Life Waits for No Man

A cool breeze wafted through the open window as Arashi leaned on the windowsill, looking out over the village of Hoshi.  The young man went into a bit of a remission since the recent Palace events, not wanting to stray far from the Royal grounds.  It was difficult, to say the least, especially since it was still under wraps and not public.  The young girl Tsuji Flora came to visit every so often, and the teenager was starting to warm up to her.. or at least not try to hide.  He was even on a first name basis with her. 

On the other side, Arata was starting to get more and more rebellious, and on more than one occasion Arashi has had to step in to clean up after the younger shinobi.  Unfortunately, he was getting powerful very quickly.  It was a concern both son and mother had, but for Akihana, her focus had been split since the change in leadership. 

Speaking of Arata, the sudden whirl of metal was too quick to avoid, and a handful of shurikan and kunai impacted Arashi's back.  Arashi seemed to slowly start to fall towards the open air, when he turned white and vanished in a puff of clouds.

"Arata, are we really going to do this again?" said the older shinobi, who was now on the top of a bookcase, legs dangling off.  Arashi didn't seem disturbed that Arata could have killed him, it was more of look of acceptance.  "What did mom say about throwing weapons in the palace?"

Arata stepped from the shadows, a look of frustration on his face.  He should have known his brother was aware, but still, the nonchalant attitude was annoying.  His beloved Nii-san was becoming more like that weak pain in the bum, Akihana.

"No one could beat me today.  I need a challenge, and mom isn't here.  So.. are you just going to chicken out?"

Arashi sighed, and jumped down from the bookcase.  "Not here.  If you want, we can go to the grounds.  But I don't want to have to explain damage to the palace.  Not to mom, and not to the royal guards." he said, walking away.  This of course, only angered the younger brother.

"Coward.. true shinobi can't be picky about where they fight!" he said launching another kunai at the older brother's head.  Arashi moved swiftly, deflecting it with his own weapon.  Before he could say anything back, though, Arata launched at him with a kick, and the fight was on.

"Arata!  We can't!" Arashi shouted, as jabs and kicks were deflected with symmetrical moves.  When Arashi tried to back off, Arata would jump in closer, and after the first slip up, the sound of fallen armor filled the hall they were in. 

"Who cares!  We're shinobi!  We need to stay strong!  I'll beat you, Nii-san!" the younger boy shouted, forcing Arashi to remain on the defensive.
He made no move to try and beat Arata, just trying to keep the fight from escalating.  And truth be told, there was a small part that was enjoying the rush of training.  That was probably the reason why he couldn't just slam his bother down. 

Arashi held his own, but he couldn't activate the Kumo form.. not at the risk of Arata sailing through him into another wall or display.  Before long the shinobi was forced back to the palace wall, and it suddenly occurred to him that maybe he was getting lax.  Arata shouldn't be able to hold the edge like this.

"Okay, okay!  I'll fight you!  Stop!  Please, before we-"

Arata got the upper hand and caught Arashi square in the chest... and Arashi felt the barrier on his back give way as the window he was in front of shattered, and the shinobi flew out and down.  At the last moment, Arashi moved himself to standing on the ground, avoiding the falling glass.

"Great... now look what you've done.  Mom is going to be pi-" Arata sailed out and continued his assault, and Arashi was forced to go on the defensive, moving back.  Luckily, they were outside now, and near the training grounds no less.  Arata wanted a fight?  Arashi could provide it now.

"Geeze.. to think I looked up to you, Nii-san.  You've gotten soft.  Soft like her." Arata said, as Arashi finally gave a kick up to the young boy's chin, and sailed through the air on a back flip until he landed in the training grounds, his hands up.

"Being a shinobi is about more than just strength and power...  its to know when to act, remember?  You want it, come get it." Arashi said, ready to actually counter.

Arata moved in, and the two started going even harder, now that it was clear there was no more risk.  Arashi light up with electricity, but decided against too much in the way of ninjutsu.  Arata was tai, and Arashi would not beat him with cheap moves.

The fight continued in a crescendo until finally Arashi fell back, and as the dust cleared, Arata had a kunai to his throat.  Both were breathing heavy, and Arata had a look of smugness.

"Looks like I finally beat you, Arashi." he said, giving a smirk.  Arashi looked down, and then to Arata. 

"Look again."

Behind Arata came Arashi's voice, and there stood Arashi, kunai pointed just above the back of his neck.  Two Arashis, which meant only one was the real deal, and it was impossible to tell which one was.  Arata was defeated.