dangodragon (dangodragon) wrote in strangergamesrp, @ 2012-10-30 10:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | closed, kamizuki izumo, log, observable, uchiha itachi |
[log]Failing at Friends
Who: Uchiha Itachi, Kamizuki Izumo
When: October 6th
Where: On the Grounds
What: Itachi find Izumo sparring. He tries to help, and they fight.
Warnings: Izumo’s mouth.
Open or Closed: Closed
Observable: Yes
Itachi had been looking for a place to think. Instead, he found something more interesting to think on. He had found Izumo in the woods.
What could be a better distraction?
Izumo, in the woods, doing a series of kata, concentration on his face. This, and so, in this pattern....aw crap he’d fucked up the footing. With a grimace he backed up and started again. He was passingly decent at hand-to-hand but the higher levels of it (which he was practising) had always managed to escape him. He felt like a little green Genin again, but hell, if they were going to keep chunking him into fights....
He managed to complete it this time, but he looked like a fool and it didn’t feel right. With a frustrated sigh he settled down to try again.
After watching Izumo go through his kata twice, Itachi wondered what the man was doing. High level kata? Why? Itachi stepped forward, close enough he thought Izumo would sense him before he spoke.
“You’re leaning too far forward, and your left hand is too high,” Itachi offered, eying Izumo’s feet. “And your feet...” Nope, not right. Not right at all. Itachi shook his head and wrinkled his head as he looked up at Izumo.
Izumo swore and sprang sideways, a handful of senbon appearing in his hand. He eyed Itachi, shook his head, and made a face, slipping the senbon away. “I knew something was off,” he offered, grumpily. He didn’t really want to look bad in front of the younger teen (that stung!) but it wasn’t like he could help it. Or like it would really hurt his image as the “puny Chuunin,” it was just a matter of pride.
“It’s a difficult form. Shisui spent hours trying to get me perfect at it.” Itachi thought it didn’t really count as lying. He had spent awhile trying to get it right.
XD
“It works better against someone. After you get dropped on the ground a few times, you remember how it should go.” Itachi offered slowly.
Izumo blinked, staring at the space above Itachi’s head. “Well, at least it’s not just me.” Though what that little thingie was supposed to mean.... He looked down at Itachi’s face again. “Unfortunately most of the advanced kata I know need a partner, and I have none.”
(>.>)
Itachi looked up and frowned. He couldn’t see the strange things very well, but he was fairly certain they were there. “Ashes. They came back.”
:\
Itachi shook his head. “I’m here.” >]
Izumo blinked. “And have you pound me into the dirt. Fuck no.”
D:
Itachi scoffed. “Do you have so little faith in my ability to hold back? Or do you just think I’m going to take the opportunity to kill you and call it an accident?” Truth be told, Itachi was a little disappointed. He knew how to hold back during a spar.
:c
“I’ve seen ANBU spar. I am not likely to survive. Have I mentioned my hand-to-hand sucks? Because it sucks.”
Izumo grimaced. Being honest about that stung. He didn’t like it.
(>.>)
“I saw that, and I know.” Itachi stuck his thumbs in his pockets. “The point wouldn’t be beating you. It would be teaching you.” Itachi knew how to teach. “I’m not that cruel.”
Izumo eyed Itachi warily, shifting his weight minutely. “Promise?” he asked at last, almost sulkily.
“Promise.”
^^
Itachi stepped forward. He had been walking around long enough to warm up, so he didn’t bother stretching as he stepped towards Izumo. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Ffffuuuuck,” Izumo whined, but sank into a stance, guarding.
D:
Itachi shook his head and sighed. :D
Itachi threw a half speed punch at Izumo, wondering if he could force Izumo back into the forms he’d been trying to do earlier.
Izumo dodged back and braced himself again, getting ready, light on his toes. He was quick and his instinct was for defense and escape.
Itachi swept a low kick at Izumo’s ankles, thinking to unbalance the man. Really, Itachi just wanted to test Izumo right now and see how he would react.
Izumo hopped neatly over it and landed firmly. He very nearly threw a sebon at the tiny opening he thought he saw; instead he just made the hand-motion, recoiling quickly to stay in good guarding.
Itachi automatically dodged the hand motion, expecting a senbon to come at him. That it didn’t threw him off a little, but Itachi spun, coming at Izumo from the side with a knife strike aimed at his elbow.
Izumo skipped back, found a log with his trailing foot, and struggled to catch himself without falling or leaving an opening for Itachi to get into.
Itachi pressed the opening, coming at Izumo from the front with a blow aimed high at the man’s neck.
Izumo swore and dropped, twisting in a boneless move to try to sweep-kick Iatchi’s legs from under him. He’d not land steady on his feet but if he knocked Itachi down he’d buy the time he’d need to recover. Better a shoulder or arm hit than one in the neck, though.
Itachi jumped, using Izumo’s shoulders to shove himself up and into a neat little flip. He landed with his back to Izumo, but whirled around, just in case the man had managed to recover.
And down Izumo went, rolling through the leaf-litter, scrambling back to his feet in a hurried fluster. Adrenaline spiked through him, eyes wide, chakra flickering to speed his motions. Up up up get up and stay up. He crouched low, body braced and just a little too tense.
Itachi watched Izumo scramble, allowing his posture to drop. His Sharingan activated to watch the flickering of Izumo’s chakra. =_=;;;
Itachi sighed. “You’re too tense. You’ll strain something or not be able to react quickly enough.” Itachi waved a hand at Izumo. “Take the stance you were trying before I interrupted you--we’ll try the sequence.” Now that Itachi had a gauge of Izumo’s abilities, he wouldn’t be as likely to hurt the other.
Itachi smiled. “You can use as much chakra as you want.” Itachi would use none.
“Too tense. I’m ready to get the fuck out of here when you attack me again,” Izumo retorted, and backed up slowly before he took up the first stance of the advanced kata.
D:
“I already said I wouldn’t.” >\ Itachi walked forward and eyed Izumo. “Lower your left arm.” Itachi waited half a second, then launched a kick at Izumo’s left side. It should be easy to block or divert if he used the stance correctly.
The little D: emoticon suddenly sprouted flailing arms and Izumo instinctively swung to duck, only barely remembering to lash out and divert the attack.
“Stop panicking!” Itachi demanded, flowing into the next attack of the sequence--a turn and a blow aimed at Izumo’s back. >_>
“Fuck!” Izumo spat, and twisted, snapping his arm up to block, the other flicking like he was throwing senbon into Itachi’s gut or thighs.
Itachi didn’t flinch this time as Izumo pretended to throw the senbon. He grabbed Izumo’s blocking arm and yanked, more to see if he could be so easily unbalanced as he swung a foot at Izumo’s ankle.
Izumo was not easily unbalanced until his footing was threatened. Then he stumbled, yelped, and wrenched away in a sudden wild flare of chakra that in a less flexible person would have strained muscles.
Itachi shoved with his other hand, pushing Izumo over and tumbling him down onto the ground.
._. “Still too tense.”
“Fuck you with a rusty kunai,” Izumo spat from down in the dirt.
O-o “That’s very kind.” Itachi crouched down. “Would you like to go through the sequence slowly so you can get it right?”
“Only if you’re a damn sight kinder than my Academy teacher and won’t pinch nerve-points when I get it wrong,” Izumo returned, some of his ill mood abated by the ridiculous emoticon. Several in sequence flickered briefly over his own head.
(>.>)
(<.<)
:]
“I’ll just frown and you’ll fall over in terror,” Itachi replied dryly. He didn’t trust those emoticons. ._. Itachi stood back up and stepped away from Izumo.
“No, frowns I can withstand,” Izumo grumbled, and got to his feet. He dusted himself off.
A brief picture of a small black cat leaping on a little blue-grey mouse flashed over his head.
“But, I’ve only been nice,” Itachi protested. >P He definitely hadn’t been jumping on Izumo like a cat with a mouse!
“We can stop if you want,” Itachi offered, though he thought he might think less of Izumo if he were so easy to scare off.
“I thought you were teaching me,” Izumo retorted, with more bravery than he felt.
“I don’t have time to teach someone who isn’t willing.” Itachi crossed his arms and eyed Izumo. “Or someone too frightened to properly learn.”
“I’m learning,” Izumo replied, and stubbornly sank into the correct stance. “Now start from the bottom. ‘Cause I suck eggs, oh mighty Itachi.”
“Fine, then I’ll run through the sequence and you watch.” Itachi rocked on his feet and settled back on his heels. “Can you learn from watching, or do I need to hold your hand?”
“Thank the gods. Please do,” Izumo answered. He shifted out of his stance and stepped back to give Itachi more room. He’d never seen a good demonstration, really, he’d just been told roughly how it went and pinched a few times into something like the proper shape. This was really advanced, after all.
._.
Itachi nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. He centered himself and slowly moved off. He kept his eyes closed, focussing inward on the movements and motions. He’d seen the area with his Sharingan, and thus knew the terrain. As he moved, the forms flowed through his mind.
Monkey holds back, dragon strikes with tail, crane defends with wings... The animals flashed above his head as he moved from form to form, faltering only when he remembered this had to be slow. As he finished the last form, Itachi opened his eyes and turned to face Izumo.
“That is how you do it.”
Izuomo watched carefully, biting at the top ball of his tongue piercing. Right. Okay. Oh, well, that was what that step combo was supposed to look like. No wonder he’d never been able to sort it out.
“I will poison Kiki for trying to tell me I could do that without being shown,” Izumo concluded.
Itachi blinked. “But...that’s how you learn. You have to see it.” You might need some help still after that, but you should always see a kata performed before you did it yourself anyway. No one had ever tried to teach Itachi something without showing him first.
“Tell that to that bitch. Can...can I see that one more time? Please?” Izumo didn’t often ask, and it probably showed, but seeing it was almost making it make sense. And he wanted to learn, needed to be able to make killing him more trouble than it was worth. He’d gotten lax once he’d started working the desks, not that he’d ever been the best or most diligent to start with.
“If I ever see her, then I will.” Itachi sighed. :]
Itachi took the stance again and kept his eyes open. He moved through the forms a little faster, feeling the flow between them and trying to decide which spots would be the trouble spots and how to explain those.
Izumo watched again, gone still and intense, brow lightly furrowed. Okay.
He looked at Itachi when he was finished. “I don’t think I can do that,” he confessed.
“Which part?” Itachi asked, turning to face Izumo. As flexible as Izumo was, he shouldn’t have problems.
“The third form, the cross-over to the fourth. The one that drops your outside shoulder...I can’t do that.” Izumo made a face. “I..it leaves an opening.” He knew, logically, the sequence would be performed too quickly for anyone to take advantage of it but....
“If you know it, then you can compensate for it. If you don’t perform the sequence fast enough and someone can take advantage of it, then you’ll know and be ready for it.” Itachi wondered if Izumo would multitask enough to watch for a blow and keep the sequence smooth. If he couldn’t, then he would probably be putting himself too much at risk.
That wasn’t exactly the problem.
:[
Izumo shook his head and stepped back, before sinking into the first stance. He tried not to think, now, not even panic about what went next, just took a deep breath, sighed it out, and started. He moved slowly first, remembering the way his feet should go both from his earlier attempts and Itachi’s demonstration.
Well, that had certainly felt more balanced, he thought, as he ended.
Itachi watched Izumo, frowning as the man completed the sequence. “That’s better.” .-. “You’re still a little...” Itachi wiggled his fingers and tried to think of the word.
“Stop and go--it’s not as smooth as it really should be. It’s not steps, but a continuous stream of movement,” Itachi explained, trying not to use his hands to speak as well. That wouldn’t be dignified.
:\
“Well, I was trying to fit in what you did,” Izumo explained, a little testily. “Technically I’m only learning this for the first time.”
Right. Other people needed multiple tries to copy something perfectly. “And I’m telling you what you did wrong so you can do it right.”
“Thank you.” Izumo’s tone was not exactly gracious, but he was older now and less starved for attention and made a poorer student than he once had.
Still, he settled down and started again, trying to make it smoother, though he still stuttered over the shoulder-part. It went against every street-trained instinct he had to consciously leave an opening. You didn’t do that and live and he knew it and trying to do it was impossible.
“You’re welcome.” Itachi smiled thinly. >[.
Izumo finished the sequence and looked back at Itachi for remarks, disapproval, or suggestions. It rankled a little, but then who was he to complain? Itachi could stomp him flat. Teaching, well. It was kind of him but Izumo still wasn’t sure he liked it or wanted to take it gracefully.
Itachi nodded to himself and stepped forward. “You need to do it more, but you’ve got the basics down. You should try to learn it perfectly, then try to adapt it to your own fighting style--that way if what you try doesn’t work, you can go back to what does and work from there.”
“Provided it works,” Izumo sighed, dryly. But he straightened and performed a deep respectful bow. “Thank you very much.”
Very polite and formal. He had no illusions that Itachi had any obligation to teaching him; no, far from it. And Itachi had helped him. “Though given my hand-to-hand I’m likely to die before I can try any alterations. Thanks anyway.”
“You’re always so dramatic,” Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes heavenward. “If I weren’t as fast as I am, you could take me in hand to hand. You have the physicality for it.” Itachi eyed Izumo, short and solid. He looked like a grappler.
Izumo raised an eyebrow. “Being built like a brick adds next to nothing to my fighting ability. Except for the fact that it’s really hard to knock me down.” Or off-balance. Or picking him up for, say, a much-needed rescue. It was not all it was cracked up to be.
:|
“It’s very hard to fight when you’ve been knocked down,” Itachi pointed out. He scowled at Izumo’s floating line face and crossed his arms. “Why are you so convinced you’re bad?” Itachi asked. Izumo wasn’t bad. He wasn’t a genius, but he could be solid.
“Because I suck. I do not win fights, I get the hell out of them.” Izumo looked around, and lowered his voice. “Look, I first learned to fight in back alleys. The Academy stuff doesn’t mix well with it and I really really suck at the structured forms and remembering how to use them. There’s a really damn good reason I’m a non combat agent.”
:c
“Oh.” Itachi looked Izumo over. “Why didn’t you say so? How are you at free form sparring?” Itachi asked. After all, you ended up dissecting forms and sequences into parts so you could use them however you wished.
“Sucky. I forget I’m sparring and not actually supposed to knee my partner in the nuts.” Kotetsu had forgiven him that, at least, and cups were a Needful Thing when they sparred. “People kinda take it personal when you do.”
Well, with good reason. Izumo shrugged.
“Most ninja wear a cup in combat,” Itachi pointed out. He regarded Izumo carefully. :\ “Do you panic?” Forgetting you were just sparring could be common. “Or is it adrenaline?” Kisame often forgot he was sparring. That was how Itachi had lost a chunk of his shoulder.
(>.>)
“A hard enough knee and it’s just as painful,” Izumo pointed out. He’d bruised his knee on no few cups and they just were not enough protection against a chakra- and panic-fueled attempt to get loose now. “I just forget the whole point isn’t being lethal.”
Mostly he panicked. Especially if his partner pinned him. But admitting that made people sneer, made then disregard him, and it was embarassing to point out he could hardly carry on a regular spar without having at least one brush with terror. Good ninja did not panic. Izumo panicked and wreaked a hell of a lot of damage on both his aggressor and himself in getting away.
The meds helped but really not too much in the middle of a fight.
“Have you tried to work through it?” If he’d ever panicked in a spar, he’d been made to go back and do it again and again until it elicited no reaction from him. It took time, and it was not pleasant, but it usually worked. In the end. After you wanted to scream and scratch out the eyes of whoever was doing it.
Itachi decided that Izumo did panic. It seemed to fit with the man’s spastic personality,
“Do you think I’m stupid?” Izumo spat, more disgusted with himself than Itachi. “Yes, and not a hell of a lot of luck.” He could at least spar with Kotetsu but the man knew him and they worked beautifully as a team. It was something Izumo had begun to take for granted; having a partner that knew all your triggers.
Not something he had here.
He felt the lack with alarming keenness.
Sighing, he tried not to make a face at Itachi. It wouldn’t help. It’d make him feel better though.
>:[
“It was a leading question.” Itachi rolled his eyes. :c He was trying to help, but he knew he wasn’t a good teacher, and Izumo wasn’t being a good student. Itachi crossed his arms. He wanted to just leave, but he didn’t think it would be a good idea.
>~< When it came to Izumo, Itachi really never knew what to do. When he tried to help, he seemed to only upset the man.
“What kind of question?” Izumo asked, before he shut his mouth and puzzled it out.
“You’re intel, how do you now know what a leading question is?” Itachi snapped. >{.
“The Academy terms are a long time ago,” Izumo snapped back, crossly. He worked on intuition, and never thought about the technical terms he’d had a hard time learning. He did what he did and he did it well.
“A leading question is one that leads you into revealing more about the question asked,” Itachi rolled his eyes. “If you’re so convinced you’ll never be any good at hand-to-hand, then I’m going to leave and stop wasting both of our time.”
Izumo made a tiny abrupt gesture. Above his head, a little emoticon flailed its arms madly.
(>.<)
“Look, I need to get better. There are a lot of people out there who can and will slaughter me, you included.Not that I’ll ever be able to fight you off but I need...oh hell never mind.” Izumo gritted his teeth. “I don’t know. I’m just trying not to be such a damn easy target.”
Itachi eyed Izumo. “Your biggest weakness is your own estimation of your abilities. If you keep thinking that you can’t do something, then you never will.” Itachi ignored that he’d been placed in the line-up of those who would try to kill Izumo. He could, but why would he? >_>
“I’m being realistic,” Izumo pointed out.
“To a point, yes, but beyond that, no. I think you could be better than you are.” Itachi shrugged. “But you have to think that too.”
“I think that if I had someone actually interested in teaching me it might happen,” Izumo answered, sharply. “But that’s not likely to happen here.”
And the one person who had shown interest had been an informant on the border of Grass and Izumo’d been ordered to kill her not long after to cover his tracks. He’d liked her but that was life. She’d stood still under his blade and watched him the whole time until she died.
Itachi stared at Izumo. >| “Yes, if someone tried to teach you, I’m sure you could be better.” Perhaps now would be the time to throw his hands in the air and walk off. He should cut of all ties with humans. He obviously didn’t interact well with any of them. >_<;;;
Izumo made a sharp motion, then dropped his head in his hands and whimpered. “Gods I can’t figure out if I want to punch you or pat you on the head. Both will get me killed so I don’t guess it matters. Are you offering to work with me?”
He dragged his hands over his face, and fixed Itachi with a rueful expression. “Did I mention I’m a sucky student?”
“You’re the one who’s denser than a brick!” Itachi snapped. He scowled. “I’d guessed.” He didn’t feel charitable enough to admit he was a bad teacher.
“Thank you,” Izumo retorted, and turned to paced a quick circle.
“Okay. If you’re going to teach me, what do you want to know?” he asked, wrestling his tone into something civil.
Itachi glared at Izumo, but he kept it muted. >:“I suppose you should tell me what I shouldn’t do.”
Izumo stood still but the emoticon above his head fidgeted. “Don’t pin me down. I’ll hurt us both if you do.” That was understandable, a cause-and-effect common among ninja who had been captured and held among enemies. “Also if we can keep the chakra use down I’d like that. I don’t have big reserves to spend sparring.”
Itachi cocked an eyebrow. “You think I do?” He could bluff that he had more than he actually did because he had such precise control over it. He was still growing, which meant his reserves were growing. He couldn’t match the average adult jounin for reserves. Maybe not even chuunin. He’d never broadcasted his small tank.
Itachi took a breath. Time to cool down and be nice. The one good thing about being a missing-nin? You didn’t have to be nice. If he tried to stab Kisame in a fit of pique, it would be the equivalent of a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll have to space sessions between Games.” Because sparring after getting a concussion wouldn’t be fun. Itachi always came back bruised and sore. He didn’t usually waste time on light games.
“Just whenever is fine with me. It’s not like I keep normal hours,” Izumo pointed out. Well, his hours at the club made sense to him at least and tended to coincide with the heaviest flow of patrons and Games. He made a lot of money sitting pretty.
Itachi eyed Izumo. >D
“Surprise attacks would help us work on your panic issues,” Itachi smiled sweetly. Randomly ambushing Izumo? Not cruel at all, no.
“I will hate you forever and sic Liam and his war-hound on you,” Izumo retorted, sharply.
D<
O_O “Who?” Itachi’s voice cracked as he stared at Izumo. DX The emoticon above his head then began to flail around. “That’s not helpful!” Itachi’s voice cracked again. He snapped his mouth shut and glared.
“Neither is ambushing me! So. Let’s think of a more productive plan,” Izumo retorted, somewhat smugly. Hah! “I don’t really care about an erratic schedule. Do you want to send me a message by bird or what?”
“It would be,” Itachi grumbled, but he let it go at that. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Calmness. Be helpful. “That would be fine. I’ll send a crow to find you. If you’re busy, you can just tell it.” Itachi wondered if Izumo minded being so closely associated with Itachi. People would put the pieces together and decide they two had something going on.
“Sounds good. I’ll try not to bother any crows I see.” Which wasn’t something he did anyway, but... Izumo shrugged a little.
“Just pay attention if they have something red,” Itachi suggested. That should be an easy enough way to get Izumo’s attention. If he was in the Domus, then he probably wouldn’t be ready for a spar. The Domus was one of the only places Itachi couldn’t get a crow easily.
“I will.” Izumo shifted his weight, stepped sideway in a restless, fidgeting motion. “I think it’s time to eat.” It was actually time for meds, but eating was a good excuse for that.
“Then go,” Itachi waved a hand. “Class is dismissed, don’t forget to do your homework.”
Izumo made a face, then gave Itachi a double-handed one-fingered salute.
“And that will come back to haunt you,” Itachi promised as he walked happily away, despite the frustrating time he’d just had. :}