Pushing beyond limits
"Focus." Itachi-sensei called out to me for what felt like the billionth time. School was out and instead of being at home like a regular student, a regular teenager, I was at the Uchiha compound doing extra training. Hei was down, he was being held down and not allowed to help me. Apparently control was not something I knew, it was something I had allowed Hei to do for me and now Itachi-sensei felt the need to correct it.
"I...am..." I said, voice strained and eyes tired. He had forced my true nature out, causing so much power to go straight for my eyes that at first I freaked out. Everything was so clear, so large that it was too much to process. Currently he had me staring through a maze, I was supposed to find him with eyes alone. Easier said than done.
"Then why haven't you found me? Why is it that I can still sense you searching." he said, he was probably miles away from me but he sounded as if though he were standing right next to me. That was another sense I needed to learn to control, to train. Damn it.
"Hold..on..." I growled, trying not to snap out at him. In the clan anyone who took you on as their student was to always be shown respect to, even if they forgot to respect you back. This was hard for me, my whole life I had been taught to treat others the way you wanted to be treated and even though I treated him well, showed great respect, he was still distant, cold and hard.
"Too late." and with that he was standing in front of me, holding a blade to my neck. A hiss escaped my lips then, my eyes burning stronger and causing the gravity around him to push. He had long since learned how to ignore it, to work around it and not be affect yet still I couldn't help but to try to make him fall down on his knees. Willing gravity came to me like breathing did, it was instinctive, and that was not something I was going to try to go against.
"Control is important, its what makes you better and stronger than your opponent." he lectured, he had been saying the same thing over and over now for about two weeks and still I couldn't seem to get it right. Every time Hei was gone, bound from my reach I couldn't seem to focus, all I could do was worry about him.
"I know, I know okay. It's just that it doesn't feel right to bind him. Can't he just stand close, be there you know."
"You need to know what it's like to fight on your own before depending and being depended on by someone." he said, voice all sage like again. I hated it, I hated this. What was worse was that with all the training I had to go through I hadn't found time to ask mom about who my father was, I hadn't had time to look let alone find any leads.
"Hai Master, I will keep that in mind." I said, causing my body to move and cut my cheek. As soon as the scent of blood hit the air I cursed. Everyone in the Uchiha compound had been exposed to the smell of my blood, to my scent and every time I passed by, every time I was hurt or on the grounds those who were interested in meeting me, in sparing me, suddenly turned up. Most of the time I didn't mind, if sparing got me out of training or shortened my training time I wasn't going to complain.
'Hei' I called out, knowing that that was one link not even sensei could block.
'Yes my lady?'
'Do it.' and with that a barrier around where I was training was placed, suddenly my scent would disappear and no one other than those already within the barrier would be able to track me. Hei had learned a lot of cool tricks from Sakuno, she was strong. Hei would also tell me nothing other than the type of training he went through, when hurt. I held no secrets from him, I shared my whole world with him and yet Hei had his secrets. Every now and then I'd feel alone, angry at the fact that he withheld information from me. Of course in the end I'd feel silly, of course he would. Hei not only belonged to my world but to the clan's blood animal world as well.
"Hn." was all Itachi sensei said before he moved and handed me a first aid box. Mentally I smiled before shaking my head.
"No need Master Itachi-sensei." I said and before he could ask I placed my hand over my cheek and healed the wound. It hadn't been deep but it had drawn blood. A line of blood ran across my palm and suddenly I was filled with curiosity. What if by smelling my blood I'd be able to find my father, I'd be able to find his scent within mine. I had already detected moms so why not his.
"Your not done training, you shouldn't waste energy on such a small wound." he said before raising his katana back up and summoning Sakuno. No matter how many times he summoned her before my very eyes, every time she appeared I couldn't help but stand wowed by her beauty, by how she looked so similar to my Hei. Quickly I shook it off, it wasn't long after she arrived that master Itachi-sensei would charge at me with full force.
"Are you ready young on?" Sakuno asked, not only addressing me but Hei as well. Apparently he had been dubbed as the pup of the pack, the one tiger to be looked after at all times until I was done with my training. Sometimes that made me feel better, then Hei would taunt me about my own situation and in the end we'd both laugh.
"Hai." and with that the spar started. Itachi-sensei always started the same way. He let Sakuno have her fun, she'd charge in, attack and try to look for an opening. Usually it didn't take her long but today, today I was on guard and ready to out smart her.
'Ready Hie?'
'Hai' and with that I "lapsed" in my guard and allowed Sakuno to move in. The instant she moved, she grinned at my fault and I knew my trap had worked. Before she could blink she was trapped in a sphere of pure gravity, a sphere where she wouldn't be able to walk unless I willed it. She grinned then, anxious and ready to be released by her master. However when that didn't happen it was my turn to grin, with katana in hand I glanced at her before turning and keeping my eyes on master Itachi-sensei.
"Sorry but that's not going to work." I said with a grin, ready for Itachi-sensei to attack.
"And why is that?" Itachi-sensei suddenly asked, curious to know how it was I was keeping his blood animal from him.
"I've found a way to keep her from reach, as a healer I've been taught how to do so, it's important to know how to be able to treat both animal and master at the same time." I said, his eyes hardened then. Good, he was taking me seriously then.
"Sakuno." he called, getting her attention.
"Yes master?"
"It seems its about time we show her what it's truly like to work as one." he said. At first I was confused, ready to question but when suddenly my gravity was dispelled and I could no longer fell Sakuno in my grasp I hissed. I truly had let my guard down, I had been gloating too much instead of going in for the final blow.
'Baka, baka baka!' I mentally scram at my self while reaching out with my senses and looking for them.
"Hei." I called and instantly he was by my side, back to back with me so that we covered more ground and more importantly we watched each others back.
"She's learning master, a quick study." I heard Sakuno speak but couldn't feel her anywhere. That was her way of taunting, never truly addressing her prey, simply speaking from the shadows and beyond reach.
"Hn." was all I heard him say before a gust of wind came at me. Instantly I blocked, I willed it around me and formed it into a defensive wall.
"Come out and face me!" I scram, giving in to my nerves, my adrenaline. Hei started to growl, he too was anxious to fight, to test his own limits.
"Find me." was all I heard before everything went dark. The darkness crept up like a fog, it was impossible to stop. Slowly I took in a deep breath, making sure Hei stayed by my side. I would not lose him, he was mine to protect, my animal to take care of and most of all my charge. He was a part of me, a part of the blood my father had left me and I was not, would not lose him
"Fine." was my only answer before Hei and I stood up straight and closed our eyes. Sure it was already pitch black, holly hell was it dark but that didn't mean anything. For all I knew I could have fallen into an illusion and the only way to avoid it, to escape it and think clearly before breaking free was by going into you mind and seeing nothing. Instantly I felt the underlying of an illusion and smiled, normally I would have been able to sense sensei's traps but the fact that I'd missed it was proof enough that he had finally let lose. No doubt having fun, as much fun as I was. As soon as I felt and confirmed what I thought I would find I worked on searching for Sakuno, for some reason she was easier to fine. Hei's sense's reacted faster to her than my own sense's reacted to Itachi-sensei's. It was weird but I never thought too much into it, it was probably a wolf thing.
'Found her my lady.' Hei send out, causing a smile to break out. I could feel it, he had found her, it was like a magnetic pull and yet as much as I wanted to catch her, to call them both out I could feel my thirst building up and my body suddenly feeling mortal fatigue. Damn it.
'Hei get into place.'
'But my lady.'
'Just do it.' I send out, I would not back down, I couldn't call the white flag just because I felt a little tired. I was a hunter, a trained fighter, an elite and an immortal. I was a mixture of the two most powerful beings in the world and to hell if I was going to sub come to some sort of reason as this. Hell no! As soon as Hei was in place and I felt it I nodded, I pushed back how tired I felt, I pushed back the thirst that was building and I ignored the screams of soreness my muscles were yelling at me. All that mattered then was that I not only find my way out but that I catch my master and Sakuno before doing so.
Sakuno was fast, I gave her that much but when not feeling the weight of my body, without thinking about how or what to do she had no chance. The instant she had tried to run off, to loop around Hei was the instant I bound her and kept her down. I had applied as much gravity, as much power as I possibly could to keep her down and bound. Itachi-sensei couldn't release her, not this time. I knew it because as soon as he had realized he wouldn't be able to unless he took me out first a hn escaped his lips and I could suddenly feel him moving. He was circling around Hei and me, waiting to see which one of us slacked off first. To hell if it was going to be me.
"You've grown Izakura." he called out, but I knew better. The first and last time I had let my guard down after being complimented I found my self in not only a world of pain but in a world of soreness and lectures. That was not something I would let happen again. My silence seemed to have told him that because as soon as no responses were heard Itachi-sensei grew close. He was so close I knew that if I suddenly lashed out he would be within range but didn't act upon it.
'My lady, its almost time.' I could hear Hei warning, telling me not to make this go on any longer than it already had. He was trying to remind me of my weaknesses, of how my body was feeling and the condition it'd be in if I didn't stop. Again I ignored it, I would win this one time, even if it would only be this one time I would have at least done so. Then, suddenly my power flared, it doubled in strength and stamina and before master Itachi-sensei could come around me and release Sakuno he was held down. I had done it, I had finally gone beyond my limits and pinned sensei down. A grin appeared on my face and before I realized what it was my power, my body was doing on its own I found my self in a deep crimson world with Sakuno chained down and master Itachi-sensei chained to a cross. Confusion took over me then, and Hei grew close.
"Where are we?" I asked out loud only to listen to the sound of my voice echo. Hei looked sad, worried. "Hei?" I called out to him, causing his attention to shift from Sakuno to me.
"Yes my lady?"
"What happened?"
"You're in the mangekyou sharigan, the realm of the blood world only the Uchiha bloodline can summon. How did you?" master Itachi-sensei suddenly spoke, eyes serious. Sakuno was up then, standing by the cross and biting on the chains, trying to release him.
"My lady, please release him" Sakuno spoke, her voice hurt and worried for her master. As soon as I had thought about it, had wondered about how to do it master Itachi-sensei was on the ground and off the cross.
"How?" I questioned out loud before taking a knee. Suddenly I didn't feel so good, I felt a ton of gravity suddenly fall on top of me. "What's...happening?" I asked, voice strained. Instantly Hei wrapped his body around mine, acting as a shield.
"Our worlds are fighting for dominance, let go Izakura. You've done well for today and you've gone beyond you limits but this is it." he said. I shook my head. This couldn't be it, there had to be more, I had to be stronger than this.
"My lady, please." Hei begged. It was his voice, his worry that caused my to sigh and let go. Suddenly all the energy that I had in my grasp was gone and I was on my hands and knees on the training grounds out side the compound.
"Itachi, you must learn how to treat women, student or not, mortal or immortal. A woman is a delicate flower." suddenly came Mikoto-san's voice. I bowed my head slight, acknowledging her while trying to catch my breath. Sakuno bowed to the woman, master Itachi-sensei hned and Hie bowed as well.
"Mikoto-san,...I'm....fine..." I breathed out only to cause master Itachi-sensei to pick me up in his arms. Hei began to growl but as soon as Sakuno gave him a look and he stopped.
"Mother, do we have any blood?" master Itachi-sensei asked Mikoto-san, all the while wrapping me in what appeared to be a black coat. Mikoto-san nodded with a smile on her face, she liked the way her son looked when carrying, caring for a child.
"Yes, shall we?" and with that she lead the way. Everything was quiet during dinner, other than blood Mikoto-san had had dinner prepared for me. I could go a week without blood and manage just fine on mortal food, however no one liked it when I stayed to one diet and so more than half the time got a little bit of both. Once done they had me stay for a while, just to make sure I was fine. When I couldn't take being watched anymore I called for Hei and together we left, we snuck out of the bathroom window and headed home.
A/N: Thanks for all of your reviews you awesome readers out there! XD I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story, I'll try to update as soon as I can. ^^ Take care all