{{Out of the Water; Into the Truth }}

[Kira]

((OOC: thanks Kaede ^-^ and welcome back to kenran XD ))

Kira already heard what the man said to her. She started thinking of what the better choice would be.

Then she heard the other girl suggest that she should come out, and and sighed inaudibly. She took one look at the ground below the branch and calculated that if she were to jump and land in the wrong way, she would most likely break a leg.

She scowled a bit as she jumped from the branch and landed lightly on the ground, a tremor going up her legs from the slight shock of a sudden landing.

She leaned against the tree, crossing her arms, and looking a bit annoyed at having to follow someone's orders. Kira glared icily at everything she saw. Kira hated being bossed around and listening to other people, but this man seemed to be a higher rank than her. She didn't exactly want to play fate and see what would happen next, because most likely, it wouldn't be pretty.

'What?!?', she felt like snapping, but bit her tongue to keep back the words. She didn't want to speak unnecessarily, and in some cases, waste her breath. Kira could feel her anger rising, for she had a short temper, but knowing the situation, she knew this wasn't the time for her to blow a fuse, and make any sudden moves that could cost her dearly.

Kira had yet to speak and stared at the bandit. A surge of pity ran trough her because it seemed right to help injured man, but he wasn't just an innocent bystander. She could always ask Miki to heal his wounds, but when he was fine again, they would probably find some things missing from their household, or the bandit could possibly turn on them, somehow. She felt her reluctance and pity battle against each other in her subconsciousness , over her involvement over what would happen to the bandit.

[siegfried]

(OOC: This RP looks like it's going great, mind if I join in?)

Sasubashi stared at the roof of the forest, specs of light bleeding through the gaps of the foliage. Leaves fell down upon the path like snowflakes. Serene.

"Sasuuuu-kuuun. Why do you always look so far away?" Memi chimed behind him.
Memi was a chirpy little kunoichi that always requested to go on missions with him. Her family had lived next-door to his when they were growing up, and they had developed a friendship. She was the same age as he, though she still had the petite body of a fourteen year old, and a personality to match. She was still an able ninja, though, and had only barely failed to attain the rank of Chunin.
"I was just thinking about how peaceful this place is," he replied. He turned around to look at her - she was sitting on the side of the caravan they were escorting, swinging her feet innocently. She was wearing a pink kimono-top and net-leggings, and white sandals. Her pig-tailed hair flapped in the breeze.
"It's boring..." She pouted.

Sasubashi slowed down and allowed the caravan to pass him. He then matched pace at the back, and spoke to the client.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
"Ev'rythin's fine n' dandy, my lad. We're makin' good time on 'thon road." He growled. His grizzly beard and thick face matched his voice.
"I'm glad to hear it. How much longer will you be needing our protection?"
"No' much farther, ma' boy. 'Nother day, by ma' reckonin'."

Sasubashi nodded in acknowledgement and then paused in his march. It felt like chakra. Strong chakra, not that of untrained people. A little to the west of their position.

"Sasu--!" Memi called to him.
"I know, I feel it. Stay here and guard the caravan - I'll check it out," Sasubashi replied quickly; "and dont complain, I'll be fine, and we can't leave Oruba-san alone." he quickly added as she was about to object.
"Aye, ye'r right there, laddy. No' a chance in hell 'am lettin' ye get awa' fae me." Said their client in a sarcastic tone.

Sasu jumped away from the caravan and into the forestry. He sprung from branch to branch, very quickly was the sound of wooden wheels on gravel taken away from his ears.
Through the trees, he saw specs of a white figure, still some distance away. Sasu slowed down, and fell to ground level, and kept low as he snuck forward. From his position he could see a group of dead bodies and two unconcious girls. He also saw a man dressed similarly to the corpses run away from the white figure, who was giving pursuit. Sasubashi was hit with immediate nervousness - for he reckognised this figure...
He caught up in time to see the figure in white throw a kunai-knife into the back of the fleeing man. The man in white turned over his victim and they exchanged words, or so it seemed to Sasubashi - however he was too far away to hear any conversation. The figure in white raised his arm, which held a knife in hand, and went for a killing strike. However this was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a young female, who parried the white-figure's knife. Then they, too, exchanged words - which were still unheard by Sasu. He decided to cautiously move forward, so he could hear more.
As he got closer, another girl appeared on the scene and leaned against a tree with her arms folded...

[ken]

'I think you hear him, miss. It's best you get out of those trees,' the young kunoichi called out, her steel gaze still firmly fixed on the white shinobi confronting her. Izanagi's mind processed this for a moment. Had she said 'miss'? Was this other girl really her companion? It certainly added a whole new dimension to events if that much were true.
Nothing happened for a few seconds; the birdsong continued its chorus throughout the forest, punctuated occasionally by the incessant whimpering and strangled pleas from the still cowering brigand on the sandy ground.
Then, a flock of birds took flight from the canopy of a tree to the right of the trail, the fleeing birds chirping angrily at an unseen disturbance. Moments later, the second girl rounded the trunk of that same tree and leaned on it, arms crossed on her chest and looking vaguely annoyed. She was perhaps a little older than the other girl, but possessed the same almost innocent looks of her peer - a quality that, to Izanagi at least, never really left the young.
She was shinobi too, which was hardly surprising considering; the hitai-ate around her head bore the symbol of the Leaf. Curious, Izanagi thought. What was she doing so far from home? He scrutinized the blonde girl now - no hitai-ate was present on her; not on her head, not on her waist, not around her-- but wait. Something else. An armband; an insignia present. Four blades of grass. She was of Kusagakure.
Konohagakure and Kusagakure - this rabbit hole was indeed growing deeper.
This, however, could mean a lot of trouble, and Izanagi's position was quickly looking less than favourable. His assumption that these girls were together as a team was now out the window, replaced with the now very loud and obvious fact that there could well be two ninja teams out there. He was confident in his fighting abilities, yes, but not stupid.
Izanagi concentrated hard. The chakra in the air was indeed significant, but not alarming; it suggested nothing more than the girls before him. His mind relaxed. If there were other shinobi in the area, they were not close enough to be of any threat.
With his thoughts at ease and his audience gathered, Izanagi got to the point.
'Tell me this - what do you think that man and his friends were going to do with those women back there? Kill them? No, no, not so soon. I know his kind, I've seen what they do, I know how they operate. I have watched him and his band of low life prey on the travelers of this route for some time now, and it was not pleasant - not in the least.' He stopped to stare hard at the wreck of a man writhe and cry pathetically at the sky. He hated him. It sickened him to think that this husk could ask for forgiveness now, after what he'd been a part in. It was people like him that the Inuukubi had no tolerance for. He continued. 'No, he is not worth your pity, and he is not worth my mercy. I want you to stand aside of this man, child. I bear you no ill, but if either of you come at me in his defense, I will not hesitate to strike you down where you stand. And that is not an empty threat.'
And then, he straightened - his stance disappeared completely, and his weapon lowered. He just stood there, regarding the two young shinobi with stone grey eyes. He took a step toward the man and his defender.
And another.
Then another.
Slowly and purposefully, he paced toward them, the still fresh blood dripping from the knife at his side, the droplets trailing in his wake.
'It is your decision now, shinobi of the Grass.'
And the clock was ticking...

[orino]

{{ OOC: Just a note, here. Orino is actually older than Kira. (13 vs. almost-15) ^^ }}

Orino watched as the black-haired girl—her once-rescuer—drop down from a nearby tree. Reluctantly, the girl stood and leaned lazily against the trunk of the tree, her arms crossed, her eyes steely with aggravation.

Orino noted this. Aggravation, but not malice. What was this girl's angle?

Suddenly, there was a quick, ticking pulse at Orino's ear; a warning again, she could hear it… or, rather, feel it. Chakra? If so, it was either quite weak or far enough away to be nothing. And when she looked to the pale man, he looked calm as ever. So at that, Orino, despite the uncomfortable premonition, chose to ignore the feeling. After all, she had more visible problems to attend to.

The pale man was speaking, now. His malice was plainly obvious despite his flat voice, and he bore no pity for the weak or the helpless.

The pale man was threatening, now. Orino had reason to feel tight. She knew that this man would not falter to stike her down any more than he had to the bandits. He was approaching, his knife at casual ready. Orino saw the blood, watched each drop drip, drip to the ground—a trail of death.

Orino already knew that she was not going to let the crumpled man die. She turned her head ever so slightly and began to speak low, form the very corner of her mouth.

"Bandit," she said. "I'll have you know that you are an evil man. You've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble—gotten me into even bigger trouble. But also know that I do not wish for you to die." She looked to the pale man, who was advancing surely. "Bandit," she continued, "you have a God. Apparently, He seems to like you right now…" This last part was perhaps spoken more to herself than it was to the bandit.

And so, pulling a kunai from her holster and giving a quick glance to the girl at the tree, Orino began to pray.

[Kira]

((OOC: Kira's almost 15 too))

Kira scowled at the mess she had gotten herself into. It seemed as if she had a way of finding trouble-or trouble finding her...

She sighed mentally, before straightening her back and getting of off her lazy position on the tree. She just couldn't simply stand by and watch now...eventually, she would have to get involved in the fight too.

Kira strode over towards the other girl, but her target was the bandit. She glared at him, sending a shiver down his spine.

It seemed as though she was about to kill him, but instead, she kneeled down and said in a menacing tone, dripping with hatred and a slight hint of malice, "Be grateful...I despise people of your kind, bandits, they should be allowed to roam freely throughout the streets. I pity the fact that you've gotten yourself in so much trouble, though...it's pathetic to watch...so I'll stick with...this other girl this time and help you, but be warned, for if I see you commit a crime ever again, I won't hesitate to kill you..."

Something in Kira's odd colors, greenish-yellowish eyes that were now tinted with a tiny bit of blood red, from her anger, told the man that she wasn't kidding.

She focused a bit of chakra to her hands and put them near the wounds of the bandit, letting a bit of green chakra flow out to heal his wounds, but he would still feel pain in them, since she wasn't completely dedicated to the task at hand. Other than that, she wasn't a skilled medic-nin either. She could only heal small wounds.

Without another word said, he was fine to move again, but before he could run away, Kira grabbed him by the shirt collar using an iron tight grasp, and he turned back to look at her, but she simply glared at him, once again. He looked around and knew that he better not make any rash moves, because if he did, he would find himself dead.

He was thinking of a way of escape, though. A thought occurred to him, that it was simply a little girl right now, and he could easily overpower her, and that her glare, was just from practice in a mirror everyday. The other girl was protecting him, while the man wanted to kill him. He had a slight chance of escape right now, and he was willing to take it.

He quickly swung his arm back, and his arm connected with Kira's face, sending her back a bit, but she dug her heels into the ground, bringing up some dirt, but keeping her balance.

He started running off, but Kira wasn't willing to lose her pride for acting out of pure pity.

Kira quickly recovered, with a slight sting in her cheek, but she ignored the pain for now, as she dug out a kunai and pinned him to a nearby tree, the kunai digging into his shoulder, and blood starting to soak his shirt, and sending a pain down his arm, making him cry out in pain.

She should've known better than to think a bandit could simply listen for once in his pathetic life. She had no more pity to give, for she had given him a chance-an opportunity, but he just lost it. Now she was seriously angry.

[ken]

The Leaf shinobi was up to something. Irritably, she abandoned her spot at the road side and approached the quivering bandit and his grudging young sentry. Izanagi watched her, his pace didn't slow. He thought, Why would this girl come to her aid? Did that mean that the Leaf and the Grass truly were working in tandem here?
Izanagi stopped in his tracks. He watched as the black haired girl crouched low and - albeit reluctantly - used some form of medical jutsu on the crippled man. She wasn't aiding the Grass ninja at all - she was aiding the bandit! He shook his head lightly beneath his hood, a sigh escaping his lips. The girl exchanged hushed words with the now stunned man; but clearly whatever she had said went in one ear and out the other. Izanagi saw it in the bandit's eyes before he had even done anything: realization.
The once injured thug lashed out with his arm, striking his healer on the face and stumbling her out of the way. He scrambled to his feet and made a break for it, panting hard more out of fear than exhaustion. Too late however, the Leaf ninja recovered and, clearly enraged, retaliated with a kunai, hurling it savagely at the escapee. The projectile hit home and sent him spinning into a tree at the path's edge, pinning him by the soft flesh of his shoulder. Once again, the unlucky bandit howled in pain and began groping at the air around the bloody wound, too painful to touch.
The split-second that the two girls' attentions were not on him, Izanagi disappeared in a blur.
The bandit pleaded again at nothing. His eyes were shut tight, not willing to accept his coming doom - but regardless of his pleas, his crying, his pain, it had already come.
Like a ghost, Izanagi lunged from the shadows next to the pinned thug. There was a flash of light - the sound of the very molecules in the air itself being rent asunder. And then nothing. Izanagi was still, his body rigid and his blade raised behind him in conclusion to a strike that already been completed.
The bandit's eyes glazed over and he made a little noise with the back of his throat.
Then his head fell to ground with a wet thud, a crimson trail tracing its descent.
A moment passed. The tree that the bandit's decapitated body was still pinned to creaked wearily - then the top half slid achingly out of place from a paper thin cut, and collapsed heavily onto the road, scattering snapped branches and twigs across the the trail in its entirety. Izanagi hopped onto the fallen tree from behind it and put his knife back into its housing at his waist.
He beamed at the girls, genuinely happily.
'My sincerest thanks to you for the exquisite opertunity... shinobi of the Leaf.'

[Kira]

Kira nodded at the pale man, not feeling the need to say anything, for she too, needed to get her pride back somehow, and this bandit was the man's target before her's, so she simply decided to just toy with the bandit and let him feel tortured, before handing him over to the pale man.

Kira looked at the corpse of the newly-slain bandit and scowled, slightly, with disgust.

She didn't feel sad, or guilty, or any of those emotions, for she had given him a chance. He could've been free to go, but instead, he chose to take advantage of the situation. It was low to hit someone, especially someone who helped him and was younger than him. It was a pity that the bandit had acted so stupidly, sealing his fate as soon as he dared to hit her.

Deciding not to waste any weapons, Kira walked over to the corpse, not showing any emotion, no matter how awkward it seemed to have to touch a corpse. Of course, Kira didn't feel that it was wrong to have to go near it, but she would've preferred not to.

Swiftly reaching over, she yanked the kunai out of the shoulder watching as the body collapsed to the floor in a mangled position.

Luckily, the blood didn't seem to trigger her small blood lust, but she did feel a bit mad over the fact that she was giving someone such as a bandit, who shouldn't be allowed to live, pity. She also felt like she wasted her chakra and energy by helping an ungrateful, undeserving man.

She examined her blood-covered kunai, before wiping the blood off with a piece of cloth from her weapon pouch, and stuffing both the cloth and kunai back into the pouch.

She glanced over at the other girl, unsure if she was affected in any way by the merciless slaughter, and the bandit's pained cries. Kira wasn't affected by the floor that was now riddled with corpses of the bandits, because when you enter the life of a ninjas, and in her case, a kunoichi, you couldn't be easily affected by things.

Another thought that occurred to her was, should they get rid of the corpses? Surely, no one would want to walk through the forest, only to stumble upon a bunch of rotting corpses.

"Now what are we gonna do with the bodies? Leave them here to rot?" she muttered un-intentionally out loud, but it came out as barely audible.