In the village.

Riko was staring toward the bright blue sky. She looked entranced by the clouds that seemed to roll by so freely. They had no worries in life, they just floated, and then one day, vanish. Her blue eyes held a serious look to them, which was abnormal for the small child. Shifting around, she stabbed her massive sword into the ground beside her and leaned against it staring at the water now. She was at the edge of the island like she usually was. Her bugs were playing freely in the area around her, although the black widow remained on her shoulder. Maybe Mako needed help in his office? Thinking about it a smile showed on her face, she usually made a mess of things in the office. But she did enjoy her time with the kage, he was a good story teller.

The petite girl, then shifted her gaze from the water. She seemed purely at ease with the moment, and for that fact she would do her best to enjoy the moment. Looking around a mischievous grin showed on her face, she could play a trick on someone... Shaking her head, she laughed lightly.

Griffin had been out for a swim after his latest mission and had decided a day at the beach would be a nice break. When Riko had come to the shore but a few feet to his right, he decided to give her a little scare. Diving under water, he channeled chakra into his lungs to breathe for a longer period of time. Swimming underwater, towards Riko he stopped just behind her, looking at the black widow on her shoulder. Better not scare that thing. Griffin thought still looking at it.

Slowly rising to the surface, he jumped up and grabbed Riko by the ankles yelling, "BOO!" from behind the small girl.

The spider jumped on Griffin when he yelled boo, Riko had her hand on the sword, and turned around quickly, the blade pointed at Griffin. Looking down at Griffin. the girl looked scared, but her defense was good none the less. "Ah careful, my spider jumped on you, Griffin." Riko said lightly, not wanting the man to be poisoned by her sweet baby. Although she did have the antidote in her pocket, she lightly pulled one ankle free. "You scared me, Griffin." The girl admitted moving her sword and putting it back in the sand.

Bending down she scooped the spider off the man. Her blue eyes held a bright look as she held the spider carefully putting it back on her shoulder. Riko looked at Griffin with a smile, "Having fun here, Griffin?" She asked politely.

Looking at the spider on his shoulder Griffin's face went pale, "Easy there now buddy, wouldn't want to bite your friend Griffin would you?" As Riko plucked the poison filled spider off of Griffin he sighed, color returning to his face. "Having fun? Hm ya you could say that." Griffin smiled at his fellow swordsman (err swordswoman?). "Mako has been working us hard lately, but I don't mind it. Gives me a chance to see the world even if seeing the world puts my life at stake here and there." He motioned to his newest scar, a long jagged thing going across his belly. "Damn rouges..." Griffin said "Oops pardon my language missy." He said looking at Riko.

Climbing up and out of the water he sat down and let the sun dry him for a moment. It was such a nice day, warm sun, cool water, and a bright blue sky. "So, what brings you and your...err...friends here?" Griffin looked at the black widow again.

"She would bite you, but we're here to relax, so you'll be spared." Riko said with a smile, like any cute ten year old would. She looked at Griffin's face, and giggled lightly, "What, do you not like the black widow? She's harmless, unless you upset her." Riko said lightly commenting toward his face colour. She sat down in the golden sand, and then took a calming breath, "Well, as long as you take a moment for yourself." She said brightly. "Mako works hard too, when he's not sleeping... Or having me do paper work...But when Mako does do work its always great." The girl said admiration in her voice.

Taking a look at the scar, the girl shook her head. "They get bolder all the time, soon we'll have them knocking at our gates." She said lightly, with a smile. She didn't mind the language, after all she did deal with bad clients. And people who didn't take her serious. It was their mistake if they did not take her seriously. "I wanted to see the beach, I've been stuck in the office for awhile, I needed some freedom." She said lightly smiling.

"Ha ya we all need a break here and there. Well I'm done swimming for the day but, looks like it's only about noon." Griffin said looking to the sky again. "How about you and those little cretins against me and my big bad demon?" Griffin said with a battle hungry smile. "That is, if you're not too scared."

"Yeah its about noon." Riko said in agreement, her blue eyes locked on the water. "My littler critters? Well that's nice, of course Griffin, I will fight you." Riko said before he did his taunt. She looked at the head anbu and laughed, "Of course I'm not scared, or I would not of accepted now, would I? Lets have the battle on the water so we don't destroy the beach." She said walking on the water, Riko had a good chakra control allowing her to walk on the water. "hurry up, Griffin." She said lightly.

Unfortunately for Griffin, he had left his shirt by his stuff on the other side of the island. "Ok, but I'm going to have to make this quick, I don't want to get a sunburn." Putting his arms to the sky he stretched, walking out onto the water. With a full body shake, he loosened his muscles in his body and performed a string of signs, "Here we go!" He said, raising his hand up into the air in the universal gun sign. He then unleashed a bullet of lightning 3x the size of a regular one.

Riko looked at Griffin, with a look of calm. Her body was already prepared for the battle, although it wouldn't show since she wore long kimono's. Staring at Griffin intently, she knew the heat coming off the water would probably burn the man if the fight was not fast. Luckily for her she had remembered her sword, and slid it back onto her back. She wasn't scared, the little kage assistant was rarely bothered from a battle. Her eyes locked on his hands as he started the signs, and she grinned. The bullet of lightning came toward her but she paid it no mind, as she jumped upward into the air, she with drew senbon from inside her kimono tossing them with percise aim at the head anbu. She landed in a crouch, with a serene smile.

As the senbon flew at him, Griffin stopped the flow of chakra in his feet and dropped below the water's surface narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles. He swam towards Riko and was behind her when he resurfaced. Standing behind her, he said, "Well I am one of the Seven Swordsmen but I can't be a Swordsmen without my swords now can I? I'll be right back." With that, Griffin ran off across the water towards his stuff. ]

Grabbing his shirt, twin Sai's and pack of equipment he appeared back on the water 20 feet infront of Riko. "Ah that's better, now then where were we?" Drawing his Sai, he said, "Oh right." Running at Riko he made a jab at her throat and stomach.

Riko watched him sink under the water, and then grinned. Did he think he really scared her when he popped up behind her? Her bugs told her the movements of the man, so she wasn't bothered when he spoke behind her. "Please do hurry up then, Griffin. It is rather rude to run off in the middle of a battle." Riko commented offhandedly. Her blue eyes held a light optimistic look to them, she would not be easy to defeat and she would make sure that Griffin knew this. Remaining in the same spot the golden haired girl, waited patiently.

"Took you long enough." The girl said sticking her tongue out, and then watched him make his move. So be it, if he wanted to make direct attacks, then she would easily avoid them.She side stepped the man while pulling out her sword so that it deflected the edge of the blades. She looked almost bored, as she turned, and swung her sword in a blow that would cripple most.

Flipping one Sai so it faced down and holding the other so it faced up, Griffin caught the blonde girls attack. Grinning he said, "So sorry to have made you wait miss precious." He said kicking the sword upwards and stepping back a few feet. "Hey kid don't look so bored, show me what you got." Griffin took a defensive stance waiting for the girls move.

Riko raised an eyebrow, and faintly smiled. Bugs swarmed on the blade when Griffin caught the blade, and they started up his arms slowly. As he kicked the sword upwards Riko used her weight to bring it down so the blade did not move. It remained in the same spot, unmoving. She smiled, did the man think she took him seriously with what he was doing. The insects that were on him were spiders. The girl murmured bind under her breath and the spiders made webs on Griffin. As the spiders jumped away, the webs would tighten to pull his hands together.

Stepping forward, she frowned. "I have a name, and if you regard me as a kid I will not fight you seriously." Riko said catching the spiders on her sword allowing them to crawl back into her sleeves.

Looking down at the web that now bound his hands he switched one Sai's blade so it was facing him. With a few sawing motions back and forth he broke the bondages. "You're right you're not a kid, your a force to be reckoned with right? Well so am I." Placing his Sai's in there sheath's by his side, created two clones so that there were now 3 of them. For a moment they ran around in a circle together so as to not be obvious which one the real one was. Then they spread out around Riko.

Each of them preformed a string of handsigns and placed there hands facing down, with lightning building in their palms. "Ok," They all said in unison, "Let's get serious." All three then dashed towards Riko, one from every direction except behind her. Even if her bugs stopped them, Griffin had a little surprise of his own.

Riko shook her head, she really did not like the head anbu, if he was going to continue being full of himself the girl would with draw from the fight completely. After all this was her day off, there were other ways she could spend it. "Course you are." She said simply, her blue eyes held a bored look to them. Staring at the clones the girl seemed bored, she could easily follow the real one. Then again he obviously did not understand tai users were useless against her. Following simple tatics as he was the girl looked bored.

The girl waited silently at they drew closer and closer and then she jumped up in the air, a wall of bugs forming under her feet. Looking down at Griffin she smiled lightly, "Sure lets get serious." She said simply, and dropped off the platform landing on her feet, about six yards away.

The clones disappeared and Griffin stopped his chidori and looked at Riko. "Look Riko, if you're not gonna at least try to kill me then this is just a waste of time. I know your better than this, but right now you look like you'd rather be eating your bugs than fighting with them. Could you at least put a little more effort into it? Maybe actually try to kill me?" He asked with a bored look on his face. Griffin wasn't going to waste his time if Riko was just going to float around with her bugs all day. Also, they were on a lake, most bugs can't swim so, how were they not all drowning?