D Rank: Replenishing a Soul 2

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

In a small clinical room an elderly woman sat in bed eating breakfast, she had a smile on her face as sputtering giggles burst from her aged frame inbetween bites of scrambled eggs.

"Today is the day for our reunion."

____________________

In a small business oriented room a non-descript male shinobi sat at a desk reading scrolls, a death mask of boredom on his face. He was sorting through the requested D ranks pulling out the ones that would be sent to the Kazekage for approval. He read one from an old woman requesting two specific shinobi for the task, checking the availability of the shinobi he saw that only one was available. "It will have to do," the man mumbled to himself before placing the scroll in the pile that would work it's way through the bureaucracy to Gaara's desk.

OOC:
D Rank
Name: Replenishing a Soul 2
Pay: 50 Ryo
Participant: Hebitsukai Daija (me)
Synopsis: Kin, an old woman at the Chiyo's Home for Retired Shinobi is sick again and has requested the genin who took care of her the last time to come again. Daija however is the only one available and will do the mission alone.

For the previous mission that this is related to http://forum.narutochaos.com/showthread.php?t=12238

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

A short boy in black stomped through the streets of Sunagakure, he approached the Kazekage's compound with his usual lack of optimism. A smirk grew on his face as he walked up to Gaara's clerk.

"What do I have to do this time." Daija had been less than enthusiastic when he woke to discover he had a D rank to accomplish.

The Kazekage's attendant handed him the scroll, "Nothing big, something about helping an old lady, apparently she requested you for the job". The smirk disappeared from Daija's face as he remembered the last time he'd been on a mission to assist a "helpless" old lady: the memory consisted of blows to the head and petty crimes.

Attempting to force a smile, "Huh... Ah her name wouldn't happen to be... um... Kin would it?"

"Good then you do know her, this should be even easier for you, now move along I have work to do."

As he was dismissed, the boy briefly considered deserting the village instead of spending another day with the old lady. He remembered her slack skin sagging off of her old bones, belying the true strength those arms possessed, she was more capable then she led on. Most of all he remembered her deranged eyes, they would focus on you for a second, then they were gone, like a cat watching a fly's disorderly path through the air.

Before he knew it Daija was standing in front of the home, doing his best to remove the persistent sand from his eyes: "I hate the desert". For a moment it occured to the boy that he hated almost everything, but he shrugged it off as a flaw in the design of the world.

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

He remembered the hall from the last time, a long passage painted in a somber yellow with a bright red railing along the wall for the benefit of the less able, at the end it turned into cafeteria. The smells and colours were all very offending to Daija's senses. Reaching the plain brown door, he knocked and waited for a response.

A voice with that recognizable twang of old age sounded from the room, "Come… Come in." The voice sounded weak.

"Maybe the old bat is going to die soon." Thought Daija, as he entered the room smiling at the realization that the old torturer would be dead sooner rather than later. One of the great satisfactions of being young is that one will probably outlive a good proportion of the people one meets.

It was a small room, a radio sat on a small table next to the cot where a small woman sat. “Ah you’re finally here, where is the other boy I missed the both of you since the last time you were here.” The woman’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard, the sagging skin around her eyes was reminiscent of a corpse.

Daija waved a hand in the air dismissively, “I don’t know, he’s not available, maybe he’s dead.”

For a moment she looked sincerely sad, “Ah well that’s part of being a shinobi.” For a moment the small room was quiet, the genin was feeling particularly uncomfortable.

“OK let’s get to the point Kin, I don’t believe for a second you miss me. What do you want; I swear I’m not stealing something for you again.”

Kin gave him a dirty look and cast off her “frail old lady” act. “You know I have a duty to teach the new generation of Sunagakure how to be great shinobi. The last time we covered stealth and espionage, now we are going to practice one of the oldest and best known of shinobi arts.” She was getting that crazy look in her eyes again.

“And what would that be exactly?” Daija ventured, not really wanting to know the answer.

“Assassination! The art of the kill you stupid boy!”

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

Daija turned and headed towards the door as a voice lost in the past drifted over his head. "Oh, I remember the first time, it was hard at first but when the blood spilled over my hands I felt satisfied, oh yes and then there was that mission to the Tea country..."

*CREEK*

The boy cursed under his breath at the door that ruined his escape, "Hey where are you going boy, I paid for you!"

He stood clutching the doorknob, wondering if he should just make a run for it, she was an old lady after all he could probably make it. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the woman. "You're crazy I'm not killing anyone for you, so I'm leaving. Bye!"

Before he could open the door there was a loud crunch and the world went black. When he came to he was laying on the floor looking at a streak of red down a small distance of the brown door. "You can't leave! I need you and you are going to do this job." She stood above him panting, she must have used the last reserves of strength in her body to slam the boy face first into the door. At this point it occurred to Daija that it might be better to play along with her plan until a chance to escape presented itself.

He wiped the blood from his face and staggered to his feet, "Fine, ah... who do you want killed."

Her crazed panting face immediately changed to her usual docile mask and she smiled "Good, tonight we will kill... Mrs. Mittens."

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

"Who"

"Mrs. Mittens"

"Is that a real name? Because it sounds like a cat's name." Daija was becoming sure the woman had lost the last vestiges of her sanity since their last meeting.

"Of course it's a cat's name; like I could trust you to kill a person, if it was a person I’d kill them myself."

"OK she's still crazy, but maybe less than I thought" He mused to himself as he struggled to come up with something to say to this strange request. "So, you want me to assassinate a cat."

"Yes."

"A plain old house cat."

"That's right."

"Someone's pet?"

"You've got it."

"Why...?"

"Because she lets it out in the hallway and it pisses on my door, I hear it at night and it drives me nuts, the constant splattering on the wood, then the dripping as it drops from the bottom to the floor. I hate that cat so much, she'll pay..." She was off on one of her tirades again.

"Have you thought about talking to the owner of the cat about your issues?"

"There's no time for talking something has to be done now."

"Right... then why don't you kill the cat yourself?"

She looked at him like he'd just accused her of being a whore; she looked at him as if he were the crazy one. "I can't kill a cat, what do you think I am, a monster?"

"What so I'm not supposed to feel anything, I just enjoy killing cats, I take out a half dozen on my way to training every Saturday; is that it? I don't think I can do this."

"Oh, come on it's easy, you don't even have to look at their cute little face while you do it, here I've got something." She went over to her dresser and pulled out a brown sack, probably used in the past to carry potatoes or another root vegetable of that ilk. "These sacks are very versatile and can provide plenty of useful ways to kill cats. Why you can just tie the cat inside and leave the sack out in the woods, or toss it in the river, or stick it under the wheel of a wagon, or under a large chair, or you could kick it, toss it off a tall building, anything you want only your imagination can limit you."

"OK she's back to being completely insane again." He thought, feeling a little bit nauseous after her recital. "I'm not killing the cat... what if I just kidnap it and give it away to someone?" He gazed at her with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Ah, I guess that works..." She looked mildly disappointed.

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

It was finally dark out and all the residents had dozed off in their rooms, except for Kin who desperately awaited Daija's arrival with the target. He stood in the dimly lit hall awaiting the dreaded Mrs. Mittens.

"Excuse me? I believe visitation hours finished long ago... Hey, don't I know you?"

Daija cursed under his breath as he turned to face the same nurse who had caught him lurking in the halls the last time. "Where did she learn to walk that quietly" he thought. "Uh... You must remember me from the last time I was visiting Kin, she's such a... a wonderful woman, ha." He stuttered over the last part of the sentence, it was more painful to say than he expected.

The nurse knew something was up, no one thought Kin was a wonderful woman, suddenly recognition shined in her eyes. "Oh yes, I remember you, you were here when we had that incident with the patient who was attacked and robbed..." She was starting to connect dots in her mind.

"I can't let her blow this!" His mind was frantic to find a solution to the sneaky the nurse. There was one way to solve all problems that involved two people: violence. Granted that one of the party is significantly weaker than the other.

So, Daija did what was easy and instinctive, he punched the nurse in the face. She dropped to her knees, stunned by the boys actions, she didn't get a chance to react to the kick planted in the side of her head. "I hope she isn't dead... That would get me in huge trouble..." He walked over to her and checked for a pulse, being careful to keep the blood flowing from her nose away from his sleeve. The genin sighed with relief as he felt the pulsations of life under her neck.

"Meowww"

He didn't have time to relax though, the target had arrived.

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

She was a big black bloated cat with white tuffs at the base of her front paws, her name made perfect sense. As Daija approached her she flashed her yellowish teeth and brandished her eight blades of death, Mrs. Mittens was an expert with those claws, after all she had had a lifetime of experience with them.

Daija moved ran as fast as he could and grabbed hold of the loose skin at the back of the neck... "Well that was easy enough." Then the fight started.

The cat twisted its back in unbelievable direction, bringing her back legs up to find purchase on the boys wrist, before he could react Daija wrist was being shredded. Swearing he crashed into Kin's room, "Help me you crazy old..."

He lost the cat it landed on the floor and surveyed the room, and went for the only escape it could see. Dashing for the open window, the genin raced the fat cat, but she was closer and more agile than she looked. She jumped clear through...

"Aren't we on the third floor?" The boy stopped half way to the window, as the old lady moved to gaze out.

She turned with a wide toothless grin at the boy, "Great! Now it will look like an accident, a perfect assassination. I've still got it, Hahahaha!"

Daija felt drained as soon as he realized it was over. "I don't think I'll be able to come again, I had to knock out a nurse." The old lady wasn't listening; she seemed to be doing a little dance, giggling as she thought about her neighbour's reaction in the morning. "Right… I'll just leave."

Mission Accomplished

[Viseres]

Well this is my first grading a mission.

1
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1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0

9/10

The writing was quite unique but I'm not a true fan of follow up missions involving the same premises. I still find it funny that you had to kill a cat and would of liked to see the cat chase go on longer then ~300 words. There were just a few spelling errors but overall really no mistakes (even though it is annoying with your spelling of color v.s colour and such). But, due to you knocking out an innocent bi-stander you will be receiving a punishment for it. Like in the first sentence, only reason for no 10 was due to it being too simple and I just don’t like follow up missions from the same person unless it has a very good reason [crazy obsessed old bat’s are not a good reason].

XP: 5
Money: 65 reward but 100 fine for the nurse missing two days work. Overall -35$