Doublehex

Going crazy dosen't even begin to describe what they are going through. It would be better to say that they are having an orgasm through their eyes.

[center][img]http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8325/starcraft2omg3cfc80cfa2.jpg[/img][/center] [B]Genre:[/B] Real-Time Strategy [RTS] [B]Release Date:[/B] Officially, unknown [I]"At this point, it's too early to provide an initial estimate on the release date. As with all Blizzard games, we will take as much time as needed to ensure the game is as fun, balanced, and polished as possible."[/I] Wikipedia says 2008, but that is an estimate...and as with all things, should be taken at a grain of salt. [B]Publisher[/B] [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivendi_Universal][u]Vivendi Universal[/u][/url] [B]Developers[/B] [URL=http://www.blizzard.com][u]Blizzard Entertainment[/u][/url] [B]Plot[/B] [I]"It's a little too early to get into details on the story. Once we're able to discuss the single-player campaign in detail, we'll also share some exciting information about the story line for the game."[/I] IE - We're not gonna tell you anything right now, just to irk you. :) [CENTER][b]Screens[/b] [URL=http://www.starcraft2.com/screenshots.xml][b]Offical Site[/b][/URL] | [url=http://media.pc.ign.com/media/850/850126/imgs_1.html][b]IGN[/b][/url] | [url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starcraft2/images.html][b]Gamespot[/b][/url] [/CENTER] [CENTER][url=http://www.starcraft2.com/artwork.xml][B]ART[/B][/url][/center] [center][b][url=http://www.starcraft2.com/faq.xml]FAQ[/url][/b][/center] [CENTER]~---------------------~[/CENTER] After a long, long, [I]long[/I] wait (as in, a nine year one), the long awaited sequel to one of the most popular, most highly modded, and most highly praised games ever created, [I]Starcraft 2[/I], has finally been announced. A high amount of new features are being introduced for the galactic saga; that we can be sure of. But so far, we know of only a few... [list] [*]Havok physics engine [*]New units and new abilities for the returning ones [*]Amazing graphics that give a more cinematical feel to the game [/list] I played the first right before I entered High School, and I remember every moment of the rollercoaster ride. I can hardly wait for SC II. Discuss!

Ah, that explains it. Sucks for us Westerners though. :\ You'd think the Manga sites would tell us these things a week ahead of time...

Sandy, even though your a gay man (so don't take this the wrong way ;)), I LOVE you for working through those seventy pages! You get a big old hug fro me, especially since my own Mom won't even read this just because I refuse to waste ink and paper by printing this stuff out. Now, you ask what Kenzoku means. Well, its actually the name for the SERIES - I am just calling it the book that until I can think of a name for the book. All the titles so far were wicked long, and that's not good. As for Kenzoku, it means [I]family[/I], and that is exactly what the whole series is about - that family of these newly graduated shinobis. When you spend every day fighting and bleeding for each other, you are sure to create an unbreakable trust. You become a family, something most of them (Shinji and Izumi) had never really experienced. Anyways, off to my comments! [QUOTE]Also, I'm more than a little concerned with these "inspirations" you're getting from various anime. I might not see them all, but if you really are going to make this as a series of books, you have to start relying on your own head for inspiration. After all, you didn't want to end up like Christopher Paolini, did you? Just saying "it's not a rip-off" won't convince people that it really isn't. You should start by changing the names of the seven countries something not taken almost directly from Naruto, and move forward from that.[/QUOTE] Well, I think that I have kept my inspirartions to just that for several reasons. One; it was not uncommon to have COUNTRY "NAME OF ELEMENT" in Asian fantasy like this. Not only Naruto, but AVATAR has done this as well, and I have little doubt that other stories have done the same thing. So, I'm not exactly sure its ripping it off, when others have done the same thing. Of course, that is one person's opinion, and if yours is the majority (or my editor's, if I ever get one >.>) then I will obviously change it. But I spent a lot of time on the country's names, for the very reason you described. I got out a piece of scrap paper, put down general elements (fire, rock, water, animal, stuff like that), and began to write away. The ones you have seen were the ones that I had chosen. I am, however, worried that I did more than become inspired from Naruto by the characters, mostly Izumi. I do my best to make him different from Garra, but my mind still registers him as a Garra rip off! I can't help but feel that maybe it would be for the best if I would just cut him off from the story all together. However, I don't want to, because people tend to enjoy him the most! I am quite perplexed on what to do. [QUOTE]I'd be interesting to see you treat all four of them as equal main characters.[/QUOTE] That was my EXACT intent - to create an entourage. I was inspired greatly by Final Fantasy VI and Xenosaga. They balanced all of the characters perfectly (even when FF6 has a dozen characters!) so that you knew them, and cared for them all, equally. It was a wonderful thing, and I wanted to copy that in the Kenzoku series. [QUOTE]I also find Nanaki a troublesome character, since in the beginning you describe her as a tomboy who drinks and cusses, yet later on she behaves like a spoiled princess, all vain and worrying over her hair. It's like she's two characters melted into one.[/QUOTE] Isn't that Kaname? O.o [QUOTE]Orochi is probably my favorite character, he's a victim of racism and has a mysterious past. Just avoid making him too much of a goodie-two-shoes.[/QUOTE] I already have plans to redeem that - a confrontation in the middle of the story with Kaname that will show more of his cruel side. [QUOTE]The opposite goes for Izumi (a Japanese girl's name, btw). He's too much of a villainy character, too grim and too intimidating for what he should be. It's not believable that the leader of the Academy would let him graduate knowing him as a violent psycho, just to give him a chance. Yet so far, he's been acting quite normal in his team.[/QUOTE] And I know the perfect way to change that - not by adding to him, but by changing stuff in the Prologue. Away with him being an Insane character! Rather, have him be somebody who was loathed because of his difference, the birth of his dark personality, and thus the rumors of insanity are born! [QUOTE]The Writing[/QUOTE] What I give you guys is the rough draft - as in, I do not edit anything. I'll do that once I have complete 3/4 of the book. Right now, I am focusing on the story. I will work on the technical stuff afterwards. Sandy, thanks for your criticism!

Okay, Friday has passed, the day NarutoFan releases the next chapter... However, something is missing. There's no chapter today. There wasn't even a RAW posted. What the heck happened? Did we miss a memo or something?

[RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Chapter Six[/B][/RIGHT][/RIGHT] [RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Through the Tunnels[/B][/RIGHT][/RIGHT] It would be sometime later until the three shinobis decided to wake up. Kaname and Orochi woke up at nearly the same exact time. Orochi sighed when he saw Kaname?s sleepy eyes. She only rolled them out of ignorance. Shinji woke up nearly afterwards. He could move, which surprised him considering his prior situation. Not realizing his left eye was patched, his hand scrambled to try to find out what was covering it. ?You do that, and you?ll tear off both the patch and the eye I worked to heal,? Orochi said. ?And if you do that, I?ll make sure you?re dead.? ?Okay?? Shinji rose up. He looked down at his arm. ?You can take [I]that [/I]off.? Shinji proceeded to do so. ?Let?s move.? The three pairs of eyes turned to Izumi. No one complained. Kaname and Orochi followed him. Shinji picked up Shinkasai, was surprised to see that it didn?t nearly tear out his spine like before, and was quick to follow. Kaname was the one to open the cave wall. She took in a deep breath, allowing herself to get as much air as possible. She moved her left leg in front of her, and her right to the rear. The left arm was raised so as to act as a balance, and her right hand was curled into a tight fist. The fist went slamming into the wall of ice, shattering it.. The shards of ice that rolled down into the tunnel echoed off the wall and into the forest. Kaname clapped her hands in a motion of brilliance. ?Nothing a Uzuki can?t handle. ?Good for you.? ?Now [I]move[/I].? The two boys pushed Kaname out of the way as they moved into the cave. Shinji walked past her as well. But before he could enter, she grabbed him by the collar of his neck and pulled him back. ?Ladies first!? She sent him to the ground and proceeded to enter the cave. ?Bitch?? Shinji muttered. He rose up. When he did, he heard somebody falling down, and cries of anguish. He was quick to run into the cave? And found that it was indeed pitch black. ?Get off of me!? It was Kaname. ?I?m not [I]on[/I] you, madam.? ?Shut up Hebi!? ?Quiet,? said Izumi in his typical cold tone. Shinji slapped his forehead in annoyance. Knowing he would have to do it sooner than later, he lit his right hand in kounen, lighting the dark cave. Indeed, what Orochi said was true ? he was not on Kaname. In fact, it was the other way around. Seeing the embarrassing situation for what it was, she was quick to get off of him. Orochi rose up slowly, swiping dirt and pebbles off. He looked at Shinji?s kounen. ?Now, that [I]is[/I] interesting.? ?I specialize in Fyuujin-Ru.? ?That explains it.? ?[I]Great[/I]! Not only is he an idiot, but he?s an idiot that can become the human bomb at any minute.? ?I can control it.? ?Enough.? Izumi?s command was all that was needed to end the argument. ?We need to move. His slumber took too much precious time.? Orochi sighed. ?Let?s go everyone. Balking at Shinji?s new found ability won?t help us get to sensei on time.? The party began their march; the march through the dripping walls, their journey into the misty cavern halls, and their search for the other end. Shinji led the way, his bright fire lighting the path. Orochi came in second, to separate the two. Kaname was the third in place, and Izumi trailed behind, observing his three teammates with the gaze of an owl. The frequency the walls closed on the group was as unpredictable as when they would find a large opening. The flow of water and the beating of waterfall echoed off of the wet walls. Walls were common, but so were ledges that were within climbing distance. Shinji was the first to go, since if he would fall, the others would catch him, and thus preserve their human torch. The rest would be quick to follow. ?You?d best be careful,? Orochi advised Shinji after he had nearly fallen. Luckily, Orochi was beneath him, and outreaching his hand, managed to catch Shinji by his hand. Shinji was quick to climb back onto the wall. ?If you break your neck, we?re all good as dead.? ?I?ll be fine.? ?Not with that attitude. We [I]are[/I] a team, although half of us don?t act like it.? Orochi kept a thing smile on his face, and Shinji despised him all the more for it. ?I don?t need your help?. ?Our loss then.? For the most part, their journey after that was mostly uneventful. The cavern ceiling did not collapse on top of them, although Kaname feared that they would. The cavern path twisted and turned, and Kaname would ask Shinji if he was leading them in the right direction, and Orochi would answer in his place that there was only [I]one[/I] path to follow. Not once was there a fork in the road. But then, they encountered something that was not in their good fortune: a blocked passage. A slab of rock was the culprit, bisecting them from the other side. ?Shinji! You got us lost!? ?I didn?t do anything! I just followed the path.? ?He?s telling the truth, madam. Like I said ?? ?Enough with your bullshit, you damn Hebi!? Shinji pulled down on his collar, giving him some extra room to breath. Kaname and Orochi quickly found themselves in a large fight; Shinji found it wise to back away from the quarrel. The argument went back and forth; Kaname would yell back, and Orochi would retort a comment in his calm and peaceful voice, always ending it with ?madam? when he could, which would only anger Kaname even more, much to Orochi?s amusement. Izumi stayed out of their quarrel; he could care less of their opinions of each other. ?[I]All they do is fight!?[/I] Shinji said to himself. [I]?They fight over me, over where to go, how to go about it; if its in front of them, they?ll fight over it! I?d bet that if there was just a crumb of a dumpling left, and one of them wanted it, the other would fight tooth and claw to get it, just for the sake of arguing! They?re just like brother and sister??[/I] [I] [/I] In his self examination, Shinji was slowly taking steps backwards, his fingers balancing his chin. As he was walking backwards, the weight of Shinkasai made him unsteady, and he fell?right into the slab of rock. Shinji didn?t know how, wherever it was by the weight of his enormous wasuka or that it was just weak altogether, but the slab of rock fell apart. The path was opened! Everyone turned to face Shinji and the opened path. Kaname had a look of utter surprise on her face, Izumi didn?t seem like he cared at all, whereas Orochi had a look of congratulations. ?Now that?s using your head. How did you know it was so weak?? ?Well, uh,? Shinji?s mind wandered, looking for an explanation. He didn?t find a good one. ?It was better than nothing.? ?Or tripping backwards,? Izumi said. ?Who cares? We have a path now! Let?s go!? No one wanted to complain with Kaname. Getting back to his feet, Shinji raised his kounen enflamed arm, and led the party. As they continued their journey through the cavern, Shinji noticed that the passageway was getting tighter and smaller with every turn. It was reaching the point where the hilt of his blade was screeching across the wall, creating a noise that was more than just annoying. He couldn?t even lift his arm all the way up like he would before; it was bent now, or else he?d start to hit the ceiling. There was one passageway that so narrow that Shinji could not continue with Shinkasai. ?What now?,? Kaname asked. ?I can?t leave it behind.? Izumi came up with the solution: ?You go through first. We?ll follow, passing your wasuka between us. We?ll have to rotate it so that it will fit, but it should be fine.? They did as Izumi instructed. Shinji went all the way to the end, his kounen lighting the tight passageway. Kaname followed, then Orochi, with Izumi the last to enter. Izumi passed Shinkasai to Orochi; Orochi walked a good portion through with the heavy blade, him having to twist it and jiggle it through many tight spots before he passed it to Kaname. If it wouldn?t squeeze through, Kaname would force it through, the heavy blade biting through rock and stone. She didn?t have the patience to nudge it through the tight spots. Shinji frowned when he saw the way Kaname handled his wasuka. ?What?s that for?? ?Nothing.? ?Whatever.? They continued, back in formation. Soon, they had found themselves in a place they thought would be spun in old epics: it was a lost ruin city. The roofs seemed to reach for the heavens, or as close as an underground city could. Giant statues of stone led the way, their raised arms creating arches. Old symbols decorated the polished stone walls. Everything down here was made of stone; nothing had the breath of life. It was cold, dark, and absolutely breathe taking. Orochi?s pale hand slid across the toe of a Buddha statue. ?Amazing.? ?I wonder why sensei wants us down here?? ?It?s just a path,? Izumi answered, but Kaname wasn?t satisfied. ?Its one thing to bring us to places where traps are. But what?s the reason to bring us to an old city like this?? It was Shinji who answered. ?So we see our ancestors; those that have come before us. Before we had Feudal Lords, men with divine rights to lead us, there were the God-Kings, the true gods, who ruled man. This is one of their great cities.? Izumi sighed. ?It?s only a path. Let?s move. We can admire history at a later date; preferably when our careers aren?t on the line.? Orochi walked past Shinji, but not before patting him on the shoulder. ?Let?s move, Shinji.? Shinji shook out the shivers that ran up his spine. They didn?t walk in formation this time. There was no need; there was so much space, the caverns didn?t constrain them. It felt good not to have someone breathing down on your neck. It was a nice place to stretch their legs. Even though its residents were long dead, the city still had a sense of being alive. Many flags that were hung on the structures were in one piece. Fountains has water running into them, and Orochi even drank some to his satisfaction. Benches and chairs were not shattered, although not exactly the most comfortable pieces of furniture Shinji and Kaname had ever sat on. Izumi wasn?t pleased by how much his team mates were slacking, but the others gave him no heed. They had no way to track the time underground, but they were pretty sure they?ve been out on this test for a day and then some. They in need a break was an understatement. ?We can rest above ground.? No one was willing to wait that long. They found what looked like an inn. It was two stories tall; it was built to keep the cold cavern air outside. There was no fireplace, and Orochi questioned how that was possible. Kaname didn?t care; it was warm, and that?s all that counted. Izumi remained silent out of anger, and Shinji stayed out of it because he was too exhausted to care. They each found their own beds. Most of the beds have broken apart, a major contrast from the other furniture. The few that were in one piece, however, were surprisingly comfortable. They quickly fell asleep; even Izumi allowed his dreams to take control of him.

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/TickSpoo.JPG[/IMG] If anyone hasn't seen this show, then you trully have not lived a meaningful live. The Tick was a parody of superheroes, and I'd be damned if it wasn't one of the best [if not the only one worth mentioning]. The Tick was insane (really! He escape from an insane asylum), and so were the rest of his cohorts and nemesis. "Not in the face!" Remember it, always.

Like all the other Pirate V. Ninja threads, this will be closed. But I'll be damned if I don't help the Ninja team! [IMG]http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs5/i/2004/333/8/b/Yeeeesssssss_Ninjas_Rock_by_BoogieBrain.jpg[/IMG]

[INDENT]Good news! I got this chapter out in record time - only two days work! Now, granted, its shorter, but that dosen't mean that is any worse than the rest. Enjoy! [/INDENT] [RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Chapter Five[/B][/RIGHT][/RIGHT] [RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Blood Trails[/B][/RIGHT][/RIGHT] Kaname didn?t have to wait as long as she expected for the first of the group to arrive. It was silent Izumi, his hands crossed as he walked across the small, frozen lake. White snowflakes covered his black hair, but whenever they landed on his face, he would wipe them off quickly. When he saw Kaname, sitting on a tree trunk that was half frozen beneath the pond, he only gave her a nod of approval. He walked off to lie against the cavern wall, refusing to utter another word. Kaname would take a few glances at Izumi, but none of them lasting longer than a few seconds. Izumi did not acknowledge her glances if her saw them. Orochi came afterwards, even though he had come running and puffing, he did not have a look of perspiration on him. He observed the frozen pool with a mild interest, noting the irony of a frozen cave stationed above a frozen pool. He thought for a moment on how a lake, or even a cave for that matter, could be frozen when it wasn?t nearly cold enough for that. Hr shrugged it off as he made his way to the pool. He pushed his raven hair out of his face as he took a glance at Kaname. She looked at him with disdain. Orochi took his seat in the center of the frozen lake, his legs crossed, his pointing finger and thumb balancing his chin. He didn?t need, nor want, to talk with either of his teammates. He was still scared out of his mind of Izumi, and he knew whatever response Kaname would give him would not at all be in his best interests. He would wait there, looking straight into the frozen wall of the cave. His mind wandered to how Shinji was doing; he was worried about him. The reason for this was twofold: one, if they lost a member, the party may be flunked just for that. The second was on his conscience: it would be [I]his[/I] fault if Shinji died. He placed his trust in Shinji, to overcome whatever trap sensei had placed near the river, but if he still died, it would be Orochi?s fault. As the minutes passed, Kaname was obviously becoming more and more agitated by Shinji?s tardiness. He was taking too long! He should have been here by now! What was taking him so long! He should hurry up! He passed the Marajin?s examinations for crying out loud! Izumi showed no expression, but shared similar, if more calm and collected, feelings on the matter. It would be a half hour later before Shinji, still bleeding from his head and hands, clutching to Shinkasai, would arrive on the frozen lake. The world he saw was a shaking, dizzy, multicolored one. Each step sounded like a thunder bolt crackling on the ground. Each step was slow, cautious, and ever painful. When he heard the orange haired shinobi?s steps on the ice, Orochi turned instantly, a smile of satisfaction spread across his face. The moment he saw Shinji, his face went cold. He knew at once that Shinji was barely alive. ?Shinji!? He screamed for the first time in many months. He dashed towards Shinji in a frantic dash, almost slipping on the ice. He was acting first, thinking last, which was very unlike Orochi. When Kaname saw Shinji, she knew at once something was wrong. She was too far away to see the blood, but he was moving too slow to be in good condition. She saw the way he was slouched, how his hands were wrapped something for much needed support. She ran towards Shinji. She slipped once, but got right back up. By the time she got to him, Shinji had fallen into Orochi?s arms. ?What the hell happened to him?? ?Its fairly obvious. He got almost beaten to death.? ?I know that! By [I]what[/I], I mean.? ?I don?t know! Just keep him steady.? His voice was unusually threatening. ?I-I?m fine.? He coughed. ?Let me up. I can stand.? ?You keep talking, and you?re going to find MY foot in YOUR mouth,? Kaname threatened. ?Kaname, I need water.? The vain woman smirked. ?And I know just the place.? She ran to the frozen pond, and slammed her foot straight through the ice. She reached her hand into the opening. ?Ah! That?s cold!? She screamed and jumped backwards. ?Kaname! Water!? ?I?m coming!? She kneeled down, bit her tongue, and scooped up a handful of the freezing water. ?Here,? she reported when she returned. She kneeled down. Orochi dipped his fingers into the water, and spread the water across Shinji?s hot face. He groaned. ?Bear with it,? Orochi demanded. He didn?t show any pain from the water?s cold temperature. He pulled out a small bag that was strapped to his side. He placed it next to him. ?Do you even know what you?re doing, Hebi?? Orochi didn?t respond. Orochi put more water along Shinji?s face. ?You can warm your hands now.? Kaname got up away from Shinji, and uncapped her hands, the freezing water falling onto the snowy ground. Orochi opened his bag, and pulled out a small vial. He opened it, and allowed its content to drip onto his pointing and index finger. He trailed the fingers along Shinji?s wounds, apportioning the foul smelling liquid. Shinji?s face grimaced. Orochi didn?t sympathize with him. He was too involved in his work. When he was done, Orochi wiped his hand on the ground. He breathed in deeply. He brought his hand over one of Shinji?s wounds. Ever slowly, his fingers began to glow. The glowing fingers made contact with the still bleeding wound. The liquid hardened instantly. He continued until all of the bleeding stopped on all of the wounds. ?Now he won?t die of bleeding at least.? ?You studied medical ninjutsu, didn?t you?? ?Yes. When I returned a year ago.? ?So what now?? ?Bandage his wounds of course.? He pulled out a big roll of cloth from his bag. ?Help me out here.? The two shinobis got to work, wrapping Shinji?s wounds up. It took them some time, mostly due to Kaname?s clumsiness with such delicate work, but they were soon done. Shinji?s left eye was all covered up, and so was his entire left arm. Orochi opened Shinji?s mouth carefully. A small pill was in his fingers. ?Bite down,? he said softly. Shinji did so. Within moments, he was asleep. ?What did you do that for?? ?The human body heals faster when it is asleep. Besides, he was exhausted.? ?This is exactly what we need. First we?ve got to wait for him to wake up, and then we?ll have to deal with his wounds! This is [I]just[/I] perfect.? ?But if we left him to die, we would fail.? Kaname groaned. The two heard the footsteps of someone approaching. They turned to see Izumi had approached him. He looked downward towards the slumbering Shinji. Izumi looked at him coldly. He looked at Orochi and Kaname. ?Leave him?. ?No,? Orochi said. ?He will slow us down. We cannot afford to have someone wounded try to keep up with us. We are in a race against time here, Hebi. By the time he wakes up, our first day will be gone. Who knows how much we have?? ?If he died, she may disqualify us even if we arrive with days to spare.? ?And if she wouldn?t?? ?Then we?ll just move faster. I?ll be responsible for him.? ?You do that, Hebi. You fail, and I will see to it you will regret it.? With that, Izumi turned and walked away. ?You?re in trouble now, Hebi. I heard people do some stupid stuff, but crossing with?that thing?? Orochi wiped a tear from his eye. ?I don?t think I ever did something so fearful in my life.? A shaking hand brushed his dark hair away from his face. ?He could of killed me any moment.? ?Must think of you as a plaything.? ?Thank you for the compliment,? he said irritably. ?Oh shut up you snake.? Orochi stretched casually. ?Well, I need a nap. Go watch over Shinji for me.? Orochi started walking towards a shady tree. ?Me? Why not you!? ?Because I did most of the work. He?d still be bleeding if I wasn?t here.? He waved. ?Good night, madam.? ?I really do hate that man?? she muttered under breath. She turned to Shinji. ?What did you do to yourself, you idiot?? [I]Because you called him useless, remember? Who wouldn?t want to prove otherwise?[/I] [I] [/I] ?So, it was my fault then.? She sighed. ?Well, then he?s useless and an idiot. He didn?t have to do anything! Hell, [I]I[/I] was the one who found the cave, not him.? Kaname scratched the back of her neck. She walked to a nearby rock for her to sit on. If she was going to watch the slumbering idiot, she was at the very least going to be comfortable. Of course, sitting on a rock led to her leaning against the nearby tree; leaning against the tree led to her putting her arms behind her head. Cushioning her head led to her closing her eyes in a peaceful daze, and that led to her sleeping. This took her about two minutes. The moment Kaname fell asleep, Izumi groaned with disgust. He was placed in a group with fools, and now he was suffering because of it. It was true that if Shinji died, and if sensei was an oversensitive person who had no place in being a shinobi, then yes, they may have failed the test. But that was all a bunch of ifs ? Izumi was a man of definitions and absolutes. He didn?t care for possibilities, chances and hypothesis. Shinji was slowing them down; it was only fair to leave him behind. He was treated; now leave him! But shinobis worked together as a team, much to Izumi?s chagrin, and in teams, majorities rule. And even more to Izumi?s disgust, the majority elected ton wait for Shinji to awaken from his rejuvenating nap. The whole idea disgusted Izumi. They were all a bunch of weak minded fools! How could the Country of the Flame rise up to such prominence with such weaklings as their shinobis? Izumi spat in disgrace to the Flame. He looked up, and saw Kaname sleeping, and Shinji absolutely defenseless to whatever threat may come. ?Idiots,? he moaned. He walked towards Shinji. His steps were calm and slow; no step was too much in front of the other. He was perfectly balanced. There wasn?t any threat to him slipping on the ice. When he passed by the hole Kaname made, he noticed how she used too much chi. If she used a little less, and if it was more evenly distributed, she could of have made a clean cut hole. She wasted too much just for some water for a fool. Izumi looked down at Shinji. He saw how the orange head was sleeping peacefully, totally unaware of how much trouble he had caused. He was sleeping there in such a peaceful daze, that there would have been nothing to stop Izumi from crushing his head like a bug. He could imagine it exactly what it would be like; the way the skull would crumble, how the flesh would tear at the pressure, and how blood and brain would explode in every direction. He had done it before, and he could do it again. Just a grip of his hand, and the earth would answer the call. The dirt and mud and snow would wrap around Shinji, and in an instant, crush him. But for some reason that day, Izumi didn?t kill Shinji. He just shrugged, said to himself it wasn?t worth his time, and went back to the cave wall, to wait in silence for his team members to awaken.

Sorry about the lateness of this reply. I've been kind of lazy as of late :P [QUOTE]Shinji is of course my favorite character. I'm going to assume he's based off Naruto, because their characters are so similar.[/QUOTE] Actually, that was not the case at all! I never had any intention to make Shinji similiar at all - but, like Orson Scott Card has said, "The problem is that real influence is (or should be) unconscious" ([url=http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/lessons/1999-12-20.shtml]LINK[/URL]). I love the whole Naruto mythos, although its title character comes to me as an annoyance more times than not. But, I don't want Kenzolu to be compared to it beyond its influence. Naruto inspired me to write this; it gave the base for the Kenzoku series. But, do I want it to have so many minor similarities that it should be compared to Naruto? No, I hope not. [QUOTE]The fact that he has a giant sword as his spirit weapon is even kooler. Like I mentioned earlier, just give him the chance to use it somewhere in the future, though from your comment, I have no doubt that you will. =)[/QUOTE] When he does use it, it will be something that will be well worth the wait. [QUOTE]The only one I have anything to say about is Isumi. He's made like Gaara, meaning he has, or is, a monster.[/QUOTE] Yes, all of the fangirls' favorite psychotic maniac was obviously inspired greatly by Gaara. He's been a major pain in my side because early on, he practically IS Gaara. But, I have a few ideas to make him so different that there will be no comparison. However, there is the now, and not the then. I need to work on the now before I get to the then. [QUOTE]One thing, is being the leader SO important? Everyone needs to be a team, not worry about ruling everyone else. Though I do guess it's just in their personalities. LoL poor Shinji!![/QUOTE] You are exactly right, its melded into their personalities. Kaname has her 'mightier than thou' attitude, Orochi, with his calm disposition, likes to analyze things, and thus see that he is the best choice, and Izumi is just power hungry. And poor little Shinji-kun is just lost in the middle! [QUOTE]I was surprised when you mentioned the wasukas. I immediately thought "Bleach!" [/QUOTE] Inspiration, not ripoff. :p [QUOTE]really like this new development. It makes for an interesting twist for a Ninja story.[/QUOTE] Originally, there weren't going to be any wasuka in the story, but I had watched a Bleach episode, and the idea just came to me. I went on it from there. [QUOTE]Just, make sure they USE them! I cannot stress this enough. In Bleach, they train for their zanpaktos different strengths, and the zanpaktos give their owner the power. Maybe use this in a similar way, though I don't know where you were going with it. Just make SURE to develop the wasukas, because they have personalities too.[/QUOTE] It won't be developing like you think, but it would be more like fleshing out of their characters. They [I]are[/I] spirits, after all - they are not human. They don't change ideas or motifs like we tend to do every other minute. [QUOTE]O yeah, and how far are you on the next chapter? I'm REALLY looking forward to it.[/QUOTE] All this week, I have been revising chapter one and the prologue, adding new scenes, removing lines and paragraphs that disrupted the flow of the story. I mostly added to Shinji, where I had him do some thinking at the frozen pond at the Academy, and I removed the story telling scene. I also added Kaname's scene in the bar. I am two pages into Chapter 5, because of the reason above. I am going to try to get it out as quickly as possible, although I am not guaranteeing anything. It may take me another month, like Chapter 4!

Silent_sword909, Thanks for reading the entire Kenzoku, as I have managed to write. Not alot of people are capable of reading 61 pages on a monitor in one sitting [me included :shifty:], but I really appreciate it. Yes, I took alot of elements from Naruto, because it was my main inspiration. I tried to keep it as that [and not ripping it off :animeshy:]. I also took the zanpakutos from Bleach, and modified them greatly, although how the zanpakutos were presented were not exactly the most unique idea on the face of the earth. I'm glad you liked the characters; do you have any favorites? How do you hate? Who needs some work? I don't want to have the characters rely on their wasukas too much because they are supposed to be top class mercenaries. The best warriors know the path to success is diversity; they will use the wasukas, I assure you of that, but only when the time comes. But when that time [I]does[/I] come, I assure you that you shall not be disappointed.

Well, here's the thing: I am a cheap. I will do anything and everything to spend as little money as possible. I think it is ridiculous how high they prince anime DVDs here, when TV shows give us same amount of content for just $50 [instead of fifty dollars for just two or three episodes per DVD]. That is a ripoff, no matter of an anime fan you are. So, I download fansubs. I have no problem with fansubs, and I probably won't until the American-Anime companies get their act together and price anime at an affordable price.

How did I know smexy Tiana was going to make a Prom thread? :rolleyes: I did not go to prom. It is a waste of my time because I hate big parties like that, its a waste of my money because I would have a horrible time, and because I like to go against the flow. That, and the demi-god that is Kevin was in agreement with me.

Well, I never am the best at critiquing, but I will do my best. First off, I have to say after the dozen or so fan fictions I have read, I love first person narration when it is done right. It has a certain flare that is just so much more alien, foreign, and marvelous than third person. Of course, that applies only when it is done right. And yes, you got it right. It was mostly the little things, like [QUOTE]Charlotte laughs--her voice is small, pink, and times new roman.[/QUOTE] Just make me laugh. Its cute things like that that makes this a good story. However, it does seem to drag at the end, the classroom scene. It really wasn't that interesting. Now, you said it was still being worked on, so I'll just let that fly. Good luck, fellow writer wannabe! ~Matt

Darth, I have told you a thousand times already how much I love your work, and I will inevitably tell you a thousand times again. The months wait are [I]ALWAYS[/I] worth the sheer majesty that is your writing. My only complaint is you don't get enough out!

[INDENT]You thought that this was dead. You thought that this story was pushed off into obscurity forever. Well, you are [I]wrong[/I]! I present to you know Chapter Four, the longest chapter of Kenzoku, ranking at a massive nineteen pages. So, enjoy yourselves. [b]UPDATE[/b] Someway, somehow, a section was deleted. I added it - it would be the one featuring Izumi and his awesomeness. [/INDENT] [RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Chapter Four[/B][/RIGHT][/RIGHT] [RIGHT][RIGHT][B]The Hunt[/B][/RIGHT][/RIGHT] As Orochi made his way through the dense forest of oversized roots, head level branches, paths that twisted through and around enormous light shielding trees and snow frosted boulders, Orochi began to wonder how the original explorers managed to map the forest to begin with. He had hiked through the woods for only a few minutes, and already he began to fear that he wouldn?t see another soul for several days. No matter which direction he took, he was certain that those pair of trees looked very familiar, or that he had already seen that boulder before. Didn?t he already see that tree that was split in two? A strange feeling called fear began to creep into Orochi?s subconscious. His conscience began to ask him a flurry of questions, and the more questions that questioned his abilities, the more he began to believe them. He had traveled in what looked like the same area for a good amount of time now. That good amount of time could turn into a large amount of time, which could evolve into hours, and maybe even days. Orochi didn?t want to believe that he would be another name added to the list of those forever lost in the Ookii Forest, but he was starting to think that would happen very soon. Orochi sighed, and sat on a rock, but not before wiping the snow off. He hugged his coat, and shivered. His skin couldn?t get any paler, but his raven colored hair was getting covered in snow thanks to his lax of not wiping it off. He was starting to look like the spirit of someone who was lost in the storm. Orochi shivered again, and his mind began to wander to his return a year ago. It was on a cold winter?s day - which was odd, since snow was rare enough - much like this. Orochi didn?t come to his homeland weak, crawling on his legs and arms, his body so skinny one could see his bone. Instead, he went to the clan home of the Hebi in a proud stance, where he said what had transpired. There was much sadness in his voice then, as much he had tried to hide it, and his clan gave their condolences, and comforted him. But there was no one to comfort Orochi now. He was alone, taking on a task alone that would help his team succeed in their sensei?s test. He couldn?t halt his search for the frozen cave now, not when others were depending on him. More determined than before, although not by much, Orochi began to walk forward, in a direction he had not calculated nor thought about. It was decided randomly. Orochi walked for a good amount of time before he realized he was [I]not[/I] lost. Instead, he found he was now exploring new areas. Once he thought about it, the small storm had confused his vision, and made him think that when he was going straight over that small hill, he was in truth going [I]around [/I]the hill, and back at the rock resting at the base of the split tree. Orochi chuckled spiritedly at his good fortune. Perhaps he had a chance to be of more use beyond keeping that big headed girl in line after all. He walked for a few more minutes, his cautious feet apprehensive not to trip over any roots. Suddenly, as he stepped on a leaf hidden under the snow, the dead skin cracking under his boot, the observant Hebi heard a very familiar and unsettling sound. It was the growls of a hungry wolf. He drew a kunai, and turned in the direction of the growls. He was expecting the meat crazed wolf to leap at Orochi immediately, in a fool hardy attempt to pounce the snake-man. But to his surprise, no such foolish leap came from such a direction. Instead, Orochi?s kunai met only silence. Rather, the wolf, not as starving as the wolves from before, circled around Orochi from beyond his field of vision, and leaped from the side. Orochi had presumed too much in hoping the wolf was starving to the point of insane tactics, and he barely avoided the wolf?s maw. Even then, he was scratched at the arm. The beast lunged for Orochi, and he managed to keep the maw at bay. But as he struggled with the beast, his eye found something horrifying. A butcher carved slice of meat was hanging from a tree. ?It?s a trap!? Orochi yelled in a horror. Sensei had laid a trap! Did she presume they would travel in a group? Or? ?The others!? Sensei had planned a trip for the other three students; of this, Orochi was certain. The wolf?s strength overpowered the pale Orochi, and it tackled him. Orochi?s kunai barely kept the drooling maw from tearing his face off. He had to think of something quick. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] Shinji walked through the snow frosted grounds of the nearing river. He clutched his jacket close to his chilled skin. He licked his lips to give them some warmth. He wiped some slime off of his nose. His boots crushed into the snow as he walked through the storm. His eyes tried to keep themselves off from the ground, to keep it focused on the land above. This did not prove an easy task, however, for his thoughts were clouded with doubt. It is not an easy thing, to in the first time in battle, to appear weak and useless. The fact that Shinji had trained so hard only made the wound sting all the more. He creaked his neck up, to look up at the sun layered beneath the snowing clouds. It looked so bright today, despite the fact that it was snowing. It wasn?t a fierce storm; more like a frost than anything. Of course, it?s been a frost that has adding more and more snowflakes every moment for the past couple of days; thus, a few inches of snow had piled up across Disbakao. And despite this, the sun continued to shine through it all, never seeing to struggle in the latest. It was a weird thing, for Shinji to try to think of the sun as a living thing. The sun didn?t breath, think or speak; it had no emotions of any kind. What good would admiring the sun?s work do when it wasn?t even human? It was like comparing apples to oranges. But didn?t the Gods create the sun with their own blood? Didn?t that mean that the sun was a living thing as well? Maybe it wasn?t necessarily human, but it was something else. Perhaps it was just merely human in [I]thought[/I]. But if that was the case, then Shinji could relate to the sun. And if the sun could go through all of this effort, of burning away at the snow, not get any progress, but [I]still[/I] fulfilling its duty, then what excuse did Shinji had of failing just this one time? ?I am one of the users of the Fyuujin-Ru style! Only one of twenty who actually graduated! None of the others have a skill like mine. Forget what that girl said! I [I]will[/I] succeed here. I?m not going to fail. Not now!? Shinji continued his walk on the riverside, but now his stance was different. His shoulders were proud, not shallow. His boots stamped hard into the snowy ground; his arms didn?t waver in the wind like there was no strength in them. Shinji continued his march for several more minutes. The more he walked, the more snow he crunched under his boot, the more determined he seemed to get. Shinji didn?t realize thus, but portions of the river had begun to bubble, as if there was a volcanic eruption beneath the river bed. This was in fact the work of a water elemental summoning jutsu, and Shinji was about to see the handiworks of that jutsu. The river exploded into the air, the water now taking upon the form of the elementals. Shinji stood there shocked. It was a marvelous sight to behold, and it was something he doubted he would ever see again. The water curved itself, separated into three different streams, and slammed into the ground around Shinji. Instantly the shape of the elementals could be seen: faceless creatures, with a slim form. Their entire body lacked legs; it merged into the ground, drawing upon the massive supply of water that was caught deep in the earth. Their speech was intelligible, more on par to someone choking on water than an alphabetical language. Their eyeless heads stared at Shinji. Then they struck, their bodies fell to the ground, slithering at great speeds like snakes. They all slammed into Shinji, hundreds of gallons of water. One of them wrapped their liquid body around his leg, and sent him flying for the trees. Shinji was not as poor a shinobi as people would chose to believe. Even as he was flying, his chi was flowing to his fingertips; certainly not at the amount and control that Kaname exhibited, but it was enough for him to have the chi act like glue onto a quickly approaching tree limb, allowing him to swing onto it in a quick and secure fashion. Shinji quickly decided that he would have to attack them now. If he hesitated, he would be back on the defensive, and like before, he would be thrown around again. But how? Shinji had scored poorly on the tactics test. It was evident he was not one to devise maneuvers and strategies on the fly like others. And as the elementals began to make their way towards him, Shinji quickly realized that he would need to devise a plan [I]now[/I]. A cracking of wood echoed into Shinji?s ear. Shinji looked down; the branch was cracking. It was the weight of Shinkasai! The enormous blade was too much for the branch to handle. Shinji was about to leap for a nearby tree, but he was too slow. The branch broke beneath him, and Shinji fell to the ground. Even though they had no breath, Shinji could feel the presence of the water elementals gathering around him. He could sense that one of them was surely was raising its watery arm to smash Shinji into the ground. Shinji turned around, onto his back, and he saw that his prediction was true. He attempted to bring out a kunai, in a feeble defense, but he was too slow, too dazed from falling to the ground. He felt the shock of the water fist slamming into his face. He went flying into the forest. The force of the strike threw Shinkasai off of Shinji?s back. It was thrown into a tree, impaling the bark. Shinji hit the ground hard, and rolled through the snow, and he surely would not of have stopped until he hit a tree if he hadn?t dug his nails into the earth. He slowed down to a halt. He raised himself, a hard task. His head was bleeding as were some of his fingers. It was not severe, but it was troublesome. His vision was blurred a little bit, but he could clearly see the water elementals heading towards him. He brought out his kunai and this time he was not too slow. He had his weapon to bear long before the elementals had come for their third assault. One of them brought its form up, and raised its arm. A stream of water emerged, enough to send Shinji flying into a tree behind him. Shinji barely ducked below it: he felt the mist on his face. It was too close for comfort. He moved beneath the stream, and made his way towards the water elementals, Shinji holding the knife as if to stab. One was already making its way towards him, its right hand prepared to smash into him. But Shinji proved the swifter, and his kunai cut into the watery flesh. He dug through the massive amount of water, and it didn?t take long for the arm to separate from the body. It eventually splattered into the earth, now nothing more than harmless water. Shinji turned around, his sliding boots creating a cloud of dirt around him, thinking that he would see the rest of the elemental showing [I]some[/I] sort of pain from losing its arm. Instead, he found the area where the arm once was bubbling, and the arm had regenerated. ?This can?t be happening,? was all Shinji could force out of his mouth. If he hadn?t said those words, he would of have seen a water elemental creep behind him, and plunge his head into a portion of its arm. Shinji dropped his kunai, and wrapped his hand around his throat, trying desperately and fruitlessly to wiggle free. The water elemental sped off, dragging Shinji along the ground. Shinji felt the harshness of stone and dirt digging into his legs. The elemental quickly threw Shinji off, his lungs from the threat of suffocating, but in threat of being slammed into the tree. By the grace of luck, it was his back that faced the punishment, and it was the lower end of the tree. He was fortunate he would not have to fall to the ground. Once again Shinji stood up, but it was a much more difficult task this time. His hands and legs were bleeding, and he was coughing up water mixed with blood. His left eye felt heavy now, and he tasted blood in his mouth. His stature was slouched, as if there was a bag full of wood strapped to his back. As the water elementals slowly began to approach him, Shinji knew that it was over. He was cornered, outnumbered, and so beat up it was a struggle just to [I]twitch[/I]. He was a mouse in a corner with three bloodthirsty house cats staring at him in the eye. After all of his hard work, the sweat he had poured, the blood that has been cut from his body, Shinji could come to only a single conclusion. He had failed. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] Izumi?s eyes scanned the plains. It was an odd thing, for a forest to have a section to have so few trees and be so flat. It felt more like a frosted desert than an actual forest. Even the sound of his footsteps was more comparative to rocks than the earth. He had been walking on the chartered path for quite some time. His cold, emotionless eyes showed little distraction. His entire being was focused on the task at hand. It was no surprise: he was known throughout his graduating class for being an emotionless person. Now that he decided to think about it, one could say he was heartless. He didn?t show much affection. When spring came, as the sakura trees came to bloom, he wouldn?t give as much as a smile. He never had a crush, even though some beautiful girls attended the Academy. Not once had he complained of any surprise tests. Thus, their rumors were very well founded. Of the little the class knew of him, Izumi did have all of the traits of a cold person. But there were always the little things that no one but those with a keen eye would see that showed what Izumi really was like. It was almost a shame that no one in the Academy had such a keen eye. Izumi continued forward. He did have a task to do after all. Even though he was doing this task ? to find where the next hint was, and thus, the sensei - mainly for himself, he knew that it would be unfortunate for the Flame to lose two shinobis. He didn?t even consider Shinji. He was just baggage. Izumi flexed his hand. It was getting sore from not moving. He looked around, to try and see if there was anything he had missed. This place looked very familiar. In fact, he was certain he had been here before. There was the possibility of it being a genjutsu spell, what with this being a test, but Izumi had his doubts. It would be a waste to use such a high ranking spell on just a few, miserable, newly graduated hajin. No, something else was at work here. Izumi would walk on the same path for another minutes before his hypothesis was proven. He got on his knees, and reached into his shirt, producing a gourd filled with dirt. He poured some of the dirt onto his hand. He closed his hand, and crushed the dirt. He opened his hand, and an eyeball made from the soul was visible. The hard eyelids blinked, staring at its master. ?Reveal the mystery.? The eyeball hovered up to eye level with one of Izumi?s eyes. It blinked once, and then it dissolved into useless dirt. Izumi stood up, and looked around. On a large rock was a strange creature. Its flesh was of a grayish hue, its eyes large and red. Its arms and legs were long and thin, and a large coat covered it. It didn?t have a mouth. Strapped to its back was a scythe. It was a Dream Monster. It wandered places were few entered, much like the plains of the Ookii Forest, and ever slowly, sent its victims into a realm of dreams. The realm would be nearly identical to the real world, with minor differences; nearly unforeseeable differences. Like a tree with a tint of blue in its bark. Once there, the victim would ever slowly have their soul sucked out of them. They would wander the dream realm for ages, not knowing how to get out, for they believed they were in the real world. They would wander until they died. Izumi smirked. The monster realized that its plan had failed. It grabbed its scythe, and ran for Izumi. Its long legs gave it great strides. In mere seconds, it was upon Izumi. He only blinked. A wall of earth erupted, trapping the Dream Monster. The roots wrapped around the hands, the mud hardened around the neck. The creature struggled more and more to break free, but that made Izumi only tighten the grip all the more. ?I hate games,? he said. He tightened his hands into a fist. The wall crushed the monster?s neck. Blood seeped through the cracks, like water slipping through a dam. Izumi released his grip, dropping the creature to the floor. Izumi turned from the creature. He took out a vial containing chi-infused earth from within his cloak, and spilled its contents into the ground. He opened his palm, and took out a small knife. The edge bit down into his palm. Izumi flipped his hand over, allowing the blood to drip onto the special dirt. Izumi kneeled down. ?See for me,? he commanded, barely above a whisper. The dirt collected onto itself, pebbles and earth forming into an eye. It hovered to face to face with its master. It blinked. ?Find me the cave.? The fell to the ground, and merged with the earth. It moved under the earth, like a worm. Izumi did not need to wait long for his spy to return. It told him the cave was not here. He would not waste his energy. He sat on the ground, cross legged, and waited. [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] Orochi hates drool. He hates drool on his clothing, and he gets freaked out when he sees snoozing people drooling all over them. But most of all, he absolutely despises drool, saliva, grime, on dropping onto [I]him[/I]. Even a drop makes his skin crawl. The wolf?s hungry maw was dripping so much saliva, that Orochi could probably have [I]bathed[/I] in it. Needless to say, it was taking every ounce of his will to resist dropping his kunai and wiping the stuff off of him. Orochi stared into the eyes of the wolf; they were yellow, but the massive, black, fur made them look like deep caverns, with only a hint of light at then end. The eyes stared with great discipline at Orochi. They were hungry; the way the orbs refused to stir from Orochi told him so. This beast was starving: a mere bug was a feast. A rabbit was a banquet. A human would be heaven?s blessing. But Orochi could not fall to a mere wolf. He had made a promise, and he had every intent to keep it. He couldn?t even imagine dieing now. Not only would it be embarrassing him falling to a simple, anonymous, wolf, but he had too much to do. Not just to keep the promise he made long ago: he still needs to lead the group to sensei. He needs to look at sensei. He needs to tell her that they beat all the odds. But most important of all, he has to let Kaname kick the sensei?s ass for making them go through a hell of a test. Then he would let sensei kick Kaname?s ass, for being such a pain. The giant beast?s massive paw had wrapped around Orochi?s left arm. Blood was oozing from the nails. Orochi licked his lips a little. They were shivering a bit: it was very cold. His spit gave his lips some warmth. Biting the bullet, he pushed paw off of him. The paw clawed the entire arm at the recoil. No longer pinned down, Orochi tore his kunai out of the fangs? tight grip. The knife cut through rotted teeth and flesh. It ripped at the mouth. The wolf whimpered at the pain. Orochi raced to his feet, his hand gripping his kunai. He ignored the pain in his left arm, and placed it firmly behind his kunai arm. It was a somewhat steady support for the shivering arm. The wolf growled. It hated itself for allowing its prey to overcome it; it was [I]so[/I] close to tearing at the pale boy?s delicate flesh. It could have smelled the aroma of a good meal. But, it was too distracted by what was to be, and not focused on the task at hand. Because of that, Orochi managed to slip away. Now the wolf was wounded. The tables had turned. It stared at Orochi again with those caves for eyes. It would make up for its previous mistake. It would do whatever it takes to have Orochi for a meal. It charged at the Hebi. It was a berserk charge, a movement of the paws fueled by its hunger. There were no longer calculations, no tactics, not even a thought of what would occur afterwards. It had abandoned that a wolf was. Now, it was just the beast, an entity that wished for only the short pleasure of food. It had little chances of victory. Orochi easily sidestepped the lunge, and cut into its belly. The beast whined as it rolled to the ground. It was shaking. Life was quickly its grasp on the black furred monster. Blood was oozing from its wounded mouth. Stomach acid was burning its intestines from the inside. Orochi sheathed his kunai. He took one last glance at the poor creature, and gave it his pity. Wolves were often symbolized as creatures of honor. They were born with the pack, they hunted the pack, and they died with the pack. It was ironic how even the entities of honor and selflessness could be reduced to a ravaging beast. He turned his back to the beast. He would allow nature to do her duty. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] The mountains of the Ookii Forest never were like mountains in the most common of terms. The mountains had much more in common with canyons, the mounds of earth splitting in dozens of directions, creating just as many pathways. Each pathway was enough for perhaps six full grown adults, mere inches apart, to step through. Any more and you would have a very tight squeeze. It certainly wasn?t nearly as barren as the plains were. On the other hand, the mountains were full of bushes and trees. Vines emerged from nearly every crack. Moss could be seen on the floor and wall. Trees curved, creating arches in the pathway. As Kaname made her way through the mountain pass, her thought on the matter went through several changes. At first, she was certain she got the shorter end of the stick. After all, the trek was hard, with there being rocks protruding from the earth that slowed down her progress, low hanging tree branches that slapped her in the face when she was not looking, and of course, the fact that there was snow up to her ankles. She lost count how many times her foot plunged into the snow because she was too distracted to see that it was shallow. But eventually, Kaname managed to see things in a much more positive light. The rocks were mostly flat, so they provided her with a place for her to rest when she started to get tired. The branches lurked on the sides of the path. With her walking in the center, she would not find any branches hitting her face. The trees actually provided her with some shade from the heat, which had seemed to go up since she departed from the others. And once she started to follow the trail of pebbles, not once did her foot fall into the snow. Naturally, all of these measures became second nature to her. It quickly became as simple as walking in a clean hallway. With her mind so relieved, she began to hum. It was a simple tune really, just a series of high notes followed by a few low notes. But it was relaxing, and it added to the serenity of the place. It was so quiet; no rabbits or any other animals scurried across the path. The wind gently pushed the bushes and swayed the trees. It was almost eerie; frightening even. [I] [/I] As she walked and hummed that ever simple tune, she looked in admiration at the atmosphere. People didn?t know it, and she would never let them because it would smear her good name, but she loved nature. This wasn?t the first time she had been Ookii Forest. She would on occasion come here to be involved with nature. Granted, she had never been this far deep into the forest, but it still seemed like a second home to her. Kaname shivered. ?Its chilly. Should of brought an extra layer.? She licked her lips, just to keep them from becoming cold. She rubbed her legs a little bit. It didn?t help too much, but it really wasn?t so cold that she would fear for her life. ?Damn sensei, you had to do this to us on such a cold day? Could of done it next week, you know?? She continued her walk, mumbling complaints as she went. She stopped under a tree, its leaves with some frost on them. ?Well, its not too bad I guess. Everyone else is probably struggling through the woods, especially that damn Hebi and that useless outsider. Heck, this is a piece of cake! Must be the Uzuki charm.? After she looked at the surroundings for a bit, she moved on. From there on, the path became much more rugged and bumpier. It was now a forced effort to continue. Still, she treated it leisurely. It was a bit more effort, sure, but why worry so much about it? It?s just a bunch of rocks and hills. Nothing a good Uzuki footing couldn?t handle. She had just climbed over a hill when her eyes gleamed. They gazed at an interesting phenomenon: a frozen lake. It was a small lake; enough that a teenager could probably swim across it in twenty minutes time. It was in the center of a circle of cliffs and hills, as if the terrain was protecting this very lake. That in itself was odd, but what was even more curios was that the lake was even [I]frozen[/I]. It was cold, although chilly was the far more accurate term, but not cold enough for a lake to be frozen. Something (or some[I]one[/I]) was at work here. Cautiously, she trekked down the hill, care to place her one foot in front of the other so that the steep slope wouldn?t cause her to trip and fall. She did not want to risk the chance of her head slamming into the ice. It took her little time to reach the frozen pond. With even greater care, she made her way across the ice, her geta sandals moving ever slowly. Although it would cause no casualty, she did not want to land on her butt. The moment she reached the other side, and saw what the frozen rocks and frosted trees had hidden from her sight before, a wonderful emotion flew into her. She had found [I]it![/I] The thing the others were searching for, but could not find. She, an Uzuki, had unearthed what the other fools had failed to do. The thing that stood before her was a testimony of the superiority of the Uzuki lineage. She had found the cave hinted in the scroll. It would have been easy for her to leap for joy, screaming at the top of her lungs how she had found the cave. But to do so would be to waste time. Kaname was being tested of her abilities as a shinobi; surely spying tags were placed in certain places of importance. They would allow sensei to see everyone?s progress and movements; she would see if they were truly shinobi. Even if they succeeded, the manner in which they undertook the test may cost them everything. Kaname calmed her composure. She went through her bag, searching for the items she would need to alert the others. She found a small firework: it was the size of a wrist, the perfect tool for a shinobi. Now wanting the sparks to light her bag on fire, she pushed it away. She pushed the firework into the ground. A series of symbols were etched into it. Kaname placed her hands over the firework, and began to cumbersomely form the seal to activate the firework. The letters began to glow. Kaname ran off. The firework launched itself into the sky, a small trail of smoke following behind. It exploded in a glorious spectacle. ?If that don?t get those boneheads? attentions, I?m clueless as what will.? [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] The water elementals surrounded Shinji. His breathing had only worsened as they began to corner him into the tight circle. Shinji could feel the mist their corporal forms emitted. Shinji?s body was hunched over. His body hurt too much for him to even stand up straight. His good eye saw how the water elementals examined him with their eyeless faces. They were waiting for him to make the next move. Shinji?s breathing; the way he couldn?t stand up; his eye that was so bruised he couldn?t see anything out of it. The elementals [I]knew [/I]that Shinji was weak; so weak that just collapsing to the ground seemed like a very worthwhile proposition. The elementals stared at Shinji once more. They stared at him with those eyeless features. They had no face, but they mocked him. They criticized his weakness: he, a shinobi of Disbakao, incapable of defeating mere elementals; thralls to their master, a mere extent of a shinobi?s power. He, Shinji Zukachi, had declared himself shinobi. But in truth, he was only weak. Was he to give up now? After all of his work, his shed blood and poured sweat, was he truly to give up? He had passed over many obstacles, had taken many blows, and walked on many paths, all to bring him to this moment. And now, just one final test bisected him from the road of his dram, and he was to thrown in the towel so easily? Was that the road of a shinobi? No, it was the road of a coward. It was that of the fool, a quitter. If he gave up now, allowed the elementals to overcome him, he truly would die. But if he gave a fight, a battle worthy of a shinobi, even if he was just a newly graduated one, his name would not die in shame. He would die with honor. Fighting the aches, Shinji stood up straight. The elementals didn?t dare waste a moment to begin their assault. They leaped towards Shinji, but it was clumsy. They all leaped at once, and in the same exact direction. Before, it was in unison, but different directions and angles, so that they would not smash into each other. Just as elementals were an extent of their master?s power, they also shared some of their characteristics. It would appear sensei was a very cocky individual, when she seemed to have won the battle. Two of the elementals smashed into each other. Water splashed as the summon waved into the floor. The elementals curved into a ball of water, and they rolled until they slammed into a tree. Water splashed everywhere, but the moment the water touched the ground the elementals began to take shape once more. This was nothing more than a setback. The third elemental was right on target. It slammed into Shinji?s chest. The pressure of the water pushed him into the ground. The water elemental altered its height, towering over Shinji. Its form had pinned down his chest and left arm. Victory was in its grasp. Its watery speech muttered a statement of defiance. The water creature rose into the air, preparing for a mighty strike that would easily crush Shinji?s bones. But it was too headstrong: it did not see that Shinji was already managing enough chi to form kounen. Fire surrounded Shinji?s free arm. He lashed out with it. If the water elemental was capable of intelligible speech, the noise that would have emerged out of its mouth would be a blood curling scream of pain. Once cold water turned into painful steam; steam that could never return to the elemental. When the elementals sprang their trap on Shinji, they had never expected that the boy wielding the giant blade could manipulate fire. The elemental, like a whimpering puppy, slithered off of Shinji. Drenched, the orange haired shinobi rose to his feet. He was dazed, but far from confused, and certainly not cornered, despite the disadvantage of facing three unfamiliar enemies alone. The elementals knew that he could kill them now. Before anything he hit them with could just be returned to their bodies. But those fire hands of his; they turned their liquid bodies into cold steam. Steam turns into gas. Gas does not return to water so quickly. The tables had turned. With that revelation in mind, Shinji smiled. He looked down at his hand. A small flame still surrounded it, but the water had cooled it somewhat. Whenever he attacked the water elementals with the Fyuujin-Ru, he would have to add more chi to keep the kounen burning. It would be wise for him to not allow the elementals to learn that side effect. Shinji closed his hands into a tight fist. He expanded a little chi into them, igniting the spark. Like a revolving shield, the kounen fire surrounded Shinji?s hands. They were never to touch him, unless he was to lose all concentration. Many Fyuujin-Ru masters had faced a cruel and painful death due to them losing their concentration in the middle of a battle, and they ignited themselves with their own kounen. There were dozens of precautions, of course, but when in battle the word ?prepare? is meaningless. Shinji breathed in. He looked at the wounded elemental. He took another deep breath. He could see the frozen air emerge from his nostrils. He tightened the warm grip of his fist. And then, he sprinted towards them. His footing was clumsy, like a new wolf pup following its mother towards their next meal. But the speed at which he ran more than made up for it. The crackling kounen fire trailed behind him. The water elemental saw the flaming doom that approached him. Preparing for one, final attack, it rose up. It drew as much water as it could to its arms, and unleashed a massive wave of water towards Shinji. The Fyuujin-Ru adept didn?t have the time to move out of the way. He guarded himself with his arms in an X stance, and hopes the raging fires would be enough to stop the assault. It wasn?t. The strength of the water was too much. It cost the elemental nearly all of its strength, but Shinji was pushed back, rolling on the ground. When he stopped, he saw the looming figure of a water elemental towering over him. Shinji lashed out at the water elemental, but winced back. He realized that his kounen was put out by that final attack! He knew he had to move. The water elemental, seeing its chance to avenge for its wounded brother, brought its watery arm down. Shinji rolled out of the way, barely avoiding the splash. He crawled to his feet, dashing for a tree. The water elemental that had just nearly crushed him threw a missile of water at him. Shinji hid behind a tree just as it was about to slam into his beck. Shinji hid behind the tree. He breathed hard. He heard the splashing of multiple missiles against the tree, the elemental hoping its power would break the tree apart. Slowly, Shinji peered around the corner of the tree. He nearly got his face ripped off by a missile. He stayed covered behind the tree, refusing to move, despite the fact that he could tell the water elemental was moving ever closer. He [I]knew[/I] that if he wanted to live, he had to move, but he didn?t know where. If he ran to the next tree, there was a sure chance that he would be hit by the elemental?s missile. If he stayed, the elemental would kill him anyways. Fighting the best of his judgment, Shinji ran for the nearest tree. He heard only one missile come towards him. He dived beneath it, tasting snow and dirt on his lips. The missile splashed above him, tearing off bark. Shinji crawled behind his next cover. But this time, he wouldn?t dare allow himself to be cornered again. He ignited his hands with as much kounen as he could muster, and he dashed towards the water elemental. He swerved between the missiles. When he saw the most sensitive of ripples in the face of the elemental, he leaped towards it. His hands were raised, the crackling fire passing behind him. His blue eyes were focused absolutely on his target. Nothing distracted him. Nothing else mattered; not how one failure and he was dead, not how the elemental was rising, already posed to strike him and his life down. All that mattered was this one shot, this one chance. He must be patient; he must strike at the most prime moment. The very second when he can send his fiery hands through the watery form of the elemental, and cleave it in two. He could end it with one shot. Shinji saw that prime moment when the water elemental began to raise its hands. Its guard was done ? there was nothing but the cold air that protected its fragile body. His fists went crashing down straight into the torso of the elemental. The water splashed onto his face as the body of the elemental fell apart. When he landed on the ground, he landed a swift, kounen fuming, kick to the lower torso. The whole elemental now was just steam. Shinji rose up, his breathing anything but steady. His eyes wandered from tree to tree. The water elemental was in sight; the remaining one must be planning an assault. The other was too weak to do anything; Shinji put that one out of the equation. Elementals were noisy beasts. Even if they were standing still, the very elements from which they were made of caused an endless series of sounds and noises. The rippling of water; the crackling of fire. Only the earth elementals were the exclusion; if they stood still, the earth and rocks that made it up would be still with them. From behind him, Shinji heard the sound that seemed awfully similar to that of beach. He turned around, and saw out of the corner of his eye newly melted snow. Grinning, he headed in the direction. He dashed towards the tree, and when he rounded around its bend, indeed he did find the water elemental there. However, the moment he saw it, it sprung towards him, its long arms prepared to drown him in water. He realized at once that it was a trap, and he had fallen for it. Despite the flames around his arms kept him warm, he could still feel the icy grip of the water as they wrapped around him. It was like a dozen needles were being poked into his skin. Shinji screamed. He was [I]not [/I]going to allow himself to be trapped again! His fist blasted through one of the arms. The dismembered arm splashed to the ground, melting the snow away. Shinji dashed through the opening. When Shinji turned, he saw that the elemental was already spreading its water to give itself half an arm. The water bubbled, and the new arm sprung out. Shinji held his arms in front of him in a defensive stance, expecting the water elemental to strike at any moment. His prediction proved true. The water elemental rushed towards him at a speed Shinji knew he couldn?t avoid. He rolled out of the way, his back sprayed by the water. He looked to his left, and a plan quickly began to form. It would involve him balancing his chi, something he never was the greatest at. Kounen was one thing, but using chi to defy gravity? That was another story all together. Still, if it worked, this water elemental was as good as dead. At worst, it would give him an advantage. Shinji made his way for a nearby tree, his jog quickening into a sprint. As expected, the water elemental was close on his trail. The snow added to its body composition, giving it not only constant rejuvenation, but added power to boot. It raised its hand, and struck into the earth, hoping to trap Shinji under the massive pressure of water. Fortunately, Shinji heard it coming, and a small leap kept him out of the deadly strike. He soon found himself near the tree. The trick was to have his chi act like glue, gluing Shinji to the bark of the tree. It had to be enough that he would be able to defy gravity and walk up the tree, but not so much that he quite literally would be glued to the tree. The water elemental struck again, its watery fist aimed low. It would hit him in the spine; if it didn?t break his back, the hit would definitely kill him. Knowing this, Shinji leaped forwards, towards the tree. Already, his chi was flowing towards his feet. He had to balance it out?sometime between now and before he slammed into the tree. In total, he had about four seconds to complete the task. The fact that he had never done this before in a long time didn?t help his psyche. He positioned his legs so that his feet would land first. Shinji closed his eyes tightly, fearful of the likely failure. The boots landed on the bark with a large thud. When he opened his eyes, and realized he was looking upwards from the tree, and down on the ground, he knew at once he had completed the task. The water elemental was not impressed by Shinji?s accomplishments. It charged towards him. It raised its hand, and released a stream of water towards Shinji. He leaped off, using the loaded chi as a soft propulsion. The Chi Jump, as this technique was called, could enable a shinobi to make leaps between two buildings or more. It was an advanced technique, and Shinji knew he did not master it now. But, it helped him speed towards the water elemental like a speeding arrow. He gripped his fists, kounen fire already igniting it. The fists dug through the shoulder of the water elemental. The whole arm fell, exploding into a large shower. Shinji landed behind the water elemental. Before the elemental could turn, Shinji buried a kounen torched fist into its chest. It exploded into a mist. Shinji heard the cumbersome sounds of the wounded water elemental struggling behind some trees in the far background. Shinji turned to face it. The water elemental knew at once that it was doomed. Before Shinji rushed towards it to land the final blow, he raised a flaming fist in victory, and sported a wide grin on his face. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] After he had disposed of the Dream Monster?s corpse, Izumi sat cross-legged on a flat stone. His spy had told him that the frozen cave the orange haired boy spoke of was not on the plains; thus was one of the benefits of his unique heritage. There was no point wasting his energy; he was not like the Uzuki. So, he sat down and waited for a sign. He did not have to wait long: his peace was interrupted by the fireworks Kaname had lit into the sky. He observed them with great interest, calculating which direction they were from. ?Uzuki,? he decided. He got up, wiped some snow off of his shoulder, and made his way towards the mountains, where Kaname was surely impatiently awaiting him. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] When Orochi had heard the explosion of the fireworks, he had been sprinting through the forest. He wanted to get to Shinji first, for he perceived him as the first that would get killed by sensei?s traps without any aid. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he, as always, had a calm look on his face. When the fireworks did crackle in the sky, Orochi turned to look at them. He considered all possible actions he could take. It was obviously it was someone?s (with that someone being Kaname) way of saying they found the cave. It didn?t take much thought to know he should head there immediately. But, what if Shinji was dying? His death would do nothing but harm the team?s chance of passing the test. A mere half hour walk would save hours, if not days, on the test. A thought came to his mind: what if Shinji was alive and well, and was already on his way? Orochi would waste only time going to Shinji, when the orange haired shinobi did not need his help to begin with. Orochi rubbed his chin. He would place his trust in Shinji. He ran towards the fireworks. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER][/CENTER] [CENTER][CENTER] [/CENTER][/CENTER] Shinji?s fingers scrapped at the bark as his body slunk to the ground. In the battle with the water elementals, he had emerged as the victor. But the cost was he had drained his body of all his chi. His stamina was drained: he could barely keep himself standing without using a nearby tree as support. His shaking hand rose, the pale fingers trying desperately to reach for the tree. But it was a failed effort: gravity forced the hand to the ground. Shinji cursed at his misfortune. ?I won. I really won, huh? Yeah, right.? Shinji?s hand dug into the ground, as he tried to crawl his way through the forest. Most times, he would find only a handful of grass. But those few times, he would actually manage the strength to move his body. He struggled through the grass, earth, snow, and the shattered wood. His face had started to bleed again. The sheer effort his fingers had to go through was making them numb. He still couldn?t see out of his eye; half of the world was cast in darkness. He struggled ever on. When his fingers felt the harsh texture of a shattered bark, Shinji would use it as a stave, and plunge it into the ground, and use that as a way to push him forward. When it broke, he would use what was left until there was nothing left to use. Then, his fingers would go back to work. There came a time when eventually all strength left him. His hand dropped to the ground, and his cheek rested on the snowy ground. He breathed heavily; his chest felt heavy. Eventually, his breath became slow and harsh. His eyes looked strained; he barely blinked, even when a snowflake would fall on his emotionless eyes. Before him, rising from the ground, surrounded by shattered wood and life destroying snow, was a single flower. Its violent red was in total defiance of the atmosphere that surrounded it. Shinji?s cold eyes stared at the flower, mesmerized by it. How cold a single flower be here, when admits the chaos of the battle, not even trees were safe from the destruction? It seemed so surreal to Shinji. ?Look mother, I did it. I won. I managed to do [I]something[/I]. You were right, all this time. I?m not a failure. But, mother, I?m going to die here. I-I didn?t even become a full fledged shinobi. Just some boy who killed a bunch of water elementals.? Shinji coughed. He raised his head as high as he could, the edge of his eyes just barely seeing the roof of leaves the forest made. ?But I did something. I didn?t fail. They won?t know it. But, I still did it.? Shinji?s hand gripped the grass. ?Is it okay to give up then? I accomplished something: I can die peacefully, right mother? I can see you and father again, wouldn?t that be great?? Shinji closed his eyes, accepting his death. He felt so cold. He welcomed it. After all of his misery, he could finally end it all. He could finally have a peaceful death. Then, suddenly, as if the Gods had timed it themselves, the crackle of the fireworks awoke Shinji from his most wanted death. Slowly, his eyes opened, and he caught the spectacle in the middle of its grand performance. They did it. They found the cave he had thought of. He was right all along, and they had gotten through whatever trials they had to go through to find it. ?No, I can?t give up now. I can never give up, not like this. Die on a test? That?s too embarrassing?even for me. I-I gotta get up.? He knew it was foolhardy; he knew that he couldn?t move. But he would be damned before he try anyways. He hardly raised an inch before he fell to the ground. ?I gotta get up.? He raised and fell. ?I have to get up.? Again, failure. ?I need to get up.? Failure. He would attempt to rise above the ground, putting his trust purely in his unwillingness to die, but Shinji would fall to the ground every time. He wouldn?t stop trying, though. When he felt the blood drip down his nose, he would try even more. When he felt the bride of his nose bruised, he would rise even more frequently. He refused to die. Shinji didn?t know how long he laid there. For him, time had lost all of its purpose. But, there came a time when he found the will and strength to stand up. It was a slouched, half dead stature. It was the type a man who had just grazed with death would barely be able to keep. He walked a few steps before he fell on his knees. He breathed hard, gave an over confident smirk, and rose back up. It nearly killed him, but he didn?t care. He made his way to the tree where Shinkasai was impaled. His right hand slid along the smooth surface of its hilt. He grasped the end of it with both his hands. The blade fell out of the tree, like it was slathered in oil. Shinji caught it in his shivering arms. Shinji let off a small groan as he planted the blade into the earth. He moved a few steps, brought it out of the ground, and thrusted it into the earth again. The blade would be the only support Shinji would have a very long time. Shinkasai felt a little bit lighter.

Well, I've been doing some Photoshoping as of late. Nothing too grand though. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/Doublehex/forum/Soma_Ava.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/Doublehex/forum/Soma_Sig.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.khforums.com/uploads/av-25804.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7562/justesigtd7.jpg[/IMG] Everything else is kinda old, so it doesn't show my current skill.

[color=white]The boy with the spear charged at the man. His footwork has full of holes in its defense: one wrong move, one slip, and he would be hitting the dirt. He was moving so fast it would be a miracle if he could maneuver in a direction other than straight ahead. His weapon could easily be swiped out of his hand. But the boy, who Matt would later discover was named Kain, was willing to try. He had a sort of patriotism in his ancestry that the greatness of battle had unlocked within him. He had loved the history of his people, but now, he truly was a Spartan. It was like he was on the famed fields of Thermopylae, one of King Leonidas? three hundred bodyguards against the massive Persian army. But like his ancestors thousands of years ago, Kain was destine to lose. Job stepped back, and plunged his spear into the ground. It bent, and Job lunged forward. The velocity of the spear sent the bagged man flying towards Kain. In one swift motion, he grabbed Kain?s face, and pushed his body into the ground. Job pushed himself off of Kain?s face, leaped into the air, and landed squarely on Kain?s stomach. Kain screamed. Job stepped off of Kain?s shivering body. Using one of his bare feet, he, like a monkey, grabbed Kain?s face and threw him into the air. Job leaped upwards, landing a mighty punch right into Kain?s back. He grabbed one of his legs, twirled him around for a bit, and sent him flying into the ground. Somebody screamed his name and ran towards him. Job landed on the flat end of his spear. ?It appears I have waited much too long to give you the BIGGEST ASS WHOOPING IN YOUR LIVES!? He hopped to the ground. ?Kinda makes you wonder when Death is going to show up.? [center]*[/center] In a hospital off of one of Texas? many beaches, the spirit of a woman watched in the final moments of a soon to be mother giving birth. The woman was clothed in all black; spaghetti straps, baggy jeans, shoes, you name it. In fact, she was basically the incarnation of everything that Goths stood before. The only exceptions were piercings: those things scared the crap out of here. Eventually, the baby?s head popped up. Or at least, the earliest perceptions of the child?s hair. The spirit bent down, he black lips inches from the baby?s head. And she breathed, the icy blue air escaping from her lungs into the baby. She crept back and watched for a little while longer as the mother pushed the child completely out. It cried its first cry. The woman stretched, and turned around, her work done, when she bumped into someone. The man, who was also a spirit, looked more like a weird sort of zombie. His black hair was in dreadlocks, his skin much paler than the woman?s. He had a long face. ?Dream,? the woman quarried, her hands on her hips, ?whatcha need?? ?He said that Job is causing trouble.? ?Oh not again,? the woman sighed with obvious contempt. ?Do you have any idea how busy he made me? Honestly, why can?t He just let me end him?? ?Everyone has their time, Death. But we need to intervene.? ?Intervene? When was the last time any of us intervened on anything we weren?t here for?? ?Since Devil Children awoke.? ?That?s interesting. Where? How much?? ?Boston-Two for your first, and as for your second, well, you can find out when you get there.? ?You?re always to be a tease, Dream.? ?It?s what I?m here for. Now come on.? ?Now? But I can?t! I still have a funeral in Tokyo! And Guatemala! And in New York, there are babies to be born! I can?t leave now! It will put the whole circle of life in danger.? ?You have the grim reapers, don?t you?? ?But the whole ceremony out of it? They are always so quick to rush the dying grand father?s final goodbyes to his crying children! And they don?t even fall into the whole ceremonious occasion of the wonder of birth! They just breathe life into them in one, quick, motion! They don?t do it with caution and care!? ?The Lord wants us there.? ?Why me though? I don?t fight! That?s you and Destruction?s department!? Dream sighed. ?To keep me in line.? ?So I?m a baby sitter now.? ?You do love those babies.? ?That?s not the point.? ?Come on Death,? he added, this time pulling on her. ?Fine, fine, let?s go!? [center]*[/center] KKain didn?t move. He didn?t speak. He didn?t talk or walk or breathe or did anything at all. He just stood there, his eye gaping wide at the sky, like his whole body was frozen in time. He didn?t even shiver! Was he even dead? Or was he trapped somewhere between life and death, like a zombie? Matt didn?t want to believe in zombies, but neither did he want to believe that his right hand had morphed into a claw. He didn?t want to believe that there was this crazed lunatic that was probably going to kill the all. He didn?t want to believe that the sky was night when it should be clear as day; he didn?t want to believe that no pedestrians or cars were on the streets. But that didn?t mean they were true. Maybe his wish to disbelieve them made them all the more true. What was going on? Where was everybody? Where they still dazed? Or dead even? Was this all Matt?s fault? He didn?t know how it could have happened, but maybe something he did had caused all of this to happen. That was possible, right? If that was the case, then as much as Matt didn?t even want to consider it, he had to end it. But how? He was a scared shitless kid with a claw for an arm. What was he going to do, scratch that guy to smithereens? ?I need a weapon,? he said. As if to answer his call, Matt felt a weight in his hands. He looked down, to see two curved, large blades in his arms. The blades seemed to be layered and layered upon until the crafted had something of a chainsaw in design. They were colored red and blue. The hilt had the carvings of heads on them. They too, were red and blue in tint. ?What the?hell is this? ?Actually master, the correct term would be these?? Matt screamed. He dropped the blades, and crawled away from them. ?Well, thanks a lot Agni! Now you scared him shitless!? ?I didn?t mean to,? replied the blue hilt in its defense. ?I was explaining to him why he was grammatically incorrect in calling us ?this?.? ?You?re making as much sense as a Gnostic. Now shut up!? ?What the hell is going on?? The heads twisted on their hilts to face Matt. ?Well master, you summoned us.? Matt stared at the blue blade. ?I did what?? ?Simple,? muttered the red blade. ?You. SUMMONED. US.? ?How the hell can you guys even talk? What the hell is going on? What happened? Why is my hand clawed?? ?How we talk? Well, we just do.? ?Basically, this insane, Job, he goes around killing random folks. You guys are his next target.? ?You, the ten of you, are Devil Children. And you?ve woke up.? ?And it was a damn long nap too! How long does your demon need to sleep for, huh?? ?Oh, and as for your hand, well, that?s Magni?s handiwork.? The information went over Matt?s head. ?What?? ?Okay, I?ll keep it simple for you. We are yours to kick major ass with. Simple, no?? Matt nodded nervously at the red. ?I?guess.? ?Good, now how about you start with killing Job there?? ?Brother, he can?t ?? ?Shut up Agni!? Matt nervously picked up the swords. ?Agni? You guys have names.? ?Master, please! That?s insulting.? ?Okay look, the blue one, the one that can?t keep his mouth shut and makes as much sense as a calculus teacher. That?s Agni. I?m Rudra.? ?Okay?? Agni spoke. ?Now, why don?t we try to dispose of Job there?? ?And how do we, or I, uh, I mean, us, propose we do that?? ?You let us handle that.? ?You sure?Rudra?? ?POSITIVE!? they both announced. ?Just charge.? ?We?ll handle the rest.? ?I have a bad feeling about this?? ?JUST DO IT!!? And so, Matt did. He didn?t know how, or why, but before he knew it, he was charging at Job at top speed, his back hunched as his feet sped across the damp grass. The two blades were mere inches from the ground: Agni divided the glass perfectly, wind emitting from it. On the opposite end, grass was burnt on Rudra?s side. He was upon Job in mere moments. Job grabbed his spear, and was easily blocking all of Matt?s barbaric attacks. He spun his spear, and sent Matt hurtling back onto the grass. Matt flipped backwards, and was charging at Job again, his attacks even more ferocious than ever. Job sent his palm slamming into Matt?s cheek, and the boy spun, and Job sent a ferocious kick Matt?s way, sending him to the ground. Matt pushed Job off of him, and leaped towards him. Job, as expected, blocked all of Matt?s attacks, and the masked man showed no sign of being dazed. Matt latched onto Job?s spear, and leaped off. He was now a good distance out of the spear?s range. Matt stood up straight, while Job was crouched, his knees bent, all bestial like. The heads of Agni and Rudra began to glow, and instantly wind began to form around Matt, almost like a tornado. Flames emitted from Rudra, and they merged with the wind, forming a combination few ever thought they would of have seen beyond fantasy. The wind-fire lunged for Job, and he leaped out of the way with a hyperactive back flip. He dodged beneath another, and leaped forwards beneath a final cyclone imbued with fire. Job rushed for Matt, his legs and right hand crawling across the grass. His left hand held the spear high. Matt brandished Agni and Rudra, and the blades and spear met. Job, with a great push, sent Matt staggering backwards, but he met all of Job?s lunges and swipes with deadly accuracy. For every swipe, one of the twin blades would keep it at bay while the other would attempt to carve into Job?s shoulder. Whenever Job tried to stab Matt, the spear would be kept in a sandwich between the two blades. Eventually, the stalemate came to an end. The two heads linked to each other, forming a massive twin double blade. Matt charged a final time, preparing to grab hold of the spear with the free hand while he would deliver the final blow with Job. It ended disastrously. Job sidestepped the charge, and he kicked Matt into the air. He dropped his blade, and they disconnected upon hitting the ground. Job jumped, and landed a multitude of punched into Matt?s back. With each punch, Matt would be sent higher and higher into the air. And then, the spear went through Matt?s back. Job grabbed the spear, and threw it, and Matt, to the ground. And then he went cold. Everything went cold. A snapping of fingers could be heard throughout the tense atmosphere. No one saw Dream enter, adorned in his battle armor of demon skulls and his giant claymore made from his bones. Dream gave a look at Job, now sitting cross legged on the ground besides Matt?s corpse. ?Can?t win em all.? Dream charged, and Job tore the spear out of Matt?s body. And he clashed once again. [center]*[/center] Matt didn?t know where he was, but he didn?t like it. He was lying on the ground, unable to move. It looked like the Public Gardens, but it had a denser look to it. It was in a huge fog, and pillars of bone erupted from the ground. Spirits twirled around them. Was this hell? ?Pretty creepy, huh?? Death crouched down, to look down at Matt. ?It gives me the shivers, and I?m the Grim Reaper.? ?Aren?t you supposed to be a skeleton with a hood and a scythe?? ?Yeah. You humans are kinda stupid like that.? ?Sorry.? ? ?Tis not your fault, babe. It?s just how the world works. Speaking of which, we need to have a little chat about your death here.? ?So, I am dead. I failed.? ?Not really. See, this is the place where I take special people ? like you, kiddo ? and have a little chat with them. It?s like this: your dead. That spear gutted you like a pig. Blood everywhere, bones cracked. Real messy, you know? But, I kinda got a message from God, the Big Man Upstairs. See, you?re kinda important. Bunch of stuff is gonna happen, so you dying is not in His agenda. And hey, his orders go above my rules. Heck, he made them to begin with. So, I?m letting you off the hook. No strings attached. I just do what I do, and you?re heart gets to beat again. No cracked bones. No girls fainting from shock. And you just might get a chance to kick Job?s major behind sometime. You just be a good little boy, okie dokie?? ?Sounds fishy.? ?You boys are so complicated. Always expecting something to happen. Just take it.? ?Allright.? She leaned her face closer to Matt?s. ?You got some pretty good lips there, kiddo. I bet your girlfriend will like your screen time.? With that, she gave Matt a very passionate kiss on the lips. And then, he was back. [center]*[/center] Job was gone. The entire Park looked like a nuclear bomb had hit it. The nine kids crowded around Matt. Some were pale; others could hardly speak. The rest were trying to figure out what just the hell happened. Then Matt woke up. His eyes opened wide. ?He?s alive! That son of a bitch is alive!? He tried to stand up, but when he did, he was tackled by Aizen. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She wasn?t crying; just so shocked and relived that he was all right. After his encounter with Death, he didn?t mind her at all. ?Get those two up!? Jonas did it. ?Matt, what happened? What?s going on?? Matt remained speechless. ?So you?re as clueless as us, huh?? Matt nodded. He looked up at the sky. It was still dark. No cars were on the streets. They were all alone. [/color] [B][SIZE=3]OOC[/SIZE][/B] Okay, just talk amongst yourselves, trying to (unsuccessfully) figure out what just happened.

[color=white]A thousand thoughts rang in Matt?s head as he saw the insane man leap into the air, spear lowered towards the ground. They all resembled one simple phrase, however: Get the hell outta the way! Obeying his conscience, Matt jumped upwards, not willing to have a spear lunged through his spine, running across the field. He didn?t look behind: he did, however, feel an enormous shockwave that sent him flying. He landed on the ground, hard, and he rolled. He eventually recovered enough friction to come to a complete stop. He raised his head. He was bleeding a little bit. Matt wearily raised the rest of his body up. He was shivering a little bit, probably from the shock. Breathing hard, he stared behind him. The earth had erupted from a single point, most likely where the spear slammed into the earth. It looked like an earthquake had hit just that one, single, area. A few people were on the ground; most were bleeding. Matt couldn?t tell if they were dead or not. Licking his lips, he turned around. The man was staring right at him, mere inches from his face. ?Peek-a-boo.? He flicked Matt?s forehead, and sent him flying into a tree. The bark shattered. ?Come on now! Everyone fight me! You can do it! Beat me, blast me! Hit me with all you?ve got!? [/color]

[QUOTE=Aaryanna_Mom]I do not agree with it either. Though I'm more worried about the sex-slavery, drugs and petty crime than anything else. And then there are moral and religious issues, though I'm not going to go into those as everyone has different ideas as to what is considered moral. I do understand that there are men and women who do willingly prostitute themselves, but I have to wonder how many of them would if they had better jobs out there that were available instead. I would imagine plenty of them would do something else, or least I would [b]hope[/b] so.[/QUOTE] That's the keyword there. Hope. We can't hope for man to do better than they should, unfortunately. There are those who would actually love to do this for a living - there's reason we have the term sexaholics, after all. There are people who just love to get screwed over by people they don't even know. People will continue to have prostitution. Its been here for thousands of years, dating back to the Bible. Now law is going to remove it completely, no matter how much we would like to hope.

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]I'm against the legalization of prostitution. Raiyuu summed up the biggest objection I had, which is that it can usually be tantamount to sex-slavery or trafficking. But aside from that, prostitutes often drag an area down in terms of land value, and with them drugs and petty crime are almost sure to follow.[/size][/QUOTE] Yes, but there is the fact that they will still do it, whether it is legal or not. So the property value will still go down regardless. So, I guess I'm for it. What you do with your body and money is your business.

Well, I am on a mixed bag when it comes to curses. On one hand, I am not insulted by swears in the very least, so if an actor cusses on TV, I won't do as much as wink. However, if that same character swears just for the sake of swearing, because its cool to swear, I will instantly be turned off. Cursing should be used only when it will help set the mood for the story. A person who just saw a man get run over, and his body parts are spewed all over the streets, is going to curse like crazy, for example. There's no doubt about that. But a mother screaming to her kids 'We need to ****ing get to school!'? No, that's just a big, fat, NO.

Ezekiel, I am sorry, but I need to drop out of the RP. I just simply do not have the motivation to post in this. My apologies.

[size=1][u]Character Information:[/u] [b]Name[/b]: Lupus [b]Age[/b]: 32 [b]Appearance[/b]: [indent][url=http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/5038/khsaixbyakuhen3af9688hf9.jpg][b]Lupus[/b][/url] Lupus? appearance is anything but bestial. His blue, neatly trimmed, hair flows down to his shoulders. His face, although more times than not giving the appearance of a cold and hardened man, at times hints of compassion and understanding. It is not surprising though, that when people first gaze on Lupus they are initially frightened of him. He has a history of being very critical of others, and the X criss-crossing scar on his face gives him an aggressive demeanor. Lupus cares greatly on his physical appearance; he does, after all, have to make up for his experimentation upon him by the Empire. He wears a sleeveless crimson trench coat, trimmed with white linings. Beneath, he wears a flexible white shirt that is both comfortable and does not limit his movements. His leggings is a somewhat rather plain black pants, and his black boots don?t show much individuality.[/indent] [b]Resistance[/b]: Sapiens [b]Weapon[/b]: [indent][url=http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/2118/bigdualswordbyshadowmacif6.jpg ][b]Claymore[/b][/url] Claymores usually do not very much beyond each smithy?s expertise in his craft: they range at fifty five inches long, weigh around five pounds. They are large, heavy, and capable to cleanly cutting a man in two. Lupus? claymore, on the other hand, is very different in its design. It is in fact two blades, bisected by black metal, that are parallel to each other, the black metal merging into the actual blade. Like all claymores, it is a massive weapon. However, it is different in its use in that it relies less on brute strength and more on cunning in order to wield it properly. [/indent] [b]Spells[/b]: [indent]Not nearly as magical as he is capable of using the modified blood within him, nearly all of Lupus? abilities deal with the moon, his changing form, or the berserker seal carved upon him. [b]Lycanthropy[/b] At will, Lupus is capable of shedding his human skin, and transforming into what is commonly called a werewolf. Unlike common folklore, Lupus in this form is not some blood lusting beast. In truth, he has complete control over any of his senses, and all of his intellect is converted perfectly to the werewolf form. Lupus is even capable of speaking. [b]Mond Aufteilen[/b] When the full moon sheds its shadow onto Lupus, the true horrors of his experimentation is revealed. His once smooth scar becomes bloody and ragged, like it was torn into his skull. His hair becomes ragged and wild like, his teeth enlarges to the point of overlapping his lips. His eyes turn yellow and are very similar to that of a wolf?s. It is in this form that Lupus becomes that of a wild man. For the few short moments that the curse lasts, he goes on a wild blood craze, his eyes dancing with a thousand furies, his blade cutting through whole bodies in a single stroke. As if this was not enough, the moon directly feeds energy into Lupus? systems: so, not only is he capable of regenerating at a fast speed, but whenever his blade hits something, or whenever he hits an object, waves of energy erupts, and Lupus is able to determine the shape and direction of these waves. [b]Sense[/b] By focusing on the inner beast within, Lupus is able to heighten his senses, his smell in particular. If he is not in the middle of battle, he can have the effects last for hours.[/indent] [b]Personality[/b] [indent]With both Resistances, it is common to find those who will speak big ? [i]I[/i] will get rid of those explosives, [i]I[/i] can devise a plan ? but they never follow up on those ill-fated promises. Lupus is not like this in any form. Lupus is a man of action: he praises people not for their proposals, but for their results on the field. He rarely speaks, more inclined to get his opinion across through body language. When he does speak, it is only when pressed upon, or when he needs to manipulate the situation when it fits his interests. He is also a very critical individual ? to him, failure is not an option in any form. Even a tactical retreat is a colossal loss when the rebels are fighting against the Empire. When he sees someone has done a wrong, he is quick to criticize them. But on that same note, he points out methods the individual could of have done so that they would not make the same mistake again. Lupus is, at heart, a harsh mentor. He has taken a few soldiers under his wing, showing them the ropes of battle and politics. Despite the fact that all of his mentored have died, he knows the torch needs to be passed onto the next generation. To hold onto that torch yourself will lead only to inner corruption.[/indent] [u]Dragon Information:[/u] [b]Name[/b]: Zalades [b]Color[/b]: [color=red][b]Red[/b][/color] [b]Appearance[/b] [indent][url=http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6681/reddragonbytarjcia3832duk5.jpg][b]Zalades[/b][/url][/indent] [b]Personality[/b] [indent]There is a common myth that the dragons and their riders are exact personal reflections of the other. Although there is some truth to this idea, the partner?s personas are usually as varied as the weather. This is especially true with the personality of Lupus? dragon, the red wyrm Zalades. Whereas Lupus is a calm and over critical man, Zalades is quick to jump the gun, but is much more sympathetic than his rider. He is known to make excuses for other?s mistakes, trying to rationalize the events that transpired.[/indent] [b]Bio[/b] [indent] Lupus does not have much memory of his early childhood. It?s not because he has amnesia. It?s just that there is not much vital memories to recall. He does remember how his father was a noble of sorts ? not exactly rich, but he had his grasp of political powers. He doesn?t recall much of his mother, except her wildly red hair and her scent of roses. Eventually a war erupted, and by then Lupus was of age where he, as part of a noble family, he could decide if he could enlist in the army. A patriotic person in his youth, he was quick to enlist. The horrors of war were quick to carve themselves into his mind. Bodies littered the battlefield; corpses with missing limbs; corpses that were barely distinguishable as ever once being human. He decided that enough was enough, and used his powers as a noble to leave the army. The army didn?t even give anything above a whimper at his leaving. Back in his comfortable home, Lupus was quick to follow his father into politics. He was quickly criticized by his peers as being a pacifist, but this was further from the truth. ?Yes, war is horrible. Yes, death is a sight few should ever lay witness to. The blade is often manipulated by Kings and Lords for another golden coin. But freedom has a price, and we must be willing to fight for it. And we must be willing to die for it. But not should we leap at every encounter for ?honor? and ?chivalry?!? Lupus enjoyed his life for many years, although he was often exhausted by the end of the days because of his choice of profession. When the Empire was given rather subtle hints of its invasion, Lupus was quick to rally his peers to prevent the war, but they gave him no heed. They had no reason to believe the Empire would descend upon them. Ever were they more wrong. The thousand armies of the Empire invaded Lupus? home, and they were too weak and ill prepared to halt the invasion. His kingdom was quickly annexed into the Empire. Word quickly spread that Lupus had been very vocal to the Empire. To make sure none would speak against them, they dragged him into their Laboratories to make a true warrior of them. They injected in his blood stream strange serums; their hexes permanently scarred his body, most noticeably his X shaped scar. They termed him as a berserker; he was named Lupus. Lupus was never his true name; it was the term he had come to realize that best identified him. Through a series of fortunate events, Lupus came to escape the Empire?s Laboratories; despite his calm attitude, he had within him a burning rage for the Empire. He cared little for vengeance for the conquest of his home; after all, they had brought it upon themselves. But it was what they did to him that would forever make Lupus an enemy of the Empire. And it was through that that he became one of the members of the Sapiens Resistance. There, and forever more. It was sometime after his recruitment that he met Zalades. Or rather, Zalades met him. The red dragon was rather clear on the matter: Lupus was to be a dragon rider, and Zalades would be his dragon. Lupus didn?t have much reason to refuse.[/indent][/size]

[RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Chapter Three[/B][/RIGHT] [/RIGHT] [RIGHT][RIGHT][B]Team[/B][/RIGHT] [/RIGHT] The graduation ceremony was far less extraordinary than the bonding of the wasuka. As was done the generation before, and the century before that, the grads were assembled into the ceremony hall, where the audience was placed among pews surrounding the small arena where the graduates, and the Marajin stood. With a voice that echoes across the grand hall, the Marajin spoke of a future that became all the brighter with each hajin that graduates from the Academy. He spoke of how each and ever citizen of Disbakao was filled with the spirit of accomplishment whenever the graduation ceremony came. He reminded all of the citizens of the Flame how important their country was to the Land of the Rising Sun. ?The Flame?, his voice projected throughout the hall, ?represents among man?s many qualities. Just as the light of a lantern keeps the way lit when night dawns on very city, we have protected the world for thousands of years! Wherever it was by shield and spear, or kunai and jutsu, we have protected and guided people ever since our dawn! ?But the lantern?s light is a delicate thing: its influence is great, but a slight breeze will distinguish it. We have the same weakness: if we allow the sins of man to overcome us, we tall, shall be lost, and our guidance along with it.? He went on to say how it is important for all members of the Flame to support each other: it is easy to put out one lantern?s light. It is not easy for a single wind to blow out thousands of torches. They were mighty words indeed: they filled the souls of the onlookers with pride for themselves, their countrymen, and their ancestors. For an hour, they forgot that they were just an individual, a mere sheep amongst a much large flock. Rather, they were all one, large herd, ready to push onward, whatever the task that befell them. There were no Hebi or regular man. They were just Flame. Alas, that unification lasted for only a few hours. Once all of the graduates were given their headband, which identified them as a shinobi of the Flame, and once everyone left the Halls, the old walls would rise back up. Man would hate Hebi for merely being Hebi, and Hebi would take a calm and step forward, moving through the prejudice, doing their best to ignore the black flames of hate. It would be several hours later when the tajin Nanaki Jukuto would once again be finding herself in another bar, smoking lightly on smoke-weed, her eyes red with exhaustion, and her shadowed eyes betraying just how much she needed sleep. Nanaki was a woman nearing on thirty, with her birthday being just a few months away. Her long, dark hair swooped down her back, her face pointed and sharp. Even her nose had a sense of masculinity to it, with the bridge going in at an angle, rather than curving in. Her lips were small, not delicate, and hard. Her fingers wrapped around another ochoko cup, her hands swinging lightly the alcoholic contents. Her eyes studied with great interest the way the sake flowed. One would think she was drunk: she, and her fiancé Kai knew otherwise. She feigned drunkenness, just for the sake of it. ?You know?, her fiancé began as he leaned back on the chair, ?you probably should stop drinking that stuff so much, what with you and I being married and all.? ?No kids.? ?One could hope.? ?One can also hope for a death wish, but I don?t see you hoping for something like that.? Kai sighed. ?If we don?t plan on having them, then what was the point of me persuading ?? ?Forcing?, she corrected. ?[I]Persuading[/I]?, the man insisted, ?on you signing up to be a team sensei, if not so you know what you?re in for?? ?It was so I could prove once and for all that I?m the last woman that should be a mother.? Kai sighed again. ?How we ever got beyond the first night is beyond me.? ?If I remember right, we were as drunk as a bunch of whores. You were rambling on about the enormous ass of your mother, if I recall.? ?I thought we decided not to discuss anything even remotely dealing with my mother?s exceptional?[I]behind[/I].? ?Her mother?s as big as a fucking cow, [I]love[/I].? She blew him a kiss before sipping more of her sake. Kai sighed irritably. ?So, what do you have planned for the test?? The man was referring to the final test each and every hajin was forced to take: after the graduation, the sensei gave their students a test of their own. The ?graduation? surely made the hajin over confident: they had succeeded, they were now Shinobis; nothing could beat them now. Never were juveniles more wrong. The sensei?s tests were designed to get rid of the weakest of the remaining strong, so that only the truly elite remained. ?You really don?t like your mom?s enormous ass, now do you?? ?Answer the damn question.? Nanaki sighed. She rubbed her chin. ?Remember Old Man Aku?? Kai raised his eyebrow suspiciously. ?What of him?? ?Well, if I recall right, there was a certain of test of his that was his favorite.? She licked her lips mischievously. Kai bit his lips, and leaned in closer. ?It had something to do with having his students look for him in the forest*?? ?Which forest?? ?Oh, if I recall, it was Ookii Forest.? ?This isn?t the Ookii Forest that?s twice the size of Disbakao, and is full of tales of even choujin ranked shinobis getting lost in, now is it?? ?Yes?, the woman said, almost a little bit too cheerfully. ?That is [I]precisely[/I] it.? ?Oh gods?? ?Well, I should be off. I need to let those hajin know what they?re up against.? She drank the last of her sake, and walked out of the bar. ?Please oh please oh please oh [I]please[/I] let the kids pass.? [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER] [/CENTER] The four hajins received their letters the same way as their peers: the scroll was slipped somewhere in their room or household, in obviously plain sight. The contents were simple enough ? meet on the edge of the Ookii Forest, at the Third Gate, before the afternoon sun rose. The scroll was very brief when referred to how much supplies to bring: ?Enough for a hike through the woods? was all that was said. By the time the afternoon sun had found its place in the sky, all of the shinobis had arrived at the gate. Shinji, being one with too much time and little chores to spend on it, was the first to arrive, a few hours after the shops first opened their doors. He dropped Shinkasai, and laid at the side of a tree, waiting as patiently and as motionless as possible. The only exception was the inevitable yawn. Orochi arrived soon afterwards. He never was one to start conversations with those outside of his Clan. Thus, the two?s first meeting was one of silence. Orochi just went to the grass to lie down. Izumi and Kaname arrived a great deal later. It was several hours after Orochi decided to take his nap when Izumi arrived, his long, overgrown sleeves trailing behind him as the wind blew behind him. As was expected, the moment Shinji and Orochi set eyes on him, there was uncontrollable fear. The already pale individuals? skin tones began to lighten. Their hands began to shake silently. Izumi, the maniac, the psychopath, the monster in boy?s flesh, was [I]their[/I] team mate? They never suspected that Izumi, of all people, would be on their team! They didn?t even see him at the wasuka ceremony! What the hell was the Marajin thinking, graduating a maniac like him? Did the Marajin think that Izumi would actually change just because he graduated? Just because he was now a shinobi doesn?t mean his insane persona is going to evolve! He was insane the moment he was sold to Disbakao, and he will be insane whenever Death caught up with him! Why was Izumi even [I]alive[/I] now? Why wasn?t he dead? Why wasn?t he locked up in some prison thousands of feet below the earth, the gate sealed for all of eternity? Why was this walking time bomb here? The whole time, Shinji and Orochi didn?t even look at Izumi. They didn?t even look in the general direction. They showed him their backs instead. The two boys were in such paranoia of Izumi, they didn?t realize that Kaname arrived hours later. She had arrived, in the same way she arrived at all things, with her head up high, her legs taking small, precise steps. The daughter of Tae didn?t even flinch when she had set her eyes on Izumi. She simply just sat on a stump. The moment she sat down a cloud of smoke filled the area. Everyone, not exactly expecting someone to pull a prank like that, was coughing horribly. Eventually, the cloud subdued, and they found a poorly made spear forced into the ground, with a scroll strapped to it. ?He leaves a letter?, Kaname said irritated. ?He couldn?t have come himself?? ?It is better than nothing at all?, Orochi noted. ?Whatever. Somebody just pick it up and read it.? Of course, Kaname had already analyzed all of her team mates to determine which one would be the easiest to control, and she found it in Shinji. When she gave the order, she was staring obviously at the orange head. Nervously, out of the psychopath lying nearby and the frightening woman across from him, he walked to the scroll. It wasn?t that he was afraid of the girl; it was just that it was their first day as a team. He didn?t want to create a bad reputation that he was hard to work with; the rumors circulating around the city were bad enough. Forcefully, he untied the ropes binding the scroll. Wiping some saliva from his lip, he read it. ?About time you idiots got here.? Already the others looked to becoming agitated. ?I knew that when I said to get here before the afternoon sun rose that you wouldn?t make it. Mostly because of that idiot Kaname, I?m sure? Shinji covered his mouth the moment he muttered the words. If Kaname was infuriated before, now she was ready to tear Shinji into several pieces, mostly small and in a bloody fashion. ?What did that faggot say? Give me that damn thing!? ?But I haven?t finished reading it! Hey! Stop hitting me!? Orochi rubbed his neck furiously. It had been aggravating him for some time now. ?Give it to me, or the Gods help me?!? Orochi examined his fingernails, a bored expression on his face. They were dirty as of late. He should probably clip them. ?That hurts! Stop it! I?ll give it to you!? The Hebi flexed his fingers before he rose up. ?Damn right you should!? Orochi snapped the scroll right out of Shinji?s hand. ?Now, lets where you left off.? As expected, Kaname charged right for him. That?s why he leaped onto the branch of a semi large tree, using the hot blooded teen as a platform for added insult. He cleared his throat with a light cough. ?As you can see plainly before you, you are in front of Ookii Forest. I won?t bore you with details, since you think you have better things to be doing. I?ll just say this: it is almost twice the size of our lovable city. ?For your test, you have to find me.? Ever slowly, as if he had just read his death wish, Orochi raised his head. His emerald eyes glanced downwards at his other teammates. Kaname was so infuriated that Orochi was fairly certain that blood would be gushing out of her veins any minute now. Shinji actually looked paler than Orochi thought possible. Orochi didn?t look at Izumi. ?What the hell! What does that idiot think he?s doing? It takes a week just to go from one side of the forest to the next! And she expects us to find her in it?? Shinji was rubbing his neck nervously. There was no way in hell he was going to speak up, with him fearing that Kaname would be roaring his face for butting in. He was worried though. He didn?t know how big the Ookii Forest was, but he did know that it was big enough for the group to get lost in, especially since he doubted any of them have been in there before. Shinji knew he sure hasn?t been. And did their sensei really expect them to just magically waltz in there, act like they knew what they were doing, and just find him? ?There?s more, if you?ll stop yapping long enough to let the Hebi finish.? The atmosphere instantly became colder. Everyone instantly felt a chill crawling up their spine. Nervously, as if they were to stare at a demon, they looked at Izumi. His eyes, half opened, stared forward, not at anyone or anything in particular. His words were cold, without any sort of emotion. They expected him to say something again, something heartless and demanding. But Izumi remained silent, his arms still crossed across his chest, his eyes now closed, acting oblivious to the people around him. Orochi continued reading the letter. ?I?m not a total jackass, so I?ll give you guys some help. You?ll find red scrolls across the forest. They?ll lead you to one another, and eventually to me. But, if you follow that, you?ll run out of time. So, you?re going to have to take some risks! Skip a few; risk your future on a scroll. ?You?ve got a week and a day. Get to it, idiots. Signed, Nanaki Jukuto.? Kaname looked shocked. ?The jackass is a bitch?? Izumi sighed, got up, and headed for the forest. ?We go. Now.? No one said anything. ?If you want to fail, do so.? ?But we got no supplies?? Shinji insisted. He was immediately shocked he actually said anything. ?We don?t have time for supplies. We only have time to move. We?ll eat wild fruits, and drink rivers for water. Now let?s go.? No one else was brave enough to argue. Shinji lifted Shinkasai the best he could, and was the first to follow. Kaname looked at the Hebi nervously, and silently insisted that he followed. Not wanting to make a scene, Orochi dropped from the tree, slipping the scroll in his pocket as he descended. He slipped on Kusanagi and followed the orange head. Kaname followed closely behind. [CENTER][CENTER]*[/CENTER] [/CENTER] Shinji didn?t know how it happened, or why it happened, but he had managed to find himself between a rock and a flaming volcano, with Kaname parading in front of him like the proud woman she was, and Izumi walking silently behind him. Shinji was petrified of both individuals, for one reason and another. Kaname was complaining how the ?bitch? was too vague on where the first scroll was. Izumi remain quiet to the racket. Shinji tried to say that she wouldn?t lie to them. After all, why would a sensei give them a test that was impossible? ?I don?t know! Maybe because she doesn?t want to be a sensei?? ?But that?s just stupid!? ?Shut up!? She roared. Shinji was quick to obey. He heard a sigh emitting from Orochi. ?The hint said the scroll was on a cliff overlooking a lake. There?s only one such place within such close proximity to the beginning. And that cliff is fifteen minutes away.? Kaname just sighed. She was obviously too hard headed to listen to any sort of explanation that didn?t say she was right. Shinji was just fearful of the inevitable clash between Orochi and Kaname. Orochi was the obvious leader of the group, but Kaname just demanded power. There would be a clash, and only one will come out as the commander. Or at least until they found sensei. She would restore order, give a sense of command. She would make sure Orochi and Kaname wouldn?t fight with each other over who leads. Then a thought popped into Shinji?s mind. What if Kaname was right, that sensei didn?t care? That she was being their sensei because she was forced to be. Was this test a ticket out of having to be their sensei? Shinji shook the thought of his head. That was just Kaname being an egotistical woman with a mightier than thou attitude. He took a quick glance at Orochi. The pale one had a sense of absolute calmness and serenity, as if the threat from Kaname meant nothing to him. Or, perhaps he was just oblivious to it. No matter the reason, just looking at Orochi made Shinji feel like snakes were wrapping around his throat. Orochi, like all Hebi, had the appearance befitting of a snake, with his deathly pale skin and raven colored hair. Shinji didn?t know why Disbakao would keep a race of man that looked more like demons. Shinji secretly swore that he would keep away from Orochi as much as possible. If it hurt the team, so be it. Something about Orochi just gave Shinji unmistakable fear. Behind him, Izumi chucked under cold breath. While the others were busy analyzing their other teammates, seeing who to manipulate best, who to cling to, who to isolate, Izumi was reading them like an open book. Kaname was an egotistical woman who had big words and an even bigger bite, but when cornered, she would whimper like a puppy. People like her weren?t too rare; there were plenty of children from noble families, and Izumi had encountered more than enough of them to know how to deal with them. Izumi would put Kaname in her place soon enough. Orochi was a different subject, however. He seemed to be the most mature one of the group, using the fear of his lineage as a way to gain command. He viewed everything with a sense of calm. But the calm ones were easily beaten as well: they all had a weakness. And once that weakness was exploited, they would fall just like all the others. As for Shinji, well, Izumi didn?t even need to waste a moment considering the orange head. It was obvious he was a weak willed individual, who would listen to anybody just as long they didn?t harm his fragile psyche. Putting Shinji in his place would be easier than Izumi would wish. It didn?t matter when or how. Izumi would be in command of the small group. He didn?t suspect that Kaname was crafting her own coup de tat, however. The girl knew she already had Shinji within her tight grip. The little shrimp was as flimsy as a pile of sticks. She?d bet that if anyone was to so much as flick him, he would flinch. How in the Four Lands did he ever pass the Academy? It was Orochi and Izumi that was really causing her problems. Orochi just didn?t seem to know that [I]she[/I] was the only one worthy of being the leader. After all, she was raised by Tae Uzuki, one of Disbakao?s better shinobis. It only made sense that she would be the natural leader! Orochi spent a year away from Disbakao, and Izumi was too crazy to do much leading of anything. And Shinji was a weakling! Kaname was the only one fit to take command of this operation. But Orochi had to be difficult. He had to embarrass her in front of the whole group. Now, they followed him, because [I]she[/I] looked like a fool because of[I] his[/I] arrogance! She would make that damned snake-man pay for that, no doubt about it. But Izumi, what could she do about him? That kid, he was a maniac. He was crazy. He?d probably kill them all in a heartbeat. Probably after the next turn, he?ll bring out some blood stained knife, and chop them all to pieces. No, that?s probably not his style. Izumi is different from others; but then again, that was obvious. But there was something about him that told Kaname he wouldn?t do something like that. He would kill them; Kaname had a good hunch about that. But he didn?t seem to want to kill them alone. He?s a glory seeker. But a killer is a killer. Kaname would find a way to deal with him. Nobody was going to kill her in her pride, right when she was in the spotlight! That Izumi would accept her as leader in his own time, just like everyone else. They hiked through the frosted forest at a moderately good pace, concerning the terrain. They arrived at the Cliff sooner than they expected, despite the fact that they had no real time table for each marker. Even Kaname left a compliment for the ragtag group. ?We managed to get here at least. You idiots may survive yet.? ?Perhaps we could have a truce then, oh mighty Kaname?? Orochi was smiling, as always. ?Don?t flatter yourself Hebi.? Shinji decided upon himself to read the scroll. Compared to the first, it was ridiculously short. ??Through a frosted cave and slippery tunnels, the scroll is waiting for your lazy ass?.? ?Did that rhyme?? Orochi mused. ?It doesn?t matter,? Izumi said in his cold voice. ?We need to find the cave.? ?That doesn?t help, Mister High and Mighty. There are probably hundreds of caves around!? Throughout the taunt, Kaname didn?t even give the slightest hint of fear for Izumi in either her voice or her expression. Izumi took note of it. A cough interrupted the still atmosphere. The three turned to Shinji. ?Well, it might not be so narrow?? ?What do you mean?? Orochi arched his eyebrows. ?Well, the hint said frosted cave, right?? ?Yes, on with it!? ?Well,? he stuttered, ?maybe the cave is blocked by ice? Maybe?? Shinji didn?t seem too sure to himself, or that?s how Orochi saw it. Kaname didn?t give much for the proposal, but Izumi saw some value from the weakling?s theory, even if Shinji didn?t see any value in his own suggestion. ?We?ll split up, each looking in different directions. We?ll light a signal when we find one matching the orange hair?s proposal.? His cold tone was all that was needed for nods of approval. It was quickly decided amongst the four of them where they would begin their search. Shinji would walk up the river that ran below the cliff. Orochi would search the forests surrounding the cliff in a two mile radius. When asked by Kaname how he would know when he reached the mile, Orochi simply said he ?had a knack for these things?. Kaname volunteered for the mountains on the west side of the river. After all, she was an Uzuki, and thus, she was best suited for the task. None agreed with that statement, but if she wanted to trek through the mountains, she more than welcomed to. Izumi announced in plain terms that he would search the forest region eastward. It was more plains than forest, and he would move through it faster than the rest, he reasoned. No one argued with the notion. ?But why these places?? Orochi mused. ?Forests, mountains, river, and plain. Why do we narrow them down to these?? ?Because?, Kaname said in an unkind tone, ?these would be the best places for something to happen! An avalanche, packs of wolves, cold winds that would throw us into the river, and getting lost on the plains. Anything can happen there, so just getting to that scroll would be a test in itself.? The revelation made a lot of sense, but the group was most surprised at how Kaname thought of this on her own. They never thought of her as someone who could analyze situations like this with so detail. Of course, Orochi noted that it wasn?t nearly as well done as how he would have studied it. For example, there was the fact that tests weren?t meant to kill. Tests were meant to be just that: a test. So there was the question why their sensei ? Nanaki, he remembered ? would go to such great lengths to endanger them so much? But still, there was the fact that there was more to the over arrogant female than first perceived. ?Enough small talk,? Izumi interrupted the conversation. ?Just as long as we find that cave, everything else is pointless. We?ll meet back within two hours.? They nodded; Orochi was beginning to fear that Izumi was slowly getting control of the group. He feared the results of the madman achieving that motion. He would have to make up for his mistakes when they find the frosted cave. Orochi began to move, but he froze his movement in mid step when he [I]thought[/I] that he heard something. It sounded like a twig being snapped, but Orochi wasn?t sure. It was probably just his anxiousness over the whole situation. After all, if he failed his test, it would be an embarrassment on his whole carrier as a shinobi?if he would even be allowed into the Academy after such a blunder. He finished that step, his boot sinking into the snow. The frozen water flew up around the boot, a few snowflakes landing on it. That was when Orochi, realizing he had indeed heard something, and knew that something would be here very soon, drew a kunai from one of his pockets. As if that was there cue, a small pack of wolves, no more than five, leaped from the forest, their large numbers pinning the hajin to the edge of the cliff. ?You?ve got to be kidding me!? Kaname?s hands were in a tight fist. She was obviously ready to break the bones of the wolves, and if her history proved true, that wouldn?t be as hard as task as one would think. ?What do we do?? Shinji shivered. ?Well, it?s very obvious?, Orochi stated simply. ?We fight.? There was only one problem with Orochi?s proposal: Shinji couldn?t move. He was paralyzed by fear. This was his first fight, his first battle, his first chance to prove himself. And yet, he could not move. But why? Shinji was by no means a prodigy, but he did fair enough on his tests to pass, and he would train for hours and hours. He was one of the few students who specialized in Fyuujin-Ru! He knew how to psychologically battle fear. He had been many mock fights before, so why is it that know, when all he is facing is mere animals, he is frozen by fear? Why is it that he is failing at such a critical moment? ?We have to fight,? Orochi repeated again, but Shinji didn?t acknowledge him. Orochi knew at once what was going on: he had heard of this many times before; the first sign of battle and the newly graduated hajin freezes in their boots. It usually fades away after that first battle, but that is only in the condition if the hajin will be breathing after that fateful battle. Shinji was fortunate in that it was only wolves, but then again, it was wolves that may very well be starving. Starvation can drive men lower than even the most brutal of beasts: it doesn?t take much imagination to wonder what it will do beasts themselves. It was then that the beats, their stomachs controlling every thought, leaped at the hajins. Without a second thought, Orochi pushed Shinji out of the way, the velocity and Shinkasai?s weight sending Shinji to the ground. In that same motion, Orochi drew a kunai, and sidestepped a lunge from a wolf. Kaname stepped backwards, avoiding a series of swipes from another wolf. The wolf leaped for her, but she jumped backwards, nearly avoiding being bitten by the sharp fanged jaw. Now, the wolf?s fate had been decided: a moderate amount of chi had been flowing into Kaname?s fist for a few moments now. Taking the opportunity, she slammed it right into the wolf, sending it into the ground, earth erupting from the point of impact. Breathing hard, she looked up from her handiwork to stare at Orochi, who?s kunai was keeping a wolf?s jaw open, whereas his free arm, wrapped around it, kept it from advancing towards him. ?If the idiot isn?t going to help, don?t bother with him!? Orochi could have very well have let go of the monster, and used Shinji has bait for a fatal blow. But he didn?t. Orochi just smirked. He pushed the wolf back with all his strength, his fingers leaving their grip on the kunai. In the next moment, another kunai drawn, he sprinted for the beast, slashing it across the face. It fell, dead, to the ground. Relaxed, as if this was all natural to him (but in truth, this was the firs time he had ever killed [I]anything), [/I]he leaned down to the slain beast, and wiggled the kunai from the corpse?s jaw. A wolf sprang for him, seeing the opportunity for a quick kill. This almost became truth, for Orochi didn?t sense the beast. But he heard it in the nick of time, and turned on the beast, and slashed it. The beast fell dead. This all happened within ten seconds. Some would call Orochi?s actions horrifying: but others would call Izumi?s the very incarnation of terror. Two wolves circled around him, their jaws so filled with lustful drool that it dripped from their black lips. Their yellow eyes were dead centered on Izumi. And all the while, the pale boy had his arms crossed, eyes closed, as if he was inviting death. And all too ready to give Izumi the invitation, the wolves leaped. At that very moment, Izumi?s eyes opened wide, and pillars of earth erupted beneath the wolves, catching them in mid air. An incomplete sphere of mud, dirt and snow, held in midair by support of earth, enslaved them. Parts of the wolves were hanging from them. They whimpered in fear. Izumi only blinked. And the spheres crushed the wolves, blood flowing from them like a clogged river. The corpses fell to the ground, hard and missing of care. One of the wolves? lower jaw fell off, blood flowing from the wound. Izumi didn?t even give any of them a moment to examine his work. ?Let?s stick to the plan.? With that, he left, passing them by without saying a word. Orochi helped Shinji up. ?I best think that it is time to go now. Don?t you?? He said this was a sly smile, and a cheerful look on his face, his attitude acting absolutely oblivious to the dead wolves on the landscape. He left for the forest, taking a small glance at Kaname. Kaname, however, was not to be kind to Shinji. ?Idiot. If you?re going to be useless, get out of here, will you? We don?t need you slowing us down! You could have gotten us killed!? Shinji didn?t say anything. He only starred. ?Whatever. It doesn?t matter, all right? Just be that way, Mister Superior.? With that, she to left, heading for the mountains off in the distance. When everyone was nowhere in earshot, Shinji silently cursed to himself. He turned northwards, towards the river, and walked.