[P; MISSION] The Missing Fiancé.

Posts : 423

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stop calling, stop calling
MAKESHI SUZU
i don't wanna think anymore
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Quote :: Mission Title: The Missing Fiancé
Mission Location: The Shoreline
Mission Participants: Genin - Chuunin
Mission Rank: C
Mission Objective: A woman's fiancé is a day late arriving home from his fishing trip and she is becoming very worried. She believes he is lost, for he even admits he is not very good with maps nor fishing. You are to look for this fishing man. He owns a small white boat with a yellow stripe across it and can be seen wearing grey overalls and a blue hat with an orange star on it. Bring him back to his worried fiancé.

‘It’s only C-ranked! How bad could this be?’ Suzu thought as she received the mission scroll from the elderly village council member. What she first felt as embarrassment – having been deprived of missions during her genin days – soon matured to a sense of pride as she awkwardly bowed and walked away, towards the exit. The last thing she saw was the dubious eyes and tightly pursed lips of the council assistant, who was hesitant in giving Suzu the responsibility. However, it wasn’t her decision; nor was she able to snatch the scroll away, despite how much she yearned to do. So the last thing she saw was the jolly steps of the incompetent kunoichi who clutched the scroll that determined the fate of an innocent man.

“Sir, her mission records are empty; not even one single cleaning mission. She’s clearly inexperienced, compared to other Kiri Chuunin.” Her voice was professional, but quivering. “Shouldn’t we send her on an easier mission? Perhaps to go and retrieve Puddles? That Mrs. Bosney is always losing her cat…” She pressed her desire to strip Suzu of her current C-ranked mission, but she was stopped by a raised hand from the elderly council member.

“Miss Makeshi isn’t someone who falls under any criteria.” He began, his raspy voice ringing throughout the room. “Yes, this will be her first mission, and perhaps sending her alone on this search and rescue quest could prove to be a mistake. However, our beloved Mizukage took a chance with Miss Makeshi with a promotion, and as far as I’m aware, she has been a great deal of help to our country. The Mizukage has the utmost trust in Miss Makeshi, and as do I.” Removing his spectacles, he rubbed his tired eyes. “I suggest you do the same, Ms. Naomi.”

“Yes, sir…”

“… late from his fishing trip… he is lost… not very good with maps… white boat, yellow stripe… grey overalls, blue hat with orange star…” The synopsis was fairly straightforward; find and bring a lost man back to his wife. He declared his fishing trip to be somewhere in the outskirts of the island, near the shoreline of the west side. Though Suzu knew little of what lay beyond this isolated land, she figured it wouldn’t pose a greater than some of the mishaps that had occurred during her shift at the hospital. Nothing had, or will, come close to excessive bleeding from the mouth and ears. What used to be pure white hospital floor was now dyed a light red.

Considering this man had been reported to be missing a few days back, Suzu thought it’d be appropriate to start this mission as soon as possible. At 2pm, the contents and colour of the sky had shifted from a gloomy grey, filled with heavy clouds, to a relaxing blue, with the sun shining high above the island, radiating its glow to the tops of Kiri’s buildings. Perfect searching weather, Suzu thought, as she began to gather the necessities. She stuffed a map in an empty pocket and restocked the contents of her medicinal pouch. Her hitai-ate was wrapped around her right thigh, underneath her clothes and her handfan was within reach, tucked between layers of clothing. Suzu filled a spare bag with food, consisting of juice boxes and granola bars. She couldn’t afford to be unfed, and the missing man could be famished as well. Unless he’s had some luck with his amateur fishing skills, which Suzu highly doubted.

With everything packed, organized and ready to go, Suzu glanced at her lone apartment one last time before twisting the doorknob and heading out. She felt as if she understood the wife of the missing man’s concern, as she knew what it meant to be lonely.

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THE SHORELINE
wordcount : 629
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Posts : 423

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stop calling, stop calling
MAKESHI SUZU
i don't wanna think anymore
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Descending down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, Suzu whipped out the crumpled map from her pocket. It was the largest – and only – map that the markets of Kiri supplied, but despite it being rather big, it was only the size of a standard piece of parchment paper. The contents of the map were ineffectual and long due for an update. She could see the faded grey square on the east side of the island which she quickly identified as her apartment. It had been developed into a much larger building but the map failed to distinguish that aspect. But a handful of things hadn’t changed, such as street names and rural areas.

It was odd; the west side was urbanized. It housed factories, companies and many unnamed businesses, as well as the Administration building. According to the map, it didn’t contain many forests or open areas, so why had the man decided to partake in a fishing trip there? She noted how many of the popular fishing areas were located near the east side, and the rest were down south. Only a few spots were located near the urbanized part of Kiri, but those remained unpopular and unheard of. Also, seeing as it was fairly detached from the rest of the society gave her a queasy feeling, and her hope for this man took a nosedive.

Her best bet would be to take the south road, and keep herself hidden among the foliage. She couldn’t waste a single second and getting interrogated by villagers as to why she was dashing through the neighborhood, causing a wreckage of things. Knowing that the forests were usually avoided by many villagers, she expected to arrive at the western fishing spot in less than 20 minutes. For some odd reason, a mental image of the council assistant appeared in her head, stopping Suzu in her tracks. She saw it as a sign of nervousness, but it was quickly overcome with the feeling of excitement and soon, accomplishment.

Dashing through the forest, she leaped from branch to branch, careful to not miss a landing. Injuring herself would be the worst case scenario, right after failing the mission. It wasn’t long before the 15 minute mark passed which allowed her to see a glimpse of the shoreline. The horizon was quickly coming into clear view and the sea widened. The smell of pollution dissipated and the faint stench of dead fish and seagulls filled her nostrils. If she was to search for this missing man while breathing in that odor, there better be a reward involved. Her face screwed up in disappointment as she slowed her pace to walking speed.

“What seems to be the matter, Miss?” The voice was thin, yet firm. It belonged to an elderly man, perhaps in his 80’s, in no shape to be outside alone – in the forest, no less. What his intentions were wandering around the dangerous parts of town weren’t Suzu’s problem, but she was curious as to how he was able to see her dissatisfaction. Her back was turned and he had no possible way of looking at her face. Was she that predictable or something?

“I’m fine, sir. I really am. But I really should be going…” Suzu said, giving the man a slight bow, but as she turned her heel, she was stopped by a feeble hand on her shoulder. “Now, now, what’s the hurry? Can’t you spare just a few seconds of your time for an old man like me?” His smile – something Suzu couldn’t avoid looking at – was sincere and true. “I don’t get many visits from other people, let alone someone as pretty as you, my dear.” She couldn’t help but to blush; why did he have to be so charming?

“Wait, so you live here?” Suzu asked, astonished. Making conversation and wasting time wasn’t something she could afford to do, but she wasn’t able to avoid this obstacle. “Yes, my house is located just a few trees down that way.” He pointed to the right, and sure enough, a dirt trail led to a quaint, small house. “You should come inside, I have hot water boiling and green tea available.” Surely enough, another smile was flashed in Suzu’s direction.

“Sir, I’m currently in the middle of a mission. A rather important one, might I add.” She had to choose her words carefully; upsetting the elderly would only prove to be more time consuming. “I’d love to visit you for tea, but it will have to wait. Maybe, after I complete my mission, I can come see you. But for now, I really have to get going.” With that, she bowed again, and started for the shoreline.

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THE SHORELINE
wordcount : 789
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Posts : 423

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stop calling, stop calling
MAKESHI SUZU
i don't wanna think anymore
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Strong waves collided into the delicate rock formation that lay beneath her feet. The water never reached above the rock wall, but in the rare occasion that it did, it never proved to be threatening to the citizens of Kiri. Most settled near the center of the island, and only great trees and foliage resided at the edges. From what the fog allowed Suzu to see, the shoreline was vacant. There was no sign of human life and the only boats that remained close to shore were ones that haven’t been used in ages. The material had been broken down from the salty water and looked to be useless, lowering Suzu’s hopes once again. She didn’t need to look to know that the white boat with the yellow stripe wasn’t present.

However, she did see something off into the distance. Though it was hard to tell from the dense fog, it looked to be some sort of sign. Inching closer, someone had set up a geometrical figure, consisting of branches and off-coloured leaves. Of course, the triangle was the universal language for “help,” but it’s just as useless as no sign when the abandoned is nowhere in sight. But as she walked closer to the whereabouts of the triangle, she was able to see more.

A grey tent was set up, just meters away from the sign. Alongside the tent were an array of fishing poles; some in better shape than the other. The person had been able to start a fire, as Suzu noticed the burnt-out pile of logs centered near the campsite. Beside it was a fresh supply of hardwood, which he never got to use.

The contents of the tent consisted of a sleeping bag and blank parchment paper. She searched in and out, but there was nothing here that would be useful in locating the missing man. There was no ID, no clothes, no food and no footsteps entering or leaving the camp. Either he embarked on another fishing journey seeing as the west side didn’t supply his favourite salmon, or he had been captured by village goons. Honestly, the latter would be easier; teaching some juvenile delinquents a lesson would be interesting, and a way to let out her frustration. But before she could even think about clenching her fists, she had to search and locate this man.

“You know, your wife is sick with worry back home! I know you don’t want to trouble her any longer, so it’d be mighty nice if you showed up!” She shouted, aiming her voice towards the forest. He couldn’t have gone far with just a boat, and Suzu hoped he was sane enough to stay on shore. If he had gone into the waters – which she hoped wasn’t the case – then the rusty boat would be her only option. But despite his absent boat, she was intent on searching the land before she made drastic decisions.

‘A lost fisherman shouldn’t be hard to find…’ Suzu thought, as she walked closer into the forest. It wasn’t as dense as the one located south, but it was avoided as much as any other. She noticed some broken branches, perhaps caused by a person’s steps, and it was reason enough to search further in the forest. Soon enough, red-coloured droplets were visible on the green grass and moist dirt and a blue hat lay close to the droplets, dyed in blood. The rest was child’s play; following the trail of blood that led to the injured fisherman.

The hoarse voice lifted Suzu’s hopes once again, as she hurried to the source of the sound. The man lay on his back, his tired eyes half-closed and his grey overalls stained in blood near his arms. His head and face seemed unharmed, which was a good sign. She checked his vitals, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, or life-threatening. Pulling his sleeves up, his arms bore bite marks, which Suzu identified as bear bites. It wasn’t uncommon around these parts, as she has had a handful of patients with bear-related injuries.

Suzu didn’t say much, other than the occasional, “mhm,” or “alright.” Her first priority was to get this man in a safe location, away from the forest. Pulling out her syringe, she gave him a light dose of anesthetic, which quickly numbed the pain. He wasn’t excessively bleeding, which meant that she had time before she had to perform any medical ninjutsu on the man. One arm over her shoulder and the rest at his side, she led him back to the campsite, one step at a time.

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THE SHORELINE
wordcount : 770
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Posts : 423

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stop calling, stop calling
MAKESHI SUZU
i don't wanna think anymore
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A green glow emitted from Suzu’s hands, sealing the wound and erasing the dry trail of blood on the man’s arm. She pulled the antiseptic and a roll of bandage from her medicinal pouch and began to treat the bites. His arm wasn’t broken, nor was it even fractured, but his loss of energy could be explained by the fact that he had tried to fight the bear, or run from it. The latter seemed appropriate, and explained his sprained ankle. Having it tightly bandaged and taking it slow should heal it in a few days. With a wet cloth, she removed the rest of the dry blood from his arms and waited for the anesthetic to wear off.

He began to stir into consciousness soon after. His arm and leg tensed, feeling the tight grip of the bandages. She was used to seeing this surprised expression, but she never thought she’d experience it outside of the confines of the hospital. “You’re up, that’s great!” Suzu commented, with a beaming smile, as she helped him to a juice box and a granola bar. By the way he scarfed down the granola bar, he seemed to be recovering quickly. Also, Suzu was right about his fishing expedition being unsuccessful.

3 juice boxes and half a dozen granola bars later, the man spoke. “I’m Hayoshi Tatsuma, of the Water Country.” It seemed as if his voice regained its usual spark, as Suzu noted it was no longer rough and hoarse. “I… went on a fishing trip here, and since it wasn’t very busy, I thought I’d be pretty successful. You know, no one else to compete with for fish, heh. Guess I was wrong. Two small herring later, I didn’t get much. My luck ran out right after I forgot to attach the rope on my boat to the deck. Where it sailed to, only God knows.” He took another bite, searching Suzu’s bag for another.

“Well, the western side is known for its urbanization. The fish around these parts aren’t that great, due to great amounts of pollution. The water is a different colour too, if you haven’t noticed.” Factories and companies dumping excess amounts of oil and who-knows-what-else caused the water around the west side to turn a mouldy green-brown. Though some fish that could adapt to these sudden changes still existed, many had either died, or swam away. The former, mixed in with the pollution would be the source of this nauseating smell.

Spoiler:

The pair had spent a good hour on the campsite, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Hayoshi was back to his former self after emptying the contents of Suzu’s food bag, and was ready to take a half hour walking trip back home.

It wasn’t long after Suzu noticed that she had forgotten about the stench of fish and rotting garbage. They neared Hayoshi’s home, located just a few blocks away from Suzu’s apartment and saw his wife hanging laundry outside. At first, she took no notice of two unusual-looking villagers, but seeing the familiar blue hat with the faded orange star, she immediately dropped the white sheets and came running into the arms of her injured husband.

There wasn’t very much else; the wife informed Suzu of her gratitude, which she replied with a small, “oh, don’t worry about it, just doing my job.” She gave each of them a light hug and the last thing she heard was the nagging voice of Hayoshi’s wife. With a sly smile, she headed home.

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THE SHORELINE
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Age : 37 Posts : 1136

Completed. Very Nicely done too. I am going to give you a maximum 5 marks

5 Marks x 2 Points (for C rank) = 10 Points. Well done. Keep up the good work