It was yesterday right? The day that Joruri had maybe not the squad, but certainly himself. His mind had been torn in between blaming himself, and blaming the others. To one part of him, it was impossible that he was the one to blame for such a thing, how were you supposed to even guess they were going to stop there? What if it had been another team that was being ambushed instead of Joruri's, what then? So many things could've gone wrong, but they had happened perfectly so that Joruri felt all the blame was placed on him. Every single drop of it, all on him. If that was a real situation, then Manami would've no doubt died, and then the rest of us would be captured or killed. He groaned as he realized the numerous mistakes strewn about throughout his plan. I didn't plan for an ambush like that, is he trying to teach us to plan one hundred steps ahead? Irritatedly a hand was shoved through his hair as he tugged it out of his sight. "I've got better things to do than be at a drawing board all day." He said grumpily as he looked out the window from his room.

That morning he had walked around with Shinako, and for the most part, it had been refreshing. He wanted to have a one on one with every member of the Squad, so that he could explain himself personally to them. To try and understand what they wanted from him as a team leader... Especially if the opportunity arose again. Next time he knew he was going to be calmer, when they learned from Tenzo-sensei what he had wanted them to learn from training exercise, he planned to apply those lessons, whatever they were, to as many scenarios in everyday life as he could. So much, that it got to the point of muscle memory and he dictated how things went...

Always ten steps ahead. Not one, two, or three. Ten. He thought as he rolled his shoulders back and pulled away from the window. That was enough of being locked up within the inn for that afternoon. It was already past supper, no doubt they had all eaten, and the wanna-be squad leader was already planning another excursion while it got dark out.

This time he was going to talk to Manami, he wanted her to understand that what had been said had only been to distract the enemy. And so he set forth from his room, a bunch of flowers that he had scoured the land for on the way towards the Village, and while he had been there. All he had to do now was to only turn a corner before he was knocking on his squad mates door, hoping beyond hope that she was still in there after eating.

WC: 462

After that disaster of a team assessment, all Manami had wanted to do was sleep. And sleep she had. After a short bath the girl had promptly crashed into unconsciousness and refused to leave it. By the time she had woken up that morning, full daylight was assaulting her senses. She had rolled out of bed (quite literally) before getting ready for the day. She had been more than eager to start with her exploration of the village, not thinking ahead and trying to plan a guide or find a map of some sorts. By the time she had finally found her way back to the inn in which she was staying it had been dark out and raining - not a particularly pleasant combination. The streets had been so thick with people that she hadn't stood a chance in a million of actually finding her way around without the help of someone who actually knew the village. Unfortunately, she hadn't had one. 

She'd arrived back at the inn cold, fed-up and sulky. Manami decided to just do what she hadn't had the energy to the night before and indulge a little bit. She ran the biggest bath she could and slid it, the water coming up to her chin. She wasted away for about an hour before a knock at her door sounded, rousing her from her semi-conciousness. Manami cursed softly and got up, goosebumps rising on her skin from the cool air. "I'm coming!" She stepped out of the bath and grabbed the soft yukata hung next to the tub, slipping into it and tying it loosely. Her hair was still dripping as she padded across the room barefoot. Manami scrambled around for the key for a moment. "Who is it?" Before the person on the other side of the door had any chance to answer, Manami found the key and slid it into the lock. It clicked, and she turned the knob.

"Oh Joruri. To what do I owe this pleasure?" The steam from her bath was escaping from the bathroom and she was fairly sure that her hair was making a mess on the floor but Manami managed to pull a smile on her face in any case. For some reason, the white-haired boy was carrying a mishmash bouquet of flowers. It looked nice, but Manami was sure that her kunoichi class teacher would have had a fit if she'd seen it. She brushed her bangs further to the side in an effort to keeping them from dripping in her eyes, but it was futile. She should have just gotten another towel.

---

For a moment he thought that there was no one within. That Manami had already left again to find something to do that night, or hadn't even returned yet. And just as he was about to turn around, there was a voice within, a familiar one, the one that belonged to the red headed member of his squad, and he knew that at least someone was in their.

Who is it? He mulled over his mind as the door opened before he could even respond. The extent of his response had only gone as far as being repeated in his mind to make sure he understood the three words that had been formulated into a question through the door that had muffled them.

When the door opened up, his eyes were on the ground in the hopes that Manami wasn't garbed the same way that Shinako had been, in only a bath robe with wet hair. There was a pause after she spoke and Joruri's gaze continued to be focused on her feet, but then finally, his eyes started to raise up and took in her outfit and her figure and when he saw the yukata, he exhaled a sigh of relief and his gray eyes were raised upwards and met her own pupils.

On his face, he had plastered a smile that reached his eyes and he took a step forward to close the medium distance in between them, and stuck out his arms to give the bouquet of flowers to her. He had only picked out the best looking ones and once they had transferred hands, the smile remained. "Oh, I.. uh, was wondering if you wanted to talk about.. yesterday." Of course yesterday had been that fateful day with their sensei, but he didn't say that directly. He knew she knew what he meant, and although it was better off for him to not talk about it, it was simply something that he wanted to get off of his chest before the exams had even truly began. He couldn't have that guilt looming over him and making him doubt his every move during the Chunin Exams, now could he?

He only wanted to talk however so he could make her understand as to what had made him act the way he did... As to what had been going through his mind while the whole scenario played out, and without the bouquet of flowers in his hands he reached behind his back and scratched the sealing wound that a shuriken had made on his shoulder blade. It was faint enough, but it had only struck him the day before, but he endured the pain. He felt he had to do with that failure of a mission.

"I just wanted to apologize." He started out with a small smile. He was good at projecting his emotions through his facial expressions, even to go as far as using his eyes to show the extent of his apology... And it truly showed in those gray eyes of his, the normally cold appearance somehow warmed up in the need of her acceptance.

WC: 527

When she had first opened the door Joruri had seemed strangely focused on her feet. Manami supposed that he wasn't sure if she was decent, and technically she really wasn't. After all, she was dressed in only a thin yukata that was barely tied closed properly and was still slightly pink from her soak in the tub. It was only the gentlemanly thing of Joruri, for him to avoid looking upwards. After a short while however he seemed to meet her eye. He smiled widely, the smile only just touching his eyes with a sparkle. Manami smiled back in greeting as the white-haired boy handed her his mish-mash bouquet. It was a rather large package of flowers, and Manami's small arms struggled a bit to contain it. She managed eventually and inhaled, finding that despite it's rag-tag look the bouquet had a lovely fragrance to it that soothed her senses. Perhaps Joruri deserved a little more credit. His next words took away the edge of her happiness, and something stirred in the it of her heart at the declaration. He wanted to talk about yesterday? It was an event that she had been trying to put out of her mind, specifically the cold feeling she had been subject to during the encounter. His apology seemed completely sincere though, so she accepted. Manami opened the door wider and stepped aside, inviting him into her room.

"Okay, come in then. I'll put these somewhere so long." Whenever it was that the boy entered the room Manami would close the door, before walking over to the tiny kitchenette attached to the main room. She opened the cupboard under the sink and was happy to find that there was indeed a little vase for her to store the flowers in. They only just fit, but with a little rearranging the vase looked almost professional. The bright colours suited the softer, bleached walls of the inn. Manami turned back to her guest. "So, you wanted to talk about the - mishap?" A hint of something slightly darker tinted her last word, but the redhead didn't notice it herself. Whether Joruri would was another question entirely. The boy could be very perceptive, or perhaps simply less naive towards the situation than the young Uzumaki was. In the back of the girl's mind a distant part of herself paid close attention to the conversation, ready and willing to intervene at a moment's notice. 

---

For a moment it looked as if she wasn't going to be allowing him entrance into her room, and honestly, the young Kansen-Suru was okay with that. The girl Manami wasn't scary per say, there were few things in the world that frightened the white-haired shinobi. His mother's anger, among failure were some of those things, Manami's quiet gaze and her short statements fell into that category... But was at a sub-level of them. She irked him slightly because she didn't seem open, or honest to herself and the rest of the Squad, that much anyone could see.

In that moment that she had decided to allow him into her room, he hesitated for a few moments, allowing her the opportunity to 'cancel' her acceptance if she wanted. He didn't want to impose, but then after that brief pause nothing happened, and so he did as he was bid. He entered quickly enough and with a swift gaze took in the entirety of the room. On his way in he had wondered if it would be as much of a mess as his own was, but he didn't linger on that when he had entered. He made sure to keep his awkwardness spewing mouth shut, and slipped his hands into his pockets as he watched her enter her miniature kitchen and locate a vase in one of the cupboards.

Moments later Manami had begun speaking, and he felt that, just as she had finished speaking there was a coldness to her voice. Was it something that happened naturally when she spoke about things she didn't like? Did she dislike him so much after that journey? Had she decided she didn't want him in her room after all? He saw it in her eyes when he had mentioned it, and although there had been the faint makings of a smirk in the corner of his mouth at her disturbance, it was soon dispelled with the quick curve of his lips into a friendly one.

There was always something to laugh at, and Joruri enjoyed playing the part of a fool on occasion, but he doubted this should be one of them, so he cleared his throat in preparation.

"We'd all be dead." He started it off dramatically, staying true to his inner self. "Right now if that were a real scenario." For a moment, he regained the feeling of wishing to simply cast Manami aside and protect the rest of the group seized him and he raised his hand to his face. He wasn't going to cry about it, no, it was simply because he knew no one would understand how close he had been to leaving them all behind. Guilt? He couldn't say, it was the first time he had been in a situation like that, had there been another way to respond? He had doubted it then, and he doubted it now. "I don't know you, but, I feel as if I can see through," he stated, the part of the mouth that was visible curving into a smile behind his hand. "You don't like me. I wouldn't either after what I said, but you have to believe me that I was only lying to buy us time!" He exclaimed and spoke with passion at the needed points. He had even gone as far as to drop the hand that was on his face and clenched it as his side as he spouted the partially true words.

In hindsight, it wasn't a lot of time. There had been no way for them to communicate, but he made no mention of that, he assumed she was smart enough to figure that out for herself.

"Honestly." A pause. One made as if show a change in the flow of the conversation. Suddenly, his voice was calmer, as if there had been sense of passion or emotion. It was cold, almost as cold as the look in his eyes. His voice was monotone as he spoke the next words, "Tell me what you think of me."

He was uncertain as to whether he had move too fast, would she kick him out? He couldn't guess, but he wanted to know what she wanted from this team, what he wanted from this group of mistakes.

WC: 734

The way in which Joruri went about discussing the situation surprised her, the girl having already formed a mental image of the white-haired young man. She had never once seen him as theatrical in any way, and pictured more as a serious and quiet type. Seeing and hearing the theatrics he used was rather unnerving for the Uzumaki girl, and she blinked with wide eyes as he talked. His words held a certain curvature to them, rising and falling with dramatics crescendos. It was a captivating way of speaking, and Manami found herself thoroughly engaged, despite the curtness of the message being conveyed.

Just as suddenly as Joruri's words had become overwhelmingly dramatic they simmered down to a quiet flush. His eyes cooled until he fit perfectly the image of him in her mind. What did she think of him, eh? It was an understandable question, after all that they had been through in the past while. Manami could not, did not blame him for wondering as much. She wondered the same of her teammates at times. How did they think of her?

"To me it seems," She stared straight at him, eyes focused and wholly sincere, "that you believe I think badly of you. That is not true." She held such a measure of conviction in her voice that it would be difficult for most to believe she told anything but the truth. "That assignment was a disaster, I know, but I don't blame anyone on our team for what happened - except maybe myself." There had been a definitive moment during that time when her fight or flight reaction had kicked in and she had been far more inclined to abandon her teammates than suffer the consequences of staying. She had been feeling bad about that for a while, but she felt as if admitting it would make her teammates only see her in a worse light.

Already it seemed that Joruri held no high opinion of her. She wanted to rectify the situation, but had no idea how. Who knew what he thought of her now. "Do you hate me?" She looked downwards as she asked, not truly wanting to hear his answer. It had been a quiet question, and as close to opening up as Manami had gotten to in this conversation. She rubbed the back of her arms to warm herself up, her now cooled hair giving her goosebumps with it's continued dripping.

Manami braced herself for the expected words. She had no idea why she cared so much. Maybe despite loathing Konoha's facade of true teamwork, a part of her had clung to and nurtured the idea of having caring teammates. People she could trust. She was upset with herself for feeling so vulnerable, and turned her head to the side a bit to avoid Joruri's gaze. 

---

For a moment Joruri was uncertain as to if he had unraveled his plan perfectly. He wasn't entirely certain as to how his acting went, it had been a while since he had seen a movie back home in the Hidden Leaf Village, but he was certain that his performance had been flawless. Countless times he had heard that the best actors used emotions and scenarios from the past on set to draw out the needed reactions... So he did that.

And who said movies didn't teach you things?

He smiled inwardly when he had seen her reaction to his theatrics, but the things he had said he had truly meant, despite what he may have been thinking. Once he had finished, he looked up into her eyes, trying to gauge whether she had been interested the entire time, or if she was repulsed from his sudden personality change.

It didn't seem to be the later however as she had answered his own question, but it certainly hadn't been the one that he had been expecting. For a moment, his stance wavered, something that was beginning to continuously happen as he was determined to take on a role of leadership. Don't falter... Please, don't waver Jo. He exhaled, was she truly telling the truth? Had he been seeing something that wasn't there? There was no way for him to be completely certain, but even so, he was going to stick with his gut.

Joruri's thoughts to how she spoke about how she didn't hate him, there was no way for him to truly discount them. She turned her head downwards which brought a pause for him, but only a moment as he moved forwards and reached out to her face, only to lift it back up in the hopes of her looking him in the eyes.

Do I hate her?

In the instance that they made eye contact, Joruri searched her eyes with a certain predatory glare within his own, he enjoyed feeling superior to others, but he didn't all at the same time. Would I be here if I hated her? He didn't know if he had ventured to her room of his own volition, or to set to rest any doubts that she may have of him.

The words were so close to his lips, he was uncertain as to if he should simply crush her underneath his boot, or to simply lie in order to maintain any shred of liking she had left of him.

He did his best to voice his inner thoughts.

"Yes."

He wanted to see the gravity of his words crash through her like a train through a car, he wanted to see her world crumble around her, he wanted to see it burn right before her eyes. But that was wrong, that wasn't what a leader was meant to do, not one from the Hidden Leaf Village anyway. There was a difference between fear and respect.

"Only because you hide yourself deep inside." If she did deign to look upon his pale facial features, then she'd see the softest smile on his face, a smile as if to ask for friendship and maybe even forgiveness.

"Yet, you still didn't answer my question." If she thought he wouldn't pry, she was incorrect. Her subtlety at evading his question by simply placing the blame on herself wasn't something that he would let glide by as if a feather on the wind.

He wouldn't be able to call himself a shinobi, if he fell for the wiles of a kunoichi, now could he? He wouldn't even be able to call himself a Leader if he couldn't depend upon those within his own squad.

WC: 643

The thinly veiled moment of silence following Manami's question told the girl all she needed to know. After that Joruri's words were cruel, callous, and the redhead allowed that image of understanding teammates wilt in the recesses of her mind. The expression that had once held an edge of desperation melted off of Manami face as if it had never belonged; replaced by an empty facsimile of her usual cheer. Her smile was watery, and her eyes blank as she scrutinized the boy in front of her. 

He had deigned it necessary for a friendly smile to be present on his face. It was almost funny in the way he criticized her, when here he was changing moods at breakneck speed. A titter spilt from her lips, a little hysterical but devoid of happiness. How dare he? He who had so far seemed dead set on becoming leader of his team. To her it seemed that Joruri was being nothing but a hypocrite, in the way that he spoke to her. 

Then again, what did he have his leadership to model on, other than Konoha? A place so deeply rooted in it's dream of idealism that it had disregarded the rot lurking underneath. Listen to her, she was even using tree metaphors. That was how far she had been thrust into that way of life. It almost made her smile.

Perhaps, if what he had insinuated was true, he was only trying to find another similar to himself? Manami had no way of looking into the boy's mind and figuring it out for herself. She doubted very much the possibility of him telling her anything, after his open declaration of his hatred. His excuse had been just that, an excuse. If he truly hated her he needed no reason to do so. Inexplicable hatred was becoming a common theme in her life.

"I have no reason to hate you, Joruri-san," She tilted her hair to the side, allowing her bangs to cover one eye. An eerie smile lit up on her face, accompanied by a giggle. "But I don't particularly like you either." Her head snapped back upright, and she braced her arm on top of her other, her right hand coming to rest against her cheek. "Hm, I wonder... You say I hide so much of myself, but really - didn't you know that what irks you in others tells you most about yourself?" She arched her visible eyebrow challengingly at the boy, bringing her lip in between her teeth. 

How would he answer her? Would he refuse her truths? Manami had not let a lie slip out from her mouth in her reply to him. She honestly had no reason to hate him, but then again she didn't need one. How messed up was this ragtag group of theirs, that each member placed so much pressure on the other? So very against the very foundation upon which their beloved village had been built. A laugh of honest mirth escaped Manami, and the girl felt a little something inside her smile.  

---

Regret.

Is that what he was feeling now? He couldn't put an idea to what he was feeling, but he felt it nevertheless. It was in the pit of his something as if it were trying to tell him something. Was it his gut, instincts, were they telling him to stop while he was ahead? With little more than a glance spared for Manami, the desperation that had been on her face was erased and then replaced with an almost watery smile. The situation felt tense, it felt like he was back on the road where they had all failed the hostage simulation put in place by their sensei. Maintaining eye contact with her for that short period of time, he recognized the blank look in her eyes as one that he on occasion had...

It had been the look in his eyes the second half of the journey to Kumogakure. His teeth clamped down on his tongue, and all of his past emotions dispersed. He felt bad, her face had made him forget why he had said all of those things previously.

Do I really hate her? I don't really know her. He admitted to himself, but even to do that was hard to do.

Then there was the driest and the highest pitched giggle he had ever heard in his life exited her lips. His brows dropped downwards into a frown, uncertain as to how to proceed from that moment. What was going on? His gaze spun over her shoulder as if in search for a squirrel, but he soon came to a realization that squirrels probably didn't leave that high in the mountains and his steely gaze returned to her blue ones.

When her head had tilted to the side and her red hair had followed the direction it had gone, he had almost made a half step backwards, but he knew within that that was what she wanted. To unsettle him, to gain an advantage over him, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to gather any anger or the previous hardness that had been in his expressions and his voice anymore. This situation isn't salvageable.

Then her next and final words struck him. It had felt as if a blade had been pushed through his chest and forced him to maintain the same expression for those next few moments while he mulled over her words.

Quietly, ever so silently he whispered, blank expression as he stared into her own eyes. He wasn't even looking at her anymore, but simply listening and playing over her words over and over again in his mind. "W-we're... all... t-the.. same." He came to a conclusion at that point. If what she said was true, then the same was true in herself, it was a hidden confirmation of his suspicions and he wondered as to whether their very own team leader had been observing them, deciding on whether he should take on the trio. Did he see this in us? Blank eyes passing over her shoulder, he walked past her and towards the window and rested his shoulder on it whilst looking out of it.

Eyes slowly resuming their normal size and half-lidded state, he didn't even bother to turn his head as he spoke. "Ask me what you will." There was no way he could go back on all of the words that he had said, to forget them all and to apologize for real this time. To restart and to understand who she was properly. It's my own fault I suppose. "In return... I want your honesty and no more veiled answers, or dodged questions."

WC: 630