"We're learning from him?", Toji just stood with his hands in his pockets as he watched the group argue with their leader, instead looking around at the numerous weaponry on the walls.
Aside from the fans like he saw earlier, they also had katanas, staves and even a few bows and quivers filled with arrows, but that's about it.
'No spears, no javelin and no rope darts that they could use in an ambush, especially with the terrain of Kyoshi Island.'
"Yeah, I know it's bad, but Oyaji wants us to train from him. Apparently, he's some bigshot from the mainland and he's a non-bender. Also, he took us all apart without even trying to kill us. You girls really want to pass up on the chance to learn from him?"
"If you do, just say so and I'll leave," Toji finally spoke up, smiling as they all looked at him before the girls save for the leader sighed.
"Fine, but if he tries anything…"
"Like what?"
"You know, the things you boys do."
"Oh, you mean flirt with you? Don't worry, you're not my type," Toji answered with a shrug, ignoring the girls glaring at him for his words while taking a katana from the rack.
"Uh, be careful with that. It's very hard to get those."
"I can understand your worries. It's very rare that one finds a katana in this world of ours."
"You know what it is?", the leader asked in surprise, to which Toji just hummed as he spun it, delivering a swift slash before narrowing his eyes when he felt how easily it did so.
'Must be of Earth Kingdom make. Fire Nation swords always have that rough yet sharp edge to them.'
"I do, but it's rare to see one used by anyone other than those explicitly trained in them. Also, it's even rarer to see one without a sheath."
"A sheath?"
"Yeah, its scabbard. You…you do have their scabbards, right?", Toji asked, blinking as the girls just all looked at each other.
"Wait, then how do you all practise iaido?"
"We do not know what that fighting style is. Is it perhaps one we should use with the katana?"
"Oh, you girls are far worse than I was expecting."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Don't worry about it. You have a blacksmith, right? Or a leather worker or someone good with their hands?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You all need scabbards if you're going to learn some of the things I can do with a katana."
"Like what?", the leader asked and Toji smirked as Wormy crawled down his body, the girl watching in disgusted fascination as the worm slowly but surely ate until only the hilt of the blade was peeking out.
The boy didn't say anything as he knelt on the floor, digging his toes into the ground as he took a deep breath and grasped the hilt of the katana. The next moment, the mats under him cracked as he flew to his feet, unsheathing the katana in one rapid movement and cutting through the air in the blink of an eye.
As he finished his swing, he smirked as he felt nostalgia flowing through his form, holding the blade loosely before turning to the shocked girls.
"See? That's iaido, the art of unsheathing the blade, cutting through your opponent and then flicking the blood off before they could even process what is happening."
"And we need the scabbards to do that?"
"Well, you could use it without the scabbards, but it's what you need to pass off the peaceful look. You simply stand quietly and once you get within range of an unsuspecting person, you just unsheathe, cut, flick the blood off and sheathe once again before anyone can stop you."
"So, we need the scabbards is what you're saying?"
"Yes, we need the scabbards. Also, what are your names so I don't have to think of you as Kyoshi Warrior 1 through 7 and then the leader?", Toji asked with a smirk, hearing some of the girls giggle while the leader rolled her eyes.
"I'm Suki. From left to right, it's Aika, Fume, Jie, Mira, Rie, Zoa and Ruri."
"Got it. Well, then, I'm going to need to see how skilled you all are in the weapons so pick up what you're good at and come at me one by one."
"You sure you don't want one as well? You might get hurt," Suki spoke and Toji scoffed as Wormy spat out a hilt before he unsheathed his jian with a smirk.
"Didn't I say? Wormy's an infinite storage space so I got whatever I need inside of him."
"…While that is disgusting, that is also very useful," Suki murmured with a disturbed look on her face as she was the last to walk over to the rack, picking up a katana, her fans and was also the only one to take a staff.
"Okay, Aika, you're up first."
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"You going to stop trying to cut my head off?" Toji asked as he dodged to the side, catching the back of it before smacking the side of it and catching it by the hilt.
"Nope," Ruri spoke with a grin, to which Toji rolled his eyes before handing it back to her.
"Okay, then. Suki, you're the last one."
"Beat his ass for us, Suki!", Mira shouted from where she was seated, still tending to the bruise on her forehead from where he had punched her hard enough to send her rolling across the ground.
In his defence, she was aiming her arrows at his groin constantly so he had to at least give some retaliation.
Turning his gaze back to Suki as she twirled her staff, Toji narrowed his eyes as he shifted into a stance, Suki doing the same before she shot forward at his nod.
The teen ducked to the side before shifting backward as she swung at him, smirking as he reached forward and grabbed onto one end. Spinning to pull her closer, he narrowed his eyes as Suki let go, immediately twirling the staff before smacking at her head.
The girl ducked under it even as she took out her war fans, smacking his hand with one while swinging at his neck with the other. The teen just grinned as he leaned back from her attack, swinging the staff at her legs.
Knocking one of them out from under her, he swung down only for Suki to block it, gritting her teeth as she smacked first into the ground before kicking at him.
Narrowing his eyes whilst moving back, Toji caught her ankle just as she missed him, using her own momentum to flip her onto her front and pinned her by the back.
"Dead," he spoke with a smirk as he held his staff against the back of her head, chuckling as the girl glared at him from before he helped her up.
"You enjoyed that way too much."
"Getting to show people how I'm superior to them? Of course," he said with a smirk while tossing the staff towards her before turning to the rest of the group.
They were no longer annoyed by him, looking to be less sceptical and dismissive as the teenager cracked his neck.
"Okay, he's good. Annoying, but good."
"Hey, I'll take the compliment and I've already got a new training way for you all."
"Which is?", Jie asked, playing with a strand of her brown hair as Toji shrugged.
"I'm going to break down your forms completely."
"You mean like retrain us from scratch?"
"No one's got time for that. No, I'm going to fight you all again, one by one, and this time, I'm going to counter every move you threw at me. You're going to learn how to fight against an enemy who's studied your fighting style from top to bottom. You're going to learn what your weaknesses are as well as your strength and we're going to make sure that you either learn how to fix them or learn how to use them to your advantage."
"That…sounds awful," Rie murmured, tying her black hair back into a bun as the other girls groaned at Toji's words.
"Good, that means you're listening and look at it this way. When we're done, you'll be warriors and not just performers in war paint that knows a few ways of how to fight."
"And when we're done, you'll stop calling us that."
"Nah, I enjoy annoying you all too much."
"Huh, you know, you're different from the usual guys we talk to."
"You talk to guys?", Toji asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking as they all glared at him.
"Just saying. You're not exactly the kind of girls that look like you enjoy the company of a guy."
"We don't enjoy the company of guys that like to look and not listen."
"Huh, then you don't know me as well as you think you do. Anyway, starting tomorrow, you all will be picking different weapons from your usual. If you only used the fans, pick up a staff or a katana. If you only fought at close range, pick up the bow and vice versa. That last one goes to you, Mira."
"Hey, you said to use whatever we can," The tan-skinned girl said with an unapologetic shrug, to which Toji rolled his eyes as the girls giggled.
"I did. Now, I want you all to be uncomfortable and confused with your new choices because we're going to start getting rid of all the lazy muscle memory you have. I'm going to teach you how to think in a fight. Rotate through every weapon you have available until you're familiar with them all, especially the ones you hate."
"And what if we get better at a weapon we're not used to?", Aika asked, swiping Jie's hand that wanted to play with her black hair as Toji shrugged.
"Then you've expanded your options and you move on to the next one. Just like how Kyoshi was not just an earthbending master but a master of all the elements, you all are going to learn how to be a master with every weapon that is put in your hands."
"And are you a master at using every weapon?", Suki asked, crossing her arms as Toji paused for a moment before smirking.
"One could say that, yes. Now, pick up a weapon you're not used to and let's get the fight started."
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'Huh, look at me changing for the better,' Toji thought with a smirk as he sat on the rooftop of his new accommodations, having been given a house at the far edge of the village.
It was also the one where he had ate with Oyaji, but he didn't miss that it was also the furthest point away from the Kyoshi shrine.
'He still thinks I'm going to steal it, huh? Well, he would be right, but it won't be me,' Toji hummed as he looked up at the night sky, admiring the stars shimmering while stretching out his senses to feel no one nearby.
It's been a year since the Kyoshi Warriors have begun training under him and with a lot of pain and even more bruises, they have improved considerably.
Now, they were just as underhanded as he was, perhaps even more considering how many times they aimed at his groin and eyes to try and get an advantage.
He never actually thought that he'd be proud of something, but looking at the little menaces the girls were now, he couldn't help but feel proud at the monsters he created.
'Ah, little by little, the name Toji Fushiguro is spreading across the world.'
"Really? You like being on the roof or something?", He heard Suki's voice, looking down to see her standing on the ground with an amused smirk.
Rolling his eyes at her words, Toji pushed himself and slid down the side, standing up and dropping down into a crouch right beside her, grunting as he landed before standing up straight.
"There's a certain calmness that comes to one when you're sitting on the roof."
"Is that the truth or are you just pulling it out of your ass?"
"A little bit of both," Toji answered truthfully, but he was a bit taken aback when the girl giggled at his words while playing with her hair.
'Wait a damn second, girl comes late at night to a guy, she laughs at a stupid joke and she's looking at me while playing with her hair…Oh, dear spirits, no.'
"So, what brings you this late to me?"
'Don't jump to conclusions, Toji. It could be something else,' Toji thought to himself as he put his hands in his pockets, looking at the girl before giving a mental groan as she blushed slight.
Yep, he knew that look.
"Well, I finished my patrol for the night…"
'No…'
"And since you're just looking at the stars…"
'No no. Don't say it.'
"I thought you might want to go for a walk on the beach."
'…Say no.'
"Sure."
'Stupid!', Toji thought to himself watching as her eyes lit up before letting out a sigh as she grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the beach just behind his house.
This wasn't going to end well.
"So, do anything fun lately?"
"…I roundhouse-kicked Rie into a tree yesterday," Toji said with a shrug, Suki letting out a laugh at his words.
"Yeah, she was grumbling about that all day. Said something about you bruising her 'beautiful shoulder blades'."
"Well, I did tell her to stop trying to shove smoke bombs into my pants. They were only effective for the one time."
"Well, she says she's going to try and dip her fans in glue before slapping you with them."
"Uh-huh and I'll just take them away and smack them onto her 'beautiful shoulder blades'," Toji answered with a smirk, watching as Suki giggled again while nudging his arm.
"You know, you're honestly kind of fun when you're not being arrogant and insufferable during training."
"I'm always fun. You girls are just too stubborn to admit it."
"Maybe…or maybe, I've just gotten used to your brand of arrogance and insufferable," Suki spoke in a teasing tone, to which Toji rolled his eyes before the two stood on the shore, staring out into the waters.
"…You know, a year ago, I thought you were the most obnoxious, smug and disrespectful teenage boy I'd ever met."
"I'm not?"
"No, you still are…and that's what makes this weird."
"This?", Toji asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched Suki bite her lip before nodding.
"Yeah, this. Me being here, you saying yes, even us just walking on the beach without it being about training. It's like…you're not easy to read and I want to know why."
"I kind of am if you know what to look for."
"Oh, really? And what would I see if I do?"
"A guy trying really hard not to run away from this conversation," He answered dryly, smiling at her laughter that was a lot softer and more amused this time.
"Sorry for making it weird, you know? I just thought that we could talk without training or sparring being needed."
"I'm not exactly the best talker, if that's what you're looking for."
"Don't worry, I'm willing to carry the conversation. Have…have you ever thought of staying?"
'And there it is,' Toji thought, hiding his surprise as he saw the girl looking at him.
"You mean here?"
"Yeah, on Kyoshi Island. With the village, the girls…me."
"You?"
"Me," Suki nodded, taking a step close and standing chest to chest with him as Toji sighed.
"I'm not exactly a guy who stays in one place for long."
"But do you want to?", she asked, making him look at her to see her looking back up with a look in her eyes that he's seen in the eyes of many women.
Longing and love.
'Yeah, I stayed too long.'
"Honestly, I don't know."
"Well, that's better than a no."
"Don't make me regret going on the walk."
"Don't make me regret inviting you, you smug bastard."
"…You're serious about this? About me staying for you?", he asked and watched as the girl stood on her toes before laying a soft kiss on his kiss. He could feel her breathing as she slowly pulled back, Suki smiling as she nodded.
"I don't waste my time on things I'm not serious about."
"…Can I have a few hours to decide? This is a big decision for a guy that's been a nomad most of his life."
"Don't worry, I don't mind waiting. Just don't make me wait too long," Suki spoke with a smile as she turned and walked away, Toji watching her walk to the village before he turned his gaze to see Wormy slowly crawling across the ground.
"You got it?", He asked, watching as the spirit gagged before spitting out a pair of golden fans that had the insignia of all four nations on it. On top of that, the personal sigil in the form of Kyoshi's face were on both fans' handle, with each fan being nearly twice the size of the warriors' ones and overflowing with spiritual energy.
"…Eat them up. It's time for us to leave."
A/N:…What? You thought there was romance here? Nah, this is Toji Fushiguro, Mr. Heartbreaker.
Don't worry, there is a pairing…but it ain't happening now.
Also, sorry for the late upload. I was wondering whether I should end the Kyoshi arc here or later, but I decided now would be a good start.
Next chapter: Volcano Diving.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…
Ba-Bye~!