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There was a sound. The sound was not unlike an air raid horn and that always made Yukimura wonder. At least for the first three or four years that he was in the orphanage. Now he just did not care. Now it was simply an annoyance that, god willing, he hoped that he could be rid of. Though the air raid sound was annoying it was not nearly as bad as what was about to happen next. Yukimura sighed as the door to the dormitory slammed open and the caretaker came in, in his usual rage. "Get the hell up all of you," he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Get your lazy back sides out of those beds right freaking now!" The reaction around the room was different for everyone. Some rushed out of bed, fearing whatever the douche bag would do to them. Others got out slowly, still getting the sleep out of their eyes as they did. Others, simply got out on their own power. Yukimura himself simply got out of bed apathetically, not really caring at this point. This was a good day for him and that caretaker was not going to take that away from him. Yukimura simply drowned him out as he continued to rant a rave about whatever he ranted and raved about at a time like this. He did not care what the hell the man was talking about and honestly, he probably had already hear it before today anyway. Yukimura simply waited for him to dismiss his group to breakfast, getting his stuff packed while he waited. This felt like it was going to be a long day. At this point, Yukimura knew that it was probably going to be a bad day but it is whatever, Yukimura would get through it. Also, there was the point that he had training to look forward to at sometime today.

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((completely random, i know)

Aramaki was breathing hard. This was close. Failing to out run multiple opponents and being forced into a fight with them, he really did not need that. Who knows, maybe he was just too careless this time. No matter, he was safe now. Aramaki blinked blood out from his eye and instinctively brought his hand up to his head. He felt the scar that traveled down his face and sighed. It had been a long time since he had gotten that. He shook the blood off of his head cleaver and replaced it back on his back. "Almost ten years now. I am getting old." He felt the ridges in his skin that the scar caused and smiled back to days when this was so much easier. He finally brought his hand down from his face and looked at the bodies. Maybe he should stop insisting to work alone. His problem was that he was untrusting. He was unable to rely on other people to do their jobs. It he had a team of himself, it would be easier for him, but that was impossible.

Aramaki looked around finally started on his way back to the land of water and Hidden Mist. He had hours of moving ahead of him any way he looked at it so he did what he usually did at times like this. He day dreamed as he moved. Somehow, his mind flashed back to before he had that scar, when he was still an academy student. Aramaki still remembered when he first walked through the academy gates. It was a chilly, foggy day, as usual and he was finally free of the orphanage. It had never really occured to him that the people at the orphanage had manipulated him into going to the academy. Not that it really mattered in the long run since he probably would have went anyway.
Aramaki looked around the academy his first time in there. It was ... interesting. There was little to work with, just the bare essentials. The place seemed to be under the regular foggy mist that Aramaki seemed to live in at all times. Decorations were none existant. Still, it was where he wanted to be. Aramaki looks back to those days and can not believe that he was such a dumb, naive kid then. He probably stood at the doors of the academy for minutes before he finally took his first steps into the place. He did not know what he was going to do on his first day.

Aramaki suddenly stopped. He sniffed the air. It seemed that the enemy had found his kills and had taken pursuit again. This was going to be a long night. He could set off at full speed right now and fact of the matter is that they would catch up before he crossed the border. It looked like he was going to be in another fight tonight and he was already exhausted after a three on one fight earlier. Aramaki sighed. "Oh well I guess this is going to be interesting." He started moving again. He was not going to go full speed, so that he could conserve his energy. Who know, maybe they would be called back before they caught up to him. He let his mind wander once again.

Aramaki was in class. This was going to be a decent amount of his time in this point of his life. Learning how to do a technique in theory before going into practice with it. This was the life that Aramaki was coming into. He listened to his instructor as he explained a technique.
Aramaki smiled. The instructor explained the technique in class while everyone was taking notes. This was the low point of any day at that academy, but it wasn't all bad. Aramaki knew that in about thirty minutes, they would be all going out to practice the technique. He sighed as he took note after note. This was the light work. Aramaki had an ability to remember whatever he saw. It wasn't quite a photographic memory, but it was pretty close to one. That was what he enjoyed. So what was going to happen here. He took a rest an spun his wrist to loosen it up. He took this time to look around the room at the other students. He had a few friends in the class, people from the orphanage who believed just like he did that this was the only way to get to whatever they wanted to get to.

Aramaki sighed as he looked back. They were begining to close in one him. He could have set a trap for them a while ago, if he really wanted to. He didn't feel the need to. Now he was beginning to think that he was wrong. He was getting tired from all the running, and they haven't even missed a step. Still, Aramaki wasn't really worried about losing a fight, even against these guys. He thinks about it. They don't know that they are dealing with one of the legendary swordsmen of the Bloody Mist. He sighed. This would be over with in a matter of moments.

About half an hour later The students were in front of the pond.
Aramaki watched as everyone else had there turn on the pond using the water walking technique. They had mixed results: everything from falling into the pond to transversing it flawlessly and everything in between. IT was interesting. Aramaki was just waiting for his own turn.

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Yukimura made it back to the dormitory after finally finishing his breakfast. Just like breakfast, he savored packing, taking his time even though he had relatively little to pack, enough to be stored in one bag and easily carried. He had learned to live like that from an early age, from moving around a lot. Living like that had become a way of life for him. Still, he though, how sad is it that all of your possessions fit into a single bag? It was truly something to think about when he had to time to think of such things. Right now he really did not. When he entered the dormitory, he found four others, friends I guess you could say, backing for the same trip that Yukimura was getting ready to take. He was not surprised, this was something that they were all looking forward to at this point. No more caretaker. No more slop. No more menial chores. This is simply what they all were hoping for at this point. An escape from the life that they had all lived for so long. Still, it was a life that they knew. It was the only life that any of them knew. Who were they to dictate what was right and wrong for themselves at this point in their lives? Oh wait, that's right. They were themselves. Who knew what they wanted, what they needed, more than the person who had walked in their shoes all his life. Yukimura had thoughts like this going through his mind through the all of ten minutes that it took to pack his case full of his things. He shook his head, once again thinking about how sad it is to be able to easily fit his whole life in a single box. It was sad to say one thing, pathetic to say another. Still, he hoped that that would change now that he was no longer a ward of the state. However, he did not know for sure. Not yet he did not know.

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Konata lay slumped over her desk in the academy's classroom. No, it wasn't the result of a kunai thrown to the head, or even a precise chop to the nerve cluster at the side of the neck. Neither was it the result of a poison slipped into her midday meal. No, this was much more serious. She had stayed up way too late playing video games! Again. And was paying the price for it now, by barely having the energy to keep her eyes open another minute. The classroom was such a boring place, how could anyone stay awake? Just then, her finely tuned ninja reflexes completely missed the projectile hurled toward her, and she squawked in protest as the hurled piece of chalk collided with her forehead with an audible thwack. Having straightened up from the shock, she rubbed at her forehead. Her teacher, Kuroi-sensei, was only a few feet away from her, staring her down with a mixture of annoyance and expectation in her eyes. "Stayed up all night in a raid again, Izumi?" Why ask that question if you were in the group too, teacher? She wisely kept that thought to herself, however, knowing that actually saying it aloud would have been a very foolish move. So she just gave a sheepish grin, and let her hand fall back to her desk, where she picked up her pencil and resumed taking notes.

It was lunchtime, and Konata had pushed her desk around to face one of her friend's desks, so they could chat while eating their lunches. She bit at the narrow end of her chocolate cornet, and predictably, the chocolate filling oozed out of the wider, open end. She turned it around and lapped at the filling, before repeating the process all over again. She had already had the discussion with her friends, about which end was the right end to eat from, but results had been inconclusive. It seemed everyone had their own idea about the right way to do it, so she had just stuck with her own method. She was definitely a creature of habit, there was no doubt about that. In food, as well as many other aspects of her life, she found a working plan and stuck to it if possible. Whether it included buying three of the latest collectible toy; one for use, one for storing, and a back-up; or simply knowing that you had to target the boss' tail to actually do damage, she always had a plan. Sometimes it may not have worked as well as she might have liked, but it never really went horribly wrong.

Classes had ended, and everyone was leaving the classroom, filing out as they chatted. Normally, she might stick around for a few minutes to chat with her friends, too, but she had somewhere to be. She had a job. While it wasn't really illegal for her to get a job, it wasn't really thought of as all that okay of a thing to do. But as long as nobody else made an issue of it, there wouldn't be any problems. And she needed the money, Comiket was coming up soon! She tended to burn through a large portion of her savings in those few days, but it was never really much of a regret. Burning through your savings, enduring the funk of too many people crowded into a smaller building on a hot day, walking until your legs felt like they might fall off, that was all part of the tradition and attraction of Comiket. It just wouldn't be the same if it happened any other way!

She was now at her job, moving from table to table as she brought out drinks or appetizers. This was no bar, though, this was a cafe. A costume cafe, to be particular. It didn't have the best location, but that helped it, actually. After all, the target clientele seemed to enjoy the hunt for these smaller, out of the way places, and this establishment's focus only made it a more tantalizing prospect. Nothing tawdry or ecchi, not really. Sure, a few of the costumes were a little more revealing than everyday casual wear, but this was an up and up place. If you were looking for a little show and tell, try the red light district. Here, the costumes were just to lend an air of realism for the day's chosen anime. One day she might be dressed up as a character from To Are Majutsu no Index. Wearing the Walking Church was a bit different, it was such an expansive garment that she had to be careful in walking, otherwise she'd step on it's hem and fall flat on her face. And she didn't really have the 'build' needed to capitalize on the proper moe moe levels for such an act to really raise some flags.

The day was done, she had finished work and then went home. It had been a late supper, since it was her job to do that, as well. With just her and her father, normally they might alternate chores. Not cooking, though. The few times her father had tried to make the meals... Well, the less said the better. As the years went by, she had gotten pretty good at cooking, too. Maybe not as much as some people, but certainly good enough for the two of them. And now the meal was over, the dishes were in the sink, and the leftovers were in the fridge. Now that she had a bit of leisure time, she was catching up on her manga. The large, phone-book-sized anthology lay opened on the floor, as she lay on her stomach, poring over the volume. Flipping another page, she reached out a hand and grabbed a stick of Pocky. Placing the tip in her mouth, she ate it slowly, the far end bobbing as she chewed. Reading the manga volume led to reading another, and another, and another. Finally, a few hours later, she got to her feet and stretched, yawning. It was getting late, she should probably be getting ready for bed soon.

Even though she thought that, she still sat down at her computer desk and powered up, before launching an online game. She typed in a greeting to her guild mates, and they greeted her back, warmly. Except for one. She froze up when she saw the screen name appear, she knew precisely who they were. It was Kuroi-sensei, chiding her for staying up late playing games! She cried out in her mind. You shouldn't scold me for staying up late on this game when you're on it too, teacher!

It was time for school again, and Konata was faring a little better this time around. she was staying awake, though she wasn't really paying too much attention in class. Enough that hopefully she'd avoid getting thwacked with a piece of chalk again, at least. Then, the class ended, but not for the day. It was time for the next class. She chatted with her friends while they waited for the next instructor to show up. She had been wondering what the difference was between a cold and the flu. Not that it was really cold and flu season at the moment, but it had come up in an earlier conversation, and she hadn't known the answer. So she asked now, and listened attentively as her friend explained it. She still didn't really get it, but she got the point, they were different! That meant she had been right! Her other friend looked a little sad at being proven wrong, however, so her friend who had explained was quick to point out that they were rather similar as well. and thus, her and her friend switched places, with her getting a little depressed at now being wrong. And so on.

It was finally time for Comiket! She had saved up money, made sure to let everyone know where she'd be staying, and worked up a plan of attack. It would be a bit of an ordeal, it always was. But that was part of the fun. She packed a few small necessaries into a travel bag, and punched a few numbers into her cell phone. When it connected to her friend, she let them know she was leaving, but she'd call back with updates every now and then. Her friend sounded a little disgusted at how she could so easily be lured into the bastion of otaku-ism so easily. Then again, she was an otaku, so she was already one of them. They exchanged small talk for a while, before she moved on to make the other calls. Finally, she said goodbye to her father, and walked out the door. she made it a few yards before feeling his gaze on her back, and turned back to wave again. And again a few yards later. Then she rounded a corner and was out of sight. This was it, time to get on the train and head out to find those rare doujins! She had brought along everything she'd need, along with a few things that could just possibly be necessary, even if she didn't realize it just yet. She made her way to the train station, bought her ticket, and went inside.

The train was fairly crowded, there were other people going to the same location as she was. Many of them were in colorful costumes, cosplay just like she had wore at her job. Quite a few ninja outfits this time, too. Hmm, that meant that spiral manga and anime were getting popular again. What was it about? Oh yeah. there was this youth who, at birth, had been possessed by a nine-tailed fox demon...
(1664 )

A whooshing sound could be heard through the air, before a large crash and then an odd scrapping rolling sound could be heard. A large ax was wedged into the side of the shoulder of the Kage statue that was part of the fountain. The rolling sound was the head of the Kage hitting the earth and rolling a little distance away. Within seconds of the head coming to a halt, a single female emerged from the shadow of the ax. Grabbed the handle and swung herself up and onto the side of the blade in order to look down at the remaining male. "Hello there, what're you doing out all alone?" The girl calls, in a sweet yet almost mocking like voice as she tilts her head to allow one pure gray eyes to gaze down through her black bangs at him. She hadn't really the look of experience upon her, but some times that was hard to tell. Even so, she was making conversation for once. That should be good enough for the time being, before who she was or anything like that was revealed. A second figure, this one a male walks from the building and rests an oddly designed sword upon his shoulder as he slowly looks around before spotting the female and giving a slight nod of acknowledgment to her. Once he finished nodding, he flipped his sword off his shoulder and into the ground, before leaning against it as if he was blocking the path through the door. But perhaps he just wanted to stand there? It was hard to tell at this point.

*BLAM*

The final gunshot marked the end of Rinzo's training for the day. He held his pose for some time, with his gun extended towards what remained of the shredded target dummy, his feet spread wide, and the tip of his katana in his right hand hovering just above the ground. Eventually, he returned to a normal stance, and set about the task of cleaning up after himself.

He breathed slowly, heavily, his face glistening with sweat after his long routine-- thirty solid minutes of continuous, fluid striking. He had started with unarmed punches and kicks, then drawn his dagger and plunged it into the first dummy's heart, then continued with dagger and fist until he was tired of that and ready to use the dual daggers, then dagger and sword, dagger and shortsword, dagger and tanto, until finally he hurled the dagger into another dummy and continued with nunchaku and fist. On and on and on for the better part of an hour, striking the dummies with almost every possible combination of weapons that could be brought together by the weapons he had mastered.

Now his entire collection was laying on the ground around him, an impressive pile of steel and wood. As he picked up each implement, he hung it from his belt or slipped it into his coat. The process of retrieving and stashing his weapons took him another several minutes. When at last he was fully packed, he sat against the side of a nearby hut and closed his eyes to meditate upon his performance that day.

In a small area near the dummies, Rinzo started to undress, taking off each of his weapons one at a time and laying them out before him.

The first items to go were the katana, wakizashi, and tanto set hanging from his right hip, in the typical fashion from his belt. He laid them gently and respectfully in a row on the grass. Then came the collapsible staff strapped to his thigh and the naginata with the extending handle that was sheathed across his back, the Chinese broadsword and the European b*****d sword on his left hip, the sai crossed behind the small of his back, his pistols from their underarm holsters, the trench knife in his boot, the heavy dagger strapped to his forearm, and then its twin on his bicep, and the spring-loaded katar underneath his coat. He finished the proccess by unhooking the whip and kusarigama from where they hung on opposite sides of his belt, and then finally the half-dozen throwing knives and equal number of shuriken from inside his coat, and the trench knife from his boot.

He looked over the pile of arms before him, and meditated.

He watched as the cook brought the meal in. It smelled delicious, just like he expected it to. This was going to be enjoyable. Yukimura smiled. There it was, a glimmer of happiness during this all around depression era that seems to be his life right now. He ate the ramen slowly, giving it a chance to cool down some. The pork was roasted and perfect. He was most certainly going to enjoy this meal. However soon enough he finished it. He never was really good at savoring food, just shoveling it down not knowing when the next meal would come. He paid the chef and left the stand, continuing on his way to the academy. He was not too far away now, just a few hundred yards. He would walk through the doors in a few minutes, finally free of everyone and everything that tormented him. Finally free of the orphanage. Finally free to do whatever he feels he has to do to become unstoppable. He smiled at the thought of that. He thought at times in the Orphanage of rising to the rank of Kage. He thought of being a member of Anbu Black Ops. He thought of a great many things and now he has a chance to make those thoughts a reality. Now he was but thirty yards away from the place that would start his journey. Now here was the happiness that he was missing all day. Now here was the happiness that he needed, that he always thought he had. He was going to have a good life hopefully. He was going to be strong. he was going to be legendary. He was going to be unstoppable. He opens the doors to the academy and steps in. He is greeted by the sight of other children who have much the same dreams that he has. He wonders how things are going to be and he knows that this is going to be a fun time for him. He looks around the grounds and tries to figure out where he is going to have to go first. All that he knows is that this is going to be a long day.

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