Welcome to Gaia! ::

Her cheeks has flushed a pale pink colour as the boy beside her reached over for his pencil. Cinder watched him very carefully, but she decided after a few moments of listening to him, that he seemed nice enough to converse with.

She pulls her chair closer to her desk soundlessly, lifting it slightly as she pulled it so it wouldn't scrape loudly against the floor in that irritating way chairs often did. Loud noises drove Cinder crazy. The noise levels of the classroom were just barley tolerable, she couldn't imagine adding the chairs screech to the atmosphere.
Glancing up at the boy beside her she nodded at his compliment, a small bright smile crossing her nearly doll like features. "Th-thanks!" She stammers, slightly nervous. She wasn't used to having people compliment her, let alone talk to her that often.

Taking out a few pieces of paper, Cinder puts them up on her desk and grabs a pencil from the small bag she was carrying. She places the lead point against the blank canvas and starts sketching boredly. The pencil drew dark and light grey lines curved and straight, but she kept her gaze on the boy in front of her.

"Well, I guess. But we were all new at one point right?" Her voice was soft and velvety as she spoke. Cinder didn't like being alone, and so she was suddenly glad that she at least had someone to speak to. Maybe she'd even be lucky enough to make friends.

"My name's Cindairou Bikou, by the way. You can call me Cinder if you'd like." The 13 year old says offering a small smile to the boy.

Cinder was just about to comment on beautiful Axis' picture was, and make a suggestion and what she thought was missing from it, only to be interrupted by the sound of another boy getting beaten up by another one of the students. The one on the offensive was bigger than the one on the defense, and it was clear who had the upper hand.

Cindairou tilted her head. She didn't understand why someone who was stronger, would beat up on someone weaker than himself. Before the girl could say anything however, Axe had risen from his seat and had gone to confront the bully. She watched in worry as the boy she'd been talking to made his way over to the two other boys. Her deep blue gaze taking in every angle of the scene. When Axe had popped the other guy in the face, she smiles glad he'd gotten a direct hit in. The scene seemed to end for awhile as the black haired boy came back to sit beside Cinder.

"Wow, that was nice of you. I'm glad you helped that boy." She smiles up at him with her perfect doll of a smile, pale pink lips curving upwards. Just before she could saying anything more, the boy who Axe had punched out, rose to his feet and stormed over to her and her desk mate.
The boy had two followers next to him. One was scrawny, with brown hair and dark grey eyes and a narrow face, while the other was rather fat with blonde hair and freckles.

"You think you can get away with that you punk?" The lead one says a cocky smirk on his face. There was a red patch on his jaw from where Axis had hit him earlier. The bully's companions jeer in agreement with their leader . "When someone is strong, they show their strong. If you have a problem with that, then speak up!"

Anger sparked in Cinder's blue eyes, and before her desk mate could say anything, she rises to her feet, throwing her hands on her desk, blue dress flowing like a wave from the sea, with her quick angry movement.
"Get over yourselves!" She snaps. "The strong should protect the weak! Not bully them!"

Cinder watched the boys scamper off like dogs with tails between their legs. Her eyes still sparkling with anger, but it slowly subsided, as they disappeared from her sight. She let's out an angry huffy sighs, which makes her bangs sway at the side of her face.
her fading anger was suddenly replaced by shock, when she felt Axe's hand on her cheek. The feeling totally brings her back to reality, snapping her from her irritated thoughts. The girl looks at him with deep blue eyes and nods. Once he desk mate had pulled away and sat back down, she stood there for a few seconds longer, surveying the class room with distaste. What a day it had been so far.

Shaking her head slightly, she slides back into her chair next to Axis. It only just occurred to her now that there were a bunch of girls staring at the black raven haired boy. Their gazes were filled with admiration, and a few were even on her, filled with dislike and jealousy. Cinder wondered why the seat beside Axe hadn't been taken with the amount of fans he seemed to have. Then again, she thought, he probably didn't want them to close to him.

Letting out a small musical like laughs and starts sketching again. She'd already had one person on the page done before, she and Axe had been so rudely interrupted. While she was sketching, Cinder doesn't look up from her drawing but opens to her mouth to make a comment.

"Thanks for that..." Her voice was soft, and warm, as the sound of a pencil scratching paper sounded the air around the two of them.
"For backing me up, I mean."
After she'd finished her sentence, the small 13 year old starts humming again. Her blue eyes catching the sunlight that fell in through the window, and she could feel the warmth of it on her skin.

Cinder hadn't noticed Axe staring at her. The young teen was lost in the feeling of the warm glow on her skin, and the picture that slowly formed before her on a once blank canvas that looked fresher than fallen snow. By now it had a whole family on it. A father with dark hair like her own, and an older teen sitting by the mother in the picture. And then there was a shorter more childlike version of herself. Cinder wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, she was lost trying to remember things from the past, wondering why things had to change.

A light sigh escapes her lips as she finished humming her little song. Usually she found have sung instead, but singing in front of so many strangers would be so embarrassing. Besides, soon after the thought had crossed her mind, the teacher was suddenly walking into the room. She looked up expectantly and began taking notes down on the back of the drawing she'd been working on. She wrote her name on the top of the page.

Cindairou Ao Bikou

Since she was in such a proper mood she'd even added in her last name. Smiling cheerfully to herself, she scribbled down some notes until the teacher decided to pair all the kids up into partners. Cinder never liked partnering. She knew people didn't like partnering with her, since she was often to shy to really talk to anyone much. She was about to wait to see what kind of person she'd get paired up with, when suddenly Axe's fan girls had slowly started accumulating around her and Axis' desk. She glanced up, wondering who he'd pick.

"Sorry girls, but I already have a partner." She'd heard him say, and was shocked when he gestured to her. Cinder didn't mind being paired up with Axis. In fact she'd rather be his partner than anyone else's right now. After all he was the only one she really knew at the moment.

A few jealous glares were cast at her, but she pretended not to notice. Instead she let her blue gaze drift over to Axe. "Sure." She says with a small laugh. "Do I get a say in this?" Her tone was light and joking.
A few of the girls let out angry cat like hisses, before retreating back into the crowded classroom and once again taking their seats.

She watched a few of the shier kids get up and leave towards the door to practice as well.Her gaze flickers back over to Axis, as she let's out a laugh that sounded more gentle than the sound of Christmas bells. "You'd think I've never taken a good punch to the face before." But her eyes still reflected the gratitude she felt.

After Axis rose to his feet to head towards the door, and call back to her over his shoulder. Cinder leaps out of her chair to follow him. Her long navy blue hair trailed out behind her as she crossed the room, Her dress followed behind her leaving a trail of rippling blue fabric, that looked nearly like waves drifting on the sea. Reaching Axe's side she decides to take the lead and heads out of the classroom door way, the floor board only slightly creak as she walks down the hallway.
"You know." Cinder notes looking at the floor with a raised eyebrow "You'd think in a ninja Academy that they'd have at least a silent floor if they want us to learn how to be quiet."

Ninja. That's right... Why did I even want to become one in the first place? It's not like I really have anything to protect or anything to specifically live for...
By the time they'd reached the door, Cinder's deep blue eyes were lost in thought.

As that two of them walked through the outside and into the mini training hall across the other side of the yard, she opened the door and slipped inside along with Axis. She reached for the lights and flicked them on, only to have the glass panes above flicker and buzz in a sickly manor, and then completely die. The light disappeared in a flash.

Cinder looked around in confusion, her twilight colored hair lost it's heavenly glow in the gloom and her eyes scanned the room, wondering what to do now. They could just train in the dark. It may even be more fun than training in the light. The young teen was used to the darkness, after all there was never any light in her village. Unless it was light that came from the green lamps. The darkness suited the Void ninja quite well. She spun around gracefully on one foot, while Axis said something behind her. She hadn't been paying much attention, but when she turned around, her blue eyes went wide.

"Axe!" She gasps, staring at him. The teen couldn't help but look at him, and a pink color flushed her cheeks as she did. Trying to keep her gaze on his face, Cinder opened her mouth to rant at him to put his clothes back on. Or at least his shirt.
Axe had turned slightly to look at her, and took a step forward while Cinder just sighed. Before she could say anything else her partner was suddenly tripping forwards. In a sudden blur of movement the two were both on the ground.
Ice blue eyes staring into Ocean blue ones. It took a few heart beats for their current position to register on Cinder's mind, but when it did she let's out a small squeak of embarrassment, as her heart spazzes in her chest, beating so loudly she was afraid Axis would be able to hear it.
The two of them both just sort of blinked before Axe leaned back and rose to his feet.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Cinder. I really didn't mean to, really."
She heard him say, surprised she'd actually been zoned in to reality enough for her thoughts to even register correctly at the moment. Shaking her head, trying to clear the thoughts she rises to her feet, glad it was dark enough to hide the deep blush on her face.
Cindairou turns around, keeping her back to him as she heads towards the steps leading down to the training arena. Pausing, the teen glances over her shoulder as she calmed. "It's alright...Accidents happen."

The nervousness coursing though her veins had slowly thinned out to be replaced by a speeding excitement. Sure Cinder wasn't overly fond of fighting. But sparing was different. It was testing your skills, not trying to hurt the other person, or trying to kill them off and take control. It wasn't anything like that. Training was fun because usually you got to do it with a friend. And it had been a long time since she'd even had one of those in the first place.

Cinder decided that she considered Axis a friend. There wasn't much of a question to it. The two got along really well, and apparently had the same belief on somethings, shown by their earlier situation with the bullies. It turns out the young Bikou girl's first day in the Academy... wasn't so bad after all.

The teen raised an eye brow as she watched Axe take a scythe as his weapon. It was incredible looking. With a sharp blade and fang like designs on the blade. Suddenly, She was trying to remember what Axe had introduced himself as. What had his last name been?
Well, either way. A small grin crossed her doll like face and she gave a musical bell like laugh.

"You know, I'm used to training with people who have scythes.In our Village, we have a clan called the Zoto's. They're master's at wielding scythes!" She explains with a proud edge in her voice. The teen took pride in the abilities of her village, and she was glad that she stood a decent chance against Axe, know that she knew how to fight him. Reaching behind her, she pulls a rather large Frisbee like object off a strap on her back, and grips a handle on the back of it. The object nearly looked like a shield or a trash can lid, except it it wasn't curved in anyway.
She held it at her side defensively, signaling that she'd allow him the first move. Cinder decided on not using chakra this round. She wanted to keep it saved up in case anything happened, and she was in a position where she needed to use ninjutsu.

Cinder nods listening to his words. Of course the Zoto's were powerful. But the young Bikou Clan member knew well enough not to under estimate her opponents, that was an open road to losing. She stays quiet as Axe melts away, disappearing into the shadows like a ghost in the night. It wouldn't make a difference whether her eyes were open or closed, since everything around them was dark anyway. Instead Cinder focused more on hearing than she did on her other senses.

She waited, listening to the occasional brush of his skin against a wall or a dummy in the back ground. Suddenly the sound of metal whistling through the air, comes to her. She tries to judge the distance, and jumps backwards, avoiding the kunai's although even if she hadn't moved they still wouldn't have hit her, she realized, opening her eyes to see where they'd landed. The small metal blades were poking into the ground a few feet away. Suddenly the sound of shoes tapping on the wall hit her ears and she turned in their direction as they suddenly stopped. A darker shadow landed in the distance a few paces away from where she stood. Ice blue eyes met ocean blue ones, as Cinder pulled her arm back and hurled her strange circular weapon. It took of like a UFO through the air, the end was sharp as a razor, but Cinder knew that Axe would either doge the object or counter it with his own. Using its rotation as a distraction, she turns and plunges into the darkness, kicking off her shoes as she did so, so her bare feet were completely silent on the cement ground. She ran around, taking a sharp turn, placing one hand on the floor as a small break, then she leaps forward, lunging towards the pile of equipment. The box spills open throwing all sorts of weapons on the ground, and the whole room came alive with the loud noise of metallic weapons colliding with the ground. She used the noise as a cover knowing any ninja would turn towards it, so while everything was still rattling she runs quietly back towards Axis, leaps into the air, hooking her fingers through the little handle on her disc, then reappearing and landing right in front of her partner.

Thrusting the disc against the metal scythe, the two objects clashed loudly.