Welcome to Gaia! ::

The song swept through their ears for a moment longer before a howl of screeching laughter broke through the room. Raine snapped his head over to Xen standing in the door with a boy he didn't know. His gaze narrowed as he looked over his team-mate. What a horrible, rotten, no-good, cheat move to pull. He huffed to himself

"Good everybody is here!" Dash spoke as Xen walked in.

In a real fight I would smash that smirk down his throat. Raine sat fantasizing how Xen would cry and howl as blood rushed over his face. A smile cracked over his lips and he giggled to himself quietly.

"k this is for all of you." he pulled the letter he had been given earlier that day. "It's a threat to steal Mr. Terekata's Amethyst statue tonight. Mr. Terekata is up in the eastern housing district (*Rich-people ville) and he just happens to be throwing a party tonight. Kasuke doesn't think much of it, and believes Team 4 is more than qualified for the job." he folded the letter and looked to each of them. "I'll be there for back-up if this turns out to be too much for you kids. *Sigh* Don't mess this up though. After, the whole Taki village fiasco you guys got a pretty good rep, but it you fail tonight you'll be the dorks you always were again. So get your weapons, put on your lucky undies and meet me up at Terekata's after dark." With that Dash waved to the doctor and left the room.

Raine sighed pushing himself off the bed and watching in a bit of worried astonishment at Kimiko. He laughed at Xen's comment as all small boys do with harsh words, but pulled his eyebrows up when he really thought about what Xen was saying. "Ha, you're calling me sane? After all that 'sacrifice makes no sense at all stuff'." Raine shrugged, checking his pocket for Pi who, slept in a small ball in the warmth of his pocket.

He could barely manage to make eye-contact with Xen, after the embarrassment of the day. His gut was still sick with fear and rage that was only dulled by the pain in his shoulders. Oh sweet pain, it made everything else seem like nothing at all. He scoffed, "You think I don't know how weak I am. You saw for yourself just what I think of myself sometimes." his head dropped to the floor, suddenly aware of Doctor Gray. "I'm well aware that I ride on my fists and my blood. It's not so simple as simply training though." he pulled another rock from his shoulder a gnarly sucking sound accompanied with the rip. "Most people don't get that for the kekkai genkai, we make-up with everything else. It's actually physically harder for us to use chakra, to...train our minds." He didn't want to admit the weakness, but was sick of hiding the disadvantage as his own fault. His eyes raised to meet Xen's but the glare of his glasses hid them away.

"I'll see you later."

Raine sighed, in the silence for a moment. He looked up to Doctor Gray a bit embarrassed. "Thank you." he said quickly, grabbing his hoodie. She frowned to him, opened her mouth as if to speak but decided against it.

"You're welcome." Raine looked around for his Aian Nakkurru, not finding them he checked his pockets as his eyes grew wider.

"Crap, I lost my Aian Nakkurru!" He flung his hands up.

"Hold on. What did you loose?"

"My blades! The weapons given as to me as my ancestral right of the Tekkenseisai by our clan leader himself!" The boy looked horrified.

"Oh, did they look like iron knuckles with a knife on the end?" Raine looked up astonished.

"Yeah!"

"I saw Dash with those. He probably just forgot to hand them back to you." Raine still wore a visage of anguish.

"Thank you!" With that he ran off out the door, hoping to catch the man.

(Exit to Oto village)

Xenon felt softness all around him, like he was lying on a cloud. He gave a peaceful sigh. Had he just been sleeping? How odd...when had he fallen asleep? The last thing he remembered was...

He opened his eyes tiredly, a white ceiling greeting him, as well as shadowed white curtains surrounding his bed. It took him a moment, but his mind pieced together "Oto Hospital...someone must have taken me here after I collapsed..." his head turned quickly and he was relieved to find the Contract leaning against the side of his bed, they probably hadn't looked at it that closely.

"Yo Boss, you're awake." Xenon turned his eyes upward to see Mokutan perched on the head of his cott. He gave a small smirk, his ever loyal avian companion, he wasn't surprised to see him.

"Mokutan...did you have them bring me here?"

Mokutan shook his head "Nah, I just checked with the Hospital this morning when Inwent back and didn't find ya, and sure enough, aces, here you are." he looked at the scroll. "And succesful too I see."

Xenon's smile widened "Naturally." he then closed his eyes again. He was exhausted. "Do you know who brought me then?"

"No, no one was talking, not even Gray."



Kimiko was hurrying along the street, her eyes bright and refreshed from a good nights sleep. Her training yesterday really had hit the spot, and she was all ready to visit their sensei. Even Apologize on Maboroshi's behalf if she had too. She was just approaching the hospital doors when she saw a familiar face about to enter ahead of her. "Raine! Good morning." She greeted with her particularly brightest smile. She really was in a good Mood this morning. She had determined to herself this morning that she would patch up everything between her team from the incident yesterday, and nothing was going to dampen her mood.

((Hold on just a minute wink Did I mention I introduced Crow as an NPC? Who do you think Brought Xen to the Hospital?))


Kimiko nodded as well, "Thanks ma'am." as she turned to head off towards the stairs, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, surprised to see yet another familiar face heading across the lobby toward the door, at a very distinctive casual stroll none the less. "Miste- I mean, Crow?" she once more had to stop herself from adding the mister in front.

The silver haired man stopped in turn, turning his visible Jade eye in their direction. He smiled, turning entirely, and approached. "Well, well, Kimiko. Good morning, Sana didn't throw you out of bed did she? I told her you'd need some sleep after all that training you wer doing yesterday."

Kimiko pumped her arm confidently. "I'm fine, I'm just here to visit my Sensei, I told you about what happened yesterday. What are you doing here?"

Crow nodded, his almost palpable calm unmoved as his jade eye smiled at them "Oh, I was just bringing my troublesome little Clan mate in actually. I found him this morning collapsed in the fields near the mountain." he went a bit more serious. "He had a shoulder wound and his mind seems to have under gone some serious trauma."

Kimiko looked suddenly shocked. "What?! Maboroshi's here?! Is...is he okay?! Where is he?!"

Crow tilted his head towards the board. "Second floor, room 23." his eyes drifted to Raine "You're Raine then?" he assessed correctly. It was the hair really. For a moment he seemed highly critical, his softness turning harsh for an instance, but then the jade eye seemed to detect whatever it sought, and he smiled again. "You two should go visit him, Gray said he'd be awake soon, and I think he'd like that." he then continued walking towards the door. "Say hello to Sana for me Kimiko."

Kimiko was looking slightly annoyed now "I just knew when Moku told me that Maboroshi was going to get himself into trouble..." she sighed looking at Raine. "That was Crow, I...don't really know if that's his real name, it's just what my Mom calls him." she looked curious herself for a moment. What WAS Crow's real name? "He used to be a teammate of my moms and they're really old friends, that's how I know him. Apparently he's from the same Clan as Maboroshi, but they've never actually met, he told me yesterday he'd just found out about him recently and wanted to see if he could meet him, so I told him all about what our team had been doing." she looked at Raine's head. "I'll bet he knew you because of your hair...it's very..." she blinked innocently "Distinctive?"


Xenon gave a small sigh, sitting up in bed as Mokutan hopped unto his shoulder. "So what happened anyway chief? You really looked like you got on the wrong side of a Kage."

Xenon sighed, rubbing his eyes, his glasses sitting on the beside table beside him. "Numerous things. Traps, Hallucinations, small demons fascinated with games of chance...and of course let's not leave out sleep deprivation." he still looked a little drowsy. "But...I'm fine. And I can certainly attest to the labyrinth living up to it's name as a den of madness."

Mokutan peered about his face, looking curious. "Dang, sounds like you had one helluva night... what else was there besides the Contract? You swipe anything else?"

"Enough gold and powerful artifacts to make me richer than a Daimyo and more powerful than a Kage...but no, I didn't."

"Wow boss, your REALLY musta been out of it huh..." Xenon gave a small smile of contentment.

"Maybe so..."

Kimiko was slightly put to pause by Raine's comment. Was it really so hard to believe you didn't want anything to do with your clan? Was she that weird like that? Then again he was right... Maboroshi wasn't the type to not know about these things...was it simply that he didn't know? Or didn't care? She followed Raine up to Maboroshi's room with these thoughts in mind, intent now to ask Maboroshi about Crow.


Xenon ran a hand through his hair wearily, his eyes still appearing as though he'd just woke up from an afternoon snooze. He'd need to- then suddenly he heard the noise from the door, his head turning to see Raine and Kimiko through the window. His glasses were whisked off the bedside table and unto his face in a seconds breath, his finger adjusting them comfortably as they two opened the door and entered. "You two." He actually sounded surprised. "What are you-"

Yet before he could finish his sentence, he recieved a familiar gentle bonk on the head. "Maboroshi! You IDIOT!"

He blinked, looking at Kimiko evenly "Good Morning Kimik-"

"Don't you "Good morning Kimiko-san me you jerk!" she gave him another gentle bonk on the head, Mokutan having switched shoulders as he observed this with amusement. "Next time you want to get stronger, you go to the library! Not-"

"I did go to the library." Xen Corrected.

"I meant the NON restricted section of it!!"

"Go on."

"And learn a Jutsu or something! Don't go gallivanting off to some stupid secret maze under a mountain to retrieve the First Otoka-" But Maboroshi's finger met her lips, hushing her as his own gaze shifted to his shoulder.

"Mokutan?"

The Bird gave a small laugh. "What can I say, she's very persuasive...she can breath fire boss, can you breath fire?"

Xenon sighed, looking back to Kimiko "I would appreciate it if you kept what I was doing in confidence until I can Speak with Lord Kasuke Kimiko...would you please?"

Kimiko backed away with a huff, her eyes giving him a half hearted glare. Just as she'd thought, same as ever. "Fine, but I hope you know what your doing Maboroshi..." she turned around, showing her back to him. "Geez...winding up in the hospital. Don't think I came to see you either, it's just that Dash's room is right next door. As far as I'm concerned you deserved whatever happened." her face was huffed childishly now.

Xenon smiled a his team agreeably "You're probably right." he turned to Raine. "By the way, you say Dash Sensei is here? I'm surprised, I'd have assumed he'd let that happen to teach us, but maybe I was wrong...is he alright?

Kimiko's look was now a great deal more concerned then Maboroshi's, who looked more clueless then anything else. Kimiko had had no idea that Raine felt this way. She and Maboroshi had known one another for a long time that was all, it-

Xenon though, was far quicker to speak. "Very well, I suppose to you it must have seemed rather random." he adjusted his glasses calmly. "Truth be told I've been wondering for a while why we were all put on the same team together, and then given Dash as our Sensei. What was the logic behind it? Was there any? Yesterday I figured it out, thanks to the incident over which I lost my temper." he looked between his team mate's evenly "It is the urge to protect...that is what we all have in common."

Kimiko looked surprised now. She herself had actually had the question posed to her just last night. But then what did Maboroshi mean? "The urge to protect?"

Xenon sighed pulling back the covers of his bed as he turned, setting his feet on the floor as he did so. "It's more apparent with you two, Raine in particular. But I too wish to protect what is mine, and Dash sensei..." he frowned "Us...his team, we're what he wants to protect. I didn't realize that was why he was acting the way he was...that was my failure, and that was why I was angry." he sighed turning to the scroll set next to his bed. "As to your other question, I was not intentionally keeping just you out of plan Raine. I didn't intend Kimiko to know about it either..." he coughed and looked at Mokutan.

"What? Geez I'm sorry, I suppose you can lie with those big green eyes staring at you!"

Xenon didn't even comment. "If you really wish to know though, you are one of the few people I've no right to keep secrets from. I'm not accustomed to keeping people informed when I make decisions...but if that is what you wish, I will endeavor to be more open with you in the future." he seemed somewhat reluctant but he lifted the scroll and set it on the bed, unrolling and exposing the contents. "This is what I went into the labyrinth to retrieve...it's..." his eyes locked on the names listed there. Orochimaru, Sasuke Uchiha, Anko Mitarashi. "Well, perhaps a demonstration would be better suited for this."

Mokutan looked at Xenon carefully "You sure your up to it boss?"

Xenon didn't seem to hear him. He merely seemed to spit a senbon out into a tooth pick like position in his teeth, removing it and using it to p***k his finger. "Please stand back...I may have to force it to obey me." Mokutan flew from Xenon's shoulder to Kimiko's, apparently having bonded with her enough since the previous day. Xenon walked over to the wall of his room, and felt chakra rush through his coils. "Okay then..." he set his bloody finger unto the wall suddenly, a seal springing up around it as his chakra rushed forth. After a brief explosion of smoke...Xenon's eown eyes widened slightly.

Coiled about him with it's four feet of length, was the serpent he'd summoned, it's crimson slit like eyes glaring directly into his own as though peering into his soul. The snake had scales as black as pitch, strange yellow arrow like patterns running across the surface. For a moment, one moment, Xenon could feel the snakes will combating his own, as though they were matched in a brief battle for supremacy. His own won, his own won by sucha large margin it wasn't even a matter for humor. The snake seemed to submit almost immediately, but he could almost her a strange tittering "Ku ku ku ku ku..." from the reptile as it then proceeded to coil it's way about his arm, turning it's head to his teammates.

"The Snake Contract." Xenon finished unnecessarily.


-50 chakra
222 chakra remaining

Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)
This Jutsu, using a contract, Seal, and the user's blood, binds an animal to the user. The type of animal is determined by the contract and Seal performed. The blood is used as a signature to make the contract, which can be written on a scroll or tattoo, valid. Once bound, the animal can be summoned to perform a task or help the user in battle.

The summon usually is subservient to the summoner. However, the more powerful summons, for instance Gamabunta, or Manda, demand respect and loyalty from their summoners. Manda even demands hundreds of live human sacrifices.

Other types of summonings include even powerful objects, such as the Rashōmon gates.
Cp cost: 50 Cp per rank.
Example: Gamabunta would cost 200 chakra points while a small frog would cost 50 [There are four ranks. For more information check the Summonings Thread]
Damage: Depending on summon's power.
Requeriments: Chakra 30+
Training days: Depends on the quest.

Xenon gave a small smile "Forbidden? Well, I didn't see a sign anywhere...in fact the only words I did see invited me to "Enter if I dared." I suppose they thought the insanity inducing air of the place was enough of a repellent." he gave a small chuckle. "But then, that was why the contract was all I took." he looked more serious. "Don't worry. Now that I've signed the contract, I fully intend to turn it over to Lord Kasuke. They'll probably be so glad to have it back in Oto's hands, they won't be too troubled." he looked side long at the snake. "Besides...it's not like they're going to try and punish someone for retrieving such a powerful weapon for the village."

Kimiko was looking somewhat disapproving. "You were counting on that?"

Xenon nodded unabashedly. "Of course. Though, if we're being entirely open now. I also was thinking they wouldn't try and punish someone who could summon a Giant Snake God who has more then enough reason to hate this village bitterly and wants to see it ground to dust." He had after all, well done his homework on the the Leader of the Snakes. After Manda's Death, One of his lieutenants now grown far more powerful than Manda himself, took over...and apparently he hated Orochimaru with a vengeance, seeing the village he built probably wouldn't bring back happy memories... he'd have to deal with that somewhere down the line as well. This sentence was all delivered rather bluntly, and with an earnestness that didn't seem to fit the words at all.

Kimiko frowned deeper "But that would just be a bluff...right Maboroshi?" Her tone sounded warning.

He held up his free hand, the one which the snake was not coiling about. "Calm down Kimiko," he was smiling. "Yes, yes, it would have been a bluff. Really you are far to easy to tease sometimes."

"Ku, ku, ku, ku," Xenon's eyes shifted to the snake coiled about his arm. He hadn't imagined it this time, but he decided to address the matter later. Apparently his first level summoning COULD speak...he'd deal with that when he had the time.

"At any rate," he continued, rolling up the scroll again. and slinging it over his other shoulder, "I really should get this to the Lord Otokage...it would be awkward if they thought I was just trying to keep it to myself without permission."

Kimiko however crossed her arms, suddenly smiling. "Not before you check out, and before you do that, you have to come see Dash Sensei with us."

Xenon raised an eyebrow at her, looking slightly humored. "Is that an Order Miss Kimiko?"

"Yes." Kimiko confirmed beaming. She was glad that Maboroshi seemed to grasp the situation so well. After putting them all through this, he had to take responsibility and come patch things up with their sensei. He could give the snake scroll of Kasuke after that. Kasuke would know what to do with it for sure.