SoleAccord — Roleplayer Guild

Tsunade and Kakashi listened intently to Sakura as she offered her opinion on the matter of the mission ahead of them. Tsunade was left to hold on to every word Sakura gave her, searching for a hint of doubt within each sentence. The young genin was speaking clearly, not shying away from her feelings as she continued to offer her own. The emotional trauma of Naruto and Sasuke both leaving was mentioned and during that time Tsunade's eyes wandered to Kakashi's. The two shared a short stare on the subject of Team 7's current state before returning attention to Sakura, who was in the middle of expressing her clear understanding of the position Tsunade was placed in. The Hokage took a deep breath as she closed out her small speech, hands coming together in front of her face. Kakashi took the opportunity to step ahead of Sakura, his right hand being placed firmly on her shoulder. Tsunade's eyes raised to meet his once again, expression softening. There was confidence in Kakashi's very presence; with Sakura's laughably limited time under his constant eye she was still lacking in areas he was meant to fill in for her. If this could all be avoided she'd have asked another unit, yet all others qualified were deployed. They were her best option.

"Lady Tsunade, Sakura knows the risks and I'll be right beside her during the mission. She's smart enough to know the threat of someone in the bingo book, especially someone you need a jonin to be sent against personally. If you still have doubts, I'd like our results to silence them. Send us." 

"This criminal is on the level of Zabuza Momochi, if not above him. I'm concerned that I can't send another jonin to assist you. No matter how confident Sakura might be that she can see this through, there's still the issue of me overestimating just the two of you together." Tsunade shook her head, taking a stand. Her hands settled down on the table and balled into fists. "Kakashi, shinobi take risks, you are just as aware of that as I am. I sent one chuunin and four genin out against four of Orochimaru's chosen subordinates and most of them nearly died. If it wasn't for the Sand's intervention--"

"You blame yourself?" Kakashi questioned.

"I wanted to believe in Naruto," Tsunade looked up at Sakura, eyes holding remorse, "and I want to believe in you, too. Kakashi, if you're behind her, then your mission begins immediately. If I don't hear something from you within three days I am coming after you myself, am I clear?"

Kakashi nodded and gave Sakura's shoulder a firm squeeze of approval before beginning to turn away, "A-rank?" he asked.

"A-rank," Tsunade confirmed, "and so you're not surprised, Suna intends to help us bring this criminal to justice. Expect help to arrive shortly after you get there."

"Understood," A wave of his hand and Kakashi had departed, leaving Lady Tsunade staring intently at their backs in silence. The concerns of a Hokage were many, and many decisions would come into question once you had such a responsibility. Kakashi did not fault Tsunade for her concerns given his past skirmish with Zabuza. After a run-down of what transpired, the concerns were not related to Sakura in his mind. Instead it had come back to him. Could he protect Sakura? Would he be able to make the right decisions related to her safety? As the pair of them left the Hokage's building he would settle an eye on her, hands pocketed casually. He looked for an expression, a sign of how she felt after her inclusion in this mission. Excitement. Enthusiasm. Anxiety. All were valid emotions and each state was not mutually exclusive, all three were more than possible to have at one time. With preparations for today only meant for long-term training not too far from the village they'd need to pack immediately.

"Let's get you back home so you can pack. I typically have a bag prepared, so I won't take too long when we get by my place. You can impress your parents, too." Genin receiving missions of this level were an extreme rarity. It would be something Sakura could appreciate, and the time on the road could be spent continuing her training as they closed in on Tanzaku Town.

Shared words of concern among her friends were exchanged. Believing it to be some form of head trauma, Osa placed a hand to her head that made her head lightly bob out of instinct. She had no memory of suffering any injury in particular, reinforced by Shizuka’s own word. So she wasn’t harmed. That didn’t change the fact she still remembered so little, and her concerns were beginning to cause a mild panic. “No,” Lin spoke clearly to put Shizuka’s mind at ease, “I’m okay, I’d know if I was hurt, but I’m healthy. I’m not hungry or thirsty, and I got enough rest.” Ace had offered his help next with an attempt to jog her memory. She had flashes in the back of her mind of events leading up to this point, yet nothing was entirely concrete. Lin’s intention was not to make anyone else worry about her, but it was becoming too late for that. Without history of memory loss, it was her that should be the most fearful and not them. Her eyes laid on Ace in response. “I remember a little running, and my flames emerging. Not only that, but my body was really warm – it still is, more than usual.” She placed a hand to her chest and grasped at her shirt not in pain, but in joy. A good sensation was pounding at her chest, her cheeks turning rosy. “But …I’m really happy to hear that I was able to help you, Ace. I’m glad I could.”

“Did someone… say... help?” A cheerful, raspy voice asked suddenly. From the only entryway inside Aladdin’s apartment emerged Okal, a hand at his side. He appeared quite exhausted, panting heavily and wiping moderate amounts of sweat from his brow. Just behind him were three men armed with blades native to the world and red sashes around their wastes, all shirtless. Muscle was nice to have, especially when your only weapon was knowledge. Unfortunately knowing everything there was to know did not always save your life. “Whew …I need to …start working out.” He mumbled, cracking his back sharply and stepping inside, followed by his three men. 

“Okal, hey!” Lin beamed at the small merchant, who was quick to extend his arms and beam back.

“Hello young one, it is good to see you, yes!” Okal held out his hands, needing silence at this time. Lin understood perfectly and quieted down. “Now, I’m sure you have questions, and I have answers. Firstly, do you all happen to remember the eyesore that is the Empire’s large creation hovering about?” Okal paused for half a second, nodding. “Yes, yes of course you do. I do not wish to bring any alarm, but …it’s moving towards the palace. I believe something is about to happen, something big. Now, with Rika, Alem, and that frightening girl now no longer frightening inside said palace, I believe that we must act in some form. My original intention was to ...was …to…” Okal leaned towards his left, peering behind the small group. Hearing light snoring just behind them, he was able to identify Yu in the corner of the room, sleeping. “Yu? YU!” he called, clapping his hands together to get the mercenaries attention.

“Me?” Shizuka pointed at herself with confusion. 

“No, not you, Yu!” Okal pointed at Yu quite deliberately. Shizuka followed his finger and observed the sleeping warrior just behind them, having been unaware he was present. 

“Oooh …I’m Shizuka.” Shizuka pointed out. 

Okal rubbed his temples immediately, “Yes, yes you are. NOW!” he suddenly shouted, causing Lin to jump, “With sleepyhead in the back finally joining us, let me get back to the subject of interest: THAT!” Okal pointed through the rather large opening of Aladdin’s apartment, where the palace was in clear view as well as the warship approaching it. “If this is to succeed, we’ll need to be certain they can get out once they’re inside. As long as nothing too ridiculous occurs, the best tactic at our immediate disposal is—“

Excessive noise followed by the splitting and crackling of terrain in the distance made Okal froze. The expressions of everyone had changed: Lin held horror in her eyes, Okal genuine surprise and confusion, and if Yu had not been fully awake by now, he would be at this horrific sound.

“…Well, something ridiculous has just happened.” 

------

Rika’s expression fell when Asahina had never heard the name Masaki. Her family was known for some extraordinary things in the past and even in the present; Assassins by history, with powerful influence on events across worlds by involvement. One detail whispered in someone’s ear, or a slit throat the night before a grand event took place, these are the subtle things they were capable of. Rika was a product of said history. Her mark on the worlds had yet to be left, but it was surprising to discover that Asahina had never heard the name before. The blonde expected fear, amazement, or some wide-eyed realization of who she was dealing with to follow after that. Nothing. 

“Yeesh, what backwater world are you from?” Rika mumbled, half-joking. It was a bit of an insult to not know of her families exploits. Shrugging her shoulders, she descended the staircase with the three of them close beside her. As expected, Asahina had some potential locked deep within that frail, shy visage of hers. While Alem had not shown any surprise at her ability, Rika could tell that he was impressed with her ability to do as was asked and so efficiently. No excuses, just doing it. It was a respectable quality, and one that Rika intended to continually urge out of her. 

In half a minute’s time they had reached the end, the lights having increased in volume and brightness the further they descended. At the very base of said stairs there was a long hallway with cords traveling down it, located both on the walls, ceiling, and floor. From this distance they could make out several rooms on either side of them, all but one on the immediate right leaving a long trail of wiring. Based on the hums she could make out and the noticeable humidity, there were power sources down here that were fueling something. 

“Besides the heat,” Rika began, “and the obvious wiring, I think it’s pretty clear we’re close. They needed a place to store the core and they built one, but I doubt the masterminds behind this place ever expected someone to get this far. Security was already light in the prison, and if this is the only feasible entryway then they figured that no one would find it but those authorized. In other words, we’re just about there.” Alem had turned away and looked down the hall where wiring was not present; it was darker and, if you were sensitive enough, much more horrific than the others. The heat was lessened here in favor of an unnatural cold. 

“Alem?” 

“I’ll be back …” he muttered, heading down it alone. Rika offered no argument, instead looking to Asahina and the Sultan who had been oddly quiet. He was putting on a brave face, yet with the way he was shaking it was obvious he was not intent on staying very long. 

“We’ll find her, we’re just—“Rika froze and looked upward immediately, eyes narrowing dangerously. From floors above she could hear the sounds of struggling, not of the palace guards they released but of others, unfamiliar. After several moments of listening the Sultan had tapped her leg. Her expression softened and he looked down at him. 

“Could we hurry? If Jasmine is close, I’d like it if we got her sooner rather than later.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Rika turned to Asahina, “something’s going on upstairs. Alem will find us, so let’s—“

The area shook violently with a harsh sound of energy colliding with earth and stone. Rika had managed to maintain her balance. The Sultan, the exact opposite, was wobbling around with arms waving frantically in order to try and regain both balance and composure. 

“Wh-wh-what is happening!?” he asked in panic.

Rika had no response, just as confused as the Sultan about what was occurring. Sure enough an answer had arrived in the form of some kind of intercom system. A voice, one she did not immediately recognize, was heard from a distance. Whether intended for the rebel group to hear it or not, it didn’t stop Rika from being able to pick up on it even as the roaring of blasts continued above ground. 

“No way,” Rika said in disbelief, “they’re going to destroy the factory.”

“WHAT?” The Sultan had cried out in terror. He held onto his hat tightly and appeared to be on the verge of a panic attack. All this needless destruction and fear for his life aside, he had noticed Rika had begun to shake as well. Hands moving to her stomach, the Sultan believed Rika was going to be sick, but in actuality she appeared …joyous. Gritting her teeth, Rika had begun to laugh, slowly at first but soon roaring with it. 

“NO. FUCKING. WAY!” Rika struggled to retrieve the rebel’s communication device on her person. After some more giggling she had managed to pull it out. She intended to reach Ace. “Come on, come on!” impatiently laughing to herself, it was a highly inappropriate time to do this, but it was as good as any.

---

“Not good,” Okal placed both hands on his head and shook his head, “not good, not good!”

Ace’s communicator going off was not as loud or obnoxious as a warship attacking, but it managed to get everyone’s attention. After he established a connection the group had not heard the terrified screams of their comrades, but instead Rika’s amusement made vocal. 

“Ace, Shizuka, guys! You there!?” She called between gasps, just as Alem had returned to the group once more, surprisingly without questions. It appeared he understood the situation well enough.

“Rika, are you okay!?” Lin was distraught, the complete opposite of Rika at the moment.

“Y-yeah, don’t worry, we’re fine. Okay, listen, get this: they are destroying their own factory. Right. Now.” 

Okal’s eyes widened, “Wait, what?” 

“Right?” Rika knew it might take a moment to sink in. While Lin and Okal were left confused, and Ace was likely going to take it seriously, she knew Shizuka might be the only one who’d laugh at the situation. She was shaking more from the humor of it all rather than the guns. “I think they’re—hahaha—getting ready to …to leave, hahaha!”

“Rika, you’re in danger, how can you laugh?” Lin asked.

“Because ignoring the fact our lives are apparently in danger, they’re doing our job. Pretend for a minute that we aren’t in danger and see how funny this is! I’m DYING.OF.LAUGHTER!” 

Lin looked to Shizuka, to Ace, and lastly Okal. It was hard to pretend that her friends weren’t in trouble, but Okal had no trouble doing so. He had cracked a smile – as small as it was, it was there, and growing by the second until finally he was chuckling to himself. After the guard’s behind him had noticed that Okal had found humor in said situation they had looked amongst themselves. There was definitely something funny about what was going on. Even if they were meant to be concerned or ready to fight, they all agreed with Rika. Lin was staring blankly as the small group had begun to laugh for several seconds. 

“Okay, you know, this is pretty funny!” Okal slapped his knee and shook his head, wiping a tear from his eye. Rika was trying to fight continuing given that the situation was somewhat still serious. Okal cleared his throat and begun to settle down, as did his fellows. “Yu, it’s time you earned the wealth I spent on you. Do something about that ship, won’t you?”

“Whatever you do, do it quickly. We’re going in deeper to grab Jasmine, I’ll call again if I have an update.” Rika had hung up without a response and, once certain she could take the situation seriously again, nodded at the three beside her and began to hustle down the lengthy hallway towards the very obvious destination that would take them to Jasmine. A linear path was perfect for the group. The core was in the distance, all they had to do now was get her out.

“Okay, if she’s surrounded by darkness like Asahina, we’ll quickly use these keyblades to break her free from it. Don’t waste a single opportunity – and KEEP UP!” she emphasized. As a strong solo operator she was fastest on her own, yet here she was in a position to count on others. The Sultan simply had to stay safe while they accomplished their task.

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