Nightmares and Fire

[lovelovelove2]

The young girl stepped into the cold lake. It drained all of the warmth from her body, but Kouen didn't care. She needed to wash the dreadful memories of her nightmares from her body.

The terrible dreams had not come for along time. Since she had been absorbed in her missions and other things, she had been to tired to even dream. Lately though, the memories had been returning in her sleep. Her past was catching up with her in ways she had long thought gone.

Kouen shuddered, not from the cold, but fear. It hurt her soul so much to relive that horrific night. The scars that ran the length of her right arm were reminders enough for the girl to endure. Even the fact that everyone in the Village knew and shunned her like she had some disease, all because her parents had been slaughtered and she had been recused.

As she thought of that night, the girl's thoughts turned to the stranger that had rescued her. From what she had seen, he had worn the armor of the ANBU, but somehow, Kouen knew he was more than that. Something in his presence. The way he carried himself and spoke. Atleast in the only words she had heard him speak, Find me, beautiful one.[/i]

Those words were all that had kept her going. Kouen had vowed, everyday to keep searching. Trying to find the one person that had saved her, the one that she knew was good. Everyone else seemed to be evil.

[Souku|Raidon|Tao]

He'd stayed far too long, especially for his own taste. Normally, a day late in his book wasn't too bad, all things considered. Souku had long lost his care for the trivial meanings of yesterday and tommorow, even if he kept a considerable amount of knowledge and gained a lot of wisdom from both. But to stay so long in his home village? To linger so closely to where, at any given time, a familiar face could catch him. His classmates, his old friends, his teachers, his remaining family, anyone in his clan... Way to many people to be out and about to find their "dead" comrade had returned and was actually as healthy as could be. No, he couldn't be here anymore.

The ground was soft, sinking in with his weight as he moved along in a quicker pace, for him anyway. To anyone else it would have seemed simply moderate, if not a bit on the slow side for a shinobi. His face, too, was much more expressive than usual. But again, to those who didn't know him, he appeared stoic, especially from a distance. But if you did know him, you would have noticed his brows were ever so slightly drawn together and his lips were drawn into bit of a frown, his rendition of a discontented scowl. His shoulders were hunched forward much more than usual, his head set on his neck so that he looked to be in a hurry, even if his pace never changed. It probably never would either. He'd always take his time, moving deliberatly and speaking sparingly.

I suppose it'll always be that way...He'll never change, not for the world.

The tawny dog shoke his head, freeing his coat of a few bits of debree from their longer walk through the forest. If anyone knew the dark haired Inuzuka, it had to be him. And the dog didn't miss the subtle hints of discomfort in his friend, even if he had been trailing a good five feet behind him the entire time. Climbing with the same sure-footedness as his human counterpart, Murasaki had to take up a quicker stride to stay within favorable distance of Souku. He too, shocased a few signs of that rushed appearence, even if he wasn't in any hurry. Frankly, he was enjoying the more familiar scents of the Village he'd been born in. Basking in the memories of their childhood as if replaying his...their life back in slow motion.

But perhaps...perhaps they both were. The childish games of chase, and small gestures of loyalty, even before they had become shinobi and nin-dog. The building of a life long friendship, the silly, fiutle methods of training before their time. The more practical inventions Souku had come up with in his youth. Everything seemed too far away now... Now that they were in such a situation. A hundred years from now, Souku will be the same person he's always been. Stepping up to balance himself of a flat rock, Murasaki took a bit of a breather, his breath steaming from his open mouth and fogging up in the air above his brown nose for a few seconds before dissapearing into the chilly air. For a moment, the tawny dog expected his friend to stop, to look back at him, to give some sort of gesture that he wasn't going to change, ever. But no... Murasaki lowered his head a bit in what looked like dissapointment. He knew better, Souku wouldn't stop going. He wouldn't take his friend's advice and return to the Hidden Leaf. A low whine escaped his parted jaws and his ears pirked suddenly in a surge of hope that Souku would stop, turn around, complain about how he was going to slowly, just anything that would verify what Murasaki didn't want to hear, so maybe he would make one last consideration about just returning home..... No..he kept moving forward, not even slowing down. His attentive look faded, the hope lost from his brown eyes. Souku would never stop going, and Murasaki knew it. The boy was determined and abitious and stubborn. The dog doubted whether or not Souku would even notice he had stopped following until he slammed his head into a wall or something. Maybe all humans are plagued with this... Or maybe it's just him. I'll never understand people. taking off at a bit of a jog to catch up to his friend, Murasaki continued on, loyal as ever. No matter how blindly such loyalty was, no matter how many doubts he had, he would never allow himself to be considered a 'bad dog', for Souku's sake if nothing else. So Souku could continue his quest to find...whatever it was humans had to find when they ran away from home. So Souku could go on running from what he didn't want. Murasaki, from the start, followed him so Souku Inuzuka could live. So he could, if necissary lay down his life for his best friend.

The wind had picked up, russeling his jacket and hair and causing the worn metal plate to shift and drum against his chest in an uneven and unpredictable rhythm controled only by the wind. God..it's been to long. Even he, himself, wasn't completely sure whether he meant his stupid lingering around Kohona's borders or the length of time he'd been away. Five years. Five years since he had taken in anything that could have reminded him of his old home, except for maybe the plate bumping across his chest. The sights, the smells, the feel of the grass after a long rain. The massive trees, how long had it been since he'd seen anything so magnificent. Five years. He reminded himself bluntly. But Souku wasn't someone to have regrets. Not those silly, trivial regrets like leaving the lights on or forgetting to eat breakfast. No, Souku lacked any real, life changing regrets. He didn't regret leaving Kohona. He didn't regret leaving his friends or his family. He didn't even regret staying around so long. He felt a little foolish, yes, but he didn't seem to ever feel any real remorse for his actions. He recalled Murasaki relating him to a man who had no fear, who allowed luck and chance to take control over his life. He also recalled how bitter his friend had sounded, how sharp his tone had been, even if the joke had obviously been meant in good natured playfulness. Souku's frown deeped just enough to be more obvious than before. How wrong his friend had been. Souku relied niether on luck or chance, he was far too practical to believe such things exsisted anyway. And fears...he had them. He was afraid of a lot of things. Murasaki's well-being and saftey, being caught by tracker-nin, being ingured and rendered incapable of traveling, being cornered, hell, he was even afraid of needles. And even with all of his skills and shinobi training behind him, when it came down to it, Souku could admit to himself that he was afraid of dying. It was why he was so practical, so cautious, so mindful of their path. He wasn't about to allow Murasaki to think it neccisarry to sacrifice his own life for Souku's saftey and he would die before he allowed the tawny dog to be hurt. Far to many times had be screwed up and Murasaki had gladly taken the fall for him. No, no more would he be so cowardice and pathetic. He'd protect the dog with his own life, even if it meant taking things with a little more pecimism that was natural even for a person like Souku.

Maybe it was their trains of thoughts that had rendered them so unaware of their surroundings. Or maybe it was the lack of wind for quite a while. It might have even been the fact that the clearing they had just entered had had so much water in it, the smells were twisted about in the air in confusing patterns for far to long. Who knows. But until a particularly strong wind came about and Murasaki just happened to inhale a little deeper that time around, the girl would have gone unnoticed. But she didn't and she even brought the dogs quicker pace to a hault, drawing a loud 'woof' from his two toned muzzle. The whine may have gone unnoticed or ignored by the Inuzuka, but to have his companian bark when he ws just as capable of speaking was enough to pull that hidden curiosity from him.
"What is it?" He called back to his friend. Tail and head raised, the dog stood at attention, brown nose twitching to inhale more of the scent. Focusing his chakra, Souku lifted his head just a bit to take a whiff of the air himself. Another person, no wonder Murasaki had gone mute.
"I suppose you want to go find her, then?" Even with the lingering irritation in his voice, Murasaki only gave a curt 'woof' and began his decent towards the lake itself. A defeated sigh escaped Souku's own vocals and his shoulders even slumped more than usual. Sometimes, his old friend was more trouble than he was worth. Still, if it had been anyone familiar, either he would have caught it, or Murasaki would have...erm...vocalized something, somehow. Taking his first tentitive steps down the steeper path the chow-mix had taken, Souku muttered something rather bitterly before following after him.

For a four-legged, sturdily-built, dog like Murasaki, the decent was hardly anything at all. But Souku, with his morbid fear of heights(hey, there's another one!), and his uncertinty when it come to being sure-footed, the trip was not so much of a cake-walk as his friend made it look. Of course it wasn't really the fact that he could fall that bothered him - where was he going to land; water? It was the unnerving vertigo he got every time he had to look down to judge where to put his foot. Still, the two made it down in about five minutes. With Murasaki's nose nearly pressed into the dirt itself(Souku guessed he missed being able to smell people with the familiar scent of Kohona, which was half true), aside from the occational pause when he would raise his head and sniff the air, the duo made their way into a rather secluded area.
Makes sense. I doubt people come here to just hang out. The probably want to keep hidden. Souku braced himself against the rock wall next to him as he had to clamber over some rocks to keep up with his purple-tounged friend. It took all of about two minutes for Souku to fall behind, keeping to his 'slow and steady wins the race' attiude.

But Murasaki continued on, lost in the smell of the girl. Typical. He'd always been so focused when he caught a new scent, perhaps because his brown nose was so sensitive. More sensitive than Souku's, more sensitive than even most other Inuzuka dog's for that matter. Either way, his mind had stopped thinking so logicaly. Instead, he kept on in a diligent pace that only increased in speed as the smell grew stronger. The scent of the hormones told him it was a girl, at least fourteen, probably older. She was from Kohona and had come here only recently judging by the freshness of it all. He paused only to sniff at one particular spot for a few more seconds, in case he had lost the trail. Stocky limbs pumping and alive and tail up and wagging in the excitment of it all, the poor guy was so absourbed in his own nose, he hardly noticed when he had led himself to the edge of the lake. BUt of course, he did notice it when his nostrils were suddenly filled with water. He recoiled sharply, snorting loudly to empty his snout of the water he'd just inhaled. It might have been a comical scene had it not ended so abruptly as he whipped his head up. There! Woof! He barked, intending to signal to his slower human friend that he had done his job and found the person. Of course, Murasaki wasn't completly ignorant of human emotions when it came to dogs. Many didn't like them, feared them even and far be it from him to frieghten this poor girl. He liked humans, how couldn't he having been raised by them since birth, forming strong bonds with a particularly stubborn one even. He wasn't about to give the poor girl a heart attack. So he remained still, keeping his distance for fear of her shying away. Still, he couldn't have looked that scary, not a dog like him. Not when he looked so friendly, with his plushie tail raised and wagging from the excitment of the moment. Not with the collar and tags hanging about his neck. He looked far to tame to be anything of a threat. How ironic.

It didn't take Souku long to locate his friend. And even as irritated as he was, as tempted as he was to leave the brute, he took a few steps to stand behind his friend and take a look at what the hell was so important that they would have to stop and look when they were in an obvious hurry. "Ah..", he muttered, not knowing quite what to say to the girl. It had been far to long since he had been in the presence of another human being for him to be properly adapted for such short handed conversational skills. Why the hell had the dog insisted on coming to find her. She wasn't even in danger, and even it she had been, Souku wasn't a damn knight. "Sorry." He apologized, assuming it to be proper after a dog that techniqly 'belonged' to him(the duo had always used the term so loosley given their bond) had just interupted...whatever she had been doing.

[lovelovelove2]

The water ebbed in and out of Kouen's cupped hands. It washed away the feelings of pain.

Kouen leaned her head back and smiled when the sun's warm rays touched her face. Everything was calm and quiet till a bark shattered the moment of peace. The girl stepped back, farther into the water, and brought her hands up into a protective position. It took Kouen a few more seconds to realize that the beast standing at the water's edge was really a dog. A big fluffy, cute dog. And a boy was not far behind him.

"Ah... Sorry"

Those muttered words came from the boy's mouth and brought Kouen's full attention to his presence. He looked her age or a few years older. The girl watched warily as the boy stood on the bank of the lake. Her eyes narrowed and she moved even farther into the water. It might be her only way of escape if he wasn't friendly.

Kouen spoke in soft tones, "Who are you?" She wanted very much to go and pet the dog, he looked so sweet, but you could never really trust things you didn't know.

[Souku|Raidon|Tao]

A slender eyebrow raised up as the girl sank back into the water, drawing out his more suspicious nature. Immediately, his eyes flickered towards her shoulders, then to her hands, then back to her face.

Careful Souku. Watch her. Don't let you guard fall.

Beneath his skin, a hundred muscles tensed and prepared for that fight or flight response. She was from Kohona, he knew that much. And she didn't look young enough to be anything less than a Jounin. And in such territory, he couldn't afford to get her riled up. Water wasn't something he could combat well, Tao had proved that to him multiple times. Murasaki couldn't even swim well enough to keep himself afloat, let alone fight on a formidable level. And it bothered him that she kept retreating into the water. What if she was planning on surging up suddenly and pulling one of them under? What if she had already recognized him as a missing-nin and planned on taking him down with a powerful surge of water? What if she was just some evil phycopath who planned on killing him for the fun of it. So many what ifs, and Souku couldn't be sure on any of them. Shit! We can't stay here... There was too much of a risk, too many things that could happen for Souku to endanger himself and his friend. Taking a wary step backward, he cursed inwardly as his boot slid a bit on the slick rocks and pebbles he had gain faulty footing on.

"Murasaki.", he hissed, almost inaudibly, to his friend.

Regardless of Souku's tense behavior, Murasaki seemed all to willing to approach the girl, tail wagging and purple tought rolling out of his two-toned muzzle. How long had it been since they had seen another Leaf Villager? Far too long, in his opinion. Twisting his head back around on his shoulders to watch Souku throw himself into a nervous panic, the dog wagged his tail in a sweeping motion, barking back at his friend in jovial relaxation. Souku...you moron. She's from the Leaf Village. She won't hurt us. Turning back to the girl, he allowed his brown eyes to soften in a more mellow mood. As long as you don't do anything stupid. His legs moved suddenly, stepping forward and allowing his large paws to pad across the rocks with little effort, clicking neatly against the dryer ones even. One of the benefits of being an actual canine of the Inuzuka clan, he had decided; four legs, more versatile movements. Of course...unfortunately, Murasaki's skills only went so far, and swimming was not something the large dog even pretended to be good at(he didn't pretend to be good at a lot of things, really). He came as far as the waters edge, stepping backward if even the slightest bit of water brushed his claws. Just play wisely, Souku. We won't have to worry as long as you don't lose it.


"Who are you?"

The words brought him out of his momentary trance and the charcoal haired boy snapped his eyes back up to her face. Previously he had been scanning the water for signs of any jutsu, even looking to his 'traitorous' friend to sniff out any chakra flow. True, he could see Murasaki's brown nose twitching as he ran that violet coloured tongue over the top of his muzzle, but there seemed to be nothing to signal any danger. And that wasn't something Souku trusted. The wind picked up again, running the strap of leather that crossed over his chest, along with the metal plate bearing the Leaf's sign, to beat across his chest again. His blue coat shifted against him as well, the ends of it flailing about behind him lazily for a few seconds until the breeze died again. "What?", he asked stupidly, thoughtlessly. It wasn't as if he needed her to repeat herself, but it was an immediate response to her question after not paying any attention at all. He could see his friend turn to look at him, a quiet woof escaping the dog's vocals. I know, I know! He screamed mentally. Surely if she were high in the ranks she would know a missing-nin, if not by sight, then by name. Careful... he warned himself again in his head, heading his friend's unspoken advise to hold his tongue when due time came. Don't stumble, don't let anything by her.

"Ryuzaki. Haru Ryuzaki." He stated plainly, stoically. Murasaki turned back around to wag his plushie tail at the girl. Souku bit at the inside of his cheek before he could stop himself. He forced himself to relax before tensing again. Good God what if she noticed... How could she not!? The markings on his face would not go away because he willed them. Not because they were an inconvenient showcase of his clan's identity, not because he needed them to either. No, he'd have to think quickly. On your feet Souku! He could almost hear his former sensei screaming at him.

"I'm a traveler, from the North-West." He eased on, still lacking any obvious errors as he lied through his teeth. Standing up straighter in more of a gentleman's pose - even if he lacked the cleanliness to appear so otherwise- he continued. "He-" He gestured towards Murasaki. "-is my dog, Kodi." "Kodi" snapped his head upward, yodeling playfully at the sound of "his name".

That's it Souku! Good job!" The dog was nearly singing in his mind. It was just like him to be able to worm his way from danger with simple lies when the time called for it.

"I'm sorry to have just..barged in on you like that. But I guess Kodi, here, mistook you for someone else. I'm looking for a friend of mine, actually. She's lost this", he ran his hand over the leather belt that hung across his chest and jerked his head back, gesturing at the crossbow on his back.

"Since she's from the Hidden Leaf, we thought we would find her here, naturally." He nodded curtly, smiling just enough to try and fool her again. He had been flawless, as usual. No stuttering or stumbling over his words. Just lying through his teeth, it seemed to come naturally for a guy like him.

[lovelovelove2]

Kouen stood still in the water, letting the sweet sensations of it going across her skin relax her. Her eyes were on the boy at the shore. He seemed to be conversing with his dog, but no words were being spoken aloud. The girl sighed and nodded her head at the dog's and boy's names. She could tell they weren't real, but decided not to say anything just yet.

The sun was beating down and warming her water-chilled body. The day was growing hotter with each minute, making Kouen glad she was in the lake. With that in mind she brought her hands out of the liquid so Haru Ryuzaki wouldn't suspect her off foulplay. Though the girl would never really do so, she didn't want to give him any inclinations of that.

To further discourage those thoughts Kouen stepped towards the bank and began to climb out of the lake. "What is your friend's name? Maybe I can help you find her." Reaching out her hand for Kodi to sniff. The kunoichi hoped he liked her scent

[º•.Ki-Chan.•º]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=f1c6e1] Here Kitty...Kitty....

[/color][/left]

Brilliant green eyes opened into a widened state, only to collapse back into a state of narrowing slits. With every snap of the twig, every rustle of leaves Musei's eyes and ears seemed to react. The woods was always a good place to find something to do.
Something to...hunt?

"TENMEI! PUT...THE...RABBIT...DOWN!"

The rather large cat turned it's head to reveal a still living rabbit dangling from its jaws. the poor thing was silently struggling to get free. Tenmei narrowed her eyes and let out a snort, lifting her head to prepare to snap her little snack's neck when...

WOOOEEEEHOOONNNNNNGGGG[/i]

Jaws snapped open as the feline tucked her tail and retreated from the horrible sound. The rabbit hit the ground in a running start never looking back. Musei could barely contain her laughter as she clutched her stomach and tears streamed down her face.

"Oh Tenmei! that was hilarious. Who'd of thunk a little Rabbit would be all tha...UGH! ICK! STOP THAT!"

As she laughed at the Feline's antics, Tenmei had closed in on her, pouncing on top of her and nuzzling her wet nose into her master's face. To make things worse, she licked her face with the harsh tongue, making her cheek rather red.

"Alright! I'll stop!"

With those words laughter stopped, and cat padded off a ways. Musei sat up, then slowly stood, wiping the slobber from her face with the back of her hand. Really, that cat was almost as bad as a dog. Almost. Not really. Not even close. She smiled to herself. Cats were so much more intelligent. More free, more wild. They had
everything those mangy mutts didn't. And for them to have the NERVE to think they were better?! Musei scoffed. She never really understood why she disliked Inuzuka. She supposed family bred hatred was infused within her being. Maybe hatred was too
strong a word. She didn't HATE them. They were allies of the same village after all. She just...really...couldn't stand them. They seemed so...dirty. With that thought Musei reached behind her and dusted her bottom off. She did envy them, though. Envy them for their ability to care less about water. She hated water and felt like her energy sap from her being when she was wet. Bathing was one thing, she made it quick, simple and of course made sure she was very clean. But swimming...or being in the rain...just wasn't kosher with her. As far as she was concerned, water was evil.

She had been wondering now, for quite some time. Staggering and playing tag with Tenmei. Still, nothing seemed to catch her attention. Nothing seemed to make the predator in her pop. Nothing fun. She let out a long sigh. Another part of her cat
likeness. She had a strong urge to always play, be playful. She could lay on the ground and just bat at leaves for hours if it came down to it; and it certainly seemed like it was going to come down to it. If only she could find something shiny. Ohhh yes. Something glistening and shining and oh so glowing. She would be happy. Very happy.

Tenmei stopped and lifted her massive head, nostrils flaring. she could smell one. The dogs. No matter how old they were, where they had been, what they had been doing...they all smelled the same. Claws unsheathed themselves then slipped back into
their shelter within her paws as she cocked her head to stare at Musei. The woman was so obsessed with being bored that she hadn't noticed. Typical really. Feeling the need to warn Musei before she did anything stupid, Tenmei trotted forward and placed her butt onto the ground in front of her. Making sure to be overly out, she
sniffed again. The light bulb must have come on.

"Dogs. Dirty Inuzuka mutts are out here! Can't I have any place to myself. What in the wor..."

Musei leaned over Tenmei, eyes focused on something ahead. It was glistening, just there in the sunlight. It was sparkling faintly, but it was there. Something shiny. Something...to...play with.

Before Tenmei could stop her, Musei had taken off, her bells making their whistling sounds as she raced. She'd get whatever it was. Yes she would! She'd snatch it and claw it and nibble it and....

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Musei saw the water and everything else disappeared. She had been going so fast that even thought she dug both hands into the soil to stop herself, her body refused and kept going until...

SPLASH![/i]

Into the water the pink-headed Taikoneko went. Water flew up everywhere and because of her speed even her head had gone under. In a futile attempt to "escape" she clawed her way out onto the bank where she shook herself, her words strained and with an utterly terrified voice.

"Its water! Not just any water! Its WET water! WET LIQUID WATER!"

she heaved for a few seconds, as Tenmei sat on the bank next to her, shoulder bouncing as she laughed hysterically at Musei. Her laughed sounded more like a chipmunk being suffocated, but it was in fact Tenmei's laugh. Musei let her nose scrunch up as she prepared to scream at Tenemi, when both she and her cat counter
turned, defenses up. Musei, even wet as she was, let out a low hiss as Tenmei let her lips draw back into a snarl.

"DOG! DIRTY INUZUKA DOG! YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE DIDN'T
YOU?!"

Her words had a bite to them. Her angry hissing could be heard through her speaking and it was not a pretty thing to hear. Still, with her being drenched like she was, it would be hard to take her seriously.


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[Souku|Raidon|Tao]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=8eb7ed] OoC; Wah! Fixed it! =D He couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at the girl's question. For a moment all he could do was make a small noise in the back of his throat, a single act of suspicion he hadn't meant to give way to. But he passed it off, covering it with his momentary silence. His character wanted to be patient, for a traveler like Souku seemed to have more time than he could ever need, even if he liked to stay on his unwritten schedule, but his wit told him to pick up th pace. He'd begun slowly so he could always allow her to believe he was simply a person to move slowly(no lie there, really), but there was not room for patience here. But what to tell her!? His first thought was to use Suki's name, but better judgment told him otherwise. "Rem.", he said simply. There, simple enough. He continued, "I'm not sure you could be of much help. I appreciate it, but..", he paused as though the answer were difficult to get out. Acting never had been a skill of his, but it was enough to buy time for an excuse. "Well, you see..", another pause, "Her name is Kiah..." Even Murasaki was shocked to hear such words come from Souku, turning his head to look over his shoulder to give him a questioning look. Souku..? What are you doing? Think, think, think, he pleaded with his mind to keep up and roll on it. He sighed -again with the acting- before lifting his head up to stare stoically at her. He had to come up with something. Think.., nothing. There was nothing he could say to help himself. Or at least nothing he could think of. He glanced at the tawny dog in front of him, who was looking back at the girl now, sniffing at her hand a bit before sitting down on his butt and doing his best to seem relaxed. "She's..she's not someone who's easy to find, you see.", he tried again. Sweat was beginning to break out, though it was hardly noticeable from his position, he was to far away, thankfully, for anything like that to be noticed. But that wasn't what he was worried over. He was close enough for facial features, clothing, height, and so many other things to be taken in. Dammit, Murasaki! You can't be so nostalgic!. But regardless of what Souku thought Murasaki was thinking about, be it old memories or not, the dog's mind was elsewhere. Souku was fumbling and the smell of anxiety wasn't hard to miss with the head wind picking up. He shook his head. His friend had grown out of a lot of things, irrational actions had not been one of them. He kept expecting the teen to whip the cross bow out and threaten the girl so they could make a break. No..surely he wouldn't be so tactless. If she was a tracker nin, Murasaki doubted whether they would be able to make it out of the area in time. His brown eye left the girl as he craned his head upward to examine the walls of the cliff surrounding them. They were rocky. And though they would be able to scale them easily, it would take more time with someone attacking them. And they couldn't be sure what kind of jutsu she was capable of dishing out. Even if she was just a Jounin, the odds were in her favour. He let his fluffy head drop again to come even with the girl's outstretched hand. If Souku slipped up, they were as good as captured, or dead..which ever came first. The two were silent for a while, the truth becoming more and more obvious as Souku gave up on coming up with an excuse. He took a step back on the pebbles, testing his own footing. "I don't think we'll need your help.", his tone was different now, more demanding in it's underlying betrayal of his identity. It doesn't matter.. She doesn't seem to know who I am anyway. Or that I'm a missing nin..if we leave now, it'll be as if nothing happened. She'll pass it off as a random stranger and forget about us... He smirked, more to himself than anything. "Kodi, let's g-" "AHHHHHHH!!!!!" His tense nerves only worsened his reaction as he leaped back, pulling his bow from it's holster and instinctively readied it, almost firing it at his own dog. Murasaki, having relaxed considerably since arriving in the Leaf to begin with, simply jumped to his feet, stepping back and giving a surprised 'woof' as the water splashed up into his face. The dog inhaled sharply, wondering how the scent had eluded him for that long and allowed someone to get so close. The gust of wind answered for him, having been coming toward them, betraying their own scent instead of the new...whatever it was. He breathed in through his nose again. The scent told him it was another human, not an animal, and a female one at that. But the look of perplexity that came over his two toned face confused Souku. "What is it?", he called over. Murasaki stayed still for a moment, only his brown nose twitching ever so slightly. Finally, his stillness passed as his lips pulled back to reveal yellowed enamels. The fur along his hackles and shoulder blades rose and he growled audibly as the girl rose from the water to climb onto the bank. Stepping back as she passed him, sending flecks of water onto him, he lowered his head defensively, warningly as she pointed an accusing finger as his friend. And as the cat returned the snarling, Murasaki seemed more focused on the damn cat than the person. The familiar smell had Souku practically bristling up as well, his face contorting into an angry scowl. He had been away from home for almost fix and a half years now, but not long enough to forget those people. Still, even in his misguided anger(misguided because he was never really sure why he hated the members of the clan so much, he just did) built up behind his dark eyes and his hands gripped the bow in his hands considerably tighter - just shy of squeezing the trigger -, the noisy bursts of accusation confused him. It took him a moment for it to hit him. ...Inuzuka?...She did it. She snopped us. Shit, shit, shit! The missing nin tensed suddenly, his mind doing it's best to form up a plan for escape. There was no way to reverse it. Or if there was, he was blind to it. His eyes flicked back and forth from the girl by the lake to the cat lady. Geez... Lifting his head up and straightening his shoulder, he set a stiff leg to step forward in unnecessary retaliation that came with his bloodline and caused by hers. "What the hell are you talking about, dumbass!? That was your own damn fault!", he bit the inside of his cheek after yelling back at her. The only possibility to escape confrontation of any sort was to bolt. Or... He glanced down at the bow in his hands. He could always hold one of them on point. No, to risky with a Jounin and...well a Jounin and a damn cat. Murasaki tiled his ears foreword aggressively, taking note of his friends hesitation. Souku felt his finger tense near the trigger. This is bad.. No, as long as they don't know exactly who I am..I'm safe.

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[lovelovelove2]

Her quick, precise gaze caught his and the dog's ecery movement. From the bristling dog fur to the uneasy change in Haru Ryuzaki stance. He was getting ready to bolt. "I'm not sure you could be of much help. I appreciate it, but.."[/b] Kouen held her hands up in surrender, she didn't want the man to run, she wasn't going to hurt him. As they stood looking at each other, waiting for someone to move first, a warm wind blew from the north.

"I'm not going to harm you," the words were spoken softly, carried on the messenger zephyr. "Please, calm down." Those small hands were still raised, now meant to portray calmness and serenity. Slowly, ever so slowly, Kouen moved out of the water. Her face was a mask, meant to hide any emotion or any plan. Minding the dog and his still bristling fur, the girl padded away, keeping her unprotected body from his strong, sharp teeth.

The young jounin smiled slightly to push assurance on the man. He was still tensed to make a run for the hill. "Please believe me. If I had wanted to attack you, I would have done so by now." As soon as those words fell from her lips, others were shouted from an edge of the bank. "DOG! DIRTY INUZUKA DOG! YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE DIDN'T
YOU?!"[/b] A girl with pink hair and a rather large cat that looked to be her companion had appeared out of nowhere, scaring the dog and the man. Kouen had been to absorbed in the man's approaching movements that she hadn't noticed till Haku yelled back at the female. Only then did the jounin take a look at her.

[º•.Ki-Chan.•º]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=f1c6e1] Here Kitty...Kitty....

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Musei felt herself sputtering. Did it just talk back to her? Her pink wet hair stood on end as her green eyes widened, the pupil dilating. Her lips curled back intyo a snarl as a vicious hiss emitted from deep within her. Her fingers curled into the palm of her hand, nails digging into her skin. Like her animal counter, Musei simply "puffed" up. She'd not be scared away. She'd stand and fight.

"How dare you! How dare you temp a Taikoneko and then DENY it!"

Tenmei let the muscles through her body ripple. The tip of her nose wiggles a bit as she let her growls die down. Something seemed amiss with these two. Something was different. Sitting down she cocked her head to the side and glared at the dog curiously. She thought she could remember him from somewhere. Still, Musei wouldn't stop to think if she'd remembered them. The massive cat let out a loud yawn, her tongue lolling from her mouth as she did so. She suddenly wasn't worried about them.

Musei let her eyes glance over at Tenmei, then back over in time to catch a girl standing there. She looked kind of dumb to Musei. Dumb and...wet. Ew.

"What are YOU looking at? YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?"

Musei hissed through her teeth, the hair on her head rising with the emotion again. Seh lifted her hand and let her pointer finger slip loose and point at the girl. It was accusing, to say the least.

"You work with a dirty dog! You're no better then they are!"

She hated dog lovers. She really did. Why? She wasn't sure. She just did. Thought, he was kinda...NO. NO HE WASN'T. She snorted to herself, her glare trekking over to Tenmei.

The giant cat was currently cleaning her face and purring. Apparently Musei's gaze had daggers, because the cat immediately jumped to her feet and began to hiss and growl again; though the tone would tell anyone she was bored with it.


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[Souku|Raidon|Tao]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=8eb7ed] OoC; Bleh, it's predictable, stereotypical, as sudden as it gets, And Souku will probably get his ass beat afterward too. But I'm in a bit of a writers slump, so forgive me. How dare you! How dare you temp a Taikoneko and then DENY it Souku unintentionally allowed his usually stoic expression to be pulled into a 'what the fuck' look, cocking his head back on his neck as he did so. "Your mad!", he called back. Murasaki offered a supportive Woof! to boot. Geez, insane cats. What the hell goes on in their heads? Can't be anything good... He hadn't meant to let his thoughts wander. But it had become a bad habit of his as of late, though he hardly noticed. Being alone with your dog does that to you after a while though. For a moment, his dark gaze flicked over towards the girl beside the water, taking brief note of her softer voice. And what to do with you..? He frowned, watching her raise her hands up above her head. And it brought him to retract his previous estimations. Was this really a Konoha Jounin he was looking at? He snorted quietly to himself. Not if that's what she's planning to do!. He shook his head. Again with these distracting thoughts! "Well, at least I'm not the only one..", he muttered under his breath, pulling his chin down into the high collar of his shirt as he did so to prevent them from hearing him. Back to the situation at hand, he decided. Souku's face hardened, mind racing against his will to string together a plan. These two didn't seem to... Well, quite frankly, he didn't find them all that intimidating anymore. Typical. Once Souku felt any sort of problem was tolerable, he'd attempt to jump over it and ignore it. Continuing on and swallowing down life's problems in stride and without complaint, like a mountain goat, in a way. Still, even if he didn't feel as if he could lose to them in a battle(probably a mistake on his part), he was now left with another obstacle. They didn't know who he was. Good. Now to cut scene while he could without drawing attention or suspicion to himself. And there lay his problem. He could have run - which he imagined was what his friend was waiting for at this point - but he had long convinced himself that running solved little, if anything. They would just chase after him, he didn't want to be injured so close to 'home'. They would wonder why he'd taken off and reported him in, blowing his whole 'being dead' facade. Nope, running would do nothing to benefit him! Of course, the nervousness behind Murasaki's eyes told a different tale. He thought of turning tail from the start. But the tawny dog knew better. Because when it boiled down to pot, he knew, Souku was too damn arrogant to run. The boy suffered from a bad sense of pride. And worse, he knew little about controlling it. The dog sighed in him head at the predicament. Here Souku was, probably getting cocky, when they should have just left. And this cat lady wouldn't be helping if she tried goading him on like that. He barked again(though, thanks to linage, it was always that 'woof' sound), his deeper voice stumbling back into a low growl afterward. Souku! We have to go! Don't waste time with them, moron!, his purple tongue slid out from between his teeth to wet his nose, inhaling sharply between the snarls and growls. Regardless of the fact that they were tense with each other, he still found he enjoyed the smell of his old home. Souku felt his own nose twitch, his brain searching the brisk breeze for something. Danger perhaps, he considered. He let his eyes wander back toward his friend, easily catching the sharper tone hidden in that single sound. "I can take this.", his own voice had become akin to a sort of growl as he felt his spine tingle with a sense of anticipation he didn't like. "Just give me a minute." A plan, he repeated to himself. If only his mind could take some advantages... He blinked. And for a moment, his face went stoic again, the muscles slacking for a moment. Or rather, it probably looked stoic from a distance. Actually, it was a look of thoughtful revelation. He turned his head, his eyes catching the girl near the lake in that thoughtful look. He could..it wouldn't be to difficult.. His hands tightened around his bow until the trigger was cocked back just shy of firing the thing off. No! The more rational side of his mind chained him, stopping him from moving at all. From his position a few feet from the cat lady, Murasaki tilted his head to watch his friend. Had the dog been able to, he would have raised a questioning eyebrow. Instead, the bridge of his nose wrinkled even further with his snarling, distorting the streak of tawny running down the top of his muzzle even further. With one ear tiling upward toward Souku, the dog seemed to have taken a cautious stance of inquiry instead of a defensive one. Souku watched the girl, torn between one idea and the other. If she had given in so easily to just his dog growling(he hadn't even been growling at her), it was easy for his desperation to overthrow logic. The dog quieted down, sensing the oncoming command. Sure enough; "Murasaki.." The clink of wood against metal was only just audible as he shifted the bow in his hands to get a better grip on the thing. With his nose still crinkled up a bit, Murasaki made a noise of recognition, not liking where this seemed to be headed. He..he isn't..? He was, of course. In his mind, it was the only course of action. The last resort. And in one fluid motion, the missing-nin allowed his reckless nature to spur his mind forward. It was for the best, he reminded himself. Lifting the bow, the nin took aim in only a matter of secounds. How many times, after all, had he done this? Hundred? Thousands? And in only a breath's time, he'd cocked it and pulled the rigger. It jerked his arm, the taunt bow string releasing the built up pressure and sending the long handled kunai hurtling toward the damn cat woman. But in all of his experience, with all of his honed talent with the bow, he had little doubt in his mind that the woman would be able to dodge. There had been subtlety in his movements before, sure, but any ninja worth his(or her) salt could have avoided it. But Souku expected it and planned accordingly. His friend lurched to the side, ending up behind the cat lady and lunging forward from behind in a deliberately clumsy attempt to tear into her shoulder. Again, it was expected that she could dodge. Though it was hardly the woman Murasaki found himself worried about. Not when the cat to her side dwarfed him so easily. And unlike Souku, Murasaki knew his own limits. Agility was one of them when set next to any cat. At least the dog was modest. Souku, by now, had been able to use his speed to an advantage. Bending his knees, he channeled his chakra to his legs, leaping forward and closing the distance between himself and the girl quite suddenly. Taking a position only a foot behind her, he raised the bow to be level with her head, cocking it again as the devise drew up another well designed kunai from within the hollow center of the thing. "Don't move now..", muttered, eying Musei from over the girls shoulder. "You shouldn't have put your hands up, it made you an easy target, dumbass.", he told her without looking at her. Instead, he focused on Murasaki and the lady and her cat.

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[º•.Ki-Chan.•º]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=f1c6e1] Here Kitty...Kitty....

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It spoke to her again. This didn't help her mood and to make matters wors, the GIRL was staring at her like a retarded fool! Her hair bristled again, but only slightly. it wasn't from what he said..no...it was his movements. He was mocking her it seemed, as if he felt he could win.

As if.

She'd always heard the Inuzuka couldn't win against a Taikoneko, based on their reflexes alone. She would, always, land on her feet. Thinking about them made her feet twitch, the spike of her sandal like heals digging into the ground, the muscles in her legs tensing. Let him come at her.

As soon as he made his move, Musei's hissing and growling ceased. He had pulled back on the trigger, her ears picked that much up. She stood straight up, her body shivering the wetness off. Tenmei stopped too, the giant cat now beginning to pace beside Musei. It was imminent now, that someone was going to get hurt. Body? Maybe. More like someone's ego. Tenemi loved battle, and she knew that Musei loved it too. Their agility made it seem as if it were a dance, always at least a step ahead of their enemy. Still, with Inuzuka it was unclear of how agile their dogs were, not to mention if he were to get a hold of Musei his strength would topple hers.

The snap of his crossbow brought on a sideways grin as Musie jumped, letting the bottom of her shoe kick at the handle of one of the Kunai, causing it to skid off course and puncture the ground inches in front of the jounin female. The other two landed harmlessly on either side of her, Thought Tenmei leapt off to the side to avoid being hit. This gave them an opening, however as his dog flew forward, Musei was unprotected by Tenemi, but her giggles of glee announced she was unafraid. This time she crouched down, her hand lifting so her fingertips could trace the underbelly of the dog. Nothing to damage him, but enough to let him now she COULD have.

In what seemed like a liquid motion she spun and stuck her tongue out at the dog. She hadn't really noticed the Inuzuka disappear from his spot until she turned back. Tenmei slowly stalked to a position between Musei and the dog, a swipe of her paw; claws unsheathed, warned him of coming closer to her Mistress. She really didn’t' want to dirty herself if she didn't have to. Her hisses spoke words that she knew the dog would understand.

"Back off, or I'll gut you and leave your corpse for the maggots.

It wasn't actually spoken, but it was damn sure implied. Musei however, was focused on the girl with a crossbow to her head. Her head cocked to the side and a curious look washed over her face.

"Is this supposed to concern me, dog? I care not what you do with her. She was fraternizing with the enemy."

She placed her hands on her hips and walked forward a deep sigh escaping from between her lips as she did so.

"but if you really want to play it that way, I suppose I should warn you that Tenmei is faster then your fluffy friend. You pull that trigger or make any moves to otherwise harm anyone, and she can on top of him tearing out his lovely throat in an instant. As an animal lover, and advocate for anti-fur trades...I would hate to see that happen."

She turned and looked over her shoulder at Tenemi, who was tensed and ready to pounce. it was no lie that even if the dog moved the giant cat would have a part of him. it was also no lie that she also dwarfed the dog by a few inches, if not more. It wouldn’t' end up pretty.

It was as if a thought struck her, as she looked over at the snarling dog. Her eyes got wide and she seemed to giggle more with glee then she had before. She knelt down to the ground, keeping her eyes up at him the whole time.

"So why don't you tell us all who you are? I'd hate for it to be unknown for when they enter you into the bingo books when they find dead bodies."

She was shifting, keeping her eyes trained on him. If she was fast enough, she'd be able to hit his bow before its charge was let loose. If not? Well..she supposed the girl would just die. She wasn't concerned; she just didn't want it said that she was a traitor for not helping out a fellow shinobi.

Stupid people.

She hated the lot of them.





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[Souku|Raidon|Tao]

OoC; Ehm...whelp, seeing as the thread doesn't make sense since Rinakai's gone... I guess we can just send Souku and Musei elsewhere. I'm just going to say Souku was startled or something and he accidently killed her(makes for good plot rabbits) and he and Murasaki take off. Musei can follow if she wants, but I'm going to start another thread.