Chapter 11: Team 17 meets Team 8
"So do you think those three chicks are as dangerous as Shikamaru says they are?" Inuzuka Kiba said as he leaned against a tree with his hands behind his head.
Akamaru was resting comfortably next to his partner as relaxed as Kiba himself was, while Shino stood on the right side of a nearby tree hidden somewhat by a shadow,
"Judging from Shikamaru's concern I'd say they'd have to be, maybe better even… of course that's not taking into account that this could very well be one of his pranks. He has matured in the past few years, but he still engages in his old activities quite frequently when not assigned work." Shino Aburame offered.
Kiba scratched at an itchy spot behind his ear,
"We'll I guess we'll find out soon enough, they should be here at any moment."
"Indeed." Shino said as the wind picked up briefly.
A few minutes later Hinata led the three kunoichi to the designated practice area. Raiku, the leader of the group, was yawning as she walked, her whole body practically screaming her fatigue. She had never been what one would call a morning person. Rinku, however, was looking exceptionally energetic, and Miku looked as calm and composed as if she had just had a refreshing nap in the middle of the day, rather than rising from a full nights sleep.
When the three girls arrived Kiba instantly jumped up on to his feet and walked towards them. Akamaru was in the lead, already sniffing at the new comers as Raiku wrinkled her nose and attempted to shoo him over to Rinku, who had gotten on one knee to get more level with him. Raiku eyed the dog suspiciously as Miku paid attention to Hinata's introduction.
Hinata was very polite in her introductions, but when she was finished she was surprised at how tense the area seemed to get. Raiku was standing in a defensive position across from a glaring Kiba and growling Akamaru, while Rinku and Shino seemed to be eyeing each other suspiciously.
Miku merely shook her head and gently pulled Hinata a good twenty feet from them before she helped the girl set up the picnic,
"Don't bother about them Hinata, trust me they have to do this or they feel weak… I don't know why, but they seem to have major dominance issues."
Hinata blinked and tilted her head before taking out some bentos from the basket and setting them down,
"Kiba is somewhat like that himself, and Shino just doesn't like to be left out of things… so I suppose it can't be helped though that seems quite sad," She took out some cups as they both sat down indianstyle on the blanket, "would you like some tea Miku-chan?"
Miku smiled at her and nodded gently,
"That sounds like a lovely idea."
So Miku and Hinata drank tea while watching as the four others squared off to fight. Up above a single hawk circled.
Now Kiba wasn't too fond of the idea of fighting a girl, but ever since Shikamaru had challenged his manhood by implying that he couldn't beat one, he'd known that this was coming. He had however, wondered which one that he was going to take on but once the meeting happened he knew the one he had to fight. Rinku had been instantly nice to Akamaru, and Miku had opted not to fight, so the only one left for him to take down was the one that smelled of feline. Though she obviously wasn't a cat, since Kiba could see that for himself, Raiku had the smell of a cat lover. That was precisely why Akamaru was growling and would explain why the girl hadn't been quick to coo at his best bud, or run away.
Raiku herself, though she did not have the powerful sense of smell that Kiba had, could tell right away that out of the two men standing in front of her when she was introduced, this Kiba was the most chauvinistic. While Rinku was happy with fighting just about anybody, Raiku tended to be more selective when there were one or two to choose from… but that didn't stop her from fighting unnecessary fights anyway. Not only that but this Kiba had a very large dog and Raiku was most definitely a cat person. She was happy that she was going to be able to fight two against one. She liked it when it was more interesting. To begin with she wouldn't call her summoning animal, not unless it was absolutely necessary. She'd try her own way first. Raiku often had a system starting with Taijitsu and ending with the more powerful stuff only when necessary.
Next to them Shino and Rinku were having their own thoughts about the fight. Shino instantly knew his opponent the minute the other two had squared off. He was interested in fighting with the young woman. Shino was not the type to discriminate based on gender in any fashion. He figured if she had decided to become a ninja than she had ceased to be a regular woman. It was obvious to him, even as a child, that he was going to have to fight against women in the shinobi world, especially because 1/3 of the ninja population consisted of kunoichi. They had chosen this kind of fate, and they were equal in his eyes. For this reason he took every opponent seriously. He wanted to fight her because she was good, not for anything more, nor anything less.
Rinku, similarly, was not in it for any kind of justice or pride purposes at the current moment. She had picked Shino because he was the one who was left when Raiku had instantly chosen hers… plus she didn't particularly want to have to fight the dog. The bugs were a different story. While Raiku had always tried to run around setting bugs free and whatnot, Rinku had always gone for killing them any time they dared enter her space. She'd spotted the bugs and was ready to squash them if they got to close. Nothing personal against Shino, but he had decided to go against her so his buddies were just going to have to pay the price.
Raiku had a mischievous grin on her face as she said, "Miku."
Miku sighed from her comfortable spot before shaking her head and saying,
"Not this time Raiku-sama it's a friendly fight and you should learn how to judge it for yourself anyway. I might not always be there to tell you."
Kiba made a confused face and Raiku sighed,
"Your right, your right, I'll figure it out myself."
Rinku grinned as she threw the first punch on her end, and Shino stepped back as it ripped through his bug made defense, "It's more fun that way anyway nii-chan."
Shino immediately retaliated and the two were set. Meanwhile neither Kiba, nor Raiku had moved to attack yet, both watching for the others first move until Kiba said,
"Whatcha waitin' for? Ladies first."
Raiku smiled at that though it was too big of a smile to be of a comfort,
"Don't mind if I do." She commented before dropping down for a sweeping kick, which Kiba jumped, and caused Akamaru to attack.
Raiku laughed a little as she jumped up and did a back flip landing behind Akamaru and sending him flying into his owner. Raiku grinned as she tied back her hair while they got untangled and said,
"Hey dogbreath its good to know your such a coward. Two against one I see? I like those odds it means I can give you less of a handicap than I usually give comrades. If you wanted to test me you could have just asked, I would be more than happy to oblige."
Kiba snarled and lunged at her with Akamaru hot on his tail.
Miku and Hinata chatted quietly about what a nice day it was and how it was good that their comrades were getting a bit of exercise. They did mention that they would have rather a smoother meeting, but they both admitted that it was somewhat amusing to see their team members getting along by fighting.
The hawk that was in the sky dipped down and landed on the shoulder of an ANBU Black Op who took off their mask and smiled.