A New Place to Stay

Aka Yuki: a giant treacherous mountain range littered with little small villages but which no Kage resided over. The temperature had dropped steadily as they had approached but it was nothing compared to the cold that was actually present in the place. As Demitria stepped through the black cast iron gates that marked the village of Kata-yuki a soft dusting of snow began to fall from the sky adding to the snow that was already on the ground. She had decided to skip over the village at the base of the mountains – if anyone was going to look for them after all it’d be in the village that was easiest to get to or so she assumed.

She looked around for a moment, seeing no actual threat, which would be the point at which she would put Michie carefully back on the ground – if she hadn’t jumped off her back already. The people who she could see were going on about their business, most barely looking in their direction other than to acknowledge that they were there. Outside of an occasional nod there was no drama so far like there had been in the other villages. After a few moments of observing this behavior Demi called out to someone passing by, ”Hey there… could you point us in the direction of the inn, please?” The woman paused, smiled kindly, and then pointed toward a street nearby.

“Down at the end of that street you’ll find it. There’s a big sign hanging next to the roof, you can’t miss it.”

”Thanks.”, Demi would respond before watching the woman nod and walk away to continue on about her day. It was still seeming a little strange how people seemed so different in this area, and she pondered it as she made her way down the street the woman had pointed at and toward the inn – attempting not to shiver in the process. She was going to have to find some warmer clothing if they were going to be staying here for a while, that was for sure. ”Come on, let’s get inside before we freeze to death.”, Demi would mutter once they reached the inn, stepping inside with the assumption that Konran and Michie would follow her.

The Inn as it was called was fairly spacious; a kitchen in the back, a bar for those wishing for a drink, and tables and booths littering the main room. There was another room off to the side she could see that looked more like a sitting area which at the moment was where several children were playing some kind of card game. Within seconds of entering in she heard a voice from the bar, “Come in, come in. Feel free to warm yourselves by the fire. If there’s anything you need – a drink, some food, or a room – feel free to let me know and we’ll get you situated right away.” The man looked kindly, and unlike most men – and women – he wasn’t looking Demi over, in fact, he was staring rather pointedly at her face.

”Three rooms, please.”

“Three rooms it is. Would you prefer to pay now or open a tab?”

”A tab, please. We’ll be sticking around for a while.”

“Alright, a tab it is.” The bartender’s wife came out from the back, kissed him on the cheek, and took three keys down before he could manage to do it himself. “Stealing my job, eh?” The bartender would comment back with a chuckle.

“You tend, I’ll help them. Follow me, please.” The bartenders wife would make her way up the steps, Demi following. The woman would lead her, and Konran and Michie if they followed, to a second floor landing and down a hallway to a group of double doors. She would open them, and then nod to the four doors inside of what was a small and comfortable sitting room. “These three rooms have their own sitting room, as well as an extra bathroom. All three rooms have their own bathroom too. Here are the keys. If you need anything just let me know. The kitchen is open all the time, the bar closes are midnight and reopens at eight – we seem to feel it keeps down on the rowdy noise during the night to do it like that.” The woman paused after handing the keys over, hesitating for a moment as if debating on if she wanted to say something or not, “If… you need warmer clothing there’s a shop down the street that can help.” Demi nodded and the woman walked away.

Were Konran and Michie still there she would hand them each a key which had a number that corresponded with the numbers on the door. ”Either… they’re used to people randomly popping out of nowhere and just don’t care or judge… or someone’s putting something in the koolaid around here.”, Demi would mutter softly.

Turning she would close the double doors to the sitting room, blocking out everyone else in the hallway. "Before we all go running off... Rose, I want you to tell me a bit more about yourself..." Something wasn't sitting right with Demi; there was a feeling she was getting that she couldn't ignore, let alone the fact that Michie was acting like a normal little girl despite being a kidnap victim.

Word Count: 892

Cold weather never really bothered Konran. He always had a warmth to him, because of his Light Release. It was easy enough to use the light he'd absorbed to let off heat. Snowflakes that landed on him melted immediately, and he left deep tracks that went all the way to solid ground. As he moved it looked like his whole body was smoking because of the heat he let off.

Demi wasn't stopping at the first village. It was probably because this would be the first place authorities would come looking. Not that he cared, or was worried. So far Konran was pretty disappointed with this continent. Besides the usual trash and rabble, no one had tried to stop them from murdering and kidnapping.

The next village had a gate around it. Demi asked for directions to an inn. After being pointed in the right direction Konran headed off after them. Demi looked cold, and guessed that the kid had to be as well, but he still didn't look bothered. Konran went inside of the inn with them, steam still rising around him. Demi opened a tab and reserved 3 rooms. She was usually the one who did all of the talking, so he remained quiet. They were shown to rooms, and Demi handed him a key, saying she wondered if they were used to people just showing up, or if they were drunk.

Konran walked to a window to lay down the Shift Blade on the sill. He pulled out papers and his green to roll another "cigar." Demi asked the girl, Rose, to tell more about herself. Konran wasn't one to pry, but he was somewhat curious as to why she'd willingly come along with them so far.

6,745 + 290 = 7,035

This place was cold and it was starting to snow. Michie was quite happy she was being carried by Demi: the warmth from her back helped to keep Michie warm. She had put her hoodie on long before they had reached this area, and had even pulled her hat down over her ears and her goggles over her eyes. She was definitely a strange sight to see and yet no one around seemed really bothered with the appearance of any of them. She kept herself quiet as Demi asked about the nearby inn, and followed closely to the building, glad when they could finally step inside.

Demi reserved three rooms and opened a tab which would likely work for food and drink, too. They were shown upstairs where there were three rooms and an adjoined room which was set up like a seating area. The bartenders wife left and Demi shut the door behind her. Konran went over to a nearby window and began to roll himself another one of those odd cigars he seemed to smoke, while Demi asked her more about herself.

Michie pondered what all to say as she carefully removed her goggles, and sat down on one of the couches indian style before looking to Konran and then to Demi. ”Um… well I suppose I could start from the beginning. My real name is Michie. My parents died when I was really little – too little to remember them much at all. I was found and sent to an orphanage in Konoha. The matron there was very mean and evil. She kept me locked in this closet in the basement most of the time, and only fed me enough to keep me alive. Sometimes, if she was having a bad day she would beat me just because she could. I barely saw the sun – only when she was off running errands would one of the other orphanage workers let me out so I could go outside and play.

One of those days I was outside and the other kids were bullying me because of how small I am. Someone passing by just then saw me accidentally set one of the kids on fire – I didn’t know what I was doing, and didn’t know it was a jutsu until much later. This man was a shinobi of the village and he adopted me: though at the time I thought I was in a lot of deep trouble. I was really unhealthy from my time in the orphanage, and I spent a lot of time at the hospital, and trying to gain weight again. I lived with him for a few months and then one day he just disappeared completely. He left to go to work and then never came back. I stayed in the house for a week or so until someone realized what was going on… I didn’t want to go back to the orphanage with that horrible lady so I ran away – I was registered as a Genin and left the village without permission. I knew my dad had had a friend named Strafe so that’s who I went searching for. It took me a very long time but finally I came across him while I was living on the streets in Kirigakure.

He adopted me after hearing what had happened, and has been taking care of me since. I even started training again. Before I was promoted to a Chuunin though he took me on what would amount to three S-ranked missions. My friend, Shitai, went with us… but as her and I were running toward the danger to take on our part of the mission Shitai suddenly left – defected from the village. I was left on my own, outside of a clone my father sent to help me. At the end of it all I spent about ten days in my room not speaking.”

Michie went silent then for a moment, picking at her nails with a small frown on her face. ”It’s funny in a way… you know. You two are the first people not to throw me to the sharks. Not to throw me out in the middle of danger and expect me to handle it.” It was true of course: Demi had done nothing but take care of her and try and protect her – and Konran hadn’t tried to throw her in harms way either. She had nothing else to add at the moment, and instead just kept picking at her nails with a frown – trying fairly hard not to cry and doing a rather good job at it at the moment.

WC: 772

Konran went to roll himself another ‘cigar’ while Michie went and sat down on the couch after removing her goggles. She seemed to be fidgeting with her fingernails and Demi couldn’t help but wonder if the girl would even respond. But she did, and her story was one that pissed Demi off fairly well – though she hid her anger easily enough.

Michie had been orphaned at a very young age in Konoha. She was sent to live in a horrible orphanage under a woman who sounded like she had some serious anger issues – a woman Demi made a mental note to check up on and murder slowly if she was still in a position of power. This woman beat on Michie and kept her locked away in a room the size of a closet. The only time the little girl saw sunlight was while the woman was away, which was when the other workers would let her out. During one of these situations Michie had lit a bully on fire and a passing shinobi had saw the entire thing. This man, instead of getting Michie in trouble like she seemed to have been expecting, adopted her.

This didn’t last though as he soon disappeared completely: though not before Michie became a registered Genin of the village. Michie feared going back to that horrible orphanage – which Demi couldn’t blame her for – and began to search for someone else she knew, even going so far as to leave the village she was registered in without a sliver of permission – making her technically a missing nin. She found this man, Strafe, in Kirigakure and he quickly adopted the young child. However, through a series of events in which she was taken on missions she had no right being on with someone who betrayed her and defected, the girl was taught a very hard life lesson.

Demi was about to speak when Michie added on that so far it seemed like herself and Konran had been the only two people in quite a while not to throw her out into the path of danger or expect something from her. It was at that moment that Demi made a realization: she wasn’t going to give this child back unless it was over her cold, rotting corpse. If she could keep the little girl from suffering any further than Demi would, even if that made her responsible for her for the rest of her life.

Demi went over and sat down next to Michie, noticing with the way she looked that she seemed about to cry or as if she were holding back tears. She put her arm around her shoulder and gave her a one armed hug. ”You never have to worry about Konran or myself throwing you into danger like that – ever. I have to be honest with you though… I have no intentions of allowing you to go home now that you told me these things. You’re too young to be living such a hard and dangerous life – and you deserve better than the cards you’ve been dealt.”

Word Count: 518 | 1,410

Konran took off the hood to his jacket, running a hand through his wild black hair. He finished rolling his cigar and licked the ends, finishing the process by drying it with a bit of Light Release he had stored up. Putting the cigar to his lips he lit it, taking a long drag while staring out into the snow. This place seemed well enough, but he wondered when the usual assholes were going to show themselves. There were always assholes.

The girl - Michie was her name- began to tell her sad story. She didn't remember her parents. She was put into an orphanage, where the head mistress was cruel to her. The other children would bully her. One day she set a kid on fire, and a shinobi of the village adopted her. She was sick and malnourished, so she spent a lot of time in the hospital. She spent some time with that shinobi, until he up and disappeared one day. Not wanting to go back to the cruelty of the orphanage, Michie ran off and became a missing nin.

The shinobi had a friend named Strafe. Strafe... the name was what made Konran turn to look at her. He'd heard about him before; a run in with Alec. Michie made her way to the water village and found Strafe, and he adopted her. But living with him turned out to be no better, as Strafe took a mere Genin on a very dangerous mission way out of her league. To top this off, a friend of theirs ran off during the mission and defected, leaving her to fend for herself.

Konran turned back to the window making a grumbling sound. In another rare moment of speaking, Konran said, "Strafe... Demi, is that the same Strafe that your father got into it with in Yokuchi? And Alec ended up cutting off one of his legs?... Also, the Strafe that tried to get in Kinzoku's way once, and Kinzoku broke every bone in his body?" Konran took a long hit, still staring out at the falling snow. "Hmm... What do you think Alec will do when he hears about this?... Even Alec wouldn't take a Genin on something so dangerous, and people call him a violent psycho and a super villain..."

Ordinarily Konran didn't comment or care for other people's affairs... But even he wished this guy had have come looking for this girl.

7,035 + 406 = 7,441

She couldn’t allow herself to cry, she wouldn’t. Crying equated to weakness and she had been taught that weakness would get her nowhere. Yet, Demi’s words almost sent her over the edge: she nor Konran would allow her to end up in harms way. They would never expect her to run into battle; they would never put her in danger on purpose. What Demi added on next though caused Michie, or rather Rose, to look up suddenly: she had no intentions of allowing her to go back home, no intentions of allowing her to go back into such a situation. In a normal situation that probably would have scared her, in a normal situation that probably would have made her cry, but in this situation Rose simply smiled gently. She took it as a protective gesture, not an evil one.

Instead of saying anything though Rose simply listened as Konran spoke up next, asking about Strafe and mentioning two violent situations that had happened in the past. Rose tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, looking from Konran to Demi. ”Whose Alec?”, she asked suddenly. Who was this person who had cut off a leg? Who was the other person for that matter who broke every bone in his body?

Konran then added that even Alec wouldn’t take a Genin on something so dangerous, and he was considered a violent psycho and a maniac; it reminded her of the things that Demi had said. It was weird to think that bad guys could be so caring but she wasn’t going to knock it.

”What will happen to my da--- to Strafe if he shows up?” Would he show up? Would he be able to find her? Was he looking desperately from village to village now for her? Would she ever see him again at all?

WC: 1,078

A thoughtful look crossed Demitria’s face at Konran’s question. Her father had indeed cut the leg off of someone named Strafe – her sister Destiny had been there too during that situation. It had all started over her father stopping in a bar and the unwillingness of the Kage at the time to leave him alone. Following that Kinzoku had returned to the village of Yokuchi and had crushed every bone in Strafe’s body – she assumed that this was the same Strafe, and likewise assumed that Holeman had healed him which was the only reason he was still alive.

”I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible it might be the same guy. But, what is the previous kage of Yokuchi doing in the village of Kiri? Definitely possible, though. I’m sure that hearing about this really won’t sit right with my dad...”

Michie seemed to be handling the situation fairly well with all things considered; even though she looked like she wanted to cry she wasn’t doing so. She inquired about Alec, and then asked what would happen to her father Strafe if he showed up. ”Alec, or Alec Kane. He’s my dad. He was labeled a missing-nin because the previous Commander of Hanagakure was an idiot. He wanted to keep a specialty called Weapons Tech locked to the village and only the village. He was a moron, and did a few other things from what I understand. My father bombed the village when he realized his work wasn’t getting recognition. Even kidnapped Avery – his wife – from there. No one did anything though. So, he came back in the end and killed the leader, who was a Uchiha.”

Demi hesitated at Michie’s second question though. She didn’t want to lie to the child, but she also didn’t want to frighten her. Still though, she had a right to the truth and Demi didn’t want to sugar coat things. ”I’m not going to lie to you, Rose. If Strafe ends up showing his face around here he likely won’t be leaving alive. If my father and sister end up here with us before then that’ll definitely be the case. My father won’t take kindly to hearing about what you went through – nor that Strafe allowed you to go with on a highly dangerous mission. Konran is right: even my father for all of the crimes he’s committed wouldn’t put a child in harms way like that, and he’ll probably be pretty pissed off to find out that someone else did. He might kill Strafe this time around: especially since if it’s the same guy he’s already escaped death on two separate occasions.” It was her assumption at least – it was what she would do. Family was something the Kane’s held dear; they protected one another. So seeing that someone else allowed a member of their family, a child nonetheless, to end up in harms way… we’ll, none of them would be okay with something like that.

Word Count: 500 | 1,910