Prologue: Dappled Sunlight

Yuzuriha was officially cut off from the Hakagakure Academy. And better for it in her mind. With Nodachi in hand she was making her way through a quiet area to give herself some quiet contemplation. She had picked herself up a little book, ready to mark down potential bounties to hunt. To practice against. To get stronger. Her other hand twirled the loose ribbon attached to the sheaf running along her back holding the wakizashi that was once her mothers. Something about the feel of leather strips binding the handles of sharp blades, they were delightful, calming even for the young Bishamon.

She needed to get out of Hakagakure, find herself somewhere more beautiful, and make herself a home camp. She began to ponder just what sort of home she would like. "A little forest clearing could be nice. A little over hang, moss and ivy flowing down like curtains. Protected from the wind and the rain. Maybe a nice river nearby for fresh water and clothes cleaning." She drew the short blade from her back, looking it over as a peculiar light flickered across the metal. "... I need to control the Light,"

For her part, Palla had never actually been in the Academy. Both of her parents were missing nin and thus so was she! They'd taught her the basics of the Dokusei however and with their blessings she was out to make a name for herself. What kind of name it was... She didn't know but she'd put in all the effort she possibly could.

For now she was bouncing around the areas near Hakagakure, she had her own little bingo book although it was heavily scribbled all over and had extra notes about pretty flowers that Palla had found on her travels. Her footsteps were light as she flitted across a lovely calm, quiet area, her movements strange and bouncing, as though she was almost lighter than the air itself. Only her toes touched the ground to send her forwards once more and she was humming a quiet song to herself before she happened to come across someone else.

They had a sword but they weren't in her little book, at least she was pretty sure they weren't. As she went to reach for the book to check... Something caught her eye. With a squeal she leaped forwards and onto the ground directly in front of Yuzuriha, more than likely causing the girl to step on her back, it didn't matter though as she'd bounce up swiftly and give the tiniest, least menacing glare possible to the swordswoman. "You need to be more careful!" She proclaimed before holding her hands out and opening them up, revealing a ladybird sitting in her hands. "You almost squashed him!" Palla puffed out her cheeks before smiling and leaning in to murmur a few things to the little insect before letting it fly off, all of her previous indignation... Instantly forgotten as she watched it fly off with a rather vacant look on her face.

Yuzu was too busy looking up to notice that someone had quite literally dived in front of her, until she felt something much softer than the ground under her foot. Stopping down, she looked down to see a person, and immediately leapt back. Her hand shot to begin to pull out her main blade, but still contained in a show of defensive threat. "What are..." she trailed off as the girl, the weird girl, was telling her off for nearly standing on a ladybird? "... Right. Sorry." She let her sword slowly slide back in to place, and her hand drew away from the hilt. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the girl was just starring off in to space. She reminded Yuzu of some of the teenagers back home. "I guess sorry for standing on you too? ... Are you even listening?"

It took a few more seconds for the brain cells to rub together enough for a thought to spark in Palla's head. She turned to look at Yuzu with a big smile on her face. "Bwuh... Uh.... Oh! Yeah, you stepped on me... That was silly of you." She put her hands on her hips. "You need to look where you're going or else you're gonna step on somethin' worse than a little girl! Like a snake, don't wanna get chomped after all." She then proceeded to thrust her hand out to shake, realising a little too late that she was... A bit too close. She hopped back a couple steps and tried again, leaving much more room for an actual shake to occur. "I'm Palla! I was over that way watchin' ya, wondering if you were one of them Village shinobi and I was going to have ta bop ya but it doesn't seem like it. Unless you wanna have a go? Some fisti... Uh..." She stopped and chewed on the word for a few moments. "Fistfighting! I can't remember the other word. If that's the case though, then I need to warn you. I am REALLY good at running away."

"I don't think a snake would be a problem." Yuzu gave a flick of the hilt of her large sword to indicate her intention if a snake did try something. This girl was definitely weird though. She was actually a little stunned how the girl went from snapping at her for a ladybug, to caring little that she was stepped on, to snapping again about watching out for snakes, and then back to greeting her? Weird girl. "... Yuzuriha." She shook the hand, "And no I'm not a village shinobi. Not anymore anyway. And... sorry did you just challenge me to a fight and then suggest you're really good at... running away? That doesn't add up." She settled her hands back on the ribbon belt around her waist that held both of her weapons. "Besides. My swords are not just for show. I'm still a trained shinobi despite no affiliation."

"Oh hey, you're not a village Shinobi? That means yer like me! I'm one of them Missing Nin cause my mums weren't happy with the Dokusei. So they told me the villages were bad and my mums wouldn't lie to me! So I understand why you've got a weird look on your face! You're realising the same." She grinned brightly like she'd sussed out a big secret. "Nah, I wasn't challenging you to a fight. I was letting you know if you did try and fight me then I'd probably bop ya with my stick and book it! Swords are bad for yer health after all. On that subject..." She immediately turned and bounced away with her strange, floating movements. She rooted around in the grass for a few moments before lifting up her Shrine Stick and returning to Yuzu. "So Yuyu, what brings ya out here?"

"I do not have a weird look on my... what weird look?" Yuzu immediately got rather defensive over the idea of looking 'weird'. She wanted to look stoic. Cool. Not weird. "And you could never 'bop me'. I'd have you bent under my sword before you knew it." She made no attempt in stopping the strange and bouncy girl though, merely watching her stepping away before just lifting up a big stick. "... It's Yuzu. And I'm seeking myself a home base. Somewhere I can train myself to right the unjustices of the world."

After listening to Yuzu for a few moments, Palla just gave her a blank look and a smile, punctuated with a few slow blinks. "Don't be silly Zuzu, swords aren't supposed to bend!" Was all she stated before spinning around and putting her hands on her hips, a soft hum leaving her as she thought over what to do next. It was obvious that this person was lost and looking for proper guidance and who better to show her the way than Palla! With a firm nod it was decided. "Okay! We're gonna work together! Cause everyone needs a friend and maybe you won't look so grumpy after that. Let's go train somewhere and then we can go bop some people in our books. You've got one of them books right? If not you can borrow mine, I did draw some pictures in it though so you'd need to promise not to scribble over them." She grinned brightly, showing off all eight of her canines sitting in pairs and looking quite sharp. "How does that sound?"

"... You are a strange little girl," Yuzu muttered back in response to the wide grin on the girl. But, it was honest. Nothing about the girl's words or actions felt to even have a drop of falsehood. "You're right, I don't have a book yet. And I promise not to scribble," There was the slight peek of a raise in the corner of her mouth. If only for a split second. "I am quite curious just what you consider training though." Even her tone had a hint of the whimsy. "And for the record; I'm not grumpy."