A new day (training)

Baenlin was determined to turn over a new leaf after the dream he had after his last training session. He saw everything that had happened in it as his mind’s way of embodying the resentment he had started to feel towards the village. He knew that had to change or that dream might some day become a reality, no matter how much he wanted otherwise. So Baenlin had decided to take a day to do as he use to and just help the villagers that he once did. He wouldn’t do it for money this time, it would simply be to go out and make the village as best as he could in his own small way.


So, Baenlin made himself have only the best mind set towards the village and his own intentions for it when he hopped out of his new bed this morning. In an attempt to increase his tie to the village, Baenlin had rented a flat. He had just moved in the night before, which had not taken long seeing as how he had little in the way of belongings, but it already felt oddly comforting to Baenlin to have an actual home to call his own. It was also his first time sleeping in an actual bed since he had left the orphanage, so he was surprised by how refreshed he felt in the morning. He went through his customary stretches without really feeling as though he actually needed them. Then he showered, cleaned himself up and then headed out of the door. He did a complete lap around the village, taking care to observe everything he could on his way and marking what places seemed as though might need some work done. He paid special attention to those he had seen in his dreams...


Before any of that though, Baenlin made for Miss Hinaimara’s ramen shop. She and her daughter both were excited to see him. Miss Hinaimara was a widow and her daughter, Jiana, was her only child. She was only nine and looked at Baenlin as she would an older brother. This all did not keep Baenlin from recieving a mild scolding as he walked in for breakfast. He stood there, knowing he had earned the entire speech coming at him simultaneously from both the woman and the girl. After they finally lost some momentum, Baenlin gave his most sincere apology and promised to not make the mistake of not coming around like he should again. They eventually accepted his apology and then asked for breakfast. This surprised both the girl and the woman enough that all they could do for a moment was stare at Baenlin, and then laugh. Baenlin joined them in the kitchen, hoping to learn more about cooking since he now had a kitchen of his own. As he tried to learn the mysteries of the kitchen, Miss Hinaimara and Jiana began shooting questions at Baenlin about what he had been doing for the last few months and how it was to be a ninja. Baenlin mostly evaded the questions and only told him about his missions, and tried as much as he could to turn the conversation back towards talking about the two girls. Eventually they aloud him to move the conversation that way and were distracted by making his steamed rice, miso soup and tamagoyaki. Baenlin had trouble with learning the process of making the foods, but he promised he would return to continue learning. This made both of the girls happier than Baenlin had expected, but they had to sit him down quickly once his meal was prepared because they got a rush of business. Baenlin ate his meal and talked to Jiana when she was able to between attending tables, but Baenlin eventually had to go. He said his goodbyes to a very busy Miss Hanaimara and Jiana, and then left to find those that seemed to need help.


His first stop was old Mr. Hadiki. Baenlin had always liked the man, despite his irrascable manner. He was a now retired shinobi. From what Baenlin understood, he had never been very powerful, but he was a subtle man and had once been Kumogakure’s top infiltration shinobi as far as public records had been concerned. Baenlin liked the old man mainly because of the stories you were likely to hear. He never said them in whole, leaving out many details, but he had a way of telling enough of the past to allow those that could read between the lines to get the picture. Baenlin had often believed he did it to test Baenlin when he was around, but he probably did that with everyone he talked with, as few of those that there were. The main thing that made his stories believable though was the simple fact that he was a retired ninja, and a shinobi have to very skilled to reach that age in their life. Today, though, the old man was not as talkative as he normally was. In fact, once Baenlin made his offer and it was agreed that Baenlin would simply dust the old man’s house, Mr. Hadiki did not say a word. He just stood there, supported by his crutch, and watched Baenlin. It was uncommon for Baenlin to feel uncomfortable when someone watched him like this, but it simply felt invasive while Mr. Hadiki looked at him like that. It was like he could see inside of Baenlin’s soul and dig around inside of it, uncovering all of his secrets, something that Baenlin really did not want. Baenlin finished his work there as fast as he could and left. Still the old man said nothing to him, and it was obvious that he was displeased about something. Baenlin left that house with a slight shudder going down his spine.


Baenlin went on to other people’s houses and business, offering his assistance where he could. He did his best to put old man Hadiki out of his mind as well as the dream he had had, and it helped to make the next few hours much more pleasant. It was more like a series of reunions for Baenlin rather than working. Each new chore he dedicated himself to came with humor filled banter and care filled exchange of resent events in each parties life. All in all it was one of the best days that Baenlin could ever remember having.


It was closing on nightfall as Baenlin started to head home. He was perfectly content with how today’s endeavor had turned out and he told himself that he would continue to do this as often as he would allow, that it was good for both himself and the village. He did not need to be a great shinobi to influence the world in the way he wanted to. He would change it one person at a time, one job at a time, one conversation at a time...one life at a time. Maybe that was the way to life life without the drag that his life had been for the last several months.


"You would walk into a while if it did not have a shadow," called a woman’s voice, shocking Baenlin out of his thinking. He was completely surprised to find that Miss Takamira was leaning against a wall a little further up the path that he was walking. It also took him a moment to realize that the wall was the very one that separated Miss Takamira’s house from the rest of the village. He had been turned inward as he walked and had not even realized he had come this way. Now he was caught somewhere between excitement and dread. He was always excited when he got to see Takamira, but the bloody image of her lying dying on the ground at his feet after his katana had bee driven through her flesh forced it’s way to the fore in his mind when he saw her this time. Baenlin did he best to again repress his emotions behind a mask of indifference, but Miss Takamira must has seen through it.

"Baenlin," she called with a slight look of surprise."what is wrong with you? You are looking at me like I was a witch."


Baenlin reinforced his passive face and replied, "Maybe I would not be so far off the mark if that was true," he said with just enough sarcasm in his voice to let his former sensei know that he was picking on her.


"So mean," she replied with her tongue poking out at Baenlin slightly. Damn, Baenlin thought, she still makes me feel odd when she flirts like that. "So what are you doing?"


"I was heading home," then Baenlin stopped and smiled and said "but I somehow believe that that plan is not going to pan out now, is it?"


Miss Takamira giggled slightly at this and said "Maybe. It has been some time since we have talked has it not? Would you mind coming in?" Again, she was flirtatious, but this sounded so much more inappropriate than her normal tone. She was trying to set Baenlin of center again, and he knew this, but he could do nothing about it.


"Errrrrr, are you sure that that is proper, sensei?" Baenlin said in a shaky voice.


Miss Takamira just giggled again and said " Of course. It is not like I am trying to make you do anything you do not want to do." She said the last few words so slowly and with so much emphasis that they again sounded provacative. Baenlin told himself that following her would be a bad idea, but he found himself in her wake, passing the gate through the wall that lead to the front of her home. As much as he had tried to fight it, Baenlin found his eyes drawn to her form following the outline of her as if she was a work of art. He did not know what was wrong with him, he had never had such thoughts about anyone, and no one made him feel as uncomfortable has Takamira sensei did. Despite all that though, he happily followed her. She did not, however, walk in to her house. Instead, she led Baenlin about the side and to the rear of her home, where they used to train in his days at the academy. This almost immediately made Baenlin more comfortable. Takamira sensei had always seemed a little flirty, but here so had always made training her priority and had always acted professional.


"Is this what you wanted all along?" Baenlin asked her as they came to their once customary starting point.


"Why, yes," she responded "what did you think I had in mind?" her face completely serious as she spun on her heel and looked Baenlin straight in the eye. Her continuous change in mood were meant to put Baenlin off, but it was only her flirty side that truly bothered him and she knew it.


"Well, Sensei, you do have a way off coming off as..." he started, but his sentence was cut off as Miss Takamira body flickered so that she was right in Baenlin’s face. She then stiff armed him so hard in the chest that he was knocked back several yards and into the pond she kept in her yard. He skipped across the water a few times before getting his feet back under him, but even as he did a good portion of the pond itself came up and hammered Baenlin under the water of the pond. Immediately the pond started to rotate an drag him under. No matter how hard he tried to resist he just could not make his way to the surface. All he could do is hold his breath and hope the drag would give way. It took a few moments to realize that ponds were not usually this deep. In fact, he still had not seen the bottom of it, it just kept going. Baenlin then realized that this was a tunnel, possibly an escape route for Takamira if she so needed one. That gave Baenlin some hope since this was meant to save a life, but Baenlin still had no idea how long the tunnel was. For all he knew his sensei turned attacker had far more stamina than he did. Eventually, however, the tunnel ended and joined what seemed to be an underwater river. Baenlin managed to get enough breathes in to keep himself alive, but the water was very rough and it kept pushing him under. The ride down the river battered him and he constantly felt like he might pass out, but he came out of it too in time. The river ended in a waterfall that fell thirty feet before landing in a lake. Baenlin managed to think of the fact that the only lake of this size that he could have got to in the short amount of time he had been in the tunnel and river was all the way at the foot at the mountain. Then he had to focus his chakra at the bottom of his feet so as not to fall under the surface of the lake. There he crouched and took a few moments to catch his breath and started to consider why Miss Takamira had attacked him like this.


Baenlin had only a few moments to think in that direction though. After a few moments he realized that the waterfall had stopped completely. Curious, he turned towards and waited to see what would happen. He felt a shiver in the water beneath his feet, which was followed by a massive jet of water spewing right at him from where the waterfall came out of the cliff face behind him. He was forced to jump straight up to avoid the pressure from the tons of water he had aimed at him. As expect, it left an opening that his sensei took advantage of when she threw six kunai at him from the tip of the massive jet of water. Baenlin responded by throwing threw kunai with his right hand to intercept half of the kunai, and at the same time he drew his katana to parry the other three. Baenlin landed on the trunk of a tree nearby just as the jet of watered turned back his way. As he landed he stabbed his katana into the trunk of the tree and then formed the hand seals for his Lightning Release: Flight of Screeching Eagles. The three bolts screeched towards the tip of the jet of water too fast for it to change direction again so soon. To keep from being electrocuted Miss Takamira jumped out of the jet just before it made contact with Baenlin’s bolts. In mid air, though, she made the hand seals for another jutsu and a split second later another, much smaller jet came straight at Baenlin. He managed to dodge, but the jet pierced completely through the tree where he had been standing. Had it managed to hit him...


Baenlin landed and immediately readied himself for another attack. Instead he saw Miss Takamira simply staring at him, sizing him up, and looking a little sad. No matter what face she puts on, Baenlin told himself, do not drop your guard. After a few moments she sighed, closed her eyes and started forming hand seals. In response Baenlin activated both his Lightning Release: Full Body Current and his Lightning Release: Mark I at the same time and attempted to reach her before she could finish her jutus, but as Baenlin started to move she sped up her hand seals, finishing with her fingers inter-twinned. Then she drew her head back while taking a deep inhale of breath and followed it by releasing a less focused jet of water that was loaded with lightning natured chakra. Baenlin was easily able to dodge it with his increased speed and he used the chance to come around Miss Takamira’s side and hit her in the temple with the butt of his katana. Baenlin had thought he had won when she collapsed to the ground, but her only splashed in different directions as water when it hit the ground. Baenlin cursed at himself for being fooled by the water clone jutsu and cursed again as he heard a chirping sound coming from above that told him that another lightning attack was coming from above. With every solid surface around being completely soaked, Baenlin would not be able to dodge the attack completely, so instead he spun around and thrust his hand above him, while at the same time creating the rasengan in that hand. He had only a moment to see Miss Takamira careening his way with a mass of lightning chakra concentrated in her hand which was aimed down right at him. He met that lightning with his rasengan with a yell which could only have come from the soul. He and Miss Takamira stared deep into each others eyes for a moment as the two jutsu met. He saw something odd there...relief was the only word that came to Baenlin’s mind. Then there was a flash of light and pain that felt as though every inch of his body had taken a massive punch all at once...then he knew nothing.


Baenlin awoke, by what he could figure from what he could read in the night sky, several hours later. His first impression was that he was laying on stone. The next was there there was a fire nearby and that it was being tended even as he woke. He looked over in the direction from where the fire’s warmth was coming from only to see Miss Takamira stirring it’s coals with a long stick. Baenlin immediately started and attempted to rise to protect himself, but his entire body screamed with pain and he could not help but moan. This got Miss Takamira’s attention and she immediately jumped up and ran over to Baenlin with a small satchel and a jug of water. She said something to Baenlin which he did not catch in his fit of pain, and then felt his mouth being forced open and something being put inside of it only to be washed down with some water. It was a few minutes more before he could really focus, but eventually his pain completely fell away from his body and he could focus on Miss Takamira’s face looking down at him slightly worried but with also a slight smile on her face.


"How do you feel?" she asked.


"The pain in my body is gone...but not all pain is physical." Miss Takamira turned her eyes away from Baenlin’s at that.


"I’m sorry about that. I had heard some troublesome things from Elder Hadiki..."


"I did notice that he was watching rather closely..."


"Yes. He sensed something about you that alarmed him. I learned a long time ago that it is not wise to ignore that old man’s feelings."


"So...you almost killed me over an odd feeling?"


Miss Takamira giggled slightly and said "Nonsense. If I truly wanted you dead there are far more...subtle ways to go about it than our little tiff we had earlier. No, i was getting a better sense of you. That, and I wanted to see the progress my favorite pupil has made." she said with a sincere smile.


"That is all well and good, but was all this really needed? I really like I have been beaten with a brick stick. Or, at least I did."


"That is why I brought the medicine and first aid, dummy." she replied with a somewhat mocking half smile. Baenlin could not help but feel slightly more cheerful at that face. Then the smile faded away and she asked, "Baenlin, were you thinking of leaving the village." This shocked Baenlin. That the old man had perceived so much shook and irritated Baenlin, and he could not meet his sensei’s eyes as he answered.


"Yes...the thought has been becoming prevalent in my mind..."


"Why?" she asked intently, but with no sense of judgement. Baenlin went on to explain the mounting frustration that had been building up inside of in over the last few months over his issues with the village. He told her of the numerous hours of solo training due to the laziness he saw in most of the ninja in the village. He spoke of his frustration over have to take orders from a kage that seemingly did not care. He spoke of his thus far failed attempts at joining a team to help the village more. He spoke of having hit a plateau in his strength here in the village. And lastly he spoke of the dream...and he told her all of it. That that was the reason he was out doing what he had been that day. Baenlin had never talked to anyone this way...but he had to admit to himself that there was no time that he had needed the talk more. The entire time sensei Takamira just sat silently and listened until he had come to a complete stop, and even then it was still some time before she deemed to comment.


"Baenlin...leaving will fix nothing. You know this. You have always wanted to improve things for everyone after your own fashion. Who benefits from you giving up only because others have?" Her observation shamed Baenlin. He had been so wrapped up in himself that he had never considered the point she had made.


"Maybe you are right, sensei. It is just that...I am tired of being alone sensei. The saving grace of this village is that there have been some that show me some kindness. I do not want to keep having to chase happiness. For once I would just like to exist in happiness. I am tired of being alone!" Baenlin finished with a yell and a flare of accidentally released chakra that sent lightning racing across his body. Baenlin started to cry in his rage and loneliness. It had only just started as he felt a light kiss upon his cheek and realized that Miss Takamira was settling herself down next to him and, in fact, had her head on his shoulder and an arm across his chest.


"Miss Taka..." Baenlin began, but she silenced him with a kiss that found his lips this time.


"My name is Ininia," she said after she pulled away "and you do not have to be alone, Baenlin." She then pulled him closer and after a time he did the same to her, and they passed the rest of the nigh in silence and did not stir again until the sun was on the rise.

(WC=3830, 19 stats, 38 JP)

Approved for the appropriate rewards