[COMPLETE] Giving a Hand [MISSION]

Tracking down impatient Kumo-Nins can be considered not only hazardous to one's safety, but irritating as well. You see, when it's about Missing ninja the whole population on Earth goes into a frolicking and frenzy fit of uncertainty and fright. They are scared of them, they dread of their appearance. They do not understand their intentions and look down upon their lonesome ways. That is why they remain caged up in the walls of their villages, locked in their homes for they are cowardly vulnerable. They trust the higher-ranked Shinobi to take care of them, yet they themselves know the banished ones cannot be brought to submission that easily. The Missings are free, they do what they wish with their lives. Unless they are hunted down because of an assassination contract then most of the time they are free to go where they please.

In the depths of the obscurity and the scarce snowstorm reigning Tetsu no Kuni a black figure slyly leaped from rock to rock in a blink of the eye. Her quick feet made no mistake with the stepping, allowing her to descend with ease down a jagged hill. Some feet away a meek fire ignited a clearing, the orange light basking the area and accentuating bodies below. The black-haired girl, coming close to the camping area, hid herself amidst the foliage of a tree that had yet to abandon its leaves. Her magenta eyes closely inspected the squad of ninja, their Kumogakure headbands recognisable even with the lack of clear view. There had to be around five of them, all cosily sprawled on the ground snoring the night away. It did seem strange to her that there was no guard keeping watch while the others rested, and it was a suspicious scenario she had never encountered before.

Going more to the right a heavily big, round object called for her attention. It was placed near the verge of a cliff, one of the Cloud Shinobi sleeping near it. The thing had a head of its own, though it was lifeless and made of wood. It possessed three eyes and scraggy brown hair, staring blankly at empty space. Two pairs of arms jutted out at what could be its sides, a crudely-cut cloth dressing the puppet comically. The Missing-Nin shivered at spotting the item, for she had always been freaked out (or easily scared) by those nightmarish, artificial creatures. Two razor-sharp swords pierced the puppet on the left on right, entering without a trouble since the wooden object had multiple holes designed for such. The target was nowhere to be seen, so that could only mean it was captured inside the...
"Fuck me."

Crawling her way down the rough bark, Jena tiptoed her way near the sleeping corpses, scanning their faces and then redirecting her sight to the spooky puppet. She gulped and felt the goosebumps on her skin, a ball of ice freezing her core. Why were they so ugly?! The creation of these abominations had been uttermost unnecessary, ridiculous even. They were useless, and freaky. So very freaky. Doing her best to obliterate her fear for puppets, she kneeled in front of the nearly-human object and closed upon it. "Jumaku Asakaha?" The female ninja whispered to one of the thin holes, hoping for an answer.
"H-Hoshikuzu?" The muted voice echoed from inside. "You've actually c-come?"
"Of course. I don't leave Missings to die."
"Be careful. One of the Jounins is touring inside the forest and may come back any time now."
"I'll get you out," she answered softly, feeling her way through the smooth surface. She did her best not to glance at its horrid face, and fortunately found the lock before she screamed. Retrieving a kunai from her hip pouch, she went ahead and introduced the pointy tip in the device, feeling the way through the complex contraption.

Two minutes flew by, and as the lock gave a click of success, the rustling of leaves shocked Jena out of her focused state. She rapidly took out the kunai, disguised the broken lock with a part of the dirty cloth and scurried behind the puppet, back stuck to its back. She instantly stopped breathing, now facing the bottomless abyss before her. It was pitch-black down there, and she really didn't feel like knowing what awaited her if she fell. Last resort if they found her, perhaps. Soon the steps of ninja sandals scrapped the moist snow, and she approximated her head a centimeter near the puppet's side to see what exactly was going on. The Kumogakure Jounin Jumaku had warned her about stepped out of the forest on the other end of the clearing, tiredly trudging to one of the men knocked out. Crouching to him, the recently arrived man delivered a slap to his teammate's face, surprising him hastily. "Oi, Kerya-san," a manly voice came from the Jounin's throat. "Your turn to scan the place."

He was replied with a grunt and an unintelligible mutter, and they switched places without grumpy reproaching. When the second Shinobi disappeared within the trees, the first one laid down and fell asleep in less than a millisecond. For safety, Jena held her position for some while, fearing both what was in front and what was behind her. Then, she made her way back to her former position and removed the decoded lock. Right then she dug her nails within the crack on the wood, pulling it open and widening her eyes at its contents. Bruised, cut, and weary sat Jumaku in the limited space, blood dripping from the slices caused by one of the blades digging into his right arm, and the remaining one in his left thigh. He panted, fatigued by what could have been an intense battle with the Kumogakure ninja. "Hoshikuzu," he struggled to say, an eye closed in agony.
"Hold still," she speedily cut off, standing to grab the swords' hilts. With a powerful pull, the rogue female heard the blade leave the meat of the man with a gruesome sound. The male Missing gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, the jolt of hurtful sensation flowing through his nerves and resisting the urge to shout. "There."

Helping the burly Jumaku out of the puppet, Jena glared back to see if any of the enemy Shinobi had risen to their feet. No, they were all lazily dropped on the rusty ground. Asakaha has gotten grip on her arm and tugged at it, giving a nudge of his head to the mountain she had come from. "Over there," he murmured, beginning to drag his hurt body with the company of the Meiton girl. They both slowly got away, to avoid emitting noise and providing a more easy trip for him. They spent all the night and morning walking, taking pauses so that the Missing-Nin did not over-demand his state. During the trek through a dangerous, crooked path, Jumaku narrated stories of his past, relating his adventures and accomplishments. He had also mentioned he had some very important people awaiting for him on the other side of the terrain, and he urgently needed to return there.

All in all, the man was not the iron-headed killer of legend that most mouths were scared to utter. Jena began to like him, personally he wasn't a blind idiot like most exiled she met. She also talked freely of her travels, her missions and the likes. They shared laughs and chats to make the venture pleasurable. In one of the stops, the male performed multiple Medical Jutsus on him to heal the painful wounds on him, yet he admitted he was a long way from recovering totally. When the sun shone and the clouds dispersed, the pair strode through the snow, noticing a little homey cabin lodged between two boulders. Jumaku pointed at it, beginning to smirk and nod. "There, we have arrived."

A fair woman strode out, eyes widening and then arms opening into a crushing hug. Jumaku and her collided together, the female in the verge of getting all teary-eyed. And then, a tiny child peeked out of the house, a heart-swelling smile forming on her face as she rushed to the big man, desperately clinging to his left leg. They sniffled and laughed, and the male Missing reached out to the immature body of the young, lifting her upon his shoulder. They shared glances of hope with one another, and Jena stood some feet away, watching. Still, the scenery made her... a bit soft in one side, so she turned back and began walking off. That was until a gruff hand was placed on one of her shoulders, beckoning her attention. As she shifted to look up at him, she was met with a devoted smile on his face, eyes shining with compassion. "Hoshikuzu," Jumaku muttered, the smaller girl staring deep into her magenta eyes. "I owe you my life, I am forever grateful."
"I-It's nothing really," she retorted, unfamiliar with such compliments. "I am only doing what I must."
"Allow me," he insisted, looking back at the woman that had recently emerged once more. She brought, intertwined in her fingers, a tiny hair clip adorned with a graceful white rose on the tip. She permitted the child to grasp it, and the daughter of Jumaku shakily gathered the lonely lock of hair with the other loose strands to clip it above her left ear, no hair infiltrating her face anymore. "You look wonderful this way. Don't you think, Saki?" The child giggled in affirmation, still transfixed with Jena's irises' hue.
"I... really appreciate it," she thanked, her fingers feeling through the petals on the clip. "I cannot accept this gift, however."
"Nonsense! Take it as a token of our gratitude. Us, the Asakaha family, shall always remember your name, Jena."

A thanking here, a good-bye there, and Jumaku, his daughter and presumably his wife disappeared within the humble house. Jena turned her heels around and ventured into the snowy paradise. She patiently pushed against the layer of white slowing her feet, and felt her heart function normally. These people Jumaku had been telling her about was actually his family. They were waiting for him, they wanted to see his face once more. She pondered right then, the image of the three hugging each other in relief. She thought of how she had to keep on walking once outside of Tetsu no Kuni, how she wouldn't have anybody waiting for her on the other side. She had to keep walking, travelling, piercing her blade through the hearts of the targeted. This was all her life was, and would be. The girl stopped, eyes closing and hearing the wind blow. The scene of the Asakaha's reunion bloomed behind her eyelids, and she couldn't help it when a cheeky smile appeared on her lips. At that very moment, a tear departed one of her eyes and streamed down her cheek to splash on the snowy floor.

'A family that I'll never have.'