Fox on the Road Home

[Ikki Sanada]

Ikki Sanada, now "the Fox," walked along a large an expansive plain. He could see trees ahead of him, but he would not be among them for another couple of miles. For now he just enjoyed the daylight and the warm air. He shifted his eyes back and forth every couple of steps, to make sure there was no one around. The Fox was in enemy territory, after all, he didn't want to be caught unawares.

While the Fox surely did not want to be caught flat footed by some Cloud Ninja, he did not want to fight anyone. On the inside, Ikki wanted to explore the world and avoid all fights if he could. If it came to it, however, the Fox would always be ready to a fight. He didn't want to misrepresent the pure spirit of the Sand Ninja.

Ikki Sanada smiled under the Fox Mask, a small part of him almost hoped that a Cloud Ninja would cross his path just so he could show these ninja the sheer power of the Sand. But that was only a small part, a larger part of his mind simply wanted to talk, his mind was curious about the world, and this was his only chance to find out how the rest of the world worked.

So for now, the Fox would simply keep on walking; enjoying the landscape and hoping he would come upon something interesting.

[Ikki Sanada]

The Fox was dreaming, he was dreaming about his life as Ikki. He had sat down against a tree, and decided to take a rest from all of his walking, and that was when he fell asleep. The sun and the shade mixture underneath the tree was the perfect temperature to send him into dreamland.

However, one could see from the grimace on Ikki's face as he slept that it was more like the Land of Nightmares.

Inside his head, Ikki's was seeing images of the Sand Village, at first they were beautiful, just like the real Sand Village. But as the dream continued, the images in his head became more and more macabre, even terrifying. He could see men and women being cut down by an unknown force, and could see their children lying bloody in the streets crying.

He was unsure, but he thought he could see the gates of the Sand Village lying in ruins, smoke coming from fires in the ground. Ikki was watching all of this and he could help no one, its because he wasn't really there. It took him a few moments of sheer terror before he realized it was a dream.

When this realization came, Ikki woke with a start. The Fox Mask fell from his face and he jumped to his feet. In a moment he had decided.

"I'm going back home."

Ikki started to run, he could tell from the direction the sun was setting that he had been facing west, he turned his body in the correct direction and jumped up into the trees. He was done with his journey in the outside world. This was the second dream about Suna in trouble he had had on this journey, and he thought his body was telling him something.

Like he yearned for home.

Ikki kept on running, and jumping from branch to branch, and after a minute or so at a steady pace, he upped his speed, he wanted to get back to the Sand as quickly as possible. Ikki surely didn't believe he was some sort of psychic, but he could believe that this was his body's way of telling him to go home.

[I C H I R O™]

Moved.

[Ikki Sanada]

Ikki Sanada was moving quicker and quicker as he moved through the Claw Country. Ikki burst through a large grove of trees and was on a huge hillside, he could see a small village in the distance, but he ignored it and reached into his back pocket for the World Map he carried. Ikki's breathing was slightly labored as he peered over the parchment of the map. He smiled.

Ikki was about to the leave the Claw and move into the next country to the South, which Ikki was quite sure is the Rice Fields Country, or the Country of Sound. Ikki remembered when he passed through this Country's waters very quickly on his way north, he had heard many rumors of this place, and none of them were good. He hoped he would be able to put this Country behind him quickly.

But first Ikki would have to reach the Sound Country. He gauged the distance between where he was and the border, and he estimated he only had a few miles to go. Which was nothing compared to just how much distance he had traveled already. Ikki started to walk forward, he took one look back at the Village in the distance and wondered what kind of people lived there, if they were honorable or evil.

Ikki shrugged and took in a deep breath. He had to keep moving, he had about three or four days until he reached the border to the Wind Country and he would finally be home. Ikki wondered what had gone on since his departure all those weeks ago. He hoped none of his nightmares would come true.

Ikki took three steps forward and flew into the trees. He landed on a tree branch and a few leaves rustled, some even came off. They floated down to the ground. Ikki suddenly disappeared from his vantage point, and appeared about ten meters ahead. He took to the air, jumping towards the next branch.

Ikki would fly, fly all the way home.

[¤ Lady Raиu ¤]

{Moved to Sound}

[Ikki Sanada]

Ikki Sanada had entered the Sound Country with little to no incident. Little to no means that upon entering, a shiver went up his spine and he almost fell out of a tree. Luckily there was no one around to watch him struggle to get his body under control once again. Ikki chuckled nervously as he looked around.

With no one in the immediate area, Ikki kept on moving. He would need to take a quick break soon, but he wanted it to be outside of the Sound Country, possibly on his next stop on the journey, the Fire Country. Ikki knew that the Sand and the Leaf have always had a strange relationship, and because he had been gone for so long he had no idea who was allied with who.

For all Ikki knew, he could be standing in enemy territory in the Sound Country. That thought sent another shiver down Ikki's spine. Once the shiver was gone, he grunted, angry with himself. Regardless of what happened he should never be afraid. With that thought, Ikki continued into the Sound Country, and soon he would leave the musically inspired country behind him and enter the forested lands of the Fire Country.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Moved

[Ikki Sanada]

Ikki's route was taking home, it was as if he could almost smell the sand of the Wind Country, and even though he was still in the middle of a wide expansive forest in the heart of the Fire Country, it was as if he could feel the wind of the desert. The kind of wind that was heated from the sun and it gave you a little warmth as it hit your body, it was especially amazing at night.

Ikki's suddenly broke through a large copse of trees and landed at the gate of a small town. Ikki was lucky not to be wearing his headband or else someone would have seen him. He breathed a sigh of relief as well when he saw there were no guards at the gate. Ikki looked around and saw it was just a small village in the middle of the Fire Country, nothing to worry about.

The Gennin decided to take a walk through the town, it was right in his way and he would waste time trying to go around it. As he walked through the buildings he noticed many of them were plastered with a sort of notice. Ikki wondered what it said, he walked up to the nearest and most visible one and read it. The Suna Nin took in a sharp breath.

The poster said: "Chuunin Exams Starting! All Leaf Ninja head to the Land of the Fang as soon as possible!"

Ikki eyes shifted to the right and then to the left, there was no one in sight. He pulled his world map from his back pocket, still examining the poster for any other news, and making sure it was for the newest Exams, and not some Exam in the past. Ikki nodded to himself when he finally ascertained that the Exams were in fact starting in a few days.

He unfolded the map and his eyes peered over it. He quickly located the Land of Fang, Ikki breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he was close by ad that the Fang bordered the Fire Country. Ikki would quickly fold the map up and then shove it back into his pocket. Ikki estimated he would be in the land of Fang in about three or four hours if he really pushed himself.

Ikki smiled, and an instant later, he was gone. The only memory of him was the faint breeze of a warm summer wind.

[Zetsumei]

Moved

[Ikki Sanada]

Now in the Land of Fang, and with a huge smile on his face from pure excitement, Ikki would exit into the Main City where he was sure he would be able to find an Administration building of some kind to register for the exams.

[EXIT]