Chapter 2: Morning Surprises
The morning sun gently rose over Mt. Aleph, casting its shadow over the peaceful village of Vale. As early as it was, people were already awake, preparing for another day. But today was a special day for the children; it was the day they began to fully train to be a Ninja.
It was a truly exciting day for Isaac. He had been lying fully awake in the bed he shared with Felix, his soon-to-be rival. He had awoken before sunrise and couldn't go back to sleep, with Felix constantly tossing and turning in his sleep and with the excitement rushing through Isaac's mind.
He felt disappointed too. None of his parents were going to be there on his first day… The boy frowned and looked over at Jenna, who was sleeping soundly on her own bed right beside him, clutching tightly to her teddy bear. He felt jealous of her yesterday; seeing her mother carry her home. He had wished his mother was home long enough to be with him, to be able to carry him home. But, whenever she did come home, she quickly had to leave again, on another mission. His mother was a First-Class Ninja, a Kuuyin. Unbelievably, she was a higher rank than her husband! Perfectly skilled in the ways of the Ninja, strong willed and determined, she was always there, protecting the village from Demons and thieves.
Always there…but never here, Isaac thought sadly. He doesn't even see his father much either. Kyle was a village defender and a night watch guard. When enemies were about to invade Vale, or if enemies somehow leaked into the village, he would act quick to dispatch them. He slept during the day, so he often needed peace in the house for he couldn't fall asleep too easily. Isaac would be sent to Jenna's or Garet's to stay during the day, then spend the little time he had with his father during supper before he had to get to his post.
Isaac knew they loved him, but he had never felt their love for him. He wished, just once, that both his parents were home for one day. Just once.
Felix moaned, turned his body towards Isaac, and continued to sleep.
Heavy sleeper… Isaac thought, smiling. Felix was hogging the golden-haired boy's side of the bed, now Isaac had nowhere to sleep. Unless… he thought, grinning. He poked Felix in the shoulder. No reaction came from the other boy. He nudged him. Still nothing. He then pushed Felix back to his side and still Felix didn't flinch.
He pulled the blanket they shared towards his side, leaving none for Felix, and snuggled back to sleep. But he couldn't fall asleep, so he mostly just thought about how the day will go.
"It's time to get up, everyone!" sang a sweet, cheery voice. Someone pulled open the drapes, shining sunlight upon Felix's sleepy face. Yawning, he stretched out his aching body, hitting someone beside him. It was Isaac.
Mumbling, Felix got out of bed and got ready for breakfast. Fried eggs, toast, cheese and milk. All of them delicious.
"Get changed, it's time for school," his mother told him after he was finished.
He grabbed his daily clothes but, they were too dirty from yesterday. Groaning, he just grabbed a pair of black pants and a dark green tunic with a black leather belt. He put on his leather arm guards his father had given to him for his fifth birthday, then buckled his tool pouch around his waist. Then he grabbed his wooden sandals and waited outside.
Isaac came out, looking a little sleepy, but also very excited. He wore his casual light blue sleeve-less tunic, dark blue shorts, black wood sandals, and leather finger-less gloves. His golden-brown hair dangled in every direction, making it look all spiky and odd. Strapped around his right leg was his black utility pouch.
Felix could see all the cuts, bruises, and scratches on his arms from yesterday.
Smirking, Isaac greeted Felix with a taunt. "Lets have a race to the training grounds, Felix!"
Felix smirked back, "Alright. You know where it is?"
Nodding, Isaac pointed to the base of Mt. Aleph. "I think it's there."
Just then, Jenna and her mother came out of the house. Jenna's shiny violet hair was tied up in her usual ponytail to prevent it from getting in her face. Her hair was as long as Felix's, and Felix never tied it up or anything. He preferred to let it stay down where it often covered his face. "Tie your hair back," his mother had always told him, but he would respond with, "That's what girls do." He didn't want his hair to be cut either. He liked long hair, not short. Short hair felt… weird to him. It was like a feeling of nakedness.
Jenna jumped down to the boys with a wide smile. "Today's the day!" she squealed happily. She reached down and adjusted her outfit, which was a pale red tunic and light purple shorts. Around her waist was her brown leather utility pouch.
Felix's mother locked the door and smiled at the children. "It's time to go," she said cheerfully.
"Mom, Isaac and I are gonna race each other to school," Felix said as he stretched his legs.
"I wanna come too!" Jenna cried.
"We'll all go," her mother said, smirking at the boys. "Let's see who wins. Ready, Jenna?"
Jenna nodded. They all prepared to sprint…
"Ready?" Shina began.
"On your mark…"
The three children tensed with excitement as Shina was about to say… "Go!"
All of them moved as quick as lightning, zooming through the village. Felix leaped to the rooftops, a quicker route and a lot safer. Below him, he saw Isaac rushing around unwary villagers and bounding over fences with grace. Jenna and his mother was nowhere to be seen. But that didn't matter; only beating Isaac was on his mind.
He pumped his legs with as much adrenaline he could muster. He lowered his upper body, decreasing wind resistance and increasing his speed. Good thing the houses were built in a relatively straight line leading towards the mountain. Once the training grounds were in sight, Felix grinned and leapt farther between the gaps of the houses. He knew he was going to be first.
Once near the edge of the last house, he bent his legs as low as he could and jumped fully into the air, towards the training area.
He landed hard. Still need to work on that landing… he thought, cringing at the prickling pain climbing up his legs. There was a single pole with the flag of Vale tied to the top, in the center of the battle ground. He ran towards it, just as Isaac emerged beside him, running towards the same goal. There were other kids and adults around but they ignored them and continued on.
They ran evenly side by side, panting with their efforts. Once they were almost to the pole, they stopped suddenly when they spotted Jenna's wide grin in front of them. She held up two fingers, making a "V" for, "Victory!" she said happily.
Gaping in awe, Felix and Isaac both stared at her. "H-How'd you get here so fast!" Felix cried.
Jenna giggled. "I guess I'm faster than both of you!" she said. Her mother appeared beside her, laughing at the two bewildered boys.
"Looks like Jenna beat both of you. Now look who's the fastest!" she smiled, stroking her daughter's hair.
"Aw! Mom! You helped her didn't you!" Felix cried out, angrily.
Still smiling, Shina looked away. "Umm, I don't know what you're talking about…" she said in an innocent tone.
"MOM!" Felix yelled. Then he pouted and turned his back towards her, arms crossed against his chest.
Jenna laughed. "Felix's mad now!" she said.
Shina reached out and mussed her son's hair. "Don't take it too hard, little man. We were just having fun. Besides, you were so quick I could hardly stay ahead of you," she told him, making him feel a bit better.
That put a small smile on Felix's face. "…Really?" he asked, uncrossing his arms.
His mother nodded, "Really. In fact…" She reached out and mussed Isaac's hair as well, receiving a protest from the other boy. "You both were quick. I'm surprised you two could run so fast."
Smiling from the compliment, Isaac looked happily at her. Then he fixed his hair.
Around them, many other kids their age, and some a little older were starting to gather around. Among the crowd, they spotted Garet's family where they were all greeted by the villagers. Garet's grandfather was the village's Chief. Old, wise, and skilled, he was the leader of Vale. Garet's whole family, (except his sister), returned their blessings to everyone there. They arrived last to Shina's little group.
"Shina! Splendid day, don't you think?" the old man greeted cheerfully.
Garet met up with Felix and them. "Hey guys, we were slowed down because we had to greet everyone," the little red-head said, a scratching the back of his head nervously.
The shrine bells began to ring as soon as Felix was about to say a remark.
"Welcome!"
A young woman with shining blonde hair landed before everyone, catching their attention. She wore tight purple pants, a sleeve-less dark blue top that showed her belly-button. On her arms were dark purple gauntlets, heavily armoured. She wore a shining silver Genyin head piece tied around her forehead.
Grinning, she announced herself , "Hello everyone. I'll be the Jouyin's sensei this time! Now, we should quickly begin training!"
All the adults nodded. Turning towards their children, they all said goodbye and good luck.
"Behave, you two," Shina warned Felix and Isaac. Then to Jenna, "Be careful, honey. Watch your brother."
Jenna hugged her and said, "I will, Mommy. I'll make sure he won't do nothing bad!"
Smiling, Shina patted her head, and once again, mussed the boys' hair. "Be sure to come straight home for lunch." Then left, waving along the way behind her.
Once all the adults were gone, the Jouyin teacher motioned all the children to gather around her. "Hello children. My name is Ida Suharu. I'll be your sensei until you graduate to Kiruyin!" she greeted the children happily.
Today's the day… Felix thought with a smile.