The Wanderer [OPEN]

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae nodded as he answered her simple question politely. "Wow...lucky that you have something nice like this decently close to your villiage...theres some wooded area near my home, but its not very big, and its quite lacking...to go anywhere else we need to travel outside the toxic gas crevice, and you'll die to do so unless you can use the wing method like I can, or you know where to go. Not much to see where Im from, Im afraid." she said with a bit of a grin..and she smiled genuinely at his view of how important the people he lived with were to him. She said quietly "Thats wonderful. Unfortunately, I cant say that I would do the same for anyone or anything I know...I think I should set a new goal to find the people or person that I would do that for..."

It was quiet for a few minutes as they flew, then he offered to provide her with food with his family. "Oh...wow...thats an incredibly generous offer...are you sure your family wouldnt mind?" she asked, hopefully not too eagerly. "Sorry if I sound excited, but this, " she gestured to the nuts and plant that she had in her hand. "This is what Ive been living off of in addition to the sparse fish or other animal that I catch...I know its a bit savage-like to do that, but you have to do what you must to survive..." she said with a small blush, feeling the slight need to explain herself as to why she would kill an animal without second thought.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

“All I need is quiet,” replied Yuudai, “the clearing is perfect because only small animals come, and no one knows about it. I can sit there for days on end without fear. Along as I can do that, I can connect with the silent heartbeat of the world.” He listened as she talked about only a small forest patch and the gas crevices that surrounded her town. “It sounds like your village would be perfect for getting away from the world. A forest that small must be quiet and out of the way, otherwise it would have been cut down.” The last bit was more Yuudai musing to himself. He had heard her mutter under her breath, but didn’t clearly make out what, deciding to drop it.

“I promise they won’t mind,” replied Yuudai. His family would probably be surprised he was bring someone over, but they wouldn’t say no. Besides, they were always over estimating how much food he was going to eat, so there would be plenty for Hae. “Survival is survival, I can understand that,” replied Yuudai when she brought up how it must have been savage to kill an animal without second thought. He other of it the same way as when he was eating pork, that the animal had given him a gift, and he was going to accept it and cherish it.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Nodding, Hae put the few nuts and berries back in her bag, and she folded her hands in her lap and dipped her head to him and held it there for a minute as she said "Thank you very much...Im sure it will sustain me for my journeys in Konoha" Picking her head back up, she responded to his thoughts about her village. With a small laugh, she replied with "Well, if you want to get away for the world, its so desolate that its perfect."

She glanced up over Hane's head and looked onto the horizon. There was very little light except for the stars and moon in the sky. She knew that by the place of the moon, morning had yet to come, so she guessed that what she saw in the distance was significant so she decided to ask Yuudai about it to confirm her suspicions. "Hey, Yuudai..." she began "Is that small & dim speck of lighting in the distance Konoha? ...Though it may not feel or look it, Hane actually flies rather fast.."

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded as she thanked him. “It is no problem, I am always glad to help,” replied Yuudai. It made him feel warm inside, but he would never show it. His happiness might be important to him, but to openly show it was unnecessary. His masked help with the moments he smiled, but all other signs were unnoticeable. “Desolate has its own kind of beauty,” Yuudai replied to her comment about her village, “You just have to be willing to look past the loneliness.”

Yuudai looked at the speck of light in the distance. It was hard to believe, but that little speck was indeed his hometown. It didn’t amaze him like he thought it would. If anything, it only confirmed his suspicion that Konoha was smaller then it was made out to be. It was a mere speck in a forest, the barely noticeable from the sky. “Yes,” replied Yuudai after a slight pause, “It is indeed the village of Konoha. We will be there soon. I will have to take you through the gates, so be ready. The guards probably won’t be very kind to you at first, but I promise they are just doing their job.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae smiled "I truly thank you for this...Ill be in a totally foreign land, it will be good to have at least one person around that I've previously met and can ask questions if needed... She listened to his short statement about beauty I must agree with you to as much extent as possible. However, we never got too many visitors, so we kind of loose the atmosphere of the outside world. I wanted exposure, hence why Im here right now.

She felt Hane quiver beneath her with slight excitement, and she barely suppressed a shudder of excitement herself. "Awesome!" she said excitedly "I cant wait...a new city...said to be perhaps one of the best of the five great countries..." She shifted to face forward, on her hands and knees just to see everything more as it came into view. However, she felt her excitement falter as he mentioned the guards. It wasnt that the guards frightened her, it was the reason she hadnt visited any major cities...she didnt have a passport on her...not one that would let her successfully/easily in to the countries outside of those that bordered the Bear Country.

However, there is no way she would let him see or hear that. "Hae, you can land now. We can run from here. Thank you for everything youve done tonight." She crawled up to where she was on the back of his neck, and she gave him a hug, letting her face rest in his soft feathers, and she rustled some feathers on the side of his neck. They descended quickly, making Hae's ears pop a bit. She sat back as he landed again, bringing up a cloud of dust as his great talons scraped the earth. He unfurled his left wing to offer as a little "staircase" that they could use. Simply hoping off, she stood infront of Hane, just staring up at him. Waiting until Yuudai disembarked, Hane folded his wing back up.

He lowered his great head until his eye was right beside her face. She smiled and gently stroked right above his eye, his favorite spot to be pet. He blinked at her, and his low voice rumbled out, loud enough to be heard by anyone around. "It was my honor. Turning to look at Yuudai, he simply said "And nice to meet you; Yuudai." With a glance back to Hae, he said "Just be safe, Miss Hae..."

He finished with that before he vanished in a massive poof of smoke.


[sorry it took so long! ]

[Katsu Katakuzure]

“Keep your thoughts realistic, don’t want Kohona to fail to meet your expectations,” replied Yuudai as Hae expressed her excitement. He wasn’t too worry about the guards himself, they were mostly nice people. Besides, they didn’t think he would bring in anyone dangerous, would they? Whatever, it would all go over cleanly if Hae had a passport. He assumed she did, seeing as she had passed through Ta no Kuni without a problem. Yuudai stared at his home village as it got closer and closer. He never realized how big it truly was until this moment.

Yuudai felt the air whip pass him as they began their descent. It pumped him full of adrenalin, causing a smile to pop up underneath his mask. It was exciting, an experience he had never felt before. The sound of wind blowing right through him consumed his ears. He was sure he was going to be blown right off of the giant bird. Yet, he wasn’t sure he would have minded. And just like that, it was all over.

Yuudai sat on top of Hane for a little bit, recomposing himself. The rush gone, Yuudai was back to his normal self. The calm, collected man, the oddity of his village shook off the strange feeling, dismounting from the bird. Yuudai stood by silently a Hae hugged the bird. He hadn’t truly noticed just how majestic the bird was before. And how it carried them so easily astounded him.

Yuudai nodded as Hane spoke to him. “Likewise,” he replied, “And no need to worry about her safety, she is in good hands.” He faced Hae after Hane’s departure. “Lets go, still have a little ways to walk,” and with that be turned towards his village and started walking. It wouldn’t be long now.

[No worries]

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae turned towards Yuudai as Hane departed, leaving the smoke in his wake. Yuudai spoke, and Hae bit her lip, trying not to let her nervousness show. She wasnt about to tell him that her passport just permitted her to cross through the lands, and not get into the actual cities...she'd wait until absolutely necessary, which would hopefully be never.

She responded with a small nod to his silent indication of 'we should get going'. She started out walking slowly, waiting for him to catch up while she asked "About how far would you say we are from Konoha? A mile or so?"

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai glanced back at Hae as she asked him how far away Konoha was. He looked towards the city in order to confirm his estimate. He probably wasn’t even a mile, which was good, less walking. Yuudai looked at her once again, nodding a little. “Probably less. We should hurry though, I want to show you around before we return to my house.”

In truth, this was all a precaution. If they were there earlier, then they would be able to sort out things at the gate if need be, and still make it back right now time. And if there wasn’t? Then they could explore a little, having her meet all the wonderful people that made up the Village Hidden in Leaves.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae smiled as her question was answered rather readily, and she said softly, "I agree...lets hurry. The shorter the distance, the faster it will go." His words of showing her all around Konoha excited her, and she wanted to just dash ahead and see everything there was to be seen. She lavished these fanciful thoughts as they walked, and they didnt end up walking too far at all. Hae guessed that they'd walked maybe a mile at maximum, and they had already reached the great gates of Konoha. Hae tilted her head back and felt her jaw drop slightly as she stared at the massive doors that could open and close, as well as the wall that surrounded the area. The Kanji for "Fire" decorated the archway, and she couldnt help but look around inside a bit before she even entered. Everything was lit up in the nighttime by the lights and candles that the residents kept going throughout the night. She tentatively stepped up to the gate, and looked at the two guards, who appeared to be giving her questioning looks. They looked to be in their 20s, and she guessed that they were probably Chuunin, something that the other countries she'd read about had in common. She swallowed nervously and looked to Yuudai to follow his suit.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai glanced up at the menacingly massive gates, they were nothing new to him. He looked over at Hae, staring at the expression he took as awe, possible imitated. “Don’t worry,” he in a vain attempt to comfort her, “they are less scary once you are inside.” And with that, he marched right up to the guards. He knew these two guards, good people, if a tad bit immature. He often ran into on his return trips home, commonly complaining about getting stuck with the night shift. It made sense though, both of them stayed up all night and slept all day back when they were genin. Easier to pull pranks when everyone is sleeping.

“Hey Yuudai, good to see you made it through the forest safely. Who’s ya girlfriend?” The shorter, and even more immature one asked, snickering a little at what he viewed as hilarious. “This is Hae, she is from Hoshigakure,” he replied, not even bothering to respond to the insinuation. He knew there was nothing he could say that wouldn’t end with the guards poking more fun at him, even a simple no would get a few good laughs from them, so he just chose to ignore it. He did, however, roll his eyes under the cover of his mask. “She is traveling and I said I would take her here.” He didn’t waste time in explaining the full story, they didn’t need to hear that, and would probably find something to poke fun at.

“Well, just show us your passport little miss and we can let ya right on through,” the taller guard said with a smile on his face. Yuudai turned to Hae, signaling that this was her time to show her passport. “Come on, we don’t have all night. Oh wait, yeah, we do.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae smiled as he gave a bit of comfort to her...funny thing is though, the few words he spoke worked. Yuudai walked through the gates and she quickly followed. I did it...Im in Konoha... she thought to herself. She was almost on Yuudai's heels, but still he remained about three feet infront of her. She sort of tilted her head a bit as one of the two people manning the gate asked Yuudai who his girlfriend was. Konoha shinobi had a bit of an odd sense of humor, so it appeared. But, whatever. Good spirits was always a positive aspect.

Yuudai saved her the explanation of telling who she was and where she was from. Shortly after he explained that she was traveling and wanted to come to the village, she let out a small nod and said in a small voice, "Nice to meet you...". She gave them a small look over, and guessed they were 20 to 30, and probably Chuunin. She was about to ask Yuudai something before they requested to see her passport. She froze, for maybe a split second, but then regained her form, her face masking over, preventing any reaction or emotion from showing.

Walking forward, she swung her backpack to the side, where she reached in with a gloved hand and withdrew her partial passport. She walked up to the desk where they stood, and unblinkingly met both their gazes, placed the passport on the wood, and backed up a step or so and just stood with her backpack on her back and her hands crossed behind her.

She new now that they would discover her "incomplete" passport; that only verified her for the surrounding area rather than the cities as well; and some potential problems would arise...

[Katsu Katakuzure]

The two guards glanced over the passport, followed by looking at each other, exchanging nervous stares. “One second,” the tall guard said to Hae, tugging Yuudai’s arm, pulling him to the side. “Yuudai, we have a little problem. Normally a passport would do well enough, but this one… well… won’t get her into Konoha. In fact, it shouldn’t get her anywhere within the entire Land of Fire. Like, at all. In fact, it shouldn’t be getting her anywhere near here. Where did you find this chick?”

Yuudai stared at the guards, before shaking his head. Why didn’t she tell him? That was what was bothering him more than the actual lack of a passport. She should have told him, he still would have brought her here, but prepared. Now, he was caught in an incredibly awkward situation. He let out a sigh, placing the blame upon himself, he should have just made sure before hand. “Just let her in, I will take full responsibility for any of her actions.”

“Yuudai, you know we just can’t do that. There are rules and regulations. If we just let in anyone, we could lose are jobs. And incase you haven’t noticed, the only jobs in this village, this and being a full time ninja. We won’t exactly have many other options, and honestly, despite all our complaining, we like this job,” replied the short guard, trying to sway Yuudai.

“I said I will take full responsibility for her. I don’t care if she steals something, kills someone, or even just annoys someone. If need be, I will perform my duty as a ninja of Konoha. I swore to protect my home, and I wouldn’t have brought her here if I thought she would hurt anybody. And if I am wrong, I will gladly fix my mistake, even if I have to wipe off the face of this planet,” replied Yuudai, calmly for someone who just said they would kill if need be. This seemed to convince the two guards.

“Well miss Hae, enjoy your stay here in Konoha. Yuudai is a good kid, just stick close to him,” the tall guard told her as he beckoned her through the gates, flashing her a little smile. Yuudai walked through without a word, waiting until they were both on the other side. When he finally had a chance, he turned to her, almost glaring at her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae knew that as soon as the guards took a peculiar look at her passport, she was screwed and things were about to turn downhill. She simply stood however, as they gave nervous stares to one another for a few seconds before acting further. They told her 'one second' and she knew that was not a good thing. They pulled Yuudai aside and were exchanging hushed but furious words. One guard mentioned something along the lines of her passport and something about the Land of Fire. Did the Daimyo change passport regulations or something? she asked herself worriedly. As far as she hand known, that would work for the actual lands, but not the cities. Oh boy... she thought grimly.

Her secrecy had unfolded something that she didnt even predict and it was quite a bad situation at that. She had thought it would be a bit less of a deal than this but then again, maybe Shinobi from more well-known and more newsly-updated places would have known about this before hand. Groaning inwardly, she looked to where some shuffling sounds came from. Yuudai seemed to have quietly convinced the guards or something about some matter she hadnt bothered to listen in about.

The two guards handed her back her passport, and told her to stick close to Yuudai with a smile. Yeah... she thought bitterly So I dont kill anyone? Got it. I thought thats what people did normally...guess I was wrong. Her edged sarcasm came through her head as she gave maybe a crack of a smile in return to the guards. Her violet eyes had met theirs, and she just gave them hard, silent, non-threatening stares.

She followed Yuudai out a small ways through the gates and further into the town when he rounded on her. She blinked, and raised her eyebrows when she responded.

"To be honest, that was more trouble than I expected...I didnt know this would exclude me from the Land of Fire...it was approved with all of the other countries I visited, and yes, I checked with other shinobi from those countries. Did the Fire Daimyo change passport regulations or something?" she asked, but before waiting for a response she continued "Sorry that caused you trouble, but I didnt tell you because it was my trouble alone and not yours. This thing normally" She put emphasis on the word "Would allow me to travel freely through a country territory, but the Hoshikage saw no need for everyone to have full passports. So, hence why mine's in the state it is." she let that sit in the air before she said quietly, "But dont worry, im not going to kill anyone, so dont go playing watchdog."

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai sighed, feeling if he came off as accusatory. He didn’t mean too, but he was a little worried. It wasn’t like he thought Hae was going to do anything, but it was the fact she hid this from him that worried him. If she was willing to hide this, what else would she hide form him? A little paranoid? Yes, but his honor, as well as the safety of his village was on the line. “Look,” he replied, as calming as possible, “I am not mad at you. Honestly, you could have had no passport and I will would have brought you here. The problem is that you kept it from me. This is my home I am bring you into, and I am willing to protect it with my life. I know you had your reasons from hiding it from me, but now, we need to clear things up. If there is anything, anything at all that you are hiding from me, I need to know right now.”

He was willing to give her another chance, he felt everyone deserved at least that. He wasn’t planning on being so kind if she didn’t reveal everything here, however, the protection of his village was more important than that.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae kept her eyes level as he spoke to her. He gave her a fairly obvious warning (to her anyway) that if she got out of line he would fight her to defend Konoha. She blinked as he went on his explanation of what he would do. In her opinion, sure, it was a bit vague, but it was good enough. She didnt have to worry about anything, she wouldnt do anything to harm Konoha...she'd wanted to come here for such a long time.

She let out a long sigh as she wracked her brain to think of something that she might be 'hiding' from him. Raising her eyebrows she looked straight at him "Theres honestly nothing I can think of off the top of my head, however it will probably pop up when it comes to me, so just be patient." She half-smirked as she mentioned to him a sort of fair warning "Oh, but I gotta tell you. I have a bit of a split personality, and at times Im not nearly as pleasant as I was today...just keep that in mind, but it still might be a bit of a nasty surprise..but a memorable one. And I have honestly no idea when my second 'personality' will pop up." She gave him a sideways smile and leapt upward. Landing lightly on the edge of the rooftop of a building (she had made sure it wasnt a house), she scanned the darkened city, and let her jaw stay slackened a bit, opening slightly as she observed the beauty of the city, with the forests and open fields in the background.