Oita found himself led here, somehow walking under his own power, by his sensei. He was tired, sore, and he wasn't even wearing his pack right now. An interesting day it had been so far... now all that needed to happen was his puppet to come to life and he'd have seen everything.

"You got to your bedroom, Oita. I'll leave your pack in your work room." Ishiaki told him, almost pushing the boy forward as he said so

"Ok..." Oita said, a little disappointed no one was around to see him come back all battered and sleepy. Still, being tired was rather over riding him right now, so he stumbled over towards his room. It was crisp, perfect, he barely slept in it. He smiled over his shoulder at Ishiaki, then moved through the door and closed it after himself.

Ishiaki leaned forward and listened, making sure that Oita made it to the bed. He was waiting for the tell tale squeal of compressed springs before he would move on.

What he heard was the soft thud of knees meeting skirting board, then a gentle curse as Oita rolled away, clutching his knees and wincing as the nerves sent tingles up his spine. He'd gotten about three feet inside and his toes had snagged on the floor, sending him on a slow but inevitable collision with the wall. The floor wasn't too bad though... didn't have any items on it... he could rest here...

He could have cursed, of course the boy wouldn't make it to the bed. Ishiaki thought, thinking he should have taken him by to see a medic before bringing him home. He grabbed the doorknob and opened it slowly. "Come on, Oita." He told him softly, kneeling down beside the boy.

The boy had just about gotten out of his shirt, it was laying on the floor beside Oita's slowly panting body. There were several burn marks running down his body, he'd obviously had a lot more damage to himself than previously noted. The chakra had gone through every pore in his body, and had left quite a few burns from the sheer force of all that chakra leaving his body.

The description of the wounds was wasted on Ishiaki, who couldn't see them at all. Though, if he had been there when they were inflicted, he was certain he would have been able to 'see' the immense chakra flow. He sighed and picked the boy up. "Come on, kid. Let's get you to bed."

Oita hissed as he was raised up, though he hoped Ishiaki didn't realize it was out of pain. "Y-yes sensei" he said softly, moving towards the bed slowly; he only hoped that the others didn't return and see him in such an injured and vulnerable state. He needed to get stronger... and falling down wasn't helping that.

"Rest easy, Oita." Ishiaki told him as he made sure he made it to the bed this time. "I'll make sure you get left alone and get your sleep. I don't want to find you down in your workshop today, understand?"

Akane made it back to the house and let herself in. She went right to her room and promptly set her things down. Next, Akane straightened her spine and stretched back. There were three small snaps as she did this from her bones shifting. "Ahh~" she exhaled, relaxing her back. It had been a few hours since she ate those noodles. Akane itched her ear with a finger and headed into the hall, then to the kitchen.

As Akane walked through the hall she would get a glance of Oita being slowly placed into his bed by their sensei, and what must have been burns down his body and looking completely exhausted. "Yes sensei" Oita said softly, a flicker of pain going over his face as he lay down on his sheets. If he wasn't so tired he would have gone for a bath, treated his injuries a bit... but they could wait until later. They weren't terrible, just a little painful right now.

Akane took a backstep and peeked into Oita's room where he and Ishiaki were. It was curious...she had just seen him only an hour ago. Placing a hand on her hip, she swung it to the right, "And what happened to you, Oita? Get into a fight with a barbeque?"

"Training" oita replied, his voice showing how uncomfortable he was with his burns against the cloth. He barely went in his room as it was, he was almost always in his workshop. "I... hurt myself by accident" he mumbled, his cheeks a little flushed as he got all settled down.

Kami was glad for Akane's negligence at closing the front door, she didn't exactly have the motor function to open it herself any way. Hana had sent her home from the Greenhouse once she realized Kami would be of no more use after her small visit with Kano.

Akane snorted and couldn't contain her laugh. She was ignorant to the fact she had failed at healing herself only a few weeks ago. Just then, Akane spotted Kami. "Hey- check out what Oita did to himself." she said, pointing into Oita's room with her thumb over her shoulder.

Kami didn't seem to notice Akane at all. She ghosted by with that glassy expression in her eyes.

"Hey!" Akane said louder, snapping her fingers together. "Did you hear me?" She really hated being ignored.

"Hrmm?" Kami asked, finally registering that Akane has spoke to her. "Pardon?" She half turned toward Akane, still draped in that dreamy state.

"Our teammate set himself on fire." Akane said with a very obvious 'DUH' tone in her voice. "The heck's your problem? All those plant fumes getting to you?"

"He did not set himself on fire, Akane." Ishiaki told her, turning around. "Get some rest, Oita. I will keep them out." He ushered Akane out of the doorway and closed it behind himself.

Akane stepped back, bumping into Kami a bit, "Watch it!" she hissed.

Ishiaki turned his face toward her. "He needs sleep, Akane. Not company right now."

When Akane bumped into Kami she seemed to snap out of her daze. "Huh... what? Burns? What happened Sensei?" She asked. "I may have something that will help."

"He should be just fine with a bit of rest. He over did it with his training, that is all." Ishiaki explained to Kami

"Oh... alright." Kami felt bad for having been ignoring the situation when she came in. Perhaps once Ishiaki left she'd see to Oita herself. Spirits knew that Akane wouldn't be able to help him. she was still practicing on fish.

Akane left the two in the hall and headed to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and eventually pulled out a small vine of grapes to eat.

Ishiaki looked at Kami and tilted his head to the side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine sensei." Kami lied. She was no longer all loopy, but under her concern for her teammate she was still thinking about what Kano had done.

"One of the many things that I can see, Kami, is when someone is telling a lie. Your body does many things that it doesn't do when speaking the truth." Ishiaki explained to her gently. He was glad that Akane was no longer in the room as he spoke with her. He smiled softly, "Would you like to talk about what's going on?"

Akane went back into the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. With no one around, she took off the cap and put the rim to her lips, drinking a few gulps. "Ahh~" she exhaled before putting it back in it's place.

"It's um..." Kami wasn't sure how to explain it. She defiantly didn't want to talk to an older man about something like this. "I really am fine sensei, it's just... more of a girl talk type... thing..."

"Ah. I see." Ishiaki replied with a nod. "Then perhaps, you should try and talk to Akane about it? Think of it as a team-building exercise?"

Akane's ear twitched. "What?" she asked, leaning into the doorway, looking at the two of them. She felt as if she had just caught them telling secrets about her and was quick to jump the gun.

"There are other females I might discuss it with..." Kami said suddenly at the sight of Akane. Though Hana was a bit old and Misume was... well, she was a squirrel, but that didn't mean she didn't know anything about boys.

"Like I said, think of it as a team building exercise. You two need to start acting more like a team anyway. You are both worrying your other teammates." Ishiaki told her rather sternly. He hated revealing that part, but it might be just what was needed

Kami sighed. If there was anyone she didn't want to talk to this about, it was Akane. Reluctantly she hung her head and said, "Yes Sensei..."

Ishiaki rested a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, it'll be good for both of you."

There he want, preaching again. Akane stepped into the hall, still eating a few grapes from the vine she grabbed. "What did she do now?" she asked, leaning on her hip.

"I will let you two discuss these things." Ishiaki told them, and with a smile and bow, he simply vanished in a poof of smoke

When his smoke cleared Kami was no longer in the hall. Her door was closing quietly. Master Isiaki said she had to talk to Akane, but she didn't necessarily have to do it right now.

Akane wasn't catching on. Though it probably had something to do with Kami's aloofness when she came to the house. Not wanting to study anymore and without Oita to pester, she might as well try with Kami. Her fingers were still pruned so a bath was out too. Exhaling out of her nostrils, Akane headed down the hall and slid open the door with her foot. "Yo." her flat hand was held next to her shoulder in a very unenthusiastic greeting.

Kami was sitting on her knees at the foot of her bed with a small writing desk on the floor in front of her. It was one of the very few things shed bought with her payment from the last mission. Considering she had a job also it was a nice little desk with several drawers and an ink well for brushes. Kami's people had no written languages, so she was learning from a book Hana had given her. She was just opening it so she could place it in the small stand that would keep the pages open for her.

No greeting. Not even a glance. This was going to sure be a thrill. "So- I'm supposed to like... talk to you or something? Right?" She placed a hand on her hip and stepped into the room.

"Close the door." Kami told her. "Oita is resting and our conversations often become... loud..."

"Sure." Akane replied, sliding the door shut behind her. "I assume this has to do with that look on your face when you walked in, huh? You looked sick."

"I was not sick." Kami said calmly. "I was... distracted..." She still hadn't looked at Akane. She was heating the wax by holding the small vessel above the lit candle with a pair of thin delicate tongs. She'd taken great care of her writing tools since she had had them. Hana said that writing was once a sacred art and Kami was doing her best to do it all properly.

She waited for Kami to continue. When she didn't Akane rolled yer eyes and let out an exasperated, "Whyyyy?"

"I was given an unexpected gift." Kami said quietly and gestured to the bag she carried back and forth to work. It was next to the table where she was sitting.

"From?" she asked, kneeling down to the pack. Without asking, Akane started to rummage through it. She grabbed a leg weight and tried to lift it. The bird ninja could only muster moving it a little. "The hell is this? Someone gave you a bag of lead?"

"They are leg weights." Kami told her. "My next set. Ishiaki Sensei suggested that I train with them. The intention is to heighten my speed and agility."

"He got you these?" Akane asked, still trying to lift one. "He never got me anything before." she said, a bit disheartened and annoyed at that.

"No..." Kami told her. "He gave me a set he used as a genin. Those are the ones that I wear now. These are from..." Kami swallowed and took a deep breath to steady her arm as she began to make her first line on the paper.

"Oita?" Akane guessed, giving up on lifting them up. She hated admitting that she was the most physically weak on the team.

"No..." Kami said quietly as she finished her line. She looked at the book and back to the paper. It looked right, but it was only one mark of many. She began the next, trying desperately to make her writing look as perfect as it did in the book. "Oita's gifts come in the form of friendship and steadiness..."

Akane snorted and laughed, "You're... you're joking right?" It was clear in Kami's voice that she wasn't, "Friendship and steadiness, that's rich." She wiped a fake tear from her eye, "So really who got you the lead weights?"

Kami lifted her eyes at Akane and it was obvious that she was not pleased with Akane's snort at Oita. "Perhaps if you would take the time to get to know him, you would see how good of a friend he really can be. He did after all open his own home to us when he very well could have left us to find out own residence."

"I had lunch with the guy. I was laughing at his gift of 'steadiness'...sorry Kami, but that was just too corny. Now will you please cut to the chase, who gave you the weight things and why should I care?"

Kami was still perturbed at her for talking about Oita this way. It was not his fault he was introverted and shy. She wouldn't argue though. Not while he was trying to rest. She lowered her eyes to the paper once more and began another mark. "Kano."

"He's on the other team, why would he give you-" Akane cut herself off. "Ohhh... I get it. He's your boyfriend." she crossed her arms and gave a sly smirk.

At the word "boyfriend" Kami's arm stiffened and she mistroked on the paper. She looked up at Akane as she took the paper, waded it into a ball and sat it firmly on the floor next to her. "He is not my boyfriend..."

"Not yet at least." Akane teased as if Kami were her younger sister. "What did he say when he gave them to you? Judging by how heavy those are.. they are probably expensive."

"That he wanted to give me something... useful." Kami told her. Kami didn't delight in useless trinkets. This writing desk was probably the most extravagant thing she owned when she could have easily just purchased a pack of pencils and paper. "I told him that I could not accept them." She pulled out another sheet of paper and began writing again.

"I see that didn't really work out." she remarked loosening down to the flats of her feet.

"Smoke Ninja do not accept a gift without giving one in return." Kami told her. "It is... dishonorable, so I asked what he would like in return."

"Talking to you is like pulling teeth. Just out with it already. I'm losing my patience." she said honestly.

"He asked for a kiss alright." Kami told her, setting her brush town with a sharp TAK sound. "He asked for a kiss so I kissed him on the cheek then he... he... I shouldn't have let him brush my hair." Akane knew how much hair Kami really had. It graced the back of her knees when it was down. She hid her face with her palms, obviously taking this much harder than the event sounded.

Akane smiled widely. This was too fun. "Your hair?" she paused, noticing how uncomfortable Kami was becoming. "Kami." she began with a sternness in her tone, the kind that hid violence behind it. "Did he force himself on you?" Her hands closed up into fists at her sides. "Tell me."

"No... yes... I don't know!" Kami blurted out. "It didn't seem like a fair trade so I kissed him on the cheek again and... and..." She hid her face again, not crying, just ashamed that she'd let something like this happen.

Akane tensed, "You stay here." Wind swirled around Akane's person, tossing some of her papers into the cyclone. She darting for the window, her fingers moved like lightning as they unlock and opened the glass pane. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him." There was a furious bloodlust in her voice.

"NOO!" Kami blurted and jolted up from her spot, knocking over her desk. Ink spilled across the floor but she managed to grab Akane by the foot as she scrambled for the window. "NO!" Her grip was vice-like and Akane was reminded of the strength behind that sharp punch to the jaw a few weeks earlier.

"WHAT?!" Akane asked loudly, countering Kami's yells. "Don't worry, if you want, I can bring him back here so you can take a few swings at him."

"NONONONONOnononononononononono!" Kami pleaded, pulling Akane back into the house by her foot, chanting no like it was the only thing she knew how to say. She was like a broken record, skipping over the same word again and again.

Boy that was irritating, "WHAT?! We need to take care of this. Go tell Ishiaki!" Akane said down to her.

"I LIKED IT!" Kami blurted, btu she was still pulling on Akane as if she feared once she let go she'd go do something horrible, like cause a scene and reveal what happened to the whole village.

"Wha?" she asked, making a weird face. She climbed down from the open window, a slight rosie-ness to her cheeks. "Well...uhh... ok then." Akane's mind had gone rampant and she was assuming Kano and Kami had done a bit more then just kissed. "If uhh....still...he's getting a kick in the shin next time I see him. Even if you liked it, he shouldn't take advantage of you, and you shouldn't be so niave. I know you are stronger then that. You may regret what you did someday."

"I know!" Kami finally let go of her. "I know... and on the lips too! I'm not even sixteen yet! I've disgraced my entire family line!" She fell over on the floor, hiding her face in her arms.

"On the lips? He just kissed you? Nothing else?" Akane asked, wanting to be sure of the situation. She still had a somewhat motherly tone over Kami.

Kami pushed herself up and looked at Akane. She nodded, but a simple kiss seemed to mean much more than just a simple kiss to Kami.

"Ah- well... uhm... congratulations?" It was strange going from rage to pleased in a matter of seconds. Now that she knew the situation, Akane could better gauge what to do from here. "If you liked it, does that mean you like him, like him?"

"I..." Kami blushed. "I... I do... He's a very nice boy, a focused ninja, even from a culture similar to my own... I believe he is very... complementary..." She began to calm down and saw the mess she'd made on the floor. Thankfully there had been a rug at the foot of her bed and therefor the floor matting had been saved. A rug could be replaced, but she couldn't afford replacing the floor and Oita's house was so fine that she didn't want to ruin anything.

"Lucky you, he seems to like you as well. What's the problem then?" Akane asked, picking up the papers her wind had thrown all over.

"I... Kissing is..." Kami didn't know how to explain it really. "In my village... when you want to tell a boy you like him... you let him comb your hair... I did that and didn't tell Kano what it meant... and kissing... kissing means... we're... I don't know what the word is in the common tongue, but we call it, Aunul."

"Dating?" Akane assumed, "And as for the hair thing, that was your fault for not saying anything. You can't blame him for not knowing what it means to you, but he probably wants to date you anyway. If not, he's a swine." she said, brushing it off her shoulder. "That all explains how aloof you were though."

"It means more than just courtship." Kami told Akane. "But I was still... shocked I guess. He just grabbed me and... The world just... everything was gone for a moment..."

Akane couldn't help but smirk at Kami's fortune. She hadn't ever gotten close to a boy in that way before. In a strange way, Akane was a bit envious that someone liked her enough to buy her a gift like Kano did. It was nice knowing someone cared about you. She didn't have that sort of thing here at all. If anything, all the boys here hated her. Clearing her throat, she said, "Well- I'm happy for you, but you may want to have a chat with Kano about this sort of thing next time you two are alone. If something is bothering you, he should hear about it."

"Ohhhh no... I can't talk to him now!" Kami said wide eyed. "I'd... I'd... I just can't... I can't tell him were engaged!"

Akane's pupils shrunk, "Engaged!? You let him brush your hair knowing if meant a proposal?!" She smacked her own face with a hand, "Gah... idiot. Well you're just going to have to ignore your village custom. He was unaware and thus the engagement is void." She hoped that made Kami feel better.

"The kiss, not the hair Akane." Kami told her and because she called her an idot added. "Pay attention. Hair means I like him, kiss means we're engaged. A girl can kiss a boy on the cheek and it mean affection, a sign that she is interested in taking their relationship further. When he kisses her on the lips, he's proposing. Do you understand? I can't tell him all this. He'll be so embarrassed!"

"Then don't." she shrugged. "Only you and I know what it means now. I think telling him that may freak him out. As far as he knows, the kiss was only affectionate, not a proposal. Although to your people it means more, it probably doesn't mean nearly as much of a dedication to him. Make sense? You're fine...don't worry about it."

"But... it's such a big... deal... I don't know that I can't tell him..." Kami seemed worried that much was obvious. "Is it really not that big of a deal out here?"

"I don't think so. I mean, it shows affection but it doesn't seal the deal or anything. Besides, you barely know the guy- if you do marry him, he could turn out to be a jerk." she explained.

"That's why ones such as us aren't allowed to kiss till we are of marrying age at sixteen." Kami told her. "What if he does it again? I can't go through this EVERY time.

"So.... just ignore your family customs. You aren't on your island anymore so the rules may not apply." she suggested.

"I can't just ignore the way my people have lived for centuries." Kami told her and began to right her writing desk.

"Then you are going to marry him. I don't know what else to tell you." Akane said, putting a hand on her hip. "You shouldn't have been an idiot."

"I did not ask him to kiss me Akane..." Kami said wiping the spilled ink off the outside of the bottle. She placed her brushes back in their box for now and rolled up the ink stained rug that she would have to replace later. "And he did not know that touching my hair meant more than it did... You don't have to call me names."

"Well I'm sorry, but I don't know what to tell you. If brushing your hair means more to your people then others, you should have known better. Unless you ignore what he did, you should tell him that he had proposed to you." Akane explained.

"Maybe I should tell him..." Kami said quietly. "But I don't want him to feel bad. I don't want him to think that I... don't want him to do it again..." By her people's standards that statement almost sounded as if she liked the thought of being forever bound to Kano...

"You nuts?! You barely know the guy!" Akane said, trying to snap her out of such thoughts. She was starting to sound more like a mother then a comrade right now.

"I mean... the kiss... not marriage." Kami told her... "Though I suppose if I did know him... And we did go on that mission to the Stones remember? I spent an entire week with him... I know him better than I know you really..."

She chose not to say anything about that last comment. "Either way, you need to tell him what the hair thing meant and what the kissing meant. He probably won't do it again- or at least not right away. I doubt a 14 year old like him is ready for marriage. The other option is to ignore your family customs and kiss him as much as you want." Akane exhaled out her nostrils with a sigh. She was doing her best to be logical with this situation.

"I don't know that I can do that..." Kami said. "Honor is a very important thing to my people and I can't go around kissing a boy... even if they never found out, it would be wrong..." Kami was quiet for a moment then her eyes brightened. "Maybe we can do something else? Something that takes the place of kissing..."

"Uhh...." Akane's face twisted a bit, "Such as?" She somewhat dreaded what Kami would reply with.

"There's a custom... um... friends who have been parted for a long time do it upon greeting one another." Kami explained. "It's... a little silly. It has gone out of practice in recent generations."

"I really have to pry at you to spit out your point, don't I?" Akane asked, still impatient as usual.

"You'll think it's stupid..." Kami said cleaning up her brushes and discarding the ruined paper.

"Probably, but humor me." she replied, leaning against the windowcil with her arms crossed as usual.

Kami sighed and threw the pages in the trash. "They rub noses..." She said quickly and began wiping the ink off her table. Thankfully due to the wax it hadn't stained.

"Ah... well have fun with that." she scoffed, raising her brow a bit. Rubbing noses? Really? No thanks. "Just do what makes you comfortable...and don't go around saying he forced himself on you, alright?"

"You asked." Kami said. "And what else would you call it?"

"I don't know... just don't say that. Else I'm going punch him AND you for making me worry." she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry..." Kami said quietly, wiping her brushes dry. she seemed to be thinking. Akane had nearly burst from her room to take on Kano for her benefit... Did that mean they were really closer than Kami had thought they were? "Thank you..."

"Yea yea- just don't do it again. Now, is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" she asked, ready to head out of her room now. Things were getting a bit too close for comfort at the moment.

"I..." Kami paused, unsure if she wanted to tell Akane what she was about to tell her. Ishiaki Sensei was counting on them to... become closer as a team. "I appreciate your instinct to... look out for me. Thank you for that too."

Akane couldn't help but be reminded of her little sister when Kami spoke. "Don't mention it. Really....don't." After all that the two of them have been through, it was difficult for Akane to show some reserve and softness. Kami may think her weak and she didn't want that. After getting her ass handed to her, Akane was very paranoid about that. "That it then?"

While things were going well at the moment Kami thought maybe Akane could stand another apology... and maybe Kami would get one back. She lowered her head in a semi-bow and began, "I'm... I'm sorry about... at the Sacred Hunt... I shouldn't have reacted like that when you pushed me... It was... detrimental to our ability to function as a team..."

Ugh, there she goes again with all the sappy stuff again. Casting her eye away, she said, "Don't worry about it." Those words were hard to say considering how long she was sore after their fight. "Though- I have to say...I was impressed by your kick."

"It was not impressive..." Kami said quietly. "It broke my ankle..."

"Really?" she asked, a bit caught off guard. She had seen her limping... but was completely unaware that a bone had actually broke. "No wonder my gut was bleeding."

"And my wrist..." Since she'd confessed that much she might as well confess it all. "I... have... a weakness... from birth. It is why I am training with the weights. I am sorry that I hurt you Akane..."

"Let's just drop it, alright?" Akane asked, somewhat curious to whatever this weakness of hers was. Nevertheless, this was getting too personal for her liking.

Kami didn't say anything. What did she expect, an apology from Akane? She had started the fight after all... No, she should know better. Akane was just... "I'm going to go check on Oita." Kami said standing. She placed her table in the closet where it belonged and retrieved a burn ointment from her ninja tools.

"He did it too himself." Akane reminded, leaning to the right as she pushed herself off of the windowsil.

"That does not mean he doesn't deserve treatment." Kami told her. She slammed the drawer containing her ninja tools and moved toward the door. With her hand on the screen she stopped. "You could help." She told Akane.

"Such as?" she asked, not too enthused about the concept. Her medical training was amateurish at best.

"Burns are superficial wounds." Kami said. "Nothing too complicated... you are supposed to be a medical ninja are you not?"

"'Supposed to be' is right." Akane said with a shrug. "It's all pointless stuff really. Ishiaki was the one who really thinks I should."

"you have an injured teammate." Kami told her. "It seems to me that learning to help them would be worth it..." Kami then left the room. if Akane saw it all as nonsense, then she was welcome to it. Kami would help Oita the best way she knew how.

Oita was right now in bed, balanced on one side with a pillow on both sides of his head. He looked like a strange sandwich, as his body and head were both trapped between two objects. He had heard Kami and Akane talking, and had decided to not listen in one what he suspected was another row. He still had burns on hands, fingers, chest and neck, but he was trying his best to get comfy.

The soji opened slightly and he could see Kami's head peeking. She would have knocked but if he was asleep she didn't want to wake him.

Akane followed, not because she was set on attempting to heal him, but more so out of curiosity. Since Akane had tried to heal herself about a week ago, she had been paranoid to try it again on a human. Practicing on fish was one thing... but healing a human,... better yet, a team mate, was completely different. No matter how cruel she seemed to Kami and Oita, Akane would feel horrible if she accidentally hurt Oita when trying to heal him.

One large eye opened up beneath the covers, glassy blue eyes gazing out from beneath the pillows; this might be the first time they'd seen Oita without his glasses on for all he knew. This did however, mean he was incredibly short sighted. "Hello?" he called out towards the door "Is that you Kami?"

"It's me..." Kami said softly. "I brought a salve for your burns... Ishiaki Sensei said to leave you alone, but I thought this might help..."

"Ishiaki sensei could not see them, that is why he did not give me treatment" Oita replied, though he lay back slowly and pulled the sheets down off his chest, exposing his... surprisingly muscled body, still awash with burns. They were chakra burns however, so he wasn't sure how the salve would effect them.

Kami made a small sound. Not quite a gasp or a wince, but an audible... something of surprise. "What have you done to yourself?" She asked, obviously worried. Knelt beside his bed and placed the small tray next to her. She removed the cork from the jar and dipped a small portion of the salve out into a separate dish.

Oita laughed softly, though winced as his chest heaved at this; instead he smiled at Kami, a small warm smile "Do you know about the chakra gates inside the body? Those that regulate the flow of chakra, protecting muscles and the body from damaging itself by releasing too much at one time? well... I broke one of my gates... without being prepared for it."

"That is..." Kami didn't want to preach to Oita, no doubt Isihaki Sensei already told him how foolish that was. She knew of the gates, but it wasn't a common practice among her people. So instead of telling him off she dipped the fine hair brush in the salve and said, "Unfortunate."

"Also rather foolish" Oita said, grinning up at Kami "I did it without meaning to. I followed the instructions of a book, and tested the first gate; it broke easily, I believe due to my training of controlling chakra. I shall be more careful in the future, believe me."

"Why do you want to access the gates?" Kami asked, gently applying the salve to her teammate's burns. Hana said this salve would aid the healing of any burn, Kami only hoped she had made it properly.

"To gain strength" Oita said, as if it was obvious "If our teamwork continues to deteriorate, I will need to be able to become strong and assist you both. If I am able to break the gates them I am able to create strings of chakra so strong that they can bind and burn people from a touch. This would be useful, if... things became difficult."

Kami froze. He'd hurt himself because of her and Akane... because they couldn't... because Akane couldn't get over herself. Kami had apologized, confessed about the severity of her wounds and even poured her soul out about what happened with Kano and still... Akane was... distant. "I'm sorry Oita... I try, but she just... She hates me..." 

"It's ok" Oita said with a weak laugh, shaking his head at Kami "It's fine. I do not blame you two, or hate you for this. I just... need to get stronger. I must... fill the void." He sighed softly, fighting the desire to run a hand over his burns "Thank you. For the salve."

"You should not need to fill the void..." Kami told him. "Look what trying to has done to you... no... It is not right and it is not fair to you." Kami was perhaps dabbing the salve on a little too vigorously. "There is a chance things may become better." She said. "We shared words today and I saw... something that perhaps we can grow on. She may not know it and it may take much work, but... I'm not going to leave a gap for you to try and fill Oita."

"It's ok" Oita said softly, reaching up and grasping Kami's hand so she didn't dab the ointment on so hard "Thank you for trying Kami, thank you for trying to make things better, but I should try and become stronger anyway. Ishiaki sensei though that we may all have a duel against each other at some point, to increase our training... and since we will see the strengths and weaknesses of our team mates."

"Ishiaki Sensei is very wise..." Kami said softly. "I'm sure whatever he intends will help us grow as a team..." She carefully began to dab his wounds again, taking caution as to not harm him as she had a moment ago. "But promise me something Oita..."

"Yes, Kami?" Oita said, wondering if this was going to be a request not to damage her too much, or not to hurt himself, or even more likely, a request for him not to show her any mercy that he would not show Akane. He was more than willing to give all of those promises.

"If you continue this gate training... seek a teacher." Kami told him. "Hana has taught me a great many things about plants that I never would have learned on my own. If you could perhaps find a master skilled in the art of gate opening, there would be fewer instances where I might have to show you what Hana has taught me." Of course she meant medicines like this salve that she would need to heal his wounds.

"I shall inquire" Oita said, nodding towards Kami "I had a book on the subject, but I either lit it on fire or sensei removed it before I could really finish it." He let out a weak chuckle, and didn't wince; the salve acted fast. "I am not sure however... where I would find such a teacher."

"Perhaps you may inquire at the Hokage's office?" Kami suggested. "An attendant might be able to suggest where you may find one."

"Indeed. I shall attempt to do so tomorrow... though if my burns are causing me great discomfort, I may have to go without a shirt on." Oita looked down at the salve covered stomach; hopefully this stuff would cure him before the day was out. There shouldn't be this many muscles on the boy, considering he was so young and... small really.

"This should considerably aid the healing process." Kami told him. "Though it must be applied twice more to be the most effective... that is, if I made it right... if not... well your skin won't be perminatly stained..."


"I have faith in you Kami" Oita said with a small chuckle "I'm certain you are capable of creating a healing balm. Perhaps I shall see you in the morning, apply myself some of this paste and go to place a note in the Hokage's office. Are there any duties in that direction you would want me to do for you?"

"No, I have no business in that direction." Kami told him. She'd finished and began packing up. Akane should be here... trying to help even if it was only a slight attempt at healing... it's not as if he was bleeding internally or anything...

She was outside, leaning against the wall next to the door frame with her arms crossed and her head bowed. Akane didn't want to go in the room and have Kami suggest she heal Oita, or attempt it. With how terrible it turned out last time, she really wanted to avoid that proposition. However, she stayed outside, listening to why he hurt himself like he did.

"Thank you for suggesting it though." Kami told him. "I'll leave this here and let you get some rest." She left the jar beside his bed and took up her tray.

"Thank you Kami" Oita said, nodding to her slowly, still with the smile on his face "I will probably see you later, when hunger strikes me." He would get it, there was no reason for her to bring him his food.

"I would be glad to bring you something." She told him. "You should not move around very much... Sleep well Oita." She opened the soji and left into the hall and saw Akane leaning just outside the door, which surprised her.

She didn't say anything. With a tilt of her head, Akane pushed herself off of the wall and started to make her way toward her room.

Kami just stood there for a moment... Had she said anything to make Akane mad at her? she hadn't said anything bad had she? She did remember telling Oita that she hated Kami, but that was the truth wasn't it? There was hope though... Akane wouldn't have headed for the window when she misunderstood what Kano had done if there wasn't.

Akane slid the door closed behind her and sat herself down onto the bed. What a day this turned out to be. She laid there and thought about it, about Kami and Oita- her team. Would they have a mission tomorrow? If so, would they all be able to get along and make it through? A slow exhale escaped her nostrils as she thought, hoping she wouldn't have to meditate to relieve her of the stress.

Kami put the things away in her room and moved to the kitchen. It was a bit early to start dinner, but she had promised she would bring Oita something and she often cooked in hopes of repaying him for opening his home to her. As she searched the cabinets trying to decide what to fix she thought about her and Akane. In the beginning she had done what she'd always done, simply tried making friends out of kindness. That hadn't worked. Akane had was distant, called her stupid and gullible. Master Risu had advised her to act as water. To flow around obstacles and let them pass through her, but indifference had only helped to broaden the gap in the team. Standing up to her hadn't seemed to have done much good ether... all that had earned her was a broken wrist and ankle... but Akane had reacted protectively when she'd misunderstood the incident with Kano... She'd been ready to knock his head off thinking he'd done something much worse than he had. Perhaps the best Kami could hope for was for Akane's protective instincts to help bridge the gap between them. Kami had no intention of putting herself in harm's way to test this, but she didn't believe that Akane would leave her in danger... not when it really mattered. They had worked together to dispatch the Daimyo's samurai and done well doing so... Perhaps she and Akane weren't destined to be best friends, but they weren't enemies ether.

The silence seemed to thunder in Oita's head as he lay there, eyes closed and staring at the ceiling. Kami seemed to try, honestly try to get on with people, and she did more than anyone could ask of her; she acted like the team's mother more than often. Akane... she was more sensitive than some people thought, more prone to anger than Kami; she also had an incredible independent streak which made her almost reluctant to approach anyone as a friend. What about him? Well... he was trying. That's what he was. He was trying to keep people together, he was trying to get stronger, he was trying to keep the world turning slowly.

Akane rolled over in her bed and finally sat up, a bit frustrated. She thought it a bit odd that Iskiaki thought it a good idea to set up a little conversation with Kami and herself. What was THAT all about? It didn't really strengthen any bonds as far as she knew. Although it WAS a conversation with the girl... something they hadn't had in ages, especially since the fight.

Kami thought as she began preparing dinner. Oil simmered on the stove as she rolled out the dough she'd made in preparation for dumplings. Rice boiled on the back burner and in another pan sausage and herbs simmered for the dumplings. What more could she do to bridge the gap between her and Akane? They might not supposed to be best friends, but they needed to be closer than they were.

Oita was really trying, but the longer he stayed here the more it seemed that his ninja career would go down in flames with this burning team. He LIKED the people in it, he just didn't like how they liked the people in the team... So he tried his hardest to keep it together. And if it didn't keep together, he would look worse of all.

Akane exhaled and stepped out of her bedroom. She headed down the hall, being led by the crackling oil on a hot plate. Instead however, she turned her body and lightly knocked on Oita's door. Sliding a finger between it and the wall, Akane opened it only an inch, "You awake?"

Kami was pulling the first of the dumplings out of the oil and placing them on a cloth to soak up some of the excess grease. She placed in several more and continued rolling more till the sausage was gone. she hadn't expected to have so much dough left over so she pulled the sugar from the cupboard and decided to use the rest to make a sort of "doughnut" she'd learned to make back home. Shortly she'd be done with dinner. That gave Akane and Oita a little time to talk.

"Of course Akane. What's on your mind?" Oita asked, laying back and giving a small smile up at the girl in the doorway; he couldn't exactly get up right now, but he was trying to be gracious as possible to his visitors.

"Kami told me you tried opening your chakras." Akane lied when in fact she had eeves dropped. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "Now doesn't that seem a little silly?"

"Well, I succeeded, to a point" Oita said with a small shrug, knowing that Kami hadn't said anything of the like "I am now aware of the limits off my first chakra gate, which is much weaker than I first thought. In fact, it could be said it was a success, as very few people can open their gates so easily."

"Where are the worst burns?" she asked, walking over. Akane didn't want to hover or make him uncomfortable, so she felt a few feet away from the bedside.

"Really, my fingers are pretty burnt, my chest bothers me most however" Oita said, holding his hand out and exposed the almost charred finger tips "Could you heal my hands? I rather need them to perform my jutsu."

"What the hell do I look like, a witch doctor?" Akane crossed her arms and swayed her hip, lifting her chin up and away from him. "I'm not just going to heal you every time you blow yourself up. Sorry- I don't condone that sort of idiocy."

"It was training" Oita said with a shrug "If you did not come in here to offer healing, why did you ask if where the worst burns were?" He raised an eyebrow at Akane. Really, SHE did not condone people hurting themselves while training?

"I WAS going to offer, but you bluntly expected it so I don't know if I should anymore." Akane scoffed, her pride being a bit too huge right now. "Besides, I'm not very good at this healing thing quite yet. I really only know the basics."

"I knew you were going to offer. I expected you to be kind enough to offer" Oita said with a shrug, pulling his arm back and letting out a small sigh "I see my trust in you was misplaced."

"I would have expected you to be modest and trust me enough to WAIT for ME to offer, instead of just telling me to heal you like some tool." Akane said, thinking Oita was being really rude.

"From the way you spoke Akane, I believed you HAD offered to heal me already. Like I said, your questions about the location of my worst burns showed me that this conversation was likely to fall on your healing of my injuries." Oita shook his head at Akane and closed his eyes "And I did not tell you. I asked you to heal my fingers. You could have refused, and you in fact, did. So, was there anything else you wished to discuss?"

Akane shrugged. "Oh come off it already and hold out your hands. We could be sent off on a mission tomorrow and you can't have burnt fingers."

"I do not understand you Akane" Oita said, even as he offered his hand to her "You refused to heal me a moment ago, then seemed to become annoyed when I withdrew my hand." She was just too freaking complicated. she probably needed a nice lie down, with a psychiatrist.

She rolled her eye and exhaled. This kid was too socially repressed to know what she was saying or realize that he was rude to her earlier. "Just don't start complaining when I accidentally make your veins explode."

"I trust you Akane. I have observed your talents as a medical ninja growing. while your internal afflictions seem difficult for you, I have seen you heal multiple flesh wounds" Oita might be complimenting her. Might. It was difficult to tell sometimes.

"Ah great, so I have a stalker. Hold still." Akane said, placing her hands over his lightly. Experienced ninja could hover their hands above patients, but she wasn't that far ahead in her studies yet. The underside of her fingers and palms glowed a light green and a minty feeling crept through Oita's hand. It felt cool and tingly.

"I observe many people. Kano and Kami have been seeing rather a lot of each other lately. Kami is training to strengthen her weak bones" Oita just rattled off a few observations he had made "Ishiaki sensei likes the girl in the ramen store, though I am unsure of her feelings in return. Tsu sensei has been strangely observant of her pupils lately."

"Shut up." she said sternly as she tried to focus. Her eye closed, helping to concentrate on her chakra, delicately flowing it into his skin. The white blisters started to depress and fade under the glow.

she was quite bad at this being social thing too... but Oita simply mentally shrugged adn stayed quiet, allowing akane to work on his hands. He was thankful for her attentions, the attitude he could live without.

The sting in Oita's hands was traded for a cooling sensation. Her breathing was soft and tranquil thanks to her years of meditation. Akane was able to focus on her chakras a bit more skillfully then the others on her team.

"Hope your hungry." Kami's voice came from the other side of the soji, then it slid open. On the tray in her arms was a plate of steaming white rice, fried dumplings, sauce for dipping and good old fashioned water to wash it all down. Then she saw Akane...

Akane's eyelid twitched and the minty color under her palms fizzled as her concentration broke. Oita's hands were mostly healed, but the skin was still a bit chapped. Akane had been interrupted about 80% into the healing process.

"Oh... I'm sorry." Kami apologized. "I'll just..." She slipped forward, placed the tray down next to the bed and moved to leave as quickly as possible.

"Almost done." she replied, closing her eyes and finishing her handiwork. Finished in ten seconds or so, Akane let go of Oita's hands and stood from the bedside.

Kami had expected for Akane to snap her head off for interrupting them. She stopped half way across the floor and looked back. Maybe something about their talk has softened Akane? Probably not, but she hesitated before leaving. Oita might need help with his dinner...

"Thank you Akane" Oita said, withdrawing his hands and observing the tips carefully. He gave her a small smile, then turned that to Kami as well "And thank you Kami. I do not know what I have done to deserve such attentions, but I am glad you both desire to look after me."

Kami smiled and blushed. "Your welcome." She told him. "I... brought you a spoon so it would be easier, but I see that your fingers are in much better shape now. Would you like chopsticks instead?"

"No, the spoon will do" Oita said with a small chuckle, wriggling his fingers around slowly as if testing them out again "I do not quite trust my fingers yet, I would rather be sure I could eat than place my faith in using chopsticks."

"I'll leave you to it then." Kami told him... "Um... would you like some Akane?" She asked. "There's plenty more..."

It smelled amazing. Much better than the noodles she had at the Ramen shop earlier. "Sure." Akane said. Man things sure got akward fast when she was around Kami. "What is it?"

"Sausage dumplings and white rice..." Kami said softly. She often cooked enough for everyone, but she'd never seen Akane eat any of her cooking. "I could... bring it in and we could eat with Oita... If you want..."

"Up to him." she replied, looking over at Oita. This was his room afterall.

Kami looked at Oita apprehensively.

"Sure" Oita said with a small shrug "I would love the company." He pulled the tray towards himself slowly, placing it onto his lap and picking up the spoon carefully. Luckily, his fingers did not collapse in a charred mess. "It looks delicious" he said admitted, taking a small scoop of rice and eating it.

"I'll be back." Kami said and left to retrieve the rest of their dinner. If she remembered correctly, this would be the first time they'd all eaten together as a team.

Akane took a breath and sat herself down on the floor with her legs crossed as she waited for the food. "Want me to try healing the other burns when you are done eating?"

"You have done more than enough Akane, I thank you, but I can live with these burns. I do not wish to tire you out" Oita said, stirring his rice out slowly and mixing some soy sauce in with it "Kami has applied me with some salve, and I am sure that it will heal by itself in a few days."

Kami returned with a tray containing two plates or rice and dumplings, cups of dipping sauce and glasses of water. She looked nervous, but she sat the tray down between her and Akane and handed her her plate and glass.

"Thanks." Akane said as she took her plate. This indeed was the first time their team sat around one another to eat on their own free will. There was such a strange sensitivity about the situation, it was hard to tell if things would be better.

Oita took another mouthful of rice, staying quiet and listening to the others. He didn't know what to do really. They were all sitting in his room, he didn't have his shirt on and everything seemed a little... tense.

Kami sat with her plate and dipped her first fried dumpling. It almost tasted like home, but of course this sausage wasn't made out of the same creatures she was accustomed to eating. She tried to keep to herself as she ate, not knowing what to say to break the silence.

Akane pinched some sausage and placed it into her mouth. It was actually quite flavorful. For someone who often picked at her food, she found herself scooping up a larger pinch of rice and meat.

"So..." Oita decided to break the slight tension in the room "When did you learn to cook Kami? It is a wonderful skill. One which I should have picked up before moving out of my home perhaps..."

"I've been taught to cook most of my life." Kami answered. "My sister showed me a few things at first, but mostly I've figured it out on my own or by watching others in my village."

Oita nodded slowly, taking a bite of the food and chewing rigorously before swallowing; he didn't speak with his mouthful. "I will admit, I ate not too long ago with Ishiaki sensei. But your food is too delicious for me to resist."

"It's pretty good." Akane complimented before taking another dumpling between her sticks.

Kami looked at Akane with slight shock for a moment then dropped her eyes down to her plate. Her ears turned red as she blushed. That meant a lot coming from Akane. "Thank you."

Oita closed his eyes a few times, his head giving a small nod; he was still in bed, even if they were all eating together. He raised his head up after a few times, giving them a small smile, his eyes glinting slightly in the light as he said "I don't suppose anyone will catch me before I fall into my food? I don't fancy new burns..."

"And I don't fancy healing them. If you fall asleep in your food, I'll blow you out the window." Akane warned, placing another dumpling into her mouth.

"Charming" Oita said simply, rubbing his eyes and slowly moving the food to beside him; he carefully began to eat it, taking one mouthful at a time so he didn't end up doing himself an injury.

"Here..." Kami said placing her food aside and moving towards the closet. There she pulled out an extra pillow and placed it behind Oita with the one already on his bed. "Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you" Oita said with a small smile, squirming to make sure he was nice and comfortable in his bed. This way he could eat and sit there happily.

Kami returned to her seat with a mild smile on her lips. She picked up her plate htinking that they should do this more often.

Akane kept to herself, eating silently and avoiding eye contact.

Oita finished his food, laying his spoon down and smiling at Kami "Thank you. It was delicious, as always." He yawned softly, eyes closed as he rested back against the pillows.

"I'm glad you liked it." Kami said smiling. "It's not quite like back home, but these local spices and meats are quite agreeable. I thought about purchasing a... I think it's called a chicken? But I thought it in poor taste..." She didn't want to say that she thought it was a bad idea because of akane.

"If you had, I would have to fry up that squirrel of yours." she countered, eager to argue Kami against having chicken for dinner.

"I chose not to because I knew you loved birds." Kami told her. "And I doubt Master Risu would let you even if I had."

"It's a joke... but thanks for not cooking chicken." Akane said, meaning her words.

"Oh..." Kami said softly, having not gotten how threatening to cook Master Risu was a joke. Your welcome... I wouldn't know how any way... The only birds I am acustomed to preparing are ducks, but I don't like the thought of killing anything with a husband or wife."

"Uhh.. I don't think ducks partake in matrimony. Or any animal for that matter." Akane explained.

"They mate for life I mean." Kami explained. "Doves, ravens, swans, bald eagles... Many animals mate for the duration of their life cycle. Wolves, beaver, gibbons, even termites. These are animals my people refer to as married."

"Doesn't necessarily fall under the same catagory in my book. Similar, but not quite." she explained, finished with her meal.

"I'm certain it's because of the company you two keep that you differ here" Oita said, sounding a little over half asleep "Kami is used to sentient squirrels, who might in fact call it marriage. Akane, while loving birds, does not have the ability to carry long conversations with them that aren't rather one sided."

"They do." Kami said while Oita was speaking, then had to stifle her amusement at the thought of Akane having a one sided conversation with a bird.

"Are you nuts? Of course birds can talk back." she argued, rather insulted by Oita's comment. "Not with words like a sentient can, but still communication. A bird can't tell me what's for dinner, but they can tell me where it is and how much is there."

"I know they can talk in that respect, I mean no harm against them" Oita said, raising a placating hand up to Akane "I just meant that they do not use the words of a sentient, so applying human aspects like marriage to them would seem strange."

Kami wasn't completely happy that Oita was agreeing with Akane, but she chose not to say anything.

"You done?" Akane asked, standing from her spot with a plate in her hand and the other outstretched a bit to Kami. If she cooked, Akane could at least wash up.

Kami had sat her plate aside a few minuets ago and looked up at Akane, sort of stunned. She was offering to clean up? "Oh... yes." She handed her her plate. "Thank you."

She took it without saying anything and rested it ontop of her own. "You?" she asked quickly, looking at Oita.

Oita offered the tray to her, holding it out in a way that Akane would be able to stack the plates on top of his and take the tray, which would be easier to hold without an accident. "Yes, thank you Akane" he said gently; he should do the washing up next time, he would have done it this time but he was still rather badly burnt.

"Mhm." is all Akane said as she took his tray and all the dishes. Balancing them atop one another, she headed out of the room to do her chore. Some oil slid from a plate and ran down her arm. Akane held her tongue and exhaled some frustration. She would need another bath now for sure. Walking into the kitchen, her toes went flat to the ground. Could she really not stay on her toes when carrying some empty dishes? Was she truly that pathetic. Standing before the sink, she turned it on with one hand and let it fill. Taking the plates in the other, she moved onto her toes, wincing a bit at how heavy these plates and tray was. Kami could move with those ridiculously heavy leg weights on but she couldn't walk on her toes with some plates?! She thought about her and Kami's fight together. If she could walk with those new weights on, Akane dreaded what her legs may do to her insides if they get into another fight. Physical dueling was her weakest quality...but Kami was also quite skilled in her chakra as well. Akane grit her teeth together as she struggled with the plates and remaining on her toes. Perhaps it was true what Ishiaki said? Perhaps her anger and raw determination wasn't enough? She feared that maybe it HAD stunted her abilities to improve. How was she supposed to defeat Washitori like THIS? Angry, Akane threw the plates and tray into the sink. They clanged together loudly and splashed some soapy water onto the floor. Keeping her mouth shut tight, she dove her hands into the water, scrubbing vigorously.

As Akane came slowly closer to the realization that maybe she wasn't really perfect after all, Kami stood and smiled at Oita. "You should rest she told him. I may know a way of finding a gate master for you to learn from, but I make no promises. Especially if you do not rest."

"I will rest, though I doubt it will be more than a day before I am up and about with all this wonderful healing and balms I have been given" Oita said with a small bow, laying down on his back with his chest open to the air so his sheets didn't get sticky "Thank you Kami... I do not want to burden you however. I will happily search for one myself as well, while I have no doubt you would find one much quicker, please do not allow me to get in the way of your own studies."

"We are a team Oita." Kami told him. "It is our station to offer assistance and I will not let anything get in the way of my studies." She pulled the blanket up over his knees to his waste and began to leave the room. "Rest well Oita."

"Thank you, Kami" Oita said softly "I am sorry if I insulted you just then. I was just knowledgeable of your own efforts and did not to hinder your improvement. If there is anything I could do to help your own studies, please tell me. I can... try to think up a few ideas... but I would need more knowledge of what you are actually studying."


Akane was still scrubbing away, a bit harder then what was necessary. She was lucky nothing broke. Her arms were covered in soapy water all the way up to her elbows. This actually reminded her a bit of cleaning back home in her jungle. She and her little sister would always have dish duty. Akane washed and Rin would dry.

Kami walked into the kitchen with their glasses in her hands. They were the one dishes Akane had forgotten. She hovered in the doorway. She could go back to her room, take the glasses with her and come wash them later when Akane was gone from the kitchen... she didn't want to place them on the sink as if she expected Akane to wash them.

She heard a floorboard squeak from underneath Kami's foot. Akane's ear twitched and she tilted her head back, glancing her way with an eye. Seeing that it was Kami, Akane gave her attention back to the sink and the dishes. She had begun scrubbing up the pans by now. Swallowing her pride, she forced out her words, "Thanks for letting me eat your cooking."

Discovered, Kami stepped forward and placed the glasses on the sink. she picked up a towel and began to dry. "You are welcome." Kami told her. "But... I often cook enough for everyone... Those are the covered dishes I often leave in the fridge..."

"I see..." Akane faded, feeling a bit ungrateful suddenly. Had she really made enough food for Akane this whole time? She swallowed and avoided watching Kami dry. Akane was slightly taller then Kami and looking down at her like this reminded her oddly of Rin. She missed her very much. "This water is disgusting...I can practically feel my skin soaking up these heavy oils."

"if you would like to trade I wouldn't mind." Kami offered. "I often do the dishes... Sometimes I think Oita believes they wash themselves. He is so often focusing on his training."

"It's ok, I always hated drying. I don't like how the warm porcelain feels against my fingers. It's so chalky." Akane explained, it was an odd excuse, but truthful. "Besides, I always look for a reason to go to the bathhouse. Oils hands? Definitely."

"Hana was telling me about a place up the mountain." Kami said as she placed the dried dishes in the cabinet. "It is called a hot spring. Apparently water from deep inside the earth is heated and bubbles to the surface. She tells me that it is a very nice place. Perhaps you should go there?"

"What?!" Akane snapped her head around and looked at Kami a bright eye and a wide smile. It was... a bit unsettling considering it was her. She loved hot springs more then bath houses and she had no idea that one was so nearby. "Do you think it's open at such a late hour?" she asked, really hoping it was.

Kami froze. At first she thought Akane was going to yell at her and call her stupid for not telling her about the hot-spring earlier. When she realized she was only excited Kami let her shoulders ease. "Um... I don't know... I didn't think to ask Hana..." Kami reached into her dress and pulled out a slip of paper. "She gave me a coupon... maybe it has hours listed."

Keeping her hands in the dishwater, Akane leaned over and tilted her chin up, trying to catch a glance at the hours before Kami did.

Kami wouldn't exactly be sure if she understood it right any way. After all, she had only just begun learning how to read and write. "Will it still be open now?" She asked, holding the coupon out so Akane could read.

Akane skimmed the card, "Yup. Open til midnight." she said with a smile. Not wanting to simply take her coupon, she asked, "Would you like to go with me?" She obviously had never been to one before. "It's a lot better then the town bath house, I'm sure."

Kami stiffened again. Akane was asking her to go with her? She hadn't been to a bath house with Akane since a few weeks after they'd met. That had been when Kami realized all Akane was good for was her snide, mean remarks and making Kami feel like she were a blithering idiot. Part of Kami wanted to smile and graciously say yes, another part wondered if all Akane wanted was a few riu's off the price with Kami's coupon. "Um... Perhaps I should stay with Oita..." She tried handing Akane her coupon. "Here."

"You'd rather stay here with a cripple? Alright fine, I see how it is...but I'm not taking your coupon." she said, pulling the drain in the sink to let the water out. If Kami didn't want to go with her, she wasn't going to force her.

This was one of those moments wasn't it? One of the instances where Ishiaki has said she needed to make a choice. saying she would stay with Oita would let the rift between them grow... if she went, maybe it would begin to close. "Well..." Kami said softly. "Oita is sleeping and... I will never go alone... and it would be silly to waste a gift... What does one take to a hot spring?"

"Not sure what they have there already... if anything. Best to bring a towel or two. Other then that, nothing else. "I don't think my bath salts would be good for the natural minerals, so I'll skip that." Akane paused, unbelieving they had chatted like this and not broken out into a fight. "Well let's get going then, before my skin soaks up this water."

"alright..." Kami moved towards the door. "I do not need a garment to soak in?" She asked. she knew that in the public pool a suit was required and Kami had no suit.

"If you really want to. Didn't think you were so old fashioned like that." Akane said, not having any issue with nudity at all. A body was a body and they were both girls. Things were just different sizes in places and she didn't see anything weird or perverse about it. Akane's normal attire, although beneficial to her fighting, may even seem scandalous to some. "Oh- maybe a bath robe might be a good idea though- for the walk."

"Oh ok..." Kami had no issues about being nude around another girl, but she didn't know if there would be boys there or not. If there turned out to be boys she could always soak in a towel. "I will meet you on the porch." She told Akane and even gave her a smile before she left to gather what she would need in her room.