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Naruto Saga » Kaminari no Kuni » Kaminari no Kuni » Nothing but my aching soul. [Bokuden/Private/No Kill]

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Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?



She stood motionless, arms to her sides while her eyes flitted around the room as if searching for an escape path. The air tasted heavy and dry.
Her grandfather, the clan leader, threw a last glance her way before nodding to one of his advisors. “It seems her eyes are finished. There is almost no difference between what they look like now and when her doujutsu is activated. Besides the obvious.” A light chuckle left his mouth as he patted her cheek. “They do not affect the nervous system and can therefore be called harmless.”
The smirk across his lips would disappear as quickly as it had come. Impatiently, he pointed to a sheet of paper lying on his desk. “Raise her price. It is only fair that we can now charge extra for the glowing effect.”

The room blurred into darkness. Then a new scene took shape before Misoka’s eyes.

“Look at me,” Yukimura commanded.
She hesitated, but did as she was told.
The man before her must be at least twenty years older than her; the deep lines on his face and the creases framing the mouth indicated his age. His dark blue hair was tied up in a ponytail so that nothing could cover his unusually big nose.
Just as she had scrutinized him, his eyes must have traced every inch of her face.

A smile flashed across his rough features. He turned to Arata and said one simple word. “Beautiful.”
Misoka could see her relative returning the smile as he answered, "You cannot expect anything less from our clan.”
“Yes, yes.” Yukimura grunted, pleased, which made him sound like a pig. “I have wanted to buy one of your girls for a long time, but I needed somebody who could even stand out among them. After all, I was told her eyes are rare. I hope this was not a lie?”
Seconds. Minutes. How long had she been standing here?
…
The words he spoke about Misoka circled solely around her appearance and she imagined he would always feel that way towards her. You could admire beauty, but you could only love someone for their personality.

Cut. Blackness blinding her once more. It felt calm, comforting even. She didn’t want the dark to go away. But then eventually, another familiar voice announced the inevitable scene change.

“I like your hair,” Taku whispered, his fingers threading through her long tresses. He paused a moment. “My mother had blonde hair, too. I could have cut it off before I killed her. A shame.” Misoka shuddered beneath his touch, but he continued non-chalantly.
“Come to think of it, my father was from the Uchiha Clan. Did you know that? No, of course not. Anyway, I shouldn’t have granted him such a quick death. I should have at least taken one of his eyes.” His hysteric laughter filled the air. “Can you imagine that? Someone like me with an Uchiha eye? A eunuch as I am with an Uchiha eye?”
She turned away, trying to shut off everything around her. She wasn’t here. And she was alone. Not with that psychopath.
Taku’s firm grip on her hair snapped her back into reality. “I said, ‘Can you imagine it?’” He growled. “Can you? Answer me.”

Misoka shot up in bed, panting. Just a dream. And still, those were all pictures she had truly seen before. She couldn’t fool herself. She hadn’t forgotten about any yet so tiny detail of the past five years.
With trembling fingers, she wiped her face, feeling the dampness of her cheeks. Fresh tears started welling up in her eyes. It was still night, a dim darkness lingering in her room and embracing her frame.
She was alone and she was grateful for that.
So she let it all out and cried.
At first, there were only tears and shaking hands and a crumpled blanket. But then five words began to form in her mind, the words she would make herself believe in a long time ago.
Men are all the same.

~~

When Misoka got out of bed in the morning, she still felt tired and drained. The upcoming meeting with Bokuden crossed her mind. How was she supposed to feel about it, especially with that nightmare occupying the majority of her thoughts?
Maybe she should just call it off. Then again, she didn’t even have a messenger bird and she doubted she would be able to find his house in order to tell him in person. More importantly, however, she didn’t want to turn him down.
A sigh slipped from her lips as Misoka opened the wardrobe in her guest room. The wide choice of dresses, skirts and even shoes made her blink in surprise. Had Nami gone shopping just because she knew Misoka would come? Or were those all clothes the small woman used to wear during her teenage years? Probably the latter. Still a little overwhelmed, Misoka looked through the wardrobe until she found a comfortable pair of dark jeans and a grey sweater-vest.
She wanted to avoid any possibly romantic setting for her first proper meeting with Bokuden after all these years.

When she was finished, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. In front of the sink, her mirror image stared back at her. Eyes sparkling like the ocean in the sun, golden strands of hair framing her face. A face which reminded her so much of her clan that it almost hurt to look at it. Absent-mindedly, Misoka traced her cheek with a finger, shuddering at the memory of Yukimura doing the same. But not only Yukimura. So many men had touched her face before.
Just then, a sudden wave of disgust washed over her. In a blur, she turned on the bathroom sink and splashed her face with cool water.

Nami was already up making breakfast when Misoka entered the kitchen. “Good morning!” the brown-haired woman greeted cheerfully before giving her a quick once over. A slight frown would immediately form on Nami’s features while she was obviously trying her best not to show it too openly.
“Ah, you have that date today, don’t you? Aren’t you a little… too casually dressed? Don’t get me wrong, you still look beautiful, but what about all the dresses you had in your wardrobe?”
Misoka shrugged her shoulders. For a short moment, she felt dizzy and worn out again, but then she quickly shook it off and sat down on a chair. “What about them?”
The smile placed on Nami’s lips twitched. She continued buttering breads although it was clear that the conversation had her full attention. “I see. So you’ve already put the poor guy in the friend zone? I thought he was nice.”
This time, Misoka said nothing.

~~

It was neither too cold nor too warm that afternoon. Misoka went outside, waiting in front of the house.
In an attempt to distract herself from the nightmare, she adjusted the scarf at her neck and made sure it covered her long hair as well as possible.
She shouldn’t be spacing off; and she should certainly not feel so miserable right now. After finally gaining the freedom she had longed for, how could it be that the past was still able to catch up on her? Misoka swallowed.
What had Bokuden said? “To me, you haven’t changed.” And suddenly, the meaning behind his words appeared to be so crystal clear that she couldn’t help but scowl to herself for not realizing it before.
Needless to say, she didn’t feel like the same person she'd been five years ago. So what else could he have referred to? Her appearance of course. Except for the lighter shade of blonde and the glowing eyes, she had truly not changed a lot on the outside.
Brushing these thoughts aside, Misoka tried to focus on what they should do today. Go eat lunch somewhere? At a restaurant maybe?

With all the new doubts planted in her mind, she definitely wanted to test the waters before deciding on what kind of relationship would be best for both of them. Once again, no romantic setting. Perhaps she could innocently suggest that it would be nice to have Satomi with them or go to that abandoned mine (she had already heard a lot of interesting rumours about it) or wait, hike up the highest mountain Sky Point – this sounded not so bad, either. Might even improve her stamina.  




1444
Taijutsu B-> A (from another thread) 3000/3000



Last edited by Misoka on Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:38 am; edited 1 time in total

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Bokuden stood in front of his closet anxiously, eyeing his wardrobe up and down as he struggled to decide what to wear for his date that day. It was an unusual situation for him to find himself in. It wasn’t as if he had no experience with women, but in his line of work the trivialities of traditional courtship never seemed important… until that day. It had been so long since his life resembled anything bearing even the slightest hint of normalcy that he couldn’t help like he was constantly making the wrong decisions. And even then, Misoka was quite clear about starting over from the very beginning. It wasn’t his preferred choice, but he knew why she would suggest that and he respected it, although it didn’t do much as far as putting his mind at ease.

As he dressed himself Bokuden’s mind continued to dwell on the situation, replaying the past and overthinking what might come in the future. It was unlike him. He typically did not display this much uneasiness, even in life or death situations. He was nervous; a feeling he had not experienced in quite a long time, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling. This was not a fearful nervous, but more of an excited anxiousness. No matter the definition of their current relationship nor what difficulties might be lying in wait, Bokuden wanted to see Misoka once again. His thoughts would eventually come to focus on the matter at hand, but that wouldn’t necessarily put him at ease.  He wasn’t even sure how to dress for this meeting. They didn’t have any plans in particular, which made it only more difficult to decide on what to wear.

On most days his choice of outfit was so narrow due to his equipment and he would turn to his shinobi equipment, but when equipment was removed from the equation his decision became harder. Whatever he did decide to wear would be casual, wishing to make Misoka as comfortable as possible.  Ultimately he would decide on a collared black jacket, the collar standing just below chin level. The jacket would be worn unzipped, showing a dark grey unbuttoned Henley shirt accompanied by black pants and shoes. It was probably a darker tone than what she was used to seeing him wear, but then again anything outside of the typical blue he wore as a was probably unfamiliar for her as well. Once dressed he would make his way back to the address Misoka was staying at.

~~~~~~~

As he travelled to her house, Bokuden could not help but continue thinking about the whole situation. Still as nervous and anxious as before all he could think about when he knew he was drawing near was “what if she was already gone again?” Yes, it was probably crazy as she had just arrived and told him that she intended on taking up residence in Kumogakure for a while, but he still couldn’t stop the thoughts from crossing his mind.

He would feel a weight lifted from his chest as the image of Misoka standing outside of the door to miss Nami’s house, waving to her with a smile once he had gotten her attention. “Good afternoon Misoka,” he greeted her as he made his way over to her, “I didn’t expect you to be waiting out here. I hope I’m not late. You look… nice.” He didn’t motion to make any physical contact with her as he greeted Misoka, unsure of whether or not it would even be appropriate. He figured going in for a kiss, even on the cheek, would probably be a little too forward. Even the idea of hugging or taking her hand worried him a bit, so instead he would just wait it out and hope things worked out for the best. It wasn’t like there was much he could do at this point.

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
Bokuden arrived on time. She returned his greeting with a nod and a fake smile, trying her hardest to wipe the gloomy expression off her face. Ever since that morning, she didn’t really feel well. No wonder, after the terrible dream waking her in the middle of the night. Then again, although she couldn’t help but doubt it, she might just be getting sick.
In any case, Misoka was glad that Bokuden left her the space she needed. Casually, she slipped both her hands into the pockets of her sweater-vest.
At that moment, an unexpected thought crossed her mind, making her eyes widen slightly. “Can we do something crazy today?” She paused for a moment, not sure why she had said it aloud. But the more she dwelled on the idea, the more appealing it became. “I’ve heard of an abandoned mine somewhere in the mountain range. According to folk tales, it’s haunted and might also collapse anytime. Sounds exciting. Let’s go there.”
Of all things in the world, she figured that she needed to unwind that morning, to distract herself from any thoughts which were akin to give her a headache. A dangerous activity would be perfect for that. Pure adrenaline.
Besides, they would also find out whether the folk tales were true. They might run into some ghosts and would have to fight them and... another rush of adrenaline.
Right, the mine it was then. The determined look on her face didn’t seem to leave room for discussion.
If Bokuden disagreed with her suggestion, she would just call him a coward.

“I’ll go on ahead! Come on, slowpoke or have you fallen asleep already?” A much more sincere grin spread across her lips at that while she was already imagining what the mine would look like and whether it would be dangerous enough to suffice her needs. Cliff diving sounded very nice, too, they could do that afterwards.
Although, on a different note… had she just said 'slowpoke' to Bokuden? She couldn’t remember ever calling him names. At first, she had just been too polite to do anything which might upset her friends and later on, she’d probably been too much in love with him.
Never mind. Things were different now; no harm in being a little mischievous. After running forward, however, it quickly occurred to her that she had no idea which way to go. She certainly didn’t want to end up lost in the wilderness again, just like the day before. At least, she hadn’t been alone, but still…
A bit flustered, she stopped, turning around again and waving at Bokuden.
“Wait, I don’t want you to feel useless or anything. How about I let you lead the way?” she then suggested with an awkward smile in an attempt to avoid the subject of her being the useless guide.

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
As he greeted Misoka, Bokuden couldn’t help but feel as if something was… off. He had hoped that she would have been happy to see him, a hope that the fake smile on her face all but dashed as he awaited her response. Even that however, wasn’t the most alarming sign. He had seen her unhappy before. He had seen her laugh and cry, smile and scowl. He had even seen her fake a smile in an attempt to fool him before, but this was different. Whatever she was trying to hide behind that fake smiles, Bokuden couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t the only one she was hoping to fool.

“Can we do something crazy today?” Misoka would ask suddenly, throwing Bokuden off a bit not having expected something so straight forward, “I’ve heard of an abandoned mine somewhere in the mountain range. According to folk tales, it’s haunted and might also collapse anytime. Sounds exciting. Let’s go there.” That… was not what he was expecting. He was fully aware of the presence of the old mines closer to the mountain’s base; he had been there on several occasions himself. He had not been there in years however, and he hardly expected a suggestion like that to come out. On the bright side, it would spare him that awkward posturing and indecisiveness  of the two of them trying to ask where the other wanted to go.

“I’ll go on ahead! Come on, slowpoke or have you fallen asleep already?” she would continue, urging Bokuden on before he could even formulate a proper response to her proposal, “Wait, I don’t want you to feel useless or anything. How about I let you lead the way?” She turned back to face him as she continued, making her desire and apparent excitement to get going all the more apparent. The dumbfounded look of surprise that had adorned his face since her first question faded as his lips curled into a smirk, which accompanied by a nod of approval would signify his willingness to appease Misoka’s wish.

“As if I could refuse,” he retorted playfully as he walked forward, passing Misoka’s position a bit in the direction of the village exit before turning to her just as she had done to him before, “I’m a bit curious as to why you would willingly volunteer to go down there, but I suppose I’ll just have to see for myself. Like I could say no anyway.”



Last edited by Bokuden on Sat Feb 15, 2014 10:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
“Well, when he’s right, he’s right,” Misoka thought as she heard Bokuden’s reply and couldn’t help but smile to herself. True, it was kind of impossible for him to say no.
They started walking away from Nami’s house and crossed the border of Kumogakure shortly after. The wilderness spread out before them; a beautiful wide landscape with a long mountain range in the distance. Misoka felt a flush of excitement or at least forced herself to feel this way. Hopefully, that mine wasn’t far away. She couldn’t wait to get there.
Anything was better than mulling over an abundance of things which would only serve to spoil her mood completely.
Speaking of that, she suddenly remembered that she hadn’t said a word in the past five (?) minutes. Sure, she wouldn’t really consider herself a chatterbox, but to start spacing out right after they’d met up might look a little suspicious.
Trying her best to maintain a casual, relatively cheerful tone, Misoka asked without tearing her gaze away from the path once, “So how’s Satomi? Where is she actually? Why didn’t you bring her with you?”  
Her eyes grazed the distant forest on her right. There, Crimson and she had run into bandits the day before. Perhaps some of them might show up again. Like, now. Or a short time later. She wondered what one could do to lure out bandits. “Did she grow? Do you use her in combat? ...Satomi, I mean.”
Part of her hoped that Bokuden wouldn’t start asking question himself since she wasn’t really paying attention, just nodding and yes siring in appropriate places.
It was... a good strategy – yeah, wasn't it? She could be proud. Misoka didn’t even allow any complicated thoughts to cross her mind; anything related to the past had to be covered beneath the present time. Right now, she was about to go to a mysterious mine and make some fun experiences, nothing more than that.
The man next to her was a friend. They had history, yes, but this wasn’t so important at the moment and might never be anymore.  

The sound of another voice made Misoka snap her head up and spin around as if she had only been waiting for that to happen. Enemies? Had someone followed them? A fight?
Misoka was in a battle stance before she even took the time to examine the situation more closely. In fact, there were only two young women approaching them hesitantly, both of them holding their hands up as a sign that they meant no harm. They carried huge backpacks and well, they didn’t seem to be ninjas. How boring.
“Alright, stop that,” her inner voice resounded in her mind, slightly confused with her own actions. “I’m exaggerating with that distraction thing, I’m not even myself. Since when am I itching for a fight?”
The black-haired girls stopped a few feet before Misoka and Bokuden. Tears were streaming down their cheeks. Why...?
“Please,” the older one – probably around 19, Misoka would estimate – choked out, bowing her head. “Please help our little brother! We come from Konoha, we are travellers. We camped in the woods over there. But this morning, our brother was gone. He’s only 11!”
The other girl nodded frantically, her eyes darting back and forth between Misoka and Bokuden until they settled on the latter. “Aren’t you a shinobi? You seem strong. We didn’t know that the woods were full of bandits! What if our brother got captured by those bad people?”

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
The smile that Misoka returned to him after his teasing brought Bokuden some modicum of comfort. Unlike her previous ones, although not as showy, this smile was genuine. He considered offering her his arm to take as they walked, but given how distant she felt to him since he arrived he felt it better to allow her the space she may have needed. The fact that she was here again and safe was enough for him to take solace in. It was… nice to be here like this, out with Misoka; no looking over her shoulder, no worried about who or what might be waiting for her the next morning. Even if she was hesitant to allow him back into her life in a romantic context, there were worse things. At least he would be able to watch over her again.

The mood was somewhat tense as they walked side by side out of the village and down the trail leading to the abandoned mines. The silence that hovered over them was heavy, but not entirely unpleasant. Sure, he would have liked to have her open up to him like she once did, but circumstances had made that a selfish desire. As long as she was comfortable with the silence, that was all he could ask for. He hoped she’d come around in time, but until then this was satisfactory. Shinobi life had made Bokuden accustomed to silence. Indeed it could be said that he was much more at peace in solitude and silence than in a festive crowd. Today however, he wasn’t alone. It wasn’t all bad anyway; the day was nice enough. He would just have to wait and see where this took them.

“So how’s Satomi? Where is she actually? Why didn’t you bring her with you?” Misoka inquired, breaking the silence that had previously held a tight grip on their walk, “Did she grow? Do you use her in combat? ...Satomi, I mean.” Bokuden would turn his head to meet her gaze as they spoke only to see her gaze set intently forward, without so much as a glance his way. The sudden surge of excitement he felt as she spoke would immediately fade, leaving him a bit deflated as he turned his gaze back in front of him and began to address the questions, despite them seeming to be just filler, “Well that’s- She’s okay. She’s back in the village.”

Before he could continue however, a voice could be heard from behind them, interrupting Bokuden’s answer and causing Misoka to spin around and take an offensive stance. Upon seeing that their unexpected visitors were two young women, sobbing and displaying their open hands Bokuden would place his hand onto Misoka’s shoulder. The gesture was to break her out of whatever caused her to react with so much hostility and get her to look at him. The look on his face was enough to say what was needed to be said without words. He remained completely calm and would nod his head as if to say “it’s okay”. His attention would then turn back to the two women before them.

“Please, please help our little brother! We come from Konoha, we are travellers. We camped in the woods over there. But this morning, our brother was gone. He’s only 11!” one of the girls would plead before the other expanded on the situation, “Aren’t you a shinobi? You seem strong. We didn’t know that the woods were full of bandits! What if our brother got captured by those bad people?”

“Wait,” Bokuden would reply immediately, “I need you both to calm down and explain to me exactly what happened.  I’ll be able to help you if I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.”

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
Misoka did her best to adopt a relaxed posture, listening to the girls‘ problem. Their brother was missing… right? The words sounded far away as though someone had filled her ears with cotton and left her only guessing what was said. As unobtrusively as possible, she placed a hand on her cheek for a moment, feeling an unnatural heat radiating off her skin.
“I’m sorry, we’re just so worried,” one of the travellers sniffed and pointed to the edge of the woods – so fast that her index finger disappeared in a blur. Wait, no. This swiftness couldn’t be possible; that girl wasn’t a kunoichi.
“We spent the night in the forest,” the muffled voice went on. “Kai – our brother – is always the first to wake up. For usual, he then goes to gather firewood so that we can have breakfast. But this morning he never returned. When we started looking for him, we heard someone laugh in a crude manner and quickly ran away. And now we need your help. We fear that bandits-”
Before Misoka could even think about it, she already found herself breaking off the girl’s speech, “Bandits? I – We’ll go.”
She turned to Bokuden, possibly for the first time since leaving Nami’s house, and shot him an interrogative glance. If he hadn’t changed this drastically, he would surely agree and offer his help as well. His chivalry would basically force him to, wouldn’t it?
Misoka nodded at the girls. “Don’t worry, everything will be alright. You’ll be united with your brother again in no time.”

Even whilst speaking, she couldn’t suppress the sting of shame running through her.
This wasn’t just about helping. Or saving a life. Or making others smile.
In fact, there was a part of her – and she didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that wanted nothing but to satiate the anger inside her. The aggression; the thirst for revenge even though harming some random bandits could never suffice.  
Her thoughts were a mess. Sometimes she didn’t recognize herself anymore.

“Th-Thank you, lady! I- I-” both of the civilians began to stutter, but Misoka shook her head to let them know that it was no big deal. She would have said it aloud if the simple head motion hadn’t been enough to make her feel dizzy. What was wrong with her?
…Developing a fever perhaps? But no, this was out of question. Misoka chuckled to herself at this absurd thought. She never got ill.
High time for some action again.  “You better come with us,” she said to the girls in the steadiest tone she could muster, “It’s not safe out here. You shouldn’t be in the wilderness on your own anyway.”

At that moment, a loud scream cut through the air.
“Kai!” both sisters called out as three figures became visible in the distance. Judging from the girls’ reactions, one of them must be their brother.
Misoka didn’t waste a single moment. As fast as she could, she rushed forward, until the faces of two bearded men – up close, they didn’t look like weak bandits, though – came into view. And between them: a small black-haired boy.
“Please, I haven’t done anything! I didn’t steal your money! I swear!” the child cried, but was interrupted at once, “Stop lying, you filthy farm boy! What else were you doing close to our hideout?”
Their argument came to an abrupt halt when Misoka grabbed their attention, “Why don’t you pick a fight with someone else? Come, I’m ready!”
Then she assumed a fighting stance, albeit a bit too hastily so that part of her previous dizziness returned, blurring the bandits’ outlines. Whatever. If she had to, she could defeat them blindfolded.




3180

[OK, we have 2 shinobi, let's say, one B-Rank, the other A-Rank or S-Rank or whatever you like. I'll take the weaker one xD The stronger one will attack Bokuden. You can make up his elements and specialties and you can rp him as well.
Oh, almost forgot: They'll also try to attack the three siblings and might want to take them hostage.
If anything's unclear, just ask. :D ]

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
As Bokuden listened to Misoka interact with the two sobbing girls he waited patiently for the opportunity to object to her involvement in the whole ordeal. If there were bandits causing problems in the kaminari no kuni countryside, it was a task for Kumogakure shinobi to deal with. Mostly though, he just wanted to keep her as far away from harm as he possibly could and her volunteering to go and fight criminals who may or may not have abducted a child was not helping him in this department.  Before he had the chance however, a scream echoed through the path, drawing the attention of the group and causing Misoka to run off in that direction.

With a displeased grunt Bokuden would take off after her, catching up in time to see the scene that had caused the commotion that drew them there. From the two girls’ reactions it was clear to see that the young boy standing between the older men was their brother, and it appeared as though he had truly gotten himself into some trouble. The best course of action would probably be to just sort this out without fighting. They didn’t know what was actually going on here and the fact that these two men appeared to be bandits hiding out in the countryside and had this kid meant that until he was safe they would have to play this carefully. At least that was the plan until Misoka once again took an aggressive stance and called out to the men, “Why don’t you pick a fight with someone else? Come, I’m ready!”

Curiously enough, Bokuden noticed a slight give in Misoka’s stance. It was almost unnoticeable, a brief moment of imbalance as if the strength had been instantly drained from her body. What was going on with her? Either way, he wasn’t about to let her get into a fight before he could figure out what was going on. “Hey you, Kai,” Bokuden directed at the boy as he turned his attention back towards the situation at hand, “Run over here. You’re safe now, just go to your sisters.” The boy turned a glance back towards the men behind him fearfully, questioning the wisdom of trying to run away from them to which Bokuden responded with a reassuring nod. Hesitant at first, Kai would break out into a sprint back towards his sisters’ location, only to have one of the two men move to follow and grab him. Bokuden would intercept the bandit, grabbing his wrist and twisting it in order to stop the man in his tracks and allow the boy the escape.

The man’s movements were stronger and more crisp than one could expect from some random thug, although they were far below Bokuden’s. Bokuden was more alarmed by the behavior of the man in the back that didn’t chase. By the looks of it he was the “leader” and Bokuden could guess much stronger than the one whom he had twisted into submission. “Misoka,” Bokuden called out without turning around, his eyes locked on the man who stood off in the distance, “Take them and get out of the area. I’ll catch up when I’m done.”

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
“What’s going on?!” the supposed leader out of the two enemies shouted, his surprised expression turning into a frown when their victim suddenly ran off. He nodded at his comrade. “Don’t let him get away, he still needs to pay us back!”
Said person did as he was told, but given the fact that Bokuden had arrived at the scene, he wasn’t able to keep holding on to the boy’s arm. A painful groan emerged from the thug’s mouth.
“Damn it,” he choked out, backing away and observing his twisted wrist shortly. “A shinobi, Tetsu!”
So-called Tetsu threw a glance at Misoka. “The girl, too?” – “Not sure, but she’s the one asking for a fight, so possibly yes.”
Misoka only half listened as they spoke; in her opinion, their conversation could be seen as completely irrelevant. Whatever their motives for kidnapping the boy, they would have to pay for what they'd done to him.
With satisfaction, she had picked up the cry of pain coming from one of the foes. It looked and sounded like Bokuden also planned to teach them a lesson.
Her gaze slid back to the leader, who didn’t show the slightest inclination to attack any of them, though. Did he hope to settle this argument without a physical fight? Someone should give him a good piece of advice: “Think before you act.” He’d had no right to frighten the poor child just because he was stronger or for whatever reason; no, his cruel actions couldn’t remain unpunished.
Misoka’s hands started trembling, probably out of anticipation. She tried to keep still, like she usually did whilst maintaining a fighting stance, but strangely enough, she lost control of her body so that even her knees began to shake. No need to worry. Again, just gleeful anticipation. She hadn’t been in a real shinobi fight in a long time; that was all.

Bokuden raised his voice, surely to tell her whom he was going to take on. But he didn’t say that.
“Take them and get out of the area. I’ll catch up when I’m done.”
...What? The first thing which struck her like lightning was the fact that he had given her an order. She didn’t take orders. Not anymore. She had done so for far too long.
Besides that, what he asked of her was absolutely ridiculous. He didn’t understand. Her trembling hands clenched into fists.
“Are you kidding me?” she snapped. “I’ll stay here and help you beat them! I will never run away again! That’s why I have to prove it every chance I get! It’s over. I can’t let them win. Not again. They’ll be sorry. They can’t control my mind...”
Misoka trailed off, realizing that she was only starting to speak nonsense; unreasonable words that she alone could comprehend.
Quickly, her eyes searched for the three travellers she and Bokuden needed to protect. Even though they were standing right behind her, it took her a while to find them in the confusing blur of colours that clouded her vision. Dizziness again? What a nuisance.
She touched her head as if to tell it to function properly. Okay, stop. The three siblings.
“Good, stay behind me. I've got everything under control. You’ll be fine.”
And now the enemies. Misoka slowly turned around. She liked to rely on her first element: Katon. It would certainly be of great help, it always had been. Furthermore, she could start a surprise attack as long as the two men weren’t prepared for a fight and still hoped to talk this out.

At that moment, it began to rain. A light drizzling at first, then what could only be described as pouring rain.
Misoka heard a number of gasps coming from the siblings behind her, but all she thought about was that this change of weather would weaken her fire attacks drastically. Damn it. Should she use the Earth element then? Every other somewhat intelligible thought was cut short when her whole body started shivering like an aspen leaf. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, only to notice that her forehead was burning hot.
Strange, indeed. But at least pleasant compared to the coldness she felt inside.  

“Shit! Rain! Keeps getting worse!” a male voice complained. Must be one of the bandits. She would have recognized Bokuden’s voice.
“And I doubt that they’ll let us get to the little farm boy. Maybe it’s better to just go. What do you think, boss?”




3957

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
“Are you kidding me?” Misoka snapped back in reply, shocking Bokuden more than anyone else, “I’ll stay here and help you beat them! I will never run away again! That’s why I have to prove it every chance I get! It’s over. I can’t let them win. Not again. They’ll be sorry. They can’t control my mind...”

Bokuden’s eyes widened as he turned to face Misoka during her rant. “M-Misoka… you…” he stammered before falling silent, not knowing how to respond to her outburst. The words were cryptic and filled with potential meaning, so much so that it probably sounded like nonsense to everyone else around them. In truth, Bokuden had not even had the chance to delve into what had happened to her during their time apart, but he knew enough about her to know what was driving this anger. He would release the man’s arm the moment he saw Misoka’s stance falter in another such moment of weakness. They were now happening too frequently for them to be individual isolated events. Something was wrong. Whatever it was, it forced Bokuden to turn his back to the bandits and instead focus his attention on Misoka.

Before he had the chance to run over to her Misoka seemingly recovered and immediately directed an order towards the three people behind her, “Good, stay behind me. I've got everything under control. You’ll be fine.” Barely a moment afterwards, it would begin to rain over their location. At first a drizzle, but soon the skies would open up and a torrential downpour would fall upon them all. The rain itself would do little in the way of hindering Bokuden’s combat capabilities. If anything it would strengthen them, but at this point a fight with two random thugs was the last thing on his mind. It is for this reason that he drew relief from hearing the bandits seemingly apprehensive about continuing with the confrontation.

If Bokuden had his way this entire situation would just end, preferably with everyone else dropping the confrontation and going their separate ways while he tended to Misoka, who now showed symptoms of one falling ill. In order to make sure he did get his way Bokuden would be forced to flex a bit of his power in an attempt to scare them into conceding. “Allow me to make this decision simpler for you,” Bokuden announced to the two men behind him, never once breaking vvision on Misoka, “I’ve already demonstrated that you aren’t going to be able to defeat me in hand to hand combat. In the interest of fairness I’ll inform you that the current weather conditions are probably the worst in which you could fight me.” Bokuden would then release a stream of raiton chakra from his body, causing his silhouette to glow slightly in the color of the lightning he was expelling. The arcs of light danced about him in a violent manner, specifically meant to get the point across to his opponents. “You and this entire area are soaked. One lightning attack and you’ll fry. Consider this a gift. This once I’ll overlook your presence in my country and allow you to walk away from this. More pressing matters have come up and I don’t feel like wasting time dealing with you. Leave.”

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
This was so... terrible. While Bokuden showed the bandits his willingness to fight – she could faintly see raiton chakra engulfing his figure – all she did was standing here and trying to regain control over her own body.
Worse, she got an idea of what exactly struck her down. Shivering fits. Fever. Headache. Circulation problems. It all pointed to a bacterial infection, likely the flu.
Misoka swallowed. Why did this happen to her? She was a kunoichi, she simply didn’t get ill. Suffering physical wounds in combat, yes, but she couldn’t afford sickness. Perhaps her immune system had been weakened over the past years; maybe she had infected herself the day before in the cold cave or on the ship or in the forest of Kirigakure. She also knew that it was common for the symptoms of flu to strike you suddenly, from one moment to the other.
And then fear rose inside her. The loss of control as well as the blurry vision frightened her more than any fight ever could.

“Um, excuse me, are you alright?”
Misoka saw one of the girls’ faces coming into view – she wasn’t able to tell who of the two - ; in any case, the person she had to protect was asking about her welfare. Was it so obvious already? Didn’t she seem to be strong enough to shield them from attacks anymore?
Taking a deep breath in hopes of calming herself down, Misoka replied with a weak smile, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just getting started. I… just haven’t slept well, guess I’m still a bit tired, but nothing to wor-”
The sudden urge to cough drowned every other word. When she blinked her eyes open again, the black-haired girl was still there. “Get behind me,” she wanted to tell her, but at that point, Misoka didn’t trust her voice any longer. Seemed like her attempt to persuade the civilians of her capability to protect them hadn’t been very convincing, either, so why waste breath?

The next time Misoka re-directed her gaze at the “battlefield” – she was pretty certain that Bokuden had already begun the fight - , both of the thugs were gone.
…But why? Had they run away? Or was Bokuden already finished with them? She didn’t do anything. Damn… now it really couldn’t get any worse.
The rain pattered down on the ground heavily, a sound which burned into Misoka’s mind. Exhaustion overcame her even though she hadn’t gotten to join any fight. Gradually, her surroundings mixed into each other, a mess of colours again, with no sound other than the pattering of raindrops.
Scared of falling unconscious, Misoka forced herself to snap her head up and concentrate on sharping her sight.
Where was Bokuden? Okay, no worries, she would just say something and hope he’d hear her. He couldn't be far, after all.
“Bokuden, can I sit down for a moment? It won’t be long, I only need to recover shortly. Then we can go to the mine.”
The idea of resting on the wet ground didn’t even strike her as peculiar. If she could just get the chance to take the weight off her shaking legs, she would be back to normal in no time. At least that was what she liked to tell herself – and Bokuden. He shouldn’t know about her possible illness. She didn’t need help.
She was fine. Or she would be fine. Something like that.





4546

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Fortunately, the bandits seemed to recognize that they were overmatched and fell back to whatever hole they crawled out of, albeit not without a few snarky remarks in an attempt to save face. His next course of action was to immediately find out what was going on with Misoka. From the looks of it, whatever was ailing her was only getting worse. Her stance was faltering and her voice was waning, causing her attempts at communication to only worry Bokuden more. “Bokuden, can I sit down for a moment? It won’t be long, I only need to recover shortly. Then we can go to the mine,” she said, more weakly than she probably thought, prompting Bokuden to immediately run over to her and take a hold of her.

He wrapped his left arm up and around her back, using his forearm and left hand placed behind her head to support her body while he placed the back of his right hand softly against her neck. “You’re burning up,” he whispered to her before placing his lips against her forehead in a kiss only to find that the heat was consistent there as well, “You need to rest. We’ll stop for a bit before I take you back to the village. Just let me do this.” Using the free hand that wasn’t supporting Misoka’s neck and head Bokuden would sweep her off of her feet, carrying her with one arm behind her knees. He would then walk over to a large tree and use its canopy as temporary shelter from the rain. He wasted no time in sliding out of his jacket and draping it over Misoka as he took a seat at the base of the tree with her, cradling her head into his shoulder while keeping a hand on her neck to moniter the fever.

Using his free hand he would gently brush away the stray strands of hair that had fallen over her face and place it against her burning, rose-colored cheek. “Don’t worry,” he said with an affectionate smile, “I’m here. You’ll be okay. The mine isn’t going anywhere, we’ll take a rain check. Besides, now I have a reason to get a second date out of you. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
At one point, Misoka believed she had passed out, fallen into the ever dark, absolutely defenseless.
But then she found that she could still open and close her eyes and that it was still possible to formulate thoughts in her mind. Nonetheless, she wouldn’t consider it the most comforting realization in the light of her current state. Even though she was sitting now and wrapped in Bokuden’s jacket, she felt worse than before.
Misoka tried to remember the last time she’d been ill – not just a cold or something equally minor – and came to the conclusion that it must already be eight years ago. Her mother had tended to her back then. Before her death.
Why did time always continue to pass no matter the circumstances?
A familiar voice cut through the rain-scented air. She fluttered her eyes open again and listened to the words, but her mind struggled to process them. Confused, she peered around through the thick blurry fog which clouded her vision. Where was the rain? She couldn’t feel it touch her skin anymore. But there, the loud pattering sound from before.
And someone was next to her. Bokuden? She didn’t manage to raise her head and look for his face. Still, she’d heard his voice. Who else could it be?
The silent question only unsettled her rather than giving her comfort. There was no way to be sure. Enemies might show up anytime. They always did. A sturdy and hairy giant might appear and stomp them to death. She couldn't afford to lower her guard.

Panic-stricken, Misoka let her gaze sweep across the area, not even sure what she was searching for. Then it hit her: Where the three Konoha civilians had stood only moments ago, there were now a group of human shadows floating over the ground.
Several pairs of crimson eyes bored into her own.
Her breathing came in uneven gasps and coughs as she grasped Bokuden’s sleeve.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Misoka whispered, all the while staring at the scene in front of her. “I’m scared. I’m… really scared. Do you see the shadows over there? They will eat our entrails. Listen to their voices.”
She swallowed against her dry throat. “They draw their energy out of the rain. Nothing can hurt them, any attack simply goes through them. All one can do is run.”
The shadows grew restless. Soon, they would give in to their bloodlust. It was time to react.
“I can’t get up, but you should go,” she went on in an urgent tone, pulling at his sleeve with wide eyes. “Go! They will come for you. I want you to stay alive.”





5004

[AN: Fever went up to 41° C. She suffers from febrile delirium. Have fun xD]

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Bokuden couldn’t say exactly how long he held Misoka there before she came to. In reality it was probably only a few seconds, but as he looked after her weakened body it seemed to him as if time had slowed down and hours had passed. Terror rose up inside of him as he waited on each breathe Misoka took, fearing that the next one might not come. As her eyes began to flutter open, a dazed look still set upon them, Bokuden felt a surge of relief. It was as if he had been freed from something that had a grip on his chest and prevented him from breathing.

His relief however, was short lived as the look in Misoka’s eyes went from a dazed awakening to a frightened stare. Her eyes darted back and forth before breaking out into a sequence of gasps and coughs which immediately made Bokuden’s heart sink into his stomach. “Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered, still firmly gripping his sleeve as she looked out into the field, “I’m scared. I’m… really scared. Do you see the shadows over there? They will eat our entrails. Listen to their voices. They draw their energy out of the rain. Nothing can hurt them, any attack simply goes through them. All one can do is run. I can’t get up, but you should go. Go! They will come for you. I want you to stay alive.”

His hand still placed against her neck, Bokuden could feel Misoka’s fever worsening and his study of the medical field allowed him to discern what was going on; hallucinations brought on by the fever. “Misoka,” he said firmly as he used his hand to nudge her chin to face him, “Misoka, look at me! Don’t be scared. No one is going to hurt you while I’m here.  We’ll both get home, together. I’ll shine a light through any darkness that might come our way.” Frankly, he wasn’t sure if his words would help, but he couldn’t just do nothing. He hoped that even through her fever she could hear him and see him, that he could dispel the shadows that haunted her dreams. “How many times am I going to have to repeat myself?” he said softly as he leaned down to her face to face, “You aren’t alone anymore. I’m not leaving you again.” With that said he would kiss her forehead and activate his six-winged ascent jutsu, creating six angelic wings of blue/white chakra behind him, illuminating the area. “Now sleep. I’ll still be here when you wake up, I promise,” he whispered before swiftly striking Misoka’s neck in order to force her to faint instantly.

Cradling her in his arms once more as he picked her up Bokuden would begin floating into the air, using one of the wings to shelter Misoka from the rain. He would instruct the group of travelers to head to the nearest shelter and then fly with all haste back to Kumogakure to tend to Misoka. Upon arriving in Kumogakure he would head straight for Nami’s house and begin helping her treat Misoka, leaving the room of course when Nami changed her out of her clothes. Other than that time however, Bokuden would refuse to leave her bedside. He would remain there for as long as it took, even if that meant sleeping in the chair beside the bed with his head laid on the mattress.



Trained Six-Wings Ascent: 1200/1200

Chakra: 330/350:

2631~

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
Misoka was falling in and out of consciousness, one moment picking up softly spoken words, the next drowning in eternal blackness. She didn’t know how long she went on like that.
When she found the strength to open her eyes again, the familiar wooden ceiling came into view. Letting her gaze wander, Misoka realized that she must be in Nami’s house; to be specific, in the guest room. Whispering voices prompted her to look at the three people around her bed although her vision was still cloudy.
“She’s awake,” Nami muttered under her breath before speaking louder, “How do you feel, dear?”
Misoka took a while to comprehend that it was her turn to answer. But how should she respond? Her thoughts were jumbled as if someone had ravaged her mind. Scraps of sentences, words; and a thousand possibilities of how to put them together. Which one should she choose?
Amidst all the confusion, she suddenly spotted small colourful pieces of paper scattered around the blanket. Not just that, even Bokuden’s hair was full of it.
“Why is confetti everywhere?” she asked weakly. “Did you throw a party? Shouldn’t we clean it up?”
At first, she didn’t get any proper reply except for a few hushed words coming from Nami – “She’s still delirious.” - , then her father nodded at her with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, the pink trolls will do it.”
“Oh.” Misoka blinked. “Okay.”

Then another question crossed her mind, such an urgent one that she wondered why she hadn’t remembered it before. “Where is Mom?”
Silence again.
“She’s not here,” the blurred face of Nami eventually said. Misoka thought about the words for a moment, but figured that she still didn’t understand.
“Why? Did she go somewhere?”
This time, her father immediately answered, “Sleep now.”
…Sleep? What did this have to do with her mother? Would he explain it to her? His next words, however, seemed to be directed at no-one in particular. “I can’t do this. I don’t want to leave her alone, but I just can’t bear to…”
“Bokuden offered to stay here. Let’s go. She needs rest anyway,” Nami interjected. “The fever is still too high.”
The voices died down while Misoka’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until only blackness remained.

~~~

The next time she woke up, the room was dark. Despite the horrifying feeling that she had just escaped from one of those ever-returning fever nightmares, she could think much more clearly now.
“I’m sick,” her mind began to reiterate in hopes this would further jog her memory, “I hardly ever get sick. 99% of the time I spend in perfect health. But the 1% when I somehow fail to stay like this, I get really sick.”
For a while, Misoka kept staring at the ceiling, waiting for her eyes to accustom to the dark. When she tried to sit up – sadly, she only managed to raise her head - , her gaze fell on a crouched figure resting in a chair next to the bed.
Uhh… what did she miss? Who was that – She cut her own thought short upon spotting a mob of faint silver hair. Of course! One by one, the memories of what happened that morning returned.
“Bokuden?” she whispered, appalled at the sound of her own hoarse voice. Slowly, Misoka placed a hand on her forehead, which only served as confirmation: The fever was still there.
“What’s the time? Shouldn’t you be home?” She swallowed. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”
The painful emotions that she had associated with the nightmares before washed over her again, eating at her heart. All of a sudden, she felt like crying.
“I’ve always thought I knew my life’s purpose. I should change my clan and I should save everyone suffering under it.” Misoka drew a ragged breath. “But I didn’t achieve this goal. I ran away. Now I don’t know anything anymore.”
She would have never believed that she'd have the courage to tell another person about these deep secrets within her. Above all, though, she was completely honest with herself for once.
"My plan to defect is nothing but an attempt to fill this emptiness inside me, an attempt to make me feel like I'm doing something useful. But I know this is wrong. I'm not going to defect.”




5751

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Bokuden’s eyes widened and he held his breathe as the sounds of Misoka slowly coming to run through his ears. Quickly he would lean over to her side and listen for any notification she might give that she was okay. “Bokuden?” Misoka whispered as she awoke from her sleep, “What’s the time? Shouldn’t you be home? I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. I’ve always thought I knew my life’s purpose. I should change my clan and I should save everyone suffering under it. But I didn’t achieve this goal. I ran away. Now I don’t know anything anymore. My plan to defect is nothing but an attempt to fill this emptiness inside me, an attempt to make me feel like I'm doing something useful. But I know this is wrong. I'm not going to defect.”

“Slow down, you still aren’t fully recovered yet,” Bokuden whispered back to Misoka, “We can keep talking, just don’t push yourself.” He would gently slip his left hand behind her head and prop it up a bit as he raised a glass of water in front of Misoka’s face, “Here, you need to drink something.” He would make sure she took at least a sip from the glass before continuing. He knew at least enough about fevers to know how important combatting dehydration was. Once she had taken a drink he would slowly guide her head back to the pillow below and place his hand against her forehead, “You’re still running a fever, but it’s come down from earlier. You’ll be alright. All you need is some time.”

Thinking back on everything she had said to him, even during her delirium Bokuden knew that Misoka was battling some inner demons, a field in which Bokuden had plenty of experience. He had been alone for so long that he was forced to learn to cope in his own ways, but he knew that fighting that fight alone was terrifying and almost insurmountably difficult depending on how deep the wounds went.  He owed it to Misoka to be there for her through this, just like he had always wished someone had been there for him. “Don’t do that… don’t apologize to me,” he spoke softly as he took her hand in his, “You’re the one with the fever, don’t concern yourself with me. I wouldn’t have left even if you asked me to.” He would pause and give her hand a gentle squeeze before continuing, “Your goals are not beyond your reach, as long as they are really driven by this hope to change your clan and not revenge. Revenge won’t fill the emptiness you feel… I know. All of the anger and bravado in the world won’t allow you to fill the hole in your heart. That can only be done by someone else. Anything else is just a temporary fix. I lived with a similar affliction for as long as I could remember. It wasn’t until I met the person that was capable of mending that wound that the emptiness subsided. You’ll meet that person and you’ll know it when you do. It’s hard to explain what it feels like. You’ll feel strange, unlike anything you’ve felt before. Even the thought of them will fill you up with excitement and nervousness at the same time. Being around them will make you do things that you would normally never dare and give you the strength to do the things you would never dream. And no matter how many years pass, a part of you will always feel that way, even if you don’t realize it.”


Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
She was grateful to have somebody to talk to at the moment although Bokuden really gave her a lot to think about. Staring up at the ceiling again, Misoka mulled his words over, what they meant for her and what they could mean for him. The silence dragged on, but it didn’t feel unpleasant; there was no pressure, no time limit she had to take into account.
Without a doubt Bokuden was still important to her, somewhat like a connection to her old self and yet… as for now, she doubted that the small bundle of gratitude, affection and nostalgia she harboured towards him sufficed to build a romantic relationship upon it. There had been a time, not so long ago, when she wouldn’t have hesitated to find shelter in his arms, but that had been before the arranged marriage with Yukimura. Before the ups and downs and the rollercoaster of emotions she had gone through; before Taku and his hallucinations. The past month had threatened to break her. Her faith in men was shattered. Even though she knew that deep down, she might long for a shoulder to lean on, there were one too many things she had to sort out with herself for now.
Since the idea of defecting didn’t seem as appealing anymore, she would go back to Suna eventually. And from that point on? Playing hide and seek with her relatives one more time? Or trying to come up with another plan to change her clan for the better?
So many questions in her mind… without any concrete answer.

Misoka glanced at her hand in Bokuden’s. The words lingered on her tongue for a moment, adding to the long silence, until she finally managed to croak out, “I’m sorry for asking so directly, but… do you still have feelings for me?”
They had been dancing around the subject for quite a while, possibly ever since they’d met again. It was high time to clear this up, for both their sakes.
Now, with the fever making her avoid the exhaustion of lying, Misoka found herself to be completely honest; no masks, no exaggerations for once. She shouldn’t let this chance pass, no matter if she might regret it later on. Not even the fever, however, was strong enough to take away the fear of how much pain the truth could cause.




6149/(9000)

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
“I’m sorry for asking so directly, but… do you still have feelings for me?” Misoka asked after a long period of silence. The question took Bokuden aback for a moment, causing him to hesitate with his answer. On one hand, he didn’t think he made his feelings particularly difficult for her to decipher, but it was strange hearing that question come from her mouth.

Bokuden would sit up in his chair and inhale deeply before proceeding to speak, “Well… the truth is that I never stopped having feelings for you from back then. I may have pushed them to the back of my mind in order to deal with what needed to be done at the time, but they never went away nor did I ever want to forget about you. Times have changed, we’ve changed, but  when I look at you I still see Misoka, nothing else. It isn’t just about your looks. You don’t need yet another man to tell you how beautiful you are, it’s no secret. What made me fall in love with you is that when I look at you I’m looking at someone who knows… who has experienced the darkness in this world like I have experienced darkness. When I’m with you it’s like I’m not alone anymore.”

He would shake his head and let out a sigh with a smirk on his face, “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what we agreed upon. You’re not ready and I get that. I don’t know what you’ve been through in my absence. All I know is that it is my fault and I intend to do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again. I couldn’t be there for you once, I have no intention of allowing that to happen again.” He let out another deep sigh before continuing , “But you know you don’t have to go back, right? You’ve always had a home here. You can stay with Nami and your father. You can stay… with me.”

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
She didn’t know how to feel about it. Truth be told, she had kind of expected this answer, half dreaded, half wished for the claim that his love was pure. And she believed him. What he did for her was nothing a shallow person like Yukimura would do.
But she hadn’t expected him to be so sympathetic about her insecurity. He knew that she didn’t feel the same way, that she wasn’t ready for anything beyond friendship and still, he wanted to help her and stay with her? Misoka blinked at him in confusion.
Her experience with romance was minimal; the only time she ever had feelings for a man would be back then when she met Bokuden anyway. Love was selfless, she had come to know that, but it wasn’t always healthy.
“I see,” she whispered, pausing a short moment. “Sadly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. There’s no guarantee.” A sigh left her lips. “You’re important to me. That’s why I don’t want you to feel bad. And that’s why I don’t deserve your affection. It’s possible that I'll only disappoint you in the long run. So just… don’t waste your energy on me. Let it go, you deserve better than that. Don't you understand? Staying by my side will only make it harder to move on.”
Misoka fell silent for a little while, hoping her words and the logic behind them would sink in.
Then she went on softly, “As I said, I’m not going to defect. Sooner or later, I’ll therefore have to return to the sand village. If I had it my way, I'd like to stay in Kumo and visit you every now and then, but the Kazekage would start wondering about my whereabouts.”
She couldn’t maintain her composure any longer. With the guilt kicking in again, she pulled the blanket up to her nose, gaze directed at the ceiling.
“I know you don’t want to hear all that,” Misoka began, her voice muffled. Why did she have to be so honest to the point of being... well, cruel? Stupid fever. “It's the nostalgic part of you that feels attracted to me. That's okay, I know what it's like. Once we take a step back, however, you'll only realize that these feelings made you blind. And... aside from that, it would probably be a long-distance relationship anyway. What I can safely say for now is that you are a very close friend to me and that I trust you. Thus, don't get me wrong, I only want the best for you, okay?”




6607

https://www.youtube.com/user/KanameXSisters?feature=mhee

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
“I see…” Bokuden spoke softly as he tried to formulate a response to the information he had just been given. How does one respond to such a speech? Just like that the feelings that he had harbored for all of this time were dashed and thrown by the wayside. It was painful, but truthfully, it wasn’t totally unexpected. Misoka had been brushing off and ignoring any of Bokuden’s attempts to rekindle a fire that had since gone out in Misoka’s heart.

“So tell me,” he continued, eyes low and pointed towards the ground in a defeated manner, “Is this what you really feel? Or is this what you think you should be telling me in order to spare me some modicum of heart ache? If we are getting everything out into the open then I want to be absolutely sure. I spent five years wondering what if I had done something differently, regretting being powerless to save you… to save anyone. If you trust me, then tell me what happened over these five years to change your mind about me. Even if this is meant to be the end of whatever feelings I have for you, I still want to know. I need to know, And… I need to hear you say it honestly, that you don’t love me. Give me that and I’ll stop.”


Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
On the one hand, she silently disapproved of his stubbornness – Did he really want her to put it this way, to tell him that the magic wasn’t there anymore? She hated to hurt him.
On the other hand, he might need to hear it in order to make a clean break. Although Misoka didn’t believe in clean breaks, she had no right to stop talking now. She almost felt her forehead heat up again out of anxiousness as she met his eyes and opened her mouth.
“I love you as a person, as a good old friend, but I’m not in love with you anymore.” Gaze travelling downcast, she added, “I don’t think I’m capable of loving anyone that way at the moment. Those five years, the last month in particular, have been a roller coaster ride. I thought I’d be fine once I’m out, but there’s so much I have to cope with. I really need time.”
Exhausted, she closed her eyes for a second, wishing she wouldn’t have to say these things. Bokuden was special; he shouldn’t feel miserable because of her. Still, not only the sympathy for him made her heart ache, but also the knowledge that she was about to lose a precious person in her life. She didn’t want to act selfish and enjoy his company whereas he might continue to suffer under feelings she wouldn’t return.
“I understand that this is probably the end of our friendship as well. I can't blame you,” Misoka breathed, hands grasping the blanket again. Why was it so hard to maintain a relationship with another person? She would miss him. “When I return from Suna, can I still visit you, though?”  
Her vision grew cloudy. At first, she thought she might be crying, but when she wiped her face, it was all dry with only the familiar heat radiating off her skin.
The tiredness returned gradually. Black dots started dancing in front of her; suddenly, she got the feeling that they were mocking her.




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Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
“I’m not in love with you anymore.”

And there it was. The sentence that Bokuden knew had to be said, but still struck like a dagger through the chest nonetheless. Silently he would raise himself from his seat and stand at the side of the bed, listening to Misoka try to explain her words and offer sympathetic tokens. “You don’t have to explain anything any further,” he said, looking down at her weakened form laid out on the bed, “I saw this coming. It was only a matter of time before I had to stop lying to myself and pretending things could go back to how they were then. Just one last kiss then…” slowly he would lean down to Misoka’s level and peck a quick kiss on her forehead before pulling back up.

A deep breathe was taken before Bokuden finally mustered the strength to take that first step in turning away from Misoka once again. How could he make sense of this in his own mind? He now found himself doing one thing he swore he would never do again… at her behest. He would walk to the door and place his hand on the knob before peering over his shoulder at Misoka one last time and speaking his parting words, “If you want to push me away because this is not what you want… because I’m not what you want, I’m fine with that. If this is some kind of ploy to spare my feelings however, I had hoped you would know me better than that. I’m not a child that needs to be coddled. I don’t need praise or reassurance and I don’t need things to be sugar-coated to make me feel better. You’ve seen a glimpse of what my reality is. Everything I ever held dear has been taken from me and yet here I stand. I will not break. That is my resolve. My past, my tragedies do not define me. You will have to find your own resolve if you ever want to move forward. Otherwise you will remain a slave to your past, a slave to your own scars.”

Turning his head to face forward once more, Bokuden’s gaze would drop towards the doorknob he now rested his hand upon. “I fell in love with Misoka, the girl, and as time passed I fell in love with Misoka, the idea. I wanted desperately to fall in love with Misoka, the woman, but it appears she is not yet ready to come out of her shell. But I have faith that one day you will. One day when the wounds have healed and you are ready to let someone in. I’m confident that you will make someone very happy. Just remember, no matter how it feels, you aren’t alone. You have people that care about you and in them you can confide. From them you can draw strength. And you always have a home in Kumogakure if you so desire.” He would twist the nob and begin opening the door, taking one step forward before concluding, “I’ll send your father and Nami in on my way out. Goodbye Misoka.” And without another moment's hesitation he walked out of the room.



4397~



Last edited by Bokuden on Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

Misoka

Misoka


D-rank
Her chest tightened as she listened to Bokuden’s words and watched him go.
“Okay.” That was all she managed to say; a small, insignificant sign that she acknowledged his speech. The door closed behind Bokuden. For a while, she lay there, alone, not knowing how she should feel when the door opened again and her father and Nami came rushing in.
“You’re awake,” both of them called out before stopping at each bedside. Nami placed a hand on her forehead, checking the temperature. “I think the fever went down a little. Oh, and your friend went home.”
“Yeah,” Misoka replied quietly. “I kind of sent him away.”
This made her father laugh out loud whereas Nami only shook her head at the man’s childish behaviour. The two began to half joke, half wonder about what Misoka could mean, almost as if she wasn’t there at all. Then again, she did feel far away, enveloped in the emptiness of her heart while her mind was still trying to erase the black dots in front of her eyes.
“What shall I do now?” The words were nothing more than a cracked whisper, but enough to immediately grab the others’ attention.
Her father patted her hand and chuckled. “Sleep. And you should get better soon, too.”
Of course this wasn’t what she’d meant. But she would have probably let it go if Nami hadn’t shown to have a great sensitive streak.
“Oh, dear.” The small woman smiled sympathetically. “It’s alright if you don’t know what you need. You’ll figure it out someday. There’s no rush, just take your time.”
Misoka let her words sink in, blinking up at the ceiling. It was true. She would miss Bokuden, but this had been the right thing to do for both of them. Foremost, she needed to come to terms with herself now. Tend to the old scars.
Then, start anew. Move on from the past once and for all.
“Thank you,” she mumbled before she could no longer keep her eyes open and allowed herself to drift off to what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep.




Training Doton B-> A
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Doton A-> S 3316

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