A Promise Kept: Takumi Vs. Hishime.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"There, everything's ready."

Takumi put his hands on his hips and gave a satisfied sigh as he looked over the room, making sure he hadn't forgotten to do anything. Sometimes when he bathed, he forgot to heat the water - which was usually fine by him, but probably wasn't what Hishime would want.

Appearing in the doorway once more, Takumi knocked gently on the wall just in case.

"The bath is all ready for ya."

[Hishime]

Hishime sat there quietly, leaning against the wall, obviously deep in thought, because she had only barely heard the light knock. ‘The bath is all ready for you.’ It was Takumi’s voice that shook her out of her minor fantasies. Hishime blinked for a moment, and then turned her head to look at him with a light smile. Oh, yeah. Right. She’d almost... Nah, it wasn’t something that could actually be forgotten. It was a little bit too awkward for that. She sighed gently, and took a calming breath.

“Ok...” she said quietly, and shifted on the bed. Well, it would be better to make the best out of it. Ignore the embarrassment, and act normal. Who gave a fuck? They were both human, weren’t they? Carefully sliding her legs over the edge of the bed, one single problem suddenly hit the back of her head. Could she walk? She should be able to, but the muscles in her legs had suffered minor damage. Hm. Great. She couldn’t resist to at least try, however.

Slowly, with utter carefulness, she pushed herself up on her feet. It hurt, more than just a little, but she could ignore part of it. Now for a first step. Surprisingly, it worked. It wasn’t effortless and easy, but she was still able to do it herself. “Wow, I can walk.” She chuckled softly, and carefully moved over to the young man. There was no point in covering what was showing now, since he had already seen her. Man, she had caught him looking. She walked past him in her slow pace, and gestured her head, giving him a questioning look. He’d have to lead the way, didn’t he?

[Kirihara Takumi]

"Wow, I can walk."

Takumi chuckled silently when he heard this, leaning against the doorway as Hishime made her way toward him...

... aaaand past him. Catching her expression, he realized that he should be leading the way, and so led her to the warmth of the bathroom. Slowly, it dawned on him that he should probably not be looking when she undressed and got in, so he turned around and closed his eyes, waiting for some sign that it was okay to look again.

[Hishime]

It was silent as the both of them slowly headed to the bathroom. It was understandable that neither said a word, but not exactly comfortable. She’d rather have an awkward conversation than have to bare the silence. Oh, well. As they entered, she noticed that her host, Takumi, stood still in the middle of the room, turned with his back facing her. What...? Oh. She smiled lightly. That was a good sign. Carefully, she reached over to feel the temperature of the water with a delicate hand. It wasn’t exactly hot, but that was only a good thing with her injuries. And it was definitely going to hurt.

So quickly, trying not to make too much of a mess, she undid most of the bandages she was able to reach, knowing that it would probably be better for the healing. “Argh... Say something...” Hishime mumbled quietly, shaking her head slightly. “I know it’s kind of awkward, but I don’t really care, and the silence is getting annoying.” She sighed softly. Carefully, she reached back to touch small hook on her back. “But don’t look.” That was important as well. She quickly slipped out of her underwear, and sat on the edge of the bath, trying to ignore the fact that this was far too... too... she couldn’t think of the right word.

The young girl slowly slipped in one foot, one place that wasn’t covered with minor cuts. That was ok. But as soon as she tried to lower herself deeper in, the water made contact with the open wounds, and she cursed slightly. Well, it was a good thing that most of the blood had dried, so the water wouldn’t immediately turn blood red. “I told you, it was going to fucking hurt...” she mumbled silently, more to herself than anyone else. After another moment of struggling, biting her lip and groaning slightly, she finally found herself in a fairly normal position in the bathtub. She covered herself quickly. “Ok... I think you can look...” Hishime glanced away slightly in embarrassment.

[Kirihara Takumi]

“Argh... Say something... I know it’s kind of awkward, but I don’t really care, and the silence is getting annoying. But don’t look.”

"Ah...! Well, um..." He tried to say something, but Takumi really didn't know what to say. He could hear her undress and start to get into the water, and winced when she cursed in pain.

"I told you, it was going to fucking hurt... Ok... I think you can look..."

Shyly, Takumi turned around and risked a glance. Thankfully, he wasn't able to see any... details... She was covering herself well, and Takumi did his best not to let his imagination fill in the blanks.

"Umm... Is the water okay?" he asked, just to have something to say. "I tried not to make it too hot for you..."

[Hishime]

The young man slowly turned to face her, and the Kunoichi looked away awkwardly, staring down at her knees, which she was holding onto firmly. That was her cover; her legs and her arms, - like curled in a ball. However, of course, she was unable to cover everything. She could hide the lower part of her breasts, and a bit of the more personal areas down there, but that was it. It left the frame of her body and a major cleavage visible. She sighed softly, and then turned to eye Takumi with a gentle smile. Perhaps she could try to lighten the mood a little, shake off the awkwardness. Again, it wasn’t like he had never seen a naked woman before, right?

‘Is the water ok?’ Takumi asked quietly, obviously as embarrassed as she was, if not more. ‘I tried not to make it too hot for you.’

Hishime’s smile grew a little wider, and she nodded lightly. “The water’s great...” she mumbled softly. “It feels good, refreshing... but still a little painful.” Carefully, she lifted one arm while she spoke, and gently rubbed her skin with her other hand, trying to wash off some blood and dirt that was still decorating her skin. She was careful not to hit any cut, though. However, that wasn’t an easy task to fulfill. “You know, I really appreciate it.” the young girl said, tilting her head slightly to the side while she watched him. “Thank you...”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“The water’s great... It feels good, refreshing... but still a little painful,” Hishime said as she washed herself carefully. "You know, I really appreciate it. Thank you...”

"No problem." Takumi smiled, his eyes cast a little to the side so he wasn't looking directly at her. There was a little too much cleavage for him to be comfortable, but he didn't want to look away entirely. "I'm glad... I just... hope it doesn't hurt too much..."

Takumi sighed and his smile faded, remembering once again that it was his fault she was hurt.

[Hishime]

‘No problem.’ Takumi spoke quietly, his voice soft and steady, which did surprise her a little. The only thing, abnormal thing, that caught her attention, was that his eyes were gazing passed her. But that could be considered normal in a situation like this, so that was nothing. It was pretty logical. ‘I’m glad... I just... hope it doesn’t hurt too much...’

At that comment, Hishime gave a soft smile, and let her eyes dart down to her lap, or rather, to her knees. Honestly, she could have laughed if this wasn’t so awkward. “Oh, it’s ok. It just... kind of stings...” she said quietly. “But I’ve had worse, this is nothing. So, no worries, alright?” The last thing she could use right now, at a moment like this, was a far too worried friend.

The young girl swallowed slightly. Time for a different topic. “Uhm... c-could you... could you please take a look at my back...? Clean it, I don’t know...?” she asked quietly, reaching up with one hand to move her dark locks over one shoulder. That was why he was still here, right? “How bad is it?”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“Uhm... c-could you... could you please take a look at my back...? Clean it, I don’t know...? How bad is it?”

Takumi moved over and took a look as Hishime exposed her back, and he couldn't help giving a sharp intake of breath. There were so many injuries there, too... None of them looked too serious, but...

"I'll have to remember not to use that technique unless it's really an enemy," he thought to himself. "It's just too dangerous, not enough control." It was the threads that made it so terrible. Even if the shuriken and kunai went a little past the opponent, they'd just wrap around until they hit, from all sides.

"It's cut up pretty badly," Takumi answered honestly. There was no point in skipping around the facts. "Bruises, too. Nothing looks too serious, though, so that's good..." He sighed lightly and scooped up some water. "I'll try to be gentle."

Takumi began washing the dirt and blood from her back, avoiding the cuts just as Hishime had been doing. Her skin was so soft beneath his hands... He could feel his heart pounding, but he did his best to stay calm and relaxed.

Takumi noticed something else... other injuries, long since healed... He thought about saying something, but... right now, he just wanted her to be able to relax, and something like that probably wouldn't help.

"How do you feel? I'm not hurting you at all, am I?"

[Hishime]

Slowly, Takumi finally approached, moving from his distance position to a closer that was required for the following actions, but not exactly comfortable. Hishime looked away slightly, a minor blush showing to decorate her cheeks, and bit her lower-lip. Automatically, she attempted to hide more of herself. But with only limited cover, that was hard to do so, and in the end, she failed to succeed. The young girl swallowed slightly. It was ok when he was on the other side of the room, but when he was this close...

It was terrifying.

However, she tried not to let it show. Instead, she looked down and rested her chin on her arms, which were clutching her knees, when she felt his hands come up to touch her bare back. He was being gentle, like he’d said, but that didn’t stop the water from stinging every time it flowed across an open wound. It did hurt. But that was only normal when it was cut up so badly as he was claiming. And he was probably right, because the stinging was spread all over her back and shoulders.

“I feel... kind of like a child...” she said quietly, giving a soft chuckle. That was pure self-defense and to lighten the mood, however. “But it doesn’t hurt... a lot...” She swallowed slightly. Yes. ‘A lot.’ Was probably the best way to word it. She could ignore the pain, but it still wasn’t the nicest thing in the world.

[Kirihara Takumi]

“I feel... kind of like a child... But it doesn’t hurt... a lot...”

So it was still hurting, at least a little. Well, it couldn't be helped. Takumi continued to work his way down her back, singing softly and cleaning it so that if it weren't for the injuries... it would actually look quite beautiful...

"So... what else do you need help with?"

Despite himself, Takumi actually hoped that there would be more. He wasn't going to try anything, as promised, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself.

[Hishime]

Gently and carefully, his hands moved over her injured back. Now and then, Hishime found herself biting down on her lower-lip in an attempt not to groan too badly. If it wasn’t hurting because of the damage, it would feel quite nice, she had to admit. Kind of like the massage she’d been wanting. But damn... every one in a while, mostly when he moved back up to her shoulders, the pain was worse, far worse. Not very pleasant, but this whole thing had to be done. It was better for the healing, and personal hygiene was something she found very important.

Hishime listened carefully to his voice, closing her eyes lightly while remaining in the ‘curled up in a ball’ position. She wasn’t sure whether he did that because he wanted to do it, or to make her feel more relaxed; the singing. Either way, it did calm her down a little. See, there was nothing to be afraid of! He wasn’t going to try anything! Now she felt guilty for thinking that, distrusting him.

‘So... what else do you need help with?’

The voice of the young man pulled her back to reality. She’d been too focused on the singing and daydreaming, letting the awkwardness fade. But now, in one hit, the embarrassment was back. What else...? “Uhm... I-I don’t know...” she mumbled quietly, her grip tightening on her legs. Her cheeks quickly flushed. Of course, she did know. But was it really a job for a man? Honestly, she didn’t really thing so. “I was thinking... my hair, or something... But I don’t know if you could...” she trailed off.

[Kirihara Takumi]

“Uhm... I-I don’t know... I was thinking... my hair, or something... But I don’t know if you could...”

It felt like there was more than she was saying, but it seemed like she was too embarrassed. Takumi started singing again, running his fingers through her hair, cleaning it with as much care as he had with her back... Her hair felt soft as well... It seemed like everything about her was soft... except her personality when she had her guard completely up. But now... there was softness there, too. She was warming up to him, even if this situation was somewhat embarrassing...

[Hishime]

Hishime shivered gently when she suddenly felt the touch of his warm hands on her head, combing through her hair. For the first time in what seemed like hours, there was no pain, not even in the slightest. It felt somewhat... nice. Yes, perhaps that was the word. She quickly found herself relaxing again, as once again, his voice softly rang through the bathroom, echoing against the walls. And like before, Hishime remained quiet for the most of the time, sitting motionlessly in the water with her eyes closed lightly.

“Takumi-san...” she said quietly, opening her eyes again. Carefully, she glanced back at the young man, looking over her shoulder. She smiled softly. “Would you please tell me a bit more about yourself?” she asked. “I mean, you know about me, but I don’t know much about you...”

[Kirihara Takumi]

“Takumi-san... Would you please tell me a bit more about yourself? I mean, you know about me, but I don’t know much about you...”

Takumi paused for a moment.

"What is there to tell, really?" he sighed, resuming his work. "I've been alone for most of my life... I'm not really anything special... Mostly I just sit around and daydream on my time off... Sometimes I dance and train underwater for hours on end... I really don't know what else to say about me... I'm just a dreamer with the soul of the sea... There, all done. With your hair, I mean..." Actually, he'd been done for a while, but had been running his fingers through it without thinking ever since. "There was something more, though, wasn't there? That you were thinking of when you asked me to wash your hair... isn't that right?"