Thirty Lashes [Tsubine/Kohaku]

Kohaku had lost track of time. He was always extremely focused when getting the chance to train with Tsubine, but something was wrong… off. The fact was, they had been training for much, much longer than they normally did. Kohaku didn’t even notice. He was covered in sweat, his legs were weakened, and the grip on his wooden sword was proving loose and difficult to re-tighten. He’d do it though. Kohaku would not give up on a single training session, not in this place.

Using his energy to tighten his hands and soften the pain in his legs, Kohaku was back on his feet and ready to continue fighting. A deep breath and he was back in stance. “Yes, sir!” Kohaku ran forward to close the distance, swinging the wooden blade downward at an angle that would cut a real blade across his chest. And immediately after, he twisted and swung the blade horizontally toward Tsubine’s side. Each attack was accompanied by yells, the sounds of a dedicated student.

‘DAMN IT.’ Kohaku cursed himself a hundred times for messing up again. ‘This is why I shouldn’t try anything fancy.’ The strike to the underside of his chin was painful. He stumbled back and lost control of the reiryoku he had been using to keep himself moving. He dropped to the ground and was out of breath. If he kept this up, he wasn’t sure how long he would last, but… oh fucking well.

Kohaku was once again back on his feet, reiryoku surging through his body, giving him just enough strength to keep fighting. With another yell and the determination to finally land a strike on Tsubine, he run forward. This time, he swung his sword from a downward angle and up toward Tsubine’s waist, as if to bisect the man at an angle with a real blade. Luckily, this one wasn’t real, though, chances of hitting were very low for someone like Kohaku. Still, he tried and tried again.

He attempted another combination attack, so after that upward swing, Kohaku immediately brought the blade back down, aiming at Tsubine’s shoulder. Again, he kept going, yelling with each attempt. A slide of his foot off to Tsubine’s right, he continued yet another upward strike, all three attacks creating a large and awkward “Z” over their continuation. At this point, Kohaku was sweating, barely catching his breath, but he was r-ready… to mo-…ve… once… mo…re…

Kokahu’s vision suddenly blurred and he became dizzy. The young man stumbled forward until he lost his footing and landed in a soft thud on the dojo floor. “H-H-How long…” Kohaku asked through breaths. Sometimes, reminded Tsubine of the time was the only way for either of them to accept that they needed a break. Hopefully, it worked this time. Of course, it was never a guarantee…

‘We’re done for today.’

Kohaku’s limbs just gave out under him. He collapsed onto the dojo floor, breathing heavy for a few moments before a towel landed by his head. He grabbed it and wiped sweat from his brow, taking a moment to rest before finally sitting up.

‘Telegraphed, huh…’ Kohaku knew he was pretty obvious with a sword. His skill actually lied more with spears. He focused on that when he discovered how his shikai worked. Still, he wanted to be more like his boss and teacher: a weapons expert, so he kept trying new ones. “Understood. I’ll do better,” he promised… again.

"So, who was that chick the other day?" Kohaku suddenly asked as he pushed himself back to his feet, legs shaky the entire time. He grabbed one of two bottles of water that they had brought with them and downed a large amount of his own. "You know, the one that went with you to Lady Shirazumi's grave." Kohaku was never allowed in there, so whoever this woman was irritated him. A bit of envy...

Ah, so the woman was an old friend. Funny, she was never mentioned before. Kohaku didn’t trust her… Of course, he didn’t trust anyone that suddenly appeared near the boss and his bra-… kid. His kid. Kohaku raised an eyebrow at Tsubine's question, though, and then snort-laughed at the thought.

“Oh yeah, definitely. She’s pretty damn plain, but she's definitely got a nice fuckin' ass,” Kohaku said with definite disrespect toward Kaminari. However, it was intentional. Kohaku was curious how much he'd defend the girl. The fact that Kaminari was allowed in with them pissed him off... So, how close were they?

‘Yeah, but didn’t Kanna have the tits?’ Kohaku thought, but did not have the courage to ask. He kept that one to himself. “What? So, that chick was strong or something?” Kohaku asked, blinking at the implications of Kaminari and Kanna’s estrogen-ramped child. The mental image was something he definitely wanted to shake… or loved. He wasn’t sure, but large tits and ass were always a good time.

“WHAT?!” Kohaku retorted just a tad too instantly. “No, what th-…. Okay, you know what… I’ve been here for years, and not once have I been able to go in and pay my respects with you and the gremlin, but the moment this random bimbo,” Kohaku held his hands in front of his chest, squeezing the air to signify breasts, “…shows up, she gets an immediate invitation, so maybe I was a little pissed.”

"I mean..." Kohaku rubbed the back of his neck. "I get it now... She was a friend even before I was around, but she's been gone. Just kinda sucks... I guess..."