[Graded][Plotboard] A 'friendly' spar between twins

[TyDie]

Having only just left their house, Ryu and Amaya trekked on through the misty streets of Kirigakure until they wound up at the familiar front door of their grandparents's house. He wasted no time walking through the front door, being immediately greeted by a slave woman in her 30s or so. blonde hair and brown eyes with fair skin. "Welcome young masters, shall I inform your grandparents of your arrival?" "Yes, thank you." Ryu responded in kind, removing his sword from his hip and his shoes from his feet before walking into the house. The slave bowed as Ryu walked past him, then walked off to find the twin's grandparents.

Ryu would walk towards the living room, no doubt with Amaya close behind. Once there, he'd lean his sword against a nearby wall and plop on the couch as he awaited the arrival of his grandparents. "Wonder how they're going to react to the news?"

[Willoria]

Rei removed her shoes at the door as well and followed her brother through the all too familiar home. Nothing had changed since they had left of course, but still she looked at the decor, the floor, the walls, even glanced at a slave or two as they passed them. Unlike her brother she didn't bother acknowledging even the one that had greeted them at the door. She hardly seemed to notice them. She came out of her own thoughts as her brother spoke and simply shrugged, before taking a deep breath and imitating her grandfather with the addition of puffy cheeks and pretending she couldn't lower her arms. "Now you must prove how strong you are against one another, even though you already know one another's strengths and tactics intimately. This changes everything." She fell into a small giggle when she stopped and finally plopped on the couch beside her brother, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

"This whole thing is so stupid." she muttered. "How are we supposed to prove anything when we spend all our time together as it is?"

[TyDie]

Ryu couldn't help but laugh at his sister's antics, finding their grandfather's strict traditions and rules to be just as annoying as Amaya did. However, he shaped up pretty quickly with Kizaru, their grandfather, entered the room. Yoshiko, their grandmother, was right behind him, and both looked aged but still quite fit and healthy. "What a surprise, seeing you two here. Haven't seen you in a while, since y'all got your own place. What brings you two by?" Ryu visibly scowled as Kizaru was still clearly upset by the twin's decision to go off on their own, though of course Ryu had a great reason to do so. Last time Ryu and Kizaru had a fight, he had almost swung at his grandfather, and not with a fist...

"Well, we became genin not too long ago. We've gotten our official rival match ups today..." "Oh? It's about time, I would've expected them to match you two up with someone weeks ago. So... where are they? I assumed you would bring them by for a spar to get a feel for each other's styles and skills." Ryu turned his head to the side, not wanting to admit the truth to them as he grumbled under his breath about how dumb the village was. It seemed Amaya would have to be the one to tell them...

[Willoria]

Rei visibly stiffened as her grandparents entered the room but not because she held anything against them or even cared about the hidden snark in her grandfather's words. 'That was close, he almost caught me doing that imitation...' Rei remained where she was, eyes closed, as she listened to her brother talk though she could almost feel his anger about Kizaru's comment. She did take a moment to elbow him in the ribs for it. But as her grandmother asked the fateful question, the silence her brother left open became palpable.

She sighed and opened her eyes, looking at Ryu. "Oh now you're struck silent?" she quipped before standing up with a groan and stretching a bit. "That's just it, Baba." Rei replied finally, turning to look at the woman. "We did." she added, pausing for a slight frown. "We are one another's assigned rival apparently."

[TyDie]

Both grandparents tilted their heads, waiting in silent anticipation for whatever it was Amaya was about to reveal to them. When she did finally spill the beans, Yoshiko's hands went up to her mouth in shock... while Kizaru could only guffaw. "HAAAAAAhahahahahaha! Oh man, I love this village! Haaaahahahaha!!" "Oh... oh my. Well, I suppose it makes sense... It's common for twins to compete with each other as it is, so Kiri fostering that competitive nature seems to be the right decision..."

"But Baba, she can't challenge me! She can't push me further! This isn't fair!" Ryu crossed his arms in frustration, looking off to the side and pouting as the truth had been revealed. The relationship between Ryu and Amaya was a very strange one indeed; He loved his sister, of that even she could have no doubt, but at the same time he was so blunt and brutal with his words that an outsider might think he hated her guts. "Oh be careful Ryu, or do I have to remind of you of your father's arrogance and what that earned him?" Ryu could only grumble under his breath again, knowing full well the story of how his father and mother met... and how his mother snapped his father's elbow for underestimating her.

But this wasn't the same as that, he already knew he was better than Amaya. What could she do to prove that wrong? "Well, tradition is tradition... shall we move to the back yard?" Ryu wouldn't verbally respond, instead opting simply to stand from the couch and reach for his sword. He knew he wasn't going to use it for this, but he still didn't like to leave it lying around.

[Willoria]

Rei shook her head as her grandfather laughed, almost ready to laugh along with them. But then her brother started his fit like some kind of toddler throwing a tantrum and she felt that old rage rising up inside of her again. Normally she screamed back at her brother, or proved herself stronger than he thought. Sometimes she even just shut up and sucked it up, but this entire thing had left her so completely fed up that as he was conversing with their grandfather, Rei moved towards the end of the couch where he sat.

More specifically she stood near his sword.

As he stood she knew there would be a momentary pause before he reached for the weapon and in that moment she acted. She grabbed his sword, sheath still on and all, and swung as hard as she could muster to catch her brother across the face.

Without a word.

[TyDie]

Ryu was a little stunned when Amaya stood between him and his sword, but before he could protest she reached for it... and smacked him upside the head with it's sheath. "OWW, THE FUCK!" Ryu snatched his sword from his sister and held a fist up to her, clearly about to punch her good for what she just did. Kizaru, once again, was laughing his ass off, while Yoshiko was the adult in the room who stepped in. "Easy you two. Save it for the spar." Yoshiko's gaze was hardened and sharp, causing Ryu to back down, albeit grumpily... He scoffed before walking outside through the back door in the living room, and the rest of the family followed, along with two slaves who were called by Yoshiko; the same blonde haired woman as before and an older male with short brown hair and green eyes.

Once outside, the male slave went to grab a few training weapons from a nearby shed, while the family would make their way to a clearing in their back yard. It was a 15 meter radius circular arena, the floor was soft earth and it's outer edges were lined with stones buried into the earth. The twins knew this place well, Ryu especially, as he had trained with his grandfather many times in this very arena. A few moments after approaching the edge of the arena, the slave came back with training weapons; Ryu's bokken and another shorter bokken, shaped like a Khyber Knife. "Your weapons." Ryu took his without a word, still rubbing the side of his head and wincing as a big ol' goose egg formed.

"Alright, you two know how this works; Fight like your lives depend on it, but when someone goes down for the count that's it. Grandma here can patch up just about anything, so go all out... Anything goes." "Yeah yeah, this isn't the first time we've fought Jiji." Ryu took his place at one end of the arena quickly before taking a few trial swings with the bokken, getting the feel for the sheath, the weight, and everything else. He was clearly ready and eager now, after his sister took that sneak attack against him... He was gonna give her a lump to match his.

[Willoria]

Clearly Rei was pretty happy with herself for cracking her brother across the face with his own sheathed sword, as she stuck her tongue out at him when he was stopped from punching her. "Maybe quit assuming that you're going to always beat me. By time exams come, you won't be able to light a candle to what I am!" she snapped at him as they were led out to the yard. She stopped by a small table and took off her khyber knife and daggeers, though she kept her senbon. There wasn't really a less deadly substitute for them, and given the kind of damage their grandmother could heal they had never been much of a concern in the past.

Rei took the replacement for her khyber knife and put it in the sheath before stepping out to the dirt that was their small arena. The girl was smirking as her brother rubbed the side of his head, knowing that even if he bested her in this he was going to be feeling that one for a few days. As her brother took his weapon Rei of course played dirty like she always did and formed handseals. "In what world... can you beat me?" she remarked, smirking at her brother.

Jutsu UsedShow

[Genjutsu • In What World]
D-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals, the user will remark “In what world?” Any nearby target who hears this will suddenly feel dizzy, possibly even sick. This jutsu has a duration of three posts.

[TyDie]

Ryu was ready and waiting for her to ready herself in the arena, and the moment she did his hand flashed over to his hilt as he prepared to dash in. He'd make this quick and show just how out of her league she was, that he was clearly the better of the two. However, despite being subjected to it on numerous occasions... he once again forgot that his sister had a knack for Genjutsu. Before he could cover his ears, he was struck dizzy, and immediately his dash ended up with him lolling to the left before coming to a stop. His hands immediately went to his head as he tried desperately to shake the dizziness, but of course being genjutsu it was no use.

"Agh, damn you and your tricks girl! Fight me dammit!" Kizaru had stated already that the two could use any means to win, but that didn't stop Ryu from adhering to his own code of honor. In his mind, a fight should consist of two people going toe to toe until one of them was unable to continue, not this mind fuckery that his sister was using on him. However, Jiji was right; anything goes. An enemy wasn't going to take it easy on him and fight by his code, which meant he'd have to get used to dealing with this shit somehow. Currently, his only real 'defensive' option was to take a few uneasy steps back and assume a readied stance.

He knew she'd take advantage of him, given the weakened state the Genjutsu left him in... But he was still ready and waiting for her approach, whatever it was.

JutsuShow

[Iaido • Reactionary]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Years of training have enabled Ryu to know the telltale signs of an incoming attack. When such a situation arises, his eyes will instinctively search for the most vulnerable area of his opponent's attacking body, and his body will follow suit with a swift strike aimed for that target area.

[Willoria]

Rei grinned as her genjutsu took hold and her brother was forced to go on the defensive. She knew how much he hated that. "You may have me beat in taijutsu... but not in anything else." she told him, formulating a plan as she kept herself a certain distance from her brother. She kept herself almost as far from her brother as their yard were allow as she formed the hand seals for her next technique, only it wasn't more genjutsu. Her back arched on the last seal and she shifted her body forward as she expelled a ball of chakra from her mouth, aimed for Ryu.

Jutsu UsedShow

*Fuuton • Wind Bullet
D-Ranked Fuuton Jutsu
After performing the required hand seals, the user expels a basket ball sized ball of wind from their mouth. This ball of wind travels up to 20m at 5 speed, and explodes with the strength of a single explosive tag on contact with solid matter or at the end of its range.

[TyDie]

She was definitely right about her claim; She had him beat in everything revolving around the use of chakra. And as such, while his training made him a beast in close quarters combat, they did little to help him in this instance. However, he knew that pain would break him from the genjutsu, and she was giving him the perfect excuse to get hurt... as annoying as it was that he was basically forced to take the hit. Putting his arms up in front of his face, Ryu braced for impact and slid back a few feet as the orb of wind impacted. cutting and scraping his forearms and shoulders and tearing into his clothes. As soon as the pain radiated through his body though, the dizziness he was experiencing dissipated.

"...My turn." Ryu's hands fell to his weapon, his right on his hilt and his left on his sheath. He then crouched down for a moment before pushing off with his left foot and sliding forward on his right, creating a concentrated dash that allowed him to close the distance between he and his sister with incredible speed. Once within range, he would pull hard on the hilt of his bokken, aiming a powerful strike for his sister's hip before resheathing and delivering a second strike for her ribs.

Jutsu UsedShow

[Iaido • Quick Step]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
A technique Ryu learned while watching his father, Ryu has practiced the art of the approach, and can utilize torque generated in his back leg to shift himself forward with impressive speed in a single, sliding motion. He will push off with his back leg, sliding forward on his front leg for a distance equal to his speed in meters, delivering a Swift Draw once he reaches the end of this concentrated dash. This maneuver, the slide and the slash, are both delivered with +6 speed, but his accuracy is sacrificed as a result, resulting in -6 Taijutsu until the maneuver is complete.

*[Iaido • Line Draw]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 8 Speed
The technique is recognized by its signature stance of one hand just below the opening of the katana sheath and the other firmly on the sword. Drawing the sword in one swift motion, the user creates a horizontal or vertical slash in front of themselves before sheathing the sword, often chaining these strikes together for greater effect.

[Willoria]

Amaya realized her mistake rather quickly, but also too late. She channeled her chakra as her brother moved. Given he was a bit faster than her, his strike to her hip hit but it didn't just bruise, it had another unique effect. She flinched mid-channel and brought a hand up. One hand fired Suiton into his face and the other out to he side. She didn't launch away from him quite as neatly as she'd like due to this mishap, but it did launch her sideways where she rolled across the ground and came up to her feet. Honestly it left a grin on her face as a result, it was an accident really, but for her half it was a happy accident as she was now away from him.

"Do you see, brother?" she asked after a few seals. "You can't always hurt me with your taijutsu anymore.... I'm already getting stronger..."

Jutsu UsedShow

*Suiton • Propel Leap
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After channeling chakra into their hands the user will fire two jets of water from their hand, essentially hurling and propelling themselves in the opposite direction of their jets as if thrown by a strength of 5. Can be used once to throw themselves with 5 strength.

[Genjutsu • Paranoid]
D-Ranked Illusion Genjutsu
The user will do a series of hand seals, then say “Do you see…?”. Should the target hear the question, they'll be captured in this genjutsu. For the following 4 posts, the target will see a shadow in the corner of their eyes, constantly shifting out of view when they attempt to look at it.

[TyDie]

Ryu smiled at first as he felt his bokken strike home against Amaya's hip, and started to say something witty to follow up with the blow... but all that game out was a gurgle as water was shot forcefully down his mouth. The water blasted him back a few feet as well, putting space between he and his sister while of course drenching his clothing. He spit and sputtered a few times, coughed here and there to purge water from his lungs, while Kizaru was doubled over in laughter. "Haaaahahahaha! She gotchya good Ryu!" He leveled a glare of icy death in Kizaru's direction, which of course only made him laugh harder...

By the time he recovered from all the water shoved down his throat, his ears perked up just in time to, once again, get caught within a genjutsu. This one fucked with his vision, causing him to squint and strain to see Amaya as he had to focus his attention directly on her. "Psh, go ahead, fuck with my vision. Not gonna save you from this!" Ryu once again darted towards his sister, preparing a swift strike aimed to smack her sister across the head... only to pull the hilt back just before contact and aim the tip of the blade for her sternum. It was a feint he was well known for, and an effective one at that, but it was admittedly difficult to follow through with the strike with his vision impaired...

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Iaido • Cutting The Eyes]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 8 Speed
A simple, yet very effective technique, Cutting The Eyes is a Line Draw aimed at the target's eyes. The user attempts to horizontally slash the target's eyes in order to remove their eyesight.

[Iaido • Feinting Strike]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Ryu will attempt to fake out his opponent by aiming a Swift Draw for his opponent's body, only to pull his hilt back towards him at the last second. Doing so stops this strike mid swing, but leads quickly into a stab as he thrusts the blade forward in an attempt to puncture his target's body.

[Willoria]

Amaya wanted to laugh but also knew her brother wasn't going to just accept that. If anything he was just more pissed at this point and more likely to rush in. Amaya stumbled to push herself to her feet and moved into hand seals. As he drew nearer she was ready to fire off her jutsu but immediately recognized the move he was using. She waited until he swung for her, for the moment he would begin to pull back the contact supposedly meant for her head as part of his feint. She released the jutsu straight against him right in front of her.

Silently she hoped he'd stay down this time.

Jutsu UsedShow

*Fuuton • Wind Bullet
D-Ranked Fuuton Jutsu
After performing the required hand seals, the user expels a basket ball sized ball of wind from their mouth. This ball of wind travels up to 20m at 5 speed, and explodes with the strength of a single explosive tag on contact with solid matter or at the end of its range.

[TyDie]

... To say that the ball of wind being thrown into his face 'hurt' was an understatement. The cuts and scratches that covered his face as the ball of chakra slammed into his head caused incredible pain, Ryu crying out as he dropped his bokken and his entire body was thrown back through the air a couple of meters. He was literally knocked off of his feet and sent flying like a ragdoll, flipping backwards before landing flat on his stomach and rolling until he was about 7 meters away. He lay on his back, apparently defeated, but beneath his body he clutched something tightly..

Mid flight, as his body was sent away from Amaya, his right hand had slipped into his ninja pouch and retrieved a single Kunai, a flash tag attached to it. When Amaya came over to inspect her brother's body, he would rip the kunai out from underneath him, jam it into the ground and bring his hands together in a Kai. The blinding flash would hopefully jar his sister enough that he could rise up and tackle her to the ground, putting the kunai to her neck once he was on top of her if his tactic worked.

[Willoria]

Her brother was thrown, and even as he hit the ground Amaya's hands flew through two sets of seals. She had never expected her brother to stay down and certainly didn't expect it now. First a defensive barrier of suiton rose in front of her, and then a ball of suiton formed in between her hands. She held that ball, watching and waiting to see if her brother would move. He didn't, and she glanced at her grandparents but noticed they hadn't moved either. She turned her eyes back to Ryu and waited, but then noticed his sword had been thrown to the wayside. 'There's no way he'd just leave that...' After a few moments she dispelled the suiton techniques and let the water fall to the ground with a splash and walked over to check on her brother.

For a moment she was actually worried he was seriously hurt.

But then she was just pissed as a flash tag suddenly went off in her face and the next thing she knew, she was pinned. "Oh you bastard..."

Jutsu UsedShow

*Suiton • Defensive Barrier
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will spray water created from the inside of their chest through their mouth. Once the water is expelled, it will form an umbrella shape that is concave to the user and about two meters in diameter. This defense is somewhat solid and can be formed in any direction the user can spit, up to five meters away. The defense is shot at a speed of 5 and has a strength of 5 and unless completely destroyed it lasts for three posts before falling lifelessly to the ground.

*Suiton • Water Orb Technique
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a dense ball of water approximately 6 centimeters in diameter in their hands. Upon lurching forward, they will release the ball towards an opponent up to 10 meters away at a speed of 6 and with a strength of 4.

[TyDie]

After tackling his sister to the ground and putting the kunai to her throat, a clearly decisive maneuver, he stood up and threw the Kunai to the side with a huff before walking out of the arena's bounds to a tree over by a small pond in the family's backyard. He said nothing, but his eyes spoke volumes; He was pissed. He sat by the pond, motionless as he simply stared at the water, as if the calming ripples would do something for his rage. They did not.

Kizaru, on the other hand, was quick to rush to his grand daughter's side, along with Yoshiko. "Fantastic display Amaya, you're getting way better!" Grandpa was clearly pleased, and Yoshiko went to quick work with Iijutsu as her hands glowed with light green chakra. "Wow... aside from a nasty crack in your hip and some bruises forming on your back, you're pretty much fine." Yoshiko was already in the process of healing Amaya's wounds when Kizaru looked over to Ryu, his back turned to his sister and grandparents, and let out a small sigh. "So bitter..."

[Willoria]

Amaya didn't immediately try to get up as her brother walked away, she took her time to breathe a bit of a sigh of relief at first. She let her heart rate and breathing calm, although the downside to that was that the pain came in all at once. She tried to sit up and whimpered as pain shot down through her hip. Despite this, she couldn't help a grin as her grandfather complimented her and she looked at him. "I made him drop his sword." she managed, sounding out of breath and letting out another whimper as her grandmother started working on healing her hurt. "I've never been able to do that before." she added, turning her head and seeing her brother where he sat. She heard her grandfather's words and the smile slipped from her lips and the girl sighed.

Despite her grandmother's protests, Amaya forced herself to stand and limped over to where her brother sat, sitting down beside him. She pulled her knees up to her chest with a grimace, resting her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs and sat there beside him in silence for a moment. "Mom was a swordsman too." she finally said quietly. "She had all kinds of tricks up her sleeves, just in case she lost her swords. Remember the kunai she had sealed in her forearms?" she asked, turning her head to look at her brother though the side of her head still rested on her knees. "You're her son too ya know. Being sneaky isn't all bad, its part of her too."

Amaya knew better than anyone what had her brother pissed. It wasn't the fact that she came so close to beating him, it wasn't even the fact that she forced him to drop his sword. It was the tactic he had used to win in the end. He had always hated it, being more of a straight forward swordsman like their father. But to Amaya that just meant since she understood, she could talk him down from his temper...

...if anyone could.

[TyDie]

Her grandparents continued to praise her for a job well done, while Ryu continued to sulk by himself next to the lake. What did they know? She didn't even win the spar, she just pushed him to use a tactic that he absolutely despised. So dishonorable... if it were a real fight, would he have done the same? Would he have taken another man's life in such an undignified way? This was no way for a swordsman to act! Picking up a rock, he tossed it into the serene lake, disrupting the stillness with a series of large ripples. It was around that time that Amaya sat beside him, and he simply sat in silence with her by him, not even turning his head to look at her.

Then she spoke of their mother... It was no secret that Amaya despised Ren, so for her to even mention their mother like this spoke louder than Ryu's fury. "That may be true Amaya, but it doesn't change the fact that my swordsmanship, my Iaido, wasn't enough to beat you. I've beaten you for years growing up using just the sword. If that's changed now, if you can push me to the limits... What about the future? Are you going to surpass me? Am I just gonna..." He didn't want to finish the statement going through his head, but it was clear what his true fear was; Failure. Disgracing the legacy of his family. He was the son of Two Overseers, why in the world couldn't he win a fight with his blade?

"I shouldn't have to rely on such underhanded methods to win the day, especially in a spar of all things. It was a cheap trick, there was no skill involved whatsoever. I take no pride in beating you today." Ryu was still quite grumpy for sure; in his sullen state, the pain caused by her various wind bullets was hardly a sting in the back of his mind.

[Willoria]

Amaya couldn't help a snort at her brother's response. "I mean first off, get better." she told him, giving him a bit of an odd look. "This was a spar to see where we are. Are you so dead set in your ways of winning against me that you thought I wasn't trying to get better myself? Now that's foolish. So I finally pushed you to nearly losing, sounds like its time for you to get better." she replied, her words probably harsh by the standards of others but between her and her brother this was probably incredibly tame for the both of them.

Naturally she rolled her eyes again as her brother spoke of having no pride in what he did. "This wasn't about pride, Ryu. This was a measurement." She looked at him a moment before glancing at their grandparents a few feet away and turning her eyes back to Ryu. However she dropped her voice, not wanting them to hear. She didn't want to break their hearts with what she said next. "I know you've heard the same whispers I have, Ryu. Some say father was too much the swordsman, and not enough the shinobi. That maybe thats why he died. That maybe his pride in his sword got in the way... maybe its true, and maybe its not. But you do need to remember you're more than swordsman, you're shinobi too. Get better so you can use just your blade, fine. But plan in case you have to use this again and don't hate the day you use it to survive."

There were tears in Amaya's eyes, and not just because she'd been talking about their father. She suddenly shifted and wrapped her arms around her brother in a hug, resting her cheek on his shoulder while her forehead pressed against the side of his head. "I'd never forgive you if on a mission you died because you couldn't do the underhanded thing to survive, Ryu..."

[TyDie]

Ryu leveled a glare at his sister for her simple but blunt statement: 'get better'. "Hmph." was all the verbal response she'd get from him, but inside the statement boiled his blood. He was almost ready to go at it again in another spar, but his body rebelled against such thoughts with throbs of pain. He'd get better alright, he'd get so good with his sword that no one in the village could hold a candle to him. After all, that's what an Overseer should be, right? The best of the best of the best.

Although he finally felt the need to interject as she spoke of their father's death, and the many rumors surrounding them. "Cheap talk and rumors, that's all it is. None of them could hope to compare to father, so they tarnish and degrade his memory instead. Cowards, the lot of them." He spit to the side in disgust, clearly despising the people who felt it proper to talk shit about not only Ryu's father, but one of the greatest swordsman ever seen in Kirigakure. "He wasn't just a swordsman either... His mastery of Chiton was just as incredible as his skills with the blade. He was just as much shinobi as he was swordsman. And mother, mother's skills far exceeded just the blade true... It's just me that puts my blade before everything else."

It was true; eveything he knew was with the sword, with Iaido... But that hadn't been a problem until today. Perhaps... maybe his sister was right. And her final statement only served to dig deeper, prompting a small sigh from Ryu as his sister hugged him and voiced her concerns. He didn't turn to face her, but his right arm eventually found it's way to her back and he leaned his head against hers. "Honor doesn't mean much if you're dead, does it?" He chuckled and slowly stroked her back tenderly, prompting an 'awww' from their grandparents. Ryu simply rolled his eyes at the sound...

[Willoria]

"Honor means exactly nothing if you're dead, Ryu." Amaya admitted quietly, sighing as her brother finally leaned against her. She could feel him finally relaxing a bit, his anger was waning and that she was happy for. "Do you remember that spar where I got hurt? When you were scared, thinking that you might have killed me?" she asked, lifting her head enough to look at him. She knew he might not look at her as she brought up what had been a rather sensitive issue between the two of them. Some time ago during a spar Amaya had been next to useless, and unable to dodge a move her brother had thought for sure she could. He had practically disemboweled her, and the only reason she survived was that their grandmother was right there when it happened and she was an expert in Iijutsu.

"That moment, seeing your fear, is when I decided I needed to take things more seriously. That my genjutsu wasn't enough, I needed to start working on other things. Thats how I got better." she frowned a bit and sighed at her brother. "I don't ever want to make you that scared again, and I hope you never want to make me that scared either..." She glanced at her grandparents again before looking at Ryu. "We're all one another have anymore ya know."

[TyDie]

Ryu hated thinking about that day, the day he almost killed his sister. It was ever since then that he insisted on using a bokken instead of his actual sword against his sister; he refused to put her in that kind of danger again, not if he could help it anyway. So... it was then that she committed herself to getting stronger... because of him. But not because of a fear of him hurting her, no... She feared hurting him. Her death would ruin him, especially if it was by his own hand. "You're right... Neither one of us can afford to come back in a body bag. We need to get better, for each other." Ryu smiled down at his sister before squeezing her just a little tighter, then he finally motioned for his sister to stand with him. Her hip was out, he wasn't stupid; He'd help support her as she stood.

His chest and face hurt like hell too, and those cuts were still bleeding. "Alright Baba, we need some patching up!" He would motion to his grandparents with a wave before moving towards them, squeezing his sister a little harder than normal as he moved towards them for healing...

What a day...