Tails between Our Legs - [Travel: Rice to Fire]

Age : 49 Posts : 1036

It would be just half an hour before sunrise when an emotionally and physically drained chuunin staggered into the camp held by two genin and a summon. A summon who immediately recognized his summoner and settled back to the stump from which he had kept watch over the two genin and one prisoner left under his care. The later being unusually silent; although not without Tonbi's own peculiar brand of persuasion if the occasional kunai and shuriken embedded into the tree were any indication. Toshiro wasn't aware of tha change in the captives demeanor, and if he had it was unlikely he would have been able to muster the energy to care, as he half-staggered to the repurposed coffee pot his summon had put onto the fire. If Toshiro was a passable cook then his summon was the opposite and the "morning pickup" held was proof of that. In spite of that taste that no two unfortunates who experienced it described as other than "horrible", it would wake even the near-dead up. Pouring himself a cup and downing in one go (to avoid prolonging the taste), he followed it up with nearly half a canteen of water to dilute the taste. As he did so Tonbi broke the silence with a single word. "bad?" The chuunin's response was just as short being "worse."

Pleasantires, of a sort, exchanged the pheasant went back to keeping his watch and occasionally tormenting the prisoner whenever she almost went to sleep by landing a kunai or shuriken near her neck. At the same time Toshiro went about getting breakfast for the humans ready then started packing up his part of the camp. As much as he wanted to crawl into his tent and sleep until the next sunrise, the chuunino knew he had to get his team across the border and soon. Not because he thought that an imaginary line on a map would stop anyone sent after him or his genin by his insane sister; but if they were over the border it would give any pursuers second thoughts. Not only because such an action, if they were from a recognized village, could be viewed as an act of war but being inside Fire Country increased the chances of reinforcements for the Konoha-nin showing up in the form of a border patrol or a team leaving or returning from a mission.

Once the two genin had woken up, Toshiro unceremoniously sent them to eat then finish packing up. "Eat up then pack up. As soon as you're done we're getting the hell out of here. Every second we're still here is a second too long." Warning given the chuunin went to deal with their prisoner who was looking just a bit smug at hearing her captors unnerved. That smugness vanished when she was abruptly kicked in the chest and felt the cold bite of a blade in her neck. When the kunochi's eyes were again focused the first thing they would see was Toshiro's own teal orbs and the second the gag that he shoved into her mouth and secured with some wire. At the same time the chuunin had whispered that his prisoner shouldn't expect a rescue - not because none was coming, but because his sisters "reward" for failing in even the smallest things was death. Sometimes a quick one but more often a prolonged one as the bodies of her "test subjects" that had been found when Konoha had found and raided her hidden laboratory alluded to.

In the time it had taken Toshiro to replace any thoughts of escape his prisoner might have had with fear at being "rescued", his genin had finished packing and were ready to leave. Something made all the more apparent as Tonbi threw Toshiro's own pack at chuunin before going up in the cloud of smoke that was the universal signature of a summon returning home. Something Toshiro envied as he put on the pack before untying the rope that held the prison and tossing it to Rin. Then he hefted the kunochi over his shoulder (idly noting that unlike last time she wasn't squirming but shaking slightly in fear) and set off towards the border between Ta no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. With luck by nightfall they would be safe for official pursuit and he could hand off at least one responsibility to the ANBU.