Welcome to Gaia! ::

JK rose from her bed, it was a new day and she looked forward to what it might bring her, a soft growl was heard and she looked over at her pet, well she woulnd't call it a pet because the big black cat belonged to noone it just chose to stay by her side. The panther gave another soft growl reminding her that if she continued to rely on the cat's support she'd need to feed it soon.

JK walked outside and looked at the early fogged morning, noone else from the village was up. She stood and took a deep breath, the misty morning chilling her lungs from the inside, it was a feeling that let her know she was indeed alive.

JK took a sword that was hidden in the thatch on her roof and quietly slipped out of the village and into the nearby woods. There she found a nice roomy clearing, and started her morning exercises. She found her inner balence and started doing the kata's that she'd seen the men do. They weren't perfect but they were the next best thing, she swung and slashed at imaginary enemies until the fog had lifted and the sun's warm rays made her sweat. With a final swoop of her sword she bowed to the forrest and ran back to her village hoping to get in without being noticed.

(Here is where the story starts)

"I don't know what your talking about, you know women aren't allowed to practice with the men or with swords for that matter. I was simply taking a walk to look for..."Jk stumbled for a convicing lie, "berries." She said unconvincingly.

She looked at Mitzuto for a moment, "Your not going to tell I was practicing are you?"

"Well it's stupid that girls can't fight, I mean I can fight just as well, as the next guy, and I can out punch almost any guy in our village. Besides where am I going to go, this is my home, sorta."

JK picked up a stone and threw it into the village suddenly a loud, "HEY" was heard, she blushed and ducked her head.

She looked at Mizuto. "What if I were to leave then come back but with short hair," JK took the waist long hair from behind her and started twisting it then tried to visualize what she'd look like without it. "I could cut it then maybe find a way to make my chest flat. Then I could train with the guys, do you think that might work." JK knew she was being silly but she wanted Mizuto to play with her like old times and she did not want to think about what conversation was to come.

As they walked back to the village, JK saw a that most of the village was awake now, Women were outside stirring things in pots and men were getting ready to either go to the fields or practice their swordsmanship.

JK watched enviously as the men practiced, her's may not have been perfect but the men's were even worse.

Suddenly a loud trumphet was sounded and several men on horseback appeared. The one in front opened a scroll and read loudly, "War has been declared on a bordering provence, we need all the men, rice, horse, and meat we can get from this village. You have until tomorrow to have it ready." Then they rode off to the next village,

JK was jumping excitedly she looked over and whisperd,"Do you know what that means, there's going to be fighting, they are going to need to best people they have for this. I should find a way to disguise myself..." The look in Mizuto's face told her he wasn't as enthused about this as she was.

JK was somewhat sobered by the talk with Mizuto. As she walked back to her own hut she looked around, and wondered if she could ever trully leave this village. She watched the soldiers start to gather up their supplies while some decided to lock themselves away for the day with their wives.

As JK walked, she started a plan deep inside her head, a plan that she didn't even dare breath aloud.

As JK walked through the village she noticed how the men would toss her sideways glances and the women would whisper to each other while they looked at her.

JK had grown up by herself after her parents died of the fever. She hadn't allowed anyone to take her in afterward she'd just turned her family's hut into her own. After a while the women in town decided that it was time she grew up to be a lady. They would lay dresses, at her doorway, JK would pick them up but would rarely ever wear them. She prefered the clothing of the men.

When JK was little she use to mimic the men training with the swords by getting a big stick and coppying their every movement. For awhile everyone thought it cute, until she started telling the men what they were doing wrong. That's when the elder came up to her and explained that girls weren't allowed to fight. They were to take care of the men, and breed the next generation to fight.

So here was JK she was stuck between childhood and adulthood. She knew that the single men in town would soon be asking for her hand in marriage, and she knew that only one man would recieve a yes. Perhaps.

As JK walked into her hut the large panther was sitting there eating a wild rabbit it had caught. It ignored JK, and she ignored the cat. The cat came and went at it's pleasure, it didn't depend on her and she didn't depend on it. In fact now that she thought about it, she didn't know why the cat was there. It had followed her from the forrest one day and now seemed content to settle in her hut.

Stepping forward out of her hut, she sighed. Celeste had respect amongst many, despite her own nuances. Looking to the side, she smiled, her large dog, Nari, laying beside it. Shaking her head, she stretched out, the sleeves on her hakama shifting.

Brown hair was tied from her face, her piecing gaze not focused on a thing as she started her daily stride. Sword at her side, Celeste was confident, despite the fact that she still remained unmarried at her age of 18. Either way, it was her choice, so she had no complaints...well, none she voiced outloud. SHe was just more concerned in making sure that tribal inhabitants were ok, making it so she was something similar to a miko in this area...

"Iya....that's it...I'm going on the training fields...at least I might get some amusement...," Celeste shook her head, striding forward. No one had come to talk to her that day, and something along those lines just irritated her...the vestiges of boredom settling in.