dumpling reminiscence [private ;; Zai]

The duo had decided to train their chakra together, strangers brought together over dumplings who now shared much of their time together. A mid morning meetup, one of the clearings in a thin forest had been a good find. Sheltered from the distractions of village life the grassed areas grew bountiful in patches whilst bare in the other. Although not everything a metaphor for life her creeping mind could have poked deeper. Training was always done in a way that would perfectly reflect the actual event was it not, her mother at first had questioned the white blouse and loose pants. Even as they were due to do so upon her partners arrival Miko felt connected to herself, grounded in reality and most centered during a sparring match whilst clothed in her draping clothes. Never able to get over it her breath taken away by a covert winter wind, the mornings sun had led her to believe that perhaps the chilled seasonal weather would slack off. Yet the beauty of a crisp wind, it had given her a new breath of life. Whilst she found meditation hard their set meeting place settled a deep feeling which had begun to clamber out of her mind. Lost forest rubble skittered across the youths face the thin blades of grass threatening to tickle her further as her twitching nose held back a sneeze. Displayed through elaborate braided hair, and nails painted in a matching shade of aqua it would have taken only a few guesses to guess that despite remaining rather still she had problems with meditation and calming her mind, a slight relief it was that soon Zai would arrive and they could spar. Mentally she had cautioned herself against deviation, despite feeling the earth around her, knowing that the entire forested area was around her functioned in such a synchronized way that with a small piece of it missing everything still remained running smoothly and growing towards the never ending cycle of birth and final release. Her breathing had begun to slow, the steady beat of her heart seemed to be like a familiar song that a mother would sing whilst tucking her child into bed.

[In this thread both Zai and Miko are training their chakra. 1/5]

Silence, a peaceful silence as if she had been wrapped in a blanket of warm memories. Her fathers embrace of silence with only the natural sounds around her not another soul walked this earth as far as she was concerned. With each breath she took the forest sighed in harmony as the waves rose up and washed away. A power inside her like an egg, warm it up perfectly and it will grow, yet should she heat it up past the point it would crack, too cold it would die she needed to do it perfectly, coax all of her power up without releasing a berserk force within her. Something familiar washed across her system, the familiarity came from repeated experiments, testing of the boundaries and seeing where the limits of the earth were. They clicked open, a shattering purple gaze clicking onto a familiar figure which edged closer. She had seen her many times, far too many times the familiar way she ran was even imprinted in her mind. Without the current location she would have relaxed, although having made the mistake prior in her life the youthful bounce returned to her actions as she moved upwards, half a stretch before she sidestepped the charging mass and made a move to strike at her friends collarbone with the side of her hand.

She had rarely done close combat sparring, although it interested her for some reason training had rarely rarely occurred due to her focusing on other areas. Well now she had to even t all out. A breath out and she focused on her chakra, the training had to work smoothly, everything had to move smoothly around her system.

At Least she had noticed the slight warning scent, a thought of being taken to the ground slid into her mind before she could banish the embarrassing images. Although she held the other in high regard and consider their friendship to be something very defining in her life it was for a similar reason that she lacked any wish to fail immensely at something in front of the female. Eyes narrowed as the other dropped below her smooth motion. Not that surprising as the other female was quite good at hand to hand close combat, were her own moves still predictable, perhaps. Practice was needed, a slight breath escaped her as her teeth clenched in annoyance. Younger, by no means weaker the other was smaller in both height and weight, her hair seemed quite ice at that length. Was it worth considering a haircut for herself? Banished the thought fled from her mind, with it tied back it was fine as it was, no need to cut away at the beautiful creation which had been born from her genes.

Purple, for a few seconds she looked into the eyes of her temporary foe. Foe, she had to get it it her head that this was training, serious training. Almost as if she had been lulled into it a slight smile showed her teeth. No remember chakra control it all, don’t let them overwhelm you. “Sneaky, you’re looking rather expensive” With a slight finger motion she motioned to Zai before flicking her earrings, golden, a proper gold colour had spread across the other spin. It seemed patchy in a few areas, perhaps it needed work? A more relaxed stance she counted upon her sturdy body to help deflect attacks rather than dodge completely. An attack to the face! No, she had moved partially to deal with whatever had been coming yet it had been a feint. Throwing an angry thought at her own stupidity she immediately move forward, sliding across as Zaida dipped left. Low body, that movement. She aimed a punch to the knee that wasn’t moving in a sweeping motion in hopes of causing something slightly long term, before moving quickly with a few steps to get behind her friend. With a swift motion she aimed to ram her knee into Zai’s back whilst moving to smash her elbow down on top of their shoulder.

Drat, for all that she old herself about Zai being bad at things she was good at it still all piled up, the grinding on her nerves from each mistake she made or opportunity that was lost, a rockface getting worn down by a constant barrage of water gushing over the falls. With the first move dodged in a smooth motion, her second elbow getting matched again, sliding off against an open palm. She had left herself a little open, With a follow up expected she slid to the side, the strike caught against her shoulder as she moved to the side aiming a punch with one hand towards her elbow whilst simultaneously reaching to clasp the wrist of her opponent. She knew from there she could do a few things. Although it still felt awkward, as if her body didn't quite know what the command she gave it meant, a slight grin played across her face in response to the one which Zai wore. It seemed like even whilst fighting their bonds were still close. "Of course it's just for fun, I trust you, we can fight and figure ourselves out without having to worry about injuries beyond repair."  Not breathless, her voice just remained a little higher pitched than normal, the sweat upon her brow had started to form. Had it been from anxious nerves or the training she didn't know. Eyes narrowed, her poker face hadn’t ever been a good one and that shone through as her brows drew together and her lip caught in her teeth. She had to start thinking about fighting, not just doing what seemed right, each moment should be planned for a few steps ahead. It would be a familiar face to zaida, that of thought and concentration, she wore a similar one whilst trying to repress emotions, yet this one was the one she wore whilst trying to beat the old cleaning lady at checkers. Although she had never won checkers, the outcome of the spar was yet to be released.

The gold colour faded, "You looked good in gold~"  It was true, although the lack of genjutsu came as a welcomed moment. Unfamiliar things put her off easily, similar to when her opponent held an odd weapon fighting against a person whose skin seemed so odd, the off putting nature of the skill mad caused only minor changes to her mental state.

Of course she wouldn't just take it, too invested in the attack she felt her hand slam into her friends shoulder with a slight satisfaction, a strike, no matter how weak to her will still comforting mentally. knowing that she wasn't as fast as her friend, although from the amount of times they had made foolish 'training' decisions it seemed safe to assume that she was more sturdy whilst Zai more flexible. A slight moment of confusion passed over her, with her mind away the odd movements of walking up a tree a moment later her mind clicked. the other young woman would have a height advantage over her. Wth her own wrist now clasped she moved to secure the link between the two, her initial hand closing a little tighter. She wouldn't let this happen.
Brows perked in a curious question, experience versus raw strength and force, it would truly depend oh the mind of one individual and the body of the other. Sliding into a more concrete stance her mind cleared, chakra circling down directed towards her back, holding her feet to the ground she could feel the strength increase down her back to her ankles creating a support from which she decided might work. She didn't know many moves, aerial tumbling and fancy movement confused her, yet she was strong. With her other hand before any fancy movements that she knew zai had carefully planned Miko aimed to grab onto her friends other wrist. She assumed her friend wouldn't let go, which would lead both girls to having no hands left free. If that succeeded she would feel her friend moving to flip her, unexpected for sure, Miko had thought she would go for a kick of some sort. Not about to give up what she had achieved the Jugo moved with the flip at first, gaining momentum before resisting it she aimed to instead swing her partner off the tree and into the hard lumpy roots below.

This seemed like an okay to strengthen their bond, her braid bobbed in response, the aqua rope of hair waving as if she agreed with it all. "Of course I look great in anything, and you could just illusion your way to becoming a model" It was true, the friendly banter here and there kept things interesting.

Wait what, it was as if she had blinked and the world had changed. had her brain missed something. The other female seemed to flow in a perfect dancer, a weight settled on her shoulders, unexpected she let out a slight squeak of annoyance. Of course it wouldn't work. No matter. They would be perfect as a performing group together, for a moment the unity of the two, wrists clasped by the other standing taller than the tallest in the village. Sharp tongued the reply she had been waiting for slid out. Chest rose as a chuckle was released, "of course of course."  She had best lay off the taunting, otherwise at the end of it all the other might get a little angsty over her using improper tactics.

Would it be best to somehow throw their weight into a tree? Pity there wasn't a cliff in the area or she would have thrown them both off it, at least she would come out of it better than Zaida. No no that thought was stupid they would both get hurt and in trouble. Pain, flinching a little her teeth grinded, shit. Clasping tighter with her left hand, her right hand still in pain so she released her grip. With a sudden action she aimed to yank her and zai's left arm down and threw her shoulders to the side with force hoping to dislodge the tumor which reside above her. Until the obstructive lump of flesh removed herself from the girls shoulders Miko would try to twist their left arm around into what she hoped would be a painful position whilst stretching her now aching right hand hoping to calm whatever may have caused the odd and unexplainable pain.

She had really latched on, intent on remaining upon her shoulders it seemed to be that her friends first summon should she ever explore that route would be something similar to a sloth, not due to the lazy aspect of the creature she had read about in childhood books, merely how the slot had always been depicted clinging to a trees branch "I am not some sort of perch!" Words hissed out from her as a chakra infused strike aimed towards a rather sensitive part which would hurt, with a movement of her head she headbutted the incoming potential threat to her pain receivers. Avoided that one by a hair's breadth the partch where the arm and her head had connected hurt a tad, like walking into a wall she could feel it yet it didn't hurt exactly. Hurting meant the pain was uncomfortable or unwelcome. Glad, a feeling of warmth spread down her back and neck as she succeeded in hurling her sparring partner from where she had been locked in a close knit dance. Barely a moment to spare as the other female twisted to aim yet another strike at her elbow, joints and nerves, would it be worth gathering more knowledge of those area for future sparring? Joints she knew about, as it was merely common sense to aim for them yet aiming for nerves, it would require very precise attacks. With the movement of chakra she pushed a little into her elbow region not having time to counter nor dodge the influx of energy helped her push through the immense force which slammed into the inside of the elbow, it folded inwards as she moved a step backwards planning to slam the younger one down with more force yet the dance moves never ended. A kick twisted towards her shoulder, the one which had nearly been very painfully poked earlier.

Released both her hands now free she steadied her stance sinking into a defensive position and whipped her arms over to deflect the kick, arms positioned so the force was smoothly transferred down to her knees Fumiko's smooth motion backwards and the roll of her Zaida's put a relaxing distance between the duo. The best spar? Well indeed personally the braided haired girl had a mental list of things to look further into and improve upon before their next spar. "No let's halt sparring here for now. Using the tree technique sounds like a good way to train and let ourselves relax a little."  She didn't know about the other but miko herself was on an emotional high that she needed to get off. Although there were no long lasting injuries, her body being reasonably strong the confusion and technicality of the moved that Zai used still baffled her a little. Such precise movement, perfect accuracy. A soft smile placed across her face as the youth locked fingers and stretched her hands high above her head. "There are a few nice trees to our left, shall we?"  With those words she begun a light job towards what looked like a tall smooth trunked tree, its first branch high enough to be out of the way until she got into double digits for the height.

Unconsciously she had been flexing, the hand in pain suddenly felt calm, as the nerves relaxed and muscles stopped tensing. Zai’s genjutsu’s still caught her off guard the sneaky way she used her skills. A slight smile graced her face further, gladdened by the strength which she happily labelled a friend. Perhaps their hope would come true, a dream of being placed in a team together. Focused back on her partner to be Miko lent an ear as she began to speak, an apology of sorts. Grimace held back she plastered a relaxed smile across her face, the layers piling up to produce a realistic expression, hand waved the simplistic motion dismissed any lasting negative thoughts. ”Don’t think in such a way, it’ll clear up in a few hours at the most, it's better that you practice now rather than facing an enemy and failing at the movies.”  Nerve damage, pressure points and precise movements, finding the leverage and weaker points of the human body she respected the younger female for her intelligence and the effort put into her training.

Seen so often the face Zaida made passed unnoticed, her thoughts never touching the idea that the other spoke too much. How to go about practice seemed to be a fair query, really she had almost forgotten how the other acted. Where did her self confidence come from? ”It is a little hard to maintain chakra and run to the top, unless you’ve been secretly training without me?” Accompanying the question she chuckled slightly a single brow raised. Unlike the other she didn’t feel like trapezing across water only to fall in and have to trudge back to the village like a soaked kitten. It had been a while since she had practiced. Breath focused her inner self the chakra swirling within straightened out moving counterclockwise it diverted some of is energy lower, feet blazing in a slight glow legs striding towards the tree in a light jog before breaking into a sprint. Control, too much chakra and as learnt before she would dent and mark such smooth bark on the tree, yet too little and her sandals would slide downwards. She reached a height that was respectable for one of her power before her mind wandered and the youth had to release the jutsu swinging to a lower branch. Rolled to the ground a few leaves picked up on her attire she shook her hand out. Lovely thought, one day she would be able to dance on the trees.

Now stood on the ground her eyes latched gaze scouring the height of where she had made it up to, surely this training would do something. Although the effects of training like this never seemed apparent to her surely it did further her ability in some way. With a slight eye roll the heart inside her squeezed, of course the other would be training without her. She had known it inside since it was only fair, she herself had been training with others and weaving training into every aspect of her life, doing deliveries for Hoppe ga ochiru whilst channeling chakra through her feet to speed the process up. No it wouldn't be right to crucify the other for living her own life, brushing away the idea her hand massaged the back of her leg, moving to remove the knot which she could feel was forming within. Whilst the other had watched her run it only seems fair to keep an eye on the friendly competition right. It did make sense, the thought crossed her mind as the younger female slipped down the tree having achieved a height so close to where she had reached. It did make sense, Miko having a more physical side. A rush of heat bloomed across her back and neck, something she could excel at had arrived, although not by much it was still something. Sliding back into a stance her chakra formed a neat casing around her feet, even, keep it level and balanced. With a glass full of water in her mind the distance to her previous mark decreased and then passed beneath her, she hadn't made it much farther, only another foot or so before her control relaxed and a bubble of chakra overflows from her soles causes the bark to become disfigured.

Once more. The other did seem out of breath, tired and worn. "Its okay don't overwork yourself, sometimes it's important to rest so you can progress further later" They were both at an awkward stage in their life pathways, teamless, taking on odd missions and training with who they could. She herself helped out with Hoppe ga ochiru most evenings and undoubtedly Zai would have a few personal hobbies of her own. With one last shake the fw leaves gathered in her braid scuttled down to the forest floor below. Chakra training sure did take enemy out of one, it drained mental and physical states of energy.

Her muscles were fatigued, nerves jarred from the earlier sparring and bones had started to form a deep set ache, one more run then perhaps it was time to go and wind down for the afternoon, mother would be expecting her daughter in a few hours to start making the dinner deliveries and Miko looked forward to a nice bath. With a roll of her shoulders the youthful girl bounced from food to foot, newfound energy coursing around her body. Yes this had been a nice session indeed, sparring where she had learned some intriguing things about zai's fighting style and more importantly about herself and the limits of her mind and body. With newfound knowledge of where to improve from perhaps the future would be a little smoother. It seemed like her partner needed a break too, slouched to the side recovering, due to her own reserves being rather large she had more problem with using and controlling it over having enough, sometimes it slipped her mind that chakra could be emptied. "Yea! Yea meditation sounds okay- not too much though!" A slightly breathless sentence as she had started her last sprint, chakra gathering at the feet. Whilst she had made mistakes in the past this would have to be well balanced. Concentration was key, long periods of concentration and that was something which could be achieved only by practice. Halfway up to her last height, too much and she would force her foot away from the bark, to little and the traction would not be enough causing her to slide down.

Zai had applauded slightly the last time, motivation coursing through her veins as it hitched a ride on her blood. foot after foot her mind only thinking of where she was going and the value like control which she held power over, allowing snippets of chakra through in a steady stream.
yet she hadn't improved that much, mind interrupted by turbulence only a mere half foot above her previous mark. Foot slipped slightly, a sound of annoyance escaped her as the young woman pushed off landing on a horizontal branch which stabbed out to the side, down again they seemed to form a natural flight of stairs, although missing a few so it caused her movements to be less than smooth. Feet steadily on the ground once more the wave of energy which had engulfed her had passed. "yes yes, one day we can run wild and free. Although I think I'm done for today. Ma wants me to help at Hoppe ga ochiru later tonight." As she spoke her fingers slipped the band securing her hair off, nimbly unwinding the braid until it all poured out into an unruly waterfall with kinks and waves in it. One last look at her friend, who she would move to give a brief hug to after Zai ascended from her next run. "We've done good, this training was productive. Although I have to get off now"  With a hug hopefully complete and the words spoken the sounds of her sandles slowly meandering home quietened. Surely it would be nice to collapse into a big bath with one of those nice magazines and a bag of skittles, perhaps there was that family pack left, the one which was eight by two and a half inches wide, a packet stuffed with those sweet rainbow delights.

[END]
10 posts of chakra training.
+200 chakra
+1300 exp