Axel was running so fast, feeling like she was racing through time. Neji-sensei… she thought her mind wandering. Wandering so much that she didn't realize there was someone a few yards in front of her.
BAM! She was on her butt, seeing stars. "S-sorry about that…" she muttered to the poor soul she just hit at full force.
"Ouch I think that hurt more than when Vladdy punched me…no actually this is still second to that." The voice complained
"S-sai?!"
Vladdy was sweating, and sat down. Suddenly she felt a presence and looked over. "Shikamaru?"
He laughed. "What are you doing?"
Vladdy looked back at the tree she had been staring at for god know's how long. "Working on some new jutsu's."
"Don't worry, Axel was just as freaked out about your power as you were about hers." Shikamaru said.
Vladdy looked up, "What?"
"She just hides it way better than you do." Shikamaru looked at her.
Vladdy looked back at the tree and chuckled.
"Oh, and…" Shikamaru continued. "She can only hold that altercation to the disturbance jutsu for 10 minutes."
Vladdy laughed, "She'll get pissed if she knows I told you that; I just want to know whats under that seal…"
Shikamaru's voice became abruptly serious "No you don't." Vladdy started to protest, but he continued, "So what are you working on?"
Vladdy sighed. "Get out a kunai and chip off the tree bark please." She continued to just sit there.
Shikamaru didn't ask questions, and just did was she said. He gasped after cutting off a few layers. Before him was a tree who's entire center was solid ice, but not the outside. He was about to turn to her and he felt a sharp pain to his shoulder, and suddenly he could barley move it. "What the hell?!"
Vladdy automatically started to heal him. "I'm trying to master the tai jutsu that Gaara and me learned when we were younger. And the jutsu in the tree is something I was something I came up with myself." She explained.
Shikamaru nodded.
Suddenly, Choji came through the trees, just as Vladdy finished healing him. "Shikamaru! Tsunade wants us for a mission, and Axel too, where is she?"
Sai helped Axel up.
"Sorry about that." Axel apologized again.
"Its alright." Sai said.
"So Vladdy hit you?!" Axel laughed, and they started to walk.
They went on getting to know each other, mostly through stories about Vladdy, when Sai's voice became somewhat indifferent.
"It's like I haven't spent time alone with her in forever, that's actually where I was headed; to find her."
"Huh?" Axel wondered. "Well, that's probably my fault." She chuckled. "But I actually left her a little while ago on the west training field, you should go see her." She suggested, but with a demanding tone.
Suddenly Shikamaru and Chouji appeared. "Hey Sai. Axel we've got a mission lets go."
She waved goodbye to Sai and took off with Choji and Shikamaru.
Sai watched them disappear and then decided to take Axel's advice; he started walking towards the training fields.
Tsunade faced the teams she had organized to track down Akatsuki. "If you are faced with Akatsuki, call for backup first, and then attack, understood?"
"Yes ma'am." Was the response.
"You all have your assigned routes, dismissed." And the ninjas in front of her vanished.
Axel and Chouji joined two other jounin, while Shikamaru set out with Asuma and two chunnin.
Axel was thinking in circles the entire time. What if we find Akatsuki members? What if Neji-sensei is with them? Will I have the guts to fight against him? Of course I will…will he be willing to kill me?
Chouji interrupted her thought. "Relax, just think of it as just another mission."
"How can you say that?! This is Akatsuki were talking about…its not just another mission."
"Oh, and is the almighty Shuensha prodigy scared?" Chouji teased
Axel smirked, "In your dreams, fatass."
"Why you…" Chouji scoled and Axel chuckled, but they both fell silent and paided attention to the surrounding area, prepared to fight.
