Wanderlust (Started/Still Accepting - 2 slots free)

Wanderlust

Moonlight shone in through the window, slanting across the floor. A young girl silently crossed the room and stood at the window, looking out over a valley somewhere in Ancient China.

This girl is the last of the Emperor’s children and she’s alone, far away from the palace which has been taken over by a tyrant.

The girl went to turn away when something caught her eye. She turned back towards the window and gasped as a sudden flash of light lit up the valley....

A group of teens somehow get sent back in time and end up in Ancient China. You are one of these teens and you’re there to help put the princess back on the throne. The last thing you remember is that you were being chased by some strange guys wearing masks and then you woke up in the middle of a field, in Ancient China. To get home, you must help the Princess...but not everything is as is seems. Be warned, the new Emperor isn't planning on giving it up anytime soon.

First things first (after you figure out where you are): Help the princess escape her prison. Then, follow the advice the crazy old woman that attended the princess gave you. The Crone is strange lady, but she's rarely wrong. And lastly, there's this object you need, a place that needs to be reached and an ancient beast to be found before you can be sent home.

Setting: Ancient China.
Note: Time period for this is Zhou dynasty. Year is 400 BC.

Rules:
- Please keep it 16+ and not too graphic.
- ALL posts must be readable, co-relate to previous posts and have correct spelling. That means no chat speak.
- Please try for at least two 4 or 5 line paragraphs. One or two liners aren't that helpful.
- No god-modding. It's just not fair, is it? And to be truthful, somewhat annoying.
- Swearing is allowed but please refrain from dropping the F-bomb or B-bomb. Also, try to keep all other swearing to a minimum, please.
- Romance is allowed but nothing detailed. No one needs to read it.
- Please don't double post unless there have been no new posts for at least 24 hours.
- Please PM Me AND the creator of a character if you plan on killing them off.
- Can have up to 2 characters. What you can be if Chinese is unlimited, really.
- And lastly, please warn us before you vanish... Sometimes people not posting meddles with the flow.

Note: You can be any nationality you like. If you would like to be the princess, feel free to claim her. You can also claim a Royal Guard or Peasant other than the teen. I’ll be accepting those characters once we have the teens sorted. If you’re a teen, you may already know martial arts or you may not; that’s up to you.

Slots Available:

Teen Time-travelers
- Jemsie Ashford, 18 (Female) - Student/Pickpocket - Scar.
- Bonnie Hessler, 15 (Female) - Assiant Librarian - Cheez.
- Luca Piero Cross, 18 (Male) - Student/Son of Mafia Boss - Tobi.
- Jacob Ben-Jonah, 15 (Male) - Navigator/Swordsman - Hero?
- Reserved - Hero?

Ancient China
- Quan-Ling Li, 18 (Male) - Thief/Peasant - Scar.
- Lau Heishiro, 17 (Female) - Chunin (Ninja) - Tobi.
- Maylin Shu-Fang, 15 (Female) - Princess (South China) - Rachelle.
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Character Profile:

Name:

Age: (15-20, you may be older if you’re not one of the teens)

Gender:

Appearance:

Occupation: (warrior/guard, thief, peasant, etc.)

Skills:

Personality:

Likes/Dislikes:

History:

Up for love: (Yes or no)

Other:

Name: Bonnie Hessler

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Appearance: Bonnie has tan skin,hunter green eyes, and messy curls. Her hair is almost always in a bun that rests on the side of her head. She has a rather eccentric wardrobe, wearing things that most other people couldn't pull off. She also has obnoxiosly large red glasses.

Occupation: Works at the library most of the time. Bonnie's homeshcooled, so the only friends she really have are her coworkers. She spends most of her time in the library, arranging books and reading. She has written two books.

Skills: Bonnie was classified as a genius when she was in eighth grade. She is smart, clever, and quiet. She is thin, so she can fit into most places an average sized person can't.

Personality: Bonnie, is outgoing, quiet, and sweet, but if you annoy her or she doesn't like you, she'll let you know. She stands up for her friends, and is always willing to put her own life in danger to save theirs. She is probably one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. She's very polite, and always uses her manners. People seem drawn to her because of her honesty and social skills. She can literally strike up a conversation with anyone. She also has the slight curl of a french accent.

Likes/Dislikes: Like: Books, animals, people. Dislikes: Betrayal, people who annoy her, Cursive (she can't read OR write it.)

History: Bonnie was born on the eleventh of February in Paris, France. She moved to the states when she was five years old. Her mom's name is Katie, and her dad's name is Bruce. She has an older sister and an older brother. Their names are Callie and Colin. She grew up in a good christian home, blah blah blah. Her dad's in the army, so she writes letters to him a lot... So yeah. :3

Up for love: Sure, why not?

Other: Bonnie know how to speak French, Spanish, Mandarin (Chinese), Japanese, German, and English. :3

Name: Jemsie Ashford

Age: 18.

Gender: Female

Appearance: Jemsie is tall, about 5'6, 5'7 with pale-ish skin and long, red hair. She's slim and athletic with a natural cat-like grace when fighting or dancing. Often seen wearing jeans and a pale coloured peasant shirt along with black, mid-calf high boots.

Spoiler:

Occupation: Student/Pickpocket.

Skills: Stealing, Martial Arts, fencing and horse-riding.

Personality: Kind, caring, fun loving and full of energy, Jemsie is optimistic and friendly but has a dark side that she turns on the people who hurt her friends and family. When happy she's up for anything that includes adventure, sometimes getting herself into trouble with this sense of exploration. When unhappy, sad or angry, she tends to lash out. Make her angry and you're likely to get hurt, not that she doesn't it on purpose. Threaten her friends and/or family and she'll snap--even to the point of losing her focus and becoming distracted. She worries about her friends and family when her mind should be elsewhere.

Likes/Dislikes: Likes Katanas, dancing, her hair, mythology, horse riding and Martial Arts. Dislikes cruel people, fighting against her will, orders, authority figures, death, destruction and people who lie.

History: Jemsie was adopted in Mr. Tang's family when she was four years old. She has been practicing Martial Arts since she was young and has recently started Fencing. She hasn't ridden a horse since she was 6. Her adoptive parents are Asian and her 'Grandfather 'often teaches her Martial Arts when Jemsie isn't at school or out all night engaging in street fighting or pickpocketing. Hasn't seen Mr. Tang in three years.

Up for love: Sure.

Other: Jemsie has a scar across the back of her left hand from an accident when she was young.

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

Name: Quan-Ling Li.

Age: 18.

Gender: Male.

Appearance: Quan is tall, about 5'9 with slightly tanned skin, dark brown eyes and shoulder length black hair. He's slim and fit but not quite athletic and somewhat stronger than he looks. Tends to wear black clothing so he can blend in at night but it's often torn and tattered, badly in need of repair. Recently stole a decent long, black cloak and is currently wearing it. Often has a dagger on his person..somewhere.

Spoiler:

Occupation: Thief/Peasant.

Skills: Stealing, some fighting skills, stealth.

Personality: Quan is usually kind and likes to help the poor kids but since he's not doing too well himself, he's turned cruel but it's only a mask. If you can get him to take it off, you'll find he's actually rather nice. Quan has feelings of abandonment, and these feelings run deep, as his earliest memory is of his father telling him, quite bluntly, to go away. To deal with this lack of meaning, of somethingin his life, he turned to theft, stealing whenever and whatever he liked. With this life of thievery, came his dislike of being poor and his high dislike of seeming to always be getting caught. Usually, Quan manages to get out of it. Well, most of the time. He has spent a few nights in the jail...but always managed to escape the palace dungeons.

Likes/Dislikes: Likes stealing, sneaking around and the princess. Dislikes the guy who stole the throne, getting caught and being poor.

History: Quan's parents are dead and he's alone. He can't afford to pay off the guards so he steals what he can. He's been alone for the past year and participating in...unsavoury deals with shady characters. He also saw the flash of light the princess did.

Up for love: Sure.

Other: He's very curious. Sometimes too curious, which is how he caught up in the whole quest thing. And he has a secret...but isn't willing to talk about it.

(My Hero character)

Name: Jacob Ben-Jonah

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Appearance: Jacob is typically Jewish with sandy looking skin and facial hair budding. He casually wears a black shirt and khaki pants and is accustomed to squinting as he grew up in a sunny area. He has a habit of staring into nothing.

Occupation: (warrior/guard, thief, peasant, etc.) Jacob is a skilled swordsman/fighter but his true traits come out in navigation

Skills: Jacob is highly skilled in navigation, can speak Yiddish and has good fighting skills. He is terrible at romance and yet is as able to keep away from it as his ancestor, Solomon, who authored a book of songs to his love.

Personality: Jacob is good-natured. Symbolically, his proficiency to navigation has a double meaning - he's lost. As Jacob's mother was Jewish upon her death, and his father a stark Christian, he finds himself at odds with his own heritage, unable to accept Christianity and the fact that his mother may well be in Hell.

Likes/Dislikes: Jacob loves exploring. He dislikes religous debates and has a dyslexic attitude toward emotions - he can't read them. When something is told clearly to him, however, he can easily act upon it.

History:
Jacob was born to two unnamed Jewish historians, one Christian, one Jewish. His mother died in a car accident and his father has been battling to accept her afterlife status as determined by Christianity. As his parents shared many great stories about Jacob's ancestor's (His dad is Jewish, but a convert), and the stories of the Red Sea etc. Jacob has always dreamt of exploring the Land of Israel from tip to tip. He stayed in Israel all his life (15 years)

Up for love: Romance is something innate to Jacob and yet he is unnable to discern people's feelings. He usually falls for girls that model exactly what is outlined in the old testament: Trustworthy, submissive. He runs into problems with things like Women's rights and Freedom of Speech etc. He develops an infatuation with Bonnie but denies it because she is not submissive. Perhaps this is the most enchanting thing about the American... (So he's taken)

Other: Jacob's surname means son of Jonah... figure it out (that's symbolical as well).

Name: Lau Heishiro

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Appearance: Long, wavy black hair and golden eyes. She's of average height (if a little on the small side), thin, and muscular. Per usual ninja gear, she wears black hakama (tied at the bottom), black tabi (two-toed socks), sandals, and a black, long-sleeved wrap-around top. When not on missions, her black scarf is tied around her neck rather than her face. In addition, she has smooth pale skin that rarely sees the sun.

Occupation: Chunin (mid-ranking ninja)

Skills: Ninja skills: shuriken, kunai, ninjutsu, jujutsu, ect. She's particularly skilled in the area of hypnosis, though.

Personality: Cold, quiet, and disinterested. As a ninja, she's used to obeying orders without questioning them.

Likes/Dislikes: She likes fighting, completing missions, sharpening her blades, and occasionally training younger shinobi (ninja). She dislikes commoners, uncomfortable clothing, and stupid people.

History: Her branch of the Hei shinobi clan is directly under the main branch; as such, she has been trained to serve the main branch most of her life. Her mother, Fai Heikuro, and her father, Lu Ten Heishiro, were both labeled traitors and sentenced to death after their marriage (because her father was a member of the main branch and her mother wasn't), but the shinobi left Lau with only a small scar on her left temple. It was a sort of brand that has always marked her for what she is; the offspring of traitors. Nevertheless, she has adapted quite well into the ninja community. Her undying loyalty and lack of failure has gained her a more positive reputation.

Up For Love? No. She's a stickler for rules.

Other: She lives in China, and her clan exists to protect and promote the Zhou family. She speaks Mandarin Chinese, Mongolian, Korean, and Japanese, and always wears her father's broadsword across her back. The only thing she remembers about her mother are her mother's hands. She's a bit touchy about it.

~Tobi~
~Yay for Lau-chan!~

Name: Luca Piero Cross

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Appearance: Luca has short, slightly curly brown hair, bright green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He's tall, wiry, and has definitely inherited the classic Italian good looks...and the infamous accent. I CHANGED THE PIC AROUND TO FIT THE IMAGE IN MY HEAD. ;D

Spoiler:

Occupation: Student/Son of Mafia Boss

Skills: Car stealing/driving, street fighting, singing, guitar, pasta-making, and sewing.

Personality: Luca was raised by the Italian Mafia. As such, he views the law in a slightly different light, and he's not exactly a normal eighteen-year-old. He's harsh, sarcastic, cynical, womanizing, and sly. Most non-Mafia people either fear him, hate him, or envy him.

Likes/Dislikes: He loves tomatoes, good music, pasta, and women. He dislikes burly men, hard work, country music, politics, law enforcement, and British food.

History: He was born and raised in Italy. His mother was shot to death when he was five, and his
father, while not the best parent in the world, dotes on him as best any Mafia Boss can. His sister, Veneci, is a slut, and his brother, Caj, got caught for dealing a few years back. Somehow, Luca has never been directly involved in "The Life", but his love for street-racing could get him in deep trouble one day.

Up For Love? Luca loves the ladies. He's a player, though, so he's never been in much of a real relationship. Considering their clashing personalities, I might set him up with Lau...but he's essentially free.

Other: Luca is fluent in Italian, and, well, he knows enough English to get by. Ya' can forget him knowing Chinese, though. As I mentioned before, he's excellent at street-racing, and his favorite mode of transportation is a sleek blue Lotus Exige. His father often calls him "Piero" instead of Luca, and like any good Italian boy, he kisses the cross. Themesongs: In Italia by Fabri Fibra, L'Italia Di Piero by Simone Cristicchi

~Tobi~
~Yay for Luca-kuuun!~

Emperor Huang | Emperor's Palace:

The flash of light lit up the sky. Emperor Huang frowned. Now, why would that be? There was no storm, and therefore no lightning. Hence, there shouldn't be any flashes of light. The sky was clear of clouds, the stars shining brightly. Huang wondered what this strange new light could be...and then he remembered the prophecy. He sighed.

"General Li," he called, turned away from the balcony. A man in armour approached Huang. "Find the Crone. Bring her to me." Huang turned back to the scenery before him. Valleys and deserts, and plains spread out before him. Green, gold, brown. Huang smiled. "And make sure the Princess is heavily guarded."

"Hai," General Li said. "Yes, my lord. I will do so, immediately."

General Li left swiftly, leaving Emperor Huang alone on the balcony. Huang smirked, eyes on a hill far away. "Where are you, children of prophecy, where are you?" he asked, voice pitched low.

Suddenly, clouds rolled in and thunder rumbled. Huang glowered at the sky. Now it decided to become stormy. He shrugged. It would only make it harder for the children from the prophecy. Smirking, he turned away and stepped inside the palace, listening to the rain pouring down. And now they'll be wet too. Inside his rooms, waited a girl. She looked up and smiled when he closed the doors behind him.

"Shanyuan," she whispered as he approached. Huang smiled and the girl giggled.

Outside, the rain poured down. And somewhere in that rain lay several teens. Dazed and confused, they wouldn't know where they were.

Jemsie Ashford | Sydney:

My latest fight hadn't gone down so well. Sure, I'd beaten him, but I'd also ended up with a nasty head wound. Well, okay. Not so nasty. So it was a cut over my left eye....that was bleeding a lot. So what. I had about two grand in my pocket. That was a good thing, even if I had ended up a little hurt. I sighed, pulling my hood over my head with one hand while pressing a handful of tissues to the cut. It was raining. How lovely.

I turned a corner into a smaller alley and leaned against the wall, resisting the urge to pull the cash out and start counting. I'd closed my eyes for less than a second when I heard the footsteps over the rain. My eyes flew open. The idiot didn't follow me, did he? I sure hoped he hadn't. Frowning, I glanced down the alley both ways--first to my right....then to my left. Two figures stood at the end of it, seemingly unaffected by the rain. They wore masks. Black masks. I stared. I wasn't seeing things, was I? I blinked, but they were still there.

The taller one pointed at me. I thought he might have said something, but couldn't hear it over the rain. The shorter one looked at the other one then ran at me. I fended him off for a moment, blocking the punch he'd aimed at my head, before rushing off down the alley. He was good. But I wasn't going to fight wile a head wound right now. He swiftly caught up, but by then I'd reached the place I wanted to be. A flight of stairs that led up onto a walkway that took me over a busy street.

I made it halfway across before the guys in masks caught up. The taller one had cut me off. I turned back only to find the other one blocking the path. Uh oh. I glanced down at the busy street then back up. The taller one stepped forward. No. I wasn't going to let these two beat me up.....if that's what they were there for. I climbed up onto the railing and looked down. I thought about jumping, but it was kind of high.

"No!"

I looked around, startled. The taller one had spoken and strangely enough, it sounded like a woman. But she'd also made up my mind. I jumped.

Bonnie

I sat at the desk in the front of the library, lost in a book. I let my mind wander into the world of Margret Stohl. I wondered what it might be like to be able to cast spells or fly. I sighed. Books were my escape from the rest of the world.

I let my thought roam like this for a while, until they were interrupted by the huge oak doors opening. I peeked over my book, shut it, then put it down and sat forward in my chair. Not many people came to the library these days, which was both good and bad. It was good because I could wander around and get lost in the isles as I pleased, but there wasn't much income. Plus, I didn't really have much company. I squinted behind my red-rimmed glasses. I could tell it was a female, approaching with a large purse and a sticky, fake smile plastered onto her face. I rolled my eyes and sat back. I'd seen her kind before. They always came by. The people who saw this ancient, stain-glass-window-riddled library and thought they might come and take credit for the charm of it. Thinking they could wander through the isles and pretend like they knew what they were doing... But as she approached, there was something strange about her. She looked a little nervous. I stood up.
"May I help you?" I called. She looked over to me, shook her head, and walked quickly over to the shelves. I pretended to go back to reading, but watched her out of the corner of my eye.

The woman was staring at the shelves for some time, then grabbed two books almost randomly and hurried over to the desk. I took her books and scanned them. I gave her her receipt and sat back down at the desk. As she was leaving, I realized she left something-- A marble.
"Ma'am!" I called after her, but she did not turn around.
I sat back and stared at the marble. It was a faint orange color. I put it on my desk and



*Will finish later*

Name: Maylin Shu-Fang
Age-15
Gender-Female
Apperence-Long, flowing black hair, almost black eyes
Occupation-Princess of South China
Skills-She's a princess, so she's very graceful, and can sew, paint, and do ancient dances. She can write only her name, but can read very well.
Personality-She wants a friend, one who will keep her secrets and like her for who she is, not as a princess. She wishes she could defend herself and her throne, but she has been groomed her whole life to be perfect, and nothing more.
Likes/Dislikes- She wishes she could write, and she loves to paint scenes of her beautiful country. She does not like her fiancee, the prince of North China, and wishes she could marry someone who was like her more, although she doesn't know anyone like that.
History- Her family has always been wealthy, seeming as they're royal, but her family has never been truly happy. Her father was killed, and her mother died when she was young, so she feels alone and desperate in the world.
Up For Love- She wants to find someone who truly loves her, no matter what.
Other- n/a

Luca|Venice:

"Luca! It's been far too long, brother!" Caj greeted me, slinging his arm over my shoulder. I eyed it cautiously; I wasn't entirely sure what it was doing there.

"Yeah, Caj, it has," I agreed. "In fact, the last time I saw you, they were draggin' you down to the station."

Caj frowned, clearly displeased with my lack of excitement. "You know, you should really learn to lighten up. Have a little fun, hmmm?"

"I have my fun, Caj, you know that," I corrected him. He was beginning to get on my nerves, as he seemed to do even when he wasn't around. "There's just a very fine line between my fun and your fun."

He didn't hang around very long after that. I'd probably made him uncomfortable with what he and
Papà called my "Moral Talk." Basically, me saying anything that was ethically correct. Of course, I was hardly an upstanding citizen, but at least I didn't live "The Life". Mostly.

I sighed, leaning back against the wall. I had a big race scheduled tonight; if I lost this one, I could kiss my mini-fortune goodbye. L'inferno, I'd probably end up crawling back to my Papà. Talk about merda colpendo il ventilatore.

Well, I'd just have to trust my Exige to get my through the night. She'd never failed me before, after all...But, the cross hanging against my chest had cooled to what felt like sub-zero temperatures, and that was never a good sign.

By the time I'd grabbed my keys off the counter, thrown my jacket on, and flung the door aside, the reason for my uneasiness was clear. A group of "men in black" had assembled around my house, blocking the path to my car. "Hey!" I shouted, slamming the door shut behind me, "What are you doing in front of my house? And what's with the goofy outfits? Are you SWAT or something?"

Rather than answer any of my questions, they began to close in on me, appearing ready to spring on me at any moment. Fools. I wasn't about to let them, be they FBI, SWAT, CIA, or just plain old police, capture me, Luca Piero Cross! I'd been trained to run my entire life, and above all else, I knew better than to leave traces.

I stood tall as they continued to draw closer; when I saw them tense, preparing to pounce, I ran at them. What happened next left them temporarily dumbfounded. First, I placed my hands on the shoulders of one of them, leaping upward and vaulting myself over their ranks with ease. Then, I ran like hell until I reached my car, and promptly hopped inside, stuck the key in, and turned it, starting the ignition. The moment I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal, I knew, and they knew, they didn't stand a chance at catching me. Not only was my car insanely fast on it's own, but I'd also made sure to stock it with extra NOS for the race.

However, as I was driving along at a beyond-illegal speed, I noticed some very unfamiliar scenery. In fact, the lack of anything other than open sky made it seem as if I was atop a...building?
Moments later, my car and I were diving into one of the canals my country is famous for. My memory goes blank shortly after we hit the bottom at that same incredible speed.

~Tobi~
~Yeah, he crashed into a canal...and he'll wake up in Ancient China! With the car! XD Did I just spoil it...? Oops~

*I'm just gonna start with him arriving in China, okay?*

Dear reader, there are verses in the Christian Bible which predict the recreation of the nation of Israel. But there is no verse that ensures there will be a boy named Jacob Ben-Jonah. There is no verse that ensures he'd be lost in the desert of Israel, tracing the path of his ancestors - the poor fifteen year old. And show me verse that says he was to disappear in a flash of light?

The fields were lush and green. A thunderstorm was brewing overhead. A moment ago, he'd been in Israel. And where was he now. Jacob shivered as he climbed over the hill to get a better view. The sun was low in the western sky and the morning star was nowhere in sight... wait! There it was. And it meant Jacob was east of Israel. He took out the binoculars he'd taken into the desert and chuckled as he wondered how eassy Moses' trek would've been with a pair of these.

Jacob was in China. Or Japan. Korea? Whatever. It was East Asia. Jacob shook his head. Perhaps he was back in the desert right now. Perhaps this was the power of God? Jacob kicked up the grass and sighed. God again, he thought. He was supposed to be taking this seriously, but it was obviously a dream. God hadn't said a word since Jacob had been born. And now He'd choose to speak up? The thunder rumbled and Jacob remembered a snippet of African history. The Kenyan people believed that God spoke with the thunder. Lightning crashes as God's swift angels delivered a few other kids, just like Jacob into the land. He was about to run over and ask for directions - one of them had red rimmed glasses and he thought he saw a cellphone through the binoculars. Jacob was about to run over when the march of soldiers came by.

Jacob ducked behind a bush as they crossed. It helped nothing. They found him. They grabbed him. Jacob resisted and he scream uot in English and Hebrew. They said something in Chinese (or was it called Mandarin?). It soudned familiar to 'shut up'. He guess words translated the same in many languages.

Jacob roared at the top of his voice and kicked the soldier's blade. The horses went mad and he grabbed the dagger, scribbling into the earth in pure English. And as the soldier's grabbed him, he made a dash for the other kids and hurled the dagger in their direction. Someone scream and watched him get dragged away. Jacob laughed. If one of them turned out to be the Ghost of Hanukkah Past... he would know he was dreaming. But do you ever bleed in dreams? And how is it that you can blackout in a dream? The cold rocks scraped his feet as the soldier's dragged Jacob across the dirt. It started to rain.

*Please correct me if I rushed this or didn't get the point*
*I may edit this later, but I wanted to post so I don't get left behind*

Lau Heishiro | Ancient China:

"Oi, Lau, you done with that?" Ling Yao Heishiro, the greatest pest on the planet, whined at me. I glared at him over my bowl of half-eaten pork dumplings, wondering if it would be prudent to kill him where he sat. Unfortunately, Ling was the son of Yin Heishiro, and it would be considered treason of the worst sort to kill him. A true shame, indeed.

"No, Ling, I am not," I replied, gritting my teeth to prevent my saying anything. Technically, we were members of the same branch, and he was my cousin, too, but I still wasn't allowed to insult him.

"Pleeeease? Mother's making me go to on that mission or whatever with the rest of you today, and I can't do it on an empty stomach!" he complained, trying to feign cute-ness. However, with his extremely narrow (and often closed) almond eyes and shaggy bangs, he looked more like a treacherous fox than a cute wolf pup. His long ponytail wasn't helping him much either.

"Well," I said smoothly, "If you're going to lead us one day, you'll need to learn how to use your energy more wisely. Ninjutsu requires stamina and clear chakra, you know."

"Aw, not you too, Lau! You sound like Mother," he pouted, leaning forward to poke me in the forehead. I grabbed his finger and squeezed it tightly before it could make contact. "Owowowow!!" Finally, I released his finger, standing up abruptly and leaving the cavern. Navigating the caves we resided in was no easy task, but I'd long since memorized their lay-out.

That simpleton's company was the last thing I needed before a mission. He called himself my "friend", but it wasn't the shinobi way to become attached to anyone. Our dangerous lifestyle made it impossible to keep us all alive and intact, and there was no telling when someone would turn out to be a traitor. We all worked on a need-to-know basis, and usually, we didn't need to know.

A blinding flash of light greeted me the moment I took a step out of the cavern. What...? The sun isn't usually so..bright...The sun wasn't what was blinding me. Rather, it was a bright flash in the distance. But, what could cause such a bright flash? Certainly not lightning, not when there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

I rushed back through the caves, knowing my superiors would want to hear about this. However, about half-way, I stopped. Why should I tell them? No! Those are traitorous thoughts, Lau! Are you trying to get yourself killed?

But...It was about time I did something for myself, and I had a feeling this would change...Well, everything. So I ran, praying to the gods I wouldn't regret that decision.

~Tobi~
~Sorry I've kinda been delayed. School's started up again...DX~