Spirit Academy

Shiro looked around some as she walked and tilted her head slightly, seeing that the sky was getting a bit darker though she assumed it was about to be dinner.

"I guess we where out longer then I thought."

She said and smiled at Lance, having thought they would be out less time then that.

Lance saw the darkening sky as well and turned to Shiro.

"Do you want to camp out here again tonight or try to make it back as fast as we can? The bad spirits'll be coming out soon so I'll leave it to you."

He asked her, not really wanting to stay in the forest again for another night but also wanting Shiro to be comfortable.

Shiro looked at him and sighed as she shook her head, she didnt like the idea of staying out there again.

"How about we just hurry back? I am sure we can make it in time if we walk fast enough."

She said before smiling at him as she started to walk quicker.

Lance nodded to Shiro's suggestion to move quickly and before she knew it, he'd broken out into a run and gotten ahead of her. He glanced behind him and gave Shiro a grin, watching her as well as his surroundings as he ran.

Shiro noticed he started to run and pouted some, thinking he was trying to race though she smiled after a minute and ran after him. She caught up after a second and made sure not to trip over any roots or the bushes in the forest. If he wasn't hungry now he would be by the time they finally got there, so she felt up to the race with him.

Lance continues to run with Shiro until they reach the edges of the forest. Soon after they reach that point, he slows down and starts to catch his breath. He looks back to make sure that Shiro had been following him.

Shiro caught up and slowed down with him as she caught her breath, giggling some though as she looked at him and smiled.

"That was pretty fun, I haven't run like that in a while now."

She said and started to walk again to get to the cafeteria.

Lance followed along with Shiro to the cafeteria of the school, wondering what was for dinner that evening probably as much as she was. He did notice that she still had her ears and tail out, making him jog up to her and stop her before they got too far.

"Shiro? Shouldn't you change back before we get to the school?"

He asked her.

Shiro looked at him when he stopped her, confused some but smiled when she heard what he said since she had forgotten. She nodded as she went ahead to let them go away again, moving to take his hand after.

"I guess I get comfortable being around you I forget that most people wouldn't accept me for that."

Lance chuckled, holding Shiro's hand as they began walking again.

"That's not exactly a bad thing to be comfortable around people you know."

He told her.

Shiro nodded as she hung onto his hand and walked with him, smiling a bit as she did. Even if it was still sort of odd to her she was happy to have him, being comfortable around him too.

"I guess it isn't that bad, I want to find more people I can feel comfortable with though. I think you will be at the top of that list always though."

Lance walked with her and listened as they approached the school.

"And what of Ikari and Kiria? I would imagine Kiria could easily see you in a motherly light. She just sees Ikari as a bigger sister being. At least that's what she tells me."

He tells her.

Shiro blushed some and shook her head at what Lance said about how Kiria must look at her now. She wasn't sure that the feeling would go that far, since she had only cared for her once to get her to sleep.

"I don't think she would see me like that, though I am not saying I won't be comfortable around anyone else. Though I am not sure I will even be able to show them what I really am."

She said as she walked into the cafeteria to get something to eat.

Lance narrowed his eyes at Shiro as he got food and sat down with her.

"Why would you think something like that?"

He asked her, actually beginning to wonder what their reactions would be like.

Shiro got her food with him as she thought about what he asked her, sitting down with him as she sighed and shook her head.

"What do you think they might do? I mean... I told you what I am but other people in this world hold a grudge against spirits. That might be held against me as well."

she said and looked at her food as she started to eat, sighing quietly as she thought about all those who would want to hurt her.

Lance thought for a second and nodded as he ate.

"I don't think Kiria would care very much. Ikari's different though. A close friend of hers was killed out in the field of a mission once and she stopped fighting after that. She used to be a great ally in battle but now....she doesn't want to fight anymore."

He told her.

Shiro nodded some as she ate and listened to him, eating as she tried to think.

"That is sort of a concern for me then, I don't think I will want to show her. It's not like I don't trust her it's just... I don't want something to happen."

She said and stretched as she finished her food.

Lance nodded and finished eating his food as he responded.

"If you're really that nervous over it then I would ask Ikari about what happened that day a while back. You might learn something."

He spoke, going to put his dishes away.

Shiro looked at him as she listened, nodding hesitantly though as she followed and thought about it. Maybe it would be nice to hear about it in general, just to learn more about someone she has as a friend.

"If you would like to I wouldn't mind, learning about someone I am learning to trust would make me happy. I just hope she will be okay with telling it."

She said and went to take his hand when they finished, wanting to go ask as soon as possible.

Lance gave Shiro's hand a gentle squeeze and nodded to her question.

"We can probably at least check on her right now if you want. I dunno if she'd be asleep anyway."

He told her, walking with Shiro out of the cafeteria.

Shiro nodded as she followed him out of the cafeteria, hanging onto his hand as she sighed quietly.

"I do hope this won't end badly, I don't want her to end up hurting just because we asked something."

She said as she looked back at Lance some as she kept walking, hesitant still about asking. Though she did want to know the answer and if she could show herself to Ikari.

Lance nodded as he and Shiro walked through the halls to Ikari's room. For once, as the two approached her room, everything was actually quiet. No shuffling behind the door from her moving clothes or whatever other clutter was in her way for some reason or another. No music being played. No singing being done. Her room was genuinely quiet. Lance stopped in front of Ikari's door for a second when he heard this, knowing that there shouldn't be a way that she'd be sleeping. At least not at this hour of the day. After a moment's hesitation and a nod of confidence to Shiro, he knocked on the door to her room. It was a few moments longer than usual before Ikari slowly opened the door, the room behind her dark from the lights being off and her blinds being drawn back. She appeared to have been sleeping as she was rubbing her eyes when she answered the door. She gave a small yawn and blinked sleepily at Lance and Shiro.

"Heya guys....what's up? Did you need something from me?"

She asked, clearly having been exhausted by something. Upon looking behind her, her room was actually organized and clean. Everything about this was extremely out of the ordinary for her as Lance frowned at her.

"What's up? You're not usually asleep at this hour Ikari. And your room's actually clean....for once. Are you alright?"

He asked her, Ikari blinking at him in surprise before glancing back to her clean room and giving a small sigh.

"Maybe it's better you come in. If you stand in the hallway forever it'll look off."

She told them, opening the door for the both of them to go inside. Lance nodded slowly to Ikari's suggestion before heading on inside the room, taking a seat on a small pillow on the floor near a small table with some tea cups and a pitcher of water on top of it. Ikari walked around the room and got both him and Shiro a cup to get some water from before sitting down on one side of the table herself. She gives a small smile over to Shiro and gestures for her to take a seat.

"First things first, what'd you guys need from me? I'm more than sure you guys didn't exactly come for a friendly visit to say hello. You would've come by yourselves if that was the case."

She asked, pouring herself some water into a cup before taking a drink from it.

Shiro wondered as well when they stopped by the door if she had gone to sleep, there was no noise inside the room. That was odd even to her though, since she hadn't come up to Ikari in any place without music being played at least. So when Lance nodded to her and knocked on the door she hung onto his hand a little bit tighter, worried that they woke Ikari up. That was confirmed when seeing Ikari yawning from the dark room after opening the door, and was even more confused at seeing the state of the room.

She accepted the offer with Lance though and went to follow him inside the room to sit down on the pillow next to Lance.

"We just came to ask you something really quick. Or might not be that quick depending..."

She said and glanced at Lance some, she did want him to ask since Ikari knew him more. It might be a bit odd or more hurtful some how if she asked such a personal question.

Ikari gave Shiro a confused look before turning to Lance.

"What's up? Did I do somethin wrong?"

She asked him. He shook his head in response.

"Not at all. But I told Shiro about why you don't train and fight like me or the other students here do and she wanted to ask what'd happened."

He told her, Ikari turning to Shiro.

"That true?"

She asked her, trying to make sure it wasn't just Lance using Shiro to get sensitive information from her.

Shiro looked at Lance and Ikari as they spoke for a minute before she was focused on again, looking at Ikari alone then she nodded and looked down slightly.

"I am sorry if it's too sensitive though, I just though since I didn't know you as long as Lance maybe it might be nice to learn more about you. Of course if it's too much for you then you don't have to say anything, I don't want to hurt you."

She said the last part a bit quickly, wanting to get that across before Ikari might be getting ready to tell something that would hurt her.