Etsu sat down by the lake and put her feet into the water. She then gave a small smile.It was hot outside, but she couldn't swim. Enjoying the day she hadn't noticed the kids who had come up behind her. "Hey kid," one of them said. Etsu looked up. There was three of them. All atleast three years older than him. Etsu stood up. "Hello," she responded. Thekid grinned. "How about you take a swim," he said and pushed her in. Etsu couldn't swim so she thrashed and cried. "Help!" The kid smirked. "Oh come on it's not even that deep."

Shen was taking a walk through the open, one of the very few days he ever took off. It was extremely hot out today, so he wasn't wearing his jecket. He was wearing nothing but shorts and a sleeveless shirt with his chain around his neck and his hat on. He stopped walking for a moment as he heard someone call for help. On instinct he started towards the sound. It sounded like a child to him. As he neared the lake where the sound was coming from, he saw a girl thrashing in the water and three kids standing on the shore. Without hesitation, Shen took off his hat and tossed it on the shore before jumping in to get the kid. The water wasn't as deep as he'd expected it to be, maybe it was just that the girl couldn't swim. Shen quickly pulled the girl back to the shore and sat her down. "Are you okay?" he asked. He had no idea that those three kids had just pushed her in, or else he'dve been all over them. He merely thought they were her friends.

Etsu was still thrashing until Shen pulled her out. "Thank you," she said coughin up water. She then looked at the three kids. Why had they pushed her in. The boy had noticed her looking in him and his friends direction. "Um, you okay?" He asked. "I didn't think it was that deep, for you." It was common sense to see that since she was only four and they were like seven or so.

Shen understood what'd happened the moment the older boy tried to explain himself. With a sharp glare, Shen turned his gaze to the three boys, his yellow eyes gleaming. "You pushed her in? Did you even think that she could've drowned?" he asked angrily. He gave an irritated sigh and grabbed his hat, putting it back on. They were just kids afterall. "Scram, before I call someone to find your parents. Don't ever let me catch you three doing something like that again, you hear me?" he said. He was used to dealing with kids, which is why he had to remember to keep his temper in check. He turned back to the girl, still sitting on the ground and gave her a soft smile. "Are you okay?"

Etsu looked at the boys. Their expressions changing slowly. "I didn't mean it," he said. "We were just playing," he said. He then stepped back. "Sorry." He then turned away and scrammed as Shen had told him. His buddies right behind him. Etsu then looked at Shen. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Shen didn't bother watching as the boys ran off, he could hear them. His expression stayed on the girl for a second, before looking towards the lake. At least he'd cooled off a little, and his shirt was now soaked. "You should really be moer careful about playing near water if you don't know how to swim. What's your name?" he asked, looking back at her with the same soft smile.

Etsu blinked. "I wasn't playing near the water," she said. "I just had my feet in," she said with a small giggle. "I'm Etsu, who are you mister?" She asked. Sure she'd just nearly drowned, but she wouldn't let that get her down, she was alive

Shen gave a small smile as she giggled. Man, she sure was cheery. "My name is Shen," he said with a smile as he got up. "Maybe I should take you to your parents and tell them what happened so that they don't worry when you come home all wet," he said with a smile.

Etsu wasn't all that cheerful anymore, but she quickly regained her smile. "I don't think that's necessary," she said. "By the time I get home I'll be all dry." She then stood up and shook the water from her clothing. "I'll be fine, I don't think they'll mind a little water in tempatures like this."

Shen noticed her small mood change when he mentioned her parents. "Then do you at least want me to take you home to make sure that those three don't come back?" he asked. He wondered if this child had any parents. When a child had a bad reaction to the mention of their parents one of two things was wrong; 1, they had a fight or something similar, or 2, they don't have parents.

Etsu shook her head no. "I'm sure those three won't come back. You seemed to have given them a real scare," she said. Etsu gave a small giggle. "Hey, you wanna play," she asked. She didn't have anybody to play with so and he was he only person around. "What do you say?"

Shen gave a light smile and a shrug as she said that she didn't think the three would come back. He blinked when she asked him to play with her. That certainly came from out of no where. He gave a small smile. "Sure, what do you want to play?" he asked. He didn't mind it. In fact, he liked kids, they were always so lively.

Etsu thought for a moment of what they should play. She didn't have anything in mind when she first decided to ask him to play. "Um, how about tag?" She asked. She then tagged him and took off running. So what if she wasn't all that fast, she just wanted someone to play with.

(...............)

Shen smiled as she suggested tag then tapped him and took off running. So it might've looked a little funny for a grown man to be playing tag with a 4 year old, big deal. If anyone wanted to know, she was his daughter or sister or something, it wasn't really their business. With a small grin Shen purposely ran slow enough to make it a little funner for her. After a minute or so though Shen tagged her with a grin and turned the other way, running slow again. Etsu was so lively for someone who nearly drowned. Oh well, not like it mattered much. He did wonder though, why she'd changed her expression when her parents were mentioned.

(what?)

Etsu kept running until Shen tagged her. She then giggled and ran after him. As he got closer she leaped at him and tagged him. "Got you," she said. She then ran towards a hill and dropped into a ball and rolled down it. By the time she'd reached the bottom of the hill she was a bit dizzy, but it was fun. She wanted to go again. Looking around she searched for Shen.

(Tag with a 21 year old.....)(And lmao, I just thought of something. A Stealth Ninja pretending to be slow, lol, that must look very funny)

Shen couldn't help but chuckle as Etsu leaped at him and tagged him. He turned only to see her rolling down a hill. With a small grin, he walked to the top of the hill and sat as she rolled down. He took his hat off and ran one of his hands through his still wet hair as she looked around for him. "Man, you sure are full of energy," he said with a smile.

(lmao)

Etsu smiled and then started bac up the hill as she saw Shen sit down. She giggled as he said that she was full of enegry. "Becase it's a great day to hav fun," she said. "Why wouldn't I be full of energy." She then sat next to him and looked at his hat.

(.....why's she lookin at his hat?)

Shen smiled as she started up the hill. "Yeah, it is a beautiful day out," he said giving a quick glance to the skies. They were cloudless. He chuckled and looked back at her as she asked why she wouldn't be full of energy. "I get the feeling you're like this even on days that aren't so nice," he said with a smile.

(Because its cool and I needed at last three sentences)

Etsu gave a giggle. "You know me to well and we just met," she said and stood up with a bounce. "I like being happy, because it's easier to smile than frown." She then fell backwards and rolled down the hill. "Weeeee!" She sat at the bottom of the hill laughing. "You should roll too, it's fun!" Etsu then got up and spun in a circle.

(lol)

Shen grinned and shrugged as she said that he already knew her well and they'd just met. The truth was, he was just comparing her to someone he used to know that was the same exact way. Shen chuckled as she suggested that he should roll down the hill too. "No thanks," he said with a smile. Sure he liked playing with her, but rolling down the hill was just a bit much.

Etsu stopped spinning as he said no thanks. She'd forgotten he was not a little kid. "Okay," she said as she ran back up the hill and rolled back down. She then came back up and plopped down in the grass. "That was fun," she said. She started to pull peices of grass from the ground and began to tie them together.

Shen gave a small laugh as she came back up again only to roll back down. As she came back up, he put his hat back on and looked at her. "How old are you Etsu?" he asked with a small smile. She was incredibly young to just be wandering out in the open by herself.

Etsu rolled onto her back and kicked her legs in the air as Shen asked about her age. "I'm four," she said. She gave and then looked at him. "How old are you," she snickered. She was just being funny because he was an adult and adults didn't like telling their age. She was perfectly harmless.

Shen looked at her as she said she was only four. He thought she'd be about that age. He then gave a small grin as she asked him how old he was. "Me? Oh I'm only 305," he said with a chuckle. He then ruffled her hair a little. "Just kidding. I'm 21," he said with a small grin.

Etsu gasped when he said he was 305. "You're really old" she said. She the coverd her mouth when he said he was really 21. "You're still old," she giggled. She the stood up and jumped up and down. "You're really cool," she said. "Looks like we were destined to meet each other. I mead a new friend today!"