A Promise Kept: Takumi Vs. Hishime.

[Hishime]

Hishime listened carefully, nor and then slowly nodding or shaking her head. ‘I’m not really anything special.’ Bullshit. Everybody was special, right? So he was too, and he wasn’t getting away with saying that he wasn’t. She found all the information she was just given quite... interesting and captivating. The fact that he had a fairly simple life raised more questions such as, why? How come he had spent the most of his life alone? But that wasn’t really a nice thing to talk about.

‘There was something more, thought, wasn’t there?’ Takumi asked quietly, releasing her now soaked locks, to her disappointment. ‘That you were thinking of when you asked my to wash my hair, isn’t that right.’

Hishime swallowed slightly. Sure, there was more, but she wasn’t going to ask him that. If he hadn’t been male it would have been a lot easier. But still, she wasn’t freaking out as she’d first expected she would. He wasn’t scary, just relaxed and calm. Yet still... “No... actually, there isn’t much else...” she said quietly, shaking her head, her eyes drifting down for a moment. “But thank you, for helping me...” She smiled gently.

[Kirihara Takumi]

"No... actually, there isn’t much else... But thank you, for helping me...”

"Oh..." Takumi was disappointed... Now he wished he hadn't told her he'd finished with her hair. It seemed like it had been relaxing for both of them... He had been happy... but now... "I suppose, if there's nothing else... You probably want me to leave, right...?" he sighed. "But... if you don't mind... I mean... I'd like to stay... and keep you company... If that'd be okay..." Takumi asked, rubbed the back of his neck in quiet embarrassment.

[Hishime]

Hishime tilted her head to the side in slight confusion. He sounded... different. Disappointed? She couldn’t really tell, but he didn’t seem too happy with the fact that he was basically finished. Why? What did he want to do then? Hishime swallowed slightly, and looked down at the rippling water, biting down on her lip. No, he wouldn’t do anything. For God’s sake, he’d promised. She should stop being afraid of such things. But that would be impossible. She knew she wouldn’t ever be capable of doing that...

‘But... if you don’t mind... I mean... I’d like to stay... and keep you company...’ Takumi mumbled. ‘If that’d be okay...’

Once again, the young girl swallowed, and turned her head to look at him with confusion and a somewhat frightened look. Well, it could be considered frightened. Quickly she looked away again. Why the hell did he want to stay? What the fuck did he want? Carefully, she buried her face in her arms for a moment, breathing heavily. But he didn’t have that look on his face, like he had bad plans with her. His face was kind and soft. He wasn’t a bad person, as he? “I trust you...” she said in a quiet whisper. “And... And... I don’t mind company... So... alright...” Did he have any idea how much trust she was putting in him? No, probably not. Sighing, the young girl rubbed her temples. Damn...

[Kirihara Takumi]

For a moment, Hishime looked frightened, but she quickly looked away.

“I trust you... And... And... I don’t mind company... So... alright...”

Takumi felt guilty now, but he'd already asked, and she'd allowed it... but still...

"Would... this be better?" he asked, turning around to face the empty room. He couldn't see her this way, but... it was probably better that way. "I could sing again if you'd like... or we could keep talking... Whatever you'd prefer."

Absentmindedly, Takumi grabbed a towel and held it in his arms, sighing gently. It had been a long time since he hadn't felt alone before Hishime had come along... He'd always preferred it that way, but now he felt he'd been missing something all along.

[Hishime]

‘Would... this be better?’ Takumi asked quietly. Slowly, the young girl turned her head over her shoulder to look at him again, and spotted that it was him that had his back turned to her instead of the other way around. ‘I could sing again if you’d like... or we could keep talking. Whatever you’d prefer.’

Hishime shook her head slowly, and allowed a deep sigh to escape her full lips. This was so wrong. So, so wrong. But it was the fact that he was acting calm, and was her friend as well, that made it acceptable. It was ok. It was cool. He was just a friend. Damn, she was getting sick of how often she’d already reminded herself of that one. She had to learn...

“I prefer to be able to see the person I talk to...” Hishime said quietly, keeping her eyes on the young male as she flashed a soft and gentle smile. “Besides, that’s only polite, isn’t it?” Honestly, that was better than this. She wanted to be able to look him in the eye, see his true emotions while they talked, not just hear the tone in his voice.

[Kirihara Takumi]

“I prefer to be able to see the person I talk to... Besides, that’s only polite, isn’t it?”

Takumi took a deep breath and slowly turned back around. He certainly didn't want to be impolite, but... the atmosphere was still so uncomfortable.

"So..." Takumi risked a glance, still holding the towel absently. "You said before that there was someone in your heart... isn't that right? Someone you wish you were free to love? I understand if you don't want to talk about it. It's just that... well..." He sighed and held the towel a little tighter. "I've never had anyone, myself..."

[Hishime]

A light, charming smile lit up the female’s fair features as the young man finally turned to once again face her, his own expression not far away from pure embarrassment, which was both strange and understandable. She had to question herself, despite the fact that the answer would be not hard to find, as though why he felt such discomfort. They were friends, as they had officially declared earlier this morning, so a plain and simple bathe should not be able to disturb their relationship. Normally, that is. And, at least she figured, neither of them would not have too much reason to feel that way, uncomfortable and embarrassed. He wasn’t nude, being watched by friendly, yet seemingly interested eyes. Could it possibly be that his interest in her was not in the friendly, family-like manors she had first hoped for? No, that was impossible, wasn’t it?

Gently, Hishime shifted in the hard, slippery bath, lowering her knees slightly to reposition herself into a bit more relaxed, comfy posture. Her arms never slipped too far from her well-formed bosom, though moved along with the movements of the fairly muscular legs, causing them to lower in the same degree. His question took her off-guard to say the least, and for a short period of time, the young woman looked at him confusedly. Why was he questioning such a thing? But it was soon made clear, and it was far too obvious, she could have even guessed it correctly at once. He was curious, and there were other emotions that were hard for her to define.

The Kunoichi swallowed and carefully averted her panther-like gaze to the pale, stone walls the surrounded them. This certainly wasn’t a subject she enjoyed to discuss. But if that was what her new-found friend desired, then she would give in effortlessly. “It’s okay...” The woman said in a gently, calm and steady voice. She sighed softly to herself as the memories of her strange relationship returned from the back of her messy mind. “I... haven’t seen him in a very long time, sadly. I don’t know where he is, how he’s doing, or whether he’s still alive or not. It’s kind of complicated.” She shrugged. What more was there to tell? She could go into details, but she was more than certain that neither of them would enjoy such a personal story.

“The first time we met, that was back in Konoha, in the forest, if I remember correctly. He was scared, but I never really understood why. For his age, he was so childish.” A soft chuckle escaped her full lips, though at only the sound one could hear that the ninja did not have much clue how to feel about this whole thing. Hishime reached up with one hand, keeping the other lightly in front of her breasts, and gently ran her pale fingers through her dark locks. The contrast of the two was incredible, like snow and coal, but it was the difference that allowed it to match in strange ways.

“Alright, I was too, back then, but differently. It’s possible that for him it was just a fling or something, but it definitely wasn’t that way for me.” Hishime continued, and carefully pulled a handful of black hair over her shoulder, twirling her finger around it playfully. It only it were a little longer, there would be no need for her to cover her chest with hands. “I loved him, for some odd reasons. But I don’t know if I still feel that way. I just like to imagine us together, I guess.”

That was when she returned her glistering eyes back to the man that stood not too far from her. Her eyes were serious, dead-serious, though held no signs of coldness or antisocialism. The corners of her mouth creaked to form a half smile. “Loneliness can drive people crazy.”