"Kira, give me thyne blade..." [Private/Closed]

[fina]

They move fast…I can’t keep up…

Whether it was the constant rigors of his training that did him in or the heavy fatigue inducing speeds he was forced to travel under in order to keep up with his target did not matter. Reason would be placed aside, for the obvious need not be explained: Fina had reached a new level of tiredness, evident by his short, quick breathes, and his loss of focus, often finding himself wandering aimlessly around, no longer keeping himself en route with the group.

What once was crystal clear was now nothing more than a blur without focus or contrast, his eyes steadily loosing their ability to see in conjunction with time’s passing. Tears welled up in the genin’s eyes as he contemplated his ill fate. Beads of sweat created an illusionary affect that made the young man seem as if he just dunked himself in a river. His demise was imminent, a notion soon to be made true as Fina’s body adopted a lifeless ordinance, surrendering to the power’s of gravity and succumbing without protest.

Before he lost conciseness, time seemed to slow down in the eyes of the Uchiha. His body’s fall was not violent or abrupt, but instead slow and painless, almost symphonic. In the distance a small melodic tune could be heard playing, the musical track going along excellent with the proud Sasori’s ultimate fall. Suddenly, a thud rang through the soundtrack like a scream echoing through a long tunnel; faint, unimportant, and almost unnoticed. Were it not for the dust cloud that made vision now virtually impossible, Fina would not have noticed himself fall.

Now, as the dark curtains of the unknown blanketed Fina’s world, one last figure was spotted in the nearby distance. Tsuchi no Kuni, you have won! he thought to himself, for the few, the proud and even the mighty could no longer stand up to the painstaking rigors of nature and earth.

Fina could only hope life would give him a second chance…

[pandoru]

Wandering as usual... letting her feet take her wherever they pleased while her mind fluttered elsewhere. Specifically, how she'd just kind of upped and left in the middle of a spar. Was it considered cowardly...? No... Naegi would understand. She was still hurt anyway. It was only more reason for her to take a break; recovery. Both physically and emotionally. Though she tried her hardest to just let it go as another part of life, Nadosuke's death was still painful for her. Sighing softly, the girl clasped her hands together. At least the tenderness in her left palm had faded. Perhaps she could remove the bandage from it later... only to hurt it again later with a bomb of sorts, she was sure.

A soft chuckle left the redhead as she finally allowed her eyes to take in the area around her. Not much different than the standard area surrounding Iwagakure. An obscene amount of rocks, scarce amount of trees, scattered patches of grass, bodies...

Though, one of those details didn't quite fit.

Pandoru gasped, her hands flying up to cover her now-open mouth. The man must have fainted... but how? Was he attacked? It certainly wasn't hot enough for him to have fainted from the sun. Questions could be answered later. For now... she needed to check his status. She rushed to his side, and soon she fell to her knees. The cyan eyes quickly scanned his body, though she was hesitant to touch. If he was taken off guard, he might strike at her. Though, that was when the metallic glint caught her eye. A shinobi, as she had assumed, though the engraving revealed him to be of Kusa. Simply put, an ally. Though, with her slightly messed condition, and her hitai-ate out of view, he wouldn't know that.

From her pocket, the band would be withdrawn, and she tied it neatly around her neck, allowing the symbol of Iwagakure to be easily seen. She could only hope that he wasn't completely unconcious... Any strength the male may have had left would be needed to get him upright, so that the puppeteer could at least get some food and water into his system. Swallowing nervously, her hands settled on his shoulders, hoping that she wouldn't startle him and make his state of mind all the more fuzzy. "A-are you alright?"

[fina]

Over here!

A rapture of white rapidly enveloped Fina’s entire sensorial system as he suddenly came to, no longer being held down by the weights of the unconscious world. Greeted by a hostile barrage of wind, Fina would immediately shoot up, alert and ready for action. The strangeness of the world itself made it so that any lethargy that was previously allowed to settle in would be ignored, thus allowing the able bodied shinobi a quick shot at personal recovery.

While still a bit wobbly, the new world presented to him intrigued the senses to the point of ecstasy. In the world of human expression, an appropriate response to such a sensorial overload would be some sort of wide eyed idiotic look, as if some unbeatable stupor had settled in and tackled down his previous anxious demeanor; Fina currently sported that look, enhancing the image by constantly asking himself where he was at. Although mouthed off in a low voice, he couldn’t spot repeating the question; “where am I!?” he would say, then walk on some more.

Spreading like wildfire would be his confusion, taking over every bit of reasoning he had left in his brain, rendering him nothing more than a bumbling fool. But his prayers would soon be answered, for the outline of what appeared to be a snowy forest slowly came into perspective. Once the winter like flora setting took full effect, a single figure in the distance could be seen running amuck. Although the hazy like state he was currently in did not allow the youth a chance at identifying whomever it was that shared this dream state with him, their voice could be heard clearly; it was female.

“Who are you!?”

But nothing. Perplexed, Fina would commence the chase, dropping his idiotic act and replacing it with one of energetic curiosity. Spring out of the box like an Olympic athlete, Fina raced on through the fantastic forest, looking past the fact this was all a figment of his imagination, finding satisfaction only in the notion that someone shared his problems. Yet as much as he ran, he never seemed to catch up. Time passed and he never caught up…it seemed Fina was doomed.

And then in one single, sharp cry, everything was gone.

--

“…no…”

Sporting the kind of groggy voice best suited for old men that recently woke up from a deep nap, Fina would mumble incomprehensible words, spewing forth nonsense for any to hear. Although it was too early for any real images to become clear, the silhouette of another slowly made its way into Fina’s gaze. Curious, he would lazily push his hand up towards the general direction of the person, hoping to achieve some sort of contact that would assure him reality was back for good.

[pandoru]

Well, at least she'd received an answer. Even if it didn't seem to be the most intelligent one, she couldn't hold it against him. He'd collapsed, after all. At least, that was what she assumed. Thus, he must have been tired. She herself didn't hold the best conversations while fatigued either. Slightly taken aback by the extending limb, the redhead's body shifted a bit, leaning back and away, but only for a moment. He wasn't going to hurt her... he probably couldn't in this condition.

Her own hand would lift, allowing the Kusa-nin's to press against hers. The smallest form of physical contact such as this likely would have caused her face to burn, but the reasoning behind this was different. He seemed delirious, and if the touch was enough to help pull him back to reality, she could make the sacrifice of personal space. Speech may have helped too... but what to say...?

Pandoru's eyes quickly scanned the area, head turning from one side to the other, searching for any other shinobi. Though if he'd been with a call... why on earth would they have just left him behind? He couldn't have been heading back after a mission... Kusa was the other way. "... Can you sit up?" Speaking with him would be easier if she wasn't leaning over him. That, and she could get him something to drink.

[fina]

Life!

Einstein to the touch with that sudden electrified expression over his recent discovery, Fina once again felt alive. Ironically enough, it was the life of another that would breathe life into himself, replenishing what was once temporarily lost to the evils of nature. Having a knack for appreciation, Fina would hold on to his savior for a few moments more, appreciating fully what had allowed him to move on. Instantaneous to the steady touch, Fina’s vision clarified to perfect levels, granting the Uchiha a solid picture of the true hero for that day.

Things are starting to get better…hah!

Pleased with what he saw, Fina’s expression of shock and unawareness quickly was replaced by an honest smile, for his newest acquaintance was a rather fair looking female. The happiness would be driven further by a dash of his own dumb humor, finding lots of laughs at the idea of such a cliché moment actually being possible. After a second or two more, Fina’s instincts would catch himself daydreaming, forcing a slight adrenaline rush through the body in order to create reaction. In the eyes of the red headed girl, he would quickly slip his hand free from hers, all while creating a truthful apologetic smile. Hopefully she would not mistake his happiness for something else…

So in order to try and improve things, Fina would place both hands to his sides and push, bringing himself slowly up. During his rise, a question concerning his health would be asked on her part; he’d wait until he was sitting up in order to answer. As he thought of what words to produce, a single itch in his throat initiated what would soon be a slightly catastrophic turn of events.

“I’m-I’m-”

But nothing more regarding himself could be said, for he was too busy chocking. Being passed out so long in the heat made him very thirsty; when no water could be found, the dryness would commence its malicious retaliation. In the midst of his coughing fit, a single hand would be raised outstretched in her direction, hoping to send the message that he needed water and help badly.

[pandoru]

Quite and shy as she may have been, the girl was by no means unintelligent. The simple hand motion was enough to make the others need quite clear, if the coughing itself hadn't been enough. Her hand was quick to grab the canteen at her hip, and she hoped that the mouth upon her palm didn't take the opportunity to taste the foreign object. The other shinobi was just recovering- she didn't need to disturb him with her less than appealing bloodlimit. Of all the days to spend training... had it been any other, the mouth likely would have been wrapped up, and then she wouldn't be worrying about this.

The water container was held out for him to take, and it was at that point that she was thankful she hadn't spent the whole day sparing with Naegi. Had that been the case, the water in the canteen would have been significantly less. Thankfully, it was still rather full. As soon as his thirst issue was taken care of, she could move onto feeding him, if it was necessary. A few onigiri sat nicely wrapped in her bag, and she certainly had nothing against sharing.

He had wanted to speak obviously, but had been cut off. Well, now that he was functioning, she supposed the best way to start would be with a name. "I'm Pandoru," she said, hoping that the soft tone of her voice was even audible. Though she was slowly becoming more confident thanks to the effort of Naegi and her cousin, she still had a long way to go. "This is... kind of a random place to be... were you traveling?" Obviously, she didn't expect to get an immediate answer. Thus, her hands would rest in her lap, head tilted slightly to the side.

[fina]

When the world around him seemed to collapse inwards, imitating some sort of self destructive fantastic implosion that leveled everything in its path, Fina would begin to accept his fate; no, his demise. However, such an ill fate was both unwarranted and preventable, evidently so by how well the girl once again jumped in to save him. This time, he would not worry so much about holding her hands with care, focused solely on saving his own life. As such, the canteen would be ripped from her hands violently, like a starving child constantly tempted with hearty food waved in their face.

Several big gulps would be taken, allowing the life source known as water to coarse freely through his body, replenishing as much lost energy as possible. Such was his desperation that at times some of it would spill off to the sides, rolling down his chin and soaking into his black coat. Seeing this reminded him of the unneeded warmth his attire currently imposed, prompting him to remove it and toss it aside. A breath of fresh air would be absorbed as his throat was cleared and his body relieved from the warm temperatures.

Pandoru…

Feeling much better, Fina’s gaze once again would meet hers, although this time, with a much better and more aware countenance donned. Fina chuckled again, this time for the girl to see, hoping the humor he found in his own misfortunes could be shared. He’d consider her name once more before offering his own, and attempted to determine how truthful he’d be in the whole ordeal; then again, she had saved him, so did it matter?

Shaking his head no, he would speak once more. This time, a clear, calm tone was adopted.

“Fina…my name is Fina. I was following…someone, and then I wound up here…”

A pause was taken as he looked down for a bit, taking a few seconds to go deep in thought, as if he himself needed to confirm his own story. When he’d resume interlocked gazes with Pandoru, an attempt towards a question of his own would be made.

“Thanks for everything…how can I repay you?”

[pandoru]

A slow breath was released; one she hadn't been aware that she was holding. Perhaps how quickly he'd snatched the item had startled her, but it wasn't as if she could blame him. Timid as she was, he reaction probably would have been near identical. The girl allowed herself to relax, soothed slightly by the almost amused chuckle he let. Health returned quickly to the male it seemed, not that that was a bad thing by any means. Following someone he'd said... For a moment, her head turned. Perhaps there were footprints of sorts that had been left behind that could assist in Fina's 'tracking,' but she'd have to look a bit closer. Of course, such actions weren't really her business, and idly she wondered if it was a chase she should even get involved in.

Her gaze returned, and as she preocessed his question, she blinked. Bother hands lifted, and the pupeteer shook her head. "Oh...! N-no, you don't need to repay me," a delicate dusting of pink had settled upon Pandoru's cheek, and she scratched at one softly with her index finger. "I'm... glad you're alright..." Perhaps she was just trying to make a good first impression, though the girl couldn't quite place the exact reasoning for her desire to continue helping this one. Mothering instincts? "Are you hungry?"

Definately instincts.

[fina]

As the fair looking kunoichi beside him continued her well rehearsed and well executed part as savior, Fina slowly but surely began to attain a new level of appreciation for her. Partially content with the fact she had been the one to find him, but mainly intrigued by how easily she brought him back to life, he would definitely make a point of trying to know as much as he could about the female youth; certainly she could prove useful in the future, as the political game was always cutthroat, and, when found, reliability should always be given the highest value possible.

Fumbling with his previous complimentary statement, Fina would chuckled lightly at the sight of the blushing girl, finding a bit of his own blood adding new color to his usually tanned façade. It was definitely a rare moment of innocence and tranquility, where two souls had peacefully touched briefly, reminding both mortal’s of life’s true intent. Yes, Fina found joy in the company of others, an emotion whose source he thought had long been tapped out.

Now facing a generous offering of food, Fina’s manners quickly came gushing out, taking the form of whatever words were needed in order to prevent him from further imposing on the girl’s good will. With his recessive hand, the left one, softly clutching at her left shoulder, he’d gracefully deny, thanking her once again, but expressing how much help she’d been already. It was during that practiced ritual of appreciation that innocence would soon fade away, unable to hold off against the strong currents of violence and strife.

A deafening explosion instantly rang in the nearby distance, just over some random hill to their east. From their current location, nothing more than a steady rising cloud of smoke could be spotted, with the explosion bringing a temporary tremor their way. As all of this unfolded, a quick memory played out in Fina’s head, one taking place before he collapsed. In it, he briefly would see the group head off in a direction similar to the explosion.

Damn!

A newfound sense of urgency would take over Fina, forcing him out of his sensitive, nice mode. Grimacing at the face of adversity, the Uchiha would place his coat back on, giving no word to Pandoru for the moment. Upon standing, he’d glance back at her once more, a sincere apologetic expression carrying a silent message whose meaning only she could decipher.

“THAT is why I’m here…and that’s why I need to go. I’m sorry Pandoru; if I come back in one piece, I’ll make it up to you…”

And with that, he’d start off jogging towards the explosion.

[pandoru]

It had taken a few attempts, but the words had finally gotten a smile out of the coy Iwa shinobi. Small as it was, the feelings behind it were true. Iwagakure wasn't a great distance away, and she had planned on offering to lead him there. Surely there were more comfortable places to rest in the village, as opposed to just sitting on the earth. Perhaps she was trusting him far too easily, but she was fairly sure that if he had cruel intentions, he would have done away with her by now.

The sound ripping through the air caused the girl to jump, and her hands to fly up and cover her ears. The sudden pain that shot through her temples made the cyan eyes slam shut. Oh, her head, her aching head! Once again, such a sensation would remind her why she prefered her puppets to the 'completed' artwork of her family. Beautiful as it was for a few seconds, she didn't think she was ever going to accept the headaches as an equal trade. Only when the pain subsided did she allow her head to turn, eyes opening to see tendrils of black smoke lifting into the sky.

She'd have continued to stare, had the movement in the corner of her eye not gotten her attention. Pandoru blinked, allowing her hands to drop as she looked up at Fina. Up, as she had yet to stand herself yet, though that detail was quickly changed as she got to her feet. "W-wait!" she called, though felt that her words may have been lost to the wind, lacking any real force or tone that would say 'listen to me!' The teen stared for a moment, but instead of waiting for a response, simply followed after. Curiosity was fueling her more than anything right now, as well as the desire to keep her village safe. If the cause of such an explosion proved to be a threat to Iwagakure, she'd do everything in her power to prevent it from doing anymore harm. Of course, the fact that there would be an additional person with her helped her put one foot in front of the other. Hopefully he didn't find her a nuisance.

[fina]

Quickly now, there was no time to waste. Several words came from Pandoru’s mouth, all with intent to have the Kusa genin cease his current progress. However, the motivation inspired by his curiosity was simply too much for him to overcome, leaving him a slave of his own desires. It would be after the girl’s requests were ignored and her role switched to the silent follower that Fina would return to her; by now, the two had walked up a nearby cliff overseen the source of the explosions, being none other than a small cave entrance at the bottom of the canyon.

After the smoke cleared and no longer was emitting from the front, Fina turned in place, facing back at a concerned Pandoru. With gazes interlocked, Fina would ensue in an apologetic spree, attempting to rationalize why he had been so rude to her earlier. While the words didn’t quite come out exactly as planned, deep down he hoped his efforts would the ones to communicate his regret. Pursed lips would slowly open to speak a few more words, but a secondary explosion from the cavern proved itself to be the only speaker of the house that day.

Equal to the prior one in force, Fina nearly lost his balance during the tremors, but managed to hold on to a firmer Pandoru in the process. It was during this moment that his eyes would catch the Stone headband, a detail that is usually spotted right away, but somehow ignored because his concerns lie only in the girl. Any doubts regarding her safety now were quickly swept away as he understood she walked the same path he did. Slowly he would rise, keeping an eye sternly at the cave’s entrance as he heard piercing human cries.

“I know you can fend for yourself…but be safe. I need to go down there, but you don’t. Please wait for me here; if you can’t, then at least stay close.”

A pause would be taken as he stared her down, hoping she took no offence by that comment. As soon as that was done with, he’d start towards the edge, an outstretched hand prompting Pandoru to join him in his descent.

“Ready?”

[pandoru]

Silence seemed to settle between them, the only true sound being sandals scratching against the dry earth beneath their feet. A bit of hiking followed, though the kunoichi was long used to such things. When your home is surrounded with mountains and other rough terrain, one really has no other choice. As they came to a stop, she glanced down, into the cave that seemed to only cause her curiosity to grow, pushing back any common sense that told her to just let it be and go home.

Again, her head turned as the other did, the shinobi quickly listing reason after reason for his actions earlier. Slender brows lifted in surprise, and the girl quickly shook her head. Explaining or not, she didn't think the reasons were anything that needed an apology. She tried to smile, but in the end it just came out looking nervous and a bit confused. A second burst caused the teen to gasp sharply. Though her balance was kept for the most part, reflex caused her to grab onto the stronger Kusa-nin as she herself was grabbed, each assisting in the others balance.

Her earlier expression had quickly been replaced with a slight frown. The concern was flattering, but she wasn't about to just stay outside and wait because she was asked to. "... if it's a threat to my village... then I do need to go down there," she explained, indicating that he'd be stuck with her whether he liked it or not. Of course, the thought of a bit of extra protection was comforting.

For a moment, Fina's hand was simply stared at, but the offered aid was accept after the short hesitation. The drop was much steeper than the puppeteer had expected, and she almost immediately slipped. Though the girl stayed on her feet, the muscles in her body tensed, and thus, so did the ones in control of the second mouth. She'd wanted to keep her bloodline to herself if she could have, sticking with her puppets if the need for battle were to arise. But now... it would certainly be difficult for Fina to not notice and additional set of teeth sinking into his palm. Pandoru flushed brightly, her voice hardly a squeak as she forced out the only word to come to mind.

"S-sorry!"

[fina]

“Ahh!”

An instinctive cry escaped the mouth of Fina, shattering any images of the cool, calm demeanor front he had boldly been putting up. Although it lasted only for a few seconds, his yelp was high pitched and quick, signifying the shinobi had just underwent some form of pain. With a scowl over his face, Fina’s gaze left those of the pretty kunoichi, temporarily loosing interest in her, intrigued instead in the pain that originated at the palm of his hand.

Upon looking down, Fina’s fears were confirmed: a neat, mouth shaped wound could be seen oozing from his skin, with drops of crimson blood trickling off at the sides. Although the wound was nothing too major past a bit of broken skin, the real surprise came when Fina attempted to decipher the riddle that contained the answer as to why grabbing the girl’s hand just now got it bitten. Intensely amused, Fina reached for her hand, softly clutching at the wrist before she had a chance to retract it.

Midst her own apology storm, Fina’s eyes would identify the culprit guilty for his hand. Although a refusal to believe what just happened originally had him searching frivolously for the answer, once it stared- or should he say, smiled- back at him, all forms of curiosity were lost in the winds of the unknown. He would let go of Pandoru’s hands as quickly as he grabbed them, trying not to hurt her in the least bit, but at the same time wanting nothing more to do with the extra mouth at her hand.

For a few seconds nothing would be said nor done, a nervous silence commencing its reign over the two souls. However, feeling like a jerk for his behavior, Fina would quickly change the mood, placing his non bitten hand over her head, ruffling her hair in the most friendly of manners. After all, this girl was no different than before Fina had discovered her extra mouth; in fact, he actually kinda liked it!

As a genuine smile crept across Fina’s face, he would let his injured hand hang, trying to tie it down with some random cloth on him. During his search, he would speak to her once more, addressing her with a caring tone reserved only for one’s family members that one actually likes.

“Alright, so your bark isn't worse than your bite! I admit you can kick butt…just no hand chomping next time!”

A wink would follow soon after, followed by a chuckle. As he waited for a response from her, Fina would stare down the cliff’s edge once more, assessing the angle at which they would descend, hoping to find any previously overlook detail that might bring them danger if left unmodified. Once Pandoru was ready, the newly formed duo would spring into action.

[pandoru]

Though she continued to ramble off word after word in apology, it seemed that her words were falling on deaf ears. No reply was given, and for a moment she thought that the other may have been upset with her. She had just bitten him, even if the temporary loss of muscle control wasn't entirely her fault. Quite thankful the girl was that the tongue in the second mouth had no true sense of taste, as she was fairly certain the teeth had sunk in enough to draw a bit of blood.

The offending hand, or rather wrist, had been grasped, and she took a moment to stare down at the mouth. Her bloodlimit was both a blessing and a curse she supposed. With the ability to create fine art came another set of muscles. Ones that, truthfully, she probably should have been able to control at this point. 'It was an accident...' she tried to reassure herself, though it didn't make her feel any less guilty. Softly, her teeth would sink into her bottom lip, nervous beyond belief as her limb was released. The silence that settled didn't help soothe her nerves any.

She was touched once more, and the puppeteer flinched, almost as if the contact to her head had caused her some kind of pain. Of course, such an idea had no truth to it. Rather, she'd been a bit too lost in her own mind to pay attention to what was going on physically. A slow blink would be the Iwa-nin's next action, looking up afterwards as the boy gave her hair a rather affectionate ruffle.

Pink once again stained the porcelain complexion, and Pandoru rubbed the back of her neck, allowing her hair to remain messed for now. She mumbled something about reflex and muscles in a fruitless attempt to defend herself, but the exact wording of it all couldn't be heard. Thus, she simply dropped the topic with a soft sigh. He wasn't angry, and that fact was enough to bring the small smile to the girl's face once again before she followed closely behind.

Perhaps, if aid was offered to her again, she'd be a bit more thoughtful and use her other hand.

[Deleted]

Meh. Dont wait up for me. Just find the Blade then PM meh, Im too lazy to send anything after you. The worst will probably be like talking boulders.... Remember, only one person can weild the weapon. No Sharing.

[fina]

Musei Tsuuka (Silent Passing)
[8/20]

[/center]

Here goes nothing…

If Pandoru were to make any attempt at de-scaling the wall first, a firm forearm would halt her progress and disallow any further movement. For it would be Fina’s responsibility and duty to charge in first, weapons armed and ready to remove any and all hostile life from their vicinity. No more words would be exchanged between the two from the moment they chose to make the jump until their actual landing. Fina himself would still toss Pandoru a glance, but their newfound adventure would dominate his sense and leave him fixated solely on the cave.

With a swift nod, a revived Fina would dare to defy gravity, gaining a running start that would allow him a reckless jump off the edge. It would during the last steps on high ground that insurmountable amounts of chakra would instantaneously commence to coat his body, starting first with the key appendages that ensured speedy movement, and ending with the rest of the body. Yes…during his rough descent, the Uchiha had chosen to resume his Musei training, all under the hopes that he’d reach flat lands with enough time to dispatch any creatures in sight.

Although looking over his shoulder for Pandoru would be a foolish endeavor that would result solely in him crashing, his curiosity for the girl’s safety was overwhelming, driving him into the realm of recklessness. Of course she was able bodied for the job, especially after her headband revealed her to be a kunoichi of stone; still, some odd male complex that involved constantly making sure their female counterparts were alright made him blind to her abilities.

But he’d be able to rest easy once his inspection was over, for he’d find the girl in perfect shape, almost keeping up with Fina. In order to check up on her, he had temporarily ceased the Musei’s effect, hopping off the almost fully inclined canyon wall and spinning in place so that he’d end up facing her. Satisfied, the molded chakra would resume its job, returning to his muscles, motivating them to move at inhuman speeds. Once his heels touched the soil beneath him, he’d disappear in a cloud of dust, leaving the girl to descend the rest on her lonesome while he played the fearless leader roll.

Landing on the dirt caked canyon grounds after his Musei induced run triggered a violent ravaging of the earth’s surface; that is, Fina’s run had accumulated such momentum via incredible speed that impacting the ground result in a flashy explosion. While certainly not the most heroic of entrances, nothing in the vicinity existed with enough malice to alert Fina of an imminent battle. Only remnants…

As he waited at the bottom for Pandoru, Fina’s gaze remained locked at the dark entrance, entranced by the many faint screams that poured forth from the deepest bowels of the earth.
[/size]

[Itzu]

+4 TP

469 Words.

3 Paragraphs of actual training. Small (not the font size) and kinda nondescript.

[pandoru]

Pausing for a moment, the girl studied the drop before them. Even if it wasn't a completey vertical drop, it was still going to be necessary to mold a bit of chakura so that she didn't suffer through a rather humiliating tumble. Taking in a breath to settle the nervous tension in her stomach, the girl's sandals scratched against the ground as she leaned forward.

Only to be stopped rather abruptly by the other's forearm. Curiosly, her head turned to give the male a questioning glance. He had wanted to descend, hadn't he? Well, it was one instance where 'ladies first' didn't apply, she supposed. The matter was quickly brushed off though. It wasn't important. She responded by returning an identical gesture; nodding once before the Kusa-nin took off. Not even a full second was spent waiting before the Sankuchi went over the edge after him.

Chakura was sent to the girls feet the second they began to run along the surface. Focus was divided in her efforts to keep chakura flow constant, yet pay attention to where she was going exactly. Not particularly fond of the idea of getting left behind, she pushed herself a bit more, trying to close the distance between herself and the male as much as possible. He turned suddenly, rather gracefully, and the girl blinked. Whatever it was he'd been examining, it seemed to satisfy him, and the teen turned back around, only too... vanish completely it seemed, leaving a decent-sized cloud of dust behind. Her position shifted quickly; a swift dart to the side so that she didn't plow through the recently created formation. 'Showoff...'

Pandoru's landing was slightly more graceful than the other's. Of course, she'd been going at a slower pace. Now in a crouching position, the kunoichi's head tilted up slightly to look into the cave ahead. It was common for the wind to pass over openings and cause a few eerie noises... but the things she heard was certainly no trick of the breeze. Biting her lip softly once more, the teen slowly stood, rubbing her hands together in a nervous fashion as she walked to take a closer spot to the other shinobi.

[fina]

Several curses escaped the confines of the genin’s mouth as his gaze would find temporary hope in catching minor movement by the cave’s entrance, but soon loosing it to the unknown. Although every bit of him urged him to move along, invisible forces trying to press him forward, reason and his latest conscience checker, Pandoru, proved themselves to be worthy enders of such primal haste. In the eye of mental defeat, the murderousness inside Fina bowed down to his temporarily superior sibling, rationale, swearing on its own name to exact revenge on him one day. All of this would translate to a smiling Fina, whose body would soon imitate Pandoru’s crouched stance as he slowly made his way to the entrance.

Standing no more than ten yards away from the entrance would allow the two to find what appeared to be a wildly mangled corpse, missing at least one appendage, as well as toting wounds that seemed to hint at some wild animal attack. Surrounding the battered body would be a neat pool of blood, slowly infusing itself with the earth and soaking in onto the dry ground. By now, several smaller insects began to gather around the body, all heeding the call of a few scouts with messages of gluttonous joy. Seeing dead bodies was nothing new for the genin, and had it not been for the second more-alive-than-dead person near by, Fina would’ve resumed his Musei in search for answers.

Still crouched, Fina hobbled towards the trembling man, whose caped attired and uniform matched that of the corpse beside them, minus the chew marks. Although eye contact was never fully achieved, the Uchiha managed to retrieve some documents from his persona, some revealing information about things unimportant to the Kusa shinobi, while others explained what exactly the group was doing there. No more than a few sentences in, the screams ensued, this time with the explosion ringing from the deepest pits of the cave. Sensing this, the silent man resumed his hysterical fit, no longer aware of the real world.

With a bothered sigh, Fina would give Pandoru the first worried and concerned expression since their jump. If she was to offer no words regarding the body and the basket case on their hands, the Sasori would nod in the frantic man’s general direction; hopefully she’ll understand he wanted her to keep him busy while he conducted a quick investigation of his own. Of course any kind of words could set off this man at any second - who currently found peace by clutching hard onto a kunai and allowing the sharper parts to make his fingers bleed- so Fina would exercise the most extreme of caution.

Now what do we have here…

[pandoru]

Fear had made her want to turn around, but the curiosity in her had a stronger hold on her mind, allowing the girl to continue on. Though there was no obvious danger, Pandoru couldn't seem to shake the feeling of dread that had settled inside of her. Perhaps the screams were to blame, or it may have been because there was no way for the shinobi to know what exactly was waiting for them deeper in the cave. A few steps inside the opening however was almost enough to get her to turn right out. Her stomach made a rather violent turn, and both of her hands lifted to cover her mouth, feeling that she may very suddenly become sick.

Death was no stranger to her life, but it had yet to be something she saw so close. Had the kill be recent, her response may have been different. As it was now though, all of her senses were being attacked. Her eyes had slammed shut to keep out the terrible sight, and her hands, as well as covering her mouth, had covered her nose as well. Unfortunately, it had failed to keep out the smell. Being relatively fresh, it hadn't started rotting... yet. Regardless, the smell of blood was strong, and combined with other things affecting the girls mind, it caused her body to tremble. When she was sure she wasn't going to lose her breakfast, her hands lowered, and she exhaled slowly. Terrible as these things were, she was going to have to get used to it. It was just one of the consequences of following the path she had chosen. If she couldn't stand death, she shouldn't have enrolled in the academy.

Still a bit shaken, she allowed her eyes to roam over the area, the corpse included in that examination. Those wounds weren't human... or at the very least, they weren't inflicted in the fashion of a normal fighter. Claws and teeth seemed to have been the weapon of choice for that kill. Using her ears as well as her eyes, the puppeteer managed to detect another that was among the living. Though by turning her head towards the sound, she found Fina already examining him. The poor man... obviously scared out of his mind, and with good reason, she was sure. Only her imagination could bring forth images of what may have been here, and possibly, still was.

She jumped as sound crashed through the air, both of detonation and further screaming. The kunoichi winced, desperately wanting to cover her ears once again, but willed herself against such an action, instead deciding to keep her attention on the beings present. Her eyes shifted to look up at the Kusa-nin as he turned to face her, giving a sigh and an expression she had yet to see from the male. With the nod of his head, her attention moved once again, this time to the man curled up on the floor. No reply came from the girl, figuring that her actions would be enough to show she agreed. Walking passed him, she kneeled before the fallen.

It would probably be a wise decision to get that kunai out of his hand before he harmed himself further, but that may end up taking a bit of work...