A carmel skinned woman walked down a well beaten path through the countryside of the land of stone. A proud look rested upon her face. Her bright blonde hair was pulled back into a wild ponytail and her blue eyes were dancing with frustration. As she moved down the road, her fingers grasped her bastard sword, which went by the name of 'Eye of the Storm'. The sunlight glance of the blade brilliantly as he continued to push forward toward her target. A man that she did not know personally had borrowed some money. She was given the task of retrieving that money in any way possible, and she planned on doing just that. According to the leader of the Aoi Barba, doing 'missions' like these would help her move up the ranks of the group. The group had expanded greatly with a new variety of questionable characters with even more questionable motives. She didn't particularly like any of them, which was to be expected, however she wanted to prove her worth to the group. She did come here to get stronger and she was leaving until that happened.

As she cursed the name of her former village and its practices, she finally saw the house of the man she was to meet. Of course he did not know of her coming, but that was the point. She wanted to avoid the anger that would be brought from chasing around the country. The house in front of her was not noteworthy, being normal in appearance. Living as a member of the Group gad been much more luxurious than she expected, which she didn't really care for. However, it allowed her to identify the type of money that it took to live and how to judge that based on the things that others had. This man and his job were obviously middle class. She chuckled as she thought of the potential surroundings that caused him to borrow money. Maybe his bills were the cause. That wasn't her problem though. She was only there for one purpose.

As she approached the house, she listened to see if anyone was inside. It was silent for the most part, though she did hear the sound of footsteps being muffled by the walls. She sighed and immediately knocked on the door a bit harshly as she wanted to move along with the process. After a few more moments of footsteps, the door slid to the side and she saw a man in front if her. Dark hair and dark eyes were noticeable as well as his clean shaven face. He was in comfortable clothes and looked extremely surprised to see her. He eyes were magnetized on the sword she held, which made her laugh on the inside. This man was a coward. Perfect. "I'm here to pick up the Ryo you owe. You know what I'm talking about." She said bluntly as she stared at the man with a gaze of seriousness. He swallowed before muttering back to her. "Oh...Yea....Let me get that for you." He managed to say before backing into the house and rummaging through a desk. After a moment or two, Hoshi started to get impatient and snapped at him with only two words. "Hurry up" That was all it took for the man to subtly shake. After a second more, he found a tin can and opened it. He pulled out a decent amount of ryo, probably his last bit of money.

"There....you...go" he said handing it to her as his hand trembled. She firmly took it and put it in her pants pocket. "Your lucky I didn't end you life. Don't make me come out here again." She said with a snarl as she turned and walked away. He stood in a shock for a few minutes, watching her leave before slowly closing the door. This mission was a success.

Word Count: 661 (Mission Complete)

As she approached he'd the residence of the man she was is to turn the ryo in to, he walked out to greet her. The man was a source for the group and helped move along all sorts of portentously crimes. An older man, he was wise and full of info, though well protected. Only those in the Aoi Barba knew of his house or his identity. His information was much to valuable to worry about killing, so he had the perfect operation going. She raised an eyebrow at the man waiting for him to speak as she handed the money to him. "Another man owes a much more considerable amount of money. I will double your pay if you take care of this." She sighed and thought it over for a minute. She didn't really feel like doing it again, but the ryo was nice and it would put her in good standing with the other members of the group if she contributed to their efforts. She nodded to him and spoke very plainly, showing a bit of annoyance "Where and how far?" He have her a look of amusement, which just about pissed her off. "Its only an hour due north of here. 500 ryo is what he owes. Meet me here." He responded to her with a calming voice. He was a slick speaker, having dealt with criminals most of his life. She nodded and immediately left for her new destination. He turned and walked back in.

The trip was short as he speed was increased this time around. She was more than ready to get the shot over with so she could get her money. She had other things to do today besides strong arm people for ryo. The landscape of the country was nothing to look at, as it was just covered in dirt and rocks. Mountains could be seen in the distance and another worn path was at her feet. Before long, about 45 minutes with her speed, she arrived at a house that was much nicer in contrast. Obviously, the owner were not hurting for money, as the place was nicer than most. She took no time to listen as she walked up to the entrance and banged away. A disgruntled male opened the door and gave her a look of question. "Its time to pay up." She said with a tone that can only be described as hostile. "I have no idea what you are talking about." The man spat the words out with a pious tone. Her eyes immediately widened as her hand moved sharply, swinging her sword to crash into the door just above his head. " Don't play games with me. 500 Ryo. Now." Her voice growled as she finished causing a wave of fear to jump across his face.

He was paralyzed with fear for a moment before forcing himself to reach down into his pocket and pull out his wallet. He immediately took out 500 ryo and handed it to her timidly. She snatched the money from his quivering palm, slamming it in her pocket. Her eye contact with him meant that she was planning his death her mind. As she removed her sword from the door, she turned to walk away as a choice to spare him. She furrowed her eyebrows as she stopped before swinging her sword to slice his neck open. He made glorious sounds of gurgling death before dropping to the floor. She bent down and wiped her blade on his clothes before turning and walking away, not angry in the slightest. Taking a life was therapeutic to say the least. Now it was time to return and receive her pay. These weren't the only things she had to do today.

Word Count: 631 (Mission Complete)