[attr="class","texty"]There was something said for Otogakure’s territories…
The area of Fire Country North had stories about it whispered between the lips of the Usagi. They had even spoke with tones akin to saints as they would talk about its lush greenery and expanded woodlands. There were stories that some of the Usagi lived within the woodlands at one point, so it was no surprise that there were certain members of the clan that would pay a visit to the grounds here and again. The many young women would come here with the matriarchs, clan mothers as the clan sparsely knew of a head with how they represented their people.
Usagi Hikari was a bit different…
The Usagi were not exactly fond of one of their “Suns” as they called the new generations of the clan. Even worse, he was a shinobi of all things! It was a constant reminder as he would walk through the woods, seeing the same darkness, but hearing the sounds of the day. His foggy blue eyes seeing not a bit of the sunlight that broke through the trees, but by the scent in his nose and the sounds of the woods, he was perfectly aware of the time of day. As for the time? It was simply time to train!
“One more try!” His voice had that usual upbeat optimism that only the canopy of trees would hear. With his purple orchid kimono, fixed with black silhouette of colors that reached across his body, he would let a stretch revealing his full form. The saggy Ofurisode sleeves would spread gloriously like wings as he pinched the edges while stretching his hands. By his feet was the opened cloth scroll with braille text that he had read only the thousandth time since he had learned he could trace his fingers across and interpret every character. The scroll was an old rigid thing marked with the kanji for “Earth Arts of the Rabbit,” which could have been called the introduction of Doton for the Usagi.
“Oh! First-“ He would coo happily, “Warm up!”
He would spread his arms to his side. His feet squaring perfectly as he remembered thee exercise for warming up. Almost in a religious manner, it was perfectly normal for the rabbits to synchronize their movement. Their bodies whirling as he had done to spin on his heel while wearing his iron footwear that was weaved around his feet with leather and bits of wire. His kimono picking up at the edges as if it was blossoming with his body at the center.
In a display like a rehearsing Kotobuki dancer, the young rabbit would spin rapidly with one foot falling, the next kicking, and continuously he would move around as the soles of his feet would become familiar with a circle of the Earth itself.
This was after all how the Usagi became familiar with the Earth that they relied upon for their arts!
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It had been a couple days of travel but the neko had eventually come to a place she liked, somewhere where the earth felt good, once she had found the location she was keenly aware that she was no longer in Tsuchi no Kuni, if her estimate was right this was within Sound Country. Regardless the woman had her headband hidden within her clothes, the close-fitting outfit meant for maneuverability and speed as the navy garments remained subdued under the dense canopy. However her ears flicked at a sudden sound and she stopped in place before her ears angled upwards and she slowly moved down into a crouch, her arms clad in metal as she leapt from the ground to the trees above moving across branches using the huge trees to silently track the source of the sound she had heard.
It could have been a voice but she couldn't tell just yet, Junko's ears twitched softly at a slithering sound from the same direction, it wasn't against earth or bark, it was closest to fabric, a voice again, now that she had ventured closer she could make out rough pauses that was clearly spoken word while her ears shifted slightly angling better triangulating the sounds as she heard metal brush across dirt. Then the sounds continued allowing the cat to home in on the source reaching a tree overlooking a femboi bunny? She tilted her head watching his ears then his movements, her gold eyes focusing on the movements while her ears twitch in time with his footfalls turning slightly at the swish of the cloth.
She didn't know who this young man was but why would she, she was in foreign, if not enemy, territory after all so for now she would hear, feel, and think... [/div]
[attr="class","texty"]Paranoia was a rabbit’s best friend.
It kept the little bunnies from being the prey to a predator. However, the moment something touched the Earth so gently, it was simply like a tickle! That little bug that made the slightest move that made one question their sanity for a second as they sensed something. After a while, Hikari did would ignore it. The way he was moving pausing for the slightest of second as if he was simply taking a moment to reprieve from his warm-up! After a while, he would move once again as his feet would reach out, squaring perfectly, and then he would start to continue his warm-up routine of moving on his heel, spinning, then the forefront of the ball of his feet as he would carefully ballet around in bliss.
However, there was that bug…
Chakra that poured into his ears would act like a pulse that would pick up the wave of sound emanating through the woods. After doing so, his dancing routine would change. His pattern coming from a simple circular movement of spinning about the audience of trees that surrounded him. With one kick of his foot, he sent himself sailing into the air as the momentary burst of chakra would send him bounding upward. The way the silken clothing draped about him was like feathers on any avian. However, it was the next movement that marked him different than some simple animal…
He jumped again!
As if the air was his perch, the boy would quickly kick off once more as he would sail through the air in a sharp turn! Where it seemed he would be going high to the trees behind him, he would deviate to those that flanked to the right side of his body. His hand reaching as he would grab a branch, grasp it lightly, and swing as he would remember the basics of his academy lessons. Perching himself on the thick branch, he would balance like a ninja. However, he was quite still as his balance, like a Usagi, was unparallel thanks to his bloodline. His eyes were foggy and staring as if they gazed through the trees to see what lurked beyond, but honestly, they bluffed as the blind young rabbit could not see anything at all.
“A voyeur or a predator?” The rabbit would call aloud to whatever lurked in the shadows unseen, “Whichever it may be, this rabbit will not be upset, as long as you do this rabbit the pleasure of allowing him to see?”
Of course, he said this somewhat playfully! He had his own way of seeing, a given considering his eyes. Still, he strongly desired the being to separate itself from the collection of trees that it hid within.
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Her gold gaze saw his ascension and tilted her head never having seen the technique before as he stepped off the air again and launched himself onto a tree branch. However her ears didn't corroborate that information quite the same way, the sound was less like the impact of kicking the air and more like it swimming in a sense. As he called out however her eyes narrowed, she had been actively using her stealth which meant he had some sense that was stronger than the effort she had put forth.
"Neither, both? I'm wandering." She responded in kind seeing no point in trying to hide if he already knew she was there, that didn't mean she let her guard down though. After responding she slipped down from the branch using the all- fours technique to land on the earth without a sound before relaxing her limbs and standing up right, her attention wholly on the bun while she quietly began to attempt to seed her chakra into the ground around her, if he could sense her presence through vibrations in the earth it would explain how she was detected.
Last Edit: Sept 30, 2021 3:18:56 GMT by Junko Komaeda
[attr="class","texty"]“Oh!” His world-famous word spilling from his mouth hearing the woman’s response. “Then okay! Please join this rabbit instead, would you?”
It was that simple! With his ears catching such a minuscule explanation, the boy had extended an invitation. Though this was nothing new for someone as naïve as himself. It was one of those many traits that made his superiors and those around him wonder why an aristocrat would want to become militia in the first place. His answer, even now, was still one of dissatisfaction to many, so he kept his lips sealed. Though, such a burden did not keep him from keeping an open heart to individuals such as the mysterious woman who had happened to catch him in his literal mid-stride.
“My apologies if this rabbit is…skittish!” He would exclaim as he would lower his posture to sit upon the branch. “I-I am…not that quite skilled yet to see everything. The Earth tells this rabbit that someone is there, but not who is there. So, I can see you…but then…I cannot.” His finger would go to his chin. It was obviously a cryptic message for her but a troubling notion for him. It was not intentional, and that much was apparent by the saddened expression on hisface. Memory did not serve him in the way he would like to bring him delight. After all, it was a reminder from his clan that he simply was not good with his bloodline trait yet.
“O-oh!” His world-famous word spilling from his lips once more as his face perked up with fascination. His hands touching the branch as he would push himself off his perch. His feet extending as he would land on the ground and stand once more on the soil. “I-I have yet to introduce myself,” He noted as he laid his hand on his chest gently to gesture to his being, “I am Usagi Hikari.”
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The information she was given brought her to a similar conclusion that he was inexperienced but if he could learn to sense tremors in the ground that was a useful sensor ability regardless. With the cat's lack of ability a glance at the ground showed random cracks radiating from her position where her chakra had flickered to lightning nature out of instinct making her brow furrow a bit but she walked a few feet away to another tree and started to spread her chakra again.
"Im Akane Owari, are you a ninja or something? It seems strange to practice this if you aren't, from my perspective anyway." She asked calm and collected, her curiosity measured in her tone while her gaze stayed centered on the bun, her ears tuned to his movements and keeping her ready to act. Every shift and word was registered by location and speed from a step to a sit.
[attr="class","texty"]“Strange?” The rabbit’s disposition clearly shown. “What is so strange about that exactly?” It was obvious that such a statement shook him to the core as he cuffed his hands around his mouth. By the time they removed to say that next cry, his cheeks were swollen with pockets of air. His gaze was piercing as his foggy eyes gazed in her direction, although he was blind, he was looking at her as if she was made from glass. He would make one more puff of his cheeks, showing absolute emotion as he was pouting in a tizzy.
“I have you know,” His index would rise for her to see as he began his lecture, “Ninja or not, The Usagi Clan proudly utilized the arts of the Earth as something more than ninjutsu! They created their homes, furnishings, and hid from their enemies using Doton! We have a proud honor of using the land in order to aid us and nothing more! A matter of fact, in one of our books, my Great Grandmother had used the Earthen Arts to hide after she had met a royal prince and deflower-“
The rabbit would pause, his fingers coveting his lips, as he would realize that not everyone appreciated the Usagi Clan’s genius.
“U-Umm…N-Never mind.” He shook his head adamantly. “A-A story for another time! The point is, Ninja or not, my clan know the basics of molding chakra. It is usually used to dance, keep our balance, and to run up walls and stick to surfaces. We are the ultimate dancers, so what rabbits make something as simple as gravity stop us from moving how we wish?” The boy would say this while wagging his finger in a very confident manner. His face having a charming smile that matched that soft tone that would question if he had the hostility of being a shinobi.
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"Its strange because why would you train for combat when your life keeps you away from it." She answered in kind gesturing towards his outfit, if he could feel her movements he would see her insinuation which helped in her practice and understanding of how he was communing with the ground. His avid monologs also gave her time to pick up on the inflections and tones of his voice determining the almost feminine sound while she glanced at the earth around her again seeing no cracks while she felt firmer in place, as if she could catch a blow that would make her slide back as she mused quietly before looking back up at him.
"Not to sound rude but that name doesn't really ring a bell for me but, I do know a thing or two about deflowering~" she casually brushed off his clan name having vaguely heard about his family back in the village but she wasn't very aware of them, the last bit however had her tone change completely, honey could have dripped off her tongue for all the boy could guess as the lioness smirked shooting the comment at him with the kind of confidence of a woman that was comfortable in herself.
