Academy Days

Gun was usually the one to initiate contact with Kana, going in for hugs and whatnot. It wasn’t that Kana was opposed to it, at this point in their relationship, but it usually seemed to fall to Gun. It didn’t bother her, but this time was different. Kana wasn’t just initiating a friendly hug; the brief flash of Kana’s face that Gun saw as she was turned towards her friend told her that. Then Kana’s face was buried in her shoulder and the two’s arms wrapped around each other. Gun wasn’t sure if she had caused this reaction in Kana but she was glad to be able to hold her friend in this moment of despair. Gun couldn’t even imagine the terrible things that Kana was reliving because of the question she’d asked… and so nonchalantly at that. Feeling guilty for ruining their day and putting Kana through this torture, Gun began to cry. She wanted to be strong for her friend that needed a pillar of support at this moment, but she just couldn’t hold back her own tears. Then she heard Kana mutter into her shoulder "I'm not weak.... I won't freeze again...".

”I know… I know…” was all Gun could think to say. Her hand instinctively patted Kana’s back as they held each other. Not once did Gun ever think Kana was weak: becoming a shinobi proved Kana’s first statement true, surviving the things she had to get to where she was can’t be done by a weak person. She wasn’t sure of what specifically had happened in Kana’s past, but Gun knew she’d be there for everything that happened in Kana’s future and nothing like her past would ever happen again as long as Gun could prevent it. If you freeze, I will act, she thought to herself, still lightly crying because of a mixture of her own guilt and empathy. She felt like there was nothing else Gun could do or say, she could just be here at this moment with Kana.

WC: 337
TWC: 3968

Kana doesn't know how long she cried into Gunshin's shoulder. Her body was still shuddering with each shake breath as she tried to calm herself down. To remind herself that she was here and that it was over. She had killed the man, she had made sure he paid for what he did. Yet more memories spilt into her mind. The pain was overwhelming, she couldn't think, she didn't even realize what had happened beyond the fact she she could feel blood pouring from her face, into her mouth and down her throat, she had coughed out some of the blood but not all of it, she could taste the iron, she could feel the warm liquid spill from her face and onto her dress. But most importantly, she could still feel the blade in her cheek. And she could still see that drunk bastard being grabbed by some other man.

She didn't think. She didn't think as she ripped the blade from her mouth and slashed the man's exposed throat. She didn't think as the drunk gurgled and choked on his own blood. She didn't think as he got his own blood onto her dress in one final desperate attempt for a counter attack that the other man stopped. She didn't think as the other man stood before her, watching her as she stared at the dead drunk between them. She didn't think as he grabbed her and carried her off. By the time she could think, she was too tired, her head was dizzy and the pain in her face was intense. She sobbed into the man's chest, holding onto him for shelter as he rushed her off somewhere. She didn't even care where she was being taken to, she just wanted to be away from there.

"I killed him.... He's dead..." Kana whispered in a shaky breath, her head still buried in Gunshin's shoulder, squeezing her and holding her close. "Yet why am I so scared?" The quiet admission could barely be heard despite being so close to Gunshin's ear, her voice was so weak and fragile, a vulnerability she had only ever shown since that night nearly 3 months ago.

WC: 364
TWC: 8,361

"I killed him.... He's dead..." Kana whispered. Gun barely heard her voice despite being physically so close together. Gun had never killed a man and her brain instantly jumped to Is that why she seems so much tougher and has more tenacity than me?

"Yet why am I so scared?" Kana's question brought Gun's mind back to her current situation, and she hugged Kana a little tighter in response. She really didn't know what to say, but she tried really hard to come up with something. It had occurred to Gun that kunoichi killed people, but it hadn't really sunk in that she would have to kill someone at some point in her career. The thought wasn't pleasing but she also knew that Kana was helping her mentally get to a place to do that, part of Kana's teachings were to impart that ability to Gun. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to follow through when the time came, but she hoped that she would if it meant saving herself or Kana from harm.

"I don't know Kana," Gun began, though she had more she wanted to say "Maybe the fear you feel is because the situation was so scary." Gun couldn't imagine someone shoving a knife into her mouth and then pulling it through part of her face. "Getting revenge doesn't remove how scary the situation was." Gun pulled Kana in tighter one more time, before letting up a bit. She wasn't confident in this situation, she didn't know if what she'd said would help Kana or make her mad. She wasn't sure if what she'd said was even remotely accurate; Kana still hadn't really told her what had happened so Gun was just trying to imagine the situation as best she could. To meet someone evil enough to attack a young lady like that, it certainly wasn't something Gun wanted to happen ever again to anyone else.

WC: 320
TWC: 4288

Kana just held onto Gunshin, her body shaking as she drew in slow, deep, shuddering breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. She was safe, she was here, she wasn't that same weak little street rat, she was an academy student, she was learning to become stronger. She already was stronger and when she couldn't be strong enough, Gunshin would be there to help her. Gunshin would help. She was stronger. That stupid, shy girl was stronger. The memories of her old rage swirled within her mind, a distant feeling that no longer held any appeal. So what if Gunshin was stronger, Kana always knew that she was weaker than others, she had to learn how to improvise in other ways and strive for survival using her wits rather than her lacking strength. The words of comfort didn't truly matter to Kana other than the fact they were offered in the first place, it helped calm her down that Gunshin was here now. She didn't think she'd need Gunshin for protection, nor did she want to feel protected by the meek girl. But her presence gave her the strength she needed to calm herself down.

"I'm okay.... I'm okay..." Kana would speak softly, her breathing slowing and becoming deeper but far more calmer than before as she gently pushed herself off of the taller girl. Her silver eyes were still spilling the remnants of her tears, some slight redness in them before she brought a hand up to rub away the tears and soothe her eyes. "Thank you..." She'd say quietly as she fought back a small yawn, exhaustion hitting her like a wave now that she had gotten past her recollection of buried memories. She was tired, her muscles that ached with a decent burn from their earlier training yet her mind felt so sluggish. "And I'm sorry...." She muttered, not quite feeling like herself after her episode, she didn't expect the memories to hit her that hard or affect her as much, she had thought she had gotten used to it, she barely even had nightmares about it anymore, she thought she had moved on from that night. Yet not once did she ever have to tell anyone what had happened, some of the annoying brats taunted her about, making names for her like scar face but she knew better to let it affect her. She just didn't know how to deal with someone asking genuinely with a desire to know what happened, one that was born out of concern or worry or whatever stupid friendly reason Gunshin had. It caught her off guard.

"Some drunk missing nin caught me pickpocketing him.... He... He didn't like that." Kana begun to speak quietly, her eyes staring at her feet as she spoke, not wanting to look at Gunshin's reaction as she retold the story of her scar. "So he brought a kunai to my face. I don't know if he was just trying to scare me or if he was going to kill me." She kept herself going as she she brought her hands to wrap around each other, gently rubbing her arms as she kept her eyes glued to her feet. "Another person stopped him. A shinobi. So the drunk panicked and...." Kana allowed herself to trail off and brought a hand up to gesture toward her face, the scarred side of her face was facing toward Gunshin as she just kept her eyes at her feet, unable to look at the girl's reaction, the first real sign of insecurity about her scar that she had allowed anyone to see.

WC: 603
TWC: 8,964

Gun hadn't really expected Kana to collect herself so well after her extremely emotional outburst. She certainly hadn't expected the girl to actually begin talking about what had happened, but when she did begin talking Gun listened intently. She knew it was hard for Kana to relive the situation, but she was so proud of her friend for doing so. Gun's mom always said part of her job as a barmaid was to listen to people's problems because everyone needs someone they can vent to. If Gun could be that for Kana, a safe place to begin healing, she was glad to do it. Despite Kana's brief explanation of the scenario, Gun could almost picture herself there with someone so immensely powerful that no amount of struggling would result in even the slightest chance of escape. It clicked with her then why Kana was so motivated to become a shinobi: she wanted the strength necessary to survive that sort of encounter on her own, if it were to ever happen again. Despite the tears coming down her own face, it actually provided Gun with motivation to get stronger too. She knew there were lots of shinobi out there and almost all of them were leaps and bounds above her at her current level, but if she could get stronger... she could close the gap and keep others from experiencing a terrible situation like Kana had been through. Gun was sure Kana wasn't the only victim of shinobi on civilian crime, there were others that weren't as lucky as Kana had been...

"Another person stopped him. A shinobi. So the drunk panicked and...." Kana didn't finish her sentence but brought a hand up to her face. Gun could see Kana's scare, her hand bringing Gun's attention to it, though she'd already guessed why Kana had stopped her sentence short. Gun looked at the scar, the physical reminder of Kana's weakest moment and the physical source of Kana's strength. It was both a blessing and a curse, in Gun's mind. Without that incident and the scar to remind her of what happened, Gun wasn't sure either of them would be top students in a ninja academy. That scar gave Kana the drive and motivation to better herself, the tenacity to not give up despite the hardships she had to endure and it was that tenacity that had attracted Gun to Kana. Without that tenacity, Kana may not even be a student and Gun likely would have bolted on the first day.

"You're amazing," was all Gun could say. She was legitimately in awe of Kana. She was sure that had the same happened to her, she'd still be a ball on the floor of her room, if she was even still alive. Despite that, Gun's thoughts about how this scar had brought them together felt too much like she was trying to put a positive spin on Kana's personal tragedy, so she kept that part to herself. She wanted to acknowledge Kana's scar being both a negative thing and a positive thing for her, but she didn't know how to word it so that it made sense. As a youth herself, Gun didn't realize that many situations in life come with a range of feelings that cover the spectrum from good to bad: you can be happy for someone else getting pregnant but sad that you haven't; you can be happy that someone gets to live with their mom, worried that their mom won't be able to protect those children as best they should, and sad that they'll no longer be living with you. Few situations in life are simply good or simply bad, but Gun was barely a teen so she lacked the life experience to make this point to her friend.

Gun simply stared at her friend's scar which she no longer saw as a grotesque disfigurement, but a reminder of why they were working so hard. It wasn't simply so they could be strong for the sake of being strong, nor was it some sort of familial obligation, nor was it even some sort of societal belief that everyone should look out for each other: it was simply that there were bad people out there and more good people were needed. At least, that's how Gun saw Kana's scar now and every time she saw it from now on would remind her to never give up and never give in.

"Girls! Time for lunch!" Gun's mom called out. She had started to call out earlier, but had seen the scene and decided to wait. I'm not sure what sort of relationship those two have, but I'm glad Gun has someone besides me, her mother mused as she turned her back to the girls so she could grab their food.

WC: 800
TWC: 5088

Kana waited quietly as she stared at the ground, not wanting to see Gunshin's reaction, she didn't know what she'd see, she didn't even know what she wanted to see. Would it be pity? Sympathy? Guilt? Pain? Kana didn't want to know so she just kept her head lowered, allowing the meek girl to look at the scar that had been etched into her face. Part of her was worried about what Gunshin would say or do, the smallest voice inside her mind whispered about the disgust Gunshin might be feeling, to know that Kana had been so weak, so pathetic, that she allowed someone to permanently maim her. She couldn't stop that whisper, she knew Gunshin wouldn't be like that, the stupid shy girl was always so kind, so caring, so friendly yet Kana couldn't stop wondering what if?

Then Gunshin spoke. Such a simple sentence. Yet spoken with such awe, such pride, such stupid, stupid emotion. And she hated that tears were building up in her eyes again. Kana only brought a hand to wipe away the tears, she didn't want to cry again, she had just calmed herself down enough to finally talk. "You're such a dork." Kana said with a weak laugh as she tried to hide her tears, the swelling in her heart at the words, the impact those stupid simple words had on her. She had more than enough crying for the day, the unexpected emotional baggage, dragging herself through telling her stupid story to her friend, it had taken it's toll on her and she felt too sluggish to want to deal with any more emotions.

She was glad when Gunshin's mother called out to them, providing Kana the much needed distraction from this whole mess. Pushing herself to her feet, she spilt some of the water onto her face, washing away the dirt, tears and any of the snot that had built up on her face from her emotional episode. "Come on, I'm hungry. Your mom always makes the best food." Kana gestured for Gunshin to follow after her as she lead the way forward, the only hint of any of the previous emotion that hadn't been washed away was the redness in her silver eyes. Such a small and subtle thing, one that Kana couldn't hide, but one that wouldn't stop her. Not as long as she had Gunshin by her side.

[Exit]

WC: 401
TWC: 9,365

Claiming:

9,365 TWC from thread

Using 700 to learn slotted skill; Strength of a Hundred [Skill]
Previously was 4,300/5,000 but now 5,000/5,000
Using 442 to learn slotted skill; Ninshū
Previously was 1,558/2,000 but now 2,000/2,000

Using 2,500 to learn A Rank Medical Jutsu Mystical Palm [v7.2]
Using 2,500 to learn A Rank Medical Jutsu Chakra Scalpel [v7]
Using 1,500 to learn B Rank Medical Jutsu Delicate Illness Extraction (v7)
Using 500 to learn D Rank Medical Jutsu Iryojutsu Amplifier V7
Using 350 to learn E Rank Medical Jutsu Basic Medical Ninjutsu (v7)
Using 250 to learn E Rank Medical Jutsu Hangover Cure [v7]

Using 623/1,000 to learning C Rank Medical Jutsu Healing Hands

Also claiming the 93 stat points and spending them

Stat Changes:

"You're such a dork."

"Am not!" Gun said with a slight laugh. Gun knew that Kana was holding back tears, but she didn't care. She had been honest with her friend and that was important to her. She turned her head, a bit startled when her mother called for them. Kana didn't exactly jump up, but she definitely seemed to be ready for a change of scenery and pace. Gun didn't mind that, so she also stood and wiped some dirt off her clothes. Grabbing her water, she also followed Kana to enjoy her mom's cooking.

---

Despite being early in the school year, Kana began to prove her excellence in chakra control, becoming one of the top students in the Academy. While Gun had been a top prospect at the beginning of the year based solely on her physical capabilities, her seeming inability to control her chakra caused her to fall down the ladder as the year progressed. Eventually, all the students were able to use their chakra which led to their instructor testing their affinities, as he had promised earlier in the year. As the exam neared, some were dreading it, like Gun, and others were looking forward to it, like Kana. Only time would tell which students would pass and become full fledged shinobi.

WC: 216
TWC: 5304

[EXIT]

Claiming:
5304 WC
53 stats: 28 to vigor and 25 to speed

• 705 WC to TCB which when combined with 1100 previously approved WC puts me at 1805/2500
  
• 702 to Sacred Spear which when combined with 1103 previously approved WC puts me at 1805/2500
  
• 1400 to Iron Wall to be at 1400/1500
  
• 1400 to Split Second putting me at 1400/1500
  
• 1097 to Soft Wind Blowing putting me at 1097/1500