It had been a few days since Mai put in her request to have a training sparing match with the kage. Almost anyone who was knew of the request thought that Mai was crazy, but she had her reasons for doing so. She knew that the Mizukage in her infinite glory, was one of the most renowned taijutsu masters to this day. That being said, Mai was no where near even some of the genin when it came to taijutsu skills. One of the two things she found she was good at. At least compared to her other skills. So her reasoning for Challenging the Mizukage? To learn. She didn't expect to win. Not by a long shot. But she figured that if anyone could help her grow and develop her skills, it would be the Mizukage herself.

With that said, Mai had been summoned to the Administration building today for what she assumed to be a response to her request for a spar. And so currently, that's where she was heading. She was currently dressed in her usual attire, which consisted of a White dress, her leg straps, black underwear, and her kirigakure headband which hung around her neck, and an unusually series gaze. Even for Mai. The girl typically had a very stern look on her face, but today it was much more serious. She knew she was about to have the fight of her life. That was if the Mizukage accepted her request, and Mai wasn't going to take this as some sort of joke. She was going to give it all that she could. The look on her face said more than she could with her own words. She wasn't one of those snot nosed kids who thought she could take on the kage head to head and win.

The morning was just setting in as the sun peaked up above the village walls, although it hardly let any light through due to the light mist that was in the air. the skies seemed a little clouded, but Mai doubted it would rain. But with that being said it was a bit colder than usual. Although not that Mai minded. If all went well with the meeting with the kage, she would be working harder than she had at any point in the academy. She let out a small breath of air as she reached the front gate to the administration building. She then pushed her way in, and walked up to the building, and went inside.  Once inside she turned to the lady that manned the desk just beyond the door into the building. Mai's feet hit the cold floor as she stepped up to desk. "I'm here to see the Mizukage." she said. Her words just as cold as the air outside, and the tiling on the floor. They were serious and Emotionless. "I've been summoned by her." She continued, with the same tone.

the woman looked up from some files she was looking at. "You must be Uzumaki, Mai then correct? The genin with the sparring request?" The lady uttered almost disinterestedly. Mai simply nodded in response. "Then go on ahead. She's waiting for you." Mai nodded again, and without a second thought she headed down the hall, and up the stairs to the Mizukage's office. Once she reached the door to the office, she knocked twice and said "Entering." before opening the door into the Mizukage's Office, and stepping inside.

---

WC: 588
Total WC: 588

Aya's mind had been lost to the endless dream-scape of possibility that morning

Looking up to the roof and beyond it, everything seemed to have been so clear for some time, the mist of the village rolled in as always during the night and remained during the day, but rather than seeing the shadows of the people among them, Aya could only assume the dark figures of people far more malevolent than they really were. Her stark blue eye penetrating the heavens, able to draw the skies and the stars with the grandest of detail, spread out like imaginary oil paintings plastered across her stone ceiling. But it simply was not enough, the Daimyo was still bearing down on her, and people were beginning to feel like something was up, ever since that day that Aya openly challenged the visor of his excellence she had been locked in battle with their forces... mysterious men from another nation, heroes possessed by the intent of evil and driven to end her life so that she could be replaced by a puppet, strings leading directly to the long tendril like bony fingers of the Daimyo's adviser...

This country was going to the dogs...

Though the booming economy of the country was something that she could be proud of, for over half a decade she had been the Mizukage, and the longest running Kage in the ninja world as it stood, not to mention physically the oldest. People revered her as the most powerful ninja of the day... and while she felt like they were exaggerating themselves, she had noticed that several of the other Kage in other nations did seem to be sub-par when it came to her expectations. Sanosuke Flynt of Kumogakure and Sousetsu Senju were definately the two who stood out among them to be those who had been left in the dust. Aya could remember Sanosuke in the Seven Bells War, struggling to hold a candle to the enemies they fought and always seeming to get in the way, while Sanosuke had very little to his name that she could actively think of, though whether that was a blessing or a curse was something that could be debated at another time.

It was at this point a voice struck her from her day-dream.

"Lady Mizukage, a Young Uzumaki is here to see you about the practice that was referred... please be careful this time..."

Aya smiled and sent an affirmative thought to one of the twins, the last time she had practiced with a Genin she had physically killed the child, though not intentionally, one of the many things that she was not proud of in her life time... But it was much more of an assisted suicide. The boy, no matter how much time and effort that he could have put in, his mind was not sound to be a ninja of the hidden mist, falling drastically short of all expectations and almost begging to have punishment bought down upon him with the swiftness of a falling boulder... Though, as aya saw the girl who entered her office, she could not help but think that the attire that she wore was rather odd. With a country which almost operated at a static 90% humidity, while the white robe would have been cooler than most in the tropical rainy climate, the translucence of the white clothing over the dark underwear would often prove... revealing.

Shaking her head and discarding the thought, as it may very well be intended as distraction, Aya stood and smiled to greet the person at her door. Simply, Aya's attire too was her usual dress, wearing the black and blue long cloak which bore the insigni of Mizukage in Kanji down the back, open, revealing the only thing which stopped her from having a bare chest were bandages wound tightly over her upper body and a single cold chain which clasped the coat closed at collar height. At her side was sheathed two swords with the disembladed hilt of the Raijin sword at her other hip. Behind her just above her tail bone was a collapsed fuma shuriken and a quiver carrying 20 arrows above it. Aya was ready for conflict at a moments notice. Her gold and platinum scale gloves covering her hands while her mask overlapped the hilt of the raijin blade, hanging loosely from her belt. A solitary eye patch covering the eye she had lost to Mizuru and sealing the artifact which now lay in its place.

"Lady Uzumaki... It's nice of us to finally meet... So, how could I help you today?"

Aya asked with a faint smile, little more than the tip of her lips perking upward to reveal the dimple on her cheek caving as the muscles did so. From gazing at her Aya immediately recognized her as a Taijutsu user, patterns on her hands and knuckes reddened faintly, the kind which never truly fades from callouses gained from training in such techniques as well as the way her muscles seemed toned and stronger than others, she was something special for a Genin, and Aya appreciated that. Solstice walked from behind her table to meet her entrant head on, holding out a hand to shake in a friendly manner as she would hope that the student would state what exactly she was hoping to get from Aya.

Aya had means of training students, but if she wanted a spar, that was something else entirely, it would depend on what the goal was, and how best it could be achieved.

[946]

"Lady Uzumaki... It's nice of us to finally meet... So, how could I help you today?" These were the words that greeted the young uzumaki. Mai almost immediately bowed to display her respects. then she stood before the intimidating woman. The mizukage was armed to the teeth, and looked as though she had seen combat many times before, and yet she didn't seem the worse of for it... other than her eye that was. But aside from that it seemed as though all the battles that had faced the mizukage only proved to strengthen her, and not the opposite. Needless to say, Mai was dazzled. Sure she had seen the Mizukage a few times around the village before, but this was the first she had really gotten to speak to her and now she felt like she was almost in awe. After a few moments Mai realized she was staring, and she shook her head to clear her head and dropped down to one knee. "Lady Mizukage." she said her speaking so she could be heard clearly, but with determination. "I'm here to request a spar with you, and nothing more." she said, pausing for a moment. "As for my reasonings for this. I wish to learn to become a battle weapon for Kirigakure's disposal, as well as for my own survival. However, i feel it would be much to prideful and arrogant of me to request the Mizukage herself train me. However i am aware that the lady herself is a master in Taijutsu, and i being an aspiring Taijutsu user, could prove to learn much from simply watching the Mizukage herself, in action, and maybe more if i were to spar against her. That is my reasoning for requesting a spar." She would say the entire thing on one knee and looking towards the ground. During her speech would look down at her white dress. She made note of the dress to get it in a thick material and tightly woven so that it would be difficult if not impossible for it to become translucent. Although she was sure that there were ways, but it would be just as hard as getting a regular fabric of a much darker color to turn translucent. the reason she had done this was because she had never really had more a tattered dress as a child, and she felt almost uncomfortable wearing anything that was too different. This was much the same reason why she didn't wear shoes. However with that being said she knew as a lady of the village of kirigakure she should take pride in herself, and that included her body and so she purchased herself a dress that was less revealing. Not that she really cared much about the sexualization of those parts. They weren't really anything special to her, nor did she add the same significance to them that most people did.

Mai would of course wait for the Mizukage's reply however it wouldn't be hard to sense the Energy that Mai had pent up and was ready to release. Normally at this time in the morning she was halfway through her training session and this morning she had skipping it in favor for her potential fight with the Mizukage, which she was getting anxious to start. Mai really wasn't one for sitting around and chatting, and she couldn't image that the mizukage was either, and so Mai hoped the Mizukage would accept her offer so they could get started as quickly as possible.

---

WC: 598
Total WC: 1186

Aya smiled a soft smile, she didn't consider herself a master, to her, there was no such thing as a master, for one could never truly learn all there was to know about any subject. There was always someone who was stronger than you, who knew more than you, Aya was but a student in the ways of martial arts in her mind, though she had experience, she was still learning techniques as well as new and interesting ways to mold her chakra to benefit her in any scenario she could imagine. Listening to her words however, she couldn't help to feel a little gracious at the way she spoke, as if training with her was some form of honour afforded only to the few who were deemed worthy by some higher power to receive her knowledge or tutelage. While in earnest, Aya still took classes at the local ninja academy, training the younger generation the principles of chakra manipulation and the history of the country as well as working for her mother and performing other menial tasks.

But her manners were exceptional. To that, Aya had no hope of declining.

"There's much I could teach you when it comes to the artform of Taijutsu, though it really depends on what you would like to know, you're young, am i right to assume? So you would know the basics of Taijutsu, but very little when it came to the more advanced knowledge and subtle techniques which make Taijutsu Valid in conflict... I'd be happy to observe you in a spar and correct what I see, who knows... you may even teach me something. Though, I will have you know, that my expertise in Taijutsu is in specific forms and martial arts, ones which you may very well not be familiar with."

Aya ended, standing up and looking out the window a tad before dragging her attention back to her would-be student. Mai seemed to be sure of herself, and her respectfulness put Aya in a very good clear head-space. Beginning to walk to her veranda, Aya would listen to everything that Mai would have to say in response to her initial speech, before beckoning her and her tiger Bai to follow her as best as she could, taking off at a jogger's pace for herself, Aya would begin to move from roof-top to roof-top, heading for the training grounds just out-side of the city at hurricane speeds before landing beside the old well. The well, for decades had been used as a training location for Genin and other ninja seeking to hone their skills, Aya could remember her first fight here with the Hozuke whom she had fought to a standstill.

Arms folded, when Mai arrived once again, Aya would begin talking a second time.

"Here's nice, I think this will be where we begin, but I want you to know that even though you are a Genin, you asked for advice and a spar, so I will not stand idley by while you strike at me with everything, fleeing from you in some fashion that you would follow in order to land a single blow. I will retaliate, and fight you in return. Without conflict, exercises like these mean nothing."

Ayakashi finished awaiting her response, her head tilting to the left, the same passive smile slanted across her face making her appear far more human than she was while she was geared up and ready for a real conflict. All the while however, Ayakashi could feel eyes on her, staring at her from the bushes as she felt like she was being watched by entities only just out of reach. Shadows dancing just beyond even her vision and hearing as the wind would hit the leaves in just the right way to make a suspicious sound, something that could mask movement... Even she had to be careful slightly out of the city limits at this point in her career, enemies staring her down and baying for her blood. To some extent, she was honoured that others considered her the threat that they did, though when it was innocent Genin and her family and friends who were ebing caught in the crossfire between her and the shadowed organisation she had been fighting...

She couldn't handle the carnage.

[736 words]