Pain...So Much Pain...

Jingle All the Way:

Home Alone:

Merry Christmas!:

And A Happy New Year!:

Run The Gambit!:

I Haven't Even Started My New Year's Resolution Yet!:

Having used his otherworldly travel token upon his ventures out to sea, Auron had full intentions on meeting back up with his comrades. He found himself coming to his senses back in the Land of Fire, surrounding by lush trees and wildlife. After taking a quick glance at his surroundings, the boy quickly deduced that he had teleported back to the town on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. It had been here that he first met up with Grey, Cid, and Aihara. The group had then gone on to complete missions as a cohesive unit. Upon arrival the Yamaguchi couldn't help but feel an overwhelming feeling of fatigue envelop him. It almost seemed like the multiple days of travels, teleportation, and adventure had caught up with him. So much so that even the simple act of picking one foot up and moving it in front of another felt laborious. Luckily though, Auron was standing directly in front of the inn he was accustomed to staying at. The familiarity of the place felt comforting, as it had been somewhere that he spent an immense amount of time. In his tired daze, the boy pushed the front doors open, ordered a room, and made his way up to it in what felt like an instant. He had been so exhausted that his brain had not even logged those memories as more than a fleeting dream. Resultantly, he had no recollection of being handed a mysterious scroll from an odd stranger just outside of his room. After opening it and skimming it, in what felt like minutes Auron was already fast asleep on the soothing cotton of the covers atop of his bed. 

As the night waged on, so did Auron's dreams. They'd start off as normally as they always had, beginning in a familiar environment with recognizable places. This time he had been with his parents, away on vacation at the only beach he had ever gone to. But something about this beach felt eerie, in the same way it felt when fog blanketed it and a genjutsu took over the mind of its inhabitants. Though this time there was no fog. Instead it was a pure white substance...thick to walk through, and falling from the sky in what seemed to be in flake form. Auron had never seen anything like it, and so in his dream state he assumed this to be some type of jutsu. While his subconscious had been dealing with that, his physical body had been tossing in turning on his bed. Knocked out and still dealing with the peculiarity from his dream, Auron's deep sleep would make him ignorant to the changes surrounding him. If he had been awake and experiencing it, the adolescent would have described the process as similar to what Ooetsu had shown him: a feat of teleportation. Though this time it had been on a much grander scale. The entire environment of the room seemed to change. The once dingy yet dainty room he resided in shifted immensely. No longer were their cracks in the walls, rusted stuck open windows, and cool air flowing through it. Instead the room was drastically insulated, designed for the cold, and it was equipped with a furnace blasting warm air within it. During his slumber, Auron's body responded to this drastic change in climate. Resultantly, his brain would send a signal of distress to the rest of his body which forced him to wake up in a controlled panic.

When he would, he'd find himself in a moderate size puddle of sweat. Somewhat frantically, he'd pat himself down making sure all of his possessions were still on him. Confirming this, he'd look from side to side in the room. To his shock, it was nothing like what he had fallen asleep in. Instead it seemed much more...cozy? There had been a warm fire crackling in a brick fire place, along with the comforting blow of hot air from the room's vents. Standing from the bed, Auron would walk over towards the window of the room. He'd raise his hands and part the curtains to the side, unveiling a clear look through the glass pane and out into what appeared to be a tundra. The wind had been blowing strongly, evident by the roaring of it against the building. That same powdery white substance he had seen in his dream had blanketed the entire exterior. 

"What the fuck..." was all that Auron allowed to escape from his lips. In a dazed motion, he'd raise both hands to his head and gripped his locs for comfort. Just what exactly was happening? The Yamaguchi plopped back down onto the bed and rested momentarily so that he could gather his thoughts. As he reflected more on the situation at hand, his heart rate would lower back to its normal range and his thoughts became more cohesive. There had been one instance in his life that he experienced that was almost exactly like this. The beach. The same beach that he had dreamed about just moments ago. No matter how hard he thought of that setting, the young man could never derive just how he got there. And that same sensation was what he was faced with now. After taking some time to process this dilemma, Auron finally got back up from the bed. With all of his possessions equipped, the boy would depart from the room and descend down the oaken stairwell that led to the lobby. Once he arrived here, he'd sternly walk towards the receptionist desk and offer a short nod of acknowledgement.

"Yo," the Yamaguchi initiated, in a similar tone that Ooetsu had imparted on him. To Auron, it seemed less formal but nonetheless commanded attention. "Can you do me a favor and point me to a map?" The young man wanted to come across as normal as possible, without trying to describe his sudden and unexpected awakening at this place. He figured the less attention he drew, the better.

The receptionist, a middle aged man with jet black hair would look up from the publication he had been reading and lock eyes with Auron. He'd look over the Yamaguchi for a moment before raising his hand up, with a single finger fully extended and pointed towards a wall opposite of his desk. In turn, Auron's eyes would follow the direction of the man's finger. Shifting his body around, he'd cast his gaze at the wall across the room. Ironically, there was a large and decorative map hanging on the wall and mounted in a golden frame. Once more, Auron would direct his attention towards the receptionist and offer him a head nod of appreciation. There didn't seem to be much more to discuss between the two and so Auron would disengage from the "conversation". Following this he'd approach the large map, which detailed a thorough layout of the town he'd find himself in. "Winter Wonderland" is what what centralized, bolded, and embroidered at the top of the map. And just underneath it read a second descriptor of the location: "Snow Country".

Admittedly Auron did not know much of either place, but its name was pretty characteristic of the climate outside. From what his last involuntary trip to a foreign land, he learned that the only way he could find success in the strange location was to fully embrace it. Though he was less than excited to do so. However the new set of armor that he had fabricated would make bearing this unbearable biome that much easier, especially with the compression suit as its base layer. Thus directing his attention to the front door of the hotel, Auron would walk towards it and embark on what would be described as a painful and tedious set of endeavors.

Almost instantly after departing from the hotel, an icy cold snowball would fling through the air and towards the Yamaguchi's direction. With the subtlest movement, Auron would rotate his torso a couple degrees so that the snowball would whiz right past him and into the maple doors of the hotel. In that same motion, Auron's head and attention would whip towards the source which was a group of children. They seemed to be no more than 7 to 10 years old in age, playing in the snow when it innocently got out of hand. Though Auron wasn't the best with social queues, he at least realized that it wasn't intentionally...nor was it an attack. Therefore he didn't reach for Masamune...although he had been yearning to use it since its birth. But children were hardly an appropriate target, and instead he approached them with curiosity. 

"You children play in...this?" he asked with an expression of skepticism riddled across his face.

"Yeah! It's the only thing to do out here. That and wait for Santy Claws."

"Wh-who?"

"Santy Claws! He's the big ass fat ass big ass man that sneaks into our houses and drops off presents. Though everyone is worried lately with all of the burglaries going on. I'm starting to think that Santy Claws will be scared of them..."

The child leading the discussion would look over Auron momentarily, immediately noticing the armor he was outfitted in as well as the multitude of weapons that hung from his body. In a deceptive manner, the ringleader's face squished into one of mischief. 

"Saaaaay...would you be willing to look into those burglaries? It should be easy enough...especially since every house was hit except for that one at the end of the street."

Unfortunately for Auron, the child's opportunistic pitch struck a chord with him. He relished going on missions, investigating, and putting himself in harm's way so long as the price was right. And like he already decided upon, it was best to play along when in these strange locations. He'd shrug somewhat, glance over each of the kid's, and retort. "How much you paying?"

"Us? We're kids...But there's a nice bounty for the capture of the criminals. You should be able to cash it in with the police."

Scoffing at the child's sass, Auron would roll his eyes and look off towards the direction of the only untouched house in the village. "Whatever..." he'd let out as he stuffed his hands into the pockets on his cloak and begin walking off. As he did so, the kids called out to him to get his attention to see if he would actually be undertaking the task, yet Auron was no longer interested in the back and forth with the youngins. He already had the mission details provided to him and knew who he needed to talk to in order to get his reward, therefore the rest would be easy. Besides, if he ambushed the burglars they'd stand no chance against Masamune. And just the thought of unsheathing her against a threat was worth the mission. 

As he paraded towards the house at the end of the street, 100 meters from his encounter with the children, the sun would start its descent. Perfect timing for him to arrive to the residence. With the sky darkening, the Yamaguchi would make it to the front door of the home. 

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

Moments later a middle aged woman would come to the door, opening it, and almost expectedly addressed the young man. "You must be the help that the police force called for huh? They already briefed me that my house would be used to trap the burglars...As long as nothing is damaged or stolen, you have my compliance." She said. The woman was quick and to the point, exactly what the soft spoken missing ninja preferred. But still, it seemed weird that she had been expecting someone. Perhaps the police force had already reached out to a separate, third party about investigating the issue. Regardless, Auron would assume the mission himself.

"If that's the case, can you vacate the property? I'll stake out the residence and stop whoever tries to break in."

"Bet. I already booked a night at the Inn. Please send for me when the job is finished."

Nodding in response, Auron would step aside and allow the woman to exit from her home. She'd walk down the street in the direction of the hotel, exactly where she planned on camping out for the night. Once she was out the way, Auron would enter the home and close the door behind him. Yet only moments later, there would be a knock at the door. Perhaps she was expecting company? Or maybe this was the third party that Auron suspected was assigned to the case. Either way he'd approach the front door, open it, and look upon two individuals who stood outside it. He'd refrain from initiating the conversation and would just wait for them to address themselves and their intentions.

When the strangers revealed who they were, more specifically that they were the ones assigned to investigate the bandits, Auron would accept the fact that he was no longer in this one alone. Should either of the newcomers ask for his name, Auron would retort in his characteristically short manner of speaking. "Auron" he'd say with a certain calmness in his voice. And although he was more than fine with undertaking the mission by his lonesome, Auron wouldn't stand in the way of them helping. At the end of the day, they were just as much entitled to investigating the threat as he was. Though they were more so, seeing as the police force likely assigned the task directly to them. But as long as they didn't challenge Auron's presence, he wouldn't challenge theirs. However Auron had two completely different styles of completing missions. When alone, he'd act out of instinct with very little planning required. This wasn't to say he was impulsive or boisterous, but he didn't second guess his gut feeling. When with a team, Auron typically reverted back to his subordinate mindset. Even in the case where he might be considered the most experienced or senior shinobi, leading wasn't his style. He had always been treated as a follower, enforcer, or a hound of sorts...and so that was how he saw himself. Today would be no different. With the introduction of two new detectives, shinobi, or whoever this pair revealed themselves to be, Auron would defer to one of them to lead. And when that person would take the reigns on the organization of the trio, the mission could finally begin. After the trio had their introductions and debriefing, Auron would allow them to enter the home and the group would make their way to the large living room. Whether they chose to discuss the mission at hand or simply sit in silence, Auron would comply. He wasn't preferential to either way of working as long as the job was finished. But regardless, some time would pass by and the moment to act was soon.

By this time of night, it was pitch black outside. Auron's internal clock made him think it was around 9 or 10 PM at night, however it seemed much darker for that time of day than it normally was to him. Perhaps it had something to do with the environment they were in, but in the Land of Fire the night sky was much more lively. Here the night seemed as harsh as the snow, and perhaps its dark guise was the exact reason as to why the burglars had been so successful. They were likely able to move around in the shadow of the night, quietly and stealthily sneaking in and out of homes. But from what Auron had deduced so far was that there were likely no shinobi that challenged the bandits during their home invasions. If so, these burglaries would not have gone so smoothly each time. And there wouldn't be such a large number of homes that were hit. It was at that time that Auron had a moment of realization. 

"Yo," he let out just loud enough to capture the attention of the other two in the house with him. "I'm somewhat of a sensor, so I can passively survey the house and its surroundings. Once I detect something I'll let you guys know." Assuming the team would have no quarrels with his suggestion, Auron would nod to whatever response they'd offer and he'd subsequently perform a series of hand seals. Upon completion of them, Auron would use the Mind's Eye technique to monitor the house and its surroundings, within 50 meters of his position. At first all he could detect was small birds roosting on the top of the house. But within about 30 minutes of activating the technique, he'd pinpoint three human sized chakra signatures approaching the home. They were relatively weak blips on his radar, either indicative of their actual power level or them suppressing their chakra. In either case, the Yamaguchi was hardly worried. Still though, he'd inform the team of the readings. "Three signatures approaching now. They'll probably be at the house within a couple of minutes so be ready. And try not to damage anything in here." With that, Auron would mentally prepare for the intruders. With all the lights off in the house, he'd take to the shadows and wait idly by. The Yamaguchi wanted to refrain from resorting to jutsu as he didn't want to break any of the owner's possessions, and so he'd only quietly unsheathe Masamune. Within a couple of minutes, there'd be a knock at the door. Auron would not answer it, and would motion for his comrades to do the same. A second knock came following this, which again remained unanswered. Finally it went silent, before the lock on the door began to jiggle. Clearly these bandits had some skills if they were clever enough to pick the lock. After a shot period of doing so, they'd unlock the door and gain entry. Still in the shadows, Auron would not make a move until he was instructed to do so. When he got the signal from his comrades, he'd jump out from the shadow and grab ahold of the nearest band. He'd slip his frame behind theirs, and raise Masamune up so that it'd rest upon the throat of the bandits. Assuming his partners subdued their own target, the mission was a success. Auron would let his partners do all the talking, as he simply listened to the sounds of the struggling and lamenting bandits who now had to face the reality of being caught. Idiots.

"I guess it's time to turn these guys in." Auron would let out in a confident tone, proud that the mission was completed so effortlessly. He'd deactivate his jutsu and begin the process of physically restraining the bandit he subdued. Without the proper tools of an officer, Auron had to improvise. And so he found himself binding the hands of the bandit with the cord used to bundle the curtains in the living room. His comrades would need to get creative. But when they'd do so, the group should make their way over to the police station next to the hotel. Auron would keep his blade pointed at the back of his prisoner all the way until they reached the building, remaining silent in the process unless there was reason not to. When they arrived, he'd keep the mission briefing concise for the police officers that greeted them.

"Here's the perpetrators. Caught them red handed breaking into the home at the end of the street. The owner is staying in the hotel next door. I trust you're more familiar with her than I am, but she asked us to send for her when the job was finished. I suppose that's in your hands now."

"Wow, the dead of night and you three have already apprehended the suspects? Thank you. Our town will greatly appreciate the efforts from you three. Here, your reward. Oh and this scroll was offered as a reward as well, from...I'm not sure who. But we were told to give it to whoever resolved the burglary issue."

Auron would nod in response to the officer, grabbing ahold of his own personal reward and the scroll as well. He'd use one hand to stuff the ryo into the item pouch on his left hip, and when this was concluded he'd grip the scroll with both hands. Upon unraveling it, the contents of it were embroidered in a ruby red font. The penmanship exhibited in the writing was flawless, but the font style seemed unusually...jolly? In any case, Auron would go on to read the contents of the scroll aloud to his newfound teammates once the officer returned to his post.

"Greetings and Happy Holidays. If you are reading this scroll, you are capable enough to handle high stress situations. A couple of my workers have been scouting out the town and noticed a significant amount of criminal activity. Therefore I had incentive the police station to contract the help of capable individuals to handle the issue. Additionally I instructed the officers to issue this scroll to whomever those individuals may be...presumably you. As for me, I go by many names but most know me as Santa Claus. To put it bluntly, I have fallen very ill this year and I fear my annual responsibility of delivering presents will not doable unless I have someone to take my place. And so with this scroll, I entrust you the reader to take up my duties. Within this scroll is a teleportation seal. Press your hand on it and form the Ram seal with one of your hands and you and whoever you are with will be teleported directly to me. We can discuss more when you get here."

After reading the detailed letter, Auron would furrow his brow and exchange a peculiar look at the two shinobi that helped him complete the mission. "Well...I don't have anything else to do. If you both are interested, we can at least investigate this."

WC = 3672

Chiharu hadn’t expected to wake up somewhere completely different from where he’d gone to sleep, but as he blinked awake, he realised the room he was in was vastly different from the one before. Damn, what had happened last night? He remembered going to bed with that guy, but not much beyond that. Strangely, though, all of his equipment and clothing had been brought with him. His clothes were folded neatly on a chair across the room, and his weapons leaned on the wall next to the bed. Whoever had moved him, at least, hadn’t seemed to have any intention of robbing him. But then, where was he, and why? It didn’t make any sense to bring someone with all their things, especially if the whole affair was happening while the person was asleep. Just what kind of fantasy novel was this meant to be? He’d rather have stayed where he’d been with the handsome man he’d gone to bed with the night before.

Mismatched eyes surveyed the room further, and found it significantly fortified against the cold, which told him he wasn’t anywhere near fire country or it’s relatively warm neighbouring countries. That was already a massive clue as to his location, but he’d need to scout for more info. Sighing, the young man swung his legs over the edge of the bed, making his way to his clothing to retrieve it and put it on. There were hints of soreness from his activities the night before, but no lasting bruises. It was very strange, he decided. Slipping into his clothes felt like a comfort, no matter how nice it had been to have them off last night. Shaking his head to clear it, Chiharu slipped into his clothes, grateful that everything was there and neatly folded. Whoever had brought him wherever this was had taken great pains to keep his things from being harmed, which put him slightly more at ease. He wasn’t totally convinced whoever had brought him here had pure intentions, but this was good enough for now.

It took a few minutes to situate all the straps and clothes just right, but soon enough he was pulling on the heavy boots that he usually covered his feet with, ready to grab his weapons and head out. Taking one last look at the room revealed nothing, other than that he’d been brought somewhere cold, so he grabbed the rest of his supplies and made to exit the room. Exiting the room did give him another hint, the long hallway of rooms leading down to a staircase that led to a lower floor giving him the thought that this was most likely an inn. From there, he made his way to the stairs, raising an eyebrow when he emerged into a tavern-like area. So it was an inn. The woman behind the bar counter raised an eyebrow at him as he approached, expression entirely dry. ”What do you need, kid? You were pretty out of it when you were brought here last night, I’m surprised to see you up and about.”

”Is that so? Any idea who brought me here? Or where I am for that matter? I don’t appreciate being brought across countries while asleep, you know. I think that constitutes as a kidnapping.” he asked, putting on his most neutral voice. It wouldn’t do to be too offputting here, not when he needed the info. The woman didn’t make a comment on his choice of wording, but she did snort at it, thinking for a moment before answering. ”You’re in snow country, kid. No idea who brought you here, though, they were covered from head to toe. Couldn’t catch a glimpse of anything. By the way, you a shinobi? Police been looking for some of you fancy ninja types for help with a case, I hear it’s good money.” was her response, gesturing to a board nearby that had job listings pinned to it.

He thanked her, taking a moment to think about what he wanted to do. He had a lot of ground to cover if he wanted to get back home, but…

Chiharu frowned for a second at the predicament, snow wasn’t anywhere near where he’d been, which was the coastal area of flowers. How was he meant to get back there? But money, that was tempting. Maybe he could afford to look at the listings before he moved on. Weaponry was expensive, especially good weaponry, and he’d been eyeing better blades and armor for a while now. Sighing, he approached the board, face visibly taking on a look of surprise when he read just how much money was being awarded for the successful completion of stopping a string of robberies. That kind of money… now that, he could hardly turn down. It probably wouldn’t even be that hard to do, robbers were barely better than petty thieves if they were going after people who didn’t even have security systems. Nodding to himself, he decided to accept the work, noting down the address mentally. Easy work for good pay was hardly something he could turn down, a villageless shinobi wasn’t often afforded opportunities quite this good. Staying for a while wouldn’t be that bad…

Exiting the inn, the young man made his leisurely walk to the listed address, barely paying attention to the people around him. They weren’t worth his time, especially when there was money to be made. It wasn’t that far from the inn, so his walk wasn’t long, though there seemed to be a rather surprising amount of people out considering it was already getting dark. That didn’t matter, though. He knocked on the door of the residence, grin spreading on his face when he saw just who he was working with. Did he know these men? No, but they certainly weren’t hard on the eyes, and that made the whole affair far more tolerable. ”Well hello there. I’m Chiharu.” he offered, expression going flirtatious even as he momentarily set his weapons down to shake the hands of his temporary teammates. A wink was offered as well, but he didn’t focus on flirting for long, picking his weapons back up. He really needed to invest in storage seals of some kind, hauling around a naginata and a wakizashi everywhere was inconvenient at best.

The house was a simple, if somewhat on the nicer end for a normal civilian, house. The fact that these kinds of houses were the targets meant they were likely dealing with the lowest of low thugs, nobody with any degree of skill would take on such an easy target. It was easy, but the reward was so low it was a waste to anybody with any kind of skill.

Frowning again, the man stood up, pacing the room to familiarise himself with it. The naginata was likely not an option for dealing with these bandits, being as big and unwieldy as it was, which meant he’d need to use the wakizashi. He only briefly acknowledged the sensor’s words, though when he stated that there were three weak chakra signatures approaching, he prepared himself. Setting the naginata down, he pulled the wakizashi from its sheath, slinking into the shadows near the door to hide and wait for their so-called targets. Not that this would be hard, but it wouldn’t do to get sloppy just because his opponents were easy.

The waiting seemed to stretch on for hours rather than minutes, the anticipation of even a small fight enough to stir his energy to a peak. He may not have been the most highly trained shinobi ever, but fighting was still something he enjoyed, especially when his opponents actually put up a fight. He didn’t think he’d get much of one here, but adrenaline was one hell of a drug, and he was practically shaking from all the energy as he waited in the shadows. All of this was silent of course, the training he had undertaken not failing him, but his companions would be able to see his anticipation crystal clear. Heh, crystal.

In the end, the young man ended up rolling his eyes as the robbers struggled with the lock for so long he was almost tempted to let them in so they could just deal with the idiots already. Luckily for his own sanity, the eventually got it, and the young man was free to pounce on his own target as he approached, the petty thief hardly even putting up a struggle once he realised there was a blade to his throat. It was so pathetic, Chiharu ended up chuckling a little at the sad sight, especially once they’d tied the trio of idiots up. ”Really. They’re so pathetic I almost feel bad. I think this might be the easiest pay of my life, even a civilian with a kitchen knife would’ve put up more of a fight.” he commented in response to Cid, shaking his head at the robbers. The police had really been struggling with these idiots? No wonder they needed shinobi to help them out. He didn’t change his mocking expression even when the police finally showed up, retrieving his naginata so he didn’t have to look at them. He’d probably just get angry at their incompetence if he had to look at them. Luckily, they didn’t have to deal with the police for long, the ryo reward perking Chiharu up as fast as anything. The lack of fighting had been utterly disappointing, but money was money, and there was a lot of money at play here.

He quirked a brow at the mention of an extra scroll, both eyebrows rapidly reaching his hairline when Auron read the scroll to them out loud. Another mission, just after the first? And from Santa Claus? What the hell sort of thing was this? He didn’t know how much he trusted the scroll, but the rest of their party seemed ready enough to go, and he supposed he couldn’t really argue with that. If the pay was anywhere near as good as this, he couldn’t refuse at all. Seeing both Auron and Cid’s responses to the matter, Chiharu ended up chipping in his own two cents, though he was unable to resist the chance to flirt so blatantly.

”More money, and I get to see two handsome faces for longer? I don’t trust this at all, but who am I to pass up on these other opportunities? Might as well see what this old bastard wants.” he chirped, making sure his words were sugary sweet and very clearly flirtatious. He’d more or less been ignoring their final group member the entire time they’d been here, and he ended up deciding to keep it that way for now. They weren’t what he was particularly fixated on at the moment, instead having made it his goal to see if he could get at least one of the men in front of him to either flirt back or ask him to stop. Putting his wakizashi back into the sheath, he casually leaned on the long handle of his naginata, staring at Auron and Cid. He was the picture of casual elegance, expression faintly amused even as he watched the others. The only question was, would their last group member agree, or would they part ways with their last member here? Chiharu had already decided to go whether the other men wanted him along or not.

Now that he had more of a chance to observe them, the other men were both several inches taller than him, though the redhead, Cid, was the one who really towered above them all. He was curious about the two, especially Cid, who hadn’t exactly revealed much about himself or his abilities during their brief time waiting for the robbers. All he’d mentioned was that his skills were too destructive to be used indoors, which didn’t narrow it down much. There were plenty of ways to be destructive, especially indoors.

WC: 2019
TWC: 2019

Kira strode through the cold endless wasteland of whichever bizarre country this was, she had wandered aimlessly, listlessly, without a goal or plan, with no reason other than the vague sensation that she needed to still do something, to move lest she become like the bodies of her long dead kin. Though really she was not much better than those bodies, she was empty and hollow inside, an automata operating simply based upon a set of complex but obvious needs, just like the shambling corpses that followed her around she simply obeyed the whims of whichever bizarre forces animated her, and at times like these, she really felt how similar she was to those mindless automata, just as they were literal zombies, obeying whatever simple orders were given to them so too was she a zombie; though in her case a zombie more philosophical than literal. She knew of course, at least in some small part of her mind that she was a thinking being, capable of thought, rationality and decision making. As one of her grandfathers books had assured her as long as she could think she knew she was real, that she existed, but she could not say the same for the world.

Every body she had seen since leaving the island fortress hidden within the writhing storm, had been nothing but a lifeless pile of flesh, blood, and bone. Perhaps it had been a result of seeing so much death in such a little time, perhaps it came from the training and culture of the land once called the bloody mist, perhaps it was simply a part of who she was growing to be, or perhaps it was caused by the secrets of her clan, the locked and sealed book her grandfather had kept her away from all his life. The Construction who's vellum pages seemed to leach the life from any who touched them.

She remembered how excited she had been as a young child, when her grandfather had let her into his library. She remembered devouring his books with a reckless abandon that only a child hungry for knowledge could do. She remembered pouring over his texts, anatomy, biology, chemistry and pharmacology. They all brought her such joy, but even among his texts the ones that brought her the most joy, and the most intrigue were the books on philosophy. She remembered the many late nights she had spent with her grandfather in his parlour, discussing whichever new idea she had come across that day. He had always encouraged her to argue for the theories she didn't agree with. At the time that had infuriated her, but now it just left her with a faint echo of fondness mixed with a hollow emptiness.

She had never known her parents, her mother had died in childbirth, an unfortunate curse that plagued those women marrying into her bloodline they had said, and her father had passed away not long afterwards. She still resented him for that, once she was old enough to understand. After her mother had passed he had thrown himself into dangerous mission after dangerous mission, burning through his luck and life force in equal measure in, what was at least to kira, the efforts of a man hell bent on his own destruction. When he had finally not returned one day there was no shock on the faces of those adults around her, no sadness for his passing, no there was only a look of pity when they looked at her. Even her grandfather, who had been the one to look after her all that time, looked at her not with the soft warmth she had grown so used to feeling from him, but with a cold pity.

Kira shivered as the cold wind bit into her skin, snapping her out of her musings as she wandered absentmindedly through the endless snow wastes that made up this land. She couldn't remember how she had gotten here, she vaguely remembered a forest, filled with trees that radiated the scent of death she had become so acustomed to. She remembered a faint sense that this would be the place she could finaly rest, finally lay down her head and rest but after that she was just... here, wherever here was. Perhaps that should have worried her, perhaps she should have been concerned, but still she felt nothing, her emotions were a distant thing that her mind scarecely touched on, and fear was least among them.

She wondered idly why she was still wandering, was there a point to it? even as a small sliver of her mind in the back of her head screamed at her she simply wondered if the snow that was building up around her would make a comfortable bed. She had stopped moving at some point, the shambling corpses around her stopping at the same time. She stood there, a scarcely living tree surrounded by the long dead bodies of it's brethren, bodies that still moved in a mockery of life like puppets on strings. She knew something was wrong, she knew she should be concerned, worried, she wasn't sure when but she had lost all feeling in her feet at some point, the long walk numbing them beyond pain. Her hands, covered in thick woollen gloves though they were had lost any sensation, barely twitching when she could muster enough energy to try and move them.

Faintly that part of her mind that was crying out started to fade, that last little piece of her that was struggling against the emptiness that had enveloped seeming to finally accept that it was better to just accept that just like the hundreds of dead tree's around her, she was little more than a puppet. Letting out her last breath the world seemed to sigh along with her, everything slowing until there was almost nothing left. Yes the snow would make a nice blanket, the biting cold of the snow would fade and then it would protect her from the whirling tornado of wind that swirled around her. She closed her eyes in placid acceptance, that this would be how her bloodline faded from the world, forgotten along with the knowledge hidden within the book she held. Buried under layers of snow and lost to the ravages of history.

Something didn't like that last thought, she felt something she had never felt before. Since inheriting her grandfather's books this tome had forever been with her, it had been the last thing to remind her of him, though she could never open more than the first chapter it had been a distant connection to him, to her bloodline and it's history... but it was just a book, it had never been more than that. Yet now she felt something she had never felt from a book, something that should not be possible to feel from a book. She felt anger and disappointment, far stronger than her own distant emotions. Eyes closed as they were, resigned to her end under the blanket of frost and snow that had build up around her, she didn't see the black chakra that emanated from the book clutched in her frostbitten hands. Senses blind as they were, untrained and unopened to the spiritual world she didn't feel the sense of death radiating from the tome clutched in her hands, so powerful and vile that it sucked the life from everything within a hundred meters of her. Covered under the quickly accumulating snow as she was, hidden from the world and every sense blind to the world around her she did not see as an empty void opened up underneath her, a hole black as the nights sky yet emptier than the depths of the deepest sea trench.

What she did notice was the sensation of falling, as the void grew far enough to encompass her feet, as she felt the ground slip out from under her and the accumulation of snow that had come to settle around her in a comforting blanket begin to crumble away as it's foundation fell away. She tried to open her eyes and yet when she did there was nothing there but endless blackness, a void so deep and empty that she almost thought herself blind, and yet as she stared into the void she saw something shift. As she stared out into the endless blackness she saw nothingness, a blackness so deep as to be utterly impossible to penetrate, and yet as she continued to gaze out into the void she saw a ever so subtle, infinitesimally small shift in the blackness. A shadow in a world that was all shadows, one impossibly large, huge. It stretched from one side of her vision to the other, and as she fought against the pressure around her, as she struggled to turn her head, she still couldn't see any end of it. Only it's blurred outline stretching out into the distance, contrasted ever so slightly against the faintly 'lighter' night that it dwelled within.

She could see no end of it, it was so large that it made her mind swim and left her feeling lightheaded to imagine, and yet as she strained her mind and body to make out whatever this shadow was she thought she could make out the faint outline of what could be a finger, and there contrast against the night in the far distance another. She thought it might be a hand and yet she could never see far enough to be sure. As she pushed herself to make out more she could watch as the shadow moved, slowly but it was clearly moving, and it dawned on her just how far away the hand must be for it continued to grow larger as it moved towards her, growing bigger and bigger and bigger until she could see nothing else, and yet still it had not yet reached her. She couldn't help but scream into the blackness, an instinctual and visceral unbridled terror gripping her; and yet even as she felt her throat tearing from her attempts she heard no sound.
When she finally awoke she knew not where she was, yet she felt strange somehow, sitting up the first thing she realised was she could feel her limbs again, the numbness that had encompassed her physical body gone... and yet, somehow she did not feel the same. It was hard to describe in any meaningful way the difference to one who had not experienced it themselves and yet she could best describe it as what she imagined an out of body experience felt like. She moved, and she could feel the mental 'sensation' of movement, and yet she felt nothing from her body itself. She touched the ground around her, a mix of half melted snow and wooden floorboards, and she knew that is what she was feeling, and yet somehow it felt... not empty exactly but more like she was comprehending the sensation without actually feeling it. Opening her eyes she could see the world around her, a small wooden room with a fireplace and single bed tucked into the corner, a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace, she knew it was a fire, she knew the fire was giving off a heat, and yet she could feel nothing from the fire, instead she just felt a faint, half pleasant cold that seemed not to change regardless of the heat that was spreading throughout the room.

Dusting herself off she looked around, the heat from the fire had quickly melted away whatever snow had come through with her leaving naught but a small puddle of liquid that was even now quickly evaporating away under the blazing heat. Her own clothes, which had been horribly unequipped for the cold and as such had quickly evaporated whatever trace amounts of frost and ice had clung to her, the clothing already turning crisp and warm as the liquid was sucked out of it, leaving her presentable though the ragged purple and white dress she wore certainly still showed signs of wear, the fringes of it showing holes and tears in places from her long wandering.

Perhaps more notable was the lack of any of her servant's whatever force had pulled her through to this... room? hadn't seen fit to bring through any of her servants with her. Shaking her head to try and distract herself from these new strange sensations she walked towards the room's door, trying to adjust to how different moving was, as if she was commanding her body like that of one of her corpse puppets. Gripping the door handle she pulled it open, wondering idly what she would find behind the door, wondering what new horror she would find. To her surprise rather than some eldritch abomination. some existential terror. Some sign of how small and insignificant she was in the greater schemes of the universe. All she found was a short hallway of other rooms that led out into a boisturous tavern room filled with people. Though perhaps that was a horror all of its own.

About to, reluctantly step out into the tavern room proper, she was instead shocked to witnes an odd young man descending into the next room over from the gathering of people from an ornate spiral staircase. Shocked not because it was another person descending into the pile of flesh but rather because despite all the flesh and blood, despite the life force flooding the room something about this man felt markedly different. She couldn't quite tell what it was that marked him apart from the rest and yet as her gaze fell upon him she couldn't help but feel that this man alone was real, that even if all those around him were simply automata commanded by their fleshy needs and acting without thought he alone was aware, a true sentient amongst an army of philosophical zombies.

Kira stepped into the room, silently skirting around the edges of the room as she observed the man, trying her best not to let her interest be too obvious. She had to stifle a cry of disgust as one of the living bags of meat somehow managed to bump into her spilling half the contents of his beverage on the ground and splashing the pungent smelling swell that passed for alcohol all over her plain black flats. She stifled the cry of disgust but the scowl she gave the man, and the subsequent look of anger and disgust she gave the man as he began to try to, rather crassly, attempt to hit on her, were something she couldn't hide.

"well hey there li hic~ lil lady, don't you look absolutely adorable in that there out hic~ out hic~ outf hic~ piece o clothin" he said, clearly so drunk he could barely put together a sentence. Why this establishment hadn't cut him off and kicked him out she couldn't fathom, but even more than that she couldn't fathom what would possess this fool to continue talking when the look she was giving him was enough to kill "I bet you'll look fa hic~ better layed out on me lap tho hic~ why don't ye come sit with me an me lads" he continued on, completely oblivious to the look she was giving him, she likely would have killed the man then and there were it not both for the presence of more people than she could comfortably deal with without alerting whatever town guard this place had, and the young man who even as she glowered at this drunken fool was busy asking what she could only assume to be a receptionist something, she caught snippets of the conversation in between the drunken fool's words, something about a map she thought.

Assuming no one else did anything she would grimace slightly, tolerating the drunken fool's repeated attempts to coax her to join him and his friends at one of the tavern's tables until the man had left before her demeanour completely changed. Without risk of drawing attention from the man she would smile up at the man, flicking her wrist and making a cluster of wickedly sharp needles appear before sweetly saying "If you don't get out of my way right now I will shove these so far down every orifice in your body that you'll never be able to move without imense pain ever again."

***

Stepping out of the building, Kira absentmindedly wiped a spec of blood off of her cheek before looking around for the man who had so caught her attention. She could see him in the distance, talking to a group of what appeared to be children, even as she started to jog down the street towards him, weaving her way through the people meandering about the street she managed to catch up to the odd man just as he was stepping up to a door. "Hey hold on a second" she called out, her body shuddering with the effort of running to catch up with the man even as she ignored it's complaints, the pain something she absentmindedly filed away to process later. "I... umm this might sound a little odd but do you happen to know any philosophy?" she would ask trying to broach the topic of zombies in a way that she could pass off if this feeling was misplaced.

Of course regardless of what the man said she would try to work the topic around to questioning what he was doing here, wanting to keep an eye on the man regardless. Assuming he offered an explanation about his intentions she would chime "Well if you don't mind sharing the profits i'd be happy to join you, I have nothing else to do tonight and I'm fairly handy with a blade if i do say so myself." She would say, flicking her wrist again to make an array of senbon needles appear in her hand.

this was a lot of assumptions to make of course so one more couldn't hurt, assuming that the man was happy for her to join him she would slip inside the building and take up a position in the corner, until there was a knock at the door. She watched cautiously as the newcomers entered, one of them identifying himself simply as Cid, "Kira, Kira Semei" she would say, watching the other man carefully as she dropped her last name, wondering if the family name would get a reaction from him.

Once the introductions were done with Kira would settle back down in her little corner, eyes on the entrances to the room as she waited to see what would come of these thieves who had garnered so much renown throughout the town. She watched as cid had to stifle a laugh when the self styled master thieves struggled with the locks, and only her new found self control allowed her to restrain herself when she heard one of the thieves curse at some misstep with the locks.
She watched as robbers stepped inside and her companions fell upon them, the robbers completely taken off guard, all that was except perhaps the most skittish of them who turned to run... which of course left him completely open for the single needle that she sent flying into his neck with a flick of her wrist, the fast acting paralytic more than enough to deal with him. The poison was lethal if left untreated of course, but she could administer an antidote before the concoction started to cause necrosis.


wc:3265

As he originally made his way from the group of children to the house of interest, Auron would be stopped by a woman who hardly seemed like she belonged in such a cold environment. With only a collared shirt along with a skirt, there was no doubt that this woman had been freezing. Because of the exposure to the cold winds, her pale skin appeared irritated and reddened. And as she approached him, Auron sort of already figured she would ask him for some type of help, perhaps in dealing with the weather. Maybe too was brought to this place not by her own free will. But when she spoke, the young man was surprised by what she would lead with. She asked about philosophy. This was unusual by typical introductory standards alone, but also given the environment. He'd look at her in the eye, with a peculiar expression, and would offer the only response that felt natural to him. "Philosophy? I guess I just go where the gold is. Though for most, I don't know if that means much seeing as its only useful when they're alive. As for me, this place has opportunity to make some ryo." His words were straightforward, yet slightly cryptic. He wasn't like most people, as he lived a life that was motivated by themes related to death. Not many would relate though, and so not many would be able to deduce just what he was hinting at. Depending on her feedback, that subject could either end there or they could discuss it a bit further. However Auron was careful with how much information he volunteered to strangers. When that topic was concluded, the woman asked Auron if she could accompany him, then offered a quick display of her capabilities. "I don't see why not, right now I'm headed to a house to stakeout some criminals. Feel free to tag along."

Assuming she'd join him, the pair would walk towards the house and the conversation with the home owner would go in the same way it had been described before. Shortly after entering the house, Auron had been delightfully surprised that one of the people undertaking this mission had been a familiar face. When he had opened the door and saw Cid's drunken yet charismatic smile Auron had no choice but to return the expression. He gladly shook Cid's hand, gripping the pirate's shoulder with his other hand rather tightly. This place had been all too strange so far, and so Auron wanted to confirm that his friend standing before him was really there. If nobody had been around, their conversation would pick up where they last left off with Cid inquiring a bit on the solo endeavor that Auron had ventured off too. With a devilish grin upon his face and narrowed eyes, Auron would release Cid's hand and arm and offer him a slight nudge on the chest with a closed fist. 
"Man...I was tracking an old friend and came across his body along the way. It's a shame but...I made out pretty good. I'll have to give you, and show you the details later. But believe it or not that's not why I'm here. I kind of just...woke up in an inn here."
He realized that the latter half of the events he described sounded uncanny to the explanation that he had to Cid back when they met each other on Mikazuki Beach. However in the case that others were present, Auron would pick up on the subtle hint that Cid was putting down and act in alignment. "I'd say the same to you," receiving the hand shake. Following this and as aforementioned, he'd introduce himself as only Auron in response to Cid and the other newcomers should they also be present. Regardless of when they arrived, it seemed like an unspoken agreement that the two men would act like they didn't know each other. This was sort of a defensive mechanism, to allow the two to work more covertly when in a new place. Though it had been their first time practicing it, Auron understood the tone that Cid was setting.
 
And as events would have it, there were indeed others that joined. Therefore the pair did formerly introduce themselves to one another and their game was on. The first would introduce himself in a rather slick manner, which Auron was unsure of how to interpret. However he just gave this Chiharu fellow the benefit of the doubt, assuming he was just trying to be friendly. In response, Auron would offer a slight head nod which was shortly after met by a wink. Perhaps this gentleman wanted to be more than friendly. "Uh…Auron" the Yamaguchi would introduce himself and only by a first name for all to hear. Realizing that this man may have been being flirtatious was a surprise, but the young man just figured if he acted oblivious to the advances that maybe they would just stop. Not to say that there was anything wrong with Chiharu's appearance, Auron just didn't reciprocate an interest in men.

But in any case as the mission commenced, Cid seemed to take a backseat. And understandably so. Although Auron wasn't entirely familiar with his comrade's kit, he knew that from his display of feats in Mikazuki Beach that Cid's capabilities could easily cause detrimental impact to the home. But if the others could not detain their threats, there was no doubt that Cid would be able to swiftly subdue a criminal should the opportunity present itself. 

The events unfolded where each person was able to incapacitate a criminal, and following this those criminals were turned into the police. As previously described, a part of that reward was the scroll from Santa Claus himself. Once he finished reading the scroll to his group, Auron would verbally indicate that he was still up for undertaking missions. And because of that, he placed his own palm on the seal that lied on the scroll. When he did so, a beam of astray light would project up and out from the mark so that it ascended straight up into the air as a thin beam. This beam would rapidly widen to the point that it fanned out and started to occupy the entirety of the area the group stood within. And once this beam made contact with each of the shinobi, they would be teleported away from the police station they stood outside of. This mode of travel had been a lot more streamlined than what it had been for Auron to arrive in the Winter Wonderland. In fact it was so quick that within the time it too the Yamaguchi to blink, he'd already be standing in an entirely different environment.

At first glance, they stood in what appeared to be a regal lobby. There were bright red decorations everywhere; rug, curtains, and furniture. It seemed like the accented color in this place was green, evident by the potted plants and some of the paintings primary colors. Interestingly enough the only things that seemed to be normal colors were the walls, floors, and ceilings, which had been pearly white. Yet straight ahead and up a single flight of 6 wide stairs was a golden throne, ornate in its design and shimmering in the light. Within it sat an elderly, plump man who seemed to be so sick that his skin was pale as a ghost.

"So you received my invitation? Ho - ho, -ugh chyuk *cough cough" he started with a hoarse voice before being interrupted by a painful dry cough. "I will keep this short…I am Santa Claus, King of Christmas. And around this time of year I am responsible for delivering presents throughout the world and this realm. But tonight I'm afraid I can't do it. I've enlisted the help of multiple shinobi to be assigned various parts of the world, but all that's left is the Winter Wonderland actually. *cough cough*." Briefly he'd pause to have a coughing fit, which was cleared out after downing a glass of milk. "So if the four of you are available, please help me with these deliveries. I reward handsomely."
 
Auron, a man of opportunity, only needed to listen to the last three words that the heavy set fellow would mutter. The possibility of getting paid well while doing some deliveries was a no brainer to him. So unless any of his newly formed group had any type of conflict, the Yamaguchi would just offer a nod of solidarity. "I'm in." And if the rest of the group echoed his agreeance, then a little green elf would approach the group and usher them to follow him. "Alright Mr. Claus, I can take it from here. You  lot, come with me. I'll show you were all the packages are as well as the big guy's sleigh. Lucky for you guys you'll actually be able to fly on it, land on homes, slip into chimneys, and cleverly place these presents wherever a Christmas tree is present. All the other volunteers had to walk. But really it's as simple as that. Any questions?"

The elf's explanation was short and thorough, and by the time he concluded it the group would be arriving at the location of the sleigh. It was large and wooden, appearing to be some type of chariot attached to a band of deer. "Alrighty then, I'll be flying it. So just hop aboard and be ready to be dropped off at these houses and fill their trees."
 
It was difficult for Auron to take this whole ordeal seriously, as well as to avoid talking with Cid, who seemed to be slightly irked by the little elf. For what reason, only the pirate knew, but Auron wouldn't press the issue. He was trying to remain covert. And like he usually did, he stayed silent unless spoken to. Without question the Yamaguchi hoped in the back row of the sleigh, sitting himself on a silken seat outfitted with lush cushions. It was comfortable and spacious, allowing ample room for the entire group to take a seat and still have room for the large sack of presents in the uncovered trunk at the back of the sleigh. When everyone was securely inside the sleigh, the elf would crack his miniature whip just above the deer. In a panic they'd awaken, lift their heads up high, and begin propelling their hooves forward. This motion would cause the sleigh to accelerate forward and out of the garage that the sleigh sat in. They'd begin to race down a snow paved runway, and once they made it 50 meters down it the sleigh took flight. It was wonderful, reminding Auron of the sensation he felt when he first experienced teleportation. This time it was prolonged and much easier to observe. The chilling gust of night air would have frozen Auron solid had it not been for his refined suit of armor. And so he comfortably sat for the remainder of the sleigh ride, marveling at this once in a lifetime view. Soon after though, the sleigh began to descent. Truth be told it had been such an efficient vehicle that within seconds it went from a high altitude and velocity, to a much gentler speed as it kissed the top of the first rooftop of the night. It would come to a silent halt as the deer commanding its motion gracefully came to a slow stop.

"Each house has its own sack within that sack in the back. Sack-ception, am I right? They're organized and optimized for our route though. So one of you grab the first bag in the sack, then you can all head down there."

Auron would be one of the last to leap down from the sleigh, and he chose to carry the first bag of goodies. It wasn't very heavy, though it was oblong in shape.

"Take some of this magical white powder and sprinkle it down the chimney," the elf instructed while holding out a bag for one of the group members to take. "It'll make the chimney expand so that you can each fit down their with the items."

Assuming someone would grab the bag, this mission just became much easier. As its dust was sprinkled down the chimney, its inner dimensions would expand immensely. It easily allowed for the oblong shaped bag to fit down the chimney, along with Auron. One by one the group members would slip down into each house. One by one, they would perfectly place the presents under the trees, making sure they upheld extreme silence in all actions. One by one, the group would travel from house to house, repeating the process. After some hours, and many houses later, they'd conclude their endeavor at the last house. Upon finishing it, the elf would stop the group from entering the sleigh.

"This is the end of the road for you lot, but I appreciate your help. Here, each of you take your own," the elf would say while waving his hand over 4 pre placed bags of ryo that sat on the back seat of the sleigh.

"Thanks," Auron would let out, wasting not time to grab his payment. And right after all of the rewards were grabbed, the sleigh would completely vanish. In place of it, stood another elderly man, bearing a large clock that hung from his neck. His loud voice boomed, loud enough to shake snow from the gutters of the roof's top.

"Hold up wait a minute, y'all thought you were finished?" he let out in a stern and deep voice. His bushy brows furrowed as his tall frame leaned down to get a closer look at the group. "Santa let me know you were doing his dirty work…so now, I need you to do mine. You see…my baby is missing. More specifically, Baby New Year is missing. And I have reason to suspect that he is in a cave not so far off from here. I'm a sensory and space time specialist, so I was able to track him down quite easily…but if I reveal myself to the bandits that captured Baby New Year, I may do more harm than good. The cave is 100 meters North of here, and this is not up for discussion. I myself will not be paying you anything, but feel free to help yourselves to whatever those bandits have in their possession."

This time, Auron would refrain from leading the group's response. Though they hardly had a choice in the matter, he figured another one of them may be more keen on speaking to this spectral figure. Auron would only speak up if the group seemed to be reluctant to helping this older man. However this time the planning was up to them. He strategically remained silent during the planning phase as he wanted to gather some intel on how each member of the group thought. Judging by the way the woman approached him earlier, she may have been a bit of a go getter. This would align with Auron and Cid's mentalities. Both men were intelligent, however they seemed to act of impulse. The fourth individual though, Chiharu seemed more suave and almost sleuth-like. The Yamaguchi almost anticipated them wanting to take more of a covert route. Whichever the majority of the group agreed upon though would be fine with Auron. He'd nod in affirmation once the deliberation stage was over, and he'd echo the consensus. "Sounds good, lead the way." Whichever mode of traveling to the cave the group decided to take would be the way Auron would follow. And once they arrived at just outside the cave, Auron would offer his input on the plan at hand. 

In a hushed tone, crouching down and behind some bushes to avert the bandits from seeing his position Auron would speak to the team. "I think we may find success if we split into two groups. One could be the decoy crew, which garners the attention of the bandits. The other could be the infiltration crew. I can briefly augment my appearance to blend in with my surroundings, and I can apply this to one other person as well. So I think I should be on the infiltration crew, and once inside their hideout I'll take on the brunt of the combat. Whoever comes with me should prioritize acquiring the baby. And for everyone, don't forget to grab any valuables you find within the cave. That's our only form of payment."

Assuming someone would take him up on his plan, Auron would perform a series of hand seals and subsequently camouflage into the background. He'd place his hand upon whoever his accomplice was, and they'd find themselves blending in with the background as well. Judging by the skill level of the bandits they faced at the home, the Yamaguchi was not worried about this group being highly skilled. Because of this, they likely we're capable of thorough chakra sensory techniques. Thus Auron's priority was hiding his physical presence, as his chakra emission likely wouldn't be a problem. Once he and his comrade were invisible, the Yamaguchi would take the first steps towards the cave. The closer they got, the louder the cave had been. Clearly there was some type of party of celebration going on, where everyone had been drinking, boisterous, and merry. This ruckus actually worked to the team's advantage, as Auron and his team member were able to sneak in quietly and quickly.  Within the cave was a large number of bandits, who seemed to at least be smart enough to install some infrastructure and hospitality within it. There were torches, sleeping quarters, meat drying racks, and more. Obviously they had been posted up here for some time.

But with haste the pair would maneuver their way deeper into the cave until they reached the very end of it, where a baby could be heard crying. The baby had been in what appeared to be a teepee, and inside of that a makeshift crib. Obviously the bandits had been neglecting the baby, as there was no one watching over it or even standing guard by it. The group had been far too focused on partying to care about the needs of this mystical baby. Since they were far enough from the commotion, Auron would speak to his team member about the plan. 

"I can only keep two people invisible at a time. Because of this, we need to split up. Like I said, I will cause a diversion within here and garner the attention of the bandits. I need you to secure the baby and escape from the cave while me and the other two are fighting off the bandits. Understood?"

Auron hardly asserted himself as a leader, but in times like this it was important to act fast. Assuming there were no questions from his partner, he'd cancel his jutsu and the fun would begin. Once he visually confirmed his teammate secured the baby, Auron would offer them a reassuring nod and then unsheathe Masamune. With haste, he'd turn from his location and begin running towards the entrance of the cave where the group of bandits had been located. By this time, the decoy team should be keeping the bandits attention. Therefore Auron's attack on them should have come by surprise. Visually there would be a thin coating of chakra surrounding his body and equipment as he charged forward. This had been his first time opening the buds of Shimi Daikon, and instantly he could feel the results. His speed boosted to resounding levels, easily outclassing the bandits. And with precise yet simple movements of his blade as he maneuvered through the crowd, Auron secured killing blow after killing blow on the remaining bandits. The diversion from the other team was so efficient that this process had went much smoother than the Yamaguchi teen even predicted it to. When all of the threats had been handled, Auron spent a brief amount of time looting the ryo from the bodies of the fallen men. Following this the group would meet up at the entrance of the cave. Sheathing Masamune, Auron would deactivate Shimi Daikon and the auro which enveloped him would dissolve away. 

"Good work team," Auron would say as he visually inspected each member briefly enough to see they were okay and they had the baby. After a short period of speaking, the group would be interrupted by the elderly spectral they spoke to previously. This time, the man manifested himself right next to the person who carried the baby. 

"I see you made short work of that group and recovered my baby. For that, you have my thanks. Now pardon my abruptness, but we must be going. We need to prepare for the holiday."

The figure would snatch the baby from whoever held him, and would instantly teleport away from the group. With that out of the way, Auron let out a soft yawn. It had been a rather eventful, non stop day and truthfully he had grown tired. "Hey guys listen, I'm pretty beat. I'm going to head back to my room in the Inn and rest for the night. I don't know where you all are staying, but if you want to meet up at the police station in the morning we can look for more work."

Auron would wait for the group to deliberate on the matter, and then he'd lead the way to the Inn from the cave. It was in the neighborhood of a 15 to 20 minute walk, but Auron had an excellent sense of direction. If the group decided to follow him back, then he'd engage in whatever conversation they offered along the way. Yet if they didn't, then he'd just enjoy the silence of the walk and reflect on the rewards he received today. When he'd arrive at the inn, he'd bid the team farewell for the night and return to his room. He'd take a quick shower then head to bed without eating any meal. Though he was hungry, Auron was just too tired to care. And so he felt asleep without a hitch, sleeping through the entirety of the night quite comfortably. The warmth of the room made this much easier. 

When he would awaken, he'd find himself on the floor of what looked like an entirely white, rectangular room. It was no more than 50 m x 50 m x 50 m. Within it, he immediately noted his comrades who had already been awake standing off against...a golden pinata? His first thought was that someone slipped him a drug, but his head didn't feel foggy at all. Maybe he was still dreaming? Though the sensation of the room felt all too real. He'd rise to his feet, noting he was already fully equipped in his gear, then call out to Cid, Kira, and Chiharu. 

"Uhh...what the hell did I miss?"

Assuming they had time to debrief him on the situation at hand, Auron would learn this bear shaped pinata was hostile. So much so that it had teleported the quartet to this dimension and had already been battling the other three members. The situation was odd, but not one that Auron could dismiss or take lightly. Seeing Cid take the pinata seriously was reason alone for he to do so himself. And so with the unsheathing of Masamune, it was time to work. Once again Auron would activate the Shimi Daikon technique, yet this time he'd be instantly awakening the third bud: Summer Bloom. His skin would turn completely black, and the immediate air surrounding his body would crackle and bend from the sheer quantity of chakra Auron was omitting. The Yamaguchi's physical stature became more pronounced as well, causing his muscles to accentuate and pop. His once brown eyes would lose their pigment and now be in the form of purely white irises. Finally the locks which hung from the crown of his head levitated straight up, seemingly being lifted by the chakra aura that surrounded him. Seeing as his teammates had already been doing the bulk of the fighting against the bear pinata thus far, it was time for Auron to carry his own weight. 

"Listen guys, step out of the way and stand behind me. You've done a great job of weakening this...beast. Take a break to rest." Auron would say. His voice no longer resembled its youthful yet mature tone. Now it was much deeper, denser, and resounding. He'd wait the moment for the team to clear the way, giving him a direct line of sight to the pinata. The figure had been bruised, battered, and torn almost like it was on its last leg. Therefore this made it that much easier for Auron to feel confident that his attack would hit. With the group behind him, Auron begin to run forward a handful of meters while simultaneously channeling chakra from his aura into his blade. Once a couple meters in front of his team, his right arm which bore Masamune's hilt in his hand would be cocked backwards. The blade would quickly become coated in the chakra that surrounded Auron, so much so that its sized seemed to be greatly increase. And in the blink of an eye, Auron would thrust the sword directly forward and towards the clear path between him and the pinata. Within the second of that motion, a massive cone shaped blast of chakra would blast directly at the pinata. The impact was tremendously, and extended past the pinata and dealing damage to the walls of the room as well. In an instant, the pinata would disintegrate down to nothing but a pile of ash on the floor. The previously white walls of the room would now be stained and scattered with ash and black chakra. With the destruction of the pinata, the dimensional plane that the group resided in would now crack. And as the walls of the dimension crumbled, the group would find themselves standing in the middle of an empty snowy field, about 200 meters from the village.

Still emitting powerful chakra, Auron stood there in place with his blade tightly clutched in his hand. He maintained his previous stance having swung his blade forward, but was only breathing deeply. It was a violent and sudden explosion of energy, and one that he hadn't experienced before. So far he had only studied and practiced both Shimi Daikon and the Death Thrust, but there had never been a need for him to use them. It had only been recently that he even thought to use them in tandem. And the performance of this was much more laborious and taxing on his system than what he imagined it would be. Slowly, the aura around Auron began to subside and normalize. As he deactivated his Shimi Daikon technique, his breathing would begin to slow to a normal pace. Additionally his enhanced physical features reverted back to his normal frame, along with the augmented appearance of his hair, skin, and eyes. Now much calmer, Auron would sheathe Masamune back onto his hip and look towards the pile of ash in front of the group. He'd walk over towards it, and kick the rubbish with his boot. When he did, he'd reveal a massive amount of ryo which was buried under the pile of ash. Turning to his team, he'd offer them just a nod and the little words that his body allowed him to speak. "Go crazy."

In that instant, he'd lower himself to the floor slowly and begin taking exactly one fourth of the amount of ryo in the pile for himself. He'd secure this in the item pouch that he kept his wallet and the rest of his ryo. Once finished, he'd sit on the floor next to the pile and place both hands on the snowy ground behind him. Its coldness was oddly soothing, and the softness of the snow served as an effective cushion. Now resting, he'd finally be able to recuperate his energy to respond to anything his teammates would say to him.

WC = 4702. TWC = 8374

Mid Thread Claim for Mission Rewards:
- Home Alone: 8,000 Ryo + 2,000 Ryo (C Rank, MN Bonus) / 40 AP / 2,000 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1 Crescent Dice
- Merry Christmas!: 12,000 Ryo + 2,000 Ryo (C Rank, MN Bonus) / 60 AP / 2,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1 Blank Dice
- And a Happy New Year!: 12,000 Ryo + 2,000 Ryo (C Rank, MN Bonus) / 60 AP / 2,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1 Blank Dice
- Run the Gambit!: 10,000 Ryo + 2,000 Ryo (C Rank, MN Bonus) / 50 AP / 2,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1 Golden Ticket

Starting Ryo / Bonus AP = 99,900 Ryo / 650 AP
Rewarded Ryo / Bonus AP = 50,000 Ryo / 210 AP

New Ryo / Bonus AP = 149,900 Ryo / 860 AP
Total Winter Equinox Tickets = 9,500 Tickets

Will make WC claims at the end of the topic

Approved, mid thread claims for Auron

Unfortunately, it seemed Chiharu’s advances has been rejected by both men, though Cid had been far more natural than Auron’s blatant attempts to ignore him. Choosing to focus on Cid’s rejection rather than Auron’s, the young man allowed himself to laugh. ”Fair enough. Not everyone can handle someone like me, after all. I wonder if the guy I was with before I was brought here would come back for round two, though…”

Luckily, after that, he didn’t really have to speak much. They were being teleported away by the scroll, into a rather interesting lobby in red and green. The space was massive, and Chiharu had to look around for a moment before his attention caught on an old man in a golden throne. Said man proceeded to explain exactly why he’d brought them here, though the part that really held his attention were the last three words. Money was very important for shinobi in general, but it was all the more so important when you didn’t have a single other person you knew to watch your back. Money could buy a lot of things, and those things could potentially be the only thing between life and death for someone like him, at times. He didn’t need to think the offer over, not at all. ”I’m in.” was his simple response, odd eyes seeming to glitter at the mention of money.

Leaning on the long pole of his naginata again, he watched the others and waited for their responses, pleased when both Cid and Auron agreed, though Cid had to be bribed not to hurt the elf with… was that a banana? He had to refrain from making a tasteless joke, taking all of his restraint to avoid saying it out loud. He certainly didn’t stop himself from thinking it, though, quietly giggling to himself before returning to his more neutral resting face. God, the man was making it very difficult to not make a sexual remark here. At least it was free entertainment, he noted, as the elf escorted them out of the room.

Once the actual job had been described to him, Chiharu thought it sounded almost too easy. Was that really all there was to it, going up and down the chimneys to deliver a few gifts? At least it would be more of a workout than before, since he’d likely have to use surface walking to get back up the chimneys after he’d jumped down. Still, though, the young man nodded his assent, moving to thread the sheathed wakizashi through the straps going across his back. He couldn’t do much about the Naginata, but oh well. He’d just have to be holding it while they delivered the gifts to their correct recipients.

Much like the two men in front of him, the young man didn’t speak much throughout the ordeal of delivering gifts. The task at least gave him the tiniest bit of a workout, but it was far from difficult. All it really did was warm him up, and really, he felt as though he needed to go for a run or something after this to get rid of the restless energy he’d been feeling since they were waiting for the goons earlier. Shaking his head, he did at least feel a nice burst of satisfaction at their pay, tucking the money away inside of his shirt with a satisfied smile. That, at least, was a good feeling. He’d already made quite a bit of ryo just off of Santa’s mission and catching the bandits breaking into houses, which was very useful to a man who basically had all his possessions on his person at the moment.

However, after being rewarded, they were stopped by an intense old man- far more intense than Santa had been. He wanted them… to retrieve kidnapped baby new year’s? This night was only getting more and more weird as it went on, he thought. And they weren’t even getting paid for this one? But they could loot the bandits? Something definitely smelt fishy here, but he had been looking for an excuse to work out a bit. Maybe this time he’d actually be able to face some real combat. ”I trust you as far as I can throw you, old man, but fine. If I don’t find a good amount of loot from these bandits, though, I’m coming back to shove my naginata up your backside.” he threatened, his mostly friendly aura that he’d taken up with his temporary teammates being replaced by one more frigid than even their environment.

Regardless, the young man sighed as his teammates seemed to be in agreement with taking on this task, allowing himself to be lead to their newest target. Crouching outside of the cave, the young man had to hold his naginata close to the ground to avoid it poking out too much, listening to Auron speak. He nodded in agreement at the plan, willing enough to go through with it. Deliberating for a minute as Cid volunteered to be on team distraction, the young man decided to go with Cid rather than Auron. ”’l’ll go with Cid, my weapons are kinda eye-catching, not to mention the rest of me. I’m sure my abilities will be useful enough on that front.”

With that decided, and the groups ready to split, he followed the taller man’s lead, seeing what his plan was when they heard what could only be two men emptying their bladders. On the signal, the vagabond lunged, using the pole end of his naginata to stroke the second man over the head as hard as he could. His weapon connected with a painful crack, dropping the man like a sack of bricks. Once both were down, Cid took on the appearance of one, and Chiharu wrinkled his nose but made the hand signs for the transformation technique, transforming into the better-looking of the two.

As they made their way into the cave, Cid seemed to down some alcohol before heading to the cards, so Chiharu beelined it for the dice. He had pretty good luck, and he hoped that would be a good enough distraction to draw the attention of the bandits Cid wasn’t bleeding dry. Sliding smoothly into a seat, he observed for only a minute before joining in on the game, smirk growing as his rolls stayed the best at the table with ease. Did he even really have any idea what he was doing? No, but his luck was still better than any of the drunken idiots at the table. He won a few rounds like that, smirk only growing bigger as he won more and more, till he saw that someone had started a fight with Cid. While he watched that happen for one more round of dice, the young man noticed Auron on the edges of the crowd, starting to take out the bandits.

Throwing the dice table one last smirk, the young man scooped his loot into a pocket before standing and swinging his naginata as hard as he could at top speed. This time, he actually used the sharp spear end, which sent blood spraying everywhere as the arc of the weapon caught several men at once. He caught a wave of fire out of the corner of his eye, no doubt Cid. As the ones who survived his initial attack came swarming towards him, he swung hard and fast again, though the more wary ones managed to avoid the attack. Two weren’t so lucky, though, the sharp weapon catching one in the throat and the other in his soft belly. A savage grin had overtaken his face as he fought with the bandits, though eventually they all had been dropped to the floor as he made his way to the meeting point.

He hadn’t been injured himself, but he’d been caught by arterial spray once or twice, so his face was speckled with dried blood as he rejoined the rest of the group. His naginata was too, but he picked up a scarf dropped by a bandit in the chaos and used it to wipe the blood smears off the weapon as carefully as he could manage. Once that was managed, he added his own loot to the pile, satisfied with how much they’d managed to grab from these bandits. Once the loot had been divided and the baby returned to Father Time, he listened to what the others had to say. The combat had been a decent workout, this time, and it was pretty late. Making up his mind, he decided rest wouldn’t be a bad idea.

”Its late enough that rest is probably a good idea, so I’m going to go back to the inn. I think there’s blood in my hair, too, so I need a shower.” the young man responded, nodding at the mention of more work. The pay around here was really good, and he’s made quite a bit of money in just one night. Meeting up for more work would be extremely helpful to his funds, and doing the work in groups would be better than taking it on alone, split pay or not. Either way, it didn’t matter. Saying his goodbyes, he made his way back to the inn to freshen up and properly tend to his weapons, grimacing at the feeling of dried and drying blood on his face. He had no qualms with killing, but it was so messy. He needed to learn how to kill more cleanly in the future, or at least get faster so he could dodge the arterial spray.

Stepping into the shower was instantly refreshing, the young man scrubbing away all the blood and grime of the day and feeling much better for it. It was really gross to be covered in blood, he didn’t know how other close range fighters didn’t go max trying to get the bloodstains out of their clothes. He supposed he could just wear black, but that was so boring. Either way, the shower was very refreshing, and cleaning his clothes and weapons helped quite a bit as well.

By the time he’d stepped out, cleaned his clothes and weapons, and performed his nightly routine, the pink-haired man was ready to fall asleep. Figuring that it was about that time anyways, the young man climbed into the bed and pulled the heavy blankets up to his chin. From there, the matter of falling asleep wasn’t as easy as he initially assumed. His brain kept racing, analysing all that had happened today and the pay he’d received. There was a lot of things he could buy with that, but his first priority was setting up a home base and maybe a bolt hole or two for the future. Eventually, though, he managed to fall asleep, dreams a chaotic whirl of colors and action that matched the chaos he’d dealt with while awake.

Waking up, though, that was even more of a trip than his dreams had, and he wasn’t entirely sure he was seeing right at first. Surely there was no way there was a giant piñata in front of him, right? At least he had his weapons, he reflected, staring at the familiar blades that had materialised in front of him. Sliding the wakizashi through the straps on his back, he twirled the naginata in both hands, noting just how quickly the piñata seemed to charge him once he was awake and on his feet. Fine by him, he could deal with a giant piñata. The things were literally made to be hit. He caught glimpses of other people passed out on the ground as he moved to stab at the piñata with his naginata, narrowly avoiding the thing’s charge in the process. It was surprisingly fast, for a piñata. It seemed he was the first one to actually start fighting the odd thing, swinging his naginata more carefully than he might’ve if he was alone in the room. He didn’t want to accidentally hit anybody else, or let the piñata trample the others in the room. Thus began a merry chase of dodging, swinging, and avoiding the sleeping people in the room, though he didn’t quite manage to dodge every single time. He got socked a couple of times through the chase, resulting in sore spots that would definitely be bruising tomorrow.

The chase couldn’t last forever, and luckily, the others started to wake up after a couple minutes of this. Cid was the first to wake and join in on the battle, which had Chiharu exhaling in relief. The other man definitely had some destructive firepower, and while he’d have to be careful to not hit the others, he definitely gave Chiharu some degree of breathing room to not have to take so many hits as he dodged and swung around the room at top speed.

This also lasted for a while, but Auron woke up after a bit and Chiharu did his best to explain the situation in between dodges, finally managing to get a significant cut across the piñata’s torso as he did so. It wasn’t enough to split the thing open, but it was enough to get it’s attention even as Auron began activating… some kind of technique. He wasn’t even sure what the other man was doing, but whatever it was certainly looked impressive. When the man asked them to get behind him, he complied, dragging their fourth out of the way if she hadn’t yet woken up by that point. He’d mostly ignored her, but it would just be plain rude to let her take a hit from whatever Auron was doing.

In the end, he could only watch as the man built up immense power before his attack was launched at the golden bear-like thing, not only completely destroying it but the walls of whatever dimension they’d landed in as well. The scenery around them was revealed to be an empty field not far from the village all of this had started in them, causing him to let out whatever breath he’d been holding. Just why had all the crazy shit happened to him? He knew he wasn’t a village shinobi, but there was no way this level of crazy was normal for missing nin and vagabonds like himself.

Seeing the ryo buried beneath the remains of the piñata, he sighed, seeing that the trend of crazy paying well had continued at the very least. If he hadn’t gotten a good deal of ryo out of this, he would’ve been far more pissed than he currently was. Dropping his naginata next to the ryo pile for a moment, he worked on taking a portion of the money for himself, vowing to buy some degree of basic medical supplies as well. He didn’t think he had any breaks, but his body felt like one giant bruise. An ice pack would’ve been great right about now, the young man reflected.

WC: 2,532
TWC: 4,551
Mid thread claims time!
Home Alone Claims: 8,000 Ryō / 40 AP / 2,000 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Crescent Dice (d6)

Merry Christmas Claims: 12,000 Ryō / 60 AP / 2,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Blank Dice (d4)

And A Happy New Year Claims:12,000 Ryō / 60 AP / 2,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Blank Dice (d4)

Run the Gambit Claims: 10,000 Ryō / 50 AP / 2,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1 “Mythical Item” of the player’s choice (excluding “Black Zetsu Cells”, Bijuu Tickets and LEs) OR  1x “Golden Ticket” (allows entry into the LE raffle)
Choosing Golden Ticket

WC Claims: 2,000/2,000 Words towards learning Crystal Release
1,750/1,750 towards learning: https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t45304-jade-crystal-blade
801/1,000 to learn https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t53972-seichi-buki-ayatsuri-subtle-weapon-manipulation
45 stat points total, 40 going towards speed and 5 to vigor.