Welcome to Gaia! ::

The high pitch nose of the alarm clock rang and echoed through the small house. After some mumbling, a boy rolled out from his bed and blobbed to the ground. He had black hair that almost reached his eyes. He was 16, and was known as Benkei. He yawned and pushed himself off the ground. "Why do we have an alarm set during summer?!" Shouted Benkei, still half asleep. He looked around his room. A messy pile of mangas were in the corner of his room. He had a small closet by the pile, with a computer on the other side of the room. Against the desk that his computer rested down, a shinai leaned on the desk.
"Because school starts in two weeks! We need to get used to this time!" Shouted a girl from another room. She had long black hair that ran down her back. She was also 16, and Benkei's sister, her name was Zenith. She was sitting on her bed, gazing out her window. Small houses the size of theirs could be seen from outside her window, and a paved road separated the houses. Her room had several romance books, and various posters lined her walls.
"Yah, in two weeks!" Snapped Benkei from his room. "Why don't we start this when there are only two days left!"
"Just get ready, I'm sure your girlfriend is waiting for you." Said Zenith while giggling.
"Eh!? She's not my girlfriend!" Benkei's face was red as he pushed himself up. He ignored her laughter, and changed into his clothes. He yawned as he opened his door and walked out into the hall. He shuffled down the stairs, his eyes still half-closed.
Zenith followed him while giving him a threatening look. "Hurry up! Your going so slow!"
"I am? I guess it's because someone woke me up so early..." Benkei yawned, and they finally reached the bottom of the stairs. They went into the kitchen and began to make their meals.
"Hey, Benkei..." Zenith poured the milk into her bowl full of cereal. "Didn't grandpa say he was going to visit every month?"
"Yah, because he doesn't trust us...." Mumbled Benkei in an annoyed tone, as he bit into a pop-tart.
"He's only looking out for us, since they are gone now..."
"..." They both finished their breakfast in silence, then Benkei stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm going to meet Rin now." Said Benkei.
"Your girlfriend~"
"No, she isn't! We're just friends." She laughed as he stomped out of the house and closed the door. "Just friends...."
Soyen sighed and got up as well. She dropped the empty bowl into the sink, and left the house. She saw Benkei walking down the road, towards Rin's house. She yawned as she went in the opposite direction, towards the nearby woods.

TO BE CONTINUED XD

Zenith and Moku could now a see a lake in the distance. The light reflected off the waves in the water. Zenith smiled and ran down to it. She kicked off her sandals and ran into the shallow parts of the lake. Moku followed her, and continued to glance back at the woods, which were barely within eyesight now. He sighed, and began to take off his shoes. He jumped in, and shivered. "See? The water is much better then some trees!" Said Zenith, as she began to dig in the mud and sand under the water.
"It's cold! I like the woods much better!" Exclaimed Moku. He looked around the lake, the light reflected in his eyes. He rubbed them and mumbled.
"The lake is great!" Exclaimed Zenith, as she pulled up globs of mud and sand, examined them, then tossed them behind her, deeper into the lake.
"No, it isn't..." Mumbled Moku. "What are you doing, anyway?"
"Sometimes you can find some cool stuff in here, unlike the branches and acorns in the woods."
"You can find much better things in the woods! And you can hike in the woods, you can't do that in the water."
"Yah you can, it's called diving. You swim under the water and explore..." Said Zenith, tossing another pile behind her.
"Pffft..." Moku walked back to land and sat down, letting his feet soak in the water.
"A ha"! Exclaimed Zenith, as she raced back to the shore, where she sat beside Moku, and showed him a small shell. "See? A snail shell!"
"...That's the 'cool stuff'?" Mumbled Moku, in an unexcited tone.
"Of course, it's beautiful!" Said Zenith, as she examined it closer.
"Whatever you say..." Said Moku, his face turned slightly red. So she likes these kind of things... He grinned, "I guess it's alright, let's look for more?"
"Alright! I knew you'd like the lake!" Zenith ran back into the water, and Moku slowly got up, and followed her in.
Rin then a knock at the door downstairs. She hurried down, but her mom beat her to the door. "It's your boyfriend!" Said the mom in a cheerful tone. Benkei's and Rin's faces turned red.
"We're just friends!" Exclaimed both of them at once.
The mom chuckled, "but you both act so much alike...Oh well..." She laughed as she walked away. "Don't do anything bad!" She called back to them from another room.
They were both in an awkward silence now. "Why don't we go upstairs?" Asked Rin shyly.
"Eh? Uh, sure." Said Benkei, scratching his head while looking away. He followed her up to her room, he looked around. "I haven't been in here for a long time! Usually we're outside,or at my house." Said Benkei, he sounded a little excited as he looked.
"Well, I don't usually like having you over here because-"
"Because she loves you!" Yelled her little brother, as he raced down the hall by her room.
"Shut up!" Shouted Rin, as she slammed her door. Then Benkei's and Rin's faces grew more red, they were now together alone in a closed room. She opened it back up and went back to sitting near him. They both sat in silence for a bit. Then they began to talk about mangas, and the conversation livened up. As the awkwardness slowly vanished, they both became more relaxed, and were able to sit closer. They then got into a conversation about the school year.
"I can't wait for school to start up again, then we get to see everyone again." Said Benkei.
"Yah, and I liked the dorms, we could stay up as long as we wanted!" Said Rin excitedly, as she raised her fists in the air.
"Yah!" Benkei raised his fists into the air as well, and they quietly cheered. "I wonder how everyone changed, a lot can happen over the summer!" Said Benkei.
"Yah, but...we'll still talk, right?" Asked Rin, looking down somewhat.
"Of course! No one can replace you!" Said Benkei cheerfully. Rin blushed and looked away as she smiled.
"Um, be right back!" She got up, and ran out of her room.
"Eh?" Benkei scratched his head. "Did I say something wrong?"
Rin walked down the hall towards the bathroom, she covered her mouth to hide her smile. She walked in, and closed the door. She smiled as she sat down on the floor. "He said I could never be replaced..." She sighed happily to herself. "Maybe he has feelings for me after all...." She shook her head. "No time to think about it though, I gotta hurry back!" She opened the door and ran back. She returned to see her brother in the room telling Benkei embarrassing stories. Her eye twitched and she picked up a manga. "Get out of my room!" She tossed the manga at her brother's head, and he ran out snickering.

TO BE CONTINUED! XD

"We welcome you all back for another year!" Shouted the Dean over the crowds of students. "Today will be a day to rest, and find your classes. Have fun and enjoy the rest of the year!" With this, the crowd dispersed, and everyone began to find each other.
Benkei scratched his head as someone shouted his name. He looked over to see several people. The group was made up of five other people. First was Kenshi, he wore a headband over his head, and had short blond hair. The second was Akisame, he had black hair that covered his eyes. The third was Enma, he had short dirt blond hair. The fourth was Tanzan, he had dark blue hair that went down to his shoulders, and he could barely see because of all the hair. The last was Unsho, he yawned and had dark green hair. Benkei waved to them and ran over. They began to go over their summers. Rin smiled shyly over at Benkei and was about to go join them, when someone caught her by the arm. It was Zenith, "hey Rin! Come on over here!" She dragged Rin away without much of a fight to her group of friends. There were four there.The first was Kame, she had long light blue hair that went down to her waist. The second was Gisho, she had blond hair that went down to her shoulders. The third was Soyen, she had shorter dark blue hair. The last was Eshun, she had long black hair that went down her back. They began to all talk and Zenith grinned slyly as she watched Rin glanced back over at Benkei several times. "Hey Rin, I need to talk to you." Zenith pulled Rin over and snickered. "So your like my bro?"
"Eh?! No I don't!" Exclaimed Rin loudly. The group looked over at them.
"What are they talking about?" Asked Soyen.
"Who cares, it doesn't concern us. We should focus on something more useful." Said Kame, as she rolled her eyes at Zenith and Rin.
"But you saw Rin's 'eh!?', that wasn't any old 'eh'!" Said Soyen, giggling. "She must have a crush."
"It's her first day back to the academy, after a long summer, who could she already have her eye on?" Asked Kame, she seemed more interested in the conversation now.
"Maybe she liked the person all summer." Said Gisho.
"A burning passion!" Exclaimed Eshun. She giggled as she held a book closely to her. "Just like in the books!"
"You read too much." Said Kame plainly. "But now I want to know what their talking about."
"What happened to 'it doesn't concern us'?" Asked Soyen in a mockingly tone.
"That was before this, before it caught my interest."
"Benkei! Your taller now!" Shouted Tanzan angrily.
"Your still the shortest!" Laughed Benkei.
"No I'm not!" Tanzan grinned, "but I could beat almost everyone last year in an arm wrestle."
"Except me." Said Benkei, picking his ear.
"And you even used all your body weight too!" Laughed Kenshi.
"He's all bones, so his body weight isn't enough." Said Benkei.
"Well, I'll beat your eventually!"
"You know you can't." Said Akisame. "You know he's-"
"It's tree boy!" Exclaimed Enma.
Moku joined into the conversation. "Tree boy, how was summer?" Asked Tanzan.
"I spent most of it with Zenith!" Said Moku, he sounded as if he were bragging.
"Who?" Asked Kenshi.
"Benkei's sister, she's over there!" He pointed through a crowd and Kenshi could see Zenith.
"Oh." Kenshi was almost dumb-struck by her.
"That's her?" Asked Tanzan.
"Yep, and we'll be together someday!" Said Moku, as he confidently grinned at the group.
"She's out of your league." Laughed Tanzan. "I bet I could though!"
"Oh yah? Go try to talk to her, you'll find it's harder then you think!" Exclaimed Moku, he began to feel competitive now.
"Then I will!" Said Tanzan, he held his head high, and pushed his way through the crowds to get to Zenith and her group.
"Then tell him how you-" Zenith was then interrupted.
"Hey, you Zenith?" Asked Tanzan.
"What do you want?" Asked Zenith. "You just interrupted my-"
"Why don't we go out-" He was taken by the arm and flipped. He lied on the floor, stunned as Zenith snickered above him. "Eh?"
"Get lost." Said Zenith, as she returned to talking with Rin.
Tanzan tried to keep his pride intact, as he rose and brushed himself off. "Then we'll talk later!" He marched back to the group with a large grin on his face. "I think that went well."
"You got flipped." Said Benkei. "You failed."
"What?! No, that's an important part. We have a unique first meet now, we have something we can always relate to. This is going to be perfect!" He snickered as he rubbed his chin.
"Wait, who got flipped?" Asked Unsho, as he yawned again. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Your never pay attention." Said Akisame. He and Unsho then began to argue, and Benkei just sighed as he watched them.
"How come it feels I'm the only one who matured even a little over the summer...?"

TO BE CONTINUED! XD

--Do not assume that because this story has Benkei and Soyen in it, that they will be together. It's a different story, different plot, everything, I'm trying to make it hard to guess, and will leave you guessing till the end.--

Benkei held in a yawn as he and Kame snuck across the hall towards the main room. They slowly entered, all the lights were off, except for a small lamp by a desk. The chair behind the desk was empty though, no one was there. Benkei and Kame slowly moved across the walls, trying to conceal their sound. They smelled something weird coming from one of the halls, and curiosity got to them. They both glanced at each other, then with an approving grin from both, they advanced forward in silence. The walls were gray, and with barely any light, they were black. The floor was shiny marble, but barely reflected anything because only the lamp gave off light, which barely reached Benkei and Kame. They were almost concealed in the darkness, only their socks showed because they were pure white, and some of the light was on them. Back at the desk, papers were still out. A pen lied uncapped beside them. As Benkei and Kame got closer to the strange smelling hall, they began to hear things. First a lot of coughing, then complete silence. They stopped and waited, their fears were the same, and both their fears came true. They began to hear footsteps. Benkei gave Kame a confident look, and held his finger over his mouth. He pointed down, signaling for them to get to the ground, and curl up, to hide their socks. Taking them off would only leave evidence, and a hassle. They both sat crouching, the light almost reached them. A man then walked out from the hall, he looked to be in his forties, and yawned a lot. He had brown hair, with some gray coming in. He scratched his head, and shifted over to his desk. He sat down and yawned. He picked up his pen, but almost dropped it. He sat and stared down at it.
"What's wrong with him?" Asked Kame in a whisper. She hoped Benkei would have an answer, or she would start to be scared. He didn't look normal.
"He's just tired, too tired to pick up a pen, I guess." Benkei paused and scratched his chin. "I rarely saw him last year, and the years before, he always looked tired." Benkei silently snickered. "Reminds me of Unsho."
"Who?" Whispered back Kame, she let out a sigh of relief at Benkei's response as well.
"Never mind." Said Benkei, he slowly rose. He could barely see the man's details, but he could see enough that his eyes were closed. "Let's start again."
"Alright..." Whispered Kame, as she rose after him, and followed. They both tip-toed across the edges of the room. They finally made it to the hall, but Benkei stopped when he didn't hear Kame following him. He looked behind, and she was shaking.
"What's wrong?" Asked Benkei, as he slowly moved back close to her.
"He's gone..." Said Kame, pointing over to the empty desk.
"How? I didn't hear him move at all!"
"Let's just see what's in the hall and go back." Said Kame.
Benkei nodded, and they stepped a little farther, and both peered down the hall. The smell was horrible, but they couldn't see where it was from. They then saw some impalpable thing slowly manifest in the middle of the hall. It was a shadow, a shadow that walked without an owner. Kame and Benkei both quickly stepped away from the hall, and hid against the wall. They waited and waited, but nothing came. Benkei glanced back, it was gone. "Let's head back." Said Benkei.
"Not yet...I want to see what that was..."
Benkei looked at her, he was surprised. "Your a brave one." Said Benkei with a grin.
"Of course." Said Kame, giving him the same grin back. They both poked their heads back out. It was still gone. They then took a step into the hall. The odor was even worse now, and they had the feeling of something above them. They wanted to look up, but feared what may be on the ground more then what's above. They slowly walked down the hall, both almost glued to the side, etching their way down, one step at a time. The deeper they went down the hall, the stranger it felt. The smell began to fade, but was replaced by a sound. The sound of breathing, it came from above. Benkei quickly glanced up then back down. He saw nothing, nothing but darkness. Kame was shaking, the sound of breathing was becoming louder and louder. In her fear, she grabbed for Benkei's hand and held it tight. Benkei's face became red, but he ignored it and walked on. The noise then stopped. There was nothing but complete silence. Then, they heard tapping. Tap, tap tap. It rang down the hall, like a stick being poked into the wall, or a cane used by the elderly. They both stopped, Kame still held onto his hand tightly. She ignored her pride as she moved close. The tapping stopped after ten minutes, again, there was complete silence. They walked down further, and came to another path. The hall split into three halls, they now saw empty classrooms. They felt a little safer with the sight of them. Then they heard something.
"May I ask what your doing?" Asked a voice, Benkei looked down the hall to see a man standing there in a relaxed pose. He yawned as he walked closer. He whispered for Kame to hide, she nodded and hide in the darkness of the other hall.
"Hello." Said Benkei, trying to sound respectful and polite.
The man was now close enough to see. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and wore the school's teacher uniform. He stopped in front of Benkei, and stared at him. "I'll ask again, what are you doing?" Asked the man.
"Looking for the bathroom?" Answered Benkei in an unsure tone.
The man eyed him a little longer, then a small grin grew on his face. "Let me help you then, come with me." He turned away, and took a step. He waited until he heard Benkei take a step behind him, and then walked forward, with Benkei following.
Kame poked her head out from the hall, and saw Benkei be led off into the darkness. "Why did he let himself get caught to help me?" Asked Kame to herself. She smiled slightly, "he isn't that bad..." She slowly tip-toed back down the hall, and moved across the wall in the main room. The desk light was off. She returned to her room, and saw Zenith sleeping already. Kame sighed, and jumped in her bed. She yawned and put the covers over herself, and tried to sleep.
"So what was the real reason?" Asked the man, without glancing back at Benkei.
"What do you mean?"
"Why were you and that girl out in this hall at night?" Asked the man, the question was followed by a yawn.
"There was no one with me-"
"Don't lie, you can't fool these eyes."
"..."
"Hopin' to do something dirty?"
"Eh!? No! Not at all!"
"You silly kids..." Said the man as he shook his head. "I don't want to see you back out here at night, let me escort you back to your room."
"Alright."
"What's your name?" Asked the man.
"Benkei."
The man stopped, and his grin grew. He snickered, "well Benkei, I hope we meet again. I'll let you go to your room yourself." He dug in his pocket, and pulled out a small tablet of paper. He wrote something on it and handed it to Benkei. "Here's a pass, now get going."
Benkei took it, and nodded, half scared of this man. "See yah." He walked down the hall.
The man grinned and kept walking. "Oh the fun tomorrow will bring."

TO BE CONTINUED!

After several boring hours of Banzo talking about his life, the bell rang. Students cheered as they jumped up from their seats. Benkei was continuing to glance down at the pencil that almost neutered him. He gulped, and Rin slapped him on the back. "You okay?" She didn't see the pencil as much of a big deal.
"Uh, yah." Said Benkei, as he got up.
Kame watched Benkei and Rin talk, she still felt embarrassed about what happened the night before. She kept thinking about when she grabbed for his hand. She took a deep breath, smiled, and walked over to him. "Hey Benkei." Said Kame, half mumbling.
"Oh, hey Kame!" Benkei grinned as he got up. "So did you make it back okay?" Asked Benkei innocently, he didn't notice the look on Rin's face when she heard it.
Make it back okay? Were they doing something last night...? Her imagination began to grow and her face turned red. She looked down.
"Yah." Said Kame, seeing he didn't seem to care about when she held his hand. Her smile grew and she relaxed. "So when's the next adventure?" Asked Kame, a confident look in her eye.
"Hehe, how about this weekend? We can explore the campus woods then." Said Benkei, as he glanced out the window. He looked down at the trees, some of the leaves were already brown and orange.
"Sounds fun." Said Kame.
They seem close... Thought Rin, she began to fidget around.
"You okay?" Asked Benkei, as he turned to Rin, who was startled by that.
"Yep! Yep! I'm alright!" Exclaimed Rin loudly, loud enough to even make Eshun look up from her book.
"What happened?" Asked Eshun sleepily.
"Nothing!" Said Rin.
Eshun grinned and nodded, then returned to reading her book.
"I'll come to your room this Saturday then." Said Kame, as she stretched. "I'm an early riser, so expect me at your room early!"
Coming to his room early?! Rin rubbed her head. "I'm going back to my room." Said Rin as she got up from her seat.
"Alright, see yah Rin." Said Benkei, then he turned back to Kame and they began to talk about their plans.
Rin slowly walked from the room. She stood in the hall, glanced back, then walked to her room. On her way there, she bumped into Zenith. Zenith was arguing with Tanzan when she saw Rin, and began to talk with her, trying to completely ignore Tanzan.
"Why do you look down?" Asked Zenith.
"How are Kame and Benkei so close already?" Asked Rin.
"Oh, they explored the school last night." Zenith grinned as she looked back into the classroom. They were both smiling as they talked. "They seem pretty close, maybe it's love at first sight..."
"Eh?" Rin's head perked up.
"Talking about love, I see..." Said Tanzan, he grinned and rubbed his chin. "No one is better at loving then-" Zenith punched him, and he fell back. He slid on the floor back a few yards. He was surprised as he pushed himself up. "Well, I talk to you tomorrow!" Said Tanzan, trying to turn what happened into a cool exit.
Zenith mumbled something, then turned back to Rin. "Don't worry, how about we ask someone to ask Benkei about it?"
"Like who?" Asked Rin.
"I don't know, but we'll find someone!" She looked in the class, and saw how Eshun watched the two of them talk, almost as if she were studying them. "Hmm...."

TO BE CONTINUED! XD

Eshun noticed Kame run off, and looked confused. She turned to Benkei with a puzzled look. She then shrugged and returned to her book. Benkei was scratching his head and looking at the doorway. "Why'd Kame just run off like that?" Asked Benkei with a sigh.
Rin could already tell why, she just shook her head at how Benkei was so oblivious. She did look a little concerned though, that she may have a rival. "Who knows, best to just let her work it out on her own." Said Rin with a shrug. Kenshi slowly wobbled down the hall from his class, and walked towards Zenith slowly.
"H-Hey." Said Kenshi quietly to Zenith. She turned to him and smiled.
"Hey! Your that quiet guy." Said Zenith, a grin slowly grew on her face as Kenshi slowly nodded. She saw Tanzan was watching in the background, he watched with anticipation and eagerness. Zenith's eye twitched, and she tried to ignore him. "Say, Kenshi...Can I come over sometime?" Asked Zenith.
Tanzan was able to read her lips, and he suddenly jumped up, and began running around in chaos. Zenith grinned as his reaction. Kenshi's face was completely red, and he just nodded to her. "Great, I'll come over sometime then, bye!" Then she walked away. Kenshi walked calmly over to Tanzan, who was freaking out.
"Ha!" Said Kenshi, as he walked by. Tanzan gritted his teeth as he watched Kenshi walk away.
"Hehe...I have a plan..." Mumbled Tanzan to himself with an evil snicker. Kame sat in her room, she was curled up on her bed, and was looking down. She was in deep thought, and didn't even notice Zenith enter the room. She didn't even notice a knock at the door after Zenith entered. Soon, Zenith was walking towards her, and Benkei was following her.
"You ok?" Asked Benkei, scratching his head, he stayed behind Zenith.
Kame jumped at the sound of Benkei's voice, and turned over to see him and Zenith there. "What-What are you doing here?!" Asked Kame in a surprised tone, though she sounded a little happy.
"You just suddenly ran off, so I wanted to see what was up. Rin didn't want to come though." Said Benkei, scratching his head. It would of been nice if Rin came along...Kame kinda scares me...And Zenith scares me at times aswell...
"It was pretty nice of Benkei to come here because he was concerned about you." Said Zenith with a sly grin. "I guess I should leave you two alone so you can 'thank' him properly."
"Eh!?" Benkei and Kame both were surprised, and their faces were red.
"Hehe." Zenith hurried out of the room. She left Benkei and Kame alone.
"Uhh..."
"Um..."
They were both silent, then Rin came running in. "So your still here?" Asked Rin with a sigh, as she slowed to a walk and stood next to Benkei.
"Yah, I was wondering if she was alright, I told you it was best to come see her."
"Yah yah..." Mumbled Rin.
Kame was looking down again, and she reached for her covers. "I'm a little tired, how about you two go?" Asked Kame.
"Oh, alright." Said Benkei, he then froze with fear. "Crap!" He then ran out of the room. Rin and Kame scratched their heads as they walked him sprint out of the door.
"Oh..." Rin shivered slightly. "I know why he's scared, he's late..."
"Late for what?" Asked Kame.
"He's late for his meeting with Masaki." Said Rin.
"Who?"
"She's a friend of his, kind of like a little sister."
Benkei ran down the hall, and made a turn to see a girl standing in the middle of the hall. She was a year younger then him, making her fifteen. She had long brownish hair, and had a ribbon tied around her wrist. She glanced at Benkei with a happy and angry expression. She then began to run forward. "Lil sis-!" She kicked him, she kicked him in a specific spot. Benkei fell to his knees, he was covering between his legs. "Ow..."
"Your late! And I'm not your sister!" Exclaimed the girl, known as Masaki.
"But your like a sister to me! So I'll continue to call you that!" Said Benkei with a grin. Masaki sighed, and prepared to kick him again. "I mean..So how was your summer, Masaki?"
She grinned, and lowered her leg. "It was great! I got to sleep in, day after day...It was awesome..." She sighed happily and turned to Benkei. "So what did you do?"
"I pretty much hanged out with Rin all summer."
"With Rin? Do you to live close?" Asked Masaki.
Yah, old childhood friends too." Said Benkei, scratching his head. The pain began to leave.
"Oh, where is she anyway?" Asked Masaki.
"Who knows...Probably afraid you'll kick her like you kicked me..." Said Benkei, as he slowly pushed himself up.
She glared at him and he was quiet.
"Well, let's go." Said Masaki.
"To where?" Asked Benkei.
"I want to see your pig-sty of a room." Said Masaki, her tone was demanding.
"Eh? Alright..." He began to lead the way, and Zenith was back in the room with Kame, Rin had already left.
"So do you like him?" Asked Zenith with a grin.
"Of course not!" Exclaimed Kame.
"Whatever you say, so...you two are going on a little hike this weekend?" Asked Zenith.
"Rin's coming too."
"Oh, that ruins your love confession..."
"I'm not in love with him!" Shouted Kame. "I'm just not feeling good today, that's all! Nothing more!" Kame pulled the covers over her head and attempted to sleep. Zenith sighed and let the conversation end.

TO BE CONTINUED! XD