[attr="class","APP3"]It was just like any old day in the Village Hidden in the Mist, well, at least from the perspective of a lone Kaguya who had recently graduated the ranks of an Academy Student into a recognized member of the Genin class. Still, being a graduate did not mean the training stopped. No, she still had a long way to go if she was ever to live up to the hopes and expectations placed on Akira by her family. With her bloodline limit ability, it was not just her family that expected much of her, but the Village at large. If Mist was to up it's economic status, it was going to need strong warriors like Akira to step up and assist in it's goals.
Despite being graduated from the Academy, Akira found herself back in the training fields behind it, mostly because it was the only place she knew of that had dummies for her to practice her Taijutsu on. The young Kaguya tied her headband around her neck and narrowed her eyes at the wing-chun dummy she was going to practice on for the day. She had been assigned a platoon, but had yet to meet with a superior, but that did not make her exempt in her mind from getting ready and staying ready for when one appeared.
"No day like today. Yesterday is already come and gone. Tomorrow is not a guarantee.", Akira said to herself after completing a series of warm-up exercises and stretches. It was her nin-do, or ninja way. It was something her father always told her growing up, and now it was part of her core beliefs. Besides, if anyone were anyone, this would likely be the first place they'd check when looking for her if she were needed. Now, with her resolve grounded and her body loosened up for the training ahead, it was time to get started on her development with a little bit of self-learning.
The movements of the art of wing chun were fluid and graceful, unlike Akira's usual method of fighting, but it was the Jeet Kune Do -like method of fighting that the Sonozaki family used. So, it was out of honor for those who placed their hopes and faith in her that the young Kaguya began to slowly work on her forms. Her hands and forearms rolled off of the wooden pegs slowly as she focused not so much on speed, but technique. There was the belief that the fluid motions and counter-striking power of the taijutsu style would work in tandem with the Dead Bone Pulse, and that is why it was so important to Akira to move beyond her basic street fighting method and into the more refined art of hand to hand combat.
After a few rounds of the basic formations and stances, Akira took a step back from the dummy she was working with and breathed out, slowing her pulse and conserving her energy. The day was young, and if she intended to make any progress while waiting for somebody with some skill to teach her, she was going to have to get a grasp of the fundamentals through hard work in order to save time. That, and she was looking to be impressive. 'I was born special, and it is time to be special. I am worthy.', she thought to herself as she calmed her energy and prepared herself to continue training.
It had been more than just a minute since Erika stepped foot in the shinobi academy. She remembered her days there as a student, when there was nothing else to worry about except for her studies. It wasn't quite the same now, her endless training sessions and missions taking up most of her days. Not to mention, there was the expectations from her father. Although he wasn't at all too overbearing like some of her other friends' parents were, Jun was a jounin, and it was expected that both her and Hide would follow in his footsteps, one way or another. The young girl was more for the adventure, preferring to go on missions than spending long hours training.
Not to mention, she really hated training by herself.
And so, she now found herself at the entrance of the academy, on an otherwise beautiful day. Erika had decided before going to bed the night before that she was going to do some training, but had quickly dreaded doing it by herself. She had thought about training in the forest or her usual spot by the ocean. But it all seemed too mundane and boring. So, she decided that she was going for a change of scenery, and hoped that maybe she could find a teacher from the academy to help her. It was always better to have a partner than not, after all. The brunette walked through the hallways of the ever-so familiar building, where she had spent almost every day of three years trying to learn the fundamentals. A voice called out to her suddenly from behind, almost making the girl jump. "Sato! Didn't expect to see you here!"
The voice belonged to none other than Kobayashi-sensei, one of her teachers at the academy. He was an excellent taijutsu user and had spent much time after classes teaching her. "Kobayashi-sensei! Long time no see!" She smiled ear to ear at the sight of her teacher. Erika couldn't help but admit that she liked her sensei a lot, and had enjoyed getting private tutoring lessons from him at the academy when everyone else had gone home. This was also because she had not been the greatest student in taijutsu, her interests and proficiencies lay elsewhere at the time. "What brings you here?" The raven-haired man walked up to the girl, putting a hand on her head and ruffling her hair. She blushed a little as she explained about her training day. The man thought for a second, before replying, "I have class soon and won't be finished until later so I don't think I can train with you today. But, I know that the training grounds are used by shinobi all the time. In fact, I think there are a couple of them using it right now. Maybe you can find yourself a partner there?"
The training grounds at the back of the academy was a place she often visited as a student. She knew that there were dummies there for students to practice all kinds of techniques and proficiencies. Erika herself often used them for bukijutsu training. since she didn't always have a sharp eye for nailing her targets on the first try. The brunette nodded her head and bid her teacher farewell reluctantly. She could use some extra taijutsu training from him, she thought to herself, making her way to the fields. She had just turned the corner when she saw that there was another person already training with the dummies in the fields. Maybe this person was one of the people her teacher had mentioned. Erika quietly made her way onto the field, as not to disturb the other person and would wait to be acknowledged before making any kind of contact.
[attr="class","APP3"] Akira felt the presence of somebody approaching as she did her breathing and gathered her chakra. Taijutsu was just as much a spiritual exercise as it was a physical when it came to being a ninja. Sure, it required a person to be physically fit and rock an appropriate level of stamina to use routinely, but to achieve the truly incredible was going to take the mind and body working in a synchronous effort. The white haired girl then looked over to Erika and turned to face her, though she made no move immediately in the way one would expect. Akira then offered a formal bow of greeting after a moment of passing regard, before speaking. "Are you here to train, or are you here to challenge me to a fight?", she questioned sternly. "Either way, whatever your reason for standing there is... Might make this day a little less boring. Option number one is okay, but I won't say 'no' or back down if your intent is to challenge me.", Akira added.
The Kaguya clan branch member was often regarded as aloof, distant, and cold. It was usually just a misunderstanding, as with all of the selective breeding and rigorous training to be nothing short of a star example to bring glory and honor to her family had left Akira with some socio-apathetic tendencies. That, and Kaguya were known for being rather quick to the draw when the possibility of a fight or sparring match might offer them a chance to display their martial skill. Regardless of the reason for her demeanor, be it a sense of bloated superiority or simply not putting much effort into her social veneer, it was clear that she was not being malicious to the newcomer. It was just Akira being raw and unpolished in her social skills. She was a trained fighter and displayed an impressive amount of talent for being able to utilize the kekkai-genkai of the Dead Bone Pulse, and that she could do it at such a young age was even scarier as to what it alluded to about her potential.
The brunette had to admit that she had stood there for more than just a minute, dumbfounded. It wasn't because the other girl, who she could now see had white hair, had acknowledged her, nor was it the fact that the other girl had a very interesting way of speaking. It was more so that Erika realized that she hadn't really met anyone new since becoming a genin. It was true that she had academy friends, classmates who she had grown close to whilst she was a student. But ever since they graduated, they had grown apart, most of the others had been assigned to different platoons. So, it took her a good minute before she could open her mouth to speak, the thought of actually interacting with someone that wasn't her immediate family made her feel a little awkward.
"Ah, I didn't mean to intrude!" She raised her hands in front of her and shook them side to side, her voice a pitch higher than it normally was. "I came here to do some training. I've been slacking off for some time now..." she gave Akira a small smile. "I didn't expect to see anyone here is all. Usually when I come nobody's here." That was indeed an honest fact, although she knew that she often chose the strangest of times to do training. It was only as she said this that her pink hues would truly take in the woman that was in front of her. The white hair was iconic, yes, but the woman was a beauty nonetheless. Erika walked over to her carefully, all of her four feet ten inch height made her feel slightly inferior. Akira was also older, at least from the way she looked, as though age and height really was of any significance.
"Would you like to do some...training together?" There was only one way she knew how two people would and could train together. Although she was not a fan of spars, she was also getting bored of her usual solo training sessions, dummies and trees could only do so much, if anything at all. From what she could see, Erika assumed that the other woman was quite strong. She assumed this of everybody she met. "I'm Erika, Erika Sato. Nice to meet you." The brunette was usually a lot less awkward than this, circumstances of encountering people really did play a part in how a person would carry oneself around another person, she guessed.
[attr="class","APP3"] The Kaguya stood there stunned for a moment as she was more confused than anything as to why Erika was being so polite to her. Akira was never really used to anyone greeting her beyond the usual challenge for a fight, or the leer of unease if people knew what she was capable of. "Would I liked to train... with you?", Akira asked in a tone that made her surprise obvious. "I don't mind at all, but it's not something I'm used to.", the Kaguya female added as she brushed some rogue strands of hair out of her face, and then bowed formally in greeting. "Akira Sonozaki, of the clan Kaguya."
Her greeting was rigid and formal, but it seemed like the years of growing up and being raised to be a weapon for the Village had left her social skills stunted. Then there was the fact that most found her kekkai-genkai rather creepy and macabre. Akira wondered if Erika knew of her clan and the rare genetic ability around her bones. 'If she knew, would she be so nice to me? Maybe she's scared and just being polite? Hnnn... One way to find out.', she thought for a moment as she paused in her greeting and seemed to analyze the smaller girl.
Akira then motioned to the dummy she was using and then showed Erika the motions she was working on. Wing-Chun was the foundation for a number of different martial arts in the taijutsu branch. "This dummy lets you work on strikes and counters to the points of a person's centers of balance. If you can do the drills correctly, it will help develop your technique so that when you get into actual combat, you can down an opponent in as few strikes as possible.", the white haired girl explained. "You take a person off their feet, and normally, the advantage goes to you in a fight." She then demonstrated the motions again, her hands moving fluidly around the pegs as she performed a number of strikes on it slowly. Only true masters could go quickly, and if you messed up your technique, the dummy was quick to punish you for it with the pegs also acting as a point of counter-attack. "You try it.", Akira offered as she stood back and motioned to Erika to give it a shot.
