Boar Hunt [C-rank mission Artemis only]

Mission:

He needed money. There were things that he wished to purchase, but the sore lack of funds was a problem. He could have easily rented himself out for a good time as he used to do when he was younger, but he was supposed to be a respectable ninja now, recently promoted to the rank of Jounin. It was time to do away with that, and behave himself, so to speak.

Figuring that the best way to earn some money would be to complete a mission or two, the young man decided that the best place would be to head to the mission board to see what was available.

Seemed logical. But first, he would need to to actually get up and get ready for the day. Untangling himself from the limbs of his sleeping doppleganger, and slid naked out of bed. Bare feet moved quietly across the carpet, as he began to quietly pull open drawers, searching for something to put on for the day. As he searched, gold eyes slid up, catching sight of his form in the mirror that hung from the back of his door; even at his age of ten, he was considered an adult in the eyes of his village, even if he was far from one physically. He was still small in stature, weighing no more than 85 lbs, with white hair and gold eyes. Courtesy of his sleeping companion, atop his head was a pair of ears that greatly resembled that of a dog.

Damn Ifrit.

Grabbing a pair of small clothes and his towel, the ninja stepped out into hallway and sprinted to the bathroom. Once inside, his bathing ritual was quick; scrubbing his body from head to toe to rid himself of the scent of sweat, after which his white hair was thoroughly washed and combed out to free it of tangles. After drying himself off, the Amatsu pulled on the small clothes that he'd brought with him, before leaving back into his own room. As he closed the door, the doppelganger in the bed sat up and yawned.  Turning a golden eye to the naked form in his bed, Amatsu sighed and spoke quietly. "Clothes, Ifrit. "

Smirking, the creature stretched to show off its body before manifesting clothing to match Amatsu's own. Rolling his eyes, Amatsu began to dig into his drawers once more, producing a white under shirt, a red hakama and matching kimono. Tugging these on, he glanced back at Ifrit, who changed himself once more to match Amatsu. Nodding to his doppelganger, Amatsu got up and left with Ifrit trailing close behind.

Down to the Mission Board he would head, taking his sweet time. He was in no rush; he was sure he would be able to find something to waste his talent on. And he was in luck-- it seemed that there was a bit of a boar problem lately. Someone was willing to part with some ryo to have the creature killed.

"Sounds like a good time, yea?"

WC: 504/250

Busy, busy, busy. That's what life had been like recently: learning as much as she could about her new simian companion, learning to work with her as flawlessly as possible, and working on communication skills. They still were a far way off from the flawless machine they were aiming to become, but that was why they were heading to the mission board to begin with. She didn't expect Fa Mulan to actually help with the mission itself – she still didn't know which one she would be doing – but the chance to watch and gain experience that way would do wonders in the long run. If she could see the things that would be expected of her later on it would make the transition easier: or that was the plan anyway.

Of course, the process of getting ready wasn't quite so easy anymore: she couldn't just get up and go as she had done on previous missions, allowing for little to no preparation. No, she now had the equivalent of a child to take care of which meant food, drinks, little toys, and basic comforts had to be carried with and provided. Thankfully, a modified canvas bag with a strap that went across her chest carried everything she needed while an extra strap went around her waist to keep it from swinging free when she moved. This, along with her basic weapon pouch that carried her shuriken and kunai was what she brought with.

She had changed up her outfit a bit; a gray graphic t-shirt, a black jacket over top, black pants, and black boots. Her village hitai-ate was around her waist; doubling as a belt at the moment. From her back, arms around her neck loosely, hung Fa Mulan her albino monkey. The monkey was currently looking over her shoulder as they walked up to the mission board, just as curious as she was as to what they would be doing.

”Let's hope we can find something a little action packed for you, Fa. I want you to see actual fighting; I think it'll help you get the concept down a little better.”, she spoke softly to the monkey. It was then she noticed the boar mission; though she hadn't been the first apparently. ”Damn, that would've worked too to show you exactly what I'm talking about, Fa.” The monkey let out a series of screeching noises in response.

Word Count: 404 / 250

Picking up the scroll containing the boar hunt mission, the male opened it to read the contents. The mission seemed simple enough but had the promise of something more. As he was reading, Ifrit came up behind him and leaned on his right shoulder to read the scroll as well, which drew the attention of the toku-jo on duty. Coming up to the duo, he stuck his hand out. "Hey, that mission might be a bit too difficult for you genin. You should probably do something a bit easier for you two..."

Normally, Amatsu would have assumed the toku-jo was speaking to someone else, if not for Ifrit begining to breathe flames and growl at the man. Amatsu looked up at the of the bewildered man, whom was staring at Ifrit. "H-hey, kid! Control your brother!" Rolling up the scroll and depositing it into one of the many pockets the decorated the inside of his sleeves, he would turn to Ifrit, and placing a hand on the back of his shoulder. "Peace, dear. He is not a threat."

Turning to the attendant, he would smile and begin turning his charm up to two-fifty, batting his eyelashes at the elder as Ifrit began to relax. "I can do the mission, mister! I'm really strong!" To emphasize his point, he would raise up his right arm and attempt to make a muscle to no avail; he was not a taijutsu user, and given his age, there was very little muscle on his frame. "Listen kid, I dont think I can let you two take this mission. You look a bit too young to be able to handle something like this..."

The smile never faltered from Amatsu's face. He stepped closer, trailing a finger over the Toku-jo's left arm, with Ifrit moving over to mimic the male's action on the other side. "So.. why don't you come with us, and keep me safe, big guy?" He winked at the elder, the smile breaking into a grin. At his words, the special jounin blushed. Taking note, Amatsu continued on, his voice becoming smoother, almost hypnotic. "You can keep us safe, and and we can split the reward. Afterwards, Ifrit and I can even give you an extra special thank you..." The special jounin blushed even deeper, if that was even possible at this point. Glancing between Ifrit and Amatsu, he gulped, praying to what ever god that was listening. Was he really being propositioned by two kids? Composing himself for a moment, the special jounin swallowed again, then shook his head.

"I can't leave my post unattended."

Shit. That was expected, to some degree. While he was pretty good at convincing people to get what he wanted, there were times when he failed, such as now. But there was always a back-up plan.

"Maybe.. if I find someone to go with us.. could we take the mission then?"

"I-I guess so? Preferebly someone older than both of you."

"Deal! We'll find someone to go with us! Thanks, mister!"

[Total WC: 1008]

Artemis wasn't usually a nosy person: she believed in giving people their space and allowing them to have their privacy – at least, when not on a mission that involved gathering said information. But, even she couldn't help but to hear the exchange going on nearby her about the mission in question. The Toku-jo' clearly didn't feel they were ready to be doing such a dangerous mission alone, and the kid – yeah, definitely looked like a kid – tried to convince him to go along with. If Artemis didn't know better there were sexual undertones to that; but really... how much sense would that make? She then listened as the Toku-jo clearly stated that he couldn't leave his position, in which the idea of someone else going along with them would be best – preferably someone older then them. She was older then them; monkey not withstanding.

Deciding to speak up, since pretending she hadn't overheard the entire exchange wasn't going to get her anywhere: ”I'll go with you.”

So, yeah. She had jumped out on the branch there, now to see if the proverbial branch would hold her weight, or if she'd go crashing down any second. She was sure there had to be another mission she could get her 'hands dirty' on, but this one sounded like the most fun and was the one she wanted to do. It would, after all, provide Fa Mulan the most experience.

The monkey, still clinging to her back, shifted to look back over her shoulder. Both of them stared at the younger, waiting to see what he decided to do. Artemis didn't mind having to go with someone younger: she knew better then to judge someone's ability by their age – her own sensei was a year older then her and highly ranked after all. Yeah, she wasn't going to make the same mistake the Toku-jo was seeming to make.

Word Count: 322 + 404 = 726 / 250

”I'll go with you.”

Amatsu and Ifrit looked over at the sound of someone speaking; it seemed that someone had been listening in. Not that either had cared: Amatsu had no intention of actually sleeping with this special jounin. No, he knew just how to work his charm to get what he wanted. And given Ifrit's tendacy to appear like Amatsu's twin, people often took it as a two for one deal.

Smiling wide, Amatsu waved at the female whom spoke to come closer. "See mister! Got someone already! Now can we take the mission? Please mister!?"

It was all a show, really. While he more than capable of acting a manner befitting of his rank, this was so much more fun. It had been ages since he was able to actually act his age, and even longer where he didnt have to pretend to not be paying attention.

The special jounin nodded, the redness draining from his cheeks as he began to calm down. He stared at the female for a moment, before looking back at Amatsu and Ifrit. "I guess so. But you all better be careful!"

Turning his attention to Artemis, he motioned to Amatsu and Ifrit. "You sure you wanna take them? I mean, this mission is a bit dangerous, even for a C rank."

[Total WC: 1227]

Artemis gaze focused on the special jounin, eyebrows raising at his question: though whether she was annoyed or amused by his question was anyone's guess as she kept the rest of her face as emotionless as possible. ”Never judge a book by it's cover; or this case someone's skill by their age and size. They'll be fine coming along with me...” It was as close as a verbal bitch slap she would be able to give someone of a higher rank then her, but it was enough. She hated it when people judged others just because they were too little or too young: her own height of only five foot two often led to people doubting her physical ability. To say it pissed her off was an understatement.

She then turned her attention back to the two who she would be apparently working with. She motioned towards the monkey on her back first, ”This is Fa Mulan, or Fa for short, and I'm Artemis.” Introductions would be needed after all if they were going to work this mission as a team.

The monkey on her back kept her left arm around Artemis' neck but released her right one long enough to wave in a very obvious way: making a chirping noise that was her own current method of saying hello. She could understand speech better, but they were still working on the communication aspect of her speaking the human language.

Artemis simply smiled at the monkey, and waited for them to introduce themselves if they would. She was ready to go as soon as they were; and rather excited to give the monkey the chance to see people in action.

Word Count: 282 + 726 = 1,008 / 250

”Never judge a book by it's cover; or this case someone's skill by their age and size. They'll be fine coming along with me...”

Amatsu could not agree with the female more; despite his appearance, Amatsu himself was a jounin. It wasnt something he wanted to flaunt about; he found it rather amusing that people people asumed that he was a genin. He often didnt bother to correct them; there was no use in crushing people's spirits with the knowledge that there was someone much younger than them that achieved a rank much higher than them.

Not that he was a show off or anything. He was, quite simply, very effective at what he did.

"This is Fa Mulan, or Fa for short, and I'm Artemis.” Oh, wait, she was speaking to him now. Amatsu smiled at her warmly at her, extending his hand in her direction. "Amatsu Kishou! And this guy..." He continued, jerking a thumb towards his doppleganger, "is Ifrit!" Ifrit would nod at the woman, arms crossing over his chest. It was apparent that Ifirt was not one for coversation.

"Don't mind him. He's stubborn." With a small laugh, the male pointed in the direction of the village's east exit. "This way! We can get to the area the attacks have been happening faster if we go this way!" Without even waiting, the male took off, racing another the path. He wasnt very fast; Ifrit had no trouble keeping up with him, and he as sure this woman wouldnt either.

[Total WC: 1480/250]

Artemis shook his hand, and nodded to them both as they were introduced. ”No worries. If you do get anything out of Fa Mulan sound wise it likely won't be in any human language...” Fa Mulan, as if on cue, made a chirping sound that could have very well been her playfully mocking Artemis. Artemis simply reached back and poked the perched monkey on her nose.

”Alright.”

When Amatsu and Ifrit took off she followed with Fa Mulan hanging on around her neck. Thankfully, the monkey's grip was strong – coming from years of hanging off of trees, vines, and whatever else she could find in the wild – so there was no worry about the monkey slipping off as they headed to the location. She didn't mind shortcuts, and therefore didn't complain about the one Amatsu had chosen.

As they went Artemis kept an eye out: the last thing she wanted was for one of them to get snuck by one of those boars: they could very well be nasty creatures. Artemis was an animal lover, so basic knowledge came easily enough, and a pissed off boar was not something you wanted to mess with. Add in this one had already been causing trouble? She wasn't going to take any chances.

”I wonder if there's just one boar, or if there's a chance that there could be more...”, she wondered out loud. Either way she didn't think they'd have much trouble: even with how young Amatsu looked she figured he had to have some skill if he was a shinobi. She wasn't going to make the same assumption as the Special Jounin had, that was for sure.

Word Count: 1,288 / 250

”I wonder if there's just one boar, or if there's a chance that there could be more...”

IT was certainly sound logic. From what he learned hunting with his father, boars tended to travel in groups; so it was valid to believe that they would be dealing with upwards of four boars. He did ont know if Artemis knew of this, so he decided to voice this opinion. "Its common for boars to travel together in groups of four or more. We could potentially be looking at roughly four to six, maybe seven boars."

The male bit his lower lip, a sensation that caused Ifrit to look over at him, seemingly puzzled by the pain he was feeling from his twin. He was confident that he would be fine, especially with Ifrit there to protect him, but he had no clue about this female's combat abilities. As they moved into the more densely wooded area, the male would begin to slow down to a light jog. To Artemis he would glance over and speak quietly. Now that they were in the woods, he didnt want to alert the boars to the fact that there were there, if they were nearby. "So, Miss Artemis. What do you prefer in combat? What is your role? A fighter, a healer or support?" It would be wise to know befroe they encountered any danger; attempting to adapt a strategy while having no clue what your partner could do was suicide in a combat scenario. Depending on her response, he would dictate how they would proceed. He could only hope that Artemis was a fighter type; he'd rather not show his 'hand' to someone he did not know. He would wait for her to speak before replying.

"I prefer support myself; my skills are tailored to assist my comrades, rather than engage directly. Ifrit here can fight on the front line: he often does so for me. He can attest to how well I can perform at my job." Amatsu flashed Ifrit a quick smile, who in turn would roll his eyes at him.

[Total WC: 1829]

”I was just thinking about that. Especially with how frequently the attacks have been happening it'd make sense for it to be more then just one boar causing troubles.”

”Bad boars.”

Artemis cracked a grin. ”That's right, Fa Mulan.”

As they moved deeper she kept an eye out, quite surprised they hadn't run into the elusive animals yet. Her attention shifted back to Amatsu as he spoke again, and she replied in equally a hushed tone of voice. “A fighter; I prefer using my hands and feet to solve my problems.”[/color] At least, that was the nicer way she described it: she could have said that she enjoyed punching things until blood squirted out. The latter being the more truthful answer – but she didn't want to scare the kid off. She listened as Amatsu spoke again, explaining that he was more support; with skills tailored to assist his comrades.

Artemis opened her mouth, planning on replying, when the rustling of a bush a few yards away caused her attention to snap on it. ”To the trees, Fa.” The monkey didn't hesitate to obey the command – though she did reach into Artemis' weapon pouch and remove two kunai before doing so. Artemis grinned slightly; they had been practicing with weapons lately, and it would be the perfect advantage for Fa Mulan to also help while not having to be directly involved in the combat itself.

Artemis reached into her pouch, removing two more kunai as another bush a good few yards from the first also moved; it would seem that the boar had found them rather then them finding the boar. ”This is bound to be fun.”, she spoke as she shifted one kunai to her other hand so that she had a single kunai in both hands. Yet another bush rustled and from it came a boar; the animal snorted once and then charged while letting out a god awful squeal. Artemis moved quickly, rushing forward to meet the beast halfway. Just as the thing would have charged right into her she feinted to the left, spun, and imbedded the kunai in her left hand into the creatures neck. She pulled it out quickly, the boar dropping to the ground dead. She wasn't about to get a chance to enjoy the victory however as yet another boar came running out of the bushes, charging directly towards her. She threw the kunai in her right hand towards the beast, hitting it one of its eyes as yet another boar attempted to sneak attack her from behind – only to be stopped by a kunai sent into its neck from Fa Mulan who let out a screeh-like war cry.

Word Count: 455 + 1,288 = 1,743

.oO(Wanted to try and wrap this up quickly, since I'll likely be leaving the village in the next day or so.)