Ame pushed aside a tree branch, ducking underneath it when it wouldn't budge, and came upon the place she had been trekking to - The Battle Plateau. She and Elin were meant to come here for combat practice, a mission she had obtained permission from the Raikage to do. It was a mission taken in the hopes of improving the bonds between shinobi, as well as each individuals combat capabilities. She was excited to get back to regular training, considering that it had been a while since she had last fought with her sword. That and the fact that she had been off duty for the past week. She was nicely healed up now, with not even a scar to show for her troubles. 

Ame jogged out onto the flat land, watching as people mulled around, sparred one another or trained solo. She stretched a bit to loosen up her muscles as she waited for Elin, before running on the spot for a bit. Her hair tied at the nape of her neck, making a very short ponytail. She still wasn't sure if she was going to let it grow or not. She tied her headband around her forehead in preparation and took a sip from her water bottle, smiling as she spotted Elin out of the corner of her eye. She waved at him, hoping that he would see her. It was time for their spar.

Things were about to become fun.

---

Words: 244

OOC:

He woke up a bit late that day as he was about to just stay in bed with the idea of only wanting to sleep for five more minutes until he looked to the sky as he wondered if he was ready. He left his room and began making his way to the battle field, a place where he shall finally return to after all these years. He had not yet regained enough strength in his body to perform any of his important jutsu, but he had the academy techniques and a few weapons.

He put on a loose white shirt which has a cloud drawn on it as he put his kunai and shuriken inside the pockets of his shorts. He was dressed casual since he had no armor it would be best to be able to move freely. He then took a deep breathe before finally setting off as he stopped then turned back to strap on some useless sandals before making his way to the plateau.

He had passed other people who had been training as well as he finally reached a clearing as he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, then he snapped out of his confusion as he realised it was Ame as she was sipping her water so casually as he was not sure that she saw him. Until she waved her hand to him as he made his way to stand before her then stopped about three meters from her.

"Hi, Ame"

As he blushed and even though he was blushing he stood more firm then usual. He looked focused in his eyes even though his face was betraying him. He pulled out his headband and tied it over his forehead but it was a little hard to get it tightly on his head due to his hair so it hung slightly at an angle.

The birds flew overhead as he looked up a bit mainly to see how beautiful the bird was and also just in case, as we all know what birds do when you not looking as he then looked back to Ame. His eyes seemed focused with determination and a mixture of intensity as his eyes were not watery with tears but watery from how intense his focus seemed to be before he blinked a bit as the wetness disappeared as the atmosphere was changing.

Would he get to know her better in this fight, will he prove himself worthy of being close to her. Only time would tell as they were destined to battle on this day.

~Words = 432~

Ame smiled as Elin greeted her, "Hey Elin, you ready for our spar?" Ame took another sip of her water before clipping the bottle to her kunai pouch which was strapped around her waist. She pulled her katana from it's sheath across her back, gripping the familiar worn hilt. It's blade shone in the morning light from its recent servicing. The blade itself certainly wasn't new, but Ame loved it all the same. She was expecting a new katana any day now, but she knew it would be hard to part with 'Echo' when the time came. She had had the blade since she was very young, four or five years old, and it had been her companion when times had been tough. Of course this didn't detract from the fact that it was a weapon, through and through. It had struck down many a foe, both in Ame's time and before it. It would not kill today though, for this was but a friendly spar. No blood needed to be spilt.

A gust of wind whipped through the training grounds, blowing up dust and whipping the loose ends of Ame's hitai-ate around violently. She took a deep breath and got into a kenjutsu stance, waiting for Elin to move into his position. "Your move, Elin." Ame would allow him to go at her first, wanting to work on her dodging skills more than anything else. She didn't know what kind of Fuuinjutsu to expect from him or if he would bring out his bow. She would just wait and see. Regardless, Ame was in the position to either dodge or block his attacks. She wasn't planning to use any ninjutsu in the fight, including her sensory abilities,  but Elin may yet surprise her and force her to use her attacks. The dossier she had recieved on him had been very sketchy regarding his abilities, not stating much more than 'he is of genin level'. Genin level meant different things for different people. He hadn't talked much about his abilities the week prior either. She would just have to guage them for herself.

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Words: 363 ~ 607

She smiled at him as she greeted him asking him if he was ready for their spar as he nodded his head slightly. Ame took another sip of water before clipping it to her pouch which he thought was cool. He watched her pull out her katana which looked a bit worn down as his eyes showed a look of wonder as he was a bit in awe of her sword. He had always used a bow before so he was not sure what it was like to use a sword. Had he looked more carefully he might have noticed it was freshly serviced and ready for doing what it was made for, which was killing though he just thought of it as a weapon which you use to defeat your opponent. He was not really a firm believer in enemies or killing even though he had the potential to perceive both these concepts.

As a gust of wind passed through the grounds, the dust blew up a bit as his hair was blown against his face as his forehead protector looked like it moved slightly. She was taking in a deep breathe as he watched her closely. The firm stance of her long legs, the intense movement of her chest as she inhales as he arms hold a firm grip on the hilt of her sword. Her eyes showing focus like that of a master, although if he had been stronger he would have realised that she was not as experienced as he was perceiving her to be, when they had met she was a genin and it was not clear whether she passed her road to promotion or not. However none of that mattered as he looked at her beautiful hair then spread his legs a bit to have a firm stance for standing his ground rather then a stance for running away which was his usual stance.

She told him it was his move as he did not really enjoy waiting too long, while he also did not wish to keep her waiting either as he said the last words he would say for a while. "Be careful Ame", it might seem stupid that this boy who often seemed rather needy as well as seeming to lack confidence, but the moment he said those words he filled with blind confidence, like a child who believes they can win even when they have already long gone past the point of lost.

He began the fight by spinning as he flung his kunai with a quick wrist flick from his right pocket straight towards her chest in order to increase chance of success as it was a larger target then the head. In his rotation his left had pulled the three shuriken which he adjusted in his left hand and would fling at her regardless of her reaction as he would spread the shuriken to aim one at her face, one at her chest again and the last one at her right knee.

He would not stop as the moment the shuriken are released if she was running towards him he would take a large step to the side to evade any advance and then dash for the location of his kunai as fast as he can in order to try again.

~Words 432 + 553 = 985~

Ame heard Elin say a confident 'be careful' and grinned internally. It was always nice to have someone look out for you even if you didn't really need them to. "You too, Elin!" She watched as Elin spun in the air, throwing out a kunai followed by a hail of shuriken as his first attack. They were all aimed high up, barring one shuriken aimed at her knees. Almost in slow motion Ame dropped to the ground as if kneeling and threw herself backwards, watching as the shuriken sailed over her face mere inches from her kin. She skidded to a halt just as Elin ran, moving to what she assumed was retrieving his weapons. Ame swung her one leg outwards while still balancing on the ground in an effort to catch Elin's foot or leg as he moved. The attack was swift, but one could never be sure that their attempts would prevail, and Ame used the momentum from her kick to turn herself over and stand up again, once more ready for Elin's attacks. 

Ame would streak forwards and circle the boy to build up to her top speed, giving him to time to fetch his weapons whether he tripped over her leg or not. Her body itched, knowing that she was in the middle of a spar, and she felt the need to use a jutsu simmering under her skin. She avoided doing so though, having already promised Elin that she would avoid jutsu. It wouldn't be fair on the boy to abandon her promise. 'Echo's familiar weight in her hand reminded her that she had her own fair share of weapons, but she had kept them in her pouches and wasn't strictly comfortable with fighting with smaller weapons like kunai and shuriken. Sure she could do it (anyone with a regular academy upbringing could) but 'Echo' was her preferred choice in most situations. She wasn't quite willing to hurt Elin yet.

A thought washed over her. Maybe, just maybe, Elin thought she was underestimating him. He probably wouldn't be too happy to find out she was, if she was that is. Maybe she should start treating this like a proper fight, instead of just dancing around the issue. It could spare everyone some grief later. Ame nodded, accepting her resolve. Hopefully things wouldn't get too messy. 

---

Words: 399 ~ 1006

He watched her as he had prepared to dodge an advance, but instead she ducked low and was backing away from the attack as the kunai just flew slightly over her and landed some distance away while the shuriken managed to end up with one hitting the ground in front of her due to her backing away and the fact that it was aimed low.

He managed to pick up the shuriken along the way and as he tried to side step passed her she began swinging her leg out as he realised he did not have much room to back away if he wanted to retrieve the last two of his shuriken and his primary weapon at the moment. He could not avoid it so he jumped slightly as his leg got caught he twisted his body as he landed on his side rolling a bit with the momentum before grabbing the other shuriken.

She began running around him so he took his time to grab his kunai as he could not keep track the whole time as spinning and spinning was making him still feel a bit dizzy. He did not really get it but he could not keep up with her movements which became so painfully obvious at this point. He needed more training and he did not want to admit it right now, but he knew deep down inside he had to retrain himself to a level where he could be more of a match for her. He gave a determined look to give the impression he was waiting for her attack, but the truth was that he did not have much he could do now that he could clearly see a physical gap between them. Even the clashing of her leg against his was a clear indication to him of a strength gap as well.

She had him beat in speed and strength, while having enough reaction time to avoid his projectiles the only option he had left was to surrender. As that thought ran through his mind he decided to make sure that she was paying attention and challenge her even though there was a gap, even though he was weak. He would not lay down for her, this was a spar and giving up without having tried anything would be an insult to their time spent together.

He tossed his kunai along her path, the timing did not matter either she would get hit by it or it would land in the ground and she would trip over it. There were so many ways she could stop it, but he could not afford to give up here. As soon as the kunai hit or landed he would charge full speed ahead with his shuriken in his left hand as he would swing his right first straight at her beautiful face. He was here to face her and holding back just because she was a girl was not something he would allow, he was not going to give up and he would fight her with everything he has.

~Words 985 + 514 = 1499~

Elin continued to seem determined and Ame commended him on it internally.  He managed to grab his weapons, thiugh her kick struck with enough force to give a clear impression of her strength. He seemed to be ready to ttsck again as she ran circles around him, chucking his kunai in her direction.  She easily evaded it, continuing to run. The next attack came in the form of a punch to her face. She ducked,  twisting to avoid the hit, allowing his momentum to carry him forwards and hopefully make stumble, perhaps even fall. He still had shuriken on him, as she had seen him pick them back up after they had missed.

She would aim another sweeping kick to his legs in an effort to bring him down. If he did fall Ame wouldpress her blade to his jugular as a signal that the spar had ended. If he evaded her disarming maneuver, she would rush towards him in a flurry of strikes with the blunt edge of her katana. The first would be aimed at his chest, the next his thigh, and the final one would be aimed to catch the back of his ankle - another disarming manuever.

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Words: 200 ~ 1206

She evaded both the kunai as well as the punch as she ducked low, he thought she might try and trip him up again. It was not a big chance, but she had not shown him anything else yet so he had to just go with it as he dropped low to block her sweep which actually came. Using his shuriken they would leave a wound in her leg surely as the impact was more then he could handly as the kick of the sweep would knock him back a bit as he rolled a bit before getting up quickly.

She looked to be going on the offensive as his hand was stinging as she seemed to charge on the offensive. She held out the blunt end of her katana her prepared to defend himself as she struck for his chest he was too slow to get his arms in the way as he was winded and slid back as he held his ground a bit only to feel a stinging pain on his thigh as he grit his teeth in pain. Her last attack seemed more daring with how low she was dropping he did the only thing he could do and used all his strength to launch a kick to her face as she was down low for a strike to his shin, ankle or foot he was not sure but all that mattered was getting this hit in before she overwhelms him even further.

This would be an all out attack if this kick managed to miss he would fall over since he put all his weight into this one kick.

~Words 1499 + 274= 1773~

Ame hadn't expected Elin to go for her, thinking that her attack was already set in its path. However, her reaction time was finely tuned, a trait she had inherited from her family and her speed had already been proved to be superior in this fight. Ame's dominant hand left her blade hilt and shot up to grab Elin's ankle, halting it's progression towards her face. She twisted it, and Elin fell backwards, his head hitting the ground with an audible thud. Ame would move to make sure he was down for the the count this time, straddling his waist and pressing her katana to his neck. She was in complete battle mode now, and all traces of her warm, encouraging fighting was gone now. She would dig the blade into his skin a little. "Yield." 

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Words: 140 ~ 1346

Everything seemed to be going one way and his last attack was stopped by the swift grab by Ame who then did something he did not expect. As he felt a sharp pain had she held him as she twisted she may have actually broken the ankle. Instead he just felt pain as the twist forced him to spin before falling head first as the pain hit him in the shoulders and a bit in the neck as well. Before he could even do anything as he was a bit in pain, but fortunately nothing serious he just looked up and he was pinned down by the strong and powerful, as well as rather beautiful Ame who gave a scary look as she then pressed her katana to his neck which hurt slightly, but she was not pressing it down so he was not in any real danger unless she wanted to kill him.

She began to dig it in a bit as he just looked at her and instead of fear he looked excited as he just thought how awesome she was before being snapped back to reality as he spoke. "Ame, you win okay?" as he raised his hand slowly to her face and poked her nose. Maybe not the smartest thing to do, but she was making a scary face so he wanted to lighten the mood a bit. His ankle was a bit sore, he hurt his shoulder and thigh, he might have a bruise on his chest too he was not sure. He liked her even more after that attack, since the fight was over he was not really in any rush to try and fight anymore. Though he was really eager for a rematch even if it meant she would beat him up again. However this was not the end for him, she won this fight, but he will try and do better the next time.

This is one of the true things about Elin, while fighting he would fight with everything he has, when there is nothing left he can do, then he will give up and try again next time. He always believed in the next time, he also was a bit upset he did not have the speed to keep up with what he had planned. If he had been a bit faster that kick could have probably hit her, but he was clearly out matched and needed to find a way to beat her. He had to find a way so that he would not disappoint her next time.

~Words 1773 + 429 = 2202~

OOC Stuff:

Elin looked excited even as Ame pressed closer. He poked her nose, smiling and saying how she'd won, ultimately snapping her out of her 'battle mode'. She pulled back, blinked, and moved 'Echo' away from Elin's neck. She bowed her head quickly. "Gomenasai Elin, I didn't intend to hurt you. I just got caught up in the moment is all." Ame stuck her katana in the ground and used it for leverage to get up. Once she was standing again she held out a hand to Elin in offering to help him up as well. She could see that she'd definitely injured his ankle. Ame winced at this, feeling really bad that she'd hurt him at all. Sure, getting hurt was part of every shinobi's lifestyle but Ame had promised to deal as little damage as possible. Now that she was out of her 'ignore everything if it means you'll win' state she noticed the throbbing pain from where he'd stuck a shuriken in her leg. She took a deep breath and pulled it out, hearing the slick sound of it coming loose. 

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, you got me good though." Ame held up the projectile as a bit of blood dripped down her leg. It was starting to sting a bit, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Ame handed the shuriken back to Elin and sheathed her katana. "Next time we should both use our jutsu. I wanna see some of your fuuin- and kyujutsu next time. Deal?" Ame held out her hand for Elin to shake. 

---

Words: 269 ~ 1615

She apologised for hurting him as he just lay there, she used her katana for leverage and once she stood up she held a hand out to the small boy who took her hand as he smiled a bit blushing. He watched her pull out his shuriken which sort of left them a bit dirty as she gave them to him as he looked at them and was about to throw them away but then thought of keeping them as a reminder of the one hit he got on her.

She held out her hand to shake his after helping him up and he did not get why she was being so formal as he dove into her and hugged her a bit tight as he yelped softly from a bit of pain in his ankle as he then kept his head buried in her chest slightly as he jokingly said. "You a bit heavy Ame" which was said in a playful way as he was glad to have fought as he pulled away from the hug a bit to look up to her and then replied. "Thanks for the battle, let us do this again some time."

This was still only the beginning of their time together, the beginning of a rivalry and the growth of a friendship.

~Words 2202 + 219 = 2421~

1000/1000 MISSION
Training Speed E - D1 = 75+150+225+300+325= 1075
Training Strength E - E2 = 75 + 150 = 225
Training Total = 1300/1300
121 words unused that can be thrown away

Exit Thread

MISSION COMPLETE!!!!