"Damn old coot, always speaking in riddles," Jiyuudo muttered to herself as she adjusted the straps on her old pack.
The fabric was worn down in most places and the seams were beginning to pull apart, giving glimpses at its contents. She slung one of the straps over her shoulder, repeating the action with the opposite side before adjusting it so it would sit comfortably on her back. She glanced down at the canine sitting at her side, looking up at her and wagging his tail and she stopped and paused for a moment.
Should she take him with her? She hadn't quite thought about it; but then again, she hadn't quite thought about the decision to leave in the first place. Why not? She decided as she motioned for him to walk alongside her as she set off.
Makoto barked happily as he trotted up next to her, pausing only for a moment to pick up the strange blade that she had been given. She laughed lightly as she rested a hand between his ears as they began their descent.
"Who knows, maybe you can use that thing, Mako!"
"Travel Log: Day 5," Jiyuudo said aloud with a playful light in her eyes, pretending to write in the old, leather-bound book she had fished out of her pack. "The weather has been great so far; if only that went for the company as well. Makoto is in dire need of a bath," he lifted his white head at the mention of his name, "but then again, so am I so I can't pass judgment," she winced as a greasy piece of hair fell limply into her face. "On an unrelated note, I have noticed that the stores have been diminished more than would be expected after less than a week," she mused aloud with a knowing look at her companion.
He just snorted as he crossed his paws and rested his chin on them, refusing to look at her.
"Honestly," she laughed, rocking back slightly, "it's like I'm traveling with… with… Taka-kun," she finished in a choked whisper.
She sucked in a shaky breath as she turned her face up to the stars that twinkled above her and closed her eyes, trying to will away the moisture that gathered in her eyes. How long had it been? Almost a year; amazing how the time had passed. It seemed like just yesterday they'd met for the first time…
There was no time for reminiscing as the sound of a twig snapping cut through the still night air. Jiyuudo sprung to her feet, snapped the journal shut and shoved it into her pack before readying herself for a fight. Makoto got to his feet as well and sniffed the air, curling his upper lip into a snarl as a low growl escaped his throat. Both of them perked up more when they heard voices in conversation.
"This is stupid, why did we have to be picked to find firewood? That's a child's task!" it sounded like a boy around Jiyuudo's age, maybe a little bit older.
"Quiet," a second male chastised the first. "If Katsuo-sama asks you to do something, you do it without question. If you do not wish to follow our leader's directions, then maybe you should leave."
"I… My apologies," the first voice said quickly.
A chill ran down Jiyuudo's spine when she picked up sinister chakra approaching from behind her. She dove behind a raised tree root and cautiously peeked over it into the now vacant clearing. She found that she had been right about the two voices being around her age when two boys maybe three years older than her stepped into the ring of trees.
She gasped when she saw the taller of the two; handsome didn't seem to do him justice and beautiful would imply that he was feminine in some way, which he wasn't. She cursed herself mentally as she quickly ducked down behind the root and pressed her back against the tree's trunk. How could she have been so stupid as to make a sound? Sure she had learned better in the past year!
"Is someone there?" the first asked cautiously as Jiyuudo pressed herself harder against the bark, clamping her eyes shut and willing herself invisible.
"It's okay," the second voice said very close to her, "we won't hurt you."
Jiyuudo opened an eye a crack and nearly squealed at the deep, navy blue eyes staring into her own magenta hues. There it was again, all the breath left her lungs when he gently took one of her hands and pulled her to her feet. Her mind screamed at her to do something other than stare his pale face framed by ebony fringe. She must be trapped in some kind of jutsu, one that rendered her mute and left her limbs too heavy to move on her own.
"Heh heh, shame we can't say the same," a dark voice chuckled, snapping Jiyuudo out of her trance.
Her eye flicked over to look past the boy's shoulder and her blood ran cold.
Oto-nin.
She quickly shoved past the boy, freeing her hand in the process so she could perform a string of lightning fast hand seals. She drew her fist back to strike; feeling the chakra building, swirling over her skin.
Wind Release: Hurricane Fist!
She sent a swift uppercut into the nearest one's chin, sending him flying and spinning. She turned to see another taken down by a snarling Makoto before she felt her feet leave the ground.
"You'll do nicely," a man breathed down her neck as she started struggling.
"Sorry to disappoint," she grunted as she slammed her head back into the Oto-nin's nose.
The man groaned after the sickening crunch of his nose being broken. Jiyuudo shuddered a bit when she felt his blood drip onto her neck. A solid thunk sounded when something connected with the man holding Jiyuudo's head, then his grip went slack and he dropped her.
"My name's Takehiko," the dark eyed boy introduced himself with a smile as he hefted a thick branch. "What's yours?"