It was seven minutes past daybreak, the day full of sunshine and promise, as Koyuki Mikoto walked down the street of Konohagakure, the Village of the Leaves. The climbing sun was veiled behind a bank of cotton clouds, having the Konoha sky a blend of sulfur yellow, rust orange, and the purple of desiccated veins.
The silhouette of the adjoining buildings provided shade from the sun. The day was so torrid that birds referred the bowers of the trees to the sun-scorched open spaces of the central Konoha sky; they sat silently in their leafy shelters, chirruping rarely and without enthusiasm. Dogs padded cat-quick along alleyways as hot as griddles. No man, women or child paused to see if an egg would fry on concrete, taking it as a matter of faith.
The mountains produced a dependable mild breeze, causing invisible rivers of wind though her hair, combing it out and sending the bright silver and ebony a flight.
An elderly woman was sweeping the crunchy leafs and sand off the ground, as she opened her shop for the day. She turned her attention to Koyuki with placid eyes.
"Good Morning Koyuki." She greeted.
Koyuki smiled in acknowledge. "Mrs. Yagami."
"Are you off to the Academy?" She asked.
Koyuki nodded her head and said, "Yes I am, tomorrow is the day of the genin exam."
"Well, I hope you pass the test to become a great kunoichi like your mother." Mrs. Yagami answered. Koyuki's smiled dropped only slightly, her byzantium purple eyes softening at the thought of her deceased mother.
"Thank you Mrs. Yagami, have a great day." Koyuki responded, waving as she continued to walk. The elderly lady waved back, and continued her sweeping.
Her feet shuffled briskly against the concrete surface, the torrid sun illuminated against her radiant skin. The Academy appeared in front of her sight, and she walked through the scarlet doors, up a couple flight of stairs, and down the empty halls. She walked to the shouji doors, and slid it open, to find the room deserted. It was no surprise, she was usually the first person to arrive to the classroom.
She walked to the second row, to the seat next to the window, and plopped down into the seat. She looked out the large windows to see sparrows sitting in their leafy shelters, chirruping with enthusiasm.
The sound of the door sliding open caused her eyes to gaze to the door. The renowned Uchiha Sasuke walked in; an enigma to the stranger's eyes, to an average person, he was considered a genius. Being one of the class rookie's, he had topped everyone in everything that had involved the ninja academy. He excelled tremendously at ninjutsu and taijutsu.
He was popular with the girls, because they never really bothered to hide the fact. They were constantly surrounding him. Offering him food, flowers, cards, books, weapons and various other things he'd found stuffed into his locker that she'd rather not think about.
Boys hated him for it. He, on the other hand couldn't care less.
But Uchiha Sasuke wasn't as perfect as others believed he was. Past his aloof and calm attitude, he was sealed off because of emotional damage. All because of one fateful night filled with bloodshed. All because of one man.
His dark onyx eyes gazed upon her, her violet eyes stared back. His eyes seemed empty of emotions, but she knew deep within his emotions were hid under lock and key. Soon, her gaze returned to the window, and she watched the birds fly off.
She heard Sasuke shuffle to the seat next to her, but she did not acknowledge his existence, to caught up in her thoughts, with only one thing on her mind... only one thing that got her out of bed every single day for the past 5 years of her damned orphan life.
The one thing that could bring back the life she knew before her pain, and could take away the numbness that had settled into whatever was left of her heart.
And if she worked hard enough, if she did, if she excelled greater than any ninja that crossed her path, she could finally have it.
Yes, revenge.
For her own sake, and for the sake of her clan.
She looked at Sasuke; with his eyes partially closed, Sasuke did what he rarely ever thought of doing with other people around.
He dropped his guard.
The tightness in his shoulders ceased, his chin was resting on his folded hands. He even allowed his head to tilt a little bit to the left as he felt the breeze fanning at his cheek. How comforting this all was.
And before she could think, emotions she'd long wanted to forget, thoughts buried shallow, had seized her. Like a sudden gush, the feeling consumed her and her head dropped to stare at the table in front of her. The soft, chirping of the birds all around the village reminded her a little bit of that life she knew back when she had her family.
When she closed her eyes, she once again saw the walls around the Mikoto compound, so clearly etched in her mind, could imagine her grandmother feeding twigs into the blazing fire underneath the clay pots at the far end of the garden, hear the laughter of her father after her regular round of sake and the clatter of the dishes as her mother leaned over the kitchen sink. Always there were birds, sounding just as they did on this day, the soft repetitive chirping carrying on throughout the day.
A mixture of melancholic joy and painful sadness washed over her, and almost as if she wanted to deflect the memories, Koyuki abruptly turned over to one side and blinked at the direction of the trees.
Minutes later more students entered the room, they took their sit, and started to chat among each other. Sunshine, filtered through the interstices of the arching trees, through the translucent windows into the classroom. The light seemed to shimmer in time to the rising and falling music of the students conversations and laughter, and the moment seemed peaceful, idyllic.
"Move out of the way, billboard brow!"
"You move Ino-pig!"
Unfortunately the peace was ruined with two strident female voices. Koyuki peeked one eye open in annoyance, and watched the two quarrel of who would sit next to Sasuke.
"I sit next to him, I was here first!"
"No I was!"
Koyuki watched Sasuke. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
Truly, this was annoying.
Everyday it's the same fight, will it ever end? Koyuki thought, feeling bad for the young Uchiha, yet couldn't help but curl up a small smile in amusement. Ino and Sakura's argument escalated and more girls joined the bickering.
"Alright class, settle down and take a seat." Iruka-sensei told the class as he entered the room. In the end, Sakura won the battle and sat next to Sasuke, grinning and sticking out her tongue in victory.
Iruka-sensei stood in front of the class, with a clipboard in his hand, checking the role of students in class. He stopped and eyed the room. "Where's Uzumaki Naruto?" He questioned.
Koyuki looked out the large window, and eyed the Hokage monument, they were covered in vivid and colorful paint designs of swirls, boogers, and other whatchamacallit's.
"Look out the window Iruka-sensei, I think you'll find him." Koyuki said pointing at the monument. Iruka walked over to the window and looked at the Hokage monument. He sighed in great annoyance, and placed his clipboard down.
"I'll be right back class, behave until I get back." Iruka-sensei ordered as he stormed out in frustration to find the trouble-making student. The classroom erupted with laughter.
"I can't believe Naruto!"
"He's so immature, he needs to grow up."
"He's never gonna become a ninja doing that stuff all the time."
Koyuki just sighed as they insulted Naruto. It was true though, he did need to be more mature in order to become a full-fledge ninja. But they didn't know why he would pull such pranks, but Koyuki understood him completely. He was a lonely child looking for acknowledgement, since he had no mother or father to raise him.
"Come on Iruka-sensei! Why do I have to be tied up for!" A obnoxious voice roared through the hallways.
"Because you wouldn't come willingly Naruto, now be quiet!" Iruka-sensei's voice rung in response. The door slid open as he dragged a tied up Naruto in the middle of the room. The students snickered at him, Koyuki just shook her head.
"Tomorrow all your classmates will pass the final and graduate from the ninja academy, but the last two times you flunk every course you'd taken in the ninja arts." Iruka-sensei lectured Naruto, arms crossed. Naruto just stared at the wall, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"Sir, yes sir!" He sarcastically remarked.
That blew Iruka's bubble, he turned to the class, pointing his finger towards them and declared, "Thanks to you Naruto, the class will now review the Art of Transformation!"
The class either moaned, slumped into their chair, or complained under their breath at Naruto. Koyuki didn't care. The technique was simple. So the students lined up in front of the class, Sakura first. Iruka-sensei grabbed the clipboard and stood in front.
"All you have to do is conjure into a form that looks like me." He stated simply. Sakura nodded, forming her right thumb and index finger extended upwards, into the ram hand-sign. "Alright, hinge!" She transformed into Iruka-sensei, with a few missing details. Iruka-sensei wrote on the clipboard. "Transformed into me, good." Sakura transformed back into herself, cheering happily, "Yes, I did it!" She turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, did you see that!" The boy just ignored her as Iruka-sensei said, "Next, Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura walked back into line as Sasuke stepped up, transforming into a more detailed Iruka-sensei.
Iruka-sensei looked up from the clipboard, saying, "Uh... Good." Sasuke transformed back into himself without a word spoken and hands shoved into his pockets. Iruka-sensei said as Sasuke stepped back, "Next, Mikoto Koyuki." Koyuki stepped up, she formed her first and middle finger upward with both hands with her fingers crossed. Iruka-sensei raised an eyebrow as she transformed into a flawless Iruka-sensei.
Iruka-sensei wrote on the board. "Perfect as always, Koyuki." He gave her an open smile, the flat horizontal scar that stretched out over the bridge of his nose twitched as the corners of his mouth pulled up. Koyuki transformed back with a small smile, walking at the end of the line.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka-sensei said, Naruto walked up, being scowled by his fellow classmates. He formed the ram signed, blue chakra danced violently around him as he spoke, "Hinge!" He transformed into a stark-naked female version of himself, with mists of smoke around his body.
Iruka-sensei unfortunately developed a heavy nosebleed. Naruto transformed back and laughed hysterically while pointing a finger at him. "Got'cha! That's my Oiroke no Jutsu!"
Iruka-sensei finally controlled his composure, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "CUT THE STUPID TRICKS! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"
~|~
As soon as the class was done with the performance of the Transformation Technique, they all sat back down in their seats. Iruka-sensei spoke, "Now, we will proceed onto sparring matches, please follow me outside."
The class roared with excitement, and followed Iruka-sensei out the door. Koyuki couldn't help but smirk, sparring was her favorite thing to do at the Academy.
The illuminating sun was solace against Koyuki's skin, and a soft breeze fluttered through the air. The class stopped when they came across a cool, grassy open field. The wind swept across the tall stalks, bringing with it the smell of sickly-sweet mountain flora and pine tree sap. Iruka-sensei stood before them.
"I will now call two students out randomly... Inuzuka Kiba... and Yamanaka Ino." Iruka-sensei spoke. The two came forward and stood across from each other at a lengthy distance, "Now, you two will battle to show me your fighting skills, I will be rate you on your skills. Just don't go overboard. This goes for all of you!" Iruka-sensei instructed the class.
"Ready... begin!" The two students battled, clashing their kunai's at each other simultaneously. The sound of metal clashing against each other echoed through the air as Koyuki's mind drifted off.
She looked at the bank of clouds rolling in, veiling the fiery sun behind them in a deliberate drift. She watched as several birds took flight from their leafy shelters, and into the sky above.
Soon, the battle was over, and Kiba stood victoriously, grinning with a cocky smirk. "That was good you two." Iruka-sensei spoke as Ino and Kiba walked towards each other, making the symbol of "harmony" and locked their first and middle fingers together.
"Next, is Uchiha Sasuke and Mikoto Koyuki, you're up!" Iruka spoke, the girls cheered and squealed for Sasuke as he walked forward, and the boys encouraged Koyuki.
"Go Koyuki-chan! Kick his butt!"
"Sasuke-kun! Don't lose to her!"
The boys and girls bickered about who will win, Sasuke and Koyuki just sighed in annoyance. Koyuki raised her hand. "Iruka-sensei, I have a question."
Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"You claim that the students are chosen randomly, but how come Sasuke and I are always paired up?"
Iruka just smiled. "Just a coincidence I guess."
Koyuki deadpanned. "Uh-huh, sure it is..."
She stood across from Sasuke, formed the symbol of "combat" with her fingers and spoke, "Every time we spar it's the same outcome, I win, and you lose. Will the cycle ever end? Will today be the day you defeat me, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke glowered at her as she purposely added the suffix "-kun", imitating the same tone of voice his group of fangirls used. She knew he didn't like it, but that's precisely why she did it. "Hmph. I plan to." He stood in a stance as his hand reached near his kunai pouch, and the other also formed the symbol of "combat".
"Begin!" Iruka-sensei said.
Suddenly the Uchiha threw the kunai at her, and Koyuki twisted her body towards the right, seeing the glint of steel shoot past her head.
Too predictable.
She focused at him as he ran forward a few feet, and then her head snapped in attention when he suddenly veered towards the right, closing in and knocking an elbow into her defensive forearm.
Koyuki pushed herself lower to lessen the impact of his arm on her, and Sasuke took the chanced-opening that left her head vulnerable, flexibly swiping out a knee and aiming the back of his ankle right for the girl's jaw. She ducked sharply and Sasuke felt the tops of her silver hair graze along his calves as the kick made a perfect roundhouse.
Still, he'd squarely hit nothing but air and as soon as he landed on both feet again, Sasuke pushed out his arms, striking low for the next combination of moves. His hand almost touched the tip of her nose. And he would have felt the satisfaction, if the tensai-girl hadn't suddenly lunged into a backflip and disappeared faster than he could blink.
Did she go left or was that a right?
He looked around for a moment, heart pounding in his ears as he caught the rustling around the trees to his right.
It wasn't the wind.
His feet planted lightly over the ground as he moved his body into guard position.
And his raven hair whipped out as he glanced sharply to the left, then the right.
He'd lost her.
And he needed to be prepared for an attack.
Without looking down, the boy reflexively reached sideways into his holster for another metal weapon.
And then his stomach clenched with horrible panic when his fingers brushed at nothing but empty space.
"What-!" He pushed his face down only to find the bag of weapons gone and the bandage holding it, severed and dangling along his thigh.
His eyes jerked up, astonished with the reappearance of her narrowed violet stare in front of him.
The sharp glint of a steel kunai she twirled with her finger caught his attention.
It was his.
"You just looked away from the opponent." Koyuki mused in a low voice.
Then she slowly raised her other hand in front of him showing him the shurikens he recognized were also his, wedged between each of her fingers.
How did she...
"Game over." Koyuki flatly stated.
And the young Uchiha cringed as she threw the weapons sharply at the ground.
Each star seemed to form a telepathic connection with the rookie's hand as they thunked one by one into the dirt in a clean horizontal line exactly one foot away from the tips of his sandals.
His eyes widened even more when he noticed the distance between each shuriken.
A fair two inches of space between each weapon.
The thick kunai between Koyuki's fingers reflected the light of the afternoon sun, and then she looked at him, letting the kunai drop limply from her fingers to the ground where it fell lost in a patch of grass.
"That's amazing..." Naruto said, eyes softening with admiration as he gazed at Koyuki.
"That's tai-jutsu." The girl muttered, turning away from Sasuke when she noticed the look on his face. The smoldering obsidians of his eyes. Oddly, it burned her, and she could feel the heat already consuming her face.
He more resembled his mother, really; the sharp, yet delicate placement of his features, his finely-honed, agile frame, even the way his lips were put together in that fine line.
And that blue-black, raven hair,
Koyuki still held vivid memories of the way it scraped and tickled across her chin and cheek when he carried her on his back.
It still fell along his face in sharp silken bangs, but that wasn't where her gaze lingered. It was Sasuke's eyes that captivated her now - both the appearance of it and the embodied expression she found in it.
His eyes were no longer big and innocently curious, no longer shining with happiness at the call of her name. Years of hating Itachi, of being alone, of dealing with weathering solitude and unwanted independence had made those eyes harden gradually in malevolence.
He stood there, rigid, and confused, every molecule of his body fighting a battle he had lost. His clan name kicked in the mud along with the hopes that he could take his brother down.
Without so much of a blink or a sound, he had shot his body forward towards Koyuki.
Iruka-sensei scolded, "Sasuke!"
Just as quickly, her left arm ignited in an eruption of flickering whitish-gold energy. The pulse of her own chakra pushed up against her palm and she forced the crackling bolts down into the ground, the currents of energy shooting dangerously close to the ground.
In all honesty, Koyuki DID expect the current reactions of his body.
Without wasting a moment, the girl ducked sharply and felt his knuckle graze along her hair. With one hand, she extended her fingers and pressed them together, palm open, and jabbed her fingers below his breastbone, a vital weak spot.
Automatically, both of Sasuke's legs buckled, his body surprising him with a now-sudden urge to vomit. His knees hardened, and the boy stumbled.
Sasuke's gaze flickered up as he saw one hand quickly wrapped around his throat, crashing his body to the ground with brutal force.
Pain spreaded like a Japanese accordion fan from the base of his neck, across his back and both shoulders. Stunned by the ground-cracking force with which he'd been hammered, he felt as though his throat had been crushed, his oxygen was severed, his voice lost as he tried to shout in pain. He felt a skull-shattering headache creeping up on him, and it felt as though he could black out any moment. All he could comprehend was what was sure to a few hundred watts of electricity coursing through his body.
"Enough! Both of you!" Iruka-sensei said in shock of her cruel attack. Koyuki let go of his throat, and Sasuke coughed strenuously to catch his breath. His eyelashes were singed as were his collar and his bangs, and his eyebrows were smoking.
"Sorry, I guess I got carried away." Koyuki spoke softly, she offered him a hand, but he had snatched his hand back with an expression that was almost contemptuous. His sleek eyebrows snapped together as he tilted his chin at her. He pulled his body up, willing his shaking legs to stand.
Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, and announced, "Koyuki wins! Now both of you make the symbol of "harmony" and we'll move on..."
They walked towards each other, making the symbol of "harmony", and locked their fingers together.
Koyuki looked intently into his eyes. Her grip on his fingers tightened, and she pulled him closer, startling him slightly.
She spoke loud enough so only Sasuke could hear, "You are hotheaded, Sasuke. If you let your enemies taunts affect you emotionally, you will never defeat him."
The hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck rose in immediate reaction of her words, a reminder of his older brother.
Koyuki released his fingers after a moment, watching the way his body slowly stiffened from the waves of initial shock.
The boys in the background cheered for Koyuki's victory, while Sasuke's fangirls glared intensely at her. She wasn't fazed by their contempt, and walked back to the crowd, Sasuke followed shortly.
The boys huddled around Koyuki, congratulating and praising her victory.
"Awesome, that was so cool Koyuki!"
"Way to go, Koyuki!"
The noisy and clingy girl's surrounded Sasuke, questioning him if he was alright. Sasuke ignored them, and looked at Koyuki with heavy eyes.
Next time... I will win. Sasuke thought with confidence. He rubbed his neck, trying to relax the aching and slightly singed muscles. His eyes lifted to her; Koyuki ignored the group of boys that surrounded her and past through them as though she didn't even acknowledge their existence whatsoever.
"Koyuki-chan?"
She didn't even turn to Naruto's concerned voice.
~|~
Iruka-sensei dismissed the class shortly after the sparring matches, as Koyuki stepped out of the Academy, her mind was working out a typical training session plan.
She would have to start with target and range practice, and then after that she would start with chakra control and combat tactics.
Koyuki briefly thought about meditation, but decided it was only a waste of time.
She considered the most suitable training areas in the forest. Near the stream would be great, only there was a chance she would bump into her classmate at the academy, Hinata. Lately, she'd taken her training out of the Hyuga mansion and into the woods. She'd overheard her speaking in her usual soft, shy voice to her older cousin, Neji, about harnessing water as a visible medium to direct her chakra aim.
She most definitely didn't want to risk getting soaked. In fact, she didn't want to even see anyone for the rest of the day.
The clearing next to it would be perfect, she decided.
The day flew by as she trained harder with each passing minute. The anger inside fed her power and by the end of three hours, she had to struggle pulling out the shurikens that had been deeply embedded into the tree trunks, wincing slightly because of the two fingers on her left hand that had small, barely visible cuts.
As always, she had been excellent at walking above, below and around every single branch of the high oak tree near the edge of the clearing.
Before she could plunge further into chakra control training, the glint of a sharp kunai whirling through the air towards her broke her concentration. As the weapon shot towards her, she turned sideways, deflecting the shot with a knock of her scabbard. The metal thudded heavily in a tree trunk.
Just as quickly, Koyuki dropped to the ground and snatched her sword, ready for an attack.
"Your reaction speed has improved."
Koyuki's eyebrows furrowed as she turned towards the source of the voice.
The long, olive-brown hair.
The baggy, beige shirt.
Ice-white, transparent eyes...
"Neji." Koyuki greeted, a small smile on her face.
~|~
"... You're getting better... Koyuki." Her senior, Hyuga Neji put down his kunai and eased from his traditional clan stance with a pant. The soft-hands technique which was wholly fatal and dangerous even in friendly sparring, didn't intimidate Koyuki in the least.
Ever since he'd seen the fluidity of her movement and the solid connection of her high kick with Lee's grasp during their times in the academy, and even more when he saw the girl's attack and defense technique during the competition with the Uchiha with such little chakra usage. He wanted it badly.
Him, Hyuga Neji, the pride of his batch back at the academy, a descendant of one of the most reputed clans in the Hidden Leaf. He had such a great reputation to uphold, and he wanted the privilege and honor of fighting with the best of the best. Namely, the Mikoto, who was a batch younger than him, but possessed all the same, a talent and breeding equally as impressive.
"Again." she said, that same smirk tugging at her lips.
Neji sensed the change in the girl, gave her a nod and walked over to the large clearing where Gai-sensei had instructed them to spar.
He bent his knees, set one foot just in front of the other, and stretched out his arms, his hands vertically positioned, his thumbs tucked into the palms. The stance of the Hyuga Clan's gentle-fist, Jyuuken.
Koyuki narrowed her eyes and her mouth twisted menacingly.
Time seemed to slow, and if anyone had bothered to pass by the clearing they would most probably mistake the two shinobi for statues, frozen in their stance, one waiting on the other. Observing and gauging stance and power.
"Kai." Neji finally bit out. And Koyuki whipped out her sword, running towards the right and then veering sharply towards the left at incredible blinding speed towards her opponent.
After ten minutes, Neji's head was bent and he spat a wad of bloodied spittle at the ground. Koyuki was panting, face tensed in an expression of immense concentration. Her hand clutched at her aching stomach where the Hyuga had apparently blocked a chakra gateway. He noticed an immediate and dramatic decline in her speed.
Her legs seemed to trip one over the other when she attempted to utilized Lee's hand-to-hand combat and speed techniques. It was nearly impossible to read his usually predictable body. Neji was enjoying the sudden flare of hostility Koyuki was giving him. This was how he'd always imagined battling the girl.
"Much better." The Hyuga said slowly, and his bandaged arm drew upwards to wipe at the blood staining his lip.
Koyuki took the opportunity of her unguarded stance. One second and three ninja stars made their way between the fingers of her left hand.
She flung herself into the air, sending the deadly, metallic weapons whirling towards Neji.
The older boy's eyes flashed and the nerves around temples surfaced. He re-opened the Byakugan.
With a backward slide, the Hyuga sent a line of dust shooting up in front of him and Koyuki heard three consecutive thunks that told her the sharp weapons had hit nothing but ground. She sidestepped her own weapons and ran into the kicked-up dirt in front of her.
She's switching tactics.
Neji watched as the younger girl came at him, hovered a few feet away and then completely disappeared, sending small particles of dust every which way from the sudden change in wind direction.
The Hyuga recognized the move, an evenly executed one despite the severed chakra gateway near her abdominal system. But he had observed this particular attack many times from his teammate.
Neji turned around, mid-way expecting the Mikoto to utilize his only blind spot, the portion of his back right between his shoulder blades. His mind worked, considering the possibilities. Was it a kick from the ground followed by the Goken?
His Byakugan swept across the environment in its characteristic 359 degree arc.
He had barely turned around when the pressure in the air above him forced his head up in alarm.
Above!
And he wasn't expecting it at all.
How clever.
The Mikoto had detected the Hyuga Clan's weakness for long-range battle and had decided to conjure attacks from the air.
The Byakugan strained to observe the chakra system of the girl as she hovered in mid-flight for a moment above his head.
A particularly high amount of energy was concentrated in her arms and across her chest. It fueled a deep whitish-gold as the chakra increased in power.
The girl was forming a series of complicated hand seals faster than Neji could catch.
The Hyuga's eyes widened and the bulking nerves that surrounded his eyes sharpened just as the final seal pressed close to Koyuki's mouth, which at the moment, was starting to part.
The younger girl's eyes flashed with a hint of red, and then the color died away into the blackness and all Neji could see was the very evident formation of her hand — the tiger seal.
"K'so." Neji cursed under his breath and he tensed as the anticipated, dreaded words rang out from the Mikoto.
"Katon: Karyū Endan!"
A howl of deafening sound slammed at the Hyuga and in a sudden burst of orange flames, Neji's surroundings were engulfed in heat that scorched the blades of grass and nipped at the edges of his clothes.
Neji slid his feet apart, gathering chakra, in his mind's eye he could see the glowing green of the yin-yang ripples, the ancient symbols passed on from the branch house generation to generation that identified the range and kind of attack appropriate for that distance.
"Kaiten!" In a whirling flash of bluish-white that formed a protective dome of energy and air, the boy deflected the flames that threatened to lick at his arms and feet.
In a twist of limbs, the silver-haired girl stayed suspended in the air. Neji spun to a stop and his face snatched upward just in time to see the Mikoto disappear yet again in an etch of disintegrating lines.
A rustle to the tree a few feet away, and the Hyuga's Byakugan caught it.
The glint of a sharp shuriken whining through the air towards his shoulder.
His mouth twisted into a strained smirk, and as the weapon shot towards him, he bent sideways, deflecting the shot with a knock of his fingers in the mild way that was the specialty of the clan. The metal thumped heavily into the grass.
Just as quickly, Neji had snatched a kunai from his own holster and thrown it at the tree where he suspected the Mikoto was concealed.
It slammed into nothing but bark.
Koyuki was no longer there.
And Gods, the Mikoto was fast. Neji so loved a challenge.
From a few meters away, Koyuki crouched, a slight smile tugging animatedly at her mouth.
It was a long fight that stretched out for more than thirty minutes.
Koyuki dropped to the ground, panting harder now. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to drag in mouthfuls of needed air, fighting against the burning tightness of her chest.
Her hands spread out at the dirt beneath her and sweat was trailing down her neck towards the inside of her shirt.
The older boy landed a few feet away, and a moment passed that Neji remained standing before his knees finally gave way and he knelt into the grass. The Hyuga turned his head slowly towards Koyuki, his limbs throbbing, his heart beating in frenzied thuds.
It was difficult to breathe. Two blows to his ribcage, multiple leg-sweeps that brought him down on his back. A ninja star barely missing his left leg. Neji considered all this as he struggled to inhale. Clearly, the Mikoto was never to be underestimated.
"That was... a good one." She said, swallowing gulps of air together with her broken sentence. Then Neji gave her a rare smile that spoke of his silent admiration of the younger class rookie. The girl gave Neji a once-over as she heaved.
"Almost can't move my arms and legs. I can't form seals."
"Irregular flow of chakra, it's like disarming your muscle function. I made sure you wouldn't pull that goddamn fire at me again."
Neji sucked at the cut on his inner lip and spat another bloody mess at the ground. He gave the younger girl an approving look.
"How long will this last?" Koyuki asked him, cradling her lifeless left arm in her aching right.
"Not very long."
"Good."
The two remained on the ground. Five minutes passed, and slowly their panting eased down. Koyuki collapsed into an Indian sit, and locks of her hair slid towards her face as she slumped, wearily.
Neji was equally exhausted, and he stretched his legs out, cringing as the cut on his left calf burned.
"You'll be going home anyway. Sleeps all you need." The transparent lavender of Neji's eyes glowed as he gave Koyuki a glance. The girl pulled her knees up, willing her stiffened muscles into motion.
"I'll tell Gai-sensei, we've finished." Neji said slowly. The boy was tempted to open his Byakugan to study Koyuki's chakra signature. But from the earlier fight, he already knew that it was undeniably the Mikoto he was sparring with.
It was almost as if Koyuki had not been in a fight at all, she blew a lock of hair away from her face, the stark white of her shirt looked as pristine as when she stepped out of her home that morning. She turned to leave.
Koyuki raised a hand of departure at Neji without looking back. She ventured out into the town, making her way towards home.
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Chapter notes: My first Sasuke and original character fanfic. Hope all who reads enjoys it. Please give me your opinion. Thanks!