Training with a Stoat (Dual Training thread)

Mika giggled even more at his reaction, he had seemed to completely stall and then stammer and she couldn't help but find it adorable with the way his nose wiggled from her gently antenna boops, the giggling getting a bit worse as he stammered out about training and she picked up her tea and drank the rest as well nodding as she smiled at him "Well okay... but I think we should Train our Taijutsu and Chakra stuff..." she said as she stood up and gently poked his nose "at least I assume that's what you meant right?" she said trying to not giggle even more though she was turning a bit more red now as she turned away to put the silk on the dummy now, her little moth tail wriggling as she worked. Rikuta was still as fun to tease as ever, but she now had to remember to ask what that line meant as it clearly affected Rikuta more then she thought it would. A letter home asking would be a good Idea she hoped it wasn't to embarrassing now.

As she finished dressing the Dummy she looked over at Rikuta "Oh and I asked about that cause I wanted to make you a welcoming gift.. I think I can make you a nice shirt or something, it would feel good to sleep in or just daily wear if you want it for that" she said as she continued to set the dummy up for more training Kata wanting to make sure she wasn't to close to Rikuta, after all she knew her strikes could sent the Dummy flying backwards a bit.

"Y-yes!" He'd say back in retaliation to her mentioning of something more, trying to not continue the conversation as it was only making him that much more flustered and aware of his own heated expression. Eventually, though he'd begin to calm down some as she went over to dress the dummy and begin setting up for her next round of training, meanwhile he would go back to the notes she had given him as he rubbed his cheeks, and gave a soft nod, "Oh! That would be nice, ummm, really anything would be great. Shirts would be nice, or just something to fit around my head, or even a scarf works too. Oh, pouches would be cool haha." He'd give her a list of things she could make with her silk that he'd be completely fine with.

All the while he would go back to his training, this time practicing more on the whole moving silently thing. Looking ahead he wouldn't answer any questions for a bit as he'd regulate his breathing and begin to walk forward, trying his best to not leave much in terms of rustling sounds on the grass as well as taking it slow enough so that he could correct any mistakes while he advanced forward along a small path way. After about 20 or so feet he began to run out of air, and soon let it out as he took in full breaths, he knew he shouldn't be holding his breath but it seemed like the only way to keep things regular. That is till he would try it again and slow his breathing down only a modest amount as he reached the other side of the little practice field and would refer back to the notes on what changes he should make to better fit what he was doing. If none, then he'd go back to hand seals.

Mika thought on the things she could make, Pouches would be easy too and it would be something he would need for classes.. well he would need shirts too.. maybe a little gift bundle? She would have to think more about it, and as she did so she forgot she was going to hide her Burst Knuckle style from Rikuta for a bit, and she lined up and got into her styles stance as she aimed her first strike, taking into account she added Silk to it she decided to hold back a bit so she didn't set it on fire, and so after aiming her firs strike and deciding on the sequence she was going to use, she moved in on it and landed her first blow, an explosion blooming out from the impact point and enveloping her inside it, though due to her Defenses she was perfectly fine, after that strike she followed after it with more blows causing more explosions as each blow caused another then another.

As she flowed through the blows she suddenly remembered that Rikuta was there, having gotten caught up somewhat in her own pace again she stopped and the dummy flew into the side of the tree and she looked around to See where Rikuta was "I am fine I swear!" she said somewhat panicking that he would be freaking out as well after the explosions

notes:

Once he had reached the tail end of his practice on sneaking, even doubling back to ensure he understood the basics, he would feel pretty proud of himself for staying focused for once. Though that focus was turned on something else as he jumped and gave a 'yeep!' sound as he heard an explosion go off. It was something he wasn't used to and thought that someone had blown up a bob of some kind, tunring over to Mika he'd see her or was able to see her for a split second as dust kicked up and she'd begin going into a pattern of causing multiple explosions. After the first few he immediately worried for Mika's safety, after all, she said it herself that she couldn't use ninjutsu and so wondering how she was causing explosions unless it was unintentional was what he jumped to.

When the dummy went flying and the dust began to settle she'd noticed he was missing, before suddenly and rather quitely the stoat had run directly towards her, worry painted on his face as she'd felt him tackle her to the ground directly. Looking down at her she could see his tail flicking back and forth in panicked attention, while his eyes inspected her body, not seeing any injuries. Confusion was beginning to set in as he sat over top of her after practically pouncing on the moth girl, asking, "Wha...what was that, are you okay?" Clearly he had no clue what had happened, and although she could probably toss him off at any time, his expression looked like a worried dog, seeing his master in pain.

Mika hadn't seen him rushing towards her as she had lost track of him as she was smacking the Dummy around but as she turned she was Tackled to the ground by something soft and fluffy, looking up she seen Rikuta looking over her Frantically and she lay there a little embarrassed she forgot she wasn't going to train this quite yet not till she told him about it but... well now she kind of had to and as he asked if she was okay she nodded and gently grabbed his face placing one hand on each of his cheeks "I am okay Rikua see... perfectly fine... umm.. this is a fighting style I made myself... it.. doesn't use Chakra to make the explosions... just speed and power.. and well it's something I came up with to add a bit of a surprise to anyone I might have to fight in the future.. and to make up for my small size against larger opponents... Sorry I meant to tell you before I trained it but I kind of got lost in my normal routine and did it without thinking" she said as she hugged him.

"thanks for worrying" she said though she was tempted to tease him over this she wasn't about to do that with how scared he had obviously been, so she left it at that as she gently booped his nose with her antenna "We should probably get back to training... unless... you want people seeing you pinning me down?" damn it she just couldn't help herself could she?

Hearing her explanation he was amazed that she was able to do something like this, but at the same time, it also made him relax a lot more, especially realizing it didn't hurt her and in fact, she was perfectly fine. Giving a deep sigh he'd hug her back, though as she would poke his nose some causing it to bounce around again her indication of him pinning her down would make him realize he sorda pounced on the girl just t see if she was fine or not, a bit counter-intuitive but it only left him mildly embarrassed. Her comment however added to the embarrassment as he'd begin to get off her quickly, "S-sorry." He'd scratch his head and help her to her feet.

"I didn't know, I kinda got startled by it, I thought you got caught in some explosion by something and wanted to pull you out of it." Given he pushed her a few feet out of the area she was in, it was kinda successful, even if he overreacted. But he would poke her sides a few times as he wouldn't let the whole 'pinning her down' thing slide, making him slightly flustered again as he had more blood in his face than the rest of his body today. "Yeah let's go back to training again, sorry for intrupting."

Mika giggled to the expression on his face as she got back up with his help and then giggled even more from the poking "Gah! nuu stop it" she giggled as he poked her sides and tickled her, but eventually he stopped though she noticed he was a bit red from the situation and she giggled and just HAD to tease him back "Unless you want people to see you pinning me down?" she said as she poked his nose and then giggled as she moved out of reach for return pokings. "But your right we need to finish training up for the day then we can go have a proper supper, did you wanna grab something from the Cafeteria or make something ourselves? the dorms have little cooking area's" she said as she went back to the Dummy and started to do simple strikes to wind down her training session.

She also started going through what to make him for clothing again, the shirts and the head band were the best Ideas really, but the Idea of Pouches and Vests would also be good too... but the pouches would be the most helpful at first while at the academy and she could make it fairly quickly and still make it look good so that would be a plus. She knew her mom made some clothing for her father and all of her siblings as well as herself when they were younger, maybe she could do the Same for Rikuta later? after all there was quite a list of things she could make.

Pouting, the boy would give her a few more tickles as revenge for her constant teasing, but he'd let up even after she added on another one, keeping his fluster but he'd recover in due time. "We could try making something if you want?" He'd suggest, though he wouldn't mind seeing the selection at the cafeteria, "Though I'd like to stop by the cafeteria to see what they have if its good we can just relax and eat after all this."

Rikuta would spend his own end-of-training session practicing hand seals, namely to learn what signs did what and how he should focus his chakra as utilizing his chakra for techniques would have to come later. Right now learning how to better control it and mold it was his main issue and he'd mostly keep to that ideal while Mika practiced and did the last bits of her own training. It would be nearly another half hour before he wrapped up his studies, he had a good memory so he knew what the symbols were now for each hand seal, doing them would take further practice but he was self teaching at this point and mybe a class or two in the future could help him be better at what he wanted to acomplish.

Mika smiled as she finished going through her Kata, winding down and starting to pack things up to take back to storage, even as Rikuta was starting to finish up his training "Yeah I don't mind stopping by the cafeteria to see what they have, then we can go to your room to eat then.. or your floors common room if you don't want any rumors to spread" she teased as she continued to pack things up she hadn't answered till now as she had been thinking on a gift to make him and had finally decided she would make him some pouches to attach to his belt or leg or something for Kunai and stuff, it would be a practical gift for his welcoming gift and she liked the Idea, she would just need to dye it as the Natural white of her silk wouldn't do him much favors if he was trying to be sneaky.

placing the last of the weights, targets, and dummies into the cart she smiled over to him "But it would be easier to eat on your floor then I can just fly up to my room with no issues since I live just a few floors above your room, I can even just fly down to wake you up or sneak into your room to tease you whenever I want it will be GREAT!" she said with a little cheer and a giggle as she then picked up Rikuta like he was a plushy and placed him in the cart gently as well on top of all the supplies "So ready to go mister plushy?" she asked with a giggle and a silly smile on her face.

"I don't care about rumors, your my friend and I want to hang out with you as much as I can." he'd sya honestly, not really feeling too embarrassed about that, besides not like he was doing anything, he just wanted to be close to his friend and actually be able to help her when he could. Though as he got up and prepared to go he would seemingly keep praticing his movements, steppng in a careful manner, while trying to stifle his breath, but he'd keep talking with her when ever possible. But at the mention of her saying she could tease him when ever she liked he crossed his arms and pouted at her, ligh color over his freckled cheeks as he grumbled.

He'd keep the position even while she picked him up and placed him on the cart, "Not a plushie, and no teasing!" He'd say in protest, but would relax as he gave a nod to show he was ready to go at least.

she giggled at his pout and poked his nose "But you are my Mister Plushy, you even told me you were Mister Plushy when we first met remember?" She giggled remembering that moment as she started to push the cart with Rikuta and the supplies in it "Or I guess I could stick to the food nicknames like Strawberry choco nose... or Marshmallow" she teased as she continued to head to the school with the supplies and her friend in the cart giggling as she made her way to the building and to the storage where she gently picked him up once more and set him down on a chair in the room as she put things away.

"Besides you keep holding that pose as I move you around people will think I bought a full sized plushy and am just talking to it like it's a person and then everything will think I am crazy and weird... well I mean I think they already thing I am a bit weird.. some of them at least..." she giggled clearly not bothered by this "and if you don't want any teasing then you better be sure to be awake on time" she said to him as she continued to put things away.

notes:

"N-no.." He remembered, but of course, he didn't want to admit it, after all, it was hard to say no to a crying child who thought you were some big magical animal that could probably grant wishes and you tell them your not. In the end, he accepted his fate just so she wouldn't be sad, now it was just another time in their history that he had to relish on, not that it was a bad memory. He'd keep up the pouting for a bit but eventually would stop being all serious once they got to the school and she pulled him out of the cart again, not minding the assistance. "But I like sleeping in." He commented as he broke his posture and began to stretch a bit, trying to stay somewhat limber or soreness would kick in as soon as he stopped doing too many activities.

"Though what are we gona do tomorrow? Is it just more training and classes?" He asked as he had no clue what was going to happen, especially since he hadn't been to a class yet and learned everything he knew from Mika right now at least. Helping her store some things away in the mean time he wondered how the teachers were here as well, only having seen them in passing really, never really engaging with some of them.

Mika smiled a bit as she remembered back then and giggled to herself, she had been so shy and scared of new people back then, if she hadn't met Rikuta when she was like that she had to wonder if she would have turned out the same as she was now? Regardless she ended up with a good warm snuggly friend, and as she put things away she listened to him pouting about sleeping in and giggled a bit more, yeah he was a lazy one but he worked hard when he was finally awake at least, and she would be lying if she said she didn't feel like just lounging around when he was there, he just made her feel a bit more relaxed then she normally was.

"Oh tomorrow can be a rest day for you, since you only just got here, there should be normal classes for half the day and then free classes and study time after that, we can go hang out after classes if you want?" she said with a smile as she finished putting the things away with his help and putting the cart back in the corner were it belonged before heading for the door "There with that away we can see what the Cafeteria has and decide if we wanna eat that or make something ourselves from the ingredients they make available" she said with a smile.

notes:

"Sure! I'd love to hang out after class, that sounds nice." He'd probably be very lonely without her here, and being unable to see his mom and dad for a while would probably also add to that. But it was all a part of the training, and so she'd bring him plenty of morale to keep going. "Yeah let's swing by and pick up some stuff, I can give you my treats in my room." He'd mention then pause as he flustered, walking ahead as he pointed out, "-and no that's not supposed to be naughty! It um, just mean I want to give you some honey bun's my mom made." He'd reaffirm, even if that didn't sound too much better, or like an innuendo, he was happy to at least be done with training and would be even more happy to just do things with his friend. Keeping her company, and maybe learning something else as his body was a bit exhausted so any more physical training was out of the question. "How long have you been here by the way?"

Smiling as he agreed to hang out after class tomorrow Mika then started to giggle as he mentioned the treats, and then seen him fluster and try to make it sound innocent "Oh Rikuta What else could I have possibly thought you meant? where did your mind wander to after you said that to get you all embarrassed?" she asked with a giggle as she poked his nose. He was just so much fun to tease, as they walked into the cafeteria and the selection of food was there, some simple things like chicken cutlets and rice, and some other more interesting things like porkchops and mashed potatoes with gravy, they had a lot to offer, they had mixed greens, and assorted veggies, there was a lot to pick and they could even pick some things to just take and cook themselves in the common area kitchen, some people would think they were to young but Mika just assumed it was also part of the training to learn to be self sufficient even in every day life to an extent, personally thought today she would see what Rikuta wanted to do, grab something already made or get the things to cook their own.

"hmm.. I have been here maybe a month already?" she said thinking about it, that sounded about right, as she looked to the Taller Fuzzy Stoat "So what did you wanna get for supper? or did you just wanna get the things to make our own?" she asked with a gentle poke of his nose with her antenna.

notes:

Seeing the food that was available here he would be very interested in what they had, it was much better than some small market along the road, but best of all it was free and Rikuta liked free. "Just a month? Have you been training prior to you coming here? You look like you got pretty strong rather quickly." It had been a year or two since he had come here and when they separated, so seeing she hadn't really changed much in size but overall see that she was still just as she was a few years ago with a bit more confidence was nice to know. "Um I think we can get food here, this is a lot nicer than what I expected." He would wish to order some bowl of rice with a side of pepper steak, in addition to this he'd get some veggies and what not to add into the bowel as to eat a bit healthier rather than just meat.

Once he got his food on a tray he would look to Mika and ask, "What were you getting?" Waiting on his drink he would enjoy the smell of fresh food, especially stuff he actually liked, this place was great!

Mika looked a bit to the side as he mentioned her being pretty strong "The most I did before coming here was the training my parents put me through for couriers as that was really all they knew to do to get me ready and I didn't get much in the way of that ether, I just worked a lot and trained a lot since I got here to catch up to the other students here that have likely all had prior training due to being from clans that have a history of shinobi.. so I don't think I am all that strong in comparison, though we have never had any sparring matches yet" she said honestly as Rikuta said they would grab food here and she nodded "okay sounds good!" she said happily as she grabbed a tray and followed after Rikuta.

Mika listened to his order as he made it and she thought about her own, then he prompted her about it and she smiled "Oh probably some thick cut porkchops, Rice, some Roast Beef, a nice chicken salad, some orange juice and a two liter carton of Apple Juice to take to my room and put in my little fridge for later" she said with a smile "You should have a bit more meat as well you will need protein to help your body repair the damaged muscles from working out like you did today especially from such a Toasted Marshmallow" she teased as she poked his nose with her antenna and the lunch lady couldn't help but stifle a giggle at the nickname she used.

notes:

Nodding, the boy would listen intently to her explanation of her current training as well as how she was brought up to come here. She was at least a bit more fortunate than himself, his dad just made him run around a bunch and do more chores to prepare him for this, though it did help him build some stamina for sure, it didn't offer much else in terms of skills he could use and learn. But they were both at a disadvantage, "Well compared to the others I guess we're not best suited for this sorta thing when there are ninja families who train all their lives for this sort of thing." This didn't make him discouraged, it just meant that he'd have to work hard so as to not lag behind or cause his friends and possible teammates any strife.

At the mention of her menu items he would be surprised she wanted so much, Mika was so small though, where did it all go? Maybe she had a second stomach somewhere, but maybe he was just overreacting as he nodded, "I guess that's true, um, can I also have some spring rolls and a few dumplings?" He'd ask for next, not going too overboard but he had a sizable plate of food now and would be happy to engorage himself on it once they got to his room.

"yeah we have a lot to make up for, but you likely have a better chance then I do since you can actually use Chakra and I really can't" she said though she wasn't phased by the issue ether, it just meant putting in the work required to get on the same level of everyone else, and at least she could help him train physically to do just that, and as she got her large tray of food she smiled, she was tiny yes but she did technically have two stomachs, her abdomen tail wriggling a bit as she looked at all her food and she smiled over to Rikuta as he made a surprised expression at the large amount of food she was going to eat and she just giggled a bit.

"yeah trust me it will help" she said as they both got their food and Mika made sure to return the Lunch stuff they had borrowed "We just have to remember to return the plates and trays tomorrow morning at breakfast" she informed him as she started to head out with her tray of food quite happy with the days events so far.

notes:

Rikuta understood this, and probably would try to look into more effective ways to use his chakra, and or try to invest in some ways to channel it in some way. Today did give him a lot of foundation, but he wanted to be better and would do his best to try and improve over time, though as she got her food finally he would begin to make his way upstairs with his friend. "Okay, I'll probably bring it all down in the morning, or uh probably after we're done." Waking up to the door he would take out the little key and unlock it, walking inside to the rather small dorm room and taking a chair to sit in. He'd offer her one too so thy could eat at the desk they had together, even if it meant sitting close to one another he didn't mind it.

"So um, that explosion thing, did you just learn how to do it on your own, or did someone teach you it?" He asked out of just vague interest, after all, he did want to learn something from a teacher, and if she did take it from an instructor he'd like to know more about them. If not he'd just be amazed at her own skill in crafting her own techniques and powers.

"Well I can bring mine down if you go back down tonight, if not I can just take mine to my room after we are done hanging out and I can take it down in the morning, I don't wanna trouble you with it" she said as they made it to the Dormitory building headed up and then she let him unlock his private room, Following him in she took a seat when offered and set her Food laden tray down and smiled at him as she took a bite out of one of the porkchops since they were best when not cold, and she enjoyed the flavor, it couldn't beat the spiced Bacon her mom made and had sent with her but it was still good and filling after a day of training.

Mika took a sip of her orange juice and looked at Rikuta as he asked about the explosions "Oh that... well it kind of happened one day while I was training to strike faster and harder, it was tiny though and it didn't do much but it put the Idea in my head to figure out how to do it all the time, and thankfully it doesn't hurt at all, I think it's because my training made me tough enough to handle it" she said smiling as she continued to eat a bit more "It does take a bit out of me though, so I doubt it could hold up to anything someone able to use Chakra can do, but it's something I can keep hidden till needed at least".

notes:

"Hm I see, it's still really cool, adn the first real skill I've seen anyone do up close, minus the times any of the guards try to break up a fight or two. Still its really fancy, I hope I can make a technique that interesting, though all I know about it is that my mom told me that was apart of the volt tribe and can manipulate lighting to some degree. I haven't figured out how but some of what I learned in your note book was super helpful." He'd say as he stared at his paw, eating some more and enjoying the meal that was given to him. Much better than his last school which was underfunded and had gone through hard times, and way more healthy than what his mom would try to feed him, namley the baked goods that were about to be unsellable due to age from the front of the store.

"Did you learn any other cool stuff? I promise I won't tell anyone, since I know kids here might want that info to get a leg up on the both of us haha." He knew how competitive people could be, and if it was combat and skill, people would very much want that extra bit of knowledge so they could eventually eek out some kind of advantage in the future.

Mika smiled "Yeah my Parents taught me a bit about beast arts and how to use my body to emit Life energy, rather then Chakra it takes up my stamina, so I can at least use that, hopefully I can do some interesting things with all that" she said with a smile as she continued to eat, the meat was needed after the hard work, and the rest was to stay healthy, she was always extra hungry after her training sessions, so she usually had no issue eating this much food or more, and was quite thankful all her training helped to keep her fit as well. Though she did take a moment to study Rikuta and see if he had gotten more floofy since she last saw him, but that didn't seem to be the case, well he was still fuzzy and snuggly though so she was content with that knowledge.

and then Rikuta asked if she had any other cool stuff and she stiffened, well there was the topic she wanted to avoid, but it was likely going to happen especially after he seen her make an explosion by punching something hard enough, so she finished her mouth full of food and took a deep breath before mumbling "Umm..d..during my time here I managed to accidently open one of the Eight gates... and I kind have been training them" she hoped she could get away with just saying this as she popped more food into her mouth and hoped he would ask for more info on it for now, her antenna dropped in a bit of worried anticipation.

notes:

Rikuta would have been a bit more prepared if his family knew more about ninja arts, or even aspects of their tribe, but he could only gain small insights here and there from traders and people who came to the bakery or small talk and patronage. For him though he'd just ahve to go to the library tomorro and look up some things for himself, or maybe look into how Mika dose her own skills more. Granted he couldn't really spit silk from his mouth, or body, or anywhere for that matter, but it looked like natural aspects of her species that made for a much stronger ability to use.

When she mentioned something else he looked at her and gave a confused tilt of the head, she might know what the 8-Gates were, but he clearly didn't, so he kinda just stared at her, waiting for her to elaberate, if she wanted too. In the mean time he would keep eating his rice and steak, enjoying it a lot actually and drinking the apple juice he asked for, relaxing somewhat before adding, "Sounds fancy, don't know what that is though." The boy spoke casually.

Well he didn't know what it was that was both good but bad... he would likely try to find out and she shouldn't hide it or it would only get worse and so she took in a deep breath and braced herself for what was about to happen and she ate a bit more in case Rikuta got so worried they had to have a long talk "Okay.. umm.. there are these chakra gates in the body that if you can open them you can release the restraints on your body like using all the strength your muscles are able put out but those restraints are there to stop your body from damaging themselves, so while opening each gate has special effects on my body and make me stronger while they are open, they also damage my body when I use them.. I umm.." she was trying to gauge how he would react to all this but she had to tell him.

"I accidently forced open the first gate when I was training and it tore all my muscles and I could barely move after I did so.. and I learned to open the first and Second Gates properly... so I don't damage myself as much when I use them now... It's one way I can try to keep up if I really need to do so in a mission once I graduate... and I didn't wanna tell you right away cause I thought you would... be worried" she said as her antenna slowly drooped as now there really was no way to get around telling him all the effects if he pushed to ask but she wasn't about to offer all of that yet unless he did, she didn't want him worrying to much for her, he had to focus on making himself stronger too rather then worrying about her safety all the time, after all they were training to be shinobi so it was likely she would eventually have to do dangerous things right?

notes: