Bloody knuckles and soaked bandages [Open]

[Oushi]

One-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three, his counting continued as it had for the last several hours. His knuckles battered and bloody from the the amount of strain he had put on them today. Oushi was upside down with his fists stabbing into a rocky stone as he did hand stand push-ups. The small droplets of blood pooling beneath his hands creating a crimson slick below his fists, tempting him to move his hands. With the gentle promise of slipping from the blood slicked stone below him Oushi focused to the task, pushing as hard as he could.

His muscles twitching and shaking from the strain he had set upon them from his "gentle" afternoon workout, he knew eventually his arms and shoulders would give out. He knew eventually his core holding up his legs straight above him would give up. Yet he breathed calmly as though his troubles were so much further away, he was on one hemisphere they upon the other.

After another period of time his number was just about to reach one-thousand-five-hundred, his muscles had crumpled at one-thousand-four-hundred and ninety.

Falling his head headed straight for the blood slicked stone below him, but oushi was still to trained to become folly to such accidents. Maybe when he had been a genin such accidents would happen, and they often did. Today however arcing his back the weight of his legs flew over his head somersaulting and catching the edge of the stone only barely covered with blood. His feet still slipped however and with his momentum heading forward he continued with it, his toe-less-sandals touching the edge of the stone his body stretched out forward. Setting his hands down he caught himself before he struck the ground in a push-up position, then he began doing push ups, counting quickly as though he had a burst of energy from seemingly no where.

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[kangen]

Walking past oushi with a smile to a spot of shade under a near by tree kangen reaches into his kimono retrieving his shinobue and begins to play a soft melody. after seeing oushi graceful transition to one push-up position to another.

"Oushi ill never under stand your drive to push your body to such extremes. At times i believe you will simply break yourself."

With a quick smile he returns to his melody.

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[Oushi]

Oushi smiled for a moment as he mentally continued counting his push-ups, one-hundred and one, one-hundred and two. Thinking long and hard about his squad mates statement Oushi realized the gentle reminder said by his own father, words said to him so long ago.

"Peace times raises people to be soft, you stay soft. War times will chew you up and shit you out, with zero warning."

Continuing his mental count Oushi realized Kangen was right though, if he pushed to hard today, he would pay for it tomorrow.

"You are right though, Kangen. I should probably take a break especially if i plan to have any juice left for our mission tomorrow."

Oushi finished his current rep ending on an even number, one-hundred and fifty. Pushing up with his hands he brought his feet below his bodies core landing with practiced agility on the balls of his feet. Standing up with a gentle stretch he walked over to his bag that was also sitting under the shade of the nearby tree. Ruffling through his small one strap backpack he pulled out a few small rice rolling papers and a little stash of his "special stuff".

Finishing his rolling with practiced grace and a simple lick across the papers edge Oushi brought the smoke to his mouth.

"Want something to take the edge off?"

Oushi asked with a face covering smirk. Sitting down against the base of the tree next to his squad mate and long time friend.

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[kangen]

Pausing from playing the shinobue Kangen raising his hand in opposition.

"Come now Oushi you know i can not smoke, but i would enjoy the company if you wish. There is not many chances we shinobi have to just sit and enjoy the beauty in life."

Motions to a spot next to him.

"Please I have composed a new piece that would be better played in company."

Bringing the shinobue back to his mouth a soft, slow, and relaxing Melody escapes the bamboo flute.

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[Oushi]

Oushi sat down next to Kangen, wondering what new tune he would hear. It was quite an honor to be the first to hear one of Kangen's amazing pieces of music, though they may have been played with one instrument his skill was immense able to simultaneously play both the melody as well as its harmony with ease.

"What's this ones name?"

Oushi would ask interrupting for a moment, knowing the names always helped Oushi to remember them better. Otherwise each new days song would be lost to fading memory, and Oushi would always feel rude for not remembering correctly.

Oushi continued listening to the music while he silently smoked and watched as the clouds floated by overhead, the grass slightly dancing in the afternoon breeze.

Where was their other squad mate, Oushi wondered as he sat beneath the canopy of shade. The sun's gentle rays piercing in small slivers setting the stage for Kangen quite well.

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[Ðr. Tran]

The tree line was where a woman sat in wait upon a branch. Seeing the two of them, she just kind of waited, not hidden form sight, but also not openly stating she was present yet. They were her teammates after all, and it was okay to just watch in silence for a bit. At least until they spotted her.

[kangen]

Finishing the piece Kangen slowly drops his shinobue from his mouth and remains still as if in meditation after a minute he looks to to Oushi.

"like all my compositions the name mast come from the music and has yet wispered its name to me perhaps it has spoke its name to you or maybe..."

Replacing the shinobue in his kimono kangen stands to his feet and begins heading back into town stopping a short distance from the tree she slightly turns his head but not far enough to see behind him.

"Or maybe it has told its name to you Natsume."

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[Oushi]

Oushi postered himself for a moment as though unsure exactly of whom Kangen was talking to, then she appeared into his eyes. If she had been a snake he would have been bitten, though he wouldn't put it past Natsume either to say the least. Oushi had such a collected pride from the years of hard work to become such a Taijutsu wonder, but the truth was what those two were able to do scared him the most.

Here stood a pleasant faced girl that literally could blow you to smithereens in a matter of milliseconds and a man who killed you with sound alone. They were not the most pleasant bunch when looking at them from that perspective but over the years before all of them had grown to their levels now they were genin together. Even in the academy, throwing shuriken together, practicing their jutsu together, even then Oushi had proven to be a hard worker. Yet his squad mates skills had quickly surpassed his own, in a matter of speaking they to were the reasons he trained so hard. Without a rather adaptable skill towards ninjutsu other then his clans kekkei genkai, and not anywhere close to kangen levels of genjutsu. They were almost definitely the proper representation of the three kinds of shinobi combat skills working in unity.

Snapping back form his idle daydreams and memories Oushi picked up his bag in his hand, throwing it over a shoulder he walked briskly to catch up with Kangen.

"As always Natsume your a sneaky creeper, did you wanna join us?"

He said with a friendly chuckle looking up past the gleams of sunlight shining from behind her. Covering the rays from his eye's with one of his clearly still uncleaned dried blood covered bandaged hands.

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[Ðr. Tran]

Looking down at the two of them, she rolled backwards off the branch to do a flip and land down near the base of the tree.

"You know you better start training smarter---not harder, baka"

She said with a chuckle, indicating his bloody hands. She knew why he did what he did, and had witness it on many occasions, and even ones when he was all by himself. This went back to the crystal necklace she had given them upon their graduation from the academy. This simple crystal had been life or death to her family for such a long time, and they each carried a piece of it with them. In time, she would use it to make sure they were okay or in dire situations use it to find them, or protect them in certain cases.

"But you know, if I just wanted to...watch... I didn't have to show up"

She said with a coy tone, teasing them.

[kangen]

Smiling at Oushi's comment about Natsume Kangen Looks back.

"Oushi has a point you will never gain a man affection if you keep scaring them off"

Normally Kangen never joins in Oushi and Natsumes jokes but on occasion he will indulge in their games. still smiling at the joke he jest with his head towards town.

"Come you two lets go find some place to eat and maybe have some sake."

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[Oushi]

Oushi lost his focus in the witty interaction between himself and Natsume, then of all people Kangen cracked a joke. It was true, it wasn't that Natsume wasn't pretty but she was definitely a hand full to deal with. Oushi couldn't wrap his head around the sort of man it would take to settle down with Natsume, he would definitely have to be brave as well as a little stupid.

"That is true Natsume, you do have a interesting way of interacting with guys. Kinda like you might be, well you know, into... not... males."

Turning his face away from the slap he assumed would be coming Oushi started walking next to kangen trying to pretend like he wasn't ready for the strike if it came.

"Sake's on me!"

Oushi exclaimed trying to immediately settle any possible tension between himself and Natsume if it existed currently. Especially if changing the subject would earn him one less skin reddening face slap, Oushi was all for losing a few bits of coin.

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[kangen]

Heading into a semi busy restaurant Kangen sits at an open table and quietly waits for service. while waiting he reflex on his training earlier in the day. Water droplets fall onto thin metal discs all except a few that were and of clay one after another the water strikes the metal in a chaotic rhythm masking the clay. In the center of the discs Kangen sat blind folded concentrating to locate the few clay disc by sound alone. Counting the each separate disc he began to envision his surroundings then one by one remove each metal disc from his minds eye till only the clay disc remained. Locating all 30 clay disc out of the 300 he begins to play his shinobue. With a few short notes each clay disc shatters.

"excuse me sir? what would you like"

Breaking away from his thoughts he looks to the waitress

"I will have steamed dumplings please. and a couple bottles of warm sake"

After ordering he looks to his comerades.

"So shall we discus are mission"

[Ðr. Tran]

She just rolled her eyes at his comment. It wasn't unusual for Oushi to act in such a way. Natsume just shrugged and followed, as they got to the little dive and Kangen began to speak.

"Mission?"

She asked, wondering.

[Oushi]

Oushi sat with his mouth watering at the prospect of food, barely able to speak as his stomach started to growl. Looking across the table with a raised eyebrow he peered towards Natsume as though he was looking at someone he didn't recognize.

"Ya Natsume, the mission tomorrow to investigate an infestation of bandits?"

He said with an inquisitive tone as he hungrly started to pour sugar packets into his mouth hungrly. Then gulping down large portions of tea as he made a buzzing motion with his hands then tweaked his eye for a moment as the sugar rush took its hold.

"you know. you know Natsume. the mission, the mission, ya know the mission. the bandits. the bandits we are supposed to catch, if they exist, i think they exist, but some people don't think they exist. man im hungry, you guys hunngry, i am angry, i mean hungry, i want food. i need to smoke i am way to hyper right now, man this sugar is good. you want some sugar?"