Sero stood at the head of the road leading to Kiri from Kumo. His grey robes and hood concealing him in the late nights mist. All of him was covered in the thick traveling cloak except his grey eyes. Dull orbs lazily moving back and forth up the road in the direction of Kumo. Nozomi had insisted he meet her and a guest a mile south of the village. He didn't know who the guest was but with the level of secrecy and having to burn the message he was fairly certain they would need to move quickly once the two of them arrived. He already knew they were using him for security purposes but he didn't mind. Nozomi was a member of the Kiri forces and thus until ordered to do otherwise he would preserve her existence. It didn't matter that he knew her personally. Just as much as he would protect her he would end her if needed. But that would have to wait to be determined until they actually reached Kiri. He would bring Nozomi and her guest straight to Ayakashi right away regardless of whom the guest was even if he had to do so by force. Let that cold woman make the decision.

Either way the exams were over now and it was time to return home. His thoughts drifted to the village hidden in the mist as he almost sighed in relief to be going back. His fingers twitched idly like spastic sociopathic digits as he looked forward to actually ending a few pirates. He could hardly smell the blood on his sleeves and around the ankles of his robes anymore. SO faded with the wash and time from the last slaughter he wasn't sure how long he would wait to end a life. Assuming that it wasn't ordered of him to end the two coming home with him on the spot. He let his teeth show a little as he smiled at the thought. He was a Jounin now and he was ready to prove how much he met those expectations. Gin wasn't coming so he couldn't show her his power but perhaps Ayakashi would get a demonstration. If not than he would simply move on to how his country needed his blade. Still he had waited for the day of his return. He was so excited to see which poor soul had made it into his home in his absence that he was about ready to leave them behind when he spotted them.

Sero watched as two cloaked figures approached up the road. His eyes watching as they stuck closer to the woods than the road which raised Sero's alertness even higher. He was almost nervous now but more alert than anything. His eyes scanned the woods and the road around them before he was satisfied he hadn't seen anything. This was a risky move but he was fully prepared for a fight should anyone be trying to stop them. He was the monster waiting for the hunter and it would be who saw whom first that determined which was the prey. Sero knew this though...he was no prey...he was always the predator. Still as they drew closer he stepped into the road. The moonlight reflecting the mist around him as he looked upon Nozomi and her cloaked companion....they smelled familiar...he knew them but it wasn't clear who the second was yet. Still they would know Sero as they felt him like a dark thing oozing across their skin. He would nod to them before turning and moving ahead of them on the road back and forth at a speed superior to their own back and forth. Keeping tabs on the road ahead and them.

637
600/600 travel complete

The dark and misty night was all Kaekio could have hoped for on this night. Tonight was the night that Kaekio was going to leave Kumogakure for a while. Maybe she might never return, she didn't know. It had been only a day since Kaekio told Nozomi of her plan. Although Kaekio hadn't  really told Nozomi the reason that she was going to kirigakure. But, a part of that reason was Nozomi herself. She couldn't stand to be away from her any longer. She didn't want to be so far away from the one she loved for as long as she had last time. But, there was other pressing matters. Recently Kaekio had re-entered into the Scene of Ryuzoji whom which she had spent most of her life neglecting, especially after her father vanished. But it wasn't until they that she came to realize some shocking truths. The first being that Sanosuke had recently attempted a Raid on the Compound for unknown reasons. She also Learned that Sanosuke, wasn't orignally supposed to be the Raikage and was instead the runner up. The original Raikage was intended to be Ryuzoji Bokuden, Sanosuke's Rival. That and all recent Ryuzoji students had ALL been put under Sanosuke's command. Why? well it's not entirely known, but the speculation is that is he is keeping his eye on them. This shocked Kaekio into another realization. She had felt like she was stagnating in power for a reasonable about of time, and it might have finally dawned her as to way. Sanosuke didn't want her to grow in power. Now, she wasn't to sure on her idea, but it had been eerily jabbing at her for the past few days, and t was something she couldn't shake, nor could she stand the idea of. She needed to protect her country and her people, and for her to be placed under watch, and not be growing as fast as she could for the sake of some petty rivalry couldn't be right. So she decided. She was going to Kiri to get stronger. Even if that meant that she would be wanted by her country and dead in their eyes, she didn't care. As long as she could protect the ones she loved, that was all that she needed.

With that in mind, Kaekio sent Sanosuke a messenger to Sanosuke, stating that she would be escorting Nozomi and Sero back to the border of the land of lightning, to make sure that they got back safely, as well as to make sure they didn't get off course and attempt to stay within the land, and that she should be expected back in a few weeks time, which was to be expected since she was traveling to the border, and they weren't in any real rush. When Kaekio Told nozomi about her plan, she had been meditating with her current perception on to make sure that there wasn't anyone around to listen in, and even then she still spoke quietly. That being said, even as Nozomi and Kaekio went to meet up with Sero she was already focusing on her sensory abilities to make sure they weren't being followed. Once they reached Sero, Kaekio would take off her hood, and give him a quick smile. Before he could take off Kaekio would speak. "Sero. By personal request, i'm here to escort you and Nozomi to the border." Knowing he had read the note Nozomi sent, it would be more of a sign that Kaekio wasn't going to be in a rush, and in fact it would look more suspicious if they were to rush. She also didn't feel as though she should be keeping her identity a secret from someone whom was going to be aiding in her defect. "With that being said, i'll remain on look out. As i'm sure you're aware, I'm a part of Kumogakure's most prestigious tracking clan, and I feel my sensory is ample enough for the job of lookout." Then Her, Nozomi, and sero would all take they way towards the border, without another word of Kaekio's defection. Kaekio would check her surroundings every so often when they were in a break, or while walking. She would know if they were being followed. Especially considering, they only people who knew how the Ryuzoji worked, were the Ryuzoji. Not even the Raikage himself knew that closely guarded secret. And once they reached the Dock to get on a ship to kirigakure, Kaekio would simply board the boat with them. Then she would be off to Kirigakure and to meet the Mizukage. She would need to come up with the best way to plead her case, and so she would spend most of the boat ride doing so. At the end of the boat ride, when they reached Kirigakure, Kaekio would kiss nozomi and say the words "I'll be fine hun, you go home and wait for me" Before Sero could drag her off to meet the Mizukage and explain herself.

---

WC: 865
Travel complete 600/600 words

Nozomi's anticipation was killing her. Not only was she anxious about her return to Kirigakure, which was tinged with a small amount of homesickness and an eagerness to return, but she was anxious about this excursion with Kaekio. Kaekio, her loving girlfriend, whom she'd spent months with in Kumogakure. Kaekio, who had taken her heart and her loyalty. Kaekio, who Nozomi would have left Kiri for if asked. And yet, Kaekio was the one who was leaving with Nozomi. She was abandoning Kumogakure in secrecy to be with Nozomi. There were other reasons, more than likely, but that didn't change the fact that Kaekio was coming to stay with Nozomi, and that they'd no longer have to deal with being apart. After the blissful few months they'd had, Nozomi was happy about it, as she'd been worrying about having to return. She didn't want to leave Kaekio again.

It wasn't long before the two of them were going to meet up with Sero. Kaekio was much better at the whole tracking thing than Nozomi was, considering her Ryuzoji clan sensory that she had going for her, (Nozomi wasn't aware of the specifics, but she knew enough to know they were more suited to tracking than she'd ever be, and that was fine enough by her) and didn't need as much attention dedicated to finding someone, so Nozomi just left her own mind on standby, to pick up any small things that would be missed by someone who was dedicating all their attention to finding something. Focusing on finding one particular thing left out the ability to find something you weren't looking for. An irregularity in a pattern, or perhaps an abnormality that would be noticed with a loose glance, but not if scrutiny was elsewhere. Fortunately, she didn't notice anything, which meant that either they were completely safe and untracked at the moment, or whoever was tracking them was beyond her abilities to notice, in which case, she would be outclassed anyhow. They'd covered their bases rather well. Sanosuke knew about their relationship of course, and it made sense that Kaekio would want to escort Nozomi to the borders, and Kaekio had of course informed him of that. She'd already visited Nozomi during her sage training, and Nozomi had spent a lot of time with her lately, so it was obvious they were close. Giving herself a few weeks before Sanosuke would end up suspicious, the blue haired kunoichi's tracks on the matter were covered. They'd be well in Kiri's borders before anyone realized what had happened.

The petite blonde's bags lay over her cloak, tied tightly to her back, with a quick release knot in case she needed to drop some weight quickly, and while they were heavy enough, for a kunoichi of her level, they were child's play, and weighed practically nothing. Most of her body was concealed beneath her cloak, and her hood was pulled up, but beneath it she wore her flak jacket, had her tanto's in their prepared areas for quick drawing in case she needed to, and her windmill shuriken was prepped with a substitution already. It paid to be cautious, but hopefully they wouldn't end up needing to be used.

Should the trip prove to be uneventful, Nozomi would breath a sigh of relief once they made it to the docks, and were safely on the boat to Kirigakure. Once they made it to Kirigakure, Kaekio said her piece, promising to meet Nozomi back at home. Nozomi was a little tentative, and of course offered up that maybe she should go with to the Mizukage's, but upon Kaekio's reassurance that it wouldn't be necessary, the young girl relented and trecked back to her house to start the dusting process of the vacant home.

WC: 630
TRAVEL COMPLETE

~THREAD CLOSED~