A Family That Trades Together Stays Together! [Group Mission]

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An escort mission...her very first one as a Nikkousato shinobi...

The Inukura found herself in an alleyway, the bright sunlight shining down on her face to indicate that it was already morning. She had passed out on the ground of some side street again, this time not from fatigue but merely because she had drank too much. An alcoholic at the core, she never admitted to having a drinking problem, only telling whoever willed to listen that she had found comfort and solace in a particularly sweet and addicting liquid, known as plum wine. She had gotten drunk the night before, even though she knew that today was going to be a mission day. Her intention had not been to drink at all, being unable to sleep at night she merely stole away from Sojiro's home and somehow ended up on the street with empty wine bottles littered around her. The girl would sit up slowly, her head hurting slightly from the aftermath of the alcohol. It wasn't exactly a hangover, although it was close. Kokoro looked around her at the deed she had committed, almost ten bottles could be found within her range of sight. Gosh...she needed to do something about this...

The girl got up weakly, her hand on her head a little as she adjusted her focus to her surroundings a little more. It no longer phased her at all to wake up somewhere other than that of her own house, but it always seemed to take a moment for her to get her bearings before she could function like a normal human being. Kokoro reached into her pockets, retrieving the mission scroll she had received the day before. Right! She was going on an escort mission, a family had requested the help of two Nikkousato shinobi and she had grudgingly volunteered. It was only because Sojiro and Gen seemed to be too busy again to pay any attention to her that she decided to go on a mission on her own. It just so happened that this one was going to be one with a friend, Arashi. The man was intriguing to her, bashful in some ways and yet very much manly like her brother. He was also somewhat easy to talk to, unlike other people in the village. The black haired girl would make her way to the meeting place, which happened to be the place they were supposed to meet the merchant and his family.

Kokoro would chew breath mints, hoping to take out the obvious smell of alcohol from at least her breath as she walked towards the village gates. She chided herself for drinking the night before, although her memory was too far gone to even remember how it all began and ended. From the mission scroll she guessed that she was supposed to meet the man and their client there before heading to Gekkousato, her mind slowly starting to shift and think more about the mission. Half of her was excited to finally be able to do an escort, seeing as her previous missions had been mostly about wild animals or mushrooms or missing children. The girl would pick up Arashi's scent from afar, her Inukura instincts keen even though her mind was not. Letting out a small smile, she would look at the happy family, a little bit jaded at the fact that they were this happy. it reminded her how she had never had even a family to begin with, much less a happy one. The girl gave Arashi a nod and then bowed to their client, introducing herself and getting the formalities over with as quickly as possible, not wanting to see their happy faces for longer than what was absolutely necessary.  

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Kokoro was glad Arashi didn't ask any questions, even though his eyes would tell her otherwise. She smiled at him politely, knowing that to him she was probably something like a rebellious child. She didn't mind being viewed that way, and in some ways it was probably for the best. There was too much hurt, too much pain in her heart and mind that she wasn't prepared to explain. Instead, she would shrug it off, like she always did and simply look from the merchant to his family, nodding her head at Arashi indicating that they were ready to move. Gekkousato wasn't far from where they were but the thought of bandits showing up before they got there just seemed like a little too much work for the kunoichi. She was definitely some kind of hungover she realized. Turning her attention back to the mission, the two shinobi would find themselves walking on foot, while their clients rode the carriage.

The journey was going to be a slow and drawn out one, so she decided perhaps it was a good chance to get to know the man. Kokoro studied him carefully, just now realizing that she knew very little of her friend. It was true, they rarely spoke about matters unrelated to their mission before, barely having enough time to complete them as is. She would smile at him, this time in earnest while they walked. "So Arashi...can you tell me a bit about yourself?" A little abrupt but she didn't know how to beat around the bush. There were no questions she would ask, simply wanting whatever he was comfortable telling her.
 

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Kokoro had not expected to hear an entire story, or at least as detailed as Arashi depicted and explained it. But she was drawn to what he had to say, each syllable striking a heart string the more she listened. She nodded her head periodically, recognizing that he shared a lot of the same emotions and pain that she had experienced, although their circumstances were vastly different. Her eyes softened as she continued to listen, the empathy she felt for him blatantly written on her face. It was a new emotion for her, empathy, while she studied his face, his expression and his mannerisms. The Inukura would give him an understanding look, one that was free from pity and sympathy, and it reminded her that they were somewhat similar. "I used to pick fights on the streets too, some years ago..." she would comment as he finished his story. Her voice was a whisper as she reflected on her life wondering where she should start. After a moment reflection, her eyes would turn to look out into the distance.

"You know me as Kokoro, but that's not my real name..." she began, "I was born to the Inukura Clan, to a monster of a father and a coward of a mother. Naturally I'm not from this village too. I saw my father kill my mother one day and I ran away, walking for days and days until I passed out somewhere. When I woke up again I was in Nikkousato, in the care of my stepfather, Sakuragi Ren." She had never talked about her past in such detail before, clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles whitened as a mental image of her birth father appeared in her head. "I struggled to fit in with the people in the village, and people picked on me because I had no parents. So I fought back and I picked fights until I was either beaten up pretty bad or I beat people up." Her voice shook as she remembered being bullied at school. Turning to face him finally, she would give him a small smile. "If you know Sojiro, he is my half brother..." she would add casually. She simply assumed that everyone knew Sojiro in the village.

"That's pretty much my entire life story, minus some boring details." Kokoro would then stop, her eyes shifting so that she now started directly into the other man's eyes. And as though gripped by some foreign force, she would move her right arm to grab his arm and pulled him into a tight hug. It was so sudden that she was very surprised but she would continue anyway. It was a brief hug, as they were still traveling but she wanted to show him that she cared. Pulling away from him, a blush would form on her cheeks, another foreign thing for the young girl as she looked away. "Sorry..." she would whisper, her blue eyes casting onto the ground, realizing that she had yet again touched a person without seeking their consent first.
 

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Kokoro froze when Arashi patted her on the head. It was interesting how men seemed to like to pet girls on the head, an observation she could now see was true having been pet on the head by four different men including the one in front of her. Another observation she would note was how much she enjoyed that sensation, as though she had been a pet in her past life, the idea of her hair being ruffled by a strong man seemed to strike at her heart more than anything. This was true with Sojiro and Gen, who were both to her as close as family. The other man was Kenji, who had playfully perhaps done so out of habit and personality. She remembered how her heart had beat strongly against her chest when the puppeteer had ruffled her hair, the mere act enough for her to go from merely getting to know the man to having a crush. Although the crush was more short lived than their acquaintance had been, she had enjoyed the feeling that it gave her, the idea that she could put her heart out for someone made her seem more...human.

Tears would well in her eyes as she quickly turned her head away, not wanting to show Arashi her weakness. She was somewhat of a crybaby, as her brother had so obnoxiously pointed out on numerous occasions and she wasn't prepared for someone other than her family to see her this way. It had been more of what he said to her than his actions that made her want to cry, as she felt the earnest and sincerity in his voice as he offered her his support. The Inukura's heart fluttered, a little bit like the time when she had heard Kenji say almost the same exact words. It had ended with her confessing her feelings to him, a kiss on his cheek and her running away crying, only to never see him again. She feared that feelings similar to that would form and she would only be rejected because of her age. Crushes were hard to forget and move on from, as she found herself thinking about the moon shinobi more often than not.

And she kept this all to herself, biting her tongue and merely nodding her head in acknowledgement of what Arashi had said. She wasn't prepared to make the same mistake that she had made with Kenji and would try to clear her mind in the process. Part of why she drowned herself in alcohol was because she couldn't forget, dwelling on memories and troubles more often than not. Kokoro wished she had the same traits as her brother, being able to let things slide and not think about them but sadly that was not the case. As they walked down the road heading to the village in silence, she would glance at the man beside her, her eyes shifting to watch him once in awhile without turning her head to stare at him awkwardly. She had found herself a friend and she was not going to let any of her stupidity shatter the friendship they had built.
 

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The nicer Arashi was to her, the more she didn't know how to deal with the rush of emotions that came with it. She had made that mistake once, twice, the damaging error of judgment being that she had turned someone's kindness towards her into something that was much more. The girl could see that he was trying to comfort her, his eyes searching hers as she tried to hide the tears that were threatening to overflow. Kokoro had to learn to keep her composure, no matter the cost. She willed her blue eyes to look up and rest on his, her gaze free of the defiance she would have given him if he hadn't been so kind to her. "Please don't be so kind to me..." she whispered, her expression softening further as she knew he meant well. But she held back, unwilling to accept the kindness he offered to her so unconditionally. It was a personality flaw, and yet she had been wired this way since she was a child.

"I wish I could tell you..." her voice further quieted as she thought about his words. Of course he wouldn't know what she was thinking, because to be honest neither did she! She didn't know what to think, dared not think too deeply. Her hands shook slightly, feeling the need for alcohol rush through her veins. It was the first time she felt this strong desire to drink in the middle of the day, especially having drank herself to sleep the night before. But when faced with stress or any kind of negative emotion, the girl couldn't help but crave for the soothing and addicting liquid. Her eyes narrowed, her mind trying to stop her hands from shaking so that Arashi wouldn't see. The last thing she wanted him to see was her alcoholic state, when she weakened beyond repair to her addiction. No...she couldn't let him even sense that part of her. She had kept a facade up for so long that there was no turning back now.

By now the merchant's carriage had passed them and they were a little behind, rather than in front. Kokoro watched as Arashi quickened his step and would follow, knowing that the only way for her to not think of alcohol was for her to put her attention elsewhere. She struggled, battled with her body and her heart, all the while trying to keep her composure. It wasn't easy, and because Arashi was as observant of a man as he was, she feared that he would already have caught on. A sixteen year old girl that not only dressed provocatively but also drank...whatever image she had thought she could build for herself would be instantly shattered, she thought to herself.