The meaning of Jinchuriki as taijutsu.
A collab written by Sketcher and Alice.
Part I
Summary :
Tatsuya has been summoned to meet up with Kiyomi. She has prepared both a serious conversation as a taijutsu training.
Looking around, there were a few dummies set up in the dim lighted dojo. Kiyomi placed her hands on her hip as she looked at the set up. She was quite content with what she had managed to set up in a hour or so. The curtains were closed to create a more grim lighting in the dojo, though it wasn't that important for the training. But Kiyomi felt like it would make it somewhat look more serious. Flexing the fingers of her right hand, she turned around to face the door of the dojo. With the curtians closed, it was hard to figure out how late it was, but she was expecting somebody to arrive at any moment. She hadn't just set all this up for her own pleasure, though as she thought about it. She could form some fun training for herself. A smirk crept on her lips as she thought about it. Yes, later she should perhaps practice some of her taijutsu and other forms of close ranged combat fields like this.
Tatsuya had woken up only minutes earlier, having only enough time to get ready for his training that morning. Having slipped his usual clothes on, along with his weapons, he rushed downstairs, announcing his departure with an excited and decisive tone. As he sprinted out of the door, he made his way out of the house, running towards his target, muttering something repeatedly under his breath. Before long, he swung the door open, ruining the grim atmosphere Kiyomi had tried so hard to create with the sunlight seeping in from around his sillhouette. "Good morning~!" he saluted her, grinning.
''You owe me fifty push ups. Twenty laps and seven answers.'' Kiyomi summed up. She had been waiting for him and stood in the middle of the dojo. Wearing bandages wrapped around her forearms and hands, she frowned at Tatsuya. ''It is very impolite to let somebody wait, Tatsuya.'' Kiyomi told him, trying to sound as stern as possible. Dressed in a more fitting garb for training, she pointed at the ground. ''Come on, we are wasting day light. Fifty push ups.'' Waiting for him, she wouldn't just let him do it alone. Once he would start, she would join in as well.
He nodded, the cheerful smile still on his face. As his head moved, he didn't waste anytime, quickly ruffling his hair, getting some out of his eyes. ...should probably cut it... "Sorry," he said after finishing messing up his hair in a more organized manner. Organized according to him, of course; to the untrained eye, it would simply be the same as before. When she spoke again, he made a curt gesture to the light beeming in from the door, grinning and snickering briefly, laughing to his own silent joke. "So... uh..." He got down to his hands and feet. "50?"
''No. You have earned yourself twenty more.'' Kiyomi smiled as she would drop low and start already. In a slow pace, she would start to perform the push ups. ''And make every single one count.'' Mumbling, she glanced to see if he was already starting or not. ''So, how are you feeling?'' Kiyomi asked, as she continued to perform the push ups.
"But.... I didn't do anything!" was what the boy wanted to say and the words were well written all over his face as he gave Kiyomi a surprised and horrified glance but he knew better than that. Gulping, the boy lowered his body and pushed it up. After a couple of push ups, he heard her question, taking a few moments before answering. "Quite well," he answered, breathing a few times once more. "And yourself?"
Kiyomi tried to keep her breathing regular and then after another push up, she replied back to Tatsuya. ''Could have been,'' She did another push up. ''Better. But nothing to complain,'' And another. ''About.'' She did her best to both keep an eye on him as trying to perform the push ups. Though she wasn't sure yet if it was the case, she was glad that he looked a bit different. More alive than she had told him the news that he was now part of Team 2. But if he had managed to get over the first few days of what he had become would be something she had to figure out today.
Tatsuya did his best to keep his pace from dropping. Keep it up... The number's going down... he thought to himself in order to motivate himself. He glanced over at Kiyomi for a moment. The silence, although helping him breathe properly, annoyed him a bit. "Er... I was wondering; when'll I..." A quick breath and push. "Meet my senior members?"
The question made Kiyomi freeze for a second or two. She thought about an answer, but she wasn't sure what she should tell him back. The obvious one was to tell him that he would meet them once the Exams were over. But Leo had resigned from his service as a shinobi and that meant he had only to meet Hayate. Though she had it rather differently, wanting to be sure that he wouldn't be a danger to anybody. But would it be fair to tell him that? That he was a danger at the moment? [b]''Once the exam in Amegakure is over.'' She told him, going further with the push ups.
"Hehe..." He grinned widely, looking forward to meeting his teammates. After pushing through the last push up, his body hit the floor, his arms aching, though at this point, he was waiting and anticipating some sort of a surprise. Although it was unlikely, it was more of a reflex. "Uh... Can we take a short break?" he asked, breathing heavily and quickly.
Rising up, Kiyomi rolled with her left arm. Even while she considered herself quite fit, seventy push ups in one row wasn't easy just for anybody. Glancing at Tatsuya, she noticed he could use a break. ''I will be nice today then. Ten minutes.'' She told him. Brushing off the sweat from her brow, she glanced at the dummies. She was considering either to check upon the set up that she had readied in the dojo or something else she had in mind. Turning her face back to glance at Tatsuya, she had made a decision.
''You owe me still twenty laps and five answers.'' She told him, dropping herself on her rear. Waiting a few seconds, she smiled and tilted her head a bit to the left. ''But seeing I will be nice today, let's make it fair and say that you owe me eight honest answers. Yes?'' Kiyomi asked, waiting for him to answer her back.
He rolled over to face upwards, lifting his hand upwards and keeping two fingers out. "Two minutes will be enough. More than that will hurt more than help," he said, still regulating his breathing. "It was originally seven answers but... If I may ask, what kind of questions?" The part about the questions being honest was what he'd gotten stuck on. "It's not like I have secrets or anything..."
''Oh?'' Kiyomi thought about how to explain what she would ask and of course why. ''I am going to ask you questions to see what needs to be done. I can cover it up and we both can pretend that isn't true. That you and I aren't anything different from the rest.'' Kiyomi paused as her tone became softer. ''But we are very different. You.'' She pointed at him. ''And me.'' Pointing back at herself, she smiled and shook her head. ''In theory then of course. Considering the fact that you're not as long as me a jinchuriki, I would dare say that I can't call you 'different'.'' She paused again, wondering if he could make sense of her words. The first time she had managed to unfold the knowledge she hold now had frightened her. It had kept her awake for two whole nights.
''So my first question is, how do you see yourself now? Do you believe my words that we are different or do you see yourself as a normal human?'' Kiyomi asked, a strange glint starting to show in her eyes as she was clearly curious for his answer.
"I think you answered the question for me," he said, sitting up. "I don't really know much about this since, well, I haven't been a jinchuriki for long, right? I'm not sure if I'm 'different' from anyone, and even if I was, I'm still human, am I not?" An innocent smile curled up on his lips as he flailed his arms a bit. "Y'know; 'I think, therefore I am.'" he quoted.
She started to giggle, which turned into a laughter. ''I suppose you are. I suppose so.'' She said, nodding as her laughter slowly died away. Realizing that she hadn't explained why she had asked the question nor why she had started to laugh, Kiyomi thought on how to explain it. To both teach him while not hurt or frighten him. ''We jinchuriki's hold the Tailed Beasts inside of us. That is what many think what makes a jinchuriki. But the reality is very different.'' She started to talk again on a soft, yet somewhat more stern tone.
''It is being said that the chakra from the Tailed Beasts is the most powerful known chakra source. The raw power of the Tailed beast is proof that there is no humanoid chakra that can even stand up against what their charka can do. For that reason, we jinchuriki are being seen as weapons. Tools of destruction, yet in a humanoid package. Charming, ain't it?'' Her last words were clearly a mockery as she shook her head again. ''But that is just a small portion. The reason why I asked you the question isn't to learn if you see or don't see yourself as a weapon. But because what many, if not all, don't know is that what is sealed inside of us. Changes us. Even at this moment, your body is slowly being destroyed and rebuilded by Bijuu chakra. That is why I asked you. Are you human or different?''
He gave her an annoyed look. "I don't know," he answered briefly, summarizing what he'd said earlier. "'I am' means I exist, not that I am human. Though I don't feel like I've lost my humanity, I can't say much about this since I don't know much about the whole thing. I'd rather not run my mouth to give an uneducated answer." His cheerful tone from earlier had disappeared, replaced with a calm yet unsettled one, if not laced with traces of vexation.
Noticing the annoyed look and hearing what he said to her, Kiyomi considered what she should tell him so that he would have a clear idea. Or at least that he was allowed to 'run his mouth'. ''I think you can say what you want. After all, I might be more experienced with this whole Jinchuriki deal than you. But I am not some wise sage, Tatsuya. I have learned a great deal about Bijuu, but that was cause I ran my mouth.'' She thought about the first few conversations she had with Matatabi. Kiyomi shrugged. ''Or perhaps, I kind of just shook my fist and tried to demand answers. What I am trying to tell you now is that if you disagree, if you think it is different, then you're free to do so. Even if we are both being called jinchuriki, we are not the same.'' Rubbing her temple, Kiyomi hadn't thought it would be so hard to explain what she wanted to tell him. This wasn't some theory or knowledge about lightning release chakra. Nothing that was really known and could be found in books.
''Lets' put it like this.'' Kiyomi thought one second about her question. It wasn't a good one in her opinion, but it could perhaps make him think in the way she wanted him to think about the situation. ''Is your father the same as your grandfather?'' After the words had left her lips, she realized how silly it would sound. But she was quite serious with her question.
He raised an eyebrow, simply staring at her. "Uh... If you mean if they were both human, yes; if you're asking if my father's his own father, no..." He got to his feet. "I think it's been two minutes," he pointed out, stretching his arms back. "And I'm raring to go." He hadn't liked the conversation they were having so far, seeing how she was suggesting... He shuddered at the thought. "Twenty laps, right?"
''Sit. Down.'' The words were spoken with a rather threatening cold tone as Kiyomi frowned at him. ''I said I would be nice today, so I will try to be nice. But in exchange for that, I need you to listen. To try to learn what I am trying to pass on to you.'' Though she was a bit happy that he was ready and all set to start training as she was, she didn't want to postpone this part. ''I know it isn't a lovely talk and I am trying to not make it scary or anything like that. But I need you to pay attention. I shall be very blunt and honest, but do remember. It is my job and goal to make sure it won't happen.'' Pausing, she looked worried as she didn't want to say the words. But how else could she warn him how serious it would be if he wouldn't learn or face through the knowledge of what he was or was going to be? ''It is not very strange that when a jinchuriki is being seen as unstable that they will have their beast be removed. I told you before that Bijuu chakra from the beasts sealed within us, changes us. The truth is, once our bodies are adapting to the changes that the Bijuu chakra makes, is that we can't function without it. Removing a tailed beast from a jinchuriki is a death sentence.'' Feeling a bit bad as she had the feeling she was merely threatening him, Kiyomi raised herself up. ''Now, would you mind to just try to listen and answer my questions? I promise you, I will try to pass on what I know and have learned. To make sure that you won't be sentenced to that.''
After a few moments of hesitation, Tatsuya let himself fall to his previous position, listening to Kiyomi, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. He hoped his silence would be enough of a response to what he hoped would count as the next question. He didn't really feel like speaking unless answering would require speaking.
Kiyomi pitied him for a moment. He looked so fragile, as if her words would shatter and break him. Sighing, she brushed a few strands of hair away as she sat on her knees in front of him. Smiling, she realized she couldn't flash a happy one. It was a sad smile as she started to speak up. ''I am sorry, but it isn't as half bad as everybody thinks it is. I have been a jinchuriki for quite some time now. Almost three full years.'' She placed her hands on her legs as she lowered her head a bit. ''It is silly. I was kind of the same, you know? I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to recognize it nor wished to.. have him in me.'' Kiyomi shook her head again, like she wanted to push away the memories. Back to the darkest corners of her mind. ''But the truth is that when I started to recognize and acknowledge the Nibi. I also started to wonder how it would be to have a friend. Somebody who would be the same. Somebody that would help me out, trying to help me understand what it means to be a jinchuriki.'' Pointing to him, she tried to smile again. ''I never had one, but... if you want.'' Spreading her fingers, she offered him a hand. ''I would like to offer you the guidance that I wished for. Somebody that would help me to not be scared any longer of what everybody sees as a weapon. As evil.''
He watched her, waiting for a few moments before taking the hand. "I don't really understand any of this so... If I have to have a guide, I'd love nothing more than for the person to help me be you," he said, grinning once more. The grin faded, though didn't disappear. "Five left, right?" he said, hoping to lighten up the mood. She seemed to be more upset and worried about it than him.
''I am glad to hear that.'' Pulling her hand back, Kiyomi smiled as she nodded. ''Five questions left, yes.'' She thought about what she could tell him now. But as she thought about it, she didn't know that much about the Kyuubi. Only that Matatabi wasn't on friendly terms with the Fox. But it wasn't that surprising as it was a canine. ''Do you think that you now can try to understand other Jinchurikis better?'' Kiyomi asked, a question that once had troubled her.
He waited for a moment, thinking about the question. "Well... I mean, of course," he said, not knowing what else someone could say as an answer to a question like that. "Though I never really thought of jinchuriki as jinchuriki. As in, I never defined people who had tailed beasts in them as jinchuriki."
She blinked several times before she erupted in laughter. Holding her hands at her stomach, her cheeks flustered with a reddish tint as she laughed out loud. ''Sorry. Sorry.'' She muttered, trying to calm down after a few moments. Bringing her left pinky to her eye, wiping away a tear. ''Sorry, but it is just that most people always have such a big answer on that they are human beings and what not. It is kind of... funny. How else did you call them then?''
Tatsuya frowned and pouted. "Why're you laughing? It's not that funny!" he said. After she mumbled an apology and asked her next question, he crossed his arms. "Well, when I referred to a jinchuriki, I'd say jinchuriki but that doesn't mean I regard them as "jinchuriki" instead of "person"."
Biting on her lower lip, Kiyomi simply nodded twice. ''I know, I know. But it is so funny in my perspective. People most of the time either regard jinchuriki as victims or as some feral things. It is funny to me.. I can't explain it well, sorry.'' Kiyomi managed to calm down as she knew it was a serious subject. Though that didn't mean she couldn't laugh about a part of it, did it? ''Okay, let's leave the questions for what they are now.'' Kiyomi wasn't sure, but perhaps he would learn in time what she meant with that others; most people anyways, looked differently at jinchurikis. Either perhaps they weren't bad or perhaps the opposite. Kiyomi could only count a few who hadn't changed their behavior towards her when she had became a jinchuriki or when they learned she was one. ''Think that we already passed some minutes, haven't we?''