mission briefing:

A couple of shinobi or rather former shinobi sat down huddled near a fire in the middle of a pool of hard and solid glass where originally a field of sand used to be. The night was surprisingly cold and harsh for one so close near summer and especially in the so-called desert. Three former chuunin and a former jounin were roasting whatever meat they managed to gather, while the captain was doing her best to boil some water to at least warm her juniors stomachs and minds with a good cup of tea.

As the wind swept through their makeshift camp, the shinobis garments and cloaks danced with the cold breeze, showing how poorly their equipment and attire truly had become after they had lost their village and thus their entire way of life in a single night filled with fire and terror. "Seriously, i'm glad you managed to catch a few of those critters, Iro," one of the shinobi sighed and grabbed one of the roasting animals, biting a piece off ot the meat. This shinobi was a tall and lanky one with black hair in a ponytail and a scratched through headband of suna on his forehead. The one he talked to was a younger shinobi of no more than twenty moons in age, wearing his headband on his chest and having a solid, athletic build. The younger shinobi combed through his short blonde hair with a grin on his face. "Why don't you join me and the captain next time, Byron?"

The lanky shinobi's face turned towards one of the shinobi laying down near the fire, shivering from a fever. This young man was obviously Byron's son, obvious because of the same build, face and haircolor, just without the slight gray and the lack of wrinkles. "My boy's still not getting any better, Lia...how far are you with that tea, he's going to need something to put him at ease and help him rest."

The captain turned from her own little fire with the pot of water on it and just waved her hand a bit. She wore her cloak with a hood perfectly, keeping her hair and most of her head hidden behind the brown exterior of the garment she wore, though her face was youthful, she was almost as old as Byron and the strongest of the small group. "We probably would need to seek help from the other villages...but I know how you feel about that Byron."

The lanky shinobi scoffed and spat at the glass beneath his feet. "Where were those villages a few months ago, dammit?" The man stood up and walked towards his kid laying on the ground, bending through his knees to caress the feverish child's face. "My boy wouldn't have been burned so badly and gotten his treatment if those Fuckers helped us when they needed. However, I'm glad that they found the one responsible for the destruction...if I ever see her, I'm going to kill her."

A sudden sigh made everyone except the child look into the darkness, where they could see two golden, snakelike eyes look at them. From within the darkness of the night, a malicious, extremely overpowering amount of chakra could suddenly be felt, practically suffocating the group of former shinobi and a single, soft voice ressonated from the darkness. "Well...if you'd try to kill me...that would be a shame, since I CAN help your son."

589

The three shinobi jumped back, already having their weapons in their hands, with grim expressions upon their weathered faces. However, the woman who appeared out of the darkness, dressed in a black outfit consisting out of lacquered black boots with high heels, long skintight pants, a black armor vaguely akin to the Konoha ANBU armor, yet adorned with silver chains and glossy unlike its usual counterpart, simply stood still next to the unconscious, feverish body of the young shinobi who had not even experienced any of the occurances that had happened due to his state of being at the time.

Looking down upon the poor child, the woman kneeled silently and solemnly, to which Byron almost instantly reacted by shifting his weight and nearly jumping towards her. However, he could feel the captain's hand grab him by the wrist and her voice pass into his ears like a whisper. "Just wait, if she wanted to kill anyone, she'd have done it already," The captain managed to pull Byron backwards as he calmed down a bit, though he still had some nervosity and animosity towards the woman who now graceously removed the sweaty strands of hair out of the shivering child's face. "If you know who she is, than you should know that allthough she's known as a monster, she's also probably the single most greatest chance your son has at survival." These words came as a shock to Byron, who realized that indeed the woman known under many names ranging from Konoha's White Snake to Lamya and The Desert's Demon was also one heck of a medical ninjutsu genius. After all, had she not openly stated to be the closest thing to a god in this shinobi world wrought by disaster and decay?

"This boy...has he been in the fires that burned Sunagakure?" The rogue shinobi's words were rather surprisingly gentle, so much so that Byron could only nod as his whole facade of animosity and anger started to eb away. He fell to his knees and crawled close to the woman, practically begging her to save him. To this, the rogue shinobi looked up, closed her eyes and smiled, but it was no warm or bright smile, it was a smile only a snake could make and of which only a snake would know the meaning. "This is the kind of wound and subsequential infection most would die from. Your child's without a doubt a strong fighter with a strong will."

With tears in his eyes, Byron nodded proudly. "Yes, he's a fighter...he's much stronger than me, please...help him."

"Very well, but what good would it do?" The rogue shinobi looked at the rag tag group of shinobi and let out another sigh. They looked famished, desperate to find a new way of life and as they seemed like lost little lambs after their village had been burned down...the woman looked down at the child again. "You all know that Sunagakure was burned, so how can I be responsible for all the carnage when I don't even possess the necessary element to do so? I'll help this child of yours...IF you all decide to join me. I can grant you food, clean beds and a life worth living or would you rather stay in this mess or be hunted down by the forces from the villages?"

The former sand shinobi looked at the captain, especially Byron, who in desperation had chosen his son over his own value and beliefs. If she could save his son, he'd even die for her if that was her demand, but instead the woman asked them to join her, to live for her, which was a shocking twist for them all. The captain stepped forward and placed a fist against her heart. "If you save the kid, we'll join your cause."

"Excellent," With a few handsigns, the woman pulled a few strands of hair from her head, which instantly transformed into about three snakes, which slithered across the child's body, rapidly healing all signs of infection and all burns, until all that was left was a healthy teen sleeping off his fever with ease. "Come to the old ruins of the Kazehana desert. Spread the word...All former suna shinobi are welcome to join me."

The child didn't react when she said that, but the other shinobi did. Byron nearly jumping towards his son, looking at his eyes and his skin, practically crying when the realization hit him that his son was healthy and sleeping soundly, no longer the feverish, bedridden wreck he had been caring for with so much dedication. "Yes, we will spread the word. You have saved my son, my last and only family by blood. I owe you not just my gratitude, but mly devotion. I will do as you desire until my dying breath."

At those words, lamya got up to her feet and simply placed a hand on the lanky shinobi's shoulder, while bowing down a bit, whispering something in his ears. Her voice was cold, yet extremely seductive...showing the true nature of the woman who had helped out the former shinobi and what she thought of them. "I know you will and I will rely upon this pledge of loyalty." With those words, she vanished from sight, leaving a single sigil with a eight headed serpent in Byron's hands.

917/1506

Complete/exit thread