[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

The day seemed to drag on like a never ending story a village elder would tell. It seemed to have no end in sight as the countless faceless forms flowed past. The wind blew through the open gate past the small building to the left inside of the of Konoha. Seated at the small counter a stack of papers to her left was Namikaze Hibana. The wind rushed past rustling the papers wiping the long blonde hair of the young woman all about. She sighed adjusting the kunai she used as a paper weight to keep the notes and files from being blown about. She looked up as a merchant walked up to the counter placing a paper before her. Almost like an automated machine he hand rose placing a stamp of entry in the top right corner. "Welcome to Konohagakure, please enjoy your visit and have a great stay." Her voice was monotone after the unusual amount of visitors today. Hibana brushed her hair behind her ear looking out the gate. She hated working on beautiful days like this and would rather be running through the trees outside the village. She caught the gaze of a young shinobi as he walked by, his gaze stuck long enough he almost ran into a pole making his friends and Hibana laugh. If only he knew that he would never be able to have her, she belonged to the world around her. Hibana was beautiful by most standards, she was shorted than she probably could have been for her age. Her long blonde hair reaching down to her lower back accented with pink highlights. As a little girl her father had dyed her hair pink once and she decided it would be her look ever since. She had long muscular legs honed by years of sprinting and fitness, her calves were her favorite feature. Her eyes, well left eye, was a slightly darker pink than her hair while her right she kept under a sash. Another merchant stepped up to her offering their papers for entry. Thud, the stamp slammed a little harder than she had intended. As he left she stood walking around to the front of her post lifting her arms stretching out her back. Her slightly toned abs flexed in the sun as she bend backwards hearing a few slight cracks. She wore simple clothes meant more for flexibility and speed, a black sleeveless crop top covered loosely with a grey cropped sleeveless hoodie. Tight almost spandex shorts cutting off a few inches above her knees showing off her legs. Her leaf headband she wore around her waist as a belt, the few scuffs and scratches she thought gave it a "battle worn" look. To tie it all together she wore a variation of running shoes she kept maintained and in amazing condition. "I'd rather be out there kicking bandit ass than sitting here doing nothing." She mumbled quietly to herself stepping closer to the gate.

Raika --

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

373 words Hibana

Raika herself is about to head out for a bit of a run around the village, perhaps to try and get back to the even more muscular shape she'd had when she'd been in Kawa, as her life back in Konoha was far less savage and a lot more cozy. She felt like she could relax a little more while she's in Konoha, and while that helped a lot with her mental state after many traumatic years stuck in the cannibalistic and heavily predatious backwater village, it did nothing to help keep her muscles toned. She could probably tap into that more savage state of being if she really needed to, but nothing had brought her to that point since coming to Konohagakure.

As she's expecting to work up a sweat, she's wearing her own dark gray crop top and her black coveralls, though the coveralls are open all the way down to her waist, with the upper half of the clothing wrapped around her hips to keep it from flopping about. Her wrists and her ankles still had on the Hung Gar rings, more from habit rather than actual planned usage. Her straight black hair is pulled back in a ponytail, although one lock of her hair is hanging down the right side of her face, with amaranthine eyes looking this way and that at the merchants and civilian visitors coming and going. Her own Konoha headband is wrapped loosely around her neck, hanging down a bit as her slightly tanned skin shows off the muscular tone of her body. That's when she catches sight of the blonde gate guard, and instantly seems to notice how attractive she is.

"Well hey there, hot stuff. Don't you know you're too good-looking to be working the gate? You'll distract the other gate guards..."

In reality, it was Raika who was distracted, but she's somewhat used to reacting to movement from her peripheral vision, side-stepping through the crowd quite easily. Judging by the way her eyes still slide up and down Hibana's body, she still finds the other woman quite distracting for herself as well, although the one covered eye is certainly odd, especially since the one eye she can see is really quite beautiful.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

The sudden voice behind her made Hibana jump in her skin. She turned expecting to see some young man looking to flirt with her. Another of the countless males who deemed themselves worth her time. She was pleasantly surprised as her eye met the form of a goddess. She was tall, at least half a foot taller than Hibana. He muscled body was toned and tanned from what looked like natural sun light not some lotion. The figure before her was imposing physically and it made Hibana flutter. With a hand on her hip, a sly smirk on her lips and her left eyebrow raised she stepped towards the mountain of muscle before her. "You see I have felt the same but alas here I am stamping paperwork and greeting merchants. I do not blame the Hokage for wanting the visitors to the village seeing a beauty such as I waiting for them." Her tone was teasing and overacted as if in a stage play. She brushed her hair over her right ear feeling it hanging loosely. As if on instinct she bit her lower lip, she could only keep up her boldness for so long. Her eye wondered back wondering what this beautiful woman was heading off to do. The outfit made her assume a simple workout maybe a jog or run. Hibana wanted to run, she looked over to the desk another chain to hold her in place. Without a word she sauntered over to the taller woman circling her playfully. "It looks like you are headed out for a workout. Would you mind any company?" Deep inside Hibana felt a need to hear a yes, she did not know if it was from the boredom or the sudden appearance of this perfectly chiseled woman before her.

Raika -- 299

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

308 words Hibana

Raika seems to know what Hibana is thinking, the way she raises an eyebrow at the blonde-and-pink haired woman and places her hands on her own hips, arms akimbo while she explains that she had similar "fears" about the gate guard work, although she makes the point that it was maybe her beauty that was drawing more people to Konoha. Raika had to admit that if she didn't live in Konoha, she'd certainly make a point of coming and going only when she can be sure the other woman is around. And now, she might just do that, if she can't convince the other woman to go out on a date soon. She can tell that this other woman is also quite athletic by her body shape and the fact that her abdominal muscles are at least visible. It was certainly a bit exciting, and she wonders for a moment if she has that effect on others while she's wearing her own cropped tank top.

"Mmmmmm, well, I can't say no to getting sweaty with you. Maybe we can work up a sweat somewhere else sometime, hopefully somewhere a lot less public than here."

Despite the teasing and the implied invitation, the Genin looks back over at the guard station too, feeling a bit worried about potentially getting the other ninja in trouble. Although the fact that the other woman is circling around her also makes her want to flex her muscles just a bit more, perhaps in a bid to keep her interested.

"Although, is it really okay for you to leave your post unattended like this? I guess you could make up an excuse that you needed to check around the village walls, since I was originally planning on doing laps around the outside of Konoha, but... Ah, I should probably introduce myself anyways. I'm Raika."

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

With the not so subtle innuendo made by the chiseled mountain of a woman Hibana knew instantly she was attracted to her. She tried her hardest to keep her cheeks from turning the same shade of pink as her hair. She could see the other woman flex, she did not need her tennogan to notice the moving muscles. In all honesty her uncovered eye had been glued from the start to the others body. She continued to circle reaching a hand out wanting to drag her fingertips over the granite flesh. She decided to be playful instead. "Somewhere more private hmm?" She stopped in front of the amazon glancing back at the guard shack and the curtain separating the deck from the storage area. "If only I knew of a place not so far from here with a sectioned off back area, well damn." Hibana laughed spinning around on her heels quickly. "It is nice to meet you Raika, my name is Hibana." She paused for a moment, she knew a Raika from the academy and wondered if it was her. "It is a slow day and I think they could cover me if I went for a jog. I do like your idea of scouting around the walls." Her fingers made a motion when she said scouting. She might not have been a thick woman but Hibana knew what she had. She began to jog in place her hoodie bouncing as she began to jog backward. She bit her lower lip wondering if this counted as an impromtu date before laughing it off. "Hope you can keep up beautiful, I'm known to be to fast for most." She left the last word ambiguous, as if most could mean shinobi, villager or even lovers.

Raika -- 294

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

382 words Hibana

Raika can't help but to feel a smirk grow on her face as she's ogled a bit, and Hibana drops some more hints about where they could go that's even more private, making her own cheeks flush a little, although she could always blame the heat of her coveralls for making her face so flushed. Despite the fact that her coveralls were half off of her body, leaving most of her upper body exposed. She didn't feel that she needed a real excuse, anyways, judging by the sight of the Chuunin's own cheeks burning a nice shade of pink as well. So they were both getting a bit hot and perhaps a bit bothered...

"Oh!"

Raika doesn't really mean to sound so very surprised, but she almost instantly recognized the name. She'd lost quite a few childhood races against Hibana in the Academy, but the name was pretty common... No, she definitely recognizes the blonde hair above the pink dye, she'd had long hair when she had been in the Academy, too, although her hair had been shorter back then, and it was lustrous and long now. Perfect for grabbing onto perhaps.

The Genin had to shake the thought from her head instantly. They'd only just met back up again, so this was no time to get "sentimental", as it were. She wonders for a moment what Hibana might have planned during this jog around the walls, and she feels like they might run for a while, but then get side-tracked. For some reason, the thought of Tokaku came unbidden to her mind, but she put those thoughts aside for now, as she's really only looking for a jog with an old friend, which is definitely an innocent thing that one does.

"Well, you've already got a head-start on the rank aspect. I wonder if that is gonna translate to better speeds in a race..."

Raika was aware that mostly Chuunin and up were typically hired to guard the gates, so she felt it was most likely that the other woman was just a Chuunin. In any case, she readies herself as well, leaning down far with her hands on the pavement and her legs in a deep lunge as she prepares to launch herself forwards at the very start.

"Ready... Steady..."

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

"Rank means nothing to me when it comes to speed. I am Namikaze Hibana and I will become the fastest shinobi male or female in the world." Hibana stopped jogging in place standing there hands on her hips. She watched Raika get down to a runners stance, Hibana almost did too before her gaze fell down the others shirt. Her chest heaved as she fought for breath watching the two mountains hang suspended in the air inches above the ground. She heard Raika say "Ready, Steady" before she mumbled. "Go..." The breasts and muscles were gone now. "Shit!" She turned having not stretched or anything. From a straight up standing position she raced off after the slab of moving muscle. Her legs pumped, calves, thighs, sinew and muscle flexed. Hibana had been runing for her whole life, it took almost no time at all before she came near the other woman choosing to lag behind. The view back here was to good to pass up, Raika's back flexed with each pump of her arms, the muscles in her legs drove Hibana crazy. "You better hurry, I'm catching up!" Her voice was playful like a parent chasing a child to slow for them.

Raika -- 202

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

316 words Hibana

Raika leaps forwards in their race, pumping her fists and her legs rapidly as she passes through the gate and turns left immediately. With the Hung Gar rings on her ankles and wrists, she's able to swing all four limbs with a great deal of intensity as she puffs air in through her nose and then explosively out of her mouth. She only gets a few dozen meters before she hears Hibana behind her, and she smirks a little to herself, although she returns to her strict breathing exercise to keep her pumping quickly.

So much for being the fastest shinobi, male or female...

It's only then that Raika realizes that Hibana is actually gaining on her, and rapidly. The Genin decides then to try a different tactic, and instead of the strict form of breathing, she sucks in air through her nostrils and her open mouth to really draw in as much air into her lungs as she can with each breath in, exhaling explosively as her gait extends, practically leaping with each step as she jumps directly forwards. Even so, her attempts to improve her speed don't seem to matter much in her attempts to outpace Hibana.

Okay, I stand corrected...

Although the gate guard seems to be taunting her, Raika is breathing far too rapidly and too heavily to verbally respond, focused so intensely as she is on maintaining proper running form. She'd outrun a sprinting crocodile before, and even been chased through the swamplands by roving bandits and cannibals until she'd reached the relative safety of the town of Kawa, but now she was being outsped by this blonde bolt. Then again, in this case, she wasn't actually running for survival or to save her own life, so perhaps this was the only reason she wasn't able to outrun her old friend. At least, that's likely what she could tell herself later.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

For the first time in many weeks Hibana was having fun. The position of Gate Guard she knew was important but it was so boring. As she chased the other woman her blood pumped through her veins like a deer in heat. She almost did not WANT to catch up to the much taller, more muscular woman before her. Almost, until she decided she needed to prove she was the fasted shinobi, at least to the degree she was able to. Even if this was all fun and games could she allow someone else to say they had beaten her in a race? No Hibana needed to prove something to Raika, or maybe she wanted to show off. She was not as imposing as the other woman but she was more physically fit than she seemed. Hibana began to take this a little seriously, she could tell the woman she was starting to out pace was no fool. Their form was that of one who lived by muscle and physical prowess. Even if the build of her body was genetic making her this big Hibana knew it was a body toned through years of training. Her thoughts lingered on that body making her pace slow for a moment. With a slight chuckle not even hiding the red on her cheeks she picked up her speed again. Steady breath with a coordination between her legs and arms only a trained sprinter could dream of guided her to beside Raika as she ran. In a moment a sly thought crossed Hibana's mind, a cute trick that could work depending on how the morality of Raika's competitiveness took. Hibana outpaced her old friend getting a few strides before her. In one quick motion she spun around running backwards on her heels. Her knew form made her slower but she still kept up with Raika. Her eyes wandered up and down the woman who now, glistening in sweat, muscles flexing as she ran. She could not take her eye of her, her uncovered orb tracked to the bounce of Raika's chest. She bit her lower lip ready to spring her trap but not yet. Not to soon or it could look foolish. "You're pretty fast, I'm actually trying right now!" Her voice sounded condescending but her smile and the look in her eye told another story.

Raika -- 392

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

326 words Hibana

Raika is more than a little shamed when she's passed by Hibana, and then passed completely, and even more ashamed by the other woman's speed when she's actually able to run backwards and still keep up with her, just out of reach of the Hyuuga's long, rapid gait. Despite how hard she runs, she just can't seem to overtake the blonde again in their race, but she figures that perhaps she could tire out her new friend. With this new strategy in mind, she keeps her long gait extended, allowing her to use her energy far more efficiently by only needing to pump her legs and arms in short bursts that would have hopefully allowed her to keep her speed going for far less energy. Even so, she can also feel herself starting to tire; while her large body is quite strong, and able to slam her forwards with the force of her musculature, her body also requires more energy to get so much weight pushing forwards.

Then she seems to notice that Hibana isn't looking at her face, but her eye is peering just a bit lower, and Raika momentarily wonders if the other woman is curious about her clothing or the headband loosely tied around her neck. But no, it's then that the Genin realizes what exactly Hibana is being distracted by, and her cheeks flush a bright red before she notices something on the ground a few meters away from them, and they're approaching it rapidly.

"Look where you're going!"

With the speed they've reached, she's not sure Hibana can turn herself around in time, so all Raika can do is prepare herself for it. The raised tree root would have likely caused the Chuunin to fall backwards, and although Raika was initially focused heavily on the race, she'd have done her best to catch Hibana in her arms instead of allowing her to fall on her back, should Hibana trip.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

The rush of it all brought Hibana's adrenaline to an alarmingly high rate. The wind blowing through her hair whipping the long yellow stands across her face. In fleeting glimpses she saw Raika as the image of the other woman flowed through the strands like a memory. Her heels dug into the earth with each step backwards propelling her momentum. Soon she would "trip" and hurt herself, hopefully Raika would stop and attend to her. She almost laughed out loud thinking her plan brilliant. She had no idea of the root coming up behind her, the side effect of some animal rooting around or a child playing around. Her right heel caught the root straight on with her achilles tendon. Her right eye shot open in surprise darting around for what had tripped her. It all seemed to be in slow motion as she fell, the trees blowing in the wind, the grass shifting beneath them. Her right arms reached for Raika hoping to sure herself with the sheer size of the woman. She could feel the muscle in her ankle roll and pull but not tear thankfully. She had been to lost in thought to have heard Raika's warning. Another downside to her ditsy nature and now it had cost her, probably a month ankle wrapped staying at her desk. Damn she had thought she was impressing the other woman, proving how skillful she was. Instead now all she could think of as she fell to the earth was how foolish she looked. She smiled as she fell, more dramatic than anything, as if she was falling from a cliff smiling to the last person to show her care. The silly thought did bring a giggle to her lips. "Good bye cruel world!" Her tone that of a bad actress in a drama.

Raika -- 304

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

484 words Hibana

Raika's heart drops when she sees Hibana's ankle catch on the root, and she's pretty certain that the other woman isn't going to be able to catch herself in the fall, especially since she's falling backwards. The Genin definitely can't risk having her smack the back of her head on the ground, so she does the only thing she can think to do in order to protect her old friend from the Academy; she dives forwards, turning her most recent step from a leap upwards to a direct leap forwards. With all the strength in her leg pushing her forwards in a powerful lunging leap, she manages to catch Hibana with her arms, with one arm under her head and one under her hips to keep her from landing totally flat.

Of course, in such a fall, Raika isn't going to be able to protect herself from landing on the ground, but she just takes the fall, glad to make sure that at least Hibana isn't hurt more seriously.

"Ungh! Ya dummy..."

Although Raika insults her, the name-calling is said without any real malice. She's really more disappointed that the higher ranking ninja had tried to show off and ended up hurt because of it. Getting her legs up underneath herself, the Genin manages to sit up off the ground, groaning a bit from the pain of catching another person and falling flat to the ground. Just to be on the safe side, she also activates her Byakugan, looking all over Hibana's body for more serious injuries. Of course, she could take another peek- but no, she sees an actual injury, on the ankle that had managed to catch the upturned root. At least the ligament wasn't completely torn, because Raika had essentially no skill to actually heal such an injury.

The best Raika could do was ease the pain, at least, and put some of what she learned from Shikajin to good use. Raika sighs, but then picks up a stick and hands it to Hibana.

"Now look at this. Hurt yourself and now you'd have ended up stuck at a desk... Bite onto this so you don't scream. It's probably gonna hurt, even when it's done right."

Raika places her hands around Hibana's ankle, using her Byakugan and her chakra to both see and feel out all the different bones and ligaments of her ankle before she sends her chakra to the tendon, easing the muscle tissue and the connective tissue into healing and pulling itself together through her chakra. It wasn't entirely the same as most normal healing techniques, but it was an application of some of that medical training she'd gotten from Shikajin, so it would be physically connected the way it should be. Hibana would still probably have a limp for a couple of days, but it was far better than being stuck in a cast for two weeks.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

As she fell Hibana realized her ankle was actually hurt leaving her unable to catch herself. The joking look she had had a moment ago vanished at the idea of her skull slamming into the ground or at worst a rock splitting her open. She almost closed her eyes not wanting to see the rushing ground heading for her. She was glad she did not, she watched as Raika dove throwing her body between Hibana's and the ground. The more muscular woman cradled her head and waist to keep her from jostling as they slammed into the ground. Hibana looked down into the violet eyes of the woman who had risked her safety for hers. Her cheeks flushed as she brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. Raika sure was something else that was for certain. Hibana straddled the hips of the woman below her before rolling off. She could feel her ankle start to swell as she turned away when the other woman chastised her. "I'm sorry I was just trying to have some fun." She reached down feeling the tissue and muscles tender from the impact with the root. Again she had hindered herself and for what? A chance to impress an old friend? What did she hope to accomplish with her little stunt, to woo Raika? Her cheeks turned red from frustration instead of embarrassment how did she even know if Raika liked women?! She nodded taking the stick from the other woman placing it into her mouth biting down. She could feel the ligaments and muscles in her foot healing and it was not a comfortable feeling. Her teeth suck into the bark splintering the wood beneath it before spiting the small branch out of her mouth. "Ughhhh... Damn that stings like a uggghhhh!" She reached down rubbing the now tender muscles in her calf running down to her tendons. Her hand rubbed moving down before her fingers brushed against Raika's making her pull them back. Her left eye looking over to see if the other had noticed. "Thank you I'm glad you were here." She smiled softly still embarrassed at what had just transpired.

Raika -- 362

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hyūga Raika]

376 words Hibana

Raika definitely notices. It's not like there's a lot that the Byakugan doesn't catch, but she also feels the warmth of Hibana's fingers as they touch and then retreat from her own. She feels her own cheeks flush a bit; although this excitement and the physical exertion of the sprinting had caused Raika to heat up a bit, that momentary touching of their hands was certainly keeping her from cooling down too much. She also feels a bit bad now for the pain that the impromptu healing had caused her friend from the Academy days, so she gives her a somewhat sheepish look. While the healing was certainly amateur, it had at least been just enough to keep Hibana from needing a visit to the hospital. The damage to her ankle had been somewhat minimal to begin with, anyway.

"Sorry for the pain. You'll probably want some aspirin to deal with the pain for the next few days, just as long as you don't walk around too much, I don't think you'll be hurting for very long."

Raika feels certain that she feels her heart stop beating for a moment when Hibana gives her a soft smile, and if there was any doubt that Raika had a huge crush on the pink-and-blonde haired woman before, that doubt was instantly gone.

"I'm really glad I was here, too... Say, staying off your foot is probably going to be hard for you, and since it's kind of my fault, maybe I should look after you for a couple of days. And it'd be more comfortable for you if I stayed at your house than if I dragged you over to my place, right...?"

The Hyuuga has deactivated her Byakugan now, and is looking directly into Hibana's eye with her own purple eyes. She wonders for a moment what she had seen under that strange band that covered her right eye. In the excitement of the moment while she had been healing the blonde, it hadn't occurred to her to look, but now it would seem a bit odd to try and take a peek with her Byakugan after she'd already turned it off. She'd probably find out eventually, anyways.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Hibana]

The Pink Blur

Hibana's face flushed at the idea of Raika staying with her. She was injured and it would be nice to have some help with the small things around her place. Raika's purple orbs seemed to gaze into her soul already knowing the answer she would give. With a slight flirtatious smile she raised her hand for Raika to help her to her feet. Her mind raced at the other possibilities that her and the beautiful Hyuuga might be able to do. She shook her head trying to drive the thoughts from her mind before laughing nervously. "Youknowwhatthatsoundslikeagoodidea!" She realized how fast she was speaking and took a deep breath. "I mean I would greatly appreciate the help until i'm back on my own two feet. I hope you don't mind a slight mess haha i haven't had the muse to clean." She was not wrong, she small single bedroom place looked like a teenagers room. With her arm wrapped around Raika's waist, her shoulders were just a little high, Hibana rested her head on the bigger woman's side. It had been a while since she had company and was actually excited to get to spend some time with her old friend catching up on their lives. It was a small moment of peace, when Hibana was not trying to work, move or think fast. She would not take this moment for granted.

Raika -- 232

LAIKA OF THQ