Huzzah for people who are too impatient for their own good! Ahhaha. So yeah. I have basically been surviving on mini-me-freezies for the last few days because the meds my doc gave me for the virus and ear infection and horrible cough I am suffering isnt working... Haha. Oh well. This time I asked Arramel and she said I could put this one up ^_^ and before we go on with the story I wanna give a shout out to XxXAlways-a-DreamerXxX who has reviewed ever single chapter! Your my favorite! ^_^ Apparently there's something wrong with the review thing... Ya'll can send us a pm :P Anyways. On to the story now!
---- Chapter 4 ----
"Uhh, okay . . ." I responded, slipping it into my pocket. What a curious man . . . I became aware that the guards were buzzing with their own conversations, and smiled. This walk felt good. I couldn't wait to stop so I could train again. It was hard to train in my room and impossible when my dad wanted a living statue to stand at his side and look pretty. Not that I did much there, but I could try.
We continued to walk in silence, though he stayed at my side. I listened to the guards chatter with a faint smile on my face. The sun warmed my skin contrary to my father's wishes that I be pale. The only thing he got in my appearance that he wanted was blond hair and blue eyes. He wanted me to be tiny, short, pale, and graceful. Instead, I almost rivalled him in height by now, and packed muscles. I was slim enough I supposed, but it was the slimness of being fit, not soft. As for graceful, well, not even my teachers could pound that into me. Sure I could walk like a lady, but I just looked silly while doing it. No, I didn't reach my father's expectations at all. Now that I was 18, he was having serious trouble finding me a marriage prospect. No man wanted a wife who was taller than him.
The only men in my life that I had met that were taller than me was Rowan, my father, and now this Kakashi. I sighed, no, marriage did not look good. I glanced over a Kakashi, to notice him reading a book that looked a lot like the one he loaned me, and chuckled a little.
It was not long before the warmth and tranquility had me under its spell. Not that I stopped paying attention to my surroundings in case enemies were lurking but, I could stop thinking. Everything that was one my mind faded away and I just enjoyed the moment, the feeling of being nothing more than Jo, warrior in training. We would stop just before sundown, so I could train while the other's relaxed and set up camp.
I readied myself when we began to slow down. We would enter the forest, and set up camp. Lady Jowen would sleep in the wooden litter she was in, and the rest of us would be set up in protective-formation around it. Jo would sleep with the rest of the guard, in the main tent around the litter. Sentries would disperse as the guards set up the tent, and I would go with them, then find a clearing to train. Rowan would oversee the set-up of camp, and make supper. Lady Jowen would receive special rations, which would be left inside the compartment in the litter so I could snack on it later.
We got to the clearing, and began to set up. Kakashi disappeared at this point, and I found myself a small clearing, then set to work. I centered myself, remembering everything I had read in father's manuscripts. A warrior must empty her mind; empty it of passion, of anger, of any emotion. She must become as thoughtless as the blade she wields, sharpen her thoughts like weapons and think only of the battle on hand. I was ready for my training.
In my mind, I saw the enemies I was to fight, so I closed my eyes and focused on them. I had memorized the terrain of the clearing the moment I had entered it, so that became the layout of my battle. Trees became my stand in enemies, so that any time I connected with the enemy, he was in front of a tree, and therefore, felt the impact of my blow reverberate through my body. That way I could judge what force I was using. I didn't fight with my full potential, because I would end up breaking my hand when I hit the tree. I learned when I was younger that the tree almost always wins.
In my mind, an enemy took a stab at me, and I weaved around him catching a branch in a lock and snapping his elbow. They were coming faster, and I 'saw' their leader issuing orders at the other side of the clearing. I stepped off one tree, and pushed off another twirling towards him. I threw my knives at enemies around the clearing, and rolled when I hit the ground, coming up right in front of the 'boss'. I twirled more knives out of their sheaths, and gripped the smaller blade between the fingers of my right hand so I could still punch. The other, I clashed with his weapon, and held it off, thrusting my dagger-fist into his ribcage with a fierce punch. My dagger got caught deep in his body, and the enemies around me were swarming in too fast for me to take the time to pull it out. I left it and defended myself from their attacks with my last dagger, lashing out at any opportunity they gave me. When they were dead, I stopped moving so fast, and opened my eyes.
Knives were embedded into the earth and trees around the clearing, not one of them having missed its mark. I had remembered the layout so perfectly, just from that one glance, and every single one of my attacks had made their mark on the surroundings. Bits of bark crumbled down from tree trunks where my fists had connected, and there were fresh cuts in every single tree. I bent down, and started collecting up my weapons.
What? I heard the swish of a knife's release from someone's hand, and whipped around tossing my own dagger into the projectile's path. It fell uselessly, and I immediately crouched, ready for the next blow. That weapon had been aimed at me. I blinked in surprise when I recognized the weapon as a kunai knife. Ninja? But where?
...
So thats all for now. Just warning ya'll that Arramel only has till chapter 6 typed up. And thats an aweful short one. So maybe ya'll hit that little review button (if it works, otherwise hit the pm one ;) ) and tell her how much you love the story. Cause I havent read anything new from her for far too long! :P Anyways. I'm off. *ninja poofs away*
- Jowen & Arramel
