Sand Village Streets

Paks nodded manually. "It is fine."

She turned to walk away when she felt the pressure around her upper arm lessen, as her nin-snake made her way to the bottom of her sleeve. The snake winded around her hand, lifting her upper body off the support and turned to look at the boy angrily.

"I wasss sssleeping!" She barred her fangs, "How dare you!"

Onbin looked raising his eye brow. "I-I did not mean t-to a simple Incident nothing more." Onbin didn't like snakes he wasn't afraid of them but, he didn't like most animals and creatures. Umi was hidden in his sleave as usual read in case tis turned ugly. He continued his looking at his snake ready to strike he it tried to do something.

Paks whirled around, holding her hand aloft. She glared at the nin-snake, who hissed in return. Paks flashed her fangs at the nin-snake, "Stop being rude!"

"I'm not the rude one! He'sss the one at fault!" the snake replied wapishly.

Paks hissed angrily, she forced the snake to obey, activating her bloodline jutsu. "Apologissse, now."

The nin-snake sulked before quickly and quietly saying sorry and then retreating back up inside her sleeve.

He watched as the snake coiled back in her sleeve. he continued to walk towards the ruined section of the town it was well known as a place where people train. He mumbled to himself "snakes what odd creatures." He thought the girl was kinda cute but he wasn't the type to say anything.

*Sukoppu walked out into the village, glad to finally get some rest from being the Kazekage's assistant. He looked around, noticing the girl with the snake.* "Hello there ma'am. You wouldn't happen to be a girl named Paks would you?" *He seemed to be looking around, as if interested in something from her.*

Paks turned, she had never seen this person before. How had he known her? She should be careful.

"My name is Paksennarion," she nodded.

"Perfect. My name is Sukoppu. I can't tell you any other information for protection however. I was told you had a bit of a run in with my old colleague, Ukokei?" *He said, as if he knew everything about her, laughing heartily.*

"Ukokei?" Paks thought, where was that name familiar from? She watched Sukoppu-san carefully, still wary due to the fact that she had no idea who he was really.

Onbin was a felt ineasy about the man as he walked away so he went and bought tea at a little shop three buildings down and sat on a bench nearby them. He really didn't know the girl but had a wierd feeling about the man. He sat there quiety sipping his tea.

"Yes. Ukokei. He is quite the fighter he is. Always was better than me. And it seems he still is. I can tell you don't trust me." *He said as he wiped his nose with the end of his robe.* "Why is this?"

Paks cocked her head to the side, "Am I supposed to trust anyone I met?"

"You should. I'd tell you why, but I think you'd fear a little too much to really know. You'd kinda think you owe me honors or something." *He said as he raised the end of his robe's arm flap, quickly bringing it to the top of his head, kind of like a salute.* "Sukoppu, Kage Kiza's right-hand assistant."

Paks cocked her head to the other side. "... Why would I feel like I should owe you honors?" She was confused with this whole situation, and her arm was starting to hurt. She wouldn't let it affect her. Paks waited to see where he was going with this.

*He looked nervous then pushed his hair back so that it looked like clean-cut spikes.* "Your little run-in with Ukokei was dangerous. That message on your side will lure you to him, whether you want to go or not. He can see the future with his Foresight Eye, and I'm pretty sure you were a part of it. Right now.... We can only hope in these three years I can get rid of that marking. But I have yet to learn the special seal of the Odokemono's as I'm still young, and I won't be able to for another 3 years.... Which means, you must hold back from Ukokei as long as you can after the years have passed by. Can I trust you with this objective?" *He said looking her dead in the eye with extreme seriousness.*

Paks stared, "Where did you get that information? I did not tell anyone of my altercation with the Akatsuki leader," she said quietly, seriously. Paks watched him carefully, was she being watched for some reason? How else had someone known of that meeting? If she was being watched why hadn't someone intervened?

*Sukoppu smiled widely as some people walked by, then quickly went back to a serious face.* "I know this, because Ukokei used to be..... my best friend. I saw him outside the village before he attacked you, but decided it best not to give myself away, in fear that he'd kill me. The mark is quite a looker is it not. 'Come seek me, the one who will give you everything.' Guess he got better."

Paks shook her head vehemently, "He was stupid to mark me. I won't go to him, he insulted Kazekage-sama." Paks glared at the ground, "Besides, I can get power on my own, I don't need someone else for that."

"It's not your will to choose. You will go to him. I won't be here to help with it. You must train your will-power, not your strength. Without will-power.... your as good as his." *He stared out to the sun.* "I have to go back to the Kazekage, and I need to get a mission. We will finish this talk later." *He slowly walked away, his robe's arms fluttering back and forth.*

Paks watched him leave. Willpower? She had willpower, it was called stubbornness. Paks scoffed and continued on her way, she wouldn't let something so insignificant as this get in her way. It was unquestionable.

Anei walked calmly through the streets of the sand village, neck craning and turning smoothly to look at his surroundings as he did, his coat shuffling restlessly around his feet. He had never been seen with any of the Akatsuki, and wore not even their signature ring, so was not concerned about being discovered. Even if for some reason he was, he had a back up plan. He had never actually seen this village before. It was more rocky and desolate in appearance than his own village had been, but it had its charms...

Paks continued stalking her way down the street. She had calmed down outwardly, it was unseemly to react as she had. Paks decided that she would need more training if she could not control something so small as her emotions. They should listen to her. But since they weren't she would have to work harder. Her eyes hardened in resolve as she continued on down the street.

Anei let his eyes linger on various individuals as he passed them in the streets, studying, scrutinizing. Most failed to hold his interest. Yet his pace slowed as he took a longer look at one of the people walking towards him, a young girl with a confident stride and an adamant glint in her eyes. Anei kept his cool eyes on her as they neared one another from opposite ends of the street, one brow arching. Even at such a young age she seemed to radiate determination.

Paks tried to think of a suitable place to train. Technically her arm was injured so she did not want to go find the Kazekage and ask to train with him. He would notice for sure, and either tell her not to train which she would then be obligated to listen to or ask her where she got the injury and Paks did not want to try and explain her failure to him. If he lost interest in her then he would not want to train her any longer, and she needed him to train her. Paks thought about where she could go where no one would be able to find her, so that she could train. If she went home, she could probably train by herself, that or her Father would train her, but she was not sure that she wanted him to realize how badly she had failed with his earlier test. She was sure he already realized, since it was hard to get blood off wooden floors and she was sure that had stained, and he also was not unobservant. Paks needed to become stronger in some way before facing him again. She nodded, ...that left what? Well, she would just have to find somewhere new to train.

Anei tilted his head watching her, his steps slowing further, his arm snaking upward with a creak of his leather gloves to brush some of his hair out of his face, to get a better look at her. Something about her struck him as strong. It was those eyes. The way she carried herself. She had amazing potential. Didn't look like the sort to ever stop striving for more. And yet so young. She must be a very hard worker, he thought to himself. Closing his eyes for a moment and then stepping so he was more in her path he raised his hand slowly in an elegant manner towards her.

"Pardon me...You have the look of a determined, strong willed shinobi...I'm new to this village, maybe you could help me find a good place to train?"

Paks stilled abrubtly as the man motioned with his hand and talked to her. He was new? She had never seen him around, so that would explain why. Not that she really tried to met all the shinobi of Suna. Paks had learned when she met Washi-san not to attack people just because she did not know them, so she decided instead to be polite. Her Father always told her that she needed to do so. And her Father was always right, so Paks decided to heed his words once again.

"I am Paksennarion," she bowed slightly, not low enough to really imply any respect, "I was just about to train too, if you would like you could come with me," she said softly. Paks knew that was a polite thing to say, but she also knew that if she was with someone there was less of a chance of someone else jumping in, and if they did she could tell them about this new ninja before they noticed her arm hopefully.