Sickening Nostalgia

C-Rank Mission:

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It was not the importance of the job, but rather what it entailed.

The Usagi Clan were women, and as of recent, young men of indulgence. Time and time again, they sought out famous sites for bathing into hot springs, partaking in the most delectable of sweets, and appreciating fine jewels. The stories of the rabbits of myth ran like blood in their veins just like the ink that ran upon the pages that entailed these many stories. In time, the clan of rabbits had made their own stories in the shinobi world that surrounded these very myths. There was the fondness of the moon that was fabled, prompting them to remain in the moon village in a most religious manner. Then there were also stories of healing and longevity that would be represented by hot springs.

These particular springs were one of them.

He was a little bun when he would recall this place as it was. Clinging to his mother’s leg, he would remember the sound of volatile Earth that moved beneath his feet as if it was bubbling like the insides of a kettle. The Usagi not only bathed here, but trained as they had their Kekkei Genkai that sensed the pressure and when it was reaching its pinnacle. Even when blind, Usagi Hikari moved with the most graceful ease. His eyes, not needed as his steps were carefully guided unto the solid bedrock embedded with the richest of soil. Simple steps would pause as he would recall where the women would step carefully when he was a young one. The rhythm changed slightly in these lands, but yet the sensation of the dirt was unmistakable.

“Mei Mei-sama,” he shocked his head. “You are so cruel at times.”

The Rogue Kunoichi had intelligence that was unmistakable it seemed! Hikari would think that she had been watching him all through his years with the information she had about the clan and where they walked. She had excellent timing in rescuing him after all. He was fearful to ask what he wanted, but thought it was crazy. Perhaps a coincidence? Either way, what she knew was not questionable. Not as long as the rabbit had a debt to repay and then there was the mutual interest Hikari had.

With a pinch of his thumb between his thief and seals as swift as the wind, Hikari would make one pronounce clap before falling to the ground. His palm slapping the Earth as he would roar aloud, “Kuchiyose No Jutsu!”” With an explosion of the vapors and dust, his form would be revealed. His tight black mesh and clothing of a one piece would slowly be revealed once again. His length of white fur running from his wrists to elbow, his ankle to knee, and his neck would be blowing in the breeze. The Earth would bulge before sinking completely as something was birthed into the grounds.

“Alright girls, let us be quick,” he would chime, “Please rip at the roots of the mushrooms in the area. Be careful to not eat any of them.” His voice reached as the creatures beneath would understand. Their voices like whispers to his own ears as they would bring a soft smile to his face. All he had to do now? He was to wait out the rest of this hot and steamy night...but…

“...something is off.” His voice uttered in a hushed tone as he was distracted slightly from his surroundings.

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Hikari::
[Stamina: 180/180]
[Chakra: 100/150]

Action 1: Summoning: Earth Release: Bunny Burrowing (-50 Chakra)
Action 2: N/A

Cure paid no heed to the dirt and filth of his surroundings as his mind was consumed with worry. As a scholar and researcher Cure was aware of the drastic changes that could be caused by the sudden huge unnatural shifts in an ecosystem and they were hardly ever good news. So far he had had the bad luck to come across some of the bugs that was mentioned in the report he received from the village, and it was heartbreaking how many he had to destroy to make his way toward the estimated origin of the parasitic fungi. "I will destroy most of them but I should take a few samples back to study them. Perhaps I can find a long-term solution so that this disaster does not repeat itself. Hmmm?"

Looking up all of a sudden Cure sensed something ahead of him and realized a very familiar face had appeared before him. "Hikari?" Surprised but still calm Cure used the gentle non-gendered voice that he had used around Hirari last time. After realizing Hikari was there he realized what the bunny man was doing. 'Ah, the moon village must have assigned him to help as well.' Realizing this, Cure smiled as he greeted his old bunny friend. "It seems we're on a similar mission again. Pleasure seeing you again Hikari."

Come to think of it Cure had been very busy lately so he had not had much time to check up on some of the new acquaintances he'd made recently. Thinking of it now Cure felt pretty bad. Shaking his head Cure used his knowledge of herbology and poison handling to start removing some of the parasitic mushrooms so that Hikari need not do all the work.

---

"It seems we're on a similar mission again. Pleasure seeing you again Hikari."

A voice? A familiar voice. Hikari would swallow as he would spin around on his heel, granting the courtesy and not so much of the need to lay his eyes on the figure. Nonetheless, they would reflect the image of the figure and his muffled voice. A hint of confusion as Hikari almost mistaken them for another. However, the second guess was exact. His blue spheres would pass through the gaze of the man that was before him. Hikari’s feet, timid as he would reach a single foot before him, would halt so suddenly.

“C-cure-san?” His voice feeling a second wave of that sickening feeling: nostalgia.

“He did not approach me so suddenly,” Hikari would swallow. “Could he...not know?” That was nearly impossible! Hikari recalled that a hospital room had gone to shambles because of him and the floor before it turned into a mess! The repairs to the hospital and the thunderous sound with not a drop of rain would have been a talk, and not to mention the shinobi that chased them suffered some injury. One by his own hands, and Hikari could not help but to feel nothing but dread thinking about it!

Push it down! Just like Mei Mei had advised. Surviving in the wilds meant being smarter than shinobi.

“Y-yes, it seems so.” He lied shamefully. “We are together once again! How fortunate for you to meet me where my clan adores to bathe! If it were under circumstances, you would have quite the show!” His hands clasped together in a suggestive and swooning manner like a giddy young school girl. It was a deceptive little dance as the Kunoichi taught him to play to his strengths. An undeniable fact was that the Usagi Clan knew very well how to tug at the heartstrings when it came to others.

“Cure-san is here alone?” Hikari, cautiously asking, would lift his fingers to make a seal. “You do know this bunny can hear quite far, yes? Perhaps you have friends watching you get fresh with this rabbit?” Reconnaissance, or at least that is what Mei-Mei had called his little dances. Hikari had a sickly feeling in his stomach from speaking to Mei Mei like he did to practice this. It was coming into full fruition as he would play to his charm with a smile awaiting for the shinobi to answer. Certainly, Hikari played at the notion of actually making the seals to check the area just in case.

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Hikari::
[Stamina: 180/180]
[Chakra: 100/150]

Action 1: N/A
Action 2: N/A

Cure looked towards the coquettish bunny happily with more then a little blush. He had already collected a few samples of the mushrooms for observation and now he was slowly destroying the other mushrooms on his own initiative. As he worked he listened to what the bunny said curiously before replying, "Indeed I've heard others might be working on this mission however who I do not know." He may have been imagining it but for some reason Cure thought the bunny sounded even more nervous then usual. He took a moment to pause from his work and look over towards Hikari with worry in his eyes. 'I should take the time to look up news about him when I get back, maybe he's been through some tough times or his clan is in trouble?!?! I hope there's some way I can help!' Before he let his mind run away from him Cure shook his thoughts free. and as he was about to once again speak to Hikari he heard a slight sound in the distance. Was there another shinobi going to join them? Cure searched for the source of the sound with a cautious, "Is someone there?" Afterwards he would wait patiently to see if that person would reveal themselves.

---

"Indeed I've heard others might be working on this mission however who I do not know."

They were troublesome words at the very least. Hikari would feel nothing short of utter concern as he would hear the sound of Cure’s voice. However, his training in deception was to stay true! His blue jewels for eyes would be a selling feature before finally opening his mouth slightly in awe. “Oh?” World famous word posed as a question as he would seem to chuckle in a less than innocent implication. “So others may be here?” Just as Hikari was about to usse his Chikaku, the rabbit would finally hear the sound of the medic’s voice rip through the fabric of the air just before revealing through the seams to make a new figure appear.

Was that...a voice of a young woman?

"Sakuragi Kokoro...Sorry for butting in to whatever you were doing there.."

“Ah! Cure-san!” The rabbit would call aloud while staring with his blank gaze to the distant young woman. “You seem to have brought a pretty girl here...to hot springs?!” The rabbit would spin on his heel with a smug expression as he would smile from ear-to-ear, getting a not a glimpse of his face, but if his heart rate was any indicator, he would know a feeling if it was conveyed from the pounding in his chest. “Cure-san...is on a ‘mission,’ indeed!” Hikari teased before letting out a grin and turning back to let his face go to Kokoro. His hand waving high as he feinted his most playful performance, but still would remain ever so vigilant.

“What we are doing here, Kokoro-chan? Admiring you!” Hikari would call aloud to the her and the heavens with it, “Come! Come! Come! Can this bunny hear your cute voice even better if you come any closer? After all, it is the least you can do since this bunny does not get to see how pretty you are...if you have not noticed!” He had a playful jig going jusst before taking both his index fingers and gseturing them to his foggy, blind eyes. A smile on his face as he seemed to be nothing short of thrilled to be playing the happy-go-lucky rabbit he had been before his defection.

Deep down, it was saddening that it would have to be a farce to meet the deceptive nature of shinobi: just as his clan intended.

As Hikari would do this, it would not have gone unnoticed that some of the soil would break away and crumble the Fungi into chunks of dirty. The roots would be destroyed leaving nothing more than pieces of the shrooms that were right to be collected. Hikari seemed to be playing around, neglecting his mission, but to none the wiser, the Usagi were resourceful workers.

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Hikari::
[Stamina: 180/180]
[Chakra: 100/150]

Action 1: N/A
Action 2: N/A

Cure was actually concerned for the....young looking bunny man. He had not noticed before just how young looking. Cure felt a fatherly protectiveness of the man and was worried for his well-being. "Is it okay for your village to have sent you out here alone for this mission? It could've been a lot of trouble to complete on your own." And not forgetting Koko had come he turned to her as well and spoke, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well I'm Cure. I assume you came for the same job as us? Why don't you come help me with pulling the mushrooms. There shouldn't be much more to take care of." After inviting Koko over Cure looked back toward Hikari still worried. His voice was laced with concern as he spoke. "I didn't really bring her here, this is the first we've met in fact....Are you doing okay Hikari? You seem a bit tense." It must have been staying out alone in this heat and fending of undead bugs for who knows how long before the other two arrived. Cure could sympathize with having to do such difficult tasks alone so he hoped now that they were here he could take some of the burden off of the bunny man and allow all of them to get through this mission more quickly and more efficiently.

Cure felt that the atmosphere was getting thicker, tenser, and increasingly awkward. He did recall the Usagi's summons and abilities and he felt perhaps he was a tad overly worried but what if he had been unable to use chakra all of a sudden? Or what if he ran out of chakra. And there were plenty of shinobi and beasts that could attack leisurely from the air. There was still a lot that could happen with just one shinobi traveling alone even as a summoner. However he still had no place to voice his concerns like that so Cure took a step back and tried to dispel the tense atmosphere already and finish up the mission.

There was hardly much left to do after all. "Sigh. There's more parasitic mushrooms here, here, and here." Wearily Cure pointed to three spaced out but relatively close patches of forest where the remainder of the parasite fungi remained. Once these patches were eliminated they could pack up and try for a more relaxed non mission atmosphere next time. "There's one for each of us and they're still close enough that we can help each other if we encounter trouble. After we're done we can decide to make plans to see each other again soon or not. That way we can get to know each other better in a neutral setting where we can all be relaxed." After proposing this solution Cure started heading toward one of the three patches as if leading by example.

He figured with his summons out Hikari could figure out where the three patches mentioned were through them. Just as Cure was nearly to his patch he heard a familiar skittering and knew another wave of undead bugs were coming his way. In fact it even sounded as if there were many coming from the final three patches. It seemed like the end of their mission wouldn't be so simple after all. Cure removed his katana's and prepared for exterminating some bugs!

When Yin and Yang Meets....No Mercy! Cure jumped forward to the remaining patch flipping onto the air with speed skill and accuracy. He was a medic ninja! He could not tolerate a prolonged fight as he was not at the level yet where he could stand relentlessly on the front line. So with his love filled fist of righteousness he would come from the sky burning with the Yang from the sun and exuding a yin like killing intent as he would crush into the bug preparing to destroy it and all it's friends in his patch with one Supreme Cherry Blossom Impact! The name of this technique becoming more clear as the ground sprouted a beautiful flower like crater that was like the same ethereal flower that bloomed for such a short season. "CHA-LA-LA, DAMMIT!" Cure yelled this out in a female sounding voice instead of one of his normal gender neutral voices. After which he would jump back and survey the damage to make sure he had properly done the damage he intended.

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“Good job, everyone!” Hikari would call aloud, “This bunny loves nothing more than when someone puts their backs into it!~” A laughter almost sounding like a perverse giggle as the bunny would move in an elegant dance and the Earth would compliment his every step. With one pirouette, Hikari would meet the head of one of the creatures as the block heel would smash it to bits with a stamp of its foot before it could out. Hikari’s right hand raised in a sweeping motion as his index finger gestured to one area by the young woman who was leaving the creatures with her sword. A slap of stone rose from the Earth on cue as it would blockade between her and the creatures that were attempting to blindside her from one place.

“That is right, girls,” Hikari sweeping his other heel as he would send the creatures flying into another rising slab of stone that would enclose the young woman's flanks. “Keep them nice and safe!” The other one was another story.

Most familiar with the person named Cure, Hikari found him to perceive and even harder to predict. The massive strength from the Cherry Blossom Impact would cause the Earth to scream as Hikari’s attention went to the figure. The voice changing for a moment would cause a brow to lift as he found himself suddenly interested in what secrets the figure was hiding. It was a dangerous thing as a Missing Ninja, to have others close who had secrets. It was one of the red flags that he was warned about from others when he would start to do this.

“Mmm! Do not be careless, Cure-san!” Hikari sang aloud as he would raise a shield block of land before the man. The rabbits cooperating to move the Earth using a sound [i">Moving Earth Core, “This bunny has to still get to know you!” With that, Hikari was left with little options as he had given them all his defenses. The rabbits underground positioned themselves to be close to the other shinobi while Hikari was left to rely on his usual techniques.

Thus, he would reach his hands and begin to weave signs. Quickly, the shinobi would feel the Chakra run along his fingers before he would reach the moistened Earth as he reached down and thrust his palms into dirt. His hands gripped the soil that shifted into a handle that was pure black, pulling it swiftly from the ground as the slender form and the top of it was a rounded head like that of an oddly shaped mallet. As he would lift the weapon, he would spin on his heel as the weight of the weapon would become the support in his dance as he would swing it across his body and send it hammering down with a powerful impact that would send a shockwave away to his side. One of the creatures hammered, more of them enclosed and squeezed by rising stalagmites that would crunch them together or pierce them before Hikari would listen to see that they could no longer swarm him out of vigilance or fear.

“Are you cuties, alright?” The calming moment causing some relief, “This bunny loves to spend time with the boy both, but...perhaps under better circumstances? In short, this bunny sees no end to this.” As flirty and suggestive as his tone was, Hikari was still following his instincts of formerly being a shinobi. His ears were twitching and he could see the insects were great in number. A proper pest extermination began at the root, and yet, the bunny had trouble trying to see where it began.

“Any ideas, Cure-san?” The rabbit called out to the man, “You were always so thorough!” He noted, recalling the enigmatic shinobi’s curiosity some time ago.

After clearing his side of bug, Cure would look to see most of the last few parasitic mushrooms were totaled. With this they should be able to sweep through the last little bit and finish up the mission. When Cure heard what Hikari asked he nodded to the remaining mushrooms he had not collected and that wasn't destroyed. "We destroy those. Once their gone the bug problem will temporarily resolve itself until whatever or whoever caused this returns and screws everything over again. I've taken a few samples to experiment with a more long term solution to resolve this problem more permanently in the future. However it will require extensive research." After explaining what should be done next, Cure set to work taking care of the remainder of the mushrooms not waiting to see if the others followed.

It seemed like there might be a lot on his mind as he worked silently and solemnly. In truth these mushrooms reminded him of the types or ingredients his mother world use in her portion she would test on him often. Even for a man of logic he could not ignore the emotional weight that certain bad memories could thrust on one. After finishing the job with or without the other's help Cure would stand tiredly and reply in his normal high gender neutral voice,"I'm afraid I will now have quite a bit of work on my hands. We'll have to postpone our meet and greet." The exhaustion in his voice made him sound more like a robot AI then a person, and the fact his voice was normally gender neutral didn't help. Shaking his head at the situation Cure turned to leave with one last reply. "See you next time."