Great Action Scene! Magical Princess' Book of Ninja Arts - Part 3 of 3
Sakura could hear the commotion outside her door. Her mother had told her to stay in her room and hide no matter what. She said she'd be back in five minutes, but she was sure it had been a lot longer by now. It must have been an hour at least. Outside she could see red lights devour the city. They were so beautiful, but she felt sadness in looking at them, as if they were something too complicated for her to understand.
From her window the red lights seemed to grow brighter, but even their beauty couldn't satisfy her. The noises outside where getting louder, and she wanted to know what was happening. Her mother wouldn't be too cross, and besides - she had promised to come back. Sakura couldn't be blamed for breaking the rules when her mother did the same thing.
As she opened the door, her life fell around her. The walls of the castle were red, stained with blood, and death surrounded her. She could barely look for a second before she ran back into her room, stunned into silence. Everyone was dead. Everyone. Killed by ninjas for a reason she couldn't possibly comprehend. In a moment, her whole life had been ruined. Was her father still alive? What about her mother? Oh god, where was her sister? What happened to Keare?
~
The ensuing battle wasn't going well, for either party. A stalemate had ensued, yet amongst the violence Mikeira and her "sister" just stared at each other, fixed in position.
"What will it take for you to give me the stone? Do I have to kill them?"
Mikeira flinched at the thought, but remained resolute in her silence. She didn't know where the stone was, but this woman didn't know that. And maybe she could use that to her advantage.
As she pondered her next move Ryo, Kaa and the others began to tire. Their foes were beginning to take the upper hand, and it was starting to look bad for them. Suddenly, however, the fight turned around, as desperate Yuan somehow mustered the strength to send one of the ninjas ,who was attacking Faan, flying with a kick. Then, teaming up with her once again, they subdued the ninja - knocking him out, and reducing the competition by one. The woman noticed the change in the tide, scowled, and flew into action.
First striking Faan, then Yuan - and taking them out with a single kick - it wasn't long until the entire team where unconscious on the floor. With madness in her eyes, she glared at Mikeira.
"Is this what you wanted? Is it!?" She screamed, madly.
In fear, Mikeira snapped, and dashed for the exit. She ran through the corridors, believing her pursuers to be right behind her. However, suddenly the door in front of her opened, and her fears were realized, and her sister came face to face with her once again.
~
Keare looked Sakura deep in the eyes, "I won't let anything happen to you - I promise", she whispered.
Together they had managed to escape the burning castle, and had entered the waterway. Sakura wouldn't stop asking if they could go back, saying they forgot their father and mother, and - heartbroken - Keare simply ignored her naive cries, as she pulled her along.
"But what if they're waiting for us?", she whined, "They'll be mad"
"Just be quiet, please" Keare whispered harshly. "We don't want to get caught!"
Her warning was too late however, and the high-pitched wails of the infantile Sakura had caught the ears of a ninja, a female one with long black hair. Sakura didn't notice at first, but her sister did, and stood there petrified. The ninja smiled cruely, as it slowly moved towards them, and without thinking Keare grabbed Sakura and ran, as fast as she could. Waiting until the ninja caught up to them and then pushing Sakura into the water flow, before leaning down and tripping the ninja over - and basically allowing herself to get caught. Sakura Mikeira would have to continue the Mikeira line on her own, as the last heir. Keare didn't think she would survive.
~
Mikeira woke up in the castle quarters. Her mind was blurry, but the second she realized were she was she realized she was in danger. However, moments later, a calm and collected Faan arrived, with a tray of food.
"Ah, you're awake at last" she smiled.
She explained - while skipping no details - how Mikeira had fainted, and how basically, if Razu hadn't arrived they would all be dead. She told the story with such a smiley disposition Mikeira had to wonder if she was alright in the head. She stared at her hard, thinking those exact thoughts, when Faan clicked her fingers - as if remembering something.
"Oh yeah! I was meant to give you this, wasn't I?"
She handed Mikeira a stone, one that resembled the one on her necklace - and one that was most likely the original stone. She then left to give Mikeira some peace and quiet. Just as she was about to start on her food however, the stone began to glow even brighter than before. A ray of light shot out from it, hitting a portrait on the wall - a portrait which appeared to be a painting of her younger self, her mother, her father, and what was undoubtedly her captor. Her sister.
Behind the painting however, there was a small slot. The stone felt like it was calling to it, so she placed it in - and it fitted perfectly. Suddenly, a huge surge of light filled the castle, brightening the walls, and returning the colour and life back to the place. Inside the slot, the stone began to dull - and within seconds it turned to stone, looking stun like another part of the wall.
Outside order was somehow restored. It wasn't instant, and it wasn't perfect, but it was suddenly as if a great anger was lifted from the people. Instead of finding problems with everything, they began to find solutions, and right before her eyes, Mikeira watched from her window as everything suddenly fell into place. The life had been restored to the city, just like the castle - and within seconds the land had been restored to it's previous greatness. The Land of Discord was once again the Land of Joy.
~
Meanwhile, Keare had escaped. Unable to kill her, Razu had simply tied her up - in the hopes of interrogating her - but in the midst of all that had happened with the stone being returned, she managed to escape during the celebrations.
Razu and his students searched everywhere, but there was no sign of her. There was no way she could have left the castle - but they couldn't find her anywhere inside it either. It was as if she has vanished of the face of the earth. However, Kaa eventually discovered the cruel truth. She was with Mikeira. And sure enough, when she and Buri tried to open the door it was locked.
~
"Well, sister. I guess you aren't as useless as we thought."
Mikeira made to turn around and face her sister, but a knife in her back warned her not to.
"Still, this doesn't mean you've won. We can't win against them. You can fight them as much as you want, but in the end - someone is going to die. Are you willing to risk it?"
Disregarding her safety, Mikeira turned quickly around to face her sister. And sure enough, she recognized her finally. It was her sister, Keare. The sister she didn't even know she had until now. This kingdom was hers, the portrait and the stone proved it, and she and Keare were its only surviving heirs. So... why did Keare do what she did?
"Something is coming, sister, something big. Something powerful. And when it arrives, we'll all have to pick a side. For your sake, you better hope I'm on the wrong one - cause the losers are gonna be in for one hell of a shock."
With that final warning she pushed Mikeira aside and jumped out the window. Mikeira rushed behind her and looked down, but couldn't see her. She hadn't fallen to her death, that was for sure. But where was she exactly?
~
"So I'm going to stay here", Mikeira explained.
Kaa, Ryo, Faan and the others were surprised, but acceptant as well. Mikeira had decided to stay in the kingdom of joy and help restore it completely. It was going to be quite a job, but they knew she could do it. Razu smiled at the fledgling princess, and with a final goodbye the team left her behind. But they were sure that they would meet again.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Friday, 3 July 2009
Chapter 5 - Life of Mikeira
Great Action Scene! Magical Princess' Book of Ninja Arts - Part 2 of 3
A drowsy Mikeira finally regained consciousness. Her vision was blurred, and as she looked at her surrounded she couldn't make much out.
A drowsy Mikeira finally regained consciousness. Her vision was blurred, and as she looked at her surrounded she couldn't make much out.
"You're awake I take it?" The woman sneered.
"Who are you?"
"My, my," she laughed. "You would have thought a princess like yourself would have some manners..."
Mikeira frowned. Surely her captor wasn't stupid enough to think she really was a princess? Did this woman really kidnap her because she thought she was Princess Mou? She shook her head - there had to be a better explanation than that... surely.
"Still, you're manners are of little importance to me", she smiled - with sinister undertones - "What is really important right now... is this".
She playfully caressed the white jewel that hung from Mikera's neck, and with reckless abandon she hanked it hard, breaking the chain. She sneered at Mikeira, and then continued to gaze at the jewel, examining it with both her eyes and her fingers, until she found something that clearly upset her.
"What is this?" She screamed, "You think you can trick me with this fake!?"
She grabbed Mikeira by the shoulder, and shook her - with a grip so tight it hurt Mikeira's shoulders, and a voice so high-pitched it hurt her ears.
"Where is the real stone of joy!? Tell me dammit!"
~
Kaa was worried. They hadn't got a word out of Razu, since his scared mumblings about the 'death clan', and since Mikeira's kidnapping they had been unable to stir him. He had retired to their wagon, ands hadn't been out since.
Meanwhile, Ryo, Buri, Yuan and Faan had been recovering from their wounds - and where almost ready to make a move. However, without Razu's help they were at a disadvantage. They would have to formulate a plan relying on skill rather than strength, as they had already learned first-hand that they didn't have the brute strength to defeat their new foes.
"I've got it", Kaa smiled. "I think I've got the perfect plan. We'll need to split up"
~
Ryo was unsure as to why he was the only one without a partner - with Kaa and Buri working together, and Faan being teamed up with Yuan - but it suited him fine. Without having to look after someone else, he had already managed to sneak his way into the enemies castle, and was well on his way to the top floor. Adventures like this would be the death of him, but he hadn't been caught so far, so things were definetly going in his favour.
Once he had reached what he had assumed was his destination, he stood at the door and listened. He could hear a woman screaming, but wasn't sure if she was alone or not. There were no other voices, bt that wasn't enough evidence for him to barge in. However, he was almost completely sure that this was the room he needed to get to - due to the great quantity of guards surrounding the area - so he decided to lay low, and wait it out. And soon enough, his patience was rewarded.
~
"Well, little sister, if you won't tell me where the jewel is, I'll just have to kill your new friends. Maybe that will make you a little more talkative?"
Sister? Mikeira had only been with woman for a few hours, but it was the most confusing time of her life. She didn't have a sister. This woman was obviously trying to confuse her, and it wasn't working. Much.
"What do you mean, little sister?"
Her "sister" remained silent at that comment, and simply smiled at her. An empty, glazed smile. Mikeira was desperate for an answer, but this woman wasn't going to give them. She knew that.
"Well, if you won't tell me... I won't tell you. I'll never tell you where my stone is".
She didn't actually know where the stone was, but this was her final attempt at getting an answer. Of course, naturally, it fell on deaf ears - and her resolve to not tell simply ended with her captor clicking her fingers, and summoning the guards to take her away.
On her way out however, she caught a glimpse of something. It may simply have been wishful thinking, or her imagination, but as she was dragged away by the guards, she could have sworn she saw something - or more accurately, someone - crouched up against the wall watching. She could have sworn she recognized them, but it was so dark she couldn't recognize their face.
~
Faan and Yuan were succesful. And once Kaa and Buri were in place they went in. Ryo should have located Mikeira by now, and as long as he avoided capture it would be fine - even if he wasn't able to save Mikeira himself, he would be able to follow her and report her location to the entire group for back-up. As Kaa had suspected, however, once the time came for them to regroup, one member was noticeably absent. Ryo.
"Oh God..." She groaned.
"Where the hell is he now?"
Kaa looked around. She couldn't see any obvious clues, but upon further inspection she noticed signs of a scuffle. She couldn't be sure, but it was their only lead - so upon consideration she ran off, following the tracks - and the others soon followed.
~
"Don't worry, I'm going to help you escape"
Mikeira had been locked in the Castle's prison for a while now - long enough for her to realize that the iron gates where more than strong enough to stand a few kicks. She turned around to face her savior, and was almost disappointed to find it was simply one of her Bodyguards. The ones who clearly couldn't do their job properly.
Nonetheless, once he managed to pick the lock and free her, she began to reconsider her original apprehensions, and eagerly followed him to escape. She wanted to speak more with her captor and find out just what she had meant - and whether it was simply an attempt at confusing her, or whether there was some truth in it - but she also knew that escaping was going to be difficult enough without a pointless - and possibly fruitless - detour.
As Ryo and Mikeira escaped the dungeon they ran into Kaa and the others. Glad that he wasn't lost, and also glad he was able to regroup with his friends, considering the drastic changes he made to the original plans, he greeted them warmly. However, his warm reception was soon greeted by a cold one, and the team watched in horror as the ninjas they fought previously turned the corner, being led by Mikeira's captor.
"Ah, Mikeira", she mocked. "Planning on leaving without saying goodbye?"
She regarded the group, taking them all into account, and then laughed softly to herself.
"And Razu seems quite absent. This won't be much fun at all, will it?"
"Who are you?"
"My, my," she laughed. "You would have thought a princess like yourself would have some manners..."
Mikeira frowned. Surely her captor wasn't stupid enough to think she really was a princess? Did this woman really kidnap her because she thought she was Princess Mou? She shook her head - there had to be a better explanation than that... surely.
"Still, you're manners are of little importance to me", she smiled - with sinister undertones - "What is really important right now... is this".
She playfully caressed the white jewel that hung from Mikera's neck, and with reckless abandon she hanked it hard, breaking the chain. She sneered at Mikeira, and then continued to gaze at the jewel, examining it with both her eyes and her fingers, until she found something that clearly upset her.
"What is this?" She screamed, "You think you can trick me with this fake!?"
She grabbed Mikeira by the shoulder, and shook her - with a grip so tight it hurt Mikeira's shoulders, and a voice so high-pitched it hurt her ears.
"Where is the real stone of joy!? Tell me dammit!"
~
Kaa was worried. They hadn't got a word out of Razu, since his scared mumblings about the 'death clan', and since Mikeira's kidnapping they had been unable to stir him. He had retired to their wagon, ands hadn't been out since.
Meanwhile, Ryo, Buri, Yuan and Faan had been recovering from their wounds - and where almost ready to make a move. However, without Razu's help they were at a disadvantage. They would have to formulate a plan relying on skill rather than strength, as they had already learned first-hand that they didn't have the brute strength to defeat their new foes.
"I've got it", Kaa smiled. "I think I've got the perfect plan. We'll need to split up"
~
Ryo was unsure as to why he was the only one without a partner - with Kaa and Buri working together, and Faan being teamed up with Yuan - but it suited him fine. Without having to look after someone else, he had already managed to sneak his way into the enemies castle, and was well on his way to the top floor. Adventures like this would be the death of him, but he hadn't been caught so far, so things were definetly going in his favour.
Once he had reached what he had assumed was his destination, he stood at the door and listened. He could hear a woman screaming, but wasn't sure if she was alone or not. There were no other voices, bt that wasn't enough evidence for him to barge in. However, he was almost completely sure that this was the room he needed to get to - due to the great quantity of guards surrounding the area - so he decided to lay low, and wait it out. And soon enough, his patience was rewarded.
~
"Well, little sister, if you won't tell me where the jewel is, I'll just have to kill your new friends. Maybe that will make you a little more talkative?"
Sister? Mikeira had only been with woman for a few hours, but it was the most confusing time of her life. She didn't have a sister. This woman was obviously trying to confuse her, and it wasn't working. Much.
"What do you mean, little sister?"
Her "sister" remained silent at that comment, and simply smiled at her. An empty, glazed smile. Mikeira was desperate for an answer, but this woman wasn't going to give them. She knew that.
"Well, if you won't tell me... I won't tell you. I'll never tell you where my stone is".
She didn't actually know where the stone was, but this was her final attempt at getting an answer. Of course, naturally, it fell on deaf ears - and her resolve to not tell simply ended with her captor clicking her fingers, and summoning the guards to take her away.
On her way out however, she caught a glimpse of something. It may simply have been wishful thinking, or her imagination, but as she was dragged away by the guards, she could have sworn she saw something - or more accurately, someone - crouched up against the wall watching. She could have sworn she recognized them, but it was so dark she couldn't recognize their face.
~
Faan and Yuan were succesful. And once Kaa and Buri were in place they went in. Ryo should have located Mikeira by now, and as long as he avoided capture it would be fine - even if he wasn't able to save Mikeira himself, he would be able to follow her and report her location to the entire group for back-up. As Kaa had suspected, however, once the time came for them to regroup, one member was noticeably absent. Ryo.
"Oh God..." She groaned.
"Where the hell is he now?"
Kaa looked around. She couldn't see any obvious clues, but upon further inspection she noticed signs of a scuffle. She couldn't be sure, but it was their only lead - so upon consideration she ran off, following the tracks - and the others soon followed.
~
"Don't worry, I'm going to help you escape"
Mikeira had been locked in the Castle's prison for a while now - long enough for her to realize that the iron gates where more than strong enough to stand a few kicks. She turned around to face her savior, and was almost disappointed to find it was simply one of her Bodyguards. The ones who clearly couldn't do their job properly.
Nonetheless, once he managed to pick the lock and free her, she began to reconsider her original apprehensions, and eagerly followed him to escape. She wanted to speak more with her captor and find out just what she had meant - and whether it was simply an attempt at confusing her, or whether there was some truth in it - but she also knew that escaping was going to be difficult enough without a pointless - and possibly fruitless - detour.
As Ryo and Mikeira escaped the dungeon they ran into Kaa and the others. Glad that he wasn't lost, and also glad he was able to regroup with his friends, considering the drastic changes he made to the original plans, he greeted them warmly. However, his warm reception was soon greeted by a cold one, and the team watched in horror as the ninjas they fought previously turned the corner, being led by Mikeira's captor.
"Ah, Mikeira", she mocked. "Planning on leaving without saying goodbye?"
She regarded the group, taking them all into account, and then laughed softly to herself.
"And Razu seems quite absent. This won't be much fun at all, will it?"
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Chapter 4 - Life of Buri
Great Action Scene! Magical Princess' Book of Ninja Arts - Part 1
"You'll never defeat me Kosugi, as long as good is on my side, your evil will never win."
Kosugi sneered at the princess. How could this woman honestly expect to defeat him? He was well aware that Princess Mou was revered as a powerful kunoichi, but she was out of her depth where he was concerned. He had mastered the the art of black chakra, and not even her legendary "white chakra" was a match for him.
She stared him down. "You are an evil creature, but you have no power." She mocked.
Her arrogance angered Kosugi, and his face began to show it. Before, he had attempted to retain some dignity, and pretended to be calm. Now however, his faced began to show his fury, and he raised his two hands in front of him.
"I'll show you my power little girl," he screamed. Finally losing his patience.
Between his hands he had created a sphere of pitch black fire, and threw it at the princess. Upon contact with it's target, the sphere caused a gigantic explosion. And once the fog had lifted, the Princess was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a small, flaming crater.
~
"Woah!"
"Oh my god, I can't believe it"
Buri was absolutely astounded. "Wow... who knew CGI was that good?"
As it happened, Buri, Ryo and the rest of her team were watching a movie, "Magical Princess 3: The Book of Ninja Arts". For some reason their Sensei, Razu, had sent them to watch it, as "research" for their next mission. None of them were quite sure how watching a movie could in any way relate to their first mission, but they were getting in for free, so none of them argued.
Once the movie had finished, the group filed out, and waited for Razu. He was late, as usual, but once he had arrived they all stared at him, eagerly awaiting their first mission.
"So, you all watched the movie right?"
Buri nodded enthusiastically, as did the others.
"Well, you're first mission is going to be a good one. We've been hired by Mikeira Sakura's manager to be her bodyguards while they do some filming in the Land of Discord. It shouldn't be too dangerous, or they would've hired older students, so we should be able to handle it."
Razu explained that they were going to meet the film crew, including Mikeira Sakura, at the Land of Discord, and from that point on they were to stay with her at all times - apart from when the camera's were rolling - and make sure she was safe. He didn't think it made much sense to go filming in the the Land of Discord if he was so worried about her safety, but a mission was a mission - and it would be a good way of giving the kids some experience in the field. It would probably be quite a boring mission anyway, as it was unlikely that anyone would be stupid enough to attack such a high-profile target.
~
The journey to the Land of Discord was quite a long one, and it took three whole days. For most of the team, apart from Kaa, this was the furthest they had ever been from home, and while they all started off extremely enthusiastic, by the end of the journey, even the most excited of them had given in to sleep. Buri was the first to wake up once they arrived, and looked out the wagon in anticipation, only to discover the Land of Discord kept true to its namesake. The scenery was fraught with destruction, almost everything was broken - and she hadn't even been looking a minute before she witnessed her first mugging.
Naturally, she dove out the window, and rushed to the aid of the poor defensless woman who was being attacked. Within moments she disabled the attacker with a paralysis justu, and left him lying on the floor - although she wasn't sure how long the jutsu would work as she had never tried it in combat before. Therefore, she rushed the woman away before the mugger regained control of his limbs, and smiled as she walked away from the scene. As she headed back to the wagon, however, she noticed her pockets feeling quite light, and upon checking them she realised they were completely empty. She spun around quickly in hope of catching sight of the woman - who she assumed had tricked her - and discovered that both the woman and her paralyzed victim were nowhere to be seen.
Angry with herself, she returned to the wagon, to discover that the others where already awake - and in the middle of a lecture from Razu-Sensei.
"...so in other words, just stay out of it. These people can't be trusted. 99% of them would thank your efforts with a quick pick-pocketing..."
Kaa was a bit distressed, "But.. surely it's our duty to help them? They can't be that bad?"
"Don't waste your time" Buri grunted as she walked past, now feeling even worse about her predicament.
~
Ryo was dying to meet Mikeira. They all were. Although both parties had arrived at the same time, Buri and the team were forced to wait a while, while Mikeira "got ready". Faan and Yuan joked that she was probably just putting on her makeup, but once she had finally left her caravan, both of them were silent. Her long golden hair was something to rival and, even though the Land of Discord was a dark, dreary place, it shone almost as brighly as the beautiful white jewel that hung from her neck.
The director grinned, "So now we're all ready, we can start filming!"
Mikeira groaned, just a little. "Surely I can have a little break? We've barely just arrived."
The two argued for a while while Buri and the others just watched - feeling almost rude as they did so. It didn't stop them however, and it wasn't until Razu bopped Buri on the head that they realized they were all staring.
"Okay fine..." Nori, the director, sighed, "A ten-minute break, and then we start filming"
Mikeira barely even acknowledged him, and simply grapped Buri and Kaa and left the set - without acknowledging them either.
~
By the time they returned, the three girls were smiling and laughing, and having a great time. Ryo, Yuan and Faan had less of an enjoying time - and had evidently been asleep for a good while. Yuan was snoring loudly, and Buri and Mikeira had to giggle at the sight - although their laughter served only to wake him up. He blushed - realizing he must have been snoring - and then nudged Ryo and Faan, waking them up as well.
Mikeira nodded at Kaa and Buri, smiling, and then went back into her caravan - followed swiftly by Razu and Nori. Faan was a bit confused as to why - considering the director's initial desperation - they hadn't just gotten straight down to filming, and she wasn't the only one. The three of them didn't leave the caravan for a good ten minutes, and once they did, Mikeira came out looking somewhat sad. As if Razu or Nori had just given her some very bad news. Even the glitter from her necklace seemed to have left - and it seemed to almost have become just a dull, grey stone. Nevertheless, Nori commenced with filming, and Buri and the others resumed to staring - as they watched Mikeira do what she evidently did best.
~
Kaa twitched, and turned around - noticing three shadowy, suspicious figures. She nudged Buri - and, joined by Ryo, they went over to investigate. The figures were dressed in black ninja uniforms, and has strange red markings across their faces - which Kaa was sure she recognised. She tried, politely as she could, to ask the three ninja what they wanted - but they replied only with silence. Their eyes seemed glazed over, as if they were looking right through them.
The first ninja - a female with short white hair - eventually stepped forward, and, sensing her hostility, both Buri and Ryo drew their weapons, while Kaa took a shocked step back. Seeing this, the other two ninja - both male, with white hair of varied lengths - came to life, and drew their weapons also - a strange silver claw weapon and a lengthy sword - much longer than Buri's. The female took a step back, and then jumped right over Buri and Ryo, in the direction of Kaa. She took her down with a kick, and then stood above her mockingly as she struggled to get up. She didn't expect her to counter-attack, however, and Kaa took her by suprise when she grapped some dust and threw it in her face, temporarily blinding her, and then kicked at her legs with full force - knocking her down.
As the two women continued their cat-fight, Buri and Ryo began to fight the two other ninja. Their weapons seemed to be doing most of the work, and it took onyl a few strikes from the mysterious ninja's sword to break Buri's katana in half - and Ryo was in a similair situation, as the Clawed ninja has suceeded in basically disabling him - by removing both his knives from him. Defenseless - it wasn't long until both of them were knocked out - and Kaa soon followed.
~
Having noticed the battle going on, Faan and Yuan took the initiative, and along with Razu they left the area with Mikeira - hoping and praying that the others would be alright. They returned to their wagon, and hid Mikeira inside - whiel guarding the door. Razu frowned, as he tried to remember something. Suddenly, the door behind them opened - and a fourth ninja exited it, holding an unconsious Mikeira. Neither Faan nor Yuan were sure how he managed to get in without them knowing - as the wagon had only one exit/entrance, and they had checked it before they put Mikeira in - but they didn't have much time to think, as the ninja didn't even wait a second to strike all three of them with a spinning kick, knocking them to the ground. He then dissapeared in a cloud of smoke, escape jutsu, and a weak Razu rose, with a startled and scared look on his face.
"The death clan..." he whispered.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Chapter 3 - Life of Kaa
Kaa and Ryo waited. They had arrived to their new class a little early - to make sure they found the new room in time - and were now waiting for the rest of the students to arrive. Kaa was a little bit worried about the new students, she had no idea who was going to be in her class, whether she'd know them, whether she'd like them, whether they'd like her.
After a good half hour of waiting - having had been a little too prepared, and having had arrived a little too early - the door eventually slided open, and three students, whom Kaa didn't recognize, entered, and without even introducing themselves sat down. One girl, a brunette, with medium length hair, sat down on a seat just behind her, and was followed by another brunette - darker, with slightly longer hair - who sat next to her. The third student, a blonde, sat himself down on the opposite side of the room, clearly not wanting to socialize with the other two, although Kaa had a sense that they probably knew each other.
The short brunette leaned over and waved at Kaa and Ryo, introducing herself as Sera.
"And my names, Ribekka" the other girl smiled.
The blonde remained stoic in the corner, and even once the classroom had filled - with about 20 or so different student, he had barely moved from the position eh was in when he first sat down. Ribekka glanced at him and scoffed, but blushed when she realized that both Ryo and Kaa had noticed her blatant dislike for the blonde.
"Her and Riamu just don't get on," Sera teased.
"Well what do you expect? He's just so.. arrogant"
Sera poked her, and Ribekka noticed that Riamu was now looking at them, probably aware that he was being spoken about. He scoffed once more, and then turned her head in the opposite direction - in an obvious attempt to block him out.
~
Faan and Yuan arrived a few moments after the introductions had been made, and sat themselves next to Kaa and Ryo respectively. Kaa flashed a smile at Faan, and went to say hello, but noticed that she seemed very distracted. She followed her gaze and noticed that she was staring dreamily at "Riamu". Deciding it was none of her business, she awkwardly said hello and then turned around and blushed - almost feeling like she had interrupted something.
"So, is everyone here?"
Razu had taken position at the front of the class, along with the other teachers. While they had a certain air of authority - some even seeming quite intimidating - he seemed more like just another student, and barely looked over twenty. Kaa assumed that he must have been a child prodigy, and had probably graduated from the academy quite early, and then became a teacher right after.
One of the elder teachers rose, "Now, if everyone's ready, we're going to split you into groups".
Kaa and Ryo shuddered. Both of them worried they wouldn't be put into the same groups. Luckily, their fears were wrong - and they were placed into a group along with Faan and Yuan. Ribekka was not so lucky it seemed, and through a very inconvenient turn of events - for her - had been placed in a group with Sera, a random red-head, and Riamu, whom she loved so dearly.
~
After a long lecture - explaining that the newly-made groups were now qualified to go on missions, for extra credit - the students were eventually told to file out, and regroup after a short break to meet with their teachers if they hadn't already. Kaa decided that she wasn't going to stray too far from the building, seeing how they had to return soon, so she sat down just outside, and started to drift off.
~
"It's amazing Kaa, I can't believe you passed!"
"It' because of all the extra training we put her through"
Kaa's parent's smiled down on her gleefully, she had just passed her entrance exam to the best ninja academy in the country - against her own expectations. The academy was very far away, but they knew that it was the best place to put her - even if it meant they wouldn't get to see her very much.
"But, there are other schools too" Kaa whined.
Her parents never seemed to care, but she didn't want to leave - she cared about her education, but she didn't want to sacrifice her friends and family to get one. She wished her parents would listen to her, but she knew they only wanted the best for her. At least, she sort of knew.
She began to pack her things, not really sure what to bring. She knew that she could probably get a lot of what she needed once she got there, but at the same time she also wanted to bring as much with her as she could - little pieces of home. She packed her favourite dress, her shoes, her lucky kunai, and her grandmother's ring. Her grandmother told her that the ring would bring her luck, and going to a new village she felt she would need all the luck she could get. The pink gem sparkled in the light coming through the window, and Kaa smiled as she thought about all the good things that could maybe happen in her new 'home'.
~
Kaa woke up with a start, she noticed that the other students had already gone in - and hurried back into the Academy, hoping she wasn't too late. She was joined by another girl - one she didn't recognize from earlier. The girl seemed to be in just as much of a rush as Kaa, and her wavy hair was flying behind her. She smiled at Kaa, and they re-entered the classroom together, with Kaa quietly retaking her seat - and the girl standing shyly at the back, obviously hoping that the teachers wouldn't notice her tardiness.
"Ah, Buri," Razu sighed, "I'm glad to see you decided to join us eventually"
The girl's face turned red, as the entirety of the classroom turned round to look at her. Seizing the opportunity - seeing as how there was no point her hiding anymore - she walked down the stairs and took a seat.
"Well, you've missed being put into groups." The eldest groaned
"We can just put her into another - it's not like we'd be giving them an unfair advantage." Razu said, with a worryingly serious tone.
Buri collapsed into her seat embarrassed, and also quite humiliated. Kaa gave her an encouraging smile, and she smiled back - seemingly reassured. She looked up at Razu and smiled, hoping she could crack him. He looked at her, seemingly irritated, before eventually sighing with defeat, and cracking a smile.
"I guess I could take her..."
Ryo jumped up - almost out of nowhere - and laughed, obviously having not heard the "unfair advantage" comment. He grinned wildly and looked forward to Buri joining the team. Kaa smiled also, with a feeling that Buri was going to be an 'interesting' addition to the group.
After a good half hour of waiting - having had been a little too prepared, and having had arrived a little too early - the door eventually slided open, and three students, whom Kaa didn't recognize, entered, and without even introducing themselves sat down. One girl, a brunette, with medium length hair, sat down on a seat just behind her, and was followed by another brunette - darker, with slightly longer hair - who sat next to her. The third student, a blonde, sat himself down on the opposite side of the room, clearly not wanting to socialize with the other two, although Kaa had a sense that they probably knew each other.
The short brunette leaned over and waved at Kaa and Ryo, introducing herself as Sera.
"And my names, Ribekka" the other girl smiled.
The blonde remained stoic in the corner, and even once the classroom had filled - with about 20 or so different student, he had barely moved from the position eh was in when he first sat down. Ribekka glanced at him and scoffed, but blushed when she realized that both Ryo and Kaa had noticed her blatant dislike for the blonde.
"Her and Riamu just don't get on," Sera teased.
"Well what do you expect? He's just so.. arrogant"
Sera poked her, and Ribekka noticed that Riamu was now looking at them, probably aware that he was being spoken about. He scoffed once more, and then turned her head in the opposite direction - in an obvious attempt to block him out.
~
Faan and Yuan arrived a few moments after the introductions had been made, and sat themselves next to Kaa and Ryo respectively. Kaa flashed a smile at Faan, and went to say hello, but noticed that she seemed very distracted. She followed her gaze and noticed that she was staring dreamily at "Riamu". Deciding it was none of her business, she awkwardly said hello and then turned around and blushed - almost feeling like she had interrupted something.
"So, is everyone here?"
Razu had taken position at the front of the class, along with the other teachers. While they had a certain air of authority - some even seeming quite intimidating - he seemed more like just another student, and barely looked over twenty. Kaa assumed that he must have been a child prodigy, and had probably graduated from the academy quite early, and then became a teacher right after.
One of the elder teachers rose, "Now, if everyone's ready, we're going to split you into groups".
Kaa and Ryo shuddered. Both of them worried they wouldn't be put into the same groups. Luckily, their fears were wrong - and they were placed into a group along with Faan and Yuan. Ribekka was not so lucky it seemed, and through a very inconvenient turn of events - for her - had been placed in a group with Sera, a random red-head, and Riamu, whom she loved so dearly.
~
After a long lecture - explaining that the newly-made groups were now qualified to go on missions, for extra credit - the students were eventually told to file out, and regroup after a short break to meet with their teachers if they hadn't already. Kaa decided that she wasn't going to stray too far from the building, seeing how they had to return soon, so she sat down just outside, and started to drift off.
~
"It's amazing Kaa, I can't believe you passed!"
"It' because of all the extra training we put her through"
Kaa's parent's smiled down on her gleefully, she had just passed her entrance exam to the best ninja academy in the country - against her own expectations. The academy was very far away, but they knew that it was the best place to put her - even if it meant they wouldn't get to see her very much.
"But, there are other schools too" Kaa whined.
Her parents never seemed to care, but she didn't want to leave - she cared about her education, but she didn't want to sacrifice her friends and family to get one. She wished her parents would listen to her, but she knew they only wanted the best for her. At least, she sort of knew.
She began to pack her things, not really sure what to bring. She knew that she could probably get a lot of what she needed once she got there, but at the same time she also wanted to bring as much with her as she could - little pieces of home. She packed her favourite dress, her shoes, her lucky kunai, and her grandmother's ring. Her grandmother told her that the ring would bring her luck, and going to a new village she felt she would need all the luck she could get. The pink gem sparkled in the light coming through the window, and Kaa smiled as she thought about all the good things that could maybe happen in her new 'home'.
~
Kaa woke up with a start, she noticed that the other students had already gone in - and hurried back into the Academy, hoping she wasn't too late. She was joined by another girl - one she didn't recognize from earlier. The girl seemed to be in just as much of a rush as Kaa, and her wavy hair was flying behind her. She smiled at Kaa, and they re-entered the classroom together, with Kaa quietly retaking her seat - and the girl standing shyly at the back, obviously hoping that the teachers wouldn't notice her tardiness.
"Ah, Buri," Razu sighed, "I'm glad to see you decided to join us eventually"
The girl's face turned red, as the entirety of the classroom turned round to look at her. Seizing the opportunity - seeing as how there was no point her hiding anymore - she walked down the stairs and took a seat.
"Well, you've missed being put into groups." The eldest groaned
"We can just put her into another - it's not like we'd be giving them an unfair advantage." Razu said, with a worryingly serious tone.
Buri collapsed into her seat embarrassed, and also quite humiliated. Kaa gave her an encouraging smile, and she smiled back - seemingly reassured. She looked up at Razu and smiled, hoping she could crack him. He looked at her, seemingly irritated, before eventually sighing with defeat, and cracking a smile.
"I guess I could take her..."
Ryo jumped up - almost out of nowhere - and laughed, obviously having not heard the "unfair advantage" comment. He grinned wildly and looked forward to Buri joining the team. Kaa smiled also, with a feeling that Buri was going to be an 'interesting' addition to the group.
Monday, 30 March 2009
Chapter 2 - Life of Faan
Faan was starting to really worry. There was barely an hour to go until the final exam commenced, and Ryo had still not turned up. The exam would decide whether or not the students were ready to become fully fledged ninja or not, and Faan knew that Ryo wouldn't let himself miss it, unless something was seriously wrong.
"Maybe we should look for him? There's still a little time, right?"
She turned to look at Kaa, staying silent. Faan knew it was only a matter of time before Kaa would want to look for Ryo, but she wasn't sure if they could risk it. After all, even if they found him, would they really be able to get back in time?
~
Faan and Yuan followed Kaa into the woods. Once Kaa set her mind on convincing Faan, it was only a matter of time before she caved, and Yuan was strangely easy to convince. The three of them cautiously entered the wood, and Faan began to wonder why no one had ever bothered to put up some signposts. They followed the path for as long as they could, but once they were forced to leave the beaten track they began to understand Ryo's navigational problems. The wood was like a giant maze - with every tree looking the same - and after only a few minutes of wandering from the path, they found themselves extremely lost.
Suddenly, everything went silent - and the voices of her two friends disappeared. Faan frantically spun round, hoping to find out where they had gone. The forest was beginning to seem quite dark, considering it wasn't even the evening yet, and she had a horrible feeling her day was about to go downhill.
"Come on guys,"she pleaded, "This isn't very funny you know."
She knew before she let the words leave her lips, that silence would be her only reply. She wasn't sure where, or how, but her friends had vanished - and she was going to have to work out what to do on her own. Not sure whether to continue looking for Ryo, or start looking for Kaa and Yuan, she was almost glad for the distraction when she suddenly heard a noise behind her. Almost.
~
Ryo was beginning to get worried. He had been in the mysterious room for ages, and he had no idea where he even was. The door was firmly locked - and he had already injured himself trying to force it open. He was starting to think Kaa and the others would never find him. He couldn't even be sure they were looking for him, and a small part of him thought maybe they just did the exam without him, and just left him here to rot away.
A door suddenly opened, and Ryo crept behind it ready to pounce. He threw himself at the figure coming through, and stumbled into a heap on top of Faan.
"What the hell? Ryo!?"
Awkwardly, Ryo moved his hands away from what could have been construed as an inconvenient position, and quickly moved away from the slightly angered Faan, who slowly got up and dusted herself off, looking around at the room she was now captive in.
"Where are we?" She pondered.
"I'm not really sure, but we need to get out right?"
Faan looked at Ryo, slightly startled. Her question was more to herself than anyone else, and as she pondered she had even forgotten Ryo's presence. While she was glad he was okay, she didn't acknowledge his well being, and instead began to look around for any potential exits or escape routes.
"Hey Ryo, try ramming this door down."
"It won't budge," he whined, his aching arm reminding him of his many failed attempts.
"It might if we try it together..."
Ryo nodded in hesitant agreement - slightly worried about injuring himself further - but nonetheless, on a count of three, together they ran at the door, and subsequently collapsed on the floor in pain. Even with two of them, the door was still far too sturdy, and had barely acknowledged their effort whatsoever. Faan crouched down on the floor, and began to think. Her concentration made Ryo feel a little unprofessional, as he just stood there, staring at her, but while she was busy "concentrating" he noticed something going on outside.
~
Without warning, Kaa spun round - and dodged out of the way of a flying kick. Yuan wasn't so lucky, and was temporarily floored by his attacker. While turning to face her enemy, Kaa recognised him as the cloaked figure who'd attemped to capture them earlier - only to be foiled by some quick thinking. She threw a punch towards him but, having misjudged his speed, soon discovered that he was already behind her, and before she had a chance to dodge again she felt a sharp pain in her right leg, and collapsed down on the floor beside Yuan. Without the strength in her left to rise back up she was left temporarily defenseless, but luckily Yuan had recovered.
As she waited for the strength to return to her leg, Kaa noticed that as Yuan fought, the man only ever used his right hand - and his left simply lay limp at his side. She quickly examined her surroundings, in hope of finding an aspect of terrain she could use to her advantage, and discovered a small, almost invisible hut, hidden within the trees. Upon further examination she could see Ryo knocking at the window - obviously trying to get her attention. She used Yuan's distraction as a cover, and with a semi-healed leg she quickly limped towards the hut, and erratically fumbled with the door in an attempt to open it. Taking a chance, she took a kunai out of her belt, and smashed it hard against the lock - successfully breaking it. While her hands were bruised, she was too proud of her success to feel the pain, and quickly opened the door, releasing the captives.
Before the three could join in the fight, however, the stranger suddenly stopped. He turned towards the freed prisoners and smirked.
"Well, looks like one student was paying attention".
Kaa knew he was talking about her, but was less scared and more curious as to why he as referring to her as a student.
"It seems we've got some potential on our hands this year..." he smiled.
Faan was confused, but after a second she worked it out. The whole day had been a test of some sort - albeit quite a far-fetched one.
"My name is Razu, but you can call me Sensei," he grinned,"and I guess you've all passed."
~
It took Faan a moment to take it all in, the whole day had just been one big test? Of teamwork? It did seem quite weird. After all, a huge part of being a ninja is working on your own, why would teamwork be so important? Not that she was complaining obviously, and it took her a second to realise that she should have been celebrating with the others, who where jumping up and down in a rather comic fashion.
"I can't believe it!" she whooped - rather loudly.
"I know! We passed with flying colours!!" Ryo grinned.
Razu had to smile at the spectacle, all four of them trampolining up and down in glee. They had far from passed with flying colours, having only just managed to pass at all in truth, but their enthusiasm was definitely worth applaud. He still wasn't sure why he had even chosen to watch over these four, but he was sure of one thing, it was definitely going to be an interesting year, and he couldn't wait to see how they handled their next test.
"Maybe we should look for him? There's still a little time, right?"
She turned to look at Kaa, staying silent. Faan knew it was only a matter of time before Kaa would want to look for Ryo, but she wasn't sure if they could risk it. After all, even if they found him, would they really be able to get back in time?
~
Faan and Yuan followed Kaa into the woods. Once Kaa set her mind on convincing Faan, it was only a matter of time before she caved, and Yuan was strangely easy to convince. The three of them cautiously entered the wood, and Faan began to wonder why no one had ever bothered to put up some signposts. They followed the path for as long as they could, but once they were forced to leave the beaten track they began to understand Ryo's navigational problems. The wood was like a giant maze - with every tree looking the same - and after only a few minutes of wandering from the path, they found themselves extremely lost.
Suddenly, everything went silent - and the voices of her two friends disappeared. Faan frantically spun round, hoping to find out where they had gone. The forest was beginning to seem quite dark, considering it wasn't even the evening yet, and she had a horrible feeling her day was about to go downhill.
"Come on guys,"she pleaded, "This isn't very funny you know."
She knew before she let the words leave her lips, that silence would be her only reply. She wasn't sure where, or how, but her friends had vanished - and she was going to have to work out what to do on her own. Not sure whether to continue looking for Ryo, or start looking for Kaa and Yuan, she was almost glad for the distraction when she suddenly heard a noise behind her. Almost.
~
Ryo was beginning to get worried. He had been in the mysterious room for ages, and he had no idea where he even was. The door was firmly locked - and he had already injured himself trying to force it open. He was starting to think Kaa and the others would never find him. He couldn't even be sure they were looking for him, and a small part of him thought maybe they just did the exam without him, and just left him here to rot away.
A door suddenly opened, and Ryo crept behind it ready to pounce. He threw himself at the figure coming through, and stumbled into a heap on top of Faan.
"What the hell? Ryo!?"
Awkwardly, Ryo moved his hands away from what could have been construed as an inconvenient position, and quickly moved away from the slightly angered Faan, who slowly got up and dusted herself off, looking around at the room she was now captive in.
"Where are we?" She pondered.
"I'm not really sure, but we need to get out right?"
Faan looked at Ryo, slightly startled. Her question was more to herself than anyone else, and as she pondered she had even forgotten Ryo's presence. While she was glad he was okay, she didn't acknowledge his well being, and instead began to look around for any potential exits or escape routes.
"Hey Ryo, try ramming this door down."
"It won't budge," he whined, his aching arm reminding him of his many failed attempts.
"It might if we try it together..."
Ryo nodded in hesitant agreement - slightly worried about injuring himself further - but nonetheless, on a count of three, together they ran at the door, and subsequently collapsed on the floor in pain. Even with two of them, the door was still far too sturdy, and had barely acknowledged their effort whatsoever. Faan crouched down on the floor, and began to think. Her concentration made Ryo feel a little unprofessional, as he just stood there, staring at her, but while she was busy "concentrating" he noticed something going on outside.
~
Without warning, Kaa spun round - and dodged out of the way of a flying kick. Yuan wasn't so lucky, and was temporarily floored by his attacker. While turning to face her enemy, Kaa recognised him as the cloaked figure who'd attemped to capture them earlier - only to be foiled by some quick thinking. She threw a punch towards him but, having misjudged his speed, soon discovered that he was already behind her, and before she had a chance to dodge again she felt a sharp pain in her right leg, and collapsed down on the floor beside Yuan. Without the strength in her left to rise back up she was left temporarily defenseless, but luckily Yuan had recovered.
As she waited for the strength to return to her leg, Kaa noticed that as Yuan fought, the man only ever used his right hand - and his left simply lay limp at his side. She quickly examined her surroundings, in hope of finding an aspect of terrain she could use to her advantage, and discovered a small, almost invisible hut, hidden within the trees. Upon further examination she could see Ryo knocking at the window - obviously trying to get her attention. She used Yuan's distraction as a cover, and with a semi-healed leg she quickly limped towards the hut, and erratically fumbled with the door in an attempt to open it. Taking a chance, she took a kunai out of her belt, and smashed it hard against the lock - successfully breaking it. While her hands were bruised, she was too proud of her success to feel the pain, and quickly opened the door, releasing the captives.
Before the three could join in the fight, however, the stranger suddenly stopped. He turned towards the freed prisoners and smirked.
"Well, looks like one student was paying attention".
Kaa knew he was talking about her, but was less scared and more curious as to why he as referring to her as a student.
"It seems we've got some potential on our hands this year..." he smiled.
Faan was confused, but after a second she worked it out. The whole day had been a test of some sort - albeit quite a far-fetched one.
"My name is Razu, but you can call me Sensei," he grinned,"and I guess you've all passed."
~
It took Faan a moment to take it all in, the whole day had just been one big test? Of teamwork? It did seem quite weird. After all, a huge part of being a ninja is working on your own, why would teamwork be so important? Not that she was complaining obviously, and it took her a second to realise that she should have been celebrating with the others, who where jumping up and down in a rather comic fashion.
"I can't believe it!" she whooped - rather loudly.
"I know! We passed with flying colours!!" Ryo grinned.
Razu had to smile at the spectacle, all four of them trampolining up and down in glee. They had far from passed with flying colours, having only just managed to pass at all in truth, but their enthusiasm was definitely worth applaud. He still wasn't sure why he had even chosen to watch over these four, but he was sure of one thing, it was definitely going to be an interesting year, and he couldn't wait to see how they handled their next test.
Friday, 6 March 2009
Chapter 1 - Life of Ryo
Ryo was seriously considering leaving the village, for good. He'd lived there all his life, and there was a huge part of him that was beginning to feel like he had learned all he was ever going to learn there. Sure, he had friends there - and you would think that they would be enough to put him off leaving - but he wanted more. He wanted to go out and live his life, and he wanted to be out from the dark cloud he was under. He wanted freedom.
As he and Kaa, his best friend, climbed the many steps towards the Ninja Academy, Ryo began to contemplate his future, as both a man and a ninja. It was something he often did, and his silence worried his friend, who was never sure what was going on in his head. As they walked up the stairs to the Academy in silence, Ryo glanced at his friend. Noticing the worry strewn across her face, he reached out and began to play with her long brown hair, and forced a smile. He could see the sadness in her deep blue eyes, and a part of him knew he had something to do with it.
"What's on today then?" Ryo smiled, as he burst through the door to the academy.
Yuan looked at him, worriedly. He knew that Ryo would want to start practising as soon as possible, for the coming exam, and he was still carrying the bruises from their last "practice". He appreciated Ryo's efforts to improve his skill - and was still quite suprised that he was putting effort in to pass his exam - but didn't think he could survive another round, and in a desperate attempt to distract Ryo, and give him enough time to escape, he came up with a devious plan that was sure to work.
"Look! Chicken noodle soup's half price!"
"It is?" Ryo turned his read round, confused as to why soup would even be sold in a classroom.
It took him a few seconds to realise that he had been tricked, and Kaa simply giggled at the spectacle, as she watched him chase after the fleeing Yuan, threatening him with fates worth than death if he didn't train with him.
"That's just boys for you, eh?"
Kaa didn't even have to look, she recognised the voice.
"Just boys? Or just Ryo?" she smiled as he turned to greet her friend.
Faan and Kaa had never been extremely close, but they had gained a mutual respect, and a certain degree of friendship over the years, mainly due to their similar relationships with Ryo. The girls were very similar, and yet also very different. While they both had equal amounts of skill in the ways of the kunoichi, they both gave varying degrees of effort towards their studies. Faan had never been too enthusiastic, but her raw talent made up for it; Kaa on the other hand worked hard to achieve her skill.
Kaa and Faan simply watched, as Ryo and Yuan danced, their swords glittering in the sunlight. Kaa lacked their confidence, and as she watched she wondered if she would ever be able to fight like them. Her father sent her to the Academy a long time ago, but she had yet to really learn anything more than the basics, and it was beginning to get her down. She was constantly worrying that she would never become a great kunoichi, like her mother. Her doubts were temporarily forgotten, however, as Ryo flung himself onto the seat next to the her, smiling. She found it strange, that his mood could change so quickly from that of sadness to happiness, and as she watched him , breathing heavily after his vigorous training, she couldn't help but wonder just how genuine his smile really was.
"Surely you're not done already?" Faan teased.
"I'm not, but I think Yuan is" Ryo grinned, pointing towards his exhausted friend.
Yuan stumbled towards them, panting, and slouched himself on the chair next to Faan. She grinned at his sorry state, and as she did he stopped slouching, and suddenly became very upright, holding his stomach in. Ryo smirked, and nudged Kaa, pointing at the two. Kaa wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, and Ryo decided it would be too hard to explain without letting Faan and Yuan know what he was talking about.
Yuan groaned in pain, "I think I'm getting too old for this", he sighed.
Ryo gestured towards Yuan and Faan once again, even more emphatically, not noticing that by this point Faan had turned around, and his three friends were all staring at him with bemused looks on their faces. Embarrassed, he slumped back down into his chair, having given up on explaining to Kaa what he was hinting at.
~
As they left the Academy, Faan forced herself between Ryo and Kaa, grabbing them both by their arms. She flashed a suspiciously big smile at them, and Ryo knew something was coming , while Kaa was blissfully unaware.
"Sooo..." She started, before leaving a long awkward silence.
"So?" Ryo said, almost angrily. Pulling his arm away from her.
"Well, you see the thing is..." She started, "There was something I was wanting to talk to you about. And you too Kaa"
Kaa nodded at her, but knew that Faan didn't really want to speak to her; it was probably some big secret.
"I can't really talk about it here though, but could we meet up later? And you too Kaa"
Again, Kaa nodded. Almost becoming irritated at how Faan simply dropped her name at the end of her sentences.
"The thing is - "
"You fancy someone?" Ryo butted in.
Faan stared at him, with a mixture of shock and disgust on her face. How the hell did he work it out so quickly?
"I think he likes you too, Faan. Have you seen the way he looks at you?", Ryo gestured at her, in a similar way to earlier.
Faan stared at him confused. He had barely ever looked at her before, barely spoken to her. Unless...
"Anyway, I'll have to speak later, I need to get home early tonight, to prepare for tomorrow" Ryo stated, matter-of-factly, before jogging of, leaving Faan, horrified that she'd have to wait to find out what he had been talking about.
Ryo galloped home at a brisk pace. The walk to his home could sometimes be quite short, but his sense of direction had always been terrible - and he had a tendency to get lost. He knew he was meant to get home early, but chances of that actually happening were slim. He stumbled through the woods, attempting to keep vaguely north, but was never sure if he was going in the right direction or not. He wondered why nobody had ever put signs through the forest, to help people who got easily lost - like himself - traverse through the forest with less difficulty. After a minute of pondering, he came to the conclusion that one day he would put signs down in the forest, and would never get lost again. He would put lots of little wooden signs all over the forest, and soon everyone would be able to go through the forest with minimal effort.
Suddenly, in the middle of his little daydream, Ryo realized that he was being watched, and spun round. A cloaked stranger was behind him, and Ryo had the feeling that he had been following him for quite some time.
"Who are you?", Ryo enquired curiously, with a hint of apprehension in his voice.
~
"I wonder where Ryo is?" Kaa enquired, the next morning - on the day of the exam.
Faan looked at Kaa. Both of them were worried, Ryo was meant to meet them the night before, but never turned up. She knew Ryo could handle himself, but she was beginning to fear for him.
"I'm sure he's perfectly fine Kaa", she lied. She put her hand on her lap comfortingly, "He'll be here any minute. I'm sure of it".
Kaa smiled, but Faan wasn't sure whether she believed her or not. Maybe she wanted to believe her? She knew that Ryo and Kaa had been friends for a very long time, and she was sure that Kaa would be distraught if anything was to happen to him. She so wanted to make Kaa feel better, but wasn't sure what to do. And she still wasn't sure that anything bad had happened.
"Maybe he just got lost?", She offered.
As he and Kaa, his best friend, climbed the many steps towards the Ninja Academy, Ryo began to contemplate his future, as both a man and a ninja. It was something he often did, and his silence worried his friend, who was never sure what was going on in his head. As they walked up the stairs to the Academy in silence, Ryo glanced at his friend. Noticing the worry strewn across her face, he reached out and began to play with her long brown hair, and forced a smile. He could see the sadness in her deep blue eyes, and a part of him knew he had something to do with it.
"What's on today then?" Ryo smiled, as he burst through the door to the academy.
Yuan looked at him, worriedly. He knew that Ryo would want to start practising as soon as possible, for the coming exam, and he was still carrying the bruises from their last "practice". He appreciated Ryo's efforts to improve his skill - and was still quite suprised that he was putting effort in to pass his exam - but didn't think he could survive another round, and in a desperate attempt to distract Ryo, and give him enough time to escape, he came up with a devious plan that was sure to work.
"Look! Chicken noodle soup's half price!"
"It is?" Ryo turned his read round, confused as to why soup would even be sold in a classroom.
It took him a few seconds to realise that he had been tricked, and Kaa simply giggled at the spectacle, as she watched him chase after the fleeing Yuan, threatening him with fates worth than death if he didn't train with him.
"That's just boys for you, eh?"
Kaa didn't even have to look, she recognised the voice.
"Just boys? Or just Ryo?" she smiled as he turned to greet her friend.
Faan and Kaa had never been extremely close, but they had gained a mutual respect, and a certain degree of friendship over the years, mainly due to their similar relationships with Ryo. The girls were very similar, and yet also very different. While they both had equal amounts of skill in the ways of the kunoichi, they both gave varying degrees of effort towards their studies. Faan had never been too enthusiastic, but her raw talent made up for it; Kaa on the other hand worked hard to achieve her skill.
Kaa and Faan simply watched, as Ryo and Yuan danced, their swords glittering in the sunlight. Kaa lacked their confidence, and as she watched she wondered if she would ever be able to fight like them. Her father sent her to the Academy a long time ago, but she had yet to really learn anything more than the basics, and it was beginning to get her down. She was constantly worrying that she would never become a great kunoichi, like her mother. Her doubts were temporarily forgotten, however, as Ryo flung himself onto the seat next to the her, smiling. She found it strange, that his mood could change so quickly from that of sadness to happiness, and as she watched him , breathing heavily after his vigorous training, she couldn't help but wonder just how genuine his smile really was.
"Surely you're not done already?" Faan teased.
"I'm not, but I think Yuan is" Ryo grinned, pointing towards his exhausted friend.
Yuan stumbled towards them, panting, and slouched himself on the chair next to Faan. She grinned at his sorry state, and as she did he stopped slouching, and suddenly became very upright, holding his stomach in. Ryo smirked, and nudged Kaa, pointing at the two. Kaa wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, and Ryo decided it would be too hard to explain without letting Faan and Yuan know what he was talking about.
Yuan groaned in pain, "I think I'm getting too old for this", he sighed.
Ryo gestured towards Yuan and Faan once again, even more emphatically, not noticing that by this point Faan had turned around, and his three friends were all staring at him with bemused looks on their faces. Embarrassed, he slumped back down into his chair, having given up on explaining to Kaa what he was hinting at.
~
As they left the Academy, Faan forced herself between Ryo and Kaa, grabbing them both by their arms. She flashed a suspiciously big smile at them, and Ryo knew something was coming , while Kaa was blissfully unaware.
"Sooo..." She started, before leaving a long awkward silence.
"So?" Ryo said, almost angrily. Pulling his arm away from her.
"Well, you see the thing is..." She started, "There was something I was wanting to talk to you about. And you too Kaa"
Kaa nodded at her, but knew that Faan didn't really want to speak to her; it was probably some big secret.
"I can't really talk about it here though, but could we meet up later? And you too Kaa"
Again, Kaa nodded. Almost becoming irritated at how Faan simply dropped her name at the end of her sentences.
"The thing is - "
"You fancy someone?" Ryo butted in.
Faan stared at him, with a mixture of shock and disgust on her face. How the hell did he work it out so quickly?
"I think he likes you too, Faan. Have you seen the way he looks at you?", Ryo gestured at her, in a similar way to earlier.
Faan stared at him confused. He had barely ever looked at her before, barely spoken to her. Unless...
"Anyway, I'll have to speak later, I need to get home early tonight, to prepare for tomorrow" Ryo stated, matter-of-factly, before jogging of, leaving Faan, horrified that she'd have to wait to find out what he had been talking about.
Ryo galloped home at a brisk pace. The walk to his home could sometimes be quite short, but his sense of direction had always been terrible - and he had a tendency to get lost. He knew he was meant to get home early, but chances of that actually happening were slim. He stumbled through the woods, attempting to keep vaguely north, but was never sure if he was going in the right direction or not. He wondered why nobody had ever put signs through the forest, to help people who got easily lost - like himself - traverse through the forest with less difficulty. After a minute of pondering, he came to the conclusion that one day he would put signs down in the forest, and would never get lost again. He would put lots of little wooden signs all over the forest, and soon everyone would be able to go through the forest with minimal effort.
Suddenly, in the middle of his little daydream, Ryo realized that he was being watched, and spun round. A cloaked stranger was behind him, and Ryo had the feeling that he had been following him for quite some time.
"Who are you?", Ryo enquired curiously, with a hint of apprehension in his voice.
~
"I wonder where Ryo is?" Kaa enquired, the next morning - on the day of the exam.
Faan looked at Kaa. Both of them were worried, Ryo was meant to meet them the night before, but never turned up. She knew Ryo could handle himself, but she was beginning to fear for him.
"I'm sure he's perfectly fine Kaa", she lied. She put her hand on her lap comfortingly, "He'll be here any minute. I'm sure of it".
Kaa smiled, but Faan wasn't sure whether she believed her or not. Maybe she wanted to believe her? She knew that Ryo and Kaa had been friends for a very long time, and she was sure that Kaa would be distraught if anything was to happen to him. She so wanted to make Kaa feel better, but wasn't sure what to do. And she still wasn't sure that anything bad had happened.
"Maybe he just got lost?", She offered.
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