[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo had been out of the village on missions before, even out on the water, but out of the country? Never. Enyo was quite giddy though he was hiding all of that excitement under the wraps of superiority. He and Sora had arrived to their designated ship and were on their way towards Tea Country. It was not a super far destination according to the maps that Enyo had seen - over and over again during his studies at the academy, and now too in his briefing for the mission itself. It was a days worth of sailing and then another day of walking towards their capital city.

The young Kuronmeru was standing outside on the ship, feeling the breeze hit his pale face, inhaling the salty air as he leaned against the sturdy wooden bow of the ship. It was a moment of silence in his mind for once that was often so busy, and running with a million ideas or things that he should do. Some shinobi would take these precious moments to prepare for the mission, but not Enyo. He felt prepared already. Perhaps it was an ill-founded confidence, egotism, narcissism. Did not matter, he felt prepared. So, he kept on leaning and enjoying the breeze in his solitude.

Sora Minami

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[Sora Minami]

Fairness was, in many respects, something Sora strived for in most things. Outside of combat, giving someone a fair chance was not only the reasonable thing to do (in her view) but also the smart one; you never knew when the person next to you might be the only thing standing between you and death, after all. But sometimes… sometimes, being fair was a bitch.

I swear if that little shit is asleep… The Jounin thought as she stalked down the tight, cramped hallway of their ship, trying her best not to snap at everyone who crossed her path. He hadn’t been in his room (and that was an annoyance in and of itself, that he demanded his own room instead of just dealing with sharing one like a good Genin), which only left her with the entire damn ship to search through.

Sora did eventually manage to locate the brat, though not before wasting a good two hours just to cool her temper down enough to not throttle him; he was, and apparently had been, hanging out on the bow staring at the damn ocean. Because of course he wouldn’t be where he was supposed to be, even on an important (albeit non-violent) mission like this. It took her a minute to reach him once she’d found the boy- the ship was packed with travelers, and given they hadn’t come as Shinobi but as civilians, almost no one bothered to give her any sort of personal space, even with Samidare strapped to her hip.

"Young master." She said once she reached Enyo, lips pursed in a slight, disapproving frown. The cover story they had been given was that he was her ward, a boy from a wealthy family whom she had been hired to protect on his first trip overseas. It was a fairly simple backstory, but that was what made it workable- they didn’t have to tell many lies with it, as it was close enough to the truth to be believable.

"Please, don’t wander off. Your parents would kill me if you got hurt."

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo was not too bad at playing pretend, he had to play pretend often with his family anyway. His brother was particularly good at it and it was something Enyo - secretly - aspired to grasp. Of course his manipulative ways did not go unnoticed, of course he would receive this kind of assignment. It was almost too obvious. Enyo would have boasted about it... Well he did, when he got home for supper and had promptly told his entire family about this new mission he was going on, before being smacked over the head for talking about a mission even if it was not particularly top secret it was the ethics of the matter.

Annoyed by it all he had swallowed his pride and gone out to complete the assignment. Which was extra delicious since he got to play a rich boy and his sensei had to bow to his whims constantly. It was really what had made him brag initially to his family.

So, of course, when the woman approached, Enyo glanced over his shoulder.

"Then, perhaps you should keep a closer eye on me? I wished to see the sea, so why did you not follow me then?" He huffed in response, looking back over towards the roaring waters below and then to the calmer ones beyond.

He was more interested in the darkness below though. It was just like his blood... Black. Beautiful, really.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

One of these days, she was going to throttle Enyo.

"Of course, young master." Sora said through gritted teeth, clenching her hands into fists for a moment before taking a deep breath and, without a word, gestured towards the port side, where a half-dozen men were struggling to heave a boarding plank up onto the deck from the dock below. She waited for Enyo to go first, knowing it would be inappropriate for a bodyguard to lead no matter how much she wanted to take charge, and when the Genin at last deigned to walk down to the pier she followed, striding down the plank and onto blessed dry ground.

Their destination was about a day’s walk from where they had landed, though only because they were pretending to be civilians; had this been a combat mission, they would have been able to cover that kind of ground much faster, even with her top speed limited by what Enyo could handle. But this wasn’t one of those missions, so they would simply have to make do. She would have to make do, anyway. Enyo would likely do what he wanted, as usual.

"Are you ready to go, young master?"

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo smirked he could feel just how tense his sensei was from having to actually respect him. It was really how it should be, and frankly he was soaking it in. Because he felt that after this mission he wasn't going to get much of this treatment again, even if that was what he wanted. So once the woman asked if he was ready, Enyo nodded and started down the pier. He knew they had a long walk, and he wasn't going to waste time.

On occasion the young man would check his map, yawning in boredom but not really speaking - for once - his focus taken by all of the new things to see. Which those things were fairly boring but at least it was a new look to what he was used to. Mountains, rocks, trees, things that could be found in Mizu no Kuni, of course, but this was in a different country so somehow it felt fresh.

By the time they started getting closer towards their goal city - which the lights were visible not so far away now - the sun was setting and Enyo let out a huff. Finally, he would speak after almost hours of actual silence as if something has possessed him to do so. He wanted to complain, his legs hurt, actually his entire body was aching but he didn't dare show that sort of weakness.

Instead he stretched his back out and looked towards his sensei.

"Should we just finish walking or set up camp and wait until morning?" It seemed like something Sora should decide, though Enyo would have set up camp and lounged about because he was getting a bit too lazy to keep walking with target in sight.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

For eight long, beautifully silent hours, Sora let Enyo lead. The boy (and it was good to remind herself that he was a boy, not a monster) tried to hide his enthusiasm behind a veneer of indifference, but the moment the two of them got onto the road it melted before his childlike desire to explore. He seemed to drink in the sights and sounds or Tea Country, looking at everything and anything with a quiet fascination that almost made him seem normal. Almost.

Eventually, however, the sun began to set, and Enyo began to slow, his step stiffer, his yawns louder and more frequent, his sense of direction slightly skewed. They had a map, and she knew their route by heart, but still. He was getting tired, almost too tired to guide them. So when he spoke, mentioning the desire to set up camp, Sora wasn’t surprised, though she was disappointed. Enyo’s stamina was terrible for a Genin his age, never mind his overall lack of drive.

"...We should push on." Sora said, knowing the boy wouldn’t like it, despite their destination being close at hand. It was only a few more miles. He could handle that. And if he couldn’t? Well. She could carry him. It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d carried an exhausted comrade on her back all the way to their objective.

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo let out a petulant whine towards the woman, he didn't want to continue on. Not at all. He had it in him to just plant his ass down on the ground and have to make the woman drag him along, but he contemplated it. On one hand, he could get her to carry him and that would have been much easier than walking. He could even nap if he wanted! On the other hand, he would look weaker for it, and that wasn't something he wanted getting back to anyone. Showing weakness was not really an option, and with the sun setting over the side of the world, he had a feeling there would be much more to worry about than his own fatigue in due time.

"Ugh, fine." He grumbled and started to walk, though there was a slight stomp to it as if he was resisting Sora's decision to keep moving. The city was in sight, and though he had a lot of contentions with the decision to keep moving, he wasn't going to argue too much. Despite his clear authority problem, he also knew that it would be mega stupid to disobey the mission leader outside of the village, that was how things went really sour really fast.

The trees became more sparse with time, though it took them another hour of walking until the woods opened up to a nice beautiful village gate.

"Fiiinallly!"

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Enyo’s dislike of her decision was both expected and, as always, annoying; the boy had to understand there would be times he couldn’t just rest when he was tired. Even on a seemingly simple mission like this, complications arose. Things happened, and you had to be ready for them- something you couldn’t do if you only ever focused on what made you comfortable.

"It had better be fine." She said as they started walking again, more to herself than anything else; she didn’t need another blow up with him, not on a mission. So she kept her mouth shut, not voicing her annoyance with the Kuronmeru’s insubordination, and kept walking. It took them another hour to reach the village at Enyo’s slowed pace, but eventually they reached the gate… and their first real obstacle.

The gate was shut.

The sun wasn’t yet below the horizon, but the gate to the village was closed; the timing was close, but still earlier than she had anticipated. Turning her face to Enyo, Sora smiled, a sweet thing that he would know was false and said, "I’m sorry young master. It appears the village is closed for the day. I suppose we should have walked a little quicker."

What would the boy do now?

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo did not understand why the gate was closed. The gates at *their* village were open constantly with a consistently switching guard. Why would they be closed now? Frustration bubbled in his stomach, the kind that might have spilled over and turned into a venomous intent to kill. But he resisted the urge, and instead just stared at the gate. He just wanted to go into a tavern and rest.

"We could have just taken rest instead of making this walk only for it to be closed." He whispered seething through his teeth. But then he turned back towards the village gate and looked to the sides it seemed abandoned for some reason? Why was it abandoned? These stupid little villages didn't even have actual guards to put up? Stupid. Very stupid of them.

"Let's climb the wall, not here... Over there." He pointed off to their right, where there was even less light. They could use the shadows and just scale the wall and be in the village in due time. They would have to leave in a similarly awkward way, but at least they would be in the village and could get a spot to rest for the night until the next day where the actual part of the mission would begin.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

"Now now young master." Sora said, remaining in character despite the lack of people around. This was a lesson Enyo needed to learn, even if he hated it; sometimes, on a mission, you had to do things you didn’t like, didn’t want to do, all for the sake of the village. "We’re aren’t Shinobi, remember? We can’t go scaling walls, no matter how much we might want to." The Jounin paused, gesturing to a small clearing behind the Kuronmeru, about a five minute walk away from the wall, where a few merchant caravans had already parked for the night, clearly in the same predicament as they were

"We’ll bed down with them,” She said, motioning for the boy to follow as she headed off towards the camp. "Maybe even get some information." It would be a rough place by Enyo’s standards, but they’d have a bed (well, a bedroll), shelter, and the prospect of a warm meal if they played their cards right. Better treatment than most Shinobi got on a foreign mission, and certainly a humbling experience for the young Kuronmeru- there would be no bragging to his family about the mission now, not when he’d have to sleep near a bunch of sweaty, stinking merchant guards and unwashed caravan hands.

A good lesson, if he bothered to learn it.

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo was seething, they *were* shinobi. Was that not their job? To infiltrate and be sneaky? What a stupid thing to stay in character in the face of discomfort. But she had pointed off towards some clearing with an ember glowing at this distance though in reality it was a fire. A fire in the summer especially with how humid it was, seemed awful and he almost groaned at the idea of having to share his space with peasants. It was one thing to walk among the commoners in Kirigakure, at least they were Kirigakure civilians they didn't suck anywhere near as much as everywhere else.

The younger of the two sneered at the idea nonetheless and followed after Sora once she started to make her way. Disgusting. Why were they having to do this of all things? It would just make the mission longer! He knew it would make things longer and this was absolutely the worst thing he could have imagined. His other missions involved way more killing! That was more fun than this. This... This horrible thing!

Still he didn't whinge too much - for once - and followed trying to stay in character in the face of this ultimate adversity. It was a short walk and they arrived a few men looked at them strangely, most ignored them. One woman did approach and asked Sora if they were lost and Enyo trying to play a shy child ducked behind his sensei to stay out of the way of being questioned.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Enyo seethed at her comment, leaving her with a sense of smug satisfaction as she walked off towards the small encampment; he might not understand now, but she would get it through his thick skull. Eventually. When they arrived, the camp proved to be smaller than she’d hoped- just a few men and a single woman, likely a small merchant on her way to somewhere else who had chosen to stop here for the night. Sora smiled at her, not bothering to stop her student as she spoke to the woman in a thankful, tired voice.

"No, we’re where we want to be, but when we got here the village gates were,, well… Shut." She gestured to the shut gates, a sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head, shoulders slumping as she put a gentle, almost protective hand on Enyo’s head, glancing at the men. "It wouldn’t be a problem if we rested here for the night, would it?"

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

"Oh." The woman glanced down towards Enyo then where Sora's hand was resting on top of his head. Then she looked towards Sora and gave her a slight smile.

"No problem at all, you two rest up. We don't have much food left from supper but you are welcome to the leftovers. Do you need something to sleep in or?" They appeared as if they had been traveling - based on what the woman had said that seemed to confirm it too - and so the woman speaking figured they had something to sleep on.

Of course, Enyo would have slept in a tree for all he cared. He was used to not the best sleep in the world, but to sleep with nasty smelly people was not really something he wanted. Alas, he was a shinobi and apparently resting next to smelly people was part of the job description. He kept his facade up though, and just kept looking up at the woman. When she offered them a place to stay he smiled.

"You hear that?" He cooed manipulatively towards Sora - but anyone who did not know about Enyo would probably only hear a gentle and genuine child's voice - smiling up to his sensei.

"That sounds so nice!"

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Sora ruffled her Genin’s hair as he hissed his sarcastic comment, ignoring the boy’s venom disguised as sweetness in favor of thanking the woman and her cohort for their kindness. She even took the offer of leftovers, splitting them between herself and Enyo before unrolling their single bedroll and sitting on it. They dug in, chewing the food in silence before bedding down,- the boy could chose to sleep next to her, sharing the roll, or he could chose to sleep on his own, but there was no getting past the fact that he wasn’t getting the bedroll to himself.

Whatever Enyo chose, the next morning came quickly, as the caravan broke camp just after dawn, and Sora rose with them, helping clean the small camp up before she and her student headed off towards the gates, ready to face the day. When they arrived, the line to enter was short, and before long they were faced with their second obstacle: a mid-level bureaucrat.

The man, middle-aged, balding and supremely ugly, sat at his desk before the open gates with all the pomp of an emperor, roaring his acceptance or rejection of a visitor so loud he could be heard even from the camp they’d just left. Sora looked to Enyo as they approached, a slight frown on her face as she cleared her throat and said to the man, calm but firm, "Hello, sir. The young master and I are here to visit with some of your merchants."

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

The ruffling of the hair was not appreciated but Enyo was good enough at being a liar that he didn't immediately show it on his face. Instead he let it all fester inside as it often did, it would explode later. It just depended on when. Enyo did not care for the leftovers, but nibbled a little bit. He had to eat a certain kind of diet, not only to keep him fit, but also to keep his blood cells at a certain level which meant he couldn't just eat any old leftovers - and these were not the tastiest to be certain.

Once it was bed time he decided to sleep by himself outside of the bed roll. He didn't want to share space with his sensei, so he slept by the fire on the ground, falling asleep seemingly all too easily even though he could wake up with a hair trigger, his fumei ha almost poised at the ready to go at anyone or anything that tried to disturb him.

But nothing came aside from morning.

He stood off to the side with his arms folded as the clean up of the camp occurred and they returned to the gates. There was some loud annoying man up at the front and Enyo had to groan inwardly this was such a pain in the ass of a mission. Where was all the killing and fun?

Not here apparently.

"What's a brat going to chat about with the merchants?" The man inquired roughly.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq