Perfect Porcelain [S-Rank Mission/Private/Major plot twist]

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Mission Description

Perfect Porcelain [S-Rank Mission/Private/Major plot twist] Schriftbfimqrhaol

R A I N D R O P S

Perfect Porcelain [S-Rank Mission/Private/Major plot twist] Arc1mitripplew68e41c79q

Last edited by Misoka on Sat Nov 30, 2013 1:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

There has to be more than this.

The sound of horse hooves filled the air. The cracking of branches underneath them, the rustling of leaves, the hissing of the wind.
Misoka wouldn’t consider herself a great rider. True, she had been regularly taught by the clan for the past three years or so and it wasn’t that she didn’t like horses, but… she still felt better at moving on her own two feet, moving like a ninja does.
If she just fell behind and turned into the opposite direction, then she might be able to escape, average riding skills or not – This thought lasted only a moment, though. How was she going to do the impossible with five experienced shinobis guarding her? Two of them in front of her, two behind her and one, Taku, riding on her left.
Misoka’s gaze shifted to the head of their strange group: Karisuma, Arata. A woman, dressed in not more than a thin nightgown or at least that was what it looked like, was clinging to his back. Did she mind being so close to the man? Might she be even smiling to herself at the moment?
There was no way Misoka could tell as all she saw was the woman’s black hair flowing with the wind. And nevertheless, part of her strictly refused to believe that whores may be enjoying their jobs.
Fact was that only one of the four whores knew how to ride a horse. Ishi. Slightly older than her although Misoka couldn’t be sure – She had never asked about the woman’s age. Besides the obvious, Ishi was here as her advisor or so she’d been told.
Misoka might have sneaked one glance too many at the whore riding next to her because at one point Ishi raised her voice with a soft chuckle.

“Well, well, seems like we’re almost there.” Her dark brown irises twinkled. “You must be pretty excited, huh?”
A sour taste spread across Misoka’s tongue. For a second, she hesitated and ran a hand through her horse’s white mane. “Excited might not be the best word.”
“What is, then?” Ishi’s smile didn’t falter. “Scared?”
No. Yes. Misoka bit her lip. What was she supposed to answer anyway?
Both of them remained silent for a while until Ishi spoke up, so quietly that the plummeting sound of horse hooves almost drowned her words. “Yukimura-san is a nobleman. Sure, you don’t know what he looks like, he might be ugly as hell, but still – he’s got money. A lot. He basically lives in a castle. You’ll have a luxury only a few people can ever afford. So stop whining, alright?”
Misoka felt her whole body tense up.
It wasn’t about money or luxury. It didn’t matter how that guy looked like. It was the concept, the idea of taking away her liberty to choose. She wanted to be more than just a marionette in a sick game. She wanted to be seen as a human being with rights and feelings.
Was that freedom she hankered after so much to ask for?
“I…!” As soon as the simple word had left her mouth, Misoka trailed off again. Other than annoying the men, what could she possibly achieve by giving vent to her anger? So she just shook her head and shrugged Ishi’s statement off.

Afternoon grew into evening and when the darkness swallowed up their surroundings, Arata announced they would be pitching the tents now.
Misoka said nothing. After making her horse halt, she dismounted and went to help Ishi with their tent. According to Arata, this would be the last night they spent in the wilderness. Kumogakure was merely a day away. And time was slipping through her fingers.
With a suppressed sigh, Misoka let her eyes travel up to the black night sky. Sometimes she feared her voice might dry out if she continued wrapping herself in silence for so long.

~~

It lay in there just like it always had. Funny that she chose to open the box now after two years or so of leaving it closed.
Night had fallen, but Misoka couldn’t sleep. Restlessly, she’d been pacing back and forth in her tent until her gaze had met the box on the little cupboard next to her sleeping bag.
She hesitated for another second before she took out the necklace. Her heart sank.
The necklace was supposed to give her hope in dire situations and yet all it brought to her at the moment was grief. She exhaled in a deep sigh.
I should return it.
The thought crossed her mind almost casually, almost as if it hadn’t been lurking there ever since her departure from Sunagakure. If she could meet Bokuden again, perhaps he would help her. For old times’ sake. After five years of nothingness Misoka knew that she couldn’t expect him to still care about her. She could honestly not expect that she was still in his thoughts let alone that he might be waiting on her.
Their time together had been sweet, but short – and that was the point, that was why it would be hopelessly naïve to believe the days they’d spent with each other could have left such an everlasting impact on either of them.
So… why did she feel that way? Why couldn’t she just forget? Was there truth in the saying you only know you truly care about someone when the person is gone?
Misoka couldn’t bear to take another look at the necklace in her hand. Carefully, she put it back into the box. Her decision was made, then. Bokuden didn’t deserve that. She couldn’t just barge into his life again and moreover ask him to help her escape – not only escape, but find a way to do it and to keep her father safe.
No, such selfishness was intolerable.

“You’re not asleep yet?”
Ishi’s voice made Misoka whirl around. The older woman had returned from Arata’s tent and seemed ready to go to bed now.
Upon seeing Ishi, Misoka finally revealed the plan she’d been weaving in her mind all day.
“Wait,” she whispered before Ishi even had the chance to crawl into her sleeping bag.
“What is it?” came the drowsy reply.
Misoka took a deep breath. “I need your help, well, your advice.” A cautious pause. “I want to escape tonight. If I don’t try it now, I won’t… it’ll just get harder, you know. Once I’m in Yukimura’s house.”
This was risky. This was so risky. But unless her knowledge of human nature had chosen to fail her at such an important time, Ishi wasn’t the type of person to give her away. And in the end, this proved to be true.
After wiping the surprise off her face, the black-haired woman did neither scream for the guards nor warn to do so. Instead, she let out a soft laugh.
“My, my, my, you really want to pull this through, don’t you?” With a sly smile playing upon her lips, Ishi placed one hand akimbo to her waist.
Relief draped over Misoka as she nodded. “First, I’ll have to kill the messenger birds.”
Another chuckle from the woman in front of her. “I’m not sure how I can help you with that.”
“Ryo is guarding the birds tonight. I heard Arata say it to him.” Her face growing even more serious, Misoka’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I need to distract him and then go for the birds. There’s one possibility I thought of which could make him drop his guard. I just don’t know how successful it will be if even.”
Ishi tilted her head to the side questioningly.
Then, despite the hint of embarrassment creeping up within her, Misoka continued in a stern tone,”I plan to seduce him.”

1344/3000

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

“There’s no hell that he can show me that’s deeper than my pride.”

A short silence spread out between them while the astonishment on Ishi’s face was gradually turning into what resembled a smile. The quiet chuckle leaving her lips was the first sound to cut through the air.
“Seduction? Not a bad plan,” she remarked, amused. “But I still don’t quite know why you are telling me about it.”
Misoka returned the smile, although a tad hesitantly. It was hard to believe anyway that she was really going to do this, and… not to mention the shame of searching help in that matter.
“Well, the thing is…” Searching for the right words, she began to fidget with her nightgown’s long sleeves and fought the urge of averting her eyes. “First, we all know that no one of them is allowed to touch me.”
With a wave of her hand, Ishi replied,”Oh, come on, nothing to worry about. Tell him you want to do this, no, show him. A bit of acting, and he’ll hardly resist. After all, that’s Ryo we’re talking about: He’s not exactly undersexed.”
..This was terrible. Misoka didn’t know what else to think as her cheeks heated up, making her feel like a shy teenage girl again. The casual tone in which the older woman had just talked about something so intimate only served to confirm her belief that Ishi was the right person to turn to.
Nonetheless, Misoka couldn’t help but still feel flustered when she finally posed the big question. “Um… how do I seduce a man?”

Now it seemed hard to tell what was more embarrassing: the question or Ishi’s reaction to it.
At first, said person’s smile only twitched as though she was hoping Misoka’s words were meant to be a joke, but after seconds of silence without “just kidding” Ishi’s careless expression fell completely. A face palm followed along with a sigh. “You call yourself a ... what was it again... a kunoichi, but you don’t know how to use a woman’s greatest weapons?”
Eyes downcast, Misoka nodded almost sheepishly. And it certainly didn’t help that she felt utterly repelled by the man she was going to seduce. Again, there was silence for a while and judging from Ishi’s next words the woman must have thrown a glance at the clock they had in their tent.
“I hope you’re a very quick learner.”
Well... Misoka looked up. She definitely hoped so, too.
“Now don’t give me that face,” Ishi added, having regained her confident smile. “If I had your looks, I might earn a bit more money. And being used to a Karisuma’s appearance or not, I doubt Ryo will be a tough nut to crack.”

~~

An hour had passed, at least the clock said so. Misoka’s mind was spinning with all the pieces of advice she had been given. But she couldn’t afford failure tonight. She just couldn’t.
A quiet yawn came from Ishi as the woman stretched and looked at Misoka sitting beside her. “So, you’ve got the procedure memorized by now, haven’t you?”
Misoka nodded in response. “Yes, the three Ts. Tight T-shirt and tea.”
“Good.” A devilish smile tugged at the corners of Ishi’s red lips. “If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what does.”
Much to Misoka’s surprise, the black-haired woman would then pause and shake her head with a rather concerned expression.
“Listen. I know fairly well about your situation. Some men can be a bit chatty after sex.” She let out a humourless chuckle. “But anyway, the clan leader won’t approve of your disobedience.”
Misoka didn’t look away. Strangely enough, there was neither sadness nor fear rising within her this time. All she felt was the assurance that she couldn’t back out anymore. She didn’t want to give up or be afraid. Never again.
Ishi’s dark brown orbs seemed to pierce right through her turquoise ones when Misoka opened her mouth to answer.

“There’s no hell that he can show me that’s deeper than my pride.”
Her voice didn’t falter once, it reflected nothing but fierce determination instead. In the back of her mind, she wondered when she had become so strong-willed. What she felt at the moment was no pretence. Or had that willpower always been within her and only buried under her old fears? She wasn’t so sure.
“This...” Ishi muttered in surprise. “Eh, this sounds like something a man would say. Or... a male poet.”
..What? Misoka blinked, a slight hue of pink already tracing her cheeks. This time her voice wasn’t as steady and firm although she tried her hardest when she retorted,”Yes, it might’ve been better if I was born a man.”
In light of this awkward answer, they both laughed. For a short moment, the reason why they were talking to each other in the first place was forgotten.
However, time tended to pass by ruthlessly.

Far too soon Misoka had to remind herself of what she must do. With a nod, she stood up and walked over to the tent’s entry.
Before she could go outside, though, Ishi raised her voice. “I don’t know whether I should call you brave or just desperate. But... sometimes it’s better to swallow your pride for the sake of others.”
Misoka stopped mid-way. She didn’t ask how Ishi could know about her father. This wasn’t important now.
“I know.” Taking a deep breath, she looked back at the woman and gave her a thin smile. “That’s why I have to kill the messenger birds first.”
Ishi wasn’t convinced. “You are still risking your father’s life just so you can get a chance at living in freedom. I don’t mean to judge you, but some would certainly call you selfish for that. It’s like... you prefer liberty to a person’s life.”
It took Misoka a while to find an answer that would explain how she felt inside. This longing for independence was something she couldn’t seem to shake off.
“Maybe they are right and I’m indeed selfish at the moment,” she said calmly at last. “Of course I care about my father. He’s the only family I’ve got left. But... I can’t help it: I have to try and escape. I just...” Trailing off. She had no idea how to go on.

Fortunately, Ishi didn’t press the issue anymore. She merely nodded and smiled at her.
“One last thing. What plans do you have for the future should it all work out and there’ll be no marriage?”
That was something no-one had ever asked Misoka before, yes, something she had barely asked herself so far.
A quiet chuckle escaped her as she thought about it for a second.
“Well... I will probably move away from Sunagakure with my father, but I’ll stay within the Sand country. Close to the Fire country’s border perhaps because living in the desert doesn’t sound all too good. Then I will find a woman for my father and as for myself, I’ll settle down with a farmer and have my own family.”
Ishi snorted with laughter and had to cover her mouth with both hands so she wouldn’t be too loud.
“A farmer? No shinobi?” she choked out in between fits of giggles.
Misoka found herself laughing as well before she stuck out her tongue playfully. “A farmer has his perks, you know. First, my children will grow up with animals. And second, he’s not stronger than me so he won’t be able to hold me down.”

At that, Ishi shook her head, still grinning. “You are so strange.”
Then she cast another glance at the clock and her smile wavered. “You better get going now. The night doesn’t last forever. Remember the three Ts and you’ll be fine.” A short pause. “Good luck. Under different circumstances, we might have become friends.”
Misoka bit her lower lip and averted her gaze. So the time had come. She would go outside now and seduce a man in order to catch him off-guard. She would try to kill innocent birds and run away afterwards. Just how crazy did that sound?

There was only one last sentence she mouthed into the air before she proceeded to leave the tent.
“Yeah, we might have.”

2794/3000

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

One step closer to the edge.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest when she entered Ryo’s tent. The man was dozing at first in a sitting position, but the moment she came in, his head shot up.
It took Misoka only a second to spot the cages standing in a corner. Three cages, three birds.
“You?”
Instantly, Misoka let her gaze sweep back to the Jounin who quickly averted his eyes. Was he afraid she might use her kekkei genkai on him?
“What are you doing here? Get out! At once!” he continued to bark in a more than harsh tone, his head still turned away.
I must not fail. These simple four words were enough to make her take a step closer despite what she’d been told. Enough to paint an innocent smile on her lips. She lifted the tray in her hands in order to show him the teapot and the cup.
“I am only here to bring you tea. Taku-san told me to do so.” Carefully as if approaching a shy animal, she stepped even closer until she was standing right in front of him. He still refused to look at her, but the slight irritation in his voice gave him away.
“The psycho?” Ryo let out a scoff. “Beats me. Didn’t know he’s so thoughtful.”
Yes, Taku was probably anything but ‘thoughtful’. However, no-one, not even his colleagues, seemed to know what exactly was going on in the shinobi’s mind. He was certainly one of the best excuses to avoid blowing her cover.

All the while smiling, Misoka kneeled before Ryo. “May I serve the tea now?”
With apparent hesitation, the man finally threw a glance at her only to keep his gaze glued on the teapot right afterwards.
“No.” His tone sounded almost flustered. “No, I’ll do it on my own. Go! Go away already.”
She stayed where she was – a fact which didn’t go unnoticed by him.
“I told you to-“ he hissed urgently, but this time she was faster.

In a blur of movement, Misoka held up the pot and poured some tea on her décolletage – an accidental slip of course. It wasn’t even tea, but cold water. A slight shiver crept up her spine as she felt the liquid trickle down her breasts. The white T-shirt Ishi had chosen for her soaked up the water hungrily and would then cling to her frame, more revealing than hiding what was underneath.
“Ah, I’m sorry!” She pretended to feel embarrassed although there wasn’t much she had to pretend at the moment. She didn’t even wear a bra. The thought that she had just showed herself practically naked to one of the men who held her captive irked her more than anything else. Nevertheless, Misoka continued to play her role. “How clumsy of me!”

But she didn’t bother to shield her breasts with her hands or look away. At last, Ryo had lifted his head to stare right at her wet shirt. She got his attention now. So this little trick did work after all.
Silently thanking Ishi for that result, Misoka reached out and pulled the man’s hand to her breasts. A surprised gasp left his lips, one she wished she could have uttered as well, only with the difference that she would like to add ‘disgusted’ to it.
“W-What do you think you’re doing for – for heaven’s sake?” He stumbled over his own words and though they suggested that he wanted her to stop, his voice didn’t sound all too unhappy. At the same time, his rough hand began to move, merely an inch at first; then it was eagerly exploring the skin beneath it.

Misoka tried to shut her mind off. She tried to make herself believe that she wasn’t being touched by a man more than ten years older than her. No, she was lying in her sleeping bag right now, counting sheep or something like that.
“This is... I can’t...they’ll kill me..!” came Ryo’s hoarse voice as the movement of his hand slowed down. She would have to reassure him.
“I want to do this.” Realizing how mechanical that had just sounded, Misoka forced an inviting smirk on her lips and added,”With you.”
Quietly she watched as his eyes widened. Her mouth opened once again. “Please don’t reject me.”

That was when he didn’t hold back anymore. After cursing under his breath, the man grabbed her shoulders roughly and leaned in for a kiss.
An old memory shot through her mind, she’d experienced it before: a man touching her against her will. The sudden surge of fear threatened to paralyze her, but Misoka managed to get a hold of herself just in time.
As if she wanted to embrace him, she pulled Ryo close to her body while her hands were searching for one of his weapons.

Moments later, she grasped a kunai, trying to concentrate on the cold metal rather than on the gruesome feeling the man’s touch gave her. Now all she needed to do was stab him in the back... open the cages... kill.
Anything to stop this torture she had forced herself to endure. At that moment she knew that she could never be a whore. And she was sure that whores would do any other job if they only had the chance.
Misoka’s eyes tightened when she lifted the kunai.
I hope it’ll hurt, you stupid pig.

Just then, however, a voice made Misoka jump,”Get your filthy hands off her, bastard!”
Right afterwards, two strong arms dragged Ryo away from her and threw him to the ground. Misoka sprang up, finding herself face to face with... Taku.
Damn it... this didn’t go according to plan anymore. What was that guy doing here? But Taku scarcely took notice of her. Instead, he pulled Ryo up by his collar and glared daggers at him.
“Have you forgotten what this is all about?! She’s going to get married!”
It seemed like Ryo wanted to answer something, but Taku silenced him with a punch in the face.
Then, a loud crack. Had he just broken Ryo’s nose?

Whatever! This was her chance. She couldn’t keep standing here like an idiot! In next to no time she formed a hand sign. ‘Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.’
Four clones of her appeared: three in front of the cages, one beside the true Misoka. They knew what to do.
The birds were chirping anxiously when three Misokas opened the cages.
“Kill!” – “She wants to kill me!” – “Help!” The animals’ voices resembled a crow’s croak.
“I’m sorry,” one of the clones whispered without wasting any time, though. ‘Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu.’
Three fireballs were sent flying at the birds. The hissing of flames making contact. Then the croaks died down.
Within seconds, the tent caught fire, too.
“NO!” Taku’s roar pierced through Misoka’s ears. His face reflecting nothing but rage, the man let go of Ryo and rushed forward.

Misoka started running as fast as she could, leaving her clones behind as distraction.
Out of the tent, into the night. Away, away, away.
The smell of burned fabric filled the air. Her heart thudded against her rib cage. She didn’t want to feel excited yet, but pictures of a life in freedom, so sweet and promising, were already flashing through her mind.

To the horses, now. She needed to arrive in Suna before the guards did, and save her father. Fortunately, she had used the short good-bye time she’d been given with him to figure out where he was being imprisoned.
Her white horse, which was bound to a tree, finally came into view as Misoka turned round one of the tents.
A few more meters. I’m going to make it.

The last thing she could see was the horse rearing up with a loud neigh. Everything else turned black for a moment when pain coursed through her body like fire. Someone had punched Misoka so hard that her breath hitched in her throat.
“Stay down, stupid brat!”

But as soon as she hit the ground and her sight had returned, she wanted to struggle to her feet again.
A boot kicked her down.
She crashed back into the mud and made painful contact with the small stones scattered around the area. Then all she could taste was blood.
Angrily, Misoka looked up in order to see who was holding her down like that, and perhaps find a way to break free.
Her hopes sank when she recognized the man’s face.
One of the strongest shinobis assigned with the task to guard her. The head of their group.
Karisuma, Arata.

~~3000/3000~~
Training 1278 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

To swallow your pride.

“Did you think you could get away like that?!” Infused with anger, Arata aimed another kick at her, but this time she was prepared.
‘Kawarimi no Jutsu.’
Misoka appeared right in front of her horse, leaving behind nothing but a single stone. Unfortunately, the animal was still anxious because of the nightly noise and reared up once again. She made an attempt at calming it down, but failed miserably.
Only seconds later, Arata was standing behind her, and then everything was lost. The other men arrived as well – Taku, Genbo, Ryo, Shin - , surrounding her and blocking every path of escape.
She clenched her teeth in frustration. Although there was still the taste of blood on her chapped lips, her willpower remained unbroken.
No matter how hopeless the situation, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Funny. You all believe women are weak, but apparently five men are needed to take me on,” Misoka taunted while assuming a fighting stance.
A loud chuckle came from Shin. “Well, she’s got a point there.”
“Shut up, both of you!” Arata interjected. His eyes narrowed into slits when they locked onto Misoka.
All of a sudden, he smirked. “Not even one man needs to fight you. I can make you submit yourself with even less.”
What was he talking about? Misoka kept a straight face. “You don’t know me well.”
“No?” He let out a laugh. “So you don’t care about your father’s safety?”
“I killed the messenger birds.”
Oddly enough, Arata seemed completely unfazed by that. His laugh grew louder.

“Let me show you something,” he would then say and ... bite his thumb.
Even before he summoned the hawk, realization had dawned upon Misoka.
With pure horror painted across her features, she watched the bird fly up high in the air and rest on Arata’s shoulder afterwards. Then it spoke just as she’d dreaded it would.
“That’s the girl?”
Arata nodded. “I have a message for you. Sorry I have to bother you that soon, but I told you she’s a rebellious soul.”

No.
No, no, no. So it had all been for nothing in the end? Misoka’s knees felt weak. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably, making her almost drop the kunai.
Father. Was he going to die now just because of her selfishness?
“Arata, no!”
Although the words could have very well left her own mouth, Misoka hadn’t been the one to speak up.
It was Ryo. Holding his bleeding nose, he stumbled forward. “Please don’t send the message. What if Akihiko-sama finds out I have been involved in that? But, but she tricked me! It’s not my fault!”
His begging made Misoka feel a spark of hope that the fateful outcome might be avoided after all.
However, the glare Arata shot at the bearded man suggested otherwise. “Do you think I give a shit about what happens to you?”
Was it only her imagination or had the warm August air just turned to ice? Cold shivers crept up and down her spine as Misoka listened to the words the man in front of her said to the hawk.
“Disobedient... Tell Akihiko... He will kill her father.”
Back and forth in her mind. Back and forth. She felt like panicking, but only when she saw the hawk preparing to take flight, her paralysis broke at last.

“N-no, don’t!” she called out in a voice so hoarse that she had to clear her throat.
Of course this wouldn’t be enough. If anything would. Arata didn’t even bother to respond to her pathetic attempt at stopping him.
“Well, you’re ready to go, aren’t you?” His whole attention was on the hawk. He lifted his arm in order to let the hawk know it was time to fly.
At that moment, Misoka remembered Ishi’s words. “Sometimes it’s better to swallow your pride for the sake of others.”

Then she threw herself on the ground, her head held down low like a slave while her hair was spilling over her shoulders.
“Please,” she pleaded truthfully. “Please don’t send this message. I’m begging you. Please, I’ll do anything!”
Another wave of fear washed over her as she dared to lift her head in the slightest.
The hawk was still sitting on Arata’s shoulder. He hadn’t taken off yet.
She allowed herself to feel a tiny surge of relief.
“I... I am sorry! I am so sorry!” Misoka swallowed, but her throat was still dry out of panic. “I can better myself! I’ll become more obedient! I’ll do anything you tell me to! Just please...”
If that was even possible, Arata’s smug smirk widened. Slowly, he turned to her. “I must admit, this side of you is something I rarely get to see.”
The hawk tilted his head.
“What about the message? Shall I go now?” it asked in a casual tone.

Misoka opened her mouth instantly. “No, no, please, I... I’ll...” Her chest tightened.
Seconds passed, but to her it felt like whole minutes.
Finally, Arata replied,”No. Let’s count this as a small mistake.”
The relief his words brought her was so great that she had to rest her head on the ground again. It seemed there was no strength left in her anymore.
She had almost killed her father. The heavy truth of it threatened to drag her down. Lower and lower. What kind of daughter was she? “Th-Thank you... thank you...”

A snicker reached her ears, followed by Arata’s voice,”I do think you need a punishment, though. Ryo? I’m sure you want to be the first to knock some sense into her.”
Misoka felt herself tense up. Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze.
Ryo was approaching her with a grim expression while Arata added smugly,”I advise you to hold still, girl.”

~~

By the time the last strike had almost rendered her unconscious, Arata announced this was enough punishment. “And now, take her with you, Genbo. She needs the best medical treatment you have to offer. Make sure she’ll be completely healed for tomorrow.”
Something wet touched Misoka’s cheek. Was she... crying? Had she already grown so pathetic? More and more drops followed. No... it was rain.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of water caressing her skin.

She imagined it could wash away her pain, not only the one she felt on the outside, but also the one carved into her heart.
Effortlessly, she would drift away, to a place where she could rest and breathe easy. Anywhere.
It was so easy to picture in her mind, but the moment she opened her eyes, the place of peace was already slipping from her grasp.

Training 2423 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Help.

Every fibre of her being seemed to ache when he put her down. Eyebrows furrowed, Genbo examined her wounds briefly.
“Hmm... this will take a while,” he mumbled, apparently to himself. “I told them to use Genjutsu instead, but no... at least I can’t see many broken bones.”
Misoka struggled to lift her head. Her hair was still dripping water after being exposed to the rain outside.
Shame rose within her, shame about how much they had humiliated her.
“I’m alright,” she snapped weakly. “These are just scratches. Leave me alone.”
Of course Genbo didn’t listen to her. No one of those conceited idiots ever did.
Silently, the man placed his hands on her injuries and sent chakra to them. A familiar green light made clear that he was using medical ninjutsu. Bit by bit, Misoka felt the pain subside. She looked away, refusing to watch him healing her. At some point, an unreal smile spread across her lips.

In fact, she was the idiot here.
She had honestly believed that she would find a way to escape on her own. One against five – simple mathematics could have already predicted the outcome of that stupid plan of hers.
No, worse. It was her against the world, at least the world she lived in. A place full of stuck-ups who were all looking down upon female shinobis, saying they could never surpass men anyway. And she failed to show them the opposite.
The back of her eyes began to sting, but she quickly blinked the tears away.
Again, simple logic actually: If the fact that three Kages were women couldn’t convince them, how was she – with the abilities of a Special Jounin at best – supposed to make them see things in a different light?

I truly am an idiot. The thought crossed Misoka’s mind a second time. Now, after Arata had shown her his Kuchiyose no Jutsu and told his fellows to beat her to a pulp, it couldn’t be clearer to her.
She was powerless. The only thing which would make her believe she could somehow get out of this mess was her foolish pride.
No particularly promising plan occurred to her anymore. It seemed that Misoka had finally found an answer to Ishi’s words that night. She didn’t prefer liberty to a life, not when it was her father’s life on stake.

With the realization that she couldn’t beat five experienced shinobis on her own came the loneliness.
Alone, any attempt at escaping might be a hopeless endeavour, but if only she had other strong people supporting her...
Perhaps there was a way to contact them. Misoka swallowed down a sigh.
Bokuden. Kenji. Nagare and Jishin... maybe?
Anyone.

I give in. I just need some help.

Training 2892 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Raindrops.

It continued to rain all night.
By morning, the sky stopped crying, but the grey clouds painted across it indicated that the weather could easily change to the worse again.
The men’s mood was terrible. May it be because of the unwelcome events the night before or the bad weather – Misoka wasn’t entirely sure. Probably a little bit of both.

They were riding through the mountainous landscape of the Lightning country, most of the time in complete silence. Misoka didn’t dare to speak up, afraid she might anger one of the men in any way.
Sometimes she caught Ishi’s gaze on her which reflected a flash of commiseration, but lacked the surprise she would have expected to see. Had Ishi never believed in a possible victory from the start?
Misoka knew that she couldn’t blame the woman though part of her felt slightly disappointed nonetheless.

Time passed by.
When they entered Kumo’s gates in the late afternoon, the rain came back, pouring down on them mercilessly. Within seconds, Misoka’s clothes were soaked and the cold wind that accompanied the water drops made her shiver.
One of her guards suggested giving her a coat so she wouldn’t catch a cold now that only an hour separated them from their destination.
Arata, however, shook his head. “Let her endure it. She needs discipline.”
Misoka shrugged. This kind of punishment didn’t bother her. After all, she would have declined the offer herself. She didn’t want anything from any of them.

Due to the rain pelting on Kumo’s streets, all market stands were closed.
Only few people had gone outside, either to do errands in the indoor shops or for reasons Misoka couldn’t figure out.
She rode at a deliberately slow pace whilst searching for familiar faces.
Her heart pounded with anticipation.
Every moment she hoped to spot silver hair or one of Kenji’s confident smirks, a man with a twin beside him or a uniquely pissed-off expression. Except for Kenji who she had met at the spirit festival a few months ago, she had no idea how much the people she’d known might have changed over the past five years. Desperately she was clinging to the mental pictures in her mind, to the memories which connected her to all four of them.

People with umbrellas went past Misoka and another small group of women pointed at her and her guards in surprise. Maybe it wasn’t so common in a shinobi village to go by horses.
How ironic, though, that Misoka couldn’t see any shinobis in the almost empty streets.

It’s over.

Misoka reminded herself to breathe. In and out. But her heart felt so heavy that she had trouble holding on to the reins when her horse started galloping like its fellow species did. Arata was leading them off the street into the nature on the outskirts of Kumogakure. Up a hill.
Over and over, Misoka tried to determine what chances she had left at escaping the marriage.

But as the castle came into sight after a fairly long ride, she knew that she would need a miracle just to get out of there.
Three shinobis, none of them looking very weak to put it mildly, were guarding the entry gates.
“Karisuma Kiyomi?” the tallest man stepped forward.
Arata nodded. “We are here to escort her to your master.”
“Very well. Come in.”
Misoka’s horse followed the others without hesitation, apparently not taking note of its rider’s fear or the way she was clenching and unclenching her hands.

The gates closed with a loud creaking noise coming from the iron.

End of Arc 1

Training 3510 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Fall seven times, stand up eight.

Perfect Porcelain [S-Rank Mission/Private/Major plot twist] Schrift22cwgthlk7s

W I N G S

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

“Once I’m his wife.”

The castle was huge, luxuriant and the perfect place to lose your way.
Under different circumstances, Misoka might have taken the time to look around in amazement, but all she could feel at that moment was anxiousness. She wasn’t here for sight-seeing. No, she was meant to stay in this place for all time, and this was something else entirely.

A little girl, approximately fourteen years old Misoka would guess, approached her and her guards in the hallway. Panting, the girl came to a halt in front of them and bowed with the utmost haste.
“I am so sorry I am late! May I introduce myself: My name is Takahashi, Yume,” she blurted out before turning to Misoka. “My lady, will you please come with me? I am supposed to prepare you for your meeting with Yukimura-sama.”
“Where shall we go in the meantime?” Arata asked harshly.
Confronted with the man’s glare, the girl flinched and tucked a few stray strands of black hair behind her ears as if to make herself less nervous that way. “Y-you... you can go to Yukimura-sama already. He is awaiting you in the...the main hall. Straight-ahead, the second right and then straight-ahead again until you come to a – to an iron door.”
Arata nodded to the other man, motioning for them to follow him. After a couple of steps forward, he looked back one last time. “You might want to do something against your stutter, brat.”
Blood rose in Yume’s cheeks and Misoka felt tempted to defend her.
The sudden surge of anger was still boiling in her stomach when she let the girl lead her to wherever she needed to go.

~~

“First, I am going to bathe you, my lady.”
Misoka raised her head in surprise, snapping out of her thoughts which were always circling around the near future. Yume had brought her to a bathroom probably as flourishing as all the other rooms in the castle.
Her gaze shifting to the huge tub in which the little girl was already pouring steaming water, Misoka felt a slight smile tug at the corners of her lips.
“No.” A bit flustered, she ran a hand through her wet hair. “No, thank you, I can do this myself.”
“Oh.”
Mouth open, Yume stared at her as though she wasn’t sure what to do now.
The helpless look on the girl’s face cut through Misoka’s heart and made her almost feel guilty that she had said something in the first place. “Um, but you could hand me the shampoo or... the soap. I would be very grateful.”
Fortunately, this new task was immediately accepted by the girl. “Yes, of course, my lady!”
Her eagerness to serve seemed more frightening than endearing.

While the young maid was busy looking for various body care products, Misoka took off her clothes and slipped into the bathtub.
Hot water embraced her skin, stroking her arms and legs like a sea of feathers, coaxing her into a somewhat relaxed state of mind. With a small sigh, she closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings.
After a while, the sound of footsteps grew louder. Upon opening her eyes again, Misoka could see the maid standing at her side.
“Here, this softens the skin.” Yume lifted the vial in her hand as if asking for reassurement.
A nod was all it took, then the girl poured the light pink liquid into the water. It added a faint colour hue to the transparent water.

“Soften, hm...” Absent-mindedly, Misoka started washing her shoulders. “I imagine Yukimura-san's hands aren’t as soft?”
The extreme reaction to that simple question took her by surprise: A gasp escaped the maid’s lips as she dipped her head and remained completely motionless.
What...? Alarmed, Misoka knitted her brows. When she straightened up slightly, burbling ripples formed on the water's surface before they faded away.
“Tell me.” She could hear that her voice sounded firmer than intended. Like a command.
The maid swallowed. With insecurity and fear radiating from her, Yume glanced at Misoka from below her lashes.
“They were hard.”
Misoka blinked. She scarcely noticed her hand tightening on the edge of the bathtub.
“Hard? You have felt them.”
The response came in a squeaking voice, one that belonged undoubtedly to a young, frightened girl.
“When he beat me.”

There was silence after that.
Not saying a word, Misoka proceeded to look at a little girl, a maid who was fighting back tears.
Misoka could have pitied her and expressed her deep sympathy; she could have pulled Yume into an embrace in hopes it would help her feel better.
But she did none of that.

Nothing but cold fury draped over her as Misoka stated in a steady tone,”I can assure you there will be no more beatings if... once I’m his wife.”
“M-my lady...” The girl’s face lit up with total bewilderment.
“Now hand me the soap, please.”
It took the maid a moment to process Misoka’s next words, so casually spoken as if nothing had happened. “Yes!”
From the corner of her eye, Misoka could see a smile form on Yume’s lips.

Training 4393 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Perfect porcelain.

Yukimura Fugi was smitten with an attraction to the Western culture, for which everything in his castle served as evidence.
Instead of a kimono Misoka had to wear a gown of ivory silk, draped with pure white laces for the short sleeves and around the neckline.
Two servants led her past sculptures of Western knights and a painting depicting a decorated fir tree towards the main hall, where she would meet her future husband.
The silence they wrapped themselves in was merely interrupted by the rustling layers of Misoka’s dress and the clanking sounds coming from her shoes’ heels.
She didn’t want to dwell on any particular thoughts. What use was it to fret anyway?

After a while, they reached the iron door. Alongside the menservants Misoka halted so that the hush among them deepened for a few moments.
Calmly, one of the servants pulled the door open a tiny crack. Voices streamed through the small gap, but everyone in the room fell silent when Misoka stepped in.
She felt their undivided attention lingering on her now, the eyes of her guards, the eyes of the man she was to marry.
Then there was the stubborn sense of pride which refused to become buried beneath fear, which urged Misoka to hold her head high and pretend that she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest – yet to no success.
Hands clutched to her chest, she cast her own eyes down as she almost blindly made her way towards the men.
Rustle. Clank. And a new sound, inaudible to anyone but her: the frantic beating of a heart.

Should she bow? If so, how deep? Or would this be considered unsuitable in the light of the nobleman’s obsession with the Western traditions?
Why was she even thinking about something like that? She would remain where she was, motionless. Not in a million years would she give him a respect he had not earned.
A fight between the anxiety and the courage flared up within her, burning through her veins.

Before any of them could win, however, Yukimura took a step closer towards Misoka and raised his voice.
“Look at me,” he commanded.
She hesitated, but did as she was told.
The man before her must be at least twenty years older than her; the deep lines on his face and the creases framing his mouth indicated his age. His dark blue hair was tied up in a ponytail so that nothing could distract from his unusually big nose.
Just as she had scrutinized him, his eyes must have traced every inch of her face.

A smile flashed across his rough features. Then he turned to Arata and said one simple word. “Beautiful.”
Misoka could see her relative returning the smile as he answered,”You cannot expect anything less from our clan.”
“Yes, yes.” Yukimura grunted, pleased, which made him sound like a pig. “I have wanted to buy one of your girls for a long time, but I needed somebody who could even stand out among them. After all, I was told her eyes are rare. I hope this was not a lie?”
The threat behind his words was so casually uttered that one could have easily missed it.
Arata probably did not, but his smile didn’t falter, either.
“The last person who had such eyes has died over a hundred years ago.”
Another chortle came from Yukimura at these words.
“I cannot wait to have her perform in my play, then.” His gaze flickered to Misoka again. “Tell Akihiko this is good work.”

...Good work? She swallowed. Their conversation went on as though she wasn’t standing in the same room, as though she wasn’t worth being addressed directly.
Once more, her whole being turned into the form of a product whose advantages and disadvantages had to be figured out by the customer.

The little maid back in the bathroom had spoken the truth when she told Misoka that Yukimura’s hands were hard.
He touched Misoka’s chin and let his thumb trail over her cheeks, her nose and her forehead.
She wanted to recoil from his long fingers, but found herself holding still nonetheless. Any faux-pas might prompt Arata to summon the hawk again, and next time, he would surely not be as merciful.

“It is indeed porcelain skin,” Yukimura muttered, withdrawing his hand at last. He was lost in thought for a while, and nobody dared to say a word until the nobleman went on in an almost theatrical tone.

“Perfect porcelain.” A pat on her cheeks.
“Enlightened by rays of the mighty sun.” With a smile, he threaded his fingers through her hair.
“And embedded in the sparkling oceans.” At that point, Yukimura met her eyes and nodded once.

Then he called out excitedly,”What a poetic afflatus!”
Making a quick gesture towards one of the servants standing at each side of the door, Yukimura commanded,“Write this down immediately!”

Misoka wasn’t sure how she should feel.
Her first instinct was to puke; letting out a humourless laugh being a close second.

Training 5247 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Each minute dragged by. It wasn’t hard to find out that Yukimura had a quick tongue.
After he had praised himself on his wonderful choice of words, he continued with a rant about all the talents he called his own.
For most of the time, it seemed he wasn’t speaking to anyone in specific, certainly not to her at least.
No-one acknowledged Misoka anymore as though she had turned invisible. Not that this bothered her.

Silently, she looked at the floor and let her mind wander. She wasn’t interested in Yukimura’s big ego or story after story about his plays.
Although Misoka knew she would never feel satisfied with a forced marriage, somewhere in the back of her mind she had hoped her husband would be at least fairly amiable.
So far, however, she couldn’t find any particular character trait she approved of.

Conceited. A big mouth. Violent. Sexist.
The words he spoke about Misoka circled solely around her appearance and she imagined he would always feel that way towards her. You could admire beauty, but you could only love someone for their personality.
I will remain a puppet in others’ hands then, she thought and was almost surprised about her own calmness at that realization.
Maybe romance was overrated anyway.

A loud clap interrupted her thoughts, just in time so that she could see Yukimura had been responsible for the sound. He nodded to the door and burst out proudly,”I know! Let me introduce you my wives. I hope you will not be swept away by envy.”
Wives? Confused, Misoka turned around.

The servants opened the door and led four women inside the room.
“Splendid!” Yukimura said, scurrying over to them and breaking into a light sweat despite the short distance he had walked. How pathetic.
Misoka snatched a sideways-glance at Arata who wasn’t taken aback in the slightest. He must have known about this.
But she hadn’t.
With a mixture of disbelief and pure disgust she watched Yukimura greet each of the women who were all looking downwards. She had been anything but impressed with the man her clan had chosen for her, but this was highly over the top now.

Four wives? So she would be the fifth? What kind of maniac was that guy?
It only got worse when Yukimura told the women to raise their heads and introduced them separately.

“First, ladies and gentlemen: Fire.” He pointed at the tall woman beside him whose expression remained empty.
Red hair cascaded over her bare black shoulders and the yellow eyes seemed to be looking into space. She didn’t smile nor showed any sign of acknowledging the new guests of her husband.
Misoka wondered whether the woman had just been forced to stay in this castle for so long that she simply didn’t care anymore.
“I bought her when she was fourteen. Her unusual appearance fascinated me and well, it reminded me of fire, thus the name,” Yukimura’s voice reverberated off the walls again.
The way he spoke about a human being made Misoka’s blood run cold.
“Lucky for my young self – yes, I had just turned 30 that day and finally wanted a wife – her parents were so poor that I could negotiate a very cheap price.”
He broke out into roaring laughter and every man in the room joined in without hesitation.

The urge to leave had never felt greater by then. Misoka pursed her lips in anger and desperation that she would soon suffer the same fate as those women.
Non-chalantly, Yukimura would go on and tell a short story about each of his wives.

“The second: Nature. Look at this tanned skin and the green hair of course. The amber eyes like... acorns. Definitely one of a kind, gentlemen.
I saw her at a circus and knew I wasn’t going to leave without having her in my possession.”

Misoka didn’t want to listen, but her sense of hearing couldn’t be fooled, much to her chagrin.

“Here: Water. I know, she is ... not as beautiful as the others. I mean, that hump on her nose, hmh.
However, I must admit, neither of their faces is completely flawless in that sense. Well, except for my new acquisition of course, but Porcelain costs me enough anyway.”
He lamented to himself for a while before continuing. “Water was a whore. With her pale skin and the blue hair and eyes, I thought she would be the perfect mermaid for one of my plays.
I have no idea why her price was so ridiculously high, but I didn’t have enough time to search for another girl. Still annoys me every now and then.”

The last woman in need of being introduced had long, black hair which almost fused with her black skin. Deep red eyes gave her a unique, almost frightening appearance.
“Charcoal,” Yukimura said tenderly and patted the woman’s head. “One of my favourites. She was a princess, and I wasn’t sure how I could make her mine.
Fortunately, her father’s kingdom fell apart last year and I offered an alluring price. That is actually the entire story.
Yes, you really need money in this world. Charcoal and Fire make a great combination. I can already imagine the two of them next to Porcelain; what a contrast that will be!”

At last, Yukimura fell silent and Arata was quick to compliment his choice of women. With a wave of his hand, the nobleman sent his wives away again.
A servant closed the door. Misoka wished she could have sneaked outside as well. The atmosphere in the room threatened to choke her.

“I do have something else to discuss with you, Karisuma.”
Arata tilted his head questioningly. “I am all ears, my lord.”
A frown creased upon Yukimura’s face as he suddenly began to pace back and forth for a few moments as if in thought.
“You see, there is something that has been bothering me about Porcelain.”
He stopped and turned to look straight at Arata. “Is it true that she is a kunoichi?”

Training 6277 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

“Oh... that.” For once, Karisuma Arata seemed to be at a loss for words. Obviously in order to stall time, he coughed and cleared his throat. “No-“
“Yes, I am.” She had no idea what had prompted her to say that aloud.
All eyes were directed at Misoka now, a glare from the head of her guards, a deep frown from her husband-to-be. Despite the emotionless expression she had placed on her face, a shiver ran down her spine.

Yukimura approached her slowly until he was standing right in front of her. At that moment, she wished she was taller. As tall as a man. She wished she could be intimidating somehow, and make them tremble out of fear.

The next long seconds, Misoka felt the man’s gaze on her, but since she didn’t want to meet his eyes, she looked straight-ahead at his neck. Some sweat drops trickled down his cheek bones. Along with them, she could smell his rank animal odour.
Eventually, Yukimura turned away to face Arata again and complained coldly,”She speaks without permission. Has she learnt no discipline?”

A note of embarrassment was audible in his voice when the Karisuma replied,”You should not worry about that. She only pretends to be strong. Rest assured that you will have broken her will in no time.”
The short, poisonous glance he threw at Misoka told her that she should watch her tongue from now on.
Yukimura let out an unpleased scoff. “She is beautiful, without a doubt. I must say, however, that I do put a few requirements on my wife’s behaviour.”
“Sure, I am aware of-“ Arata said quickly, but the lord cut him off.
“My wives do not speak without permission. And they do not fight like a ninja.” His voice grew more urgent as he folded his arms.

Misoka’s eyes widened slightly. Perhaps... perhaps the man would reject her and then she could leave this place.
The false hope fluttered in her heart, but was crushed far too soon.

Arata had regained his composure and calmed the other man down,“She is not a kunoichi anymore. She has not trained over the past five years, and on top of that, she can only be considered a Chunin at best.”
I have trained. I have done missions. I can’t be a Chunin anymore.
The words swelled up in her mind and on her tongue, but couldn’t find an exit.

Yukimura was convinced more easily than she would have thought.
Or did he bury his scepticism on purpose so that nothing could change his mind about the marriage?
With a thin smile, the lord responded,”You are right. Why should I worry? I am a Jounin after all. As long as I can hold her down on our wedding night, I shall not fret.”
He laughed out loud, a sound which pierced through Misoka’s ears like needles.

The ongoing conversation between Arata and Yukimura would then involve further character traits the nobleman deemed important: how good her memory and her acting skills were, (since she would have to be an actress in various plays), her “level of obedience”, whether she had been raped yet and so forth.

In the end, they only had to decide about organisational matters: The wedding would take place the next morning at approximately 10 a.m.
This night, following a common tradition, Misoka would spend alone in her own room. Yukimura’s other guests would each get a room as well of course, Arata’s directly next to hers.

When the servants finally led Misoka out of the main hall at the behest of their master, her mind was spinning.

Training 6897 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Under one condition.

Her room was located just below the attic on the sixth floor or so. There was a balcony attached to it, but when she tried to open the balcony door, she had to find out that it was locked.
Exhausted, Misoka sat on her bed, wondering how she should even get some sleep that night. She couldn’t shake off the vast emptiness in her heart which swallowed every positive thought if she could even think of any in the first place.
Tomorrow she was going to marry Yukimura Fugi and she didn’t know anything at all that she might be able to do about it.
Trapped in her room with no chance of turning her fate around.
It made her want to go insane, just so her mind wouldn’t process the days after this day, the weeks, the years.
Then the half-promise she had given the maid occurred to her, showering her with nothing but guilt.
How could she protect the little girl when she couldn’t even protect herself?

Suddenly, she felt cold in her sleeveless nightgown. Since she didn’t exactly have anything else to do, Misoka stood up and went to the wardrobe in her room in order to get herself something warmer to wear. There wasn’t much she could choose from.
Hot pants, belly tops, skirts, thin dresses.
What a pervert. She grimaced.
After some more moments of scanning the wardrobe, Misoka spotted – surprisingly enough – something like a one-layer kimono with the typical very long sleeves. Although the fabric didn’t look all too warm, either, she decided it would suffice.

Approximately half an hour later, she heard a knock on her door. For a split second, a surge of fear rose within her at the thought that it might be Yukimura who had decided he didn’t want to wait after all.
“Who is it?” she asked in a low voice, heart beating against her rib cage.
“It’s me.”

Her main bodyguard Taku opened the door and went inside, where he simply stayed and looked at her.
To say Misoka felt confused was an understatement.
“Um, did you want something?”
She didn’t get an appropriate answer. Taku gave her a nod before walking over to the balcony door and taking a key out of his trouser pocket. “Come.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “How... How can you have a key to that door?”
He stepped out onto the balcony, not acknowledging her question.
It was strange, more than strange.
But then again... Taku had always been a mystery to her.

Hesitantly, Misoka followed him out into the night. Standing on the balcony only made her aware of how high up her room was located.
At least one reason for the lock on that door must have been the fear that she was going to deliberately kill herself by jumping off here.
She stepped next to her bodyguard, silently leaning her arms on the railing.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” he whispered, words that failed to dissipate her confusion.
“Why... are you here?” Misoka tried to keep a steady tone as she knew a shinobi shouldn’t show feelings openly, but the note of irritation in her voice must have given her away. Just what was this all about?
As he didn’t answer immediately, a thought occurred to her. “Do you have a message from Arata?”
Even if so, it would pose the question why Arata hadn’t come to her himself, considering his room was right next to hers.
“No.” He sounded disappointed, his voice filled with so much emotion that it scared her. Something was wrong, terribly wrong with him.
In the past three months of being her main bodyguard, Taku had never ever showed a vulnerable side of him. She wasn’t worried about his welfare – he was just like all the other men she despised - , but rather wary of where this conversation would be going. “No, I don’t.”
“Why are you here?” she repeated and kept her gaze locked on him even though he didn’t do the same. His eyes were staring out into the distance over the balcony.

A few moments long there was silence. Then he finally spoke.
“Your name is not Kiyomi.”
She was too surprised to suppress a gasp. What was he talking about? And more importantly, how did he know such confidential information? The clan leader had made everyone believe she was Kiyomi, the reincarnation of one of the Karisuma’s ancestors.
Taku still didn’t look at her. “It’s Misoka.”
No-one had ever called her by her real name since five years. Misoka blinked, trying to regain her composure. “How do you know that?”
“I’ve done research,” he murmured. “I am good at finding information. I found the key to your balcony door in Yukimura’s room.”
A pause.
Then he said the first sentence again, either because he must be utterly confused or because he wanted to stress that part. “I’ve done research. On you. Always.”

Her stomach twisted into knots. She couldn’t figure that man out, but she knew what others said about him. Mentally disturbed.
“What do you mean by that?” she dared to ask, not sure whether she wanted to hear his answer, whether she wanted to be out on this balcony with him for any longer.

All of a sudden, he tore his gaze away from the mountains in the distance and turned to her.
A smile seemed to scurry across his features though half of it was swallowed up by the night’s darkness.
“I can help you.”
He took a deep breath whereas she held her breath out of bewilderment.
“I can help you escape. I will kill Arata. I will kill the clan leader if you wish so. I will help you save your father.”
This was almost too much to take in. Misoka shook her head in disbelief, her heart rate picking up. “W-Wait, why would you do that for me?”
“I want to have something in return,” Taku replied and there was an ecstatic hint in his tone, so insane that it made her shudder. “I will help you and you will stay with me forever.”

She took a moment to process his words, and another one to reprocess them, again and again, but they still sounded surreal. Stay with him? What was that supposed to mean? Did he want to...? A mixture of terror and anger clutched at her heart.
“I am not becoming anyone’s wife if that’s what you desire,” she hissed in the firmest voice she could muster.

A hysterical chuckle escaped his lips. “No, you won’t be my wife. You’ll be my girl. My little girl. Don’t you understand?”
He took a step towards her, she took a step back. There was still the mad smile on his face as he went on,”You were the first girl to stay by my side for so long. You were the first girl to fall in love with me.”
“Woah!” Yes, slowly she began to understand.
He was a psycho. He was a really, really creepy psycho.
Her thoughts raced as she proceeded to pace back until she hit the railing.
“I am not in love with you. And I didn’t even have a choice! Akihiko made you my bodyguard. You were the one to follow me around.”
“Lies, my darling,” Taku chirped in a strangely high-pitched tone.
Before he could say any more, Misoka cut him off,”I don’t want to be with you.”

Suddenly, his eyes tightened and his smile vanished. The long scar blemishing his face seemed to glisten in the moonlight. There was an edge to his voice when he asked her a simple question.
“Don’t you want to escape from here?”
Of course. Misoka bit her lip. But not like that. Not with him. This was insane. He was insane.
“Am I not a better choice than Yukimura? I don’t care about your appearance, you know that I don’t.” Taku exhaled in a rattling breath. “You were the first... the first... you weren’t scared of me. Are you scared now?”

She didn’t answer. Goosebumps started creeping up her arms beneath the kimono’s long sleeves. The man blocked the only path back to her room.
Yes. As much as it hurt her pride, his behaviour frightened her. It was the unpredictability, the words, the gestures, the gaze of a mentally ill person.

When he opened his mouth again, he threatened her,”If you don’t come with me, I will kill you. If you try to trick me, I will kill you. If you try to stray from my side, I will kill you. I’ll kill you.”
The worst part of it all was that she believed him. She believed every single word for she had no reason not to.
The others had been right although Misoka had always thought it was just a rumour, just like the rumour Akihiko had spread about her being a reincarnation.
But Taku was a psychopath. And she didn’t know how to deal with these people. She wasn’t good at that. No. No, not at all.

Calm down, she thought to herself urgently, trying to get a hold of herself. Maybe she could take advantage of the situation as crazy as that might sound.
Her heart raced, but she needed to keep a cool head above all.
Throwing a glance back, downwards, into the seemingly bottomless pit below the balcony, a black abyss in the night, she had decided.
Now she only had to put her plan into action quickly before the second thoughts came rushing in.

The moment Taku outstretched his arm to touch her hair or whatever he wanted to do, Misoka parted her lips and ... screamed.

Everything happened in a blur after that. Her room’s door flew open as Arata dashed inside.
“What’s going on?!”
Then Taku whirled around and lunged at him. A surprised wince from Arata. The sound of cracking bones.
With brutal force, Arata pushed the younger man off him and Taku stumbled backwards onto the balcony again.

That was when Misoka ran to him from behind. Quickly, she snatched a kunai out of the pouch bound to his right leg.
The next instant, Taku already turned to her, his face taut with anger, but then Arata took advantage of this opening.

Misoka used the kunai to cut off the long sleeves of her kimono.
If she was going to climb down the castle’s walls with nothing but her chakra infused hands and feet, a bold venture on its own, she couldn’t afford that her clothes might get in the way.

After that, she sent a quick, silent prayer to heaven and swung herself over the railing.

8734 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Into the night.

At first, she was falling rapidly, the night air whipping across her face. Everything was dark around her and one moment she caught herself thinking she was going to die. But she couldn’t die just yet.
With all the strength she could muster, Misoka reached out while channelling chakra in both her hands and feet.
Pain coursed through her fingers and bare feet as she tried to hold onto the castle wall. A fight against gravity began. The laws of physics threatened to drag her down into the certain death which would await her below.
She bore her fingernails and the kunai into the stone wall, but would still slither further down. It’s okay, it’s okay, she tried to tell herself. I need to reach the ground after all.

It might be a sensible argument, maybe even the quickest or only way to get through the castle garden over to the gates. Still, the pain she felt in her hands and feet was almost unbearable.
She was glad that the night forbade her to clearly see what she was doing to herself. Her fingers must be soaked in blood, her feet just as sore. Tears pricked in her eyes.

Then Taku’s voice shouted out to her,”Misoka! Come back! That’s dangerous-!” Every other word was drowned by fighting sounds.
Dangerous my ass, she thought dryly and only hoped with all her heart that the psychopath would kill Arata. This would be one less problem to rack her brain about.

Finally, her feet touched the ground – hard as she had still been slithering in a fairly rapid pace.
Biting her lip to suppress the pain, Misoka wasted no time in running forward.
The damp grass beneath her raw feet rustled as she continued moving in the direction of the entry gates.

A shadow stopped her. She staggered back, ducking under the man’s outstretched arms and wanted to run past him – when she suddenly found herself surrounded from all sides.

“I hate trouble,” a male voice lamented. She recognized the man as one of her guards. So they had already caught her.
Misoka swallowed, once or twice. Not again. All she wanted was to get out of here. Why? Why, why, why?
The despair she felt fused with red fury. She wasn’t going to fail once more. This time should be her victory at last.

“Get her!”
- “Stop or I’m going to kill myself!”

Gasps resounded around her as she held the kunai close to her neck. She hoped nobody would notice in the dark that her bloody hand was trembling like a leaf.
An insecure voice said,”She’s bluffing. Let’s catch her.”
Misoka picked up the rustling of footsteps towards her and screamed,”Bluffing?! I’ll show you just how serious I am!”
With clenched teeth, she drove the kunai slightly into her neck and only stopped after warm blood pooled around the small wound.
In fact, this was all part of the pretence of course. Considering how far she had come, she wouldn’t put an end to her own life now.

While her guards were stepping back again, another voice streamed through the night. Yukimura’s. A light beam met her face and she had to shield her eyes.
“What is going on here?! What is – oh my Goodness!”
Yukimura was holding something like a tool in his hand which could light one’s way. Right now, he directed it at Misoka.
“Scratched and bruised and for Christ’s sake, what happened to that kimono!” He seemed to be close to hyperventilating. “This is a disaster! I want to have at least half of my money back for the trouble she caused me! Where is Arata?!”

A mess of voices exploded around Misoka. She knew that she would have to escape now or she would never get a better chance.
However, as she prepared herself for rushing forward, a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind.
She struggled over and over, but the man who held her only chuckled to himself. A chuckle she recognized.
Taku.

Someone else must have noticed the S-rank shinobi’s arrival as well. “Taku, good job! Bring her back to her room! We have to go find Arata and talk to the lord!”
“Alright,” Taku answered.
A while later, silence draped over the castle garden. They were alone. Yukimura’s guards which usually went on patrol or guarded the entry gates seemed to have followed the group into the castle. Apparently, Yukimura feared he might be attacked by his guests.

Taku’s grip around Misoka’s shoulders tightened.
“Let’s go,” he said and dragged her towards the gates, towards freedom. Upon realizing that, she stopped struggling.
True, she wasn’t too good with psychopaths, but if she escaped with Taku, she could save her father and finally free herself from the clan. In the end, there would only be one person anymore she had to outrun: Taku himself.

“Did... did you kill Arata?” Misoka asked quietly as they arrived at the gates. Her heart pounded with excitement.
Taku gave her a swift nod. So Arata was dead. She could hardly believe her luck. She would escape from this place. She wouldn’t marry Yukimura.

“You left me.” The man’s thumbs stroked her shoulders. Then he let her go.
With a fake smile, Misoka turned to him. “But here I am again. It will be just you and I. It’s not too late.”
In truth, she wished she could scratch the “you” in her words. Still... someday she would be able to spread her wings and fly.
Someday. She just had to take one step at a time.

Taku returned her smile strangely.
A hint of sadness, it seemed, flashed across his features when he reached out for her and brushed his fingers against her neck. He must have noticed the wound she had inflicted upon herself.
“Just a scratch,” she whispered, hoping it would reassure him that she wasn’t hurt and that he didn’t have to touch her any longer.

“It’s too late for you,” he uttered, a response which didn’t make sense.

And then he was choking her.

Training 9781 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

“Darling, what’s your name

And can you hear me?

Tell me why you’re out so late alone.

The diamonds sparkle in your face, I hold you.

The gravel glistens black and red below.”

But amidst the darkness that enveloped her, there were thoughts.
Tiny sources of light swirling around which would then connect in a stream of consciousness.

I cannot feel my body.
Still, something cold seems to penetrate me or what is left of me.
Like water trickling down my temples.
Cold. So cold.

Where am I?
Suddenly, I want very much to go home.
But no.
I don’t have a home.
And I don’t know whether I can walk anymore.

Could this be it?
Could I have left this world for good?

Am I dead?

Training 9912 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

The metal wraps itself around your bones.

Perfect Porcelain [S-Rank Mission/Private/Major plot twist] Arc3lct6woja7p

T H E R O A D

Perfect Porcelain [S-Rank Mission/Private/Major plot twist] Arc3bk3l0cugqp

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

Getting closer.

Her sense of hearing returned first as she picked up the sound of footsteps.

Thud. Thud. Then, a long pause – and she could faintly feel something like a breeze brush over her – before the echo rang in her ears again.
Thud. Thud.

Slowly, Misoka’s heavy eyelids fluttered open, determined to figure out where the noise was coming from, but only to snap shut once more when the brightness seemed far too sudden and disturbing.
Nevertheless, the small glance at her surroundings was enough to spark memories. And even without relying on her vision at the moment, every other one of her senses combined to shape a mental picture in her mind.
Beneath her fingers, which were – oddly enough – throbbing with pain, Misoka could feel a human’s shoulders, wrapped in thick, slightly wet fabric. Sweat maybe?
The rank smell seeping through her nostrils would be an indication of that.
Furthermore, judging from the slight raising and lowering of the person’s shoulders as well as from the hands she felt holding her, it was definite that she was being carried.
But who...?

Just as she dared to use her sight again, in order to satiate curiosity foremost, the scales fell from her eyes. Memories, full memories this time, began to occupy her mind, boiling the initial innocence of her thoughts and triggering the alarm state.

Taku was carrying her.
Taku who had tried to choke her; the last thing she could recall.

“No... no, let me go.” Her voice sounded weak and contained nothing of the strength she had intended to put in. Worse, a lump would then form in her throat, making every other word almost a physical impossibility.

“You were unconscious,” the man replied calmly. “I told you I would kill you. I wanted to kill you. And still, I have just spared your life.” A note of threat crept into his tone. “I will grant you this one last chance. Do not disappoint me ever again. Also... be thankful for my mercy.”

Misoka barely processed his words. Suddenly, she felt extremely light-headed as the world around her started spinning. Colours merged, until there was only one left: black.

~~

The next time she woke up, she was lying on the ground, insignificant like a pool of water, a puddle soaking the little soil it touched.
Her mind’s fuzziness cleared ever so slowly to make her aware of her surroundings. With a quiet wince, she sat up and rose to her feet, almost losing her balance.
Am I alone?
Funny that she hoped with all her heart it would be like that. Humans were supposed to live in packs. But right now, she didn’t want to see or talk to anyone.
A privilege out of her reach.

“You can’t run away,” Taku’s voice came from behind. When she whirled around, startled, something hard wrapped itself around her right leg. With horror spreading across her face, she saw that Taku was holding the end of a metal chain. The other end was, not surprisingly, attached to her.
The man grinned. “I found it in Yukimura’s castle. You’re on my leash now.”

Psychopath. It wasn’t even meant to be particularly judgmental, but served as a plausible explanation why - for heaven’s sake - a person would put her on a “leash” like a dog.

Misoka swallowed. “I... we need to save my father.”
Would he still consider his deal as valid?
Much to her relief, the shinobi nodded. “I’ve already tracked them down.”
“Them? We have to go to Suna.”
A creepy laugh shook his body. “No. Back then, I eavesdropped on a conversation Akihiko had with your father. Akihiko decided it would be best to watch over your marriage himself. Besides, there were some other customers in Kumo he wanted to talk to in person. Needless to say, he took your father with him.”
Misoka’s eyes widened. “So this means...?”
“Yes. Morning hasn’t arrived yet. They are approximately 100 metres away from our location, sleeping in their tents.”

Dad...
If this all worked out, they would finally be united again. She was responsible for all the troubles he had to face. She still owed him an apology.
Excitement flooded her body. “We’re going?” At that, Misoka shot Taku an inquiring look.

Mad smile dancing upon his lips, he merely pulled at her chain, causing her to stumble forward.
“We’re going.”

Training 10 657 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

My pet.

“It’s this tent. I am going to kill that guard in front of it,” Taku explained matter-of-factly.
Misoka nodded. “So I’m going to get in there, take my father with me and we’re off again.”
“That’s the plan.” His gaze seemed to pierce through her. “I’ll let you off the leash for a while. Remember what happens when you try to run.”
Reluctantly, he handed her the end of the metal chain. At that moment, she realized how heavy it actually was.

~~

When she sneaked into the tent, her father was already awake. His face lit up at the sight of her and he sprang up to pull her into an embrace. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his back.
“Just what are you doing here?” he asked, confused. Pulling back to look her in the eyes, he went on, only to interrupt himself mid-sentence,”How did you esca- oh, holy crap, what is that?”
The next moment, her father was examining the bruises on her neck. She could almost feel the anger rise within him, which was definitely not the best time now.
“Who did this to you?!” He didn’t even bother to speak in a low voice. Annoyed, Misoka grabbed his hand and started pulling him out of the tent.
“Stop it, Dad! I’m trying to save you here so come with me and be quiet!”
“God no, not that temper again,” he grumbled, obviously pretending to be offended. “But I suppose, you must have inherited something from me.”
“Probably the ability to crack bad jokes in the worst situations.”
“Bad? You’re the one with bad jokes!”

She grinned as they went outside where Taku was already waiting for them. A dead man lay to his feet.
The moment Taku saw them, he took Misoka’s chain and said to her father,”Take off your jacket and throw it on the corpse.”
“Hang on – who are you and why is my daughter on a ... leash?”
“Just do it, Dad!”

Taku’s plan was to burn the guard’s body so Akihiko wouldn’t be able to identify the corpse and might believe someone had killed Misoka’s father instead.
After that was done, they hurried away to a safer place where they could talk.

Misoka’s father was still utterly confused and boiling with anger.
“Goddamn it, I can’t believe this!” he called out and glared daggers at Taku. “Why don’t you go fuck yourselves, all of you damn perverts! Go find a whore or the like, but get your hands off my daughter!”
“I told you to. Be. Quiet.” Misoka would have loved to smack him on the head for his short fuse. Did he even know who he was talking to? And he always seemed to forget that he wasn’t a shinobi. Taku could crunch him to pieces and you never know what that psycho was up to, anyway.

To the surprise of all, Taku simply smiled. “It’s okay. I wish my father had been so committed to me.”
He took a step closer. “But there is a misunderstanding. I am not sexually attracted to your daughter. I am a eunuch.”
That left both Misoka and her father speechless. A... eunuch? So all this time...?
Somehow, Misoka managed to get words out of her mouth. “What do you want from me, then?”
Her father didn’t seem to be able to say anything intelligible anymore. With wide eyes, he was staring at the shinobi, completely bewildered.
Taku let out a soft chuckle. “You are my pet,” he stated plainly. “And I am your master. I’ve been lonely for so long. And pets are supposed to be faithful.”
Misoka and her father exchanged a glance.
“He’s not exactly right in the head, is he?” the latter murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. “Last time I checked, pets were supposed to be animals.”

Training 11 299 w.

Misoka

Misoka

D-rank

922

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

A week passed by. They stayed hidden from the people who were looking for them. Taku wanted to introduce Misoka to his parents, thus he planned on going to Kiri with her as soon as possible.
Her father would stay in the lightning country and find himself a new home, far away from the clan. Of course, he wasn’t too happy about leaving his daughter alone with the psychopath, but Misoka secretly promised him that she would come back, no matter what. When it was just the two of them, Taku and her, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a way to escape. At least she hoped so.
She bid good-bye to her father and followed her “master” to a boat, which would take them to the water country. Taku still insisted on the metal chain.
The spot where it would tightly wrap itself around her leg every now and then was already sore.

Training 11 457 w.

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