Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Wow, that was a close one." he said to Pi this time. He was laying in the shadow of the tree and grass had worked into way between his shirt and short to tickle his back. He scrunched his face and laid a hand down under him to get rid of the grass.

PI popped out hearing a voice. "What?" he asked not having been able to see the tree or where they had landed.

Raine pointed up to the tree right next to him, "Look, I almost hit that." he slapped the cool trunk with his hand in an odd realization that the tree would hurt a lot. For a moment he wondered if it would hurt more than hitting the ground. The tree was harder, but he was rolling. Unless he hit his head, Raine figured the ground would be worse. With that he stood up to once again climb thirty feet on a rope and jump off. The thought seemed so suicidal that Raine had to laugh to himself. Now standing just below the tree with two ropes, one higher and lower. He walked to the side of the tree that was baked in sun to get a good angle to jump and catch the higher rope.

Just as he did before Raine stepped back a bit and hopped up, Catching the higher rope, and bobbing as his feet dangled for a moment. He kicked out with both feet and swung over to where he could grab the tree and place his feet on the lower rope. The monotony of the movement made Raine think if he should just try jumping onto the rope, instead of climbing onto the tree. It would be pretty hard.

The moved out onto the rope with a familiarity and comfortability. With ease he placed one foot over the other and quickly jogged to the other side of the rope, before turning back.

Pi poked his head out to watch, "You know you are getting pretty good at this." Raine smiled, and jumped out onto the rope quickly, bending his knees to take the force and extending his arms to help him balance for a moment he waited while the rope eased out of motion.

"Yeah. It's the falling part that's hard. And it's a little scary you know?" Pi rolled further up extending his little arms.

"Oh so the almighty Raine is afraid of something?!" he yelled up the boy. Raine looked down his arms still extended.

"Hey you try and jump thirty feet without your heart racing." Pi was a bit surprised by the honesty and shook his heart sneaking back into his pocket. Raine shook his head rolling his eyes. With another breath he bent his knees down and jumped straight up. In the air he turned around and faced head down at the ground his arms extended in front of him. Raine planned to somersault with his head down like he had before, the ground came so quickly, and for a moment he let the fear take him. His eyes closed and his hands extended out to protect him in stead of to roll. He felt the grass on his fingertips before his shoulders fell and the rest of his body fell limp to the ground. He lay motionless for a moment, before slowly rolling over and groaning in pain.

DC:25
Roll:12+20= success
DC:20
Roll:12+3=15
Train:5/10
Hp:234-9==225

Pi popped out Raine pocket in hysterics, "Ah Raine I told you! You're gong to die here and there is nothing I can do about it!" The boy laughed.

"Just relax Pi. I'm not going to die." he pulled himself off the ground. "Trust me I've had much worse than this." He pulled his hand across his chest and felt the scars beneath his shirt. With another sigh Raine looked back up at the ropes. "I can do this."He reassured himself as he walked forward. His knees still aching, really everywhere was aching now. His clothes were trashed with grass stains and he had scrapes, they didn't bleed much though, they hadn't penetrated his muscle only his skin. And his head still ached.

"Like I told, you about that time I cracked my head open." He smiled at the fond memory as he jumped up in to the same spot on the tree where he could hold the ropes. It seemed to be the safest and quickest place to enter the rope from. Once again he remembered how he had thought of jumping onto the rope without any help. I'll save that one for a little later. he thought to himself, knowing he wasn't in the best shape. Slowly he stepped on the rope just as he had before. Unlike his last attempt he wasn't as dizzy. However, he was still hesitant to get on after falling so badly. two times in a row.

Raine didn't seem to have trouble balancing on the rope this time and son he made it across. Like usual he headed back and with a sigh and a shrug jumped forward once more. The movement instantly made his head rush and the only thought going through his head were Oh no." As usual he rushed to the ground and As his feet hit, he leaned forward. His movement was in essence wrong. Just wrong. He slip forward on his stomach the grass pushing over his arms that were clamped around his face, his legs followed up behind him and he laid on his stomach spitted out grass.


DC:25
Roll:12+14= 26
DC:20
Roll:12+5=17
Train:5/10
Hp:216-207

"Good. Finally!" Pi crawled out of the place he had been in and hustled up over Raine's body as he lay on his side. He stopped on his neck and Raine scrunched his face at the tickle of his little claws. He smiled at that. "You want to go get breakfast or something while you rest." He said eagerly into Raine's ear.

He sighed considering it. "Nah I want to get this done before Xen gets here. I mead he's probably off doing some great big training right now that is going to let him learn a super cool jutsu that will make me see my dead dad or something like that." He was so frustrated suddenly thinking of just how much further along Xen was then himself. He was supposed to be the good one. He was the Tekkenseisai, the one who trained under Hatchi and Aoshiro and Raito. What could he possibly be doing wrong!

Pi stopped a bit surprised by Raine mentioning his dead father. He hadn't known that before and it was an odd shock in that kind of situation. "Well...uh aren't you doing the same thing?" He smiled trying to cheer his friend up. Raine pushed himself up off the ground and he sat down crossing his legs with effort.

"Well yeah I guess so..."He pushed up his mohawk to fix after all the work he had done with it.

Pi knew he was getting somewhere,"Well what big jutsu are you learning?" he asked Raine. The boy looked around just to check if anyone was around, then looked down to Pi biting his lip.

"You sure you're not going to tell anybody?" He was very cautious. Pi nodded confidently, "Well the thing is, it's a super high rank jutsu that I'm not supposed to learn because it's so awesome." he stuck up his finger, excited just at the thought of it.

" Well come on what is it?!"he was truly interested and had been ever since he had heard about this jutsu.

"Well I got it from my old Sensei Hatchi-senpai. He died a while ago, but all his scrolls are still in his house. And I know he wouldn't mind. He was that kind of guy. Well anyway. It's his own special jutsu and it's called Heartbreaker!" He imagined himself jumping up on a table and roses falling around him, just as Hatchi would have for an introduction.

"Well what does it do?" Pi asked, still intrigued. He wished more than anything Raine would just get to the point.

The boy smiled with fire in his eyes. He flung out his hands in odd positions. "1! 2! 3! 4!" he yelled out with each motion. Pi was completely taken aback. He pulled back his arm and held it there for emphasis before driving his fingers forward with power. "FIVE! And BAm!" He shot out his hands and let them fly off like an explosion. "Their heart explodes!" He clenched his fists.

Pi was utterly speechless, it seemed so horrible to explode somebody's heart. As if Raine meant to kill them. "Well, wouldn't they die?" He asked taken aback.

Raine was quiet, thinking of the Taki ninja, "Well, uh.... yeah. Yeah they would." He was rather melancholy. "Well, I mean you would think. But shinobi are strong people. We don't just die like that." I mean, I wonder if it would even work on me?" he felt his chest. It was supposed to affect your heart but how could that reach through his muscles. He shrugged.

Pi shook his head, "I hope you don't kill anyone."

"Pi I'm a shinobi. I'm going to have to kill someone." he didn't want to mention he already had.

"But killing is wrong." he stuck up his finger. "Unless, you're going to eat them. That's the way nature is."

Raine shook his head, "You don't understand. I would never hurt a good person."

"Well, how do you know if they're a good person?" Raine sense this was a growing argument.

"Well, because they hurt innocent people." He stopped for a moment, "And, trust me... if you don't kill them. They kill you." Pi knew this could go nowhere. And shook his head.

"Good or bad, the definition is an opinion so there is no such thing. Even if everyone pretty much agrees that something is bad, it's just an opinion. Like the phantom thief." Raine stood up feeling like himself now.

"How is the thief involved in this?"He stepped forward and rolled his arms around to get a feel for his body.

"Well like he said. Stealing was what he loved to do, and who was anyone else to say that what he loved was wrong. Not to mention you stole it. So does that make you bad?" Raine shook his head.

"Terikata wasn't innocent."

"That's your opinion."

"AH, You're impossible Pi!" he flung his arms up. Setting into a jog and jumping up. He wasn't in line with any of the trees, but seemed to be jumping straight for the rope. Pi pulled his little claws to his mouth as he let out a little screech of surprise. The boy smiled as his feet hit the rope and it sunk under his weight. He bent down and extending his arm, pulling his butt back so he wouldn't fall foreword from the momentum of his jump. As soon as he still Raine let himself laugh, "Ha Yes!"

"Raine, you're going to be the death of me." The little thing in his pocket shouted up. The Tekkenseisai didn't have anything to say but played on the rope putting on foot over the other as he almost danced across the rope. he still laughed out into the air. It filled the empty place and echoed in the trees. Raine was so delighted and he felt so natural that he took a deep breath and set his arms to his side as he quickly jumped off to the side. His body twisting in the air. Instantly he tucked in his legs and leaned forward into a roll. He was already in a somersault as his back hit the ground. He had decided to land this way because he knew if he didn't succeed his ankles would probably snap.


DC:25
Roll:12+20=success
DC:20
Roll:12+9=21
Train:6/10
Hp:198

Raine came up from the sand pit. It was oddly soft and much more commiserating to roll in that the hard dirt he had been working with all day. "Ah that was a nice place to land. He pulled himself off of the ground and shook out his shirt and shorts. He turned back and jumped up on the back of the very first tree. He had to grab hold of the trunk and work his way over to knot of the rope. It had been over an hour since he had last done this and it seemed like a distant memory.

Dash came to the door with the large 4 printed over it, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. He wasn't going to stay for long, and figured on dropping all the stuff he had bought for the team here so he wouldn't have to carry them around. As he opened the door to a dark room illuminated by the morning sun through the large glass doors on the other side of the large room. He pulled his sunglasses up as he entered. Walking for the ping-pong table so he could drop the boxes. As he set them down the man looked out over his new training ground. With a breath he turned to leave but movement caught his eye. He stepped forward and squinted out, with a small laugh he spotted Raine working his way out onto one of the ropes set up in the trees. It was a pretty fair height. Of course. Coming in early to train. What else could I expect? He turned cooly and grabbed one of the metal chairs. Whipping it around next to the ping-pong table where he could watch unseen Dash sat down.

Raine got to the edge of the rope and jumped out onto it. He lifted his arms to balance himself and stepped forward confidentially. The Tekkenseisai felt like he had mastered the art of balancing on the rope and quickened his pace.

"Don't get cocky."

He was jogging now and made it to the other side. With a large smile Raine turned back to go again this time he headed out even more quickly. His body shook the rope and he made the mistake of trying to stop himself, which jolted the rope even more.

"Ah. You've got to keep moving."

He knew he had made a mistake and without a second thought he had vaulted off the rope.

.........

The boy twisted in the air aiming for the sand, once more. He pulled in his knees and leaned forward, his back facing the ground as he went he whirled and flipped as he hit the sand in a somersault. The small boy rolled through the pit and came up quickly blowing sand from his mouth with a grimace.

"Ha, yeah. You did okay."


DC:25
Roll:12+8=20
DC:20
Roll:12+17=
Train:8/10
Hp:198

Raine stepped forward, he felt naked. He looked around once more, over in the trees and back towards the street.

"It's okay Raine. No one will see." Pi was oddly sympathetic now.

"Ah I know. I just don't like having them out and what not. Might make me seem weak or something. He jumped up high, grabbing the rope with his hand and dangling there for a moment. this stretch his arms and back, after the damage he had received, which was not forming and bruising on his body, it burned but felt relieving in a way.

"No way Raine. You look bad-a**." Pi trying to cheer him up once more. He didn't want to be self-conscious. Raine smiled, knowing that Pi was trying to make him feel better he swung his legs back and forth and flung himself up until he got his knee over the rope and stepped up onto it. He stood perfectly still for a moment with his arms down. His eyes far off below.

"It's not just that." He was melancholy once more. stepping forward with his head down easily. Walking along seemed almost natural after all of this.

"Well than what?"

Raine shook his head he looked around once more. Biting his lip in hesitation. "You wouldn't like me anymore." He recalled their conversation where, Pi had refused the need for killing in a ninja profession.

"Nah, come on. There's nothing that could make me not like you. You're my only friend."

Dash watched form the distance at the skill of his balance, but also he couldn't take his eyes off the scars. Raine was obviously ashamed of them, and it seemed as if he was talking to himself.

Pi said this with such honesty Raine was shaken to the core. He was so ashamed of what he had done the day he got these scars. Tears worked their way over his cheeks and mixed with the water from the pond. He couldn't take it and jumped off of the rope with his arms extended. His head facing the ground. For a moment he felt like not catching himself and letting his neck break. After a deep breath he rolled himself up and hit the ground with his back. He rolled through the warming grass with eyes closed and lay in the grass for a minute.

Dash saw the boy disappear and not get up. He stood up pushing the chair back violently.

The boy pulled himself up, into a sitting position. With a yawn. "Pi I'm done with this. I've really got it now." he said, quickly pulling himself up.

Dash dropped back into his seat as the red head poked up.

"Okay Raine." Pi knew not to talk anymore. The boy quickly found his Shirt which had dried a bit but was still soaked. He didn't care anymore, he just wanted to put something over his horrible skin. As soon as he was covered he felt a great relief and sighed with happiness.

"I really think I did well."

DC:25
Roll:12+19=
DC:20
Roll:12+17=
Train:10/10
Hp:198

The man opened up one of the boxes and pulled out a set of Radio's studying them. He handed one to Raine who took it with a shaking hand. "So we can talk from far away you know." He sighed. Was there anything more to say? Anything he could say?

"Yeah." Pi pulled himself out of Raine pocket and climbed up on Raine's lap scratching lightly at his finger with a concerned face. "Hey I'm okay. Don't worry, Pi."

The jounin wasn't looking. He simply untwisted the cords of the radio. "Well I'm glad." He thought Raine was talking to him but stopped when he heard Pi. "Well, enough with the kinky nicknames."He turned around to Raine who was looking up with horror. Dash rose an eyebrow at the little thing. "What the hell is that little thing?" he leaned down, "Why you carry around a worm?"

Pi turned up with fire in his eyes. "Yeah right tough guy! You wouldn't mess me with if you knew what I was capable of1" He reached in the air with tiny threatening claws.

The jounin smiled, "A talking one none-the-less."

Raine picked Pi up who bit it finger in such anger. Raine's muscle was too tough and it didn't hurt at all. "This is Pedra. But his nickname is Pi. He's an Ajolote." He twisted him around on his finger. "I found him when I was training in Suna."

Dash stood up, "Just make sure Xen's crow doesn't eat him." he pushed the radio back into the box. Relativity sure that Raine was mentally stable.

"Yeah, right Xen." Raine was reminded of what he had to do. He had to keep training! "Hey Dash-sensei, what are we working on today?" he asked. The man's jaw tightened. He usually just thought of what they were doing as they did it.

"....Team Strategy." he nodded Good answer. "Well, kid. I've got to head out. I was just stopping by. Don't do anything too crazy by the time I get back." He grabbed his key from the table an put them back in his pocket. Still unsure of what he had said.

"K, Bye Dash. Thanks." Raine said still holding his arms.

the man closed his eyes and sighed as he opened the door. "Too much information." he whispered to himself before Jumping away as quickly as he could.

Kimiko's breath let out in relief as she noted that no one else was here yet. She'd apparently made it on time then. It had been a long morning, but apparently she still had time to spare.

The tree's swayed gently as she walked out into the open of the training ground, looking about at her teams facilities. She'd been thrilled the first time she'd seen it, but since had not really taken much time to really appreciate just how great it was that they had all this space. She held her arms up in a stretch, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sunlight. It really was a nice change after being in her basement for so long. Nice though it was, it just couldn't beat fresh air green life all around.

"I guess I'll just...relax?" She blinked thinking how utterly up-surd that statement sounded. Her? Kimiko Momoe, relax? That was close on to blasphemy! She'd get in a little bit of training done while she waited for the others, she had been feeling a little stiff after of that chakra meditation anyway, it might be good to give her muscles a good work out.


She looked about the grounds. They probably had some weights around here somewhere....

(I'll just do little training until you get Raine and Dash here. I can just finish up the training later if you catch me in the middle of it, so post whenever. confused )

Overcoming Weakness
DC:27
Formula:1d20+Taijutsu
Train: 1/5
Roll:18+21=39


Heroine's push for strength! Watch her roar!
DC:15
Formula:1d20+Str
Train: 1/10
Roll:18+8=26


"Okay! Are you watching!" Kimiko demanded as they stood surrounded by the training dummies.

Xenon sighed. Honestly, she was like an over acting child sometimes. He smiled. "Yes, I'm watching."

Kimiko looked at him, her expression still smug. "Alright Maboroshi, you had better be ready for this!" she formed the hand seal and felt her chakra rush up about her. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" She didn't really need to yell that, but it added an extra bit of drama to the act, and she wanted Maboroshi to be blown away. There was a brief burst of smoke, before, seconds later, two other Kimiko Momoe's were standing on either side of her, both with their swords drawn for, once again, that extra dramatic spring.

Xenon was smiling somewhat more amused now. As he'd thought. Kimiko's chakra had indeed grown by an obscene amount. She had been able to master the Kage bushin, a B-rank level technique, though...he supposed it was unfair of him to be too impressed... he'd recently mastered a B-rank Jutsu of his own after all.

He was clapping casually watching as Kimiko herself looked offended, one clone looked indifferent, and the other bowed.

"Hey! Is that all the reaction you have!?" The original Kimiko demanded.

Xenon feigned curiosity "Good...job?"

A vein appeared on her fore head. "I mastered a B-rank rank Jutsu that requires Jounin level chakra! Not only that but you lost TWO bet's on it, and all you have to say is-" she mimcked his reaction almost flawlessly. "Good...job?" she returned to her full wrath. "Don't try and play this off the cuff Maboroshi! You know that you're impressed!" she had seized him by his collar and was lifting him off the ground threateningly.

Xenon raised his hands. "I am, I am," he insisted unconvincingly "By the way, it was only the one bet." Kimiko suddenly looked at him bewildered.

"Wha?"

Xenon adjusted his glasses yet again, looking quite indifferent to being lifted off the ground by the scruff of his neck. "I wagered with Sanako-san that you would master the Kage bushin by the end of the day, and it seems that you have, yes?"

Kimiko dropped him with a blown away expression on her face completely ignoring the fact that Xenon was brushing himself off coolly and walking around her. "He...but...then...you actually..." she stared off into space as though her brain was trying to fathom the conundrum before.

Xenon was about to head straight to train when his eyes fell on the two Shadow clones his rival had summoned. "Hm?"

Kimiko snapped out of it and looked around at the sound of one of her shadow clones bursting into girlish giggles. She nearly went back into her blown away state. Maboroshi was examining the face of one of her clones carefully, an almost methodical look in his eye.

"You're going to make a girl blush Xenny." Her clone exclaimed, wiggling happily at the attention.

"Maboroshi you perv!!" Kimiko bellowed she was about to smash him on the skull when her other clone, not being examined, held her back insisting

"Hold Original-sama, it seems he has some cause for his actions..."

Kimiko glared at Maboroshi, who now backing off of the clone adjusted his glasses looking intrigued. "Interesting..." he looked at the other clone. "Are you sure you mastered it correctly Kimiko-san? These clones seem to have somewhat divergent personalities from your own."

Kimiko calmed instantly, her dull expressioned clone releasing her. "Oh, that..." she groaned suddenly annoyed. "Yeah...it's like they're different parts of my personality or something... I'm still working on that. They can act just like me when I want them to though, so it's not a problem."

Xenon was nodding, still looking intrigued. "Yes, I see." he was stroking his chin, before pointing to the first clone, the one he'd been examining. "Kimi," he looked to the other, more Sanako behaved clone, "Ko."

Kimiko suddenly angry again. "Don't go giving my Clone's names without my permission!"

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears though, because Xenon had already moved in front of one the training dummies, his hands making swift, and surprisingly strong for him, strikes.

"Xenny's so cool!" The now dubbed Kimi proclaimed.

"He's making a fool out of you." Ko remarked to her Original.

Kimiko's eyes were now burning with dramatic wrath. "Maboroooooshiiii..." she swallowed the anger and took a deep breath. "Well fine, then I'll just get to work training too! I'll show you!"She went work on her strength exercises at once, the weights she'd earlier put on hindering her slightly with every move.