Just another Day, right? [Sara, Reizo]

[Ota Shiori]

Buying takeout in the market, Shiori headed back to the Spartan District after school. Eating as she walked, she split her attention between the rice and the path, looking up occasionally to make sure she had not missed a turn. Shiori practiced everyday, but she had never used the Proving Grounds before. It was so open. Anyone could watch. The thought had been enough to keep this young lady at bay, but today was a different. Much different.

In an uncharacteristic move, Shiori reached out to two acquaintances to join her in training. The first Murakami Reizo, a handsome young man with a cool attitude. He seemed grounded. She had seem him around a few more times since they met, but that would not be enough if she was going to accomplish her goals. The second was Yaku Sara, an odd girl with an odd name. A reason still a bit beyond her understanding, Shiori like this girl. She was a little noisy, nosy and hyper, but she was fun to listen to, even when she did not follow what Sara was saying.

Shiori needed to develop teamwork, she needed actually sparring partners, and in truth she needed some friends. These were goals of hers, to spite the urge to just hide away by herself until Exams. Father said it was important Shiori was the type to get caught up in thought, and it takes others to pull you out when you are stuck. After listening to her Father’s rational argument of the matter, she resolved to make her fellow students into friends. She asked others, doing research on how to accomplish this task, and while the details were sketchy the dark-haired girl had prepared as best she could to take part in this social ritual; Hanging out.

As she came upon the field she was finishing the last bit of her meal, washing it down with some tea. Packing up the box and checking her appearance, she wanted to look as though she was well-put-together. She worn her usual attire; gary combat robes straighten and her hair tied back tidily. She brought her weapons in case they were up for sparring, but also just to show off a little of her her training. She heard it was important to garner trust.

 

[Murakami Reizo]

Reizo was a little bit shy. A little bit shy, a little bit awkward. He wasn’t exactly one for the entire “hanging out” thing normally, nor did he regularly train with anyone else. Which was strange, to most people, he guessed. It is more effective to train with others… he reminded himself almost absentmindedly. He was already sitting in the Proving Grounds, not having bothered leaving after classes were finished. He had mentioned to his mother and sisters before leaving this morning that he would be home later than usual, and the trio had packed him a snack so that he wouldn’t have to go out and scrounge up food between classes and when he was suppose to meet up with the two girls. He finished off the last bite of his sandwich, popping it into his mouth and chewing slowly with a little contented hum, only noticeable due to how quiet it was. He hadn’t precisely anticipated the proving grounds being so quiet, or empty, but he supposed that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. Shiori was shy, and he had never met Sara. But, he suspected Shiori being somewhat comfortable (and feeling less like she was being watched) would be a good thing, whether they ended up training or not.

He stood and yawned, then stepped towards the middle of one of the rings that had been constructed for the purpose of training. He could feel more than see as his afterimages distorted the air and gave a little frustrated sigh, closing his eyes for a moment and willing them to fall back in line. It was a sure sign of how nervous he was, though he wasn’t sure on how many people actually picked up on the fact he had less control over the reality warping energy that his body naturally produced now. Then he stretched his fingers, testing his gloves and letting them shift a little bit to get into their proper place and opened his eyes. Another slow breath, and the same energy that made him appear in several places at once began to coalesce around his hands. While it didn’t look it, the build up of energy resulted in his punches (and kicks, if he were to do the same with his feet. Which he did sometimes. It was a lot harder to concentrate on manifesting the energy there, though) shredding and tearing rather than just… well, being punches. It acted far more like a blade. He was still getting use to it, and began going through a routine he had been putting together over time. A cycle of slashes and stabs (more common to blades) and unarmed attacks, which resulted in the boy having to… flicker the energy coalesced around his hands from moment to moment. The routine had been getting longer and more complicated as time went on, as Reizo learned more techniques and gained more control over his body.

But by the end of it, the boy had flopped pretty much in the middle of the ring he had been working in with a little groan. ”...Still not good enough to do it all without getting tired…” he murmured, ”Kind of disappointing…”

And that is where Shiori and Sara would find the gangly boy. Laying in the middle of the ring, sprawled.

[MFT: 549]

 

[Yaku]

Sara had found a note in her locker from Shiori earlier that morning to meet up with her a little after school out back in the Proving Grounds. The paper was crumpled up slightly, as she had missed seeing it yesterday and crammed it to the back with a book. She read only half the note and tossed it away, being late to class that morning. Though, the meeting was on her mind for the entire day, slightly taking her attention away from the going ons in class. She was looking forward to the meeting, though after school she still, had time left for some quick studying for a test that was coming up. She wiggled in her chair and tried her hardest to study but was to preoccupied with meeting up. So the study session lasted a long and grueling 3 minuets before she got up. She headed over to the window and looked out into the sky. She mauled over the thought of just head over and wait. It was a stones throw away from the academy so she took her time putting her stuff in the locker and headed over.

As she entered the area, she saw a guy walking around and decided that the tree well out of the way looked comfortable enough to wait it out for Shiori to head over. She sat down and watched the boy for a moment, the excitement of watching him standing around was intoxicating. Sara looked up into the sky for a moment than yawned and turned away from the grounds, listening to the grass pop back up from where her hand had been. Shiori would be here soon enough, she thought. She yawned again and her eyes grew heavy, it seemed like a nice day to take a quick nap as she waited, the shade of the tree, the cool temp and the slight warmth of the spotted sunlight basking through the tree on her legs made it a perfect recipe to take it easy, as her eyes closed as she waited.

 

[Ota Shiori]

Approaching the edge of the field, she saw the two lounging and thought, ‘I am glad it just us’. Shiori rolled her fingers along the cuffs of her sleeves. Neither of them looked as though they were paying much attention, and so it was that she saw an opportunity to be ‘playful’, while practicing. Reizo-kun was a ways out still lying flat while Sara was generally faced his direction, so it was she, obviously, who would be the target of this surprise. Without changing her pace, the dark-haired girl shifted her steps and eased her movement, altering course to approach them from behind the tree Sara was using for shade.

Meanwhile, moving straight outward from her original position was the image of Shiori, a common Bunshin - an illusionary clone - directed towards Reizo. The clone moved slowly, not only to buy the girl time to circle and stealth, but also because Shiori was not very good with illusions. Reizo was pretty advanced for his age, Shiori did some checking, she don’t her jutsu would fool him up-close, but with Sara at a distance she would get the chance she was seeking.

Quieting everything she could yet control, Shiori slid into the long shadow of the tree and up to its trunk. With every bit of care she could muster, the young Ota girl climbed the backside of the tree and moved over the intersecting branches to position herself above little Yaku Sara. The Bunshin out in the open now, she thought it would be better to strike now before Sara moved to meet them; if she had intended to. With a light rustling in the leaves, Shiori dropped down beside Sara, landing in a crouch with a big smile. “Hello Yaku-chan!” Her voice sharp, for effect, but not loud.

She was not sure if Reizo had or would react at all to seeing the clone, but with the ruse up, the image burst into a soft cloud, that quickly dispersed in the air.

WC: 338

 

[Murakami Reizo]

A little… twinge in the back of his mind was what actually alerted Reizo to the fact that a clone had been made. He recognized the feeling faintly as his brain telling him that something he was experiencing wasn’t real, an illusion. Genjutsu. (AKA. The clone.) It was an almost absentminded movement for him to use Cancel, not even opening his eyes yet. To him, the clone vanished before it got near, the slow pace giving him more than enough time to get the chakra together and complete the jutsu.

With that, he sat up, a little bolt of energy forming in his fingertips as he did, and a quick glance around confirming that no one was actually attacking him. He wouldn’t have been surprised if it were Ren, honestly. The bolt dispersed, and he laughed softly as he spied Shiori dropping down next to another girl, who he suspected to be Sara. He rolled up to his feet with relative ease, now actually noting that the clone vanished shortly after Shiori revealed herself, and walked towards the two girls.

”Hello, Ota-san, Yaku-san,” he said, in his usual soft tone, a little inclination of his head towards both, though he suspected Sara would likely still be working on recovering from Shiori’s prank, ”That was a pretty good clone, Shiori.” A slight smile accompanied his words, this time.

She seems a bit less reserved, a bit less shy, since I was asked to speak to her after class… this is good. Or maybe she is just comfortable around Yaku Sara. That is a possibility as well… he turned that particular thought over in his mind for a little while, then set it off to the side, determining it to be unimportant for the moment.

”I am glad you did actually decide that you wanted to interact with me again.” From most, it would have sounded insincere. Even from Reizo, it nearly did. But it certainly wasn't, the boy was honestly only use to having one person actually seek out his company, and that was Ren. Who he still wasn't sure how to handle sometimes.

[MFT, WC: 352]

 

[Yaku]

Sara was becoming deeper and deeper into her relaxed state, the gentle breeze helping it along. The seconds seemed to slow down turning into minuets, as she started to imagine herself surrounded and petting a bunch of fluffy pretty kitties and kitten size ponies. For the last two weeks in class they started talking about the different types of ninjutsu, today was summoning. The thought of it brought a smile to her, she could summon any animal she wanted to have help her, or be her pet. It seemed like a grand jutsu to have. She wanted to learn all about it and how to get one of those contracts, mostly kitties and ponies. Her smile grew in the real world, a little drool crept out, as now she started to imagine herself turning into a kitty slowly, ears popping from her head, a tail growing and either them growing or her shrinking down, and playing with them. It was a glorious dream, sparked by the possibility discussed earlier that day and a overly large imagination.

She was oblivious to her surroundings entirely, as Shiori started to climb down the tree to try to surprise her. Suddenly in her dream, one of the kitties spoke, sounding oddly like Shiori, it even had the same hair as her and resembled her face slightly."Hello Shiori neko.", she said in response, both in the dream and the real world. She reached out for the kitten, and in real life did the same thing. Just as she was about to grab hold she opened her eyes, in a stupor, she saw it was the normal Shiori and let out a cry, "Eep", falling over as she lost her balance. She face planted onto the ground, and then rolled over on the ground to see Shiori hanging in the tree just above. "Oh, hey Shiori.", she said as she wiped her face, feeling the drool, and replacing it by smudging a little dirt on her cheek.

Sara heard a boys voice and pushed off the ground to see whom it was, greeting her. He knew Shiori, and her name, she was surprised, as she didn't recognize him to much. She got off the ground, patting her cloths down and rubbing the little dirt on her hand off. He continued his conversation with Shiori, as she listened in, unsure of who he was, and what his relationship with Shiori was. She listened for any clues given between their conversation. She took him in, seeing that he was taller than both of them, much taller than she, and seemed quite lean. The way he spoke to her, it eerily seemed similar to when she first met Shiori, maybe they were family? Though, it didn't seem like it.

[Training] WC:460

 

[Ota Shiori]

Shiori thought the younger girl had just been resting her eyes, but from the response she made, Sara had been pretty far gone. Did she call me a cat? Having no clue what the girl was on about, Shiori had leaned back and waited for Sara to regain her faculties. “Was it a good dream, Sara?” Asked quietly with a smirk, she did not want to know what the girl had been imagining in her private world, but she assumed it was silly - much like the girl.

Looking to Reizo as he joined them near the tree, Shiori nodded to him with a smile, “Thanks Reizo, but I need more practice… and I guess it was a useless distraction if your target’s eyes are close.” She nodded to Reizo as he said he was glad she decide to interact, wondering just what his experience was that made his words sound such. It could have been insincere, but it sounded a little like relief and weariness - though, of what, she could not guess. “It is good to see you again.”

Though speaking to both, “I am happy to see you both could make it… Murakami-kun, this is Yaku Sara she a student too and wants to be a Medic. Yaku-chan, this is Murakami Reizo, I have heard he is a really talented student, and is probably going to become a Genin before us.” She took the introduction upon herself out of proper etiquette, as she was taught, since she had met both of them separately. It did not matter that Reizo seemed to know Sara, or at least of her, as this way they were all on equal footing. Acquaintances… and maybe, after today, they would be friends. Shiori stayed back a moment, seeing how they reacted to each other.

WC:311

 

[Yaku]

OOC: Sorry guys, need the slot for rping. If you come back, pm me and maybe we can pick it back up.


The three of them continued their interactions for a little longer before Sara remembered she had another activity she had to leave for. She needed to cook dinner tonight for herself and her father, whom would be getting off a little late tonight, so she would need to do the shopping as well. Tonight felt like, a fish kind of night, maybe with some glaze and plain rice. She also wanted to make a few vegtables, so she had plenty she needed to pick up. Sara thanked Shiori and Reizo for the outing, and told them they should try it again another time, perhaps on a day of from school. At least then she would have the entire day to pal around. Sara started walking for the edge of the training grounds and turned back to wave goodbye one last time before she finally left.

[Exit]