Quiet Dusk (Team1 Test)

[Kosetsu Akina]

Just a few more minutes... The sun was finishing it's rotation in the sky. The last activities of the day were being completed, some rushing so that they could return home early. The whole village was beginning to quiet as the dark shadows of the night slowly began to creep upon the mist covered land.

Most of the genins who had graduated had met with their teachers. They had also received instructions on their own test to graduate into a full genin. It had been a nervous day since some knew nothing of their teamates nor their teachers. But a lot had gotten over it and had preformed their tests. Failure didn't seem such a problem now that some had passed.

I wonder how much they'll enjoy doing this thing at night. the jounin by the old tree thought. The older tree was a beautiful sight amongst the smaller trees of the training ground. It's ancient branches reached out and created errie shadows across the clearing in the forest. It stood as a symbol for their village, standing proudly there since the first founding of Kiri.

Zell had his eyes closed, leen frame resting lazily against the tree's deep bronze trunk. This was his favorite time of the day, being the insane insomniac that he was. Though he did like to annoy the other shinobi, the quiet night out in the mist covered forests could beat it all. It was darker then it usually was however. The moon was bust a thin cresent in the sky, providing the bear minimun light needed to see. It was why he hadn't chosen dusk for them to meet, so that the jounin would have enough light to see and talk to them before it dissapeard behind the horizon.

The jounin sighed, allowing his orange eyes to open again. They gleamed in last rays of sunlight, giving him an errie appearance rather then his cheerful one. His finger drumed against his sleeve, arms crossed in a rather bored look. A rustle in the trees drew his sharp eyes to the shadows, a thin smile running across his face. "Almost time then, lets see if my little dogs actualyl show up."
Zell laughed to himself, trying to imagine the annoyed expressions on the genins faces. Having them trudge back up here when it was almost pitch black and expecting them to do a test seemed all too much fun.

[Sejiriku]

Annoyance was one item on a long list of emotions the redhead carried in his head, anxiety and curiousity sailing way over it to top the charts. Sejiriku sighed, his red-gloved hands shifting to gently brush over each item he carried, checking to see if he had everything he needed. He knew he had grabbed everything, he'd checked three times... and even if by some horrible stroke of fate he had forgotten something, he had no time to retrieve it, lest he be late. Being late meant instant failure, and that was not something he was intending on doing.

Half-fingered gloves, kunai, needles, and his chain... He had everything he could find useful... But was it too much? Light-skinned forehead creasing faintly at that thought, Seji let out another sigh. If it did prove to be too much, he could not simply just drop it... That would leave any of his own weapons up for grabs for someone else to use, even against him. This was an idea the young man was not very keen on. He'd simply have to get them so stuck that it would be impossible to take them if in a hurry... That way, he could always retrieve them if he passed... or failed.

Giving his head a shake, Seji let out a small snort of annoyance at himself. There was no option for failing. He had to pass, no matter what it took. You've gotten this far, you'll be able to handle one more field test... Don't doubt yourself before you've even started. It only ruined your chances before. Freckled features took on a grim look of determination as the thought passed through his mind, the dim lighting only managing to accentuate the expression, rather than hide it from view.

He would pass. He had to. It was that simple.

Hands clutching tightly to his chain, Sejiriku lifted his emerald eyes from the ground to gaze around. Hm, he'd traveled further than he thought, the tree being very close... He was close enough now to see the dim figure of his sensei leaning against the massive trunk. No one else had arrived yet... Sejiriku took that as a fortunate sign and approached the white-haired man with some wariness. He did not know what to expect from this man, or his test...

"Sensei..." He gave a respectful, brief bow to Zell to match his polite tone before standing upright again and gazing around in silence. The others would be coming shortly, that much he knew... All he could do was sit and wait...

[Rinmi]

The peaceful dusk was growing ever more quiet. Animals were going to sleep, and the creatures of the night knew better than to be heard. The coolness on her skin was what 'awoke' the young Genin from her meditation in the training grounds. Deep blue eyes cracked open in a calmed state before growing extremely wide at the darkness of the sky.
"Oh dear!" she scrambled up from her crosslegged position on an elevated tree branch, doing a quick once over of herself and checking she had all she needed.

Kunai, needles, shurikin, bow staff. She checked the last off the list by tirling it expertly with her wrist. Should she have brought arm guards? Oh well, too late now! Landing with a ninja's grace on the mist covered ground, Kumiko Rinmi was off at a sprint toward the said meeting point, all the while cursing mentally to herself. How could she let it get this late? A soft growl left her throat as she picked up the pace, an agile blur between the trees.

The single tree's beauty stood out amongst the others, and Rinmi skidded to a hault infront of Zell with a paniced expression.
"Sorry I'm...late?" the last word was said in a questioning tone as large sparkling eyes scanned about for her team. Sagara Suoh was still not here. A relieved expression filled her face and the tension form her slim shoulders was released.

A small chuckle left the short girl before smiling up apologetically at her Sensei before bowing respectfully. The smile suddenly broadened when her brain caught up that Sejiriku Raizure was beside her and she offered a quick greeting word before continuing to breath deeply from her run. The butterflies in her stomach could have possibly been from Seji's presence, but most likely from nervousness.

Rinmi calmed quickly and wore a hard face as she decided to focus on the task at hand. She was a very different girl when it came to serious stuff like this. Not chirpy and expressive, but cool and collected. Her dark blue eyes once more scanned the area about them, searching for any clues as to what their test might be, and also looking for their last team mate.
"Hurry up Suoh...," she murmured quietly in an anxious voice. Although the young man was hardly very nice to her, she felt no desire to see him fail automatically for being late. A nervous glance was given to Sejiriku before continuing to scan the land of Mist surounding them.

[Sagara Suoh]

He stared at his hands, brows furrowed in contemplation. Suoh had acquired a new set of gloves and he had yet to break them in. The leather felt tight and stiff around his strong hands, robbing him of a little dexterity. What's more was that he was again plagued by the dull ache in his bones that came hand in hand with the cold. The blue-eyed boy winced as he opened and closed his hands, dismayed at the sticky, creaking sensations in his knuckles. He'd not been kind to his hands, and had broken them in several places a number of times. Suoh was already paying for his reckless behavior so early in life. He huffed and shook his head... his hands would probably be useless after the wear of time got the better of him.

Despite that, they were all he had and all he needed. Suoh prided himself on the fact that he was self-reliant and didn't need any weapons to take care of himself. His fists, his body, and his will to fight were as effective as any sword or dagger. Suoh's eyes slid shut as he took in a deep, calming breath. He'd put faith in his own ability and will to survive, and hoped that would be enough to carry him through the trials that would come.

But what of his teammates and his instructor? Would he ever be able to put as much faith into them as he did in his own two fists? Suoh wasn't sure, but he was wise enough to know that he would have little choice if he wished succeed. The teen frowned and felt that the outlook was becoming increasingly dark.

Sejiriku was skilled enough, that Suoh knew. But his mind seemed so one-tracked and he was blind to everything else but his mission to become a shinobi. Some might've seen that as a good thing, but Suoh couldn't help but see it as a weakness. But what did he know? His father had constantly told the boy that he had a backwards way of looking at the world. Suoh shrugged at his own thoughts and began to make his way to the meeting point.

Rinmi, she seemed sweet enough, and reminded Suoh a little of his younger sister, but how effective would she be in battle? The blond wasn't one to underestimate the strength of a woman, but he had the sneaking suspicion she'd be too busy fawning over Seji to be of much use. That train of thought lead right back to how blind the redhead was. Anyone with half the sense to look at Rinmi would know how much she adored the boy.

Suoh really didn't know what she saw in him.

And he really didn't know what to make of Zell. Then again, he hadn't had much time to observe him. His head lifted a bit when he caught sight of the three and Suoh was careful to slip into his trademark grumpy expression before nearing them.

A came to a stop to the side and a little behind Rinmi. Suoh swallowed and sent his gaze across the team, settling it finally on Zell.