Yutaka was up early in the morning, even earlier than Misaki, though not by much. The berries from the night before helped, but his stomach would not stop growling, so he needed to start getting ready to hunt for some real food. Misaki would wake to the sounds of him sharpening a few branches he had broken off earlier. They were far from the ideal weapon, but they were of decent weight and sturdiness. Seeing that Misaki was awake, he spoke.
"I found some deer tracks nearby. I think we might have a better shot with that than goin’ around chasin’ rabbits and squirrels.”
Taking a swig of his emergency sake, Yutaka used the alcohol in his blood to make brass spear tips for the freshly sharpened sticks. It might be overkill, but you could never be sure what you might find when traveling in the woods. Plus, the sooner they killed something, the sooner they could eat. Using some plant fiber he had gathered the night before, Yutaka tied the brass to the tips of the spears and, after admiring his work, tossed one over to Misaki.
“Not the best, but it will do. I’m honestly surprised I remembered how to do this. Been a long time since I had to go hunting. Well, for animals at least.”
He let out a laugh before standing up and making his way towards the tracks he had mentioned earlier. Yutaka didn’t want to rush Misaki, but at the same time, he needed to get some food in him as soon as possible. Someone his size needed a lot of food to keep going, and while he was no stranger to going hungry, the fight from the night before had seemingly burned every calorie he had left in his body. Studying the tracks, Yutaka avoided trailing off too far, wanting to give Misaki plenty of time to wake up and get ready first.
Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
“Works for me, I prefer deer,” Misaki said as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. A good night’s sleep had done her wonders and even though she was still sore she could move around much easier than the day before. Which was good considering Yutaka didn’t even wait till she was on her feet to toss a spear in her direction. Packing light had its perks though and after kicking some dirt over the remaining coals of the fire all she had to do was throw her pack over her shoulder.
“I appreciate that you believe I can throw a spear as well as I can use my own blades,” she chuckled, eyeing the weapon curiously. She had never used a spear before but she did appreciate Yutaka wanting to make sure she was armed. Plus, it could be fun to kill a deer with a spear. Hopefully she didn’t accidentally throw it at Yutaka.
She didn’t know how good of a hunter he was but he had also been on his own for a long time so he couldn’t be bad at it seeing as he hadn’t starved to death before now. She knew that she could hunt a deer using their tracks easily but if he could do it there was no need for her to take over. Not yet, at least. But she could give him an hour or two before she deemed him incompetent.
“Whaddya want to do with the deer when we get it? We can head straight to a town and keep it fresh and sell off what we don’t eat before then. We could also smoke a bunch of it to keep for us.” She yawned, rubbing her eyes again. “At least we’ll be able to sell the hide for a few coin.”
“I appreciate that you believe I can throw a spear as well as I can use my own blades,” she chuckled, eyeing the weapon curiously. She had never used a spear before but she did appreciate Yutaka wanting to make sure she was armed. Plus, it could be fun to kill a deer with a spear. Hopefully she didn’t accidentally throw it at Yutaka.
She didn’t know how good of a hunter he was but he had also been on his own for a long time so he couldn’t be bad at it seeing as he hadn’t starved to death before now. She knew that she could hunt a deer using their tracks easily but if he could do it there was no need for her to take over. Not yet, at least. But she could give him an hour or two before she deemed him incompetent.
“Whaddya want to do with the deer when we get it? We can head straight to a town and keep it fresh and sell off what we don’t eat before then. We could also smoke a bunch of it to keep for us.” She yawned, rubbing her eyes again. “At least we’ll be able to sell the hide for a few coin.”
Last edited by Amy on Sun Dec 24, 2023 5:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
“Not sure, to be honest. Right now I’m leanin’ towards smokin’ it and sellin’ the hide n’ antlers. If we’re feelin’ cheeky, I can run a scam. If ya cook the meat a certain way, it’s hard to tell it’s venison. Then ya just tell some idiot that it’s an exotic animal and charge twice the price. I’ve made a pretty penny doin’ that, but sometimes an asshole comes along and ruins it.”
Yutaka followed the tracks with Misaki for a bit before they came across some tree rubbings. They seemed somewhat fresh, and from the looks of it, from a decent-sized buck. It was a sign that they were headed in the right direction. This was a side of Yutaka that Misaki likely hadn’t expected to see from him. While there wasn’t exactly a sense of urgency, Yutaka was taking this far more seriously than he took anything else. Not only that, he was surprisingly proficient, even managing to quiet his steps despite his large size.
“When I first escaped the Yakuza, but before I joined the military, I had to live in the woods for a while. I couldn’t risk walking around in town with all the heat on my back. I was the captain of one of the families, so they were desperate to find and punish me. I’m by no means a survivalist, but ya learn quickly when you’re regularly goin’ nearly three days without water.”
The hunger he had was far less severe than back then, but the pain was enough to remind him of those days. Something clicked in his mind, forcing him to finally put a little bit of effort into something that wasn’t a con. As they continued along the tracks, they found more tree rubbings along the way, until eventually, Yutaka stopped.
“It’s close. I’m sure I don’t need to tell ya that we need to be really quiet when we approach. Let’s circle around the left, that way, we’re downwind, so it’s not likely to notice our scent. When we’re both in range, I’ll give the signal, and we’ll both throw our spears at the same time, alright? Even if we both hit our mark, it’ll probably still try to run away, so we need to chase it down. No need to let it suffer, so whichever one of us manages to catch it, let's slit its throat and be done with it.”
Yutaka followed the tracks with Misaki for a bit before they came across some tree rubbings. They seemed somewhat fresh, and from the looks of it, from a decent-sized buck. It was a sign that they were headed in the right direction. This was a side of Yutaka that Misaki likely hadn’t expected to see from him. While there wasn’t exactly a sense of urgency, Yutaka was taking this far more seriously than he took anything else. Not only that, he was surprisingly proficient, even managing to quiet his steps despite his large size.
“When I first escaped the Yakuza, but before I joined the military, I had to live in the woods for a while. I couldn’t risk walking around in town with all the heat on my back. I was the captain of one of the families, so they were desperate to find and punish me. I’m by no means a survivalist, but ya learn quickly when you’re regularly goin’ nearly three days without water.”
The hunger he had was far less severe than back then, but the pain was enough to remind him of those days. Something clicked in his mind, forcing him to finally put a little bit of effort into something that wasn’t a con. As they continued along the tracks, they found more tree rubbings along the way, until eventually, Yutaka stopped.
“It’s close. I’m sure I don’t need to tell ya that we need to be really quiet when we approach. Let’s circle around the left, that way, we’re downwind, so it’s not likely to notice our scent. When we’re both in range, I’ll give the signal, and we’ll both throw our spears at the same time, alright? Even if we both hit our mark, it’ll probably still try to run away, so we need to chase it down. No need to let it suffer, so whichever one of us manages to catch it, let's slit its throat and be done with it.”
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Misaki made several weird faces at Yutaka’s back as he explained his plan for killing the deer. The man was clearly no stranger to this life and he even bothered to explain a little bit of where his knowledge came from. Maybe the big difference was that she had been hunting since she was a child. And not just for herself, or her family, but for the whole village. Everyone did. You either helped or you went hungry. She was sure he did just fine for himself but she felt her disagreement bubbling up inside her.
“I’m gonna cut around to the direction the deer is looking in. He’s unlikely to change direction if you attack from a rear angle. If it runs off, whether you hit or miss I’ll be able to cut it off and then we won’t have to do any chasing. I’m not in the mood for any chasing or fighting today.”
Without waiting to make it seem like she was asking, Misaki split off from Yutaka and worked her way downwind. She stayed within view of Yutaka until the deer was within view and then she split off even further. She kept her body low, using the underbrush to hide her presence as much as possible. She kept her gaze flickering between Yutaka and the deer, ready to go into action as soon as Yutaka struck. She saw him pull back and watching him wait until he was sure the deer was going to hold still. The spear flew towards the deer with surprising accuracy and embedded itself right behind the deer’s front leg.
Misaki smiled lightly to herself as the deer took off in her direction. It had been a good hit and the deer wouldn’t have made it far before collapsing but now they wouldn’t have to chase it at all. As the deer tried to run by her all Misaki had to do was trip the deer with her own spear and cut its throat. As soon as she was sure it was long she wasted no time cutting open the stomach and pulling all of the organs out and onto the ground. She was not going to risk anything breaking open and ruining their meat.
A loud rustle sounded behind her, but Misaki didn’t turn from her task, already covered in blood. “No need for us both to do the dirty part, you can help once its bled out. Well actually, you and your giantness can lift the-”
A loud growl interrupted her, chilling her blood.
“I’m gonna cut around to the direction the deer is looking in. He’s unlikely to change direction if you attack from a rear angle. If it runs off, whether you hit or miss I’ll be able to cut it off and then we won’t have to do any chasing. I’m not in the mood for any chasing or fighting today.”
Without waiting to make it seem like she was asking, Misaki split off from Yutaka and worked her way downwind. She stayed within view of Yutaka until the deer was within view and then she split off even further. She kept her body low, using the underbrush to hide her presence as much as possible. She kept her gaze flickering between Yutaka and the deer, ready to go into action as soon as Yutaka struck. She saw him pull back and watching him wait until he was sure the deer was going to hold still. The spear flew towards the deer with surprising accuracy and embedded itself right behind the deer’s front leg.
Misaki smiled lightly to herself as the deer took off in her direction. It had been a good hit and the deer wouldn’t have made it far before collapsing but now they wouldn’t have to chase it at all. As the deer tried to run by her all Misaki had to do was trip the deer with her own spear and cut its throat. As soon as she was sure it was long she wasted no time cutting open the stomach and pulling all of the organs out and onto the ground. She was not going to risk anything breaking open and ruining their meat.
A loud rustle sounded behind her, but Misaki didn’t turn from her task, already covered in blood. “No need for us both to do the dirty part, you can help once its bled out. Well actually, you and your giantness can lift the-”
A loud growl interrupted her, chilling her blood.
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
Yutaka did not have much time to celebrate their successful hunt before the worst-case scenario manifested itself. Walking towards them was a seemingly half-ton bear, ready to take the food off their hands. He really did have the worst luck. Making himself as big as possible, Yutaka started shouting at the bear, hoping that he might be able to scare them off. The bear paid him no mind, so in an act of pure stupidity, Yutaka got closer and tried to make himself even louder. The smart thing to do would be to get the hell out of the bear’s way, but this was their food, and he’d be damned if he was going to give it up. Yutaka had fought a bear once before, but it had to have been half the size of this one.
Realizing that the man was not going to get out of the way, the bear charged Yutaka. The large man dropped low and entered a Tachiai stance. He smiled, realizing that Misaki was most likely expecting to see him die immediately, but as counterintuitive as it might seem, this was his best bet. Dashing forward, he slammed into the bear with all his might and, shockingly, was able to stop the bear in its tracks. The fundamentals of sumo were all about identifying, taking advantage of, and disrupting your opponent’s center of balance. In essence, it was no different if your opponent was a bear. Sure, they had a totally different center of balance since they were quadrupedal, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t be knocked over like anything else. Yutaka was walking a razor-thin wire by being in close proximity to the bear, only avoiding the teeth and claws. Gripping tightly on the skin of the bear, Yutaka lifted with all his might, pushing the bear backwards in the same motion.
Slowly, the bear was lifted less than an inch off the ground and, defying all expectations, was sent tumbling backwards by Yutaka. This wasn’t an entirely stupid action, however, as the large man had used his bloodline ability to turn his hand into a spike and stab the beast three times before it got back up and hit him with its massive paw, knocking Yutaka over immediately. Thankfully, he had created some brass armor in time to keep the claws from totally rending his flesh, but it did nothing to protect him from the impact. Before he could get back to his feet, however, the bear lunged towards him and bit down on his arm. Again, Yutaka coated his arm in brass to protect it from the teeth, but the bear started shaking its head violently. A combination of his bloodline ability and his own innate strength was the only thing that kept Yutaka’s arm from being torn clean off. This was something he had accounted for, however.
“Miiiisaaaakiiiiii!”
He could afford to be daring, seeing as he was not alone in this fight. Well, assuming that Misaki hadn’t left him to die, but after everything they’d been through together, she would never do that… Right?
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(16/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
Realizing that the man was not going to get out of the way, the bear charged Yutaka. The large man dropped low and entered a Tachiai stance. He smiled, realizing that Misaki was most likely expecting to see him die immediately, but as counterintuitive as it might seem, this was his best bet. Dashing forward, he slammed into the bear with all his might and, shockingly, was able to stop the bear in its tracks. The fundamentals of sumo were all about identifying, taking advantage of, and disrupting your opponent’s center of balance. In essence, it was no different if your opponent was a bear. Sure, they had a totally different center of balance since they were quadrupedal, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t be knocked over like anything else. Yutaka was walking a razor-thin wire by being in close proximity to the bear, only avoiding the teeth and claws. Gripping tightly on the skin of the bear, Yutaka lifted with all his might, pushing the bear backwards in the same motion.
Slowly, the bear was lifted less than an inch off the ground and, defying all expectations, was sent tumbling backwards by Yutaka. This wasn’t an entirely stupid action, however, as the large man had used his bloodline ability to turn his hand into a spike and stab the beast three times before it got back up and hit him with its massive paw, knocking Yutaka over immediately. Thankfully, he had created some brass armor in time to keep the claws from totally rending his flesh, but it did nothing to protect him from the impact. Before he could get back to his feet, however, the bear lunged towards him and bit down on his arm. Again, Yutaka coated his arm in brass to protect it from the teeth, but the bear started shaking its head violently. A combination of his bloodline ability and his own innate strength was the only thing that kept Yutaka’s arm from being torn clean off. This was something he had accounted for, however.
“Miiiisaaaakiiiiii!”
He could afford to be daring, seeing as he was not alone in this fight. Well, assuming that Misaki hadn’t left him to die, but after everything they’d been through together, she would never do that… Right?
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(16/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Misaki had barely even a second to take in what was happening right in front of her wide and startled eyes. She hadn’t really thought that it was a bear until the moment she turned around and met it face to face. Her hand was already on the knife at her side when Yutaka broke into her view and apparently decided that wrestling the bear was the appropriate way to stop it. And, for all she knew, maybe it was. Because this didn’t seem like a normal sized bear. Misaki had seen many in her travels but they all seemed at least half the size of this one.
Him calling for her snapped her out of the trance she had sunken into and she moved into action. The bear had its jaws around Yutaka’s arm which was luckily coated in metal and therefore protecting him from the vicious fangs that tried to bite through the metal. Misaki did not know why she did what she did but she rank forward and used Yutaka’s body to launch herself up into the air so that she could land on the back of the bear.
Instantly, she felt the strength of the bear beneath her and she could tell it was pissed that she had dared to climb on top of it. It let go of Yutaka’s arm and began trying to focus on her. Misaki sunk her left hand into the bear’s coarse fur and held on for dear life, her body screaming in fear. The bear stood to its full height, trying to shake Misaki off of his back.
“Why didn’t you just kill it!?” She shouted, having to halt her plan of stabbing the bear to weave her other hand into the coarse fur so that she didn’t get thrown off. With both hands woven into the fur she felt her left shoulder screaming less but her brief moment of reprieve was quickly over when the bear started swiping at her over his head. Misaki ducked frantically, having to use her arms and legs to throw her body around to avoid the claws that had to be at least five inches long. Her arms were staring to kill her from having to basically hang her entire weight off of them and swinging herself around. What she needed to do was get off the bear and get down to where Yutaka was so that they could kill the bear together. Because she was very certain that she could not do it on her own now that they were in such close quarters. Misaki wasn’t even sure if her blade was long enough to reach his heart.
It was definitely sharp enough to slit his throat though. The bear stopped for just a second, just a second long enough for Misaki to plant her feet on the bear’s back and with a big heave ho was able to throw herself off of the bear’s back. She crashed heavily into the ground, rolling in an effort to displace the shock to her still sore body.
“Where the fuck did this steroid filled bear come from!?” Misaki jumped over to where Yutaka was, keeping her blade out and at her side. “More importantly, how the fuck did it sneak up on us!?”
The bear was still eyeing their deer and it didn’t seem like it cared that there was a 2 v 1 fight in front of it.
“We’re going to have to kill this bear, aren’t we?” Misaki asked as she began stretching her arms and legs that were still sore from the fight the day before. She didn’t think she had enough strength to fight this bear but she was going to have to find it somehow.
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(75/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
Him calling for her snapped her out of the trance she had sunken into and she moved into action. The bear had its jaws around Yutaka’s arm which was luckily coated in metal and therefore protecting him from the vicious fangs that tried to bite through the metal. Misaki did not know why she did what she did but she rank forward and used Yutaka’s body to launch herself up into the air so that she could land on the back of the bear.
Instantly, she felt the strength of the bear beneath her and she could tell it was pissed that she had dared to climb on top of it. It let go of Yutaka’s arm and began trying to focus on her. Misaki sunk her left hand into the bear’s coarse fur and held on for dear life, her body screaming in fear. The bear stood to its full height, trying to shake Misaki off of his back.
“Why didn’t you just kill it!?” She shouted, having to halt her plan of stabbing the bear to weave her other hand into the coarse fur so that she didn’t get thrown off. With both hands woven into the fur she felt her left shoulder screaming less but her brief moment of reprieve was quickly over when the bear started swiping at her over his head. Misaki ducked frantically, having to use her arms and legs to throw her body around to avoid the claws that had to be at least five inches long. Her arms were staring to kill her from having to basically hang her entire weight off of them and swinging herself around. What she needed to do was get off the bear and get down to where Yutaka was so that they could kill the bear together. Because she was very certain that she could not do it on her own now that they were in such close quarters. Misaki wasn’t even sure if her blade was long enough to reach his heart.
It was definitely sharp enough to slit his throat though. The bear stopped for just a second, just a second long enough for Misaki to plant her feet on the bear’s back and with a big heave ho was able to throw herself off of the bear’s back. She crashed heavily into the ground, rolling in an effort to displace the shock to her still sore body.
“Where the fuck did this steroid filled bear come from!?” Misaki jumped over to where Yutaka was, keeping her blade out and at her side. “More importantly, how the fuck did it sneak up on us!?”
The bear was still eyeing their deer and it didn’t seem like it cared that there was a 2 v 1 fight in front of it.
“We’re going to have to kill this bear, aren’t we?” Misaki asked as she began stretching her arms and legs that were still sore from the fight the day before. She didn’t think she had enough strength to fight this bear but she was going to have to find it somehow.
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(75/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
“I did try to kill it! Stabbed the fucker three times!”
Yutaka was thankful that Misaki jumped in to help. It was taking every ounce of strength he had to keep the bear from tearing him to pieces. As it brought its paw up to swipe at her, Yutaka took advantage of the opening to crawl away and get back to his feet, watching as Misaki held on for dear life. He’d step in if things started to look ugly, but he knew first-hand just how strong she was and, in all honesty, needed to catch his breath. When she jumped off the bear and made her way back over to him, he got ready to go back on the offensive.
“I guess we were too focused on the deer. One thing is for sure though: I ain’t lettin’ it take our dinner!”
Taking a quick moment to muster up the courage, Yutaka used his bloodline ability to transform his hand into a hammer. If stabbing wasn’t going to work, he figured a well-placed strike to the skull might. Was it stupid to think a normal man could even faze a bear with a hit to the head? Absolutely, but normal men didn’t have hammers for hands. With it hardly giving Yutaka a second thought, he charged towards the bear and threw his whole body into the strike. A combination of Yutaka’s innate strength and the momentum of the charge sent the hammerhead slamming into the side of the bear’s head. There was an audible thud as it made contact, and Yutaka could feel the feedback from the hit all throughout his body. That had to have hurt. He made sure to hit the weakest part of the skull, somewhere on the side of its face between its eyes and the tip of its nose. The blow certainly did damage, but the bear only got more angry. As it turned to swipe at Yutaka once more, he figured he’d try to get one more shot in before forming some more armor. Raising his hand high, Yutaka brought down the hammer with all his might, sending it crashing into the bear’s nose.
To his surprise, this actually stopped the initial attack as the bear shook its head and swiped blindly at him. Dodging the attacks, Yutaka took a few steps back and thought about his next move. Those two hits had taken a lot out of him, it was unlikely that he’d be able to throw many more of those. Plus, even if it was doing damage, it didn’t really get them any closer to killing this thing. It did not take long for the bear to recover and charge at him again. At that moment, Yutaka started covering more of his body in brass as well as switching his hand from a hammer to an ax. As it leapt towards Yutaka, he drove the ax towards its neck, hoping to use the bear’s own momentum against it, but to his dismay, the cut wasn’t deep enough to do any serious damage.
“What the hell is this thing made of!?”
He found himself in a similar situation as before, simply trying to avoid being torn apart, but this time he had a bit more leeway given the ax was slowly digging into the bear’s neck. Wanting to create an opening for Misaki, he took another gamble. Turning his other hand into a barbed spike, he stabbed it into the bear’s chest to get a better grip on the beast. With this, he would be able to somewhat hinder the bear’s movement.
“I GOT IT. GO FOR THE KILL!”
His muscles strained as he did everything he could to keep the bear in place, all the while it was biting into his shoulder. The armor prevented any serious damage, but it would only be a matter of time before its teeth broke through and started tearing him apart. Even if it was only for a brief moment, he could hold it back, but if Misaki wasn’t able to kill it or at least do some serious damage... Well, he didn’t want to think about that.
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(209/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
Yutaka was thankful that Misaki jumped in to help. It was taking every ounce of strength he had to keep the bear from tearing him to pieces. As it brought its paw up to swipe at her, Yutaka took advantage of the opening to crawl away and get back to his feet, watching as Misaki held on for dear life. He’d step in if things started to look ugly, but he knew first-hand just how strong she was and, in all honesty, needed to catch his breath. When she jumped off the bear and made her way back over to him, he got ready to go back on the offensive.
“I guess we were too focused on the deer. One thing is for sure though: I ain’t lettin’ it take our dinner!”
Taking a quick moment to muster up the courage, Yutaka used his bloodline ability to transform his hand into a hammer. If stabbing wasn’t going to work, he figured a well-placed strike to the skull might. Was it stupid to think a normal man could even faze a bear with a hit to the head? Absolutely, but normal men didn’t have hammers for hands. With it hardly giving Yutaka a second thought, he charged towards the bear and threw his whole body into the strike. A combination of Yutaka’s innate strength and the momentum of the charge sent the hammerhead slamming into the side of the bear’s head. There was an audible thud as it made contact, and Yutaka could feel the feedback from the hit all throughout his body. That had to have hurt. He made sure to hit the weakest part of the skull, somewhere on the side of its face between its eyes and the tip of its nose. The blow certainly did damage, but the bear only got more angry. As it turned to swipe at Yutaka once more, he figured he’d try to get one more shot in before forming some more armor. Raising his hand high, Yutaka brought down the hammer with all his might, sending it crashing into the bear’s nose.
To his surprise, this actually stopped the initial attack as the bear shook its head and swiped blindly at him. Dodging the attacks, Yutaka took a few steps back and thought about his next move. Those two hits had taken a lot out of him, it was unlikely that he’d be able to throw many more of those. Plus, even if it was doing damage, it didn’t really get them any closer to killing this thing. It did not take long for the bear to recover and charge at him again. At that moment, Yutaka started covering more of his body in brass as well as switching his hand from a hammer to an ax. As it leapt towards Yutaka, he drove the ax towards its neck, hoping to use the bear’s own momentum against it, but to his dismay, the cut wasn’t deep enough to do any serious damage.
“What the hell is this thing made of!?”
He found himself in a similar situation as before, simply trying to avoid being torn apart, but this time he had a bit more leeway given the ax was slowly digging into the bear’s neck. Wanting to create an opening for Misaki, he took another gamble. Turning his other hand into a barbed spike, he stabbed it into the bear’s chest to get a better grip on the beast. With this, he would be able to somewhat hinder the bear’s movement.
“I GOT IT. GO FOR THE KILL!”
His muscles strained as he did everything he could to keep the bear in place, all the while it was biting into his shoulder. The armor prevented any serious damage, but it would only be a matter of time before its teeth broke through and started tearing him apart. Even if it was only for a brief moment, he could hold it back, but if Misaki wasn’t able to kill it or at least do some serious damage... Well, he didn’t want to think about that.
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
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CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
This bear had to be made partially of steel or something, Misaki decided, when she saw how little effect the ax Yutaka made had on the bear. This was clearly not some sort of normal creature and even fighting a normal bear was a little reckless. Which made doing this some sort of super reckless. But what other choice did they have? Even if they left the deer to the bear, which she was not prepared to do, the bear seemed so pissed he might just follow them. And then, they would still have to fight him. Groaning, Misaki pulled out both of her blades, knowing that things were about to get messy. She ran half around the bear so that she was behind it again. The last thing she wanted to do was play climb the bear again but it was too tall for her to reach its neck otherwise, especially with Yutaka pushing it up with his ax.
When she made it around the back of the bear she leaped as high as she could safely onto his back and once again held on for dear life. Her arms were still burning from the last time but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind. Food, was all she told herself. This was all in order to achieve a good meal.Climbing the bear to his neck was even harder with the blades in her hands but she didn’t let that stop her. She used her fingers to dig into the bear as hard as she could, pulling herself up with brute force and sheer willpower.She thought about using her blades to jam into the bear and use them to climb but if Yutaka was having this much trouble slicing into the bear it seemed like wasted effort. Plus, it would cause the bear to focus on her and she did not want that. She needed to get to the bear’s neck so she could help drive the ax in further.
Finally, after what felt like a mountain climb, her arms and legs shaking, Misaki stood on top of the bear, balanced on his shoulders which were constantly moving as they tried to strike Yutaka. Keeping her balance came naturally at least so she could focus on the real task at hand. Making a fist, Misaki pulled her hand back as far as she could and drove it into the back of the bear’s neck with all of her might. The blow radiated through her arm and the rest of her body only proving how hard this bear really was. There was no time to be a cry baby though, they were going to lose strength well before this mutated creature did. So with a deep breath she pulled back and once again drove into the bear will all of her strength. She could feel the bear sinking further onto the ax, the drip of blood becoming heavier.She could do this. Hopefully before the bear made Yutaka into its lunch. Misaki sheathed her blades and pushed her feet back, angling her body and stabilizing herself with her free hand. She took a deep breath, steeling her chakra in her body, hoping it would help her to not break anything. Leaning her body all the way up to the sky, Misaki brought down her fist in basically a fit of rage.
This time, instead of stopping, Misaki delivered blow after blow, listening to the sounds of the bear becoming more pained and then more weak, Which she was very grateful for as her body trembled and her feet began sliding down the fur, unable to find the strength to continue to maintain a purchase. Misaki knew she didn’t have much left so as a final hurrah she clasped both of her hands together and raised them all the way up before bringing them down, delivering a crushing blow with all of her strength and weight.
She felt herself fall forward suddenly, tumbling off of the bear. She did was she could to grab onto the bear to slow herself down but she still crashed into the ground quite hard.
“Please tell me its dead.”
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When she made it around the back of the bear she leaped as high as she could safely onto his back and once again held on for dear life. Her arms were still burning from the last time but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind. Food, was all she told herself. This was all in order to achieve a good meal.Climbing the bear to his neck was even harder with the blades in her hands but she didn’t let that stop her. She used her fingers to dig into the bear as hard as she could, pulling herself up with brute force and sheer willpower.She thought about using her blades to jam into the bear and use them to climb but if Yutaka was having this much trouble slicing into the bear it seemed like wasted effort. Plus, it would cause the bear to focus on her and she did not want that. She needed to get to the bear’s neck so she could help drive the ax in further.
Finally, after what felt like a mountain climb, her arms and legs shaking, Misaki stood on top of the bear, balanced on his shoulders which were constantly moving as they tried to strike Yutaka. Keeping her balance came naturally at least so she could focus on the real task at hand. Making a fist, Misaki pulled her hand back as far as she could and drove it into the back of the bear’s neck with all of her might. The blow radiated through her arm and the rest of her body only proving how hard this bear really was. There was no time to be a cry baby though, they were going to lose strength well before this mutated creature did. So with a deep breath she pulled back and once again drove into the bear will all of her strength. She could feel the bear sinking further onto the ax, the drip of blood becoming heavier.She could do this. Hopefully before the bear made Yutaka into its lunch. Misaki sheathed her blades and pushed her feet back, angling her body and stabilizing herself with her free hand. She took a deep breath, steeling her chakra in her body, hoping it would help her to not break anything. Leaning her body all the way up to the sky, Misaki brought down her fist in basically a fit of rage.
This time, instead of stopping, Misaki delivered blow after blow, listening to the sounds of the bear becoming more pained and then more weak, Which she was very grateful for as her body trembled and her feet began sliding down the fur, unable to find the strength to continue to maintain a purchase. Misaki knew she didn’t have much left so as a final hurrah she clasped both of her hands together and raised them all the way up before bringing them down, delivering a crushing blow with all of her strength and weight.
She felt herself fall forward suddenly, tumbling off of the bear. She did was she could to grab onto the bear to slow herself down but she still crashed into the ground quite hard.
“Please tell me its dead.”
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
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My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
Yutaka let out a roar as Misaki kept hitting the bear in the back of the head, driving the ax deeper into its neck. It took everything he had in him to keep pushing and not let the bear bite his face. That was his moneymaker, after all. The warm blood poured from the bear’s neck, coating his upper body, until finally, the pushing grew weaker, and eventually, he felt the bear’s dead weight. Now that he had successfully avoided being mauled to death, he was on to his next challenge: not being crushed to death. Digging deep, he ignored the burning in his arms and shoulders and pushed with all his might. Yutaka lifted the bear above him and wiggled his way out from under it. With a groan, he got back to his feet and changed his hands back to normal. Shaking off the brass coating from earlier, he caught his breath.
“Well, I wasn't expecting this big of a catch... We can make some serious money off this. The pelt won’t be in perfect condition, but it’ll still fetch us a good price. Claws are all intact, teeth too, and there is plenty of fat and meat to get off this behemoth.”
Wasting no time, Yutaka took out his tanto and stabbed it into the sternum of the bear. Something about the matted fur made it far more difficult to break the skin on the beast. So, with considerable effort, he dragged the blade down the chest and began gutting the animal. It was exhausting work, but it would make the haul back a lot easier. Once he was finished, he lifted the beast up and spoke.
“I’ll lift the heavy bastard if ya don’t mind grabbin’ the deer.”
With a grunt, he set off in the direction back towards the camp. The gutting had shed a lot of weight off the bear, but it was still huge! All the pain would be worth it, however, because they were about to have one hell of a meal.
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“Well, I wasn't expecting this big of a catch... We can make some serious money off this. The pelt won’t be in perfect condition, but it’ll still fetch us a good price. Claws are all intact, teeth too, and there is plenty of fat and meat to get off this behemoth.”
Wasting no time, Yutaka took out his tanto and stabbed it into the sternum of the bear. Something about the matted fur made it far more difficult to break the skin on the beast. So, with considerable effort, he dragged the blade down the chest and began gutting the animal. It was exhausting work, but it would make the haul back a lot easier. Once he was finished, he lifted the beast up and spoke.
“I’ll lift the heavy bastard if ya don’t mind grabbin’ the deer.”
With a grunt, he set off in the direction back towards the camp. The gutting had shed a lot of weight off the bear, but it was still huge! All the pain would be worth it, however, because they were about to have one hell of a meal.
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(49/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Now, Yutaka was not wrong that he was carrying the heavier animal of the two. And on a normal day, Misaki could easily lug around a deer. But on this day? Misaki was _tired_ and she felt like her arms were going to fall off. But what was she supposed to sya? “Hey I know you’re carrying the over sized mutant bear but I am too tired to carry this normal sized deer.”
Absolutely not.
So, with a huge heave, Misaki lifted the deer up onto her shoulders, laying behind her neck. It was sticky from where blood had soaked into its fur. She felt her legs shake as she lifted herself out of the squat she had sunk into in order to get the deer on her her back. She took a deep breath and took the first heavy step forward.
“This is so much worse than training,” she managed to grind out between her clenched teeth. Luckily, they hadn’t had to travel too far from camp but for as much as she was struggling it may as well have been a hundred meters. Or two hundred. Or a thousand. Because every step felt like it was going to be her last.
“Can’t say I was planning on testing my strength today after the day we had yesterday.” Talking took so much effort but it made her feel better to complain out loud. She shifted her shoulders, readjusting the deer that weighed her down. All she focused on was the delicious meal they were about to eat. After they carried the heavy animals. After they skinned them. And butchered them. They had to butcher them. If they waited they risked letting the meat spoil and this was too big of a haul for them. This was weeks of being abe to stay at an inn, eat three meals a day. The bear was messed up but it didn’t matter. It was so big they could get multiple good large chunks of hide. And the deer hide was in perfect condition.
“I’d climb a tree but you’re probably tall enough. Please tell me you can see the camp.” Misaki’s toes were dragging on the ground with each step. Each time she lifted her foot she had to shift her entire body weight to keep from falling over. At this rate she felt like she was going to die by being squashed by a deer. What a terrible way to go.
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Absolutely not.
So, with a huge heave, Misaki lifted the deer up onto her shoulders, laying behind her neck. It was sticky from where blood had soaked into its fur. She felt her legs shake as she lifted herself out of the squat she had sunk into in order to get the deer on her her back. She took a deep breath and took the first heavy step forward.
“This is so much worse than training,” she managed to grind out between her clenched teeth. Luckily, they hadn’t had to travel too far from camp but for as much as she was struggling it may as well have been a hundred meters. Or two hundred. Or a thousand. Because every step felt like it was going to be her last.
“Can’t say I was planning on testing my strength today after the day we had yesterday.” Talking took so much effort but it made her feel better to complain out loud. She shifted her shoulders, readjusting the deer that weighed her down. All she focused on was the delicious meal they were about to eat. After they carried the heavy animals. After they skinned them. And butchered them. They had to butcher them. If they waited they risked letting the meat spoil and this was too big of a haul for them. This was weeks of being abe to stay at an inn, eat three meals a day. The bear was messed up but it didn’t matter. It was so big they could get multiple good large chunks of hide. And the deer hide was in perfect condition.
“I’d climb a tree but you’re probably tall enough. Please tell me you can see the camp.” Misaki’s toes were dragging on the ground with each step. Each time she lifted her foot she had to shift her entire body weight to keep from falling over. At this rate she felt like she was going to die by being squashed by a deer. What a terrible way to go.
(500/500 Words Strength Training)
(112/500 Words Strength Training)
[-500 Words Training Pack Discount]
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
Yutaka could not offer Misaki much more than a grunt in response. The bear was so insanely heavy! Each step was almost as difficult as picking the bear up in the first place. With all that had gone on the previous night and the fact that he was still running on nothing but a handful of berries from the night before, it was a miracle that Yutaka still had any energy in him. Even well rested, uninjured, and on a full stomach, he’d have barely been able to survive that bear attack. But here he was, somehow finding the strength to carry the beast back to camp. It was amazing how far the body could push itself when it was a matter of survival.
In order to ignore his burning muscles and wobbly legs, Yutaka kept his eyes forward, only thinking about his breaths. It was moments like these that he used to justify his hedonistic behavior. This was far from the first time that he had to push his body to its limits, so why was it a problem that he liked to take it easy when he was in town? With each step, Yutaka felt like he was about to lose balance and fall over. They were going to have enough food to last them a long time after this, but was it worth all this effort? He could have made enough money for them to get by with just a few cons. When Misaki made a comment about not expecting to test her strength after the previous day, Yutaka could only force out a few words.
“Never… Again.”
There’d be plenty of fights in the future between them, he had no doubt about it, but he’d make damn sure that they fought in town next time. Honestly, he was lucky that she hadn’t broken any of his bones in their fight. He had to thank his Kisama genetics for making him such an impressive physical specimen. From what he understood, Yutaka might as well have been the runt of the litter when it came to others in his clan. But that didn’t mean he was so weak that he couldn’t carry some mutant freak bear a short way to camp. Every muscle in his body begged for him to take a break, but he had no choice but to ignore him. As nice as the idea sounded, he wasn’t sure that he could pick the bear back up if he stopped. Plus, there was no telling what other scavengers might be nearby and looking to take their hard-earned food. Just when he thought he was about to collapse, Misaki asked him to check if the camp was close by. To his delight, he could see it in the distance.
“I… see it.”
It took a lot to force those words out, but it helped give him the motivation to push on just a little bit further. Grunting with every few steps, his legs threatened to buckle. Yutaka made it three steps into the campground before immediately falling over with the bear on top of him. There was a moment of silence before the large man came crawling out from under the large beast’s corpse. Still coated in blood, he lay on the ground, wheezing.
“Please… Can you… cook?"
He felt bad leaving the rest of the work to her, but he could barely even get those words out. Yutaka was unable to do anything but try to catch his breath.
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In order to ignore his burning muscles and wobbly legs, Yutaka kept his eyes forward, only thinking about his breaths. It was moments like these that he used to justify his hedonistic behavior. This was far from the first time that he had to push his body to its limits, so why was it a problem that he liked to take it easy when he was in town? With each step, Yutaka felt like he was about to lose balance and fall over. They were going to have enough food to last them a long time after this, but was it worth all this effort? He could have made enough money for them to get by with just a few cons. When Misaki made a comment about not expecting to test her strength after the previous day, Yutaka could only force out a few words.
“Never… Again.”
There’d be plenty of fights in the future between them, he had no doubt about it, but he’d make damn sure that they fought in town next time. Honestly, he was lucky that she hadn’t broken any of his bones in their fight. He had to thank his Kisama genetics for making him such an impressive physical specimen. From what he understood, Yutaka might as well have been the runt of the litter when it came to others in his clan. But that didn’t mean he was so weak that he couldn’t carry some mutant freak bear a short way to camp. Every muscle in his body begged for him to take a break, but he had no choice but to ignore him. As nice as the idea sounded, he wasn’t sure that he could pick the bear back up if he stopped. Plus, there was no telling what other scavengers might be nearby and looking to take their hard-earned food. Just when he thought he was about to collapse, Misaki asked him to check if the camp was close by. To his delight, he could see it in the distance.
“I… see it.”
It took a lot to force those words out, but it helped give him the motivation to push on just a little bit further. Grunting with every few steps, his legs threatened to buckle. Yutaka made it three steps into the campground before immediately falling over with the bear on top of him. There was a moment of silence before the large man came crawling out from under the large beast’s corpse. Still coated in blood, he lay on the ground, wheezing.
“Please… Can you… cook?"
He felt bad leaving the rest of the work to her, but he could barely even get those words out. Yutaka was unable to do anything but try to catch his breath.
(600/600 Words Strength Training)
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CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Misaki groaned from where she laid on the ground next to the deer. Yutaka hadcarried the giant mutant bear back to their temporary base while she had only been in charge of the deer. Which was also very heavy but only was a fraction of the weight of the bear. “Fine,” she said finally, pushing herself up on shaking arms. “But you owe me. What, I don’t know, I can’t think. But something.”
Once she was on her feet, Misaki grabbed the deer by the legs and began hauling it towards a tree. A big tree that had branches that were thick enough to hold the weight of the deer. Getting it up into the tree was an entirely different story. After she reached the tree that she was aiming for, Misaki came to a stop, panting heavily. She just wanted to sleep. But they needed food. And Yutaka was definitely not going to be getting up. She let herself fall to her knees, digging through her pack for a rope. When she finally found one she forced herself to her feet one more time, having to brace her hands on her knees to take a breather. After she could stand straight again she held the rope up and began tying a few knots in it.
When she was done she took a deep breath and pulled her arm back as far as she could. She stared at the tree and picked the branch that she wanted to throw the rope over. Once she had picked it out it took another deep breath and gave one huge effort to throw the rope over the branch. She did not have any energy to spare to do things twice over. Luckily, her effort took the rope over the intended branch in the one go that she allowed for it. She quietly encouraged herself to keep going. Bending down was too hard on her right now so she kneeled once again so that she could tie the rope around the deer. She tied it securely so that it wouldn’t fall and crush her though at this point she didn’t even know how terrible that would be.
Now, of course, the problem was hauling the deer into the air. It needed to be properly bled and the hide stripped. The bleeding couldn’t wait, it would spoil the meat if she didn’t get it done soon. With a huge grunt, Misaki pulled the rope as hard as she could. The first pull barely lifted the deer’s legs off of the ground. She took a deep breath and steeled her muscles as much as she could before doing another large pull. This time, the deer’s hind quarters lifted off of the ground. Misaki was sure that dying would be better than this. With one last effort she grabbed the rope from over her shoulder and dug her heels into the ground and pulled the deer the rest of the way off of the ground. As quickly as she could, she tied off the deer so it was hanging fully off of the ground. Not as high as she would like, but it was off.
The rest of the job was relatively easy. Thirty minutes later, Misaki shoved a steak of venison in front of Yutaka before collapsing on the ground next to him, a steak of her own in her lap.
“Eat you giant oaf.”
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Once she was on her feet, Misaki grabbed the deer by the legs and began hauling it towards a tree. A big tree that had branches that were thick enough to hold the weight of the deer. Getting it up into the tree was an entirely different story. After she reached the tree that she was aiming for, Misaki came to a stop, panting heavily. She just wanted to sleep. But they needed food. And Yutaka was definitely not going to be getting up. She let herself fall to her knees, digging through her pack for a rope. When she finally found one she forced herself to her feet one more time, having to brace her hands on her knees to take a breather. After she could stand straight again she held the rope up and began tying a few knots in it.
When she was done she took a deep breath and pulled her arm back as far as she could. She stared at the tree and picked the branch that she wanted to throw the rope over. Once she had picked it out it took another deep breath and gave one huge effort to throw the rope over the branch. She did not have any energy to spare to do things twice over. Luckily, her effort took the rope over the intended branch in the one go that she allowed for it. She quietly encouraged herself to keep going. Bending down was too hard on her right now so she kneeled once again so that she could tie the rope around the deer. She tied it securely so that it wouldn’t fall and crush her though at this point she didn’t even know how terrible that would be.
Now, of course, the problem was hauling the deer into the air. It needed to be properly bled and the hide stripped. The bleeding couldn’t wait, it would spoil the meat if she didn’t get it done soon. With a huge grunt, Misaki pulled the rope as hard as she could. The first pull barely lifted the deer’s legs off of the ground. She took a deep breath and steeled her muscles as much as she could before doing another large pull. This time, the deer’s hind quarters lifted off of the ground. Misaki was sure that dying would be better than this. With one last effort she grabbed the rope from over her shoulder and dug her heels into the ground and pulled the deer the rest of the way off of the ground. As quickly as she could, she tied off the deer so it was hanging fully off of the ground. Not as high as she would like, but it was off.
The rest of the job was relatively easy. Thirty minutes later, Misaki shoved a steak of venison in front of Yutaka before collapsing on the ground next to him, a steak of her own in her lap.
“Eat you giant oaf.”
(600/600 Words Strength Training)
(84/600 Words Strength Training)
[-400 Words Event Discount]
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
“Oafs have their use!”
Yutaka tore into the steak like a wild animal. There was no point in wasting time on manners! Not only were they in the woods, but he needed the nutrients as soon as possible. Because, as much as he didn’t want to, the bear still needed to be skinned. After finishing his meal and taking a swig of sake, he got to his feet and resigned himself to work. Thankfully, he was able to find a nice and sturdy tree close to camp for him to hang the giant bear on. A branch and rope were simply not going to cut it, however, so he needed to do a bit of improvising. Using his Kisama bloodline, he fashioned large hooks with a large rod sticking out the top of them so that he could hammer them into the trunk of the tree. After transforming his hand into a hammer, he did just that, making sure to place them high enough to keep the bear from the ground but not so high that he couldn’t do his work. Turning his hand back to normal, he pulled out a knife and got to skinning the legs.
It didn’t take long before he was on to the part he was dreading: picking the bear back up. Clenching his teeth, Yutaka let out a groan as he tried to lift the bear once more. He was tired, all the strain he’d been putting on his body today and the day before was catching up, and he didn’t have the adrenaline to compensate this time around. Nearly falling over, Yutaka managed to get the bear up and onto his shoulders. Despite his legs wobbling and his muscles screaming for mercy, he made it over to the tree and hooked the bear’s legs onto the tree. It was a lot of weight to put on two pieces of metal, but he was able to create something that met the exact specifications of what he needed. With that, he got to work removing the hide from the large creature. Just the act of removing it was hard work, but he’d take that over lifting the damn thing any day.
After removing the hide and knowing they were going to need to store everything as well as not wanting anything to go to waste, Yutaka used his ability to create brass urns for storage. A mixture of his fatigue and the size of the objects made it difficult, but he pushed through. By the third brass urn, he was lightheaded and felt like he was going to puke. It was nice to have some food in his stomach, but that didn’t magically restore all of his energy. With a sigh, he dug deep and was barely able to make another urn, they were just going to have to deal with the limited storage. Butchering was exhausting work, and he couldn’t afford to waste much more energy before getting to business.
Over an hour later, Yutaka allowed himself to stop working and lay back down. His entire body was weak, and his limbs felt like they were ten times as heavy. But on the plus side, he had managed to salvage nearly everything of use from the animal. Not only did he get the hide and meat, but he stored what fat he could salvage in one of the urns, as well as setting aside the claws and teeth. Considering all the effort he’d wasted killing and carrying that bear, he was going to drain every last resource he could out of it. The big bastard owed him a hell of a lot of ryo for his trouble!
(613/600 Words Endurance Training)
[-400 Words Event Discount]
Yutaka tore into the steak like a wild animal. There was no point in wasting time on manners! Not only were they in the woods, but he needed the nutrients as soon as possible. Because, as much as he didn’t want to, the bear still needed to be skinned. After finishing his meal and taking a swig of sake, he got to his feet and resigned himself to work. Thankfully, he was able to find a nice and sturdy tree close to camp for him to hang the giant bear on. A branch and rope were simply not going to cut it, however, so he needed to do a bit of improvising. Using his Kisama bloodline, he fashioned large hooks with a large rod sticking out the top of them so that he could hammer them into the trunk of the tree. After transforming his hand into a hammer, he did just that, making sure to place them high enough to keep the bear from the ground but not so high that he couldn’t do his work. Turning his hand back to normal, he pulled out a knife and got to skinning the legs.
It didn’t take long before he was on to the part he was dreading: picking the bear back up. Clenching his teeth, Yutaka let out a groan as he tried to lift the bear once more. He was tired, all the strain he’d been putting on his body today and the day before was catching up, and he didn’t have the adrenaline to compensate this time around. Nearly falling over, Yutaka managed to get the bear up and onto his shoulders. Despite his legs wobbling and his muscles screaming for mercy, he made it over to the tree and hooked the bear’s legs onto the tree. It was a lot of weight to put on two pieces of metal, but he was able to create something that met the exact specifications of what he needed. With that, he got to work removing the hide from the large creature. Just the act of removing it was hard work, but he’d take that over lifting the damn thing any day.
After removing the hide and knowing they were going to need to store everything as well as not wanting anything to go to waste, Yutaka used his ability to create brass urns for storage. A mixture of his fatigue and the size of the objects made it difficult, but he pushed through. By the third brass urn, he was lightheaded and felt like he was going to puke. It was nice to have some food in his stomach, but that didn’t magically restore all of his energy. With a sigh, he dug deep and was barely able to make another urn, they were just going to have to deal with the limited storage. Butchering was exhausting work, and he couldn’t afford to waste much more energy before getting to business.
Over an hour later, Yutaka allowed himself to stop working and lay back down. His entire body was weak, and his limbs felt like they were ten times as heavy. But on the plus side, he had managed to salvage nearly everything of use from the animal. Not only did he get the hide and meat, but he stored what fat he could salvage in one of the urns, as well as setting aside the claws and teeth. Considering all the effort he’d wasted killing and carrying that bear, he was going to drain every last resource he could out of it. The big bastard owed him a hell of a lot of ryo for his trouble!
(613/600 Words Endurance Training)
[-400 Words Event Discount]
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
“You do realize,” Misaki said between licking the grease off of her fingers. “That we have to carry those back to town if we want to sell the stuff, yeah?” Yutaka had created four very large, very nice, very heavy urns to put all of the meat and hides in. But Misaki had no idea how they were going to get them back to town. They were feeling better after a good meal but while that might have given them more energy it didn’t do anything to help their exhausted bodies. There was no choice though. It was weeks worth of money that they needed.
After some debating they were finally able to be on their way. They had fashioned two yolks, essentially. To each of a size appropriate log was tied a rope and on the end of each rope was one of the urns. Misaki took the hides and antlers and the bones they kept as well as the organ meat and the rest of the deer meat while Yutaka took the two that were stuffed with bear meat.
With a heaving sigh Misaki pushed off in the direction of town. Her heels slipped in the earth for a few moments before she was able to get some momentum going. “I think the best plan is to just not stop,” she ground out to Yutaka. He grunted his agreement and so the two kept up their goal. Misaki felt like her shoulders were literally going to fall off. The parts of her body that were not numb were in so much pain she could barely focus. Her body had taken a beating, literally, the last two days. For the first time in her life she was regretting getting into a fight.
But there was no sense in feeling sorry for herself she decided. This is how things had to be and she wasn’t going to let all of this money go to waste. Yutaka wouldn’t be able to get all four urns so if she had to give up they would have to get left behind and that was not going to happen. IInstead, she focused on her feet and putting each foot forward in an even manner. No one step too long or too short.
“You know,” Misaki panted. No energy to speak but finding it somewhere anyways. “With the money from this bear we can get a room with two beds. And go to the bathhouse.” Somehow, talking about what they were going to buy with the money made the stumbling forward easier. It made it easier to ignore the burning in every inch of her body. She just wanted to sleep.
“Oh my God and we should go get barbecue. All you can eat. Until they kick us out anyways.” Misaki tried to chuckle but it just came out as a breathless wheeze. She opened her mouth to say some more bullshit but her lungs refused to lend her any more breath for speaking. Instead, she put her head down and just began driving herself forward. The worst parts of the trip were when they would come across fallen trees in their path and they had to get the urns over them. The first two times it happened they were able to muscle them over the logs by bracing their feet on the fallen log.
The third time it happened though the log was simply too high. They had to stop and move them by hand. Both of them were mumbling urse after curse as they had to give up their momentum and their muscles immediately started seizing. “A massage,” Misaki managed to work out as they lifted the first urn over the log. “A massage. Then a bath.” Sweat poured down Misaki’s body, her clothes sticking tight to every inch of her body. After all four urns were over the log they resumed their journey. Misaki was starting to recognize landmarks though and she knew that they were close.
The two began gathering stares when they finally crossed into town, both covered in dirt and sweat and dragging those giant urns behind them. Misaki could feel the stares but she couldn’t bother to return them, having to keep her head down to plow forward. After what seemed like an additional eternity, they found themselves in front of the general store. Both collapsed, leaning against the urns. They had made it.
Several hours later
Misaki sighed, steam rising around her body and floating into the night sky. They had managed to sell everything for even more than they had hoped to and after booking a room to throw their stuff into they had immediately gone to find a bathhouse. It had taken nearly twenty minutes to get clean enough to climb into the bath and it was everything she had wanted it to be.
“Are you enjoying this as much as I am?” She called out, figuring Yutaka would be able to hear her on the other side of the bamboo fence.
(700/600 Words Endurance Training)
[-400 Words Event Discount]
After some debating they were finally able to be on their way. They had fashioned two yolks, essentially. To each of a size appropriate log was tied a rope and on the end of each rope was one of the urns. Misaki took the hides and antlers and the bones they kept as well as the organ meat and the rest of the deer meat while Yutaka took the two that were stuffed with bear meat.
With a heaving sigh Misaki pushed off in the direction of town. Her heels slipped in the earth for a few moments before she was able to get some momentum going. “I think the best plan is to just not stop,” she ground out to Yutaka. He grunted his agreement and so the two kept up their goal. Misaki felt like her shoulders were literally going to fall off. The parts of her body that were not numb were in so much pain she could barely focus. Her body had taken a beating, literally, the last two days. For the first time in her life she was regretting getting into a fight.
But there was no sense in feeling sorry for herself she decided. This is how things had to be and she wasn’t going to let all of this money go to waste. Yutaka wouldn’t be able to get all four urns so if she had to give up they would have to get left behind and that was not going to happen. IInstead, she focused on her feet and putting each foot forward in an even manner. No one step too long or too short.
“You know,” Misaki panted. No energy to speak but finding it somewhere anyways. “With the money from this bear we can get a room with two beds. And go to the bathhouse.” Somehow, talking about what they were going to buy with the money made the stumbling forward easier. It made it easier to ignore the burning in every inch of her body. She just wanted to sleep.
“Oh my God and we should go get barbecue. All you can eat. Until they kick us out anyways.” Misaki tried to chuckle but it just came out as a breathless wheeze. She opened her mouth to say some more bullshit but her lungs refused to lend her any more breath for speaking. Instead, she put her head down and just began driving herself forward. The worst parts of the trip were when they would come across fallen trees in their path and they had to get the urns over them. The first two times it happened they were able to muscle them over the logs by bracing their feet on the fallen log.
The third time it happened though the log was simply too high. They had to stop and move them by hand. Both of them were mumbling urse after curse as they had to give up their momentum and their muscles immediately started seizing. “A massage,” Misaki managed to work out as they lifted the first urn over the log. “A massage. Then a bath.” Sweat poured down Misaki’s body, her clothes sticking tight to every inch of her body. After all four urns were over the log they resumed their journey. Misaki was starting to recognize landmarks though and she knew that they were close.
The two began gathering stares when they finally crossed into town, both covered in dirt and sweat and dragging those giant urns behind them. Misaki could feel the stares but she couldn’t bother to return them, having to keep her head down to plow forward. After what seemed like an additional eternity, they found themselves in front of the general store. Both collapsed, leaning against the urns. They had made it.
Several hours later
Misaki sighed, steam rising around her body and floating into the night sky. They had managed to sell everything for even more than they had hoped to and after booking a room to throw their stuff into they had immediately gone to find a bathhouse. It had taken nearly twenty minutes to get clean enough to climb into the bath and it was everything she had wanted it to be.
“Are you enjoying this as much as I am?” She called out, figuring Yutaka would be able to hear her on the other side of the bamboo fence.
(700/600 Words Endurance Training)
[-400 Words Event Discount]
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
“I’d be enjoyin’ myself a lot more if it weren’t for this damn fence!”
He’d much rather have gone to the brothel, where he could get some beautiful women to wash his back, among other things. But he had to admit that there was something special about going to a bathhouse. The water stayed warm, for one, and there were very few tubs in the world that would fit someone Yutaka’s size. In here, he could actually sink into the water and let the warm water soothe his aching muscles.
“Honestly, it was a good idea. We’ve been through hell the last couple of days, and we both could really use the relaxation.”
Misaki had seen a side of Yutaka that he preferred to keep hidden. Not for any special reason, but just because when people saw him apply himself, they started to expect that from him. Which is why he didn’t want anyone to know that he was capable when he wanted to be. Luckily for him, Misaki would always see him as a useless oaf.
“Ya should really take more time like this to relax. I mean it. Your drive is commendable, and I know nothing matters to you except for your goal, but think of it this way: you can’t operate at full capacity if ya never give yourself time to unwind. Ya barely sleep, you’re hypervigilant, and you’re always workin’, even when you’re not. I mean, ya almost lost to me in a fight!” Yutaka laughed. Despite being unable to see her face, he could imagine the reaction that he elicited from Misaki. “Trust me, after a good night’s rest, you’re gonna feel like a brand new woman.”
He knew Misaki likely wouldn’t care what he had to say on the matter. She didn’t seem to think she deserved rest until she got revenge. Which he understood, but she’d be a hell of a lot better at exacting that revenge if she wasn’t so wound up all the time. But he figured he’d say something on the off chance something got through to her. Though, he supposed, given the personality of the person giving the advice, it would undoubtedly be taken with a grain of salt. Chuckling to himself, he sank further into the warm water, so that now only his head remained above it.
He’d much rather have gone to the brothel, where he could get some beautiful women to wash his back, among other things. But he had to admit that there was something special about going to a bathhouse. The water stayed warm, for one, and there were very few tubs in the world that would fit someone Yutaka’s size. In here, he could actually sink into the water and let the warm water soothe his aching muscles.
“Honestly, it was a good idea. We’ve been through hell the last couple of days, and we both could really use the relaxation.”
Misaki had seen a side of Yutaka that he preferred to keep hidden. Not for any special reason, but just because when people saw him apply himself, they started to expect that from him. Which is why he didn’t want anyone to know that he was capable when he wanted to be. Luckily for him, Misaki would always see him as a useless oaf.
“Ya should really take more time like this to relax. I mean it. Your drive is commendable, and I know nothing matters to you except for your goal, but think of it this way: you can’t operate at full capacity if ya never give yourself time to unwind. Ya barely sleep, you’re hypervigilant, and you’re always workin’, even when you’re not. I mean, ya almost lost to me in a fight!” Yutaka laughed. Despite being unable to see her face, he could imagine the reaction that he elicited from Misaki. “Trust me, after a good night’s rest, you’re gonna feel like a brand new woman.”
He knew Misaki likely wouldn’t care what he had to say on the matter. She didn’t seem to think she deserved rest until she got revenge. Which he understood, but she’d be a hell of a lot better at exacting that revenge if she wasn’t so wound up all the time. But he figured he’d say something on the off chance something got through to her. Though, he supposed, given the personality of the person giving the advice, it would undoubtedly be taken with a grain of salt. Chuckling to himself, he sank further into the warm water, so that now only his head remained above it.
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Misaki rolled her eyes at Yutaka’s advice. Imagine taking advice from someone who didn’t understand why you lived the way you did in the first place. As if she would ever do that. It was sweet though, that he wanted her to take care of herself. Annoying, but sweet enough anyways. It made him slightly more tolerable when he acted like this instead of his usual ‘I’m just a dumb drunk whore’ act that he liked to keep up. He liked to pretend but Misaki saw through him at least a little bit.
“I’ll start taking life advice from you when you give up the brothels and the booze and the gambling. Until then I think you should mind your own business.” Despite her unfriendly words, her tone did not indicate anything more than a mild irritation. She was enjoying the bath too much to let Yutaka ruin it with his ramblings. Her bath and of course, the thought of dinner. She had really wanted to get dinner first but she was one hundred percent sure no even half respectable restaurant would let them inside looking and smelling the way they did. It was why Misaki had chosen this bath house over the other one she saw in town. This one had a laundry service so when they were finished bathing, they would have clean clothes to put back on.
“Besides,” she finally said, not wanting to fight anymore. At least, not right now. “I take a lot of baths when I’m not traveling with someone who steals our funds.” Misaki hoped that by now Yutaka could tell the difference between when she was actually annoyed and when she was making light of something because if not, that was definitely not the thing to say. Ah well though, she thought to herself, slipping into the water until she was covered up her nose. If it started another fight she would just wallop him again. It would be even easier now that she had an idea of how he really fought. He wouldn’t get so close to winning the next time they fought. After soaking for a while longer, Misaki couldn’t take it anymore.
She practically threw herself out of the bath and walked over to the bamboo fence. It was tall but not too tall for her to jump up and grab the top. She grinned down the wall at Yutaka who she could barely see through the wafting steam. “
“Let’s get out of here and go get kicked out of a barbecue joint, yeah? I’m starving.”
“I’ll start taking life advice from you when you give up the brothels and the booze and the gambling. Until then I think you should mind your own business.” Despite her unfriendly words, her tone did not indicate anything more than a mild irritation. She was enjoying the bath too much to let Yutaka ruin it with his ramblings. Her bath and of course, the thought of dinner. She had really wanted to get dinner first but she was one hundred percent sure no even half respectable restaurant would let them inside looking and smelling the way they did. It was why Misaki had chosen this bath house over the other one she saw in town. This one had a laundry service so when they were finished bathing, they would have clean clothes to put back on.
“Besides,” she finally said, not wanting to fight anymore. At least, not right now. “I take a lot of baths when I’m not traveling with someone who steals our funds.” Misaki hoped that by now Yutaka could tell the difference between when she was actually annoyed and when she was making light of something because if not, that was definitely not the thing to say. Ah well though, she thought to herself, slipping into the water until she was covered up her nose. If it started another fight she would just wallop him again. It would be even easier now that she had an idea of how he really fought. He wouldn’t get so close to winning the next time they fought. After soaking for a while longer, Misaki couldn’t take it anymore.
She practically threw herself out of the bath and walked over to the bamboo fence. It was tall but not too tall for her to jump up and grab the top. She grinned down the wall at Yutaka who she could barely see through the wafting steam. “
“Let’s get out of here and go get kicked out of a barbecue joint, yeah? I’m starving.”
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
Yutaka didn’t need to look to know that Misaki was peeping over the fence, the proximity of the voice as well as the reactions of the few other men in the bath were enough. With a hearty laugh, he stood up and made his way over to his towel before replying.
“Sounds good to me. I’ll get dressed and meet ya out front.”
He was glad to hear that most of their tension from the night before was now water under the bridge. Misaki hadn’t explicitly stated it, but he could tell by the way she spoke. Now that they were away from any giant bears and had plenty of money in their pockets, there was not much reason to be mad. After having finished drying himself off, he left for the changing room.
----
When they arrived at the barbecue restaurant, they were directed to a table and given menus. Before the waiter could walk away, they both had already put in an order to start. The establishment was not ready for the havoc they were going to wreak on their food supplies. As they waited for the food, Yutaka started snickering. With a big smile, he pointed out the stuffed bear by the kitchen door.
“It don’t look too big after th’ one we fought.”
By the time their waiter returned, the stove on their table was hot enough to start cooking. The two wasted no time in spreading the food out, and Yutaka let out a groan as the hissing sound of meat being cooked hit his ears. He could tell by the cut of the meat that this was going to be a good meal.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’re doing." He casually flipped over a piece of beef, letting the other side cook. “Ya rent a room, peek in the bath, and take me out t’ eat. It’s okay, you’re not the first woman to have fallen in love with me after seein’ my masculine side. But ya need t’ understand I can’t be tamed.”
With a shit-eating grin, he laid out a few more pieces of beef to cook. The first batch was almost ready to plate, but he wanted to give it a bit more time. He knew Misaki was going to be annoyed, but he was having fun poking the bear.
“So anythin’ between us is gonna have to be casual, sorry.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll get dressed and meet ya out front.”
He was glad to hear that most of their tension from the night before was now water under the bridge. Misaki hadn’t explicitly stated it, but he could tell by the way she spoke. Now that they were away from any giant bears and had plenty of money in their pockets, there was not much reason to be mad. After having finished drying himself off, he left for the changing room.
----
When they arrived at the barbecue restaurant, they were directed to a table and given menus. Before the waiter could walk away, they both had already put in an order to start. The establishment was not ready for the havoc they were going to wreak on their food supplies. As they waited for the food, Yutaka started snickering. With a big smile, he pointed out the stuffed bear by the kitchen door.
“It don’t look too big after th’ one we fought.”
By the time their waiter returned, the stove on their table was hot enough to start cooking. The two wasted no time in spreading the food out, and Yutaka let out a groan as the hissing sound of meat being cooked hit his ears. He could tell by the cut of the meat that this was going to be a good meal.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’re doing." He casually flipped over a piece of beef, letting the other side cook. “Ya rent a room, peek in the bath, and take me out t’ eat. It’s okay, you’re not the first woman to have fallen in love with me after seein’ my masculine side. But ya need t’ understand I can’t be tamed.”
With a shit-eating grin, he laid out a few more pieces of beef to cook. The first batch was almost ready to plate, but he wanted to give it a bit more time. He knew Misaki was going to be annoyed, but he was having fun poking the bear.
“So anythin’ between us is gonna have to be casual, sorry.”
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Misaki gave an over-exaggerated shudder when Yutaka pointed out the stuffed bear decor. Not only did it seem an odd choice but it definitely was too soon of a reminder of the ordeal they had been through. She placated herself with the thought that the bear was currently buying them this meal. The two needed no time to decide what to order, both of them ordering everything they could think of randomly.
She was so focused on eating that a small grimace appeared on her face when Yutaka started speaking. She could lie to him but she couldn’t lie to herself that was finding him a little more tolerable with every interaction. It was a little bit too much of a stretch to say that she enjoyed his company but she could admit that it was tolerable. But it drove her crazy how he seemed to refuse to ever just exist in silence. They finally had sizzling hot food in front of them and he wanted to make jokes.
“Trust me, if I wanted your body for more than its ability to carry things you wouldn’t have to sift through a bunch of signs and hints.” She snagged several pieces of thinner meat off of the grate, wasting no time shoving it into her mouth. She didn’t even care that it was burning her. She pointed her chopsticks at Yutaka as she swallowed. “If I wanted you,” she repeated as she regained her train of thought. “I would just take what I wanted. You’ll have to keep your casual urges limited to the girls in the brothels.”
Misaki quickly began laying more meat down where she had taken some from, ensuring that there would be as little downtime between plates as possible. The few bites she had were not enough to even touch the pit of hunger that had settled into her stomach. Luckily, they had also ordered some prepared food which was deposited onto their table with a slight nod from the waitress. She hurried off before they could order more food seeing as they still had dishes that hadn’t been delivered yet.
“We shouldn’t stay here much longer. We’ve pretty much exhausted all leads here and we’ve drawn too much attention to ourselves. Figure we can spend the rest of today asking about any nearby towns and head to one of them tomorrow or the next day depending how long it will take to get there.”
She was so focused on eating that a small grimace appeared on her face when Yutaka started speaking. She could lie to him but she couldn’t lie to herself that was finding him a little more tolerable with every interaction. It was a little bit too much of a stretch to say that she enjoyed his company but she could admit that it was tolerable. But it drove her crazy how he seemed to refuse to ever just exist in silence. They finally had sizzling hot food in front of them and he wanted to make jokes.
“Trust me, if I wanted your body for more than its ability to carry things you wouldn’t have to sift through a bunch of signs and hints.” She snagged several pieces of thinner meat off of the grate, wasting no time shoving it into her mouth. She didn’t even care that it was burning her. She pointed her chopsticks at Yutaka as she swallowed. “If I wanted you,” she repeated as she regained her train of thought. “I would just take what I wanted. You’ll have to keep your casual urges limited to the girls in the brothels.”
Misaki quickly began laying more meat down where she had taken some from, ensuring that there would be as little downtime between plates as possible. The few bites she had were not enough to even touch the pit of hunger that had settled into her stomach. Luckily, they had also ordered some prepared food which was deposited onto their table with a slight nod from the waitress. She hurried off before they could order more food seeing as they still had dishes that hadn’t been delivered yet.
“We shouldn’t stay here much longer. We’ve pretty much exhausted all leads here and we’ve drawn too much attention to ourselves. Figure we can spend the rest of today asking about any nearby towns and head to one of them tomorrow or the next day depending how long it will take to get there.”
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
Listening to Misaki’s response to his teasing, his eyebrows raised as a small smile grew across his face. After grabbing the fully cooked meat and placing it on his plate, he pursed his lips and nodded slightly.
“Hm… Interesting.”
Every time that he’d suggested hooking up in the past, she acted completely disgusted. But this time, she simply told him she wasn’t interested. This was progress. Misaki was likely only a few stressful days and a couple of drinks away from a lapse in judgment. When she spoke about leaving the town, he grabbed the second batch of cooked meat and put it on his plate. With a decent amount of food built up, he began to shovel the plate’s contents into his mouth. Nodding his head along with Misaki’s words, he finished chewing, swallowed the food, and spoke.
"Yeah, that’s a good idea. I know the area, but only vaguely. The locals will know much more.”
With that, he tore into some of the prepared food. The bath had nearly caused him to forget just how hungry he was. With his mouth still partially full of food, he continued.
“If we travel light and move fast, then we can save ourselves money on travel supplies. That could probably add another night at the inn to the budget. Of course, I could also do a bit of gamblin’ before we leave. I could probably double our money if ya aren’t worried about putting more heat on us. I mean, we’re leaving anyway."
The risk of putting an even bigger target on their back seemed to be the big reason she wouldn’t let Yutaka pull off some cons. They’d have so much more money to spend if he was able to. Up until now, she’d only seen him pull low-level cons, but the more money he had to start off, the more he could make. With the money they had collected earlier in the day, he’d be able to do some cheating at the casino. After finishing his food and putting some more on the stove to cook, he spoke.
”Ya know I can make things like loaded dice and cards with my ability, yeah? Everythin’ is made o’ brass, but trust me, I’ve got it down to a science. No one can tell the difference.”
“Hm… Interesting.”
Every time that he’d suggested hooking up in the past, she acted completely disgusted. But this time, she simply told him she wasn’t interested. This was progress. Misaki was likely only a few stressful days and a couple of drinks away from a lapse in judgment. When she spoke about leaving the town, he grabbed the second batch of cooked meat and put it on his plate. With a decent amount of food built up, he began to shovel the plate’s contents into his mouth. Nodding his head along with Misaki’s words, he finished chewing, swallowed the food, and spoke.
"Yeah, that’s a good idea. I know the area, but only vaguely. The locals will know much more.”
With that, he tore into some of the prepared food. The bath had nearly caused him to forget just how hungry he was. With his mouth still partially full of food, he continued.
“If we travel light and move fast, then we can save ourselves money on travel supplies. That could probably add another night at the inn to the budget. Of course, I could also do a bit of gamblin’ before we leave. I could probably double our money if ya aren’t worried about putting more heat on us. I mean, we’re leaving anyway."
The risk of putting an even bigger target on their back seemed to be the big reason she wouldn’t let Yutaka pull off some cons. They’d have so much more money to spend if he was able to. Up until now, she’d only seen him pull low-level cons, but the more money he had to start off, the more he could make. With the money they had collected earlier in the day, he’d be able to do some cheating at the casino. After finishing his food and putting some more on the stove to cook, he spoke.
”Ya know I can make things like loaded dice and cards with my ability, yeah? Everythin’ is made o’ brass, but trust me, I’ve got it down to a science. No one can tell the difference.”
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Misaki was listening but not responding as Yutaka agreed with her about their next steps. That is, until he brought up gambling. Again. She was halfway through shoving a piece of beef tongue in her mouth when he mentioned her new big trigger word. Harshly biting the delicious piece of meat in half she chewed while staring at him, dropping the rest onto the plate in front of her. She was definitely going to have to take up yoga or meditation or something. Anything that would enable her to stay around him for more than an hour without wanting to start breaking bones.
“Don’t you think,” she said finally, drawing each word out. “That if you could consistently double our money then we wouldn’t ever be in the position of not having money!? Whatever science you think you’re following, I don’t think you understand it.” Despite her best intentions to remain friendly sounding there was a bite that unwillingly appeared in her voice. A bite that she accentuated by jabbing her chopsticks onto the plate that held her food. It was like he had no memory of the multiple times he had lost most or all of their money since they had met. But, enough fighting, she told herself. She could do it. She could treat him with kid gloves and entertain his insane ideas if she needed to. Not for long, but for at least one night.
“And anyways,” she finally said begrudgingly. Not really wanting to placate him but suffering through anyways. “I think it would be better if we stick together and just…work together. That seems to work best for us so far, don’t you think?” Misaki waved her chopsticks around the nice restaurant they were currently seated in to make a point. At no point before now had they been able to afford such a place. And she knew that Yutaka thought it was because she was being stingy and maybe a little bit of it was that but the real issue is that Misaki was always thinking ahead to what they would eat the next day and Yutaka only thought about the here and the now.
“If we do well enough together then you’ll have plenty of personal funds to go off and spend however you’d like. And once we make it to the smaller towns you can visit anywhere you’d like.” Calm again, Misaki resumed eating, this time scooping up some rice with her meat. “Anywhere you’d like, if you catch my drift. So can’t you just be agreeable this once and give up on trying to fund our mission with your unproductive gambling?” Misaki shoved a new order form at the waitress passing by them, ignoring the rolling eyes in their direction. “And plus, if you stick to your personal funds and you win it big like your science says you will, you won’t even have to split your winnings with me. It’ll all be yours.”
Not even Yutaka could ignore such sound logic...right?
“Don’t you think,” she said finally, drawing each word out. “That if you could consistently double our money then we wouldn’t ever be in the position of not having money!? Whatever science you think you’re following, I don’t think you understand it.” Despite her best intentions to remain friendly sounding there was a bite that unwillingly appeared in her voice. A bite that she accentuated by jabbing her chopsticks onto the plate that held her food. It was like he had no memory of the multiple times he had lost most or all of their money since they had met. But, enough fighting, she told herself. She could do it. She could treat him with kid gloves and entertain his insane ideas if she needed to. Not for long, but for at least one night.
“And anyways,” she finally said begrudgingly. Not really wanting to placate him but suffering through anyways. “I think it would be better if we stick together and just…work together. That seems to work best for us so far, don’t you think?” Misaki waved her chopsticks around the nice restaurant they were currently seated in to make a point. At no point before now had they been able to afford such a place. And she knew that Yutaka thought it was because she was being stingy and maybe a little bit of it was that but the real issue is that Misaki was always thinking ahead to what they would eat the next day and Yutaka only thought about the here and the now.
“If we do well enough together then you’ll have plenty of personal funds to go off and spend however you’d like. And once we make it to the smaller towns you can visit anywhere you’d like.” Calm again, Misaki resumed eating, this time scooping up some rice with her meat. “Anywhere you’d like, if you catch my drift. So can’t you just be agreeable this once and give up on trying to fund our mission with your unproductive gambling?” Misaki shoved a new order form at the waitress passing by them, ignoring the rolling eyes in their direction. “And plus, if you stick to your personal funds and you win it big like your science says you will, you won’t even have to split your winnings with me. It’ll all be yours.”
Not even Yutaka could ignore such sound logic...right?
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Survival of the Fittest
Yutaka considered explaining to Misaki that the reason he lost so much money gambling was because he tried to play fair but ultimately decided against it. It was hard for people to understand his logic. Someone with Yutaka’s luck would swear off gambling forever, but he knew the moment he won legitimately, it was going to give him one hell of a rush. But he supposed there was a small chance he could get caught if he was cheating all of the time. When she mentioned them working together, he gave her a genuine smile. She was finally accepting his help. The idea of working alongside her was much more appealing than the conditions in which he was previously operating.
Thankfully, Misaki had put in another order as Yutaka noticed he was currently cooking the last of his pile of meat. He’d always been a big eater, but right now his stomach felt bottomless. Gorging himself with some of the rice he had ordered, he waited for the meat to finish cooking. Misaki’s proposition was about as reasonable as it could get. Not even Yutaka would be able to argue against it. While he would still have issues holding back on his vices for the time being, he felt a lot better knowing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Ya have yourself a deal. I’ll work on my willpower until we get to the smaller towns. I’ve spent the last ten years goin’ to brothels or hooking up with someone at the bar nearly every night. It’s gonna take some getting used to, but I’ll work on it until circumstances allow me to go about my business again. I know my word doesn’t mean much, but I promise I’ll do better for the sake of the mission.”
He figured since Misaki was being so straightforward and reasonable with him, the least he could do was match that energy. Someone like her wouldn’t understand the depth of his addictions, not really. To deal with her own trauma, she had the drive for vengeance, but Yutaka had turned to his vices long ago. As much as he wanted to take these bastards down, he was not nearly as driven by the urge. If things went south and it was unlikely that they’d survive, he’d have no issues going back to his old life and drinking his memories away. Did that make him a coward? Probably. But he was not going to waste his hard-earned freedom by walking into his own grave.
Thankfully, Misaki had put in another order as Yutaka noticed he was currently cooking the last of his pile of meat. He’d always been a big eater, but right now his stomach felt bottomless. Gorging himself with some of the rice he had ordered, he waited for the meat to finish cooking. Misaki’s proposition was about as reasonable as it could get. Not even Yutaka would be able to argue against it. While he would still have issues holding back on his vices for the time being, he felt a lot better knowing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Ya have yourself a deal. I’ll work on my willpower until we get to the smaller towns. I’ve spent the last ten years goin’ to brothels or hooking up with someone at the bar nearly every night. It’s gonna take some getting used to, but I’ll work on it until circumstances allow me to go about my business again. I know my word doesn’t mean much, but I promise I’ll do better for the sake of the mission.”
He figured since Misaki was being so straightforward and reasonable with him, the least he could do was match that energy. Someone like her wouldn’t understand the depth of his addictions, not really. To deal with her own trauma, she had the drive for vengeance, but Yutaka had turned to his vices long ago. As much as he wanted to take these bastards down, he was not nearly as driven by the urge. If things went south and it was unlikely that they’d survive, he’d have no issues going back to his old life and drinking his memories away. Did that make him a coward? Probably. But he was not going to waste his hard-earned freedom by walking into his own grave.
CharactersShow
Itotsuki, Abari Kirigakure Chuunin [color=#80a0ff]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Akio B-rank Other Countries [color=#ee4a2d]
Nara, Daisuke D-Rank Missing nin [color=#E4EC32]
Kisama, Yutaka Heart Empire Akibushi [color=#BF0000]
Akari, Touji Iwagakure Genin [color=#C0C0C0]
Survival of the Fittest
Despite not really believing him, Misaki left their discussion at Yutaka’s agreement. They could deal with everything else as it came and even if it was only fake or temporary they had finally developed a truce that sounded fine to the both of them. And finally, for once, Yutaka remained quiet across from her. The both continued to scarf down food as though they had never tasted anything so delicious before. They ordered plate after plate until finally, an hour after they had arrived, the owner came to their table and told them they had to leave. He looked nervous, but neither Yutaka or Misaki gave him a hard time. They had come into this expecting to get kicked out and they had definitely gotten their money’s worth.
Back to the inn they went, for the first time, getting a room with two beds. Misaki hadn’t been able to spread out in what felt like forever and as she settled under the covers she considered the new turn her life had taken. Fighting with Yutaka had done more than temper her attitude. Yutaka should have been easily beaten by her, she felt. A group as big as the one she was going after would surely have ninja on their roster. And it was unlikely that they would be weaker than Yutaka. Which, based on the way their fight went, meant that they would be stronger than her too. She couldn’t risk getting to the dangerous part of the group and losing her life immediately.
She wasn’t going to lie to herself and pretend that she could take a break from what she was doing. But maybe, just maybe, she was going to have to slow down a bit and focus on getting stronger. When she finally made her way into the heart of the group she wanted to destroy them from the inside out.
Both of them slept well and they even slept in, the shining sun waking them from high in the window. With a renewed energy and a better outlook for their relationship they headed out into the streets to find out where they were headed next.
Back to the inn they went, for the first time, getting a room with two beds. Misaki hadn’t been able to spread out in what felt like forever and as she settled under the covers she considered the new turn her life had taken. Fighting with Yutaka had done more than temper her attitude. Yutaka should have been easily beaten by her, she felt. A group as big as the one she was going after would surely have ninja on their roster. And it was unlikely that they would be weaker than Yutaka. Which, based on the way their fight went, meant that they would be stronger than her too. She couldn’t risk getting to the dangerous part of the group and losing her life immediately.
She wasn’t going to lie to herself and pretend that she could take a break from what she was doing. But maybe, just maybe, she was going to have to slow down a bit and focus on getting stronger. When she finally made her way into the heart of the group she wanted to destroy them from the inside out.
Both of them slept well and they even slept in, the shining sun waking them from high in the window. With a renewed energy and a better outlook for their relationship they headed out into the streets to find out where they were headed next.
Last edited by Amy on Sat Jan 20, 2024 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
My CharactersShow
B-Rank MN • Katō, Tsubaki #A32638
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80
Sp. Jounin • Kirigakure no Sato • Araki Kiyo #DDA0DD
Akibushi • Heart Empire • Kimura, Misaki #FF80BF
Genin • Iwagakure no Sato • Kazuma #00BF80