Of Men and Mongeese

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Gouka sat on the pier edge, feet dangling over the dark blue waters below. The ocean stretched out wide before him, the massive expanse swallowing the horizon. Somewhere far to the south, he knew the island nation of Mizu no kuni sat spread out amongst the swells and waves. A cool, salty breeze blew inland, dragging with it the smells of tar and fish guts that would have otherwise assaulted his senses from the fishing port. For the moment, Gouka simply basked in the cool breeze, the sun trailing lazily across the sky on its westward journey. The ocean expanse covered enough of the horizon that it would present a spectacular view once the sun began to fully set. Gouka planned to be there to see it. He had a lot on his mind today. Thinking back on earlier, he thought back over the events of a few days ago that had lead to him taking some time off to simply gaze out over the ocean.

[Start Recall]

Gouka had been struck by a peculiar mood one morning. For whatever reason, as he began his morning routine by demolishing yet another alarm clock, his mind continued to dwell on the aftermath of the cave. Rather, his thoughts dwelled on the KYOBU that had been the first to arrive at the scene; Mongoose. Mongoose had been the last thing Gouka had seen after emerging from the cave, bloody and broken, carrying the barely breathing body of his sister, and the KYOBU member's unmasked face had been the first thing Gouka saw when he'd awoken three days later. He'd also, unfortunately, been the one to bare witness to the breakdown of Gouka's family. For whatever reasons, the KYOBU had seemed to take a shine to Gouka.

Recovery had been long and hard. Even despite the best medics, Gouka would only ever be free to move unburdened by his scars, but never without them. While he got to the point that he could move without wretching from the pain, the KYOBU had seemingly taken it upon himself to hep the young Gouka recover. While he could not actively train until he'd properly healed, Mongoose had taught the young Gouka basic elemental chakra manipulations, taught the younger ninja everything he knew about the elements, how they interacted and how they formed. By some coincidence, Gouka and Mongoose had shared elemental affinities; erratic Lightning, flexible Water. When all that was left for Gouka was the psychological therapy, it was in his spare time that the KYOBU had taught Gouka most of the techniques he knew today. Training had been rather simple; if Mongoose had time, he would show up at Gouka's training ground, show him a technique, and then the two would practice until he'd mastered it.

Gouka had respected the older ninja. It had been Mongoose that had instilled in Gouka the importance of stealth, agility, and speed. In the words of the KYOBU member, "Some ninja are built to overpower, and outlast, their opponents. There's nothing wrong with that, but not everyone is a powerhouse. So, hide in the shadows. Never let the enemy know you're there until you've struck. If the enemy can retaliate, don't be there when the blow lands. Be quick, be efficient, and try to make every attack your last." Gouka had taken the words to heart, and worked his best to develop the skills Mongoose emphasized; the swiftness of lightning to strike before your foe can react; the flexibility of water to melt out of the way of their counters; the dark of shadow, to let none live to know of your presence.

Gouka often idly wondered how much of the KYOBU's interest was genuine, and how much was simply the KYOBU observing the younger nin to help ascertain he was truly ready to return to duty. Whatever the case, the day Gouka was cleared to return to the academy and properly graduate was the last time he'd seen the stoic KYOBU. Curious as to why he'd awoken with such studious attention to these recollections, Gouka had decided to seek out his former mentor. Unfortunately, this proved to be far from as easy as it sounded.

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[Administrative Building]

Gouka resisted the urge to palm his face, fighting down the urge to groan. Truly, there was no greater enemy to the common man than bureaucracy. "I fully understand that, as a KYOBU, there's certainly a high level of secrecy and red tape around his activities. But is it so Kami awful hard to leave some sort of message? At least tell me the man is still alive!?" Gouka had set out for the administrative building with the intent of seeking out information on his former mentor. He had been at his task long enough for the sun to have crawled halfway across the sky, hanging high over the village. Unfortunately, even the sharpest of knives dulled under the task of cutting through red-tape. He'd spent several hours bouncing back and forth amongst clerks before he'd finally found one willing to admit there was a KYOBU liaison. He was a sallow skinned, pale-face man with a ridiculously thin mustache that looked to have been penciled on, with greasy looking blonde hair and a receding hairline. His dull, onyx black eyes stared dispassionately over thin wire frame glasses back at Gouka. The man had been stonewalling him for several hours now. "I'm sorry, but as you are neither kin nor of jounin ranked, any information regarding the KYOBU under the 'Mongoose' call-sign is classified." Gouka had come to hate the man's voice; it sounded dry, and brought to mind the rustling of dead insect remains. Over the course of the past few hours, he had simply repeated the same thing to the younger nin over and over, in varying flavors; "It's none of your business, and you don't have the rank to make it such. Piss off."

Finally throwing his hands up in exasperation, Gouka turned away from the man, resigning his quest to dust. Stalking through the halls of the building, he shook his head in exasperation. 'Well, that was a bust,' he thought to himself. 'What am I supposed to do...' his train of though broke off, the young nin glancing around warily. For some reason, he often found himself interrupted mid-thought of late. His caution and paranoia proved fruitless, however, for in the time he delayed his thought to watch for danger, a gloved hand clasped across his mouth and jerked the young ninja sideways into an adjoining room. Too fast for the younger nin to react, Gouka spun across the room, feet skidding across the polished floor to maintain his balance, hands flying to his trusty blades, paying no mind to the dusty, apparently little used office he was now in. He relaxed immediately, however, removing his hands from the blades, as he took in the standard KYOBU uniform. He knew the figure could have easily killed him if they had so desired, so the meeting clearly had purpose. Gouka bowed politely to the masked nin. "Greetings... Sparrow-san." He paused as he spoke, taking a moment to identify the KYOBU's mask, as well as take in their appearance. They wore the standard KYOBU gear of vest, gloves, and arm guards. Even if the tattoo on the right shoulder was not visible, the curve of the hips and the neck length, auburn hair would have marked the nin before him clearly as a woman. The KYOBU merely watched him bow, waiting for the boy to stand upright before speaking.

"So you're Takeshi Gouka. Gankona give you trouble?" She spoke casually, clearing referring to the clerk that had so stonewalled Gouka. Her voice had a slight purr to it, like silk running across steel, that gave little doubt that however casual her voice and her poise, she had more than earned her rank amongst the KYOBU core. Gouka, taking on a mildly sheepish expression, scratched the back of his head. "That was his name, was it? How fitting." Gouka allowed himself a wry grin. "I'm just trying to pass a message along to my... Well, I suppose you'd call him my sensei. Spent a good few years getting me back in shape after-" blood burning pain end him END HIM"-an unfortunate incident with a rouge nin. Perhaps you know him? Call sign Mongoose, silver hair?" Gouka phrased the question politely, hoping if nothing else he might be able to pass along the message. Unnoticed to him, the KYOBU tensed. A long moment of silence passed, and Gouka began to fear he'd overstepped his rank farther than he thought.

As he opened his mouth to apologize, the KYOBU cut him off. "His name was Shoru. Yamamoto Shoru." Gouka's mouth clamped shut with an audible click of the teeth. The silence now seemed deadening as he fought back his rising gorge. KYOBU were the elite black-ops of the hidden village. They were involved in high class, extremely sensitive missions. While not officially required, they tended to keep their true names closely guarded, personal secrets outside of the core. To expose their true name meant one of two things; one, the KYOBU revealing the name had no intention of letting anyone who heard it live.

Or two, the KYOBU being named was dead.

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A long, tense moment of silence passed unbroken. Gouka just couldn't quite grasp it. In all their training, he'd never learned his mentor's name, most likely for security purposes, only ever referring to him as Mongoose. To hear it now, to know it, filled Gouka with dread. Licking lips with a tongue that suddenly seemed all too dry, Gouka tried to pose his question to the auburn haired, sparrow-masked KYOBU. The words moved sluggishly through his mind before he could finally find a question that did not use the dreaded D word. "How... how long... when..." He swallowed, unable to continue the line of questioning. The KYOBU shifted before answering "Three days previous. He died during a mission. I can't give much more detail than that." Gouka nodded, feeling a leaden lump drop into his stomach. He suddenly felt tired. So very tired. The KYOBU continued. "Were it not for your... status, with him, you would not have been able to learn of his death from the liaison for another month." Again Gouka nodded, understanding instinctively that he'd get no further information; breaching protocol even this far, though minor, could earn a reprimand. Suddenly, something about the name clicked in his head.

The leaden feeling disappeared, numbed under a chilling layer of emotionlessness as Gouka's eyes took on an icy cold gleam. He stared directly into the KYOBU's eye holes as he posed his next question, all hesitation suddenly gone from his voice. "You said his name was Yamamoto." He gazed narrowed, doing his level best to pierce the mask of the KYOBU with sheer intensity alone. "Was he related to the man who" KILL HIM "tortured my sister?" He had to know. If all that time, the man who'd been his mentor had merely been trying to account for the sins of family... The KYOBU remained silent, showing no hint of being bothered by the young nin's gaze. The lack of answer stretched longer and longer. Finally, Gouka sighed, his gaze dropping, the icy feeling slipping away as his shoulders slumped. The silence was all the answer he needed. "... Thank you for your help, Sparrow-san." Turning towards the door, he made to step towards it when a hand alighted on his shoulder. Turning tired eyes to the KYOBU, she left here hand there only briefly before removing a small scroll from her pouch. "It was amongst Shoru's requests that you receive this." Gouka silently took the scroll, pocketing it before turning once again. He paused as a few gears clicked into place.

He looked back over his shoulder, seeing the KYOBU still there. The breach of protocol, personally delivering the scroll when a messenger nin could have done just as well... "... You were one of his team mates, weren't you?" Sparrow remained silent, and as Gouka blinked, she was gone when he opened his eyes again, little more than a swirl of dust to mark her speedy disappearance. He stared into the room for a long moment, before shoving the door open, slamming it shut behind him as he strode down the hall, hefting the scroll in his hand. He glanced over it as he strode for the exit of the building. It was a small scroll, no more than 7 inches tall, and appearing to be about 3 inches thick, a narrow inch-thick wooden rod stuck through the middle. The outside of the scroll was a dull forest green color. It was held closed by a wax seal, bearing the miniaturized kanji for "Mongoose" on it.

Gouka pocketed the scroll. Too much information. Too much to think about. Was Mongoose sensei really kin to that monster? How had he felt, knowing his own family was responsible for ruining Gouka's life? About Gouka ending the life of the man who'd ruined him? Had he been angry, initially seeking revenge? Or had he simply been, the entire time, trying to make up for the sins? Had those four years been nothing more than a man doing his best to salvage the work of his brother's damned soul?

Too many questions to ponder over; too much to process; and even if he did stop to think about it, he'd likely never find answer now. His hand slipped into his pocket, wrapping around the scroll within. Perhaps Mongoose... Perhaps Shoru, had left answers, explanations, something, anything, for the young ninja now suddenly even more alone in the world than he'd ever been. Abruptly, a dark, mirthless laugh burst from Gouka's lips, stretching his face in a vulgar, dark mockery of of glee. 'How typical.' Takeshi Gouka wasn't allowed to be happy, it seemed. His mother, his father, his sister, his adoptive parents, two people he might have called friends but for his own bitterness, and now this.

Gouka suddenly turned on his heel, boot rubber squealing across the polished floor as he changed direction for another part deeper in the Admin building. An icy chill had settled across his thoughts once again. 'I think I need a few days off.'

[End Recall]

The sun had dipped lower in the sky. In a few more hours, it would be under the horizon, bathing the sea in golden light as it dipped under. Gouka barely noticed the passage of time, didn't even register the sounds and smells of the bustling port. On this out of the way pier, he continued to remain lost in his own little world; a lone seagull swept by overhead, filling the air with its cry. Finally shaking himself from his reverie, Gouka dug into his pocket, slowly withdrawing the sealed scroll. He played with it in his hands for a few moments, tilting it around and around, fingers roaming over it. But for the lapping of the waves against the pier's wooden supports, it was quiet. Gouka dug his finger under the wax seal, flipping it off. It revolved through the air, landing in the dark waters with a quiet splash. Gouka sighed, slowly unrolling the scroll. 'Let's see what sen.... what Shoru, left for me.'

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Unfurling the scroll, Gouka was greeted to the sight of a storage seal; unfurling the scroll a bit more and finding nothing else, he concluded that whatever his former mentor had left for him was further sealed inside. Getting up off the pier edge, he moved back a few feet, kneeling on the rough wooden planks and carefully laying the scroll out before him. Forming the necessary seals, a light application of chakra, and the most basic of sealing techniques was accomplished; with a poof of smoke, the items were unsealed from the scroll. Gouka looked over them carefully; one item was a large piece of paper, approximately ten by ten inches. Every inch of it, however, was covered by an intricate fuinjutsu pattern; Gouka had never seen it's like before. Setting it aside for the moment, he turned his attention to the other item; a small white envelope, with his name on it. Turning it over in his hands for a few moments, he ripped off the top, pulling out the singular piece of paper within. Taking a deep breath of salty sea air, he opened it up, and began reading. The writing was unfamiliar, but he hazarded to guess it belong to the now decease Shoru. He read on.

Gouka

If you're reading this, then my job has finally caught up with me. Death has always been a risk one takes in choosing the path of the shinobi for their career, an even greater risk in the cloaked shadows and black ops of the KYOBU division. I can only hope you prove to have more luck than I, though given your past, you would likely scoff to consider yourself lucky.

By now, you know my real name. I will say this; yes, the man who tortured your sister was my brother, though I suspect the Kitanai I knew was long dead before you killed him. I make no excuses for his actions, and can understand you might feel outraged to know of my relation to him. I cannot honestly say if I trained to out of obligation to fix his mistakes, to atone for his sins, or some other reason altogether. All I can say is I did my best to ensure you were as skilled a ninja as you could possibly be.

Now, within the scroll, along with this letter, I enclose the last thing I can offer to you as a mentor; perform the seals for the summoning jutsu, wiping your blood across the enclosed seal. Prove yourself to the entity that appears, and take up the last thing I have to offer; my summoning contract.

I wish you the best of luck, Takeshi Gouka. May you one day find the peace that has been denied you so long.

Yamamto Shoru.

Gouka slowly folded up the letter, tucking it into his pocket. "May I one day find peace..." Looking out over the ocean, the sun glinting like gold off of dark blue waves, a wry grin crept across his face. Wry and bitter, though it never truly reached his eyes; eyes as cold and deep as the ocean before him. "How... corny." Gouka had no illusions. Whether by the grace of the gods or by his own hands, so far every chance of happiness has be wrecked and ravaged from him. Now even the memories of his sensei had been taken as well, tainted as they were by the knowledge that the man may have been doing little more than paying for his brother's crimes. Some days, Gouka could not remember why he was still a ninja. Why he remained in a village where every happy thing, every happy memory he had, was slowly being torn away one by one.

Looking back to the envelope, noticing another piece of paper inside, he pulled it out as he bitterly admitted the answer to himself. 'Because it's quickly reaching the point that being a ninja is all I have left.' Still, he did not have to be affiliated with a village to be a ninja. Perhaps out there in the world, somewhere far away from the clouds and the mountains and the raging storms of his home, he could begin to forget. Gouka shook aside the thoughts as he unfolded the paper, vaguely taking in that it contained instructions for the summoning jutsu. Much as it pained him, he held loyalty, even to a village, in the highest regard. For better or worse... he was a ninja of Kumogakure. Folding up the sheet, Gouka turned his attention to the funi-covered parchment.

Gouka slowly brought his thumb up to his mouth, clamping his incisors upon it. Blood welled quickly from the wound, leaving a brief, metallic, coppery taste in his mouth. His hands slowly formed the seal sequence, ensuring he got them right on the first try. Swiping a blood trail across the parchment, he slammed his palm against it, chakra flaring briefly as the summons drained a small portion of his chakra. He quietly intoned the technique's name. "Kuchiyose no jutsu." Chakra flaring again, the seal lit up, glowing a bright, vivid blood red, burning through the parchment and quickly consuming it; a one time use seal, it appeared. A puff of smoke enveloped Gouka suddenly, obscuring his vision. He heard the dull thunk of something landing on the wooden planks of the pier, along with the softer sound of swishing fur. The smoke slowly cleared.

"Yo. Takeshi Gouka, I presume?" Gouka blinked, not entirely surprised by the sight before him; for all the motifs his mentor had had, it was no surprise at all that he had formed a personal contract for... Mongooses? Mongeese? The plural escaped him. At any rate, the source of the voice; which sounded so much like sand drifting across stone; proved to be what he suspected to be a fine specimen of mongoose kind, male if the voice was any judge. He or she looked to stand at around a half-foot at the shoulder, body and tail likely measuring in the range of two to three feet. Fur colored from a like charcoal gray to a brownish tan along the under belly, with thick, black horizontal stripes running across the back. Currently the summon sat next to a large scroll, nearly as long as its body, tail draped across it as it locked an amber gaze on Gouka. It's eyes reminded Gouka of his now deceased sensei.

Gouka nodded his affirmative to the posed question. "Hai. And you are...?" The summon nodded in return. "Sutoraipu. Most call me Suto for short." Gouka nodded again. "Alright, Suto-san." He motioned towards the scroll. "I take it that's the summoning contract?" The mongoose nodded as well. "Correct." Suto yawned, mouth stretching wide to reveal numerous pearly, razor-sharp fangs. "Before you can sign it, naturally, you must prove yourself ready and able for the contract. Worthy, as it were." He gaze focused more intensely on Gouka, who nodded in understanding. "Keep in mind, baring a summoning contract is not to be taken lightly. Give it your all, or go home." Gouka nodded again, mentally steeling himself for whatever test the summon might have prepared.

"Now, it all boils down to one question. And don't lie." Suto's small brown nose twitched. "I'll smell it from a mile away. Now, the question..." The summon shuffled his feet, positioning himself as he cleared his throat. "What are your feelings towards snakes?" Gouka stared blandly at the summon, casting his mind across the more... frivolous, incidents in his past. The time when he was five years old and a rock viper had crawled into his bed. That wonderful four hours he spent perched between two rocks, when he had gone to the park at age seven, waiting for the snake within striking distance under him to crawl away. When he was eight, and a snake came out of the toilet. Ten, a snake had crawled into his sleeping bag during survival training. Thirteen, during physical therapy, when a snake had snuck into the hospital courtyard...

"A short jog down the list from rapists, traitors, and fire, snakes come in at a solid forth on 'Reasons The Gods Are Out to Get Me.'" He answered the mongoose is a toneless deadpan. Nodding in satisfaction, the summons pulled over the scroll with its tail, the motion causing it to unfurl, spreading out an expanse of signature boxes. "That'll do then." Rummaging around in his fur, the mongoose somehow procured a small brush and even smaller bottle of ink. "Just sign on the dotted line, as it were." The mongoose spoke unhindered by the burden in its mouth. Gouka stared at him for a long, silent moment. ".... That's it? No battle, no test, no elaborate riddles made cliche by lion-headed women?" Suto chuckled as Gouka relieved him of the brush and ink jar. "I'm just a C-rank summon. Hardly worth the effort." The mongoose grinned at him. "Besides, given that our last summoner is dead now, we're kind of in a bind; according to the boss, so long as you were at least ambivalent to snakes, you're solid. Hating them is just a bonus."

Nodding, understanding the logic, Gouka signed his name onto the scroll, ignoring the small pang it brought seeing his deceased mentor's signature as well. Finishing up, Suto jerked on the scroll, rolling it back up. "That said though, given the circumstances, this is your only freebie; come the higher level summons, you're gonna have to travel to Mizu no Kuni. And they will almost certainly test you." Gouka began to nod, before furrowing his brow in confusion. "... Mizu? Really? Wouldn't Kusa or Rice make more sense as the home for mongeese?" The summoned mongoose visibly winced at Gouka's question. "Ah, well, it's only fair you wouldn't know, but all the same, try not to pose that question to the other summons. Sore subject." Suto shuffled in discomfort. "Suffice to say, Kusa wasn't big enough for both the Mongoose and Snake clans, and, well... They just had more firepower."

Gouka nodded, backing away from the topic. "Well, thank you for the information, Suto. Is there anything else I need to know?" The mongoose shook his head. "Nope. Hate snakes, Mizu no kuni, that's about it. You are now the wielder of the Mongoose Summoning contract." He raised his paw up to his head in a short salute. "Keep in touch." Without further ado, the summon dispelled himself, taking the scroll along with him. Gouka stared at the empty space the mongoose had occupied for a moment, before pushing himself off his knees, standing up on the pier. The sun was truly setting now, half the golden orb already under the horizon. Gouka turned his back to it, booted feet clumping along the pier. One more night at the inn, and then it was back to the village proper. As fruitful as it'd proven, vacation time was over.

[End Topic]