[center][img]http://i60.tinypic.com/2upzo5d.jpg[/img]
[color=Gold][h1]Akio Tendou[/h1][/color][/center]

Akio cursed slightly as she saw most of their attacks get cancelled out, thinking that the Gian and Kusaru in front of them would surely attack them while they were wrapped in fighting each other. The only attack that had hit was her shuriken, which had only gone to make Gian’s arm spaz out for some reason. She could definitely feel that something was off with this guy, and that feeling only grew more solid as she watched him engage Yamato. She might’ve drawn another bolt to fire, but Aoi’s intervention halted her, and in a way, brought her back to her senses. As Kusaru put all thing to a halt, Akio only gave the clown girl a nod of thanks. If not for her, she probably would’ve fired a shot that might’ve started the hostilities all over again.

As Kusaru began to speak to them as a whole, Akio couldn’t help but feel drawn in by the woman’s natural charisma, thought the fact that this woman knew her name did ring a few warning bells. However, as someone who lived by herself, she could attest to the hardships of making a living as a Shinobi in modern times. The payments you get for C rank and lower missions is sometimes barely enough to get you by, and while Akio can live somewhat comfortably due to the fact that her family had some money that she’s put away for a rainy day, most people didn’t have that luxury. 

Akio would be lying if she said that she didn’t like what this lady was saying, but their was something that was bothering the young Tendou quite a bit about Kusaru’s speech. She was making all of these grand promises, but she wasn’t telling them [i]how[/i] she was going to bring shinobi back into the fore, a fact that Akio would very much like to know. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts, however, when Gian suddenly shot through the air to stop the Ronin that Team Ayame had brought in from escaping. The way he did it, however, brought a theory to mind. She wasn’t sure about it yet, but it seemed like an explanation for the man’s strange actions. As they left, Akio noticed the way Gian gazed seem to stay on her, and how he chose to wave with his damaged hand. Obviously, she had got the jester’s attention, a thought that was far from estatic about. Once they had left, Akio let out a sigh of relief(one that was much more subdued than Aoi’s), though she still felt a bit of nerves. She knew that Tsukiko-nee probably would chew her out for her reckless actions later, and she’d deserve it. She had let her panic and fear, of her death and that of her comrades, drive her actions instead of really thinking it through. 

It was around this time that she noticed that Aoi still had a hold of her hand, a revelation that made her blush ever so slightly underneath her hood. Before she could say anything, the clown girl released her grip as she asked if Akio was all right. Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded, though a noticeable glimmer came to her eye as Aoi mentioned having a slumber party. Of course it would have to be much more subdued, since they were still on a mission, but she was sure it would still be fun to just talk to someone. The only other person she’d spoken to in length was Tsukiko-nee, and while there was nothing wrong with that, she couldn’t talk to her about certain things as there was just too much of an age gap between them. Her mind made, Akio gave one more, noticeably more enthusiastic nod to Aoi’s offer.

[@Savato]