Aerodynamic

[Vitamin]

Almost. Almost.

Takihime tore through the tall blades of grass, feeling them brush up against her skin. Her feet thudded lightly on the ground, lifting off almost as soon as they touched the dirt below her. In between the blades, she saw the bushy pinstriped tail of her prey.

I got him now.

She lunged forward, swiping at the tail, hoping to catch the fleshy part of it. She smiled with satisfaction, when suddenly the tiny raccoon leaped backwards. Just as Takihime hit the ground, the tiny raccoon bounced off the top of her head, and scurried back in the other direction. Takihime took a moment to grasp her defeat. After about 2 hours chasing the thing through the small woodsy area outside the suburban area of Kumo, the little raccoon had bested her. She felt defeated, but it was no matter. This made the tally 7-6; she was still up one.

Takihime got up slowly, and dusted herself off. The sun was setting on the Kumogakure village, although the breeze was still not as chilly as the usual nighttime wind. She slowly begin walking back to the more urban part of the village, leaving the grassy woodsy area behind her, as more and more people came into sight. Back into civilization.

Takihime continued to walk, letting her mind wander off ever so slightly.

[Ace Trainer]

Today had been an all but average day for Sakki, no training, no mission, he had honestly overslept, and at this point was just wandering around, looking for something to excite him (not that it was hard to do that). He loved coming to this part of town because a lot of the wackier folks with crazier stuff spent their time building little stalls here, to catch people who drifted in and out of the foresty regions (since those tended to be the people who would buy crazy stuff).

He wandered about, hands in pocket, his face glimmering in the sunlight as it always did. The joys of being a host! When he saw it. The most gorgeous...stand he had ever seen. Selling all sorts of odd trinkets. Bracelets, watches, necklaces and such. His eyes gleaming with excitement, Sakki approached the stand, and almost immediately began touching and feeling things, inspecting them and admiring the handiwork. However, the stall owner did not seem too comfortable with Sakki touching everything, and quickly began shooing him away.

that when he turned around to see a girl exiting the forest. And Sakki's whole world seemed to stop. Practically running up to her, Sakki put out a hand.

"Uhm. Uh. Hi. I'm. Uh. Hi. I'm Sakki. Uh. Who are you?"

[Vitamin]

Takihime jerked back a little bit in astonishment when a boy, just a few inches taller than her, had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She took a moment to gather herself, even blinking a few times to make sure what she was seeing was correct.

Unlike anything she'd ever seen before, the boy was glistening in the remaining specs of sunlight. Sparkling really, she was quite fascinated by this. He looked a little strange, not to say he wasn't bad looking, but perhaps she wasn't used to someone being so forward with her.

What was perhaps more unusual was the rosy pink aura that surrounded the boy. It was one she had never seen before on someone speaking to her. She recognized it rather easily though; she saw it on her father when he spoke to her mother, on the young couples she saw roaming through the village on a constant basis.

What was perhaps stranger was she felt it too. Not because of her bloodline abilities, or because of any aura or feelings she could see or sense. She felt it. A sort of warmth in her stomach, accompanied by a fluttery feeling she hadn't felt before. Takihime felt her face getting more and more red, as she slowly reached her hand out to meet the young boys. What was intended to be a handshake ended up in Takihime putting her hand ever so gently on the boys, bringing herself out of her daze just long enough to mumble a few words.

"I'm... Takihime. Nice to meet you."

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki's heart was pounding, and practically jumped up his throat and out his mouth when she spoke. Her voice alone made him want to melt, but he help his composure, staring at her as her hand sat in his. She was slightly shorter than him, and looked to be a little younger than him, but this swirl of emotions developing in him. He looked at her dainty fingers first, totally absorbed in the perfect she seemed to practically illuminate in.

Shaking his head to do away with the odd feelings, he dropped his hand away from hers with a smile, placing them in his hands. Attempting to ignore the beauty that practically radiated from this young woman, Sakki racked her brain trying to find something to say, this possibly being the first time in his life Sakki couldn't think of something to fill the silence.

"So you're a ninja? Me too! Whatcha doin' out in the woods, training secret jutsu??", he inquired, waving his eyebrows at the excitement of secret technique. He suddenly felt that, that was possibly the stupidest thing he could of asked. And with one lapse in self-confidence, Sakki was filled with a wave of anxiety. What if he looked stupid sparkling? What if he looked particularly weak (not being a taijutsu fighter). What if she thought his voice was dumb. He had never felt this way before, but was filled with these thoughts, unable to repress them as they shot through his mind. He did his best to retain his composure as he looked at her...gorgeous green eyes.

[Vitamin]

The aura on the boy shifted to a light blue. Takihime giggled a little bit, not in a condescending sort of manner, but in a cutesy flirty kind of way. She moved her hands to fix her hair, in a sort of instinctive manner, making sure she didn't look bad. SUrely the boy was more nervous than she was, but that didn't stop her from feeling just the softest touch of nervousness around her. Her cheeks were less red now, but she still felt herself blushing.

When he asked the question, she ran it through her head a few times. "What was I doing in the woods? I was chasing a rac-". She realized how ridiculous it would sound to tell the boy that she was chasing a raccoon up and down the large grassy field. "...I mean I was... chasing.. a secret jutsu. I mean not chasing it but...".

She stopped herself, mustering whatever sense of self she had to maintain her facial expression. C'mon Takihime, snap out of it..

Takihime managed to bring herself back to Earth after what surely was a few awkward seconds, but she finally managed to speak. "Yeah, I was just practicing some secret skills.. She glanced up and down at the boy and realized he was glowing. Not so much realized, but perhaps it had really sunk in. "Sakki, right? Is that a jutsu or are you just always... shiny?"

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki cocked a brow as she began retracing her words, trying to put together a sentence. It was odd, interesting...adorable. He didn't understand what was happening, really. Sakki had always been just a tad bit infantile in his thinking. And by a tad-bit, I mean he was very very childish. With the introduction of a immensely powerful chakra beast, and the various responsibilities that came along with it...Sakki had been somewhat forced to grow up. He had always been an exceptional shinobi, but the real world had gone from being somewhat distant, to surrounding him, and he had gone through a rapid change.

Regardless, his previously infantile nature had made him practically immune to things like girls, and crushes, which were both evil to him up until recently. So these emotions, these awkward feelings he was experiencing were a totally know sensation to him. 'Cute', the genma would giggle in his head. "So uh, you were training? That's sooo cool. I better you're a super strong ninja, huh Takihime-chan?", for...possibly the first time in his life, Sakki had referred to someone he had just met, that wasn't his superior, with simply her name, and a suffix. And he was just as confused that he had done that as anyone else who knew him would be.

Trying not to allow the confusion to take over his priority of...well. He wasn't sure what his priority was, but this girl required his full attention. He had to give it to her! For whatever reason, he felt as if he needed to please her. "Uh. I'm always like that, I'm just a super special shinobi, who happens to shine like gold!", he said with a wide grin, throwing his arms in the air for show. Would she think this was too showy? Too cocky? Suddenly he was self-conscious again and quickly dropped his arms, resting his hands back into his pockets, embarrassed.

What was going on?

[Vitamin]

Takihime was captivated by the glowing skin on the boy, so much so that she ignored the glowing aura of emotions around him that she usually paid so close attention too. Every word he said made her smile, Takihime herself unsure of whether it was the boy's awkwardness that she found somewhat amusing or perhaps the beginnings of a small little crush. She hadn't experienced a feeling like this before, but she was, after all, a 12 year old girl. The timing was right.

She smiled when answering the boys question. "The strongest! Haha."

It was at this time that she fully regained control of who she was. It was also at this point that she stopped being fascinated by the boys glimmer and began to take notice of his other unique features. His eyes were a color green she'd never seen before, and his hair was long and thick. In her opinion, he was rather handsome. Perhaps it was just one of those pre-teen crushes, or something a little deeper. Perhaps it was still too early to tell.

Takihime began to laugh hysterically when the boy threw his arms to his sides. She put her hands to her mouth, trying to muffle the laughter, which she managed to ease down to a loud giggle. This entire time, her eyes never left the boys. When the boy put his hands in his pockets, she took notice of the aura of emotions surrounding him again. Surely she had embarrassed him, although this wasn't her intention. She had to do something quick. She didn't mind making somebody feel bad about themselves, especially if it was someone she disliked, but this time was... different. Surely she didn't want to ruin her relationship with the boy, if it could even be called that; a relationship. At least not before she could get to know him. Before it could flourish. Before it could become something... more.

Takihime dropped her hands, raising her right hand to the boys face, attempting to put her palm gently on the boys cheek. She smiled with a wide grin, her face lighting up with happiness, her ears perked, and her tail wagging frantically behind her."Well whatever it is, Sakki-kun, I like it.".

The sun had now gone deeper into the Earth, she wondered how long they'd been there. It seemed that they had forgotten about time for that split second. She pointed in the direction opposite of the woods she had been in."It's getting dark, we should head back to the village."

She turned her body, not yet taking a step, turning her head, a huge grin still on her face, still the now faint red color in her cheeks, an motioned over to him.

"Walk with me?"

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki didn't really know what love in the romantic sense was, but if there was one thing he loved, it was her giggle. The moment she stifled her laughter, a band of red rushed across his face, as his mouth practically dropped open in amazement. He couldn't hold back how absolutely stunned with her he was as he hesitated to regain his semi-lack of composure, and appear totally undaunted by the overall perfection of the young woman before him.

He hadn't noticed it before, but her own excitement had made them stand out ,and suddenly Sakki took notice of the dog ears she had. Crunching his brow, he took a step closer, leaning in to peer at them without making a sound. Tempted to lift a hand and touch them, his looked amazed. "Woooooooooooooow. What kinda jutsu is thiis", he asked, continuing to resist the ear to pinch and grab at the strange dog ears. "They're cooool.", he leaned back as he realized he was invading her personal space, and reeled back, shaking his head apologetically.

When she mentioned how dark is was getting, Sakki was a little confused. He didn't think they had been standing here that long, that hadn't been exchanging many words. Had it already been this late? Or had they shared a lot of silence in their mutual amazement in each other? He could barely remember what time it had been when he left the house, or when he saw her. Everything seemed to be a blur around this incredible event of meeting Takihime.

"Ta-ki-hi-me", he thought as he spaced out her name. He liked it. Suddenly she was walking away, and Sakki looked around, having lost track of her, frantic. Where had she-- Oh.

"Of course! I would never let Takihime-chan walk all by herself, I'll protect you from theives and bandits!", yeah, because they were of such abundance in Kumogakure. That's when he noticed the tail behind her too...not that he had been looking at her butt. "You have a tail too? How are you doing this!", he exclaimed excitedly.

[Vitamin]

Takihime walked forward, but her eyes never left the boy. She smiled again "I told you, I'm just a super strong ninja!", she said, flexing her arm in a goofy kinda' way. She giggled a little bit, until she realized she was laughing at her own joke, which she quickly stopped and look forward, hoping to avoid any further embarrassment, her cheeks blushing ever so slightly. She sure was acting goofy. Maybe she just wanted to the boy to like her. But who's to say he wouldn't like her if she acted like herself? What if he didn't like her now? What if he was just being nice, and the thing with her ears really- she cut herself off, mentally shaking off the rapid course of thoughts that were projecting themselves in her head. Just relax.

"It's just a clan thing", she said matter of factly. "Everybody from my family looks the same. The only thing really unique about me is my eyes." She turned to him, and attempted to look straight into his. The eyes of the Ote were already very unique among shinobi, the black sclera a biproduct of their bloodline, and Takihime's eyes, an emerald green, were considered very rare among them.

"They're beautiful aren't they?", she said, with her tail wagging back and forth in excitement, her ears pointed straight to the sky, poking just ever so slightly through her hair, the slightest of smiles forming across her face.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki eyed her curiously, but was totally caught off guard when she said that everyone in her family looked the same. His mind drifted as the image of 30 Takihime's, all of various ages popped in. The idea was...thrilling, really. Until he realized that's probably not what she meant. Remembering to hold onto the dream, he walked alongside her, glancing down at her unwaivering eyes occasionally, but doing his best to keep his eyes forward. Part because one of them had to be looking at where they were going, and partially because he was afraid he'd turn completely red if he kept looking at her.

How embarrassing!

Then she asked a question that made him flush red anyways. Wiping his cheek in embarrassment, he nodded in agreement, "Uhh..yeah. They're gorgeous, really.", he grinned wide at her. "So you're from a special clan, huh? You guys have any cool abilities?", the creation side of Sakki was coming out. What if this girl's clan had some cool ability he could mimck?

[Vitamin]

Takihime smiled, the fear of rejection ever imminent when asking such question, now left her mind. They weren't doing much but she was having quite a lot of fun with the boy. She let her mind wander off for a bit, half focused on what the boy was saying and where she was going, the other half fantasizing about future adventures she'd have with the boy, missions they would take on together, and even a few more... intimate moments. She was brought back to complete reality when he asked her a question.

She looked at him and smiled, winked flirtatiously and pointed at him, her hand "gun-shaped" if you will. "Yeah we do, but it's a secret. And what's the fun of keeping secrets if you're going to tell everybody them as soon as you meet them, Sakki-kun?".

She faced forward, continued walking at a normal pace. She skipped about a step or 2 in front of the boy, and began walking backwards, so that she was now completely facing him, her back facing the direction they were headed in, as she continued to walk backwards in the same direction.

"Tell ya' what though. If you tell me how you make your whole body glimmer like that, maybe I'll tell you." She smiled shyly again, her tail now curling in an upwards loop, wafting slowly from side to side. "Maaaybe."

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki looked at her excitedly when she said they did, an opportunity! But it was quickly shot down when she played coy, refusing to reveal her precious family secrets to him. For an instant, all attraction to the girl vanished as he was completely overwhelmed with a fickle desire to have her knowledge for his own. He was the genma host! He deserved it! He was the best, wasn't he? But a single glance into her eyes seemed to seize control back over him, and he was left longing for her in such an odd manner he didn't even recognize the sensation of desire. It was a different desire than he had ever felt...what a strange girl she was.

Then, she proposed a deal Sakki would never be able to take. Tell her why he was glistening, and he'd get to know her abilities...maybe. He quickly assessed his options, the council had strictly forbidden him from mentioning he was a genma host, but being as his ability revolved almost entirely around the genma's own, he was allowed to use the powers in front of others. Mentioning that the glistening was a by-product of his creation jutsu would be strange...and might raise an alarm. That last thing he wanted was putting this girl in danger by being reckless with information. In what seemed to be an eternity of decision making to Sakki, he finally shook his head no.

"I've gotta maintain some mystery. Momma says she likes with Poppa keeps her guessing.", he playfully winked at Takihime, and then, at the realization of what he said, took a long stride, to place his pace slightly ahead of hers as he was overcome with a red tint of embarassment. He had just compared the two of them to his parents, AND mentioned them as Momma and Poppa. How childish could he seem?

Sakki, never one to worry about appearances, was now very concerned about appearing mature and independent. As if he was his own man. After all, if he truly was such a powerful shinobi, he'd be on his own two feet. Even if his parents were loaded. Now unsure what to say, he looked at the sky, which was a beautiful array of colors as the sun began to set.

"Which do you like more, sun sets? or sun rises?", he inquired back to her, not bothering to look at her this time, he was hoping to appear somewhat aloof. The whole mystery thing.

[Vitamin]

Takihime raised a curious eyebrow as the boy passed her. She definitely wasn't expecting this response from him. It seemed like she offended him, as he grew rather quiet after this. She continued to walk backwards, contemplating what had just happened, and then she turned around, walking forward, still about a pace or so behind the male shinobi.

She wondered if she told him about the clan's abilities if he would tell her about the shine on his skin. She wasn't the curious type, but she found herself much more intrigued than usual. Perhaps it wasn't so much the skin she was curious about, the the boy himself. She wanted to know about him; where he was from, why he did what he did, his fears, his desires, his ambitions. Everything.

Takihime stared at him from behind, taking full notice of his hair and the glow of color around him. Sure, she could read the aura around the boy, but she couldn't read the boy himself. He was definitely the most enigmatic figure Takihime had ever come across, and the fact that they were walking together, conversing, smiling together, was what made him a person of interest to her. Not in the shinobi sense of the word, where she was curious about his skills, abilities, and whether or not he wanted to kill her. No, this definitely wasn't why she was interested. There was something about him, something which she couldn't figure out, not quite yet anyway.

She took an elongated stride, bringing herself even with the boy, looking at the gorgeous array of colors enveloping the sun in response to the question. She thought about this for a second or too, her eyes not leaving the sunlight, when she realized the answer was more obvious than she expected.

"Sun rises. I was born at the exact moment the sun rose, which is why my eyes are green. At least that's what my mother says."

She continued walking, taking notice of every single little detail of the sunset. How beautiful it was. It made her feel warm inside."Besides, when the sun sets, that's when the day ends. The end of the day's adventure. A sunset brings a new day, new opportunities and adventures in your life..."

She looked over at him, gazing at the boys face, and she felt nothing but warmth in her heart. The world around her seemed to fade around him, the sunlight from the sunset making the shine of his skin look more amazing than ever. "New people."

Takihime looked forward again, smiling softly. This was going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. "They're just gorgeous."

As she realized they were nearing the area where she lived, she slowed her pace slightly, hoping it was subtle enough for the boy to match it without taking much notice of it. The nighttime breeze was picking him, Takihime's hair gracefully floating backwards with the wind.

It was at this moment that she realized something. Though perhaps it was simply a frivolous conversation, and perhaps she would never see the boy again, she would remember this forever. This one moment in time. Walking, the sun setting, next to a boy who she thought a friend although still a stranger, who's skin was shining like diamonds. The ephemeral feeling would now live forever in her mind.

"What do you think?"

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki was truly striken by this girl, every time he looked at her he was overcome with some strange desire, some perplexing interest in her he just couldn't understand. He was taking her in, making note of every gesture, every motion, every inch of her as they walked together. He was talking her in, somehow mesmerized by her stride, by her step. He was listening to her talk, but he wasn't hearing much of anything she said as he practically drank her in.

Sakki was no Ote, he couldn't see an aura, but he could feel her. Sort of. Something about her seemed to be calling for him, yearning for him, which only seemed to be drawing him in more. She was so interesting, so compelling...her eyes were gorgeous, utterly brilliant. Such a great colour, an amazing tint, he adored them. Not to mention her hair, which hung perfectly around her head. It cascaded around the frame of her face, complimenting her beauty.

Everything about her was....quite frankly...perfect.

He blinked, finally tuning back into what she was saying, recounting all the words he had semi-ignored to figure out what she had said. He was impressed, really. It was a very deep thought, and Sakki was taken aback by the depth of her explanation. She was very right, "That's a brilliant thought, yanno.", Sakki said rather earnestly. Then she asked for his opinion, and Sakki stopped staring into the sky. He wasn't glistening anymore..well...quite as much. The sunlight had dimmed enough that he was only letting off a very slight shine, as if he was very clean, rather than diamond-like.

Finally, he answered, "Hmmm...sunsets. You're right, sun rises are great, start of something new and all that. But sunsets...they're the close. The end..the finish. They're the capture of a moment, the final chance to make a single instant, and the total experience worth it all. Its like....a final count down! How thrilling!", he had never thought of it like that. But, the way Takihime had been talking drove him to think like that...

"Like now...15....14...13. Anything you need to change for today I thought it was pretty great....but heres your count down", he said in excitement.

[Vitamin]

Takihime listened intently to the boys answer, taking every single word into account. His words fascinated her, such deep thoughts being spoken very rare among the younger generation of Kumo ninja.

In an instant, Takihime let her mind wander off, speeding forward through time, gazing upon fantasies of her and the boys future together as if they were distant, yet cherished, memories; their first kiss, the dates they would go on, their marriage, their honeymoon, their 8 kids. Oh, how ridiculous the thoughts were, amusing even. Yet at the same time, part of her longed for them to come true. Longed for them to become visions of the future instead of some small teenage fantasy she would fall asleep to in her room.

Fascinating. Captivating. One of the many words that came to her head when she thought of him. It was silly though, wasn't it? After all, he was still a stranger, just someone that she met outside the woods. But was he a stranger? He certainly didn't feel like one. She felt close to him. Attached to him. She felt like if she... loved him? No. Certainly not. Outrageous. She had just met him. But...but...

Takihime had no time to reason with herself as she was snapped back to reality by the boys countdown. At first she found this rather strange, not thinking much of it, but then she felt a certain pressure within her as it neared the single digits. Like if she had to do something. Something to make him remember her. Something to make him... hers.

She came to a sudden halt and turned so that she would be facing the boy should he stop as well. She stared slightly upwards, so that her eyes would lock on his. And as the countdown reached closer and closer to 0, it seemed to get louder, and she didn't bother to figure out whether these were the boys words, or her own thoughts booming in her skull. But she heard it.

Takihime felt the rush of blood from her face, as her legs grew weak. She did her best to control them, but to no avail. She felt her hands tingle, the thousands of butterflies in her stomach flutter wildly, as every thought emptied her mind, replaced by one powerful urge; every detail of the surrounding, color, and hue fading around the boys face, framing it beautifully.

And she waited. Waited for the countdown to come closer to 0, waited for the urge to turn into an instinctive reaction, waited for her fear of rejection to be overcome by desire. Waited for the moment.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki stare at her as the world around them faded into nothing. As he counted the seconds away to two of them were left with nothing but each other, and the sun in the background as it seemingly took over Sakki's words. The count echoed in the void surrounding them as it reached single numbers, slowly washing away the count down, the opportunity. Sakki looked peaceful, complacent, unlike his normal expression of extreme glee, extreme sorrow, or excitement, Sakki seemed very calm as he stared down at her.

Finally, the time was almost here. The world rushed back into place, and out loud, Sakki counted out.."Two.....One...Zero!", he leapt backwards from here, putting 3 or 4 feet between them and laughing at her. "That was a perfect count down! Silence, awe, brilliance! I loved it!", he grinned at her, his eyes bright with life. It was light now, and the street lights illuminated the path they'd take to get home.

"You're right though...this day is perfect, we ain't gotta do nothin' to make it better.", he smiled at her. Walking back towards her, he quickly looped his arm into hers, which if she didn't stop him, would force her to turn around and walk with her arms interlocked with hers. It was a brave move, though Sakki probably didn't understand that he was clearly flirting with her by doing this. He just wanted to walk with her. "So it's night time, all the lights are on and such. Don'tcha have like...curfew our somethin' young lady?", he laughed as he said this.

Swinging his arm, and if he had remained attached to him, forcibly swinging hers, he continued to walk, glancing down at her occasionally and grinning, before looking back up.

[Vitamin]

Takihime felt the world around crash and fall like pieces of glass from a broken mirror when the boy leaped backwards. Rejection. Perhaps a teenage girls greatest fear, she felt her heart sink, the blood rush to her head. Almost as if she was in a dazed, the wind knocked out of her.

Then she felt angry. Furious. This rage boiled inside her even more when the boy smiled at her, completely oblivious to the seething anger inside of her. This was the problem she had with most boys around her age. They had the attention span of a pigeon, completely untuned to their surroundings. Maybe all that she was feeling was wrong. Just the imagination and emotions of a teenage girl going on a frenzy. He was just like all the boys at the academy; gross, loud, and stupid. Why'd she let herself fall into this trap. The thought only made her even angrier. It built inside of her, boiled, until she was ready to lash out. She gritted her teeth a bit, doing her best not to be overcome by the anger, until...

It completely disappeared. Almost on contact, as soon as the boys arm intertwined with hers. She walked with him, looking forward for a good 50 feet or so, not glancing at him, even when he did so to her. She was warm to the touch, and she wasn't sure whether it was the anger or the boys touch that lit her up.

Boy was he difficult to read. A task that was very easy for her, easy for any Ote really, seemed to be impossible. But she liked it.

As the question and laugh rolled off his tongue, she smiled. She reached over her free arm and attempted to grab the arm of the boys that was hooked to hers, in doing so would lean in more, so that she was closer to the boy.

"No, I'm old enough, I can stay out. My parents don't really worry." She stared at him now, a coy smile spreading across her lips. "Besides, I have you to protect me from thieves and bandits, so I have nothing to fear, right?"

She looked forward again, as she continued to walk, the smile reducing in size, but not completely fading from her lips. She was beyond happy at this moment.

"Tell me a secret, Sakki-kun. Tell me something I don't know about you."

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki was genuinely humored by Takihime, she was very cute, and she had seemed so excited for their final count down. And then...suddenly, she seemed angry. Stressed. Frustrated. As if something was wrong. Had he angered her, done something wrong? He didn't understand? But fortunately, it vanished as soon as he grabbed her, and while left curious, but placed it in the back of his head.

Continuing on, he grinned at her talking like she was a big girl, "Yaya, you're such a big adult girl, little genin.", he teased, winking at her. He hadn't even mentioned he was a chuunin yet, maybe he should have told her..."But I guess you're right, I am here to protect you after all!", he flexed his free arm.

Then she asked a interesting question. A secret? He found his pace slowing, as he began to think about the secret he could tell her. He obviously couldn't tell her he was a Genma host, he wasn't even sure if she would understand that. The people of Kumo knew there was a genma host, but no who. Well, some people know there was one, others didn't. It was really complicated. He found himself struggling to think about something to tell her, he had to think of something. He couldn't just leave her hanging, right?

Finally giving up, he leaned close to her, stopping them in their tracks, and whispered, "I've received secret training for a jutsu style no other shinobi in the world knows except my mentor. It's part of my chuunin training.", he winked at her, and began walking again, as if it was nothing. This, of course, was a lie. He had no mentor besides Janesisu, and it wasn't so much that he had received training, but he had received an enormous chakra beast. However, he couldn't tell her that, so this was a close second.

[Vitamin]

Takihime smiled shyly when the boy winked at her. She then raised a curious eyebrow when the boy referred to her as a genin. Wasn't he one too? Surely he couldn't be that much older than her. He certainly didn't act like it. Maybe he was older and just looked young, or maybe he was surprisingly strong. In which case, was he a jounin even?

She giggled to herself softly at this thought. A boy with a frivolous personality like his definitely wasn't a jounin. Regardless, he was of a higher rank, and respect had to be showed. He wasn't a normal higher-up though, not to her. She already saw him as a friend. More than a friend, really.

As he leaned in, she stopped dead in her tracks, listening intently to his words. So he was a chuunin, just as she thought. Then her mind replayed the other words he said. A secret style? That nobody but him and his mentor knew about? At such a young age? She had to know. He must be really strong for him to have such abilities already.

She skipped forward, moving in front of Sakki, walking backwards again while looking at him and speaking. "A secret style, Sakki-san? You have to show me one of your techniques!".

The thought then occurred to her; it was a secret. Surely, she couldn't weasel it out of him that easily. She then clasped her hands together girlishly, and batted her eyes, stopping her movement so that Sakki would be forced to stop as well, or go around her. If he did stop, she would lean in closely, moving in so that their lips were only centimeters away. If she managed to do this, she would whisper softly and flirtatiously to him, just like her mother had taught her.

"Please, Sakki-san?"

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki looked down at here, and he couldn't help but turn a hue of red, she was quite possibly the cutest thing Sakki had ever seen, he couldn't help being attracted to her. But then she asked for his secret, and Sakki's embarassment was replaced by doubt. Could he? He had shown his genin, and technically, no one in Kumo actually knew what the Genma could do, only that they existed. Surely, showing her his creation ability would be rule breaking?

But what if he did? Would Kumo do away with him like they did with Pinky? Or worse? Was he too valuable, and they'd do away with Takihime? Unfortunately, Sakki was rapidly beginning to understand the village politics, and it was nearly as nice as people like to perceive it to be. He weighed the options silently, staring at her as he did, and finally shrugged, "Sure, why not."

Taking a step back, he motioned for her to give him some room, inhaled...exhaled...and sealed. When he finished the seals, he took a stride forward, flourishing his hand upwards as he did so. As his flourished the sword formed, in a wave of light blue chakra, and then, it was there, solid, as if at always had been. He held the somewhat heroic stance for a moment, then dropped the sword to his side, grinning at her.

"Cool, huh?", he laughed confidently, he loved to show off. Of course he did, it was part of the influence.

[Vitamin]

[OOC: Sorry it took me so long.]

Takihime jumped with giddiness when Sakki agreed to demonstrate. A huge smile appeared on her face, the anticipation of the moment increasing her heart rate ever so slightly. She wondered what it could be. Maybe it was some kind of transformation, and he would turn into a giant bird or something? Maybe he could stretch his limbs out really long? Whatever it was, she waited in excitement.

Taking a few steps back when he motioned for her to do so, she stood at ease, waiting for demonstration. She watched his every moment intently; when he breathed, when he sealed, when he stepped.

She a blue fight form, in a shape of a sword. She squinted, trying to take notice of any details that might be on the sword. As it solidified, her eyes widened almost instantly. She stood frozen for a second, trying to recall the point when the light went from light to solid. She found that she couldn't.

As the sword plopped to his side, she still stood frozen. Finally, the boys words broke her out of her trance, Takihime walking over to the sword, picking it up, completely ignoring Sakki's question.

She ran her fingers slowly along the blade, pushing her pinky finger on the edge of the blade. She flinched slightly when she felt the cut, looking at her pinky finger intrigued, a small drop of blood leaving her finger and hitting the ground. She lifted it up with both hands, taking note of the weight of it, the craftsmanship.

Turning around so as to not hit the boy, she swung the sword in the air. It was definitely real. There wasn't anything too special about it, but it was definitely there; a sword. Just a sword. Yet the thought of it fascinated her. This wasn't a summoning technique. She had seen that hundreds of times before. This was... a metal technique? Did he make this?

Turning her head around, without making direct eye contact and looking as if she was pondering some great question, and finally asked.

"Sakki-san... How did you make this?"

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki frowned when she ignored him, watching her as she touched and moved the sword around. He hesitated, and almost went to stop her as she cut herself, but decided it was best to simply let her experiment, some people were the type that needed to see things for themselves. He smirked when she finally acknowledged him, and shrugged, "I can't tell you that!", he teased, "Secret technique, remember?",

As he began walking over to her, he sealed, forming a torch in his hand and swiping it across the ground, igniting it as he reached her side. It was quick, not flashy like he had done with the sword, and he wrapped an arm around her, holding the torch up to give them light as she walked. It was actually somewhat romantic, stars overhead, torch in hand, walking along the streets alone at night.

"I can make anything.", he winked. "But look, you can't tell anyone, okay?", he cautioned, "This is a big secret, no one is supposed to know. This can be our little secret.", he smiled at her encouragingly, hopefully, she'd keep in a secret. He noticed she still seemed to be a little surprised by his ability, and decided to play cover-up. Com'mon, I bet you can do something equally amazing. You're probably full of secrets with those puppy ears.", he said with a grin, trying to be encouraging and detract from his secret. But he had a feeling it wasn't going to work.

"I mean, you're from a clan, you've probably got all sort of cool genetic secrets! I can't ever match that.", he giggled at her.

[Vitamin]

Takihime smiled, acknowledging the boys response. A secret technique, indeed. It was marvelous. This boy was something special. Not just who he was, but his techniques. I wonder what other secret techniques he has stored in that head of his.

She shook her head slightly when the boy made a torch with seemingly no effort and lit it as he began walking over to her. "Can I keep this?", she said, not even waiting for a response, simply shifting it to the opposite side of where he had just put his arm around her, and she walked with him.

The sky was lit up by thousands of stars, and the moon stood bold in the sky, shining brightly, almost as it were putting a spotlight on the 2 young shinobi in the oncoming darkness. She looked over to him. The torch in his hand seemed to expose all the features in his face, making him appear grown, and knowledgeable. It added to the enigma that was Sakki.

As they walked, she listened to him speak, never once turning to look at him. She maintained no facial expression, simply listening to what he said. As he was talking, she leaned her head into him, resting it on his shoulders. Finally he was done speaking. She giggled softly at the end. Nice try, Sakki-san.

"You talk too much, Sakki-san.", she said, not moving her head. As they continued to walk, she realized that they were at her destination. The clan complex was just down the street to her right. She stopped, almost wishing that she lived further away. She looked over at Sakki, holding her gaze for a second.

In an instant, she leaned closer to him, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Don't worry Sakki-san, your secrets are safe with me.", she said, not moving her lips from his cheek. Finally she moved out from under his arm, and moved to his right side, in the direction of the clan complex. She took a few steps, before she turned around.

"Thank you for walking me, Sakki-san. It was fun.". She smiled again, her eyes looking right into his, the moonlight reflecting off the green and making them glisten like emeralds. She turned around and walked a few steps, then stopped and faced Sakki again.

"Come find me later". She gave a quick grin, then turned around again, and continued walking to the housing.

Once she was sure that the shadows behind her hid her location and she was out of earshot, she jumped excitedly. She smiled wide, swinging the sword in the air in circles, as if celebrating. She grasped it with both hands and rested it on her shoulder. She thought about the day; the boy, how they met, the conversation they had.

She looked up at the sky again, staring at the bright full moon guarding Kumogakure. Sure, sun rises and sun sets were fine, but it was the light of a full moon that was really special. Light that only comes about every so often, that should be enjoyed while it's there to be enjoyed, and which is longed for when it wasn't.

What a perfect day., she thought, her gaze not leaving the heavens.

She finally reached her doorway, plopping the hand that held the sword to her side, using her free hand to slide the main entrance open. She turned around, looking at the rest of the village right before she entered the house.

"Sakki."

The nighttime breeze whirled past her, as if signaling for her to go inside. She turned around again, walking into her house, closing the door behind her, and putting an end to the days adventure.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki smiled at her as she toyed with the sword, and nodded. "Of course Takihime-san.", now she had something of his. How cute, he was already giving her gifts, and they had just met! He couldn't help but be enamored by this girl as he spoke to her. She was stunning, really. And the shining of the torch in his outer hand only emphasized the natural beauty the young girl had. The light flickering across her face as she looked up at the sky. He was mesmerized by her, and he was only taken in further by her gaze when she looked at him. His face flushed red, and he looked away, continuing to talk to her.

Finally, she just laughed at him. Quite possibly the cutest little giggle he had ever heard, that sent goosebumps up his spine. Not to mention it was followed by such an adorable, but embarrassing comment. He flushed red again and yanked his neck away, looking at the torch in his hand and trying not to show her how embarrassed he was. "Thank you, then.", he said with a smile, looking back at her and trying to get a control of his emotions. It's a good thing Sakki didn't know she could see every single emotion that shot across his head.

But then, suddenly, he realized, she was kissing him! He hadn't even realized it, but her lips were so soft, so gentle, it hadn't felt like a kiss at first. Now he could tell though, and his face was the deepest hue of red imaginable. His eyes wide in surprise, he couldn't find words as she pulled away.

So he simply stared at her, his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to make some words come out. Nothing. He was totally in awe...this was...his first kiss! It wasn't even a real kiss, but that hadn't occured to Sakki, for the first time in his life, a girl had kissed him! His jaw continued to lift and drop as she walked away, but when she turned around the last time, he gathered some word. "Yeah! I will! Uh! Of course! Yeah! Okay!" he just spat out all the words he could figure out.

As she disappeared around the corner, Sakki found himself falling backwards, literally hitting the ground with a thud. He reached towards the sky, spreading his arms out, and then dropping them above him. The torch rolling on the ground above him, today had been absolutely fantastic. FANTASTIC! He couldn't wait to see her again! Jumping into the air he took off running, happier than could be. Today would go down in history.