Wheel Tech! Sakaki's first trial!{Solo Training}
May 2, 2011 17:35:18 GMT -8
Post by sakaki on May 2, 2011 17:35:18 GMT -8
Sakaki bolted through the back alleyways of Kumogakure, her short breaths the only sound coming from her. She was nothing but a blur to the untrained eye, but those who could see her would likely assume she was being pursued. Needless to say, they wouldn’t have been wrong. Right behind the small girl trailed four other blurs, each seeming to glide across the ground and walls. A strange whirring noise followed along behind the unidentified beings...
It wouldn’t take too long for the rushing shinobi to find herself skidding to a halt in front of a large, looming dead-end. Sure, she might have been able to climb it, if she had thought of it. But Sakaki... was a little slow sometimes in the thinking area. Take into account the fear of being chased, nay, hunted, and it may not have been so unbelievable that the concept of climbing the wall didn’t cross her mind. Instead, she found herself backing up into the wall, and finally lowering herself into a squat, both hands rising to hold the top of her head in fright.
The four beings following her blazed around the corner, and would also come to a halt. They were cloaked in the shadows, much more than the small girl in a bright white shirt. They began to close in on her slowly. The girl could think of nothing more to do than cower, and simply whimper. She wished... well she wished that it would all just go away. That it would all just go away...
“Hey, come on now, we’re not gonna hurt you,” said one of the pursuers. A young man stepped out in front of the others, squatting down before the tiny figure. Sakaki merely whimpered in response, unwilling to lift her head. She just kept wishing and wishing that it would all go away... that the voices would stop, and when she looked up she’d be back in her little “home” with the sun rising over the horizon. However, her little stupor wouldn’t last very long.
“You guys are really insensitive sometimes,” came a female voice. The girl it belonged to soon moved out of the shadows as well, and would shuffle over to Sakaki. She gently shoved the lead boy backwards, causing him to tumble onto his back. Then she’d crouch next to Sakaki and place an arm gently around the young shinobi. Sakaki’s head snapped up, and she locked eyes with the other girl, holding their traded glances for several long moments before looking away, cheeks flushing a low crimson.
It went quiet for a short period of time, except for the pained grunts of the boy who had gotten shoved. In that time, Sakaki managed to become curious, and gave quick examinations of the others whom she has first assumed were going to cause her harm. Her eyes darted back and forth, unwilling to stay focused on the same spot for too long. Even in the low light, she was able to discern the basic looks of the four.
The girl “hugging” her, as she would put it, was an average build. Sakaki was unsure of her height, however, since the girl was crouching. She had crimson locks which hung just past her shoulders, and her eyes were a shimmering green. A pink shirt, and a pair of tight, black, shinobi pants were what she wore. Nothing too out of the ordinary there.
The lead boy, now sitting on the ground cross-legged was pretty normal too. He wore a long-sleeved black and yellow striped shirt. He had short, spiky brown hair, and matching brown eyes, similar to Sakaki’s own. He wore baggy, black cargo shorts, with a mud-colored patch on the left knee. Again, a fairly common outfit in terms of shinobi.
The next boy was a little on the odd side. He had flat, purple hair, with two spikes coming out from the sides. His eyes were yellow, like a sunflower, and had a sort of ‘cold’ feeling to them, like he was judging little Sakaki’s soul with just a glance. His arms were bandaged from knuckle to shoulder, though Sakaki spotted a slight bit of skin between them and his sleeveless red shirt. He wore similar shorts to the leader, although his didn’t have a patch on them.
The last of the group was hard to actually identify, however. They wore a beige overcoat, hiding a good portion of their body. Not to mention the blank white mask covering their face, with the exception of a single eye hole, where Sakaki spied a dark brown eye, nearly to the point of being black. Their hands were in the pockets of their coat, and Sakaki barely noticed the ends of black pants underneath. The person was mysterious, and struck a small sense of awe in the young girl, the feeling still not outweighing her still hovering fear.
“Honest, we just wanted you to be a part of our group,” the other girl said brightly, bringing Sakaki’s attention back to the situation at hand. One more look around, then she would bury her face back against her knees. Hands once again clutched at the top of her head in an attempt to hide. She was so overwhelmed, and just didn’t know what to do. The girl holding her would lightly pat Sakaki’s back and frown at the leader and give him a shrug.
“Well here’s the deal,” the leader began, arms crossing in front of his chest. “Some lightning user discovered this nifty way of travel. These here are called ‘Wheel Tech’. They have small motors in them, which are powered by the lightning chakra that we emit.” While the boy was talking, Sakaki would eventually become silent, and would gradually lift her head.
The boy had uncurled one of his legs slightly so that Sakaki could see the bottom of his shoe, or perhaps ‘boot’ was a better word. It was bulkier than a normal shoe, and seemed even a bit thick for a boot. Not only that, but a section at the bottom of the shoe was able to fold out and reveal two wheels that were held in place by a folding bar. It was... a little hard for Sakaki to really grasp the concept at first glance.
“I can’t call myself an expert, really, but yeah... Using our chakra, we can make these things go. Much easier than walking, I’ll tell you that,” he said with a laugh. A small chorus of chuckles came from each of the individuals around Sakaki. She just felt a little... confused. What was her whole part in this?
“So this leads us to a bunch of lightning users getting their hands on these... and in the end somebody wound up making a sport out of it. Races, battles, and all sorts of things. We’re looking for a quick, powerful lightning user to join our team to help us in the competition. As you saw by our little test, we were pretty excited about how much energy you generate, Sakaki.” Sakaki’s thoughts reversed to several minutes before where they’d talked her into holding some machine which gauged her chakra output... she’d all but forgotten in her attempt to escape...
It was only then that she realized he’d also acknowledged her by name. It made her wonder just how much he knew about her... and where he’d heard it from. Maybe there was a spy in her old class at the academy. Or maybe these guys had been spying on the academy student’s exams. Whatever the case, Sakaki was still kind of confused about the whole situation...
“Mrah?” she muttered, lifting a hand to point at herself. Even with her exceptionally long sleeves, the shift in her shirt still got her point across, and the leader would nod at her as he chuckled. He was rather amused by the girl’s childlike behavior. Still, she fit the qualities that the group was looking for.
“Yeah, we’re interested in you. You don’t really have to do anything hard, or anything. We’ll teach you how to use your own set of Wheel Tech, and then you just run races for us. That’s all there is to it. Pretty simple, right?” he asked, a grin spreading on his face. It was almost like he could assure himself of Sakaki’s answer just by watching her face. The childish curiosity that sparkled in her eyes... the hint that she would say yes just to find out what it was like riding the strange wheel shoes.
“Mmm,” she hummed, giving a small nod of her head. Once more she looked around the collection of her fellow shinobi. This time she would pause as she examined each one, noting their features once more, and now really noticing each one’s pair of ‘Wheel Tech’. When she really thought about it, it wasn’t like she had anything to lose here, really. There was also the minor chance of them following through with beating her up if she refused... she decided that it was worth a try, at least.
“Alright, you caught on pretty quick for the balancing part, Sakaki! Good job!” Sakaki looked up and smiled brightly at the girl praising her. The red-headed girl had taken on the job of teaching Sakaki how to use her Wheel Tech shoes. The first thing they were covering was balancing on the wheels. It was a little odd for Sakaki to distribute her weight on such a thin amount of space.
Luckily enough, however, she had an innate sense of balance. Coupled with a small frame, and only a small amount of weight, it wouldn’t take too long for her to manage balancing, and even taking several steps without tumbling over. The other girl stood close by, smiling at the little girl. Sakaki felt glad that the other female’s approach at training was very kind and patient, because it made her want to try all the harder.
“I, Niji, hereby proclaim Sakaki to have cleared the first stage!” the other female would suddenly proclaim. Sakaki blinked in confusion and cast a glance at her elder. Being distracted, due her attempting to balance a moment earlier, she found herself tumbling onto the ground in a heap. The small dust cloud from her fall was not the only one, as the leader of the group suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He issued a small chuckle at the heap that was Sakaki, and then slid over to her to help her up.
“Well then, Niji, I see you finished up here with her,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the red-headed girl. The other girl gave a quick nod, and then stretched a little bit. Sakaki was plucked off the ground and settled back on her feet. She gave herself a quick pat down to remove whatever dust she could from her shirt, and then looked back at Niji. Sakaki gave the red-headed girl a bow of respect, which made Niji’s cheek flush.
“Heh,” she chuckled, raising a hand to rub the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Well, then, Hachi, she’s all yours for the next step.” It didn’t take long for Niji to roll off, quickly disappearing around a corner. Sakaki watched her leave, and then would finally turn to Hachi when Niji was out of sight. She kept quiet and patiently watched him, knowing that she wasn’t going to get much rest before the next part of her training.
“Right, then. Let’s just get right into it, since you seem warmed up. The part I’m teachin’ ya is pretty simple, actually,” he would say. “Actually working the motor for your Wheel Tech is a matter of diverting chakra to it. Similar to doing an actual jutsu, kind of.” Hachi flopped down onto the ground, and removed one of his Wheel Tech. He held out his hand to show Sakaki the electric energy he was charging, and then placed the same hand inside of the boot.
Sakaki watched and nodded as the wheels started spinning. So it was just charging chakra, and then putting it... in the motor? That part confused her a little when she thought about it. Her befuddlement must have shown on her face, because Hachi laughed, and then withdrew his hand, the wheels quickly coming to a halt. He began strapping the shoe back to his foot as he explained the next part.
“The motor is made to receive chakra easily. So if you attempted to disperse chakra from your foot, the motor will simply absorb it. In other words, you build chakra up in your foot, and then release it. I first learned by using my toes as a focus point, since it’s the lowest part of the foot. After a while you don’t really have to focus anymore. Why don’t you give it a try, Sakaki?... Oh! And be careful when you release the chakra, or you might fall over,” he added at the end.
The little girl thought about it for several seconds before nodding, and then closing her eyes. She concentrated on her toes, just as Hachi had suggested, and began to feel the familiar tingling sensation of lightning chakra flowing through her body. She willed the chakra to pull towards her feet and focus on them. Building... building... building... She felt her entire foot become surrounded with that tingling sensation, and then she finally let go, allowing the energy to bolt away from her skin in every direction. Of course, just as Hachi had said, the Wheel Tech would absorb that chakra, and the motor would kick into action.
Sakaki went shooting off through the street, and the sudden acceleration caused her to wildly scream. She could hardly control herself, but managed to turn in time to avoid crashing into a wall, and then continued on straight into a crowded street! Sakaki’s scream would rise all the higher, startling many of the people out doing their casual shopping. Suddenly Sakaki felt a tug at her shirt, and she went soaring into the air!
Her scream still took several seconds to fade away, but when it did, she would look down at all the people below, some staring up at the girl, others returning to their business. It was only then that she truly felt the presence of another, and turned to find a wincing Hachi holding onto her. Her entire face turned red, and she was forced to look away, embarrassed that he had been forced to save her from what could have been a terrible accident.
“Danku,” she managed to utter quietly as they began a descent towards the ground. Hachi would suddenly burst into laughter as he tucked the girl into his arms, and then landed on the ground, skidding to a halt on his Wheel Tech. Even now, Sakaki’s wheels were still turning, and Hachi waited for them to slow before putting her down, embarrassing her even further. Sakaki turned away and buried her face against her hands, not entirely sure it was just him saving her that was embarrassing.
“I think that’s the first word you’ve spoken to me,” Hachi managed to say before breaking into more laughter. Sakaki shook her head vigorously into her shirt sleeves, unable to look up. The more Hachi teased her the more embarrassed she got, until it felt like her entire face was on fire. She pulled her hands away, uncomfortable with the hot sensation against her face. Though all thoughts of her embarrassment suddenly left her, leaving her with only a cold shiver along her spine as an eerie voice cut through the air.
“I’ll take her from here, Hachi.” Sakaki spun around and found the masked member of the group crouched on the wall nearby. Hachi looked up as well, and nodded in agreement. He turned to Sakaki, and seemed like he was going to say something, but was cut off by a large yawn. It made Sakaki giggle, and it was Hachi’s turn to blush.
“Haha, I guess I didn’t sleep well enough last night. Alrighty, Aisu... just be careful, alright?” Hachi’s tone at the end of his sentence worried Sakaki, though she said nothing about it. The masked person gave no indication that they’d heard, and simply dropped down into the dirt. They stepped up to Sakaki, and leaned over her, staring her down. Sakaki soon found herself whimpering, and cowering just like earlier that day.
“Battle tactics,” came Aisu’s voice from behind the mask. Sakaki was able to think about it for a split second. It sounded like a whispering, inhuman voice... as if it were being filtered through a machine. However, it was loud enough to hear casually, which made it all the stranger. However, the small girl’s musings were cut short as she was forced to raise her arms, just in time to take a kick from the cloaked figure, and be sent tumbling across the ground.
Aisu’s still raised foot went higher into the air, and was quickly brought back to earth, slamming into the dirt. A wave of earth shot towards Sakaki, and she allowed only a squeak before getting hit once again. Even as she was sent flying backwards, Aisu would follow his own attack, easily passing Sakaki, and then stopping her in her tracks with an elbow to her stomach. She hit the ground and cried out in pain, tears already streaming from her eyes.
Sakaki would lay there, unmoving. The tears kept flowing, sinking into her shirt, but she uttered no sound. She couldn’t overcome the excruciating pain, wondering why this person was being so mean to her. Why had they attacked her for no reason at all, without any previous warning? Why did it have to be her that was laying there, every part of her form burning with pain?
“As a shinobi, you should be expected to take this sort of beating,” came the icy cold whisper from the cloaked being. “There any many who would be willing to aim these kinds of tactics at you during the competition. You will need to be quick to dodge them, or else sturdy enough to take them. I will work you to hell and back, but in the end you will thank me when don’t have your guts hanging out in the middle of a race.”
Sakaki wanted to pout, and tell the being ‘no’. She would shakily rise, barely able to hold herself up as she assumed a sitting position. However, all intent to pout quickly vanished as she found herself eye to eye with Aisu. This being was intimidating, in all sense of the word. Sakaki issued her signature squeak, and then looked down, unable to keep exchanging glances.
“Get up on your feet. I want to see fifty squats, NOW!” Aisu would bark. The sheer terror that gripped at Sakaki’s heart was enough to send her flying to her feet. Aisu’s arms rose, and they would lock gloved fingers behind their neck. Sakaki said nothing as she mimicked the movement, and then the training. Her knees bent, and her legs would follow suit, bringing her closer to the ground. She felt her legs burning as she rose once more, only to drop again, Aisu matching her and keeping up a rhythm.
She didn’t know how, but Sakaki had managed to drag her sore self back to her little hole in the wall that she called home. She felt like she was too hurt to keep living. She was tired, but felt too hurt to even fall asleep. She’d never had a workout like that day, and she knew that there were more in store for her. It was almost frustrating, and almost made her hope she wouldn’t wake up the next day...
“Mrah,” she uttered before collapsing onto her belly, arms crossing beneath her head. She snuggled her cheek against her shirt and tried to think of better things. Soft, fluffy things that were cute and made her feel all warm and tingly inside. It wasn’t long before the little shinobi was cooing softly in her sleep, the warm embrace of dreams a blanket too comfortable to resist.
It wouldn’t take too long for the rushing shinobi to find herself skidding to a halt in front of a large, looming dead-end. Sure, she might have been able to climb it, if she had thought of it. But Sakaki... was a little slow sometimes in the thinking area. Take into account the fear of being chased, nay, hunted, and it may not have been so unbelievable that the concept of climbing the wall didn’t cross her mind. Instead, she found herself backing up into the wall, and finally lowering herself into a squat, both hands rising to hold the top of her head in fright.
The four beings following her blazed around the corner, and would also come to a halt. They were cloaked in the shadows, much more than the small girl in a bright white shirt. They began to close in on her slowly. The girl could think of nothing more to do than cower, and simply whimper. She wished... well she wished that it would all just go away. That it would all just go away...
“Hey, come on now, we’re not gonna hurt you,” said one of the pursuers. A young man stepped out in front of the others, squatting down before the tiny figure. Sakaki merely whimpered in response, unwilling to lift her head. She just kept wishing and wishing that it would all go away... that the voices would stop, and when she looked up she’d be back in her little “home” with the sun rising over the horizon. However, her little stupor wouldn’t last very long.
“You guys are really insensitive sometimes,” came a female voice. The girl it belonged to soon moved out of the shadows as well, and would shuffle over to Sakaki. She gently shoved the lead boy backwards, causing him to tumble onto his back. Then she’d crouch next to Sakaki and place an arm gently around the young shinobi. Sakaki’s head snapped up, and she locked eyes with the other girl, holding their traded glances for several long moments before looking away, cheeks flushing a low crimson.
It went quiet for a short period of time, except for the pained grunts of the boy who had gotten shoved. In that time, Sakaki managed to become curious, and gave quick examinations of the others whom she has first assumed were going to cause her harm. Her eyes darted back and forth, unwilling to stay focused on the same spot for too long. Even in the low light, she was able to discern the basic looks of the four.
The girl “hugging” her, as she would put it, was an average build. Sakaki was unsure of her height, however, since the girl was crouching. She had crimson locks which hung just past her shoulders, and her eyes were a shimmering green. A pink shirt, and a pair of tight, black, shinobi pants were what she wore. Nothing too out of the ordinary there.
The lead boy, now sitting on the ground cross-legged was pretty normal too. He wore a long-sleeved black and yellow striped shirt. He had short, spiky brown hair, and matching brown eyes, similar to Sakaki’s own. He wore baggy, black cargo shorts, with a mud-colored patch on the left knee. Again, a fairly common outfit in terms of shinobi.
The next boy was a little on the odd side. He had flat, purple hair, with two spikes coming out from the sides. His eyes were yellow, like a sunflower, and had a sort of ‘cold’ feeling to them, like he was judging little Sakaki’s soul with just a glance. His arms were bandaged from knuckle to shoulder, though Sakaki spotted a slight bit of skin between them and his sleeveless red shirt. He wore similar shorts to the leader, although his didn’t have a patch on them.
The last of the group was hard to actually identify, however. They wore a beige overcoat, hiding a good portion of their body. Not to mention the blank white mask covering their face, with the exception of a single eye hole, where Sakaki spied a dark brown eye, nearly to the point of being black. Their hands were in the pockets of their coat, and Sakaki barely noticed the ends of black pants underneath. The person was mysterious, and struck a small sense of awe in the young girl, the feeling still not outweighing her still hovering fear.
“Honest, we just wanted you to be a part of our group,” the other girl said brightly, bringing Sakaki’s attention back to the situation at hand. One more look around, then she would bury her face back against her knees. Hands once again clutched at the top of her head in an attempt to hide. She was so overwhelmed, and just didn’t know what to do. The girl holding her would lightly pat Sakaki’s back and frown at the leader and give him a shrug.
“Well here’s the deal,” the leader began, arms crossing in front of his chest. “Some lightning user discovered this nifty way of travel. These here are called ‘Wheel Tech’. They have small motors in them, which are powered by the lightning chakra that we emit.” While the boy was talking, Sakaki would eventually become silent, and would gradually lift her head.
The boy had uncurled one of his legs slightly so that Sakaki could see the bottom of his shoe, or perhaps ‘boot’ was a better word. It was bulkier than a normal shoe, and seemed even a bit thick for a boot. Not only that, but a section at the bottom of the shoe was able to fold out and reveal two wheels that were held in place by a folding bar. It was... a little hard for Sakaki to really grasp the concept at first glance.
“I can’t call myself an expert, really, but yeah... Using our chakra, we can make these things go. Much easier than walking, I’ll tell you that,” he said with a laugh. A small chorus of chuckles came from each of the individuals around Sakaki. She just felt a little... confused. What was her whole part in this?
“So this leads us to a bunch of lightning users getting their hands on these... and in the end somebody wound up making a sport out of it. Races, battles, and all sorts of things. We’re looking for a quick, powerful lightning user to join our team to help us in the competition. As you saw by our little test, we were pretty excited about how much energy you generate, Sakaki.” Sakaki’s thoughts reversed to several minutes before where they’d talked her into holding some machine which gauged her chakra output... she’d all but forgotten in her attempt to escape...
It was only then that she realized he’d also acknowledged her by name. It made her wonder just how much he knew about her... and where he’d heard it from. Maybe there was a spy in her old class at the academy. Or maybe these guys had been spying on the academy student’s exams. Whatever the case, Sakaki was still kind of confused about the whole situation...
“Mrah?” she muttered, lifting a hand to point at herself. Even with her exceptionally long sleeves, the shift in her shirt still got her point across, and the leader would nod at her as he chuckled. He was rather amused by the girl’s childlike behavior. Still, she fit the qualities that the group was looking for.
“Yeah, we’re interested in you. You don’t really have to do anything hard, or anything. We’ll teach you how to use your own set of Wheel Tech, and then you just run races for us. That’s all there is to it. Pretty simple, right?” he asked, a grin spreading on his face. It was almost like he could assure himself of Sakaki’s answer just by watching her face. The childish curiosity that sparkled in her eyes... the hint that she would say yes just to find out what it was like riding the strange wheel shoes.
“Mmm,” she hummed, giving a small nod of her head. Once more she looked around the collection of her fellow shinobi. This time she would pause as she examined each one, noting their features once more, and now really noticing each one’s pair of ‘Wheel Tech’. When she really thought about it, it wasn’t like she had anything to lose here, really. There was also the minor chance of them following through with beating her up if she refused... she decided that it was worth a try, at least.
---------------------------
That same afternoon
---------------------------
That same afternoon
---------------------------
“Alright, you caught on pretty quick for the balancing part, Sakaki! Good job!” Sakaki looked up and smiled brightly at the girl praising her. The red-headed girl had taken on the job of teaching Sakaki how to use her Wheel Tech shoes. The first thing they were covering was balancing on the wheels. It was a little odd for Sakaki to distribute her weight on such a thin amount of space.
Luckily enough, however, she had an innate sense of balance. Coupled with a small frame, and only a small amount of weight, it wouldn’t take too long for her to manage balancing, and even taking several steps without tumbling over. The other girl stood close by, smiling at the little girl. Sakaki felt glad that the other female’s approach at training was very kind and patient, because it made her want to try all the harder.
“I, Niji, hereby proclaim Sakaki to have cleared the first stage!” the other female would suddenly proclaim. Sakaki blinked in confusion and cast a glance at her elder. Being distracted, due her attempting to balance a moment earlier, she found herself tumbling onto the ground in a heap. The small dust cloud from her fall was not the only one, as the leader of the group suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He issued a small chuckle at the heap that was Sakaki, and then slid over to her to help her up.
“Well then, Niji, I see you finished up here with her,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the red-headed girl. The other girl gave a quick nod, and then stretched a little bit. Sakaki was plucked off the ground and settled back on her feet. She gave herself a quick pat down to remove whatever dust she could from her shirt, and then looked back at Niji. Sakaki gave the red-headed girl a bow of respect, which made Niji’s cheek flush.
“Heh,” she chuckled, raising a hand to rub the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Well, then, Hachi, she’s all yours for the next step.” It didn’t take long for Niji to roll off, quickly disappearing around a corner. Sakaki watched her leave, and then would finally turn to Hachi when Niji was out of sight. She kept quiet and patiently watched him, knowing that she wasn’t going to get much rest before the next part of her training.
“Right, then. Let’s just get right into it, since you seem warmed up. The part I’m teachin’ ya is pretty simple, actually,” he would say. “Actually working the motor for your Wheel Tech is a matter of diverting chakra to it. Similar to doing an actual jutsu, kind of.” Hachi flopped down onto the ground, and removed one of his Wheel Tech. He held out his hand to show Sakaki the electric energy he was charging, and then placed the same hand inside of the boot.
Sakaki watched and nodded as the wheels started spinning. So it was just charging chakra, and then putting it... in the motor? That part confused her a little when she thought about it. Her befuddlement must have shown on her face, because Hachi laughed, and then withdrew his hand, the wheels quickly coming to a halt. He began strapping the shoe back to his foot as he explained the next part.
“The motor is made to receive chakra easily. So if you attempted to disperse chakra from your foot, the motor will simply absorb it. In other words, you build chakra up in your foot, and then release it. I first learned by using my toes as a focus point, since it’s the lowest part of the foot. After a while you don’t really have to focus anymore. Why don’t you give it a try, Sakaki?... Oh! And be careful when you release the chakra, or you might fall over,” he added at the end.
The little girl thought about it for several seconds before nodding, and then closing her eyes. She concentrated on her toes, just as Hachi had suggested, and began to feel the familiar tingling sensation of lightning chakra flowing through her body. She willed the chakra to pull towards her feet and focus on them. Building... building... building... She felt her entire foot become surrounded with that tingling sensation, and then she finally let go, allowing the energy to bolt away from her skin in every direction. Of course, just as Hachi had said, the Wheel Tech would absorb that chakra, and the motor would kick into action.
Sakaki went shooting off through the street, and the sudden acceleration caused her to wildly scream. She could hardly control herself, but managed to turn in time to avoid crashing into a wall, and then continued on straight into a crowded street! Sakaki’s scream would rise all the higher, startling many of the people out doing their casual shopping. Suddenly Sakaki felt a tug at her shirt, and she went soaring into the air!
Her scream still took several seconds to fade away, but when it did, she would look down at all the people below, some staring up at the girl, others returning to their business. It was only then that she truly felt the presence of another, and turned to find a wincing Hachi holding onto her. Her entire face turned red, and she was forced to look away, embarrassed that he had been forced to save her from what could have been a terrible accident.
“Danku,” she managed to utter quietly as they began a descent towards the ground. Hachi would suddenly burst into laughter as he tucked the girl into his arms, and then landed on the ground, skidding to a halt on his Wheel Tech. Even now, Sakaki’s wheels were still turning, and Hachi waited for them to slow before putting her down, embarrassing her even further. Sakaki turned away and buried her face against her hands, not entirely sure it was just him saving her that was embarrassing.
“I think that’s the first word you’ve spoken to me,” Hachi managed to say before breaking into more laughter. Sakaki shook her head vigorously into her shirt sleeves, unable to look up. The more Hachi teased her the more embarrassed she got, until it felt like her entire face was on fire. She pulled her hands away, uncomfortable with the hot sensation against her face. Though all thoughts of her embarrassment suddenly left her, leaving her with only a cold shiver along her spine as an eerie voice cut through the air.
“I’ll take her from here, Hachi.” Sakaki spun around and found the masked member of the group crouched on the wall nearby. Hachi looked up as well, and nodded in agreement. He turned to Sakaki, and seemed like he was going to say something, but was cut off by a large yawn. It made Sakaki giggle, and it was Hachi’s turn to blush.
“Haha, I guess I didn’t sleep well enough last night. Alrighty, Aisu... just be careful, alright?” Hachi’s tone at the end of his sentence worried Sakaki, though she said nothing about it. The masked person gave no indication that they’d heard, and simply dropped down into the dirt. They stepped up to Sakaki, and leaned over her, staring her down. Sakaki soon found herself whimpering, and cowering just like earlier that day.
“Battle tactics,” came Aisu’s voice from behind the mask. Sakaki was able to think about it for a split second. It sounded like a whispering, inhuman voice... as if it were being filtered through a machine. However, it was loud enough to hear casually, which made it all the stranger. However, the small girl’s musings were cut short as she was forced to raise her arms, just in time to take a kick from the cloaked figure, and be sent tumbling across the ground.
Aisu’s still raised foot went higher into the air, and was quickly brought back to earth, slamming into the dirt. A wave of earth shot towards Sakaki, and she allowed only a squeak before getting hit once again. Even as she was sent flying backwards, Aisu would follow his own attack, easily passing Sakaki, and then stopping her in her tracks with an elbow to her stomach. She hit the ground and cried out in pain, tears already streaming from her eyes.
Sakaki would lay there, unmoving. The tears kept flowing, sinking into her shirt, but she uttered no sound. She couldn’t overcome the excruciating pain, wondering why this person was being so mean to her. Why had they attacked her for no reason at all, without any previous warning? Why did it have to be her that was laying there, every part of her form burning with pain?
“As a shinobi, you should be expected to take this sort of beating,” came the icy cold whisper from the cloaked being. “There any many who would be willing to aim these kinds of tactics at you during the competition. You will need to be quick to dodge them, or else sturdy enough to take them. I will work you to hell and back, but in the end you will thank me when don’t have your guts hanging out in the middle of a race.”
Sakaki wanted to pout, and tell the being ‘no’. She would shakily rise, barely able to hold herself up as she assumed a sitting position. However, all intent to pout quickly vanished as she found herself eye to eye with Aisu. This being was intimidating, in all sense of the word. Sakaki issued her signature squeak, and then looked down, unable to keep exchanging glances.
“Get up on your feet. I want to see fifty squats, NOW!” Aisu would bark. The sheer terror that gripped at Sakaki’s heart was enough to send her flying to her feet. Aisu’s arms rose, and they would lock gloved fingers behind their neck. Sakaki said nothing as she mimicked the movement, and then the training. Her knees bent, and her legs would follow suit, bringing her closer to the ground. She felt her legs burning as she rose once more, only to drop again, Aisu matching her and keeping up a rhythm.
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At the end of the day...
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At the end of the day...
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She didn’t know how, but Sakaki had managed to drag her sore self back to her little hole in the wall that she called home. She felt like she was too hurt to keep living. She was tired, but felt too hurt to even fall asleep. She’d never had a workout like that day, and she knew that there were more in store for her. It was almost frustrating, and almost made her hope she wouldn’t wake up the next day...
“Mrah,” she uttered before collapsing onto her belly, arms crossing beneath her head. She snuggled her cheek against her shirt and tried to think of better things. Soft, fluffy things that were cute and made her feel all warm and tingly inside. It wasn’t long before the little shinobi was cooing softly in her sleep, the warm embrace of dreams a blanket too comfortable to resist.
