Run

Akinari  could only think about that as he ran through the forest. The balding man of average weight and honey brown eyes pushed aside any foliage which got in his way, not caring for the blood leaking from scrap and cuts caused by such action. They were non-life threatening and will heal in time. The man winced as a branch caught his torn shirt, scraping against a claw-like wound that was bleeding profusely. Yes, unlike the minor scrapes and cuts caused by the foliage, there were other wounds more troublesome to worry about.

How did I end up like this?

Indeed, how did this semi-wealthy and respected man end up running through the forest like his life depended on it? Memories of the night prior came back to him with the force of a hurricane. Flashes of him showboating, tossing money at the female strippers, wooing a particularly pretty woman in her twenties. The memories went on to him bedding said woman for the night, dining on the sins of pleasure. He remembers waking up with a woman still passed out from their nightly activities. The haste he felt when he noticed his wife would be getting home soon, and expected him to be there waiting for her. He remember gathering his clothes, putting them on quickly, and stumbling out of the rented hotel and into an alleyway.

He remembered seeing movement from the corner of his eyes. A pair of yellow harden orbs that were chipped with a coldness stronger than any Hyoton user. He remembered . ..

"Ack!"Akinari was jarred out of his memories by a sudden pain in his leg from a bite he received earlier. He was startled when the bite mark, and the area around it, felt hard. . .like cement. "What the hell?", he mused, momentarily forgetting about why he was running as he inspected his leg. Taking another step, Akinari crumbled to the forest floor, the leg giving out on him. At the same time, he could hear the thing, that was chasing him, closing in, and not wanting to die, he tried to stand back up but ended up falling back down again. Again, he tried to stand back up only to meet the same fate. As the thing got closer, he started to crawl away. . .he did not make it far.

Claws hooked into his back, piercing through his flesh like paper. The stench of the creature's breath on the back of  his neck caused his hair to stand up on end. He shivered feeling the thing's fork tongue flick against his body. "If I am going to die. I want to stare into the eyes of my killer." accepting his fate Akinari used the last of his strength to buck the creature off his back for him to roll onto his stomach. His eyes, clouded with tears watched as the large animal righted itself from the surprising move and made its way towards him. Those yellow, soulless eyes stared into the honey brown ones of Akinari as its claws dug into the man's chest. Silence befell onto the forest as predator and prey stared at one another. This would not last for long. Having seemingly found what it wanted, the creature opens it's mouth, revealing razor sharp teeth, and descended upon Akinari  He did not cry out in pain or anything, only grunts as the man was feasted upon. . .alive.

Daremo snapped open his eyes and frantically looked around the dimly lit room. It did not take him long to realize where he was, and the person who was curled up against his bare chest. Sighing softly, his left hand moved towards the sleeping woman, brushing away from her face a few strands hair. Yellow, reptilian orbs stared down at the sleeping woman, her presence calming his once fast beating heart.

"You won't be the same."

Ami,  Hikari's mother, warned that he would never be the same if he went through the process. That becoming one of them and returning back to a human lifestyle was not something to take likely. She confessed that some of the other members in the Komodo summons were once humans who have chosen the same path he did but ultimately fell in returning back to a functioning human state. They fully succumb to their animalistic urges and embraced the sweet temptations that it brought. She warned him, that if he would fail then he took would be like the others. Though he did not fail, there were still side effects, like the dreams, and others which would show up. She told him what to expect and prepare for the worse.

Are you prepared?

He did not know rather he was prepared or not. The only thing he knew was Kaia is the soon to be the mother of his children. And as the father of those children, he would be damned if he let anything happen to them. At the mere thought of such transgression, Daremo felt the need to growl but held it back; he did not want to disturb his sleeping wife. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was just 6 am in the morning. While he normally would get up at this time, going about the morning, he felt the strong urge to stay in bed with his wife. The urge to be by her side the moment she wakes. To take care of every one of her needs, making sure she was comfortable and happy. He knew this overprotectiveness came from his time as an animal, and his own human desires to see the future birth of his children. He wanted nothing more to see and be able to hold his legacies.

Slowly, not to wake her up, Daremo lid his hand underneath the covers and began to gently rub Kaia's stomach. "Hello, little ones.", he did not know why he said 'ones', nor while he began to talk but he continued, "This is your father. And I can't wait to see you. Can't wait to hold you. . ." Daremo lost himself in talking to Kaia's belly, telling the unborn child(ren) how much they meant to him, and how he is going to spoil them.

---

1048

Running.

The grass whipped past her ankles, stinging her bare flesh. Tall blades of grass tangling around her legs in an attempt to trip her up. The earth was cold, the mud and puddles splashing between her toes and coating her feet, causing the coldness to only further grow. She didn’t dare stop; she couldn’t risk it. Whatever she was running from, whatever horror was behind her, it was trying its damnedest to snatch her up. She didn’t know what it wanted, but she did know its overall goal was evil. It wanted to taint her, it wanted to make her evil too, to take it down with it. It was a fate she didn’t want.

It was a fate she might not escape from.

Exhaustion was filling her form, her legs cramping and hurting from the length of distance she had gone and yet it seemed as if she had made no progress at all. Evil still lurked behind her, reaching and grabbing for her with open arms as if it were an old stranger trying to lure her into its grasp. It hadn’t tired at all, it was just as strong and just as greedy to have her when the chase had began. The further she went the more hope she began to lose, the more despair began to take its place. She began to feel as if she would never escape, as if no matter what she did it would eventually catch. Then she felt it, tendrils of darkness grasping hold of her limbs, trying to pull her backwards, almost strong enough – almost able.

And then there was the light.

It was ahead of her, only a few meters away, shining brightly as if it had always been – as if it had been there the entire time and was simply waiting for her. It represented everything she needed: love, hope, happiness, and a future. Just seeing its presence gave her strength and speed, it took her exhaustion and pain away and let her push on and push further. It allowed her to break free from the grasp of this evilness behind her and continue on once more. With each yard that passed beneath her feet this evil dark entity behind her got further and further away.

And then she collided with the light, and it sheltered her.

She hadn’t known what she expected, yet when she entered into the light it wrapped its arms around her and held it protectively against its body. The light beat back the evil, as the darkness could not exist where the light fell. The darkness began to flee, but not before she looked back and saw its face… A familiar face.


She didn’t exactly know when she became aware, she didn’t exactly know the moment when dreams led into reality as she awoke to the sensation of her stomach being touched – softly spoken words whispered not towards her but towards the child ever growing within her womb. It was such a trivial thing to most and yet for Kaia it meant so much more than that: to hear the pure adoration and want in Daremo’s voice as he spoke to their child caused her heart to soar as well as her hopes and dreams for the future of their slowly growing family. So it was perhaps this that kept her from moving or disturbing him; not so much pretending to be asleep as much as allowing him to have his moment of peacefulness and hope. It was a moment that she knew he needed as much as she did – a moment where the coldness and cruelty of the world was locked out safe and sound and it was just them and their ever-growing love.

The moment pushed away any and all thought of her dreams, giving her something to focus on that caused a soft and tender smile to grace her lips. After a moment or two she found herself raising her right hand, gently laying it down on Daremo’s cheek as she shifted within the confines of the blankets and sheets she was buried in for warmth so that she could lift her torso up just enough to place a gentle kiss on his lips. Her lips lingered for a moment only to press yet another kiss there, her body shifting to move closer – all intentions being to cuddle with the love of her life – when the very sudden and very real fact that she was pregnant and was not going to be afforded a break from anything that went along with it hit. ”Ooooh, potty!” Darting immediately out of bed, the covers thrown hastily off before hand, she was only slow enough to make sure she didn’t stumble and fall (she really didn’t want a repeat of what happened the first morning she had found Daremo back from the dead) as she made her way into the bathroom with her silk nightgown billowing around her. She had no intentions of getting sick, but there were other things one needed to take care of in the morning. It was only after she had handled her bladder issue and wash her hands and then her face did she bother to enter back into the bedroom, pulling a brush through her long black silky hair as she did so. ”Mmm.. you know what I miss? What I’m craving? Bubble tea… I haven’t had a cup of that in over a week. Do you think any place around here sells it?” Ah yes, her much needed bubble tea – some things just didn’t change, and that was one of them. Of course, if they couldn’t find a place that sold it Kaia was more than familiar with the recipe… but pregnancy cravings were a thing, and pregnant women sometimes impatient. Kaia was no exception to this. ”Come on, let’s go hunt down bubble tea and have some breakfast… I don’t feel like cooking today.”

In fact, it was only this urgency to sate her cravings – especially considering the grumble of hunger hadn’t yet hit her - that kept her from diving back into bed for cuddling: her favorite past-time, or one of them at least. Either way she would wait long enough for her love to reply, knowing that either way she would have to get dressed instead of climbing back into bed because he wouldn’t deny her what she needed, before heading over to the closet where all of their clothing had been unpacked and hung in: Daremo certainly wasn’t going to leave her alone long enough to go hunt down her bubble tea or the ingredients for it, and she didn’t want to be cooped up in the hotel anyway with a clone – she was still far too clingy for that. She picked through her choices carefully before deciding on a simple silk yukata which was white with navy blue vertical stripes going down it at random. She pulled the hanger down, setting the article of clothing on their bed before stripping out of her nightgown, pausing as she caught her reflection in the full length mirror; her hands moving to her enlarged belly as a smile instantly spread across her face. Placing her hands on her stomach she found herself wondering at the life within once more, allowing herself to get caught up in the moment for but a second or two before beginning to get dressed – her cravings taking over once again with a kind of urgency that spoke of being damned by them.


Thankfully, her clothing fit well enough, the adjustments that had already been made having been done perfectly so that the comfortable fabric fit her body in all of the right ways. She completed her ensemble with a simple navy blue sash. Her hair, having already been brushed, was wound up on top of her head, secured in place by two blue lacquered hair sticks on which white flower petals had been painted; leaving only a few strands framing her smiling face. It was then and only then that she moved to where her weapons were kept: an adjustment of fabric all that was needed for her weapons to be secured around her thigh, and others hidden on her person elsewhere. As a shinobi she had always been armed, as an expectant mother that was doubly so. She was absolutely positive Daremo could and would protect her and their unborn child, but that didn’t mean she would let her guard down any less. No, it was better to be needlessly prepared than caught slipping. Regardless, with her weapons so expertly hidden on her form she looked like nothing more than a civilian – albeit a beautiful one. The only thing missing was her shoes.


It was then and only then that she leaned forward slightly, looking down at her feet which she could thankfully still see. A soft giggle escaped her lips before she mused out loud, ”I wonder how long till I can’t see my toes anymore… the baby keeps growing so far, soon my belly will be sticking out so far I won’t even know what my feet look like anymore.”

Word Count: 1,560

Daremo did not know how long he had been talking to the unborn child(ren). He only knew that he had told them how precious they were to him and Kaia both. And how, once they were born, he would be spoiling them with everything they ever wanted. He spoke of the future he wished to share with them and Kaia. How he wanted to eventually leave the shinobi lifestyle behind with their mother, and settle down somewhere away from conflict. Though he spoke of his dreams, he touched on the reality of the situation. How it would be difficult to leave the lifestyle which he had known for all of his life. How there would undoubtedly be people coming for him to get revenge against for the atrocities committed, endangering them and their mother. He spoke on his fears of potentially losing them because of someone in his past wanting strike out against him. He apologized for the blood he had shred to protect those dear to him, and of those who he had left broken. He apologized in advance for the future deaths and atrocity actions he would take if it means protecting them and their mother.

"When you are born. You will look up at me as if I was a perfect man." with a gentle shake of his head, Daremo continued speaking, "Know that I am not. I have made many mistakes throughout my life. Do I regret them?". He paused momentarily to consider the question, "Yes and no. My only regret is making your mother, my wife, suffer in turmoil over my so-called death. Making her go through that all because I was foolish in a belief I could handle the trials without a problem. Everything else? No. I simply can not regret those actions. My mother, your grandmother, always told me to never regret the mistakes made for they will haunt you till the end of days." his soft smile turned into a frown and there was a look of longing in his eyes at the thought his mother.

Guanyin, Mayuko; a strong, independent, woman who's morals might be questionable, but, the love for her child was not. While some who knew his history might question why Daremo holds his mother in a high regard considering the things she allowed to happen to him. His answer would be, "Because she gave me life and a chance. More than some mothers give their offspring." There was no grandiose reasoning behind his love for Mayuko, just a simple basic truth. The woman gave him a chance at a life to make it whatever he wished. Sure the circumstances could be different, but what use in worrying about that when nothing could be changed? "Grandmother would - - " before he could speak on his mother, Daremo took noticed in the change of Kaia's breathing.  She was awake. Seeing how she did not bother in disturbing him, Daremo went on to speak about his mother, "She would have liked to be here when you are born.", a lone tear threatens to fall from his eye as he thought about his mother. While she had died a few years ago, there was still some unresolved pain within his heart, "I think. . .not being here to witness your birth and spoiling you rotten is something she regrets." he spoke, registering the touch and subsequent kiss on his cheek by Kaia.

With eyes showing a storm of different emotions, sadness, happiness, hope, and longing, they stared into Kaia's as Daremo's lips connected with her's. The kiss and the other one followed was enough to calm the raging emotions within him. Silencing the storm which was caught up in returning memories. "Good morning, love.", his arms moved to snake around her, bringing her closer to his chest, yet he would be denied such an opportunity at Kaia's announcement of having to use the potty.

Chuckling at the now lost moment, Daremo moved out of bed to help her; he did not want a repeat of the last time. "Carefully.", he doubted she heard his words as she darted into the bathroom, leaving Daremo to shake his head in amusement. "Just like last . . .time?", biting back a wince, memories of his past, particularly with his first love and during the time of her pregnancy, and the death of her and the child, assaulted his mind. He found himself shedding silent tears as the vivid image of her gutted body and their child lifeless one. He felt many things at that moment with the most prominent being anger. Though he kept a lid on his killing intent, it did not stop his nails from digging into his flesh, drawing blood. It was the sight of the crimson liquid which snapped him out of the anger. With a quick application of medical ninjutsu, he healed the self-inflicted wound. Once done, he began making up their bed to distract his mind.

Hearing the bathroom door open, he glanced over his shoulder at Kaia, while finishing straightening up the bed. Walking towards her, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, tasting the toothpaste she had used. "If I did not know you any better, I would believe this would be a craving due to the pregnancy. But, I know you are obsessed with the stuff, I'm - - -", he stopped from finishing the sentence. Knowing well he was the cause of her not drinking the sugary beverage in the past week, "I believe so? It is a common beverage. So, surely there will be a place which sells it. ", chuckling at her antics, Daremo placed a gentle kiss on her lips and walked to the closet with her. Playfully swatting her bottom before snaking his arms around her waist and leaned over to kiss her cheek, "Someone is impatient."

Stepping to the right side of her, Daremo looked over his choices in clothing. Taking a glance at the Yutaka Kaia picked out, he decided to contrast her style with a more western approach. Spotting a semi-transparent, silk white, long-sleeved, button up shirt, Daremo grabbed it along with a pair of black formal pants and matching shoes. Taking another glance over at his lover, soaking in the visual of her disrobing. He stood there for some time and simply watched her. "Beautiful.", he whispered, loud enough for it to be heard. Seeing how he should also get dressed, he disrobed right where he was. Slipping into his shirt, the article of clothing being transparent enough to show off his eight-pack, he buttoned all but the two at the top, leaving that part open. His pants, socks, and shoes followed afterward. Reaching into the closet, he grabbed a belt, slipping it through the loops.

Now dressed, Daremo walked over to Kaia, snaking his arms around her waist at the exact moment she spoke, "No matter how big your belly gets, you will still be beautiful.", kissing her on the cheek, he moved around till he was facing her, and kissed her deeply. Breaking the kiss, less they skip out of their planned search for tea, "Come on, let's see if we can find you that tea, and a place to eat breakfast.", he spoke, guiding her out of the bedroom, through the living room, and out the door, locking the door behind them.

The morning rays greeted them. Warming up their bodies with its touch. The temperature being quite pleasant, not too cold nor warm for the current time and season. There were not many people out and about yet, though, there were plenty of shinobi moving through the rooftops. Taking a glance at his love, Daremo spoke, "Ready to find your tea?"

---

1294(2339)

It did not go without notice the way that Daremo cut himself off, and she couldn’t help but think that she knew the reason why: no matter how many times she had told him she forgave him the fact that he had died would forever taint that week of their life. A week of suffering, a week without hope for both of them. Having no intentions on dwelling on it, nor drawing light to the fact that she had noticed the way he had stopped speaking, she simply returned the gentle kiss with one of her own, smiling softly. A giggle escaped her before she could stop herself, her head nodding in agreement to his words about her being impatient. ”Aye, I suppose I am a bit impatient. I don’t think this is my normal craving though – it’s much stronger than usual. Maybe our child is addicted to it, too.” A bigger smile would spread across her face at the thought, playfulness shining in her eyes as she went about getting ready – returning the playful swat of her buttocks with one of her own – sticking her tongue out playfully with a laugh.


Almost so lost in the way she looked, in the glow that seemed to be about her as she dressed and caught her appearance in the mirror she almost didn’t even realize what Daremo himself was putting on. It wasn’t until his comment on her being beautiful that she would turn, her cheeks tinting pink from her blush and her eyes showing a small bit of surprise that even as her body changed he would comment in such a way, to take in his appearance. Her eyes lingered on his chest which she could see fairly well through the fabric of his shirt as well as through the gap created by the two undone buttons. As his arms claimed her she found herself leaning against him, resting her head on his chest and listening to the beating heart within his chest: a sound she had missed more than she had realized. There was something very calming about falling asleep each night nestled up beside her love, using his chest as a pillow and listening to the sound of his beating heart and gentle breathing while she was lulled to sleep. The week of silence without it had been unnerving to say the least. ”You are the sweetest person I know...”, she found herself responding, her cheeks tinting even redder at his statement about her beauty.


It was only as he kissed her deeply that she found herself pulled away from the darker thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her, forcing herself to focus instead on the love she felt in such a tender act. She returned the kiss with the same kind of passion and deepness, pouring even for the brief moment that it lasted all of her love and devotion into the simple gesture. It was over too soon, but she understood the need to stop: they could spend all day kissing each other and would not get a single thing done. Her craving was demanding attention, and if the growling in her stomach was any indication so too was the need for food. ”Good idea, before my body begins making too much noise...”, she’d comment softly, following after Daremo as she did, letting him lead the way out of their bedroom and through the suite-like hotel room. Once outside Kaia found herself pausing, head tilted back and her long white hair flowing in the gentle breeze as she took a moment to appreciate the way the sun warmed her skin. Even through her yukata she could feel it and she welcomed its warm embrace.


It wasn’t until she opened her eyes, thick black eyelashes fluttering and tickling her cheeks, did she notice the ninja moving their way upon the rooftops as they came and went. It took her mind back to the last time she had graced this village with her presence: a time devoid of peace, a time of violence and upset. It was a time in her life where the answers she had been seeking had finally come to light, a time where she had been reunited with her father. A time of both tears and happiness, joy and sorrow. Forgiveness had been on her lips that day, as well, the same as they had been last night and this morning with Daremo. Forgiveness that flowed from her very heart and soul. She could not condemn the ones she loved, she could not hold things against them, or cast blame in their directions. It was her greatest flaw perhaps, her forgiving spirit, and yet it was something she never wanted to change about herself. Yet, if the world had its way it likely would change it for her…


Kaia found herself being pulled from her thoughts once more by Daremo, this time by his words which she automatically responded to with a nod of her head – her stomach offering up another roar as if it too wanted to weigh in its opinion on things. Chuckling at herself and slipping her hand into her loves, she would make her way toward the market nearby, moving at a comfortable and slow pace: she had no reason to rush, her mind on nothing more than enjoying the chance to walk side by side with the love of her life once more. ”When do your grandparents want to meet us?”, she found herself asking to pass the time, curiosity burning over that subject as well – it was the reason they had come to Kumogakure no Sato in the first place after all. It was strange for Kaia really: she rarely felt uneasy about anything, and yet when it came to the very idea of meeting Daremo’s grandparents she felt butterflies in her stomach and a cold sweat threatening to come on. It wasn’t that she was afraid of them, but rather the idea of displeasing them. She loved Daremo to death and back, literally speaking, and the idea of being a disappointment to the family he had remaining was a great fear she had to deal with. She hadn’t quite voiced these thoughts of course, she knew Daremo would likely think her silly to have them and would probably go about assuring her that wouldn’t be the case, but they were thoughts that were there regardless. ”I hope they like me...”, she couldn’t help but add, letting slip a bit of the concern and worry that she felt – a small amount in comparison to what she really was feeling.


Reaching the market, falling silent as she waited for Daremo to speak, she glanced about with blue colored orbs, searching for anything that would resemble the bubble tea stand from back in Konohagakure. It took her but a moment before she found it, or rather until she spotted a cafe that sold not only the bubble tea she was craving but food as well according to the sign out front – a win win in her opinion since it meant she could sit down and rest for a bit. With a gentle tug on Daremo’s hand she would make a beeline in that direction, glad that the streets weren’t all that populated this early in the morning as she was fairly sure Daremo would have an unkind word or two to say to anyone who dared bump into her as she walked. Reaching the cafe she glanced at the ‘Seat Yourself’ sign before doing just that, choosing a table off in the corner more for Daremo’s benefit as it would mean there were less people around Kaia, than for her own. Even the chair she seated herself in, in the corner and away from any other save for the one Daremo could sit in, was picked out on purpose – with a small amused smile on her face as she waited to see if her love would comment on her choices.

Word Count: 1,400 | 2,960

You are the sweetest person I know.

How he wanted to rebuttal Kaia’s statement. Daremo knowing well that he is not the sweetest of person. He had committed atrocities in the name of his own perceived justice, vengeance and anger. Sating the heavy emotions with the pounds of flesh they desperately craved. Furthering thinking on her words caused more memories to surface. These being unlike the other ones, detailing incidents of brutal violence and torture against others who had dared to hurt the people who he deemed worthy in calling family. Gruesome some of the memories might be, he took solace in his actions being justified. Yet, as other memories surface, those when he was apart of a village, Iwagakure no Sato, he could not justify his actions against comrades. How he nearly snuffed out the life of two students at different points in time during his tenure in the village. At first, he felt ashamed of the actions in his past, but such emotion disappeared. Those bonds he had with those individuals were no longer there, so why should he feel anything towards them?

Dismissing such dark thoughts, they not having a place in the current situation, Daremo focused his attention on the woman wrapped in his arms. The dusty pink hue on her cheeks accentuating her beauty. Though, the word beauty/beautiful did an inadequate job in describing the woman in his embraced. In his opinion, she transcended the mortal definition of the word beauty/beautiful and into the God’s. If there was a Goddess of Beauty than Kaia would her mortal form. There was just no way her beauty was that of a normal person, but of an immortal goddess; a beauty that mortals aspire to have an ounce of.

“So beautiful.”, the words being whispered as he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. Deep and passionate, he poured his love and devotion into the simple gesture, his arms tightening around her waist as he slightly dipped her. His tongue exploring every inch of her mouth as he hungrily sought out her taste once again. While he had gotten his fill a night prior, he was very much hungry for her; his animalistic hunger having no end. His hands began to subconscious roam her body, becoming reacquainted with her feminine curves, not like he needed to consider what occurred the night prior. But, before he could continue, hands having dipped to her bottom, Daremo’s rational mind kicked in, quelling the raging beast within him. Breaking the kiss with some reluctance, he knew if he did not stop than other activities would undoubtedly follow.  “Yes, let's get going before I skip out on breakfast and finding your tea all together in order to ravish you. . .again.”, the last word being punctuated by a quick squeeze of her bottom. Though he already had a high sexual drive, it seemed to have grown since his supposed death. It being animalistic in nature and nearly insatiable at times.

Unwrapping his arms around her waist, but remaining close to her, Daremo guided his love out of the house. Along the way smiling warmingly at her, and simply enjoying her presence with his fingers interlocked with hers.

Once outside, Daremo locked the door then grasped Kaia’s hand once more, interlocking his fingers with hers. Standing a front of their apartment with the morning rays seeping into their clothing and warm them up, Daremo’s attention turned to Kaia. Watching as she tilted her head back, exposing more of the neck which he enjoyed kissing, and movement of her hair in the light breeze that swept through the village. White. Her once black hair had turned white. He did not ask the specifics of it, but there were a few reasons for the sudden color change. Staring at her hair, he found it accentuated her beauty. Back in his younger years, he and Kaia could have passed over as siblings, or at the very least, relatives; he had long, white hair during his childhood.

He did not know how long he watched his lover. A soft, warming smile spreading across his face as he took note of the peaceful expression on her face. He could not get enough seeing that impression. Everything it comes about, he felt himself swelling with happiness and a warming smile appearing on his face. These moments of seeing her happy. t is these moments, where she appears to be free and without worry, that he cherishes the most. “Did I tell you how stunning you are?”, he spoke broke through the silence with a soft smile on his face, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

Chuckling at the sound of her stomach growling, demanding food, Daremo shook his head; a soft smile present on his face. “Good thing we didn’t do extracurricular this morning.”, his smile broadening after his words. Chuckling at the image of Kaia’s stomach growling while in the throes of passion, interrupting the intimate moment. His laughter died down as he felt Kaia’s hand slipping into his. With practiced ease, his fingers interlocked with her’s, a smile spreading across his face, and eyes shining with warmth and love only for her.

Hand and hand, and side by side with his lover, Daremo walked towards the market district, enjoying the silence provided by the lack of people on the streets. A comfortable silence that only those who are in love with one another can appreciate it. Turning his head when Kaia spoke, breaking the silence, Daremo pondered the question asked. “They want to meet you today. They - -”, before anything else could be said, the pair was approached by a female wearing a stunning dark red yukata with gold trim and floral patterns on it. In her right hand, she carried an umbrella which matched the outfit. Everything about the woman screamed perfection. The way her hips sway side to side, enough to draw the attention of male and female onlookers but not enough to be seen as nothing but natural grace. How the Yutaka clung to her body, accenting all of her feminine curves to the point it toed the line between tasteful and slutty. Her black hair was in a bun with two large senbon, red tipped, held the bun together. Sun kiss skin, evenly ‘baked’ by the sun, showed little signs of blemish and held a healthy glow. Though, when she waved, her even trimmed fingernails, painted red, one saw the beginning of a dragon tattoo on her wrist that disappeared up her sleeve.

“It has been awhile hasn't it, Daremo?”, the unidentified woman spoke, standing a front of the couple. Squinting his eyes, Daremo tried to figure out who the female was who seemed to know him. Seeing this confusion, the woman shook her head and chuckle, “I forgot you had lost your memories. My apologies. To answer you and your wife’s question.”, at the mention of the wife, the woman looked at Kaia, smiling warmingly at her, “You saved me all those years ago from your former student Jet. You almost killing the poor girl after she and her assistant took me away from the Geisha house". “, she admitted, giving him a hint of who she was. "Akane?”, Daremo was uncertain if the woman before him was indeed one of his sisters from the life he left behind, “Is that you?”

“Yes, I am her.”, the now identified woman said, “I am here to deliver a letter from your grandparents. And to say thank you for saving me back then. If you haven’t who knows what might have happened to me? I might not have gotten married.”, the last part was spoken with a casual shrug before she reached unsealed a scroll from a dragon tattoo on the underside of her right wrist, only the head of the beast being visible, and handed it to Daremo, who took it.  

A look of surprise appeared on his face, that morphed into a smile,  as the woman spoke. It was doing her admission, memories of her surfaced to the forefront of his head, “It is nice seeing you again, Akane. Congrats on getting married.”, he spoke, twirling the scroll idly in his opposite hand. Akane nodded at the former geisha and brother, “It was nice seeing you too. Thank you. ”, before turning her attention to Kaia, “First time meeting his grandparents? Don’t worry. From what I can tell, they will approve of you. And, as one of Daremo’s sisters, I approved of you. Keep him in line will you? He tends to get out of hand at times and need a strong woman to reel him in. Something you shouldn’t have any problem with.”, her eyes drifting to the couple’s interlocking hands. “Yeah, you won’t have a problem with that.”, chuckling softly, she decided to wrap up this conversation, “Anyway, I got to go. I and my partner are supposed to meet up soon. It was nice seeing you again Daremo, and nice meeting you Kaia.” with that said, she disappeared down the street, blending in the crowd.

Once she had disappeared from sight, Daremo turned his attention to Kaia, answering the question she had whispered earlier, “Do not worry. They will like you. Unlike others, you are the only one who they seem to approve of from the talks we had.”, he reassured her with a squeeze of her hand and a gentle kiss on her lips. Blinking at the scroll being idly twirled in his opposite hand, he opened it, scanning over the contents. “They will meet us at our apartment in three and a half hours from now. So, we will have enough time to find your tea and get something to eat.”, he passed the scroll to Kaia for her to read. The grandparents speaking how they have missed their grandson, and was looking forward in meeting his wife. They expressed how Kaia should not be worried, for they had already accepted her as apart of the family. And finally, the mention when they would be coming over for a visit.

Once after Kaia read it, did Daremo, hand still interlocked with hers, continued walking through the market district. Eyes scanning the many different vendors in search for his wife’s favourite treat. A gentle tug from Kaia caught his attention as he looked in the direction she was, and spotted a place which sold the tea and also food. With the streets not being that full, it was quite easy to make it to the cafe without much trouble. Reading the ‘Sit yourself’ sign, Daremo allowed himself to be tugged along, following his wife to a table off in the corner. The location being far away from the rest of the patrons, meaning fewer people around Kaia. Though, that did not stop him from briefly taking note of everyone in the establishment. Unlocking his fingers with her, Daremo pulled out the chair for Kaia, waiting for her to sit down in it before moving it back forward. Once done, he took his a front of his love. “You picked this table on purpose didn’t you?”, he questioned, noticing the amusing in her eyes, “You already picking up on my new quirks, hmm?”

---

1895[4234]

Such a wish to make for someone who picked this type of career path: old age was not how typical shinobi died. No, they tended to die young and suddenly, leaving behind those whom had loved them and now lost them. Sadness, heartache, pain, and death walked side by side with each and every shinobi who followed the same path. While Kaia’s reasons had been just at the time when she had made this choice, she was surely tired of this life now. She wanted to live a life of peace, away from war and violence. Yet it seemed like every attempt to accomplish such only ended in more of it.

Even as she had stared up a the sky, lost in her own thoughts of the past and the last time she had graced the village and what how subsequently happened afterward, as well as her wish for their future and the future of their child, it did not escape her notice the way her love watched her – nor how her own peace and happiness seemed to bring him much the same kind of joy. She wanted her children to be able to wear that same kind of look of peace and happiness upon their faces, too.


At Daremo’s comment of how stunning she was she allowed herself to be pulled from her emotional thoughts, forcing herself to focus on this present happy moment between the two of them. His words caused her own peaceful smile to grow further, a soft giggle escaping her as their fingers interlocked. ”I meant what I said; you are very sweet. I don’t think it matters how much of a hard-ass ninja I will become in the future, your compliments will always make me blush.”, and indeed they had again, as she could feel her cheeks heating up in that familiar feeling once more, knowing that the warmth had little to nothing to do with the sunlight she had been enjoying just seconds prior. There were some things she didn’t blush about anymore, and yet when it came to being complimented in such a way she couldn’t help it.

Hearing his chuckle at her grumbling belly she couldn’t help but to shrug lightly, her smile turning a bit playful. ”You laugh… but pregnant women are more vicious than lions, or tigers, or bears, or most natural disasters for that matter.”, she spoke playfully before falling silent. As they made their way towards the market she kept her pace even with his, enjoying the silence and feeling no reason to fill it. This was the kind of enjoyable, peaceful silent that one could only have with special people. A moment where you didn’t need to speak or fill it with noise, but rather a moment that could be enjoyed just knowing that the person who loved you more than life itself was right beside you and that nothing could change that.


After a moment Daremo went to answer her question, stating that his grandparents wished to meet her today before cutting himself off. Kaia, who had up until that moment been more interested in staring at Daremo’s peaceful expression than bothering to watch where she was going looked over to see one of the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on standing in their way. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that this woman was a Geisha: from her elegance to her poise to her beauty it all screamed it out loudly. She was utterly beautiful. In fact, Kaia was fairly certain the woman would have been wearing a potato sack and she still would have made it look absolutely stunning. It was at that point that Kaia felt herself feeling for the first time in her life actually jealous over another person’s appearance, and a bit inadequate about her own, even the woman’s voice sounded lovely to Kaia’s ears as she listened to her speak, the mystery of whom she was becoming known fairly quicky, “It has been awhile hasn't it, Daremo? I forgot you had lost your memories. My apologies. To answer you and your wife’s question. You saved me all those years ago from your former student Jet. You almost killing the poor girl after she and her assistant took me away from the Geisha house.” It was at that point that she realized just how confused Daremo had looked, and it wiped away all thoughts of jealousy as quickly as the thoughts had from from her mind as concern replaced them: his memory problems, she had almost forgot. However, it seemed that after the additional information had been given Daremo did in fact begin to remember the woman, responding to her as Kaia listened in silence.


“Yes, I am her. I am here to deliver a letter from your grandparents. And to say thank you for saving me back then. If you haven’t who knows what might have happened to me? I might not have gotten married.” Now that a bit of Kaia’s concern over Daremo’s memory loss was gone she found herself feeling a bit silly really: she had gotten so jealous over the woman without even knowing who she was and she was as married as Daremo and she were. Ugh, if this was how fast she went from calm to jealous while pregnant she could only imagine it was going to get worse later on as her pregnancy progressed. She felt almost like she should apologize, even though she had said nothing nor even changed her facial expression from the peaceful smile that had been there, and still was. At least she hadn’t said anything though: she had a naturally quick and fiery temper as it was and she could only imagine how big of a hot head she was going to become while pregnant. In fact, she was honestly surprised she hadn’t opened her mouth and uttered something foul, then again, concern was a great motivator. Either way, she was happy she hadn’t since it seemed the other woman was closer to Daremo than she could have imagined.


“It was nice seeing you too. Thank you. First time meeting his grandparents? Don’t worry. From what I can tell, they will approve of you. And, as one of Daremo’s sisters, I approved of you. Keep him in line will you? He tends to get out of hand at times and need a strong woman to reel him in. Something you shouldn’t have any problem with. Yeah, you won’t have a problem with that. Anyway, I got to go. I and my partner are supposed to meet up soon. It was nice seeing you again Daremo, and nice meeting you Kaia.” From jealous to friendly and smiling easily once more in less than a minute, mood swings were certainly fun. ”It was nice to meet you too, and don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”, Kaia found herself responding, every word meant one-hundred percent. Still though, she couldn’t help but worry about Daremo’s grandparents and their opinion on her once more: would they really approve of her? She couldn’t help but feel uneasy and unsure on the matter. She was sure some of that showed on her face, too, as Daremo spoke up once the woman had left, telling her not to worry and that they would like her unlike the others – something that was apparent by the talks he had had with them. It hadn’t dawned on her until that moment to question what all they had known about her: she hadn’t really considered that Daremo had been on contact with them and had told them about her – though now that she thought about it it did make perfect sense because they were his family.


Guilt almost immediately set in: she had not seen her father in quite some time, and she had certainly not been updating him on things. The one and only time she had mentioned Daremo to him had been in the briefest of detail shortly after she had got home from the hospital – and he had left the house for a much needed walk afterwards. She hadn’t bothered mentioning it afterwards, in fact she had been so busy she hadn’t really spent any time with her father after that at all. She had moved in with Daremo, and shortly afterward had her status within the village changed to make way for the plans the pair had made for the future. She hadn’t told him that they had gotten married, and she still hadn’t told him that she was pregnant. She hadn’t even told him about Daremo dying. She owed her family a lot of explanation, and yet she had no idea of how to go about it. She knew there would be anger, a lot of it, for the secrets she had kept and how much they had missed out on… and yet she knew she would have to face that anger at some point. ’Just not now...’, she found herself thinking, forcing herself to focus on other things, such as her grumbling and roaring stomach – something which hopefully the cafe they were sitting at would soon mend.


Snapping out of her previous thoughts she couldn’t help but smile even more, her eyes glinting with a mischievous playful nature. Deciding that there was no point in hiding it she nodded her head in response, chuckling as she once more took Daremo’s hand, playing with the tips of his fingers with her own. ”I have… I started noticing them the other day when we went to make breakfast: the way you moved, constantly protecting me, looking as if you were ready and waiting for anything. So, logically, I figured this was the best table. It’s the one I would have chosen if I was protecting someone – furthest away from the crowd, towards the corner so there’s less area over all that needs protected, with an easy escape route nearby should it be necessary.”, her words were softly spoken of course, but she knew he would hear them all the same: it was in a way like her ninja training had come into good use – her way of being able to make Daremo feel more comfortable about them being out in public. She knew he had many reasons to be protective over her, more so than most men were protective over their pregnant wives, and the less hassle she made for him the better she hoped he would feel about it. Thankfully, she had also been around enough Inuzuka or animals in general from her time in Konoha that she also knew a thing or two about the way animals – or those with traits of them – acted around those they loved: especially when they were carrying their unborn child.

Before Kaia could say more she noticed a waitress making her way over to them, her blue eyed gaze watching the woman as she approached with a little notebook and a pen in hand and two menus tucked under her arm. The woman was dressed in typical attire for the place, and had on a smile – though considering the large and busy table she had just come from it looked a little forced. ”Hello. How are you folks doing?” the waitress would speak as she placed a menu down in front of Kaia and then one in front of Daremo. ”Do you know what you would like to drink, or do you need a few minutes to decide?”

A grin spread across Kaia’s face, warm and welcoming and quite pleased since she at least knew what she wanted to drink. Still, she picked up the menu automatically, opening it up and glancing at the images of food instead just as her stomach roared to life once more and made the fact that it was empty and demanding to be filled known. ”I’ll have a strawberry bubble tea please, along with a glass of ice water – no lemon.” As Kaia continued to look over the menu, debating between her choices for food, she watched out of the corner of her eye as the waitress wrote down her drink order before looking expectantly at Daremo – no flirting, just a friendly smile and strictly business attitude: which meant Kaia liked her just that much better – she hated the type of waitresses who flirted with the opposite (or same) gender as a means to try and get bigger and better tips. ”And for you, sir?”, she asked politely, waiting patiently to give Daremo a chance to look at the menu if he so desired.

Word Count: 2,210 | 5,170

The thought crossed her mind as she listened to Daremo speaking, agreeing that she was indeed correct with her assumptions. He spoke of how he had mentally marked each person who might be a threat as such, as well as each person who was armed – concealed or otherwise. He even went on to mention the exits he had marked, both those a civilian in a panic would use as well as those a trained shinobi could utilize. It was precisely what she expected, especially as he explained that even now with how relaxed he seemed to be he was still coiled and ready to spring at the slightest hint of a threat should one pass by. It was precisely what she had expected considering his rather over-protective behavior – yet she didn’t mind it in the slightest. In fact, she would be more concerned if he hadn’t been asking just like this. But, as it was he reminded her of a male protecting his pregnant mate: the paranoia, a violent and deadly reaction laying just below the surface, ready to spring into action at the first idea of a threat. It was endearing in a way, and it caused another soft smile to grace her lips.


Even though she wanted to reply to Daremo’s statement she found that she couldn’t due to the waitress who had arrived and taken their order. She listened in amused silence as Daremo ordered a watermelon bubble tea and then went on to order his food – clearly his appetite was as large as ever, and it would make her feel quite a bit better about her own order when given the chance. Then again, she was eating for two. As the waitress turned her attention back onto Kaia another polite smile graced her lips. ”I’ll have the same as him, please.” She held back her chuckle and grin as the woman looked shocked before writing down her order. Kaia could tell she wanted to comment, but out of professional courtesy wasn’t doing so. Instead, the waitress simply took their menu’s and with a nod of her head wandered off to drop the menu’s off, put their order in with the cook, and grab the drinks they had wanted.


As the waitress was out of earshot Kaia turned her focus back onto Daremo, fully intended on continuing their earlier conversation when he brought up Akane. He went on to mention how he didn’t blame her for feeling jealous: it was an effect that Akane had on people both consciously and subconscious. What made this worse was that the woman knew it, and it didn’t stop her from using it. The thought of that caused Kaia to feel a bit less bad about her earlier jealous feelings – was she trying to get under Kaia’s skin on purpose then? She kept her silence as Daremo continued on, listening as he mentioned that Akane had seemed to feel bad about using such on Kaia. She was apparently the first person whom Daremo had dated that Akane had felt sorry for causing such a reaction with. Apparently she was also the first to not outright try and hit Akane or at least say something mean to her, to which Kaia frowned. At Daremo’s question she found herself shaking her head. ”No, the thought didn’t cross my mind. I assumed my jealousy was because I’m pregnant and my mood is swinging high and low with the smallest provocation. But I never thought about hitting her, or saying something nasty to her. The moment I knew she was someone important to you she got my pardon. The idea of doing something that could cause you upset or harm tends to trump my own natural reactions to things.”, she spoke softly, staring thoughtfully at their hands which were still intertwined after the kiss Daremo had placed there.


When Daremo spoke, saying that she had nothing to worry about, that they were married, and that he was only in love with her she couldn’t help but smile once more. She returned the gentle kiss he placed on her lips, eyes shining and glowing with love and happiness. ”I love you, too… and I feel the same way. You have become so important in my life I cannot even fathom how to explain it.”


As he mentioned his grandparents she felt the sensation of butterflies once more in her gut, her previous worry worming its way inside of her once more. She thought about his question and about the many of her own she had, and yet she had no idea where to begin. Sighing softly, she shook her head. ”You’re so sure they’ll like me, even Akane said the same though I don’t know now if I can trust her words, but how can you be so sure?” Kaia tilted her head curiously, staring into Daremo’s eyes as she waited for his response. She truly didn’t see what they could possibly see about her – was she missing something? The only thing she had going for her was the pure and unending love she had for Daremo, and the fact that she would do anything for him without hesitation.

Exit Thread

Word Count: 915 | 6,085

Sarutobi Clan Perk: 10% Reduction to all Training WC

Medical Ninjutsu B → A: 6,085 – 4,500 = 1,585

Strength B → B1: 1,585 – 630 = 955

Endurance B → B1: 9555 – 630 = 325

Discarding: 325