Next Move (open)

As Eiji lye on his bed he couldn't help but wonder what is it that he could do next. His dream of being the first Kenjutsu Raikage was getting further and further away. He didn't have anyone to train with or to teach him. All the other peopel were to busy to help. He sat up on his bed and gazed out of his window. The overcast in the sky only added more sadness. "Aw man days like this are beautiful and yet sad. Reminds me of tragic story with a happy ending. How often does that happen?" Eiji let out a sigh as he flopped back down on his bed. He put his hand over his face and he laid there for a moment. After about two minutes he turned over and looked at his sword. He remebered working so hard on it with his father. He had to do something he just didn't know what.

Eiji sat up once again and turned on the tv to try and find something to watch. There was nothing on but alot of reality shows and game shows. "Ahhhh there is nothing on." Eiji dropped the remote and cut the tv off. "Mom Dad o'm going out in the back to train call me when dinner's ready." Eiji took his sword and headed towards the back door to train. Just as he was leaving he remebered he hadn't eaten anything yet. He quickly grabbed some chips, some soda, some candy and some more soda. Then he headed out the door and walked 1.5 miles before he stopped. "This should be far enough. Maybe someone can help me. I need to get stronger. I have to. If not i'm going to stay at this level forever." Eiji closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, held it for about ten seconds and let it go.

"Ok think Eiji think and think hard. How can you become better? How can you become stronger? Asking these questions won't help me any. Ok if I train maybe I can perfect my own skills. Then again your own skills can only get you so far." Eiji sat down on the ground and pulled out some candy. He took a bite and opened a bottle of soda. Candy and soda aren't the healthiest thing in the world to eat but Eiji was a kid and he needed some sugar in his body. He looked around and saw no one. It was odd seeing how it was the middle of the day and no one was out. Maybe everyone was at work or maybe school either way it was kinda odd. Eiji continue to sit on the ground waiting for someone to come by.

So now she had a lot to think about. Aimi wanted to take up that offer to move into the apartment which was close to Kyo, her new friend. But was it really that good of an idea? I so need a time-out. She had been walking in circles for probably an hour or 2 by now, and yet nothing smart came to her mind about what she could do about the situation. What she needed was some mingling, or exercising.. training. Yeah that was it. But with whom? She wasn't particularly strong nor could she say she had a lot of talent, so who would be willing to train with her? She wasn't sure where her teammates were, and besides then she was still a little shy as to ask them for help. However stupid that was. Aimi stopped as she heard some crunching close to her. Is there someone eating here? She hadn't spotted anyone, but as she walked closer to take a look a small smile lit up her face. I know him! Indeed then there on the ground was one of her teammates, eating chips.

"Hi there!" She inched a little closer, a little hestitant to if he perhaps was against getting company. Eiji was his name if she wasn't mistaken. It was the boy with the big plans of becoming the Raikage. Not just that, the first Kenjutsu Raikage. She came to a halt right in front of him, her hands were behind her back where she linked her fingers together as she eye'd the not so healthy food he was devouring. It seemed tempting enough, and everybody had their snacking needs she supposed. "So.. how are you? What are you up to out here?" Maybe she would get lucky and be able to train a bit with him. Even if he was probably lots stronger than she was. Come to think of it, didn't he say some really embarrassing things back then at the team gathering?

Aimi's cheeks colored slightly in a crimson color as she tried not to think about that. He had most probably just been caught in the moment back then, and started saying things he didn't really mean. Because it didn't make sense to start talking about family and wanting to protect a person you didn't really know, right? Deciding to be more forward in trying to befriend her teammate, Aimi sat down on the ground next to him and gave another friendly smile while waiting for his replies.

Eiji jumped real quick when he heard a voice. As he looked around he saw that it was Aimi. His eyes widened with excitment. He stumbled and dropped his sword. "Um.....I'm sorry that usually doesn't happen to me that much. So....Aimi was it? Well i'm out here training, getting away from it all and having a little time to think to myself." Eiji put his arm behind his head and laughed. It was a nervousa laugh. "Ok get it togethet Eiji. You have to be strong." He shook his head and gazed upon Aimi's beauty. His face blushed a bright red. "Aimi I know what I said on the training field with our team was a bit.......far fetched but I do want you to know that I was entised by your beauty and I spoke how my heart was feeling at the time." His eyes stayed on her as he took a deep breath in then exhaled. He ordered another of the samething he had before. This time he ordered two for him and Aimi. "So on another note I am still trying to achieve my goal of becoming not just Raikage but the first Kenjutsu Raikage." He stood up with pride and joy in knowing that nothing would stop him from realizing his dream.

Many thoughts ran through Eiji's mind as he sat next to the most beautiful girl in Kumo. "Aw man I wonder if she thinks I'm being too straight forward wit her. Maybe I could tone it down a bit? Maybe she likes it. SHe did smile at me. Maybe I'm reading too much into it." Eiji always had a habit of reading a little too much into things but it was simply the way he was brought up. Even as a child he was always told to have an eye for detail and always keep hiseyes open. Even the samll things can mean something. Although it was meant for the battle field Eiji applied it to his everyday life. For a while Eiji was looking at the glass as half empty but now he was starting realize that his glass is half full.

Things were going well for the young Kenjutsu user. It wasn't too long ago that he wondered how was he going to move up in rank if he had no team. Now he was sitting a a fine eating establishment eating with the girl he announced to be his wife one day. He also announced that he would provide for her and help her anyway he could. Eiji would love nothing more than to see Aimi dream come true along with his. Eiji knew that she could look after herself he just felt as though it was a man's job to protect. Eiji took a deep breath in and then exhaled. There was alot on his mind and about eighty-five percent of it pertained to Aimi and his goal. I was bad enough that Eiji had little to no experience with women so he handle talking to women the same way he handles training. By being upfront and putting it all on the line. Which was not the best way but it was all he knew. "Aimi I take it you haven't heard from or seen the rest of our team? I haven't and I thought I was never going to see you again.....Um I mean the rest of the team along with you. You know it's been a while now and I was starting to think they gave up on us." Eiji eyes peered directly into his food. Watching the smoke rise up from it and the smell entising his taste buds. "So what brings you here Aimi?" Eiji smiled and awaited a response from her.

Eiji seemed to be quite caught off guard by her appearance, but he didn't show any hostility so she was greatful for that. He was basically doing what she was seeking to do, get time to think and train. So this was her chance to be able to get a training partner! Aimi held back a small excited smile as she listened to the words that followed, her cheeks heating slightly as they got painted a light pink color. She wasn't really used to people, or guys in general, to be this frank to her. And to actually say such embarrassing words. She shyly averted her gaze from his as she muttered lowly some thanks for the compliments. It was really not like her to get shy around people, on the contrary then she was usually the outspoken one that got others a bit nervous or shy. "You are a pretty..honest guy."

She noticed him ordering more food, and also food for her. At first she was thinking about declining but her stomach growled lightly in protest. A friendly eating together time? Sure she could handle that. "Thank you for the food." Eiji stood up, expressing his feelings like always in a rather dramatic way. Aimi let out a small laugh, feeling a bit at ease when he was this natural. She tasted her food, licking her lips slightly with a pleased look on her face as the taste was even better than she had expected. The cheerful guy was again seated next to her, and there was a short silence before he spoke again. She turned her head, looking at him before answering in her soft voice. "Well I must admit that I haven't heard from any of them. Perhaps they are just very busy? I would at least like to think so, it feels a bit cold to say that we have been abandoned." Her laughter filled the air as she relaxed a bit more and was able to look freely into Eiji's eyes without feeling that same shyness as before. He had a pleasant feeling to him, and was also good looking. There wasn't really any reason for her to be feeling all fidgety.

She turned her attention back to her food, poking slightly at it while thinking up her answer. She could say she was feeling a bit restless lately because of too many things in her private life but that might be a bit too much of information, at least for now. "Well, I have a lot on my mind. And I was also hoping to get the chance to train. Preferrably with someone else." She put her hands on her lap and glanced at him again. "I'm glad I met you, because I think it would be nice to train with you. And since we are teammates after all, then it will only benefit us more to know each other better." She paused a bit, her white and straight teeth worrying her lower lip lightly. "I must admit that I have no idea if I can be of any help to you. I'm not really strong and I don't think I have any great talents when it comes to fighting. I really dislike violence and don't want to hurt anyone, but people keep telling me that it's a silly thing to think like that when you are a ninja. I've even thought about giving up on it, but... I want to use my medical skills to save my fellow ninjas. I want to save as many as I can, and for that I need to become stronger."

She had a slightly troubled expression on her face as she looked down on her hands on her lap. She had just admitted her weak thinking to her teammate, and was now slightly scared that he would find her just as silly as most others seemed. He was a strong person, someone that seemed to be able to take care of himself on the training and battle field. While Aimi felt like she would only be in the way, and was quite scared to be frank of the thought of having to fight someone. Violence made her feel sick to her stomach.

Eiji saw that Aimi was at ease when he was being dramitic and upfront. That alone made him feel better. Eiji listen to Aimi speak and tell him what she was feeling. Eiji knew she had alot on her mind but she wasn't confortable enough to tell Eiji. Which is understandable. He would be the same way except he admired her non violent approach. His head shook thinking about people who lives have been lost for nothing more than war, land, resources, hell even a scroll. His attention went to the nearest window. Eiji eye's looked at the thunderstorm which he found to be a beautiful and breath taking sight. Very few things in this world were beautiful to Eiji. A thunderstorm is one of them. Alot of people wouldn't think that a rainy day or thunder and lighting were pretty. In fact many find it depressing. Not Eiji because he looks at it differently than many other people.

His eyes went back to Aimi. "Aimi look out that window. Tell me what do you see? A thunderstorm raging and dark clouds which can make you depressed right? Well that's not what I see. What I see is nature doing it's job. Everyone and everything has a set path in life. Look at the rain as it falls on the ground. Each rain drop is on a set path that has already been pre-determined. If something intervines with that rain drop reaching it destination then another will take it's place." Eiji smiled and looked at Aimi. "What i'm saying is that maybe you aren't meant to take the violent route in life.You could try but another person would simply take the route you were intended to take. You are not a weak person nor are you a fighter. You are a medical ninja and one day you will be the best medical ninja in Kumo maybe even the world. It's all up to you. And you know what people will say? They'll say hey there's Aimi-Kei the best medical ninja in all the land and wife to the first Kenjutsu Raikage Eiji Hitomi." Eiji would sometimes give long winded speechs to make his point. He could only hope that Aimi got the message and would smile. Eiji like to cheer people up. Especially beautiful women such as Aimi Kei.

In his heart he knew that Aimi Kei was not a fighter so training would be kind of hard. But on the other hand she is a medical ninja. "Aimi what do you say about me and you going on a mission? We could both get better and get one step closer to seeing our dream come true. Afterwards i'll take you on a date. Just me and you relaxing and gazing upon the beauty that is our village." Eiji figured now is a good as time as any to try and make a date with Aimi. Thoughts of rejection ran through his mind but he didn't let that bother him. Even if they didn't go atleast he got to spend this time with her. He kind of figured that she would have other plans and nine times out of ten she would say no but Eiji was feeling confident and tried a shot in the dark. Eiji put the money on the table for the meal and spun around to look at Aimi. He eagerly awaiited her answer to his propersition. His heart beat went faster and faster. The anticipation was getting to him but he didn't let it show. He just took a deep breath in and exhaled.

Her eyes drifted to the window as he told her, and true enough then the heavy thunderstorm along with it's noise could easily be taken in a depressive way. But as Eiji kept talking, she looked at him with a slightly surprised expression. His words sounded so right, and what he was saying made perfect sense and seemed to be lifting something heavy off of her chest. A smile lit up her face as her dark eyes got a warm glint to them and she could feel herself almost in tears, but blinked rapidly to get rid of the moisture that was threatening to gather. He understood her, and he was able to with just those few words of his, to reassure her to keep trying to go her own path as a medical ninja. And Aimi felt truly grateful for that, along with whispering a silent thanks in her head to whomever had put her in a team with someone this thoughtful. Her heart skipped a few beats and her eyes got a bit wider though at the "wife" part, making her quickly avert her eyes from him while trying to not blush too much.

There he goes again. I wonder if he's just saying this to be funny. She gave him a small, grateful smile as she tried not to think about the last part. "Thank you Eiji. I feel somehow much more at ease now." A mission! Of course! That was both physical training along with getting experience as a ninja! What kind of missions were available now? It was very exciting to think about, and her answer was obvious by the eagerness on her face. She started nodding while listening to him but on the mention of a date the smile froze on her face. She blinked, parted her lips and closed them again, then swallowed a few times before muttering out. "A-a d-date?" Her brown eyes got even bigger as she nervously linked her fingers together while doing a good attempt of making a hole through the table with her stare. Did she feel something for him? Honestly it was too early to think about really, but Aimi at least didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence and he surely was managing to make her blush all the time.

My first date.. geez this is too much for my brain. Get a grip Aimi! It's not like your are a kid anymore! "S-sure, that would be nice." Her cheeks got redder as she got a bit startled at her own voice. Well she could be pretty sure that Eiji was a gentleman and wouldn't be too forward on that date, although he had proven by now that if there was something on his mind then he said it outloud. She stood also and looked up at him with a cheerful smile while most of the blushing was leaving her face. Maybe this was the beginning of a really beautiful friendship, or something more that would lead these two young ninjas together. Only time would tell, but it was surely giving Aimi butterflies in her stomach to think about. "Let's get a good mission and grow stronger and more skilled so we can step closer to our goals!" She pumped her fist in the air in an energetic way and laughed while starting to walk ahead.

When Aimi stood up and spoke at first it shocked Eiji. He had not seen her speak her mind before. Eiji thought to his self "Maybe I'm starting rub off on her. Or maybe she just likes my confidence. Either way i'm glad." Then for a moment it was silent. He looked down into her big beautiful brown eyes and he saw forever in them. In all his years he had not seen such a beautiful site. The rain continued to fall and it only made Eiji that much more happy. Finally someone understood him. He stried to explain to his sisters and brother how the rain could be a peaceful and beautiful site. All they did was blow it off as another one of Eiji's speechs about nothing. The fact that Aimi actually understood him and how he felt about it made him light up inside. It also made him that much more determined to make Aimi his wife one day. He debeated with his slef about if he was being too straight forward and if what he was feeling was something or nothing. Being around her made him want to do backflips but he kept that to his self.

Eiji's face lit up with excitment when he heard that Aimi agreed to go on a mission with him. He was happy enough just being near Aimi and now to go on a mission with her only made things that much better. He knew that he couldn't show too much happiness so he simply shouted yes and jumped up. "Aw man this is going to be so awsome. Me and you on a mission getting stronger. It's like I'm living a dream." Eiji closed his eyes and smiled. Everything was moving smoothly and going just as Eiji wanted. Even with the plans to go do a mission he didn't plan ahead as to what mission they could take. They were two Genins so finding a mission should'nt be that hard. It couldn't be. Eiji eyes went from Aimi to the window then back to Aimi. "It's alright we will go do a mission and get stronger together. Nothing can stop us from reaching our goals."

Eiji admired the way Aimi stood up and said what she said about the mission. With the excitment of going on a mission Eiji forgot all about the fact that Aimi said yes to his plans for a date. He took a deep breath and a huge gulp. His attention went to his hands which were shaking. Quickly he put them behind his back and he smiled. "Ok Eiji you got this far and she actually agreed to go on a date with you. Now just be yourself and remeber she's a girl so treat her like one. She likes my confidence but I think I should tone it down a bit." Eiji smiled and jumped down from his chair. With a smile on his face and his right hand holding his brown and black hair back from his face he spoke in a smooth confident voice. "So you have anywhere in mind that you would like to go on our date or should I pick the place to go? Either way." Eiji stopped and looked directly into Aimi eyes. "I'll go anywhere you want to go. As your friend, teammate, confidon and hopfully husband it is my duty to please you." Eiji put his right arm across his chest and held his head high. This was surly a proud moment for the swordsmen. He awaited Aimi's response.

She tried to look back into his eyes without blushing or smiling like a stressed up idiot, but that failed. She felt as stiff as a string and was going to die sometime soon from the shyness. Just... think of this as a business meeting with a teammate! That sounded .. weird. So she tried to remember some of the tips her friends gave her when the time for dating would finally come. She was supposed to flirt, not let the guy be in control, and be very confident. Now there were 3 problems with that. She did not know how to flirt, he seemed to be already in control as he had been the one asking her out and therefore making it impossible for her to even try to act normal, and then it was the problem that she didn't really feel that confident. In fact she felt like a blushing idiot that was about to start either stammering or giggling and make an even more fool out of herself. "Umm I think there weren't any missions available right now.. at least when I checked the board. But.. maybe later tonight or tomorrow." Her dark eyes shifted down to the ground.

"So, we can go and see a movie now for the date.. or take a walk somewhere. Either way is fine with me." They had just eaten now, so there wasn't really any planning about food any time soon. She wanted to get to know him better and also wanted to see if he was crazy or something. People just didn't say they were going to marry someone that they met for the second time in their life! "Oh perhaps on the .. date.. we could think about a some sort of a mission that might be good!" Her steps were slow and short as she kept walking and wanted to also have him at her side as they would talk. "Ah also.." She paused, finding it a bit difficult to say this outloud without perhaps being rude or hurt him in some way. "I think.. you should not refer to me as your future wife. A-at least not in front of people! Or ... me." She glanced at him while having an embarrassed look on her face. "It's not like it's a bad thing really.. it's just a bit.. much don't you think? I mean I think I can easily like you and all, but it really catches me off guard each time you say ... that."

Her cheeks heated again as she tried to make her voice not shaky. "It's weird, I'm usually never this... awkward around people." Except then around certain males in certain situations. The memory flash of the one guy that had managed to steal her first kiss went through her head. It's different though with Eiji.. I just can't explain it. And it wasn't like he was trying to seduce her on the spot or anything, in fact he looked just as nervous as she did. Which was kind of.. easier for her. She stopped and looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression. "Maybe I already like you a bit more than just any other friend." Oh great, who was now with all the straight forward talking? "Well of course that might be a bit soon, but I mean I guess those things can happen fast and all.." Her voice died out as she scratched her head. "I'm totally rambling aren't I? Don't worry, I usually don't get this weird either. Maybe I ate something funny or hit my head or something." Her laughter filled the air as she was fortunately always ready to see the funny sides of situations that might become overly awkward.

"So, about that date. Then I will have to demand that you behave like a total gentleman! And just so you know, then I promise I will behave like a total lady." It was time to start turning the tables and allow herself to relax and let the joking side out. Even if she was still feeling very shy, then she managed to make her voice sound light and without any hesitation. It might even be fun to do this whole flirting thing, as long as he wouldn't mind. Maybe he preferred girls to be all.. silent and shy around him. Well I guess then we will find out today if we could be able to have another date. Very smoothly she linked her arm with his while looking up at him and waiting to see what he would want to do. Somehow Aimi felt a small part of herself wanting to see him blush and be a little awkward himself, although if that was just to get payback or not then she wasn't sure. It is time for confident Aimi to start acting! Walks were always nice since then you could talk and see fun things. Movies were also fun, although Aimi wasn't sure if there was any good movie showing at this hour.

Eiji was a little down about it not being a mission up but he wouldn't let it get to him. Hell that just meant that they could go on their date first. Of course Eiji was stoked about going on a mission but even more excited about the date. This would be his first date. Hard as that is to believe. Even with all of his upfront-ness girls would just laugh. He became more confident to hide the fact that so many girls laughed in his face whenever he said how he felt. Those thoughts ran through his head but he shook it off. He knew that Aimi was different. Hell she agreed to go on a date with him so that means she must like something about him. "Alright. We can go on our date first. This means I can impress her before we go on our mission. She'll see just how awesome I am. Hopefully she'll like it."

As Aimi spoke Eiji listened carefully. "Um cool we could go for a walk. You bring an umbrella? No i'm joking it's ok I brought one." Eiji figured that it was time for him to ease up on the straight forward attuide he was so custom to and show that he has a joking side as well. Eiji thought to his self for a moment. "That sounds like a plan. We can discuss the mission we want. Maybe even talk about each other and learn alot about each other." Eiji smiled and spoke in a low monotone voice. "Sure it would be nice to know what we're going to do before we actually do the mission." Aimi next words would sting like a scorpion's tail. Eiji new that he was being to up front but he forgot to even ask her if it was alright for him to proclaim her as his wife or future wife. His eyes went down and his facial expression was kinda of sad but he knew that she would say that sooner or later. "Alright I will no longer call you my future wife or my wife. Atleast not until we spent some time together and you actually agree to marry me." Eiji perked his self up. Even though she asked him to stop saying that she did it in a way that was just so nice and beautiful he couldn't help but smile at her.

Eiji thought that he did something wrong. "Oh crap did I do something wrong? No maybe she meant it in a good way." Eiji inhaled and exhaled a sigh of relief. He knew that was up front alot but he didn't think it would make Aimi feel awkard around him. Aimi turned towards Eiji which kind of threw him off a little. After she finish speakings Eiji eyes widened and in his mind he was jumping with joy and screaming yes at the top of his lungs. This was just what he was hoping for. Eiji always wondered if she felt the same way as he did but he was going to ask her on the date. That fact that Aimi likes him a little more than a friend was music to his ears. Outside Eiji could swear that he could hear birds singing and angels playing harps. Eiji felt like this on the inside but the reality was he didn't know how to respond to it. "Oh wow um A-as you may or may not already know I ummm." Eiji turned away to hide the fact that he was blushing a little. He looked at his hand and pushed his fingers together. "Th-that is good to know Aimi. I feel the exact same way." Eiji turned around and his rosey red checks were gone. Her laughter made Eiji less awkard and got his confidence back.

Aimi words put a smile on Eiji's face. He already planned on being a gentlemen. "Oh I promise that I will be a perfect gentlemen on our date and that I will take no action without permission." Eiji bowed his head slightly. Suddenly he felt Aimi's arm linked to his. Eiji had never felt a girls touch before and Aimi's was soft and comforting. "Oh sh-I mean oh crud she's taking control. I thought the man was suppose in control. Un oh I can't hide my face." Eiji's face was as red as the leaves in fall. He was blushing and he couldn't hide it. He didn't know what to do. Not only was this the first girl to touch him but now she was taking control. Eiji knew he had to do something to try and not look too submissive. "S-ss-so Aimi ummm so wh-what is it about m-m-mm-me that you like?" Eiji was starting to feel shy and he was showing it in his voice. For the first time in his life he was shy. This was a new feeling to Eiji. He could feel butterflies in his stomach. Every now and then he would look at Aimi then look away. Eiji took a huge gulp and spoke. "Aimi what kind of mission should we look for?" Eiji was confident about missions not so much with love or girls. He could speak his mind but that would be as far as things go.

She had for a moment thought he would get gloomy about the comment she made earlier, but thankfully then Eiji didn't seem to be the type to dwell too much on those type of things. It made the young girl smile impishly to herself when Eiji started to stammer and get very blushy. It was really.. cute as a matter of fact. Perhaps it was crazy of them both to say they liked each other after this little time, and perhaps that liking was all just on the surface. But she was sure that people had gotten a much worse start than they, so it was a 50/50 percent chance of things working up. What I like about him? Oh man, he's really gonna try to make me embarrassed and shy again. She looked down at the ground as they walked while pondering on how to best answer him. "Well, I can't say I know you that well at all. But.. I like how forward and honest you are, and also your kindness. Even if at times you might come with some outrageous comments about marriage." Aimi looked at him with a teasing smile before she stuck her tongue slightly out at him.

"I also like your dream for the future. And I'm very sure you would make a great Raikage. And I hope you will remain as kind and honest then as you are now." She spoke truthfully, meaning each word from the bottom of her heart. She always had faith in her friends, and would gladly do anything for them. And if he would ever need someone there to help him in getting his dream, then she would be glad to help. Her expression became slightly distant as she thought about how they would both turn out after just a few years. If both, or just one of them, would have the chance to fulfill their dreams. You never knew what life would give you, if it was pleasant surprises or something that might take away all motivation or drown you in darkness. What am I truly willing to do, how far will I go to seek out my own dreams? Shaking her head slightly, she turned her dark eyes back up into his face and studied him a bit. "I would lie if I said I didn't find you cute, but I try not to sound too shallow and comment too much on what people look like." Another impish smile entered her lips as she half jokingly added that sentence. Eiji was good looking, and probably knew it himself even if he was far from being arrogant or self-absorbed. Another thing which she liked about him.

"So what is it about me that you like? I bet my awesome non-existant ninja skills are not that much of an appeal, but my beginning medical skills are probably very tempting. I wont be wearing any nurse outfits though, just to warn you now." She gave his arm a light squeeze while joking a bit more, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Thank God I am starting to relax.. I just gotta slow down in the joking department.. not everybody like to hear jokes in every other sentence. It was basically how she dealt with situations which were difficult and puzzling for her. She used the humor as defense. It was at least better than mumbling something no one could hear, or flee off the scene. And for the record, then she found herself having a very good humor! Although not all could get her jokes at times.

"Oh! If you don't mind then I would like to take a mission that involves animals. I know there are always people that loose their pets and need help with finding them. And I just feel awful thinkin about a lost pet." She had a pure puppy-eyes expression on her face while talking, since animals were her big weak spot. "It might not sound overly exciting, but it happens that there are muscles needed and that's where you come in! Since well, let's just face the fact that I would probably tumble over if someone sneezed at me." She rolled her eyes at the thought before laughing. "But I am confident that I would be able to heal the animals if something was wrong. And I can also heal some scratches.. if the pet would be a bit reluctant in accepting our assistance." She could actually very well picture Eiji having a fight with a cat, and she was pretty sure that the cat would win that fight. Not that she doubted Eiji's strength, but more the fact that she found him too kind to really do anything about an animal trying to scratch his eyes out. I guess I could always go on and save him then! What a nice switch of roles that would be. She was indeed one of those girls that didn't plan to just be the damsel in distress and wait for the knight in shining armor. She had her own plans about saving that knight in armor some day. Well, after some good training.

Eiji started to become more and more relaxed. Things were going good and Eiji was now starting to see a new side of the girl he proclaimed his love to. He pondered where this new found forward-ness came from. Had she been hiding this from Eiji? Or did he simply bring it out of her? Those were questions that could only be answered by Aimi. Eiji smiled and laughed a little. "Yeah I can say some down right crazy things at times." Eiji laughed a little more. "If you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at?" In his mind Eiji always found ways to make a joke out of the situation if everyone around him was down and gloomy or just too serious. "Actually Aimi I say things like that because I have no idea how to express myself. Not to mention i've never Mr. Popular with the ladies. It's mostly because I just say how I feel and not all girls like that." The fact that he said that to Aimi was proof that he was starting to feel a little more relaxed around Aimi. could this be the start of something special? Only time would tell.

For some strange reason Eiji thought it would be funny to speak in a southern accent to respond to what Aimi said about his dream. "Why thank you miss. You darn tooting i'm stay tride and true." He didn't know exactly how Aimi would respond to that southern thing so Eiji stopped right after he spoke. He began to think about his dream. "Aw man how far would I go for my dream? How many before me swore to be Raikage and fell victim to the darkness in their hearts? How many promised to be the best and did anything to be the best? People betrayed one another just gain power. Would I go that far? No I want to be Raikage. There is only one path for me. I hope it doesn't lead into darkness." Just as Eiji was thinking Aimi comes out of left field and compliments his looks. Eiji did brag about his looks because honestly he knew he wasn't the best looking guy around but he knew he wasn't the ugliest either. He smiled and looked at Aimi in her eyes. "Thanks Aimi. Your beautiful yourself. I mean wow look at you. I bet guys line up just to try and talk to you." Eiji smiled and laughed. Not just at what he said but at Aimi's jokes aswell. He had no idea she could be funny. This made Eiji smile more and more. Not only was Aimi down to earth but she was funny and humor is always a good thing for a girl to have.

"Aw really no nurse outfits? No i'm joking." Eiji laughed and smiled as he answered Aimi's question. "Well to be honest that is what I like about you. The fact that you don't want to fight and hurt people is actually like a breath of fresh air. Everybody wants to be a shinobi but you want something different. That makes me smile to know that in a world filled with wars and killing there is someone who doesn't want anything to do with that." Eiji felt a light squeeze on his arm and again he blushed. This was something new to him so he was still getting use to it. "Wow she is really atarting to relax around me. I wonder if I should tell her more about me? I don't know maybe I should maybe I shouldn't. It's too earlier to go into our past but then again we are on a date after only seeing each other twice in our lives so I guess it wouldn't hurt."

This sounded like the perfect mission for the two of them. "A mission aout a lost pet? That would be awesome. It utlizes both of our skills. This is going to be so cool." Just as Eiji was getting excited he pictured what it would be like if it was an animal with claws...like a cat. In his mind he saw himself trying to pry the cat off his face as it scratched him. He would yell "IT'S SCRATCHING MY REITNAS" and then he would roll around on the ground in a typical comic fashion and ironicly Aimi would have to save him. Eiji turned towards Aimi and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked at her right in her eyes. "Aimi let's make a promise right here right now. That no matter where we are in the next three, four, five years if one of us is going down a path of darkness then the other have to try and stop them. I know it's comming out of no where but thinking about it I want to become Raikage but not if I have to do things that against my own code of honor." Eiji smiled as he held his hand up wit hhis pinky out hoping that Aimi would except the promise. Just to try and ease the mood Eiji asked Aimi a question. "So have you had your first kiss? I haven't but I always pictured it would be something like Sam's and Freddy's from iCarly."

"Hmh well I gotta say for my own preferences at least, that I like people that don't try to hide their feelings." A southren accent? She chuckled while listening, glad to know she wasn't the only one that had a rich humor. "Ah, well.. uh.. I don't know about that lining up." An embarrassed laughter followed with a slight poking at the ground with the toe of her boot. She hadn't really noticed guys fighting over talking with her, but now that she thought about it.. she had always had plenty of guy friends and if she pondered more about that then it was very likely that she had been too blind to notice any flirting from their part. "Oh well instead of keep talking about some potentional fans, then I'm at least glad you are up to that kind of a mission! I have a feeling that we will be able to wrap up any type of mission that is out there!" Confident talking always had to follow her good mood.

She came to a halt and stared at Eiji as he stopped walking and put his hand on her shoulder. His words filled her with a warm feeling, as it was indeed wonderful to have such a person to be able to count on. "Oh! That sounds like such a good promise!" Putting on a totally serious expression, she linked her pinky with his. "I promise to be always there for help, and I will give you a good butt kicking out of the darkness if it starts creeping up at you." It was no guarantee that neither of them would end up in some kind of a shady business, but you could never know for sure. Aimi gave a small smile as she pulled her hand back and thought they were about to keep walking, when his next question hit her like someone had just punched her in the stomach. So he agreed not to talk about marriage, but goes into the subject of kissing instead? Boy do I have a feeling that things will never get boring with Eiji around. But I'll probably become a some sort of a nervous wreck.

"I-I..well." She stepped backwards and looked down as her face got red, but she mostly looked down to hide the nervousness and sadness that had started to appear in her eyes. "Well that's a pretty .. straight forward question!" Her laughter was very forced out while she scratched the back of her head. "Well, umm yes I have had my first kiss. Although it wasn't really anything close to what I thought it would be." Dark brown eyes entered her mind, aggressive lips against hers that both had scared her and made her feel things which she hadn't even dreamt about. "I guess I had thought the first kiss would be something.. sweet and made you feel like connecting with the other person. Instead of .." Instead of it being with a total stranger in the hot springs? I'm still not sure just what was happening at that time, but I'm not sure if I dare try something like that again. It was very scary to think about after all. She didn't keep talking about that, had just let her voice die out. There wasn't any need to get any deeper into that subject.

While trying to ease her uncomfortable state, she squeezed out a smile. "Sam's and Freddy's from iCarly?" Aimi couldn't say she was familiar with what he was talking about, but she was curious about it. Hoping he wouldn't dwell too much on her small speech about her own kiss, she started walking again while waiting on his description about how he wanted his first kiss to be. Even if it was still pouring down from the sky, then she didn't really care if she was under the umbrella or not. Some water never hurt anyone. A small thought entered her mind, the question about how she would react if Eiji tried to kiss her. Would she freak out, or let it happen? I doubt he will be as... overwhelming and frightenly passionate about it. But maybe all guys act that way.. how should I know anyways? Aimi raised a single, delicate eyebrow at her thoughts. It wasn't really that decent to be thinking this much about kissing on the first date, now was there? I bet most of my friends would faint if they knew what was going on in my mind. She was far from being as .. blind about this subject as they would come to believe.

"I wonder if our team has been disbanded or something. Since even if I try to be optimistic about this whole thing, then it is weird how the contact with them got just cut off." It was a bit weird and scary to maybe have to join a new team, and in that team perhaps she and Eiji wouldn't be teammates again. "Well we shouldn't waste this first date on some depressing thoughts. How about you tell me something more about yourself?" Stopping in her tracks and waiting for Eiji to catch up, Aimi kept asking in a curious tone. "Tell me something about your family. And oh! Do you have any pets? I don't have any unfortunately, but as my mom so cleverly points out then most of the animals in Kumo seem to think of themselves as my pets."

Eiji smiled when he heard Aimi laugh at his terrible southern accent. He didn't really know if it would make her laugh but he took a chance and it worked. "So she likes people who don't hide their feelings but not too straight forward like calling her my wife. I gotta find the middle ground." Even though Eiji was happy with that mission at this point in time he would've taken any mission as long as it was with Aimi. Eiji put his arms on his head and smiled at Aimi. "We will not only complete this mission but we'll do it in record setting time." Aimi's confidence was giving Eiji confidence. He may have gotten ahead of his self considering that the average mission takes about three to four days to complete so a record setting time would have to be a day at the most.

A smile appeared on his face as Aimi linked her pinky with his. He laughed at the butt kicking part too. "Ok I promise to keep you away from the darkness and to do everything in my power to save you if you fall victim to it." This was now Eiji's most important promise. He knew that no matter what he had to not only protect himself but Aimi as well from falling to the darkness. Eiji could see that his next question caught Aimi off guard. The question was meant to lighten the mood from all this talk of darkness or so Eiji thought it would. From the look on Aimi's face there seemed to be something behind her first kiss that wasn't too good. Eiji thoughtto his self "Great why did I have to say that? Now she's probably all down and depressed about it. I am not good at this. Ok Eiji calm down. It's alright. I can't ask about her first kiss again. Or any kissing for that matter."

Eiji could see that Aimi was really nervous about answering that question. Her laughter was soothing and kinda made Eiji feel a little better but he had a feeling that it was forced. Her words put a look of sadness on Eiji's face. Only because from what little she said it would seem that someone stole her first kiss. That or she did it and regreted it but Eiji perfers to believe the first one. He did'nt want let Aimi know that he was saddened by what she said. "That's just down right sad. I wonder if it's anything I can do to help. Maybe never bring this subject up again. There's a good way to start." Eiji put his arm around Aimi and held her close to him. "It's ok we don't have to talk about it anymore." It didn't occur to Eiji that he would strike a nerve. Being sensitive wasn't Eiji's strong suit it was one of many areas that he needed to work on. Eiji believed that a person's first kiss should be with someone that they cared about. It's suppose to be a sign that both people have decided to take their relationship to the next level. That is exactly why Eiji hadn't had his first kiss. Well maybe because he's no good with talking to girls.

"Oh um...iCarly is a......you know what nevermind that. I want my first kiss to be on a day...similiar to this. Where we sit down and watch the rain as it falls in puddles and ponds. Then we would stare deep into each others eyes. A feeling of passion and excitment would come over both of us. We lean in and when our lips touch sparks fly, fireworks go off, the wind blows, music plays and we would both feel that passion and know that this is what a first kiss is suppose to feel like. I know it's kind of a long and quite frankly a corny explaination but that's how I always pictured it. " Eiji had a huge smile on his face while he was blushing. He loved describing how his first kiss would be. He blushed because he didn't know if Aimi would laugh at the idea of what he said or would she just simply say it's corny. Then came the thought of when would be the perfect time for a kiss? "On the first date? No that's too early. 2nd perhaps? Maybe but if I do would Aimi reject me? She might even think of me in the same way as that perv who stole her first kiss. I'm different so I can wait for Aimi to let me know when it's alright...but should I ask her when is it alright? Aw man this first kiss thing is way too complicated."

Eiji himself worried about the team but he didn't let it show. The only person he made a conncetion is right here with him. He hadn't seen or heard from the others in weeks. Eiji smiled and laughed "Oh look at you taking control. Well My mother is a house wife and my father is a blacksmith. He actually helped me make this sword. I have three other siblings. An older sister who is on her way to being a Jounin soon, and little brother who is twelve and tries to be like his big sister, and a baby sister who is nine and swings her plastic knife around like a sword. You can guess who she admires. My family is a typical family really. Nothing special about us aside from the fact that i'm the only one who uses a sword. As for pets well I don't have any but I always wanted a dog. Or a cat. Or anything really just so long as I can look after it." The fact that Aimi wanted to these things about Eiji made him think that maybe Aimi liked him a lot. Maybe not in love but enough to know that they could possibly have a furture together at some point in time. "So now it's your turn. Tell me about your family and something about you that I don't already know."

It wasn't her intention of dragging the subject down, and it pained Aimi a bit to see his eyes get a little sadder. I really am a total mood spoiler. Parting her lips to apologize, she closed her mouth quickly as her eyes widened a bit at the feel of his arm around her. It was the arm of a boy and not a full grown man, and yet that arm held such strength and warmth to it. It was surprising how much kindness this boy seemed to offer. I know I will probably be happy if I choose him. But how am I expected to do so this suddenly? This was their first date, and yet Aimi felt like they were moving at the speed of light. But nevertheless, for this small moment of comfort he offered, she rested her forehead against him and relaxed a bit. It felt good to have someone for you, to hold you like this when you felt sad or scared. There was as if a new world was slowly opening for the young girl, and she could somewhat understand now what her friends had been talking about all along.

Pulling a bit away again, although she would have liked to stay like that a bit longer, she listened with interest to Eiji describe his idea of his first kiss. And Aimi couldn't help but smile a bit, as that idea of his seemed very likable. "I like that. I would want my second kiss to be something like that. And perhaps, we would then share that moment." A deep red blush colored her cheeks while she looked away and bit on her lower lip before speaking again. "Is it wicked of me to think like that? I'm sure not everybody are so open, but when I'm around you I just feel like speaking my mind all the time. And it feels somewhat easier than I would have expected. I think more people should start just speaking what's inside their mind and heart." Her gaze went up into Eiji's face, questioning, hesitant. It was as if she was expecting rejection any time then, she was slowly moving forwards in this thing that was beginning between them while taking small baby steps. Deciding not to be too forward, she moved just a little further away from him in embarrassment.

"Your family sounds wonderful. I don't have any siblings, but I would have liked that a lot. To perhaps have the chance of teaching a younger one, or be able to train with an older sibling. I somewhat always wished I had a bigger brother to look up to and to be there and protect me whenever I felt scared. And then I'd have a younger sister whom I'd always worry about and have small bickering with, but we'd always become friends again by the end of the day." Aimi's voice got softer as she spoke, her dark eyes filled with kindness. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I also think it would have been easier not to be an only child. My parents are very protective about me. I love them a lot, but sometimes it just feels like they are smothering me too much, wanting to protect me too much from life itself. It's like they are afraid of letting me make the mistakes that will teach me how to live life, and how to face the errors and make them better." A small sigh followed after that while she turned her face upwards and stared up at the dark clouds. I wonder when the storm will calm..

Looking around, she wondered where they were heading. It seemed like they were just walking randomly ahead while having no particular place in mind to go to. "Oh!" She let out a small yelp while flailing her arms around while trying to grab a hold of Eiji as her foot slipped suddenly. It would have probably been better to watch where she was stepping down, since the road under their feet was drenched by now and slippery at various places. Now cursing for having stepped away from Eiji, she landed with a small thud on her butt in a rather big puddle which seemed to have decided to be right there in that place and that moment when she had decided to take a tumbling. Wincing slightly as her ankle throbbed after having gotten twisted a bit too much in the falling, Aimi couldn't help but start laughing. "Ow dammit! That wasn't very graceful." She looked up at Eiji while laughing and holding her ankle, her long hair was splayed on the ground around her petite form while she was slowly but surely getting soaked.

"It doesn't seem very fair that only I get drenched, now does it?" A mischiveous glint entered her eyes as she splashed with her other hand water at Eiji. This small, and very clumsy act, would perhaps act as a great ice breaker between them. Maybe it was just meant for first dates to have endless amounts of awkward moments, in between some good chatting. But well, it was maybe that which made the dates memorable, right?

Eiji was having a blast on his first date. It could'nt have gone better if he planned it his self. His eyes gazing at Aimi as she rested her fore head on him. Many thoughts ran through Eiji's head at that moment. "She seems down about her first kiss. I won't let that be her only memory of a kiss. When we have our kiss I promise it'll be better than her first one. It has to be. I should ask about something else to lighten to mood but my idea of lighen the mood led to this. Great." Eiji took a deep breath and let it out. Ever since Eiji first layed eyes on Aimi he has always had a feeling of deep passion for her. He knew it was love even though he announced that she would be his wife just to stop the other two guys from having a chance to take her. Any girl that Eiji liked either laughed at him or someone else got to them before he could. So when he saw Aimi and how beautiful she was he had to do something.

As Aimi pulled away Eiji had a strange and confused look on his face. Did he do something wrong? Was she uncomfortable? Instead of asking her why she pulled away he figured she would tell him in time. Eiji face lit up red as she said that they could share her second kiss. His heart started to beat faster and faster. She felt comfortable around him which made him calm down a little bit. Her eyes looking into his made Eiji feel like nothing else mattered. He smiled as he spoke to her. "No it's ok to feel like that on your first date. Hey I announced that I would marry you when I first saw you. Also people should say what's in their hearts. So right now what's in your heart? What's in my heart is you." Eiji stopped and just realized what he said. His face was red again. In his mind he kept repeating oh crap over and over again. "Um was that too straight forward?" Aimi stepped away so Eiji didn't think that she heard anything he just said. Which was kind of bitter sweet. Bitter because he wanted to know w hat was in her heart. Sweet because maybe she didn't hear what he just said.

"Hey having and little brother and two sisters isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sometimes I have to watch what they want to on tv which causes me to miss alot of my shows. I have share a bathroom with my little brother who doesn't like to let use the shower and an older sister who always rubs it in my face that she's on her way to becoming a Jounin. But I can see where your comming from. Hey you know if you ever want to meet them you can come over any time you want you know." Eiji puased for a moment. At that moment something hit him. He just gave Aimi an open invitation to come to his house anytime to meet his family. Normally this isn't aa bad thing but he wondered how his sisters would behave. Not to mention how his little brother would constantly pester both of them. "I sometimes wonder what it would be like being an only child. How much more I would have, how much more attention I would get all of that and then some. I know being an only child can be hard at times and your parents are super over protective but hey your here with mr arent you? So they can't be that over protective can they?" Eiji smiled and slightly nudged Aimi in a joking manner.

They continued to walk not having any idea where they were going Eiji began to wonder if he should've plotted out a course before they went on this date. He looked up at the sky wondering when would the rain stop? Not that it wasn't beautiful it's just that it had been raining ever since they met again and decided to go on a date. As he looked back at Aimi he could see that she was about to fall. Before he could make it to her she fell. On top of that she landed right in a puddle. "Aw Aimi are you ok?" Eiji quickly rushed over to where she was. "Aw I hope your not to hurt." Eiji saw Aimi laughing which made him laugh. Her hair layed around her as she sat on the ground and to Eiji she had never been more beautiful. Again his heart started ti beat faster and faster. He pondered if this would be the right moment for a kiss or to tell her that he was falling for her even more than before. He didn't know what to say but he knew that this was the right time to say it. Everything was in place and it just seemed right. He kneeled down and looked at Aimi right in her dark beautiful eyes. He was at a loss for a moment but he regain his composer. "Aimi you look so beautiful right now."

He looked at her and she had a look of mischiveous look on her face. Eiji eyes widened as he thought about what she was planning. "Nooooo noo noooo no no no no no. Aimi don't do it." And sure enough she slpashed him. Eiji laughed and splashed her back. "Ha now your drenched even more." Eiji prepared to splash her again but lost his footing and landed right next to Aimi. "Oh wow how weird was that? You fell and now I fell. Wow." Eiji smiled as he looked at Aimi as she sat in the puddle. This was Eiji first date and he was sure to remeber it for as long as he lives.