It was odd how a place that was filled with tremendous amounts of life... could be so silent.
Alone in a forest is where Haruhi sat and waited on her sensei's return. Odd as it sounded, there were some things going on with Mika that the woman had not yet made Haru aware of, and thus the two of them were constanty on the move. She had been instructed to hide and wait for Hayashi-sensei's return, and though she had been gone longer than usual, the small genin didn't worry. In fact, as she sat, concealed beneath a thick stretch of bushes, the girl was almost falling asleep.
It had grown dark and still Mika haden't returned. Haruhi slept and then awoke in the morning, but still there was no sign of her sensei anywhere. She didn't dare get up and try to move. When Mika had left, she made it
clear that if Haruhi was found, bad things would happen. She had promised she would return, and so Haru waited.
It was impossible for her mind not to wander. The silence would have driven her mad if not for the ranting of random things in her head. Even Gobi was silent all this time. Haruhi never thought she would actually wish her beast would suck her in and have a conversation. It was even kind of odd that its presence seemed faint, as if she too was hiding from something.
It was during the time her mind was wandering that she randomly began to think about her goals and people who were important to her. People who she felt that changed her life just by meeting them. The image of her Mizukage flashed in her mind and she frowned. Thats right, Rika did have an impact on Haruhi. Even though she'd never admit it to anyone, there was already a place in her heart that had formed a bond with the woman. Thin and fragile as it was, it was still there, and it would be for as long as the girl lived.
(As a tribute to J8, I made it a goal to post this, even if I had no reason to. I came up with a reason. ^^ He will be missed by me!)
The final collaboration between J8cob and Shadowcatcher
Setting: Some time after the 5 Tails Sealing, Kirigakure, Mizukage Mansion.
Today was as foggy as any other day in Kirigakure. That is the reason it has its name. But unlike how today was a typical day, the Mizukage did not have typical plans. Ever since the sealing of her jinchuriki, she had been planning to train the girl. Of course her sensei will continue to train her, and likely do a good job. But good isn't good enough. Standing near the front door to her mansion, Rika sat in a chair rather patiently and quaintly. In fact, she wasn't even wearing her Mizukage robes. Instead, her clothing was far more casual, being only a white shirt and sweat pants. But she wasn't the one that was going to be trained. Rika let out a sigh as she propped her head up with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms, waiting for the girl to knock on the door. Not that Haruhi was late. Yet.
Haruhi was in fact on her way towards the Mizukage's Mansion, but just as always, she ended up being distracted by a few things along the way. Despite being woken up by Mika earlier and having enough time to eat, Haru found that her stomach was still rather empty. As a result, as she passed by a few early opening shops, she decided to buy some food for her and her Mizukage. She didn't have the slightest clue wether she'd arrive on time or not, but she hoped if things didn't go her way, that she could bribe the lady into letting her off easy with a freshly made Taiyaki to start the day. Soon enough, she made it to the Mansion and stood in front of the door, suddenly feeling a bit hesitant. Gathering up her courage, she reached out with a hand to knock a few times upon her door.
Upon hearing the knocks at the door, Rika looked over at the clock. Just a shade past nine. Forgivable. With a smile, the short woman hopped down from the chair and approached the door. Due to its size compared to her, she opened somewhat slowly. But surely enough, Haruhi was standing on the other side. "There you are," Rika greeted rather casually. Though her voice was as sweet as usual, the young Mizukage was a bit curious as to how Haruhi felt about her situation. But she knew better than to inquire. That was not the goal of the day. It was to instead get her trained. To ensure that she can not only defend herself, but be an asset. "Come in, come in. We'll start training in a few seconds in the garden out back." The small woman stepped out of the way, holding the door open for Haruhi. Though it wasn't like Rika took up that much room in the doorway anyways.
Haruhi quickly stepped inside as the door was held open for her, and when she did, she held out a small container that held her gift Taiyaki to the Mizukage. "Umm, I got this for you. It took everything in my power not to eat it so... if you want it, its yours." she said in a casual tone. Though being around the smaller woman made her feel uneasy, Haru did her best not to show it. Afterall, they were just going to train. Thank goodness because thats all she ever thought about doing nowadays. It was also a wonder to her why the Mizukage of all people would want to train Haruhi personally. That was just... odd. And after Mika having warned her about how sneaky she was, it was hard to believe the woman had no sneaky agenda behind all this.
As she closed the door, Rika was taken aback by the fact Haruhi bought her something. She paused for a moment, simply staring at the container in the girl's hand. As simple an act it was, Rika couldn't remember the last time anyone gave her anything. Granted, this was just food. But a minor detail in her head. The smile vanished for a moment as she reached out and took it, opening it up to examine what kind of food it was. "Oh." She looked at it for a moment before the smile returned. She used her other hand to remove the Taiyaki and immediately took a bite. "Why thank you, Haruhi," she said through a stuffed mouth, before she began walking across the mansion. After gulping down that bite, Rika let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Today we will start with the basics. I'm sure you're a little beyond that point, but I want to make sure you are trained right and will be strong on your own. After all, it's impossible to rely on the safety of others all the time." As she took another bite, she opened the back door. On the other side was a lush garden with a stone courtyard area and a pool. "How are you feeling this morning?" Rika added after swallowing her most recent bite.
For a moment Haruhi thought the woman wasent going to take it and had began to feel a bit embarassed, but after a long moment, she ended up taking it and chomping down on it. The sight was a sad one as Haruhi watched the lady eat the yummy treat. As the two moved towards the back door, Haru couldn't help but look around at everything. Things were so clean and pretty, and once the back door was opened Haru's eyes bulged out of her head at the sight of such an amazing garden. "There needs to be more places in the villiage that look like this." she said quietly as she took it all in. The Mizukage's next question barely registered, but Haru had heard it. "I'm feeling fine I suppose. I was out training late last night so i'm a little sore, but that means im doing some pretty good work, right?" she said proudly and smiling at the woman. Whenever Haruhi got to talk about training or getting stronger, her mood always brightened up. Unlike most, she enjoyed the tough training Mika set for her and it was always satisfying when she figured out how to do something new.
After finishing another bite, there wasn't much left of the taiyaki. With a smile, Rika faced Haruhi once they were standing in the central courtyard. "Being sore doesn't mean you did good work," Rika said, before finishing the taiyaki with one last bite. "It's if you feel accomplished or not afterwards." With that, she crouched down and gently set the empty container on the floor. In that same motion, she picked up a bamboo stick from the garden just off the stone. Clearly it was placed there beforehand. As she stood up to full height, she held the bamboo like a walking stick. "Alrighty," she began, her voice even more high-pitched than usual. "You're going to start off simple. First thing's first... You must learn how to breathe." Rika grinned as she let it sink in. "So... let's do some breathing exercises."
She held the bamboo with both hands horizontally now. Rather calmly, she took a breath in through her nose, before exhaling through her mouth. Usually her breathing was absolutely silent, but Rika exaggerated the sound so Haruhi could hear it as an example. With that, Rika looked back up to the girl. "Now close your eyes and keep breathing like that."
Haruhi looked at the woman for a long moment as if waiting for her to say a cute "Just kidding!~" but she didn't. Her shoulders visibly sagged and instead of groaning and complaining about doing something so boring, she decided to just follow instructions. Disobeying Mika got her a smack on the head, but who knew what this lady would do? "Fine. But i'm not gonna like it." she mumbled with a frown. Straightening her back and unslouching her shoulders, Haruhi closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose and then out through her mouth like she had been shown. She continued to do so and forced all of her absent thoughts away as she tried to concentrate on this single task.
As Haruhi continued the exercise, Rika began to pace in a circle around the girl. "Breathing the right way is important," she began lecturing. As she walked and talked, she also spun the bamboo stick around playfully. "It affects your stamina and how well you can think. If you don't have enough oxygen in a life or death situation, bad things can happen. And the best way to stay sharp and preserve your endurance? Breathing." With a giggle, she stopped in front of Haruhi. "Alright, I am now confident in your ability to breathe. We move on to the next task." Rika spun the bamboo around, pointing it at the nearby pool. "Now you must learn to walk."
To demonstrate, Rika walked over to the pool and stood next to the water. She was perfectly on the edge of the stones, as close as she could get to it. "You have to have the right form," she said, before walking along the edge of the pool. She held the bamboo stick horizontally again, helping her balance. Though after a few steps, she tossed it to Haruhi and continued as if she was walking regularly. Her balance wasn't upset in the least and she kept her form as she walked. Once she reached the edge, she turned around and faced the girl. "If you walk correctly everywhere you go, you can be training your balance and technique. It is also healthy to walk correctly. And frankly, any lady needs to learn to walk like a lady." With her last line, she giggled. But as soon as she finished, she pointed to the edge of the pool as a signal for Haruhi to try.
Haruhi caught the bamboo stick when it was tossed to her and she glared at the back of the woman. First breathing and now walking...? This isin't training... she grumbled in her head before listening to her words. When she signaled for her to try it, she marched over to the edge of the pool and stood there facing the Mizukage. "I really don't think there is anything wrong with the way I walk, ma'am." she added the last part in an attempt to not sound disrespectful as she spoke. Though looking down at her feet she wondered if there was some weird kind of trick to this and was suddenly worried she was going to mess up. Nah... I can do this. Its just walking."
With a sigh Haruhi started walking towards the woman at a slow pace. She did nothing different than she normally would, simply put one foot in front of the other until she made her way to the other side. It was odd that she had to do something so silly, so she deicided to ask "Mizukage-sama... are you giving me a paitence test or something?" she said with a slight pout on her face.
The Mizukage seemed surprised that Haruhi asked that question. "No no no," she said, putting her hands up defensively. "That comes later." She giggled again, before a serious expression appeared on her face. "I'm training you in the same way I was trained as a little girl. You may not reach my level with this training, but you will reach my standard by the time we are through." She left a pause after that, keeping her serious expression. Then her hands shot toward Haruhi's hips and adjusted them. "And you were walking all wrong." With that, she grabbed the girl by the shoulders and forced her to relax them a bit. "Your form was wrong. Walking like that is no good. You have to keep your poise. It may be difficult to balance it at first, but if you walk like so for the rest of your life, you will have pinnacle balance in any situation. You also didn't have much hip movement, so a stiff breeze could've probably pushed you into the pool. Try it again." With that, Rika withdrew her hands and the friendly smile returned. Almost as if she didn't just criticize the way Haruhi walks.
Haru turned around and was about to try it again, but didn't start walking right away. I will reach her standards... if I continue like this? She stayed silent for a moment and didn't start walking because she had something to say to that. "Mizukage-sama..." she started as she looked straight ahead of her. "I am happy that you've decided to train me, so don't take this the wrong way... but, I want you to promise me that everything you'll teach me will help me grow into someone who is worthy of being called a shinobi. I have goals, you know? And even though you have taken your valuable time to give to me, I want to make sure none of it goes to waste. If you can promise me that you wont waste any of our time together, I will promise you that I will not only live up to your standards, but I will also one day surpass you. Not because I want to, but because in order to protect everyone I care about, I have to." she turned around and looked at the woman then and waited for her response.
Her reaction was unexpected. Rika was a bit shorter than Haruhi and had to look up into her eyes, due to their proximity. It was clear that Haruhi didn't appreciate the basic training. Nobody would, not even Rika at this point in time. But it seemed to Rika that the girl didn't yet know the value of the training. The Mizukage looked her in the eyes, before letting out a sigh. "Of course everything I will teach you will make you grow," she said simply, closing her eyes and shrugging. "The only way our time can be wasted is if you goof around." She opened her eyes again and smiled this time. "I promise." She gave Haruhi the friendly smile for a brief moment. But the moment was only brief. "Now get walking and do it right this time."
With a smile and a nod Haruhi turned away from the woman and clenched her fists. "Okay! Then i'm gonna do my best! Hmm... walk like a lady." she thought for a moment back to what the woman had critisized her about. "Relaxed shoulders..." she said as she rolled her shoulders. "And... hip movement?" she did a little shake of her hips and then sighed. She was going to look like an idiot. Taking a deep breath, she started walking again taking it slow and being sure to add a little more 'hip' into her steps. At first it seemed weird and exaggerated but after turning and doing it again, it started to feel less silly and slightly more natural. "Heyy, I bet i can pick up cute boys by walking like this." when she stood in front of the woman she flipped her hair and winked. "What do you think?"
Rika brought a finger to the corner of her mouth as she thought. "I didn't teach you to walk like that for boys..." she mumbled to herself, before chuckling. "But whatever works, I guess." She brought her hands back to her sides now. "Just remember to keep walking like that where ever you go. You're already used to walking a particular way, so it may be difficult to remember. But trust me, it is worth the change." She held her hand out to get the bamboo stick back from Haruhi. "Once it becomes natural, you'll find yourself to have much better balance overall. Anyways, now that you can walk..." Rika tapped the bamboo stick against her head as she tried to remember what the next step was.
"Now that you can walk... I want to say we teach you to run... but there is no room here..." she thought about it for a second, once again tapping the stick against her own head. "So I guess we can cover running another time, as I don't feel like changing my clothes. So we skip that step and move on to the next one." Rika walked away from the poolside and sat down on the stone courtyard. She motioned for Haruhi to sit next to her. After taking a moment to cross her legs, Rika set the stick on her lap and held her hands out to the side with her elbows propped on her knees. "Now you learn how to focus." A sly grin formed on her face. "The ability to focus is crucial. When necessary, you will need to be able to focus on a sole objective while under many pressures. I can't really replicate such a situation, but I can get you started. So sit." Rika nodded with her head for the girl to sit next to her. "I want you to focus on one thing and one thing only. Something that isn't important. Something physical. Like... that white flower over there. Focus on that."
After lady-walking over to the Mizukage, Haruhi plopped down next to her and listened to her speak. This was finally something that made sence. Mika and Takeshi sensei both talked about focus at one point or another during trainings, so something like this would at least not be as boring. After matching the way the woman was sitting, she looked at the flower that she referred to and began her attempt to block out the other things her mind told her to focus on. The slight itch the grass caused on her legs, or the way the wind blew her hair and made her feel like a princess, those things and many others were soon pushed aside as she looked at the flower and began to focus on the details she could observe on it. After a few moments, her head tilted slightly and a stray thought crept into her head. "I bet that flower would look nice in Hayashi-sensei's hair." she said out loud without realizing it.
As soon as Haruhi finished speaking up, Rika let out a sigh. In the blink of an eye, she whipped the bamboo stick around and smached Haruhi in the back of the head. Not with particularly a lot of force, as Rika didn't want to break her neck, but enough power to more than just get her attention. "You lost your focus," Rika said, turning her head to face Haruhi. "You need to keep your focus. To take in what you are focusing on." Not waiting for her to defend herself, Rika gave her another whack. Though this time it was on the arm. "And you need to keep your focus through any lingering thoughts, through whatever your mood is, and through any pain you are in." To emphasize this, she whacked her again. On the same exact spot as her previous strike. "Focus on this flower for five minutes," Rika commanded, though she used her typical sing-songy voice. Then proceeded to smack Haruhi in the arm again, though in a different location on her upper arm.
The first wack to her head had made Haruhi let out a pathetic yelp of surprise. The other ones hurt and irritated her more than anything. Frowning as the woman kept wacking her on her arm, Haruhi ignored it and went back to focusing on the flower. She began to focus in stages much like the time before, and soon her focus was left only on the flower and the stinging on her arm. Pain was something Haru usually complained about, not ignored. So with plenty of effort she studied the flower, forcing herself to notice even the tiniest details.
The flower was white... and upon a closer look one could see that the white petals turned into a light pink as it receded into the center where the pollen was. There were three little yellow buds that poked out from it and as the wind blew, the enitre thing, from stem to petals, danced in harmony with one another. It was suddenly really fascinating and after a while, watching the flower dance in the wind was all Haruhi was doing.
Every few moments, Rika gave the girl a sharp whack in a various body part with the bamboo stick. But after the five minutes were up, she stopped and rested the stick on her shoulder. "So," Rika began, letting her voice trail off intentionally. "Let us see how well you did. Tell me... how many dark spots are on the flower? No looking now, look at me." The Mizukage chuckled a bit with her adendum, but the serious expression returned. "Prove to me you focused~" With that, she moved the bamboo stick from her shoulder and wielded it menacingly. It was clear that a wrong answer would result in a sharp whack. The question would be how hard.
Haruhi turned her head from the flower back to the face of the Mizukage and her eyes widened at the sudden random question. Was she even looking at the dark spots? "Ummm.... I think there were um..." she was trying to get the image of the flower in her head again as she seriously did not want to get wacked at again. "I'm going to say.... 22?" she said, not too confident in her answer.
Rika let out a sigh. There was a silence for a moment, before Rika wielded the stick in both hands and slammed it against the top of Haruhi's head. With enough force to crack the bamboo stick, even, as it now splintered where it impacted her skull. "You weren't focusing!" Rika let out. It may have been surprising to hear her raise her voice, though due to its natural pitch and sing-songy nature it wasn't exactly frightening. Rika withdrew the bamboo stick to examine the damage, but she continued speaking as she did so. "The number was twenty-three. A minor error, but an error nonetheless. So..." Rika set the stick down and began looking around the garden before her. It appeared that she didn't care if her attack damaged Haruhi too much. "That plant. I have no idea what it's called... a cactus? Yes. That small cactus." Rika motioned toward a small cactus with a pink flower on the top, sitting deeper into the garden. It was somewhat difficult to see with the other foliage in the way. "Focus on that."
Haruhi squealed and scooted away from the crazy lady weilding the bamboo stick, and as she held her head in her arms, she cursed at herself in her head. She was so close too... Glancing up at the woman, she was offended to see she seemed more interested in her broken stick of doom than in her student. How cruel... she thought as a few tears welled up in her eyes. Just like that however, she was on to something different and this time was instructed to look at a cactus instead of a flower. Sucking it up and scooting back over to the woman, she was determined not to make a mistake this time.
As her green eyes focused on the equally green plant, Haruhi was set on taking in as much detail as she could. She was not sure if she would be told to count the number of spines and bumps or be told to do something else, but this time she would be ready. "If I dont get it this time, hit me with an even bigger stick." she said as she began to focus on the plant.
The request surprised Rika. For a moment, she wondered why Haruhi would want that. If Rika hit her with an even bigger stick, she'd likely knock the girl out entirely. But nonetheless, Rika decided to take her up on that challenge. The young woman stood up, casually tossing the bamboo stick to the side without a care. When she returned from the depths of the garden a few moments later, she had another bamboo stick. This one was about as long, but notably thicker. She sat down next to Haruhi noiselessly, before looking up at the sky. "Alrighty then," she spoke up, twirling the stick around playfully. "You've been focusing on it for a few minutes. Did you actually focus? Let's see..." Rika brought the stick down to her lap as she thought of a way to quiz her. "First, look at me. Alright, good. How many ants were crawling in the flower on top of the... cactus? Cactus, yes."
Haruhi looked at the woman and recoiled when she saw the new stick she had aquired. Suddenly she broke out in a nervous sweat. "F....flower? What flower?" she asked, her voice suddenly sounding afraid. "Umm...8?" she guessed again. Rika let out another sigh, identical to the last time she hit Haruhi. And much like before, in a speed hard to see, she swung the stick around. However, this time she hit Haruhi in the small of her back. But the sound of the hit was a good hard "thwack." That would undoubtedly leave a large welt. "There were no ants," Rika said, letting out another sigh as she dropped the bamboo stick and leaned backwards. "There were no ants..." She then giggled a bit to herself. "Alright then. You seem to have focused a little too much, since you seemed to have failed to observe the flower growing on the cactus. So now..." Rika glanced to her left, then her right, then back at Haruhi. "Let's try it again. We'll have to work on this every time, but the next one will be the last focus test of the day. You see that peach tree? Focus."
"Aaah! Owie!" she yelled when she was hit in the back. She rose to her feet and started hopping a little as her hands fanned at the already red mark that formed there. She made a mental note to wear a shirt or something that covered that area next time because that stick hitting her skin was almost too much. It took her a bit longer to move past that pain but when she did she clenched her fists. "I'll get it this time for sure! If I dont, hit me in the same spot." she said as she carefully sat back down. She said nothing more and just glared at the peach tree that rose up above the pond. First it wasen't enough and then it was too much. How to find a balance then?" she thought to herself. She studied the tree for a moment longer and wondered which areas she could focus on. There was the roots and the trunk... then the leaves and flowers, and lastly the fruits on the tree and on the ground around it. How could she focus enough on three things at once then?
That was when Haru thought of a way she could make sure she didn't miss anything. She wondered if it would be cheating, but there werent really any rules here so she decided to just go with it. "Right. I'm ready this time. Make sure this question is really tough." she said just before making a seal and summoning two clones to assist her with her observations. They appeared on either side of her and had a rather bored look on their faces. Okay, each of us needs to focus on a different part of that peach tree and take in everything. Got that? Lets not get it wrong this time. she said in her head. This time she was going to get it right, she was sure of it.
When Haruhi suddenly spoke up and created some clones, Rika first looked shocked. Then she rather comically looked like she was about to burst into laughter. She put her right hand over her mouth in an effort to contain herself. Though she still let out a few chuckles unintentionally as she calmed herself back down. Once she stopped laughing, she took a deep breath and regained her calmness. Rika looked over at the peach tree for a few moments, before looking back at Haruhi. Since she made clones, Rika decided to compensate by reducing the time somewhat. "Alright, you've been focusing for a few minutes," Rika spoke up. Before she could continue, she started to laugh again. But after that passed, she cleared her throat and looked back at Haruhi. "How many peck marks are on the side of the trunk facing us?" She asked it rather quickly, making it clear she had the quiz question prepared this time. Already anticipating a wrong answer, Rika wielded the bamboo stick. When she had started to speak, Haruhi turned around and smiled up at her proudly as her clones poofed away. "That is a trick question! There weren't any peck holes on the part of the trunk facing us." she said very sure of herself. She raised a brow and waited, still a bit wary. The crazy lady could strike out at her at any time just for fun... or, Haruhi could be completely wrong.
The Mizukage thought about it for a moment. "Correct," she said, before carelessly tossing the bamboo stick backwards into the plants behind her. "There are no such marks. You paid attention. But do note that you still need to work on it. After all, you had a bit of assistance there..." Rika chuckled a bit to herself before bringing her finger to her lips again. "Let me think... oh, sorry for hitting you there. I may have whacked you a bit hard, but negative reinforcement, ya know. It works. But so does positive reinforcement." Rika jumped up to her feet and took a look around. "Not much else I can train you here... I guess I do have to change clothes..."
Haruhi stood and stretched and touched the sore spot on her back. "I dunno... for some reason, training like this seems to work best for me." she said looking at the other woman. She studied her for a bit and then asked "Is this the same way you were trained when you were younger? With the uh, negative reinforcement? If your Mizukage now then I guess it worked out alright." she added absently. Honestly, she didn't expect and answer to her question, more like just voicing her curiosity out loud. As she thought about it, one big downside to training someone like this was that they'd probably end up not liking their sensei after some time. Haruhi hoped that wouldn't happen to her.
Rika was about to walk away when Haruhi inquired if she was trained in the same way. She thought about it for a moment. Of course she was trained the same way. Just at a much, much younger age. And by her own father. And... "Yes, I was," Rika answered somewhat absent-mindedly. Without even realizing she did it, her left hand went to her cheek and started to rub it, almost as if she had just been hit in the face. After a moment of spacing out, she shook her head and looked back at Haruhi. "But I turned out... okay. I'm going to go put on clothes that I can be presentable in public with and feed my son, then we shall head out for your next step." Rika began walking back toward the Mansion, opening the door and leaving it for Haruhi. "The kitchen is to the left if you want something to drink." She pointed to the hallway that led to the kitchen without even turning to face Haruhi. With that bit to keep the girl occupied for a few minutes, Rika made her way to the lobby and climbed the stairs.
Kitchen!? "Yes!!" she said excitedly as she followed the woman inside. She had dissapeared up the stairs before Haru even thought about asking anything else, but she shrugged it off, figuring it was impolite to ask such questions anyway. As she entered the woman's kitchen, she skipped straight to the fridge and peered inside. Had her mouth been open, she was sure a waterfall of drool would have run out. For a moment she searched through the contents of the fridge for something to drink, and after deciding it was best to practice restraint in this moment, she grabbed some water and closed it back again.
I believe I just saw the door to heaven sensei!" she squealed as she mentally reached out to Mika. Unlike here, Mika had little variety in food other than noodles. Anything else Haruhi had to go out, buy, and prepare... which was fun, but also tedious. She left the kitchen in a hurry and sipped her water as she waited by the door, her thoughts drifting to more serious things.
After a few minutes, Rika appeared at the top of the stairs. Now she was wearing her usual wardrobe. Her combat clothes. "Alright... I am presentable now," she said with a chuckle. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was next to the coat rack that held the Mizukage Robes. Quickly she put them on, including the hat. "You have learned to walk and breathe and you are starting to learn how to focus. Now it is time to teach you to run and climb." Rika walked past Haruhi to the front door, opening it and motioning for her to exit. "Before you start to worry, you will not be running in a similar manner to how you walk. That form is only good for walking. It only hinders you running. So relax, but don't forget." Once they were outside, Rika stopped and looked around the street. There were a few people, as it was the middle of the day. But since most were working, there wasn't that many pedestrians. "Hmm... Considering Mika has been training you and you went through the Academy, you probably know how to run... Got it. Give me a demonstration. Run to the intersection and back," Rika told her, pointing to the side. Before Haruhi would start to run, Rika moved away from the doorway and onto the street, so she could have a clear view of the girl.
Not noticing the woman until she walked past Haruhi to the door, she was surprised to see that she had been talking all this time, but before she could ask what she previously said, she was led out the door and instructed to run. For once she felt confident about doing a task. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was running. "Okay! I'm super fast so make sure you keep your eyes on me and not the cute Jounin-sensei's okay?" she joked with a smile. She waited for a moment as she looked at the few people who were out walking about as she outlined a path in her head. A moment later she took off, heading straight towards the intersection while smiling like a little kid. Her arms and hair were out behind her and she giggled as the wind blasted her eyes.
"Cute jounin-sensei's?" Rika repeated in a confused tone. Considering the fact Haruhi didn't immediately recognize her as the Mizukage, it was safe to assume she didn't know much about Rika. Like the fact she has Hiroshi and even has a child with him. The thought of Haruhi's ignorance brought a smile to Rika's face. Perhaps it was a good thing to be ignorant. Then again... Rika let her train of thought end there as she brought her attention back to Haruhi. It seemed that she had the right form, so there was no real point in wasting time here. "Finally something the others did right," she mumbled aloud, in reference to everyone else that had trained her. As Haruhi returned, Rika chuckled to herself. "You run fine, Haruhi. Surprisingly," Rika congratulated when she got back, before giggling to herself. "Now you need to know how to navigate around your environment... vertically. You know how to climb with chakra, right? We aren't doing that."
The Mizukage turned around and pointed to the roof of the Mizukage Mansion. "Five seconds. You have five seconds to climb the building and get on the roof without using the Tree Climbing technique. Starting... now."
Her heart was beating hard when Haruhi got back to where the Mizukage stood and waited for her. Her compliment made Haruhi grin and give a thumbs up before she listened to the next task she was given. When she had said five seconds, Haruhi raised her brow. when she had said not to use the Tree Climbing technique, she started thinking of other ways to get to the roof. When she had said now, Haruhi was still entirely lost. Instead of standing there, she figured she'd give it a shot and jumped, reaching up for the nearest windowsill. It was then that Haruhi realized her upper arm strength was... nonexistant, and the five seconds had already passed by the time she pulled herself up. Frowning and then jumping down, she looked at the Mizukage. "I can't pull myself up that high in five seconds." she stated defeatedly. Stepping away, Haru covered her head with her hands in case she had a stick hidden in her robes.
Rika looked at the girl for a moment, before looking back at the building. "You're kinda built like me," Rika said first. "You're small." She walked past Haruhi and faced the building. "Relying on pure strength to accomplish something will never work. But it is good to have strength, don't get me wrong. But there are some crafty tricks to help girls like us~" Rika looked back at Haruhi with a smirk, before facing the mansion again. "Momentum." With that one word, Rika jumped toward the doorway in a flash. She almost entirely vanished from sight as she reached the top of the doorway. Using her right foot, she kicked off the top of the doorway, bouncing toward a window, before using her left foot to kick off the windowsill. And like that, she landed on the roof. Not even a full second. Rika adjusted her hat, before grinning down at Haruhi. "You need to learn to navigate, not just how to get where you want to go."
Haruhi watched with wide eyes as the woman swiftly hopped from the ground to the roof in only two steps. When she got to the top, Haruhi held a thumbs up towards her and smiled. "That was totally awesome! But... i dont think i'll be able to do it as fast as you." she said rubbing the back of her neck. She wasent feeling too confident, but that was not going to stop her from trying. Taking a few steps back, she looked up and went over the path again in her head. If she couldnt do it in the time she was assigned, at least she would focus on jsut getting it done. Once she got the hang of it, she'd be able to do it faster.
Running forward towards the door, she would jump and kick off with one foot like she saw the Mizukage had done and try to make it to the first windowsill. She made the leap, but her foot slipped and she nearly fell, but was able to grip the sides before she did. Sighing in relif, she looked up and did a leap for the roof but fell short and landed on her feet on the ground. Stomping in place for a moment, she looked back up at the woman and instead of saying anything, took a few steps back as she would try it again.
The Mizukage watched silently as Haruhi attempted to follow her path. But it seemed that she wasn't quite able to do so. Did she lack the leg strength or speed? Or was her balance not good enough to withstand a sudden change in direction? Rika pondered this as she sat down, letting her legs hang over the edge of the roof. "You need a bit more speed than that, sweetie," Rika advised. "Unless you have more muscle than you've been using so far, you're gonna need to be fast." With that last bit, Rika gave her a smile and waited again. Though the five second challenge still applied, Rika had the patience to let her take more attempts. Only if it was blatantly obvious that she couldn't get to the roof would she have to postpone this lesson. That would just lead into strength training, something that Mika likely gives her.
Haru nodded as she listened to her speak. There was no way she could suddenly aquire more strength in her legs, so that meant she had to be faster. Maybe she could send chakra to her feet as she ran forward and then stopped when she made the jump? That was within the rules right? Taking a few more step back, she made a seal with her hands and concentrated some chakra into her feet before she ran towards the door as fast as she could. She jumped and then let her flow of chakra return to normal as she kicked off from the door to the wondowsill. Her step landed better this time, but it was still not perfect, for when she turned, she felt her balance begin to waver a little. Crouching slightly as she jumped from the sill towards the roof, she reached out as she made it, but had half of her body handing off the side. Scrambling to pull herself up, Haru cursed out loud as she was still not satisfied with this attempt as well.
"Well," Rika spoke up with a chuckle. "Half of you made it in less than five seconds." Rika watched as Haruhi finished pulling herself up. "Don't beat yourself up over it too much. You will naturally get stronger and faster. Clearly you would be capable of getting on this roof by other means than climbing, but conserving your chakra is ideal if it is possible. No need to use Tree Climbing Technique when you can just use your own ability." With that brief lecture, Rika stood up to full height, as unimposing as that is. "I have one last objective for you today. Well, actually a few more..."
The Mizukage reached inside her robe and withdrew something. Something small enough to be concealed in her fist. "Think of it more like... homework, yes." Rika held her hand out to give whatever it was to Haruhi. "On top of walking correctly, to train your balance and form, you shall take care of this seed. To train your patience and responsibility." She flipped her hand over and opened it, revealing the tiny seed. "I won't tell you what kind of plant it is, you'll have to find out when it grows." A smile returned to her face now. "Got it?"
Haruhi accepted the seed and held it close to her face as she cradled it in her hand. It didn't look like anything special, but Haru had a feeling it was going to be the prettiest plant in the whole world. "I'll take care of it for sure! Then, i'll plant it and start my own garden that will look like yours one day." she said happily. Closing the seed in her fist and holding it there, she looked out upon the villiage from where she stood and took everything in. "All of these things are important huh? Balance and walking and patience... I thought that everything was just about being the strongest you can be. I never thought there were other things you had to focus on." she said absently.
The Mizukage pinched her cheeck once her hand holding the seed was free. "There is far more to it," she said rather simply, though it was also cheery. "The strength you talk about is a combination of all these things. Imagine it like... a pyramid. You need these bottom pieces to get the top. It sounds simple, and at your age perhaps a bit humiliating, but further down the road it will make the difference. Being able to stay balanced at all times will save your life. Being able to fight the extra five seconds that proper breathing will grant you will save your life." Rika looked up at Haruhi now, with a serious expression. "The combination of all these things will allow you to protect not only yourself, but those around you. To protect the village. You have a long way to go. But if you don't do it right, you will never get there." With those words of wisdom, Rika let out a sigh and sat back down. "How are you feeling after your first round of training?"
A pyramid huh... so I guess i'm at the bottom right now." with a sigh, Haruhi sat next to her as she thought about what the Mizukage had said. I guess that's okay. I dont see any reason to rush. Not looking at the woman, Haruhi answered her question while turning the see over in her hand. While i suppose im not used to this kind of training, it was less harsh than how Hayashi-sensei does things. It was also more strict than how Takeshi-sensei does things, but i've only just started with him two days ago... I feel like I have a bit more pressure to do well now that I have the three of you standing behind me and trying to help me get to where I want to go. But i suppose i'm not too worried about it. Even if I dont end up the strongest, I get to say I trained under the Mizukage and thats sure to make people run away." she said with a light laugh.
"If there is a scary side to you, I dont think I ever want to see it. Especially if you have acess to some kind of weapon, thats too dangerous." she said as she looked towards the woman. No, she didn't seem too scary, but Haruhi was most assuredly afraid of how strong this tiny lady really was. Though she stopped talking, there was something else Haruhi had on her mind in regards to recent events that happend to her.
Rika looked at Haruhi with a serious expression for a moment. There was almost a tension in the air. Then suddenly an exaggerated smile returned and Rika grabbed Haruhi by both her cheeks, stretching them out slightly. "You're just so cute," she exlaimed, before releasing Haruhi's face and laughing. After settling herself down, Rika wiped a tear from her eye and looked over the village. "You know..." Rika began, taking a notably different tone. Her sing-songy nature seemed to have vanished. "I have to give credit to your sensei. Not that she has trained you particularly well, but that she is smart. You had asked before why people were afraid of the Kage..." Rika looked back at Haruhi now. Both had green eyes, though of a slightly different shade. Rika's seemed darker. "How well versed are you in history? Surely you remember my predecessor, at the least."
"History..." Haruhi repeated quietly. "I will be honest and say history doesn't intrest me all that much. I know its important, but Hayashi-sensei likes to cram some in when she doesn't want to train me." she said with a scowl. "From what little I pieced together from what she has told me, it seems there was a problem with trust. Perhaps on both the Mizukage's side and everyone elses side as well. Like I said, I dont really know what happened, but it seems silly that everyone likes to bring up the past. I wish everyone would just shut up and talk about you or something. Your personality seems way more interesting anyways." she said. Though she tried not to sound bored, she hoped she could avoid a history lesson or else there was a risk she could fall asleep right here.
A slight smile formed on Rika's face for a moment. The way Haruhi could carry herself without any cares about the past. It made her a bit jealous. But the smile faded. "The reason I mention it is because history is the reason your sensei hates me." Rika let out a sigh, before glancing at Haruhi. Even when sitting, Haruhi was still taller than her. "What drove the wedge between us was when she found out you were to become a jinchuriki." With that, Rika looked away again. "She cares for you greatly, you know. You carry a heavy burden now, and she wanted to spare you from it. She said some regrettable things, and so did I. That is the distrust you have been feeling between us." The young Mizukage let out a sigh, before looking up at the grey sky. "You didn't have much of a choice, I know, but you've now stepped into a different part of the world. You've gone from the human side to the inhuman side. Just like I have."
"Except unlike me, you have human attachment." Rika tilted her head a bit to look at Haruhi again, though she was still leaned back. "People around you that don't want you to become just a weapon. I am one of them, but the foremost must be Mika. So make sure you listen to her and make sure she trains you. You need her training more than mine. I am training you to become a weapon. She is training you to be human." With all that off her chest, Rika sat upright. "Life is fun when you are young. But those days are almost over, Haruhi. You have a tough road ahead of you."
The womans words had a strong impact on Haruhi, but she didn't make any move to show she was litening or that she had even heard her. She too had some things she wanted to say, but instead, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I dont care if i am a human or a weapon. I'll be whatever I was meant to be, no matter what. Either way i'm still going to be Haruhi Suzumori... and that doesn't mean a whole lot to anyone right now. But, all this time I have just been wanting people to acknowledge my strength and now i'm worried that once people start to see me, they won't be able to see past what I've become. I dont want this thing to define me." she rambled on, not sure if she was even making any sense at all.
"I wonder if Mika- Hayashi-sensei didn't think I was strong enough to carry this 'burden' or whatever. Is it bad that the thought upsets me a little? That instead of trying to protect me, she should have just told me from the start? There is nothing I hate more than when people underestimate me, or think that just because i'm small and cute and blonde that I must be weak and fragile and stupid. Thats not true at all. I can handle anything the world wants to throw at me because I have people who have my back no matter what." she looked over at the Mizukage then. "So let the road be tough. And while im walking along that road, throw in whatever kind of obstacles you want because its not going to stop me." she looked back out towards the village and extended her fist. "I'm not going to give up just because things get hard. I wont stop training until the entire world knows who I am, and wont dare to hurt anyone I love. That is my ninja way."
The Mizukage looked at her shocked. "I see," she said rather simply, looking at the girl's fist now. "You have quite the resolve." She looked back at Haruhi's face now. I wonder how long that will last, she thought to herself, before looking back across the village. "Mika didn't tell you from the start because I ordered her not to. To keep the element of surprise. The world is yet to know you are a jinchuriki. Presently, if they were to find out, you would not be capable of defending yourself from potential kidnappers. Your military value is surely enough to tempt any should you be discovered. Even you weren't informed until the last minute to make it more difficult for you to be identified later. It is only a matter of time before it gets out that you are a jinchuriki. Forces stronger than your sensei alone will come, and I cannot watch you forever."
"You must become strong for yourself right now, before you start thinking about others. If you can't protect yourself, you won't be able to protect anyone else." Rika smiled after that. "But you seem willing to get there. The world is tough but you seem ready. Just make sure you don't forget what you wanted." The Mizukage adjusted her hat before letting out a dramatic sigh. "There will be a time when people will come to fear you. Just don't forget what you originally wanted and you'll do just fine. And of course, keep your training up. Oh, I almost forgot." Rika withdrew a small notepad and a pen from under her robe and began writing. "You need to eat healthy. I have no idea what your current diet is, but to stay in your best condition you'll want to eat something along these lines."
Haruhi nodded and lowered her fist, looking at the little seed inside once more. She said nothing more about the topic, but smiled at the woman as she told her to keep working hard. It was when she had said the word 'diet' that Haru's smile faded and she became worried. "Aw man, of all the things to change, why do I gotta stop eating what im eating?" she said in a whiny voice as she leaned over, curious to see what was being written on the notepad. Rika glanced up at Haruhi before chuckling. "You have to eat right to get the maximum energy with the minimum fat gain. So if you eat more than you burn off in training, it will go worse for you. And if you don't eat enough then your training will do poorly. In a nutshell, I don't want you getting fat or passing out in the middle of a training session." After her explanation, Rika giggled to herself. "So it's a balancing act... And this seems about right." Rika tore off the paper and handed it to Haruhi. "Meat and vegetables are the primary source, but you also need to eat some fish. You don't need any dairy or sweets, but once in a while doesn't hurt~"
Haruhi took the paper in her hands and read it over. From the looks of it, she just had to take out dairy and sweets from her current diet. The real trouble would be in the 'not eating too much' part of it. She looked down at herself then and poked her belly and thighs before frowning. "Hm... I guess i should try to eat a bit less. ... But i get hungry so often. What should I do when that happens?" she asked outloud as she poked her belly again. Looking over at the woman, Haruhi focused on her build this time. She did seem to be the perfect size. Not only was she petite, but she wasent chubby or too skinny. Just right.
"Well the whole idea of how much you eat is in proportion to how much energy you use," Rika tried to explain. "But if you're just hungry all the time, perhaps that is gluttony." The Mizukage brought a finger to her lips as she thought about it. "If you are hungry after working hard then it makes sense..." With that final though, she just shrugged. "I'm not going to force you to stick to the diet, but that is just my advice if you want the best results. Now then..." In a rather nonchalant fashion, Rika shoved off the roof, landing gracefully in front of the Mansion. "You are old enough to be responsible for yourself. Remember your homework. Once that plant is fully grown, I want to see it. I have no idea how long it will take, but I want to see it."
Haruhi looked down at the woman and wondered for a moment if she should follow. Aww... is the lesson over already?" she wondered in her head. After a bit of hesitation, Haruhi stood and hopped down as well, landing in a crouch. Not all graceful like. After standing up straight she asked "When is the next time we get to meet?" Not that this lesson was so thrilling, but Haruhi just enjoyed the company of the woman. No doubt she'd be pretty busy doing what Mizukages do. ...What does she do all day? she wondered in her head.
Rika adjusted her hair, and then her hat. "Two days," she said rather simply. "I want to see if you will progress on your own. Though, it is likely you will train with your sensei in that time. But any improvement is improvement." The young woman removed her hat and held it to her side as she walked back to her door. "We will start with navigating next time, and then work our way up. Once your basics are covered, I can train you in combat." The Mizukage stopped at the door and faced Haruhi. "I suppose you aren't bad by the normal standards. But you don't get to live by the normal standards anymore because you aren't normal anymore. Good isn't going to be good enough. You understand what I'm saying?" Rika raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip, though her smirk was still there.
"Two days." she repeated. That was actually sooner than she expected. Haruhi turned and looked at the woman standing in her doorway and nodded when she asked if she understood. "In two days time, i'll be a pro walker and i'll be better with my climbing and focusing. No doubt about it!" she said confidently with a little hop. If fact, Haruhi planned to go and practice those things right away. With a wave, Haru turned around and skipped off down the road, intending to go scrape up Takeshi sensei and force him out of a nap he was probably taking. She looked behind her and waved again, yelling "Bye bye Mizukage-sama!"
Haruhi sighed as her memories ended there. Unfortunately, upon the two of them having ended up needing to do some things that were priority, they didn't have a second chance to meet after that. Though Haruhi had never forgotten anything Rika had told her to do. The way she walked now was no longer the straight rigid way she did before, but the way she was taught. She didn't even have to think about it now. Times like this were she was alone with her eyes closed, lost in thought, she would simply breathe and achieve a calm she usually never did. Instead of focusing on the brute strength she didn't even have, she used her agility when training and conserved as much chakra as she could.
And there was something else she did now every day...
Moving silently, Haruhi would retrieve a scroll from her hip pouch and silently undo the seal. A cloud of smoke would appear and when it cleared, a small flower pot with a single thin plant would be revealed. It was thin like a blade of grass with two tiny leaves coming from the top. It was as deep a green as the eyes Haruhi used to look at it with, and it brought a smile to her face.
she thought as she also retrieved a small water container. After taking a long drink, she would pour the rest of the water over the plant before leaning back and letting out a sigh.
she paused as though she would actually get an answer, but she knew she wouldn't like all the other times.
she paused.
She yawned then as she began to grow tierd of talking to herself.
