Silent_sword909

As Toru ate the ramen, (paid for by his master of course), he once again thought what great friends he had. Like today, Gosa had given him the spark to find out the truth of his test. And hopefully, he had helped HIM out too. He smiled, slurping a noodle. After he finished, he decided to go to the practice fields; Tsubasa had given him free run of the city today, for the real training that started tomorrow. He rubbed his hands together; he couldn't wait. Upon reaching the fields, he discerned some kind of commotion going on around field 25. "That's odd," thought Toru, "isn't that where Shinaru had gone off to?" He walked quickly over, and found that someone was fighting. It turned out to be Shinaru and that Yuki girl on his squad. "They must be practicing," wincing when Shinaru took a blow to the face. Then, the fighting stopped, and a figure jumped into the fray, twirling in an arc, lashing out with his foot at both Yuki and Shinaru. They flew in opposite directions. Toru's mouth dropped; whoever this newcomer was, he was GOOD. A tingle went up Toru's spine. He had seen that stance before. When the shinobi had attacked Gosa, the man had used the EXACT SAME STANCE. Toru ground his hands together; it was time for some pay back. ************* Shinaru was taken by surprize with the attack, but after the dagger had been thrown, he almost expected it. He flipped backwards in the air, stopping on his feet. Yuki had done the same, but more gracefully, flitting through the air like she owned it. They both took their stances, while Shinaru tried to speak to Kuso. "Why are you doing this!?" he yelled at his opponent. Kuso just smiled, "I'm eliminating some of the FUTURE problem students NOW," was the explaination he gave. After this, he charged at Yuki, knowing that she was the PERFECT bait for Shinaru. When he was about to slash at her, Yuki struck out with her fist, only to meet air. He had shifted behind her, and would have put his sword into her back, if Shinaru didn't act. He had been hot on the ninja's heels, and when he struck, Shinaru drew kunai's and made an X to stop the blade. It worked, but that was only one sword. There were two blades, and he swiped Shinaru with the flat side of it across his face, before he could even react. All the while, Yuki was doing hand-signs, trying to freeze him where he stood. Before she could though, a clone of Kuso had appeared, and attacked her, she had to break her ninjutsu in order to dodge. Shinaru was held down; helpless as his speed wouldn't allow him to get off the ground; the mist ninja had him pinned. He gritted his teeth, HE COULDN'T LET HIM WIN! Just then, a kunai flew through the air, and the mist ninja had to move in order to avoid it. Jumping up quickly, Shinaru looked to see who had thrown the kunai. Toru stood not far away, tossing another kunai into the air. "Good to see you're okay." he said, eyeing the ninja, Kuso. Shinaru turned back to Kuso, "Yeah, thanks!" As he prepared to charge forward, Toru appeared in front of him, putting a hand on his chest, saying, "No, let ME handle this one; go help out your teammate. We've got a score to settle." He glared at Kuso, yelling, "NOBODY hurts MY friends." Pulling out his sword, his short sword, he held it in both hands, concentrating his chakra. Even if Kuso couldn't see it, Toru knew what was there; the blade had been reinforced with his chakra, making it a few more inches long than it appeared to be. Taking a battle stance, while Shinaru rushed off to help Yuki, he waited for Kuso's next move.

As the cave floor gave way beneath him, the teenager screamed in fear. He tried to grab the sides of the walls; but they were too jagged, and the cut his hands. He hit the ground below with a massive *THUD*, as it echoed in the surrounding chamber. After a moment or two, he sat up, realizing his hands were bleeding, and that his entire back must be one BIG bruise. He stood up slowly, bracing himself against the wall, "Great, JUUST great!" he complained. "First, I get left alone in the wilderness, and now, I'll never make it out of this FEAKING HOLE alive!!" (His views on things were a little twisted. He always HAD to have what HE wanted, and never shared, or accepted second-best. He was, a BRAT. And by the time he was six-teen, he had given up on his parents, his friends, and his life. He had gone out into the wilderness, thinking, "it'd be so much better because I make the rules." Well, it ended up getting him stuck in a cave, let's see how much MORE trouble he can get in. :D ) As he walked around, he knew that he was in a room, and it seemed to lead to other rooms, but he couldn't tell; he had no light. Then he remembered the lighter he had got for his birthday, and he scowled; it hadn't been the kind HE liked, it was just a zippo. He tried to light it, but found he couldn't and he threw it down on the floor, cursing his parents for buying the deffective piece-of-crap. He continued on down the passage, feeling with his hands and feet. When he came to a room, the empty space on the wall told him so, and he proceeded to fall in. He jumped up, and knocked something over, something wooden. He heard it break, and hoped nobody lived here. He scrambled on the floor, seeing if it dropped anything. What he found was a piece of paper, rolled up. He unrolled it, and found that he could read it. It looked to be in some sort of foreign language, but one he could somewhat understand. "Gan..gir..ock.." he said... At that, the symobols on the paper, formed into readable print. Amazed, he continued to read. "'Save the world'....what is this word? 'Destruction...can only be stopped'... HEY! This is wierd... 'by the Gan-gir-ock users...find them...' Why would I want to FIND anyone?! 'Restore peace,....order.....' What's this? The balance has shifted?" He put the scroll down, thinking over what he had found. "It could be worth money..." He looked back at the paper, to see a face looking up at him. He screamed, and dropped the paper to the ground. Around him, the room lit up, for the first time in centuries. Someone had discovered Gangirock. The power could once again be transfered. The face in the paper became an older man, wearing a robe. He looked at the teenager, saying, "What will you give, in return for the POWER of Gangirock? The sacrifice must be equal to the power you will obtain; bear in mind." The teen thought and thought, and couldn't think of anything valuable he had in his possesion. The old man looked at him, smiling, plotting, and said, "But you have the most precious gift of all. Your memories. I would accept them for our deal. Agreed?" The boy thought about it, and jumped up saying, "YES! GIVE ME POWER!! Take these stupid things, I don't NEED them!" The old man smiled knowingly, and the vortex closed around them, ending with the boy, screaming in pain. ************** When the boy next awoke, he didn't know where he was, or WHO he was, for that matter. He walked down the tunnel he had fell into, and stopped when he found the zippo lighter he had once thrown down. He picked it up, and tried to light it. It wouldn't light. He tried several more times, finally getting it, and was thankful that he had a light source. He reached the hole, and brought his hands slowly up, the earth beneath him, so that he was lifted to the surface. The only thing on his mind when he walked out of the cave, were the words the man whispered to him as he accepted the power. "The name of your Gangirock is Raging Earth. You have a raging spirit in you, use it; find the others who have your gift. Protect them, with your passionate power of rage." He whistled and walked aimlessly, not remembering the way out.

When the clone of Tsubasa left, Toru stood for a moment, thinking the test a bit odd. "Oh well," he finally decided, "I should get hiding if I want to pass." He took off into the forest. As he darted swiftly and silently along the ground, he wondered if he could ACTUALLY try to kill his teacher. "I don't think I could," said to himself, but as he thought, a smirk grew on his face, "Maybe I don't HAVE to kill her. Just.." All of a sudden, a giant fox raced past him. He quickly hid behind a tree, thinking it was Tsubasa. When nothing else happened, after a few moments, he got up, and continued to run through the forest, thinking, "That looked alot like that Snicker guy's fox." He didn't know his way through the forest, and soon, he became lost. He tried going in different directions, but to no avail. Finally, he broke through a line in the trees, and found himself outside of the hot springs! Hearing screams coming from inside, he decided to investigate. Toru managed to perched atop a nearby building, taking in everything. The baths were in chaos. Women were rushing to get out of the springs, and most, Toru noticed with his face reddening, didn't have towels on. He pin-pointed the source of the commotion; a fox had snuck into the baths, and a boy was trying to catch it. Toru laughed at the sight; the boy would run and chase after the fox, but it eluded him, barely. This would make the boy run faster, and once the boy fell into the water, getting soaked. It seemed to Toru that the fox snickered a bit at this. The fox sat on a pillar not far from the entrance, eyeing the boy. Toru looked, and realized that he had been laughing at Gosa! By all rights, he shouldn't have been out of the hospital. Gosa turned away from the fox, and walked to a secluded part of the springs, wringing his clothes out. Toru decided to 'drop' in on him, and find out what was going on; after all, he had PLENTY of time to solve his own test. There was something he just COULDN'T QUITE put his finger on, maybe Gosa could help him. He dropped behind Gosa, and when Gosa pulled a kunai on him, he answered in kind, in the end, both had a kunai at the other's throat. Gosa stared, "Toru?! What are YOU doing here!? This is my test!!" Even as he said this, he lowered the kunai, as did Toru. "I know, but I saw you chasing the fox, and HAD to come down and give you pointers." He smiled, knowing that Gosa hated lecturing. Gosa sighed, "Fine, whatcha got?" Toru laughed, slapping his friend on the back. "Well, it's actually QUITE simple. Create a distraction, and then ambush him! That is a basic ninja principal, my friend." Toru paced back and forth, "Though it WOULD require genjutsu, which you're not that good at." The taunt worked; Gosa was itching for a rematch. "WELL," said Gosa, "Is that ALL you came here to do? MAKE FUN OF ME!?" He couldn't keep up the serious tone, though, and they busted out laughing. Wiping their eyes, Gosa asked, "So, what kind of test are YOU doing?" Toru looked perplexed, "Well, I need to find Tsubasa, WITHOUT her finding me. I need to put a mark on her, BEFORE time runs out. And so far, I'm stuck." Gosa replied, "That's an easy one! I saw her as I chased Snicker-doodlez here; she was at the Ramen shop!" Toru stopped a moment, slowly realizing what this was all about. "You say she was at the Ramen shop?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm sure it was her, can't miss a beauty like HER." Gosa turned away, a little embarrassed. Toru thought, that couldn't be, she had been with HIM, and disappeared into the FOREST! It was all coming together. "Hey Gosa," said Toru, "you know how in school, they say to look at the hidden meanings WITHIN the hidden meanings?" It was a rhetorical question, but Gosa nodded. "I think I just found that meaning." Toru looked around, saying, "I hope you catch your fox, I'm about to FIND my teacher!" And he dashed off. Gosa scratched his head as the meaning of Toru's words were lost on him. "Why's he always gotta be so smart? Still," he said, "at least he'd good at tactics!" As he made some hand signs and rushed out of hiding with three copies of himself on either side of him. Snickerfox gulped, while Gosa yelled, "HERE I COME!!" (OoC: Srry bout the long post, in a typing mood :D )

Toru entered the hospital room, intending to pay Gosa a visit before going to training. Expecting to find Gosa asleep, he slowly opened the door. What he found, however, was a party of ramen! "Hey guys, I would guess Gosa, that you're feeling better, eh?" Toru smiled as he said this. Gosa got up slowly, and limped over to Toru, and they pounded fists. Shinaru spoke up, "Well, I better get going, and let, "these two" eat their ramen." Just as he was leaving, and Toru was saying his good- byes, Snicker fox and Tsubasa appeared in the room. Everybody jumped, but they stood there, smiling. "Good to see you all 'bright and early'." said Tsubasa. Toru nodded, "I was going to the practice field right after I left here." Shinaru also agreed with Toru. Tsusbasa smiled again, saying, "Good, now let's go; Shinaru, you better get to your team's practice area, I think Yuki and Kentello are waiting there for you." Shinaru, Toru, and Tsubasa disappeared, and left Snicker fox and his two students alone. He, of course, snickered. "I hope you know, that just because you're on bed rest, doesn't mean you get to escape training." He snickered again. Gosa jumped up, "I didn't ASK to be put here! Let me go train!" Snicker fox considered it, but waved him away. "No, Tsubasa was extremely mad at me earlier, and I can't have a pretty girl like her being mad. No, your training today, is to steal the keys from the staff of the hospital, I bet that will be interesting." Gosa stood aside, wondering about the mission. "Your strong point is taijutsu and ninjutsu, let's try some genjutsu, and being QUIET for once." Snickerfox explained. He then turned to Yue. "And you, WE'RE going to work on how good your fighting skills are." As they turned to leave, Yue waved good-bye to Gosa. He waved back, thinking how lucky he was to have good friends. He also began to eat the giant batch of ramen that had been made for him. He was STARVING!!

Toru walked his friends to their houses, and he noticed that none of them had parents to welcome them home. As he waved them both good-bye in thier turn in the slowly fading light, he wondered how his own family was doing; after all, it had been YEARS. He wandered down the streets, taking the longest way home that he knew. He now thought of a different family, one that was created by all of his closest friends. They had accepted him, and they could all depend on each other. Especially Gosa; he didn't know WHERE he'd be without that loud-mouthed guy always with him. He turned a corner, his house coming into view. He REALLY didn't want Gosa to die. Stumbling into his messy house, he quickly took off his gear, he hadn't needed his weapons today really; it had all been 'handy' work. He turned off the lights, and headed out to his roof; there was a secret ladder that he had discovered upon moving in that lead up there. He thought about all that had happened today, and the new life he would now be leading. It was only after the chilling night came, and darkness wrapped around him, that he finally went in. Even then, it may have only been because of what his teacher, Tsubasa had told him. Before leaving the fight scene, she had told him to be ready, "bright and early" tomorrow for training. He slid into bed, and gazed through the window at the stars before falling into a deep sleep. He smiled; an oblivious happieness that occured only when one slept; he had been dreaming of his friends.

Tsubasa nodded to Toki and Kentello, saying, "We'll go see if we can find him. You two, split up; it will be eaiser to find Kuso that way. Toru, you'll come with me, I think it's safe to assume that he's after you, as well as your friends. We'll make sure nothing happens to them." She smiled at Toru, and he nodded, realizing that this could be his first ACTUAL fight. All the ninja bounded off, with Kentello staying behind to explain things to the medical unit, then he too was off. ***** As the boy charged, Kuso stood where he had landed, and laughed. How did this mere CHILD expect to beat him? It was worth it though, just for the chance to toy with him. He smiled widely, enjoying himself. When Gosa attacked, his swords did their deadly dance in zig-zags and sprials, and all sorts of patterns; he just couldn't seem to hit Kuso! Kuso laughed at this, saying, "I won't need to buy you ramen, when you're dead!" He shouted this, and just when Gosa's blades would have hit, he disappeared in a cloud of the burning mist. Gosa looked around, wiping his bleeding nose on his shirt. Where the hell WAS that guy!? He taunted, "Well, I can see SOMEONE doesn't fight fair! Are you so AFRAID that you can't fight a genin on equal footing?" He spit after he said this, and a voice in the mist replied, "So sorry; I AM a ninja after all, and THIS isn't a game." As the words came out, so did the deadly bone knives, and Gosa had a hard time deflecting them, when he was done, the mist had cleared, and Kuso stood in front of him. "Fine, I'll fight you. But," he said pulling out his bone swords, "I warn you; I'm good." Gosa smiled, and laughed out loud. "The better YOU are, the MORE the girls will like me when I BEAT YOU!!" And he charged one last time, swinging his swords. ***** As Snickerfox made his way down the street, Yue found that she wanted to go back. She spoke to Snicker, "Sir, why did you leave that boy all alone? Surely you must realize, that without support from other ninja, he will surely die?" Snicker stared down at her, seemingly lost in thought. Tsubasa scoured the area, and found just who she was looking for. Landing in front of Snicker fox, (with Toru behind her) she asked if he had heard about the enemy in their midsts. Snicker snapped out of his thinking, and...snickered. He said, "Of course I know about that Kuso fellow! In fact, my genin is back there now, fighting him." Tsubasa was shocked, but not as much as Toru. He shouted, "How could you just leave him there!? The enemy ninja must be AT LEAST Jounin, how can Gosa compete with him?" Toru immediately rushed off, to try and save his friend. Tsubasa just looked at Snickerfox, and it was enough. He replied in his defense, "Well, he SAID he could take him. I just thought I'd let him see how MUCH he needs me, that's all." Tsubasa spoke angrily, "You shouldn't have abandoned your student. Look, even now, the girl leaves you." And she was right; Yue had followed Toru, wanting to see what was happening, and perhaps help some. Snickerfox snickered, and said, "Well, shall we?" Tsubasa looked at him, and they bounded off after their students.

(OoC: Not sure if Neuvoxraiha was in place or what; not that I mind, just tryin to follow rules here) Hoshi heard the man enter the room before he actually saw him. He was concentrating on nothing, but his mind had been racing. Just then, the strange mixture of animal and beast leapt from where it had been lieing on some boxes, and introduced itself to the apparent, "Boss". He shuddered alittle. He wasn't used to seeing such distortions of nature, and was even more disturbed because he found her to have a sort of [I]primal beauty[/I] about her. When what she had to say had been said, the Boss nodded, apparently impressed by the oddity that was going to be on his team. Hoshi waited a few moments more, incase either of the other two in the room had any inclanation to attempt introductions. Finally, he rose slowly from his seat, and walked slowly and purposefully to his new, "employer". He had in fact, left off his outer robe, to let everyone see his metal arm, and the fact that he wasn't here to play. His hand normal hand rested casually on his sword as he approached. Holding out his hand, he shook hands with the Boss, also known as 'Lefty', and had a twinge of memory. Somehow, he recognized this man, even though he was SURE he had never seen him before. "Hello, Mr. Lefty. My name is Hoshi Sato. More than that, I don't think you asked for. Just know, that I am here to help you, but also to serve my own purpose. As long as we understand one another.." He was cut short by Lefty, who called him out, "Hoshi! Dear God man! It's been years!" At this, Hoshi stood shocked, mid-shake. There was someone that actually KNEW him? His clan had fallen from the annuals of history, yet here was someone who recalled him? A moment of awkward silence passed, in which Hoshi thought about how he knew the man. Of COURSE!! He had a been a general of the rebel faction in the war!! His clan had fought AGAINST this man!! Immediately, Hoshi went on the defensive, jumping back, and putting his metal arm to his sword. The others in the room watched as the drama folded out. The man known as Lefty put up his hands, and laughed out loud. "Oh no, don't take any offense. I know we used to be on opposite sides, but your clans battle-prowess always thrilled me." He became serious for a minute, "I was just surprized, since the only surviving member of that dreaded clan is now in MY service. Don't look so tense boy, (for indeed he WAS a boy compared to Lefty's age) we're all friends here." He laughed, "So you better get used to it!" Hoshi stood there for a moment, aware that his past had caught up with him, though in a way that he hadn't expected. He slowly bowed, and then walked to the back of the room, to think things over, and to see who the other members of the group were.

As Tsubasa and Toru talked, they learned much about each other. Since Toru was going to be her, "one-and-only," she wanted to make sure they understood each other perfectly. Toru explained his history that noone else in the Village new, and Tsubasa listened with peaked interest. Toru didn't know why he felt so trusting to this teacher he had just met; he just had a feeling. This is how his story went. "I was part of a noble family. My older sister was a great shinobi who won a lot of honor for our family. She was extremely skilled, as were all the females in our house. I wanted to follow in her footsteps, but my parents never allowed me. They didn't like the slow way I acted, like if a butterfly landed on my nose, I wounldn't react for a while. They wanted me to be a politician, and help the family with political alliances and such. But it wasn't what I wanted. I liked to wrestle and fight with the other children my age, and I was pretty good at it. My parents stopped me when they learned of this. I then secretly trained for years with my fighting style. I only told my little sister, who was the only friend I had in the world. She made me realize that I could follow my dreams, and so one day, I decided to run away. Since my Village is so small, it was fairly easy to sneak out. And for around 4 years now; I've been training and dreaming of the day that I can become a ninja." Toru stopped his story, and looked out over the tall trees of the Village. The wind picked up, and both Tsubasa's and Toru's hair was blown in the wind. Tsubasa made a move to speak, when suddenly, a messenger appeared on the roof. He bowed quickly, saying, "Lady Tsubasa, there has been an attack on some of Konoha ninja! The Jounin Kentello has requested assistance." Tsubasa jumped up, saying, "Well, looks like we'll have to take a short break, Toru. Are you ready for a fight? How rested are you?" At this sudden concernedness for him, Toru just stood for a moment, caught off guard. Then, he regained his composure, and nodded fiercely. "Yes ma'am! I'm ready for anything!" Tsubasa nodded, and they left the messenger to spread the word, as they quickly bounded from treetop to treetop.

As Toru made his way to class, he couldn't imagine his luck; HE, had been asked to join a squad! He didn't even notice that he was bleeding in several places, or that most of his chakra was gone. He couldn't care less at the moment. THIS, had to be the best moment of his life. He walked slower, thinking of all he had been through to get here, his family, not wanting him to become a ninja, and his little sister; not understanding but still wanting to help. He had run away, to become a shinobi and live for the fight, but also to have a purpose. He sighed; he didn't often think of the past when the sun was still high and life was in the air. He found his way to the room the Jounin Tsubasa had asked him to wait in. Only when he had entered and sat down did he realize that his friends Gosa and Shinaru weren't with him. He started to get worried, but then realized that he probably wasn't the only one to get accepted into groups. He smiled, and leaned back in his chair, waiting for his friends to join him.

When the three men left the room, Leies sighed. He knew he had been humbled, and that it would be a LONG time before he would be able to fight them on equal footing. He sighed again, and went to fetch his horse. On his way out, the King said to him, "Do not worry over much, my friend. They are all very experienced fighters, as will you be in time." He walked over to him and patted his shoulder, "It took a great amount of courage to stand before them; even this small act shows great promise in you. Do your best, and you will eventually do great things." After he said this, the King retired to his room for the night, telling him that he'd be leaving in the morning. As Leies walked back to his inn, he thought about his childhood, which he had just recently grown from. All the day's he had spent practicing swordplay with his uncles and learning magic from his mother; he could NOT let it all go to waste. He pulled out his sword, and stood there, admiring it for a moment. "Yes," he said to himself, "the King was right. I WILL get better, and I'll make my family proud." With that promise made, he returned to the inn in high spirts. He had a few rounds of ale, but not so much as to impair him the next morning. Then he made sure his horse was ready for the morrow, he went to bed, with a determined grin on his face.

Just as Keasora was about to reveal his strategy, an explosion of a sort of smokescreen steam filled the training area. Wiping his eyes from the steamy fumes, he called out in alarm, "What's going on!?" Several other Jounin, as they tried to clear the steam away with jutsu, shrugged, and left him to his own answers. Shouts from the middle of the cloud of burning steam alerted him that something was going on. As the last of the horrid steam cleared, this year's genin students could be seen in a massive free-for-all, with no clear sides, and everyman for himself. Keasora started putting away his sunglasses, preparing to go in and stop all the fighting, when the Jounin Snickerfox stopped him with his hand on his shoulder. "I think," said the fox man with a wryly smile and short snicker, "that whoever set off that jutsu, gave us a PERFECT oppurtunity." Keasora looked at him with a cocked eyebrow, he knew where this was going. "You can't be serious." Snickerfox snickered again, saying, "Oh, but I AM. This is just what we needed. With all the fighting going on," he grabbed a stray kunai that had been hurtling towards him, "we can easily access the students abilities, even more-so than in a mock battle. The one's that are left standing at the end are the one's we pick from." He layed back on the grass. "Let's just sit back and *snicker* enjoy the show, my friend." ***** In the middle of the field, Toru worked his hands in all the motions he had ever practiced; deflecting blow after blow with the chakra infused in his hands, and returning the favor in kind. His eyes were burning from the strange steam, and he had to struggle to block the attacks in time. Thoughts raced through his mind, like, "Who was that strange guy in the midst of the genin? He appeared, and suddenly there's this, BURNING MIST everywhere." Toru had tried to catch him, but failed, and just ended up hitting another student, who immediately started slinging jutsu like a gunslinger. He then made the mistake of yelling, "Catch him! He started the fog!" which of course only added to the confusion. So, effectively, he had started the whole mess. He concentrated back on his current situation (noticing that the mist had, for the most part cleared), and realized that he was set upon from multiple sides. He ducked under a punch, dodged to the left of a kunai, and blocked an attempted stab at his back. He knew he couldn't fight them all on equal footing, so he pushed off the attempted stabber, and spun around behind him while performing the hand signs for the shadow clone jutsu. The most he could conjure were two, but that would be perfect for fighting his opponents at the moment. Appearing on each side of him, with a little smoke, was a perfect double. Setting up their stances, oblivious to the world around him, Toru and his doubles smirked, and charged straight ahead to test his skills. ******* On the other side of the battlefield, Gosa and Shinaru fared alittle better. They had been beside each other when the brawl started, and had teamed up to fend off the others back to back. Gosa was using his signature technique; consuming his body in fire fed by his chakra. This had a double blessing. The fire protected him from the mist, as well as burnt his enemies. He was engaging several other genin, exchanging blows with them, with his giving them burns when he would make contact. Shinaru was using a little different method; he would lure his opponents in, and then trick them into attacking him, when he really wasn't there! He would circle behind them, and knock them unconcious with a quick chop to the neck. He didn't really believe that he should kill his classmates, it WAS just a test after all. He sighed, and continued to entice the next victim. (OoC: Figured I'd take the liberty of pulling everything together. :D srry about played characters; wanted to have main people take part, pm me if you want me to change it... Also, changed the 'smoke' to "mist" :D)

Prolouge! Prolouge! I think what you have so far is good; I love anything fantasy. I'll keep reading as long as you keep posting. :D

After a minute or two of being scrutinized by the barbarian, Leies could hold his curiousity no longer. "Never seen a half-elf before? Or are you admiring the sword at my side? Aye, she's a beauty, but not for sale, sorry to disapoint you." He smirked, and held out his hand for the common gesture of friendship. As the two shook hands, Leies introduced himself, "My name is Leies, Leies Gildedleaf. I've practiced a bit of swordplay, but to think I'd actually be helping out a King! It thrills me to no end! So, friend, how'd you find yourself in this position? Mercenary? Free- lance? Anyway, glad to meet you." Leies turned to the King. "What should we do while we wait for the others you mentioned? Surely they should be on thier way?"

Good job! I like how the chapter was based on the team "trying out" teamwork. You made a few spelling/grammar errors, but overall I loved it! Keep 'em comin. :D

When the teacher rushed in, Toru bonks Gosa on the head with his fist, but not too hard. Gosa jumps up with his hand on his sword, and then calms down when he realizes it is only Toru. "Scared me for a second there, jeez, did you have to hit so hard?!" Toru gave him a thumbs up sign, just as the late Jounin replied, "Excellent reflexs, that's how a ninja should act!" At the praise, Gosa turned to the side, remotely embarrassed. Toru spoke up. "What are we doing here? You said. 'go', but you didn't say what we were supposed to do?" He looks around. "It looks like everyone IS here though, so what exactly ARE we doing?"

"Honestly, I don't know," replied Toru, who was still leaning back in his chair. "I would assume, that they want to test our abilities, in order to determine which Jounin instructor we get. But other than that, I don't have a clue." He too pulled out his sword, but after thoroghly examining it, he put it away, and began to get bored. "Hey Gosa," said Toru, "I wonder when this thing is gonna start. I want to see what kind of instructors we get the 'honor' of training with. Maybe that foxy guy, or one of the respected kunochi Jounin. I can't wait!" He began to tap one of his kunai against his chair, effectivly leaving a gouge each time.

Inside the main entrance, there was a grand entrance way, with halls that lead to the rest of the huge structure. The ceiling being so high, it cleared the trees, and let the sun shine down through the windows. Toru turned to see if Gosa was still behind him, and then turned towards where the examinations were being held and started walking. He mentally checked and went over his equipment; his short sword was in place, strapped to his back, his favorite two kunai were in their special pouches in his pants legs, for easy access, and most importantly, his black suit was fitting well and comfortably. This made Toru smile, and he whistled a little as they walked. Arriving at the designated classroom, he found some other Jounin level ninja waiting inside, along with a few others. Whispering to Gosa on his way in, he said, "Be ready for anything." And he took a seat in one of the seats spread out across the room, near the front. He didn't want to miss anything important, even though it probably wouldn't start for a little while longer. Casting a glance at Gosa, he gave a nod, and leaned back in his chair.

A little while later, Toru and Gosa hurried back from the hot springs, worried looks on their faces. Toru had his black stealth suit on but his hair was still dripping water. Gosa was jittering on excitedly, "Didja see the lady in there?!" He was talking much too loud. "I didn't know the springs were coed! Do you think she saw us?" asked Gosa. Toru shook his head. "I don't think so, but she looked sort of familiar... maybe she's an instructor?" He thought for a minute. "I dunno though, she looked awful young.." his voice trailed off, and his face went red. As the rounded a corner, the academy rose up into view. At this, Toru turned to Gosa, "Let's not mention this to anyone, ok?" Gosa nodded, and they made their way up to the academy.

When Toru got to his front door, he discovered his friend Gosa waiting for him. Gosa was a nice kind of guy; real dependable and honest to boot. You couldn't ask for a better friend in a fight, needless to say, Gosa was a good friend of Toru's. After opening the door, he stopped, and nodded to Gosa, saying, "Hey. Good to see you this morning, care to join me in the hot springs?" Toru laughed a little, saying, "I was up all night again training, and I wanted to get the sweat off before all the introductions, you know, with our teacher and all?"

Sunrise found Toru Uragashi passed out on his bed. He had been up training all night, again. He had been practicing a new technique, and required extra time that the day just didn't have. A bird sang on a nearby tree, and Toru, asleep though he was, heard it sub-conciously through the window. Rolling over on his bed, he slowly opened one eye, and then the other. Judging what time it was from the shadows on his floor, he decided that it was time to get up. He got up carefully, his muscles still sore from the night's excercises. Before eating, he went onto his open porch that over-looked the city. Looking through the trees, and feeling the cool, promising wind on his face, he began to stretch, to take the taughtness out of his muscles. After about 20 minutes of intense stretching, he went inside, more flexible and awake now, and made himself breakfast. He thought as he ate his cereal, "What are the plans for today?" He leaned back in his chair as his mind went through the daily routine. "Today's the day we meet our new Jounin instructor." This being decided on, he let his chair back down, and finished his ceral quickly. Thinking of grabbing a bath at the hot springs before going to meet his master and his teammates, he collected his bathing supplies and a new black espionage outfit out of his drawers, and hurried to the springs. "Today," said Toru to himself, "is my first step to becoming great!" (OoC: Didn't know if I should post first or what; I just seized the moment! LoL)

Hey, I don't think I'll add another character, just because I have an idea. If no one else signs up, then we can have our two characters meet, and the story of their adventures, etc. But they meet and/or have to fight other characters on the way. LoL, but more people could be added or something. I don't know, just making suggestions; didn't want to pester your message box, :D. Anyway, I'm still in, I would like to see where it goes too. :)

I have a question myself after reading all of these stories: Does everyone get married, just to get divorced later on? I mean, I live in the real world, and I know sometimes people can be fickle, but aren\'t marrige vows SUPPOSED to be sacred? I mean, look at all the trouble divorce causes! Families torn apart, kids all depressed and hating thier parents; it REALLY irks me that so many people can do that to their kids. Marrige is no joke, and maybe it\'s just people rushing into things too fast. Just wanted to voice an opinion that\'s been with me for awhile. Thanks.

[COLOR=SandyBrown]Name[/COLOR]: Jack Learon [COLOR=SandyBrown]Age[/COLOR]: 24 [COLOR=SandyBrown]Gender[/COLOR]: Male [COLOR=SandyBrown]Demon/Angel Name[/COLOR]: Matthias Azalor [COLOR=SandyBrown]Rider Name[/COLOR]: Rider Bolt [COLOR=SandyBrown]Appearance, Human[/COLOR]: Short, spikey black hair, with pale blue eyes, and a thin nose. He is around 5'11'' tall, and has a slim, average sort of build. He's not muscular, but he's not weak. He has a paler complexion than most, and he shaves regualarly. He wears normal clothing of the period, which consists of leather pants with a cord to hold them up, and a loose woolen shirt. His shoes are simple and made of leather. [COLOR=SandyBrown]Apperance, Angel[/COLOR]: Unlike Jack, Matthias' hair color is bright blonde, and also a little longer. When his angel form comes out, his eyes turn a dark, deep blue, and his features alter a little. Matthias has a darker skin tone, more tan than normal, and his height grows to about 6'1''. He has about the same build, if a little more muscular, and on his face he wears a constant, ever-present smirk. He can also choose whether to show his wings or not; usually he keeps them hidden. [COLOR=SandyBrown]Personality[/COLOR]: Jack is very easygoing, a really peaceful person. He'd much rather talk things out than fight, and dangerous situations scare him. He can relate to the potter's wheel; how life is always spinning about him. This is him, on a regular basis. When Matthias comes out, however, his demeanor comepletely changes. He is an angelic warrior, and he is not afraid to fight or even die for the Angel Queen. He is steadfast and sturdy, and can be as harsh and fast as the lightning in the sky. His decisions are usually quickly made, though often good intentioned. This has caused some problems in the past, but ultimately, he is reliable to his friends, and a bitter enemy that strikes like lightning to any who oppose him. [COLOR=SandyBrown]Weapon[/COLOR]: A curved pair of swords found when his village was destroyed. They resemble scimitars, and fit together to form a whole sword. They are little used by any except foreign raiders at this point. The curved blades give them the effect of a sharper edge, and the flowing design on the blade is very intricate and detailed. They are, and can be, VERY expertly used as a quick, efficient means of death, by the person wielding them. However, they are hard to use because of the training it takes to wield them together. [COLOR=SandyBrown]Bio[/COLOR]: Jack worked at a potter's wheel, every day for most of his life. His was a simple story; growing up, plowing the fields, living and growing up with seven sisters and brothers. Of course, there was [I]something[/I] not quite so simple about him. For all the wars raging and bandits plundering and all the evil in the world, he was a very peaceful fellow. At around the age of 15, he set out to make a living how he could, and decided on the life of a potter. It suited him; a simple existance, earning enough to buy him food and live until the next day. At age 23, he found that his parents had died around the age of 40, passing away in their sleep. He shed a few tears, and then continued on with his life. He lived in a port town, just miles away the border of a neighboring country. He never considered the possibility of a raid; it never occured to him that outside his humble and peaceful home, someone could actually plot to kill for monterary gain. But sad though it was, it happened, one fateful day when he was away from home. He had been on a day trip, and had just returned to find his home on fire. He ran to seek water, to put out his peaceful home, but on his way back, was attacked by men wearing many different furs, and swinging swords about. He ran away, but was caught by the men, who then stabbed him through the chest. He doubled over, and was just about to die, when a giant lightning bolt, struck from the sky, and covered them all in blue flames. [COLOR=SandyBrown]Snippet[/COLOR]: When he first awoke, his world was a vast ocean of blue; tingling slightly every now and again. He dared to open his eyes, shaking a bit from fear, and what he saw surprized him. It was not the pearly gates all the sleazy priests at the church had claimed awaited the repenting sinner; it was a large expanse of sky, far as the eye could see. And what was so amazing about it, was that the sky was full of lightning bolts, seemingly endless in their titanic struggle for control over the heavens. He sat up, amazed as he was by all the splendor, and his eyes almost instantly fell upon a lone figure, standing steadfast in the beautiful, terrible storm. As his eyes came to rest on him, he noticed the figure to be moving closer, if slowly, towards him. After an age-long staredown, the figure was finally close enough so that Jack could make out some details. The main thing he stared at were the wings proudly protruding from the mans back. He sat upon a white stallion of such a fine breed that Jack gazed in awe, and was shrouded it seems by the brightness of the lightning itself. He held aloft his hand, and it seemed to Jack that the whole of the world around him swirled and found its way into the tip of this strange man's fingertips. When the world was gone, all the lightning sucked away into nothingness, he lowered his hand, and pointed at Jack. Directly, without hesitation, the lightning plunged itself into Jack's chest, where in some past time he had been wounded by a sword. Once it was inside what seemed like his soul, he fell to the ground, unconcious. When he awoke for the second time, he found himself where he had been, lieing on the ground next to his scorched attakers. The sword he had been stabbed with was next to him, with dried blood on the blade, which was black with ash. Looking around, he saw that the village had burned down what looked like days before. There was nothing in sight, save for the sword sticking out of the ground, where the lightning had struck. He grabbed at the curved sword, finding removing it from the ground quite easy, despite the fact of how far it was wedged in. Taking one last look around, he did something he normally wouldn't have done under the circumstances; he shouldered the sword, and left, without saying anything, and moved on to face the rest of his destiny. (OoC: I sort of combined the bio and the snippet, I hope you don't mind!! And also, if you think the twin swords is cheating, let me know, and I'll change it to one. TY!!)

Ok, so here is a question that has been burning my mind for the last three weeks: What is divorce's affects on the children/teens of these families? (You) I have one question before I continue? What kind of paper are you writing? I mean, not that I mind sharing my story and probably the stories of a bunch of different kids in the same bucket, but, I'm just a little curious. Ok, well, since you asked nicely, I'll tell you. My family has been 'split up' for three years because of some stupid actions that my parents made. I had just turned 13 at the time, and I had two younger brothers, 9 and 5. Let me tell you the first thing of importance here: the parents ALWAYS say that it's not the kids fault, that they love them and the parents are just disagreeing, well, the kid's, (especially younger kids) feel it IS thier fault. Its not, thats just it, they just feel that way. My brothers had a really hard time coping with this simple fact. The kids feel responsible since thier parents can't agree. It's heart-wrenching. Ultimately, it tears a family apart. My own family has never been the same; cousins from one family can't go to birthday parties at another families house, and all kinds of stuff. But the worst part of it is the life-style change. Your dad's family gets him a house, and he lives there, but your mom keeps changing from apartment to apartment, trying to pay the rent, and all the while you switch weeks between your mom and dad. And usually, it's mostly one parents fault, but eventually, the argueing continues for so long that it doesn't matter who started it, but who will end it. You (as a kid) get sick of it!! Of course, this is just in my experiance. I hope I was able to answer your question. LoL Thanks for a chance to let me voice my opinion, my Story. I appreciate it. :D

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for reading my "work". LoL, yeah, I know it was a little random; I forgot to say that the second poem wanders a bit, (like my mind during class) and that each one has a sort of rhythm to it. Well, anyway, I appreciate it, but why will they close my thread? Could you give me a hint or two for next time? (still new at this) As always, helps appreciated!! Ok, here's my next couple of poems. I wrote them both in school, and one during a test! Anyway, here they are. Comments are as always appreciated. This is what I wrote in class one day, as my mind wandered a bit. It has a bit of a twist to it, and personally, I like it. A Not-so-Normal Poem I sit in a not-so-normal desk, in a not-so-normal school, writing on not-so-normal paper, with a not-so-normal pencil, taking a not-so-normal test with a not-so-normal brain, failing a not-so-normal class, with not-so-average grades. And as I sit here and write in this Not-so-normal classroom, my not-so-normal brain, shoots out a BLAST!, of not-so-normal ideas, forming a not-so-normal love poem, about a not-so-normal girl who has been always, in my not-so-normal thoughts. This is a poem I wrote for my biology class. I know, wierd right? A poem for biology? Who would have thought? But my teacher is great, if wierd, and this is what I got: Pollution In the air and on the ground, it's hard not to be found, like kids in a candy store, we keep messing around, with natures gentle balance while it totters on the edge, what will you do, when life reaches the ledge? Will you fight back, with everything you've got? Or will you let it consume you, and be left to rot? The world's ending people! And you know what we do? We sit on the couch watching TV, watching politicians screw- us out of a chance to live, and die the way we choose. Don't talk to me about "winning", because we're about to lose the most important thing, that any of us have: the Earth, our planet, don't you understand? We've got to take this fight to the man! To make HIM understand, that nature's giving up; Why won't he lend a hand? Anyway, thanks in advance for any left comments! I also have a question: Could anyone give me some ideas for some poems? I know that true poetry comes from the heart, but I have been at a writing loss as of late, and need help with some fresh ideas. Thanks! [size=1][color=#4B5B5B][B]EDIT:[/B] I merged your two posts together. Double-posting is prohibited. For more information, check the Rules on the left column. - Revelation.[/size][/color]