A Promise Kept: Takumi Vs. Hishime.

[Hishime]

It was silent for a short moment. It was again that strange sort of silence. Not necessarily uncomfortable and painful, but not exactly pleasant either. The young man sitting at her bedside, Takumi, seemed rather deep in thought, which she had to admit, worried her a little. Shifting uncomfortable in her newfound, awkward position, in which it was actually easier for him to get a quick peek at her body-shape and personal places, she tilted her head slightly to the side, and rested her cheek on one knee, facing him.

When he finally did speak, it was her turn to fall silent. Hishime shook her head slowly. It was sweet, of course it was, but it wasn’t exactly the way things were supposed to go. “I don’t think you can really help with that, Takumi-san.” Hishime said in a soft, quiet whisper. A serious look crossed her face. “If you do, there’s a far too big chance that you’re going to get hurt. And I’m not risking that.” She let out a deep sigh, and closed her eyes lightly. “You’re not going to get involved with my problems.”

[Kirihara Takumi]

Takumi frowned a bit in the sudden silence and looked over at Hishime, before suddenly averting his eyes, his face flushing a little. He'd been able to see places he really shouldn't be looking.

"I don't think you can really help with that, Tamuki-san."

Takumi listened as Hishime expressed her concern, but something told him that he was going to be involved whether she wanted him to or not.

"... Does it bother you?"

[Hishime]

Carefully, the young girl fluttered open her eyelids to reveal her deep, ocean-greenish eyes, and moved her gaze down, away from his, to the floor. Did it bother her? She didn’t want him to get hurt. Not for the stupid reason of helping her. This was her shit, her problem. Not his. And it wasn’t going to be his. Ever. And if she was completely honest, she didn’t want him to help. Not with that little thing.

“You’re not going to get hurt just because of me.” she said quietly, her voice cracking slightly at the beginning of the sentence. Sighing softly, she forced the still nearly numb muscles in her neck to move, and she lifted her head, only to then rest her forehead in her arms, covering her face. She sat like that for a few seconds, resetting her mind, and then looked up again. “I will not allow it.” the young girl said.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"I will not allow it."

Something in Takumi suddenly compelled him to bow dutifully - He even almost said "As you wish," but remembered himself just in time. She was his friend, not his master. After a moment, Takumi relaxed and chuckled a bit.

"You know, you're pretty tense. Please, try to relax, would you? Though I must admit... I like it a lot better when you're straightforward like that."

[Hishime]

Again, like before, there was a strange kind of silence that quickly took over the atmosphere around them as soon as the last words had left the young girl’s full lips. And that just proved it all; this definitely was no pleasant thing to be speaking about. Not for her, at least. Gently, the young girl brought up a delicate, with bandage wrapped hand and used it to brush back her dark locks in the famous feminine-like way.

‘You know, you’re pretty tense.’ The young man spoke suddenly. ‘Please, try to relax, would you?’

Hishime tilted her head slightly to the side, and eyed him with confusion in her deep, green eyes. Yes, even she had to say, she was pretty tense. More than just pretty tense. But could anyone really blame her? No. But how would she be able to relax? Her body was aching, she could literally feel her brain getting tired and building up to a mental shut-down, and it wasn’t like she felt like a clean and beautiful little princess either. What she could really use if he wanted her to fully relax, were no worries, a warm bath, some clean clothing, and finishing off with a nice, long massage. Yes, that sounded more than good. She smiled softly at the thought.

‘Though I must admit... I like it a lot better when you’re straightforward like that.’

Her bright eyes, which had been darting across the room in her deep and never-ending daydreaming, quickly locked themselves back on the young man. Somehow, she managed to force the smallest of smiles in real-life, not due to imagination. “I’m trying...” she said softly. “I’m really trying...”

Hishime shook her head slightly, and once again shifted on the bed in minor discomfort. Lowering her legs slightly, she crossed her arms underneath her bosom, which forced the cleavage to increase, and wetted her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “But... relaxing can be kind of hard... I’m sure you know that, though.”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“I'm trying... I'm really trying... But... relaxing can be kind of hard... I’m sure you know that, though.”

Takumi watched Hishime quietly as she spoke, barely catching what she actually said. She really was beautiful... Takumi sighed. It was distracting.

"This could be a problem," he thought to himself.

"It's true... relaxing can be difficult..." Takumi looked down at the floor, hoping she hadn't noticed him watching her. "Is there anything I could do to help? I am, after all, your host here, and also your friend... Surely there's something I could do?"

[Hishime]

‘It’s true, relaxing can be difficult.’ Takumi said quietly. At least he understood, and that was a little more that just a good thing. She smiled weakly. ‘Is there anything I could do to help? I am, after all, your host here, and also your friend.’ The young girl swallowed. ‘Surely there’s something I could do?’

And again, she swallowed. Something he could do to make her feel more at ease? Gosh, hell no! Feeling more blood rush to her once with innocent rose decorated face, which she was sure was now glowing with the brightest pink imaginable, she looked away, in any direction other than the young man at her bedside.

“Not much really...” she said quietly, her voice lowering slightly as she spoke. With a deep sigh, she decided it was better to just spill the idea, instead of having him worrying and insisting. “I was thinking... that if I could maybe use your bath or shower, that would be nice... but...” There was a definite ‘but’ here. “I’m more than certain that it would hurt like hell, and that I would need some help there...” Hishime shook her head slightly, and looked down nervously at her lap. Someone, a male someone, sitting by her side while she bathed, of course, without clothing, someone she’d only just befriended, was one of the last things she’d ever want. Biting her lip gently, she tried not to imagine the scenario.

[Kirihara Takumi]

She was blushing...? Exactly what was she thinking about? Takumi was a little nervous now.

“I was thinking... that if I could maybe use your bath or shower, that would be nice... but... I’m more than certain that it would hurt like hell, and that I would need some help there...”

Now it was Takumi's turn to blush. A bath...? Help...? Takumi did his best to keep his head clear of any images, but...

"H-Hishime..." He couldn't bring himself to look anywhere near her now. For some reason, though, he couldn't bring himself to deny her. Takumi took a deep breath. "What... would you need help with...?"

[Hishime]

Not long after the far too awkward comment had escaped from her in a near gasp, the young man’s face flushed as well. At least he now understood what she had been, and still was, blushing like mad. His cheeks were turning an innocent rouge, but then the blush darkened to a bright magenta. Great. Just great. Hishime swallowed slightly.

‘H-Hishime...’ Takumi said her name in a low voice. ‘What... would you need help with?’

For a moment, the young girl fell silent. She could clearly feel her heart skip a beat, and her normal body-heat boil up to above the maximum. Wh-what...? He wasn’t disgusted by the idea? No, of course he wasn’t. What kind of question was that anyway? He was a man, or rather still a boy, and seemed to have the right age that went together with a man’s sexual peak. God, what the hell had she gotten herself into?!

“I-I...” Hishime stuttered slightly, choking on the words. Fuck, this was so awkward. “W-washing, dr-drying... M-maybe my hair... a-and bandages...” As soon as the words the girl’s full lips, the images started to flow, as if just created. The idea of her, naked, and him, touching her like that. No. She didn’t really like it. They were friends. Then why shouldn’t they? If they were indeed friends, what did it matter?

[Kirihara Takumi]

“W-washing, dr-drying... M-maybe my hair... a-and bandages...”

So basically... everything. Takumi shifted uncomfortably, blushing fiercely. He wasn't used to feeling like this, and didn't know how he should react. He wasn't even entirely sure why he felt the way he did. Takumi hadn't been prepared for any of this... but, if a bath would help her, and she needed his help, he was determined to do what he could.

"A-all right, but I'm not gonna do it all for you," he stammered. "And... I'll try not to let it hurt too much..." That was another thing that worried him. He didn't want her to be in pain, especially since it was his fault in the first place... "It's... the least I can do..."

[Hishime]

‘A-alright, but I’m not gonna do it all for you.’ Takumi said, his own blush darkening to an incredible shade she had never known was humanly possible. Fuck. At this comment, it was as if her eyes were about to pop out of her head. She breather heavily, closed her eyes, and shook her head furiously. No fucking way in hell he was going to do everything for her. Maybe her back and shoulders, and other shit, but not the more personal areas. If possible, she was not even going to give him a single change to even peek at her naked breasts. However, it was quite predicable, actually, it would be pretty hard to do so. But that was a goal. That, and not being in too much pain, as Takumi mentioned quickly after the embarrassing comment.

“I’m not going to let you do it all for me...” Hishime said quietly, her face creased with a more than serious look. However, her expression had to look silly with the far too bright rose on her normally pale cheeks. She swallowed slightly, and averted her eyes, glancing away from him. “And please, promise me one thing...” This was important. Very, very important. “Don’t try anything, please?” Her voice was pleading, and she almost questioned him, even though this should not be a question. If he went and tried anything, anything at all, she had no idea how she would react. But it would be bad, she knew that much. Best not to try it out. It scared her, and it was showing in her eyes and body-posture.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"Don't try anything, please?"

Takumi quickly shook his head, as if driving away the thought.

"I would never, I promise!" Takumi turned away and hid face behind his dark blue hair. It felt like his face was burning. Did she really think he'd do something like that? "I'm really not a bad guy, you know..."

Takumi stood and walked to the doorway, hoping to avoid her gaze.

"I'll go get everything ready, 'kay? I'll be back in a sec."

That wasn't the only reason he wanted to leave the room - Takumi really needed to calm down, and hopefully Hishime would too. It was only a temporary reprieve, he knew, but hopefully it would do them some good.

[Hishime]

‘I would never, I promise!’ The young girl let out a soft sigh, and slowly, bit by bit, the smallest of smiles came across her full lips. ‘I’m really not a bad guy, you know...’ Her smiled grew a bit wider, and she nodded in agreement. No, he wasn’t bad. And of course he wouldn’t do anything! Why was she even thinking...? Right. But the facts that she had caught him looking at her and that he was a man that lived alone in this small house weren’t the only thing that unlocked a box of old memories and fears.

Quickly, as if wanting to get out as soon as possible, Takumi stood and headed for the door. ‘I’ll go get everything ready, ok? I’ll be back in a sec.’ Hishime nodded slightly, and with that, whispered a quick, “Alright.”, and a, “Thank you.”, and then he was gone.

The silence in the room was the familiar painful silence she’d felt during the night and while he had not been with her in this room. But it gave her time to think. The young girl curled up in a ball, hugging her knees and resting her cheekbone in her arms, her head facing to the door, ready to response when he came back. Alright. This was going to be awkward. But that didn’t matter, because he had said that he wouldn’t try anything. They were friends, so it really didn’t matter much. Besides, it wasn’t like he had never seen a naked woman before, right? Her smile fell slightly as she bit her lip. There was something about this young man, something good. She didn’t feel much fear when she was with him, but she felt safe. That was the main reason that she wasn’t completely freaking out like she normally would have done. He made her feel safe.

[Kirihara Takumi]

Takumi sighed heavily, leaning against the bathroom wall. That had been really awkward... and knowing that soon she'd be naked with him so close didn't help things. But he had to relax - after all, how would Hishime be able to if he couldn't? And that, after all, was the point in the first place. He wanted her to be able to relax.

Smiling a little and singing to himself, Takumi set his long, flowing outer robe aside and began preparing the bath in his light blue, sleeveless inner robe.

[Hishime]

The young girl gave another deep sigh, and finally allowed herself to sit in a more relaxed, and exposed position, no longer covering herself and being awkward. She was alone now, anyway, so there was no more reason to cover it up. In a few minutes, she’d have more than just scars to cover, and it still was kind of scary. But just knowing that he would act normal, not be as perverted as every other guy would, was relieving. She smiled gently.

For the next few minutes, she entertained herself by eating the rest of the meal he had prepared for her, and trying to straighten out her hair. She only had to wait for him, because walking itself would be hard, but walking up to him in nothing but her underwear was kind of embarrassing as well. Oh, God, this was going to be bad. Sighing, she set the plate down on the tray, and played mindlessly with her fingers.