Caught in the Sandstorm

[Arival to Kaze no Kuni from Kaminari no Kuni--5 days travel time finished. Used 75CP]

It'd been a long journey...a five day trek through mountains, forests, rivers, tundras, plains, fields, and now even a desert, the hot sun having taken its toll on the young man as he made this long trip. He shaded himself from the sun the best he could, the man clearly not prepared to do so, having simply took his shirt off and wrapped it about his head--soaked in water--as a way to keep himself the best way he could under these conditions. He was used to colder places, Arashi feeling as if he was in an oven. Luckily as a man who could use Suiton, he wasn't lacking water--assuming he had the chakra for it.

At some point he simply fell face first into the dirt, and just laid there for a moment. "...Stupid...sand." was all that could be heard, muffled by the sand. He pushed himself up and spit out a bit of the sand, grumbling as he fully stood back up, weary Amber hues looking off in the distance. He could see what looked like trees...the man blinked. "Pfft....mirage..." he cast it aside, sighing in disappointment. He continued on, eyes half lidded...the man wasn't built for the desert, sans being able to produce his own clean water. This only was a bandaid on a gash though, and he really couldn't keep it up too much longer, needing to find shade. His eyes looked up once more, still seeing what looked like trees...even structures in the distance. He focused on it...stopping in his tracks for a moment and using his hand to shade his eyes from the sun. "Hm?....Its real!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly.

But his smile faded, quickly, as his eyes shifted to his right...what he seen was enough to send a chill down the Kumo Nin's spine. A wall of sand was barreling down on him, a massive sandstorm washing over the desert. His amber orbs lit up bright and wide at the sight of the wall of dust coming his way, and wide across the vast span of desert. The man took off running as fast as he could, heading towards the Miracle Oasis off in the distance. He was a good while out, and this sandstorm was coming fast. He knew there was no way he'd make it there before the wall of rushing dust would hit him. Trying his hardest the man would form some hand seals, three of them, Ox--Hare--and finally bird. Lightning pulsed through the man's legs, a spark left off his heel as he boosted his speed, rushing at his maximum possible speed to the hopeful place of shelter.

But it wasn't but a few seconds later that he was pushed hard and buffeted by sand, wincing as he felt the sand rush over his exposed skin. He'd use his arms to cover his face, only able to keep a single eye open as he kept running through the powerful sandstorm. Gusts pushed him side to side but he kept his aim true, speeding towards what he could no longer even see--visibility almost zero. This seemed to go on forever, Arashi loosing his breath as he tried to breath, barely able to in the sandstorm. But he kept pushing. He didn't want to stay out here in the elements.

Suddenly a sight came into view, and Arashi was forced to barely avoid running into a tree, eyes widening as he seen it and side-stepped it. "Shit!" he called out as he would end up tripping up and falling over, landing among some grass mixed with sand. Being low to the ground helped him not be effected by the storm as much, but still--he had to find shelter. Forcing himself up and de-activating his Tornado Run, the young man pushed on, amber eyes looking every which way in order to find something, anything, to seek shelter in. He quickly found an old ruin from ancient days, hard covered by the desert, but with an enclosed room above ground. Arashi quickly dove through what used to be a window head first and crashed onto the floor with a thud, barely padded by a thin layer of sand. He winced and rolled over onto his back, spreading out as he looked up. He was protected from the sandstorm now...but this wasn't ideal, thats for sure.

He dug in...sandstorms could last minutes, hours, or even days. Who knew how long he'd be forced to stay here. The man took a deep breath as he sat on the floor, rested against a wall. Sand kept blowing through the window but nothing like being out in the open, him sighing out the breath. He'd go ahead and slip a canteen from his backpack, turning it upside down and drowning himself in it a little, clearly thirsty. The man sat it down next to him and looked around. This room had nothing but 4 walls, a window, a roof, and a doorway leading to a sand-filled stairway. Clearly the 2nd floor but now made ground floor.

Hours went by before Arashi would give up for tonight and go to sleep. Some time during his slumber the storm subsided, and Arashi would wake up to sunlight peering into his eyes. "Mmm....hmm....wh...what?" he groggily said as he slowly sat up, yawning. Morning had come, and the storm had let go...the man would gather his things, packing his canteen and even headband in his backpack, and crawl out the window, once outside glancing around. His eyes went wide when he got a full view...he was in a beautiful lush oasis in the desert, surrounding a large lake. "WATER!!!"His grin couldn't be any more toothy as he ran for the lake, at some point stripping down to nothing but his boxers, before running up and cannonball-ing in with a splash, a moment later popping up and shaking the water from his head. He would take today to relax...his journey had been long, he sort of deserved it.

---

CP: 30/110

Tatsumaki Hashiru ('Tornado Run')

The recent set of sandstorms in the area had wreaked havoc across the small settlements near Sunagakure. Kara was genuinely trying to better herself as a person and so as yet another storm rolled through she busied herself gathering supplies to take to the Miracle Oasis; food, basic medical supplies and spare blankets. It wasn’t a very thorough list of things to bring people who might be in need, but she also wasn’t sure what or if anything was required. It was just before first light when the storm finally abated and she began her true preparations to head out.

Having learned from her last trek through the desert she dressed a tiny bit more appropriately for the weather. Loose fitting silk pants, the silk woven in such a way that the material was quite sheer. She paired it with her jika-tabi and a tight fitting cropped halter top, after dressing she wasn’t convinced that anything she was wearing would help against the sun so she put on a cloak of light coloured linen. She brought her parasol and her doctor’s kit and as an afterthought her cigarettes on the off chance she got stuck out longer than she intended.

After paying a passerby to help her load her goods onto one of her sand skiffs, she departed just as the sun began to rise. Having designed the ship herself she was well acquainted with its function and had no trouble driving it towards the oasis. The journey wasn’t particularly long, the skiff doing most of the work, and the sun had only risen a few feet from the horizon by the time the Oasis came into view. It was only once she saw the trees and ruins come into view that she considered that what she was doing was perhaps not the best course of action. She was without any sort of protection save for her kunai and she didn’t exactly know how to use that. She had a bodyguard who she had not informed of her travels and a roommate that she had also neglected to inform.

With the danger of being alone in the desert in a place known to have bandits in residence in mind, she tied her scarf over her face and pulled her cloaks hood up over her long blonde hair. She probably had a better chance of going unaccosted if her identity was left as a mystery, she was very well known in this area as being a fairly wealthy civilian. She of course didn’t consider that the disguise wasn’t much of a disguise since all of her clothing and gear was made of extremely expensive material and in very good repair.

As she pulled the skiff into the Oasis proper she could see the after effects of the storm; bits of wood and cloth strewn about clearly tossed and broken by strong winds. What she didn’t see were any people, not entirely surprising it was still quite early in the day and if there were people here it was likely that they were either still hiding from the storm or intentionally hiding from the presence of a traveller on a large sand boat. It would at least give her time to relax for a moment before getting to work. Lowering the sails on the skiff and bringing the craft to a gentle stop she would disembark and stretch, taking a few moments to rub the knots out of her tired muscles.

Chakra 110/110

Arashi would keep on swimming around, it was relaxing--and a huge relief from the baking sun overhead. The man had traveled so far, and was still even after sleeping was pretty tired. After a moment the man simply laid out on his back, shutting his eyes and simply floating along...only peep he made was a pretty large yawn as he tried to relax. His hair spread out in the water, azure locks flanking his head as he floated along. Finally amber hues slowly opened, half lidded, looking up to the sky seemingly in thought.

"...I can't spend too much time here...I gotta find him..." Arashi quietly spoke to himself--clearly referencing his older brother, Hyoketsu. He sighed and shut his eyes again. He laid there in silence, the only sound he could hear was a gentle breeze and the sounds of the water. But soon enough something else would burn his ears. The man sat up--using the academy technique to keep himself afloat as he literally sat up, sitting on the surface of the water, and amber hues shifted out towards the desert. Something was making noise...kicking up dust in its wake. He could see a sail, much like one on a boat--but...for the desert. This caused him to raise an eyebrow, but then it dawned on him. He is in another country, very well someone around here may try to kill him.

The young man would release the chakra keeping him on the water's surface, and sink down low enough that between the blue water and his nearly matching hair, he was nearly invisible peeking across the water. At least to the less perceptive. He'd watch as a woman approached in the distance, riding in on a sand skiff, before slowing it to a stop--the sail raised to do so as it slowed to near the edge of the water--him sinking fully under to remain unseen. As an Inazuma the man had a lot of knowledge when it came to boats and Navy tactics...seeing the skiff use the wind within Kaze no Kuni to get across the desert seemed like a great idea...made Arashi a hint jealous; he wanted one. Would save him time and energy too if he had one.

But these thoughts aside, he swam quietly closer to the edge of the water she had came closest too and tried to observe what he could through the water, trying to make out details of who had arrived. Due to her cloak it, mixed with looking through the wet medium, he struggled to make out any details. He would've sighed had it not been for being under the water. He couldn't stay there forever, and was reaching the end of his breath at this point. He would as quietly as he could raise up out of the water, first his head so he could get a breath--then using the water walking technique on his arms he was able to pull himself ouf of the water as if climbing up a cliff--something the Kumo nin was very used too doing--before coming to stand on the water's surface only a number of meters away. He'd stay quiet--seeing if he'd been noticed or not, if he had to dodge some incoming attack, or if he simply scared the pants off this cloaked woman.

---

CP: 30/110

The thing that Kara liked the most about storms was the weather afterwards. The sky seemed a little bit bluer, the air was fresher and the feeling of freedom after being cooped up for so long was exhilarating. Picking up her parasol she would open it up and place it gently on her right shoulder while using her left hand to remove the hood from her cloak and sweep her long blonde hair out so it was caught by the breeze. It was starting to get quite warm and it wouldn’t be long until she gave up on the cloak altogether, even though the fabric was breathable it was trapping a bit too much warm air for her liking.

Seeing as there was no one around she decided that at least putting her feet in the lake might be nice and so she would move towards the shore in no particular hurry. A few feet from the shore she would pause and pull off her jika-tabi, leaving them beside a small bush along with her cloak which she simply folded and placed on the ground. Had she been paying closer attention she might have noticed the blue haired man on the surface of the water, but as she wasn’t she would nearly walk right in to him before she saw him. As her toes first hit the water she would shiver, the water wasn’t cold but the temperature difference was noticeable. It would take her a moment or two before she saw the the surface of the water have a pair of feet on it, at which point she would look up and take in the sight of a blue haired and rather handsome man. In his underwear.

“Oh! Um, I did not see you there. Apologies, I really didn’t think anyone was here.” She would blush as she kept her eyes locked on his.

As Karasu neared the water, having removed her cloak, the young man finally had a better idea of whom he was dealing with. Especially once he had came up out of the water, apparently quietly enough she literally hadn't noticed him, going about her business--removing her footwear, and placing them along with the cloak she had now folded. She remained oblivious to him, the man's head tilting as he watched her, blinking in confusion. He'd popped up in order to greet her--and further analyze his situation right now...but she didn't even notice him!

All the way to the point she dipped her toe into the water, literally only a few feet away from the man, before finally something must've caught her eye. Likely his feet standing on the water's surface. He watched her eyes follow up to look at him, and her sudden 'Oh!' only proved she'd been unaware he was even there until now, shocked to see him it seemed, expressing she thought she was alone. The young man looked her over...she was a beauty, easily on par with the last blonde beaut he'd spoken to before leaving his home...maybe even more, as this woman gave him no vibes of a warrior, unlike Shimiko--who he knew could squash him in an instant.

"No no, no need to apologize miss. I was under the water when you came up, I'm sorry if I startled you." he'd say with his gentlemanly charm, while apologizing he still carried a tone of kind confidence. Maybe it was bold of him, or foolish, but he'd approach, slowly taking a few more steps along the surface of the water towards Kara, casting her a charming smile as he stopped close enough to bow before her, while holding his hand out--palm open in request of her hand as he looked up from his bow, winking at the blushing blonde beauty. "I'm Arashi, may I know the name of the beauty who has graced me with her presence?" he'd say with the wink, continuing to smile to her. Pretty bold for a man standing in nothing but his soaked boxers. He certainly didn't lack any confidence. If she was to give in to his request and offer her hand, the man would take it gently and place a gentlemanly kiss upon the back of her hand--something the man was frankly known for when around woman of such elegance.

---

CP: 30/110

Kara had led an interesting life up until this point. But nothing had prepared her for this particular scenario. It’s not the sort of thing even an intellectual as gifted as she was could have predicted, meeting someone for the first time in an oasis and then having said person attempt introductions before clothing themselves. The strangeness of it was almost enough to have her beat a hasty retreat back to the skiff and then to the relative safety of Sunagakure. Would have, were it not for Arashi’s question. Kara was not vain about her intelligence; she knew full well that she’d never met her equal in that regard and wasn’t the least bit concerned about proving that to anyone. Where her true vanity lay however was in her physical appearance, it was her greatest weakness as far as she knew, and one aspect of her identity that she had been careful to never voice to anyone for that reason.

As the man extended his hand for hers she would acquiesce, placing her left hand in his and replying as he kissed the back of it. “I am Karasu Doku, though most call me Kara. It is a pleasure to meet you Arashi, though I must admit I am not used to seeing people wander around the desert without clothing. Are you quite alright? Were you robbed?”

(30 exp)

The man would be presented her hand, and indeed proceeded with his gentlemenly greeting. He'd step back and smile as he listened to her response. After she finished he reached up and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling a bit. "No no, just off for a swim." he'd respond, still not phased. He lowered his arm, a quick glance would easily see it was a full sleeve of ink, a suit of samurai armor with a skull in place of a face in the helm--and many vivid red leafs. These would blend nearly perfectly with a branch with the same leafs marked on his back--although she couldn't see it yet.

"Awkward introductions aside--pleasure to meet you Kara. Should join me...the water is amazing. Such a relief, reminds me of ho--" he cut himself off, remembering he was in a foreign land, and keeping the fact he wasn't from here a secret may have been best. He'd hid his Kumogakure headband for a reason after all. "The water is just so relaxing." he quickly finished, before falling back into the water, letting himself sink back down, so only his head and shoulders now was above the water, him looking up to her. "I'm a bit tired, I spent lastnight here trapped by a sandstorm, was a bit lonely--I'd really appreciate the company. Unless I'd be holding you up? Pretty woman like yourself must live a busy life." he'd continue on with his signature charming tone, not once dropping his smile. Frankly he wondered if she was just a mirage, how could he be so lucky to run into such a cutie as the first person he met in the Land of Wind? Lucky man, lucky man.

Kara noted the tattoo on Arashi’s arm, it was beautifully done, and her fingers would linger for a moment in the air as though wanting to touch the artwork. She would hold herself back from the impulse though, not wanting to give the wrong impression of herself. As Arashi asked her to join him in the lake she noted the way with which he cut off his words. She imagined the last word was ‘home’, a fairly simple guess, but what she couldn’t imagine was why he would want to keep that word hidden from her. Although she doubted the secrecy was personal, they’d only just met after all. Perhaps he was on the run, hiding from some underground ring of criminals, or maybe he was royalty and trying to keep his identity a secret. That last one didn’t make much sense though, were it true she would most definitely know who he was.

Taking the time to sit down on a rock just at the edge of the water as Arashi sunk back into the lake she would respond to his suggestion. “I don’t swim, not that I don’t know how mind you, I just rather value the currently undamaged state of my skin. You should be careful in there, I think you’re even paler than I am and before long it might cause a problem.” She wasn’t really chiding him, and her smile would show it was just playful banter. She would slip her feet into the water, being sure that they were within the shadow currently cast by the rock she sat on. She became concerned when he mentioned being trapped by the sandstorm, giving him a quick once over from a medical experts perception. He looked healthy enough, and she didn’t notice him favoring any wounded appendages, at least from what she could see with him submerged in the lake.

She would laugh goodnaturedly at his suggestion that she must have a busy life. For the most part she didn’t view that to be true, since she had settled down in Sunagakure she’d had more time to spare than she knew what to do with. It was part of the reason she’d ended up on this self imposed mission to help people in the middle of the desert. Idle hands and all that. “No, no. You’re not holding me up, I had come here quite specifically to aid those affected by the sand storm, so as it happens spending time with you was on the list. I have food and some basic supplies if you need anything. What were you doing out here anyway? You do know this is storm season don’t you? Getting caught out here is quite dangerous; though not nearly as dangerous as being alone in an oasis known for being filled with bandits.” Her statement was not without a good deal of irony considering her own recent choices.

(40 exp)

The Inazuma clan head watched as Karasu took a seat on a rock at the edge of the water after he'd sunk back into the lake or pond--whichever you'd describe it as. He'd blink a couple times as she explained her reasoning for not swimming. Still, it disappointed the man. Guess it wasn't his lucky day, not yet anyways. "Fair, would hate for you to ruin your complexion. Still, can't help but try. Not every day I run into a stunning bombshell such as yourself in a beautiful oasis, in the middle of the desert." he'd go on to say, afterwards sinking just low enough his mouth was underwater, but it'd be easy to read he was giving her a smile, the eyes enough to tell it all as they almost arched up in a grin.

He'd pop back up while she laughed to what he said, before the woman would explain her reason for being here. Oh, so she had time? Then he had more time to spend around her. He mentally fist pumped in cheer but outwardly never showed it. She continued on, questioning why he was out there, and bringing up it was sandstorm season. He blinked a couple times and quickly his hand came to the back of his head again, a nervous look--probably would have a comedic sweatdrop if this was an anime or manga. "Heh. Heh. I wasn't aware, foolish me." he said in regards to both the sandstorm season, and the threat of bandits. "Although I can probably handle some bandits, not to worried about that." he'd go on to say. He seemed to still avoid why he was out there.

"If you'll give me a moment..." he'd say before slipping under the water, but fairly obviously swimming off away from her, surfacing maybe 10 meters out for a breath as he continued on to the opposite shore. He'd pretty quickly move himself over to where he sat his stuff down, and went ahead putting his clothes and equipment back on. He still would keep his headband and his Resonating Echo Speaker in his backpack as he would come back over towards Kara--simply walking over the surface of the water itself as if it was simply the ground itself, effortless for the shinobi accustomed to the seas.

"Sorry about that." he'd say once he returned, it having been only a couple minutes. He now was all dressed, and had his weapon in its sheath over his shoulder, easy to grab. "So its sandstorm season huh. Would suck to get caught in another one...I haven't seen anyone else out here since I got here--only you." he'd go on to say, his amber hues looking towards the woman's unique hues. If she was to pay enough attention to the man's eyes...she may find something oddly familiar with them.

Arashi was certainly invested in complimenting her Kara noticed, not that she minded. She would accept the compliment with a smile and idly wiggle her toes in the water. It was incredibly refreshing and for the briefest moment she considered being a bit more impulsive and actually joining the man in the lake. It would be a terrible idea for her though, her skin was not accustomed to the sun and would burn very easily she suspected. So would his skin though, unless he had some sort of way of being immune which she doubted, she wagered it’d be about two hours before he started feeling uncomfortable.

She found it interesting that he didn’t know that this place was known for bandits or that it was storm season. She knew there was a story there, but didn’t want to press it too much just yet having only just met him. Given some time though she was sure she could get him to tell her what he was actually doing here and where he was from. She never found it particularly difficult to get any information she was looking for, and his clear interest in her would make it all the easier. Not that she had any real reason to want to know or any ulterior motive, she was merely curious and made a point of being well informed.  

As he dove under the water and swam away she took a moment to watch him closely. He did actually look like he could handle a bandit or two as he claimed, and for the briefest moment as he left her vision she thought she saw more tattooing on the man’s back. Most people in the land of wind did not have tattoos covering themselves; unless they were criminals. At least in her limited experience when dealing with half naked people. It was entirely possible that she was incorrect though decidedly unlikely.

She noted the weapon swung over his shoulder and gestured towards it as she rose to collect her own things. “It seems you’re well armed at least, that’s good as I am obviously not. Although since we haven’t seen anyone else yet I doubt we will, it was a nasty storm and I suspect most have gone to their actual homes. As for another storm, that is possible I did come prepared in case that happened though I could use some help with the skiff. Batten it down and all that just in case.” She would reach down and collect her cloak and shoes, returning to the rock she had just left to put her jika-tabi back on. As she slipped her feet into them she would look up into the man’s eyes suddenly as a thought occurred to her. “You know, you actually look quite familiar to me. I can’t quite place my finger on it, but I feel as though I’ve seen you before.”

(50 exp)

Arashi noticed her gesture up to his weapon, and listened to the woman as she spoke--expressing that he seemed pretty well armed, and how she wasn't. The man wasn't the brightest bulb of the bunch but by now he was beginning to pick up on the fact Kara may not even be a shinobi, but a Civilian instead. Looking her over, she didn't look like she'd ever been in a fight in her life, and lacked most of the signs of a shinobi. Or maybe she was so strong she'd never been hurt in a fight, who knew--maybe the man had a goddess before him. Well, maybe she was a goddess in one way, just not that way.

"Hm...seem much better prepared to be out here then I am, Karasu." he'd say as he watched her gather her things, and return to the rock at the edge of the water to get her footwear back on. "If it comes down to it, I'll help you with your...skiff?" he seemed confused by the machine...he'd probably have called it a 'sand boat' or something pretty dumb. "I don't mind helping." he finished off.

When she looked back to him, Arashi would be met with the idea that he looked familiar to her, the man blinking a couple times in confusion. But then it hit him...right, his brother! Maybe she knew something, had saw him? "Well, actually..." he said in response, his smile fading for a more serious look.

"I'm looking for someone, my brother. He ah...he's a bit taller then me, same blue hair, and has ice blue eyes. Scars all over him. Have you seen him, Karasu?" he'd ask her, amber hues focused on the blonde woman.

Karasu? She supposed that was the more formal use of her name, but she found the choice interesting given that she’d told him most called her Kara. Shortening her name didn’t bother her, in fairness though she doubted he would know that. As Arashi said the word ‘skiff’ with a questioning tone she knew he couldn’t possibly be from Sunagakure. Everyone there knew what they were, perhaps hadn’t used one, but she and Okane had been making and using them for quite some time now. She admitted it was possible however unlikely that he was from Suna but had travelled for many years. With an inward sigh she pushed the query out of her mind, this type of thinking would lead to many theories but no actual answers.

She was about to get up and show him what she needed help with after her off handed comment when his question struck a chord. For a moment she thought she’d finally put it together; his eyes were so like Azuma’s and when he mentioned a brother she would open her mouth to reply ‘yes’ and then just as quickly close it again. The man Arashi was describing was nothing like what she was thinking of. It was a puzzle to be sure, but one that she couldn’t solve. Twice in one day she was left without a solution and it was infuriating. There rarely were circumstances where she did not have all the answers and this particular circumstance was enough that it was affecting her usual cool and collected composure. With a somewhat frustrated sigh she would look out in the general direction of the village and take a moment to calm herself before answering the man’s question. “I’m sorry Arashi, I haven’t seen anyone like that.”

Most people would have left it at that. A show of sympathy, and a no, maybe a ‘I hope you find him’. But not her, not today. She refused to let one more mystery go unsolved if she had any say in it. Turning back to face the man, now serious though no less handsome for it, she would smile gently. She didn’t have any siblings so this wasn’t exactly a situation she had much true understanding of, but she could empathize. If he were looking for his brother, presumably that meant he was lost, and that had to be difficult. “I would very much like to help you find him however. If you want my help, that is, I’m not a combatant and I’m woefully ill equipped to actually trek the world searching, but I do have some connections.” She would wait for his reply before moving towards the sand skiff slowly, hoping he’d come along.  

(60 exp)