Isabella-Black

Kagoya scrambled to his feet, hastily brushing dirt off his clothes before he stormed towards Toshiro. "Hey! I was here first!" He shoved an accusing finger in the other boy's face, "And I [i]said[/i] I'm not done yet!" Suki watched with wry amusement, as Toshiro paused in his attempt to stare her into submission to glare disdainfully at the ranting Kagoya. She was familiar with the Yakanashi boy - a decent student, higher up in ranking than Kagoya but still average in comparison to the more advanced prodigies like herself. She'd sparred with him a few times in class but she'd never considered him anything particularly special, certainly not skilled enough to take her in a one-on-one taijutsu match. The only thing notable about him was the intense way he always seemed to stare at her; not as if he thought she was attractive or impressive, but as if she was constantly in his way, an obstacle for him to overcome. She smirked and fell back into her favourite method of baiting the Yakanashi. "And you are?" She asked, drawing the attention of the field back to her. She kept her tone intentionally annoyed and dismissive, "I was having a nice time sparring with Kagoya, you know." Toshiro gritted his teeth, though his composure was better than most, clearly angered by the fact that she seemed to have forgotten his name. Suki reached up and began idly fiddling with her hair, digging the knife in deeper with her apparent disinterest. She said: "If you want someone to spar with so badly, why don't you go find one of the other dead lasts. I'm sure you're already well acquainted." "I'm here to fight you." Toshiro replied evenly. Suki's eyes snapped forward, returning his glare with a cool, even glance. She didn't get a chance to reply before Kagoya stepped in. "She said, no! And we're still sparring, so back off, Yakanashi." Normally she'd be offended when people tried to speak for her, but Suki said nothing, content to watch and see what Toshiro's reaction would be. She wasn't disappointed. Without so much as breaking his focus on her, Toshiro slipped down and kicked the other boy's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling to the ground once again in an undignified. The tai-jutsu enthusiast in her noted his form and technique - solid, but purely technical - as Kagoya roared up and tried to attack. Toshiro blocked and parried with ease for a moment before catching Kagoya off guard with a strike against his shin and managing to knock him away with a gesture that was clearly practiced. "Like I said," Toshiro relaxed his stance as Kagoya panted, winded from the assault, "you're done." Kagoya looked like he was about to retort; Suki cut him off. "He's right." When he turned and looked at her in shock, Suki merely shrugged. "You're winded and exhausted. If you can't take him down" - she caught the barest flash of venom in Toshiro's stare - "then you don't have a chance at beating me." [i]As if he'd had one to begin with,[/i] she thought, then turned to face Toshiro. He barely looked phased from the short session with Kagoya, and it would be nice to go up again someone who had more than a fleeting grasp of tai-jutsu technique; she shifted into a defensive stance, ready. "Well, come on then."

Suki picked up her text book from where she'd placed it on the desk, and flipped forward to the section on taijutsu technique as she exited the classroom, thoroughly disappointed. She'd been expecting something challenging to usher her forward to her new genin status (something which seemed readily available now that she knew what was expected of her to pass) although she supposed something that was more [i]her[/i] level would be nigh impossible for the rest of the stragglers, so presumptuous as to already consider themselves real shinobi before even setting foot outside the Academy doors. [i]Still,[/i] her father's voice reprimanded, echoing in her head, [i]you're lucky they didn't decide to focus this test on genjutsu techniques. Your skills in illusion are still pathetically amateur.[/i] Suki deflated; she was a fair ninjutsu user - more than skilled enough to gain her headband - and her skills in taijutsu were years ahead of her peers, but she had never been adept at genjutsu and struggled daily to improve. It was laughable how poorly she scored in that area, and even the most basic technique often baffled her. It was pathetic for an aspiring kunoichi and [i]especially[/i] for a member of the proud Kudara clan. Suki sighed and turned the page back to the section on genjutsu and forced herself to pay attention. A voice from the right interrupted her reading, "Miss Kudara?" Suki turned and pinned the speaker with a glare. The boy, a student in her year named Kagoya, shifted minutely and hurried to continue. "I-I-I was wondering... you're good at this ninjutsu stuff, right?" And he wasn't; Suki could already see where this was headed. She nodded anyway. "Well I was wondering, since you're not doing anything," - Suki narrowed her eyes at his presumption - "maybe you could give me a few pointers?" Kagoya asked, nubbing his hand against his neck in a sheepish gesture. Suki said nothing for a moment, allowing Kagoya to fidget nervously in the silence, before answering with a curt, "Yes, I could." She caught the boy's eager smile out of the corner of her eye before she turned on her heels and began walking towards the training grounds, nose buried in her book once again. Kagoya stuttered indigently behind her, completely baffled, before he ran after her. Suki had to bit her tongue to suppress a smirk. "What gives, Kudara?" He demanded, having caught up and was now keeping stride beside her. "I thought you said, you'd help me?" Suki closed her book with a sharp snap, keeping her attention forward. "I said I [i]could[/i] help you. Not that I had any intention of doing so." "What?" Suki rolled her eyes: "If you can't be bothered to learn such a basic ninja technique in the months we've had since sensei's lesson, than why should I be bothered to lose [i]my[/i] training time just to help a slacker like you?" "Cause it'd be [i]nice[/i] of you to help me?" "Nice doesn't get you far as a shinobi." Kagoya glared venomously, clearly annoyed, but he didn't turn away or break stride. [i]He must really be desperate.[/i] Suki realized, [i]let's see how desperate.[/i] She stopped suddenly and turned to look the taller boy directly in the eye. He shifted to a stop and met her gaze for a moment before he turned to look around, realizing for the first time that she had led him to the eastern training grounds of the academy, surrounded by trees on two sides and pocketed with boulders and uneven terrain. They were still in sight of the main building and less than twenty feet from a gaggle of students, practicing for the exam. Suki was unimpressed, the first thing she'd learned as a kunoichi was to always be aware of her surroundings. She dropped her book to the ground and crossed her arms , "Show me what you've got." Kagoya gave her a determined look before making the correct signs and transforming in a cloud of smoke. In his place stood Kizuka-sensei... or at least it was supposed to be... maybe. He really did need her help. Suki couldn't hide the look of disbelief on her face. Kagoya's transformation was... deformed at best. It was entirely asymetrical, holding only the barest resemblance to their teacher, and looked very much like someone had folded him up in order for him to stand at Kagoya's height. It was actually appalling - no wonder he'd been desperate enough to seek her help. Another puff of smoke and the monstrosity vanished. Kagoya reappeared in its place, embarrassed and plainly avoiding her gaze. "That's horrible," Suki announced, plainly. "You're obviously no good at controlling your chakra, if you're even putting enough in that thing to begin with and you're not focusing at all. If you were it wouldn't look..." she gestured wildly with her hands "like [i]that.[/i]" Kagoya glared heatedly at her, daring her to do better. So she did. A moment later Kagoya was staring at the mirror image of himself, angry glare and all. Suki/Kagoya shifted her/his hand onto her/his hip, annoyed. "You need to build up your chakra, focus on the target, and then manipulate your energy into the shape you want." The real Kagoya started back a bit, unnerved at hearing his own voice echoed back at him. Suki transformed back. "How did you do that?" Kagoya asked. "I just told you." Suki replied with a flippant gesture. "If you can't figure it out on your own, then you're obviously hopeless." When she made to walk away, Kagoya shot forward and grabbed her arm, moving faster than she would have thought possible. "Come on, Kudara. I really need some help here." She could have twisted his arm until he let go, or smashed his forearm to give him an ugly bruise. Instead, Suki smirked and turned back to face the boy, his hand still on her arm. "Tell you what," she began slowly, "I need a sparring partner to pass the time. If you can pin me, I'll help you fix your Transformation until its as good as mine." Kagoya considered her for a moment, noting her slender figure and how his fingers completely encircled her wrist. "And if I can't?" He asked, cautiously, not trusting that sly grin on his opponents face. Suki shrugged, "Then I get a nice warm up out of it. Your call." Kagoya didn't waste a minute before shifting into an offensive stance, his grip on her wrist increased until it was almost bruising. He smirked, "Bring it." The next thing Kagoya knew, he was on his back in the dirt. Suki looked down at his prone form, one knee still firmly planted on his abdomen and her grip on his arm poised to twist and snap his wrist if he moved the wrong way. She leaned down and gave him her sweetest smile. "Best two out of three?"

Suki had been stretching after her morning training routine when the low boom of thunder rumbled through the halls of her family compound. She waited for a moment, expecting to hear the rhythmic drumming of rain against the roof, but when nothing came she became curious and moved from the worn tatami mats to the raised wooden planks near the training building's sole open window. She leaned out, balanced her weight on the heel of her palms and glanced towards the heavens. The sky was overcast, lending a dark shadow to her clan compound and the surrounding landscape. The forested area to the north was dark, foreboding and the angles of her father's house seemed sharper somehow in the dim light. Even the flowers of her mother's garden seemed to tremble in anticipation for the storm to come. The wind was cold against the bare skin of her arms. Her father or uncle would likely be able to tell her what such a breeze heralded - a light rain or a roaring downpour - but they were both already gathered for the monthly council meeting in the compound's main temple and would have no time to satisfy her curiosity. She was already running short on time in any case, she had to get dressed and make her way to the Academy, least she was late for the examinations later that afternoon. Despite herself she couldn't help but become excited; she'd barely slept the night before, knowing that today was finally the day she would become a genin. Exhaustion pulled at her body, but she barely noticed. Today was [i]the[/i] day. She pushed off from the window sill, returned to the lowered center of the room and finished to her exercises before she exited the training compound and returned to her room. Her father's house was impressive, the largest in the clan. It had its own wing dedicated to training, and another for formally receiving important guests. The rest was the family's living space, with the dinning and kitchen area situated towards the south and the bedrooms in the east. Suki's was situated at the end of that wing so she often had to sprint down the hallway just to get ready each morning, but it afforded her a good measure of privacy so she was grateful for that. Once inside, she considered the weather before unfolding her blue dress and slipping it on over her training shorts. It had no sleeves, so she grabbed her dark jacket from the closet to wear on top, as well as her belt and weapons pouch which she clipped to her waist. She stopped by her mirror and ran a comb through the short strands of her black hair and fussed with her bangs, dyed a deep purple, before she was satisfied and made her way out of the house, jacket in hand. She ignored her older brothers, eating their breakfast in the kitchen - she had already eaten earlier before she'd begun training, and slipped outside into the cold air. It only took her ten minutes to make her way to the Academy, but by then she could already see small gatherings of students beginning to file into the classroom. She felt the stirrings of anticipation coil in her chest as she wondered how many of her former classmates would obtain that coveted genin status, and if she would be among them. She felt for her weapons as if to reassure herself, and stepped inside the classroom, finding her seat and pulling out one of the Academy textbooks, suddenly consumed with the urge to study. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as students began to file in, one after another, most looking as exhausted as she felt and just as anxious. Another crack of thunder sounded overhead and Suki wondered if it would finally rain once she'd become a real shinobi.

[b]Name:[/b] Kudara Suki [b]Physical Description:[/b] Suki is short for her age and nearly all the other students tower over her by a few inches or more; she is very lithe and slender regardless, making her appear much frailer than she really is. She has jet black hair worn in a short, pixie-cut style except for two strands, falling along the length of her face which she religiously dyes a dark purple. Suki normally wears a sleeveless dark blue dress over black training shorts. Her weapons pouch is attached to black belt worn low on her waist and she has a kunai pouch strapped to her left thigh at all times. She wears the standard shinobi sandals until she becomes a Chuunin, at which point sheâ??ll switch to black combat boots. Her skin is pale and she has sharp hazel eyes. [b]Strengths and Abilities:[/b] Suki is a talented and quick learner and her standing as 2nd overall in her class reflects this. Her strengths are based in advanced taijutsu and her developing wind-based ninjutsu skills although she struggles with genjutsu, her skill in this area purely basic. While her quick temper and difficulty working well with others hinder her in battle, she is resourceful and cunning in combat and her ability to improvise under pressure make her a dangerous and unpredictable opponent. [b]Bio:[/b] Suki is the second youngest of six unruly children and the only girl among them. Rather than allowing her older brothers to bully her, Suki learned to fight back at an early age and has become one of the more dominant voices of her household, having an unhealthily intense rivalry/hatred towards her oldest brother, Shiro, and the tentative approval of her father. This reflects heavily in her relationships with others, her driven and competitive nature often grants her more rivals than friends. She respects power, ambition and hard work but detests arrogance and ignorance in any form. Despite her tendency to bully people more than befriend them, once you gain Sukiâ??s respect and trust itâ??s very hard to destroy it. Sheâ??s loyal and protective towards her friends and despite all outward appearances she holds a great deal of affection for her brothers (most of them). Rumour has it she can be downright [i]maternal[/i] when called upon, most especially towards her younger brother, Koji, since the death of their mother some four years previous. This is of course, just a rumour, and anyone who suggests otherwise often ends up with a broken nose for their foolishness. The Kudara clan is widely respected as an old and powerful ninja clan and holds some political influence inside Konohaâ??s council. Clan members are proficient in wind and air-based jutsuâ??s with the most powerful able to â??flyâ?? for short periods of time by manipulating air currents. Sukiâ??s father, Hiromasa, is the current patriarch of the clan and as such has placed enormous pressure on his children, training them mercilessly, expecting perfection and sometimes even going so far as to have them fight each other to earn their meals. Sukiâ??s brother Shiro is next in line to lead the clan and is visibly eager (some would say [i]too[/i] eager) to take over upon their fatherâ??s death.

[I]Damnit! How did I fall for something so obvious![/I] Hotaru's thoughts echoed Matsuda's. Her captor laughed maliciously, digging in his kunai to draw a pinprick of blood from her neck. Hotaru stilled completely. From this position, she couldn't determine whether the assailants behind her were shinobi or very sneaky bandits, but regardless of either situation, if he pressed any harder, that kuani could sever more than a few key nerves and leave her paralyzed for life. However short that would be in the aftermath. Out of the corner of her eye Hotaru glanced at Matsuda, captured as she was, and looking.... defeated. The girl felt a dangerous mix of sympathy and irrational fury well up at the sight of her teammate looking so pathetic. Yes they were in a tough spot; yes, this looked bad; but a true shinobi never gave up. She narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to do [I]something[/I] to redeem himself. But Matsuda kept his gaze securely to the ground, defeated and self-admonishing. [I]Then it's up to me,[/I] Hotaru thought and repressed a sudden shiver that ran up her spine. The man holding her leaned his body closer to speak clearly in her ear. "Drop the knife, sweetie," Hotaru's blood boiled, but she forced herself to simmer down. He had said 'knife', not 'kunai'. No shinobi worth his head band would do that. They had a chance. The kunai twisted dangerously, drawing more blood, "Drop it now. Or else [B]somebody[/B] might get hurt." The bandits in front of them chuckled lamely and Hotaru made a face. She let the kunai slip from her hands, refusing to flinch as the man unstrapped her weapons pouch from her side, and saw Matsuda being similarly disarmed. Her face remained a careful neutral as she concentrated. The bandit holding her yanked viciously on her arm, drawing her backwards and off balanced. He replaced the kunai at the side of her neck, hovering over her coronary artery. "Now stand up, and you might live long enough too..." He trailed off suddenly, his eyes growing wide at the sight of a clear fluid dripping onto his hand. His grip still tight on his prisoner, the bandit looked up to see a 12 foot long boa constrictor eying him like it's next meal. The bandit lashed out at him, his self preservation instincts telling him to kill the serpent before it got to him. His kunai missed the snake by a mile and it hissed at him, saliva dripping from it's open mouth. He grabbed it's neck to hold it still and the boa fell upon him. Forgetting his little prisoner, the bandit jumped back, failing and writhing widely as he tried to wrestle out of the boa's hold, but the more he struggled the more entangled he became. He was chocking. Why wasn't anyone helping him? He was going to die. Going to die. He was - "The Hell?!" The bandits stared, confused out of their minds as on of their comrades screamed and rolled around on the forest floor, struggling against a loose branch as though his life depended on it. It took them a moment to remember the girl. Hotaru appeared from the trees behind them sending the first bandit toppling to the ground with a chakra enhanced kick to his back. The second recovered from his shock and tried to grab at her only to find his hands filled with a piece of tree. A hand crashed out of the ground, latching onto his ankles and pulling him down into the earth until he was submerged up to his neck. Hotaru pulled herself out of the ground, dusting herself off as the bandit struggled uselessly to get free. The first bandit recovered from his fall tossing a bunch of kunai at her back, one after another. Hotaru dodged the first three, grabbing the fourth and sending it hurtling into the path of the last kunai, sending it flying off it's intending course. The bandit came after her with his last blade, slashing viciously at her, becoming increasingly angry as she dodged with a smirk on her face. He glowered, "Stay still you little bitch!" Hotaru caught his hand, disarming him with a vicious twist to his wrist. She attacked him in earnest now, returning blow for blow. She dodged an uppercut punch and dropped down to the ground on her back. The bandit stumbled forward, unprepared. Hotaru caught his neck between her feet and used his momentum to flip him onto the ground, face first in the dirt - he slumped to the earth, out cold. The girl flipped herself upright and dove for the abandoned kunai on the floor, ready to send it at Matsuda's captor. The remaining bandit stiffened and quickly forced Matsuda tightly against him, pressing the cold metal of the kunai against the skin of his throat. The bandit grinned at her, "One move from you and the boy gets it." Hotaru paused, eyes wide and concerned, and stared at Matsuda. The boy struggled slightly against his captor, but couldn't move for fear of the blade at his neck - it would carve his skin open in a heartbeat. The bandit continued, "Drop the blade and hands at the back of your head, missy." Hotaru dropped the kunai, imbedding itself into the soft earth and raised her hands above her head, slowly. All the while she glared daggers at the man. "My name's not missy," the bandit smirked, then felt something strike the back of his neck. The world went dark and he crumpled to the ground. Hotaru stood behind him, her arm still extended from when she had hit his central nerves. "It's Hotaru." The other Hotaru gave Matsuda a grin before vanishing in a puff of smoke. The real Hotaru didn't spare him a glance as she walked over to the body of the now-unconscious victim of her genjutsu and retrieved her belongings. Once set she walked over to Matsuda and offered him a hand. "Come on," she stated, coldly, "the others might need our help."

Hotaru sent Okaru a scathing glare over her shoulder. She had offered to take the flank position, hadn't she? She shut out the little voice in her head that whispered it was because he didn't believe she was good enough to protect their backs. Okaru knew better than that, and so did she. This was no time for her to endanger her teammates because of her pride. Matsuda moved up beside her, but Hotaru kept the majority of her attention on Ryokotsu-sensei. Just as Okaru had pointed out, he was leading too far ahead and his movements were slightly erratic - something was wrong. She sent the slightest beckon of chakra out through her feet, letting it illuminate the hidden details of the forest to her senses. There appeared to be nothing for several feet - just brush and foliage, nothing for them to be overly concerned about. Hotaru was a genjutsu prodigy, however, and she knew better than most that nothing was ever as it seemed. She sent a larger beacon out, expanding her search another few metres. She nearly faltered in step when her chakra hit something that clearly, was not a squirrel. There was more than one. She tried to keep her voice calm and even, but failed to conceal the subtle shock in her words, "Sensei..." "I know," Ryokotsu-sensei replied evenly. His movements were less erratic now, but whether that meant their pursuers were of no threat or that it was useless to try and loose them was unclear. "Keep your eyes forward and your chakra to yourself." Hotaru obeyed without question. Ryokotsu-sensei was the experienced one here; she would follow his lead. "Hotaru?" Matsuda's voice broke her from her intense concentration. She faced Matsuda, who was still clearly confused about what was going on, "What's going on?" She said nothing at first, only giving him a pointed look and facing away. He was a smart boy - the smartest in their group by far - he would figure it out on his own. "Are you..." Matsuda continued, even as Hotaru continued to vigilantly face forward, "... I mean... I know it's really none of my business..." Hotaru gave him a sideways look, completely confused by his nonsensical ramblings. Matsuda continued, his head down, "... are you... and Okaru really...?" He trailed off, hoping she would get his meaning. She did, and this time she really did falter, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her head nearly twisted around 180 degrees as she sent a look to Okaru that promised swift retribution before she addressed the oblivious Matsuda. "No. We're not." She said coldly and curtly. Matsuda still looked confused. "He's messing with your head, Matsuda," Hotaru explained through clenched teeth, "you should spend less time listening to that block-head and more time paying attention to your surroundings." This time Matsuda understood, and Hotaru could see the wheels in his head start to turn, placing all the pieces together. "How..." Before he could finish they were ambushed. [OOC: I feel like a bit of a douche leaving it like this, but I'm out of ideas right now. Sorry this took so long!]

Hotaru waved at Okaru and hurried to meet him at the crosswalk. She had expected to be the first one there having woken up so early that morning after a fitful night's sleep but wrestling her bag out of the tree, which had served as her bed that night, had delayed her somewhat. She made a mental note to 'accidentally' toss a few shuriken at those squirrels the next time she was in the area. Obviously they had some sort of vendetta against her. Her family had not taken the news of her first mission very well - to say the least. Her father had been livid, raging around the room like a caged tiger and her mother had gone into absolute hysterics. Itsuki had simply sat in a corner of the room, saying nothing, occasionally giving her a disappointed look and shaking his head. She'd tried to reason with them, she really had. It was, after all, a mission from the Hokage; she couldn't just refuse to go because it wasn't 'proper behavior for a young lady' and she'd only be gone a few weeks at the most. Predictably, that hadn't helped. Her parents had launched into their routine degradation of shinobi, saying the profession was dangerous and foolish and the cause of all the world's problems. That the influence of those insane individuals had warped the mind of their only daughter. In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have started to yell back. It never solved anything, in fact, they used it against her. [I]"See what those ninja are doing to you? A lady must never yell, she must never speak unless spoken to and she must respect her superiors."[/I] Her mother had quoted religiously. Hotaru had called them all hypocrites and cowards, along with several 'unsavory' adjectives she had picked up at the academy. She was lucky her grandfather hadn't been there or she'd have gotten in far more trouble than a simple banishment to her room until she 'learned to respect her betters'. She might have sulked in her room all night, perfectly miserable. Then her grandmother had crept into her room and handed her her travel bag, packed with a change of clothes, her gear, and a box of her famous home-made bento. The old woman had hurried her out of her pajamas and out her bedroom window, all the while chuckling to herself at the trouble they'd both be in later. Neither had cared. Her grandmother had shooed her away with a parting 'kick butt now, you hear?' and locked her bedroom up again as Hotaru slipped away into the night. She'd spent the night in the woods of her old training grounds and freshened up in a restaurant bedroom before heading over here. Her family wouldn't notice her absence until midday at least, and she'd be long gone by then. It was the homecoming that Hotaru dreaded - like an execution, which it would most likely be. For now, however, she didn't care. She gave Okaru a sideways smile and asked why he had been staring at her, enjoying his bumbling explanation as they approached the gates. This was really it. Her first real mission as a gennin with her team. After this she vowed she would never weed another garden or hunt down another old lady's cat even if her life depended on it. She was one step closer to being a real kunoichi today and not even her impending doom could dampen her spirits. She grinned slyly at Okaru, who had stopped trying to stutter out an explanation in that semi-confident way of his. That was one thing she really admired about Okaru; he was always confident, always ready for anything, no matter what the situation. She could draw strength from that, she could depend on that. Mentally, she took back her assumption of him on their first day of team 8. She [I]could[/I] trust Okaru, with her life and Matsuda's - and she did. Ryokotsu-sensei was waiting for them, arms crossed and leaning against the wall bordering Konoha, just beside the open gates. He acknowledged the two gennin by looking at them each in turn. His eyes lingered on Hotaru a second longer than Okaru; she wondered if he knew about her stay in the woods and was unnerved. He stood up straight then and she snapped to attention. He nodded to the both of them, "You're on time, good. Now, the sooner your teammate gets here, the sooner we can leave." Hotaru turned her head to stare at the path behind them, expecting to see Matsuda's approaching figure any second.

Hotaru waited until Okaru's chakra signature was well out of range before she, very deliberately, scooted into the seat right beside Matsuda, a knowing, and very mothering expression replacing her normal blank. "Alright, emo-boy," she teased, half playfully, half reprimanding, "what's up with you? You look like you're preparing to go to your death tomorrow, not our first real mission." The look Matsuda gave her made her think that perhaps that had NOT been the right metaphor to use in this case. She squirmed a little under his incredulous expression - she wasn't used to this. At home she was quiet and usually answered questions rather than inquiring after others herself (outside of the customary politeness her mother drilled into her skull); at the academy she had been withdrawn and serious, toughening herself up against the disapproval of her family, and the future she had chosen for herself - a future, she had anticipated, which would be mostly solitary and brutal. Being concerned for her teammates was hardly something to be ashamed of, it was only natural, but actually interacting with them and 'bonding' over stuff like this, was not exactly her area of expertise. Hotaru mentally shook herself; she could create complex genjutsu illusions which were [I]years[/I] above the normal gennin capacity and yet she couldn't figure out how to comfort her own teammate. How pathetic. "Sorry," she apologized in a low voice, "what I meant was... you should be worried about tomorrow. Like I said, they wouldn't have sent us on this mission if they didn't think we could handle it. And we've all become stronger since the Academy, especially you." Matsuda smiled a little at that, but it was somewhat disbelieving. "Thanks, Hotaru." "No I mean it!" She insisted, "I mean, when I first noticed you at the academy, I never thought you'd pass the exams" - she bit her lip when Matsuda winced -" ... and by that I mean... you were so... you just didn't seem like YOU thought you were ready. I mean you were always good, but you never seemed to think it was good enough and so you'd just... give up a little, before you even started. But... but," she paused, unsure, "now you've just kinda... you're good and you [I]know it[/I] now. I mean, Okaru and I, we've always known we were talented and all. "I mean, I always thought Okaru would graduate before either of us, really, cause he always works so hard at everything. And not even Ragia-sensei could see through my illusions... but you always seemed like you were trying to prove something to someone, like you had to justify your place there. But now... you've really grown and..." she trailed off and slumped pathetically into her seat, at a loss for how to continue, "... do you get what I mean?" Matsuda actually laughed a little at that and nodded, "Yeah, I get what you mean." Hotaru sighed, relieved, but didn't dare sit up again in case Matsuda saw her red face. "I'm actually not worried about that... not [I]really[/I]," Matsuda continued, and the girl raised her head off the counter, "it's just... this is gonna be our first real mission... we could end up fighting rogue ninja and... if we do we'll probably have to kill them." Hotaru rose completely now, comprehension slowly dawning on her. "Oh yeah... well, I mean, it's got to happen eventually right? We're shinobi and that's part of what we do." She sounded confident when she said it, but the realization suddenly weighed heavily in the pit of her stomach. Was she really ready to take a life? Were any of them? Hotaru straightened her back and nodded harshly to herself. She hadn't come this far just to wimp out and back down now. She'd chosen this life, and she'd see it through. "We'll be fine. And whatever happens," in a rare show of compassion (and also of dependency) she placed her hand on top of Matsuda's and gave a gentle squeeze, "we're a team, we'll get through it together." Before Matsuda could react, Hotaru snapped their server over and demanded the bill, only to curse Okaru when they were provided with deserts and the change for the bill.

Hotaru gave Okaru a strange look. They were finally going on a [I]real[/I] mission, far away from manual labor and cat hunting - hopefully - never to return. And yet he seemed ... down. Nervous, she could understand. She didn't doubt that all of them were at least a little anxious about what would happen, even a little frightened. But depressed? That was very out of character for Okaru. She shrugged and chose not to ask. They were FINALLY getting recognition for their hard work and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil the moment for her. "Alright," Ryokotsu-sensei spoke up once they had returned to their normal training field, "we're going to call it a day for now. I need you all at your best for this mission tomorrow. So go home and get some rest. We meet at the gates at 6:00am sharp, understood?" All three genins nodded. "Don't be late." Ryokotsu warned (somehow it still sounded vaguely threatening even with his perpetual monotone) and disappeared. Hotaru shrugged her pack onto her shoulders and turned to face the other two. There was still plenty of time left before she had to return home and she was hungry. Her mother was packing her smaller lunches and serving her less at the table on the grounds that she 'didn't want her little princess getting fat'. Hotaru scowled. She faced the boys with a small smile however, and asked, a little awkwardly, "So... you guys want to go for ramen or something? My treat." [Once again I apologize for taking so long. University is eating my soul. I will attempt, to the best of my ability, to post as often as I can. Also, if you guys don't want to drag the day out anymore, just refuse her offer, I don't care either way.]

Hotaru walked the rest of the way home with a soft smile on her face. She had to hand it to Matsuda, his plan had worked - perhaps not perfectly, but it had done it's job - and now they were finally an official team. She was a little surprised at how grateful she was about that. She mused silently as she hopped onto the fencing along side the road and walked across it with perfect ease. They worked well together, and if today was to be any indication, their combined strengths would turn them into a strong team - stronger than she'd ever imagined. She would never call Matsuda a coward again, that was certain. He'd fooled her, perhaps not intentionally, but she'd underestimated him and so had Ryokotsu. He wasn't a strong a shinobi as Okaru or herself, but undoubtedly, Matsuda's level-headedness and ability to see underneath the underneath made him a valuble addition to the team. All he really needed was an ounce of self-confidence to improve, and she could already see the difference Okaru and sensei's comments had made. He was still shy, and a little timid when he'd been speaking with her, but he'd met her eyes when he spoke. Maybe someday she'd tell him how impressed she really was. She continued balancing along the edge of the fence, even as she made her way inside her clan compound. Today she was a real gennin, on her way to becoming a powerful kunoichi, and she didn't want to hide that from anyone, not even her family. She'd hoped to make it to the front door without anyone noticing but her brother Itsuki chose that moment to walk around from the side of their house and caught sight of her. He dropped the nag he'd been carrying unceremoniously and let it crash to the ground. He rushed over to the fence, "What do you think you're doing?" He scolded her and Hotaru scowled. "Get down from there before someone sees you. You could get hurt!" She was feeling particularly bold today, so rather than obey, she shifted her balance and cartwheeled once before flipping off the fence and landing perfectly on her feet. She glared at him, petulent, "I'm not helpless, Itsuki," she should have left it at that, but she was feeling reckless tonight, "in case you forgot, I'm a kunoichi." Her brother laughed. "Hotaru," he smiled patiently, as though he was dealing with a disobediant infant, "you're just a little girl. Granted a very... balanced one. But you really need to be careful. Don't worry your big brother like that okay?" "I'm a gennin!" Hotaru insisted, "I passed the test yesterday, I'm on a team and I'm going to go on missions with them." Itsuki frowned lightly, "You [I]passed[/I]?" Hotaru swallowed the bitter taste his incredulous tone left in her mouth. Her brother seemed to shake himself after a moment and addressed her seriously, with all the authority that he had over her. "Do mom and dad know about this? I didn't think they'd let you." "I don't need their permission." "Hotaru!" Itsuki snapped, "This is ridiculous, mom and dad were very understanding to let you go to that academy-" "They didn't let me go! I had to beg for months!" "-and after you threw that ridiculous temper tantrum when they said 'no' the first time-" "They were the ones who had a fit!" "-you still continue to act like a rebellious infant." "[I]I want to be a kunoichi![/I]" "Hotaru!" Itsuki never raised his voice to her, neither had he ever hit her though it was within his rights as clan heir to do so. He did both then. Hotaru pressed a hand against her stinging cheek, staring up at her brother in absolute horror. Itsuki sighed, "That's enough, Hotaru. I won't tell mom or dad about this, but honestly you need to start growing up and pull your head out of the clouds." Hotaru stood mute before him, and he took her silence as an answer. "Let's go inside." He left without making sure she would follow.

Hotaru considered Matsuda as Okaru joined them. It sounded well thought out, and it would certainly give them a better chance of passing than trying on their own. The way Matsuda put it, she could almost believe the test really [I]was[/I] about teamwork. But if he was wrong... "You'll be essentially sacrificing yourself so we can pass." She said lowly, not expecting a reply. She knew in jounin missions, sacrifices like this happened... only that usually meant a permanent removal from the team. If that was the case, then Matsuda was more of a shinobi than Hotaru and Okaru combined. Sacrificing himself for the sake of the mission. She was... impressed. Maybe she'd tell him that, later. For right now, Hotaru considered the consequences. She had no doubt that Matsuda would be able to pass the genin exam a second time. Her mind made up, she gathered the two boys into the ciricle. "Okay, this is how we do it." [CENTER]-~X~-[/CENTER] Ryokotsu stood in the clearing, clearly bored with waiting. He could sense the signatures of the three gennin hidden together in the trees before they split up again. At this point, he could even pick out which one was which. The man let out a sigh, disappointed. They had shown so much promise, and yet they had failed to even grasp the real goal of the test. It was hardly surprising, and yet he had hoped for something different. "Given up yet?" He called into the trees. One of the chakra signatures tensed and dashed forward. Ryokotsu knew who it was before they burst from the trees and landed dead in front of him. "I was wondering when you would try." Matsuda didn't reply but dashed forward, his katana in hand. Ryokotsu parried easily with his kunai, but he could see the potential forming in the boy. His skill with the weapon was good, better than most could claim at his age, and with proper training, he could easily become a deadly force with his blade. Not today though. When Matsuda swung at his chest, Ryokotsu struck at his exposed left side, sending him flying backwards and sprawled out on the field. His coordination was off, unlike Hotaru who had a certain grace to her movements and an uncanny centre of gravity. The boy clearly wasn't finished and got to his feet quickly. He was breathing a little too heavily, Ryokotsu noticed - his stamina needed improvement - before he avoided the barrage of kunai the boy sent flying at him. The man jumped back, just at the border of the trees and had only just regained his balance when Matsuda ran at him again. His speed could also be improved, as well as his physical strength Ryokotsu noted absentmindedly as he stepped back a little further to avoid being injured by an arching swipe of the blade. Okaru was clearly superior in physical strengths, and he had yet to use anything removely resembling genjutsu. He might have thought further on this but he was forced to move quickly to avoid having a dozen senbon needles impaled in his body. He jumped back to avoid being knocked back by a series of swinging branchs before he realized what was going on. He escaped a series of shuriken by inches. The boy was good, he'd led Ryokotsu right into his traps without every giving away his intention. Admittedly the jounin hadn't been as focused on the boy as he should have. He'd underestimated the boy, and if he were anyone else those traps would have caused serious damage. It was the triumphant look on Matsuda's face that gave the other two away. Hotaru and Okaru lunged out of their cover from either side of him, and the traps cut off nearly all his exits. Even as they closed in on him Ryokotsu couldn't stop the wide grin from showing on his face. Then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Hotaru and Matsuda stumbled, nearly crashing into each other in their surprise. All three gennin stared at the empty space their sensei had stood. Hotaru muttered a soft, "Damn it." Okaru nodded his agreement and sighed. "It was a good plan, Matsuda." "Yes, it was." Matsuda jumped at the voice behind him, nearly stepping into one of his own traps. Ryokotsu stood behind him, his normally bored expression was almost... happy as he addressed all of them. "Congratulations." [I hope this is okay. Sorry it took me so long, but YAY they're a team!]

Hotaru let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. For a moment, she'd thought Okaru had actually succeeded, and had been pleasently surprized when that rock had appeared in his hand. It wasn't good for her to be so competative with her teammate, Hotaru knew that, but it couldn't be helped. She wanted so badly to be the first to get one of those bells, anything else was a failure and Hotaru would not accept that. Still, Okaru had proven one thing at least. Ryokotsu-sensei was a real jounin. A skilled, and accomplished shinobi, whatever his appearance might have led them to originally believed. And he was not about to be beaten using the usual techniques and skills they had learned in the academy. It would take something special for her to get those bells. Matsuda had yet to try and face their sensei and Hotaru had a feeling why. He'd already decided that he'd be the one man out, that he'd loose and be forced back into the academy. His acceptance just made her angry. If she had just accepted her fate as it appeared, she'd be at home, learning how to cook and clean like her mother so she could please her husband. Accepting things without a fight was something Hotaru could not stand. Even if he was beaten and broken in the attempt, Matsuda [I]would[/I] try to get the bells. She'd make sure of it. She found his chakra signature easily and rushed through the trees until she was right beside him, literally, and glared disapprovingly. "Are you just going to stand there and make us do all the work?" She challenged. Matsuda would try if it meant she had to shove him in front of Ryokotsu-sensei herself.

Hotaru was the first to disappear. Okaru and Matsuda followed suit, separating into the thick cover of trees. She took note of their general locations, then focused completely on Ryokotsu. She'd heard of this kind of test before - commonly referred to as 'the bell test' - and once again felt the bite of disappointment. She'd been hoping for something more... original than this, despite the obvious level of difficulty. This test focused on the success of the individual, not the group, or else there would have been three bells instead of only two. That meant one of them was going home and it was definitely NOT going to be her. She'd worked too hard to get this far, and she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. She wasn't completely unsympathetic. In terms of ranking, Okaru and herself were at a distinct advantage over Matsuda; making him the obvious scapegoat. Hotaru allowed herself a moment to sympathize with her teammate's predicament before focusing on the task at hand. No matter how badly she wanted to help Matsuda, she needed this too much to let it go for a boy she barely knew. "I'm waiting!" Ryokotsu called out, still with that bored expression on his face. "Perhaps I should have mentioned that if you fail to get both bells before sunset, you all fail." That was all Hotaru needed to propel her forward into action. Sensei had called her second-best - it was time she proved him wrong. She shot forward from the trees, sending a barrage of kunai towards their sensei. He dodged them all easily, grabbing one from mid air and sending it flying back towards her. Hotaru twisted her body away at the last moment, landing gracefully on the ground. She sprinted towards him, sending a kick to his chest. Ryokotsu grabbed her by the ankle and swung her off her other foot. The girl twisted until her hands found purchase on the ground and kicked at his arm with her other foot. The man was forced to release her to avoid getting his wrist shattered. Hotaru flipped away the second she was free, skidding along the ground until she came to a stop. She straightened and pulled two more kunai out of her pouch and running at her sensei again. Ryokotsu twitched his lip again, in the barest indication of a smile and pulled out his own kunai, blocking her first assault. No matter how she swung at him, he blocked her at every turn. Frustrated, she threw her arm forward, and he caught her wrist, twisting until she let go of the kunai. Before she could attempt to free herself, he knocked the second blade from her and forced her to the ground, her arm imprisoned behind her back. "I'm disappointed," Ryokotsu said casually, "I was told you were a genjutsu specialist, and yet all I've seen so far are your mediocre skills in taijustu." Beneath him, Hotaru gave him a grin that was uncharacteristically bright. "Actually, you've seen both." Ryokotsu felt the ground by his foot shift just before an arm shot from the earth, missing the bells by mere inches before he disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving a piece of tree in his place. The Hotaru he'd been holding disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the real girl hurriedly pulled herself out the ground. She glared at the spot her sensei had been, only seconds ago and glared heatedly. [I]I was SO close! How did he get away so quickly?[/I] "Not bad," a voice rang from the tree above her, "I didn't even realize it was a clone until it spoke. You're not nearly that cheerful or happy, eh?" The girl tensed and glared at him. Ryokotsu did grin at her this time as he waved the bells just out of her reach. "The clone glanced at the ground just before you tried to grab these. Obviously, we'll need to work on that." Hotaru nearly growled at the back of her throat and lunged at the tree. Predictably Ryokotsu leaped away before she left the ground and stood, once again in the exact center of the field. Hotaru shied back into the cover, shaking bits of dirt out of her hair as she began to calculate a plan in her head. [[B]I hope this makes up for me being away for so long. Between the end of the holidays and the inevitable return to university, I haven't had much time for posting. I promise to try and be more regular with my posts from now on. :catgirl:[/B]]

Hotaru narrowed her eyes, first at Ryokotsu-sensei and then at Okaru. They hadn't even been an official four-man cell for ten minutes and already she was irritated. She had always been more of a loner, only working with others when it was necessary or required, but she had thought that, considering their cooperation yesterday, that being on a team with Okaru and Matsuda would have been a blessing. Right now, all it was, was a headache. Their sensei wasn't helping much either. Still, beneath her irritation, the girl could see the future cohesive factors of their team begin to take shape. Things would be difficult (especially being the only girl on the team but she could work with that) but not necessarily unbearable - she hoped... "If you're quite finished trying to intimidate your teammate," Ryokotsu-sensei interrupted her thoughts, "than it's time for us to head down to the training field. I want to see how accurate my first impressions of you three turn out to be, and what we need to work on as a team. Meet me at training ground four in ten minutes." All three students nodded at once and Matsuda and Okaru rose from their seats quickly to follow. Ryokotsu-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Hotaru could feel some of the tension in the air vanish with him. Matsuda appeared deflated - at least more so than usual anyway - and Hotaru had no doubts that it was because of sensei's comment about his skills. She wanted to say something, but although the impulse was a little strange she couldn't think of anything that would comfort her new teammate. Statistically speaking, Matsuda was inferior to both herself and Okaru, and the fact was that he could either accept it and train harder, or he could continue to mope. Okaru on the other hand, looked a little more arrogantly confident than usual, despite the criticism of Ryokotsu-sensei. It was strange that already the teammates seemed to compliment each other - Matsuda's shyness was compensated by Okaru's overconfidence while Hotaru remained a steady neutral factor. Hotaru wasn't sure if this early cohesion would be beneficial or not. Standing in the doorway, Hotaru turned around abruptly and pinned both boys with a sharp glare. She spoke clearly and sharply, "I don't care if Ryokotsu-sensei does dislike drama. If I sense any competition over me from either of you, I will break both of your noses and reset them at a very [I]unpleasant[/I] angle." [Sorry this took so long. I just finished up my exams and holidays at my house are notoriously chaotic.]

Had Hotaru been anyone else, she would have stood there gaping like a dying fish. She couldn't decide whether to be annoyed for having her conversation interrupted, impressed with Ryokotsu-sensei's swift interpretation of his new students (and for acknowledging her strength, in a round-about way) or angry for being caught off guard. She settled for her normal blank expression as she scanned their sensei up and down. He looked... average. There was no other way of putting it. She'd always assumed most of the more accomplished jounin had some sort of signature which made them stand out from the rest. Ragia-sensei had his big mouth, Aiko-sensei had her bright red hair, and the infamous Copy-Nin had the singular sharingan eye, along with his ever present mask. But this man had nothing. Nothing whatsoever to distinguish him from the run-of-the-mill shinobi. She tried to reason that he must still be highly skilled or he wouldn't have been assigned a squad at all, that his boring appearance was an asset during missions and therefore was something to be admired or praised. Still, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed. "The girl's name is Hotaru," the girl quipped curtly, crossing her arms over her chest. Ryokotsu-sensei arched a brow at her slightly insolent tone, "The fact that you just crossed your arms like that means that you feel threatened, insecure. Certainly not befitting a talented kunoichi. And that is certainly no way to address your sensei." The corner of his mouth quirked upward in a bare imitation of a smile as Hotaru seethed, the look in his eyes challenging her to continue her disobedience. Yet there was something else too. Carefully guarded behind his neutral (and yet also scornful) gaze was something that might have been... amusement? gratitude? relief? Was he relieved that she wasn't like the rest of the graduating kunoichi - all giggles and make-up and flirting with boys? At the moment Hotaru didn't particularly care. Her conflicting emotions settled on simmering anger. She stole a quick glance at Okaru, still slouched in his seat and watching Matsuda's embarassed expression with amusement. He smirked at her when she glared daggers at him, completely unrepentant for leaving them to the mercy of their sensei. Hotaru filed that away carefully for later. If Okaru wasn't going to be a team player, that would mean watching her back (and Matsuda's) more intensely than she'd first thought.