Missions Galore

Mission Name: Honouring Ancestors
Rank: B
Mission Location: Hoshigakure

Challenges: --
Task: Haven country has always been a place of deep religious and spiritual lore. Many shrines dot the landscape and people pay them due respect. Whether you are a shinobi, priest or not, all can respect the concept of faith. In this case, the animist shrines of Haven are often popular.

Mend bridges among the community as a shinobi and help out at the local shrines. Tend to the grounds, pay respects to the dead, meditate among the gardens, or perhaps learn more about the history of the religions this land is founded on. Who knows - you may even hear the voice of spirits that wander around these temples and shrines.

Word Count Requirement: 3,000
Reward: 6,000 Ryo / 30 AP

Character Requirements: Hoshigakure shinobi
Character Exclusive: --


Things had picked up for the Ametsuchi heir since his meeting with Tsuna and his subsequent missions. It had gotten him into the swing of things, but something else had been driving the young swordsman to get back into his prime - The Nova Exam. He stared at the letter every hour of everyday with a smile knowing this would be it...this would be how he would show everyone how strong he was...and that everything would be his. He had fallen into a pit of despair and he felt it, but it empowered him...drove him to further areas of determination that even he didn't know. Cassian had watched silently, knowing this would be "best" for his partner...in order for him to fall into place. Either way he sat within his forge with the lights still on pondering on what he would do with this mission today. He needed some funds due to not working for what felt like weeks, but with the exams coming up he needed the materials to make sure all of his weapons were going to be up to snuff. As a blacksmith he took great pride in his crafts and each weapon or armor he brought into this would showcase that. Standing up he would throw on his usual attire- his armored jacket which sat on top of his kimono, his black pants, and a pair of boots. Today he would only bring Cassian with him. Strapping the massive weapon onto his back he would head out of the forge and toward the Shrine area. Things had always been in a state of disarray within the village when it came to shinobi and civilians but why they thought helping at these shrines would help bewildered him. Even so, he agreed to the mission to at least show his face and if not that maybe the meditation would bring him closer to himself. The trek from the forge to the shrines took him maybe a couple of minutes if not an hour, but it was filled with silence with every step. Both of his hands were stuffed within the depths of his jacket pocket, amber eyes facing forward and blank as he maneuvered around those that had been in the bustling street.

Those that knew him would smile and wave which in return they would receive a small nod, the whispers of the "child" prodigy of Mercurio being out and about started to fill his ears but there was no smile on his face. He knew that he had surpassed his "old" man by miles thanks to the weapon embedded in his arms, but only one knew about that...but soon they all would. After an uneventful walk, he would arrive at the gates of the shines, his eyes looking up before taking a deep breath and walking forward. He could hear a few footsteps coming up behind him which caused Morio to turn and see who it was. A small if not straight smile appeared on his face as he turned back around to settle his footing," Well if it isn't....Miki? Is it? What brings you to the shrines unless...you are the one on this mission with me huh?," a small chuckle escaped his lips as his right foot lifted off of the ground and off he went. What didn't surprise him had been the amount of stairs he had to traverse to get to the main section of the shrines. What did was how he felt being here. Off wasn't the word but it was as if somewhere deep down he felt... unbalanced. Shaking the thought from hims mind he continued up the stairs and looked around in the process. The scenery of the shrines or rather the path leading up to them felt like he had been walking through a portal to another land. On the one had he was in a bustling city but now he had been in the realm of Gods and Law. As he crossed the final threshold and saw the first shrine he would be greeted by a few shrinemaiden and the head monk themselves.

They would exchange bows to the young lord in which he would bring his right hand left hands together, the right in the form of a fist and his left an open palm," Thank you for allowing us to come and help assist you in your tasks and experience a bit of the shrine," Morio had stated to the head monk. It was certainly his first time here, but he felt...at peace just like when he was in the forge. The Head Monk would smile and wave a hand to the blue and black haired male noting that he was just happy they took time out of their day to help and show people not every shinobi was centered around themselves. Whenever his partners or anyone else had came up and joined them, The Head Monk would notify them that they could help with any task that the shrine maidens had or peruse the shrine to their hearts content. Either action would look good on them honestly. While Morio wanted to help clean, he inclined to go about and look over the shrine just to get some things off his mind before helping out. With that being said, Morio would turn on his heels and wave to the others as he walked off. His adventure took him around the main building into a grove of sorts. It had been littered with sand, trees and a pool that in the center had a small area in which people could sit and meditate. No one else had been there so with a small leap he would land in the sitting area and stick Cassian into the ground in front of him, sitting in front of it and sitting indian style. With his legs crossed and in a comfortable position, he would begin to take in steady, deep breaths and soon after he began meditating in silence only hearing the sounds of the wind and the gentle swooshing of the water.

1013 WC

A stir in the pile of blankets and comforters that covered the bed and anyone who laid in it was the only sign that someone was in the apartment. Crom unburied himself from his bed, his attempts at ridding himself of the natural cold he always felt even in the hottest places still very present. There were many in the clan that saw there constantly cold state and resistance as a boon granted to them from their ancestors and lifestyle but to Crom he simply wished he would feel warm without having to either be in a blizzard or hidden inside a 20 blanket cocoon. Crom decided it was better to focus on the things he could actually control and change as he picked up the scroll of his kitchen counter, there laid the briefing of what mission he was to head off and do with a group of other Shinibo of the village. “Head to the Shrines for your mission, you will be a group and there may be more then one mission to complete.” Sparse and barely informative but Crom was use to how short these messages were and begun to do his routine. Washing up, cleaning up and dressing up Crom was ready for the day ahead of him, he still amazed how well the full bodysuit fit him and was glad for its added protection though he figured he would grab something more like a head cover of sorts in the future to round out his physical defense.

Slapping his tanto onto his thigh and opening his apartment door, Crom begun his trip to the mission rendezvous. It was trips to where the meet up was happening that Crom wished he was given more information about who he would be working with and what they would be doing, knowing what you are getting yourself into without having to wait for someone who got chosen to receive more information was obnoxious as to Crom it just felt like it was adding steps to some easy task to make it into some complex undertaking. “I bet its just people up top making more work to seem like they are really adding to the growth and upbringing of the village.” Crom muttered to himself as he thought about those who were hiding in the any place that positions held power over others, without fail there would be corrupt and lazy individuals that held onto their spot by hiding from the lights and slipping through the cracks. Crom shook his head as if he was trying to get rid of that train of thought cause he was almost to the Shrines that had been mentioned in the scroll, he didn’t have time to waste on other thoughts that weren’t the mission ahead of him. Crom could only hope that the people here that were being forced to work together would simply wish to finish the tasks ahead of them quickly and without all the weird “We must be friends.” Dynamic he had to deal with from other groups. They were Shinobi of Hoshi not on some field trip.

The Shrines ahead of Crom were grand in nature while visibly being very basic and simple, there were very little decoration or color that stood out but the atmosphere as you grew closer to the shrines were one of calm and gentle winds. Crom didn’t think of himself as a religious person and there would be very little from others that would suggest that he would be, but being here made him think that maybe there were things as gods and goddesses. These larger forces that had shaped their world into what it was now and still continued to dabble in it, Crom had never heard of anyone meeting anything like those beyond legends and myths. Though the more thought he gave to it the kind of things that some people were able to accomplish while still being considered Human, he wouldn’t be surprised if in the long run someone had become deities and such.

Climbing the stairs weren’t exactly hard or tough they were more annoying and wasteful in Crom’s mind, he couldn’t think what the point of the long ascent was. “I might have to ask one of the people working here what the deal is about that.” Crom said to himself as he reached the top of the hill and entered into the Shrine area proper. There were the typical Shrinemaidens and priests making their rounds, cleaning what they could and nodding at the young Shinobi when he passed them with smiles and warmth. There ahead of him seemed to be some people who stuck out against the background, a boy he assumed with silverish blue hair. It seemed he was speaking to another person there and something about them gave off the whole “These are the people you are working with today.” Feeling so Crom approached the small group forming. “Hello I am Crom Tokage, Are you also here for the missions?” He asked politely hoping that these were the right people and not just some visitors that were checking out the shrine itself. “Does anyone know what we are actually suppose to do today? Or will we have to find the head hancho here and ask them?” He questioned looking around already seeing where the most likely places such a person might be at to make any future decisions easier to deal with.
 
WC: 906

Generally, most shinobi found mundane tasks such as helping with the tidiness of another person's property to be a complete waste of their time. Assumptions like these are not entirely unwarranted, given the very core foundation of being a ninja or kunoichi is to be a weapon of war for your lord; a simple tool. The definition of a shinobi's meaning overtime, however, dripped down into the river of change, much like every other aspect of humanity's life in general. Nowadays, while stealth, guile, espionage and assassination were still mainstays in the every day life of a Hidden Village's military, the members of this esteemed line of work were no longer stalkers utilizing the cover of shadow to accomplish their grey coated quests solely. A community worth its salt, no matter what the basis of its creation is, should have its members working towards the collective future for the development of their homes, as well as preserving the past for their citizens to look back on their legacies and history. Military asset or not, shinobi serve the same purpose, and as such commissions such as keeping the sanctity of a shrine as pure and prosperous as it can be are just as important as a deadly mission in the country of the enemy, seeing as religion is one of the ways the government could not only help keep hope in people's hearts... but control them, too.

None of that really harbored any grip on dear Shobu's heart and mind. Instead, she was grateful to be allowed to honor her family's name, as well as her own, by taking on the labors of needed of her as a kunoichi of Hoshigakure. Of course, she never was chosen for combat roles, which was extremely lucky in her eyes. The Uzumaki wasn't built to kill, steal and destroy, no matter how hard she thought about doing so. It's a wonder she even made it out of the academy, with how absolutely passive she was in nearly any given circumstance. Her activity was focused on the wellbeing of others around her, rather than the original intent of a shadow warrior, and her superiors knew this. That's why she was able to get high ranked missions, yet they almost never involved actually fighting someone. The hands of an artist and a lover were able to make their mark on the village by serving the people around her from the inside, and as of today, she was set to help at one of the few shrines in all of the village, to uphold the will of their fallen ancestors, and make their resting places as pristine as when they were first built. Naturally, she was a perfect fit for the role. It didn't matter that there was the possibility of more missions, or that others would join her, given time. Somehow she doubts it'll get more intense. All she could hope for was that her group would be easy on her, seeing as she wouldn't be much help if it came down to a fight.

Before everyone else was there, Shobu actually arrived an hour early. The funniest part about her first request of the day was that she already planned on visiting the shrine today, in order to hopefully receive the blessing of Benzaiten. Her role in the realm of deities was as a goddess of beauty, luck, love; and all that flows, such as music, words, and water itself. This was her patron deity, the one she's dedicated the most time in giving her worship to, given her nature conveniently flowed naturally with her own. Dressed in a rather simple, pure white kimono with a pink ribbon to tie her waist, and a fancy flower crown made of different colored lilies in her hair, the extra hour she was provided gave her enough time to get on with being guided through worship by one of the many friendly priests and priestesses. This time, she wished that her current relationship paths would turn out in good fortune, given she had a great feeling about a certain someone she met a couple of days ago. Shaking off the flushing in her cheeks afterwards, she was sent to clean behind the shrine itself, in its beautiful gardens in the grove. There's a lot to do, as according to one of the people who worked there, it's not very often that certain areas are cleaned well, due to rumors of spirits guarding their own resting places. Of course, in order to preserve their privacy, she made sure to steer clear of danger areas, and stuck to where most would be visiting anyway. If they are to actually clean that part, she can wait for her supposed group to arrive, after all.

When she's done, having rested by a tree after dealing with much of the litter interlopers have left on the ground, she ends up spotting a peculiar boy taking the time to sit down, and take on a meditative position. No one was around at the time, so it was only naturally he wanted to take the time to peacefully go through the thoughts that may or may have not troubled his mind. The mix of blue and black that combined into the coloration of his hair was rather fitting for the style he went for, and needless to say, it made him stand out. "If I were a betting girl... I bet he's one of my party members. I'll give him a few minutes." There's no way she'd interrupt someone trying to have peace, when they've just started. So, instead she worked her way towards his location by doing a last few touch ups to the area with the thoughtful strokes of her broom, any leftover dust and debris on the trails being hidden expertly in fresh blades of glass, leaving no one the wiser. By the time she's done, it has been five minutes, so she finally walks up to Morio, a gentle smile creased upon her lips. "Good day. You wouldn't happen to be on a mission here too, would you? I was told a group would be accompanying me today... are you one of them? My name is Shobu. It's nice to meet you, even if you aren't one of my partners."

Word Count Tracker:

Missions 2 and 3:

He noticed one th9ing about Miki after their first meeting. She carried a certain air about her that would always elude the young male. Not because he did not understand women, but instead because it was something he had yet to experience from meeting them. That made her both mysterious and dangerous but for now he would not complain about it. Turning his head to meet her gaze he would chuckle and smile," Seems like it. Either you are bound to me for some reason or maybe we just both like making money when we can. Either way it is a pleasure to see you once more," though as another came into view his smile would fade for just a moment as he merely waved since Miki went ahead and introduced him. He had to have been the only shinobi within these walls that just didn't meet many of the other ninja because this one was another mystery to him. Either way the introductions were out of the way and now the fun could begin. Morio had already decided on what he wanted to do and unknown to him it would take him to the area that the head monk had just been talking about. Leaving the others to take on the tasks or adventures they wanted he would say a few words before disappearing from sight," We will meet at the stairs once more...If you are all here then that means you are here for the other missions as well. Have fun and don't get taken by any of the spirits," and with that he would disappear toward the area he had been heading toward. As he sat down however and brought his hands together, he could feel the pulsing of the blade in front of him, as if Cassian had been trying to commune with him in this area. Within his own mind however he appeared in that same landscape as he had been in his sleep. A field as far as the eyes could see under the dark crescent moon sky. The sky had been filled and scattered with stars and a lake sat to his right that reflected the light from the moon and stars perfectly creating a dance upon its surface. He crossed his arms for a moment as he pondered on why his meditation had brought him to this area once more, his eyes scanning the area until he had seen the broken throne once more. This there there had been no form there, just the dilapidated seat. Morio slowly made his way over to it and stared at it for a moment, running his fingers over the throne slowly. With his fingers alone he searched for a story and there had not been one he could find within his grasp, but what he did find he heard behind him.

Steps, slow and steady filled the field as he turned slightly to catch the form of an unfamiliar person, but when he looked into the eyes he knew. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked onward toward the form and shrugged," So this is what you look like huh? Gotta say I prefer you as an eyeball instead of a full form, but beggars can't be choosers huh?," the form looked...human, feminine even. Slender with some form of a bust though she had been wearing a black cheonsung and sandals. He had thought Cassian had been male, hell the entity spoke with such a voice and made mentions to itself as a man yet in reality here they were. It threw him off for a moment but he quickly came back to reality as Cassian chuckled and shrugged." You believed what you wanted and went with it. Using a masculine voice was just easier I suppose. Now what brings you to this field is beyond me. You never wanted to be here within this place and you reject my power but relish in what you make. Its interesting how you can even commune with me knowing full well the damage you are doing," and to his confusion he didn't realize this was an actual space. Wherever his meditation had taken him, it lead him to Cassian and vice versa. Not one to question anything he would take the words in stride and point a thumb back to the throne," So that's yours? Is the reason its broken because I am bucking against you?," to which the entity would chuckle, holding a hand just above their mouth as they spoke," No you silly boy. That is you. Broken. An heir without a throne. A boy without a castle. You have nothing in your name and you are barely an heir. Even the bastard has mastered an ability that should have been natural to you, but because you want to go against the mold yours is broken...incomplete. Because of you," the words would trail off as Morio turned and looked at the throne and there was visible anger and confusion within his form and yet he would not let it show.

There would be silence between the both of them before Morio turned to face  Cassian without saying anything. This was pointless to him at the moment and because of that he would open his eyes returning back to the waking world to the sound of someone speaking. Turning to face them he would realize they were talking to him and he rubbed the back of his head and nodded," Yeah me and two others. They should be done doing the other tasks. I'm heading to the front to meet up with them now," He would stand up and grab the blade, returning to his back and jumping back over into the sand. Making a follow me motion, he would walk back to the front of the shrine where he would wait for Miki and Chrom to arrived. With Shobu hopefully following, Morio would take the time to introduce himself," My names Morio by the way. After this we will be heading to another place to continue doing some missions if you want to come with," though he would fall silent afterward and wait for the other two to come back. Once they had arrived, he would wave them over and listen to how things went for them. After their explanation Morio would quickly fill them in on what would be going on next," We have about two more missions to go and take care of so we are going to head out and deal with those now so we can be done with the day," and that he would head on out. This little trip they would be taking would lead them to the gates of the village though for the most part Morio would be silent unless someone spoke to him. Once outside of the village they would only take a little longer until they came across a dilapidated ruins. It looked like it had seen better days but they were heading down. To the right of them had been stairs that had lead down to their actual destination," From here we need to be careful in case something happens. With any luck we'll find these relics without an issue and keep it moving. Alright let's do it then," and down he went.

He would head down first, looking around and seeing what all the ruins had in store for them. Oddly enough the torches were lit as if someone had been down here or tried rather. That alone put Morio on edge, but he would remain calm just in case. Once the group had made it down the stairs they would see a large corridor that would split into four equal routes. A bit odd, but he shrugged at the notion and stood in front of the third one," It would be easier if we just split up and tackled them all at once. Yell if you need help, meet back here in fifteen?,"  he'd wait for any objections and if none were to be had he would would head down his path. The further he walked the lower the lights got and thankfully due to Cassian's glowing he could make out where he had been going. At the end of his corridor came a large room maybe 50 by 50 that housed a pillar in the center of it. The pillar had been broken of course, but something about it called out to him. Slowly he would walk forward, unknown to any dangers of the room and once he reached the pillar he walked up a few stairs to stare at a broken blade. As he moved to grab the hilt something pinged through his form causing a small jolt to shock his hand. Bewildered by the fact he would take a moment to process what had happened before taking in a deep breath and reaching for it again. When it was finally in his hands he knew this feeling. It was the same feeling as holding Raizel...as holding Cassian. This was forged by a Hoshi...no. This was different. Was this something forged by an Ametsuchi?

He didn't know how to honestly feel about this and after taking the hilt of the blade and what remained of it, he would head back out and meet up with the others. There were many questions he had about this, but this was not the time nor the place. When the others had finally came out he would motion for them to head back up before speaking on what they found. After they had spoken about their individual accounts, the group would be off to their final mission- To find a flower. Morio remembered that they would need to be careful when heading to the location of the flower," This last one requires a... delicate and silent approach as we are not supposed to leave any kind of evidence a