Safety First in the Lab! [B-Rank ANBU Mission]

[Kogami Ayumu]

Tenkawa Yuuto
ANBU Intelligence Agent​

Night had fallen on Kumogakure, and in an alley in an unspecified corner of the village a man stood in silence awaiting the team which he would be briefing. The alleyway would have been completely unsuspecting if it weren't for the barricades and police tape blocking the entrances to it. Men stood at both entrances to turn away those who were curious. The only ones getting in there were the team that had been assembled by ANBU to investigate. What they would be investigating, however, would not be entirely clear as they entered the alley. Aside from the men and barricades blocking it there was seemingly nothing out of the ordinary about the alley. The sides were lined with a couple of dumpsters and the occasional trash can, both of which brought a not particularly pleasant smell. Perhaps the oddest thing in the alley was the brick wall the man was standing by. For some reason a large white X was freshly spray painted across a portion of it.

The man himself was Tenkawa Yuuto, an ANBU intel professional whom was most often found inside the Sileo Tempestas. He had no ability to manipulate chakra, so he was never sent into the field unless it was to provide intel and brief mission participants on their task. His job usually had him parked firmly at a desk in the Sileo and he was perfectly fine with that. To be out in this alley awaiting a team of ANBU trainees was not something he was very much pleased to be doing, but the job called upon him to do this once in a while when a mission took place within Kumogakure. He sighed quietly, trying not to breath through his nose as the stench of the garbage was not overpowering but always present. He could only imagine that the smell was going to sink into his clothes. He would have to wash them a few times before he was satisfied it would be gone. For now, he was stuck until the team arrived. Those who had been called to duty would have received a message to prepare for a mission about two hours ago. It was now dark, but they weren't going to be waiting until the morning.

[Those participating should post entry to this topic. Once everyone is here they'll be briefed on the mission before they're turned loose.]

 

[Morishige]

She pulled a strap through a loop, only to double it back on itself and Velcro it tight. Then the familiar ripping sound of the material followed as she wasn't satisfied with how it fit her. Kyokuju Itsuki was preparing for her mission aside to her by the ANBU. As of late, she had completing general missions slated for village trainees. But this time was different. She was being called in for an actual ANBU mission and that wasn't something to mess around with. The young woman didn't know with whom she was going to be meeting that night, but first impressions were important when meeting people who could potentially be contacts in the future.

The particular set of gear and armor she was putting on was nearly brand new since Itsuki had grown since received her first set of armor. So she was going to look very professional when she arrived. But to arrive, one had to depart; so Itsuki gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and left the complex at high speed.

As she approached her destination, a hand slipped up and pulled the mask down over her face to complete the traditional look. Her mask was unmarked, as it was custom that only fully fledged ANBU got to design their mask. But that didn't matter at this point. Her blood was pumping and the adrenaline was already making her shake with anticipation. She had been training for missions like this everyday for the past year, and now it was time to prove how much of an asset she could be.

Landing right outside the police line, she ducked underneath as one of the men standing guard held it up for her. With silent steps she approached their intelligence contact, looking for the other members of the squad who was chosen to carry out this mission. None of them had arrived before her. She smilled. Being first is always a good first impression. But there she would wait, silent unless spoken to. According to the file, she would be taking charge of what her squad would do. Which probably means they are also trainees... she thought, looking at the man through the mask. "Remember Itsuki, the mission objective is the only important factor. Do not deviate. Prove to the leadership you are worthy of becoming ANBU."

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Nighttime in a cramped alleyway. This is my kind of meeting place. Shashu thought approvingly to herself as she arrived at the location. She had decided to take her usual approach to meeting new people, namely observing them unseen first before actually meeting them, and had cast Active Camo to help avoid detection before taking the rooftops to reach her destination.

The unassuming man below was familiar to Shashu as she had spent a good amount of time familiarizing herself with the Sileo Tempestas and it's personnel, though she did not know his name and had only ever seen him at a desk surrounded by paperwork. Nothing much more to see there, I suspect. She thought as she dropped silently onto a stone railed balcony to wait for the others. Gaps cut into the stone gave her vision of the alley and it's entrances, and from the sounds of things whoever inhabited the building said balcony belonged to was out for the night. While it was unlikely they would return anytime soon, Shashu kept an ear out for any sound of someone returning. It never hurts to be too careful...now, who all is going to show up...

Fortunately Shashu didn't have to wait long for the first arrival. Judging by height and build it was a girl at least a few years older than her, possibly more. Unlike Shashu she wore more traditional ANBU gear of recent manufacture, though the mask she wore was just as blank as her own. A trainee like me then. This could be interesting... The girl approached their contact but didn't say anything, not even a greeting. A shame, but Shashu approved. In her opinion ANBU on the job should be as shadows, using words only when necessary and letting their actions speak for themselves.

Well, there's one. Now to wait for the others...

[Topic Entered in Stealth]

[MFT: WC-310]​

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

[Topic Entered with Ghost NPC Airi]

Hiraku was enjoying his quiet evening after having a good dinner and some quality time with his parents. His studies had taken over a large proportion of his time since he signed up to the ANBU and while he felt he was progressing down the right path it was nice to have a bit of time for his family.

*Tap tap tap*

The knock on Hiraku's bedroom window officially marked the end of his peaceful night. "Anything interesting?" Airi asked her brother as he opened the window and retrieved the message from the man perched on the ledge.

Hiraku opened the message slowly and read it carefully, "We'll see..." he said before discarding the note. Hiraku walked over to his door and slid the lock shut, his parents still had no idea about his decision to join the ANBU and he intended to keep it that way, it took long enough just for Airi to stop nagging about it being too dangerous. He started putting on his standard issue gear with the addition of a black hood to replace the hoodie which he wore religiously. The equipment still felt fairly strange to him, this was only the second time he'd worn it on a real mission. "Lets see how this does for real." he said as he picked up his new crossbow and slung it onto his back.

The climb from his window to his roof had become second nature for Hiraku, it gave him the perfect way to get out of the house without having to let his parents know he was leaving. Pausing for a second Hiraku pulled his plain mask down over his face before springing across the rooftops towards his destination.

It seemed like the man guarding the scene was expecting Hiraku's arrival, without a word he waved the boy underneath the tape and pointed out another young ANBU, 'Guess that must be one of my teammates.' He thought to himself as he set off into the alley. The further Hiraku walked the worse the smell from the rubbish lining his path. A quick nod was Hiraku's greeting to the other ANBU as he stopped next to them, looking at their mask he could tell they were also still in training but other than that he had no idea who he would be finding himself working with. While he was waiting for his briefing to begin Hiraku couldn't help but notice a familiar feeling chakra from some nearby rooftops, he couldn't quite put his finger on where he'd felt it from before but for now he was happy to ignore it and wait patiently.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

A sigh admitted from her lips as she looked over her equipment one last time. Today would be the first time Kahako had been on a mission in a very long time. Flashbacks of what happened ran through her head. She grimaced. “Not this time.” She said softly, grabbing her last item and her cloak. Now she was better trained, better equipped, and held a better understanding of what would happen if she failed. She fastened both articles to her person before walking though the shoji doors in her Shinrya guest house and leaping onto the rooftops to make it to the destination that was specified in her note.

She should have been excited. This was her first mission in the Sentou Henkan. However, only a calm seriousness filled her. She was responsible for lives that could be put in danger. There was no time for her to be giddy or nervous.

It was easy enough for her to find the alley. The police tape was like a large neon sign welcoming her to work. She slipped under and walked a few paces before coming up to the three that was waiting in the alley. “Konbanwa” she called softly, nodding to the only unmasked figure there. Should they turn to look at her, they would see an unusual mask that disguised her face. It wasn’t an ANBU mask. Splashed over one of the eyes was the symbol of cloud’s medical branch, signifying that she was instead a mednin. Since her division was meant to accompany the anonymous group on missions, Kahako felt that she needed to keep her identity somewhat ambiguous without breaking any rules.

However, anyone who had already met her could distinguish the bright red cloak. She wore that thing everywhere, and no one said she couldn’t tonight. Besides, out of the entire team here, Kahako was the smallest threat. If anyone decided to focus their eyes on her, they would be forgetting the more dangerous dancers she protected. At least, that was how she saw it.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Tenkawa Yuuto
ANBU Intelligence Agent​

Yuuto shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he looked over his shoulder at the white X on the wall. He clearly was not fully comfortable with being where he was, but it was part of the job and he had to wait until the trainees had arrived before he could leave. Allowing his eyes to leave the wall he jumped just a little when his eyes suddenly found Itsuki who had arrived so quietly. 'I'll never get used to that,' he thought as he nodded quietly to the silent trainee whom seemed to be wrapped in her own thoughts for the moment. Despite the way she had surprised him when she arrived, he felt a little better having a trainee close by. He fiddled with the clipboard in his hand before lifting it up to read over it again in preparation for the briefing.

He lowered the clipboard as another arrival showed up, this time a boy whom was also quiet. He supposed that was normal for ANBU. That was how they always seemed to arrive to these things- without a word. As they had not all yet arrived, he continued reviewing the papers attached to the clipboard while he waited. The next to arrive was the only non-ANBU member on the squad. She was a member of the Sentou Henkan that ANBU had requested to attend the mission just as a precaution. She was more sociable than the trainees who had arrived, voicing a greeting as she approached. 'I wonder if I should have joined the Medical Branch... Yuuto thought as he nodded to the girl. "Good evening," Yuuto responded, offering a smile.

For now, only one trainee appeared to be missing. Yet, as Yuuto went to look down at his clipboard once again his eye caught an additional person whom he had not seen a moment ago. 'Wait, what? When did she get here?' he thought, resisting the urge to rub his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things. He wondered if he was the only one who hadn't notice her arrive, but regardless it was time for the briefing now that all members had arrived. "Good, you're all here. Trainees, you may or may not know each other... however, you probably don't know this young lady. You can call her Suzume. She is a Med-nin with the Sentou Henkan, the medical group tasked with assisting ANBU on missions that might require their expertise. It's mostly just a precaution, no need to be alarmed..." Yuuto said, realizing that this could cause the trainees to worry about the level of danger on this mission. He made note that she had adopted a mask, which was commonplace for Sentou Henkan when accompanying ANBU. She was also not using her real name but one assigned to her. Working with the ANBU meant you had to work like an ANBU.

"At any rate, let's begin your briefing on this mission. Behind me where the white X is marked on the wall is a secret entrance to a laboratory. A number of these cropped up in the period of time surrounding the demon invasion. Certain groups saw potential in demonic power and thus sought to harness it in various ways. Almost unanimously the experiments didn't end well, which is why these laboratories have all been abandoned. Once in a while, we find one like this one. Usually, they're empty... not so with this one, it seems. A man was sent in to investigate but he never returned. It's been two days. That being said, ANBU has been requested and you are the designated investigation team. Your task is to enter the lab and clear it of whatever dangers may lurk so that others can enter. Some advice from previous labs that have been investigated: be wary of intrusion countermeasures inside. The countermeasure for this "door" has been disarmed, but other than that, you're on your own. Now, do you have any questions before you head in?" Yuuto explained before going silent in case any questions were voiced.

He placed his hand on the wall, specifically on what was seemingly just another brick in the wall. In truth, this was part of the mechanism that opened the entrance. He pressed it in and at first nothing happened. Several seconds later, a click would be hurt before a large patch of bricks would begin to sink into the wall and subsequently part to the side behind the wall that remained solid. Once this process was complete, a normal sized rectangular door frame would be revealed. Peering inside would reveal a darkened staircase that descended into further darkness. It was not exactly a welcoming sight, but it was the reality the team was faced with. Once any questions they had were asked and answered, they would be able to enter and begin their mission.

OoC: Seeing as everyone has different schedules let's go ahead and say no post order. That way people can post when they can and not worry about waiting for someone else.

 

[Morishige]

Itsuki nodded quickly back at Hiraku upon his arrival, a simple courtesy that if left undone could have placed themon awkward ground later. It was better to be safe than sorry. Then the red cloak girl appeared with an audible greeting, to which Itsuki gave the same nod towards. She was not talking because she was remembering one of her ANBU instructors from when she first joined the corps. "Do not speak unless you have to. One sentence too many can give away your identity."

Thankfully, with the arrival of the girl with the odd mask, the briefing began. It first began with a small introduction of the girl in the red cloak; Suzume was her name. A nice name, but most likely false under the guise of anonymity due to the situation they were it. But whenever one heard the words do not be alarmed it was be privy to be alarmed. "If their assigning a medical kunoichi to us, then there might be some real immediate danger here." thought Itsuki, immediately disregarding the whole precaution bit. Now with a chance of real danger was her energy and attitude in the state of pure excitement. Thus, the real briefing began...

Itsuki had no questions, and if her mask had not been covering her face, the others would have seen a hungry looking smile. A mission such as this was perfect for her skill set, particularly her bloodline; but getting the others to trust her judgement without knowledge of her doujutsu might be a challenge. "I suppose it will depend on their stubborn pride and ability to take direction." she thought, looking to the others if they had questions of some kind. Most briefings included all the information that the informant knew, after all who would send their team in without all the information. But still, sometimes there were angles that other people thought of where a desk jockey such as this man might not see.

The man opening the door to the lab via a specific brick, one that Itsuki immediately committed to memory. In moments, the once solid wall was now a rectangular portal into an abyss. Darkness awaited the group, and Itsuki was ready to get the mission underway. Taking a step towards the door, she looked down the staircase and shivered. Whether it was a chill on her spine, or adrenaline, the young female was ready to dive into the dangerous arena. She quickly opened up the chakra vessels to her eyes to grant her the vision of the Byakugan. She had already begun scanning the area for traps, layer by layer, with her ability to look through physical objects. Hopefully once inside, there was still power to light up the Lab. Once people were done with questions, they would no doubt move in and begin the mission.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Silence reigned as Shashu waited for the others to arrive, the quiet night only occasionally broken by a shallow cough or the sounds of far off nightlife. Whatever they were here for, it had picked a good spot to happen. Not many people passed through here from the look of things, and the oppressive alleyway was just distant enough from the street that sound wouldn't quite make it to the ears of passersby. A good place for a murder or other shady dealings. I don't think it was a murder though, there would be a lot more people here if there were.... Thought Shashu as she continued to scan her surroundings. The others would be arriving shortly, but that was no reason to let her guard down. She was on an actual mission. Anything could happen.

Shortly after a familiar figure turned into the alley, their contact waving him through the police line. She couldn't see his face, but she knew who he was. Hiraku, another trainee like her. He was even still wearing a hood to boot. They had met in class, though most of their interaction had been done between the spirits that accompanied them both. He, unlike her however, could see all spirits, whereas she could only see one.

Speaking of... Her fingers tapped against a scroll nestled in the small of her back. Houki would be sleeping (or as close as spirits came to sleeping) inside the scroll right now, and waking her was probably not a good idea.. The spirit girl would go berserk at the filth in this alley, and Shashu didn't want to draw that kind of attention to herself on her first real ANBU mission. Houki would have to wait for now.

A flash of color in the otherwise dreary street brought her attention back to the alley entrance, where yet another familiar figure came into view. This one came with much more mixed feelings than the other however.

Kahako...huh? I would recognize that cloak and that chest anywhere Shashu blushed slightly, then sighed. She could have at least left the cloak at home...oh well. Time to make an appearance.

Stretching slightly as she stood up, Shashu jumped down to street level and landed nimbly before silently heading over to the group. She didn't drop her stealth until she was standing right next to them which ended up surprising their contact, though he hid it well. The others, save for Kahako with her Med-nin marking, wore blank masks fashioned exactly like hers, and any reaction they may have felt was hidden behind the empty stares.

With everyone present the man wasted no more time and began the briefing. Apparently it was some sort of dark arts lab, harkening back to the Demon Wars. Shashu had no idea why it would still be in use, but then she wasn't here to make guesses. Their mission was infiltration and extermination. Find whatever was lurking inside and get rid of it so an investigation team could find out what was going on. Not exactly her cup of tea, but not every mission could be suited perfectly to her strengths.

With the briefing over she looked to the one member of the party she didn't know already. The notice had included the callsigns of those assigned to the mission, and since it was highly unlikely that she, Hiraku, or Kahako were taking the lead role, that left the new girl. Hebi, squad leader. She certainly had the bearing for it, standing tall and ready, her posture speaking for her lack of words. She had the stature of a front-lines fighter with muscles to match. Where Shashu was lithe and agile, Hiraku seemed frail, and Kahako was ahm...squishy, Hebi was solid without falling into bulkiness. Well, as long as she knows what she's doing I have no complaints...not that I really know what I'm doing either, ehe...

As the girl looked to each of them in turn, Shashu simply nodded. She would answer if anyone asked her a question, but for now she would simply follow the girl's lead.

[MFT: WC- 686]​

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

Hiraku's greeting was quickly returned by the other ANBU who had already arrived. Seen as she was the first one here, Hiraku presumed that she must be the squad leader, callsign Hebi.

"God, you all act so cool." Airi mumbled as she floated around, scrunching up her face at the repulsive environment they'd found themselves in, "Why don't you just talk to eachother?". Hiraku smiled under his mask, he'd always been taught that the less words said in the ANBU the better but nothing was stopping his sister from chatting away in his ear as normal.

A third person approached the group, breaking the silence as she appeared to address the unmasked man who stood before them. She was wearing a mask too, but this one didn't look anything like a standard ANBU mask, and certainly not one of a trainee. Even more eye catching than the mask was the bright red cloak she wore. 'Everything suggests this girl is from another branch all together, but which one.'

In the corner of his eye Hiraku saw another figure materialise, this arrival solved the mystery of the familiar feeling chakra. Once her jutsu had completely worn off the girls chakra was easily recognisable to Hiraku, it was the girl he'd shared a recent class with, the one with the haunted broom although the spirit didn't appear to be with her at the moment. He returned her nod with one of his own before turning his attention back to their contact, it seemed their briefing was about to begin.

The first thing to be addressed was the girl with the strange mask. 'The medical branch...' Hiraku hadn't had the best past experiences with doctors and the like. The ones who didn't immediately write off his ability to see spirits as madness seemed all too eager to poke and prod in an attempt to find out why he had this gift and where he got it from.

Hiraku's internal monologue was, as usual, cut short by his sister, "You haven't had a medical ninja come on any of your other missions, does that mean this one is particularly risky?" The concern was easy to pick up in her voice. Subtly, Hiraku tilted his head to the side to indicate to Airi that he was unsure, while trying to avoid looking like a complete freak to those that couldn't see her.

The briefing continued and there was one thing which had stuck in Hiraku's mind throughout. "Who was the man sent in before us?" He asked once the man had finished and opened up the floor for any questions. He knew that if it was a skilled shinobi who had failed to return it could mean something really bad was waiting in there for him.

Waiting only long enough to hear an answer to his question, Hiraku followed Hebi towards the doorway. In the time it had taken to run through the briefing, Hiraku had managed to get a pretty good feeling for each of the team member's chakra. He hoped that doing so would help him keep track of roughly where everyone was in the event that they got separated and would help him differentiate them from any potential threats.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

One of the ANBU before her simply nodded in greeting, yet none of them voiced a hello except for the one unmasked gentleman who had seemed to be waiting for them. ‘I suppose I should get used to silent greetings,’ came the passing thought before the final party member made an appearance from above. The person was small, and his or her body figure was similar to that of Shashu’s, but Kahako couldn’t be certain as she hadn’t met very many ANBU as of yet. Still, as their informer introduced her codename to the rest of the team, Kahako offered a smile and a slight nod. She knew all of their call names and that Hebi was the leader, but beyond that she would have to try to learn which call name belonged to which body.

Then, the briefing began. Kahako listened in silence as their informer told them about the abandoned laboratory that was meant for demonic experimentation. Kahako wanted to frown at the mention of possible traps. They were usually very sudden, and meant to kill as quickly as possible. She would have to remain on high alert or take precautions now. ‘Probably both,’ she thought as the wall slowly opened before them. She grimaced a little. ‘Of course it had to lead to a black abyss, demon labs couldn’t possibly be located in well-lit areas with lots of natural light.’ She thought, making a soft audible sigh.

"Who was the man sent in before us?" one of her teammates asked while she stared into the darkness. Once his question was answered, she allowed a slight silence before speaking up herself. “I would like to mention that demons have an ability that enables them to naturally cast an aura around humans and animals that will instill the feeling of terror. While most of the time it only causes mild cases of unease and panic, if not recognized as fake, you can be paralyzed by fear in a crucial moment.” She said casually, remembering the feelings Satou gave others when he unleashed his powers. “I do not know if it is a natural form of genjutsu or something else entirely, but be wary of your natural reaction to run away from danger. If there is anything left that is living, you could end up running into the mentioned countermeasures instead of away from them.”

Once Kahako was done with her little speech, she began forming handseals. “Before we head down, however, could you each show me your wrist? I would like to place a medical ward on all of you just in case.” Once she was done with her handseals, the green glowing chakra that was on her hand consolidated to one point on her middle finger. On each person that accepted, she drew a small green jellyfish with three tentacles. It would pulsate for a second before wriggling around in a circle, shooting up their arm, and fading, leaving a warming sensation on their skin wherever it touched before it disappeared completely. “Should anything life threatening happen, the seal will activate, immediately healing any fatal wounds. It only works once, however, so please use caution.” When she finished, she scribed a jellyfish on her own hand before dispersing the chakra on her finger. “This precaution will be pointless in the end, but it’s better to be prepared.” She said, letting her hands lower so that they would know she was done with her part and ready to move on.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Tenkawa Yuuto
ANBU Intelligence Agent​

Yuuto awaited to see if there were any questions for him. He had given them essentially all of the information he was aware of and could disclose. They would be aware of that, so he doubted many questions would follow. One did, however, and it was a fair question meant to gauge just what they might be in for below. Hiraku asked about the shinobi that was sent in to investigate before the team was called in. Yuuto nodded and looked down at his clipboard, flipping a page. "He was a Chuunin of two years. His expertise was in hand-to-hand CQC as well as Gravity Ninjutsu, for any good it might do you to know that. Of course, if you find him alive, rescue him... otherwise, try to recover the body," Yuuto said solemnly, as no one truly expected the man to be alive unfortunately. With that, the group was just about prepared to enter. Kahako applied some Medical techniques to each of them as a precaution, the very reason she was present, and gave some advice before they entered.

Immediately upon activating Byakugan, Itsuki would find something rather strange. Looking at the walls she would see what could only be described as interference which obscured her vision. While normally she would have been able to easily see through them, the interference which she would recognize as some kind of barrier within the walls, prevented this. Given that this was in fact a secret lab, it behooved the owners to set something up to prevent a Byakugan user from spotting it through the walls while walking down the street. Her doujutsu would still prove useful, but unfortunately it would not trivialize the mission for them by revealing everything to them immediately.

The staircase before them was metal and descended in the center of a concrete shaft that went down a long way. It repeated the same pattern of a staircase leading to a landing that turned them around down another staircase to the next landing. If not for the flashlights they had brought along, issued by the ANBU quartermaster, it would be completely pitch black. They spotted several trip wires and floor switches which they evaded. Fortunately, it seemed the Chuunin had managed to disable a number of traps on the way down. After about five minutes of slowly making their way down the stairwell, they reached the last of the stairs. The shaft containing the stairwell opened up to a much, much larger room. It was something of a cavern that they witnessed with a long solid metal bridge before them which stretched over a chasm they couldn't see the bottom of. The bridge was hung from the ceiling by thick metal beams which made it look much like an industrial catwalk. Naturally, the light from their flashlights did not reach far enough to show them the end of it, but it was the only way to go. With her Byakugan, Itsuki could see that the far end was connected to a platform with another door, but couldn't see through it. The catwalk itself was only wide enough for them to walk single file.

OoC: Remember, there's no post order. I'm also asking you guys to try to post within 5 days so this doesn't drag out.

 

[Morishige]

The presence of the additional body was felt before sight had allowed for it. The arrival of Shashu was perceived, at first, as showing up later than the rest of them. However, their contact had mentioned they were all here when he started to briefing and that caused Itsuki to question her awareness. Had she missed this girl when she arrived? Surely not...

But when the briefing concluded, it was Kahako who performed her duties quite professionally first. She went around to each of them and placed a ward on their wrists, which Itsuki allowed. It never hurt to be prepared for the worst to come. ANBU life expectancy was shorter than the average shinobi after all... Anyways, she also let them know before hand the certain abilities demons might have and that we should be prepared for potential genjutsu. Lucky for the team, Itsuki had trained herself against genjutsu more often that ninjutsu. A sharp mind and body could overcome any obstacle after all.

Back to the present...

The unseen expression on Itsuki's face was fear. Her greatest asset to contribute to the mission was taken away by unforeseen barriers. Thus, she hesitated for a moment before stepping into the stairwell. Itsuki took a deep breath, made a fist and stepped into the darkness illuminated by a flashlight. Each flight seemed to be exactly the same, and the young woman often checked behind her to make sure the others were staying close. She was already feeling uneasy, but mostly because her vision was obscured. Thankfully the traps they discovered on their dissent were each bypassed or already disabled but it would be important to remain wary of them so the leader took it slower than usual.

When they arrived to the main room, or chamber depending who you asked, the young Kyokuju did a quick look around to find any clues to the whereabouts of the man or why he went missing. Then she looked down the catwalk to the other end to find a door; this door too barred her vision. However, the catwalk she stood on made her uneasy. Should a fight occur it was be the worst place imaginable to be. So, she thought back to the mission directive. "We're supposed to clear the dangers from the lab." she told herself again. Inhaling she turned to the others. "Our only option is the catwalk. And while I'd rather not get stuck sandwiched between potential threats should they ambush, we can't necessarily rush across in case of traps. I don't see the missing investigator anywhere, so maybe he got past this point as well. Keep my pace, and if anything happens, carry on with the mission." she concluded and then turned to walk across, unsure of what lay ahead behind that door. She hoped they didn't perceive her words as heartless; to abandon a teammate for the mission was a hard choice.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

From the description given by the contact the man who had gone in before them sounded fairly capable. While this increased the chances he was still alive down there it also proved that whatever dangers lay ahead needed to be treated with respect and not underestimated.

"Be smart with this one baby brother, if we find him that's good, but don't go looking." Airi knew all too well what her brother was like and it wouldn't have been the first time he'd walked into a sticky situation as a result of his curiosity. Up until today he'd always been able to get himself out of those situations one way or another, but Airi knew that if left unchecked there would be a time when he wouldn't be so lucky.

Airi's words fell on deaf ears as Hiraku instead listened to Suzume's talk of demons and their ability to strike fear into the hearts of those who faced them. This sort of uncontrollable fear was something which Hiraku didn't really understand, all he felt at the moment was his inquisitive nature taking charge, he wanted to know what was down there, what happened to the man sent before them and why these 'demons' were perceived as so terrifying.

"Before we head down, however, could you each show me your wrist? I would like to place a medical ward on all of you just in case."

Now that was how to strike fear into Hiraku's heart. His arms stiffened like stone as he held them firmly by his side and behind his mask his eyes were wide. Airi immediately picked up on his apprehension. Having no prejudice towards medical personnel she saw the procedure as what it was, a precautionary measure which had the potential to save Hiraku's life.

"Hiraku," Airi said softly but seriously, "It's ok. Look, she's doing it to everyone."

Hiraku watched as the medic moved around the group, placing the ward on each of them before placing one on herself. Hiraku's heart was pounding, his palms becoming wet with sweat. His right arm twitched slightly as his mind tried to overpower his distrust of the technique but that was as far as it went, the arm stayed locked by his side.

Hiraku! Put your damn arm out, you're getting that ward! Airi's words exploded from her mouth as she floated across in front of him. Automatically, Hiraku's arm shot out towards the medic, still remaining tense. It was Airi's 'If you don't listen to you I'll hit you' tone which never failed to get Hiraku to cooperate.

Airi sighed as she moved back to her brothers side, she knew how bad Hiraku was with things like this and an insupressible feeling of guilt came over her after having to pressure him into it, even if it was for his own protection. Hiraku's hand wasn't outstretched for a second longer than necessary, as soon as the procedure was completed he quickly retracted and examined it thoroughly.

Wanting to forget about the ordeal and get on with the task at hand, Hiraku followed Hebi down the stairs into the darkness while doing his best to ignore the weird feeling which still lingered slightly in his arm. Scanning left and right with his flashlight Hiraku made sure to keep his eye on the leader as the team entered what appeared to be a large cavern with a thin catwalk running through it. With visibility pretty poor, Hebi explained her plan to carefully cross the cavern, "Got it." Hiraku replied as he followed her lead, trying to match her steps exactly.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Almost everyone accepted the ward with little to no complaint. Everyone except one. To say he was hesitant was an understatement. She noticed the slight twitch in his arm and began to worry. What made him so afraid of her jutsu? Had he met Kushin? “Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to accept it if you don’t—…Well nevermind…” It was odd how he suddenly decided that he wanted the ward, but she silently traced a jellyfish and let him go.

She followed behind them all silently, avoiding the traps just as the other’s had. The darkness was eerie, but she was far from afraid. She looked at the back of the head of the ANBU who almost refused her seal. He had never met her before, but he did not trust her. The only logical reason for this would be that he didn’t trust medical jutsu. This worried her greatly. If they were ever in a situation that required her abilities, his hesitation could get all of them killed. She would pay particular attention to him from now on.

It wasn’t long before they came across what only seemed to be the main level, a catwalk leading them into further darkness. The body that took the lead, which she realized was probably Hebi, announced that they were going to proceed on the catwalk. “Understood.” She said simply, once again keeping towards the end of the line, alert for anything that could possibly happen.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu accepted the answer to Hiraku's question with about the same passivity as the rest of the squad seemed to. It was unfortunate, but that was the risks one took as an ANBU. She felt some remorse for his passing, but that was all. Focus on the mission, not on the emotional details. You should be less worried about the fact that he is dead than the information that gives you. Something in there is capable of killing trained Shinobi, and whatever it is has demonic back-up if it's not a demon itself. The Genjutsu warning was less important to her, as such things were her forte. Well, that and staying out of sight.

She accepted Kahako's seal without complaint, placing a hand briefly over the the med-nin's in both greeting and reassurance. Whether the girl in red needed it or not, Shashu felt that the gesture would be appreciated. That done, they formed up and headed inside. Hebi seemed to hesitate upon entering before stating a quick directive.

You don't see him? How would you see anything in this darkness, unless...hmmm. That would make sense.... The young ANBU thought to herself before offering a reply.

"I'll follow from above, out of sight. I'll signal if I see anything." With that she would change the flow of chakra within her abdomen, causing two extra sets of arms to form. If anyone would be able to see in the darkness they would appear to be made of dark grey material, while the discerning eye would notice that they seemed to be formed of many strands of said materiel. I hope no one noticed that...not that it matters. I can always explain after the mission. For now, we have work to do.

Without another word she would climb the wall (an easy feat thanks to her spider traits) and follow after the group from above, keeping an eye out for any threats that might try to surprise the group.

[OOC: Sorry about the horribly long wait and short post, I can only plead real life troubles as I have for the past few weeks >.>]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The group came upon the catwalk which was hung from the roof of the cavern. It felt stable so they decided to proceed. Shashu, however, took to the roof of the cavern by climbing up one of the poles by which the bridge was suspended in the air. Once she reached the top the group began walking single file across the catwalk. Of course, as they all feared it would not be so simple as walking across. About half way between the staircase and their destination a distinct metallic clank echoed through the cavern. That was all the warning any of them received before the catwalk seemingly caved in the middle around where they were standing. While it remained attached on either end the middle split and the two parts fell out from underneath of them, swinging away from each other.

Fortunately, their heightened alert allow those remaining on the bridge to grab hold and avoid falling into the chasm below. Unfortunately, they were now split on opposite sides of the defunct catwalk. Itsuki who had been leading the group was left dangling on the leading end of the catwalk while Kahako and Hiraku clung to the rest. Shashu remained unaffected as she stuck to the ceiling of the cavern watching this unfold. Having not fallen to their dooms, the shinobi who remained hanging from the parted catwalk climbed up the dangling pieces to reach solid ground once more. They were now separated by a large gap, barely able to make one another out by shining their flashlights across. Hiraku and Kahako needed to find a way across. The sooner the better, as something was going on on Itsuki's side.

The door they had been initially headed to now opened, parting in two to reveal a figure that had been standing behind it. Whatever it was, it was tall. Itsuki could only see its legs and torso, the head was hidden above the top of the door. That quickly changed as it ducked down to slide through the door. It did appear to have some human element to it, but it was clearly demonic in nature. Its very presence could be felt even by those that weren’t close to it. To Itsuki, there was an aura that almost felt smothering hanging in the air. Its skin was pale and it was quite muscular and large in structure (nearly 7’) despite seeming almost sickly. The sclerae of its eyes were black while its irises were yellow and luminescent while its hair was a stark white. Of course, not much was easily distinguishable in the dark save for the eyes but as Itsuki shined a light on the figure it was clear he was covered in blood which seemed to be concentrated around his mouth.

The demonic figure snarled, baring its fangs, and began moving towards Itsuki with deadly intentions. Closer inspection showed that its main weapon, so to speak, were the massive claws at the tips of its fingers. Accompanied by its massive muscles it was probably capable of tearing a man apart or shredding him to pieces depending on how messy it felt like getting. The large protruding canines didn’t look too pleasant either. If that wasn't enough, the horns weren't just for show. One look at them and Itsuki could tell they were quite capable of impaling should one find themselves on the wrong end of them. The eyes, despite being quite menacing, at least made it easier to keep track of in the darkness, so they had that going for them.

OoC: Itsuki is probably going to need some help. Kahako and Hiraku are separated from her by the gap while Shashu remains on the ceiling and can go either way, really. This isn’t modded or anything, but try to keep anything you do to the amount of AP per round you’d have in a fight.

 

[Morishige]

The demonic entity approached Itsuki in the smelly and noisy manner it did and she could only help but feel cornered. She was isolated on a walkway, with no visible escape by conventional means. However, being on the catwalk also meant that she could isolate the threat as well if she could cross to the other side. Taking a page from Shashu's book, Itsuki snapped into actions and began to make a series of hand seals. The first set was precautionary, the clone genjutsu just to trick the demon in the low light. In the instant she cast it, her body twisted and she grabbed onto one of the rails to flip under the catwalk, concentrating chakra on the soles of her feet so she would walk underneath the catwalk. Even if the creature saw through her illusion his only option to get to her was to go through the catwalk itself, and should that happen, Itsuki could just dodge and reassert herself on the platform once again.

As she walked along to flank her target, her words flowed swiftly and with purpose to the others of her group. "I'm moving to flank the assailant and isolate him from escape on the catwalk. I will keep his attention on me. Launch whatever attacks you can to terminate it, but be sure not to hit me or each other in the darkness." she ordered, reaching up to one side to pull herself up from the underside of the catwalk. Now hopefully behind the beast (whom would no doubt readjust) it was her job to keep it busy while her allies prepared to assassinate it from it's blind spot. "The bigger they are..." she thought, looking to the creatures joints. "The harder they fall. Getting close will be difficult, but if I can land just one blow to it's knees it should falter giving enough time for the team to act." she thought, keeping her Byakugan trained on the thing's body just in case it planned for an attack that called for chakra.

As they say, no time like the present. Itsuki moved forward and would feint several times to try and get a sense for how it wanted to attack, trying to determine tells by it's body language. But in the end her plan was to attack it where it would be the most debilitating: the knee.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

She knew it was dangerous. Possibly a trap even, but a small, insignificant part of her hoped that maybe, just maybe everything would be fine on their way across. ‘Shit,’ she thought when the first lurch could be heard. And just like that, the hope died. Reacting quickly, she summoned her trusty side-kick her medical clone before grabbing it and chucking it as far as she could across the collapsing cat walk. Two ear piercing screams could be heard through the darkness as one Kahako flew horizontally over the pit of doom while the other took a ride down the slide of death.

‘Shit, shit, shit, shit,’ repeated through her head as she grabbed for anything that would stop her from falling. The end grew close. In only a few feet, she would be free falling with nothing to catch her. She started sliding her body to the edge. Her foot caught a peg, giving her a painful split second to push upwards with a chakra-laced leg. The peg shattered under her foot, falling with her. It only slowed her decent for a moment, but the moment was enough. A second peg cracked under her weight and broke, but the third held with a groan. With a cornered leap, she stretched her arms forward and grabbed for the railing on the other side. Inertia nearly swung her out over the edge, but a well-placed catch flipped her around to the outside of the broken bridge, feet firmly landing on what once was the floorboards and now the walls.

Immediately, she looked up to the ANBU who stayed on the same side as her. He looked to be okay, maybe even making his way up, and she needed to do the same. Keeping a control on the chakra in her legs, Kahako began leaping. In only a few seconds she was back on the original side, breathing heavily before looking to see if Hebi, their leader made it…

Simultaneously, the flying clone was actually screaming “SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!” before landing quite heavily into the other side. Something might have caught her and swung her across, something might even have given her a boost. Kahako could even have had wonderful aim in tight situations, but miraculously, she was able to grab onto one of the railings, skidding a little before stopping her decent. Really, she was a lucky clone… or unlucky if you looked at what side she ended up on and what was with her. “She threw me, did she really have to throw me?!” The clone murmured into the metal she held on to for dear life with arms and legs. Being only a healing clone, the fake couldn’t utilize chakra in the same way the original could and had to shimmy up the ladder at a normal pace, all the while trying not to garner the demon’s attention. One foot in front of the other, just as the original Kahako had… only slower...

“Any ideas for getting across?” the Kahako on the side with the hesitant ANBU asked. Pulling a few handseals, Kahako produced two spiraling fangs of water before spinning on one foot in a dancing motion. Her arms move gracefully yet quickly in an inverse form, one after the other. The water shot across the room at the creature in dizzying speeds. She had to keep the demon focused on anything but her clone who was still climbing the ladder. Once it reached the top, it would be useful in keeping Hebi alive. “I can’t keep throwing that at it, it will exhaust me,” she said, turning to Ikiryo. She lifted her hand to her headset to call out to Hebi. “Hebi, I threw a clone to your side before we tumbled. It’s on its way up to you and it will heal you if it needs to. That’s all it’s useful for, but it’s something.”

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

The light of Hiraku's flashlight continued to slowly sway back and forth in front of his feet as he lit his path following closely behind Hebi. Just as Shashu announced her intention to follow from above, Hiraku noticed a peculiar change in her chakra but wasn't quick enough to see what had happened before she effortlessly scurried up onto the roof of the cavern.

The sound of the groups footsteps as they continued across the long metal catwalk was adding to the already eerie atmosphere, Hiraku was dying to know what was beyond the blackness underneath them, how far down it went and if there was anything lurking down there in silence, but past peering over the edge a few times he didn't quite fancy flinging himself down there to find out. At least the cavern wasn't quite as quiet for Hiraku as it was for the rest of the group.

"Why do they never think to put lights in places like this…" Airi asked rhetorically, "Don't they get tired of walking around in the dark all the time?" Exactly who 'they' were would probably remain a mystery until they managed to get further into the laboratory. 'Hey, she's got a point.' Hiraku thought to himself as he walked on.

What would have been fitting now would be a sign reading 'Now entering shit creek, bring a paddle'.

A moment of groaning was the only warning before the catwalk split right in the middle of the group. "Hiraku!" Airi shouted as she threw her hand out towards him. Instinctively Hiraku reached but was left clutching at air as their hands passed through each other. The wind was knocked from Hiraku's lungs as he slid sideways into one of the metal pegs, catching it across his stomach and hanging on for dear life while his legs dangled freely. After a moment to catch his breath he looked across the gap to see Hebi's predicament on the other side before clambering back up to relatively stable ground. Hiraku did his best to ignore the concerned look on his sisters face as she stood silent, knowing at times like this it was best for her to just stay out of the way.

"Any ideas for getting across?"

"Not yet, unless you feel like jumping it." Hiraku replied to Suzume as he briefly looked around for anything to spark an idea. In the meantime the medic had started launching jutsu towards the demon, as she informed Hiraku that she couldn't keep this up for long he nodded in reply and took a second to sense out the chakra of all the combatants and paint a mental image of where everyone was.

"It's ok, this is my kind of range, I'll keep it busy if you can try to find a way across." Hiraku spoke as he hands were already forming seals. A bright light engulfed his crossbow as he pulled it from his back, and shouldered it ready to fire. He paused for a moment as he channelled the chakra from the jutsu he'd cast a second before through his weapon, drawing the light from the crossbow and using it to form a small bolt of photon chakra. Using a combination of what little his eyes could see and his strong feeling of the beasts chakra he aimed towards the back of the demons head, hoping at the very least to stun it for a second. His finger slowly squeezed the trigger and in a heartbeat the bolt was sent flying across the cavern at blistering speed.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

[OoC: I will be posting tomorrow, skipping if I have to. From now on I will be posting rounds 5 or fewer days apart, else this could take months. Don't wait for one another to post- post when YOU can.]