Cross walked silently through the open. There weren't many people out, as it was cloudy and raining. The moon wasn't visible, and neither were the stars. It wasn't too late, maybe 9:00 or so. Cross hadn't been keeping track. He just enjoyed walking outside while it was raining. Something about the rain calmed him; reminded him a bit of his home. He wasn't really welcomed there anymore, given his occupation. And his interests in the forbidden arts. He didn't hear anyone around him when he was walking, both due to the rain, and the fact that he was so lost in thought.

Jaymaru had just left the Crested Valley. Being around villagers again made her a bit emotional and she didn't want to be caught in the act of feeling sorry for herself so she took a walk through the open. Just when she though she was alone she came up on someone. Stopping her tracks she stopped moving for a moment before pulling up the hood on her jacket and pulling it over her head she started to walk again, hoping the guy hadn't noticed her, though she found it strange for someone to be walking alone in the rain.

Cross stopped as he saw someone pull up their hood and walk past him. He looked behind him, his eyes and expression blank. "Hold on," he said, starting towards her. He swear he'd seen her somewhere before. Or at least felt her aura. Normally he didn't pursue things further than wondering about them, but for some reason he seemed to be changing his habits quite a bit lately.

Jaymaru sighed. Why couldn't he have just ignored her. She was sick of people bothering her. Thank goodness she was in her undercover disguise, but that didn't change the fact that someone could somehow notice who she really was. A shiver ran up her spin at the though. The drama that would errupt from that! Turning she looked at the guy who came up to her. "What is it?" She asked in her careless tone that was hinted with irritation from standing in the rain.

She had black hair, and looked nothing like the person whom he thought she was, yet....he was sure it was her. As she stopped, he walked up to her, his black hair laying flat on his head from the rain. "Are you by any chance Jaymaru Iruki?" he asked without much emotion. He could care less if she was, he was just curious as to why she'd be disguised as such. And if she wanted to start some kind of commotion over it, that was her problem.

Jaymaru shook her head. "No," she said evenly. "I'm sorry." She then looked up. The guy had hit it right on the money the first time which made her a bit nervous, but she held her ground. She'd keep her cool and act the part of Adre Firestone. The 29 year old Jonin from the Rain Village who was transferring over to the Crested. Her story was simple and not complex so there was little explaining and little suspcion.

(Thread with Halo)

Cross looked at her as she said no. "I'm not from the vallies. I don't care either way if you are. I was just curious," he said, turning and starting off. "I might've had a message for you though, if you were Jaymaru Iruki of course. But since you're not," he said as he continued walking. "Tell her if you see her that Cross has a message for her," he said with still no expression. He couldn't care less if she was pretending to be someone else. He just knew her from somewhere and was curious as to why he didn't remember where. Of course, he hadn't lied when he said he also had a message for her.

Jaymaru watched as he turned and then sighed. She released her disguise and pulled off her hood. Her red and black hair fell down and she pulled her fingers through it to untangle it. "I amd Jaymaru Iruki, what message do you have for me," she asked. She figured this guy was no threat if he wasn't from the vallies. He didn't look like he was either. Maybe a Death Ninja yes, but she had the feeling he wasn't.

Cross stopped and looked over his shoulder at her as she let her disguise fall. He then turned and faced her, walking a few steps closer. "The message is from Kinaga Unabara. He said it would be easier to send me than to send an actual message, due to your leader," he said simply. "He wished for me to tell you that he's sorry that you chose to turn to the akatsuki, and that what happened in the war won't happen again, should the two of you ever meet again face to face." Crossed wiped a strand of hair from in front of his face, that'd fallen there due to the rain. "And I don't normally speculate, but it seemed as if he meant it when he was telling me this," he said, looking around once. He always had the feeling he was being followed, which always put him on edge, despite what his nonchalant appearance said.

Jaymaru looked at him as he said it was from Kinaga. Her heart sunk slightly. She had no idea as to what he'd wanted to say to her, but just to hear his name brought up emotions. She turned her head to the side. "Thank you," she said quietly. "If you don't mind, tell him I'll hold him to it, and..." she paused. "Tell him, tell him I wished things could have turned out differently." She said quietly. She was unawre that Kinaga had moved to the Crested.

(Should I start up a random fight scene for someone attacking Jay because he recognized her, and assumed that Cross was an ally?)

Cross looked at her as she relayed her own message. Short messages like these he didn't mind delivering without charge, it was the important ones he cared about charging for. "Yeah, no problem," he said. Obviously this Kinaga Unabara was an old friend or something of this woman's.

(yes please)

Jaymaru let a small smile spread across her face. She then turned to walk away. She pulled up her hood and put her disguise back up. She wished she could see Kinaga once more. "Thank you," she said waving goodbye and walking away. "Next time won't be like the last," she whispered. "Funny how I'm not sure whether he meant we wouldn't fight, or that he wouldn't hesitate to fight."

Cross looked at Jaymaru as she smiled and turned away with a wave. He didn't say anything as she thanked him. He then turned, only to see a kunai heading for him. He leaned his body to the side and the kunai narrowly missed his head, and headed for Jaymaru instead. He hoped that she wouldn't think that he threw it. He really didn't want to fight on such a peaceful night. So I really was being followed then, he thought in irritation. He looked at Jaymaru, to see if she had dodged the kunai. He would do nothing to try and stop the kunai, because there was nothing he could do. If he threw another kunai just to cancel out that one, she'd probably see it and assume that he'd thrown the first one as well. "Jaymaru," he said, right after he'd dodged the kunai. He wouldn't let her get hit by it, because again, that would fuel her thought that he'd thrown it. He looked around for the source of the attacker.

Jaymaru pulled a kunai out and turned around clashing with the one that'd been thrown at Cross. "Were the hell did that come from," she asked. She pulled a second kunai. She didn't think Cross had threw the kunai at her, but if he would in fact regret it. She looked around. "I don't know who you are, but if you don't come out I'm coming in and you will not like it," she said.

Cross turned to look in the direction that the kunai had come from with the same blank expression on his face. When Jaymaru had told whoever it was to come out, nothing happened. And before Jaymaru could go in to get whoever it was, Cross was in the trees within the blink of an eye, and gone from sight. Only a second later, a man with red hair was thrown from the trees, with Cross walking out from within the trees, his eyes on the man. The man quickly stood up and looked at the two. "Lookie here, I found two akatsuki at once!" he said, cocky despite the fact that he'd just been thrown from the trees.

Jaymaru rolled her eyes. "Two Akatsuki. Maybe you should gather a bit more information before sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," she said. She had not expected Cross to move so fast, but hey, a lot of things weird happened now a days. "What do you want," she asked him. Her kunai gripped tightly in her hands. She had to get home because it was raining and chit chatting with some guy who was half her strength was not worth being our here.

The man looked at Jaymaru as she stated that he should do more research before butting in. When she then asked what he wanted he gave a harsh laugh and pulled out a kunai. "I want what every shinobi wants. The fall of the akatsuki," he said.

Cross merely blinked when the guy said that he'd found two akatsuki. "I'm not akatsuki, and you're not worth my time," he said, turning to leave. He stopped when he heard a kunai whizzing through the air at his head again, turned, caught the kunai, and threw it back at the guy, all in what seemed like one movement. The kunai flew straight past the guy's head, slicing off a single hair in it's path. "That was a warning. Don't make me mad," Cross said, his eyes narrowed.

Jaymaru looked at the guy on the ground. "You're an idiot," she said. Jaymaru then blinked when the guy tried to attack cross. She walked to him and gave him a good kick. "He's got nothing to do with this," she said evenly. "And attacking when someone's back is turned is cowardly." She looked at Cross. "I'll handle him."

The man's eyes widened when the male akatsuki caught the kunai and threw it back at him. He didn't move as the kunai whizzed past his head. He swallowed. What was this guy? He didn't think anyone could move that fast, and aim that accurately at the same time. When the woman akatsuki walked over to him, he doubled over with the impact of the kick and immediately fell to his knees. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to take on two akatsuki at once.

Cross merely looked at the red haired guy as he stood there, frozen with fear. How was it that Cross always left that mark on people? When Jaymaru said that he could handle the guy, Cross didn't argue and turned to walk away. Then he stopped with a sigh. That guy was getting annoying. In front of Cross laid a paper bomb hidden by fallen leaves. Distancing himself from the bomb by stepping backwards, Cross took out a kunai and threw it at the paper bomb, causing it to explode. Cross then turned and looked at the red haired ninja with narrowed eyes before making his way over to the guy and picking him up by the front of his shirt. "I'm growing tired of your antics. You can either leave or die," he said. The ninja only looked at him for a second before spitting at Cross. Closing his eyes in irritation, Cross's hand clenched into a fist and he threw the guy up a ways, punching him in the stomach as he came down before roundhouse kicking the guy to send him flying across the ground. Cross'd noticed that when he'd punched the guy before that the guy'd coughed up blood, but Cross could care less. He had a short fuse, and the red haired ninja just lit it up with a bonfire.