Lollipop Love [T/P]

[Aedemi]

[?? / 80]

Aedemi wanted to make sure she got it, and that she got it good. Performing a jutsu correctly once did not guarantee that she learned it well. One more try was good, no? She shifted from handseal to handseal with ease, focusing her chakra to the usual. She smiled with delight as she noticed she was getting faster and faster with each try, and when she let the flash do its thing, she noticed she was beginning to revert back to her old ways. The colors flashed more loosely now, awfully coordinated, and the spray of colors fell apart without producing its blinding -- or at least stunning -- effects. She was clearly disappointed. 

Well, she knew it was possible to get it once. She had done it before, after all. This slump she was suffering...it was holding her back. Fatigue? Possibly. She had never forced herself to place so much effort on one task. She would often do things on a whim, instead. Maybe that was the only difference. But no matter what she tried, it seemed like nothing was going to work. Just one more try. One more time. She did the handseals one more time, her morale significantly lowered, but nevertheless her will to train was there. Let's do this! The colors sprang forth from her hand, but this time, the colors faded quickly. No sudden flash, just a loose motion of chakra drooping down. Everything was timed badly. Poop! She stomped her foot and jerked her hand in frustration. She's losing it. She had to change something, but what?

She went walking again to let off some steam. Nothing was working the way she wanted it to, and she felt like distracting herself for a bit longer. One of these days...things will change. Trust me. You'll see.

Her head was in the clouds when she heard something calling from behind. She ignored it at first, thinking the voice was aiming to attract someone else's attention, but it kept insisting, becoming more threatening and louder. There was something at the back of her mind that beckoned at her to listen, to whip her head back and look. She turned around, a frown on her face from her latest lack of success, and then her features changed to that of surprise. Behind her was the same group of punks from days before. 

She was like a deer caught in headlights; a girl who had never before found herself in a confrontation like this, where she was forced to fend for herself, would be bound to react in such a manner. Indeed, she was seemingly outnumbered and defenseless, and there weren't adults around her near this section she found herself in. Leave it to Aedemi to allow herself to be cornered like this. 

All of them were boys, very full of themselves. They looked like the typical snot-nosed bullies, fat and stupid -- surely Aedemi would be able to beat them, being a shinobi and all. But there was something about them that terrified her. She felt herself cower and getting smaller and smaller the more steps they took towards her. Adults were one thing, but peers were another. She wanted to feel like she belonged, but this was not easy to do if your fellow peers were against you, threatening with their shows of power some possibly painful beating. 

"Look who we have here."

"Hey, it's the girl from the other day. Are you scared?"

"Ha! Look at her. Not so cocky anymore, huh?"

"Let's show her who she's dealing with."

"Yeah! Let's teach her a lesson!"

The first thug grabbed her by the wrist, holding on to her so hard Aedemi let out a squeal. She was petrified. Her legs were shaking. The other thugs were merciless; they pushed her and she fell straight to the ground. She backed up, still on the floor, and attempted to get up, mustering some courage in the process. "Don't touch me! I'm a ninja, you know!" She took on a defensive stance and observed as one thug began to turn red. He was a measly kid, mediocre at best. Surely Aedemi could take on that brute. She held her fists up, ready. There was fear in her eyes, a pathetic fear, and it incited a cackle out of the others. The red, angered thug was mute, no doubt thinking of ways to beat her -- to show who was boss in his cowardly way. 

"Did you hear that, guys? A ninja! This stupid little weakling says she's a ninja!"

Aedemi blushed. Shame marred her face. She was ruining the title of ninja...

"You don't think I'm a ninja? Look, I'm warning you. I'm not gonna hold back!" She was bluffing. She didn't feel that confidence yet to call herself a shinobi of the mist, but she had to fend these bullies off. These bullies were laughing at her... "Let's see about that!" The taller one gave a grunt as he threw a punch in her direction. She dodged it instinctively but did not retaliate. The fat one joined in on the fight and attempted a hit as well, only to have his hand thrown in the opposite direction. She had slapped it back. She was retreating, unwilling to participate in this unwanted fight, but had no choice but to hit them back unless she wished to prolong this further. She didn't want to hurt anyone. But then she remembered: the Color Spray jutsu she had been working on could help her escape. Yes, she had yet to perfect the execution of the jutsu, but she had no choice. Besides, this would be good practice.

"Get back! I swear, I will do something to you!"

They laughed again. She performed the handseals, breathing deeply, and closing her eyes for some time. The thugs looked at her like she was crazy, two of them started laughing, but the leader, the one with the red face, has had enough. She heard his footsteps getting closer, closer... She opened her eyes. She had to be quicker. Her hand stuck out in front of her, in front of him, and she unleashed the mess of colors. This mess was in fact, just a mess, no longer as cleanly executed and effective as it was in her earlier tries. It kept getting worse and worse. The panic that consumed her heart did not help. Instead of stunning her target for some time, she halted him for approximately two seconds, as he expected something more. But seeing as Aedemi's jutsu was poorly executed and unable to do him any harm, he gave an impish smile before proceeding to grab her hair and throwing her back.

[Aedemi]

[?? / 80]

She was moving quickly on her feet, maintaining them on the ground even as she was pushed back. She was terrified, afraid to get badly hurt -- she had no idea how far these kids would go -- but they were also wearing her patience thin. She wasn't going to be pushed around like that, not by these stupid kids. A fat lard, a red tomato, and a bucktooth. No, they can't keep pushing her like that. She was tired of playing nice, so she slapped the kid that laid his hands on her. She hoped that by doing so, the kids would finally back off. The kid fell back on the ground, dragging at a distance of 6 feet. The other two, staring at their leader, looked back at Aedemi, shocked. They did not see that coming.

"Oi! That's our leader!"

"You little witch! You're gonna pay for that!

The taller kid, the one with the bucktooth, lunged at her, ready to punch. The fat kid tried to hold her down, but she weaseled her way out. Still, the bully managed to get a hold of her again, slapping her on the face. The leader had by then gotten up and wanted to hit her, but Aedemi started to kick, panicking. The boy tried to hold her up, but she kept herself to the ground, kicking and squirming. "Let me go, you cowards!" she would yell repeatedly, daring them to strike again. They tried to hold her moving feet to no avail, which continued to kick furiously. She was scratching and managed to make some damage -- sure, quite inefficiently, but her anger brought out some of the fire in her. She was finally reacting as close to what she should. 

She kicked someone in the face -- she had no idea who -- and she began to claw at them, throwing a fit. "Let me go! Let me go!" she began to scream, getting angrier and angrier the longer she fought to get out. She eventually punched one in the face, and a drop of blood began to drip from the red kid's nose. That was when everyone stopped. Aedemi stood surprised, looking at the drop of red roll down his face ever so slowly. She had done it. Aedemi had unwittingly invited them to an actual spar.

Her adrenaline began to pump. Now, Aedemi wasn't much of a fighter, but when she saw a fight was necessary, she fought. She had no choice now. This time, they did not hold back. She dodged a punch from her left, her right, behind, everywhere. She wasn't sure about who did each hand belong to, but it didn't matter. She saw the fists, and she dodged immediately without much thought. Their punches were considerably slower than that of her fellow shinobi, so she dodged instinctively. She dodged and dodged, aiming at them every now and then with one of her own punches, seeing as this was now a "fair" battle, meaning not one of them held back because she was a girl, and they attacked knowing full well that she was a ninja. Nevertheless, she did not intend to hurt them heavily. She just wanted to distract them for a little while as she searched desperately for an opening so that she could simply leave. But they didn't want to let her go. They had too much pride as a measly kid-gang to leave their leader looking like the coward he was. They surrounded the twelve-year-old girl and tried to corner her, but she would try to make time. If only she knew how to use that technique. If only...

But this was too much for her right now. She needed to collect herself and try again some other time, for now she was horribly out of touch with her training and learning as a ninja. As her last resort, Aedemi gave a swift strike on the side of the fat kid's face, another to the chest of the red leader, knocking his breath out, and kicked the shin of the tall one, not hesitating to take the first opportunity to run. She was going to teach these kids a lesson, but not until she taught herself that technique. Yes, it was a lesser-known technique and it could be enough for them to stop messing with her and to show them to respect a ninja, no matter how young or old, big or small.

She ran away from the gang as gracefully as a young ninja could. Looking back, she could see that a congregation of kids had gathered around the place where they had fought. They looked scared. Once she made sure she had lost them, she went to a small restaurant to get something to eat, to calm her down. She was visibly bothered. This was the first time she had to confront someone, much less a group of kids. Who would have thought they could be so cruel? Then again, she should have known better; the kids at the academy weren't much better. The difference was that she had never been in a position where she actually had to fight -- outside of the graduation requirements, of course. But this was much more different from an exam. This was personal. To know some kids had something against her and that she had been attacked by a group of them made her stomach sink from disappointment. They didn't like her.

She took a sip of the lemonade the waiter gave her. Sigh. 

"Ahh, so you think you're all that, huh? You think you're so pretty? Come on, let me see that hair of yours. Come on, let me see!"

"Aww! Are you crying? But just lemme take a look at it! It's so silky! Can I borrow some of it? Haha!"

The girl ripped her hair and Aedemi released a childlike squeal. There were tears in her eyes. Her hair had been noticeably pulled and disheveled. She was on the ground, squatting on her knees, all the while a group of envious schoolgirls pulled her red-violet hair. Aedemi was squealing so hard, and her face was wet with tears. Pain and sadness shrouded her usually delighted face.

"That would teach you! Hey! Shut up! Shut up, or we'll keep pulling your hair!"

Aedemi's violent sobbings reduced to sniffles as she muffled the noise with her hands. Her back continued to heave. 

"That's better. You better fix your cockiness before I fix you. Right girls?"

The group shouted in unison, showing their enthusiasm as they left the area as if they just celebrated a victory. Aedemi stayed behind to wipe her tears and fix herself. She had no real ally here. Either the people in her class didn't know her, or they felt as if they did. None of them understood.

Aedemi frowned at the flashback. Was this really her? She was almost embarassed at her younger and pathetic self. She had almost forgotten... But wait. Things were like that because she let them be. She learned days ago she had the power to change the way things were by taking action, by taking control. Things change. People too. Aedemi had sure felt a change surge in her, and anger boiled within. A sudden determination to fight back had taken over her person. These kids...who do they think they are? Did they honestly think they would bully a mist nin and get away with it? No. No, no, no. She was going to show them they messed with the wrong girl. She will learn the jutsu, no matter how much she struggled to do so. She will get back up and show them who's boss. Aedemi wasn't going to be pushed around anymore. No. Not again. This was too personal.

[Aedemi]

[?? / 80]

She didn't find them anywhere after that encounter, so she decided it would be best to look for them the next day. She reasoned a little rest was sure to refresh her body and keep her mind off the matter for a good enough time. Sure enough, she awoke to a nice day -- a nicer day than usual for a village usually shrouded in mist. The air was cool, the sun was out more, though the skies were the usual gray. It was a good day to beat up a few wannabes and teach them a good lesson. 

Aedemi remembered the last time she saw them: one of them was hunched over from the kick she gave him to his shin, but the other two looked at her like animals ready to kill. They were furious. She figured the kid-gang would enjoy to take another shot at fighting with the shinobi, so she hunted them at the same places she had previously encountered them. The first time was near a candy shop, but no violence was committed. Rather, it was at that isolated area on the outskirts of town where she had last stumbled upon the group. She decided to walk by there. Just as she thought, the group was waiting for her there -- or so it seemed. Maybe they were just loitering around as they probably usually did. 

Aedemi walked in the area, and it took a while for them to register that the light footsteps they heard belonged to the cocky kunoichi. They turned around. One of them had a bandage on his nose, but the others showed no obvious sign of being hurt. All of them, however, had a hateful frown on their faces. They nodded at each other, as if to say, "Hey, that's the girl from before. Let's crush her."

They got off their seats -- they had been sitting against some crumbling walls that used to be part of a concrete fence -- and walked towards her like the typical bully -- long, threatening steps. Their faces resonated anger, and desire for revenge. It was their pride that drove them. They drove them to meet Aedemi as she, too, walked closer to them. 

The leader spoke, his face less red minus his wounded nose: "What? Are you gonna apologize or something? You think that's gonna fix it?" Aedemi's face remained expressionless. "No, not really. I came here to demand an apology." His bully friends oohed at her mockingly, inciting laughter amongst them. When they all got quiet, he started: "Let me tell you something, stupid girl. We are not afraid of you. You got lucky yesterday, but we're not holding back this time. We will beat you. You better learn to suck up that pride of yours because it will keep giving you problems. And if you think we're gonna hold back just because you're a girl, you're wrong. But we'll do you a favor and teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

Aedemi smiled. "Really? Well, I was beginning to feel disappointed yesterday as I thought that was the best you could do. I'm glad to hear you're not holding back today, because neither am I. So what do you say? Shall we dance?"

Their faces soured upon hearing her willingness to fight. Was she crazy? She was very likely fibbing to get them to feel slightly intimidated, but this show of confidence did not impress them very much. Their pride needed to be avenged, and this girl was to pay for insulting the gang and not paying her respect. She was definitely stupid; three boys against one measly girl? She didn't stand a chance. And as their leader said, this girl got lucky. She wasn't going to be let off so easily this time. And she will learn her place.

Aedemi did not want to show off that much -- that wasn't the point. She planned to tire them out until she was able to finally execute her final move and therefore make this fight effective. She wanted to get rid of these thugs, to at least know that while the adults did nothing about their terrorizing the little kids, that they would still get caught and punished. And she will scare them into stopping their ugly habits. That she was determined to do. The leader tried to show off and kick her, but she caught his leg and let him fall as his chubby body was too much for his single leg to bear and slapped him on the face. The fat one tried to grab her hair back swiftly but she managed to catch his hand and twist it enough so it would hurt, but she was careful not to break it -- and slapped him. The tall one ran from behind her and tried to pin her down, but she accidentally kicked him where it really hurt, and he slouched down to the floor. "Sorry!"

The chubby one aimed to punch her face this time, but she blocked it once, twice, three times, before managing to push him back with an open palm on his chest. She had them running around, for she dodged them in circles in a dizzying movement. The gang, not accustomed to such combat, began to grow more sluggish, but they still kept coming strong. They ganged up on her, having surrounded her from all sides, but she avoided their grasp by climbing onto the fat one's back and retreating to the other side of their unconventional arena. Maybe this was the time. Yes, perfect! They were gasping for breath -- obviously due to their lack of exercise -- but Aedemi was calm and collected. She knew what she had to do, and she was very confident this would work. Yes, she had faith in herself. She could do it.

Performing the handseals for the umpteenth time, she felt the familiar movements mold her chakra, sending it via a stream of energy to her right hand. It was very quick, this action. In less than a couple of seconds, the chakra had gathered to its appropriate place and the genjutsu she had worked so hard to form was readied in her mind. Without hesitation, almost too fluidly, she raised her hand in front of her, aiming it at the thugs that ran to her. Like the previous time, they froze, anticipating something dreadful. Yes, in the back of their minds, an alarm went off. They just now remembered that she was a ninja, and that there was still the possibility that she could have a powerful ability that would send them crying. But Aedemi knew that this technique was fairly harmless. Sure, they would wake up confused, left to wonder what happened in those hours that they spent lying down on the ground unconscious, but unscathed. Something dreadful, for sure. It would consume their minds, and they would think up horrible ideas, different and worse things a ninja could do. Yes, they would learn to respect a ninja.

With an impish smile, she released the cone of clashing colors to her targets, and she watched with pleasure as the thugs viewed her brilliant illusion with shock and confusion. Indeed, their small brains had become overloaded with the information. Knowing they would fall on the hard ground with a loud thud should she not prevent it, she ran to the boys and held them before they fell harshly. She let them slide to the ground and she left, thinking about how confused they would be when they found they were wearing only underwear.

[Solus]

~Learned

[Aedemi]

Shunshin no Jutsu - Oshi (Body Flicker Technique - Push)
Rank: "C"
Skill: NinJutsu/TaiJutsu
Effect: A Jutsu that allows a user to rush forward in almost instantaneous speed. Used to draw the user close to the opponent.
Special: ---
Drawback: May use 3 times a day. May perform 1 more each time learned. Passing amount renders the user's legs immobile due to severe pain. Unable to perform again unless gained medical treatment. Must move through an opening. Unable to maneuver around obstructing objects. Can't attack while performing any Shunshin or Variation.
Description: User is able to move forward in a straight line along the ground in almost instantaneous untraceable speed while temporarily masking the user's movements within 10 meters. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by focusing the user's chi along the ankles and foot. User mostly moves just with their ankles and feet. Jutsu takes up no movements. User may only use this Jutsu half of the movements may allow in a single round while rounding down. Example: User has 5 movements, user is able to perform Jutsu 2 times per round.
Limit: Universal NinJutsu or Universal TaiJutsu.

[-- / 30]

"Hey, hey, watch it Bokeh! No, no, no, no, no! No, don't put that in your mouth! No! Hey, that's mine!"

She snatched the pouch from the dog. He was finally given a bath after the incident the day before, and so Aedemi thought it was fine to finally let him into her little apartment, but he was proving to be a bit of a hassle. She angrily wagged a finger at him, repeating a stern "No," while with her other hand she showed him her pouch. "This -- mine! No touchy!" The mutt looked a lot more decent now, but his cute puppy face was marked by sadness. It tugged at her heart. "Aww! You know I can't stay angry at you for long!" She smiled at it, hugging the poor Bokeh, before returning to her task. She had kept herself preoccupied with her closet, cleaning everything out -- or rather, simply taking a look at the stuff she had gathered over the year -- and finding that she was getting a bit distracted with the objects of the past. She looked at her flute, which was beginning to gather dust now. She looked at it longingly. One of these days I'll practice on you, trusty flute. One of these days. She held the wooden instrument for some time now, dwelling in the past and remembering those lonely days in which her only true company was this beautiful and mystical flute. She did not even notice how the dog took her diary with his mouth and looked out the open window. The unknowing Aedemi had innocently opened them up to let in a little breeze, but the dog looked at it with purpose. The mischievous dog was obviously plotting something. 

Meanwhile, Aedemi was busy elsewhere, staring at the memento of times past. She rubbed her hands against the instrument, wiping away the dust that had gathered on it. She looked at it with a smile, remembering the flowing of the notes across her room, the bouncing of the sounds as they echoed off the walls of her prison. The staccatos, the crescendoes, decrescendoes, the twitter of the flute she was highly skilled in playing. She placed it close to her lips, about to play a note and relive the joy she had gotten out of performing her favorite songs, when the dog got up -- she could hear his claws scratch against the lacquered floor as he prepared to run to the window. No. He wouldn't. The dog was trying to run, but all you could hear was his claws slipping against the smooth surface of the wood below it. Aedemi got up, fearing the worst, but her stomach sank when she saw the dog jump over the window. Oh yes he did.

"Bokeh! No! Come back! That's mine!"

Her stomach dropped when she thought of all the terrible things that could happen once that book was released the world. Terrible things. No, they can't see the things she wrote in it. That would be a catastrophe for her. She dreaded the vision of a kid she knew, or perhaps an ex-classmate, perusing through its pages, discovering secrets that were meant to be hidden. What a disaster! She had to catch Bokeh before it was too late! These thoughts ran through her mind as she ran out, without thinking, out of the apartment. She was still wearing her sleepwear. But she didn't mind. Worse things could happen if she didn't stop him now.

She had barely begun to run after the dog when she realized that she could take advantage of her ninja abilities. Why not? she wondered. This was a great opportunity to brush up on her skills. And then this great idea dawned on her. She should chase him -- no, catch him by surprise! Wouldn't he be terribly confused once he saw his human companion had snuck on him with no trace of her even approaching him? Yeah, that would be very amusing to see. Plus, she needed to improve her speed; her encounter with the bullies a day before proved she needed some more practice in hand-to-hand combat, and well...a jutsu like shunshin could do the trick. Besides, she was only a gennin, and if she were to encounter other more experienced ninjas, she would find that she is below par. She needed desperately to get faster since she was only a beginner. 

So shunshin it was!

Aedemi was still hot on the dog's trail. It didn't matter now if she was lagging behind or not -- as long as she could still see Bokeh. Still, she had to think on her feet if she were to do this. Think, Aedemi! She knew this basic version of Shunshin no Jutsu that she was training herself in, like the others, depended largely on the ankles and the feet. She had to concentrate the chakra down her legs and into her feet to give her that extra push that would -- or should -- boost her ahead by about 10 meters. At least, that was the goal. Seeing as she had not much experience in this type of jutsu, she found herself unable to do so as easily as she'd like. She was gasping for breath, but she was steadily running towards the dog. That little trickster...he keeps moving ahead even though he has no reason to keep running. He keeps stopping and looking back! Look at him! He knows I'm running after him! He wants me to chase him! They were going into the Modern District, Bokeh's favorite place to hang out, which made Aedemi slightly anxious for she wasn't accustomed to the place. She was beginning to get worried she'd be lost if she didn't catch Bokeh soon.

My weakest type of jutsu...great! She was beginning to lose confidence now, but her pride refused to succumb to the shame of failure. Aedemi had to do something. She tried to increase chakra flow to her feet in an attempt to make her strides more powerful, but she did not notice much change. Perhaps a little more? More chakra pooled to her legs. This time, each step she took seemed to give her more speed. But it wasn't enough. Maybe it was the timing of the chakra? Maybe...if she sent a surge of energy to her feet with every step, keeping with the rhythm of her running, perhaps she would receive an even bigger boost. This wasn't entirely the point of the jutsu, but it was better than nothing. She had to get her diary back. It was too embarrassing to lose. 

She decided to go on with her plan. She found that even as she kept with the rhythm of her feet as they thumped against the ground as an indicator of when to release more chakra, her speed was not as considerably fast as those with more experience with the jutsu. Indeed, she figured the thing that set this inexperienced shinobi from the others was that she did not release a colossal amount of chakra with one single burst to propel her forward. Yes, because even as she got closer to the dog, even as she managed to snatch her precious book from Bokeh's muzzle, she was still unable to move the distance of 10 meters within a split-second. She had so much more left to learn still.

[Aedemi]

[?? / 30]

"This won't do. No, no..."

She shook her head. In one hand, the infamous diary. In the other, nothing -- just a flat palm that aimed to tap on the dog's head firmly, meant to be a slight reprimand against his earlier behavior. She was still in her comfortable shorts and oversized shirt, an attire not meant to be seen by anyone else besides her, which is why she made up her mind to go back to her apartment immediately. So when she saw the local kids playing a ball game, her stomach sank. They looked at her, and she looked at them, prompting the beginning of a blush starting to form on her face. The kids, however, didn't seem to mind. Their eyes were observing her with curiosity. Their faces seemed inviting. The kids were probably a little younger than she, so they didn't appear to be in the slight intimidated by the girl. One kid approached her, commenting on how surprised they were to see her run so fast after a dog. They inquired what was so special about the book that she had to run in her pajamas to get it. 

Aedemi simply laughed nervously. "It's nothing, really. I was just, uh, playing fetch with my dog."

The kids looked at her with puzzlement, for they noted that the dog had simply wandered off -- unusual for an owned pet. "Yeah, I found him on the streets. He's a mutt. Anyways, I'll be, uh, getting home now. You see, I kinda have to go and change."

Another kid grabbed her by the arm to hold her back. "Wait! You should come play with us! We have this contest, and we think you'd be very good for it!" The other kids echoed the boy. "Yeah!"

"Yeah, join us!"

Aedemi was flattered, but she had things to do. "I'm sorry...I can't. I need to train. You see, I'm a ninja."

"A ninja?!"

"You don't look like one."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I know. That's because I'm not exactly dressed to train at the moment, thank you very much," she scoffed. "Anywho, I really gotta go."

"I still can't picture you as a ninja."

"Me neither."

"Yeah, you don't really look that dangerous."

"Yeah!"

"Right?"

Aedemi frowned, slightly irritated now. This was the umpteenth time someone told her the same thing. She was getting tired of feeling underestimated, so she looked back at the kid that grabbed her arm. Sighing, she asked: "What's this game you're referring to about?"

The boy's face lit up. "Oh, it's not just a game. It's a contest!"

"Yeah, yeah. I got that much. Tell me more," she said, waving her hand.

"Okay! In this game, we race to the end of the district. You can take shortcuts, you can sabotage -- only to slow down, not to hurt --, but you must keep your feet on the ground. No jumping on rooftops or fancy ninja stuff like that. Got it?"

Aedemi nodded. "So you say this is a contest...what are the prizes?"

"Winner keeps this stash of candy we uh, borrowed. But," the kid continued, slyly, "I think you would want to win more with your pride on the line. How about this: I dare you to beat us in a foot race. Same rules. You win, you keep the candy and you get to prove you are a so-so ninja--"

"Huh?"

"--but if you lose, you'll become the laughingstock of town. Deal?"
 
She had to think about it for a while. Her hand rubbed her chin, and her eyes looked to the upper right corner. She just wanted to go home, but...how could she resist? They were challenging her, and she was feeling particularly competitive today.

"Fine. Deal!"

"Okay, we start here, behind this line." The kid grabbed a twig and dragged it across the ground -- a straight line. The kids began to gather behind it, preparing for the race. Some kids took the balls they were using for their previous game -- dodgeball -- while others had nothing on them. They depended solely on their speed and agility to win the race. That was fine. While she had nothing of her own to use for sabotaging, she had to rely on her skill as well -- but she was a ninja, and she was training. And how convenient it was for her to be presented such a wonderful opportunity to test her skill. Nevertheless, she was barefoot. Her hair wasn't done. She didn't even perform a satisfactory shunshin as of yet. She shrugged it off. Oh well. It's not like this was a life or death thing anyway. It was just practice, and even if she failed, at least she would have some more experience than before. Ah, who was she kidding? She wanted to win. She wanted to rub it in their faces. See, I'm so much better than you! she wanted to tell them as soon as she got to the finish line, wherever it was. And she was going to do it barefoot and in pajamas. 

"And where do we end it where exactly?"

"Hmm...how about the new building in the construction area? You know which one I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then it's settled. First one to touch it wins!"

The kids showed their spirit by saying "Yeah!" and raising their hands in the air. Some of them began stretching and everything. It was kind of comical to see how they were taking it very seriously. Then again, so was Aedemi, who had made it clear in her mind that she was going to win the race, with so many things at stake. Yes, this race was too important for her. This was, pitifully, her first race, after all. She leaned down, her hands touching the ground, imitating the others' position -- legs back, ready to propel forward, hands on the ground, and body close to the surface -- as she waited eagerly for the signal to start. 

"Ready....set..."

Silence.

"Go!"

She dashed forward, but was surprised to see how fast the others were. She had vastly underestimated these kids. It made her feel quite guilty, very guilty for someone who hated to be judged too quickly. She was beginning to fall behind, even as she thought she was off to a good start, for these kids were obviously very experienced in these races. She tried to get ahead -- maybe one shunshin would do -- but no, that'll have to wait for now. It was too early. She tried to pick up her feet more, but one kid got in front of her. It was a buff girl. She looked at her with a mischievous smile before deliberately cutting in her path. She was trying to move to the side, but there were the other kids who were slowly but surely starting to get further ahead from her sides. If she were quick enough, perhaps she could cut through them diagonally and get ahead. Just shunshin your way over there. Come on...

Her heart was tearing up. As much as she wanted to try it out, she remembered that the jutsu was very trying on the feet. She didn't even know how her body would react to the stress of releasing a burst of chakra so suddenly because she had never done anything like that before, so how would she know? It could cost her the race. She turned around, hearing the sound of a rubber ball sliding against the side of someone's body. She immediately saw that this kid, who was directly behind her, was aiming to slam the ball against her back, so she instinctively dodged -- causing the buff girl in front of her to fall flat on her face. She had to react quickly as the girl had been right in front of her, so she leaped across her body right on time. Damn! These kids aren't holding back! She didn't see, but she could hear the girl get up pretty quickly, resuming her run without a problem. So this isn't considered hurtful? She gulped. Animals!

She directed some chakra to her feet, in the same vein as in shunshin, but in much smaller amounts. It would give her a light boost, enough to get her past the two runners blocking her sides. Her speed gradually increased, as the chakra would repel against the ground with each step. Now the other kids were aging behind. In front of her was still another two kids -- the ones in the lead. One of them was the kid from the beginning. She focused her eyes on him, concentrating fully to her goal. She had to surpass him. He was the one that challenged her. She will beat him--

SLAM!

Her face was on the floor, her back aching, her eyes closed from the impact. Some of the dirt was in her mouth. She spat it out, hearing the thumping of many runners passing her by. How brutal! Her body hurt, but she got up anyway. They were getting ahead. She couldn't let them win! She picked up the rubber ball that had ended up slamming against her back and ran with it. Crap! I've lost too much time!

She ran fast, dashing in order to catch up. She had surpassed a couple of them, but she was still so far behind. The boy from earlier was in the lead now! And then the other kids wouldn't let her pass. Every time she tried to move to one side, they would block her way, impeding her progress. She was tempted to slam them with the ball mercilessly. Instead, she gathered the chakra to her feet, strengthening them, and with all her might, pushed forward. Perfect timing! She went through an opening between a kid next to her and another to her front. She turned to look at their faces, but she knew what their reaction would be. Their mouths were wide open though they didn't seem very happy. Sticking her tongue out and dragging her lower eyelid down with a finger, she made a face at the kids behind her. Losers!

[kuragari]

(a lot of dialog in the 2nd post, but your actual training portion was still lengthy and well done.)

+20

[Aedemi]

(ooc: Yeah, I know. Sorry xD)

[20 / 30]

She was gasping but smiling. She had finally caught up with the others, and she managed to use shunshin with relative ease. Of course, her ankles were beginning to feel a burn, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She sped up, her feet thumping louder into the ground. All she had to do was dash straight forward and she would come in second. But then a man pulled a cart in front of her, so she had to go around him -- meanwhile, the boy ahead of her was getting further and further away. Crap. She ran around it, but saw as the kids behind her hopped on the cart instead and caught up with her easily. Tch! That's not fair! She turned around, facing the kid in front of her, a frown upon her face. It didn't matter; she was determined to beat them. She was a ninja, after all. And she wasn't going to play dirty like them.

She tried to assess the situation by scanning around her really quick. There was a boy catching up to her, she saw, and she tried to pick up her legs more, once again using her chakra in her feet to give her a small boost. She saw as the boy was gradually lagging behind and smiled. Okay, one down. One more to go. The kid in front of her was getting further and further away -- she wasn't about to let him go. The boy turned to see her and saw that she was catching up, to which he reacted by speeding up. He accidentally bumped into another man carrying boxes of fruit, which had fallen over the path, causing Aedemi and the other kids to either jump over them or go around it. She and a few of the kids turned around and apologized. "Sorry!" they said, never slowing down, their eyes on the goal. But now that one kid was the only one ahead. He maintained a considerable distance between him and the rest of the competitors, and for a while it seemed his victory had been ensured. Yet there was a long way left to go. The race wasn't over yet. 

She found herself struggling to catch up in this leg of the race because there were so many people on the streets at this time. She had to dodge them to avoid stumbling unto them as the kids behind her did in their desperate attempts to get back into the lead. She resisted the urge to push, instead opting for her amateur attempts at shunshin, which failed miserably as she had yet to accustom herself to gather the chakra to her feet that fast. She bumped into a woman by accident -- of course, she apologized as quickly and sincerely as she could -- and had to dodge the other people in her way. She did so quite sluggishly, and to her dismay, this cost her a lot of time. However, the kids behind her were not exactly floating on by, so she focused instead on the boy ahead. Now, if she could do a couple more shunshin, surely she would catch up. That was all she needed -- just one little push, for they were almost at the finish.

It seemed like all these people just plotted to come out and become obstacles for this race: there were many people -- children, men, women. The worst were the couples that clung to each other, making it difficult for her to get through the now busy street. At this point, there was only one way she could move on. She had to try it again. Okay. Here goes nothing. She charged her feet with chakra, waiting for the precise moment to release it. She sidestepped rapidly to one side, jerking her whole body in that direction in the hopes that would clear the way, and stomped her foot hard into the ground, bursting the chakra and allowing it to repel her feet, boosting her forward. For a split-second, she thought she was going to hit hard against a child crossing the street, but luckily the child left in time before Aedemi pushed, jerking her ankle back to perform the shunshin. She was out of the crowd, thankfully. But she could now see the construction site. The boy was almost there.

Oh no you won't! Aedemi sped up, but one poorly-executed step almost twisted her ankle completely to the side. The shunshin. It left her ankles feeling weak, not to mention her feet had already begun to ache. She was starting to sweat now; she was almost there, she couldn't give up. That's it. Almost there. Just keep going, Aedemi. You're gonna win, you're gonna win. She was close now, she was right behind him, she was just an army's length away. Just one more push! One more time, she concentrated. One step into the ground, and she found herself traveling past the boy in a split-second. The boy didn't even see it coming. Aedemi didn't look back, she didn't care -- it was all about that goal in front of her, the half-finished building, within her reach. Thump, thump, thump. Smack. Her pale hand landed on the side of the brick wall, and she gasped for breath, a smile upon her red face, as she let herself fall to the ground. Her legs were weak from the strenuous exercise, but that didn't matter. That was the last thing on her mind, for she had tasted the sweetness of victory. She turned around upon hearing the hurried footsteps. Too busy trying to catch her breath, she didn't say a word. Instead, she just raised her hand with a grin. A "V" for victory.

[kuragari]

+ 0 stop cheating!

(jk)

+10 ~ Learned

[Aedemi]

Bo-karu Koukyoukyoku Chishiki (Vocal Symphony Knowledge)
Rank: D, C, B, A, S
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Allows the user to use Gakushi Voice techniques.
Special: Handseals
Drawback: The user cannot perform hand seals when utilizing voice techniques.
Description: This technique is the user's ability to combine their chakra with the vibrations emanating from their vocal cords, creating the unique voice techniques. In order to be able to perform a Voice technique, the user must have this technique of a corresponding rank. Thus, if they want to learn a D Rank Voice technique, they must have Bo-karu Koukyoukyoku Chishiki D Rank. C Rank is required for C Rank techniques, and so on.
Limit: Sound Release

[-- / 10]

"Aaaaaaa...Oooooooooh..."

Another day filled with training. Aedemi was sitting down on her bed, resting her worn feet. Boy, was that race a handful. She had taken a shower and draped over her body an oversized shirt that could have easily passed for a plain gray dress had she put a belt around it, making herself as comfortable as possible for she had decided after that race that she wasn't going to leave the house for the day. She massaged her feet, at the same time stuffing a small chocolate candy into her mouth, humming with pleasure. This was an ideal day. But she had to be productive. She couldn't sit there and do nothing at the same time. She had to prepare herself, enhance her shinobi skills as best she could so that she would feel fit to call herself a ninja. Nothing would boost her confidence more than that. 

So when she finished chewing on the sweet, she returned to her singing. "Aaaaaaa...Ooooooh..." she sang, simple notes that she decided would be used for her latest training, because after a successful day of training in the art of shunshin no jutsu she was bound to at least train in Voice techniques. The first note was higher note, a B, while the second one was of a lower octave, a D -- both of which she paid attention to regarding how they changed the vibrations of her vocal cords. She noted how the first note caused her vocal cords to make very faint vibrations, at least compared to the other, deeper one. This she sensed as she placed her hand to her throat. "Aaaaaaaa..."

"Ooooooooh..."

Gradually, she let go of some chakra to her throat in an attempt to manipulate the cords. She started with a note in between the other two to act as an intermediary. Her challenge now was to transform those notes without forcing any change upon her throat through the usual physical means. Instead, she was going to use chakra -- only chakra -- to change the frequency of the vibrations of her vocal cords. "Aaaaaaaa..." she sang, this time allowing the chakra to speed up the vibrations: "AAAAAAAA..." she went. Her voice changed as she desired, all within the first try. For kicks, she increased the speed of the vibrations with the chakra at her throat: "EEEEEEEE..." her voice went, causing much amusement to the childish Aedemi, who thought it comical that she sounded like a squeaky rat. She laughed, and her still high-pitched laughter filled her with so much delight she couldn't stop laughing. Very immature. 

Now there was something else she needed to do. She started back at her intermediary note, singing it loud and clear, and once more she manipulated the chakra in a way that it would lower her pitch. "Oooooooo....OOOOOOOH" Whoops! She lowered her pitch a little too far. She sounded so much like a man that it startled her. Meh, good enough. She sat back on her bed and laid down, looking at the ceiling. She should have more fun with this technique. Well, it was only the beginning. Later, she could practice imitating others' voices. Oh, how much fun she could have. This could open her up to many opportunities to have fun in the village. People would expect her to speak sweetly and be all sing-song like a girl should, but then she could surprise them with an ugly and croaking man-voice. Ha! That would be awesome! All the pranks she would do...

Okay...enough sidetracking. Back to training.

Let's try this again, shall we? She sat back up. She sang the note once more, gathering her chakra to her throat again like before. She held it, feeling the vibration from her vocal cords and started adjusting the chakra to move the pitch down -- this time gradually. She wanted to get a better feel of the movements in order to coordinate her chakra with the frequency of the note. When she felt she had a good idea of the chakra manipulation, she played around some more. She took a deep breath and released a single note, lasting about ten seconds, and she tested out her ability to shift the note up and down the scale. This she took much amusement out of.

[kuragari]

+10 (lmao at the dialogue)

[Aedemi]

Hibiki Sakuran (Echo Confusion)
Rank: D
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: The user casts his voice in all directions.
Special: Handseals
Drawback: The user cannot perform hand seals while utilizing this technique.
Description: The user splits his vocal sound waves into many pieces, sending them rushing in all directions. Anyone tracking based on sound will be beset by the user's voice from all directions, concealing their true position. 
Limit: Sound Release, Bo-karu Koukyoukyoku Chishiki D Rank.

[-- / 10]

How about a little game of hide and seek?

The night was cold. Frigid. Well, maybe not as cold -- cooler. Just cool. A little breeze every once in a while that would send chills up Aedemi's back. What was she doing out here so late? Looking for trouble, maybe. Just looking for trouble... 

Aedemi thought she could visit her little friends from a couple of days ago. A little group of weenies who thought they were much better than her because they were boys and because they were bigger -- in size, only. Those cowards...she felt disgusted for them as they had taken advantage of the weak. But they messed with the wrong girl. Hopefully she had given them a good lesson about respecting mist shinobi. They better had learned. But right now she just felt like causing mischief out of sheer boredom. She had been stalking them in the evening as they walked up and down streets, just loitering around, bothering the busy adults. Just an annoyance. Like her. She was walking all stealthy-like, watching them from afar as they threw insults at each other, playing macho men when they were in fact only kids. It was pathetic. She decided she would just give them all a little innocent scare.

The streets were empty by now. Aedemi was only a shadow lurking in the dark that followed the thugs closely behind. They couldn't detect her delicate feet as they faintly shuffled in the dirt, kicking some small pebbles ever so silently. They walked on into alleys, giving each other hard pats in the back and exchanging cuss words to one another -- their idea of a brotherhood, so destructive and hurtful, yet strong. She couldn't understand these kids. Why would they ever want to be so mean? But she wasn't exactly the empathic type; she continued on her self-instructed mission and spied on the youngsters, never wishing to ever understand them. She couldn't have cared less about their reasons for doing what they do. It was inexcusable. And so she followed them down the alley, hiding behind garbage dumps and remaining in the shadows, until she found an adequate spot, all without guilt. There we go... A good place to corner them.

Besides, she could use some good training.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. It's just as you've practiced, Aedemi. You can do this. Earlier that day, before she decided to stalk the kid-gang, she had made up her mind to train up on one more technique for the day. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"It's very confusing," Kouhei said, his hands behind his back as he faced the window, "when you hear voices...but you can't tell where they're coming from."

"Here," he went over to young Aedemi, who had been sitting on the wooden floor. "Make your hands like this. Remember the handseals. Yes. Yes, that's good. There you go! See? You got it." He smiled that warm smile of his, and it made Aedemi smile too. "Now close your eyes. Imagine your chakra moving to your throat. Can you feel it?"

His little sister shook her head. 

"Well, put as much effort into it as you can. You can do it!"

Her little eyebrows were furrowed as she placed much effort into the task. "My head hurts, big bro. But I feel it now."

"Well don't try too hard. You might hurt your head!" he said, his voice filled with laughter. Then he got closer to whisper. They mustn't get caught. His father would be terribly disappointed -- no, worse. Furious. He established that the little girl was to live the life of a high class woman. No ninjutsu. None of that for the girl. She was a female, after all, and females belong in the house. But Kouhei thought differently. He worked with kunoichi before and knew women could do much more than they were given credit for. And Aedemi, his little sister, was meant for something more. She had potential, which in the future -- with years of imprisonment into the grand and luxurious prison she would later have to call home -- would sadly become marred with complete naïveté and ignorance of the harsh realities of the outside world. The real world. A place where not everyone would say please and thank you, where people will spit at your face no matter how good or innocent you were. None of that had its merits in this world, the outside. But he didn't want her to become so vulnerable, and that is why he tried the best he could to keep her somewhat prepared. He didn't know why -- at the moment, after all, it seemed Aedemi was doomed to live within the protection of her father and the civilized high-class her entire life -- but he felt that was what he should do: teach her. Yes, he would try to cultivate her knowledge of the ninja arts even though it seemed she had no hope of ever being able to prove herself and her worth.

He had been deep in thought, and his sister stared at him worriedly, but he resumed his action. He whispered: "Feel the chakra in your throat, and when you speak, you have to cut your voice into little pieces, sending them off in all directions. Do you understand?" His face had become serious, in stark contrast to his behavior only a few moments earlier.

Aedemi nodded eagerly, determined to learn the jutsu. 

"Just remember: this jutsu might take a lot more practice. It's very different from what we usually do. But I know you can do it, Demi." His face softened into a smile. She would never forget it. He was so proud of her...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The chakra had begun to gather around her vocal cords; she could feel it burn slightly, that's how she knew. With a smile so full of mischief, she began to whisper -- a little test to warm her up -- and split the sound waves emanating from deep inside her throat to the outside. A low murmur echoed throughout the walls within the alley, prompting the kids to turn around, puzzled. She peered beyond the dumpster to observe. It's working! The kids looked at each other, hesitating to ask. One looked at the other, and the other knew without hearing him say anything; his face asked if he had heard what he did. The kid slowly nodded. The moon above them was full, and the skies filled with wispy clouds throughout. A howl was heard in the distance -- from the forest, perhaps. Or maybe a ghost. One of the thugs' arms had its hairs stand on end and he tapped the back of his fellow gang member. "Hey, maybe we should go back."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not going back to my house." The last kid, the one behind them, looked at the leader nervously. Going back was out of the question. Not wanting to irritate the leader, he remained quiet and continued walking into the alley. Aedemi was trying hard not to laugh. She gathered the chakra to her throat again after clearing it, ready to try something else. She tried to change her voice as much as she could, making sure to inject some sadness and eeriness into it. A wail of a fallen spirit: "Wooooooo," she started. The kids immediately turned around, looking everywhere -- scanning anxiously and trying to figure out where the heck the sound was coming from. The tall one hid behind the leader in fright. "Where are my childrennnnn? I can't find them anywhereeeeee," she continued, and this time all of them cowered together, their backs to one another, and they whimpered. "Leave us alone, you foul spirit!" the leader said, playing the hero. 

But Aedemi was merciless. She hoped to give them all a taste of their own medicine, and she wasn't about to stop there. "My childrennnnnnn...I can't find them anywhereeee..." she said, this time adding the sounds of sobbing. The spirit who couldn't find her children because she drowned them all in a river...Aedemi was sure the kid-gang had at least heard of that one. If they did, they would know what is supposed to happen next. She peered over the dumpster again and noticed the kids were all huddled against one another. So pitiful. She almost felt bad for them, but she didn't care. And now, for the finishing blow: "If I can't find my children...then you will have to do...Come to meeee, my childreeennnnn, and join me in the realm of the deaaaaddd..." At this, all of them struggled to run back without colliding into one another, screaming, saying "No! Noooo!" as they fled the alley. Aedemi released the jutsu, laughing quietly to herself. This, she wouldn't trade for anything.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

+10 -- Learned;;

[Aedemi]

Suichuu (Underwater)
Rank: D
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Allows the user stay underwater for some time.
Difficulty Class
D Rank Difficulty Class - 20 minutes
C Rank Difficulty Class - 40 minutes
B Rank Difficulty Class - 80 minutes
A Rank Difficulty Class - 120 minutes
S Rank Difficulty Class - 180 minutes

Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: After returning to surface the user must rest half of the time used underwater. As example, if the user has stayed under for 20 minutes, he’ll have to rest 10 minutes before the jutsu can be used again.
Description: Simple technique used by channeling chakra to mouth, lungs, ears and eyes. With chakra moved to mouth and lungs the user gathers air from the water and is able breath underwater, chakra guided to ears protects from the aching caused by pressure, lenses of chakra protecting eyes work like swim goggles.
Limit: Must have Water Release

[-- / 10]

Time for a swim!

She was wearing only a dark-gray shirt -- the one she usually wears when in town: high-neck, no sleeves -- and some black boyleg shorts when she arrived at the lake. She was never allowed to swim when her life had been dominated by her parents, but since she returned to the Land of Water, she had taught herself to embrace its namesake element. Of course, that's not to say that it wasn't difficult; she struggled plenty but with more exposure to the land's many sources of water, she became more adept. So she slid her boots off -- she was almost always wearing boots -- and felt the water with her toes. Okay, not bad. After taking a few steps back, she plunged directly into the water. She could feel herself more awake, alert, from the cool splash of water against her body. It was very refreshing. 

Now, time for what she came for. She did her handseals and dunked her head into the water, but she immediately returned to the surface as soon as she submerged. The water had gone to her mouth and nose, so she coughed and coughed uncontrollably. Again? She was rushing; she had forgotten that she still had to train to perfect the jutsu. Aghhh...! She was growing used to learning techniques fairly fast, so this setback had made her impatient. She attempted it again. The jutsu, she knew, would allow her to remain underwater for a period of time. Being a mist nin, Aedemi felt it was necessary to learn this technique. It was essential. She dunked her entire body underwater, hoping to find that the technique had worked. It did, but her execution had been sloppy again. It wasn't as bad as the last time but it made her swallow some water by accident. This mistake had proven itself to cost her much of the time she was supposed to stay underwater, for instead of remaining for twenty minutes, she stayed for five. She rushed to the surface after feeling that she needed a breath and coughed out some water. She was going to need some more practice. This was pathetic. She basked on the side of the lake for about three minutes as she had to rest, and rest she did. Her time was up and she was ready to try again.

In that last try, she accidentally swallowed some water, which in turn messed up the rest of her technique, causing Aedemi to fail to produce the "goggles" of chakra that was supposed to be a part of it. The execution needed improvement. She had to focus -- she did her handseals and this time placed more concentration on releasing her chakra to the right places: some to her mouth, some to her lungs, some to her ears, and finally, some to her eyes. She didn't think about it much the last time she tried it, so she hoped that this would make a difference. Indeed, this helped some. Her mouth and lungs were appropriately covered in the necessary chakra, which allowed her to breathe a whole lot better underwater, and the chakra to her ears and eyes definitely helped with protecting or using their respective senses. She was able to see better under the semi-murky water, and she didn't have to worry about having random things get into her eyes while submerged. It was very good and useful. However, after a while, her lungs began to ache. They ached for air, which she wasn't getting enough of here. She was failing in using the chakra appropriately in this case, for if she did it correctly, she would have definitely lasted more time than this. It's supposed to be twenty minutes!

She was getting irritated now. Every time she thought she had it, it turned out she was doing something wrong. And just when she thought she was doing so well... She pushed herself upwards, kicking her legs to get to the surface faster, and gasped for breath when she finally did. She was in the middle of the lake now. Great! Now I have to swim all the way back to land... she thought angrily. Tch! She was kicking her legs, obviously irritated, and just making a spectacle of herself. Good thing nobody was there to see it because they would see a grown girl throwing a tantrum. Again, she had to wait. Seven minutes this time. The part she hated about it was that the more progress you made, without making it to the full twenty minutes, the longer you had to wait. She laid herself on the dirt, obviously not caring anymore. She stared at the sun. It was unusually sunny today. Less clouds in the sky. It managed to warm up the lake despite it being winter. Of course, the water was cold, and by then Aedemi had been freezing somewhat, but she brushed that aside. One more try. She was certain she would get it this time. After that, she could go home and enjoy some warm soup. Yeah, warm soup sounded real good right now, even though she didn't like it that much. But she craved to feel the warmth in her apartment, to just cuddle in her bed with some hot cocoa or something of the like. She was really looking forward to that.

She lifted herself up with her arms, making up her mind to get it right this time. She couldn't even feel her skin anymore, but she dove right in, gasping from the cold, and did her handseals. Like before, the chakra was channeled to the necessary places, and she felt like she was receiving better air now to her lungs unlike the previous times. She sighed, feeling the air move smoothly to her breathing passageways. It seems like she's doing well. She swam on, attempting to reach the other side of the lake, but she went around and around until she felt she had fulfilled the time limit. Nineteen minutes and she was still going strong. Her chakra had not faltered once during the swim, until of course, she approached the twentieth minute mark. But that was the whole point of the exercise, and she had done well. She swam back to the edge of the lake, to where she selft her boots, and headed home, eager to try out that nice hot cocoa.

[kuragari]

+10

[Aedemi]

Melody Note - A - Dragon
Rank: "B"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: Allows the user to perform the "Dragon" Handseal by playing an A note.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: This note takes the place of a "Dragon" Handseal. This note may be played within any octave that the instrument is able to play within the note specified. User just needs to learn this technique just once as Melody Unity (Merodei Kenpei) must be learned multiple times.
Limit: Cannot be TaiJutsu Master. If Clan Master most Clans must be NinJutsu Associated.

[-- / 80]

"I'll let you in on a little secret."

The little girl leaned in closer, her ear next to his mouth. She was listening intently. She could not afford to miss out on any of the information he would pass to her. They were again sitting together in a room, though this one was smaller and it belonged to someone else: Aedemi. A few instruments sat on the side, accompanied by a large canvas in which its owner painted all of her works, the three instruments including a fancy flute and a beautiful zither. The zither was her all-time favorite. That is, until she received her precious mateki flute from her uncle in one of his travels. A truly wonderful gift, it was -- and it quickly became one of her most prized possessions. It was hung on a wall, as she was not allowed to use it. It was magical, he said.

"Did you know...that you could replace handseals with that instrument?"

Aedemi gasped. Her pale little hand covered her mouth, wide open with surprise. Could it be that all this time she spent playing her beautiful instruments that she was actually advancing herself in the ninja art? She was in shock. Raylia would never guess. She sat up immediately, her face transforming into that of pleasure. "Ahh! How do you do it bro? How do you do it? Oh, do tell!"

Kouhei turned away from her, hiding his chuckle. "Oh, Aedemi. Calm down! You're gonna bring the nanny here. Or worse -- Raylia!"

Aedemi contained herself, glancing at the door to check for any movement. No sounds coming from there. She turned to her older brother with pleading eyes. She whispered this time: "Oh, big bro! Please tell me how I can do that! I really wanna know! It would be so great! Pretty please!"

"Okay, okay. But I'm about to disappoint you a little..."

Aedemi looked at him, waiting. Kouhei lifted an arm to the back of his head and scratched -- a nervous habit that his little sister picked up -- pausing for some time before continuing: "I don't know how, but I get the gist of it, if that helps."

The little girl, clothed in a beautiful dress, looked slightly disappointed, but her excitement did not fade yet. There was still a chance. She pushed on: "Can you tell me what you know? Please?"

"Okay. But first let me tell you something else..."

"Wait, did you say that flute, big bro?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. You're not supposed to use it, right?" He chuckled. "Uncle had to say that in front of Raylia and father. Otherwise, they would never dream of letting you keep it."

"Ohhh..." Aedemi had sensed such a thing. For a while, she was scared of the flute, for while her uncle had mentioned it was special, he also said that it contained some magical qualities that could hurt if used incorrectly. Or correctly, as Aedemi would later find out. The Mateki, after all, was a powerful shinobi weapon that could add beautiful and artful weapons to one's arsenal, such as music. And while her father's brother, Uncle, was a ninja, her father wasn't, and so, naturally, avoided entering her into any training regarding the ninja art. She knew Kouhei was able to do it simply because he was a boy, and boys were allowed to do these kinds of things. It was natural. And Aedemi...well, she was just a girl. And girls, said father, belonged to the home.

But Aedemi was about to rebel. Kouhei was very understanding. In fact, he encouraged her interest in becoming a shinobi. Hearing a maid pass by the hall through the door -- her feet slammed against the hard floor with her slippers -- he leaned closer to Aedemi and lowered his voice. "Each note is a handseal. Remember that. You know more about music than I do, so...figure that out for me." He got up, smiled at his little sister, and went out the door. Seconds later, she could hear Kouhei's teammate call out for him. She sat in awe, impressed with her brother's ability to sense such small things ahead of time. She really looked up to him. Smiling, she turned to the Mateki by the wall.

❁ ❁ ❁

[/color][/center]

"Come on! Work, you thing!"

She wanted to slam the flute across the wall or something. She was feeling very hopeless and lost. Stupid flute, she thought. It felt like ages sitting in this room with no progress made whatsoever. She wanted to tear her hair out. Her task right now was to play a note that will resonate her chakra and cause it to flow the way she wants it to in order to create a handseal -- of course, all this without the use of her hands. She knew this would help her perform jutsus with her lovely little flute -- too bad she wanted to break it right now. She threw herself onto her bed, sulking heavily about her incessant failures in the technique. She was supposed to incite chakra activity with the use of a simple toot...a simple task, was it not? No! Not for Aedemi, who overcomplicated things and was not too good with chakra. She picked up the flute and played a perfect A. A loud and clear A. She held the note for ten seconds, just because she felt like it. She tried everything -- listening to it, feeling it, taking in the resonating vibrations that emanated from the instrument, hoping that somehow, all of that would help her learn faster. She wasn't sure...she had to find a way to connect that one note to the handseal. Make it have the same effect a normal handseal would.

That was a very difficult task.

She closed her eyes, picturing the dragon handseal. What made this handseal different from the others? What do all the handseals have in common? How do they make her body work to produce techniques that require the use of handseals? If she could answer those questions, then maybe...just maybe. She could make this work, she knew, but it would take her a while. She sighed. If only she knew... Of course, not even Kouhei knew. Plus, she could never ask him even if she wanted to. Her uncle? Yeah, what happened to him? He was the one that gave her the flute...perhaps he could help? Perhaps. But first, she didn't know where he was either. She could find out if she asked her father and Raylia...but that was out of the question. She had to do this on her own. She got ready, sat down in her meditative pose, and readied her flute.

The A note rung in the air, and she concentrated on the note, attempting to release the chakra as the dragon seal would. Aedemi had to imitate it for it to work. Nothing happened. She tried again, the note ringing loud and clear. Her eyes had been closed shut, all of her attention directed to within. Some chakra would begin to flow, but nowhere as fast as she wanted it to. She had to pick up that speed. But at least her body was reacting to the note. That was what she was aiming to do in this first training session. She stopped to breathe. Again. The A note was loud and proud. The chakra within started to ease out of its passages, reacting much the same as it would if she whipped out a dragon handseal, but at a much smaller scale. Okay, good. Some progress. Not bad. A little bit more practice would help, as she had a lot left to learn.

Aedemi paid no attention to how ridiculous her training would seem to another eye. Nothing seemed to be going on in the outside -- it was just Aedemi and her flute atop the bed. But inside, more was happening than she thought would. She was making some progress, which was a whole lot more than what she thought she would ever do, and she was happy. She resisted the urge to congratulate herself, stopping herself on her tracks when she realized that she could not break her concentration at this stage. She was so into her training, and into controlling her chakra with only the sound of the flute, that she refused to stray from it. If only Kouhei would see her now. He would be so proud of her! Aedemi is finally learning the melody seals!

[kuragari]

+10

[Aedemi]

[10 / 80]

She was trying to get a feel for the chakra. A simple note should arouse the chakra within her and cause it to move where she pleased -- all at the command of the flute. The end result was to successfully manage her chakra, different kinds depending on the note, in order for her to perform a technique without her handseals. This was pretty ambitious considering Aedemi had never done anything of the like. In fact, she would have thought it impossible had her older brother not told her of it. A wonderful secret, it was. She held her flute up again in her second attempt at the task, and as she allowed the air to flow through the instrument, she imagined the chakra streaming through its passages within her. The A note should unlock her passages. This was what she was aiming for. A simple note would linger in the air. She opened her eyes, feeling a light, burning sensation -- that was how she could best describe it. It indicated the flow of energy. It was working more smoothly, an improvement. Still, she needed more practice.

Let's try this again. The wooden instrument would be brought back up, Aedemi's fingers wrapped around it as she held it close to her face. Faster now. She intended to cause the note to affect her at a much faster rate. It had to synchronize harmoniously with her own body for it to be effective in battle, so she tried again. The toot of the flute would be heard, and the chakra within her would be spurred into action, just a little faster than before. Not enough speed, however. She kept in mind the fact that the technique had to be fast if it were to provide its desired results in the midst of battle. She could be playing music, and each note would do something different -- impractical if her body did not react to each chakra-controlling note on time. And so, Aedemi struggled with her impatience as she attempted many times more to speed up her reaction.

She was still, however, struggling with the amount of chakra the single note would release. It wasn't enough. She needed so much more, lest her technique-performance would be pitifully weak and worthless. She acknowledged this with a heavy heart, for she was beginning to tire of the repetitive and dull training session. Okay, okay. Maybe all she needed was something to wake her up. She stood up impulsively and began to play a simple but cheerful melody. She was improvising; she had plenty of time to learn how to do so, and she was very talented. Of course, that was to be expected of this little girl -- a prodigy of the arts. She danced around as she played, making an effort to include in the melody the powerful A note. It would ring loudly, as she induced into it a sense of a delicate roughness that best represented the elegant and mighty dragon symbol the handseal was made for.

Her spirits were high now that she managed to fit some fun into this endless training regimen. Now, she felt like putting in some training into her fun, so she continued the playful melody with its A notes ringing loud and clear, placing much effort into releasing her chakra more and more each time the note was played. Indeed, she saw plenty of improvement as she managed to get more chakra molded. A wave of relief washed over her. She was beginning to think her training was about to get stagnant. But she was careful to avoid congratulations until she finished the entire job, completely. No excuses. If she didn't hurry up, she might never move on. That was her thought process. Though she did get more done, she had a long way to go before she would begin to see real results.

[Aedemi]

[?? / 80]

She had to do some repetition to improve her speed of molding chakra. She would not allow herself to go any further until she did that. Aedemi grimaced at the realization, throwing a short tantrum on her floor and kicking her feet. BORING. She hated the monotony; already, she was thinking of ideas, of things she could do with her new abilities if she could master them. Yes, the possibilities were endless, but they seemed so out of reach, so far away, that Aedemi whimpered with the knowledge that she would have to work to get there. She was indeed so used to learning things very fast that this setback made her feel very stupid and slow. She was very impatient. She got up, her hair messy and in disarray -- as if it weren't already -- and grabbed the flute from the place she tossed it before dragging herself into the floor in a childish fit: her bed.

She placed the instrument to her lips and focused. The more she was able to concentrate now and stop thinking of distractions, the easier it would be for her to learn. No distractions meant maximum efficiency, and she needed that lest she die of boredom or give up her training on a whim. She played the single note as if her life depended on it; a lot of effort and attention was given to maintaining the note clear and strong. Her chakra was being molded at a satisfactorily rate of one second -- which she gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for, but maintained her focus on the task. Again. She played the note, and her chakra felt like it rose with it, lifting her energy, setting her chakra running throughout her body. Okay, good. one more time. She played the note, this time it no longer lingered as long, and she forced herself to mold chakra faster. Indeed, she felt herself improve each time. All she needed was mere repetition, just as one would rehearse a song. Repetition.

Now she decided to practice some more on releasing specific amounts of chakra. This, she felt became more easy as she played the note louder. The louder, the better. She had to try it again a couple of times, for the flute would squeak if she played too hard, so she kept on practicing. She improved her efficiency, and decided to quickly play a tune that utilized the note and practice maneuvering in between different notes. Every time she played the A, her body would respond quickly, though she needed more practice in this area. After all, simply playing a note and being prepared to react to it was a whole lot different from playing a note in the midst of others and responding only to that note. She made a mental note to keep on practicing in this area.

But she was getting distracted! She had barely noticed that she was straying from the single task she was forcing herself to do! She played the note by itself louder, for before she could keep going any further, she had to get this part right. The loud note would incite a stronger flow of chakra to where she desired, and each time she played the note she would get more efficient in this area. Good. But more practice was needed, again, for she was secretly a perfectionist, an artist at heart. She mustn't get ahead of herself, no, she had to get it right. Perfect. Again and again, she would repeat the note, faster and louder each time. But as she tried and the better she got at trying, she tried to do as much but with a softer note. She kept trying and trying, until finally, she was able to do it at a normal volume.

[kuragari]

+20