“But then, I saw what you were doing. You know I’m skilled...uh, from our first sparring session.”
“You are more than skilled when it comes to physical martial arts, Aimee.” He dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. “I’ve never seen some of the techniques or styles you use. You’re easily at an expert Ryosh level, though I have no idea where you learned it all.” He gave her a long, thoughtful look. “Maybe one day, you’ll tell me.”
“Telling you would require actual conversations.”
“Fair.” His eye twinkled, making her stomach flip.
“Anyway...” She cleared her throat, needing to disengage before she said something stupid. “I see you’ve been giving me opportunities to mentor, and I appreciate it.”
“Hey! You guys coming in or what?” Taiga’s voice cut through the moment, yelling from across the restaurant.
Kiba winced at the interruption, then waved at the boy before ushering her through the door. “You deserve it. And you’re good at it. Much more mature than I remember being at your age.”
“I doubt that, Kiba-Sensei.” She knew his reputation. He’d been operating as an elite Ryosh by the time he was twelve. You didn’t get to that level without maturity, and if you lacked it, it was forced down your throat pretty damn fast.
“Besides,” she added, unable to stop herself as he fell in step beside her, “who ever said I was actually sixteen? Seems like someone made an assumption somewhere along the way, and it was never corrected.”
Grinning, Aimee slipped in front of him, the sound of crashing plates and disgruntled customers echoing behind her. She turned just in time to see Kiba, off balance from her words, knocking into a few tables and issuing a string of embarrassed apologies as he tried to help pick up the mess.
“What do you think’s gotten into him?” Momoka asked, handing Aimee a spoon, as she watched their Squad Leader fumble.
“Nothing... yet,” Aimee said with a sly smile, shrugging at her squadmates’ confused expressions.
Chapter twenty-one
“Freakingfinally!”Taigashouted,grabbing Aimee from behind and lifting her clear off the ground in a bear hug. “We’re finally going on a real mission!”
Aimee didn’t miss a beat. Adjusting her weight, she hooked her heel around his calf, leaned forward, and twisted her hips sharply. Taiga yelped in surprise as she used his momentum against him to flip him over her shoulder, where he landed flat on his back, gasping from the impact.
“Nice one, Aimee,” Momoka said with a rueful smile, glancing at Taiga as he crawled awkwardly to his feet. “You’ll have to show it to me.”
“We’ll add it to the list of techniques to cover on our journey to Midoriko,” Kiba-Sensei said, his hand carefully unfolding a large piece of vellum, its edges yellowed and worn from years of use. “Now pay attention.” He crouched, then spread it out on the ground before them, the parchment crackling softly under his fingers.
“Whoa! Is that the world?!” Taiga asked, crawling next to him.
“As far as we know,” Kiba scratched his head. “Nothing’s been found in the great oceans for as long as anyone can remember.”
Interesting,Aimee thought, scooting closer. She had no real concept of what this world looked like on a broader scale.
A single, vast landmass sprawled across the parchment, beautifully rendered with intricate details. Bright symbols marked the various Havens or elemental territories, hand-painted with vivid strokes of color.
In the center, a massive mountain range cut through the continent like a jagged spine. A great winding river wove through the territory from one end to the other, branching off here and there into tributaries. To the north, dark green forests sprawled across the land. While the west was marked by the rolling plains, stretching far into the distance. And in the south, a vast desert spread, barren and golden beneath the illustration of a harsh sun.
“This is Hi Haven?” Iruka pointed to a spot where a tributary of the great river flowed south, leading to a large, lush oasis nestled in the dry expanse.
“Yes,” Kiba-Sensei confirmed. “And here is Ten Haven to the north in the forests, Mizu Haven west of that in the plains and coastal archipelagos, Tsuchi Haven is here in the mountains, and Kaze Haven is in the desert south of us.” His finger traced every territory, their borders marked clearly by bright red lines.
“And Hu Haven?” Iruka asked, his tone serious.
“The Void?” Momoka squeaked.
“Hu Haven is more symbolic than an actual place. It represents the sixth element in opposition to the other five,” Kiba-Sensei chuckled softly, looking up from the map. “At least, as far as we know.”
“So where are we going?” Aimee leaned in closer, her attention fully on the map now. She barely noticed where her thigh brushed against Kiba's.
Kiba flinched slightly at the contact but relaxed quickly. “Here.”
He pointed to a small empty space far to the west, nestled between the territories of Ten Haven and Tsuchi Haven.
