Book 1: Simplicitatem
Chapter 7: The Tough Get Going
"Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent."
- Larry Gelwix
Aika realizes that when compared to the average twenty-one year old, her chess companion and cold-blooded leader is extremely well-built. Of course she only understands this after he takes of his black blazer, leaving him in a white dress shirt, his tie loosely done.
Why on earth did he always dress so nicely anyways?
Much to her surprise, Kuroro does not do something cliché, like piss her off with cryptic directions or tell her to come at him; he motions for her to sit down of all things, and he does the same, sitting criss-crossed.
They are in the junkyard, and it is around sunset. The days seem to be flying by so much more quickly now-a-days.
Frowning, Aika relents, sitting on the dusty ground.
"What's this all about?"
"It's a lecture." He admits bluntly, cutting straight to the chase. "A lecture before we get to the training you asked about."
"Of course." She huffs.
"Will you listen?"
"I always listen to you Kuroro." She smirks.
He also crosses his arms. "I have no idea where to start with you, to be frank, or how hard you'd be willing to train." Kuroro admits. "But I suppose starting with basics is the best." He looks at her. "You need to build your core. Your legs are powerful and aid your speed well. But your upper body can use a bit of work."
She nods once, understanding his train of thought.
"Push-ups." He shrugs. "Crunches, whatever, anything that works for you." He shoots her a look. "Don't cheat yourself. Make it intense. Start with three reps of twenty for each exercise and increase the number by five every day."
She rolls her eyes as the idea of doing tedious muscle-building, but admits that it is indeed basic.
"There no way to learn how to fight unless you gain fighting experience." Kuroro scratches the back of his head, something Aika can instinctively tell is extremely out of character. "So we'll be sparring every other day, I suppose. I don't utilize weapons so ask Feitan or Nobunaga if you're interested, Paku for guns…" He trails off. "Don't irk Macchi."
Involuntarily, she chuckles.
"And that's honestly the extent of my knowledge that I can give you." He sighs, the slightest frown gracing his features.
With a start, Aika realizes that what he's saying is absolutely true. Exactly how much had she expected to learn from him? As far as she could tell, Kuroro had no visible specialty; he fought using his hands and his inherently quick reflexes. Given that much, it wasn't as if he was going to teach her reflexes; that was something gained solely through experience.
"Are you disappointed?" He questions.
"No, not at all." She lies, shrugging. "I'm grateful that you're doing this much for me."
"I suppose if you really wanted, you could build your stamina."
"Or I could just sap energy whenever I get tired, you know." She shrugs.
"I thought you had an aversion to the method?"
"I was referring to vegetation, Kuroro."
The two laugh for what feels like hours.
"What comes easy doesn't last; what lasts doesn't come easy."
-Unknown
TWO MONTHS LATER
She cut her hair again, insisting that it got in the way of her range of motion; now it just barely frames her slender face, high cheekbones and all, and it's still orange.
Kuroro is again left stupefied by the extent of her progress. He knew her mental capability knew no bounds, but her physical progress expanded rapidly in comparison. It was unnatural and unnerving, because it had taken him three years to finally categorize fighting in his comfort zone, whereas it seemed to take three months for her.
He doesn't say it out loud –oh, god forbid; it's still a sore spot for her- but he attributes the precocious growth to her parents' meddling around with her DNA. Within the girl he sees an endless potential for growth and an unrivalled stubbornness he's never before witnessed. She's slow to tire, quick to recover, and hell-bent on anything she sets her mind to.
Oh god Kuroro what the hell are you saying.
At first, their sessions are listless and long, just as their chess games were in the beginning. There was no fun in perfection for him, not for Kuroro; coming back after a few slips up was much more entertaining, gave him a sense of purpose, and enthralled him beyond compare.
She was feeble ere the long hours of muscle building she put in. For some reason however, the girl didn't like it when he watched her, and so she made a point of doing the activities during the daylight hours where their paths didn't cross.
Three or four missions later, Aika was benefitting handsomely in monetary affairs as well and had finally moved into a modest apartment –modest was an understatement, it was more minimalist than anything else- close in proximity to his. It was here that she practiced her drills.
They had a set time schedule: seven, they sparred, ten they played chess, and twelve, they retired for the night.
Perhaps their sparring matches were the sole reason for his existence as of now, because the leader found himself looking forward to them every other day. More often than not it was simply an endless barrage of twisting and attacking, bruises and cuts, but some days, when Aika was feeling particularly adventurous and daring, she would experiment with different kinds of combinations, kicking and punching, jumping and spinning. It was at these times that Kuroro couldn't help the grin that spread itself comfortably on his face, these times when his arms and chest were battered and sore that laughter found its way out of the captivity of his throat.
Kuroro realized somewhere along the way that all Aika had really needed were a few nudges in the right direction; a bit of coaxing, supply her with something she could enjoy, and the girl would thrive. When they talked, she was cold and caustic, pessimistic, but when they fought, Kuroro found himself staring for far longer than necessary at the smoldering in her melting hazelnut eyes. A strange but very right smile would make itself comfortable on her lips, and the knots in her body released.
She fought with a style he had never seen before. Truth be told, he had not seen all that many styles but it was unconventional enough that he could tell it was not one many people would have liked to use.
She stayed stiff, straight, and had a default stance she would always return to. Her right foot was her pivot foot when she wasn't using it to kick people and her hands stayed by her hips, open-handed.
Like Machi, Kuroro discovers that the girl has the aura of a transmuter, but is still unable to fully utilize that to her benefit. Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, he was happy for her, since the inherent power that her parents blessed her with left many openings and vulnerabilities; transmutation usually indicated that a nen user would have a long-distance hatsu ability.
He decides that he wants to help her awaken her nen, but isn't quite sure how he should go about it.
"Do you know what nen is?" He asks suddenly one day, as soon as they've finished sparring.
He finds his answer in the blank and confused stare that she gives him, eyes inquisitive but still naïve.
"Oh man," he sighs, mentally bracing himself to begin to talk her though the tedious and meticulous inner workings of nen, barely keeping himself from rolling his eyes. "Here," he says, standing up to stretch his sore muscles. "Follow me."
She's still slightly puzzled, eyebrows knitted together in bemusement, but she stands up and follows nonetheless, falling into step behind him.
"You've heard of the Hunters, yes?" He questions.
It's a strange question. Everyone who is anyone has heard of the Hunters, the powerful and fantastic people who seek out outrageous situations as hobbies or for simple amusement. "Of course," she scoffs, barely keeping the condescension in her tone covered.
"Hunters utilize a special skill, known as nen." His walking is even, calm, and paced. It has a subconscious therapeutic effect, and Aika finds herself unusually okay with the fact that she has no idea where he is leading her. "Nen is known as the skill of consciously manipulating one's life force, or aura."
That jolts her a bit, and she frowns at him, still keeping pace. "Doesn't that sound like kind of a stretch? It's like some kind of super power."
Kuroro doesn't miss a beat: "Isn't your power kind of a stretch too? You steal life force."
Her frown deepens. Though the comments stings a bit, he has a point. "Doesn't that mean I can already use this nen then?" She retorts.
He nearly scoffs. "You've barely scratched the surface of your aura. Hunters can do multiple things with their aura: defend, attack, and even erase their presence."
"Why am I being compared to a Hunter?" Her irritation is starting to peak.
"I say this in with the utmost degree of humility, but I alone am stronger than perhaps 98 percent of the Hunter population." The Leader shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. "To even think about the possibility of competing outside of Meteor City, you need to at least be at the level of your ordinary Hunter."
"Easier said than done." She snorts.
"Actually," he interjects. "You problem of stamina is easily solved with your ability, so that's solved. Your speed is incredible, so it's okay if you're lacking a little in the power department. As far as I can see, the only glaring problem is that of your lack of control over your aura."
"Alright then," Aika grits her teeth. "Help me do something about it won't you?"
He stops walking abruptly, looking up. Aika does the same and is slightly surprised to find that they've arrived at a clear bubbling stream. It's an uncommon sight in the trash city of Ryuuseigai, and she immediately feels like she's defiled some holy ground by being close to it.
"Why haven't I known about this?" Her gaze widens and she takes a few steps back.
"Beats me," he shrugs, a slight smirk playing on his lips; Aika knows he's fibbing, but it doesn't bother her as much as it should. "I'm going to have you do something. Can you humor me for a bit?"
She narrows her eyes, but nods.
A few moments later, Kuroro has returned with clear water cupped in his hands, and he asks her to place a small leaf atop the water's surface.
Indeed, it takes a bit of humoring.
"This process is known as water divination." He explains, eyes focused on the water in front of him. "There are six different types of nen users, and the water is going to tell us which kind you are."
"How?" She asks dubiously, frustrated,
"Focus your energy onto the water."
"What?" Aika crosses her arms, glaring at him now.
"Aika," his tone expresses that he's almost as exasperated as her. "Put your hands over the water and do something to it."
"Do what?"
"What else?"
Nearly, hissing, she does as he says and tries to suck the goddamn life from the goddamn water. What the hell did he mean, what else?
Kuroro has fixed the water with a curious look, and motions toward her. "Taste it."
"This is Meteor City water, Kuroro-"
"You saw the stream and how clean it was." He interrupts again, raising his hands. "Taste it."
Aika is fixed with the ambiguous thought of bashing her mentor's head in; deciding against her deepest desire, she dips her finger in the water and brings it to her mouth. She starts. "Is the stream supposed to be filled with sweet water?"
A slow smile spreads itself across his face and he lets the water fall to the ground with a splash as he releases his hands. "As I thought."
"Can you explain your cryptic directions now, Kuroro?" She inhales deeply, sighing.
"I figured you had a transmuter's aura, but I just wanted to make sure." He shrugs.
"Do you think I know what that means?" The orange-haired girl fights the urge to raise her voice.
Another half hour later, Kuroro has successfully pounded the principles and properties of nen into his faithful –and irritable- disciple and she's sitting on the grassy ground with her head in her hand, brain pounding.
"You're a specialist?" She asks, eyes scrunched in concentration. "Man I'd like to see you go all out in a fight."
"Same goes for me." He shrugs.
Aika is slightly confused, but decides not to say anything. "So, what the hell do I do with all of this new information?"
"Well, that's where I come in."
The girl uses her hands to press in on the temples on either side so quell the headache she can feel starting to rear its ugly head. She doesn't like the idea of physically manifesting and manipulating something as prominent as her own life force, or aura, and finds the leap difficult to take.
"What's wrong?" Kuroro inquires.
It's a simple question, she knows, but that very question sends powerful chills down the back of her spine and she takes a step back, away from him.
The query is an intimate one, and Aika hasn't like the idea of closeness and intimacy since she met Mike and he was ripped away from her.
"Nothing." She nearly hisses back, swatting at the air in an attempt to actually wave it away. "I'm fine. Go on."
He stares at her for a moment longer, his gaze deep and piercing, eyes dubious. Nonetheless, he proceeds after a deep sigh. "Transmuation is the ability to manifest your aura in any shape or form you wish. Machi's aura takes the form of sharp, almost invisible wires."
Aika rolls her eyes, overlooking the glaringly obvious facts.
"For transmuters, the manifestation of their aura tends to mirror their demeanors." He steals and glace at her. "Machi, as we all know, is bitingly curt and rather cold; wires are a perfect fit for her. You on the other hand, are naïve and moralistic." He crosses his arms, face scrunched in concentration.
"What?" The girl flushes deeply, unable to look him in the eye.
"When I think of you, I think of fire." He finally says after a long several seconds. "And to you, I'm sure that's not much, but it's a place to start."
"Fire?" Aika repeats, bemused.
"You're easy to anger, and unpredictable." He says this with his gaze still on her and she begins to fidget. "Passionate about what you do, and raging once you're started."
"Again, what am I supposed to do with this?" She huffs.
"Aika," he smirks. "How does the idea of shooting fire from your hands sound?"
TO BE CONTINUED
"Man fears the darkness, so he scrapes away at the edges of it with fire."
- Ayanami Rei (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
A/N: OH MY. I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN SO LONG. School's started for me, so getting time to write will probably difficult. I'm sorry! DX This chapter was also kind of boring, I apologize. It was short and tedious, but it was very necessary, so please humor me. It will really pick up soon! Please please review, it makes me so happy when you guys drop comments! :D See you next time!