Skye awoke to the sounds of a light drizzle of rain outside. The sun was clouded and gave off very little light, making it look almost like it was still early in the morning. Listening in on the rain, Skye felt as though the rain would have given him an excuse to be lazy for the rest of the day, but knowing Kumo, rain wasn’t a deterrent for any of its citizens. Inching towards the edge of his bed and lazily raising his upper body, he yawned before fully standing up. It was hard to keep his balance due to his lack of energy or motivation to completely wake up. Stumbling over to his wardrobe, he picked out his typical pair of clothes. After a short breakfast and a few stretches, Skye went out of his home and into the depths of Kumo. Walking along the long and narrow streets, Skye silently observed the people he passed. Being that the village was only now waking up, there wasn’t a lot of people out and about. The drizzle from the morning was still continuing at a steady pace. Looking up, Skye let out a light exhale. Having lived half of his life in Suna, and the other half in Kumo, rain was still a wonder to him. Extending his hand out and facing his palm up towards the clouds, he caught a few raindrops with a small grin. Rain was still an interesting type of weather to him, and he wasn’t going to get tired of it any time soon.

As Skye continued to walk forward, something off to his right caught his eye. It was nothing too important, but the simple movement to his right took his attention away from where he was walking. The movement was nothing more than a cat, possibly someone’s pet, or just a random stray. With a shrug, Skye brought his attention back to where he was walking. The moment he did so, he wasn’t aware of how far he had actually walked, and ended up bumping shoulders with another person. The force of the bump wasn’t too bad, but was certainly enough to make someone drop something or even fall if they weren’t paying attention. Whatever may have happened after the bump, Skye would react immediately. Picking up any fallen items, offering a hand to the person who fell, whatever it may be. After doing so, he would then focus more on the apology.

As be brought his eyes up and looked at who he bumped into, he noticed the girl’s appearance. Having been a part of ANBU for quite some time, Skye had access to files and information of almost everyone in the village. Surprisingly, he had little to no recollection of who this girl was. The face didn’t match to any of the names he had in his head, and the names couldn’t be matched with her face. Standing up straight, Skye bowed his head as an extra effort to his apology. “Sorry about that, wasn’t looking where I was going. Happens to me a lot actually.” Lifting his head, he took note of a few more of the girl’s features. She was only a bit shorter than him, then again, Skye didn’t think he was very tall to begin with. Skye knew he was a fair bit older than her as well. Snapping out of his typical analysis, he nodded once more and waited for a response from the girl.

[579 words]

When Ame woke up that morning she had a feeling it was going to be a good day. The first thing she heard was the familiar and comforting sound of rain on the compound roof, making her smile. She sat up and leaned on one arm, rubbing her eyes sleepily and tilting her head to look out of the window. She had left it open in the evening and now she was able to clearly see the steady fall of raindrops onto the soaked earth outside. It was her favourite thing about living in Kumo, being able to see the rain often. Her mother despised it, but Ameryuu had always held an innate fascination with it. It was probably what drove her to take up learning Suiton jutsu once she'd come to know Raiton very well. She got up and stretched, hearing the vertebrae in her spine crack as she did so. She felt a bit hungry, but not much, and the conversation from the night before drove away any thoughts of food.

Her mother had shouted at her for not being ladylike once again, and had promised retribution if she didn't go out into the town and choose a suitable kimono for the tea ceremony the old woman was holding later in the week. Ame's hatred of the stuffy clothing was pushed aside and she'd promised to do as she was told, utterly terrified of her mother's wrath. She decided that there was no point in putting off the inevitable and got up to do as she promised. After changing into a sweater and some comfortable pants, Ame grabbed an umbrella, ready to head out and buy one of those infernal devices people deemed clothing. She'd never understood the merit of wearing the things. They were way too constricting, and she didn't know how one was expected to defend their life while wearing one. 

She walk into town was uneventful, if a little wet, and it barely took her any time at all to go to a random shop, buy whatever kimono she could afford with the dearth of money she had available, and prepare to go and find herself some food. She looked down that the annoyingly heavy package in her arms with a frown, wondering if she could get away with skimping out on the whole experience altogether, when she suddenly bumped into someone else. She fumbled for the package, unable to save both it and the umbrella from falling, and chose to keep the umbrella steady. She would rather keep herself dry than the dreaded kimono. "Oh goodness. Well there goes my chance at appeasing my mother." She looked up as the man she'd bumped into dipped his head slightly in apology and began to explain himself. She held up a hand to stem his apology, smiling at him. "It's fine, I didn't particularly want to wear that monstrosity in any case." 

Ame reached down to pick up the plastic wrapped package and shook it a bit to get the water and mud off it. It would be fine once out of it's coverings. As she looked up she took note of his features, her genuine curiosity kicking in as it always did. He looked oddly familiar, but Ame couldn't quite place from where. Then it clicked. "Excuse me, but are you a friend of the Raikage's?" She was sure that he was the man beside her sensei in that photograph, now that she looked at him more closely. The purple face paint was a dead giveaway, but he looked a bit older in the flesh. 

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Words: 618

Skye glanced down at the box he knocked out of the girl’s hand. The box grouped together with her response about the box made him a bit curious about what was inside it. He could assume it was something to be worn based on what Ame said. There were a few obvious markings on the box, but seeing how it was now soaked with water, the labels were somewhat hard to read.

Listening in on Ame, he chuckled slightly. The question was a bit random, but he could only assume it was asked because the girl had some connection to the Raikage. As much as he wanted to pry into the girl to have a few of his own questions answered, he simply nodded once. “I’m a good friend of the Raikage, yes.” Skye grinned, knowing the current Raikage rather well in fact. Part of it had to do with him being a member of ANBU, but a much larger part of his friendship with Sano had to do with him meeting Sano years before he ever became the leader of Kumo. Scratching the back of his head, he continued to look at the girl. “I’ve known him for quite some time actually. Before he was Raikage actually. Always reckless, always dragging me into things…” He began to trail off a bit, remembering a few of the insane events Sano had dragged him into. Just before he was going to say another word, a heavy drop of rain hit the top of Skye’s head and caused him to look up at the sky. The clouds were starting to swirl and grow darker, indicating that the light drizzle would soon become a heavy storm. Knowing the infamous storms of Kumo and the wind and rain that followed, he would have to think on his feet.

With a shake of his head, Skye crossed his arms and shifted his weight to his right. A small, clever smirk came from Skye as he began to talk once more. “Ah, but back to the box and bumping shoulders. I wouldn’t feel right not making it up to you after knocking that box out of your hand.” With a short pause, Skye rapidly brainstormed an interesting idea. “It’s getting closer to lunch about now, and seeing how the rain is coming down a bit harder, how about I treat you to lunch? And please say yes, I’d would have a horrible feeling in my gut if I did nothing.” His tone sounded sincere enough, but in truth had much more purpose behind it. Given the fact that Ame knew Sano in some way gave made him curious enough to bring up his questions over a casual lunch. The lunch in a way was more for Skye than it was for Ame, even if it was a kind gesture on Skye’s part. Many factors weighed against Ame from rejecting his offer. From the oncoming rain, to the knowledge of the Raikage, it seemed like it was a rather easy choice to make. Skye merely hoped she would accept the offer before the incoming gusts carried them off.

[1100 words]

Ame smiled wryly. From what Sanosuke had told her it was this man who was more likely to drag you into troublesome situations, but she knew that old friendships were often like that. You blamed each other, despite the fact that it was probably a bad idea that both of you had agreed upon that lead to said awkward situations. I must have been nice to have friendships like that. "I'm sure that Flynt-sama would be happy to hear you saying he's reckless." She laughed a little, only teasing him. She held the dripping package a little ways away from her body, avoiding getting mud on her sweater. "Oh, I didn't introduce myself, how rude of me. I'm Ryuzoji Ameryuu, but you can call me Ame. My name's too long to say the whole thing."  She had always thought that her name was a bit pretentious. Ame held out her hand to shake his, despite the rain now starting to fall harder.

She was surprised at his invitation to take her out to lunch. She didn't think it was necessary for him to pay her back just because he bumped into her. It wasn't as if she was looking where she was going either. He was correct about it being near lunch time though, and her lack of breakfast was starting to make itself known now that she'd begun to think about eating. Ame mulled over it for a bit. True, she didn't know the guy, but he seemed nice enough and was a friend of the Raikage's, so she didn't think she'd have to worry about being murdered and left in an alleyway to rot. Besides, he wasn't in possession of an umbrella, and she'd feel bad if she left him out in the rain without one. "Ok, but we're splitting the bill. I don't feel comfortable with owing people either. Besides, it's not as if I was looking where I was going either, and I should have avoided you on instinct, considering my-" Ame realised exactly what she was saying and stopped abruptly, coughing awkwardly. It was likely he'd figure out was she was talking about, thanks to her giving her clan name, but one didn't usually go blurting out their abilities to strangers. "Well then, where do you suggest we go?"

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Words: 404 ~ 1022

Skye rolled his eyes slightly. He knew Sano well enough to back up his claim about his friend being reckless. Besides, if word got out that he was mocking the Raikage, there probably wouldn’t be too bad of a punishment. Catching the way Ame used Sanosuke’s name immediately gave Skye the idea that Ame was being taught by him. Sano had never mentioned any such student to him, or even that he had a student. If he had, he would’ve immediateSkly gotten on his case about it. The countless taunts he could have make. Now that he knew this, it would certainly be interesting the next time the met. Snapping back into the conversation, Skye grinned. “Well, nice to meet you Ame. My name is Skye Nekito, but just Skye is fine.” Extending a hand and shaking Ame’s, Skye got a better look at the box. It seemed like whatever was inside was most likely fancier clothing than normal, and just as likely to be soaked from being dropped. If any part of the box wasn’t drenched, the incoming storm would make sure it would be.

Skye put his hands up in protest to Ame’s suggestion of splitting the bill for lunch. Although he would get the guilt of bumping into the girl by buying her lunch, it would still leave a bad taste in his mouth having her split the cost of food. Before he was able to respond to her comment about the bill, she seemed to trail off to why she should’ve been able to avoid him. With a slight tilt of his head, Skye tried his best to recall the clan name. ‘Ryuzoji’ was a name he had seen a few times in the village’s dossiers and files, yet his memory continued to fail him. Assuming that it would come to him later, he sighed and let out a quick laugh. “Alright, alright. We can split the bill if you’re not comfortable. As for where we could eat, I know a few places.” Motioning for Ame to follow him, he quietly turned and started heading into the depths of Kumo. The rain started to fall until streams of water started to flow down the street. Luckily for the two, the restaurant Skye had in mind wasn’t too far away. The restaurant appeared to be a very informal and had a relaxing vibe to it. The food served seemed to be varied, seeing as a sign in the front depicted images of vegetables, meats, and breads. Walking up to the front door and opening it for Ame, Skye made an over the top ‘after you’ gesture to invite her inside. He was obviously joking, and seemed to be having a decent time, even if the two had only briefly talked about agreeing to eat.

Whenever Ame entered, Skye would follow behind and find a booth near a wall. Plopping down on the seat and leaning back slightly, he glanced around to see if a waiter or waitress was nearby. The smell of grilled and cooked meats filled the air and made Skye grin. He had been to this eatery many times before, and was no stranger to the menus. He wasn’t too sure about Ame though. With a small nod, he decided to wait for Ame’s reaction to the menu.

[1,653 words]

Ameryuu smiled as Skye seemed to roll his eyes at his friend's antics. He introduced himself and Ame payed attention, always liking to know people's names when she talked to them. It was part of her perpetual curiosity. She recognized his name now, sure that Sanosuke had mentioned it when he had shown her and Kameko that photo of himself and Skye. "Nice to meet you Skye." He seemed to be inspecting her box rather thoroughly and she made a mental note to tell him was was inside it at a later time. It wasn't as if the contents could really get any worse, what with the current weather, so she didn't mind the state of it much. Of course her mother probably would, but Ame would chalk it up to irresponsible kids running past her and knocking it out of her hands. Hopefully her mother wouldn't see through the lie, or Ame was sure to be in for a lecture.

Ame nodded, glad that he had seemed glanced over her mistake. The rain began falling harder and she offered up protection under her umbrella for Skye, more than happy to share. He led her nt far from where the 'bump into hello' incident happened, for which she was grateful. Judging by the quickly changing weather, Ame was sure one of Kumo's infamous storms was blowing in and she had no desire to walk home in such weather. The restaurant they stopped at was unfamiliar to her, but it looked inviting. As Skye opened the door and made an exagerated 'after you' movement, Ame was treated to a warm gust of air from inside the eating establishment, and she rushed indoors to find herself more of the welcoming warmth. The whole atmosphere was friendly, and though it wasn't very full, she had a feeling that it was a popular place. Most people would be at home, staying away from the cold and rain, so she understood why it wasn't as full as it could be. 

She took in a deep breath, a small pang of emptiness going through her stomach from the smell of food. Skye led her to a booth and she slid in opposite him, looking down at the menu owlishly. She'd never been to the place before, so she wasn't so sure about what to order. The menu seemed to have a wide variety of foodstuffs and she looked up to Skye for help in picking something appropriate. "Um, Skye, anything you'd recommend?" As long as there was no cat, she'd gladly eat whatever he picked. She was fairly hungry too, so even if the meal he chose was larger than what she usually chose to eat, she would eat all of it. Hopefully the bill wouldn't be too large though. As no more than a lowly genin she didn't receive much money from mission undertakings and her mother certainly never gave her anything. She would just have to have faith.

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Words: 508 ~ 1530

Simply looking at Ame’s expression as she blankly stared at the menu gave Skye the impression that she had either never eaten at the restaurant, or didn’t know some of the foods. His guess was right, seeing that Ame asked what Skye would recommend. Tilting his head slightly and scanning across the menu for a few seconds, he placed his index finger on a particular plate and turned his menu to show Ame. “First time I went here, I got this.” The food he was pointing to was a rather interesting dish. It was explained as a bowl of rice with pieces of beef mixed in with a certain mix of spices. An overall delicious meal to almost any palate. Whether she went with his recommendation wasn’t really a concern for him, mainly because it was one of the cheaper, yet more pleasant tasting dishes. Part of the reason he picked the dish was for its cost. If she was so insistent about paying her half, he wanted to make sure she was paying a lesser half.

The waitress came to their table and seemed to immediately notice Skye. The two exchanged a few small glances before the woman grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. With a slight grin, she leaned in, ready to take their orders. Seeing as he was previously eyeing the skewered pieces of grilled chicken, Skye ordered a rather large plate for himself. Along with his food, he ordered himself a glass of Sake. He wasn’t too fond of alcoholic drinks, yet he felt a strange need to drink something of the sort. After he placed his order, he straightened his posture and would wait on Ame to do the same. Whatever she chose, the waitress would take down whatever was said and leave them to their conversation.

“So…” Skye leaned forwards and set his elbows on top of the table. “A short while back, you mentioned our Raikage, Sano, was your teacher? How exactly did that happen? He’s never mentioned anything to me about him having a student. Then again, I doubt he would have time to tell me...” Skye let out a quick and quiet laugh. He still wanted an explanation, and made it clear that he wasn’t going to simply take a basic answer. He wanted details. His drifted back to the taunts he could use against his friend while he waited for a response. The chances he would meet Sano’s student on the streets amazed him. And the opportunities he had to get information was seemingly endless.

[2180 words]

Ame took a look at the dish Skye had suggested. It looked like a good choice and the price wasn't anything she couldn't afford so she went for it, thanking him for the suggestion. A waitress soon appeared, taking down Skye's order first before Ame's. She ordered tea alongside her meal, something to ward away the chills from her time outside. The waitress hurried off after that, and Ame looked to Skye as he asked his question. Ame blinked, wondering why Sanosuke had declined to mention herself and his other students to Skye, considering how close the two of them seemed to be to one another. She didn't think it was classified information. Skye mentioned that Sano was a busy man, so she supposed she understood the situation. Still, as far as she knew the Raikage had had a few different students in the past, including other Ryuzoji clan members. This wasn't really a  new deal.

"I haven't been his student for very long really. A few weeks, maybe less. My cousins Kameko and Kaekio were also taught by him, Kameko still being on my team as it stands. I'm not sure why he picked me though, though I assume it's because of my clan ties." Ame herself had wondered at that. Considering how deeply embroiled her clan was in Kumo politics, she knew that clashes were going to happen. But she didn't know if he had picked the three Ryuzoji girls as a form of intervention, or because he thought they were talented. She liked to think the latter, but the former was more likely under the circumstances (Kaekio was talented, and Kameko not far behind, but with the current situation of clan leadership Ame didn't expect much better). She didn't know what Sanosuke hoped to gain by personally teaching the three of them, but perhaps simply getting allies in the younger generation was good enough for him.

She was curious about Skye himself though, and far too eager to stop thinking about her family problems, so she attempted to change the subject. "Sanosuke mentioned that I should come to you for stories, and I'm honestly rather curious. What did our dear Raikage get up to in his youth?" Ame tucked hair behind her ear habitually and leaned on the table, lacing her hands together to support her chin. Skye seemed to be just as much into information gathering as she was, and she commended him on it. It was a hard life, being a person prone to curiosity, especially when you wanted information you knew you couldn't get. She smiled slightly, recalling her sensei's strange but effective methods of getting information from his students, then proceeding to share just about nothing about himself. 

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Words: 470 ~ 2000

Hearing that Ame wasn’t a student for very long crushed any hopes Skye had of getting information. “Gah, thought as much. Sano doesn’t tell me much now that he’s the high and mighty Raikage.” Raising his hands and wiggling each individual finger, he made a slightly mocking gesture, making sure his voice was as joking as possible. Noting that Ame’s clan might have something to do with Sano taking on students was rather interesting though. Taking on a student was common for a kage, but taking on three students from the same clan was a bit odd. It was something he would have to question his friend about later on.

Moving on to the next topic of conversation, Skye shook his head when he heard that Sano offered him as a source for tales. “He mentioned to come to me for stories? I mean, sure, I can probably think of a few…” Skye put a hand under his chin and tilted his head down for a moment. Tapping his finger against the tip of his chin, he seemed to go deep in thought. He began to mumble the word ‘story’ over and over in an attempt to recall anything that might be interesting to share.

Snapping his fingers once, he pointed at Ame and chuckled. “I remember one good one that involves Sano. We went on a mission together when we were a lot younger. Fought these two brothers. Nasty guys. We should’ve killed them, but we left them alive. They were badly beaten mind you, so we assumed their troublemaking was done after that.” Skye paused and took a sip of his drink. “The fighting was fine and we did well, except Sano injured his leg. I had to carry him all the way to Kumo’s hospital to see if it was broken. Luckily he was fine and made a full recovery, but while waiting to have a doctor check him out, we went back and forth about the two brothers we were tasked with stopping. Sano didn’t want to kill them, and neither did I. But, later on, we each had our first kill. It was inevitable really.” Skye sighed, pouring another cup of his drink and downing it just as quickly. He still maintained a cocky and glad expression, even though his story was a bit dark. “Seeing Sano run Kumo, he’s doing a fine job of it. Far better than I could anyway…”

Just as he finished talking, the waitress brought their food out and laid it out in front of them. It smelled delicious, or at least it did for Skye. As soon as the woman took her hand off Skye’s plate, he grabbed a skewer and took one large bit of his food. As he chewed, an idea finally popped into Skye’s head about how he’d be able to get back at Sano. With a devilish looking expression, he tapped the table once before speaking. “Oh, if you really want to get Sano a bit riled, call him ‘Flak Jacket Bro’. I won’t go into details, but it’s bound to get him worked up. It’ll also let him know you talked to me.” Skye took a bite of his food and gave a wide smile. Him and Sano certainly had a history together and Skye seemed a little more willing to talk about it now that he had some food and alcohol in his system.

[2751 words]


((Sorry for the wait, work has been killing me))

Skye seemed to be dissapointed that she didn't have any sort of juicy gossip on her sensei. She bit her lip, wondering if she should mention that one story. It was equally as embarrassing for her and it could potentially be for Sanosuke, but she could always leave out her own embarrassing moments and focus on the highlight of the event. "Well there was this one time, but you probably shouldn't mention it to him if I tell you." Ame deliberated for a moment, wondering if it would be worth it in the long run. She made a choice and sighed, deciding that either way it was a pretty funny story to tell. "Well Sanosuke-sensei agreed to help me train my Suiton right? He was making fun of me, turned right around and-" She leaned in for this part, not wanting anyone to overhear, "slapped his ass. I got a bit fed up and aimed a jet of water for his ass - I didn't expect him to get hit or anything - but he turned around at the last moment and well? I nailed him quite well in the balls." Ame moved back, a grin on her face at the memory.

Skye seemed surprised to hear that Sano had referred the two girls to him for tales of their youth. He mumbled the would 'story' a couple of times, making the grin on her face stretch a little bit in anticipation. She always liked finding out tidbits about other people. It was sort of a hobby of hers, with her curiosity. He seemed to remember something and set about telling her the story. It was a bit of a dark tale. She listened diligently, trying to imagine a younger Sanosuke having to be carried all the way to the Kumo hospital. She herself didn't like the place very much. She could imagine Sano muttering about how he was actually absolutely fine and really didn't need to be carried. The story's end was sobering and Ame nodded as Skye commended the Raikage at how well he had been doing his job. She agreed. Kumo was doing well under their current leadership, and being the Kage was no small deal. She admired that Sanosuke was still able to be a nice person despite the most likely immense workload he had to deal with.

As Skye finished his story the waitress brought their food, and Ame thought it smelt amazing. Ame muttered a quick 'itadakimasu' and picked up her chopsticks, ready to dig in to the meal. It tasted as good as it smelled, and she savoured each bite. Not the stuffy high quality food of home, but much warmer and more personal. She liked it. Skye tapped the table and Ame looked up, a bit startled. He had a conspiratorial smile on his face, and Ame was curious as to what he was going to say. His words made her laugh. So there was something the great Raikage was rather irritated by then. Ame stored the information away for later, making sure to remember to call him that the next time she saw him. "'Flack Jacket Bro' huh? I feel like there's a funny story behind that one. I try and remember."

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Words: 547 ~ 2547

OOC:

Training:

Ninjutsu: A ~> S (1382)
Perception: C-2 ~> C-3 (700)

Words Used: 2082
Unused: 465