Himiko: Start of an Adventure

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

With her team technically disbanded, Himiko had honestly fallen into some rather sad times. Sure Armen and Dec were still out there, but they weren't a team any more. Not in the same sense anyway, and this began to make her feel a little without purpose. With the news of Summer ascending to Sannin, she had a goal to follow after her, but with knowing Summer was aiming for a Kage role she felt overshadowed by the more powerful, and younger girl. She couldn't explain it, but she had gradually begun to feel overwhelmed and left behind.

Until a week prior.

Standing before her bedroom wall, she had thrown her wardrobe to the side, shoved her bed haphazardly against the far wall, and her items strewn about the place. Scrawled across the wall she had drawn out her maps, her plans, her list of known ASN Zakiyoshi nin, and basically made a mess whilst compiling the information she'd collected over the past few weeks since she had last seen the boys. She'd passed through three exams, for each rank of nin she had gone through, first time, if a little late with her age, and she felt all that was nothing. She'd faced her own demise a few times, and that felt nothing compared. Old Dipu was a good trek away, and she would be diving to get there. But that was where the Zakiyoshi's began on the continent, that was where the majority of their history was. And that was where she would find what she needed. The talk with the Elders of the clan wasn't exactly easy, they didn't seem fond of the idea of Himiko going off alone to find the Summoning Scrolls left behind, practically making her swear on Kikuri herself that she would not go seeking them. She never had seen herself as a bad girl. As she prepared to leave, she set down her Priestess Robes and picked up the Kikuri amulet passed down her family line since Kimiko. Whispering a prayer to protect her and to beg her forgiveness for breaking a promise, she stepped out with her provisions packed.

"To Old Dipu then I guess. ... Goddess this is gonna be fun,"

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

The light of the morning was starting to glow on the horizon, washing out across the land. It would seem that today was actually going to be quite lovely, few clouds in the sky but it was going to be a while before the light fully settled in. Dark blue stained the west and the moon was still finishing its transition below sight. The travel towards the coast where the entrances to the Old Dipugakure resided would be. They sat upon the beach, ancient tunnels down into the depths, already appearing abandoned and broken, it would be quite a perilous journey into them and down into the Village properly.

Of course the Tunnels were the ones that held the danger for one of them held a being that had lived here for a good year now. They clung to the insides of the tunnel, blue eyes staring out of the darkness. It wouldn't be noticeable to normal sight but the darkness around them was particularly thick, masking them from normal sight but they could see the girl on the coast. Fingers quested to their belt, toying with the knives that sat there and they grinned brightly, sharpened teeth showing. The creature knelt deeper into the darkness, letting it lap at them, the girl would come closer soon and they would strike out, they could feel the bloodlust rising and it brought them pleasure.

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himi strolled along stretching off her arms over her head, still honestly getting it through her head just what she was setting out to do. She knew there would be perils at her destination, but likewise was alert for any possible dangers on the way there however she chose to conserve her strength in keeping her dojutsu inactive for the moment at least. Not that it would tire her out too much, but so close to home she didn't expect much resistance, and the strain from extended usage wasn't something she wanted when she would get to the destination. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end as she was approaching the tunnel, playing off the peculiar shadows to one side as being a simple trick of the light, and her nervousness. Even so, she readily held one of her vials close, tucked into her sleeve.

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

They could tell the girl was a bit nervous, had she seen something or was it just general paranoia? Either way, the initial plan wouldn't work, she was too on edge, they'd need to change up their plan. So with that the darkness faded from around them and they stepped out, hands up in front of them to show the woman that they weren't a threat. Blue eyes watched her intently, almost too intently, a predatory gaze as the person stepped closer. Their gender was almost impossible to tell, perfectly inbetween feminine and masculine. Eight knives sat strapped to the person's waist, four on each hip and they gave a soft smile as they stepped closer, still watching her. Blue hair was pulled up either side of their head and they seemed rather clean, wearing a blue shirt with a black waistcoat, tie and trousers. Their sleeves were rolled up and they put their hands down. "Hey there, sorry to spook you. My name's Shio, it's a pleasure to meet you. Was worried about who you were for a moment but you're a Dipugakure Shinobi, that's pretty good. I'm from Hakagakure, part of the Hunter Nin corps there. Picked up a mission about some disturbances around here but I didn't think they'd be sending a second Nin to come help me out." Their voice was definitely more on the masculine register and he rummaged around in his pouch for a moment before pulling out a Hakagakure forehead protector, fingers carefully hiding the blood stains on the band. "Blending in, y'know? Wouldn't want to get attacked on sight." He said with a chuckle, putting it away again.

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himiko was more than obviously on the alert as someone stepped out, seemingly from nowhere, and immediately setting off alarm bells in her mind. If anything she was at least cautious, with a slow blink her first stage dojutsu went active, allowing her to see any liquids, a smirk crossing her lips as she noticed the odd little spots on the protector. "Yeah, I get that, no problem," She would say, turning her voice soft as she played the naive girl. "But I thought that like, the Hakas were friends here?" If anything, her outfit's sleeves were perfect for forming hidden weapons or techs, and in this case she was preparing herself, flipping the cap off the hidden vial whilst pulling a B-rank chakra worth of the water out. She maintained some distance between them without drawing any suspicion that she was on to him, whilst she plotted every move she could make should her suspicions of his violence turn out true.

Bakufuko, 1st stage only to save space:

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

"Absolutely, hence why I didn't attack you. You aren't Missing Nin after all, I've got the bingo book memorised and if you're not on the Bingo Book then you're either so weak you don't matter or so strong that I don't matter." He let out a loud laugh and cocked his head to the side, eyes scanning down over her body. "Damn you're pretty... Kind of hard to focus now that I've noticed that. So what's your name and why are you out here? Dipugakure is... Kind of dead now, I'm just making sure that all of the rats have left." A strange glint lit up his eye as he said that and he flipped one of his knives put, holding it one hand and testing the tip against one of his fingers, a small droplet of blood welling up on the pad. "You can come into the Tunnel a bit with me, I've got a camp set up and we can sit and have a chat if you're willing. This place is pretty dangerous, wouldn't want that cute face of yours to get wounded."

Spoiler:

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

She was only getting that little more suspicious, although not aware he was perhaps more on to her than she realised, however it was his insisting upon her venturing in with him that was putting her on the offensive. Most especially as she saw the additional liquid appearing on his finger as it seemed he cut himself on something sharp. Molding the water in her hand she prepared the technique at a closer level if still hidden up her sleeve. Without truly being able to read her mind he wouldn't be able to tell just what technique it was she was preparing to use should he spring some sort of trap on her. As far as she knew he was falling for her trick whilst still wanting to keep it up and keep some distance. She would gradually begin approaching, "Hikari Tsuno, my name that is," A false name that would actually roll off the tongue easily. Even whilst approaching, she motioned with her free and revealed hand for him to lead the way.

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

There was a twitch on Shio's face as she said that name and his hand tightened around the hilt of his knife. He put it back in his belt and drew another which was slightly different, this time with a slightly thicker blade and crossguard and with a ring on the back for ease of holding and possible spinning. "We're friends here and I'm a Hunter Nin, you really shouldn't be lying to me or else I'll be getting suspicious of you, Hikari..." He growled the name like an insult and turned to look at her, eyes almost glowing from within. "...I do hope you aren't planning anything against me, attacking a Hunter Nin will see you as Missing faster than you can blink. Are you this suspicious around everyone you meet or did you come here to end it all, alone and ashamed?" He ground his teeth together before taking a deep breath and shaking his head, letting out a little laugh. "Sorry about that, I get a little bothered when people lie to me, it's not really a nice thing to do to someone that's supposed to be your ally. I must have gotten off on the wrong foot. I am Shio Itora, I'm a Dakar. Now it's your turn." He told her, pausing, stepping back and holding his hand out, a bright smile on his face, doing his best to seem honestly friendly.

Spoiler:

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himiko remained as composed as she could when he was calling her out on having just lied to him, telling her enough to know that she couldn't pass anything by him so easily. "... my name isn't important right now." she answered him much more sternly, if only dropping her act as she noticed his movements and whilst she couldn't fully make out what he had done, it still looked like he'd drawn a different weapon. Keeping the vial uncorked, she would sigh and raise her hands to show them off as if unarmed, which to most anyone would be believed that she wasn't armed. "So, gonna lead the way or not? Pretty sure you can understand why I'm not gonna stand right next to you,"

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

"Quite a rude one aren't you? You think after showing such hospitality and not attacking you on sight, going so far as to still being friendly even after you lie to me that I could get a name for such a pretty face. I get it though, you're stuck up, must be a Zakiyoshi that lost their love or some shit, all of them are dour bastards. You think I didn't see the change in your eyes?" He told her, keeping to the side and walking into the tunnel, one eye watching her. As he stepped in, he snapped his fingers and dim lighting flared up along the tunnel, a strange turquoise that saturated the entire tunnel, turning everything blue-green. It wasn't too far in that there was a small camp, a half-tent pitched against the wall and a small campfire. He sat down beside it and then waved for her to sit on the other side so that she wouldn't be too close to him. "I don't have much, haven't had a chance to go foraging yet but I've got some water if you want it? I purified it this morning, no contaminants in it." He told her, pulling out a canteen and two small metal cups. He poured a bit of water into each and then handed one to her.

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himiko felt a nerve snap as he was mocking her clan, on perhaps the worst day for him to do so anyway when she was leaving for her clan. "... friendly or not... my clan are a noble group. Or those who haven't splintered off since our golden age that is." She told him off, not caring in that moment for what he was saying, however it did tell her he wasn't perhaps fully aware at least of the stages of her dojutsu. "So tell me, you're from Haka right? I guess you saw the chuunin exams that took place two years ago right? Y'know, the siblings and false-armed boy who were still fresh genin, two of which passed their exams first time," Figuring that he was detecting any lies, she chose the best method of perhaps tripping him up as she said nothing that wasn't true; her team had siblings and Armen with his replaced arms, and two of the trio had indeed passed their first exams. But she specifically left out her own involvement in that statement without actually saying or showing it. She knew he might have been telling the truth and just not seen it, but she almost hoped she could trip him up. With a smile, she took the cup and lifted it in a sort of toast, seeing if he would drink too as she brought it to her lips.

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

"I remember hearing something about the boy with strange arms but not much else... Wasn't there to watch them, public exams like that aren't exactly my thing. I went Tokubetsu Jonin, into Jonin into Hunter Nin, keeping things private, personal. After all, a man has to have his secrets, doesn't he? Cheers." He smiled and lifted the cup towards her before tilting it back and taking a long slug of the water. It was refreshingly cold and surprisingly pure but that meant it had little taste to it. He put the cup down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Through doing that a strange obsidian glint would be noticeable on his hand although it might have just been a trick of the light. At that moment it was likely that the poison would start to affect Himiko, of course it didn't come from the water, rather it came from touching the cup which had smeared with a contact toxin.

Unbeknownst to Shio of course would be the poison immunity that Himiko possessed which would normally work to counteract the Dreamsfell however she would find that she would still be affected, albeit at a reduced level. Shio was nothing if prepared and, almost imperceptibly, the lights would be flashing, out of normal human sight but connected to a very specific rhythm, that of Himiko's brain waves. After all, the Lights weren't normal lights but a Fabrication, triggered the moment he had clapped his hands and it served a myriad of uses. With a flick, Shio pulled one of his knives and leaped forwards at A-Rank speeds, attempting to slash Himiko's cheek, hopefully while she was reeling from the effects of the combined physical and mental assault, the blade glittering with some kind of fluid.

Spoiler:

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himiko took the sip after he did, although as she set the cup back down she felt the oddest of little twinges going throughout her body as the natural reactions began to kick in. "Oh... oh this is just perfect," She said with some glee before he was attacking her. With a flick of her hand, the vial of her chakra water that was in her wrist took it's form, using said water in forming her Water Wield technique, and more specifically using it to form it's Shield Form as she would block the blow. "Oof, soooo close I'm sorry," Admittedly she was just a little cocky, cringing as it showed that the Fabrication was having some sort of effect, "... ok... firstly, wow this is actually my first time in a real fight with the whole... mental... stuff. Good try though," Whilst shoving him back with the hard-water shield, her fingers flickered on her other hand as she was preparing a new technique to use, albeit just what, she was still charging.

Relevant:

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

Unfortunately two large mistakes were made by Himiko during this. The first was thinking she could shrug off the mental attack, the power of it was too high to Kai out of and thus the mental simulacrum of the poison would take effect, slowing her reactions and dulling her mind as it worked to send her to sleep. The other mistake was thinking that her shield would protect her. Due to using strength tiers rather than speed, the force of the blow was much greater than usual, although much more difficult to control. The knife would slam into the shield and shatter it with easy, the blade coming down towards Himiko's body at A-Rank speeds still. "Darkness, erupt!" He roared out as he done so, bones sliding out of his arms and releasing a foul black smoke that spread out thirty feet around them. Normal sight would be useless within the darkness and it would start smothering and choking Himiko for as long as she stayed within it, not toxic, just so thick and cloying that it seemed like it might be. Of course she was also dealing with a crazy, knife-wielding maniac that was in the cloud with her and didn't seem bothered by the darkness himself.

Spoiler:

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himiko grunted, despite recognising it was a Fabrication she couldn't seem to actually break it and that really worried her. She wouldn't realise however that it was more of an unusual strength from a combination, overanticipating in some ways what this man would come at her with. This was only added to when her shield was broken through by his knife puncturing through it. She shuddered as she was fighting off the Fabrication, "... dammit I didn't expect to have to go this far," She muttered as she twisted her body to take the knife into the brunt of her shoulder as she knew she couldn't avoid it, only minimise the damage. As soon as her shield was broken, she let her body loose in it's Hydrification. She'd yet to use it in combat for a while, so she didn't even fully realise she could move her body fast enough at A-rank speed to have the blade slip straight through the watery form she was taking on. Taking another risk, she continued letting her chakra loose, and activating her Chakra Armour in her Boil Release. But she felt with the Hydrification granting her defences and the chakra armour making direct contact hurt, along with the added strength it would allow her, she felt she could turn the tables before the Fabrication took hold, whilst she felt things clearer in her mind by the new mental barriers. An unrealised effect, along with the blade that was driven into her watery shoulder being surrounded by the Boil chakra to destroy it should it survive the A-rank of Boil errosion. With her shield not disrupted she could mold it quickly into a new shape without expending any chakra. Even if she couldn't see clearly, with exception being her dojutsu allowing her to see the liquid flow of his body, she knew he could likely see her so clearly, but also hoped he might get cocky. She turned the shield into a weapon head-on as she formed it's Sickle form, grabbing the handle again and swinging with her own A-rank speed, whilst spreading her chakra armour to the weapon turning it from a water release technique into boil whilst she spun at where she would see his torso most likely was.

Relevant:

Posts : 3780 Join date : 2012-05-06

He wasn't really expecting the armour to flare up and he snarled before leaping to his feet and backing away, pushing back with his A-Rank strength and landing against the wall to dodge the weapon that swung around. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes before opening his mouth to speak. Just before he could, a song erupted through the tunnel, overtaking both of them with the haunting melody. A deep sadness would enter Himiko's heart for a brief second but it faded and it would seem only the Dakar was affected by the song as he swayed for a moment before immediately faceplanting the dirt, all of his techniques fading away as he lay there, snoring quietly against the ground. The song stopped and things were silent for a few moments before a voice came, as though murmured directly into Himiko's ear.

"Come to us, Priestess... Free us from the depths.... Take back what belongs.... To you...." It hummed, the words holding a strange cadence and melody to them before they stopped and something within Himiko would urge her to go down the tunnel, pulling her towards the remains of old Dipugakure, a place that was now sunken and likely infested with dangerous creatures or perhaps... The spirits of those that failed to escape or those that didn't wish to. What would Himiko do now, did she trust herself to go and claim what she came here for?

Admin Posts : 2110 Join date : 2010-07-23 Age : 31

Himiko had no idea just what was happening as everything seemed to disolve around her. Her mind was made clear, her body shifting back to it's natural state at her own call, and not feeling any more residual effect of the poison. Then there was the ringing in her ears and the voice. It sent a chill down her spine, and out of reflex she would keep her dojutsu active on it's most basic of forms to save her strength, but something was pulling at her mind. She continued her way through the tunnel, forgetting about the first assailant in a heart beat. The voice just felt so odd. She knew the voices were pulling her to old Dipu, where she was headed anyway, and it only drove her onwards. "... Goddess Kikuri, protect my path, watch this daughter of the seas as she sinks in to the unknown. Let her eyes witness your guiding spirits, and let those who came before be there to greet us upon our return," She muttered her short prayer as she walked along, finding the little chant calming and focusing. "... and if Nanna is with you now could I ask you to give her a hug for me? I missed her more than usual when I made our family meal last night." That relaxed her the final amount. Enough to think clearly.

A few steps forwards and she halted again, rubbing her chest. "... This is stupid," She muttered to herself, taking a deep breath to remuster her confidence. Staring straight on she cupped her hands around her mouth. "I'll be back! I'm coming for what is rightfully mine, but today isn't the day." She was rather surprised how clearly she was thinking this now. She'd been manipulated in that last fight to not using her head and suffered for it. Whoever the voice was seemed to inflict damage on her assailant, and whilst she could've taken him all the same, she obviously didn't have that much power. Yet. "My name is Himiko Zakiyoshi, heir to the Priestesses of the clan Zakiyoshi! Those artifacts rightfully belong to my clan, and the temples. Next time, I'm coming." With that she turned on he heel and went back to the body left there, digging through his pockets. She wasn't sure if he was actually dead or knocked out, but she needed to be sure he had no other weapons to ambush her with later. And of course, a donation to the temple wasn't out of the question.

» Link Start!
» Epsilion - The Start of a new life.
» Start of the Journey (Temple of Gaia)
» [C-rank Escort] A Fresh Start
» Wanna start a fight? [Training]

Road Trip

With the first round of classes complete and the students already acclimated to life at the academy. The school has organized a field trip in order to give the students a taste of what …

[ Full reading ]