Book Smarts (Arai and Mika)

Arai smiled at Mika reassuringly, letting her know it was all OK to get carried away. Arai thought Mika's critique on the food was justified. Arai devoured the rest of her sandwich, handing the cook a roll of bills and coins for their food. She would sit a while, letting her food settle in her stomach. There was nothing like a quality lunch after all.

"It's okay Mika..." Arai said, a soothing tone in her voice. "You don't have to apologize. It's good food! And as for the books, I understand getting excited! Fiction is a great genre!" Arai patted her book happily. A gust of air blew through the shop, tossing a few strands of black hair over Arai's shoulders. She smiled, enjoying the relatively cool breeze. It wasn't too often one would get a breeze such as that through a desert. It felt good against her pale white flesh.

"You know, we are all a bit weird..." Arai said, patting Mika's shoulder. "Some more than others, I grant you..." Arai waited a moment before grinning humorously. "Such as myself! I'm probably the most strange person in Sunagakure!" Arai winked knowingly at the shy girl next to her, sighing contently as the warmth of a full belly spread through her. Today was a good day, she thought. She met someone who she could talk to, she found a good book to read, she had a full belly... What more could a girl ask for? Mika seemed to prove that she was her Yin to Arai's yang, so to speak but that was just fine. She enjoyed Mika's company. She just needed to crack open that nervous shell she hid behind... Get to know her for real.

Mika smiled softly as she listened to the girl reassure her that it was ok to be weird and enjoy food and reading something that very few outside those in her clan had ever done. Even her Sensei's in the academy had not been very supportive with her seeming to believe that such a submissive personality would ever make a decent ninja often making discouraging remarks that caused Mika to seriously reconsider being a ninja but every time she thought about dropping out she would remind herself that they could not judge her by their standards. She was a Toshino and Toshino did not allow the words of others to restrict their abilities.

Sometimes Mika wondered if anyone even remembered that not all Ninja where brutally strong, nor where they those who would  rush into danger without a single thought. Sometimes they where the Ninja who focused on keeping those idiots alive. Mika shook her head to rid them of the depressing train that her thoughts had taken. She was just as good as any of those knuckleheads that had mocked her in the academy. She had proven that when she passed both Genin exams and started taking Missions. She might be as strong as the others in her class or even those on her team but she was smart. She knew her weaknesses and was able to counter them by relying on her teammates strengths. She smiled as she thought about the mission she had just completed with the sneaking into the bandit camp. Take that you bullies! She thought as she let a grin spread across her face whipping the depressed look from her face as she thought about it.

She looked up as she leaned back in her chair as she tried to allow the food to digest in her stomach before she did anything else. "Sorry was just thinking about the Academy. Sometimes I forget that I am not as weak as they say I am. Just because I am not some muscle bound moron. Didn't mean to get so melancholy on you though" Mika said laughing slightly before she focused back on the topic of conversation.

"Fiction is the best, I have been working on a book of my own when I have some spare time between missions or when we are down since we do not always have anything to do during the downtime. I haven't gotten very far in my editing process but I am finished with the rough draft." Mika said softly as a bright red blush spread across her cheeks. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized what she had just admitted. She hadn't even told her family about her writing since even though they where understanding she was not sure they could understand her passion to write.

'How?' She thought. 'How am I so comfortable with this girl?' she asked herself before she answered herself. 'Because she reminds me of me. Only she is much more outgoing. If I did not know better I would swear she was from the Toshino Clan what with her balancing my quirks with her own and accepting with my faults as is'

"People in the Academy are bullying you?" Arai was shocked. How could anyone bully this girl? She couldn't understand it. She'd have to do some checking the next time she passed by the academy. Give those little charlatans the scare of their life. That would teach them to bully her friend, or anyone for that matter. Give them a boogie-man to be afraid of. Or Boogie-woman as the situation may be. Arai smiled when Mika said she didn't have to be a muscle-bound fool to be a good ninja. This was true, but the fact of the matter so many ninja chose the easy way, to bulk up their bodies in order to gain the ability necessary to "excel" in the ninja world. How misguided they were, she agreed. Not too many ninja focus on the little things in life; claim they don't have the time. They fill it all with training, missions and duty. What one  tends to forget is when that's all there is in life to a person, they eventually forget there's more to life. A sad existence. One Arai couldn't fathom for herself. She doubted anyone who tried could without living through it first.

On that note, Arai gasped, then hugged Mika excitedly when she explained she was writing her own fiction story. She had always wanted to write her own, but between family, training and all that good stuff, she never found the time. This was great news! There were so many thing to discuss! Ideas on characters, plots, sub plots, all the goodness that makes a book worth reading! She was intensely curious now. She pulled away, beaming.

"Mika! You've been holding out on me!" Arai giggled jokingly. "What's it about? Magic? Monsters? Magic monsters? Don't leave me in the dark, now!"

Mika blushed slightly when the girl mentioned the people at the academy bulling her. It was something she was used to  by now but sometimes she forgot that to others it was not something they wanted to put up with or even would have allowed. "It isnt so much the kids that are the problem but the senseis at the Academy. They seem to be under the impression I am weak even though if they ever actually took the time to think they would realise I am just different than they are not weaker." Mika said with a slight glare on her face as she thought about the treatment she recieved even from the other Genin that she knew.

When she was hugged by the girl she blushed even more so and hugged her back slightly before she let a small smile spread over her face. "So far I have its about this girl who was raised all her life like a normal person by her family only on her 15th birthday to turn into a Dragon. She then finds out that she was kidnapped from her real parents and that this isn't even her world." Mika said blushing shly as she listed off the things that she had so far going on. While it wasn't a good description it did cover the first chapter of the story.

It was the teachers was it? That was even worse. No... It was unacceptable! Teachers are supposed to set examples for their students, not downgrade them for their differences! No one should be forced to take that kind of abuse, ESPECIALLY from a trusted adult such as they. Arai would find these people and give them a reason to stop. She just needed to figure out how...


When she heard the synopsis of Mika's story so far, Arai's face brightened once again. It was such an original idea! If written right, Arai would be the first to throw her ryo at the book in an attempt to buy it.


"Wow! That sound amazing!" Arai grinned. "Tell me as soon as it's complete! I'd be honored to proof-read it. Give some pointers. That is, of course, If you'll allow it." Arai was finding that she was enjoying Mika's company more and more. Sure, Arai could talk to people and sure she was kind but what she had lacked was a true friend. One she could confide in and talk to. Everyone she tried to connect with kept her at arm's length. Likely due to the curse that tainted her blood. Despite the cheerful demeanor she held on the outside, the wolf-girl craved true companionship. At least, until now. She felt that she had found a friend in Mika. A true friend. Perhaps a BEST one.


"I had a story idea once." Arai confessed, waving over the cook who had been listening in silently as he prepared his ingredients. "It was about the sun and how it had a profound effect of jutsu. How it gave people super-human abilities. Well, it turned out that the sun we saw in the sky WAS a jutsu and the light it created radiated chakra that granted us these ninja powers." She turned to the cook who had came over to the counter. "I need another sandwich to go. Thank you." She said and the cook got to work again.

Mika smiled slightly at the thought when she heard the girl wanted to read her book. She had never had anyone outside her clan express interest in her work and even within the clan they sometimes wondered about her and why she was so interested in writing when she was a ninja. Mika smiled as she decided to do something she had never done before. "If you want I can let you read it when I finish it. Its not really good. The main character found out that she was the heiress to the Dragon Kingdom when she finally made it back to her world and that a war had broke out while she was gone between the dragon clans and she had to somehow unite the clans again before the Dragons became instinct." Mika said with a smile.

Mika tilted her head when she heard the other girls idea for a story and had to admit it was actually a really cool idea. "I would read it if you wrote it. That actually sounds really intresting."

"Nonesense!" Arai protested as Mika downgraded her own work. "Its only in its first stages, like coal before diamond! You'll get there, I promise. And even if this one didn't turn out good and that's a big IF, the next one you construct will be even better." Arai smiled brightly at Mika, then at the cook as he was putting the last finishing touches on her other sandwich. Her younger sister is going to be sooooooooo pleased when Arai presents it to her. The look she imagined made her giggle lightly to herself. She then laughed out loud when Mika said she'd read it if Arai wrote it. She imagined her words and Mika's chasing each other in an endless loop. It was an amusing sight.

"And I'd write it if I had time." That's when Arai noticed how low the sun had gotten. The moon would begin to take it's place in the sky in a few hours but they surely had enough time for a little spar.

"Hey Mika, do you think we could get in a little sparring before the day is over? I know it's a little weird to ask, but between you and me, my family requires I do it. You know how parents are when they're angry right?"

Mika smiled slightly when she heard about being sure that her story would turn out good and even if it didn't then the next one would turn out better. Mika couldn't help but smile when she heard that. It had been a long time since anyone had encouraged her to do something and more often than not it had to do with her ninja skills not the other skills she possesed. When she heard the offer for a spar she let a small smile spread across her face as she thought about it. Even if she lost she could at least get some practice in something that she really wanted to do. With a sharp nod she pushed herself away from the table before she looked at the other girl when she mentioned the angry parents thing.

"That is very true, my parents do not get angry with me often but when they do it is never a pleasent experience." Mika said as she stopped to think about the other girls words and then hoped she would be a ble to at least be some sort of challenge.

Mika seemed to agree with Arai suggestion, causing the wolf girl to get up as well. She thanked the cook and headed out into the village. Assuming Mika would Follow, she would lead them to the training grounds where, strangely, there was hardly anyone else around. Oh, there was a few people, but most of them were training solo, attacking the various wooden dummies that dotted this area of the sand. Arai led them to the middle where a large space of land, at least 30 meters, was free for their spar. Arai would lift her hands up in a defensive stance, ready to fight. She would let her friend make the first attack however. That's usually how she sparred anyway. She honestly thought Mika would be a great sparring partner. Despite her demeanor, she seemed quite strong. Not to mention fast, ect. ect.

"Okay, Mika. Lets start with just fist-fighting for now. We can move on from there, if you want." Arai offered. She wanted to access her body's physical limits before they moved up to more complicated combat involving chakra and jutsu and bloodlines. Speaking of which, she had never asked what Mika's actually was. Then again, nowadays with all these missing ninja running about, one can never be too careful. She decided to drop the thought and focus on the fight ahead.

Mika bowed slightly to the cook and thanked him gratefully for the food before she quickly followed her new friend to the training grounds. When she got there she listened carefuly to the rules that where set and after doing so stood their for a few moments in a defensive stance that was commonly known through her clan by the Chriyo-shi members since it was based on the speed required to dodge versus the strength to weather the blows that would fall. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of a way that would allow her to at least give agood show since this was one of her weakest abilities. Hand to hand was her worst ninja skill simply because she did not have the skills required to make it useful. Deciding the best way to do this was to at least attempt to land a hit after all she may not be the strongest but she was fast and sometimes quantity could be quality if one played their cards right.

She rushed forward towards the other girl aiming for the girls left shoulder but balanced so that even if she missed she could spin around behind the girl and continue from there unless she was caught.