Terra's movements were faster, more precise, more elegant.
Their fighting styles were very different if one looked at them sparring there in the training ground. Naruto was direct for all that he was very adaptive and prone to switching moves and varying things out. Terra's moves were more circular, more fluid, and when she shifted from defense to attack and back it was almost a dance.
Naruto was stronger and heavier. Terra was slender and quick and precise.
Hinata knew all this because she'd been watching from the bushes for the past fifteen minutes.
A bell rang and the two disengaged, stepped back, and bowed - meeting each other's eyes.
Naruto toweled sweat off as he went and grabbed a wooden katana, or bokuto, off the ground. Next to him, Terra did the same with a wooden version of a more Western-style blade.
Hinata's eyes widened as she saw that there was a third blade sitting there.
As Hinata watched, they ran some black material along the edges and tip of their sword before going back to ready positions.
Terra held her hand up and glanced over at some bushes. "Hinata? How long have you been there?"
"Eep!"
Slowly Hinata made her way out, looking in all directions but at the young boy.
"Oy, just a sec," said Naruto, stripping his shirt off in an easy motion and tossing it to the side. "Okay."
"Ack!" said Hinata, eyes wide.
"Hinata!" said Terra in a scolding voice.
"G-g-gomen," managed Hinata, clutching her nose as if she expected a nosebleed.
"Naruto, why did you take your shirt off?" asked Terra.
"Cause that tar gets really hard to get out of the clothes," complained Naruto.
Terra considered Naruto for a few minutes, then got a grin on her face that caused Naruto to take a step back.
Actually, this had just caused a memory to surface where she and Celes had done this to Locke at one point. She still couldn't remember much of her life, it was mostly dim and faded, but she remembered THIS. "Hinata!"
"Eep, y-yes?" asked Hinata, made nervous by the note of command in Terra's voice.
"It sounds like Naruto needs help shopping for clothes," said Terra. "I think we should do something about this as Naruto's friends, don't you?"
"I- I- I'm a f-friend?" asked Hinata, her gaze snapping over to Naruto.
Naruto just KNEW something was going on. Something dangerous and dark and probably hurty. He couldn't see what though. "Uhm. Yeah."
"Hinata's a friend of yours, and I'm your friend, right Naruto?" asked Terra.
"I guess," said Naruto, glancing at Hinata. Whose face had turned red and was staring and shaking. "Sure."
Naruto... considers me a friend?! echoed in Hinata's head as a smile blossomed.
"So Hinata? Shall we cut short today's practice to shop for new clothes?" asked Terra.
"H-hai," managed Hinata, nodding.
"But..." argued Naruto.
"You want to be Hokage someday, gotta look the part," said Terra.
"H-hai," agreed Hinata, considering what Naruto would look like in this or that. Oh, and maybe if he wore something that would bring out his eyes!
"I don't really have a lot of money...." tried Naruto, the feeling of doomy doom doom increasing.
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(Posted Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:46)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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