Kojima's search for the Spider Contract.

*Kojima had heard that Matsutsu intended to take a journey for a summoning contract. There had always been a sort of unspoken rivalry between the two, and friendly though that rivalry may be, Kojima was not about to let Matsutsu seize the upper hand. Kojima had spent countless hours in the libraries researching summons and their history, trying to decide what to look for. Now he was walking down a small rocky trail, having not seen a village for nearly a full day, with nothing but an old map to show him where he might find the Spider Boss.

He had packed plenty of provisions for the journey, the backpack he rarely wore slung over his shoulder filled with the basics. Water, bread, some cheese for flavor, and a small strip of dried meat. He had brought his weapons as well, four each of shuriken and kunai, as every book that he had read said that you had to earn the summons. In some cases, it was a test of wits, in others, of strength. He wanted to be prepared for any trial.

Stopping for a moment under the shade of a large tree, even though the sun was setting, he pulled the map out from his pack to check it again. It was the same as it had been several times before, although he felt like he should have been there by now. At the end of this trail, which had begun to wind and twist around a small plateau, there was supposed to be an entrance to the cave, where the Spider Boss was supposedly likely to be seen. Kojima hadn't expected it to take this long, however. He had been gone nearly two days now simply searching for the elusive trail, and had consumed half of his bread. He had of course been lucky enough to refill his water in a small stream he passed earlier that morning.

Stuffing the old map carefully into his pack, he slung it back over his shoulders and continued down the trail. The Plateau loomed before him even as he cleared that patch of trees. He had expected it to be a little smaller, from the map, but it was still a bit smaller than some of the mountains around Konoha. He glance around and saw the trail wind around to the right side of the plateau. That must be where the entrance to the cave was. Taking a moment to stretch, Kojima began walking again, a little faster than before now that his goal was within sight.

It was another hour before he was on the trail bending around the mountain. It was much farther than it had originally seemed. But coming around the corner Kojima's heart skipped a beat with excitement at the sight of a small opening in the cliff face. There certainly was a cave here. But was it the right one? Walking up to it cautiously, Kojima peered inside, though the moonlight was still soft and he couldn't see more than a few feet inside.*

Thousands of small red lights pop up in front of you and a chittering sound echoes throughout the cave as the sound of hundreds of tiny fangs clack together.

"Food?"

"Is that food?"

"Can we eat it?"

"What is it?"

((You found the children spider summons))

*Kojima felt his breath catch as red lights appeared.....no...eyes...hundreds of them. Kojima wasn't afraid of spiders per-say, but standing at the mouth of the cave, looking in at what could only be a large swarm of them, even with his Taiki clan training, he felt his throat constrict a little, and his breaths come quicker and shorter. Forcing himself to take a deep breath and calm himself, Kojima took a slow, almost shaky step towards the cave entrance. When he spoke, the first few words were quiet and unsure, but he forced himself to try and sound strong, making his voice carry through the cave*

"I am no food of yours. My name is Kojima Taiki, a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village..."

*Kojima stopped there, letting his words trail off, hearing them echo down the cave walls for a moment, although the sound was drown out some by the many spine tingling noises of the apparently hungry spiders. He wasn't sure what to say next, and decided a momentary silence was sufficient, so as to measure the reaction, if any, he got from the spiders.*

"Not food?"

"Ninja?"

"If you're not food, go away!"

They chittered angrily.

*Kojima bit his lip hearing that he had at least gotten a response, all be it a negative one. But he wasn't about to waste a four day trip. He couldn't quite recall what it was spiders ate. Nonetheless he took another step forward into the cave, one hand nervously on his kunai, although it would do little good against this swarm, the other rummaging threw his pack. When he finally found what he was looking for, he pulled out the bit of meat, holding it in his hand, in clear view of the cave opening. If this failed, things could get ugly. But Kojima was determined to succeed.*

"I'm not leaving...I've come a long way to find you. I seek a contract with you..."

Suddenly the chittering stop. And thousands of little bodies dropped or climbed or jumped onto you, crawling over your face, and up your legs and along your arms until you were covered in little spiderlings.

"Food?"

They swarmed your hands and in less than a second the offering was gone.

"More?"

"Contract?"

*Kojima gasped as thousands of little legs scurried around his body, he shut his eyes tight trying hard not to tremble, almost forgetting to breath until He felt that the meat was gone, and he was still there. Taking a shaky breath, trying to calm himself, despite the eerie tingle that seemed to pulsate through his spine, he reached back into his pack and pulled out the loaf and a half of bread and the block of cheese he had remaining, holding it in his hands as if to offer it as well. Speaking, he struggled to keep his voice from shaking, as a result it was a little more quiet*

"Yes, a summoning contract...Here, this is all I have left..."

They devourered the food just as quickly. One of them chittered to the others, and soon they were chittering at each other furiously. Finally;

"Okay."

"But you need to feed us!"

"Every time!" A few corused along, making sure that you understood the importance of this fact.

"Agree?"

*Kojima licked his lips, looking over them uncertainly, wondering how long they would accept simple bread and cheese as food. He took another slow steady breath, finally able to get his body under control, forcing himself to stare into those eyes without shivering, knowing that if he was ever to call upon them, he could not be so disturbed by them. Leave being disturbed to the people he was using them against. Bowing his head just a little, Kojima nodded his agreement.*

"Absolutely. Every time..."

"Every time" They repeated warningly.

A few climbed down and scrawled up the wall. A few minutes later they returned, tugging a scroll out of a chink near the ceiling. They dropped it near your feet.

"Sign."

((Accepted. You have the spider contract.))

*Koijma unslung his pack, rummaging through it till he found his brush and ink in a pouch sewn into the inside. Pulling it out, he kneeled on the ground and signed his name in hasty yet elegant script onto the scroll, biting his lips as he did so*

One of the littler spiders climbed onto your hand and over to your thumb. It reached out with its' fangs and nipped you carefully letting a drop of blood land on your name.

"There!"

"Next time bring more food."

They chittered some more before retreating into the cave.