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Post by Mitsuko Subeki on May 20, 2012 4:40:51 GMT -5
In his analysis of the newcomer, Mitsuko tried to figure out why he had called out to the two of them as opposed to just sitting around and staring. Truthfully, the only reason he was continuing on that mental track was because the Subeki was bored as shit, and his other options included striking up a conversation with Kai, or his usual self-analysis and reflection, both of which sounded particularly torturous at that moment. So hell, why not give this guy the same treatment he'd given everyone else? Mitsuko had underestimated Akemi before and payed the price...twice. It was important to keep looking as if no one could possibly be stronger than him, but he could still size them up at the same time.
Mitsuko wanted to read more into the fact that Kai immediately asked if the two teammates were romantically involved and yet didn't bother to speak otherwise, but that question was too obvious; anyone would have thought that there was something between the two or that there was...about to be. Speaking of reading too little into things...was he reading too little into Akemi's positioning? It was seemingly pretty blatant...she probably knew she looked less like an eight year-old boy that day, and she definitely knew she had a dress on, and she HAD to have known how she was placing her body. Was she...trying to tease him?
How...degrading. Had Akemi uncovered a weakness of his that he didn't know about? Could he be so easily subdued by something so commonplace? That was such a glaring hole! Or maybe...is it only her? It made sense. This sort of thing had never happened to him before, even with girls who were objectively better looking. Though, he could count on one finger the amount of times he'd been mounted and then "asked" to treat the mounter to dinner.
Nonsense! Just some teenage issue, nothing more. I'm not about to get distracted. I've got bigger things to tackle, and I can't keep let her getting to me." True enough. After all, he'd started thinking on Kai and ended up back here. Complicated as things were, Akemi would need to be added to the list of things Mitsuko would try to avoid thinking about, and he let out a sigh at the thought of adding yet another topic to a fast growing list. Hell, he would do almost anything to just stop thinking. To get out of his head. If only there was something for that...he'd use it all the time.
Ironically, it was Akemi's hum that snapped him out of it. She was a lot different when that clock hit 5, kicking chairs around and jumping on top of people. It was quite the contrast, to say the least. As she set the food down, Mitsuko nodded and uttered a low "Thanks." The genin also noted how quickly Kai's demeanor changed and how drastically. It would seem that they're pretty close. A useless note, but he couldn't help but try to figure out what the newcomer was all about.
Unlike the other two, Mitsuko proceeded about attacking his meal very methodically, slowly using his spoon to take a few small slurps then using his chopsticks to take a few noodles. He was way too preoccupied at the moment, and took the calm of eating as a chance to regather. He glanced over to Akemi as she broke the ice, but waited until her and Kai finished their small exchange. She had learned something from this kid? But wasn't he a genin like them? Unless of course he was some sort of prodigy...
"I learned a new move from him just the other day. It's a-" The boy spoke calmly, stoically, but strongly, presenting a stronger front to match the strong confusion inside of him. Mitsuko was only glancing in Akemi's direction, and not looking directly at her, but as he stopped, his eyes shifted subtly towards Kai, and then back quickly. "...it's a move that should help me cover up some faults I showed during that training exercise." He ended, allowing his pause to last only a second or two and trying his best to make the sentence seem natural. He was about to say that he had learned the Wild Bubble Wave, a a strong and versatile defensive ninjutsu. But there was no need for Kai to know that, after all.
"Yeah, it's odd that they haven't been around much. But I'm much more interested in hearing this new skill you picked up from a genin like us. A new weapon style, perhaps?" He was more interested in changing the subject than anything. Both the change in subject and the small pause did make it fairly obvious that he wasn't about to trust Kai right off the bat. Plus, that genin bit may have been a bit of a shot at the other boy, who, though he hadn't shown any sign of feeling superior, was too unknown to be kept unchecked.
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Post by Akemi Izayoi on May 21, 2012 4:15:51 GMT -5
Akemi rocked back and forth in her seat, thinking hard on what was said. For better or worse, the girl was oblivious to any tension between the other two at the table. Kaibutsu's words were encouraging and Akemi felt honored he offered her praise, but she didn't really feel that deserving of it. The progress in silent killing still felt too slow even now. She had already begun smoothing out the basics, but in the end they were still just that: basics. Until she mastered them and took it to the next level the visible improvement seemed minimal. Take a sword for example. She could use a specific type for a single thrust. Even as she took the time to map out the shortest path it would take to an enemy, worked the muscle groups, and corrected the form until it was natural.
Until it actually became perfect the thrust was nothing more than a basic movement of the blade. No sooner than when she able to naturally utilize it would it become more. Though still essentially a thrust even after completion there would be more to it. There would be one complete movement, not a series of them. The speed would be instant. No specific stance would be needed so long as she held a proper conditions such as proper footing and distance in her favor. An opponent wouldn't be able to anticipate it if it could be launched instantly and effortlessly with multiple targets in mind. In other words, Akemi wanted to make the thrust transcend itself. Simplicity became complexity because of the addition technique she spent the time to focus on. The same could be applied to other techniques. However, she was still stuck trying to apply such things to Silent Killing. The girl was finding it far more difficult to improve the fighting style.
She absently picked at her ramen for a moment. The girl watched as the toppings dip under broth and the noodles tightened into a because of her chopsticks. It all mixed into one fine mess that would do nothing to dilute the exquisite taste. At least Kaibutsu had faith in her, it lessened the weight of the doubts that wished to smother her. Without the small bit of support, the girl might have even lashed out at Mitsuko then and there. The boy admitted to seeing their sensei and training with him. If she had not been occupied then the feeling of being ignored would have overridden common sense. Yuuyake-sensei had to have a good reason. Though she was very curious why Mitsuko didn't detail anything. To not only have training, but secret training might be enough to quit staying her hand.
The girl raised an eyebrow at his obvious topic change and stared at him piercingly. A weapon style? Though Mitsuko was definitely being uncooperative with information maybe he was honestly interested. Akemi had to hold back a sigh. She was being over agitated by his actions. The prick wasn't going to get an apology, but maybe she could show him the ropes with a weapon as a peace offering. After taking a bit to draw out the silence, she allowed her gaze to shift to the window revealing the scenery outside as she spoke. "I'm trying to learn Silent Killing. Kai helped me out with the basics, but I'm still working on them." As she spoke she noted that the mist was picking up again. It was also getting darker as thick clouds rolled in. Rain would probably start any minute now.
Despite herself a bit of cheer flowed back into her face. Akemi really did like the rain. Even when she was a child it always seemed more soothing than frightening. She took another bite, not wanting to keep rambling about her progress. The girl could brag with the best, but the best didn't brag so neither would she. Future swordswoman and weapon mistress. If they didn't listen to her, she would just show them with determined effort instead of passionate words.
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Post by Kaibutsu Gakidou on May 23, 2012 20:49:44 GMT -5
Mitsuko's unwillingness to let his abilities known did not go unnoticed by Kaibutsu. Normally this would be commendable. A ninja with no surprises was not a very good ninja, and would not thrive very long in this dog-eat-dog world, but as new genin, any abilities learned at this point really wouldn't require such secrecy. Either this kid was paranoid, or didn't like him. The Gakidou saw it as likely both. He didn't blame Mitsuko either. He didn't like him as well, though that was for likely different reasons. Besides...two could play at this game.
"Yeah, silent killing. I kinda know the basics. Not really good at it at all." Kaibutsu responded, downplaying his skill level with the jutsu after Akemi had told Mitsuko of their training. At this point there was no way he would let this guy known his abilities. If he was asked if he could do the clone jutsu, he would probably reply with a 'Eh, kinda.' It was just how he was. If one decided to keep something from him, he would do his damndest to keep those things from them as well. Definitely a weird trait to have, though maybe not for a ninja.
After his statement, he went back to eating, seeing that the conversation was going back to their team. As they spoke, he thought of his own team. More accurately, his lack thereof. According to his chuunin sensei back at the academy, he had been assigned a team, but it might take a bit for everything to get in order due to their fuckstorm of a system. Kaibutsu had also been told that when everything was in order, he would be alerted to the fact, and would then be able to meet his team. Obviously, this had yet to occur. And it started to grate on his nerves, especially when he heard teammates speaking of training and the like, something he himself was currently not recieving.
Some would wonder why his mother wasn't teaching. Well, after the academy she felt it unnecessary to train her son since he should have a sensei, and as such had taken more time to go out with old friends and, Ryujin forbid, try to meet a man. So, in otherwords, Kaibutsu was left to his own devices, improving on his own and keeping himself in shape. And of course, that all grew old, very quickly.
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Post by Mitsuko Subeki on May 25, 2012 1:38:59 GMT -5
Oh? Silent killing huh? Odd, that seems a bit...advanced. Or at least sounds it. How effective can a genin be trying to do something so difficult? Gotta admire the ambition, I suppose. Mitsuko however, couldn't resist but raise an intrigued eyebrow at Akemi as she spoke. Funny that even as he elevated his brow, the boy didn't even notice that the kunoichi had been giving him a suspicious look and that his little change of subject had been noticed. So as far as he knew, the Subeki had gotten away with it without burning any bridges.
As Kai spoke, even Mitsuko noticed some flaws with his statement. If he's not that good, what could he have taught Akemi? But at the same time, it's a difficult style of fighting. Are they both trying to become ANBU, perhaps? The genin mulled over these thoughts as he twirled around the noodles in the broth with a single chopstick, apparently taking a break from his meal. It all made him wonder, just for a second, exactly how their team dynamic would work out on the battlefield if Mitsuko would participate willingly. Of course that wouldn't happen, but the three had a chance to be truly dynamic thanks to a diverse and unique skill set that they each had. Intriguing, but impossible, unfortunately.
The boy placed his tattooed left fist under his chin once more, as the small smirk that foretold the coming of a quip appeared on his face as well. "That's a unique choice...and odd, considering it is called SILENT killing after all." The boy jested, alluding to the girl's propensity for loudness while almost scoffing at the notion. This whole get together was going about as well as he could hope. No personal questions, no yelling, and most of all, no mounting. Plus, it seemed that Akemi had recovered well from their spat earlier, and Mitsuko had managed to regain composure and genital control as well.
The boy's eyes glanced to the window, where the rain signaled that there was no way he was about to go home anytime soon. Disappointing, but he wasn't really trapped in as much of hellish situation as he'd figured. Mitsuko's eyes shifted over to the kitchen, past Kai, where he had felt eyes on him for quite a bit. A man there had been taking quick glances at them, and it was unnerving to say the least. The Subeki made sure not to make eye contact, but the whole thing was pretty curious.
I wonder...my dad used to look at the kids who would talk to me with that sort of expression...suspicion. While the boy had arrived at the right conclusion, the reason for the man's staring wasn't quite in line with his thought process. It was different for girls, when faced with a boy or two. The suspicions and cautions were different. But how would he know? Akemi was the first girl he had spoken to at any length. Good thing too, their watchfulness would have made him much more nervous had he known its consequences.
"So I'm guessing your family runs this place then?" The Subeki said carelessly, lifting both his eyebrows to indicate to his two dinner partners that they were under surveillance, and that they should subtly note that it was from the direction his eyes were aimed at. It seemed that the two boys were seen as untrustworthy...or maybe they had recognized Mitsuko's resemblance to his father and mother? Not likely but possible...the last thing he needed was more family drama.
-(Shitty post, sorry. Hope the whole father thing was okay Step, if not, I'll edit. Figured it would make the family-tattoo connection more relevant.)-
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Post by Akemi Izayoi on May 25, 2012 20:58:54 GMT -5
Akemi stopped leaning back in her chair and with a dull thumping sound landed the wooden seat on all fours. It was Kai's turn to get an odd look. The boy was strangely subdued for some reason. At first she dismissed the difference in which he carried himself at seeing her here. Not many expected her here for some reason she couldn't quite fathom. So occassionally a few were caught off guard when they found out her family, the nice quiet and simply people that ran this place, included her. Now, the way he carried himself initially bled into his answers.
The girl didn't expect Kai to be so modest of his skill in that area. Silent Killing was one of his greatest strengths to her. He did show her the ropes. It was weird seeing hims so humble. And now that it had bashed through her obliviousness, Mitsuko's actions seemed strange as well. Just what was going on with the two, the girl wondered as she dropped her gaze back down to her bowl. A feel of discomfort almost settled on her mind before Mitsuko spoke up. The small jab at her 'not silent' nature wasn't missed. "Watch it," she growled under he breath to him. Mitsuko still had some groveling to do in her book.
She tried to go to her previous line of thought, but Kai's admission had brought about something new. The girl had been judging her progress based on what she saw from him. If he wasn't that good...Did that mean she wasn't even close to getting the technique down? Such a though was even more unsettling than Mitsuko and Kai's behavior. The pitter patter of rain and the dark, cloudy sky was close to fitting her agitated mood right now. When the time came to unveil her newest technique would it just be doomed to fail?
She took a much more vicious bite of her ramen than needed. Thoroughly grinding the noodles between her teeth she spared a glance at Mitsuko as if saying "duh, genius". Her following words were more polite in comparison. "Yeah, my mom and dad built it from the ground up. I work here for an allowance." An allowance that wasn't damn near enough to cover everything, she wanted to add. However, the glance at her father watching them was enough to keep that comment in her head. "Don't mind my dad, he's probably just curious." Akemi had never brought friends here. One kind of needed friends to bring for that. The girls were too girly for her to stand for too long and boys always wanted to pick fights, not unlike Mitsuko. So she never invited anyone here.
If by chance they did stumble upon the place, she usually didn't make a bit deal of it. There was one that asked a stupid question after she came to take an order. "Oh, you work here?" She remembered the comment she gave easily. It had been the one that brought the rules cracking down on her. "Yeah, and if you think I won't bash your face in for being stupid just because you're a customer try me." Not the best way to answer. The fact that she carried through with it after the girl got all uppity didn't help her case either. Akemi took the moment to look back and still saw her father monitoring them. The girl made a pleading face in his direction and only then did he ease up and busy himself around in the kitchen.
Turning back to the two she shrugged. "It's part of the reason why we need to get some missions up and going. I'm tired doing dishes..." The girl hissed out that last word. Dishes could be a mortal enemy if they wanted to. Getting stuck with them after a rush was enough to crush even her will. "I don't know how you can stand not having a team yet, Kai." Then a thought occurred to her. "What do your family do Mitsko?" There was something about his family name that was supposed to be important, but for the life of her she couldn't recall.
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Post by Kaibutsu Gakidou on May 28, 2012 22:20:13 GMT -5
A small smile crossed Kaibutsu's face at Mitsuko's words. Akemi was quite the...loud one. It made her who she was though, and he liked that about her. She didn't let anyone tell her what to do. And she made sure to let them know that, in a very loud manner.
Noticing Mitsuko's subtle, movements, Kaibutsu, completely out of instict, moved his hand to his kunai pouch. His mother had trained this into him. Maybe a little too well. He didn't realize this, though. That maybe his actions were a little extreme for their current area of socialization, but it was all on the subconscious level. It may of had something to do with his trauma as a child, or maybe his mother really DID train him that well. Regardless, it was a little extreme.
His thoughts started to race, going a mile a minute. It picked out all the exits, all the forks and knives which could be used as weapons. Little things, insignificant. People, their locations, their general size. This all happened within a split second.
When Akemi responded, though, his hand relaxed, falling from his kunai pouch. "That's cool." Was all he could get out. His mind still seemed be racing, the adrenaline high starting to fall. Once Akemi spoke to him again, his mind had finally cleared.
"Its hard. Really annoying." Not having a team was the most frustrating thing in the world for the young boy. He felt like his world was just at a standstill. Going nowhere. And it wouldn't proceed forward until he had a team.
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Post by Mitsuko Subeki on May 31, 2012 21:51:48 GMT -5
Mitsuko's gaze returned to Akemi, but not to her eyes, as she spoke. He chose somewhere else, the bottom of her nose, to look at instead. It was a clever way of faking eye contact while avoiding all the strife and obsessive analysis that came with it. The slight hiss wasn't what he expected, though. Sarcastic jibes like that were the closest thing to a social tool that the boy had, and if that route wasn't going to work than he was at a loss. It also didn't seem particularly insulting. Is it REALLY possible that she thinks of herself a quiet one? As unlikely as that seemed, perhaps he had struck an emotional cord. Whatever.The girl's glance was equally biting, however, and it occurred to him that it was likely that Akemi was holding a grudge against Mitsuko's previous actions. That was both good and bad. In one way, his actions seemed like they had had a lasting effect in the way that he had intended. On the other hand, like any child, he didn't really want Akemi to hate him in that way. But what had to be done had to be done. Besides, a more disturbing trend was developing. Wait...does she...think she's better than me? It all came together. It all made sense. She was the sole victor of their training exercise, and yet she pitied the one who had failed fastest, made the dumbest decision, and brought chaos on the whole trip, in Mitsuko. She pounced on him, and right when she had him in a position [ ] to exact vengeance, she was merciful. And now she threatened him as if she could take him at any moment. While the Subeki clearly had not had his best showings in front of the girl, her confidence was certainly exceeding her talents. Something had to be done. Akemi had been speaking but Mitsuko was really too caught up in his own epiphany to notice what exactly she had been saying. His grip on his chopsticks tightened. Kai's words likewise went in one ear and out the other, but Akemi's inquiry hit hard. The boy's grip on his chopsticks tightened so much and so rapidly that they began to splinter. It was his fault, really. Why bring up the topic of family in the first place? He should've just let it be. Things were going alright till then. What should he even say? The boy's nose curled and his blank face turned into a scowl. He didn't really know the answer to that. The most accurate answer would be "Fail. They fail." That would likely incite a few more questions than it answered. Realistically, the Subeki clan did a myriad of things: farming, service, and manual labor to name a few. But could he say those things? Kai and Akemi would certainly think worse of him, and the latter would think herself better than Mitsuko. But there was no way to run, no cop out, just the truth. "All the Subeki are ninja." The genin said, pausing as if to wish that that would be the end of his statement. "Failed ninja, to be exact." The boy's nose unfurled, allowing him to carry a look of calm confidence with a bit of disappointment mixed in. The boy held up his left hand then turned the back of it towards the two, displaying the Roman-numeral 27 on the back of his hand. "My pop had this branded on me, among other things. It's supposed to remind me of a lot of things, but mostly, that I must be the one to break through and represent my clan as a legendary ninja." He spoke calmly but not proudly. He said what he had to in order to make it seem like he had given enough info and that he no longer wished to speak of it. Of course there was more. Oh so much more. But they didn't need to know. Mitsuko slowly turned his head away to look at the rain outside. "It's on me to redeem our family name." He spoke solemnly aloud, though the words were intended as thoughts. Hopefully that would be the end of it.
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Post by Akemi Izayoi on May 31, 2012 23:43:25 GMT -5
Akemi zoned out slightly as the rain began to pour from the sky. Restless and unrelenting, it drummed against the roof. The sound was muffled by the well made building's exterior, but Akemi could still pick in out. It even seemed clearer after the training in silent killing. She could almost pick out and see each individual drop striking and scatter against the boards above her. To each drop was a different color that lit up the 'sight' that watched with more than just her eyes. That single color that burst into vibrant variations which mixed with the others. A rainbow was born and contained in a single drop afterward.
Absently, the girl muted out the sound as she turned to the window. Her eyes could pick out the individual drops with ease and precision. To others it would only be a blur of streams scratching across the canvas their sight beheld in random lines. Yet to her, they slowed and eventually froze in space for the briefest of moments. Akemi remembered her father telling her once after seeing her practice. He started spouting out gibberish like he usually did when something reminded him of his ninja career. Eventually, he told her an old saying among sword users.
"The heart is the general and the eyes are pawns. If you want your sword to be fast, you have to tain your eye to be faster." She still didn't think it made much sense, but he told her to try watching the rain. Once she could see the rain drops, then she would be on the right path. So she did and ended up boasting the accomplishment to him. However, he only raised an eyebrow and told her that was just the beginning to the training. And he had yet to explain what the steps after that were. She did note that her weapons had become faster and more accurate after, nonetheless. Now, when it rained she couldn't help but watch. Using her eyes to capture the drops and slow them to a standstill.
The girl completely missed Kai and Mitsuko's discomfort under her father's eye. Their reactions passed completely under her notice. She began to tune back into the conversation, pulling her mind away from the hypnotic spell and memories the rain had pulled her into. Akemi could understand a bit of what Kai was going through. She could admire his patience. If this was just a taste of the boredom he was going through, she'd have already gone stir crazy in his shoes. Mitsuko's response to her question was to be honest, a bit unsettling.
All of his family weren't good as ninja? It sounded a bit harsh to her. Akemi didn't like to be called a failure, but she pushed on even when she was called out. To have her entire family grouped as failures? It would grade on her nerves endlessly. Just who defined failures anyway? Look at her, she was messed up as a ninja. Barely any ninjutsu, pathetic in anything under genjutsu, and taijutsu only held strong when she had a weapon in her hands. She made mistakes all the time. Akemi felt stupid and ugly and insecure in comparison to everyone else who had respectable strong points. The girl had even cried. However, she tried to do better. Akemi never allowed herself to wilt and sulk...for too long. She either tried again or found something else to cover what she couldn't do. No one told her different either.
She growled in annoyance, more for Mitsuko's sake than her own. "That's unfair!" She blurted out, before catching herself. Why did Mitsuko have to carry them all? They were only letting themselves crash and burn. It...it was so at odd with Akemi's mind. What was something if you didn't work for it? Things didn't fall into place just like that! Otherwise, she would have gotten the art of Silent Killing from the beginning! If they wanted to 'redeem' themselves, why wasn't it a group effort? Why just Mitsuko? "I...I mean..." She stalled a bit trying to come up with something. "You just wait, we'll show them! We won't just 'break through' as legends we'll make a whole new level for it!"
No wonder Mitsuko was so angry and so full of angst all the time. Dude needed to liven up a bit and quit worrying about that. With herself and Kyomu, he wasn't just going to fade away into nothing. They'd tell motherfucking stories about them. She glances about, noting that people were clearing, taking a chance in braving the rain and a possible cold. The girl stood without a word and rushed to the back only to appear a couple of seconds later. In her arms were a few bottles of sake. Not the high grade stuff, of course, she'd get skinned alive and brought back to be murdered repeatedly if she touched that. But it wasn't the piss that most people drank for a decent buzz.
Time to liven up this show. She was going to share a drink with these two. Hell, she'd even cover it. "No more weepy stuff, we're having fun now." She clumsily put a bottle and saucer in front of each of them in her excitement. "We're playing drinking games!" Just like teams did. It was a shame Kyomu wasn't around as well, but he could join them another time. Besides, Mitsuko seemed like he was at least opening up a bit. After that answer, she felt like she could understand him a bit better and that would make working with him easier on the field. "No throwing up though... I'll have to clean it."
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Post by Kaibutsu Gakidou on Jun 3, 2012 5:02:44 GMT -5
When Kaibutsu finally heard his current boothmates last name, he couldn't help but be surprised. From what he could tell, the now dubbed Subeki boy seemed strong. And normally Kaibutsu wasn't very wrong in his assumptions. But of course, there were exceptions to rules.
"The Subeki Clan. The Failure Clan of Kirigakure." The Gakidou said to himself quietly, repeating something his mother had told him before. His mother had had no malice or mocking in her voice as she had said it. Only pity. A clan of ninja. But only of failed ninja. What kind of ninja clan was that? Might as well of not been one at all. Kaibutsu also had no malice or mocking in his voice as he said it, only meaning to repeat it to himself to help himself remember his mothers exact words. Hell, he didn't even mean to say them.
Looking at the tattoo's of the young Subeki, Kaibutsu realized he too knew what it felt like to be branded in such a way. While his own tattoo was not a reminder of his own clans failures, it was there to remind him of exactly who was watching him. The one and only being he couldn't disappoint. Ryujin, the Lord of the Skies and Storms. A god who could go toe to toe with Kami himself. To be raised from birth with that. To live with this almighty creatures image blazoned upon your skin...Well, it wasn't the best of feelings.
Suddenly, Akemi was floundering. She was attempting to cheer up the other boy it seemed, claiming they would be legends. Of course he knew she was serious when she said it. In their first meeting, she had claimed to want to be a part of the Seven Swordsman. You couldn't get more famous than that, especially in Kirigakure itself. A smile crossed his face as she spoke. She was so sure of herself. It was cute.
And then she was off. To do what, he didn't know. But he couldn't help himself as she left. He related to Mitsuko. In what he felt was a big way. To always have someone watching you, judging you. So he had to say it. "I know what its like..." He said this lowly, just loud enough for Mitsuko to hear. Before a reply could be given, Akemi returned, bearing gifts it seemed. Alcohol.
The assassin specialist had never drank any alcohol, or anything even similar. Mainly due to his age. After graduating the academy though, drinking became easily accessible to him due to the fact that becoming a ninja technically made you an adult. But he never really had any reason to drink, or anyone to drink with, and his mother herself saw it as a crutch for the weak.
So in other words, at that moment, one of those rebellious phases most youngsters make their jolly way through seemed to take over Kaibutsu. He knew he would drink, and he knew he would drink A LOT, but what he didn't know, was that he was simply doing it because his mother had said it was bad.
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Post by Mitsuko Subeki on Jun 5, 2012 20:38:49 GMT -5
It was becoming pretty typical, really, for Mitsuko to regret what he said almost immediately after he said it. He should have lied. His father wouldn't have known and he wouldn't have had to reveal so much about his family. The boy could've maintained his own pride and the respect of his peers had he done so. But it was the shame. The Subeki would have felt the guilt of hiding his family's past even if his parents never found out. Why should he have to anyway? His father was right this time. Take pride in your family. Fight for their name and their honor. And so he would.
"The Failure Clan of Kirigakure." He knew that sentence well. It was all he'd ever heard growing up. But he didn't expect to hear it then. He didn't expect it to be so blatant, and he definitely didn't expect it from the new kid. While not normally quick to anger, Mitsuko's hot button was his family, and it got him pretty mad pretty fast. The boy's left hand gripped into a fist as his face tensed in a similar way. True as it was, the academy and the battlefield both allowed the boy a proving ground- a way to show the naysayers that he was different. A strong rush of his Mizurappa or an 'A' on a test score quickly shut them up. But here, he had no way to do so. How dare he!? I should challenge him right here and now...to show him the strength of the Subeki!
And he would have done so, had Akemi not spoken out so firmly and with such rage. The fact that she was even that passionate about it was rather shocking. Not fair, huh? He supposed that it wasn't, but really, Mitsuko was a gifted child. To whom much is given, much is expected. Perhaps it wasn't fair that he had no choice in the matter, but wasn't he doing something good? Giving back to Kirigakure, to his family, btoh of whom had given him life and done so much for his sake? But the boy knew, given the choice...he might pick a different path than the one he walked.
As the girl continued, he found his anger quelled a bit. They had the same goal. They were teammates. And yet just like the training exercise, Mitsuko was constantly converting his few allies into some of his many enemies. Was it all truly as necessary as he thought it was? Was the road of the hero one walked alone? Was his cross just his burden to bear? Could he perhaps just let the three people that made up Team Hinode into his head? Accept their help?
It would be nice. The question was, would it be realistic? That he didn't know. The boy's face relaxed a bit and his hand loosened, as he offered a soft smile as his sole response. As the girl quickly darted off yet again for unknown reasons, Mitsuko was left alone with Kai, who found a way to respark that rage within the Subeki. Who the hell does this guy think he is? He thinks he knows what it's like to walk in my shoes? He looks down on the Subeki? Bastard...he needs to be put in his place. The boy simply scoffed at Kai's words as he tensed up once more, resisting the urge to fire a water jutsu right at his face.
Akemi came back with what looked to be sake. While Mitsuko had drank some alcohol before, mostly in sips from his parents during dinner, he never really drank. But he'd heard that it was good for getting one's mind off of things. For taking the edge off. It made people stop thinking, and if even if it was one of the major vices shinobi fell to, nothing sounded sweeter to the Subeki child than that. "What'd you have in mind?" Mitsuko spoke calmly with a twinge of excitement. It was always best for him to ask for the rules of games, since he hadn't played very many of them, alcohol or not.
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Post by Akemi Izayoi on Jun 6, 2012 12:46:19 GMT -5
Akemi gave them both a grin that would have better been seen on a Cheshire cat. A smile that was inscrutable, mysterious and revealing nothing to the boys. However, at the same time it also seemed to speak volumes in and of itself. The girl had listed all the drinking games that she'd seen over the years, sorting through all of them in hopes of finding the best to fit this situation. Such an act was made all the simpler when she remembered that some of those games had more than three people. Then the pickings became slimmer still when Akemi realized that she had never gotten around to figuring out the rules to some of those games.
This didn't mean the girl didn't know any games though. So with a simple sleight of hand, Akemi revealed a deck of playing cards that were still in a box. Opening it, she took out the cards and gave it a thorough shuffling. The girl started with a sloppy overhand shuffle to mix the cards up. Then she moved into a riffle shuffle, allowing the cards slapped together quickly before straightening them up again. "We're going to get across the bridge," she said simply as she moved to lay the cards out. Akemi laid out fifteen cards, face down, in front of each of them in a straight line. Each line made a path that stretched out from the player to the center of the table. The fifth, tenth, and last card were each turned sideways instead of straight up and down like the others.
"You have to try and get across. The sideways card," she pointed to a fifth, tenth and last card, "Are checkpoints. To move across you have to guess high or low or black or red. You get it right you go to the next card. Wrong and you take a shot for every card flipped over then you replace the cards with new ones. You make it to a check point and you can choose to continue, but if you do and get it wrong, you still have to take your shots and go back to the beginning. You can also choose to give your current drinks to someone else if you hit the checkpoint, you don't have to drink and go to the beginning, but someone else has to take a shot for all your cards." Akemi stopped to take a breath and added a bit more after a beat of thought.
"Highs are above ten, lows under, aces are neither so they are 'traps' and you get sent back to the beginning. But if you guess the color of an ace, you can choose someone else to drink with you. Jokers are always traps, they send you back to the beginning and you drink double the cards you flipped up." Honestly, Akemi was mixing and matching rules from different games. She wasn't really sure if this was how it was played, but she was improvising. And what these two didn't know would not hurt them. "I'll go first to show you guys." Her hand moved to touch the first card in her bridge. It didn't really matter for the first card, but she took a moment to consider what it'd be.
"Black," it was an ace. "Alright, so Kai's gonna share drink with me when or if I get it wrong." She took another moment of thought. "Low." But a ten faced her when she flipped over the card. "So me and Kai take two shots and now it's Kai's turn." The girl poured a saucer and downed in a quick gulp. Akemi let out a deep breath that tickled from her lungs to her gums. A sensitive mix of what felt like hot and cold air mingling together as the warm traveled to her stomach. Then she poured the second and took it in a slower sip, allowing herself to taste the sake now that she'd got the first drink out the way. The girl didn't replace her cards just yet though, she'd wait until they went a cycle and just replace them all at once.
Rules: 1. You can guess color or number value (high above 10 and above, low less than 10), correct = you guess next card. incorrect = drink. 2. Make it to a checkpoint and you can: - A: Choose to give the drinks you've piled up to someone else. If you do this you go back to the beginning. - B: Go to the next person to stall for time and you don't go back to the starting point. If you do this and continue next turn you go back to the checkpoint when you fail instead of going to the very beginning. - C: Continue passed the checkpoint, but if you get it wrong you're still reset to the start before the checkpoint. 3. Aces - if you guess a value on them they are traps and get you set back to the beginning and you drink (even if you made a checkpoint). Guess the color correctly and you choose another person to drink with you if you get set back to the start (or checkpoint). 4. Jokers are always traps, you get sent back to the beginning and drink (even if you made a checkpoint).
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Post by Kaibutsu Gakidou on Jun 10, 2012 5:41:30 GMT -5
When Kaibutsu saw that smile, he knew only bad things were to come. He felt every fiber of his being tell him to run, to get away. That only horrible, terrible things were about to happen. But he didn't? Why, you might ask? Well, the reason was quite simple. He didn't want to look like a pussy. What kind of man turns down sake? Especially that of the free variety. Its not like he could tell her that her smile simply seemed malevolent. Like she had something maniacal. This was the girl he liked, for Ryujin's sake, and he wasn't going to say something hurtful like that to her. Even if he may regret it in the future. And he probably would, knowing the stuff he usually got into.
Then the short-haired kunoichi started throwing out rules. Rules upon rules. Addendum to rules. And he was quite quickly and thoroughly lost. There was no way he could memorize all those rules in one go. So already he could tell this wasn't going to end well. In fact, it would most likely end with him on the ground. There was a shinobi rule that was quite pertaining to this. Those with the least knowledge are the first to die. It was the same in this situation.
Finally deciding screw it, he tried his damnedest to recall the rules she had just chucked at him, hoping to get them before his turn. Before he could even do that though, she was saying his name. Or at least the shortened version she had dubbed him with. He had to drink with her? What? Where was that in the rules? Something about an ace? Damn it!
As he filled up his sake cup, Kaibutsu genuinely hoped he didn't become addicted to this. Many ninja did. He had seen those ninja. Sorry excuses for human beings. Husks of their former selves. He didn't want to be like that. He didn't want to be that. Regardless of his reservations though, he let the warm substance slide down his throat in one gulp. It burned. And in his opinion, didn't taste all that good. He almost started coughing, but seeing how Akemi seemed to take it like a champ (lol), he managed to force it down.
He did the same with the second, wanting to get it over with. It went down a little easier than the first, and didn't seem to burn as much. Hopefully it would get easier as he went along. Suddenly, it was his turn. Luckily the rules seemed to be coming back to him.
"Uh...Black." With colors he had a fifty-fifty chance of being right or wrong. Truthfully he could see that saying low would constitute the best chance of victory, but if he hit an ace he hoped to not be drinking alone...So, if he lost, he might as well make them lose with him by trying to guess their color correctly. Turning the card over, he was glad to see the ten of spades. When he saw that card, he felt a rush through his system. Something he couldn't quite explain.
Moving onto the next card, he couldn't help but feel the rush of excitement that seemed to well within him. The anticipation of winning or losing. It also seemed that it didn't matter if he won or lost, just the flipping of the card. The gamble that he may lose. He loved this feeling. Of course he wanted to win as well, but in the grand scheme it didn't matter as much as just flipping the card and seeing if he was right or wrong.
"Low." A two of hearts.
The same feeling came over him as he moved to the next card. Apparently it wasn't just a fluke.
"Uh...High." A King of Spades.
He was so close. So close to a checkpoint. Just this last card, and then the one after it.
"Black." Turning it over, he saw an Ace of Hearts. He seemed to deflate. He was doing so well, too. Looking at the other two, deciding which to have drink with him, his eyes finally settled on Akemi. "Uh, Akemi'll drink with me, I guess." Pouring his saucer, Kaibutsu gulped down his first drink, followed by his other three, all in rapid succession. Already he was starting to feel a tingle in his brain.
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