tampered | Log, finished

Log, finished

When; January 28th
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Naoto [

naoto_two] & Jyabura [

maten_rou]
Summary; Jyabura owes Naoto some training since quite a while. But alas their relationship got a bit... uh, tense due to the fact Naoto's boyfriend (who happens to be Jyab's arch enemy) beat up Jyab's girlfriend (who happens to be his 'enemy' back in their world) a while ago. It's like a huuuge soap opera, really, just with werewolves and samurai girls for coolness factor.
Log;
That really wasn't a good time for training. Beating up someone was always ok with Jyabura, it was his fucking job, in the end. But training Naoto would always be special, considering she was Lucci's damn girlfriend.

He was still pissed at her as she dared to abruptly end the fight he had with the stupid cat some days ago. Actually he should be glad, otherwise both of them would have ended up killing each other. And walking around as a zombie was the least thing he wanted. Still, the mere thought of it annoyed him and he wasn't sure if he could keep his promise of leaving her out of his and Lucci's rivalry. But then, maybe this was just the perfect chance of paying Lucci back what he did to Robin? Naoto was strong, but not this strong.

Jyabura kept on waiting at the edge of the forest, not having a vague idea of where this would end up to. That he just had a quarrel with Robin didn't lighten his mood either.

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Naoto wasn't sure if it was wise to train with Jyabura at the moment, but outside situations should have nothing to do with training, she decided. If Jyabura wished to confront her about anything, he would have to do it in a different setting, not while she had her swords bared.

The woman kept a brisk pace as she headed for the forest. She had just visited Tayuya and was in a good mood; it lightened her spirit to know her friend was in good health and healing quickly. She was also surprised at the change in the ninja's personality over the course of several months. She had quite possibly become kinder. Naoto only hoped the same was possible for certain other assassins.

She reached the forest edge and spotted Jyabura leaning against a tree, waiting. She stopped a few feet away, hands hanging by her sides, though quick to fly to her katana if the need arise.

He awaited her with a sceptical look and obviously wasn't in a bright mood.

"So you really found some time to meet old friends" he said sarcastically, hands in his pockets and doing a few steps towards her. "I thought you were busy taking care of the bastard who attacks a pregnant woman you call your friend?"

Well, he obviously wasn't able to make a difference between training and personal life.

Naoto frowned at his words, and she casually rested a hand on the hilt of one of her swords. "Tayuya was injured. I went to see how she was doing. Lucci, on the other hand, is doing fine. I checked how Robin was doing too, you know. I don't discriminate when it comes to people I care about."

Then, suddenly, she let a soru bring her to stand next to Jyabura. The katana was out and biting into his shoulder. "But that's not the point," she said evenly. "I came here to learn tekkai." With a flick of her wrist, she pulled the sword out. "That seems not to be the case if you didn't even use it to guard against a simple attack."

She surely got better a whole damn lot.

Jyabura grit his teeth for a moment, but for some reason the pain wasn't really uncomfortable. He kind of enjoyed it even, though it sure hurt. Quickly he put put his hand around the blade and grabbed it, but this time he didn't bleed. "Damn kids are so impatient nowadays" he said with a smirk and wasted no more time.

Still holding the girl's blade with a hard grip, he shifted into his hybrid wolf shape that was nearly twice the size Naoto had seen in his fight with Lucci. Thanks God no fucking small apartment held him back this time. "I didn't really begin yet, you see?" he told her while lifting her up by simply shapeshifting. "Somebody better teach you some fucking manners" he added and simply threw her away by the sword.

She hadn't expected any of that, not the transformation or the easy way he lifted her from the ground.

Quickly, deftly, Naoto shot out her hand, pushed against the ground, and flipped in the air to land on her feet. With sword in one hand, she reached down with the other and drew her second katana. She wasn't quite used to fighting with two swords yet, but it was worth a shot. She would only get better with experience.

"I have manners, Jyabura-san," she replied, calmly. "Just not in combat." She held her weapons in front of her defensively. "I'm waiting. Come get me!"

The obscurely huge tail of the wolf swished over the forest floor in a hectic twitch. Oh not those toothpicks again. His ears flipped back in disappoinment and if he had brows in this state, he would have lifted them. He leaned forward on his front paws and made some steps towards Naoto. The wolf was not going to underestimate her again.

With a fast leap he locked his jaw around one of Naoto's wrists. He didn't intend to hurt her, but it would be inevitable. He pushed her around violently and pulled her down to the floor, making sure she'd lose her stupid blades that way. If not, that wouldn't be too much of a problem as she'd have a hard time to break his tekkai, now that he used it.

One of his paws he put on her chest to pin her down. "Well, gotcha" he shrugged.

He was fast, too fast. She dropped on of her katana, but the other one she thrust into Jyabura's shoulder wound. She wasn't sure if tekkai would cover that, but if it didn't... well, it didn't. Her other hand, the one caught by his jaws, could only clench around thin air. She couldn't move that one, not unless she wanted to lose a hand and wrist.

She conceded her quick defeat with a scowl. "I don't see how this is teaching me," she commented. Though her voice was calm, she was rather panicked. How was she going to get out of this situation?

"Oh, but I'm going to teach you" he said with an amused smirk, the only reaction to the blade in his shoulder being a dull growl. "But rather about more interesting things than some technique you'll never master anyways." His charm increased so much when being in this shape.

"What do you wanna hear about first? How miserable Robin feels since he got attacked? Why your loverboy worked for the World Government? Or what he does to Kaku when you're not around?" he asked her while his ears flipped back and forth in anticipation.

"I might not master it," she replied, "but it'd be good to know." But that didn't seem to be the point of the conversation, not at all. Jyabura seemed quite intent on focusing on other things.

She kept the sword in his shoulder. She wouldn't lower her guard even if they were merely talking, especially since Jyabura was in his wolf form. "I... I wish I could help Robin more," she answered. "But when I asked her how she was, she was fine. I don't press issues, you know, as much as I would like her to tell me what happened. And Lucci... He works for your government because he has a sense of justice. Sure it's different than most people's, but he follows it, and he kills for it. He loves blood. I know that."

But at Jyabura's last question, her resilience faltered, and her eyes fell away from his. "I don't know about Kaku-san. I haven't even met him yet." Her frown deepened, and she returned the wolf's gaze again. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Talking to him about Robin, and especially about helping her, was a very touchy issue. When Robin told him that she doesn't feel safe with him, that hurt him on many levels. And it would be the reason for a longer lasting, very bad mood of him.

"Well I can tell you what he did to her. He gave her the feeling that she's not safe with anyone. That's worse than hurting her." He didn't know if Naoto would understand the weight of those words. "And I'm afraid to tell you he never joined for justice, but to kill people legally. Did you really expect him to have honorable reasons?" Jyabura liked Naoto. He really did. But to him her biggest flaw was that she loved that stupid motherfucker of a cat. He'd do everything to ruin their relationship, just to piss Lucci off.

He couldn't avoid to smirk when Kaku was the topic. "Well, Lucci is a cat, you know? They're not into the whole monogamy thing. You'd surely be... surprised if you ever caught them together. I heard your man has a weakness for young boys with squarenoses, from time to time. What kind of weakness, well. You'll surely find out sooner or later." The smirk grew into a grin now. It was too amusing.

She lowered her gaze again. "Perhaps I'm just used to not being safe with anyone." She'd never been safe. Not when her parents were alive, not when he raised her, not when he'd died. "I'm sorry about what happened to Robin. I really am."

As for whether or not Lucci had honor, Naoto knew that wasn't possible. But he'd told her himself he was doing a justice to the world. It was the wrong kind, the twisted kind, but what did she know about right and wrong? She was an assassin, too. In her world, there was no such thing as justice.

So she said nothing about that, instead turning her attention to the last bit of information. But the topic alone disturbed her. "I..." She didn't know what to say. For a long time, she remained silent, carefully observing a line of ants as they marched by. Then, quietly, "Why?"

"You have a damn lot with her in common" he said a bit resigned, maybe a bit annoyed too. He didn't understand how neither Naoto nor Robin couldn't feel safe when they both had men that were willing to kill each other for them. If that wasn't enough sign for safety, what in the world was then?

Her silence annoyed him, he became more and more impatient and pressed his paw against her chest some more until he heard some branches break underneath the girl. "'Why', what why? Why he humps that little brat or why I told you he does? I'm just sick of seeing the wrong people suffer, that's it." he snarled sharply.

"Maybe." She supposed he was right. She didn't know very much about Robin, at least not the details of her past, so she could only trust his word.

She winced, growing irritated at the pressure on her chest. With her free hand she grabbed it and tried to pry it away, pushing against the ground with her elbow to try and free herself. "Jyabura-san," she growled, eyes narrowed, "please let go. I'm... I don't..." Her attempts were in vain; there was just so much weight that she couldn't possible push him back. Why was he doing this, anyway? Telling her these things, of all things?

Eyes flashed, face contorted. "What do you want from me?!"

"I'm just nice to you" he snarled through clenched teeth. "You can't appreciate it because my sense of friendliness is as twisted as my sense of justice, it seems." Impatently he tipped up and down with his pawlike fingers, pawpads as 'soft' as sandpaper rubbed against Naoto's skin and his claws were as cold as ice.

"I just want you to hate him already. He doesn't deserve you. He doesn't deserve your mercy after he did this to Robin. You should slice him apart, he betrays you. With a guy, out of all!" he growled amused. "It makes me sick to see him that happy" he added hateful.

She snarled back as best as she could, still trying to push his paw off her. "Do you have any idea how angry I am at him?! He hurt one of my good friends! I can't forgive him for that!" Her grip tightened around his wrist until her knuckles were white.

She hurt all over. Not just because of what Jyabura had said, not just because of Lucci's attack on Robin, but she always knew that loving such a man would bring her pain. Just...

"Why?" Her vision blurred with unshed tears.

"You didn't really seem angry at him when you pointed your blade at me some days ago. And you don't seem to be the type who'd make me stop kicking his ass because you'd like to do it by yourself" he replied unimpressed. "You saved him" he said and just managed to avoid saying 'us' instead.

He wasn't sure if that second why was even messaged towards him. Insecure he flipped back his ears and looked at her in confusion. "Don't... talk in riddles."

"I saved you!" she snapped. She was torn between furious and upset, not knowing which she should feel or if she should feel anything at all. Maybe she should just regress back into hate. "I saved you both! You would have killed each other, and as much as Robin wants to see him dead, I know she would hate the world if you died!"

Tears. Who was she crying for? Robin? Herself? Jyabura, or Lucci, even Kaku?

"Why... How come... Why didn't I die?"

At least he was still calm enough to better keep his mouth shut about her commentary on Robin. "Yeah, probably" he said, not specifying what exactly he meant. She was right in all points anyways.

Tears were already irritating enough, but what she just said made no sense to him. He knew little about Naoto's past and as long as people wouldn't tell them things out of their own, he wouldn't ask.

Slowly he put off his paw, with a grim expression he felt the blade sliding out of his shoulder and made a few step backwards, but still on guard. Naoto had enough reasons to slice him apart now, he wouldn't resent it. But not make it happen either.

"Who cares? You need no reason to live. Just do it." Oh yeah, she had a lot in common with Robin.

When the weight lifted from her chest, she sat up and scooted away, retrieving her dropped katana in the process. One hand strayed to her chest, absently tracing down a line of her scar. It was old and healed, but now it flared with pain.

"I want to live." Shakily, Naoto stood. Quietly, as if to herself, "He didn't save me so I could die so easily."

She kept her head bowed and watched as tears dripped from her cheeks onto the ground. Then, slowly, she sheathed her swords. "I don't want to fight you, Jyabura-san."

Jyabura took this as the magic word to shift back to human shape. It caused his shoulder wound to bleed even more, though. No more fur to soak it up. Convulsive he put his hand over it. "I guess it's too late for this, girl" he smirked. Well, technically they were just fighting.

He had nothing to say for the rest, he didn't know enough and in the end it was none of his business. "You don't have to." He put his free hand on Naoto's shoulder. "And now let's go, we need some damn medics. Your wrist doesn't look any better than my shoulder."

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Log, finished

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