Realize [Open]

[Shinomiya Masaru]

The entertainment district of Kumogakure was as bustling as ever. Vendors tried to gain the attention of any passerby, their cries muffled by the murmuring of the crowds making their way up and down the busy main street. The scent of all kinds of foods blended together in the walkway attempting to entice anyone walking by the various ramen shops and restaurants that neighbored the regular shops selling things from kunai to accessories.

In these conditions Masaru walked on by himself, his gaze flicking from shop to shop as he went. The evening air was cool, providing a brief respite to the heat generated by the mass of people congregating about the Plaza. Days like today were rare events for Masaru as he rarely gave himself a day off, but after his self-reflection the previous day he had come to the conclusion that his body desperately needed rest.

It had been a while since he had participated in a class at the Academy, and yet he managed to fill his day with any form of training he could. He had been blessed with the good fortune of receiving letters from his mother without incident with his extended family, and she had provided him with insight as to what kind of training he should undergo in the brief time before his Genin Exam. Although he had always trained hard before Masaru was particularly eager in his training after receiving high praise from one of his instructors, a friend of his cousin and one of Kumo’s Sennin. It was a result the young man was proud of as it meant that his goal of becoming useful to Haruka wasn’t as out of reach as he thought. As such he had devoted all of his time into training his body and mind, trying to make as much progress as possible before her return. Often he would run in the early hours of morning and do basic physical exercises as a warmup for when he worked on his jutsu and weapon skills. He had a schedule planned out in his head, and hardly allowed himself any slack in preparation for advancing his rank so he could face Haruka with pride.

Such practices, however, proved to put a lot of strain on him. Masaru considered himself fairly fit so he was hardly worried about exhausting himself, but his training left no room for rest and slowly but surely he was beginning to feel the effects of his harsh schedule. He woke one morning staring at the now familiar ceiling of his room at the Shima Estate, his body ached something fierce, his muscles burning despite him not making any movement. His eyelids felt heavy like lead, and even though the harsh light of the sun shown bright on his face he couldn’t muster the strength to raise his hand to shield his eyes. It was the first time he’d felt so tired and useless, and yet he still wanted to get up and get to work. It was when he had finally managed to roll onto his side that he remembered his encounter with a particularly snarky kid during one of his training sessions. The boy’s words came to him easily, and though he was loath to admit it even now the advice made sense.

Masaru had decided on two days of rest after that, but being so leisurely wasn’t something he normally did and so he was at a loss of how to not do anything in his down time. He didn’t want to be at home with the whispers and glances of the Shima family so he decided to get some fresh air on this second day. He was painfully aware of how he had failed Haruka’s request of forming connections, as he didn’t have a single person he could call on to spend time with, and still he wondered why he should try to get along with those his age when they weren’t the least bit interested in him either. He walked along with these thoughts in mind finally spotting an area where he could sit.

Clad in his usual black shirt and pants, Masaru looked like just another face in the crowd as he made his way over to the cluster of tables spaced evenly outside of an open air restaurant. He placed the bag he had been carrying on the table and seated himself before opening it and revealing its contents: a couple of rice balls. Clasping his hands together, Masaru uttered a thanks for the food and began to eat while people watching, wondering what he should do with the rest of his lazy day after finishing his meal.

[MFT]

 

[Shouka]

Crowds were always calming for Shouka, and the hustle and bustle of Susukino District was no exception. Today, however, the 11-year-old looked out of place among the crowds of busy passers-by, with her eyebrows furrowed and her standard issue shoes scuffing against the pavement with each step.
School hadn't been going too well for her as of late. She'd been hearing strange things about the Academy. Most of them involved whether the students who attended it actually survived.

It hadn't been her first time being privy to similar rumours, no- her cousins had talked about nasty things happening in the pagoda- but they were all stuck up and had even less a sense of adventure than her, so she'd never taken them seriously. It was only recently that she'd changed her tune, when a couple of her aunts had come to visit her parents. As soon as they heard that she was going to the Academy, they'd shot worried glances at her mother and began whispering. Shouka didn't understand exactly, but she was getting an eerie feeling that there was more truth to the rumours than she thought.

Maybe it was because her parents had caught on to her apprehension that they'd presented her with the toy- a little mechanical bird in the shape of blue jay that was clutched in Shouka's right hand. In a rare show of lavishness, her parents had splurged on the expensive toy and given it to her that morning before ushering her out of the house. She'd maintained that she was too old to play with toy animals, or to fall for bribes... but how could she say no a present, when it wasn't even her birthday? She was in no way excited to play with it. So, she'd gone to the first place she could think of to test it out, trying to shake off the cold, sinking feeling that crept up her spine.

Shouka looked around the busy marketplace before finding and settling into a relatively quiet spot. Mechanical toys were a rarity for her, and judging from the winding key on its back, this one could move. Eyes glinting, she wound it up, and waited. The toy twitched, and Shouka bounced onto her toes, until it stopped suddenly. Scowling, she gave it another wind. Almost reluctantly, the toy left her hand and bobbed unsteadily through the air. Shouka's eyes followed it, gleaming, until she realised with growing uneasiness that her new toy was heading toward some of Susukino's more crowded areas.

“...Forgot to ask my parents how to control this.”
With that, she took off to the sputtering bird, which was now approaching a restaurant, steadily climbing higher and higher. It finally hit a wall and came to a stop, falling unharmed onto a ledge just within her reach. Unfortunately, the toy had decided to land right above one of the restaurant's customers, a black-clad boy eating a rice ball, who also seemed to be around Shouka's age. Reaching for the bird was out of the question, now, unless she wanted to stand on the boy's head. She wasn't exactly thrilled to interrupt his meal, but the alternative- sitting around until he was done before retrieving the task- wasn't much better, and she wasn't confident that no one would just take it if she left. Taking a deep breath, she approached him, an apologetic smile plastered on her face.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt you, but...” she gave a pointed look to the ledge, and, by extension, the bird, “I lost my...”
Wait, she couldn't exactly explain that it was hers, could she? How would she garner any respect if she was seen playing with, and losing, toys? “...sister's toy up there. Do you think you could reach that?”

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

While the task of people watching wasn't as exciting as one might think Masaru found the past time comfortable. Being able to simply sit in silence and just notice others had it's ups, but even so he could hardly say he enjoyed the hobby. It would be different if he were an artist and would go back home or open up a sketchbook to observe and draw, but Masaru was the farthest thing from someone who could create. For him it was just another way to pass the time or to lull into melancholy while he had the chance.

Absentmindedly he finished one rice ball and started on the other, making mental notes about those who passed by. Normally he would find such a busy area to be irritating and he would work to avoid it at all costs, but the lingering thought of the last task Haruka had given him was more than enough to get him to at least sit this close to the crowd for this long. If it weren't for her command then he would have just opted to watch from one of the many rooftops while working on his stealth, killing two birds with one stone, and yet here he was. Masaru let out a sigh, wiping a stray grain of rice from his cheek with a thumb before finishing off the remainder of his meal. His days were comprised of training so it was only natural that he didn't have anyone to hang out with, and while he was usually comfortable with being alone today was different. With the push to rest his body he still wanted something to do, and so far people watching wasn't proving to be as interesting as it had been when he was doing it in secret.

That's when he heard an odd noise from above. Instantly he was snapped out of his thoughts and his hand went down to his waist where his holster was usually fastened, but when he went to unhook the clasp his hand only met thin air. The boy fought hard not to show his embarrassment when he remembered that, because he wasn't going to train today, he had opted to leave his kunai holster at home. He wasn't completely unarmed, as most shinobi would be foolish to be even in their own village, because he still had his belt pouch fastened on his opposite side, but the slip up was embarrassing nonetheless. He wasn't some fresh Academy Student anymore, so a mistake like this hurt his pride more than he thought it would.

Masaru was ready to get up and see if there was just another stray cat wandering about when he heard the voice of a girl. She had gotten surprisingly close to him, and he chastised himself again for letting himself get complacent. Just because I'm surrounded by people doesn't mean I can't be wary. What a rookie mistake. Haruka-sama would surely laugh at me, Masaru thought bitterly. While he could think about his mistakes later, and hopefully fix his concentration issues during his next training session, right now he had to focus on this stranger. He took a quick look at her from bottom to top, after all anyone who chose to associate with him was someone he should remember. She didn't seem like someone he would normally come into contact with if he were spending his day as usual, in fact she seemed like most of the people he had seen pass by since arriving. The only other noteworthy things he saw was that she was considerably short, but he wasn't one to judge since he wasn't that tall himself, and that she had red hair. Out of everything he considered her red hair to be her most outstanding feature and so filed it away in his memory.

At first she apologized so he slowly brought a hand up and shook his head in response, “That's alright, you aren't interrupting.” He waited for her to say what she needed, as he wasn't acquainted with her the next guess was that she must need something. If that's so then I guess she knows I'm a shinobi. I wonder if I stand out that much... Masaru thought while following the direction she pointed in with his eyes, Guess not. She spoke again, but this time stopped mid-sentence prompting Masaru to look at her instead of the thing caught on the ledge. Ahh...Her sister's huh?' Masaru's usual look of indifference hardly changed when she stuttered, but he could find no reason to refuse her. “Sure, give me a second.”

Getting up from his seat Masaru looked up at where the toy was lodged. He wondered briefly if he could reach it from there tip toed or not, but after a bit of thinking decided to give it a go. Reaching up with one hand he found that the gap between him and the ledge wasn't as far as he had though, and with a bit of stretching he managed to get a firm grip on the toy; however, even such a minimal strain was enough to get him to wince. His muscles still protested any excessive action, even one so simple as reaching for something up high, which only proved the point that he needed to take resting more seriously.

Upon closer inspection Masaru saw that the toy was in the shape of a bird. Which type he had no clue as he wasn't versed in wildlife, in fact he was only sure he'd be able to identify crows and simple things like maybe wolves and bears, but as for specific types he was at a loss. He marveled at the craftsmanship before remembering that it wasn't something he'd just found. Turning around he held out the toy in the palm of his hand, “This is it, right?” After asking he seemed to rethink his words, as if there happened to be another toy stuck in the exact same spot as the one he retrieved. As usual he didn't show anything on the outside, but mentally he was kicking himself. It only proved to strike home the point that he should work on his mental training more.

[MFT]

 

[Shouka]

Shouka pulled on her fingers, fully expecting a rejection from the boy. As soon as her toy had gotten lodged, she'd had an image in her head about who would be the first one to spot it- someone old and scowling with eyebrows that were permanently drawn together. They would lecture her until it dark about the dangers of 'those horrible toys'. This person wasn't old, or scowling, and his eyebrows seemed fine, but she didn't expect him to stop eating just to get her toy- at least not without protest.

“Sure, give me a second.”
Surprisingly, he had. “Thank you.” She smiled, grateful. 'No crotchety old men.' The boy stood up, unravelling to his full height. He was at least a couple heads taller than her. Shouka didn't think herself too short, but compared to him she was downright miniscule.
But what grabbed her attention was the cross dangling around his neck. It was the third, maybe fourth one she'd ever seen. Religious symbols were rare in the village, and what little there were usually rested with foreigners or pilgrims. Even in the shop she'd only seen one once or twice, and she'd never been brave, stupid, or rude, enough to ask what they actually stood for. Shouka soon realised she was staring, and averted her eyes, cheeks tingling.

The black-clad boy's sudden movement drew her attention once more, though. She swore he looked a little tense. Was he in pain?
“Do you need help?” She blurted out, stepping forward. She flinched a bit when she realised what she'd said. It was rude to have mentioned – she wished she'd just pretended not to notice. '...No use worrying about it too much.' He was fetching the toy, now, and Shouka leaned forward, ready to retrieve it. But he lingered for a second to... examine?... the toy. It wasn't too surprising, her parents had probably spent a pretty penny on the bribe. It wasn't like she'd meant to show it off, but now she felt a bit self-conscious.

The cross around his neck drew her attention again. As much as she wanted to ask, Shouka had been raised with a modicum of self-control. It was a trait that was valued when one constantly had family and customers filing in and out of their personal space. Instead, she let her questions linger around the back of her head. If she ever got the opportunity to bring it up in a more appropriate setting, she would. “That's it, yeah.” She replied as he offered the bird back, accepting it with a grateful nod of the head. “Sorry to put you through that. I should really have been keeping a better eye on my sister, but it's... faster than I thought.”
She might have been trying too hard with the 'sister' angle. It was getting a bit obvious. She probed her mind for a change of subject, and her eyes fell to her hand.

“Want to try it?” She held up the toy blue jay. It was hard to conceive of someone as aloof-looking as this boy playing with a toy, but she didn't think she had imagined his staring earlier, either. If he was interested in the design, then he might take the opportunity to get a better look. “The bird, I mean. Unless you want to go back to eating.” Shrugging, she gave the key a demonstrative wind, and watched it fly up into the air. This time, though, she caught it before it was out of her arm's reach and offered it to the boy.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

As usual when Masaru was unsure of himself his hand gripped at the cross around his neck. It was an unfortunate habit to have, as it usually drew more attention to him than away, but he took comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only one with habits such as these. He fiddled with the gold between his fingers while very aware of the girl staring intently at him. He had guessed earlier that she might know he was a shinobi either by his air or having seen him near the Academy, but after she'd asked for something so simple he chalked the meeting as mere coincidence. Now it was as if she was examining him further, but he was very aware of the direction of her gaze.

He was used to those giving him glances when they noticed his cross, it wasn't all that surprising as the same had been done in Raiden no Me; however, after some recent incidents involving the shinobi of Kumogakure and the Holy City there was more interest given to those who were openly practicing of the Tenouzan way. Masaru thought about what to say, as he had never had to bring himself to go into detail about his religious background, but a different question had come up.

“Do you need help?”

He blinked in surprise and his fingers ceased fiddling with the necklace as he stared at the girl. She had noticed him wince earlier...that wasn't expected at all. He figured her as someone who wasn't that focused on minor details like that, to which he now chastised himself for such a rude thought, but with the intensity of her gaze he couldn't say she wasn't as unaware as he initially thought. “Ah no, thank you. I'm fine I've just trained too much recently so I'm a little sore,” he said, this time making sure she would know that he was a shinobi. While the question caught him off guard he couldn't say it wasn't welcome. After Haruka had left he virtually had nobody in the village to look out for him which resulted in overworking himself. He smiled a bit to try and reassure her that he was alright, after all if she'd felt the need to question him then he must have been showing signs of discomfort.

She apologized once more to which he waved his hand in response, nodding when she commented on how fast the toy was. He felt a little awkward not being able to offer any response though, as he wasn't privy to talking with strangers or playing with toys there was nothing much he could give input on and so was left to only agree with her statement. Yet again she surprised him with another question, one which caused his mouth to gape in an involuntary response. He would never understand how some people could just strike up a conversation or ask things of those they had never met before while those like him couldn't hold even a two minute conversation about the weather.

“I never really played with toys that much,” he began, a bit embarrassed to admit such a thing, though you couldn't tell from his face. Sure there was a time as a toddler where he could recall playing with some toys, but when he was old enough his father would often take him to watch him preach while the times with his mother consisted of shopping and her sharpening her kunai collection. He watched with mild interest as she wound the key in the birds back causing it to activate and head upward until she stopped it and offered it to him. “I actually just finished eating. I was instructed not to do anything strenuous for a while so,” he was fiddling with the cross again, wondering if he should take her up on the offer or not. Remember what Haruka-sama said, I need to make bonds. Not like I have anything better to do, Masaru thought as he reached out and took the toy.

He turned the key a couple of times without much hassle, then held out the toy in his palm watching as it began to rise into the air. While watching it he couldn't help but think back to his earlier question when he had had his first good look at the toy, “What kind of bird is this modeled after?”

 

[Shouka]

Shouka fidgeted when the boy clutched at the cross around his neck. 'Caught.' She wasn't sure whether to pretend she hadn't been staring, or to just own up to her prying. Deciding she wasn't quite ready to coat their dialogue in a layer of awkwardness, though, Shouka gave a guilty smile and held her hands up slightly in a defensive gesture. “I didn't mean to stare, really. I just don't see those a lot.” She fiddled with the collar of her own shirt, a plain light green tee that she usually wore at home, unable to think of anything to say that wouldn't be crossing boundaries she knew not to toe.

At the mention of training, the young girl's eyes lit up. Civilians didn't train.

“You mean for the Academy?” She asked, leaning forward. Having just started at the soldier rearing 'school', the idea of meeting other students still excited Shouka. Reading about wars in textbooks and seeing people being prepared for them were two entirely different thing, and what little theoretical experience she had not transferred to real life as well as she thought they would. To add to her uncertainty, the thought that she was leaving the familiarity and security of a future working at a shop stopped her from ever feeling entirely comfortable settling into the Academy.

The hope of finally being able to clear up her gnawing insecuritie overshadowed her previous resignation. She blurted out the first things to come to her mind, in quick succession.
“Have you started classes yet? Do the teachers all do tricks? Do a lot of people graduate?"

Shouka paused, taking a moment to review what she'd just asked. She fought the familiar warmth that was creeping up the back of her neck. As much as she wanted to apologise and take back everything she had just blurted out, though, the need to have her questions answered stopped the apology before it reached mouth. She failed entirely to notice the forehead protector signifying that he'd already graduated.

At the mention of playing with toys the flush overtook her face completely. Playing with toys wasn't a very ninja-like thing to do, in retrospect. Neither was requesting that other people- shinobi, even- play as well, possibly putting them on the spot. She was beginning to feel more like an impudent kid by the second. Shouka hung her head, about to apologise and take back her earlier questions, when the boy posed a question of his own regarding the species of the bird.

“Oh, um...” Shouka's attention returned to the toy, which was clutched, entirely forgotten, in her hand. It was starting to feel a little lame in her hand. "The box said it was a blue jay." Not that she'd ever seen one to confirm it. Spending time outdoors had never been a big part of her life, and birds weren't any different from all the other animals, to her. The bird had a pretty design, though. The fact that it was made out of clunky wood stopped the toy from being too detailed, but she could make out some black stripes and and pointy-looking cluster of feathers on the back of its head. She watched him turn the switch a bit absently. Though she wanted to forget them, the questions gnawed at the back of her head.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Masaru calmly watched the girl put her hands up defensively a few moments after he'd reached for his cross,and she uttered an apology that sounded quite genuine. At first he didn't get why she was guilty about staring at his religious token, after all such a thing was common to him and rarely did anyone apologize, not to mention he didn't think it odd at all to look at something foreign and have at least a few questions. He opened his mouth to ask why she apologized, but noticed she was tugging at her own shirt collar. Nervous or anxious...guess I'd better not.

Rethinking his response, Masaru stood silent watching the toy bird. He reached up to grab it before it got to high, not wanting it to fly off in some direction that would prove problematic, and turned it in his hand to examine the craftsmanship. While admiring the curves and carvings of the toy he nearly jumped when she leaned forward and asked him about the Academy. It wasn't an unexpected question, but her obvious interest in it caused him to take a step back to secure some personal space. “Yes,” he gave a simple answer, but wondered if it was the right one. Sure he trained for the Academy and had done so quite often, but there was a little problem as he wasn't exactly in the Academy anymore. Before he could backtrack though the girl was on him with questions. One after another she asked him various things about the Academy, but she didn't leave a bit of room to answer them one at a time.

There was a brief moment of pause, thankfully, and Masaru tried to think up a good way to answer her when he noticed her face had turned just about the same color as her hair. She seemed to be thinking of something, who knew what, but his curiosity got the better of him and he continued to stare at her. He'd seen his mother turn red in the face before, but that was usually when she was having something to drink and to his knowledge the girl in front of him hadn't consumed any alcohol since they'd met. The reaction was a curious one, something he hadn't experienced before, and he resisted the urge to ask her the cause of it due to his mother's intense drilling over his sometimes blunt manner.

There was an awkward silence between them once more, and Masaru shifted his weight from one leg to the other while debating the answers to her questions. Thankfully she filled the void again, and opted to answer his earlier question. “A bluejay huh...” Masaru mumbled while looking at the toy in his hand. He wondered if he could ever see one inside the village, but an exciting thought came to mind. With his new rank he could venture outside this cage and see many new things, perhaps there were bluejays outside the protective walls of his home waiting to be seen? His grip on the toy tightened at the thought of experiencing many new things, of seeing and learning all sorts of things outside of the village, and again his pulse raced at the thought of Haruka returning and taking him outside of the walls to see a sight he'd never seen before.

Masaru snapped himself out of the grand dream when he remembered his new rank, and thus the girl's earlier questions. He looked up from the bird and offered it back to her while responding, “Technically I have started classes, although I don't need to attend them anymore. I'm not sure about all the teachers, as there are various ones and sometimes guests from higher posts who come to teach and scout at the same time. My cousin gave me a few lessons prior to my attending an official group Academy classes, and even after that I've only attended one or two before it was decided that I was able to try for Genin. My sensei did not play any...tricks, but I'd consider any who do veil them as lessons,” Masaru explained while moving his free hand to adjust the front of his cloak revealing a headband with the village's marking on it. “As for graduation, I and a few others have graduated already. I suppose how many varies, but for a shinobi academy it wouldn't be surprising if the success rate for passing was relatively low.” He paused, wondering if he should have worded the last answer less harshly but decided that the hard truth was better than a misleading truth.

“Are you perhaps an Academy Student?” Masaru asked. The idea came to mind with the extent of her questions over the shinobi school, but even then he could argue that some civilians had interest in such a harsh facility where there was a fatality rate higher than an average school. Either she was interested in the village's main source of income as a citizen, or she was an attendee looking for some insider knowledge of the system. Masaru gave her a once over again and decided that if she really was a student that she might get a rude awakening sooner or later.

[MFT]

 

[Shouka]

Shouka tried hard not to stare, she really did, but anyone passing could see that she had given up on trying to look subtle and was downright gawking at the other boy, waiting for an answer. Her hands found the hem of her shirt, this time, and clutched, tugging the fabric nervously. She wasn't sure what she wanted to hear from him, but if she didn't get some response she was sure she would explode.

He, however, seemed to be more interested in the toy she'd handed to him. Shouka wasn't sure whether or not he was doing it on purpose, but she still felt her mouth curling into a pout.
'There's no way he'd know that I was anxious.' She reminded herself, and took a deep breath, forcing herself to let go of her shirt's hem. Her father had told her a thousand times that she was too old for fits (though she wouldn't call them fits). So, she took a few deep breaths and tried to focus on something the design on the table the boy had been sitting on moments prior.

At that moment he seemed to break out of his thoughts. Shouka shifted her eyes away from the table and back to him, and took the offered bird. She was feeling a bit less anxious for an answer, already, but still strained to hear what he was about to say.

“I'm not sure about all the teachers, as there are various ones and sometimes guests from higher posts who come to teach and scout at the same time.”
Her old school had guest speakers, too. The guest speakers in the academy would probably be of a lot more high standing than the ones at her little elementary, though. Still, it meant that the school had some similarities to her old one, and that could only be a good thing. She wasn't sure what the scouting was for, though. Private armies? Medical work? Shouka didn't think kids got into anything serious like that until after they'd graduated. To her, scouting had always been for the older kids, kids who were ready to go into jobs that required things like scouting. She wanted to ask about scouting, but she felt a bit silly for it. In the end, she decided to keep her mouth shut and file the question away in the back of her mind.

The fact that he'd graduated so quickly made Shouka raise her eyebrows. Was he telling the truth? The sight of his headband confirmed it before she could doubt him for more than a second, though. 'Could I graduate that quickly?' She'd only just started at the Academy, and just the thought of graduating in two classes gave her whiplash. It would mean she could go on to be a ninja, though. She could graduate and be a fully-fledged shinobi and her parents would be proud of her.
Maybe she wouldn't, though. She looked the stranger up and down, again. He was normal looking, she decided, and didn't have a big head or crazy hair or huge, thick-rimmed glasses, but he had a blank- in a good, not dumb way- look on his face and in the few minutes she'd talked with him, he'd seemed to think a lot. Was he some kind of genius? Shouka tilted her head. As she contemplated that his face seemed to almost change- he seemed to look a bit different, a bit smarter. That convinced her. “Definitely a genius.” She muttered, not even noticing as she was doing it. The thought that she wouldn't graduate in two or three classes was a bit disheartening.

The boy's next comment made her raise her head, though. 'It wouldn't surprised him that there would be a low pass rate.' Shouka's stomach dropped as she processed what that meant. 'Do student really...die?'
She tilted her eyes to the ground, feeling a bit breathless. She couldn't stomach the thought that her parents would ship her off to somewhere so dangerous. She knew it was important that she become a ninja, because that would help the family, but...
What the boy had said couldn't be true, she decided. Genius or not, he probably didn't know what he was talking about. She wouldn't trust someone whose name she didn't know over her parents' word, anyway. “You were only in the academy for two classes, right?” She asked, brows drawing together, “So...how do you know how many people... didn't make it?”
She realised after she'd said it that it would come across as rude, but Shouka was finding trouble bringing herself to worry about it. She wasn't worried at all, about anything. Not about the academy, or the students, or what he'd just said. The boy in front of her had no idea what he was talking about, after all. It was rude to lie to kids. Shouka didn't even know how old he was. She planted her eyes on the ground, ignoring his next question.
She wasn't throwing a fit, she convinced herself. It was a silent protest.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

With the toy out of his grasp Masaru was left to fiddle with his necklace again. He found the distraction much needed as the silence between the two grew. He had noticed before that he wasn't the only one feeling some sort of unease, although he couldn't be for sure just what exactly this enthusiastic red-head was feeling; truthfully, while he was still looking at the toy, he had managed to catch a glimpse of her clutching the hem of her shirt. He wasn't a mind reader though, so all he had to go off of were subtle actions she took, which were few and far between while he studied the bird.

After explaining the situation at the Academy he felt that the girl would have a better grasp on what to expect. He had had nobody to explain to him the dynamics of the Academy, even though his mother was a shinobi her Academy days were well in the past and it was a given that the way of teaching would change depending on the headmaster and the teachers. He couldn't rely on her, but after settling into the village he felt that an unbiased view of the Academy was for the best. He held an indifference toward the place of learning, deciding that he would do whatever asked of him to become a shinobi out of duty. Even after he met Haruka the sentiments were still the same.

Thinking back on such uninteresting days was not what he intended to do, and so to distract himself he chose to view their surroundings again while she took all the information in. The street was still crowded and noisy, though it was more of a dull murmur than a loud roar, one that was easily forgettable when he was focused on conversation. Despite the hour the food stands and the restaurant the two were at hardly lacked for customers, though it was noted that the civilians chose not to sit or even walk near the area where the two were talking. For the first time Masaru wondered how the two of them appeared to outsiders. On one hand they were both standing and talking, but he was sure they didn't look too friendly or at least he didn't. He acknowledged that his face wasn't a friendly one, and he had no intention of trying to put up false appearances. Most likely, he thought, the pair would be looked at with mild interest, but with Masaru's ever watchful gaze most people would divert their eyes upon contact.

He was beginning to think that was that with their conversation when he heard her mutter something. Genius? Masaru looked to her again, but decided not to press the issue. He wasn't that interested in who it was directed toward, after all he just assumed that this would be the only meeting the two would have unless they met by accident.

That was when she asked him, more along the lines of confirmation, if he really had only been in the Academy for two classes. It was odd, but not unexpected. Masaru gave a nod of confirmation, “Although I didn't only train during class. All students should train as much as possible outside of lessons otherwise you will fall behind for sure,” he decided to assume that she was a new Academy student. His question to her was only for personal confirmation, but based on her questions he made the assumption easily. Her next question however seemed to be riddled with something akin to disbelief. Masaru unintentionally moved his head to the side, although it was more of a flinch like motion. He found it curious, the way her sentence was broken apart, and her disbelief in him was intriguing. She didn't believe him? Perhaps the shinobi headband wasn't enough of a reason to believe someone who graduated from the Academy. Or is she the type who only believes things through first hand experience?

He crossed his arms, leaning back to rest against the table while staring at her. If she truly isn't a civilian, then what grounds could she have for not believing him? Was it naivety or ignorance that clouded her judgment? Either she was from a civilian family and was found to have shinobi potential by the village, or she was from a lackluster Clan or family that didn't have basic knowledge of the Academy. He watched her silently tapping his right index finger against his arm, trying to figure out what was going on with this girl. Did she actually need a lesson on what a shinobi really is, what it means, and what is expected? After a while he finally stopped tapping his arm, never once looking away from the girl.

“Do you know what the Academy is?” He asked, leaning forward as if imploring her to answer, though he intended for her not to. “It is a place to train tools. Soldiers. To train shinobi who would gladly give their lives for the village. To be a shinobi you have to acknowledge that your life is forfeit, that you will be used and that you can be used as the village sees fit. It is not a place to make friends, to laugh and joke about, it is where you take your first step in becoming a weapon for the village,” Masaru narrowed his eyes as he spoke though his tone did not change. It was level and even, hardly any emotion was put into his words. He did not hate the village for such a thing, he did not loath the policies towards the undertaking of gathering children up and training them to be used. It was natural, after all everyone dies eventually so why not die for something?

“For a place like the Academy it's only natural that the weak are weeded out. Sure they gather anyone who has a hint of potential, but only those capable enough will make it through to graduation. You wouldn't want to put a lame horse in a race, would you? Basically it's the same. It wouldn't make sense if everyone brought in would graduate, there is always a threat of failure but with this line of work the rate increases. If you can't cut it, then you're cut it's plain and simple.” Masaru shrugged his shoulders, after all this meant nothing to him. He had been one of the fortunate ones, able to have potential and to have instructors who saw that in him. “I certainly wouldn't want to have to go out on a mission and spend the entire time making sure my teammates could keep up with me, it's only a hassle. Perhaps you aren't versed in the routines of shinobi or a shinobi Clan, but some advice would be to not look upon this as some fulfilling job of justice,” Masaru hoped he had at least gotten through to some part of the girl. She had to see that it was all work and no play for a shinobi, and that if she couldn't cut it then she should just quit while ahead.

 

[Shouka]

The redhead frowned, struggling to answer the hypothetical question. Though Shouka could tell from his tone that it was not something that needed a reply, the thought of being unable to say anything in response still perturbed her for reasons she didn't understand. She averted her eyes as he went on, as if she could avoid hearing what the boy was saying by not looking at him.

'Tools.' The word gave her nausea. Shouka had rarely been treated as anything less than human. She didn't think so, at least. She had been worked harder than she'd wanted before, and looked down on often, sure. The thought of being used as a tool was an entirely new horror. She could handle losing her friends, and the career she had prepared herself for for her entire 11 years to the Academy, but losing whatever it was that she was losing by changing from a person to a tool seemed sick. Unbearable.
“That's not true.” The student protested weakly, eyebrows drawing together. 'Things in Cloud have never worked that way.'

Still, she couldn't help but feel there was some truth in what he was saying. She had just officially enrolled in the Academy, and though she'd expected her parents to congratulate her like they did when she'd gotten an A in school, they'd done just the opposite. Her Mother, normally a constant source of comfort to the young girl, had taken to fixing long, troubled stares at the walls, floors, ceilings, and, from time to time, Shouka. Whenever she brought the subject of the Academy up, her father suddenly realised how interesting the current state of the economy was. Even now, she'd been practically shoved out of the house with a toy to play with so that the two of them could have one of their quiet conversations they thought she didn't know about.

Her hands balled into tight fists that sent the sharper edges of the toy digging into her skin. With growing horror, she listened as he continued. 'Life being forfeit? Weapon for the village?' Her eyebrows slowly raised. She felt her fear settling into disbelief. The boy's descriptions sounded more like a bad horror movie than reality to her. A horror movie where kids were made into little gremlins. Oni school! It was difficult to correlate that image with the Academy, though she supposed if she had to train gremlins the towering pagoda would be as good a place as any.

“That all sounds kind of silly.” She said, slumping down on one of the restaurant's chairs. Shouka silently dismissed the boy as being full of hot air. 'Probably just one of those people gets a kick out of scaring other kids.' “Things like that don't happen in real life.” She appealed, mostly to herself. If she could get the boy to admit that he was joking, she could leave the district and forget everything he'd ever said. She would tell her cousins about it all- possibly leaving out the parts that made her look bad- and maybe they'd throw together a half-hearted plan for vengeance that would never come to fruition. Feigning impatience, she tapped her foot against the floor dramatically.

“I'm sure all of that's true, but...” she said, sounding very much like she didn't think any of that was true, “what about kids who don't want to go through with all of that?” Her eyes darted to his face and back, searching for a reaction. “Do their parents take them out of the Academy? And what about teamwork? We're supposed to be learning how to get along with other people.”

She got up, and cringed as made a loud screeching noise that ruined her momentum. If he wasn't lying, then it would be an entirely different story- but Shouka didn't want to think too hard about that. She moved a hand to fiddle with her fringe, then heaved a sigh.

“I just want to get into the Academy and out,” she said, in what was probably her most honest statement since leaving her home, “and make money from missions, then retire. I don't want to win a horse race.” Like the boy had said, he had only spent elephant weeks learning in the Academy. If she tried hard enough, then she could do the same. She would study three days a week, and train the other four. She would learn to perform all the hand seals and drill all the techniques they made her learn. Geniuses weren't the only ones to succeed, after all. Heroes won through hard work all the time, and how hard could hard work be?

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Her meager attempts at protest were more than enough for Masaru. The girl was naïve, foolish, had no real understanding of how the whole shinobi gig was supposed to work. Perhaps she was one of those who only had a shred of potential, found by mere coincidence and shoved onto this dangerous path. She may be one of the ones to be weeded out should she not listen. While he meant to educate her Masaru could not help the slight irritation as she attempted to deny him again, claiming his explanation as silly. “And what do you know?” He asked her, taking a step closer. He towered over her refusing to lose eye contact. If she refused to see, to stay blinded and delusional, he would just force her to listen and acknowledge his words. “What do you know of the life of a shinobi? From the way you talk you don't seem to be from a shinobi Clan, it's as if you don't even have immediate family members in service. Let me enlighten you,” he placed a hand on the table and bent down, getting in her face, “being a shinobi is a life or death profession. You, who didn't even know the basics of the Academy, think you know about real life? Don't kid yourself.” Masaru used his free hand to reach into his pouch, pulling out a shuriken he held it in front of them, “These? Basic shinobi tools meant to wound and kill. For what? For the village. You can try and kid yourself, to justify taking another life with reasons like family, friends, lovers, but in the end the higher ups don't care about your personal motivations. They'll praise you, hell maybe not even that, but all of those things? For us, here and now, they are in this village. We murder and die for this village, we are hardly thoughtless killing machines, but if that's what you need to be to protect this place then you better get used to the sight of corpses.”

Masaru tore his eyes away from her's for a moment, casting a cold glance at those passing by who were giving curious and wary glances their way. He put away the shuriken, shaking his head all the while. “Kids who don't want to go through with it? I said this before, the weak get weeded out. They are not needed. And the off chance you actually try and make friends and get along with others? It will help with teamwork if you're paired in missions, but what about when they die?” He questioned while backing up, “Can you be composed enough to carry out a mission if your friends die, if they urge you to leave them like pigs to the slaughter so that you can complete the mission? Feelings like that are unnecessary unless you can keep them in check, which I doubt you could do,” Masaru frowned. He was not attempting to bully her or threaten her, but with idealists like her being direct was the only option. He was well aware of his preaching, that even he lacked knowledge about how the world worked, but if there was one thing he knew it was death and the threat of it. That one day he could also lose his mother, that he could lose Haruka, that he would lose. That was the life of a shinobi, risking it all for whatever you believed in and above all the village you swear to protect.

“I just want to get into the Academy and out, and make money from missions then retire.”

“Are you really entering this life for some half-assed reason like that?” Masaru grit his teeth, hardly believing this girl could be so naïve had he not heard her words directly. “You're willing to risk death for that?” Gripping his forehead Masaru let out a chuckle, not at her but at himself. The circumstances were different, but he had been like her. Before she found him and gave him a reason to strive for more, he was ready to enter the Academy just to do his duty. Just because it was expected, not because he wanted to protect anything, to learn, or to see the world. “Such a fool,” he muttered, the grin replaced with a frown. His arm dropped and he stared down at her with cold eyes. “At first I didn't take you for such a simpleton, but you keep surprising me. What's your name?” He realized that they hadn't even given proper introductions, however it seemed a bit late for that, “I'm Shinomiya Masaru.”

[MFT]

 

[Shouka]

The black-clad boy took a step forward. Shouka took one back. Her legs felt stiff. The noise and bustle of the Susukino District suddenly seemed to quiet down, and the redhead girl felt very alone- she desperately wished that she had someone familiar with her. Her family, as he had said, was made up of civilians. The only real shinobi in the clan had been a distant cousin of hers named Arashi, and he was out of the country so much that Shouka had never even met him. She didn't think that any of her other family members could go toe to toe with a shinobi. Maybe not even her mother. Until now, Shouka's family had never been a source of shame to her, but at the shinobi's comment the redhead found herself fighting the blush that threatened to rise on her face. To Shouka's humiliation, it was a losing battle. Even without a verbal response, the red hue that her cheeks had taken on clearly answered the boy's question.

She took another step back, feeling the cold metal of the patio table. Shouka squeaked as the genin materialised a shuriken. Just days ago she had bought her own set. She was sure that he had much more experience using his own, though. She was also pretty sure that he had never dropped them and nearly hurt someone. 'Not accidentally, at least.' Shouka gulped. Could a genin stab a student and get away with it? Did they get their own special set of rules? She didn't think they should be able to, but if he was right, she didn't know much, did she? She forced her still-rigid legs to move and ducked behind the table, dropping the mechanical blue jay in the process. His next set of words hit like a rock. Murder, corpses, killing. Shouka's thoughts drifted to the other student and genin she had met earlier, and she roughly pushed those thoughts aside. She did not want to think about them. She only wanted to go home, and have tea and the leftover stir fry her mother made yesterday. She did not want to think about corpses and backstabbing and death. All around them, civilians and ninja mulled about, like it was nothing. She couldn't imagine any of them being murderers.

“You're willing to risk death for that?”
'No' was her first thought, but Shouka stayed quiet, unable and unwilling to say anything. Before long, the chill stare had returned, though the weapon was gone, but she was past noticing or caring. Her face was white, and her hands were clammy. She had no retort, no long, touching speech to give in retaliation. The urge to fight had drained out of her. She was sad, and tired, and scared.

“Sorry, Shinomiya-san. I have to go.” Shouka said in a tight voice, not sure she could say much more without embarrassing herself by openly crying. She shot Masaru a teary-eyed glare and ducked around him, fleeing into the crowds of Susukino, and ignoring the stares of several curious onlookers.

[Topic Left unless stopped]
[MFT]

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

She was visibly shaken by his words and actions, but that wasn't a surprise. She was just starting out in the Academy and already he was telling her some harsh truths, things that normally wouldn't be said until much more time had been invested learning the trade for fear of dropouts. Although if they can't handle the truth I'd rather they quit early, Masaru thought while he watched the girl. Her reactions gave him all he needed to know as she showed no signs of refuting him. Unlike him she showed her emotions clearly, something he envied yet didn't. Being too emotional was a weakness, but being as he was could prove problematic as well. He kept a count in his head of the glances being thrown their way, knowing very well that it looked like he was bullying the blushing girl. That or it looks like I'm threatening her, Masaru placed his hands in his pockets, waiting to see if she would say anything to him; however, it looked like this was the end of their discussion. The blush that colored her cheeks was gone, instead she looked as white as the sheets of his bed. For the first time since their debate began Masaru's cold stare disappeared, instead the boy looked confused. Had he really frightened her that much? It was only the truth, surely she should have had some inkling as to what shinobi did?

She glared at him. Masaru didn't move when she ducked past him, instead he stared ahead while she ran off. “Was she...crying?” He mumbled to himself, gaze finding the small blue bird that had started their interaction. He walked over and picked the toy up, turning it over in his hand while frowning. “I don't think it was anything to cry over though,” Masaru said, sighing as he placed the toy in his pocket. The boy turned around, looking at the traffic on the main street before making his way into the mass of people effectively disappearing from sight.

[MFT]
[Topic Left]