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1Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:37 pm

Seiryū

Seiryū


D-rank
A month could fall in to one of two categories, depending upon how people spent their time. A month could either be a long period of time or so short that there wasn’t much one could accomplish during that month alone. The past thirty days had gone by far too quickly that Seiryū initially thought it hadn’t been a month since he and Keiko first met. All of this could easily be described as a whirlwind, for they went from being complete strangers whom started off on the wrong foot to two people whom were much more intimately involved with one another. Seiryū couldn’t exactly recall how things arrived from that point to today, but he wasn’t about to argue with it.

Clad once more in casual wear; a dark grey t-shirt, khakis, and black shoes, Seiryū found himself heading towards the familiar apartment complex he had ventured to numerous times over the span of the past thirty or so days. With the recognizable route having been traversed plentiful times before, he found his way to the building with ease. Being familiar with the village and path from his apartment to Keiko’s, the journey never took any mental effort to navigate. He had taken Keiko out to the varying places in Sunagakure no Sato, some far more memorable than others, enjoying the time he had spent with her once more. Today seemed to be one of those days as well, where Seiryū would take Keiko out to lunch to one of the several restaurants in the village. It had become a normal thing between them at this point, where they would spend some time together with one another during the day and evenings, but only during the times either one of them were free. Between Seiryū going out on missions and training on his own and Keiko’s work with at the hospital, the time they spend together was abundant, yet not too overwhelming. Space was definitely a good thing, at least to the extent they weren’t spending every waking moment with the other. Uncertainty still remained above them, but Seiryū often chose to ignore or avoid it in favour of being content with their current time.

The front entrance to Keiko’s apartment complex was unlocked during the day, granting Seiryū entrance to the building. Scaling up the side of the building and climbing in to Keiko’s apartment was always a possibility, yet never one he chose to take as the implications behind such an action weren’t something he agreed with wholly. Within a few seconds Seiryū found himself scaling up the stairs and not a minute later was he on the third floor of the building. Looking down the hallway, his feet carrying him forward, his eyes instantly seemed to be drawn towards the door that led to Keiko’s apartment; the other door he could care less about. He had yet to see her neighbour after their encounter at Tenhoutens, though whether it occurred or not wasn’t something Seiryū was actively looking toward. The ability to taunt the male lost its appeal after their second meetings and there really wasn’t much he could say about the neighbour elsewise. If he met him, he met him. If not, then it was no skin off his back.

Planting himself at the front door of Keiko’s apartment, Seiryū would knock upon the door like he always would when coming to meet up with her. If we wished to, he could probably enter without knocking, but he’d rather her allow him in. Today’s plan involved taking Keiko out to a more casual eating establishment, perhaps ramen.



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2Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Sun Jun 26, 2016 3:55 pm

Keiko

Keiko


D-rank
A very audible crash could be heard from the kunoichi’s apartment, the sound of something hitting the wall and shattering into numerous pieces. It was a white ceramic mug that had been sitting innocently on her bedside table, now unrecognizable in broken chunks littered across the floor. It was the third object to have been thrown across the room, the first being a pillow - which did nothing but slide harmlessly down the wall, and the second being a scroll, which had clattered loudly against her wardrobe.

This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Over the past few weeks, Keiko had received numerous messages from Kirigakure, most of them simply asking about her whereabouts and current condition. But then came a messenger, the one morning when Seiryū had been with her, who directly informed her that she was expected to return to her own country in the near future. Still, Keiko paid it no mind, although she wouldn’t deny feeling slightly more anxious, given how the messages were now being sent directly to her place of temporary residence. She didn’t want to leave, and no definite reason had been provided for the request for her return. As far as she was concerned, their Mizukage had always been quite lenient with travelling, especially when citing reasons such as going on missions or training. Keiko had been gone for nearly three months now, and it appeared as though that leniency had reached its limits. The new message was relatively short and got its point across – she was expected to return to Kirigakure and pick up her duties as a Jounin within a week, which meant that if she wanted to get there in time, leaving within a day would be her only option. The last sentence was equally as clear. If she didn’t arrive in the expected time, there would be people sent to escort her back.

How annoying. But no, it wasn’t just annoying anymore. If it had been two months back, Keiko wouldn’t have cared too much. It would have simply been annoying back then, having to return to her duties instead of having fun in another country. But now, things were more complicated. Now, she had Seiryū. They had made the decision to work things out together, to spend as much time as they could before her return to Kirigakure. So the lingering thought that she would have to eventually return had been on both their minds, but Keiko hadn’t expected that it would be so soon. The past month was just short of perfection – the two had spent time casually hanging out together, going on dates, while still respecting each other’s schedules. He had still gone on missions, and she continued her volunteer services at the Sunagakure hospital, where she was slowly opening herself up to new medical techniques and methods.

The mug had hit the wall and shattered relatively around the same time as the knock on the door, and Keiko almost missed it. Whipping her head around to look at the door, the magenta-haired kunoichi tensed up from where she was sitting on the edge of her bed, eight perfectly shaped ice senbon forming in her hands. Giving the loud crash that had just occurred, if the person knocking on the door decided to come in, they would be met with her recently upgraded technique flying towards them, regardless of who they were. Her temper was at an all-time high, and as far as she was concerned, her landlady was out for the day and wouldn’t be the one knocking at her door. As for whoever it was that decided to walk in now, of all times, one could only hope that they would be able to move out of the way in time.




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3Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Sun Jun 26, 2016 6:27 pm

Seiryū

Seiryū


D-rank
He blinked and winced slightly the moment his hand knocked upon the door, not due to knocking itself, but from the noise that echoed out of the apartment in front of him. The noise the resonated out of Keiko’s apartment happened to be a decently loud sound, loud enough for him to be aware that whatever had been destroyed had crashed upon a wall nearby the door. At first, Seiryū’s brain ran in to overdrive, playing out different scenarios in the span of a couple seconds about what could potentially be occurring on the otherside of the door. Was Keiko being attacked by someone? It could be likely, but then he would have heard one voice or another, or simply more stuff being thrown around, even a person. Quickly ruling out that option, Seiryū’s mind could only reach two more potential solutions to the conundrum at hand. The first revolved around the idea that Keiko had simply dropped something by accident, an issue almost anyone could face; shinobi could be excused for slight lapses. This one made more sense than the other possibility Seiryū’s mind had reached. The final possibility arrived at the conclusion that Keiko had thrown something due to one thing or another; whatever it was, Seiryū had no idea.

With their being no answer of the door in a respectable amount of time, especially after the crashing sound he heard moments ago, Seiryū decided he would enter on his own. It wasn’t like he was a complete stranger to Keiko’s apartment over the last month. If he could recall, he probably spent more time in Keiko’s apartment compared to any other location; excluding his own apartment, as it was a given he spent most of his time in the place he resided. With his hand reaching for the doorknob and turning it, he made note that Keiko had forgotten to lock it. Maybe she had a visitor come in earlier and forgot to lock it upon their departure. Or she simply went on quick errand run and never locked the door upon her return. Either way, neither of those the scenarios could make him come up with a concrete answer to why something had hit the wall within her apartment.

The moment Seiryū pushed the door open, allowing him to see the inside of Keiko’s apartment once more. Not even being given a moment to spot Keiko inside, he felt a slight pain from his upper chest. He knew instantly what it was, having felt a familiar sensation before from his very first encounter with Keiko. Instead of being hit with a couple of ice senbon, today his chest had been met by all of the projectiles Keiko had thrown. He could have moved out of the way, but he hadn’t been expecting them to be thrown at him, thus he had become victim to Keiko’s ice needles once more. They would be more annoying than life threatening, but Seiryū could easily move on with the pain. Like before it would likely sting for a while, but it wouldn’t exactly be a detriment to anything he had planned for the day ahead. The only problem would come when the needles were removed from his person and the blood would get on his shirt. That was a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. His main concern lay with Keiko and what had agitated her enough to attack him on sight. Looking down at the needles on his person, Seiryū stepped in to the apartment and shut the door behind him. His eyes found the shattered ceramic mug and then instantly went to find Keiko’s own. “I don’t know if I did something wrong… but, whatever it is, can we talk about it?” His voice was calm; any sign of pain from his features and tone was non-existent. By this point, wounds like these were more or less paper cuts; his body had been exposed to hundreds of them over the years.



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4Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:21 am

Keiko

Keiko


D-rank
Good. Her senbon had hit whoever had decided to disturb her while she was angry at the world. Hopefully it was yet another messenger for Kirigakure – her personal satisfaction would double if that were the case. At this moment, she didn’t care who it was that she hurt, as long as it wasn’t her landlady or the one other person she couldn’t be mad at. The one person that … Shit. Hastily looking up at the person that just walked in, Keiko’s eyes widened, eyebrows rising in an expression of utter shock. Right, he had said that he would come to get her in the morning to go on another date. She had woken up to the source of her anger being delivered in the form of a messenger and scroll, and with that, her entire morning had been ruined, resulting in her forgetting about her plans for the day.

“I don’t know if I did something wrong… but, whatever it is, can we talk about it?” Springing to her feet, she rushed over, waving a hand over the senbon to vaporize them, leaving small bloodstains in his grey shirt. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Keiko’s voice was panicked, betraying her worry for him as she continued to apologize profusely. It wasn’t a huge deal – she knew that her senbon, although painful, weren’t life threatening, and certainly wouldn’t compare to injuries that Seiryū likely has received on his missions. But the shock of accidentally hurting him, coupled with the anger and fear of having to leave, proved a bit too much for her frayed emotions. It was all going wrong, and somehow it felt like her fault. Everything seemed to be spiralling out of control, and she could do nothing but watch helplessly as it happened, powerless against the wave that pushed her along with a choice.

There was a single tear that fell first, and her hands gripped tighter onto his shirt, fingers curling into a fist with the soft material tight in her grasp. He hadn’t even gotten angry, or retailiated in anyway – his only words were words of concern for her, offering to let her talk to him instead of demanding to know why he was suddenly subject to these injuries. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Instead, the tears began to fall, streaking down her face that she would bury into his chest, not wanting him to see the full extent of her vulnerability. She would be able to offer nothing as an explanation at this time, unable to voice out the problems she – they – were facing. It was rather overdramatic, Keiko herself recognized that, but there was nothing that she wanted more in this very moment than to allow herself to be weak, to cry the tears that were scarce throughout her years of life. Shinobi moved all the time, travelling between countries, going on missions … but this was different. It wasn’t as though they were from the same village, and easily able to return to each other’s side. This could potentially mean goodbye, and she wasn’t quite ready for it.

Spoiler:




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5Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Mon Jun 27, 2016 2:16 am

Seiryū

Seiryū


D-rank
The by-product of the needles hitting his chest; the pain, was forgotten the moment he caught sight of the expression on Keiko’s face. He had been privy to a wide range of her emotions over the past month or so, yet none seemed to equal the distress that was currently expressed by her. The woman Seiryū had gotten to know over the course of the month was playful, friendly, flirtatious, innocent, and naïve to varying degrees, though he had never been witness to anything as worrying as today’s expression. The previous moments where he had seen her troubled were to a lesser degree, where it wasn’t anything drastic that had him overly concerned about her current emotional state. Today was different from those previous instances, for the senbon she had thrown and the shattered ceramic mug had given him more reason to believe there was something at play that gave rise to what had just transpired in the span of a few seconds. Regardless, he couldn’t fault her for throwing those ice needles at him while being upset at something entirely different. While he would much prefer not being a target for her frustration, he wasn’t going to get angry at her to add more fuel to whatever fire there was.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He heard the words after she had rushed over to him, the frozen needles quickly fading away to water. The areas where the needles had been left light bloodstains, though the shirt itself had been pierced through by the solidified needles just moments ago. The shirt was practically ruined, the needles having torn the material from its original state. He could see tears lightly running down the side of her cheek, though before he could consider reaching out to wipe them; Seiryū felt the sensation of Keiko gripping on to his shirt. There seemed to be more desperation this time compared to any of their previous moments and he could understand it to a degree, though he was still lost as to the reasoning behind her current state. The next moment Keiko had buried her face into his chest, Seiryū’s arms wrapping around her to hold her. His right hand attempted to soothe her at this moment, rubbing light circles upon her lower back.

Pressing her for an answer wasn’t his immediate concern. Rather, Seiryū wanted her to relax and try to stop the tears from flowing further. If she wished to talk about it, then they would, but until that moment he would be more focused on making sure Keiko was comfortable and not crying. Seiryū’s options were rather limited for comforting Keiko, not simply due to knowing nothing about what was upsetting her, but also the lack of personal experience when it came to comforting another person. A result of not having many personal friends – even family – had resulted in Seiryū’s current slight awkwardness. It was likely Keiko was used to another person comforting her and knowing what to say, he knew about her adopted family. She would have likely received soothing words from her family, yet Seiryū couldn’t even offer them outright. He had always been a practical person and this entire situation was new to him – hell, his relationship with Keiko still remained new to Seiryū.

His ears were able to pick up the muffled cries of Keiko; the wellbeing of his shirt had been thrown out the window the moment he knew something had Keiko upset. They stood there for what felt like forever, though it eventually seemed that her cries had died down slightly. Seiryū would continue rubbing Keiko’s back; his eyes would be trained forward lost in a train of thought. “I’m sorry…” She apologized again and while he knew what Keiko was apologizing for, Seiryū felt there was no need for her to do such a thing. Not when there was something else troubling her more than a few minor wounds on his person. His eyes met Keiko’s, seeing the remainder of raw emotions from her crying made the thought about what caused it rise once more. Until she would talk about it on her own, Seiryū wouldn’t press the issue; he had just seen her silent plea.

Another moment had passed and before Seiryū could tell what exactly was occurring, Keiko had pressed her lips against his; pulling him down by the shirt to close that distance. While Seiryū more often than not would accept a kiss from Keiko willingly, the circumstances surrounding today’s were entirely different. He didn’t think it was appropriate for him to take advantage of such a situation; even if Keiko was the one to initiate it. The unfamiliar sensation of a salty taste, a result of her tears, made him more than conclude that this shouldn’t delve in to that territory, no matter how much Keiko desired it. He could live with Keiko being upset with that decision – upset at him – thus he didn’t reciprocate to the fullest extent. The moment it became more demanding was the moment Seiryū had decided it was best to take a different course of action.

Pulling away from Keiko, he would hold her closer to him, continuing to rub her back as he did so. “Come on, let’s go sit down.” He would whisper out to Keiko just over her head. Before his mind could actually catch up with his actions, Seiryū went to lift up Keiko, one hand hooking itself under her knees while the other would support her back. From there he would carry her to the couch and sit upon it, holding Keiko close to him. It was unlikely Keiko would resist, but if she did Seiryū would instead guide her towards the couch where he’d motion for her to sit. “You don’t have to tell me anything. Just try to relax, alright?”



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6Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:28 pm

Keiko

Keiko


D-rank
He was always the chilvarous one, even from day one. Never once had she felt pressured to please him. Somehow, he was attracted to her as she was – at least, it seemed to be that way. She could tell he was hesitating the moment her lips met his, there was little to no reciprocation, and in the time that she had to get to know him, she could guess the reason why. As much as she wanted to use him to help her forget everything that was on her mind, he played the part of her conscience, a gentle reminder that running away wasn’t the best option. Keiko should have expected this – no, maybe part of her already knew what his reaction would be. Despite not being very experienced with relationships, Keiko had heard stories of relationships gone wrong, most often with people citing personalities and work as the biggest factors. She was also certain that there were people who would try to take advantage of her current state, so different from her usual demeanour.

Allowing herself to be repositioned such that he was gently pushing her away from her sudden, aggressive desparation for physical contact, she half-expected him to get up and walk. Perhaps part of her even wished for it to happen – maybe if he left on his own, it would be easier. If she could even plant the thought in her own mind that he wanted to leave, to get away from her, then she could do the same without this much pain. But naturally, that was illogical thinking. There was no reason for him to leave, the nature of this man who she had come to harbour such intense feelings for simply wouldn’t allow for him to walk away from her in this state. Which made everything infinitely more difficult.

There was a single question that echoed in her mind. A word that branched off into numerous additional questions, none of which could be answered. Why? Why did she have to leave? Why was Kirigakure calling her back? Why did she have to leave this man? Why did they have to be from separate villages?

Why did I have to fall in love?

… There it was. In the midst of the barrage of questions in her mind, a single revelation that pushed past the other thoughts. Love. What a silly thing it was, putting so much value onto a single word. In the years of her life, never once had the emotion ‘love’ been in a positive light. A brief period of bliss, yes, but it always had painful, even catastrophic results. Happy endings didn’t exist. And here she was, proving it once again, only this time Keiko herself had turned into the subject. Love explained the intense feelings that flooded every inch of her body everytime she was around him, a feeling of perfection that gave the illusion that they could conquer the world together. And love explained the pain and fear she was experiencing now, knowing that she was about to lose it all.

She did nothing as he remained by her side, holding her close and eventually moving to pick her up. Letting herself lay limply in his arms, she was only vaguely aware of what he was doing, moving towards the couch to make for a more ideal location to relax. Her thoughts remained in a whirlwind condition, with the sudden revelation of her feelings towards Seiryū adding to the chaos. “You don’t have to tell me anything. Just try to relax, alright?” Always the level-headed one, much more so that she was, save for a few occasions. But that didn’t put them at odds – as far as she was concerned, they balanced each other out quite well. Given how she never was one to pretend to like people who didn’t work well with her personality, it was the complete truth that she felt completely at ease with Seiryū.

It was tempting to take up his suggestion of not having to tell him anything. If she lied to herself, lied to him, she could pretend there really wasn’t anything to tell him. Maybe if she pretending nothing was wrong, everything would go away. A ridiculous thought process, indeed. She had to tell him. If the time they spent together so far meant anything, then she owed it to him to tell him the truth. But how would she word it? How would he react? Would everything be over the moment the words left her mouth? Once again, a chilling fear rushed through her, yet at the same time, she had steeled herself enough to speak.

“I’m leaving. I have to return to Kirigakure. I have … no choice.” The last words came out in barely a whisper, as though whatever remained of her energy was drained away in the effort it took to tell him the truth. Keiko would move away from him, detaching herself from the warmth and protection his body offer in order to face him on the couch, eyes searching his face for any indication of what his response would be. Her fingers twisted around each other on her lap in an obvious sign of agitation. She was no longer crying, but the tear streaks stained her face, which was still flushed red. “What do I do, Seiryū? What do we do?” Her voice broke at the end, a soft cross between a sob and a hiccup. Maybe he would reassure her that they would be able to see each other again soon. Provide some miraculous solution that she just hadn’t manage to think of in her condition.




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7Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Tue Aug 16, 2016 4:44 am

Seiryū

Seiryū


D-rank
While he never asked for an answer from Keiko as to what had been the cause of her current predicament, Seiryū did wish to know what had happened. He could assume what had happened, but unless he knew for sure what event had transpired he would continuously be left guessing as to what had made Keiko throw a ceramic mug at the wall and produce the ever discernible tears that occupied her features. From his own memories about what had transpired between himself and Keiko, Seiryū couldn’t recall anything he had done to upset her from their past few dates. Anything prior to that had been far too long ago; more so a week or more, but he doubted anything from that time would make her upset with him. Yet, what made him more confused had been the flow of apologies from Keiko. He doubted it was from the actions beforehand where she had thrown her mug, but it just as easily could be a result of that action for all Seiryū knew.

Usually seeing someone else upset didn’t stir anything within him, only the feeling of necessity that he should attempt to find a solution for the problem at hand. Today, however, was vastly different than those few occasions that he had been face to face with in his past. No longer was he dealing with a complete stranger. The person he was dealing with wasn’t just another face in the sea of people he would meet over his life – though it could certainly end up going that route. Keiko over the course of the past Seiryū’s relationship with Keiko had grown far more than he would have initially assumed. No longer was it two strangers flirting about with one another. He was invested in this and he knew from the moment he committed to this that it would simply end up in being hurt in the end. Then again, pain and loneliness was something he was close to, he had been over the past decade. But now, just seeing Keiko upset stirred more within him than any past occasion that Seiryū had experienced. This wasn’t simply a person he could help out and then escape from the situation entirely. He didn’t want that. Yet, he also didn’t know how to deal with it; how to comfort someone who actually meant something to him. It was one of the few reasons he could conjure as to why he wasn’t pressing for an answer from Keiko. Seiryū figured he would receive the answer to the unasked question when Keiko was comfortable discussing it with him, thus it wasn’t something he was eagerly trying to poke at. Right now, he solely wished to alleviate the brooding atmosphere that seemed to be resonating here.

Silence had taken over the moment he had sat upon the couch, Keiko remaining in his arms. No matter the case, his focus was upon Keiko and by the lingering issue that hung in the air – though the latter was only a concern due to the former. While Keiko was so close to him and within his arms, all Seiryū did was hold her firmly, though never pressing her against him. If she should want space, he would give it. If she wanted to remain close, he would easily comply. His eyes remained focused on one spot, the top of her head, though occasionally trailing down to look at her eyes.

“I’m leaving. I have to return to Kirigakure. I have … no choice.” With their close proximity, it still took a bit of effort on Seiryū’s end to fully hear what Keiko had said. There was no outward reaction on Seiryū’s end, for he simply kept his demeanour as it was. On the inside however, his mind was quickly jumping around though always landing on one single notion; ‘this was inevitable’. That was something they both had known when they began this relationship and now was the time where they were required to address the issue that always hovered above their heads from the moment they began this all. As she shifted away, Seiryū’s would let his arms fall naturally to his side, his eyes watching Keiko while still trying to process it. He knew it would happen, yet the moment it became a reality he was just as lost as Keiko seemed to be. With her eyes searching his and the fidgeting he noticed on her end, he knew she wanted to know what he thought on this matter. “What do I do, Seiryū? What do we do?”

He wasn’t sure, nor did he know what words he could use to make this situation better. Seiryū wasn’t sure what they should do from this moment forward. Knowing that they’d be going on their own separate paths from here on out and the likelihood of seeing one another diminishing drastically, there really weren’t many options available to them. Keiko had to return to her village, lest she wish to be labelled a nuke-nin of her country and have hunter-nin chase after her. Seiryū himself couldn’t follow after her; he had his duties to accomplish here, especially being a newly recruited ANBU member for the village. His own standing of the village became even more important the longer time went on; no matter if he wanted it or not.

“I’m not too sure myself…” The words flowed out calmly, not really resonating with his inner thoughts fully. From what he had gathered from knowing Keiko in the month he’d known her and her current state, he needed to remain level headed. There was no point in making a rash decision that could backfire on either of them. “You should go back to Kirigakure no Sato… perhaps we could stay in touch through messages?” Obviously that wasn’t the issue at hand, being able to communicate was a much smaller issue in the whole predicament. They would be miles apart from one another. “As for… what we could do… I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t… I’m not sure how… well, how we can still keep this a thing while being in different countries… but I do want it to work… even if it doesn’t seem like it can’t.” He closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly back as he muddled over getting his thoughts in to more coherent sentences, rather than a few broken ideas pieced together. If only there was a simple solution for them to be able to continue their relationship.



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8Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Sat Sep 17, 2016 11:16 pm

Keiko

Keiko


D-rank
How utterly unexpected, this journey has been. From the happenings of the past month to the very situation Keiko found herself in now – every moment could be described as surreal. If someone had told her several months back that she would go the Sunagakure, fall in love, and then end up breaking down in tears after being summoned home … she would have likely told them to frick off or see a medic – or both, given that she could play both roles. It wasn’t that she didn’t miss Kirigakure. Several times at day she would find herself comparing the village of Sunagakure to her own home village, finding herself longing for her cooler temperatures and scenery that didn’t involve dry, monotonous deserts. Only now that she thought about it, those pangs of homesickness hadn’t resurfaced in quite a while, a thought that prompted a curious, mental question: Would I be able to endure a life living here?

Her eyes continued searching his face for an answer. She was being selfish, she was aware of that, even if Seiryū would deny it should she bring it up. This was a personal problem – he had no hand in the fact that she had to go home. By presenting it as a problem with the implied expectations that he could provide a solution, she was selfishly forcing him to try and play a hand that didn’t exist. There was no ace card for this. There never was, and never would be. “I’m not too sure myself…” She knew it didn’t end there. He was thinking, likely trying to remain calm and logical as he searched for something that wasn’t there. “You should go back to Kirigakure no Sato… perhaps we could stay in touch through messages?” Pessimism pricked at her, a nasty, dubious voice that questioned how long they would maintain a relationship through messages. It would be difficult, covert messages sent between two shinobi of opposing villages, each one needing to bypass security and defend itself against suspicion. Every move they made would be a difficult task, every message they sent would likely bring about self-questioning of its worth. Could she do that? Could he?

“As for… what we could do… I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t… I’m not sure how… well, how we can still keep this a thing while being in different countries… but I do want it to work… even if it doesn’t seem like it can.” There was no more to be said – she would have to return, and he couldn’t stop it. A number of “if only”s played in her head, and likely hung in the air between them, but she was sure that both of them were aware that there was nothing either of them could do. As he closed his eyes, Keiko’s own gaze softened, leaning forward to close the distance between them once her. Her right hand would reach to tangle her fingers in his hair, gently playing with the soft locks before letting her hand slide down to graze the side of his face. As hard as it was, she didn’t want this to be their last memory of each other before she left.

“I … I’ll be leaving this evening. I’ll get to the border and stay the night at an inn before moving through towards Mizu no Kuni.” Her voice was soft, unsure of when it might crack due to emotion again. “Will you stay with me until then? There isn’t much I need to pack.” It was a question. An offer. A plea. Even if they just spent the next handful of remaining hours cuddled on the bed, it would be enough to give her the strength to start her journey back home and away from him. All the fear and anxiety of separation left her exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to hide away in his arms and pretend to forget that at this same time tomorrow, she would be well on her way back home alone.





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9Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Sun Sep 18, 2016 3:04 am

Seiryū

Seiryū


D-rank
“I … I’ll be leaving this evening. I’ll get to the border and stay the night at an inn before moving through towards Mizu no Kuni.” There it was, the legitimization of the bubble they had been living in for the past month had finally popped. No longer were Seiryū and Keiko able to spend much more time together. No longer were they able to spend endless hours with each other and enjoying that time to the degree they had been. The realization of it all being taken away hit home more than the knowledge Seiryū previously held that this would inevitably end. He knew it would end one day, for Sunagakure no Sato was not the village Keiko was aligned with. This was not the village she called home. This was not the village that was home to her family and friends. All Suna had been, at least initially, was another destination in her career as a kunoichi, and now was the time for her to return to the village she called home.

Seiryū was both glad and pained about the time he had spent with Keiko, but he was more than capable of hiding that behind his calm reprieve. His own emotional and mental state didn’t matter, at least not while Keiko would need his support, he could be strong on that front. As much time they had spent together, he knew far more about Keiko than she did about him, and while he was glad he was able to keep that distance there, knowing that this was to come, it still hurt knowing that someone else was leaving him behind – someone he cared for more than anyone else alive; there weren’t many people he kept in his day to day life. She knew nothing about his parentage, his heritage, and what had been his early childhood of a father who wanted nothing to do with him. He lightly wandered if she would ask about that before they were done… or if it would remain solely his to live with. Keiko shouldn’t need to know those details, especially if she were returning to Kiri and the likelihood of returning to Suna being slim.

“Will you stay with me until then? There isn’t much I need to pack.” Seiryū could agree with that much, it would likely be the last time they would be together, at least for a long while. There was no doubt in his mind what his decision was; that wasn’t even a question. It was best to make the best of the last few moments they had together instead of constantly fretting over the future and the soon-to-be separation.

“Of course I’ll stay.” Seiryū would lightly whisper to her, even though they were the only two occupants in her living room… in the apartment she rented for her stay here. His mind seemed to want to travel to his negative thoughts, but that place wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be right now, at least not today. Tomorrow and onward would be time for that. Wrapping and tightening his arms around her, Seiryū drew her closer and pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. “Whatever you want… just name it and we can do that until…” He didn’t want to, nor could he, finish that sentence, instead letting his voice trail off. Seiryū would have to readjust to his life prior to meeting Keiko and that task seemed more daunting now than ever. Having spent so much of his lifetime alone, he should quickly readjust, but he didn’t want to, nor did he think he could quickly adjust.



617|4025 Total

10Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Fri Sep 30, 2016 9:10 pm

Keiko

Keiko


D-rank
Using the back of her hand to wipe away what remained of the tears on her face, Keiko took a deep, steadying breath, determined not to be reduced to an embarrassing, emotional mess again. Right at this moment, despite the adversity that loomed in front of her, she was exactly where she wanted to be - in Seiryū's arms. If this was going to be her last day in Sunagakure for many days, months, and maybe even years to come, nothing would be better than having this moment as her final memory. Already she was formulating plans that would allow her to return. The first step would, of course, to not let anyone find out about her relationship with a Sunagakure shinobi. while she would vehemently deny that she was at all ashamed of the relationship, Keiko knew enough of the inside politics that an emotionally-invested relationship between two relatively high-ranking shinobi of two different villages would only spell trouble for both of them. No ... unless they had a solid plan of getting together for good or unless she let everything they had built fall apart ... she had to keep this a secret upon her return to her own village.

She knew not of the nature of the request for her to return to the village - one of the reasons why she was so upset about the order. But unless it was something big enough to justify keeping her in the village, she could always find an excuse to take missions that happened to pass into Kaze no Kuni, right? “Whatever you want… just name it and we can do that until…” He didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. They both knew what would come next. As he moved to place a light kiss on her head, the loose wisps of his silvery hair brushed up against her, tickling her cheekbones and prompting her to close her eyes briefly. She couldn't help but wonder for the umpteenth time ... what was going through Seiryū's mind right now?

Bright eyes looking right at the source of her regret, she responded to his kiss on her forehead by leaning forward, soft lips pressing against his. The motion was gentle, questioning, coaxing him to give her what she sought. She could never tire of kissing him, the addictive shiver that danced through her body every time their lips touched always left her wanting more when he's here, and yearning for it when he's not. Just thinking about not having him within her reach sent a painful pang through her chest, yet another nasty reminder that they won't be together for much longer. "I want ... to forget that we're parting soon." She whispered her request, leaving it completely open for interpretation. Truthfully, she didn't particularly care - they could sit on the floor and stare at each other for hours and she still wouldn't mind, as long as he stayed with her.




511 | 3558 Total

11Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:44 pm

Seiryū

Seiryū


D-rank
In the end, today would be their final moments and that would leave whatever they did today to likely be their last bits of time together. With so little time remaining, Seiryū tried to expel the thoughts going through his mind to take a break, to return tomorrow morning where he would be alone once again. Regardless of what either of them wanted, what they desired, everything else played a vital factor in their near futures; and that would want to keep them apart. It wasn’t a tragic tale by any means, but the knowledge that reality was truly setting in was becoming even more apparent – it should have been apparent to Seiryū from the start.

His slight musing has been interrupted when Keiko had leaned towards him, her lips meeting his once more; an action that had taken place countless times in the past month. It took a moment for Seiryū’s mind to catch up with the current reality, and then began to respond gently. If this was truly going to be the last few moments they would spend with one another for the near future, then Seiryū would wish to relish in it, to try and delay the inevitable. Ultimately, he wished to not rush in to things today, but instead allow things to take on a much slower pace where they wouldn’t need to hurry. Seiryū could quietly admit to himself that he still hadn’t grown fully accustomed to Keiko’s cool body, a stark contrast to the constant heat of the days in Sunagakure no Sato and reminiscent of the nights within the village.

“I want ... to forget that we're parting soon.” Seiryū could do that much, he could commit himself to keeping Keiko occupied enough that the looming event over their heads didn’t exist for the next few hours. Leaving themselves to mull in the quietness of her apartment wasn’t an option for Seiryū, not when his mind was always apparently in the realm of absorbing him in thoughts he didn’t want. So, instead of simply staying silent and getting lost in thought, Seiryū went with the only option that would currently make sense to him, an action that he wouldn’t be able to do for a long time… perhaps this would be the last. Without so much as a word, but his actions being slow and deliberate for Keiko to realize what he had in mind, for his lips meeting hers, one more time, would only be the beginning of the end.



-Exit Thread-
427|4452 Total


Training Senjutsu (+10% Word Count - Kōga Clan Drawback):
C-Rank -> B-Rank: 1235 + 4452 = 5687/7700 Words

12Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Empty Re: Bittersweet Farewell [Private|Keiko] Thu Oct 06, 2016 5:35 pm

Keiko

Keiko


D-rank
There wasn't much to be said when it was finally time to go. Keeping only a select few of her favourite outfits purchased in Sunagakure during her time here, she opted to leave the majority of her belongings behind, making a mental note to tell the landlady that she could do whatever she wanted with them. Most of the thin fabrics suitable for the stiflingly hot climate here would be impractical back in Kirigakure, even if she wasn't as susceptible to the cold as most were. There would be no point in keeping an abundance of outfits that she wouldn't wear back home - if anything, they would serve as a constant painful reminder of her time here.

She had changed into a simple t-shirt with a light cream jacket overtop, coupled with a pair of dark blue jeans. Her stylish lace-up combat boots were snug and ready for the journey ahead, and unbeknowst to the naked eye, was also equipped with hidden kunai blades. Zipping up her backpack with the last of what she needed to pack, the realization that she had nothing else to stall her departure finally hit. There was no turning back now, her one and only destination would be to go home, back to Kirigakure. Turning back to look at Seiryū one last time, the words were almost unable to leave her mouth. She couldn't say goodbye. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, putting on a brave face topped with a small smile. "Unfortunately for you, this won't be the last you'll see of me." And that was it. The door closed behind her, and Keiko found herself breaking out into a sprint, flying down the stairs of the old building she had called home for the past months, and out towards the nearest entrance of the village.


-- Exit Thread --




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