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It didn't take long for Tomoyo to notice the peanuts that Manndar had opened up. She took a moment to whisper into Shuji's ear before slowly climbing down and approaching Manndar. She stood very still for a moment, not making any noise as she contemplated what she was about to ask.

"Mr. Manndar," she whispered in her squeaky way. "May I share your peanuts?"

Mandar, shuji, Rank does not measure strength, it is just a label given to you by "the man". Shin was deep in thought and what he said just came out of the blue.

Shuji looked over toward Dio and the stranger he was now talking too. Everyone had been swept up in the war, and unfortunately, Shuji had picked a side, even though he didn't have too. He had chosen to side with the rebels because he didn't agree with what the Ichijin wanted to do. Granted, he didn't really accept Chaos' views either, and knew that one day, he might have to stand up against Chaos, which also meant standing up against Manndar, Aona, Kei, Kashin, and many others. He was like a third party, someone who didn't agree with either side, and just wanted everything to be good for everyone else.

Looking down for a moment, he watched as both Risu and Tomoyo filled up on peanuts. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that made Shuji happy. He knew that soon, they would have to train even harder because the Jounin exams were coming soon, and as much as Shuji wanted to make the next rank, to finally be someone in the guild, he knew that he didn't stand a chance as he was now. He had heard a rumor flying around that Chaos was in charge of it, and that he preferred to not do things by random selection. He was going to place them up against someone of his own choosing. With a sigh, he redirected his attention to Dio and the person he was talking too. He had no reason to be concerned, since the war was over, but that didn't mean that there were still some members of the Ichijin clan that were still sore about the whole thing.

"Should we pay more attention now," Shuji whispered the question to Manndar. He didn't want to be suspicious, but he couldn't help it. One thing he had learned in the village so far was that it was hard to trust everyone around you. One minute someone might be your best friend, and then suddenly they thirst for power and decide to attack you. It was quite a disturbing fact to Shuji, but it was something that he had always remembered. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before, and Manndar had been with him at that time.

"What do you think is going to happen to 'us' now?"

Dio said with a hint of confused fear. His friend was silent for a moment. They both looked back at the stars.

"I don't trust Lord Syaoran, even though he is the head... But I know Lord Anihlur and Lord Azure will protect us. Our parents believe in them, the rest of the families believe in them..."

He rested a hand on Dio's shoulder.

"Believe in them too."

Shuji shook his head as he watched Manndar get up and leave. He knew that he had some sort of plan, there was no way it could be as easy as "I have to take a leak." Manndar was up to something, though he wasn't sure what. Shrugging, he looked over to Shin, flashing him a quick smile and a thumbs up. The Genin seemed to be lost in thought, and Shuji wanted to make sure that he was ok.

On the ground next to him, Tomoyo continued to eat peanuts, making happy eating noises the entire time. With another smile, he reached down, petting her back gently as he waited to see what exactly Manndar was up to. He hoped that he wasn't going to start a fight. This place was too calm and serene for that kind of stuff.

Manndar blinked. "Damn, I lost." Manndar said to the two Ichijin. "I was just wondering..... We were sitting over there for at least ten minutes. Were you guys planning to attack us?"

Manndar just had to ask. He only ever seen Masamune and Azure before the war, so he didn't know how the Ichijin acted at all. Then, he met Kumori at the library, and Manndar was surprised at how blood thirsty of an impression he gave. It made him wonder if all Ichijin were like that and that the two listed above were exceptions.

"I came up here in hopes that the altitude will help me clear my head up a bit." Manndar said while he rubbed his head and grinned. "I've had too much to think about, and my training and health has suffered because of it."

Manndar was no longer ill, but he still hadn't recovered his appetite or his normal sleep schedule and it was showing by the bags under his eyes.

"I figured if I could clear my head, then the rest will follow naturally." Manndar stated with a deep yawn, almost taking him off the roof. "Can you give me an estimate about how far away we are from the top?"