Through the Eye of the Needle

Plethora of Missions:

Kasane found herself, once again, face-to-face with the tombstone that laid her mother beneath it. It took her a long time to come to accept her mother's death, she couldn't quite accept the fact that she was gone, always wishing for some reason that she could come back. Kasane knew that would never happen, so she just had to accept that fact that her mother's memory was now locked inside the Yuki's heart. The songs she would sing, hum, were like art but also like a protector that would never let the terror in. Now those songs were never to be heard again. 

A single tear slowly fell down her porcelain cheek and on to the ground beneath her. It was time to go. It was border patrol day, which she had the luxury to be one of the members to partake in the mission. She was expected to meet up with her partner and complete a round at the village headquarters, then move on residential area, then trade district, and finally to the slums. It was going to be an all-day event for her and her partner.

It was a cool day in the rice plain that is known as Tanbogakure. Blue skies and massive clouds were overcast as she strolled through the village. Small mom n' pop shops started their daily routine as they began to open up for business. With a small wave and a smile towards all those she passed, she in took the different smells that came from the stores that operated as restaurants. While there was a magnitude of different foods located right here in Tanbogakure, the amount of rice was unparallel. Well, could you expect anything different from the rice capitol of the world?

Rolling her eyes at the thought, she continued on her way. She was almost to the village headquarters that overlooked the sea, an out-of-place castle that was located at the far end of the military district. Stepping into the military district, things started changing as the air here wasn't as lively as one could expect from the residential district. While over the years, Tanbogakure has increased in size, the military unit they had has not. If Tanbogakure was to be caught in a war against one of the other major villages, they would surely fall. This very thought is what drives her to become stronger. Stronger to protect the only home that she known.

As she passed along, she gained a few catcalls from the older men that still lingered around in the unit's even when old age is close enough to lay claim to their life. She laughed off their whistles and calls as she soon found herself just outside the main entrance to the castle. Resting her back against the stones wall that made up its exterior, she waited for her partner, Sato Hoshigaki. While she has never met anyone from the clan yet, she heard about them. Moreso that they resemble creatures from the seas, rather than human.  

TWC: 502

Sato found herself, once again, face-to-face with an empty sake bottle, waking up on a table at one of the many pubs of Tanbogakure. It took her a long time to realize where she is, but that's how hangovers work. Her mouth was dry as a desert, her head pounding, making it hard to even see, her stomach churning from the night before. As she shook her head to try and get her eyes to do their job, the usual dilemma of her morning afters made its way to the forefront of her thoughts: how much water to drink. If she didn't drink enough, her headache would last the whole day, but drink a bit too much and she'll find the table full of vomit and herself banned from this place as well. Though most of her bans had more to do with fights than vomits, but she had no doubt it could warrant one. As pictures from last night started flooding her brain she started to understand how she got her newest bruises on her forearms. Like most of the time, it was a brawl. And a damned good one this time around. Just thinking back got her blood pumping.

She had an odd feeling, like she was supposed to remember something. Her cogs were still turning fairly slowly, the idea was blurry, but she was sure had something to do this morning. Then the thought suddenly snapped into focus, now it was completely clear, she had been assigned to do some patrols with some girl she never met. Kitsune? Kasuna? She couldn't remember. But her last name was Yuki she was sure, since she heard of the family before. They are a clan capable of using the ice release, or that's what they said about them at the very least. Ice. An interesting element for sure. The Hoshigaki girl never was too comfortable with anything other than water, but ice being a derivative of it felt... alright.

They were supposed to meet at the village headquarters, and she was probably already late. Whatever, she thought, the girl can wait a bit. Nevertheless she stood up from her table, swaying a bit, but she managed to keep her footing and as soon as she regained her balance, she dashed towards the door, knocking it open with her bandaged hands. The fresh air of outside filled her lungs and the wind caught her long, dark blue hair and blew it into her face. Now she was completely awake, and ready for a new day. She took a couple of fast steps, but quickly realized her stomach was not ready. She settled for an easier pace, her hair waving after her like a flag. At least her headache was gone. She soon arrived at the entrance to the castle, but had no idea how the girl she was supposed to search for looked like, so just hoped the Yuki girl will find her. At the end of the day, being a Hoshigaki had it's perks.

WC: 504

Staring off into the distance, Kasane felt her mind wander to the memories of her fight yesterday with her brother. She gave subtle eyeroll at the thought of how annoying he can be. Always complaining about something but never doing anything to fix the problem, as if it's always her responsibility. This must be how mother felt. No. She would never get annoyed with them, always tending to their every need, but now that she is gone, that responsibility lied with her. Maybe she should be more gracious when dealing with him. He is still very young, but Kasane feels like his antics are just to test her.

Kasane was deep into her mind that she barely recognizes the massive shark-like woman that passed in front of her. 'Hm, they are more beastly than I would have suspected,' Kasane thought to herself as she motioned her body towards the Hoshigaki. Of course, she would have missed Kasane as for she looks similar to the rest of the population of Tanbogakure while Sato is more distinct.

"Sato?" Kasane said aloud to gather Sato's attention. If she didn't get her attention the first time, she would say it again, louder each time. Once she did get her attention, she would raise her hand up in a wave before introducing herself. "Hi, I'm Kasane Yuki. You must be Sato Hoshigaki. Pleasure to meet you," the Yuki said with warm grin as she rested her arms behind her back. While Kasane might have been smiling, she was suffering through the smell that this woman brought with her. Her stench smelled like a bar full of accidents and regrets. So not very pleasing. However, that must also notify her that she likes to partake in the party life, or lack thereof, in Tanbogakure. Maybe if they get along well, they can make a date to one of the bars that are in village. But only after Sato freshens up of course.

"Well, looks like we are all ready." The was lie. Sato looked a little rough around the edges and most likely rather be doing anything other than a whole day worth of patrols. And by rough around the edges, Kasane was talking about bruises that were painted on her forearms. Smelling like a bar and bruises, she must be one of those angry drunks. Maybe she should be cautious if she wants to go out and drink with this one.

"So, I'm sure you've read the contents of this mission. I figured that we start here and work our way outwards with the last stop being the slums." Kasane said as she started to walk close to the wall that surrounded the castle that operated as the headquarters.

"How are we feeling this morning, beautiful weather, right?" Kasane tried to start some small talk. Of course, using weather as an ice breaker is so original but that's all she got right now. This one could absolutely hate talking, and questions further along will piss her off. That would be unfortunate for the rest of the day.

Well, is Sato hates talking, she might get mad because Kasane has another question right of the bat, "Besides being a shinobi, anything you like to do outside of work? Hobbies?" She asked as if she were on a date with this woman.

TWC: 1,057

She heard a soft and very feminine voice calling her name, so she turned around to find a dark haired girl looking up at her. The Yuki's overly formal greeting made her show her smile, containing way too many and way too sharp teeth. "The pleasure's all mine." - she said as she towered over the girl, who showed no sign of being scared or disgusted, which was a nice change. She'll try to remember her forename this time around. "Well, looks like we are all ready." - said the girl, and the obvious lie forced out a laugh from Sato, one that almost sounded like a bark. "Yeah, I've never been more ready." She waited for the girl to explain her plan, which was very fortuitous, since she had no idea which parts they were to patrol. They did tell her at the debriefing, but when she doesn't want to be somewhere, it's quite hard to concentrate. And maybe she was already over her first few drinks by that point. But how else was she supposed to tolerate all those goody two shoes barely hiding their disgust for her? "Yeah, seems like the most reasonable way to do things. I hope we find some trouble." - She smiled again, ear to ear, showing off her teeth. There was something primal in that smile. Something that felt like... hunger.

Until the Yuki's question, she didn't really bother to assess the weather around her, it was sort of a miracle she found her way to the headquarters, but she had to admit it was a nice day. The fact the girl showed no concern regarding her antics rubbed her the right way, so she tried to ignore the banality of the conversation, and answer as nicely as it was possible for her. Small talk wasn't her forte, but she did like good stories, so maybe it will be worthwhile. "Yeah, I can't remember the last time the sun shined this brightly. Makes you want to just grab a bottle of sake and sit at the foot of a tree. But to answer your question I feel a bit like shit." - She grinned at her. - "The night was a little... long."

"Besides being a shinobi, anything you like to do outside of work? Hobbies?" - asked the girl. What a basic date question. She looked her up and down with her small yellow eyes. Now that she looked at her closer, she wouldn't necessarily mind if this was a date. Though it might not be true the other way around, so she tried to keep her eyes from slipping down from the girls eyes for now. "It might not surprise you, but I enjoy drinking, and good brawls. Also listening to folks stories at pubs. Most of the time they talk bullshit, but if I drink enough I don't mind. And there is the possibility one of them says something that's true." - She looked lost in thought for a second. - "Not like a story has to be true to be good. What about you?" - Her superiors, those blithering idiots always told her not to talk while on patrol, something about concentration, but she never listened to them, and won't start now. Besides, what could possibly go wrong inside the headquarters?

WC: 544
TWC: 1048

"Trouble you say. I'm sure we'll find some in the slums; that place always has someone acting out." Kasane responded to her answer with a statement of her own. While Kasane's family hasn't always been with the birth of Tanbogakure, they did join later on and being one of the few clans to migrate to the rice village, they had their own compound. Well, smaller than those in the great city that is known as Konohagakure. While many of her family members have the last name Yuki, they do not have Yuki blood, meaning that they could not use the kekkei genkai of the name. They were far off relatives in a sense, but still family.

"You're right, I do love a nice drink after a long day. Something about it is so therapeutic, you know?" The smaller female said, almost asking it as if she doesn't believe it already. She did enjoy the feeling of the drink, maybe a little too much. However, she was more sophisticated than that, she enjoyed much of the finer wines than the lowly, cheap sake that is majorly produced in this very village.

"Long night, eh? Something interesting happen?" Kasane asked, being nosy just like she always was.

"Hm. I figured by the sake-like smell coming from you and the bruises that appear on your arm, but hey, no judgement here. I, too, do delve into the drink. However, not here of lately. Maybe I should get out of the compound once in a while, my family can be quite...boring, to say the least." Kasane said with a small chuckle falling from her mouth. It was true, her family tended to by old fashion in that manner. Everything has to be always precise. Kasane, being first born, always had a reputation to ahead by, and she just hated that.

After finishing the round at the castle walls, it was time to move to the residential area. Mainly where Kasane lived. She wasn't for sure if Sato lived there too. The district did make up a lot of their population, but doesn't mean her home was there. If she was being honest, it wouldn't surprise her if she was from the slums, giving her liking for fighting. But then again, who was she judge.

"I wonder if Tanbogakure will ever become like one of the great villages, I mean the village, not only being a port, but it is also stationed along one of the main trades routes that connect the other villages. Plus, the amount of rice we export. Figured we'd be able to grow, rather than be stagnant that we've had been. Maybe with new leadership and opportunities the village will flourish. Thoughts?" Kasane kept up the conversation, except switching to a more generalized idea of the village as they made their way into the residential district. But what she said, she believed. How come the village hasn't been growing, surely enough, they've been getting some sums out of the trading the do with the other villages.

TWC: 1,562

The slums always has someone acting out? Well, now that she was here, it had one less person who would act out, but what the Yuki said did ring true. At least she had something to look forward to. Sato was hoping the other girl would ask about her night, she loved boasting about winning brawls. She smiled as the image of that bastard's nose cracking under her fist flooded back into her mind. "Some guy thought he can touch me without consequences. I pretended to bite, and invited him outside and... Let's just say his face doesn't look the way it used to." For the next sentence she leaned closer, and whispered to Kasane. "A broken nose and a few less teeth tends to do that to people." She laughed out at the memory. "It's quite rare that someone tries to hit on me. They have to be excessively drunk. Or just have a very weird taste." She looked her peer up and down. "I guess it happens to you more often. How do you handle similar situations?"

"Oh you do? I wouldn't have guessed." She looked genuinely surprised. Then at the thought of family she seemed to get lost in thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Well, family is just a shackle, you're better off without in my experience. We could go out together sometime if you feel up for it." Her shark-like smiley was already back on her face. "Two is always better than one. Though I must warn you, I'm not the easiest to stop when a good fight presents itself."

Every time she entered the residential area, she felt like she didn't belong here. For the same reason she tried not to come here, whenever she could. She spent most of her life on the run, never staying in one place for long, so even though she lived in Tanbogakure for years now, it never felt like home. The slums she got used to slowly, but the relative luxury of the better places inside the village made her uncomfortable.

The complex question of her companion proved a bit too much for her hangover brain to comprehend, and she didn't care that much for the village anyway. Although the new deputy Kage, Rin Togakawa did peak her interest. She was ambitious and Sato heard a bunch about her strength, how she was one of the deadliest missing nins. Up until joining the village of course. "I'll be blunt, I have no idea what it takes to make a village flourish. I don't have the slightest clue about economics. But what I know is this Rin is strong, and that will help against threats from outside. Also strength breeds strength, and a strong military never hurts for an up and coming village."

While debating about things obviously above their pay grade, they crossed into the trade district. Sato knew for a fact, this was the place where the most crime happened, having worked for a few underhanded merchants in the past. The slums might have been violent, but the merchants were cunning and ruthless, and there was a lot more money to be stolen around here as well. "So are we supposed to only look for violent crimes we can see, or are we allowed to go up to merchants and ask for permits and about the origins of the goods? I'm sure they would feel much safer if they felt the vigilant eyes of law enforcement on their backs." She showed her teeth again as she finished the sentence.

WC: 593
TWC: 1641

"Of course, always the stupidity of men."

Kasane chuckled as they continued their trip. Thus far, it didn't seem like a mission at all. To her, it was almost as if two friends are catching up and talking about what has gone through their week. She wished most of her relationships came as a nature to her as this has been. Maybe it's just that Sato is easy to talk too, or maybe it's just she's not being fake towards Kasane as most people have done in their life. Only care about what is on the surface.

"I'm....sure that's not true." Kasane said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Did Sato think that lowly of herself that she believes that only individuals have to be drunk or weird to like her. To make advancements on her. Of course, Kasane did understand where she was coming from, well, not on a personal level but more so that she understood that Sato looked different, so others probably have judged her for it.

"Eh? I really don't get out that much for people to notice me. I'm just ordinary," Kasane stated as she rounded a corner and found themselves in the particular area of Tanbogakure that is known as the slums. The very air of the place at seemingly switched from the light, calm area that was presented in the residential district to something much more worrisome and dirtier.

"Maybe for you, but in my opinion, those who are your family or those who you have deemed worthy as your family are very important. For me, they were the only ones there before, during, and after my mother passed. People think with family it should always be hundred percent happiness all the time. But when times get dark, things get rough, and everything becomes difficult, they were the ones that helped me in the end. And I hope that, one day, you too will experience that for yourself." Kasane warmly stated while giving Sato a comforting touch upon her cold skin. Yes, she fought with brother at times but that's only because he just liked to annoy her.

"I suppose you're right, but strength isn't always everything. Diplomatic relations also are very important in an established village." The Yuki said. Yes, villages while Hoshigakure and Kumgakure military strength is renowned, also the relationship with other villages have set them up as power houses in the shinobi world. If they didn't have those relations, war, then famine would soon take them.

"Hehe, I guess so. Do as you please, I see no harm in it. I'm going to go check near the houses." Kasane said, as she left Sato to explore the vendors and merchants for petty crimes. It seemed everything was continuing to be uneventful, even in the slums. Besides being boring, it was filthy and smelled much worse than Sato. Kasane giggled at the thought as she then turned into an alleyway. She wasn’t afraid of anything that could happen. She did, in fact, fear she may go too far if she were to be bothered by the pests that lingered in these alleys. Speaking of, Kasane saw a ragged man standing on the opposite side of the alley and, when she turned, she found two more similar looking men blocking the other side.

“Now, where’s a cutie like you think yer going, huh?” One of the men exclaimed, revealing a small knife. Kasane barely showed any concern, instead showing a slight annoyance in her eyes.

TWC: 2,148
[Exit]
+7,000 RYO
+35 AP
+21 Stats towards Vigor
2148/2500 towards Soap Bubble Ninjutsu

Approved