Today it was one of those jumping frogs.

It was much harder than the simple folds of the crane and the elegant, sharp points of the lily; her creations of the previous morning. But despite the extra effort she had used, she managed all the folds perfectly and precisely, just as she had done every other morning.
So now, with the small, white piece of origami in her hands and the steaming teapot settled beside her on the well used wooden tray, the young dark haired Genin sat calmly down cross legged in the lotus position, on the balcony on top of a woolen blanket and closed her eyes. Then, just like this, she stayed completely still and took in the early hours of the morning, embracing every soft breeze that dared disturb her daily ritual.

------------

Ever since her training with Solstice a couple of days ago, Tenmei had pretty much lost all risk of losing control; the one thing she was deathly afraid of. This in itself would have made her daily ritual redundant.....if it had not been for the events of the previous night.
Yes. That was right. It was just after midnight when she had woken up, with the cold sweat evaporating off her in clouds of steam that rose up to mingle with the musty air.
The fire freshly lit and the cold escaping the outside through the crack in the window; Tenmei had to wait a full few minutes before her skin cooled down enough for her to peel herself away from the worn down futon and walk across the house to the bathroom.
And even as she stared in to her once pale reflection, she could hear the voices as they continued to echo through her thoughts.


'You can't fight it this way. Who are you kidding?
There is nothing you can do.....I'm sorry
I am so....sorry'

The act of running the shampoo through her hair and scrubbing away the evidence of last night's terror was almost as soothing as the luke warm bath that followed. Though it was not nearly enough to rid her anxieties all together, it certainly aided in focusing her thoughts on today's chores of getting the groceries and maybe paying Solstice a visit....if she was free that was. Since she had become Kage not a couple days ago, it was getting increasingly hard to get an audience.
Her only friend and she still had to make an appointment to see her.
It was enough to bring a sigh to the steel eyed girl's lips.

It was after she dragged herself out of the deep tub, that Tenmei got to work, concocting this mornings brew of chai, vanilla, and cinnamon tea, one of her most favourite blends. She boiled the water in the pot first, using her own chakra as she had been taught to do, and then mixed in all the ingredients she had set out on the table.
While that was settling, she got to work, finding a fresh piece of parchment, one that had not been tainted by ink yet or had been folded in to a note of some sort.

Today it was one of those jumping frogs.

"What the f....."

The sound of flapping wings and the husky 'caw' resonating just beside her ear, startled the Genin in to obliterating the paper animal within her hands, reducing it to a small pile of ash in mere seconds.
"Now look what you did...."
Tenmei, while still slightly stunned, just watched helplessly as the wind claimed what was left of the paper and blew it to the dampened ground somewhere around the corner. Only when it was completely out of her sight, did she turn her gaze to look at sleek black bird that had disturbed her rare moment of peace. It seemed that now since she was officially a member of this village, her peaceful mornings were growing shorter by the day.

Didn't matter. The message was clear. It was time start the day.

-------

Tenmei had mixed thoughts as she stood in front of the Kage's desk an hour and a half later.

Dressed in her usual attire of a plain black lightweight vest, loose open legged trousers, and a woven leather belt, she had made her way through the mist, and maze of houses until she reached the rather intimidating building of the Kage's office. She was excited to see her friend and mentor again so soon after their last meeting, but also nervous about her first mission outside of the city....and without her father guiding her along like he had done in the past.
But that was not what had brought forth the conflicted feelings that the Genin was experiencing. It was the idea of working with someone that was not Solstice. Someone that she could easily burn if she was not careful. But then again...it was meeting new people.
It was enough to do the young Genin's head in.

"What if I hurt this other person?" she had found herself asking, her eyes to the floor in semi-contemplation. "Is it really a good idea to put me with other people?"
  "I trust strafe, don't worry, he's like me, he will be able to handle your heat with his mirrors"

If it was anyone else, Tenmei would have continued to question and worry until she had talked herself in to a headache. But Solstice had never lead her wrong before, and she always seemed to know what she was doing. So, Tenmei swallowed her doubt and left with a reassured mind and the promise to not fail, and that she would come back to make her late parents, and her Sensei proud. And not even the voices that lingered in the back of her thoughts, would steer her from this resolve.

---------

For convenience's sake, the arranged meeting place would be the old well where she had met Solstice for her first lot of training. Only because it was one of the only places where Tenmei knew how to get to and they could leave straight from there.
Naturally, she had ducked home first to grab her bag which was neatly packed with tea, provisions, a couple band aids and a spare change of clothes just in case. It had a few other smaller items in it, but nothing unnecessary. Even Tsukeru was left back at the house.


When she arrived at the destination close to midday, Tenmei was not surprised to find that she had gotten there early and there was no one else around in sight. So, in the mean time while she waited, the unusually warm female sat herself down and brought out her thermos full of the left over tea from that morning's ritual.
As she sipped contentedly on the tea, she couldn't help but notice the carnage left over from her training session a few days ago.
The grass had been burned and had died off in a near perfect circle close to where she sat. It was the same with the shriveled leaves of the closest trees and the charred stone of the well. It was all her fault and yet, no one got hurt and there was already new shoots starting to peek through the tangled brown ground.

This new sign of life pushed the doubts further back in to her mind, and she was left to comfortably sip at her tea while she waited for her partner to arrive for this mission.

[1266/1500]

Darkness was replaced by light as the suns rays ripped through his window with no mercy. Strafe's crept open as he slowly sat up to stretch. Taking his arms and extending them behind his head, he yook a minute to wake up. He yawned loudly before looking around for his usual attire. He turned and got off the bed, shuffling his feet towards his closet as he grabbed a white shirt with deep blue accents and slid it over his head. He then saw a fresh pair of white and blue pants, snatching them for their place and putting them on as well. He turned once again to look for his shoes, but with a bit more energy. He walked accross the hardwood floor at a regular speed as he found his shinobi sandals. He practically jumped in them and headed for his door. He stopped before getting to the threshold, looking at his ninja equipment. He grabbed his kunai bag and placed it at his hip. He smiled as he picked up his arm band with the Kirigakure symbol on it, tying it atound his arm. He then grabbed his trusty staff, spinning it once before looking forward once again. He stepped through the threshold and headed forbthe stairs. He took his time walking down them, making sure not to fall out of clumsiness. He reached the bottom of the stairs and headed immediately for the door. Usually, he would go speak to his mom and have breakfest, but he just didn't have time today. "I'm leaving! Be back tonight!" He yelled out before walking out and closing the door behind him.

He immediately smiled as he was met by Momaru at his door. The grey lion was always timely and ready to help out in any situation. Strafe was glad to have him for such an important mission. They met eye contact as Strafe walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Thanks for coming with me!" He said smiling as he knew nothing would go wrong with Momaru there. Momaru just chuckled as he thought of how nice Strafe always was. "No thanks needed. I will always be ther to help." Strafe nodded in Thanks once more before leaping off the ground and landing gracefully on Momaru's back. "Stop by somewhere to grab some food and then we will head to the well." Momaru turned his body sharply and took off into the village, using the opportunity to strech his limbs a little. It had been quite some time since he saw action.

Strafe's mind was preoccupied however, thinking back to tge previous day's conversation with Solstice. He couldn't help shake the feeling that he wasn't quite ready to lead one Genin to stop an entire rebellion. Not to mention that Tenmei was different, or so he was told. Regardless of what the dangers may be, she had the natural offensive abilities to help in significant ways. He just hoped he had what it took to keep her out of harms way. His thought process was interrupted by the sound of a very familiar place. He snapped back into reality to find that they ha stopped at his favorite salmon place to eat. "The usual?" The tall and handsome man asked behind the counter. "To go, please!" Strafe nodded kindly as he watched the man walk into the kitchen area. What better way to start the day than with an amazing meal? He sat still on Momaru's back, waitig only a few short moments before the man returned with a small white box in his hands. Strafe handed him 20 ryo and smiled as he took the food. "Thank you!" He got out before Momaru turned sharply and took off with haste.

Strafe sat patiently as ge pulled out his chopsticks and started eating the grilled Salmon with rice. While the ride was a little bumpy, he was coordinated enough to eat still. He didn't have to use manners though, and soon tore into the food with exceedingly less tact. He finished the plate in only a few short minutes before using a napkin to wipe his face and clean up his mess. Before he knew it, the duo was approaching the very familiar well. Strafe's mind went back to the spar that Solstice, Yuudai, and he had a while back. That seemed like so long ago when it was actually only a week or two ago. He shook his head once again to focus on finding his comrade and teammate. He looked around to see her about twenty meters away. Momaru walked slowly over to her, making sure not to startle her. "Hey! I'm Strafe Aisu! I assume your Tenmei?" He asked with a kind voice as he slid off of Momaru's back and landed on the ground. He used his staff as a walking stick as he walked a few feet in front of the majestic lion.

Wordcount: 835/1500

Tranquil. That was the word she would use to describe this moment. 
 

Tenmei had seated herself, cross legged on a patch of green grass with her back leaning against the heavily charred wood of a nearby tree.  Naturally, she was to blame for that too.
With the half full clay cup, resting lightly in her steady hands and her steel eyes closed yet facing upwards, the dark haired female just sat and listened to the silence of world around her.

   Just a couple days ago this place was thrown in to chaos when wild winds ravaged the area as Solstice’s cool and her own heat collided in the most devastating of ways. But now, it seemed like this area had stepped out of the natural order of time, and was still. If it wasn't for burnt grass and dead leaves, scattering the ground around her, Tenmei would have questioned whether that afternoon had really happened at all. It just seemed unusual that such peace would follow that devastation.

And yet here she sat, enjoying the sun as it's rays reached down and intermingled with her already warmed skin, lulling the Genin in to a completely relaxed state that threatened to edge in to sleep. 
That was...until something happened to shatter this moment of peace.

The reaction was instantaneous. 
Even though the young female could hear the soft crunching of the grass as he grew closer, and feel the temperature lower as his form blocked some of the suns raise, casting a shadow over her smaller frame; the moment he spoke, the heat around her hands rose dramatically and the once cold tea in her hands, had steam pouring from it, as if it had been freshly boiled. The wood behind her started to smolder ever so slightly, as did the grass beneath her...
But then it was gone, the coolness of the wind returning everything it as it was. Just as the peace had returned after that day. 

"Y...yes. That's me. Tenmei Sotsuji", 
Tenmei replied politely as she introduced herself, while carefully, putting aside the cup of steaming tea and slowly standing up, stretching out the stiffness and aches that had developed in her legs from sitting down in the lotus position for a little over half an hour.  
Once she had properly righted herself, the dark haired girl bowed politely before looking to him....and then the creature behind him... 
It was certainly not the usual thing to see someone casually walking around with a lion of all things. 

"Aisu huh? Does that mean you are related to Solstice? She didn't say much except for...that you will be taking me on this mission"

She didn't have to look hard to see the family resemblance. The strange blue shade in the air, the strong blue eyes that offer you a glimpse in to how strong they really were. Even the generally, well build but lean form was there. But despite how similar they looked, he didn't possess the same talent that Solstice had. And that, was what brought the voices back to the front of her mind. 
The voices that made her doubt if this was a good idea or not. So, for the time being, she was careful to keep her distance from this Strafe. No contact meant that there was no way he could get burnt. 

"Well umm.....I have everything ready to go so....if you are ready, we can head off" 

After she had said this, Tenmei knelt down and picked up her bag, making sure she had tipped the left over contents to the ground before wrapping it and slipping it back in to her bag, fitting it around the other basic items she had brought with her. 
Naturally, she was nervous about this mission as this would be the first time she had left the village since she had arrived here with the old man months ago. Not only that, it was the first mission she was to go on without her father present, not to mention that they did things differently here. So, patiently she waited for him to take the lead and they could begin. 

The sooner they got out and started, the more at ease she would become.

[1983/1500]

"Well it's nice to meet you and yes, Solstice is my cousin." He said with a genuine smile as he observed the girl's appearance. Her lean build and dark hair was a perfect sign of how dangerous the girl could be in battle, or so Solstice had told him. She had the potential to do great things as a shinobi, that much was certain. "This is Momaru and you have nothing to worry about with him. He is a big softy." Strafe said with a chuckle as he turned his head to look at the lion. Momaru only gave a smile as he spoke. "Nice to meet you." Strafe turned back to the girl and nodded his head as she stated that she was ready to leave. Strafe walked back to Momaru with his staff in hand, using it to vault onto the creature's back. "We will be moving fast, so just let me know if you need a break." He said with earnest care in his voice. He nodded to the lion and smiled as the lion took of at impressive speeds.

The word haste did not suffice for how fast the trio was traveling. A rebellion was something of urgent importance and had to be dealt with immediately. The mist of Kirigakure hid their movement as they sped towards the base of operations for the Blue Turbans. Strafe periodically looked back to make sure his partner was okay, making sure that she wasn't too tired. She seemed to be a ninja of determination, as her kekkai genkai was one that demanded such an attitude. They were already halfway there and the girl showed no signs of weakness. He could only hope that she would be fine should the negotiations go sour. He shook his head to clear his mind as he decided to start thinking of strategies. He knew she was skilled in close combat, which made it easier for Strafe. He knew he could protect her from a distance and send Momaru into the fray if it got ugly.

The time seemed to fly for the young ninja as they closed in on the building that was described to be him in the mission briefing. They were about fourty meters away when Strafe tapped on Momaru's shoulder to signal a stop. Strafe held his hand up to signal it to Tenmei as well as the lion came to a surprisingly fast stop. Once Tenmei had stopped as well, he turned to her and smiled. "I don't know how friendly these people will be considering the circumstances. I want you to stay close and wait for my signal before going on the offensive. Be prepared to defend yourself just in case they do not give us the chance to talk." He said giving a simple yet efficent explanation of what was to happen in the next few minutes. He simply sat there and waited for her confirmation and the addition of any questions. He wanted to be sure that they were organized before rushing into the mission. Once this was done, the mission would begin.

Wordcount: 1358/1500

"N...Nice to meet you too"

She knew it was rude, but Tenmei could not take her eyes from the majestic furry beast who she now knew as Momaru. 
Naturally, her father had taught her that there were some animals out there who did speak as humans did and did so openly...but never in her life had she ever imagined meeting one. And certainly not here of all places. But still, after a few more seconds of gawking, the Genin pulled her thoughts together and bowed politely to the Lion, before righting herself and moving to reach for her now packed bag. If allowed to, she would indulge her curiosity further a little later, but now it was time to get down to business. After all, rebellions were a serious matter. A matter that would not simply disappear on it's own. 

For the time it took Tenmei to slide her arms through the straps of her bag, he had gotten back on to the giant feline and was ready to go.
A second later and they both were off at a break-neck pace through the outskirts of the village and beyond, off to the rebellion base where all this trouble had begun. 

--

Though Strafe and his Lion were much faster, Tenmei had no trouble following them. While the four legged creature dashed across the ground weaving dangerously in and out of the trees, tearing through the mist as they went, the younger female found herself leaping from branch to branch up, feeling the smaller twigs, whip across her exposed arms and legs, creating tiny cuts here and there. Not that she really noticed or cared though. For the time they were running, Tenmei focused on the chakra in her legs, opening the gates there ever so slightly to aid in her movement, but not enough to leave char marks on the branches from the heat that came hand in hand with the release. The moment, she had achieved this small feat, it was just a matter of keeping eyes forward until they had reached their mark.

She was only a little out of breath but her heart was racing.
The last time she had enjoyed the exhilarating feeling of moving at such speeds was a few years ago when, back when her father had trusted her enough to take her out in the real world. But like all those times back then, it ended too quickly and she came to an abrupt halt beside the man on top of his lion and close to where the rebellion people had been spotted. Close, but not close enough to be noticed by anyone nearby. And then something occurred to her....
It was quiet....too quiet in fact. Bands of people were known to make at least some sort of noise so why was she not hearing the chatter of a group of people nearby?
Whatever was going on, it was enough to make the dark haired female go on edge, so instinctively, she edged closer to the older Shinobi, her eyes on the area slightly left of their location

"Understood" Tenmei said, though she barely recognized it as her voice. She was too busy listening out for the target.
  "Can you hear that? What do you think they are doing?" she whispered quietly, looking through the bushes but staying close as he had requested she do. "How are we going to approach these people without them attacking is on sight?"

[2564/1500]

"There's no telling and I'm going to try to do it a simple way. Simply walk up and try to talk. If I act kindly, they may not be hostile." Strafe said with a smile towards the girl before turning to Momaru. "Stay here just in case they are hostile. I don't want them to see you and go berserk, no offense." Strafe chuckled as he looked from his friend back to the direction of his enemy. "Understood." Was all the lion said as he crouched down to avoid being spotted. Strafe turned back to Tenmei with a nod. "If you see my right hand make the half-tiger sign, Momaru and you will ambush them. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." He said finishing his commands. He turned to the bushes and walked towards the enemies camp.

He threw his hands up to the sky as he entered the clearing. There were about twenty five men who turned to him in a battle ready stance, alarmed by the entrance of an outsider. "I mean you no harm. I would like to speak to your leader." Strafe said confidently, but without aggression. Among the crowd there was a murmur before a man stepped out too meet him. He looked to be in his thirties and carried a lance of impressive size. Strafe nodded to him respectfully before he spoke. "My name is Strafe Aisu and I have been sent by the Mizukage to try and talk to you about making peace. There is no need for us to fight." Strafe said sternly as the two men stared each other down. Strafe may have been much younger, but he was quite powerful and could not show fear in the face of the enemy. " I will leave that up to my men." The man said as he looked to them with a grin. The men all started to snicker and held their spears in more of an offensive position. It looked like things were about to take a turn for the worse.

"If you attack, I will have no choice but to kill you all." Strafe said calmly as a last warning before waiting for their decision. It seemed as they did not take the warning to heart, as five of them charged ahead at Strafe. Strafe's right hand quickly made the half-tiger sign before he grabbed his bo-staff in a defensive stance. Suddenly, the air around him thickened into a mist, signifying that the young Jounin had used the Hidden Mist Jutsu to help his odds. Momaru's body took no time to react as he immediately sprinted forward and headed for Strafe. He was at his side within seconds as he touched Strafe's body with his own, sending a light blue chakra wave from his body to Strafe's. He knew this would make sure that Strafe would be okay. The duo prepared themselves as the soldiers entered the mist and went straight for an attack at the two of them. The poor fools didn't know what they had gotten themselves into.

Wordcount: 1883/1500

Strafe's Chakra: 290/300:

Momaru's Chakra: 50/75:

Nothing good was going to come of this

As Tenmei listened carefully to his plan and instructions, she couldn't help but turn her attention to the quite voices that were now becoming clear to her usually attuned ears. She had been living on the sidelines of society for so long, that she had learned to notice these things from simply watching. So when she watched Strafe's back disappear through the bushes and head towards where these voices were coming from, the Genin could not help but worry. The idea of a Shinobi walking to the pits of the enemy, even someone as experienced as him; Tenmei knew that it would only end in more fighting and blood shed.
But despite all these doubts, the younger female said nothing and simply took a step closer to the mighty beast, with her eyes locked on Strafe's position, looking out for the sign that was sure to follow.

And just as she thought, there it was.
Momaru sprang out from behind, brushing past her in a burst of adrenalin and disappearing in the mist ahead of her.

That's right. Tenmei only jut caught the hand sign before the mist arose from the land's surface and blocked the chaos from sight, hiding his location and confusing the rebels that sought to attack him. This was a clever technique...if he had been working alone with Momaru who would most likely be able to sniff out his prey. But what was she supposed to do? Neither a suiton user or an animal, she would only get lost and disorientated in the mist just as the rebels had......unless.....
Without any more hesitation, her hands deftly formed in to the Tiger sign and focused on the chakra that accumulated around her top most chakra gates and started to rapidly channel it towards her eyes. As soon as she had felt the liquid swirl around her close lids, Tenmei snapped them open and was welcomed by a word of colour.

With her Heat Vision technique she had secretly been practicing, Tenmei could clearly see the heat patterns of every being through the cooler dark blue patches of mist....But Tenmei didn't stop there.
To be able to see was only half of what she needed for this fight.

"That's it child. Let it go. Let it all go. Don't let anyone stop you.
Make me proud"
 
With her hands still folded in to the Tiger sign, Tenmei continued to open up the other gates that surrounded her system, starting at her core and working her way to her arms, her legs, fingers, until she could feel that familiar glowing warm feeling rush through her system, intermingling with her veins and filling every breath with the liquid heat that reminded her of who she was and where she had come from.
It took only seconds but her skin was as hot as white embers, not yet on fire, but still burning to the touch. She didn't need the hand signs for this Ember Skin technique. She lived like this. And they would know why the members of the Sotsuji clan had been hidden away from society for many, many generations.

It all happened so fast, even she could barely keep up with her movements. Only after a few seconds of delay, she followed the Lion in to the dark mass of mist and sought out the first figure of orange and yellow. Coming up behind them, she shot forwards a well aimed hook to the side of his head, causing him to rocket off balance before striking him in the back of the knee, sending the confused villain to sprawl across the ground and struggle to get up with light burns starting to appear on his skin. But no sooner had she done this, one of them came up behind her and wrapped his bony arm around her neck, full intending to choke her out in to unconsciousness....
But in return got a nasty surprise when his skin started to burn badly the longer he held on and was forced to let go else the limb would be too badly damaged to use.

Unfortunately though. These rebels were not as stupid as she had hoped and learned from their mistakes.
The few that came at her, started using their spears to attack knowing full well that they couldn't touch her skin.

Tenmei realized their new plan when she saw a spear coming stabbing her her side, but she was a little too fast for them, dodging to the side at the last second. But just as she made that maneuver, Tenmei grabbed the wood and held on to it until it charred, and then snapped it off, casting it away to be lost in the mist along with Strafe, who she identified as the slightly darker individual in the mass of colours.
And so like this she continued to fight, her bright orange eyes the last thing her attackers saw before they fell.

They had no idea what they were getting in to.

[3420/1500]

Chakra Count 125/150:

Strafe's body moved with grace and incredible speed as he danced around the spears like they were child's play. His staff was firmly grasped and brought down on one of the spears, knocking it out of his opponent's hand. Strafe proceeded to spin the bo-staff around his body to block a few more strikes from others before bring the staff harshly across the face of his opponent. The poor solider fell to the ground, stunned by the hit. Strafe did not stop as there were four soldiers directly in front of him. He fluently lowered his center of gravity and spun downwards, bringing the staff across his body horizontally in an attempt to sweep their legs. He successfully got two of them, causing them to loose their footing and crash to the ground with a thud. Strafe turned to the other two enemies and opened his mouth. Suddenly, a dozen ice darts rushed out of his mouth and headed towards his targets. Eight of the darts stabbed into the men, four apiece to be exact. One of the darts even pierced the eye of his opponent on the left, causing him extreme pain. Strafe finished the attack by bring the staff vertically over his head and landing it on the two he had just knocked down, effectively disabling them from re-entering the battle. Strafe stood up with confidence and alertness, looking to see what was going on around him. Despite the fact that the mist was thick, he was trained to be able to maneuver and even see in it as much as possible.

Momaru was doing just as well in his battle. Seven men charged at him with their spears in an offensive stance. Momaru simply chuckled at their direct and foolish plan of attack. His claws came out almost instantly, preparing for the massacre that was about to happen. As the soldiers closed in, Momaru took the simple route of attack by relying on his incredible taijutsu and weight advantage. He took a swipe at the spears that tried to pierce his skin, successfully breaking them with one swing. The men's eyes opened in fear as the realized the power of the gigantic beast before them. He let a grin creep across his face as he lunged forward towards the men, attacking them relentlessly with his claws. The sound of screams and ripping flesh filled the air as he continued the assault with precision. Within a minute, all of them had fallen at the hands of the impressive lion. He immediately looked around to see where the young girl had gone off to. He smiled ever so slightly at the sight of the girl holding her own. She was quite the impressive shinobi.

Strafe had also noticed how well the young girl was doing, which pleased him greatly. Solstice was correct in stating that she would be a good asset to him in this mission. Before he really had to time to study her movements, a man stepped in front of him with the intent to fight. It was the same man that he had spoken to earlier. The leader of the group had challenged him, which was flattering and exciting. It was about to get interesting.

Strafe's Chakra: 280/300:

Momaru's Chakra: 25/75:

She could feel the cool mist pressing in around her but this was hardly enough to slow her down.

Every person had a unique heat signature. One that varied between each individual depending on how angry or eroused they were and how hard they fought. Strafe was easy to pick out in the crowd. Because of his clan, he bore a darker pattern than the others which set him apart from the myriad of bright blotches in her vision. The one that stepped in front seemed noticeably brighter, making him an odd contrast to her mission partner, as he had a bright yellow areas surrounded by orange around his chest and lungs areas, as well as his arms and legs. This must be a leader as only he would be so angry that his men were being slaughtered by a large cat and a lowly Genin who was only just barely qualified to become a ninja of Kirigakure.
The rest of them shared similar colouring and those were the ones she targeted with her own heat. One she always pictured to be of the brightest of gold and yellows.

Spears poked at her from every angle, but she moved around them as if they were simply pointing at her with blunt sticks. Every now and then, she would dodge nimbly to the side, narrowly missing the solid metal tip as it slid past her side, but not past her hand. Each time someone tried to stab at her, thinking that she would be an easy target, the younger Shinobi, held on so tight that the wood buckled from the pressure of her intense heat and snapped under her fingers, rendering the long weapon useless and forcing the rebels to resort to hand to hand combat. The one thing that never ended well for them as each time they struck the girl with a bare hand and connected with her exposed skin, they would get burned and weaken that little bit more, pushing them away and adding on the pressure. And when the pressure rose, so did their temper and desperation was what followed.
Everyone knew that when people got desperate, they tried harder and sometimes got careless.

Forcing them to touch her by taking away the thing that kept them safe and distant, was a brutal ability. Maybe this was the reason that people shunned her, kicked her out of every home she had.
Maybe because they knew what her clan was capable of and grew scared of her. There were always many reasons why the dark haired girl kept her distance from society.

With one side step of a spear and breaking them from another's grasp, she came in fast with another strike to their chest, their shoulder, arm what ever was in her range, Tenmei would attack without mercy.
If he had seen her back in the village, he would know this was completely different to what the young female was usually like. This Genin who was afraid to even touch another human being in fear of hurting them unintentionally could fight just as fiercely as his Lion friend did. If only Solstice could see her now, if only her father knew.
They would be so proud of her, she could hardly wait to tell her all about it when she got back to the village.

Though just as she thought of this, another came at her, but this time it was a stab towards the chest. If it connected, it would have been a lethal hit, strong enough to pierce through her breast bone and cut in to the soft muscle tissue of her heart. But Tenmei was more careful than that and used both hands to stop it well before it got in range. But this in itself had it's own dangers. Both hands occupied; it left her wide open, giving one rebel a chance to stab her where he could.
   
It happened so fast, she barely saw it coming. At first she thought someone had punched her but then it grew hotter and started to sting and burn. And when it kept getting stronger it started to ache. Within a second of feeling this odd sensation, Tenmei looked down to see one of the spear's had penetrated a good four inches deep in to her side before being viciously ripped out and poised to strike again. But she was strong, and with only a muffled cry to express her pain, Tenmei pushed her boiling hand against the wound, cauterizing it temporarily while she turned on him with an almost feral snarl, her hands now free of the weapon she held.

"Don't let him get away with that. Make him pay. Show him your wrath. Show him what you are capable of. Make me proud"

Tenmei didn't think twice about it. Tensing up the muscles in one arm, she rapidly forced the chakra to fly to her fist, increasing the heat to something beyond what she normally radiated and slammed it in to the male's stomach, causing his cotton clothing to flare for a second leaving both superficial burns and deeper ones made from the impact.
The rebel she hit stumbled back, clutching his stomach before falling unconscious. The one who aimed for her chest would be next.
Even without her Fist of Fei technique she would still cause them to burn. And Tenmei would take out her anger from her injury in each that came close. No one was safe from her heat and she would make sure they each knew that.

Every movement, every well practised hit and kick, she could feel the tearing of muscle in her side. But this pain, was nothing more than an after thought. When she had spent so long focusing on her breathing, trying to keep her own chakra in check and trying not to end up like her father, that the aching and the stinging burn faded in to the back ground until after the chaos was over.

[4427/1500]

Chakra - 105/150:

Strafe had no patience left for talking. He tried to be nice and the man in front of him didn't have the leadership necessary to dictate the fate of his rebellion. Therefore, he was going to be shown no mercy, as Lord Solstice ordered. Strafe moved at incredible speeds, eyeing the man's legs with intent as he prepared his first strike. He swung his Staff or Hurricanes across his chest to removed any resistance the ninja had via his lance. He then spun the bo-staff his his hands once before bringing it horizontally against the man's knee. A crack was heard as a grunt escaped the man's mouth. He had dislocated his knee and cracked a few bones. That wasn't even full strength, and the man knew it. He grimaced in pain as Strafe's face didn't change. He was intent of proving the strength of Kirigakure, even if it meant killing this man.

"Now either you understand your predicament, or you sentence these men and yourself to death." Strafe's words were as cold as the ice his clan was famous for. A trait that was rarely brought out in the young medic. The man simply frowned as he realized he had no chance of victory. "We surrender. Is that peace offer still on the table?" He asked with an undertone of fear as he looked to the few men he had left. There was a total of six of them, including the leader. "Absolutely. However, if we ever catch wind of you planning another rebellion, the offer will not be here to save you." He said simply with confidence as he looked to the other men. They were all shaken up based on the beating they had taken in the fight and by the death of their fellow soldiers. The leader simply nodded as Strafe's words were understood. Strafe then turned to Tenmei, who had done amazingly well for a ninja of her age and rank. "Do you need medical attention?" He asked sweetly as he spoke to his comrade. The contrast in the tones that he used was sudden, but understandable.

Momaru simply stood in the background and watched the enemy, waiting for a wrong movement by any of them. He would not have Strafe or Tenmei being hurt any further.

Tenmei could sense there was something going on with Strafe and his attacker, but she couldn't see what. Every time she turned to glance at the powerful feline and her mission partner, another would come at her, with spear in which she would dodge by dropping to the ground underneath it's deadly point. With her weight shifted to her powerful arms, she would flick her foot out to land a vicious kick to the ribs, feeling them break under the bone shattering force. But the routine didn't stop there. Using the momentum of her legs, she cartwheeled herself back in to a standing position, just in time to grab another oncoming speak, snapping it right off and slicing at the man's chest with it before tossing it clear to the side. With her ability to see through the heavy mist and heightened agility, these rebels didn't stand a chance. If only they had known what they were getting in to before they thought to challenge these Shinobi from the Village hidden in the Mist. 

But in the end, Tenmei was starting to grow tired. 
The fog that surrounded her seemed to be growing thicker as it pressed down around her thin frame, weighing down her arms and legs so she was only just keeping up. It felt like she was fighting under water with the attackers getting the only land advantage. However, this was hardly enough to sway her motivation, and Tenmei continued to fight through the weights, only going after the individuals who stuck her first, giving all the others a good reason to stay back.

Can you feel it? How heavy your arms have become, how slow each footstep is. Can you feel ground waver? Let go. Let go a little bit more and make them feel what happened to your ancestors. They won't come after you anymore just......Let go"

She could see it coming but by the time she had a chance to react, it was too late. The rebel whom she had slashed was too fast and Tenmei felt the full force of his foot as it connected with her already injured side, rendering the cauterization useless. Within seconds she was starting to smell the familiar metallic scent that accompanied the warm throbbing feeling as the red liquid oozed from her side and down her thigh, staining her black clothes. It was in this moment of surprise, that the one with the broken ribs decided to take his chance and bring the staff end of his spear, hard against her own ribs, intending to inflict a similar injury to the one she had dealt him. It wasn't till after he heard the sickening crack did he realize what a mistake he made.
  'That's it. Let go. Let it all go. Show no mercy to these fools'
With powerful memories flooding her mind, she grabbed hold of his weapon and slid her hand up to the end closest to him, holding on with a deathly tight grip, while the heat radiating from her near doubled in intensity. Seeing what was going to happen, the rebel tried to pull away but that was what the female was waiting for. Abusing his shifted weight, Tenmei spun him to the ground her full weight on top of him and a burning hand to his chest. 

"We surrender..."

By the time he had heard the words of his leader, it was too late. His heart was already failing from the pressure of her heat, so the Genin ended it with one fatal blow to his right temple. There was no getting up from that....it was all over. And to think, it all had happened so fast, Tenmei was still yet to realise the damage she had done. The chaos she and her two partners had brought down on this rebellion.
At least now, they would think twice about causing trouble in their village. Not with the new Mizukage on their case and her new vision.

Once the survivors had dragged off their dead and wounded, vacating the area, Tenmei stumbled back and used a nearby tree to lower her now aching body in to a sitting position on one of the only green patches of grass, bringing her knees awkwardly to her chest and closing her eyes for a moment to release her heat vision.
The dark haired female had gotten too hot, she had let too much go. Even now the dried grass around her seemed to spark to life, creating minute embers to form on the brown blades before being put out by the heavy, cool air. The spot where she placed her hand on the tree would be forever marred by the blackened mark that matched her trembling hand perfectly, and that was to say nothing about the grass below her that would be nothing but ashes by the time she stood up again. She had promised Solstice that she would be better....but Tenmei was no different from the day that they had first met.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Steady. 

The young Shinobi was so focused on her breathing patterns that she almost missed Strafe's question, asking if she needed any medical assistance. Automatically, her eyes drifted down towards the bleeding mess that was her side and the blue and purple band on her ribs from where she had been stabbed and hit by the two smarter rebels. 
Though despite her answer, she made no attempt to shift from her position, pulling her legs closer despite the pain it brought. 
   "You...you should probably not touch me right now. You will get hurt just like they did. I....I will be fine" 
That was a lie. The blood loss was causing her to get a little light headed and the pain made breathing hard. Still, she managed to deal with it just fine by leaning back until she could feel the prickly ground beneath her, with her knees still up in a bent position and an arm draped over her eyes to block out the light of the sun. She was tired, her head ached and she longed for the comfortably worn futon of her own home, but here...here she was okay. 

"Did I do okay? Did I hurt them too much? I hope the Mizukage won't be angry and what I did" 

"You did fine and while we were fighting, they were traitors to Kirigakure. Dont worry about the pain they feel, they brought it on themselves." He said walking over to her with a caring smile. He reacted the same way when he was a Genin, so it was only expected of the young girl. "As for burning me, there is no need to worry, as I don't have to touch you to heal you." He said smiling as he got within a few feet of her. Solstice had explained her abilities and the possibilities that came with them, so he was prepared for such an occasion as this. He looked over to Momaru with a serious look, to which the large creature gave a nod to. The lion immediately put himself in between the pair and their former enemies. One could never be to careful. "You have to understand, we are just being cautious." The lion spoke softly as he spoke to the men. It wasn't a weak tone, but he had already proven his ability to stop any of them. Strafe turned back to Tenmei with a smile and crouched down to her level. "Im just going to get this under control. We'll get you to the Kirigakure hospital to make sure you are okay afterwards." He spoke with a calm yet confident tone as he spoke about her medical situation. If there was one thing he was talented at, it was medical ninjutsu.

Strafe raised his hands to hover above her side and started to create a sphere of water with his chakra. The water gained a light coloring as it expanded, showing the use of his ice chakra with the jutsu. That way, he might could cool her body down enough to use another jutsu. The ball of water grew to max size, and glistened as the lowered it to make contact with her skin. Luckily, this treatment wasn't painful. He started the healing process with full concentration, as he trusted Momaru's ability to guard them. It would take a few minutes for the jutsu to heal what he could of her injury, so he tried to spark a little small talk. "Don't feel nervous, Im fully capable of taking care of this." He added before starting the next conversation. "So, how do you like being a ninja in Kirigakure?" He asked with genuine curiousity. The girl had seemed kind of shy up to that point, so he decided to break the ice and try to get her to talk.

Strafe's Chakra: 265/300:

The ground was coarse and prickly beneath her skin, through Tenmei didn't mind. Slowly she lifted her arm from her cool silver eyes to glance up at the forming water ball in his hands. For a long few moments she just laid there, mesmerized by the pale blue of the water, the rippling colours that formed rainbows across the grass as it caught the light of the sun rays. The display had her so captivated that she didn't notice the orb being slowly being lowered, until it made contact with her skin in an eruption of steam and an evil 'hiss'.
Tenmei flinched away at the sudden cool, allowing a soft gasp to fall from her lips followed by a deep breath to calm the heat that tried to compensate for the sudden temperature change. The last thing she touched that was this cold, was Solstice's hand. Her embrace on the day Tenmei started her training.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Tenmei forced the heat to retreat back to her chakra points and closed her gates to the point where they were nearly completely closed. Only with his ability and this blocking of her chakra did she start to cool down. Well....at least to the point where she could be touch and touch people in return without causing them an injury...like she had done to that old woman, and that boy....and Yuudai. Every person she had hurt in her life, the young female remembered them all.  Even with her mission partner's reassuring words, telling her that they had brought this on themselves. That these traitors deserved what had happened to them. Tenmei could not help but picture every form of each of those rebels that she had burned and killed not a few minutes ago.

Thankfully, those thoughts gave way to the strange feeling of her muscles knitting back together, the blood slowing to a stop. Even the aching of her broken ribs had dulled to a comfortable numbness. Once her light headedness had faded along with the unease in her stomach, Tenmei realized that he was speaking to her again, asking her a question. This too took her a moment to answer, as she had to shift slightly, starting to feel uncomfortable as her bones clicked back in to place. Only once she had relaxed fully for the final time was dark haired female able to come up with an answer that made sense.
It had been a long day and it had been a long time since she had fought with anyone like that, let alone use her chakra like that. After spending so much time blocking it away it was still so strange letting go like that. That's right  Letting go.

"I'm not worried. Solstice told me that you were a skilled medical ninja" she explained, a small smile forming on her lips despite the pressure of her heat building up inside her. "I just have never have experienced it being used on myself. Well....not while I am conscious anyway"
The honest laugh didn't last as long as the smile. Her eyes drifted from what he was doing down to her arm. An arm that was heavily scared from her shoulder right down to her elbow, and then further down to the base of her ribs. They had worked on her extensively but she was unconscious then. It was a good thing too because even now the damage was still visible. Months had passed and much to her dismay they had not faded. No amount of make up could cover them completely, no amount of time could erase the images of the blackened burnt flesh from her memory. Nothing could make her forget the pain either.

"It's....I like it here. There is a still a few people that stare and whisper behind my back, thinking that I can't hear them and don't notice. But everyone else has been so kind and accepting. I have been to alot of places but here is safest"

Safe. That would have been the optimum word. Before when she had lived in Yukigakure, Tenmei didn't have to worry about getting too hot and burning things. It was always cold, everything froze, she could do absolutely no damage. People didn't judge or look at her strangely, hinting for her to leave the village like some had done before. They just didn't know which made life so perfectly simple. Now it was all gone and she would not dare show her face back there.
Even if it wasn't the same as it was, she would never be welcomed back there after that had happened.

"It's been a long time since I could call a place home. I don't think I could ever leave Kiri"

Because if she did. Tenmei wouldn't have anywhere else to go.

Strafe smiled at the girl's kindness. She was a sweet girl, and Strafe couldn't believe that anyone would be rude to her as she described. However, most people didn't have a gentle heart like him either. "This won't be the last time medical ninjutsu is used on you either. It's a dangerous world and we are bound to get some injuries as shinobi." He said with a chuckle as he finished healing as much as he could. "I'm glad you like it at Kirigakure. If you ever need anything feel free to ask." Strafe said earnestly as he looked over her wound. It wasn't completely healed and he still had quite a bit of chakra. The temperature in her arm had reduced quite a bit as well. "I'm going to use one more medical technique to finish." He stated as the water dispersed from his hands. Almost directly after, his hands gained a green glow to them. He lowered them further to make contact with her skin. While her skin was much hotter to him than anyone's he had ever touched, he wasn't average either. He focused some of his chakra to cool down his hands in response. That was one of the many perks of being a member of the Aisu.

He took a few minutes to finish up his first aid and released his jutsu. He moved his hands away and stood up. "There, good as new!" He smiled toward her and turned around to face Kirigakure's newest allies. "As for you, we are leaving now. If I catch any word or sign that you are back to your old ways, our next meeting will be your last." He said with a stern tone as he walked closer to Momaru. "Thank you for watching." He said as he patted the lion's shoulder blade. "Anytime." Momaru said. Strafe jumped onto Momaru's back and looked back to Tenmei. "Ready? Let's get home." He encouraged her as Momaru walked up too her. "Feel free to hop on Momaru if you get to feeling weak. He can handle it." Strafe said with a comforting expression. After waiting a few moments to let her decide, the group took off.

The trip back to Kirigakure was a lot shorter than the first time, or so it seemed. Momaru didn't go as fast, considering Tenmei's condition, but they got to the village soon enough. Their first stop was the hospital. "Ask them to check you out and tell them that Strafe sent you. I can report to Solstice for you. See ya!" Strafe said as he and the lion rode off to meet the Mizukage. The missions was a success.

-Exit Thread-

Strafe's Chakra: 250/300: