Welcome to Gaia! ::

"I... Have been in my own village.. clan village that is... though sadly wealthier than Oto. Anyways... I had to go... no excuses. And so did Arashi. We are not aloud to speak of it and I only tell you as much as I have because we are involved. Anyways... it is not that I will be leaving but that I have recieved reports of Fifth Dawn members moving through Oto. Which means soon we are likley to be at war... So I would start gathering your most powerful ninja to us now and dont send out any that return from missions unless it is most needed. I told you before I would be your weapon and that you may use me as you please. And soon will come the time to decide. Ahleh... the one who massacered your village is still here as well and he has also decided to give his life to you and expects that he will loose it. And Arashi... though he is young he has been given ninja of his own to command as he pleases. They came back with me. Most of them could barely best chunins... but we do have a few that could wipe the floor with some of this villages better jounin. I hope you still have kept your word about breaking free from the Fifth Dawn... Because it is all before you now... and that was the agreement for allowing you to... remain," Akihiko finally finished. "But on a less serious note I have been fine except the fact that I have been desiring to see you again." When he was done he looked away from her and continued on walking ignoring the fact that she had been angry with him.

Raine settled into a walk out of breath from the run. He took a large bite of his roll and licked his lips staring up at the rising light. Not many were out yet. He heard some small shops clank, with the owners setting up inside. Other wise the village was quite, a few cats rattled trash cans. And the wind blew through the trees. Raine savored the silence as he finished his roll, licking the honey off his fingers. The little boy took a few short cuts over the back alley roofs. Watching below for anymore thugs. He wasn't about to get beat up again. Raine touched the bandages on his head and look down to the ground, ashamed that he had gone down so easily. Not again, he wouldn't be embarrassed like that again. Raine had been set on working on using up his chakra like he had that first day at the academy, but now his mood had changed. Something that would make him stronger..... he felt like he knew just the thing.... but Raine couldn't remember what. He flung his hands up clutching his hair and grabbing the bandages. "Come on! Remember!" He whispered angrily to himself. A picture of Shif and Hatchi walking in front of him, enraged Raine more, but something was odd about the image that studded his anger. They were.....upside down? "That's it!" He yelled raising his hands. "I was walking on my hands, that's why they are upside down!" he laughed and jumped down from the roof to a familiar dirt road. While a merchant watched form behind staring at this crazy boy run away.

(Exit to rice fields)

Akeru wondered why he had agreed to this in the first place. The raven-haired Uchiha skeptically eyed this strange man, whose crowd of curious observers were growing...and whose every aspect screamed 'FOREIGNER'. He was pretty sure his eyes were among the gathered children who were not supposed to be seeing such an outfit for that matter either. But it probably was of little importance right now... This weirdo had decided to reshape the landscape into...odd box shaped things (Akeru never seen speakers). And what instrument of sorts was that?

"Sir? Sir! Please, you're causing a disturbance!" The usually quietly demure boy hated raising his voice but considering where Marcus was and where he was, it would've probably been impossible to communicate his message otherwise. He didn't know if his onee-sama would enjoy rock music either... But anyways, he had to try convincing the curious villagers to go back to work.

"Now just wait a mi- ...!" Akeru was interrupted before he could finish his statement, pulled by the scruff of his shirt's neckline up to the strange stand and gaped as the platform raised from the ground clearly...into a stage...? Marcus tugged at his rather baggy shirt and the poor boy flushed as it slipped down one shoulder a bit...revealing perfect, creamy skin. But quite modest, the boy pulled his shirt's sleeve back up normally and glared at Marcus. "Leave my clothes alone! They never did anything to you." Akeru would wince elegantly upon the screaming of Oto's female population, trying to ignore an apparent fanclub that had just been born...great...just great. So much for staying in the shadows.

Very upset and feeling like he had cheated Rosie, Akeru propped himself on the darkest corner of the stage and began mumbling under his breath, tracing dirt circles on the ground. "What would Rosie-chan say..." It distantly sounded like. Yet some odd reason that only kami-sama knows, he involuntarily began answering Marcus' ridiculous question. "I play the flute...wait, why am I telling you this?"

"Come now, the ladies love you boy!" Marcus said as Akeru moved towards the corner. The ounds swayed him, the vibes move him, his body was alive with the excitment. It was like electricity in the air, something he hadn't felt before his own little infusion of life. He would grin again and look towards the crowd. More and more cheers came for the performance to continue, after all he had stopped when getting the boy to join.

"LADIES OF SOUND! 'OW'D YOU LIKE IT IF DIS BOY PLAYED A BIT YOUR YOU 'EH?" The roar of raging hormons was more than enough for Marcus. He wouldn't turn immediatly as he heard the words of another and felt the vibe of another, powerful person behind him. He grinned a bit as he began to pull a scroll out from his back pocket. It was a decent sized scroll and he began to toss it into the air.

"Well now, seems a friend is dear to you aye boy? Hmmmm what's your poison milady? You step on my stage, you come ready to jam."

(hey proto when did akeru start dating Rosie? O_o cuz i'd love to read that...XD )


"It's alright, Akeru-kun, you don't need to do anything," Saiya smiled warmly to her smaller relative as she looked upwards towards the man with long hair. "I'd appreciate if you didn't try to do such things to my cousin. He's a young boy and he doesn't need an influence like you harming him in any way." Saiya's voice had turned icy to the man for messing with her cousin like that. Saiya looked to the crowd that had formed and yelled loud enough for them all to hear, "This is over, NOW." Her voice boomed as it always did when she was irritated. Who was this man to walk in and cause such a racket in her village? He sure had a pretty big ego to do it. Saiya could practicaly feel Akeru's hesitation at the women around them's ferocity at getting him to undress. Such a dispicable group of people wanting a young boy to do such a thing. "If you wish to degrade yourself infront of a crowd them please leave my villagers out of your antics."

Shiran entered the village through the gates. No grand entrance or anything... at least not this time. For one he didn't want to draw attention to himself or at least not from so many people and two, he wasn't exactly the same person he used to be. "Hmmm... an improvement from the way things used to seem at least," the Uchiha said, his hand clenching a little at the thought of his freinds destruction. It was only for a moment though. He had gotten over the idea a long time ago.

Off hent through the village. His goals were to find Frost and see if he could confirm the rumors he had heard about the Kage or not. Shiran figured his chances for both were awfully high.
(sorry for my crappy posts. I've been away for a while... not that they were much better before.)

Akeru hadn't moved from behind his onee-sama, warily watching the suspicious guy make his retreat, one elegant eyebrow arched, and didn't leave his position until Marcus was nowhere in sight... Definitely not from around this parts... He decided. Or was that guy just an idiot with lots of guts? Saiya's voice called him back to reality and Akeru looked up curiously. As she mentioned about his current disheveled state of appearance, red exclamation marks of alarm seemed to suddenly materialize above the boy's head and his eyes grew really wide. Eck, he had totally forgotten about that! A dark thought bubble formed of all the ways he'll make Marcus pay as Akeru silently fumed. That guy, who just shamed him in public...he'll pay!

As these thoughts burned in his mind, his facial expression was a quite rare one: flushed cheeks puffed out and the slightest pouting. A bit brooding and embarrassment? Odd combination... He listened intently to his onee-sama's words and the puffed cheeks and brooding pout disappeared instantly. Akeru's expression became one of utmost curiosity and a flush rogued his cheeks as Saiya dropped the kunai into open palms. The boy's pale fingers gently traced the shape of the kunai and the engraved calligraphy, the flush growing darker as he struggled for the words.

But no words were needed as Akeru clasped his hands around the kunai as if in gentle prayer and held over his heart, a radiant smile... "Onee-sama...arigatou..." He whispered. But Saiya might not have heard, as she turned heading for her office.

Alone in the streets now, his hands still clasped tightly over the sacred treasure, Akeru closed his eyes for a moment contemplating the events of the past two months. So many things had come and gone...much lost, yet, also much gained... And of course, all those who had made him feel welcome during the time of greatest need...

He was a fragile little boy no longer. Akeru decided firmly. He had been foolish, wallowing in self-pity when in reality, he wasn't alone... And it was true, Akeru found new friends here...he had Saiya and Kira to watch over him... There was a new determination now, in his heart...to become a shinobi not out of familial obligation but because of actual desire... Pale white fingers grasped the handle of the golden kunai as Akeru took the article into his right hand and moved the kunai into the sunlight. The initiation ceremony... He wanted it. And to become a shinobi that would make Uchiha proud...