Relentless Repitition [Closed - Masa]

[Sei]

"AGAIN!!" Izanagi grimaced as his father shouted, the giant Mizushima standing with his arms crossed on the porch, a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of him, garbed in somewhat thick clothing to combat the weather. The younger Mizushima huffed slightly, somewhat out of breath and somehow not feeling as cold as he would have if he hadn't been wailing on the standing tree trunk in front of him.

He'd been forced to go without a shirt and only socks, shoes, and a baggy pair of cloth trousers. 'Training for the cold and strength simultaneously', his father had called it. Izanagi just called it bullshit (but was never going to say it somewhere his father could hear). Cracking his knuckles, he glanced up at his father, before moving back into stance, the one that had been in the family for generations passed. Izanagi focused his eyes on his targets, mentally visually the tree as faceless man, bright targets on where he'd strike.

With a small grunt, he leaped forward, starting with a strong right-foot flying kick to the torso, his left foot connecting seconds after to repel him off. He landed in a slight crouch, keeping close to the ground as he ducked under an imaginary sword swing, coming up with a quick left roundhouse kick to the figure's right arm, resetting his stance with his right foot forward. As he set, he quickly launched his combo to the imagined adversary's jaw - left jab, left jab, right jab, left jab, and ended with a wild yet accurate right hook, using the punch's momentum to continue into a counter-clockwise spinning kick with his left leg. With a huff, he moved backwards quickly, keeping his eyes on the trunk as he reset.

He heard the approving grunt from his father, before a rather annoying slurp of coffee. Izanagi inhaled through his nostrils and out through his mouth, getting his breathing back under control as he waited for another command from his pops, expecting either to have to go through the same set yet again or onto another, more complicated set of combos.

He was surprised, however; his father called him to, telling him back into the house as he himself walked inside, finishing off his coffee. The boy sighed, putting his feet together and bowing to the trunk, before practically running back inside where his father was waiting, arms crossed as per usual. Izanagi bowed on entrance to his father's nod, before waiting until the giant spoke.

"Get a shirt, change, and wipe the grime from your face. You're expecting someone." With that, the man walked away, his footsteps booming as he moved up the stairs.

Mizushima Izanagi only followed with a small sigh, running his fingers through his platinum hair while thinking about who was coming over. Probably one of father's friends for dinner. Maybe I'll try that new recipe....

---

For Training = 482 W/C

 

[Masakano]

Today was an odd day to say the least, among finishing the missions she was given almost daily--she had a strange request among the mix. A local man had called her to his place of residence for an undisclosed reason. She didn’t know of the man herself, however she eagerly accepted at the promise of food and training. One foot in front of the other the kunoichi walked the beaten path; her mind visually displaying the directions she had been provided earlier.

It brought her to a moderate sized home, it’s beautiful exterior made her double-take the address. She plotted up the wooden stairs, her hand struggling to find the courage to knock on the door. It didn’t take long after her knuckles knocked along the mahogany surface before a beautiful woman met her gaze. Her short raven hair cropped her face perfectly and really brought attention to her gorgeous features. Masakano bowed suddenly out of respect, her dark maroon locks swinging with her abrupt movement.

“Ma’am! I am the genin called to the residence today! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Although she had no idea of the woman’s identity she was led in, quickly she kicked her sandals off on the front porch and stepped inside. The home was so organized and intact, the young woman’s brilliant amber hues marveled at each room they passed through. It was then that she was led to a den, and told to wait. Nervously Masakano took a seat on her knees at a small table. Before her there were various snacks and beverages, it seemed that her company was prepared for; but why? She was a mere genin, not a guest of importance.

“Hmm? W..Wow, those look good…”

She murmured aloud, her eyes widening at the prospect of possibly enjoying a filling meal as opposed to the toast and frozen dinners she has been scraping by on with her low-ranked mission money. Masakano refrained however, her hands tucking themselves obediently in her lap as she waited for the man whom called her here to arrive.

[MFT: WC-345]

 

[Sei]

Izanagi paused as he heard a knock at the door that stood right under his second-floor room, wondering idly who it was. He continued dressing in silence, waiting until his mother opened the door, cueing a response from the visitor. He listened closely as he pulled a simple white shirt on, matching well with the ordinary black pants and black shoes he'd put on moments ago.

The voice was definitely feminine, and seemed like it'd be more at home coming from a girl around his age than a fully grown woman; he could be wrong, though. Females had confusing voices at times, but it was no matter; he figured he'd be meeting her soon enough. Using a strip of black cloth, he tied his hair back into a low and somewhat messy ponytail, using his fingers to brush back his bangs..... Which fell back into place seconds later, to the chagrin of the young shinobi-in-training.

He raised his head as he heard his father leave his room and start downstairs, probably having been aware of the visitor before she'd even knocked on the door. Which, of course, meant that Izanagi would have hide behind a wall to hear what the largest Mizushima had to say to the Genin before he'd be called, even though his father would know he was eavesdropping.

---

Ryuu moved down the stairs, his footsteps loud on the wood as he forwent silence. It served no purpose to sneak up on anyone, so he made sure his presence was known before he actually came into sight. He moved easily into the den, passing his wife (who playfully swatted his rear as she passed) as she went back upstairs to get ready. He set eyes on the young Genin just as she complimented the food to herself.

He grunted softly as he sat across the table from her with an easy "Welcome", crossing his legs before picking up one of the snacks himself. "Feel free," he said as he ate his, giving the girl a small smile. "My name is Ryuu." He launched right into the reason she was here, without taking her name - he already knew it, from the file he'd seen when he'd contracted her. "What I wanted you to do for me today is perhaps teach my son, Izanagi, a bit about the things he'll have to expect when he gets to the Academy. He's already enrolling years later than he's supposed to, so I figured getting a somewhat recently graduated Genin to give him some information on it would be best."

He chuckled softly, scratching his beard. "It's been awhile since I was in the Academy, or I would've done it myself. But aye, that's about it. Perhaps give him demonstrations and whatnot; whatever you deem useful. And uhh," he leaned in slightly, whispering now. "You'll double as a babysitter of sorts, as my wife and I are going out for a few hours. Four, at the most, at which time you'll be free to leave. Don't tell him that, though, and just keep a passive eye on him." He nodded, before calling his son, having never given the young girl a chance to speak; he didn't need her to.

---

Already hiding behind a wall near them, he'd been listening closely as his father detailed the reason she was being here, though he couldn't understand the last bit he'd said before he was called. He sucked his teeth thoughtfully as he waited, approximately the time it'd take to get him from his room and to right where he was standing, thinking all the while. Of course his father had gotten him another tutor. It was always training and improving, all relentless repetition.

As he turned the corner and bowed on entry, he glanced down at the table between the Genin and his father for a hot second before his bright eyes moved to her, taking in her appearance. She was cute, and had to be only two or three years older than him, and probably not even that. She looked competent enough, he supposed, but it mattered little. He figured she was the more normal type; not extremely shy or caring or whatnot, yet not extremely mean and hot-headed or otherwise. He could be wrong, though; he'd figure it out soon enough.

He bowed to his father, before regarding the girl a second or two more before bowing to her as well, though obviously not as low as he had his father. "Yes, father?"

"You already know what she's here for," he said as he got up, confirming Izanagi's thinking that Ryuu had been aware of him the entire time. The large man walked off, leaving the two alone, of course expecting them to get started; it was only his wife that routinely disobeyed his orders, and for probably obvious reasons.

Izanagi looked to her, raising an eyebrow before introducing himself and waiting for her to begin however she felt. The smirk on his face came from his amusement at how his father had handled this, as he did all things; not giving a person the time to ask questions or figure stuff out, and expecting things to be carried out immediately.

"Mizushima Izanagi, though I'm sure you already know my first name."

 

[Masakano]

The older man was enormous in comparison to her; however he had a look of warmth to him underneath it all. He seemed like the type to be a tough father, but only because he really cared. The boy’s mother on the other hand was a vibrant woman, her bouncing wild hair and dark skin reminded the girl of her own. She smiled brightly once the gentleman had offered her food, however waved her hand slightly. She wasn’t quite sure what a genin straight out of the academy really had to offer a future student, however she took on this mission with the full intentions of completing it. Before she could even think the older gentleman was off, murmuring something about babysitting before his departure. With that he and his wife would be gone, and this left her sitting awkwardly in front of the son.

Izanagi huh? She stared at the white haired boy intently; he didn’t look much different than a normal boy their age. He was a student though. Most students usually started a bit earlier, however that wasn’t always the case. She smiled and stood, bowing towards her comrade before introducing herself.

“Ah, nice to meet you Izanagi-kun. My name is Masakano; however feel free to call me as you wish.”

She looked towards the table of goods, now that the larger man was out of the room she leaned down to pick up a few dumplings to toss in her bag. She would then shove several other varieties of treats straight into her mouth. Since leaving her father’s side to walk the path of the shinobi it had been hard to fend for herself based solely on E-rank mission rewards. She often had to go without meals, and when she did eat they were of little to no nutrition. It was the downside of not having parent’s to support you, however she would have imagined that the village would help support their shinobi a bit better.

“Alright, I’m not sure of what you know already or what your father has been training you in—so perhaps we should start there and see where you’re at. Then we can brief you on the main points of the academy.”

Masakano had a fire in her eyes, improving and helping others improve was a goal for her, she wanted to become one of the best kunoichi in the village. However to improve upon herself was always an ongoing struggle. She walked throughout the house, finding the back screen that led to the area behind their home. It was wide open and the ground was worn and beaten; a sign of obvious training and use. Her brilliant amber eyes gazed, her chest expanding as she took in the fresh air.

“What a beautiful home.”

 

[Sei]

Izanagi watched and waited patiently, his fingers tapping an idle beat on his leg. He returned her stare, though his one at ease; slow blinking, quarter-closed eyelids. His eyebrow arched sharply as she smiled and stood, going on to introduce herself, though her use of 'kun' made his eye twitch. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly as he continued to silently watch her, curiously tilting his head akin to a feline when curious or confused.

"And you feel free to slow down on the food; it's going to be there later." He exhaled sharply in what was meant to be a single chuckle, though he lacked the half-smile generally associated with such a display of amusement. The fact that the girl was on her own never crossed his mind, as she hadn't seemed to be homeless or the sort. Of course, he took things for granted; he didn't know what it looked or felt like to live so young and by yourself.

He nodded along as she spoke, agreeing with her plan of action. She wasn't entirely incompetent; that was a plus. As she started to walk around, he got up quickly, following behind her, making sure she didn't steal anything of value. He doubted she would, as his father knew who she was, but some people were just plain stupid.

As they walked, Izanagi figured this was as good a time as any to give some details as to his prior training. It'd help get this whole thing over quickly, so he'd have time to cook himself a nice meal before his parents returned. "I've trained mainly in Unarmed Taijutsu. Physical conditioning and strengthening, as well; nothing major. Per Ninjutsu, only a bit of Lightning and Earth, but only once in a blue moon." He bit his bottom lip as he thought, only idly following her at this point as he tried to think of everything he'd trained in.

"That's about it, actually..... I've literally spent years doing nothing but making myself stronger and perfecting my strikes," he said to himself incredulously. He'd always figured he was being taught a load of actual Taijutsu, but he'd never really thought about it. He'd only just went along and trained as his father said, aiming to surpass him one day.

Mentally shrugging it off as he wasn't one to dwell, he nodded to her back as she complimented the house. It was, and his mother AND father would beat him blue if he made anything but his room and the kitchen too dirty. Clean-freaks, the pair of them. "I suppose. I rarely leave, so I'm not sure how it stacks up next other houses in the area." He physically shrugged.

"What now, sensei?" He aimed that last word with a bit of a mocking tone, the smirk blooming for a second time.

 

[Masakano]

The brisk air nipped at her nose as she stood upon the family’s porch. Her eyes soon fell shut as she remained perfectly still admiring the climate of the beautiful land of lightning, it was chilly yet, but to her it felt miraculous. Her fingertips absently went towards the zipper of her bright orange jacket and tugged down on it roughly. It sprung open and the young woman pulled it from her arms. Below she wore a sleeveless compression shirt that hugged her budding, pre-pubescent body. It also showed off her arms, for a young woman she had quite a bit of muscle upon them a sure sign of her diligence in training. Her hands planted themselves on her hips as she walked down to hard wooden steps and to the beaten earth that lay before them. The toe of her bare foot dug into the ground, kicking up a bit of dust before turning to Izanagi with a grin.

“Sounds like your pops is quite rough on you, I could only hope that your training will pay off for you in the academy.” The female danced upon her toes a bit, loosening up her extremities to prepare for a bit of rough-housing. Her arms stretched overhead, and her body elongation before the bent over to touch her toes. She was a fairly flexible girl despite the awkward disruptions that puberty had caused. Her breasts had finally formed and got in the way of a lot of things that she took for granted, her hips had widened and she still found herself bumping into people and things which in turn caused her more trouble than they were worth. On top of that she grew about a half a foot within the last year, her new found height leaving her at around five foot three inches.

Once she was limber enough, she shot a smile towards the other whom had teased her all along and seemed to be in good enough spirits. He spoke highly of himself and his training; she wondered his actual skill level. They were about the same age; despite rank they would probably be evenly matched. The only difference is that she would have prior knowledge of the academy’s training program. Her hand reached out and motioned for the boy closer. Her body lowered into a fighting stance; however it was not one akin to anything in the village. It looked rather goofy and aloof.

“Alright, I want to see your fighting style, and I want you to hit me.”

 

[Sei]

Izanagi tucked his hands under his armpits as he waited, not at home as Masakano was with the chilly air. Somehow, instead of becoming accustomed to the cold air, he'd grown to hate the low temperatures Cloud seemed to always have. He could survive in it, sure....... He just didn't want to. He'd rather live in a much warmer, drier environment.

Izanagi sighed as these thoughts ran through his mind for what seemed the millionth time. An imperceptible shiver ran down his spine as his breath misted, furrowing his brow as he watched her remove the orange jacket to reveal a tight shirt, similar to the ones for training he had somewhere in his room. He couldn't keep his eyes from wandering for even a second, his breath catching in his throat as he all but stared. He coughed as she turned, and his eyes jumped to her face as she turned and spoke, her statement prompting a half-shrug. "He can be, I guess. I don't have any complaints about." He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes never leaving her.

Nearly immediately after she began to stretch, his eyes bulged and he caught a sudden, gushing nosebleed, his breath coming out as a startled choke. In a split second he was inside of his house, stuffing tissues up his nose to control it before poking his head out the door, his eyes roaming over her compression suit-clad figure. He cleared his throat as he walked out, trying to avoid looking at her altogether for fear of another nosebleed.

On her beckoning, he moved forward, keeping his eyes on, of all things, her nose. Focus on the safe spot. Boogers. Nose hair. He shrugged as set his feet apart, shifting into a loose and easy stance. He waited a few seconds, doing his best to analyze her own unethical stance, like his father taught him. His eyes started to move lower to look --- NOSE!!!.

He hopped towards her, immediately falling lower until his hands nearly touched the ground, his right leg planted on the ground as his left stretched and scythed through the air at her feet in an attempt at a low sweep. He kept his momentum up, having found you can deal the most punishing blows using your body's natural movements. His left leg kept it's rotation, whether his sweep found success or not, though he elevated his left foot at a kick aiming for torso, immediately launching his body vertically, his right leg rising quickly towards her jaw to complete the one-two. Whether he'd scored all hits or none, he'd back away and put more distance between the two, focusing on her nostrils all the while.

 

[Masakano]

Though the female was distracted by adequately preparing for a friendly spar she couldn’t help but to look up at the sound of a blocked airway. It was then she saw the boy doubled over coughing for some unknown reason; perhaps the chilly air had given him a cough? He ran towards the inside of his house and soon returned with some crude wads of paper stuffed up his nares. Her gaze was wide-eyed as she looked at him, she couldn’t help but feel her lips curve into a smile from his expressions. He was far more animated than she had presumed upon first encounters; she had figured the boy to be stuck-up and silent, however he was able to use his mouth and seemed to have some weaknesses.

She crinkled her nose; it was almost as if the small protrusion of her face was being stared at. Soon the boy launched his assault, his entire body ducking low and his leg aiming to trip up her feet. She grinned while hopping over the extremity like a jump rope. However he followed up rather quickly, his fists aiming straight towards her jaw. Her hand rose brushing off one of the jabs, however the second broke her guard and hit her square in the nose that he was focusing on so adamantly-- instead of the jaw in which he aimed.

“Hohoho.” The girl watched the man’s movements carefully as he put some distance back between them, her hand cupped her face as a bit of crimson flooded between her fingers. All the while a steady jovial laughter was falling from her lips. Her fingers rose, aligning the bridge of her nose and snapping the cartilage back into its rightful position.

“Seems you hit pretty hard Iza-chan!~” She hissed through her teeth in an attempt to tease the boy in the same way he did her. It was then that she began bouncing on the tips of her toes again, her right fist sparking with electrical energy. The genin launched forth, darting and weaving as she neared the boy. She wasn’t one for distractions, just head on action. She cocked back her fist before launching it towards the white head’s torso.

 

[Sei]

He inhaled a short breath, before exhaling sharply, eyes never blinking as he watched her. His brows furrowed yet again as she set her nose, shifting as she seemed to take it easily and ready for another attack. He was ready to jump back on the offensive when she cut at his inflated ego with -chan. His eyes narrowed to slits, now irritated more than annoyed by her presence.

He sucked sharply on his teeth, before setting back, already a plan of action forming in his mind. He could see she herself had planning an assault, taking note of the electricity jumping about over her fist. He remained unflinching as she sprinted toward him, leaning noticeably forward, waiting until the right moment to start his own counter-attack; he figured it'd be a bit painful to get hit by an electric fist.

He launched a left hook of his own straight to her jaw to (hopefully) hit just as her own punch hit his midsection, putting so much power into it that it was bound to pain his wrist. The power and speed, combined with the fact that he outweighed her (she was so smol and he was nearly six feet) and had a longer reach, would provide the momentum to automatically launch the second half of his three strike Janken combo - a headbutt to wherever his head might go, though he wasn't counting on a successful hit.

With the continued momentum of his hook and randomly striking head and the fact that he'd weakened the hold on his knees as he leaned forward...... Well, physics finished the rest for him, turning his hook-and-butt combo into a full-blown body-slam, which was almost guaranteed to succeed at such a tiny space between the two of them.

Of course, he'd felt the pain of the lightning strike to his stomach, sending his abdominal and pectoral sections twitching madly, which was more pronounced through the fact that he was notably muscled.

All the same, whether everything hit or nothing hit, he'd clench his teeth and force out a single, violence-filled sentence. "Don't call me that."

 

[Masakano]

She knew such a slow and head on attack would be easily avoidable, she really wanted to test his reactions and see his counters; and that is precisely what he did. While she neared the man his fist came forward with ferocity, she had been expecting as much for putting herself there with a bulleye on her head. Her body weaved to the left in the knick of time to avoid his attack. She could feel her fist sink into his hardened torso with ease, the muscles of his abdomen and torso contracting wildly as the electricity surged through him. She smiled, he was good for not having any training with the academy, his father must really have been a hardass. Part of her was jealous of his position, a home as nice as this; a father who cared enough to push his son to the limits. She was so very envious.

She was so busy dodging his first hook; she hadn’t noticed his follow through. A head-butt it seemed, however his balance was off center so it turned into more of a grapple with enough force to knock her to the ground. His head hit her, square in the chest. Thankfully the softness of her bosom softened any major damage that his skull would do to her sternum and underlying organs. It knocked the breath out of her however, that was for sure.

The Genin stumbled a bit, her ankles unable to support the weight of them both as she fell to her rear and then laid out flat amongst the dirt. The taller man would more than likely be pinning her to the ground at this point due to his larger size and mass. Masakano let out a grunt, inhaling sharply as she tried to gain some sort of oxygen back into her lungs.

“G—Gah, damn you.”

 

[Sei]

As the pair fell to the ground, he grunted sharply, still trying to ignore the pain from her strike to finish this little bout. His eyes assessed their position, before his body moved into action seconds later as she was catching her breath. Izanagi moved up until he was sitting firmly on her rapidly rising-and-falling abdomen, so that she couldn't move from under him, though she could still bring. He looked around, before grabbing a small twig lying nearby, holding it as one would a kunai and tapping the tip of it to her temple, simulating a thrust with a kunai that would kill.

"You lose," he managed to gasp out, before leaning back though still atop her, his hand raising his shirt so that he could see the damage from her chakra-charged strike. Random muscles jumped and twitched, the entire area turning a light shade of red. He gingerly tapped his stomach with a finger, hissing in pain. He'd never been hit with Lightning Ninjutsu until today, as neither of his folks practiced it; he quickly assessed that he'd never want to be hit by it again. He dropped his shirt back into place before getting up, holding his hand out for the girl to take if she felt like it.

If she grabbed his forearm like he meant, then he'd pull her to her feet, his other hand ready to help steady her in case she began to teeter off-balance. He'd give her "the eye", obviously miffed about being hit like that, even if he could've dodged it. "How long will it take to wear off? It hurts like hell..." After he got an answer, if he did, he'd walk back up to his house, grimacing at the discomfort through the action of walking up the stairs.

If she didn't, he'd simply shrug, kicking a bit of dust at her regardless if she was up or down, giving her "the eye"; he was obviously miffed about being hit by something like that, though he could've evaded it. "How long will it take to wear off? It hurts like hell," he'd ask, before walking up the porch to the backdoor of his house, hissing through the discomfort of walking up the stairs.

 

[Masakano]

The dirt stirred around the pair as their bodies settled, her bright eyes opened to find the man on top of her, she felt a warmth rush to her cheeks while she lay there pinned beneath his weight. Masa was still catching her breath but their predicament wasn’t helping the heart that was about to beat out of her chest. She had contact with boys in the academy, but not on such a personal note. A loud audible gulp escaped her as she boy sat up and lifted his shirt. Her eyes focused in on the slightly tinged skin, her hands struggling to stay obediently at her side. Still, his skin and muscles were reacting from her attack; Izan also seemed to be in slight pain from its effects.

“I guess I do huh?” She teased pushing the make-shift ‘kunai’ out of her face before Izanagi pulled himself from her abdomen. She felt a relief from the pressure of his body, her lungs refilled with fresh air and she gladly took the forearm in which he held out. Gracefully she pulled herself to her feet with his help and began walking back towards his house.

“Wear off eh? You're not enjoying my touch? Isn’t it electrifying?” The girl jested in a flirty kind of way as they would make it inside of the home once more. The climate within the house was much warmer and put the Genin at ease. "May I? I mean--I can try to help you feel better." If he would let her she would pull up his shirt once more to examine the area. Her hand would press to his skin, and reabsorb the excess electricity from his body. Hopefully this would ease the pain and spasms in his muscles if he would allow.

 

[Sei]

He snorted in slight amusement at her joke, moving towards the kitchen to get something cold to drink. On his way, he ran a hand through his hair, pulling the cloth off to set his previously ponytailed hair free. He threw the cloth onto the counter before shrugging, tapping his fingers against the counter as he tried to think of a witty comeback. Somehow, none came, and he said so with a small chuckle, less hostile now that he'd won. "I'm still soaking in my win, so I'm not going to grace you with my wit."

He paused, tilting his head curiously as he just thought about what he said. He was wittier than he thought; he wasn't even trying, then. "Or will I?" He looked back at her with a wink, easily going with his automatic flow. He chuckled as he went through the fridge, getting a jug of aojiru he'd made last night and a cup, before looking back at the girl, his eyebrow raised.

Izanagi glanced down at his torso, where he could still feel pain and convulsing from the Ninjutsu. She came at him with a hand, going to do what he thought was Medical Ninjutsu of some sort. "Have at it," he shrugged, not aware that she'd have to pull up his shirt to do so. Obviously, it surprised him when she did, which could be surmised by the "hey, hey, whoa" and his slight backpedal into the counter.

His cheeks reddened, the boy shifting slightly as she placed her hand against his abdomen, though he he issued an audible, sighing moan and visibly relaxed as whatever she was doing seemed to work. "T-thanks," he stammered, deigning her with a small smile as he waited for her to back away and release his shirt.

When she did, he hurried to his jug, pouring himself a cup hastily, his cheeks still blushing against all his efforts to stop. He figured the cold beverage would work, but.... Nope. "Uhh.... Want some?" He awkwardly patted-pointed at the jug, looking to her for a response.

 

[Masakano]

Surprise after surprise, Izanagi continued to impress the Genin with his sly words and smooth moves. She had to admit she had figured the boy would be snobbish and rude to her based on his apparent upbringing. She leaned upon the countertop, watching him carefully after she had removed the electrical energy from his twitching muscles. Masa could only imagine it was a feeling of relief. The kunoichi grinned, even if the move of ‘healing’ him was just to get a closer look at his body—she wasn’t going to let him know that.

“Ohh, of course, I would love a glass.” Her words melted from her lips like a hot knife through butter. She knew he was playing her, from untying his gorgeous platinum locks, to his flirtatious jests. He knew he was hot stuff and he wasn’t even trying to hide it. But what he probably didn’t realize was the redness in his cheeks, he was embarrassed it seemed. Perhaps Masakano came on too strong in her flirtation attempts; her mother had always taught her before her death to play to the whim of a man to better yourself—as horrible as it sounded. However, the girl wasn’t doing this for a gain, she was doing it for her heart.

Her eyes watched the mysterious liquid pour into his glass, and soon another would be poured for herself. She took the cold glass in hand and sipped at it curiously at first. Soon she soon a bigger swig, her amber hues shifting back to his green.

“Izanagi-san, what are your ultimate goals? Not the ones your father set for you, but the goals you hope to accomplish in this life time?” She set down her glass and approached him, her body standing mere feet from his own. Her facial expressions conveyed a serious tone; however her lips quivered from just looking at him at such close range. She wasn’t sure what she was getting at, she just wanted to get to know the boy better. Perhaps they had a similar goal? Perhaps they could reach it easier together?

 

[Sei]

He nodded, grabbing a glass for Masakano and pouring a bit of the healthy (and somehow his favorite) juice for her. He handed it to her, before replacing the jug of juice back in the fridge. He downed about half of his glass, setting it back on the counter as he watched her drink her own. He'd never been taught how to flirt or whatnot, so it made sense for him to act like a squealing, blushing maiden... But he hated doing so, even if it was always on pure accident, his body acting on it's own.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the blood continuously rushing to his face that kept the blush to his cheeks. It took a long, slow exhale before his nerves had calmed and his face was (finally) back to normal, and he hoped he hadn't appeared to be acting too weirdly. He picked up his juice and took another sip, listening curiously as she asked him his goals. He had to admit, he'd nearly started to answer with something his father would say, but the fact that she brought that bit up made him pause.

His brows knitted as he thought about his goals, chewing softly on his bottom lip as he thought about it in earnest. He really..... Didn't have any large ones of his own. Sure, he wanted to eventually surpass his father. Past that, he wanted to be renowned the world over as one of the greatest Masters of Taijutsu ever known, and.... "I want to travel the world, learn from masters, obscure or celebrated. I want to learn ultimate control over my body, to become.... Heh, the greatest Taijutsu Master of all time."

He grinned at the last sentence, finding it funny that it sounded so much like something a boy much younger than him would say. He'd assumed his goals would become more complicated with age, but they only seemed to become that much more simpler, and that much closer.

He shrugged after the few seconds of silence, sipping his juice and finishing it off. "And what about you, Masakano-san? What are your goals? You seem liked you'd have many."

 

[Masakano]

Her eyes honed in on the boy’s lips as they pressed to the glass and sucked in the sweet juice, she perhaps was staring a bit intently but she couldn’t help it. Zoning out was always something she seemed to do when lost in thought. Once she noticed the flush in his cheeks was gone she felt a bit at ease, as much as she was enjoying teasing him she didn’t want to force him to be uncomfortable. She listened intently to the boy as he expressed his dreams; it would explain how he so easily evaded her moves and broke her nose.

“I see, Taijutsu huh? I could see it.” A bit of verbal encouragement was always good, especially to those who rarely received it. Even if it wasn’t much, just having a person there to support your goals in the end made them easier to achieve. It was then that the boy flipped the table, asking her the questions now. What were her goals? Immediately her mind drifted to her own father, the look of disdain that filled his eyes haunting her.

“In terms of jutsu and skills, I want to focus on my ninjutsu; however taijutsu isn’t far behind it on my list. I suppose my ultimate goal is to become a core member of this village.” She paused, her bronze fingertips reached up to brush the dark maroon locks from her forehead. “My father has a lot of hate in his heart for me, attempting to become a shinobi that is. He doubted me every step of the way in the academy. In the end I just want to prove him wrong, that I can becoming a skilled kunoichi and make him regret doubting me.”

 

[Sei]

Izanagi nodded, finishing off the rest of his glass of aojiru, setting it into the sink to be washed later. "Mhmm, it's what I mainly use. I'm naturally better at it than Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, heh....." He shrugged, before watching attentively, noticing the way she seemed to space out a bit after his question. He passively speculated about what she was thinking about as he waited, his eyes slowly flowing over the details of her face.

He nodded along as she spoke; Ninjutsu was a focus of many shinobi and kunoichi. He figured her focused kind was Lightning, and the thought brought back a phantom tinge in his abdominal, his hand reflexively moving to rest on his torso. A slightly amused smile spread across his lips at himself, before raising an eyebrow as she spoke about her father.

He wondered why he'd hate his own child; she seemed like a lovely person to know. "Well, I think you're already a skilled kunoichi, Masakano-san. He's an idiot for doubting obvious talent." He gave her a smile and a small wink, before thinking about what was next on the agenda; it was usually making dinner at this time, but this wasn't an ordinary day of training, eating, and sleeping.

Suddenly he remembered why she was here in the first place, the fact having slipped his mind through a... Very distracting girl. He could feel his cheeks tinge (YET AGAIN) at the thought of why she was distracting, before trying to distract myself from a distracting girl by talking to said distracting girl about the Academy and her teaching session, all the while further distracting myself by trying harder to keep this distracting confusing solo-conversation thing going for as long as possible so as to not be distracted (yet again) by the distracting girl, which only seemed to throw my mind back on the topic of this distracting girl, which tinged his cheeks even more. Boys these days and their confusing, twisting, turning trains of thought, amiright?

"Uhh..... I-is there anything else you'd like to teach me about the Academy, or was the spar that I won all there was?" Of course, he had to throw in the bit about him winning; it placed him back on his pedestal of head braggart, which he honestly loved doing.

 

[Masakano]

Overall, the young woman couldn’t help but feel she was making the boy uncomfortable, from outward appearances it seemed that he was flustered or had several thoughts on his mind. She had plenty of things to inform him on about the academy, but perhaps now wasn’t the time? She was more interested in him than talking about that bland stuff. The girl inhaled sharply through her nose, her dark lips curving into a smile as she stood upright. Her hands perched upon her wide hips, and her voice resounded firmly, “Well, there are plenty of things I would like to inform you on Izanagi-san, I just like to get to know people before I start talking nonsense.”

Her fingertips graced her chin as she tried to visually show that she was indeed thinking. She then turned on her heel and walked towards the area that contained snacks and food from earlier. She took a seat and picked up a small cookie from the table before pressing it to her lips. She seemed to have quite the appetite, however her body didn’t reflect this. “Alright, well—I know you’re Taijutsu focused yes, but what ninjutsu do you know? Has your father prepared you in any yet? I feel they focus on it a lot in the academy.”

Her voice echoed across the room before she turned to smile, patting the seat next to her as if to invite him to sit and chat for a bit. She had only been there for less than an hour, and his parents were to be gone for a while longer. She was babysitting after all, so it only made sense to stick around and keep the boy occupied.

 

[Sei]

His eyes lingered a bit too long on her lips as she smiled, watching on even as she spoke. He heard about a quarter of what she said, nodding idly as if he were; it had become habit, the idle nodding, when concerning his father, who often spoke about his own experiences. He'd just never stared at what he deemed as a perfect pair of lips before.

When she turned on her heel and walked off, he snapped out of his reverie, keeping his lips closed even as he wanted to ask "Wait what?. He cleared his throat as he watched her walk away, slowly following as he watched her sit and eat a cookie. He shrugged, biting the corner of his bottom lip as he thought about it.

"No, not really. I just know how well some Ninjutsu would go with Taijutsu. I don't know any real Ninjutsus, yet." He shrugged idly, before smiling at her beckon and going to sit where she'd patted, probably a bit closer than at all necessary. As he sat down, he reached for a dumpling, rolling it around in his hands before taking a bite out of half of it.

He stayed silent for a moment as he chewed, turning to her as he swallowed and asking now that his mouth was devoid of chewed food that could've became projectiles. "Hey, do you live around here? Nearby, I mean?" He finished off his dumpling as he waited, just randomly curious now. A better question might have came from him had he heard what she said about learning about people, but of course, he didn't. His mind just wandered at times.

 

[Masakano]

It wasn't long before Izanagi had followed behind her like a little puppy. Her eyes glanced over to him as he took his seat, and although he chose to be close to her already, she nudged herself even closer. She was bold, and never was one for modesty in any sense of the word. Masakano chuckled under her breath, watching curiously as the boy chose a dumpling out of the array of food; it was one of her favorites and she had been eye balling them herself, except for the fact he had taken the last one.


Her shoulders slumped at the thought of not getting a dumpling today, however they soon perked back up as his voice echoed through her ears. His body was so close to her own it sent shivers up her spine. She turned, her bright smile constantly peeking through the soft petals that were her lips. “Yeah, I live here in the village, I stay in some special housing for shinobi of the village. I guess it's where they put the people who can't afford anything on their own?”


With that she would reveal she had no home, a home with a family at least. The housing provided by the village for lower ranked shinobi was kindly vile and cramped. It wasn't the best place in the village to live, however it was a roof over the girl's head. Masakano’s smile faded a bit as she turned back to the table, her eyes brightening as she saw a skewer of dango. Her fingertips picked up the wooden skewer before she turned it around a few times admiring the creation.