Realization ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Hold still, Makoto!" The tomboy of the Rindoukan Dojo squirmed. Both with embarrassment and of pain. Urien was gone. Who knew how long he would be gone for, but Makoto hoped never to have to see that maniac again or have to hear him babble on with his messianic delusions. But with that battle came what followed. The patch-up session. Fortunately Ibuki was more than familiar with all the ninja healing arts that her Clan taught its followers. After crushing a few rare leaves and mixing them with some distinct liquids, she made a balm that could heal most bruises in less than a day. Unfortunately, Makoto needed this balm in areas that were slightly uncomfortable. Even though Ibuki was the only one between the two of them that knew just how to apply the balm. Makoto had to pull down her Gi from the shoulders and let Ibuki massage the balm into the areas at her ribs, her stomach and beneath her breasts. It was more than awkward, and while Makoto couldn't stop blushing, Ibuki couldn't stop giggling at how squirmy Makoto could be. Ibuki pulled her damp and back and smirked. "There. That should do it." "Hmph," Makoto pulled her Gi back up, swiftly, "...I don't know why I let you stay here. You're nothing but trouble, Ibuki." The ninja girl leaned back on the training floor. "Hey! It's not my fault that maniac came here! I wasn't even all that sure about who he was! But still... I bet you haven't had that much fun in a while, huh?" Makoto snorted. "Fun?! ...Well... I suppose it was kind of... exciting for a moment there." "Exactly," Ibuki put forth, "I always wanted to be... normal. But if there's one thing I like about being a ninja martial artist, it's the thrill I get from fighting strong opponents. There is nothing like it. And there are so many fighters out there to meet with." That had Makoto curious. "Really?" Ibuki nodded with honesty. "Of course. My village is a great place for a challenge. But the best challenges always come when you go out into the world to look for them. I remember that I was in a residential area one day, and I got into a fight with a certain someone. I can't remember his name, but he was a French guy with a bad attitude towards street fighters. And though he didn't like street fighting, he had some amazing techniques. The fact of the matter is, meeting people is the best way to experience the things that life has to offer. That's what my elders taught me. And I believe it." "...Yeah," Makoto looked around the Dojo. It was her home. Her place of training. But if she ever wanted to restore the reputation of it (and experience a more exciting life in the process) she had to get out there and make her mark on the world. "...I know what I have to do..." Ibuki blinked. "...Huh? What are you talking about?" "You said that once you finish your fight with me you're going back to Kyoto, right?" "Well yeah. But what's that got to do with anything?" The ninja girl nodded. Makoto looked off into the distance with a confident, restored smile. "I bet I could find all new challenges if I went with you." And Ibuki smiled back at her with some cheer. It looked like she wasn't going to be alone in her travels anymore. A new page was turning. But what would happen next? That, it seems, would be for the future to decide. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Woke up this morning The light came in just with the rain Thunder in the distance We counted how far away Watched the people Acted like we knew what they were up to They could never have as much fun As we do together Today was the best day I realized what I wanted to say Come what may, I'll be there for you For you Stayed up till sunrise No big surprise - it's a marathon I might be gone soon But please believe I hold you up to the highest degree ~ 'Jigsaw', Tsunami Bomb ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kaiser's Afterthoughts * Ah. My second Street Fighter fic outside of the EX Series. It came out just the way I hoped for it. I've been wanting to write a fiction about Makoto for the longest time, I'm glad I finally got it done. I think it came off a hell of a lot better than that Sakura/Karin thing I tried a year or so back. I don't know if I'll make a multi-chapter story out of what I have here, but I know that I'll be writing more about Makoto in the future. * I can't really tell if Urien was underpowered, overpowered, or just right in this story. He happens to be one of my favourite Street Fighter 3 characters so I hope I did him justice. * The Narumi/Elena was fairly conclusive, but I'd like to think that the Makoto/Ibuki pairing was more open ended. It saves room for additional work. * I think it should be obvious by now, but I took a few liberties with the canon. I've heard somewhere that Elena was a princess. I don't know if that's true or not, but I just ignored that factor for the time being. And I also heard that Elena studied in Japan for a while (which is how she met Narumi) but again I ignored this until I can be sure of it. After researching the EX series a month or so back, I can safely say that notions like these are more often fan-canon than they are official.
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