Welcome to Gaia! ::

Notwen walked over to the cushion that Chiyoko had directed him to and knelt on it. The velvety fabric delivered exceptional support for his weight, keeping his body about an inch off the ground. Moments later, soothing music reached the dark-skinned boys ears. The sound was coming from behind the walls. A quick extension of his awareness dome revealed that there were, indeed, musicians playing instruments behind fake walls. The room was actually much larger than it appeared. The notes filled the air with a regal and relaxed feeling that made Notwen feel important.

The door to the hallway opened and in strode a man in a flowing deep blue robe. Along with him came the enticing scent of jasmine, which he enjoyed drinking during his meditation sessions at home. Once he approached the table, the man bowed to Chiyoko and Notwen, then began to set up tea cups on the table. Notwen looked at the setup with intrigue, but noticed the expectant smile on the albino kunoichi's face. He decided to wait patiently for whatever was to take place. The man produced a peculiar bronze teapot from his robes and placed it on the table.

The pot itself seemed to be made out of bronze. It had the shape of a trapezoid when viewed from the side. The handle created an arch over the lid. The angled nose was overly long and thin, and made the dark-skinned blonde wonder how exactly it was supposed to be used. The lid was removed and boiling water poured into the teapot, creating a metallic scale of lowering pitch. Once it was full, the lid was put back onto the teapot and the man picked it up. Bowing once gain, the man began a routine of intricate martial arts forms similar to tai chi, all the while twirling, spinning, and flipping the teapot. Notwen watched with wide eyes as the blue-robed man poured the tea from several inches above the cups in several difficult poses. Not a single drop was spilled as the thin stream of boiling water left the teapot and fell into the teacups.
I couldn't copy those moves with the sharingan even if i wanted to... thought the dark-skinned boy as the man finished his routine and bowed again.
"It has been an honor to perform for you Lady Chiyoko." said the man, then left the room for Chiyoko and Notwen to enjoy their tea. After a few sips of his jasmine tea, Notwen said,
"That was something interesting. I've never seen anything like it." After a few seconds of daydreaming about himself performing the moves the blue-robed man had used, Notwen remembered about the mission. "Oh, and before i forget, i stopped by the mission offices earlier to pick up our mission. We can discuss it later on."

Notwen sipped more of his jasmine tea as Chiyoko inquired about the mission at hand. He thought back to the symbol on the side of the scroll. It looked like a bowl of ramen. Just then, servants began to pour out of the woodwork. They brought in platters of food that the dark-skinned boy had never seen before.
"Well, whatever it is, it has something to do with ramen. I'm guessing it's a delivery mission." After he finished speaking, he helped himself to the delicacies at Chiyoko's request. Starting with the soups, Notwen went on to consume several dumplings and sweet desserts. He had much of a sweet tooth, so the desserts were his favorite course, enjoying the sugar-covered bread balls the most.

After half an hour of hearty dining, there was a slight rise in Notwen's midsection, signalling that he was full, but not gorged. Patting his tummy lightly, he turned to Chiyoko.
"Thanks Chiyo-san, this meal was delicious." As he got up to leave, his cushion expanded to its full size, and his knees cracked quietly. "I think it's about time we got to doing this mission. Hopefully you didn't eat too much yourself." With that, Notwen left the dining hall. A few minutes later he was outside, fully dressed in his usual clothes, waiting for Chiyoko.

MISSION START

As soon as they headed out, the hazy sunset began to be shrouded by huge thunderheads. Notwen gazed at the ominous clouds as they began to darken the sky while Chiyoko asked him if he felt anything strange. He looked at her.
"Not really, but it is odd that a storm should be popping out of nowhere. There weren't any clouds on the horizon earlier." As the duo walked onward, the wind began to pick up. Gusts began to whip up trash and hurl it every which way, making the village a living example of the expression 'This place looks like a tornado passed through it.' Soon, the pitter-patter of raindrops on sand began to reach the dark-skinned boy's ears. Seems like the storm is moving across the desert in our direction... he observed as the raindrops finally reached their location. Almost instantaneously the downpour began. The wind-driven rain slammed into the duo forcing them to take cover in an alley.

Notwen was nearly soaked by that first blast. He rached down to his side to ensure that his bow was securely sealed in the quiver hanging from his belt. Satisfied that no water might have gotten into the quiver, he gazed over at Chiyoko, who was in a similar state as his.
"Why? Don't you think this weather would give the mission a bit of a thrill? It's not often we get rain around these parts, and a good thunderstorm would make for the perfect field training!" The village lit up in a surreal white light for an instant as lightning flashed in the sky. This was followed by loud blast of rolling thunder. A smile crept over the dark-skinned blonde's face. He enjoyed the rain, it filled him with energy and happiness whenever it came. Now that he was outside he could enjoy it to the fullest. Another gust of wind blew rain into the duo's backs from the alley, drenching them for the most part. Notwen laughed, now having fun. "Come on Chiyoko, the night's young. Let's make the best of it, and get paid at the same time!" With that, the dark-skinned blonde made off to the ramen spot. It was fifteen minutes away.

The streets were now drenched and the beige sand had turned a light brown with a doughy consistency. Notwen was thankful that the rain kept the sand particles down and all he had to worry about was his footing at the speed he was going and the gusts of wind. A wrong move and he could slam into the wall of a building. In the end he was still enjoying himself, attempting pivots and maneuvers otherwise impossible due to the usually dry sand. The dark-skinned blonde was in the middle of one of these complex maneuvers that Chiyoko decided to teleport in front of him. Swiftly, he shot a powerful fire stream from his right foot that prevented him from colliding with his team mate. He caught himself with a sloppy roll, and got to his feet in bewilderment.
"What's the matter with you, Chiyoko?! Do you want to end up in the hospital again?" Notwen waited a few seconds for her reply, and when it came, the Uchiha tried to keep his growing nuisance from surfacing in his voice. "Chiyoko, how is that even relevant to what we have to do right now?" he asked. Notwen knew that she was prone to getting sidetracked, but now it felt as if she was trying to avoid doing the mission altogether. First because of the weather, and now because of some random injured person lying in the desert. Notwen sighed through his nostrils. After a swift weaving of hand seals, a ring of fire appeared around him. The fire collected into a sphere, which then began to take the form of a person. Finally the human-shaped flame took on Notwen's likeness and walked over to the albino kunoichi. "I'll have him go with you to make sure no harm comes to you, Chiyoko. I'm sorry, but this is my first mission, and i intend on finishing it regardless of the weather. It was my wish that you'd complete it by my side, but i can manage it alone. Go tend to the stranger. Whatever the case is, i should know because of the bond my clone shares with me. Good luck!"

With that, Notwen sped off again toward the ramen shop, this time at a faster gait. The whole incident with Chiyoko brought his spirits down, but he didn't allow them to stay down. The storm was picking up, and the thrill of being in the midst of the elements was more than exhilarating for the dark-skinned blonde. After a few turns through the now slushy sand, Notwen arrived at the ramen spot. The metal shutter was brought over the banners to keep the storm from drenching any customers who would be inside. He bent his back to enter the shop without hitting his head on the thin metal barrier, and was overtaken by the melt-watering scent of the broths.
"You're late!" barked the man on the opposite side of the counter. Notwen looked at him, having been snapped out of his reverie. "These orders were supposed to go out hours ago. What's been taking you so long?!" Notwen scratched his head, a habit that came up every time he found himself in an uncomfortable situation. There was one other person in the shop, and he was looking at the dark-skinned blonde quizzically.
"I apologize, sir. I was delayed because of the storm. How many orders are supposed to go out?" asked Notwen. The longer he stood there doing nothing, the bigger the puddle the runoff from his body made. The guy across the counter pondered for a minute, then said,
"Eight. Will you be able to handle all of those on your own?" Notwen smirked.
"Eight is perfect! Where can i go pick up the orders,sir?" The man looked at him skeptically, then said,
"At the back entrance. You'll have to go around." With that, he went to the back of the store to set up the box-like containers that had the orders in them. Notwen stepped back out into the rain and went around the building and entered the alley that housed the rear entrance. The man stood by the doorway, a safe distance from the tempestuous rainwater.
"Now show me how you'll manage to deliver so many crates all by yourself." he said. Notwen smiled and formed the same set of seals he'd performed earlier while he was with Chiyoko. The ring of fire that formed this time was much thicker and bigger than the first one he made, and split into seven fireballs which eventually expanded and became exact replicas of him.
"That's how." said the eight Notwens that stood in the alley. They each began to carefully strap the the boxes with the ramen to their backs, so they wouldn't spill the contents within. The directions to the several addresses were on one of the straps of each containment box. Once the destinations were reviewed, they grouped in to three teams: two three-man cells, and one two-man cell. The original Notwen was in the two-man cell. "Alright, let's go!!" cried the clones, and set off into the stormy night.

As the team of Notwens raced through the windswept Sand Village, they began forming a complex set of hand seals for a technique that was still in the testing stages. Eight consciousness probes, tendril-like chakra structures, began to emerge from the crowns of each of their heads. These would be mostly invisible to the naked eye, unless one had the power to see chakra. The tendrils grew longer and began to connect to each other in an intricate web of sixty-four connections, which would unite the consciousness of the clones into an unbreakable information network as well as a private mental link. The original Notwen closed his eyes and thought a simple question,
Can you all hear me? At first, there was nothing but a slight static buzz. Then he began hearing muddled voices that resembled his own. After a minute had passed he could clearly hear the replies of his counterparts.
Yes, we can hear you. A content smile appeared on the original dark-skinned blonde's face.
Good, he thought, As you all know, we have been linked mentally in a communication network. You are to deliver your packages to your destinations as fast as possible without upsetting the contents of your containers. When you successfully deliver your orders, collect the money and make your way back to me. The clones nodded, then the original continued. We are going to split up into three teams: αlpha, βeta, and κappa. I, along with you, he said pointing at the closet clone to him, will be team αlpha. You three, he pointed at three clones that were already in a group, are team βeta. And you guys...
We know, team κappa. the final three clones answered mentally.
Right! thought the original. Well, you guys have your directions. Scatter, and please, watch your steps pout there. The teams went off in three separate directions: κappa to the north, βeta to the east, and αlpha to the south, all the while their mental link straining, but never breaking apart.

Team κappa
The three-man team of clones ran along the rooftops of the village, using the occasional blasts of rain-laden wind to add to the hang-time of their jumps. About five minutes into the venture, one clone descended from the windy rooftops to the slick street. If it wasn't for the boots he was wearing, he would have lost his footing. While the other two clones continued on their paths, this one jogged up to the door of a well-lit house and knocked. An annoyed voice could be heard inside grumbling about it being late in the night. A latch was unhooked and the door swung inward.
"What do you want?" asked an irritable old man in a nightgown. His receding hair was gray and he had a stubble going on his cheeks and chin.
"Sorry for the delay in my delivery, sir. I have brought the ramen you requested." answered the clone.
"Well it's about goddamn time!" said the old man, going back into his house and fumbling around for his wallet. While this was going on, the clone knelt down and unfastened his delivery box. The man came out with some bills in his hand, which he gave to the clone in exchange for the box. Without another word the man turned his back and went inside his home, slamming the door in the clone's face. Shrugging, the clone relayed his successful delivery and began to follow after the original's consciousness.

The other two clones had a shared order, and it was another ten minutes of journeying in the elements before they spotted their target. Loud flute music and clapping could be heard coning from inside the large house. It took the combined efforts of both clones knocking on the door to get someone to respond.
"Oh good! You must be the ramen delivery crew!" said a young lady in her early twenties. She smiled a smile got the clones' hearts racing. The lady peered at the two closely, then said, "How cute! You guys are identical twins! And you're even wearing the same clothes!" The clones could do nothing but smile at the woman's beauty. She smiled. "Hold on, let me get the guys to get those packs from you." she went inside and whistled loudly at someone inside. Shortly two tall stocky men showed up and took their burdens from them. The lady returned and handed each of the clones a small wad of crisp bills."Thank you for your perseverance. Not many people would deliver anything in this weather. Feel free to visit any time. This is a dojo that trains people in the application of martial arts in the use of musical instruments." The lady bowed to them, then closed the door. The clones were reluctant to go, but they forced themselves to relay their message and head back to the original.

Team βeta
This team of clones had to travel the least. Their drop zones were only a few streets away from each other. The first and second clones dropped off their packages without anything of importance to report. The third, however happened upon a group of people with tattered umbrellas walking behind him while he made his delivery. Curiosity overcame him as he heard something about legendary swords. After taking the money from a short old lady, he shadowed the group of young men which turned out to be a platoon of Sand shinobi, most likely chuunin level or higher. Due to the howling wind and thunder, he was only able to glean snippets of the conversation before one of them became aware of his presence. Before any of the shinobi had a chance to capture him, the clone made off into a network of alleyways that enabled him to shake them off his trail. A mischievous spark shone in the clone's eye. If what the shinobi had said was true, he would have to see for himself. Well, the original, that is.

Team αlpha
The original Notwen was pleased to know that all of the other clones except for the one that was with him had made their deliveries, and were now on their way to rendezvous with him.
It's only us now, he thought directly into his partner's consciousness. The clone nodded and rounded a corner that led him to his destination. The dark-skinned boy was now alone for the time being. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the tag that contained the address of his destination. It still bothered him. The destination was not an address, but a set of coordinates that led to an area outside of the village. "This doesn't make sense." he whispered to himself, "Who could it be for?" As he finished his question, he noticed a clone running toward him, but it wasn't one of the ones he had created to aid him in the delivery mission, it was the one he had sent with Chiyoko. "What's the matter?" asked the original dark-skinned blonde. The clone caught its breath and recounted what had happened on the dune. Apparently Chiyoko had gotten herself into another mess, and it was imperative that he get there as soon as possible. "Very well." said Notwen with a sigh. "Go to the hospital as fast as you can and tell them what Chiyoko is dealing with. Once you have done that cancel yourself out. I thank you for your service." The clone nodded and began to dash in the direction of the hospital when the original stopped him again. "What are their coordinates?" The clone paused for a moment, then said,
"Approximately 144-51." The original's eyes widened. Those were the coordinates that were on the delivery tag. His jaw clenched.
"Alright, go on." The clone disappeared in a flash down the street. Notwen craned his neck back to look at his package. In order to save his team mate, he had to get to the area as soon as possible. Forsaking his first mission ever, he cast off the package, dropping it from his shoulders. A dull crack and the sound of spilling liquid reached the dark-skinned boy's ears before his swift dash had taken him far enough.

Just then, the delivery clones began to arrive and converge at the wide intersection in which the original now stood. They all forked over the money they had earned to the original, then cancelled themselves out. Notwen's mind was flooded with their experience and the knowledge they had absorbed from their hour or so of existence. He swayed where he stood, almost overcome by the flood of new information that washed over his senses.
"I see..." he whispered, closing his eyes and replaying the info he had learned about the musical dojo and the legendary swords of the mist. "I'll have to deal with this info later." The dark-skinned blonde dashed off down the main street that led to the long sandy corridor that led out of the village. Once out in the desert, Notwen spotted Chiyoko's consciousness with his awareness dome and jogged to the dune she was on. Cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice, Notwen called out to his team mate. "Chiyo-san, I ran into my clone! Help is on the way! Also, i am here to help as much as i can." Knowing that the rain had made the dune unstable from the clone, he waited until he heard the albino kunoichi's instructions on how to deal with the issue at hand.
88 Lines



The storm was picking up again and the wind began to drive the rain harder into the side of the destabilized dune. Notwen braced himself as the full force of the tempest raged around him, sending his chakra into the saturated sand via the soles of his feet to anchor his body to the ground. Lightning struck the ground a few yards away, causing the dark-skinned blonde to look up at the top of the dune. Chiyoko was tending to the man as best as she could, but the center of the storm was almost upon them. Staying up there any longer would endanger both of their lives. Notwen sucked his teeth, now annoyed at his team mate's foolish antics.
"If she wanted to save people's lives, why didn't she choose to be a medic?" he said in a bothered tone. "This girl is doing to get herself killed if i don't do something soon." Notwen took a deep breath to clear his mind, and closed his eyes. He focused his chakra while he searched his consciousness for the presence of another distant mind. When he found it, he concentrated on it and thought, Kaala, can you hear me? It took some time for the reply to come, but the dark-skinned blonde relaxed when he heard the faint reply in his head.
Yes, Notwen. Why is it that you contact me? inquired the mental voice. Notwen sighed and replied.
I have a situation here that i can't manage on my own. There's a storm raging here and my friend is trapped on an unstable dune with a stranger. Do you thin you can help them? There was a momentary pause, then the voice spoke again.
Summon me. I will see what i can do. Notwen nodded and began making the preparations for the summoning. First he drew a large circle on the supersaturated sand, then drew a square within it so that each corner touched the circle. This was the beginning of a complex formula only used when the usual conditions for a regular summoning were unable to be met; the condition being warm, dry ground. The dark-skinned boy walked out of his slowly vanishing formula, turned around and knelt next to it. Putting his right forefinger on the circle, he muttered "Brisingr!", causing blue flames to fill the hollows he created. A hiss filled the air as the blue flames evaporated the water in the sand with the heat they gave off. Wasting no time, for the storm threatened to douse the flames any second, Notwen weaved a unique set of four seals: Dragon, Navel, Bird, Crown. Slamming his tight palm onto the blur flames on the rim, the dark-skinned boy said, "Summoning Jutsu: Greater Sparrow!" A series of glyphs and lines sprang into existence, and a blue conflagration of flames erupted from the summoning formula. The force knocked Notwen back several feet, but he managed to catch himself, though not before jostling the contents of his container. I haven't used that method in so long that i forgot about its explosive side-effect... thought the Uchiha while he massaged his lightly scalded hand and looked into the blue inferno.
A pair of crimson-gold wings appeared from the blue flames and flapped powerfully, extinguishing the fire easily and revealing a magnificent giant sparrow clad in black armor. It scanned the area with quick swivels of its head, found the trapped man and girl, and flew straight for them. The hair on Notwen's body began to stand on end, and it meant only one thing. Before the Uchiha could utter a word, a bolt of yellow lightning struck the top of the dune. A barrage of newly formed glass pelted the surrounding area. When Notwen looked back to the now partially collapsed dune, he saw that there was no sign of Chiyoko, Kaala, or the man, but he could still feel their consciousnesses. A shrieking cry from the sky caused Notwen to look up higher. The crimson-gold armored bird was descending toward him and landed, depositing both the albino kunoichi and the wounded man on the partially dried sand.
Carrying humans in my beak is not something i like doing. They owe me their lives. said Kaala directly into the dark-skinned blonde's mind since he couldn't speak.
Thank you, Kaala. I owe you one. thought Notwen
That you do. replied the sparrow

Notwen looked at Chiyoko with a frustrated gaze as she complained about how she had told him not to move the injured man. He rubbed his temple as he tried his best not to strain himself further by arguing with the albino kunoichi.
She clearly doesn't understand that she would have been struck by lightning and killed had it not been for you summoning me here. said Kaala in his mind via their shared mental connection. The dark-skinned boy caught a displeased look from the sparrow.
Yeah. She gets like that quite more often nowadays. replied Notwen as Chiyoko lowered the injured man to the ground and laid him on his back. The great, crimson-gold sparrow waddled over to his summoner and looked him in the eye.
I have searched that girl's consciousness. Your relationship will not end well if this continues much longer, Notwen. You and i are alike in many ways, including our personalities. I personally am deeply annoyed at her for putting herself in such danger without concern for her own well-being. Notwen became troubled by what Kaala was saying to him about his friendship with Chiyoko, but the sparrow was right. The albino kunoichi was a combat specialist, not a medic. It wasn't her responsibility to tend to the wounded, and Notwen knew that she didn't have any healing techniques. If he had been a few minutes late, he wouldn't have had the time to summon Kaala. Had that been the scenario, he would be mourning her death right now.

Above, the center of the storm passed away and the elements finally began to calm down. The gales that drove the sheets of rain all but died down, and the rain itself downgraded to a constant drizzle. Notwen looked behind him as the team of medics his clone had called upon made their way over. In a matter of moments, the squad of physicians was all over the wounded man, while one interrogated him on what had happened. After their administering of salves and bandages, the commended him for his quick thinking and Chiyoko for her bravery. The dark-skinned boy wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a dismayed look on his team mate's face for a split second. The man came to and asked where he was, straining himself. The albino kunoichi began berating the man, telling him how he could have died, causing both Kaala and Notwen to roll their eyes.
Really now? they both thought in unison. After inquiry form Chiyoko, the man had told them how he had been mauled by desert animals. Notwen was going to ask what desert animal was big enough to actually cause that amount of damage, but he wasn't going to give himself a headache. That was the interrogators' job. When Chiyoko told the man that he could stay at her house, warning signals went off in the dark-skinned boy's head.
"Chiyoko, you don't even know this man. Injured or not, you shouldn't bring strangers into your home. I don't care how secured it may be. I'm sorry but i refuse to help carry him to your place." said the Uchiha in a stern tone. "There are medics here who can help you, or bear his weight altogether." Notwen began walking back toward the village. He could feel his team mate's eyes on his back. It was one thing to tend to a stranger, but it was another thing to let that stranger into your home. For starters, she knew nothing of the man or where he had come from. If it was Notwen, he would have taken care of him and admitted him in the hospital, where the man could get treatment from professionals in the medical field. Kaala announced that he was departing and vanished in a flash of golden flames.

Chiyoko didn't want to risk hurting the man she had just saved by carrying him all the way to her house, and signaled the medical ninja to carry him instead. She knew her mother would take good care of the man during the long healing process. Her mother was one of the best medical ninja in the village after all. The young girl stood outside of the village for a moment to let everything that had happened register in her mind. As she looked over the events of the day she realized that she had over reacted, and snapped at Notwen. With a sigh she decided that she had best apologize to her dark skinned teammate.

She activated her byakugan to locate her friend, and was very surprised by what she found him doing. He was packing his things, and Chiyoko had a bad feeling that he wouldn't be coming back. The two hadn't exactly seen eye to eye recently. "Well he's not leaving without me!" The albino girl thought stubbornly. WIth that she ran home and started packing frantically.

She tore off the soaking wet robes from earlier in the day and began throwing on her newest set of mission clothes. The pale skinned girl slipped into the red and black top and smiled. The tailors had reinforced it just as she had asked. Shaking her head to snap out of her reverie Chiyoko quickly threw on her new pants. The right leg stopped just above the knee while the left leg ended in the middle of her shin. Knowing that she didn't have much time left she threw on her black sandals and elbow braces. When they were secure the young girl threw on her long jacket, and tied her ninja tool pouch to her right leg. Chiyoko smiled as she saw herself in the mirror. The black highlights on the red jacket looked great, and everything fit perfectly.

With no time left to spare Chiyoko threw what she could fit into her backpack and teleported to a roof top near her dark skinned friend's house. She watched him with her byakugan and saw that he was trying to be very quiet. "He must be trying to sneak away." She said to herself confirming her fears.