BUTTERFLY : SHINOBU KOCHO (PART ONE)

Part 1: Chapter 9; Training, Surprise Guest

"FASTER, BRAT!"

"YOUR STRIKES ARE WEAK, PUT SOME POWER BEHIND THEM!"

"YOU'RE WAY TOO PREDICTABLE, YOU USELESS FUCK!"

Sakusa blocked Shinobu's lackluster straight punch and countered with a full-force kick to her left side, sending her barreling across the rocks in the clearing, cutting up her uniform as she tumbled across the ground with muffled yelps and groans.

She collapsed onto her front, and tried to raise herself back to her feet by her hands, but she slipped and fell right back down with a thud, wincing when her chin smacked the ground.

The crimson-tipped boy stomped his way over to the younger girl and lifted her back to her feet by her arm, grabbing her by the jaw and forcing her to stare right into his cold, unwavering ruby red eye that was burning with anger.

"This is the third day, and you're showing zero signs of actually being strong enough for this! I'm not having you lag behind me and end up getting us both slaughtered!"

Sakusa was right. It had been three days since Sephir showed up and destroyed the inn, and Shinobu was still not getting better at any of her attributes.

Her speed was still top-notch, being capable of outspeeding Sakusa by a fair margin, but everything else, from her technique, striking delivery and decision-making, to her reaction time, striking speed and overall strength, were all below par by a country mile.

Sure, it was all well and good being able to dodge the occasional bone-breaker from the crimson-tipped powerhouse that was her mission partner, but the second she got within his range to land a blow back at him, it was all over.

She would rush in at blinding speed and throw a roundhouse kick to Sakusa's face, only for her leg to be caught with one hand and she would get thrown into the ground like a piece of meat in a gorilla's hand.

If she tried to use her fists, her slim arms and comparatively short reach meant Sakusa was easily able to grab her wrists and counter with a jab to her ribs, stomach, face and back, bruising her for the next day and making her body crumble into a ball the second his so-called 'training' was over.

Sakusa's training was so utterly simple, it enraged Shinobu that she wasn't able to complete it a single time in three straight days of attempting.

It was unarmed sparring, nothing more, nothing less. If Shinobu could land ten hits on Sakusa, she would be considered strong enough by him, and they would fight these two 'Archangels' together.

However, if Shinobu could not, Sakusa would fight them both on his own, something the raven-haired girl disagreed to the second she was told of his decision.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter?"

Shinobu found herself sitting next to Sakusa under a tree on the edge of the clearing, watching the sunlight fade away in the sky as they ate dinner together, the evening of Sephir's message, three days ago. Because the inn was destroyed, the crimson-haired teen suggested that they sleep outdoors, right on the outskirts of Shimabara so patrolling was easy and the forest could provide cover for the other while they slept. Oddly enough, neither Shinobu nor Sakusa had seen anything more than maybe five or six stray demons here and there over the course of their stay in Shimabara bay, excluding the Seraphim and Sephir. They had figured that a large, populated city such as this would be overrun by nightfall, but no, the people were constantly running amok past the hours of dusk, completely minding their own business.

After enough time, this concern within the two Hashira's mind had dwindled, which meant that Shinobu had many, many, many more things to lose her sleep over, one of which being Sakusa Kari, the boy she hated with a violent passion.