Welcome to Gaia! ::

Yume smiled at the strange girl, (Rachel) and decided that her tatoo should stay hidden at all times. Well, maybe not all times, but most of the time at least...she didn't want her friend Pander noticing it...although most of the time, she didn't care what kind of comments people made about her, Pander was different; he wasn't an enemy...he was a friend, so his thoughts and opinions on her really mattered. I'm getting too soft... Reaching for her pants in the locker, Yume pondered something. Was it just coincidence that she knew the same song as Pander? He couldn't know it unless he was from the village she was from...the village far away from here...the village where she'd left because there was no-one who really wanted her there. Her parents' friends' children were the only kids she could play with, and even then, all of them were at least 7 years older...and how they used to--Shaking out of her thoughts, Yume quickly got dressed and left the locker rooms.

Rachel walked into the locker room and sat on one of the benches before her. She extracted her bathing suit and a pair of white swimming trunks. She quickly put her bathing suit on and her swimming trunks over them. She smiled and walked out of the locker room into the co-ed section. As Rachel approached the water, she remembered her collar and took it off. She placed it on a rock and walked to the water. As she looked into it, she gulped and stuck her foot in. It was warm and soothing, and the warmth gave her goosebumps from her body temperature changing so quickly. She sighed and slipped into the water, still holding onto the rrocks so not to become submerged. 'This time, I'm gonna learn to swim...' Rachel thought as she began to kick her legs backand forth. She kicked off the wall and began to drift into the center of the water. As Rachel began to sink, she began to move her hands back and forth by instinct. This allowed her to stay afloat and even swim. Rachel had learned how to Doggy Paddle. As she swam in the water, she decided to go under and see what that was like. She arched her back forward and propelled herself forward. As she went lower under the surface, she began to feel her lungs burn. 'I'm running out of air.' Rachel thought as she began to swim back to the top. She got her head above the water and took in a big breath of air. She swam back to the side and got out of the water, still looking into it. She sat and relaxed a bit as her mind began to drift.

Keyshaun walked towards the middle section of the hotsprings wearing his red swimming trunks. He bent down and slowly sunk into the water letting out a deep sigh. He slightly turned his head noticing the two other people then closed his eyes.

So with the loaned towel, Jesse went into the showers before going into the Hot springs. It's part of Japanese culture to do so. It prepares you for the warm water and gets rid of the dirt on you so that the hot springs stay clean. After the shower, he heads into the Hot springs. He finds it quite refreshing.

"*sigh* I wonder if this place is exactly like Japan. That if the guys and girls are separated in the hot springs.. I don't want that... I want to have a girlfriend in high school." said Jesse.

What an odd school. So strange and full of ...people, people that have gifts...gifts that they use for good. Not for... Yukiko thought to herself as she dipped her head below the water.I am so stupid I cant even controll my powers/gifts. Unlike everyone else. I dont deserve to live because nobody cares. SHe stayed under the water thinking. Soon all of the oxygen left in her body was gone. Yukiko had passed out under the water.

Waiting for an answer, Yume lay down on the same flat rock that Pander was lying on, and let the sun beat down on her skin. After a bit, she laid on her stomach, making her hair spill over to one side, exposing the tattoo and the nape of her neck. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Mr. Lunatik... Already, she was distancing herself from him in case he wasn't from her village, and he wanted to push her away. It was best to distance yourself before they leave you out in the cold. I...uh...just...wanted to say...um...that...if you don't have a clue...as to what I'm talking about, then...you can just say it...if you don't want to say anything, you can leave me hanging... Yume lowered her head, her bangs covering her face. I just want to know...what happened to my village...after I ran away...I want to know what happened to the Akimoto family...I want to know why the village isn't there anymore...

((In response to Giatronist's earlier post)) Rachel heard a boy's voice speaking to her. This immediately caught her attention and she shot upfrom relaxing on the rocks. She looked around as he spoke and watched him as he swam around a rock that had been blocking him. He had told Rachel that she didn't deserve the privelige of water if she had no confidence or patience. Rachel looked over to him as he watched her. She was confused as to why he would even bother having anything to do with her affairs and such. "I'm trying to learn how to swim and I'll have you know that I've got enough patience to go around. I've been thinking about water and swimming for quite some time now. Doesn't the fact that I've even tried to learn to swim show that I have confidence? I'm putting my safety at bay here, because if I submerge and can't resurface, I'll drown. I think that shows both confidence and bravery. Who are you anyways?" Rachel stated. She was beginning to wonder if she had said or done something wrong or to offend the guy. As she continued watching him, she walked over to the rock that her collar was on and buckled it around her neck. She proceeded over to her original rock-seat and stared at the boy with thoughts racing through her head. She needed to give a positive attitude and she needed friends. If she was mean or defensive around everyone, she'd be left alone. Rachel wanted friends more than anything at Ria High, and she wanted so desparately to fit in. She had to try to accomplish these goals.

Yume... it was destroyed. Shortly after I left with Jangen-sensei to continue my training, I recieved a letter from my younger sister. Your family is fine to from what it said. Everyone escaped, moving further north, higher. The rebuilt the village in the safety of a large cavern. They don't know who attacked or why. All they know is that the people took the animals they could find and any harvest like foods. Corn, wheat, that sort of thing.

He opened his eyes and looked at Yume. He remembered her know. She was that girl. He had always hated how people had treated her. He was probably more different than her, being boorn with tattoos and all, but people accepted him because of his natural ability with a sword. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes glowing in the sun light.