Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tamao held her blade up to the light, admiring the way that the illumination reflected off the beaten steel, how it seemed to glitter and scintillate like a living thing. A moment later, however, a slight frown marred her features, which uncharacteristically were not hidden away behind her mask. Leaning a bit forward, she took a closer look at her sword. She could feel the quiet power in it's core, she could sense that this sword was strong. But there was something else, some other facet to it's power. Something undefined and unknown. She was not one of those who had to know absolutely everything. She wasn't obsessive enough for such a trait. But when it came to her swords, that was a different matter. She would do her utmost to learn everything about them, to understand every nuance in their design and form. Just as she would come to understand this new irregularity. She kept the blade drawn, even as she turned on her heel and walked out of the small blacksmith's hut where she had been working on honing her skills. She was no blacksmith, there was no doubt about that. But she knew a little of the work that was required to actually craft a blade, to create a blade that could well take lives. When one formed such a blade, they took upon themselves a portion of that karmic weight. She had yet to kill more than just a few rare occurrences, but even that was enough. There were times when she felt those phantom hands reaching up from their graves to tug at her, to try to pull her down to her eternal rest. On rare occasions, she was even half-convinced that that was all she deserved. But each time, she managed to pull through. Whether because of someone she knew, or because of a facet of her training, she had always found another moment to live for, another goal to strive toward. Just as she would strive toward understanding this new sensation. The sword was... trying to tell her something? She had never received such a forthright message from any of her blades before, this was rather unusual. Nonetheless, she trusted her blades, so she would take this new message completely seriously.

Finally, she slipped into an antechamber, and approached a thin cushion perched specifically on the floor. She had no mind for the obscure and intricate workings of feng shui, but all the same, she knew there was at least some truth to those practices. And if by chance those acts gave her an advantage in life, then it would be foolish not to take them right? She slipped down to a sitting position, legs folded up under her in a position similar to one of the more meditative of yoga stances. She set her blade down carefully, it balanced on her knees, with her hands resting atop it. From this position, she could still grasp or wield the blade, should that become necessary. At the same time, it lent itself well to a simple meditative trance, what she would attempt to use to commune at a more deep[er, fuller level with her blades. It was a virtual impossibility to come to understand all of them, but if there was even a shadow of truth to the odd sensation, then she would by all means do her utmost to plumb those depths, to come to understand her blades as completely as possible.

For now, however? For now there was only calming her mind. The first and most basic step of a meditation, yet one that she still had trouble with, even after all of the years she had been working at it. Simply focusing the mind, the consciousness, down to that single, narrow point. Compressing one's thoughts until they reached that state of blankness. A pursuit that could take a lifetime, a pursuit that still eluded her. She could focus, and get close to that point. But that final plunge, that final release of her consciousness, was just too much of a challenge for her, yet. She never gave up, she always attempted it. Yet even now, when there seemed to be something truly important just beyond the range of her perceptions.... even now, it was impossible.

Then she felt a shift. A sudden and seemingly irrevocable shift in her mind's stance, in how she viewed herself and the world around her. She wasn't under attack, she was as alone as she had ever been. No, this was something from within. Wasn't it? No, not quite. It came... from that point, from that place that held the connections to her blades? In fact, did it come from the same blade she was still holding? Curious. She focused on that connection, visualized her blade's every detail even as her eyes fluttered shut. She felt that same tenuous connection between her blade and herself. She followed that connection, and felt a curious sinking sensation. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn that the floor had just disappeared from beneath her. That wasn't quite what it felt like, but it was really the best descriptive that she could think of, at a time like this. after all, she was in the middle of falling to her doom. Or was she? She was falling, her mind was absolutely adamant about that fact. even with her eyes closed, she could feel it. Yet even then, she could not open her eyes. So she fell in darkness, through darkness.

The plunge seemed to continue on and on, never stopping, never slowing down. Without warning, it stopped, solid ground seemed to swell up beneath her feet. Only then, only after she had tentatively placed her weight on one foot, then the other, only then did she dare to open her eyes. When she did, they shot wide in confusion. Gone was the simple yet cozy architecture of the building she had been occupying. Gone were the highly polished wooden floors, gone were the worn smooth blocks of granite. Gone was the smell of smelting, of raw metals and ores. In their place, she was perched on the midst of a surreal road in the middle of a bizarre landscape. The land itself seemed to be nothing more or less than space itself. Black nothingness stretched on forever, marred by tiny pinpricks of light. The road she was on seemed impossibly fragile, even if it had already supported her weight easily. It seemed to be a ribbon made of the thinnest of materials, practically translucent. It snaked through the void without any rhyme or reason, curving up, down and in any and every other direction. She looked around, and spotted something that could well mark the end of the path. Without any other likely sources or destinations, she set out, walking at a normal pace. While her surroundings were intensely weird, they were not, strictly speaking, alarming. There was something about there she was that made her feel that she was safe, that no harm would befall her. This would certainly not be enough to make her act impulsive or reckless, but it would be enough to make sure she would act, that she wouldn't be tied down into inaction by fear of the unknown. so she set out. The ground seemed to vanish beneath her feet, eaten up in great leaps every few moments. For as sinuous and winding as the path appeared, it looked muc longer than it must have been. How else could she have already covered this much distance in such a short time?

Already, she could see the object that had appeared indistinct from a distance. As she approached, she saw it was a stone door. There was nothing visible behind it, but this entire area didn't make any sense, so she wouldn't let that stop her. She stood in front of it, and pushed. There seemed to be some resistance, so she pushed harder still, flexing as she pressed against the cold stone. A slight give, but still it would not let her through. So she pushed even harder. Concentration knotted her features even as stress built. Finally, grudgingly, the door groaned as it swung away from her. The sudden opening of the door was almost enough to cause her to stumble. Fortunately, she did not, and instead recovered herself. The door led into brightness, so she simply walked into the light, curious to see what it held.

There had been nothingness beyond the door, she had seen the lack of any details whatsoever as she had approached. Yet, now that she had stepped through the door, there was something? Not just something, but a completely furnished tea room? The room was warm, in the way that all well-lived homes were, the accoutrements slightly worn from ages of good service. There was even that peculiarly nostalgic scent, old papers and tobacco, that reminded her of her home, and her parents. She stepped deeper into the study, looking around in amazement. There was real warmth here, whoever owned this room had obviously spent a lot of time getting it set up just so. She saw a slightly overstuffed armchair and sank into it, only to find it was just as comfortable as she had thought. Closing her eyes for a moment, she realized that she felt more at ease here, than she had felt anywhere in the waking world, for ages now.

"You seem well at ease." Such a simple phrase, but such a drastic reaction! Adrenaline surged through her veins, as Tamao leaped to her feet, looking around in shock at the simple fact that someone had gotten the drop on her. It didn't take long at all to find them, because they weren't trying to hide. they were just standing there, a short distance from her, leaning casually against the large wooden desk that dominated the center of the room.

They were a young woman, with pale skin and silver-white hair tied back in a long braid. Scarlet eyes matched the outfit they wore, which seemed like a red leather stylized jacket over an ordinary shirt, skirt and thigh-high stockings. Tamao was positive she had never seen them before, but at the same time they seemed so familiar. They grinned at her, as if privy to an amusing secret. They folded their arms over a modest bust, still seemingly at ease against the desk, perched on it's edge.

"Who... who are you? Where are we?" Tamao glared at this arrogant stranger, that odd fleeting sensation of familiarity causing her even more unease. Whatever had happened, they had to be a part of it! She was rather annoyed, but that didn't seem to faze the stranger in the slightest, the grin remained firmly fixed on their face even as they gave a slight shake of their head. "You really don't know? This is even more hopeless than I thought..." The stranger got up and walked forward. There was nothing aggressive in how they approached, but even then, Tamao took a half-step back at their approach. This was noticed, causing her grin to grow even more. "Scared? I'm hurt, Tamao."

"Well it's obvious you already know who I am, tell me your name!" Tamao ordered, but even to her own ears, the demand seemed weak. She had no way to enforce the authority she lay claim to, and they both knew it. She couldn't just make them tell her what she wanted to know, could she? Nonetheless, the stranger deigned to answer, moving an arm in a casual bow. "My name? Why don't you call me... Tama. Yes, that name will do just fine."

Tamao blinked at the unexpected show of cooperation. Could this Tama be ready to give her some information, finally? "Very well, Tama. What is this place?" She gestured with one hand, an expansive gesture to show she didn't mean just the room they were in, but the odd space beyond as well. Unfortunately, it seemed Tama's cooperative side had already been retired, as that smirk returned. "It would be far too easy to just tell you the answer to that question. I'll be nice and give you a clue, though. You already know the answer, you just don't know that you know it."

Tamao sighed in frustration, what sort of clue was that? That was the sort of fake profound speech that people gave, when they didn't have real answers. In other words, no real answer at all. She sighed again, before trying to move past it. She didn't know where she was. She did know the other person's name, Tama. What else could she ask? "Well, can you tell me what it is I'm supposed to be doing here? I assume I'm here for a purpose."

Tama gave a single clap of her hands as she grinned. "Got it in one! You're absolutely right, Tamao!" She turned on her heel and walked toward one of the walls. As she did, Tamao took a closer look. Almost the entire wall was covered in shelves and shelves of books. As she moved closer, she could see that there were all kinds of books. Ancient leather-bound tomes sat next to ratty paperbacks, thin volumes next to mammoth volumes, and everything in between. Tama reached out to pick up one of the books, opening it and flipping through the pages before finally finding whatever it was she was looking for. Leaving the book open, she turned back and placed it on the desk. From there, she went back to the door, the door that Tamao had come through just a short time before. Opening it, it was revealed to not open into nothingness like before, but now there was a chiseled stone stairway descending down into the depths. What the?!

"That's better, off you go!" Tama made a shooing motion with her hands, obviously intent on seeing Tamao go down those newly-revealed stairs. Tamao looked at them warily, before turning back to Tama. She only grinned and waved her on, leading Tamao to sigh once more before setting out on her way. The only way to find out the truth was to play along, it seemed.
[2381 x 2 = 4762 out of ??? ]

Bit by bit, consciousness slowly returned to Tamao. She opened her eyes, and spent a long moment simply taking in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed, the first thing she had noticed, even before opening her eyes, was the smell. Not unpleasant, it was the scent of wood polish and metal. The smell of a... smithery? As she opened her eyes, more details slowly made themselves clear. She seemed to be in a reasonably well-appointed room, there were decorations that added a decent level of opulence without being gaudy. Vivid wallpaper and rich colors, and from the ceiling hung a chandelier that looked to be real crystal. Well, this certainly wasn't that dungeon she had been in before, when she-

As the memories rushed back, she tried to sit up in a panic, only to wince, and collapse back onto the bed, gasping from the pain. "Don't try to move! You're still injured, and badly!" Tamao tried to get up, she hadn't even sensed the presence of this unseen other, they had snuck up on her so effortlessly? But before she could try to sit up again, a pair of hands gently but insistently pushed her back down, keeping her still until she finally gave up, nodded slightly, wincing even at that small movement.

"Just calm down, a healer is already on their way, they'll be here shortly." The voice went quiet, as if inspecting Tamao's injuries. They certainly weren't as bad as they had been before, she was still alive. But they hurt, and very much at that. Trying to distract herself from the pain, Tamao managed to turn her gaze toward the hands that had been holding her down, following them up along slender arms, and from there, to the person who had spoken before. at first glance, they looked completely at odds with the strength that had been felt when she'd been held down before. This newcomer was a stranger, yet there was something familiar about her. She had dusky blonde hair, rather mussed, or perhaps spiked in a rakish style. Red eyes that almost shone with exuberance, withheld energy, looked down on her eagerly. And while she seemed to be a mere slip of a girl, her outfit looked ready enough for battle, so maybe that strength that had been felt hadn't been imagined.

Tamao tried, and failed, several times to speak, her throat dry and parched. She coughed, a paroxysm of pain flashing through her as her body twitched from the cough's convulsions. The unnamed girl had already gotten up, coming back with a pitcher of water and an empty glass. She carefully helped Tamao into a sitting position, taking her time to try to keep the pain to a minimum. eventually, Tamao was elevated enough that she could at least take a drink. When the water first touched her dry lips, she was tempted to gulp it down greedily, but instead she enforced her will to drink slowly, savoring the refreshing coolness in her mouth before swallowing. It might have been unneeded caution, but that was a habit she had picked up from her travels. Drink slowly when you were able to after a long absence, to prevent a chance of nausea or vomiting. As well, it helped to hydrate the dryness of her mouth and throat.

Once she had finished her drink, she managed to croak a thanks to the young blonde, and let herself be moved back to a prone position while the pitcher was set just a short distance away. Even that small amount of effort had left her feeling exhausted, so it was several moments before she felt able to speak again. Once she was able, she asked the blonde for her name. At that, the girl looked saddened, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Tamao, but I can't tell you. That's part of the rules governing this game."

"Game? Nearly getting killed in battle doesn't seem like a game to me, what game is this?" Tamao coughed a few times at the wordy response she had forced out, she had to ask. She had to know. Returning her gaze to the girl, she waited to here if she would answer or not.

"There's not much that I'm allowed to tell you. Really just two points. Your goals in this game are to win, and... and to find out our names, all of us." This last seemed especially important, there was emphasis on the word 'all'. Tamao noticed that, and thought for a moment. So far, she'd only met three- 'challengers' if that was the right word- in this bizarre scene, how many more were there? If she were to ask, could they even tell her the answer? Probably not, that could be related to finding their names, so she would have to keep playing until she either died or reached the end. A game with her life on the line, though, that just seemed like a joke of some kind.

"Alright. So I have to win, I assume that means defeat each in a fight?" She couldn't help but glance at the blonde, finding it difficult to picture her as a fighter, even if she could clearly remember the strength she had shown before. The girl frowned a little at that, had she realized what Tamao had been thinking? "Possibly. Each challenger will name their own contest. While most will assuredly do a trial by combat, some might go with an alternate option. Undoubtedly each will be thinking of a way to give themselves an advantage in this."

"And you? You are one of the challengers then, correct?" The blonde nodded at that, meeting Tamao's gaze with one of cool resolve. Any doubts that she had over the girl's ability disappeared, she could see the experience in those eyes, this girl had seen combat. If that was the case, when the time came, she would meet her with all her strength. Of course, that could likely be a long way off, injuries as severe as these would undoubtedly take time, a lot of time. Tamao considered trying to compete before she was fully healed, but felt that such a course of action would be unwise. Both because it would mean that she couldn't fight at her full strength, and also because there was something about this challenge that seemed to demand a full measure of effort from every participant. Fighting at anything less than one's full strength, even if from injuries, would be a disgrace to this game, whatever it was. As well, it would sully her own personal code of honor. So she'd be out of commission until she had fully recovered, however long that might be.

She let her eyes slowly close as she rested, focusing merely on staying calm, trying not to get bothered by all of the mystery surrounding the game she had become ensnared in. Eventually, she managed to fall asleep, a fitful slumber that was interrupted several hours later, by the feeling of a cool hand set lightly at her brow. She opened her eyes, looking up at the one who had awoken her. It was not the girl from before, instead it was yet another person she had never met before. Which meant, judging by this game's rules, that they knew her, and that they were another eventual opponent. At that, she had a disturbing thought. What if she did know these people, what if, in fact, they were her closest friends or family? What if this game was in fact a cover for her memories being tampered with? She didn't have amnesia, or at least she didn't think she did. But then, how else could she explain such a total lapse of recall for so many people that seemed to know her? Nothing else made any sense.

"Calm down, dear, calm down. You're getting worked up, and we don't want that." The voice was soft, calming, soothing, and it belonged to this new person with the cool hands. The room was a bit darker than before, but there seemed to be candlelight in plenty, so she could still make out at least some of the features of this newcomer. The first thing that was noticed was the bright pink hair they had grown out, to likely past their waist, and tied into a pair of lengthy pigtails. As well, there were a few streaks of jet black amongst the pink tresses, seemingly at random. A pair of eyes peered back at her, the yellow of a late sunrise. A slight smile was perched on a face that seemed to be held in a perpetual frown of concentration. And to finish off the look, and to make the intent clear, they wore what seemed to be a stylized nurse's uniform, replete with short skirt. The goldenrod cross seemed unusual, however.

In a voice slurred by the sudden waking and the onset of more dry mouth, Tamao managed to ask. "you... th' healer?" The pink-haired girl nodded, before slowly running a hand along the side of Tamao's face, before dipping down to circle around to the back of her head. At first, Tamao winced, the fingertips rubbing her skull reminded her of that forceful collision with the brick wall before. But within moments, the pain seemed to become numb, and gradually fade away entirely. At least from that injury, the rest of her body still seemed to feel it's injuries just as intensely as they had before she had fallen asleep. Which, thankfully, wasn't too much, the worst of the damage had already been treated before she had come to that first time.

"Indeed I am, Tamao. And before you force yourself to ask, yes, I'll be competing in the game later. There's time enough for questions later. For now, just calm down and try not to move." The hand continued to seek out the rest of her injuries, as the young healer seemed to talk, almost to herself at times. Tut-tutting over the severity of a wound, or murmuring over this or that scrape, or even just a gentle placation when it looked like Tamao might try to get up. This continued for almost an hour, before finally the healer sat back from her kneeling position. There were still plenty more wounds and injuries to be taken care of, but it seemed for one reason or another, she had decided that her task was done. However, when Tamao made to sit up, she was pushed back down. "No, you can't get up just yet. There'll be more treatments like this in the next few days, you just have to be a little more patient. Now, try to get some slee..." Tamao never heard the rest of what she said, however, as the odd numbing sensation from before had seemed to increase, to the point of acting like a sedative. Within moments, she had fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next day proceeded in much the same way. Tamao woke up early, and found herself feeling better than before. Those treatments from the healer had done wonders, even if still incomplete. She was even able to shift into a sitting position with only strong discomfort, rather than intense pain like before. She didn't try pushing it any further than that, however. A few moments later, the blonde returned, smiling as she saw that Tamao was already awake and sitting. "Ah, you're doing better today? That's great!"

"Is it really alright for you to say things like that? We are supposed to do battle later, right?" Tamao still didn't quite have the girl figured out, was she hoping to become friends, to make it harder for Tamao to fight her? That was such an underhanded maneuver that it didn't seem in line with everything else she had seen for how this game would be played.

The girl's smile waned for a moment at this direct of a question. "That may be, but we can still get along in spite of that, can't we?" She smiled again, it truly seemed she just had the one mood, the one outlook. Nothing seemed to dampen it. Tamao just sighed and conceded the point. She'd met a few others like that before, and there was really no arguing with such a cheerful personality. Hopefully, whenever the time came to finally do battle with her, she'd at least be serious.

The blonde had brought in a simple breakfast for her, too, and once she noticed it, she realized just how long it must have been since the last time she'd eaten. A second later, her stomach growled, rather loudly, causing her to flush lightly from embarrassment. She spared Tamao the embarrassment of trying to feed her, instead just carefully setting the tray up so that she could remain seated where she was, and still eat comfortably. That is, until Tamao felt her arm spasm, the muscles protesting painfully at the extended use, causing the fork to drop on the plate with a clatter. She heaved a sigh even as the blonde smoothly moved to her side to take over the task without a word. Tamao's cheeks blazed even further red with embarrassment, at having to be cared for like an invalid. She was so used to fending for herself, to living alone and being entirely self-reliant, that this new-found weakness galled her.

"You really should try to rely on us more, Mis-" The blonde seemed to realize what she was saying and shut her mouth tight, trying to distract Tamao by returning to the task of feeding her, her movements slightly panicky. When Tamao asked what she had said, she stammered nonsense for a moment before finally managing to speak at least somewhat calmly. "Er, I s-said... I said you should really t-try to r-relax more, let me help you. that's it!"

Tamao knew she had heard something different than that, but didn't press the issue. The girl looked nervous to the point of running off as it was, she didn't want to send the poor thing into conniptions. So instead she managed an only slightly painful shrug, before sighing yet again, as she let the girl feed her. "Just one request then... Can you at least stop making train sounds..."

That night, like before, it was time for the next in the series of unusual healing techniques. Tamao wasn't one to believe in faith healers, but it seemed hard to argue against the efficacy of this healer's laying on hands approach. As more of the pain was seemingly leeched from her by simple contact, she held back a shiver as the cool digits traced a line down her middle. From a life of solitude, to something so chastely intimate, that was a stark change, and one she felt all too aware of. The pink-haired healer seemed to note her discomfort and clucked in the back of her throat, a gentle reminder for Tamao to try to remain calm and not move. The unmentioned threat of another dose of sedative was still quite clear, so Tamao resolved to just stare at that spot on the ceiling, where the candlelight refracted through the crystal chandelier to create a light shadow on the ceiling that resembled a blade.

A few rather awkward and embarrassing moments later, the night's healing session was over with. Tamao realized that she felt better still, that she could well feel up to actually getting to her feet and walking under her own power. But again, before she even had a chance to act, or even ask, the numbness gradually pulled her under once more, lulling her to sleep with cool fingers. She didn't bother fighting it, and instead vowed to remember to try again when she woke up the next morning.

She woke up the next morning to the feeling of a hand gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes opened, blinking a few times as she took a moment for her to mind to fully become aware, a bit of sleep's fuzziness remaining to cloud her thoughts for those first few moments of wakefulness. Eventually, she was able to think clearly, and recognized the blonde kneeling at her side. "I really should have let you sleep longer, but when I heard that you'd be allowed to get up and stretch your legs a bit, I knew you'd want to be woken up. You aren't angry, are you?" Tamao tried to follow the girl's logic. It made sense enough, but the girl was acting like her servant or a younger sister or something. She'd put so much distance between herself and the servants from her parents' home, that she had almost forgotten how all the care they seemed to show could be a little overwhelming at times. This, though, this was different, something not quite the same as how a servant would act. And as far as she knew, she was an only child, she hadn't heard anything on a sister, younger or otherwise. So this was something else, the blonde couldn't be her relative. But what, then?

There were more important matters to attend to first, though. In the face of that mystery, the news that she was finally allowed to get up had taken a long moment to actually penetrate her thoughts. Once it finally had, however, she nodded, murmuring her thanks for the girl's thoughtfulness. The blonde smiled at that, it seemed that was all she had wanted to see. In light of this newly granted freedom, the morning meal was pushed back until after she had had a chance to get up and walk around for a little bit. Of course she wouldn't be allowed to stay on her feet for too long, but a short amount of time at the least would be alright. The blonde helped Tamao get to her feet, keeping a solid grip on her side even as she helped support her. Tamao found her balance was still a bit shaky, the weakness in her legs was unusual. Though not unexpected, what with however long she had actually been confined to bed. It took several long moments for her to even stand straight, during which she had to lean on the blonde, almost falling against her and sending them both crashing back onto the bed. Luckily it never quite came to that point, and instead she was eventually able to stand up straight, on her own, without leaning against her helper. She didn't try moving right away, instead she just stood there, focused on feeling how her muscles were reacting to being used after such a long break. They did protest, but not too much, she felt she could handle this much at least. Once she felt that she had grown accustomed to the slight tremors in her legs, she finally tried taking a step forward. She wobbled a little, almost but not quite losing her balance. First the one step, then a long moment's pause, then another step. These steps weren't nearly as long as her normal stride, but she knew that, until she had healed more, she wouldn't be able to walk like she wanted.

All too soon, she was told that that was enough, that she'd have to return to bed for at least most of the rest of the day. She debated arguing the point, but in the end gave in and let the blonde help her back into bed. Only after she'd had a few moments to get arranged did she finally turn her attention back to the almost forgotten breakfast, which was still sitting on a tray a short distance from her bed. Even though she thought of it as a bed, a better suited word might be pallet, as it was really just a decently padded and cushioned futon mat set directly on the floor. An Eastern bed, rather than the Western box springs and mattress. The meal, too, seemed Eastern in bent, rice and soup, and a piece of toasted bread. She wasn't a picky eater, so this was fine with her. There had been plenty of times while on the road that she had settled for the bland but filling travel rations as her only source of nutrition. Compared to that, these meals were decadent and flavorful, regardless of the slight hint of inexperience in preparing it. Like whoever had done so hadn't ever cooked before, but only read about it, or heard it secondhand. Even then, it was tasty enough, and filling, so there was nothing to complain about. Once she finished her meal, she set her utensils down, and thanked the blonde for bringing it to her. The still nameless girl flushed a little before saying it was no trouble at all, and promptly made her escape, bustling off with the dishes.

This left Tamao a few moments to herself. Cautiously, she moved her arms, relieved that they still worked, and didn't hurt much more than a dull, constant ache. She folded them behind her head, and looked up at the ceiling. Just where was she? This place, it felt familiar in a vague sense, but she was positive she had not been here before. And who were the quartet she had already met, and the others they had mentioned in passing? A group that knew her, knew what she was like, and knew her name. She couldn't deny an air of familiarity with them, either, but even then, she couldn't place a single face. It was frustrating. In the end, she sighed, and forced herself to not think about it any longer. Not without managing to get at least one more clue. Even something small might help. Either to jog her memory, or perhaps reveal something else in the others' plans. This was where she was in her thoughts when the blonde returned, she had only been gone for a few moments. Apparently either the kitchen wasn't too far away, or there was a closer place to drop the dishes off at. She noticed that Tamao had her arms behind her head, and asked if she was trying to go to sleep, and if so, she could come back later. Tamao winced slightly as she tried to shake her head, regretting the action for the sharp pain it had introduced in her neck. She gave in and instead spoke her reply, saying she wasn't trying to sleep, she was just thinking. The blonde nodded, and went silent, not wanting to further interrupt her train of thought. The silence grew for several long moments until Tamao sighed and turned her gaze toward the blonde. She was kneeling a short distance away, seemingly just waiting. That had to be boring, didn't it? She softly cleared her throat before speaking, carefully keeping her head where it was. "Can I ask why you're taking such good care of me? It feels like you're my servant or something, and that-"

"Reminds you of your home. I know. I didn't want to cause you any distress, but I felt I had to, both to make sure that you got better as soon as possible, and also..." She turned away, shaking her head slightly. Tamao frowned a bit, what was the other reason? She asked, and after a long wait, the blonde finally answered. "None of the others were going to help you, except just to make sure you didn't die from that first battle." She continued talking for a moment longer, but in such a quiet voice that Tamao had no clue what she said after that. She was a bit distracted, though, two separate facts had caught her unaware. Both the fact that none of the others had been willing to help, yet even just recently, the healer had seemed friendly enough to her. Odd, if she hadn't had any intention of helping her, that. And the other fact that had shocked her was that this girl knew of her life before setting out on her own path. Her life back in Hidden Nano, before discovering her true calling, had been stifling. She had felt like a bird in a cage. She'd had everything she could have wanted, but it had all been set at her feet without having to work for it, without having to learn to appreciate just what work was, or how it could feel to know one had earned what they had. Back then, she had been arrogant, and spoiled too. That had changed, she was nothing like how she was back then. She didn't even like talking about her past. So how in the world had this girl found out about it? Was she from Nano too, did she know her family?

Tamao thought back, stretching her concentration into her memories, searching for anyone who reminded her of the blonde. Nothing. Had there been other children her own age that she had played with? She didn't think so. But if not that, then what, how? It made no sense. She sighed in frustration, and then jumped when a cool hand set itself against her forehead. Opening her eyes, she saw the blonde had approached, was now next to her pallet, leaning over her with a worried expression. "You should try not to get so worked up like that, it'll only give you a headache." Tamao managed a nod without too much pain, and the hand was removed. The silence resumed for a few lengthy moments, before the blonde spoke up once more. "Now that I think about it, now that you're finally able to move somewhat, I bet you'd like a bath. It's been a couple of days since you came here." Tamao blinked at the sudden subject change, but at the mention of a bath, she was quick to agree. Having spent so much of the time on the road, her options for bathing were pretty sparse, and the chance at having a real bath, hopefully with actual hot water, was something that appealed to her greatly. The blonde beamed at her suggestion being approved, before getting up. "That's great, I thought you would. I'll send for the healer, then we can get you off to your bath!" The blonde was gone again, the door shutting softly as she did.

Now that she had been given such a lure, Tamao felt impatient to get up and be on her way. It seemed, now that she was aware of how long it had been, she felt more dirty than she had in quite some time. Ignoring the flare-ups of pain that came with each movement, she began moving into a sitting position. She might have tried to stand under her own power, but the blonde and the healer had already returned by that point. When they saw she had already forced herself into an upright position, they gasped and rushed to her side, leaving the old-fashioned wheelchair where it was in their hurry to make sure she hadn't hurt herself. Luckily she hadn't, but she still had to endure two separate scoldings before the duo let the matter go. Face red from embarrassment at being scolded like that, Tamao gave in, and let them move her into the chair, trying to ignore the feeling that she was still an invalid. Once situated, the healer moved the wheelchair with a practiced hand as the trio made their way out of the room.

This was the first time that Tamao had been allowed to actually leave the room since arriving, and she managed to look around even with the ache in her neck still present. The hallway they emerged into was richly furnished, just skating the near edge of being opulent. There was a rich red carpet running down the center of the hallway's floor, but she could see polished wood on either side. The walls looked painted, rather than being done up in wallpaper, a delicate green hue that balanced the vibrant red and healthy tank of the floor. There were other doors, which likely led to other rooms, but she didn't pry. Whatever this place was, she had the feeling if it was something she needed to know, eventually she would. For now, she had more important matters on her mind. Her gaze kept returning to the path ahead of her. She had suspected that she might be on the second floor of the building, or perhaps even higher. Would there be stairs, that they would have to navigate with the wheelchair? Her gaze lingered on a small group of flowers set in a vase, the vase perched on a small stand that drew the eye to the colorful splash of the flower blossoms. Some of the varieties of flowers she recognized as favorites from Hidden Nano. One more potential hint toward her hosts' origins? There were numerous frames set on the walls, but each and every one of them was blank. Why would blank frames be set on the wall? A nagging suspicion occurred to her, and she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Those pictures, they'll be revealed once I've won this 'game', won't they?"

The healer remained silent, but the blonde chose to answer. "Yup, you got it. I look forward to it." Even without being able to see her, Tamao almost felt the girl's smile. For whatever reason, the blonde was actively cheering her on, even if she would be one of her opponents. Why? She stopped herself before she could spent too much time worrying about it. The rest of the journey proceeded in silence, until finally they reached a sliding door. Curious. Much of the building's architecture was in the style of the Western mansions, yet that sliding door seemed fairly Eastern, though built more solidly. The mystery was solved a moment later, as the interior of the room was virtually bare, save for a pair of ropes traveling up through the ceiling and down through the floor. The blonde grabbed one rope readily and began pulling. With a lurch, the floor seemed to shift, before it began to drop. Not in free-fall, but a controlled descent. From the rope? "A dumbwaiter?" If so, one vastly larger than any she had seen before, to the extent that it was practically a hand-powered elevator. A nod from the blonde gave her all the answer she needed, along with a glimpse of the girl's power. She was only barely paying attention to what she was doing, yet she was lowering the entire room easily, without any real effort. Was she actually that strong? That was a disturbing thought, especially because there was a decent chance that she was not the strongest of the ones that she would eventually have to face.

A few moments later, the trio reached the next floor down, and the blonde stopping pulling the rope, allowing the frame to come to a stop. The door was slid open, revealing another stretch of hallway that was similar to the last one. More unfinished paintings, more rich carpeting on the floor and closed doors. Following a turn in the hallway revealed a short distance more before it ended in a set of double doors. But rather than go through those doors, instead they turned at a single door set a short distance from the end. The blonde held the door open, while the healer pushed the wheelchair through. Once the door was opened, the rather pungent scent of sulfur greeted Tamao's nose. That was surprising, could the bath be linked to a natural spring? Whoever had this mansion built knew what they were doing to manage such a detail. The room they entered seemed to be the dressing room, much in the same vein as a public bathing house. An array of small cubbies were situated for the patrons of the bath to leave their garments while they bathed. Tamao began fumbling with the buttons of her own clothing, which was actually a fairly baggy set of pajamas rather than the outfit she usually wore on her journey. She had only undone the first button when a second and then third pair of hands began helping her. She flushed with embarrassment at this latest bit of unwanted intimacy. She tried to protest, that she could handle at least this much herself, but the others were having known of it. Finally, she was forced to give in once more as the two helped her.

Once disrobed, she was released from the wheelchair, though only to the extent that the healer promptly leaned against her to help her walk through the next set of doors. As they were opened, steam wafted out, small clouds of it billowing around them. The white mist gave Tamao some cover, at least, to alleviate the worst of her embarrassment. When she was moved to the small stool, she didn't even bother trying to rinse herself off, knowing that at least one or the other of her helpers would insist on doing it. And she was right. Feeling the hands work the shampoo into her hair elicited an accidental sigh, upon which she flushed once more before straightening up, trying to not be so relaxed. The shampoo was rinsed away a moment later, the cold water aiding in returning her focus as she was helped up once more, and carefully lowered into the water. As the hot water first met skin, she hissed softly at the almost-pain. It was hot, very hot! But at the same time, that made it oh so pleasant. She sighed as she leaned back against the side of the immense bath. It was easily large enough for at least a dozen people, if not more. As it was, with the steam so thick, she could just barely see the other side. She shifted slightly and felt the pins and needles sensation from the hot water assault her once more.

The next thing she knew, she heard a series of small splashes and opened her eyes after having closed them earlier. It only took a moment to see the cause. Or causes, rather, as both the healer and the blonde had already disrobed and joined her. Her look must have been questioning enough, because the blonde was quick to answer. "What, you thought we'd be able to resist a hot bath in the morning? Not a chance!" Letting the matter drop, Tamao closed her eyes again and settled back to unwind, let the hot water leech away her stress and fatigue. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she simply enjoyed the moment. Yes, there was a whole series of likely grueling battles waiting for her, but for the moment, they seemed far away, and she just couldn't be bothered with them. This was the most relaxed she had been in quite some time, the first time that she had really let herself unwind like this. Which made it all the more shocking when she first felt the hands grab onto her. Her eyes shot open, as she tried to struggle, thinking she was under attack. The aches and pains that had plagued her so far were forgotten as adrenaline filled her system, letting her ignore the pain.

It took her just an instant to see that she wasn't under attack, at least no conventional attack that she had ever heard of. The hands that had grabbed her, and in fact were still hanging on in an awfully intimate area, belonged to the blonde, who was grinning mischievously. "Wow, they're pretty big!" Tamao squirmed, trying to wrest herself free from the blonde's grasp, but she was having none of it. "St-stop it! What are you d-doing!" A laugh was her only answer as the hands showed no sign of stopping. "Come on, it's okay, we're all girls here!" Thankfully, the blonde finally released her, letting Tamao sink back down into the water, this time sinking until just her eyes and the top of her head was still above the surface, as she clutched her arms around herself, not trusting the blonde to not do something untoward like that again. Frustrated, she exhaled in a flurry of air bubbles that rose to the surface and popped rapidly in the familiar sound. She glared at the blonde, who had returned to a sitting position and was acting for all the world like she had done nothing wrong. Noticing the glare, she smiled back, raising a hand to wave. "Don't be so wound-up, you'll get wrinkles! Or, wait... was that the first time somebody ever did that? Oh you poor sheltered thing!" There was something in her tone that seemed like she might either be subtly mocking her, or threatening. Either way, something that seemed at odds to the attitude she had been showing earlier. Was this, then, her true colors? Had this been a warning, to let her know to be on her guard?

"I can guess what you're thinking, you know. You're probably wondering if I'm really an enemy, and finally proved it. Well I'll tell you right now. We may have to fight for the game, but I'm still on your side. And this' a shrugging gesture to indicate the bah, and more particularly, the actions she had just taken 'was just to have a little fun. You're always so serious and tense all the time, I was hoping to get you to relax."

"I was relaxing, then you had to go and attack me like that..." This was somewhat hard to understand, since Tamao's mouth was still underwater. But the gist of it came across, enough to at least show that the blonde had the good grace to at least look abashed a bit. "Maybe it wasn't the best timing, but still... you don't hurt anymore, do you?" At that, Tamao perked up a bit, and then glanced down to think it over. Was it just the adrenaline, the excitement of the attack? No, that would have worn off by now. Yet she didn't really hurt any more. She straightened up, feeling a faint ache, but not nearly as bad as it had been even an hour before. What in the? Still trying to get over her annoyance from earlier, she couldn't help but let an accusing tone slip into her voice. "And I suppose you're going to say that doing... that helped me heal and recover?"

The blonde laughed, seemingly delighted by such a suggestion. "Heavens, no! No, that was just me having a bit of fun, like I said. No, the reason is because Miss Healer is with us. You already know that she can heal with a touch. Well, when she's in the water like this..." The blonde let her explanation end there, the obvious conclusion evident. "... Does that mean I don't have to use the wheelchair when we head back?" She really wasn't a fan of being wheeled around like that, so if there was even a slight chance of being released from it early, she'd go for it. Unfortunately the healer shook her head, saying that it was still too early for her to push herself that much. Though with the progress she was showing, the next day she might well be considered recovered enough to not have such restrictions. Hearing that was enough to lighten Tamao's mood, even after what had happened. After that, things calmed down, back to a more comfortable, relaxed level, with the three of them returning to where they had been seated before, simply enjoying the hot water and the silence.

Eventually, though, it was time to for them to leave. Which of course meant the blonde and the healer helped Tamao out of the tub, dry off, get dressed and get settled back in the wheelchair. Fortunately, the blonde kept her hands to herself this time, too. As the trio prepared to leave, the blonde came to a sudden stop, eyes narrowing as she took on a more serious air.Even the healer seemed to tense up somewhat. Was their trouble? Tamao's senses didn't feel any less sharp than before, yet she couldn't detect any traces of killing intent or anything, nothing that would explain this sudden change in temperament of her two helpers. She was about to ask what the problem was, before a sharp gesture from the blonde cut her off. Frowning, she waited, but nothing seemed to happen. Just as she was about to risk asking again, however, the door that they were about to go through opened from the other side.

The figure that was revealed there was rather outlandish. Rather generous curves, barely covered by sparse layers of wound bandages, and long hair that resembled nothing so much as a mass of spikes. This newcomer's eyes instantly locked with hers, and then she felt the killing intent. Nothing outright murderous, but more the sort of feeling she might have gotten from a predator, cold and oppressive. They stared at her for a moment longer before muttering as they walked past. "Gau..." Tamao turned to watch them go for a moment, before her wheelchair was pushed forward and the strange woman was out of sight. Undoubtedly, they would be one of the opponents she would have to face. She had the feeling they were one of the stronger ones, too. Something about those eyes, so cold and expressionless... The feeling of a warm hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her reverie, and she looked up to see the blonde staring worriedly at her. "I'd been hoping you wouldn't have to meet her before her turn..."

Tamao didn't reply to that, instead just dwelling on what was said. For the blonde to say she was on her side, and that she hadn't wanted her to meet the spiky one, that had to mean that the spiky one was most definitely not on her side. Yet she hadn't attacked or even made a threatening gesture. Was she just playing by the rules, or was there something else? She shook her head, knowing that in this game, answers were far more rare than questions. She wouldn't figure this one out just by thinking about it. To find out, she'd have to at least get as far as fighting the spiky one. Until then, the only thing she could do was prepare. The healer had already said that there was a decent chance that her restrictions could well be lifted by the next morning. If she could just endure one more day of bed-rest, then hopefully she'd be ready when she woke up. By now, she'd had enough rest that she was sick of it. She was yearning to be able to get up and train, but she couldn't. She had to hold herself back from cutting loose, just a little longer.

Looking up, she saw that they had already arrived back at her room. She had been so wrapped up in thought that she hadn't even noticed when they had gotten back on the dumbwaiter? That was just sloppy. She needed to be more alert, more aware than that! Especially if she was going to be fighting for her life tomorrow! She was helped back into bed, and only offered up a token resistance when the healer said that she should have one more session to get rid of any lingering damage. It was still embarrassing, letting someone lay their hands upon her, but at least it wasn't as bad as the blonde's attack in the bath. Just like before, she started at just how cold the healer's hands seemed. Maybe that was part of the treatment? It certainly seemed less embarrassing than if she were to fall asleep from a massage because of her hands being warm. Maybe the cold was to keep her aware? No matter. She wasn't a healer herself, so even if the healer would have tried to explain it, she might not have understood it anyways. As long as it worked, that would be enough.

Within only a few moments, the healer was done, and with that there was little else for Tamao to do but rest. Rather than be bored out of her mind, she decided to instead take a nap. Maybe she'd sleep long enough that it would be morning when she awoke? Possible, if not too likely. But worth a shot. It took her a mere instant to fall asleep, slipping easily into a deep slumber, unplagued by dreams, or at least none that she would remember upon awakening.

When she finally woke up, Tamao opened her eyes, blinking slowly as she took in her surroundings. The same room as before, the lighting was turned down enough to make her think it was either late evening or possibly the middle of the night. She had slept longer than expected, at any rate. About to get up, she found she couldn't. A moment of panic struck her as the notion that maybe her injuries had resurfaced, and she was just as wounded as she had been before. A moment to clear her thoughts, however, and she realized she could move, there was just a weight across her middle. In the low lights, it was difficult to see, but eventually her eyes adjusted, and she was able to make out the source. Of course. She really should have expected that. The blonde lay next to her, snuggled up alongside her, an arm thrown over her and holding her close. Normally, it wouldn't be too hard for her to escape from such a simple predicament. The blonde was asleep, so she couldn't be exerting too much strength, could she? But even then, she was fearsomely strong. After all, she had proven that before, with the dumbwaiter.

Trying again, Tamao still couldn't get the blonde's arm to budge, and eventually had no choice but to give up. It was possible she could try to wriggle free, but something like that just seemed excessive and highly likely to backfire. Instead, she had no choice but to remain where she was. All too aware of the soft breathing at her side, she tried to go back to sleep. Slumber proved elusive, however, she wasn't used to sharing a bedroom with someone, let alone a bed! even back in the Academy, that had been something unusual and slightly frightening. Now, she wasn't scared of such things, but it was still uncomfortable for her. Glancing at the blonde, she debated simply trying to wake her up, but couldn't do it. It was already bad enough that one person wouldn't be sleeping, there was no reason to inflict the same on another. Huffing a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to just quietly wait for morning to roll around.
(7821 x 2 = 15,642 out of ??? )

As she and Karokee entered the village, Micha was overwhelmed. The scents and colors were amazing and diverse. So many flowers, the village was filled with life. It was like a little paradise for nins. She would most definitely have to stop in here everyonce in a while when she was in need of a getaway. She gasped at the sight of its beauty as she walked along the path that winded towards the main gates. The path was easy to follow as it was guided by the various wild flowers that grew naturally from the earth. This place, was so different than her home. Her home was dark, not so much that it was gloomy and depressing. She enjoyed being home, who wouldn't enjoy the comforts of their own village? But this place, the beauty, the fragrance. She was more than enthused by her new friends choice of the village they are visting.

"Wow..." She said as she continued to walk the path until the two reached the gate. She looked over at Karokee, to see if she was enjoying the village as much as she was. She looked over and saw Karkoee, forgetting she didn't really show emotions, not in her current state. But suddenly, with a flash Karokee changed in to a mirror image of Micha. Her transformation was rather quick compared to the last attempt. She was getting the little details down perfectly. The light reflected off of her eyes matched her own, and the shine her hair gave off as the sunlight ran through it was perfect. She imaginged the texture was the same now aswell. She grinned, and slipped her hands in to her pockets as Karokee spoke. "Yes! Yes it does, I love this place. It is beautiful and colorful and so full of life. Great choice."

As Karokee spoke of a bath Micha was more than excited to find one. Maybe they would have a natural spring, or a spa that she could relax in for a bit. She wouldn't take forever knowing that Karokee wanted to get down to business, but a little relaxation couldn't hurt the two. "Trust me you have no idea how ready I am." She said and laughed lightly.

She quickened her pace, walking past Karokee, who now looked like an identical twin and approached a woman, who was harvesting some of the wild flowers. She asked the woman if there was a natural spring, and much to her delight, there was. She turned and faced Karokee with a big smile."Come on follow me." She exclaimed as she led the way towards the springs. She knew she was getting closer as there was a natural steam drifting through the air, making a light fog present. She approached the building and opened the door entering it. She walked up to the front desk and spoke with the person briefly before receiving a few towels. She turned to Karokee and through one at her. "The lady I spoke with pointed us in the right direction, there is a natural spring. I think we could talk, and relax for a bit. What do you say?"







Word Count: ----

Jutsu Learned:





-- Micha aka 'Michi' --
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 117lbs
Weapons: Kunai, Shurikens
Mood: Excited
Thoughts: Natural Hot Spring?!?!
Area: Leaf Village
Total Chakra Points: ----
Left over points: ---
Current Jutsu: N/A




ooc: (accidentally edited over the post....)

Micha was surprised at Karokee's comment. Micha and Karokee seemed to have lived different lives. She got the vibe that Karokee lived a life of following orders, and being used as an instrument, as she stated once before. While Micha was more of a free spirit, doing as she pleased. Being sure to enjoy what she could when she could. This was just what Micha believed to be true; in all honesty she didn't quite know Karokee well. They are still new acquaintances, but Micha respected the nin as a friend. She didn't know why, but she trusted her.

As Micha tied her hair up in a tight bun, she watched as Karokee dispersed of all of her weapons. Which she was amazed at the amount of weapons the girl carried on her. Once finished putting her hair up she removed the two pouches that she carried her weapons in. One was for her shurikens, the other for her kunai. She gently placed it on the ground and looked up at Karokee, catching a glimpse of her. She was shocked by the sight. Her body was covered in scars. It appeared that she had been in many battles, and cut deep from them. Each scar would likely be a reminder of previous battles, or at least a reminder of how she recieved such scars. She also removed her attire. She had no scars covering her body like her friend, just the ink that made up her tattoos that covered parts of her pale white body. One on her right side, and on her back. She slowly submerged herself in to the water, sinking down, so the water would be up to her neck. How lovely it was. She instantly felt relaxed.

She looked over at her friend and smiled. She was glad Karokee was enjoying herself. Because Micha certainly wasn't ready to leave anytime soon. Karokee spoke, and she said words that pleased her. They were indeed friends, and it made Micha happy that she felt the same way. She grinned and closed her eyes. "Hmm hmm! Of course we are. She said as she opened her eyes slowly looking at Karokee. Micha was a loyal friend, and would do anything to keep her friends safe. She was glad that Karokee saw her in the same way. "I am so glad we came here. While we relax, we should get to know each other some. Ask me any question and I will answer it. Then I will ask. Could be a fun game to play while we relax..." She said as her eyes slowly closed again, waiting for Karokee's response.





Word Count: 440

Jutsu Learned:





-- Micha aka 'Michi' --
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 117lbs
Weapons: Kunai, Shurikens
Mood: Relaxed
Thoughts: I can get used to this.
Area: Nano Village
Total Chakra Points: 15,156
Left over points: 1,377
Current Jutsu: N/A




ooc: (.)

Micha looked down at the art that was on her body with a smile. She looked back up at Karokee, whose appearance, at least her facial features and hair was a mirror image. She wondered if Karokee would copy, or be able to copy the tattoos. She was interested in the full extents of Karokee's abilities. Perhaps her copying abilities were just for facial features. Anyway, back to the question.

"I have a sparrow on each of my shoulder blades, a pair of wings on my neck, a quote on my back, and a tattoo of roses on my side." She said as she lifted a finger as she listed each one. She has had them for quite some time now, each representing something more than just the image shown.

"The sparrows represent freedom, and adventure that the world has to offer. The two birds experience it and do as they please. They are as free as a bird, that’s how the expression goes. That's why I got them. They were my first; it's when I longed for freedom. The next one I got was the wings on my neck. They represent the freedom I have now, and me as a free spirit." She spoke softly, and with a smile on her face. The wings were her favorite, they meant the most to her.

"Next is the quote; “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” which is true. When you meet someone, whether it be friend, a boss, a teacher, or a potential love.... we all wear masks hiding the truth a bit, scared of what they may think. But in doing that, we hide who we are. So I try my best to be honest with everyone. Can't live in fear right?" She said with a big smile, her eyes closing at the thought. It was an important quote for her. Her pure teal eyes opened as she looked up at Karokee.

"The last are the roses on my side. They are my favorite, flower. Me and my mother used to grow them when I was a child. I love them and think they are beautiful, and remind me of when I was a child." She smiled immediately going back to dully lit days, right before nights fall where her and her mother would be out in the field, picking the different color roses. Her favorites were the red ones, and pink ones. Those were the ones she always would pick, since she loved them the most.

"So yeah, that's all of them." She said as she relaxed in the water. She was too relaxed to try and get up to show her them if she hasn't already seen them. It was just too relaxing to attempt to stand up. Now it was her turn for a question. She tapped her finger against her lips as she thought to herself, wondering what she should ask her friend. She wasn't quite sure what to ask, so she would start with a simple question. "So why did you decide to become a ninja? What motivated you?" She asked excitedly waiting to learn about her mysterious and odd friend.





Word Count: 537

Jutsu Learned:





-- Micha aka 'Michi' --
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 117lbs
Weapons: Kunai, Shurikens
Mood: Relaxed
Thoughts: Summers eve, and the scent of roses.
Area: Nano Village
Total Chakra Points: 15,693
Left over points: 1,914
Current Jutsu: N/A




ooc: (.)

Micha shivered slightly as Karokee gently touched her tattoos with her finger, after getting a bit closer. She could tell that her friend was quite intrigued, and assumed she better understood the tattoos now. Karokee's past seems so cold and emotionless. Micha frowned a bit as Karokee spoke of how she wasn't even given a name when she was born. To be born without a name. She sounded almost like a slave. Micha could relate on that level. Though, she has never been forced to kill someone. Karokee's scars probably speak more about her than Micha had even realized. But the way the girl spoke of her past, she didn't seem to find it wrong. Micha couldn't help but smirk, when Karokee said we were born to die. It was mostly true, but Micha couldn't die of natural causes like a human, she wasn't human. Five years ago Micha may have agreed, which was a depressing thought. But now, she was reborn and felt more alive than ever.

Her little day dream was interrupted when Karokee spoke again. Her statement was much less depressing. It was sort of inspiring; she could tell by the tone that she spoke with that she meant every word she said. Being a ninja kept her motivated. Micha's next question was already prepared. She would want to know her goal. She was motivated but for what purpose? What was she working towards. It was an intriguing thought.

Micha was somewhat naive never truly putting any thought in to killing. She was a ninja, a day would come that she would have to kill another. But she has yet to do so. Karokee on the other hand, it seemed like it was already a huge part of her life. Though what she said seemed somewhat strange. To kill someone to find out why we kill each other? She had her own opinions on why, and has heard many others opinion on the matter. But never has she heard kill to find out the reason for killing. It a weird way, it almost made sense. Who would know why someone would kill better than a killer?

All of the dark conversation of killing more than likely helped Karokee think of her next question. Has she been close to death before, absolutely. She assumed most have. She could go down a list of close calls that she narrowly escaped thanks to pure luck. The one time she almost fell to her death while walking a narrow path near a cliff. The only reason she was still alive was because of luck, she landed on a ledge that was only a few feet below. It was about seven feet long and three feet wide. And then of course there was the most recent event. Her becoming a vampire. By all technical terms she was no longer alive. At least that is how most people view vampires. She didn't look at herself as no longer being alive. She still felt things, had emotions, and feelings. Blood coursed through her veins, she was alive. No, she figured Karokee meant more along the lines has someone tried to take her life.

Micha closed her eyes as she relived her past. Her childhood wasn't exactly a normal one. She was with her parents until she was six years old her mother passed away, and her father fell in to a deep depression. He made some very terrible choices and fell in debt. He received help from a rather rich and powerful individual who made their living on fools like him. After time passed he fell deeper and deeper in to debt. And in fear of the repercussions, he gave her away to repay a debt that they owed to a powerful individual. She didn't quite understand at that time exactly what was going on, but she now knows why, and what happened. It disgusted her, and more so enraged her. This is why she tried her best to not think back to that time. Her facial expression showed she was thinking of an unpleasant thought. She didn't realize she was even making it, she shook her head trying to shake the thought out of her head. Her eyes locked on Karokee's unsure if she caught on to what just transpired in her head. "Yes, I have. When I was younger a man almost killed me to save himself. The Nosferatu clan attacked his villa. He was an evil man...." The sentence trailed off. She would tell her the story as she began to relive the moment It was so clear and vivid; There I stood, in a large room inside of the villa. The room's decor was garnished by the most expensive silk curtains, that covered multi colored stained window. Auburn stained chairs, and a large dining room table made up the furniture of the room. On the table were multiple candles that gently lit the room. If I stood in that room in a different circumstance, I would have seen the room in differently, and saw it's beauty. But the dully lit candles made the room look exactly what it was to me. A dungeon that had no escape. And the warden sat at the table, eating his food like a save. I stood at the opposite end of the table my right hand wrapped tightly around my left wrist. It was the position I stood in most often. My head down, eyes being sure to not look up at him. Though my glance would wander occasionally. I remember that night when my eyes did glance up, his face was veiled by a shadow the candle light created. Anyway, I stood there, waiting for him to finish with his food so I could take his dishes away, and promptly clean them. That's when it all began. Downstairs I heard a crash. It was the sound of glass breaking. People screaming, bashing and stomping about. It was his personal body guards. His ninja's being slain mercifully. They were nothing more than henchmen to him, but they too were guilty. I turned my head towards the only door that led to and from the rest of the villa. I was certain it was bandits that were coming to raid his villa to steal all of his belongings. I was wrong. The door flew open as three people stood in the now opened door. Two men and a woman. I was too distracted by them to notice that the b*****d who was sitting at the table arose, and with knife in hand he grabbed me from behind, and placed the knife to my throat. It was his futile attempt to save himself, holding me hostage. Why would these three care about me? They didn't even know me. But it halted their attack, at least for that moment. They exchanged words, but for the life of me I could never remember what was said. Then in a flash one of the hooded men disappeared from my sight. I felt the grip on me loosen, the knife removed from my neck. I immediately began to run forward, though i'd be running directly at the two that remained in the door way. I wouldn't make it that far. I felt him grasp at me one last time. At the time I didn't know it, but he was drawing one of his few last breathes. But even that wouldn't stop the coward from trying to ruin my life further. The grasp he had on me was my hair. He pulled and slashed out with his knife. His strike connected with my neck. I would have bled out. But the people who I thought were bandits, were really members of the Nosferatu clan. They saved me, by making me one of them.'

"Well, that's my near death experience. And that's how I became a vampire. It was like being reborn again. I will never forget that day..." She said in a soft tone. All of these events were still fresh. But she did her best to suppress the thoughts and emotions they invoked. And she was damn good at it. If she didn't think about them then they wouldn't bother her. She had to her best to stay positive.

She laughed awkwardly, she felt like she brought the whole mood and vibe of the amazing spring down. She may have went in to detail a little too much. She didn't ask for her life story. "Anyway, enough of that. Uhm, I had a question for you..." She said as she tried to remember what it was. She tapped her finger to her lips. And like an explanation point her finger shot up as she remembered. "Ah yes! What is your goal what are you reaching for? You said being a ninja motivates you. What are you trying to do, or become?"







Word Count: 1481

Jutsu Learned:





-- Micha aka 'Michi' --
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 117lbs
Weapons: Kunai, Shurikens
Mood: Relaxed
Thoughts: ....
Area: Nano Village
Total Chakra Points: 17,174
Left over points: 3,395
Current Jutsu: N/A




ooc: (.)

She couldn't help but smile as Karokee said such a nice thing. If she had any doubt about this new lovely friendship, it would be washed away with the comfort she was offering. She was thankful to have someone who would help her if she was ever in need. She felt the same way about Karokee. She would do what was necessary to keep her safe. She closed her eyes, a wide grin on her face. "Thank you Karokee. That means a lot to me. But don't worry, I can defend myself." She opened her eyes, and stuck her tongue out playfully as she gave her a wink.

Karokee looked like she was in deep thought, as she prepared to answer Micha's question. While she did she thought of the answer to her own question regarding her feelings. She was a free spirit, and never really gave much thought to it. But when she did, she pictured herself being a teacher or examiner for other genin. She'd have to pass the chunnin exams first. Her train of thought was broken as Karokee spoke. She gave her full attention as she did listening in closely. She couldn't help but laugh lightly as she spoke of the animal mask. It wasn't in a mocking manner, just she didn't think Karokee would be interested in the mask. Until she put more thought in to the matter. She seemed shy or hesitant to show her true face to others. A mask would make it easy to hide that. Though Micha didn't think Karokee should try and hide it. But being an Anbu... She imaged Karokee standing with a fox mask over her face, and a black cloak covering her body, a kunai in each hand in a defensive stance standing in front of a Kage protecting them from an assassin. It definitely looked right in her head. "I can see you becoming an Anbu leader. Just have to work towards it."

As they sat and relaxed Micha looked over at Karokee, noticing something she hasn't seen before. It was Karokee's eye. It seemed to be glowing, it was even visible though the steam that the water was emitting. She raised a brow as she looked closely. Karokee must have noticed Micha was looking at it, as she pointed it out and began to tell her about it. How interesting and cool it was. It was a doujutsu. She was sure that would give her an edge in combat. "Wow.... It sounds amazing. I never noticed the glow before until now.. I wish my eyes could glow like that!"

When presented with the question about the favorite season, she didn't even have to think. "Autumn." She replied quickly. "I love when the leaves change colors, and the windy Autumn nights. Never too cold or hot, the temperature is always just right. It's like spring but minus the bugs." She shuttered slightly at the thought. She hated bugs; she saw no point to them. They were just simply annoying to her. "But Autumn is my favorite hands down."

Micha decided it was time to get out of the spring, as much as she was enjoying it she knew there wasn't much time left. The Chunnin exams were coming soon, and she had to be ready to participate. That would be the only way she would be able to become an examiner herself. "This spring has been so nice and relaxing, but I am going to get out now." She said with a smile as she stood up, reluctant to follow through with her idea of leaving the water. She quickly got up wrapping herself with a towel so she could dry herself off before putting outfit back on, and tying her bow back into her hair. As she did so she looked over her shoulder at Karokee. "Sorry, but speaking of what kind of ninja you wanted to become reminded me of what I wanted to become. An examiner. And that led me to remembering about the exams that are coming up. I am participating in it." She said as she adjusted the clasp of her talisman that dangled around her neck. "Are you going to be joining me?" She hoped that she would. It would be nice to take the exam with a friend by her side.






Word Count: 722

Jutsu Learned:
Stalking Wave( Must know Buble Trap) - The user summons a bubble of water with a large shark inside to chase and devour the target.- 800 Skill Points

Bubble Trap - Very similar to Aquatic Defence but the user forms the bubble around the target to prevent them from escaping.- 600 Skill Points

Aquatic Defence - The user surrounds himself in water that has been thickened with chakra to prevent attacks and weapons from penetrating the water bubble-900 Skil Points

Impossible Leap - The user creates very thin sheets of ice in the air to gain the ability to change direction midleap or add distance to a jump. The ice sheets are almost impossible to see and thus the opponent doesn't know how to react.-700 Skill Points

Frost Eyes - The user creates large snowflake to scout ahead.-500 Skill points

Hana Shuriken - The user focuses his chakra into the flowers around him turning their petals hard and sending them spiraling like a shuriken at the target- 600 Skill Points

5,000 cp from Rule challenge

Hyakka Seihou (A hundred Blooming Flowers) - The user manipulates his chakra into the surrounding flowers of the landscape and causes them to launch at the target where they explode on contact- 700 Skill Points

Kyouka Sai (Maximum Cutting) - The user creates an illusion by trapping the target in a whirwind of flower petals. The target cannot see past the whirwind and is thus unable to defend against the next attack (in this case used in combinationg with a weapons)-800 Skill Points

Hyakka Ryouran (Flurry of a Hundred Flowers) - The user send flowers at the target. Upon contact a massive explosion occurs.- 600 Skill Points

Bullet Proof - This ability that a Nosferatu can use, allows them to be able to harden their skin to the point that thrown weapons and fire from a shinobi weaker then them, are useless against them, but not their clothing. They are severely harmed, if struck by a light effect in this stage. 1500

Bat Swarm - By making a single hand seal and pointing in a specific direction, bats may actually emerge from the sleeves or clothing of a Nosferatu and move in that one direction in order to attempt to cut the opponent up a little as if they are a series of blades. 600

Bat Flurry - This movement technique, allows for a Nosferatu to actually become the bats, and move a small amount forward, if someone is caught in the bats, they will be cut up. The movement is a twenty foot straight line. (Must have Bat Swarm) 700

4900/5000





-- Micha aka 'Michi' --
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 117lbs
Weapons: Kunai, Shurikens
Mood: Relaxed
Thoughts: ....
Area: Nano Village
Total Chakra Points: 22,896
Left over points: 117
Current Jutsu: N/A




ooc: (.)