Fighting a Mirror

[Shinrya Kahako]

The sun was shining on this particular day in Kumogakure. It had been abnormally warm weather for this time of year, but the citizens of the usually chilly city weren’t complaining. Kahako had been given the day off, and she decided that she would take her training outside. Instead of walking the entire way to the hospital from home, Kahako allowed her feet guide her to a secluded spot in the forests surrounding the Seki district. Not many normal civilians entered this area as some of the more feral animals tended to roam and academy students sometimes trained.

Which was exactly why she was here. Since it was a nicer day outside, odds were students wouldn’t be here training. No, they would be in the Susukino District, enjoying tea in an outdoor café, or going on dates with significant others. Kahako however had other plans.

Walking into a clearing meant for training, Kahako set down the bag she brought with her and undid the clasp on her cloak. As it fell, she allowed her eyes to scan the area. It was a roughly made training ground, but generic enough. Most of the area has been cleared of trees aside from one large log in the center. Years of kunai being tossed at it definitely took its toll. Yet Kahako wasn’t interested in practicing with a weapon for once. Today she wanted to focus on her taijutsu. Kahako closed her eyes as she let her chakra flow through her limbs. She always did enjoy this feeling. Her chakra would tingle at it reached the tips of her fingers, ready for its use.

Quickly, Kahako shot forward into the center of the clearing. Since she had no sparring partner she could only practice so much, but her imagination allowed her to create her enemies. Her first opponent, he came at her at a low sweep. She leapt into the air as a flip, as if over him to her second imaginary opponent, her heel through his head as she landed. Swiftly, the same leg moved around her as if to sweep the first man off his feet.

Kahako jumped away from the center of the area only to regroup into a different series of moves. Over and over again in hopes to get the moves perfect. She couldn’t add the true power that she originally wished for.

But so focused was the young girl that she paid little attention to her surroundings.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu always did like a nice sunny day- it was a shame, in a sense, that he lived in one of the coldest countries in the known world. In the mountains, no less. Still, that meant when a sunny day did come it was that much sweeter. Since it was such a nice day, he decided he would spend it outside and where better to spend time outside than in nature? There were forests all around but this one in particular was commonly used for training. Ayumu's sole purpose in the forest that day was not only to train, but he figured he would get some training in while he was there anyway.

Ayumu was surprised by the lack of people in the forest that day. Considering the warmer weather, he expected to see many young aspiring academy students filling the forest. He supposed they had, what they considered to be, better things to do. Ayumu, on the other hand, had always enjoyed training the most- though he enjoyed those other things too. A few friends of his had turned down his offer to train together in the woods stating they didn't want to waste such a nice day. Ayumu scoffed at this and entered the forest alone.

For the moment, he was simply taking a stroll, wondering if he might stumble upon someone else like him that was making good use of their time. Eventually, he heard something that made him pause to listen. It was soft, very difficult to hear, could have been a deer grazing, but he barely picked up on it. As he waited, he could hear more soft footfalls coming from nearby and that was all that was needed to pique his curiosity. Ayumu wandered in the direction he heard the sounds and eventually reached a small clearing where a young woman was training.

She appeared to be sparring invisible enemies, something which was pretty common when you didn't have a partner to spar with. She was clearly very focused on her training, because she didn't seem to hear him approach. He entered the clearing when she was facing his way to make sure she wouldn't think he was sneaking up on her and then gave a short wave. It was at this time that he finally recognized the girl as the Med-nin in Training that had treated him after he was wounded in the fight at the Torre Celeste. She had done well, by his measure, as the only thing that remained was a tiny barely visible scar just under his hairline.

"Ohh, hi there Kahako-chan! Long time no see!" he said happily. It really hadn't been a long time, a few weeks or a month at the most. Ayumu had been out of the village for a good portion of that and it tended to make him feel like a good deal of time had passed. Even if he realized that not much time had passed, something seemed different about Kahako. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but she looked different. "Hmm, you seem different," he said, looking her over as he tried to pinpoint the change. "Did you change your hair or something?" he asked, though that didn't seem to be the difference.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Tsubaki Kazuma [Dnpc]


Kahako was not the only one training deep in the woods. Kazuma likes to train here as well for he disliked people watching him. Kids always made fun of the fact that he was blind. As he thought about them, the swing of his sword became harder. Unlike Kahako he did had a training partner, his personal servant Shimete. Shimete was not trained in the art of the samurai like Kazuma and was doing all that she can just to block his attacks with her dagger. If Kahako stopped to listen she would hear the clashing metal. Shimete was only ten and too weak to carry a sword. Kazuma was only eleven but years of practice built the muscle to lift such a weapon. However Shimete was smart and with every step she guided him. Finally he makes and power swing and she ducks. His sword becomes imbedded in a tree and as hard as he tried he could not pull it out. Shimete point her dagger at his throat with its cold steel just touching his flesh. Kazuma congratulates her, “Did you plan that all along?”

 

[Matsuno Hama]

[Okay. For reference: This is his internal speech, but he speaks out loud. Though he does it in a way that most would just look at him funny. Black, like this, is his normal speech.]

Plop-plop, plop-plop.

The solid, weighty thumps against the earth as the mule walked along patiently was the only thing that accompanied the speech of its rider, though it did flick an ear a few times, chewing lazily on a piece of grass that didn't seem to shrink even as the animal swallowed.

"No, you pitiful creature, this isn't the hospital! I said take me to a hospital! Who told you this was the right way? Stupid, stubborn buffoon of an animal, this is why you're all extinct! No one cares about you! All you do is eat and shit, eat and shit, and what do I get in return! Nothing! A bumpy, furry walking carpet! That's what you are! Pffpt, ow dammit! Not the face! Why did you go and do something like tha-.. No I didn't! I said no such thing! Any fool knows mules aren't extinct, the majestic beasts of mighty legen- STOP HITTING ME WITH YOUR TAIL!" He batted the tail away from his face as it flicked up to smack him repeatedly, then he kicked at the animals sides a few times. "You're still going in the wrong direction!"

Well, actually, the mule was going in the right direction, Meo was just riding it backwards. Why it chose to take him there through this particular path was, well, unknown, but that was because the mule wasn't telling anyone. It was just chewing. However, at the smack of its rump, it bolted a few steps; It didn't travel very far, but at the sudden lurching movement as 700 pounds of not-quite-horse flesh, Meo fell flat on his face into the ground. As the chief mednin raised his head, spitting dirt and grass from his mouth and teeth, the mule turned halfway and stopped, still chewing that piece of grass that seemed to have no end.

"You damn fool, now look what you've done! How are you supposed to take me to work if you're over there and I'm over here?" He stood up, brushing the dirt from his robes and pulling a few twigs from his hair. He stomped towards the animal wagging a finger at it.

"Now, you listen here. I'm going to get up on your back again, and you're going to go in the right direction, understand? You stupid pack horse! Hah! You're not even a pack horse. You're only part horse, though you're more of a donkey than a horse even though I had to use one of each to make you! Hey! Stop moving!" As he tried to jump up, the mule moved to the side with one leisurely step, causing Meo to stumble and nearly fall repeatedly. Then, kicking it in the leg, he squaked(sqwaked? Whatever, sounds like the past tense of 'skwah') as he was launched backwards onto his rear end, despite the fact that it didn't outwardly appear that the mule.. did anything.

"You bastard! That hurt! No it didn't, but maybe if I stroke its ego it'll let me ride it again. Yes, that hurt, oh mighty mule. Now will you please let me, your humble servant, ride atop you again? Stupid creature, not realizing that being ridden when you're anything but a male human is demeaning instead of fun. What? I said no such thing! Oh, fine! I'm done with you!" He waved it off as if it were some minor underling, though all it did was stand there.

And chew.

Noticing the group gathering.. sort of, he walked over, strutting even as he held each side of his robes the way officials did, hands against his chest while they gripped one side each, and upon his face was a beaming grin of.. beaming.. beamingness.

"Well hello there, peons! And what brings you here on this fine day? I ask, though there was nothing fine about this day of mutineering mules and a dirty, unforgiving ground. Pah, these morons, outside doing things when they could be inside being lazy. Pah! As he spoke his face took on the expression of contempt, but as soon as those words were spoken he once again returned to that beaming grin.


[Also, yaaay first rp post on return to NC.]

[Marked for Training 4-20-13]

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako stopped in the middle of a series of moves, distracted by the sound of someone calling her name. It was more like she was startled by who it was that ran into her. A blush rose to her face as she stared into the eyes of Ayumu. Fortunately, it was covered from her already racing pulse. “Ayu- Kogami-san!” She said flustered and out of breath. What cruel incarnation of Raiden-sama thought that today would be a good day for her to come across Ayumu? Not only was she alone with him in the middle of a forest, but she was also without her cloak.

As he commented on her appearance, Kahako thanked the gods that he wasn’t as perceptive as she thought. “Uh, yeah… my aunt cut it recently,” she said softly as she played it her bangs a little. Did he like it? Did it look silly on her? ‘Why do I care?!’ she thought vehemently.

Suddenly, she the distinct *thunk* as something became imbedded in a nearby tree tore Kahako from Ayumu’s gaze. Almost as if it was instinctively, she took a step closer to him as her gaze shifted, mildly alarmed. “Oh, we’re not alone,” she said quietly; half disappointed, half relieved. Looking across the area, Kahako caught sight of a man with a dagger to his throat. Well… the better phrasing would be a blindfolded man with a dagger to his throat. Kahako worried about him for a second before he saw his smile. So, they were training as well…

"Well hello there, peons! And what brings you here on this fine day?"

Her head snapped around the other way to the sound of an older man’s voice. “S-Sasayo-sama!” Immediately she stood straighter and bowed properly. She had seen his face before. Aside from their sennin, he had been the lead researcher regarding cadavers in modern medicine. His breakthroughs in regards to human anatomy had been amazing, but the rumors around the hospital left him infamous for other reasons. As far as Kahako knew, he was also known to be a little… unsettling (though, the nurses tended to use the phrases ‘bat-shit crazy’ and 'why isn't he in the psych ward yet?'). “I am Higa Kahako, MiT under Kitsune-sensei’s tutelage.” Slipping into the manners taught to her at a young age, Kahako naturally turned to Ayumu. “And this is Kogami Ayumu- a…uh… umm… patient of mine. We—I mean I was training….” She finished lamely. She casted a side glance at Ayumu again before looking away. She had been flustered by both the sudden appearance of first Ayumu and then her superior.

In a quick attempt to cover her slip-up, she tried to continue the topic. “So… ummm… what are you doing here Kogami-san? Sasayo-sama?” She glanced over her shoulder, wondering if the blind man and the younger girl noticed that they had company in the training yard.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu was pleased to see that Kahako remembered him, even his name. As he tried to figure out what seemed different about her, he made a random guess that it was her hair. She immediately latched on to that suggestion, and now that he looked at it and thought, it did seem a little shorter. Was that the big change he was picking up on? No, but he couldn't figure out what it was otherwise. "Oh, yeah, maybe that's it. It looks good," he said, grinning and offering a thumbs up. Before he had time to think about it further, he heard the same noise that drew Kahako's attention. Ayumu couldn't see where it came from, so he took a couple of steps closer to Kahako to look in the direction she was staring. He quickly found himself looking at a boy and a girl, seemingly fighting, one with a dagger to the other's neck.

Ayumu could feel the lack of killing intent and quickly realized that neither actually wanted to do the other harm. They were sparring, nothing more. 'Ahh so there are more young'uns out here enjoying the day like true ninja!' Ayumu thought as he waved his hand in to the air. "Hey there!" he said, waving his arm a couple times in greeting. Before he could say much else, another party approached, this time an old man. His greeting was pleasant enough, except that Ayumu took some issue with his addressing them as "peons". Kahako was quick to introduce herself and Ayumu to the man, though she never really explained who the man was or what gave him the right to call them peons.

"Right...... so who is this old guy? Sasayo-sama?" he asked, scratching the back of his head and pointing at the elder. "And what is he mumbling about?" he asked further, fairly certain he had heard the word "morons" as well as "mutineering mules". Kahako continued on to ask what the two of them were doing there. "Oh, well, I was about to do some training as well, actually! Maybe we should train together?" he suggested, hoping the old man would take the hint and go away. He imagined he would not, however.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kazuma and Shimete were now busy trying to pull out the sword now halfway imbedded into the tree. However even with their combined strength they are in able to pull it out an inch. Kazuma was saying a string of curse words that would make a sailor hang his head in shame. Then out of nowhere a voice called to them. It was a man standing next to a woman and an old man not too far off. Now that his attention was not solely focused on the sword, kazuma noticed a strange smell. “Do I smell a donkey?”

Shimete looks at the donkey and comments, “that’s half ass, master.”

“What? I am pulling with all my strength. How dare you claim I am pulling half ass?”

“No, the animal is a mule master. Its half ass, half horse.”

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” The dialog between each other sounded like an old comedy routine. Kazuma then yell at the man that greeted him before. “Hey you sound like a strong guy. Can you give us a hand?”

 

[Matsuno Hama]

A few blinks passed as he watched the children interact in their own, cute little ways; especially adorable how Kahako freaked out upon recognizing who he was.

"Oh, deary, no need to be nervous, you're not in any danger. Yes, pretend to be the wise old grandfatherly man, let her rest assured in false pretenses. Easier to collect later, oh yes. A patient, eh? He doesn't look dead. No, no, doesn't look dead at all, but that's not hard to change, is it? Ah-ah-ah, and even dead they don't look quite dead when I' done with them. No, not when they're out and about. Don't mind me though, children, I'm just a harmless old man, works down in the morgue. Tongue in cheek, smile to keep them calm." And he did smile, as he spoke, putting on what would have been a rather solid facade.

"What am I doing here? Oh, well. I'm here because my Mule decided to go the wrong way." At that the Mule slowly turned his head to look at him, to which Meo, back to the mule, reacted the way one would as if his shoulder or neck had been slapped.

"Hey, I told you the hospital was the other way! No need for violence! Filthy beastie, finish your meal, it'll certainly be your last! Fool!" The mule was still chewing that piece of thick grass, that 'last meal' that never seemed diminished. One of its ears flicked at his words, and it went back to looking at everything and nothing with those big brown eyes, head held straight once more.

An ear flicked, though.

...

That happened.

A bit late, Meo turned his head to Ayumu with a glare only old people could seem to manage, where with the power of eyelids alone it was as if he was forcing his eyebrows up, instead of the other way around.

"Old? Do I look old to you, imsolent child? I'm the pinnacle of longevity! The fountain of eden! The garden of youth! Hold your tongue or I'll take it from you! Oh, yes, hold your tongue for a little while longer. I could use it on of my sevants, they've lost theirs. Wasn't my fault though, but these children don't need to know that. Sigh, the trials and tribulations I must go through for my creations." He had a little bit of a wistful look between angry faces while speaking to himself, but did end up with that glare still on his features, directed at Ayumu.. glaringly..

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Now that Kahako’s attention wasn’t solely focused on her fighting form, she heard the quiet mumblings of the medical chief… and was quite disturbed. “c-collect?” she said quietly. She took a small step away from the old man and glance at Ayumu to see if he noticed the mumblings of the man as well. Well, now she saw what the nurses were talking about. He did arrive here on a mule. Who even rides those now a days? she asked herself. Though knowing it was rude to not respond she gave a weak smile. “Well Sasayo-sama. I am in the emergency ward, so it would be my mission to keep my patients alive.”

Kahako was known to hang out with some pretty mental people, but even she had limits on her creep-o-meter. And as of right now? The sirens were blaring. Fortunately, she wasn’t trapped and alone with this… odd superior. She looked from Sasayo to Ayumu and smiled as she received the rescuing line from him. “Sasayo-sama is the medical chief that works in the morgue at the hospital. This is my first time meeting him, but I’ve read a lot of his studies on the human body.”

Welcoming the ability to get away without an awkward excuse to her superior, Kahako smiled happily at Ayumu. “Sure, I would love to train with you Kogami-san. Well it was nice meeting you Sasayo-sa-“ She didn’t get much farther, however, as it was in that moment that two things happened. Sasayo, seemed to return to the rest of the world, finally registering Ayumu’s words and responded to them irately, and the two who had been training a ways away came to ask for someone’s help with the katana trapped in the tree.

Not really wanting to deal with the confrontation, Kahako smiled at the two students, “I can help with that!” She said quickly as she walked over to the tree. Grabbing the sword by the hilt Kahako let her fingers wrap around it, feeling the solid steel, still warm from when its owner tried to use it. She calmed her breathing as she channeled chakra through her system to her arm. With one swift tug down then out, the sword was released. Accompanying her tug was a loud *CRACK* as the tree protested at the downward force she used when she pushed down. Turning, she walked back with a smile on her face, happy that she had been strong enough to pull it from the tree herself.

Holding the sword out to the blind one, Kahako spoke happily, “Here you go! Hopefully your katana wasn’t damaged in the process.” She then turned her head back to Ayumu, “So, where did you wish to train Ayumu-kun?” Unlike the last time however, Kahako realized the slip in her casualty with Ayumu. “Ah, sorry. Kogami-san.” She was fighting the blush that threated to surface on her face.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

What was this old man mumbling about? There was clearly something wrong with him, so Ayumu decided to try to ignore his ramblings and just focus on the main point of what he was saying out loud. Apparently he had arrived here on a mule. Apparently he rode a mule for transportation. Ayumu looked the old man over. 'I guess he's gotta get around somehow,' he thought, glancing at the mule. You didn't see those too often, so that was interesting. Kahako explained who Meo was, which only made the old man seem a little bit more creepy- he did work in the morgue after all.

Kazuma called out to Ayumu, but he was distracted as at last Meo appeared to realize that Ayumu had addressed him as old and snapped over it. He began spouting claims of how he was young, and then told Ayumu to shut up. He then proceeded to go back to his creepy mumbling. Once again Ayumu could only pick up bits and pieces of it- something about "servants" and "creations". Creepy. "Uh, alright, sorry. You're right, you look like you're in your 20s at the most," Ayumu reassured him with a blatant lie, watching as Kahako walked over to the poor tree that had taken the brunt of Kazuma's attack.

'Oh right, he just asked me to help out!' he thought, turning to follow along behind Kahako so he could take it out. Although she had said she could help, she didn't seem like she would be able to do so. "Maybe you could pull it out for them, old man," Ayumu commented, already completely forgetting how the man had reacted to being called that last time. He paused short of the tree as Kahako grasped the hilt. "I'll-" Ayumu started, but the cracking of the tree stopped his words short as she swiftly pulled the sword out without breaking a sweat. He watched as she then nonchalantly walked over and handed the sword back to its owner before turning back to him.

He was still a bit dumbfounded by her surprising strength as she asked him where he wanted to train. She quickly corrected herself and addressed him by his family name instead. He chuckled at this, considering he had initiated their conversation calling her Kahako-chan. Clearly he was not overly concerned with formality. "You can use my first name, I don't mind," he said, giving a carefree grin. "As for where, where you were to begin with is fine with me," he said, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder to where they had come from.

"We'll be sure not to hit your mule if you're sticking around," Ayumu mentioned to Meo, not sure if he was going to stay or attempt to reach the hospital once again.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kazuma fingers lightly travels down the edge of his blade; it was smooth with out at nick. “My soul is unharmed, thank god. My father would kill me if I damage my soul blade in training.” Kazuma was of a samurai clan. The sword he welded was a part of him for in contains his very soul within it. Or at least that is what they believed. “By the way my name is Tsubaki Kazuma and this is my friend Nigiri Shimete.” Shimete gives a polite bow. “I guess I was not the only one training out here. Maybe we could all train together, if you don’t mind me intruding.”

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

[OOC: Talked to Meo, he said we could skip him this round. He'll be back soon though!]


As Meo-sama began a full on argument with is mule, Kahako chose to ignore the man until his mind returned to reality again….

She smiled at Kazama and Shimete. “Why, that’s fine Tsubaki-san, as long as it’s fine with… Ayumu-san.” It was going to take a while for her to get used to calling him by his given name. There were only a few people she comfortably called on by their first name.

“Besides, I am a mednin after all. Even though we all have the same basic training, I don’t do a lot of offensive fighting without someone to support. Are you okay with a one on team sparring, Ayumu-san?” she said with a smile. It wasn’t necessarily fair, but Kahako knew her limits. “If not, we could split you two and one of you on Ayumu-kun’s team, and one on mine. Of it could be a three way match!” In all honesty, Kahako was fine with any of those options.

She stretched as she walked to the other side of the field. Normally Kahako would put her cloak back on before sparing with anyone, but the weather was much too warm for the thing. Besides, the only one who had seen Kahako before her sensei slipped breast-enhancing medicine was Ayumu. Fortunately for her, he noticed nothing. ‘Raiden-sama, please keep it that way,’ she thought self-consciously.

Once everyone was ready in the field, Kahako smiled and shouted as loud as her soft voice would let her, “Ready whenever you are!”

This was going to be fun!

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

It seemed Meo was in his own world now, unreachable by the rest of them. Ayumu, like Kahako, chose to leave him to his own devices for the time being. Kazuma commented on his blade, referring to it as "his soul". Ayumu was quite attached to his blades, but not quite as much as the young man seemed to be, he thought. It was true, if he found one more capable he would happily replace his weapon. He supposed, to Kazuma, that would be like replacing his soul. Kazuma introduced himself and the girl, who politely bowed.

"Hiya, name's Kogami Ayumu," Ayumu said, returning the favor. Kazuma suggested that they combine their efforts and train together. Kahako was quick to agree, so long as it was fine with Ayumu. She seemed to struggle a bit with saying his first name, which was odd to him. He had never thought it was particularly difficult to pronounce. Yes, the true reason for her discomfort escaped him. Kahako's suggestion was for the three of them to take him on. Truthfully, this was probably more fair than she thought, as he was at least Jounin level.

Ayumu watched as Kahako walked to the other side of the clearing, unconsciously staring. There was certainly something different about her that he just couldn't place his finger on. She would probably slap him if he did. Back to the format of the spar, Ayumu was uncertain what would be the best course of action. Three on one might not be bad, but what was best for them?

"Well, three on one is an option... on the other hand, if you prefer, I could make a clone to participate on my behalf in a two on two. Unless you'd prefer the real thing- I suppose I could hold back... free for all is an option. Why don't you two choose, " he said, addressing Kazuma and Shimete. He did have a clone jutsu that would produce a clone of at least Genin level on it's own. He had provided the options he thought would work.

 

[Ryu Hime]

When Ayume calls Kazuma Tsubaki-san, he faces her with a puzzled expression. She was clearly older than him. How she was addressing of him was strange to him for due to his young age, everyone refers to him by his first name. Even their servants referred to him as Kazuma-sama, however the man then says something arrogant. Kazuma thought it disrespectful to boast about one's strength before a proper dual.

“Hold back? Well if you are so sure of yourself. Shimete.” The young maid girl pulls out a whistle and blows it, but not a sound came out. A howl from not too far away could be heard. “Let's make it four against one then. Our fourth member should be here shortly.”

It did not take long for the canine companion to reach them, but he did not enter the clearing. He hides in a bush watching and waiting for the time to strike. He was a child of Moro, which means he was a hunter. A good hunter does not let his prey know his location until it is too late. Shimete could scenes his thoughts. “Kirito is here, but he prefers to stay hidden at the time being if that is alright with you.” The wolf was not the only trick up her sleave. Her right blue eye, the brand of those chosen to be a child of Moro, had special powers waiting to be revealed.

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako picked up her cloak from beside her and wrapped it once again around her shoulders. There was nothing special about it. She just preferred fighting with the thing on. With a small bow, she moved into a defensive stance. She analyzed Ayumu. ‘What branch is he in?’ she wondered idly. He wasn’t a mednin for sure, and he seemed too nice for ANBU. The people that came from that branch always seemed tired, composed, and full of secrets. That wasn’t Ayumu-kun at all. He was very welcoming, always full of smiles. She felt her chakra flow through her being. The pulse always excited her, but she kept her blank face whenever it did. But her eyes were alight. Would he notice her excitement? Would he be excited as well? Did he see them as a worthy opponent? Would her partners see her as a worthy teammate? It was time to test out to see what all of them were capable of.

Running towards Ayumu, Kahako was the first to strike. She unleashed a couple of simple punches his way. They were weak, but the plan wasn’t to harm him. It was to check his speed and strength. Will you avoid me, or block me? Why type of fighter are you Ayumu-kun? Next, she dropped low in a quick sweep to try and knock Ayumu off of his feet. Whether he dodged or block didn't matter, Kahako wasn't done attempting to lay into him.

Kahako’s next move, however, was very dirty, and quite literally a low blow. There was no mean intention behind it. He didn’t anger her or anything. Kahako was just in the perfect position to perform a kick to Ayumu’s crotch. Besides, if this were a real fight, she wouldn't hold back and neither would he. That was just the way their life went. So, she kicked.

Using her hands to help keep her balanced, Kahako did a swift upper kick and flipped to her feet again. She gave a small smile of apology to Ayumu as she hopped away from him, allowing Shimete and Kazuma to take a step in. She hopped from one foot to the other as if bouncing, her short hair swaying slightly in the breeze. Arms at the ready to defend or strike again. She would save her stronger moves for later.

Girls were known to fight dirty after all.

[Edit: sorry, If this were a modded battle:

Kahako used the one-two, then low sweep, then uncalled for shot.]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu ascertained from the tone of Kazuma's voice that he had taken his comment the wrong way. Ayumu was not trying to boast, the fact of the matter was just that the difference between an Academy Student and a Jounin-level shinobi was more than substantial. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well, alright then," he reluctantly agreed. He was not looking forward to this. The young girl pulled out a whistle and blew it silently. 'A dog whistle,' Ayumu thought, expecting a canine to show up shortly. Nothing showed up, however. Shimete quickly explained that her companion was hidden. "It would have been better not to tell me,' Ayumu said honestly. If it were a real battle, having her companion show up unexpectedly could have been a real asset. Now Ayumu knew to keep his senses on alert for a surprise attack.

Kahako quietly donned her cloak once more. It was red and drew attention. It wouldn't be good for a stealth mission, but for simple combat it would be fine he supposed. He preferred to have as little loose clothing as possible to avoid making himself an easy target to grab. Without a word, Kahako rushed towards him. 'No warning... nice,' he thought, smirking as she closed the gap and threw some punches at him. They were fast, though not particularly powerful. He deflected the first with his palm, feeling the strength behind it. The next he also deflected, realizing that it would be easier to block than dodge them and he wouldn't come to any harm blocking. She next went for a low kick which would be nearly impossible to block. Instead, Ayumu leapt and flipped backwards, feeling the wind from her attempted low blow as moved through the air. He landed on his his hands before pushing off and returning to his feet a few feet back.

"Hey now, just where was that kicked aimed?" he asked with a coy smile, realizing where it would have landed if he had stayed in the position he started in. He kept his eyes on Kazuma and Shimete, as well as keeping himself aware of his surroundings for when Shimete's companion joined the fray. Locking his hands together, Ayumu formed a few rapid handseals and released some chakra. From behind him, seemingly out of his shadow a clone of himself appeared. This clone would be able to help him fight- it would feel a bit less like 3 on 1. He waited for the trio to make their moves.

 

[Ryu Hime]

Actually Kirito would like to choose to stay hidden throughout the whole fight. He was there as a teacher not a guardian. Shimete was a child of Moro and unaware of the great powers she possesses. There was so much he will need to teach her, but so little opportunities to teach her. He will jump in if things got out of hand but, teaching Shimete how to use her powers was more important than winning a silly dual. Are you ready for you first lesson of the day, my sister? Today you will learn about the loyalty to the pack. This is a skill I believe you can master quite easily. A wolf is only as strong as his pack. An attack one member of the pack is an attack on you and you will retaliate in kind. Now you can form a pack with any ally that is fighting alongside you, but for this dual I like you to form a pack with Kazuma. Protect him with your life.

Shimete stares at Ayumu intently and noticed something strange; one of them had no aura. Second lesson; you know all chakra users produce an access amount of chakra and that some of this extra chakra is pumped out into the air. Clones don’t produce chakra they a made of it, so no access chakra. Shimete could not help but smile as she finds out she can see though his tricks. Kazuma on the other hand was at a severe disadvantage. He could tell a clone was made for he heard the hand seals and the extra footsteps shortly after. “Follow my lead. Routine 24.” She yells to Kazuma as she charges at the real Ayumu. Both Shimete and Kazuma preformed janken. “Rock” Shimete aimed a punch to the diaphragm. “Paper” she jumps and aimed a jab between the collar bone and the neck. “Scissors” She does an upper strike toward a pressure point just under the ear. Kazuma matches her movements just seconds after her. Kirito sighs for obviously the next lesson would be how to use her claws.

[Ability used: Sixth Sense]
[MFT]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Whether or not the companion would join, Ayumu was always on alert. Even in a training exercise, instinct built from many years of battle no longer allowed him to focus too intently on combatants to the point of forgetting his surroundings. He made his clone for the purpose of drawing some of the heat off of himself, but he made no attempt to conceal which of them was the real Ayumu. Just because you could tell a clone from the genuine article didn't mean it was a good idea to ignore the clone. Shimete shouted for Kazuma to follow her lead, alerting Ayumu that they were about to try something. He prepared himself in advance before the two charged at him, one right after the other. Ayumu reacted quickly, pushed his palm in to her arms as they flew at him and deflecting her first two attacks. The third, and Kazuma's attacks, however, all landed.

Ayumu stumbled back a few steps... and then began to fade away, melding in to their shadows, revealing the victim of the melee assault to be Ayumu's clone after all. As soon as they had begun their well orchestrated but preannounced attack, Ayumu had prepared to use the old faithful Body Switch jutsu. Instead of a log, however, he used his own clone and swapped places with it just a moment before the duo began their attack. This left the real Ayumu in the place of his clone giving him an opportunity to attack. Gathering a bit of chakra into his calf muscles, he launched forward from a standing position doing a flying kick hopefully in to Kazuma's back in order to launch him in to Shimete.

Wherever he landed, he would do a few spring backwards, flipping once and landing perfectly with his hands together in a seal. Another clone would emerge from his shadow, ready to assist him as his faithful servant to any end. Even if he couldn't fool his attackers into going after the wrong Ayumu, his clones had other uses. He awaited the trios next attack, eyeing Kahako as she had yet to make a move since her first attack. "You guys should try to be more subtle," he suggested, though he himself was never quite the master of subtlety before joining the ANBU. They had made him the silent killer he had grown to be.

[Body Switch w/ Shadow Servant + regular ol' flying jump kick + Shadow Servant]

 

[Ryu Hime]

Drats there attacks was wasted and Shimete didn’t have a clue. She was too caught up in the moment to notice the aura beginning to fade around him. As Ayumu prepares his attack, Shimete is hit with an intense pain in her right eye. Her blue eye felt like it was on fire and she kneels to the ground crying in pain. “Shimete-chan what’s…?” Kazuma was then kicked in the back and he does everything he could to prevent his body from crashing into Shimete. With all his effort he turns his body so to land next to Shimete. As Ayumu makes his landing and critique there attack, Kirito jumps out of the bush and stands between Ayumu and Shimete. He growls angrily in effort to convince Ayumu to back off. Shimete was in a vulnerable state right now. Her eye was evolving to the next stage. Shimete seemed out of the fight and this man was too much for Kazuma to fight without her, so he waves a hand from the ground like he was holding a small imaginary white flag, “We surrender.”

 

[Shinrya Kahako]

Kahako watched the exchange between Shimete, Kazuma, and Ayumu. It was clear to her that Ayumu was in a defensive stance and he wasn’t taking their spar seriously. In some ways, it made Kahako wonder what Ayumu’s true power was. In others, it infuriated her. This was a competition of sorts, after all! Kahako was taking it very seriously!

Kahako watched as Kazuma came plummeting to the ground and wasted no time. Taking another leap at Ayumu, Kahako made hand signs for her Aqua fang. Even if Ayumu wasn’t taking their match seriously, Kahako certainly was! She hated to lose with a passion. She felt the rush of chakra that naturally came to her and smiled ‘Let’s see how you will handle this!’ Kahako thought as she ran as fast and as hard as she could at him, hoping to catch him before he firmly found ground again.

The water never formed. Upon hearing Kazuma’s surrender, Kahako turned to look at him incredulously and yell “Why?!” However, it was poor timing to attempt a turn mid-run. When she landed her feet crossed awkwardly and got caught between each other. In one final scream of help, (kyaaaaa!) and an odd, uncontrolled prance Kahako felt her feet finally go out from underneath her right into Ayumu’s chest.