A Day of Training [Private][Finished]

[Sakuya Hitsoguya]

The quiet crunch of an apple's flesh echoed off of the walls of an old abandoned building. A young woman leaned against what used to be a dresser, but now resembled an uneven hunk of debris. What had happened to make everything go so incredibly wrong? What had they done? Another bite of her apple reminded the woman of a small ray of hope: she was still alive.

The desert sun beat down upon the city, baking anyone foolish enough to spend their days outside on such a hot smoldering afternoon. In the sweltering heat, three of those fools remained outdoors, sweating profusely beneath the sun’s oppression. An angry groan escaped the youngest of the trio; a thirteen-year-old boy with dark brown hair sticking stubbornly to his forehead as he ran around the training grounds for the seventh time. “Quit complaining Yamato! You trying to get us killed?” Sakuya snapped, punching him in the arm as he began to fall behind. The boy yelped, scowling at his teammate as he picked up the pace.

Setsuna watched the two of them, exasperation adding to her list of feelings towards her teammates. “Oh be nice Sakuya, Yamato is younger than us. Give him a break.” She scolded the younger woman, trying to keep her under control. Sakuya was a rather hot-headed individual. As children in the shinobi academy, Setsuna had always been the voice of reason. It was her responsibility to watch over Sakuya, breaking up conflicts between her and Yamato on a consistent basis. At one point the poor girl had been forced to drag her female companion off of the younger male after he had made a harmless comment that Sakuya had apparently, found extremely offensive. Regardless, the blue-haired kunoichi had come to love the two of them, enjoying their days of training and wondering when the next battle would arise. Perhaps it had been fate which had brought the three of them together in a ninja squad.

Setsuna’s moment of happy reminiscing was brought abruptly to an end as Yamato retaliated rudely. “I am only younger by a few months. Don’t treat me like a child!” The kunoichi rolled her eyes, waiting patiently for Sakuya’s backlash. “You are a child, so don’t you forget it!” Yamato huffed, raising the speed of his footsteps to match his teammates. “Excuse me? You’re one to talk Sakuya with that temper of yours! You’re attitude and lack of discipline matches your flaming red hair!” Setsuna closed her eyes, quickening her pace and allowing herself to move slightly ahead. Sakuya was about to blow a gasket, and she wasn’t about to get caught in the crossfire when it happened.

“What’d you say!?” As expected, Setsuna heard the sound of a loud thump as her red-headed companion tackled the other. “Say that again twerp!” Wheeling around, the voice of reason backtracked to where her teammates were wrestling on the ground. “Come on, break it up you two! Ayumi sensei is going to be very upset…” she warned, trying to convince her comrades to cease fire. “Come on guys, please?” she pleaded, looking around the clearing to check for signs of their leader. Ayumi was another hot-headed kunoichi, with a much fiercer temper. If they pissed her off, it would be their heads.

Regardless of that fact the Genin paid her no heed, grappling in the dirt, each of them trying to pin the other. They looked like a pair of wild animals fighting over a kill. After two minutes of watching the battle and a frustrated sigh, Setsuna’s hands came together in a string of seals. “Stop it!” she shouted, vines coming out of the ground and wrapping themselves around the quarrelling couple. Sakuya and Yamato struggled against the plants as they wrenched the two of them apart, separating them from one another. “Are you done?” the eldest Genin asked, crossing her arms and giving her teammates a very sharp look. Setsuna very rarely raised her voice. The epitome of gentleness, she was forever optimistic; her face branded with a permanent smile. When she did get upset however, the results were never pleasant.

“Yes…” the two of them answered simultaneously, earning an agitated glare from one another. “Good, now let’s get back to our laps before Ayumi gets mad…” she advised, placing her teammates back on their feet and flashing them a joyful smile. Her grin earned her a look of annoyance from the younger female who crossing her arms and looked away. Yamato brushed a leaf from his shoulder before smiling in return. “Oh come off it, Setsuna. Ayumi won’t be back for a while… can’t we take a little break?” Her smile fell into a frown as her eyes cast a gaze of pity on the boy. “Oh Yamato…”

“Why… AREN’T YOU RUNNING!?” A woman bellowed, making the three of them cringe in terror. “I told you…” Setsuna whispered, flinching as the sound of shattering glass echoed through the air. Yamato could feel a lump forming in his throat as the furious looking woman stormed towards them, a look of pure rage plastered on her face. Ayumi had indeed returned… and as Setsuna had feared, she was absolutely livid.

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[Sakuya Hitsoguya]

“I’m waiting!” Ayumi shouted, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small flask filled with liqour. The three children looked at one another, each one too terrified to speak. Their sensei was known for her mental instability, and even more so for her vicious temper. Diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, anger problems, and psychotic disorder, the woman was five and a half feet of pure terror. Her name alone struck fear into the hearts of even the most skillful Chuunin. That reputation had grown even more terrifying after her release from the asylum for ‘good behavior’. Sakuya was still convinced that she had threatened to castrate all the guards.

Being the oldest, Setsuna decided that it was her responsibility to take charge in moments such this one. As the voice of reason, it was her job to explain to their hot-headed leader why the three of them were not completing the assignment that they had been given. “I… well, you see sensei… Yamato was falling behind in our formation, so Sakuya-” the sentence ended prematurely as a fist collided with the top of Yamato’s head. “You were doing what?!” Ayumi shrieked, glowering at the poor boy holding his head in agony. “Please sensei, he didn’t mean it. Sakuya was trying to help him keep up and-” Ayumi’s fist found a new target, landing in the center of younger Genin. “Damn it Setsuna, stop talking!” Sakuya hissed, holding a hand over the sore spot on her cranium.

Taking the hint, the eldest of the group grew silent. There was nothing that she would be able to say that could make things better, not with their sensei in such a sour mood. “You maggots just don’t get it do you?” the woman demanded after they had gone quiet. “The purpose of a shinonbi squad is to work together! You work as one unit, making sure that everyone is on the same page. Yamato, if you aren’t keeping up with the group then you need to train harder and make sure you have the stamina that you require to get there! Do you want your teammates to die because you weren’t up to speed? Sakuya, Yamato is a moron, so you are going to have to make sure that he stays on track! Make sure he is getting where he needs to and do what you can to help! If you two have some kind of problem with each other, get over it! Setsuna! …Good work.”

Sakuya and Yamato both felt their jaws drop in astonishment as Ayumi spoke. Had she just given one of them a compliment!? Setsuna smiled, her hand scratching the back of her head nervously as their sensei gave her the first compliment of the year. With further investigation, one would discover that it was actually the first compliment Ayumi had ever given to any member of their group. “Sensei...” Yamato began to speak, feeling a bit cheated through all that had happened. To be fair, it was an exceptionally hot day, even for Suna. Residents throughout the area had been advised to stay indoors and avoid venturing out unless absolutely necessary. Naturally, the three of them had been forbidden to heed the warnings by their unusual sensei.

Ayumi did not bother to turn her head, her eyes alone placing their attention on the young boy. There was fire in those eyes; the type of fire that could only mean danger for anyone who dared to oppose her. After a moment of thought the Genin closed his mouth, leaving his sentence to remain unfinished for all eternity. Yamato was quite familiar with that look. It was their teacher’s way of saying “you had better keep that mouth shut lest you want your testicles ripped from your body and shoved down your throat” without saying anything at all. It sounded brutal to outsiders, but such a threat was actually a normality with that woman.

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[Sakuya Hitsoguya]

Ayumi stood in front of them, her eyes drifting over each of them. She took in every detail of her Genin, reading their conditions by the way that they carried themselves in comparison to their usual behavior. Setsuna was very tired. Her chest rose and fell slowly, but heavily as she attempted to catch her breath. Her gasps were silent, quieted so as not to alert the younger members of her team. Despite her gentle nature she was the trooper, her eyes filled with determination and perseverance. Setsuna refused to give up, even when the situation was most dire.

Sakuya was agitated, as well as out of breath. Her tanned forehead shimmered with beads of sweat, many of which were already running eagerly down the sides of her face. Her once vibrant red eyes were dull, clouded with exhaustion. Hours spent in the desert sun tended to have that affect on people, even shinobi. She was the stubborn one on the team. Her abilities certainly qualified her for solitary work, although Sakuya much preferred to work with her teammate Setsuna. It was rather unusual, but Ayumi had decided to pay it little mind.

Finally, there was Yamato who was utterly exhausted. His hands gripped the top of his knees as he fought desperately to gather oxygen in his tightening lungs. He was the youngest member of the squad, although only by a few months. He had tendency to agitate Sakuya on the daily basis, much to Setsuna’s dismay. He was the more laid back member of the team. He was normally the comedic relief whenever days got rough. Unfortunately, his red-headed teammate didn’t always appreciate his relaxed attitude, often resulting in a brawl between the two of them which Setsuna would inevitably have to break up. Despite his antics he was a decent shinobi, although he was definitely in need of more endurance training.

From her analysis, the Jounin came to the conclusion that the three of them were in serious need of rest. Their exercises combined with the sweltering heat of the day had done well in ensuring their exhaustion. Reaching into her pocket, Ayumi plucked a cigarette from within its depths and proceeded to lower it. Sakuya watched the woman as she placed the long white stick of tobacco a few inches from her face. “Give me a light will you?” she asked casually, although there was a sharp undertone in her voice. Nodding, the Genin made a quick hand seal and took in small breath. Upon exhale, a tiny stream of flame exited her mouth, lighting the cigarette while keeping well away from her sensei’s hand. Grinning, Ayumi raised the cigarette to her lips and took in a nice long inhale.

The three watched in anticipation as Ayumi enjoyed her dangerous addiction. The woman had made a habit of asking Sakuya to light her cigarettes for her at the end of training days. Ever since the discovery of her fire element, it had become one of the girl’s training methods as well as her worst nightmare. It required a good amount of chakra control to release a steady flame of consistent size and intensity, especially after a long day of training. If she were to burn Ayumi’s hand, not move fast enough, or somehow light her cigarette incorrectly, the Jounin would become quite agitated.

A small stream of smoke erupted from the woman’s mouth as she exhaled, a look of pure happiness gracing her features. “Not bad girl. Alright, the three of you can go. Be back here the day after tomorrow.” she instructed, taking another puff of her cigarette. With a sigh of relief, Sakuya bowed to her sensei. Her teammates followed suit, deciding that it would be wise to exit the area before her bi-polar disorder could kick in and make Ayumi change her mind. As the three children scurried rapidly from the clearing, the woman released a cloud of smoke from her nose and sighed. ~ Now why couldn’t they move that quickly during training...?~

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[Sakuya Hitsoguya]

The trio walked briskly, their formation changing to allow them to remain side by side rather than in their usual triangle. “Thank goodness we got out of that one, huh? Nice job Sakuya!” Yamato exclaimed, using the back of his hand to wipe a large amount of sweat from his forehead. His companion had certainly done a fantastic job that time around. The last time, she had burned Ayumi’s wrist and earned the three of them an extra five laps around the training ground. Sakuya nodded her approval, accepting his compliment and stretching her arms towards the sky. Her spine gave an eerie crack as it elongated.

Setsuna cringed at the sound of her popping vertebrae. That sound had always unnerved the young Genin. “Oh Sakuya, please don’t do that its creepy!” she complained, feeling the familiar shiver run down her spine at hearing the disgusting sound. With an exasperated groan, Sakuya completed her stretching and returned her elongated posture to its normal form. “Oh alright Setsuna! Geeze, how can you call yourself a shinobi and still be so squeamish?” she asked tiredly, stretching one of her arms across her chest. Certainly it wasn’t fitting for a shinobi to be fearful of cracking bones.

“You are both strange.” Yamato replied, his right hand above his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun. The boy had to wonder why the three of them were still wandering the streets in the blazing heat. Perhaps the girls felt no need to avoid the sun, having been baked in it nearly all day long. Whatever the reason, he followed the two of them, watching the waves of heat rising from the ground. A small lizard captured the Genin’s attention as it scurried across the street, wedging its way into a crack in the wall of a building. Yamato only shook his head, switching his hands to give his right one a rest. It was bad when the animals of the desert were running from the sun’s fury.

“So, want to head back to my house?” Setsuna asked, turning her head to look at her readheaded companion. Sakuya could feel the corners of her lips tugging into a smile at the question. She hadn’t been to her teammate’s house since their training had begun. They had been far too tired after Ayumi’s sessions to move their legs, let alone take unnecessary trips to each other’s houses. As the girls conversed with one another, Yamato sighed and started to break away from the group. “You two have fun alright? I’m going to head home and get some rest.” he called to them as he turned away from them to make his way home. The girls nodded and called back to him. “Alright, we’ll see you a couple of days!” Setsuna responded. “Don’t forget about our meeting!” Sakuya replied, receiving a wave from Yamato as he rounded a corner. He was gone.

The girls laughed, continuing their conversation as they made their way to Setsuna’s home. It would be an interesting evening that Sakuya would most certainly enjoy. She hoped that her parents wouldn’t mind her absence. With the war spreading across the nations, her parents had grown increasingly worried about their daughter; her father especially. Regardless, Sakuya would make the most out of the time that she would spent with Setsuna. She would deal with any difficulties when she returned home.

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That was all over now, everything. Everyone she had once known, everything she had grown to love were all nothing more than a memory. The core rolling along the ground spelled the demise of the bright red fruit. As it came to a stop, hitting a piece of wood that had once belonged to a bedpost Sakuya muttered quietly into the silence. “Sour.” Rising to her feet, the girl turned and stepped out into the sun. It would be another long day in the deserts of Wind.

[DAVID BOWE]

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