| Let Her Die On Her Own [closed] |
[Jul. 20th, 2008|03:29 pm] |
[First installment of the DOOM aftermath; takes place after Nothing to Hold]
Waki paused outside the hospital room door, gathering his thoughts and papers into order.
He'd been called in as soon as the rescue team had arrived. The Hyuuga boy had done remarkably well; the ninja who'd been tortured was in surgery, where they were repairing the damage done to his jaw, and the Hatake boy was waiting for him. They'd both be taken to a Critical Care unit when it was over, treated for chakra exhaustion and solider pill overdose, but they'd be all right. That was some field-patching job.
( The two Inuzuka and their rotting chakra, however, were a problem. ) |
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| Nothing to Hold [closed to Ryouma, Tsume, Kakashi, Haruichi] |
[Jul. 9th, 2008|05:01 pm] |
[[Fifth installment of the Mission of DOOM. Follows Dark of the Morning]]
Two and a half hours after Kakashi blew sparkling dust into Ryouma's wounds, the painkillers started to wear off.
It began as a dull throb in his chest, where he'd slumped forward over Baiji's surging shoulders. The huge mastiff ran tirelessly, holding his position in an wedge-like formation of dogs and ninja. To his right, brindled Kaori carried both Tsume and Kuromaru, with one of Kakashi's clones running at her heels and a fourth lugging the unconscious Shiki over its shoulder. Two smaller dogs flanked the mastiffs, and Kakashi himself, lean and swift as a greyhound, ran at the head of the arrow to lead the way. One of his clones perched behind Ryouma, steadying him with both hands on his back. Warm chakra tickled Ryouma's shoulders and the backs of his thighs, as both Baiji and the kage bunshin worked to keep him on. They'd done a fine job of it so far. Even when Baiji hurtled a narrow canyon in a single chakra-propelled leap, Ryouma hadn't slipped.
But when the mastiff jumped over a fallen tree, and the clone's toe jogged the back of Ryouma's left calf, the tired ache blazed into real pain. A little blood spotted Baiji's fur. Ryouma swore, paled, and grabbed at Baiji's studded leather color with half his left hand. The clone's hands slipped lower, grasping his waist, trying to steady him. Ryouma's attempt at biting back a whimper ended abruptly when his broken teeth regained feeling.
"Don' touch me," he told the clone, slurring words with a tongue that hadn't quite yet shed the drug and remembered its acid-burned pain. "'ll throw up."
Baiji's stride lengthened. Bent nearly double, silently and savagely cursing the painkiller that brought relief instantly and returned agony almost as fast, Ryouma managed to glance over the dog's shoulder and catch a glimpse of the couple riding Kaori. Kuromaru lay slumped in human form, but no longer still. For the first time since losing his eye, he'd slipped back to consciousness to discover exactly what Ryouma's jutsu had taken from him. |
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| Dark of the Morning [closed to Kakashi, Ryouma, Tsume] |
[Jul. 7th, 2008|05:22 pm] |
[[Mission of DOOM, 4th thread, Directly follows Bruised and Alone]]
Tsume's clone had run straight for twelve hours. It hadn't been made to grow tired. It hadn't been made to eat. It had been made with one thing in mind: Get home. Get help.
It hadn't been made to feel pain, which was good. Under the ANBU mask, skin sloughed away. All of the poisoned chakra--or as much as possible--had been funneled into it as Tsume had created it. Flesh was gone right down to the bone. It was missing an ear.
It didn't feel pain.
The village wall rose into sight, and the clone gave two heaving leaps before clearing it, flaring her chakra as she ran. Two chuunin fell into step.
"ANBU-san! Where?" one of them shouted.
"Headquarters," the clone snarled, and ran a straight line as the chuunin fanned out, keeping anyone else from intercepting her course, letting her go as fast and as direct as she could. Rooftops shot past under her, barely seen below the edge of her mask.
Moonlight gave her enough to see by, made her armor over-white and the tattoo on one narrow shoulder black against her skin. She focused on headquarters and trusted everyone would feel the ragged edge of chakra and stay out of her way. |
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| Bruised and Alone [closed to Ryouma and Tsume] |
[Jul. 6th, 2008|09:58 pm] |
[[Third installment of the Mission of DOOM. Follows Restlessness and Fury.]]
Ryouma woke in darkness, screaming.
He caught himself almost as soon as he knew that the ripped-raw voice was his, but it was already too late. Cloth rustled in the black; skin brushed his bare shoulder and tickled down his side. A finger traced the lips of the gash along his ribs, dragging little ribbons of fire in its wake.
"Not even a scratch from us," a woman's voice said thoughtfully. "But those bandits carved you up pretty well, didn't they?" The finger slipped; a nail dug into the open wound. Ryouma strangled a hiss. The woman laughed.
"Stop poking at him, Yuuko," a man said. He sounded bored, and his voice was roughened with smoke. Ryouma could smell the cigarettes clogging the air, under the thick reek of rot. No breeze at all; they were in some enclosed space. He sat upright in a straight-backed chair, arms hanging loosely by his sides, legs sprawled casually apart. He stared straight ahead into darkness, and the brush of the woman's fingers through his hair and across his forehead told him they could see his face.
He couldn't move. His chest inflated just enough to allow him shallow breaths; his head could turn just enough to track sound. But his arms and legs hung as loose and still as if every tendon had been cut, and his back could not pull away from the chair no matter how hard he struggled.
Paralyzed? he thought, wildly, and then, Captured.
And Kuromaru was dead, and Tsume had to be, too, and their blood gloved his hands.
The woman laughed in astonishment. "Hey, look at this, Sano! He's crying!"
"Bitch," Ryouma said, very quietly. "I'll kill you first." |
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| Restlessness and Fury [closed to Ryouma and Tsume] |
[Jul. 2nd, 2008|02:55 am] |
[[Second installment of the Mission of DOOM. Takes place immediately following Drunk on Dreams.]]
They didn't find the bandits that day. They did find evidence of an old attack: a stray arrow still lodged in a tree branch, splashes of dried blood painted so deeply into creviced tree bark that the rain could not wash it out, a severed hand rotting in the lee of a rock. The bandits had cleaned up their mess casually, presumably leaving the bodies behind; Inuzuka noses reported that the corpses had lain where they'd fallen for almost a week before someone from the village recovered them. Rain had washed away any tracks and any scent the bandits had left behind.
"We'll get 'em anyway," Ryouma told the forgotten hand, as he used a tiny earth jutsu to bury it. Rotting it away might have been easier, but that was for enemies. That was for the guys who'd done this.
They scouted for the rest of the afternoon, finding a deserted campsite, a couple of shallow graves, and nothing else. If the bandits were out there, they were well-hidden. It would take something more than a couple of ninja to draw them out.
( So it was a good thing Konoha had sent ANBU. ) |
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| Drunk on Dreams [closed to Ryouma and Tsume] |
[Jul. 1st, 2008|11:50 pm] |
[[This thread begins the Mission of DOOM. Its title, along with the titles of subsequent threads, is inspired by the song Let Her Go. Takes place five days after The Hardest Part Is Over]]
By the last week of February, Ryouma had already begun concocting a grand theory on why Intel guys were notoriously drab and Intel girls were, without fail, gorgeous. (He included the mission desk chuunin in this assessment; when you were able to concentrate on something besides bleeding on their desks, those girls were knock-outs.) So far he had a few possible explanations for his Theory of Why The Intel Girls Are Hot and the Guys Aren't (But Are Ambiguously Gay Anyway), including the possibility that pretty women preferred desk jobs to field missions and the rather more likely possibility that they had invented some sort of arcane jutsu to suck attractiveness from their male coworkers and bestow it upon themselves. His current favorite was that the top brass knew that some of the ninja they'd send out would never return, and decided to give them something blazin' hot to look at while they were receiving their death sentences.
That didn't quite explain why many of the male debriefers weren't terribly good-looking, given the preponderance of gay men in the Hunter ranks, but Ryouma had faith that someone would sort it out.
In the meantime, he was certainly enjoying his time alone with the gorgeous brunette holding his mission file. "When's the departure time?" he inquired, slinging one arm over the back of his chair and gazing at the girl instead of the file. "If we've got time for dinner, I know this great little place out along the river. Y'know what they say about heading out with any regrets..."
"You'll only have an hour, Tousaki-san," the girl said. "I'm terribly sorry." She looked like she really was.
"I'll just have to make it back, then," Ryouma said, and grinned at her. |
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| Sacred Balance |
[Jun. 29th, 2008|02:41 am] |
[Immediately follows Sacred Duty]
Kuromaru woke up at the first noise. He slept lightly on missions; that was his job as the alpha male, no matter who else was on watch. He rolled up to his feet in one sleek move, turning to look where the noise was coming from.
Raidou's face was pulled, drawn. He smelled bad. The bitter smell of fear came off him, slowly growing. In a moment he'd wake, and if he was still panicked--
Kuromaru glanced at the children lying helplessly. The decision was made before he ever realized what he was deciding on. In one swift movement, faster than any non-ninja canine could do, he slid over Raidou and dove, forepaws pinning the man's shoulders, hindpaws his wrists, teeth at his throat. He held, keeping the man from flailing and hitting the cubs, careful not to break the skin but jaw tight on the human's windpipe, like Kuromaru would do for any other canine that he needed to submit without a fight. |
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| Sacred Duty [Closed to Raidou and Tsume] |
[Jun. 27th, 2008|03:49 am] |
[Follows immediately after Sacred Rituals]
Raidou slowed, and then settled down onto his haunches. The shadows of scrubby plantlife broke up his shape, making him almost invisible in the lowering gloom of evening. In the distance, a few lights were beginning to burn.
"We need to lose insignia," he muttered, looking at Tsume, thinking. "No Leaf symbols. No ANBU marks. Nothing that'll give them ammo to start a war. Your clan marks," he added, turning to look at Tsume. "Fangs, claws... mask, too. We'll need to leave our masks. Or hide them. And armour..." |
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| Sacred Lines [closed to Tsume and Raidou] |
[Jun. 25th, 2008|06:27 pm] |
[Takes place two weeks after the end of the Three's a Crowd... thread and Get Your Story Straight. Five days after Attack of the Ankle Biters.]
The door to the little cabin was cracked open, letting afternoon light spill in, turning dust motes to fools' gold and streaking a beam across the warped wooden floor. Cold air ghosted up from the holes in the flooring planks, breezes that shouldn't have existed sliding around Tsume's ankles like cool fingers. It was a miserable hideout in the chilly weather, but still better than a cave. She could only be grateful they had a bunker on the far edge of Fire Country, though grateful was difficult to remember when the pump was so cold her skin had to be dragged off it, and the slanted roof let rain water dribble in.
She'd be glad when her back-up arrived. There wasn't any hurry, really; the demon lurking at the edge of the other country was only a minor demon, she could tell by scent and spoor, and while the rumors might be true and it might be preying on the nearby village, that wasn't a Fire Country village. In fact, Konoha wasn't even getting paid for this mission: keeping Fire Country free from demons--minor or otherwise--was in their own best interest. A single quiet whisper of something demonic was enough to send any available ninja out to investigate.
( This time, it had been her and Kuromaru. ) |
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| Vice Dignified [Closed to Hayate and Kotetsu] |
[Jun. 22nd, 2008|02:01 am] |
The two days passed relatively quickly, with the pressing of time that felt too rushed to the planning ANBU. On the second day, winter reasserted itself, with a light snowfall and temperatures that iced over the ornamental ponds in the gardens.
Hayate felt sorry for the fish in the ponds. He felt sorry for himself too: it was cold out here, the wind was picking up, and the snow was still falling. As the sun set, the temperature of the air was dropping. Though his breath was dispersed by both of the masks he wore, he knew it would appear as smoke on the cold air.
He shifted on his branch, pulling his cloak more tightly around him. He curled his chilled fingers in the thick cloak. Fingerless gloves in winter were not good for his hands, but he hated the way gloved fingers felt on his katana. He wiggled his cold fingers and glared at the garden gate.
Hayate was posted in the closest tree by the gate, hidden in the shadows. Kotetsu was farther back in the garden, nearer to the house. And likely out of the wind. Hayate reigned in his aggravated musings and turned his attention back to the job. Kotetsu's job was to keep an eye on the traps he had set, and hopefully keep the girl--Kyoko--out of the garden long enough for Hayate to deal with the man.
Hayate had, he thought, the easier time of it. Kotetsu had lost the coin toss, anyway.
He glanced up at the darkening sky. No moon tonight--though it was almost full, it was not risen yet. He could see well enough without the moonlight. The clouds were clearing, and the starlight was reflecting off the snow. He looked back to the gate, and let still patience blanket him like the snow.
It was ten minutes until midnight. |
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| Virtue Misapplied [Closed to Hayate and Kotetsu] |
[Jun. 21st, 2008|01:02 pm] |
Kotetsu eyed the mission scroll. Provide protection for Mochizuki Kyoko, daughter of Aizuzen Daimyou Mochizuki Kane, against threat of assassination. Further instructions upon agents' arrival, to be relayed directly by Daimyou Mochizuki Kane. His mission partner was one Gekkou Hayate. Some sorta physical fighter, Kotetsu figured, if it was body guarding duty. For a girl. Kotetsu made a small face, and walked up the stairs. Find the Gekkou-guy - maybe he'd already been briefed, and then they could go do their mission.
Man, it was a good time to be out - the winter snows weren't so thick anymore, what with spring coming in a few months, and if they could do a bit of running, it'd warm him right up. It was always good to be outside, even if it snowed, because Kotetsu would go crazy in HQ. And then proceed to blow something up and get himself landed straight in Arakaki's office.
Kotetsu shivered at the thought. No way man, he wasn't going to go back there if he could help it. The guy was one scary piece of work, only beaten by the T&I pack down in the basements. He'd only do shit like that if he was sure he wouldn't get caught. And the surveillance in HQ was just that good.
First floor, room 109, the mission scroll said. Right.
It meant he didn't have to climb stairs, which was always good. Kotetsu wandered down the corridors, and rapped smartly on the door labelled with a lopsided '9'. "Oy! Gekkou!" Or should he call him Hayate? "Hayate! Mission!" |
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| Mission Desk |
[Jun. 18th, 2008|06:49 pm] |
Mission Rank: B
Agents Requested: Gekkou Hayate, Special Jounin 011671, Hagane Kotetsu, Chuunin 012050
Description/Objectives: Travel to the province of Aizuzen and provide protection for Mochizuki Kyoko, daughter of Aizuzen Daimyou Mochizuki Kane, against threat of assassination. Political enemies of the daimyou in the Ono family have threatened to assassinate Mochizuki's daughter in retribution for a recently-passed law. Further instructions upon agents' arrival, to be relayed directly by Daimyou Mochizuki Kane.
Expected Hazards: It is unknown whether those threatening an assassination attempt intend to carry out their threat directly, or have hired ninja.
Special Notes: Agents preassigned due to need for specific skill sets.
Posted by authority of Arakaki Hisoka, Director of ANBU Operations |
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| Three is a Crowd. Four is a Pain in the Tail. [closed to Tsume, Raidou, Genma] |
[Apr. 17th, 2008|06:53 pm] |
Directly follows/continuation of Three is a Crowd. Four is a Massacre.
Time passed.
Kuromaru wasn't great at telling time beyond animal instinct. The storm fouled his ability to measure with the accuracy he needed to know how many minutes were sliding by. The watch helped, though he found it difficult to read. He peered at it, puzzling out hands and numbers, waiting for the right time.
She'd been gone too long. Not longer than three hours, but longer than he believed the trail would hold. Two hours passed, and he watched the freezing storm with mounting anxiety. They wouldn't find her in this weather, if something had gone wrong. She would hole up. She knew how to den in, stay safe until movement was possible again. He realized he was whining and stood, pacing to the door and outside, trying to find her trail just beyond the ice where Genma had tossed dirty water.
He couldn't, of course. Her trail was long since dead. Kuromaru howled. Nothing responded except wind and lashing rain. He returned to the fire, eying the men absently, pondering Raidou. The watch ticked. One ear flicked toward the entranceway.
( It had been too long. ) |
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| Three is a Crowd. Four is a Massacre. [Closed to Genma, Raidou, Tsume] |
[Apr. 5th, 2008|09:08 pm] |
Backdated to before Thicker Than Water. Set after the It Takes... threads, and the morning after Stories We Tell. In response to this mission.
It seemed like a fairly easy mission, all in all. Oh, sure, the fighting was going to be a tin of bloodworms, but at least it didn't involve searching out missing scrolls or working undercover. Find the ball of cat turd who'd killed their ninja, kill him back, and come home.
( These were the kinds of missions Tsume rather liked. ) |
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| Mission Desk |
[Apr. 5th, 2008|06:28 pm] |
Mission Rank: A
Agents Requested: Shiranui Genma, Special Jounin 010203; Namiashi Raidou, Special Jounin 009717; Inuzuka Tsume, Special Jounin 007350.
Description/Objectives: Locate and eliminate A-class Kirigakure missing-nin Kimura Katsuo. Kimura is believed to be responsible for the recent assasination of two Konoha Jounin, Sasaki Akio and Mori Kimiko, during an assignment unrelated to Kirigakure affairs. Kimura is believed to have no external motive for the attacks and may attempt further random attacks upon Konoha ninja if left unchecked. Kimura was last reported seen in Kawago, approximately two days southeast of Konohagakure.
Possible Hazards: Details on Kimura's allies, if any, are unknown at this time, though he is not believed to have come into contact with any missing-nin of A or higher rank. In addition, Kimura is known to possess a bloodline limit. Further information available, contact Intelligence upon acceptance of mission.
Pre-mission Briefing: 1/14, 0930, B1-272
Special Notes: Agents preassigned for specific skill sets.
By authority of Arakaki Hisoka, Director of ANBU Operations |
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| Digitalis [closed] |
[Apr. 1st, 2008|03:11 am] |
Their mission was coming to an end faster than they were able to think of a viable plan to get the books out. Three days left, and the two agents had almost completed compiling the evidence against Yonaga and Fukuzawa. Sumire felt a little sorry for him. Soon, ANBU Sabotage groups would come for his building, ANBU assassins to take down each member of the board. In essence, not just burning and salting the ground, but pissing on it too.
Still, he would have visited the same horrors on her family, that some ninja had his. For a moment, Sumire thought of her sister's painted face contorted in agony, of the little Murakami children screaming for their mothers, and tightened her grip on her makeup brush. She couldn't, wouldn't allow that to happen. The sweet-tasting gloss was cold on her lips as it began to gel and harden. She wet her lips to reactivate the gel with another brush and started working again. Outside, the wind was making a marvellous fuss, she could hear the frenzied screech of metal on metal as the little sign for the motel battled hopelessly against the wind.
Tonight, she would be like a slow-moving poison in Yonaga's veins, undetectable and sublime. According to their data there was no other way. Oda would lift a key from the main secretary, be it through prestidigitation or seduction. After attaining the books and leaving their carefully crafted (and blank) decoys, they would flee the town. "Miwako" would have a terrible fight with Fukuzawa and quit the hostess club, causing a scene.
It wasn't a bad plan at all. |
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| Valerian [closed] |
[Mar. 26th, 2008|11:40 pm] |
Sumire's unfortunate mission read as followed:
Mission Rank: B
Agents Requested: Murakami Sumire, Jounin 010327 Oda Makoto, Jounin 009371
Description/Objectives: Travel to the city of Hiraizumi, on the border between Taki no Kuni, Tsuchi no Kuni , Hi no Kuni and Kusa no Kuni to investigate Fukuzawa Hideki of the Yonaga syndicate. Yonaga is known for trafficking information between the four countries, specializing in village secrets. Confirm or debunk rumor, so that further action may be taken.
Expected Hazards: Caution should be exercised; Iwa, Ame and Taki all operate within the town.
Pre-mission Briefing: 1/15, 0830, B1-130
Special Notes: Agents preassigned for specific skill sets.
Signed
ANBU Mission Desk
And the next day, after collecting her partner, Sumire turned her back on the ANBU building that had been her sanctuary. If she was bitter about it, she handled it with aplomb. If she'd been enraged, it simmered behind a cool, well-used mask of serenity. ( In any case, she was just about sick of the new town she was being made to call 'home.' ) |
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angry
busy
restless