Hidden Copse (Private)

Paks nodded. She would need to practice a lot, but maybe she could incorporate this into her fighting style? It would take a lot of work, but Paks never shied from training before.

"Thank you Amimono-san." She bowed slightly to emphasize her greatfullness.

Anei smiled patting her again.
"No problem kiddo."
He finished putting on everything he had taken off, then knelt in front of her, smiling at her warmly.
"We'll continue some other time, alright? But for right now...I have a favor to ask of you, my little friend."

Paks tensed again when he pat her head, but she quickly regained control of her reflexes.

A favor? Paks wondered what she could do to help Amimono-san, he seemed like the kind of person who didn't need help. Because he was so strong.

"What do you need?"

Anei tilted his head at her, unable to help but chuckle as she tensed up at his touch.
"I want to go see the Kazekage. I want you to come with me, ok? I don't want to start a fight of any kind, perhaps if he sees you with me, he'll relax a bit, hmm?"

Paks looked up at him with wide eyes. She scolded herself and masked her features again before replying.

"Okay... But what if... What if he doesn't like you? Then we won't be able to talk to each other again."

Anei smiled happily at her, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder, dismissing her shock, though glad she wasn't always in total control with him.
"Well, you like me don't you? That has to count for something. And don't worry, I won't let him keep us apart, we're friends aren't we? It'll be fine."

Paks nodded. If Amimono-san said so, that it would be fine. Besides, the Kazekage was levelheaded, he wouldn't just attack Amimono-san outright. And earlier no one had recognized him when they walked through town.

"Okay then. I'll show you where I usually meet with him."

Anei smiled and stood up, removing his hand from her shoulder.
"Thank you very much. Lead the way then."

Paks nodded, and led him back into town.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ Several days later ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Paks had left her house early in the morning, before the sun had even began to rise. It was too dark to see clearly, a fact which she relished, but she managed to re-wrap her hand in gauze before leaving. She had wandered around listlessly for an hour or so. Paks had always enjoyed the state the world was in this early in the morning. Time seemed suspended at this time of day, when the sky was dark gray and everything seemed muted somehow.

After a seemingly endless amount of time she found herself standing in the copse from a few days ago. Where she had trained with Amimono-san. Slowly she looked around, taking in her surroundings almost mechanically. It was as deserted as ever, with only the faint outlines of their footsteps from earlier. Paks meandered over to one of the trees that she had thrown senbon at and jumped up into the branches. If she sat still enough, maybe no one would think of looking for her here.

Anei smiled, already sitting up in the tree, twirling a senbon around between his fingers seeing her land on one of the branches. He knew she'd have to come around sooner or later, and while he was waiting for a few more things to pan out, he had returned to see what affect the meeting might have had on her, if any.
"Hello there Paks-chan."

Paks tilted her head upwards, spotting Amimono-san.

"Oh. I did not know that you were there."

She shifted on the branch so that she was in a better position to look up at him without straining her neck.

He smiled warmly at her, nodding slowly, almost glad to see her again without any sort of distraction.
"Nobody does, of course. I am a ninja after all."

Paks nodded. If the other ninja's reactions at the Kage's Office had been anything to go by, Amimono-san was definitely one of the better shinobi around, of course he could hid from her.

Anei smiled at her, lithely leaping down to the branch she was on, sitting closer to her. He put the senbon back in its pouch and ruffled her hair again, that, as surely as anything, was always a good indicator towards how she felt around him at the moment.
"So you were rather quiet at the meeting."