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Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
The same routine, day in, day out...

A change of scenery, a change of pace. That’s what Fuyuko really needed right now. She was getting slightly overwhelmed by the things that were going on in her life. The past few weeks had been rather eventful and with the very recent mission she had finished she needed a day to herself. The exams had been a really joyful and fun experience all together. She had managed to fight all the way up to the semi-finals of the exam, however she suffered a rather harsh and quick lose in that battle. Izumi was quite a bit stronger than she was or was just the different mindset that Izumi used that set the two of them apart in the exam. It wasn’t something she was going to figure out, but something she would have to ask her in person. However Fuyuko wasn’t sure if she wanted to do that seeing as her other encounter with Izumi was anything but pleasant. But that was a hurdle for another time. What was weighing on her mind now was how she had behaved in her last mission and to an extend the mission before that one, the one she did together with Nozomi. In both cases she seemed to have lost control of herself, lost control of who she was. She needed a day to herself, a day where she was surrounded by nature and serenity. Just a moment to lose herself in the blissfulness of nothingness.

To get the best experience on her free day she would need the right set of clothing however. For Fuyuko wearing the right set of clothing would be half the experience. You want something that if you run through the grassy plains you can feel the wind rush through your clothes. Feel the grass blades gently tickle your skin as you laid on top of it. Fuyuko had the perfect black t-shirt for the job. It was a rather oversized shirt, probably about a size or two too big. She didn’t buy the shirt in this state however, over the years that she had this shirt it had become rather worn and stretched out. But she couldn’t get rid of it, despite it’s state. It held too many memories for her to get rid of it, besides she still had a use for it as well. She made sure to wear a bra underneath it that wouldn’t reveal anything, but the bra was still nicely laced and with some frilly on it. To accompany the shirt she worse a pair of sturdy shorts that would make it possible for her to feel as much of nature as possible on her legs as well. However about all of the shorts would be covered by the stretched out t-shirt. To finish her attire she would grab one of her many blue ribbons and use it to hold her ponytail together. She opted to not take her headband with her, not wanting to really be reminded of the troubles it had caused her up until this point in her life.

When she stepped outside a small smile would appear on her lips when she gazed up into the sky. The clouds were carrying around that uncertainty feeling, were they could turn for the worse or better on a whim. Become a cloud that would rain down and feed the earth with water or dissipate to make room for the sun to shine through and illuminate the ground. Fuyuko didn’t mind which way the weather would turn in the end it was all the same to her. The time she had spend outside as a child has made her appreciate every bit of nature. In every piece of the weather Fuyuko was able to find the bright side of it, the sides that would often go unnoticed by the general people.

Nature truly is paradise

The closer the forest got, the more she picked up the pace. With her excitement steadily rising it wasn’t long before she found herself running aimlessly through the woods. Here and there abruptly stopping to look at the birds, the squirrels or some bunnies. Her face was filled with happiness and joy as if she was a little kid that was about to open their presents they had received from Santa Claus. Eventually she stumbled upon an open field with a singular decently sized tree in the middle of it. The field was about a hundred meters in diameter. The tree resonated some kind of tranquility over the place and Fuyuko couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. She didn’t use the pace she was using earlier to get to the tree, instead opting to go there in a slow walking pace. As if she was trying to not disturb balance of the area in which she found herself walking.

When she got close to the tree was when she realized how tall the tree really was. It stood at about a staggering twenty meters high with the first of its branches not starting until about four meters up. Fuyuko placed her hand against the tree and couldn’t help but feel connected to it in some way. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to explain this feeling to someone if she had to, but it felt like home. The feeling made her want to just get cozy up against the tree and lay there and feel her worries get drained away by the tree. As if it was soaking it up as nourishment for its leaves and so she did. She seated herself at the bottom of the trunk and got herself comfortable against the tree. Shortly after a rustling sound came from within the grass, it was most likely a small animal seeing as the grass wasn’t that tall, it reached up to about her knees. The sound came closer and closer and eventually a small fox came out of it. The two locked their eyes. Nothing happened for a couple of seconds until Fuyuko smiled and gave a little slap on her lap. As if it was a cat it came walking over and got itself seated on her lap. She stroked it as long as she remembered before the two of them fell asleep together.



wc 1069

Takao

Takao


S-rank

The damp, cool air looming throughout Kirigakure made up a miserable experience for the young Kimura. He, and not unlike many others of his kind, detested such conditions. They were creatures born of heat and fire, their roots were in direct opposition to the very core of what the Land of Water was. It made travel that much worse for Takao, who was much more apt to complain about the minor injustices enacted upon him by the atmosphere of which he detested so.

Eyes that were usually black instead smoldered like flames, glowering bright orange and red whilst a slitted pupil upon each teetered from one direction to the next. Through his glowing eyes, he saw a myriad of imagery. Wildlife was alight in his vision like fire, anything that radiated body heat within a kilometer of where he walked revealed to the burning eyes clear as the daylight which did not grace the Land of Water at present. With the dark clouds looming overhead threatening the potential of a storm, many of those glowing blobs were scurrying to shelter. Had he not wandered too far from the village and been safely within the inn which had been called home for the past few days, rain would have been a much more welcome sight. He had a plethora of books to read to pass the time away, and the inn was cozy enough that it would be rather enjoyable to endure a rainstorm in, but fortune was seldom his lady.

These were foreign lands that his boots trudged upon. It brought a feeling of unease and mystery upon him, to explore them entirely on his lonesome, with the creatures frequenting the forest as his only signs of life. Foliage rustled as he moved through the underbrush, steadily carrying him closer to no destination in particular. He had long since taken the jacket from his shoulders and tied it around his waist, wearing only a well-fitted shirt beneath to cover his torso and nothing to cover his forearms or hands, both bearing numerous scars of varying severity upon the naked flesh. His right forearm did sport a light wrapping of cloth bandage around the wrist, with a noticeable seal upon the fabric. An expert in the field of fūinjutsu might take notice that it was little more than a simple item storage seal, yet what loomed within remained a mystery.

His momentum was brought pause by an unexpected sight entering his burning-eye aided vision. The figure of a person moving entered the periphery of what Aibāningu allowed, and as he walked in its direction, he noticed it lay against a tree, and before long another creature approached the figure. As he grew closer, the image became more clear, and he understood what he was seeing better. It was a girl approached by a relatively small animal, which curled itself upon her lap. They stopped moving after a while, and had it not been for the body heat he saw radiating from them, he would not have assumed them to be asleep.

As Takao approached the clearing, the glow of his eyes faded, and their dull grey hue overtook the previous orange and red. It took a moment to adjust to the difference in light after his eyes made the change back, but upon doing so, he was graced with the sight of the large glade. It was picturesque, even he could admit that much. The large tree situated more or less in the middle of the glade only added to the beauty of the scenery. As the muddied soles of his boots carried him across the grass-laden fields and he approached the base of the tall tree, he was eventually graced with the sight of the girl he had taken notice of earlier. She was fast asleep, or at least appeared to be, as he had assumed earlier. He had been quiet in his approach for the most part, not wanting to disturb her should she had been asleep, nor did he want to immediately alert the unknown person to his presence haphazardly. But, as his dark eyes wandered over her, she didn’t quite have the outward appearance of a threat. Her legs and arms were slender, and perhaps the rest of her body from what he could tell, though the large shirt she wore covered most of her body. His inspection of her had not been for perversion, yet as his gaze shifted over the shirt she wore and he had taken notice of the undergarments through the fabric, he couldn't help the thought that his glance over was beginning to wander into immoral territory. With a slightly flushed face, his gaze was averted, instead taking notice of the slight freckles upon her face and the scar upon her arm. His ability to judge age based on appearance was admittedly lacking, but he guessed she couldn’t have been much younger than himself. Overall, she seemed cute, though that was an unspoken opinion.

Maybe I shouldn’t wake her.” He mentally commented after noting how she seemed to sleep peacefully under the tree. It seemed rude, but whilst his mind wandered further, perhaps even irresponsible. He knew little of her, and she did not quite meet the general expectation of a shinobi’s appearance, at least not in garb. The raven-haired shinobi knew better than to judge based on appearance, but without knowing for sure, it didn’t seem right to leave her either. In a mere matter of seconds, his train of thought had left him with quite the moral dilemma. He lamented on his options for another moment, but as his gaze shifted skyward, the skies above grew darker with the looming threat of rain, and his choice seemed clear.

“Ahem,” Takao cleared his throat, waiting for a moment to see if she would stir or awaken. If she did, he would continue.

“It’s a little risky to sleep out here alone, isn’t it?” He commented further as his hands slipped into his trouser pockets. A poor attempt at appearing casual whilst he glossed over the fact that he was interrupting what had appeared to be peaceful slumber.

“I’d at least say because of the wild animals, but… Doesn’t seem like you would have too much trouble with them.” He cleared his throat a second time. "Anyway, uh... Sorry for waking you. I was just-... well, lost, really... but it looked like it was going to rain soon, and I couldn't walk away in good conscience thinking you might get woken up by a storm."



Total WC
1,110

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Peace and Silence

That’s all that Fuyuko felt as she was gently laying against the base of the tree snoozing away. Her eyes gently moving behind her closed eyelids as she was dreaming about things. Her face radiating an expression of not the slightest care in the world and with her current state oblivious to the man that had approached her and was looking at her. If the man had left right there without saying a word she would’ve never known someone had been there whilst she was sleeping. However the man had different plans in mind. A gentle throat clearing was his approach to awake Fuyuko from her slumber. It wasn’t enough for her to wake up initially but it made most of her muscles in her body tighten up as if she was having a mini spasm. This in turn would wake up the fox that was laying on her lap and prompt it to get up as quickly as it possibly could and dash off into the grass again. The weight and pressure it put on Fuyuko’s legs as the fox took off was what would wake her up. “No wait come…” she would speak out before realizing there was a man standing in front of her.

She would look up to the man, but would have trouble making out anything definitive with her eyes not having adjusted to the new light levels. He would continue talking as he noticed that she had woken up. He said some interesting things making Fuyuko chuckle a little bit but at the same time made her a little bit happy as well. It had been a while since she had met someone that did something taking someone else’s best interests in mind. Her voice still a little drowsy but Fuyuko still did her best to answer the mans questions. “No it’s not all that risky being this close to the village. Not a lot of people would dare to do something. As for the wild animals, I’ve never really had much of a trouble with them, I always have been able to get along with them quite well.

With her eyes adjusted to the light again she would now take a good look at the person that was standing in front of her. Her first impression was that he was a little bit awkward, his posture made it quite apparent he was not completely comfortable with the situation. Was he potentially afraid of talking with girls or just not that good at it? It made her want to tease him a little bit. As for his actual appearance he had black hair with black eyes. There was just something about black eyes that would just draw Fuyuko to them, perhaps it was the possibility to be able to lose yourself in the vast emptiness or the possibility of paint on an empty canvas, regardless of what it was, she liked it. He wore a couple of scars on his arms, a jacket wrapped around his waist and a wearing a tight fit shirt that showed off his well-toned body. After having checked him a bit Fuyuko would continue on to reply to the mans last statement. “Well thank you for your concern about my wellbeing, I appreciate it.” She said while tilting her head slightly and giving him a warm smile and closing her eyes for a second. “I probably should get some better shelter if the storm is really coming in, mind helping me get up?” She asked while raising her arm towards him.

He seems nice and caring

If he were to help her get on her feet she would help out a little bit as well, not wanting to let him do all the work. But because of that, or because of the man’s strong pull she got, she got raised further than she had intended. She was now standing body to body with the man, her bosom gently pressed against his chest and her other arm wrapped around his back to make sure she wouldn’t fall over instantly. Fuyuko’s face flushed red as she took a step or two back again pressing her back against the tree again. “I’m sorry about that…” she mumbled a little bit as she looked away from him while still throwing glances in his direction to see how he was reacting to it. “Any… Anyway… you said you were lost? Where do you need to go, maybe I know the way.” She tried to get her composure back together and face the man, but it would still be hard to maintain eye contact with him. “If anything you want to accompany me towards the village to find some proper shelter.” If he agreed she would start to walk in the direction of the village and tell a short little story as they went along. “Thank you for again, for waking me from my sleep. I was in a storm a couple of weeks ago and my health wasn’t the greatest back then so I actually collapsed from the weather. So at least I won’t have to experience that again.” She said with a small chuckle.


wc 878
twc 1947

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Takao’s gaze lazily followed the fox as it darted from her lap after the girl stirred and scurried off into the distance, disappearing into the grass of the field. His dull gaze returned to her as she softly spoke, the grogginess of sleep still evident in her mannerisms and the tone of her voice. It brought a faint, genuinely warm smirk to his face, though it quickly faded into his neutral expression. It seemed inappropriate to be smiling at the present situation, even if it was just a bit amusing to watch. Her mention of the village had lifted his eyebrows in surprise, and averted his gaze toward the treeline. It hardly looked like anything more than forest for as far as he could see with his bare eyes, and Aibāningu had been deactivated before he had a proper look around, although it may have even been out of his augmented sight. Perhaps he had been unknowingly walking the perimeter of his destination in his casual post-mission sashay.

“Mm… I didn’t realize we were that close to the village.” He admitted as his attention settled back onto her. The other statements were lamented on, first the claim that few would dare to harm her-- or perhaps just somebody in general-- and then the other about her talent with animals. The former had interested him, more so about where her confidence stemmed from in being safe from harm, although her claim that she had little issue with handling animals had piqued his curiousity as well. “I should introduce her to Asuka.” He mentally mused in reference to his messenger falcon, who had claimed the darkened skies above them. In truth, the bird was raised from birth making it not so wild, but it was still a thought worth keeping for the moment.

When her gaze was set upon him and examined him in the same manner that he had done to her whilst she slept, or at least relatively the same manner, he slowly shifted his gaze sidelong. Given that he had indeed done just the same to her, he had little room to justify feeling uncomfortable or awkward at the receiving end of a brief once over. Yet there was something about her looking him over that made him internally squirm. His eyes briefly met with hers, allowing him to note their similar colour to her hair that he had not seen previously whilst she slept. When she was through giving him a look over, she thanked him for his concern, and asked for his help getting up.

“Sure,” He replied without hesitation, his hand extended to meet her’s. Whether it be from his own overzealousness in helping or an unintentional miscalculation of strength, his attempt at helping her from the reclined position against the tree had done just that and a bit more as well. As Takao helped her up and pulled her to his feet, he would unintentionally pull her into him. His body quickly stiffened like a board out of the surprise garnered from feeling her against him. Colour rushed to his warming face while their chests pressed against one another, and the placement of his arm and hand after helping her up briefly brushed against her back when she moved away. It took a hot minute for the rigidity of his posture to melt like ice, having only snapped out of it after she spoke up and apologized.

“Oh, u-..uh… No, no, that was my fault. I uh…” He said, stammering through his words. “My bad, I apologize.” The apology he was working at was finally managed, though the warm colour of his face hadn’t yet been flushed. She, and thankfully so, made an attempt at shifting the conversation elsewhere.

“Yeah, I was uh… I was heading back to the village, but I don’t know the area very well.” Takao said, offering a relatively vague explanation for his lack of bearing. Her offer to accompany one another on the walk back was met with a warm smile and a nod preceding a response.

“I would really appreciate that, actually. Chances are that I’d end up lost again if I tried to find my own way back.” A light chuckle rumbled in his throat after as the pair began to walk away from the large tree and across the field, heading toward the treeline. In the time it took them to do so, she had begun to tell him a brief story about the last time she’d been caught in a storm.

“Sounds like this worked out in our favour then, huh?” He commented idly, his neutral expression replaced with a small, persistent smile. Their chance meeting had appeared to be mutually beneficial.

- - -

As the pair neared the edge of the grove, with nearly ten meters of distance between where they stood and the treeline, Takao’s attention snapped toward the sound of rustling brush. A figure burst from the foliage, stumbling over itself in a panic as it scurried into the clearing. It was a man, perhaps his age or just a year or two younger, with a bag clung to his chest and an expression of unbridled dread and fear worn upon his face.

“Help! Please!” The man shouted as thunder rolled in the background, the light of the sun hidden behind the dull glower of the storm proper. Takao watched as the man neared them, and although wary of his presence, did nothing to stop him as he came to a stumbling stop behind himself and Fuyuko.

“I-I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have stolen it! Please don’t let them take me!” The man continued, his panicked voice cracking from panic whilst he cowered behind them. Takao’s gaze shifted from the cowering figure to Fuyuko, and his eyebrow raised inquisitively. It was a very foreign reaction for the shinobi to witness, the utter panic over what appeared to be petty thievery at a glance. Even at the worst, it didn’t seem like an adequate crime to stress oneself so thoroughly over. Nonetheless, Takao stood rigidly in preparation, partially turned toward Fuyuko.



Total WC
(+1,031)
2,141

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
I kinda like him...

It made Fuyuko glad when she saw that the man felt just as flustered about them standing body to body. Making it clear to her that it wasn’t his intention either and it truly just was an accident. They both made an attempt to just not think about what happened and make an attempt to let their encounter flow as if it didn’t happen. It was somewhat smooth sailing at this point, they both seemed to be benefitting from this chance meeting, she wouldn’t get soaked again and risk fainting in the pouring rain and he wouldn’t be aimlessly walking about in the woods until he’d find the village.

With the two of them slowly walking towards the edge of the open field the conversation had fallen a little silent again. Leaving Fuyuko with ample time to think about her heart that was still fluttering from what had happened. The way he seemed to be responding to it made it quite evident to her it wasn’t his intention and he wasn’t some kind of pervert trying to get a sneak feel in. It made her think that she wouldn’t actually mind doing it again. The way his chest felt against her own was oddly comforting. It was something she had never experienced up until this point in time and albeit somewhat awkward and unintentional the first time it happened, she couldn’t help but liking it. The thought wasn’t helping remove the color from her face at all. Her cheeks radiating a new hue of red once again and her eyes shifting to the ground. At the same time while she wasn’t really realizing it she had grabbed the end of her ponytail and started twirling her finger through it.  “Would he want to do it again? Being held like that sure did feel nice.” She thought to herself.

Another one that can't be saved...

Her thought process interrupted as a lot of noise came from the trees and bushes up ahead. A man came darting out of the tree line and stumbling to the floor before picking himself up again. The man was about her own age. His expression was clear evidence that he wasn’t really up to much good or that at the very least he was in quite a bit of distress. But it didn’t make much sense for him to be running this way if he was in distress. At normal walking speed the village was only about an hours walk away, about twenty minutes for a normal human if they just ran it. It was much safer there than out here, that wasn’t to say being here wasn’t safe either. His plead for help almost deafened by the sound of thunder that came rolling through, signaling the imminent threat of eruption that would happen above their heads. His plead continued, shouting out what he shouldn’t have done. Fuyuko’s bubbly facial expression from before turned quite sour. She was well aware of what was going to happen next, although if he just performed so petty thievery, he wouldn’t be this hysterical.

Fuyuko spoke up to the man, her voice clearly filled with disproval of his actions. “Just turn yourself in, it’ll be quicker that way. You know you won’t be able to escape them.” She looked straight at the man as she spoke the last sentence. However her choice of words could perhaps have been more careful. It would appear that the man seemed more agitated and angry now than that he was scared. That feeling would be confirmed as he started to scream out at her. His voice was filled with anger and despair. “There is no way I can do that. They’ll kill me. I didn’t mean to do it. It was an accident. I thought he was going to kill me, so I hit first. Th.. the… then he was there just laying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. I just wanted his money. I didn’t mean to kill him.” The words the man spoke didn’t really surprise Fuyuko. While the village hidden in the mist didn’t have a jail, not every crime was punished with death. They were mostly punished with a punishment that was only slightly more severe than the act of the crime itself. A hard slap on the hand. But murder. Murder was something would cost you your own head. There was no tolerance policy for that.

It was the one thing Fuyuko probably detested most about the villages system. Sure the Mizukage was correct in her conversation with her. The abolishment of the jails had caused crime rates to be at an all time low. Mostly because people were afraid of being killed, only really leaving the criminals that would do criminal activity regardless of what system was present in the country. But that didn’t mean it was the right way to go about it, at least not in her eyes. Perhaps her own solution wasn’t the best solution either, but at the very least the solution should lay somewhere between the two ends right? Fuyuko snapped herself out the trail of thought as she didn’t really want to think about it more. It was at this point the anger boiling inside the new stranger had reached its limit. “Why does no one even care about me! Why does no one help me!

Why does it have to be like this...

Without leaving time for either herself or the man walking besides her to respond the raging guy would charge at them. He had dropped the bag he was holding a pulled out his makeshift dagger. Fuyuko didn’t really want to hurt the guy but seeing as the male next to her had already taken up a defensive stance she most likely wouldn’t have to do anything. However should he not respond then she would do so herself if he’d come within a meter of them. The attack would most likely be super telegraphed and easily avoided or blocked.


wc 1040
twc 2987

Takao

Takao


S-rank

While the pair were still walking, Takao found himself stealing a sidelong glance over her way every so often. Some of the glances he stole were more inconspicuous than others, having caught himself staring once or twice. He was finding it difficult to tear his gaze away, for simply watching her fulfilled some sort of emotion deep in his chest that he felt wholly unfamiliar with. But it was pleasant, he knew that much. That same feeling became more intense for a brief moment when she began to twist the end of her ponytail.

That sensation was interrupted by their panicked guest. When Fuyuko spoke, the change in tone and choice of words had piqued his interested. The change in tone, although in stark contrast to how she had spoke to him, still brought a genuine smirk to his face. It was less the choice of words and more the tone of disapproval she adopted. An inquisitive eyebrow was raised while his gaze shifted back to the hysterical man, who sputtered out a vague explanation for his panic. The picture he painted became more clear with each word added to the canvas. Petty thievery wasn’t worth his sort of mindless hysteria, but unintentional murder was certainly more logical than the former.

“The Lady’s right,” Takao said as his arms folded at his chest. “Accident or not, the right thing to do is turn yourself in. Some time behind bars might even do you some good.” The raven-haired shinobi continued, pressing a matter of intuition regarding the Kirigakure judicial systems that he was entirely unfamiliar with. He knew very little of Kirigakure and the Land of Water proper, outside of rumours and hearsay. Firsthand, he had experienced seldom little of the foreign land. His only personal memory was nearly a decade ago, when he watched the village turn to ash at the hands of the black flames of Amaterasu.

When panic turned to anger, Takao’s muscles tensed in preparation. His shouting was a clear indication that he was no longer scared and frightened, but frustrated, angry, and annoyed. Body language was something the Jōnin studied extensively, as well as signs and cues for aggression. Although Takao was still unsure of whether or not Fuyuko was capable of handling herself, he stepped forward out of instinct, feeling some innate desire to protect driving him forward rather than typical reason. He displayed little fear or worry as the man shed the backpack of stolen goods and procured a knife from his person whilst charging. He reached out and firmly grasped the wrist of his knife-bearing hand, stopping it mid-thrust. His other hand lifted to meet the grappled hand and turned, twisting the knife from his grasp and safely disarming the blade. Now safely within Takao’s possession, he spun the blade in his palm to face downward and pulled the man’s arm forward whilst turning his own body halfway. With practiced positioning of his feet, the man was thrown over Takao’s shoulder. When he landed, Takao maintained control of his arm, and twisted it behind him to be firmly planted and locked against his back.

“Shouldn’t charge at a girl like that, man.” Takao said, using his knee to keep the man pinned while he tended to the knife. With the blade in his grasp his grasp, Takao twisted and contorted the flimsy metal of the knife, rendering it harmless and useless. He reached around his waist and tucked it into the round pouch hooked onto his belt, for he was no litterbug.

“You’re just making this a lot worse for yourself.” He added, brushing his hands off before adjusting the shirt that had ridden up on his torso just a bit from the movement. His gaze shifted and settled on Fuyuko, quickly glancing her over once.

“You okay?” He asked, the tone of his voice softening when he addressed her, which was quite the contrast from his monotone when addressing the man.

Following her answer, Takao’s attention returned to the man, whose incessant mumbling went largely unnoticed and his struggles were in vain. Interested in delving into the truth of the matter, Takao brought his hands together and completed a lazy string of five seals. When they were finished, he placed his hand upon the back of the man’s head. A moment of silence befell the pair as Takao quickly searched his most recent memories, recounting the events that had occurred earlier in more vivid detail than the man’s previous hysteria would allow. The technique would allow Takao to dig further into his psyche, and perhaps learn why the deed had been done, but it seemed inconsequential at present. For the most part, his hysterical recollection was accurate. A man laid dead by his blade, and he had hastily made off with whatever belongings were in the pack.

“He’s not lying, at least.” Takao said after a moment, his hand pulled back from the man’s head. The raven-haired shinobi’s attention then shifted to more sounds of rustling as a pair of Kirigakure Hunter-Nin appeared via body flicker. They, not unlike he, spoke in monotone upon arrival and assessment of the situation.

“Hand over the criminal.” The leftmost Hunter-Nin said, or rather demanded unceremoniously. Without protest, Takao stood from his position upon the man’s back, which had previously kept him pinned in the grass. He grabbed the back of his shirt and helped him to his feet, and despite the near incessant stream of pleading and begging coming from his mouth, their criminal was transferred from Takao’s custody to theirs.

“Right, well. There you go, all ready for the big house.” He said, further testing for reactions. The Hunter-Nin were gone within a minute of their arrival, disappearing with the pleading man in tow, and ignoring Takao’s words. With a slight exhale, he turned back to Fuyuko.

“Wonder what his deal was. Are Kirigakure prisons that bad?” Takao finally asked, having previously received little to no reaction to his repeated mentions of the Land of Water’s manner of penitentiary.



Total WC
(+1,031)
3,171

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
This system is flawed...

Fuyuko was glad that the man with her agreed on her statement, but the words that followed his agreement made it quite evident that he wasn't from here. Further it would appear that he was not familiar with the villages systems in the slightest. The words he spoke made her mood only worse. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know any better. Her voice wasn't filled with disapproval, although it could quite easily be mistaken for that, it was however filled with sadness, because she knew what was going to happen to him. There wouldn't be a place where the criminal could think back about his actions. For him there was only one door waiting, death. Killing someone was met with the price of your own life, no chance for reforming one's ways, only an eye for an eye. Fuyuko tried not to think about what would happen to the man, she was out here today so that she could forget about it. Because of that her companions words were ignored, they didn't fall on deaf ears, she just didn't want to think about it more than needed.

It would appear she wouldn't have to protect herself and that the man that was waking with her would do it. In a swift display off skill the criminal has been disarmed and rendered harmless. Fuyuko was somewhat surprised and impressed by how easily it was all accomplished, especially the part where he would bend the blade with his bare hands, a showing of great strength. With the criminal on the ground and incapable of being any threat to her the ‘victorious’ man would turn to her and ask if she was okay. Was she okay? Sure, there wasn't anything physically wrong with her, but her mental state wasn't doing that well. Not wanting to alarm him she would try to fake a smile and pretend everything was okay. “Yeah, I'm fine.” A short answer, but it should be enough, at least for now. If the display of skill wasn't enough of an indication for the man being a shinobi, the leisurely weaved hand signs would be. It left Fuyuko wondering what he was up to, he had already won the ‘battle’, what possible benefit could there be with still using a technique on him? She would quietly observe to see what would happen. After a little bit the hand would be pulled back while at the same time saying that the criminal wasn't lying. Did he just read his mind or something Fuyuko wondered. Regardless of what happened, she didn't need that kind of confirmation, her gut feeling knew it already and the Hunter-nin that appeared confirmed it.

The criminal was handed over and would go through whatever procedure the Hunter-nin had, before eventually being disposed off. A tear rolled down her face as the sky started to slowly drip down on them. “Why does it have to be like this… I just…” her trail of thought interrupted as her ‘partner’ spoke to her once again. She had managed to ignore the question earlier because of the commotion that was ongoing but there wasn't much she could hide behind now. Her tone had saddened significantly and so had her facial expression as she looked at the man and addressed his question. “The prisons aren't bad, because there are no prisons. The village hidden in mist doesn't have them anymore. I don't know all the details myself, but the current Mizukage destroyed them all when she took the hat.” Fuyuko fell silent for a little bit as she tried to scrape her composure together again before speaking up again. “We should probably head back to the village before we're soaked.

The village I love and hate…

Fuyuko assumed that the pace she ran would be the one her partner would adept to, seeing as she was the one that knew the way back and he didn’t. Opting to go for a pace that would be matcheable by just your average person. Within a reasonable time they had made it to the village walls. They wouldn’t be all too wet as the clouds had only started to crack, leaking a few drops here and there. “So… I guess this is where we part ways…” she said with some more sadness while looking longingly at him. She still didn’t know his name, but knew she didn’t want him to leave just yet. Her heart started to pound a little faster. There was one way to ensure he wouldn’t leave or at the very least attempt that he wouldn’t leave. Fuyuko got up close to him again, her face getting a slight color again as she raised her left hand and gently tucked on his shirt. She looked down at his chest, too embarrassed to look straight at him. “Or you could stay with me a little longer?” she said softly. If he didn’t agree and had other plans she would let go of his shirt and back off again, give him some parting words and go back home alone.

Would the day stay bright from here on out?

However if he were to accept her offer she would look up at him, her eyes sparkling and her face lit up. Unable to contain her happiness she would step even a little bit closer and wrap both her arms around him and give him a short hug. It sure felt nice feeling his body against her own again, even if he wouldn’t return the hug she was giving, it was mostly just a quick showing of gratitude.

Now that it was settled that they would stick together for a bit longer she would have to pick something but there wasn’t too much they could do outside that was starting to get heavier. Seeing as he wasn’t from here, they couldn’t really go to his place so there only really was her place left. So she would happily walk towards her home with a slight skip in her step, depicting the happiness she was feeling right now.

Fuyuko would open the door to her house and lead the way in. She’d twirl on her leg so that she was facing the guy again, her hands holding each other behind her back as a smile was present on her face. “Welcome to my home. Make yourself comfortable.



wc 1098
twc 4085

Takao

Takao


S-rank

The situation Takao found himself in was a little odd, as he was beginning to work out for himself. The continued aversion or entire lack of response to his inquiries and offhand comments about the Kirigakure prison systems had not gone unnoticed, and they allowed him to form varying assumptions. Did Kirigakure prisons truly frighten their people so much? Did they have prisons at all, or some other form of judicial system? Foreign policy was one of Takao’s weaker political educations, both as Hokage and afterward he had almost exclusively focused his attention on the internal affairs of his home. It left him a little more than lacking in knowledge of foreign powers, which wasn’t a terribly effective habit to have.

Fuyuko replied and said she was fine, yet as his gaze lingered upon her, it didn’t seem as though that was fully the case. He knew little of the modern Kirigakure Hunter-nin, but their predecessors had been something he looked into once upon a time. Brutal and efficient, but that much was inherent for a subdivision of the Kirigakure ANBU.

Despite her claim to be fine, the tear rolling down her cheek suggested otherwise. The unfamiliar protective feeling persisted, and his hand carefully reached up to her cheek, wiping the tear away. It was perhaps a more intimate gesture than he was used to, but strangely instinctive. His body stiffened just a bit upon his realization that it had been moving somewhat on his own, but as she explained the situation further, Takao quickly shed the rigidity of his moderate embarrassment and nodded along.

“Kirigakure doesn’t have pris-- Kirigakure doesn’t have prisons?” Takao said, beginning to speak as a statement but as he mentally lamented on the information, he stuttered and reiterated it as a rhetorical question. It didn’t truly surprise him, not really. Without even having to ask, he knew exactly what the historically bloody Village Hidden in the Mist would do with the more despicable of their population, but it did beg the question of what punishments were inflicted upon their petty criminals. Perhaps they instituted a more literal and barbaric take on the “eye for an eye” mentality, which also would not come off as a surprise.

“That’s a bit… odd, I guess. Or… different from what I’m used to at least.” He said, offering a vague look into his opinion on the situation. Having come from Konohagakure, a vastly different culture almost in stark contrast to Kirigakure, it was indeed an odd aspect of their society. He knew little of Ayakashi, but he couldn’t imagine her to be foolish or brash in matters of state, so it was without question that there would be a justification and at least relatively logical reason behind the decision. Perhaps it would be a matter he investigated further at some point, but given the reaction that Fuyuko seemed to be having about it, he didn’t want to push her further emotionally. Her recommendation to return to the village was given a nod and smile as response. “That’s probably a good idea.”


Takao had no issue keeping up with her pace as she lead him back to the village, just in time for a light drizzle of rain to fall from the dark clouds above. Although he had spent a day in the village already, he hardly knew his way around, and certainly not through the wilderness that surrounded it.

Fuyuko made mention of them parting ways and he drew in a breath, not quite mentally prepared to separate just yet. But, and fortunately for him as well, it didn’t seem as though she wanted to either. The space between them disappeared as she moved closer and his face warmed with colour again when she grasped his shirt. “...So cute.” He thought, actively suppressing the shiver that he felt building in his spine. If he didn’t already want to stay, her making the suggestion for him to stick around while lightly tugging on his shirt would have done it. In this case, it merely sealed the deal of their continued company.

“I’d love to stay, actually.” He said after clearing his throat, using it as a clever method to disguise his attempt at composing himself. Takao’s expression warmed and stayed warm as her eyes brightened and she moved to hug him. Although the gesture made him red in the face once more, he didn’t stiffen up, and instead returned the hug with a light squeeze. He followed behind her after they parted from the embrace, enjoying the sight of her happiness and the slight skip put in her step. Their journey through the village did little to aid him in memorizing his location, as his attention seldom wavered from watching her.

Before long, the pair stood outside of her home. She opened the door and started to lead him in, but just before she did, he remembered something.

“Ahh, sorry, I almost forgot. Do you mind if I uh… bring a friend?” Takao said, turning his attention to the dark skies. It was difficult to spot the bird, but when he did, he whistled and lifted his right arm. The distant screech of a falcon preceded a loud boom of thunder, and within a few seconds, the bird swooped down from the sky and perched itself on Takao’s outstretched arm. He turned back to her with a small, apologetic smile.

“This is Asuka. He really doesn’t like the rain-- he’s also well trained to be indoors.” Takao said as he moved toward the doorway and into the genkan, where he stopped and turned back to face Fuyuko. The introduction of his bird had reminded him that he had not introduced himself, and his cheeks and ears adopted a shade of red embarrassment. Asuka’s head swiveled in sudden movements, in the typical way that a bird did when examining foreign surroundings.

“Ah, geez. I’m sorry for being so rude, I haven’t actually introduced myself yet.” He said, offering a second, slightly wider apologetic smile. The hand that did not support Asuka’s weight lifted up to rub the back of his neck as the smile was accompanied by a light chuckle of mild embarrassment. “My name’s Takao Kimura. I’m from Konoha.”



Total WC
(+1,065)
4,236

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
Fuyuko looked slightly surprised at the man when he asked if he could bring a friend over. Her first reaction in her mind was that of disappointment. She wanted it to be just the two of them. But when he looked up into the sky it got her a little bit confused. A whistle followed and she patiently waited to see what would happen. The way he was holding his arm up to the sky made her think that a bird was about to land on it. It wouldn’t be all that strange, it would simply be something that she had just not expected at all. And surely within a couple of seconds after his whistle a falcon would land on his arm. With the sight of the falcon there wasn’t much to fear and her mood turned to what it had been before the man mentioned bringing over a friend. As he introduced him Fuyuko reached out slowly for its head. Giving the bird a gentle stroke or two across his head before it would twitch it wings and giving Fuyuko a slight scare. Making her let out a small chuckle when she realized nothing was going to happen to her. When the man had moved further into her house he realized something and him saying that first sentence made her realize it as well. She still didn’t know the mans name, yet she did invite him to her house. To top it off, she hadn’t given her own name either.

Well you don’t really have to apologize, I haven’t introduced myself either.” She said with a smile. “I’m Fuyuko Miki. I’m from Kiri, obviously” She replied with a small wink and a sticking out her tongue. Fuyuko would go ahead of the pair and opened up the door the living room. “Well, this is my place, you can just leave Asuka somewhere assuming he’s not going to litter everywhere.” She said with a giggle. “Anyway this is my living room, it’s nothing too fancy, nothing is really my own besides some of the plants. The open kitchen is over there in the corner, feel free to grab anything from it if you feel like it.” She said as she pointed in the kitchen’s direction. Fuyuko walked down the only other ‘hallway’ that was present in the house. “If you follow me this way there’s more here. The first door here is the toilet. The one down the hallway is the bathroom, it doesn’t have a toilet there. I’m not quite sure why.” She said as she shrugged looking back now and then at Takao to make sure he was following her. She opened up the first door on her left after the toilet room. And flicked on the light as she entered it. “This is… I guess an extra bed room? It has a single bed in it for someone to sleep in. I don’t really use it besides storing some clothes. I use the last remaining bedroom to sleep.” She walked to the other ‘unmentioned’ door in the hallway and walked in a flicked the switch here as well. Revealing her own room which was probably the most personalized room in the house, however even that was still quite barren, it just had more plants than any other room. It did however have a queen sized bed which felt like a gift from the heavens to her, it was just perfect. For the watchful eye they would notice a headband laying around on one of her dressers. “This is my room, I really like it, especially the bed it's super soft. Try it out if you want.

Fuyuko made her way out of her room again and back to the kitchen. She hasn’t had a drink in quite some time and so was quite thirsty. “Do you want something to drink as well?” She yelled out to Takao as she grabbed some apple juice from the fridge. If he would reply with wanting something as well she’d pick it for him as well and place the glass on the dining table or hand it to him if he was close enough to her. “So… What’s a man from Konoha doing here in the mist village?” She asked as she subconsciously twirled her finger through her again whilst taking a drink from her glass of juice.


wc 747
twc 4832

Takao

Takao


S-rank
Takao’s cheeks pulled to the side as his expression eased and a smile formed on his face, quietly thankful that his typical forgotten introduction had not been of great insult to her. He had a terrible habit of jumping right into conversation with new faces without going through the proper introductions and manners. Usually he was apologetic enough for them to have mercy upon his poor, impolite soul. His gaze shifted from Fuyuko to Asuka, and watched as the falcon twitched in its usual rain-induced sensory overload. Thankfully the bird’s personality wasn’t inherently violent, which lent itself well to the training which kept it relatively calm even while surrounded by weather that stressed it out.

Her own introduction brought his attention back unto her, and let a light chuckle build in his chest. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fuyuko.” Takao said, smiling warmly to her. As they moved further into the home, his gaze wandered, usually returning to center on Fuyuko as she gave him the grand tour. The raven-haired shinobi set down his avian companion after having been given permission to do so. “He won’t make a mess, you have my word.” Takao said, flashing a stern, knowing look to the bird as it settled and began to prune under its wing.

With each room he was introduced to, he gave it a thorough once over, if for no other reason than it was his natural instinct to memorize his surroundings. They stopped at the living room first, and although it was a little barren, the presence of plants made it feel more like home. He approached one of them and leaned over, fondly examining the greenery.

“Do you like gardening?” He said after a brief moment, standing straight once more as he turned back to Fuyuko and followed her into the next room.

“It’s one of my favourite pastimes… although it might be more of an obsession, maybe. I have more plants to take care of than I probably should.” He said, as if speaking it aloud was more of self realization than idle chat. She introduced him to the kitchen next, and while her invitation to help himself to her foodly chattels was a kind and polite gesture, he thought it to be just a little improper of himself to indulge. Perhaps when they became more than recent acquaintances it might be something he was more willing to do.

As the pair progressed through the tour, the boom of thunder and the sharp crackle of lightning grew louder amidst the sound of heavy rain pounding against the roof. Takao mentally remarked that their timing in avoiding the downpour was impeccable. His musing wandered further, remarking how it was actually quite convenient that they had avoided it, considering her choice of clothing had been revealing enough without being wet. As the image entered his imagination, his face quickly warmed and reddened, leading him to mentally berat himself for letting his thoughts wander into such inappropriate territory. Fortunately, he had the remainder of the tour to occupy his conscious thought. She introduced him to the water closet and went on to explain how her lavatory was split into two different rooms, as well as her confusion on the choice of design. The room to their left was explained to be a spare bedroom, and the remaining room was introduced as her own sleeping quarters. His eyes wandered again, this time settling his attention on the headband upon the dresser. Given that the other bedroom in the house was unoccupied and explained to be an extra, it stood to reason that she likely lived alone, and the headband was her own. He didn’t comment on it, at least not presently. The presence of more plants was a warm sight as well; he found that they made the home cozier when combined with the muddled sound of rain hitting the roof.

“Super soft?” He asked as she made her way out of the room. His gaze turned to the bed and he shrugged, figuring that it was a harmless thing to partake in. Takao lowered himself down to sit at the edge of the bed, and upon feeling the comfort it provided, he exhaled a muffled groan and fell backwards. “Nnh. I miss a proper bed.” He mumbled to himself, briefly consumed by the trivial enjoyment he received from the solace of a nice bed. Takao didn’t linger in the room for long, somehow managing to tear himself away and rejoin Fuyuko in the kitchen.

“Oh, uh… Yeah, actually. I’d love one of… er…” Takao said, unsure of what she had on hand given that he hadn’t rummaged through the contents earlier when the offer had been extended. “How about what you’re having?” He said, opting for the easy choice, given that he wasn’t particularly picky in his choice of drink. When handed the beverage, he smiled gratefully and thanked her while took it from her, briefly brushing hands with her during the transfer in that awkwardly unintentional sort of way. Takao quickly occupied himself with taking a drink, and then further by answering her question.

“Well, honestly, I’m a bit short on responsibility in Konoha at the moment. Usually I’m pretty busy and the opportunity to travel to new places doesn’t come around all that often, so I figured I’d make good use of it while I could, you know?” He explained. Wanderlust was something Takao experienced much of, even though in reality he didn’t like being away from home.

“Ah... relatively new places, I guess. It seems to be working out pretty well so far.” He took another drink before letting the glass rest on the surface of the table. “Sorry if it’s a little… intrusive, but I noticed the headband in your bedroom. Is it yours?” His head tilted as he asked, having received little to no information through observation regarding her status as a shinobi.



Total WC
(+1,009)
5,245

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
The question Takao proposed about whether she liked gardening or not had left Fuyuko wondering. She didn’t have a garden of sorts that she could attend to. Was it perhaps the few plants and flowers that were scattered through the room? It appeared that he at least himself enjoyed the practice, which honestly came as a surprise to her. He didn’t appear to be the type of person that would find enjoyment in something like that. “Well that’s quite surprising I had not expected that from you. …Oh I don’t mean to be judgmental or anything.” She said while shaking her hands. “I just didn’t expect that a young shinobi would find joy in that sort of thing. As for me personally, no I’m not all that much into gardening, I do however thoroughly enjoy plants and just being surrounded by nature.” Fuyuko thought about what she just said for a second, thinking it was all in her head it was actually aloud. “I’m not quite sure why I’m so drawn to it, perhaps it’s because I’ve always been surrounded by it.” She shrugged at the end of the thought. She didn’t really care all that much for why she was so interested and bound to nature.

Fuyuko took a sip of her drink as Takao replied to her inquiry. The answer he gave her seemed pretty straight forward, just enjoying the free time he had gotten his hand on. “What kind of things usually keep you busy in your shinobi life or is that classified?” She jokingly said with a wink. “Well it must be nice to have some spare time, are you having a good time with your stay in the village?” Fuyuko was interested in how he would answer to the second question from the pair, wondering if he would make any mention of their time spent together, despite it probably being only a short timeframe from his stay.

His question for her was not out of the ordinary and there wasn’t really anything Fuyuko had against the question, but he had just asked it to her on the wrong day. If she was feeling her normal-self she would’ve worn her headband proudly and the question wouldn’t even have been asked. But not on this day, she didn’t want to be reminded about the struggles that headband had generated over the time it had been in her possession. It was both a symbol of her pride for being shinobi for the village hidden in mist and her troubles that the village had caused her as well. The internal struggles of wanting to uphold the village rules and her own morals. Her facial expressions darkened a little bit as she prepared herself for the answer. “Yes, that is my headband. I received when I graduated from the academy about a year and a half ago.” The question ended up distracting her mind from the ongoing state of affairs and she nonchalantly adjusted her bra in front of Takao as her mind wondered about. What was she to tell him, it was obvious to her that her mood had soured and that a follow up question was most likely going to be present. So she opted to avoid those for the time being. “I would rather not talk about it, at least not today. Maybe some other time?” She said with an apologetic smile.

Not wanting to let the conversation fall dead Fuyuko tried to think of another topic they could talk about. However she was unsure what topic to pick, the things they shared for sure was being a shinobi and that was the one thing she didn’t want to talk about. At least not her own shinobi live. “So what kind of past times do you have when you’re not on an assignment of sorts?” It was the best thing she could come up with in the short timeframe that she had.


wc 673
twc 5505

Takao

Takao


S-rank

His head tilted when she brought forth the notion that his interest in gardening was unexpected because of his age. Takao had put little thought into it himself, and merely did it because he found enjoyment in the calm it brought, although thinking further on it in the moment that followed did lead him to think that it was a rather boring pastime. A light chuckle built in his chest as she attempted to dissuade him from the opinion that she was being judgemental about his choice of hobby, although he hadn’t thought so himself.

“I guess it isn’t really a youth hobby, huh.” He said, following the verbal observation with a shrug. “I find it oddly… calming, you know? It’s nice to mentally escape by doing something mundane like that, and to actually create something for a change.” Takao continued, offering more insight on his interest in the subject. He was very conscious of the destructive aspects of both his personality and his repertoire of techniques and strategies, so having something to combat that offered solace in his self fault-finding. He could burn down the entirety of his village as mere fallout from his manner of fighting, but at least he kept a garden thriving at home.

Takao idly twisted the glass in a slow circle as she spoke, his attention undivided from her. “Only a little bit is classified,” He answered with a slight smirk, lifting the drink to take a small sip before he continued.

“I usually spend a lot of time at the Academy  and I’ve had a few genin squads that need a lot of attention. My last squad was promoted just a bit before the recent exams, so I’ve had a bit more downtime since then, but I’m sure I’ll get a new batch before too long.” A light chuckle rumbled in his throat. Another drink was taken to wet his throat. “Other than that, it’s just all sorts of different missions.”

Following his explanation of his nonclassified shinobi responsibilities, he lamented on her inquiry regarding his stay in the village. It had been rather insipid thus far, the only excitement having come from embarking on a mission in the foreign Land of Waves that hadn’t been very exciting at all. In many ways, it was just like all the others, just more repetition to feed the machine of war and bloodthirst. But, meeting Fuyuko had been a nice, seldom seen ray of light amidst that repetition, which was something he felt fortunate for.

“I am having a good time, actually. Up until now I haven’t really been doing all that much and it’s been a bit boring, but…” He said, both his voice and his gaze trailing off, the latter moving off to the side in brief thought. “Stumbling upon you has been the highlight so far.” Takao looked back at Fuyuko, his words accompanied by a tender smile. “What about you? Do you like it here in Kiri?”

The question that he posed afterward seemed to not sit well with her, or at the very least he interpreted her change of mood as such before she had even spoke. Her answer and the request to speak about it later were given a faint and knowing nod, as he was unwilling to press what he had originally deemed to be rather inconsequential smalltalk, but seemed to have a deeper meaning to her. His train of thought was entirely derailed as she adjusted her bra in front of him, and the sudden embarrassment of having watched the act in its entirety drained his face of its natural colour and replaced with a deep, warm shade of red. He stammered a bit, trying to string together a coherent response to her answer.

“Th-... that’s completely, uh… okay, yeah. I d-didn’t mean to press or anything..” He said, lifting the drink yet again and took a longer swig, nearly finishing it off entirely before he set it back down and folded his arms on the table.

Just before he could continue the conversation before it could fall flat, she inquired about his hobbies outside of his shinobi life. He thought on it for less than a handful of seconds before a light laugh built in his chest. “I’m afraid you’ll probably find most of them boring or unexciting. Other than gardening, I mostly just like to cook and read, or I’ll train. Especially on days like this.” He said in response, his gaze briefly turning to the window at the far end of the room, which the storm outside was showering with rain.

“Having a nice, warm drink and a good book on a day like this might be one of my favourite things.” Takao said, letting his gaze linger on the rain-soaked window before he looked back to Fuyuko. “Oh, I like watching the village at night from the Hokage mountain as well. It looks pretty when it’s all lit up.”

After finishing his drink, Takao set the empty glass on the table between his chest and his refolded arms. “So, how about you? What do you like to do in your down time?” He asked, turning the question back onto her.




Total WC
(+887)
6,132

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
The light-hearted chuckle Takao let go as a reaction to her preemptive apology made Fuyuko feel better. Takao’s explanation as to why he enjoyed the practice of gardening was one that made a lot of sense however. Besides giving a view into one of his past times, the answer also gave a hint towards Takao’s powers and potential destructive properties. Fuyuko wondered what possible deeper implications that could have, was he a man that had violent tendencies. With how he had behaved so far that wasn’t likely the case though, but he could merely be hiding it. Or was it perhaps just a simple hint towards his strength as a shinobi. Her eyes started to move around the room a bit as she started wonder if she should ask about it or not. Fuyuko hated treading onto peoples personal lives and recently experienced a moment where letting her curiosity get the better of herself had gotten her into a rather undesirable situation. Was she willing to risk walking on that thin line again that was drawn over a canyon. The feeling of having such a slim chance for it to succeed and such a massive chance to fail and plummet to the depths again.

Her mind was telling her no, but her heart was just aching for more of him. There was just something about the man, that was sitting across the table from her, that made her feel so drawn to him. She wanted more of him, like he was the drug and the addiction. Fuyuko gazed at him again as she parted her lips. Hesitation was evident on her face and a bit of inaudible sound came out of her mouth. She cleared her throat before speaking up about what was on her mind. “I…” She hesitated once more. “I’m asking this with a kind of heavy heart and my mind is telling me not to do it. Last time I asked about more personal things of someone it didn’t turn out all that well, but I just want to know more about you.” Her cheeks started to catch a bit of a glow while she stared deeply into his black eyes. “You said that you enjoyed being able to create things with gardening and like that change of pace. Does that mean you have an affinity for being destructive or are you perhaps just that strong?

It put a small smile on Fuyuko’s face as Takao reacted in a slight jokingly manner to her almost rhetorical statement. The answer about what he did as a shinobi made her feel a little bit happy. It made him look like a nice and caring person. Teaching the young ones the way of being a shinobi. That also gave some sort of indication into the rank he was. Going off of his earlier comment, assuming he had destructive powers and being able to teach the young ones he had to be at least of spec. Jounin rank. However he didn’t really appear to fit that frame, she would estimate him at least of Jounin rank if not higher. Fuyuko took a couple of long slow sips from her glass of juice as Takao was about to answer more of her questions. She followed his eyes as the averted to the side as he paused his answer midway, before eventually returning the gaze back onto her and continuing his answer. The answer made her face light up probably as fast as humanly possible all the way up to the tips of her ears. Her eyes haphazardly breaking contact with his.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.  A lot of thoughts started to rush through her mind. Did he feel the same way she was feeling about him? Would he want to spend more time with her to the point of sleeping at her place for the night? It was a rather bold thought that she had, but she felt like that was what she wanted. “Is this what love is?” She asked herself.

Her facial color subsided quite a bit as they briefly talked about her headband and her role as a shinobi. But Luckily Takao wasn’t going to pry more into the matter, however Fuyuko was left wondering why his face was now flaring up again or why he was stuttering with his reply to her request. It had gone completely unnoticed to her however what possibly could’ve have sparked this type of response and so left a slight puzzled look on her face.

To prevent the conversation from dying however after her ‘moody’ request she proposed another question to him, from which she got another reply from him. Preceding the answer of Takao was another one of his laughs. Hearing it made her warmup again and bring the feelings that were rushing through her body before they talked about her shinobi affiliation. She couldn’t help but slowly slide her foot across the wooden floor to his side of the table and gently touch the side of his leg with her own. He said she would find his answers boring, but as the moment was going on, probably anything he would mention would fascinate her. If anything the answers he gave were definitely not boring in her eyes and somewhat resonated with what she liked. “Those aren’t boring, I’m quite fond of cooking myself as well.” She replied a little bit soft-spoken. It became somewhat difficult to keep her composure as her thoughts were running amok. Fuyuko placed her elbows on the table and moved her hands to her mouth. Using the sleeves from her oversized shirt to cover up most of the lower half of her face.

Eventually when Takao was done with giving answers to her question he turned the question around upon her. What were some of the things she enjoyed doing? Besides the one she had already mentioned before. However before she’d reply she would move her hands a bit to the side so they wouldn’t cover her mouth anymore. “Well I like nature, like is probably the wrong word, I love it. And well cooking like I mentioned before… and what else…” Fuyuko covered up her lips again as her eyes scanned the ceiling thinking of what to say next. She was well aware that she could say poetry, but she wanted to impress him with her poetry skills. She would keep her face covered by her sleeves as she started telling her poem.

Outside the rain is pouring
Inside there is something forming
A room filled with two people
Searching for a reason

As your eyes gaze past
You make my heart flutter fast
Somewhat unsure what to do
But be with you.


Fuyuko slid her hands further up her face making the edge of her cuff end just below her eyes trying to cover up as much of her burning face. She wasn’t completely sure why she had just put her feelings bare on the table. It made her heart feel like it was pounding out of her chest, but for some reason it just felt like the right thing to do. Now it was just to wait and see how he would reply to this. Her eyes would quickly move to and from his face to check for his reactions. However she could never keep contact for too long, because that would empower the feeling of embarrassment too much.


wc 1257
twc 6762

Takao

Takao


S-rank
As Fuyuko posed the question brought on by his earlier choice of words, his mouth pulled into a thin smile. He had let it slip unintentionally, a bit of a verbal misstep that was coming from mindless, yet heartfelt and honest rambling. The destructive nature of his personality, not so much from blind rage but a penchant of utilizing abilities that destroyed rather create, was a matter of great mental contention for the young shinobi. Nobody was more critical of it than himself, although he seldom if ever conveyed that dissatisfaction with his words to another person. Something about Fuyuko kept dragging out the desire to speak frivolously on matters he might not have otherwise.

“I’m not really one to boast about whatever strength I might have. I’ve always thought that kind of thing was obnoxious.” Takao said a bit flatly, attempting to move away from the notion that he might have been acting self-congratulatory when making subtle, underhanded mention of his destructiveness. He had noticed a large category of people that seemed intent on only growing stronger so that they might then boast about their strength, which was something he loathed and avoided whenever and however possible.

“I just come from a long family line of fire users. Especially destructive ones, I guess.” He continued whilst mental images of his father briefly flashing through his memory like flipping through the pages of a book. He had inherited more from his father than just the blood of their clansmen, and it felt like certain aspects of his personality were in direct contention with others, like two raging fires trying to overtake one another. “Fire just tends to destroy, not create, you know? It’s nice to do the opposite sometimes. Makes me feel like I balance the destruction with creation. Like… I give back what I take. Maybe that’s what I’m getting at.” His rambling hadn’t been caught until the tail end of this response, prompting him to exhale a light groan of frustration and rub the back of his neck.

“Ah ha… Sorry, I’m rambling.” He glanced off to the side to the window once more, taking something of a mental vacation from his verbose explanation of his choice of words. Although it was a matter he thought on often, it was never something he had fully put into spoken words before, leaving his response just a tad scatterbrained.

Eyes like coal watched her face light up following his answer to one of her inquiries, and he couldn’t stop himself from mimicking the expression. Her smile made him smile, like she was an emotional mirror. His chest fluttered and an odd warmth grew within it, though it was unlike the heat that came from his embarrassment. It was a sensation he felt wholly unfamiliar with, though it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Takao’s weight shifted to his elbows as he leaned forward on the table, his body moving on its own and acting on an instinctive desire to be closer to her. His body didn’t stiffen and his face didn’t redden when her foot brushed the side of his leg, although his heart did pound within his chest. The subtle signs of growing interest between them was growing more and more obvious, and what had previously been inconspicuous or innocent hints were now beginning to pile up.

One forearm was lifted and his head was left to rest in his hand, slightly tilted as he watched her with a warm smile with only the slightest hints of tired growing in his eyes. The events of the morning had left him a bit more fatigued than expected, but it wasn’t a problem just yet. At the very least, he wouldn’t let it be, as their conversation was holding too much of his interest to justify the feeling of tiredness from creeping up.

The way she covered part of her face with her sleeve left him screaming internally, as he was otherwise incapable of expressing the growing sensation of adoration that built within, sans the obvious look of similar description that was plastered all over his face while she spoke. Usually he was quite good at suppressing expression from his face, but the desire to do so had long since melted away.

Their shared interest in cooking brought more light to his eyes and let his mind wander as she continued. She enjoyed nature and, despite him not having said it earlier, he believed that to be a shared interest as well, at least to some degree. She may have enjoyed it more than he, but Takao found nature settings to be the most calming and were therefore thoroughly enjoyed as a result. Fuyuko went on to suggest interest in another subject, but with her eyes averted toward the ceiling, it seemed that the matter required a bit of thought. His eyebrows rose in initial response when she did finally speak, but he sat quietly and listened, each line of her poem acting like a piece of a puzzle that Takao mentally put together.

He found it difficult to muster a reply at first, for he felt that it deserved a proper response. The growing look of adoration on his face became considerably more evident while he thought of a response, having interpreted the poem to be rather obviously about the two of them.

“That’s…” He said, starting his sentence before his brain had fully completed a single coherent thought. “I really liked that.” He continued, trying to settle the thoughts that were scrambled within his head. Feeling bolder than usual, he opted to press his interpretation, if only to see her reaction. “Was that about us?”

Following his inquiry, another loud crash of thunder and flash of lighting tore through the sky, and the rain outside grew heavy like a tropical storm, but not quite as severe. Although Takao hadn’t averted his gaze from Fuyuko, as he was much too engrossed in the cuteness of her hiding behind her sleeve, he had noticed that the weather outside was growing more than just a light storm.

“Mh… Maybe this is a little inappropriate, but…” Takao said, briefly breaking his attention on Fuyuko to look toward the window as rain pounded against the glass. “Would… you mind if Asuka and I stayed the night?” He finally asked, the slightest hint of apprehension lacing his words. He had believed that there was an ember of something growing between them, and he would like to see it grow into a warm fire rather than accidentally snuffing it out by moving too hastily. “Be-... Because of the, uh… storm.” He added, clearing his throat afterward.



Total WC
(+1,129)
7,261

Fuyuko

Fuyuko


A-rank
The eyes of Fuyuko kept searching over Takao’s face as he seemingly was looking for an answer to her poem. Her own face covered by her sleeves to hide as much of her emotions as possible, but her eyes would be enough to understand what was going on. They shined bright and were filled with a longing gaze for the man that was sitting across the table. The way he was sitting there, so caught up in whatever she was talking about. His head slightly tilted and leaning onto his hand. A red hue covering his face that wasn't hidden from view like her own and eyes that felt like they were glued onto her. Fuyuko’s own eyes widened as Takao started his answer. The words he spoke, the words of appreciation, were enough to make her heart skip a beat. However it wasn't quite the response she had hoped for, she longed for more. Luckily he wasn't done talking. The follow up words weren't quite what she had wanted, but they came close to what she wanted.

She couldn't keep her gaze in his direction anymore, at the very least not while she was answering his question. She had never been in this position before. Sure she had been in a position before where she felt drawn to the other person she was covering with. As a matter of fact one of those occasions was right about where they are now, but with Nozomi instead. However those feelings would be pale compared to the burning sensation that was inside of her chest right now. The question now was to answer the question Takao asked as a reply to her poem. “How can he not know, of course it's about us… don't make me such embarrassing things… she thought to herself. But she wasn't going to admit to it blatantly. His reply didn't make it clear if he felt the same way. His face might have been leaving all the clues and answers she needed, but that wasn't enough for her. The words had to come out of his mouth, part with his lips and meet her ears. “If it is about us… How does that make you feel?” she said softly spoken with her eyes gazing in any direction but his. Perhaps if her eyes weren't on him he'd have the courage to speak the words that she almost desperately wanted to hear.

A loud crack of Thunder came from the sky promoting Fuyuko to turn around and look outside of the living room window. It was only then that she had really realized how hard it had started to pour outside. She had become a little disconnected from the world while talking with Takao. A sensation of wanting to be outside underneath some overhanging rock and listen to the sound of the rain crashing down onto floor started to build up. Takao’s voice pulled her back into the here and now with what appeared to be a hesitating question. His question made Fuyuko glance over to the clock which was hanging on the wall. It had gotten to the point where it was already past normal dinner time, yet neither of them had eaten yet since they met a couple of hours ago. Further storms like these often lasted for quite a while and she couldn't possibly send Takao outside with a good conscious. “Yeah, you can stay the night.” she said as she tilted her head and letting her eyes do the smiling. It was slightly amusing how he tried to clear up any ‘ill' intent.

Fuyuko got up from the table and moved herself to the kitchen, waiting with her question until she had passed the point where Takao could no longer see her red smiling face. “Do you want something to eat as well?” she spoke softly while grabbing a pan. While waiting she prepared the things she would need for the meal. If Takao offered his assistance, she would politely decline and tell him he was the guest and so shouldn't have to do anything. She didn't anticipate on having to cook for two people, so they would need to share the chicken if Takao wanted to eat as well. Fuyuko remained silent for about all of the cooking process only really responding to the possible inquiries that Takao would make. She had to calm her emotions down and give her overwhelmed heart a chance to rest. In about 15 minutes time she would serve the meal. The meal consisted of rice with a curry pineapple dressing, a well seasoned chicken and banana slices. She also served another glass of juice for the both of them. “I hope it tastes well.

Just like before Fuyuko would remain mostly silent while eating the belated dinner. Looking over to Takao now and then and quickly averting her gaze again when their eyes met. Her cheeks flaring up a little bit when it happened. When they would finish their plates she would pick them up and put them down in the sink, yawning as she did so. "I think, I'm going to go to bed. I'm pretty exhausted. You're free to stay awake if you want." She stated. Fuyuko hesitated a second before turning around again giving Takao a quick hug before running off to her room.


[Exit Thread]

wc 911
twc 7673


STR: C1 > C3 [7673/1300] + 275 Ryo
SPD: C1 > C3 [6373/1300] + 275 Ryo
END: C1 > C3 [5073/1300] + 275 Ryo
PER: C0 > C3 [3773/1875] + 375 Ryo
RET: C1 > C3 [1898/1300] + 275 Ryo

1475 Ryo.

Discard 598 wc



Last edited by Fuyuko on Thu Apr 05, 2018 1:29 pm; edited 2 times in total

Takao

Takao


S-rank
He was enjoying himself while watching the expression on her face persist. His leg bounced unnoticeably beneath the table, using the constant repetitive motion as an outlet for his growing restlessness as a result of her adorable mannerisms. His own eyes mirrored the endeared look she gave him, expressing similar longing desire from his seat across the table. When she had made the suggestion that it could have been about them, although not directly as she had merely suggested the possibility and asked his opinion on how he would feel were it true, he held a moment of silence and reclined against the back of the chair as he thought.

"I, uh... It makes... Mh..." Takao struggled to find the right words to describe how he felt. It was a wholly alien sensation for him, who had never fully felt desire for another person. Surely he had experienced attraction in some way, as was only natural for a human being, but it was a bodily desire that he could understand better than the odd, fluttering feeling in his chest. It was unique, and new. Foreign, and mysterious. He was already feeling the drive to investigate the feelings further, and do so, he would need to be entirely honest; that meant both with himself, and with her.

"It's hard to describe, and I'm not very good with words, but... It feels like time is moving slower, sorta… or maybe I’m just paying more attention to everything a lot more and I don’t really want it to move faster. The air is a lot... lighter, too. But in a good way, you know? That's not even really just how that specifically made me-- or, well, would make me feel if it was about us." He said, flashing her a faint, knowing smile. Whatever semblance of doubt that lingered in the back of his mind that perhaps the poem hadn't been about the two of them quickly faded into nothingness.

"The poem itself gives me this weird fluttery feeling in my chest. Kinda how you feel when you're nervous, maybe? But I'm not nervous, or at least I don’t feel like I am. I just feel… good, or… happy, you know? It makes my heart race.” Despite his struggle to accurately define the sensation that left his chest feeling like it did, he managed to squeeze the words out with great mental effort. But with that, he had explained the feelings as honestly as he could, still under the firm belief that it would have done neither of them any good had he been dishonest or attempted to hide it.

Following his explanation and the loud crash of thunder outside, she accepted his request to innocently stay the night. “Thank you!” He said, his hands came together and his head lowered in gratitude, having sincerely dreaded going outside in the storm. Rain was best observed from a distance, in the comfort of a warm home without any semblance of exposure to the environment.

Fuyuko rose from the table shortly after and made her way to the kitchen. Takao stood as well, following behind her not unlike a lost puppy, and lingered at the edge as she made her offer for food. He accepted and even offered to help, but she insisted on cooking for him, so he reluctantly returned to the table and the seat he had previously claimed. The silence between them lasted for only a short while before an interesting observation had entered Takao’s conscious thought.

It’s quiet.” He mentally mused. Seldom was he given moments of silence like these in the presence of another, even the most unthreatening of companions would have that familiar voice calling for their utter destruction in flames. Having quickly gone back through the events that had occurred earlier in the day during his mission, it had been screaming at him like a child throwing a tantrum. Even after the mission when he wandered in the forest, it had been telling him to burn it all down. But after speaking to Fuyuko, there was complete radio silence. Not a peep. No egging him on to burn her, or horribly maim her, or otherwise set everything around him on fire lest he suffer even a second’s risk of being unsafe. He rarely experienced mental silence, and it was a very welcome change of pace.

While she cooked and silence threatened to continue, Takao filled the quiet air with small talk. It largely negligible in the grand scheme of their time spent together, and was more of just a friendly interaction, but it was nice to not sit in silence. Thankfully, he wasn’t terrible at carrying a conversation, even if it was just small talk.

It didn’t take her long to prepare the meal, which Takao thoroughly enjoyed and verbally thanked her for. It was genuinely good, however Takao mused that she could have probably served him a bowl of muddy water from outside and he still would have enjoyed it, if only for the company. Purely by habit, he routinely made eye contact with her, which she shied away from. It hardly bothered him; in fact it was quite the opposite, another cute mannerism that endeared him.

He stood when she took the dishes to the sink and left his hand to rest on the back of the chair. After she admitted to being tired, she quickly hugged him and hurried off to her room before he had the chance to hug her back. He let a long, pent up breath escape from his lungs as he watched the hallway she disappeared into for a few moments before he turned back to Asuka.

“Woo boy. I’m in love.” He muttered aloud to the bird that had taken up a perch nearby. It had momentarily stopped from pruning itself and directed its attention to Takao's voice.

“Come on, bud.” His hand was outstretched and Asuka hopped onto his arm, allowing him to be ferried to the spare room. “Let’s get some rest.”



Total WC
(+1,021)
8,282

THREAD EXITED
(Training Endurance: A-2 to S-3 (7,080 WC))
(1,200 WC saved)

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