Sleepless [Training]

Age : 35 Posts : 1113

Training:

Spoiler:

It was no surprise that when she sat upright, the woman could not make out a silhouette that would indicate her companion's presence. Heiki was often absent from his bed, either wandering and musing, or having settled down in somewhere far less comfortable. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, it became clear that this was the case - his sheets were entirely undisturbed. Uriko assumed that she'd not been asleep all that long, as under the circumstances the pair were in, Heiki was unlikely to disappear for the whole night. The kunoichi leaned back and let out a deep sigh. She could really use the sleep at the moment; her body needed time to prepare for the next day. She would ask more of it than maybe she ever had before and although she'd been rigourous in her preparations, she'd be lying if she said a little luck would not be of any use. Her partner knew this, and his affirmations that he would take good care of her were a comfort, at very least. Thinking back, Uriko recalled the last time her body was put under such stress, surprise to remember that Heiki had been there too. It was when the pair first met; though the woman had barely glimpsed her now-companion before she'd fallen unconscious. Come tomorrow, the Shantakai Leader would be making a habit of carrying her whilst she was incapacitated. It was this string of memories that brought the kunoichi full circle, to the dreams that had caused her to wake so abruptly. Lifted her one good arm and brushed her fingers along her great scar.

Again, she was back in the village thoroughfare. She knew it well by now. The buildings, the sky and the people... they were all a grey haze in her memory, perhaps all that remained in tact were the recollections of significance. Or maybe the woman had tried to suppress the scene altogether, only to find what stayed with her was if anything, in even sharper focus. The ground beneath her stained crimson, clumps of blood-dampened earth sticking to her hand as she clawed at the surface beneath her crippled form. Hear... she could hear the sinister laugh, just loud enough to reach her ears. A muted but cruel sound, its owner feeling no need to broadcast his satisfaction to the world, keeping it all to himself instead. And Uriko, of course. In reply all the woman could manage was a low, sorrow-wracked moan as she felt her energy leave her. A blunt force nudged her midriff and rolled her body a little. Her head followed suit and her eyes now gazed upward, falling on the smiling face of her tormentor. Hajiro leaned over as his expression became one of menace. He glared at the woman for a moment, the intent perfectly clear. Uriko mustered her strength and tried to spit into his eye. Instead, a few drops of blood and saliva escaped her lips and tumbled down her cheek. Unable to look at the man after this final indignity, she turned her face away - only for her gaze to fall on a far worse sight. The source of her physical pain right now was revealed, though she already knew it. A hideously shredded stump of an arm where her left shoulder used to be. Fixated on this, the woman could barely hear Hajiro's firm footsteps leaving her behind. She let out a piteous wail of anguish, serenading him all the way down the street. Her remaining hand, shaking considerably, reached over to touch the wound...

When her hand brushed to marred flesh it reacted violently. A searing pain echoed from the area and through to her whole body. Uriko became instantly alarmed. This was not supposed to happen. It felt like the grievous injury was tearning itself open again, and the woman had to gather all of her strength just to hold in a scream. Pressing her hand tightly over it and concentrating her chakra, a pale green aura blanketed the scar. No relief came. The aura dissipated in just moments. "What... what is this?" The kunoichi whispered. Through the gaps between her fingers a much darker coloured energy crept out. It seeped like blood from a deep wound, except it expanded in all directions, not just the way gravity should take it. Before the woman even had a chance to assess this new development, her hand clutching the wound was blown back as the chakra exploded from her scar. "Ah... ah!" She gasped, feeling the mass of energy engulf all of her left side. And then, the fear. It had been some time since she had felt afraid, but it was just the motivation Uriko needed at this time. The dark chakra threatened to consume her now, just her neck and head remained untouched. "No." The woman murmured firmly, clenching her teeth tight and grimacing. The energy slowed its advance, but did not stop. "You are just a fragment of a past I have buried, along with your master. Enough!" She spoke loudly and with grit. She was drawing on most of the energy in her own body to fight the intrusion. "You are all that's left of the hate your master felt for me. But I learned so long ago that hate was just a human emotion. You can fall much deeper and further than that." She spoke to it as if it were sentient, although some part of her knew she needed to convince herself, too. "Yield. I hold cruelty, bitterness and malice in my heart far greater than that for which you were created." She spat. The chakra halted. A pause followed, as if it were searching the woman for the truth in her words. It seemed to find them too, as moments later it began to recede - rapidly. Breathing a sigh of relief as the last of the energy flickered out of existence, the kunoichi fell back on her bed, her strength drained.

The cool night breeze was like a bucket of icy water - bracing, yet refreshing. It felt good to wash the dramatic events of earlier from her skin. They had lingered somewhat, until now. The worries Uriko held were shrinking with every passing second of silence, and she soon turned her mind to a more promising notion. The chakra had indeed threatened her life, but it had done so of its own accord. It did not feed off of the kunoichi own chakra, it was a separate entity. A power source that lay dormant in her body. If she could draw it out and control it... Uriko shook her head. Now was not the time. It was too close to her experimental trials to risk exposing her body to an entirely different threat. Perhaps after she had finished. She could only hope that in a weakened state, the chakra would not launch another offensive. Only Heiki would be around to care for her, and she had left no instructions for him to follow in such an event. But as far as Uriko ever could or would, she afforded him a degree of trust. Certainly, having followed him for some time now and if nothing else, she believed in his skills. The woman was decided. Heiki would learn nothing of this for now and she would prepare as best she could to keep the chakra from appearing once more. The Shantakai pair had to have some secrets from one another. After all, the cutthroat nature of their lives meant that should conflict between them arise, they both would need their surprises. Uriko had yet to give or find any reason for such occurrence, but she was wily and rarely underprepared.

Just twenty minutes outside the small wooden building had calmed the kunoichi's mind and body. She no longer felt any pain from her scar and her thoughts were beginning to slow. Sleep would soon take her, mercifully, into its soothing embrace. A universal panacea. There were still five or so hours until dawn, and as far as the woman knew there was no cause for an early start. Heiki, not having returned yet, would surely need a little more rest as well. And in some comfort, too. The soft bedsheets, mattress and pillows had been a luxury she'd scoffed at before; but given the events of tonight, Uriko was more than glad she had them to return to. It was a big day tomorrow, after all.

[Word Count = 1416/1400.]