Blood Crested Falls

Cairo was always here, it was as if he lived atop the falls. Many people in the village knew this, and if they ever wanted to find the lazy man, he was more than likely here. This day was no different, as the swordsman had made his way up here to find a nice place to relax and nap. It was one of the best spots in the village with an amazingly beautiful view, and it was his roost. In addition to being the place he liked to nap, it was also where he enjoyed sparring other ninja, making sure to keep his skills sharp. It was rare for him to find a worthy opponent however, as most of the people that came up this way were monks headed to the temple. Every now and then however a shinobi would find themselves here, and Cairo would always get a spar from them.

Today was such a day, for as he lay beneath a bush, popping the cap to his second bottle of sake, the sound of foot steps coming up the falls filled his senses. It was a local ninja who he had seen every now and then, but had never had the chance to fight. Cairo had pestered the man, and begged him for a spar, but apparently the man was up here for a mission? something about a dead body, and he was to meet an envoy from Nikkousato? It was all nonsense to him, he just wanted a good work out. After a while of nagging, the man finally gave in, agreeing to battle Cairo as long as they had made it quick. Not only was it a quick match, but Cairo had gone a little harder than he had intended, that or this man just really sucked.

In an epic conclusion to a semi entertaining fight, Cairo had accidentally bonked the man on the head one to many times, and had actually managed to knock the man out. The ninja who was meant to be here on a mission was now unconscious in the sand, and the scruffy swordsman could hear the sounds of another set of footsteps approaching. "Shit" He had messed up this time for sure. Quickly dragging the man into a nearby bush, he straightened his brown open vest, and brushed the dirt off of his tattered pants, he truly looked like a homeless man. He patiently waited for whoever this Sun ninja was to appear, only to be stunned as the woman appeared over the lip of the hill. She was stunning, and prettier than most of the woman he had met here in the village. Holding back a sake burp, he waved at the woman, wearing his cheesiest and lamest responsibility face.

The azure-eyed woman strode up elegantly to the unkempt man. He wielded a blade so he was a capable fighter with that at least, but his appearance made her doubt him as a shinobi at all. From a closer view, the white scars could be seen all over her legs, worst upon her shins. Her encounter with the Ketsueki leader had left her a permanent reminder upon her skin. She was lucky that she was not crippled after the attack but the delay in getting a decent medic had not been fortunate to her legs. "I am Kannagi of Nikkousato. Am I to presume you are... a Moon shinobi?"

She looked him up and down with appraisal wondering how someone so sullied could be enlisted in the important ranks of ninja here. If this was really what ninja in Gekkousato were like, then maybe that would explain the rampant reach of the Ketsueki thugs. After examining him, she noted that she did not see any forehead protector. Her's was obvious and on her waist. It signaled to him exactly who she was and why she was trustworthy. "If you're just an interested party here to defile the local crime scene, I won't be afraid to arrest you for impersonating a true shinobi. I would like to see proof of your rank and assignment, if you please." Kannagi wasn't trying to be rude or cruel, but she was in a foreign nation. Caution and law had to be observed here where she was unfamiliar with the people and the places. As well traveled as she was, the Irezumi rarely went to Gekkousato, preferring to send trade goods through merchants in Nikkousato. Kannagi had only been to this place a couple of times. She crossed her arms over her chest and rested her weight on one hip as she waited for his reply.

"Well this one is wound up a little tight huh?" He could not help but think to himself as the woman approached, introducing her self as Kannagi of the Sun village. So this was indeed the woman that was meant to meet up with the man he had knocked out. Even though she had every reason to be suspicious, it still offended him. Not because he was in fact an imposter, but because of why she believed he was. How dare someone question him as a shinobi! He was a proud ninja of the...ahhh who could he fool, he was nothing but a lazy drunk, but proud of that no less. Regardless, he needed to keep the ruse up, at least for now, and in order to do so, he needed to prove who he was.

"Ahhh yes, my bad, i had a rough morning. I apologize for looking a bit disheveled" He would fumble around for a second, patting down his vest, then his pants, until finally finding his headband stuffed in his back pouch. Taking a second to pull it out, he held it up with a grin. "Here it is! Honorable Shinobi of Gekkousato! I was sent up here to assist you on a mission of course! I am so glad you managed to find this place." After holding the headband up for a moment, he would shove it back into his ninja pouch, taking no time to keep it neat or tidy.

Now the real problem arose, he had no clue what mission he was actually supposed to be helping the woman with. Making sure he had all of his gear, Cairo would begin to whistle, looking from side to side, until finally stepping to the side and motioning for Kannagi to lead the way.

The woman with cerulean hair blinked at the man with suspicion until he produced a bona fide forehead protector. He shoved it without care into his pocket again and Kannagi could not fathom what kind of person would disrespect the symbol of their loyalty so greatly. Yet, she hadn't been in the village long and if he had been up all not or morning on a rough mission, perhaps even in rough disguise, then it would explain his actions a little better. He had a debonair grin, she admitted, and she unfolded her arms in response. "Very well. I apologize for doubting you. Thank you for meeting me here. I was shocked to hear of a murder so close to the temple. Have you spoken to anybody in the area about what they might have seen?"

Kannagi would move away from him and begin walking up the hill toward the top of the falls. She could see great stone around the falls as if an illustrious decor was needed for a great natural wonder, but Kannagi was trying hard not to judge the strange customs of this place. She caught a glimmer of red or pink in the water and paused half way up the hill. "Did you see that... uh?" The kunoichi asked, suddenly realizing that they had not exchanged names or titles. Or rather that she had but he had not. Her blue eyes sought him out questioningly, hoping he would fill in the blank of her inquiry. Briefly, she gestured to the water and a second smooth streak of crimson made it self known before vanishing into the water at large. She frowned and followed the falls up with her eyes then, gasping at the sight. At the tip of the falls, hard to see with all the foliage and stone, was a body. She could see that the arms were pinned and outstretched so that the legs of the corpse would dangle into the water. A large painted "A" could be detected over the person's form, but with their head down she could not tell the gender of the dead.

She gulped hard and suddenly grabbed her partner's arm. "How long have you been here? Have you noticed nothing?" Kannagi directed her eyes back up to the sight and her mouth opened wide in disbelief. The body display was still present and her sight had not fooled her. The misting of the falls had hidden so much from them at the bottom of the hill and a part of her wished she had still been down there. Seeing and caring for a dead body was one thing, but this grandiose shock of display, as if the person was sort a canvas or something had aroused a spiritual concern inside of her. "By suns and stars," She whispered shaking her head again.

Luckily for him, the flash of his headband was enough to get the woman to trust him. It was not that he was an untrustworthy person, but he was not exactly the man for this mission, and if Kannagi had pressed any further, she might have been able to see through his ruse. A single bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he managed to keep his composure, on the outside at least. On the inside, Cairo was freaking out, happy that he would be able to continue this farce. "Ummm, no, i have not had the chance to check with anyone yet, i only just arrived here myself." So that was the mission huh, to investigate a dead body. He knew that several dead bodies had been popping up through out the village recently, but had not had the pleasure of investigating one of these yet.

That was when the female gasped, noticing something by the falls. She quickly rushed over, causing Cairo to follow suit. He really had no idea what was going on, and was really only following her lead, making sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. He felt her arm grab his before he saw it, her touch causing him to jump for a second. He then followed her gaze, only to see what it was she saw, a dead body in the falls. He had seen several dead bodies before, but this one was different, positioned in a unique manner, with a red A painted? or carved into it. Goose bumps ran across his skin as his entire body shuddered.

"Woah, someone got that guy good." He stepped forward, squinting his eyes to get a better look through the mist of the falls. "Hey...i think i know that guy, sheesh, what an unfortunate way to go out. He had a pretty wife though, wonder if she knows yet? " His comment would obviously come off as very insensitive, even though he did not mean it that way. Now he was worried that he had gotten wrapped up into something bigger than he could imagine. What had turned into a normal day now found him looking into the murder of a fellow villager, and impersonating another.

Kannagi tore her eyes away from the body and gave Cairo a dark look. Either he was a complete twit without any emotional sensitivity or he had no idea what the proper response to murder was. She didn't have the time or care to figure out which, but the look she gave him should have been enough of a warning either way. "We need to take him down. It would be most proper. Keep your eyes open for clues as to whom his responsible, Cairo." The kunoichi was tempted to look back at the water but her sensibility instructed her to do otherwise. Kannagi put speed into her legs, that was where her effort was needed after all. Assuming Cairo could keep pace with her, the woman took off up the hill. Her sandals pounded through the grassy hill and after a few minutes she had made it to the top of the hill. She hadn't seen anything on her way up, but she could have missed something.

At the crest of the hill  the river of the falls was filled with thick white waves and foam. She could see the corpse's wet hair sticking to the back of his neck and his arms were secured to the rock by thick woven rope. The knots shouldn't have been difficult to undo but this was clearly a display for the murderer and not how the man was killed. She couldn't tell by the distance and the falls what exactly had killed the man either. Her blue eyes looked around she saw trampled grass and around the area and a bloody spot upon it, now browning and dry over the greenery. Kannagi turned to Cairo and asked, "Do you see anything? Weapons? Foot prints? A real obvious clue would be nice. How do you propose we secure the remains?" If they weren't careful about investigating the scene first, or about how they retained the dead man, they could destroy necessary evidence. Kannagi was happy enough for a second set of eyes and hands, even if they belonged to a shaggy societal outcast.

He was a man of combat sure, and had seen plenty of dead bodies, but most of them were due to service as a ninja, fallen comrades in battle. Witnessing a human sacrifice was a bit on the dark side for him. The poor guy, hanging there over the falls, his limp body continuously pelted by the rushing water around him. Kannagi had taken the lead informing him that they would need to take the body down and contain it, and commanded him to look around for clues or hints as to who might have done this. He was happy to be the second set of eyes if it meant not dealing with the corpse itself.

As the woman rushed up the hill, Cairo would follow behind, his pace much slower than hers as he kept an eye out for clues, disturbances in the grass. The climb up the hill was short, but Cairo tried his best to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. There were several sets of foot prints, both going up and down the hill, most likely belonging to the people who came up here day in and day out. It would be hard to separate normal activity from a possible murderer this way.

That was until he spotted something, a tiny dried up bit of crimson blood. It was just two little droplets, but they were evidence enough. "Hey! Kannagi! I think i have something here!" He would continue to look around, spotting another set of blood droplets behind him, further down the hill. Did these belong to the hanging body, and fell as it was taken up the hill, or did they belong to someone else, maybe the culprit. Kannagi would have reached the top by now, and was hopefully trying to contain the body. He would continue to look for clues as she did so.

Kannagi inspected the grass and something shiny caught her gaze. She bent over to pick it up, and frowned as she pocketed the coin. It was just a single ryo piece; something she would turn in of course, but in the grand scheme of things the kunoichi doubted if it would be used to locate the person responsible for this killing. The murder was just so extravagant that it unnerved her. It crept up in her mind, coiling like a snake, and she felt the foreboding tension there grow as if it were about to strike at her next. Killing was not that uncommon, and despite the laws against murder, there were many reasons to kill. For a shinobi and an assassin it seemed the only difference at times was which side of the law you were on. Whoever did this sort of killing however was using it for something mysterious. The large red A upon the body was like the signature on a painted canvas; was the murderer taunting those who sought him out? Did he reference an obscure historical symbol? Was he trying to create a new group and establish a new system? And were these killings random civilians or planned attacks? Kannagi's questions were interrupted by the unkempt shinobi she was partnered with and she moved to join him quickly. "So far, I have found a ryo. What do you have?"

She bent over and inspected the droplets of blood with a thoughtful hum. "Certainly that is something. I have seen nothing else up here. Might you help me with taking the body down? We can examine it further, or just carry it to the proper authorities. On our descent, we should look to see if those blood spots continue." Kannagi turned and went up to the hanging body above the falls. She wasn't sure how the victim was hung up here or how the best way to remove him would keep from washing the red A or other evidence down the river. At the top of the falls, Kannagi constructed what she thought was the most useful tool for the task at hand. Using her paper jutsu, she created a large door like piece of material and lay it flat behind the victim. The water rushed swiftly beneath it but the paper was mostly water-proof and it rested firmly with each edge touching the banks of the falls itself. It was sturdy enough that if she and Cairo cooperated they should have been able to undo the bonds on the victim's arms simultaneously and place him upon the paper slat. Next it wouldn't be difficult for them to carry the body down the hill together, using the large paper material like a portable hospital bed. Kannagi took a running jump to the other side of the falls and readied her hands at the victim's side, "I am ready if you are. Let's do this together."