Ameryuu pushed open the door to her usual supply shop and heard the jingle of its bell as she did so. The shop was dark and near empty, a clear contrast to the rest of the shops lining the street with their bright storefronts and bright atmospheres. Ame didn't mind the heavy mood of the place all that much, and they were quick and efficient, something every shinobi prized. She wasn't there to look for anything in particular, but her prized katana was in need of a servicing, as the hilt was beginning to come undone from the blade. Most damage she could deal with herself, but this was something a little trickier, so she decided to take to a professional instead. 

Said weapon was sitting in it's sheath, at her waist instead of across her back as usual. Ame greeted the clerk and got right down to business, haggling for a good deal. She was satisfied with her end of the bargain in the end and handed over her weapon, promising swift retribution if it was not returned as she expected. Ame continued to wander around the shop, deeper into the less scavenged section and nearer to the unorthodox weapons. All types of things were strung up along the wall. Kusanagis, Scythes. Nothing really caught her eye. She was more of a traditional katana person herself.

The door jingled again before closing, and Ame turned her head instinctively towards the sound, wondering idly who had wandered in now. The store was good quality, but not as popular as the inner city places, and only a handful of shinobi shopped there. Most of them were people who had been in Kumo all their lives. She had an oddly shaped kunai in hand as the figure walked in and she recognized the face, a tiny smile tugging at the edges of her mouth. "Ruvaak? Fancy meeting you here."

---

Words: 320

Ruvaak awoke in the early morning like he always did and began his morning routine of cleaning himself and eating before heading out the door, while he appreciated the kindness of the innkeeper and his wife Ruvaak didn't spend to much of his time at the inn, only to sleep and his two meals a day the rest of it was spent wondering the streets of Kumo talking to the villagers and trying to learn the most he could about this village and helping out where he could. His first stop of the day as every other day was of course the skyforge, the main reason he goes up there is to watch the sun rising in the distance the rays of the sun shining down on the magnificent village that laid before him, however through his everyday trips to the skyforge on his way down the pathway he met one of the smiths on his way to work at the forge and have been very impressed by the man's work that he has seen, but as Ruvaak started his trip back down the street down the mountain instead of taking his normal route he turned off down a road he never went down before. He decided that today was the day to see the parts of the village that he hadn't seen yet and so he continued walking down every street he saw that he didn't recognize and with his eidetic memory it wasn't hard to find the ones he hadn't traveled down before. As he was on his stroll through the village streets it was then that he saw her, it was Ame he didn't see her face only the back of her hair as she entered a shop up ahead of where Ruvaak was walking towards, he hadn't forgot anything that he has ever seen and he knew it was her by her short dark blue hair the same hair that he saw when they sparred at the Battle Plateau. As he got in front of the shop where he saw the girl walk in, Ruvaak couldn't help but wonder why someone like her would come to a shop like this it was run down and not at all what one would expect a high born to be seen in, it was the kind of shop that if Ruvaak's uncle were to see him, Ruvaak would probably be smacked a time or two just for thinking about what he was doing, as he pushed the door open to follow the girl he hear the bell go off and he couldn't believe his eyes as he entered the room dark and almost gloomy and there was only two people in the store, the shopkeeper and of course Ame. As Ruvaak's eyes found Ame she must of found him before he could say anything he heard "Ruvaak? Fancy meeting you here."

Ruvaak couldn't help but smile at the girls words "Ah so you remember me," he said with a slight chuckle, "And before you say anything, no I am not stalking you" he stated with a big grin on his face as he remembered the girls first words to him when they met on the battle plateau. "I was walking down the street when I saw you walk in the shop and thought I would pop in and say hi to you" Ruvaak paused for a second not sure how he should word his question to the girl but decided it best to just ask "So not to be rude but what brings you to a shop like this? I mean wouldn't your clansmen look down at you for shopping in a place that was run down like this, I know mine would?"

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WC:638

Ame laughed slightly, placing the kunai back on the rack. She recalled their first conversation at Ruvaak's words, remembering how she had accused him of stalking her. True, it had been all in jest but it was still an accusation. He seemed to pause awkwardly for a moment before continuing. "So not to be rude but what brings you to a shop like this? I mean wouldn't your clansmen look down at you for shopping in a place that was run down like this, I know mine would?" Ame hummed and looked around the tiny space. SHe understood what he meant of course. It was darker, dustier and all round less inviting than the larger places in town. In a place like Kumo it was inevitable for there to be steady competition between suppliers. It was natural. Ame herself had shopped at the other places in town a few times before, but coming to this old dump was more habit than anything else. Plus the fact that it was just about the only place she could afford with a genin's salary. Maintaining her katana was hard enough work when you didn't have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to do so. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear reflexively.

"Well it's not as bad as it looks, really. A couple of my fellow clan members shop here as well, mainly because it's all we can afford. Genin's salary and all." Ame grinned. "They're quick though, and the work is quality. There are no illusions of grandeur like with the civilian-run shops. They make things that are going to be used to kill people, and that's that." Ame finished off with a shrug, planting her hands on her hips. She disliked pretentious people, having dealt with them almost her whole life thanks to her family and their various insanely rich and snotty business partners. It wasn't as if the clan itself wasn't wealthy (controlling a lot of Kaminari no Kuni's exports by sea and having a good relationship with the Daimyo assured that they were most certainly well off) but they followed the strict philosophy of 'every man for themselves'. If Ame needed something, she had to pay out of her own pockets. Nothing was given freely in the Ryuzoji Clan. Unless it was punishment of some sort. But Ruvaak didn't need to know that.

She shook her head to clear her jumbled thought process and adopted a rather real-looking fake smile as she faced the boy. "What brings you to this dreary end of Kumogakure anyways. Most people don't usually wander down these streets. I would've thought you'd stick to the inner city." It was true that she was curious as to Ruvaak's motivations for slipping into this part of town. It simply wasn't as safe as the rest of Kumo. Most shinobi could look after themselves though, and during the daytime it was okay to be around. Ame sighed softly, remembering the first time she'd ended up there. Getting lost was never fun. 

Of course with her luck, she had. She'd been how old? Four or five, long before the 'incident'. Back then life had been simpler, and she had been her same, curious, day-dreaming self. She often wandered off without her parents and got caught up in all sorts of sticky situations. That particular time she had let go of her mother's hand while in the marketplace and buffeted through the crowd all the way into the near-deserted street along which this supply shop sat. Being one to hate crying, she had reigned in her tears, moved out of the street and calmly sat down on the sidewalk to wait for her parents to come find her. People had looked at her oddly, every now and again someone would give her a look of fear. Only now that she was older did she realise it was because of the clan symbol printed upon her back. Eventually on of the city's perpetual watchers - an Anbu member with a simple mask - landed before her and offered to escort her home. She had been wary at first (never talk to strangers, her father always said) but had accepted after a short while. That had been her scariest adventure as a child.

Ame didn't even realise she had drifted off into another one of her daydreams, and continued to reminisce unawares, a sad smile on her face. It would be up to Ruvaak whether she snapped out of her daydream or not. 

---

Words: 780 ~ 1100

OOC:

The girl laughed that was a good sign, Ruvaak had never been much of a social person, most of those he spoke to was about combat or during a spar or something as far as just talking to talk to someone he didn't consider himself very good. But during his time here at Kumo Ruvaak had been conversing with a lot of the villagers and had gotten more comfortable with it. Ruvaak viewed this girl as more than an equal in combat after their spar but he also viewed her as a friend, so what kind of friend would he be if he didn't converse with her like he would his family. The girls words cut through his thoughts snapping him back to reality, "Well it's not as bad as it looks, really. A couple of my fellow clan members shop here as well, mainly because it's all we can afford. Genin's salary and all." Ruvaak knew what she meant doing odd jobs for the villagers were not filling his pockets to the brim either, which is one of the reasons why preparing for his journey is taking him so long. "They're quick though, and the work is quality. There are no illusions of grandeur like with the civilian-run shops. They make things that are going to be used to kill people, and that's that." she said with a shrug before putting her hands on her hips, Ruvaak couldn't help but chuckle at her words, he had visited a lot of shops in kumo and they all claimed to be the best in the village with a high price tag that was unbelievable, and yet here he could see a lot of the same type of supplies for nearly half the price of the other shops, it was no wonder why a Kumo raised nin wouldn't come to a place to get a discount and leave the over priced shops to the traveling fools, Ruvaak made a mental note that he was going to visit this shop again when he needed supplies.

The girl seemed lost in thought for but a second as she shook her head slightly before smiling at Ruvaak, he couldn't help but feel as if the smile was being forced. Ruvaak thought of himself as very perceptive in reading someone's facial expressions and although the smile looked genuine he believed it was force to try to keep him from prying. "What brings you to this dreary end of Kumogakure anyways. Most people don't usually wander down these streets. I would've thought you'd stick to the inner city." Ruvaak paused for a second trying to think of what to say to her, "Well to be honest since I arrived I had been traveling the streets of the village almost everyday and I have an Eidetic memory once I see something I don't forget it" He paused briefly before continuing, "I want to see the whole village before I leave Kumo and so I just started heading down streets I hadn't been down before." by the time Ruvaak had finished talking it appeared to him as if the girl was lost in thought again as she stared off in the distance and sad smile smile crossed her face.

Ruvaak didn't know if the girl even heard what he had been saying or not but he want to impose on Ame, he knew what it was like to get caught up in memories especially sad ones which he guessed is what she was lost in now judging by the sad expression on her face. Ruvaak didn't cough like most people do to him when he got lost in thought and they thought he was just ignoring them, he found that to be rude and didn't want to do that to a friend, whether she viewed him as such or not he didn't care, but he wanted her to know that he was there for her if she needed anything. He slowly walked up to her standing to her side before softly laying his hand down on her shoulder, "are you alright?" he asked as he looked into her eyes to try to bring her back to reality "can I get you anything? or would you like to talk about it?"  as he spoke he hoped that she wouldn't snap out of it in confusion and strike him, or strike him just because he touched her.

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WC:758/1496

"Well to be honest since I arrived I had been traveling the streets of the village almost everyday and I have an Eidetic memory once I see something I don't forget it. I want to see the whole village before I leave Kumo and so I just started heading down streets I hadn't been down before." Ame heard Ruvaak's explanation and snapped out of her reverie, feeling slightly embarrassed for drifting off like that. She had a bad tendency to daydream when she really wasn't supposed to, and it had gotten her into trouble more times than she could count. She hoped he wasn't offended by it. She had a bad track record with friendships, and even if they had only really met once and sparred soon afterwards, she didn't want to make a bad impression on him or have him think her rude. People's opinions mattered to her, and Ruvaak's counted as well. His next words really got her attention. "Are you alright? Can I get you anything? or would you like to talk about it?" 

"Oh, no sorry. I sometimes daydream like that. There's no problem. I hope you don't find me rude." She realised that she had never responded to his earlier explanation and bowed slightly. "Sorry, I do believe I was doing my clan injustice there. Having an eidetic memory must be really useful, no? Learning things off paper must not take as long for you. As for seeing Kumo, I agree with you. The village has some really beautiful places to see. In fact, there is one place in particular I always take guests to go and see before they leave the village. It's pretty far, and high up but well worth the travel." She thought the place was splendid herself. A little out of the way yes, and on a road less travelled, but the kind of place that took one's breath away right then and there. She had only been up to the Durian Tree a few times before, but each had been an experience she would never forget. She was quite sure Ruvaak would appreciate going to see it.

If he would agree, Ame would proceed to lead him from the shop, waving a goodbye to the cashier.  Ame rushed down the street, with Ruvaak in tow. They went further and further into the inner city, right up towards the Raikage's tower and past it. There stood a rather conspicuous hill, with a long, winding set of stairs leading up the one side and a precarious cliff on the other. You couldn't see the hilltop from where the two of them were standing, as it was hidden by a passing cloud, making the whole thing look that much more mysterious. She sent an almost cheeky grin (of course it wasn't cheeky - Ryuzojis were never cheeky) his way and swept her arm in a wide, dramatic arc. "Well, this is it. I hope you're excited because it's one hell of a climb." She remembered how unfit she had been the first time she'd climbed that monster of a hill and how exhausted she'd been when she reached the top. It had been ridiculous, really.

She bounded up the stairs, careful to avoid slipping, and hoped that Ruvaak was following her. It wouldn't do for him to give up halfway. The rock steps were steep and fairly slippery though, and it was a long drop to the bottom. (Or roll, depending.) Ame had become accustomed to traversing them though, so it didn't bother her all that much. As they ascended, sakura blossoms began whirling through the air, and only became thicker. Ame took a deep breath as they crested the hilltop, the sakura blossoms' source coming into full view. It was a truly amazing scene, the giant tree with it's drooping branches thick with flowers. It looked this way all year round, even in the winter, and it never failed to make her smile. Ame reached out a hand and a pink petal landed in her outstretched palm. She turned around and handed it to Ruvaak with a genuine smile, a soft look in her eyes. "I told you it's amazing." 

The wind picked up and the petals swirled wildly, looking like rain as they fell from the tree. She had never quite understood the physics of the place, but she loved it nonetheless. She walked forward and crouched at the base of the Durian Tree, placing a hand to the bark. It thrummed with a strange energy, and when she looked up she couldn't see the sky through the boughs thick with blossoms. "There are all sorts of rumors about this tree. Why it blooms all year long, why it's fruit tastes so beautiful but makes you so sick, but I never really listen. People are so scared of everything in life, even things that are good on the inside." She got up and closed her eyes sighing. "It really was nice to see you again Ruvaak, even if it is the last time I do for a long time. You're going to participate in the exams, right?" She had been wanting to ask that question for a while. It was always good to have an idea of who you were facing, but who knew. By the time the exams began people you thought you knew may become totally different.

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Words: 923 ~ 2023

Ruvaak couldn't help but chuckle at Ame's words, she thought she was being rude for zoning off but if she only knew he thought to himself before saying "Not at all Ame, not at all" it was then that the girl gave a slight bow before asking about the eidetic memory being useful and telling him of a place of beauty and the hint that he should go with her to see it. Ruvaak didn't want to seem rude to her besides he was lonely and could use some company, also the very thought of seeing something new excited him. "Well to be honest with you Ame sometimes you are right it is useful, but then there are those memories that I want so much to forget but I just can't.." Ruvaak's voice drifted off he quickly snapped himself out of the sad slump no need to let Ame witness him getting lost in memories too, he needed to be here in the present moment with her, his friend "I would love to see it" he said to her with a smile. Ame quickly took Ruvaak by the hand and began to lead him out of the shop he saw her wave back to the cashier and out the door they went, the girl was rushing down the street Ruvaak did his best to keep up with her but it still felt as if he was being dragged, he didn't mind it though he knew what it was like to want to show someone something, in fact if the situation was reversed and Ame had traveled to Valyria Ruvaak had no doubt in his mind that he would be doing the same to her, wanting to show her everything.

Ame wasn't kidding when she told Ruvaak that it was pretty far, as she drug him through the streets further and further, passing many places Ruvaak remembered seeing before, all the way to and past the Raikage's office to a rather large hill, Ruvaak could see the long winding stairs on the one side of the hill and a dangerous looking cliff on the other, though he couldn't make out the hilltop due to a passing cloud, Ruvaak caught a very cheeky grin from Ame out of the corner of his eye before she released his hand and swept her arm out in front of her in a dramatic arc. "Well, this is it. I hope you're excited because it's one hell of a climb." she said as she took off up the stairs Ruvaak looked up his eyes following her as she made her ascent, well guess I better follow her the rest of the way he thought to himself as he started up the stairs after her. The stone steps were steep and the moister in the air didn't do much to help causing the steps to be slippery and causing Ruvaak to talk his time going up as not to slip and fall because that would suck he thought to himself as he looked down a little behind him the fall could possible even injure him so he made sure to be careful on his own ascent, though the girl was already over the cloud and out of view of him, he picked up a little speed to try and catch up to her, still being careful with his footing making sure he wouldn't slip.

Sakura blossoms whirled in the air as they ascended up the steps and they became thicker as they continued to ascend the hill. When he finally made it to the top of the hill Ruvaak's breath was taken away by the site, the girl was right it was beautiful he had never seen anything like it before, as he stood there in awe of the scenery the girl turned to him handing him a pink petal with a smile that didn't seemed forced this time before saying, "I told you it's amazing." Ruvaak was at a lost for words and could only nod his head in response, however he did make sure that he wasn't standing there with his mouth hanging open, that would be very unpleasant to look at for the girl and he didn't want her to be offended or anything. The wind picked up causing more petals to fly into the air around them, as the girl approached the Tree kneeling down and placing her hand on it before she began talking about it and the rumors and fears that surrounded the tree itself before standing back up and closing her eyes saying, "It really was nice to see you again Ruvaak, even if it is the last time I do for a long time. You're going to participate in the exams, right?" 

Ruvaak was unsure how to respond, he hadn't even given the exams that much thought and he wasn't really interested in them either he was able to work it out rather quickly what he should say, "This place is amazing you were right, and it is good to see you too, as far as the exams I am not sure if i will be entering or not I guess it will depend on where the road takes me and where I am at when they start." Ruvaak paused for a breath before finishing, "however whether I enter myself or not if I am there I will be cheering for you" he said with a wide grin to her, it was true he would be, whether he is in the audience or a participant his friend would have him in her corner.

In the back of his mind his thoughts drew towards the strange tree the mysterious tree that is called the Demonic Tree of Knowledge he wondered why someone would name something so beautiful by that then he remembered the girls words about the fruit making the person sick and dropped the thoughts on the tree and returned his attention to the girl. The was an odd silence between them so Ruvaak decided to break the silence, "Ame I will return to Kumo, and when I do.." he paused for a second looking out over the horizon before turning back and winking at her with his stupid grin on his face, "you best believe I'm going to get that rematch out of you and I will win" though he lost the spar they had when they first met he believed that given a second chance later on when he had trained some more he would be able to beat her.

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WC: 1115/2611

Ame was glad that Ruvaak seemed to like the place as much as she did, judging by the way his jaw was practically hanging open. Had she been anyone else she probably would have giggled at the sight, but she wasn't so she simply smiled. He seemed to be surprised at her question about the Chuunin exams, something which she wasn't expecting. She'd sort of thought that he would register through the village to get into the exams, as she knew some other ronin had done. It would mean that Kumo would have them on record of course, but that wasn't so bad. "This place is amazing you were right, and it is good to see you too, as far as the exams I am not sure if I will be entering or not I guess it will depend on where the road takes me and where I am at when they start." "However whether I enter myself or not if I am there I will be cheering for you."

Ame smiled widely, showing off that rarely seen dimple in her upper left cheek. She was really touched that Ruvaak had said he was going to cheer for her. "Well if you do I promise I'll cheer for you too, and even if you don't we'll still get a chance to see each other. Besides, there are lots of chances for adventure when you're out of the village, as I'm sure you're used to." She'd always wanted to travel herself, but had never really had the chance, and was sort of stuck in the village as of that moment in time. She pushed away those thoughts as Ruvaak broke the strange silence between them. "Ame I will return to Kumo, and when I do.." He seemed to pause for dramatic effect, and she wondered if he would say something crazily profound, "You best believe I'm going to get that rematch out of you and I will win."

Ame laughed, not in a mocking way but because somehow that had been the exact thing she'd expected him to say. Knowing his competitive nature, the statement fit him perfectly. Ame nodded, content. "Sure, but let's leave the exact outcome of that rematch to when it actually happens. We'll both be trained up by then, I'm sure." And she meant it. Her goal in life had nothing to do with obtaining as much power as possible, but it would certainly be a nice little bonus on the side, and besides, power got you places. Rank was something that counted. But more than that, she believed in the aspect of trust. What was the point of an ally you couldn't trust? She didn't see one. She had the feeling that one day she'd be able to rely on Ruvaak. And that was always a good feeling.

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Words: 491 ~ 2516

OOC:

Ame laughed at his words it didn't surprise him much it wasn't like a mocking laugh but more of a friend laughing at a joke their friend just told, of course he wasn't joking and he was sure she knew he wasn't and that made it all the better. "Sure, but let's leave the exact outcome of that rematch to when it actually happens. We'll both be trained up by then, I'm sure." this time it was Ruvaak that laughed in the same manner as she had, she is just as determined as he was and so it didn't surprise him in the least that she wouldn't admit that he would win just as he wouldn't admit that she would win it was as if they had a friendly rivalry to see which of them was better and Ruvaak wondered if maybe that's why he felt such a strange connection to Ame because she was an equal someone that would continue to challenge him as he grew stronger she would do the same and therefore the outcome of a match between them could never be truly decided before they met in battle. "yeah your right, who knows what will happen" Ruvaak said as he walked up underneath the tree laying down in the nice cool grass in the shade of the Demon tree. Putting his hands behind his head looking up at the sky.

"Ame." Ruvaak said without looking over at her "I want you to know, I look at you as both a rival and a friend. The way we both challenge each other to be at their best in our spar before and both of our opinions on our future encounter, but yet we can sit here and talk as friends without it getting in the way or making things complicated" pausing shortly before he continued closing his eyes "I know we don't really know each other that well but I feel as if we were meant to meet each other" Ruvaak stopped talking the girl was probably thinking he was insane or that her original accusation of him in their first encounter was right and he was a stalker. Ruvaak laughed a little at his own thoughts "I don't know what your belief is and I'm not here to talk about beliefs its just something I feel" Ruvaak paused again opening his eyes staring up at the branches of the tree watching the blossoms swirl around in the air above him, "I don't know how to explain it but I feel as if I could trust you with anything" sighing slightly as he sat up think now of what he said he hoped it wasn't too forward looking at Ame with serene in his eyes "Maybe one day who knows maybe we could travel together, I would love for you to see Valyria." Ruvaak looked back over the horizon looking out across the village before looking back to Ame with a weak smile he added , "of course that is if you want to travel with me."

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WC: 525/ 3136

ooc:

Ame followed Ruvaak and sat down beside him, looking up into the thick canopy as he did. It had always amazed her that the tree bore only fruit and flowers. Never any leaves. A strange thing indeed. Ruvaak began talking again, and Ame turned her head, paying careful attention to his words. "Ame, I want you to know I look at you as both a rival and a friend. The way we both challenge each other to be at their best in our spar before and both of our opinions on our future encounter, but yet we can sit here and talk as friends without it getting in the way or making things complicated," He seemed to pause for a moment as he closed his eyes, Ame's own widening slightly, "I know we don't really know each other that well but I feel as if we were meant to meet each other," He paused again, this time to laugh slightly at what Ame assumed was a memory, "I don't know what your belief is and I'm not here to talk about beliefs, it's just something I feel," One more pause, as the boy looked up at the canopy above. Ame was still paying rapt attention, "I don't know how to explain it but I feel as if I could trust you with anything." 

Ame smiled softly, a warm feeling wrapping around her. "I'm really glad you think that Ruvaak. I also consider us friends, even if we've only met each other twice now. I'm certainly not the most trusting person, but I feel like I've found someone I can talk to in you. And I really appreciate knowing that you think that too. It's nice to find a friend in a world like this, when you never know what to expect around the corner." That was probably the most she'd said to him during the whole conversation. It wasn't like her to make friends so easily, and to most she seemed like a cold, stand-offish person, so to hear differently really made her day. "I think your a really nice person. Much better than most people I've met, and certainly a lot better than most of my family." She paused, sighing quietly and tilting her head away. "It's strange to think that the people you connect most with are the people farthest from home isn't it?" The last bit was said more to herself than anyone else, as she turned back to face Ruvaak. Ame tried to dismiss the morbid thoughts, wondering slightly why she had been falling into that sort of thought pattern so often lately. Maybe it was just that she lacked human interaction. She would certainly have to correct that. Maybe meet up with Ruvaak and her other friend more before either of them left the village. She let another smile linger on her face, as she concentrated on his words again.

Ame's small smile widened as Ruvaak went on, his words making her feel content inside. He really was a sweet guy, even if he acted a bit awkward every now and again (but didn't everyone?). What he had said was really endearing. She punched his shoulder playfully at his last words, laughing softly again. "Of course. I'd love to see Valryia, that is if the Raikage allows me to travel with you. He can be a bit overprotective with his students sometimes." At least that was what Kameko had told her, and from what the older girl had said about Sanosuke's other student - her other cousin Kaekio - he wasn't going to stop being overprotective anytime soon. She pushed that whole thing out of her mind though, and focused on her current conversation. She could worry about the future when it happened. "What is Valryia like? It's in Kaminari no Kuni, right? I'm not that good at geography, considering I've never actually travelled before." It was a sad but true fact. Travelling was definitely a dream of hers, but she knew she wasn't really strong enough to survive out there yet, at least not outside of the country. Who knew what kind of grudges foreign-nin might have had with a fellow Kumo-nin. She didn't want to end up killed because of her allegiance. She shook her head to come back to the original conversation, and waited for Ruvaak to answer her question.

Her natural curiosity was coming out. She could tell that as soon as Ruvaak said one thing it would peak, and more questions would surely follow. Ame knew her questions could potentially become overwhelming, so it would probably be best to warn Ruvaak now. "Oh, I don't mean to ask you about too much. If I do please tell me. I'm just very curious about places outside Kumogakure." She shifted herself and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. It was a fairly comfortable position. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that the streets were once again thick with people. She was sure it was the lunch crowd. She was probably due back at the clan compound for lunch in a little while, though they would hardly miss her. She was a lot happier where she was than if she decided to rush off now. At least Ruvaak would have something interesting to talk about. Her relatives probably wouldn't talk at all. Knowing the current leadership in the clan, they would probably go on and on about tradition as they usually did, before telling everyone to report any traitorous behaviour they'd heard about. No one would dare say anything and Ame would be back to cowering in fear. Not the most pleasant way to spend one's lunchtime. It was probably why she ate out so often. And she knew that in itself was never a good thing for a shinobi.

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Words: 1009 ~ 3525

OOC:

The punch rocked Ruvaak a little but it didn't bother him any he could tell it was just a playful punch, and her laugh went on to prove his assumption and he smiled at her. When she mentioned the Raikage he was amazed that he had met a student of the great Raikage, no wonder she was so good in their spar. He couldn't help but chuckle at her comment about geography, "It's no problem I don't answering your questions and honestly geography has nothing to do with it Ame, in my 13 years of living in Valyria I never once saw an outsider in the village, and only a few that I know of here in Kumo have even heard of Valyria. The elder's say our God Keranos protects our valley and that is why we have been able to live in peace while the world around us warred. And you're right it is in Kaminari, in fact its about a 5 to 6 day journey from Kumo depending on how fast you travel," Ruvaak paused thinking back to Valyria trying to find the words to describe it,

"It's hard to find the words to describe it honestly, but it's alot like Kumo only a little bit smaller, the valley that surrounds it through is simply beautiful, in the back half of the village sets the river Lethe that runs into a waterfall that goes into Abydos a deep lake that they claim has no bottom to it, but I think that is just a myth i just haven't been able to prove it yet. The snow-caped mountains that surround the valley seem to go on forever and when the sun rises its as if the mountains are glowing. The truth of the matter is that the entire village is actually my clan but only members of our main family possess our Kekkei Genkai, it's believed that the main family are descendants of Ryuzaki who was the first to be granted our Kekkei Genkai from Keranos and is the reason we have peace in Valyria. The main family own a Compound on the edge of the Village which is about half the size of the village itself and is where the leader of the Village, who is the head of the main family stays with all the other members of the main house, there is a courtyard that we use for many occasions but its also the most sacred of places in all of Valyria, in the center of the courtyard sits the Shrine of Keranos which is said is the place where Ryuzaki prayed to him and was granted the Gift of Keranos to pass on to all of his descendants." Ruvaak paused thinking back to his childhood, "Growing up I wasn't even aware that I was in the main family, I lived with my mother in the normal village as a branch of the main and it wasn't until I was 6 when my mother told me of my father, Darien he died before i was born and it was an affair so no one really knew about it, she took me to see his brother who is the of the head of the house Andreios, he took one look at me and somehow knew I was his nephew and he taught me all I know."

Ruvaak stopped talking realizing he had just been going on and on about Valyria and about his life that the girl probably didn't even care about, all while staring at the girl as he talked, he laughed softly turning and looking around and he noticed people crowding the streets, it was then that he heard his stomach growl, "Well alright enough about Valyria for a bit Ame, I'm hungry and if you don't have anything planned for lunch I was wondering if you would be interested in grabbing something to eat with me?" Ruvaak said with a smile looking back to her before adding, "and if you don't mind you must tell me about the Raikage, what is it like being his Student?" Ruvaak had been meaning to go talk to the man himself ever since he got here but he never found the time, besides all that Ruvaak felt as if the Raikage himself had enough on his plate without concerning himself with some low-level outsider. "I've heard alot about the different Kage's over the years from other Unmei that had gone traveling but they always say the Raikage is the greatest of them all and I have been interested in being the first Unmei to meet the Current Raikage and see what he was like and everything." Ruvaak laughed at himself again realizing he had stolen the conversation from Ame, as he stood he offered his hand down to her, "Sorry I get a little talkative when I'm nervous I didn't mean to talk for so long."

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WC: 840/3976

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Ame paid rapt attention as Ruvaak spoke about his homeland. She was surprised to hear that he had never met an outsider in his village. Ame herself only knew about half of the shinobi population of Kumogakure, not including the large portion of which came from her own clan, and less than an eighth of the civilian population. True, Kumo could simply be much, much larger than Valyria, but that was still a little crazy. As he continued with his explanation it made a bit more sense, and she nodded in understanding. She had heard of Valyria, little snippets of information here and there, but that was probably only because of the sheer amount of travellers in her clan itself. Many of them travelled around every nook and cranny of Kaminari no Kuni, and beyond into the other countries of the shinobi world. Her family's rich store of trade relations made it impossible for them to not be wide travellers, and with travel came tales spun from each step along the road and each crested wave at sea. As a child she had always loved those stories, regardless of which clan member happened to be telling them at the time. It had become a hobby of hers, and she had always sort of wished that one day it would be her going out into the world and bringing back stories to tell the children back home. Five or six days did seem quite a far distance, so she understood why Valyria may have seemed too out of the way for most travellers. Most journeys at Shinobi speed could be completed in a day or two. She wondered exactly how protected Valyria was. Perhaps it lay somewhere that others deemed inhospitable?

She listened to the rest of his story, as he went on to describe his homeland. Ame felt a small smile settle on her face as she likened it to her own homeland, Kumogakure no Sato itself. Living in a valley must have been something rather different to living across a mountainside as Ame had done her whole life. It would have been strange to not be able to climb and climb until you could almost touch the sky, where the air was thin enough to make you feel dizzy. She couldn't imagine not being able to see the world spread out before her like a map, watching the sun sparkle across an endless mountain range of snow caps from her perch on top of the village's mountain. As he described the river and it's waterfall Ame was reminded of the place her sensei had taken her to train her Suiton element. That waterfall had truly been a spectacular sight, even as she had been forced to keep on her toes and concentrate on her sensei's movements. The uppermost waterfall fell into a basin, before spilling over into the one below it. This continued until the final plunge pool, after which the water flowed out into a fast running river headed for the sea. It had almost glowed in the light of dusk, the water's surface reflecting the sun's rays into the thick foliage surrounding it. She laughed softly as he mentioned the bottomless lake. Kumo had it's fair share if folktales, including their own rendition of 'the bottomless mine shaft' that no one ever seemed to come back out of. 

His description if the river valley made her a little nostalgic of the old days, when she hadn't cared about clan politics and her father had told her stories of the beautiful places in the world. His words about how the entire village was his clan startled her. Of course there were clans that were very large (her own being one of them) but the entire village? That sounded crazy. Being related to every person who passed you on the street must be an interesting experience. The fact that only the main family of his clan possessed their Kekkei Genkai was another thing that differed from her own life. Anyone in her clan had the ability to unlock the clan's sensory abilities, the Dekanryu (within reason. Only the main family had managed to steadily produce consistent users of the Kekkei Genkai) provided they train to hell and back and have a significant portion of Ryuzoji blood and upbringing. As Ruvaak went on into his personal history Ame's smile became a bit sadder. She wasn't an illegitimate child (Kami knew that any of those would have been executed as soon as they were found out) but she was the daughter of two branch family members, so she had grown up under that thumb of oppression for many years. She supposed that he was lucky to have been found and taken under the wing of his uncle. She too lacked a father in her life, and her mother was distant as ever. The event that had caused her to lose any semblance of a loving family she'd once had was something she didn't want to recall. Some things were better left forgotten. 

Ruvaak stopped when he seemed to realise how long he had been talking for. He laughed before Ame heard the soft growling of his stomach. She herself could feel those first pangs of hunger hit her, and though his invitation to lunch was certainly tempting, she didn't want to incur too much of her mother's wrath. "I'm afraid that I'm already late for lunch with my clan. Another time, when I don't have a scary mother to deal with. I can still tell you about my sensei on the way down the mountain of course. I'm sure I can spare a couple more minutes." She accepted his hand up and stretched once she was standing, hearing the vertebrae click a couple of times as she did so. She moved to start making her way down the mountain, hoping Ruvaak would follow. "Hm, so Sanosuke-sensei. Where to start? He's a bit eccentric at times, a little bit crazy, but all shinobi who reach Tokujo status are usually a little crazy. He's really friendly though, tries to put you at ease. I remember the first time we - he, Kameko and I as a team - met. It was actually right here at the Durian Tree. He scolded Kameko for saying too little about herself in her introduction and out first 'training exercise' was playing 'catch the henge-d Raikage'. It was pretty fun actually." She chuckled at the memory of chasing a cat-shaped Sano through the streets. Of course it hadn't been so fun when he'd split into two to try and evade herself and Kameko. Things had just gotten plain confusing from there on out.

"He's really powerful though. When you meet him you can tell why he was chosen to be the Raikage. It is certainly a title earned. He just has this aura around him, of experience or talent I don't know, but you can feel it." She'd certainly seen that power in action when he'd done Suiton training with her. Even thinking back on it gave a bit of a shiver. The way he'd controlled the water as he had had truly been magnificent. Ame noticed that they'd reached the bottom of the mountain already. She didn't think she'd been talking for that long. "Sorry for babbling like that. It was really good to see you again, Ruvaak. I hope we can meet up again some time." Ame's first instinct was to go for the usual handshake, or maybe the customary bow, but she did neither. Instead she widened her arms a bit to initiate a hug. Whether or not Ruvaak would accept was up to him.

Ame would hug the boy tightly and pull back, smiling. She really enjoyed her morning,  even if all the two of them had really done was climb up and down a mountain. Ame felt like her time was well spent when she spent it with Ruvaak. Sure, she was sure to receive a verbal smack down from her mother for not turning up to 'an important part of Ryuzoji heritage' but Ame felt like it was well worth it, regardless of how her mother may think otherwise. Besides, it wasn't as if she ever did anything but embarrass herself af those formal lunches anyway. She had a tendency to make a mess without trying. She had a feeling that that was mostly due to not being comfortable around her relatives, as much as clan politics had calmed down in recent times. She still was unable to be herself around her family. Ruvaak brought out a more real side of the girl, and she would always be grateful to him for allowing her to ahow her true colours and not judge her. She let go of the boy.

Ame would wave a goobye to Ruvaak, promising to see him again another time and hurry to get herself home as soon as possible,  laughing as the wind blew her hair into a frenzy and the sound of wind chimes echoed in the air.

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Words: 1546 ~ 5071

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Using 5071 words for Raiton S~> SS

Ruvaak understood why it was that Ame couldn't come to lunch with him and he didn't want to her to get in trouble with her family. As they started walking down the mountain, but he paused when she said the name Sanosuke, it was the same name as the man he had met in the Tower of Heaven, was it possible he already met the great Raikage without even realizing it. Not wanting to fall behind he jogged to catch up to her and continued to listen as she described the Raikage, as he listened to her explanation of the Raikage, he thought back to the man in the tower that trained him how to wield his blade, the way the man had pushed him to beyond his limits and as he did he slowly started to realize that the man in the Tower was the Raikage although he didn't introduce himself as the Raikage, probably for security reasons, or maybe he just didn't like outsiders to know who he was to find out information about them and why they were in the village that they may not give willing to the leader of the village or whatever the reason may be. As he listened to Ame's description of the man it became clear that there was no denying it, the man did have an aura about him and he was truly a talented and powerful Shinobi in his own right as Ruvaak himself still had the marks from the training to prove it. But it was still hard for him to believe that a low level Shinobi like him learned from the Raikage how to wield his blade, he didn't say anything to Ame about it as he didn't want to start another conversation adding to the fact that he wanted it to be a surprise next time they met in a spar that he had learned how to wield a sword, but mostly it was because he didn't want to end up keeping her too long and getting her in trouble with her mother so he just listened to her tentatively as she continued. When they reached the bottom of the mountain Ame apologized for babbling which just made Ruvaak chuckle as she didn't talk nearly as long as he had on top of the mountain and so he found it funny that she thought she had talked so much. "It was good to see you too Ame, and if we don't see each other before I leave I will come back even if it is only to see you" he said with a big grin on his face as he hugged her. "Have fun with your family Ame, I enjoyed our talk and thank you very much for bringing me to the Durian Tree it was beautiful, until we meet again Ame" he said stepping back from the hug and giving her a slight bow before lifting up and smiling at her again. He was glad he had met her and was extremely glad that she was his friend, even though he didn't always think about it he knew deep down that without friends he wouldn't be the great ninja he planned to be. As the two began to part ways he couldn't wait to met up with her again, even though he knew they would eventually see each other again he couldn't help but hope it was sooner rather than later, he liked hanging out with Ame it was as if when they were together the rest of the world and his troubles just went away and didn't matter to him anymore.

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WC: 621/4597

~Exit Thread~

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