You are not connected. Please login or register

Naruto Saga » Hi no Kuni » Konohagakure » Keeping up with the Kimuras.

View previous topic View next topic Go down Message [Page 1 of 1]

1Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Keeping up with the Kimuras. Thu Nov 01, 2018 12:29 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
䷠
Keeping up with the Kimuras. S4v4p50
HIDDEN LEAF VILLAGE. EARLY AUTUMN, EVENING.

The sun had long since risen and travelled across the sky on their second day in the Hidden Leaf. After their event-filled excursion from the Hidden Mist to her parent’s house, then the horrific events on the bridge, and then finally their first time, he had decided that it would be best to give them both the opportunity to rest for a day before he threw her “into the fire”. He had met her parents after all, so it was only right and fair that she meet his family, which left him properly terrified.

The early evening cast a faint, dull orange glow over Konohagakure. Dark skies loomed overhead, threatening the picturesque village with an unexpected storm yet not quite delivering so soon, although the change in weather left a crisp feel to the already cool air.

Eager, nervous, excited, and petrified, Takao sat at the genkan of his home, lacing up his boots as he waited for Fuyuko to finish getting ready. His mother had invited them over for dinner after Takao informed her that he was home, which meant that he was sure that his sister would be there as well. Both of them posed their own unique methods of embarrassing him, although the latter was much more worrisome than the former. Clutching the collar of his cardigan with both of his scarred hands, Takao closed his eyes and briefly ran through all of the embarrassing scenarios he could think of an in attempt to prepare himself for what was to come.

TOTAL WC

256

2Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:53 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
The time Fuyuko had spent within the borders of Konoha had been fun so far despite it being incredibly short. The surprising event that had happened on the bridge that she had still not completely processed. It was a weird ordeal that she’ll probably never fully comprehend. After that they shared a rather lecherous moment together in a tent. Whenever she would think about it a red hue would creep up on her face as she couldn’t believe that she had done it out in the wild.

However all the experiences would fall pale in comparison to the nerves and anxiety she was feeling right now. When Takao had told her that they were going over to his parents’ house and eat dinner with them she had been a sort of emotional wreck. What were they going to think of her? Would they accept her for who she was? Was she likeable enough? Questions upon questions that made her wonder if she would fit in, if she was the right person for him to go out with. She wanted the answers to those questions but no one but the ‘event’ itself would be able to give the answers.

She had put her in a loose ponytail that was kept together by an ocean blue ribbon and her bangs were kept in check by a bobby pin. For her attire she wanted to go more formal but it was a casual occasion, so despite her instincts, and it feeling more comfortable, she went for a plain black sweater and a pair of jeans. All she could hope for was that it was enough. With her clothes sorted she finally left the room and went to where Takao was. “Shall we go then Takao?” she said as she held onto her right arm behind her back.



wc 306

3Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:18 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. HeTMjxv

Takao had drowned his conscious thought in an endless stream of preplanned scenarios and quips to everything he could imagine his elder sister would say. His ear twitched as the faint sound of footsteps approaching and he glanced over his shoulder, allowing his eyes to trail over her form. With a wide smile growing on his face, Takao stood and stepped out of the genkan, stopping in front of Fuyuko.

“You look amazing.” He said, lifting his hand to her cheek as he leaned down and kissed her, opting not to linger too long on the gesture before they left. After grabbing his coat, leaving the home, and locking the door behind him, Takao hooked his arm around her’s and intertwined their digits, leading her onward toward his family home. His pace was steady and leisurely; neither fast nor slow, simply enjoying the scenic walk until he remembered how nervous she seemed when he brought up the dinner.

“My family is gonna love you,” He said, squeezing her hand.

“But, uhm… They’re a bit… overwhelming, yeah? My mom especially-- she’s gonna have a ton of questions about everything, ‘cause I didn’t actually... tell her too much… about us.” Takao’s hand rose to scratch his cheek sheepishly.

“I figured it’d be good table conversation if I left most of it for in person.”

Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea to leave everything for the first dinner, but it was too late now. He was sure that he would be playing mediator for the rest of the night, fending off his rabid family from their incessant teasing of him and an endless stream of interrogation for her.

TOTAL WC
+283
539

4Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Mon Nov 05, 2018 7:52 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
A shade of red flushed over her face as Takao’s words registered in her head. How long has it been that he has complimented her on her looks? Despite all that, she still hadn’t gotten used to it. Her lips gently pressed against his for a short kiss before the two of them would leave the building and head over to Takao’s family.

She liked it when they walked like they were doing now, one of their arms wrapped around the other and her body almost against his, clinging onto the arm. It was comforting and it felt nice. The quiet scenic talk eventually got interrupted as Takao started to talk about the event that was going to occur soon. She just listened to what he had to say before replying to his statements.

“Well we’ve only been back in the village for like… two days, when could’ve you have said it? I suppose you could’ve sent letters, but… are you really that kind of person? Besides, I’ve got you there with me. So whatever they might throw at me, I’m sure we can get through it… together!” she said as she looked at him and smiled while at the same time squeezing his arm a bit.


wc 215
twc 521

5Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Wed Nov 07, 2018 1:44 am

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

Takao drew in a slow breath, inflating his lungs to capacity as they walked and drew ever closer to his family home. The overbearing sensation of nervousness grew with each step he took, dreading the torment that his family would undoubtedly inflict upon him. Baby pictures, embarrassing stories, and wisecracks laid ahead for him and he was woefully unprepared. Yet her words of reaffirmation gave him an ember of confidence that it wouldn’t be too bad. His hand squeezed her’s and made sure that they were as close as they could be as they walked. If nothing else, the walk there was romantic and enjoyable enough to make up for what his family had in store.

They approached a large, traditional-style home and Takao lead Fuyuko to the front door. Mustering his courage in the form of a raised hand, his fist rapped against the wooden door thrice before taking a step back and waiting for the answer. Mere moments after he knocked, the door opened, and standing in the threshold was a woman with pale skin and black hair and eyes that matched Takao's.

Keeping up with the Kimuras. RmBGEzQ

“Oh? Hello, can I help you two?” The woman asked, a gentle smile crossing her lips.

“Ma, it’s me.” Takao said, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in frustration that he hadn’t been immediately recognized. Yet he could tell that as soon as she heard his voice she knew who it was, as her eyes widened alongside her smile.

“Takao! Oh sweetie, I hardly recognized you with a beard! You look so grown up!” She said, practically lunging forward to wrap her arms around him in a hug. Her hands quickly moved to his face as she leaned forward, examining the scar on his brow.

“Oh my gosh, your face!” Takana began, quickly launching into a stream of questions regarding the mark that split his eyebrow.

“Ma-” Takao attempted to interrupt her, to no avail.

“What happened? Who did this to you? Who healed you? Whoever did it was sloppy and went too fast! I can tell from just looking at-”

“Ma! C’mon, you’re embarrassing me.” He exclaimed, pulling away from her iron grasp. He gestured with his head to his side, toward Fuyuko, which was enough of a wordless response to urge her to take a step back.

“Ma, this is my girlfriend, Fuyuko. Fuyuko, this is my mom.” He said, introducing the two.

Takana’s gentle smile returned, nearly mirroring Takao’s own yet not asymmetrical like his, and she threw her arms around Fuyuko, pulling her into a hug as well.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, sweetheart! You can call me Takana, or ‘Mom’ if you’d like! Oh, come inside, it’s freezing out here!” Takana said, practically pulling the couple inside before closing the door behind them.

“You can hang your coat in the closet dear, I’ll go let Takara know you’re here!” She said, hurrying off into the other room. Appreciating the brief yet fleeting relief from his exhausting parentage, Takao shrugged his coat from his shoulders and hung it in the nearby closet before moving to sit at the genka and unlace his boots.

“So, that’s my mom. She’ll be like that all night.”

TOTAL WC
+549
1,088

6Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:06 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
With each step towards the front door her heartbeat started to beat just a bit harder. The moment they stood in front of the door it felt like her heart could beat outside of her chest at any moment. Takao’s hand moved towards the door and slowly knocked and as soon as he did, her heart stopped beating. Every second that passed felt like an eternity until the door opened up.

The initial conversation between the woman that opened the door and Takao relieved a bit of stress, she didn’t know why, but it just felt… comfortable. Fuyuko couldn’t help it but let a small chuckle escape that would most likely go unnoticed over their busy interaction with each other.

Her face flushed a little bit at the mention of her being his girlfriend. The feeling made her a little shy and she lost track of her surroundings for a bit which allowed for Takao’s mother to wrap her arms around her.

Without giving her much of an opportunity to reply to her greeting the two of them were already being pulled into the house. By the time she had stopped talking and would allow for her to give a proper reply his mother had already scurried off to someone else.

She turned her head towards Takao, a glance of what just happened plastered all over her face. “Well she sure has a bunch of energy doesn’t she? Well at the very least she seems very nice and caring. She seems like a good mom Takao.” She said with a smile. She followed him with taking off her coat and hanging it up, before slowly following him deeper into the building.


wc 286
twc 807

7Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:24 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

A faint, lopsided smile crossed his visage as she spoke, and he nodded as the closet door was closed and he lead her further into the house by the hand. Ahead of them was the foyer; a staircase leading to the second floor, which had a partially exposed landing at the top that ran from one wall to the next, and a hallway beneath it with sliding shōji on either side. One was ajar and the courtyard could be seen, while the other remained closed.

“She is,” He said.

“She's a little overbearing so it makes it hard to notice, but you’re right.” He added as they passed through the foyer archway and into the living room to the left of the staircase. It was spacious, featuring a large fireplace on the far wall with several carpets on the wooden floor. A single couch sat in front of the coffee table, with two smaller loveseats on either side, all facing the fireplace. A table behind the couch held several family photographs, with similar pictures hanging from the walls as they walked past.

“Oh-- I forgot to tell you, but my little sister is--” Takao began to explain as he continued to lead her through the living space, but was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps on the wooden floor. Within seconds, a young girl that looked like the spitting image of Takao’s mother came to a sliding stop at the threshold leading into the dining room.

Keeping up with the Kimuras. YR6PZM7

Takao’s face visibly lit up and his cheeks pulled into a wide smile. His hand slid from Fuyuko’s as the girl ran closer, sporting a similarly wide smile, and he knelt down. His arms wrapped around her waist as her arms wrapped around his neck and he lifted her up.

“Hey kiddo!” Takao said, supporting the weight of his sister in his arms as her arms retreated, and she began to move her hands in certain ways, then patted Takao’s cheek, urging him to laugh.

“I don't look that different, do I?” Takao said, his laughter having died down into a light chuckle as she wrapped her arms around his neck again and hugged him, urging him to return the gesture.

"I missed you too-- oh, right!" Takao lowered Takara to the ground after realizing that the two hadn't been properly introduced and turned to Fuyuko.

“Fuyuko, this is my little sister Takara. She’s completely deaf, but she’s super good at reading lips, so you don’t have to talk slow or anything and she should be able to pick up on it.” He explained, then turned back to Takara, kneeling down to her height once more.

This is my girlfriend, F-U-Y-U-K-O, Takao signed to her, then gesturing toward Fuyuko. Takara turned her attention to Fuyuko and quickly extended her hand out to her, maintaining the wide smile

“Hello! It’s very nice to meet you!” Takara said, struggling to maintain control of volume that she didn’t understand, as well as prononcuation of words she couldn’t hear.

In the event that Fuyuko did shake Takara’s hand as expected, Takara would smile brightly and attempt to lead her into the dining room by the hand, tugging away at the taller woman in an attempt to get her to follow along, with Takao laughing and trailing not far behind.

TOTAL WC
+573
1,661

8Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:12 am

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Fuyuko admired the aesthetics of the house as they slowly made their way further into the house. The living room that they had appeared to be cozy and warm. Upon seeing the fireplace Fuyuko’s mind wandered about briefly. Thinking of the cozy noise of cracking fire and the heat that radiated from it as your curled up on one of the cozy chairs underneath a soft woolen blanket as the rain gently but audibly taps against the house. The thought alone was almost enough to make her yawn right then and there. Her head quickly shifted as they walked by a bunch of family pictures. Her eyes quickly scanning over them to find as many as possible of a younger Takao, to find out what he looked like.

Unfortunately she wasn’t able to really pick out a picture out of the couple of photos that were there before he started to speak to her and her attention diverted away from the pictures. The topic was after all far too interesting. He was talking about his little sister or at least tried to before his sentence cut off. At that point Fuyuko realized that they had been together for quite some time, but they had talked hardly at all about their own families.

Watching Takao interact with his little sister put a gentle warm smile on her own face. While the smile remained on her face as she watched the two of them interact, a slight puzzled looked came along with it. The girl seemed to be weaving signs, but they were nothing like hand seals. It was then that she realized that they were communicating with sign-language, or at least she was.

Takao explained the situation just moments after she had made the connection herself, but remained silent for the time being, not wanting to interrupt their adorable reunion. That was until the girls attention seemed to shift from Takao to herself. The words that came out of her mouth fluctuated quite a bit in volume and the pronunciation was somewhat off here and there, but that didn’t take away from the fact that it melted her little heart. It was incredibly adorable and it made her eyes sparkle.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you” she replied excitedly while gently grabbing her hand and shaking it. As soon as the initial greetings were done the little girl would tug onto her hand and arm and lead her further into the house like her big brother had done before her. Fuyuko happily obliged and followed the sweet and happy girl. “What are you laughing about huh?” she remarked to Takao whilst turning her head towards him. “I’m just following your completely adorable little sister that you hid away from me, how dare you!” she followed up in a teasing tone.

wc 475
twc 1282

9Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Tue Dec 04, 2018 6:18 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

A warm and genuine smile built on his face as he watched his younger sister pull Fuyuko along, leading her into the dining room adjacent to the living room. Retrospectively, he felt bad to spring his family on her after having spoken so little-- or at all-- about them, especially given the considerable contrast of energy between himself and them. As he cast his gaze around the living room, then the dining room and the adjoining kitchen, he could not spot the final member of his family, which left him with a growing sense of unease and anxiety, though it did not show on his face. Instead, he chose to indulge in the happiness brought by the joy of his family meeting his girlfriend and how well it had gone so far. As nervous as he had originally been, it was going much better than expected.

“I didn’t mean to!” He said in response.

“We didn’t really get around to talking about family too much. Kinda… got distracted. By other things.” After clearing his throat, into the dining room they went, with Takao following closely behind as Takara lead Fuyuko by the hand to the table. It would appear, perhaps, that this was quite some occasion in the family, for his mother and his sister had cut no corners in the preparation. The table was set immaculately, complete with a tasteful tablecloth and lighting, with several plates and glassware suggesting that the meal ahead would be grand.

Takara’s hand briefly left Fuyuko’s and pulled out one of the five chairs, patting the padded bottom eagerly as a wordless means of inviting Fuyuko to sit while Takara claimed the chair next to her, sitting on her knees and turned to face Fuyuko in order to better understand what she might be saying.

“My big brother told me you are from key-ray! What is it like? We learned about key-ray in the academy last month and everybody thought it sounded scary, but I thought it was cool!”

Watching his little sister’s attempt at speaking allowed for the warm smile to persist on his face. She normally communicated solely with sign language, and thus her tone was prone to fluctuate, however she had made a special exception in attempting to communicate directly with Fuyuko. Since Fuyuko and Takara seemed preoccupied with one another, Takao headed for the kitchen, taking a detour beside the table to lean over and peck the top of Fuyuko’s head before continuing on his way to inquire about the presence of his elder sister. He was briefly interrupted and sidetracked by the setting of the table and the small feast his mother was preparing in the kitchen.

“You’re really going all out on this, huh Ma? You haven’t cooked like this in years.” He said as he plucked a small flake of fried duck meat from one of the trays, earning a hard whack on the back of his hand from a wooden spoon.

“Wait until dinner! --and yes, you’ve never brought a girl home, so it’s a very special occasion.” Takana said, quickly returning to the task of cooking.

With her back turned, Takao sneakily plucked off another bit and ate it as he moved to lean on the counter.

“Is Takagi here yet?”

“No, not yet, she said she’d be running a bit late tonight, but she should be here before it’s all done. I was hoping she’d help out with the cooking, but it seems to have fallen onto my shoulders.” With a warm smile, his mother briefly turned to address him as she spoke.

“Do you need any help?” He asked.

“No, no, you can go and sit down with your girlfriend,” Takana responded, her smile growing wider at her mention of Fuyuko. Rolling his eyes, Takao returned to the table and sat down beside Fuyuko, listening in on their conversation.

TOTAL WC
+661
2,322

10Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Fri Dec 14, 2018 4:54 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
A genuine chuckle was released from her body as she tried to cover it up by holding her hand in front of her mouth. Fuyuko couldn’t help but laugh about the scenario. She only said those things to tease Takao, there was no need for him to apologize for the fact that they never really talked about their family. She hadn’t done so either after all.

She continued following Takara along into the next room over. It was apparently the dining room which had been set like royalty was coming over to eat, at least that’s what it looked like to her. Her family had never had such a fancy set table. It was more about the closeness and bonding of the family that mattered during special occasions. Sure there was some extra effort put into the food, but never really into the stuff around the food. So in response to seeing the table her eyes sparkled and it also went unnoticed that the little girl had let go of her hand. However the sound of hands slapping down onto something pulled Fuyuko back into reality. Her head turned to the sound and saw that Takara had pulled back a chair and was offering it to her. There was no way she could possibly deny such a cute request from such a cute girl. It made her shortly wonder if her actions were cuter because she couldn’t talk or not, but she didn’t really linger on that though and instead let it go.

Fuyuko’s ear rang a little bit as Takara’s voice got a tad bit too loud sometimes when she spoke, but made absolutely certain that it wasn’t readable in her body language. Her smile remained and Fuyuko would reply in a normal fashion. “Yes I’m from Kiri. What it’s like? Uumm… Lovely, I’d say. But for different reasons that Konoha seems to be. Personally I enjoy the weather and nature more from the land of water, but perhaps that’s because I haven’t really grown accustomed to the land here. However things here seem to be way more lively like and flourishing. People seem to be genuinely happy. It can be scary though, especially if you do bad things, but you’re not supposed to do those anyway, so it should be all fine. What did they say in the academy that sounded cool to you?”

As her last sentence finished up Takao joined them at the table again. Her head turned towards him a little bit to make sure she could see where she was going, before her hand reached out to find his and interlock their fingers. As their hands and fingers locked her head would turn back around again towards to Takara to listen to the reply she was going to give to her question.


wc 482
twc 1764

11Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:00 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

Bouncing in her chair, Takara’s hyperactive disposition grew more and more apparent as she became more excited at the prospect of listening to Fuyuko’s retelling of the Land of Water. Takao watched quietly, a faint, gentle smile on his face, his head leaned against his hand to better view his younger sister’s antics. When Fuyuko had finished speaking, Takara quickly attempted to speak but jumped too headstrong into her excitement and began to stumble.

Calm down, Takao’s hand briefly retreated from Fuyuko’s and spread, palms down, before progressing into another sign.

Slow, he signed to her before allowing his hand to rejoin Fuyuko’s.

Takao gently squeezed Fuyuko’s hand as he watched Takara stutter with her words, far too excited to be able to enunciate anything audibly legible or take his advice, and quickly resort to waving her arms to ensure that she had Takao’s attention before she began to rapidly sign. His smile remained, warmer than before, as he watched her convey her thoughts.

“She says that she thinks it’s cool because the village is on an island with beaches, and that she’s never been to a beach or seen the ocean before.”

”--And uhm, uhm, the… s...seveen… sawords… mon!” She quickly added, having calmed herself down enough to strain to get her words out.

“I wanted to take her to Heiwa or Teichaku so that she could see the ocean, but I didn’t get a chance to before my leg was messed up, and then I was busy after…” He admitted, slowly coming to the realization that he had been prioritizing matters outside of his family over his family itself, which was disheartening, especially considering he had done so without realizing.

“How about we go next summer, kiddo?” He asked, animating the movements of his mouth clearly so that she could understand his offer. Her face brightened considerably and she smiled wide, nodding rapidly.

“I’ll ask mom!” She said, hopping off her chair and calling out to her mother as she hurried to the kitchen. Takao's attention slowly shifted from Takara, who disappeared into the kitchen, and fell back onto Fuyuko.

"I feel bad," He said.

"I didn't even realize I was so caught up with working that I forgot all about her wanting to do that."

Drawing in a slow breath, Takao reclined against the back of his chair, his hand still held in Fuyuko's.

“I’m heeeere!” Called out a loud voice, clearly feminine, from the archway that lead into the dining room. Takao’s expression drooped and soured as he heard the footsteps draw closer, wordlessly mouthing an expletive as his eyes closed in preparation. A woman stepped through the doorway, a tad shorter than Fuyuko herself, sporting long black hair tied in a ponytail, eyes like the rest of her family, a filled out figure, and a confident gait that lead her to the table, roughly wrapping her arm around Takao's shoulders and pulling him close.

“Heya Brat! It’s been a while--” She said, her black eyes quickly trailing from Takao to Fuyuko, and the slight smile on her face pulled further into her cheeks.

“Ohh, this must be the girl! Look at my little baby brother, all grown up and finally landing himself a woman!” She said, extending her hand out to Fuyuko, still wrapped around the back of Takao's neck.

“Pleasure to meetcha. I’m Takagi,”

TOTAL WC
+582
2,904

12Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:20 am

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
It was amusing and quite frankly adorable to watch Takara bounce up and down in her chair as she explained bits and pieces about the country she comes from. Her head quickly turned around towards Takao to see what he was going to do after letting go of her hand, and quickly rejoined with his when he had finished signing a word to Takara.

The insides of her ears started to twitch as Takara wasn’t able to control her speech at all. It’s not really her fault for not being able to speak well, but boy could it do some damage to your eardrums when she was excited. She realized she wasn’t going to be able to convey what she wanted so instead used Takao as the middle man as she weaved signs faster than a hokage, or perhaps it just appeared that way as Fuyuko recognized none of them.

Fuyuko left out a little gasp when she heard they had never been to the sea side. “Never?” Fuyuko just softly put out there with a surprised face. Prompting Takao to quickly explain why that had never happened and promising to take her. As soon as Takao finished the ball of energy ran off to the kitchen with Fuyuko ‘yelling’ something after her. “I’ll make sure it happens Takara!” Her head turned around towards Takao. A sort of demon-like shroud oozed  out of Fuyuko as her head slowly turned towards Takao. A big smile on her face, her head gently tilted and with closed eyes she said to him “We’ll make sure it happens, right?” she said with a soft and gentle voice. She had only known Takara for a couple of minutes but within that time frame she had already stolen a piece of her heart. That bouncing ball of energy and joy was something she was going to protect, even if they weren’t family… yet. At the same time she could understand Takao as well, and gently squeezed his hand while her thumb rubbed up and down. “It’s okay, you didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sure she understands as well.”

Her comforting attempt got abruptly interrupted by another voice that made their presence known. They made their way down the hallway until they reached the room they were seated in. The moment her eyes laid upon the female figure it became apparent that they were another one of Takao’s sister. They had an extremely stark difference between themselves and their younger sister, Fuyuko would even wager that they were older than Takao, but was never quite sure with woman. Some looked like they were in their twelve while they were in their twenties and vice versa, it was just hard to distinguish.

Carefully she watched the interaction that developed in front of her, before it quickly turned towards herself. Her face flushed a small hue of embarrassment due to what the woman had called her. Her own hand reached out for the one that was reaching for her own. With her head bending ever so slightly forward to make a sort of bow she replied “Nice to meet you, the pleasure is all mine. My name is Miki Fuyuko, but please just call me Fuyuko.” She wondered if her way of introducing herself was too formal or not seeing as how she was interacting with Takao just seconds ago, only time would tell if they were going to make a comment about it or not.


wc 589
twc 2353

13Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:55 am

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

Takara disappeared into the kitchen and Fuyuko turned to Takao. He hadn't expected the reaction as the oppressive force weighed down on his shoulders like tonnes of bricks, pulling his head into his shoulders out of instinct, a nervous, anxious smile growing across his features as a mixture of fear and unease filled his gut.

"Y-Yeah, of course!" He said. Her voice and face betrayed the ominous feelings of dread that built behind her, answering the question for him in theory. The sensation settled a moment later and he exhaled the tension as a sigh. The reassurance she gave through squeezing his hand was in stark contrast to how she acted mere seconds before, but still appreciated.

"I still feel bad." He leaned against her just a tad, enjoying the brief solitude they shared, until the voice of his elder sister pierced his ears.

A grunt caught in his throat as his head was pulled down under the weight of his sister's arm, who took to introducing herself to Fuyuko whilst pushing him down. He resisted, of course, and could have easily overpowered the woman, but opted it best not to make a scene in front of his girlfriend-- especially given that it was the first time she was meeting all of them.

"Fuyuko. What a pretty name," A smile built across her lips as she delicately shook Fuyuko's hand, and then watched her bow, reciprocating the gesture with a slight dip of her head in return.

"Well now, how'd you get such a well-mannered and pretty girl, hmm?" Takagi said, her attention now set on Takao, leaning in close to his face, causing him to pull his own back.

"You're a little close--"

"You didn't kidnap her, did you? Quick--!" She said, looking back to Fuyuko again, pushing Takao's head down a bit further, resting the knuckles of her free hand against him. As part of her bullyish teasing, she rubbed and ground her knuckles roughly against the top of his head.

"Blink twice if you're here against your will!"

"Would you cut it out?!" Takao replied, features animated and face contorted in semi-faux anger, to a comical extent.

"Ohh? What're you gonna do about it, shortie?" Takagi said, her mouth coiling upward in a wickedly coy smirk.

"Sh-- Wh-- I'm bigger than you!" Standing, Takao towered over his elder sister, over half a foot taller, glaring down at her. Their sibling banter went on for less than half a minute before a sensation befell them, almost identical to what Fuyuko had inflicted upon Takao a mere moment earlier.

"Now now, kids,"

Standing in the wide archway that separated the kitchen and dining area, Takana stood next to Takara, both holding trays of food. Ominous like Fuyuko's, her mid-length black hair rose like eldritch tentacles, sinister white eyes piercing through the baleful, inexplicable darkness that shrouded her face, sans the wicked smile on her face.

"𝕹𝖔 𝖋𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖊."

Takao stiffened like a board, feet together and arms at his side, his mouth pulled nervously into a thin line. Takagi, stiff like Takao, dropped her head down, and Takao followed suit.

"Sorry ma." they said in unison. With their apology accepted, the tension dissipated in a second, and her gentle smile returned. Once again relieved of the disorienting aura that Takao could only describe as motherly wrath, he walked over and helped Takara, who had been struggling with her tray, and was quickly shooed back to his seat while the pair of them set the table. As they finished, a feast was laid out before them, far more than the five of them would be able to eat on their own. Platters of roasted chicken and duck, a variety of rice, fish ranging from tuna and fillets of teriyaki salmon, vegetable nori rolls with salmon roe, miso soup with prawns, and green tea custards. Tea was served as well, however Takao had chimed up excitedly, informing his mother that he believed Fuyuko would've prefer ed a juice of some kind. When they had all been seated with Fuyuko, Takara, and Takao on one side and Takagi and Takana across from them, the family prefaced their meal with the traditional 'itadakimasu' before digging in.

"So," Takana said, her black eyes-- warm in comparison-- settled on Fuyuko and Takao from across the table.

"How did you two meet?"

TOTAL WC
+739
3,643

14Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:46 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Fuyuko continued smiling as she greeted Takagi, however it didn’t take too long before she started to chuckle inward. Having grown up as an only child she had no clue how siblings interacted with each other. She didn’t mind that she didn’t have any herself, she was content with the way she grew up and wouldn’t have changed it for anything else. That didn’t change the fact however that she was truly enjoying this experience, it didn’t seem to matter to Takagi that they had just met, her relationship with Takao was unchanged by it and it kind of warmed her heart. It made her feel like she was already accepted into the family a bit.

As she did her best to contain her chuckle it quickly disappeared and was replaced by confusion. Her talking about being kidnapped didn’t compute in her head. Her lips and jaw dropped a little bit opening up her mouth, eyebrows frowning a little bit and without fully registering what was just said she blinked a ton of times. Before she could realize what was going on Tagaki had already turned her attention back to Takao. As their sibling quarrel continued it was impossible for Fuyuko to keep the enjoyment she got out of this to herself. Albeit soft, she started laughing more openly. She was able to contain it enough that her voice didn’t join in, but you could definitely tell by the way air was going in and out of her nose that she was laughing and trying to hold it back. She was really glad to see that the two of them were getting along so well, despite the bickering that was going on.

Her head turned slightly at the sound of Takao’s mother calling out to the pair who were trying to argue who was the alpha in the house. As soon as she appeared in the corner of her eye a cold sense of dread rushed down her spine. Hairs raising and a feeling of flight rushed forward. What was this presence? It was as if the gates of hell had opened up and a demon had emerged in the room demanding their co-operation. The pair that had been full of energy seemed to have gone completely silent. The battle for the ‘top dog’ spot that had been going on was gone in an instant and the true alpha in the house had emerged. Compared to her, they looked like infants that had barely learned how to crawl. In unison the two of them replied in the exact same way, almost as if they had turned into robots that knew exactly which command to execute in this particular scenario.

After that Fuyuko could only sit silently at the table and wait for the table to be filled with all kinds of lovely things. The feeling of death that loomed in the back of her mind if she moved slowly faded away as her eyes started to glisten. The food that was presented in front of her was just breathtaking. If she wasn’t so set on holding up proper manners she was sure she’d be drooling from all the delicious food. She followed Takao and the others in their dinner ‘ritual’ albeit a fraction delayed before starting to munch on the delicious food.

As the first bit of tuna almost reached her lips words echoed through the room. Fuyuko hesitated and pulled the fish back a little bit. This was it… This was the end of her life. She was afraid of this happening and knew it would happen as well. There’d be a feast worth of food for way more people than that are present, but she wouldn’t be able to eat a single bit of it. Being the odd one out she was going to be bombarded with questions and her manners wouldn’t allow her to eat and talk at the same time. She wouldn’t show it, but inside, deep inside, she was crying she couldn’t taste the food.

“Uuhhmm… Well, it would be almost one year ago now.” She lowered her hand with her chopsticks so that the piece of fish could rest upon her plate. “We met in the forest that surrounded the hidden mist village. I was sleeping out in the open underneath a tree. It was a gorgeous and magnificent tree. It stood there all by itself in a wide open field. A meter or two taller than all the tree’s that surrounded the field, because it had all that nourishment in the earth for itself. There was just something about that place, so I just sat at the base of the tree and dozed off. Takao must have seen me or something, I don’t know, but he woke me up. I don’t know how long I was out for but the sunny sky hard turned gray in the time I was asleep. So he woke me up to make sure I wouldn’t get soaked by the looming storm. That’s how the two of us met.” As soon as she finished, within a fraction of a second the piece of tuna that had been resting on her plate had disappeared in her mouth. She would get at least one bit of food in her mouth, no matter what!


wc 905
twc 3258

15Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Sun Feb 24, 2019 12:24 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

As soon as the family of four began to dig in, Takana had already started the obligatory line of questioning that he had been dreading all day. At the very least, his mother was tame-- to a degree-- and her inquiries could be expected to be at least have a semblance of decency. But as his gaze drifted from his mother to her right, his left, and settled on the twisted visage of his mischievous elder sister, he couldn't help but swallow nervously. Hopefully their mother would keep her in check and prevent her from asking anything too embarrassing or risque, all for the sake of making Takao feel uncomfortable.

Takara reached for one of the many bowls on the table that was just out of reach and Takao helped, picking it up for her and shoveling some of the contents onto her plate for her. Struggling yet again, this time with a tough slab of pork, Takao set his utensils down and began to cut it down into chunks as Fuyuko explained how they met. His features softened considerably, a warm, lopsided smile pulling the corner of his mouth. His hands began to move on autopilot as his sidelong gaze fixated on her, noting her initial reluctance to put the food down before she started to talk.

"Oh, how lovely," Takana said, depositing her chopsticks neatly to the side on the utensil rest and folded her hands under her chin, leaning forward on the table.

"Aww, cute-- but what, pray tell, were you doing out in the Water Country's woods, dear brother? You weren't peeping, were you?" Takagi said, her features twisted into a frivolous, faux-pleasant visage, each word laced with some underlying meaning he set to deciphering before he answered.

Then, before he could, everything on the table rattled as something hard stomped beneath on the side opposite of Takao, Fuyuko, and Takara; his mother's expression remained a wholesome smile whilst Takagi flinched, hissed a whine, and rubbed her freshly stomped foot. Takao decided to speak up and take the reins of answering the questions for a moment, allowing Fuyuko to eat while he helped Takara with her food.

"Well, they dropped a mission on me as soon as I got there," Takao said pointedly at Takagi.

"So I was on my way back to the village after it was done when I, ah..." He said, mulling over his words as his tone dropped to a mumble.

"Got... sorta lost. I spotted Fuyuko in the clearing on the way back and she invited me over 'cause of the storm." His glance fell onto Fuyuko and he gave her a warm, knowing smile. The details of the night would go untold, obviously, although they were fond, cherished memories all the same-- right down to him using his pet bird as an excuse to stick around and wait out the storm, and barging into her room in the middle of the night. Perhaps they would make for funny stories further down the line.

"Ah--ahh! I can do it!" Takara protested, puffing her cheeks out in protest as she reached up for the knife that Takao used, relinquishing it to her after considering it for a moment.

"Alright, be careful." He said, keeping his gaze on her out of the corner of his eye, watching her attempt to cut through the meat as he had.

"Of course you got lost," Takagi said, lifting a glass to her lips and sipping before she continued.

"You couldn't navigate your way out of a wet paper lantern if you had a compass. But at least it worked out for you this time." Expression curling back up into her wry smile, Takao rolled his eyes in response, lifting his own glass to drink from.

"Behave yourself, Takagi." Takao's mother said, shifting her gaze to wash over Takao and Fuyuko.

"So, you two," Takana said, steepling her hands under her chin.

"When can I be expecting grand-kids?" He asked level-toned, straight-faced as she watched Takao choke on his drink in surprise and turn red in the face as he coughed.

"Ma!" Takao managed to squeeze out between his coughs that slowly settled, staring at her with wide eyes and clenched teeth. He'd been expecting that sort of questioning from Takagi, not his mother, which had thoroughly caught him off guard. Finally, she cracked a smile and quiet giggle that she covered with her hand.

"I'm sorry honey, I just couldn't help myself."

TOTAL WC
+760
4,403

16Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Mon Apr 01, 2019 1:50 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Fuyuko couldn’t help but chuckle as she continued eating. The relationship Takao had with his sisters was endearing and it put a smile on her face as she chomped on the food. Listening silently to what Takao had to say, honestly she had forgotten what the reason was for him to be out there in the first place. So it was nice to get it refreshed without having to let Takao know she had forgotten.

Takara interrupted the story as she got fed up with Takao treating her like a little baby. She was definitely big enough to feed herself, there was no reason for him to helicopter her so much. Fuyuko planted her hand on top of Takara’s head and gently stroked it briefly. “Yeah Takao, Takara is big enough to take care of herself.” She said with a gentle smile towards Takara, but with an obvious teasing voice towards Takao.

The attention on the table shifted once again as his older sibling made another remark towards Takao. On one hand she felt a bit sorry for Takao to have to endure her own teasing up also that of his older sister. At least his mother was on his side telling Takagi to calm herself down and behave. Fuyuko felt had a bad feeling growing in her stomach from the way his mom started her sentence. While Takao’s coughs seemed to have cleared relatively fast, hers wouldn’t stop. Pounding the side of her fist against her chest to help try clear her throat. A question that resulted in a full T.K.O for Fuyuko. A single punch and she was out of the match. It was something she wouldn’t have expected in her wildest dreams.

Her face had taken on the color of a tomato from the coughing and the embarrassment, when her throat cleared she took a couple of sips from her drink before calming down a bit. “Yeah I’m fine, don’t worry. It… it just caught be by surprise, that’s all.” She replied to the questions and concerns. Despite all of it Fuyuko was still going to give a serious answer to it all, it was just the way she was. “There will be no children. At least not in the foreseeable future. It’s not something that goes well in our line of work and there are still plenty of things I want to do and achieve before I can commit to a family of my own.” She replied with a serious tone. The answer made her think of her village, the reason why she had become a shinobi in the first place. It made her think of how far away she still away from being capable to fulfill her desires. Her trail of thought broken as Takara tried reaching for some food on a plate that was just out of range. Fuyuko reached out and pulled the plate a bit closer for her. “There you go” she said with a warm and soft voice again.

As to try to avoid them from asking her a follow up question on what she had just said Fuyuko employed the diversion tactic. "So uuhmm... Takana..." it felt weird and unnatural to her to call someone she just met by their first name especially since they were so much older than herself. "Could you tell me more about Takao as a baby and a kid and things like that. I know how he is now, but I'm also interested in finding out how he was when he was younger." she said with an eager look on her face. She was sure this would turn the topic away from herself.


wc 620
twc 3878

17Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:56 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

Stunned into silence, Takao did little more than listen to Fuyuko's answer. Pangs of an indiscernible sensation rang in his chest like a wringing tightness, as if something was grabbing him, but he didn't show it on the outside. Instead, a faint, wistful smile grew across his features. It was a sobering answer; he hadn't taken into consideration that he and Fuyuko were at different stages of his life. Even if he wanted to settle down at some point in the near future, Fuyuko had her own ambitions, and it wasn't his place to get in the way. Thankfully, he had a good poker face.

The conversation took a hard, unexpected turn when Fuyuko changed the subject on him, specifically his childhood. He swallowed hard and his gaze lost focus, staring down at the table without attention to anything specifically. There was ample opportunity for embarrassment, surely, but the memories that he risked resurfacing wasn't worth the comedic relief.

"Oh, Dear, don't get my started on him!" Takana began obliviously. Takagi fell uncharacteristically silent and folded her arms, black eyes falling onto Takao before they joined his, staring at the table.

"He was such a sweet boy when he was little. His father would always take him out and--" Takana began, and Takao interrupted by standing up suddenly, rattling the cutlery and glasses at the table.

"Ah-- Sorry... I gotta... use the bathroom. Real quick." Swallowing again, Takao bowed his head just a bit before he left the room, forcing himself into a steady pace rather than the sprint he wanted.

Takana huffed, her cheeks puffing and arms crossing to match her legs. She reclined in the chair, watching Takao's sudden, albeit temporary, rude departure from the table. She shook her head, intent on continuing without him, despite the disappointment that she wouldn't be able to embarrass her spawn.

"Goodness, he's never been good at talking about when he was younger. I think he gets too embarrassed," Takana said, her words fading into an audible whisper.

"But as I was saying... His father would always take him out for training, even when he was so little, and he just adored it. Rain or sun, those two would be out at the crack of dawn. Takao used to just be so terrified of fire, you see. It shook him down to his poor little bones, and his father helped him get over that fear." Takana continued, explaining in blissful ignorance the relationship that Takao had with his father.



Granted the privacy he desperately needed behind the bathroom door, Takao stared at his paled face in the mirror above the sink. With ragged breathing and sweat beading on his forehead, his scarred hands gripped the porcelain basin and trembled. With perfectly inappropriate timing, a chorus erupted in his head. The symphonious screaming had been ignored for most of the night, up until this point, yet now they were overbearing as memories of his childhood flared up like a spark in dry brush.

Flames danced in a line before him, barely a meter away, and he was frozen in place. Black eyes were locked and dared not falter, lest their unpredictability lead them to creep closer.

“Just walk through the fucking fire, Takao!” His father yelled, his voice piercing through the roar of flames that separated the two and the thunderous rain that poured above. All he had to do was take two steps forward, just walk through the flames he knew wouldn’t hurt him, and it would be over. He could go inside and dry off and be left alone at last.


C̶Ẉ̶̧̨̫̣̽͗̓́̃́͋̓̃̓̌͘Ą̴̧̝̖̼͚̞̣͙̤̙͈͓̂͒̎͒̚̕̕Ḷ̸̡̙̈͗͜K̷̛͚̭͖͍̬̜̘̄͆̃͒̂̂͑̚̚͝ ̷̧̻͈͔̣͉̙͔̀̀̚T̶̪̥̫̥̦̪̩͚͇̪̹̼̒̑́̉͆́̉Ḣ̵̠͕̙͎̖͓̠̩̺͂̓̐̌̌͜͝͝R̷̫̠͎͔̲̪͇̘̮̫̭̠̖̤̉̏̂̈̊͠O̴͓̾̔̒̇̆̆̔̒̉̂͑̀̚Ǔ̵̧̨͈̮̹̘͙͐̈́̈́̾̿͗̓͐̐͗͊G̷̙̜̳̼̩̑ͅḨ̶̨̭̼̥̮̰̐̃̊ ̷̝̝̤̤̙̞͍͎̩͇̳͙͆́͛̍͋͛̏̏̓̓͆͜͝ͅṰ̶̛͖̺͉̹͓̯̮̫͖̆̅̒̍͋̆̈́͊͑͘H̴̡̛̰̰͉̰̦͎͕̯͕̖͍̬̫̉̒̏͊̉̅͒̂͛̈́̏̔͘ͅȆ̵̛̛̛̱̽̓̋̌̈́̾͘͠͝ ̷̛͙̲̺̉̌͂͐̑̀F̸̢̧̦̩͔̟̟̫͇̗̪́̓̈́͒͗̃̉̂́̈́̉̎̕͝͝I̷̢͇͚͖̥̘̰̹̺̤̠̪̚Ř̵̦̳̝̝͆Ē̷̡͚͂̄̑͒̌̿̈́̌̕

S̸̨̖̓͜ͅH̵̞̗̹͛̀Ȩ̵̈́̽ ̷̡̨̤͂͒͑͒͜W̷̺̅̏Ã̵̞͓̲͛̕Ṡ̸̤̯͕ ̸̛̭̺̑́̕Ả̸͙̯̹͆͠L̶͖͔̤̿W̸̲̪͙̅A̵̹̺͍͒̃͝Ȳ̵̭̪̖̈́͛̓Ŝ̷̢̟̗̜͝ ̵͈̘̆B̸̞͇̐Ȩ̴̯͓̫̋̍̈́͠T̷̘͉̩͆̀͊́͜T̵̮̦̠̈́̐̿̿Ẻ̸͓͖̘͒R̶̳̲̘̀͊

Y̸̩̎͑O̸̡͒́Ŭ̶͓ ̸̻̐S̴͙͓̓H̷͓͙̀O̵͓̓̑U̴̖͗̈́L̷̯͖͌͌D̸̝̰͑ ̶̹̜̂Ḧ̴̛͔́A̶͍͂V̷̩͑E̷̢̙͒ ̷̖̳͆̚L̸̲͝I̸̬̤̐̀S̵͉̓T̶̠̓E̷̢̙̓̓N̶͔͋̕E̵͉̱͘D̴͍̉ͅ

Coalesque eyes reflected the flames as his father stepped through them effortlessly, without a tinge of fear in his body. Takao watched as his hand rose high and swung down, striking him hard across the side of the face, twisting Takao’s head to the side as he recoiled from the strike.

“A Kimura that can’t even walk through his own fire is worthless,” He said.

“Worthless! You hear me?! What’s wrong with you?! Your sister could do this at half your age!” He spat, his guttural words making Takao flinch as his hands continued their anxious twitching movements, shaking violently once more.



W̸̻̫͊̓̄͗̔̽̉̎̏̍̚̕̚͝͠O̴̧͎͙̖͇̞̯̤̱̙̐̈́̇͒̐ͅͅR̶̯̈͌̕H̷̠̪̙̺͓͉͎̀̌̆̈́͝ͅĹ̶̨͉͖̺̲̟͒̈́̏̕E̸̛̮̹̦͔̊͛͋̎̏̎͋̓͛͛͋̏͆ͅS̶͇̻̮̻̻̯̟̙͉̣͔̪̦͙̝̑S̵̨̭̣̮̦̿̄̎̊̈́̎̇̂̅̓̅̑̌́͠ͅ

C̶̲̔Ò̴̤U̴̟̐L̶̟̃D̷̰͊ ̵̢̾D̶͈͑O̵̟̕ ̷͜͠Í̵͚T̸̞̽ ̵͙̏A̵̭̕T̵̝̚ ̷̋͜H̴͈͋Ạ̶̍L̷̦͝F̴̹̆ ̴͈͒Y̵̻͋O̷̥̎U̸̢͑R̵͔̔ ̶̨͋A̸͓͂G̶̺̔E̸͚̿

S̸̨̖̓͜ͅH̵̞̗̹͛̀Ȩ̵̈́̽ ̷̡̨̤͂͒͑͒͜W̷̺̅̏Ã̵̞͓̲͛̕Ṡ̸̤̯͕ ̸̛̭̺̑́̕Ả̸͙̯̹͆͠L̶͖͔̤̿W̸̲̪͙̅A̵̹̺͍͒̃͝Ȳ̵̭̪̖̈́͛̓Ŝ̷̢̟̗̜͝ ̵͈̘̆B̸̞͇̐Ȩ̴̯͓̫̋̍̈́͠T̷̘͉̩͆̀͊́͜T̵̮̦̠̈́̐̿̿Ẻ̸͓͖̘͒R̶̳̲̘̀͊

“This is pathetic. I’ll show you that your fears are pointless.” The man said as he moved behind Takao, who whipped his head around toward his father. His eyes widened and his jaw began to quiver as panic set in on his visage.

“No-- no, wait, please!” Takao cried out as he felt the firm hands of his father on the back of his head and his back. He pushed against them but his eight-year-old form could do little and he struggled in vain. Even as he thrashed, his eyes never left the violently dancing flames that drew ever closer. The corners of his eyes swelled as tears born of fear formed the more his face was pushed.

“Dad-- stop! Please!”

“You have to learn, Takao!”

Beg as he might, it did nothing to dissuade his father from his actions. His breathing grew rapid and ragged as the flames were mere inches from his face, his father’s hand pushing his face closer and closer toward the mud and fire. His eyes widened and a primal, pathetic scream of terror left his throat.



]Ý̵̧͖̥̤̳̳͕̪̗̙̂͊͊́͗̔̇͗̓͜͜ͅŎ̴̝̜̤̲͂̊̍̚ͅU̶̡̨̢͕͈̜͈̲̟̦̼͇̍̾̒̓̀̅͂̉͊̄̒ ̶͉̼̿̂̏̑̂͑Ȟ̴̢̢̡̛͓̫͎̰͈̞͙̝͌͂̑̅̿̕͝A̶͇͙̝̲̻̠̭̥̘̖͐͛͜V̷̭̦̮̼͔̻̱̟͕̼͙̪͔̅̽͋̉͂͘E̸̗̞̯͍̔́͋͋̊̂̌͊̍̆̀͋͐̐͠ ̴̲̫̙̳͕̗͈̈̑̍́͋́̏̉̂̈͗͘͠͝͝Ţ̴̛̤̺̠̜͔̯̼̙͓̟̰̯̓͂̿̈̓̀̿͛͐́͗̀Ō̷̧̼̯̬̝̜̫̭̳̣̆͜͝ͅ ̴̛͇͎̉Ļ̴̫͎͋͑͂̀̂̊̃͝È̵̥͛͘͠A̵̢̨̛̼̬͆̐̍̓̄̎̅͝͝Ṙ̵̮̰̩̟̘̬͂̊̐̅N̶̝͚̟̻̼͔̙̬͕͎̺̙̪̂̎̂͊͗̇͜ͅ

P̶͔͂̉͐̏̏̏͠Ą̶̧̡̟̮̳̳̱̹̝̩̅͂̎̉͑̆̓̈́̈́̅́͐͘͜Ť̷͚̩̇̾̿̆͊̈̚H̵̝͙̖͙̦̖͖͐͗͊̄̈̎̏̀̒̽̓̍͘͜È̵̼͙͕̮̐͐̾́͂͐̾͝T̵͙̈́̎̃͐̎̆̇͑̒͝I̴̢̧͓̻̮̪̦̘͍̲͂̐̋͛C̸̡̨̹̟̥͍͖̬͈̻̯͙̙̻̈́̃̍̾̓͆̀̃̀̔̕



Harsh memories flooded his conscious thought and forced his eyes closed. His brow furrowed and with all his might, he resisted the temptation to squeeze the basin until it shattered. His teeth ground against one another, gnawing in an attempt at any sort of relief from the pain that throbbed in his head. Thousands of disembodied voices encircled him, screaming in his ears ad-naueseum. It would pass, it always did, he need only endure it a bit longer.



In the meantime, Takana had shared a plethora of stories from Takao's childhood both embarrassing and not-so. She shared the story of his boundless excitement after his Academy graduation, the weeks after he was put on the twelfth Hokage's squad which he just couldn't stop talking about, a mixed bag of stories when he would 'train' with his father, and even a brief story about his first 'crush' on a female squad mate when he was a genin.

"Ah... It's a shame he missed all that," Takana commented.

"It was a perfect opportunity to embarrass him just a bit. But, that's enough of that. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

TOTAL WC
+1,228
5,630

18Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Thu Apr 25, 2019 10:16 am

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Fuyuko was very intrigued to find out about Takao’s past and so waited full with eager to get the answer to her question. However, that eagerness would disappear as soon as it appeared. The mood of the table had changed instantly and it made Fuyuko feel bad about the situation. The way Takagi fell silent and how Takao had to abruptly leave didn’t go unnoticed to her and made it painfully obvious to her that something happened in the past. She had no clue what it was, nor was she going to find out from the small stories that were about to be told. She wanted to know, know why it upset the two of them so much, but at the same time, she didn’t want to prod into something that was obviously bothering them.

Carefully she listened to the story that was being told, appearing to be fully intrigued by what was being told and asking small follow up questions on things where it seemed appropriate. The thing about the fire was somewhat of a surprise though, the way he seemed to be so overly ‘comfortable’ with fire now whereas he used to be terrified of it was potentially a thing that could have to do with it. But such a thing seemed to little, not significant enough to cause a reaction as it did. Loads of different small stories came by with most of them being very lighthearted stories. It wasn’t until the final sentence before Takana inquired about her own past that something clicked again. The ‘he’ that she referred to could only have been their father. She had seen him in a picture or two on the cabinet with all the family pictures, and after Tagaki showed up to fill the last seat, she wondered where the father figure was. From the information that was exchanged over the table this night, Fuyuko concluded that their dad had passed away and that that was the reason. It would explain why they reacted the way they did, however, her gut feeling wasn’t satisfied with it. Perhaps she would ask them about it later in private, but not tonight. There was no reason to stain the night with more negative emotions.

The ball had been placed in Fuyuko’s court and so started to tell her own backstory. She wasn’t very good at it. It was difficult for her to determine what people found interesting and not interesting, nor was her life really that eventful. She talked about how she grew up on a remote farm as a single child. How she was very adventurous from a very young age and because of that, plus the location that she lived in, she spent most of her time in the woods. Some small things that happened as she grew up, but nothing that was really special. At some point, she got to the age in which her life somewhat turned around. Revealing her scar to them and explaining what had transpired there, how she was saved, and how it inspired her to become a shinobi. She also told the story of her very first mission, in which she had to find a bunch of cats that were scattered throughout the village.

The evening had come along a long way by this point, most of the food had been consumed and bellies had started to fill up. By the end of her own story, Takao had still not returned and it really started to worry her. She excused herself from the table and went to go looking for her. Takana told her as she left where the bathroom was. Fuyuko thanked her and walked through the house towards it. She stood in front of the bathroom door, took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door. Softly she spoke to him. “Takao, are you in there? … Are you alright? … Can I come in?” She waited patiently for him to reply, giving him as much time as possible. She was still uncertain to the extent of what had happened to him in the past affected him. If he’d open up the door she would instantly reach out to him. Placing her hands on either side of his head and pulling him in, placing one of his ears of her chest over her heart, before speaking up even if it interrupted him. “I don’t know what has happened, but it’s all okay now. You don’t have to tell me either if you don’t want to, but I am here. I will listen to whatever has happened if you want to tell me. But no matter what, I will be here to support you. You’re not alone babe.” The words she spoke were soft and full of love. Her body resonated the feelings she put into her words, mostly through the fact that her heart pounded harder than normal. A sort of signal to the listening ear that he wasn’t alone.


wc 841
twc 4719

19Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:53 am

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

His breathing had grown panicked and ragged as he stared at his reflection. Colour drained from his face, his hands were cold, clammy, and squeezing on the edges of the sink as hard as he could without breaking them. The voices pounding at his psyche like war drums send powerful tremours down his spine that he couldn't suppress. Beads of sweat rolled from his brow and cheek.

He knew he'd been away from the table for too long and it would begin to raise suspicions, and that it was only a matter of time before somebody had come to check on him. If he had to guess, it would be Fuyuko, or perhaps Takagi. She was the only other person that knew, better than Fuyuko even, the way that memories of their childhood plagued him.

"Come on... Just... Calm down..." He exhaled shakily, trying to calm himself down. But, alas, it was to no avail, and the abusive stream of memories persisted, even stronger now than before.

Droplets of water echoed throughout the spacious cavern. He entered with an assertive stride, boots clamoring against hard stone. Despite total darkness, his once-black orbs shone brightly through the tenebrosity, emitting their own fiery light. Within, a single figure stood in technicolour, which Takao's eyes fixated on.

"After everything," Takao said, hints of fatigue dripping from his tongue, but he didn't show it on the outside. He was calm, cold like the damp cave air that surrounded him.

"The constant drilling into my head that we're tools for the village. Grooming me to be a cog in the machine. After years of that, you're the one to defect?" The more he spoke, the more his words became laced with pointed venom.

"It was a mistake..."

The man standing some twenty meters lifted his head. His back was turned to Takao when he entered, but now, he slowly shifted his weight and spun on his heels, arms extended outward.

"It shouldn't have been you. You don't have what it takes." He said, taking slow, careful strides closer.

"It should've been her, Takao! She was always better. Everything you struggled to do came so naturally to her! Why couldn't you be that way?!" His voice rose and Takao grit his teeth, jaw clenched tight. Tremours ran through his body, urging him to act, but he didn't just yet, frozen in place by habit.

"Worthless," He said, slow strides growing faster, words becoming louder.

"Absolutely..." Breaking into a run, Takao broke from his inaction, and he braced himself as his father sprinted for him.

"Worthless!"

"Fuck you!" Takao finally spat back through firmly clenched teeth, meeting his father's pace.

They clashed, exchanged a myriad of blows, and threw swathes of flame at one another like bickering siblings threw insults. Seldom was the darkness of the cave allowed to creep back in, a consistent stream of fire kept it illuminated as they battled. He was hesitating, afraid for some reason, but his father wasn't. Every blow sent his way was decisive and dangerous. One misstep and he'd be ash. When jutsu failed, fisticuffs began, and Takao's prowess began to shine. He was stronger, faster, and better practiced than his father, but he lacked the ruthlessness that his father perfected. He didn't capitalize on the plethora of opportunity. He couldn't. This was his father. Tangible pangs of fear nearly froze him into complete inaction. An unexpected dirty shot lead to a stomp into the side of his leg that shattered the joint of his knee, dropping Takao immediately, followed by a cry of pain that echoed throughout the cave.

"Look at you. Pathetic! You hesitate like a child!" A hard boot to the side of Takao's face forced him into the cold mud of the cave floor, coughing and groaning.

"Worthless. Talentless. You don't deserve to have the Kimura name." The anger in his father's voice hit his chest harder than any punch. Choking down a hard swallow, Takao gripped his leg, staring wordlessly up the man.

"I should've finished you the first time. I would've saved myself so much time..." Drawing in an exaggerated sigh, Takao's father lifted his leg again.

"I won't make that mistake again." He said, slamming his boot into Takao's face.

Takao's eyes snapped open and he flinched upon seeing his reflection. For a moment, he thought he'd seen his father's face staring back at him; after all, Takao was the spitting image of the man. Cloudy black eyes sluggishly moved to as Fuyuko's voice carried through the door. Her knock had snapped him out of the nightmarish trance that turned his skin pale and clammy. In his stupor, he hadn't even noticed that he'd shattered part of the sink basin from squeezing it. Swallowing hard, Takao did his best to steady his voice when he spoke.

"Yeah," He managed, reaching for the doorknob to open the door.

"I'm alrigh--" He opened the door before he could finish and was greeted by Fuyuko reaching out to him, pulling his head down to her chest. It startled him and he froze, but as she spoke, the tenseness in his body melted and he leaned against her. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and listened to the pounding rhythm of her beating heart. Even though it was faster than normal, something about it was calming. As addicting as it was, and he truly would've liked to stay like that for a bit longer, he reluctantly pulled away.

Before he stood proper, Takao leaned in and kissed her softly. He would let his lips linger on hers for a moment longer until he finally straightened his back. His hands searched for hers, intent on locking his digits with her's.

"Thank you, Fuyuko." He said. A genuinely warm smile grew on his face as he looked down at her. He mulled over what she said, her offer to listen to what happened, and he hesitated. He wanted to tell her more than anything, to confide in the one person he trusted the most, but his thoughts raced to the time in the forest. He had relied on her then to pull him out of one of his most vulnerable states, but how long could he expect her to do so? If these things kept building, if all of his issues fell onto her shoulders, she would grow to hate him.

"I don't..." He started, but hesitated again.

"I don't want to talk about it here. Sorry." Offering her an apologetic smile, he squeezed her hand gently.

"Maybe when we get home."

With Fuyuko's hand in his, he gestured toward the dining room with his head, then lead her back. The trio of women had started to clear off the table, the meal having been finished in Takao's absence before Fuyuko left the table. Takara noted the couple's return and hurriedly ran over, hugging both tightly. She always had a knack for picking up on things when something wasn't right, and he can only imagine how his sudden exit might've worried her. His free hand gave her head a reassuring pat.

"About time you came back," Takagi said as he gathered empty dishes from the table.

"We were starting to think you'd fallen in." Rolling his eyes at the sarcastic remark, his gaze followed Takagi as she walked close. She gave him a knowing look and he forced a smile. She continued into the kitchen, where Takana was wrapping leftovers, and Takao followed after her, Fuyuko and Takara in tow.

"There you two are!" She called out, waving them over.

"I was starting to worry! We've mostly cleared the table off now, but I've packed you two a nice big heap of leftovers to take home!"

"Sorry Ma." Takao said.

"I'm just not feelin' too hot. If Fuyuko doesn't mind, I think we might head out."

wc
+1,360
6,990

20Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Wed May 01, 2019 9:20 pm

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Gently her lips pressed against his as he reached for her. A small chuckle slipped from her lips. “There is no need to thank me, you should know that.” She said with an even bigger and warmer smile. He started talking again but hesitated, but from how the sentence started Fuyuko could assume what was going to come next. Without surprise he said exactly what she expected him to say. Her warm smile lingered for a while longer as she followed up to what he said. “Don’t worry about it babe. If you don’t want to talk about it that’s alright. It’s not easy, just talk about it when you want to, don’t feel forced to. If it means you aren’t ready until years from now, then so be it.” Squeezing his hand in return.

Fuyuko followed closely behind Takao. ”Was it mean of me to say that?” she thought to herself. While what she was true, it wasn’t entirely the truth. She was happy to give him tons of time and space for him to sort himself out and prepare himself to talk about it, but deep down she craved for him to tell her about himself. She didn’t want there to be secrets in their relationship, at least, as far as that could go. They had a rather interesting dilemma with that as well. She truly wished that they were capable of telling each other everything, but their line of work was kind of in the way of that. Now wasn’t it entirely their line of work, it was a combination of that and the fact that they belonged to other villages. Because if they both came from the same village they could share a ton of things still, because it would be a secret within the village. However, seeing as she belong to the hidden mist and he was home here in the hidden leaf, it made things complicated.

She wondered why she had such a craving for honesty or rather, all cards on the table approach to their relationship, but before she could even start to ponder about those kind of things they had already made their way back into the dining room. Fuyuko left the interaction between Takao and his older sister to them and instead focused on the little one who had a bit of a worried face. Giving Takara a sweet smile and holding one of her hands and squeezing it gently.

“Although I’d love to stay longer, talk some more and get to know one another better, I think it’s better for Takao if we take our leave now. We’ll be sure to drop by again sometime, I had a lovely time meeting all of you. Especially this adorable one over here.” She said as she squeezed Takara’s hand again. They exchanged some more farewell messages before the two of them would eventually leave the house and make their way back to Takao’s house.

Both of them carrying one of the two bags with leftovers. With her free arm locking around his free arm before it disappeared into the pocket of her jacket. The sun had set for a decent amount of time now and the starry night would become ever so clear. “I had a great time meeting your family Takao. Takara is definitely the cutest girl I have ever met. I’m not so sure about Takagi, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the relationship you have with her. You two seem to be really close, even if you don’t display it. As for your mother…” Fuyuko sighed a little before following it up with a chuckle. “Your mother is something alright. Some of those questions… completely caught me off-guard. Oh, she can also cook incredibly well. All in all, I had an amazing time and I think you have a lovely family.” She paused a bit before softly mumbling a bit. “I’m glad I can be a part of that family….” Her cheeks flaring up a little bit.

[EXIT THREAD]

wc 685
twc 5404

21Keeping up with the Kimuras. Empty Re: Keeping up with the Kimuras. Sat May 18, 2019 9:58 pm

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Keeping up with the Kimuras. D6ehE4O

"I do want to talk about it," He said as they returned to the rest of the family, rolling his jaw thoughtfully along the way. "It's just... not easy to articulate. I guess." A blatant lie, he knew what he wanted to say, how to say it, even the words he would use and the tone he would say them in, but he didn't want sympathy. His situation wasn't special or out of the ordinary. There was no place for him to complain when plenty of others endured what he had or worse and been fine. More than that, it had been so long ago that he couldn't justify it.

But he didn't want to hide it either. They had spoken about it quite some time ago, when he'd nearly burned down half of the Hidden Mist's forests in a fit, that neither of them would hold secrets from the other. He was no stranger to internal dilemmas running rampant in his head, but this one left him wanting to sit in a dark room with his eyes closed and drink until his thoughts were too watered down to wander.

Fuyuko told the family that it might be better if they left for his sake, which earned a few concerned glances, mainly from his mother.

"Takao, sweetie? Is everything alright?" She asked, moving closer to him and pushing his hair to the side to rest the back of her hand on his forehead.

"U-uh, yeah, everything's fine, Ma. It's just... being forced to look at Takagi's face for so long upsets my stomach, you know?" He lied, playing the excuse off with a faint laugh that earned him a hard smack to the side of the head. Behind her, where Takagi leaned on the kitchen island and snacked on some of the leftovers, his sister clicked her tongue.

"Oh, you little brat. If anybody's got a horse face in this family, it's you." She commented, rolling her eyes.

"Enough, you two! Neither one of you have 'horse faces'." Takana said, shaking her head. "Takagi is the spitting image of me, and you're the spitting image of your father." She said, idly fixing Takao's hair. He swallowed hard, clenched his jaw, and forced a painfully obvious fake smile.

"We'll visit again soon, Ma. Thanks for dinner."

After the pleasantries were exchanged, they departed, and Takao's eyelids fell heavy. He was not an extrovert, even such little time spent with his own family left him more drained than a full day's worth of hard training. There was a reason he'd lived alone for so long.

"Takagi is fine. We just go back and forth like that for fun." He said, smiling faintly. "I'm the closest with her out of everybody in the family. We know things about each other that we'll take to the grave."

"I'm glad you were there. It's much easier to endure them with you around. Plus I don't have to listen to my mother constantly going 'Oh Takao, when are you going to bring a girl home?'." He said, doing his best to mimic a woman's voice, but the deep timbre of his own made it quite difficult.

"I'm glad you liked them too. I know they can be a handful... But they seemed to love you."

He didn't particular hurry home, enjoying the slow walk through the emptied streets of the Leaf. A starry blanket cast overhead made it especially peaceful, in contrast to the hectic dinner they'd endured. Fuyuko mumbled and blushed, and a warm smile grew on his face. His arm slipped around her and brought her into a tight embrace.

"I'm glad you're part of it now too."

wc

640 | 7,630

Sponsored content



View previous topic View next topic Back to top Message [Page 1 of 1]

Naruto Saga » Hi no Kuni » Konohagakure » Keeping up with the Kimuras.

Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden belong to © Masashi Kishimoto.