Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 7, 2008 11:48:36 GMT -5
Takumi had just come back from making more tea when he heard a soft moan from the bed. Sitting down beside her once again, he saw that the kunoichi's ocean-green eyes were now open, staring at the ceiling, and tears started to form. She moaned again quietly, and let out a deep sigh, apparently not even realizing that he was there.
"Best not to disturb her," Takumi thought, rising silently to leave.
The woman closed her eyes and turned her head towards him, and he could see a single tear flow gently down her face. He watched her with soft blue eyes for a moment before leaving the room without a sound. She had finally woken up after spending the last three hours unconscious, but she obviously needed more rest.
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Post by Hishime on Sept 7, 2008 13:08:40 GMT -5
The kunoichi opened her eyes once again. She couldn’t fall asleep anymore. She didn’t want to sleep anymore. She was afraid. Afraid that those nightmares would come back. Scared to experience her past once more. The girl let out a deep, shaky breath, her eyes slowly darting across the room. It was a different room, one she hadn’t seen before. So, Takumi did find her after all?
Her lips curled to a small smile, but it was unclear if it was a real one, or the fake. She directed her gaze back at the ceiling, and inhaled deeply. She felt weak. No. Her body felt weak. It was logical though, she wasn’t in a very good condition at the moment. She’d lost blood, and not just a little bit. The pain in her left arm seemed to dominate her body, making it almost impossible to feel the smaller cuts.
The girl groaned, using her good arm to push herself up, her wounds aching like they were telling her to stay down. It was difficult, only being able to use one arm. But, after a few seconds of struggling, she finally succeeded in sitting up. The blankets that had been covering her fell down on her lap, her chest, arms and stomach now revealed.
That dizzy feeling returned again. Hishime closed her eyes for a moment, bringing her right hand up to her forehead. She leaned backwards, pressing her back against a part of the wall, trying to calm down for at least a bit. She refused to pass out again. She’d been unconscious long enough, and she had no desires to let it happen one more time, especially not after just waking up.
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 8, 2008 15:37:42 GMT -5
Takumi sighed and groaned, leaning his back against the wall. He was sick of making tea, and his daydreaming had become... well, it wasn't a good idea right now. He was too spent to really do much training, and he couldn't very well go anywhere in case his guest needed him for something...
"Wait..." Takumi thought to himself. "What if she's gotten too weak now to call for me? There has to be something I can do..."
After pondering this for a minute, Takumi had an idea. He was sure he had an old wind chime stuffed away somewhere... After digging through various "storage spaces," he finally found the small blue fuurin he was looking for. Holding it up and gently flicking the tag, Takumi smiled as it made a nice, clear ringing sound. Carrying it back to the bedroom, he nearly walked right in when it struck him that his guest might be awake. Instead, he knocked gently and waited a few seconds before quietly entering.
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Post by Hishime on Sept 9, 2008 13:13:01 GMT -5
The smile on her face slowly faded as she heard the door open. The creaking echoed in the small room, sounding louder than it should originally be because of the silence that had been there first. The woman carefully revealed her light-colored eyes. Her hand moved down her face, gently touching her lips as she came across. She held her hand in a loose fist, pressed against her chest – hiding the large, clearly visible scars on her wrist, although that wasn't enough to hide the rest, and also covering up her personal areas a bit more.
Her heart skipped a beat, her eyes directed at the man standing in the doorway. His silver robe stood out from the darkness in the room. His hair was still a mess, but that only made him look more like the strong, tough fighter he was. With lips curled into a tiny grin, she moved her gaze back to her lap. She didn’t knew if she was supposed to be happy to see him again, or not. She was positive that he had seen a lot, things that no one else had ever seen. Also, after their little incident earlier this morning, she was afraid that he would look at her with different eyes. The eyes many men had when they watched her. It always made her feel nervous, and uncomfortable.
The kunoichi waited patiently for him to closer, having no desires in scaring him off by speaking all out of a sudden. Hishime glanced at him once more, the little smile back on her face. She tried to make it look different, so that things wouldn’t be too obvious. Wishing that everything would be normal, she bit her bottom-lip slightly. If he acted any different towards her, she knew enough. Trust was still something she had to work on. It was one of her weak points; trusting people too easily, or sometimes, not at all.
The woman inhaled through her nose, wetting her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. She shook her head slightly. She wasn’t in the mood for questions like ‘How are you feeling?’, and, ‘Are you okay?’. But she knew they would eventually come. Instead, she decided it would be best to keep her mouth shut for now, also in attempt to avoid annoying conversation about her condition. There were other things on her mind right now. Much more important things...
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 9, 2008 13:51:47 GMT -5
Takumi blinked when he saw his guest sitting up in bed, not really covered but hiding some of her scars and trying to conceal parts of herself more... but mostly what he saw was her eyes. Something about them was just... captivating... Before long, though, she was looking down at her lap, and Takumi sighed gently and went to sit beside her. Fidgeting a little with the chime in his hands, he took a breath and held it out for her.
"It doesn't look like you really need this, but... here. In case you need to call me."
Actually, Takumi couldn't help but smile just a little - he was happy to see that she'd been able to get up on her own. It was a good sign...
"Would you like anything? Some tea, maybe?"
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Post by Hishime on Sept 9, 2008 14:29:37 GMT -5
The tiniest smile crossed her face as the man sat down next to her, and handed her the fuurin. It was her true smile this time, something special. He was being so sweet, in her opinion. He probably knew all this wasn’t necessary. It could even be dangerous. Yet, he was basically telling her she could call him any time if she needed him. It was almost getting too much. At first, he’d let her stay. He’d let her eat, and sleep in his own house. And as if that wasn't enough already, he also took care of her when she couldn’t do it herself. Although it made her feel a bit more... wanted, it also felt... weird.
The girl glanced at him from the corner of her eye, kind eyes smiling for her, showing exactly how thankful she was.
“Don’t worry, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” She whispered softly in reply, slowly reaching for the object. Carefully taking hold on the chime, she accidentally, and only for a split second, touched his hand gently with a delicate finger.
“Besides, it’s not like you’re my servant.”
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 9, 2008 14:48:35 GMT -5
Takumi smiled a little more when he saw the look in the girl's eyes, feeling a little bashful, and he blushed slightly when he felt her touch his hand gently as she accepted the chime. He was sure she hadn't meant to, but... for some reason Takumi couldn't understand, he was feeling strangely elated.
"By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask..."
Takumi looked down and bit his lip - he wasn't sure it was an appropriate thing to ask, but...
"... Our fight... Did you enjoy it?"
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Post by Hishime on Sept 9, 2008 15:13:59 GMT -5
Hishime eyed the small chime with a curious look. Holding it carefully in her right hand, she shook it a few times. A quiet ringing sound rang through the little room. This was all she needed to know. And it would cause trouble later. This thing was dangerous. Very dangerous. This thing was... addicting... Very, very addicting...
The kunoichi looked back up at the man, her cheeks flushing with a light pink at her own bad habit. What was he saying again? She found herself lost here for a moment. She hadn’t completely heard everything he just said. Something about their fight, but that was all she managed to catch.
She looked at him for a long time, the tiny smile on her face and her look interested. After a few seconds, she couldn’t help but give a short laugh.
“To be honest..” She paused for a moment, biting her lip softly while searching for a proper answer. “Fighting itself isn’t really my thing. But.. that strange feeling you get when you’re on the battlefield. The adrenaline. That’s what makes it... fun.”
She broke their eye-contact by glancing at the little fuurin on her lap, her expression slightly saddening. “I don’t like hurting others.”
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 9, 2008 15:29:29 GMT -5
"Oh...?" Takumi found this answer very interesting. You could tell a lot about someone from how they felt about fighting...
Leaning back and sifting his fingers through his mess of blue hair, he smiled thoughtfully.
"I feel like... there are many kinds of battles. Some can be fun, and some can be terrible... Usually I try to make them as quick as possible... Usually I make sure the battle's over before my opponent knows it's begun, and usually... nobody really gets hurt. I don't like hurting people either... but then, I also find a certain beauty in battle... like witnessing the power of the sea in all its fury... It's hard to explain..."
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Post by Hishime on Sept 9, 2008 16:05:39 GMT -5
The kunoichi couldn’t help but grin slightly, watching the shinobi next to her run his fingers through his dark locks. She couldn’t get rid of that light blush on her cheeks, it almost seemed like it refused to leave, and it totally annoyed her. Not showing anything of this, she just gave a small, approving nod. She definitely had to agree with what he said. There was beauty in battle, but many people couldn’t see it, sadly.
“I know exactly what you mean.” Hishime said in her usual soft and quiet voice. She paused for a few seconds. In the following silence, she couldn’t resist but glance at him a few times. He seemed to enjoy fighting, which was actually a good thing for a ninja.
“I know it might sound stupid..” She looked away, directing her gaze at the wall, feeling rather nervous to have such a personal conversation. Not ‘personal’ like in ‘her own business’, but like many things could be revealed about her with this subject. “But I compare fighting with… music..”
Yuki carefully glanced back at the man, but then quickly looked away again. “I mean.. You can express yourself with music, and it’s the same with fighting. Every tone has it’s emotions, just like every attack has it’s emotions.. It’s also a bit hard to explain, I guess.. But that’s how I experience it, at least..”
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 9, 2008 16:42:36 GMT -5
Takumi turned towards the girl, impressed. He agreed entirely, and had thought the very same things himself.
"I feel the same way... Actually, sometimes when I train, I sing to myself... Not with words, but... well, here."
Rising and standing in an open part of the room, he closed his eyes and gently hummed a single note as he took a stance, the note falling to one slightly below it as he settled into the form... and began a beautiful string of meaningless syllables as he fought the shadows with elegant sweeping motions and a few sharp thrusts, his silvery robes rustling gently with his flowing movements and the melody of his voice matching every strike, every spin... every smooth, slow sweep of his arms... Every fiber of his being was absorbed by the dancelike combat style, every movement full of purpose. He felt like he was one with the sea, from the great crashing waves to the vast, flawless calm, and his voice expressed that feeling with sound as masterfully as his body. And it was all so free-flowing, no part of it planned or intentionally linked... yet it all fit together so beautifully...
At last the display came to an end, leaving Takumi in silence, still holding his final stance. Slowly opening his eyes and going back to his relaxed position, he realized that he had just done all of that in front of an audience, and his face suddenly flushed.
"Umm....." Takumi bit his lip gently. "I'm, um... sorry about that... I got a little carried away..."
Quickly taking his seat beside her once more, he stared intently at his feet as his cheeks burned. Did he really just do all of that in front of her...?
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Post by Hishime on Sept 9, 2008 17:22:06 GMT -5
The kunoichi watched the man carefully, the blush on her face darkening. She was amazed by how he was able to be so open. Even in front her, and she was actually still pretty much a stranger, he wasn’t anywhere near afraid. And being completely honest to herself, it looked… beau--, good. It looked good. Everything was in balance, movement and sound, like mistakes weren’t possible anymore. She kept her eyes on him at all time, the fake smile slowly being replaced by her real one again. She felt... fine... Actually fine. Without hiding anything, she felt... happy. Well, maybe close to happy.
She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh when he stopped and suddenly realized that she was also still there with him. She could clearly see that he was embarrassed, but there was truly nothing to be embarrassed about. The girl kept on looking at his face, hoping that he would look up at her. For some reason, she just wanted to see that expression once more.
“I wish I could do that.” The young woman whispered quietly. It was true, but it was more in an attempt to cheer him up a little. Again, her eyes smiled for her, the color remaining on her usually pale face.
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 9, 2008 17:59:31 GMT -5
"I wish I could do that," the girl whispered.
Takumi blushed and looked helplessly into her eyes. He'd shown her something no one had ever seen before...
"Th-thanks..." he replied quietly. She wasn't making fun of him or anything... In fact, it looked like... was she blushing? Looking away, Takumi brushed his hair back behind his ears, though some of it fell back in front of his face. For some reason, he kept glancing back at her... back into her eyes... He just couldn't help it... and while he felt very embarrassed, it wasn't actually... a bad feeling... In fact, he felt strangely... happy...
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Post by Hishime on Sept 10, 2008 1:56:27 GMT -5
The young woman gave a kind smile as their gaze met, her eyes also softening a bit more. Blue. As Blue as the water from the lake, calm yet strong. It wasn’t the lighter kind of blue, not the sky blue. But not dark blue either. It was hard to explain what his eyes were like. And, for some reason, she couldn’t look away. They was almost hypnotically. Yes, that’s what they were like – hypnotically...
Then, he suddenly broke their eye-contact by looking away. Was there something wrong? Had she been looking for too long? It was possible; most people look away when they’re nervous. It was now that the color on his face became visible for her; red. The girl blinked. Why was he blushing? Was he still embarrassed? Or was it something else?
“Be more confident.” Hishime spoke quietly. It was an easy thing to say, but a hard thing to do. Why she had said it, wasn’t fully clear to her as well. Maybe she just wanted him to feel less embarrassed. Maybe she just wanted to break the silence by saying something random. Whatever the reason was, she felt that this statement was more directed to herself, than Takumi.
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Kirihara Takumi
Niibi no Nekomata
There's hope from the ocean, but none from the grave... [on:Lurking around.][of:Cannot be found.]
Posts: 161
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Post by Kirihara Takumi on Sept 11, 2008 22:57:04 GMT -5
(ooc: Yeesh, I started to reply several times, but each time something came up and I had to get off, losing what I'd written each time! Feh... Sorry, I'm making excuses... here you go!)
"Be more confident."
Takumi was surprised at this comment, but when he turned to look at her, it didn't seem as though it had been directed toward him, exactly... Ah well, no matter.
"Are you hungry, Yu--" Takumi stopped suddenly, remembering their deal. Ignoring it, he went on. "You must be, it's been a good while since you've eaten. I'll go ahead and make something right away."
Rising and walking swiftly to the doorway, he paused and turned back to look at the girl's face with a sad smile, casting a dim silhouette as he stood between light and shadow. He now had every right to know her name, but... he didn't feel good about it. He wasn't going to demand it right now... It just didn't feel right. She could tell him on her own, when she was ready... or at least he would find a better time to ask.
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