Starring:
Date: March 22, 2011
Summary:
Maikeru and Yuuka leave for a mission
"To The Docks"
Kaguya Village
With the coming of morning, the sun starts to barely peek over the horizon. However, its light is not the first thing to stir in the Kaguya Village. Moving at a casual pace, Maikeru sips a cup of hot tea as he walks along the path into the village. On his back, hanging next to his sword, he carries a light bag of supplies. He's brought enough things for the trip, but not so much that it be cumbersome enough to slow him in the least bit. After all, this is going to involve a lot of walking.
"Well, this isn't quite the way I had in mind to celebrate the 'end' of the war, but at least we're not stuck twiddling our thumbs," the Jounin says with a smirk as he stops a litle way into the village. "Maybe my other idea can be incorporated later." His eyes start to wander the front and roads of the village, searching for a certain Chuunin. "Guess it'd be better to just keep looking for her than call out and wake up a bunch of grumpy Kaguya."
Already the morning sun was becoming annoying to her, the single beam of light over the horizon catching her aquamarine eyes as Yuuka turns her snow white head away from the nuscense. Her lip curls just slightly with subtle annoyance as she tightens her crossed arms across her chest, her weight leaning against the wall beside the front door of her own apartment. A small one, more like a bunker, but still decent. The Kaguya kunoichi curls her slender fingers slightly as she glances down the road, the quiet of the quietly stirring village broken with the earthy sounds of footsteps approaching. Yuuka lifts a thin, pale brow, silent as she watches Maikeru's eventual approach. "Whose bright idea was it to leave this early and remind me to kill them later."
As he walks toward Yuuka, Maikeru catches her words and chuckles a bit. "Well, next time I'll just volunteer us to leave the moment the Mizukage presents the mission to me, and we'll see how well you can sleep on a raft going across the sea instead of riding on a ship. Would that work better for you, princess?" Upon reaching her, he examines to see just how thick the rings under her eyes might be, a smirk across his face. "We've got a lot of work to do, and an unknowable amount of time to do it in." With that, his expression becomes a bit more serious. "There is also something you should know about this mission, not regarding dangers of circling the Land of Fire or other perils along the way."
Her aquamarine eyes narrow slightly as she taps an index finger on the forearm beneath her hand, "What is with people calling me by nicknames lately. 'Princess', 'Kitten'." Yuuka narrows her gaze further on Maikeru before lightly shaking her snow white head and leaning forward, relaxing her arms to drape by her side as she then reaches down to grab her bag full of supplies and equipment. Slipping the strap over her head, Yuuka arranges it over her kimono robes for it to settle along the curve of her back. "Besides gathering intel, I do not know much else about the mission." she murmurs as she glances back up at Maikeru's eyes, simply waiting for him.
"Eh, I was more being sarcastic and dubbing you with nickname," Maikeru says with a smirk. "And I somehow don't think a creature that can impale people with her bones quite matches 'Kitten'." Turning around, he glances over his shoulder at her. "Let's move. We can talk on the way." With that, he begins walking, expecting her to follow. He walks with a purpose, though not in just a huge hurry. "This mission is very important to retaining your status as a Chuunin. In fact, it could likely be the deciding factor between your remaining a Chuunin or being demoted to a Genin." His eyes move to her every so often to judge her reaction. "Whether the circumstances have been fair lately or not, it is what it is. The path is simple. We will not fail this mission."
"Tell that to Nori-san." Yuuka counters easily as the corner of her lips tugs with a slight smirk in return. She doesn't even wait for his signal to begin walking, moving swiftly at Maikeru's side with her gaze focused on the cobblestone street ahead of them. When he begins talking again, however, she blinks her bright eyes once before snapping them at him, a moment later narrowing darkly with a light scowl on her lips as Yuuka returns her eyes forward once more. "The Mizukage-sama." she murmurs, the statement that needed no other explaination. "It is not enough that what I lived through was tramatic, I should have killed myself on top of that, despite his reasoning that I have been more useful than all other gathered intel throughout the war as a whole. And he threatens to demote me for it…" The low growl of irritance lingers in her voice. "I could care little if he does."
"I'm still fairly new here, but the idea seems to be that suicide is better than risking a Genjutsu forcing you to release information that could be harmful to Kirigakure," Maikeru says plainly. "Be it as it may, you worked to become a Chuunin. You should be willing to fight to retain your status and prove your worth to the village." As he continues down the path, glances up at the sky as the sun continues to rise up into the sky. "Wounds don't define you. The way you wear your scars can. If you want to catch up to me in rank one day, you have to learn how to use your pain to push you even further."
"I did not even know I was in a Genjutsu before I passed out. Not that it matters." Yuuka growls darkly at herself, falling silent as Maikeru talks while they pass through the gate of the Kaguya division. Turning her snowy head to give him a sideways glance, she replies, "Status I care little about, but pride I do have, and I will not tolerate the Mizukage thinking I am just an imbecilic moron that somehow managed to get some valuable information while fighting herself free." Her gaze narrows further as she turns her head away from him. "I already told you I do not care what rank they give me. Its just a word. What makes you think I am striving to catch up to you."
"Interesting," Maikeru says with a smirk. "And, if you won't 'tolerate' it, what exactly do you think you could do about it, short of proving yourself? You have no power greater than his, no reason he should listen to your gripe. All you have is proving yourself worthy. None of the alternatives have any chance of ending up going well for you." Continuing to walk, he takes another sip of his tea as he looks around the streets of Kirigakure as they head toward the docks. "If you don't have anything to strive for, there's little fun in continuing on this path. You would rather remain a Genin into your fifties as Meruin becomes a Jounin probably by the time he turns ten?"
Yuuka turns her head to give him a glance out of the corner of her eye, "Why do you think I am going on this mission at all if I do not care if I stay a Chuunin or not." she murmurs, her voice low and slow. "I am going to prove myself to him. I do not need to have more power than him for the Mizukage to think twice about taking me lightly." Her eyes narrow further before glancing forward again, the light rush of water waves and the cry of seagulls in the background. "Ranks are only the village's way of measuring power. It is not necessary in order to have it. Regardless if I am demoted or not, they can not take away who I am and what I am."
"Nice self-help speech," Maikeru says with a light chuckle as he continues to walk toward the docks with the woman. "But still not what Mizukage is looking for in you. You are a part of this village, not an independent rogue. You are to be judged by and held to the standards of the Kirigakure and the Mizukage, just as we all are." As they reach the docks, the Jounin walks ahead to a fairly large merchant vessel. He reaches into his coat and retrieves a pouch as an old man walks out to greet them. "Thank you for your assistance," he says as he hands the pouch over to him, obviously payment for their passage. With that, he turns to walk up the ramp onto the ship.
