New Beginnings ~Team #6~

[Tensei Kaori]

((OoC: If you're interested in "mood music" for the thread, I wrote this post to "Morning" from the Naruto OST))

Mmm, sleep....I don't want to go to the Academy today.... were the only thoughts that went through Kameko's head as she turned over in her bed, pulling the covers over her eyes to shut out the light.

"Kameko!" Her mother shouted from downstairs for the third time. "Kameko, it's time to get up! Don't you remember what day it is?"

Of course I remember, Kameko thought, irritated. Today's the day I become a Genin. Now let me go back to sleep.

....

"Kyaaa! Today's the day I become a Genin!" She shouted excitedly, rocketing out of bed with energy which, two seconds ago, she supposedly didn't have. She didn't want to be late today, that was for sure!

A few moments later, she was dressed - she had painstakenly laid out her outfit the night before, fresh from the laundry and just ironed - and ready for the day - well, almost. There, on her dresser, was the thing she had worked so hard until now to earn: her Konoha forehead protector. Smiling, she tied it on with trembling hands and stood in the mirror a moment to examine the effect. There it was, above deep violet eyes and shining out from curly, shoulder-length brown hair - the gleaming silver plate etched with the generations-old symbol for the proud shinobi of the Hidden Leaf: her very own Konohagakure Forehead Protector.

"All right!" She cheered, striking an energetic pose in the mirror. "Let's goooo!!!" With that she ran downstairs for breakfast.

* * * * *

There was no way Kameko could keep her compusure as she made her way from home to the academy. She had said goodbye to her parents - her mother had tears in her eyes, and both her mother and father had never looked prouder of her - and was now quite literally skipping through the streets of Konoha, despite her high-heeled sandals and the short pleated skirt that was fluttering as she moved in the morning breeze. She giggled as she remembered her mother's initial reaction to the outfit - until Kameko had told her that she did, in fact, have shorts on. "What kind of ninja would I be if I didn't think of..." she trailed off and slowed to a halt.

There it was: the Ninja Academy building.

First she smiled, then giggled. "Yaaaay!" she cheered as she jumped into the air and took off in a full run towards the building. "My first day as a Genin! Let's gooo!"

* * * * *

Not surprisingly, Kameko was one of the first Genin to arrive at the meeting. Emotions varied in the room, from extremely nervous to just as excited as she was. She said a bright "Ohayo" to the people she passed and took her favorite seat - in the front row, all the way on the end.

All right, let's get this started! I can't wait!

* * * * * * * * *

Tensei Kaori lounged casually against the wall, looking around at all the other Jounin gathered to test the freshest batch of Graduates. She couldn't help wondering who here would wind up with a fresh team on their hands, and who would send the children in their care back to the academy. Kaori herself had failed the last three teams to come her way - those children simply weren't ready yet, and frankly, she had been surprised that they had made it as far as graduation. She hoped this time would be different; that this time, her students would prove themselves worthy to be called shinobi. But only time would tell.

Finally moving from her place on the wall, Kaori approached the person sitting at the large desk in one end of the room. He was looking at a mass of papers: the lists of teams and the details of their members.

"So, Hokage-sama," she said with a smile for the friendly, older man known as the Ninth Hokage, "What kind of team can I expect to lead this time around?"

[Kiri]

Nadameru yawned and blinked sleepily up at her ceiling. She could hear birds chirping happily outside her window, telling her it was morning. The girl sat up and rubbed her eyes, stretched, and crawled out of bed.

Nada cocked her head to the side, staring at her calendar for a few moments. Her eyes rested on the colored circle around this day on the calendar, as words below marked (with several exclamation points) its importance. Today she would become a Genin. She dressed quickly and smiled brightly at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair.

Picking her forehead protector up off of her nightstand, she tied it around her neck. Examining her reflection, she grinned. She looked like a real shinobi!

"Na-chan!" her mother called. "Breakfast time!"

"Hai~!" she squeaked in response, sliding her door open and running down the hall to the kitchen. Both of her parents were already there. Her father smiled at her as she sat down across from him at the table.

"Ohayo, Na-chan," he said brightly.

"Ohayo!" she replied as her mother set food before her. "Itadakimasu," she said, starting to eat immediately.

Taro chuckled. "Ahh, our little Na-chan will be a Genin today!" He rested his chin in his hand, pride shining in his eyes as he watched her. His expression changed and he looked upward in thought. "I wonder, though... what kind of people will be in her group ... maybe she'll have a mean sensei!"

Nada squealed in protest. "I don't want a mean sensei!"

"Don't tease her," Nada's mother scolded, whapping the back of her husband's head. He laughed and apologized, and Nada giggled.

Finishing breakfast, the small, soon-to-be Genin got to her feet. "I'm going now!" She hugged both of her parents.

"Good luck!" Taro called as she scurried out the door.

Nada took off at a run toward the Academy, excitement coursing through her. The building came into view and she hurried inside, but slowed as she neared the classroom door.

Trembling, she made her way inside and took her seat at the back of the room. Feeling more and more nervous by the second, she folded her hands on the table in front of her and fixed her gaze on them.

Red-orange eyes passed over her classmates, and she wondered which ones she would be grouped with. Would she be able to get along well with them? She sank down in her chair and bowed her head. All this suspense was making her sick.

[Tensei Kaori]

Kameko was bouncing on her seat, watching everyone arrive, waiting breathlessly for when the teams would be announced. She stopped, however, when she saw a particularly nervous-looking classmate enter. Homura Nadameru-chan was her name, and even though Kameko didn't know much about her, she couldn't help but wonder if her classmate was okay. Waiting for Homura-chan to sit down, Kameko slipped out of her seat and sat down next to her with a smile. "Hi!" she said brightly, hoping to help ease some of her classmate's anxiety.

[Kiri]

Nada's head shot up as a girl sat down next to her and gave an enthusiastic greeting. She turned to look at her new companion with wide eyes. The girl looked familiar ... Nadameru knew her name, but she couldn't quite remember. She was bad with names. Ka... something?

She opened and closed her mouth a few times before words finally came out. "O...o...ohayo," she stammered. She wasn't used to being talked to. "I... it's exciting, ne?"

[Kiel]

Buyo Keitaro sat down and waited patiently. Anyone looking would see that this was an almost unbearable strain for Keitaro; his face almost beat red as if he was holding his breath.

Keitaro wasn't the most patient of students. Above almost all else...he hated waiting.

"Can't...wait...much...longer...need...to graduate...badly..." he muttered under his breath.

He saw Nadamaru walk in. His heart skipped a beat. Nada-chan was one of Keitaro's best friends (which said a lot...since he had few). He almost leapt out of his seat when he saw her, but stopped when he noticed how nervous she looked.

Maybe she's worried she won't graduate...heh, not me...I'm gonna pass for sure! Totally sure super indelliable never gonna not happen sure thing! Nothing our teacher can throw at us will surprise me...I've studied for like...forever! he thought.

He decided he'd go and tell Nada-chan not to worry, that If Keitaro was gonna pass sure thing, then Nada certainly had nothing to worry about. She was, after all, a decent student.

Then he noticed she was talking to another student. He tried to remember the girl...Kameko? Yeah, that was it. He was about to go over and talk to her when Kameko caught her attention...Keitaro slumped back in his seat.

"Shouldn't interupt...would be rude...kuso...where's our teacher any-dang-way?!" he grumbled.

[Tensei Kaori]

"I... it's exciting, ne?" Homura-chan stammered. "Yeah!" Kameko said with an enthusiastic nod. "I can't wait to meet our sensei." She spotted someone who looked like he was trying to make his way over to where they were sitting - Buyo-kun, she thought - and waved brightly, hoping to get his attention. Don't sit by yourself, come join us! She wanted to tell him, but it was too late. Tokugawa-sensei, their warm, motherly homeroom teacher, had stood up with a clipboard in her hands.

"Everyone, quiet please!" she called out, and the dull roar in the classroom subsided. "Congratulations on passing the first step to becoming full-fledged Shinobi, your graduation from the Academy." Kameko frowned. What was that supposed to mean? Weren't they all already full-fledged shinobi? "The forehead protectors given to you," Tokugawa-sensei continued, "are proof that all your hard work has paid off. You've earned them.

"Now, before you can begin to fulfill your duties as Konoha's newest Genin, I have a few things to tell you, which you may or may not know: First, you will not be working by yourself. You will be divided into groups of three, which have already been selected to ensure that, in terms of overall ability, every team will be balanced. Second, each team will be assigned one sensei from the Jounin ranks. These sensei will guide you in your growth as shinobi, and should the need arise, protect you."

What does that mean? Kameko thought worriedly. Surely they wouldn't deliberately put us in danger? Her fears were put to rest when Tokugawa-sensei continued.

"And third, you can stop thinking of doing dangerous - or what some of you may think of as the more 'exciting' - missions for some time now. So don't complain when you see what you'll be doing until you gain more experience."

Kameko wasn't sure if that made her feel better or not, after all.

"Now, I will assign the teams."

Kameko listened eagerly for her name, but it didn't come up. But finally, one name caught her attention.

"Team number six: Buyo Keitaro -" Buyo-kun! Kameko had been waving to him earlier! She wondered who he'd be teamed up with. "- Homura Nadameru -" Homura-chan! Now that Kameko thought about it, she had seen those two together. That's great! She thought. They're friends, and they get to be together. "- and Ichimu Kameko." Kameko grinned broadly. "Homura-san, we're on the same team! It must be destiny that we met earlier today!"

The rest of the teams passed unheard by Kameko. She was too busy looking forward to being with her new team. When the class was dismissed, she jumped up and, scanning the crowd of mingling Genin, found Buyo-kun. Smiling, she waved him over.

[Kiri]

Nada glanced away from Kameko for a moment and noticed Kei-kun on the other side of the room. Smiling, she gave him a small wave. She wondered momentarily why he was sitting all the way over there, but she didn't have long to think about it, because Tokugawa-sensei came in.

The small graduate listened with growing anticipation. The whole thing seemed like it was going to be okay. She had been a little scared before, but now she was just excited.

"Now I will assign the teams."

Nada sat up a little straighter, waiting for her name to be called. She fidgeted and tried to be patient as the list went on and on.

"Team number six: Buyo Keitaro--"

Kei-kun! Nada squeezed her eyes shut and crossed her fingers. I want to be with Kei-kun, I want to be with Kei-kun, I want to be with Kei-kun!

"--Homura Nadameru--"

She gave a little squeal and quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. Thankfully, she didn't have too much time to be embarrassed as the third member of her new team was announced.

"--and Ichimu Kameko."

"Homura-san, we're on the same team! It must be destiny that we met earlier today!"

Nada smiled brightly at the girl next to her and nodded. This wouldn't be bad at all! Kei-kun was her friend, and Kameko--she now knew her name for certain since the teacher had said it aloud--was so nice!

The rest of the names were read, Nada barely hearing them, and then everyone was dismissed. She was about to get up when Kameko jumped to her feet and waved Keitaro over.

[Kiel]

Keitaro heard the announcement of team 6. He couldn't believe his ears.

Nada-chan and Ichimu-san?!

Keitaro grinned happily. He couldn't have asked for a better team! He jumped out of his desk and shot his arms in the air with enthousiasm.

"Yahtah! I'm with everybody!" he shouted.

He turned around to notice that his entire class has staring at him, as was his teacher.

"Eheheheh...gomen ne" keitaro blushed and sat down quietly. He caught the eyes of his other teammates and grinned big. He gave them a thumbs up whenever he could. Seeing that he was being waved over by both of his new teammates, he got up and sat down beside them, beaming that he was now part of an awesome team.

Keitaro, along with the rest of his classmates, were divided slowly into three-man teams. Once the teams were decided, Tokugawa-sensei told them that they would now meet their Jounin sensei.

Each team was givin a location to meet their teachers. Soon, all the other three man teams had left the classroom. Keitaro wondered why they hadn't left yet.

"Oi, Nada-chan? Shouldn't we get going? I mean, we don't want to be late-" Keitaro was cut off as she showed him the slip of paper with their loaction. It read:

Classroom B, I'll meet you, wait. Tensei Kaori

"C-classroom B? That's right here! So we've just got to wait?"

Getting a great team, and now not having to search for a location...everything seemed to be coming up roses today.

[Tensei Kaori]

Kameko couldn't sit still. She bounced up and down, moving around all over the place. "What a great team!" she exclaimed, giggling, when the rest of the students had left. "I'm sooooo excited!"

She stopped. "....but where is our sensei?"

[Kiri]

Nada giggled as she watched Kameko bounce around. The enthusiasm was contagious. Her eyes wandered to the door and she wondered when their new sensei would get there.

Suddenly, Kameko stopped bouncing. "...but where is our sensei?" she wondered.

"She'll... probably be here soon," Nada said thoughtfully. She hoped she was right.

[Tensei Kaori]

Kameko paused, her hand on her chin, thinking. Then her eyes brightened. "Maybe we have to find her!" She exclaimed.

[Kiri]

Nadameru screwed up her face in thought. "Find her? ...you mean she might already be in the room?"

[Tensei Kaori]

"Exactly!" Kameko said with a nod. "A shinobi should be able to blend in with any surroundings, right? So she might be hiding right now, waiting for us to find her!" She skipped over to the teacher's desk and looked behind it. "Nope, no sensei under there," she said. "And even if we don't find her," she giggled, "it's more fun than just sitting around here, isn't it?" She tipped out the cup holding various pens and pencils on the desk, looking for a summoning tag. "No sensei there, either..."

[Kiel]

Keitaro stared blankly at his teamates, who were now searching about the classroom for their new Jounin sensei. He wasn't sure whether he should look around for their teacher as well. While he'd never admit it to Nadamaru or Kameko, he was atrociously bad at finding things. He'd lose his keys at least three times a day, how was he supposed to find a cleverly hidden person?

"Ano..." he began, "are you sure that our sensei is hinding here, Kameko-chan?"

She didn't seem to hear him, she was determined to find there teacher in the room. Keitaro turned to Nada-chan, who was giving glances across the room, apparently searching as well.

"Alright, if you insist..." Keitaro said. He began to look around as well.

Sensei...sensei...where could you be... he thought. As he searched, he hummed a tune to himself.

Then, something caught his eye.

He bent over near the chalkboard. There was something odd about the teacher's desk. Something off about it. Then, he noticed a brightly coloured bit of something sticking out from one of the drawers.

"H-hey! I think I foud something!" he called to the others.

<OOC:> Okay everybody. I can't tell you how sorry I am for leaving this thread hanging for so long. I'll try to be more dillagent with my IF posts. Kaori, I hope you got my eamil the other day, I'd been having some problems with proboards. It seems to be gone now.

[Tensei Kaori]

Kameko blined. "What is it, what is it?" she asked, skipping over.