Royal Emissary - Yurei, C-Rank mission

Fri Jun 30, 2017 7:42 pm

Mission:

The bright, fiery sun crept slowly over the horizon of Haven, greeting the vast sands and village of Hoshigakure with its warm, welcoming light. It was at this point of the day where the temperature was blissful. The brittle, sweeping cold of the night joined with the scalding air of the day to form a perfect balance in the air, welcoming birds and other animals out of their homes for a brief period before the intense heat of the day grew unbearable. Inside his home, sheltered from the looming heat of day, Yurei lay awake upon his bed, staring up at the ceiling as light stretched across his room from his window.

He had been assigned a mission, but Yurei had not slept in days. Not since the death of his father, and despite his need for sleep, the vivid nightmares prevented any means of achieving rest. Visions of his deceased father danced in his head and appeared before him. Every time Yurei shut his eyes, he found Roshi Uchiha staring back. He saw red. He saw death. He saw his mother weeping over her true love’s corpse, both in their home and at his funeral. And lastly he saw himself and the nightmarish construct that had killed his father. Now it tortured him – in his sleep, in his restless anguish of pushing himself to stay awake, in his work, and in his friends. Always, no matter what he did, he found that creature, that dark silhouette with its glowing, blank eyes, coming for him just as it did his father.

The guilt was unbearable. Even telling his friends the truth of his father’s death gave little relief. It was noticeable in his appearance, and in his demeanor. For what seemed like weeks, months, perhaps years, Yurei had a constant cloud of fog imbedded in his mind of insecurity, of blame, and of reasoning.

The boy stared at his ceiling, analyzing every grain, every fiber of it, counting each imperfection. It was the only thing keeping his mind off of his father for now. He started at the far corner and drove his eyes over the ceiling, counting. One. Two. Three….. Twenty-Seven…. Forty-Six…

The pale Uchiha’s eyes slowly stretch out further and further until he came across something. A large crack in the ceiling. He remembered this crack. It had been there for years, how many he did not know, but he knew how it got there.

Being in the desert, Hoshigakure was no exempt from harsh winds, and with them came sand – sandstorms. When Yurei was very young, he remembered that these storms had been horrible, both as a horrifying experience and for collateral. His home was no exception. A small boy, Yurei had taken shelter in his home after the massive sandstorm struck while he was playing outside. His family had gathered there alongside him as the sand grew and grew, scratching and blocking out his window. It had been noon but appeared as though it were midnight. Yurei’s parents held him as the very ceiling began to crumble under the weight of the sand. He had been so scared that night, but Roshi took him and his arms and told him, “Don’t be afraid, little ghost,” with a smile. “We’re all going to be fine. I’m here.”

That day, a crack formed in his ceiling from the weight. I never felt like I was in danger. Because you were there. The corners of Yurei’s eyes began to moisten with water. But now you’re not here. You’re not here because of me… I’m your son and I killed you. You said you were there for me… but I didn’t.. I couldn’t.. You were trying to protect me and mom, but I- I didn’t let you.

Two small pools of water had formed on either side of Yurei face as it contorted into a scowl.

Yurei closed his eyes, forcing away the tears. He convinced himself out of bed, sitting on the edge until the sun’s light reach his back. He rubbed the back of his neck and rested his hands on his knees, taking a deep breath. His eyes ached, and, taking his hands from his knees, he rubbed his brow and the inner bridge of his nose, gaining a small measure of relief.

Yurei got out of his bed and stood on the cold wooden floor. He slid on his kimono, one arm at a time, and tied it at his waist. The pale Uchiha yawned and took up his headband, tying it onto his forehead. He wiped his eyes with his thumb and dispelled the water, rubbing the side of his index finger with his thumb. He stepped outside of room and walked down the hall leading to the kitchen, but he stopped at his mother’s room. Yurei found her laying in her bed with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling as he had. I wonder if she’s been up for as long as I have. Yurei rested his hand on the door frame then took a deep breath, moving on to the kitchen and then outside.

The sun blanketed Hoshigakure in its warm light. Yurei rose his sleeved arm to block out the sun before his eyes adjusted. The boy looked down to find a scroll on his doorstep with a Hoshigakure seal on the front. He quickly broke the seal and unraveled the long scroll, detailing his mission. Apparently, royals had lost their way in Haven and were in need of assistance. Who could blame them? With Hoshigakure’s sweeping deserts, it was easy to get lost unless you had a compass or had memorized the position of the sun. Waking up with the sun in your face every morning had helped Yurei’s directional skills immensely, especially when navigating the city. Yurei hadn’t ventured out past the gates of Hoshigakure, but knowing where the sun rose and set was valuable.

The boy wrapped up the scroll and placed it in his weapon pouch. This mission was going to be rigorous. Yurei went back inside to gather supplies like water containers, some covers, and some packaged food, placing in all in a sack he threw over his shoulder.

Yurei set foot outside and made his way for the gates of Hoshigakure where he and Damon had picked flowers for his father’s grave. Yurei travelled out, jogging through the neighborhood as the city began to wake up. It was going to be a long journey, so he needed to conserve energy. Sleep would have been helpful, but that luxury didn’t exist right now. Instead, he marched on, past the numerous houses the lined the roads, through the tall buildings and cathedrals, by the markets not yet open, and then the “Shinobi District” as he had called it. The most dilapidated portion of Hoshigakure. The anti-shinobi, religious groups had trashed the district, and, depite the best efforts of Shinobi, it was still a mess. Graffiti lined the walls, trash littered the roads and sidewalks, windows were broken, and the entire district gave off a vibe of an old western ghost town.

Few shinobi existed in Hoshigakure. Many died from riots, others were too afraid to develop their powers because of the company they kept. It was a dangerous life, especially in Hoshigakure, though Yurei could not, by any means, speak for other villages. Still, he hoped that other villages had overcome any sort of hatred for shinobi and instead coexisted in peace. That would give him so shred of hope for his mission. Not saving royals, but bringing peace to his home, Hoshigakure. That’s what drove him, even after his father’s death.

Yurei walked on, passing the Shinobi Academy where he had become a genin. Finally, he reached the gates of Hoshigakure, and already the plants had began to grow, filling it. No wonder it was such a popular mission. Yurei remembered coming here with Damon, and, despite his soiled attitude, he appreciated the gesture. Genuinely.

Yurei stared out at the sweeping sands the stretched beyond. This would be his first time travelling out into the open, sandy plains, but a new experience would help him to grow and focus. Still it was terrifying. He had felt so alone these past few days, even with Damon and Akio by his side, but now he’d be travelling through a vast desert to the very edge of Haven. He hadn’t even a location as to where the royal was, but the longer the mission the better. It was an opportunity to grow and change, to develop skills he otherwise couldn’t have. If only he had Akio’s nose, though. Yurei shifted in his bag, withdrawing one of two white covers. He wrapped his head and face in it and lowered it just above his eyes. Yurei then took his first steps into wild Haven country.

The sun had grown into the middle of the sky. It was noon, and Yurei was constantly checking its positon on how to get back. He looked around and back to the village until it had disappeared completely, shifting from a pale silhouette into nothingness, and instead replaced with a sandy horizon. Yurei took note of his footsteps. It hadn’t been particularly windy, so there was a chance of him being able to track the Haven royals by footprints. And if not, he’d have to rely on them finding a water source and leaving footprints there. If not then, then this would have to be a battle of luck and wit. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. All Yurei had to do now was find where they entered and follow a path from there. The only problem was he had no idea where Haven royals were from or anything about them.

Yurei hadn’t focused on anything political in Hoshigakure, really ever. It wasn’t his forte, and he found the people of Hoshi to be far more interesting and important. No title ever grabbed his interest, and their positions of power accompanied with little change in religious hatred didn’t exactly persuade him to learn more. Not even of the Hogokage, who he knew little about if anything. In fact, he had never seen the kage of Hoshigakure, knew his or her name, or heard any tales of them. Instead, he chose to stay in his social bubble, trying to develop his genjutsu and practice preaching love, a different type of work that the religious practitioners often performed.

The sun above Yurei baked the sand above him, burning the tops of his feet with each step. Traversing the desert was a grueling experience of doing nothing but trudging through sand. There was nothing to look at but the occasional cactus or growth of weeds and a ton of sand. Yurei pushed himself to go further, but his thighs and legs ached from so much walking. Yurei reached inside his sack and retrieved his water container, taking a small sip. His tongue had already begun to feel like sand paper and his head was pounding from a migraine. Yurei licked his lips and took a deep breath. The scalding air scorched his lungs as he screwed the cap back onto the water container and placed it into his pouch.

For what felt like ages, Yurei walked through that desert, heat reflecting off of the white sands and distorting the terrain ahead in a heat-induced fog that layered the sand.

After walking for hours, the blazing sun began to end its cycle and descended into the horizon. The hot air began to cool rapidly, turning the previously molten desert into what felt like a tundra. Yurei slowed even further, eventually falling into a seated position. He exhaled deeply and breathed. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. His legs burned from the pain, like fire had made its way into his veins, burning away his muscles and blood. Yurei closed his eyes and forced himself to stand up. He inhaled, filling his lungs up like a balloon, and he kneaded his chakra within them. His chakra swelled inside his chest like magma inside a volcano, ready to burst. He brought his hands to his chest and gave the signs, weaving his hands and fingers to form horse and then tiger. With a rush of pure energy, Yurei exhaled, releasing a stream of fire that kicked up sand, forming a sort of dome of hardened, glistening sand. Glass.

The boy took a moment to catch his breath before building up his chakra once more, forming the signs horse, then tiger, taking a deep breath, kneading the chakra, and then releasing it in a flaming torrent. The sand flew up into the air, joining with the glass in the intense heat. Eventually he formed a small igloo of glass and hardened sand that shimmered in the moonlight. Yurei wandered around his structure, gathering weeds and hardened trees. The cold had set in. Yurei just hoped that the royal was doing fine on his or her own. The young Uchiha placed his gatherings inside the igloo, and rose his hands to his chest. He placed his hands just in front of his chest and signed horse, then tiger, using the chakra within his lungs to produce a fire the burst from his mouth and onto the gathered plants. The glass sealed in the heat generated from the small fire, keeping Yurei warm as it slowly burned away.

The Uchiha backed up away from the fire until his back hit a wall. Yurei took off his face cover, his sack, and his weapon pouch. He took a deep breath and slowly unscrewed the cap to his water container. He took a small sip of the water and screwed the cap back on, placing it back into the sack and retrieving a bit of packaged food.

As he ate his meal, Yurei wondered what his mom was doing. He hadn’t spoken with her in a long time, and he didn’t let her know he’d be leaving. Surely, she was worried. Or maybe she needed to be alone instead of staring at her husband’s kille

Yurei hit the back of his head against the glass dome, closing his eyes and exhaling from frustration. He sighed and stared down at the fire, retrieving a stick from it and aimlessly poking at it. I should have asked Damon or Akio to come with me. Sitting here, just thinking is awful.

Yurei forced himself to shut his eyes and face whatever horrors his dreams cooked up. He desperately needed sleep, no matter how little it was. His legs needed the rest and so did his brain. He had been through so much with no break, it was a wonder he was even still functioning. The Uchiha forced himself to not think. But to sleep.

He woke himself up three times that night. But each time he woke up with tears in his eyes and his heart pounding, he went back to sleep.

Before long, his smoldering fire descended into charred coals and the cool night air turned into a smoldering heat. Yurei stirred in his light sleep as he heard something. It wasn’t the wind, nor was it any sort of wild animal. It was a voice.

Yurei shot up, hitting his head on the glass igloo’s ceiling. He stepped over the warm coals and crawled outside, finding a man riding a camel. He was dressed in jewelry and wrapped in various red cloths. From what Yurei could tell, he had a very eloquent speaking pattern, but that was beside the point. He called out to the Uchiha numerous times before Yurei ran to him, waving his arms.

“Greetings, Young Man,” said the man. He immediately took to Yurei’s headband. “Aha! I see you’re from Hoshigakure! I’m glad to have found you.”

Yurei stared blankly at the man before registering what he said. “Oh! Oh yes, I am! Well, I was supposed to find you, but I guess you found me,” he said with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

“What luck!” said the man. He climbed off of his camel and clumsily landed into the sand. He turned to face Yurei and bowed. “I am Koshu! Of Haven royalty. Pleased to meet your acquaintance!”

Yurei returned the bow. “I’m Yurei,” the boy replied. “Glad to meet you, too.”

“The man climbed slowly back onto his camel. “Forgive me, but we must get going. I’m being pursed. Quickly, gather your things, we must get going!”

Yurei nodded and ran back into his igloo, retrieving his items and throwing them over his shoulders. As he stepped out of the makeshift igloo, he grabbed his cover and another out of his sack, placing one over his face and handing the other to the royal, to which he thanked Yurei. The Uchiha reached into his pouch, taking up his water container and handing it to the royal. “Here you are,” Yurei said. “Be careful not to drink a lot. It’ll be a while before we make it back to Hoshigakure.

The man nodded as he took a drink from the container. He responded with a “Mmm,” and a nod, screwing the cap back on and handing it to the boy. “Thank you, my boy.”

Yurei nodded with a thin smile and walked on, leading the man back to the village.

“How long have you been out, my boy?” the man asked. Now, able to focus, Yurei noted his smooth, yet eccentric voice.

“Just a day. I was going to track you, but, well, I don’t need to now.”

“I see. You look a bit tired, though. Are you ok?”

Yurei exhaled slowly before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry,” he responded, as confident as he could make that sound.

“Won’t you hop on? You must be tired from walking.”

“No, I can’t. I’m more alert on foot.”

“I see. I suppose that’s for the best.”

Yurei nodded. The two went on traversing the desert. The sun rose until it reached the highest point in the sky. It was unbearably hot.

“Could you hand me that water?” asked the man.

“Sure,” Yurei answered, digging around in his bag. He retrieved the metal container and handed it to the man. “Just keep it for now.”

“Thank you,” he said, retrieving it from Yurei’s hand. “I appreciate it. How much further?”

“If all goes well, we should be in Hoshi a little before dark.”

“Good, good,” said the man.

Yurei walked on with the royal and his camel for hours, until something faint and black appeared in the distance.

“What’s that?” Yurei said, mostly to himself.

The man squinted under his headcover. “That’s them!” he yelled.

Yurei squinted his eyes and glared at the group. “Are any of them shinobi?”

“As far as I could tell, no.”

“Then I’ll make this quick.”

Yurei dashed forward, signing the ram handseal. In a flash, Yurei jolted forward, closer to the group. He turned to the royal and yelled. “Keep going north!”

Yurei took a deep breath and channeled his chakra into his chest. He took a deep breath and signed horse, then tiger. Releasing, he expelled fire from his mouth and launched a ball of blazing fire at the crowd’s feet. The fireball exploded, launching hot glass and sand into the air, stopping the group in their tracks. Yurei kept running, now channeling his chakra into his index finger. With a swipe of his hand, the group gawked at his gesture and then froze. The sand beneath them appeared to collapse, launching them all into a bottomless abyss. If there were no shinobi in the group, there was no know they’d be released from the genjutsu until Yurei withdrew his chakra. With a quick turn, Yurei body flickered back to the royal as the two went on, this time with more haste.

“There will likely be more, but they’ll stay put until I withdraw my control. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold it, however.”

The royal nodded. “Then let’s hurry.”

The two rushed through the sand, both Yurei and the camel running. The sun had begun its decent. It was roughly 5 hours past noon. Perfect. Before long, the village would be in sight.

Before the two went any further, Yurei looked over his shoulder. “Hm,” he uttered.

“What is it?” asked the man.

“I lost my hold over them a while ago. If they’re fast enough, they should be here soon. I’ll hold them off, but you should keep going North. I’ll stay close, don’t worry.”

The man nodded, tossing back Yurei’s water container. “Here, take this. You’ll need it.”

Yurei nodded as he caught it, taking a sip. He placed it into his sack, and he got into his ready position, activating his sharingan. His single tomoe orbited his pupil until coming to a stop. “I don’t see any chakra signatures,” he said to himself. “They must not be shinobi. That would explain why my genjutsu lasted as long as it did.”

Before long, the group reappeared. This time much more dispersed. Yurei deactivated his sharingan and withdrew two kunai from his weapon pouch. He brought his kunai to his chest and watched the group as the closed in. Yurei slowly backed away as they walked. They were much more cautious this time. Yurei sat in thought, waiting. Yurei took a deep breath and slid his foot through the sand. He brought his kunai closer to his face in a defensive position. His eyes quickly scanned the group, counting them. There were at least twenty, all on foot.

Then they charged.

Yurei took a deep breath and slammed his kunai into the sand. He gave the signs horse and then tiger. Taking a deep breath, Yurei launched a spray of fire at the closing group, stopping them dead in their tracks.

The Uchiha boy quickly signed tiger once he had reached the center of the crowd. He projected his chakra outwards, launching feathers from the sky like snow. The crowd of criminals slowly drifted, plummeting into the sand asleep.

Yurei stood up straight and took a deep breath. “There.” The boy turned back to the royal and quickly ran back up to them. “They’ll be asleep for a while. We should be home free.”

The royal nodded, thanked him, and the two went on.

The sun had begun to set when the pair and the camel finally arrived at the village. That blazing ball of fire in the sky generated so many colors in the thin clouds on the horizon. Yurei took a deep breath of relief as they passed through the gates. The man climbed off of his camel and smiled, bowing before the boy. Yurei returned the bow.

“Thank you, Yurei,” he said. “You’ve safely guided me here, and without a scratch on me! Haha!”

Yurei smiled, “You’re welcome, Sir. Be sure to mention me,” he said with a chuckle.

“Oh I intend to,” said the man. “Again, I thank you for your service.”

Yurei gave the man a thumbs up and pointed him in the direction of the capital.

The Uchiha traversed through the city, past the shinobi district, through the crowded marketplace, and then through the housing district. The moon had risen with the stars, taking the place of the heated sun. He inhaled, losing his smile as he reached his home. His mission had been a success, but this place served as both sanctuary and a grim reminder. He closed his eyes and walked up the steps, opening the door.

Yurei stepped inside, yawning and aching. He walked through the kitchen and into the hall, finding his mother still in her bed. Had she even moved? Yurei closed his eyes and put his head down. He kept walking and turned into his room. The Uchiha sat upon his bed and exhaled deeply. It felt good to finally sit down. His confrontation had been draining. The entire journey had. But now he was home.

After two days in the desert, Yurei finally got a night’s rest. But it wasn’t without nightmares.

WC: 4015
Exit
Requesting: 2,000 Ryo, 5 AP

Fri Jun 30, 2017 8:57 pm

Approved <3

Royal Emissary - Yurei, C-Rank mission

Royal Emissary - Yurei, C-Rank mission

Re: Royal Emissary - Yurei, C-Rank mission