Carpe Diem [Travel]

Age : 35 Posts : 1113

[Travelling to Kaminari no Kuni]

Barely a sound followed Uriko's emergence from the pool. The water's tension broke as she surfaced in silence, droplets of clear liquid cascading down her face and neckline. Her slender, unclothed figure stepped gracefully from the heated water onto the dew-laden turf. There was a time when the kunoichi enjoyed the gentle tickling of grass blades underfoot. As a child, she would have stopped and giggled, brushing her feet from side to side as the plants bent beneath them. Now, with her scarred and hardened skin, she was cut off from such delicate sensations. Had her family and friends lived to see it, their hearts might just have broken. The young, quiet girl from a happy home had grown so distant, so cold and cruel that her former self was all but dead. Not even stopping to reminisce, Uriko walked calmly over to the base of a nearby tree and pulled away the loam, revealing her secreted clothes and items. A few moments later and the woman once again donned the lightweight version of her usual garb. The armor had been stored away, the head scarf discarded and the kunoichi began to tie her hair in a loose ponytail even as she walked. In a country such as this, there was no need for drastic disguises.

As she reached Yugagakure, Uriko once again fell right in with the regular crowds. Mostly tourists, they were here to visit the springs, to see the country - but not to see the people. It suited the female nukenin rather well and with her 'new' look, not one person took a second glance. Passing a slightly more dilapidated building than the others on the main thoroughfare, the kunoichi slipped quietly into the alleyway just beyond. After a few twists and turns, she hurried down a trio of steps, leading into the aged structure she had passed before, and ducked inside. The empty room that greeted her felt thick with dust, Uriko coughing slightly as she cleared a few motes that entered her mouth. The noise attracted the sole resident - a seedy-looking man, with unkempt, black hair and thick stubble. Shuffling across the wooden floor to greet his guest, the man glanced to a nearby door, then back to Uriko with a quizzical expression. The woman nodded and gestured for him to lead on. As the man pulled the door wide open, a new noise broke the silence. Fluttering feathers. It was masked only by a sharp creak as the door eased shut behind the pair. All manner of birds sat in holding pens, each with miniature scrolls tied to their legs. The kunoichi inspected the only two ravens here and was quick to identify the one with a message labelled 'the forest endures'. Relieving the bird of its cargo, Uriko turned heel and made a swift exit.

The man had shown her from the premises, somewhat eager to see her leave after picking up the message. Perhaps he feared being incriminated if caught, or maybe it had taken him that long to realise who Uriko actually was. It mattered little, as they hadn't been interrupted and the woman had her scroll. Truth be told, she had not been expecting contact. The quick visit to one of many criminal 'drop offs' had been more in the name of good practise than actual anticipation. Unfurling the parchment, Uriko stood in the darkened alley and squinted at the markings on the page. 'I will speak at ten and twelve.' Cryptic to some, but perfectly clear to the kunoichi. Her amber eyes flitted from side to side briefly, checking for unwanted observers, before she laid the scroll flat on nearby barrel top. With her now free hand, Uriko raised her index and third fingers, intertwining them to form an unusual seal. Were she to put her hand against a clock face right now, the two pointed tips would indicate ten and twelve - hence the message. "Hanasu." She muttered, before running the seal over paper. The letters began to transform, ink seemingly leaking out of those already on the page and spreading into new lines of text. Before long, a whole paragraph had emerged.

"Lady," It began. Uriko snorted derisively at the title, but read on. "There is much unrest in the Lightning Country. The Daimyō has been assassinated in broad daylight and the Raikage seeks retribution. War will come to these northern lands and we would do well to capitalize on it. There is more than just a tidy profit at stake here, my lady. A drawn out conflict would no doubt line our purses, but it could also be used to weaken one of the greatest nations in existence. Our role would be fraught with risk but there is no better place to strike than from within. I will reveal no more, should the worst come to pass and my letter is intercepted. I leave this in your capable hands, lady, and trust that you will see it done." The text stopped abruptly, with no signature or mark to indicate the sender. Uriko stood still for a moment, the gears of her mind whirring fast as she digested the information. Absent mindedly, her hand began to fumble around in her pouch for a match with which to burn the parchment. Fortunately, she needn't have bothered. The paper erupted into flames of its own accord only a moment later. Whomever had sent the message - and it could only have been a select few - had taken every possible precaution.

With a new heading and plenty to consider, the female nukenin strode confidently out into the human traffic and followed the flow until she reached the village outskirts. Peeling away from the smaller groups leaving this quaint town, Uriko picked up the pace as she crossed the surrounding hillocks. Travelling to the nearest port would be relatively simple; Yu no Kuni was not known for its geographical width. The rolling hills made staying adjacent to the border but unseen by the guards an easy enough task and Uriko was inwardly relieved not to have to waste time with them once more. Delving into her deep pockets of stamina, the woman pressed on at quite a pace, barely slowing as she went from downhill gradients to steep uphills and back again. Purpose had always driven the determined kunoichi, who had an unnerving ability to focus on a distant goal and constantly stride towards it without loss of intent or direction. It was something that made her a uniquely dangerous enemy. Her dogged pursuit of Hajiro - many, many years before - evidence enough of that. And he had paid a high price for crossing the vengeful woman. After about an hour or so, having made significant progress, Uriko was forced to slow to a halt and delve into her medical pouch. She had not eaten anything for hours and the intense exercise would cause even her muscles to seize up if she continued in this vein. A small, chalky pill appeared a moment later, held firm between the woman's thumb and index finger. Tilting her head back slightly, she allowed the sphere to fall into her mouth. Crushing the pill between her teeth, Uriko swallowed almost instantly and began moving yet again.

Dawn broke over Yu no Kuni in a golden splendour, marking another day in this run of continued sunshine the continent was enjoying. The kunoichi was already up, dismantling the last of her meagre campsite before setting her sights on the horizon. Uriko could already see the tall masts looming over the nearest hillock. Setting off at a canter today, she was upon the dockyard within minutes. The smell of brine hit the woman's nostrils as she approached, followed by the soft whining of wooden vessels rocking on the tide. The wily kunoichi had travelled by ship many times before, employing a variety of tactics to gain passage. Today, she would be paying her way. "You're too honest, Uriko. She muttered to herself. No sooner had she said it than a wry smile crossed her lips. Hardly. She thought, silently. With a little less money than she would have liked, the woman was forced to buy onto the boat which would stops once or twice to dredge up seafood en route. It was a short enough journey but Uriko could hardly blame the sailors for wanting to make a little extra money. Fortunately, such vessels would always welcome additional passengers. Few would suffer the smell of their catch, preferring to pay others a bit more for a direct crossing.

A burly man - bald, wearing thick but tired clothing - took Uriko's money and followed her aboard the small trading boat. Two other sailors watched her with cautious eyes, wondering what such an unusual woman would want from them. When their partner explained everything, they seemed placated but still wary. The kunoichi, for her part, would not be taking her beady eyes off of her escorts. If they came to realise who she really was, it would definitely spell trouble. For now, the woman leaned against the wooden railings, watching the ropes being pulled away and feeling the ship lurch slightly as she broke free. In the distance, Uriko spied the first of many stopping points. Sighing at the unwelcome but necessary delay, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was amiss. She had taken a few liberties with her journey, sure, but until now she had been given no cause for complete caution. Her fingers drifted down to the item pouch at her hip, gently running themselves over the handle of a kunai. "Paranoia - noun. Adjective - paranoid." A voice intoned inside the woman's head. "Hey girl! I'm reading now. Paranoia. Paranoia is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion..." The disembodied voice faded into nothing, along with the best of Uriko's consciousness. Her mouth continued to gnaw slowly on the herbal mix she had just administered, but her thoughts had all but abandoned her. She knew the pleasure would not last and she knew that such methods were no solution.