The day had started much as any other. It was a special day, but such special status was afforded to it not by Akaneya - nay, she saw it for what it was: a day much as any other. When she woke in the darkness of her room, the sun hidden behind perhaps buildings and perhaps blinds and perhaps just things in the way generally, but by all means the sun was quite low and the sky quite orange. She didn't feel well rested, she never did, but she dragged herself out of bed anyway. Donning the same old mesh shirt and tight shorts, the same old dress, her outfit was quite standard. She'd opted for a pair of boots rather than her wrapped shins, a habit she was getting into these winter months.

The morning started with some stretching, some yoga, quite similar to what she'd done with Chiaki not too long ago. Basic, but efficient, certainly not on anybody's model of what yoga should be but yet matching all the conventions that yoga has. While her mind was groggy and sloggy, she could at least work out her body, right? Nothing too intensive for the morning and all that. Well, she started to feel a bit more awake in little time at all, and so with a brief drink of plain milk, she quickly grabbed her coat and headed out. It was that 'cute' pink coat that Chiaki had picked out for her, and all the fastenings were done as she walked.

She spent her time in meditation, for the most part. Akaneya stood in the silence of the chilly, but not nearly as cold as outside the village, garden, or park, or other general green space. She engaged in her usual manner, of course, closing her eyes and feeling out the space around her. The chirps of nearby birds revealed their locations, and the sounds going hither and thither, bouncing off of nearby walls, dampened by the confused mesh of matter that were clusters of leaves, it painted a picture in her mind. The walls were vibrant, vivid, clear, while the leaves seemed almost like a gap in the image, a fading, a black hole where nothing could escape.

The sounds of the gentle winter breeze rustling the grass and bushes likewise gave her an idea of their positioning. They swayed gently, every now and then twitching as the air hit something at just the wrong angle. The hard stone she stood upon, meanwhile, was another gap of negative space - it didn't rustle at all, it made no noise, gave off no sound, no vibrations, and so she could tell by omission precisely where it was. This was all fairly standard to her sensory abilities, though.

She only deemed this a type of meditation for the lack of a better word. It was serene and peaceful certainly, but she wasn't emptying her mind at all. No, she was training it, honing it, keeping her senses on their guard and making sure she wouldn't lose details. She doubted that the ability would fade, at least, that it would fade from disuse so quickly just because she hadn't been on a mission in a while, but it didn't really matter. Training, even to keep up what one already has, was well worth the effort.

She gave this quite some time, before taking out her flute and playing her songs. Her mournful, lonely songs, alone, afraid, and most of all without closure. The notes flew by and into the air, enlightening her to the environment in an even clearer fashion. As the cries of her flute rang, she prepared to draw to a close - but fumbled on the last note. She played an extra! Now, she didn't technically have any standard form or sheet music of any sort for these songs, the extra note rubbed her wrong. It felt like it disturbed the older, albeit perhaps unfinished, ending, but nor did it provide a new one satisfactorily. Akaneya groaned and put her flute away, a small mistake but she was ready to move on to something more physical anyway. Knowing she had left her tools back in her apartment, because physical training was in a different place entirely, she began the slow, calm walk back to 'home'.

She approached the door, and unlocked it. If someone had snuck in, they'd been clever enough to re-lock the door once inside. She had no suspicion that someone had, though. Who would? She had nothing to take and was hardly a valuable asset herself. Akaneya opened the door and stepped inside, eager to get on with it all.

Chiaki had woken far earlier than she used to, making herself ready for anything to happen as she watched Akaneya's door. It was almost sunrise, and the golden rays of the village started to stir the birds and other wildlife, and also city life. She grinned to herself and clutched the giant bag that she had on her back. She had chosen to wear black, so as not to stand out, a bandana wrapped tightly around her head with a black do-rag tied around her hair.

Blue eyes peered out over the rooftop as she kept all but her eyes lower than the roof that she was perched on. They narrowed, wondering when the other kunoichi would leave her domicile She was a cat ready to spring, ready to move. She had the rat seal already made, waiting, waiting... A jounin, on the way to work stopped, tilted their head, saw the konoha headband on her neck, shrugged and jumped away. Unfazed, she stayed there, silent, watchful, hoping that she was going to get a close look at Akaneya's morning routine, having not actually made any progress on that front as of yet. Her butt wiggled, trying to loosen her muscles and she looked away for a split second, the next moment that she looked back, Akaneya was just opening the door.

Releasing a tremendous amount of chakra, Chiaki bolted towards the door, a thousand tiny teal otters scattered across the rooftop as she did so, her footsteps were silent, her breath silent, her scent gone, she was invisible, and she wasn't able to even hear herself. A ghost in the night she slipped past, bag and all before she was locked in the smaller kunoichi's apartment. Perfect. Setting down the bag, she waited until she heard Akaneya's footsteps fall far away and then she let go of the jutsu. Looking around the room, she nodded appreciatively, it was small, but cozy, and had all the modern necessities, but none of the amenities. Well, she would make it seem like a crazy birthday bash was going to happen.

Pumping her fists into the air she shouted, "YOSH!" and took out the banners and streamers, along with finishing nails, Biting the nails, she took at least ten of them into her hand and used the supernatural walking jutsu to climb the walls, securing them from the ceiling with small taps of her hammer, next, after she had woven intricate patterns with the streamers came the big birthday banner, which was purple and black, like the streamers, and spelled out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AKANEYA!" she had it made custom for her partner. her partner from a mission. She tripped over her thoughts and blushed profusely, steam almost coming out of the kunoichi's head. It was a special day, the day that Akaneya turned 18.

She nodded to herself and strung this up so that when Akaneya came through the door she would see it. Next came the birthday cake. Taking out a scroll she placed her hand on it and released the seal within, a birthday cake sprang to life, two tiered, with black frosting, and purple accents. it also had Happy Birthday! written in cursive on it. She smiled and placed this on the counter along with many happy birthday plates and plastic utensils, since she didn't know whether Akaneya would want to have guests over. She nodded to herself, pumping her fists and then took out another scroll, this one had fresh fruit in it, the next one had veggies, the next one raw meat, and the next one had tea bags.

The final one had a bow on it, and it read "release me" in Chiaki's handwriting, this one she placed next to the birthday cake and got to work.

In a couple hours she had all the fruits diced up and put on birthday plates, along with a meal that she had planned that night ahead of time, Barbecue was what she had planned out, she hoped that Akaneya would like it as much as she had hoped. Placing her hand on the cooled grill, she sealed it in a scroll and put it back in the bag. The next thing was to sort out her clothing. She unsealed a scroll and scrambled into a more appropriate attire, a plain white dress that was cinched up with a black belt, it came with a coat which she put next to the front door, along with her bag that she had brought. Nodding to herself she waited until she heard the front door open once more, heralding Akaneya's return.

"Welcome Home!" she threw her hands up in the air and grinned, "Happy birthday!"

WC: 793

A disorienting loud surprise burst forth the moment she stepped inside. Startled, Akaneya almost fell backwards; she only saved herself by catching the door instead. Bouncing back to her feet in a swift movement, she looked around her apartment, pushing tufts of curly hair out of the way to see it all. Black and purple all over, streamers and banners and cake and a veritable festival set up in her very own space. She looked to Chiaki with a look of utter shock - not disgust, not joy, but shock. In Akaneya's eyes was an utter disbelief at the reality of the situation, a denial that was was happening at the moment was at all possible.

She then looked over Chiaki, analyzing her. A plain white dress, a simple black belt. She seemed to shine radiantly in the morning light, standing there as she was, a bright beacon among the dark and the naturalistic tones that filled the apartment. On the air drifted the smell of well-cooked meat and the various flavors associated with a barbecue restaurant, something that was certainly among the least offensive culinary and urban scents to be found. Akaneya took a deep breath at all of this, almost a sigh, and looked her over once more. She gave only a single laconic quip - "I seem to be underdressed."

Heaving another sigh, she unbuttoned the choker, undid the belt, unfastened her coat entirely, and hung it up. Likewise, she untied her forehead protector and tossed it on a nearby table. Taking only a moment to start moving to her room, she mentioned while passing by Chiaki - "I will return shortly." With this, she slipped away into her room, and stay there for a few minutes giving off only the sounds of awkward stepping and rustling. A couple of grunts too, for that matter. Footsteps. Then...clicks?

Click-clack-click-clack, the creak of a door, a woman's shadow. Woman, not girl, but woman. Out stepped Akaneya, wearing a flowing violet gown, supported by naught: off-the-shoulder straps, and a thick ribbon binding the waist like a corset. A few shiny things might catch the eye, such as the necklace Akaneya always wore, wrapped once around the neck like a choker and with the remaining string left to dangle a bit, weighed down by that ring. Or is it a coin? A few things were a bit less shiny, these being the long black leather evening gloves she had donned, and the equally black equally leather boots she wore. The boots were of indeterminate height, as they disappeared into the skirt of the gown - meeting at the mid-calf, but highly atypical were the heels on the boots. Two odd inches or so, nothing too substantial, but quite different all the same. One thing that didn't shine was her forehead protector, crudely cast aside earlier, and her hair was instead bunned up in the back to help control in its stead. This bun barely left a dent in the larger whole, there being no gap in the hair that fell down her back and certainly that hair not seeming any shorter than it usually was. Given how little it seemed to disturb her mass of hair, one might be tempted to call it a topknot instead, but a bun it was and there was simply too much hair for it to leave an impact beyond keeping it out of her eyes.

She turned her head aside, gripping her left arm with her right hand, and shrugged. "This...this is a festival, isn't it? Some sort of festival. I was not aware, and I...apologize for being dressed inappropriately to the circumstance."

Chiaki certainly wasn't expecting shock from her. . . her heart throb? Was that what Akaneya was? Well, she certainly had stolen some infatuation from Chiaki but certainly... she looked around, certainly not. She blushed a bit of a red hue as Akaneya's eyes traced her and she wondered if she had dressed too plainly, running a hand through her hair. Quite the opposite, it would seem, as Akaneya decided to say that she had been under dressed and Chiaki's eyes went wide shaking her head no.

Akaneya was already headed to the bedroom though, with a determined look in her eye. "I uh- wai-" She said as the door closed behind her, Akaneya had taken off her things unceremoniously, but Chiaki spied, well, she really noticed, that Akaneya had gotten her coat, the one that she had picked out with her and said was cute, that morning, rather than opting for something else while training.

She brimmed with a bit of pride in the girl for a moment before making herself busy and put candles on the cake, she put eighteen there, since she assumed that it was Akaneya's eighteenth birthday, but she would take off candles or put more on if that weren't the case.

After she had, she rolled up Akaneya's headband and neatly placed it on the table before the clicking stopped her dead in her tracks. Clicking?

Chiaki looked Akaneya up and down and decided that she had a misgiving about the woman that paraded out of the room at that point, this was not a girl, not a young kunoichi, but a fully matured woman that was before her. Perhaps it was because of the attire that Akaneya usually wore, and perhaps it was because Chiaki was unperceptive to these matters, but she was flabbergasted by the changes that a few small, but broad strokes made in the other kunoichi's attire. She turned red as her eyes gazed at the neck of the dress, the choker there, and drifted down to the gloves, which she wondered about, they were ball room gloves, and Chiaki's fingers danced across her thumbs, self conscious that she hadn't dressed for such an occasion. The next thing that she noticed were the boots, which were impractical but fancy nonetheless and tied the dress together perfectly with the tones that already cascaded around the room. Maybe the hue was off, but Chiaki didn't care at the moment.

She had really outdone Chiaki, and Chiaki could only stand and stare there for a moment as Akaneya tilted her head, before speaking and bringing the blue kunoichi back from her own thoughts. "I ah, It's your birthday. January Nineteenth, right?" She smiled and fidgetted a bit, perhaps she had gotten the day wrong? Perhaps she was early? Oh no, perhaps she was too late?

Doubt and embarrassment turned her face red as she asked herself silent questions, "I ah, I wanted to throw you a party, and and you can invite anyone you would like, so... so happy birth... birthday." Her voice got quieter and quieter as she smiled sheepishly at the end, hoping that the gesture, if the day was wrong, would at least be appreciated.

WC: 1337

"You are correct, Chiaki. This is the day I was born, but I...have never..." her head was kept down and pointed distinctly to the side, avoiding direct eye contact, "Never had any sort of celebration for it." There it was: she admits it. "In Otogakure, such things were recognized as useless frivolities, as were more or less all celebrations and festivals. They serve no greater purpose, there is rarely any betterment to be gained from them of any sort."

"But..." she turned to look at Chiaki, sort of through the sides of her eyes. Her cheeks were slightly red, just a tinge, "I...understand things are done differently in Konoha. I am expected to be places, I am expected to do things. That is why I have....these," she tugs at the dress, the wide ribbon around her waist tied in a big cute bow around the back, "Because in Konoha, there are places to be and expectations to meet, and attitudes far beyond what I once knew. Formalities and ceremonies and...all that."

For once, Akaneya seemed to be lost in her speech. It was without guidance, and even the pauses she took to think didn't seem to resolve the issue. She managed, certainly, but it lacked the usual poise and grace she usually carried, the usual laconic, sardonic, monotonous tone. Instead, she almost seemed embarrassed, confused, perhaps a bit lost.

"I-I can't say I have any experience in this, or...any idea where this will lead. I can't say I have anyone to invite particularly either. But, you have made an extraordinary effort on my behalf, Chiaki, and I shall not see it wasted. So be it, then, we can have a...a party."

She finally dared to look at Chiaki more directly, her head no longer turned aside but facing her in truth, though somewhat bowed it remained. "What...what happens next?"

Chiaki nodded as she listened to Akaneya, not wanting to step on her toes or interject with the speech, it seemed like the walls that usually surrounded the other kunoichi were finally coming crumbling down and it was helping with her staying quiet. Not that she could really do much except gawk for a bit, since Akaneya looked absolutely stunning.

She nodded once more as Akaneya asked what happened next, it was what she had asked the last time that they were at their apartment and now that Akaneya was ready to have a party, she knew that the thing to do was to ease Aka into a party, rather than have a rager from the get go. She started to walk up to Akaneya, holding her hand out and trying to get the girl to unfold her arm from the other one. It was a sign that she was uneasy, and breaking that last boundary might be just what the doctor ordered.

She smiled, "Well, we get to do whatever you would like, it's your birthday." She explained, starting slowly and attempted to lead Akaneya over to the table, where she bustled around and brought out a plate of barbecue along with the platter of cut fresh fruit, "So we can dig in and decide what to do from here. Usually it is a dinner celebration, but I didn't know when I would be able to sneak in here and get to party with you, nor how long you would be gone." She frowned a bit and looked up, "For that matter you have perfect timing, since the food would've been cold if you hadn't walked in at that moment."

"So a normal party, if that is what you would like to have, involves three things, people who care about you: Which is me of course." She waved her hand gently, "Then there's the cake." She waved her view over to the cake and nodded, "And then presents." She pointed to the scroll on the table next to the cake.

"So we have all the ingredients, but we could also play some games, I brought some in my bag over there, like twister is a fun one, or we could also go dancing, go to the movies..." She shrugged, "Really the world is your oyster today, and everything is on me." Which was to say, she was going to foot the bill for everything.

WC: 1747

As Chiaki explained the steps, Akaneya tried to listen closely. Intently. It seemed like, at least for the near future, they were simply going to be eating. She looked at the assortment laid out, a homemade barbecue feast indeed. Disposable plates and disposable utensils lay aside, and a bounty of prepared meat, veggies, and fruit lay prepared for use. That would be a good meal, yes, quite balanced all things considered. From the smell, it probably didn't taste all that bad, either. She never knew how well Chiaki could cook, the thought never even crossed her mind, but now would be the time to find out. "I suppose we should take a seat, then. That would be the obvious first choice, if the food will not be able to rest much longer. After that..." she paused, grabbing a chair, "We'll see."

She invited Chiaki to sit in another chair, any chair, though there weren't that many. She never expected company but the apartment came with some furnishings that anticipated such things. Accordingly, it was a relatively small table, with only a handful of chairs. Any seating chosen would be decently suitable for whatever situation at any rate, so long as only a couple of people were there at a time. The food was served, and so they ate. It was...good. Akaneya was, perhaps, surprised at the culinary talent that this mysterious blue woman held. Now, it was far from fantastic, but certainly it was as good as any restaurant's, and in flavor and balance both far superior to the plain rice and noodles that she often found herself eating otherwise. In combination with the ramen place they'd been to earlier, it seemed Chiaki simply had a taste for decent food. Intriguing indeed.

The timing had been perfect. That's what she had said earlier, had she not? The food was warm, but not hot, painful, or unmanageable. Not that such things had stopped Akaneya in the past, she'd learned to eat with a certain pace from her experiences teaching her to do so. She was also, of course, quite precise in her movements. Her fancy dress and her long gloves went entirely unspoiled by the meal, despite the relatively rapid pace at which she ate. The plate was empty, apart from whatever sauces and juices might've dripped off and out during the meal.

And with that, they were no closer to figuring out a path, a means to follow up the meal. Akaneya never really had plans other than training of one sort or another. She didn't particularly enjoy dancing, didn't know of any movies, had never really played any games, the whole party process was a jumbled mess. She thought back to her previous encounters with Chiaki. In each case, it was a relatively private affair. When Akaneya took the lead, it usually ended up with some sort of secluded spot for the two of them to simply be. Chiaki seemed to respect, even enjoy these, but her tastes also seemed a bit different. The thing that stuck out was how much absolute fun and joy she seemed to derive from something as simple as shopping, trying on new things and having Akaneya try on new things. She kept this in mind, certainly - it would only be proper that they do something 'fun', right?

Akaneya was scarce a leader in the world of festivals and celebrations. They were something she'd hardly ever experienced, something quite alien to her until she moved to Konoha, and most certainly something she didn't accept into her personal life at any point. She noted that Chiaki seemed to have an order to how things played out, but that order would soon be broken as the redhead followed the instructions of the scroll with the bow, and opened it. With a puff of smoke, suddenly a pair of boots stood before her, and she cocked her head for a moment and looked them over. Nice, quite nice indeed.

"I apologize for disrupting the order of events you had planned, but...Chiaki, you quite enjoyed shopping when we did it last. Trying things, and...having me try things. As I am thoroughly unfamiliar with any sort of 'activity' for these things, I trust what you have done previously. Moreover, I would not be living up to expectation if I could not provide my generous guest with something she enjoys, and so - I had to open this to know what I already have, before you take me shopping for things otherwise. I leave the rest to you." She sat down again, and started to put the new boots on her feet. Evidently, it wasn't a bad gift choice. Once she had these, she offered her gloved hand to Chiaki to be led out into the wild world of Konoha once more, putting herself at the Blue One's mercy to experience a birthday for the first time in the greater part of a decade.

Chiaki took out a plate for herself, and some plastic utensils and started to put some of the food on her plate, opting for the brazed pork, the barbecued beef, and some of the chopped strawberries and peaches. She gathered each onto her plate before taking a rotisserie style barbecued veggie stick and popped one of the pieces of squash into her mouth, chewing it slowly as not to ruin her white dress. She slowed a bit more, and almost dropped her food as she watched Akaneya, no wasted movements, no wasted time, and no wasted effort, as she shoveled food into her mouth, chewed a couple of times, precisely, and swallowed.

Chiaki looked back down at her plate and continued to eat at her own pace, which was to say that she was quite the slow eater compared to Akaneya, but she wanted to make sure that she had room for dessert too, and she didn't want to eat too rapidly. As soon as she was about halfway she heard Akaneya be done with her meal and pushed her plate aside too, as not to interrupt the rest of the evening. She wouldn't eat much anyhow, with what she had planned.

Twister was a fun game, but would also get them closer, but she perhaps wouldn't play that. She waited on Akaneya's 'we'll see.' to come to fruition.

She watched as the cogs in Akaneya's mind started to whir to life, seeing the thoughts as they passed by in the mere seconds that it took her to make the decision, she nodded along with Akaneya as she got up with her plate in hand and went over to the scroll, read the instructions and simply, undid the bow, letting the boots come out.

Oh, well, that was one way to do it. Chiaki stumbled over a hasty, "Happy birthday, I hope you like them!" as Akaneya held her new boots. They were combat boots, but built so that she would have enough movement in her ankles and feet to make quick and precise maneuvers, not only that, but they were made from a waterproofed material, and so Chiaki hoped, they would be useful in battle or in the field, or really for romping around in the wet of Konoha. They were a shiny black with laces that were tied up and then two hooks for the laces to be pulled tight over the ankles, should the wearer want, and sinched up. They smelled of new leather, and added that scent to the whole scene, mixing with the sweet scent of the cake and fruit, and the meaty smell of the barbecue.

"I ah, I didn't know what you wanted, and thought that you could use some shoes, every girl needs shoes... of course." She tried to explain hastily, before she got an apology, on Akaneya's birthday of all things. That threw her for another loop, surprising her and making her face feel hot as she could feel the red creep up her neck.

She nodded, "It's fine, there is really no decorum or plan for what happens on a birthday, sometimes it is gifts first, sometimes food first, sometimes it's even cake first. But it all happens. Oh, and when did you want to make your birthday wish?" She asked, putting a finger to her lips and tapping it, her eyes gazing at Akaneya, wondering whether the girl had a wish in the world, or would stumble over that too.

She would hold Akaneya's hand and guide her to the door delicately, opening the door in ceremony and making a grand sweeping gesture only to find that it was a torrential downpour outside, and as she opened the door a lightning bolt struck near the village and a loud 'CRACK BOOM!' emanated from the open doorway. Mist was coming inside and Chiaki hurriedly closed the door with a hrumph.

She turned, afterward and pulled back some loose strands of her hair, “Well, darnit.” She laughed, a couple short laughs, and made a half-smile, half grimace, “Guess that we aren’t dressed for that.”

WC: 2493

Akaneya unceremoniously shut the door after kicking a puddle back outside, and looked to Chiaki. "I don't suppose you brought a raincoat?" She questioned, looking Chiaki over before answering her own question - "Most likely not. So be it, then. We will have to find our festivities here, whatever they are." She looked around her own apartment, how fairly barebones it was compared to Chiaki's. She couldn't think of anything particular to offer to her companion, she had little to offer. She had indeed followed up on Chiaki's...recommendation? Could it be called that? She'd picked up a few magazines of her own, but doubted that it would be sufficient at all to entertain them both. Moreover, she questioned if Chiaki hadn't already read them anyway. That woman has so many, that Akaneya struggled to think of putting aside enough time to actually go through them. That, she supposed, is why Chiaki seemed to have a mastery of 'cuteness'.

She sat on a chair, untied the laces, and pulled the boots off her feet. "They are good boots, Chiaki. You are correct that I lack a general variety of shoes, especially of the warmer type. These look like they'll be good general-purpose shoes at any rate, serving me well in any given circumstance. I appreciate....I...." she sighed, "Thank you, Chiaki."

The boots were quickly deposited back by the doorside, and Akaneya was left once more to ponder what she could do to feasibly entertain her guest. This is one reason why she never bothered with festivals without a strong expectation that she be at one, because she never could manage to be a good hostess. She lacked many of the luxuries and amenities that others had, she never had anyone to share them with and thought it wasteful to have otherwise. She thought back and recalled that Chiaki had mentioned some games, perhaps she'd brought a few? If she had, well, that'd save the party so-to-speak.

"You mentioned a game, Twister, earlier. You offered it to me as an option, did you not? I don't have it myself, but that you offered it regardless would tell me one thing: Chiaki, have you brought any games, any entertainment at all, anything you would like to do with me? While I would've spent this day meditating alone, you have brought celebration to me - and I cannot abandon you now to boredom and isolation. Whatever it is you might've brought, I shall comply. Have you brought anything?"

Chiaki blinked rapidly to alleviate the mist that blew her hair and dress around like a whipping torrent. Damnit, she wanted to go shopping and make Aka’s day. Her feet were removed from the path of the door as it was closed and she shook herself mentally, before shaking her head physically at the question, before Akaneya answered it for herself. She was right, of course, Chiaki hadn’t packed any sort of rain attire whatsoever. No umbrella, no raincoat, no galoshes, no nothing. She frowned a bit at the door in the way that an indignant child would a parent that had just scolded them and watched as Akaneya travelled across the room and took her boots off, “No I didn’t, you’re right in assuming that, the rain attire wasn’t a plan because, well, I forgot to check the weather channel. No one said anything about a summer monsoon.” She laughed a bit, putting a hand behind her head and rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. Just how dense could she be not looking at the weather?

She nodded at the words that came from the other kunoichi as she looked at Aka’s feet. “Yes, I suppose that a good variety of shoes are more for the pleasure rather than for use, and I thought that these might actually be of use to you, as I probably need to get myself a pair anyhow. I have those damned sandals which are standard issue and nigh indestructable, but they don’t work in the colder climes, nor in the winter.” She shuddered a bit. “I ah, I am glad that you like them.” Tilting her head to the side as the other girl sighed and she silently wondered why the sigh came from her at all. It wasn’t like she was being put out that she had accepted the gift, or the fact that the rain had stopped them. It was… She wanted for Aka to have the perfect birthday and that seemed ruined now.

The boots, deposited by the doorside, were sitting there with their first bit of wet on them and Chiaki wondered if she should wipe them off so that they looked like new for when Aka used them again. Pulling herself away from that, she found Akaneya pondering their… lack of entertainment?

Yes, that seemed to be it, as the other kunoichi spoke, she nodded in the affirmative to the twister game mentioning, she had brought it, in that giant sack that she had snuck everything in here with. “I do have the game, twister. I can set it up and show you how it’s played if you’d like?” Getting into the bag, she bent low, her dress riding up a bit, exposing her upper thighs as she dug around. No reason to get embarrassed, it wasn’t like Akaneya thought of her like that right? I mean… they shared a kiss and both of them had scuttled off. Shaking herself awake she looked back at Akaneya and took out the mat and the spinny wheel. “It is a game where you spin the wheel and it tells you which extremity, then you spin again and it tells you which dot to put it on. And as you can see.” She sprawled the mat out on the floor, a good sized mat. “It will be tricky to twist and contort yourself with the other person on the board. You each take turns and do this until someone falls down.” She nodded, then looked to Akaneya, “Would you like to get some er… better attire for this?” She was already in a loose fitting dress, one that might be called a sundress, so it wasn’t going to be a hindrance to her, but Akaneya’s ballgown, that was going to be tricky to do twister in and not get mussed.

“I also brought magazines we could read, I brought a card game named ‘uno’ which we could play, I brought over a small portable movie player which we could watch movies on and a selection from my house. I also brought over a small radio if you like to listen to music?” She didn’t mention that she had brought other toys just in case things got… a bit more heated, but she also didn’t think that Akaneya would dig into the bag so her secret was safe.

Looking at Akaneya she shrugged, “We could always do something more suited to the way you dressed, because you look so good in that, or we could do twister and have some fun with twisting ourselves into hilarious positions.”

WC: 3274

Akaneya was surprised. There was, in truth, a much greater variety that she'd been at all prepared for. Chiaki had, it seemed, been quite well prepared for a contingency plan to come into play, for something to go awry. She thought through all of the options in turn, thinking what comments she could make to Chiaki regarding each. All of the options presented before her had some merit, and some downside, so it would be a delicate game of balancing until the right one was found. Perhaps, with Chiaki's input, they could come together and find something to share, that she may be a good hostess without abandoning sensibility. What's the first option?

Twister, that strange game. As Chiaki mentioned, Akaneya's attire would make this game a bit difficult. For that matter, she was pulling herself back into her clicky-clacky high-heeled boots once more. She often went barefoot at home, as did most, but a formal occasion called for such exceptions. As she put them on, Chiaki could see their actual extent. They were, evidently, thigh-high, black leather, with a zipper on the side but only just a little bit. Apart from the brief zippered section to essentially tighten the boot around the ankle and calf, it was a slip-on. She looked over the mat once more and made her comment: "This game would be very active and involved between the two of us, and I could...probably get around my attire well enough, but I wonder if it might be a bit too active for this stage of our...festivities." She glanced aside for a moment, and then considered the next item on the list.

Magazines, huh? Well, that'd be fairly mellow, suitably so for Akaneya's tastes. Knowing Chiaki, it'd also probably be quite the educational experience for her too. This, she thought, was getting close to an ideal, but it had a serious shortcoming: it was very separate, detached, inactive. It would not suit her as a hostess to push for something that would drive a dividing wedge and make it so they had little to no interaction at all together, to split her and her guest apart. "The magazines would be quite suitable, desirable even, if not for the fact that it would distance us. As a festival, I believe it is considered most appropriate for the host and their guests to be spending time together, doing things cooperatively."

Next came the card game, a simple affair. This was the best choice so far, being mellow but still involved between the two ladies. Was there a downside here? Of course there was! It would breed competition between them, perhaps even some sort of animosity, rather than bringing them together joyously as festivals always promised to do. "The card game has an appropriate atmosphere, but...it would breed distance and competition where we should strive for cooperation instead."

The next option was quite promising. A portable movie player, and a selection of movies. This would be key, most certainly. It was mellowed, fairly inactive even, but almost as involved as Twister would be. They would sit and experience something together, not requiring too much participation but providing a shared positive experience, a cooperative experience, something to spend time together with and experience together without necessary providing an awkward and overly-energetic atmosphere. Was this the perfect balance? it sure seemed that way. "A movie would, I think, perhaps be close to an ideal choice. It wouldn't require too much energy and activity, but it would provide a...common positive experience. The downside to this is..." she paused, seeming to struggle to think of one, "I suppose that it would be a lack of replayability, so to speak. Each movie's novelty lasts only once, thus it can only last so long. Maybe only a single movie. All good things, even the best things, must come in moderation."

But that was not the last option! There was also radio, something Akaneya brushed aside near immediately. "Radio is a decent option, but primarily for background noise. Listening is something that can be done with any other activity besides movies in unison. We could listen to music while we read, while we play games, for dancing or for talking or for eating. It is highly versatile, but I'd not consider it a staple of its own accord."

"With all these in consideration, I suppose I would say that the movie would be an ideal choice. Tell me, Chiaki, do you have the same taste in movies as in magazines?" She questioned this while preparing the single couch she had which would be suitable for the movie experience, laying down a blanket or tree and pushing the cushions into their proper places. They would be sitting together, it seemed, and she made note: "We will need to sit quite close to one another. I hope that is acceptable for you. It would not be for me under most circumstances, but...given the situation, and... and the person, I suppose I am willing to make the exception this time."

Akaneya went through all of the list that she had set out in a very observant and well thought out reason why they shouldn't do twister, the magazines and even the radio. A good idea for each. She nodded slowly as she listened. Akaneya was really something, to be so observant and even socially acceptable and knowledgeable. She wondered whether she was actually the more socially inept, having not even had anyone over for movies or anything.

Looking at the floor, she nodded and thought about what movies she had brought. Chiaki had brought an action film, a drama, one about... OH! then it hit her, she should do one about romance, a musical comedy!

She looked up, a deviant grin on her face and then chuckled to herself, "Right, I have the perfect movie for us to watch." She walked over to the bag, rummaging through the sweet smelling sack. It was sweet smelling from the extra frosting she had brought for the cake, which still sat upon the counter, not forgotten but postponed.

She took out the player and also the movie. It was one about a lover who was lost at storm, and as the lover was washed away, the other pined after her until they were reunited again. The lover underwent many adversities, as did her partner, and when they were reunited they shared in a rapturous reunion, to say the least. But the adventures didn't stop there. There was a bit of heartache at the end of the movie, a second climax where the lover had a deep dark secret, they were not who the other person thought they were and were afraid of being scorned.

Instead of the lover being mad at the secret kept, the diversity in that secret, that they could never have kids, brought them closer together, for one final kiss.

Yes, it was the perfect movie, full of music, dancing, comedy and romance. A surefire winner in Chiaki's books.

"I think you'll like this one." She looked to Akaneya, "And we can always change it if you don't find it compelling, I have action movies, and also mysteries and fantasy ones too!" She looked at her bag, then back to Aka, "So whatever you would like, we can make happen tonight. It'll be my treat, I would like to treat you to whatever your heart desires tonight."

WC: 3689

Akaneya shrugged and gestured for Chiaki to put the movie in, before lifting the blanket and taking a seat on the rather comfortable couch. As the movie went in, she patted Chiaki to sit beside her, unsure of what to expect since she'd scarce been to any movies particularly unless as part of a mission somehow. Thus, she never really had a date either. It would almost certainly be an interesting day, that much could be said at the very least. Chiaki had a way of keeping things interesting against all expectation, turning the routine into something different, something more engaging.

The movie began a bit slow, Akaneya thought. That was okay, though. Everything had to happen at its own pacing, and she could well appreciate taking a slow and cautious approach to lay out what was to come. It was as much a valid battle strategy as it was a storytelling one, that much was certain. Chiaki sat quite close to her, though nothing too touchy. Akaneya couldn't say she was particularly bothered. It was hard to explain, but Chiaki didn't make her uncomfortable, not nearly as much as others did. It was, perhaps, because she understood a lot of things, she could respect privacy and boundaries, and held many of the same ones that Akaneya did. Maybe it was her very amicable and agreeable disposition, at least with regards to her own sensibilities and desires.

The movie progressed, as movies tend to do to Akaneya's understanding. It had some songs, yes, and some moments of drama and romance and humor. She didn't laugh, but she could at least understand and appreciate the humor. During the romantic scenes, Chiaki made small motions of joy, excitement, even motions towards Akaneya herself. It started with just an arm around her shoulders, Chiaki's hand resting and gripping Akaneya's leather-glove-clad bicep. The gloves were quite high in quality, she probably had enough money to pay for such things considering how barebones the rest of her life is. The leather was buttery soft, not at all dry or cracked or rough.

The movie made its motions. Akaneya felt herself being gradually pulled toward Chiaki, little increases in pressure almost like a hug until she tipped over and sort of half-fell onto her companion. Under almost any circumstance, this would be deeply uncomfortable - but it being Chiaki made it okay. It was inexplicable, impossible to explain for Akaneya, but Chiaki just made it all okay. Perhaps understanding their mutual boundaries made it much more comfortable when those boundaries were broken. That, she thought, was a good explanation. It was the only one she could really think of, in any case.

With this level of contact, she started to blush again. It was indeed quite strange being so close and yet, despite all her previous experience, not pushing Chiaki away. Perhaps the fact that Chiaki was someone important to her now meant her boundaries were less severe? Certainly, the only person she'd let touch her otherwise would be her master, or if she were bound, her captors - though this latter case often coincided with the first in the past and, in the present, it would not be all too willing. Given these criteria, only willingly letting her master make so much contact, perhaps there was some merit to the idea that Akaneya's closeness to Chiaki, her value of the other as a kunoichi and a person, simply meant she did not care so much about boundaries with her. Yes, that explanation would suffice for now.

The movie didn't really seem to drag. It was some strange combination of adventure, comedy, and romance, with music tossed in the mix. As the movie went on, Akaneya now having been pulled until she leaned on Chiaki, her red hair mixing with the other's blue, she made a bold, a sudden decision, and timidly placed her gloved hand on Chiaki's leg. She made no other motions, no rubbing, no pats, she just pulled one hand from her own lap and placed it plainly on top of Chiaki's thigh right beside her. She wasn't entirely certain of this motion, what meaning it might convey, but given the prolonged contact something about it just felt due and proper. Chiaki had been curled around her for quite some time, and so the least she could do would to return this contact in some way.

Soon enough, the adventure was almost complete. The hero returned from his long overseas journey and met his wife, there was much rejoicing and....and...Akaneya blushed fervently and her eyes widened a bit. She watched a scene unfold before her very eyes that she didn't quite understand. They were kissing, but much more than Chiaki had done to her. They did more than kissing. They embraced, they swapped saliva, they stripped naked and did things to each other. While the movie wasn't too explicit, by all means it was not that kind of movie, but it showed enough to make Akaneya shift slightly in some level of discomfort.

As quick as the scene began, it was over. The rest of the movie played out, some sort of drama played out about the adventuring hero being unable to have kids. His lover embraced the fact upon discovery, and the screen panned out with one final kiss. Then, the movie was over, and Akaneya was left somewhat dumbfounded as to everything that had just happened. Not once had she cracked a smile during the entire movie, not even during the jokes, but she never did that anyway and she made no protest at any time over the course of the movie to change the situation.

The credits rolled, and there she was, alone with Chiaki once more.

Chiaki plugged the portable movie player into a conveniently placed outlet in the house and then put the movie into the player, bending at the hip in order to do so and fiddling with the derned thing. Finally, after tapping its side a couple times, it wound itself up and started the movie, the credits rolling first to tell you who was in the movie and set up the scene.

Chiaki bounded over and took her place beside Akaneya, scooting a bit closer than she had intended and looked over to see whether or not this was acceptable. Was she really allowed to sit this close to Akaneya? Was it really alright of her to be able to sit this close? She could smell the earthy tones of the girl, and she thought of it as different than their yoga practice that they had all those weeks ago, when she had told her the birthday and Chiaki had hatched the plan to throw a surprise party. Here she was again though, snuggled up close to Akaneya, and she couldn't help her heart from beating fast, her breathing became more shallow, and, though she had already watched the movie once before, it became harder to concentrate on the movie.

She hardly encroached on Akaneya, but more over, she was sharing a space with the woman, she was on the same couch as her, and whether or not it was a comfy couch, it was nice to at least be so close, on a rainy day, inside with her. It was al-almost romantic.

Clearing her throat.

During the romantic bits, Chiaki indeed lost control of herself, thinking about how close she was to Akaneya sometimes she would blush, the blood rushing to her face as she thought about how close they were, or sometimes she would giggle and make a teasing kissy face and then crack a grin. Some of the scenes were steamy, some of them cheesy, but none of them were like the one coming up at or near the end.

Chiaki decided that she was cold, it was a small apartment and the rain beat at the outside walls, making it cooler than usual and sitting sedimentary all the time made her chilled. She shivvered and moved a bit closer to Akaneya, wondering if she was cold as well. Wrapping an arm around her, she found the gloved hand of Akaneya's was residing on her bicep and Chiaki hardly could let go now. She had made a bold move, but she straightened, visibly, wondering if she had made some sort of move that she shouldn't have. Holding her breath for a good two to three seconds she let it out slowly, The leather of the glove was soft, and supple. It was probably quite expensive, and she wondered, almost out loud, where Akaneya had procured said gloves.

She wondered if Akaneya was tired, or whether her back hurt from the couch and making little movements, she gradually pulled Akaneya over on top of her shoulder, placing her head atop the messy red tufts that she adored and stared at the movie. She wondered if it was alright, but Akaneya didn't seem... uncomfortable, so she just kept it there. A little boundary that she had was broken, and she didn't want to push it too far. Those boundaries were there for a reason, and one night could set a distance far greater and put up more barriers than before. She rubbed the glove a little bit, and then snugged them up in the blanket a bit more as another romantic scene of the two lovers, a couple years back, embraced each other in a kiss.

She had missed the blush from Akaneya. She didn't catch the subtle war that resided in her before the determination that she had been a good partner, a good kunoichi, and a good friend to this point.

Really, she missed a lot of that subtle body language, but she caught the tail end of it when Akaneya seemed to relax a bit in her arms. A small nuzzle to the top of her head, and the movie plodded along, or rather, it cantered along. It soon came to the part that Chiaki dreaded, the part of the movie where there was going to be a sex scene. It happened in all the big movies now that were meant for adults, and she hadn't brought any kids movies over. Letting out a small sigh, she was completely caught unawares for when Akaneya put her hand on Chiaki's leg, leaving it there.

Chiaki's heart leapt into her mouth before catapulting back down to her stomach and beat fast there, faster than she thought it ever had in her life, faster than she dared count the pulse of. No, it was too fast. She had to get a reign on it. Pulling on the reigns wasn't something she could do anymore though, as the movie showed the man stepping off of the boat and embracing his lover, carrying her back to the house and there was the sex scene that she had known was going to happen. Akaneya stiffened beside her, and she winced a little, wondering if the sexual scene was too much for her, or whether or not it was going to be too graphic.

To be completely honest, she wasn't all that into the sex scenes of movies, usually skimmed over them, or was watching them in theaters where the overwhelming sense of lust that came from the theater put her off. She was... a human being... after all.... but she wasn't some sort of cad.

Watching Aka's reaction, she seemed stunned and she shifted slightly in discomfort. Chiaki hoped silently that she hadn't made Aka put up another barrier.

The credits rolled, Chiaki had giggled a bit during the movie and had made a comment or two throughout. She had even hummed along with the songs that she knew and were particularly catchy, and then, as suddenly as the sex scene had come and gone, they were left with the credits.

Some of the songs were the songs that were in the movie that played over the credits and Chiaki wondered how Aka liked the movie, but was afraid to ask, afraid to let her go.

She nuzzled Aka's head once more before turning to ask, in a slightly muffled voice, "Did you like the movie?" She wondered if she should put some of her input in, "I like the parts where all of the sailors dance and sing, along with all of the women on the shore, it is well choreographed, and I like all the colors. Of course, nothing like that ever happens in real life, but it is a nice escape from reality."

Wondering if the party was ruined, she looked sidelong at the cake and then back to Akaneya, pulling a strand of hair out of the way of her face before continuing, "We could make your birthday wish and have some cake if you would like?" She suggested, "its usually customary to do so if you wanted to know what the customs are for a birthday."

She still found it strange, alien, that Aka had never had a birthday, and sort of... sad. Really, she thought that everyone should celebrate a day just for themselves, and not just their birthday, spa days, hot tub days, days lazing in the sun. Just... pampering days. Days to let the muscles and mind relax so that they were at their tip top shape the next day. A good ninja was a good tool for others use, but knew when it was needing to rest, to be reforged in a good hot fire of self-pampering. Or at least, that was what Chiaki thought.

Rubbing Aka's arm, the gloved arm that felt so buttery smooth and nice to her, she waited for Akaneya's reply, and hoped, beyond hope, that she hadn't driven a wedge or a wall between them with the movie, and that she could still continue on the course that she had set. One that would eventually bring to light the bright fiery haired girl's bright personality that she had seen shine through once or twice. Once with the dress, and once with the knee tonight. But there were other small times, other small instances, and even now Akaneya was a completely different person than when they had met.

Chiaki herself was becoming different, she had since done another mission, and had become stronger, but she was still a genin. She was still a little girl that needed protection. She had never participated in war, or strife but... but she didn't need to right? Not in times of peace.

Still, she wanted to move on to the cake, or make this moment last a bit longer. Those were her two wants, but she also wanted to let Aka do what she would, even if that was to kick Chiaki out of her house for being too forward.

WC: 5218

"I think that the movie was well-executed. It had a very capable cast, well-composed and well-recorded music, a cohesive and coherent story..." she felt Chiaki rubbing her arm, maybe feeling the exquisite leather or maybe as a show of some sort of enjoyment, maybe trying to support a response, hard to say, "by all means, the movie was well-constructed in most every regard. I do not know if I could choose a scene that truly stood out above the rest, personally. As for if I liked it..."

"Chiaki, you must understand - it is hard for me to say I like anything. It is the way things are, it is how I was raised in Otogakure. To like things is a liability, or a distraction. I understand that here, things work differently. The people of Konohagakure are over-reliant on morale," she averted her eyes, "With...festivals, with their Will of Fire, everything is about reliance on others. In Otogakure, we learned that discipline and true strength were the best methods. There is no liability, for there are no connections to anyone but your master. There are no distractions or weakness, only perseverance and success."

"That is why you have stood out to me, Chiaki. You are strong in a way I do not fully understand. You are surrendered to the failings of Konohagakure, yet you persevere with the strength of the wiser elders of this village, not the weakness of the headstrong children. But I am not you. It proves a challenge to say I like anything. I hate a lot, I care for very little, I don't particularly like anything, except you. I like you, Chiaki."

The redhead was blushing, just a bit. It had been quite some time since she opened up to anyone and certainly was not entirely used to discussing her past. Admitting that she violated her own code and found a new liability was frankly embarrassing. That she could feel the heat in her cheeks, making her face like her hair, even moreso. She seemed entirely content to sit in silence for a bit, letting Chiaki rub her and letting everything sink in for a bit. On some level, she found it hard to believe that she'd even said that, she couldn't imagine how Chiaki might feel.

With a bit of silence, she stood up. "I...suppose it is time for cake, isn't it? So be it, then. Let's not delay any more than we must."

Chiaki nodded along with what Aka said about the movie, she didn't know why, but she was calling her Aka in her mind now. It was a good movie, well constructed, but also it was based on a classic, so you couldn't really go wrong there. She nodded a bit again as she sort of summed up the good things about the movie and then she was hit by a less than well thought out metacognition of what Aka thought of herself.

It was as if she really didn't... think about this at all before Chiaki came along, and Chiaki was surprised at this. It wasn't like... it wasn't like Chiaki had that effect on people. Certainly not. She went on into a thought about the people of Konoha and nodded at that as well, "They certainly do use that as a crutch a lot." She said, more to herself than anyone else, but was thinking it aloud. Nothing hurt by it, but she just called attention to that fact.

She tilted her head, looking at Aka as she spoke, and turning a bit redder at each and every word that Aka was saying, stronger in a way that she doesn't fully understand? the thoughts came pouring into her mind, making her grow redder with each sentence. Then at the end, a bombshell that rocked Chiaki's foundation.

She was so stunned that she didn't really register the silence that came between them nor did she think that silence was strange in the least. She was just... registering it all. Taking it all in. Then Aka broke the silence by standing up and saying she supposed it was time for cake. Cake? What was cake? She looked at the cake dumbly and she shook herself to wake from the genjutsu, or what seemed to be genjutsu that was put on her. She wondered whether it was indeed a dream but she didn't really care. Aka had just confessed, and, looking back to Aka she opened her mouth, closing it and then opening it again.

"I think you are strong, and you are a good person Aka." She started slowly, working her way into why... why she felt like she did, "I have... I think I have liked you ever since we had our first date, the... the ramen shop, you know, where we had picked out your jacket and mine, and well, I wanted... I wanted to tell you then, but I was afraid, that I liked you as well." She bit her bottom lip, letting that sink in, "I think that your music is beautiful, and so are you, and that you are strong beyond what I could ever be. I... I play at being strong, but don't feel it, not really."

She shrugged and smirked, "but when I am around you, I feel stronger than I have ever been and... and I don't want to feel weaker like I do when I am without you." She wondered... if perhaps, if perhaps that was a bit too much. She liked Aka, and she didn't really know what to say to convey that, then she just looked down, shuffling her feet a bit, "I guess all of this is to say, I... I like you too." She turned a deep dark red, her hair falling in front of her face, she was thinking she would be hit, or have pushed Aka too far, but then she looked up, a determination on her face, even though she didn't feel like she was standing on solid ground at the moment.

"I like you, and have for a while."

WC: 5859

As Chiaki began to blush, so too did Akenaya. Her checks flushed as bright as her hair and the fire in her eyes, and she paused in the middle of her walk. The click of her bootheel hitting the ground one more time, then the drag of her other foot to match its position, to stand properly and not mid-stride, but she did not lift the foot to move it. She froze in place, stiff as ice, and any look into her eyes made then would seem as dead as a stiff too. For the moment, Akaneya was lost entirely and buried in the depths of her own self, her mind, utterly detached and with an unspeakable uncertainty. The words echoed in her mind, beautiful, a word that Chiaki had taken and redirected at her. Those strange words, those alien, almost cursed, words.

She was lost for quite some time, entirely silent and entirely still, unblinking, unfeeling, unmoving, and unspeaking. It was minutes, or maybe hours, but felt like an eternity. She struggled to process this, perhaps she had simply fried and was mentally recovering from such a situation. Whatever the case was, Akaneya seemed unwilling, or perhaps unable, to provide an actual response to the accusations thrown her way. With her knotty, tangled hair, her earthy smells, her bare minimum hygiene, and her near-complete lack of decoration the vast majority of the time, she never even tried to be pretty, much less did she expect anyone to actually say it to her. How could she respond to such a thing?

"Chiaki..." she uttered, still unsure how to respond. If Chiaki hadn't yet readjusted to be standing in her view, she would turn to face her companion. "Chiaki, I am going to tell you a story. A...legend, a folk tale, from the Land of Rice. I want you to listen to it, and consider it carefully."

She sighed, reaching a hand up to the coin that dangled around her neck, strung up into a necklace, wrapped once around her neck and sitting tight like a choker while the rest of the string and the coin itself hung down to her upper chest. She took it in hand, her long gloves squeaking slightly with the motion. "A...a long time ago, there was a snake who lived in the grass and the mud with her father. This little viper slithered through the grass and the mud and the rice paddies each and every day with him, and she lived, and she grew, and she knew a decent life."

"One day, a fox came and tried to eat her father. The little viper saw all and, even though her father won, both of them knew how dangerous the world was. There were foxes and birds all around the rice fields, and they couldn't just remain in the open forever. Soon came a King Cobra, not just a snake, but the snake. The King Cobra told the little viper that he had a cave with many other snakes gathered together, where they could be safe, but he only had room for one. They talked, and the little viper agreed to go with the King Cobra to his cave."

"When they arrived, the King Cobra showed her a corner of the cave where all the other snakes were. She would be living among them now, he said. She went into the mass of snakes, and lived there among them. They all expected to go out, to hunt, but they never did. The King Cobra came back, sometimes. Sometimes he brought rats to feed a few, but it was never enough. The snakes all fought for the rats when they came, biting and strangling one another. Other times, the King Cobra came and took a few snakes away for a while. He would bite them, and drag them out into the dark parts of the cave. Sometimes they came back, sometimes they didn't. That's just how things worked in the cave."

"As the fighting continued, the snakes grew less and less. Many of them perished, starved or killed or dragged away, until the little viper was all that was left. Soon, it was her turn. The King Cobra returned, and he bit her and pulled her into the dark parts of the cave. He told her how strong she was, how proud he was, and sent her out to hunt for food. She slithered through the grass and the dirt, she slithered through the rice paddies, and found rats. She hunted them and brought them back. He asked this of her again and again, and she went farther and farther to find more rats, more birds, more food. He told her that he didn't have venom, but magic, that when he bit her it would make her stronger, not weaker. It never worked, though, so he tried again and again to make her stronger, but it never worked."

Akaneya rubbed her coin between two fingers, and began twirling it on the string. "One day, she left the cave, and never came back. She looked for rats, and birds, and bugs, and all types of food, but there was nothing. She checked the grass, and there was nothing. She checked the mud, and there was nothing. She checked the rice fields, and there was nothing. She went farther, and checked the forest, but there was nothing. She checked the river, and there was nothing. Eventually, sitting on a low branch by the lake, the little viper found a songbird, singing its song, oblivious to the snake in the grass."

"The little viper slithered closer and closer, but as she was ready to lunge, she heard the song. The songbird called sweetly to her, enchanting, enticing. The little viper stopped and listened and fell into the charm of the music. She watched the bird bellow in the sunlight for hours, enjoying each and every song that came from its beak. At last, the song stopped, and the songbird flew away."

Chiaki didn’t know if she broke Aka in a good way or in a bad way. She considered the fact that Akaneya was blushing to be a good sign, but perhaps she had pushed the envelope too far? Perhaps when Akaneya had said that she liked Chiaki she actually didn’t mean it… that way? Oh no, she had broken her for good. As the silence spread to minutes long, she started to think that Aka probably wanted her to leave.

Her heart dropped into her stomach, settling there like a stone in a cold, dark pool. She didn’t want to leave, but there was everything telling her that she had overstepped, overstayed her welcome, heck, she had over-thought this and overwhelmed Aka.

Then the woman spoke, just her name first, and Chiaki held onto it, as a climber would their last handhold before the drop. “Yes?”

Chiaki stood there, and listened carefully. It seemed like this was going to be a story that was only told once, only uttered once because it was… as she had reached for the necklace, the one that Chiaki hadn’t asked about because it seemed to be the only piece of decoration that Aka had on her body, the only piece that she… skirted away from whenever she looked at Aka. It was probably some family member’s… or something.

“I’ll listen.” She said, before Aka launched into the story.” She looked Aka up and down, and nodded. This seemed like a story from the land of rice, but she couldn’t really tell whether this was a legend or perhaps whether Aka was making it up on the spot. The viper seemed to be the protagonist of the story, as it started with her. And the viper knew a decent life with her father. Aka had never spoken of her family before, never really her past either. Chiaki, for all it was worth, hadn’t talked about her past either. But her past wasn’t filled with much pain, just a normal amount, really, all things considered.

She wondered if this fox was some sort of villain, some sort of big bad evil ninja. The birds were evil, and so were the foxes. She knew from the story that these were in direct conflict with the little viper. The viper still had her venom though.

Then along came a king cobra. Chiaki had heard of these, before, but she didn’t really know much about them. She knew that they ate something, but couldn’t remember, quite, what that was. They only had room for one. Hmm, seemed fishy.

Then the king cobra turned terrible, dark, and terrible. King cobra sounded less and less like a benefactor and more like a kidnapper. A corner of a cave? That was why Aka had problems with decorating? With spacial awareness? With cute? Was it because she literally grew up in a cave?

As for this hunting, she didn’t know what that meant. It could have meant actually hunting, could have meant something more nefarious. Then came the part about the rats. Not enough food to go around. A Spartan way of living at the best, an abusive way of living at worst. So aka had to fight for her food, had to kill. That would explain why she was possessive and also why she gobbled down her food.
Then came the time for the cobra to take Aka, and Chiaki’s eyes grew dim, the room fell into silence as Chiaki forgot to breathe, enraptured by the story. The snake had bitten her how many times? How many times had he taken her into his cave just to pour his poison into her? Damnit.

She stayed silent, but her fists clenched, her teeth grit and then she came to the part of the story where she left the cave, venturing further and further out to try to get sustenance, and finding none she crossed over many parts of the same part of the world as the songbird. She wondered, who, who was this songbird.

They had enticed Aka, so perhaps… perhaps someone in the village, someone that she didn’t know yet? Then she realized that she was the songbird, with the sentences that the songbird called sweetly to her, enchanting, enticing. She didn’t feel like she had done these things, but apparently she had. Apparently she was the songbird. Well, she’d be damned if she was going to fly away from Aka.

Only when the story ended did she notice that she had been clenched up, tighter than a ball, and only when the story ended did she relax, realizing that she had been leaning on the bair next to her, and that the chair itself had started to rot beneath her hand, nothing of the wet sort, but a dry rot. The chair was done for. She knew that this meant that she had lost control of her temper, lost control of her emotions. The guanyin blood was evident, and she wondered whether she had showed it, wondered if that blood red had seeped from her skin, or if it was just on her hand.

She looked at the ground and sighed, “I suppose… that this King Cobra is out of reach now?” She didn’t raise her head, didn’t dare move, for thought that she was still going to be the songbird that flew away, “and I suppose that… what you meant by hunting was that you killed people.” She looked up at Aka, a small smile on her face, a pitying smile it was, and she couldn’t help it. “So I am to assume that you’ve killed not only the wildlife but people.” Nodding slowly, she breathed in, then breathed out.

Chiaki looked directly at Aka now, her eyes holding pity, warmth, and a fire that burned for Aka, a fire that was stoked by the injustices that were committed against her, “So I am to assume that… that I am the bird in the song.” She looked to the floor and heaved another sigh, “You flatter me, but… But I won’t fly away. So, tell me more about what you did, what you went through, because there’s nothing that will make me fly away.” She looked back up and blinked twice, rapidly, to try to stem off the tears, the tears meant for Aka, but probably misunderstood, “I want to be there for you. And I want to know who King cobra was, what happened in the cave… and what your plans are for if you ever return.”

WC: 6970

Akaneya seemed perhaps a bit surprised and a touch curious at Chiaki's resilience and even a line of questioning. A single red eyebrow raised, and briefly her cold eyes, seemed almost reptilian in their stare before flashing to life once more. She took the coin in her hand once more, no longer fiddling or turning, but simply gripping the whole. A flurry of questions remained to be answered, and Akaneya stood silently contemplating her response. Finally, she sighed - her chest, quite visible given that her gown was exclusively off-the-shoulder, heaved up, and then down. "So be it, then."

"In truth, it started when I was...ten. Ten years spent with my father. He was the only shinobi of our little village, so when bandits came, he was alone in standing up to them. I hid in the rice paddies as he told me to. He won, but he was wounded, crippled by the fight. That is when he arrived, The Snake, my master. A week after the incident, my master came into town seeking recruitment. He promised to take care of him, he said that he would take care of us both if I came with him. A...sort of welfare, I guess. This..." she released her grip on the coin, for a moment, "Was the signing bonus."

"It is a reminder, a reminder that he owns me, body and soul."

She began to lean against a counter, letting her posture slip a bit in a rare casual stance. "He took me to Otogakure, and showed me his laboratory. He talked to me, and told me about real power. Real strength. He delivered unto me his gift, and I was to learn from him how to be strong. It hurt, like acid in my veins. He locked me in a room, alone, for hours, until the pain eventually stopped. It would not be the last time I saw that room. In my training, I was frequently bound and sent to it again. It tested my resilience, my mental fortitude."

She thought for a moment more, "That was not most of the time, though. Mostly, my time was spent in a crowded cell with about thirty others. We would be given bowls of rice once or twice a day. I made my spot in the corner, able to see everyone and nobody able to sneak on me. Our numbers slowly whittled. Those who were overly compliant starved, and when it came their time to fight, they could not. They lacked the strength. My master would bring us out, sometimes all at once, sometimes two at a time, and instruct us to duel. The survivors would return to the cell, having proven themselves ready for the next generation of fighting."

"This way of living was broken periodically by tortures inflicted to strengthen me, mind and body. Beatings, prolonged isolation, periods of starvation, use of straps and needles, anything my Master felt necessary. I came to understand how far my limits could be pushed, I came to understand real strength. I came to understand my servitude, the knowledge that a ninja is nothing more than a tool for their master to be used wisely until eventually disposed when it fails."

"I still hear his words in my head. Quiet whispers in the dark, I...hear them clearly."

Akaneya thought back to a time long ago, as she was wont to do. She could feel the soreness of her legs, beaten red, as she sat on a very crude chair that was almost certainly filled with splinters. She felt the rough-hewn rope digging into her arms. The darkness all around, and a silky voice in her ear. It was a memory all to familiar, all too common, that she could never pin it to any particular time.

She subconsciously rubbed her arms, reminding herself that she was not there anymore. "The same words he said when he first inducted me."

"Real strength is forged in the fires of the heart." She began, hearing that voice, repeating its words verbatim, "We fan the flames with loss, and anger, and hatred, and it grows to such an intense blaze that we never could've dreamed of. This will fuel itself in due time. It may hurt, but the best medicines taste the most bitter."

She scowled, just a bit, "I understood this, better than anyone else. That's why I survived. That's why I climbed to the top, why I was chosen to undertake missions beyond our hidden facility. I drove away all those who came too close, one way or another. Those who found our little retreat were frightened, injured, blackmailed. Those who tried to spread word were threatened, a message was sent. Their property was destroyed or vandalized, their loved ones wounded, or indeed if the situation called for it, they would be butchered where they stood or slept. Much like my life prior to these missions, nothing was done in excess. However, no extreme, no action, was out of reach, out of question. Nothing was true, and everything was permitted. It was only a matter of how much resistance they gave before they broke."

"In Otogakure, I was broken. Shattered. I was a foolish, idiotic little girl, and I fell apart when faced with reality. My master rebuilt me, better, stronger, superior. I learned what it means to be truly strong, and I used it to protect my Master under any and all circumstances. Until the day I left. I...cannot say why I did it. I...do not know." She frowned, closed her eyes, seeming angry at something, "I was near the border and I just...left. I walked, and walked more, for two days without cessation, until I crashed into Konohagakure's wall. I woke up in an interrogation chamber, and when I refused to break, when they could not extract anything from me, for I did not even know myself why I was there, they released me into their village."

"I was a Chunin then. They stripped me, I had to revert my training. The damned academy wasted a year, and my time was spent doing menial tasks after that. The elders of Konohagakure are wise, allowing me little sway and keeping me under constant observation. They have been letting up over these past months, I believe they have determined I am no longer a risk. They are fools."

"You want the truth, Chiaki?" She opened her eyes and looked to her, piercing her very soul with her gaze, "The Snake is not out of reach. He never is." She moved to take a seat in a chair, tossing her tangled hair aside while she did so and, for the briefest moment, revealing the brand upon her skin, the mark that forever would be a reminder to her servitude, and forever be a threat to her master's reemergence.

Chiaki watched as akaneya stood in silence for a bit, and then sighed and took the coin into her hand. It seemed to give her strength, seemed to calm her. She wanted to know what the life of Akaneya was like, she wanted to be there for the girl, she wanted to be her friend, her shoulder to lay her head on, dare she say, she wanted... more? She wanted to know all of Akaneya, every bit of her. She had showed a bit of her own darker side, just then. But she had kept it in check.

She noticed the eyes, and she wondered how much of Aka she had kept hidden, the real Aka, and which one was the real one, the ten year old girl or the eighteen year old woman that stood before her. She didn’t know whether the snake was the one who had tainted her, or perhaps if he had done irreperable damage? Then the launch into the true story behind the story that she had just told. It was a deep plunge that came out… came out to be something that Chiaki didn’t exactly like, didn’t want for Akaneya to say the least.

“That is…” She stared at the necklace, “That’s a symbol that he owns you?” Her eyes narrowed and she gripped the chair once more, feeling a fit of rage tamped down by the need to keep a cool and level head. She nodded twice, she knew that she had better keep her emotions, her own thoughts in check. She knew that if she ever met this snake person, she would probably try to tear his head off, but… but would that help Aka or break her? She heard about the torture, and hadn’t ever been tortured, never really felt pain before. She… she had endured an attack by an alligator, and that stung, but it wasn’t like she had been tortured by said alligator, and had it done again and again.

Chiaki felt sure that she didn’t have the mental fortitude to withstand a mental assault like what Aka had been through, she couldn’t. What training did she have for it? What could she do against someone who could overwhelm her like that? It didn’t sound like Aka took the poison in willingly though, either.


Then she talked about sparring, she talked about the sparring partners and her heart hurt, she had said… survivors? So they were duels to the death. Chiaki wondered if she would have survived in there. She probably would have been one of the first to starve… or would have tried to distribute the food evenly. But… but she knew that in the end she would only be allowed a certain amount of resources and would sacrifice herself. Not that it would do any good, to die one of the countless, nameless hundreds that Aka talked about.

Her red aura came to her again, it ate at her clothes, it ate at the chair she held, it ate as death eats.

She could only watch as Aka poured her heart out, and could feel the hatred rolling off of her in waves to this snake character. She talked him up, told her that he was the reason that she was strong, that he was a good mentor, that he taught her how to survive, that she was the strongest because of it.

Gritting her teeth she took a deep breath as she talked about the quiet whispers in the dark, she pushed down the hatred, trying to keep it in a bottle. Trying to lock it away secretly for a long time until she was able to use it in full against him.

She nodded, it was true that the best medicines did taste the most bitter, that part was true, but that the fires of hatred, the fires of loss and of all of the negative emotions… those drove people to the brink of madness and back, and sometimes, the tool was broken so far beyond repair that they had to be put down. That was not a useful thing. There was another fire, another fire that she used when she fought. She was pushed on by something else.

She stayed silent, but the mood shifted as Aka felt, perhaps, some sort of remorse for what she had done, what she had been controlled and commanded to do by this snake. She didn’t know what to do, what to do to soothe the ache, the pain that even now haunted Akaneya. She wondered whether she would ever be able to. She wanted to. The aura shifted, became one of teal, one of healing, and the wood on the chair started to meld back together, it did nothing to her clothes though, worn threadbare, but not so much that they had holes in them, by the unknown jutsu. She wanted to protect Akaneya, and that want, that need burned deep within her. It was deeper than the hatred of the snake. It was kinder, and it felt better, more whole than the anger, which was haphazard and scattered at best.

Then she talked about Konoha, about the suspicious nature that they treated her with. She couldn’t believe it, someone who had been beaten, who had been abused, who had been tortured wasn’t welcomed with open arms? Instead, they did the same to her? They treated her with suspicion?

She looked at the curse mark that was on Aka’s neck, and a surge of the same rage, or was it fear that drove the red chakra out pulsed, but it was brief, and lit the room for a moment before it snuffed itself out.

Sighing, a deep breath in, a deep breath out, she nodded. “Thank you. I… I wanted to know you better and now I do.” She smiled a bit, the smile was to try to break the tension that had built in the room, but it might have solidified it for all she knew. Chiaki closed her eyes and nodded deeper than before. “I get it, why you came here, but I think it was an unconscious decision that you made, to get away from your master.”

“I think that you wanted to come here to make sure that you could rest, that you could build up your strength. I know that these past few months you haven’t been allowed to train, haven’t been allowed to do things, and I am glad that I have made it so that you are able to do things like missions, but… But there is a part of me that wonders why you keep a hold of that necklace.”

She looked at the necklace and turned her head away from it, “I didn’t know what it meant to you, but it seems dear to you, the last link that you have to your past, the last thing that you are holding on to.” She shook her head and looked back to Aka.

“As for the strength, I… I believe that I am going to be strong, going to be the strongest Medical ninja that the world has seen, but… But I am going to do it with hard work, with my determination to help others. It-” She stopped and put her hand over her stomach, like she was pregnant, she had seen the action done by pregnant women, but she didn’t care, it felt like it came from there. It was the seat of her chakra, the seat of her power, “I feel like when I am doing missions to help others, to help them with their lives, to help them by protecting them, by helping them to be their best versions, that is where my fire comes from. It isn’t a singular fire, either. And yes, It might flicker to life when you lose someone dear to you, like it did when I lost my second mother, but it doesn’t burn bright like that for long.

“She lit the fire in me to get my feet in the door as a kunoichi, and well… I thank her for that, but it was her kindness, her willingness to do things for others that keeps me going on. I want to be like her, you see, and I don’t want that vision that I have of her to die. I want to pass that on to as many people as I can, to show them that this world has compassion, to show them that even a girl like me can make it in the world, that they can do what they want.”

She gripped the front of her dress, the fabric felt so thin, so thin in her grasp, she closed her eyes, “I want to show you that strength doesn’t come just from loss, just from pain, just from steel sharpening steel. It is true that you are strong, but I believe that strength is also brittle. You have to have something, someone that you fight for to be… to be truly strong. I used to fight for the people of konoha only. I then fought for the people of the land of fire, but… but when I met you, I started to fight for you.”

She cleared her throat and looked at the floor, “I don’t know… I don’t know whether you’ll take this the wrong way, but,” She walked towards Akaneya, attempting to take Aka’s cheek in her palm, and if she was successful, she would lean in close. If not, she would just speak the words, “I fight for you, for who you are, because I see in you someone who is worth all of what I have.” Then, if she was allowed to, she would pursue a kiss, a simple one, one that wasn’t born of passion, not desire, but the need to let Aka know her feelings.

WC: 8640

Chiaki had seemed to glow while she told her story, at least as much as Akaneya bothered to look at her rather than diverting her gaze, closing her eyes, or getting lost in her own memories. It was a curiosity, but she'd heard of the Guanyin before. She'd never seen it, but she'd definitely heard of it, and was well aware of Chiaki's heritage in that regard. The first thing that she inquired about for Akaneya to answer once more was the necklace - Chiaki wondered why she kept it if it was only a reminder of servitude, and she was all too ready to answer - "To remember my servitude is a service to myself. To not forget the lessons I learned there, my training, my servitude. But..." she sighed, "The bonus was not for me. It went to my father, assistance for his injuries. He gave me one coin from the rest as a...keepsake."

What came next were comments on strength. Chiaki described her own strength, how she acts as a crutch for everyone else, not letting them know and learn their mistakes, their failures, ultimately preventing themselves from bettering, preventing the strong from rising up and overcoming their troubles. She claimed it made her stronger, but at that point it almost seemed selfish to cover for others in such a way. And yet, she claimed it was empowering to others, that she could lead by example. Fine enough, one might suppose, but how could they truly better themselves if they are coddled and protected the entire way? If they have no true failures and low stakes, they will never grow strong! Yet, Chiaki was quite strong indeed despite her philosophies. Was there, perhaps, something to it? At the very least, perhaps Akaneya had been too initially hostile, too critical, of Konohagakure. Maybe there was something here worth anything after all.

After all she had said, after all she had told Chiaki, there was still something. She told her what she'd done, who she was, and yet she still leaned in, lips puckered, and planted a kiss on Akaneya's own. It wasn't as shocking as the first time, not paralyzing like some sudden sting and venom, but instead it felt eased, just as breathless but in a different way entirely. Akaneya felt no impulse to push away, no hesitation, no resistance, and no confusion. She just sank into it, as naturally as she did anything, and accepted the kiss.

She closed her eyes, and felt the gentle lips for an eternity. The world seemed to disappear, all sensation gone except the gentle suction at her lips. All sound faded, her body felt warm all over, and all sense of time rolled into infinity with a slowness that moved like lightning. In due time, it came to an end, and a gentle blush reached Akaneya's cheeks. She stared at Chiaki with a vivid gaze of life such as she had scarce ever shown, apart from a single spark at their previous kiss. This soon turned to shyness, fear, worry, and she pulled back, falling on her butt and pulling a few curly locks loose from her bun to hang in front of her face.

"I-I can't do this! Connections make you weak, caring is a liability! Y-you'll fly away, o-or get killed, and I'll be compromised for being foolish enough to fall into it in the first place, we put both of us at risk by doing this!" Her chest heaved up and down quickly, as if she were out of breath - was it the kiss, or perhaps her newfound panic, that caused it? She leaned back, her two arms propping her up as she sit flat on the floor, her legs sprawled out slightly - none of it had her usual composure, posture, rigidity, her typical organization was all but gone. All that was left was the soft inside of the broken shell, fearful of its exposure.

Chiaki frowned a bit, disappointed in herself for misunderstanding the necklace before the kiss, after all it was given to her by her father. What girl wouldn't treasure a gift from a parent?

Chiaki melted into the kiss, or rather, she felt like she did. The world span away faster and faster until there was just the sensation of her lips on Aka's her hands on Aka's body, she didn't know where she touched, but it seemed like the only thing in the world right now was Akaneya, on her birthday no less.

When she parted, she could tell that Aka felt the same way, that was for a moment. She saw the life that she had not shown since… well since their first kiss. Only this time it wasn’t coated with fear, anxiety, or anything. And then the pull away. She started to feel all of those emotions as well.

Chiaki sighed inwardly, but couldn’t help thinking how cute Akaneya looked with her hair in front of her face, stammering about how she’d fly away or get killed. She hadn’t so far, and she meant to show her that she wouldn’t.

“Your snake had connections, people that he used for his own gains.” She walked slowly towards Akaneya, “and he wasn’t weak. You have connections, and you are not weak.” She punctuated each statement with a movement towards Akaneya, a slow, deliberate one, but not aggressive or predatory by any means. “And I have you, a connection, and I feel stronger than I ever have. I actually believe that you make me stronger.” She grinned, a small grin, but a grin nonetheless.

“I won’t fly away.” She said, as she got to where Aka was sitting on the floor, flustered and exposed, “and I won’t get killed. I have been training and know how to mend even a severe wound. Soon, I’ll be able to mend even lost limbs.” A soft smile spread across her lips as she reached out to try to tuck a red toussel of hair out of Aka’s face, “And I will always, always be there for you.”

WC: 9007

"That's what worries me," she confessed, "He did not care for us. We were his tools, to be used as convenient or as necessary, to be discarded if something went wrong. Should one of us die, it would not compromise those who survived. The only thing lost would be time and resources, not people, individuals, loved ones. If one of us were captured, there would be emotional investment hindering the mission. If the costs would be deemed too great to recover, then an agent could be..." she frowned, and heaved a sigh, "Left behind."

"Care for others poses a risk on the battlefield. If one you care for is in danger, you might make irrational decisions that endanger the mission. If one you care for is injured, captured, or killed, you would be compromised and unable to work effectively. You would take risks you never would with a clear mind, that will endanger yourself, others, and the mission as a whole. When you do not care, there are no risks, no hostages, there is clarity, there is reason, there is only success...and failure."

She tucked her knees up, even wrapped her arms around them. "It's dangerous to care. It is...naive. For as much strength as you draw from someone, you will lose tenfold when something inevitably happens. My father cared for me, and was crippled for his rash decisions in light of the fact. I cared for him, and was utterly lost afterward until my Master approached. He found me at my lowest point, and he made me...strong."

Akaneya thought back to those days. Those confusing days. She took care of him, sure - she cooked the food, mixed up bowls of rice, berries, meats, whatever sludge or stew she could manage. He gave her advice, instructions, to help along the way. She did the housework he usually did, too. Helped him up and down, outside and in, whatever he needed. She was a nurse too for those days, much like Chiaki now. How curious that their paths diverged so radically in that case, an amusing thought indeed.

"You must understand, Chiaki. I am worried for you, that you seem to care for me. I am worried that I worry at all, and I am worried that I have come to care for you as well. I had hoped we might bond, it would undoubtedly make our team stronger - if we are more invested in one another, we would surely perform better together, try harder for each other, but I never could have thought it would go this far, that it could go this far...for either of us. We will be stronger for our..care, but we will be easier targets as well. Rash, prone to emotion and eventual ruin."

"We can't keep doing this, Chiaki. We can't keep falling deeper into one another. We have to stop before something happens, before we both regret it."

"I'm not leaving you or anyone behind." She frowned, "and I think he was silly. Time, resources? People are what matter. It's why we live in communes rather than alone. It's what makes us able to survive. Children, until the age of 11 usually don't know their armpit from their elbow." A small grin lit her face as chiaki listened on to what aka had to say, the look in her eyes didn't change, it was gentle, warm, supple and attentive.


"I usually enter a battle with my head, but let my heart guide what I do." She admitted. "I can be cold and calculating when the time comes and the situation calls for it. Hostages are an inevitability and I usually don't enter missions with anyone I am not willing to fight and die for. I have that option now."


"Your father was a great man, and willingly defended what he believed in, his daughter, thinking she would grow and be strong in his stead. It is unfortunate your master found you before you had time to heal. When you break your arm it grows stronger after it heals, your master was more of a hindrance than a cast." Chiaki touched Akaneyas shoulder, wrapping her arm around the curled up woman on the floor.


"And if you hadn't helped him, hadn't been a crutch for him to learn on, a tool for his use, he would be that much weaker. He fed off of your strength. That doesn't make him strong, that makes him weaker than those who form real bonds. A mother that protects her child is ten times as strong, and one that loses one is ten times again."


"I am worried that you will close yourself off, I worry that you are worried about your vulnerability, and I love your worry for me. It is human to worry. I worry for my mother and father, and know that they worry for me. But worry is…. Its not the right word for it. It is care, love, nurturing…" she paused and chewed her bottom lip.


"If I don't do this, if i dont stay with you and if I don't say that i l-" she paused, frowning, "like you like this. If I don't care for others, I'll be no different than all those who are butter and twisted by hatred, paranoid that they will be dethroned. If I don't take this chance with you, a leap of faith into your arms, I wouldn't be me."

She hugged Aka, tilted her head towards her and attempted to kiss her once more. She didnt care if it made her weaker. This was who she was. This was who she would always be.


WC: 9500

As she felt the arms of the other pull around her and squeeze tight, Akaneya released her knees. In fact, she let her knees drop, and fall aside. Hesitantly, tenderly, she reached her own arms around Chiaki, and tried to copy the act. If Chiaki's dress had a low back, she would be in for a chill as the cold leather enclosing Akaneya's arms would close around her and begin to squeeze in near-equal measure. It was then that she noticed, or perhaps felt, Chiaki leaning in for one more kiss. Most certainly, Akaneya was willing to oblige one more time.

The electric feeling returned, the pounding in her chest, the fire in her veins, but this was a tingle, a warmth, not the fire she knew when the mark was granted to her, not the electric feeling she had when strapped to an operating table, not the pounding she felt in the heat of battle, but something good and new and difficult to understand. Inexplicable it was, that she could feel this way about anything, anyone, a feeling of the family she'd not known since years ago before she became a true kunoichi. Only back when she was just another villager did she even comprehend such things, and ever since had thought it childish, futile, even outright dangerous to seek these feelings again. She didn't seek them, though - they came to her, full force, in the form of Chiaki. Chiaki, one of - if not the - strongest people she knew in all of Konohagakure. Chiaki could seemingly withstand anything, she could act decisively in an organized and punctual manner, and she was getting better at both skills each and every day. She knew how to train effectively and knew the value of silence and subtlety when such was best suited.

After another eternity lost in Chiaki's lips, Akaneya broke away once more and caught her breath. She looked Chiaki up and down, the life in her eyes once more. This time, however, it seemed none too fleeting. It may die a slow death over time, as she might return to her usual habits, but here the flame, the spark, was lasting longer than it ever had before. Her mind raced with thoughts of any and every sort while simultaneously being unable to focus on any single one and, for the most part, being empty. These thoughts flashed by, swarming like insects but in the same manner none able to stand out among the rest, and also in much the same manner the majority of the cloud being empty space.

After catching her breath, it ceased. Her chest no longer heaved. A small bulb traveled its way down her throat as she swallowed, and said at last: "I...suppose that, if anyone is to be an exception to my beliefs, it would be you, Chiaki."