Wolves in Sheeps Clothing (B-Rank):

The early morning sun had yet to properly begin warming the day up but Kaia was already up and moving – in the literal sense. While she had been living with Daremo for quite some time now she hadn’t really bothered to bring over anything outside of the basics of what she needed. Today, however, she had decided to grab up the rest of the stuff she cared to bring, having spent the earlier half of yesterday evening doing the packing so that it was all ready to be moved this morning without her having to scramble around to gather up stuff at the last minute – she liked getting things done effectively after all, and quickly. In the end she had only ended up packing a few boxes the evening before: there wasn’t much she cared about, and she hadn’t really accumulated much – she had learned long ago not to bother getting attached to possessions. The majority of her clothing had already been brought over to Daremo’s, so all that had been left really was her violin which she had triple checked was securely in its case, enough books to make a librarian die of happiness twice over, and various odds and ends.

At the moment young Kaia was staring down at the large remaining box, the biggest of them all, and her violin case which was resting on top of it. Not only was her physical address changing, but she had done some changing herself physically; no longer dressing as she once had. Gone were the days of covering herself from head to toe and keeping her (mostly) child-like appearance. Even now as she moved her new attire was dawned: a white top which seemed to consist of nothing more than a long strip of narrow cloth which hooked around clothing loosely tied around her neck. The cloth went down over her chest in an upside down V shape in a way that kept the majority of her breast covered in the sides, but not so much in the middle, forming a right-sided V shape in the back as it crossed over itself, before being secured around her waist. Black leggings were worn with this, with the excess cloth draping in such a way to look as if it were a short dress over top of them (or a skirt) with gapes between the ends showing the leggings beneath in various locations. Standard black sandals were worn with this as per Kaia’s usual footwear, with her headband now wrapped around her head (hair pulled back in a ponytail with bangs hanging loose), and her weapons pouch still secured around her right thigh – though the draping cloth covered it from sight.

Placing her violin case carefully on top of the box she then picked up the heavy box as if it were light as a feather – and to Kaia it really was – before walking out of her old bedroom and out of the house – having to look down to really figure out where she was going since she couldn’t actually see over the top of the box considering her short height and arm length. This was easy enough in the house – she knew the place like the back of her hand after all – but once she got to the streets it was a bit difficult, mostly because she couldn’t tell who was in front of her or who wasn’t. ”Excuse me. Coming through… move aside please...”, words would escape Kaia’s lips as she made her way down the street with the large box blocking her view: making it for all intents and purposes look as if the box had legs and was walking itself down the street.

So, with Kaia’s view blocked she had no idea of the speeding Inuzuka heading straight towards her with a scroll in hand: though at the speeds at which he moved chances were only the sharpest of eyes would have saw him in the first place. At least, not until he was on her; the pair spinning in a complete three hundred and sixty degree circle as the Inuzuka tucked the scroll he had been carrying into the excess folds of the cloth at the side of her left hip. ”Hi, Kenta. Bye Kenta.”, Kaia would speak as once more she was facing the front and the Inuzuka in question was speeding off in another direction after a quick pat to her head. It would take but a second for Kaia to right her balance, the spin having been unexpected, mostly due to the heavy box that threw her natural balance off a bit, before she began walking now, glancing down toward left side where the scroll was securely stuck with only the top sticking out. ”Hm, I wonder what that’s about?” she mused silently to herself, though she didn’t bother putting the box down – afraid to ruin the books and such within it if she happened to put it down into a puddle. ”This is why I need to learn how to grow two extra arms when I need them….”, she muttered to herself as she stepped around yet another person as she continued making her way down the street; attempting to strain her neck to see over top of the box as she did so, but not being tall enough no matter how she stretched her neck to actually do so.

Word Count: 900 / 2,500

Daremo's eyes fluttered open and quickly adjusted to the darkness of the room. Glancing to the left, eyeing the time on a small clock resting on a nightstand that read: 4:30 am. "Tsk. Only two hours.", he mused silently, sitting up on the bed, the black linens pulling down on his lap, exposing his muscular physique. Stifling a yawn, being tired from working nearly twenty-eight hours at the hospital, only gotten home from work two hours ago. Throwing out the rest of the covers, and swinging his legs to the side, and planting his feet on the cold hard wood floor, a shiver running down his spine from the coolness of the wood, Daremo got up from the bed. Under the cover of the darkness, he moved throughout his room without a problem and opened the curtains wide.

The illuminating waves of the moon pitched high in the night sky, shined through brightly. Not only did they reveal how spacious his room was, it being large enough that the queen size bed, in the center of the room,  decorated in intricate designs in its wooden frame, seemed small, and it contents. Without his credentials and other certificates, rewarded to him for being an outstanding medic, and a few pictures of him and Kaia, they being from some special moments they shared, or him and Amaya, the latter coming from the times they went drinking together, the white walls would have been bare. Two large doors which led to a walk-in closet big enough for hold the clothes of three people took up a good portion of the furthest left wall.

An oak bookshelf, roughly nine feet tall, was stationed to the right of the closet, and was completely filled with medical books; only those of major interest of his was placed on the bookshelf, the others were another part of the house. A dresser drawer is situated to the right of the door which leads into the bedroom. There on top of it was a photo of Kaia and him after their first official date.  And, station to the right of the big tv mounted on the wall, was a fuuinjutsu seal locked, a glass case that held his and some of Kaia's shinobi weapons; she often leaving a few over in case him and her unexpectedly decide to take a mission, therefore, she doesn't need to run home to retrieve some. Besides him, she was the only one who's chakra had been keyed into the seal.

On the furthermost wall, there was another door that led to their, Daremo and Kaia's, private bathroom where everything one might need was in there. And it was this door that, a completely naked Daremo, were heading towards to take a quick shower.

Nearly thirty minutes passed by before the door open, revealing the former Sannin in all of his naked glory. Droplets of water rolled down his hard abs, the six pack having come from years in the occupation, and from being a former taijutsu expert. Surprisingly enough, or maybe not, there weren't many scars which littered his body, the majority of them having been healed by him. He didn't hold sentimental value towards wounds received by an adversary. He found the notion ridiculously. Of course, the one wound he couldn't heal was the rather small purple-ish wound on the right side of his ribcage. It having been afflicted by his mentor as a test.

Hair lightly damp and reaching nearly to the small of his back, made him remember to cut it within following days, or get someone to style it for him, Moving across the room with dancer-like grace,  towards a tall mirror, purple eyes of indifference gaze back at him. For a brief second, he took a moment to appreciate his physique, and a small chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at a certain aspect of him hung between his legs, as he remembered Kaia's first reaction to seeing it. He, surprisingly, was gentle with her that time, not so much afterward. Especially not the days following their spar together, and learning she was a closet pervert. It shouldn't have been surprising, considering she always seems to be with him, and the willingness she had when it came to the activities they did in private. Shaking those thoughts away, less he decided to act on them upon Kaia's arrival, Daremo moved away from the mirror and began to get dress.

Having no plans of doing much, asides from helping Kaia move in, Daremo decided on wearing a dark gray mesh shirt, not before wrapping up the wound, and black cargo pants with matched closed in shoes. Instead of putting his hair into a ponytail like a norm, he, instead, allowed it to hang free. Now dress, he glanced at the clock once more, eye brow raising slightly when he noticed an hour had passed.

If he remembered correctly, Kaia was apparently coming over, with the rest of her stuff, fairly earlier. She did mention being over here around 6 o'clock. Knowing that Daremo stepped out of his bedroom, into the hall, and walked down towards the kitchen. Once into the large kitchen that had been dubbed 'Kaia's place' by his lover, she had basically taken over all the cooking when she was over, he made him a quick breakfast.

Twenty minutes later and now full, Daremo exited his house and began making his way towards Kaia's resident. However, along the way, he stopped to get her a Bubble Tea, which she likes a lot, from her favorite vendor. The individual only smiling and laughing good naturedly at Daremo when the former sannin mentioned Kaia might have an addiction to the drink. Walking down the streets, greeting those who he passed by, Daremo came up to a peculiar sight. There, shuttering her way through the crowds of people with a box larger than her was Sarutobi, Kaia. He only knew this by her voice, as she slowly maneuvered through crowds of people, trying not to bump into anyone.

"Need a hand?", He asked, having closed the distance between them with only a few strides and was casually walking beside her. Without waiting for a response, he carefully lifted the box with his left hand. "Here, I thought you might need this.", he spoke, handing her the Bubble Tea that he had recently bought, "Got from your favorite vendor." Due to his height, the rather large box didn't obscure his vision at all; he could perfectly see over it. "How was your morning?", he asked, eyes glancing over at her, lingering on her glorious assets that her attire accentuated, before focusing back on the road. It wouldn't do if he accidentally ran into someone because he was distracted.

It only took the duo ten minutes to arrive at Daremo's house. Stopping a front of the door, he waited for Kaia to unlock it, to step inside. Placing the box down, his eyes took notice of a scroll tuck in on her person, "What is that scroll about?", he inquired.

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1203

At Daremo’s voice her head tilted, her mouth opening to respond – likely that she had the box and could handle it, simply because that was just the way she was – when the box was removed from her hand and her favorite drink in the whole world was held out to her. Whatever she was about to say died off in her throat as she reached over and took the glass of deliciously cold liquid from Daremo. ”Mmm, thanks!”, she would respond, instantly bringing the straw to her lips without hesitation and taking a large pull of the delicious strawberry liquid – as well as one of those delicate little balls from the bottom. The ball was popped in her mouth between teeth and the whole lot swallowed with a satisfied groan. ”Mmm… so good. You were right, I definitely needed this.” That was definitely an understatement, considering, as she sipped her drink and thought about it, she could have just created a clone to carry the box for her… but no matter. What was done was done, and now she had some strawberry goodness to keep herself distracted with: well, that and one very handsome Daremo who caught her attention and held it quite easily no matter what he had decided to wear for the day.

At Daremo’s question of how her morning was her bright blue gaze, which at that moment had been focused on his hair which she more than enjoyed putting her hands on and running her fingers through, to his face – noticing his lingering gaze and unable to help the grin that spread across her face, completely devoid of the old blush that used to be there whenever she looked at him. ”It was fine. I packed most of the stuff up last night… I even left a few empty boxes behind. I only took what I really cared about – I was taught not to put stock in physical possessions since they could be so easily lost… so that’s the last of it right there.” For the rest of the trip back to their house – she loved thinking of it like that – she simply enjoyed the sights and sounds around them while sipping her strawberry flavored bubble tea: all while completely ignoring the scroll tucked into the folds of the fabric at her hip, outside of making sure it remained there and didn’t fall out or grow feet and walk off in the sticky hands of someone passing by.

Once they were home however – Kaia having unlocked the door and stepped inside and out of the way - and with Daremo’s question drawing attention to it, Kaia would shrug lightly before pulling it free from the folds of fabric. ”Not sure, Kenta sped past and popped it in there before heading off. Didn’t say a word about it...”, she would respond softly as she made quick work of popping the seal that kept it shut and unrolling the scroll; her gaze darting from side to side as she read the contents – the happy smile on her face faltering somewhat and then fading entirely as she read further on.

Kaia would remain entirely silent until she was completely done reading, then and only then would she look up at Daremo with a sigh, holding the scroll out to him for him to take and read if he decided to. ”It’s a B-rank mission that needs done… Supposed to get a scroll back that was taken, and kill those who took it.” Killing someone: it was something Kaia had never done before. She didn’t like violence to begin with even though she was trained to fight; she didn’t like the idea of harming someone… let alone taking a life. This was exactly why Daremo had had to convince her to spar with him just the other day, and it was why her smile was gone off of her face now. Oh, she knew well enough the mission needed completely, and considering it had been handed to her she was definitely meant to do it, but that did not mean she was going to look forward to the act. The very thought of it bothered her, and she was sure she wouldn’t feel any better after the deed was done. Still.. she wouldn’t turn her back on her village when they needed her, or the Hokage for that matter.

Not wanting to waste the drink in her hand, especially since she rather enjoyed these little gifts from Daremo that he surprised her with, she sucked down the rest; popping one ball between her teeth after another as she pulled them up and through the straw until nothing remained in the cup but the smallest of residue from the strawberry liquid. As she went and threw the cup away into the garbage she didn’t bother voicing how she felt; her lack of smile, and the dimness in her eyes would be more than enough to indicate it – plus, she had already been upfront and honest with Daremo about this very type of situation. So, as she returned from the kitchen, her ‘game face’ on in the form of an utterly and emotionless facial expression with her eyes nothing more than shrewd and calculation, she knew there was no way her ‘readiness’ to do this mission would fool him in the slightest. Hopefully, however, it would fool whatever enemy she was about to go up against: hopefully she wouldn’t falter or hesitate when it came to taking the life: because she knew what was hanging in the balance… her own.

Word Count: 930 | 1,830 / 2,500

When inquiring on how her morning had gone, his eyes had lingered, for a split second,  on the generous amount of breasts that were exposed by the outfit she was wearing before returning their attention back to the road ahead. There wasn't anything subtle about his glance. He didn't try to play it off as something else. There was no need to deny what he was looking at. He knew that she knew what had captured his gaze: her assets having been of fondness to him. Usually, whenever his gaze lingered, or a comment was given, about her voluptuous body, a pink hue would appear on her face, but now, no such hue does. When it came to him, she no longer got flustered, and he found himself enjoying that. While he loved her old self, he much preferred the confident woman walking aside him.

"I'm assuming you didn't run into any complication last night or this morning?", he inquired. Complications were referring to Kaia's foster father, who, if memory served him correctly, he never had a chance of meeting yet, not like he was jumping at said chance. For, Daremo cared very little for outside of those in his inner circle, or close to members of said circle. While he knew who Mitsuo was, he just didn't give a damn about the man. One of the reasons coming from what he was able to garner through looking at her medical records.

The man's disappearances, leaving Kaia along, left a bad taste in his mouth. Maybe cause of his own father issues. Alas, Kaia had mentioned how he was aware of their relationship, but nothing more of it. Since he was told this, he had yet seen the man, and he wasn't about going to look for him. If Mitsuo wanted to talk then the man was going need to find him - not the other way around.

Said thoughts were dismissed, he didn't have the time to think about Mitsuo. Instead, eyes once more shifted towards Kaia, lingering on her breasts a little bit longer. There is no need in worrying about running into people with the street they own, heading to his house, being nearly devoid of people. Reaching the door, Daremo patiently waited for Kaia to unlock it. She is the only one, asides from him, who chakra was keyed into the locking and unlocking system. Her having it were a sign of trust. That he trusted the woman beside him more than anyone else in Konoha.

Cool air greeted him upon stepping into the spacious living room; he had left the air conditioner on before leaving. Setting the large box down, he stretched. The action not being necessary, but it did give Kaia a free show of his abs that were pressed up against his skin tight mesh shirt. Looking at said beauty, he inquired about the scroll tucked into the fabric on her hip, and getting a shrug and comment from her. "Kenta is an interesting fellow.", his comment not meant to be taking in a negative light but a positive one.

Indeed, he found the Hokage to be an interesting individual. He had no doubt most other Kages would have had him killed or imprisoned if he told them about his crimes in Tsuchi no Kuni. But, the Inuzuka, did none of that, he understood for former Iwa-nin's plight, even allowing him to become a part of Konoha's military force; no other Kage would have done that. And because of that, along with being someone close to Kaia, Daremo gave the man his loyalty.

Something was wrong. He knew that immediately upon seeing Kaia's happy smile faltered and then fade away to nothing. Her eyes no longer sparkle with the same happiness nor joy from early. What she was reading had snuffed out all of her joyousness.  It became more apparent when she sighed, handing the scroll to him to read. Throwing a quick glance at her, Daremo's eyes fell onto the contents of the scroll. Reading what was written, it didn't take him much time to figure out what was wrong. They had been assigned a B-rank mission to retrieve a scroll back and kill those who had taken it. A fairly simple mission for him was anything but for Kaia.

Setting the scroll down on the glass coffee table. Daremo turned his attention to Kaia who had just finished off her Bubble Tea and walked towards the garbage can in the kitchen.  As she made it back over to him, her face being void of emotions, Daremo's arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her against his body. Leaning down, his lips found hers in a passionate kiss. Nothing was needed to be said, as his hands groped her ass, lifting her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist, as he deepened the kiss. To many, the kiss was just uncalled for, especially because they were going on a mission. The action being done out of his own perversion than anything else. But that wasn't the case, Daremo was pouring everything into the searing lip locked. His love for her. His promise to protect. His understanding and acceptance of her unwillingness to kill. Those were only a few things being conveyed in the single kiss that lasted for a few more precious seconds but felt longer.

Breaking from the kiss, purple eyes stared into blue eyes, as he kept his arms secured around her petite frame, "You are not alone. I will be there every step of the way, kay?", another kiss, a light one, was given before he eased her back onto her feet. Making an all but familiar hand seal, a single clone shimmered into existence before disappearing down the hallway. By the time the clone came back with a dark green vest, a Konoha headband, and a weapon pouch, Daremo would have already given Kaia another kiss.

Slipping on the vest, tying on the weapon pouch, and letting the headband hang from his neck, Daremo looked at Kaia, "You ready to get this over with?". Once he received an affirmative, he followed her outside of the house, making sure to lock the door. The pair would trek through the streets of Konoha. Daremo offering small talk in order to get her mind of what going to be acquired of her doing this mission. There wasn't any need to hurry in doing this mission. From what he gathered from the scroll, which he tucked into his inside vest pocket, is the group they were after didn't move around much. Arrogant in their belief that they could stay in one location without worrying about being seen by the authorities. A foolish belief if there ever was one.

Nodding at the gates guards who guardian the entrance to Konoha's wilderness, Daremo stopped for a moment. "As soon as we hit the forest, let's take to the trees. It enables us to get a better picture of the landscape, dodge any traps that made had been laid for unwanted intruders and potentially allowing us to get a drop on the thieves.", he spoke calmly. Knowing what they were assigned to do didn't phase him at all. He having been killing far longer than he would likely admit. The idea of snuffing out another human's life was almost. . .insignificant.

"From what I read on the scroll. There are four Genins specialize in taijutsu, two Chuunin who uses Kenjutsu, and a Special Jounin who specialize in ninjutsu." He spoke, rehashing the information that was detailed on the scroll, "I don't care who takes who. I only care about us both returning from this alive.", he spoke, showing concern for his love. "If you can't kill them, knock them out, or disable them to the point that can't be a nuisance until I am able to kill them." He spoke, giving her another means of doing this mission if she couldn't come to terms of killing others. Not like he believed she would hesitate to kill someone who was after her life.

As soon as the large trees came into view, Daremo glance at Kaia, "You ready?", he asked before jumping onto the branch of the trees, and waiting for Kaia to follow. It would take the pair a couple of minutes to reach the destination. And as they were jumping through the tree, Daremo was already formulating a plan to ensure Kaia's safety.

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1438[2641]

The emotionless mask crumbled away as Daremo’s lips were pressed against hers, the kiss automatically being returned as all of the worry and unspoken concern showed in her eyes. As she was lifted via his hands on her ass her legs would wrap around his waist and her arms loosely around the back of his neck. She felt the passion of the kiss, and all of the unsaid words, and they caused her to relax significantly. When the kiss was broken she would stare him back in the eyes, listening to his words, and nodding when he finished speaking. ”Thank you, love.” She returned the following kiss before her feet hit the floor once more; a little bit of the usual spark of light shining in her bright blue eyes and a ghost of a smile on her lips – she was still concerned about what she was about to do, but at least she was feeling a little bit better about the whole ordeal: and she wouldn’t be alone which was a plus.

She watched then as he formed what was becoming a very familiar hand seal and created a clone which disappeared to fetch his things, while she gave Daremo one more kiss. She watched then as he strapped on his gear once his clone had returned; her own already on herself considering she had left the house with it. When asked if she was ready Kaia would nod her head; figuring there was no time like the present to get this over with – she had no intentions of dragging it out, and just wanted to get it all behind her. So, out of the house she went, pausing only as Daremo locked the door behind them. As they made their way through the village the small talk was returned, Kaia focusing on it instead of what they were about to do, and remaining mostly relaxed.

Kaia likewise nodded to the gate guards as they passed, and stopped only as Daremo did; listening to his plan, as well as him going over the information the scroll had held: there were a great deal of enemies they’d have to contend with; four genin who were skilled in Taijutsu, two chuunin skilled in Kenjutsu, and one who was ranked a special jounin who was skilled in Ninjutsu – it definitely made her glad that Daremo was coming with her. He went on to say that he didn’t care who took out who, provided they both made it home alive, it was all he cared about. Daremo even added that Kaia could simply knock them out or disable them if she couldn’t bring herself to kill – that he would take care of it from there if needed: it eased her mind quite a bit more.

She agreed that taking to the trees would make things a lot easier, nodding along to his plan. It would give them the element of surprise, as well as keep them out of the way of any traps that might have have been laid out below on the ground. ”I’m ready.”, Kaia would respond to Daremo’s question, figuring she definitely was as ready as she was ever going to be. So, as soon as they made it to the forest she would take to the trees the same as Daremo, running along one branch and to another, skipping and jumping and leaping over the gaps in between; never slowed or hindered due to years of being used to traveling exactly this way – even when she had spent time living in the wilderness with the cannibal the trees had proved a useful means of travel, and an even more useful way to hunt as she could drop down on her prey from above and deliver devastating blows – though that prey had always been animals, and never a human being.

As they neared their destination Kaia began to see traces of little traps here and there; mostly the glinting reflection of wire left out in the open, as well as what had quite clearly from her vantage point above been some kind of pit covered in leaves obviously meant for someone to step into and likely fall to their death in – in fact, she wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had sharpened wooden spikes inside so that whoever had the unfortunate sake of falling it would be impaled to death. Yet, she saw nothing like that in the trees, which meant that whoever their opponents were about to be they hadn’t been covering all of their bases when it came to keeping potential attackers away. So far Daremo’s plan of approach was definitely working.

It wouldn’t take them long to arrive upon the scene; or at least close enough to see the camp the thieves had taken to using while maintaining a safe enough distance away not to be seen. The camp was a simple set up in the middle of a small-ish clearing. There was no fire, though it looked as if a low burning one had been set up earlier; the remains of the stone of circles and burnt wood telling enough. There were several tents – mostly crude design, nothing overly fancy – and what looked to be a platform of some kind built out of various logs and such which was only roughly six feet or so off of the ground and clearly meant to be used for someone to keep an eye on things – though the person seated upon it at the moment looked to be asleep with a sword resting nearby: clearly one of the Chuunins Daremo had mentioned (though, Kaia was smart enough not to take that at face value, as it could clearly ; be a trick with the whole sleeping thing). Nearby where the fire had been, where several crude logs were situated, were seated four others, another of whom had a sword nearby who was clearly the other Chuunin mentioned. Three of those seated with the sword user looked as if they were packing quite a bit of muscle, which made Kaia assume they must be the Genin who relied so heavily on Taijutsu. The other two, the missing Genin and Special Jounin, were nowhere in sight though, which made Kaia assume they were in the tent – something which was confirmed as she overheard one of the Genin speak and gesture with his thumb toward the center tent, “One he’s done giving his report to the boss maybe we can finally get some grub, I’m starving… “ The sword user stood suddenly, turning and heading toward the trees, “I gotta take a piss”.

Glancing over at Daremo and holding up a hand to signal she had an idea, and thinking quickly considering the massive amounts of traps already in place around them, Kaia reached into her pouch where her weapons and tools were, pulling forth a bit of wire. Her hands moved quickly, what she was doing was something she was highly practiced at with the fact that she used to use traps all the time when hunting the wilds with Ranmaru. Kaia shifted from tree to tree without shaking a single leaf as she worked, using the wire to create a simple and yet effective trap. All the while as Kaia worked she was aware of the direction the Chuunin – who had apparently picked up his sword before venturing into the forest – was coming in: directly toward her. Kaia dropped to the ground only for the smallest fraction of a second to finish laying the trap and to grab a very large rock before disappearing into the foliage once more so that she could watch.

It was a waiting game as the Chuunin made their way over to the tree, not noticing the wire due to the fact that Kaia had hidden it among the foliage instead of leaving it out in the open as the group had done with their own traps, nor the trap that laid in wait. It was like time slowed for Kaia as she watched the Chuunin take that fateful step forward into the hidden wired hoop which instantly triggered a series of events. The hoop would tighten around his ankle as the trigger was flipped, the wire suddenly causing him to flip over upside down as it shot him up and off of the ground – his sword leaving his hand from the unexpected blunder. Before he could shout out in alarm the very large rock Kaia had picked up – which she had tied with a bit of wire as part of her trap – suddenly bashed the chuunin right in the head causing an immediate lights out affect – and brain trauma that would lead to his death, though Kaia had no idea of the latter for the moment.

Not wanting to leave him just hanging there in case someone happened to come by looking for him Kaia made quick work in pulling him up – her trap effective in helping with that too – until his dangling body was hidden among the thicker foliage above. The rock was likewise then pulled up as well, leaving only the sword behind on the ground.

Back at the camp one of the Genin, the same one who had mentioned he was hungry, was getting to his feet with a comment of “I gotta take a piss, too.” before he also began to follow the same path into the forest that his companion had just taken…

Word Count: 1,577 | 3,407 / 2,500 + 2,000 (Double Ryo WC)

The words were spoken clearly and without hesitation. With the young woman beside him being ready for the task laid ahead for them. Daremo glanced over, purple eyes taking a few seconds to scrutinize his comrade, companion, friend, and lover. They bore into her, not looking at her physically, but at her soul, in search of something: he was. Some might find his gaze to be unnerving, shifting uncomfortably as those reptilian eyes stared differently, but, he knew that Kaia would see through the facade of indifference. She would behind the cold orbs there were hints of concerns for her being.

He knew she had never killed before. Never had to take the life of another being in the name of her village and Daimyo. It was both a comforting and baffling thought. Having made to Chuunin, and on the crest of being a Special Jounin, she had somehow remained pure. Unlike so many others, unlike him, who have killed far more times than they would willing to admit. It brought a fresh sense of innocence in seeing someone with a rank, higher than a genin, who never spilled the blood of another human. There is a sense of purity that comes with knowing this along with a certain attraction, at least, in his eyes.

Yet, the notion of her having not killed was baffling. Before having met her, he had the assumption most shinobis, before even leaving the academy, had killed before. Performing the act within a controlled environment in order to prevent future 'freeze ups' when having to perform the deed in a life and death situation. And, after doing so, seeing a psychiatrist who made sure one's mental faculties had changed from the act. However, that wasn't the case for her, even while wandering the wilderness with a psychotic cannibal, there are no signs of her having to take another human life. Surely, there much have been instances where she had to kill, right? Apparently not, at least according to her medical records, something he was privilege to.

At times he found himself wanting to ask her how she made it so far without killing. How did she become a Chuunin without having to kill another human being on a mission? However, he did not, having respect for her privacy, and not wanting to accidentally bring up bad memories. So, instead, he simply chalked up it all, her making it this far without killing, to lady luck and chance. Something that didn't favor him doing his childhood where he either killed for survival or to protect family members. With violence being a common place where he grew up, the thought of taking a life didn't phase him: abling him to commit the atrocity without remorse or hesitation.

The difference of lifestyle between the pair was apparent. While she never had to kill he had too. While he had become nearly numb to the act, he knew Kaia would very much feel something from taking a life. He did so when taking the life of a bastard who harmed his sister, even though the man deserved it, therefore, it wouldn't be surprised if Kaia felt something when she takes her first today.

"You are never truly ready to take a life. To watch the life fade out of the eyes another human being. The lucky few might never see the loathing hatred, acceptance, or sorrow within the eyes of their first victim. For those who don't? They don't have to worry about the nightmares which come after the first kill.", he mused silently, remembering the words of the matriarch of the Geisha establishment which he once resided in. She having spoken them to him moments before he killed the bastard who harmed his sister.


"And, I was one of those unlucky ones.", recalling the bloody scene vividly and what happened afterward. Shoving those images to the far corners of his mind, Daremo nodded, eyes, having on been of Kaia for a split second after finding what they sought, now looked forward at the thicket of trees waiting for them.

With an effortless motion, he sprung forward, landing on a tree branch with practical ease. The wooden limb barely shaking from the momentary disturbance of his landing. Seeing that she had followed him, his muscles tense and exploded with force as he ran along the trees. Setting a moderate pace, slow enough to conserve energy and for Kaia to keep pace, his eyes darted to and from. Meticulously taking in everything around them while looking out for any nasty surprises that might have been placed in the treetops by a smart shinobi.

Even before they near close to their destination, Daremo had already spotted traces of little traps throughout the forest floor. The sun rays being in their favor, glinting off the razor wires that meant to act as a trigger to set off varying traps. Though many of these trip wires could be seen without the sun's aid, they having been left visible to the trained eye. It made Daremo question the competence of those they were facing. "They had to be made by the genins or chuunin.", he reasoned with himself, it is the only explanation for the shotty job. He highly doubted a Special Jounin would do such a terrible job of setting up traps.

Sharp eyes caught the tell-tale sign of vegetation having been moved. The forest floor looking unnatural in certain areas. There were mounds of displaced dirt, leaves, etc. that, if having been natural, wouldn't have ended up the way it did. Pitfalls, he counted at least eight of them spread throughout landscape with a three being dubs or fakes, making one assume it was one. There was hardly any doubt that there were sharp spikes waiting for some unlucky soul to make a misstep. Unfortunately, neither him nor Kaia, having glanced over at her to see she had noticed the traps as well, would be falling into the pit.

It took them roughly eight minutes, from the moments of leaving the gates, to arrive close enough to the scene that neither of them would be seen. A simple camp set up in the middle of a smallish clearing. There was no fire. Though, it looked as if a low burning one had been set earlier. The remains of the stones of circle and burnt would being evidence of that. Several tents, mostly crude design and nothing overly fancy, were spread throughout the clearing. What looked to be a platform of some kind built out of various logs and such which was only roughly six feet or so off of the ground and clearly meant to be used for someone to keep an eye on things. Though the person who was charged with that was seated, at the moment, looked to be asleep with their sword resting nearby in case trouble arose. It didn't take much guessing in figuring out said figure was one of the Chuunins mentioned in the mission details.

Nearby, where the fire had been, where several crude logs situated, were seated four others, another whom had a sword nearby, resting near their feet. The sword user being the other Chuunin mentioned. Having identified the two chuunins, Daremo deducted the three sitting on the logs were three of the four genins. It being more evident with the amount of muscle each had. The reports of them being taijutsu specialist being true. With most of them accounted for, that just meant the Special Jounin and Genin was missing.

"Now where could the other two be?", he mused, eyes glancing over at the tents, but, at the sound of one of the genins speaking, he focused his attention back on those in the clearing. His unspoken question was answered with the genin mentioning their comrade was giving a report to the boss: Daremo assumed he meant the Special Jounin. Briefly, he wondered what type of report was being given, and what about? For all the intel on this small group, it was said they only stole a scroll of sorts. So, what else have they been doing which required one of them to report back to the boss? He didn't ponder on the thoughts for long as one of the Chuunin mentioned having to piss and started heading towards the trees.

Before he could act, Kaia held up a hand to signal she had an idea, nodding in understanding, Daremo watched and waited to see what she had planned while still remaining vigilant of the those in the clearing. Purple eyes watched as she removed a spool of wire and took to shifting from tree to tree without causing a disturbance. The wire being used to make a simple but effective trap. Seeing her dropped down to the ground, his eyes glanced towards the approaching Chuunin then back at her, just in time to see her finish her trap and grab a very large rock. A small nod of approval was given once she was back in the foliage.

It didn't take long for the Chuunin to trigger the well-hidden trap. His leg being snared in the wire loop that tightens around the limb, digging into his flesh, as he was flipped upside down. His sword barely made a sound as it hit the forest floor. And, the same could be said about the Chuunin who was forced to unconsciousness, by the large rock Kaia had picked up before an alarm could be given. Watching at his partner hauled up the unconscious body, Daremo quickly thought of a plan.

Hearing the other genin mentioning have to piss, and having noticed the stench of urine and defecation was high in the trail Chuunin took. He assumed that this area, the grass, and ground having been worked out through constantly walking, was used to relieve oneself.

Glancing at Kaia, he signaled that he had a plan. Quickly, before the genin could make it to the clear, Daremo glanced at the unconscious Chuunin, taking in everything about him. Once done, he silently jumped down from the tree, at the same time hanging into a perfect replica of said Chuunin. Hearing the genin fast approaching, Daremo took out his manhood and relieved himself. While it did get Kaia a free show, that wasn't the point of doing that. By the time the Gennin had reached where the location, Daremo, hanged as the Chuunin was zipping up his pants and picking up the sword.

"You had to piss too?", he spoke, doing his best to replica the Chuunin's vocals. "Yeah, man. I drank too much water earlier.", the genin spoke, relieving himself while doing so. That would be the last act he ever did, for Daremo's hand clamped around his mouth. Without hesitation, the glint of a kunai was briefly seen before being followed by a spray of blood. Daremo having effectively slashed the throat of the Genin. He kept his hand over the genins mouth till the life left his eyes. Laying the cooling body on the ground, he did a quick search of the body, looking for the scroll. With his search coming up empty,

Using a familiar hand seal, Daremo created a single shadow clone with the clone immediately henging into the deceased body. Jumping into the tree, Daremo, who still looked like the chuunin, spoke to Kaia, "I'm going to go after the Special Jounin and deal with him as quickly as possible. My clone will handle the other Chuunin, leaving the other two genins for you. Count to ten after the clone kills the other Chuunin before jumping down. I should have gotten the Special Jounin's attention by then. Kay?". Once getting an affirmative, Daremo joined his clone by on the ground and walked towards the campsite - making idle chat while doing so.

"Hey! What took you guys so long?", one of the genin asked, having turned around at the sound of commotion.

Daremo, still henged as the Chuunin noticed the missing genin, the one who was in the tent, was now sitting beside the other. "I had to do more than just piss.", he spoke, as him and the clone moved over towards the pair of genins. "I wouldn't go back there if I was you. That shit was rancid.", the clone beside him nodding agreement.

"Is jackass over there still asleep?", the clone asked, pointing towards the snoring Chuunin, and receiving nods from the other two genins, "Shouldn't someone wake him? Don't want the boss to get on our asses again for sleeping on the job." For a few minutes, the conversation was about who was going wake up the sleeping Chuunin. Eventually, it was decided that the genin henged clone would wake his fellow comrade up. With that done.

While he went to do that, Daremo asked about the boss. "The boss? He is in the tent, doing whatever he does in there.", the genin, who has been in the tent before, replied. Nodding in understanding, Daremo mentioned he needed to speak to the Boss about something of importance. Nearly the tent, he glanced over at the clone who was making his way towards the sleeping chuunin and at the two genins who were amidst idle chatter.


Knocking on the side of the tent, Daremo entered once permission was given. His eyes quickly scanning the small room and spotting the scroll that he and Kaia were told to retrieve. Looking at the Special Jounin who had only glanced up in his direction before going back to looking over some reports, Daremo acted quickly. Raiton chakra surged through his limb and charged punched through his legs as the distance between the two closed within an instant. Fingers jabbed into the Special Jounin's chest, releasing the built up raiton chakra. The thief didn't have time to ready himself before falling into an epileptic attack. A kunai to his throat would silence him for good.

Something similar had happened to the sleeping Chuunin. The henge clone having created a 'smile' underneath the sleeping boy's chin, effectively slicing his throat. Blood spurted everywhere as the still warm body fell over with the genins, who had witnessed the attack being frozen in shock from seeing their comrade die. Of course, the two charged at the clone, it has dropped the henge. He didn't bother in fighting back, only dodging and blocking their attacks with ease. The creator had said these two were for Kaia to deal with, hence him taking his hand from killing them.

Meanwhile, hearing the ruckus outside, Daremo retrieved the required scroll and exited the tent. One of the genins, having seen Daremo, the former Sannin having dropped the hence as well, exiting the tent with the scroll, charged at him. He was just about to strike out when. . .

---

2494[5135]

The other Genin who had to piss was making their way over next, but after a quick glance to Daremo who indicated he had an idea she would simply nod and remain exactly where she was: watching and learning as always. She watched as Daremo turned himself into an exact replica of the Chuunin whom she had knocked unconscious. While remaining in the trees, perfectly still, silent, and hidden, Kaia watched from her vantage point as Daremo went over to the tree – still an exact replica of the unconscious Chuunin – and went to take a piss, giving Kaia a free show in the process: which she was highly sure was purposefully done. The Genin meanwhile stumbled upon the scene, and a brief conversation was had – though it would prove to be the last the Genin ever would have as his throat was quickly slashed. She watched as Daremo kept his hand over the Genin’s mouth until he was dead before laying down his body and forming a clone who instantly transformed himself into a replica of the deceased Genin. There had been no hesitation in taking the Genin’s life: it was a job that needed done and so it had been. Kaia could only hope, if she absolutely had to do the same, she would be as lucky as to not hesitate in doing so.

The real Daremo jumped up into the tree with her, still looking like the Chuunin and spoke. Kaia listened carefully to Daremo’s plan; his clone would handle the Chuunin while he went after the Special Jounin; and she was to count to ten after his clone killed the Chuunin before jumping down, since that should have given him plenty of time to grab the Special Jounin’s attention. Kaia nodded in understanding.

She watched then as Daremo and his clone made their way out of the line of trees, while listening to the idle chat that followed. It seemed the Chuunin really was asleep, and it was Daremo’s clone who was going to wake him – it would definitely give him the element of surprise, and allow him to get close without the remaining Genin becoming suspicious. Daremo meanwhile headed into the tent under the guise of needing to speak to the ‘boss’, yet another way to be able to move about without drawing unwanted attention – tips and tricks Kaia herself paid close attention to, and would likely end up using in the future.

As the real Daremo disappeared into the tent and out of her field of vision she focused her attention onto the clone whom slit a smile into the sleeping Chuunin’s throat, blood spurting forth and drawing the Genin’s attention – both of whom seemed completely frozen in shock. It was at that moment, while Kaia began to count to ten backwards in her head, that she noticed something familiar about one of the Genin seated there: he happened to be the same Genin whom she had tried to spar just the other day and whom had absolutely refused along with his friend.

Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one..., Kaia counted down in her head as instructed, meanwhile watching as the Genin whom had momentarily been shocked before went rush to the clone, attempting to attack him. The clone meanwhile only blocked and dodged with what looked like extreme ease – clearly these two were being saved for her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Daremo, now looking exactly like himself – same as the clone – exiting the tent. This also drew the attention of one of the Genin, the very one whom she had asked for a spar, who went rushing over with weapon in hand.

It was like the world suddenly stood still. Kaia’s hesitation at killing, her fear of taking a life. It was all gone. All that took over her mind was the mere thought of keeping Daremo safe. Here was someone she had once considered an ally, now attempting to harm – to kill – the person whom she loved. She wouldn’t stand for it.

Like a cat leaping down on its prey Kaia sprung herself from the tree she had been poised in, kunai in  her right hand having been slipped automatically and without notice from her weapons pouch right before: like a natural act one didn’t have to pay attention to anymore to complete. Her accuracy with her leap was perfect; timed accordingly; with her feet aimed toward the Genin’s back. Feet first she barreled into the Genin, knocking him to the ground, while the remaining momentum was transferred to her right arm holding the kunai. The kunai was plunged into the side of his neck without hesitation, completely severing the very artery she had been aiming for. As she pulled the kunai free blood spurted everywhere; each beat of the Genin’s fast racing heart causing a new stream to spray forth and onto the ground.

Kaia didn’t stop to watch, she didn’t stop to hesitate or to consider what she had just done, as she was on the move again after a fluid and well practiced front roll off of the Genin which had her feet hitting the ground once more; or rather, the cushion of air beneath them as she called into effect one of the newest jutsu in her arsenal, one which would have her moving slightly faster (B1 speed) than she normally could. Kaia didn’t so much ran, as skate, across the surface of the earth and straight toward the other Genin who had so far been focused on Daremo’s clone. Seeing something speeding toward him out of the corner of his eye, however, he turned in time for Kaia to reach him… and to speed past, slicing his throat wide open with the kunai in hand in the process: far too fast for the Genin to even process until the deed had been done.

Kaia came to a stop, watching the Genin’s body hit the ground, blood coating the earth. Her kunai was still in her hand, her breathing strangely calm and even, her gaze – completely devoid of the usual gentleness that was once there and instead cold and calculating– was locked momentarily onto the bleeding Genin before the bright blue colored hues lifted to seek out the real Daremo. It was foolish to think he had somehow been hurt in the brief few seconds it had taken her to kill both of the Genin, and yet search for him all the same she did – her gaze softening from the cold and calculating predator she had transformed into easier than she thought she could, and into her usual caring and loving self. As if there were two Kaia’s dwelling within one body: the natural calm and loving one whom enjoyed laughing and dancing and cooking, and the calculated killer who clearly wouldn’t hesitate to take a life if it came to someone she loved being threatened. ”Did you find the scroll?”, simple words spoken, a question that needed answered, and a way to momentarily ignore addressing what she had just so easily done – or better yet, the fact that she wasn’t crying her eyes out, puking her guts up, and shaking from head to toe; the fact that she was taking this all rather well, as if she were a seasoned killer who had done this before whom death strangely didn’t bother.

Word Count: 1,235 | 4,642 / 4,500 (Double Ryo Count)

With the scroll securely tucked on his person, Daremo stepped out of the tent, not casting another glance at the cooling body within it. Purple eyes flickered up to the trees, spotting Kaia, then looking at the genin who was charging at him with a weapon drawn. Said weapon wasn't anything special. Just an elongated kunai which showed signs of rust and chipping along the bladed edge. It was apparent the weapon wasn't taking care of by the owner.

As the distant close between him and the genin, Daremo's composure didn't waver.  His calm deposition remained as he bore into the opponent with a cold in differences. He recognized the child as one of the genins from Konoha. Well, considering the situation, he would be a former genin of the said village. Daremo particularly remembers said boy because of his sexist outlook on fighting. Denying Kaia's request of a spar because of her gender. Saying he couldn't hit her because she was a girl. A foolish decision on his part that is about to bite him in the ass in the form of Kaia; the girl who he denied a spar with.

Shifting backward, creating more distance between him and the charging genin, and, more importantly, giving Kaia giving Kaia a few precious seconds, Daremo watched the action unfold before him. His lover's feet slamming into the unexpected genin, sending him hurling to the ground. No motion was wasted as a glint of metal was briefly seen before being plunged in the downed boy's neck - severing the main artery. Crimson liquid spurted wildly, providing the much-needed nutrients to the flora and inhabitants. A few seconds passed by with blood still being spurted wildly before dying down to a trickle as the boy's heart finally stopped.

Not paying any attention to the cooling body, Daremo watched at Kaia charged towards the other genin who had been kept occupied by his clone. It is inaccurate to say Kaia charged towards the other opponent, rather, she skated across the ground with a quickness becoming of her next rank-up. She was moving at the speed of a newly promote Special Jounin, and it surprised him. She didn't have this speed when they spar. So, when did she gain it? Dismissing such thoughts, for now, Daremo watched the proceeding fight with interest.

The clone continued deflecting and dodging the genin's attack. From the clone's perspective, he noted the boy's breathing had become labored with each successful block, parry, and dodge. While he was impressed by the genin's skills, silently admitting, if things were different, the boy would have been an exceptional taijutsu user, he already knew the outcome.  Glancing at the quickly advancing genin, the clone knew his work was done and dispelled.

Daremo watched at the genin's throat was sliced the moment he had turned around. The moment being done too quickly to be followed by said genin, who was grasping at the gaping neck wound in a vain attempt to stop the flow of blood. As the body fell, Daremo turned his attention to Kaia. Watching as she looked at the deceased body before looking at him. Cold and calculating, Daremo stared into Kaia's eyes that softened upon meeting his. "Yeah, I got the scroll.", he spoke, showing her the scroll before tucking it back onto his person and moving towards Kaia. "Let's go home.", he suggested, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder in a sign of understanding. With that being said, Daremo led Kaia out of the forest and back into the village. The scroll being turned in at the administration office with stating their money will be deposit in their accounts within a day or two.

---

635[5770]
Mission Word Count(Max Ryo): 4500/4500
Remaining WC: 1270

Daremo spoke of having the scroll, and even took the time to show it to her before tucking it away safely once more; their job here was done then. The scroll was had and those whom had taken it now lay dead and gone – their blood and bodies cooling upon the ground. Chances were some predatory creatures would make their way into the clearing at some point and end up making a meal of them – or the bugs would do it. Either way, there was nothing else for them to do.

Kaia watched as Daremo approached her, his hand going to her shoulder; the touch relaying comfort and understanding. At his words she nodded with a small flicker of a smile forming on her face once more. She hadn’t even begun to over-think what she had just done, and she certainly wasn’t going to until they were in the privacy of their own home. She had taken not only one life, but three; the two Genin and the Chuunin whose head had been bashed in by the rock. Not only had she stepped out of her comfort zone, but she had dived right into the middle of what she had been avoiding. The fact she had done it with grace? It hadn’t yet rocked her down to her very core and soul yet – though, chances were it might never.

Either way she followed Daremo out of the clearing, and back toward the village. She remained silent as he handed the scroll over – both of them being told their payment would be deposited into their accounts within the next day or so – before heading home: Kaia already thinking about the nice and long hot shower she wanted so that she could get the smell of blood and everything else off of her.


Word Count Total: 4,942 / 4,500 (Double Ryo WC Met)