Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Naruto, and this is just a fan fiction with loose connections to the actual show.

A/N: As the title suggests, this chapter is going to be about Vince and Annie, so let's see what they haven't told us about. :)

Chapter Six: Azure and Viridian

Annie's POV

After that incident, things have gotten better. The next week, when we practiced together… we actually managed to practice, and not only that, but we managed to practice together! I can't believe I'm saying this, but me and Vince are actually getting along now. And even though it's only been a week since the day we fought, all four of us have gotten so much stronger together. It's amazing how great they are at their specialties. And it's so easy for me to help them too. We're starting to connect with each other more easily. Even Reyna, is starting to start conversations on her own now. I felt so comfortable with these people. That's probably why it was so easy to tell them about myself.

"Hey Annie," Vince said as we ate some of dad's cookies after an intense practice, "I'm not sure how I should phrase this… so that it won't be too blunt… but why do you live on a farm?"

Taylor and Reyna both smacked their palms onto their foreheads.

"What he means to say is..." Taylor started, "...um, why hasn't your dad sold the farm to the government, so they can use the area?"

"I heard they're willing to pay a lot of money to get this last piece of land for their construction." Reyna added, "I feel like I would rather live in a regular house than a farm."

"It's not too great of a story but I can tell you how it is with me, my dad, and this farm." I said, thinking back to that day before I was enrolled into TCTA

RING RING RING RING!

I rolled over and opened my tired eyes.

RING RING RING RING!

I pulled the pillow over my head hoping it would buffer the noise.

RING RING RING RING!

Oh shut up already I'm awake! I slapped my hand onto the alarm and groaned as I rolled over, successfully dropping myself onto the floor with a thump. Like every morning I reluctantly got out of bed. I walked over to my mirror to tie my hair into a ponytail and put on some clothes. Satisfied with my appearance, I started out the door.

"Annie come downstairs I got your pancakes ready!"

"Coming right down dad!" Dad's pancakes are the only incentives that can get me up in the morning.

"Morning dad." I said as I reached the end of the stairs.

"Good morning." Though he sounded happy to the normal ear, I sensed something different in his voice.

I quickly sat down and eagerly accepted the plate dad offered me. I drooled at the sight of the soft, warm discs of gold, as I poured a large helping of syrup. As I ate, I notice my dad glancing at me every now and then. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Annie, I want you to go to training school."

"What do you mean dad!"

"Honey, please listen -" I didn't let him continue.

"We can't afford to enroll me into training school, and we don't have to."

"Annie please-"

"I mean it dad! You don't have to do this. I'm not a kid anymore. I know I can't be a hero. I know I have to support our farm!"

"Annie", I looked up at him and decided to hear him out, "Please, trust me. I know, that you've been dreaming of being a hero since forever. I know, you struggled to make the decision to continue your education. I know, that it will be a big mistake, to pull you away from your dreams."

I was almost convinced. But then I remembered, "But what about the-"

"Money?," Dad finished for me, "I already thought of that. I've been saving money for a long time now, preparing for this."

I couldn't think of any other reason not to go. But I still wasn't at ease. "Dad, I might need a little time to think it over."

"That's fine with me. I want you to make whatever choice you want. Just know that I'll only be happy if you're happy with your choice."

After I finished my meal I washed my plate and headed out towards to fields. Although the work is tiring, it's also very quiet, and peaceful. It helps clear the head, to make room for new thoughts. I began to think about how we've gotten where we are now.

My mom disappeared when I was a year old. I don't remember anything about her, and I havn't learned much since then. Dad doesn't like to talk about who she was, or what happened to her. I can't help but think that he doesn't tell me what might hurt me. Maybe my mom abandoned us. Maybe she wasn't a good person. Or maybe she left because of me. All I know is that after she was gone, my dad lost a lot of things. That's why we live on a farm. It's really small to be honest, and we don't make much, only barely getting by each year. But I don't care. I've lived on this farm for as long as I can remember. It's not just a home, it's a part of my memories. Dad said memories are things we have to hold on too. They're not things we can sell. That's another part of dad's past he doesn't like to talk about. That was what dad told me, when the government wanted to buy our house at first. But dad doesn't seem to trust the government to begin with. It's more than that. He despises them. So every month, when the men in black suits knock on our door, I go to my room and dad opens the door. Sometimes there's shouting, but either way, eventually the men go away.

I have been planning on going on the path of education once I graduated my basic academy. Education is the safest choice. It paves the way for a stable supply of money, and if I want to support of farm, I need something stable. On the other hand, I had been dreaming of being a hero since I was a little kid. How could I not! A hero's life is full of adventure, action, and surprises. I didn't want to live an ordinary life.

I soon worked up a sweat so I decided to roll up my sleeves, revealing the tattoo. An intricate blue design laying a little below my wrist. I don't know how I got it but it has been there for as long as I can remember. Dad said angels came at night and placed the mark, though obviously I can't believe that. Even then, I can't help but smile at the thought. Dad always has a way to make me happy. He knows just what to say and do to make my tears go away.

"Dad," I said as I reentered the house. It was already late and the sun was setting behind me. "I'll go!" I ran up to my dad and gave him a hug. He was a little surprised at first but quickly

embraced me as well.

Vince's POV

I used to think me and Annie were complete opposites. But we're a lot more similar than I thought. The day after she told us her story, we decided to meet up again. Now that we're more friendlier with each other, the four of us hang out outside of school and our training sessions. I feel I could tell them anything. That's why I was ready to tell my secret too.

"Man this food is awesome!" Annie said as we ate our lunch at a small cafe.

"Not as good as 's cooking though." Taylor said.

"I don't think anything can beat his food." Reyna added.

"That's not fair, you haven't tasted his competition yet." I said, "I bet you guys'll like my moms food more than 's!"

"Oh really?" Annie asked, "Prove it!"

"Of course, let's go to my house, and we'll let Reyna and Taylor choose their favorite!" I announced.

"I'm not going to say no to good food." Taylor said.

And that's how we ended up in my bedroom/living room. I told mom that my friends would be coming over before I left the house so she had food already prepared when we got there. After we ate and after mom left for work, all the was left was the four of us and a dead silence.

"Pretty nice place you have here." Annie eventually said.

"No need to lie I know it's a dump." I told her.

"It's not a dump…" Taylor said, "It's… just… cozy?" He said, looking to Reyna for help.

"It's okay, really." I said, "I just thought I should show you how I live since Annie showed us how she does."

"That's cool," Annie said, "Then what's your story. Every cr*ppy house has a tale to tell."

And so my tale was told, reminding me of that day before I was enrolled into TCTA.

"Wake up Vince breakfast is ready!"

I heard my mom calling from the room over, but I didn't want to interrupt my sleep yet.

"Vince!"

"Coming mom!" I groggily opened my eyes at stared up at the weary ceilings. Slowly I sat up and turned to get out of bed. Another day another dollar. I slipped on some clothes that seemed the most bearable and could smell my mom's awesome breakfast immediately. The only thing that puts a smile on my face every morning is my mom's delicious pancakes.

"Hey mom."

"Good morning Vince. Here's your breakfast."

As I sat down I grabbed the syrup and poured a...overly generous amount of it.

"Vince, I have something I've wanted to tell you."

I looked up from my plate and saw her serious expression, "What's up mom."

After a short silence, she decided to let it out,"I want to enroll you into training school."

I almost choked on my pancakes when I heard what she said. I gulped down some water before opening my mouth to object, though she wouldn't let me.

"I want you to go to training school. I know, we were planning for you to continue your studies, but I know that you really don't want to. I know you are holding in your urge to want to learn combat, for the sake of getting money for the two of us. I know we live in, not so good conditions, but Vince, I trust you. I know it's a risky career, but I believe in you."

Once she had finished I spoke up, "Mom, you're right about me wanting to go to training school, but I know I can't. What about the rent? We have to pay that. We are already a little behind."

"It's okay, I can handle it. Last night my boss decided to give me a raise. I also found a great job, so I'm quitting my other one. Things are looking up for us Vince! Instead of being a 3 job family, we can be a 2 job family!" She stood up and took her plate to the sink. "Vince, I want you to follow your dreams. Think about it for a while. I don't need your answer yet."

We sat in an awkward silence for a while as I finished my pancakes. As I reached the door to leave for my newspaper run. I grabbed my bike and set out on the road. I've become so used to these trips, my hands automatically know how and when to turn, leaving me with my thoughts.

I don't know anything about my dad. Something happened to him when I was a baby and me and my mom have never seen him since then. Mom doesn't ever mention him, and I don't want to force her to tell me something she doesn't want to. Instead I'm left with my own thoughts on how my dad could have been. Was he kind, or cruel? Did he leave us for our sake or his own. Maybe he didn't want to have a kid. Or maybe mom took me with her to leave him. He could have been abusive. Maybe he burned the tattoo on to me.

My mysterious green tattoo, a cool but random design on my forearm. Mom said aliens came from space and put the sign there to remember to bring back their overlord. Mom can say some of the most craziest things! I began to remember all the time I spent with my mom. How she would always look at the brighter side. How she can easily brighten up a bad day. How she always smiles even though we have a suckish life. She doesn't want to live a successful life. She wants to live a happy one. As I threw the last newspaper, I sped back home thrusting the door open, to see my mom making dinner.

"I'll go."

And with that she immediately put down the dish and came to embrace me. I felt a little embarrassed, but I wanted to make mom happy, so I hugged her back too. The future looks a little brighter now. I might grow up to be an epic hero. And I'll make mom proud. Who says we can't be happy and successful? I'm going to be a legend.

A Lesson on Weaponry, with:

"Being an old man, like , I have not fought an enemy in much too long. My tired old bones are not fit for combat any more. But my knowledge is still fit to pass on to others."

"Weapons can be used in combat normally, as you would think. The throwing of knives, the clashing of swords, the swinging of axes. However weapons have a greater potential as well. Nowadays, most weapons are enchanted. This allows them to cooperate with you and your element or magic. A compatibility is built into them. So a person with wind nature can use a weapon with wind compatibility, and it would strengthen their attacks. You release nagare into the weapon and it assist you as you create your attack. Weapons also lessen the time needed to form the move. Thus, you can make a wind slash with only a strike of a sword rather than taking a few precious seconds creating the attack normally. However, your nature does not necessarily have to match the weapons nature. For example, imagine a lightning user who happens to hate lightning. Rather than forcing himself to use a lightning weapons, he can use an earth weapon, and the weapon would use earth instead of lightning. It will take the lightning nagare and change it to earth for you. One downside is that it would take much more nagare than average for any attack so you will have weaker blows, for more energy. It's not an efficient idea but it is still out there. In addition, there are weapons made for magicry, like the most common one, wands. These also speed the time needed for spells, though they don't have any nature compatibility. It absorbs mana as other weapons absorbs nagare."

"That is all for today. Like magicry and chikara, weaponry has a vast variety. There are thousands of types of weapons, and hopefully you'll all find one that fits you. You're weapon preference describes who you are as a person, and as your instructor, I want to get to know all of you."

A/N: The next chapter is one of my favorite ones. Taylor is my favorite character, and next chapter really gets on your feels! It hurts me just thinking about it!