Training in the Storm [Private RP]

[Tameike Satsugai]

The Academy’s halls echoed with the drum of the rain outside, and the rush of sharp storm winds. Harsh tempests weren’t common, not this high in the mountains, but the weather was still miserable. Although, that was nothing rare. The land of Lightning was an unforgiving place, and its climate reflected such. The cold was normal, while summer was always a strange few months.

Listening to the rain drum on a roof was odd. Satsugai was more accustomed to having it pour down around her, drumming on her skull and the stone streets. She liked it better this way; but not because a roof kept her dry.

The rain washed away blood far too fast.

Satsugai pinched the tip of her finger again, staring as a few more crimson drops welled up from the small cut and dribbled down to the dirt floor of the arena. Another squeeze proved futile, not much blood emerging. It was already beginning to clot. She’d have to make another prick.

She grinned, not moving her eyes from the drop that remained perilously on her fingertip, trembling slightly. Extending her free hand, she held it out expectantly, palm up.

“Oi, Kyōdai. Give it here.” The girl demanded.

 

[Tameike Uji]

Pulling his sister’s blade from his obi, Uji tested its weight before lightly tossing it to her. He looked back around the training facility recognizing a few of his fellow students, noting targets he had already picked out that would be easy to use, and who to be worried about.

”Shimai be careful of the big one, The Pig will try and isolate you, if he does... don’t hurt him too much.” His tone lacked any sense of worry for his sister, but had almost a touch more for what she might do. Memorizing the movements of his fellow students gave him an idea of who had received previous training, who moved with skill, or moved with arrogance to their step. Uji’s thoughts were broken by the voice of their Instructor.

“Listen up you little bastards!” Her voice sounded like thunder striking inside the room. Conversation ended, everyone stopped in place, silence coming to the dojo area. The room lit up as lightning struck outside, illuminating the intimidating form of Kumiko, nearly six feet tall, raven hair cropped short and out of her face. The woman had a reputation as one of the most brutal trainers that the village hosted.

“We’re going to have some fun. The skies have blessed us tonight, and I plan to see which of you are capable of embracing the storm!” The eager glint she had in her eyes gave a sense of madness as she spoke. “We’ve placed flags throughout the grounds, this will be a test of your ability to outthink, and out fight your fellow students, those who bring a flag back will be declared victors, any student who doesn’t bring a flag back will sleep out in the storm!”

 

[Tameike Satsugai]

Satsugai let out something between a low whine and a grunt, her eyes narrowing in displeasure. She tore her gaze from her bleeding finger to glare at their instructor.

“She would look better if she was my height, don’t you think, Kyōdai?” She asked her brother, dragging her tongue over her teeth. Her short tanto slipped quickly from its sheath, glinting with the light from the storm as she twirled it.

 

[Tameike Uji]

”Shimai of course dear, but now isn’t the time we have other things to worry about.” Uji looked around noting which students were moving into groups, and which had weapons hidden like his sisters. He ignored the rest of the Instructors words as she droned on about customs, rules, and every trivial matter concerning the competition.

”When we get outside, what do you say we have some fun with the other students? Just getting the flags seems too easy... I want to watch them beg you to take it Shimai”

 

[Tameike Satsugai]

The girl laughed, earning them a glare from the Instructor. She snapped at them to get moving, kicking the hall’s doors open to the storm. Cold wind blustered in, accented by freezing water. It stung their skin and lifted Satsugai’s dark hair around her like a pair of bat’s wings.

They proceeded outside, Satsugai staying close to her brother. It was habit to stay within arm’s reach, so he could signal her. The driving, icy rain quickly soaked them through, making everyone’s clothes stick to their frames. Many of the other students looked like shivering rats, scrawny and small.

Rats didn’t have much meat, in her experience; but they bled like anything else, even in the rain.

“Begin!” Their instructor barked as thunder clapped around them. The other children scattered.

 

[Tameike Uji]

The practice area was a large open courtyard inside the walled facility. Covered walkways large enough for two to walk side by side extended out from the building to provide the only cover from the elements, and the grounds were covered in rain water, the thick rock and clay leaving pools all throughout the drains built into the foundation clearly overtaxed. Individual students spread out searching while others gathered into groups and began making alliances.

Feeling his sister’s hand on his right shoulder blade, an old reflex from when they used to be alone on the streets gave Uji a sense of comfort knowing his sister was paying attention, and hadn’t yet lost herself to the thrill of what was to come. Moving to one side the twins took cover underneath one of the walkways entrusting the shadows and storm to hide their presence as they watched and waited.

His eyes never stopping as he watched his surroundings, Uji found his first target, the brute he had pointed out before had gathered a few cronies to his side and had found a lone student to encircle. The rain and thunder barely drowned out the moans and cries of the child as the firsts and feet descended on whoever it was. Uji felt Satsugai’s hand tighten when she spotted the red flag in the childs hand.

 

[Tameike Satsugai]

Satsugai shivered, as much from excitement as from the cold; but she was used to the cold. Her sanguine eyes fixed on the flash of red amidst all the limbs and appendages, clutched tightly to a thin body.

She curled her fingers in Uji’s shirt, digging her nails into his shoulder through the cloth. She knew she needed to wait, and watch, her gaze following every movement, flickering between the scene and the others, but always straying back to that crimson flag.

“...Do we use him...or hurt him, Kyōdai?” She whispered the question in his ear, over the sound of the storm.

 

[Tameike Uji]

”The little pig, needs to learn who the wolves are... I’ll take care of his friends. I want you to hurt him and make sure he knows who to take orders from.” His hand squeezed hers for a brief moment before Uji took off across the yard, jogging lightly, making himself known before reaching the knot of students.

The first of the boys turned in time to meet Uji’s fist taking him off his feet and into the standing water. Uji turned ducking under the next boy, dropping and rolling his weight into the larger boy’s knee eliciting a scream of pain as the two fell to the ground rolling through the gathered pools of water, knees, fists, and every other usable part striking one another as they tumbled.

The largest boy, Kobiyoshi turned to join the new brawl and instead found himself staring at Satsugai, her eyes covered by the wet hair pressed against her face. Her smile made the boys skin tingle as he stepped back forgetting the boy nearly beaten to death at his feet.

 

[Tameike Satsugai]

Satsugai’s smile only widened as the look on the boy’s face morphed with uncertainty. She began to chuckle, and his expression grew angry again. He balled his fists and ran at her. Rather than stepping back, she darted forward as well, ducking quickly under his arms and into his space. Her feet pressed into the sopping ground as she launched herself up, hands going right for his neck.

Her brother had told her to make him hurt; and it filled her with glee.

She laughed, the high-pitched, disturbing sound standing out in the low drum of the rain, and dug her nails into his throat. She felt the firm structure of his windpipe between her fingertips, and squeezed sharply, bearing her weight down on her arm.

In her other hand, she held her tanto, and it flew wildly, slashing at the boy’s arms as he struggled to release her grip. His face was bluish, splattered with a few smears of red that ran orange, then pink in the pouring rain.

 

[Tameike Uji]

Satsugai felt a calming and familiar hand on her shoulder. Uji gently pulled her away from the bigger boy who gasped for breath his hands trying to cover the dozens of shallow cuts along his skin, the only sound escaping his lips a whimper of fear as he looked at the twins and tried to back away. Uji turned his head and spit the piece of flesh he had bitten and torn from his opponent, terror flashed in Kobiyashi’s eyes the second before Uji’s foot connected with his chest sending him tumbling over the victim the pack of boys had left.

Satsugai twisted the red cloth she had pulled from Kobiyashi’s belt around her hand admiring the softness of it, humming a tune as she watched her brother. The rain washed the blood from the childs body at Uji’s feet, kneeling into the rain he searched the interior of the childs jacket pocket and pulled the second flag out.

”On second thought Shimai I have no need for this one, cowards aren’t welcome among us” Uji turned his towards his sister and enjoyed the look of excitement that washed over her face.

 

[Tameike Satsugai]

Grinning delightedly, Satsugai darted forward, kneeling over the child, her legs on either side of his curled up form. She grabbed his chin in her hand, his skin swelling and broken from the cuts he’d taken. She trailed her blade along a puffy cheek, light enough not to cut deep but with just enough pressure to leave a raised red line behind.

“That shrew was right. I get lucky today.” She happily told the near-unconscious boy, tearing her eyes from the edge of her knife to meet his dazed gaze. “Yes, lucky. That’s right!”

The movements of her tanto ceased, finishing the bloody kanji for “luck” she’d been drawing. There was a pause as she admired the sight; then she reared back, intent on slamming the blade up under his jaw. But a large hand caught her arm, an unfamiliar grip.

 

[Tameike Uji]

Uji turned in surprise just in time to catch the thrown form of his sister, both of them tumbling to the ground and coming back to their feet within seconds, Satsugai’s tanto reversed in her grip as she crouched, ready to lunge forward. Uji came back to his feet only somewhat slower as he assessed the situation, immediately grabbing his sister and pulling her back towards him.

“Sensei, is there a problem?” Uji’s voice held the expected tone of reverence, but the flat, unemotional edge belied his complete disregard for the situation.

“Both of you have acquired flags, you’ve passed. Get out of my sight... MEDIC!” Her dismissal brought smiles to both the twin’s faces as they watched her kneel beside the maimed boy and cover his face to staunch the bleeding.

”I think I’m going to like it here Kyōdai” Satsugai said brightly to her brother, her smile genuine as the two walked back together into the compound, each having tied their tokens of victory around their belts to signify their belonging inside the compound

 

[Tameike Uji]

Brief Legend:

Kyōdai - Brother (Uji)
Shimai - Sister (Satsugai)
Kobiyashi - (NPC)

(MFT 2026)

 

[Morishige]

"Grim indeed." I sighed.

"It's good you called us. This is...quite different than what I remember of the academy." Kioku added.

The small girl only glared down at the two who had cause so much pain... "Competition..." she thought.

I stood from my crouching position, only to be continually dwarfed by my larger than average cousin. "Thoughts?" I asked.

Kioku tapped his foot slightly. "Masao still hasn't appointed a new head master, huh?"

"No. Though we don't know if these new training sessions were his plan for the academy, or if it was just this teacher. I know I was never put through such torment... Perhaps they are outliers." I suggested as more thunder rumbled in the background.

We stood in silence for a few moment, overlooking the area where the children were 'tested'.

"I'll speak with Masao." I concluded, taking my leave.

"See to it." Kioku responded.

[Topic Entered/Left]
[Run Time: 30 minutes]

[Just so you two know, to leave topics officially, you should end it with [Topic Left]]