Mission:

Kiku sat in the airship station, package in his lap. He had gotten there a bit early, but he was getting nervous. He was supposed to go on a mission with his new friend Emi, but he hadn't seen her yet. Not that there wasn't plenty of time, but it was just in his nature to worry. What if something had happened? He didn't even want to think about that. Emi was really nice, she didn't deserve any trouble.

The genin looked up at the clock. They still had half an hour until the airship left, that was plenty of time. He tried to calm himself down a bit. There was nothing to worry about, really. He'd just gotten there insanely early. No wonder she wasn't here yet. Kiku pulled out a book, finding his place in it. It was lucky he always had reading material on him. Whenever Emi arrived, he would be ready and waiting.

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Emi had waken up earlier that day. So earlier, that when the alarm played and she got up, it was still dark. She took a bath, put on a white shirt, black vest, black shorts, striped black and red stockings and black boots. To complete the outfit, a black choker and the top hat. Perfect.

She packed up a sandwich and a bottle of grape juice, checked the clock and left. It was still dark. Without any rush, she started going east. East, east, east... until she arrived at the edge of the platform. She sat on it, legs hanging off the edge, and started eating as she waited for the sunrise. And her timing was impeccable, because less than 5 minutes after she sat down, the sun was already waking up.

A beautiful show, no doubt. All the colors the sky turned in those few instants... incredible. As she finished eating, she got up and walked towards the closest tree, lying against it. She then took out her flute, playing...

And playing...

And playing...

And OH FUCK, THE MISSION. She got up quickly, looking at the sun. She was late! That was bad. Ok, the airship station wasn't that far away. She ran, throwing the empty bottle in a trash can halfway through. After a while, she got to the station, panting. Great... five minutes left until the airship left. She looked around and quickly found the young genin that would accompany her.

"Hey there, Kiku! Sorry for the wait!"

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Emi's voice broke through Kiku's haze. He was usually in his own little world while reading, but hearing his new pal speak snapped him out of it. He closed his book, tucking it into his jacket. Standing, Kiku turned and bowed to her. “Oh it's no problem! I was just early.” He smiled at the chuunin. Like most people, she was dressed more casually than he was. He was in his usual blue suit with a red clip-on tie, looking like a kid playing businessman. Emi seemed out of breath, she must have run all the way there. Kiku picked up their package and tucked it under his arm. “Don't worry, I got everything. They're starting to board, you ready?”

Kiku led the chuunin to their platform, boarding and finding seats for them. The inside was sort of like a train car, mostly benches with racks for luggage above. Kiku put his backpack above his seat, keeping their real cargo in his lap for safekeeping. If any criminal scum tried to take it, he would be ready to halt them right away. He was a bit nervous about the prospect of sitting so close to a girl, especially a pretty one like Emi, but he figured they were friends so there was probably nothing to be concerned about. That wasn't going to stop him, but at least he knew there was no reason to be worried. After a moment, Kiku found something to say. “This is my first time outside the village.”

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Ok, she had time to breathe now. That was good. "Haha, right. I must be a pretty bad example as a chuunin, right?" She laughed. The kid had arrived early, and he definitely was prepared for that mission. It had been a pretty good idea to let Kiku handle the package, because she'd definitely forget it. "But it's ok, though. You seem to be a pretty responsible ninja. And to think I'm getting behind genin... heh." She boarded the airship after Kiku.

After putting her backpack above her seat, she sat down beside Kiku, looking out the window. It had been a while since she last entered an airship, but she liked flying. And as she thought about flying, Kiku's voice brought her back to the real world.

"Oh, really? Well, I bet you'll enjoy it! Flying is nice." She said, smiling at him. And after another few moments of silence, she decided to continue the conversation. "It's not my first time traveling, nor my first time on Donzogakure, though. My mom used to live there." She commented, calmly.

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Kiku wasn't used to self-deprecation by anyone but himself, but he was intent on countering it as soon as possible. “No, you're a great chuunin! We got going just fine, right?” He gave Emi a reassuring smile. “You're responsible too and stuff. No harm done, right?” His gaze followed hers out the window, watching the clouds go by. It was an amazing sight. All these years in Soragakure, and he'd never set foot on solid ground before. It was kind of overwhelming to think about, his first time setting foot on earth. It made him feel like an alien arriving at a new planet.

He turned back to face Emi when she spoke again. “Really? That's pretty cool!” He hadn't known that Emi was from out of town. He wondered if that was why she had signed up for this mission. Maybe she wanted to see her old home. That could be pretty cool, being shown around town by someone who knew the village.

Before long, the airship touched down. Kiku slung his backpack over his shoulder and debarked, carrying the package under his arm. They were near the border with the Land of Earth, but still inside the Land of Air. The rest of the way would have to be on foot. “Um, I guess you know the way. Wanna lead?” He followed Emi into the trees, on the way towards Donzokogakure.

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"Haha, sure! It's no problem, really." She smiled back. She wasn't really feeling bad or anything for not being so responsible, but Kiku's compliment surprised her. She hadn't really meant her comment as something bad, but... hey, the kid made her feel better. "Thanks, though!" Ah, that bright smile of hers...

She nodded, and after a while she turned to the window. She was flying! That was so cool! And she kept looking out the window, like a small kid traveling for the first time. The clouds, and the sky, and then the ground down there, it was all so amazing! "Hey, look! A caravan!" She called Kiku, pointing at a spot of ground near the horizon. She liked flying. And after some time being enthusiastic with flying, they landed. She got her backpack and followed Kiku out of the ship, feeling what it meant to be in the ground again. And now... she was to lead. Good thing she had studied a map the previous night, or else they'd be doomed. "Haha, to be frank, the last time I've been here I was 5 years old. Been a while now... oh, but I know the way!" And she walked, leading the way.

She entered the forest, walking calmly, always checking to see if Kiku was behind her. Walking through the woods was... calming. The atmosphere, the smell, it was all great. And at some point, something clicked in her mind, and she turned back to the genin. "Hey, want me to carry the package? You already came a long way with it." She held out her hand, waiting to see if he'd accept her offer or not. Either way, they kept walking. "I like the woods. They're pretty relaxing, don't you think? This... smell. The air is different, I guess." And she kept walking, finally arriving at a cave entrance after a while. "Well, here we are! Now... for the tricky part."

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Kiku was inclined to agree with the narrator, she did have quite a bright smile. It certainly improved his day. Unlike her genin comrade, Emi seemed to have an unshakable good mood. She was upbeat and positive about pretty much everything. Flying was cool enough on its own, but her constant cheer really helped his mood. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Even the little things seemed to amaze her, and he couldn't help smiling along with her. She made the journey less intimidating and more pleasant.

“Huh? Oh, thanks.” He handed the package to her, glad to share the burden a bit. As much as he wanted to be the gentleman, here, Kiku was not strong. Emi was probably a fair bit stronger than he was, she could carry it part of the way. “Yeah, it's really nice out here.” To be honest he was a bit nervous about what might be in the woods, but Emi's presence was helping him relax. He wasn't sure why they weren't taking the treetop route like shinobi usually did, but it wasn't a rush delivery, they could afford to pace themselves a bit. He had almost calmed down completely when they came to the cave, and it was about then that her comment threw him off. He gulped nervously, looking past her into the cave. “T-tricky part?” That definitely didn't sound good.

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Emi took the package, carrying it under her arm. It wasn't the heaviest thing she ever carried, sure, but Kiku didn't look all that strong. Besides, since they were a duo, it was only logical that she carried the bag through half of the way. Which was actually about 3/4ths of the way, but Kiku didn't need to know that.

And just like that, they went through the forest unscathed and arrived at the cave entrance. Emi managed to unintentionally scare Kiku with her comment. Well, not that she was lying. It really was a tricky part. "Well, it's pretty easy to get lost here if you don't know where you're going." She said calmly. "Oh, but don't worry! I got the whole path written down in my mind!" She... well, she wasn't lying, but she wasn't nearly as positive as she seemed to be. She slacked off a bit in studying the path, and had a sort of vague memory about it.

She wouldn't let that stop her, though. She stepped into the cave, humming a cheery tune. And she walked, picking paths, taking lefts and rights, going down the tunnels, until at some point she didn't know if she was going the right way anymore. But Kiku couldn't find that out. No, she was had it all settled. She knew exactly where she was going. Yeah... "Just a bit more!"

And much to her surprise, after a random turn they found the village gates. "See? Told you we were almost here! Now, to deliver..." She stopped to think. Yeah, that was no good. She turned to Kiku. "Where again?"

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Emi's apparent confidence about knowing the path was pretty reassuring. “Okay!” Kiku followed without complaint, through every twist and turn. In the back of his mind he was wondering if this really was the easiest path. It seemed to be a bit too mazelike to be practical as an entrance for trade. Then again, this was a hidden village. Maybe Donzokogakure took the hiding part a bit more literally than the others. He was pleasantly surprised when, right when Emi predicted, they arrived at the gate. Maybe that was the quick way after all.

After a few minutes, they were checked through customs and inside the village. This time, it was Kiku's turn to lead. He pulled out their directions, reading them over. “Right this way.” He led Emi through the winding streets of the underground city, arriving at the client's home. Kiku knocked, and a servant answered the door. “We're from Soragakure, we have the book order.” The man nodded, handing over the money and taking the package without a word. From the look on his face, he seemed to consider the low-ranking ninja below his notice. Kiku didn't mind, he was used to that sort of treatment. He turned back to Emi, smiling. “Well we're not due to leave until tomorrow, what you wanna do?”

[Words this post 217, total 1088/850. Mission complete]

Approved