Blood of a Lost Girl (Book 1, Naruto)

Chapter 25

I frowned at Zuko's grin. He was excited for this fight. Why? I didn't want to fight someone I considered a friend, so why did he? Did he even consider me a friend? "If you're ready, begin!" Hayate jumped away at the same time as I jumped forward. I knew making the first move wasn't very smart, but that was what Zuko taught me. I needed to catch him unawares. I acted like I was going to kick him from beneath, but when he jumped back I sprang up and went for the direct attack. Something he didn't teach me. What Zuko taught me was that you never made a direct approach when fighting because it was easy to dodge or counter it. So I did something else: feigned an attack and then took the direct approach. I attempted to hit him, but Zuko blocked while stumbling back. He no longer wore his grin, but instead a shocked expression. When he blocked, I swung my foot up and pressed it against his stomach, pushing him away with the force of an elephant. He shot backwards, but his feet hit the ground and he skidded backward, stopping. He stood up straight, a smirk plastered to his face. "You've gotten better." He said.

"She knows him!?" I heard Naruto yell, but ignored him.

I stared at him with little to no emotion on my face. "I had time to train in lots of different styles of Taijutsu." I watched him closely.

Zuko gave an appreciating chuckle. "Good. It'll make the fight a little more challenging."

I stepped forward. "No more talking, Zuko. Now we fight." I had no bad feelings toward him, but I'd rather not talk while I was supposed to fight.

"Alright then. Get ready." He disappeared from my sight and I instinctively turned around. I held up my hands, ready to block anything with my arms. His foot crunched against my forearms, sending me backwards. I wasn't as graceful as him so I went tumbling backwards. I laid there for a minute, thinking. I had no idea what kind of Jutsu he had and it'd make my life a whole lot easier if I did know. "Get up, Miyuki!" I heard Tsubaki and Naruto yell.

I sighed at them and pushed myself onto my elbows, lying on my stomach. "Give me a break guys." I watched Zuko, almost eagerly. I was curious. "You're welcome to attack me, Zuko. I may look defenceless, but I promise that's not the case."

I heard several people murmur, "What is she doing? How can she defend against him if she's lying on the floor like that?"

I chuckled and my grin widened at Zuko's confused face. "C'mon, I don't have all day." I encouraged him. He shrugged and I knew he was going to use his speed again when he vanished from my sight. I teleported just a few feet away from where I had been lying seconds before as Zuko appeared at the spot I had just been. He looked at me, astonished, and I smirked back at him. A spike of pain hit my shoulder again as the mark burned. I cursed Orochimaru under my breath. I took in a deep breath and let my hands hang by my sides. I breathed out and acted like I was forming a hand sign, but really I was just focusing my chakra. I kept my eyes solely on Zuko and then he ran at me. He was using his speed again, but this time I could see it. My eyes were getting used to his speed. It wasn't as fast as Yoruichi's so it gave me no trouble. I hesitantly touched the earmuffs. Could I do this? I took them off and every noise made inside the arena rushed to my ears. I winced, covering my ears, but then I realised I could hear Zuko's footsteps clearly. I focused on listening to his footsteps and filtered out the rest of the sounds. I listened to the rhythm as he ran and watched him come closer. I noticed his left foot didn't hit the floor as hard as his right foot. He must have an injury there, hence him trying to keep his weight off of it. At least he knew enough not to show his pain. Just as he got to me, I stepped sideways and kicked at his left foot. Zuko hissed, tripping over his feet and, because he didn't stop his speed, rolled on the ground. He hit the wall with a 'thump' and lay there for a second. I hurriedly put the earmuffs on again, keeping my eyes on him. He slowly stood up, shaking his head. He turned to me and I cocked my head. He had blood running down the side of his face, but I wasn't worried. If it was serious he would've been disoriented. I stared at him, waiting for him to run at that quick speed of his again. I've noticed a pattern in his fighting. At first he used his speed once and then again twice every time, but now he was relying on his speed alone. However, now that I can see him he can't rely on that any more. I took in the arena around me, getting familiar with my surroundings. I took steady breaths, to keep myself as calm as I could with the pain in my shoulder. I made sure not to show my pain, because he could use it against me. I didn't want to hurt him, but I had to win here today. No matter what. I narrowed my eyes at Zuko as he slowly moved away from the wall and toward me. I slowly walked forward to meet him, curious to know what his intentions were. When he stood right in front of me, he attempted to punch me, but I appeared behind him and kicked. He stumbled forward, but turned and straightened himself. I rushed in with a punch to his face before he realised what was happening, quickly following with an elbow in his chest. I swung my hand up and hit him under his chin with my palm. His feet were lifted from the ground a bit and he crashed down on the floor. Naruto was cheering loudly for me. As Zuko stood up, I rushed at him again, but this time he saw me coming and flipped me over his shoulder. When I landed on my back, my breath left me in a whoosh. I glanced to the side, having noticed the earmuffs had moved a bit. That had me worried. Zuko placing his foot on my neck, however, and pressing on it ever so slightly had me even more worried. "Give up while you can." I said nothing and he applied more pressure. I struggled to breathe, but still said nothing so he applied even more pressure. My eyes bulged and my hand instinctively went for his foot, but I stopped it before it got there. "Give up or I'll be forced to kill you."