[thread] I would like to train with you.

[embalmment]

Characters: au: Uchiha Sasuke; ou: Mizuno Ami [PGSM]; Open to spectators (au: Orochimaru, likely?)
Where: Park.
When: after this
Summary: Mercury wants to get stronger and surpass Metalia. Sasuke wants to fight her train with her. She wants him to help her get stronger. He... accepts.
Warnings: No idea.

Comments

[waterfell]

She had only the very vaguest suspicion a snake might be near. Something was nagging at her mind, the sort of feeling they say you get when someone's talking about you, but she did not in fact quite sense a presence and certainly saw nothing and eventually dismissed it as her imagination. Alone, she would have investigated it more thoroughly, but here it was unlikely to harm her. Unless, Mercury considered, it was a surprise Sasuke had in store for their training. Well. She would simply be sure to be alert.

Mercury, too, had been trained harshly. That man had been stern, inflexible.

'Kunzite! You could have broken my wrist that time!' A furious look.
'Then pay attention.' Utter calm; not a twitch of sympathy or hint of relaxation.
'I was!' Insistent.
'Then how did I hit you?' The same calm, the mouth forming a derisive smile.
And she could only fume silently.

Yes, that was easily why she had made the progress she had; it had been necessary. So now she was ready, already in a challenge position that could not be mistaken despite their largely differing styles. She wanted to go hand to hand first; she had tension to get out.

Mercury ran at her opponent. Telegraphing her moves was unavoidable for a split second if she wanted to close the distance, but if he was very quick at reading her, it wouldn't matter anyway. So instead of an all-out attack, the blue-haired girl was minded to be prepared to block his response.

[embalmment]

It was no suprise: the snake. He wouldn't be trouble, certainly. Orochimaru following to watch them train was almost a logical assumption. He would know before Orochimaru even tried to do anything. The slight advantage of being 'connected,' as it were now. The comsumption of Orochimaru's chakra and slight merging actually helped Sasuke in a good amount of ways. It made him heal faster. It helped him with sensing presences. That was one are Sasuke lacked in greatly; and had greatly improved due to this.

He was ready. There was no cocky smirk which used to fill his features when he was younger. He took her seriously. She was smart; and what one lacked in strength they could make up in tact and in strategy. The measure of one's strength and one's capacity was not just in brute force.

Sasuke watched as she came in close; eyes scanned the way her muscles moved and twisted. She seemed to be aiming for taijutsu at the moment. Admitedly it had been awhile sense he'd used taijutsu. It would be refreshing. She was already planing for defense, also. He could have known she would e just by knowing how she herself worked. What she was going to do for attack or defence he couldn't tell quite yet; but he was ready to counter. He was not going to attack yet either. His muscles were loose and ready to move at any moment in responce. Sasuke was more offence than defence, but he wanted to see what she could do; what her style was. If she wanted him to help her get stronger than this was the way to go about it. Much like he did with Kimihiro.

[waterfell]

She fought aggressively as a rule, but more cautiously with an unknown opponent. It had been easy to fight those girls back in her world; she had known their every technique and movement from weeks - months - no, centuries together in the past. Here, she had been forced to learn to counter unknowns. To behave more carefully and prudently.

How many times must I say it? Rushing in won't do you any good. More likely, your enemy would already have destroyed you.

In a fight, that man seemed to be looking over her shoulder all the time, even now.

Now, Mercury clashed with Sasuke readily, enthusiastically, trading hits and strikes and kicks and blocks. The close combat didn't suit her best, however; it was most useful for simply letting off energy. As a result, the display she put up was remarkable, but flawed. She was too quick to go on the offensive, too nervous on defense; her issues were largely emotional. To her credit, however, her movements came fluidly, gracefully, each one placed precisely and accurately, as one would expect of a perfectionist.

[embalmment]

He was the same. When the opponent was unknown, entering the fight in such a way with no preporations in defence or counter strategies was stupid and careless. You were digging your own grave.

They engaged soon after; and as his eyes had read when she was running forwards, there was a large amount of tenseness in her muscles. She was emotional; frustrated. It gave her movements intensity, but it caused flaw. She was a worthy opponent; she could become a very formidable opponent. Mercury was not completely untrained either. This was both known, and showed through her movements. She was very flexable; very flowing and graceful like water. Suiting and expected. She was also purposed. Also expected.

The real shocker, the one that prooved that, if she trained well, she could very well be a skilled and powerful opponent: she almost hit him. Even without his jutsu's, or kusanagi. Even if they were trainined just with Taijutsu it was a rare thing (unless you were Naruto, who had ungodly amounts of energy and thusly was untamed; wild; and careless). The mere fact that she had come close to landing a blow was extremely impressive. She had skimmed the surface many times during their exchange. He had little doubt, with this, that next time she would land a blow if not a few. That, or she would bring out his need to exert more energy.

In result of the exchange it was clear a few things. Sasuke was fast. His movements were at some points unreadable; untraceable. Much like her, though, he was pointed and precise. Unlike her, however, he did not exert more energy than he needed too. There was no emotion; there was no tension. It made his strikes much less flowing and much more striking and bold; like lightening. He was not unflexable though. His movements were interchangeable. It was clear that he had a very broad style of Taijutsu; a unique blend. Over the years however he had become more pointed. His strikes; his techniques; this defences: they carried a sense of fire as well; flickering and unpredictable. One large and noteable thing about Sasuke and his movements were that he did not often block an attack (unless cornered). He dodged. Speed was a definate asset to him.

The best defence: get out of the way.

Sasuke's foot slipped back as he lowered himself down into a lunge a small peice away from the woman. He inhaled softly. The faintest smirk came over his lips. They'd traveled quite a lot. His foot was almost reaching the pond, actually. If she wanted to shift to elemental fighting than he would have to be prepared for what she could do with that. There was a good amount of room for him to move from. Fire was weak against water, and so fire attacks wouldn't do anything. Lightening was neither weaker nor stronger. This was his knowledge from his world however. Again, he had to keep in mind that it may not have the same results. Although water over fire was simple logic really. Nonetheless, he stayed in the low lunge, once again watching her movements and bodily suggestions.

[waterfell]

It was probably surprising that someone of Mercury's usual temperament fought so emotionally; but perhaps not, to Sasuke. She clearly thrilled to every near-hit and every bit of ground she gained; and just as clearly worried over every inch lost - clearly, that is, to an experienced fighter like himself or the snake in the grass watching them. It was subtle: a certain tension in the shoulder, a certain too-hasty movement. Another might not have noticed it nearly as much.

He was fast. She could not predict him, or if she did it was always a fraction of a second too late. That fiery way of responding to her, it reminded her the smallest bit of Mars.

How to counter it? The Dark Kingdom senshi's own style, too, used dodging and sidestepping far more often than outright blocks. (That time Nephrite had attacked her for taunting him over his loss to Mars and his injuries; she had caught his weapon, then simply dodged and ducked and stepped.) Like her, then, centrally-aimed hits might be a weakness for Sasuke; they were harder to move away from and might potentially force him to block which, to judge from his preferences, would be weaker.

Immediately, the blue-haired girl put that theory into action, and had at least some apparent success: They were right at the edge of the pond now. She flashed her opponent a mostly good-natured smirk to match his own. It was simply recognition that the fight was about to change.

Not, however, in the way probably expected. Anyone, seeing the senshi of water right next to the water, would have expected, well, water. Instead, Mercury made a final lunge at Sasuke himself, banking on those expectations to let her touch him, putting all her efforts towards that mere goal: a touch.

If she connected, the touch would be used to drain some of his energy; since it was not directly harmful (although it could be if done excessively), the cuffs had never stopped her at it before. The effects would be simple fatigue, but she needed that to slow him down. It was not a technique, precisely, but simply the nature of her own dark energy. It would likely not be mimicable.

[embalmment]

It wasn't suprising that she would be emotional, no. If just because of that desire to surpass something. That desire to regain what once was; or to protect it. That need to correct the past; however correcting it would be done. To destroy, or to avenge, or to protect. Whatever the method. The means to an end. He knew Mercury well. Without needed to know her at all. He knew her almost flawlessly. But she was a smart girl, and so surely he did not know everything there was to know. Part of him wouldn't want to. Sasuke enjoyed challenges. Mental or physical. (Emotional was another story.)

It wasn't suprising that she had noted centrally focused attacks to be the better offence when hand to hand when analyzing his style. He would have to mask this better and find a better method of defence. Furthermore he may even need to read further into her movements. She was forcing him to think faster and react faster. Again: impressive; but expected. It was a good thing. He did not expect disappointment. And that was noted, the smirk.

She gave him little time to move. There were a few options he could execute from this position. In such a low lunge it was easy to strike at pressure points and other vulnerable area's on the body. So far there was no signs telling him that the water behind him was stirring. So that wasn't her plan, yet. There was a change in her energy though that spawned his next move. Rather, her energy became more visable to his eyes. So she was using more of it. She was planning something with that first. A replication would be what Sasuke would go with; genjutsu. Scarlets focused for a moment. He needed just one look towards her to project the image that he was in fact still there by the lake. That replication of himself would react in the same way as he would have naturally. And in that, it moved; but her touch skimmed it just enough.

Upon the touch, the body slithered away into snakes which melted into the ground. There was no time between the touch; the disspiation of the illusion; and his next strike aimed from behind as his body reveiled its true position.

[waterfell]

She'd landed her touch. Mercury smirked; it faded immediately.

Ehh?! How had he--? What had--?!

Mercury cut the thought off immediately, suddenly on the alert, whipping her head around to look for the real Sasuke. She would not, obviously, have been able to do something like that to him in Econtra, even if her abilities had been equal to it. Kunzite's youma illusions had been formidable enough that they had even fought effectively; his senshi quickly recognized illusion just a hair late.

The real Sasuke was just behind her, ready to attack. she brought up her arm to defend.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, even now she noticed: Snakes. Orochimaru. Orochi. Snakes. But there wasn't time to dwell on the connection.

[embalmment]

An opening.

She was slow, and so his fist connected. It would likely throw her back a good piece: right into the water. It was much less stronger than what it could have been, and he noticed this immediately. She did something. That touch, no -- it wasn't that touch at all. His eyes widened a touch with the realization. He wasn't quite clear on it yet but it didn't matter. The effects were noticeable and because of this he withdrew. After the blow had landed he jotted back a good few feet to distance them both.

There was where he let his arm drop limp to his side. His body curled forward a little and shifted his stance. His head hung just a touch with an exhale, although eyes did not hit the ground. They kept on her, watching.

"Dark energy," he spoke after a moment; quietly to himself.

His head lifted, and there slight smirk on his featured. Bad move on his part. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "that wasn't a technique was it?"

He should have known. He was not aware of what it all did; but he was interested.

As for the effects, Sasuke felt fatigued and a little worn. His movements from now on, unless he used the cursed seal, would not be as fast or as strong. He did not want to resort to the seal; nor did not think he would need to at this point. It wasn't a devistating change. It was merely that they were now more level. The strength and speed of Mercury and Sasuke would be much less vast in difference.

[waterfell]

The blue-haired senshi was pushed out onto the water, where she seemed to have no more trouble with her footing than she had on land, moving easily across its surface once she recovered herself. She did not sink. She did briefly touch her arm; probably it had been hit lightly.

Then they were at it again, Mercury and Sasuke, clashing rapidly. He hadn't been drained, not wholly - not even very near wholly - but he was slowing down. Her little smirk confirmed the guess for him, if he needed the confirmation.

"It's the energy we have from Metalia-sama. That's why I was able to injure the entropi."

The touch had affected him after all? But she hadn't in fact touched him. Mercury considered that for only the briefest of moments before the solution came to her.

"That illusion, it had your energy in it," she guessed. "That's why it was destroyed, isn't it? That was a foolish act." A little smile.

With the advantage his lack of energy gave her, they were very close to equal footing now, just as she'd intended. Mercury quickly calculated their positions and swung her sword as though she were already right before him - which probably looked ridiculous until a bolt of energy shot from it towards her opponent. It wouldn't kill, or even injure much, not right now; but it would sting if it hit.

More to the point, he dodged instead of blocked. He would go right where she wanted, if he was smart -- and she would be there waiting with a powerful kick. She did, however, have every intention of keeping the fight to the water now. It could only benefit her.

[embalmment]

With her connection to water, it was not shocking that she would land so gracefully upon it. He made nothing of it. He too could walk on water. It was a basic technique in his world. She was coming in again and he lifted his body in preporation for her attacks. He was slower in attacking; but still held up strong. Sasuke, like all Uchiha, constantly pushed his limits. If anything: he was glad that he'd made a mistake such as that. The wounds; the sacrifices; the painsl the losses. These were the things that made someone stronger.

"So than she is essencially negative energy and rather than her giving you her 'powers' she gives you herself," he stated more than asked as they exchanged footing and attacks. It was to extrovert his understanding for correction if a correction was needed.

"Not quite," he corrected and paused at that for a moment. If she could easily control this energy and let it fill her body than using genjutsu would be a risk anyway. There would be no need to hide from her the properties and technicalities of Genjutsu than. It could still be used against her but at a cost. It wouldn't be able to be held very long.

"I dispelled it on my own," he continued, "the touch did nothing. Genjutsu works by sending the casters energy into the central nervous system of the one it's being cast on and therefore effecting the the persons five senses. Making the illusion a reality to that person."

It could be very dangerous; and it was one of his strengths. Sharingan helped amplify this ability as well. The fact that he was wellversed in Genjutsu was what made him comfortable in the dream world. He understood the concepts behind it.

Sasuke tipped his head for a moment watching the woman waiting for the signs of another attack. His body may get tired, but his eyes never would tire. It would take a lot to wear him down to the point that he could no longer use Sharingan. So he watched he withdraw that icemade sword. Energy was what would come from it. No matter what type it was, it was best to dodge; and she would know that he would do this. He was already a fair piece away from the pond. Although if he dodged it would be smartest to dodge inwardly and find that small vulnerability after an attack. If he did that though, using his eyes to already see her muscles twitching, and logic that she was also a strategist, she would be waiting with an attack.

He could dodge that too, or rather work against it. If they stayed on the pond she would have advantage; but it wasn't entirely at his disadvantage. So he would indulge this wish of hers and move forward. However, just inches before he reached her; just a fraction before her muscles would move in order to execute that kick, there was a shift. Admitedly not as fast as it would have been. On his heel he would pivot and roll around to appear behind her. There was a sound almost like a thousand chirping birds.It was a lower grade chidori, as chidori was an executive move he lessened the harm it would cause.

He aimed it to the back of her shoulder and if it hit it would numb that entire top side of her body.

((although he is not in level two. I really need a picture of him chidori'ing without being in level two. )

[waterfell]

"That's right. Like the Entropi, Queen Metalia is essentially energy," Mercury confirmed. "That's why you can't defeat me that way."

Not that he wasn't doing an excellent job of it in other ways, but Mercury was holding her own quite well, and that was giving her confidence. She was taking a lot away from this fight, and it made her glad.

A side hypothesis that had some merit: the possibility of Metalia being an Entropi. Certainly she displayed almost all of their traits and abilities. In that case, the 'civil war' would begin to make sense. Just as Metalia could either save or destroy a world, the Entropi factions were said to be split along exactly that line. Perhaps, only perhaps, that was not a lie after all. Then, too, the Entropi were said to be from somewhere else originally, and in the blue-haired girl's world it was said no one knew from where Metalia had come.

But for now, Mercury was focusing on Sasuke. She had always been that way, something working in the back of her mind while she still gave full attention to what was in front of her. It was what made her Jyuuban's genius; it could be said that she was always working on every problem facing her at once, in a sense - somewhere in that mind of an IQ rumored to be 300.

That mind was applying itself to tactics, as was her usual place in battle.

The sound tipped her off first. The only bird chirping in Econtra was her Skinakas; there certainly weren't that many of them. So not only did split-second analysis tell her something was strange, but so did the very incongruity of the noise. Mercury had just enough time as a result; she turned at the perfect second and still only barely avoided the hit.

If only she knew how lucky she'd just been. What was he up to? As she did have some sense of the danger she'd just been in, however, Mercury was not eager to give him a second chance. She lashed out at Sasuke, hoping to force him to defense for awhile while she formed a new overall plan.

[embalmment]

Only difference was that this Queen Metalia was negative energy. Interesting. Although her proposal that he could not beat her that way was a very confident statement. He very possibly could; but it would be stupid. Risky. And he wouldn't want to be so violent on her. He had no intentions in killing her, or seriously harming her.

She shifted from his attack. Perfect timing, she had. A very fast thinker. He had noted this time and time again. She turned and shifted at just the right moment so that his arm extended by the skin of her shoulder and the electrical ball of energy in his hand had not touched her. However the prickle of its energy surrounding his hand skimmed her skin just because of the proximity. It did nothing but feel cool and electric to the touch. Soon after, the blinding bright light of the energy and its sound faded.

Scarlets shifted at the movement of her muscles. He gave her a very large opening. The lack of energy and wear from her negative energy showed. He was a little less defenced and 'perfect'. However he had enough time to at least consentrate his chakra into the area where he calculated her first would hit. It did hit; but with her strength and that defence he was completely uneffected.

Sasuke, in turn, chuckled a single amused 'hn' as he withdrew and let his arm drop to his side. They were just inches from eachother now, face to face.

[waterfell]

She had no time to smirk again before pain shot through her hand, traveling up her arm as her attack connected. What was he-? How was he-? Only Nephrite (to give the third shitennou his due, which no one had ever seemed to want to do) had that sort of sheer physical strength and stamina and build!

Mercury withdrew her hand immediately, and herself, leaving the space between them and saluting Sasuke with her sword to signal an end to the fight.

"You could have broken my wrist just then!" she complained. In a serious fight, she'd have continued even then, but this was only training.

And, she admitted very privately to herself, just that slightest bit familiar, in a way that made her miss those old training sessions in her world, grueling though they had been.

[embalmment]

"That's your fault," he mused; although there was no amusement on his face. His expression was calm and nonchalant. "Pay more attention next time."

Next time, he'd said. An identification that there certainly would be a next time; and there certainly would be. He wasn't harsh although his words were pointed there wasn't that undertone of 'pathetic' in them. They were simply what they were.

As she had identified the end of the fight he nodded moving forward to the patch of ground. He definately felt tired, but his chakra restored itself quickly.

He turned once he had gotten back to the ground and reached behind him. His fingers slipped under the obi and took out what he had requisitioned. Hitai-ai. How long sense he had cared to even wear one. He didn't, but that wasn't what mattered. Sasuke blinked away the scarlet red and tossed it her way.

"You're strong."

[waterfell]

Her good hand made a fist she was itching to send flying at him, but it gradually subsided, and she nodded to Sasuke.

That was Mercury's gut reaction; it was over in a second. And then she realized: It was because he was still reminding her of that man, always that separation of her reactions to him. Even those exact words, almost, that man had said that time. She stared for a long moment, and then almost smiled.

"Thank you for your instruction," she answered formally. She had, after all, told the Uchiha she had intended to learn from him, and such courtesies were ingrained habit. It was also her own acknowledgement that there would be a next time.

Mercury followed Sasuke back to the shore then, and that was different, the location of their fight, out on the water. It had felt fitting, for her. He had certainly seemed comfortable with it, but had it been the same for him? No, no matter how skilled around it he was, this boy could not have the total connection with the water that she did.

She caught the headband easily. Many of the people she'd seen from his world wore them. You're strong, was that what he was saying by it, then? It was a very strange feeling, to have someone like him saying that to her. She accepted it with the proper polite words, which probably in itself told him how much it meant to her. Although formal, she was rarely that humble. What he was giving her was confidence; she valued that.

It had the sigil of Mercury on it. Didn't such things usually bear the mark of a village? Her expression turned slightly more distant as Mercury's princess considered that.

"The Mercury civilization was known for the brilliance of its members," she said. "They developed most of the Silver Millenium technology used even in the Moon Kingdom and throughout the civilizations of the other planets, too."

"When the world was destroyed, only earth was resurrected with a civilization again. As its princess, I lost that, too," the blue-haired finished her brief story. It was enough; he would understand: and having that symbol on this headband, where people put the symbol of their villages and clans, is the smallest resurrection of the Mercury Kingdom.

She put it on.

[embalmment]

There was no connection with the water like there was with Mercury in this fight. Her element being water; she likely felt more at home. He was not bothered by their fighting area, although if he thought on it a little - which he did - it reminded him of that time. That time, and that place. Naruto and he fought on the water and he was just moments; barely minutes from ending that boys life. That fight was long and hard. That man had so much power and dedication to him. Something that . . . seemed to be fading; and Sasuke would think no further on that as he traveled back to shore.

Absolutely no further. He had finally given up. It seemed like he had finally given up. Stopped chasing. Stopped caring.. No more thinking on that. No more.

The Hitai-ai... it was recognition. That she was strong. That she was a part of their world, in a sense. That they were not so different. Sasuke... didn't put much sentimentality in to those sort of things. At least he hadn't in a very long time. But she had helped them. Helped him. Helped him greatly. If anything she seemed to be the unofficial doctor of shinobi. In their world they did wear such things. Each country had its symbol that the shinobi would wear unpon their Hitai-ai. Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin. He wasn't entirely used to humble thanks; and so much like when Kimihiro did such things, Sasuke was simply silent.

'. . .' Only earth was ressurected. So all of her people; everyone she knew and cared for; all of them gone. His eyes softened for a moment. He knew, and understood. It meant much more now; that hitai-ai. It also meant much more that she become strong enough to break that bond Metalia had over her. That she became strong enough to keep this from happening again.

He smiled just a touch. He wasn't sure what to say or if he needed to say anything as she put it on. No, he didn't need to say anything. She would knock the shit out of any obsticle that came her way. He was sure.

"My clan... they were also known as brilliant. A long line of strong and genius warriors. We were one of the founders of our village long ago," he spoke, "It was said that the village I was born under was created from the battle between one of my ansestors, and the first Kage of the village."