Big Gay Chig and Little Gay Jess in Rattown(Donkey Kong Racing I mean Rat Race Mission)

Jess was dressed in her normal mission garb with was comprised mainly of a style of dress very akin to cloth bandages which covered the body without restricting movement. They were a dark royale blue like the night sky and completely covered up her neon green hair. The night air was crisp and carried the smell of salt and baked goods flowing in from the pier and from further in town respectively. Insects and frogs chirped in jubilation as if to match the young genin's mood as she went to meet the ninja who would accompany her on this mission.

Jess was not informed who it would be but they would no doubt be informed of whom she was and thus the young woman decided a bench along one of the houses near the meeting place was the best place to wait for her superior to approach her.

Whomever it was they would join her in killing four seperate rats nests that were harassing the village grainery which caused a host of potential problems to pop up. Thus it was best to remove them quickly and so Jess would have to 'dehumanize' the rats she would need to kill. Luckily her chakra has recovered from her masters training a day and a half ago so she would not have to rely on only her hands and could legitimately just destroy a nest by destroying the ground above it, causing a cave in.

Regardless of the extermination method Jess tried to focus on who her potential partner could be, the idea of meeting yet more ninjas thrilled her immensely. Kirigakure may be her home but she was far more used to life as an orphan outside the village, which reminded her that she could not dally too long tonight before returning.

Chigetsu, Jess’s partner on this mission, would slowly approach the scene. The meeting place was near the sewers, and as it was unfamiliar territory for Chigetsu she would naturally be the last to arrive. By the time she got there it seemed that Jess was already waiting, sitting back on a bench. The bright, neon green hair she had made her easy to spot, and the fact that she did immediately drew Chigetsu in her direction. The two of them were peas in a pod in that aspect, their hair both being bright and colorful, and just that was enough to already make Chigetsu smile.

A pair of purple sneakers, slightly beaten up would adorn his feet, laced up high with the knots paired to his ankles. His lower half would lack any sort of armor or protection, and his legs would be bare with the exception of the pair of black stockings ran up to his mid-thighs. A similarly black short skirt would hang from his waist, although between this and the thigh-highs would be an inch or two of exposed skin. A blue belt would be tightly secured at his waist, and attached to it would be a collection of holsters and a stuffed belt pouch, all filled to the brim with useful shinobi equipment. Two holsters would be arranged on her left side, while a third would be present on her right, while the belt pouch would be at her rear. The gear attached to her belt would be the only thing that distinguished Chigetsu away from the appearance of a schoolgirl, and made her career as a shinobi distinctly visible.

She stood at five feet and four inches, although with the nervous slouch she usually had her height sometimes appeared even less than that. What stood out the most about her was her hair. A bright pink, having been freshly dyed that color as a part of her confidence building ritual for the Chunin Exams. Past her neck it was braided into a thick, ropey braid of hair that continued down to her hips. At the end would be a tightly wrapped black bow, matching with the other two would be tied into each side of her head. A solitary locke of paper-white would run down to the left of her face in her bangs, being the one remnant of her natural hair color. Without a single spec of armor on her body, the young woman would instead be dressed in a light, airy purple and white striped crop top. Her headband, wrapped as a sort of necklace that hung loosely at her collarbone, would obscure a bit of the skin that the deeply cut neck of her shirt would have normally exposed. The shirt freely exposed her navel and belly-button as well, although on top of it would be a warm-looking fluffy purple hooded jacket that contained a variety of seemingly unused pockets.

“Hey!” He would call out as he got closer, although he would stop a few feet away from the bench as to not crowd the girl. “I’m Chigetsu Hozuki. I’m guessing you’re my partner today for the mission? This is the meeting spot and all, so I just figured…”

Having removed the wraps from the top of her head Jess would notice someone with similar flair in their hair begin to approach her. From their appearance Jess would assume female but something about their body structure gave away to someone who used to be male that the ninja approaching was born the same.

This is how the genin arrived at the conclusion that if this was their partner Jess should use they pronouns to start. The person had quite an adorable outfit at well, something Jess would wear herself if she was more femme and not on a mission. Though without the coat the young woman thought to herself getting internally distracted for a split second. The pink haired ninja was seemingly much shorter than Jess herself who stood at five feet nine inches, Jess' figure was more imposing as well and as such she got a wee bit jealous over the other person before it settled back into Jess' acceptance of self. Regardless she hoped this was her partner for the upcoming mission.

"Hello Chigetsu of the Hozuki" Jess would respond as well as standing up from her reclined position on the bench and into a stiff standing position before bowing and then continuing on with talking. "If you're tasked with killing rats then yeah that is totally me, its dirty work but important."

If Chigestu would respond that they were here to kill rats as well then Jess would continue again. "My specialties are Ijutsu, Fuuinjutsu, and Chemistry. I am in charge of the village armory, and will soon have a resturante both thanks to the Mizukage's generosity and you're outfit is amazing" sneaking the compliment in Jess' melodious voice would continue briefly "What are your specialties if you dont mind me asking?"

Once Jess gave her bow Chigetsu would hastily give one in return. The formality of the gesture caught her off guard, but Chigetsu didn’t want to be impolite and so she would hurry to repeat it. Seeing that the girl stood up upon Chigetsu speaking to her, along with the formal bow, she could only assume that this was her partner. It only made sense, after all. It was a relief, although the fact that Jess had arrived first continued a long streak of Chigetsu arriving late, or after her partner on missions. Maybe not something to be proud of.

“Yes! I got the same mission, so we’re partners. Dirty work, but important I guess…” He said it with a lot less enthusiasm. It was clear that especially with Chigetsu’s appearance and the delicate way in which they dressed that they probably weren’t the most excited to be stepping down into the sewers. It was just going to make her have to shower a ton and drench herself in soapy water when she was done.

“Specialties? Uh…- O-Oh, thank you!” It would cause her to pause, taking a moment to think, only to be interrupted by the comment about her outfit. The complement put a big smile on Chigetsu’s face. It wasn’t often that other people noticed or appreciated her fashion sense. “I put a lot of work into it… My specialties though… I guess I’m good at Suiton Ninjutsu. Water element and all that stuff, you know. Hozuki and all.” It was pretty self explanatory. “I can use a sword pretty well but I didn’t think to bring one because it was just rats… Other than that nothing really.”

"Well at least you dont have to worry about the fowl creatures getting onto you but if they get close feel free to jump on my back, I'm used to dirty work." The gesture was not given falsely, judging by the response and demeanor of Chigetsu, the genin had assumed that they would rather not get near any of the filthy untamed rodents. Perhaps a small, clean, well trained mouse but that was another matter and besides the point.

"Welp, no time like the present, I got the map of the locations memorized so let's head to where the first two are." Luckily the first two nests were within a meter of each other by rare coincidence and would allow for both to be taken care of at once, expediting the filthy process. So it was with a mod of indication for direction headed that Jess would turn on her heel and begin walking to the destination hoping Chigetsu would follow her.

"So, how is the rest of your family? Forgive my ignorance on current events, while I do hold knowledge none of it is recent unfortunately." Jess would ask in a chirpy sing song manner as she walked allowing the brightly colored ninja that was her compatriot on this mission to reply as the duo advanced.

After that series of questions and answering any questions asked or unasked that popped up from it Jess would ask another one. "So why just weaponry as an outlier, surprising other ninja would be fun! Like, imagine how shocked everyone would be if you did like fire based genjutsu! Thatd be wild" as she said this Jess would twirl in delight of the ridiculous concept noting that one could make some steam no doubt from the combination of the two elements in ninjutsu, though not herself.

After that interaction and any other questions, comments or concerns stated or brought forward by the Hozuki the pair would arrive at the dual nest and Jess would ask yet another question, "Shall I destroy it or do you want to?"

The holes were yet fifty meters from them and by now they were on the outskirts of the village thus allowing for a variety of methods of eradication without worry about the homes or villagers that theses rats were harassing in the first place. Damaging either would defeat the purpose of the mission after all.

“Jump on your back?” It would be repeated as a question. Jess was significantly taller than Chigetsu was, but… Having that sort of close contact with someone she just met was a bit strange. Was Jess even strong enough to carry Chigetsu? It wasn’t like Chigetsu was that heavy in the first place, but still it was enough of a concern if they were going to be doing real work. Although the idea was also sort of funny, just to imagine a tactical piggyback ride in the middle of the mission. “I’ll consider it, if things get too filthy. Thank you for offering.”

“And you already memorized the map…?” It was pretty amazing, although now Chigetsu was feeling a bit insecure that she had come too casual and unprepared. “That’s pretty incredible. I guess I should have prepared more then… Sorry! I hope I don’t drag you down or anything.” Chigetsu would follow after her new partner, with the two of them descending down into the sewers. Chigetsu would follow while Jess would lead.

“My family…? I… There isn’t much happening in the Hozuki Clan that’s newsworthy, I guess.” It was a hard question to respond to. Did she mean the Hozuki Clan or Chigetsu’s direct family? It must have been the clan, but this Jess person had an interesting way of speaking that made it a bit confusing. Or maybe Chigetsu was just overthinking things? “I haven’t been able to keep up with stuff because of the Chunin Exams… You know. It’s been hard to focus on family politics when I’ve been preparing for that.”

She would just laugh at the suggestion of fire based genjutsu. Maybe! It was something Chigetsu could maybe theoretically do. The Hozuki Clan rarely strayed from Suiton, but it was still a funny idea. “Maybe! I could try it out after the exams are over, but I doubt I’ll be any good at it. Fire isn’t really something my clan is good with.”

They came upon the first nest rather quickly. Before he even knew it they were face to face with a dual nest, presumably filled with rats. Chigetsu would stare blinking a bit. “U-Uh… You can take this one, if that’s okay?”

"Of course! Though I doubt any of them will get close to us in the first place" the green haired woman replied in a chipper tone. "Pish posh nobody will slow anyone down, this isn't that time sensitive a mission and besides I'm sure you can flush them down with some water ninjutsu." The genin responded in a playful manner in an attempt to relieve some of her companions insecurity. Jess noticed much and enjoyed to help so the response was completely natural, organically springing forth like the bud of a flower from earthy soil.

"Ah yes I had forgotten those were happening in full honesty Chigetsu, I wish you the best of luck in your trials through that endevor" with the last part Jess would slow to a halt and turn to face the other ninja while wishing them luck in the exams. "What about your immediate family, how are they?" Jess would pry a bit more for detail as it almost seemed the other had left them out, of course the answer could be the same. While she was decently smart enough in some areas the young woman was foolish in others. Besides it was a good way to pass the time while walking to their goal.

"Perhaps you should find yourself a cutie with that element then" Jess teased the male who she figured would accept as a playful jab. The orphan enjoyed cracking jokes as ice breakers to get others to relax more and enjoy life. "If not electricity might be cool as long as you dont shock yourself" the female laughed a lilting chuckle at the cartoonish image of a self paralyzed Hozuki member that popped into her head.

"Oky day!" Jess would sing before skipping over gaining height with each bounce before using the built up momentum to twist up and strike with her dominate leg in the center of the two dens which would collapse inward after this happened, not thanks to her own strength but the chakra enhanced strength she had activated before bringing her leg down into contact with the ground. As there were no rats outside the den nearby at the time one could assume that nest had been dealt with.

Jess would then rebound and jump backwards in a simple manner away from the cratered ground. As she did so she removed a folded up piece of paper on her hip and handed it without looking to Chigetsu before confirming no rat had escaped and then turned to them and said "Lead the way to the next one."

“Thanks! I think I’ll need the luck, honestly.” Chigetsu would smile, taking a moment to think now about her chances in the exams, only to be stopped dead as Jess slowed to a halt and turned around. The sudden stop would cause Chi to freeze, blinking for a moment as she tried to see what it was that made Jess stop so suddenly. The fact that she turned around and faced Chigetsus so suddenly caught her off guard. The questioning about her family then took on a feeling similar to an interrogation, added from the eye contact that the two made in the moment.

“E-Eh? My immediate family…” Chigetsu would trail off, clearly surprised and unprepared for this line of questioning. “They’re fine? I think. I haven’t spoken to them in a while. I don’t really…” He trailed off again, not having much to say. It didn’t seem like this was much of a problem though, since the conservation moved on fast. It seemed like Jess had a lot to say and talk about, which made it easier for Chigetsu. Already it had moved on to Jess teasing him, and the comment would cause Chigetsu’s cheeks to flush over for a moment. “I don’t know about that… I think fire and electricity might be too dangerous to mess around with anyway.”

Jess struck down the nests with a quick burst of speed, slamming her leg down into the dens. It was pretty impressive just to watch. She clearly had a great deal of strength, to the point where Chigetsu could only envy her. Although Chigetsu never really was the big strong muscle type.

“Good job!” He would smile, giving Jess a little thumbs up, although he would be stopped again as she handed a little folded piece of paper to him. It would be pressed awkwardly into his hand, and he would stare at it for a moment before reacting, unfolding it only to see the map that was scrawled onto it. The locations of various nests had been all marked out, and Chigetsu would take a few moments of looking down at the map before it would all be memorized and he would nod. “Alright, I’ll take us to the next den… One should be not too far away.”

They would both be off again, with Chigetsu leading the way this time. It wouldn’t be that far, but still there would be time for small talk. Rather than leaving it to silence Chigetsu would try and think of something to say.

“So… Uh… How about your family?”

It seemed that both genin had not been able to talk to their immediate family in some time and so Jess did not think it queer for Chigetsu to answer in such a manner. Instead she empathized and smiled sincerely in response. Though the young woman's focus would shift when the other ninja blushed at her teasing that would mean it could be a good way to break the ice, the primary goal of this mission in the chemist's opinion. "Perhaps that's why we rely on others for dangerous missions huh?" The question was rhetorical Nd more a genuine observation from Jess whom fresh from the academy was still coming into new revelations about this ninja business.

As Chigetsu would compliment Jess' feat of chakra she would clumsily place the paper into their hand, it was done so sloppily that the Hozuki was lucky it was not covered in drool and the map drawn in crayon. So ungrateful was it that the female ninja looked like a buffoon leaving her with only the choice to play it off like it never happened. "Lead on Chigetsu, after you get this next one we can team up on the last. Deal?" The offer would allow Jess to cross analyze both of their techniques in order to plan up strategies for Chigetsu should they work together in the future. Fortune flavors the bold they say after all, and Jess wanted to be delicious. Ultimately the ninja hoped to map out most of the village ninjas skillsets and present defensive plans as well as idea for specific mission groupings to the Mizukage, the more useful the chemist was the more she could turn around in ten years and focus on her restaurant for a while.

That's when the subject of her family was breached for the first time with an outsider which meant that Jess thought nothing of being honest and the potential consequences that may occur down the line. It would propel a train into motion on a single point however slow it would start up soon enough it would reach a station that the Ninja did not even know about. It would be something she could never believe bit that may be a story for another time. As it was the response from Jess was simple enough;
"Well my parents died when I was young so I've had to taken care of my little siblings since I was small myself. They cant really forage on their own yet so I work to provide for us all. It's not something I mind and soon we will be able to move out of the tree after my first month of business, which I'm very happy about. Honestly they almost feel like my children at this point."
The careless positivity that accompanied and filled the tone of these words would leave an observant person some glaring red flags with the story but whether or not the other ninja picked up on them or not and furthermore if they wished to point out those red flags or any number of things was yet to be seen. As it was now a seeming innocent statement to pass the time might have opened up the can of worms that was Jess' PTSD.

Either way there were some rats to kill and Jess at least was looking forward to relaxing after this mission. She wonder if Chigetsu would join her for tea at a coffee shop.

The story that Jess told was horrifying, and also foreign to Chigetsu. He could sympathize with her, even if he didn’t really understand. Having both your parents die while you were so young was a terrifying thing to imagine, and the same was true of having to take care of all your siblings from the same point forward. Chigetsu had no siblings, and as an only child maybe it would be impossible to truly understand where Jess was coming from. He had his own worries about the health of his family, mostly his father’s, but that was an entirely different story to what Jess was talking about right here and now. Plus… Forage? How exactly did this girl live? Did she have a home? Then she said ‘move out of the tree’... Did she live in a tree? One little question opened up all this information that revealed a horrifying and depressing lifestyle.

Chigetsu wouldn’t know how to respond at first, and so he would remain silent until the words formed in his mind. Slowly they would come together, although still he was unsteady and unsure of if he should really say anything at all.

“That sounds… tough. I hope things start to look up for you soon. Taking care of your siblings like that and living in a tree… I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you.”

They came across the next nest shortly afterwards, which would luckily remove some of the pressure for Chigetsu to continue the conversation. It almost made him glad, as sad as that was to think about.

“Ah! Stand back a little, I’ll take care of this one…” He would form the Tiger seal, and as he did a thousand little needles of water would surround the nest. With a small gesture the needles would all fly down into the nest, completely eviscerating it. Nothing would be left but scraps afterwards.

Jess would be about to continue on with some asides about her siblings but her attention was distracted from the subject of the hundreds perhaps a thousand pretties that just formed up near the Hozuki. This rendered the orphan speechless until the needles of water completed their tasks and the chemist squealed in a high pitch bunching her hands up near her face as she jumped up and down excitedly. "Great Job Chigetsu that was beautiful AND badass at the same time!!" The excitement was oozing out of the genin's body in a copious amount as she tried to settle herself down to focus upon the next nest that they would have to take out. Huh, that was odd it had taken until now for her to notice that the sewers where the last nest was ended up being exactly underneath the tree where her siblings were.

Well hot diggity damn she could see them right after by finding the nearest exit right after they wrapped this up, easy peasy lemon squeezey. This continued to build Jess' excitement, today was such a glorious day. Chigetsu seemed like a good potential ally in the village and hopefully one day a friend, the orphan needed more of those and was well aware of that fact but it had been hard until recently for a myriad of reasons. Next the mission was almost done, she could see her siblings so soon after and the technique Chi used was glorious.

So it would be that Jess would turn to Chigetsu and pump her arms while beginning to walk forward, "Let's get this last one buddy, I'll go for the same move I used before so back me up with whatever you want that wont be a painful surprise on my end."

The barrier was broken on Jess and she began to cheerfully step outside her shell for the first time in her entire life. It was such a thrilling thing, a weight lifted in her chest and now she had to choose between today or the day she decided to transition as her favorite day of her life. She felt innocent and clean again, not burdened by her past abuse, she had finally began to get over it. Jess was truly happy like she had been only a handful of times in her life. So when she began to weep from joy, she was thankful it was silent and that her partner was walking behind her and couldnt directly see. She did not want to send the wrong message, after all they had helped her a bit in breaking out of her shell. Jess rarely spoke about her family and so to get an accepting reaction was all the ninja needed to feel welcomed by the Hozuki who accompanied her on this mission.

Arriving at the nest Jess would jump up and bring both her feet into a single point cracking the ground above the nest and caving it in, in her excitement however she did not factor in where the fissure would head well enough and so regardless of if her partner helpsd destroy the nest or not the crack would run up the wall leaving towards a cave in.

What Chigetsu would see then was a lot of earth pouring in amd Jess jumping back to avoid it before the roots of a tree would appear and join the partial cave in from above. This tree as it toppled would twist and spill the contents of rotten food, various living supplies, fresh food and drink, as well as four skeletons all of very small size. About the size of one to five years old between the four sets. This is not what Jess would see.

What she would see is her home come crashing in, splintering into three pieces, one of her siblings be impaled by a branch and subsequently buried, another's head hit the cobblestone below so hard ir exploded like an overripe melon, the third reaching out towards her as the young three year old girl was then also buried by the dirt, the fourth fell hard onto the cobble stones but seemed to be okay as Jess was frozen in horror, until a split second later when a third of the tree would squash them.

Falling out to her knees the woman let out a horrific wail that echoed throughout the sewers. She had just killed all of her siblings because she had gotten excited. She was murderer.

The one sentence she remembered her mother saying echoed in her head "Utterly worthless firstborn child." Jess could deny the truth to those words no longer.