Far Away

Akki Senju looked up at the beautiful gates before her! Village gates beautiful? Yeah, especially when you know your future lies beyond them. It had been raining but at this point it had stopped and only the thunder and lightning remained. Which was fine considering the lightning lit up the way for Akkis and Megami! Akki had never been to this village before, so whatever was behind the gates was completely new to her.
Akki had on a black leather midriff top which shows her midsection. Considering Akki was skinny but fit, this accentuates her figure very well. She had on a black leather short skirt with black shorts underneath, and black knee high boots on. Her long blue hair was pulled up on her head in a ponytail and her Senju Clan tattoo was very visible on the side of her neck. She didn't need makeup, she had very beautiful facial features and soft pink lips already!
She looked up at the looming gates and took a deep breath before speaking.
“Hello? Anybody there?” Akki asked as she looked around the area of the gates. Someone was surely there, this is one of the villages with top security after all.
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Megami looked around them and even in the dark, the borders of this village were breathtaking and beautiful! Cherry blossom trees and some other kinds of trees, gorgeous plants and even benches for a place to sit, this area was maintained very well! As they approached the gates, the lightning lit up the area brightly and she saw the huge gates of Hoshigakure! A sign of hope and new beginnings for the sisters.
Megami had her long purple hair hanging down flowing freely. She wore a purple and black silk tank top and much like her sister she wore a short pleated black leather skirt with shorts underneath. She also wore black mid calf black boots.
“This place is very different from the villages we've been to before, hopefully we find our teammates and friends here!” Megami said before Akki started to look for a gate guard. She was kind of nervous because she had never been to this village before and she wasn't sure what to expect! But at the same time she was anticipating the change, she knew she needed it! Maybe she was worried over nothing, this place had a good reputation for being safe, secure and welcoming!
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The gates of Hoshigakure were usually a hub of travelers and merchants entering and doing trade in the City of Stars, with a lot of activity and dozens of guards, assisted with shinobi posted at the walls and gates themselves to be sure the security was tight and without a fault. In this warm day of soon to be summer, with a clear sky and a warm wind assisting the sun in making everyone feel that the seasons were about to shift. Reiten was one of those shinobi assigned to guarding the gate in this day, and the day happened slowly, with passerbys being almost all civilians. 

Of course, Reiten herself took great care and attention to be sure she wouldnt pet anyone suspicious pass, and she learned from other guards the tricks and advices to be a better gate guard. In truth, as one of her first official assignements, this one was quite slow and borring. The blonde girl waited as the minutes became hours, the day flying by, with Reiten not having a single breach in security of suspicious thing to interact with. This was a good think, she tought to herself, but she was craving a bit more, not even actions as this would endanger the people of the village, but at least some unique people traveling, foreigns shinobi or even mercenaries! 

As they day started to fade away, Reiten would practice her marksmanship atop the wall. Indeed, she was geared with her usual wrist mounted slingshot and her attire of Red and white slim outfit adorned with bandages, her black shinoib belt with satchels as well as the protective plates on her hips and legs, and her iconic black hat with her red matching headband of the Hidden Star village, atop her long locks of spiky blonde hair. As she waited and the evening sat its dark ambiance over the gates, Reiten would keep shooting small stones at the treeline in the distant land with her slingshot, practicing her true aim by shooting at key core parts of branches to make the clusters of smaller branches and leaves break and fall, seeing it like weak points in the structure of the tree and trying to practice her analytic skills of structural integrity as well as her aim for it to destroy key part of  it and make it fall. With the night crawling in, the sky started to get dark and cloudy, and even the moon wasnt visible anymore, and the warm weather of the day at the village shifted into a rain and thunder storm. Protecting herself with a large cloak, Reiten waited under a small cover atop the gate, still waiting. 

The gate visit had died down with the night and with the rain too. But after a while, and with the rain now calmed down, a pair of individuals could be seen in the far distance approaching the village gate. The rumbling of thunder was like war drums accompagnying them in every step over the wet dirt, and soon, the two individuals were more clear to the view of Reiten, and she could see that they were 2 woman who looked very similar one to another, with dark tied up hair and dark leathery suits. As they approached, One of them didnt seem to see the blonde kunoichi in the darkness of the night, and called out at the gate if someone was here.

Immediately, Reiten herself presented her head, now devoid of a cloak, showing her long blonde mane and red headband. She was a pretty young woman, but also serious looking. After all, she was hopping for a special encounter, and this was it!

''Halt there! You are at the gates of Hoshigakure No Sato, the village hidden under the Stars. State your name and business Ma'ams!'' Would say loud and clear Reiten, neither menacing nor friendly, trying to stay only professionnal in this. In case this was an ambush, the girl stood ready with her wrist held slingshot loaded with explosives beads, ready to draw and shoot if needed.

Amikiri had spent a good chunk of the day working away at the gates. Fortunately, he only had a single shift today, and it was a nice one. Six in the afternoon to two in the morning. Most of the traffic had already flowed in, so it was really just a matter of passing the time. Additionally, most of the traffic passed through at the start of the shift, when he was most energetic and alert. When he had changed shifts with one of the prior guards, they had told him of a new person on site. Amikiri remembered when he was new to the job of guarding the gates. They really liked to “break in” the new guys by giving you long days and horrible hours. Now with almost nine months of experience, Amikiri was fortunate enough to usually only be working one shift a day.

As the evening shifted to night, dark shifted to darker as clouds moved in and covered the sky. Amikiri stayed in the guard shack, which was wedged right under the shadow of the walls and right next to the gates. He wore his full set of armor Kavacha, but had the helmet on the desk in front of him. The Hyuuga had his Great Spear leaned against the desk, with the point facing upwards to keep it sharp. Amikiri had his legs up on the desk with a lantern hanging from the ceiling providing him light as he read a book. He had finished his mandatory paperwork hours ago and was now reading a book and, with his Byakugan active, keeping a careful look for any people trying to enter the village.

As the rain started pouring down, Amikiri scanned the surroundings of the gates for any fellow guards, as he would advise them to get under shelter. The only other one was the new person, Reiten. However, she seemed to be keeping herself quite dry under her cloak and a small covering on top of the gate. She was also keeping herself busy and was focused on practicing with her sling.

However, soon something would break up the night. Two figures dressed in all black would draw near to the gates. As they started to come within a hundred meters or so, Amikiri would stand up and strap his Great Spear across his back. In one hand he would hold the lantern and in the other he would hold his helmet tucked under his arm.

Right as Amikiri started to exit the guard shack, the two were approximately fifty meters from the gate and a loud voice would boom from the top of the gates. Clearly Reiten was taking her job very seriously. The Hyuuga walked out of the guard post, making sure to stay dry under the gates. He would gaze out into the night and raise his right arm above his head, slightly bent at the elbow. It was a signal for the two visitors to stop and also a polite wave of sorts.

Amikiri wasn’t the biggest fan of Reiten’s gesture with her slingshot. However, the Hyuuga could understand, considering she likely wasn’t relatively powerful. Amikiri felt no need to intimidate the two standing in front of him. For starters, he correctly analyzed that they weren’t very strong. Secondly, if they were stronger than him, he was confident in his ability to hold them off until real help arrived. He believed there was strength in being gentle at the right times, and now was one of them. Especially on a miserable night like tonight, there was no need to be harsh to possibly weary travelers.

The Hyuuga would follow up Reiten’s comment by saying, in a more gentle and confident tone, “I also seem to have heard you mention having friends and teammates here. Could you provide me with more information in regards to that?”

WC: 646

Akki saw the blonde girl then heard the young man speak! Quite the entourage at the gates! Very interesting way to welcome guests, it was like the good cop/bad cop scenario that plays out in many interview rooms. This proves one thing, Hoshi was definitely secure! So the young man heard the comment about their teammates! This was a good thing, as a gate guard maybe he had seen them.
“Yes ma’am and sir, I am Akki Senju and this is my sister Megami Kuoga, we were originally from Volcano Village, but unfortunately our village was attacked and destroyed. We had gone to Konoha for a bit, we have paperwork, we are in search of a few Team members that may be here, Talon Tau, Sephora Hyuuga and Dante Hyuuga! We are hoping they are here and if so we would like to join them here in Hoshi!” Akki said as she identified herself and Megami to the two guarding the gate. “We have never been here before but heard about this place from others, all good things of course!” Akki added hoping that the casual friendly comment would help show she wasn't a threat to any one in Hoshi. After all she was simply a missing nin because her village had been destroyed and a simple misunderstanding in Konoha.
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Megami saw the blonde haired girl practically come out of nowhere and before she could answer the girl, the man suddenly appeared! Hoshi security was on cue, good to know the place was safe and secure! Both gate guards begin to question them, basically the same questions, except the male asks about the team mates! This made Megami smile! After Akki explained everything to the gate guards Megami decided to explain things a little further.
“Our Team is called Team Fuku, at this point we are very spread out. However, Dante and Sephora have clan members here in Hoshi so we figured they would be here!” Megami added as she pulled their paperwork out of her backpack. She walked up to the male and female and handed them the paperwork.
“This is our paperwork from Konoha to show we were approved to leave. We weren't residents there but they offered us paperwork considering that was our home before Volcano.” Hopefully this was proof enough to allow the girls into Hoshi without any issues.
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As soon as Reiten asked her question, another gate guard, acting way more experienced, approached from underneath the gates themselves. He was a tall and well built man, with a great spear tied to his back, surely a warrior of experience, even if he looked both older than her, shaped by his war experiences, but also had traits of a younger man than Reiten. Not wanting to miss the information and eager to learn more from people of experience, the blonde genin would let go of her slingshot, seeing as the reply of both woman werent threatening, and would get down from the battlements. As she walked down from her fortified place, Reiten was excited to finaly meet some new individuals, especially since those two seemed to have a lot of experience of the outside world, something that fascinated Reiten herself. 

As she was now at the gate too close to the girl and closer to her fellow shinobi guarding the gate, She passively presented herself, keeping a bit on the side and back of the man, not wanting to interfere with her supprior procedures, and simply being there as a backup and sidekick. She was curious too, and would introduce herself to the two girls, who complied really well with both her request and the one of the man asking about thier friends and team mates. 

''Well met misses Senju and Kuoga, welcome to Hoshigakure No Sato. You have heard well of this place. It is a stronghold paradise tucked away in the mountain, a sanctuary in the middle of a fortified bastion. I would like to ask a few question also if that would be okay?'' Would ask away Reiten with a corner of a smile and a polite tone, giving a bit of a side look toward the male shinobi, waiting for his approval in such asking. After all, he was her superior and more experienced people deserves respect as Reiten even if she was likely older, was only recently introduced to the life and role of a ninja. 

Reiten now lowered her guard a bit, being still vigilant and aware of her surroundings, but those girls and their good vibes and pure intentions would put her at ease more, seemingly more curious than on guard. With their mention of Talon Tau, a young man she met previously, she was curious as to their lives outside the village, and how it was for them, what was the state of the world, and all. Reiten was an adventurer at core, wanting to wander the world, see the way other villages worked, and expand her cultural knowledge.

As Akki started speaking, Amikiri would immediately start to recognize many of her words. Volcano Village, Talon Tau, Sephora Hyuuga, all of these were words he’d heard before. As Megami mentioned Team Fuku by name, Amikiri would have a deep chuckle. Then, he would hang his lantern on a nearby hook, rest his helmet on the ground next to the edge of the gates, grab his share of the paperwork from Megami, and start leafing through it. He would also deactivate his Byakugan and take a more relaxed stance, understanding what was going on here.

The dark haired Hyuuga looked up from the paperwork and would say, “I swear, I must have deja vu. You two must be the,” Amikiri would pause to count on his fingers, “third and fourth Team Fuku members I’ve let into the village. Well, it’s certainly wonderful to meet you two, my name is Amikiri Guhin.” Amikiri would extend a hand in greeting, offering a handshake to both of them. “I haven’t met this Dante fellow yet, but Talon Tau and Sephora Hyuuga are currently in this village. I don’t know if you know her, but Tori Uzumaki is here as well, I’m pretty sure she’s part of Team Fuku. If there are any other Team Fuku members that you think might be showing up here anytime soon, I’d like to know their names so I can leave a note for any future gate guards.”

Amikiri would quickly finish skimming the paperwork Megami handed him. It sounds like Konohagakure hadn’t given them the warmest welcome. Hopefully he never ended up on an assignment there. “Well, you’ll certainly find a bit of a nicer time here than whatever happened  in Konohagakure.” In response to Reiten’s earlier question to Amikiri, he would say, “Sure, I’ve asked all the questions I need to, so go ahead.” Amikiri would then step to the side slightly, both letting Reiten lead the conversation from here as well as a slight signal to Reiten that he was fine with letting the two missing ninja into the village.

WC: 345
TWC: 991

Akki was thankful the gentleman understood her. She could tell by the gestures and how his stance had changed as she mentioned Team Fuku. She smiled up at Reiten, “Of course please feel free to ask us anything! And I can tell simply by this entrance and the walk to the gates this is a very nice Village!” She smiled as she turned back to Amikiri. She smiled and let out a soft giggle as he counted how many of their people were here! Toris here too? This was a good thing! Talon, and Sephora and obviously there was Dante here too, even though he didn't mention Dante, she knew he had been with Sephy and Talon!
“Thank you Amikiri and it's very nice to meet you! I'm so glad our team is here.”
She stepped forward into the gates waiting on Reiten to ask her any necessary questions! She understood it was their job.
“Since the rest of our team is here, or at least a good portion of them, we will be making Hoshi our new home!” Akki said, letting her eyes wander the area taking in the beauty of Hoshi, waiting on Reiten to talk to them before taking off into the village to find the others.
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Amikiri seemed quite relaxed and almost welcoming of the girls! He let his guard down completely. As he spoke to Megami her face lit up with excitement at the sound of the names he mentioned! Talon, Tori and Sephora were here, that meant Dante was to, the twins were in the same boat with Talon!
“It's very nice to meet you Amikiri and yes of course, That's our team! Good to know they are here!”
She said wanting to hug Amikiri for the good news, but knowing it would be inappropriate at the moment.
“Of course, I know it's your job, ask me whatever you want.” She said as she walked through the gates standing by Akki waiting on the young lady to ask her any questions she needed.
“This village is absolutely breathtaking! The trees, the foliage, the smells of flowers and the gates themselves are things you see in art books or pictures!” Megami said, looking around waiting on the questions the young lady wanted to ask. The first thing she wanted to do when they were in the village is go to a restaurant because she was starving! They hadn't eaten in quite sometime and her stomach was starting to growl.

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