[color=00aeef]"C'mon, Azhul. We have to manage this."[/color] Up at the crack of dawn, the black haired boy stood in his home's back yard, breathing heavily with droplets of sweat running down his forehead. 

[color=7bcdc8]"Damn, kid! Don't you know what 'chill out' means!?"[/color] Perhaps not what would be expected in an everyday conversation, but rather more common in the midst of combat, or like this time, sparring, a spirit of fire hovered over the ground in face level with the short boy. 

[color=00aeef]"Hehe...I see what you did there."[/color] Tao wiped his forehead before a swirl of white fire surrounded his frame and gathered in his palm. [color=00aeef]"Now! Do it! Telep-..."[/color] Before the boy got a chance to launch the firebolt gathered within his hand, a door swung open behind him. Tao's home was a larger building fitting the representative of the Mei clan, his mother. She was known to be calm, relaxed and harmonic. Despite the passionate hearts associated with the Mei clan, she had always kept a very relaxed stance towards the rest of Konoha. One could call it professional, of course. Being a politician, there was little else she could be if she hoped to make progress. 

[b]"Tao Mei!!!"[/b] That calmness did by no means extend to her own family, however. Tao's flames paled in comparison to the hellfire glaring at him from their home. [b]"You've woken the entire neighbourhood! Get your ass in here, NOW!!"[/b]

[color=00aeef]"H-hi, mom..."[/color] Tao gulped, immediately dispelling the fire in his palm. [color=00aeef]"We were just uhm..."[/color]

[b]"How long have you been at this!? You look like you ran a hundred miles!" [/b]The woman shook her head with a sigh before her bear feet touched the ground and she walked up to her son, grabbing hold of him. [b]"You're gonna' meet your squad today. Please, look respectable."[/b] Lin pointed at a scroll in her hands.

[color=00aeef]"Hey!"[/color] The boy stood up to her. [color=00aeef]"Being a warrior is sweaty business! It's not like the others don't work out!"[/color]

[b]"I am sure the others don't blow up their backyard at five AM!"[/b] Turning her attention to Azhul, she narrowed her eyes into a heart piercing gaze. [b]"You better have taught him something, that's the only saving grace now."[/b]

[color=00aeef]"Shower!"[/color] Tao pitched in, laughing nervously. [color=00aeef]"We were just gonna' take a shower! See you later, mom." [/color]

[color=7bcdc8]"Wait...[i]I'm[/i] going to take a shower!?"[/color] It wouldn't be that surprising that the spirit made of fire was objecting to standing under a constant beam of water. Grabbing the spirit's hand, Tao hurried into the house before his mother tore open a gate to hell. [color=7bcdc8]"Y-you're not serious, are you?"[/color]

[color=00aeef]"Yes Azhul, I'm serious. I'm going to drown y-...Of course not! Did you want to stay out there with mom?"[/color] As they entered his room, Tao placed his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow while looking at his friend.

[color=7bcdc8]"Fair point." [/color]

[color=00aeef]"Alright. I'm gonna' jump into the shower. Try not to get killed by mom."[/color] Not the most reassuring goodbye, but after having been scolded by his mother, Tao didn't waste any more time before cleaning off. Of course, he didn't have to spend long in there. Grabbing the soap and shampoo, he made quick work of the task and stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist as he reentered his room. [color=00aeef]"Have you...been in here the whole time?"[/color] 

[color=7bcdc8]"I'm not going out there alone!"[/color] The spirit shook his head and flipped through one of Tao's comic books with his claws. [color=7bcdc8]"So what are you going to wear?"[/color]

[color=00aeef]"Uhm..."[/color] The boy responded, opening his closet. He just managed to slip on his boxers before the door to his room swung open. [color=00aeef]"Wha-...mom!?" [/color]

[b]"Oh don't act like I haven't seen it all."[/b] She waved it off. [b]"Here, I prepared some clothes for you."[/b] Lin dropped down a small bundle of cloths onto her son's bed. 

[color=00aeef]"Way to make me feel all comfy..." [/color] Tao sighed softly and approached his bed, seeing the clothes laid out for him. [color=00aeef]"Are you serious?"[/color]

[b]"Of course I am! It's your clan's traditional outfits. All of us wear it except for you because you want to be hipster."[/b] Lin playfully ruffled her son's hair. The clothes she had laid out for him were a traditional outfit from their ancestral home. A silken vest beautifully embroidered with golden thread along the linings and a flowery decor stitched into the black silk fabric with a nearly as black thread. The short pants reaching down to the ankles she had laid out matched the vest in both style and fabrics. 

[color=00aeef]"I uh...think I'll go with a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, thank you."[/color]

[b]"Stop being difficult, kid. You need to look good, you're a [i]Sorcerer[/i]. Look the part!" [/b]Lin raised her chin, proud of the title bestowed upon their clan. 

[color=00aeef]"You do know that they'll just get dirty, right?" [/color]

[b]"Of course not! Your opponents should be no more after you raise your hand!"[/b] She grinned, leaning closer to the boy. [b]"No one said you shouldn't look good when you kick ass." [/b]

[color=00aeef]"You're scaring me, mom..."[/color]

With a heavy sigh, Lin shrugged and started out of the room. [b]"Fiiiiine. Put on whatever you want, but make sure to eat breakfast before you leave." [/b]

Slipping into a simple black T-shirt along with a pair of black shorts, Tao put his gloves on and headed out of the room. [color=00aeef]"You know, you always clam up when mom's around."[/color]

[color=7bcdc8]"Maybe because she can [i]banish[/i] me!?"[/color]

[color=00aeef]"Hm, yeah. That sounds uncomfortable."[/color] Tao giggled slightly at his own statement before grabbing a sandwich his mother had laid out for him. [color=00aeef]"Alright, bye mom! Bye Azhul, cya around." [/color]

[b]"Wait, you dweeb! Take this scroll with you!" [/b] 

Grabbing hold of his shoulder bag before leaving their home he dropped the scroll into it. Tao slipped into his black ninja slippers and ran down the stone steps and onto the dirt road before heading towards the academy. He [i]was[/i] technically eating his breakfast, just not before he left. This worked, right? It didn't take long before he came in contact with the academy, seeing how several other Genin were walking into the building. He hurried in and made his way towards the designated location and opened the door to see a woman in there with long pink hair. [i]This[/i] was going to be his sensei? [color=00aeef]"Hello."[/color] The boy spoke, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her and the cat. [color=00aeef]"Aw, kitty!"[/color] He did love cats, perhaps a bit too much. Dropping down on his knees he looked at the cat with a sheepish grin. [color=00aeef]"I'm Tao, by the way. Nice to meet you."[/color] It was proper to kneel when presenting yourself to your superiors, right? Well...at least he [i]was[/i] on his knees.