Chapter 1
[Sen]
The first day of their last year at the Academy was already starting off… interesting, it seemed.
Or, at least, that was one way to look at what they'd learned just now from Kankuro.
"They were terrible, I tell you," the Kazekage's son commented with a chuckle. "My sister said they were never impressive but it was like they'd given up what little they knew from one year to the other," he explained to them, laughing to himself. He wasn't even being quiet when one of the people he was talking about was close enough to hear him talking even with a normal voice, nevermind with how loud he was at that moment. "Apparently, they were barely good enough to be allowed to return for another year… And that's because the Bunraku Clan pulled the strings to keep him. The other one had to stay around because it "hides" the nepotism… if anyone buys that, at least."
"Man, that's just sad," Nejiri commented, chuckling. "I'd be too ashamed to come back, honestly."
Still, it was interesting that they'd have two retained students in their class from the previous year. Since his sister had graduated from that class, Kankuro knew them somewhat from what his sister had told him. Although, besides all the mockery and such, Sen was picking up that Kankuro – and probably Temari herself – didn't really know all that much about them… except that they were so bad they had to repeat the last year and that one of them was a Bunraku, one of the strongest clans in Suna and the strongest clan of puppeteers.
A clan that had a member sitting like two seats to the side of the boy that was mocking him. Nejiri should keep his mouth shut, in Sen's opinion, because Kankuro might be safe from the likes of the Bunraku, but someone from a merchant clan like Nejiri? He was fair game.
Then again, the boy they were talking about – whose first name Sen hadn't heard yet – hadn't so much as looked at them. Hell, she wasn't even sure if he'd moved since she arrived. He'd been sitting in that seat at the front of the class when she did and she didn't think he'd so much as twitched. Not that she was keeping a close eye though, but it was interesting to notice, she supposed.
Maybe she was just overthinking it. It wasn't like the boy's dark clothes let her see much of him from behind. Especially considering he had the hood of his black cloak draped over his head.
"I heard that in their first history test of the year-" Whatever Kankuro had to say about that was interrupted, however, with the new arrival of who had to be the second retained student. 'I really need to learn their names,' Sen mused to herself. Maybe she could get Kankuro to stop being a dumb bully for five seconds and tell her that?
Still, she took a moment to take the boy in and compared him to the pale, darkly clothed and apparently impassive Bunraku member. The new arrival looked much more… unassuming, less eerie, at least. With a gray zipped up hoodie – that was probably thin and with nothing underneath, since nobody in their right mind would use one during the day in Suna of all places otherwise – that had probably been black once upon a time and brown, somewhat faded cargo pants. His brown hair, for its part, fell in locks, getting in the way of his eyes a little bit, and the rest of it was tied back.
"Hyaku," the boy greeted, an expression on his face that was somewhere in the middle of bored and tired. Dropping his backpack, which looked like it'd seen better days, on the table, the boy sat down. Idly, Sen sent a silent thanks to the boy for letting her know the other's name.
"Sho! How's it going?" was the enthusiastic response the new arrival got. Sen blinked, a little surprised. The voice didn't really fit the dark and impassive image she'd gotten from the Bunraku. Furthermore, it was kind of odd, since the cloaked boy hadn't moved as he spoke and the voice reached her ears… wrong, if that made any sense.
"Could be better," Sho replied, dropping his head on the table.
"Overdid it again, Didn't you?" the voice asked, it sounded a bit smarmy to Sen's ears.
"Shut up," Sho grumbled, resting his head on his palm as he settled to wait for the class to start once more.
All he got in response was a lively chuckle before the conversation devolved into a regular talk about what they had been doing since the last time they saw each other. A lot of studying, training, tinkering – in Bunraku's case – and haggling in the market – in Sho's case –, by the sounds of it. She only half understood what was said, but Sen guessed that made sense. Maybe she'd get to know the two more throughout the year…
Then again, maybe not. They were the outsiders in the class now.
"How's Saki? Is she doing ok?" Bunraku asked at one moment and it caught Sen's attention because Sho broke away from the position he was in to lean back and groaned.
"Can you stop getting in my face?" he asked, much to Sen's confusion, because Bunraku… still hadn't moved. Hell, Sho wasn't even looking at him. "Stop doing that, man," the boy added, swatting his hand in front of him as if to scare away a fly. Only, it wasn't a fly that he wanted to push away.
It was a puppet.
A small ragdoll-like puppet, covered of black and white cloth with a big red bow on its neck that was about as big as the thing's round head, an equally as round red nose and a big black tophat that matched the thing's small black and red vest. All of that packed into a small thing about the size of Sen's head. It was… certainly something. 'Is that what has been speaking this far instead of Bunraku?'
"Hey! Take your greasy hands off the threads!" the puppet exclaimed, proving her suspicions correct while mimicking dusting its vest of a stain. "You know how hard it is to clean this? Besides, I can't help it, you know? I've been stuck here all morning listening to some extras yap. I thought I was going to go crazy!"
"So, are they as annoying as the ones last year, or did we get lucky?" Sho asked, talking as if most of the class wasn't around to hear him.
"Eh," the… small puppet intoned with a shrug. "They are about the same, I'd say. Another one of the siblings is in this one too. The lame one this time." The puppet's stubby arm pointed towards Kankuro and his group who had shut up for once and were listening in on the conversation.
'Oh dear,' Sen thought with a sigh. She could already see the veins popping on Kankuro's forehead at the last comment.
"Do you have any idea who you are talking about?" Mujin asked. By now Sen was used enough to the visor-wearing boy to know his expressions despite the article. He seemed to be frowning, clearly displeased that someone was insulting their "leader".
"Temari's lil' bro, right?" Sho asked, turning his head towards the group and giving them a smile that was anything but friendly. "The lame one, that is, not the scary one."
"He's the Kazekage's son, idiot," Mijin pointed out.
"And one would think he'd be less lame being a Kage's son," Sho commented with no hesitation whatsoever.
"Seriously, has one of the coolest abilities in the verse – if I say so myself – and still no screen time," the puppet added, giggling right afterwards. It wasn't alone though, there was another giggle coming from another spot in the classroom and Sen's eyes widened. 'Of course,' she thought then, her surprised expression turning to a scowl. Saya was off in her own personal corner with Sana and Shishio, not even attempting to hide her amusement.
"You are just asking to get your ass kicked, aren't you?" Sajin asked, unimpressed with their new classmates.
"Please, do try," Sho asked, his already amused grin widening and taking a much more dangerous appearance because of it.
"What do you think, Sho? Three strikes?" the puppet asked, pointing at Sajin and chuckling again.
The smiling boy scoffed.
"From you, maybe. I can take him out with two, one if he's as wimpy as he looks."
"Excuse me?!"
"Definitely one, if his fighting is as bad as his hearing."
"He's an extra, if that. What did you expect? He has that threadmark filler smell," the puppet pointed out.
"Fair enough," Sho agreed with a shrug. "They'll be fun to smack around, at least… I hope."
"You are really asking for it, asshole," Kankuro growled, but the anger of the Kazekage's son didn't seem to affect the grinning Sho in the slightest.
"Boy, oh boy, please don't cry. That'd ruin your make up!" the puppet exclaimed and instantly the room fell even more silent than before, if that was even possible. Everyone knew not to point out Kankuro's… eccentricity in that regard, and it was for good reason.
"That's it," the Kazekage's son said with a tone of finality as he pulled himself to a standing position and-
"That's a very cute puppet you got there," a new voice said, cutting through the spat that was going on between Kankuro's group and the retained students. 'She decided to make her move already, huh?' Sen mused to herself, watching Saya walk towards the latter two's desk as if she hadn't noticed what was going on. Leaning on another desk beside Bunraku, she ran her fingers through one of her light blue pigtails. "What's its name?"
"The name's Wara, princess!" the puppet answered for itself with a twirl and a bow.
"Pleased to meet you, Wara. I'm Saya, and you two are…?" the girl curtseyed then, turning towards the two retained students.
"Sho," the boy who actually talked for himself answered, giving Saya a much more friendly smile than what he'd given anyone else so far except Bunraku and the newly named Wara. 'Another one in the spider's web, huh?' Sen thought, slightly annoyed. Saya's group was already annoying enough as it was… "The silent one's Hyaku Bunraku. Good to know there's actually nice people here that can use their brain. I was a little worried there for a second."
"Why thank you, I look forward to being your classmate this year," Saya commented with a smile that was probably friendly for Sho and Bunraku, but was anything but for Sen. Well, at least that'd be their problem… until it became Yome's and hers, she supposed. With any luck, it'd take some time before that happened… or it would never happen, that'd be nice, even if it was wishful thinking.
"Everyone, to your seats," the teacher said as he came through the door, cutting off any more conversation. That was a bit of a shame. Sen would have liked to see how things developed for a bit longer.
After all, it seemed that the class dynamics were about to shift a little because of the two new additions.
[}-o-{]
"Okay then, we'll get started right away," their teacher said, once they moved outside for the taijutsu class to take place. Apparently, they were going to start the year off with spars, so that the teacher could get an idea of their level. Not only because they were a different one from the one they had the last year, but also because after the month-long break, they weren't sure if they'd improved… or gotten worse. "Sho," was the call that followed and Sen straightened a little in her seat. Starting off strong, it seemed, because nobody knew this boy or the Bunraku member, so they didn't know how they fought or how strong they were.
Then again, they were held back students, so…
"Yome," their teacher called and Sen's eyes widened a bit as she turned towards her friend. She seemed just as surprised, but she stood up all the same. Of all people… 'Well, she should be fine, I guess,' Sen thought, somewhat unsure despite knowing that her friend was very skilled in taijutsu.
Still, with every step her friend took, Sen felt more confident. Yome had it in the bag, she was sure. Not only was she a great fighter, but she was also cute and Sen knew very well how effective that alone could be against the boys. Her class had learned not to pull their punches with her petite friend, but Sho? Bunraku? They hadn't.
"Start," the teacher said, and… neither moved. Yome took her stance in an instant, waiting for a moment, likely to analyze her opponent and his style. Sho, for his part… took his hands out of his pockets and positioned himself in what had to be the loosest stance Sen had ever seen. 'Is that even a stance?' she wondered. It looked more like a mockery of one than anything. There was barely a guard up and barely any preparation for an attack.
Yome seemed just as confused as Sen felt, which spoke volumes. She was, after all, a genjutsu user more than anything else. Her friend was a taijutsu specialist though, so she knew much better than Sen did.
"What did I tell you? Terrible," Kankuro commented, getting a few chuckles from his little group of sycophants. The boy could really hold a grudge and the two new classmates had really not done themselves any favors. The Kazekage's son didn't appreciate criticism on a good day. Outright insults though? And in public?
He would hate their guts for the rest of the year, at the least.
"You coming or…?" Sho asked, trailing off at the end as Yome charged at him midway through the question. If Sen had to bet, she'd been waiting for the boy to let his guard down… Well, even more, that is. Just because one had the advantage didn't mean they couldn't have more advantage, after all.
Sen couldn't hold back a smirk as she saw Yome land a solid punch right through the boy's "guard" and to his stomach. The hit got a low pained grunt and… nothing else. The whole class seemed to pause at that. Sen, the rest of her classmates, even Yome seemed to take a split second to look, as if unsure she actually hit Sho. That was all she got to do though, because before even that single instant was over, a punch flew at her, right to her jaw.
"That hurt," Sho commented idly, almost as bored as he'd looked walking into the spar ring. The second word was punctuated by another punch, this time to Yome's side before she could even recover. A third was dodged as her friend recovered, but that was far from the end.
Then, Sho started raining attacks on her friend and Sen was treated to what was a rare sight for her and the rest. She could only watch as Yome struggled to dodge the punches and kicks, nevermind trying to attack back. Those two hits were evidently very much noticed and felt, because she could see Yome moving awkwardly, not at all like she usually did.
Eventually, it was obvious to everyone that the spar was very much leaning towards the retained student's side. However, Yome wasn't about to let that stand without trying to do something about it. "Trying" being the operative word there, because she had to not dodge in order to get a hit in. Her head snapped to the side from the punch, and her own punch… Hit the boy's stomach once more and only got another grunt.
"That…" Sho groaned, his fit hitting Yome's jaw once more. "Hurt," he added, repeating his words from before and punctuating it, like before, with a hit. This time though, it was with a kick to Yome's leg, which made Sen's friend fall to her knees.
The girl barely managed to throw herself away from the pathing of a kick that would have pushed her out of the ring and then, by the skin of her teeth once more, she got on her feet before Sho reached her. Evidently, Yome's gambit had failed miserably, by the looks of things. Sen's friend hadn't given up though. No. She was still on her feet and her eyes were darting around, trying to find a path to victory.
Alas, it was not to be.
Every attack or counter the girl delivered was taken and promptly shrugged off before being returned in kind by what looked like much more powerful hits. Yome just didn't have a way to win the fight. She had more technique, everyone could see that, but Sho could take all her hits and keep going, having the endurance to push through and the strength to punish every attempt of Yome's.
Eventually, a punch to the stomach – which looked to Sen suspiciously like revenge – sent Yome to the ground.
A second later, Sho's foot was planted on the girl's side before he unceremoniously pushed her off the ring.
"Winner is Sho," the teacher said, merely taking some notes on his clipboard and keeping on. Either he didn't notice or didn't care for the atmosphere of the class. If it was the former, then it was pretty fucking incredible that it happened with a Chunin. Yome was no slouch – she was actually the strongest taijutsu fighter in their class – and she'd gotten her ass handed to her very easily.
"Teach," Sho commented, standing straight and rubbing blood off his bust lip during the last bout. "Can I go another round?" he asked, eyes slightly widened and a grin on his face as he regarded the rest of the class on the seats to the side of the ring.
"Sure," the teacher said, shrugging and looking through his list. "Koji."
There was a second of silence where nobody moved.
Keep going?
He was going for another round? The teacher was allowing that?
That had never happened before.
"Koji," the teacher repeated and the boy stood up and moved to the ring. He looked confident though, as he did so. He was probably just as surprised as they were. After all, the other boy might have beaten Yome, which was a shock, but he'd also taken a lot of damage. Surely he was on his last legs now. If it were a spar with both of them fresh though? Sen would put her money on Sho, after that display… if reluctantly. "Both ready?... Then begin."
Instantly, Koji dashed forward, which was uncharacteristic of him. He was, after all, a ninjutsu-bukijutsu specialist of sorts. Taijutsu was related to his style, but it was certainly not his strong suit. His fighting technique was to defend and get away so he could use his jutsu before getting back in.
Alas, for whatever reason, Koji had decided to do something drastic… or stupid, depending on who one asked.
Sen was inclined to think the latter.
Especially after Koji delivered his first punch… and quickly received one back. It only took that single second for everyone to realize how the spar was going to go. Why? Because Sho groaned and grimaced, sure, but Koji? Koji's body all but curled up.
If that wasn't proof enough though, more was given when Sho swiftly delivered a second punch.
And then a third.
The fifth saw Koji drop like a stringless puppet.
"Teach-" Sho said, not even waiting for the match to be called or for Koji to be taken out of the ring. He was looking at them, Sen noticed, with the same grin he'd sported before and the same manic eyes, just like he had before. It was at that moment that she felt like she understood something. They weren't classmates for him. No, they were just… people for him to fight against. Targets. Prey.
"No," the man replied before any more could be said. "Numbers are even again," he added, giving the retained student a flat look. Ultimately, the boy decided to make the wise decision of not arguing. "Go back to your seat," the teacher said and Sen could only feel relief that he didn't allow the guy to continue going.
"Fine," he replied, sighing in annoyance even if he looked like one more spar would make him keel over… Or maybe two. Sen had her doubts now. His lip was busted, bruises were starting to appear here and there and his breathing was ragged, yet he didn't look anywhere ready to stop. Sen thought she knew determination from watching Shira tirelessly train every single day… At that moment, she was adding a new kind of relentlessness.
Not the kind that was born of determination, but the kind that just… was.
"I look forward to practicing with you all, guys," Sho told them, his grin appearing for a moment again as he looked at them, stretching and cracking his knuckles as he moved to sit beside Bunraku. "Do try to challenge me," he said, grinning even wider as he caught sight of a few of their classmates growling and snarling at him.
Evidently, the entire idea had been to insult their pride and have them out for blood.
Why, Sen couldn't imagine, but she didn't make it a habit to try and understand crazy people.
It was then that Yome came back and the teacher called for Goji and Mujin. Sen didn't pay that match much attention though. She knew those two, had known them for years. So, she decided to pay more attention to her friend, who was unusually silent.
"Everything fine?" she asked, looking Yome up and down, trying to see if there was some kind of injury that they might have missed that was more serious. She didn't find anything, but that didn't say much. She hadn't taken the medical classes, after all. Maybe she could ask Ameno-
"Yes," Yome replied shortly, but not curtly. Her voice was soft and her eyes were locked on the sparring ring. She seemed to be thinking about something pretty hard. Sen didn't get a chance to ask though, before her friend spoke once more. "Just thinking… I might need to get better using my eyes," she mumbled, making Sen's eyebrows rise.
Then she saw the petite girl glance towards Sho, who was sitting beside Bunraku again, talking to the silent boy… or to his puppet. That still confused Sen a little. Nothing they said reached her ears though, since they were on the other side of the arranged seats and also speaking in low voices. 'Maybe he's mute?' she mused, looking between the puppet and so far silent puppeteer. It would explain why he used his puppet to talk, Sen supposed.
As good a guess as any.
"How so?"
"I couldn't do anything in that fight," Yome answered, frowning and glaring forward towards where the spar was going on. "His technique was abysmal. I should have run circles around him. Instead, I got beaten like a first year student."
"It wasn't that bad," Sen tried, but she only got a glare for her troubles. Then again, it was a lie, she supposed. "Second year, probably?" she tried, only to get a roll of Yome's eyes in turn.
"Maybe Shira can help me," Yome commented, thoroughly ignoring her words. "I refuse to be beaten like that again," she added, eyes narrowed and visibly keeping her temper under control.
'That's…' Sen thought, but her mind couldn't come up with anything to think about that, much less say. How was she supposed to take that? She'd never seen Yome react like that after a loss, but then again, she'd never had a loss quite like that. Being beaten by Shira was all but assured for them, so an overwhelming defeat made sense. Being beaten by someone above them, like older years – when they weren't last years at the Academy yet – or their genin or chunin, was just as much of a given.
However, Yome had never been defeated so soundly by someone that wasn't supposed to be on her level, not in taijutsu.
It didn't sound like a big deal to Sen, but then again, that wasn't her specialty and even her specialties were oriented to a less… competitive fighting like taijutsu was. She used genjutsu and fans, both of which were used for more indirect fighting, so if she was beaten, it wasn't that much of a big deal.
'Maybe that's it?' she wondered, looking at her friend, who seemed to still be deep in thought, watching the spars going on. Idly, for her part, Sen looked away from her and towards the cause of it all. Sho, sitting next to Buraku, seemed entirely unaware of the effect he'd had on Yome.
'This year will be interesting indeed.'
[} Chapter End {]
Arc: We come back yet again with another set of snippets for another of our plot bunnies. A Suna duo inserts this time, if it wasn't obvious enough.
Adrian: This time, we're starting a little lower in the power scale than we usually do, and that's because we have a new and improved skill system to work with behind the scenes, guys. Soon, my mind will work like a google sheet, at the rate I'm going.
Arc: So many formulas and tables… I think we are just a few steps away from making a working video game system.
Adrian: Important to note that we've sort of put together a class for Sho and Hyaku that's composed of named characters (except for the duo in question and a few others). You can look up their names in the wiki and you should be able to find them. There wasn't much to work with and we had to be a little flexible, but we are happy with how it turned out.
With that said, Arc's internet is kind of dying, so I'll talk extra. Hope you guys liked this first chapter. If you did, there'll be more of Sand in the Gears for a few weeks, so look forward to that.
Random Adrian Question: Did you recognize any of the characters (other than the obvious ones)?
Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ
