Boulders

Novaculite

Although they were alone in the high end clothing store, Toph felt eyes on her.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, drawing Kisame's attention. He had ignored it the first few times, but five was a bit too much.

He pulled something from a pouch on his leg and tossed it to her; she fumbled the catch and almost dropped it, but managed to keep a hold of it.

"You can play with that," he said imperiously. "Stop interrupting my nap."

It was one of those knives all shinobi she'd ever met had, with a diamond shaped blade and a little loop at the other end of the handle. It was a little big in her hands, as it had probably been especially made for Kisame's bulk.

"You just gave a knife to a child," Toph said slowly. "Are you sure you're allowed to care for minors?"

He grunted, then shifted a little in his seat.

Toph pressed her lips together, then tossed the knife up and down a few times, feeling the balance of the weapon. The little hoop thing was definently weighted with something to make it heavier.

After confirming that Kisame was asleep, Toph began trying to flip it through her fingers like she'd felt Sakura do with a pencil. It was a little big and clunky, but after a few fails she got the hang of it and soon had it moving easily between her fingers.

She sped up a little bit. The sharp edges wouldn't hurt her if she didn't touch them, and as she was turning it on the flat of the blade, she didn't.

Until an attendant entered the room. "The selection is ready for you, ma'am and sir."

Toph had been sitting criss cross in her seat, so when his genteel voice cut through the lull and drowsiness the peaceful atmosphere had lulled her into, she jumped. The knife almost slipped from her, but her hand closed around it, squeezing tight around the blade before she realized that might not have been the best idea.

Toph yelped as the keen blade sliced open a line down four of her fingers and cut a deep gash on her palm. The warmth of her own blood dripped down her skin and she dropped the knife like it was red-hot.

Kisame was out of his chair in a moment, hand going to the giant sword slung across his back, ready to attack anything that moved.

Toph shook her hand, feeling the throbbing pain worse than the blisters. Tears crept involuntarily to her eyes.

"And here," she snarked through the pain. "We have a prime example of why we do not give knives to kids."

Kisame seemed to hear her scathing remark, but he just laughed. "You're supposed to hold it by the handle, not the blade."

"Wow." She deadpanned. "I am truly amazed. I never would have guessed."

"We'll be by in a moment," Kisame told the attendant, who's heart was going like a squirrelrabbit's out of fear. "Toph-kun, where's your best friend?"

Toph froze, thinking back. "I think I left it on the shelf in my room."

"This is why I told you to carry it with you always," Kisame told her dryly, pulling out a roll of bandages from his pouches. "You're going to get hurt a lot in this line of work. It's best if you keep the basics nearby."

"Right. I should lug First Aid with me everywhere," Toph held her hand out to him and let him dab at it. "Do you know how unwieldy that box is?"

"Prepare your medical kits as well," Kisame told the attendant, who hadn't moved after Toph had cut herself. "And if you could get some water, that would be great."