1

Silence . All is calm and quiet. Nothing but the breeze though the blossom trees spreading the sweet sent around. Nights are always like this in Niji. Except for one thing. In a palace, for a village everything will change !

" Promise me", she said. Promise me that when our grandchild is born , you will give it a name worth of a ruler." The queen of Niji was on her death bed in a dark stone walled room, whose only source of light was a small candle. " I promise the name I give will reflect the land in the greatest way."

The Queen did not answer. He blew the light out and lowered his head to pray.

"My Lord Senzo, your grandchild has been born, it's a boy, but-" said a servant. Senzo abruptly rose from the floor. " But what?" " There is another one, but it Doesn't want to come join its brother." "We don't know how much more the princess can take." said the servant frantically. Senzo ran to his daughter.

He ran though the halls. He had to get there he just had to. He heard a cry right as he opened the door. " Looks like she was waiting for you to come." said the women tending to the babies. She handed the girl to him. He stood there with the baby in his arms and then. She opened her eyes, and smiled a toothless grin, it began to rain. He looked out into the night sky. " Amaya." "Your name is Amaya."

he said holding back tears " and your brother is Kizame". The girl handed him the boy. "Yes I think these names suit you two very well." both babies slept peacefully in his arms.

Wind. I can fell it touches my skin gently, like tiny little prix from leaves that your face had just brushed up against . I dip my feet in the water it relaxes me. I feel as if I belong there. I forget everything in the water. I lose myself in it. If only I could go just a little more ( as she tries to go in farther) - "Amaya, Amaya, What are you doing." . " Huh, What is wrong Sora?" said Amaya as she turned around. " Lord Senzo is looking for you." said Sora annoyingly. Sora, a small slender short haired blond, with gray blue eyes, and a stuffed husky doll named Ookami was Amaya's servant and best friend. " Grandpa's looking for me, why ?" wondered Amaya. " Hey Amaya, grandpa is getting impatient, OH !! You got here before me Sora."

Yeah, You have to be faster than that Kizame !!

I'm gonna make you eat those words, race you back !!

They are so weird, thought Amaya. Amaya began to walk back slowly to enjoy the scenery. Utopia, she thought. Niji truly was. Everyone had freedom, everyone was individual, and everyone was happy. Amaya always walked around the village in complete awe. She loved to watch mothers walk with their children, and try to run errands. She loved to watch the fisher men at the dock haul off fish in hopes to make some extra money, everyone was given a good amount of money from the government for food, health, money for your business, and they paid you for working. She enjoyed seeing the builders build house, fix houses, and take on projects asked of them from their bosses.

Even though she enjoyed seeing people's day to day lives she couldn't help but envy them. Life for them was perfect they lived happily with the freedom to do anything, they could make mistakes- which were encouraged by the lord since he felt that they grew from their mistakes- they could marry freely, they could have a job or not, they could have children, as many as they wanted, they could chose their own job, but she could not. She knew her place.

As Granddaughter of the lord she would be privately schooled with her bother, and the servants. She could only marry those approved by the lord and council, and she could study whatever she wanted on the side, but her main studies were the laws of the land, business, environment and economic studies, and learning how to rule by spending every other day with her grandfather. " OH !! I forgot about that." she said eagerly.

She knew better than to think badly about her position. " I should be glad, I will one day be the one to keep this Utopia in balance." she thought . She knew better than to think that too. Everyone knew that every other generation got to rule and the council and her grandpa would have to chose between her and her brother. She knew she had the better chance, Kizame was too child-like. She shook her head furiously. " What am I thinking !! Kizame is dedicated, hard working and loves the people." . She knew that even though she was the more studious, sensible and observant one of them, that Kizame was more social and more involved with people. He was the most sensitive, caring , and non-competitive one. She figured that he had just as much chance as she did. She chuckled to herself , " I might be the girl, but Kizame defiantly has more feminine qualities"

Amaya walked a little more and then she stopped. She got an uneasy feeling. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her stomach felt as if it was slowly rising up, leaving a horrid taste in her mouth. She knew where she was. This wasn't the first time this feeling had occurred.

"Tora.", she whispered to the wind. Tora was the nickname for a huge wall at the boarder of the village that had a huge tiger eye painted on it . No one knew what the wall was for but trusted the message that was written above the painting.

This all seeing eye protects it's people from the certain death outside it.

It sees all and knows all. It is your savior, your protector, your God.

It is Niji !!

Amaya shuddered. If it was her protector why did it fill her with pain and sadness, but most of all fear. She suddenly realized that she had yet again forgot that her grandpa was waiting. " Uh-oh, Sora and Grandpa will lecture me until I become deaf ." , she said glad to get away from Tora.

After a few minuets

" I ma-ma-made i-it" she said breathless as she reached the palace. She noticed a figure hidden in the shadows underneath a huge cherry blossom tree. The figure raised his hands one reveling a custom pipe, with it's lower half shaped like a cloud and the other reveling a match . He lit the pipe. " I apologize for my lateness grandfather it will never happen again" said Amaya as she bowed.

She suddenly lifted her head and began to laugh. Her grandfather did the same. He did not expect this kind of apology from her. Even though others would have been appalled if she had not given a proper apology, Amaya and Lord Senzo had always had a special relationship. She could still remember the day she had made him that pipe. Amaya was a gifted child, some might have said genius. She was running with perfect balance and speaking in complete, impressive sentences before she had reached the age of one. She was already studying by the age of three and had looked into craftsmanship as her side study.

She spent days looking for the right kind of wood, and varnish. She spent about a week deciding what was the perfect shape to make it into. Finally after a tedious weekend she decided and she went to work. She probably made hundreds of good pipes, but she wouldn't stop until she made the perfect one.

She remembers running straight to his room knocking super hard on his door and spoke frantically about the perfect gift she had made for him. He finally got her to calm down. She even remembered what she said " Here", she said handing the pipe to him. "A perfect pipe for my grandpa" . Ever since that day that was the only pipe he used.

Back to Reality

She hugged him tightly and looked up at him. He was a tall wise looking man, he was famous for his deep gray eyes that gave him a distinguished look. Sora's mom use to joke and say that his eyes could hypnotize anyone, that is way the council would never go against what he said. She continued to hug him ,practically trying to suffocate him. After a moment he sat her down next to him and spoke in a serious manner, " Maya, where were you, I had to start without you and then send your brother away early ."

I'm so sorry

You know the rules.

I know that you can't teach one of us at a time

Amaya looked away sadly from her grandfathers face. " There is a lot for me to do, and I can't stop my day for you, Next time be on time." he said in a smooth, loving voice. Amaya liked when her grandfather spoke this way. It always made her feel better when she was sad. She looked up at him " I promise I won't forget." . She grinned her biggest grin and was off.

She ran past the garden of trees and right into Kenji, causing herself to fall flat on her face. " Sorry, Sorry, Sorry", she frantically said. Kenji covered her mouth with his hand and put his finger on his lips. " You are already crazy and weird, you don't have to be clumsy." he said unemotionally. She quickly removed his hand and gave him a strong glare. " Why can't you be more nice Kenji, your nothing like Sora and she's your sister." she said trying to hold back the urge to kick him. He gave her a smirk and tried to walk away. She grabbed his arm and began to drag him in the opposite direction. " You're not going any where it's training time." He removed her hands and sighed. He knew he couldn't get out of this, even if he did try. He shuddered thinking about what they'd do to him if he did.

They finally got there. Sora was sitting crissed-crossed, holding Ookami and Kizame was already training without them, pouching the sack of flour they used for a punching bag- objects that where related to violence weren't allowed to be used, unless they had another non violent purpose. Sora was the one who suggested the flour sack, she had found the loop hole. Sora quickly got up and ran over to them, " Where were you two, Ookami was worried." she said waving the toy doll in there faces. Kenji winced, " That stupid doll doesn't talk, are you crazy or just a freak !!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Amaya felt as if she should have said something, but all of a sudden Sora smiled. " Don't be jealous Kenji, I will find you a friend just like Ookami." Kenji gave up his efforts and began to train, kicking tree truck. Amaya couldn't help but smirk. Sora was always like that. She some how failed to see the mean in what Kenji and others tried to tell her. Amaya admired that quality she had. It would be hard for her to not pick up something negative in a normal conversation. Amaya always looked deeper into what people said, trying to find the hidden message in every word.

Kizame stopped what he was doing. " Hey do you guys want to go into the forest and train?" he asked hopefully. Amaya didn't like where this was going. The forest was forbidden for everyone in Niji. She and them did train " intensely" there once , but rumors floated around and they decided to stop.

Sure.

Okey dokee !

Amaya became nervous. She had to think of something and fast. Unfortunately they were already ahead of her. " Sora, why are you going, you were the one who said we had to stop, and we all agreed." she said as she reached them. Sora looked ashamed, Kenji looked mad and Kizame looked down at his feet. Amaya hated to do this. Sora was usually the one who was worried about breaking the rules. She was not used to the position of " good little girl". " We're sorry, but we miss training" hard"." said Sora in a quiet voice, this was unusual for her. Amaya couldn't help but agree with them she to missed training "extremely" too. She gave in.

"Yay, Yay, Yay" said Sora in a sing-song manner. Kenji looked aggravate. Kizame looked all too excited. " We have to get way deep in the forest so know one notices anything." said Amaya in a uneasy voice. " You worry to much sis." said a happy Kizame. The walked on for what seemed like hours. " Kay-Kay, this looks far away." said Sora anxiously.

The all lined up in front of a huge Oak tree like soldiers awaiting a command. " You go first Amaya." said Sora. Amaya nodded her head. She looked down and then back up, she needed to be numb, she had to be focused. "Now", she thought. She flicked the tree with her finger sending it flying. It kept crashing into other trees sending those flying too. After a while the trees stopped flying. " Ninety-five trees, knocked down" said Kenji . " Can I be next?" asked Sora calmly. They all nodded

Sora stood in front of her tree she had to be relaxed, she had to drown out other thoughts. Amaya watched Sora. She loved to watch Sora train like this. A red glow appeared around Sora, no it was radiating from her. Sora took one step closer to the tree, she put her hand on it. The tree shattered into hundreds of pieces. Sora brought her hands to her side, the glow was gone. " It shattered onto five hundred pieces" said Kenji. It was Kizame's turn now .

Kizame did even take time to think. He began to run in circles around his tree. At first they could see him, then he became a blur, but in an instant they couldn't even see him at all.

All they could see was the tree tearing from its roots and being lifted high into the air. The wind started to pick up, it knocked them over. Amaya began to yell. This is what she had been afraid of. If he got to carried away he could start a tornado. Kizame stopped but the tree kept going higher and higher until it finally came back down. " One thousand nine-hundred sixty-five point fifty feet." said Kenji lifting himself off the ground. Kizame looked disappointed. " Come on, it had to bee more than that" complained Kizame. Kenji shot him a paralyzing look, " I'm not wrong" he said. Kizame was to scared to argue.

" I guess it's your turn now Kenji." said Amaya trying to ease up the mood. Kenji merely turned to his tree and closed his eyes. He had to be unemotional, he had to be a clean slate, and he most defiantly had to be careful. The others stepped back. Kenji took a deep breath . His and caught on fire, he quickly punched the tree with his palm. Almost instantly it was nothing but ash. " It burned in three point zero nine seconds, should we train some more?" said Kenji. Every one turned to Amaya and Sora. " I think we should head back. " said Sora disappointedly as she saw the look on Amaya's face. " Me too" said Amaya triumphantly.

As they walked back Amaya couldn't help but think about how strange they were. People already thought the were weird because they trained, and they thought it was just push-ups and running laps. No one else had strange dpowers like them. Amaya remembered how happy she had been when they first found out that Kizame and her weren't the only one like that. Amaya remembered how out of place she felt when it was just Kizame and her. It wasn't as if she had just woken up with powers, she had them since birth. Her mother and grandfather said it was best if no one knew, this made her feel as if there was something wrong with her. She giggled to herself. If she was a freak then she was glad. There powers made them best friends. If they didn't have them then Kenji and Sora would just be servants, Kenji and Sora would just be brother and sister. She was happy that they shared a special bond. They were probably inseparable, and she was glad.

" Hey, Amaya are you okay ?", asked Kizame. He put his arm around her neck and was about to give her a nuggy. " What were you children doing out there !" said a unpleasant voice. Amaya flinched it was her mother. Amaya hid behind her brother. It wasn't that Amaya hated her mom. It was just that her mom was a cold woman. She wasn't your typical warm and loving mother. She was a stiff, and didn't talk much, but when she did it was always some type of criticism. " well answer me !" said in an angry voice. She shot them a deadly, and hostile look.

They all felt like there couldn't breath. Sora held Ookami closer and tighter to her chest. Amaya buried her face in her brothers back, as he stood there powerlessly . Kenji shot her back a look just as intense. " What's going on ?" It was Lord Senzo.

They all looked relieved. It was Senzo to the rescue. She walked away as he got there. Kenji raised his fist, " Yah, she better walk away, I was just about ready to kick her - OW !" . Sora nudged him in the stomach and pointed to the Lord. Kenji looked up and blushed, he felt so stupid. Lord Senzo just laughed and ruffled Kenji's hair. Kenji looked displeased. " What did you kids do to make her so angry ?" He asked.

Nothin'

I don't know !

Who cares ?

" We went into the forest." said Amaya guiltily. The others stared at her in disbelief. Amaya just couldn't lie to her grandpa.