Invited Persons:

Eight Years Ago

“Aka, are you paying attention to me? What I’m trying to show you could save your life!”, Junko snapped at her daughter, sighing as she placed her hands on her hips. She had just gone through the explanation of a particularly complicated bit of metal sand manipulation but her daughters mind had clearly been elsewhere during the whole thing. If she was anyone else she would have attacked her own blood, but alas, she wasn’t quite to that level of cruelty.

Instead of answering her mother’s question Aka turned her focus from the Infinity Gang’s camp that she could see off in the distance, nearly a mile away, and onto her mother. “Why are we part of the Infinity Gang?”, she asked suddenly, catching her mother off guard.

Junko let a moment of shock at the question to show on her face before she quickly covered it with her usual passive expression that bordered on being almost mean. “This isn’t the time for questions, Aka. We have very little time to train before the camp will be moving again and I’d rather not waste it on stupidity.”, she shut her daughters question down hard, harshness in her words: she didn’t like questions like these and she never had.

“Why can’t we be normal, live a normal life? Would having a job really be worse off than this?”, Aka asked, ignoring her mother as she gestured with her left hand towards the camp in the distance. “Constantly moving, constantly in trouble and having to watch our backs, the constant fear that someone is going to come along and kill---”, a loud smack caused her head to jerk to the right as her mother backhanded her across the face, the sting of the smack being felt only a moment afterward. She held her cheek in shock, lips parted, as tears welled up in her eyes and then rolled silently down her cheeks. It wasn’t the pain from being smacked that hurt her, she was no stranger to pain considering the training she had been put through, but rather the fact itself that her mother had actually struck her.

Seeing her tears Junko’s gaze softened, but as she reached for her daughter, intent on healing her cheek, a stab of pain crossed her heart as Aka jerked back and away from her touch, putting a small bit of distance between them. Dropping her hand back to her side Junko sighed once more and shook her head. “One day you’ll understand why you can’t ask questions like these Aka. You must understand that asking such things can be dangerous, and the penalty for even looking like you might betray the Infinity Gang is one I wouldn’t wish on even my worst enemy - it’s so much worse than death.”

Dropping her hand from her cheek Aka found her hands balling into fists as her rage spiked. “I hate this! I hate them… I hate you!”, she practically screamed before storming off into the brush, knowing well that if she didn’t put some kind of distance between herself and her mother she was likely to lash out physically against the older woman. Junko was right: she didn’t understand, she didn’t yet know the penalty for those of the Infinity Gang who wanted to leave - but she would see it first hand that night, and then she would understand.

Present Day

The day was dreary and cold: the rain from earlier having dropped the temperature quite a bit, leading to it being cold enough outside to see one’s breath. While this would have been perfect training weather for the young Kansen-Suru she had instead retreated to her hotel suite’s bedroom where she had spent the better half of the afternoon tucked comfortably beneath her fleece throw blanket doodling in her sketchbook. She was in a bit of a drawing block: she had ideas and yet none of them were complete, evident of all of the small doodles she had started and abandoned before finishing. In truth her mind was elsewhere. Dreary days like this reminded her of the day her mother died, and it reminded her of how much she missed her, even seven years later. When she was super young she had loved the woman as any child could love their parent, but as she had gotten older that love had turned to hatred and despise. The very presence of her mother for a short few years was more than enough to set her off, and for quite a while the pair had simply avoided one another. That had changed when a situation had risen within the Infinity Gang that shined a spotlight on how people who wanted to leave the gang, specifically females, were treated. It had been horrifying, and all were forced to watch for hours. It told her so much of what her mother had been trying so hard to protect her from, it had told her how much of a brat she had been to the woman who only had her best intentions in heart, and it had changed their relationship for the better. The evening of that incident she had spent the majority of the night sobbing and apologizing as her mother whispered words of kindness and understanding to her and simply held and rocked her. That episode had brought about a change in Aka towards her mother, and formed a sort of bond that even now hurt to have been shattered.

With a sigh of exasperation she flipped the cover of her sketchbook closed and then tossed it on the bed along with her pencil and eraser. She took a moment to stretch before curling herself into a ball and sitting there on her butt, her arms wrapped around her knees which were pressed up against her chest. In that moment, right then and there, she felt younger than she was and she found herself making hopeless wishes that she could change the past, that she could go back and somehow warn her mother of what was to come as a means to save her. Wishing was stupid, as she very much knew, and would change nothing but that didn’t stop her from trying. Annoyed and irritated with herself she forced herself to uncurl from the ball she had pulled herself into, speaking to herself in a stern but soft voice, “You cannot change the past. Wishing on stars fixes nothing and solves nothing. You can only shape the destiny before you and create the life you want. There’s no going back, only forward.” Yet, even as she said the words, even as she knew the truth and validity in them, they didn’t help.

Getting gracefully up from her hotel room bed Aka made her way to the window that faced the wall that surrounded Konohagakure no Sato, but as she crossed the room she caught her reflection in the full length mirror and turned to face herself. She stared into her own citrine yellow eyes for a moment before allowing her gaze to roam over the rest of her appearance: while her red hair had always been long and full with a gentle wave to it she had decided to shave the back and sides very short only three weeks ago. Over the past year she had gained a multitude of tattoos that covered almost every inch of her body while having her septum, bottom lip, and cheek pierced in three places as well as her ears. With her naturally dark lashes and the smidgen of eyeliner she wore she looked like the thug she should have been by birthright. Her attire didn’t help this either: today's outfit was a bit better than her norm but it still screamed rebellious: a simple v-neck long sleeved shirt that clung to her well fit figure and C-cup bust, leggings that were just as black as the shirt. Her feet weren’t covered, but much like her fingernails her toenails were always painted black. Using her fingers she combed her hair up so that she had it all held with one hand before taking the ponytail holder off of her right wrist and slipping her hair up into a slightly messy looking bun. She knew that men liked her appearance, she looked like the kind of girl who could fulfill their darkest of fantasies, yet in that moment she felt like a stranger to herself. She no longer looked like the little innocent girl she once did, she looked like a hardened female who had been through hell and lived to tell the tale.

Pulling herself away from her appearance she crossed the rest of the way to the window and sat down on the little bench that lined it, the bottom half of which was stuffed with various books she had picked up since their arrival in Konohagakure no Sato that mostly covered medical topics - something she was still learning about. Outside she could see smaller children splashing in puddles, giggling and laughing up a storm, as older children or parents supervised them. The innocence brought a smile to her face and a bit of happiness to her otherwise saddened heart: while she knew first hand how it felt to lose a loved one she was at least happy that they got a chance to experience happiness. It was something she had only fleeting glimpses of when she was younger: a handful of moments in which her mother and her could laugh and play. She could still remember back to when she first was informed she was being taken to an orphanage, she feared the place were be dark and soulless, a place of unhappiness and pain, and yet that wasn’t the case here. She had settled in very well, had made friends, and felt like she was part of a family in some sense of the word. Though, there was more to it than that. Dokeshi had done quite a lot in ensuring her comfort here, and he was the person she clung to the most - and still continued to cling to. He was the constant in her life, her comfort, her friend, her love, her everything. He was the reason she trained so hard, pushed herself past limits that others could not, he was her constant motivation to improve. Yet, she had almost lost him too, hadn’t she? A mission gone wrong: the images still could flood her mind, especially at moments like this when she was feeling particularly vulnerable. She mentally kicked herself in that moment: she should have been out training, bettering herself, instead of standing here sulking.

As if sensing her gaze several of the younger children paused, one of them pointing up at her and catching the gaze of several others who likewise looked in her direction. They waved, happy smiles upon their faces, and she felt herself smiling back as she lifted her right hand and returned the gesture. She forced the darkest thoughts from her mind dealing with the day she had nearly lost her best friend and love of her life, and focused instead on wondering where he was. A glance at the clock showed it was almost four o’clock in the evening, and she knew she would be hungry for dinner very soon. “Hmm, where have you wandered off to, love?”, she muttered out loud to herself as if the very walls of the room would perhaps respond to her and provide her with the answers she needed. She knew if one person could get her out of this funk and make her feel better it was him.

---

1,960

Eight Years Ago

“Where are we going?”, A young Dōkeshi asked his father and mother. The family of three have broken off from the rest of the Infinity Gang for whatever reason. Neither parents told him anything, just, abruptly asked him to follow them when he was about to search for Aka, wanting to see if she wanted to play or explore the surrounding area. Alas, the opportunity slipped through his fingers with both of parents wanting him to follow them, along with mentioning that Aka was going to be busy learning from Junko. Though a little saddened at not being able to play with his friend, he was curious at where he was being taken.

Slipping into a nearby alleyway, remembering to remain close to both parents, like they taught him to, Dōkeshi looked around. His tender ears picking of familiar groans and moans of women, and though young, he knew exactly what they meant. Indeed, he caught a glimpse of one woman performing such acts, her head bobbing vigorously, with a burly man who looked to be in some shinobi-esque attire. “Dōkeshi.”, Snapping his head to the front, ignoring the sounds of flesh smacking against one another, Dōkeshi dared not to look again unless he wanted to face the wrath of his father; though he was not for certain, he could feel the male’s eyes burying into.

A couple of more twist and turns were made down the long and narrowing path, and with it, came a new slew of characters that caught his attention. Unlike the acts of the woman before, he did not linger long on the interaction of those around him. Old and young, small and tall, light and dark skin, there was a variety of people moving about, doing whatever they wished to. If he did not know any better, he would believe this was a marketplace, but, never had he been to one where men and women serviced those either in the shadows or one of the houses littered about. “What is this place?”

A few seconds passed, and Dōkeshi gave up any hope of getting an answer from any parent. They were not the type to readily answer all of his questions. They only answer them when they were ready to. Sighing, he perked up and snapped his head towards his mother, his eyes widening slightly as she answered the question, “One of the many underworld marketplaces scattered through the Elemental Nations. This is the one place where you can get anything you want, so long as you have the money.” Furrowing his brow, Dōkeshi’s thoughts were interrupted by his father. “Yes, son. There are shinobis around here, but, remember they are human as well. While many like to believe that all shinobis apart of a village is good. That is not always the case. They also can fall into corruption, and be of use for us.”

Nodding in understanding, Dōkeshi stay beside his parents as his father knocked on a door, a middle age woman opening up, along with a girl older than him “How may I help you?”

Present Day

“Dōkeshi!?” At his name being called, the black haired youth looked up towards the checkout area, an eyebrow being raised at the familiar face. There behind the cash register was a platinum blonde haired woman with cyan blue eyes. She was what many would call a ‘blue-eyed bombshell’, and right now, she was looking at him with eyes that sparkle with familiarity. Moving towards the cash register, he only made it a few steps before being engulfed in a hug by the woman, something he returned wholeheartedly. “Hello Chiyo - - -” Dōkeshi’s words were cut off, and he jumped slightly at the unexpected pinch to his buttocks by the woman. Breaking away from the hug, chestnut brown eyes stared in the clearly amusing ones with a look deadpan expression, “Really?”

Getting only a giggle out of her, Dōkeshi looked around the small shop he had entered. When he and his lover had arrived at Konohagakure no Sato, he wanted to look for a pet. He having a particular interest in owning either a snake or spider that he could work in conjunction with his jutsus. The idea of a spider was promptly thrown out at the thought if how easy one could hide from him, thus, a snake was chosen. While he did not know what species of snake he wanted, he knew that it had to be venomous for what he had planned. A few searches around the main part of Konoha yielded little results on a reptile breeder until someone overheard him asking, and told him about a shop that would be visiting within the upcoming days. Luckily for him, he managed to find the shop before it left again.

“Long time no see. How have you and Aka been since. . .you know.” Blinking, Dōkeshi turned towards the woman, noting that they were the only ones in the store now, and a sign was posted outside the door. “We are doing as fine as one would expect. Haven’t really talked about the injury, to be honest. It is something that never been brought up.” Chiyoko nodded in understanding. She having heard about what had happened while she was Iwa. “Didn’t know you run a reptile shop?”, For the next few minutes, the two would catch-up with one another. Dōkeshi learning that Chiyoko continued on her mother’s busy, a place where his parents always came for various venoms and poisons.

Walking around the store, Dōkeshi looked at the various snakes, none of them catching his attention until, “How much for that one.”, he asked, pointing to a small spitting cobra. It being brown with specks of dark blue being barely seen. “Three thousand ryo due to how rare it is to find them.”, Dōkeshi raised an eyebrow at the prize. That was kind of expensive for a snake. Just as he was about to comment, he shivered at the feeling of Chiyoko nibbling on his ear, “Of course, if you let me have my way with you, I will knock off a thousand.” Stepping away from the woman, ignoring her pout, Dōkeshi shook his head, “You know I can’t do that.” For a moment, the pair stared into each other eyes, and Dōkeshi noted the fleeting sadness within Chiyoko’s that was replaced with happiness. “I was joking about the sex. Besides, I doubt Sayuri would enjoy me doing that, even if it is with you.” Chiyoko said, removing a pack of cigarettes from her impressive cleavage, and lighting a cancer stick, “Tell you what. I will still knock off a thousand if you promise me to take good care of her? She is precious after all, and there will not be any other like her.”

Looking at her in confusion, Dōkeshi nodded in understanding, handling over the ryo. Once the transaction was complete, he buying other essentials, he walked out of the shop with, the now named Peaches, wrapped around his neck, hidden by his hooded jacket. Watching her friend leave her shop Chiyoko chuckled, “I do hope he knows that I was talking about Peaches and Aka, but mainly Aka. She is very precious, indeed.”

Reaching the hotel room, Dōkeshi unlocked the door with his key and stepped inside. “Sweetheart, I am home.”, He announced, letting Aka know that it was him who had entered into the room. Taking off his jacket, revealing the three-foot long Peaches who was comfortably around his neck with her head resting on his left shoulder, Dōkeshi glanced at the times. Yikes. Had he really been gone for that long? He did not realize it was almost four. Kami! Slipping out of his shoes, Dōkeshi, dressed in a simple long sleeve black t-shirt, black, and grey baggy pants, and black socks searching for his girlfriend, “Aka?”

Eventually, he found her sitting on a bench near a window. Moving towards her, Dōkeshi closed the distance, pecking her on the cheek, Peaches having moved her head somewhat behind his neck, and was peeking at Aka with nigh-curiosity, “I am terribly sorry for being gone so long. I lost track of time when I was looking for a reptile shop. I ultimately found one, it being run by Chiyoko.” he said, pausing briefly. “I ended up buying this little cutie.”, ever gentle, he uncurled Peaches from around his neck, holding her in his hand, allowing Aka to look at her, and for the snake to look at Aka, “Her name is Peaches. She is a spitting cobra, but, a very docile and shy one.” Patiently he waited to see her reaction to the new pet, hopefully, it been a positive one.

---

1488

’Honestly, I’m just being stupid dwelling on this while everyone is outside having fun..’, she thought to herself with an exasperated sigh. Truthfully, she wasn’t being stupid - she had spent her first nine years of life in a place that was like what most considered to be hell. It was a place with no rules, no laws, brutality and cruelty were rampant. While she hadn’t been on the receiving end of it she had seen enough of it first hand to have been scarred by it regardless, not physically, no, but mentally. There were things that had happened that no one should have bared witness to, but especially not a young girl. These acts were now images and sounds that never left her mind, though the times of the incidents had long since passed. She had never thought at the time that she would be in a position where those actions weren’t a norm in her life, and neither had her mother. Certainly those who committed such atrocities had never thought of how it would affect the younger generation hanging about, or forced to watch. Or perhaps they had? Perhaps they had hoped that by forcing them to witness such brutality they would become used to it, they could gain a stomach for it, and be able to carry out such acts without the usual responses one would have: vomiting, shaking, the feelings of fear or remorse, a battling of morals. It wasn’t like she could ask, eh? They were all dead as far as she knew, as far as she secretly and silently hoped.

Hearing the door to the hotel suite open she would find herself tearing her citrine yellow gaze away from the children now happily playing below outside of the window and turning her head to the doorway as she watched her lover enter into their shared bedroom. It was as if a gust of wind had suddenly appeared and blew away all of her troubles, her sulking immediately coming to a halt in favor of a smile spreading across her face and the usual joy and love she felt at seeing Doukeshi spreading across her heart and mind. It was wonderful how well his very presence would affect her, but then again he had been there for as long as she could remember. He was someone she had immediately connected with at a young age, and the only person she could confide in about her thoughts and feelings of their situation without being yelled at or scorned for thinking such ways. She had eventually realized her mother tried to protect her from the horrors as much as possible, but it was with Doukeshi that she had felt like she could truly escape. It was with him that she had always felt safe to truly be herself.

She watched in curiosity as he crossed the room, seeing the snake that accompanied him only as he neared and kissed her on the cheek, the loving action causing a bigger smile to spread across her face. Curiosity filled her gaze though at the snake that was now with him, but before she could even formulate a question Doukeshi was already explaining about his new companion. Unlike a normal female who might have recoiled as Doukeshi removed the snake from his neck and held Peaches out for a better view, Aka instead simply moved closer out of curiosity, tilting her head a bit to the side as she regarded the snake not with apprehension but with interest and curiosity. “Peaches? What made you name her that?”, Aka would ask softly as she reached out, giving the snake a moment to regard her scent and what she felt about her. If Peaches gave no adverse reaction to her she would close the distance the rest of the way, stroking the snake gently from her head and then several inches down her body before withdrawing her hand once more. “Well it’s nice to meet you Peaches.”

Focusing her attention back onto Doukeshi, curiosity would still be apparent in her beautifully colored gaze. “Chiyoko works in a reptile shop? I wouldn’t have thought her the type----”, Aka paused then, her gaze narrowing somewhat as she remembered past experiences with the female in question. “... She didn’t grab your ass again, did she?”, Aka would ask suddenly, eyebrows raising as she awaited a response. While she knew that nothing would ever happen between Chiyoko and Doukeshi, despite all of her pleas and joking, it didn’t mean the woman wouldn’t flirt unendingly with Doukeshi at every chance she got - the woman even flirted with her while she was around. It wasn’t like she would get angry - while she certainly had a short fuse she knew that Chiyoko acted that way with several people, part of her personality as it were, so short of the woman doing something really and truly stupid Aka wouldn’t put her hands on her or even yell at her. Absently Aka brushed her hair off of her shoulder and behind her back, keeping the long red strands out of the way as she adjusted into a more comfortable seated position on the bench. Her gaze would shift back over to the snake curiously: she found Peaches to be quite interesting. Having a fondness of snakes unlike most people, Aka herself had been torn between buying herself a snake or a spider before returning to Iwagakure, but had not yet made that decision. Though, if she was honest, she wanted something less along the lines of poisonous and more along the lines of a boa constrictor: something large and crushing, much like the damage she herself caused with her metal sand.

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Total Thread Count: 4,398

The walk towards the apartment shared with Aka was an interesting one, to say the least. Some of the locals that were passed by recoiled, or moved to the other side of the street,  at the sight of a serpent resting around Doukeshi’s neck. There being an apparent fear of the creature, something which the young Iwa-nin did not know the reason of. Why would they fear a harmless creature like a snake? Sure, the particular kind wrapped around his neck was poisonous, but, most snakes were genuine harmless unless threatening in some manner. But, as far as known, Peaches wasn't threatened by anything at the moment, in fact, she seems to be more curious and shy about the world around her. So, why were some of the people of this village acting like that? He did not know. It just remained a mystery for the time being.

Brown russet eyes looked about the crowd of people, and Doukeshi noted that not everyone recoiled or looked at Peaches in disgust. There was quite a few who were looking at the Peaches without a hint of curiosity or recognition. The latter part was somewhat confusing to Doukeshi, but, he chalked it up to them being able to identify her being venomous. Furthermore, he was surprised when this couple complimented him on Peaches as they were passing by. Not everyone seem to have a dislike for the small serpent, for as just as many who looked at her in disgust, there were those who showed genuine curiosity.

Seeing there reactions made Doukeshi about Aka’s own. He wonders how she would react upon seeing Peaches? The question itself was a minute one for Aka was not the typical girl when it comes to animals. If he remembered correctly, she had a general open-minded disposition when it comes to all types of animals, even the scaly and eight-legged varieties. There was some hope that she would get along with Peaches, and vice-versa. Though, apart of hm expected her to be somewhat apprehensive towards a young venomous snake who doesn’t fully have control of the amount of venom to inject within a bite. While he doubts Peaches would bite anyone, the risk was still there and must be accounted for. As any owner of poisonous or venomous animals, caution must be taken in order to ensure the safety of all parties involved, doing anything else is just irresponsible, and that is something Doukeshi is not.


With the apartment coming into view, Doukeshi peaked up the pace. His left hand coming up to rub the top of Peaches’ head, smiling softly at her positive reaction to the ministration. Her shyness showing as she moved away from the touches, as if telling him that was enough, and hiding from him. She was limited in space, being wrapped around his neck like a dangerous necklace, so she just duck her head into his jacket. Feeling other moving about, Doukeshi unlocked the door to the shared apartment, calling out for his lover and wondering where she was, as he slipped off his shoes, and locked the door behind him.

Spotting her sitting on a bench nearby the window, Doukeshi smiles brightly, and his eyes shined with warmth. Aka, she was the one who made his life worth living. She was the one who kept him from straying too deep in his dark path. She was his light. She was his strongest strength and greatest weakness. He would go to the ends of the earth for the woman, something he had an inkling she knew. As the distance between them was crossed, he noted Aka looking at him and Peaches, who peaked her head out some time ago and was tasting the air, curiously. Kissing Aka on the cheek, Doukeshi could not help but to inhale deeply, taking in her unique scent. Heavens, he loved everything about her.

Gently unfurling Peaches from around his neck, and allowing her to curl around his forearm, with Peaches curiously looking at Aka, while flicking her tongue to taste the surrounding air. Doukeshi silently watched the interaction between the too, only breaking the silence to chuckle and blushes slightly at the question, “Well, I do like Peaches as a fruit, and well. I just went with it?”, he admitted to naming the snake after his favorite food. Seeing the hand approach, Peaches did not show any defensive or aggressive reaction, instead, remaining perfectly still, allowing Aka to pet her.

Doukeshi gazed into the beautiful eyes of his lover, “Mmm, yeah it was surprising to say the least - - “. Before any more could be said, he noted Aka’s eyes narrowing at the mention of Chiyoko, and he was not surprised about the question asked. Some people might have lied here, but, Doukeshi did not hide anything from his lover, hence he told the truth, “She did, but, that is as far as she went. Did you know she is in a relationship with another woman by the name of Sayuri?”, he asked. It certainly was news to him about her dating another female. Sure, he knew Chiyoko flirted with both sexes, he and Aka included, but, she was not really the type to be tied down.

While he did not need to mention the other woman, he felt it was best. Aka had a short temper when it came to people flirting with him, a temper that he also had when it came to others flirting or making advances at Aka, therefore, by mentioning Sayuri, it would hopefully prevent a fight between Aka and Chiyoko to break out.  Of course, he did not believe his lover would randomly fight Chiyoko, but, he had to be safe. Dismissing the thoughts from his mind, Doukeshi stepped closer, reaching out with his free hand and caress Aka’s cheek in a loving manner. The touch being a subtle way in letting her know that he was hers, and no one else's.

Seeing Aka’s curious gaze on Peaches, Doukeshi moved to sit beside her, “If my memory serves me right, you also wanted a pet, yes?”, he asked, glancing at Peaches who had crawled off of his arm, and curled up in his lap, head looking at Aka, and tongue constantly flicking out. If memory serves him right, Aka did mention something about a pet in passing. “Do you want to go looking about for one. Chiyoko had a number of different snakes, reptiles, and spiders if you are interested in those. Of course, we could find another pet store, if you want? I do need to get the needed material to build Peaches’ terrarium for our time here. Would have gotten it while I was out, but, I missed my beautiful redheaded Goddess too much.”  he spoke with a twinkle in his eyes.

---

1145[2633]

With a gentle smile on her face Aka petted the snake, Peaches as Doukeshi had named her, while listening to the reason behind the origins. It was cute, at least in her opinion, that Doukeshi would name his new companion after a fruit that he was fond of. Peaches seemed to come across as a bit docile to Aka, even though the snake’s colorations pointed to her being of a venomous kind of snake - not that she was complaining, while she was a medic she would rather not deal with knowing what it felt like to have venom pumping through your veins after a snake bite. Plus, it was just generally nice to be able to get along with Doukeshi’s new friend, it would lead to less trouble in traveling and in general. “Well I like it, it suits her.”, Aka would comment with a smile before withdrawing her hand and shifting her focus onto her lover.

Aka waited with a kind of lethal patience for Doukeshi to to respond to her question, and she wouldn’t have to wait long - his words honest and forthcoming about what the woman at the reptile shop had tried. Absently her hand twitched as if she wanted to reach out and smack the woman who had touched her lover inappropriately, and she knew that if she had been in the vicinity of the woman her territorial response would have been far worse: perhaps it was a good thing that they were having this conversation in the safety of their hotel room and not while on their way to the pet shop. She knew, from Doukeshi’s words, that nothing beyond that had happened, nor that he would have allowed it to occur, but Chiyoko had a tendency of flirting with him even though she knew the two were together. Curiosity though quickly overturned her anger as she listened as her lover mentioned Chiyoko having a lover, a woman named Sayuri. The revelation was startling and interesting: she hadn’t thought that Chiyoko was the type of woman to settle down, to lock herself down to one person in such a way. It caused her to relax once more, and eased away her anger. Chiyoko was a flirt, and liked to play around, but if she was with someone else the chances of her meaning the words she said were small: Chiyoko wasn’t a cruel person, and Aka couldn’t see her cheating on someone even if her words spoke otherwise.

As Doukeshi moved to sit next to her she leaned against against him, a thoughtful look replacing the curious one that had been on her face at the revelation about Chiyoko. She thought over his question for but a brief moment before nodding. “Yeah, I’ve been torn between a snake or a spider. A venomous spider, or a large snake such as a boa constrictor. Though, I’d want a larger spider… Something not easily squashed.”, she spoke thoughtfully. As Doukeshi mentioned going to Chiyoko’s shop or the shop of someone else she paused and sighed softly. “We can go to her shop - I’m not as angry as I was.”, she commented softly before snorting. “I guess I get a little.. Territorial, you could call it.”, she spoke truthfully, putting her emotions into words. She had no issues in being truthful with Doukeshi: she preferred being honest with him, letting him know how she felt. He was hers, there was no question over this, just like she was his.

As Doukeshi mentioned needing supplies for Peaches she would find herself glancing at the snack with a soft smile. “Mmm, I will have to do the same no matter if I choose a spider or a snake. I’ll have to make sure whatever pet I get can coexist alongside Peaches though, and you.”, she spoke softly, planting a gentle kiss upon Doukeshi’s cheek. Yes, whatever pet she got would have to be able to exist alongside Doukeshi and Peaches for this to work, of that she was definitely sure. She knew some people had pets that were a bit on the sassy side, or friendly to only their owner, and she didn’t want a pet like that, not with how much she cared for Doukeshi.

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Total WC: 6,253