Moonlight Saga: The True Shinobi

[Nick Tasogare]

This thread is for Ren, Ash and I to write our FanFic/RP thing that's gonna be just us three. It's gonna focus around our Moonlight Characters and all that, and its going to be the original, not the twisted around version we made for the various game systems here on the forum. It's gonna be WICKID PISSAH and SO RADICAL so stay tuned lol

[Nick Tasogare]

Flashback

All he could hear was the clapping of thunder. All he could feel was the pelting of rain against him. All he could see was darkness. Nickito Tasogare laid on the forest floor without an ounce of hope in his heart, his mind filled with a dreadful realization; he had made a terrible mistake, and the price for it was going to be his life.

He had left his clan. His family, his friends and the people that meant the most to him. Everything that he had ever known, and it was all on a whim. He felt unfulfilled living within the boundaries of the nomadic Tasogare Clan. He was constantly shielded from everything, he was even kept from learning anything past the basic arts of being a ninja and the Mizushushou Kekkei Genkai, unlike the other children of the clan. It was his mother who caused him to live such a sheltered life, but whatever her reasons might have been, Nickito felt it was wrong of her, even if she was the wise leader of their clan.

At the age of fourteen he made the decision to leave and venture out into the world on his own, to find a place for himself and to learn about life and all the things in it he had been protected against. He took very little with him: the clothes he was wearing, an additional pair kept in his backpack, enough food and water to last him for a week and a half and a sleeping bag. Other then that, he took his various ninja tools which were carried within the two shuriken holsters he wore on either leg and the two weapon pouches he wore on his back hip.

He wished he had taken more. Two weeks passed and he had run out of food, and was having difficulty procuring more. There were no edible berries and the fish had fled the immediate area or gone deep underwater because of the harsh storm that was brewing. A storm that Nickito - weakened from lack of food - had been caught in.

Heavy rains, harsh winds and unpredictable lightning quickly surrounded the Tasogare ninja, and with no sufficient shelter, he was at the mercy of the elements. Too tired, wounded and down on himself to even keep the rain off of his body, Nickito was soon clinging to his life in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. It was one of the worst possible places for him to be during such a storm, but he couldn't move, so he accepted his fate.

It was then that he looked up and saw the clashing of lights in the dark, heavy clouds. He knew what was coming, and he knew it was coming for him, so he closed his eyes and waited.

As the lightning descended from the sky, everything seemed to slow down drastically. Even the crackling energy itself seemed to freeze for a moment, and before it had a change to reach the frail Tasogare, it was intercepted by a familiar face. Ashurii Arashi, a long time friend and companion to the Tasogare Clan, one of the most skilled ninja Nickito had ever met in his life had stepped over him and taken the lightning within herself. As she stood there with a frightening grimmace upon her face, another familiar face dashed in and picked Nickito up before dashing away from Ashurii. It was Suiren, his cousin and longtime friend, the kindest and most caring ninja he had ever encountered.

She rushed him to cover beneath one of the shorter trees that offered the most protection, and the two watched as Ashurii battled the lightning. Though she was powerful, she was still young like they were, and she had yet to test the full extent of her Kekkei Genkai, the Hiraishin, which allowed her to channel and manipulate lightning and electricity.

Nickito feared for her, but at the same time he had faith. He knew she wouldn't let something like lightning get the best of her, and as time seemed to speed back up, the lightning passed through Ashurii and sank into the ground. She sank to her knees for a moment, but was soon back on her feet, trudging towards Suiren and Nickito.

"You're hurt." Suiren said, biting her lip. "Its bad, but I think I can help." She said, interlocking her fingers and pressing outward, causing a loud series of cracks to reach Nickito's ears.

Ashurii looked down at him and shook her head. "How could you be so stupid? You should have known they'd send us, and you should have known you wouldn't fair well with the little that you took, and the little experience you have." Said the oldest of the three. As Ren began to heal the battered Nickito with her medical techniques, he regained some of his strength and attempted to speak.

"Says the girl who just took a lightning bolt to the face." As he spoke, Suiren shushed him, a bead of sweat appearing on her brow.

"Stop talking, you need to save your strength or you'll pass out." She said, but just as the last word reached Nickito's ears, he did pass out, drifting slowly into a state of rest, one that, Suiren feared, he would not come out of.

He did wake though, in a place he was not familiar with. A clearing filled with ruins, all of which were different as he looked around. Different types of architecture, different colored soils and different plants that had overrun the area. The place was in shambles, but he felt drawn to it. He was intrigued.

Suiren and Ashurii were ready to leave. To finish their mission and bring Nickito back, but even though he was still injured and in pain, he was ready to fight to stay.

"Let's just stay here and start a new life. I don't want to live under the oppression of my mother anymore. If we stay here we can start fresh and make a safe place for ourselves, and others that might feel the same way we do. Don't deny it, I know you guys feel the same way I do. Thirsty for freedom, to break out and be part of something bigger."

Though they didn't respond positively at first, he knew his words struck home. It took awhile longer, and a few more persuasive words, but he was able to get them to agree and stop saying no like it was second nature. They decided to make a new home for themselves, to start fresh and to watch out for each other. They made a new family and it brought the three friends closer together. They created the Village Hidden in the Moonlight, and built it up together.

End Flashback

The sunlight greeted Nickito's fresh eyes on the third anniversary of the birth of the Hidden Moonlight. He rose up, now 17 years old, and couldn't help but smile. They made it through three years already, and had grown their humble village into a strong and courageous ninja force that treated each other as the closest of family. The day was sure to be full of excitement, so he rose up and prepared himself.

[SakuraRen]

Light filtered in through the half-open blinds installed behind one of the windows in a bedroom. Banishing the darkness of night and bathing the room in light, a kunoichi sitting- or, perhaps, laying was the better word- at a desk shifted slightly, brunette tresses falling into her face to shield it from the morning rays. Underneath her head could be found several random sheets of paper; some bore notation in the form of sheet music, confusing to most who did not understand the art; there were scrolls and a notebook, containing this female's account of missions and the like; finally, a few art paper sheets could be found miscellaneously allocated on the desk's surface, a parchment with a drawing found underneath her arms, a mechanical pencil and eraser poised atop its smooth surface. It appeared that this is what she had been doing before drifting to sleep.

"I did it again...," Suiren muttered to herself, raising her head slightly rubbing sleep from her emerald and brown eyes. "I really need to stop doing that." For the past few days, the Tasogare-Ookamine had been staying up late, attempting to get some things done that she simply had no time to complete in the day. However, there was a benefit to falling asleep at her desk- when dreams ran rampant, a writing utensil was always available, so it could be easily recorded without being forgotten. Today, however, there were no premonitions in the forms of dreams, so Ren- as she was called by most- pushed herself away from her desk and stood, stretching out her limbs to her full 5 foot and 4.5 inch height. It was then that she glanced at the calendar, realizing what today was- the day marking the three friends' deviation from their clans, setting a new path before them. Nickito, her cousin, and Ashurii, her best friend, had both decided to reside in this new location. It had taken some pushing and prodding from Nick, however, but he had eventually convinced the two kunoichi that they were all better off staying where they had found themselves during that storm three years ago. So far, life had been easier in some ways, although more work was involved in this sense, but over time, the trio had been joined by others as well. They were, however, the original trio, and forever would be.

"Now, then," she wondered aloud, casting a glance out the window, "what will today hold?"

[Ashurii Kisate]

Hot water cascased over her body in steamy rivulets, washing away the nightmares that constantly plagued her sleep. With her forehead pressed against the warming wall, eyes closed and deaf to the world underneath the pounding spray of her morning shower, Ashurii lost herself to the hidden recesses of her mind that even Suiren couldn't penetrate. Here, each thought was a dark secret, known only to herself and the demon spirit that was forced to take residence inside her person. Though Nickito and Suiren may have given thought to the distress of more than one conscience living inside a single vessel, neither could even begin to phathom the amount of control Ashurii had to master to be able to live life as a seemingly normal shinobi...if being a shinobi could be called normal.

With effort, the eighteen year old woman lifted her hand to the faucets and, with a squeak that resounded throughout the silent house, her shower ceased. Pulling the red curtain aside, she stepped out, dark hair slicked back to expose an oval face with high cheekbones and large, captivating hazel depths. Ashurii wrapped a fluffy towel protectively around her form and exited the bathroom, releasing with it a cloud of billowing steam that hissed as it met with the constant autumn coolness that was Gekkougakure.

Dressed in her familiar black, red, silver, and fishnet garb, Ashurii rubbed furiously at her damp hair with the towel, resulting in her messy, spiked up hairstyle. She brushed the front until it parted at the right and fell over her left eye, leaving the rest of it to lay as it willed once it dried. Securing her hi-tai upon her forehead over her bangs to ensure they stayed where she wanted them, the jinchurikii glanced out the window at the rising sun.

Nick and Ren should be awake by now..
Glancing at an array of photographs contained in dark wooden frames, her eyes landed upon the image of a dark haired man with the largest hazel-brown eyes she had ever seen. His trademark grin sent a stab of pain shooting through her form and she forced herself to drop her gaze.
Perhaps..one day..my Dove..
There was no room for him now, not with the joint responsibilites of running an entire village. Why hadn't he joined them yet, though? Why had he refused to follow her?

Locking those thoughts in the back of her head, she hardened her heart with a single growl that rumbled in the back of her throat, and slammed the front door behind her. She had things to accomplish before the day's end.

[Nick Tasogare]

The young shinobi stepped out through the doorway of his humble home. Instantly he was met with a burst of cool air which chilled him to the bone, due in part to his still wet hair, but also because of the village's constantly cool climate.

"Well, I've got everything I'm gonna need today. I'm dressed, I'm not walking out without shorts, I've got my weapons." He said, doing a self check. To someone else it might seem like he was patting himself down, when in actuality he was making sure he had everything by touching it. A habit he had developed after years of forgetting things when it was too late. "Looks like its gonna be an ok day." Said the ninja with a smile.

He walked along the path that led from his home and headed toward the center of the village. He greeted people with smiles, kind words and waves all the way. He was well known for being one of the three leaders of the Hidden Moonlight, and he was well known for his attire. All black and white, though the articles of clothing that were either color sometimes varied, and every now and then there would be something other than the somewhat monotonous dark and light theme.

Today, however, was the norm for him. Well, except for the meeting that he, Suiren and Ashurii had organized. Seeing as it was their anniversary they had decided to celebrate. The only problem was that Nickito couldn't exactly remember where or when. Hopefully they'd find each other like they often did. Or rather, they would find him.

[SakuraRen]

Completing her morning routine, Suiren closed her eyes and smiled softly, heading out for the day. "Akagane!" she called, then repeated the same name in the form of a bark. A woof resounded in answer before the copper-colored body of a dog appeared from around a corner. Ren approached the canine and scratched his ears, smiling. "Akagane," the girl began, "I'm heading out now. Guard the house for me, okay?" Another bark met her ears, and the dog called Akagane nuzzled his wet nose into her palm, which was yet to be gloved. The kunoichi smiled, answering the notion with a nuzzle of her own before straightening up and leaving the house, locking the door behind her.

As she walked, Ren made a mental check of everything she was carrying to ensure that she had brought everything with her that was necessary. "Now... We were all going to meet at the festival grounds, weren't we?" the kunoichi asked herself whilst slipping on her gloves, tucking in the arm protectors once the fingerless cloth was on completely. Continuing along the path to her destination, she received similar greetings and smiles as Nickito had, as had become customary. To be honest, the council member still wasn't entirely used to the respectful way of being treated- being sixteen years of age, Suiren was the youngest of the trio, yet the same height and general body build as the oldest, Ashurii, who was eighteen. Despite looking and sounding older than she was, it was still not that way, and Suiren was constantly aware of the fact that most people wouldn't place their trust in a sixteen-year-old wolf and water kunoichi, but this was still the case.

"Knowing Nick, he probably forgot where we were heading... He should be right around here," the Tasogare thought quietly to herself, soon spotting her darker-haired cousin among the crowd. "Ah! There you are! Ohayo gozaimasu!" Ren called, quickening her pace to catch up to Nick.

[Ashurii Kisate]

The woman took to the rooftops, choosing to avoid the people of her village. She wasn't a very social kunoichi and was awfully reclusive. It wasn't that the villagers acted hostile toward her; they were anything but, and that was the problem. She could tell that their respect wasn't fake, but knew that only a select few trusted her. They chose most often to confide in Nickito, the most "normal" of the trio. Even Suiren, in all of her beast-kekkei genkai glory, was sought out instead of the dark haired nin.

Her final destination was Gekkougakure's festival grounds, but she had a few objectives to accomplish before she touched her feet down upon the hard-packed earth. Making a sharp left, she leaped with the grace rivaling that of a feline. Soon, the line of houses disappeared behind her and she was funneling a small stream of chakra throughout her body to give her the ability to weave herself through Moonlight's dense forest.

As the mountains grew larger in her periphery, she performed the few hand seals that deactiavted the glamour concealing the entrance of her Celestial Ground. A cave mouth decorated with jagged stalagmites and stalactites appeared near the highest peak of the tallest mountain. Ashurii's eyes narrowed slightly as she surveyed the path she would follow to reach the cavern; not only unique skill, but also serious endurance was required to scale this hazardous mountainside. Activating the first level of her kekkei genkai, the kunoichi sent a wave of chakra-turned electricity through her system; her speed and reaction time increased, allowing her to decrease the amount of time and effort it usually takes to climb without the aid of chakra.

Her visit to the forest-ringed valley it contained was brief, but Ashurii had accomplished what she had set out to do. Setting up the special Gen-jutsu that hid the entrance took a little more time than she would have liked, but it was difficult to do without the help of two others. Wiping away a bead of sweat that had formed on her brow, she rose from a crouched position and stretched her lithe body to the sky. The shinobi listened to the distant, echoing howls of the two wolf packs guarding her Celestial Ground from intruders, and smiled.

Now, she could meet up with Suiren and Nickito.

~XX~
Lo and behold, she was the first one to arrive at the predetermined rendervous point.
"Knowing Nick, he probably forgot..and knowing Ren..she went to collect him,"

She leaned against the gnarled trunk of an ancient willow tree, concealed by the leaves that seemed to ripple like a cascading waterfall in the gentle breeze. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of nature as they spoke; a rare, knowing smile graced her lips and she exhaled, feeling the energy of every living thing. Ashurii relished being alive.

((Crappy post is crappy..but I seem to have a slight case of writer's block DX))

[Nick Tasogare]

Thankfully, it was his lucky day. His cousin, Suiren - Ren for short - had managed to find him in the crowd. As he finished saying his goodbyes to a group of villagers that he had struck up a conversation with, Ren managed to catch up to him as he continued to walk.

"Hey! I'm so happy you found me because... Well... I forgot where the three of us were supposed to meet." Said the teen, chewing his lip and grinning an embarrassed grin. "I bet you anything that I would have wondered around the village aimlessly if you hadn't found me when you did. I was just about ready to go around with that group of villagers. Their kids just graduated from the Academy and became Genin." He explained to her, continuing to walk forward.

Suddenly, the ninja stopped and turned to look at Ren with revelation. "Oh! The Festival Grounds!" He exclaimed, and then, realizing what he had just done, cleared his throat and calmed himself down. "Aha." He said, turning back around, sighing softly. 'I'm unusually chipper today. I wonder what's happened to make that change. Hopefully it isn't because something bad is going to happen to bring me down.' Though the Tasogare to himself, looking up toward the sky.

Realizing that he must have looked incredibly odd as he was, he turned his head a bit to speak to Ren with a smile. "Come on, we should hurry. Maybe we'll beat Ash to the Festival Grounds." With the words being spoken, he quickly disappeared from where he was standing, leaving only dust in his wake.