Practice Makes Perfect {Katsumi&Kamaitachi}

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi stood out at the edge of a sizable clearing, her keen eyes staring at all of the targets she put up. There were logs of various heights standing up, and small cups sitting on top of them. There were about fifteen up, and Katsumi had just made it back from setting it all up.

She had already done her vigorous workout, wisps of hair out of place and dark locks wet and plastered against her smooth flesh. Her men's black kimono and charcoal hakama were a bit damp too, and Katsumi was ready to move on to working on her archery. Sure, she was a skilled archer, but one could always improve, and she frequently tried to practice in order to better herself.

The logs were rather far, the nearest few three hundred feet away, and the furthest reaching about five hundred. Katsumi removed her new bow from her back and pulled back the string. She had just purchased the weapon, as her other had been practically falling apart, and the woman masquerading as a man was eager to try her new baby out.

Removing an arrow from her quiver, the woman took aim, inhaling slowly, and released on the exhale. A perfect mark at the three hundred cup, and Katsumi gave a small, satisfied nod. Removing another arrow, she continued to shoot in silence, hitting practically every mark perfectly, or just about.

[Deleted]

Archery.
A worthy art deserving of praise. And one of the hardest skills a samurai had to learn. Despite having no interest himself in the art, prefering the art of the blade, he could appreciate the disapline and skill required in its mastery.

Which was why he currently found himself sitting lazily in a tree, half hidden within the shadows of its branches just on the outer edge of the clearing. Naturally he was safely BEHIND the man below as he practised his craft, though judging by the frequencies of which his arrows struck its mark, one just might be able to feel comfortable standing before him instead.

A thought which began to turn the gears within the monsters brain, which was in one of its rare moments of sobriety. Having not had any rice wine or sake since morning.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi proceeded to fire at all of the target, and lowered her bow once she was done. With a content sigh, the archer moved forward and began gathering up her arrows. With each one, she set up the targets again, carefully putting them back into place. Two of the arrows splintered from the impact, and she tossed those aside, as they were useless. Katsumi had plenty of ammo, having made much of her own a week back. A couple of broken ones wasn't a big deal.

As the woman masquerading as a man walked, her long, dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail swished from side-to-side, ticking the back of her exposed neck. The sleeves of her black kimono covered her slender arms, and her hakama and covered feet helped keep the woman warm.

Eventually she gathered everything and turned around, beginning to head towards her previous spot. But something was spotted with her keen eyes, and Katsumi's brows furrowed. Eyes narrowing, the archer caught sight of a man perched on a branch, and the woman halted. She tensed and quickly drew an arrow. The woman did not draw her bow, but she was prepared to do so in a moment's notice.

"What are you doing?" she called out suspiciously. Kat didn't really care who this man was, but she wanted to know why he was there, watching her.

Just how long had he been there? She shuddered, suddenly feeling unnerved by this peculiar man.

[Deleted]

The monster wore his self satisfaction at having remained unnoticed for so long naked on his face as he watched the man below grow tense and peer into the foliage where he was perched. Impressive, his rich green and gold clothing was effective camoflauge, yet the archer was able to pick him out.

Or perhaps it was a lucky guess?

Kamaitachi wiped the smirk off his face as the man called him out. For a jest he played as if he was unaware that the Archer was refering to him, instead looked about himself confused before pointing a finger to his chin as if asking 'You mean me?'

But soon after that, the smirk would return.

"Watching you."
He answered nonchalantly, his green eyes dancing with mischief. His head would then tilt a fraction before he added
"Do you have any other foolish question needing answering? I really don't have anything better to do today."
Which was true to be honest. Reaching up to the branch above, Kamaitachi plucked a plum, wiped it off the front of his tunic and took a bite.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

That... was creepy, to say the least. And her expression made that absolutely crystal clear. Her nose wrinkled a little, brows furrowing, and she took a hesitant step back. This guy... he made her incredibly uncomfortable, and she glanced about nervously, hand clutching at her shoulder.

He didn't know her actual sex, did he? Katsumi gulped, and shook her head a little. Frowning, the woman looked back up at him and inquired, if not a bit sternly, not really buying his reason if only because she was such a busy body herself, "Why? How long... have you even been up there?"

She didn't do anything particularly feminine earlier, did she? Sweat began to accumulate the back of her neck.

[Deleted]

So nervous, so twitchy!
He reminded the monster of a child who had been caught taking sweets that were not thiers. Perhaps he WAS a child, he certainly had a youthful face. The monster felt like a cat who had just caught a mouse in his paws. There was no harm in having alittle fun at the young mans expense was there? He WAS bored after all.

"What does it matter?"
He answered the man with a shrug, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before taking another bite of his plum.
"Besides, you're acting kinda timid for a samurai neh? If you REALLY want me to answer your questions, then you should DEMAND! Like this!"

The man languidly slid down the tree like a jaguar before gently dropping to the ground.
He would then approach the man and stop roughly 15 feet away before suddenly taking on a stern visage.
"YOU!"
He would declare, folding his arms infront of his chest imperiously
"STATE YOUR BUSINESS AT ONCE, ELSE YOU MEET MY BLADE CRETIN!"

[Shinomori Katsumi]

What an odd person. Katsumi had absolutely not the slightest clue how to take this man. She was so serious and he... well... how would she even describe it? Katsumi simply stood in place, looking at the man suspiciously.

"It matters to me," she murmured, eyes narrowing a bit.

If this man knew of her gender, he might tell others. She simply couldn't let that happen! She would kill this stranger if he tried.

But as for now, the woman remained silent, standing in place, watching him carefully. When the male slid down the tree and drew near her, speaking to her, Katsumi lifted her bow. She didn't put an arrow in place, but she was ready to fire at any moment. She took steps back as he drew closer, always careful and being a fighter of range.

While typically the archer kept her opinion to herself, a single brow arched upwards and she blurted, trailing off slowly, unable to help herself, "You... are quite odd."

She released a sigh, and tilted her head to the side, pretty much ignoring his words because she figured he had at least a few screws loose. It seemed almost dangerous asking, considering he might ramble on and on, but Katsumi was somewhat curious, so she spoke up, "Who are you?"

[Deleted]

Upon hearing the young Archers declaration, Kamaitachi looked as if he was about to take offense at being called odd.
For a moment he frowned, eyes narrowing dangerously, letting the sudden tension between them hand thick. When it looked as if he was about to draw the Sickles at his hips, the mans features softened and he let out a genuinly amused laugh, waving his index finger back and forth at the man before him.

"You're honesty is refreshing, but consider yourself lucky I'm in a good mood. I've challenged men for less a slight against my name."

His mannerism would make it difficult to figure out if what he said was a joke or not.
Kamaitachi began to walk past the Archer, arms raised to clasp comfortably behind his head.
"My name is one that sends even the bravest of men to their knees shaking like children, so forgive me if I spare you the embaressment of abasing yourself before me."
He said casually as he continued to walk towards the targets the young man had erected, inspecting them with idle curiosity.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

The archer simply remained silent, trying to figure out this peculiar character. She had never come across anyone like him and found the man to be odd at best. As he stepped closer, the merc kept her distance, eyes always searching for a sudden movement. Even with having met Haji and a couple of others, the teen was still rather distrustful, especially with how unstable this fellow seemed.

"Uhh...." How was Katsumi supposed to react to the man's statement about his name. She highly doubted what he said about the matter, but kept that to herself, instead quirking her brows and murmuring, still a bit curious, "okay then. I'm sure, uh... I'll be fine though."