Rocks. Or was it stone? Who truly knew. And it matter not, right? He really shouldn't have been expecting much when he decided to visit Iwagakure no Sato. Really he shouldn't. Then again, he should had seen this coming - having transverse apart of Tsuchi no Kuni to reach the reclusive village in the first. The village took their name quiet literally it seems. For as far as his grey eyes could see everything within the settlement, if it could be called that, was made or carved out of rocks or stones of various types that meant very little to him. He had more important things to do than trying to figure out the types of stones and rocks making up the buildings of the village. While the village itself took the last portion of their name serious, the stone path, it lacked the hidden portion. Or maybe it's just the trusting civilians who would tell anyone where to find hidden village. It's probably a combination of the former, and the number of maps that pinpoint the location which are readily available at any tourist location. So maybe instead in calling it a Hidden Village in Stone, it could be called, Stone Village? It would make more sense right?

Stopping his train of thought on a possible new name for Iwagakure, Ayumu waited patiently for the gate guards to search him, and the limited items he carried on his persona, and check his identification card which held his name, Saito Ayumu, and other mundane information. They also check the traveling papers that he picked up at a station when arriving into Tsuch no Kuni; they basically stated what his intentions were of visiting the Nation and all that jazz. Really boring stuff. The look of familiarityfamilarity from the guard who checked Ayumu's traveling papers caused him to chuckle briefly, seems like even some shinobi were a fan of this vocalist. With everything checked out, he thanked the shinobis at the gate, showing gratitude towards the job they do, before entering into the village; the papers having been folded and placed in his pocket.

Walking through the bustling streets, it being middle of the day, stopping at shops and buying some trinkets, Ayumu wondered where he should visit. This being his first time visiting the village, he really didn't know any of the tourist spots. He didn't have a . . . oh wait he did. Pulling out a brochure, he began flipping through it, looking and crossing iot location and location before spotting one that held his curiosity: Waterfall Point. Having never been to a waterfall before, only reading them In books, it was the perfect location to visit, so with that in mind Ayumu took off in it's  general direction as dictate by the booklet.

Fresh. Clean. The two words describing the air smell upon walking down the trail which lead to the waterfalls. It's the type of smell that comes after rainfall, being pleasant and relaxing. Something he could easily get use to. The waterfalls' roars signaled that he had arrived to where they lay. There majesticness bringing a since of awe to the traveler, who's eyes gazed upon them. His gray eyes reflecting the emotions he felt at the time. Without much thinking, Ayumu slipped off his black footwear,  rolled up his matching pant legs to his knee, showcasing a pair dragon tattoos on each calf muscle, and took a step into the water downstream from the crashing waterfall. He simply wadded through the water, watching it slip through his fingers as he tried to grasp it with his hands.

All the while not knowing that he'll be visited by one of Iwa's residents.

---

Word Count: 625

Iwagakure once was invested with criminals and crime. It still is however it is now a minority. Those weak leftover criminals did not do much to grasp the attention of the local police; usually committing petty crimes such as robbery and assault; you know, really stupid crimes like vandalism, disturbing the peace, a drug dealing or two in dark back alley ways. Most of the time they were haughty civilians who knew a bit of basic ninjutsu and so on. However there were those who were former shinobi or foreigners but again those were a minority as they often feared the possibility of being faced with the kage Akira's wrath.

Though not everyone who committed a crime in Iwa was a true criminal, just mischievous. Those too were civilians........mainly. If there were shinobi, one would expect it to be an academy student or a very young, inexperienced genin. Yet in this case.....that was not the situation and not an unusual one either. The local authorities knew this troublemaker all too well. They arrested the said troublemaker after several strange cases were reported from neighbors. As they investigated further into the matter, they found almost half of the chuunin, and genin were found in their homes, tied up and hanged upside down by a rope dressed in green and orange paint with all their property such clothing to furniture scattered around the village in the oddest of place. It took them all night to catch the culprit. This person was not a jounin, not even above genin. So how on earth did this person managed to sneak into several populated clan compound and homes that were practically all spread out thin across all of the Hidden Village of Stone without being seen, so much as heard? They didn't know really. You may be wondering that if they didn't know how nor had any concrete evidence then why on earth was this person convicted with this crime. Simple really, most of the jounin were in the bar or out of the village. The chuunin were asleep along with most genin. Basically everyone except her was accounted for. Ah you must be thinking this isn't enough reason to arrest said culprit. Oh well just to save time, she snuck up on one of the cops, scared the crap out of them, and them laughed like a wild manic while admitting it was her then ran away right after.

It was almost middle of the day when a green haired girl was kicked, yes kicked, out of the police station. She grinned as she avoided hitting the ground by making her body into a ball and rolling, finishing it off by springing up, flipping back and landing in a crouch position giggling. A pair of goggle were thrown from behind, aiming at her head. She giggled some more and caught it, not bothering to look behind her. "Get out of here you damn freaky bitch!" a man, the chief, yelled at her before slamming the door. She got up, dusted herself off and put her red lensed goggles over her eyes. "Ahaha, Jet finds Mr. Chief so affectionate. Jet can't wait for another fun night." Jet walked around, singing a nursery rhyme. She stopped of a sudden and frowned, it was hot....too hot. Also, there was barely anybody in the streets except...she narrowed her eyes to see a group of very angry looking group of genin and chuunin heading for her. "Jet doesn't feel like playing with them. Jet needs a new toy" And with that Jet stopped speaking, becoming deadly quiet and disappeared into the shadows. She kind of zoned out, letting her feet guide her. About half an hour till she got of her funky daydream of elephants chasing children and squashing them making beautiful red splats. Jet was confused about where she was till she saw that she was next a waterfall? Her eyes sparkled "So pwetty!" she squealed at a pitch that made her sound about ten years younger. This energetic green hair girl sadly did not realized she was a bit too close to the waterfall, exactly right next to it and slipped on a rock, fall over. However she did not look frightened as she fell a few feet. With a humongous splash she landed in the deeper area of the waterfall's base, unknowingly completely soaking a person with blue grey eyes a few feet from her.

Running stat wc: 750

A light breeze carried faints words of another. Ayumu's ears barely picking up on the deadening tone over the noise generated by the waterfalls: tons of water crashing down and drowning out all but the loudest of noise and even then making them nothing more than a soft murmur. There wasn't anyone else at the location, at least not when he arrived. Of course he could of been wrong, he didn't thoroughly check the area to begin with, only sweeping across it. They could've been hiding among the cervices and caves that were sporadically about the area waiting for the moment to strike. Then again that's unlikely for no one, too his knowledge, wanted his head on a silver platter. He had committed any crimes nor had the thought of during such audicities. But who knew? There could be someone out that who wanted to ice him for some reason. If it's not someone who thinks that his head would look good mounted.

There could be a good chance that it was a fan girl who caught wind of his arrival within Iwagakure? Not like his traveling to the village was a secret, it became known to all but stepping foot within Tsuchi no Kuni. Yeah, it could be a crazed fan-girl, he shudder at the thought. He loved his fans dearly but some are, what's the right word? Insane? Zealous? Obsess? Yes, those described certain members of his fandom perfectly . Which is kind of scary if you think about it. Therefore, maybe it was a fan girl who had caught wind of him being in Iwagakure, stalked him throughout the village too the waterfall and squeal in delight upon seeing him playing in the water. Was it highly unlikely? Maybe. Kind of ish. But he didn't put nothing passed some of his fanatic fans.

Registering the sound of the splash and not the impeding dome that was about to give him an impromptu shower, Ayumu's head turned in the direction it came from just as the falling water soaked him thoroughly. Sputtering momentarily, stupid body decided on breathing at the moment of the water crashing down and thus Ayumu ending up taking in a lot of water which was promptly spitted out. He wiped water logged hair from obscuring his vision, and made his way towards where whatever fell landed. Maybe it was a rock? There are some rocks dangling precariously close to the edge. So maybe it could be a . . .

Chick!? The hell? The last thing he was expecting was to find an equally soaked, green eyed chick with strange markings on her face emerging from the water, wet diamonds glistering in the sun as they dripped of her soaked frame. No words were spoken as he extended his hand, offering to pull her up, and during so if she accepted his kind gesture. A moment of silence descended on them as he tried to gather his thoughts before speaking "You okay, miss?" he asked, showing concern for the girl who looked younger than him. He dearly hope she didn't break anything from the fall.

Waiting for a reply, he absentmindedly rubbed his arms after a gust of wind blew through the air, sending chills down his body. The once dry, white button up shirt was now transparent, showing the tattoos that adorn his upper body, and clung to him like a second skin. The same can be said for his pants but luckily they didn't become transparent. "I'll take a guess you fell from the top of the waterfall?" He asked, pointing to a particularly one right near them. If that were indeed true there the lightly hood of her being hurt was higher. Almost as an afterthought he spoke, introducing himself to the girl who fell from the sky. . .

"I'm Ayumu. And you are??"

---

Word Count 652(1277)

How on earth did she not noticed how close she was to the damn edge? The waterfall was loud, enough to deafen one's ears; even a five year old would've noticed. How troublesome she is.And not only that, being submerged had proved to be quite an experience for our young green haired Yuurei. It brought back very...unpleasant memories. Her mind is suddenly thrown into a brief flashback.

Flashback:
She was ten, dressed up in a straight jacket and chained down to...a bar? It was dark and cold. Was she in a moist area? She..was. Little Jet was in the ringleader's tent. Weird, this tent was mostly dry as a desert, not letting an once of rain or snow drip inside. Yet there had been something...off about ringleader. He had not been in the best of moods for the past week. Actually he has been very quiet, not even bothering to show up for practice. It was usually during such times when Jet was warned to stay away from ringleader, least she incur his wrath. Mind you she was supposed to stay close to him at all times to keep him company and entertained should he demand so. You can imagine how much of a shock this was.

Now if you were new to the troupe or something similar, you wouldn't notice such a thing; you'd have had no suspicious about him, passing it off as just him having had a bad day or simply stressed. Yet the true members of the circus knew better having traveled with him for years. Their oh so precious leader was usually so full of light, smiles all around. He did have his moment where he went into some deep thinking. He would spend a week or two secluded, making sure that he was not to be disturbed least someone lose an arm or dies in the slowest most painful way they could manage.

A boy, one of the slaves who was around seven years old, entered the tent earlier, curious about who it belonged to. He was incredibly unlucky to be caught by the ring leader and soon enough, gut wrenching screams of pure agony followed in the coming hours. Now the said boy was impaled on a tree; his once sparkling red eyes gouged out and made into earrings for him. His limbs were roughly cut off, as if the job had been done with an extrememly rusty saw. They were stringed by a red thread that kept them as well as their owner suspended in the air. He chest was cut open, intestines and other guys flopping around in a bloody oil and his mouth was cut up into a joker smile and then stitched. Ugh, a sight not for those of the faint of heart indeed. Luckily Jet had seen death so often in the past years, she has grown an immunity...tolerance...of sorts to it now. So when she founded him when she was doing everyone's laundry with some slaves in a nearby river, she simply looked at, placed a flower, a daisy to be specific, under him and left to continue her work.

Now as to why she was summoned here, she did not know which she did most of the time in order to produce the best results as possible and not anger ringleader-sama. Though she wouldn't dare ask, how could she. In the past years she had no spoken a word, becoming a very strong willed mute. Despite her will, her period of silence will soon come to a stop. She bowed to ringleader-sama, not uttering a word nor daring to look him in the eye. The man gave her an awfully sickening grin (*Cough* pedophile *Cough*), his eyes running all over her small frame "Hello my dear Jet-chan~ How are you? How's been your day?" As usual she did not answer him. She just stood there, frozen, like a porcelain doll. He chuckled darkly, a hint of annoyance in there "Kukuku, still not talking are we? Aw I do terribly miss your voice Jet-chan~ I haven't heard it in years~ Let's. change. that" his voice got so dark, so cold, at the last of his words. A sadistic grin ran through his face, looking as if it would tear it open twice over.

He snapped his finger and a large tub of ice cold water was revealed behind a deep red velvet curtain. Jet tried to suppress the fear consuming her but to no avail. She prayed and prayed that he wouldn't but of course, there was no god to answer her prayers. He harshly grabbed her by the collar, unchaining her and dragged her to the tub; the torture began and went on for hours. He kept dunking her head underwater for a good two minutes before yelling at her to scream, to beg him to stop, but she didn't budge. So he kept down it, over and over. It was close to Twlight when he stopped, letting her breath. "Oh my little Jet-chan is so kawaii~ Such a fighter~" He giggled, making her want to puke if her lungs didn't hurt so badly. "Time to change tactics~" he sang. He ducked her head into the water once more but this time he charged his free hand in electricity. Her eyes widened as she sensed it and struggled so much harder. Suddenly he drove his electricity charge hand into the water snapping her with thousands of volts of electricity. It hurt so bad, too much in fact that she couldn't hold on any longer. With loud painful gurgled scream she spoke, begging him to stop. He roughly threw her out and giggled, smirking in victory. She laid on the ground, twitching like she was having a seizure and all went dark.
End of Flashback

She choked on some water which brought her back to reality. She did not notice a hand was held out to her. Skillfully hiding her true emotions, let her childish personality take over, she laughed and took his hand which helped her hand. "Hehehe Jet is fine fine!" The boy shivered; he was completed drenched. Ah, she connected the dots. So she apparently got him soaked with that huge splash when she fell into the water. "Yes yes that is right! Jet did slip! Maa that rock was such a meany~ Oh and we are Yuurei Jet~"

Running stat wc: 1843

Weird.Ayumu's mind after pulling, straining a little in the process, the girl up and out of the water. Normally not being someone who was quickly to judge someone based on insignificant things; appearance, speaking skill, history, etc. it would be surprising to many that, in this instant, he was in fact judgmental about another being without knowing them properly.  It would truly baffle those who were close to the white haired youth, causing many of them to wonder what brought such a thing on. Did he know the woman before him? Had they met before he arrived in Iwa? Had he heard something about her from a passerbyer and took it to heart; despite knowing that gossip is rarely truthful? If asked those questions he would reply simply with one word: no. Ayumu didn't know anything the woman, Yuurei Jet. She was much as a stranger to him as he was to her. So why did felt the need in calling the Jet weird?

Truly, it was a slip of the tongue or a misguided thought which prompted him in thinking that. The thought having been accumulating in a matter of seconds upon which he laid eyes on the woman and took in her odd appearance: short green lime hair, something he NEVER seen before, cling to her cherub face and hiding the strange markings that resembles tattoos, and those red eyes. Now being a civilian his parents always told him horror stories of various evil spirits that would snatch and drag him away if he was bad, in an attempt to curve in behavior in his youth. And as a gullible kid he believed most what his parents said, didn't stop his behavior problem though, and memorize everything they told him: being able to recall every fictional myth that was told to him as a child. However, there was one particular legend or rather creature of said legend that always cause him to check underneath his bed an extra time or two before going to sleep, of course he doesn't do that now. . . yeah.

This particular creature being characterized by two distinct features; the spike club it always carries and most importantly red eyes. And it was the image of her red eyes peering through the water droplets that caused him to pause, giving time for his brain to derail itself and therefore leading to the stray thought. But could one truly blame him? The way she rose out of the water, ruby eyes gleaming at him, reminded Ayumu of an Oni and for that split second he was afraid. It also didn't help her cause in how she referred to himself in third person, making it seem like a yokai had possessed her body and trapped this 'Jet' character within Is it childish to be afraid of the supernatural, knowing full well Onis can't possibly exist? Maybe it is but when you live in a world were people accomplish feats similar to the monsters of legends then you exert caution, for if those feats are possible then just maybe the monsters of children fairy tales are real?

Pushing those thoughts to the deepest corner of his mind, Ayumu regarded Jet once more as he registered the words which had been spoken. She indeed was the 'rock' that pummel atop of the cliff into the water below. Now the question remained, what caused her to do that? Did someone push her off, in an attempt to kill her? Did she trip over something and went overboard? Or did she simply jump off - looking for the next adrenaline rush? Wait. Didn't she tell him, she slipped? Eh, there goes all the theories in why she landed in the water.

"In normal circumstances I would say it's nice to meet you, however, you falling from a cliff isn't normal." He paused looking at the girl intently, well as intently as a civilian can "right?", there was some hesitation in his tone. He really did hope that this wasn't a common occurrence for her. Another gust of wind, and another shiver, prompted Ayumu to remove his soak shirt, unless he wanted to catch something, tossing it on the embankment, leaving him nude from the waist up and showcase the art adorning his body. Looking around for a place to sit, Ayumu founded a rock big enough for two not that far off from where they were and amply sat there, his eyes never leaving the woman a front him "So, what you doing way out here, sightseeing?" he inquired as a weak attempt to strike a conversation with the female.

---

Word Count: 779(2056)

The blonde looked at Jet strangely, taken aback by her odd appearance. She did not feel offended at all for she knew she looked peculiar. It was quite obvious she was an odd ball, being different from the rest; the one you can easily point out in a large crowd or the one who makes everyone hush and whisper about. She had lime green hair and markings on her face and right thigh. The markings were not tribal and they were not for her clan. They were not make up for a fashion trend or serve some extravagant hidden purpose. They were just...there. Her mother didn't have them nor did her father? Perhaps they were some from relative who lived far far way, but they never kept in touch with others in the Yuurei clan, at least not that she knew of. When her parents were alive, their conversations were usually cold. She couldn't get information but instead learn things the hard way herself. Depressing? No really if you don't think about it. She used to all the time but now, she just doesn't care. As a bearer of secrets she learned that some things were best left unspoken and not looked into.

The man in front of here for just a moment felt...scared? She felt he was and was most likely sure. He looked at her intently with those fearful judging eyes of a civilian. She would receive such looks on a daily basis and had learn how to distinguish them apart from civilian eyes to shinobi. This Ayumu person was no different. He was a civilian; that she was absolutely sure. In the shinobi world, there was a higher possibility of coming across something far more....unique than her; it was the job but you would get over it even if you are scared. That was one of the basic things taught to every ninja at the academy however those from civilian families had thicker skulls. Civilians tend to be more fantastical; believing in the oddest of things like demons, ghosts, and so on. Personally Jet did not believe in higher unseen beings such as a God but that did not mean she was totally against all supernatural beings. No no instead she loved them deeply; wanting to meet one should she ever. Back when she was in the troupe, she would sometimes sneak into the bonfires held by the older members when she couldn't sleep. The people in the troupe were either born and raised in it, captured and raised (like her but not totally), or former travelers (like nuke-nin and ronin) and joined in. Jet was not told how long ago the organization started, just that the ringleader had ran it since the beginning. How was that possible though? She had been told the troupe had been together for decades yet the ringleader didn't look a day past twenty-seven? She figured that she was just told that to mess with her but she had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't it.

Jet was not bothered by this man at all. In fact he looked like a true joy to mess around with! She giggled, a sly grin on her face "Hehe, we believe normal is borning~ Buuuut- We think it's nice to meet you too~ Hehe" She hummed. The said man shivered from a passing breeze which didn't bother her in the slightest, and took off his soak shirt, tossing it aside in the drier area in the sun. It revealed tattoos of different kinds all over his body. She couldn't see what they were so well before, just their outlines, but not it is much easier. Her eyes sparkled as she stood straighter (but still quite a bit shorter) and failed her arms in excitement meant, her voice still taking a childish tone and grinning, showing over her little pearly white fangs "Waa~ Such pwetty pwetty art. Jet likes it! Yes yes!" She complimented. Then she got a curious look on her face, a question arising, and titled her head to the side "Ne Jet wonders why do you have such lovely pictures on your body? Jet wants to know!"

She twirled around, splashing, and getting water everywhere though felt constricted by her soaked jacket. Pouting, she unzipped her jacket and tossed it aside onto a rock that was directly in the blazing sunlight, which revealed her orange top, her forehead protector wrapped tightly around the upper part of her right bicep over the shirt sleeve. Feeling better, she stretched herself out and swarm around whilst at the same time  answering this unknown civilian boy, a traveler most likely as she knew almost everybody (a girl needs to plan ahead) in the village mostly with the exception of certain characters she found boring or were travelers. She got in a lot more trouble messing with travelers for some reason. Something about giving Iwagakure a bad rep or something. The Chief of Police was a short man who spoke very loudly and not clearly. "Jet was playing with Mr. Popo-san but he didn't want to play no more. Some of Jet's old toys wanted to play though but Jet had gotten bored of them! Bored bored bored, so bored. She played with the last night though. Hehe, so fun~" She stopped swimming and ran her eyes over this new specimen. She hadn't gotten someone to experiment with in awhile....maybe Mr.Popo-san won't mind too much if she justs....entertain herself with him. She smiled cutely, and got really close to him, using a rock to help her almost reach his height, getting into his face "Jet wants to play~ Jet wants to play a game~ Jet wants to play with a new toy. Jet wants...you" She sang eerily, her voice playful but you could hear the hidden intention in it. It wasn't as childish as before, deeper actually, a little more soft yet stern but not close enough to her true voice. Her eyes gleamed, glowing a bit.

Running stat wc:2867

Body art. Been a while since anyone commented, asked and showcased some form of interest within the work adorning his upper body. To be fair the reason no one asked about the beautiful artwork is because of it being neatly hidden underneath a layer of clothing only presenting itself during moments where they are removed - primarily during showering and bed time. There are the rare occasions where they make a brief appearance on stage, Ayumu teasing his fan based with a subtle showing of his well toned stomach, or when he unexpectedly gets a free bath: like the current situation. Those are really the only times anyone got to see the couple of work that's etched into his sun-kissed skin. And even then no one had showed any type of interest in the works, females swooning and looked more at his abs then the tattoos, and men simply nodding in respect for the artwork.  So, it was refreshing to see someone who had some interest, albeit childlike, regarding the pieces on his upper body.

A soft smile appeared across his face, gray eyes sparkled with warmth "Thank you for the compliment. It has been awhile since anyone showed interest in my tattoos." The words came out smoothed, almost sing along like as if he was some singer of sorts " I'm glad someone besides myself like the work."  A thoughtful expression appeared on his face, Ayumu thinking about the reason why he began getting artwork. Numbness. Yeah, it was due to his inability to feel pain that an obsession, not like he would admit that, for tattoos took rooted and grew. A lot of people have anywhere from a slight apprehensiveness too a fear towards needles, rightfully so. They are big, scary, and hurt like hell when stuck by one. However, Ayurveda, because of his numbness,  didn't have a fear for needles nor the pain that they caused. With the inability to feel pain and his joy for art in general led Ayumu into getting his first tattoo: a pair of white and black eastern dragons interlocking with each other, forming the yin yang symbol over his right breast. "These lovely pictures as you called them are a way for me to express myself when I can't find the words to do so. " He replied watching as she took off into the water and played in it.

Sitting the hard rock surface, Ayumu allowed his thoughts to drift towards the anomaly which was Yuurei Jet. From the way she carried herself, she seem to be a free-spirited young woman who didn't allow anything to keep her down for long. The dancing smile and her childlike curiosity painted the picture of innocence, but he couldn't help but to wonder was she truly? He couldn't help to wonder if the girl, splashing water everywhere and getting him more wet, was truly innocent and not apart of the military? How did he come to this conclusion? The fall. There is absolutely no way a civilian could have survive such a fall without obtaining major injuries.  Only someone who was a shinobi could survive that fall. And it was with that train of thought that Ayumu wondered if Jet was a shinobi?

Putting those thoughts to aside for the moment, Ayumu gazed at the stranger as she stretched, having removed the soak hoodie and now wore a simple orange top that was also soak, clinging to her like a second skin. Being a male his gaze did lingered a little longer then necessary soaking in certain aspects about her before looking elsewhere murmuring a question while doing so "I'm curious. How old are you? You look incredibly young." He mentioned in an afterthought, pausing briefly to consider the fact that he could have been checking out a young girl. Oh god was he turning into a pervert? He hoped not.

Mr. Popo? Toys? What on the earth was she talking about? Okay, he knew that Mr.Popo was a slang turn for cops, so there's a chance that she was talking about them. But for the earth of him, he couldn't figure out what toys meant. Did she mean literal toys? Or was it slang for something else? Whatever it might be she seem to enjoy herself last night, if that smile on her face was any indication. Before he could ponder on her words, he blinked as she appear right a front of him, invading the personal bubble without a care in the world. An eyebrow raised as gray met red, the former not daring to look down at the assets incredibly close to it's being, instead focusing on the woman. Did her voice just got deeper? And did she say she wanted a new toy? That toy being him? For some reason he didn't feel comfortable with that idea but before he could voice that, his mouth spoke something entirely different and potentially doomed him.

"Ugh. Sure??"

---

Word Count: 838(2894)

Jet asked a question and she was answered. The man before her seemed a bit shocked, a tad awkward even, as she complimented his body art. She wondered why. Jet had a thing for pretty things, like other people did as well. Okay maybe her passionate 'like' for beautiful, pretty, shiny things was actually more....obsessively and undoubtedly disturbing kind of tone. She likes, no she loves to take something new and interesting and just make it hers. She wants to take them; use them till they are broken and can longer amuse her and fulfilled sick twisted desires. Jet is as one would say, quite possessive of the toys she truly likes. It was a rare and highly unfortunate fate for whomever gets caught in her web; making themselves stand out too much at the wrong place  and at the wrong time. So far those toys ended up dead one unique way or the other, but that was when she was with her old 'gang' and was pretty bloodthirsty. Though chances of her maiming any new toys was low.

As the man before her continued explaining himself, she couldn't help but rack her eyes over his being and no not in a perverted way. He was a good bit taller than her, that much was obvious. This both annoyed her as well as pleased her. Annoyed because she was often pestered about her height, often being seen as a shorty or shrimp. She preferred the term, vertically challenged or fun sized, mostly the latter. Now then the pleasing part....well...she just like older people and high places. The hammock in her room with really a high ceiling is proof of that. On the ground was nice and all.....for most people. Jet had a bit of a grudge against the ground. It reminded her of how she used to be chained down to a pole in the ground or the time she was once punished and thrown in pit of fire ants and beetles. The brief memory frightened her to the extent she could barely hide a shiver, feeling those chills fall down her back, remembering the feeling of all those disgusting creatures crawled around her body and violated her very being. She could almost feel a bit of vomit rising in her throat but it faded away as soon as it came. Jet hated remembering that day. That pit was hidden away and so deep, so dark, so cold. She screamed as they all laughed even the slaves who were not fully jaded were amused. It was sickening. In short, the ground is constricting and promises misery. The air, the wind, the sky were free. They couldn't not be chained down; no instead they promised a well lit future that you could see.

Jet felt foreign eyes on her. She glanced at their direction, her eyes briefly, not even half half a second, meeting mysterious grey eyes. She watched him, subtly as he wouldn't noticed as she played. Jet was pretty well tuned into emotions and auras. Coming from him, they started out warm, light and curious but darkened over a short period of time, getting colder as well. Ah, so he wasn't wondering about her and silently asking her questions that he himself may not be aware of. And his particular curiosity loomed on sanity and especially her 'innocence'. What was considered innocent really? Was it the little academy children who played in the parks with their mothers and father? Was it the civilian orphans whose birth parents were killed by the Kage? Is innocence reserved for those only who haven't killed? But if you never killed, you could still not be innocent. Anyone who is a killer is not innocent however there are just as many who haven't are not. So again, what was innocence and what meant you had it? Jet considered herself not innocent. How could she with all the horrible things she has done in her life?Jet can't scrub off the red

Now in the present, Jet felt extremely happy. She just got a new toy and this toy was willing, a first for her, to be her toy! Not that it mattered much since she was going to force persuade him to be it anyway, even if he got a bit injure doing so. Jet was so happy right now that she jumped him, meaning she threw herself at him and  hugged him, resulting in them getting even more soaked. She pulled away from the unnecessary tight hug she gave him, straddling his waist,  and smiled a toothy grin that showed her somewhat fanged teeth. "Jet is glad. Jet is happy." she giggled as squeezed the back of her head to get some of the water out. Her eyes widen as a she remembered he asked about her age. Closing them, she counted her age on her hands as if she needed to check. A minute later she looked him as if she just won a prize; with a quick flash of her hands, showed him her age, twice with all her fingers and then once with two fingers. "We are seventeen years old. We are a big girl! But ne ne how old is our toy? You look like a big kid? Are you a big kid? Where are you from? What clan do you come from? Are you an escaped convict? Do you like games? What's your favorite game? Jet's favorite game is hide or die. We like games. We like them a lot. We love to play so much that we never stop. Never never never~"

Running stat wc: 3821

"What caused the reaction?" Ayumu thought to himself having caught the subtle change in Jet's demeanor. The green hair woman had stopped playing in the water and had stared off into space for the briefness of moments. It was only because of who Ayumu was, and how he was raised, that allowed him to spot the barely noticeable shift. The innate ability of picking out minor details of others being a trait everyone in his clan inherited and were trained in, at least to his knowledge. Picking up minor details in a person was something they prized themselves in during and asides from their specialty it is something they practice in the open daily, not like the rest of the world knew this. Their vast understanding of human emotions and demeanor is used by them to hide in plan sight from the world and their enemies. Like many clan they believe that it's only unique to them, dismissing the rumors of other clans who can do similar acts. And if for some reason these rumors are true those other clans will be put down brutally like always, of course not by the branch that Ayumu come from.

Pushing the thoughts of the 'Truth' branch barbaric actions to the further pit of his mind, and preventing the frown from ruining the small smile on his face, Ayumu refocused on the woman at hand. That reaction. What had caused it? From what he could gleam from the brief motion it must have been a memory of some kind. The lack of smiling or joyness made him assume that it was a less than stellar one, and something that she would rather forget. Of course this was all speculation, and Ayumu didn't know for certain if the the memory was a bad one. It's because of this line of thinking that Ayumu spoke, feeling guilty is potentially bringing up bad memories for the girl he just met, his words being nothing more than a tickle on the wind but feel with sincerity that only a civilian could naturally show "I'm sorry."Two simple words that conveyed much more than Ayumu was willing to admit or share.

Gray eyes met lime ones for the briefness of seconds, one showing innocence and the other showing something that Ayumu couldn't place his finger on. Whatever it was it wasn't innocence. There was something about the girl that made him want to be on edge around her, but he couldn't bring himself in during that, having learned at a young age that people take offense if you're always on edge around them. So, instead he remain as unguarded as possible. Though it seem like his attempt wasn't good enough for those same eyes were taking glances towards his direction when they believed he wasn't paying attention, which was fifty percent of the time. His mind wanders a lot; to when or if he'll ever get dry, water still dripping off of him courtesy of Jet, or reminding himself about the concert tonight where he has to perform, or where he'll be eating after this. Yeah, his minds wanders a lot. His parents always reprimanded him about day dreaming, especially when talking to others, saying that you never know when something will happen and you missed it or got injured by it due to you daydreaming. Ah yes, his parents told him that a lot but did he listen? Nope. Maybe for that one instance, Ayumu should have listen too them. For when he turned away to check on his drying shirt, it happen.

The impact. He didn't feel a thing nor realize what was happening till his body jerked backwards. Ever heard of people talk about seeing their lives flash before their eyes before dying? You have? Good. Because Ayumu was having something similar, but instead of seeing his life flash before his eyes, he was able to register what exactly happen before his movement abruptly stopped. Jet, for whatever reason, had hugged(more like tackle) Ayumu. The force of the blow sent them both into the water where he took the blunt of the damage, she being on top of him. And thorough it all he didn't bat an eyelash or register the fact that he had landed awkwardly on the rocks, nonfatal lacerations(unknowing to him) being present on his back as the girl straddled his waist, shifting his body slightly and cause more cuts to appear. And the only reason he knew that he injured himself  is because of the reddish tinge the water around him had. Kami, he hope it wasn't nothing serious.

Sighing in realization of having to go to the hospital after this, Ayumu focus on the grinning woman who was straddling him. Kami, why must she be straddling him!? Didn't she know that both of them were soak and wet and their clothing was sticking to themselves like a second skin, and now because of her straddling their bits were getting a close and personal encounter with each other? He couldn't help but to suppress the groan, after he attempted to shift slightly but realize that it would only cause their bits to greet each other more. Why him? Shoving the thoughts away, along with any and all visual image of the wet girl's body, who he still doesn't know the age of, he focused just in time to hear what she was saying.

She was happy. Well that's good. . . he thinks. As he watched her count something on her fingers in a childlike manner, Ayumu's earlier statement about her being weird or slightly off tilter was reaffirmed. Who counted on their hands? He didn't have time to ponder on the query for long before she gave him her age which was followed by a rapid fire of questions and other comments.

She was seventeen? Well damn, he really was eyeing someone that was younger than him. Why did she insist on calling him a toy? He did not know but for whatever reason they way she said it freaked him out "I'm twenty-two. I'm from a village that borders Tsuchi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni. I'm not from a clan. Nope, never been in trouble with the law. " He stated, his facial features never betraying the 'truths' he told. Ayumu took some time to ponder on her other question regarding games before speaking "Really don't have a favorite game. Haven't played any in awhile." He said truthfully, his eyes widen as he recalled her words about her favorite game.

Hide or Die. Surely she didn't mean that literally right? "Hide or die? You don't mean that literally right?" He asked, at the same time lifting Jet off of his waist, allowing him to stand up and attempt to inspect the damage done to his back with no luck. Regarding the girl once more, Ayumu inquired about something which had been bugging him "Being your toy. What does it involve?" Looking up at the sky, he realized that he'll need to leave soon in order to go to the hospital to check out his injuries and then find a place to eat. But first he wants to know what he got himself into.

---

Word Count: 1234(4130)

Kaze no Kuni, her homeland; she wondered how the desolate wind country was faring. She hasn’t been there in well years. It’s not like she had any close friends or family there anyway, but she sort of felt a bond to that place. And besides, there isn’t much there anyway with the close to none natural resources; just Sunagakure no Sato, a few trader points, and caravans along with sand being the most abundant element. She wasn’t the biggest fan of sand, it was so lifeless and boring; not to mention it contributed to a drastic change in temperature, boiling hot in the day then freezing cold at night. It was an odd and tough environment. And the sandstorms, they were a menace. You could never catch a break with them. Depending on its severity, the damage could simply be scratching and denting the windows of your house and/ or the side of your car, to something absolutely disastrous such as completely destroying properties, ruins entire fields of crops, and cause difficulty in breathing which may ultimately lead to death. Sadly since the village was in the middle of a desert, we dealt with super sandstorms quite often and they are usually unexpected.  It has been years and she remembers very little of that place. Jet wondered how much it has changed. All she has heard about was a change in management and that’s it. Perhaps the slums had gotten better or worse. She decided that one day, that she may just take a trip back to Suna and see how it has evolved.

When he mentioned he was not a part of a clan, she pouted. Everyone was a part of a clan of sorts, even if they were just civilians. So why did Ayumu lie? What was so about his family? The possibility that he was a member of one of those weird doujutsu clans like the Uchiha or Hyuuga but she quickly dismissed the thought. He didn’t display the normal traits of either nor had some type of symbols of them on him. Well at least she hope he wasn’t, their eyes were creepy. The sharigan was pretty powerful but it caused misery and a dangerous lust for power in its user. The byakugan made the user’s eyes pulsate their veins. Damn it was gross. She only met one Uchiha and that person was on her deathbed after being chased by some bounty hunters and unfortunately meeting one of the circus troupe’s guards who had a thing for raping and killing young girls, truly a sick bastard he was.

An saddening disappointment, she was hoping he would have some crazy exaggerated tale to tell her about his own personal run in with the law, something he lacked. Ah well, trouble always seem to find its way to her and anyone around her. Not only that, he was a gamer? Well that had to change, something she could certainly fix. It was a crime against humanity not to participate in a least a few games once in awhile. Those who didn't traditionally ended up being sticks in the mud or snoresvilles. Good thing he was still young; she could just revive the child inside him. It would be for his own good anyway.

Jet giggled at his startled expression when he processed the name of one of her favorite games, Hide or Die. "Hehe, Hide or Die is a fun fun game~ It's simple to play. We count to five and you go hide. After that, we go looking for you and when we find you we say 'Time to Die' and chase you. We have to capture you using any and all means possible like we were bounty hunters chasing our prey. Hehe, this game is a lot of fun but" She paused, recalling a time where she played with an unknowing group of academy students with the said game. They all scattered like flies and screamed in fright. Of course she found them all, she always did and whenever she would be reprimanded, she would simply say, that it was just a game and that no one was really killed though many had quite a few close calls. "A lot of people are sore losers"

Toys, something many in Iwagakure had grown to fear of becoming, but of course she could tell him that. Yet she even though she would say she takes care of them well, it was a complete and utter lie....well partly. Any and all of her pasts toys ended up near fatally injured or drove crazy, but that was usually those toys she took a special interest in, unlike the group of genin and chuunin from last night. That group didn't serve any purpose aside from entertaining her. Though when any of her self proclaimed toys got hurt, she would deny that she was the cause of their pain, simply saying that were poor quality and weak durability. "Being our toy...all you got to do is entertain us by having us play with you and just keep around whenever we get bored. Plain and simple" she said, putting on a thinking face with her arms crossed over her chest, hardly noticing she was lifted off his waist and onto the rock where he previously sat upon.

A moment after she parted her lips, about to ask another question however she noticed the redist tint on the water. Oh, she must have had injured him with the sharp rockets in the water, not that she meant to...wait...was she...genuinely feeling guilty about injuring a toy, her toy. That was...odd for the lack of a better word. Usually she would simply be annoyed when a toy got damaged but this time...she cared? But mentally shrugged it off, thinking she was just being a good toy owner. Ayumu failed to properly examine the cuts on his back however Jet had a better view and saw the full extent. Some cuts required some simple bandaging, however others would need stitching. She got up, challenging some chakra to the soles of her feet which allowed her to walk on the surface of the water and retrieve their stuff and then proceeded to grab his left wrist.

She looked him in the eye, nervously biting the inside of her cheek "Jet is sorry her toy got hurt. Jet really really feels bad" every single apologetic word was spoken with the utmost sincerity. She perked up a second later, the air around her with her usually energy. "C'mon, Jet can fix you up. We get hurt a lot so we know how to deal with this. Jet wants to make it up to you, but we don't know any medical ninjutsu. So we will fix you up the traditional way. Your injuries aren't too serious at all" Her voice convey all her true feeling and no deceit. It was obvious to see that she truly wanted to help him and fix her mistakes. She carried their stuff in her right hand and dragged him by his wrist with her other to the water to the other side of the lake, sneezing along the way and never noticing how apathetic he was to his injuries.

stat wc training total: 5049
Trained
Strength: E to D-3  (1925/1925)
Speed: E to D-3 (1925/1925)
Endurance: E to E-1 (75/75)
Perception: E to E-2 (225/225)
Reaction time: E to D (750/750)
Leftover: 149

Jutsu used:

Reminiscing of the past is something Ayumu was taught not to do under any circumstances. While it's good to remember the times of old, one shouldn't bind themselves too them, never enjoying that is a front of them - the present. In most cases the past should remain in it's tomb only to be viewed or awakening when wisdom is need, and only then shall one search the tomb for the answers they seek at the time. If they do not, preferring to stay anchor to their past, they'll find themselves immersed with negative emotions that either stems from horrible or happy memories by fester the seed of hate and jealousy respectively. It's because of these teachings that Ayumu hardly thinks back to the times of old, instead always focusing on the present. This doesn't mean that his past meant nothing to him, quite the opposite actually, but he himself knows the human psyche well and understands that he would become jealous or even hateful if he allowed himself to dwell on the times of old. And that was something Ayumu didn't want to become for becoming like that meant he would be a step closer in transcending into the 'Truth' branch of his family, and being apart of those barbaric individuals isn't a pleasant thought. Don't get him wrong, Ayumu loves his other family members dearly he just couldn't see himself among them, especially with their obsession with the past. So in that case he's grateful for being born in the 'Free' branch were they don't dwell on the past, but rather the present and the future.

Family. Ayumu didn't have no problem in lying to Jet about his family for technically it wasn't a lie: 'Saito' isn't a clan surname but a rather common one amongst the majority of civilians in the Elemental Nation, and it isn't uncommon for two people to marry each other with both of them having Saito as their surname without them having any relations to each other. Mitaho, Ayumu's father, surname was Saito along with his father and his father's father, and so on and on. The name being adopted by them to hide the fact of their Houkyaku heritage. The heritage being hidden out of fear of other clans who might want to retaliate against them for the transgression former or current Houkyaku members who still use the particular name. Saito, the version Ayumu carries came about from an ancestor who use to work as a retainer was given the surname of his Lord. So, if one did do some snooping into the name's background they will find an enrich and unique history, one befitting of a clan. . . Okay. Maybe he did come from a clan, a civilian one, but he doesn't see it as such. So what's the point of admitting that he came from a clan who did nothing significant, mainly being merchants, barbs, entertainers, etc.? Maybe he shouldn't have lied but it wasn't a big one so there wasn't a problem, right?

A sigh escaped his lips as he attempted to check the injuries on his back with no prevail. He couldn't help but to wonder how sever or lack thereof they were. It really suck being numb, despite the popular opinion of it being a godsend. However, he wouldn't allow himself to get caught up in everything negative about being numb, instead focusing his attention on something else. . .like this game Jet plays - Hide or Die. Ayumu would openly admit before the explanation he thought the game was of the more morbid persuasion - meaning a game where if you're founded you'll die. Thankfully that didn't seem too be the case, and he let out a breath that he was unknowingly holding. From what he could gather from the woman, the game was common amongst academy students, or at least he assumed so, though the stipulations left a lot to be desired. Anything goes?? Yeah, maybe he shouldn't have dis his morbid thoughts about the game so soon. "Seems like a fun game. However, is there any rules about injuring the other person?" He inquired, wanting to know more about what he got himself into.

"I do not know how much I can entertain you for I travel a lot." Ayumu admitted "I rarely if ever stay in a single place for an extended amount of time, always on the move, always moving. And I usually have other obligations to meet while at the places I stay at. It's something I been doing for the longest of times, and it helps me financially." What wasn't stated was the fact that he was a popular singer, and because of his profession had to travel a lot to meet and interact with fans. He hoped the girl before him would understand that, while he had no problem being her 'toy', it won't an everyday thing. It was apart of his naivety that he agreed to such terms in the first place. Hopefully they don't come and bite him in the butt later on.

Ayumu's earlier statement about her potentially being a shinobi was confirmed with her showcasing her ability to water-walk, something only a shinobi could do. Nodding in appreciation for his shirt, Ayumu  slipped it on, never once winching from the fabric rubbing against his injured back "It's okay, you didn't mean to do it. "He said, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault, however, it seems like it did nothing for no sooner had the words been spoken, Ayumu was being dragged by Jet too her house. The girl having mention about fitting him up, and by the look on her face saying 'no' wouldn't be plausible. With that in mind, Ayumu resigned to his fate as he was dragged across Iwagakure. With the only thoughts being about his concert that starts in five hours. So much for having a normal day at the waterfall.

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Word Count: 1025(5155)