" NIGHTHAWK " genji shimada.

ix. mission

THE TRAINING ROOM SMELLED like sweat, and Kailani scrunched her nose as she silently reminded herself to order the boys to shower as soon as their training session was over. She stood with her back against the wall, one leg bent upwards so that her foot was pressed onto the wall. She watched on in amusement as Genji dashed effortlessly around a breathless Lucas. The ninja seemed to be having almost too much fun as the recruit struggled to keep up with him.

Genji had barely broken a sweat, his cybernetic enhancements causing his stamina to be much higher than a normal human, though Lucas looked as though he was about to pass out. His pale skin glistened with sweat beneath the fluorescent lights, and Kailani felt almost bad for him. It was an unfair fight, after all; Lena was the only one who could keep up with Genji, and that was only because of her chronal accelerator.

"Alright, stop!" Kailani called out to the two men. Lucas shot her a grateful look, immediately leaning over and resting his hands on his knees. His shoulders heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. Genji slowed to a stop beside him, his broad shoulders tense as he looked down at the recruit with a roll of his eyes. For the first time, Kailani noticed a thin layer of sweat collecting on his tan skin; she watched as a bead of perspiration trailed down from his forehead and collected along his metal faceplate. A few strands of his dark hair were plastered down beneath his helmet, sticking out from beneath it. His eyes met Kailani's lingering gaze for a moment, his eyebrows raising as though questioning her dazed look.

Kailani shook her head, tearing her eyes away from him and focusing on the training session once more. "Alright, let's start again," she commanded the pair, rolling her eyes at the dramatic groan that slipped from Lucas's lips as he squatted on the ground. "And Genji-" she glanced towards the ninja once more, not surprised to find him still watching her intently. "-slow down a bit, will ya? Not all of us are blessed with your super agility."

Genji rolled his eyes, though nodded without arguing. She knew that he enjoyed showing Lucas up and beating him, especially when it was in front of her. She never questioned it, however; she was well aware that it was just the way men are- it was their primal instinct to show off in front of a person they were attracted to. Besides, it provided her with some entertainment during their otherwise repetitive training sessions.

Kailani watched on as Genji and Lucas resumed their sparring session. She was surprised that Genji had respected her wishes and was moving considerably slower than he was before. Now, Lucas at least had a chance of landing a blow on him. Still, Genji didn't allow that to happen. Lucas was rather slow and clumsy, so the ninja was easily able to sidestep the punches that were thrown his way.

It wasn't long before Genji was able to get behind the recruit. Kailani watched on as he knocked Lucas's legs out from beneath him, causing him to fall to the ground with a loud gasp. Genji held him down with a metallic foot on his chest. Lucas let out a groan of frustration, throwing his arms in the air dramatically.

"Okay, we get it! The ninja beat me again!" He grumbled as Genji took his foot off of his chest. Kailani was surprised as he reached out a hand to help Lucas to his feet. "Are we done now?"

Kailani looked down at the watch on her wrist, surprised to find that it was already nearly lunchtime. "Yes," she announced with a nod, causing Lucas to cheer happily. Immediately, the recruit began collecting his belongings, using a rag to wipe away the sweat that collected on his brow. "Lucas, I expect you to be able to beat Genji by the end of the week! Analyze his fight pattern, figure out how he moves. It isn't too difficult- he's very predictable."

She snickered as Genji shot her a challenging glare, remembering her own sparring sessions with him when she first joined Blackwatch. It only took her a few times getting her ass beat before she was able to beat him.