For once, he was not late. Blue eyes blinked slowly, his gaze fixated upon the villages gates in the distance, almost as if expecting something...

I'm coming home...

Calm yourself. This is long overdue. You just need to sleep in your own bed for a few days. A bit of refocus. Right. That had to be it. He could feel... something. Something bad was on the horizon, something that would engulf the world. The winds smelled faintly of blood. Weird.

Shaking his head, the male reached to his back, making sure that his pack was secure. A rather large knapsack, filled to the brim with trinkets, toys, candies and such for his younger cousins. Of course, tucked into the pack was the storage scroll housing holding even more odds and ends. Carrying all of them would be a bit too much, even with his newfound power.

I'm Coming home...

Happiness bubbled in him; to see the gates of Konoha after so long? Yes, please. He'd stayed nearly a month and a half longer than everyone else whom he'd traveled with; they'd all departed from Suna with thier to begin thier own search. Time well worth spent; he'd met a new friend, did a little shopping. But there was no place like home; and Konoha was calling him. It would feel good resting high in the trees once more; not that Suna was bad. The air there was 'thick' to him. He was more used to the thin air of the higher altitudes.

Tell the world that I'm coming home...

He couldnt wait. He could almost taste his grandmother's soup, something that he'd been craving for weeks now. He knew she'd have a pot of it ready for him; he'd sent word ahead that he was coming. Knowing her, she'd have a loaf of monkey bread baking for him...

I know my kingdom awaits, and they have forgiven my mistakes...

Maybe he would stay a while. Rest up before begining his journey. Maybe a day or two-- maybe a week. He had plenty of time. Its not like he was he had anything else to  do... Oh.

I'm coming.....

Jin  smiled; a strange thing. With that and a swish of his coat, the male began to walk. Fast steps, ones that would bring him to the gates rather quickly.

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left.

Rain, dressed in some casual clothes for the day, because she wasn't planning on doing any ninja activity, sat outside on her mother's porch, quietly admiring the afternoon, and all of it's sights. She watched as the wind blew thorough a tree, rustling the branches, and knocking a few dead leaves off of it. Sighing, she looked at a local building, seeing kids play by it. With a small smile, letting herself stroll down memory lane, she leaned back against the small house, lifting the small, cold cup of juice to her lips, taking a small and careful sip. Suddenly the wind blew through her blue hair, startling her, and almost causing her to spill the dark brown liquid in her cup. Regaining her balance, she began swirling it around in her cup, staring at it, her own reflection peeking back, and her brown eyes being the highlight of the picture. Finishing off her drink, she let out a sigh, and closed her eyes. 
Silently and quickly standing up, Rain walked inside, dropping the cup in the sink with a loud noise, and walked into her bedroom, undressing and looking around for her ninja uniform. Pulling on the shirt and flexible pants, she tied her forehead protector around her neck, rolling her head around to make sure it was comfortable. Nodding to herself, she walked outside, saying a quick goodbye to her mother. Walking around, she began to let herself get lost in her own thoughts. 
"Ah, puppetry... Such a beautiful art..." she mumbled to herself, heading into a direction without any real goal of where to reach. She just liked moving her feet. Suddenly, while in the middle of fantasizing about burning Antanas with a puppet, she bumps into a man yelping in surprise. "S-Sorry sir!" She says, looking at him. She noticed right away that he was tall, had white hair, and seemed to be about her age. "H-..." She says, being startled by his bright violet eyes. "Hello..."

WC: 335

Konoha... The town of the leaf ninjas, where they...something...or another happens, Aethir didn't know. He was just here to do some missions, but found himself staying here longer than he should due to meeting new friends. Hell, he was looking for his brothers in the first place, but alas...with the discovery of new locations, new friends are bound to be made. Speaking of Aethir, suddenly coming around the corner was Aethir, sprinting at about ten meters per second, accelerating slowly...

Aethir was running quickly down the streets of Konoha, wanting to constantly keep testing his speed at the usual stretch of land, near the gates of Konoha. 'Alright, here we go...Speed test...' Aethir smiled. His arms craned backwards, hands behind him as he leaned forward. He inhaled, then held his breath as he tightened his body, muscles tightening as he began to sprint. Fourteen...fifteen...finally sixteen meters per second had been reached by the ronin, the surrounding area appearing to be a blur. "Come on...I can...I can...!" He tried oh so desperately to run faster than what his body should allow, trying to push for seventeen, but soon noticed someone was calmly walking in front of him. 'PEDESTRIAN!!!' he mentally screamed, digging the heels of his feet into the ground which forced him to spiral and roll out of control, the ronin still barreling towards the person. Finally coming to a stop, Aethir panted and groaned as he sat up on all fours, shaking his head lightly. "Oh...ow....friction...you...you are a painful friend to have..." the ronin sighed, glancing to the person as he quickly stood, suddenly noticing another person nearby. "Oh....oh ...ow....Mmm....Sorry. Sorry. OH ow...damn..." The ronin stretched before examining the two people before him. "Madam. Sir. Apologies." He nodedd to each of them before taking a seat on the ground, giving off a sigh of relaxation.

Word Count: 323

"Ah... Peace and quiet..." Antanas says aloud, breaking the spell of serenity in the air around him. It was quiet at Konoha's gates that day, a perfect time for laying atop the slanted paneling that made up the roof. Whistling a tune he remembers from long ago, he closes his eyes, resting for once. 'I need to find a use for these two scrolls.' Antanas notes in his mind, opening up the blank paper of one, spinning it around. Holding up his katar, he thinks out loud, "Perhaps I could put this in here... Bah! But I already have a holster!" Putting both his weapon and scroll away, he lays back down looking at the sky. "Does anyone know my name?" Antanas wonders, looking at his hands as if he doesn't know himself. "I need to have my name known. So anyone who faces me will know who they are up against." Sighing, Antanas knows that won't happen anytime soon. He was a genin. Although he was skilled at some jutsu, it wasn't enough for anyone to know him. 'I don't want to be the Hokage either...' He thinks, remembering his friend Toshiko always going on about how great he would be. Although he wanted not to be running a village, but just wanted to be strong. Running his hand through his hair, Antanas then pulls off his forehead protector, and takes a good look at it. The shiny silver sheen comes off of it, and he can see his reflection. "How is that kid in there going to become great?" Antanas asks his reflection, as if expecting an answer. Sitting up as he reties his forehead protector around his arm, Antanas notices a dust cloud heading toward Konoha's gate, going at roughly 16 meters per second. 'There goes Aethir.' Antanas grins as he sees the dust cloud begin to dim, seeing Aethir rolling instead of running. His sensei comes to a halt between two people. He couldn't tell who the first one was, but could tell who the blue haired mistress who had haphazardly ran into him was. "Rain..." Antanas says to himself, checking on Aethir and meeting this new man who had just walked through the gates. Not wanting to admit it, Antanas wanted to see Rain most of all. Hopping off of the roof, he notices Aethir on the ground, and wonders if he needs help up while patting his head. "Hey Rain." He says, waving her. "Oh, and what is your name may I ask?" Antanas questioned, gesturing toward himself and holding out his hand, saying "My name is Antanas Kimura. Nice to meet you"

[446 Words Total]

Fresh through the gates of Konoha, and suddenly three people in his face already. This had to be a new record or something. Voilet eyes blinked slowly, taking in the measure of the people whom were surrounding him. The male frowned at the female in his face first.

To close...

Taking a step back, his face still frowning, the Gekido took note of the male that slid across the ground towards them. What the hell was he doing to be sliding around in the dirt like a maniac?

And then, there was some other man, running up on him like it was just fine. Apparently, he knew one of the other two, because he called them by name, and went on to introduce himself by offering his hand. Violet eyes narrowed as Jin stared at the hand;  instinct screamed at him not to take it; a hand opened in welcome could easily become a fist closed in anger. He didn't know this man; what was the worst that he could do to him?

He turn you into a corpse, Sweetling.

He can try.

The offered hand was taken, gripped strong and shaken. "Gekido, Jin." The voice was a bit deep, but still wary. He didn't know this man from Adam, but he was willing to be polite. For the moment, that is.

You cannot trust him, you know that right?

Of course not; but I'm supposed to be polite, no matter what happens.

And If he attacks you? What then? If they all attack you? What will you do then?

Then I fight.

The male realized he must have been a bit of a sight-- the frown upon his face was quickly neutralized, and a small nod was given the to the others as he released the hand he held. "Its quite fine, miss. No worries." Those eyes turned back to the female that had bumped into him, offering her a small smile.

720/750 Str E ~> D = 750

Rain looked at the man, with a strange expression on her face, first and foremost wondering how that man could have such beautiful eyes. The second thing she noticed was that he had an air to him that, to her, made her seem paranoid about Antanas, her, and Aethir. Making a small smile up at him, when she notices that he does the same for her, she nods. "Hello, Jin-san. I'm Rain Kusomono, and it's a pleasure to meet you." She nods her head slightly.

Aethir groaned, grunted, then had his head patted, looking up to see Antanas. "Wha- ...Oh hi there. Hello. Sorry sorry..." He nodded with a smile, apologizing for his sudden...entrance if you want to call it that. He heard everyone introduce themselves, Aethir shooting up to a stand with a smile. "Aethir...! Aethir Lam- DUGH-...!!" he was caught off guard by sharp pain all over his body, friction burns making themselves apparent. 'This...is going to smart...' he groaned, stretching cautiously. He looked at Antanas again with a smile, but then frowned as he stared at the female with a calm facial expression. 'Who's this...? Rain Kusomono...? Now that I think about it...' Aethir glanced at Rain and Antanas, nodding. 'So this is another one of his friends? ...Hmm...Well she looks...er...awkward I guess...' Aethir shrugged to his thoughts as he turned to smiled at the man he almost collided with. 'And this guy... He's Gekido Jin....Is his first name Gekido? ...Gekido...Hmm...' Aethir rubbed his chin, pondering and then he soon nodded to himself.

"Pleasure to meet you Gekido, and Rain." he nodded to both of them, not thinking to offer them a hand shake like Antanas did... Aethir was never a fan of the shaking of hands. The ronin looked around himself for a moment before turning to Antanas. "So, what the heck are you doing here? And is this your girlfriend? Why didn't you invite her for steak? Huh? I mean was buying...Unless she's a vegetarian. It's cool either way!" he stared at the boy, raising an eyebrow. "Er...don't ask what I was going to do. I...I think I'm going to go back to sleep...God...this hurts..." Aethir groaned, hunching over a bit before standing up straight with a sigh. "Gekido..." he eyed the man, staring into his eyes with a serious frown. "I must ask, since you've stopped me..." he paused, inhaling slowly. "Do you like strawberries?" he asked, eyeing the man with a curious look on his face, waiting for a reply.

Word count: 675

"Gekido, Jin." The purple-eyed man who had just shook Antanas' hand replied. Antanas raises an eyebrow at him, noticing how anxious he looks. "I'm not going to attack you, Jin." Antanas tells him, trying to calm this boy's nerves. "So, what the heck are you doing here? And is this your girlfriend? Why didn't you invite her for steak? Huh? I mean was buying...Unless she's a vegetarian. It's cool either way!" Aethir begins to talk, ending with asking Jin if he likes strawberries. "That was a lot of questions." Antanas laughs a bit as he is talking, "I didn't invite her for steak because I didn't know where she was at the moment." Blushing a bit after realizing what he had said beforehand, he says "No she is not my girlfriend, but she wishes" Antanas then pinches Rain's arm a bit, and changes his focus to Jin. "So, what brings you to the fine village of Konoha?" before anyone gets a chance to respond, Antanas faces Aethir and Rain, adding, "Oh, thanks for disturbing me on that gate" he motions toward the gate. "And before I forget, this is my teacher Aethir." Antanas finishes, showing Rain the Sensei he had been training with.

[659 Words Total]

Good job on being as clear as glass, sweetling.

Jin didnt reply right away; instead, the emotionless mask slid into place, leaving his face unreadable. Three people he didnt know rolled up on him like he owed them money, and had the nerve to comment that he looked anxious? If he'd been anywhere else but the village of Konoha, this exact situation would have been grounds for one of the three getting a kunai slipped between thier ribs; but the gates of of Konoha were usually heavily watched by the ninja of the village -- something that these three appeared to be. Was he percieved as a threat?

You are a Gekido after all, sweetling.

Damn right, he was a Gekido, and proud of it. The mask cracked for a moment, revealing a small smile that was quickly hidden as the mask was reformed.

"I'm not anxious. Just curious as to why three people just so happen to bump into me all at once." The face remained blank; a long practiced tactic of speaking.

Give them nothing, Sweetling; Take from them everything.

"Typically, something like this means one of two things..." The male curled his tail tighter under his waist, eyes narrowing once more. "Either you're going to attempt to rob me, or you're all very much clumsy as fuck." For a moment,, his mind whirled, taking in the summation of the situation; five feet between him and the closest ninja, the one introduced as Aethir. The rest were just beyond him, standing just a bit back.

Fine. If shit went south, he would get out of it. "I'm praying its the latter."

Str = D 750/750
D~> D-3
242/1175

Rain watches him, with interest, as she's never seen someone, save the man that had previously watched Antanas and her spar, behave with so little emotion. Listening to him, she heard him ask if they were robbing him or if they were just clumsy, her eyes widening a bit as he cursed. "Oh, no... I don't think I could rob you..." She said, scratching the back of her neck, "You're scary... So I guess that just means that we're clumsy, huh?" She stood up straighter, and nodded at him. "I'm Rain Kusomono, by the way." She says, realizing that she hadn't told him her name yet. Twitching her fingers, she exhaled softly, dropping a bit of her composure, running an idle hand through her blue hair, taking in his features once again. "Sorry about Anatanas... He's a little..." She glances back at him. "He's kind of an idiot."

579 WC

Aethir inhaled slowly then exhaled as he nodded to Antanas. "So you love her. I see." Aethir smiled, a devious grin on his face as he looks off somewhere. Aethir, being introduced to Rain, simply waved with a smile. "Howdy." he stated, soon hearing the stranger next to him speak. He spoke of them...robbing him. Aethir smiled, shaking his head. "No actually, I was on a collision course with you, Gekido sir..." he nodded, Aethir STILL thinking 'Gekido' was Jin's first name, the man tapping the tip of his foot as he was getting ready to sprint again. As a warm up, Aethir began to march in place quickly, ready to get back to his sprinting. "I mean I could have TOTALLY barreled everyone over, but that wouldn't be nice of me..." Aethir sighed before glancing at the man's waist, his marching slowly turning into an idle standing. "That is...one...fuzzy belt..." Aethir commented, putting his index finger to the bottom of his lip, eyeing the 'belt' around the man's waist. '...A little too fuzzy...Kind of...' Aethir eyed the belt suspiciously, 'King of...makes me want to...touch...it...' Aethir rubbed his chin, eyes slowly rising the Jin's face, the wanderer smiling happily as he began to jump where he was. "Anyways!! I'm going to get back to running." he nodded to everyone as he slowly stopped jumping, walking away from the group as he stared out of Konoha's gates, getting ready to dash off once again. Before dashing however, he turned to bid everyone farewell with a nod, sprint at sixteen meters per second, running past forest trees, heading to his usual training spot.

Word Count: 960
Strength C-3 -> B 700/700

Aethir had asked if Antanas was in love with Rain. "What?!" Antanas yells at Aethir, surprised he would say such an inaccuracy. The man named Jin had asked them all if they where clumsy or where going to rob him. 'Why does everyone think I'm going to rob them?' Antanas shakes his head, refocusing on the matter at hand. He then noticed Jin had an odd... Tail like thing around his waist. Perhaps he was a hunter? Shrugging it off, he hears Aethir say, "Anyways!! I'm going to get back to running." Before he lets his teacher run off, he asks him, "Hey! I can run at 9 meters per second!" Antanas looks at him, grinning. "Perhaps we could run together?" Smiling, Antanas hopes that the Ronin will say yes, as Antanas hadn't been running for a couple of days. Cracking his back, Antanas waits for Aethir to respond with either a straightforward answer, or one of his question answers.

LEAVE THREAD

PER D-2 -> D-3 (450/450)
[[372 Words Remain]]
[822 Words Total]