Swimming leassons (open)

Ryuko's current outfit:

The Royal Kumogakure Training Facility was a bit of a crazy place. The huge building had many rooms, one for just about every biome imaginable to mankind.  Right now the salty scent of the air and the sounds of crashing waves made it hard to believe one was even still indoors as they took in the view of sand and water that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.  Of course that was nothing but an optical illusion but it was an impressive one that could fool even the well trained eyes of an experienced ninja such as Ryuko who was standing with her feet in the water holding her sandals as she waited for her student to arrive.

Today they were going to do training of a kind though not in the traditional sense of what you usually expected when you visualized Ninja working out.  There would be no stealth lessons or sparring. No hitting logs or walking on water.   No, she was here for one purpose and one purpose only. To teach Tsumi how to swim.

Sure any Ninja worth their salt could walk on water but that cost chakra to do and wasn’t guaranteed to save you if you where ever thrown into a situation where you needed to go under it for some reason.  Frankly she was aghast of the idea of Tsumi potentially falling off a boat and drowning.  Considering he’d likely have to go overseas at at least one point of his ninja currer she figured she wouldn’t be wasting her time making sure he got at least the basics down.  

This was one of the largest rooms in the entire facility and while she was the Queen and could book it to herself if she really wanted to she’d felt that would have been selfish of her.   There was plenty of room for others to train with or more likely relax with if they wanted to join them so who was she to be snooty and say no?

[1]

Tsumi had been a little nervous about the second training session. It had been a little bit of just day to day training at the palace since he moved in. A little bit of studying had been drilled into him every day with his work out. Until the tutor had finally gotten him passed mouthing out words when he read. He still wasn't a fast reader but he had improved. He had even been working on visually tracking moving options and listening for hard to hear sounds in a dark room. But for the most part they hadn't had time to really speak much since he moved in other than that brief meal. Which he had ended up eating mostly alone. He felt like he was a bit of a burden at the palace. Having to stay out of the servants way and preferring to wash up after himself. He did his own laundry and dishes and even helped with any heavy lifting they needed. Still he was practicing his taijutsu every day. But a lesson one on one with Ryuko was going to leave him drained he was sure. He had experienced that last time. But this time they were heading out to the water.

That alone made Tsumi nervous. He knew that for all his strength if he started drowning he was screwed. He didn't like being anywhere his feet couldn't touch ground and he had barely managed to hold onto the water walking technique long enough to pass the class. So he had come up with a plan for this water session. Which left him looking ridiculous. He came walking down the beach barefoot wearing black swimming trunks with red flames coming up from the bottom of them. A black tank top with a similar design as well but tight on his muscular torso. This outfit would have made for a fine beach outfit if that was all there was to it. Instead he had also put on a life jacket and adult floaties on his upper arms and waist. Black on the outside and yellow on the inside. All of it fully blown up to help keep him from sinking with a pair of diving goggles on over his eyes. The plastic making rubbing noises as he walked with it passed laughing people mostly using the room for a beach day. When he did finally get to Ryuko though he was all smiles. His red hair hanging loose around his shoulders and chest.

"Yo Sensei! Check it! I came prepared. Uh...Scouts honor!"

Ryuko sighed inwardly as she caught sight of Tsumi after he had called out to her, catching her attention. She’d told him to come prepared to get wet and in that regard he had passed with flying colors. A black with red flames Tank top and swimming trunks were both perfect for the occasion and quite fashionable to boot.

The rest of it not so much. The lifejacket might have been appropriate if they were to go out on a boat smaller than a ferry. Even if you could swim it was generally still a good idea to wear one in case of accidents. It could make the difference between life or death if you were thrown overboard in the middle of a lake.

The adult floaties on the other hand just looked ridiculous. It was like Tsumi was really going for the whole ‘I can’t swim’ look. Obviously the reason she had called him here to begin with was so they could rectify that little problem but it seemed she was going to have to teach him something about bluffing as well. There were times when you wanted to broadcast a fake weakness in order to have people underestimate you and times when it was better to conceal it.

If he’d already known how to swim but chose to show up to a Chunin exam in say Kiri dressed like that she would have considered it a stroke of tactical genius as long as he didn’t mind putting up with some heckling. At the moment though it just made him look silly.

“What’s with the life jacket and the floaters? You don’t seriously think I’d allow you to drown, do you?” Ryuko asked a little incredulously at the idea that she’d willfully put her own student at risk like that. First Tamwyn had questioned her ability to keep her citizens safe before leaving and now this. It seemed she still had a ways to go in order to regain the people's trust after her absence.

[2]

Tsumi would casually walk up to her despite the snorts of laughter and snickers from others around them as he approached. He had no real idea how embarrassing he was at that moment. Instead he would just think these were friendly smiling people. Why wouldn't they be after all? This was a beautiful beach after all. His golden gaze would shift over to the waves going out as far as the eye could see. It didn't even occur to him that this was all an optical illusion of distance. The room itself was massive but not endless. In his mind however they may as well actually have walked through a portal into a beach. But up until this point he had only ever trained in a couple of rooms where the surroundings were raised in some way. Blocking the view of just how massive a space was. He kept walking but his eyes would take in the awe of the extensive blue. The sound of waves crashing against the shore. Lapping at it endlessly. The smell of salt in the air and the breeze in the warm air on his skin. It was so strange to think that man had made paradise.

Still he would turn his gaze back to his Sensei he had called out to only for his joy filled expression to turn to one of surprise and worry. She was clearly displeased with him again. It seemed like this was a pattern building. As if he was bound to fail her some way every time. But he had tried so hard to prepare for this. To be as prepared as he could be. Even went to three different stores before spending what little money he had on some floaties. He had not been embarrassed by this so why was she? He had no idea of her other student and their interaction or how it may have put her on edge. As she spoke to him he would lower his gaze at her tone to stare at his toes in sadness. Shame welling up within him for the first time today at having messed this up. He was frustrated and could feel hot tears welling up that he fought against. He shouldn't cry at being scolded. It wasn't a heroic thing to cry in front of others. His fists clenched at his sides but not out of an urge to swing on her but out of sheer frustration with his own stupidity.

"I...I'm sorry Sensei...you just....I just...I thought you said to come prepared and....and before when you took me in....you said it was going to be the hardest training in my life.....I never wanted to.....I am sorry I let you down Sensei."

By Hakkin why was dealing with other people sometimes so hard? Ryuko could casually do hydraulic equations in her head but human emotions could be tricky business. With Math 1+1 was always 2 but feelings often changed depending on the context. She hadn’t meant to be overly harsh to Tsumi with her comment about trust or anything but apparently he’d taken it that way going by the look on his face.

Ryuko swore inwardly to herself. Just because things weren’t going well with one student wasn’t a reason to take it out on another even unintentionally. No in some ways the fact she had done that subconsciously made it even worse since she was usually so careful with her words.

She quickly grew flustered, her mind racing as she tried to think about how the heck she was going to salvage this situation and spare Tsumi’s hurt feelings. She’d read in some book somewhere that some Lions intentionally throw their cubs off cliffs and only look after those strong enough to climb back up on their own but she had no intention of being so spartan.

As she had said during her coronation, love was all. A big part of love was being considerate of those around you. Now that she’d messed up and put her foot in her mouth she just needed a smooth way to extract it. Hmm if nothing else could be said about Tsumi he sure was flamboyant, maybe she should just lean into that a bit.

“WAHAHAHA” she said, letting out a maniacal laugh to dispel the tension in the air. . “Well done Tsumi! By coming prepared you have passed the first test!” She exclaimed. Not that she had been planning to test him in any such manner but he didn’t know that. It was a good thing she’d only asked what was up with his new look rather than make any specific remarks about it, now at least she could try and pass off what she had said as more curiosity rather than criticism.

“You are as the kids say these days, very groovy.” She awkwardly added, trying to compliment him. She was very knowledgeable academically speaking but that didn’t mean she was up to date on the latest slang. It wasn’t like she herself was that particularly old for an adult either, but the crowd she’d tended to hang it was fairly sophisticated for the most part and spoke like it which meant she rarely had opportunity to use that kind of language in the first place.

“Though just so you know, if you happen to need any equipment in the future feel free to speak to me. I’m more than happy to provide for you.” she added. She almost wanted to tell him she was already working on the preliminary design for a new set of armor for him but kept her mouth zipped on the subject since she didn’t want to spoil the surprise. It wouldn’t be ready for over a month at the earliest so she didn’t want to keep him in suspense about it either.

“Before we get in the water let’s do some light stretches. Wouldn’t want to end up with a leg cramp or something.” said Ryuko as she began to do a basic callestics exercise. Hopefully Tsumi was in a better mood now and would follow along with her.

[3]

Tsumi would be taken back as she suddenly burst out laughing. Surprise evident in his blinking golden eyes as he was surprised indeed. It was such a dramatic change in tone his brain rushed to catch up. But she explained to him that he had passed some hidden test and he still....would...blink. For at least another four seconds. Then it would hit him and he would smile broadly with happiness filling his eyes. He had passed! His sensei was so clever by testing him and seeing if he had gained smarts. Seeing if he could recall her simple instructions. Ryuko was simply the coolest and smartest teacher. She thought ahead and was going to keep him on his toes. Making sure indeed that he trained that mind as well as his body. All that school learndeding he did was doing him wonders. He was so amazed by her that his expression just froze when she called him groovy. As if his image of her was just shattered. As if it dawned on him that she wasn't super cool. She was trying to be like a hip mom and it was just...painful. But he wouldn't say anything. Out of respect for his sensei and her teachings he would accept this flaw.

Still she would mention equipment and he would return to normal. An eyebrow lowered as he actually was thinking on it. Gyo had given him a pair of gauntlets to protect his fists while he punched. It had made him more effective and his knuckles hurt less as he practiced. So was equipment really that good to have? What would even work for him and what would he do with it? He had just relied on his fists and kicks at this point. It was just the manly thing to do. But there was more to being a good hero he supposed. Still she would tell him to do some stretches to avoid cramping and his brain didn't even stop to ask about that. And why they might cramps. One thing at a time. Still he would bow his head and hop back a little. Taking a breath before suddenly his leg would shoot out and impact the sand heavily. With a loud crash as sand flew away from him. But he was in a pose to stretch out his calves. He was just incorporating taijutsu in even his stretches. He really had one track. Still he would speak up as he stretched.

"Sensei? What kind of equipment would I use? I failed Bukijutsu and Kenjutsu. Broke my weapons on accident every time."

It seemed her last minute improvisation had successfully managed to spare Tsumi’s feelings but not without a cost. One look at the chringe on his face was enough to tell Ryuko that she had lost a few coolness points in the process. Oh well that was a small price to pay, especially since she’d likely get them back and more once the surprise she was working on was ready. In any case at least he wasn’t giving her any snark about how lame she was so perhaps he was willing to forgive her for her foibles. They did say that the stronger the shinobi the more eccentric they tended to be which went a long way to explaining both the student and the master.

Seeing Tsumi knock up a large cloud of sand simply by stretching Ryuko was reminded just how absurdly strong he was for a gennin. The fact that physically he was about the same level as her when she wasn’t using something like sage mode or chakra enhanced strength said a lot about him. The only problem was that he could stand to learn how to use that strength with more moderation seeing as he was striking the sand way harder than he needed to, but perhaps that would be a lesson for another day.

“Excellent question as always Tsumi. Generally speaking I would say it would depend on the situation. If you were to fight in the water for example you might want to use something like a spear.” Ryuko began to explain. People had been using spears to fish for millium for a reason, trusting weapons worked better than swinging ones underwater.

“One of the most useful tools to have in any situation is a knife. They can come in handy for cutting ropes or if you find yourself needing to camp out in the woods overnight. I’d advise you to keep one handy at all times." Ryuko said while casually spinning a kunai around with her left index finger. Where she had pulled it out from was a mystery but then again she was a Bukijutsu master, her having the ability to hide a weapon or two on her person should come as no surprise.

“If you want to play to your strengths a hammer or flail might be good. A weapon that uses kinetic force like those would be enough to turn you into a one man wrecking crew.” The image of Tsumi standing in the ruins of a collapsed building holding a hammer was an amusing one. With his rugged physic and red hair he’d make a pretty good Thor as well if someone was to ever run a play based on norse mythology. Ah If only she could give him a weapon like Mjölnir then he’d be playing with power. Then again when you have a hammer all of your problems start to look like nails… It could still work for him either way but it was suboptimal for non lethal takedowns.

“I think in the end the most optimal tool for you would be a bo-staff. Tis a traditional martial artist weapon that offers a lot of flexibility. The main advantage is reach since using one grants the ability to poke things safely from a distance.” See something you think is a trap? Poke it with the tip of the staff while standing back.

“I suspect the reason your weapons keep breaking is that the standard store bought models are simply too flimsy to handle the force you exert on them. We’ll have to custom order something that’s higher quality, something that can take a bit of abuse. Normally high grade gear costs a lot of money but I’ll take care of the bill for you so don’t worry about it.” She doubted it would be more than 500,000 ryo at most which was basically peanuts to her.

[4]

Tsumi would continue stretching as he thought. Stretching his brain muscle while he stretched those glutes. Stretching before exercise was nothing to him after all. He had learned early on about the effective work out. Plenty of hydration and high carbs along with stretching in prep. Then he could do his cardio or his weight lifting. Mixing taijutsu practice in with all of it. Some other taijutsu practitioners had actually decided to join him at the palace for his daily workouts. His willpower to keep pushing leaving most of them quitting well before he did. It had become a bit of a challenge to the others to keep up with him. Weight for weight and pace for pace. It was nice to have company and it only drove him further seeing them give it their all. Pushing his limits and the limits most humans placed on themselves to be greater. In class however he had a tutor to himself and that tutor had been snapping pencils and chewing pens in frustration at the ever so slow progress they made. He was like attempting to pound mathematics and reading lessons into a grapefruit. Still he was able to read a little better and his handwriting was....legible.

Tsumi would listen to the lesson all the same. He didn't like the idea of a spear because pointy things meant stabbing. Stabbing meant bleeding. Bleeding meant dying. Knife made some mad sense but he didn't like the idea of using it in a fight. Bladed things meant slashing. Slashing meant bleeding....and again bleeding means dying. So also not really up his alley. The hammer and flail kinda made sense. Big blunt swinging things. But his issue with that was misjudging a big heavy object on how much strength to put behind it. Too much? bleeding on the inside....bleeding means dying. So he was a little discouraged with the idea of how to use equipment without killing someone. It seemed like tools just made you a more efficient killer. What would he do when facing these tools? How would he counter them and not do the bleeding death thing? Her answer to that was simple. A bo staff. Before it hadn't been effective because stick thingy go break when swung. She was confident they could get him higher grade equipment that wouldn't break though. A staff that he could use to fight and not kill. He could fight against those other weapons with a staff.

"Wow you thought that through Sensei. My no killing rule really works for the bo staff. I can kinda already think of how to use one...as for money sensei...I have some savings. I don't know much about spending so I just paid for the basics....but how much will four hundred and eighty thousand buy? I don't have much I figure but its something."

Ryuko for her part was enjoying the change of pace as she stretched alongside her student. Given that she was the one giving the lessons the last thing she wanted was to get a charley horse while in a spot where she couldn’t stand with her head above water. If something like that happened there was a good chance even a very strong swimmer like her could drown and she might end up taking Tsumi down with her since his floaties weren't designed to carry their combined weight.

Compared to her usual rigorous exercise routine this was a breeze. She trained hard nearly every day, not so much to get stronger since at this point any improvements would be negligible at best. If she was just an ordinary queen perhaps such training wouldn’t be necessary but she was also the Raikage and she needed to maintain her edge. Sure someday Tsumi might surpass her but she wasn’t about to sit back and make doing that easy for him.

“Remember Tsumi, a tool is only as dangerous as the person wielding wishes. Even something as simple as a paper clip can be deadly…” Sure you could use it to pick a lock but it was possible to kill someone with one. “Conversely a kunai isn’t used just for killing either. There are plenty of things to cut that aren’t human. Besides, one of my favorite techniques uses them to capture people alive.” she boosted. It was something you needed to be an expert with weapons to use so it was a shame likely wouldn’t be able to pass on to him.

Sure Ryuko COULD kill people if she needed to but she was an expert at capturing foes alive which was arguably more difficult. Once this training season was over she was going to have to show Tsumi a video of her Jounin tournament match so he could see an example of her in action.

“That depends on the merchant and the quality of the material. That should be enough to get at least one S class weapon but save it for another day. Who knows how long I’ll be around so at least let me treat you to this one.” She said pleadingly. “By the way, please don’t let any shopkeeper know how much budget you have for things up front. Most will be more than happy to clean out your wallet even if the actual price would normally be cheaper.” she advised.

As far as Ryuko was concerned she didn’t need Tsumi to know Rocket science or anything. While knowing advanced math and stuff had it’s advantages, as long as he at least knew the basics and could read and write he’d be able to get by, which was good enough. It looked like she was going to have to add teaching him to haggle a little onto that list, though maybe not personal finance since she was impressed he’d managed to save up so much on his own.

“Ready to get in the water?” she asked, holding out her left hand offering it for him to take. Since he was just learning it would be important for them to hold hands for most of the lesson. She’d chosen a section of the beach where the waves were relatively tame but they were still some. There was a chance he could drift away on them if she just let him go at it on his own at this stage.

[5]

She would explain to him how weapons only were as deadly as the one using them intended. However he caused injury with his bare hands easily. He worried about what he could do with something enhancing that strength. So control was something to practice as usual. A bo-staff however sounded like a fun idea. And this technique to use Kunai to capture someone sounded extremely impressive. He tried to picture that in his mind but he couldn't think of anything. His own mind still limited at the moment but growing with the tutors from the private lessons provided at the palace. They were impatient with him but he kept to his lessons studiously. Even if he was excelling more and more at the taijutsu workouts. Still if there was a capture technique he would eagerly look forward to learning it.

"So then....a weapon is just a part of the wielder. If I hold back like I would with a punch I hold back the damage of the weapon too....and weapons themselves aren't only killing tools but....they can be used for other purposes....okay I think I got it." He expressed as if deep in thought over the simple subject. He had been afraid of these tools before but with restraint...he could use them too.

He would continue to listen as she explained to him the worth of his savings. How it could acquire him a high tier weapon. He wondered to himself what an S rank bo-staff would even look like. However she insisted she paid for it as a gift to him. After all she didn't know how long she would be here for so she wanted to do this for him. He would frown at the idea of her going somewhere but even more so as she explained how shopkeepers would happily rip him off if he just straight out told them how much money he had. He would scratch the back of his head at that thought a moment before nodding. People were inherently good though right? When he had bought food he had seen prices listed. So wouldn't a shop be the same? Were such things just...negotiated at the time of purchase?

She would ask him if he was ready to get in the water and he would hesitate. A sharp intake of breath as he contemplated if he was ready. This could really be risking his life. He breathed in the smell of salt and took a second to mentally prepare himself. For now just get in the water...just step into it. "Ready Sensei" Tsumi would state before marching across the beach. He stopped where the water rose to before he took a breath and stepped into it. Walking until the water rose and pushed against his waist. Stopping there as he was too intimidated to progress further on his own. However he smiled a little as he ran his hands through the water. It was warm! He had been worried he would freeze his nuts off. Still one other thing was troubling him as he looked back to Ryuko.

"Sensei...we are at peace now right? Why wouldn't you be around for a while? You can't be much older than me.....are you sick Sensei?"

Ryuko watched over her student with a found smile on her face as he mulled over her lesson about weapons. She didn’t need him to be a rocket scientist or anything like that but she DID need him to be able to think critically like this. If he simply believed anything he was told like a blind sheep he would never be able to become the kind of hero he wanted to be. Odds are he would either go down as a Martyr or end up the unknowing toady to some unscrupulous villain.

She would show him that oftentimes the greatest weapon wasn’t a Sword or a Spear but a sharpened mind. Not that the former hurt to have but it was hard to make full use of them if one couldn’t think outside of the box. A textbook strategy was all well and good under the right conditions but the second those conditions weren’t right you’d be up a creek without a paddle without the ability to come up with a strategy of your own.

The best way to raise Tsumi wasn’t to mindlessly teach him everything she knew but rather to teach him how to learn and adapt so that when she was gone he would be able to survive without her should the worst ever happen to her.

As they waded into the water she noted that it was warmer then she had expected it to be. Not that she was expecting it to be ice cold like the arctic but still. Perhaps it was the only sign of how artificial the entire thing was since an actual ocean or lake likely wouldn’t have been this warm.

“I’m fine for now but one can never tell the future. I have a hidden power sleeping inside me. Soon I will undergo a trial to unlock it but to tell the truth Tsumi taking this trail is very risky. I might not make it back alive.” said Ryuko grimly. She wasn’t going to dress up reality in pretty platitudes and pretend her odds were better. Her Student deserved better than that. Before he could ask her why she would do such a thing she continued.

“We might have made peace with the other elemental nations but we still have the society to deal with. Apparently they are being led by one of the disciples of the sage of six paths. Someone much stronger than I currently am right now. Some risks must be taken if we’re to have a chance at beating him.” she said firmly before switching the subject to the intended lesson of the day swimming.

“The first thing to know about swimming is that when you are under the water you need to hold your breath. For now try taking a deep breath and dunking your head under the water for about 10 seconds. We’ll try that a few times until you get used to having your head underwater and then we can start with how to kick properly so that you can propel yourself in the water.” she suggested.

[6]

One minute Ryuko had been reassuring Tsumi and trying to teach him to swim and the next he fell face first into the waves with a loud splash.   She’d been trying to teach him how to hold his breath by dunking his head so at first she didn’t think anything was wrong until about 30 seconds had passed she realized something was wrong.   While a trained swimmer could hold it for longer she’d only asked him to hold his breath for 10 to start with since he was a beginner.

Instead of panicking Ryuko grabbed him and pulled him out of the water so that she could better assess his status.  She’d warned him about stretching so a cramp seemed unlikely and he was kind of young to be having heart trouble so why had he fainted?  Part of her was hoping he was just hungry.  

Luckily once they were on the beach again she confirmed that he was still breathing with a relieved sigh only to realize to her dawning horror that reason why her student was unconscious.  He hadn’t just fainted from fatigue but because he had caught a case of the coma plague.  

First Eli, and now Tsumi had been struck with the same affliction.   Mort had retired from active duty and Tamwyn had died.  Was she cursed to have every disciple under her wing taken away from her before they could reach their full potential?   Ironically the only student of hers to not suffer a bad fate was Seid the one she’d had the least hand in actually raising.

“Shouldn’t you have been getting ready for the battle to come so you can wake the Twins instead of playing around here?” asked Rafaela.  “Why did you even bother with taking such a neanderthal as a student in the first place?”   the accusations felt like stones being thrown against her heart by the Queen quickly shook them off.

“Training with him was part of getting ready.  Tsumi’s part of my contingency plan for should I lose the fight or die during the surgery.”  Ryuko insisted.  She knew her student wasn’t dumb just uneducated.  He’d shown himself to be extremely insightful with his questions and input but she didn’t have the energy to waste right now arguing that point with the First Vestal, that would be just getting off track from the real point at hand.  

“You mean he WAS part of your contingency plan.   I don’t see him being of much help now.” joked the spirit darkly.  Once someone fell into a coma they rarely woke up.  Ryuko herself was one of the rare exceptions but it was questionable if she had fallen into a coma because of a plague in the first place or if the shock of being possessed by Rafaela was what had knocked her out for over a year.   Either way she could count the amount of people that she knew who had returned to consciousness with one hand.

These days it was common to keep people on life support for maybe a couple months at most just in case then pull the plug.  Some places like the hospital in Kumo had entire wards dedicated to long term care but for many they began digging graves the nearly the moment word came in.  Without state support most family’s couldn’t afford to keep their loved one’s sitting around like a vegetable for long.

The fact that Ryuko had kept Eli on support for so long was highly unusual.  She wasn’t sure if it was out of sheer stubbornness not to give up on one of her own or if she was just returning the favor since Shimiko, Nariko and Nozomi hadn’t given up on her.   In any case the odds of Tsumi waking up again were slim.  

“You can’t give up now. Weren’t you going to be a hero?  Is a plague all it takes to stop you?” she ranted, hoping that it would wake him up but knowing that she might as well be yelling at the clouds like an old man.    His training had been going so well. She was sure he was going to become the kind of hero she had always wanted to be but never could because of how often she’d had to get her hands dirty.  

At the end of the day she was always going to be a warrior, the kind that killed when she had to even if she didn’t like having to do so, she just wasn’t idealistic enough to be a pacifist the way Tsumi wanted to be.   She had always been tempted to ask him what he would do if faced with an enemy that couldn’t be reasoned with?  One too dangerous for him to knock out?  

Would he think he was  better than everyone else as he stood around playing the part of the good man doing nothing?   Would he allow evil to triumph as his rigid pacifism crumbled into bloodstained dust, his only victory that he stuck true to his convictions.    But Ryuko was afraid to ask him, afraid to squash his naive dream because in some ways it was a dream that she shared, a dream of a world without the necessary evil of a hero that kills.

She had so much left to teach him but the fundamentals that she had shown him would be enough for him to grow on his own without her if need be.  Together they had built a solid foundation for him to become the kind hero he had always wished to be. Heck she was almost done making him a costume so that he could make his professional debut.  She was so sure he would rock it at the next chunnin exam.  An exam he might now never be able to attend.

“What did you just want a legacy to leave behind then?” asked  Rafaela. It was a natural question to ask.   Being a Vestal and a Lesbian made having children difficult.   Even if she could stomach the idea of sleeping with a man for the sake of conceiving she had to remain pure to preserve her role in the church.  

In the Church of Hakkin the Vestal were considered married to their god. Anyone caught cheating would be severely punished and stripped of their post regardless of how venerated they were.  There were some that considered Ryuko to be something of a living saint and while the Church couldn’t execute her because she was the queen of a country they would have no trouble excommunicating her if she crossed that particular line.

“Don’t blame me,  I married Hakkin because I loved him. It was the priest that came after my lifetime that decided all Vestal should be like me.” said Rafaela with a shrug having read Ryuko’s thoughts.  They were two souls sharing the same body, it was nearly impossible for one of them to keep secrets from the other.

Ryuko’s best bet to have children had been laid with a machine that Damian Darhk had made. An Artificial womb where one could combine genetic material from two partners without having to do things the old fashioned way.   Sadly the device had been seemingly lost during the destruction of moonspire along with all the development notes.  The developer himself, a once in a generation genius, was dead.  The chances of someone else being able to recreate his work anytime this century were slim.

Perhaps if Ryuko waited long enough with her extended lifespan another person would come along who could help her in that department.  But that was presumbing she actually managed to live that long.   Given her plans to overcome Hakkin involved an implantation surgery there was a chance she would die before she even made it to the big showdown.  It was like she would be rolling the figurative dice multiple times.  In more than one way it was the gamble of a lifetime but if she won she would win big.

In many ways she was getting ahead of herself.  The surgery depended on Renny coming though for her on finding a nature clan organ from a willing participant.  A more ruthless ruler would have  just taken it by force but she wasn’t willing to go that far unless it was off the missing ninja Raijn.   A criminal without remorse like him deserved whatever he got though she’d specifically ordered Renny to stay far away since Rajin was far too dangerous to confront without bringing out all the village’s heavy guns and then some.

Still regardless if she got the implant or not the battle against Hakkin would be going forward soon.  The clock of when the Society would strike was rapidly ticking. This wasn’t the time for idoliy sitting around forever. Frankly the only reason she hadn’t started yet was because she had been waiting for other factors outside of her direct control to come together such as the pererations her sister Shimiko had been making.

Frankly with the twins down for the count it was a wonder that Shimiko hadn’t rushed into her room sooner demanding that they begin the battle then and their on the slim chances that unlocking Rafaela’s full potential would be what they needed to cure the plague victims once and for all. A mother bear like her would do practically anything for her children.  

Already strong in her own right, Shimiko became downright terrifying when her den was threatened.    To be perfectly frank Ryuko wasn’t sure she’d be able to win against Shimiko in that kind of situation even if she had all of Rafaela’s power at her disposal.  Hakkin help however was foolish to stand between that woman and her children.

“Hold on just a little while Tsumi. Help is on the way.” Ryuko whispered to him gently as she cradled his sleeping form in her arms.  Being able to help him was a long shot at best but she was determined to try.  She was done letting the people who were counting on her down.  


I fear not that I will die, but that those that I have come to love will perish with me.


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[7]

[Exit with Tsumi - Taking him to the Hosptial]

Control Fight Preperation post part 2.   1695  words

Now at out 3,301 of 8000.

exit thread
5 posts at 20 exp a post = 100 exp