First Encounter

Tamero knew he had to go before he changed his mind. He started to the other side, turned and then ran forward, jumping off the edge and pulling Renji off with him. Tamero closed his eyes as he held on to Renji. "Don't let me drown, don't let me drown." Although the fall wasn't so bad, it was still pretty high. Tamero couldn't believe this was happening. When they hit the water he kept his grip on Renji, praying the other boy hadn't died of a heart attack, praying that the other boy would pull him up.

Renji hadn't known that Tamero was going to run and just pull him with him, or else he probably would have moved. Maybe it was better that he hadn't known. When he was pulled however, his eyes widened, before he clamped them shut, tensing up completely as they fell. He heard what Tamero had said, but was too caught up in hoping he didn't die before he hit the water. When they went under, a few air bubbles escaped Renji before he realized he was still alive. Blinking, he also realized someone was clinging to him, and then remembered Tamero's fear of the water. Taking the kid's arm, Renji swam to the surface as quickly as he could, taking a light gasping breath as their heads came above water.

Kana watched as the two jumped down. Was Tamero clinging to Renji? She hadn't realized until that very moment why they hadn't been jumping. They'd been afraid. Kana merely gave an irritated sigh. Great. She hoped they wouldn't be like this the rest of the way. When they came up above water, she waited only a moment before calling to them. "Come on, let's get to land."

Renji looked at Kana. She was getting annoying. He instead turned his gaze to Tamero and started swimming forward while holding onto him. Kana was injured, and didn't need to strain her leg anymore by helping with Tamero. "You alright?"

Tamero was so glad when Renji pulled him to the surface. "I'm alive? I'm alive!" Tamero was so happy, so thankful. "Oh my gosh, thank you Renji," he said in near tears. He tried his best to swim forward, so Renji wouldn't have to drag him, but it was pointless. He didn't know the basic motor functions for staying afloat. "I'm fine," he responded when Renji asked if he were okay. "I'll be even better when we get to land. You okay?" He asked.

When they jumped, Felix shook his head. "So...someone's got a fear of heights...we'll have to fix that...if they ever make it out of this." He started past the water and to the land. His hands in his pockets. "And Oujinshu can't swim...." Felix shook his head. "This team...is weak."

Renji only nodded when Tamero thanked him, swimming forward. The swim wasn't even that long, but having to keep Tamero afloat as well made it a bit tiring. That was fine though, swimming was different than running. It was obvious by the way Kana swam too. She was almost at land. "I'm fine, just...a little shaken up," he said with an embarrassed chuckle. When they got to land, Renji helped pull Tamero out, wondering what was next.

Kana got to land a few moments before the two boys, blinking when she saw Renji pulling Tamero. Couldn't he swim on his own? "D-did you get hurt again?" she asked. If that was why he hadn't been jumping, well now she just felt bad. It would explain why he needed Renji to help him swim too. "I could have helped, I didn't know you couldn't..." she said, blinking at the two boys. Were they gonna suddenly start leaving her out because she'd yelled at them?

Tamero stood up and started to wring out his clothing. His purple eyes turned to Kana when she asked if he'd gotten hurt again. "No," he answered. When she said she could have helped, he shook his head. "No, you couldn't. You have a bad leg, I have a bad arm, and I can't swim," he spoke. "Would you have still helped if you had known? You're so selfish Kana. First you rush us like we don't know we're running out of time and then you act like you suddenly care. Get over yourself." Tamero honestly didn't mean what he was saying. He was just tired and in pain. He wanted to go home and lay in his bed for hours on end, but they still had a course to run. He pushed past the blond girl and walked forward, blinking when an obstacle course was revealed. "An obstacle course within an obstacle course?" The white haired boy sighed. He honestly wanted to just sit down and refuse to go anywhere, but that would be childish.

Kana blinked when Tamero suddenly started going off on her, stating how she was selfish. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she turned away from the two of them and started forward, pausing when she too saw the obstacle course. She didn't bother ringing out her clothes or anything. It would have been a waste of what little time they had. It seemed like the guy really was trying to kill them. The first obstacle on this new course, it seemed, were swinging axes. Giant. Swinging. Axes....."I think he's trying to kill us," she stated bluntly.

Renji sighed at the two of them bickering. Now he knew how Tamero had felt when him and Kana had been going at it. He clicked his tongue at Kana's statement, shaking his head. "We have to time this right." Walking a little bit in front of the two, he was quiet for a few seconds, his eyes on the axes and his arms crossed. "The first one hits the middle of it's swing every two seconds. The second two intersect in the middle at the same intervals. We're going to have to run past the second two just after they hit the middle of their swings," he said, then looked back at his teammates. "You guys ready?" when he got a nod from Kana, he turned his gaze to Tamero. He wondered if Kana could handle the running.

Tamero only shook his head when Kana stated the obvious. He then looked to Renji and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be...which is never." He looked to the giant axes. They were all going to die, every single one of them. They'd get chopped into tiny little pieces and then it'd all be over with. Yeah, that was about it. "Let's just go."

"Wait," Felix called to them. "I've got a proposal." Felix held a grin on his face. "The chances of you living through this is slim to none, so...if you want to live, Kader, you need to make a decision. You're the only one not hurt. Closest to the first axe is a rope. Tie down one of your teammates and leave them so that they can't leave this obstacle. The remaining two will be granted access to the other side without issue. The other will have to get through on his own. Pick your poison."

Renji nodded when Tamero said that they should just go. This was about as ready as any of them were going to get. But as soon as he started forward, they were called by their sensei. He stopped and looked at the silver haired man who was surely trying to kill them all. At the proposal, Renji's red eyes blinked and he was silent for a moment. "The remaining teammates. Will they be able to use their techniques and weapons to help them go?" he asked, tilting his head a bit.

Kana sighed as they were about to go, not planning on complaining until this whole thing was over. Then she would allow herself to be furious. As their teacher spoke a proposal, Kana's eyes widened at Renji's question. Was he actually going to leave one of them in order to get to the other side?! What the hell was this kid thinking! Two out of the three of them were injured, how could he even consider it!

Tamero blinked. What kind of proposal was that? Him and Kana would never make it out! Tamero shook his head. No, Kana couldn't, but he could. He only had an injured arm, not an injured leg. And if he were smart, he could calculate it all. He looked to Renji and then their sensei.

Felix grinned. "Of course, but only on my terms. Only when given permission. Just as I gave you earlier." Felix rocked back and forth. "By the way, time doesn't stop just because you decide you're going to have a conversation with me. You have an hour and forty-five minutes." Felix gave a wider grin. "Hurry up now, time's not standing still." Felix looked around. He wondered if he'd let them go after this. It was clear two of them needed medical attention and if they made it out alive, he wouldn't have them dying on his watch.

Renji swallowed when their teacher said that whoever went would be able to use jutsu, but on his terms. He looked down when he told them time hadn't stopped ticking, and then to Kana and Tamero. "Alright, I'll stay behind so you guys can go through," he said finally, with a nod.

Kana blinked. Wait, what? "You'll stay? And go through all this by yourself? I don't think that's such a great idea," she said, sounding unsure.

"It's a better idea than all of us going. You have an injured leg, and can hardly move quickly as it is," he said, looking to Kana. "And you," he started, turning his gaze to Tamero. "You're arm is in bad condition. If there's something where you need to climb, like that wall, you won't be able to make it through. I'm not hurt at all. Going through, the three of us together, would take too much time if something were to happen to one of us again. And if I can use my jutsu, even some of the time, I'm confident that I'll make it through this course alive. So yeah, I'll go through alone." They didn't have time to argue over this. He could only hope that the other two would see it his way.

Tamero looked at Renji when he said he would stay. Like Kana, he was a bit reluctant to leave the other ninja, but at the same time, he was right. Tamero sighed. "Okay, just be careful." He looked at Kana, I'll get the rope." He started towards the axes. His purple eyes wide as he got closer, the wind was making it hard to get close. Those things were moving so fast. He gave a small shiver and reached down as the axe went up, snatching the rope back before it could come down. "Got it," he said as he walked back. "Before we do this, are you absolutely sure?"

Felix stayed still. So Renji would stay behind and make it through on his own. Felix narrowed his eyes and turned away, walking to a nearby tree stub. "Oujinshu, Kianashi, take the path along the side. You'll see where to stop. Just make sure to tie Kader up before you go." he said. He took a seat and watched closely. This had better be good. As far as Felix knew, Renji could only used Earth and Fire Style, which was rather amazing for a genin. Oh well, they'd never make it past the next part. Felix pulled his hands from his pockets and placed them under his chin. This was going to be dangerous.

Kana only sighed when Tamero agreed with Renji. She saw his point, but it was in her nature to argue against things she thought were bad ideas. And while it made complete sense, she thought this was a horrible idea. Hell, she thought this course was a horrible idea. To think, she'd tried to hard to get on a squad like this. She nodded at their teacher's instructions, watching as Tamero went to go get the rope, looking to Renji for the boy's answer.

Renji gave a nod to Tamero as he was told to be careful. "Just worry about getting to the other side of these things," he said. He took his kunai in his hand, and handed those five spikes he'd held onto from the beast, to Kana. "We might need these," he said. He wouldn't be able to hold onto them himself, being all tied up. Instead he kept a hold on his kunai. He smiled at Tamero's question. "Yeah, I'm sure." He had wanted to say 'I don't have time to be sure', but that wouldn't have sounded good. "Just tie me up, and get to the other side," he said, giving the two a nod.

Kana took the spikes as Renji handed them to him. "Right." Then she swallowed and looked to Tamero with a nod. While it felt odd tying up their teammate, Kana knew that time was running. So instead of complaining, she just helped Tamero tie him up.

Tamero silently tied Renji up and then looked to the path that appeared on the side, allowing him and Kana to walk past the course freely. "Good luck," he told Renji. "You'd better make it out alive." He looked at Kana, let's get a move on so we can see what's on the other side. He then started at the same pace as her onto the path. He felt so guilty about leaving Renii there alone. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right.

Renji let Kana and Tamero tie him up, staying quiet for fear that the two might change their minds if he said anything. If he could give those two some assured safety, he would. After all, those two were injured, he was not. It would be better to have one of them injured in this course than all three of them. He wondered just how long it would take for them to get to the other side. He knew that it would take a bit more time this way, but it would increase their chances in the long run, he was sure. He didn't know what was after this, but that was okay, so long as their chances of survival were increased a little.

When the two finished tying up Renji, Kana gave the black haired boy an apologetic look. She didn't like leaving him there either, it was so wrong. What if he got hurt going through, and no one was there to help him? A thought passed through her head then, one she wished she hadn't had. With the way those axes were swinging, if he got hit, he probably would need to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. It looked like one hit from those things could kill...Kana looked back at Renji once more before following next to Tamero at as quick a pace as she could.

Felix waited until they got to the other side before looking at Renji. "Alright Kader, you can get a move on," Felix said, the rope around the boy disappearing. Felix would have allowed him jutsu, but this first task was far to fun to be passed so easily. He leaned back, looking to the other two to make sure they weren't up to anything.

Tamero stared back at the obstacle course, waiting in silence when he realized something. "Oh, Kana, do you want to re-bandage your leg while we wait. You can rest it as well. Please don't give me that crap about ninjas don't sit, you know, like how you did Renji earlier." He gave her a weak smile. "The least we can do is use this time wisely and rest up." A pause. "And...I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."

(Far too fun? Yeah, right. Fun for who?)

Renji looked to his sensei when he said that it was fine for him to go. He had to wonder though, what was the point of having tied him up like that? When his silver haired mentor said nothing about jutsu, the black haired boy swallowed. Great. At least he still had his kunai, for whatever good that was going to do. He looked at the axes and started slowly forward. He knew he didn't have time to waste, but he also wasn't about to rush through it and get cut in half, or more. He couldn't tell exactly how many axes there were after the first three, and it seemed that he'd calculated that the axes were a little faster than they actually were. They were still moving really fast, but not as fast as he'd thought. He couldn't even tell how much space there was between the axes. He'd have to time it just right. "Alright..." he breathed quietly. "Here I go."

Kana looked at Tamero as he asked if she wanted to bandage her leg again. "I guess so," she said with a nod. All her bandages were wet from the water, but she could squeeze them out, which she did as soon as she pulled new bandages out. She merely glanced at him as he told her not to repeat the same line that their sensei had taught her first two teammates. She wouldn't mention it though. She was still angry at him for earlier. That was until Tamero apologized. Blinking, Kana paused in ringing out the bandages and looked at him. Shaking her head, she merely shrugged. "Whatever," she said. She didn't sound particularly angry. "We should cut these spikes in half too, sharpen them with the kunai. Make like...big senbon or something," she suggested, plopping down on the ground as she started unwrapping the bandages around her leg.

Tamero nodded and then sat down. He wondered if she had truly accepted his apology. He didn't want to make enemies, besides, he'd vowed to keep the peace between the group. Using his kunai to saw the spikes in half, he tried not to show how difficult it was with his bad arm. When he'd successfully cut one in half, he started sharpening it, which was far easier than sawing. He occasionally glanced at the exit, hoping Renji would be coming out soon. "We shouldn't have left him," Tamero said quietly. "What if there's like another of those things in there? We barely made it out together." He gave a sighed and looked at the spikes.

Kana looked at Tamero as he sawed one of them in half, then remembered about his arm. She quickly re-bandaged her legs, flinching a bit as she wrapped it tightly to keep it from bleeding again. Luckily, it had stopped bleeding for the most part. When she finished wrapping her leg, she picked up one of the six remaining spikes. When they finished, they'd have four each, which was better than one measly kunai. "Unless sensei actually is trying to make sure we don't get out of this alive, I don't think he'd put another one of those things in there...and if he did...well, I don't care what he says, I'm gonna use jutsu if it means keeping us all alive," she said quietly.

Tamero looked at her with a blank expression when she spoke of going against their sensei's orders if it meant keeping them alive. A small smile formed across his face. So Kana wasn't all the heartless. He looked back down at his kunai and the spike. "He can't blame us for trying to keep our teammate alive," he agreed. He had high hopes for the three of them. They would be the best squad out of all the graduates. No one would be able to match their skills. Tamero gave a tiny laugh at the thought. He was such a dreamer. He then looked to Kana a bit embarrassed. She had no idea why he was laughing. He hoped she didn't think he was weird.

Kana focused on cutting one of the spikes in half, nodding when Tamero said their sensei couldn't blame them for trying to stay alive. They'd followed orders thusfar, and if it meant saving their lives, she didn't mind going against orders. She wasn't stupid. She wouldn't die during training. No, she wasn't going to die. Blinking when she heard Tamero laugh, she looked up at him with a curious expression, only to find him looking at her with an embarrassed expression. Kana gave a light chuckle, then looked back down to the spike she was sharpening. She didn't know why he was laughing, but she found it amusing that he looked so embarrassed about it.

Tamero gave a sigh of relief when Kana gave a small chuckle. He crossed his legs and then set the spike down. "When we get out of this, we should make a pact," he told her. "The three of us, you, me, and Renji. That we'll keep going forward no matter how tough it gets. That we're not going to let that guy," he nodded to Felix, "break us." His purple eyes shinned brightly. "A pact of friendship and success." Tamero gave her a big smile and then started on a second spike.

Kana set her spikes down as well, taking up another one almost immediately after. She wanted to rest, but sitting down while working was rest enough for now. She stopped sawing the spike in half and looked at Tamero when he mentioned a pact. She'd never been so sure about things like that. But Kana was convinced that if they made it through this with all of them alive, they'd make a great team. So why not. She went back to her spike without saying anything for a little while. "Yeah. Sure, if we make it through this," she said with a light smile.

Renji was sure he was through at least half of them by now. He had to be. He'd counted about seven axes by now, and had a couple close calls. His heart was racing. He was sure that a couple of times he almost died, if not by the axes, than by a heart attack. His hair was no longer dripping, but his palms felt clammy. The whole time he'd been going, though, he'd been thinking of how much harder it would have been to go through this with the three of them. One of them would not have made it through, and that alone kept him moving forward. This was his new squad, they had to survive this training if they were going to become the best.

(Renji and Tamero are in the same mind set. Synced.)

Tamero smirked. "Oh, we'll make it out," he said. "That's a promise." Tamero continued with his spike. He was super excited now. This was going to be a great adventure. When he got out, he'd be telling his mom, dad, older sister, and younger sister all about his training and how he'd overcome every obstacle thrown in his path. Yeah, he would be a champion in their eyes.

Felix wondered what Kana and Tamero were discussing. Whatever it was, Tamero seemed to be quite happy about it. He shook his head and looked to Renji. The boy had made it halfway through the axes. Great, now he had to finish and make it through the arrows, spike balls, balance balls, and the flaming shuriken.

(Lol, yeppers!)

Kana couldn't help but laugh a little when Tamero smirked and said they'd make it out. Suddenly she wanted to learn more about her teammates, so they could start devising their own special strategies and stuff. The very thought made her shake her head lightly at her own silliness. Not too long ago she'd been arguing with these two boys over stupid things, and here she was thinking how they were going to make the perfect team, when she didn't even know anything about them. "What are you good at? Can you do jutsu, or is taijutsu and weapons your specialty?" she asked him, putting down another sharpened spike. There were only a few left to cut and sharpen. She was sure they'd be done before Renji got out. She didn't even want to think if he got out. That was just pessimistic. "It looks like Renji's specialty is earth jutsu, though I've only ever seen him use that wall one, and something that turns the walls he makes into spikes. It's pretty neat," she said, not looking up.

"I haven't learned jutsu just yet," he said with a shrug. "Taijutsu is all I know for the moment, but I'm good at it," he said with pride. "And you're right, Renji does use Earth Style really well. What about you though, what are you good at?" He hadn't seen Kana in action, so he was curious as to what she was capable of. Hey, he wasn't doubting her abilities, of course she had to be good at something, considering she was always so rude and pushy. Tamero shrugged at the thought.