An Normal Run In with Mr. Normal [Open]

[Midori Futotta]

When the last bit of sunshine fades from the day…. That's when the Yokai come out to play…


The sun was beginning to set, Maru saw children one after the other leaving the forest to return home after a long day of training Maru kept himself hidden so they wouldn't notice his horns that we're almost at full size but not quite yet since it wasn't night yet. Once he figured that all the children were gone he dropped his shadow garb to show that he was wearing loose-fitting navy blue kimono with a black masquerade mask on, and besides his pointed horns he looked human at least. Maru was carrying a stack of talismans that he uses to seal youkai away from getting outside of the forest to harm people, he's been slowly working his way deeper and deeper into the forest so he could have all the Youkai and monsters that lived in this forest in a easy to destroy circle. Some kids or curious people end up removing his seals at times then he has to go over the forest again to keep monsters from leaving the forest, at night he usually kicks people out of the forest because of the monsters despite the ban not being 'official.’ He thought about just straight up moving from the spine of the world into the forest because from how much time he spins here Maru might as well live in the forest. Maru's horns grew a centimeter, letting him know that night was coming and that as soon as the night would fall.

Now that he felt like he was alone, the night came and Maru pulled out his lantern from underneath his mask then lit the lantern. The flame helped the rouge see, so he first began to patrol the area to see if his tags were removed from the spots he already done. A flimsy paper stuck on a tree usually means for a lot of children 'Hey free target practice!’ What he should really start replacing these papers with explosive tags then obliterate the monsters but that would destroy the forest and would probably need permission from the Raikage. That plus the backlash from tree huggers so it looks like he would have to find another way to get rid of the monsters then get enough money to buy the forest to tear it down then build his sweet casino. Better a casino then a monster infested forest right? Some may argue that Maru was a monster too in which case they were right cause he was pretty much a Youkai himself, but he could bully around the lesser monsters if he wanted to since most of them weren't as strong as him.

Maru placed a talisman on a tree he must have missed, there was a glowing behind the rogue followed by a few glowing golden hitodama then the spirit of his weapon manifested behind him. The cute blonde stared at the rogue for a moment to see what he was doing. 'Are those things even working?’’ the spirit asked and with a wave of his hand he answered. “Hey I haven't seen any monster walk out of here so they gotta be working.” Maru placed another tag on another tree, feeling that sense of him and his spirit was alone leave him. Getting an odd feeling that there was someone in the forest somewhere… He almost had a sixth sense for if someone or something was in the forest so he turned around to check and see if anyone was behind him but there was nothing. He shrugged, then moved on to the next tree, his spirit moving swiftly through the area to see if she can spot anyone but so far no one was around.

[Maru Entered!]
[Kawaii Ghost NCP can be seen by all!]

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Caution was something that Airi took with every single step. She always made sure she studied harder than she felt she needed to, she came into the forest multiple times to slowly make her way deeper and deeper. She kept her distance trying to eventually find the normal tracks and areas of the creatures. She had rested for the past two days, only working and studying to make sure her body was healed enough. She felt strong…she felt on top of her game…and above all else she even felt a little bit confident. As she made her way slowly through the forest, as dusk turned to night, she moved from treetop to treetop. This was the day she had officially hit a year and a half in the Academy and in Kumo. She had somehow made it through the courses, she was average in every way, yet through sheer determination she somehow felt she was at the peak of graduation. If she was successful tonight, she would submit her documentation to become a Genin.

The cold night air and the smell of forestry put her mind at ease. She liked the forest over the city itself. As she listened she silently landed on a branch waited and then hopped again, she was focused as much on stealth as she could be. Speed was not an issue. Yukiin had taught her how to hunt but tonight she was trying to find something bigger. She wanted something that would fight back…its why the last two months she had been spending quite a bit of time in the forest. She wanted to see where her skills rested.

Tonight she would find something…she was certain of it.

As she hopped down to the forest floor or what she called the danger zone…she took a look at a piece of paper on a tree. It seemed to be some kind of ward or seal and while she knew it would not affect her she figured it was placed for her target. Whomever had set this up they were doing a service…however…Airi needed to trample upon this warning. At least for tonight.

She opened her bag and burned a bit of incense. As she clapped her hands together and she prayed to Raiden for a successful evening. She prayed for safety over all else…she gave a small offering of food to her tiny shrine. This took her at least three minutes…that was all she would give. If she did not want to draw attention with her small fire or smell.

With that she stood and shot up into the trees on the other side of the tailsmans. Now she was not foolish she went in only about three or four trees. Enough that a sprint should get her back to safety…as long as those talismans actually work…Airi was dressed in darker colors, she also kept her hair tied back and out of her face…not that her hair was that long but she wanted no chances for mistakes.

As she eventually moved around the inner wall she eventually caught sight of something errie…she froze up immediately, landing on a tree possibly louder than she intended. She felt her heart beat faster as she could not quite make out what she was seeing…something floating…maybe a spirit? As it was slowly floating in her general direction she caught a hint that it was float just outside the wall. Was this to keep evil and spirits out? As she shifted to glance around the other side of the tree she thought she could make out a shape. She felt like she hadn’t made a noise yet she felt like they both looked right at her the second her head poked out.

She panicked mainly because they were on the side that lead to home, she would need to wait for the pair to pass by…she had no idea how to even fight or handle spirits…so she was at a loss there. She could pump a ton of chakra into her legs and run as fast as she could but until she knew her enemy better…it might be faster. She pressed herself deeply into the tree, she started to pray a bit but mostly was trying to listen…if she poked her head out again or they might really see her…

A small whisper escaped her lips unintentionally saying, “Raiden give me strength…”

 

[Midori Futotta]

The sound for feet quickly moving made Maru turn around again, he again saw nothing but his senses are telling him that it wasn't a animal moving out there. He once again dismissed the feeling, the rogue was beginning smell something god awful and had the weirdest feeling that someone was praying which annoyed him due to his demonic blood. “Darn monks praying again.” He once again dismissed it to continue placing the talisman on the trees while his spirit now kept watch, if whatever was trying to hunt them was moving out there she probably would be able to catch a glimpse of what is stalking them. Kawaii was able to see a shadow running at a pretty respectable speed to another tree which confirmed her suspicions. Maru quickly turned around then held the lantern up to try to get a glimpse of where that chakra spike came from, unfortunately he saw nothing then he nodded his head before stuffing the other charms in the inside pocket of his kimono. “Okay, now I know that isn't no animal.” Maru said, now a hundred percent sure that there was someone out there. He shined his lantern in the areas where he thought that the stalker or hunter maybe hiding. However, his stalker had the advantage because it was dark and there was a lot of places to hide around the forest.

’Hmmm… so they are using the forest and the shadows to hide themselves. That would be a problem…’’ the spirit said, though it would've been a problem if Maru wasn't a sage, the only problem they would really have would be the lighting. “Then how about this…” Maru began to spread his Miasma aura then he slammed his hands to the ground to infuse his demonic natural energy into the earth. An advanced sage justu known mostly as the wild breath or sometimes known as the Inorganic Reanimation which allows Maru to infuse his cursed natural energy with the environment to make THE ENVIRONMENT itself his ally and literally bringing the land to life. His natural energy covered most of the land, he didn't have to over do himself because the person wasn't that far away. An eerie fog began to rise from the soil, then there was laughter echoing from the trees that sounded like a bunch of goblins were around. Fwoosh! Blue colored hitodama began to form around the forest, the fireballs appeared all around making the forest look more like it was haunt. The masked Youkai began to talk to the forest as if it was a person. “Hey, like there's some person hiding around here and I would like to see them.” He said. “Can you like make it easier to see them.”

On command, there was a creaking in the trees then suddenly there was a split that suddenly formed like someone sliced the trees horizontally. The trees all on cue opened one single eye then on cue they all snapped their green eyes in the direction of the tree that Airi hid behind. The tree that hidden behind had rolled it's eye in the back of it's…. trunk to show that the girl was behind it. As for the trees around her they all just stared at her, millions of big green eyes the size of beach balls locked onto her. The sealing tag hanging over the top eyelid. When the trees told Maru with their eyes where the stalker was he figured that they would either run away, just come out then surrender or worse case… they attack him. Maru held his hand out, then from his sleeve almost like a snake, his musket slithered out then equipped itself into his hand then Maru stabbed the barrel into the soil. His spirit hang behind him, attaching her chakra threads so she could move him out of the way for critical attacks. They weren't sure if whatever was stalking them was human or not, nor was it friend or foe so the spirit and the youkai sage remained cautious. “Alright do you mind telling what are you doing in the forest, at night whoever or whatever you are? Don't you know there's monsters out here.” He said despite him actually being a demon himself, his fully grown pointed horns obviously showed that. He thought it was probably some runaway like how Adoption (Sinny) always runs here when he's throwing one of those tantrums of his. He didn't know why would want to come here at night.

[Ooc: Used Wild Breath Senjutsu to make the environment an ally.]

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

The silence was...oppressive. Nothing in the forest was making any noise...she felt like she could not even breath. All she could do was hide as much as she could. Suddenly the whole forest started to come alive.As she watched more spirits or whisps or whatever she had no idea what they were. One thing she did know was that her cover was blown. She thought she heard voices around her...as she looked around she could not find anything...yet the laughter persisted. She took in a breath and then let it go.

She moved her hands to form hand seals and summoned a mask. She did not feel fear thanks to Yukiin’s training but...every single other emotion was clear on her face. She was an open book and as such she needed to hide her eyes and face. This mask summoning technique she learned in a class was useful...plus Rinko liked it when she used it to play games. This would at least maybe keep her looking somewhat...intimidating? The mask was blank with no design...maybe it would be creepy.

‘Alright Airi...you must face whatever it is…’

As she opened her eyes, every hair on her body shot straight up...she felt energy pass through her and looked out to all the eyes...every single tree was looking at her. Oh...Raiden...why? If her fear of death had not been broken...she could see her old self slipp of the tree and pass out curled up on the ground….and devoured. She watched as her old self would have been picked apart by whatever creatures were laughing in the distance. She was not able to draw her blades quickly...but she also knew that drawing a blade meant that she was actively aggressive.

She could feel her heart beating quickly...whomever that duo of people were it was clear the malevolence was coming from that way…

She let out another breath and rubbed her arms. The shivers and nervousness were overwhelming her senses...shinobi acted...so she would.

“Alright do you mind telling what are you doing in the forest, at night whoever or whatever you are? Don't you know there's monsters out here.”

Airi hopped over to the branch so she was in plain sight. The eyes all followed her but she focused on the pair before her. She...really could not make anything out...she leaped off of the branch to get down to the ground. Her skin was crawling with all these eyes. Her three swords resting along her back and hips were the only weaponry that could be seen. No symbol of Kumo or any shinobi group on her. Just dark clothing and her blank white mask.

As she looked at the two they were both...special. That was the word she used for anyone who seemed unique and interesting. Nothing like her. She was four foot ten and about eighty pounds so she was not imposing by any regards. She tried to stand with confidence but figured she probably looked small and weak.

“I...am hunting...for training…” While it might look like she was speaking slowly choosing her words right...she really was so nervous that she worried anything she said would set the duo off.

As she felt the cold breeze she stared at the man before her. “I am...aware of monsters…” she felt like having a panic attack...her body was tense...nervous. She needed to run should things go south. He owned this forest and it moved to his will. Could she even escape? Either way...she needed to see his reaction first.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Maru could see a dark silhouette of something in the trees hop down, the eyes followed the figure that was wearing a plain white mask and dark clothing, the cloud of mist that covered the ground was thick as the girl faced the Youkai and the spirit before her. The rogue couldn't sense that aura of dread that youkai usually have off so it wasn't a Youkai, the dark masked figure also didn't show signs of being a ghost since the figure didn't seem ghostly however he couldn't rule out it was some kind of creature. It wasn't till the figure talked when the sage relaxed a bit, hoping that what the thing was wasn't setting him up. The voice sounded normal, at least, however the rogue remained neutral, bringing up his lantern a bit. “So you're out here hunting alone, at night, knowing there's unspeakable horrors around the forest that prey on people ignorant enough to enter?” the rogue said to the figure wondering why would a critter come out into the woods to train, plus the shadow had the nasty aura of holiness but the same could be said about that dinosaur who also had holy chakra. “Hmm you know you talk kinda funny.” Maru brought his hand up then rubbed his chin, from what he assumed was a girl she kinda talked in pauses like she was choosing her words carefully. ‘Wait…. Did she think I was talking about myself as being the monster?’ he thought.

He literally brought the forest to life, has a ghost partner, and his pointed horns. If he was in the girl's shoes right now, he would've thought that he accidentally ran into some all powerful oni of the forest. ‘Whoops.’ Trees blinked, the blue hitodama acted like thousands of supernatural night lights, the laughing as changed to whispers in some other worldly language while Maru thought of what he should say since clearly this was all a misunderstanding and that he wasn't the critter that he was trying to warn the girl about. Kawaii gave Maru a nudge jolting him out of his thoughts so he could again talk to the figure. “Uhh sorry about the whole making the forest come to life, kinda wasn't sure if you were trying to eat me or not.” rogue said, him and his spirit began moving towards the girl. Removing his musket from the soil to place his weapon back into his sleeve, the rogue now could see that the girl was kinda short and weak looking clearly not a threat otherwise Kawaii would've told him not to trust her. Now fully aware that the person who was stalking him wasn't a threat and wasn't some weird creature his tone changed. “Anywho, it isn't safe for you to go hunting by yourself. I guess I can't just kick you out of the forest since kinda went a little overboard with my sage powers so.. I can like escort you so you can hunt without worrying about the lesser demons coming after you to like... Roast you over a campfire.” he said, the rouge obviously wasn't sure if the girl was actually hunting for monsters or probably a big animal like a deer.

'Yes. There was a Sarugami that we fought not too long ago in the heartlands and some multieye mutant lived around the the darker parts of the forest.”’ Maru's ethereal companion stated, obviously they weren't referring to themselves when they were talking about the hell spawns of this forest. Unlike Maru, Kawaii almost could easily pass off as a normal girl if it wasn't for her golden glow, the golden hitodama that always her and the way she always floats around to let people know that they were dealing with the dead.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

As felt the presence of the being before her and his overwhelming power. The spirit had somehow gotten lengths of chakra connection to him…she was really interested in this if she did not feel like she was in a life or death situation. The being lifted his lantern up and as he did so asked her…really just to clarify some things. She did not hesitate when she took a step forward and said, “That…is correct.” She had to be firm…otherwise the creature might notice that she was indeed not hiding any power and was just really weak. That would probably mean certain doom.

The being then mentioned that she talked funny and she felt her cold sweat being to fall down the back of her neck. She felt her goosebumps as she was prepared for the being to say something along the lines of how she was now going to die. She tried to look casual but she was tense…she needed to be quick…whoever was faster had the advantage and she did not feel fast…

The forest came to life again…things got quieter. The laughter changed to whispers and the spirit lights moved, the eyes on the trees start to eerily blink. She figured now was when something was going to happen. Her feet tense to dodge…

As he spoke she felt like the last minute or so had been for nothing. She relaxed so quickly that she felt her body fall and her knees gave out. As she sat down the mask fell off her face and with a clatter it collapsed into a bunch of pale yellow holy particles. Revealing her face showing the worry and tension. As she felt herself start to flail her arms and cry out, “I-I-I…I thought I was dead!” She started to wipe her face as her tears started to come out.

He said something about escorting her to whatever she was hunting but most if it she did not hear over whimpering breathing. They were both pretty as they walked up and she felt terrible that she thought they were evil beings. Just because something had a dark appearance did not make them evil. “I’m sorry…” She felt herself sniffling trying to get herself back together. Her heart now slowing down. She should still have kept her guard up but it was too much for the little girl to bear at this point.

Once she caught her breath and clenched her hands in front of her and tried to get out. “I-I Was trying to…make sure I was…good enough…to become a Genin…and I failed to myself...” She felt her tears welling up again…she was so frustrated. She felt herself sulking a bit and said again, “I am so sorry I ruined your evening!” She looked at him with large Mocca colored eyes, the slight wetness still there. She lacked confidence in herself and even though the man was clearly out of league she still took it as a failure on her part.

[MFT]

 

[Midori Futotta]

While he tried to explain that he wasn't trying to kill her, apparently his actions kinda sent different message. When the girl's face was finally revealed the Maru's first instinct was to back away when the mask turned into particles of yellow holy chakra, the rogues disgust for the holy chakra then turned to shock when the young lady just broke down. The eyes on the trees mimicking Maru's emotion began to widen their own eyes then looked at each other, then at the girl again. The rouge tried to tell her that he was going to escort her around but she was sobbing so loudly he wasn't sure that she even heard his offer. “Uhhhh, you didn't do anything wrong.” he wasn't really sure what the girl was apologizing for, perhaps for thinking that he was out for blood. Honestly he didn't blame her since it was a superstition that nothing good would come with associating yourself with a youkai, at least not without cursing yourself or the people around you with misfortune.

When the girl finally calmed herself down a bit, the rogue simply listened to the young shinobi talk and he frowned upon what the poor girl was saying. To lighten up the mood a bit he decided to offer up a few words of encouragement. “I mean you don't necessarily have to be an emotionless robot to become a Gennin, if I was in you shoes I would have acted the same way.” Though he wouldn't exactly be crying like she was Maru would've at least caused a scene. Like how that weirdo tentacle haired girl came to him and he warned some random sleepy child that there was an alien out to lay eggs in his stomach. Maru scratch his head seeing the girl look at him with big watery eyes, nearly at about to start crying again. She apologizing to him again about her ruining his evening and the masked rogue reached his right hand to Airi's face to give her squishy cheek a pull. “Please don't start that crying again, you didn't do anything wrong.” He released her cheek hoped that it would have at least cheered her up or just irritated her enough to make her stop crying.

Since the girl wasn't a threat, Maru raised his hand and they eyes all focused on him. “Hey there forest, the girl is an ally so if you can protect her while she's here that would be nice.” Maru could hear the movement in the trees then listened closely for the whispers. So now that the sage deemed the girl an ally, the environment will protect her. Fwoosh… Fwoosh… Fwoosh blue colored hitodama's now accompanied Airi, three of the weird spiritual fireballs, two floated by her side and one overhead. Though the fire seemed a bit too close she felt no heat, it may have felt a little cold and there was a feeling that there were actually people beside her but still nothing harmed the young shinobi. Kawaii detached the spiritual threads from Maru, the rogue looked at the girl again when the forest had finally accepted that the girl was an ally. “So now that the forest sees you as a friend you do you still wanna go on that hunt or do you want to leave. My offer to escort you around still stands if you like?” the masked rogue gave the child a toothy smile then gave her a thumbs up. "By the way, you look a lot better without a mask. Unlike this guy." He gestured his thumb into his direction.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

The man…demon…thing before her said that she had nothing to worry about that if put in the same shoes as her he would have acted in a similar manner. She sniffled a little trying to fully wash out the fear that had just coursed through her entire body. Acting through it and never having it were very different things. As the man before her approached she figure…at least through his speech that he was not going to hurt her. She could hear Yukiin yelling at her to be on guard and pay attention but she just sat sort of helpless. She watched as he reached a hand out and she closed her eyes…

She suddenly pelt her cheek getting pulled and she flashed back to her grandparents coming home. She looked with a worried feeling on her face. He told her to not start crying again because nothing was wrong. She was surprised a being that looked…like him was doing so much just to make her feel better. As she looked at his face more she saw that he was wearing a mask. She blinked a bit in surprise. For some reason she had thought that was his natural face.

As he let go of her cheek she put her hand over where she had been pitched. It ached just a little bit but in almost no time she was back to her usual self. Her natural healing kicked in right away like it always did.

As he lifted up his hand all of the trees turned their eyes to him. She had to admit they were still really creepy. She watched as the man then said that Airi was a friend and that she should be protected while she was in the forest. She was fairly amazed at how he was able to command the forest in such a way that it would listen.

She jumped onto her feet as the blue orbs of light suddenly gathered around her. As she felt them get closer she also noticed that she did not feel any heat coming off of them. ‘How…was this possible?’ She thought to herself.

After the forest had settle Maru asked her again what she really wanted, did she want out or did she want to hunt deeper. Looking at the man and the spirit lady she suddenly felt like a burden again…she needed to change this attitude and how she carried herself. As he smiled and gave her a thumbs up she felt like she was looking at a vampire from a movie Suzuki-san had her watch with him. It made her shiver slightly only because it was…what did he call it? A tragic love story…He then made a comment about the fact that she looks much nicer without a mask than he did.

She froze for a moment…just looking at him…wondering…”Can I choose the third option of accompanying you on your work?” She paused for a moment and after putting a hand on her chin she nodded and said, “I…I-uhm…want to…get to know you better.” She put her hands behind her back and kicked at the grass a little.

“You seem to be dealing with things that I may have to in the future…and it’s only fair I help you make up for lost time…”

She felt like that was a sufficient enough answer but would he accept. She figured…her chakra might at least be useful…”Oh- uhm…sorry…”

She stood and gave a full bow forward and said, “My name is Irie Airi I am close to taking my Gennin exams so I can maybe be of us. A pleasure to meet you both.” As she finished she linger a moment and then righted herself.

 

[Midori Futotta]

'Good, she calmed down a bit.' the rouge thought to himself. Though the girl looked worried she at least stopped crying, he didn't expect her to trust him fully since the dark aura he has makes it pretty hard for people to trust him. When she seemed relaxed now that the rouge showed her that he wasn't one of the bad Youkai's he expected that she probably wanted out of the forest, putting himself in her shoes he probably wouldn't be comfortable walking around with some horned demon who could mess with the environment, summon forth Youkai's, and even create Youkai's which he sometimes did by accident but the Youkai he could create weren't bad but annoying as hell. He could even turn other people into a demon if he infuses Natural Energy with a person. Needless to say that he knew that Youkai are often dismissed as all being evil, so he would understand if the girl wanted to leave but to his surprise she wanted to help him!

Maru placed his hand on his chin then began to think about it, though her chakra would be useful in this situation since most the things he dealt with were evil and her holy chakra did more damage he wasn't really sure if he should or shouldn't bring her along since they will more than likely encounter an evil Youkai. He looked at his spiritual companion to see if she would approve if he brought the girl along to seal off where the monsters of this forest can go and she shrugged as if it didn't matter to the blonde. The forest would protect her, the sealing tags she would be holding would make a indiscutable barrier against evil Youkai, and she was holy so he didn't see why couldn't she help him. With a shrug Maru accepted the third option that Airie had given him. “Sure, guess I guess it'll be nice to have another set of hands to help stick these talismans up.” Maru said as he produced a large stack of talismans from his sleeve. When girl introduced herself to him, Maru realized that he hadn't introduced himself neither. “Irie Airi, I'll have to remember that. Well Airi, my name's Yamamoto Yamaru but you can call me Maru for short.” Maru pointed at himself with his thumb, then decide to introduce his blonde ghost companion as well. “The one who's floating name is Kawaii, Kawaii Maru. She is the spirit of my weapon and my master of sorts since she kinda likes pushing me around.”

’Nice to meet you young lady.’ said Kawaii, practically sitting on the air with her legs crossed since the laws for gravity doesn't apply to ghost. Maru noticing a kunai in one of his talisman had fallen off once of the trees when the huge eye blinked went over to the paper charm, picked it back up then placed it back on the tree. “Common, let's head deeper into the the forest, we won't get lost. By the morning there will be a clear path leading to town, can't be late for that exam right?” he asked, and with that he began moving towards the more darker parts of the forest believing Airi would follow along with his spiritual partner, using the light from his lantern and the light from the blue hitodama's around to see some of the places he haven't been already. Maru didn't look behind him, he kinda stayed quiet for a bit since they would probably run into a Youkai at any minute. Maru's long hair wayed from side to side as he moved, several blue ghastly fire balls floating around him, his pointed horns from the low lighting from behind looked black. Kawaii although normal looking in appearance kind of looked transparent, if Irie looked at Maru's spiried she was able to see as the through Kawaii and see as the trees pass by the ghost just by looking through her back. Breaking the silence finally, the rogue decided to make small talk. “So what's your story Airi? Got any plans when you become a Gennin or are you just sick of doing those dumb E Rank missions?” the masked man asked. From experience he knows that babysitting someones pet or taking care of dogs wasn't really a cool way to live. To be frank those kinds of missions are like the things people push on kids because they don't want do them, that and to inspire students to want to improve in the ranks so they can be soldiers to the village. He's heard a lot of reasons that a student wanted to become a shinobi but he wanted to hear why Airi wanted to be one.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

The horned man before her introduced himself as Yamamoto Yamaru. He gave her the options of speaking to him as Maru though as she looked to him she felt his overwhelming presence and remember to keep it in mind. As nice as he was she was certain in a fight he would wipe the floor with her. She thought that the way he spoke maybe he was misunderstood…but Yokai were always an iffy race to deal with and this was Airi’s first meeting with one. She needed to be both defensive and open. She was not about to reject someone based on how they looked…

When he introduced the spirit she shifted a bit and thought about how they both had the name Maru…she felt like that would get weird and considering how formal she preferred to be she would probably stick with surnames. Unless she got nipped at. She bowed to Kawaii and gave her a smile. Airi had never heard of a spirit within a weapon or at least a real one. Things like the lady of the lake came to mind when he mentioned it…and she was certainly pretty enough. Airi had a mental sigh wondering if she would ever be as pretty as someone like her.

The spirit said it was a pleasure to meet her and her eyes just lingered on her form. She looked so noble and elegant. Airi wondered if she was happy she got to kind of exist as pretty as she was or if she was mad she lost out on life…spirit of a weapon though…was her life normal? Airi was so curious but now was not the time to dwell on such things. She had a job to do.

Maru suggested they go deeper into the forest and Airi quickly followed to get closer to his left side. The little balls of spirit energy followed her around and she could not help but twist and spin her body a little and giggle as they tried to stay on her sides to protect her. Maru said they were annoying but maybe you just needed to be mischievous back to them to get along. She found herself really liking her new compatriots. Often breaking the silence with giggling as if suddenly she felt perfectly safe. Such was the mind of a child.

"Oh my Genin exam is at the end of the week, not tomorrow morning. I would be far to exhausted to take anything like an exam..."

As she walked took a closer look to Maru he himself also seemed to be quite…pretty? Not a word she would usually describe a man or boy with but he was. With the eerie light blue flames and the faint light of the lantern it gave an almost…not intimate but secluded feeling. Like except for Kawaii they were alone. If she had to say anything it was the mask and horn “fit” him. It made her wonder a lot about the mysterious man. Not that she would pry too deeply into another’s life.

“So what's your story Airi? Got any plans when you become a Gennin or are you just sick of doing those dumb E Rank missions?”

As she made her way over the roots she kind of had an idea of what she really vaguely wanted to do…nothing concrete. As she moved to be a little more quite she spoke softly. “I am of the opinion that E-rank missions are not dumb. I think kids my age get too excited about shooting fire and fighting that they forget the purpose of being a shinobi. We are here to serve and protect. I think E-rank missions are a reminder of humble beginnings the thoughts of those who originally formed the villages. In that regard I will always treasure my time with E-rank missions.”

As she hopped and bounced a bit twirling occasionally to laugh at the little blue fires she said, “As for my story…well I come from a small family outside the village and while at school to chakra proctors came and noticed I had the makings to train and be a shinobi. None of my family were ever chakra sensitive enough so it was a surprise. I decided to come to the village myself so not to uproot my family. I have been lower than average for the year and a half I have been in the academy but have somehow managed to stay in the program. I’ll be turning thirteen soon and as such I figured that at this point…if I really am unable to become a shinobi I need to know now before I use too much of my youth on it.”

She paused for a moment and then went on. “Not that I think I lost anything but…there are other professions. As I did those E-rank missions though I found a passion for helping others. Other people who do not have the ability to use jutsu. As such I hope that someday I can help the populace on a grander scale. Whether I am known or not, even the smallest ripple I can make, I’ll be satisfied.”

It sounded way nobler as she said it than she really wanted it to. As such she sort of frowned and said, “I always would like to stop working a few part times and make enough money to have a little free time and relax occasionally. I think D and C Rank missions should be sufficient to allow me to do that. Oh and of course start a family someday. I guess those are all my thoughts right now.”

As she walked though she looked over at Maru and she said, “What about you? Did you end up where you wanted to be from when you were an Academy student? Any advice or warnings? What about your plans for the future Yamamoto-sama?” She felt like she had talked way to long but maybe he was happy she was being so clear and open to him. As she watched him work she waited until he might call on her, though if anything she might just be there keeping him accompany above all else.

[MFT]

 

[Midori Futotta]

Maru looked at his for a moment then chuckled to himself seeing Airie playing with the hitodama's that floated near her, everytime she spun the orbs swirled around so fast that it looked like a ghostly angletic ring was hanging over her head. Unlike Maru, who found the hitodama's pretty annoying, the young shinobi was having fun with them at her side most likely due to them being a sign that the forest would protect her. When the rouge asked about her exam she assured him that her Gennin exam wouldn't come until the end of the week which made sense to him. Maybe the hunting training was just her way of getting herself ready but he didn't think the Gennin exam would be too extreme for her to handle. Maru listened as they moved deeper into the the dark forest, the light from the hitodama's showing him he already has been around these parts so he kept moving, stepping over a large root. From what he got, she actually liked doing the E Rank missions, in Maru's head he thought that for her missions she would probably be picking flowers or babysitting someone's snobby little brat but if she liked those kinds of missions then that's alright with him.

As the trio traveled and Airi played with the fire souls that kept by her side, the young kunoichi told him more about herself. Apparently she was the special one of her family since she was the only one who was charka sensitive enough to join the shinobi program here. When she began telling him about how she was lower than the average in the academy he shrugged then said. “Hey at least you awaken that holy chakra you have, not a lot of people could do that yanno.” Maru tried to become holy once, well twice but his dark chakra tainted him a bit too much since in his youth he used a lot of dark magic to strengthen his dark core. He didn't have much memory of doing them, but apparently he cursed himself to not being able to aligned himself with the forces of good. He would become spiritual if he tried then ultimately end up coming back to the darkness again.

She went on to tell him about how she wanted to help the people, to aid those who couldn't defend themselves on a greater scale which seemed like what a lot of students her age would hope to accomplish. Plus make a little money to live comfortably and of course start a family. “Seems like you have everything planned out.” He noticed that he was in a spot that he didn't recognize then stopped then placed his hand on his hip. “Well these don't have seals, guess I'll start in this clearing then.” The rouge said then walked to the clearing Maru began placing his charms on one tree after the other, the flimsy paper began to glow with an eerie blue light. When Airi began asking about him the rogue jolted, then began to think of a reply to the academy student one. “I mean yeah… I didn't come from around here though I actually came from fire country. I was kinda one of those people who had friends in high places and I kinda got recruited into the Anbu when I tried came to the Hokages office to… talk.”

As the rogue placed another tag on another tree he continued. “So made it to Anbu but my family kinda moved to cloud because they didn't like the leadership, but I kinda want to be in the sand village so I went to wind country because there was cute fox girls there. Lived out on the beach too, would've stayed there but….” The Youkai's mask eyes suddenly gotten big then began to sparkle a bit at the thought of a certain someone he's been ‘following’ around since he's first seen her. “I saw a beautiful girl in Tea Country that I just can't stay away from. It was love at first sight, when I tried using one of my pickup lines on her she shot me down instantly, she gave me a cold stare and spoke to me pretty harshly but her dislike of me only made my heart sing for her.” He realized how weird it sounded that he liked a girl that practically abused him to get him to leave her be but honestly he just thought that was how girls just showed love.

“She made me get on stage then sing this weird dog song while playing the dog part, she made me beg for her to tell me her name but didn't give it to me of course, she made me pay for her drink and food before slapping me like really hard. Everything a guy could ask for, I even showed her that I could be normal then she allowed me to take her somewhere to eat so we were getting somewhere!” he was pretty distracted in sealing Youkai away right about now. “She kinda… stopped coming to tea country so I just used my Anbu tracking skills to find out she's hanging around here so I decided to leave my beach house then hurry here, did some favors, became a citizen, and even got recruited into the same clan she's in…” he began to frown then looked at Airi. “Though she's a idol so I don't see her around much but hey, she's like one of the many people I've kinda been having my eye on.

The rogue one coming down from thinking about one of his main future wives he wanted to have, he felt kinda embarrassed now then muttered that she also hunted demons which was also why she probably didn't like too him much as it was and why he probably wouldn't see her until his clan had like family events. Placing another sealing tag, the rogue decided to answer the rest of what she asked. “Oh.. a little warning by the way. If you are going for something go for something that you're going to be good in and also be mentally prepared because a shinobi profession is pretty rough. There will be times you need help, you can't be helped, and most likely you can't help anyone. Best advice is don't let shinobi life break you is all I can tell you, it's good but it's not at all fun.” He paused for a moment. “And my plans for the future, hopefully to retire when the monster hunting gets dry and go for something like a masked swimsuit model or something. Long hair and long pointy ears gotta look good to someone. The horns and my face might be the worst part but nothing like using heavy make-up." He shrugged, honestly that just came off the top of his head. As the rogue worked, Kawaii looked around to make sure there wasn't anything out there to ambush them. "Anything else? Also here, take these incase something pops out." he sealed a just inside one of the talisman then gave Airi a single charm to hold onto. While he was there and the environment would keep the girl safe if something managed to break through his defense then he needed the young shinobi to be safe in case they ran into one of the really bad ones.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

“Hey at least you awaken that holy chakra you have, not a lot of people could do that yanno.”

This comment, she felt like a small drop had landed on a still lake. If she had not been keenly aware and paying attention she might have missed it. Holy…chakra…Airi had always felt like it was the mythical weapon that had simply changed her chakra, but considering how little she used it…was Maru right? Was she actually special? She never showed her holy chakra unless she was really afraid. Including tonight she could count the number of times on her hand. She had decided that only Rinko should know and that was mainly due to panic of her chakra color being able to change. She was worried she was sick or something. Maru’s chakra had more of a deep abyss sense to her, like she was afraid to get lost…she wondered…

He commented that she seemed like she had everything planned out and she looked down a little sheepishly. Nothing ever went to plan but having a rough idea brought her comfort. She remembered talking to Osuteno about families and things. Maru finally stopped and placed another one of his talismans on one of the trees. She figured he was making something like a fence…to do what she was unsure. Maybe he was marking his territory, or maybe just shoring up some defenses, or maybe these were more like warning signs. Honestly she was unsure considering how uneducated she was on the matter. Now that Airi had also officially confirmed that it was Holy…maybe she should start doing research on that since hopefully her normal studies were going to slow down.

Maru began to go through a large amount of history as briefly as possible. She was surprised that he was willing to go into so much so quickly…maybe she should have made her answers more personal. He traveled everywhere and it seemed like for the most part it was to escape political people and then it moved onto him chasing after someone he had fallen for. Airi’s heart started to swell a bit wanting to shout things of encouragement and to support him. He was a…well a dark being who found his light. At least in front of her he was not doing anything bad. He seemed like someone who deserved love. While he really did not paint her out in a real positive light…if he loved her, who was she to judge. Airi was too young to understand the details…he was where he was for a reason, it wasn’t her place to thrown in opinion or advice.

While Maru frowned as he wrapped things up he did seem…unhappy at his situation. Airi…had no idea what to do or say. The spirit remained silent the whole time and probably knew about this. It just seemed….sad. She knew this was only one side of the story but Airi felt like she could fall…somehow into a similar situation. The only date she had been on was with Setsu and while it had been lovely and she wouldn’t mind seeing him more. She would not say it was love at first sight.

Maru gave her advice saying that she needed to steel herself a bit. There were going to be times she needed to work alone, and other times she would have help, but she also needed to prepare for the times there was nothing she could do. The last one being something she felt like she could get hung up on. She repeated what he said a few times to herself. She was not God…she was human. She always needed to remember she would make mistakes and couldn’t be everywhere. She breathed deeply and then let out it out slowly. She needed to make peace with this.

As he mentioned he plans for the future she sort of laughed a bit as she took the talismans. He mentioned they would keep her safe and she wondered if she should put some of her chakra into it or if she should leave them alone. What would happen if she tried to mingle light and dark within these?

“Well I cannot comment on your face considering the mask.” She made sure to move quickly to keep up with his larger gait. “The horns scared me at first but I can see, something like a noble elegance to them. Considering they seem to curve a bit like a crown. Men with long hair have a pretty appeal to them…as for the ears I think they go into the mysterious allure…with the horns…” She seemed to be taking this quite seriously all of a sudden.

“Your physique is probably solid considering shinobi work. I think if you did the cool mysterious man by the sea you could sell quite well.” Maybe this was Rinko talking through her with the way she thought but Airi could see him making a good showing. “Plus I have heard girl my age talking about Dark Romance novels so I think misunderstood dark heroes are in right now.”

As Airi looked around the conversation had distracted from the fact that she was deeper in the forest than she had ever been before. She surprisingly felt safe, Maru had given her a talisman…he seemed very strong, plus the spirit with them, she felt more like an escort mission than really helping but who knew…maybe he was just happy to have different company.

“I was wondering…since after my exams, I’ll have some more free time. Did you want to meet up occasionally and have tea?” She felt like he was maybe a little lonely… “I was hoping…maybe I could learn from you a bit. To help round myself out…and I am unsure what I could do to help you, but I am certain you could come up with something so the exchange would be even.” She had no idea why she was so worried about it but she felt like he might…grow darker only dealing with Yokai. Maybe he had a roaring social life and she was just being silly…but he said Holy Chakra was rare. Maybe as she learned stuff about it she could share with him…?

"As for your other question...I would like to know...whatever you want me to know and vice versa. I wouldn't want to go into something you wouldn't want to share with a stranger." Airi smiled slightly but then said, "I am certain you have a few demons you want to keep to yourself." Airi grinned like she just won a game. Setsu would be proud of her for that one...though she should probably not turn puns into something she did on the regular.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Of course his horns would be scary at first, even he wouldn't trust a person with horns since they are either a Kijo Yokai, a female demon that is jealous of being ugly so she takes it out on the beautiful people or a Oni which seems a little worse than the Kijo since there has been stories of them being truly wicked shinobi men who are beyond any redemption. Though he thought that they might scare people off hence why he hid them during the day, Airi told them that they seem a bit like a crown which was pretty weird to him. “You think so?” He asked, not sure if he would agree but she kinda did give him a good idea. Maybe weirdo adoption kid thought that demon academy students horn made her look like a unicorn or something rather than a malevolent monster that would tear him apart. Either the monster hate thing was just depending on if they look cute or times are changing. “Hmmmm… mysterious guy by the sea. I can already see the front cover.” He could already imagine it now since women seemed into the whole monster guy thing, looking up he as he began to paint the image of what it would look like..:

Me standing in the misty docks of Port Cirrus, the moon red behind me with a little purple Miasma covering the bottom end of my glorious cover. I'm wearing one of those cheap looking vampire looking capes, long hair covering one side of my face like a certain, despite me wearing an eye mask the camera would get a good shot of my glowing red eyed where if you look hard enough you would be able to see hearts around my eyes, four of them. I will probably do my best making my smile charming so I could show off my purely white teeth, my horns angled perfectly so the blood moon would be between my horns like I ruled the night. I also needed to have a dog collar on to show that I am submissive, maybe go without a shirt but wear black slacks with a huge demonic looking belt buckle and–

Putting his hand on his chin, thinking to himself that cover would kinda make him look more edgy than he really was, but hell if that would make him sell it would make him sell. Not to mention if his guy body isn't good enough he could always go to be a female model since he could transform into a woman as well! He then realized that he was telling his cover out loud to himself, he figured Airi probably didn't hear him since he thought he was talking low but the rogue unfortunately his description of his cover was not spoken in a hushed tone since he wanted to listen to how it would sound like saying what his cover would be outloud. Once his future modeling career when he got bored with monster hunting was discussed, Airi asked the rogue if he wanted to meet up with her again to meet up for some tea. Honestly he didn't mind it, plus he might could train her with a few battle strategies he had with Kawaii when they tried to become holy but ultimately fail. “Sure, not like I hang around the forest in the day anyway.” He said as he made his way around the clearing placing the talisman around. “Relax, you don't need to do anything for me. It'll be a honor to be able to teach you what I know for free and even could pay for your tea if you wanted.” He stated, Airi was pretty nice. Perhaps that's why she has that's why the holy chakra in her seems pretty strong, he knew it was holy chakra because he once made another academy student holy from this weird lake within the heartlands that made things holy. He guess a Kami had a battle there since the place he went to was riddled with craters that are now lakes on the outer village. Besides her chakra seemed more calming and pacifying as supposed to how his chakra is usually a manifestation of fear which is a demons weapon. His chakra was meant to make people normal feel small, her chakra was meant to lift them up. Unfortunately he wasn't able to have any real effect from her aura of purity but if she gotten strong enough she would be able to repel even his aura of fear. She didn't realize it yet but she had some kind of divinity in her.

When he figured the clearing they were in would he safe, the rogue chuckled at Airi's demon pun she made. He used a lot of them when he used his pick up lines or talking to a girl that he liked. “Saw that you did there, well I guess something I kinda do for fun would be I like to do would have to be….” He began to think of something that seemed to fit the idea of fun. “I doing a lot of research and dressing up in costumes. Like to skip around town with my boots and cape looking for something to do around town. How about you? Got anything you do for fun on your free time." asked.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Yamamoto-sama seemed to like the idea Airi placed before him. He did seem awefully casual but if he wanted to she could see him picking up the evil villain or the misunderstood anti-hero title just as well. People saw things as black and white and even Airi herself did as well. It was not until she joined the academy that she would also slowly realize the term monster was too all encompassing. She originally gain her holy ability she thought she could be a light against the darkness…slay monsters…help people…but as she met more and more people this concept had slowly eroded away. The amount of people she thought would be dark were…not. It got her thinking, that she herself could do great evil despite having a generally positive seen ability. It did not bother her but it really got her to see things in a different light.

Byakko Yukiin was a cold, tentacle, skull being that would grow sub-zero claws and could take life in a heartbeat, yet he was a doctor and while questionable was ultimately helping the village and hated betrayal. Osuteno had a similar yet different ability, yet she had a family and was also a doctor. Rinko was born of a half animal people yet they were a sound model of business improving the economy. Now she met with yet another. Yamamoto Maru, had the malevolence to turn the forest against people, he was a power dark being and yet…here he was setting up protective talismans to keep people safe. All he wanted was love and to work in fashion. Old Airi would been absolutely convinced they were abominations…but now…

“I ruled the night. I also needed to have a dog collar on to show that I am submissive, maybe go without a shirt but wear black slacks with a huge demonic looking belt buckle and–“

<i></i>

Airi couldn’t help but start to chuckle. She kept her giggling as quiet as she could not wanting him to think she was against what he had tangent off into. There was a market for it, and the lack of costume material he would need would save some money.

Maru accepted her request to meet up with him more after this. If the new ability to do missions paid enough then she would actually have free time. She could have Maru Mondays and meet with Rinko on Thursdays. Check in with Yukiin on every other weekend, and Osuteno might need a baby sitter sometimes…Airi really hoped that she would be able to see people more often. She would of course need to keep up training and studies, but things moved more to her pace than whatever structure the society itself would have her do.

Once again she found another person was out of her reach to help or offer anything. Osuteno had said the same thing and now Yamamoto was as well. She needed to get useful quickly. It would not do her well to continue down this path as she was.

Yamamoto mentioned that he enjoyed dressing up and then going around town hunting for things to do. Apparently dressing up was something of a passion of his. Considering he wanted to be a model that would make sense. Outfits were very important if someone wanted to be in that industry.

“I really haven’t had a lot of time between school and my few part time jobs to really have hobbies per say…but I can see how dressing up and looking pretty could be a lot of fun. I’ve always felt fairly average in comparison to some of the other girls who get noticed for it. “Airi had went on a date for that event and while she thought it had been a good time, she knew she was not a looker. She had to work hard at everything and if she really wanted to turn heads she would have to work hard on that as well. As a shinobi if she had time to learn beautifying things, she should be working on her sword for or new jutsu.

As Yamamoto looked like he was finishing up at least this section of the forest. Airi really had just walked around a kept him company…she was basically a fly or a wallflower for his work. At least wallflowers were supposed to be pretty though right?

Airi sighed and said, “Maybe someday I’ll dress up nice and show off a bit and get noticed by people.” This was her personal small girl dream. Be pretty one night, find someone who swept her off her feet. Date, get married, have children. No shinobi life or anything like that…Airi shook her head though. Considering what Osuteno had said about the need for chakra sensitives the village probably had a match maker program or something. Romance was not for shinobi. She glanced over at Yamamoto, worried about how he could not be with the one he loved.

“I think once I get more free time I just want to visit everyone I have met and make sure they are happy. Train a bit, and then do it all over the next day.” Looking around sort of wondering she decided to ask, “So why put up these talismans? Are they simply for warding or do they do something else?”

 

[Midori Futotta]

The rogue kind of figured that she wouldn't have much free time on her hands since the exams were pretty important to most children her age, becoming a Gennin and earning their headband is what a lot of people see as them coming up to adulthood but it's quite a shame. He honestly been a academy student for a really long time, and even he knew that a rank didn't matter much if you are stronger than the ones above you. Besides he actually missed being an academy student since he would disgust in a younger body and had a plan to wait at the gates for some missing nins to waltz in to see an academy student then underestimate him. Besides he heard of a great academy student who ended up becoming a chunin from simply requesting it from their kage due to his gang of academy students causing an uprising. While of course these kids were bad, the kid he named mastermind was a pretty good leader and even lead him when they were on a mission. It was just a shame mastermind didn't come to cloud like he thought he would do when he saw the clothes team arrive.

The rouge chuckled when hearing the comment about comment about her dressing up nice then showing off a bit. “I'm sure someone will notice you, you're pretty adorable plus I can almost guarantee you'll get a lot of compliments from people.” he said matter of factly, but since she helped him out with his imaginary cover perhaps he should help out the girl. He turned to get a good look at the young kunoichi, putting his hand on his chin as he studied her. “I mean with that smooth looking baby face, dark brown eyes that kinda glow, and that silky black hair you can rock a pair of black fox ears and a bushy black tail. Extra points maid outfit if really wanted to turn heads.” the rogue teased. He honestly didn't really think she would follow through with the whole cute kitsune maid outfit but the rogue one was it would at least make her laugh a bit at the thought of it.

Maru looked around, seeing how this clearing was covered that would he probably should make sure that the rest of the area was covered too. Airi told him that, she wanted to meet all the people she's met to make sure that they are all happy. Airi was pretty selfless, he wondered if she had someone who would make sure that she was happy or did she just feel good when helping other people. Regardless, she asked why did he have to put the talisman up anyway and he was more than happy to answer. “Oh these talismans is to keep bad Youkai from-”

’Something's coming up ahead….’’ Kawaii said, breaking her silence, the spirit floated back where the group was.

“Wait what?” Maru asked, the rogue honestly didn't expect to run into a Youkai right now! Maybe he walked too far on the edge of the barrier, he quickly changed from playful to protective and he moved Airi behind him so whatever was coming wouldn't frighten the poor girl. She would know what he meant when he said that there were bad Youkai around here. From the shadows, three red colored hitodama's approached, the red hitodamas floating around a shadowy figure who revealed itself to be a little sweet old lady. The old woman was wearing tattered robes, her skin looked discolored as if she was dead, wrinkled and she downright looked like a stereotypical witch. Though the old which of a woman was standing at the edge of the clearing the lady couldn't enter due to the sealing tags, she paused then looked at the tags curiously. While she did that Maru told Airi. “Stay where the talismans are and you'll be okay. If you're scared, hide behind a tree with my talisman then close your eyes.” He said, then turning over to the old crow to growl at the youkai. His aura of fear beginning to rise from the ground however the old lady was surprised, seemingly happy. The old lady spoke in a voice layered of three voices.

’Oooooooh...my.. goodness. Well if it isn't Shuten doji, the Oni King. How did you get through these wrenched charms, did you use your dark magic to break through and devour that little one there?’ the old lady spoke in a raspy voice, rubbing her wrinkled hands together then licked her lips. Her aura of fear beginning to spread, Maru didn't know why these things keep calling him Shuten but it was whatever he wasn't going to be eating no one nor will this Youkai be having Airi its snack. “I made them to keep things like you out, bet you wanna get over here so bad.” the rogue taunted, he then picked up the biggest rock he could find then tossed it at the monster. Kawaii not having much fun decided to poke the bear a bit then joined in on making pebbles float then launching them at the old lady. Maru and his spirit laughed as they pelted the old bat with rocks.

Spoiler

The old lady desperately trying to cover herself was starting to get angry so she dispelled the illusion to reveal that she wasn't a real woman at all but a HUGE spider, roughly eight feet tall and fourteen feet long, it's leg span was over 20 feet. The spider looked down at the two with eight of it's big ugly eyes, fury burned in it's eyes as it said. ’I’M GOING TO ENJOY EATING YOU SHUTEN!’ then began to charge at them but hit a invisible wall then fell backwards into the soil, wiggling it's hairy legs in the air as the spider Youkai struggled to get up. Maru looked back at Airi then gave her a thumbs up. “See they work it ain't getting in here.” Maru wondered if he should just kill the youkai now or just let it run off in the woods. He picked up a few rocks then gave some to Airi, pointing at the spider. "Here throw these rocks at it and the spider will go away, then you can yell how you kicked a spiders butt to your friends. It thought you were food, show it who's boss. Extra points if you come up with a good insult for it." maybe this will boost her convinced.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Yamamoto commented on the fact she was adorable and mentioned that she would get a lot of compliments from people. Airi looked…skeptical at best. All little girls were cute, very few of them did not look cute but average looking or plain girls would not grow up to be those who drew the eyes of others. Airi stopped and even jumped a bit when she noticed Yamamoto looking at her rather intently. She froze up and looked…not uncomfortable but worried. This was not usual look but of one who seemed to appraising the value of something.

As he explained Airi felt herself pause… “Fox ears…tail…maid…outfit?” Airi brows furrowed at the comment. Ears and a tail why…? As she thought in her mind about what that would look like she just gave a bizarre expression. The she thought about Rinko…she had ears and a tail…though it looked natural on her which is probably why it looked alright. The she pictured her in a maid outfit and her face flushed slightly. She could already see Rinko saying, ‘Boys pay an extra twenty percent when you wear things like this!’ Airi felt embarrassed. She could imagine her trying to rope her into something like that…

As she realized Yamamoto was still looking at her she said, “I…I…uhh…I guess if…if there was…a reason I suppose…” Airi would prefer not to but if a mission asked for it or…well if it would help someone. She could feel her will power breaking, she would not want to but she could feel quite a few reasons how she would end up in one… “So embarrassing…”

Right as Yamamoto mentioned that the talismans were to keep bad Yokai from…the spirit who floated above them answered that something was coming. Airi failed to even get into a battle stance or look around, she was just so confused. Oh…right we are in an evil forest! Airi had forgotten considering the forest was being so nice to her. As she started to move her head around she tried to follow where the spirit seemed to be looking.

She watched as Yamamoto moved in front of her to keep her safe. It felt weird…to be protected. She felt safe…she liked it to be honest. As Airi poked her head from behind Yamamoto she watched as three red spirit fires were around what appeared to be a sweet old lady. Even Airi knew from stories that random sweet old ladies in dark evil woods were a bad sign. The old lady looked…really really old. She seemed to be looking at the talismans and Airi now realized the purpose. Yamamoto said that if she was too afraid Airi could run to a nearby tree and stay by the seal and should be safe, though if something bad happened to Yamamoto she would need to do something eventually. Airi did not feel fear…she noticed since her wilderness training. Now it was just pressure and indecision. The concept of death or dying had lost its grip on her. Airi jumped a bit when Yamamoto started to growl.

She noticed that she was curious about his methods for getting past the talismans and it even made Airi wonder. Maybe…it was because he was nice? Or maybe it was because he was not a full demon? Airi could only speculate but she did reference him as Oni King which explains the infinite amount of power he probably possessed. She could feel goosebumps crawling over her skin…they were both stronger than her…she was certain of that.

Airi watched as Yamamoto and his spirit taunted her and started to throw rocks. Airi’s expression grew sour. She watched as the old lady tried to flee and she felt sympathy for the creature. That guy…he had put Airi in a similar situation. Yamamoto should just force her off and stop tormenting her. Airi was growing angry, a soft simmering anger.

Right as she was about to open her mouth the old lady revealed she was a large…super huge spider and yelled how she was going to devour both of them. As she ran into the wall and bounced back Airi looked shocked…it was so angry it went violent…and from the beginning it mentioned doing bad things. She glanced from Yamamoto to the spider…there was a clear difference here. She wasn’t sure what the line was but clearly…the spider had crossed it. If the rocks could pass through then Airi thought Ninjutsu could as well.

Airi moved to get out from behind Yamamoto. He smiled seemingly happy with his work and it was true…it was a temporary solution to a bigger problem. He handed Airi some rocks and told her to just throw them at the spider…extra points if Airi could insult it well…

Airi looked down at the rocks, the sound of the spiders triple voice echoed into her head, she turned her hand and dropped the rocks. The spider could not attack at range or it would have…Airi was better at close ranged combat but if it came to that…Airi felt like something triggered in her. She would not always be here and neither would Yamamoto…if she had been alone tonight…would she or another be safe with this thing lurking around.

Airi moved her hand through hand seals…she figured she could do what she could!

As her body emitted the traditional blue chakra it slowly turned into a pale yellow, her eyes gave off a faint glow and she cast her jutsu. As her hands came together she held out a single Shuriken and threw it towards the spider. She had only recently learned this jutsu but even still she figured it was her best ranged attack at this moment. As the shuiken made it to about where it would need to be and as Airi thought the creature would try to move if it saw the dark shuriken coming she would finish her hand seal. As such she said, “Non-elemental technique…Shadow Shuriken Replication” As the skuriken spun it would suddenly turn into twelve shuriken and they would all flash a bright yellow and white holy chakra.

Airi flinched not seeing if she had hit or even damaged it. The sudden draining of around twenty percent of her chakra threw her off. She had not expected to use that much…though it really was an advanced technique for her…

As she felt herself take a step back she glanced over to Yamamoto and said, “ahh…I uhh Spider getting away sorry I…umm…Arachted so aggressively…?” She glanced at Yamamoto wondering if she had managed it and then looked towards the spider wondering if her attack had even done anything…she suddenly worried maybe her attack would mess up the talismans…she felt her guard go up yet again.

OOC things I used!:

Spoiler

Ability: Fearless
CA Ability: Blessed Chakra
The default chakra of the Exalted is not the same as that of their fellow ninja, but rather gifted with a different kind of power altogether. It seems to invigorate and keep its holder on their feet even in the most dire of circumstances.
Effect: The user's Ninjutsu are considered Holy.
Jutsu used: Shadow Shuriken Replication X 2 at Rank 1

 

[Midori Futotta]

Maru knew that Airi wouldn't be hurt by the creature, it couldn't get through his charmed barrier so they would be safe. He figured if he showed Airi that she could stand up to the creature by throwing rocks at it, childish things to at least let her have a little fun but instead of taking the rocks so she can stand up to the creature she tried something different.. When the spider finally got on it's hairy legs, it shimmied from side to side before again lifting it's body up to charge at Maru and Airi again attempting to impale them on it's fangs. The invisible wall blocked the Youkai however it's massive body hitting the barrier caused the trees to bend slightly then the trees that were bent had straighten themselves up then the eyes opened to look at the creature. Airi instead of taking the rocks began to weave handseals, the rogue looked down then saw that she was glowing now with that bright yellow light and he moved back to get a glance from a safe distance.

The spider moving backwards about to charge in for an attack again saw the glow that Airi gave off, it irritated the Youkai that a mere human was giving off an aura of hope so the Youkai pulsed out it's aura of fear to make the girl second guess herself. Demons feed off fear, that's what strengthens them, even a holy person if they cower before a Youkai the monster would have an advantage. However, the Youkai aura seemingly did nothing… it just kicked up a lot of wind. ’You can't beat me human! You're little light show won't stop me from devouring you and your friends. Phu-Phu-Phu-Phu.’ the spider hissed. ’With your pretty little face I'm sure people will come look… more prey for me and my children, glowing one.’ the Youkai taunted, it charged in for the last time. Hoping to use the power of the girls fear to be able to break through and get itself a better meal. Maru watched as the spider charged at the girl, shaking the ground as it moved, it's fangs hissed with venom. The rogue smirked, then thought to himself. Now.’

Almost on cue Airi launched a huge shuriken at the incoming spider, the single shuriken turned into twelve shuriken all flashing with holy chakra. Before the Youkai knew what hit it, the holy shurikens began shredding the Youkai right as it being to try to impale Airi on it's fangs! Chopping down all of the hairy legs, defanging the creature, and cutting through the spiders abdomen which caused it to leak out a light green puss that was once it's guts while the giant legless cephalothorax slid on the ground before halting outside of the barrier that Maru created. The Youkai didn't move… Maru came from behind Airi then have her a pat on the shoulder chuckling at her pun. He should really start using some of these. “And you said you were below average, good job Airi.” The rogue ruffled the girls hair. He looked up to see that there was spider silk around in the trees since the youkai wasn't alive to maintain the illusion, this was most likely it's feeding grounds.

’This…. Isn't over…. human.’ Maru was shocked that the spider was still alive, not wanting to exhaust Airi any further Maru decided he should finish the Youkai off. Maru drawing the power form the spiders fear began to weave handseals of his own, Airi could hear the same demonic laughter that she heard from the forest the last time, a bunch of red eyes opened in the shadows upon completion of his handseals as he muttered. “Gate of Emna.” A fearsome technique that is said to open a pathway to hell, a rift ripped from behind the Yokai's mangled body then lanky skinny hands emerged from the rift to take the spiders body away. The glowing red smiles could be seem as they slowly dragged what was left of the spider inside while other arms snatched in it's lost legs and ripping the eggs from the spider silk, as the hands drew back Airi could see the the red sky's of hell while a huge Ox headed demon walked by before the rift closed. The demonic laughter stopped, the forest regaining a bit more light than it did when the rift to hell was open. Now there was no trace of the spider except for the guys, and the soil was already beginning to consume that.

Maru placed his hands on his hips, then looked out into the forest. “Well that should scare off anything else.” the rogue said, then gave the girl a pat on the head. “Well you got that hunt you were looking for, huh? Of course, not all Yokai are like that but I think you'll be able to spot the bad ones in a heartbeat.” Maru said, since he figured the girl might would be exhausted from all the walking they did he decided to use this spot to rest since he would probably be having to work his way to the other side. Besides it was about that time where those spirits he's been watching from afar. “Hey if you want you can sit down for a bit, that Gate of Enma really takes a lot out of me.” said, plopping down by a tree with one of his talismans and Kawaii floated upwards to sit on the air so she could get a good view of the night parade that usually comes around the witching hours.

[Ooc: Used Gate Of Enma to send the spider home.]

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Airi looked down and what she had done. It looked…terrible…guts and venom spewed out of the beast. Really Airi did not think her attack should have been as effective as it was. She felt a hand pat against her back, her face not moving from the gross mess that she just caused. She had a weird mix of sympathy and satisfaction that she was having trouble balancing. She was told good job and maybe it was just coming to her now but…this was something with real thinking sentience she just killed. No blood on her hand literally but…she just though it would feel like killing any other animal. Yukiin had been trying to slowly introduce her to death and get her accustomed to committing it. She still had never killed a human but…was this the next step. With these muddled feelings?

Airi felt her spine tingle and she jumped at the creature suddenly spoke saying that the battle was not over. What it could in that state Airi had no clue but she felt herself go into a defensive stance. Airi could feel the malice around her and if she was not paying attention she would have thought something bad was happen. The laughter though sounded familiar and as she glance over she saw Yamamoto running through a large number of hand seals.

As Yamamoto spoke Airi repeated in bewilderment…”Gate…of…” She could not find her voice as she saw a ripple or some kind of tear as a door manifested itself. She watched as large number of dark pale arms and even blacker energy just started to grab pull and rip at anything that had life in it. Airi did not close her eyes as she watched as even the fear was visible on the weird spider like face. As the hands moved and pulled the spider into whatever hellish dimension those arms came from, she saw a large ox like man and their eyes connected for only a brief second before the gates closed and the ripple vanished.

Airi suddenly started gasping for air, she hadn’t even realized she stopped breathing. She gave a worried look to Yamamoto, only now really starting to grasp the power difference between the two of them. She knew it was huge but for him to be able to call…that. “Enma…”

Yamamoto said that, really now everything that would come to bother them should have run away scared and Airi just blank stared nodded yes. She could not image anything that wanted to deal with something that could do…well…that…

Airi suddenly felt like the spider was an idiot thinking it could even get close to challenging Yamamoto…apparently the Oni King.

He patted her head and was just so calm it almost made her sick. He felt it was a healthy lesson for her. A lesson she would more than likely have nightmares about…the eyes of the ox once again flashing into her mind. Airi watched as Yamamoto sat down and started to relax. Apparently that technique took a lot out of him, though in her opinion he seemed fine to her. She suddenly felt the forest relax and her body coming down off the adrenaline rush and…and… ‘S-…S-…Sorry!?”

She suddenly ran to some nearby tree away from Yamamoto and she felt her tiny dinner leave her. She coughed a few times and wiped her face. This…now this was exactly what she had been expecting. She did this the first time she killed a small rabbit in the wild. Would this happen every time she upgraded the level of what she killed? She coughed a bit more and then spit, making sure to take a few sips of water, the first for spitting and the second just to have something cool her throat.

As she sat down directly next to Yamamoto she curled up as small people do and held her knees. “The spider was…aweful but that technique was even more so…” Airi looked forward and just asked, “Where do you even learn something like that…”

Airi was just so low on the power scaling she could never image she could casually pull out a different dimension to suck people into. “Does your power ever scare you?”

 

[Midori Futotta]

While the rogue simply was trying to relax, something apparently made the girl sick which caused him to worry a bit about her health. When Airi finally returned Maru simply asked her if she was doing alright. Perhaps it was due to nerves, he did kinda give her a glimpse into what he'll looked like, saw a pretty high ranking demon staring out at her from the rift that he created, and the sight of the spider was probably more than the child's heart could take. The girl sat down next to him, then curled up and the rouge again tried to see if she was okay again. “You're doing fine right? Sorry about that, thought I show off a bit of what I could do since you showed me those holy shurikens.” he apologized. Maru could've used a technique that didn't require him to rip into the reality of this forest to open up a portal into hell like he did, perhaps it was just the inner Youkai in him that just wanted to prove that he was all powerful by making others feel small. This made things fear him, and high ranking youkai like him gain power from the fear of all things… Especially humans.

As they sat, Airi began to tell him that the spider was god awful but the high ranking technique he used was probably a bit more frightening since that was where the remaining 99.9% of people will end up going. When she asked where did he learn a technique like that he simply shrugged it off and played it off like it was nothing since to him this kinda thing was pretty normal. “Oh… that's just technique I learned from reading scrolls and stuff. Honestly anyone could learn Gate Of Enma if they wanted to, a lot of S Rank shinobi would probably have it on them somewhere.” he explained. It was a scary thought but maybe if she learned it she might would be able to turn the technique holy with her blessed chakra, right now she couldn't exactly be cursed if she was super good so if she used the cursed technique her blessed chakra would be able to overrule its alignment to the forces of evil. Similar to how he can always had the option to remain demonic even if he used a holy technique if he was in his demonic form, plus his cursed chakra was made from pure darkness so he doubted that anything that would be holy at this point would apply to him since he was 100% cursed.

When the young kunoichi asked if his power scared him, he chuckled at the thought of him being scared of his own abilities. Honestly Maru didn't think he was anywhere near where he wanted to be since there were a lot of things he wanted to master. “Well I can't say that it does, I like to look at it as a weapon of sorts to protect myself and protect other people when the time comes.” He said as the rogue tried to pull up an example of the time he used his demonic abilities to protect someone then he instantly thought of the gate incident. “I don't know if you were like out of town or had been somewhere in the academy but recently there has been a dinosaur thing that tried to break into cloud for some reason, it took everyone from the shinobi alliance to kill the thing.” the rouge looked down slightly. “The thing blasted a chubby kid then toyed with my students mind and…. well I don't remember who the girl was but they ended up stabbing each other. They are alright though the fat kid wasn't so lucky.” He explained, then began to smile to himself when he thought of how mad he was at that dinosaur that day, needless to say he was the strongest of all the people who used cursed chakra like his but he left out the part of the dinosaur jinchuriki being holy. “Needless to say I was pretty mad then ended up turning into my true form then picked up the gecko and dropped to on it's head then made this huge beam you wouldn't even believe. Exhausted a lot of my chakra but I helped a lot nonetheless. Point is… my power could be used for bad or good.” He finalized, if people were scared to use their gifts things like that dinosaur would've came in. Besides it wasn't like he couldn't control it, sure when he went to his demonic form he kinda started having trouble looking like a regular person by hiding his horns since his horns when the sun goes down grows to full length. If anything the only thing that would scare him is for people to think that he's a monster of some kind like Airi did when she first saw him, hence why he usually hid away in the forest so people would be able to see them.

The question about if his powers frighten him really good him thinking, but he leaned over to get a good look at Airi's face to tease her a bit. “I guess you find my demonic abilities pretty scary huh? Well I wouldn't blame you, there's a lot of things I can do now I can mess around with natural energy.” He guessed while they waited on the night parade he would show her a few tricks, but he didn't know what he should try first. “Like, I can give some of my chakra to other people to strengthen their life force but I kinda accidentally make them curse them when they have my chakra and they end up changing into a Youkai for a bit.”

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Airi gave a nod of her head when he asked her if she was okay. She knew it was not sickness, she just had only been in maybe one really dangerous encounter so far, two if you counted the rock throwing incident. Airi simply shook her head, she was with Yamamoto now and did not feel a need to think about the cruel person right now. No she figured her body would eventually get more accustomed to the rush of combat. As she took in the sights of the forest she felt she was acclimating enough. She even reached up to play with the blue little ghost guys. It was weird thinking of the forest as sentient enough to choose whether or not to attack her...Yamamoto sure did know a lot. “No need to apologize, it was interesting to see a technique of that caliber. It was an excellent learning experience.” If she saw those seals again or saw the ripple she would at least have a vague idea of what she could do to prevent it.

As Yamamoto mentioned that a ton of high ranking shinobi would most likely know that technique that it only became more apparent that she would need to become the most amazing if she wanted to protect anyone. She really needed to be a shield against people who would also turn and use that type of technique against people.

He laughed at the concept of him being afraid of his own abilities. Airi wasn’t scared of hers either but then again nothing bad had happened because of them. She always heard about the tainting powers of dark magic and such. Yamamoto seemed to just be so strong that the temptations must never bother him.

His first comment hit right home for Airi that was exactly what she wanted her gifts and abilities to be used for. Airi grew concerned considering that he mentioned a very large lizard based enemy apparently attack somewhere. Airi had no knowledge of this which she felt was crazy. Yamamoto started to give her details about the incident and apparently quite a few people died. Airi probably would have just gotten in the way if something that big and power came…

He then proceeded to explain how he took on his real form and then really started to put in his effort. He made a comment that his powers could be used for bad or good and Airi nodded at that. If some holy thing showered up and started to hurt everything then it was doing bad things. Kami could be just as negative as Youkai and vice versa. It all depended on how the being choose to use its power.

Yamamoto then started to explain his powers in more detail. Airi looked at him curiously as he explained. Natural energy and dark energy…he could manipulate nature and because of his dark energy it took on a more Yokai form. Airi started to mess with the tips of her hair as she thought about how he really was a culmination of abilities and they just turned out to look like this.

Airi quickly stood up and then started to walk towards the field a bit. Yamamoto said everything that was scary would be gone after that gate had opened up…well maybe this would be as good of time as any? As Airi turned she looked determined and said, “Yamamoto-sama I think if you embraced your ability over trying to hide it you could be an example for all those who are young and also having a hard time hiding their abilities. If you started to show people that Yokai can help maybe there could be more acceptance! I think you should become a popular figure head and help those who are uncertain like yourself!”

Airi kind of held out and started to talk with her hands. “I mean, if you were born that way and decided to help people and…you were unfairly judged. That’s not right! Actions should show more value…if kids and even people are too afraid to embrace who they are…how can they help anyone? Won’t they just grow malevolent? Maybe…like teach a Yokai course…and help other demonic citizens…there seem to be a few of you? And uhh…I could help! We could walk around in daylight together!”

Maybe she was getting desperate…she wasn’t sure but…she didn’t really know what to do. Her world was so small…

“So…so…uhh…Can I maybe see your real form!?” She felt awkward… “If I see it and react like its nothing than other people wouldn’t be scared and maybe…maybe If I felt the dark energy, I would know what it was like to better understand it? Maybe I am just talking crazy but I…but I…I want to help you in a way you can’t help yourself!”

Airi felt a weird drive inside of her…she could feel the unfairness of his situation. Only allowed to be himself at night when he was alone…Airi would never have that problem…everyone would never flinch at her holy chakra. Yamamoto had been nothing but nice and protective…it wasn’t fair. Yes Yukiin said nothing in life was fair but who cares! Airi was frustrated.

“If people…trust my holy chakra…then maybe I can be a bridge for those who walk in the dark…Maybe…somehow…”