The Sai whizzed through the air but slammed against the wall, missing the target and falling to the ground with an ugly and loud 'CLANG' that was way too loud for Angie's taste.
The mutant flinched for probably the tenth time that night. She wasn't exactly ashamed of being caught training, it was an honor. But damn it was embarrassing to be caught unable to properly throw a blade into a dummy.
The teenager grudgingly walked over to the Sai and sighed, staring it down with a grimace on her face. She narrowed her eyes, an image of a hot headed mutant she knew filled her mind. She shook her head, blushing, reached down and picked up the Sai.
Angie turned around and bumped into something solid. She let out a shriek, the metal weapon falling from her hands once more as she stumbled back enough to look up into the smirking face of Raphael.
"You're a jerk," She spat, scowling. Raph's smirk only grew and Angie stepped around him, her face red.
"What, can't handle a little surprise attack? Hold up, Ang, I think your ninja senses are broken."
Angie scowled, swung around and flung the Sai in her hand at the red masked mutant. Her smirk dropped when the blade whizzed nowhere near him and smacked into the wall behind him. Raph smirked, but his smile fell when he realized that the look of shock and defeat on her face was, in fact, genuine.
"You shouldn't chuck it," he said, picking up the Sai. "You need to move with the blade until it leaves your fingers. That ensures the best accuracy."
He walked over to her until he was directly behind Angie. The girl blushed when she felt Raphael guide the blade into her hand. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and it made the small of her hairs stand on edge.
"You're throwing the Sai way too hard. When you throw it, you want to guide your body with the blade until it leaves your fingers, otherwise you'll always miss your target. Force gets you nowhere, sadly."
Angie could almost feel him roll his eyes at the last statement and she smirked. Raph lifted her wrist and guided it in the right motion. He leaned back, taking her with him and helped her chuck the blade. He guided her body to lean in with the throw and held the position even when the blade left.
To Angie's amazement, the blade sliced perfectly into the dummy. She beamed and looked back at Raph, her eyes wide with the glee she had for that moment. It was then she realized how close their faces were. Angie pulled away, her cheeks red. Raph gave her a smirk and rubbed at his own cheeks and coughed into his fist.
"Your turn, squirt."
"Oh my own?"
"You want me to help you again?"
"No, no...I got it..."
Angie rushed over to the Sai, her legs shaking and prayed he didn't notice it. She grabbed the sigh and walked back to him, blowing her bangs away from her eyes. She turned to the dummy and sighed, trying to will her racing heart to slow down.
Angie took a deep breath, held the blade in her hand just as Raphael had told her to, took a step and threw the blade. She didn't break her pose until the blade left her finger tips and she glanced up in time to watch as the blade hit its target.
The female mutant jumped and let out a cheer. Her nerves were behind her, but her heart continued to thump hard in her chest and she wanted to have a bucket of knives to throw to make sure it wasn't some illusion cooked up to make her happy.
Angie spun around, a proud grin on her face and she felt her cheeps heat up again upon seeing the proud look Raphael beamed on his face. Her heart continued to slam into her chest, but her grin melted into a sincere smile, ecstatic and proud to have the red clad ninja before her as both her best friend and mentor. After all, she realized, practice really does make perfect.
