Park's skate park [Open all the time]

"Yeah, I know. I don't hate the name. I think it's interesting how each person gets a different name according to different things. Aaand, for the address of Seven Moons, I'm not too sure. I've only heard of it, never been there. And my number, yeah, of course you can have it!" Nao got out a pen and a little piece of paper from his bag and wrote down his number. He didn't really have many people on his contact list.. About.. 3. So he was happy to give her his number.
He smiled while writing it down, listening to all the sounds around him of different people laughing, chatting, animals and the noises of vehicles running across the ground. He loved the outdoors. It was the only place he could escape to when he needed to go somewhere to get away from anything.

Tamiru walked around the skate in a slight daze. She had followed some strange man around again. Not like it hadn't happened before but it was irratating.

But he had....he had looked so much like Hibiki. They could have been twins or something. Luckly, she had been snapped out of it before she had done anything particularily creepy. She didn't need to be arrested after all.

She sighed and brushed off her black dress worried that she may have been seen. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice a kid come barreling towards her on a skateboard.


(Hope no one cares if I join in?)

When Nao looked around to see a girl in a long, beautiful black dress, he smiled. It was unusual to wear that kind of clothing out doors, but he liked how people showed their difference. While he was still looking, he saw a guy rolling towards her, not concentrating because he was talking to his friends behind him. His eyes opened wider, and he gasped.
"Hey, you! Watch out!" Running over to the girl in the long black dress, he grabbed her and dived to his left, out the way of the young kid who almost hit them.
"Oww. You okay?" The sacrifice whispered, his voice barely coming out from the shock. He looked over at the girl, looking for any wounds, then looked over at Michelle, to make sure she was Ok, too. Not that she would be hurt, she seemed like someone with good reflexes.

Michelle smiled as she took the number from him. " Thank you, would you like my nu-"
Her ears twitched as Nao suddenly yelled and started hurrying towards a red headed woman who was about to be knocked down. Gasping, she roller bladed towards them, watching Nao as he skillfully saved the red head. After catching up to the pair she looked to see how badly they were hurt.

Trying to lighten the mood she quickly said "Well well Nao, you seem to have a natural flare with helping out the damsels distress. I hope you still have some band aids, looks like you'll be getting your first aid kit out again. And are you two okay, no broken bones I hope?" She giggled a little, and then bent down to try and help them both up. She was about to reach for them when her left wrist started throbbing terribly. Instantly she grabbed her wrist and grimaced slightly whilst standing upright again. The pain soon ebbed away.

Looking back at the woman she spoke softly, smiling reassuringly "Ahh, some of these skateboarders are extrememly reckless, gotta keep an eye out. Lucky Nao was here. I didn't even notice myself." When she took a closer look at the woman something about her gave Michelle the imperession that she was the source of her wrist pain, and that yet another unit member was here. Michelle wondered for a moment if there was some kind of force that pulled all units to meet.

[Yeah sure, we should have a system so that no-one gets left out. Say me now, then whoever replies next will be second and then the last will be third, and then we just stay in that order ^_^ if you want. Unless a certain person needs to reply to a specific thing.]

[I'm gunna post. >D<]

Nao watched as Michelle moved her hand away. He chuckled, and helped the red-haired girl up.
"Wow. That was close. Thanks, Michelle." He chuckled when he heard "damsel distress." That wasn't true, or he would've been able to save.. Them.

After looking through his bag again, he got out another box of plasters. "Aha!" He mumbled. He knelt down and looked at the cuts there was. At least they weren't as bad as what would have happened if she got hit. He pulled some plasters out of the box and stuck it on all the scratches there where up the arms and legs of the girl. His name was itching down his arm. She was a unit too.
He seemed to be bumping into a lot of them recently. He walked back to Michelle after putting the plasters away, and grinned.
"Well, that was fun!" The sacrifice just acted as if nothing had happened. He was good at that.
He turned back to the girl, still grinning, "Are you going to be okay?"

Tamiru finally snapped out of her daze and shook her head to clear her thoughts. She really needed to start paying more attention to her surroundings since her distractions were probably going to get her killed someday.

She allowed the boy to finish patching her up before she gifted the young boy and girl with a grateful smile. It lit up her face beautifully but you could still tell that she didn't do it often since it looked slightly unused. Hibiki had often said that her smile what was drew him to her in the first place. She shook her head to clear it of the memories. They would only make her cry and she didn't need to do that right now.
She felt a slight tingle across her stomach, right over her name, Outlaw, resided which meant that either one or both of these youngsters was in a unit. ' What a day to meet new people,' she thought, not really worried about the two of them. If they didn't challenge her, every thing would work out like it should.

"I'm alright, darlin'. It's my own fault since I wasn't really watchin' where I was a goin'. I didn't keep my eyes on the road so to speak," she explained as she started to gently brush the dust off of the boy's pants in a motherly fashion," I'm just more worried about you two. I hope that you two sweethearts weren't hurt trying to rescue this ole fool of a woman." she finished with a slightly teasing air drifting off her words.

She looked around at the kids at the Skate Park wistfully and said to the girl." Ah, let'um have their fun, Little Miss. I'm sure he didn't mean to nearly run me down," she pointed at the boy who was now flat on his face on the ground after he had fallen off his board after their encounter," Besides, I'd be willing to wager that poor fella's probably wishing that I had been watching. What with his face in the dirt like that and all."

She turned back to them, tucking some her stray hair back in place," The name's Tamiru Ichide. You two can just call me Miss Tamiru if ya like. And to whom to do I owe my most gallant rescue. I can't thank ya properly if I don't gotta a name to call ya by."


( Sorry that I haven't posted until it was late. I don't get off work until it's late at night most of the time.)

Michelle smiled in a welcoming fashion. "Well hello Miss Tamiru, my names Michelle. And it's this one here that needs the thanking." She gestured to Nao with her thumb. A curious expression crossed her face for a moment as she wondered what Miss Tamiru could have been so deep-in-thought about before. Michelle realized she was in a very nosy, and relatively childish, mood today. Compared to usual that is.

Her hair blew around her face in a wild manner as a gust of wind blew in their direction. She rolled ever so slightly. Facing the other two she asked politely "Hey, would you mind if we sat on that bench, I'd like to change back in to my shoes, my feet are getting a little saw." She looked towards the bench behind them, not too far from where they were standing. Michelle also thought that they would probably want to sit down, so that they weren't going to be hit again.

[sorry it took so long to reply and also sorry that it's so short, and don't worry Tamiru, we probably have different time zones anyway ^_^]

Nao smiled at Tamiru,
"Haha. There's no need for any thank you's or anything like that. I'm Nao. Nice to meet you."
When Michelle started talking, he listened then nodded.
"Ah, yeah. I don't mind sitting down." He smiled and put his arms out, saying "after you." THe gust of wind blew his shirt up a little bit and his hair flew everywhere again just like it always did. After letting a slight chuckle escape from his mouth, he stood up straight and fixed his hair.

[Sorry it's short, gotta get off the laptop or I'm dead meat >D<]

" Michelle huh? That's a down right lovely name. One of my favorite in fact," Tamiru replied. If she and Hibiki had been able to have children, she would've named their daughter that. Her heart died a little at the thought and she shook her head to make her focus. She didn't need to get lost in the past now.

Tamiru shook her head at Nao and stepped a little bit closer to him, just enough to be in his personal space. She put two of her fingers underneath his chin so that he was looking up at her. Then she leaned in close to his face and said," Oh but I am most indebted to you, my knight in shining armor. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to thank you?"

She waited a few seconds and then she let him go and stepped back again, giggling all the while," I'm just kidding Nao-hunny. Sorry if I made ya mad but I just couldn't resist."

Tamiru began walking toward the benchs and turned back to look at them when she saw they weren't following," Ready to go dolls?"


[ That's fine. Hope you didn't get into any trouble on our account]

"Ha ha, Yep you bet, Little Miss Michelle. I know little about European names. Know some about others too. I heard some that I liked from a friend of mine's mother. She's from the U.S. so she knows a lot of them," she stated matter of factly.

Tamiru walked over the bench and sat down next to Michelle. She hadn't wanted to say anything but she was a little sore from the fall. She rubbed at her stomach in thought again. It was still tingling a little which told that the two youngsters were in a unit but not together. They had completely different threads but each of them was weakly connected at most. They must have only recently found their partners for them to be this weak.

She got lost in her thoughts again as she watched the children play without a care in the world. How she longed to return to that feeling. Before everything and before loss but she couldn't. She wouldn't ever be able to go back to that time. She felt the tears gather in her eyes ready to fall but she managed to wipe them away. She didn't want anyone to see her cry. Only three people in the entire world had seen that and one of them was dead now. Now only Yoko-chan and her grandmother had ever seen it and probably ever would.

" Hey, You two. I've gots a question for ya," she said suddenly, unaware that she might be interupting something," Where are your partners? Usually units stay around each other all the time when they first meet, so why aren't you guys doing that whole bonding crude and the like?" she asked randomly.

[[Ahh, this is troublesome... My partners account got deleted, so I'll just say that his name disappeared, so he left. Easy solution. xD]]

Nao followed the other two to the bench, dragging his feet along the way. "My partners name disappeared, so he left me." He missed his fighter, though he always thought to himself "There's no use crying over every mistake or every bad thing that happens." He mumbled, "I miss him, I had only met him a couple days ago, and then he called me saying "his name disappeared, so he's going back to England." It was a shame, it made me sad, but I'll get over it." After sitting on the bench, Nao took a deep breath in, then let out a sigh. He kicked his legs which kicked the gravel and stones on the floor into different directions where they settled down again.
"Also, yeah, Michelle, I'd love your number." He grinned, then dropped his bag ont he floor after taking it from around his neck.
After looking at all the kids and teenagers having fun with eachother again, without a care in the world, he laughed inwardly so the two units couldn't hear. "I'll meet him again soon, I hope." He thought. "But those lucky kids, having no idea what we're talking about, without a care in the world."

[I've been so busy, so sorry guys]

Michelle quickly got out a piece of paper and a pen out of her school bag and jotted down her number and passed it over to Nao. Feeling quite happy, it hadn't dawned on her how rashly she was making friends recently. It had always been a main priority of hers to try and avoid making friends, because when she moved it would only hurt more. She wanted to give Nao her number first before thinking about anything else, or answering any questions. Now she had done that she could focus her attention to several things.

The first being the question Miss Tamiru asked. Michelle was still cautious about talking about units. She didn't want to reveal anything that could be used against her, and as she still wasn't sure how the whole spell system worked, she suspected almost anything. She had begun to notice how the more experienced unit members were much more open than she was, she wondered if other units were as much of an enemy as she first thought. She assumed at first that they automatically all were. That was before she found out they seemed to be every where. Maybe because of this there was a much more united bond between them all. She didn't want to risk it, so of course she thought about her question. Well it was harmless really, but what struck a nerve was the phrasing she'd used. "Usually units stay around each other all the time when they first meet." So she knew that Michelle had only recently found the sacrifice she belonged to. She couldn't help but feel slightly worried about this. She put aside that feeling but remembered this for future reference. "Well, I spent all yesterday with the sacrifice I belong to, and today I had school. Then I decided to go on my roller blades, haven't been on them in ages. I'm calling him later though, when I get home." Smiling politely to Tamiru. Miss Tamiru was probably just curious, trying to show an interest.

The second thing she thought about was Nao. He hadn't mentioned anything about his fighter leaving him. He sounded so proud when he spoke of him earlier. It must have been painful, but by the looks of things Nao was obviously managing to cope and she didn't want to make it harder by bringing it up trying to comfort him. Most of the time in these circumstances it only brings back bad memories. Instead she gave him a heart warming smile.

When he felt the gaze and warm smile of Michelle on his side, Nao kept his head down. Throughout his life, many people he loved had been lost, and now he'd just lost another, he didn't need comforting. it was probably the last thing on his mind or the last thing he needed. Still swinging his leg, Nao moved his head back upwards, watching the tree ahead of them even if it was just swaying along in a rhythm with the wind. Nao found nature very.. Intriguing, and that's why he liked to take photo's of it.

After swinging his bag onto his lap, he pulled out a digital camera. Looking through the lense towards the tree, he snapped a shot. Putting the camera down to look at the quality of the photo, he grinned. A picture of his old fighter and him was there, and it always helped having a photo of people. Skipping ahead to the photo of the tree, he was impressed. It was probably the secondest photo he had taken. The sacrifice noticed he had done that while igoring the fact Michelle and Miss Tamiru where there. He blushed, smiled nervously and put his camera back in his bag.
"Ahaa.. I like to take photo's sometimes." He mumbled, putting his bag back on the floor with Michelles number packed inside. "Thanks for your number, Michelle." Nao looked at her, smiled, then faced the floor again.

" Ah so I see," Tamiru replied sadly. She was sad that the sweet boy had had to go through that. While Tamiru herself had never had a partner, she knew units that had happened too. They had described the feeling as losing a part of you. ' If it's anything like losin' Hibiki. I don't think I wanna have one,' she thought terrified at the thought of abandonment.

" I sure hope things go better for ya in the future Sweetheart. Mind if I ask what ya name is, the other one I mean? For all we know, we might match up," she told him with a quirky grin," I ain't never had no parnter so I wouldn't know about losing one. Just a plain old lonely fighter is all I am. Just waiting on someone that might never show up.."

She nodded to Michelle," Good. Best thing that you two can do know is bond. The stronger that bond is, the better. At least that's what I heard. Though, in all honest a friend certainly ain't had much luck with that. Can't get her partner to commit." 'Poor Yoko-chan,' she thought sadly,' Stuck in a unit with someone who couldn't care less about her. What's worse is she's even in love with her too, so she's double stuck.'


(So sorry that this is as late as it is. Things got super busy at work for me. I'm so sorry that you're partner got deleted Nao. I hope things go better with the next one)

Michelle watched Nao as he pulled out a nice digital camera. She was curious as always, it was the same whenever she joined her mother on a shoot, although the last her mother had photographed herself had been so long ago. Her mother tended to direct the photo shoots now. Pulling one leg up onto the bench she held it close to her, rubbing her ankle in the process, as it was a little saw. She tilted her head to the side slightly and her ears fell a little as she looked at Nao and spoke nonchalantly "Oh, that was a pretty camera. My mums photogrophy studio isn't that far from here. I bet your more talented than she is, my mums never seemed the creative one. Oh, and you're welcome." Another smile found it's way to her lips at the thought of the photo he had just taken.

As he put it away Miss Tamiru started to speak polietely to them both. "I'm sure one day both of you will find good, long lasting, partners. You both deserve one. It's not fair that you guys have to wait and I found the sacrifice I belong to as soon as our name showed up on me." Staring off into the distance a moment, she remembered her first meeting with Cielo. She giggled remembering how she thought she was going crazy.

"I'm sure in time we will bond, but I'm probably much too serious for it to ever get too informal." She hid how disheartened she felt about that. If she could, she'd be best friends with Cielo, but always the cautious one, she couldn't help but wonder if it would jeprodise her position if she was ever too attached. "I know my place and where I stand. I'm the tool he's the mechanic. Simply put, and with that I believe we're gonna make a great team. But I'm interested to hear about this friend of yours, what do you mean by her partner won't commit." Michelle knew that she didn't know enough yet about units and how they interact, she wanted to learn more about them if she could.

[*edit: I know this isn't really important but I just wanted to say that when Mich talks about best friends she doesn't mean the childish bff thing but more a really strong bond, like an almost sibling kind of bond. I just wanted to say cause I'm picky about misunderstandings.]

Nao smiled,
"My name's Lifeless. If we were partners, that would be awesome, Miss Tamiru. But unfortunately, we're not. If we were, the string would connect us." After that, he looked towards Michelle "Oo. Cool. She has a studio." The only reason Nao liked photography was because his Dad was an semi-famous photographer. A lot of people knew about him, and they expected Nao to be one too. That wasn't his dream though.

[sorry it's so short, i have to get going. going to Ness' house. and it's OK, Tamiru. XD wasn't your fault, and I'm sure my next partner will be awesome. (: ]

Tamiru sighed as she listened, " Darlin' ya ain't just a tool to be used ya know. You're a person with thoughts, feelings, and an ability to think for yourself. Never let no body tell ya no different do ya hear me." she poked Michelle's shoulder to accentuate her point.

She blinked when Yoko-chan was brought up but she guessed that as long as neither of them knew her that it wouldn't matter she told them just a little about her. Nothing that was meant to be kept secret mind you but a little bit shouldn't hurt anything.
" Well, maybe commit ain't the right word to use. She's against havin' anythin' to do with my friend. She don't want to be with her at all but she's has ta cause of this unit thing," Tamiru replied sadly, rubbing her stomach where her name rested in thought," Which is a real shame since my friend's a real sweetie and absolutely adores her sacrifice, loves her and everythin', even though if the girl could leave her she would. Ain't that sad?" she finished with a small sniffle. Thinking about poor Yoko-chan's situation always did make her want to cry. The poor thing.

Tamiru turned to Nao," Ya never know hun. I've been around some units who threads didn't link 'um up right away. Weird but true." she smiled slightly," Although in this case, the threads shouldn't match up since we do got different names and all. Mine's Outlaw, not Lifeless, so we don't fit. Shame too. You seem like a nice feller. I wouldn't have minded being in a unit with ya. " She winked at him teasingly.

She hoped he found his partner soon the sweet boy deserved a good one that's for sure. Although, Lifeless seemed a litttle strange for him since it didn't quite fit. Then again in her opinion, Yoko-chan's didn't fit her too well neither so she guessed that it didn't matter.

It was starting to get colder. Nao wrapped his scarf around his neck tighter again, then got shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. After shivering, he got used to it then just.. Stopped.
"It would have been cool if we were, Miss Tamiru," Nao sighed "But we're obviously not." He laughed a little.
Looking around at all the trees with the leaves gone, he sighed. It was as if the whole place was dead. After breathing in, he smelt something. He opened his bag and his face completely lit up. The sacrifice forgot he had three strawberry lollys in his bag. He put two in his hand then held then out to the other two for them to take. Grinning, he unwrapped one with his teeth and stuck it in his mouth.

Michelle smiled as she took the lolly Nao offered. "Thanks Nao." She popped the lolly into her mouth after quickly unwrapping it. Nothing like a nice lolly. With the lolly still in her mouth she muffled "Oo, strawberry my favourite."

While licking away at her lolly she thought about what she was going to say in reply to Miss Tamiru. She wasn't surprised by Miss Tamiru's words. She guessed that Tamiru would assume somebody else had told her to think of herself as a tool. If Michelle was honest with herself, she knew she would probably say the same. The thing was, that was how Michelle saw herself as a fighter, but she didn't think of it in a negative way like most people would. It was just an uncomplicated way to look at it, a way to summarize her role. Taking her lolly out of her mouth she spoke with a smile "Ahh you misunderstand, Miss Tamiru, only I see myself as a tool, and that's only under certain circumstances. For example, on the battlefield I'm a tool, in life, I'm my own person. I can't really explain it properly though, there's other things to consider, but I'd only end up confusing you as much I confuse myself. Thanks for being so nice and considerate."

Hearing about Miss Tamiru's friend saddened her. She'd never expect a sacrifice to want to disown, for lack of a better word, their fighter. It was a foolish way to be and think. It's destiny that they be a unit, so surely that fighter is perfect for the sacrifice, if the sacrifice doesn't feel the fighter is strong enough, it's the sacrifices job to make sure to strengthen their fighter. Also it's not nice to be so cold to someone who adores you the way Miss Tamiru's friend adores the sacrifice they belong to. "Yeah it is sad. I hope that there's a day when that sacrifice comes to appreciate your friend the way they should. If you ask me though, it's probably just a misunderstanding. It could be that the sacrifice just wants to protect your friend. Even though thats not the way units are supposed to work. See the sacrifice might feel that she would have a bad influence on your friend or get her into harmful situations. Maybe the sacrifice is somebody who enjoys their own privacy, either way I hope they learn to get along and such." She held onto her leg for a little longer before letting it fall back to the ground.

Looking back up towards Nao she realised his name sounded familiar, he looked ever so slightly familiar too. "Do you know what Nao, I swear I've heard your name somewhere before, and you look like a photographer my mum told me about once. But younger." She couldn't remember much about it, her Mum was talking about the history this town had when it came to photographers or something along those lines. Michelle knew there was some story about it but she was trying to do her homework at the time.

[sorry it's so long, I hope you don't mind long posts]

"If its Irie, it's probably my Dad then. He was an awesome photographer, semi-famous." There was a little emphasis on was when he said that. While sucking on his strawberry lolly, he kicked the ground a couple of times. More fragments of dust flew upwards then settled down ontop of others, as if hugging them. His mind went blank for a moment, then after coming to his senses, he smiled again, hiding anything that showed on his face. He was pretty much always in his own world, not thinking that anyone would care as they usually just passed him by without stopping to ask what he was doing or anything, and he liked that. Nao's own world was happier than reality.

Tamiru smiled at Nao but it didn't quite reach her golden eyes. She reached forward and plucked the lolipop from his hand but didn't unwrap it right away." Thanks a bunch sweetheart."
She didn't have the heart to tell him that she was allergic to strawberrys so she let it slide out of her mind. She would probably put it up somewhere, knowing her. She was a bit of a pack rat.

She nodded at Michelle to show that she understood, at least somewhat anyway." I guess ya got yourself at point. I just didn't want ya think down on yerself is all. Too much a that being done nowadays, ya know," she replied tilting her head back and leaning it againt the back of the bench. She stared up at the sky blankly. She getting to her limit of faking happy emotions for the day. You could only force yourself to be happy for so long after all. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying their company or anything; it was quite to the opposite, she liked these two. She didn't really have in her to be cheerful anymore.

" Huh, yeah, maybe yer right. Goodness knows I hope that ya are. For her sake anyway," she responded dully. She was so tired today. She gazed at the clouds for a bit longer and when she had returned her attention back to conversation, she heard Nao say something about his dad.

" I had the pleasure of meeting the guy once," she stated, her tiredness creeping into her voice a bit, making it slur slightly." Was a while ago though. At one of my showing, I think. I got the feeling that he didnt' enjoy my pictures too much." her lips twitched a bit at the memory. It had been a rather interesting evening. It was the last show that Hibiki had gone to before he...... yeah she took a deep breathe to calm the approaching tears. She didn't need to keep doing this to herself.


[ I don't, means more to reply to.}

When Nao heard this, his smile turned softer. It was always nice to hear about someone knowing his dad.
"Haha, now I know where you're from. When my dad got home after that, he spoke about your work. He really did like it, even though it would have looked like he didn't. While he was looking at it, he was probably thinking about how he could improve and become as good as you, Miss Tamiru!" He beamed. After his dad had got home after that show, he wouldn't stop talking about how much he enjoyed this painting he saw by a "Miss Tamiru Ichida". After that, Nao had wanted to see one of the works by her to see how good it was. To get praise from that man was very hard, but she had succeeded in one show. Nao admired Miss Tamiru and was glad to know she knew his dad.