I'll Make An Archer Out Of You (Private)

[Kairyuu]

Night was a difficult thing to determine here for Enzeru. He was used to the cycle of the sun and moon, the stars flowing over his head in their slow, but unstoppable, journey to the other horizon. Inside this massive cavern...they tried to keep it from being completely alien but to him it was a falsehood that could not be overlooked. Better the normal ceiling than a false sky. Still, night was the time he was most active, something that even a fake skyline could not chance. And so he found himself now in the archery range of the home, his eyes looking over the crystalline bow that formed from his very chakra.

The woman was unique, that much was certain. A crystal of purest, lightest blue to match his eyes. It was shaped as if flowing water had been frozen for eternity into the perfect shape. The limbs curved back ever so slightly but were made of the strongest material he'd encountered, allowing for far more power to go behind each shot. And no matter how much pull he put on them, they had yet to so much as make a sound, much less crack or break. This bow was able to be used for long distance sniping with ease, something he'd put it to good use for before.

Enzeru sets the weapon on the table before him, along with several arrows. Beside it was his own handmade weapon, a recurve bow of chakra-forged steel. While it was nowher enear as durable, this weapon was much more accurate than it's sibling. Both were the only weapons Enzeru made by himself, and today one would belong to another.

He looks up at the main compound and waits silently. He would look slightly odd, his blue on dark blue tunic, his brown leather boots and gloves; he appeared a hunter on the prowl instead of a teacher on this day.

 

[Hoshirei]

Kimi's arms were stretched and ready. She did some training earlier in the day to hopefully make it harder for her to snap a bow. The last bow she snapped had hit her in the face and it hurt, a lot. When she finally got to the archery arena, she couldn't help but beam. Enzeru was already there and waiting for her. She gave him a once-over and had to resist licking her lips. The hunter look really worked for him, made him look a little more wild. She didn't mind the fact that he looked less like a teacher, in fact, that was her favorite part. The Nekozuka was wearing her usual workout/battle gear. She appreciated the open back as it allowed for freer movement.

Her eyes strayed to the table where the bows were resting. She saw the crystal bow and her breath caught for a moment. The crystal was the exact shade of Enzeru's eyes. She walked over to him and the table and reverently stroked the closest end of the crystalline bow.

"It's beautiful, 'Zeru. You made this?" she whispered, her voice full of awe.

 

[Kairyuu]

Enzeru’s breath catches as she appears. He would never get used to the thought that someone as beautiful could be. Much less that they would share the bond they did. His eyes watch her without seeming to blink as she nears, not wanting to miss a moment of her that he didn’t have to. As she finally comes close enough to touch he lets his face break into a smile. She was indeed beautiful, and the choice of outfit only enhanced her natural charms without coming off as trying too hard to do so.

Enzeru watches her touch the bow almost shyly, as if the weapon were some great treasure. To him it certainly was, something that he still didn’t know the true origins of, or how much of him was in the weapon and vice versa. At her question, Enzeru nods. ”Yes. Somehow. I was just learning how to create the element of crystal. It requires a lot of effort, and some water and earth. I was in the hot springs beneath Kirigakure, or what has it has become I should say, and testing the limits of this specific form of jutsu. And one of those things found me. And the bow simply formed from what surrounded me.” He reaches over and lifts the weapon, certainly not light but not as heavy as it appears.

”It’s almost as if my own life force called the weapon to me. It has proven useful on many an occasion. And I can find no stronger material to make a weapon out of.” Enzeru looks at Kimi once more, blue eyes locking onto purple. ”And now, it is your own. A gift from my heart.” He holds the weapon out to her with a smile.

 

[Hoshirei]

When Enzeru's face brightened, Kimi felt as if her bones could melt. His crystal blue eyes bore into hers as he spoke, and she wanted nothing more than to keep listening to his dulcet tone. Her heart fluttered when Enzeru held out the bow to her, telling her that it was now hers. Kimi couldn't help but have her eyes flick between his and the bow a couple times. She knew with out a doubt that he was sincere.

Her eyes locked back on Enzeru's as she reverently lifted the bow from his hands. The feel of it made her gasp. There was a soft hum of chakra that pulled at her own, almost like it was testing to see if they were compatible. It searched further and tapped into Kashiro's reserves as well. When the chakra finally retreated, the crystal blue bow had purple swirls and what looked like lightning bolts along its length. The new colors pulsed for a few moments before receding.

"Wow. I've heard about crystal like this. It will channel chakra, perhaps even creating bolts out of it. I didn't know it could be made..." Kimi trailed off and looked back up at Enzeru's face. She set the bow down gently and then launched herself at him, hugging Enzeru tightly. She would have to investigate, but she thought that she knew what the crystal was called. Perhaps it was a clue to some of the mysteries surrounding her beau? "Thank you, Enzeru. You're amazing."

 

[Kairyuu]

Her knowing about the material was a surprise, even Enzeru himself was unaware of much beyond ‘crystal’. The weapon certainly seemed to tap into him, and it definitely enhanced his arrows…but he’d never tried shooting it without one at all. He looks at the weapon with a bit of apprehension as she brings those points up. ”No arrows needed? I….can’t say, I never tried.” It was not often he was found to be unsure of something, usually making up his mind quickly on most matters, but this was not most matters.

”I disagree, however. In all my time owning it I’ve never made it change. I have to say you are far more amazing than I, Kimi. You took it and made it beautiful as I never could.” He smiles once more at her and returns her hug emphatically, his lips seeking her own for a brief kiss before stepping away.

”Also, I think we should clear something up. You’re a good medic, and I wouldn’t want you to worry over nothing in the future.” Once more his face became a warground of indecision. ”I am not O negative blood type. I’m not….any blood type that the medics of Kirigakure could determine. I didn’t give them a big enough sample to test extensively, even though they asked repeatedly. I can receive blood from anything and give to anything. Anything warm blooded, at least.” His blue eyes seems to shine with an inner light as he said this. No one alive that he could think of knew the information she did now.

”So if ever you need to give me blood, or give someone nearby blood, worry not about what type I am.”

 

[Hoshirei]

"I think it would take a lot of chakra, a lot of control, or both in order to do what I'm thinking is possible." She was silent for a few moments as Kashiro whispered what he recalled from their studies and his available memories. The next sentence she spoke would have them talking together. Kimi's left eye turned sapphire.

"We believe we know why it reacted more strongly to us, however, it is possible that it somehow knew your chakra would be needed for its creation, but ours for the perfection." A tiny shake of her cleared the sapphire and the rest of Kashiro's partial control. She smiled sheepishly at him, after all, Enzeru didn't have a ton of experience with Kashiro yet.

Kimi listened quietly to Enzeru's words, stroking his cheek gently when his face twisted in indecision. She and the girls knew that his blood was different, and whether or not that made him something incredibly different than most, was something she would wait for him to discover and let her know. Of course, she would be more than glad to help him make discoveries for himself.

"Well, that's good to know. I'll keep the O-neg on your file for now. Perhaps we can figure it out together. Or you can watch while I fly around my private lab trying to figure it out" she chuckled softly and kissed his cheek.

After a few seconds more, she stepped away and up to the table. She picked up her new bow and gently tugged on the string. To her surprise, it gave her actual resistance. A large grin consumed her face and she turned her face back to Enzeru. The grin turned into a smirk.

"So, are you going to teach me how to properly use this thing, or are you going to stand there contemplating your existence in the universe?"

___________________________________________________
MFT
WC: 312

 

[Kairyuu]

Her eye changing color wasn’t quite a shock, but nor was it normal. He preferred her natural eyes, but knew enough by now to know something lived within this woman that did not belong to this world, and it strived to protect her even as hard as Enzeru himself would. The words it spoke certainly made as much sense as anything. ”Interesting. What would require that? Something that is created by man and perfected by….woman and other.” It wasn’t worth thinking about too much right now, however. He had put this line of thinking off far more than he cared to admit in his life.

Then she mentioned a lab and he just smiles and shakes his head. Kimi would get as much blood as she wanted short of weakening him, he trusted her more than any other doctor, and in his line of work getting to know medics was unavoidable. ”If you want a sample just ask. But yes, I think I should get to my lessons. Until we know if that thing needs arrows or not, we’re going to assume it does.”

Enzeru hands her five arrows from his quiver and shows her the way to hold them in hand. Fingers firm but not overly tight just ahead of the tailfeathers of the fletching. ”You want to be able to hold it enough to control the arrow, but not so tight that when you let it go it snaps out of place and goes off course. These arrows are blunted, but their weight is the same of any true missile. Go ahead and pull the bow back…what you want is for the arrow to stick out about an inch or so past the rest here. Give it a few pulls to make sure you can draw it right.”

Once that was done he forms several seals and a crystal target forms a distance from them. ”Many archers sight with one eye closed. I prefer not to, since you lose depth perception. How far you must shoot is just as important as anything else. If you have to shoot farther off, you’ll need to grab for a longer arrow and get more pull on the bow. Too close and too much pull could backfire in other ways. What you want to do is definitely sight down one eye, but keep the other open. You want to look down the arrow itself and line the head up with your target. Then adjust for distance. Then…let go. Go ahead and try to hit the target.”

It was basic, but she needed to go through the basics before he could learn how much she knew already.

 

[Hoshirei]

"This type of crystal is not usually perfected. It has to be balanced in everything. Used by man and woman, by celestial being and demonic being," the duo finished their statement and turned toward the table to pick the bow up once more. When her face turned back to Enzeru, her eyes were completely her own. She listened to him and smiled.

"Maybe we can do that sometime soon. Preferably before you are injured to the point of needing a transfusion again." Her eyes danced with mirth.

Once she had the arrows, she followed his movements, and stood in almost perfect form. She did have some experience with how to stand, her biggest issue in the past was breaking the bow. This bow, however, felt sturdy in her hands, like it would take more power than even she could muster to break it. That feeling, that feeling of being able to allow her strength to just be, was absolutely amazing. With a deep breath, she drew the bow back and held her fingers at the corner of her mouth. It held just enough tension that it didn't feel like pulling on a limp noodle or a stretchy band.

Kimi took the time to breathe and test how she would prefer to sight the target. Both eyes seemed to suit her better, as it aided her depth perception. She aimed just above the center, took a deep breath. She then let it out a little bit and held it. In that moment, she let go. She heard the arrow flying through the air, making a whistling noise that would be hard for many to hear. The next second, it hit the target with an almighty THWACK!

She set the bow down and looked more closely at her arrow. While it had hit, and embedded almost halfway into, the target, it was in a non-vital zone. She had been aiming for the heart, but it hit the form's right shoulder, right under the end of the collarbone. Her brow furrowed and she pouted for a moment before turning to her beau to seek his guidance.

 

[Kairyuu]

He raises one eyebrow at their next words. Man and woman, celestial and demonic? Was that thing saying he had demonic taint in him because if it was Enzeru was about to become quite offended by whatever protective spirit was possessing this woman. ”While I can certainly agree that Kimi’s an angel, I’m hoping by demonic being you mean yourself.” He watches her pick up the weapon, and when she faces him once more she is herself again. It was good to be talking to just her, while he had no issue with that thing keeping her safe, the idea of being possessed was not one he wanted to entertain for too long.

”No promises on being injured. Part of the life we lead. Now, that’s a good posture. Whoever taught you certainly knew what they were doing. Shoot when ready.” Enzeru watches silently as Kimi sights down the arrow then lifts it ever so slightly. And then she releases and the arrow goes wide just a bit. Over this distance that just a bit was quite a lot in the end. He walks over to the target and stops as he sees that the arrow was embedded so deeply into it. The hunter grasps the shaft and gives a mighty pull, cracking the crystal further as he removes the arrow. That it took all of his strength spoke a good bit of her power.

He walks back to the woman and sets it down, looking at her pout and simply smiling. ”That was a good shot. Practice makes perfect on everything, including archery. I did notice that when you let the arrow fly your left arm twitched slightly, however. We’re going to have to train that kink out of your brain if you want to hit anything reliably. Still, you’re certainly doing better than I anticipated.”

Enzeru begins to show her the proper form, something she knew, but he would have her give a few more shots to see if there was a method to removing the muscle twitch that was throwing her aim off.

 

[Hoshirei]

Kashiro chuckled in Kimi's mind as he pulled back completely. "Oh, I'm sure he meant himself. And I have an idea of what he meant by celestial, but I shall hold that judgement until he confirms it, or something else does. As for the injury issue, I know that sometimes it is unavoidable. I just don't like it when people I love are careless with their health."

She was surprised at just how deep her arrow went. She knew it was buried almost to the guiding feather, but seeing him pull the arrow out was a whole other matter. She listened to his suggestion, it made quite a lot of sense. She silently asked Kashiro if he had anything to do with the twitch, he just chuckled and retreated further. Instead of getting frustrated, she decided to use his little push to her advantage. She fired a few more arrows, making sure not to draw back so hard. The next three were all closer to her original target (the heart), but still wasn't quite where she wanted it. After all, the first one she shot had landed where the vocal chords resided and would have completely severed the trachea.

"The one in the throat would have done the job. The other two, not so much," she trailed off as she looked at the arrow that had slid right between two ribs and punctured the lower section of the right lung. The last arrow hit just below the left collar bone.

"Uhm, maybe you could help me steady? Just until I get used to it?" She looked at him from under her lashes and bit the corner of her lower lip. And now to see if her idea would work.

 

[Kairyuu]

He was quite curious now about the celestial comment. Did Kashiro believe that Kimi truly was some form of angel? That would explain a good deal of things about what happened with the bow, but then he would wonder about the fact that she had a family which was quite human. She certainly seemed divine to him in many ways, but that was quite obviously his heart doing the thinking on that one.

Enzeru pauses at that thought. His heart. He watches as Kimi responds to his advice by doing as instructed, his blue eyes following her form with more than just an instructional reason. She was beautiful; there could never be a doubt about that fact. But more than that she was also a good person, and he could imagine that her soul was just as amazing a sight as her body. His heart. Enzeru doesn’t let the pondering look he felt coming on actually take shape, but it was certainly something to think about.

And then she asked for him to help steady her. One brow rises slightly above the other but he shrugs and walks over to Kimi, slipping behind her and sliding his arms around her to hold her as still as he could. ”They would have, but they could just as easily have missed entirely. If the target were moving, or the wind wrong….or chance had the arrow go in the other direction.” He could smell her at this close range. He wasn’t complaining about it. Her scent reminded him of home, actually. Of his life before becoming a shinobi.

”Alright, now we’re ready to try again.” He smiles and leans in slightly, enjoying the feel of her form against his own.

 

[Hoshirei]

His reasoning about her shots made sense and she bowed, mentally, to his wisdom. She wondered if she pulled back with all of her strength, instead of the modulated version, if the speed would make a difference. That would be something for later though, after her accuracy improves.

Kimi felt almost giddy when Enzeru followed through with her suggestion. The warmth of his body and his scent so close made her want to melt. As it was, she just reveled in the fact that he was so close, and helping her learn something he knew. She felt his arm slide alongside her own and then felt his chest come within an inch to her back. Her pulse picked up and she had to breathe in slowly to calm herself.

She closed her eyes and breathed in as she drew back the arrow. Her eyes opened and she targeted the heart once more. His arm helped keep hers still and as the arrow flew, it struck where the aorta connected to the heart itself. Kimi beamed and turned her head so that she could look at Enzeru's face. Her heart stuttered as she remembered just how close they were standing.

 

[Kairyuu]

Closeness. Intimacy. Passion.

Enzeru could feel her heart beat, he could feel it speed up as he held her. As her arrow flew straight and true into the target. As the woman felt the joy of a perfect shot. And then as she turned and faced him, he felt it skip. And as his ice-hued orbs look into her own purple eyes, he felt his own heart pick up the tempo. A smile breaks on his face as his arms wrap around her tighter, turning the help into something more. His actions were no longer purely out of his rational mind, something else was taking over. Something deeper than conscious thought, more powerful and far more vulnerable to the whims of others. He searches her eyes as the hug pulls them closer, looking for the rejection that would end this and hoping not to find it.

”Kimi.” Her name is honey on his lips, so sweet and clear. His entire world becomes dominated by her in that moment. The curve of her jaw, the shine of her eyes, the style of her hair, her scent, her form, her. And for a moment he simply stares at her, that goofy smile on his face as he thinks about what he’s about to do. And then he leans forward, pressing his lips against her own. She tastes as good as she looks. This moment was new, this feeling unfamiliar. Could he truly feel this way? But there can be doubt that he does. As he pulls back from the kiss and holds her close to him, Enzeru brings the fullness of this woman to his mind and heart.

Kimi.

”I love you.”

 

[Hoshirei]

As she turned in his arms, she set the bow on the table. His arms tightened slightly and she leaned closer, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He said her name and she felt something shift. She had felt it earlier, when she mentioned the health of those she loved, but this one was much more powerful. When he kissed her she couldn't help but kiss him back even as she wanted to melt. His eyes when he pulled back sparkled with a more intense emotion than he usually allowed through. Enzeru spoke again, leaving her stunned.

A split second later and she kissed him deeply, expressing so much in her actions. The rational part of her mind knew that she had to speak sometime and she slowed to a stop. Kimi looked into his eyes and smiled. As a Nekozuka, she was always more emotive through her actions, but sometimes speaking was the best option.

"I love you too, 'Zeru. You mean more to me than I could ever imagine," she said and then moved to nuzzle just under his jaw.

 

[Kairyuu]

His wait is short after he speaks those words, the look of shock on her face, while causing a moment of slight panic, passes quickly as Kimi gives him a kiss deeper than any before. And he returns it with fervor that he never knew he could have. As she pulls back from the kiss and smiles, Enzeru’s heart melts once more. And finally she returns the words, causing him to pull her tighter to him and give her another powerful kiss.

He puts the bow from his mind and simply loses himself to the moment. A defining moment for one such as he. Enzeru the loner, Enzeru the outcast, Enzeru the stalker. All of his titles, all of the things people used to call him back in Mist; they were things given to one who shunned social interaction and preferred the solitude. Enzeru was not a pariah, but he certainly did not appreciate the normal way of life among other people. To find someone who he could be with, who appreciates him as he is, that is something he doubted he ever would.

Enzeru pulls back from the kiss and looks from Kimi to the target finally, chuckling. ”I think we’re done here for now.”

(Topic/thread left with Kimi)