Getting to Know The Surroundings

[Black_Cat]

It was dark. The deep darkness that one could only come across outside of the big cities; those large, artificially lit places, where the voices of men wiped out even the sounds of nature. Here, the only lighting was the silver moon. The only sounds those nightbirds that graced the evening hours with their song. Shadow sat on a log in a large, sliver-lit clearing, looking up at the many specks which dotted the sky. They had been warned, the students that is, about these woods. Supposedly they were filled with dangerous creatures, and one could easilly get lost. That didn't bother Shadow. Not one bit. He hadn't travelled very far as it was, and anyway he was reasonably sure that with Hinote by his side he was safe. He touched the warm hilt of his trusty sword, it's presence reassuring, the perfect fit of the hilt to his hand calming. It had been some time since he had had a chance to sit and think, particularly since coming to the acadamy. It was so lively here, and there was so much to do, that he never had a chance to relax and think about things. Not that he wasn't glad for the activity. At least no one here seemed to be trying to kill him. He chuckled. "At least I've got that to be happy about." he whispered to himself. He stood, drawing his sword. It never ceased to amaze him, the fiery change from ordinary sword to Hinote. He took a few pratice swings, moving smoothly from position to position,remembering his escape from loud, crime-filled Remis. Such a big difference here. Furthermore, those men, The Gaia, had they called themselves? They seemed to have no influence here, which reassured him as well. Shadow sheathed his sword and closed his eyes and stood for a moment, listening to the forest around him.

[Lockheart42]

Kirihime had been walking up with a bag in her hand. She was a new student at the academy and she had finally found it although the forest was hard to navigate through and the monsters were persistent. She had to fight a few creatures to maneuver through, but to her, it still helped her on the path to becoming the greatest ninja. She lugged her bag that now felt heavy until she saw someone sitting on a log. Was it a new threat, a creature to attack her? She first thought that until she noticed that it was a person. She stopped and continued walking, not wanting to bother him and continuing to make her way to the destination which was Sentou Gakuin. She was eager to become stronger and she knew that it would take some time. Her once light backpack began to feel much heavier now as she struggled more and more. She ignored it, seeing the front of the school as her target and the weight as a mere obstacle.

[Black_Cat]

Shadow's eyes snapped open several seconds after the girl had passed. (Who could that have been?) He asked himself, wary as to this person's intentions. Obviously she wasn't after him. If she had been, he would have been attacked already. So he had to assume this girl's intents had nothing to do with him. Nor had she stopped, meaning that either she hadn't seen him, or hadn't wanted to speak. As much as he knew this meant that he should leave the person alone, his curiousity was piqued now. He walked over to the log, picking up his backpack full of supplies, and leaped off through the trees, follow the energy signature of the girl. Her breathing had been heavy, perhaps she needed assistance of some kind; he thought, finally catching up with the travelling girl. (Ah,) he thought, stretching silently, (I was right.) She was struggling, it seemed with a heavy looking pack strapped across her back. (Well, it would seem that she could use some help,) he said, watching for another moment, (perhaps I could use the opportunity to find out more about her.) He leaped from his tree, landing silently on the ground. "Excuse me!" he called out in as pleasant a voice as he could muster, jogging towards the girl. "You look as if you are struggling. Would you like any help?" he inquired as he caught up with her.

[Lockheart42]

Kirihime turned around to see who was speaking to her. It was revealed to her that this was the person from before who she had recently saw but didn't want to bother. She heard him ask if she needed help. It was true that the bag was greatly weighing her down, but she shook her head and gave a no. No matter how heavy the bag, she liked the training, and it was this training that would allow her to be the greatest ninja. She smiled at him. "No, I'm fine. This bag is fine. Its nothing. Thanks a lot though." She continued walking, still struggling a bit but trying to keep it from showing.

[Black_Cat]

Shadow knodded. He understood completely. He'd often done the same kind of weight training. And this was most likely training to the girl so, naturally, she wanted to do it herself. Honestly he admired her persistance; obviously she was really struggling. He smiled a tiny bit, falling into step next to her. "Big pack, you must be headed somewhere. Mind if I ask where?"

[Lockheart42]

Kirihime struggled a bit and grunted while she pulled the bag. "Actually, I'm trying to go to Sentou Gakuin. I'm a new student here and I've come for some training." Kirihime was just enrolled at the school and she wanted to train as much as she could on the way there. "Another student from this school recently beat me in a tournament and I made a promise to myself and my clan to be stronger..." She faced the boy and struggled to point at him. As she pointed, she gave a big smile. "...Even if it means defeating people like you in fights so that I can be the best ninja around!" Kirihime had a lot of enthusiasm in her voice while she steading the heavy bag. She wasn't being too cocky but was instead was showing her confidence in her fighting abilities.

[Black_Cat]

Shadow listened carefully to her explanation, a smile on his face. "Well well, small world. I happen to be a student myself a Sentou Gakuin. So, defeat people like me huh? To become the greatest ninja? An admirable goal. And you're certainly enthusiastic, which is also an admirable trait. I believe that you could one day. But be warned," he said with a teasing tone in his vocie, "that I have some skill of my own. If and when you challenge me, I won't go down easy." He looked up at the sky for a moment. "After all, I have my own dreams to chase after." He as well tried to keep a cocky tone out of his voice. Quite obviously he wasn't the best, not yet anyway, and realized that there was a good chance that this girl was as skilled, or more skilled than he was. He smiled, mentally preparing himself for an attack, just in case. He extended a hand. "But before you beat me, we should at least get accquainted right? My name's Zachary Blackheart. Yellow Class Swordsman."

[Lockheart42]

Kirihime smiled and looked at Zachary. "Well fellow student Zachary Blackheart, my name is Kirihime Shourisha. Pleased to meet you. I can't wait to defeat the first person I meet at this school. And we're in the same rank too. I am also in the Yellow Rank although I feel like I could be in a much higher rank. I know that if I become stronger I can defeat a higher ranked warrior and if I do defeat a high ranked warrior in a scheduled match before the Head Warrior and other high ranked warriors, I can get that person's ranking." She gave a big smile as she finished just to show that she lacked no confidence.

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