Target practices [Akemi and privet]

Uten rushed to his training spot making sure that he avoided anyone that might try and distract him Finally a day all to me. he thought to himself as he took a boxing stance as a gust of cool air blew past him as he punched the tree dead center and repeated this four more times. After leaving a few dents in the tree Uten took a little time to think of what to do next "Why won't anyone train with me?" he asked himself looking at the flowers that were sprouting just a few feet from the tree, after relaxing for a few more seconds the random thought of him going to ask someone from the academy to help him.

Ah, the Water Gardens... There was no finer place to spend your day, training and relaxing in the beautiful humid atmosphere of the area. Akemi certainly agreed with this statement, it was one of the few places where he truly felt alive, where nature was at its normal, undisturbed self. The birds chirped to the morning sun, the morning dew still clung to the blades of grass, akin to the way a lost child holds onto their mother.

Because of this, Akemi was learning a technique which would allow him to traverse the terrain, without disturbing its natural order. A simplistic technique by nature, yet useful all the same. Stealth, it was what Akemi wanted to specialise in. The ability to move, undetected by any living being. The power to move swiftly, each action thought out and decisive. The skill to strike an opponent, before they even knew you were there. A quick, merciless death. 

Akemi signed the hand seals one more time, Ram-Horse-Ox, and directed wind chakra to the soles of both his feet. The chakra moulding and shaping itself more maximum sound-dampening. He took a single step. CRUNCH. The sound of a twig snapping edited from underneath his stepped foot, he sighed. Once more, Ram-Horse-Ox, He directed more chakra this time, focussing it into an aura around his feet. Last time, he had made the mistake of not directing the chakra to the area around his foot, instead he out it inside his foot. How could he dampen sound If the aura didn't extend around his feet? Seriously, he was such an idiot.

He continued performing the hand-seals for a bit longer, until the sound of a fist connecting with a tree echoed throughout the empty water gardens. What was that? Akemi picked up his ears and listened intently, the sound echoed four more times. It was unmistakable what it was now, it was someone practicing their physical moves on a tree. Poor tree.

He headed towards the sound and soon found a teenager, roughly his age, talking to himself and gazing upon a bed of flowers. What a strange thing to see so early in the morning. He recalled how talking to people had drastically improved his finesse and power, how much stronger would he grow this time?

He walked out into the open, he would now be clearly visible to Uten. He would stop around 4 meters away from the boy and look rather timid and shy as he started to speak, "Ermmm, hello. I c-couldn't help but hear you t-training, d-do you need any help? It's b-been a while since I've t-trained with anyone." He looked at Uten with earnest, time to see what the morning surprises would bring!

TWC: 454

(Sorry for the 'Bleh' post, I'm super tired right now :P)

Uten started to get lot within his own thoughts until he heard what sounded like someone talking to him "Uhm? you mean your not scared of me?" he turning around with a rather confused look on his face. It was really uncommon for others to get near him all "On second never mind that, You seem like a good fighter why not." he said getting into boxing stance Never thought I be training with someone other than my self. 


Uten gave Akemi a small grin as he moved in a few inches loser to him while winding up for a left hook I should hold back don't need to hurt the kid or anything. he told himself droping his left hand and going for a right jab aimed for Akemi's ribcage which would just tap him if it landed.

Scared of him? Why would Akemi be scared of this boy? Well, Akemi was rather shy, so he was feeling rather nervous. But he'd never really felt properly scared of anyone before. Maybe the boy in front of him had done something bad? Maybe he was out in the water gardens, hiding from the jaws of law? Akemi wouldn't do anything though, it wasn't his place. Besides, perhaps the kid had some kind of quirk that meant he immediately scared anyone? Who knew.

Apparently the boy didn't question a random stranger appearing out of nowhere, and instead started edging closer to Akemi in a stance. Akemi settled into a lax stance, hands in his pockets, back sagged. This was the stage in a fight where he tested the waters, felt the speed and power of the opponent. Akemi regarded his opponent closely, gauging the skill of him. 

The boy got within range and decided to start with a left swing. Akemi almost caught himself groaning, a swing left an entire half of your body unguarded, it should only be something to use when you're sure that your opponent cannot block or defend against it. Though what his opponent did next was a pleasant surprise to Akemi, it turned out the left swing was merely a distraction to get a jab in. 

The jab would've been a good idea, against someone who was more on this kid's level. You see, Akemi had an insane reaction time (155). This reaction time, vs the kid's speed. Allowed Akemi to see the entire fight in slow-motion. Akemi regarded the jab, before grabbing hold of the oncoming fist with his right hand (Speed : 75). Once he had a firm grip on the boy's wrist, Akemi merely pushed the fist to the left of him. Since there was this thing called momentum, the boy would find that he would most probably be unable to stop himself from falling down to the left after Akemi's redirection. Akemi decided to coach the boy on his taijutsu, his voice coming out slightly shyly.

"Y-your stance is too rigid, you need to be able to p-protect anywhere at your body within a moments n-notice. You n-need to be more relaxed. G-get up and t-try again, this t-time, try and move more fluidly, think like w-water." Akemi stepped back about 5 meters, and settled back into the same relaxed stance. Inviting the boy to try again.

TWC: 860

As Uten fell to the ground he couldn't help but think that this guy thought he was better than him just cause he blocked his first hit He's messing with me! He's goto be messing with me I just know it! he thought to get back up into his stance once more and try to land his punch again. He didn't really know this kid at all so he just went off first impressions which was not the best then again he's not one to talk about first impressions with people. The sounds of birds chirping around them was relaxing for Uten as he was planning what to do for his next attack "Say why are you here anyway?" his eyes relaxing just a bit along with his body as he rushed at Akemi once again ready to throw a punch but throw an elbow aimed for his nose, if it landed it would hurt a bit.

Uten backed away from giving them around four meters of rooms in case he needed to make a quick get away as the kid seemed to the type to cry if he actually got hurt or something like that. I should find someone to do a match with. I'll do it later today so long as Utena doesn't need anything. he thought to himself adding a slight hop to his stance.

Speed+Strength= 24

It seemed the boy had not paid any heed to Akemi's instructions, he was probably blinded by rage or something of sorts. It was fine, Akemi had had moments like that... As a small child. Remaining calm and collected was a Must if someone wanted any chance in a fight, being angry resulted in overusing energy, and putting to much strength and power into a technique. Sure, using as much strength as you could, sometimes proved useful. But it often ended with completely missing the opponent, and being defenseless against their next attack. It was fun, seeing this boy perform mistakes was helping Akemi understand how to fight better. What better teacher, than your opponent?

As the boy asked Akemi why he was here, Akemi would remain in stance while answering. "W-w-well, I heard you practicing and I thought it would be best to help m-m-my fellow shinobi with their t-training, are you n-not feeling the benefits already? I certainly am." Akemi would timidly chuckle a little bit at the end, there was nothing better than training with other people. Especially if it was an area which he specialized in, i.e: taijutsu. Akemi was actually really enjoying this, a simple spar always served to hone his senses further. Of course, Akemi was not the most sociable of people, so he had no idea how much his opponent wasn't enjoying it. He instead thought that his opponent was finding this just as fun as Akemi.

As Uten charged at Akemi, and attempted to do the same trick twice. Akemi would smirk, the smirk being completely hidden beneath the scarf which was wrapped around his neck and shoulders. A quote came to mind, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me' Akemi noticed that he seemed to be reciting in his mind a lot of quotes recently, how odd.

As Uten's elbow made a beeline towards his face, Akemi had plenty of time to think up something to do due to his reactionon time. He could simply redirect the blow again, but repeating the same action, again and again, would not make him any stronger or more skilled. He needed to learn something new... But what? He mulled over the question for a split second, Uten's elbow still nowhere near his face. That's when he remembered a taijutsu technique, which involved leaning back and delivering a powerful upwards kick at the same time. It would probably hurt Uten, quite a bit, if he decided to use it at full strength. He definitely needed to in fact. His max-stength kick could possibly kill the poor boy.

So, using gravity as an anchor, Akemi leaned backwards at a near 90 degree angle (Speed: 81), meaning Uten's elbow would soar gracefully over Akemi should he give it time to. But he wasn't planning on that, Akemi wanted to learn this technique, extremely fast. While leaning back, Akemi would use his body as a coil of sorts. And mix the momentum of leaning back, with his own speed to lift his right leg above his head, straight into the bottom of Uten's jaw (Speed: 81. Power: Enough to shoot Uten high into the sky, but not enough to hurt too badly). 

After leaning back and potentially hitting Uten in the jaw, Akemi would - regardless of whether or not the kick hit - use the momentum of leaning back, to perform a backflip about 4 meters. Landing with elegant grace at the same time that Uten landed (If the kick went through). Akemi paused to check if his opponent was ok "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Akemi's eyes were creased with empathy, kicks right to the jaw tended to hurt quite a bit.

TWC: 1482

(If you want to learn any tai moves, just have your character ask mine. I'll happily do it :P)

Uten was more shocked than anything at the fact that Akemi was able to dodge his attack twice and to top if all off actually get hit by him. As his body flew into the air he realized that he may have gotten a bit too cocky as his body landed on the hard ground Wh...What just happened? he asked himself as the kid rushed over to him checking to see if he was okay Oh ya...thats right I lost. the thought had passed his mind. Uten held his lower jaw with his right hand and started laughing "Oh man didn't think I could do the same move twice and expect it to work out well. OWW say what's your name? I'm Uten." he continued to laugh as he sat up and looked at Akemi with a small smile on his face as the laughter died down. 

"Okay, one more time let's try this one more time and this time I'll land a hit." Uten managed to get to his feet with a little bit of time to regain some feeling in his jaw and left arm. He got back into his stance and quickly fell to his knees holding his jaw again Shit that really hurts guys I should've softened the landing just a bit. he thought.

Akemi would watch - rather confused - as Uten seemed to have delusions about Akemi running up to him and checking if he was okay. Had he accidentally hit Uten a little too hard? He had been practicing a new technique, so it was entirely plausible. Akemi had a habit of normally over-exerting himself when learning a technique. He couldn't really control his power that well. He silently sighed just as Uten started to laugh. Akin to the way a person on the edge of sanity did. Had he aided in the potential new-comer to Kiri? He suppressed a shudder, Kiri was a very bad place. According to all the stories and rumors about it at least. They could all be just that, stories. But Akemi had the feeling that they were all true. Maybe he should write a letter to the kage, to confirm or deny this statement? Perhaps they could even become penpals?

As the boy introduced himself, Akemi would do the same. "My name is Akemi, nice to meet you," He would've given Uten a handshake if he was close to Uten. As he was currently about 4-5 meters away from the boy, not right next to him like Uten seemed to be having delusions about. His eyes would widen as Uten requested a rematch. Was this boy really in any condition to continue fighting? Well, who was Akemi to judge. He had to indulge this boy, it was the least he could do after hitting him to hard.

After the boy challenged Akemi again, Uten simply fell down, clutching his jaw. It was at this point, that Akemi would finally rush over to Uten to check if he was alright. "Errr, are you okay?" Akemi would say, worry evident in his voice. "I don't think sparring is really suitable right now, do you fancy a bite-to-eat? I know this really nice little cafe near the gates. Don't worry, i'll pay, it's the least i can do" He asked. It was really surprising. Akemi was not usually one to speak with people. Let alone to offer to have a meal with them. But with his recent endeavors - His meeting with Hikari, his chuunin exams - he had started to come out of his shell a little bit.

If Uten accepted the proposal, Akemi would say "Great! Just follow me." Before leading Uten out of the Water Gardens, through the winding streets of Hoshi. And finally end up at the gates. The whole trip taking about 10 minutes. During this whole walk, Akemi would not say anything. Unless - of course - he was prompted to. 

TWC: 1915

Why did I let myself get so worked up over a practice fight it was not like me at all. Uten had asked himself as looking at Akemi who seemed to be someone that he could train with again to improve himself. As Akemi spoke about going to a cafe' by the village gate a small ring went off in his head "Ya I know that place, I take my... I mean I go there every Friday."  he replied to him getting back to his feet  and followed him to the cafe' "Say Whats your go to thing to order at the Cafe' mine are throughs small cakes and hot water." as he told Akemi this his mouth opened a little just at the mention of his order.

Uten walked next to Akemi with his hands behind his head Oh man can't wait to get some food now. he thought as he his sister and her friends walked passed them on their way to the Cafe' he didn't really pay her any mind once they passed each other.

As Uten inquired about Akemi's preferred dish at the cafe, Akemi would start to chew the inside of his cheek in thought. Replying with a curt and possibly rude "Tea," Akemi was not one for over complicating his sentences, such a thing was not needed. He liked to try and shorten his responses to a minimum, however, that didn't always work and he sometimes ended up speaking a little too much. It was annoying. 

While walking, Akemi would be recounting the technique he had begun to use on Uten, the Leaf Rising Wind technique. He had pretty much used it bang on perfectly on Uten, did he really need to think any further? He didn't think so, and with that thought, Akemi simply pressed on towards the cafe.

Uten and Akemi soon arrived at the little cafe with a large sign on top with the words "Hoshi's Gate Cafe" inscribed onto its surface. A brief smile flickered across his face at the sight of it. If memory served, the tea here was very exquisite. Its smoothness and taste really played hand-in-hand to create a divine taste on the tongue. Akemi mentally shook himself out of his tea-based fantasies, what was the point of remembering the delicious tea, when he could just go in and buy it? Ah, the joys of being loaded. After all his recent missions, Akemi was practically swimming in the moneyz!

He gestured for Uten to follow him via a short wave of his hand and walked inside. The beautiful aroma nearly caught Akemi off guard, the smell of tea was most prominent. Almost making his mouth water. But he kept his composure and walked to a small booth located in the corner of the cafe. 

As he sat down on the leather seats, Akemi was embarrassed to find that - due to his incredibly short stature - he could only just see above the counter. So if Uten had followed Akemi and sat opposite him, he would only be able to see Akemi's head and the top of his shoulders. Akemi had to keep himself from groaning, he probably looked like a tiny kid at the moment. If Uten hadn't sat down at this point, Akemi would reach over the table and gesture for Uten to go and sit opposite Akemi.

After the grabbing the menu and giving it a once-over, a red-headed waitress would come over and give Akemi a weirded-out look "Sir, do you want a booster seat?" She asked, to which Akemi simply stared dumbfoundedly at her, his face slowly turning red in embarrassment. "N-n-no, it's fine," he replied. The waitress gave Akemi a questioning stare and then decided that it wasn't worth pursuing the boy's height. "What would you like to order?" She looked at Akemi first, "I'll just t-take some of your earl gray tea please." He asked, the waited nodded and turned to Uten, assuming he had sat down. "And what would you like, sir?"


TWC: 2408

Mid-Thread claim:
12 Stat points
Leaf Rising Wind [2000/2000]
And 400 words to Quiet Footsteps