Lulu waited at the gate to the village. She was to be paired with someone from the village today, and they were to travel to the land of sand to talk to Roj, the kage there. She waited for five minutes, but eventually saw someone coming. She looked at the person. "I assume you are to be paired with me today?"

There was still some time before his leave took effect and he wanted to get in as many missions as possible. He walked out of the gates of the stealth and stopped when he saw who was waiting. His....partner? Well wasn't this awkward? "I guess so," he said, his voice not as enthusiastic as would normally be.

Lulu's blood ran cold. You aren't serious?! She turned to face him. "Oh, dear lord..." She walked up to him. "Very well. I don't approve of this, and you obviously don't understand what happened last night, so I guess on the way I can explain." She turned and walked, very fast, out of the village. "Let's go. If I leave you, I will still continue."

"Yeah, sure," he said, keeping up with her pace easily. He ignored her last comment. There was no doubt in his mind the reason she was acting like this. It was really awkward for him, but he could only imagine how she felt. She must just be terrified being around him. "So, since you offered to explain, please, go right ahead. What happened?"

Lulu, in no mood to talk to him, reluctantly began speaking. "Five years ago. It was Five years ago that our village was attacked. The Seraphs, angels, Children of the Dark Moon, or however you want to say it, were attacked. And by who?" She looked at him. "Go ahead. Guess."

Shen looked at her. So she was one of the legendary seraphs, hm? This was definitely unexpected, but somehow....not unexpected. "The wolves," he said, almost blankly. She just wanted to hear him say it. So that he knew that his kind were to blame. He stayed silent while he listened to her. As bad as he felt for her, how dare she blame every wolf for what those few savages did?

Lulu penetrated his mind. She was angry, and needed some way to prove they were bad. "Yes, the wolves did. And a FEW? Try Three hundred of the 400 wolves! That is A LOT!" She was trying, badly, to refrain from shouting. Obviously, that had failed. She walked on the far side of the road, away from him. "And guess what. Our village of one thousand LOST. We lost because the attack was perfect."

He could feel that she'd delved into his mind. And he didn't like it a bit. He walked up closer to her and looked at her angrily. "Seraph or not, what the hell gives you the right to do that? Stay out of my mind! And compared to the amount of wolves there are scattered around the world, 300 isn't that many." The anger quickly faded from his face and guilt replaced it. He looked off to the side and while he walked distanced himself a bit from her. It was obvious that she didn't want to be near him. He felt bad that he'd yelled at her. She was only explaining to him what had happened to her village. He had to learn to control his temper better. It'd end up getting him killed one day.

She continued to walk faster. "I am sorry. I simply don't like not knowing things. I will stop. And yes, that's true. But they don't hate us. They don't feel new moon constrictions, so I know that you were a burning moon son." She left something out. That thing she would wait to say. "I'm sorry that I put you on leave. I take that back, but you will have a lot more vacation days." She walked faster and paced her distance from him. She sighed.

He kept his eyes off her. She'd take him off leave..."Thanks," he said quietly. "But don't expect the vacation days to get used." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he walked. "I wasn't quite filled in before I left, what exactly is our mission? All I was told is that we have to go to the Sand Village." He couldn't bring himself to look directly at her after yelling at her like that.

Lulu didn't answer him right away. After a minute or so, she answered: "We are to renew our treaties with my uncle Roj, the kage there." She walked farther ahead. "And by vacation days, I mean I WILL make you leave for a day sometimes." She dared not look back to show the tears in her eyes.

Shen nodded. So they had to renew another treaty, hm? Well that wasn't so bad. He looked at her when she said she'd make him take the days off. He sighed, but only a moment later, he smelled a familiar scent. He blinked and walked over to her. "H-hey, don't cry," he said a little awkwardly. He knew that smell anywhere. He didn't even have to see the tears to know she was crying. They had a distinct smell all their own.

Lulu turned and faced him. She backed up. "Don't you touch me. I don't EVER want you this close to me, ever." She back up more, and turned and ran a good distance ahead. She hated Shen. She hated him so much. But deep inside, she knew he wasn't bad. In fact, she kind of... No. Get those thoughts out of your mind. He's bad, and besides, I have Sukai...

Shen took a step back. He didn't get it. What'd he do now? He saw her run ahead of him and he sighed. He put his hands up in front of him. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'll keep my distance." He kept a steady distance up as he walked behind her at the same pace. This girl was starting to make him feel really bad for just being what he was.

Lulu felt really bad all of the sudden. Shen wasn't bad and she knew it. But somehow, deep inside, she hated him. "I'm sorry for snapping and you. Please stay that far and don't speak." She was upset, and did not hide the tears flowing down her cheeks, onto her jacket and the ground.

Shen looked at Lulu. He sighed. "I'll go scope out what's ahead, make sure there's no rogue ninja." Within seconds he'd swiftly run past her and pretty far ahead. Of course he didn't care whether or not there were rogue ninja, if there were, he'd take them out right then and there. But it seemed to him that Lulu needed space. And so he'd give it to her.

Lulu was happy that Shen had left. She was confused, upset, and confused. She needed to be left alone. She needed Sukai. But... it seemed as though he didn't care. He was never around. Lulu bet if he had wanted to meet this stupid family member of his, he would have left without telling her.

(Hehe, fight time!)

Shen jumped though the trees, looking around. He stopped abruptly as a kunai flew past the front of his face. "Wh-whoa!" Losing his balance he fell backwards off the tree and hard onto the ground. He rubbed the back of his head and flinched. "Ughhh....... What the hell?" He looked around and an unfamiliar scent came to his nose. Shen got up and pulled out a kunai. There was only one problem. By the time he'd pulled it out, he was surrounded by no less than ten rogue ninja. He looked around and sighed. "Great. Okay, who's first?" He was glad Lulu was far behind. He could change if he needed to. But chances are that he wouldn't. Shen threw the kunai at one of the ninja, running right behind the kunai. The ninja dodged the kunai, but had no chance of dodging Shen's punch. Then Shen grabbed the guy by the arm and threw him into another oncoming ninja. Who crashed loudly into a tree. Hinthint.

Lulu looked ahead. Shen was pretty far ahead, but the terrain was flat. She looked and saw him fighting. She stopped and sat down to watch. Let's see him in action. This should be rather interesting. If he changes...well... She was intregued by his power, even when human. And that is why he is an ANBU.

(Long a** post comin up!)

Shen cracked his knuckles as the other ninja started closing in on him and smirked. "Let's make this quick." And just as he said that, one of the rogue ninja threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken at him, the others all going at him from different angles. Shen managed to dodge a few of the kunai, but got hit by a huriken in his arm. Seeing that the rogues were all running at the exact same spot, Shen jumped up, grabbed onto the branch above him and swung himself on it. Looking down, he saw that only a few of them were able to stop themselves in time to avoid collision. Shen pulled out a kunai with a tag on it. "My turn." Jumping down, he managed to cut one of them on the arm with the tagged kunai, follwed by another. Shen threw the kunai into a tree and pulled out another with the same tag on it. He had only to get a few more with this kunai and another. He managed to kick one in the stomach, sending him into another, the with the kunai cut one he hadn't before, then another, and another. He once again, threw the kunai into a different tree. He took out one last kunai with a tag on it. There was one more person he had to get. Shen looked around. Where was he... Then he felt a sharp pain hit his back, a kunai. No, several kunai. No doubt from the man who's blood he needed. Turning around, he saw that it was the right guy. Shen could hear the other rogue's closing in. He needed to make this quick. Running towards the guy in front of him, he punched him (the rogue managed to dodge), then turned on his heel and cut the rogue with the kunai. "Perfect," he said with a smirk.

Throwing the kunai to another tree, Shen started a jutsu (we don't see many of these anymore, do we?). "Scape cage," he said, and only a moment later, branches from the trees with the kunai in them wrapped themselves around the rogue ninja, throwing them into what looked to be a cage made purely out of the trees branches. Shen walked up to the cage, slowly pulling the kunai out of his back and arm as he went. "Listen, if I wanted, this cage could crush you right here and now. But I don't kill for sport. I have a lady travelling with me, and I'd really like for her to not have to fight. If I let you go, you won't attack her. In exchange," he gave a shrug. "I won't kill you. Deal?" Most of the rogue's looked scared for their lives, but there was one who kept his dignity and said nothing. That was the one out of the group that Shen respected. Good man. For the most part. All the rogue's openly agreed to it, except for that one. But Shen knew they wouldn't dare. So, walking over to one of the trees, he pulled the tagged kunai out and the whole cage fell apart and the trees went back to their original state. The rogue's scattered. Shen took his other two kunai out of the trees and started walking again. He knew Lulu was near, he could hear her breathing. If she was watching, and even if she wasn't, he really didn't want to be bothered now.

Lulu watched carefully. He was a very strong opponent, but of course these wannabe's sucked. She was amazed at the jutsu he performed. She wanted to fight him. Not with words, or to the death, but she wanted to. She needed some way to get out the anger, and it seemed to her fighting would be the best. She stood up. She heard him say that he didn't want her to have to fight. She adjusted her dress. She began walking.

After not too long, the sun set and it was dark. Shen slowed down just enough so that Lulu would catch up to him. "We should set up camp for the night. I'll get stuff for a fire," he said looking at her. His eyes had a tendency to glow a brighter yellow color when it was night.

They had traveled very far, and they had around 12 hours left of travel. "No. It would just be a waste of time." She kept walking. "Besides." She pointed at a pile off wood and shot a purple beam from her fingers at it. "No need. I can just burn a tree or something."

Shen looked at her. "Listen, if we stop now, we can get up at sunrise and be there by evening tomorrow. If we keep going, we'll just be too tired to negotiate anything with the Kage. We wouldn't wanna waste his time by not being focused on what we originally came there to do." And besides, you're tired, I can see it, he thought silently.

Lulu looked at him. "No. I want to get there as fast as possible. I don't feel like being with you this long. If we contintue, we'll fet there by dawn. It will also be safer since the moon is still New." She walked on. "I want no more on the subject."