Saying nothing as Aiko introduced him to the newest member of the team, Koike waited patiently as Aiko then told that they were going. Briefly he glanced at Yukara before turning around and following Aiko. There was no signal of his thoughts or emotions as he kept up the neutral expression on his face. Some training would be better than talking around. He wasn't really interested in chattering the time away.

Yukara had hoped that Koike would introduce himself but Aiko Sensei seemed to do it for him, which in her mind had defeated the point of her demanding one. With a shrug, she turned and followed nicely after the two without a word, just a trouble frown set on her lips. Curious to what kind of training they were going to start with and excited about her first training in Team 8.

With the two genin following her lead, something caused Aiko to wrinkle her nose. ''I am going to do it a bit different.'' She muttered as she performed the Shadow Clone Technique. Next to the original of Aiko, a shadow clone poofed up. Turning around, the real Aiko faced her students. A friendly smile present on her lips as she started to explain what the next training would be. ''I need to check something, but don't worry. I still am going to let you train together. My shadow clone will keep an eye on the training and making sure that when you have questions, you can ask them.'' Again, she looked at a direction, towards the east. ''I really need to check on something. Don't cause any trouble, okay?'' Without giving them any chance to respond, she was already off. The shadow clone then started to brief them about the training.

''Its going to be simple. Once we have arrived at the trainingsfields, we will be having a friendly spar. It is said when two shinobi clash, that they can sometimes connect to each other. Seeing you two are now team members, you need to understand each other. Though Koike, you're not allowed to use most of your techniques to make it fair for Yukara. Come, lets first go to the training field.'' The shadow clone finished her briefing before heading off, in a pace that she was sure both could keep up with and wouldn't tire out.

Finding it a bit strange that Aiko sensei had ran off like that, he wouldn't question her. She was a caring mother and as long they would train, he would be content. Only when she mentioned that he and Yukara would do a spar, he had to ressist to frown. Though he didn't know the other genin, he wasn't sure if that would be fair. Only when it was explained he wasn't allowed to use most of his techniques, he understood it. This was both a test for him and her. ''Understood.'' Koike said with a calm voice, following the shadow clone.

Never getting the chance to ask Aiko Sensei what she had to check on, she watched a bit stunned as she left with a shadow clone and Koike. Slowly turning on her heels to face the two, she looked to the clone of her sensei and listened to the briefing that was given. A friendly spar, that was the training? It seemed a bit sudden to have to fight her team mate, as much as she had a bit of an issue with Koike, it still did not mean that she wanted to fight him. It became apparent to her that he was older than the average genin, she wondered if there was something wrong with him but said nothing as she followed along quietly.

It wouldn't take long before they were near the training fields. Without any of them both complaining about the spar, the shadow clone was glad about that. Looking for a suitable field, they went to the training field that had the number 7. A grasfield with some trees in the surroundings. Furthermore, a river dividing the field in two. A good field for an all round spar, in her opinion. ''First. I want each of you showing some respect with the Seal of Confrontation. Remember, this is a friendly spar. Not a fight on life and death. Koike, you're not allowed to use [i]those techniques.''[/i] Unlike the tone that she had been talking with, the last sentence was said with a much more sterner voice. The emphasis on the word ''those'' would make it clear to Koike what she meant. Taking several steps back, the clone would start to observe them.

Arriving at the field, Koike listened to what their sensei told them. Though he had seen it coming, he found it a bit dull he couldn't use his whole arsenal. But to test them against his team member wouldn't be testing them properly. Nodding to the shadow clone, to give the signal he understood it, his attention went to Yukara. Slowly he raised his right hand, forming the Seal of Confrontation. ''Ready when you are.'' He said on a neutral tone, focussing on what she would do. Though he had gained some experience, he wasn't sure what his new team member was capable off.

Yukara nodded briefly before she too rasied her right hand and formed the Seal of Confirmation, her other hand slipping behind her to grab a kunai as she took another step back. Bringing her hands together after saying "I am always ready." Doing the required hand seals for the Demonic Illusion: Hell Veiwing Technique before darting away into the small amount of trees, with another kunai in her other hand.

A genjutsu? Koike noticed the leaves surrounding him as he narrowed his eyes slowly. Bringing his hands together, he managed to dispell the genjutsu. So she knew genjutsu? Sadly for her, he also was able to perform that technique and had no trouble of dispelling it. But it still gave her time to dart away. Looking around, he decided to play it on a defensive manner. He wasn't one to prove he was the better, seeing no gain in it. Pulling out a kunai, Koike stayed still and listened to his surroundings.

Not one to put herself directly in the line of fire, she performed the seals for the clone jutsu, having one appear beside her she sent it out in the open to face off against Koike. In the mean time, it would give her time to come up with a better plan and observe his fighting style. Her clone, ran at him like a blind idiot with a kunai pointed at him and did not care to try a less direct path. It took all of her self control not to yell at the clone, gritting her teeth together she took out her Shuriken and made another clone in which she planned to use in conjunction with the Shuriken.

He noticed Yukara charging at him, with a kunai. Readying himself, he was wondering why she was charging at him like that. For a moment, he almost had glanced at the shadow clone. How much would he need to hold back if she would just charge at him like that? Focusing on the clone, he noticed something strange. Aiming his kunai, Koike threw it towards the clone and realized what was going on. It was an illusion clone. The kunai phased right through it, as it was after all an image. Feeling a bit embarrassed he hadn't notice it earlier, he pulled out another kunai. The illusionary clone was something he could ignore as it would just distract him.

Frowning once she noticed that he realized it just illusionary, which would simply make him keen on finding on finding her location. She was curious as to what he was not allowed to use on her but she supposed it was good thing as it would only make it harder on her to fight him. Again, she made another clone and sent another out there as she threw her own kunai at Koike before stealthly leaving the location that it was thrown from, leaving the clone previously made to take the hit forr it as she quickly performed the Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique as she threw another Kunai at him from a different direction this time.

Hearing some sounds, Koike turned to the direction where it came from. Another charge? This time with a kunai thrown in his direction. Dodging it with a quick step the right, he looked at the grass. After some moments he looked around again, ignoring the other clone. ''Throwing kunai and illusionary clones aren't going to work.'' He calmly said. Hearing another sound, of something heading towards him, Koike turned his head to see another kunai heading his way. Deflecting it with his kunai, he narrowed his eyes, clearly not pleased she was using these kind of tactics. Wondering what her next move would be, he already started to think of a plan on how to put pressure on her side.

The distractions or what they could offer, bought her enough time to form her own plan, as she hid herself in the shadows of the trees before making one last clone. This time, she had the clone throw the Shuriken while she managed to conceal herself outside of her last genjutsu and then in no time, she was being thrown straight at Koike with a kunai hidden in shirt. When she was close enough to him, she flung her kunai at him from behind and moved herself so that she could easily escape any attacks as the Shuriken came ever so close to him.

Still not pleased with seeing another clone, Koike evaded the shuriken with ease. Then he noticed she came again towards him. The only difference that he could see that the grass moved as she ran towards him. Was she planning on a close ranged combat situation? Readying himself, he noticed her arm moved and as an reflex, he moved a step backwards while raising his kunai to defend himself. The attack parried, Koike used his free hand to grab another kunai as he readied his defense again.

The parried attack between the two caused her to lose her footing and before it became to big of a problem, she regained her footing before darting off again. Her combat style was more or less, attack hard then retreat for the moment. Weaving together more hand seals as she performed the Cat Genjutsu while he still in the other one, this time she took three Kunai out although her arsenal was low she needed to keep a steady distance away from him. Throwing one at one place and darting away to another spot as she threw the second from there before scaling the tree closest by. Propelling herself towards Koike from the top of the tree and angling herself so her foot would hopefully make contact with him in some place.

So she was running again. Lowering his defense, Koike was wondering what she was trying to achieve with such a tactic. Suddenly he was somewhere else. Another genjutsu? Koike, wary now, decided that he would stop being on the defense. Aiko sensei had told him to hold back, but he wasn't planning on to become a training doll for his team member. Storing away a kunai, he then noticed a cat charging at him. ''Genjutsu won't work now.'' He mumbled, flipping the kunai and slicing a cut in his right leg. The pain disturbed the genjutsu. That was when Koike heard something approaching him. Quickly diving to the right, he evaded the weapons. Getting up, he did noticed how a few hairs fell as he rose up. It was enough. Storing his kunai, he caught her in his sights. Weaving several handseals, he held the last one.

''Wind Release : Protective Dome Technique/'' He muttered, as around him a dome of air started to spin around, likely throwing Yukara away from him. Once that would be done, Koike would just wait till she either had managed to avoid his attack or be thrown away by the wind technique. ''Got anything else?''

Sadly, she did not quite catch his hand seals, unable to stop her momentum from carrying her to the wind protecting Koike. She could only think of one thing to do, quickly as her panicked hands would allow she weaved the seals for the replacement jutsu and was able avoid any major injuries but the wind still caught her as she tried to escape and threw her against one of the trees, causing some scrapes and bruises. Her breathing heavy and loud, she knew that she would need to do something soon because she was running out of ideas and ways to attack him. For now, she was going to go on the defense and give her some time to formulate another plan of action.

Waiting till she would get up again, Koike noticed she took a more defensive stance. It was maybe just a funny coincidence as he had decided to take up the offensive. Moulding his chakra, through weaving handsignals at a fast speed that his clan was infamous for, Koike prepared the Spiralling Wind Ball Technique. After bringing his right hand to his mouth, he blew out several spheres of wind towards Yukara. They were heading as fast as thrown shuriken towards the girl, putting the girl into the defense while he would try to close in the distance.

Scrambling to her feet as she saw the wind spheres coming towards her at that speed, she was unable to avoid getting hit by the majority of them but managed to evade the last of them as she darted towards the river. While she ran, she concentrated the amounts of charka she had left to her hands and brought her hand to her opposite arm to heal her more serious injuries. She did not stop running as she continued to put distance between the two of them while struggling to come up with another plan.

Squinting his eyes, Koike noticed she did something strange. Following her, he wasn't going to make it easy for her to keep running away. Pulling out three kunai, he quickly attached wire to them. Still chasing down Yukara, Koike threw the kunai. Not aimed to go directly towards his team member. Their aim was slightly off and Koike would wait for the last moment to reel in the wire, making the same sound when a fisher would reel in. The kunai would fly towards Yukara, trying to catch her in the wire.

Noticing the sun glint a little on the wire that he had attached to the kunai that were being thrown at her rather quickly, she gritted her teeth and threw the last of the kunai she had to parry them but it did not seem to work. As they flew towards faster than her own kunai traveled to parry it, getting caught in the wires, she struggled to use a small dagger that she had been planning on using in her back up to cut herself free as he continued to close the distance between them.

''Yukara Cho, stop.'' Koike instructed her. He still held the wire, not intending on releasing her right away. But he wasn't making her trip or pull hard to cause her to lose balance. ''Think we have exchanged enough blows for now.'' Koike politely said as he released the wire. It would be easy for her to free herself as Koike shot a glance in the shadow clone of Aiko. He knew that it wasn't his place to stop the spar, but he saw no need in putting the girl in her place. She had done nothing to cause him to go on and do it. Though he didn't ask if she was alright.

Upon hearing her name, she froze but did not stop the process of freeing herself from the wires and until she was standing. Putting her dagger away, she simply watched him for a moment before nodding silently and going around to collect her kunai and Shuriken. "Yes... I think we have as well..." she said with a sigh. She hoped that she had done enough to prove that she was a more formidable opponent than most would have her, her red eyes turning to the shadow clone to await a response or action.

Silently, the shadow clone had watched how her students had sparred for a bit. Like expected, Koike had managed to keep his ground. At the same time, she had noticed that Yukara had some good attitude. Even while the odds were against her, she kept trying to fight back. Only she had actually little offensive skill. But she could learn that, so it wasn't a big problem. When Koike was clearly gaining the upper hand, he stopped. A bit surprised as she had suspected that Koike would continue until Yukara had been beaten. ''This is enough indeed. You both did well.'' She said, smiling at the genins.

Though glad to hear they did well, Koike didn't feel like he had done anything great at all .Glancing at his team member, he wondered what kind of training she would get. From what he had seen so far, her offensive abilities weren't that great when her opponent would be versed in genjutsu. The more that Koike thought about it, the less he was sure if Aiko wanted them to really exchange blows with each other. There was something iffy about this.

Yukara brushed the remaining dust off her clothes, adapting a rather disinterested look and crossing her arms. Waiting for further instruction from Aiko Sensei, she went through the sparring match, it was obvious that she lacked offensive jutsu, it was also obvious that Koike was holding back and that irritated her. Did her sensei think that she was too weak to handle what he could do offensively? It was depressing, to the point that she began to dislike Koike because of it and her expression turned into a deep scowl the longer she thought about it.

Aiko's shadow clone observed how both her students were doing. Koike was like usually, being neutral and rather distant about how it had went. Yukara looked like she was discontent with how it had went. But at least she had now some knowledge on how her students were. From Koike, she already knew, but it was important to see how he was with the newest member of Team 8. Yukara had shown that she could use some more training in offensive abilities, but Aiko had noticed the generic talent for genjutsu. Thus it was more than likely that with some training, Yukara would be able to be better at offensive prowess. ''I think both of you need to rest out. I want each of you here tomorrow. At the time of 11:00 AM.'' That said, the shadow clone would wait to see if both of them had understood it before it would release itself.
''Understood.'' Koike simply replied, nodding as well. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants, he was already turning around. Though he had actually hoped for some training, he had the idea something was going on. Aiko had left them with a shadow clone and the spar seemed a bit odd. But he wouldn't suspect anything behind Aiko. She had been his sensei for quite some time and he had learned that trusting her would work out in most situations. Not really saying goodbye, Koike was already with his mind at training his chakra control at home.

"Mkay" Yukara said in a light tone, running her fingers through her hair before watching Koike leave without a word. Biting her lip, she surpressed the urge to throw something at him as she was still irritated with him and then she, herself, turned to leave. Promising herself that she would be better than both of them one day and would have to deal with her lack of offense for the time being.

The shadow clone noticed how both left. Already she had suspected this to become one interesting team. Releasing herself, the real Aiko gained the knowledge of what the Shadow clone had learned. But on her way to the hospital, the woman didn't really care for that now. It was pushed back into her mind as she raced towards the big building. There seemed to be some panic, but neither was she worried for that. She had one goal with reaching the building and she cared little else at the moment. Guilt, anger and sorrow were running through her body as she thought of what she had heard. Miharu was kidnapped.

The continuation of Takeshi and Natsume's mission to help a poor old farmer. The two attempt to complete the mission without a full team, and Takeshi tries to bond with his new student!

Takeshi stepped inside the old man's home and realized that Natsume was not following. He sighed to himself, perhaps it would be better to give her some time. Closing the door behind him, Takeshi walked further into the house, entering a qauint little dining area. The old man had taken a seat at a small wooden table, and he gestured for Takeshi to join him. Hesitating for a brief moment, Takeshi pulled out a chair and sat down. "So, how long have these attacks been occuring?" As he spoke, Takeshi looked around the room casually. It would appear as if he was simply disinterested in the conversation, however his keen eyes were picking up any details within the room that he considered to be important.

"Uh... Um, it has been abobut a week now since they started. I first noticed it when--when I saw that my prized sheep had gone missing from their pens. Those sheep had the finest coats in the land I swear it. I stayed out for the next two nights straight, hoping to catch the damn animals that done snuck away with my beauties. Nothing happened for those two nights and so I thought maybe they'd gone and moved on. The next morning I found the pen with my prized hens smashed open and they were all missing. That's when I sent for help." As the old man spoke, Takeshi paid close attention to his body language and his tone. The man appeared to be nervous about something, and that had piqued Takeshi's curiousity.

"I noticed you have quite a large fence outside. It didn't appear to be damaged, any idea how the animals could have gotten past it?" He posed the question carefully, watching to see the old man's reaction. Takeshi noticed the man grow more nervous as he started to fiddle with his hands. "I... I don't know, isn't that what you guys are supposed to find out? Isn't that what I'm paying you for?"

Takeshi bit back a retort and offered a small smile instead. "Indeed you are correct. I will take a look outside in a little bit. But for now, perhaps you could tell me more about the other animals that you have on this farm?" Takeshi allowed the man to begin blathering on about all of his prized livestock, and his thoughts travelled to Natsume. He hoped that she was taking a look around the farm. She had seemed to be quite observant before, and Takeshi was interested to see what she'd pick up.

Natsume walked around the paremeter of the property. At no point did she see any breech in the fence. There was no way for an animal to get it. Natsume looked around again and decided to check the pens, one was pretty banged up but the lock on it had scratches. Not animal scratches, lock pick scratches. It was becoming more and more obvious that it was the two legged kind of animal and not the four legged beast variety. The cages were beat up but when she looked closely at them the damage wasnt all that bad. not nearly enough to break open the cage. thus the scratched up lock.

Natsume looked at the animals, all of them were in really good condition. Didnt shy away from her at all, not majorly anyway. Natsume started puttin things together in her head. Clearly animals werent attacking his livestock. There was no sign of them breaching the fence and not enough damage to the cages for them to be open. most importantly there was no blood. If it was an animal that miraculously got over the fence and picked the lock they would have attacked the animal and there would be blood. Animals werent behind this at all. so why would the man say they were?

Takeshi sighed to himself for what felt like the hundreth time in about five minutes. Clearly asking the old farmer about his animals had been a poor decision. Now he couldn't get the guy to stop talking. Spotting the man pausing ever so briefly to take a breath, Takeshi quickly interrupted. "Yes, yes. I think we are quite clear on how important these animals are to you... But perhaps we could get back to the matter at hand, yes?"

The man looked quite taken aback and he gave the look of a child being denied candy. Takeshi had to supress a small laugh at the sight of the grown man pouting. "I think we both are well aware that there aren't any animals around these parts that could get through your fence without breaking it down. Perhaps you would be so inclined as to tell me what's really going on?" Takeshi threw his hand up to interrupt as the man opened his mouth to speak, clearly outraged. "Before you attempt to lie to me again please note that my patience is growing thin. I am well aware that these so-called 'animal attacks' were just a ruse to get us out here. So you can sit there and lie to me all day, or you can tell me what, or whom has actually been taking your livestock? If that's too much of a bother for you, I'm sure we could also just wait for my student to come in here and share with us what she has found while searching your farm? So, what'll it be farmer?" Takeshi still kept his tone light-hearted, but his eyes were as cold as steel. He did not appreciate being lied to.

The old man looked for another moment like he was going to deny everything before slumping back in his chair, defeated. He rested his head in his hands and began to sob. Pulling a small, folded piece of paper from his inner pocket, the old man tossed it across the table towards Takeshi, who caught it gracefully. Opening the letter, he began to read. When he had finished, he set the paper down on the table and sighed. The old man looked up at the sound, a look of anguish on his face. " I am not a wealthy man Mr. Shun. I... I cannot afford to pay these men to get my precious animals back."

Takeshi felt quite tired all of the sudden and he sighed again, this time it was a sad sigh. "So that is why you told us it was animals who were attacking your livestock. You knew it would be cheaper than paying for us to deal with bandits." The old man simply nodded his head sadly. "And you knew that you would not be able to pay the ransom for the animals either. You understand my dilemma now though. Don't you? You have put my student at risk by deliberately withholding this information from us."

The old man locked eyes with Takeshi, pleading with him. "I never meant to put you at risk! I thought that they would send more shinobi, and then they would be able to take care of the bandits easily! Please Mr. Shun, please help me! I have nowhere else to go! These animals mean the world to me, they are all that I have left! I... I can try and put together what little I have if it is about the money, please take anything that you want from me, just... just don't let them hurt my poor animals..." Tears streamed down the man's face and the desparation was clear in his eyes.

Takeshi sighed once again. Mika would have killed this man on the spot, he thought to himself. But then again, he wasn't her, and the thought that helping this man would annoy Mika if she found out only served to make him want to help more. He chuckled to himself as he thought of what Mika would say to him when she found out and then, realizing how that must look to the man in front of him, he quickly recomposed himself. "I am afraid it is not up to me whether or not we decide to help you. I will leave the fate of your animals up to my student. After all it is her that you are putting at risk the most." With that, Takeshi rose from the table. "You had better hope that she is in the mood to be kind." Takeshi turned and walked out. He smiled to himself once his back was to the man. Takeshi had every intention of helping the farmer, but he was serious about it being Natsume's decision. He did not want to put the genin at risk on her first mission. Exiting the house, Takeshi spotted her near the animal pens and began walking towards her.

Natsume had taken a seat in the field against one of the pens. silently she ran through mental scenarios in her head. the thievs hopped the fence made their way to the the pens, picked the locks and took the animals. The cages were likely too heavy to cary out so they had to open the cages and take the animals. That meant Exit was harder than entry. She stood up and walked toward the fense. She notice her sensei approaching her but jumped over the fence anyway. On the outside of the fence she looked for signs of life. there were a few slight indentations on the ground to the east of the property near the gate. From that point there was a clear view of both the house and the pens with the pens between the house and the fence. Once she thought about it, it was the ideal entry point in this situation. they wouldht have to pass the house and could get in and out simple enough. even if the owner came outside there was enough distance to escape, assuming a light was turned on first.

The entry point was a decent start but it didnt actually tell her what direction the theives came from. But that could wait momentarily while she waited for her sensei to catch up with her.

Takeshi kept an eye on Natsume as he approached. From her movements it appeared as if she was instensely focused on something. Seeing that he hadn't been wrong about her observational skills, Takeshi smiled. He doubted that she still thought they were here to deal with animal attacks, and from the way she was moving around the animal pens, Takeshi would bet that she was forming her own theories.

Making sure to keep an eye on his surroundings as he neared the girl, Takeshi saw what she had noticed earlier. The markings in the grass were clearly made by humans, and the marks on the animal pens looked like they were caused by tools rather than claws or teeth. Looking back to Natsume, Takeshi smiled. "So, Natsume, what have you discovered so far?" He was eager to hear what the girl thought, and hoped that she would break her silence long enough to give him a proper answer.

Natsume Let out a sigh. she would have to speak. The man lied. people did this. not animals. no damage to the fence. the cage locks were picked and there was no blood anywhere she summerized. If he was asking her what she found out he must have gotten some informaion himself. Inside probably held more clues and and insight than outside. but at least nothing was covered up outside. The man hadnt tried to actually make it look like an animal attack so chances were he wasnt all that coniving as one might think after being lied to.

Smiling warmly at Natsume's deduction, Takeshi spoke. "You are very observant Natsume. Indeed our host has seen fit to lie to us. There is a group of bandits that are holding his animals in an attempt to draw a ransom from him." Takeshi's face grew serious as he met Natsume's eyes. "So Natsume. I leave this up to you. This is your first mission after all, and I can understand if you have a desire to finish it. Obviously this is now a little more serious than dealing with simple wildlife. So, if you would like, we can go back to the village and get the rest of the team before coming back to deal with this, or you and I can take care of this here and now? As I've said, the decision is up to you." Takeshi had a feeling that he knew what the girl's decision would be, and he hoped that he was right. He had no doubts that the girl could take care of herself and it would be interesting to see her skills in an actual combat. But, as he had said, the decision was up to her, and for now he simply stood awaiting her response.

Natsume looked at him as blankly as she always did. "we accepted the mission... regardless that it has changed. we accept, therefore we complete. isnt that the way it works?" She turned the question back on the jonin. Clearly she didnt care that it was going to be harder. Easy amounts to ease and concidering her life was never easy, there was no reason to expect her missions to be. In fact it was porbably better this way, now she would be able to put her skills to the test other than actual exams and useless things from the academy. "so whats the plan?"

As he listened to Natsume's reply, a smile began forming on Takeshi's face. That's the spirit. He thought to himself. "Spoken like a true shinobi Natsume." He said, proud of his new student. Turning, he began to pace back towards the animal pens. "Well, the plan is going to be fairly straight forward. We are going to plan a good old fashioned trap." Turning his head to glance at Natsume over his shoulder, Takeshi offered her a grin. "And we're gonna be the bait."

If the plan was as straight forward a he made it seem than it probably could be taken literally that they would be the bait. It made sense, considering the circumstances it wasnt the worst possible idea that one could come up with. Natsume figured they would use the transformation Jutsu to transform into livestock and simply lie and wait. Natsume's Trasformation skill was exceptionally high, since she honed it specifically to to get back at all the people that tormented her as a youth. without getting caught of course.

The smile across Takeshi's face made her want to punch him but she refrained and followed him silently as usual. Not only were there only two of them dealing with an unknown amount of bandits, but they were also going to be dealing with these fools in the dark. presumably a jonin would have enough skill to fight in the dark....presumably.

"All that's left for now is to wait until dark." Takeshi said, heading back to the farm house. For now they would wait. He had faith that the girl would be able to keep up with everything, and if not, well... then at least he would be here to help her along.

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Several Hours Later ~ Outside of the farmhouse.

Takeshi made his way out to the animal pens. He looked up, it was just about dark. From what the farmer had said, the bandits always came under the cover of darkness. Takeshi glanced back at Natsume. The girl didn't seem like she was a fan of conversation, and Takeshi respected that. But he also wanted to ensure that his student would be willing to communicate with him if necessary. He was going to have to find a way to push that barrier aside and reach out to her. Turning back, he Takeshi realized that he was already at the entrance to one of the pens.

After he had returned to the farmhouse to discuss his plan with the farmer, Takeshi had discovered that there weren't many animals left for the bandits to take. In fact it seemed like the most likely animals were going to come from this particular pen. Opening the door, Takeshi peered inside to find - - Pigs... Great. He thought to himself. Well, at least it wasn't a particularly difficult transformation. Turning to Natsume he asked, "Any last questions before we do this?"

Natsumi just blinked at him before performing the neccesary handsigns. In a puff of smoke she transformed into a pig. It was, for all intents and purposes the perfect pig. Why someone would steal somthing as heavenly as a big,fat and heavy as a pig was beyond her but whatever. A mission was a mission and missions got completed, it was that simple, she told herself even though the fact that she was a pig at the moment kind of made her question that. For now she would do like she had done most of the day...just wait.

Not bad. Takeshi thought to himself as he watched Natsume transform into a pig. She clearly possessed some skill with the transformation jutsu, something that would make this mission even easier. Takeshi closed the door to the pen, making sure that the lock would close. Quickly performing the seals, Takeshi transformed through a cloud of smoke into a stocky, prize-worthy pig. Pawing the ground briefly with one of his hoofs, Takeshi let out a low snort and walked further into the pen. He found a nice spot that wasn't as covered in filth as the rest and laid down. This wasn't so bad after all...

NatusmI simply dropped where she was, it didnt much matter where. Unless these bandits were pig professionals it didn't matter at all. it occured to her for a second as to why these people were targeting this man. If he had show animals it probably wasnt a random incident. chances were they were being hired by another competitor to.. well take out the compition and cash in in the process. If that was truley the case this would be more interesting than she first thought. Other than that why would bandits steal livestock...

The floor was comfortable enough that Takeshi had to be careful not to let himself drift off into sleep. Shuffling his position a little bit, he managed to keep himself content, simply waiting for when their would-be-captors would show up. He had his suspicions that there was more going on behind the scenes, which was why he would let the bandits take them back to wherever it was they were operating from. Letting out a low snort again he rested his head on the ground and waited.

After what seemed like hours, Takeshi noticed a sound just at the edges of his hearing. A sound that had no place near the animal pens. Looking around, it appeared that most of the other pigs were just as oblivious as ever. As the noise grew a little louder, Takeshi knew that their time of waiting would son be up. Hearing the bandits just outside the door, Takeshi noticed that the animals were a little more restless. Instead of simply milling about, most of them appeared to be looking around trying to determine what was causing the noice. Takeshi the pig rose to his hoofs and began to make his way a little closer to the door.

When Natsume became aware of the noise she rose and fell in step with the other pigs. pretending to try to acertain where these strange sounds were comingfrom. Of course she already knew where they were coming from already but she had a role to play. When the lock came undone and the pen was opened she was almost indistinguishable from the other swine. She twitched her nose to take in the scent of her would be captors but did little else besides that at the moment. Since the rest of the pigs were not unfamilliar with human interaction they didnt go crasy so niether did she.

The men did a poor job of trying to remain quiet as they opened the pen and began ushering the animals out. Takeshi fell in line with the other pigs as they all made their way out of the pen. The first good sign was that none of the men appeared to be attempting to harm any of the animals. That meant that there was a good chance they were going to keep them alive, at least for a little while. Takeshi waddled down the ramp to the pen, tucked in close to the pigs around him. They were getting herded towards the fence and, Takeshi noticed with amusement, two men on either side of the fence were lifting the pigs up and over. None of these swine were light, they had all been bred to be plump, healthy and very big, and the bandits were clearly having a tough time hefting them over the fence. When it was his turn to be lifted he noticed how strange it felt. Glad that he had chosen a particularly plump form, he heard the man to his left utter a brief curse before he was finally up and over. Takeshi briefly wondered where Natsume had wound up. He had thought about looking around for her, but then shook that thought off, knowing that the girl was capable of blending in just fine.

Natusme went up and over the fence without suspiscion. Blending in with ease she continued along the herded pigs into the woods. She had been correct in her approximation about where they entered from, but Takeshi never gave her a chance to find out there actual direction. Turns out it was to the East of the Farm as that was the direction they were led. considering they were herding animals with enough care chances are they were taking a direct route so that none of the pigs got seperated and lost. This 'care' was slightly bitter sweet for Natsume.It was an odd feeling to know that she was treated better as a pig than she was a person but at the same time it made the mission go so much smoother. Normally she could take a few hits before she transformed back to herself but at this rate she wouldnt have to take any, Thus maintaining the element of Surprise.

His curiosity was peaked a little when Takeshi realized that the bandits were not simply hiding out in the forest. Judging by their tactics he had thought they would remain close by, so they could keep a watch on the old farmer to make sure he wasn't playing tricks on them. As they traveled further through the forest, Takeshi began wondering if his earlier suspicions were correct after all, and the bandits were bringing the animals somewhere else entirely. Following along obediently, he managed to shuffle his way subtly enough to one side so that he was close enough to two of the bandits to overhear them if they conversed. For now, however, the men remained silent, herding the pigs along.

After a long time of traveling through the forest, the group broke out the other side. Takeshi found himself not overly surprised when he saw that the bandits had organized a wagon that they were directing the pigs towards. So he had been right about them travelling elsewhere. Takeshi followed a particularly smelly swine up the ramp into the back of the wagon. It was littered with hay and had more than enough room for the animals. Finding a spot that was near the side, Takeshi settled himself in. As he watched, many of the pigs around him found places of their own and either began munching on the hay absent mindedly, or laid down in a more comfortable position. Takeshi decided that the latter option was more appealing, and he set his impressive bulk down onto the bed of the wagon.

The Farther they traveled, the farther they would have to travel back with all the stolen livestock. That was really the only drawback, to Natume, of waiting so long. the wagon was far from a smooth ride but the worse part was that it made it harder to determin their location. She couldnt accurately gauge their speed or direction anymore to be able to figure out where they were going. If they had to make this trek all the way back to the farmers house there might be a bit of an issue. She filed that on under 'cross that bridge when we get to it' and waited for what ever would happened next.

It took them a long time to reach their destination, and Takeshi wondered just how far they had travelled from the farmhouse. The wagon turned off the main path and headed down a rough gravel trail, shaking a little more violently as the path changed. After a short time of travelling along the gravel road, the wagon came to a stop and the bandits lowered the ramp. Following the other pigs as they were moved down the ramp, Takeshi kept his eyes open. When he had reached the bottom of the ramp, Takeshi noticed that they were being herded towards another set of pens. He kept an eye on the whereabouts of all of the bandits, and looked through the crowd of swine attempting to locate Natsume.

Natsume followed in the direction of the herd while being very mindful of her surroundings. she did her best to stay in the center of the herd as it was the best way to avoid being bothered. the bandits would only take particular notice to the ones on the outside to make sure they dont wander, there was no reason to pay attention to the ones in the center. But natusme had to wonder just how many animals were here, and were they all from the one farm? they were set up like this wasnt the first time they ran a racket like this and judging by their surroundings they took special care to keep the place hidden from anyone. The bumpy roade was most likely off the beaten bath under some natural occuring dense greenery that hid the slope the went down through more foliage. natural cover was always the best cover, most people dont think to look if id doesnt look like its unnatural.

Seeing the scope of the operation, Takeshi realized just how extensive the bandit's plan must have been. For now, he allowed himself to be led into one of the pens. It seemed all of the pigs were being herded inside the pen, and Takeshi wanted to observe a little more before breaking cover. So far he had counted nine bandits. The seven who had gathered the animals, and two that had met them at this base of sorts. He couldn't be sure whether or not there were more bandits involved in this operation, and until he knew more, Takeshi was not willing to risk the safety of his student with a foolish attack.

Moving to one side of the pen, he looked out, towards the center of everything. It looked like there was a large tent set up. So that must be where they rest. Takeshi thought to himself. He couldn't argue with the logic. A tent was the easiest thing to set up or take down, and it was incredibly portable. From the ease in which the bandits had handled things so far, Takeshi would be willing to bet that they had done this sort of thing many times before. Waddling back near the middle of the pen, Takeshi decided to lay down. He would wait until the bandits had settled, until their guard was down. He wanted to reunite with Natsume as well, before they made their move. While he had confidence that she would catch on quickly, there was still too large a risk. And so Takeshi waited, lounging in the dirt, looking every bit the lazy, contented pig.

Natusme was getting restless, being but in the pen only frustrated her. When was Takeshi going to make his move? He would probably get mad if she made it first. the 9 bandits she counted would probably have been easy for a jonin to handle. Even if some of them used to be shinobi, as she was beginning to suspect. After all a shinobi knows how to use natural camoflauge, and the round about directions they were going on the way here was a normal tactic to through off persuers. at least one of them had ninja training of some sort. But even if they did, a well time hidden mist juts, combined with her Genjutsu mist justu would Solve just about any issue. its instinct to gather together when mist rolls in, since it usually means Hidden mist Ninja. It limits blind spots and protects their backs. If only she could do that with out having to transform back to herself.

"It seems like they don't have too much interest in us at the moment." The voice would be heard very quietly by Natsume. Takeshi had made his way over to her after some time, his eyes on the lookout for any of the men watching the pens. After he deemed it safe enough to risk talking to the girl, Takeshi had approached her. "We will attack soon. If I provide a distraction, do you think you could take the rest by surprise?" If it came down to it, Takeshi knew that he could handle the bandits, but he wanted Natsume to get some experience as well. He also wanted her to know that he had faith in her combat abilities. Pretending to be simply milling about, Takeshi waited for Natsume's response, his eyes still peeled for any changes.

Natsume nodded by dipping her snout to the ground. At this point she was just ready for this to be over. The sooner that happened the better. But clearly since they were going to attack, it meant that they would also have to find a way to get these animals baack as well... aint that just wonerful more work. A mission is a mission, she told herself as she mentally prepared for her move

Snorting, Takeshi the pig lifted his snout briefly in the air. "When you see the signal, that's your cue to move out. Be careful Natsume, and good luck." Moving away, Takeshi saddled his way over in between a few fat pigs. Crouching low, he let the transformation jutsu slip away, before quickly forming the necessary handseals to perform the transformation jutsu again. This time, however, Takeshi took the form of a wolf.

Letting out a snarl, the pigs around him began to react in fear to his presence. Growling, Takeshi nipped at the pig closest to him. It wasn't long before he had the pigs on the move, running in fear from the wolf in their midst. Soon almost all of the pigs in the pen were squealing and crashing about, trying to get away. Takeshi managed to herd them around in circles, keeping vision of what was going on in the pens to a minimum.

It wasn't long before the bandits began rushing towards the pen, trying to uncover the source of the commotion. Several of the bandits brandished clubs, while only a few others carried blades. Staring at the havoc in front of them, they were bewildered. "Get those bloody animals under control!" One of the men yelled. "Something's got 'em spooked! What if there's something in the pen with them?? Another called out, sounding panicked.

Takeshi snorted to himself as he heard the bandits speaking. Clearly they weren't all hardened criminals, this might be easier than he had thought.

"Then get in there and find out what it is! We can't have these animals squealing all bloody night! What if somebody hears them!?" The first man yelled out again. Grumbling, the second bandit made his way towards the pen. "Shen! Piel! Come with me, we have to get these things settled down!" Two more bandits headed towards the man who had spoken. All three were armed with simple clubs, and Takeshi assumed that these men were not used to dealing with threats inside their own compound. Keeping the pigs running around, Takeshi waited until the three bandits were further into the pen. Staying low he managed to keep hidden from view as the pigs ran amok. As the bandits came closer to his position, Takeshi wondered if Natsume had managed to use the distraction to her advantage. He supposed that he would find out soon enough. From what he could tell, there were six men still on the outside of the pen, and the three bandits inside. This was going to be interesting...

As soon as the pen was opened to let the men in Natsume hauled out of there, right between the legs of one of the men. squealing as loud as she wanted to she ran around the compound. while to the bandits who were chasing her it just looked like a pig was on the loose Natsume was really just surveying her surroundings while seperating the bandits. Two of them were chacing her and having a very hard time keeping up with her, so after she got the lay of the land she ditched the compound all together, leading them away from it and away ffrom the rest of the group. once she was far enough away she slid and turned around and let out a grunt. her persuers were none the wiser when she charged them, knocking one clean off his feet. it was here and now that she undid her transformation. weeving handsigns quickly and thoroughly for her water style,Gunshot jutsu which slamed into the second man, knocking the wind out of him. She Picked up a branch and hit him over the head with it, kncoking him outcold. by the time the first bandit was getting back on his feet she was swinging on him.

With those two taken care of she tied them up and gagged them, hanging them by their feet from a tree and made her way steathily back to the compound. she enetered from one of the angles she saw on her lap around the compound. She took a deep breath and weeved her handsignes. "Hidden Mist Jutsu" and waited as the mist covered most of the compound.

The mist crept through the pen as Takeshi waited for the men to come closer. Letting out a wolfish grin, he moved to the right of the bandits. "Where the hell is that damned mist coming from!?" One of the men in the pen called out, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "Doesn't matter! Just keep your eyes out for whatever's got these pigs spooked!" Another bandit called out, sounding a little more in control.

Letting the transformation jutsu slip, Takeshi rose to his full height. The mist would obscure him from view, but it would also hide his targets from sight. Takeshi didn't need to see though, the noise the three bandits in the pen were making was enough to point out their positions perfectly. Though he wasn't a master of silent killing like his friend Mika Hayashi, Takeshi was still able to move quite quietly when he needed to. Sneaking up on the bandit who was the furthest from the others, Takeshi silently drew a kunai. He waited until he was right behind the man before reaching out and clamping one hand over the man's mouth. In one smooth movement, Takeshi used the kunai to slit the man's throat and then lowered him to the ground. That's one.

The other two men were closer together, and Takeshi wanted to seperate them in order to complete his plan. Pulling out a shuriken, he tossed it to the side of the bandits a small ways away. Upon hearing the noise, one of the men turned towards it. "What was that?" He asked. "How the hell should I know? Probably just a pig!" The second man replied. Takeshi waited in silence, hoping the men would seperate.

"I'm going to go check it out." The first bandit said, sounding highly unsure of himself. "Fine, but hurry the hell up! I can barely see in this damned mist and I don't want to come across any surprises." The second fired back. As he waited patiently, Takeshi heard one of the men slip off towards the place he had thrown the shuriken.

Slipping up behind the man who had chosen not to move, Takeshi brought out his kunai and rammed it through the back of the man's throat. The man let out a small gurgling sound as he choked on his own blood, before falling limp. Takeshi caught him before he could hit the ground, and lifted the man's body up, holding it in front of himself. Moving towards the last remaining bandit in the pen, Takeshi made a slight grunting noise.

"Sh-Shen... Is that you?" The man called out, sounding nervous. Takeshi simply shuffled his feet forwards. making more noise. "A-answer me man... I can't see anything out here!" Takeshi could hear the growing terror in the man's voice. Disguising his voice to sound very deep, and very quiet, Takeshi spoke. "Allow me to help you with that." Using his chakra, Takeshi blew away enough of the mist so that the bandit could see what he was holding. The sight was a gruesome one. The bandit would see his dead friend, blood leaking from his mouth, and from a wound in his throat. As Takeshi's chakra stopped pushing outwards, the mist began closing in once again. He allowed the bandit to scream, an intensely fearful scream, before he lunged forwards and drove his kunai through the bandits throat. Stopping the bloodcurdling scream with a wet noise. Cleaning his kunai off, he turned back towards the direction of the other bandits outside of the pen.

Natsume crept around the compound silently. Takeshi had most likely taken care of the three in the pen, and she handled two. sothat was 5 down and probably 4 to go. With a Kunai in her hand she moved toward the sound of voices. she weeved more handsigns and summoned a water clone.Both her and the clone continued to move untill they say a light in the mist, a campfire most likely with shadows being cast into the mist. Natsume and the clone seperated, circling in different directions untill they were inline with the shadows. It ment that directly infront of them was the person casting the shadow. Simultaniously they threw the Kunai right into the backs of the men. 2 to go.

"What the hell was that!?" One of the two bandits at the outside of the pen exclaimed, in response to the bloodcurdling scream. A grim smile filled Takeshi's face as he heard the man. His plan had worked, and now he knew where his next target was. As he moved towards the perimeter of the pens, Takeshi heard the second man respond. From the sounds of it, the two men were only a few metres apart. This was going to work perfectly. Silently drawing his two swords, Takeshi approached the edge of the pen. Choosing the spot that seemed like it was the closest to the middle of where he had heard the men talking, Takeshi leapt over the fence, landing with a soft sound. Without hesitating, he charged his twin blades with lightning, aiming them each towards one of the men. A brief crackling noise was heard as the lightning flared across the blades, before discharging in an arc towards its targets. As the lightning faded, all was silent for a moment, and then... Takeshi heard the sound of the two men falling dead to the ground.

Natsume wasnt sure what was going on anymore. She maintained her hidden possition, and tried to listen out for a signal of some sort. But ever since she heard the loud scream everything went silent. Not even the animals were making any noise, and thats actually what confused her the most. Animals were extreemly sensitive to danger, she knew quiet animals meant there was something dangerous in the mist. And it clearly wasnt her, that much was obvious. For now all she could do was wait for her sensei. When an hand clasped down on her shoulder hard she let out a short scream and in instant of fear her kekke genkai activate, using the moisture in the mist to partially freeze who ever grabbed her. She stumbled away from him as she caught her breath

As the last body fell, Takeshi heard the scream. Natsume... Without thinking, he took off towards the sound. Using his chakra, he pushed away the mist around him. He needed to be able to see properly. When he arrived by his student, Takeshi was momentarily taken aback. Natsume stood to his left, looking a little short of breath. In front of her, there were three very large men, clearly there had been more of them in the tent. One of the men was kneeling on the ground, his entire arm covered in a layer of ice. The man was groaning in pain, and the other two were standing behind him, looking surprised and... afraid? Takeshi's eyes quickly travelled back to Natsume... Had she...? Moving so that he was standing in front of Natsume, between her and the three men, Takeshi looked over his shoulder at her very briefly. "You okay?" He asked quietly, turning back to face their opponents.

"So," One of the large men began, "The old farmer decided to hire some filthy shinobi did he? I guess we'll have to pay him a visit when we're done with you." The man's voice was full of arrogance, and Takeshi was half tempted to kill the man right then and there. "I take it you're the leader of this whole operation then?" He asked the bandit, his voice sounding oddly courteous.

"You're damned right I am." The man replied, sounding even more full of himself. "What's it to y--" Before the man had a chance to finish his sentence, his head was no longer attached to his shoulders. Takeshi lowered his hand, lightning still surrounding it. His chidori spear had launched far too quickly for the bandit to react. Sighing, Takeshi shook his head. "If you are done playing games now, it would be a good time to reveal yourself." He called out, seemingly to nobody. There was a long pause before a thin laugh was heard. It seemed to be coming from every direction at once, impossible to track down the source.

"Tsk, tsk. After seeing what you just did to my associate, what makes you think I'm stupid enough to reveal myself?" The voice echoed around them, sounding amused. Takeshi paused, fighting the urge to look around and try to find out where the man was. "Simple. Your friend over there lied to me, and I don't like being lied to. As long as you are honest with me then we shouldn't have any problems." His voice still remained courteous, at least on the outside.

"On the contrary, I am a little too fond of living to take that chance. Besides, this mist is proving to be quite beneficial to my remaining hidden." The man was beginning to get on Takeshi's nerves, but he held his tongue. Glancing back over to Natsume, he wondered if she would get the hint. If not, he always had a backup plan.

Natsume was actually relieved to see Takeshi, not that she would admit it. With a few handsigns she dispelled the mist but continued to weave handsigns. With one dead and one half frozen the last one was pretty much pissing his pants. the ominous voice didnt help but that was for Takeshi to focus on. Natume was going to take care of the ones she could see. She reached for a Kunai form her thigh pouch as she darted forward. in a cold Fury she shattered the mans frozen arm before Kicking the other man a ways away. She persued him, chucking the kunai behind her into the now armless bandits chest. She moved to kick him but he grabbed her leg. It didnt really matter, in one exale a pure white mist enveloped both of them. The man was locked in her genjustu by her genjutsu mist technique. She freed her self and took a step back. reaching into her pocked for a shuriken. with a strong accurate toss she hit him square between his eyes, ending both the genjutsu and his life at the very same time

As the mist disappeared, Takeshi was glad that Natsume got the hint. She would indeed become a very skilled shinobi some day. The voice spoke again, just as the mist vanished. "Heh, clever. I suppose it's time for me to take my leave." The voice had lost much of its echo when the mist had gone, and Takeshi thought he could pin point the source. Whipping around, he turned towards the wagon. Got ya! He thought to himself as he caught sight of a small figure making its way towards the horses. Gathering chakra in his hand, Takeshi launched a chidori spear towards the figure. The figure noticed the lightning heading towards him and managed to dodge out of the way in time. Doing a cartwheel, the man pulled out several shuriken, intending to throw them at Takeshi. As he turned to where Takeshi stood however, the man was shocked to see that he was no longer there. Landing from his cartwheel, the bandit leader felt a moment of dread before he heard a strange sound.

Takeshi's hand, covered in lightning chakra, plunged forwards through the man's chest. As the man looked down in horror, he managed one word, "H-how...?" Pulling his hand from the man's chest, Takeshi watched as he dropped to his knees, coughing up blood. "Shinobi, remember?" He watched the man die at his feet before he turned back to see how Natsume was faring. He was just in time to see her finish the last bandit, covering herself and the man in a thick white mist. As the mist dispersed, Takeshi made his way towards her. There was finally a strange sense of peace and quiet amongst the camp. Nearing the girl, Takeshi finally spoke. "Are you alright Natsume-san?" His voice was filled with concern, he had not been with her for the full fight and wanted to make sure the girl wasn't injured.

Natsume looked up at Takeshi and nodded after a second. she might wind up with a bruise on her leg from where she was grabbed but it wasnt serious. Now that everyone was taken care of "there are two tied up in the woods" she explained to him since all the rest of them were dead. After all she wasnt sure if she was supposed to have killed them, esspecially at the time. She figured it wouldnt matter at this point but for the sake of endind the mission she told him where they were. SHe was tried, low on chakra and pretty damn hungry to be honest. Her stomach betrayed her by growling but she knew she would have to wait for the adreniline to wear down before she could eat anything filling. otherwise she might chuck it back up.

Staring at the girl, Takeshi could see that she was tired. When she told him about the bandits in the woods, Takeshi made a shadow clone and sent it to finish them off. Reaching out with one hand, he gently placed it on Natsume's shoulder. A very faint smile touched his lips. "You did well out there today Natsume. I am lucky to have a student like you." Pulling his hand back, Takeshi had a curious look on his face. "Natsume, back there... The man with the frozen arm. That was you right?" His voice was quiet and his expression remained simply curious.

While the praise was well recieved, the inquiry was not. She took a stp back from him and looked away in a bit of shame. "yeah" she answered quietly. It looked like takeshi did already know about her ability however it was just as likely that he never actually read her file like a sensei was supposed to. Regardless the secret was out now, after all she was a Yuki. Would he be added to thelist of people who ostrasize her? or would be be different?

A silence lingered between them for a long moment. His expression changed, and he gained a small glint in his eyes. "That is quite the gift you have Natsume-san. Though... I get the feeling that you don't see it that way..." Takeshi looked away for a moment. He briefly recalled reading something about Ice Release, and from what he could remember, the users were typically not well liked. Takeshi didn't care about any of that however, he wasn't one to give in to common views. That trait often caused him to be seen poorly by his peers, they thought he needed to be colder, more serious... To hell with them... Takeshi thought.

Realizing that he had gotten lost in his own thoughts, Takeshi turned back to the girl in front of him. "You do not have to be afraid of me Natsume. You have more than proved yourself in my opinion. And as I said before, I am lucky to have a student like you. To be honest with you... I think that what you can do is pretty cool... No pun intended of course." Letting out a small awkward laugh, Takeshi reached up and scratched the back of his neck. He hoped the girl understood that he did not think any less of her for what she could do. In fact, she had actually risen up a bit in his books.

Natusme let out a chuckle at the pun. she never once encountered anyone who thought of her ability as anything other than demonic. and none of those people ever seen her even use it. As a matter of fact. no one ever seen her use it. It was a good thing the first person to see her said something encouraging cuz they would have created a monster if they hadent. "Its not you im afraid of" she found herself admitting, with an out of character honesty. "not you at all"

Nodding his head slowly, Takeshi smiled a little. "Good. Cause I'd hate to think I was the scary kind of sensei. No, that's more Mika's job." Shaking his head slightly as he realized that he probably wasn't making much sense to the girl, Takeshi grew an apologetic look on his face. Reaching out his hand once again, he clasped her shoulder and gave it a brief reassuring squeeze. "Natsume, we're a team now, and that means that we look out for each other. I am not going to let anybody treat you differently because of what you can do. That is my promise to you as your sensei." Letting go of her shoulder, he gave her a warm smile. "And hey, if you'd like of course, maybe one day I could teach you to control that gift of yours. But until that point Natsume-san, I want you to know that you don't have to be afraid anymore. Not of yourself, and not of anyone else. I am your teacher now, and I will do everything in my power to help, however I can. Okay?" He cocked his head to the side slightly, waiting for the girl to respond. Takeshi was happy that she'd at least finally opened up a little bit with him.

"sure" Natume answered. she sounded far from convinced and didnt even clarify what she was answering. Most likely she was answering everything with the one word but she didnt know how to answer any other way. Sure the sentiment was nice, he noticed that she was afraid of herself more than anything else. Points to him for that. But could he really help her use this cures he called a gift? Was he really not going to let people treat her like crap? only Time would tell at this point, but he earned himself the benifit of the doubt.

Accepting the answer for the time being, Takeshi knew it was going to be a long road to get this girl to trust him, but he was fine with that. Far as he was concerned, trust and respect were things to be earned, not just given. Turning, Takeshi began walking towards the wagon. He paused after a few steps. Looking back over his shoulder, he smiled slightly. "Well, we'd better get going Natsume. Gotta get all these animals back to the farm... Good thing we still have a wagon, otherwise this would take us a helluva lot longer..." Letting out a short chuckle, he turned back to the wagon. Walking forwards Takeshi tried to think of the best way to bring the animals back. This is gonna be a long night... He thought, before sighing and heading towards the first pen.

''Hayate, now!'' With that said, Kiyomi quickly made some backflips to back away from the masked man as she would wait and see what her student had planned. It was still weird to think back what just happened. Her katana had sliced through somebody that could turn his body into smoke? That was a very interesting ability and one she hadn't ever seen before.

Without hesitating, Hayate slammed his hand into the earth. A large dome of solid earth rose out of the ground, capturing both Hayate and the enemy nin inside. The dome was entirely sealed, and as such it was pitch black inside. Hayate could hear the other man whip around. Pulling out a small lighter, Hayate flicked it to life, casting a small light throughout the dome. "What the hell is this!" The man snarled, facing Hayate across the enclosure.

"I have been watching you as we fought. At first I must admit I found your ability to phase yourself out to be quite perplexing. But as I saw more I began to realize that you weren't really phasing, so much as reverting to a different form. Something similar to smoke. Well, I figured the best way to hurt you, would be to trap you in here. Somewhere where you can't just phase out of. As you may have noticed there are no air holes in here, nothing for you to get through. So you see, I am afraid this is the end for you." Hayate's tone was almost apologetic, and he never took his eyes off the other man. The man glared at Hayate, his expression one of clear hatred. Slowly, his mouth curled in an ugly sneer. "Ah but you are stuck in here as well boy! So I'll just have to finish you off before finding a way out of this wretched dome!" Pulling out his tanto, the man began walking towards Hayate, his sneer growing in size, confidence oozing from him in waves.

Hayate simply shook his head sadly, a gesture which stopped the man in his tracks; a look of uncertainty crossing his face, before the sneer once again replaced it. "What's the matter boy!?" He spat. "Are you going to beg for your life? Hayate smiled a sad smile and locked eyes with his enemy. "You should have listened to what I said before about paying attention to your surroundings. If you had been a little more focused you may have noticed this dome shrinking in size around us." The man paused and looked around uncertainly. With a sudden gut wrenching realization he saw that the boy was telling the truth. "What is the purpose of this?" Hayate could hear the waver in the man's voice, he was clearly starting to worry. Good. "You seem to think that I am stuck in here with you, but you never once stopped to think that maybe I could leave here anytime I wanted. Tell me, what happens when oxygen trapped in an enclosed area is exposed to flame?" The man's eyes darted to the lighter in Hayate's hand. Good, he was starting to realize. "The oxygen starts to burn up, and soon there won't be anything left in here for you to breathe." Already Hayate could feel the air starting to thin, it was becoming more of a struggle to breathe properly. His smile suddenly turned wicked as he looked from the lighter back to his enemy. "Any last words? Well, if you do, I would save them, wouldn't want to waste any more of your precious oxygen." With that last mocking line, Hayate stepped backwards, through the wall of the dome and out the otherside. He stood there momentarily before turning to Kiyomi. "Well. This shouldn't be too much longer."

She had seen the dome being formed and hadn't wasted it any time. Sitting on the ground, she had already started to bandage her cut. Later she would patch it up better. Meanwhile, the badger had poofed away after Ger had clearly seized the upper hand. The big bear growled a little when Hayate appeared, but showed no aggression towards the student of his master. ''Good. How are you?'' Kiyomi asked casually, like if they hadn't been fighting against a capable foe. After the question, she rose up and looked in the direction of Hayate.

Smiling warmly at her, Hayate realized that he was wounded. His smile faltered for a moment before realizing that Kiyomi was more than capable of taking care of herself, and she was clearly okay to move. In response to her question, Hayate simply said, "I think I smell like smoke now." Before grinning slyly and turning his head briefly to nod at Ger. The large bear truly was impressive, and Hayate's nod was one of admiration for the beast. "What now sensei? I take it that wasn't our target?"

''Not really. Likely a pawn to test us further out. Maybe the one that led the three genins we killed before.'' She replied as she snapped her fingers. Ger snorted as he poofed away in a large cloud. With that done, Kiyomi checked the surroundings. ''Best is if we move to the city and seek more refuge there-'' She wanted to say more, but then something was blown up. The dome that was created by Hayate was shattered to pieces as rocks were send flying around. Reacting quickly, Kiyomi weaved three handseals as lightning crackled through the air. With the use of her lightning barrier technique, she managed to keep her and Hayate safe from the sharp rubble. ''They just never give up.. Time to end this.'' She mumbled as the lightning would fade and reveal that the field was empty. ''Coward.'' Kiyomi mumbled before glancing at Hayate. ''Are you able to get moving?'' She asked. With their last enemy managed to get away from them, it would mean that the enemy would have some intel on their abilities. Luckily not those who Kiyomi wished to use for their target, but it still bothered her.

Sighing, Hayate shook his head. He had hoped that he would have taken care of the enemy nin. Meeting Kiyomi's gaze he looked away quickly, embarrassed that he hadn't managed to finish the man off. "I am fine to keep moving. I apologize for my failure Kiyomi-sensei. That man escaping is on my hands."

After Hayate was done talking, Kiyomi hummed for a moment. Walking past her student, she patted his shoulder as she started to walk already in a direction. There was no disappointment or any other negative emotion showed on the face of the young jounin.

''You did it well. Come, we shouldn't waste anymore time.'' Kiyomi said as she beckoned him to follow her. Picking up the pace, she used a jump to get to branch and would continue to lead them towards the direction of the town that was the capital of the Sea country. For a moment, Kiyomi considered to use a transformation jutsu again, but it was unlikely that the enemy already was sending another party at them. They would likely first want to hear what their last foe would report in and then need to find them again.

Kiyomi's kind words caused Hayate to feel a little better, but he still harboured doubts over how well he'd actually performed. Shaking it off, he moved out to follow Kiyomi, staying close behind. So they were heading towards the city. Hayate wondered what it would be like, if it would be like Konoha, or completely different. He had never had a chance to travel before and despite the fact that everything on this island seemed like it wanted to kill them, he felt a surge of excitement at seeing a new place. Glancing back to Kiyomi as she moved ahead of him, Hayate's eyes traveled to her wounds. They seemed bad, but it was hard to tell behind the bandages. He hoped that she was alright, and he was worried, knowing that Kiyomi had a tendency to push herself, even if she was in pain. Deciding not to question her, at least until they had arrived in the city, Hayate set his sights back on the path ahead.

---

Three hours later.
Near the capital of the Sea Country.

Sitting on a thick branch, Kiyomi looked in the distance. The capital was in sight. Probably around three or five kilometers away from them. Thinking off a plan how to go in without being noticed, she started to think of several ways. It had to be one where the enemy couldn't openly attack them. They would be less able to attack them when they were inside the city and wouldn't pose a threat. With that in mind, she decided to tell her plan to Hayate. ''Listen up. The enemy won't be able to attack us with the civilians around. It could turn the tide against them and it would mean we can move more about. Still, I suggest we both do a transformation jutsu to conceal ourselves at least a bit from the eyes of our enemies. Got it?'' Kiyomi said through her earphone communicator.

Nodding his head, Hayate realized that she was right. He had caught his first glimpse of the capital and from this distance it was hard to tell if it was truly different in style from Konoha. Lost in his thoughts for a moment, Hayate realized that he hadn't properly responded to Kiyomi. "That sounds like a good plan to me, Kiyomi-sama. What shall we disguise ourseves as this time?" He asked. His mind was preoccupied with getting a chance to see the city and he tried to reign in his focus.

''I think you won't like to be a sack or inside a sack, would you?'' Kiyomi playfully asked back before she became serious. She knew they had to transform into something that they wouldn't expect. And that would mean looking like mere civilians. Which wasn't a hard task actually. The other part was to stick together and still not look too supicious. ''I suggest to use the technique to make us look like normal civilians. Then you just need to play along. She answered back, now being seriously.

Grinning from ear to ear as she joked about the sack, Hayate had to bite back a retort. Still smiling while Kiyomi suggested they disguise themselves as regular civilians, Hayate nodded. A thought occuring to him. "I am sorry Kiyomi-sama. This may be an ignorant question, but do the people of this city dress the same as we do back home? I just... I have never really been outside of Konoha to see what other civilians look like." A little flush came to his cheeks as he lowered his head. Hayate was embarassed that he even had to ask, but he wanted to make sure that he wasn't choosing a disguise that would be completely different from what was normal here.

Thinking about it, Kiyomi nodded. ''I believe they do. The climate and culture is similiar to ours. Else we can just use the appearance to look like some travelers. I bet there are plenty about in the capital. Besides, if we look harmless, we can't just be picked out like that.'' Kiyomi replied. Looking briefly in Hayate's direction, Kiyomi noticed he lowered his head. ''Don't worry. Its probably my fault. I should be there to show you more of the world, as being your sensei.'' She told him as she turned her head to look back at the city.

"It is not your fault Kiyomi-sama. It is my clan, my family. If they had their way we would stay hidden from the rest of the world. I've always wanted to get out and see more of it though... I suppose I'm just different than them that way." Hayate looked from the city, to Kiyomi, and then finally settled his gaze back on the city. This was as good a time to start as any. "So... Travelers huh? What's our backstory. Everyone needs a good backstory." His tone was amused as he lightly joked about making up backstories for their disguises. He mostly just wanted to lighten the mood after talking about his clan.

Bringing her right index finger to her chin, Kiyomi briefly looked up to the clouds in the sky. ''A backstory? Lets go with the cliché stuff. It seems that always seems to work.'' She told Hayate. Snapping her fingers, she had one formed up in her mind. ''Its a very simple one. We will take different names. We know each other from... euhm.'' She started to think more about it. ''Lets go with the typical young and stupid couple that is travelling around the world. That would mean we don't have to split up and also can move about and ask some questions around.'' Kiyomi suggested.

At her mention of acting as a couple, Hayate couldn't stop the blush from forming on his face. Turning his head quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed, he pretended instead to be surveying their surroundings. "That... uh... That would probably work." He said, cursing his voice for becoming hoarse. Coughing to clear his throat, he tried to shake the thought from his head. "What would our names be?" Hayate asked, trying to keep moving.

Again, Kiyomi was pondering. ''I think we should take some more foreign sounding names. I mean, if we fall out of line, we can easily say we are from quite some distance. I think I will take the name Kelly. Has a cool ring to it. Ke-lly.'' She answered, with a little smirk on her lips playing as she let the name roll of her tongue. With that choice done, she glanced in his direction as they were moving at a slow pace towards the capital. ''You?''

"Hmm... That is a nice sounding name." Hayate said, wondering if he would be able to pick one on his own. He'd never really thought of it before. It would help, he supposed, if he knew a little more about the world and other cultures. Perhaps he would be able to pick a good name then. Looking down at the ground as they walked, Hayate thought hard before sighing. "I don't really know any foreign sounding names sadly. Do you have any ideas?"

Jumping to another branch, Kiyomi made a quick summersault before she landed on another branch. ''What about,'' She said before jumping to another branch. Then she knew one. ''What about something short and fun? Lars?'' She suggested as she glanced in his direction. Now that was decided, they would need to take another appearance. Kiyomi was forming one already in her mind and a sly grin was starting to appear on her lips.

Lars... Hayate played around with the name in his head. It indeed sounded fairly foreign. Smiling he followed close behind Kiyomi. Seeing her grin, Hayate wondered what she had in mind. He was trying to picture what a Lars would look like in his head, but so far he couldn't come up with anything. He decided that he'd wait to see what Kiyomi looked like first. Then he could hopefully make something similar.

With them getting closer, she knew that they had to use the jutsu around now. ''Time to get going with the plan.'' She said through the earphone communicator. Weaving the handseals, she summoned a cloud of smoke that concealed her. Out of the smoke, her new appearance was shown as she landed on a branch. ''Think we also need to travel over the ground.'' And right after saying that, Kiyomi dropped herself on the ground and landed gracefully. Dusting off her clothes, the shinobi gear she had carried around wasn't to be seen, but was just concealed by the transformation jutsu. Taking a look at her transformation, she was content with it, but wondered about it. ''What do you think? Does it suit me or should I go for something else?'' After the question, she turned to Hayate to see what his reaction would be.

Landing behind her, Hayate observed her new appearance. Cocking his head to the side slightly he smiled. "I think it suits you quite well... Kelly..." He was going to have to get used to that name. It wouldn't serve him well to forget it in the middle of their mission. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully for a minute, Hayate finally had an idea. Forming the necessary handseals, he too summoned a cloud of smoke to briefly conceal himself. As the smoke cleared Hayate's new look was visible. He blushed a little, turning to Kiyomi. "Well, how do I look?"

The look on Kiyomi's face was more or less neutral as she tilted it a bit to the right. ''Like an idiot that likes to talk a lot. But other than that, kinda cute.'' Kiyomi said, merely just teasing him as she beckoned him to follow her. ''Alright, listen up. The game we're playing is a bit a complex, but once you get it, its not that hard to grasp. Currently we are on our own against many. You could say a whole damn army. What is holding them back?'' She grinned in his direction. ''The fact that they can't give away themselves.'' Letting that sink in, Kiyomi waited only one moment before she would continue. ''You see, the leader of the country is the Daimyo. The Sea country isn't a shinobi country like ours. They have likely some military of shinobi on their own. Mostly led in secret by those who tried to kill us. And one of them is our target. I think I don't need to explain, but if we manage to kill that target, we can cripple the secret faction here and free the Sea country a little. See it as charity work, okay?'' Kiyomi continued as they kept on walking towards the city.

Blushing for the third time that day, Hayate mumbled under his breath and looked away. As he turned, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Following Kiyomi as she walked and explained the situation, Hayate soaked in all the information he could. So it seemed like both sides were at even odds for now. It would be up to them to press the advantage. Hayate smiled as Kiyomi called it 'charity work.' "I think I get it. Basically we have to maintain a low profile until we can uncover our target's whereabouts, and then take that target out before the whole army gets to us first?" He asked, his tone sounding mildly amused, yet also serious. He wanted Kiyomi to know that he understood the risks in this mission, and also what they were up against.

Placing her hands behind the back of her head, the look on her face seemed to become annoyed. ''Well that is the fun part. We have an inside guy. So that won't be any trouble. And as long we stay inside the town, they won't send the whole army at us. Likely some tough shit heads that want to shit us up.'' Kiyomi explained. Thinkin further, what she could share, she continued. ''Other than that, I doubt that they will not get cocky. We're on their turf. If that is one thing, they will think they can easily wreck the hell out of us. Besides, you should talk a bit different.'' Kiyomi told Hayate. ''That and we will continue to talk later with the inside guy. Lars-kun.~'' Kiyomi said, trying to practice a sweet tone as she tried to not say Hayate. Normally she had a dislike for this, but it was important for the mission.

Hayate had to stop himself from doing a double take as Kiyomi put on a sweet tone. He half expected a knife to follow her last sentence. Something about the way she said it scared Hayate more than any threat she could have uttered, and that thought alone made him laugh. It was strange hearing her talk like this, and seeing her like this. Hayate was also going to have to get used to being a different person. Transformation jutsu wasn't somehing he used often, and it felt a little alien to him still. Trying to change up his voice a little he replied, "So does this mean if I call you Kelly-chan you aren't going to stab me?" He kept his tone playful, trying to find the right mixture of different yet sincere.

Kiyomi threw a glance in his direction. ''Maybe just a punch for fucks sake.'' She said, changing her voice a bit. She was trying to sound more like somebody she knew and admired. ''Just stick with the plan and don't get cheesy. I will else stick up a blade on your rear and make your damn nose bleed, 'sweety'.'' That was it. The last word was said with sarcasme. A smirk grew on Kiyomi's lips. With the right attitude and tone, she just had to keep playing the role. ''But keep in mind that we're just acting when people are around or when we get the idea they are around. Also, if you get low on chakra, say the line.'' Kiyomi paused as she quickly thought about a line.

''I would like to order some fire.''

Glancing again in his direction, Kiyomi waited to see if he would understood and get it all. The plan would fall or succeed with their act together.

Unable to stop the grin that filled his face when Kiyomi threatened to stab him if he got cheesy, Hayate turned his head instead. She was right though. As much fun as it was to joke around right now, they would have to be careful the closer they got to the city. If they started behaving out of the ordinary, then people might grow suspicious and that could throw their whole plan awry. Hearing the code line, Hayate nodded, commiting it to memory. Keeping the same playful tone, he couldn't help but joke one more time. "I think I would prefer the line, 'I just spilled my drink.' But around you I'm afraid it would be said too often." A small laugh escaped his lips before he could hold it in and he looked to Kiyomi, waiting to see how hard she was going to hit him.

''Heh. Maybe.'' She kept looking at the capital. They were nearing the perimeter of the city and she sighed. ''Play time, baby.'' Placing her right arm around the arm of Hayate, she did kept her surroundings under watch. ''Listen up. I also forgot that when we're in a big place, I won't have anything with my senses. My smell and hearing will be not that great of aid as before. So, both of us have to stay sharp, okay?'' She mumbled as she then looked around with a kind of curious look in her eyes. Her free hand was more less near her hip, actually close to grab something from her pouch if the situation would ever require it.

As Kiyomi wrapped her arm around his, Hayate gulped. This really shouldn't be as hard as it was. Deciding to throw his nerves aside and focus, Hayate looked at Kiyomi and smiled warmly. "Ready when you are." Clasping her right hand in his, Hayate kept moving towards the city. It indeed looked very much the same as Konohagakure. He felt a small sense of longing for home as he looked around at the buildings ahead. Quickly quashing that feeling, Hayate instead focused on keeping up appearances. But his senses never stopped being on alert, constantly searching for any potential threats.

They were approaching some busy streets, indicating they were maybe nearing the shopping or merchant kind of district. Pulling Hayate gently with her in that direction, Kiyomi wished to seek the cover of the crowd. If they blend in, then they wouldn't have too much trouble with seeking the inside guy that they would need to contact. At least, after some other things. ''Think we need to set up a base or place where we can take a rest and form plans.'' She mumbled. Looking around, she also tried to show interest in what some of the shops and stands were trying to sell. Seeing a jewelry, Kiyomi giggled. ''Oh, Lars-kun! Doesn't that one loook nice?'' She pointed with her free hand to one of the necklaces, one made of pure gold. And with a heavy price ticket.

It quickly became evident that Kiyomi wanted them to blend in with the crowds, and Hayate had no intention of doing otherwise. Following her as she dragged him over to a storefront he finally saw what she had seen. Visibly gulping as he saw the price tag next to the necklace, Hayate shifted his eyes back to the golden bauble. The necklace was certainly an attractive piece, but Hayate was fairly certain that Kiyomi was just playing up her interest in it. Deciding to play along, he pulled her in closer to it. "It certainly would look marvelous on you Kelly-chan." He beamed at her. "Is this made of real gold? He asked the shop keeper, reaching out with his free hand to feel the necklace.

He could feel the man watching him warily as he picked the necklace up. "Yes, it is pure gold of the highest quality.'' Looking between Hayate and Kiyomi, the shop keeper got the same look in his eye that a predator does when it eyes its prey. Rubbing his hands together eagerly the man asked, "What's the occasion? Birthday? Anniversary?" Hayate had to surpress a small laugh at the man's obvious attempts at getting a sale. As he felt the necklace in his hand, Hayate could tell that the man wasn't lying about it's quality. His clan's unique affinity with metal allowed him to feel the necklace's properties. The gold felt strange to him as it wasn't a metal he had a lot of experience with. While the shop keeper was distracted, Hayate used his clan's ability to separate a small piece of the necklace, stretching it down his wrist and through his sleeve. He had purposely hidden what he was doing, even from Kiyomi. Unless someone had been watching him from underneath they would have had no way of seeing what he'd done. Using his ability once again, he sealed the necklace back up by stretching the gold between the piece that he had separated. It would look as good as new, but Hayate had managed to keep a chunk of the necklace, which he hid underneath his clothes, attached to the skin near his right hip bone.

Smiling back at the shop keeper, Hayate placed the necklace back on its pedestal. "Well we're actually just traveling the country right now, taking in as many sights as we can." He leaned in close to the shop keeper, almost whispering in his ear. "It's our anniversary coming up soon and I want to get her something special. She seems particularly fond of this necklace over here, but I am wanting to surprise her. Perhaps I could come back at a later time?" Hayate pulled away from the man and winked discreetly. The shop keeper beamed in response. "Young love is such a beautiful thing." He exclaimed. Hayate surpressed a laugh once again, tugging lightly on Kiyomi's arm. "Come on beautiful. We'd better get going if we want to check out the rest of the city." Nodding his thanks to the shop keeper, Hayate turned to keep moving.

Nodding, Kiyomi walked next to Hayate and kept looking around. She was genuinly interested in the town. It showed some similiarities to Konohagakure. But there was another atmosphere. Or was it just her? Kiyomi decided to not pay any attention to it now. With the nice weather and careless walking around, she actually enjoyed it. It had been since long she had been able to relax as she could do now. At least, to some extent. The fact she was keeping her watch up of anything that could be supicious was still there. ''Shall we go and drink somewhere?'' She asked Hayate, still tugged to his arm.

"A drink sounds quite nice right now." Hayate said, offering her a warm smile. The way things were going, Hayate almost forgot they were on a mission. It was nice just to walk like this, seeing a new place, and spending time in good company. He never quite let himself get to the point where he lulled himself into a false sense of safety however, and he made sure to keep a watchful eye on the city around them. Leaning in a little closer to Kiyomi he whispered, "Just be sure not to spill on me. I only brought one change of clothes." He gave her a playful grin before looking around for a nice place to sit down.

A smirk played on her lips as she looked back at him. Raising an eyebrow, she didn't move backwards. It was actually unusually that she allowed somebody that wasn't a relative or knew her for years to stay this close. But she didn't zap or say anything passive aggressive towards Hayate. ''Sounds like a challenge.'' She replied back, a glint in her eyes appearing. After a moment, she looked around and saw a place that had a terras. It wasn't that busy, luckily and provided some view over the busy streets. ''Lets go there.'' She told him, already pulling him to come with her.

Hayate spotted the place that Kiyomi had mentioned. It was perfect. The place offered a good view for them, and it also looked like a friendly place to sit down and share a meal. Smiling, Hayate rememberd the first day that he and Kiyomi had met. It was in a place very similar to this. The memory filled him with warmth and he gladly let Kiyomi pull him along. As they got close, Hayate noticed an empty table and pointed it out to her. "This looks like a nice spot. What do you think Kelly-chan?"

''Seems perfect, Lars-kun!' She replied in a higher pitched tone than usual. Brushing a few locks behind her ear, Kiyomi's eyes quickly shot over the place. It was likely that people would see and think she was just giving it a second glance. It was more that she was inspecting if the place would serve as a good place to keep watch over the surroundings and else able to provide them a way to escape if something would happen.''Wait, wait!'' She said as they would near the place. Waiting till he would pull a chair, she gently pushed him on the chair before sitting on him, sitting with her side to his stomach , putting an arm arounds his neck. ''You know, Lars-kun?'' She giggled as she used her left hand to brush some locks of hair behind her ear again, a smile adoring her lips.