Another crazy animal

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A throbbing headache disturbed her otherwise peaceful sleep as she woke up, having spent the night on one of the tree branches of a plum blossom tree she found outside the village gates. The sun's rays blinding her, Ami tried to move her body. Having not slept on tree branches before, she had merely passed out while sitting on one the night before, probably not in the best of positions either. The young Hyuuga confirmed this as she moved her neck, noticing it's unusual stiffness. Great...she mumbled to herself as she took a moment to recollect herself before jumping down from the teee. She had forgotten all about the mission she was to take today, until she saw a very familiar figure walking to the gates.

Ah right...

Ami had avoided contact with Karite since that fatedul day in the coffee shop. She couldn't bring herself to face her, knowing that she had hurt her friend so deeply that no ameds could be made. When she had heard that they were going to hunt coyotes together, her usual happy-go-lucky nature had all but disappeared. She had honestly thought about declining the mission even. Ami was not very good at facing her problems, a personality flaw. The girl had chosen to still do it though, unsure of the outcome. She had wondered if Karite would refuse. Seeing the girl in her usual hood, Ami knew that she hadn't, thankfully. She would wait for her by the tree, her heart throbbing.  

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It seemed like whatever they had had before was all but gone out the window. She sighed a little as she noticed Karite's change in attitude. Well, it was only normal and understandable. Ami would have been more than just ignorant if she thought that the team would be able to go back to normal after what happened. She would nod to the other woman, signalling that she had understood and prior knowledge of the mission. For once she wanted the mission to end quickly...somehow being with Karite made her very unsettled. It was hard for her to stomach the fact that she felt that way especially because Karite was someone she really valued.

The duo would make their way beyond the gates and into the forest area beyond. All the while, Ami was thinking about their last mission together. Such pleasant and memorable times, she thought to herself. She really wanted time to turn back to that moment when they shared a beautiful lunch together, how she had appreciated her for making a lunchbox. The Hyuuga guessed that that was just going to be a very distant memory, at least for the time being.

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The air around them was stifling as they moved into the forest, both literally and metaphorically. Ami simply wanted to finish the mission at this point. She only offered a nod in answer to Karite's question. She was kind of in a world of her own as she walked, thinking about the recent events. It was scary how one impulse action could forever change something that she had carefully built. Focus...she chided herself for being so emotional and weak. The two of them would move to where there had been reportings of the coyote, looking around for any signs. Ami wondered just how many they were expected to fend off and whether they could manage it between the two of them.

"I think here they come..." she whispered more to herself than to Karite, as she could hear the bushes moving around them. The girl already had her fingers clasped around the hilt of her katana. She was going to try to finish this as fast as possible. "Byakugan" she muttered, the veins in her eyes forming as her expression changed. She had never quite had this menacing look before, which may surprise Karite. Not only because of her kekkei gekkai, she had a sudden rush...a rush to kill. It was only fortunate that they were not doing some protecting mission today.

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The sight of the five coyotes emerging from behind the bushes confirmed her suspicions. Ami would run forward, without actually looking at Karite. She was focused, and when she was focused, no other being would ever be able to come between her and what she wanted to do. Her eyes glanced at the animals, seeing that one of them was bold enough to go at the other woman. Good, that left four for her. The Hyuuga would pivot to her left, where two of the coyote were located as she got near. The young woman would release chakra from her fingers for a Taijutsu, one of her favourite jutsu; Tenketsu Strike. The girl would try to take both of them out at the same time. That would be a serious mistake, as she learned the hard way.

One of the coyotes were charging to her. Her focus captured by the one coyote, she failed to notice the other coyote was coming at her too. The girl would feel its teeth sink into her left arm, a sharp pain touching her nerve. She pulled her katana from her sheath and drove it in the head of the coyote that had bitten her, hoping that it would release its grip from her arm. The Hyuuga was annoyed and in pain as she knelt on the ground, panting slightly. The other coyote would charge at her though and she would only have a few seconds to react.

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Ami was ready to be bitten by the coyote when she caught a glimpse of a tanto flying past her face. She knew that Karite had come to her rescue. She turned her head for only a moment, as she felt the blood from the coyote on her arms and smile at her. It was a small but genuine smile. But that would only be a fleeting moment since she knew that there were still the other two coyotes. And then there would be the possibility of having more in the shadows. Well, she'll just have to take them out by the number. The Hyuuga got up, evaluating the bite on her arm. It hadn't been deep enough to pierce tendons and break bones, thankfully.

She would make the handseals for one of her water jutsus, still the only one she could actually use in battle. A heavy mist would fall on them, leaving only the chakra points of the coyotes visible. She didn't know how Karite would fare though because she had never used this jutsu without the help of her Byakugan. The kunoichi prayed that at least the other girl would be able to see something past the dense mist, forgetting that perhaps Karite couldn't see chakra points the way she could. She would run forward to where the coyotes were standing as the mist dawned upon the forest.

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Ami could tell that she had made a mistake when she sensed that Karite's movements were not as fluid as it had been. The young girl sighed and knew that it was probably going to be up to her to finish the two coyotes. By now her arm was a little better so she can concentrate on the animals. She didn't see the senbon that Karite and didn't see it connect to one of the animals. She pulled her katana in frotn of her, jumping up as she got close to one of the coyotes. The girl would aim a slash directly at its head. She was not in it for enjoyment anymore but simply wanted to get the job done.

The other coyote would be charging at Karite through the mist, or at least to the position that she would be running to. As Ami brought her sword down, she would put her other hand in her weapon pouch, reaching for her shuriken. The Hyuuga would try to multi-task, which was probably not the best thing to do. She would aim the shuriken at the coyote who was running towards Karite.

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It seemed that with minimal sight, Karite could fair well, which was something she had expected from her. The young girl smiled as she felt her blade connect with the last of the coyote, the hot blood from the animal seeping through to her clothes. She hadn't meant to get her clothes dirty, as she pulled her katana out rather forcefully, watching as the coyote lost all life and fell in a lump on the ground. The mist was still hanging in the air, but at least all of the animals were taken care of. Ami hadn't expected the coyotes to be that much of a problem.

She would walk over to Karite though, her expression softening and her kekkei gekkai disappearing so that she looked normal again. "Are you alright?" an idiotic question as she was the one injured. But she wanted to show that she cared for her, the same way she had always cared about her. She wasn't sure if they could be able to patch what had been broken but she was definitely going to give it her best shot.