'Uh oh, Kaia... where are you?', she thought to herself as the young female came to a sudden stop. She had been looking around the village some more, exploring while her father worked in his office. She could have sat there with him but office work bored her and she preferred to be outside continuing to get used to the village. She knew Konoha like the back of her hand, and hoped to one day know her new home in a similiar fashion. She knew it was going to take some time but then again she was a very patient child.

As Kaia came to a stop and looked around she kept always in the back of her mind her father's warning: since she was adopted by him she had essentially gained his enemies. This thought came with a glance behind her to the large lion following her at a distance. Her father's companion was keeping a watchful eye on her while at the same time giving her a chance to just explore and look around. She knew if she asked Momaru that the lion would be able to point her in the right direction but she preferred to handle things herself and try and figure it out on her own.

So, for the moment she glanced around again to really get her bearings... and when she realized exactly where she was it caused goosebumps to rise up on her arms. She was in a graveyard. And it was getting dark. Joy. This was just the kind of situation that horror films and monster moves were made from. "Be brave, Kaia.", she muttered to herself under her breath. She would not run in fear from this place. She wouldn't. Nope. Nuh uh.

... Okay, so the idea was still there no matter how hard she tried to deny it.

But, for now she remained in place, and just looked around while hoping that she wouldn't see or find anything too too scary while she did so. "Hmm.."

Word Count: 341

Shhck

Plop.

The soft sounds of the earth being pried apart, and the gentle sounds of it being thrown would fill the air.

Shhck

Plop

The sounds were repeatedly rhythmically, a speed that never faltered or slowed. It was almost soothing in its own strange way to the woman who worked nearby. A spade in hand, she worked tirelessly at digging into the earth below her, moving it from beneath her feet and adding it to the growing pile nearby. A quiet hum escaped her lips as she worked tirelessly, her work almost completely engrossing her.

After some time, the female would stop her work and leap her way out of the grave that she'd dug. With a small grin, the female would drive the shovel she held into the ground and lean upon it, admiring her work. Even in the dying light, she could see the hole she'd made clearly. There wasn't much to it, unlike most graves, this one only reached several feet into the ground. It would have to do for the moment.

Hands would reach and pat herself down, shaking the excess dirt and grime from her bandaged body. Not that she was actually injured – it was a funny story that went with her body being covered from head to toe in the bandages. Something about her clan, it was. But as it was, the bandages left little to the imagination when it came to the shape and sizes of her various body parts. When the female felt that he had 'adequately' cleaned herself off, he would reach over to a nearby tombstone and remove the tattered and frayed sleeveless cloak that was slung over it. Placing the clothing on and tugging up the hood, the female would smile at her handiwork before turning and setting off in a direction, making sure to grab her scythe and slip it into the holster on her back, unknowingly heading in the direction of the female Sarutobi. From between her bandaged lips would come a quiet tune, slow and haunting.

Despite the reputation of this place, this 'Cemetery', the female had no fear of what might be lurking out there. As far as she was concerned, despite her age, she was one of the most terrifying creatures to walk this earth. A few thieving men would not deter her from doing what she needed to do out there -- that is, digging graves for the people that needed to be buried. It was a dirty, and thankless job, but it was something that needed to be done. Besides, it kept her busy, and out of trouble. Not that there was much trouble that someone of her status could get into.

450 wc

Kaia was still looking about, trying to figure out how exactly she had stumbled into this place like she had, when a haunting sounding tune reached her ears. She blinked once, twice, and then cocked her head to the left in curiosity. A sliver if a chill ran up her spine and goosebumps broke out across her arms while the little peach fuzz hairs stood on end. She likely would have taken off running had it not been for her father's lion companion who moved closer in reaction to her fear. Momaru sat himself down next to her and simply yawned, clearly unaffected by the noises within the graveyard - including the tune.

"Are you a ghost?", she called out bravely: only brave because of the lovely fuzzy beast situated beside her. To Momaru she would lean in and whisper very softly "Ghost's can hurt people, right?" The lion would look at her with what she figured was amusement only to shake his head no in a reassuring way. Good, if it was a ghost then it couldn't hurt her. That was good news.

... But what if it wasn't a ghost? What if it was some kind of graveyard dwelling, child eating, mosnter?! Relax Kaia. Don't freak yourself out. It's likely nothing. Maybe a ghost, maybe a person. Definitely not a monster that'll eat me while I scream in terror and fear... Besides, I have a Momaru. He'll protect me just like daddy does., she thought to herself while waiting for some kind of response. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation, her blue gaze darting in every direction as she tried to pin point exactly where the noise was coming from.

"Momaru... there aren't children eating monsters in Kiri are there?", she asked softly, glancing at the lion and expecting an answer. She was nudged gently before a clear sigh came from the giant fuzzy beast: in truth there were animals around who would eat her if given a chance, but he wasn't about to allow that to happen to her.

Word Count: 688

"Are you a ghost?"

The female would stop, peering curiously up the path through the mist. If her eyes were functioning properly, she could swear she could see someone standing there through on the path with some sort of creature at their side. Judging by the sound of the voice, the speaker was female and she sounded somewhat young. For a moment, the bandaged female said nothing, fingers flexing around the farm tool that she carried as if toying with it. To be honest, she was debating on if she should dignify this person with a response – it seemed childish to simply call out to a spectre of the underworld the way this person had.She considered ignoring the female and carrying on, walking away from this situation, but someone had to open their mouth once more and speak again.

"Ghost's can hurt people, right? ...Momaru... there aren't children eating monsters in Kiri are there?"

For a moment, Shitai almost laughed. This was precious; this had to indeed be a child, but why was she wandering out here so far from home? Why a graveyard of all places? Why would her parents allow her to go out so far? The lips of the bandaged female would part some, releasing a raspy voice from between the lips.

"There are no ghosts here, little bird. But as for monsters, that I am, and there are plenty more like me. As it stands, you are in luck, Little Bird; I do not eat children. There are some that do, but so long as you can hear my voice, they shall not come near." Not quite the truth, but then again, it was not quite a lie. The bandaged female would be considered to most as a monster, an abomination unto the Sage. A creature that deserved to be put down. But it was a Sage that refused to allow her to sleep, that breathed life back into her chest, and told her to rise and walk again. In those violet eyes, she was a creature deserving of life like anyone else.

It also helped that she did not eat children.

"Step closer, Little Bird. Tell me your name, and I shall tell you mine. I do not bite." As she spoke, the female removed the hood from her head, and removed the scythe from her back so make her appearance less threatening.

398 | 848 WC

The voice was a monster. Or rather the person (monster?) behind the voice was a monster. A self proclaimed monster. She should have been terrified, she should have been running and screaming in the opposite direction for help. She didn't, she wouldn't. Instead, Kaia stood there rather calmly while listening to the rest of what this strange female had to say. She claimed that she didn't eat children, something that had her and Momaru looking at each other for a moment. She also said that the monsters that did eat children would not come near so long as Kaia could hear the female's voice.

Kaia wasn't necessarily afraid of monsters - they couldn't all be bad, right? - but she did look toward Momaru for his opinion as the voice instructed her to step closer. Momaru seemed to take a moment to judge the situation, which Kaia gave him. Given that the lion didn't object right away Kaia moved closer to where the voice was coming from: Momaru shadowing her every step. When Kaia finally came to a stop the lion did too with his bulky form half hiding Kaia from view: something that caused Kaia to giggle and pet the lion in reassurance over.

"My name is Kaia, well really it's Kaia-Mai but that's too long. It's bad enough I have two last names now since Strafe adopted me... a big first name is just too much for a little person like me.", Kaia would say as she took the time to really get a good look at this supposed monster. Kaia couldn't really see anything wrong with her, but then again Kaia was so innocent to the world she didn't yet have the ability to judge people. If anything Kaia felt a bit sad that this female was considered such: it made Kaia wonder if this female had any friends since she was considered a monster. Perhaps Kaia could be her friend... Did grown up people like little kids as friends?

Word Count: 1,022

It would seem that this child was indeed a brave soul; most people would hesitate at the sight of the bandaged female. Even adults, who were supposedly ninja and were taught to not fear the world around them stall at first sight of her.

But not this child.

Even as she stepped closer, followed by what seemed to be a gigantic lion; she walked with a calm confidence, something that most children did not possess. What was her reasoning for being so calm and confident. As the child came closer, the banaged female would offer a smile to her, or as close as she could with her mouth being bandaged.

"My name is Kaia, well really it's Kaia-Mai but that's too long. It's bad enough I have two last names now since Strafe adopted me... a big first name is just too much for a little person like me."

The elder female's head nodded, as she kneeled and crouched down upon the ground, bringing herself to the child's eye level. Her own sapphire eyes stared at child for a moment, head tipping the side in curiosity. "Well met, Kaia-Mai." A hand was lifted as the bandaged female pointed to herself, smiling still. " I am Shitai, the monster, and this is my home." The grin stretched wider, the bandage splitting to reveal the sharp teeth that were housed within her mouth. "Tell me, Little Bird; why have you flown so far from home into the land of monsters? Do you seek adventure? Treasure?" As she spoke, the bandaged female shifted her body some what. opting to settle herself upon the ground. Even as she did so, she was eager for the child's answer, strangely enough. The last two people that she had the displeasure of interacting with had attempted to fight her, with one of them succeeding. Since then, the bandaged female had been a more wary with approaching people who wandered so close to her home.

Except now.

Now, a small child was here, and she was talking to her, a monster, and it was strange, but this child was innocent, yes? She knew nothing of the world around her, and was not tainted by the evils and hatred, and fear that plagued the minds of most humans. This child was, in a strange sense, pure. And Shitai liked that. It was a rare flower, something that was to be treasured, kept safe and revered as sacred. For the moment, the Corpse would admire its beauty before ensuring its safe return home. If something happened to her while it was nearby, she would not forgive herself.

436 | 1284

Kaia Mai watched calmly as the bandaged female crouched down, seemingly so she could be eye level with Kaia or so Kaia supposed: it was something her new father had done at least once or twice when talking with her so it didn't bother her in the slightest. She watched further as this bandaged female began to speak and pointed at herself.

"Well met, Kaia-Mai. I am Shitai, the monster, and this is my home. Tell me, Little Bird; why have you flown so far from home into the land of monsters? Do you seek adventure? Treasure?" The bandaged female, the self proclaimed monster, settled herself on the ground while she spoke.

Kaia Mai thought about her question, tilting her head to the right as she so often did when thinking deeply. She felt no inner tug to hide the truth, felt no reason or whim to lie to this female who called herself Shitai. "Well, I kind of got lost. I just moved here after finding my new daddy, so I was exploring. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going though and I ended up here. I'm sure Momaru knows how to get home, but I think he'd rather me figure it out on my own because it's good... what was it called... character building. That's it.", the child nodded a bit and simply continued to smile.

The woman in front of her, while bandaged, was not a monster in Kaia's sense of the word. To Kaia a monster was someone, usually human, who harmed people for their own joy: to do it simply because they could or because they liked to. This woman hadn't yet tried to harm Kaia, nor spoke badly toward her, so to Kaia she wasn't a monster and was in fact rather interesting. "Why do you live in a graveyard? Doesn't it get lonely having no one to talk to..?", Kaia asked curiously as she too decided to settle down on the ground and get comfortable in an indian style position. Momaru, still remaining quiet but watchful, simply rested the chin of his large head on top of hers: something that made Kaia giggle while a bit and reach up and scratch his neck while she waited for a response.

Before Kaia could really help herself she added on "You don't look like a monster... not like the monsters I've met. The monsters I meet are really scary. They look just like me, or my daddy, or other people... but they like to hurt people. That's what makes them scary: you can never tell if they're really good or really bad because they look like everyone else." Ah yes, the glorious mind of a child.

Wordcount: 458 | 1,480

"Well, I kind of got lost. I just moved here after finding my new daddy, so I was exploring. I was not really paying attention to where I was going though and I ended up here. I am sure Momaru knows how to get home, but I think he would rather me figure it out on my own because it is good... what was it called... character building. That is it."

Oh, so the child was merely wandering around, eh? Judging by the size of the lion that accompanied her, it would not only be foolish, but suicidal to attempt to attack this young girl. The creature was massive, and the bandaged female was sure it knew how to defend itself rather well. An animal did not have the reservations of a human; an animal did not pull its punches. It it wanted to kill you, it would kill you.

"Why do you live in a graveyard? Doesn't it get lonely having no one to talk to..? You do not look like a monster... not like the monsters I have met. The monsters I meet are really scary. They look just like me, or my daddy, or other people... but they like to hurt people. That's what makes them scary: you can never tell if they are really good or really bad because they look like everyone else."

As the child spoke, she made herself more comfortable, settling down indian style upon the ground, which seemed to prompt the massive feline to rest its chin on the child's head. It was an amusing sight to see, and the bandaged female actually laughed at this more than the child's words. It was refreshing to see a more innocent view of the world for once, one that was not tainted by lies and betrayal, of death and decay.

"I live here because it is the only place a monster like me can exist and now cause a panic among the people. You do not think I look like a monster, little bird? As you should know, looks are very deceiving. You said it yourself; the monsters you know look just like you and your daddy. But there are different monsters out there, the ones who dare not step into the light of day, little bird. No, they plot and plan from the confines of thier darkened chambers, and they decide what those in the light do, and the trials they go through..." As the bandaged female spoke, that ever present aura began to swirl around her, ashes and embers filling the air around her form as she became lost in her words. "Those are indeed monsters, little bird. But the ones I speak of are much worse, and they create more monsters like me, though none are as nice as I am. Monsters like me are truly monsters, we are the things that hide under the bed. The things that go bump in the night, the scratching at your windows in the middle of the night. That thing you cannot quite see out the corner of your eye, those are monsters like me.."

A blink later, and the bandaged female's attention snapped back, the smile returning somewhat. "But as I said, little bird, you are safe with me..."

523 | 1807

"I live here because it is the only place a monster like me can exist and not cause a panic among the people. You do not think I look like a monster, little bird? As you should know, looks are very deceiving. You said it yourself; the monsters you know look just like you and your daddy. But there are different monsters out there, the ones who dare not step into the light of day, little bird. No, they plot and plan from the confines of thier darkened chambers, and they decide what those in the light do, and the trials they go through... Those are indeed monsters, little bird. But the ones I speak of are much worse, and they create more monsters like me, though none are as nice as I am. Monsters like me are truly monsters, we are the things that hide under the bed. The things that go bump in the night, the scratching at your windows in the middle of the night. That thing you cannot quite see out the corner of your eye, those are monsters like me.. But as I said, little bird, you are safe with me..."

Kaia frowned in a thoughtful way as she continued to scratch at the under side of the great lion's chin; something which was causing a rather loud and throaty sounding purr. She still didn't understand how this bandaged female, who assured her she wouldn't harm her and from whom Kaia was getting no bad vibes, was a monster. Had she done something in the past that perhaps gave her that title? Or was it simply because of how she looked? Kaia also wondered why she wore all of those bandages but was still debating on whether or not it was rude to ask. She didn't want to upset her potential new friend.

So, instead of commenting she simply thought over what Shitai said and then smiled. "The monster in the closet, or the thing under the bed never scared me though... I don't know why, but they never did. I was more scared of the orphanage lady I used to have to live with... Some nights I kind of wished there was a monster under the bed or in the closet who would take me away from that lady..." Goosebumps broke out delicately across Kaia's exposed arms and she shuddered at the thought: her days in the orphanage had been some of the worst in her life - even worse than wandering around aimlessly looking for Strafe, worse than being on her own after Mitsuo's disappearance. No, the orphanage owner was the kind of person who would haunt her dreams and nightmares for a while... not this bandaged female across from her.

Momaru, catching on to Kaia's sudden emotions - emotions that were far from the happiness she had been feeling only seconds ago - let out a soft growl and shifted his head to nudge her affectionately; it was his way of silently telling her that that orphanage lady would never get to her. Kaia knew she was being silly, but sometimes... well, she was a child, and sometimes children got scared - Genin or not.

Wordcount: 532 | 2,012

Exiting due to inactivity.

Total WC: 2012.
Reaction Time D2 -> D3: 2012 - 450 = 1,562
Remaining: 1,562