this person is actually any good at infiltration or they just sneak out for a drink behind people's backs.

Or maybe they were actually good at it and she was overthinking it.

"Well, maybe we should hold it to a vote..."

"Mm, maybe..."

[827]