Mission Taken – Merchant Escort (C Rank):

Kaia,
Did you really think you’d be able to sneak off on a mission without me finding out? When I said light duty I meant it: as your doctor I will have to insist that from here on out you follow my instructions to the letter! No, but seriously… nice try. Unfortunately for you I had ordered everyone to alert me if you took a mission. Good thing for you though, I’m not saying you can’t go, you will simply have an escort with you at all times. I know you think I’m being cruel and treating you like a child, but I have no interest in having a repeat of last time. I already picked an escort out for you, you can thank me later when you’re not angry.

-Amaya

Kaia had read and then re-read the message that had been slipped under her door (not her front door mind you, but her bedroom door itself) numerous times. She was a mingled mass of emotions: anger at Amaya having her babysat mixed with the fascination that Amaya had managed to actually get into her house – she lived with her father after all – and slip a note under her door without being caught. There was also a hint of fear there, too: Amaya was a doctor first and foremost in Kaia’s mind, so she had never really thought to consider the stealth and other skills Amaya possessed – creepy sneaking doctor was just creepy. She had always known the doctor had a reputation as being frightening around the village, she had just never believed it because of the kind side of Amaya she had always seen… it was just strange to think about.

Kaia knew Amaya was only looking out for her well being – Amaya had been in charge of her care from the time she had arrived in the village till her father showed up, though even now she still kept a watchful eye on her. So, Kaia should have expected something like this, but then again Kaia had been trying to be fairly sneaky about the whole affair – taking the mission at the very last minute so that no one could stop her with the plan to head out this morning with the merchants she would be escorting after a fresh nights sleep and a shower. Speaking of showers… Kaia snapped out of her thoughts and looked over toward the alarm clock on the nightstand table; it was only five o’clock in the morning, and they weren’t supposed to head out till seven o’clock. Plenty of time for a shower, and a proper breakfast too – because the gods knew Amaya would likely show up and shove something down her throat if she tried going without breakfast.

Shaking her head at her thoughts she headed over to her dresser, the room lit by the dim bedside lamp, and pulled open the first drawer which held her under garments. She rifled through them for a minute before finding a matching black set; skipping over the frilly and lace crap to something that would actually be comfortable and logical in case she did have to fight – the ‘girls’ weren’t small after all, and it took the proper ‘equipment’ to tame the bouncing beasts. Placing what she had picked out on top of the dresser she moved down to the next which contained her shirts. She rifled through it for a moment until she picked out a black v-neck style t-shirt, adding it to the pile on top of her dresser before closing that drawer and moving on to the bottom one which held her pants. This too was rifled through for a moment until she pulled out a pair of black capri-style pants which would end roughly below her knees. She added this, too, to the pile before closing the drawer and picking it all up. She had laid out fresh towels in the bathroom the night before in preparation for her mission so without further ado she headed into the bathroom attached to her bedroom and closed and locked the door behind herself. She turned on the shower, adjusting the spray until it was a comfortable temperature, before stripping out of her night clothes and tossing them into the wicker hamper nearby. Finally stepping into the shower she would close the frosted glass door behind herself before making quick work in washing and conditioning her hair, and washing every inch of her body in lightly scented soap. Once completely washed and rinsed she stepped carefully out of the shower and dried off before getting properly dressed. She took care in drying her hair off and then brushing it and pulling it up into a ponytail. Heading back into her room she made quick work in putting on her shoes, strapping her weapons pouches to her right thigh, and then tying her village headband around her neck where it dangled loosely. Satisfied that she was clean, dressed, and had everything on her she would need she headed off into the kitchen to find a plate of food already waiting for her – and still warm. She sat at the table, eating with gusto and glancing at the clock – she always took longer in the shower than she meant to, and sure enough time was creeping up on her. Finishing off the rest of her food she washed and rinsed her plate and fork off before placing them in the draining rack so they could drip dry. Glancing around she grabbed her keys off of the nearby hook, and headed out the door, locking it behind herself as she went.

Thankfully, it was still early enough to do the last thing she wanted: grabbing some strawberry bubble tea. It was her new addiction, and considering there were worst ones out there she could have picked up on no one was complaining. The market was fairly empty, thankfully, and she knew her way well enough to Aki’s stall since a daily trip was just part of her normal routine now. ”Hey Aki...”, she called out, covering her mouth as she yawned shortly afterward.

Aki waved, passing over the delicious strawberry drink that he had already pre-made for Kaia: they were both getting this routine down after all. Reaching into her pocket for her money Kaia saw Aki shaking his head no and holding up his hands. ”You’ve got a busy day, today, from what I heard from my cousin… the people you’re escorting are probably going to be a handful, you’ll need that to keep you going. On the house. Good luck.”

Kaia blinked, not sure what to do with the information Aki had just passed out, before picking up her drink with a smile and a nod. ”Thanks, Aki!” The old man chuckled as Kaia carefully took off, heading to the east gate where everyone was supposed to be meeting up: she still had about twenty minutes or so to go, but she liked being the early bird. With how empty the streets still were at this time in the morning she made quick and easy time, skidding to a stop by the gate and taking to leaning on it before bringing her draw to her lips and taking the first sip of the delicious pink liquid – and getting one of those delicious little balls up too from the bottom with made her groan in enjoyment.

Word Count: 1,235 / 2,700

Working at the hospital is not for the faint of heart. Dealing with the different type of patients who come through the door on a daily basis with varying alignments, and having to determine the cause of it whether it is psychological or else, and prescribing them the necessary medicine, rather it is fake or not, to ease their concerns. Is not something many would be capable of doing on a consistent basis. Having to bathe patients who are not capable of during it themselves for whatever reason, is something many could do without being somewhat disgusted, especially when having to empty their waste.  If that is not enough, working in the emergency room is a nightmare. It is there where one realizes how fragile the human body is. How easy it is to cause fatal wounds to another being, and the habit it causes. High tense situations are a norm in the emergency room. Doctors and nurses running about, shouting to one another while attempting to save a life and preventing them from meeting the Shinigami. There comes a mental toll when a patient's life under one’s care. Having to tell the patient’s family that their father, son, mother, daughter, etc. couldn’t be saved, and watching the family member(s) breaking down is something that can not be forgotten. Yes, working at the hospital is hell and not for the mentally or physically week, yet, some people wouldn't give it up for anything. Daremo being one of those people.

Walking down the hallway and turning left, coming to a stop a front of a group of people patiently waiting for someone, Daremo spoke, "We managed to extract the poison and manage to heal most of the damage caused by it.", a sigh of relief came from said group after hearing the good news. "Not all of the damage could be healed unless resorted to using chakra. But, he signed a form beforehand waiving his right of being healed by chakra.". While using chakra to heal is a commonplace in the medical field there still some traditionalist who prefer non-chakra related solutions to medical alignment. There are those who believe constant exposure to chakra, not of their own, could have adverse effects on the body that has yet to be known. Mainly civilian, there are quite a few shinobis who prefer to get heal without chakra, therefore, to not run into problems, patients are asked to sign a form to waive their right to be healed via chakra or to allow such procedures to happen.  When the patient can't sign the form, or a guardian is not present, chakra would be used.

Daremo, like most of his colleagues, did not care either way: to the best of their abilities, they will heal the patient in whatever way that was asked for. "However, the damage is minimal at best and shouldn't cause any problems. In case they do, I have prescribed him some medicines for pain and to speed up the healing process and ease the pain. Using a herbal supplement that promotes accelerated healing and numb pain receptors." getting a nod of understanding. "Now if you excuse me, I have more work to be done. The nurse will answer any other questions you might have." having said what was needed, Daremo disappeared down the hallway.

Making a left at a conjunction, nodding and giving a small greeting to those who he passed, he came to a stop a front of an office door that read: Doctor Kobayashi Daremo. Grasping the metallic doorknob and twisting it, he walked into his office, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand as he closed the door with the other hand. Briefly taking notice of the papers on his desk. They haven't been there when he was in here earlier which could only mean someone brought them for him to look over, and possibly sign. "Wonderful.", he muttered to himself, eyes glancing at the clock hanging on the wall and reading the time: 2 am.

Has it really been nearly thirty-six hours since he was called in? Kami. Releasing a groan, he took a few steps before turning to the right and pushed open the door adjacent to his desk. Flipping on the lights, he stared at his visage that looked back at him in the mirror. He did this for a few seconds before turning on the faucets and splashing his face with cold water; the action shocking him awake and used a green towel to dry his face off. With that done, he exited the small bathroom, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him. Glancing again at the papers on his desk, he contemplating on doing the work now before he gets off of duty or just leave it for now. "Might as well get it over with.", he mused, coming to a decision of doing the work now. Who knows there might be something of importance within that stack of paper. With a sigh and a glance at the clock once more, he moved towards his chair where his jacket rested on. Sitting down and grabbing a pen from the cup holder, Daremo began reading, checking, and signing the needed papers.


Two hours later. . .

When the last paper was signed, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. Whoever placed entered his office and placed the papers on the desk was a saint. They had order papers in order of importance with all the demanding papers, needing more of his attention, being at the bottom of the pile. it helped him greatly to get through everything in a timely manner. Stretches, bones popping and he groaned, his muscles being stiff from staying in one position for so long, Daremo took a note of the time and nodded; he having finished right on time for him to leave. Standing up and grabbing his jacket, he took one more look at the papers, making sure he ordered them correctly before heading towards the door.

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a nurse who was in the motion of knocking. "Hello. What can I do for you?", he asked, momentarily forgetting the nurse's name. "Sorry to interrupted, Doctor Kobayashi. But, I have a letter from Doctor Amaya.", Daremo blinked at this, taking the envelope out of their outstretched hand. Instead of reading it right away, he looked at the nurse, "Why am I just receiving this? As far as I know, Doctor Amaya has already gone home for tonight.", he asked. "Well, just now when I went to put some papers on Doctor Amaya's desk. I found this envelope addressed to you with a note attached telling anyone who found the letter to deliver it. Seeing that, I quickly rushed over here to give you the letter before you left." Daremo nodded in understand. "Well, I thank you for getting this to me." stepping out of his office, the nurse stepping to the side, and closing the door behind him. "You're welcome, Doctor Kobayashi. Now if you excuse me. ", he nodded in understanding and watched the nurse leave. His eyes moving down to their shapely hips and plumped ass that was swaying back and forth. "Tempting, but not while she is still married.", he said to no one in particular, though apparently, the nurse heard him as she turned her head, winked, and mouthed something that causes him to chuckle. "That changes things.", he spoke, smiling back at the nurse, watching as she disappeared around a bend. Shaking away those particular thoughts, he turned his attention to the letter, opening and reading its' contents while walking down the hallway.

Daremo,
I need you to do me a favor; accompany Kaia on her next few missions. I caught her trying to sneak one in at the last minute: I have no intentions on babying her, but until we figure out the pattern this disease is going to attack her in its best she’s not left with a bunch of civilians who will just piss themselves in fear if she starts coughing blood. I’d go myself but my daughter is quite sick right now, and I can’t leave her side.

Kaia is planning on escorting several merchants to a neighboring village tomorrow morning at seven o’clock sharp – though knowing her reputation she’ll be there early. I’ll owe you for this!



"Indeed, you will owe me for this.", he silently mused, the night time air of Konoha pleasantly chilling him as his thoughts drifted back to the letter. Sarutobi Kaia, it had only been last week since the young Sarutobi came in for a check-up. Where the blushing young lady had a small psychological moment in the examination room that he handled as well as he could. After that, the check-up went off without any problem.

He knew Amaya and Kaia were close; the latter's medical file hinted at their relationship is stronger than the one she held with her guardian. So, it wasn't that surprising Amaya wanted someone to watch after her daughter, and making sure they didn't over do it. But, the person those chose, him, was surprising. While his relationship with the Uchiha was good. They both were cordial with one another and got along fairly well. He didn't think she would've chosen him to watch after someone so precious to her. It spoke of the trust she had for him, and he wasn't about to let her done.

Reaching his adobe and turning the doorknob, feeling the familiar sensation of chakra being siphoned from him and into the locking matrix that verified him as the owner, he entered his home. Shutting the door behind him, eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light present. Without needing to turn on the lights, Daremo moved through the living room and down the hallway to his room. Stepping into the room, he casually tossed the letter on a nearby table and began disrobing. Naked like the day of his birth, he walked towards his private bath, ignoring the sleeping woman sprawled out on his bed as naked as he was with fingers in her glistening sex. Seem like his acquaintance, Demi King, had been busy waiting for him to return home.

Thirty minutes later, Daremo appeared out of the bath just as naked as he was when entering. Moving towards a dresser, he picked out a pair of boxers and put them on. Glancing at a clock on the wall, and taking note he has only four hours before having to meet up with Kaia, Daremo went to bed.

Women can be very demanding. This is a simple truth of the matter, and something Daremo has come to accept. That's why feeling the familiar sensation of a mouth wrapped around his manhood, he didn't bother in wondering who it might be. There was only one person, currently, who does this whenever they please: Demi King. Eyes hoping, he watched as pierced her sex with his hard member, and began riding him with a smile on her face. Knowing that she wouldn't stop till satisfied, five naked shadow clones were created, and he became more active. Sleep would have to wait for later. For the next two hours, nothing but the sounds of pleasure would be heard throughout the house ending with Demi screaming "YAHTZEEEEEE!"

"I need to go, love. Got to a mission to do.", he spoke, stepping out of the shower and into his room. The only reply he got was a groan from the nearly comatosed Demi who were sprawled out on his bed, well what remained of it anyway, covered in his seed. "I will need to get a new bed after this mission., he mused, him and his lover having broken the current one during their night romp.  Chuckling at her reply, Daremo quickly got dressed in a dark green kimono with golden intricate designs on it. Tying his hair into a high ponytail that were held by a green tie matching his attire. He took a moment to make sure everything was in order before grabbing the letter off his dresser and leaving the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

Making a quick breakfast and eating it, Daremo left his home, locking the door behind him, with an hour to spare. Being so early not many people were out and about with only the vendors and the early risers being the exception. Greeting those he passed by, he continued his trek to the eastern gate. Reaching the gate with forty-five minutes to spare, Daremo moved off to the side and lean against a nearby tree while waiting for Kaia.

Purple eyes looked in the direction of someone walking towards the gate. It wasn't long before he could identify the one who he was in charge of looking after. Pushing off the tree, he waved in her direction, "You here early.", he spoke casually, moving towards her and leaning against the gate just as she did. "What exactly is this mission? The note Amaya left for me only told me to watch after you on this mission but nothing about its parameters.", he spoke and waited for an answer.

---

2241

Glancing off toward the side Kaia took notice of something she had missed before: she wasn’t the first one to arrive as she had thought originally. Daremo had beaten her here and she found herself wondering just how early he had shown up – thankfully devoid of the same blush she had had prior during the cheek up he had preformed on her in Doctor Amaya’s absence. Then again, Kaia was in what she called ‘work mode’, her head in the game and ready for anything and everything that could come up or happen. Plus, she was just getting more and more used to being in the doctors presence: thankfully, there would be no epic freak outs today or PTSD attacks. ”Huh… I was kind of wondering who Amaya was sending to watch over me...” She was refraining from using the term babysitting: she was by no means a baby, though she was barely an adult, still there was no point to make this worse sounding than what it was. She knew Amaya’s reasoning's behind it were fair and just; she just hoped she didn’t embarrass herself in the process.

She shifted slightly on the gate into a slightly more comfortable position, figuring they would have at least another fifteen or so minutes to wait before the merchants showed up; all the while Aki’s words of warning on who she was escorting in the back of her mind. ”Escorting some merchants to another village. Apparently the path’s been cleared ahead of time by another team, but I guess that wasn’t good enough for the merchants, they want an escort regardless.” She paused, taking another sip of her strawberry bubble tea, several more of the delicious balls disappearing up the straw and into her mouth which were popped happily enough. ”From what I was just told though from my favorite merchant of all time… they’re going to be a pain in the ass. So much so that my tea was on the house this morning because he said I was going to need it...” Another sip was taken as she glanced around, an odd noise reaching her ears; jingling like a, bunch of metal items banging around followed by loud laughter – a high pitched peeling laughter.

”Let the fun begin...”, Kaia grumbled beneath her breath as she made quick work of downing the rest of her tea as the merchants turned the corner and came into view with their cart that was being pulled by two horses. The man at the front of the group was short, fat, and balding and wearing a cheap kimono with a print of the brightest colors that seemed to clash in all the wrong ways. The guy was smoking a cigar which caused Kaia’s nose to wrinkle, immediately, despite being – thankfully – up wind from it. Seeing the reaction the cigar was immediately put out: the guy wasn’t a complete ass, apparently. ”Tanama Housuki, I presume? My name is Sarutobi, Kaia~Mai, and this here,” she would pause, nodding her head in Daremo’s direction, ”is Doctor Kobayashi Daremo who will be traveling with us.”, Kaia spoke as the man came to a stop several feet away from her. He nodded to her for a moment and then looked around, seeming confused: his gaze lingering on Daremo and then back to Kaia once more where it rested and Kaia was sure she knew what was coming.

”I paid for protection, and the village sent a child… and a doctor?”

It was times like this where it was a good thing Kaia had such a decent hold on her temper; there was no point in getting outwardly angry and acting like what the man obviously considered her as. Instead, she took a deep calming breath and stated plainly, ”I assure you we are more than up for the task of keeping you, your friends, and your supplies safe. While I can throw out a dozen reasons why I’m sure you would like to get moving before it gets too hot to do so?” She was verbally backing him into a corner in a way: giving him the option to hear about all the reasons and whys Kaia was up to the challenge while wasting time, or giving him the option to head out and just accept and trust that Kaia knew what she was doing. Tanama Housuki seemed to think about it for a moment or two, and Kaia was half expecting him to want her damn resume at this point, but finally he nodded and chuckled.

”You drive a hard bargain, kid. You should’ve been a merchant… Alright, alright. Let’s get going then.” It was bad enough that he had called Kaia ‘kid’, but he seemed intent on adding insult to injury by patting her on the head – however Kaia moved away, faster than the merchant had expected which left him wide eyed and shocked for a moment since Kaia was naturally fast in her own right, more so than the average Chuunin – before he could touch her.

Kaia would pause, once more at the gates, giving Daremo a chance to speak or say whatever he pleased, before turning and leading the way down the path and away from the village, leaving the merchants to scurry in trying to keep up with their supplies. One of the other two with Tanama Housuki grumbling something under his breath that sounded oddly like he thought Kaia was supposed to carry their stuff for them too – which Kaia refrained from commenting on as she just moved onward: making sure to keep her pace slow enough for the merchants to keep up with.

Word Count: 945 | 2,180

"She seems to have gotten her blush under control." he thought to himself seeing the lack of dusty pink adorning Kaia's freckles like it had only last week. Either that particular incident was a one-time thing or she has learned how to control it around him. It mattered little to him, he didn't mind either way. "Do I meet your expectation? Or would you rather have someone else?", he jested, his voice being light and having a mischievous undertone in it. His statement could imply a lot of different things. But, he just wanted to know if Kaia had expected someone else asides from him? For, in the eyes of Konohagakure no Sato, this would be his first mission taken since arriving into the lands a year or two ago. He had effectively remained off the radar since stepping foot into the village and getting a job at the hospital. Any income gain came from working numerous of shifts and selling some wares he makes in his free time. Of course, hardly anyone knew about his dealings with him going through a number of different people to get his product out there.

Leaning against the gate, Daremo listened as Kaia spoke about the mission they were taking. Seemingly an easy escort mission to a nearby village with a less than pleasant merchants. "Not to doubt competency of those who cleared out the route. You still shouldn't be lax once we hit the road. Because depending on how long the clearance had happened, hijackers, bandits, etcetera could have moved back in." hopefully she took his words to heart. The last thing he wanted is for Amaya to be breathing down his neck because of Kaia getting badly injured. "Could be many reasons why they want an escort. They could just want to flaunt their wealth in a subtle manner; showing others they have enough money to hire shinobi. Or, it could be something as simple as wanting to feel protected. Who knows. Whatever the case may be, we just got to make sure they get there.", he spoke, answering the unspoken question. Normally he wouldn't bother doing such. . . much have something to do with sex from earlier.

Long before Kaia would notice the approach a single Daremo's eyes would already be locked onto them. By the time the merchant and his little group had come upon them, he would have memorized each one of their faces and placed them in certain categories dependent on they way they walked, talked, and carry themselves. Pushing off the gate, Daremo stood beside Kaia as she conversed with the fat merchant. Purple, reptilian eyes lingered on each personnel that was being escorted by them. Nodding when Kaia spoke his name, Daremo's eyes locked onto the merchant who flinched momentarily looking at him.

Daremo shook his head at the man's comment about the services rendered. Sweet like the finest of wines, Daremo made a comment before Kaia could, "It is not good business to question the skills of the one in charge of protecting you, and the man who is in charge of healing you and your animals. Besides, the two of us is enough to get you there, unless. . .", that held a poisonous surprise. The merchant was about to say something but Kaia intercepted the comment and took control of the conversation.

"Good.", he mused, approving of Kaia's action of giving the main a glimpse of her capabilities. Not impressive to the doctor, who easily tracked her movements, that couldn't be said about the merchant and his handlers. Looking at Kaia who had turned to his direction, he shook his head, "You cover the front, and I will cover the back. Also. . .", without using hand seals three copies of himself shimmered in existence, ignoring the gasps coming from the merchant and his handlers "One shadow clone will guard each side while the other keep you company. " Once receiving some form acknowledgment, he moved towards the back, stopping close enough to the merchant for only the man could hear,"And no, I will not make shadow clones to carry your stuff. You paid for an escort not pack mules." before continuing on to the back. With a clone on each side of the cart and one up front with Kaia, the mission was under way.

No sooner after passing through the gates, Daremo became attentive to the surrounds. Eyes taking note of everything, looking for anything that might be out of place. Paranoid? Yes, it came with the profession. A shinobi like him doesn't make it this far along without it. "Let's hope everything goes well."

---

782[3023]

’…. Yeah, so this is going well.’ Kaia couldn’t help but think to herself. The merchant was already getting on her nerves: his attire was bright and colorful causing him to stand out as if he were wearing some kind of sign that just screamed ’Look at me!’, he smelled horribly of cigar smoke which was already causing a tickle in the back of Kaia’s throat she was trying hopelessly to ignore, and he was just a general ass to boot. Yeah, she was nowhere near as excited about this mission anymore than she had been: but, that didn’t mean she was about to just walk off. True, she was no little genin begging for whatever scraps of a mission she could have handed to her, but Kaia also wasn’t a quitter just because a situation was a bit difficult. So, she kept her head in the game, on the task that needed to be completed, and off of her emotions: if anything she would go punch things later until she felt better.

When Daremo made several clones of himself without hand seals she was impressed, but kept her face an impassive emotionless mask: her work face as she often joked about it as. She nodded to his idea, having no issues with it – while also making note of learning that jutsu at some point in case she had to do something like this again in the future and was actually allowed to work alone. With Daremo bringing up the rear, a clone on each side, and then another with her she highly doubted there was much that could touch them, but she wasn’t going to become complacent: Daremo was right, just because another group had cleared the path ahead of time didn’t mean that some bandits or who knew what else hadn’t come lurking about since then. Better to be on her toes and prepared for anything, than lax and left a sitting duck.

Despite the rocky start to things Tanama Housuki became his usual, loud, talkative self soon after: though he kept his conversation directed toward everyone but her – which she was more than happy about. It was easier to drown out his conversation and actually focus on the world around her when she wasn’t having to pretend to be half-way interested in what was being said as she tried to feign politeness. Thankfully, whoever had come through on the trail and cleared it ahead of them had done a fairly good job, and no trouble makers had arrived since then: allowing the trip to be mostly issue free – save for when Tanama Housuki’s cart nearly tipped over because he was so busy talking he hadn’t noticed the hole in the road.

In fact, they were ninety percent of the way there when some noise off to the right of the path caught her attention: a strange animal-like snort of a sound followed by the rustling of leaves nearby. Tanama Housuki, oblivious to the world around him and continuing to talk loudly, got a quick glare from Kaia – completely devoid of the gentleness her eyes normally showed – as she brought her finger up to her lips in the universal signal for silence: which thankfully he nodded and obeyed – for the moment. Seconds later, a good seven or so meters ahead, a very large boar emerged onto the path with its attention on a tiny insect scurrying along the ground: having not even noticed the several people not that far away…. That was until Tanama Housuki began to scream and freak out. ”Oh my! It’s huge! It’s going to kill us! I’ve heard stories, horrible stories from my friends…” The boar, which had been simply minding its own business up until that point, suddenly turned toward them in a startled fashion. Much like any other animal would it battled with itself for but a second between the fight or flight response before ultimately choosing to fight. The animal let out an aggressive call and then charged straight toward them; Tanama Housuki screaming in a high pitched feminine-like squeal.

Provided that Daremo – or his clones – allowed her to handle the situation Kaia would step forward, her stance automatically shifting into that of a fighters; perfectly balanced, her breathing entirely calm, her emotions one hundred percent in check – even the annoyance at the way the merchant was screaming was blocked out. Her focus was on the animal – though she was also fully prepared for the arrival of more should the boar have had company in the bushes. The animal was charging in a straight line and Kaia already had a plan in mind on how she wanted to handle this. As the animal would near she wouldn’t bother reaching for her weapons in her pouch – she had no intentions of killing the animal who was simply reacting on protective instinct alone – instead she would simply ball her right hand into a fist, arm shifting backwards as momentum was built up in it rapidly. At the last second, though perfectly timed, Kaia would strike forward, effectively punching the boar right on its head. The animal, stunned and momentarily knocked unconscious, but very much alive fell sideways and skidded about a foot or so before laying still – breathing, but otherwise still. Kaia stared at the animal for several long seconds while listening to the world around her – but there was no other sound outside of the normal ones belonging to a forest – before stepping forward and grasping the large animal around its back legs. She dragged it off of the road and back into the bush from which it had come, more for its own safety than theirs – that punch would leave it dazed for a while even after the poor creature woke up so she wasn’t worried about it attacking them again since they would definitely be gone by that point.

Tanama Housuki, his screaming having ceased, was watching Kaia with a mixture of amusement and disgust on his face. As she disappeared into the bushes he called out in a voice that easily carried, ”What the hell was that? Why not kill it? See, this is what I was worried about… now that damn thing is going to wake up and kill us all because that little girl is too squeamish to kill something. Probably afraid of blood!” This was rich coming from someone who had spent the past several long seconds convinced a single animal was going to overtake Daremo, his three clones, and Kaia, while screaming, but he seemed to be completely ignoring that fact entirely. ”She’s supposed to be a damn ninja for goodness sake, killing should be easy for her! Stab it or whatever and be done!”

Kaia meanwhile, having dragged the animal in the bushes which had her momentarily out of view of the merchant at least, had heard every single word the merchant had said. But, before she could get angry or respond the tickle in the back of her throat from the amount of cigar smoke that had surrounded the merchant, the smell of which still hung heavily in the air around him, caused her to double over coughing. ”See? Now she’s probably puking… Ugh, silly little girls should not be ninjas...”

Word Count: 1,210 | 3,390

Peaceful. The escort mission had been exactly that for Daremo who took up the formation's rear position. Sure, Tanama Housuki was incredibly loud and obnoxious, just like other pompous merchants he had the unfortunate to meet, yet, Daremo had tuned him out for the most part. His eyes and ears were paying attention to the surrounding areas, still on the look out for anything of amiss. Though, despite that, he very well heard everything that Tanama Housuki bolstered about everyone in his vicinity. "What a simpleton. How did he make it into that business again?", he briefly pondered, thinking about some other merchants who he knew that were legions above the one being escorted. The difference between them and simpleton they are babysitting was night and day. Pushing those thoughts to the side, the subtle hand signs of one of his clones caught his attention.

"A boar up ahead. Intercept?", he mused, translating what the clone had signed for him by using old Anbu hand seals. What to do. He could go ahead warn Kaia and the others about the animal up ahead. Or, he could allow things to play out and see how Kaia would handle the situation. Glancing at the clone who relay the information, and who was patiently waiting for a response, he subtle signed back: "No. Let see how she handles it." Getting a barely noticeable, unless one was paying extremely close attention, a nod from the clone, Daremo settled back into keeping his eyes and ears alert to the surroundings. It would only be a few minutes later that chaos erupted.

All the way in the back, Daremo heard Kaia telling Tanama Housuki and his handlers to be quiet. But, like most pompous civilians, the man did exactly the opposite which resulted in the boar charging. Resisting the urge to snort at man's claims of the wild animal being able to kill them. Sure, there is some truth behind those words, but the last shinobi who got killed by a boar paid the prize for not being mindful of their surroundings. And, with him giving Kaia some words of wisdom prior to starting this mission, he highly doubted she would fall victim to the animal. To give himself a better view of the action about to take place a front of him, Daremo moved along the side of the cart. Arms folded, reptilian eyes watched Kaia taking a stance and become focus exclusively on the boar before striking the animal on it's head, stunning the beast. His clone beside her would nod in approval of her actions, "Good. There wasn't any need to kill it.", his clone spoke and to help her drag the heavy animal off the road and into the bushes nearby. Making sure to hide its defenseless body from any opportunist predators.

Tanama Housuki's little tirade wasn't surprising at all. It is almost cliche how pompous people like him berate and throw insults at others in an attempt to make hide their own shortcomings and weaknesses. At first, Daremo wasn't going to say or do anything, but that changed rapidly quickly when Kaia started coughing, and the made continued to ridicule her. Subtly he told another one of his clones to go where Kaia and the other was at, who was working on soothing her cough with a medical technique.

No sooner after the clone left did pestilence arrived on the road. A heavy presence, unlike anything those in the vicinity ever felt before descended upon merchants and handlers, who were laughing at Kaia's plight, like a plague. One by one the merchant, his little friends, and even their animals began to feel sickly. Daremo watched impassively as each one began scratching at their skin and dry coughing. A face showing concern, Daremo walked up to Tanama Housuki  who was bent over dry heaving and began rubbing his back, "You okay?" The merchant couldn't answer for the sickly feeling increased, and he suddenly found himself vomiting up his lunch with his handlers doing the same thing. Thankfully, Daremo had moved away in time to prevent any disgusted fluid from landing on him. "Hmmm.", Daremo pondered, looking at the men who were shaking, "Seem like you at something bad. Unfortunately, I can't help you with that. Maybe whatever it is will pass. Now, if you excuse me, I got to check up on my friend ", he said nonchalantly and began making his way towards where Kaia was. His clones having protected her from the blunt his killing intent.

"Wait!", Daremo turned to look at the merchant who had spoken shakingly, "You sure there isn't anything you can do to help us?" He chuckled at the question, "I could help you, but why should I?", the merchant's eyes widen at this, "You been badmouthing my comrade since the start of this mission. Even when she started coughing, you badmouthed her.", shaking his head, "I don't help those who badmouth my comrades. The only way I would even think about healing you is if you apologize to her.". Coming from out of the forest, escorted by both clones, who had worked on soothing her coughing, was none other than Kaia. While the merchant and his companions were still feeling the effects of Daremo's killing intent(unknowingly of course), though not to the extent before, Kaia wouldn't feel anything.

"How are you feeling, Kaia?", Daremo asked, walking over to his clones and the young lady. "Did the healing help any?", he inquired. Once he knew for certain everything was okay, he would speak once more, "Let's get back on the road. Our friends here are a little sick and ready to get to their destination. My two clones will stay a front with you for the remainder of the trip, kay?" After his words were acknowledged, he moved back behind cart. As they make their way closer to the final destination, Daremo gradually eased up on his killing intent with it practically being gone by the time they make it to their stop. That if the merchant didn't apologize beforehand.

---

1031[4054]

Kaia had never truly bothered to hate anyone in her life; she had gone through hell itself on numerous occasions but she had never really hated anyone for it. But this merchant? He was pushing a button Kaia hadn’t known she had up until that point. With Daremo’s clone’s jutsu helping to ease up the coughing – along with the general fresh air and being awake from the merchant with the smoke filled clothing – the coughing subsided enough for Kaia to stand once more and make her way out of the forest and back onto the path with the clones. Having been spared from the effects of whatever Daremo had done she was quite surprised to find everyone looking… ill. Vomit covered the ground: thankfully for Kaia she had a strong stomach so she didn’t even so much as wrinkle her nose at the sight. Instead she focused her attention what she assumed to be the real Daremo, nodding to his question. ”I’m fine now, thanks… All of his smoking just irritated me is all.” Just another trigger she would have to look to avoid in the future: Amaya had warned her it might happen, that certain things could set her off, but she had always warned that these triggers differed for everyone, and she would have to find her own. Well, smoking had definitely been added to the list, that was for sure.

When Daremo mentioned two of his clones remaining up front with her for the remainder of the trip she simply nodded: considering she didn’t know if another coughing fit was going to hit she figured it was better to be safe than sorry – though she was still curious as to why the merchant and his friends were all looking a little sickly. ”Alright, sounds good.” She glanced back to the merchant and his friends who were staring at the ground instead of her, and then turned and began to move again, surprised to hear nothing but silence from behind her: apparently the merchant didn’t feel like talking anymore which was just fine with her. The silence was quite nice and gave Kaia a chance to think and get her emotions back into check: she wasn’t normally an angry person but the merchants words had struck a particular cord within her that she just couldn’t let go of.

Thankfully, since they were so close it didn’t take long for them to reach their destination, the gates of the other village in view within another twenty or so minutes of the silent walking. Just as the merchant was beginning to look hopeful Kaia would step in front of him, hands folded behind her back as a means to keep herself in check. The merchant stared at her, stunned, and then glanced toward Daremo and his clones before looking back to her. He opened his mouth to speak but Kaia beat him to it, ”You need to watch what you say to people from here on out. You have lived a very comfortable life; you have no idea what it is to struggle. What it is to spend years living in the wilds with some madman cannibal, waiting for him to turn on you next. I spent a good portion of my life living with a literal monster, fighting each and every day to survive, and yet here today you proved yourself to be a worse human being then him. Taking a life, whether that be an animals or a human beings, is not something to pick fun at or laugh about. Do not assume you know what other people think and feel or you will find yourself very alone in life, mister...”, the words were spoken calmly despite the very tight grip she had on herself. The merchant opened his mouth to speak, thought better of what he was going to say, and closed it again before Kaia stepped out of the way and allowed him to enter into the village, their job done. Kaia would look toward Daremo and his clones, giving them a chance to say whatever they wished – she had just dropped a mega bomb with the whole cannibal thing – before heading back in the direction they had come, more than happy to get back home and to put as much distance between herself and that merchant.

Word Count: 725 |  4,115 / 2,700

Shadow clones, a technique which over three hundred and some odd years ago was considered forbidden within the borders of Fire Country. If one goes by what records say, the kinjutsu, as it was aptly named, was once a part of the forbidden scroll residing somewhere within Konohagakure. Yet, despite it being considered forbidden, many Konoha shinobis during that era show strategic use of it, although nowhere near the proficient of a certain Hokage. It is this Kage, and his constant use of said technique, that some historians believe was the cause of it becoming a widely known one throughout the Elemental Nations: at least the non-elemental version of it. But, what exactly made the technique dangerous? Its' requirements cause for one to split their chakra evenly with the number of clones created. One could easily overestimate their chakra capability and enter chakra exhaustion by creating more clones than they necessarily could. Another and something overlook nowadays, a side effect of the clones is, any pain they received is transferred back to the original. So, if a clone dies a horrible death then the creator will mentally experience it. The stress it put on the brain is tremendous, to say the least, and is one reason why Daremo rarely uses them in combat situation where death is possible. Another reason why he doesn't use them is because, well, each clone exhibits a piece of their creator's personality with the former having no control over it. While most don't have a problem with this, there are certain aspects of Daremo's personality he likes to keep under wraps when in a professional setting, but it seems like one of his clones doesn't have that reservation

"I wonder should I pop him?", one of the clones mused to himself, glancing over at his brethren who was walking on the other side of Kaia as they made their way to the merchant's destination. With it now being peaceful, the merchants have been quiet since their sudden bout of illness, and Kaia lost in her own thoughts, the other clone started to act up. He subtle watch as his brethren took not so innocent glances at Kaia. Who's eyes followed the girl's large chest which bounce with every step taken before directing to her plump ass, slowing down just enough to be a little bit behind her, while not making it blatant, stare at it before moving back up to where he originally was. "I wouldn't mind having a go at her." the one clone signed to his brethren who just ignored him, "I mean, Demi is nice and all. But, damn, she has nothing on her. Look at those tits. Bet it would feel nice to have them wrapped around my cock. Do you. . .", the other clone didn't bother in mentally translating the rest. With his brethren wondering of their comrade was a virgin. And if the original would allow them to triple team her. " I should just tell the original to dispell him, but.", despite not liking what his brethren was saying, the clone did find himself wondering some of those same thoughts, and with it came the awakening of a certain part of his anatomy that lucky was well-hidden from Kaia.  Before anything else could be said, their destination only steps ahead, it seemed like Kaia had some words for the merchant.


"A cannibal, hmm?", Daremo thought, having moved up front where his clones, one grinning for some reason and lingering a little bit behind Kaia, were at besides his charge. It was interesting to find out more about Kaia's background. The medical file told much about it, but hearing it from the person themselves brought things in perspective. "It is easy to judge someone when you haven't live there life. Something you might want to think about the next time you ridicule someone else.", Daremo spoke calmly as he fell into step beside Kaia. "Hmmm?", noticing her looking at him, "You are alive and in relatively good health. I don't care about your past. Just continue being who you are, and we will get along fine." With that being said, Daremo went ahead and dispersed his clones. . .

Instantly, he felt his own anatomy harden from one's of his clone's suggestive imagery of what he(the clone) wanted to do with Kaia. Truth be told, he didn't give much thought about doing anything like that with his charge, but now? Before reaching the gates of Konoha, Daremo spoke, "Kaia", once her attention was grabbed, he continued, "If you not busy, want to grab something to eat and drink to celebrate a mission completed? We can always go back to my place afterward, knowing Amaya she most likely will come over to ask me about you. It would just be easier if you were there also."  An innocent suggestion that had a motive only Daremo knew. Hopefully, Kaia agreed, because if she did, Daremo's eyes subtle looked at her figure, well. . .

"He hopes Demi isn't home. And if so, maybe she be up for a threesome."

Daremo’s response to her silent question shocked her for a moment: he didn’t seemed bothered at all by her revelation of having spent many years surviving in the wilds with a cannibal – completely different than the look the merchant had shot back in her direction, as if he had been expecting her to pounce on him and eat him. Of course, she hadn’t exactly said whether or not she had eaten someone or not, and she wouldn’t: well, not yet. Maybe if enough trust was built between the pair that would be one of those questions she wouldn’t mind answering honestly.

As they neared the gate back at Konoha she paused a moment to hear what Daremo had to say: the idea of grabbing something to eat and drink with him in celebration of a mission completed was definitely a tempting offer: she rather enjoyed spending time with him, and it was another chance to do so – this time without an annoying merchant filling up the silence with idle chatter. Daremo also mentioned going back to his place afterward, mentioning that Amaya would likely come inquiring about her, and it would simply be easier if she was there. For a moment Kaia couldn’t help but wonder if there were other intentions behind such an innocent suggestion – they could hunt down the other medic easily enough at the hospital after all – but then she decided she didn’t care: she actually hoped there was some other intention behind just innocent conversation and waiting around for Amaya to come poke and prod at her some more either verbally or physically. So, with a smile on her face – and thankfully her blush under control enough that it didn’t show at her own slightly gutter like thoughts – Kaia nodded in agreement. ”That sounds like fun.”, and it definitely would be, with the little Malkavia having done what all Malkavia’s do in the end, and gotten bored and moved on elsewhere, leaving the pair very much to their own devices.


Word Count: 340 | 4,455 / 2,700 (WC for double payment)
Remaining WC: 1,755

Learning Shadow Doppelganger Technique: 1,350 words (10% reduction to all training due to Sarutobi clan)
Remaining WC: 405