Chapter 14 - Arc II: Love and Combat- Chapter 3

Ryouko finally burst through the green gates, now outside the Leaf Village. He took up his stance and let Azami catch up.

“We’re out of town, so now you want to fight? Really cute that you care so much. But what’s to stop me from turning around and going back in?”

Ryouko didn’t break his gaze with Azami. “Because that would mean turning your back on me. And no matter how good you are, you KNOW that even I could stop you if you did that. You’re not here on a suicide mission. That’s MY role.”

They began to circle, their chakras shifting into ‘battle mode’. It was similar to when Kage spoke to each other; they had to hold back or their collective chakras were crushing. In this case, neither one had revealed the full depth and development of their chakra.
When they did, it was impressive.

The ground began to dry up and crack; the trees losing their leaves began to exude sap their bark began to peel. The leaves themselves disintegrated if they got too close to either combatant.

As though some unspoken signal were given, they both attacked. Their taijutsu was fierce and impressive. Ryouko punched; Azami kicked. Their strikes crossed in mid-air. Ryouko kicked low. Azami dodged and tried to sweep his legs. Ryouko leapt; Azami followed. Their shins crossed in mid-air, colliding with a ‘thwack’ sound. Ryouko ducked in toward Azami and grabbed her waist. She tried to hit him, but he hung on and spun around her, succeeding in getting behind her. He punched, aiming for the head, but Azami’s well-toned leg slashed up in a block. Ryouko let himself fall backward with the force of the blow, snapping his leg out toward her leg, aiming to destroy the limb. No luck, as Azami was suddenly behind him again. Ryouko faked a low kick and swung with a backhand.
All in barely two seconds. They might have been feeling each other out with taijutsu, but that didn’t mean they were holding back in the least.

As they fell back toward the ground, they both punched. Their arms crossed. Each one suddenly turned their punch into a block, so their wrists smacked each other.
Leaves shot up; dust kicked up. Their stalemate stood, both looking at each other across their arms.

“Chinese martial arts? Impressive, Ryouko! I didn’t know you studied so broadly! The ‘Way of the Intercepting Fist’, correct?”

Azami smiled widely, knowing she was in the catbird seat. A bead of sweat shot out of Ryouko’s right temple.

I have to go back farther…but maybe I can confuse her a little…

“Flamma Succendo!” (Fire that lights from Below)

Ryouko gave his foot a quick stomp into the ground. Fire shot up from underneath Azami’s feet. Ryouko pulled back his arm to avoid being scorched himself.

“What the hell? No handsigns?! You ARE interesting!”

Ryouko reached deeper into his bag of tricks and pulled out an old one. He stepped into a low, narrow stance, focusing his center of gravity in the process, and punched Azami as hard as he could in the stomach. Not only did his punch connect, it’s power was doubled. It knocked her backward hard, causing her balance to be disrupted.

All from a stance change?! How did his power double from that?
--

I wasn’t done yet. I charged in toward Azami, drawing my left fist back. I saw her look at it, ready to block. So I punched with my right first. From it’s weak position so close to her, it would be easy enough to hit her; but there wouldn’t be any damage.
At least, until I felt my fist hit her cheek. Before she could dodge away from me, I turned my first inward sharply. I felt some skin tear off on my knuckles, and I saw the blood come from the wound I had made just under her left eye.

“Cutting punch,” I told her, walking toward her, thinking up my plan while I talked to buy time. “If anything was drilled into me in my old training, it was that the sword is an extension of your body. ANY weapon is. And a blade cuts, so shouldn’t a fist be able to do the same? Hence the ‘cutting punch’.”

Azami got up, wiping the blood off her face. “I see, I see. You really are an interesting boy. Not only do you pass up sex with me, you manage to surprise me. Even after all my study, too. Allow me to surprise you, then…”

She held in her hand the same flame that tattooed my back. I put a hand back there without thinking. There was nothing there; Sakura had long since healed that burn. But still, being a veteran of combat, I should have known better than to focus only on what was apparent.

SCHUNK!

I was suddenly sucked into a shadow. As I fell, I focused my chakra and clasped my hands, just as the Third Hokage had done to prevent Orochimaru’s reanimation jutsu on the Fourth Hokage from being completed. I was stuck just below the knees. And now my hands were useless- If I let go of the handsign, I would sink even further. Even worse, I was already starting to strain under the pressure; she wasn’t even batting an eye.

I blinked once.
Schunk
One cut appeared on my shoulder, Azami’s blade perched on top of it. She held it there, leaning close to me.

“It’s pointless to fight, you know. I can do anything I want to you, and there’s nothing you can do.”
--

I snapped at her with my teeth, having no other weapon. She just smacked me with the pommel of the sword in the forehead. I nearly fell backward into the shadow, but managed to right myself in time.

“You’re right. Maybe. But I won’t let you have me this way. Not until I’ve exhausted every option I’ve got!”

She came in for another strike. This time, I met her eyes. I had her.
=
Genjutsu

The ground cracked below Azami’s feet, dropping her into a crater up to her waist. I stood above her, smiling nastily.

“Sorry to end it this way.”

I dropped a scroll made of exploding tags and walked away. The explosion went off. But I felt it…

That’s not right…in my genjutsu, I shouldn’t feel anything…She couldn‘t have…!

I felt a tug on my left arm. A black chain coiled itself around it, pulling my arm out from my body. I felt similar sensations against all my limbs. I fought against them, but I was trapped.

There was Azami, standing placidly in front of me.

“I keep telling you it’s hopeless. Why can’t you listen to reason? Do you not want to go with me that much?”

I tugged at the chains, trying to get at her. They creaked, but didn’t let me pass. “If I leave this village, it will be of my own volition!”

I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood.
End Genjutsu
--

I was still caught in her damn shadow trap, and I was running out of options.

There IS one more option…But I need time to prepare it. That means distracting her…From here, clones make sense. She’ll kill them quickly, but I just need a few seconds…

I let go of my handsign and performed the fastest Shadow Clone jutsu I could. I sank to my thighs as a result, but three clones made their appearance. They knew what to do. Normally, I joined them in this attack, but since I was unable, I used a third clone.

“Sickle Moon Dance!”

The three clones hit their top speed rapidly, changing direction and position constantly. Even those blessed with eyes like Sharingan had a difficult time keeping up with this jutsu.

Azami watched, apparently not fearing anything that could come of the attack.
“Fascinating. This speed is amazing. Remarkable. Especially for you. I’m guilty of underestimating you again, aren’t I?”

The clones had drawn swords. I myself used one hand to keep my handsign in place. The other hand was placed over my stomach. I made a pulling motion, and I felt my insides protest.

Azami batted the first clone aside with her fist; the second one received a dismissive kick. The third came from above, and he swung mightily with his sword. His sword bit into Azami’s forearm a little as she put it up to block. But that was it. Her fist had smacked him squarely in the stomach, destroying him.

“Fire Style: Dragon’s Ember Jutsu!”

A brilliant flash of fire emitted from behind Azami. She turned away from it, dodging to the side, barely getting her hair singed in the process. She smacked the clone in the face with an open palm to the nose.

“A fourth clone I didn’t see. You’re every bit the tactician I dreamed,” Azami stated calmly, licking the cut on her forearm. “Those extra months of training I allowed you were clearly well spent. I didn’t imagine I’d take any damage at all.”

Azami had every reason to be cocky. When she looked at Ryouko, she saw him sweating- horribly. Abnormally.

“Are you so scared? Don’t worry, I won’t kill you…”

Then she was blasted with hot air of a chakra unlike she’d ever felt. She could only cross her arms in front of her face and try to weather the surprise storm.

He’s sweating because of the pain? What did he just do? What could have changed him so much in just a few months?
--

Thinking back to an illustration I had done a couple years ago, I had always accepted that things would be hard for me in a way others could not understand.
The picture I drew, (or, rather, attempted to draw. My art skills are anemic, at best) was of myself in chains. Thick, black chains; unbreakable bonds. At the point where my despair hurt so much it could drive me to tears, I would look at this picture and remember that I was better off now than I was before. That there was hope.
Around my neck is a chain made of the word ‘anxiety’. It is the tightest chain; constantly constricting me. Even breathing is difficult.
Around my left arm is ‘self doubt’. What reason have I to trust myself?
Around my right arm is ‘medication’. I shouldn’t need it. Why can’t I stand on my own two feet?
My left leg is bound by ‘thoughts’. My constant thoughts that never seem to work. They hinder more than help.
My right leg is bound with ‘truth’. The facts of the matter as I see them; not necessarily the truth for anyone else.
Finally, around my stomach, there is a chain whose link is weakening. “Acceptance” is something I’ve felt in small quantities. The chain has loosened a little.

But it doesn’t matter Removing all these chains…is it possible? Do these ‘chains’ keep me from reaching my potential? Is it possible for me to exist at my optimum efficiency? They sound like mechanical thoughts. But they are my reality. Part of my reality.
The part of my reality I want to shatter into a million pieces.

But I can’t. What is the reality I MIGHT have is worse? So bound by the chains I stay, fighting them off a little at a time, hoping to find my answers on the way.

--

I yanked at my stomach, finally pulling out a length of black material. It looked like the wrapping on a sword. Inside me, it was wound around my tenketsu, restricting the flow of chakra. This had become necessary to control myself- I had advanced to ‘Ten no Kishootsu’ prematurely. My body wasn’t ready for the strain.
Now, in my hour of need, it would have to be.

I tugged the length of material out. It uncoiled, dropping into a pile at my feet. I felt my chakra surge, and some part of me registered it as four times my usual chakra.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment