I Hate These Fucking Maps

[hige]

Kyouto stood in the middle of the city, completely dumbfounded as she stared at the large peice of parchment that was her "guide to the city." Her mouth hung slightly open as she looked from one side to the other and tried to understand where she was, which was no doubt, nowhere. She reached on of her hands behind her neck while giving an exasperated sigh, closing her eyes and staring up at the cloudless sky. This place must be HELL was all that crossed her mind as she looked back to the paper. Kyouto examined it again tilting her head to the side slightly as she noticed something odd.

As Kyouto turned her head the words on the paper seemed to make more sense. "I must be insane..." she said to herself, receiving a few awkward glances from some of the pedestrians passing her in the street. Kyouto contined turning her head until she was looking at the paper completely sideways in a very awkward stance. In realization she stood up straight again, now turning the map rather than herself when a smile glowed brightly once again on her pale face. A laugh issued forth from her throat as she understood now why she hadn't been able to understand the oddly shaped lines and foreign language on the map.

She'd been holding it upside down.

Kyouto smirked, rolling her eyes slightly at her own idiocy before correctly reading the map and finding exactly where she was among the confusion. Taking a few steps forward with the map still in front of her face she turned and walked down the street towards the main marketplace where there were sure to be more than a few people, scanning the area for any Sand shinobi that might be able to give her some direction.

[N I R A S H I]

[enter]

Nirashi appeared, his headband shining brightly over his leg where it was placed. He noticed the wandering girl and he could tell by the map and her expression that she wasn't in the best or most known location to her. Seeing he was a citizen and was on patrol in the Wind Capital, was it not his job to help these strangers and wanderers. The young shinobi progressed towards the confused girl with a high, regal look, as if he was some King or Kage.

"May I help you? You seem lost and confused, maybe I can be of assistance." He stated with a smile and a willing face.

[hige]

"May I help you? You seem lost and confused, maybe I can be of assistance."

A slow, eery smirk spread across Kyouto's face as she lowered the map tp look into the face of the stranger who had spoken most obviously to her. However, upon doing so she found herself face to face with no one. A curious look spread across her face as she raised an eyebrow at the site before lowering the map further to look down at the boy which stood before her. He couldn't be but thirteen or fourteen years old, she thought. A friendly smile spread across her face as she folded the map and put it under her left arm before crossing her arms before the boy.

"Well aren't you just the sweetest thing," she said smiling a bit wider as she put her hand under the young man's chin to get a better look at his face. "Actually, I think you can." She glanced at his leg unconsciously as the sun reflected off the forehead protector that was placed on his leg. "I'm looking for the Sand Villageand as much fun as it would be for me to walk aimlessly around in the desert for a couple hours, I figured It'd be better to skip the stroll and simply ask a ninja such as yourself permission to seek such a place."

Kyouto switched the map from under her arm and back into her right hand. "See, I'm looking to speak to the Kazekage and it doesn't seem like he goes on vacation too often so I figured I'd come to him." She chuckled a bit, glancing to the sun as a short gust of wind blew through, dragging the scents of the food being sold at the vendors around the plaza.

[N I R A S H I]

Nirashi sighed as he scratched his head. "I hear you and understand where you're coming from. However, I am not permitted to bring any outsiders into the Village of Sand, or even give out the location. My apologies." Nirashi said to Kyouto in a low tone. He really felt bad for the woman seeing she traveled so far to end up with nothing, he couldn't let this go on. He wouldn't give the village location, but maybe he could be of some sort of assistance.

"If I may ask what buisness do you have with the Kazekage?" He asked curiously.

[hige]

"I hear you and understand where you're coming from. However, I am not permitted to bring any outsiders into the Village of Sand, or even give out the location. My apologies."

Kyouto smiled non-chalantly, not at all bothered by the present situation and keeping to her happy-go-lucky self rather than bother with the fact that should obviously wasn't going to be given the location of the Sand village by choice. She expected the least, it was good to see one honorable ninja in the bastard majority.

"If I may ask what buisness do you have with the Kazekage?"

Kyouto smiled in thought as she peered back down at the boy. "I actually wouldn't have minded a drink with him. However, my real intention in finding the present location of the Sand lies in the search for a job. You see, I'm a bounty hunter that usually does cheap services for ninja villages who need high ranking missing nin caught without the worry of risking their own strong ninja. It's actually quite simple. I do the job better and cheaper with less collateral damage than the average ninja, and I get to enjoy the chase."

She turned her eyes to the sky once again, reminiscing on some of her old "adventures." It was true, she did her job extremely well. However, she was known for returning her victims alive rather than killing them which was was against unless it was absolutely necessary. "Of course, I don't doubt that you can do your job extremely well," she said as she looked down at Nirashi again. "But let's face it, many high ranking ninja have a habit of losing control all too often."

[N I R A S H I]

Nirashi was quite thrown off by Kyouto's response and she really freaked him out a bit. However, this was something he came across everyday in his life as a ninja, and eventually the sour taste about killing would leave his mouth.

Hopefully.

Nirashi stood and looked at Kyouto, sizing her up. She was taller than he and apparently older too. He knew he had no chance with her at all. She was definitely cute, with a nice body to support, who would ever think she kills ninja for a living. Nirashi sighed.

"Okay. This is what you can do. Go out and kill the ninja, report back to the Capital City. Find any Sand Officials and ANBU and tell them you're here for Nirashi Cora. I'll leave post in Sunagakure and I'll come and escort you into the Village. I suspect Kazekage-sama will approve of your entrance once he sees you came with ninja of bounty. If he doesn't approve I'll return here and inform you of it, but I'll definitely give you a little something for your work." He said with a glowing smile. Nirashi didn't want to see the girl go out and work without pay, so the kind-hearted fellow had to assist. It was his duty?

"Will that work...umm..." Oh shit! Did she ever say her name? What the hell was it? Umm...

[hige]

"Okay. This is what you can do. Go out and kill the ninja, report back to the Capital City. Find any Sand Officials and ANBU and tell them you're here for Nirashi Cora. I'll leave post in Sunagakure and I'll come and escort you into the Village. I suspect Kazekage-sama will approve of your entrance once he sees you came with ninja of bounty. If he doesn't approve I'll return here and inform you of it, but I'll definitely give you a little something for your work."

Kyouto smiled, showing her approval of the little "deal." She didn't expect to be handed entrance to the village, if anything this seemed like a fair arrangement.

"Will that work...umm..."

Kyouto, Nirashi," she quickly interrupted, silently reprimanding herself for not mentioning her own name. "That will work just fine." She grinned to herself at the thought of a good old chase for a change of pace. "Well, thank you for your assistance. Sure am glad I didn't have to simply find your village and break in..." she said the last part quietly, under her breath, as though speaking to herself.

Kyouto chuckled softly, reaching out and ruffling his hair a bit and smirking. "Seems like the older I get the more I think you kids are too young for this type of job." And with that said she turned and walked off into the crowd, whipping out her personal copy of the Bingo Book as she did so.

[N I R A S H I]

Nirashi chuckled at Kyouto's remarks, happy he worked everything out. As she turned to leave the young ninja waved, happy that he made an aquaintance. Apparently the hunter was expierenced in her field and had been doing her job for awhile. Nirashi smiled as he gave the Capital one last look. He then turned facing the direction in which he needed to head to return to Sunagakure. Taking in his last breathe of the air of freedom and relaxation the shinobi sighed.

He then took off in the hot suns towards the Village of Sand, where more missions and training laid ahead.

[exit]