It was a warm and breezy afternoon in Kirigakure, the sun was out for the time being as overhead clouds earlier that morning cleared out, he packed up a small lunch for the day and some spare clothes and towels in a bag. He was headed to the beach for some training and relaxing this afternoon, he also stashed his ninja tools into his bag too, who knew what kinds of things he might be able to get done, he also packed some other necessities, matches, bandages, etc...

With his backpack on his shoulders and his gear good to go he waved to his parents before heading off for the day, and headed out, a bright sun meeting him outside the door. He ran to the beach, warm up his legs and get his blood flowing before he got there, it would be a few miles where he intended to go, he was headed to the beach, he would head to the public part and then walk down a few miles, finding a more secluded spot where he could do his training without any interference. He intended to meet Riss there, the high tempered girl he met before, she turned out to be very nice but extremely mild tempered, he saw her the other day passing by and he told her to meet him at the beach. He had an in-genius training regimen and they could hang out at the same time.

He approached the beach, he already started breaking a sweat, maybe it was getting hotter the more the sun stood out. The beach was fairly crowded lots of people hanging out and swimming and playing around, soft yellow sand turned to crystal blue water, it was a very nice sight and was obviously the most popular place to swim during the day. Maigo took off his sandals and ran out onto the sand, it was hot at first and he picked his feet up and ran to the part that was soaked with water and would be cooler, turning a brown color and now the tide washed over his feet now. He walked in front of everyone now, his sandals in one hand and his other gripping the shoulder of his bag. He looked where the people began to disperse and headed another few hundred meters down, it was here that he would set up. Dropping his sandals and bag, he grabbed the towel and laid it out next to his bag and sandals. He took of his socks, his jacket an his gloves on his hand but left the bandages around his waist, purely for self image protection. He folded up his clothes and set them on top of his sandals, trying to keep everything neat and compacted and near his towel.

Maigo laid own on the towel, putting his hands behind his head he was going to lay there and take a nap, probably tan while the sun was out and wait for Riss to arrive. Hopefully sooner than later otherwise he might get sunburnt too easily.

[512 words]

Putting on a bikini, she paused for a moment before looking down at her bag.  Riss had been invited to meet him there, but wasn’t sure what exactly for and what to bring. Most likely she was told what the two would do, and promptly forgot afterwards. All she knew was that it was at the beach, so swimwear was definitely needed. With a sigh, she took a step to her closet and grabbed one of her many robes. Riss would rather be prepared if she was going into the water, but in the case that she wasn’t, she was ready for that as well. Neatly packing her gear into the bag, she went through a mental checklist of what she may need. Kunais and Shurikens for protection or training if needed, a towel was laying on the bottom in case the two went into the water, a beach blanket to keep sand away from her items, and a few snacks to eat by the water. Nodding at each added item, she mentally checked each one off.

Confirming that everything was in its place, Riss strapped the bag over her shoulder and headed downstairs. Her mother had been busy cleaning the house all morning and had just begun to wrap up in the afternoon. Riss quietly walked up to her mother and gave her a hug goodbye. “I’ll be back later tonight mom, just meeting a friend.” Her mother seemed delighted to see that Riss was making friends, and even more so that she was making an effort to keep the relationship steady. Though she didn’t say a word, Riss’ mother simply nodded and returned the gesture. Kissing her daughter on the forehead, she shooed her out the door and went to continue cleaning. Riss had stepped outside and began to walk towards the beach. She silently stepped through the streets and alleyways that led to the shoreline. The faint sound of waves and seagulls could be heard as she continued on. After a bit more walking, she ended up at the edge of the sand. It was truly a beautiful day for the beach, but she needed to stay focused and find Maigo first. As she dragged her feet along the sand, Riss observed the amount of people nearby. During the afternoon, citizens of Kiri would tend to flock to the beaches and enjoy the water. With a few deep breaths, the ocean air filled Riss’ lungs.

Scanning the water and shore for Maigo, she spotted the spiky haired boy laying on a towel. Adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, she sped her pace up and walked to where Maigo had set up. Upon reaching him, she could see that he had fallen asleep, most likely napping before she showed up. Placing her bag down and taking her beach blanket out, she silently set it up next to Maigo. He seemed to be in attire more appropriate for swimming. Sighing and undoing the wraps that kept her robe on, Riss took it off, leaving her with her plain bikini. Looking back down at Maigo, some sinister thoughts began to fill Riss’ mind. Scooping up a fistful of sand, she was mere seconds away from pouring it on her friend’s stomach before she paused. As much as she was tempted to mess with him while he was asleep, she decided to go with a more polite approach. Dropping the sand off to the side and crouching, she extended her arm and poked him in the forehead. “Hey Maigo, wake up.” The tone of her voice was soft, but loud enough to get his attention.

[607 words]

Maigo laid there, he didn't notice someone walk up near him and start to unpack their things, he really passed out, probably would start snoring soon. He lied there with his pants and bandages on, he was incredibly relaxed and it was a nice day with the sun out. He dreamt about nothing, his dream while relaxing was another dream about relaxing, this time instead of lying on a beach and sleeping, he was laying in a hammock between two trees in a jungle oasis, a light breeze and the perfect temperature. Except in his dream he wasn't sleeping, he was just consciously relaxing and ignoring the world around him. That is until in the dream a monkey approached him and poked him in his forehead while he lied there, What the hell Monkey?! dream Maigo said to the monkey, and then the monkey spoke back to him, "Hey Maigo, wake up." it said softly, it freaked him out and he rolled out of his hammock and onto the ground. The shock of falling and jolt of hitting the ground spooked the real Maigo awake, he jumped up from lying down as many people do from falling in their dreams, in a sitting position now with Riss crouched there next to him. Maigo now disoriented as to where he was, his hair messed up from laying on it and his sandals, jacket, and pouch neatly next to him. He was on a beach, not on a jungle, he leaned back and yawned while his arms stretched backwards, rubbing his eyes now he spoke, Oh, Hey Riss, it's just you, what happened to the monkey that was here? his head turning slowly towards her as he began to speak.

After a pause and trying to re-grip his bearings, anything Riss would say at this point would be all but ignored, he would bend his legs in towards his chest and stand up rather quickly, on his feet now. He could feel his skin tightening from the sun, had he really been out here long enough to get a sun burn already? The sun's rays beating down on him for an inexplicable amount of time. Without warning or concern for what Riss might be saying or doing he would burst out, Well, I'm glad you finally made it, but it took you long enough, I think I'm starting to get a sunburn already. he said as he poked himself on his arms, watching the skin turn from red to white and back again. Now Maigo looked towards her, looking her over much more carefully, and to his surprise she was wearing a swimsuit, with another outburst he yelled towards her And another thing! What's with the swimsuit, we're here to train not to relax! If you wanted to relax, you should have come earlier like me! Today!!! Maigo now pointing towards the sun, We begin a crazy training regiment not even the Mizukage could keep up with. All of my own invention, and I've brought you here to also get better. looking back towards Riss and down upon her, That's if you think you can keep up of course. a real smug look had come across Maigo's face, he loved sarcasm and could hardly contain himself at this moment. He would wait for her reaction, forgetting almost entirely about her liability to explode and beat him to a pulp, not that she actually could (so easily at least) but Maigo would never hit a girl.

So he would wait for her reaction and anything else she might have to add, then depending on if she wanted to or not, Maigo would begin his training, be it with or without her, although he wouldn't mind relaxing, training would be far more important right now. That is unless she could convince him of something else, other training, relaxing, hanging out, pretty much whatever else. In all honesty he really just wanted to be at the beach and not laying around the house today.

[682 words, 1194 words total]

Monkey? Riss could only assume Maigo was deep in a dream when she woke him up, but to be dreaming of something as random as a monkey made her giggle slightly. Her eyes drifted to Maigo’s extremely red shoulders. With a simple shake of her head, she started to speak. “It sounded like you were having some dream… about a monkey… Anyway, how long have you been sleeping out here you look like you have a sun bur-.” She was suddenly cut off by Maigo, who quickly started talking louder than her. Though it didn’t make her angry, being interrupted certainly irritated her a bit. With a sigh, she listened in on Maigo. As he continued to talk, her mind drifted back to the moment Maigo invited her out to the beach. She recalled the mention of training, but not something as intense as a training regimen. If it were as serious as that, Riss would’ve remembered such a thing.

Blinking twice and glaring at her friend, she silently leaned in. “You’re just asking for me to shoot you in the face with water… aren’t you… I’ll do it if you really want me to.” Riss closed her hand and put it in front of her mouth, taunting that she was going to fire off a shot of water, just like she did when she first met him. With a wave of her hand, she jokingly moved her hand away from her mouth. Knowing fully well that Maigo was blurting out nonsense simply because he could, she kept her cool and didn’t explode with anger. With a second glance at Maigo, she could tell that he was being incredibly sarcastic. A thought crossed her mind as she slowly stood up. Training wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Chuunin exams would most likely be coming up soon, and she was nowhere near ready to take them on. A good few sessions of training would prepare both her and Maigo a bit better. Of course being on the beach would also tempt relaxing after their training was through. Reaching over to her bag and grabbing the cover she was previously wearing, she put it back on and crossed her arms. “Fine then. Training first, relaxing later.” Reaching over once more and continuing to search through her bag, she grabbed two of her kunai.

Spinning both Kunai, she smirked and started to walk closer to the ocean. If they were going to train, or spar, they would need to be a fair distance away from any other person on the beach. “So. Let’s get started on this ‘Training Regimen’ you’re so adamant about.” Riss’ tone was more sarcastic than serious, showing she was willing to go along with the ridiculousness that Maigo was spouting. “What’s first? A short spar, target practice, pushups?” She was willing to let her companion take the reins on the session, considering it was his idea. Even if Maigo was simply joking, she was going to make sure he would go through with it.

[1113 words]

Maigo listened to her threat after he was done ranting and poking fun at her, he probably wouldn't mind getting soaked, he was at a beach after all. And inevitably he would end up getting wet by some form of water be it sweat, salt water, or one of her jutsu. She gave up her threat and put her robe back on, it seemed she was in thought while she did it and maybe a bit of frustration along with it, who knew why though, Maigo was certainly the worst at understanding people not that he isn't capable but he just chooses to be oblivious to most of it. Once she was ready she crossed her arms and agreed to some training, and she grabbed some kunai out of her bag, then walking towards the edge of the water and smiling. Maigo began to follow close behind her, tightening the pouch on his pants, and his bandages on his stomach, she began to mock his training regiment, inquiring about what was first, well that was easy. Maigo coughed to clear his throat and began to explain, First off, I'm gonna be honest, my training regiment may not have come from the Mizukage, but it is foolproof and it will push us to quite the extreme so I'd appreciate if you weren't so sarcastic about it, who knows if you'll even be able to keep up. Maigo leaned in, returning the sarcasm three-fold in his own statement, he didn't really mind her making fun of it but there was no way he was gonna let her have the last word again.

Second, you should know by now, but there's rumors of the Chuunin exams coming up, and we need to be prepared if we're gonna take them on, and we're gonna need to be prepared for anything, which is why I think we should 1) get Ryota to join our squad and start working on our group dynamic and 2) start training our physique and learning jutsu to help give us the advantage. Keeping up so far? he asked with sincerity, before he further went into his explanation waiting for if she had any questions or comments as of yet. Now there are usually only two certain things in the exams, historically, they will throw us into crazy environments where the conditions to survive and complete the task will be extreme and they also tend to put us up against each other in a tournament or some style of fight to see who is the most capable. So, we need to be prepared for anything they can throw at us. Which is why I chose the beach for us to start our training in. The sand is loose and makes running and walking more difficult than walking on pavement or dirt, so any physical exercises are much more difficult because of the terrain and then there's the ocean. What's more random and unknown than the ocean? So, with those two factors we begin, I'll leave the choice up to you. Maigo's hands on his hips now as he looked towards Riss, making sure that he still had her attention.

We can either do some physical training and sparring on the sand and at the front of the shore to practice our skills and practice our jutsu, or we can do some survival stuff today and do our best at surviving in extreme conditions to complete a task, I have the supplies for both, and we can do one task now, then relax later and save the other for another day. But it's up to you so what do you think? Do you want to fight me one on one and do some simple training or do you want to push yourself to complete some menial task? Maigo looked her over to see how she would respond, honestly Maigo would prefer a spar and some simple training and then relaxing the rest of the day, but if she chose to test out her survival skills he had quite the job for that too. And they might still have some time later that day to relax at the end of it as well.

Now it was time for Riss to comment on his idea and choose how their day would go, both would be interesting and start pushing them to the extreme, hopefully, if they end up sparring, Riss will understand if he uses his fulls strength to push her and not hold back. He wasn't one to necessarily hit a girl out of principle but for the sake of their training and bettering both of them he might have to drop his morals even if for just an afternoon.

[804 words, 1998 words total]

Riss rolled her eyes as Maigo prepared his equipment. Though Riss wasn’t in the ideal outfit to train in, it was decently comfortable to move around in. Even if it had no defensive abilities, she didn’t exactly care at the moment. With a pause to listen to her friend respond to her own mocking comment, she was surprised to see him return with such a response. The quick comeback made Riss go red in the face. He had previously mentioned that he doubted her ability to keep up with him, but with addition of sarcasm, it started to irritate her slightly. With a cross of her arms and a sharp exhale, she glared at Maigo. She was still able to keep her cool, but a few more jests or insults and she would be pushed over the edge. There was no point in pushing her to her limit before the fighting even started, so she simply took the hit and kept rolling with the punches.

Maigo seemed to continue talking about his insane training regimen. The mention of the Chuunin exams made her somewhat nervous. Riss wasn’t exactly prepared for any type of examination, especially one that would test survival skills. The more talk about how the beach was a perfect option for survival made her even more curious about what was in store for her when she would go to the Chuunin exams. She had heard the rumors, and listened to stories of those who had already made it through the exam. The tests were always random and took a large amount of effort, skill, and more importantly, luck. Shifting her weight, she seemed to mimic Maigo’s previous stance, putting her hand on her hips and tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. It was an interesting thought to put the decision on her. Sparring was all too common in her recent training, so she wanted to avoid a fight for now. Knowing how the two were going to butt heads once and a while, it would only be more beneficial if she saved her rage and wrath for the fight. Survival on the other hand was something she had inexperience with. Riss always preferred the outdoors, but had never truly tried to set up a camp, or find her own food.

With a few more silent moments of thought, she nodded. “How about this? We go ahead and do some survival training, just to get a bit of knowledge underneath our belts when it finally comes time to do Chuunin exams… Then we move onto a quick spar, see how well our jutsus and punches hold up… And finally, once that’s all done and over with, we relax.” She grinned, her mind mainly focusing on laying down in the sand, then going into the ocean to cool off after the training was done. It sounded like heaven, and would most likely be a whole lot more enjoyable when exhaustion kicked in. With a shake of her head, she stared in Maigo’s direction. “Sound good?”

[1621 words]

A bit of silence as Maigo waited for her response, he wondered what she would pick, anything would be good really, and he had a plan, albeit a ridiculous one though. Riss nodded and began to speak, “How about this? We go ahead and do some survival training, just to get a bit of knowledge underneath our belts when it finally comes time to do Chuunin exams… Then we move onto a quick spar, see how well our jutsus and punches hold up… And finally, once that’s all done and over with, we relax.” she smiled and gave Maigo a final, Sound Good? to make sure he understood her thinking. And with that Maigo sighed, he was really hoping to just spar and relax but the choice was hers, and this is what she chose. He walked over to his bag and grabbed two rocks, each about the size of his palm and a brightly red color on one and a green on the other, and then he walked back to Riss, without saying anything he sat down in front of her indian style and took his kunai out. With his Kunai he marked the kanji 人生 (Life) on the red stone and 死 (Death) on the green stone, it took him a second to scratch it into the stone with his kunai and once he had done so he began to explain what he was doing.

The survival training I had in mind isn't so much gathering wood and making a fire or hunting for food, but rather surviving harsh conditions to accomplish a goal. That goal will be to retrieve these rocks from the depths of the ocean. he stood while he was speaking and once he made his point with all his strength he tossed the rocks as far into the ocean as he physically could, aiming for a nearby reef so that they wouldn't go too far down but would get covered up by coral and hopefully other rocks. He then drew a line at their feet, This is our starting point, you need to find one of the rocks now, before it is swallowed by the ocean floor and without getting eaten by sharks or anything like that. Ready? He would wait for Riss while he positioned himself on the line and waited, I guess it is a good thing you brought that swimsuit, I'll let you go first, but don't waste too much time, the loser is gonna have to cook lunch too!

He would wait for Riss to go and would haul out to the water, headed straight for the reef he would try to figure out about where the rocks landed and dive down, frantically searching for either a bright red or green rock in the reef, the water being fairly clear it should be easy, unless the sand of the ocean floor already washed over it. He looked around for Riss but didn't see her as he grabbed onto the reef and began to desperately search for one of the rocks, he didn't know what she was thinking when she thought they would be able to spar and relax after this, he'd be lucky if he ever finds the rock down here.

[547 words, 2545 words total]

Riss quietly stared as the stones were being engraved. She wasn’t too sure what the stones were to be used for, but she did say that she was willing to test survival. Perhaps the rocks were to be used for Maigo’s test, as bizarre as it may have seemed at the moment. Riss wasn’t aware of their purpose, but seeing as her friend came prepared for each bit of training they may go through, she simply went with it. Watching as the rocks were hurled into the water, her thoughts began to connect what Maigo was saying to the survival aspect of their training. True, retrieving rocks from the bottom of the ocean would prove difficult towards her endurance, but she wasn’t too sure how well thought out the plan actually was. The waters were barely clear enough to see the colorful plant life and sand deeper on the sea floor.

Taking off her cover and stretching her arms and legs, she took a place along the edge of the line. Nodding to confirm she was ready, she dug her back foot into the sand and prepared to run the moment she was ready. Of course, Maigo had to say his piece before they started. With a red blush from irritation, she took a deep breath and quickly though of a comeback.

With a roll of her eyes and an over dramatic sigh, Riss shrugged her shoulders up, seeming to accept the challenge Maigo put forth. Just before she was going to step into the water, she started to think. “That challenge kind of makes me tempted to lose on purpose. I definitely know how to cook. Not too sure about you though. Might kill me with burnt food to take me out early.” Ending her jest with a short laugh, she started a short stream of hand signs before rushing out into the waves. The jutsu she used was mainly to speed things up and use the water to her advantage. After all, she was a faster runner than a swimmer. Feet grazing the top of the water, she ran along its rough surface, trying to get to where the red stone was thrown. No doubt it had moved with the constant flow of water. Her main worry was that the rock had been swallowed by the sand and was no longer visible.

Inhaling and filling her lungs, she dropped below the water and opened her eyes hoping to see the stone. The sea water stung her eyes slightly, but she fought through the burning sensation and scanned the bottom. Lightly drifting along, anything that was green or red caught her attention, yet most of the objects were simply plants or oddly formed coral. Feeling the pressure build in her chest and neck, she pushed herself back to the surface and floated for a moment. With a quick glance around, she hoped to see Maigo and how he was doing in his search. There was a bit of doubt that he would have found one, seeing as their little survival training session started mere minutes ago.

[2138 words]

Chakra 145/150:

Maigo dove back down, watching as Riss walked across the surface of the ocean to where she'd begin. Diving down and searching the reef, fish hiding here and there, searching frantically for a stone, the salt water burning his eyes and his breathe running dry from the search. Looking for a round red or green stone to collect and guarantee he isn't stuck cooking their food, soon the late morning would become afternoon and it wouldn't be long before one of the pair would find what they are looking for. Frantic searching as he tried to beat Riss back to shore with a stone, aching muscles from swimming so much and his lungs tiring from holding air for such long durations.



After many hours of searching, Maigo had seemingly searched all but a little section of the reef, and as he surfaced to regather his breathe he committed to dive a bit into the reef and search some of the inner canals of the reef. Inhaling deeply and preparing for a deep dive into a dark area, he dove down kicking his feet and searching wildly, from within the cave he looked peaking his head in and fish flowing wildly outward as he floated backwards. Inside it sparkled like a treasure before his eyes, a green stone with the kanji for 'Death' imbedded into it. He swam back up to refill his lungs, no sign of Riss, probably still searching for a stone, he would act quickly to make sure that he would win his little contest. Diving back down and kicking his feet towards the opening again he grabbed and thrust his body inwards, it was a few feet in but not too far, extending his hand out he grabbed the green stone. Using his arms to push himself back outwards he exited the cave and began to swim up to the surface of the water.

Making it to the top, Maigo headed straight to the beach, he was quite a ways out from the shore and he began to swim back. Keeping the rock in his hand as he swam would slow him down but hopefully he had beaten Riss, otherwise he would end up cooking lunch. And to lunch, Maigo's stomach was growling already, lunch time had passed, and if Riss hadn't made it back to shore, it might be up to her to cook, assuming she finds the stone any time soon. Otherwise Maigo might start trying to cook on his own with or without her at the ready, as he headed back he kept an eye out for their little camp they set up. Turns out he was not only a far away from the shore but also several hundred meters to the side, as he hit the shore he began to walk back to their camp, waiting to see if Riss had made any progress or already found the other stone herself.

[496 words, 3041 words total]

Frantically looking for the stone, Riss was worried each time she dove beneath the surface. Each time, she could feel her lungs press against her. In her mind, she kept cursing Maigo’s name. Blaming him for making a survival test that was next to impossible. The image of Maigo holding both rocks in his hands and sitting on the beach continually mocked her. For all she knew, he was simply wasting her time and letting her tire herself out before the two could test jutsus or train. Gritting her teeth, she came up for air. If Riss’ irritation was measured in heat, the water around her would be boiling hot because of it.

Three long hours passed and Riss didn’t have any luck finding the stone. Searching for what seemed like forever, she finally dove one last time before wanting to give up. With another scan of the bottom, something caught her eye. Swimming towards the glimmer of red, she saw the ‘life’ rock wedged in a small bit of coral. The coral was a lighter red, so the rock seemed to blend in perfectly with it. The chances that she was actually able to find the rock was astounding to her, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it now. Gripping the stone with remaining might, she lifted it and brought it to the surface.

Riss slowly walked out of the water and onto the beach. One hand behind her and the other clutching her chest. She was gasping for air and completely out of breath. After taking a few seconds to get her bearings and pinpoint Maigo’s spot on the beach, she approached it, looking to see if her friend had gotten the other rock. Once she got sight of it, she decided to put on a short act. “You’ve got one of the two rocks?! Really?!” She seemed legitimately surprised with Maigo’s success. “That means I have to cook us up some lunch.” She dropped her head down in disappointment. Taking a few steps closer, she lifted her head and stared at Maigo. With a smirk, she brought her hand out from behind her and lobbed a rock that landed directly at her friend’s feet. The rock was a bright red with the word ‘life’ written across the side of it. “But fortunately, I got the other rock. So you’re not getting any lunch from me!" With a loud and somewhat winded laugh, Riss put her hands on his hips and bent forward. She felt proud of herself and even more so about her accomplishment in finding the stone. If the chuunin exam was even somewhat like what she had to go through, she wouldn’t have a single problem with it. Of course, the infamous reputation of the exams still plagued her ever so slightly.

Brining her attention back to Maigo, she quietly straightened her posture. “So, now that both stones are found, and we’ve spent a long time in the water-” Riss stepped next to Maigo and pushed him onto his towel. With a simple movement, she fell flat onto his towel and directly next to him. Flipping herself over, she stared up at the sky and continued her comment. “-we relax and enjoy the rest of the day on the beach.” Adjusting herself ever so slightly, she noticed that there was barely any room for the two of them on the town. Although she had brought her own towel, she was far too exhausted and lazy to get it.

[2723 words]

Maigo arrived at their spot on the beach, no sign of Riss there, she must still be looking, he would decide to wait a few minutes before going out to get her and bring her back in. Regardless he was just happy he could almost get to eat, his stomach growling, he headed over to his bag to get some stuff out while he waited for Riss to get back. From within his bag he pulled out some sandwiches and things to go along with, his challenge to cook lunch was a ploy to make her try a bit harder to get a stone, so regardless of her finishing or not he would provide the food, and it was really all that was going through his mind. He chewed on some celery that was there while he waited and saw Riss swimming back to the shore, he quickly scarfed down the rest of it and put it back up, he definitely wanted to trick her into thinking she had to do something about it. He stood back up in front of his towel and watched as Riss showed up, coughing up a bunch of water and keeping an arm behind her back as she walked up, Maigo held out his hand with the red rock and word 'Death' in front of her. Showing it off to let her know of her own defeat, You’ve got one of the two rocks?! Really?! That means I have to cook us up some lunch. Maigo snickered as he heard the words, he tossed the rock over back his stuff and turned his attention back to Riss who had tossed a rock at his feet as well, in fact, it was the other rock, he looked back up to her with an even bigger grin, he was kinda happy that she had found it. He picked it up and tossed it over with his stuff as she was laughing and making a display of herself.

As Maigo turned his attention back towards her, she was up against him, Well, about lunch... he began to mumble out but before he could finish his sentence she spoke over him, So, now that both stones are found, and we’ve spent a long time in the water- and she pushed him backwards, he wasn't ready for it and fell back onto his towel, tilting his head and yelling as he fell, Hey, what the hell are you- being cutoff by his own body hitting the ground. -we relax and enjoy the rest of the day on the beach. she finished as she fell down next to him, laying on the same towel as him, he layed back and looked towards her. He didn't want to be rude so he scooted over slightly and put his arm on his head and let his elbow sit over her head. He watched her for a second, he was kinda expecting more training from her, it was after all her idea to train and Maigo's idea to relax, but had she already had her fill? Regardless Maigo was fine with the hanging out, he was beginning to like her, but the food was also calling his name hunger still calling out to him but his stomach no longer growled.

Not wanting to just lay there in silence, especially when someone as pretty as Riss was laying next to him, he turned his head towards her. Using his hand to prop up his head he turned the rest of his body, thinking of any words to say, So. . . nothing coming to mind but what they had just done, it occurred to him that he didn't really know her and therefore he had nothing that he could really talk about with her. Um, I was just kidding about the lunch thing, my mom packed me some food up when I told her I was meeting you here, she thought it'd be nice to eat on the beach or whatever. he said blushing a little, it was embarrassing for him to admit that his mom still basically took care of him but he wanted to break the ice and start learning more about her, other than here affinity for spraying water in his face. The more he payed attention to Riss the more he grew fond of her, she was just nice to be around and he felt comfortable so much so that his next move would be a huge jump from anything he had done before.

He kept his head on his hand and watched her reaction, she'd either laugh at his helplessness and dependence upon his mother or be disgusted by the exact same thing. To prevent the first from coming into her mind he quickly reached his other arm around and placed it on her stomach, Not that I need my mother for any of that but she just kinda did it after I told her I was going to meet this pretty girl at the beach. He slide his hand off her stomach, and in case she still wasn't getting the picture he grabbed her cheek, holding her head with his palm he spoke softly, I mean you, you're very pretty. But not that I think of you like that, I mean I think you're pretty and all, but...you know what I'm saying right? As he said the words he knew it was wrong, both in what he said and throwing himself out there like that, and in such an awkward fashion. He didn't even know if Riss would be okay with the little bit of contact he made, much less if she would respond to his little admission in a positive way. Maigo certainly hoped she would, but chances are it wouldn't go down so smoothly, besides last time she broke a bench and hosed him down with water for saying he didn't need any help or anyone checking up on him. And now he's preparing to take it one step further and they still didn't even know each other very well, at least they might learn a little bit more after today.

[1041 words, 4082 words total]

Putting a hand up to her mouth, she giggled slightly as Maigo mentioned that his mother packed his lunch. Although Riss herself was somewhat dependent on her mother, she consistently tried to be more independent if she was going to be a higher ranking ninja one day. Though Maigo seemed a little insecure about his embarrassing admission, Riss simply rolled her eyes to show she didn’t mind or even care really. It was pretty obvious Maigo wanted to talk to her and start up a conversation, but remembering the moment they had with the bench and the dinner that followed, she knew he had trouble with such a thing. “It seems like your mother and mine would get along. My mother still thinks of me as her helpless little girl. Then again… I think it’s only natural for parents to be protective. They’re always looking out for us…” She grinned, trying to relate her own personal experience with her mother to Maigo’s. By doing so, she hoped to break the tension a bit and open her friend up a little bit more. Of course, what happened next wasn’t exactly as she expected it to be.

Riss looked down at her stomach as soon as she felt Maigo’s hand touching it. It made her a bit uncomfortable, but made her blush slightly as well. She was happy to be around Maigo, as socially awkward he was. He was decent company and gave her a bit of a challenge now and then. Quietly staring, she listened carefully, trying to make out what was said. The word ‘pretty’ hit her rather hard. A slight flashback took place in the back of her mind, remembering the moment Maigo called her attractive, right before she blasted him and the bench he was sitting on into nothing more than a pile of splinters. Tensing up, Riss shifted her body in case the hand was placed there by accident. When she settled, it became clear that it was no accident. He was truly trying to hit on her. That, or he was joking and had other intentions. If that was truly the case, she wouldn’t be too happy with him. Toying with Riss’ emotions was one good way to get on her bad side, and she was starting to fear that Maigo was getting close to that point.

Before she had time to object or react, she felt Maigo’s hand reach up and squeeze her face slightly. The whole situation was getting extremely uncomfortable. Riss was beginning to get a bit angry, thinking that Maigo’s flirting was simply to toy with her and make her feel happy only to knock her down a few pegs. The face grab was another action that pushed her thoughts even further. As she continued to overthink everything, Maigo mentioned how Riss was pretty once more. Her grin turned into a slight frown along with a furrowed brow. Finally reaching the pinnacle of her overthinking, she shoved Maigo slightly and rolled away from him. Scrambling to her feet, she stood up straight and stomped a foot into the sand. “Hey! Quit it!” She rubbed her cheek, as if Maigo had put something on it and she was trying to get it off. Though her companion may not have gone to such lengths as to grabbing more personal areas of her body, she still felt as though the face grab was just as bad. “I know you’re just taunting me, so stop right now! I mean it!” Her tone was obviously angry, but came across a bit higher and more squeaky than normal, as if she was nervous and confused. Crossing her arms, she glares down at Maigo. She is too focused on being angry to completely understand Maigo was telling her how he felt. Riss was mere seconds from exploding into a tirade and unleashing any and all jutsus and abilities she had to deny what was said to her.

Her mind raced with possibilities of what she could do. There was a rather large list of jutsus she could use in an attempt to thwart Maigo’s supposedly fake advances. Running wasn’t an option and would never be one for Riss. Her ego and prideful ways would easily stop her from doing such a thing. Deciding on a strategy, she would try to limit her companion’s movement and add some personal and creative defenses. Not even once did the thought that Maigo was serious about his compliments and somewhat romantic gesture. Blinded by her thoughts, she reacted how she almost always does. Defensively.

[3484 words]

Riss laughed at Maigo's thought about his mother, making her own retort while pretty much giggling at him, adding that parents were over-protective for everyone, but does that count for mother's who aren't his real mother? A lot had changed recently for Maigo, finding out he was adopted but his family refusing to tell him more or what happened. It heavily weighed against his mind as he had searched for ways to distract him, one of the reasons he asked Riss to join him today. And as he poured his feelings out, not completely but enough to hint to her the way he felt, but as expected she became very defensive very quickly as he touched her face. He most definitely took it too far, and for such an informal day he had planned out, it most definitely caught her off guard, but now it was time to play it off, he wondered how rough these next few minutes were gonna get as he waited and watched her begin to unsettle. Crossing her arms and staring him down, her face was red but with what appeared as pure anger and rage at his actions, he wondered if any of his words got through to her as he started thinking about how to act next.

Watching her for a moment and letting her thoughts stir in her mind for a moment he leaned back onto his back. Lifting one leg on his knee and putting his hands behind his head to relax a little, closing his eyes as his head tilted up towards the sky, a sigh was released before he spoke. He knew Riss would be getting upset at how he was acting, but he was taking a risk to play this off, and if he couldn't then it didn't matter, at least he was able to say what he wanted to say to her. Hmm. Is this how you treat every guy who likes you? So defensive, I try to pour my heart out and now you want to fight me. I'm starting to see a pattern with you and being defensive all of the sudden. his words were quiet as if he was talking to himself, but he knew Riss could hear him. He didn't wait for her to respond or say anything before he continued, I'm not trying to taunt you at all, but if you want me to stop, then I suggest you make me! still turned away from her, he said these words loud enough that he knew that she would hear him for sure.

And now he would wait for her response, he knew it wouldn't end well and he began to concentrate his chakra into his eyes in case he would need to defend himself. Well, the worst case scenario was that she hates his guts now, fights him and never speaks to him again. In that case, at least he would get a good workout in by sparing Riss. Then again, maybe she would be okay with it, or completely forget it happened and in either case he'd be okay with those options. But to be completely honest, Maigo didn't see a future where he didn't at least have to face off against Riss this afternoon.

[557 words, 4639 words total]

Maigo’s comment finally pushed her to the edge. Riss was shaking with anger and decided to skip her rant and head straight into fighting. The rant still shot through her head. She would’ve called him a liar and continued on calling him all sorts of profanities before jumping at him. Unfortunately for Maigo, he hit a few too many of Riss’ buttons and was about to be hit with one of Riss’ more violent streaks of anger. It was a somewhat common theme between the two. Riss would get angry, lash out, then apologize. Yet this time, she seemed to be more focused on causing Maigo harm than getting even. If she simply wanted to embarrass him or crush his feelings, she would’ve played along only to drop him in a second. But seeing as the face grab was more than just a joke, it frightened her and enraged her all at the same time. A very small sliver of her conscious was trying to fight back her urge to simply take a breather and talk this whole situation out. The rest of her simply wanted to stab Maigo repeatedly in the face until she was satisfied with how badly mangled his face was.

Snapping away from her thoughts, she let instinct take over. Bringing her hands up as quickly as she could and speeding through a few hand signs, a seal was created in her hand, ready to be placed. Leaping forward and positioning her hands in just the right spots, she simultaneously placed the seal on Maigo’s right leg and shoved him back a few feet. The seal would quickly being its work, tightening the muscles in Maigo’s leg and immobilizing it. Without the use of one of his legs, his speed would certainly suffer. Given that this would work as Riss as intended it to, it would give her plenty of time to retrieve a few of her items before returning to fight.

Turning and sprinting to her bag, she rustled through her things until she found two kunai. She would’ve grabbed her cover for the sake of not fighting in a bikini, but she was simply too distracted from rational thought to do so. Her mind was clouded to the point where she didn’t even care if she caused Maigo great injury, which was rather unlike her. Placing a Kunai in each hand, she stood back up to face Maigo. Without a word, she gripped the handles of the two kunai and slowly made her way towards him. Riss had a look that could kill, and seeing the way she was coming at Maigo, it wasn’t hard to tell how serious she was about causing him harm. After a few slow steps, her pace gradually quickened as each foot hit the sand. Rushing forward, she would give Maigo no time to recover or even react to her incoming attack. With both kunai up, she aimed directly at his chest.

[3976 words]

Maigo sat there, passively ignoring Riss's anger aggressively build next to him, there was a pause and it worried him, he almost wanted to break his decision and find out how she was taking it or at the very least how she looked that she was taking it. But before he could finish his decision he heard footsteps and hands being placed on him as he felt something hit his leg and push him back several feet, he could feel the muscles in his leg tightening down and as he stared at his leg for a moment to find a seal placed there, by Riss. Calling out to her as she ran away, Hey, what in the hell was that and what's that for? We can be civil here ya know? His eyes now turned red and stared towards her, he watched as she fumbled into her bag and grab her stuff, Maigo taking the cue went into his as well and grabbed his pouch and quickly tightened it to his leg, and by that time she was headed back towards him. He began to panic, not having the use of his leg he would be open to an attack from her, nearly any attack, he had to either choose to regain use of his leg by breaking the seal or to respond to the soon to be incoming attack.

All Maigo could think was how out of hand this was getting, he almost wanted to grab her and try to calm her down but with his choice of words, tone, and considering the situation there was almost no way he could do that, he would just have to let her work out her anger and try not to take any vital hits. Her pace quickened as she charged him with both kunai, he quickly had to decide how to act, he could probably break the seal and block one kunai but that meant that he was going to have to take the hit from the other one. It was a risk he was prepared to take as he drew his kunai and cut into his leg, tearing as little as possible but breaking the skin so that the seal would break, then immediately bringing his hand up two deflect the kunai in her left hand and take the other kunai right to his chest. His sharingan definitely helped him keep track of the movements but as her kunai pierced his skin he could feel the sting of the blade in his muscles, but his leg began to loosen up and the area on his pants began to soak with blood.

From there he reached around her and bear hugged her then suplexed her to the ground, being sure that his arms cushioned the fall as to not seriously hurt her, he would try to stare in her eyes and break the rampage he had created, he didn't want to seriously fight and kept his grip loose so that she could easily get out of it if she wanted to. If he would be able to get her down for even a moment he would ask her quickly while he had the time before her rampage continued, Wait, what in the world is going on, what did I say or do to make you so angry? he had stopped paying attention to whether or not the kunai was in his chest, blood probably flowing profusely from it at this point, his eyes following hers to see where their fight led to next.

[595 words, 5234 words total]

[OOC: If you choose to try to break out of the hug and avoid the suplex just start from where he bear hugs you and go on from there.]

Maigo sat there, passively ignoring Riss's anger aggressively build next to him, there was a pause and it worried him, he almost wanted to break his decision and find out how she was taking it or at the very least how she looked that she was taking it. But before he could finish his decision he heard footsteps and hands being placed on him as he felt something hit his leg and push him back several feet, he could feel the muscles in his leg tightening down and as he stared at his leg for a moment to find a seal placed there, by Riss. Calling out to her as she ran away, Hey, what in the hell was that and what's that for? We can be civil here ya know? His eyes now turned red and stared towards her, he watched as she fumbled into her bag and grab her stuff, Maigo taking the cue went into his as well and grabbed his pouch and quickly tightened it to his leg, and by that time she was headed back towards him. He began to panic, not having the use of his leg he would be open to an attack from her, nearly any attack, he had to either choose to regain use of his leg by breaking the seal or to respond to the soon to be incoming attack.

All Maigo could think was how out of hand this was getting, he almost wanted to grab her and try to calm her down but with his choice of words, tone, and considering the situation there was almost no way he could do that, he would just have to let her work out her anger and try not to take any vital hits. Her pace quickened as she charged him with both kunai, he quickly had to decide how to act, he could probably break the seal and block one kunai but that meant that he was going to have to take the hit from the other one. It was a risk he was prepared to take as he drew his kunai and cut into his leg, tearing as little as possible but breaking the skin so that the seal would break, then immediately bringing his hand up two deflect the kunai in her left hand and take the other kunai right to his chest. His sharingan definitely helped him keep track of the movements but as her kunai pierced his skin he could feel the sting of the blade in his muscles, but his leg began to loosen up and the area on his pants began to soak with blood.

From there he reached around her and bear hugged her then suplexed her to the ground, being sure that his arms cushioned the fall as to not seriously hurt her, he would try to stare in her eyes and break the rampage he had created, he didn't want to seriously fight and kept his grip loose so that she could easily get out of it if she wanted to. If he would be able to get her down for even a moment he would ask her quickly while he had the time before her rampage continued, Wait, what in the world is going on, what did I say or do to make you so angry? he had stopped paying attention to whether or not the kunai was in his chest, blood probably flowing profusely from it at this point, his eyes following hers to see where their fight led to next.

[595 words, 5234 words total]

[OOC: If you choose to try to break out of the hug and avoid the suplex just start from where he bear hugs you and go on from there.]

As Riss’ kunai plunged into Maigo’s chest, a spray of blood streaked across her shoulder and chest. The sight of the blood didn’t even seem to stop her attack in the slightest. She ripped the kunai out of him and attempted to stab it into him once more. Of course by the time she lifted her hand, Maigo was already reacting to her attack. She didn’t notice his arms moving and it quickly took her by surprise. Feeling Maigo’s grip around her, she tried to bring her arms up in time to block it, but was too late to stop the suplex. Being lifted up and immediately slammed down knocked the wind out of her. With a quick gasp for air, she looked up only to see that Maigo was no on top of her. The kunai in her left hand was knocked away from her when the slam took place, leaving only the one in her right. Based on Maigo’s expression, he didn’t seem to understand where her anger was coming from and asked her what exactly he said to make her snap. Feeling the lock on his grip being loosened, Riss quickly wiggled out of his grasp and place a leg in between her and Maigo. With a simple shift of her body and kick of her leg, she reversed the position of the two, leaving her on top with a kunai in tow. Riss’ mind was racing trying to take in everything at once.

Riss seemed to yell at the top of her lungs, causing a rather loud echo on the beach. “YOU CALLED ME PRETTY!” She gripped the kunai and held it against Maigo’s neck, almost ready to take a large slice that would most likely kill him. As everything went silent, Riss’ furious expression seemed to disappear. She looked down at Maigo and slowly brought her attention to the wound she inflicted on his chest. The cut wasn’t too deep and didn’t look like it needed stitches. All her emotions from before caught up with her and she started to tear up. Realizing that the comment about her being the ‘pretty girl on the beach’ finally drilled the fact that Maigo was attempting to be romantic in her head. Throwing her weapon to the side, she leaned forward and placed her lips on her friend’s cheek. Though it may have been an immediate turnaround from her previous outburst, the soft kiss almost made up for everything she did. At least it did in her mind.

Sitting up and getting off of her companion, she offered him a hand, but remained completely quiet while doing so. Whether he took it or not, she would then rush back over to her back to retrieve some medical supplies. Quickly grabbing some bandages and cloth wraps, she made her way back to Maigo and would start trying to patch him up. With a light sigh, Riss looked up at her friend with a few tears sliding down the side of her face. “I-I’m sorry... I-I really didn’t mean to react like that… I just-... No ones ever-...” Her voice was obviously nervous, and she seemed to be visibly shaking.

[4503 words]

They were both on the ground Maigo looked to her, but still just anger in her eyes. As he loosened up she shifted,  grab hold of him and threw him around and took a dominant position, bringing the cold metal of the kunai to his neck and resting it there. He could feel the weight of the kunai bearing against him but for some reason she wasn't cutting or stabbing, more just holding him there, a look of panic seemed to come over her. Maigo let his arms fall out to his sides, he wasn't sure what to do as his red eyes stared into hers, she could easily kill him right now but instead started yelling at him, YOU CALLED ME PRETTY! as the words rang out through the air. A sort of ridiculous thing to fight over, it was probably good that the nearest person was a good bit away, not that he wouldn't enjoy someone stepping in and helping him but to die this way? It would be absolutely ridiculous and Maigo would fall into humiliation for the rest of eternity.

A smile would form over Maigo's face as he would watch Riss' reaction change in front of him, go from anger to concern and then to sadness so quickly, his smile would form into a chuckle and then a laugh once she took the kunai off his neck. He would stop laughing once tears began to flow from her face, she had noticed the cut on his chest, not too bad but certainly not accidental all the same. He would lean his head up and began to talk, letting his sharingan fade and his yellow eyes return to normal, Hey, it's no- but he would be cutoff by a soft kiss on the cheek from Riss. Instantly he would start blushing, he couldn't tell if it was the softness of her lips or the kiss but he enjoyed it all the same, the thought of exploding ran through his mind, he just wasn't sure how to react anymore, kinda afraid to react too severely to anything at the risk of making her mad again. He just let his head fall back and lay there for a second as Riss stood up and off of him, when he looked back up he saw her hand out to help him up.

Maigo took her hand and walked over to her bag, she ran over and grabbed a few things and began to patch him up. Tears still running down her face and indecision on her voice as she tried to break the silence while helping him out, I-I’m sorry... I-I really didn’t mean to react like that… I just-... No ones ever-... she was in just terrible shape now. He didn't like seeing her in this condition, his compassionate side started to kick in as he took a bandage from her and began to wrap himself up more thoroughly, Here, let me do it, you're not wrapping it tight enough. As he tightened the bandage he leaned in towards her and crossed his legs, then he put his hand on her shoulder and spoke softly, Don't worry about it. I do think that way and I think more people should as well, I also know that it was kinda. . . well awkward. So, I should be the one apologizing to you though. But don't worry about it, I learned my lesson, I won't do it again. he let his voice end abruptly as he looked downwards towards his feet.

Waiting a moment for her to respond, he would gather himself to his feet and offer to help her up as well. Well, I do think we've wasted enough time here today, and I'm pretty hungry so I think it's about time we wrapped things up... he would say with a kinda cliche chuckle through his words. He hadn't really wanted to end it just yet, but all good things had to come to an end, and Maigo would consider it a good day outside of the part where he practiced blocking a kunai with his chest. He would invite Riss to join him on his adventure to get food while he packed up his things and put his shirt on without an undershirt, just like he normally did. Once he gathered his things he would head into the village and get dinner at a local noodle shop before heading home to clean himself and his wounds and then get to bed early that night.

[775 words, 6009 words total]

[Exit Thread]

Training:

Maigo’s laugh took Riss by complete surprise. After she stabbed his chest, she was almost sure that would be the end of everything. If anything, Riss thought Maigo’s tamed reaction to her extreme violence was almost too calm. As she played back the stab to his chest, she could only think a normal response would be anger, or something other than a quiet response. She looked him in the eyes, tears lingering on her cheeks. “N-No. I overreacted… I… I think I’m fine with being called pretty…” Looking down and to the right, Riss seemed to be blushing. If anything wasn’t clear before, it was now. She definitely shared feeling with Maigo, even though she had a violent way of showing it.

Riss seemed to stay silent, unsure of what to say. With a light exhale, she reached over and grabbed her kunai. Making sure her movements were slow in case Maigo thought she was going to make an attempt at his life again. She was surprised to see when Maigo offered her a hand up, and quietly accepted. It almost seemed as though her companion didn’t think anything of the injury and was more focused on getting food. Opening her mouth to say something, she caught herself and dropped her head slightly. With a light and slow nod, she walked over to her bag and opened it up. Retrieving her bag and putting her equipment away, she could only wonder what her actions would do to her and Maigo’s friendship. In her mind, there were only two ways it was going to go. Either their friendship would crumble and the two would no longer associate with one another, or they would become something more than friends. Although she was greatly hoping it would be the latter, the former made her rather nervous. She wasn’t exactly thinking when she attacked Maigo.

With a bit of relief, she ended up joining Maigo for a meal, but remained quiet for a majority of the dinner. After spending a bit more time at the restaurant, she decided to head home and rest after the day’s ordeal. She had a lot on her mind, and given her actions, they would most likely keep her up all night.


[5240 words]

Training: