A Promise Kept: Takumi Vs. Hishime.

[Hishime]

(OOC: Don't worry. I won't freak out about something like this. XD)

The ninja’s tight grip loosened, her touch becoming much more gentle, and soft. There was no need to hold onto it so tightly, it wouldn’t just fade away. As long as she had air, she would be fine. Her hands remained in position, gently placed on something that felt.. very familiar. It was soft, and smooth. Almost like skin. She kept her eyes closed, knowing that contact with water around this temperature could hurt. Her wounds were stinging a little less. That, or, she just couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

As they moved through the water, everything was starting to become clear to her. That pressure on her lips... It felt so familiar. It reminded her of a kiss. It was the same soft and gentle feeling. The girl closed her mouth, pulling away from the strange air-pocket for a second. She exhaled, a few small bubbles coming from her mouth. Then, the female brought her hands closer to her face, pulling the ‘tank of oxygen’ with her, and placed her cold lips softly back on the ‘opening’. Yes, it felt exactly the same as a kiss. But that didn’t matter at the moment, the only thing she needed right now, was more air.

[Kirihara Takumi]

Her grip became soft and gentle, and Takumi felt a lot more comfortable - if still a little embarrassed by the whole situation. When she pulled away for a bit, he saw that her eyes were shut - did she not realize what was going on? Even so, he quickly looked away, and soon her lips were upon his again. He'd seen people kiss before, but to be completely honest... it was a new experience for him.

"But this isn't a kiss," Takumi reminded himself. "Not really..."

Soon enough, they reached the light shimmering through the gently rippling water. It was really quite beautiful... but now wasn't the time to think about that. Swimming expertly to the surface, they were soon in open air once more. Takumi gently slid the kunoichi ashore and clambered out, both of them soaking wet. They were right behind his house, where no one would see them. Releasing his jutsu and taking a breath of his own, he wordlessly lifted her again and carried her to the building's back wall, using his foot to open a hidden door and taking her inside.

[Hishime]

Hishime welcomed the fresh air with open arms. She pulled away, breaking the touch of her lips. Her breathing was heavily and irregular. The lack of oxygen underwater hadn’t done her any good. Her eyelids slowly opened, revealing her deep ocean-green eyes. Soon, her normal pale skin color was replaced by a bright pink. Now, this was something awkward. She was looking straight in the eyes of the man that had invited her to stay at his place. The blue color of his eyes seemed to match perfectly with the color of the water; almost hypnotically.

The kunoichi shook that thought of quickly. She looked away from him, and stayed silent as he picked her up once again. His touch was just as gentle and careful as before, but he also seemed to feel the awkwardness in the atmosphere. Like last time, she rested her head against his shoulder, finding that a way more comfortable position. The young woman felt... weird. She found it hard to believe that what had just happened was, indeed, the truth.

Neither of them spoke, the air was filled with utter silence. It was slightly uncomfortable. Soon, the girl was welcomed by the warmth that came, unmistakably, from his house. Her shivering lips curled into a tiny smile. Her eyes closed again, a small sigh coming from her mouth.

“How's your leg?” The female broke the silence with a barely audible whisper, the blush still remaining on her cheeks. She shivered. Although they were inside now, if they wouldn’t change into a some dry clothes soon, they would get sick for sure.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"How's your leg?" the girl whispered quietly.

Takumi's blushed deepened as he noticed that she, too, was blushing. So she did know, after all...

"I-it'll be fine... don't worry about me. What about you, though...? Will you... will you be able to treat your wounds?" Takumi felt her shiver in his arms, and realized that they would both have to change out of their wet clothes... His face was burning now, and he shook the thought from his head.

Taking her into the room with the mirrored closet, he carefully set her down, trying to avoid looking directly at her.

"You, umm... still have enough energy to... you know... right...?"

[Hishime]

Hishime bit her lip slightly, noticing the red on his face darken. Just what was so embarrassing? She had to get air, and that seemed like the only way to get through the water without drowning. It wasn’t like there was something going on between them. It wasn’t like he felt attracted to her or something, and it wasn’t like she liked him. Still, all that didn’t answer her question; why was this so awkward?

‘I-it’ll be fine.’ Takumi replied. He was stuttering, and his face was still brightly colored. ‘What about you, though? Will you...’ He paused for a second, probably searching for the correct words to use. ‘Will you be able to treat your wounds?’

He had a point there. Of course, she could take care of a few wounds herself, but, healing them was something she couldn’t do at the moment. Also, a few cuts were at places she, unfortunately, couldn’t reach. This was a problem. Both of them knew, that is she wasn’t able to do it herself, that he would have to help her. And that, would only make the current situation worse.

A small groan escaped from her lips as she was set down on the cold floor. The warm air that dominated the house stung as it made contact with the cuts that were already revealed. She looked up at the man, her face slowly turning back to it’s normal color. She noticed that he was avoiding eye contact. It did made sense, she would do the same thing. Instead, directly going against her female instincts, she did try get his attention with her eyes.

‘You.. uhm..’ The boy spoke quietly, and he was obviously feeling nervous. ‘Still have enough energy to.. you know…, right?’

Hishime gave him a confused look. At this point, she wasn’t quite sure what he meant. And according to the blush on his face, it would probably something awkward again. Well, there was no other way but to ask him, she supposed.

“To..? To do what?” Her voice was even a little quieter than before, seeing that this was probably making him feel even more uncomfortable.

[Kirihara Takumi]

Having to explain only made things worse - his blush grew even darker, and he turned his head away, loosening his headband so that his dark, glistening blue hair fell in front of his face, cold droplets falling from the strands and pattering softly on the floor.

"You know... I mean....." Takumi turned even further away and rubbed the back of his neck. "... You won't need me to help you... change..... will you...?" Subtle. Very subtle. He clenched his eyes shut, fully expecting an adverse reaction.

"At least she can't see my expression..." he thought, forgetting about the mirrored closet.

[Hishime]

Hishime could only just see the blush on his face darken, right before he turned his head away. She had to admit, with a little color on his cheeks, he did look... cute. Wait. What the heck was she thinking? She quickly shook that thought off. She wasn’t allowed to think that way about anyone. It would only cause more trouble. Besides, didn’t she already have ‘someone’?

‘You know.. I mean..’ The man turned even more away, rubbing the back of his neck with a gentle hand. ‘You won’t need me to help you… change.. will you?’

The girl blinked. Her face, that had just became it’s normal pale color again, flushed with a bright pink. To help her change? Well, now at least she knew why he felt so nervous. Normally, she would’ve just said that she didn’t need any help, without adding anything, or any unwanted blushing. But, she had to think about it seriously this time. As much as she didn’t want him to help her, there was a very, very slight chance that he would have to. Of course, she couldn’t tell him that. It would change everything. From the way they talked to each other, to just simply eating dinner. Besides, she didn’t want anyone to see her like that, not without anything to cover up her body.

“N-no..” The female said quietly. It was her turn to stutter this time. She truly couldn’t imagine, and didn’t want to imagine, him helping her to change into a different outfit. “I.. d-don’t.. think so..”

[Kirihara Takumi]

"O-okay..." Takumi said quietly.

She hadn't sounded too sure of herself this time, but her answer had been a 'no'... Takumi felt a little relieved, but... was that all he felt...?

"Yes," he told himself firmly. "That is all. There is nothing more."

Catching a glimpse of the girl's ocean-green eyes in the mirror, he gasped and turned away from them both. He didn't think she'd been looking at his face, but... she could have.

"Is there... anything you need me to do right now?"

It occurred to Takumi that he was probably going to end up daydreaming about all of this later... As if it wasn't bad enough already...

[Hishime]

‘O-okay..’

She could definitely hear relieve in his voice. And he should be relieved. Although he probably didn’t know it, it was better that he was. If he, indeed, had to help her, her way of acting towards him would’ve changed. And not just only a little. She would’ve been more careful, and would’ve never been able to fully trust him. So, it really was a good thing that she had denied his help. Even though it would be harder to do it alone, it would be the best, and a lot less embarrassing.

Suddenly, the man turned again, this time facing away from the mirror and herself. He obviously didn’t want her to look at him right now. The girl looked down at her lap, a little smile on her face. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, blush still remaining on her cheeks.

‘Is there.. anything you need me to do right now?’

The kunoichi couldn’t help but chuckle. Even though he made it pretty clear that he just wanted to get out of there, he was still continuing to ask if she needed help with anything.

“Just make sure you don’t get sick.” Her voice was soft and kind as she spoke, it sounded almost motherly.

[Kirihara Takumi]

Takumi relaxed a little and smiled to himself when he heard her chuckle. That was a good sign...

"Just make sure you don't get sick," she said, almost sounding like his mother...

"Don't worry about me," he replied, his soft smile audible in his voice. "Just let me know if you need me for anything, all right?"

Rising to his feet, Takumi opened the mirrored closet and took out a fresh set of clothes for himself, deciding on one of his lightest robes - one that looked almost like flowing sheets of silver. He walked out of the room, taking one last look at the kunoichi. She was actually rather... Takumi quietly closed the door and made his way off to the bedroom to change.

[Hishime]

A deep sigh of relieve came from her mouth as Takumi exited the room. Right now, she actually didn’t mind to be alone for once. She also had her privacy, and didn’t need someone drooling over her features while she was taking off her soaking wet clothes.

The kunoichi ran a delicate hand through her soft, black hair. First, she had to get out of this cold, wet ‘uniform’. That way, it would also be easier to take a good look at her injuries. Her jacket was already unzipped to begin with, revealing a bandaged stomach. Just her luck, the bandage had become see-through, her bra was now slightly visible, together with some of the many scars. Which meant, that she also had to take off all of the bandage, and that wasn’t an easy thing to do on her own.

Hishime slipped her right arm out of her jacket, then turned to her left arm. It was swollen, and aching like hell. It wasn’t broken, that was for sure, but it still wasn’t very healthy. She groaned slightly as she took hold on her sleeve and pulled off the fabric. The bandage around that arm was hanging loose, and covered with bloodstains. Carefully, she took the end in her other hand, and slowly started to unwrap in from her arm. It was worse than she thought, covered with bruises.

A few minutes later, the ninja just sat there, leaning against the wall, now only in her underwear. Her breathing was heavily, her eyes closed lightly. Her clothes and bandages lay next to her, not even close to folded up neatly. The large pouch was on it’s usual spot, on the pillow at her left. She groaned, the pain from her wounds seemed to get worse. And that wasn’t even the worst thing, she also realized she had no spare clothing left. Yup, this was just her luck.

[Kirihara Takumi]

Takumi emerged from the bedroom after a few minutes, his blue eyes and hair standing out from his silvery robes. His hair was a mess now - he'd wished he had been able to use a mirror, but there was no going in there now, not until he could be sure his guest was proper - but at least it wasn't dripping wet anymore. He noticed that the kunoichi was still shut in the other room - not surprising, considering the condition he'd left her in.... Sighing heavily, Takumi decided that the best thing he could do right now would be to make some hot tea for the both of them. Heading into the kitchen, he set to work, solemnly wondering how long it would be before his guest was ready.

[Hishime]

(OOC: I really gotta get some sleep right now. See ya. )

Another groan filled the small room. It was a bit louder than before, mostly because the pain was getting worse with every second that passed, it felt like it, as least. Her eyes were red, her cheeks tear-drenched. Her bottom-lip shivered as she inhaled deeply. She managed to undress, without any help, but she was now pretty much at her limit.

The girl was starting to feel dizzy. And that was a normal thing after losing a lot of blood. Again, she found herself fighting for consciousness. If she passed out right now, her condition would only get worse, and Takumi would probably get even more worried. But, it was a hard thing to do, her body would give in, if she liked it or not. There wasn’t much of a choice.

She slowly lifted her hand, reaching for the door to call for help. She wasn’t planning on doing this, but she didn’t know that things would get this bad. Her fingertips gently touched the doorframe, but she didn’t get any further than that. Her watery eyes rolled back in her head, her arm fell limply on the cold floor. She collapsed on the ground, but it wasn’t even close to audible.

[Kirihara Takumi]

(ooc: Okay, goodnight! )

Takumi paused as he thought he heard a groan from the other room. Was she okay? She was taking longer than he'd expected... He waited for a while without hearing anything at all, and decided it would be best to at least knock and check on how she was doing in there. Walking over to the door, he knocked on it gently.

"Yuki? Is everything okay in there?"

No response. He tried again, a little louder this time.

"Is everything all right?"

Still nothing. Now he was worried. Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the door.

"I'm coming in, all right? I hope you're decent..."

When there was still no response, he opened the door to find the kunoichi collapsed right in front of him, looking as though she'd been reaching for the door... and significantly lacking in clothing. Takumi couldn't help but stare for a moment, when suddenly he noticed something. Scars... so many scars... They were old, from the looks of it. Takumi didn't know what to do - she'd obviously been hiding them, and if he did so much as cover her with a blanket, she would know that he'd seen them... but if he didn't do something...

Groaning and biting his lip, he decided that the important thing right now was her health. Lifting her carefully once more, Takumi carried her to his bed, cleaned and bandaged her wounds, and covered her up with several blankets, making sure she was snugly tucked in. Pulling up a box to sit on, he stayed at her bedside for most of the time beyond that, leaving every once in a while to make more tea, always keeping water heated for when she woke up.

As he sat beside the unconscious kunoichi, Takumi kept catching himself daydreaming about her, despite himself. Her eyes, her body, her warmth, her kiss... well, not really a kiss, but still... And the way she looked when she smiled for real...

"Stop it," he told himself. "I'm just feeling different because I've never been this close with a woman before, that's all..." Even in his head, it sounded stupid. "Anyway, she already has someone in mind... and besides, she'll probably hate me after she wakes up. I've seen far more than she wanted me to..."

[Hishime]

A young girl sat in the corner of a dark room. The broken window was carefully hidden away behind large dark-red curtains. Her black hair was a total mess, her pale skin darkened by dirt. The little clothing she was wearing was ripped, and covered with small bloodstains. She brought her tired legs up to her body, burying her head in her arms. She looked to be around the age of twelve, only just starting to grow into a woman.

The sound of sobbing rang through the small, empty room. That familiar sound of crying. It was there so often, it almost seemed to belong there. The girl glanced up at the curtains. The color disgusted her. That ugly red. It reminded her of blood, of death. Of her own blood, of her own misery. She felt a strong urge to destroy them once and for all, ripping them apart and at the same time, stopping part of her own trouble.

She moved a thin hand to her stomach, putting her skinny legs back down on the dusty floor. She caressed the small bump, her belly that had been slowly growing. Another tear came down her red cheek. There were bruises everywhere on her small body. And it weren’t only the bruises that totally ruined her dream to look like a normal child; there were cuts on her stomach, deep cuts on her wrists. Her left arm was completely scarred. Written in those ugly white lines, it clearly read: ‘Not Alone’. It was a reminder, it was important. It had a meaning, but it also was a wish that had never come true...

Hishime woke from her light sleep from the sound of a door creaking. She gave a soft moan, slowly opening her eyes. She blinked for a couple of times, letting her eyes adjust to the bright light that filled the room. Her mind was empty, the only thing that ran in her head was that dream... That dream, that was actually more like a fragment from her past. It hurt her. It hurt her chest; her heart. She remembered the scars on her arm, the words carved into her flesh. Everything...

The woman stared blankly at the ceiling, her dry lips trembling as she breathed slowly. Tears appeared in the corners of her lost, ocean-green eyes. It was just like every time she fell asleep, accidentally or not. Every time, those nightmares came, those memories. It killed her. It literally killed her.

Another quiet moan came from her mouth, followed by a deep sigh. She hadn’t noticed the presence next to her. She didn’t even know for how long she’d been out. It could be just an hour, but also half a day. The shinobi closed her tired eyes and turned her head to her right, searching for a more comfortable position to rest, letting one single tear roll down her face...