Like Old Friends [P]

Posts : 1729

Gouka sighed as he surveyed the area around him. He'd managed to find a secluded spot in the Great Geyser area, where the steam wasn't quite so thick. It was away from the main geyser area, containing only a single small, steaming pool, nestled against an out-cropping of boulders. It was down slope from main area, resulting in a continual, mildly cool breeze,which also resulted in its relatively steam-free air. 'Alone all to myself.' He thought, taking a moment to set his gear down by the boulder. Walking over to the pool, he knelt down on one knee, tench coat billowed round him as he made a few seals, placing a palm to the water. "Mizu Bunhsin," he murmured, a column of water rising from the pool to congeal next to him, quickly shaping into a perfect replica.

Practically speaking, he had no reason to make the clone; he was alone, and didn't expect to have any fights. Gouka chuckled quietly to himself. "I'm not expecting a fight, which would make this the perfect time for an enemy to attack me." Turning to the clone, he continued. "Well, you know the drill. Hide yourself somewhere nearby, so I can Kawarimi if I have to." Now Mizu Bunshin are relatively low-level clones, and didn't hold much in the way of conscious thought, not like Kage Bunshin. That said, Gouka still could have sworn the clone gave him a look that said 'You're a paranoid SOB, you know that right?' "... And stop giving me that look," Gouka muttered, the clone walking away, concealing itself within the boulders.

Clone safely prepared, Gouka shrugged out of his trench-coat, setting it aside with his gear. Standing upright, he slowly stretched, feeling the scars of his back pull and tighten. 'Four years...' He slowly bend, curving his body to one side and then the other, arms outstretched. 'A full two years healing and rehabilitating...' He bent down, attempting to touch his feet, scar tissue stretching once again. ... And two more, just to be declared psychologically fit for duty.' He laughed dryly. Four years of nightmares, four years since he'd last looked Hitomi and Kisuke in the eye. And Tsume...

'Darkness shadows can't see the cave stumbling pain burning out need out Tsu-' Gouka shook his head, face taking on an unconscious snarl as he shoved the memory away, continuing his stretch routine. What was done was done. All he could do was walk away. Finally finishing, working up a light coating of sweat, Gouka returned to his pile of gear. Sitting down, leaning his back against a boulder, Gouka rummaged through his kit, finally pulling out a small, battered book, flipping it open at random, and reading. It soothed him, reading this book between training sessions. A simple collection of stories, of myths and legends unique to Kumo...

He'd always been fascinated by them, these stories of conflicts between gods and demons, men who took on myths and became legends in the process. Fabled tales, often detailing the exploits of some of the most powerful ninja in Kumo's history. It always soothed him, thumbing through this battered tome. It was one of the few mementos he'd kept of his life with the Ningens... The only part of that life he couldn't bare to part with once he'd made it out of that cave... That damn cave.

Pushing the memories down once again, Gouka relaxed in his perch, quietly losing himself in the contents of the tome, mist billowing lightly around him. As such, he did not register the pattering sound of approaching feet.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 43/50

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

Kirima didn't have her mind set on where she wanted to go, but she knew she wanted to do something active. Try to keep her mind from wandering to depressing events. All her life she had tried hard to avoid being swallowed up by the darkness that crept at each corner. Anyone whom was a bit different had the danger of falling into -it's- claws. Get their life-force and happiness sucked out of them. But Kirima had noticed that the more tired she was, the less time did she waste on needless thoughts. So she could as well just walk right? And walked she had, for a few hours now. But her feet weren't hurting yet, and she felt like she could walk for a few more hours at least. The well toned muscles in her long legs were used to long and hard training, so the girl was very fit to say the least. She felt a somewhat lonely feeling creep up her spine and wondered if she had even made the right choice of gaining a friend in the first place. Did it always end in such a tragic way? Or was she just extraordinary unlucky? Tch, I should have known that -fate- would be quick to settle things. Oh no, let's not let Kirima have friends. That might let her be a little bit too content and pleased with life. The bitterness was seeping into her, the negative thoughts feeling like dark energy that was dripping into her body and disappeared into her bones and organs. Her stomach felt tight with a knot of .. something. Stress. Anger. Annoyance. It seemed like she could never relax for more than a minute at a time, and whenever she was walking; her fists were clenched up. Defensive mode.

So far was she in her own thoughts, that she failed to notice the small nagging feeling at the back of her head. That feeling which used to let her know when she was in the presence of another human being. So, it wasn't until she was in view of him and he was in view of her, that Kirima actually noticed the boy. Coming to an abrupt halt, she stared unblinkingly for a few seconds. Dark hair. Blue eyes. Yes, a profile that many others shared. But she knew those eyes, which held that mysterious blue color. And those features. A face many could find a bit plain, but she had often seen it wield such expressions that the boy could actually be called rather .. cute. But there had been -years- since she had last seen this face. The boy had changed from a lanky kid, to a rather powerful looking male. Even from his seated position, the redheaded girl recognized him to be tall. Heck, probably taller than herself; and she was usually the tall one! A name... a name... Flashes.. violent flashes from the past came up in her head. It seemed like the two had always been excellent at pissing each other off. But there had never really been any hate behind the actions. Rivalry? She hadn't been able to register it then.

Her big blue eyes seemed to be glued to his face, the surprise clear in her beautiful face as her mouth formed a small "o" while she thought on his name. She wasn't wearing her usual black leather jacket that day, but was wearing the white tank top which was matched with the jean-shorts and the black boots. The smooth and slightly tanned skin was shown well, and surely she had changed a lot since he had also last seen her. They had both just been .. heck.. kids at the time. Her hair was as wild as ever, and as fiery red as ever. And then, something clicked inside her head. A switch had been flicked on. "Gouka?" Blinking, her head tilting to the side, a small smile of triumph over remembering crossed her lush lips. "Takeshi Gouka!" A finger was pointing now at the boy, and an even bigger grin spread across her mouth; revealing a row of pearly white and sharp teeth. But that grin disappeared as soon as it had appeared. The girl crossed her arms over her ample chest, a small frowning expression telling the boy that her usual 'displeased' personality was about to shine through. "Where the fuck have you been?! It's been -years!-" The last word was spat out, and her glaring eyes tried their best to drill holes through his skull. Where the heck had he disappeared to? Kirima felt a bit annoyed over her own reactions, since it seemed she had actually been thinking about what had happened to him. And that in no way matched her personality. Noooot at all. Nope. She pursed her lips a bit, kinda wishing she could take back what she had just said. Geez, if I had asked calmly then I could have kept some of my dignity.

She even wondered if he would remember her. But there probably had never been another girl in this village who had tried as many times to murder him. And her hair was after all .. rather unforgettable as well. Now the question was: How was he going to react to them meeting again? So far, she already wanted to pummel his face in. It annoyed her that he looked more handsome now, and it even annoyed her that he seemed mature. More mature than her. She could see a bit of that in his eyes. Just what had he been through these years? A secret mission? Or something.. bad?

Posts : 1729

"Fool!" hissed the massive serpent, all eight heads swaying through the air, tails swiping away hills and transforming the landscape with their agitation.

"You dare challenge I, the great Yamat no Orochi! My tails sweep the very stars from the sky, and my fangs will pierce your flesh like weak cloth, my venom flooding your veins with the agony of a thousand deaths!" The challenger before the serpent merely readied his sword.

"Be as that may," spoke Susanoo, storm clouds swirling around his head, "I will end your terr-"

"Gouka? Takeshi Gouka?"

Gouka flinched in surprise, jerking his head up out of the clouds of the story he'd been losing himself in, looking in wide-eyed surprise at the figure before him. "Kirima..."

It'd been nearly four years since they'd last met- 'Properly,' Gouka chided himself, shoving his training incident to the back of his mind, along with fighting down a blush. Four years since he'd last looked Hanzoku Kirima in the eye. She'd certainly grown since then, standing before him in shorts and a white tank top. Her arms and legs had a lithe, coiled look to them, highlighted by a light tan. Even relaxed, they still gave off the feel of a tensed spring, showing the work of whatever training she'd done the past years. However much her body had changed and... developed, Gouka thought keeping his eyes planted firmly on her face, she still had that fiery red hair, perched on her head like a candle flame, and those piercing blue eyes. Right now, she had her finger pointing at Gouka, mouth split-wide in a wide, toothy grin, pearly whites gleaming. For a moment, for just one moment, Gouka felt like he was ten years old again; no scars to keep him awake late at night, no constant reminder of his failure; just him, a good book he'd been reading, and Kirima barging in, ready to deck him for some perceived slight....

As quick as a flashfire though, the grin melted from Kirima's face, replaced by an angry frown as she crossed her arms across her chest, eyes drilling into Gouka."Where the fuck have you been?! It's been -years!-" She hissed, her eyes ablaze as they tried to punch a hole right through Gouka and pin him to the rock.

Gouka almost had to sigh in relief. 'Definitely Kirima.' Closing his book with a snap, he tucked it into his bag, bringing his feet down under him as he slowly pushed himself up against the boulder, picking his trench coat up along with his, taking a moment to sling it across his shoulder.

"Four years to be exact, actually." He spoke carefully, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. Whatever memories he held, however close they'd been in childhood, a lot could change in four years. Gouka allowed himself a dark, internal chuckle. 'I've certainly been changed... Forged in fire, as they say.'

"And I've been-"Burning shadows pain 'TSUME! NO-!' Gouka clenched his teeth, shaking his head as his teeth ground together in a hidden snarl. His scars twinged painfully, just as they'd done everytime he thought back on that cave, for the past four years. Fists clenching unconsciously, ignoring Kirima for a moment, Gouka tilted his head back, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. For better or worse, it was over. He had to remember that. Letting his breath out in a sigh, Gouka opened his eyes, tilting his head back down to gaze at Kirima.

"... Recovering, I guess you could say. I've been... Recovering."

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

Her smile widened a bit, and a feeling of triumph traveled through Kirima at the look of his utter surprise. "Four years to be exact, actually." His voice, it was similar to how it had been back then. But deeper now, perhaps more adult-like? But how like him to be so straight to the point. I see some things don't change easily. But four years.. where -had- he been? Her eyebrow rose a bit on her forehead as a questioning look traveled across her features. She knew the Raikage had sometimes sent young ninjas out on missions. And some came back while others didn't. And since Kirima had no respect nor friendly feelings towards any authority, and least of all the Raikage, then she was pretty sure it had not been Gouka just running away. Surely there had something happened. He had received some sort of orders to leave. Or perhaps you are just scared that he could disappear so easily, while you are stuck here. Forever perhaps. The redhead promptly told her own voice in her head to shut the Hell up. And proceeded to watch as Gouka closed the book and then stood up, that small ping of irritation starting in her gut as the boy was fairly taller than herself. As she had suspected. But without ever admitting to it, then she always held a certain respect for those males that managed to top her height when so close to her own age. But he had yet to answer a -lot- of questions. And Kirima had no idea how to start asking any of them. What would he be thinking of her now? Was the childhood, filled with irresponsibility and fun over?

"Recovering? From what exactly?" The words were barely muttered out, and she was unsure if the male would even be able to hear them. The bright eye'd Genin looked him boldly up and down, and came to the conclusion that he looked just fine. In fact, he seemed better in any aspect than last time they had met. But you know.. questions can be asked and answered later right? For this moment, right now, she just felt like refreshing their memories a bit of how things had been. A tiny smirk formed on her lips while she gave him a playful look before taking a stance. "Do you think you have rusted up? Or are you ready to get some action on?" Her voice, as always, was demanding just as the tone was teasing. Perhaps he had 'grown up', but Kirima sure as Hell wasn't about to stop acting like an idiot. And somehow she had to get that energy of hers out.

It would be interesting to see how he'd react, so no seriousness was to the first 'attack' really. Her feet pushed against the ground and carried her swiftly those few steps which had been between the two. As soon as she was within distance of being able to reach him, she crouched down and did a sweep at his legs. Sort of expecting that he would naturally evade or defend against that mean of attack, Kirima didn't waste a moment, and was up again, now much closer to the male. Her back was turned towards him, and with a force that clearly had Chakra usage behind it, she did a thrusting movement of her elbow towards his rib-cage. Already her long legs were hardened up with the muscles that were ready to spring the girl forward if there would be a harsh counter attack. But it had always taken a bit of a 'warm up' to get Gouka irritated enough at her to do something drastic. What she was mostly wanting to see now, was if he had changed in that aspect. If he had changed at all. And she also wanted to see how much he had improved, as she was famed for her speed. And this technique wasn't all that easy to avoid when up close, so it didn't give him much time perhaps to form hand-seals of his own. And besides, there was a boulder right behind him, giving a good chance of the male to trip against it as he would have avoided the sweep of her long leg.

233/240 CP

Spoiler:

Posts : 1729

~~"Recovering? From what exactly?"~~

Gouka pondered how to answer this, slipping his arms into his coat, adjusting his rapplers. "That-" screaming, burning "-is none of your business, quite frankly." He'd talked about the incident once. Precisely once. To the ANBU who'd found him, body a broken mess, back a twisted mass of raw muscle, doing everything he could to stay upright, Tsume-

He shook his head, cutting off the train of thought as Kirima continued. ~~"Do you think you have rusted up? Or are you ready to get some action on?"~~ Gouka had only a moment to reflect on how typical it was of Kirima- happy surprise at seeing him, sudden anger at his long term disappearance, to a Cheshire cat grin in the blink of an eye, emotions as quick changing and unpredictable as a raging inferno. In that moment, Kirima sprung into action, clearly intent on seeing if Gouka was still up to snuff.

Gouka cursed, tensing up as he took into account his predicament. Backed up so closely to the boulders behind him, he didn't have an ample amount of maneuvering room as Kirima darted towards him. 'Dammit, this is so... typical.' Seeing little other choice, he lets his legs get swept out from under him, throwing his hands under him to brace himself against the ground as Kirima twirled around in a follow up attack, driving her elbow into the space Gouka had previously occupied.

'... Damn.' He couldn't help but think as he fell, his gaze drifting up along Kirima's backside. Her taijutsu training had clearly paid off, in more ways than one. Shaking the thoughts from his head and acting quickly while she had her back turned, Gouka braced his feet against the ground, momentarily positioning himself like a runner at the start of a race, and shoved off, moving rapidly out from behind Kirima; more importantly, moving rapidly out of her range. Though they were both close range specialists, Gouka recalled she'd always had that unnatural stamina working for her; he'd need to keep as far as possible, forcing her to use up as much energy as possible, until she was at a more manageable level.

Failing that, he thought, he'd at least gain time to formulate a strategy for ending this quickly. He twirled as he skidded to a stop, boots scraping up a small trail of dust across his path, coat flapping through the air as he bled off momentum. Stopping just at the edge of the pool, Gouka nodded in satisfaction, having gained much more maneuvering room, before making an annoyed sound.

"Tch... So typical." His hand dipped into his kunai pouch, grasping around his signature blades. "I see some things never change, Kirima. Four years, and the first thing you do is attack me." Deciding against the blade, Gouka shifted his grip to a kunai, hand flashing out of his pouch in a quick, but lazy underhanded throw at Kirima.

"You may have grown older, but damned if you aren't still a child." Gouka allowed a condescending tone to slip into his voice, keeping his hands at the ready, either to perform a jutsu or grab his weapons as he waited to see how Kirima would respond next.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

As her foot had come into contact with his legs, her body had already been on the move so there was no stopping the standing up and elbow thrusting movement. Everything was in a fluid motion, as it usually was with spars. Which was why each move was a bit of a risk. You couldn't really be sure when you'd hit the opponent or not, and what would be happening with the next fluid movements. And as she now halfway expected an attack from where he was on the ground, seeing that she had been a bit 'open' for a moment there, then Kirima was a bit surprised as Gouka quickly retreated into a more safe area. But it wasn't really -that- surprising as he never truly got serious with their fights, not until she managed as said before to piss him off. He seemed a little bit growly as it was, but not nearly enough to be entertaining. There were about 5 meters or so between them, making her wonder if he had wanted to get even further away.

Her eyes followed the movement of his hand as it went into his pocket and out came a kunai which was thrown her way. A lazy throw it was, and as the kunai got closer to the girl, she sidestepped neatly without taking her eyes off of Gouka. She had after all, good evasive skills so a throw like that from him which had no real meaning behind it wasn't too difficult to spot and evade. But that didn't mean she stopped there. As soon as she moved to the side, evading the kunai, she gathered Chakra throughout her body. While Gouka was still talking, she was already on the move towards him. She knew that every second counted, and even if he didn't mean to take this seriously then she surely meant to check out a few of his skills. As Kirima knew she had more Chakra capacity than others, she didn't hesitate in using it to her advantage and sometimes go a bit.. freestyle with Jutsu. Most would consider it stupid, risky and irresponsible; but she felt like she had to just slowly through experience find her "brakes". But on to the matter at hand. She was already running when she started gathering up the Chakra, so with a sudden burst of speed and strength she was upon Gouka; her right arm straightened out and aiming towards Gouka's chest.

The movement didn't stop there, as as soon as she was upon him with that sudden burst of speed, her left hand was in motion. It flew towards his side just as her arm was aiming for his chest, and her fist was clenched tight. Sure she may be a girl and he a guy who was seemingly stronger than her at first glance. But that didn't mean that a good ol' taijutsu trained punch to the ribs wouldn't be able to make anyone double over in pain if the punch would connect properly. Besides, she knew if she would try to twist another Jutsu into this attack it might slow her too much down if she would need to defend. But that didn't mean she wasn't already planning ahead, while Chakra was building up in her once again for the next attack. Her legs were positioned so that her right one was a bit further forward than the left, giving her the chance of being able to more easily draw back than if she would simply jump fully into the attack and not give a thought to her footwork.

His words, whom she hadn't been completely deaf to, had also sparked a little bit of annoyance in her. So she wasn't hesitating at all to give him a little bit of a force in her attacks. Besides, he looked like he could handle it.
225/240 CP

Spoiler:

Posts : 1729

Gouka watched as Kirima easily side-stepped the kunai, never taking her eyes off him. It had been a lazy throw, at any rate. His eyes widened briefly in surprise as she surged forward, showing a burst of speed much faster than before, headed slightly to the left of Gouka, her right arm stretched out like an iron bar, fist clenched tight.

'Fast.' Was Gouka's only thought as he brought his fore-arms up in front of him, gritting his teeth as he launched himself back. As his feet left the ground, Kirima's attack slammed into his raised arms, causing Gouka to grit his teeth even harder. Between his own foot work and the force of Kirima's attack, Gouka was launched out over the pool. Pumping chakra into his feet, Gouka kept his balance on the surface of the water, sliding across the surface a good 10 meters away from Kirima.

'Alright, she wants to play hardball.' He thought, digging into his pouch quickly. Pulling out a couple of shuriken, he hid them as well as he could in his hand, muttering under he breath as he flung them out with precise timing, one just a split second after the other. "Kage Shuriken." Given that he was using regular shuriken, instead of the much more efficient Fuma or Windmill Shuriken, it would do little damage even if Kirima failed to avoid the shuriken hiding in the shadow of the first. Still, aiming low for her feet, Gouka threw anyway, hoping to at least slow her down.

He wasted no time waiting to see if the attack connected, snapping his daggers into his hand as the shuriken flew. The daggers gleamed with a polished, obsidian glow as they snapped comfortably into each hand, holding them at the ready, forgoing clipping them to the rapplers on his wrists for now. Steam hung heavy in the air, steadily slicking his hair to his head as the breeze began to die down, the heat from the pool below radiating into his boots.

As much as Gouka hated to admit it, there was a small, genuine spark of happiness, deep inside. It really was just like old times; Gouka sitting back, relaxing, when Kirima would come barging in, demanding he help her train, doing her damned best to rile him up. Back then, he'd have been plenty riled by the attack alone. Back then, he'd been happy.

Not now. Not anymore.

Shaking off recollections of the past, Gouka firmed his grip. 'I don't want to fight, but at this rate, I can't afford to remain on the defensive too long.' Shaking the numbness out of his arms, Gouka began gathering chakra, determined to be prepared for the next exchange between the two close range experts; Kirima with her flying feet and fists, Gouka with the prized daggers that were all he had left of his father. All he had left that meant anything to him.

'Let's roll.'

Spoiler:

Chakra:39/50(29/40)

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

She smiled to herself as she felt her arm come into contact, even if Gouka managed to defend against most of the hit with his own arms. But it must have felt a bit painful at least, and that was enough to send a small victorious surge throughout her. It wasn't that she enjoyed hurting him, not at all. It was just a matter of .. pride maybe? She wanted to show that she could also be hardcore. Be strong enough to send him flying. And for now, she had had him dancing a defensive dance according to her strings of attacks. But it wasn't enough.. he still wasn't serious. And that was pissing the girl a bit off. She watched as he went flying over the pool and landed a few meters away from her, probably around 10. Her head was tilted a bit to the side while her almond shaped eyes scanned his every movement and breath.

Her muscles tensed up while she started to move, but abruptly stopped and dug her hand into the pouch at her hip. Pulling out a Kunai to defend against the suddenly thrown Shuriken. It was aimed low, and she jumped a bit to the side while the iron clashed together. But just then did she see there was another one hidden in the shadow of the first. Crap. Kirima pivoted on her foot, but yet made a small growling sound as the sharp blade grazed the soft skin of her calf. That was too close. And that also got her a bit off guard, so she was running a bit to the side before going straight to Gouka. Noticing that instead of doing anymore range attacks or throw a Jutsu her way, he had taken his blades in hands. Perhaps finally now deciding that this little game of tag was getting boring. Without bothering to think about it, she had channeled Chakra through her feet just as they touched the surface of the water. Such a basic Jutsu was almost becoming a passive thing instead of anything you had to really focus on.

The Kunai was quickly put in her pouched as she closed in on Gouka, and her hands went flying to make the needed handseals. She was probably about 4 - 5 meters away from him as suddenly she was inhaling sharply, her chest moving outward in an almost comical way before she was breathing fire straight towards Gouka. This Jutsu was quick to take place, and as she was 'advanced' when it came to the art of fire, it was bigger and stronger than most would be expecting at first glance. So at this distance, he could well escape, but might have a hair or two sizzled. Hopefully his ass also! While her right hand was up against her mouth as the fire was blown out, her other hand went into the pouch again at her hip and pulled out a new Kunai. As she was getting dangerously close already.

219/240 CP

Spoiler:

Posts : 1729

Gouka allowed himself a small grin of satisfaction as Kirima blocked the first shuriken, but stumbled getting around the second shuriken, grazing her calf despite her effort. However, the moment was over before he could take advantage of it, Kirima dashing towards him, kunai at the ready. He almost laughed. He held his blades at the ready, content to let her come to him.

'That's almost cute. She thinks she can take me with weapons-' The half-formed grin froze on his face as the kunai flashed back into her pouch, hands flashing as she began to perform seals. Still surprised, he took a half step back as she finished the seals, pulling up at about 5 meters away.

'What is she-' Her chest swelled up, and then Gouka's world froze. His eyes filled with the depths of memory.

It was almost like slow motion. He could see the flickering of flame as she began to breathe out the fireball, watched as the serpent tongues of fire quickly swelled into a fire-ball bearing down on him.

'Fire.'

"Tsume! Oh Kami! What did you do to her you bastard!?"
"What's wrong, Gou-chan? Can't you see me and Tsume-chan are trying to have some alone time?"
"You bastard! Let her go!"
"Aw, but we were just having... Fun."
That horrible hissing noise, like meat on an open flame, and that scream, that unworldly howl that would just never end, not in life, not in death, not even in slee-
"TSUME! NO!"
Laughter, just the twisted deranged laughter, screaming, always-

Gouka snapped back into reality, hands flying into the seals, the flames bearing down on him. Half way through the Kawarimi seals, he cursed in recollection. He'd moved too far out. The Mizu-bunshin he'd set up earlier was too far, would have lost form by now. The flames were rushing closer, there simply was no time.

Lacking any other option, Gouka stopped pumping chakra into his feet. For one brief, burning moment he felt the heat of the flames, heart skipping a beat as he pondered if this was what hell was like, and then he dropped into the comparatively cool depths of the pool.

'Fire.'

He turned himself about, feet hitting bottom; the pool was fairly shallow, only a meter deeper than he was tall.

'Fire.'

He focused on the light of the blaze above him, kicking off once it'd died down.

'Fire!'

He exploded from the water, almost precisely where he'd gone down chakra pumping to his feet without a second thought as he blew through the seals, daggers carefully positioned in each hand to allow for it.

His eyes bored into Kirima, none of the friendly amusement, none of the calm detachment, nothing but an icy cold rage, the words coming out as a snarl as he spat out the jutsu incantation.

"Raitoningu no Kengen!" His left blade crackled to life, sparking with an electrical aura as lightning chakra coated it. Even as he finished the jutsu, he exploded into motion, dashing across the distance between the two with a speed significantly greater than he'd showed, certainly faster than Kirima had been moving. He swept low, leading with the crackling dagger aiming for Kirima's legs. Even as he rushed past her position, he spun on his heel coat heavy with water, flinging a sparkling trail across the air as he twirled, rising upwards during the motion, his right dagger now swinging around towards where Kirima's midriff would be. Kirima would have to use her evasive skills to the max to avoid the twin strike, as fast as Gouka was. Gouka's limbs still surged with chakra, ready to be thrown into the next jutsu.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 32/50(22/40)

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

She was almost upon him, when she noticed that he had disappeared from his spot. Shit. Where had he gone? The flames were just starting to disappear, that heat which had filled her lungs and her throat was leaving. And Gouka was nowhere to be seen. Quickly scanning the surroundings, Kirima could only come to the conclusion that either he had managed to disappear completely from view by using some demonic speed technique. Or. Her eyes went onto the surface of the water, and the girl stopped so abruptly that she almost faceplanted on the mirrory surface. She was just starting to back up, trying to get out of the area where he might come up, when the figure rose from the water. Like a sea monster in a lame horror movie. But his appearance wasn't lame, as the fierceness of his eyes caused the girl to gasp softly out and stop like she was suddenly rooted to the water's surface. His voice also, it was just too .. cold. There wasn't anything remotely Gouka-like about that ... creature who was in front of her. She could have just as easily be confronted by a stranger. A rogue ninja whom she didn't know. And it was creepy.

Kirima was pretty sure that a gulping sound was to be heard as she swallowed, her bright eyes a bit more widened than before as that expression of Gouka caused a small pang of primitive fear to bottle up inside of her. It started as a small uncomfortable ticklish feeling at the pit of her stomach, which quickly exploded throughout her body. Causing a small shiver to run down her spine as the sudden fear mixed with confusion shone through her expression. Was reflected in her beautiful eyes. What..? There was no time to think or stop and ask what was wrong. He didn't seem hurt or anything, but he seemed .. out of this world. And then he was coming at her. And the girl was pretty sure she would be dead if she didn't get serious. Her hands were flying to make the hand seals, the Chakra was pumping through her. Gouka slashed towards her legs. But the slash wouldn't manage to make contact, but rather seemingly be put off it's target so that the blade was licking at the air close to her leg. But Gouka was moving again, and Kirima's hand dipped quickly into the pouch on her hip as she grabbed onto a kunai.

Thanks to her evasive skills, she managed to maneuver herself so that her kunai came into contact with Gouka's blade. But the electricity that was running through the metal naturally traveled through her hand in a painful way. Kirima yelped, a small high pitched yelp, as her kunai dropped from her numbed hand and landed with a splosh in the water. The fuck? "Hey what's the matter with you?! It's me! Stop this!" Her fear had started to turn into anger now, anger and confusion. But from the high pitched tone of her voice, it was clear that she was still uncertain and somewhat frightened of him. What was his problem?! They had often played roughly before, but this expression he wore.. it wasn't anything like the Gouka she knew. It was like he truly wanted to kill her. And that made Kirima feel quite mad..sad even. Had he forgotten how much fun they had had together? What the fuck had he gone through? What could possibly happen that made you want to kill your own friends? "Snap out of it!" She felt hurt, mentally as physically, while she tried to get the feeling in her hand again while backtracking quickly out of his reach. Was he able to see the hurt in her eyes? The confusion that was so clear? The fear that made her angry and want to punch the shit out of him? At this point, she wasn't even sure if she should attack him back. It felt so wrong. She hated this feeling. She hated seeing him like that. This friendly and teasing spar was making her sick to her stomach now, as she was presented with true hate. Nothing like that of those in the village through the years. Never had any of them looked at her with such unmasked and raw hate and rage. All they had done was glare and make her feel unwelcome.

211/240 CP

Spoiler:

Posts : 1729

Gouka was in another world entirely. Crackling, frosty planes of ice filled his mind. Cold. Entropy. The absolute enemy of heat, of fire. 'Make it stop. Make the flames stop.' His leading blade clashed against a rush of air, skimming along like across an invisible plane of glass, missing hamstringing the red-head entirely. Still, by then Gouka had swung into his next move, blade crackling with electrical power. Kirima proved evasive enough however, and a kunai met the deadly blade. Gouka felt nothing as she yelped, the electrical aura disappearing from his blade as it traveled up the blocking kunai. She was fast though, backtracking even as she shook he numbed arm. ~~"Hey what's the matter with you?! It's me! Stop this!"~~ Gouka flourished the blade, a brief gleam of light glinting off its edge. ~~"Snap out of it!"~~ He tightened his grip, knees bending as he crouched, ready to rush forward and end the redheaded beauty's life.

'Make it stop, make it sto-' Deep within the icy planes of his rage, where Kirima's voice had failed to register as even an echo, colossal glaciers of icy hate melted in an instant as he saw her face. Anger. Confusion. Incomprehension. Sorrow. Betrayal. And painted across her face like an overlying theme, fear. Fear for her life. Fear that someone she once called friend was trying to kill her. Time eased to a stop. For a moment, in the dim light of the steam ridden air, her hair looked more like a deep orange than a fiery read. For a moment, memory painted her eyes, sapphire blue spheres, with just the slightest, greenish hue. For a moment that lasted an eternity, Gouka couldn't see Kirima Kanzoku. He saw Tsume Ningen.

Her dress was torn down the front, undergarments exposed, but everything paled to the burns across her exposed flesh, like hot metal had been dragged along them. The look in her eyes, strapped to the rack... The madman laughed at Gouka's rage, knocking him aside as he'd charged, sticking a burning brand into a young Gouka's back. Flesh seared under it as Gouka bellowed, Tsume's choking crying ringing in his ears, and the man had just laughed-

Agony exploded across his back, scars twinging in a pain that went beyond physical, deeper than flesh, as memories flooded across his mind. His right arm spasmed, dagger dropping from his grasp to splash into the lake, and he fell to his knees on the lake, maintaining the chakra to keep him buoyant on reflex alone. His left arm, dagger still tightly grasped, braced against the water, as he brought his right shakily before his down-turned face. Eyes as blue as the ocean depths stared without comprehension as memories flooded his mind.

Former shinobi, the man had just toyed with him, small-scale fire jutsu searing across Gouka's back, bellows of pain and pleas from the trapped woman drowned in the cackling laughter, again and again he'd charged, trying to end the life of the man who'd done this to his sister-

Gouka's hand clapped to his mouth, muffling his retching as the bile rose in his throat, stomach trying to heave itself out of him. His eyes gazed down into the pool on which he stood with blank horror. From his position, he could just see the reflection of Kirima in the pool. 'I tried to kill her.' Another gasping retch as Gouka struggled to keep his bowels under control. 'I tried to kill her.' He brought his hand slowly away from his mouth, breathing heavy as he continue to stare blankly into the pool.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He mumbled uselessly, not taking his eyes off the pool. Memories still flashed across his mind, and he couldn't be sure which flame-haired woman he was apologizing to.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 31/50 (21/40)

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

Her arms were brought up in front of her as if shielding from another attack. Her heart skipped a beat as the boy kept coming closer, and it was like her words were reaching him at all. He was in a completely different world than her at the moment, she could see it in his eyes. Those .. eyes that were so unfamiliar and creepy. She wanted to scream out at him, yell more, curse more; but it was as if she couldn't draw a new breath. And so, she waited. Just stood there frozen in place, waiting for him to attack again. What the heck was that? Why didn't she move? Move legs move! But those few seconds, those few and quick seconds... were like hours to pass as she stood rooted in place.

But it stopped just as quickly as it had started. Somehow, for some reason, she suddenly saw those eyes she knew. And they were filled with horror and ..fright? Perhaps over what he had almost done? Or was it still that he was being haunted by something else? The dagger fell from his right hand and went down to the water, disappearing underneath the surface. But her eyes didn't follow it, her eyes were glued on the boy who had just been a threat to her life. And old friend who had turned into a ... monster? Was that the right word? I thought I was the one that had a monster within me. But it seemed that Gouka had a no less frightening beast which slept within him. And at times, was awoken. And went on a rampage. She wondered.. if this had happened before. She still watched him as he went down on his knees, his now empty right hand coming to his face. Kirima had yet to utter a sound. Make any movement at all. She waited, waited to see if he would calm down. And as if approaching a wounded, yet lethal animal, she made a small and timid step towards him. Unsure if he was in any state to still hear her, she still uttered in a very smooth and soft tone. "Gouka?"

His hand clapped over his mouth, as if to hold back the need to vomit. She stopped as his hand went down again, and she waited a little bit before taking another step towards him. And only then did she hear him muttering. Saying 'I'm sorry' again and again. In a broken voice. And all the earlier anger and fright seemed to disappear from the girl as she advanced closer. Went down on her knees in front of him. There was a scowl on her face, as she truly didn't understand what was happening. But she wanted to talk to him, and get to know more about what was going on. And .. perhaps she would share the story about her own monster with him. As it seemed they two had so much more in common than had been seen at first. "Hey, it's alright." She didn't touch him, wasn't sure if he would be able to stand it. But she kept her eyes focused on him, while trying to get him to listen. "Let's get out of here, yeah? I think we both have a lot to talk about. How about we go to the ramen stand?" What if he had no appetite at all after this ? She for sure didn't have much of it, her stomach was still all in a knot, and now as she was starting to calm down; she noticed that her hands were shaking just a little bit.

Kirima waited a little bit, giving him some time to breathe and figure out what was going on around him, before she stood up and motioned for him to follow. She would not stop until he would get up, and if he would leave her waiting too long she would heave him up to his feet. The boy really needed to calm down and snap out of it, and Kirima felt that he needed to leave this place first. If Gouka would get up and follow her, she would calmly without speaking much, walk with him where they would be able to find a ramen stand and be able to sit down. If he needed a bit more time to gather his senses, she would wait patiently and only slightly urge him on. But she would not stop until he would follow her.

[Exit for Kirima.]

Posts : 1729

Blood seeped down his face, nose a mess of shattered cartilage, fire, burning, agony in his back, can't move, can barely see, barely conscious, laughing, can still hear her crying- ~~"Gouka?"~~

The name registered slowly in his mind, sounding as if from a great distance, across a vast, empty plane. For a for moments, his mind puzzled over it in incomprehension, before it clicked. 'My name. That's my name.' Unnoticed by Gouka, Kirima had moved slowly closer during his fit. He swallowed, slowly silencing the screaming. Just a memory. It was over, so long over. He swallowed again. Slowly, bit by bit, he ceased the quivering of his limbs. Silence once more; at least until the little death that is sleep stole over him.

Still unmoving in his bowed position, it registered to Gouka that Kirima was in front of him now, kneeling on the warm spring-fed pool. The water was still, save for a fragmented ripple from her movement. He could just make out her reflection in the warm water, see her knees past his hanging-hair from his down turned position. It began to register in his mind that she was speaking; the words seemed to slow like cold molasses on the journey from his ears to his mind. ~~"Hey, it's alright. Let's get out of here, yeah? I think we both have a lot to talk about. How about we go to the ramen stand?"~~ Alright? He'd just tried to kill the person he'd once considered his best friend. Food? He could barely stomach himself, much less a bowl of tasteless noodles.

His throat contracted in a strangled gurgle as he fought back a chuckle; he knew if he started laughing now, he'd never stop, and the monster's victory in the cave four years ago would be complete. Lovely Ningen Tsume, broken like a porcelain doll, and Takeshi Gouka, mind shattered like a mirror. He shivered. He spoke slowly, quietly. "... Some food... Might do me some good..." Eating was the last thing he wanted to do really, but it'd give them a chance to talk. After what he'd just done, an explanation was the least of what he owed Kirima. "And... Alright?" He cut off the chakra his limbs, sinking down into the pool again. It was shallow on this end however, and he was able to quickly retrieve his dagger, resurfacing before unduly alarming Kirima. Standing back up to his full height on top of the water, he closed his eyes, losing himself in memory for a moment as the water drained from his hair.

"Ne, Tsume?" "Yes, Gou-chan?" "When I'm a proper ninja, I'm never gonna let anything bad happen to you, okay?" Laughter, like bells chiming in a spring breeze. An indignant squawk as hair is ruffled. "Whatever you say Gou-chan, whatever you say..."

Opening his eyes again, he looked at Kirima, noticing that she was motioning him to follow. He sighed heavily as he carefully tucked away his prized daggers. "... It's not alright. It hasn't been alright in four years..." He spoke softly, just a whisper barely audible even to his own ears. Rolling his shoulders to ease the tension in them, he took up slow procession behind Kirima, letting her lead the way. He took the time during the journey to order his thoughts; one way or another, he owed Kirima the story. The entire story; where he'd been for the past four years, and why he'd tried to kill her today. That much he owed her.

[Exit, Submit for Eval]