Getting to know a team mate (Ayame and Raizo)

The sound of wind blowing through the window filled the small apartment building. Raizo sat on the floor with his back against the wall, hugging his knees. His eyes were bloodshot and he jumped at the slightest sound. Only a few minutes before he had been sleeping peacefully before the night terrors hit. His scream had woke the neighbors and he could hear them arguing with each other, trying to decide which of them would come over to check on him. Raizo hoped neither of them came. The last thing he needed was unnecessary attention. For now he was content to sit quietly against the wall and wait for the shivering to stop.

Footsteps coming up to his apartment door caused the Genin to leap to his feet and rummage around for belt. He was already fully dressed except for the belt that his headband was attached to. Yanking it up, he strapped it around his wait and beckoned for Ozunu to follow him quietly to the window. Loud knocks could be heard behind them as they both leapt through the open window and landed on a building below. Raizo crouched down once he landed and looked around. It was still pretty early, maybe noon, and there was the usual crowd of people in the streets below. There were many things the boy could do. He could train but he wasn’t in the mood for it. There was also the idea of going to get something to eat but he wasn’t particularly hungry. Finally he decided to travel to a member of his team’s house and see what they were doing. Standing up, the boy dropped from the building he was on, closely followed by Ozunu, and began to walk through the streets.

People bumped into the lone Genin as he walked slowly through the streets. His thoughts kept straying to the nightmare from the night before. It had been far worse than his usual ones. Most he could sleep through but that one had awoken him unlike any other. This made the boy think about what the reasoning behind it was. He knew little of his past and close to nothing about the unique birthmark on his chest. He needed to learn more and he knew he wasn’t going to learn anything in the village. The Genin just hoped he got the opportunity to leave soon. If not he would have to make due with the night terrors until he was a Jounin or High Chuunin when he could leave the village freely.

Lost in his thoughts, Raizo hadn’t paid much attention to the direction he was taking, Surprisingly enough he had ended up outside of where he had been told Ayame lived. A huge house stood in front of him, dwarfing his small apartment. The boy couldn’t stop staring at it with his mouth agape as he walked slowly up the path that led to the door. It surprised him that someone he knew lived in a house this big. This just made him grin and think of the fun he could have over here. His footsteps echoed as he walked up the front steps and stopped in front of the door. Taking in a deep breath, the boy knocked three good times, just loud enough for the people inside to hear it.

This was it, the match of the century. Two warriors step into the square of combat, one warrior will make it out. It will be the battle of all battles, the war of all wars, the… something else relating to combat of all other things that were also relating to combat. The true winner will not only prove just how dangerous she is, but just how ruthless and merciless they can be when they have to. It will be no holds barred and the loser will probably only barely make it out alive, if they make it out alive in the first place.

“This time… you’re going down, Koriyama.” Ayame said to her combatant over the high definition television screen. Well, she didn’t usually call it a television screen, it was more like one of those projector screens that would be used in movie theaters that were about as big as the floor to the roof and as wide as the room, it even actually had a projector to display what you were watching, or in Ayame’s case, playing. She was in the middle of the final match in order to finally beat her new wrestling game and this would now be her… 27th time in this match all day, she just wasn’t letting up on this one.

She continued playing the match, it was pretty much jot down in the middle between her and the computer. Punches, kicks, throws, holds, chokes, anything you could think of except the kitchen sink was going on in this match off, but in the end, Koriyama Nasaki was the victor of the match for the now 27th time. Ayame just put the controller down as the game had the words “Do you wish to continue?” flashing over the screen with “yes/no" right below it. She clapped her hands twice, activating the light switch ad was finally able to see the room once more, which was a surprise for her considering how long she’s been playing this game in the darkness.

She then rubbed her semi dark eyes as they were adjusting to the new rays of light hitting her entire environment. She also ran her right hand through her semi messy hair, which she decided to not braid today for sheer sake the effort, despite the fact that she wasn’t the one to have to do it, but she didn’t feel like sitting across that mirror for 30-60 min. so she just straightened her hair and that’s how she’s been all day, other than the fact that it was a little loose now from video game stress, but nothing a brush couldn’t fix.

Ayame got up from the couch, shivering a little as her bare feet hit the cold tile floor and went over to the nightstand next to her to pick up the brush and run through her hair with it. It was then that Ayame heard a knock echoing across the hallways. Being the only one in the house at the time, the cook wasn’t due until 6 and the butler wasn’t until 5 and the maid wasn’t until the hour before the butler and the stylist didn’t even come in today thanks to Ayame’s decision to not braid her hair, Ayame was automatically obliged to answer the door so she continued to brush as she walked over the entrance of her house, putting away the brush in the nightstand next to the door before opening the left side of the double doors.

She was pretty surprised on the visitor at the door, which was none other than the other member of her team, which she hadn’t seen in a good while. “Ummm, Raizo, right? What are you doing here?”

In the open air around the porch rain started to fall steadily from the sky. Raizo stared up at the sky while he waited for someone to come to the door. It was just his luck that it would start raining out of nowhere while him and Ozunu were trapped at this monstrous house that stood behind him. The tiger curled up beside him and rested it’s head against the boys foot. Raizo didn’t bother to acknowledge it so he continued to stare up at the sky. The sun was still out, the sky was blue and there were white clouds everywhere. Yet it was raining as if there were a thunderstorm coming. Raizo couldn’t explain so gave up on trying to and turned back towards the door as the sound of it opening caught his attention.

Standing in the doorway was the same blonde girl he remembered but this time she wasn’t wearing a skirt or anything close to ninja garb. The girl was wearing a pink pair of pajamas with no decoration on them. Raizo gulped as he looked her over. It wasn’t right for him to stare but she was a girl and he didn’t get out much. Praying he didn’t creep her out he lowered his eyes and stared at the white and black fur that covered Ozunu’s body. Words reached his ears as the girl spoke and he raised his head. His heart fluttered a little as she said his name but he brushed the feeling away. He was a Shinobi and couldn’t allow himself to be caught up in a common crush. Raising his head slightly, he stared into her green eyes.

Raizo took a deep breath, nudged Ozunu slightly with his foot and then began to speak as soon as the tiger was standing up again. ”I was in the neighborhood and…just stopped by to say hello. If it doesn’t bother you, that is.” Look back down meekly he wondered if she would be mad at him for coming over unannounced. Rubbing his hand through the fur on Ozunu’s neck, he stared intently at the ground. His blue eyes took in the cracks in the wood and the small ants that were crawling towards said crack to carry food back to their nest.

Ozunu purred as Raizo’s hand ran through his neck fur. The tiger enjoyed being petted although most people thought if they touched him they would lose a hand or some fingers. Surprisingly enough, the tiger was just about as friendly as your average dog, except far more aggressive when it came to protecting Raizo. The Genin enjoyed the animals company and probably wouldn’t have been standing here if it wasn’t for the tiger. His confidence always seemed to sky rocket when around Ozunu. Shaking his head, the boy continued to watch the ants and waited to hear what the girl would say.

Ayame wasn’t exactly sure how to take his behavior in front of her. His movement seemed weird to her, was this the way he always acted or was there some sort of special reason. Or maybe it was just the hours of video game playing with but one goal of defeating it, ignoring all relations to the outside world in a room specifically designed to make video games as realistic as possible. Whatever the case was, something was a bit off here, but Ayame wouldn’t bother to dwell on it for too long not only because of her short attention span but because she didn’t want to waste time thinking of things like that.

As Raizo started answering her question, she also noticed that his pattern of speech was rather strange too, but again, she wasn’t going to dwell on trying to figure out why unless he wanted her to so she just forgot about it as she looked more so beside him to take a look at his tiger, this time, not attacking him with a hug because she wasn’t in that hyper mood, she was more or less mellow this time, indicated from the soothing green natural color of her eyes.

She also took a look at the outside world behind him and noticed that the weather had gotten to a rainy day, making being outside not a pleasant filled experience for anyone. She just took another look at Raizo, who wasn’t really looking at her but seemed to be looking anywhere but her direction, just yet another curious feat that was actually making her a bit more curious than but a couple of minutes ago. Taking note of the weather going on outside, Ayame took it upon her liberty to open the door wider that would allow someone to walk through it. “You know if you want to come in, you’re more than welcome to.”

With that, she backed up a little bit in order to allow him entrance to her home. Leaving him with the responsibility of closing and locking it, she started to walk over to the living room, which was right next to the game room she had just spent hours in and let herself fall down on the couch, keeping her left leg under her as she sat on it and looked directly at her unexpected but not uninvited guest. “So…. Are you hungry, thirsty, both, somewhere in between? Anything you wanna do or talk about?”

Raizo just nodded and followed her in when she told him he could come inside. Ozunu was right on his heels, following closely so as not to be left outside on the porch. Both of them stopped once they were inside and Raizo spun around in a circle, taking in the big house. He had never been in a house as big as the one he was now standing in and it took his breath away. His small apartment could probably fit in the room he was standing in now, including his bed and dresser. Shaking his head, he turned and closed the door and turned the lock. It felt weird for him to lock the door but he sensed it was the right thing to do in a house like this. People who lived in big houses usually had to worry about burglary more often. Beckoning for Ozunu to follow him, Raizo stepped quickly into the room behind Ayame.

A huge television caught his eye as he passed by one of the rooms leading to the room Ayame went to. Stopping in his tracks, Raizo stared into the room with awe at the size of the thing. He didn’t even have a television in his house and here was one bigger than his bed on Ayame’s wall. Wide eyed and starting to wonder what would be around the corner, Raizo walked into the living room to see Ayame sitting on the couch. Allowing his feet to carry him to a seat, he sat down on the couch a little ways from Ayame. Ozunu walked up to him and rested his head and Raizo’s lap, scratching the Genin’s leg to tell him that he wanted to be scratched. Raizo scratched the tiger behind the ear without really paying attention while he stared off into space.

Ayame’s words brought him back from his reverie. Looking over, his gray eyes met her green ones and he fought with all his might to keep from blushing. His hand moved jerkily on Ozunu’s head and the tiger growled low in his throat before walking over to Ayame and scratching at her leg. Raizo didn’t allow his gaze to falter and kept his eyes on hers. ”Thank you, but I’m not hungry or thirsty. And since you are my host, I think you should choose the topic of conversation.”

A broad smile spread across his face as he turned away and stared at the opposite wall. He was happy that he had managed to avoid starting a conversation. It was easy with anyone else but he couldn’t manage to get his words out right around this girl. Ozunu wasn’t helping either. The big suck up was over in front of her, getting his ears scratched. Raizo scowled at the tiger and returned to staring at the wall. Sometimes I wonder whose side he’s on. Shaking his head, Raizo yawned and closed one of his eyes.

Ayame noticed that one of her bangs were getting in the way of her vision so she pulled it back over her ear as Raizo was looking at her, again, with that strange manner that she was beginning to think wasn’t so normal for him. She also noticed as he seemed to be gawking at the things in her house. She never really made that kind of stuff much attention and thought it was regular to have them. This was due to the fact that she has never been to anyone’s house outside of her family’s, which mainly consisted of high ranking shinobi so they weren’t very shy on their pay.

Ayame took it upon herself to one day actually visit another person’s house to actually see what the big deal was with this kind of material and maybe see what it was like for them to live the way they did every day, even if it was just a small sample. She also noticed that his tiger was approaching her and gently caressed himself to her leg. She smiled a little bit, happy to comply with a soft scratching behind the ear to reply to his message.

Ayame has never had any pets of her own, there were times when her great cousin, Yachiru would bring over a few… rather bizarre amphibians such as lizards, toads, etc. There was even a time when she brought over an iguana once. But they would always end up dying with a few lucky ones being able to run away before they had succumb to Yachiru’s deadly “playtimes”. She did however enjoy animals very much during the rare times that she interacted with them and so far, they seemed to get along well with her. Seemed strange that for some reasons, females usually seemed to get along with animals, she figured that it was just the powers of persuasion that came with estrogen kicking in.

As Raizo answered her questions about refreshments and something to do, she giggled a bit as she responded. “I think you mean ‘hostess’” She was always the one to find things like that when speaking due to her “Females are the bomb and are equal to males” persona, but she would often use it to form humor rather than offense. She looked down at his tiger for a second as she tried to think of a title to place on this meet they were having. “You have a cute tiger, what’s his name?”

Raizo took his eyes off the wall and rubbed his hand through the spikey black hair that sat atop his head. The sound of rain beating against the roof could be heard from up above. A relaxed atmosphere surrounded the both of them. Raizo leaned his head back and closed his eyes, wondering what it would be like to be out there in the rain. It had been months since the last time he’d played in the rain. Most people would view him playing in the rain as a childish act and something a Shinobi shouldn’t do but he saw it as a way to keep in touch with the child within. Truthfully he feared getting old and having to deal with problems that adults did. He already had to deal with some of those responsibilities, such as getting his own food, taking care of himself and a plethora of other things. Living alone wasn’t as fun as most teens his age thought it would be. They could rely on their parents in times of need but Raizo didn’t have parents so he couldn’t really rely on anyone but himself.

The boy chuckled when Ayame corrected him on calling her the host instead of hostess. His eyes stayed closed as the girl spoke again and told him that Ozunu was cute. Outwardly he remained calm but on the inside he grimaced. Did this girl not know that the tiger was a fierce fighter? Shaking it off, Raizo turned his head slightly and opened one eye to peer at her. She was looking at him and once again his gray eye met her green one. Gulping, he hoped she didn’t notice the slight redness that was on both his checks. If she did it would be embarrassing for her to ask why he was blushing. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice.

”His name’s Ozunu.” Turning away he let his eyes travel to the door he had stopped at on the way in. The huge television stared back at him. Curiosity started to take over and he looked back at Ayame, grinning sheepishly. ”How did you afford a tv of that size? It dwarfs my apartment!” Laughing slightly, he turned his attention back to Ozunu, who was still getting scratched behind the ears. What looked like a toothy grin was on the animals face and Raizo stared at him in disbelief. How did a tiger manage to grin like that? It was something the boy couldn’t explain and also something that always amazed him about the big cat.

Shaking his head, Raizo turned back to Ayame and rubbed his thumb along the scar on his face. The mark on his face stretched from one cheek bone to the other, passing across the bridge of his nose and coming narrowly close to his eyes. Raizo couldn’t explain to anyone how he had obtained such a wound at his age. Most people just figured it was an accident with a sword or something but the boy doubted if it was that. Something had happened in his past that he couldn’t explain and he needed to find out what. For now he was content to just relax and enjoy the company of Ayame though. The time would come when he would be sent on a mission outside the village and then he would discover what ever secrets were in his past.

It was no real secret that Ayame wasn’t really the observant type, nor did she really have a long or far attention span, but it’d take someone who’s far beyond an idiot to not notice that Raizo seemed to be nervous. Though Ayame had absolutely no clue as to why he was being so nervous, it was just him and her in the living room with his tiger, she didn’t really know what there was to be nervous about. Was it possible that she was the one that was making him so nervous? Ayame wouldn’t know how she was possibly making him nervous with just a one on one conversation.

‘Wait, was that a blush just now?’ She wasn’t exactly sure but she knew that she had good vision so she didn’t really doubt what she saw too much, but it still was a little weird. As Raizo said his tiger’s name however, Ayame soon forgot about it and looked at the feline. “Ozunu…. That’s such a nice name, did you name him yourself?” Ayame continued to pet the tiger as Raizo made a comment about her television, talking about its apparently massive size and asking on how she is able to afford something like that.

Ayame looked at the television with that same confused look that seemed to practically live with her, she really didn’t see it as that big. Didn’t she have one that was bigger in her room? She never really used that one that much so she could really compare that good but she was pretty sure that it was bigger. “This is big? It’s like one of the smallest in my house, next to the one in the kitchen. My game room t.v. is about twice this size really.” She the yawned “No one in the house ever really uses it anyways. My grandpa is always working and I usually look to the game room for entertainment. I guess the butler and maids watch their soap operas on here sometimes though.”

Ayame’s scratching behind Ozunu’s ear turned into rubbing around places like his head and neck, which was more absentminded now that her body had grown used to it. Ayame noticed Raizo running his fingers through that scar across his nose and then her curiosity peaked to that certain level that didn’t usually peak at everyday but was what made her wonder things and not notice what she’s doing to try and find out.

Taking curiosity of Raizo’s scar to that level, Ayame leaned up a bit from her position and went closer to him. She kept going closer until she was about an inch and a half from his face, taking a hold of his face with both her hands to get a good look this was interesting. Once she had gotten a good look, she went back to her previous position. “That cut goes in deep. I’d say about a 15 to 17 inch blade slashed through it, not fully, but got a good sync in. Probably made of something hard too, like steel or titanium.”

She continued on like everything had been going smoothly, smiling at Ozunu and motioning for him to jump up and take his own spot on the couch instead of just lying there on the floor. “So Raizo, what’s going on that’s making you so nervous all of a sudden?”

Raizo lay his head on the spine of the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Thoughts of the day he first came to Konoha flooded his mind. All the stares that people gave him, the suspicious looks and the hateful glares. It made him wonder how he had went from someone who was looked on with suspicion to someone who most people in the village trusted. Becoming a Shinobi of the village seemed to have that effect. It opened up new doorways for him that normal people in the village wouldn’t be able to experience. Missions, new friends, traveling outside the village, many things that were privileges of being a Shinobi. Raizo appreciated this and thought he was lucky to have become a Shinobi of the village.

Turning his head, Raizo stared at Ayame when she told him that Ozunu had a cute name and asked if he named him himself. ”Yeah, I named him. All he is is a big baby though.” Grinning down at the tiger, Raizo watched Ozunu growled at him before going back to being petted. The Genin shook his head and went back to his thoughts. That tiger would be the death of him. Ozunu was just like a large kid, always wanting love and attention. Raizo knew he wouldn’t be able to give him that when out in battle and he needed to toughen him up. They would start training together soon so that Ozunu would be ready for anything.

Looking over at her again, his eyes widened when she mentioned that the television he was talking about wasn’t event he largest in the house. How could someone have televisions that big and not even notice it. Raizo didn’t even have one, so that may be the reason he paid them so much attention but he was sure not everyone had one of this size. None of his friends had any of that size and they seemed content enough. He figured that when you were rich you didn’t really have to worry about money problems like the rest of society. Shaking his head in disbelief, he stared ahead at the wall and sighed.

At the mention of his scar, Raizo tensed up and set his jaw. Most people just ignored it these day, not wanting to touch a nerve, but those who didn’t know him that well tended to ask something about. Ayame went into detail about the type of blade that could have done it and Raizo turned to look at her. ”I don’t know if it was a sword or something else. It’s one of those things I don’t like to think about often. That part of my past is a bit hazy.” Staring deep into her eyes with his gray ones, he hoped she understood that he didn’t want to talk about it. If she asked more about it he would tell her but he didn’t want to.

Raizo was still staring into her eyes when she asked him why he was so nervous. The boy felt his face heat up and he quickly turned away. ”I’m not really nervous. This is…just the first time I’ve been alone with a girl. It’s…different somehow.” Looking back at her, he grinned slightly and hoped he wouldn’t think of him as a bad guy for being a little shy.

”I’m not really nervous. This is…just the first time I’ve been alone with a girl. It’s…different somehow.”

A slight smile crossed her lips as he looked away again, his face turning a shade of red again. His eyes had been locked in hers and being a kunoichi, she knew very well what that meant. In the academy she had been taught key signs about the male species and their emotions as well as how to take advantage of them. This was otherwise known as seducing. From her point of view, this wasn't just him being nervous, it was a sign of liking. Did he really like her? Back at the academy there were a few boys who showed the same signs and weren't shy about revealing their emotions but Raizo was a bit different. Truth was, she was actually a bit confused on how to react to this but as he turned back towards her and grinned again she got an idea.

The tiny grin that rested on her face turned into something more, taking on a bit of seductive edge to it before her eyes and facial expression followed suit. It soon faded a bit as she let out a slight chuckle, her eyes changing from green to an odd mix of green, yellow, purple, and gray. The colors that stood out the most were yellow and gray with a bit of purple and green tint to them. Strange indeed but it matched her inner feelings perfectly. Her calmness, happiness, confusion, and of course the seductive feeling she now felt.

"And just how is it different?"

She gazed at him with confidence, her eyes appearing a bit suggestive as she grinned a bit innocently. In a way she wasn't just testing herself but him as well.

As the girl’s words reached his ears, Raizo turned around to look into her eyes. They were no longer the simple green they had been. Her eyes had changed from the normal green to a mixture of green, yellow, purple and gray. Raizo looked at her eyes in confusion for a minute before brining himself to the matter at hand. She had asked him what made it different. It wasn’t something he could really explain because there were different feelings in him. It felt like there were a million butterflies flapping in his stomach and he couldn’t explain why. This was the problem with being around certain girls. They made him feel like such an idiot. A Shinobi shouldn’t have to be put through this. Raizo found what he was doing now harder than the graduation exam in the Academy, which he had passed easily. Things in life just weren’t as simple as he had hoped.

Breathing in deeply and looking down at Ozunu, who was staring at him expectantly, Raizo began to speak. ”It’s different because…I feel like there are butterflies in my stomach when I’m around you , and it’s not like that with others.” Raizo grinned sheepishly and kept his gaze steady. He couldn’t allow himself to be weak and shy away from the fact that he liked her. It wasn’t good to hide stuff like this and he just hoped she would accept his feelings for her. She didn’t have to like him back or even acknowledge him. All he wanted was for her to know he liked her. That was all that mattered.

Reaching his hand out and resting it on Ozunu’s, the boy started to scratch the tiger. The big cat purred and rolled his head over. Raizo looked back up at Ayame with the same sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders a little. ”I guess what I’m trying to say is I like you…”

The boy could feel the heat raising in his face but he didn’t try to hide it this time. His secret was out and now he had to live with her knowing. She would either take it in stride and just shrug it off or maybe she would actually like him back. Raizo didn’t know which one it would be but he was ready to find out.

Ayame's eyes shifted to more of a grayish green color as she gazed upon him with surprise. She had noticed the key signs and could clearly predict his next few words but did not know exactly how to react to them once they left him. She was confused now and to think her feelings were already mixed as it was. She now had the option of declining him in various ways or accepting and informing him about her own semi mutual feelings. A flashback then occurred about her mother and father when they explained how they met. They to were only genin. Coincidence? She was over thinking the scenario and dilly dallying a bit. Raizo would need an answer and she felt like she was stalling a tad.

Allowing her somewhat surprised expression to fade, her eyes turned back towards a green color with a tint of gray to mark her confusion still. Her lips curved up slightly on the sides before she soon crossed the room and took a seat beside him. She gazed down at Ozuna with a soft smile as she began to scratch the side of his face lightly in a soothing way. It made her wonder how he would react to her sitting there; his face red as it is. It made her chuckle in her head a bit.

"That is pretty difference..." she began before she turned her head towards him. Her eyes then gazed into his with the same smile on her face, her eyes a full shade of green, "I like you too."

She was a bit surprised with herself saying that but the words sort of just rolled off her tongue. Was this really how she felt? Either way, she was willing to give him a chance. Who knew what could happen because of it.

Raizo averted his eyes quickly when the girl moved to sit beside him. The boy didn't know what to do. This was the closest a female had ever been to him while they were alone. Perverted thoughts flew through his mind but he pushed them down. He wasn't the perverted type and didn't want to do something that would make her think he was one. Some of his friends were perverts and they had trouble getting close to girls due to this. Raizo didn't want to be one of those guys and he was sure Ozunu wouldn't be too happy if he portrayed himself as a pervert. Raising his eyes again, the boy looked into the eyes of Ayame again. For the second time they had changed colors, this time to a grayish green color. The boy wondered how this happened but wouldn't question it right now.

The sound of her voice caught his attention and the boy stopped breathing for a second when he heard that she liked him too. Glancing at Ozunu, he hoped the tiger would do something that would give him some idea on how he should react but the tiger sat motionless, resting his head on his paws while he was petted. Sighing, the boy looked back up into the fully restored green eyes of the girl. There would be no help from his companion so he was alone in the deciding what to say. His mind was a blank. This was the first time ever that he had been put in a position like this and he knew that he needed to think quickly. He was a Shinobi and shouldn't be nervous just because of something like this. Being a ninja didn't help out much though. They hadn't trained him in the Academy to be affectionate to another person. Shinobi were trained to keep their emotions in check so that they could complete the mission without a hindrance. It would have been much simpler if they had taught them how to interact with other human beings.

Taking a deep breath, Raizo stared into her eyes and thumbed his scar. "This whole thing is pretty new to me. I don't know how a normal guy would react when he found out the girl he had feelings for felt the same for him. I guess that's the problem with being a Shinobi." Shaking his head, the boy made to stand up but changed his mind and made an odd jerking motion. Shaking his head, he wondered how she would react to him. Hopefully things would go more smoothly from here and the awkwardness would disappear from the air.

A sort of awkward silence seemed to fall over them after she admitted liking him as well. She still wasn't entirely sure if she really did or not but she wanted to at least give it a try. Who knew what would happen between the two of them over time. In a way she felt something about him but knew it would take time to probably figure the feeling out. Right now, she would just live in the moment and see where it would take her.

"You could always ask her out on a date", she said, a faint smile crossing her face. Her eyes remained the same green color as she appeared rather mellow. She noticed his hesitation to stand but she herself didn't. As she finished scratching Ozunu's head she stood on her and turned to him. She barely adverted her eyes and seemed shy as she held her arm with her other across her chest. She felt a bit embarrassed to even mention what was about to come out of her mouth.

"Then well," she blushed a bit, "you could always ask her out in general."

The faint grin returned as she gazed at him. She didn't want to seem pushy or anything of that sort but to be honest she didn't really know what to do either. In the academy there were a few childhood relationships that seemed stupid but this could actually be the real deal rather then a simple crush. Due to this reason, she really had no idea what he could do besides what she said. The more they got to know each other though, the more they may learn.

The air of awkwardness in the room was thick. Raizo crossed his arms across his toned chest and stared down at Ozunu. The cub had been enjoying the simple pleasures of being petted the entire time and didn't have to think about what was going on. Raizo knew that it was selfish of him but he wished that he could switch places with Ozunu so that he didn't have to deal with the awkwardness. A number of things that were happening caused the boy to think of a way out of it but he decided to stay where he was and deal with it. He had told her his feelings so now he had to deal with the fact that he would probably be spending much more time with her. His only hope was that it would become easier the more they were together.

A faint grin spread across the boy's face at the idea of a date. He could take her on a date, but he wouldn't know where to take her since he didn't know much about her. First thing he needed to learn was what her favorite food was, what places in the villages she enjoyed going to to be alone and stuff that was important in a date. A date was out of the question for now, just until he learned more. Raising his eyes to follow her movements, Raizo watched as she stood up and held one arm with the other. This was a posture that he had seen some girls assume when they were nervous or shy about saying something. He knew whatever came next would probably make him blush if it was making Ayame act like she was.

His grin faded slightly to be replaced by a blank expression when she mentioned how he could just ask her out in general. Gulping, his eyes never left her green ones. Taking it upon himself to bring them to eye level, Raizo stood up in front of her. He hadn't realized how short she was and so had to look down into her eyes. A small grin appeared on his face again along with a slight redness in his cheeks. He knew that it was probaly smartest to be standing up when he did ask her. It was more respectable in his mind. Breathing deeply a few times, Raizo steeled his resolve and decided to just ask.

"W-will you be my girlfriend?"

Raizo felt his face redden to the point that he could feel heat coming off it. This was the first time he had ever asked a girl out and it felt oddly...good. Most of his friends had girlfriends or had tried to get girlfriends before so they were used to this type of thing. Raizo figured he was the only guy his age that had never done this type of thing before. Atleast now he didn't have to worry about being called names for being the only guy who had never shown feelings to a girl. He couldn't really explain his feelings yet but he guessed that he would understand them more as time went on. Things like this couldn't be explained in a few seconds or let alone a few minutes, It took time and getting to know each other.

Not sure where to move or what to do, Ayame continued to stand before him for what felt like forever. Was she being to pushy by suggesting that? She grew a bit worried for some reason. All these odd feelings were popping up and yet she couldn't explain them. What DID she want? Waiting patiently with a smile on her face she didn't wish to feel to awkward anymore an thought about sitting down. She thought maybe she could sit in the chair across from him but then that would make it seem as though she did not want anything to do with him or didn't want to be around him. Maybe not the chair. She thought about sitting nearby but if felt the same. Sitting up close, what would she do then? Stare at the carpet? Ozuna? Him? She didn't really know. She noticed the soft grin cross his face, what was he thinking?

She found herself asking numerous questions due to her ability to not figure out his mind. A part of her kind of wished she had her mother's odd mind ability now. How come she or her brother couldn't read minds? It was that thought that made her almost zone out. Her wings twitched slightly on her back. It wasn't enough to be obvious but she still couldn't help it. They reminded her of her mother and brother, their family. Her younger brother? Where had he gone? More importantly, where had Satoshi been? A needle felt as though it pierced her heart while a feeling of sorrow came over her. Her mother, father, brother.... her family...

"W-will you be my girlfriend?"

That a question that could probably snap someone out of a coma. The feeling as though her heart were sinking began to fade as she seemed to zone back into reality. She noticed he was staring right into her eyes as he slightly blushed. It made her do so as well, almost as if she were mimicking him. A soft smile then crossed her face as she held her arms, feeling embarrassed.

"S-Sure", she said with a slight stutter.

Although it was a simple word she said it was much confidence and a soft smile on her face. Her cheeks still held their slight blush to them as her eyes took on a light pink color as well. It were as though her whole face was starting to turn pink, but that was pushing it. Crossing over to him once again she sat back down beside him. She wasn't entirely sure what else she should do besides be near him at the moment. It made her wonder how this would work out.

Raizo sat there grinning like a fool that he had a girlfriend now. It was odd for him to think about her like that. Before now she had only been a friend, just someone to hang out with, someone to keep him company when bored. Now it was something more. She was his girlfriend and probaly the person he would spend most of his time with, besides the fact they were on the same squad. His hand moved without thought over Ozunu's small head, petting the tiger gently. Ozunu didn't mind him having a girlfriend. From the lazy look on the tigers face, he didn't mind anything right then. Raizo just kept sitting, grinning like a fool and petting his companion.

Looking up to stare at her, a stray strand of hair caught his attention. Reaching out his hand, he tucked it behind her ear and smiled, a slight blush reddening his face. He didn't know much about this type of thing, so he was just doing whatever came to mind. If he did something wrong, he was sure she would alert him by looking offended or slapping him. With his luck, he would get slapped. Hopefully it didn't come to that. He could always do nothing and just enjoy her company. That was the smart way out anyways.

Running a hand through his hair, he gave her a crooked grin before standing up. "You wanna go out somewhere? No point staying inside all day." Ozunu followed him, circling his feet and purring. Raizo just stood there grinning down at her and waiting for her reply.

Once Raizo asked if she wanted to go out, Ayame took a look passed him to see the window, the rain seemed to have stopped and the sun was shining, even though the ground was still wet. Seeing this, Ayame got up as Raizo did. “Sure, why not? Lemme just get dressed first.” She said, pointing at her pink pajamas. Ayame would then head on up the stairs, doing her usual jumping of the rail instead of actually using the steps and headed for her room, looking for a good bland of clothes to wear to go out.

Once she found what she was looking for, Ayame undressed herself and got redressed, taking a look at her life-sized mirror, doing a couple poses to sample the results before heading on down the stairs. “Ok, ready to go” As she said this, Ayame took a hold of Raizo’s hand, ready to head for the door when it started to open before she even moved. On the other side of the front door, Keiji simply pushed it open until it was all the way, rings around his eyes indicating he hasn’t slept in a while. “That's it, no more all-nighters for me….”

Keiji would then slowly drag himself towards the stairs while Ayame seemed happy to see her grandfather. “Hey, grandpa.” Keiji simply responded with a few groans. It took her a second while he still slowly went up the stair to remember Raizo was there. “Oh yeah, this is my teammate friend, Raizo.” She shouted out as she turned to him after getting a response in even more goans. “And that is my grandpa, he’s usually not here because he spends most of his time doing ANBU work.” With her hand still holding his, Ayame walked outside of the left open door, letting go of his hand and closing it.

Not taking more than a second to think of the destination, Ayame had already made her decision. “To Ichiraku’s Ramen shop!” She shouted out as she started off in that direction with Raizo before she stopped suddenly and snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” Ayame would then turn to him, taking a second to look into his eyes and to let him see her’s change from a mix between yellow and green back over to pink before she reached out her right hand and took a hold of the back of his neck, pulling him in for a good five second kiss before letting him go and winking. ” Had to make it official, right?” With that, she folded her arms into his before continuing their way over to the Ramen shop.

Raizo watched her dash up to her room, smiling to himself. Picking Ozunu up and setting him on his head, Raizo just stared up at the ceilings. He didn't quite know where they would go yet but it would be interesting to go somewhere. Staying in a house all day was dull, especially for a Shinobi. Raizo liked to move around, run, jump, all those things that he just couldn't accomplish indoors. His gray eyes glinted with a strange light he had never seen before when he glanced into a mirror that was situated on the wall. A big smile showed his white teeth and there was still that glint in his eyes that he couldn't explain. Ozunu's blue eyes stared into the mirror and the tiger took a swipe at his distant reflection. Raizo chuckled and turned his head to the sound of feet descending the stairs.

Ayame moved quickly towards him, her hair let down and flowing down her back. Raizo barely had time to react before his hand was in hers and they were readying themselves to move towards the door. Ozunu made a yapping noise as the door opened of it's own accord and a older man walked in. Raizo cocked an eyebrow at him before realizing who it was. This was the ANBU Captain of Konoha, one of the best ninja in the entire village. Raizo gaped at him but didn't say anything. The man only replied to what his granddaughter said in groans. Shrugging it off, Raizo allowed himself to be led out the ajar front door into the yard, catching one last glance of the famed man before Ayame closed the door.

It wasn't everyday that someone got to meet the captain of the ANBU. Raizo almost squirmed inside. He felt priveleged, not everyone Genin got to meet him, let alone date his granddaughter. Raizo could almost imagine Shihouin's expression when he told him about this. He would have to talk to Ayame about talking with her grandfather one of these days, but now wasn't the time. Today was their day to hang out and talk. He didn't want to ruin things with his fascination with her grandfather. That would make things awkward. Smiling a bit, he waited for her to catch back up. They were about to go out into the village as a couple for the first time.

Raizo looked on in amusement when she exclaimed to the world that they were going to Ichiraku's. It was a good place to eat but Raizo would have preferred somewhere with dango. Ramen was good but he preffered the sweet taste of dango more. Stopping abruptly at her words and her staring into his eyes, Raizo watched as her eyes changed from a mix between yellow and green to pink. Before he could say anything, before he could even blink, she pulled him into a kiss. Dango was driven from his mind as he tasted her lips. There was no way to describe her taste… sweet, but not overly so – slightly fruity, though it was hard to tell what fruit exactly. He lost himself in the moment, kissing her back before they broke away. Raizo gasped a bit as they broke apart and a wicked grin split his face at her wink. Taking her looping her arm with his in stride, the moved off to Ichiraku's Ramen shop, Dango completely erased from his mind.