THE ACADEMY AGE MEME

[sunshinenpcs]

The Academy Age Meme



"No, you can't eat yourself if you henge into a bowl of ramen, go sit back down"


Ah yes, another long-awaited Sunshineverse meme!

As the name suggests, this meme is fairly straightforward: bring out the cute academy aged icons, because we'll be playing everyone as their young, academy aged selves! This time it's pretty straightforward, but here's a step by step anyway.

Step one: Post a top level comment with your character's name and affiliation at the time of their academy training. You should probably include their age--again, at the time they'd be in the academy--along with it. If, for whatever reason, your character didn't go to a ninja academy, probably just post them as a child around the time other kids would have been in the academy

Step two: Given the nature of this meme, you may want to include a scenario or two for people to tag into, but otherwise, it's a good idea to include relevant information people will need if they tag your character. If during their childhood they refused to leave trees, preferred to henge into a puddle to make people slip on them, or killed people indiscriminately, these are good things for people to know.

Step three: Tag to others, and relive your high school Academy days!

NOTE: Ages in this meme are synched up. That means school-kid Karin won't be able to kick it with school-kid Kushina. But! A school-kid Karin could end up interacting with a somewhat younger than current canon Kushina!

BONUS NOTES!

1: Although it isn't required to, all tags and threads in this meme can absolutely count toward actual in-game history for the characters involved!

2: Threads that count for history also count for activity! Just like the test drive meme, if the threads count for history, they also count for activity

3: Don't forget the NPC journal! This is a great opportunity to interact with dead/distanced/etc characters that would still be around or would be prominently involved with the history of your characters, and that's what this NPC journal is there for! Use it!

4: Most important - Have fun, you cute little ninja terrors

Comments

[amicicider]

Kakashi took a step closer as instructed. He really didn't know the first thing about medical ninjutsu other than the fact that it's users often had fussy reputations, so he was putting himself completely at the mercy of her instruction. It was just lucky that he didn't realize it, or he probably would have backed out of this interchange before it had even started.

"It's not that bad.." he muttered as he held out his hand for her to take a closer look, moving the now tattered and scorched cuff of his sleeve out of the way for her. He didn't wince again, not a single sound of pain despite the angry coloring of his flesh.

[justanothersacrifice]

She frowned. This was slightly worse than the sort of burn she was supposed to be healing the next weekend. Which meant she probably wouldn't be able to heal it completely, but...she had bandages on hand! For...his hand.

She pointed at his wrist. "Steady your hand, okay? It will hurt a little bit if I fix it." And she wasn't nearly good enough to do it with just one hand, even if he only had a small injury.

--She was supposed to say he should see a nurse for an injury like that, because it wasn't on her level...but now she wanted to prove she could do it!

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi steeled himself, gripping his wrist and watching closely. It was the first time he'd had a burn like this, so he wasn't entirely sure of its severity, but he'd been taught not to show any signs of weakness or pain especially in the face of progress. This was a lesson, one that he wouldn't repeat, so he couldn't show it any kind of submission.

The girl was very confident in her approach, at least, and Kakashi not being a worrier wasn't too bothered about her apparent lack of experience. He just wanted to get back out there and try it again, this time without the mishap.

[justanothersacrifice]

Did she look confident...? Good, good! She should look confident. She was an aspiring and very promising medical nin, you know! But she'd never healed anything as severe as the burn on his hand.

But...now someone was counting on her, so she had to try! Her expression scrunched up in concentration as she stared down at his hand, and she summoned up what chakra she could, pushing it down to interact with and stimulate the regeneration of the cells in his hand.

She really had very little chakra to work with, so the effort already made her dizzy, but that was okay. She didn't have any more work for the day, and she could tell just by looking that the blisters and more obvious damage were vanishing from his skin with the more chakra she used.

Regardless of the fact that her chakra sputtered out in flickers while his hand was still angry red, she felt proud she could do that much. "I...can bandage it so it can heal the rest of the way...!"

[amicicider]

Kakashi was.. well, honestly he was astounded. He'd never really paid much mind to medical ninjutsu because more often than not the nin prescribing it to him would be stuffy and disapproving, or downright annoying.. The fact that she could do as much as she had at such a young age was definitely impressive, even if he could estimate she had a long way to go.

It had definitely hurt like she'd said, and he'd been forced to grit his teeth behind the fabric of his mask, managing to keep his eyes from screwing up and thanking the stars that she was so focused on his hand instead of his face. That was good.

He flexed his hand, ignoring the ache and strain of his abused skin, but seemed contented by the fact that his skin wasn't torn anymore. Just the burn itself to deal with, now. That was something he could fix himself, but he supposed he owed it to her to at least let her do that much.

"Sure," he said, glancing up at her first time since she'd started- and it was then he noticed her looking a little green about the gills - the skin surrounding the purple marks on her face flushed, but the rest rather pale. He recognized those signs easily... Oh, he should have known!

"Are you alright?" he asked awkwardly.

[justanothersacrifice]

...She was probably not alright, because now she felt sick and gross, and somewhere between wanting to run (to the nurse's office, probably) or lay down and sleep on the ground for awhile until the feeling went away. But the creed of a medical ninja was that a medic shouldn't collapse (or fall asleep) until the people in their care were alright. Technically he was in her care, so she couldn't do either thing until he had a fresh bandage and a stern warning.

She summoned up a little smile at his question, humming out a quiet 'mhm!' before biting her cheek and turning her head to dig out the necessary medication and bandages for his hand. Turning her head was a little bit of a mistake, because it made her really dizzy, but she was standing still, so she didn't fall over. "Sit...still, okay?"

She just had to squint for a few moments to remember which of these oils were for burns and which was for rashes...

[amicicider]

That definitely wasn't right, and though he wasn't exactly one for caring attention, he also wasn't one to miss an opportunity to show off when it came to his intelligence and experience. He was a genin after all, and she was still an academy student. It had been a big ask and she'd done a good job, so now it was his time to help her.

He used his unscathed hand to take a hold of her upper arm, guiding her with a gentle push downwards to sit on the ground. He knew she wouldn't be able to jerk away or resist the movement, so he didn't spare much time worrying about it, instead just giving her a plain, almost mechanic look and a nod.

"I have low chakra reserves too," he said as an explanation, aloof nature and snobbish tone clear and loud in his voice. "From all the jutsu I've practiced, I know what chakra drain looks like, and what it feels like. If you don't sit down and take it easy, you'll faint." Did that sound too much like softness? He wasn't sure. He sat down cross-legged in front of her.

"You should know that, being a medic nin." Ah, there we go. Rectified with his rudeness.

[justanothersacrifice]

He was right of course, she wobbled a little in surprise when he took her arm, but dropped down to the ground solidly without any resistance. She couldn't have resisted if she tried to fight a stiff breeze, probably--she was struggling enough to stand on her own. Still, she blinked once or twice from how quickly she dropped down. Ah well, nothing hurt, so it was all okay.

She was still holding the oils in her hands, and now that she was sitting, she was pretty sure the one on the right was burn oil. It had a little flame on it. The image had been too blurry to make out when she was standing.

The snobbish tone in his voice wasn't exactly missed, but she still gave no indication of hearing it. After all, his words didn't match his tone, and words were usually more important. Thus, despite her lingering dizziness she offered him a bright and sunny smile in response. In a way...it was sort of nice to know that even someone really advanced also had small chakra reserves like her.

She did remember her teachers warning about chakra exhaustion though, so he was right. Even if she couldn't think clearly enough to think about fainting symptoms. When he sat down, she held out the burn oil to him, movement slow and careful, so she didn't burn up any excessive energy after he'd gone to the trouble of sitting down with her.

"I know...but a medical nin should do what's necessary to heal their comrades." Although her face and voice might have been tired, her words were determined anyway. Medical ninja could have pride in their work, too.

[amicicider]

Kakashi always found lying on his back fixed chakra exhaustion right up, but she seemed happy enough just sitting down, so he didn't press any further. He wasn't self conscious about his small chakra reserves, as his father had given him disciplined instructions on how to build up his chakra and increase his chakra control - things that her class of academy kids wouldn't learn for quite some time... Although he knew medic-nin required control much earlier than most.. Perhaps that could be something they could work on together.

He shook that strange thought free - why would she want to train with the odd one out in class, after all - and looked at the little bottle suddenly in his grasp.

"That's true, but this isn't a battle and my life wasn't in danger.." he said, giving her a lazy look from under his headband.

[justanothersacrifice]

Yes, it probably would, but then he'd be obligated to lie down too, and they'd both be lying down in the pathway out of the Academy. They'd be bound to get stepped on. She'd just have to take it slower until she was sure no one else would leave and potentially step on her hair.

She did actually have special chakra raising training most other kids her age didn't. So, if he needed or wanted a partner, she could help. If she knew that's what he wanted, anyway. Then they could be friends!

"But...if I don't practice for it when it isn't, I won't be prepared for when it is."

[amicicider]

He actually smiled at that one, the expression reaching right to his eyes. "That's right." Now he remembered why he'd seen potential in her; it was true determination and honest dedication that he could see in the way she worked and trained, and he could respect that.. Not many kids her age had that handle on work ethic just yet.
She'd definitely be a good partner - and probably a good friend, too.

"It's important to know your limits, though. You're supposed to be the last one on the battlefield. If you use all your chakra before then, you'll be the first to fall instead."

[justanothersacrifice]

Oh...he smiled! She was suggestible enough to smile right back after a moment, even if she was still tired and worn down from healing him. If he wanted to be friends, then she'd happily be friends, even if he was technically a senpai.

Her expression grew more serious again though, once he started speaking. "That's true, but...this isn't a battlefield. And the best way to build a chakra pool is to push your limits and try harder! So as long as I practice now while it's safe, it's better, right?"

[amicicider]

He nodded, eyes falling to the little bottle in his hand and his smile going with them. He had to keep that under control now. He had to stay professional, had to keep on top of himself.

"I was practicing when this happened," he muttered, his voice quiet as though he were trying to keep the information secret; as if there was anyone around to listen in other than her. "But I was doing it alone, despite the fact that my father said I should have someone supervising me..."

He didn't like the idea of being watched by a sensei... but the thought of training with her sat better with him. That way he could teach her a few things, keep an eye on her out of the goodness of his own heart, keep a medic on stand-by in case of another backfire... and also it would keep his father quiet.

"Maybe we should see how compatible our limits are."

[justanothersacrifice]

The fact that he stopped smiling was a little disappointing (maybe she was used to people who were really bright and laughed a lot easily, and so expected that) but it wasn't so bad. Ninja were supposed to be serious, and he was really advanced far past them anyway.

Her disappointment vanished in a moment anyway, when he suggested they train together. Or, at least, that she supervise him (and thus help heal him up if he hurt himself, right?). That was exciting both as an opportunity to practice, and because it meant they could make friends after all.

She nodded quickly. "Uh-huh! That sounds like a good idea!"

[amicicider]

Somehow, even though he was at a much higher level than her and even though he'd thought of the idea, he was kind of surprised when she accepted. Did he.. have a training partner now? His father had encouraged him to partner up with countless members of the academy cohort, but none of them had ever really struck his interest... till her. She seemed quiet, intelligent, determined, but most importantly she could easily be used to further his advancement. By healing his wounds on site, he'd bounce back quicker.

Yes, it was a good plan.

"Good," he said, finally unplugging the stopped of the bottle to start to apply oil to his pain-hot hand. It was already feeling better, and with this application and a bandage he was sure he'd be able to try that move again to exercise his control on it. "How are your grades?"

[justanothersacrifice]

Well, she didn't mind if her training partner was more advanced than her. After all, she was a medical ninja, so her abilities didn't need to be on the same level as a battle ninja's to be able to be helpful. And besides, as well as helping with her abilities and shortening his recovery time, this way they could also be friends, like the teachers said they should be.

She glanced at his hand in interest, watching to see how it responded to the oil, before answering. "I'm doing really good! The teachers are impressed!" Somewhat, anyway. She wasn't the top of her class, but she also wasn't anywhere near the bottom!

[amicicider]

He smoothed it over the raw skin with an almost automatic ease; he'd done this only a few times before, but his father was very curt and encouraging when it came to reiterating the importance of proper personal wound care.

He nodded at her answer. "I was worried you'd let people drag you down..." he muttered quietly, simply, as if his words weren't in the least bit insulting to the company she kept.

[justanothersacrifice]

Everyone should be encouraging when it came to proper personal wound care! Maybe not curt...but then not everyone could be as nice as her sensei, she would suppose.

"Drag me down...?" She squinted at him, curious. "What do you mean?"

[amicicider]

He looked at her through his half-lidded eyes and slowly raised an eyebrow. Huh, maybe she wasn't as smart as he thought she was, if she couldn't tell who he was talking about from that description.. Well, he'd give her another clue just in case.

"You don't exactly cushion yourself amongst... like-minded people, so I've noticed."

[justanothersacrifice]

How judgmental of him. She could be a perfectly good medical ninja without bothering herself with worrying over the worth of the people she healed or befriended. It wasn't a medic's job to decide what ninja were worth healing, only which ones they could.

"Well...that's because...medical ninja are very busy always studying and practicing. There isn't any time to spend with each other outside of classes."

[amicicider]

"I wasn't just talking about medic-nin," he almost interrupted, shaking his head. He remembered her name now; he'd remembered it a while ago when it had suddenly struck him where he'd seen her before. This was the girl he fawned over.

"You hang around with the Uchiha in our class, don't you?"