Of Ransoms and children ( IO)

Mission details :

They say if you want everyone to know something, you simply need to keep it a secret in a small town.  In no time the would be secret will become the talk of the day, and soon everyone will know.  It was in this way that Kaito would have preferred to keep his strength to himself.  Yet, his initial mission with the woman named Junko, and then his assistance in the fire had led to him getting several requests here and there.  For the most part he was fine with this, as it helped pay the rent, and whatever items he would need to be comfortable.  

His tournament was still roughly a month away, and because of that there had begun a question of balance.  Balance in his training, and in working.  It was in this way he missed when he had simply lived amongst a stable.  The juniors performing any chores that needed doing, and his role simply to exist, train, and eat,….what a life it had been.  Still, those days weren’t possible at the moment and the life of a vagabond moving from tournament to tournament came with its own set of challenges…challenges that were soon threatening to overtake what he could do.

Still, when a message is received requesting help to save a child…..it is nearly impossible to turn it down.  Despite his ferocity in the dohyo….his stern exterior when he was able to keep his poker face…..the reality was Kaito Oni, the Takeshiyama was a big softy.  Who wouldn’t be in the face of potential child murder.  With this in mind, he dressed himself in his most tame kimono the only outfits as tradition dictated that he owned.  This one was a soft gray, with the imagery of mountains spreading across his expansive frame.  Wooden clogs to match he set out to the nearby village to see what he was to do.  

He wasnt sure when he’d developed such a soft heart, but he also couldn’t remember a time he didn’t.  Growing up within the confines of Devil Country had not always been the easiest, especially within the fearsome clan of the Ushitori.  Still, despite the hardships and at times the pure hostility it had always seemed as though it was a normal thing.  Perhaps because of that, it didn’t taint him the same way violence can taint others.  While some are touched by violence and only see violence as the answer, he caught it head on and just continued with his life.  His strength not seen as a way to hurt others, but as a way to elevate himself.  It was sumo that taught him this, that provided him with such a solid determination and goal.  

Within the world of wrestling life is simple.  You fight, you win, life becomes easier.  You fight you loose, life becomes harder.  His size and natural strength had led him to many victories in his younger years, and because of that he did not have to go through the same thing that other rikishi did.  He did not stand at the bottom of the stable performing the chores of his elders the same way, but their plight was not lost on him.  The youngest and smallest treated the worst.  Even then he felt it wrong, and when he could he’d intervene and protect them.  He had to fight even harder after that, as he opened himself up to be a target, but he’d never seen it as a hardship but simply as a duty.  

Now, he once again saw others with strength seeking to exploit the weakness of the young.  All these thoughts swirled in his mind as he waited.  

He was told there might be others that would assist him on the mission, a simple mission….save the child and bring those who would extort to justice…..simple right?

TWC - 639

What is there to say when you're asked for help? One can simply ignore it and walk away, leaving that person alone and in the dark void within this uncaring world. One can also leap at the chance to help them, making them feel helped and included into your own life, providing them a feeling of respite. But to someone like Kitsunagi, he wonders just how long the feeling of camaraderie lasts? Is it truly something that can bring people together? Or is it simply a way for someone to feel slightly less alone in the world, only to forget you right after?

Kitsu felt like the latter was the more accurate. How often do you remember those that help you in situations that require help? Do you truly remember the name of the man that had held open a door or even fixed up your house when the roof was leaking? Probably not. You might remember their company name, but not their personal one that they were born with, or in his case, created with. He still did hold quite the grudge against Ren at times, bringing him into this world when there was really no reason to, and giving him no purpose.

But today, he would hold that grudge in silence. He and Ren would meet up with Takeshiyama for yet another mission. But this time, they would not be going to the mines, but instead, they would be working together to find a kidnapped child and bring the culprit to justice. But what could he possibly do to help? The last time they had done a mission that involved bad guys, he was simply told to go stand outside the area of combat so he wouldn't get in the way. Why would this be any different than that time?

The thoughts continued to culiminate within his mind, he wanted to be able to help. But recently, he was feeling that he wasn't good for anything other than throwing a pick axe around and making more money and materials for the village to thrive with. It's not exactly a true purpose to live, but more of a reason to work. He understood the ambition, somewhat. He saw that Junko and her other roomates were wanting to create something larger than themselves. To create such a village would be a lofty goal for sure, but it was a lofty goal that they seemed to all be pointing towards.

He was surprised just how much Ren was in on the scheme when he truly just wanted to get away and live his life with Kiko, traveling through the world and seeing the different sights that there were to see. But he shrugged it off for now. He would join with Takeshiyama and Ren and they would begin to search for whoever had kidnapped the child and why they had done the kidnapping. The first stop the trio would make would be the last known location of the child.

They would arrive at a local leader's home, a shaman within the village. This was actually someone that Kitsu wanted to speak with soon, to learn more about the spirits that dwelled within the island. He pushed those thoughts off for now, focusing on what he needed to accomplish in the here and now. The other two would start searching for clues as to where they had gone, but Kitsu had begun doing his own investigation into the why they had done what they had done.

First, he would turn to the elder and begin to ask questions as to what was going on during the time of the abduction. The man wasn't sure how to answer the questions at first. He would mutter that he wasn't sure, that it all had happened so fast. He noted that it had happened when the leader was home. Kitsu asked when this had happened, to which the elder had stated only hours ago, during the early hours of the morning. Kitsu noted that down as well. He then turned his attention to the child's room. The culprit had entered through the window, and basing it on the amount of force used, this individual was rather amateur at his job.

He would navigate his way through the room with an inquisitive eye, scanning through the room. He would find that the child did struggle, at least somewhat, there was a few drops of blood within the sheets of the bed. He removed the blanket and there sat a bloodied kunai knife, likely belonging to the culprit, who ran when the elder came into the room. He picked it up and he knew immediately that it had to have been one of the bandits from Kurogane's band, the man that had talked to Ren about what had happened that fateful night where Junko was nearly killed.

He recommended that they start in high pursuit for the ruins of tengakure. He was sure that they would find something or someone on the way there that may be bleeding, whether it be the child or the culprit. The elder seemed to become worried at the thought of the child bleeding, but Kitsu was far to engrossed in the hunt to worry about the old man's feelings. He would leave the child's room, then be stopped by Ren. Ren would tell him that he should go back to Junko's home, so he would be safe from the harm.

He woud protest. Kitsu would begin to explain that he was the one that found the clue, and he should be the one to be able to bring the culprit to justice. But Ren was unwavering. He told Kitsu that it was too dangerous. That Kitsu had helped enough and from this point on it was up to the adults to deal with the situation. Kitsu was fuming, his face going from a porcelain like, pale complexion, to a hint of red as his face filed with color. He threw the bloodied kunai knife on the ground and stormed out of the building, muttering curse words under his breath as he retreated to the glad nestled in forest.

WC: 1027
TWC: 1027
EXIT

Claims:
Completion of B rank mission
12k ryo from mission rewards (doubled from Beloved Presence)
60 AP from mission rewards (Doubled from beloved presence) (Current bonus AP = 270 once this is approved. New total = 330 AP bonus

WC claims:
+10 chakra (bringing it to 63)
+1027 towards Time Dilation (1027/2500)

Children are such a blessing in this world. They are your legacy, they are what you can hopefully leave behind in this trepidatious world and hope that they continue to excel far after you're gone. This is a point that Ren had tried to make towards Kitsu on several occasions. It's true that Kitsu was not made like a normal child, nor was Sakoshi, but it didn't change the fact that Ren loved them both so deeply and wanted for them both to be so loved and cared for in this world. He wanted the best for them as if they were his biological children.

Sakoshi seemed to be fine with this explanation, but Kitsu was far different. He felt so alienated from the rest of the world because of how his creation came to be. Ren understood the concnern for being different. He was different, for many reasons and not just because of how he came to be on the planet. He was not very social with others. He preferred the presence of the spirits that he felt lived within the forests that surrounded the villages and even sought to track down the great spirits of ancient times.

Ren of course loved Kitsu, with all his heart, but he did worry for his time on this planet. He worried because of his differences that he would never truly find happiness, and that was his biggest fear. He had the chance to be with his Kitsu and Takeshiyama yet again today. But today's goals weren't the same as the last few outings that they had where they went out into the mines and obtained pay through the hardwork of their swinging of a pickaxe. Instead today they had been contacted about a missing child from one of the elders of the village, and he requested us personally.

Ren's heart sank when he had heard about the child being taken. He could only imagine how hard it would have been for the father to hear that his child had been kidnapped. He knew that he felt so strongly now that he had offpsring of his own, regardless of how he obtained them. He felt just as strongly for his Kitsu as he would a child of natural birth, even if Kitsu didn't believe that. He would try and find Kitsu early that morning, but he was gone. He didn't appreciate when Kitsu would just leave for hours on end, it scared him, but he knew Kitsu wouldn't listen.

The time came for them all to meet, and luckily Kitsu was there on time for them to meet up with Takeshiyama. When they all gathered, they would walk towards the elder's home, the father of the abducted child. Almost immedidately after arriving in the home, Kitsu began to interrogate the elder about the event that had happened. Ren had tried to have him ease up, which he did, slightly. Kitsu then began to search through the child's bed after investigating the broken window. He found a bloodied kunai knife, and the two had made the connection that this was likely the bandits from the ruins of Tengakure.

This was the moment that he realized that he was going to need to break Kitsu's heart yet again. He couldn't stand the idea of him getting hurt on a mission like this, so he would turn to Kitsu. Kitsu began speaking about going to the ruins and finding whoever had done this. But Ren's face didn't diminish, he stared at him and he told him what needed to happen. He would tell Kitsu that he needed to stay behind and that he and Takeshiyama would take it from here.

Of course Kitsu would protest, but Ren remained firm. Kitsu's face filled with color as he could feel the anger rise within him. He stormed off and he looked over to Takeshiyama, "Shall we?" He would say as the two began to head towards the ruins. During their travels, he would still feel so bad about how things ended with Kitsu, but luckily he had his friend Takeshiyama to help him with the fact that Ren was quite slow. He would ask if he could grab a ride, and should he be accepted, then the two would be off.

After only a short while of chasing down the culprit, Ren began to notice a small blood trial in the grasses of the plains. It led off into the forest to the side. Ren would have made sure that his friend would see the trail and they would go deeper into the forest. As they entered the forest, he would point out a small body that they could see underneath one of the trees. He would leap off of Takeshiyama's back and he would begin tending to the body of the child. He would motion for his sumo partner to head towards the ruins and find the culprit.

Should he accept the deal, then he would be off. Ren would activate his mystical palm and he would place it on the boy's body. He was still breathing, but it was quite faint. The blood from the kunai was certainly the child's as he had a laceration on his arm that was quite deep. After a few moments of him channeling his chakra into the child, he would begin to stir once more. He would cough violently as his eyes began to dart around the area.

Ren would attempt to calm the child, he would speak softly to him, letting him know that he was okay and that there was nothing to be afraid of any longer. He informed the child that his friend, a much larger and stronger individual than himself would be taking care of the culprit and they were going to go back to his home so he could rest. For a few moments the child cried softly, still being terrified from the whole ordeal. But Ren would tell him just how brave he was for trying to get himself free. Ren would carry the boy back to the village where he could be reunited with his family.

WC: 1024
TWC: 1024
EXIT

Claims:
Completion of B rank mission
+12 k Ryo (doubled for Beloved Presence)
+6k ryo (converted from 60 AP from mission)
Total of 18k ryo

WC Claims:
+10 chakra for Kitsunagi (bringing it to 73)
+1024 Time Dilation (2051/2500) for Kitsunagi (Previous training is in Kitsunagi's claims)

In truth, Kaito was no detective. That was not the task that he could perform, or one that he would willingly do. Watching Kitsu move about the room with a confidence he didn’t often see in the man, all the conclusions made sense, and they added up. He thought to himself if he would have drawn the same conclusions, and the truth was he would not have. He did not know the area, the politics, the dynamics, or any of these things. He was here to provide assistance, and he was pleased that the others had his back for his shortcomings.

He watched as the two men fought, and he truthfully did not understand their dynamics, but regardless Kitsu would be sent away by Ren. Time being of the essence, and the ground ahead rough Ren would humble himself and ask for assistance. Hardly able to turn away such an act, and in truth he could use the eyes for the area Takeshiyma would lift Ren as though he weighed nothing and set off in the directions that he was given. Along the way asking the basics about the bandits and their dealings with them. Filling away any of the information that might come in useful at a later time.

Their conversation cut off by the bards eyes finding another clue, they would soon make their way into the brush of the forest, where Ren would find the child. Leaping off he went to the small figure and attempted to do what he could. This once again was not the strong suit of the wrestler, and knowing one’s limits is paramount to survive in the world. Heading Ren’s suggestion he charged forward, in hopes of finding the person that had done this.

Leaving the two behind it wouldn’t be long before he found a figure lying on the ground. He hesitantly approached, a stance ready to charge, but as it turned out it was unnecessary. Getting closer, he saw a figure wide eyed as though caught in surprise. The punchline, a kunai embedded deep in the side of his throat, a thin stream still seeping from the wound. Lifting the body he would walk back, meeting up with Ren and showing him. It appeared the boy had been braver than anyone could have guessed, and had handled the business himself.

Returning the body and the boy to the shaman they would accept their payment with some hesitation, as good deeds need none, but in the end at the instance they took it, returning home. At least one good deed done on the day.

Exit

TWC - 1072 (mission word count 3123/3000

Claims
6k ryo mission + 4k ryo B rank + 1.5k ryo (30apx50ryo) = 11.5k

1072 WC + 585 WC from Here to obtain Seal of protection at B rank. (1750 x.25 for discount = needing 1313)

remaining words dumped

Takeshiyama wrote:

Exit

TWC - 1072 (mission word count 3123/3000

Claims
6k ryo mission + 4k ryo B rank + 1.5k ryo (30apx50ryo) = 11.5k

1072 WC + 585 WC from Here to obtain Seal of protection at B rank.  (1750 x.25 for discount = needing 1313)

remaining words dumped

Approved!

Note: Remember to indicate learning at 25% even though you are maxed out stat wise and Bonus AP wise for record keeping!