Starring:
Atara, Odo
Date: September 23, 2010
Summary:
A Yakuza Lord Stalks A Leader Of The Takokujin
"Missing-Aniki"
Beach/Kumogakure/Reizei Compound
The day is waning and the heat is beginning to leave the area. Atara is pulling herself out of the water wearing a cute two piece bathing suit. Water drips off her form as she makes her way towards her towel and clothing bag. She yawns a bit and rolls her shoulders. Nohting like spending the weekend at the beach alone and without worry.
A figure might be seen in the distance on the water. Maybe a small boat heading towards the shore coming back from the morning's catch. After another few moments, it could be seen that it was not a boat, but a single figure, dashing across the water's surface. And fast, too.
Odo only had one thing on his mind. And it was that little girl whom he hadn't seen in what felt like ages. Of course, he had been in the area long enough, he had time to track her movements even within the village, just by observation from a nearby mountain face. After a minute, Odo was approaching the beachhead, about 300 yards off shore now.
Atara glances out over the water as she is picking up her towel and she freezes for a moment. Something moving that fast could only be a shinobi. This wouldn't be too troubling if the person wasn't heading straight for her. Her first thought is to hide, her second is to punch a crater in the shinobi's neck. She goes with option C and continues to calmly fold her towel. Keep her cover, that was rule number one. She was nervous though. It couldn't be a hunter-nin; they would not be so bold in attacking her head-on. Besides, she had just gotten a copy of the bingo-book and she wasn't in the most recent edition.
Two things might catch Atara's attention. He wasn't wearing -any- markings at all denoting his origins, and he had a sword at his side of some good quality to have a sheath like that. Deep mahogany colored leather sheath made specifically for a straight edged katana. A tanto of the same quality on his other side. He was not ordinary shinobi (if one at all) with that kind of weaponry on him. Especially with no identifiers to a certain village.
Odo saw Atara on the beach, and veered a little bit to put the girl at ease. Yes, he sometimes had a care for how people felt. Or maybe it's just that she has a mouth and eyes. Eyes that could possibly recognize him and a mouth that could let other people know who he is. That wouldn't be good. Might as well stop for a moment and ask a simple question, right? He stood just out of range that he would have plenty of time to react should she be trained and he could react. But not far enough away that she could label him a perv and at least within talking distance. The wind wasn't so bad today.
Atara puts her towel in her bag and begins to fold up the large beach umbrella. She turns to look out at the man on the water. "Oh! Hello there, Mr. Shinobi. Can I help you with something?" she calls out calmly. He didn't seem to be readying to kill her, but that doesn't stop her from discreetly forming Ki in case things got hairy. She smiles warmly at the man, trying to put the man off guard. Something didn't seem right about the man. The lack of a forehead protector and the fact that he was standing on water screamed missing-nin. He also looked familar, but she couldn't place it. She might have seen him in the bingo-bbok she skimmed over, but she wouldn't know untill she double checked. She was jsut looking for herself and Jinsei, to be honest.
Odo bowed to her very slightly, not lowering those navy blue eyes from her before he stood back up. "Do you live in Kumogakure?" Would be his first question. He merely awaited a response before asking another. No movement to draw his sword, focus chakra, or anything denoting threatening movements.
Atara yawns and stretches idly, ending by connecting her fingers behind her head as she faces the man fully. "No, I am a traveller from the Land of Honey. I have eben staying in Kumo for a little over a month now." Most of it a blatant lie, but she has gotten quite good at lying recently. She didn't like this man, and was very put off by him. She was ready to fight, although she did her best to hide it.
Odo nodded when Atara lied blatantly. "Have you heard of anyone falling deathly ill in the last two days?" His voice didn't hint towards worry or excitement. So guessing as to who was ill and their relation to Odo was up for guess, as was also Odo's disposition towards the individual in question of being ill.
Atara mumbles something about being thirsty and starts rooting through her bag, but really she is going through the pages of the bingo book. She could swear the man's face was familiar. "I can't say I have. I've spent the last few days out here, outside of the village. Sorry I couldn't be of any help."
Odo thinks for a moment, and reaches his hand into his pocked to fiddle with something, pulling it out a moment later. "Alright. Thank you." That was one of those nicities he learned from talking with 'normal people' some around Konohagakure. With that, he turned to leap off into the rocky terrain unless the girl would have something else to say.
Atara physically tensed up as the man reached into his pocket. Suddenly her body was coiled like a spring, ready to move and fight and kill. It only lasts a moment before it is gone, but it was there. She tries to cover it up by yawning. "Alright, have a nice day. I hope that person gets better." This was far too interesting to pass up. She would follow him and see where he was going and what he was up to. Her curiosity getting the better of her. She begins to don her clothes, it shouldn't be too hard to follow the man, and she is confident she could to so without being spotted. Stealth was her specialty.
Odo did not at all notice the girl following him. He would do some things that were rather curious. First, he would stop near a large tree just out of sight of the entrance to Kumogakure. He was pretty fast at getting there, as well. He pointed his finger at a nearby tree where it looked like a lightning storm had destroyed some trees. Probably those pesky genin training their lightning affinities. In any case, he stopped short of eye shot from the gate, and did something to his clothing. His sword to his back to be hidden more by his cloak, and his tanto into his boot. He took part of his cloak and wrapped it about his head and shoulders, as to make it look very much like he was from the land of Wind. A good guise in itself, but very simple. Believable though. With that, he backtracked a little bit to the road, past a bend, and began walking towards the gate very nonchalant. His gait changed, as well as his posture.
Atara simply watches from the trees, watching as the man dons a quick disguise and heads for teh village. This was extremely interesting. He is trying to get to someone who is deathly ill. To kill them? Unlikely, someone that sick it would be best to get an insider to do the job, quiet and discreet. To gather information from a dying informant? Who knows. All she knew, is that she really wanted to know, and so she simply waited untill the man entered the village before she would enter. The guards were used to her and her cronies coming and going, so she would be through the checkpoint fast.
Odo made his way through the gate as a traveling healer, there to speak with a Reizei girl who was deathly ill. The guards both nodded and ushered him through. Matter of fact, one of them offered to escort him to her house. Odo declined and merely asked for directions. Once given them, he headed through the village towards the Reizei village.
Atara follows shortly behind, telling the guard she just came back from a weekend at the beach. The guard easily waves her though. A sick Reizei, hm? She would need to ask Setsiro about this later. A thought dawned on her; she had been gone for a few days. The person who was sick was a girl. A horrible thought went through her head: It was Setsiro. She began to get nervous. What if the girl really was sick, and this person was here to kill her? She would have to blow her cover, and likely a couple big holes in the neighborhood defending the girl. She keeps a distance, keeping her eye on the man form a safe distance, keeping out of view whenever possible.
Odo makes his urgency a bit higher paced as he picks up the pace of walking to a brisk walk. No, he's not looking behind him to see if anyone's following him. He came up to a small humble house that was not Setsiro's. In a moment he was at the front door, knocking. A man answers the door. The two exchange some words, and the man inside looks a touch confused on why the other man is here. But he reluctantly lets Odo into the house. The door closes behind him. Odo makes his way to her room at the guidance of the man who answered the door. On the south side of the house (right side when facing the front door) is a full room window looking out over the side garden. The garden offers enough privacy, so Odo keeps the blinds open and asks everyone to leave the room. At that point, he removes the cloak over his head, letting it fall to his shoulders. If one could read lips, they could see her whisper 'Aniki' before they embrace gently. For the first time in a long time, Odo smiles, pulling out the vial.
Atara lies on the roof, holding a small mirror over the edge to look into the window. Aniki. Her heart aches as she watches the scene. He could see the love between the two of them almost instantly. She pulls the small mirror up and into her pocket. She sighs and lays there on the roof for a few moments. She had thought so ill of this man, and yet he had come back to the village that hunted him only to take care of his sick sister. She pushes herself up and gets off the roof, heading back for the village entrance. She pulls out a small book and tears out a blank page. Writing for a few moments she folds it and buys an envelope. She then gives it to one of the guards at the main gate to give to the Sunagakure healer. She then heads off to go find her Reizei friend. She had some information to gather. It shouldn't be too hard for her to find some information, now knowing who his family was. When he gets the leader it would read "I hope your sister feels better!" Followed by a little anime happy face.
Time. Such a precious thing when we know we don't have much of it. Odo re-wrapped himself in his disguise garb, and put his hand upon her head, running his fingers through her hair for probably the last time. As now, he could never return, but it was worth it to know she would live on knowing he was still alive. They two are the last survivors of the former Reizei clan head. Or at least the last two on that side of the family. A forgotten line of powerful Reizei and a people with honor in one another so great, as things like this scene would only happen between they in that family. Odo bid her farewell and get well soon, and opened the door. Those outside cheered, but the cheers faded quickly in the dim glow of her knowing her Aniki was still breathing as a free man. She stayed silent for the rest of the day and night, calmly smiling to herself and staring at a small pendant she always wore around her neck. it was a tiny glass bubble about as big as a droplet of water. But inside of it was a tiny speck of crimson. The last bit of life she previously thought was Ogosokamaru Reizei.
Odo, upon leaving through the gates, was shoved the letter, which he read once he got out of earshot and eyeshot of the front gate. He stopped dead in his tracks, then darted off jumping through the trees back to where the girl on the beach was. For she was the only one he had any doubts about through meeting during the time he was in this land. Outside of his sister and the guard.
