The Rumors of the SwollenMan

Mission Info:

Kannagi had wanted no other partner than Hikari to assist on this mission. It seemed to be filled with problems from every angle and the rumors, lies, and fears had all but permeated the various travelers and nomads in the mountain regions. Caravans had reported missing children; a single trip through the mountain pass came with the strange kidnappings at nightfall. Kannagi had wanted to hear the story for herself in person, but Hikari was an expert at traveling in these sort of places. The blue haired kunoichi was adept at travel but for the bunny, it was as if he knew what was going to happen before it even did. She guessed it had to do with his ears but she had never been brave or callous enough to ask about them. There had even been a rumor of an entire group of Usagi children going missing as Usagi had neared the mountains, not even going into their depths! It made no sense... what use had bandits for kidnapping children? And if they had been killed... where were all of the bodies?

Recently, Kannagi had heard the people with missing children blaming some sort of mythological creature called "SwollenMan". It sounded utterly ridiculous and absolutely worth dismissing as a logical answer to the problems, but occasionally myths arose from truth and it wouldn't hurt to learn more about the creature's mythos on the off chance it might actually relate to information that she and Hikari could use. She waited near the mountains for Hikari, puzzling it over in her head. They had plenty of places to look, abundant peoples to talk to, and with any luck, ample clues to discover. She wore her dark blue skirt long instead of tied up, and her gray sleeveless top would offer enough mobility to make this patrol and travel easy for her. Her shinobi protector was in obvious placement at her waist, hoping the authority and seriousness of her rank might help her and her partner get the information faster.

WC: 338

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A personal request? For him? From the Sun Village?

Such a thing never had come for the Usagi Clan and any of its women from the Sun Village. The only mail and parcel received was usually about men who were still stricken sickly with lust or some silly self-diagnosis of love that was just far exaggerated. However, one letter in general had touched the hands of a particular clan member. A parcel of a scroll that had landed in the delicate fingers of the young male, one of the few Suns of the Usagi, who had a more personal request that tied in with shinobi duties. He would have refused as the clan had already sent him urgent letters beckoning him home. His injury healed nicely and slowly, he was almost ready to set off. However, as he would stroke the fingers along the braille, compliments of the translators within the Moon Village who knew how the rabbits desired their text, his ocean blue eyes would wide in shock as he would see that business and familial ties so closely aligned.

“Kannagi-san…” With an utter and a swift movement, he was off.

Hikari had left his temporary lodgings within the Sun Village and the array of letters that had stacked up by his desk. His mind was wrapped in the chaos as two interests aligned: his family and their vanishing young rabbits that were taken in shock during the travel back to the Moon Village, and then there was Kannagi. The kunoichi had seemed to appear in multiple places now where his family was. He would have become suspicious if he did not pine for her in secrecy. His head telling him, of all things, that it was the instinct of the rabbit clan. The Usagi allied themselves with the strong and the instinct to be with those who had proven so flowed more intensely through every organ than blood itself. A silly notion in his head as he would find himself being carried to the edge of the Sun Scorched Desert without even a thought other than the urgency of the woman’s letter.

The Hare Hands dressed him well this morning. His colors were the traditional Usagi Clan garb, but were in hues of a dingy white that would catch the sun and toss back the unbearable heat as it snugged along his body in a thin silk atop of cotton that hugged his upper thighs, and chest. His shoulders were draped by the clothing matching the clan’s signature faux ears upon his head. He almost seemed to be a true white rabbit traveling the desert, but that honor belonged to the short green creature he summoned to his side the moment the sands became unbearable. Meron, the short green hare made short conversation for the sake of Hikari trying to guide him as his feet striking the hot sand made it difficult to navigate and the desert air that blew was merciless at times, distorting his sense of direction.

Eventually, the ground became hard and the pulsations he felt were few. There was one in particular that had a rhythm that would garner his attention. Clothing aside, the stature and form became familiar to him as a face would in a crowd of many. [color-violet]“Kannagi-san!”[/color] The rabbit would call aloud. Meron’s own little eyes and hopes to make it to the feet of the kunoichi had confirmed that Hikari was unmistaken in assuming this one form was indeed his friend. He would stop short with his foggy crystal eyes, as usual, would stare straight through the kunoichi. The ears however would radiate with activity to identify her if not in contentment to be in her presence once again.

“Greetings, Kannagi-san!” His smile was gentle and sad along with his tone, “I was quite...surprised...to get your request, but happy nonetheless.” It was apparent there was concern in his voice; something that was not usually there even in the worst of times. Such examples included playing a fatal prank on an oversized desert scorpion for instance. That was nothing compared to knowing the daughters of the clan had gone missing.

No. This seemed to bother him. Family was important to the Usagi after all.

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"I am pleased that you could meet me, despite such short notice. Thank you, but there was none I trusted with this mission as much as you, Hikari." Kannagi sounded serious, but her kind voice was always present when addressing the bunny. "I believe this issue was best handled also by an Usagi given the connection to your clan's recent loss. I can lead this mission safely but not without your wisdom and ability, my friend." The blue haired woman regarded him with a promise in her blue eyes that he could not see. Her determination and resolve were powerful, something Hikari would have been familiar with from all of their meetings prior. This was a woman who did not doubt her actions and did not doubt her morals.

She breathed softly, assuming he was here because he had read her letter and understood what it all had meant for shinobi and the Usagi clan. Kannagi wanted to be gentle about this, uncertain how Hikari might handle a serious mission instead of just a regular patrol or scorpion infestation. "I hear there are various nomads, people living and surviving out here in these mountains. I haven't ever met with them personally," She turned to focus her attention on the path up into the spires of rock. "I think if we can find them that would be our best chance to explore rumors on where the missing children went, who might be responsible, and what the recent trends of beliefs in SwollenMan have to do with anything."

Kannagi started walking up the path, and from the back it could be seen that she wore a flak jacket underneath her usual gear. She carried a medical bag and a few other small pouches. Several canteens bounced upon her rear as she walked up the steep path, assuming that Hikari was right with her. The blue haired woman didn't know what to say. This situation must have been difficult and emotional for most to handle, but Hikari who was so used to putting on a brave and happy face, to singing her name in song, was not even himself. The kunoichi needed to make him feel included and help distract him from the emotional side of it all. She glanced back at the bunny and remarked, "It really is pleasant to see you again, though not in given circumstances. I hope you would tell me if there is anything I should know before we begin. Have you ever heard of this SwollenMan myth? Have the Usagi found anything within their own investigations?"

WC: 429

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Her compliments might as well have been head pats and Hikari’s smile had done him no justice. He might as well have been wagging the small puffy faux rabbit’s tail that was on his blower backside hearing the praise from Kannagi. However, she would have to settle for the burning hue of his face. His blue eyes that were locked upon her form strayed away as if they could actually see something of her. Still, to hear her again, to be called her friend; it only caused Hikari to bring his face back and his open mouth with it. Nothing short of a jovial appearance on his face as he absolutely desired to know what it was she wanted of him. Sure, his family was lost and that was motivation, but to know a friend believed so strongly in you?

“Thank you, Kannagi-san.” The rabbit stepped forth as if he could move a mountain. “I will...try my best!”

Hikari had a stronger motivation that came from his adoration from his family and it was only strengthened by Kannagi’s faith. He would walk carefully with her, listening to her plan. With her speaking so openly, Meron took second place to guide him along the path of the desert area as there was a collective of sand that gave little information to his ears. As he would walk along the path, he would adhere to Kannagi’s theories. Though, he knew they were more than just that. “They are more than just words to stories, Kannagi-san” Hikari would perk up, stopping for a moment as his hazy eyes went to Kannagi. “There are nomads around here. My family heard of them as they traveled across the Desert. The Usagi are very careful of each and every sound when we are a collective. It is how we survive.”

The boy would continue along the path with Kannagi. His hands motioning to touch along his pelt that was in place of the village’s respective flak jacket. He barely carried anything beyond his satchel on his waist that had the miniscule supplies. The Usagi were not fond of ninja tools after all. Continuously stepping upon the path, the rabbit would keep up his pace. His eyes closed resistant to the desert air. As he was now, he seemed to be something akin to a calm maiden that was walking through a village or sacred shrine rather than a shinobi. The Usagi had a way of fooling most with their delicate appearance but vigilant nature.

Though...his facade would change with every question.

“W-well…” Hikari would open his eyes showing a hint of hesitation to speak. “...T-the Usagi had...different opinions. They do not believe in something as bizarre as the stories. Grandmother called it...umm...absurd.” It was the most appropriate thing among many she said about the stories. Hikari would remember the sound of her voice and rage that could have said the hillsides of the Sun Village. “It was actually because of the missing Usagi Children taken when they least expected it during the trip back to Moon Village that they vowed never to return here in a huff. I-I...actually feared when I would fully recover and head back to the Moon Village that I would not see you again.”

He knew Sun Villagers could indeed travel to the Moon Village, but was such a visit promised as much as he would see Sojiro? Out of all, including with the ordeal he had with his friend, he desired to be close to whatever friend he had left. Kannagi seem more likely than anyone. Especially if she would charm him with the notion of being such a dear friend as she had.

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It was an interesting fact to learn from Hikari the private beliefs and knowledge of the Usagi. She felt honored that he would share them with her so easily. The blue haired female made a thoughtful sigh as she continued up the steep pass. Arriving at the top, she turned to look behind her at the beautiful terrain of the plains, grasses bent in a light traveling breeze. "Well, if the nomads are real then that would be where we really need to cooperate. I cannot say much about the lore of SwollenMan either but the report I received had plenty of interviews from families with their missing children suggesting we consider the option. It is our duty to not ignore it completely, but prioritizing the facts and the evidence will be most efficient here." Once Usagi joined her at the top, she would extend a hand and gesture out at the plains.

"My family has beliefs of their own. See how the grasses bend together around the power of the gale? They don't fight the disruption but flow around it, adapt and growing despite of it. There is such strength in their unity that not a single living blade will break in the wind." She shook her head a little rubbing at her eyes. Kannagi didn't talk about the Irezumi much and few even knew she had been one of them. The creeds she welcomed and shared were a painful memory of how hard it was for her now. She didn't have people to lean on like before. She wasn't part of something is monumental as a family. Kannagi's mistakes in being open with others had prevented her from seeing the truth in another mission. She had unintentionally risked two lives because she hadn't trusted them enough to rely on them. Her eyes turned to Hikari and she sternly told herself, "Not this time." Her voice was like a barely audible whisper, but it would be impossible for someone with such good hearing to not hear her still.

"I know that seemed random, I apologize. Can you lead the way? You would make far better a navigator than I if we want to search these mountains and find the nomads before nightfall." The woman turned back around now and faced the many diverging paths into the mountains.

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She was insightful to say the least! The suggestion would cause Hikari to show a confident smile that played upon his lips. The signature face of someone who had a trick up their sleeve, like many times before. “Oh? Is that so?” The suggestion of finding facts and evidence tantalizing. “Then it is perfect that I am here. Though, I believe you already know that, Kannagi-chan!” Hikari would almost squeal blissfully as he would follow her. He would keep his plan to himself as he followed along.

He was too distracted anyway. By the gesture of Kannagi’s hand how she would present the rolling plains, Hikari would see...well...barely anything. The grass would bend and sway, but it was momentary as he would hear the rustle. It almost seemed like a symphony upon the land, but could not reach beyond his sight itself. His eyes would fall to a dull lull as he would watch. A smile on his face still as her voice was enough. He trusted what she would see, but he knew better than to delude her of an understanding. His eyes would go to the kindly woman as he watched her to convey a message through his silence and the ever present fog he believed she knew was there.

“Kannagi-chan, I fear not. I cannot see as you can...remember?” His eyes would become captured with a hint of melancholy that would not let go. His feet turned him back to the rolling fields. “I-I...cannot see as far as Kannagi-chan...or anyone. It has been...one of the many regrets I have learned of since people wished I could. I can see the immediate surroundings and how the sound of the wind stirs the grass to make it almost crackle as fire does. Though..it is because the wind itself is blinding to me.” He frowned. His Kekkei Genkai a tricky one to understand. A visible frown was present as he realized how him and his dear friend could not share a future. Neither could they share a future he desired with someone as she was.

“Well, Kannagi-chan” He would break his silence and the somber mood, “I am quite good at what us rabbits do! I believe that I can help navigate, and then some!” Hikari would reach his thumb to his lips as he would make hand signs. His fingers weaving the seals until finally he would curl his thumb into his palm to smear the blood. The offering was paid with a stop and quick slap as sigils would spread along the terrain. Just as quickly, they would recede. There was silence, but for a moment, the Earth would swell.

“Please...search for any signs of human life or anything like it and report. North, east, and west!” With the words, the ground would rest as whatever beneath would burrow deeper. The terrain would be rustled and disturbed, but yet, would be silent as whatever beneath had understood the request. Hikari would turn his face to Kannagi.

“A bigger perimeter.” He would simply report as he would look to Kannagi. “If there is someone here beyond my hearing...then we shall know.” He would exclaim as he would begin walking once more.

“I fear I cannot see what you can...Kannagi-chan.” Hikari would repeat once more. However, the smile was not a weak or sad one. It was actually quite bright as his right hand swept the lilac strands of feathery hair behind his ear. “Though...that is actually what I like about you! You seem to expand my world to things I cannot see and...I find myself become more curious about what I cannot behold because of you. Including friendship, Kannagi-chan!~”

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Kannagi winced as Hikari pointed out her mistake. She rubbed at the back of her neck and gave him a half bow. "Oh do forgive me, I meant no harm." The blue haired woman stepped back. She watched Hikari as he performed his summoning jutsu and gave orders to the ones he called forth. He seemed to have a lot of potential at leadership, she thought. "We do make such a good team. Our skills make for a good match, don't you agree?" Whatever he had summoned beneath hadn't made itself known to them. Hikari would obviously know it or them. Kannagi gestured outwards at the rabbit and asked, "Are we to wait here, or do you propose we search on our own? You are our guide in this so I follow your lead, Hikari."

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The land would quake under Hikari’s feet. With ears and body so sensitive, he felt every fiber in Kannagi’s being as she would bow. Something that should not have been in his opinion. After all, he wasn't some kind of royalty she insulted, and any mistake like that was as trivial as a bit of dist on a shoe’s sole. “Kannagi-chan, I-It is not anything to be ashamed of,” Hikari would turn to her, placing his fingertips together. He angled them to his chest as she seemed to softly laugh at her apology. “I have been told that a lot of people forget that I am...as is. Though, as I have said, I did see something: I witnessed Kanangi-chan’s...as I should say...splender! Something I liked! That is why I believe we make a good team, too!”

The ground beneath his feet shifted with every press of the dirt. With every passing moment, Hikari would stand and wait, taking note of the creatures that tunneled through the Earth’s crust. It was not until Kannagi inquired that he turned to her, curiously as he would lift his head in the slightest of wonder. “W-well, w-we do...wait that is!” He would note, “If my friends find something, certainly, I will hear of it. This is how Usagi makes a perimeter in nature! It is...how mother described it...triangulating?” He would raise a finger.

“With our ears together, each of us are able to- “ He stopped as certain as the ears on top of his head would twitch. His body jumping suddenly. “Northeast!” He turned his body to the designated direction. “They have found people wondering that way! Let us go Kannagi-chan!” Hikari gestured with a reach of his hand, fanning for her to follow. He would move carefully, not too quickly to outrun her, but fast enough to show the situation was dire as he would listen to his surroundings.

“They are in hearing range now. A small number...adults and a child...crying?” The young lilac haired rabbit’s head turned slightly as he could make out the silhouettes from afar. Their form became more identifiable with every footstep that brought him close. With his eyes being no use, he would turn his head showing his misty eyes. “I make out nothing weighed from here to be called a weapon. Fifteen meters ahead. Is something…off by your eyes Kannagi-chan?” Obviously he was as dependent on her eyes as she was his ears.

OOC Notes: You can decide if they are nomads or aggressive. Makes no difference to Usagi!~
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When Kannagi lifted her head and listened to her friend's words with interest. She considered to herself that perhaps often forgot Hikari's blindness but it was not for triviality or lack of care for the male, but because everything he did was so natural and normal. Some would say the blindness was a weakness, and although she did wish that he could see all that was out there to see, she believed that he experienced many things in his life she would never understand. His lack of sight didn't impede him in his ability to thoroughly interact with the world around him. She could never fathom that observing her witnessing the beauty she saw out there would be called to him a splendor. The female smiled as he agreed in that their teamwork was pristine.

Kannagi gently wrinkled her nose as Hikari explained that they would have to wait. She realized at that same moment that she would also have to stand still and wait. It was the easiest way to ensure swift communication, or so she assumed. How would walking around not mess with the signals they were waiting for? As the bunny picked up his pace, Kannagi kept evenly beside him, trying to keep her motions in the same beat as his to not disturb his trail. "People in the northeast? Be prepared, they could be bandits also," Kannagi warned Hikari softly. She got quiet as he mentioned adults with a crying child. Her body tensed up: had they lucked out so quickly and found the ones kidnapping children?

If the group ahead was small enough, she and the rabbit could take them on. The hardest part would be protecting the child in a fight. As the pair rounded a bend in the mountain, Kannagi slowed down as her blue eyes examined the situation. "Not enemies, Hikari. Nomads," She confirmed. There was a group of three adults, no, two adults and a teenager. And with the teenager was a toddler crying as he tended to her needs, trying to get her to eat what looked like a slice of cactus. The spines were plucked out but still the child complained over its food? The teenager rubbed the rubbery looking fruit flesh over the child's arm, but she wasn't close enough to see the details until they had made a few more paces. It wasn't cactus fruit, it was aloe; the teenager was trying to ease the pain of burns upon the toddler's feet. "Greetings family, we two are not here to harm you. Bid us approach and speak with you?"

"A family," She whispered to Hikari, "You found them with ease. You did very well! Do you want to be the one to talk to them first?" Kannagi meant a real conversation of course and not her brief introduction. The adults, a graying man and his wife, both tanned and muscled by their travels, stepped in front of their two children and walked around their small fire pit. Standing next to a large conical tent they gestured for the kunoichi and her friend to join them.

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“Nomads?”

Hikari echoed her words. It was fortunate for them that it was no one troublesome. Though, upon arrival, Hikari was not sure how to deal with the situation. Fortunately, for him, Kannagi was the one to introduce them. The young woman had a better way of words and confidence to boot. Hikari had not been trained to deal with people lest it was him walking around clad in his Usagi Clan attire while holding a tray. It was so much simpler to simply fake a calming smile and expression in order to cater to someone’s feelings and erase the fear. It was something he hoped he need not demonstrate until, that was, she turned her attention to him.

“W-what? T-talk to them?” He spoke in a hushed voice. “B-but I-”

Hikari could have well refused the offer. However, when Kannagi was around, he had no room for hesitation. Pride, something he rarely felt, was within him. Thus, the rabbit would take a big whiff of the air as he would inflate his chest. The doubt he felt sunk to the bottom of his stomach and he would force the Usagi Clan’s facade to his face. “Good afternoon!” He would chime with a delightful tone and song. It was the same he sang to the shinobi when they first met. “I am Usagi Hikari, and these are my friends!” His fingers would direct their attention to the ground that was once again swelling. The topsoil would burst and crumble around three forms that appeared. The obvious one, the green colored rabbit was no doubt Meron. However, Hikari had seemed to show two more as one was colored a dark purple and the other a beautiful yellow shimmer.

“This is Meron-chan, Budo-chan, and Remon-chan!” The rabbits respond from left to right in green, purple, and yellow apparently. “We are searching for the rest of our family! They are missing!” Hikari would say delightfully. At the mention, the teenager that was crying would break away from the mother and father. His foot stamping before the rabbits would look at the shinobi and group of rabbits.

“Then...you are here to get him, right?” The boy would cry aloud, “That---that thing! The thing everyone is talking about! It took my sister!” Visibly, the adults behind the young boy were just as upset. Their heads dipping as they show nothing short of misery on their faces. The boy’s face twisted until it squeezed tears out like a towel would moisture. Hikari calms himself, raising his right hand to his chest. He could hear Kannagi nearby, and that was all the confirmation he needed to keep trying.

“That is right.” Hikari would bow his head, “Because...you may not have heard of us, but I am a Usagi of the Clan of Rabbits. Not simply a ninja. We never give up and stop looking for our family. So, we will catch this thing and punish it!” Hikari would say it proudly and distinguishably. It actually brought a flicker of hope to the faces of the people, if only for a moment. “Now, can you gesture...for my friend...where did you lose track of your sister when she was with you? She is going to show me where to search and my Kekkei Genkai will do the rest.”

As the family would look to one another, they would seem to give a strange eye to the rabbit. He was blind, but yet, spoke with all the confidence in the world. He was a strange sight, no doubt, with the bundle of rabbits hopping from their holes and standing on their hind legs as they encircled his feet. The family, as if joining together in a decisive nod, would turn their bodies to a certain direction. The father, lifting his hand, would gesture yonder beyond Hikari’s gaze, as all things were.

It only left Kannagi, who was more familiar with this foriegn land, to say where the direction was headed beyond Hikari’s sight.

OOC Notes: Kannagi can say where the next area is! After all, Hikari cannot see, so it is up to her to lead the attack bunny into the area! =3
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