New Things

"I'm heading out now, Granny! If you need me, just ask Kyo and I'll be back faster than...well, something really fast!"

Ichika sets down a mountain of towels and sprints out the onsen's front door, only to reappear a few seconds later to wave goodbye to the old woman behind the counter. Once she's there, she can't keep herself from spouting out a deluge of well-wishes and several reminders regarding the onsen's upkeep, seeming to forget that the woman had managed well enough without her.

"And don't push yourself too hard while I'm gone!"

"Go on, girl! You talk as if you'll be gone for good when those old ears will still be able to hear you yapping a mile out. Now shoo."

The bubbly girl giggles and scratches her head sheepishly before turning around to exit for real. With her destination already decided, she races through the street and towards the forest without delay. However, she's sure to wave and yell over her shoulder at nearly everyone she passes. If they didn't know any better, it really would seem like there should be a big going-away party or maybe a birthday. She was meant to travel to the Land of Fire to prepare for the joint Chunin Exams, but there was still some time before that. That fact didn't stop her excitement, of course. For the past few days, it seemed like she'd been gifted with boundless energy, and was determined to use it all to make up for the chatter she'd be missing out on while she was away.

Buildings eventually give way to thicker and thicker vegetation, though the sound of running water never quite fades. In fact, it starts to get louder as Ichika approaches a small clearing with a short, cascading waterfall. It was only a little ways away from everything, but the atmosphere was entirely different. Even to normal sounds of the forest seem to come to a halt as the animals seem somewhat wary to enter the clearing. If she stopped long enough to think about it, the genin might find the absence a little eerie. However, she's far too occupied glancing around for the one thing she was certain should be there. Huffing, she sucks in a deep breath and brings her hands to her mouth to make a funnel.

"AAAAAAAM-"

Before she can finish yelling, a hand slips over her mouth and squeezes it tight so she can't speak while another holds the edge of a kunai to her throat. None of that keeps Ichika from trying, though. Muffled words manage to escape her, almost entirely unintelligible besides an excited "finally." Her dojutsu had activated on instinct, but there was only one person she knew who could be grabbing her like this, so she wasn't too worried. And if it wasn't them, then they'd be coming soon enough to deal with whoever snuck up on her.

After a few moments of fruitless jabbering and the notable absence of blood gushing from her throat, Ichika only becomes more confident in her assumption. The nail in the coffin is when her attacker lets out a dejected sigh before letting her go.

"You know, it's no fun if you don't at least act scared. How did you know I wasn't some scary villain here to kidnap you, huh?"

Ichika turns around, smiling ear to ear. Before her is an older girl with white hair and deep red eyes. The outfit she wears doesn't look like the standard uniform of Yuga's shinobi, being a sort of short black robe layered on top of yet more black. The part that stands out is the bits accented in red that make the outfit look bloodstained. It couldn't be more different from Ichika's outfit, which seemed to be as bright as the girl's personality.

"Heh~ How could I be scared when I know it's just you? I mean, that's like being scared of Granny! Oh! Before I forget..."

The older girl scoffs and frowns at the comparison. Her gaze takes on an intensity that Ichika is too preoccupied with patting herself down to notice. Eventually, she produces a small bag which she spills into her palm. Several crystal candies with a reddish tent fall out. Without a second thought, she takes the older girl's hand and presses the candies in before popping one inside her mouth with a smile.

"They're made with water from the Valley! I, uh, think that means they're good for you? Anyway, they're super sweet and good! Have some, Ami!"

Ami holds one of the sugar crystals up to her eye so she can scrutinize it. She carefully places the piece of candy on her tongue and rolls it around her mouth before loudly crunching down on it. Her mouth forms into a satisfied smile as she licks her lips.

"Pretty good. Now, I've got a present for yo-."

"Really!? What is it? Wait, don't tell me! I'll guess! Since it's you, I bet-"

Ichika's mouth is once again covered by Ami's hand. The older girl rolls her eyes but smirks in amusement while waiting for her to calm down.

"Heh, I might feel a little bad if you don't act that excited when you actually see it. Now just shut those pretty eyes while I get it ready."

Excited about her present, Ichika resists the temptation to ask more questions and clenches her eyes closed. Even so, the energetic girl can't keep her body from fidgeting or her mind from racing in anticipation. Hundreds of ideas come and go of what might be waiting for her when she finally opens her eyes. It was like she'd explode if Ami didn't give her the word soon. It's as that thought comes that she notices how quiet it's become again. It didn't sound like anyone else was even around, let alone preparing some kind of surprise. It could be that her friend was just being unusually quiet, but that didn't explain why it was taking so long. If it was something big then she would've just stored it in a scroll, after all.

Just as she becomes tempted to peek she notices a low, windy sound. It doesn't fit in with the normal rhythm of the forest. Rather than some creature, It sounds more like...something heavy swinging.

Ichika's eyes shoot open just in time to see a curved, crimson blade about to collide with her. Her pupils constrict as she ferrokinetically yanks the sickle off of its path and jumps backward. She isn't given time to acclimate to the situation as Ami pulls back on its tether and redirects it, forcing her to continue evading with no time to catch her breath. The same isn't true for her friend, who approaches at a comparatively relaxed pace with her mouth spread into a toothy grin.

"Didn't really think you were gonna weasel out of training, did ya?"

She snickers as Ichika can only pout and wheeze slightly in response. At least it seems that way until Ichika makes a quick gesture and several arcs of red chakra force Ami to let up for a moment as she evades them. Of course, at her greater skill level, it isn't too difficult. One second she's about to be diced, and the next she seems to fizzle out of existence only to reappear a bit closer, all the while still making some time for her own attacks. Barrage after barrage is released as the older girl encroaches on Ichika's position faster than she can retreat. Finally, Ami appears in front of her and swings with a sickle Ichika hadn't taken note of as the other tangles around her leg and forces her to the ground. The blade grazes her cheek, drawing just the slightest bit of blood, and stops.

"Sis: 1, Brat: 0. They won't go this easy on you during the exam, you know."

She playfully sticks out her tongue and basks in her victory, expecting Ichika's usual praise and affirmation of how cool she is. However, the younger girl seems distracted as she looks at something behind Ami. Glancing up, she sees the sea of red that had been evaded now hurtling towards both of them. She looks back to Ichika, who's now sticking her own tongue out, with a grimace and grabs her to pull them both out of the way just before they collide. Mounds of dirt are kicked up by the impact and the area once again falls to silence for a moment before it's broken by the sound of coughing and shouting.

"Damn it! I just got my hair done!"

"Well, that's what you get for giving me such a mean surprise! I mean, it was a little cool, but I thought I was getting a cake or something!"

"That wasn't the surprise, idiot! Not all of it at least."

Ami separates from Ichika and takes a moment to dust herself off. Once she's somewhat satisfied with her appearance, she pulls both sickles together and presents them to the younger girl. Now that she can get a better look, Ichika sees that they're actually both connected by the tether in the form of a kusarigama. Perhaps more notable is the fact that this definitely wasn't Ami's usual choice of weapon, which meant...

"Oh! Uh, thanks! They're super cool and I'd love for you to teach me to do all that fancy stuff you did, but I'm a little confused. It's not like I've used anything like this before, so I-

"Just take it. It's never bad to have a way to cut things. Especially if you want to use those tricks I showed you."

She carelessly tosses the twin sickles at Ichika, prompting the girl to scramble to catch them. They feel unnatural in her hands and the thought of their use makes her feel a little sick. Fighting was one thing, but the image of her toying with someone the way Ami did wasn't an appealing one. Even less so when she thought of using some of the nastier curses that had been demonstrated to her.

"I guess you're right...but why don't we work on something else today? You saw how good I've gotten with those blades!"

Ami's eyes narrow at Ichika. Her dissatisfaction is clear as can be and it causes Ichika to nervously fidget as she looks away. Sensing her discomfort, she says nothing and instead lets Ichika stew for a while before letting out an overly drawn-out sigh and shaking her head.

"Sure, sure. You'll get the hang of it on your own. Just think of all the good you could do if you eased up and you'll feel bad you didn't do it sooner. Anyway...you still got some of that candy, right?"

"I already gave you a bunch! Hmph! You're lucky I brought so many."

---

---

Ichika's mouth is stretched to its limits thanks to the wide, beaming smile plastered on her face as she eagerly shakes hand after hand of her new teammates. It was hard to not be excited about the situation, and if she wasn't trying to contain herself she would've brought them all into a hug.

"Oh, wow! It's great to be on a team together! My name's Ichika if you didn't catch it. I'm from Yuga - you should totally visit sometime by the way! The atmosphere is the best and there are lots of nice people. Uh, not that I think other people aren't nice. You all seem super nice! Wait, let me give you something to show I mean it!"

She only looks away for a few seconds as she gets her bag of candies ready, but that's all the time her teammates need to disappear on her. At least one of them, anyway. A girl with bandages had been right in front of her a second ago, but now she was nowhere to be found. Although still present, her male teammate looks cautiously between her and their leader as he seems to debate fleeing as well. Ichika can't help but feel a bit deflated, actually quiet for a moment. That doesn't last long she's instead filled with resolve.

"Grr! I be it was those nasty rumors! Well, I'll just have to prove her wrong! We're a team so that means we have to get along no matter what!"

Motivated by her small speech, readies herself to give chase despite not having any clue where her missing teammate vanished to. Luckily, a hand on her shoulder stops her before she can get too far. not

"That's not quite it, I think. She just seems a little...shy. Now, instead of running off on your own, why don't we start our first mission as a team by having Kita and you find Masu?"

"Oh! That's a great idea, Lady Kimiko! I knew you'd be a great teacher!"

However, her plan doesn't seem to change much. Instead of running off on her own, Ichika rushes over to Kita and grabs his hand so that she can drag him along with her. Whatever protests he has will have to wait to be heard until she's tired herself out enough to listen.

"Don't get too carried away and meet back here in an hour if you can't find her!"

"Okay!"

As the pair gets farther and farther away, Kamiko discreetly glances at her side to see a distinctly Masu-like aura only a little ways away. Instead of calling her out, she decided to allow the girl to tail her as she oversees Ichika and Kita's search. It would at least give her a good idea of how well they worked together while she thought about how to approach Masu about her "shyness" amongst other things she'd noticed about the trio. Anyone could help strengthen their bodies and refine their techniques, but she hoped to look after their hearts and minds as well.