A Day Off in the Mist (Open RP)

[Kirihara Takumi]

As the two of them sat eating in silence, Takumi wondered what was going on in Yuki's head. She looked like a lot was going through her mind, despite the smile practically painted over her face, hiding whatever it was that should be there. He wondered if she'd caught his hesitation, but hoped that even if she had, she'd be able to appreciate that he hadn't waited for her to eat to make sure it was safe. Yes, that was probably what was on her mind, he figured. The silence that filled the air was quite welcome to him - every time he tried talking to her, it was like she always wanted to cut it as short as possible. Still... he wasn't learning anything this way. He might as well try to get something out of her.

"Why 'Yuki'? Any reason?" he said, not bothering to look up from his food.

[Hishime]

‘Why ‘Yuki?’’ Takumi asked suddenly. ‘Any reason?’

Damnit. This wasn’t supposed to happen right now, she hadn’t expected it. Swallowing, she rested her hand on the table, holding the edge of her chopsticks above the plate. “It’s an often used name, isn’t it?” She knew what he wanted, yes, she did, but she wouldn’t give it to him, at least not yet. Maybe it sounded like she was just trying to avoid more questions, but there was an explanation behind her sentence, he only had to figure it out. If he was able to do that, she wasn’t sure.

It was obvious that he had a lot of question, but, then again, so had she. Hishime was already one step ahead, she always was, whenever possible. She took another piece of vegetable and put it in her mouth, giving her more time to think about any useful answers.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"It's an often used name, isn't it?"

It was a reasonable explanation, really... but her answer still frustrated him. He was certain she was smart enough to know what he really wanted, but was refusing to give it to him anyway.

"Are you going to tell me your real name?" he asked with all the finesse of a paper bomb. Still, it wasn't actually asking her name, at least not with the way she would answer it if her previous response was anything to go by... so he hoped it would get a straight answer.

[Hishime]

‘Are you going to tell me your real name?’ Takumi asked. Hishime knew she was pissing him off by doing this, she really did, but he had to understand that she couldn’t tell him anything carelessly. She had two options, either telling him her real name, or lying, like earlier. The shinobi munched slowly, doing it on purpose to gain more time. If she lied, there was a chance that the very little trust that he had for her, would vanish immediately. But, giving away her true name could be dangerous.

She swallowed, finally making a decision. “Real name?” She blinked, putting on the mask of an innocent little girl. She eyed him with an confused expression. “What do you mean ‘real name’?”

Lets see if he could get the answers out of her...

[Kirihara Takumi]

Takumi gave a mental hiss at her confused and innocent act.

"Your official name, not an alias. Don't play dumb, it's not helping your situation."

He was losing patience with this woman, and the way she acted was having a direct impact on his decision-making. Falsehoods belonged on the battlefield, he felt, and while there were many types of battlefields, some more obvious than others, in the end they all ended in victory and defeat unless some sort of agreement was reached. To Takumi, she had made this a battlefield, but now he wanted to change the type of battle... and did not intend to lose.

[Hishime]

‘Your official name, not an alias. Don’t play dumb, it’s not helping your situation.’

Hishime sighed, slowly shaking her head. “I’m not lying.” She said, meanwhile, picking up a bit of rice. She put it in her mouth. Her movements were slow, but not obviously slow. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she knew what he was doing. It was obvious, he wanted to know her name by any cost. She swallowed, the innocent look on her face slowly being replaced by a more saddened one. “I have no official name..”

With this one, she was actually being honest. But the question was, would he believe her? Looking down at her plate, her smile slowly faded. The truth was, she was being forced to lie. It was for her own sake, for her own safety. But she couldn’t tell him that. She was wondering if the last bit of trust was already completely destroyed.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"I'm not lying."

That was a bad move. Takumi knew she was lying, she probably knew he knew, and that's what she had to say? Maybe he should just end it here by force, the interrogation people could take it from there. He was seriously considering it...

"I have no official name..."

Yuki's smile slowly vanished, replaced by a look of sadness... Another mask, or was it genuine?

"Then tell me... the name you have the strongest connection to," he said sternly. "Good or bad," he added. He got the feeling that the name he wanted had a strong bad connection... Just a feeling.

[Hishime]

‘Then tell me.. the name you have strongest connection to. Good or bad.’

Hishime bit her lip, closing her eyes tightly for a few seconds. She was losing. She was losing badly and he knew it. He knew the game that she was playing, like he had played it before. But, he didn’t know anything about the situation, like he had stated so wisely, he didn’t know a thing.

Slowly, that familiar feeling started to come back, taking over her body and mind, bit by bit. That feeling she only felt at night. Fear, pain, loneliness.. It was all there. Pushing it back would be foolish. It was something she couldn’t get rid off.

“Takumi..” She spoke quietly yet in a serious tone, her voice close to shaking. She looked down on her lap, letting her dark locks cover up her face. “There’s a reason why I keep that name a secret.” There was a long pause. The female swallowed, opening her eyes. Those ocean-green eyes, that wouldn’t let anyone in her thoughts, were starting to get red and watery. “There are people out there, looking for me. If I had given away my name freely, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I would be dead.”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“There are people out there, looking for me. If I had given away my name freely, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I would be dead.”

"Ahh... now we're getting somewhere," Takumi thought.

"Very well, then... explain it to me. Your situation... People might be looking for you, but I have you. I think you'd rather I be friend than foe, wouldn't you agree? So explain it to me. Quietly, if you must, but I think if anyone knew enough to listen here, they'd know enough to kill you anyway."

[Hishime]

“I cannot.” The kunoichi quickly followed, almost interrupting him, voice raised. She looked up at the ninja in front of her, eyes serious yet frightened. She hated this side of her, how it could be stronger than her regular personality. She bit her lip, doing her best to fight back any upcoming tears.

In the silence that shortly followed, she thought quickly. Was he even trying to understand her situation? Telling him everything could be her death, and maybe even his. It was a heavy burden for her, and something she had to live with every single day. She didn’t want anyone dead or hurt because of her own problems. She knew that he had all right to know, but it didn’t help the situation, it only made it worse. She had to take care of it herself.

“I know you don’t trust me, Takumi.” Her voice went back to the normal, quiet tone. She turned her head to the right, looking away from him now, her dark hair not making it easy to see her face. “Would it be right to trust you?”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“Would it be right to trust you?”

"Yes," Takumi replied simply.

It was clear to him that she was in deep, and he could well be dragged down with her, but...

"For whatever reason, I trusted you enough to bring you here and let you stay. I gave you my name, and while it may not be such a great danger as yours, there is a lot that can come of having anyone's true name. I may not trust you now, after seeing how you've acted so far... but I trusted you enough to start with. More, indeed, than I should have. So yes. I think you should trust me. With your trust in me, it would be much easier for me to trust you. And to be honest..." Takumi crossed his arms and sighed. "You seem dangerously short of allies. Correct me if I'm wrong."

[Hishime]

You seem dangerously short of allies..

That sentence seemed to repeat itself over and over again. The female swallowed, the truth stabbing her heart like a needle. It was true, no matter how much she hated to admit it. She wasn’t just ‘dangerously short of allies’, she had none to be more exact. All the time, she had been on her own; fighting and struggling to stay alive.

The kunoichi nodded to herself, she had made her decision. “Takumi.” She said his name once again, her voice stern and serious. “You got me here. I cannot flee, and if I did, I have nowhere to go.” Slowly, the girl placed her chopsticks back on the half-empty plate. “Fine, I will tell you, because it seems the situation is getting worse. But I will not tell you everything, everyone had their own secrets, I’m sure you do too.”

“But..” Hishime pivoted to look at him, her eyes filled with many emotions. “If you tell anyone, anyone, about it, I will not even think about sparing your life.”

[Kirihara Takumi]

Takumi carefully set down his chopsticks as well, straightening up and taking a slow, deep breath before letting it out in a long, quiet sigh. Looking her dead in the eyes, he nodded.

"I understand."

It seemed he was right about her. Now he was going to learn the truth about her, or at least some of it. He didn't know what he was getting into, but they were now both in too far to escape his involvement. Well, at least now he didn't have to write his report... He just hoped no one would find out, or there could be hell to pay...

"My ears are open, and my lips are sealed," he said solemnly.

[Hishime]

‘I understand. My ears are open, and my lips are sealed.’

This was it. The moment she would have to tell him. Would he also think of her as crazy? Would he laugh at her? Maybe contact the police? Her lip shivered as she inhaled silently. She was scared, and it didn’t make things easier. Her eyes reflected the light in the small room, the held-back tears working like a mirror.

The female looked down on her plate. She took her time, just staring, almost making it look like she was counting the pieces of vegetable and rice. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what to say, she knew exactly what to tell him. The problem was; how should she start? She could start in many ways, most of them sounded like she was a missing-nin. Well, she had to admit, her story did sound like she was a missing-nin, which made it even harder to be told the right way.

The ninja took one last, shaky breath, trying to calm herself down, if even a little. She was positive that it would sound stupid if she would stutter. And there was a chance that he would get the wrong impression if she started crying. It wasn’t all that easy. It wasn’t just telling a little bedtime-story. It was much more..

“My father’s men are after me, because I ran from my hometown..” She said quietly. She kept her hands on her lap, so he wouldn’t be able to see that they were shaking. She was nervous and afraid, yet desperate, although she did her very best not to show it. And this was only the beginning. “I would rather die than letting them take me back home..”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“My father’s men are after me, because I ran from my hometown... I would rather die than letting them take me back home...”

"Her father's men? So... at the very least, her father was powerful enough to be in a position to send men after her, men he apparently commands..." Takumi thought to himself. "And she ran from her hometown... if I had to guess, I'd say it was because of her father. Well... best to find out what I'm facing."

"Where is this home, and what sort of men are after you? If I am to be your ally, I will need to know what I'm up against."