The banquet hall was starkly beautiful. The colorful decorations, the clan banners, the tables adorned with flowers. Misoka watched in awe, her lips slightly parted as her eyes wandered across the room, taking it all in. She wasn’t the only one to stare, it seemed; she could clearly hear some “Ohs” and “Ahs” coming from the other people behind them.
The table where Misoka and Bokuden would be seated was slightly elevated from the rest, much to her regret. Still, she couldn’t really pretend to be surprised about it, considering she had agreed to join the clan leader’s son who would undoubtedly be the center of attention tonight. She swallowed, but kept a straight face nonetheless. So what if everyone would be watching them? There were worse things than that.
As soon as the two reached their seats, Misoka let go of Bokuden’s arm and sat down quietly.

“Once they get through the formalities this will become less of a military rally and more of a party.”
She glanced at Bokuden, returning his smile slightly. Truth be told, she couldn’t quite imagine what a party would look like in this hall. Everyone was dressed so elegantly that it seemed impossible for them to really loosen up. She herself didn’t feel too comfortable in her expensive kimono with seven layers.
“I’m sorry if it starts off slow. It will get better, I promise,” Bokuden added, but she only shook her head.
“Don’t apologize. It surely is interesting to be part of such a big event.” ‘Interesting’ was the right word. On the one hand, the hall looked magnificent, almost like a picture out of this world where the suits of samurai armor were the only things reminding of the dangerous shinobi life. On the other hand, of course, Misoka felt misplaced. She was no princess or noble clan member and she feared someone would ask about her social status. But perhaps that was just her worrying too much again.

Her gaze wandered once more, focusing on a few older men wearing luxurious Ryuzoji clothing. They were standing secluded from the rest of the crowd streaming into the room and watched the people closely. Then one of the old men turned his head and met Misoka’s eyes.
She quickly averted her gaze, pretending to admire the decorations. Oh yes, what a beautiful painting on the ceiling… Okay, that man wasn’t looking anymore. Instead, he had turned to his friends and started some kind of conversation, it seemed.
Misoka leaned over and whispered to Bokuden,”Who are they?” She nodded to the small group of old men when another thought crossed her mind. “Is one of them your grand-father?”
It sounded like a completely innocent question, but Misoka hoped to find out a bit more about Bokuden’s family in general.
Back on that tower, he had told her how his father wouldn’t allow him to see his mother anymore. She could still recall that bitter look on his face which let her know that there was so much more to it. Something troubled him deep down. Not just the fact that his mother was unhappy. Misoka had the strong feeling that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Oh, damn. So she was wrong. But it hadn't been such a bad guess, huh? One of those clan elders did have a similar face.. or nose... okay, definitely not.
Misoka almost felt a little disappointed, but then she figured that his mere reaction could be far more interesting than the words he spoke. Was that a hint of fear flitting across his face, disappearing as swiftly as it came? But... she raised an eyebrow. This didn't make sense. Why would he be afraid of his grand-father or father or... Wait. What if he only felt uneasy imagining they could see him together with her? Yeah, this sounded more plausible... he had said it before that his father wouldn't attend the event and he certainly felt relieved about it. This would spare him uncomfortable questions like why he'd asked out a foreigner girl and who she was, blah blah. No, it was worse: His father had already chosen a date for him and Bokuden disregarded his order and now he was afraid of his father's reaction when he would find out...
Misoka was so busy weaving together her own assumptions, which she believed to be true (for the most part), that she almost overheard the server coming to their table.
"Oh... good evening to you, too," she quickly blurted out, bowing her head slightly.
Bokuden took a sip from his drink - it looked like wine - and then turned to her. “Let me know if you’d like anything as far as drinks or appetizers before the meals are served."
The server gave her a look of expectancy.
"Umm... only a glass of water, please," Misoka ordered hastily, the polite smile frozen into place on her lips. Just then, Bokuden reached out for her hand, making her almost flinch again.
"...and are you okay with all of this?" He asked quietly.
She knew that he only meant well, but she couldn't help feel a bit underestimated. Of course she had gone through worse than that; she could take care of herself... well, most of the time.
With a slightly offended expression, Misoka withdrew her hand and said,"I'm.. perfectly fine! I've never felt better in my life! This.. banquet is everything I ever dreamed about-" And then she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. She had only meant to deny her suppressed nervousness, but the moment she opened her mouth, her words sounded so fake that she just let them drown in sarcasm. "I'm sorry," she chuckled and answered truthfully this time,"What I meant to say is: I do feel a bit nervous, I'm just not used to.. um, events like this one. But don't worry, I can handle it."
Shortly after, the server returned, bringing her a glass of water. Perfect timing. She made use of the small distraction and while she reached out for her glass, she asked casually,"Are there any other close relatives of yours here? Like, your mother or siblings?"

Even with her laugh and apology Bokuden couldn’t help but feel somewhat hurt by her reaction. He wasn’t angry, just disappointed. It seemed like everything he tried to do for Misoka, no matter how good his intentions, was always wrong. He let out a sigh before taking another sip from his glass and turning his gaze away from Misoka, instead looking out over the hall before speaking, “No, I’m sorry. I know you can handle it… you’re strong. It was out of place for me to even insinuate otherwise. It’s just… nevermind, I apologize if I offended you.” Their conversation was cut short by the server returning to bring her a glass of water. “Thank God,” he thought to himself, relieved that the subject could potentially end there.

"Are there any other close relatives of yours here? Like, your mother or siblings?" Misoka asked as she reached for her glass

“No,” Bokuden answered, still without turning to face her, “They are with my father at his event. I’m the only member of the head family here tonight.” Placing his glass down on the table and throwing a glance Misoka’s way Bokuden smiled at her and continued, “Hmmm, Misoka-san… why the sudden interest in my immediate family?” He leaned his head against his hand, which rested on the table and looked at her curiously, “Something on your mind?”


(OOC: Sorry for the short post, but I want to see where you are want to take this conversation xD)

[no problem ^^ ]

Congratulations, you ruined it, Misoka thought bitterly when she saw the hurt expression on Bokuden's face. She knew that her reaction wasn't exactly what you would expect, hey, sometimes she didn't quite understand herself anymore. There was her pride combined with her sensitivity which would make her almost allergic to people pointing out her weaknesses. And then there was her sense of humour and politeness which would usually make her do the exact opposite: keep silent and take whatever comment with a grain of salt.
Seeing Bokuden turn away immediately sparked the feeling of guilt inside her.
Fortunately, he wasn't too offended to answer her question, but as he got suspicious of her sudden interest in his family, Misoka felt caught out. She couldn't just say,I'm curious about your past and want to coax all these secrets out of you!, if she really wanted to know more, she had to do it smartly. Too bad she wasn't really good at pestering someone with seemingly innocent questions. Or at telling lies.

"Sudden interest?" She repeated, pretending to be surprised. She paused for a moment and took a sip from her glass. "I'm only...um...very interested in you." What was she saying?! Her cheeks turned red as she bit her tongue. "Ehh, this sounded awkward, sorry. I mean, I'd just like to find out more about you...now that you know my biggest problems and we basically work together..." She searched for more good arguments. "We're friends so we should get to know each other better."
Again, she reached for her glass, throwing only a sideways-glance to Bokuden in order to see his reaction. She wasn't really proud of her talk no jutsu, but perhaps it would encourage him to tell her more about himself. And then she wondered why she even wanted to know so much about him... Was she too curious? The memory of his sad eyes crossed her mind once more, the moment when he had brought up his family back on the tower of heaven. Misoka knew only too well what pain looked like.
"I don't want to be nosy... I was just wondering why you're the only one of the head family here. Is it always like this? You said this banquet takes place every year if I recall correctly," She went on quietly. It sounded kind of sad that no one of his close relatives would, well, 'party' with him (he said there would be a party, so...).

Bokuden’s smile widened as Misoka spoke and a blush crept up her cheeks. Her slight hesitation as she searched for the proper words to express herself was adorable. "I don't want to be nosy... I was just wondering why you're the only one of the head family here. Is it always like this? You said this banquet takes place every year if I recall correctly," She trailed off at the end.

“Yes, this event is an annual thing,” Bokuden answered, leaning over to her slightly to close off others from the conversation, “It is tied to the tournament, which is an annual event. The long table we are sitting at now will be filled with participants that have advanced into the final rounds of the tournament. There will be a boring introduction where they introduce them all and then everyone can get on with their lives. Other leaders amongst the clan are attending other such events throughout the village. This is just something that we are responsible for as members of the main family, more work than play really. Of course, that was before I invited you.” Bokuden was careful about surrendering too much information, particularly being surrounded by people who work for or with his father. There was a time and place for her to learn the truth about his relationship with his family… even if he was reluctant to tell her, but this certainly was neither then nor there. The best he could do now was dance around that particular subject and hopefully get her talking about herself again.

“But, back to something else you said… you’re just very interested in me, hmm?” Bokuden said playfully as he took another sip of wine and smiled, “That’s not a bad thing to hear. What were you interested in particular? There aren’t all that many reasons for someone to say something like that, surely you had something in mind.” He leaned his head back against him arm and tilted it ever so slightly as he awaited her answer with a smirk. This conversation had just started getting interesting, Bokuden hoped it could continue before the MC for the evening interrupted them with the formal introductions.

Misoka listened to his explanation, nodding slowly. Now she understood a lot more about this banquet and Bokuden's responsibility. What surprised her was the fact that other Ryuzoji members of the head family attended other events, which basically meant that the clan must be in fact very influential. So she'd been right from the start: The Ryuzojis seemed to have a high social status in Kumogakure.
"I see," Misoka muttered thoughtfully. When Bokuden fell silent, she knew that he wouldn't give her any more information, at least not for now.
This was alright. She could be patient.

“But, back to something else you said… you’re just very interested in me, hmm?”

Oh no. Misoka's face grew hot as he went on teasing her. Or was he actually flirting? She had no idea. Lack of experience probably.
And moreover, what should she reply? She hadn't really had anything in mind... well, she'd wanted to know more about his family and past, but he didn't seem to want to hear that. And why, for Christ's sake, wouldn't her cheeks cool down? She must look like an idiot.
"I don't... I just.." She stammered, trying to come up with some smart answer to tease him back. Well... deem it useless. Misoka might be many things, but she was definitely not quick at repartee.

This time, however, she had the luck on her side when a man stood up from his seat and begged for everyone's attention. The MC without a doubt.
A long introduction followed and all finalists shared their own thoughts about the tournament.
Bokuden had spoken the truth: It was boring. Most participants only repeated what the others had said before: 'I'm glad to be here, I got my first sword at blah blah years, I will try my hardest to win this tournament, blah blah...'.
When the introductions had finally ended, Misoka stood up quietly and whispered,"Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."
Then she walked away while everyone started talking again and some people ran around greeting their friends.

[ok, let's get this started: while misoka squirts the dirt (xD), bokuden's ex turns up :D ok?]

After Misoka had excused herself from the table Bokuden began lamenting the poor timing of the MC. “I saw the look on her face; something interesting was about to be said once she recomposed herself,” he thought as he glared over at the man who had unknowingly interrupted his conversation, seething with discontent. Finishing his glass of wine Bokuden signaled for a server to refill it… there was a decent chance he was going to need it since he now had to greet all of the brownnosers that were about to approach him. Chugging down his second glass as the guests approached Bokuden shook hands with each of them and sent them on their way in the briefest manner possible. It didn’t take him even five minutes to clear the line. “Now that that is over with,” he thought to himself as he took a seat once again and ordered another refill, “Hopefully there won’t be any more interruptions.”

Just as he finished that thought and went to reach for his newly poured glass a soft and slender hand brushed across his neck, making its way down into the folds of his kimono and onto his chest. “What, you don’t know how to say hi?” a familiar female voice rang in his ear. He immediately recognized the voice and could tell just from the suggestive contact that it wasn’t Misoka.

“Hello Mitsuki,” Bokuden replied as he removed her hand from his bare chest and hid his displeasure with her presence, “What brings you here?” Why was he even entertaining her nonsense? He knew Mitsuki too well, and he knew nothing good could come from her being here. She had something planned and he didn’t like it even if he didn’t know what it was, but still he maintained a cordial smile befitting the occasion.

“I’m here with my date of course,” she replied loudly, leaning her body onto the seated Bokuden, no doubt purposefully pressing her breasts against him, and whispering into his ear, “Why else would I be here?” The attempted seductive tone in her voice told Bokuden everything he needed to know about what else she would be here for. He needed to get himself out of this situation… and now. Misoka would be back any moment, what would she think? Besides, he had been down that road with Mitsuki before and already knew what getting involved with her entailed. He began to raise himself out of his seat before he felt her push him back down into his seat and throw herself onto his lap.

“Okay, now I have to go,” Bokuden said as he began nudging her of by pushing his hands against her waist (an act that she resisted by supporting herself with the table and pushing back further), “Seriously, off. Now. Don’t you have a date to get back to?”


(OOC: Figured this might be an interesting scene for Misoka to walk in on. I haven’t bothered to decide on her appearance, you can detail that if you want. Just black hair, and an obvious seductive look/outfit/whatever.)

After Misoka had finished her business, she proceeded to wash her hands at the sink. Behind her she heard a stall open.
“You are Bokuden’s companion, aren’t you?” A female voice resounded and echoed off the midnight-blue tile walls.
Misoka whipped around to stand face to face with a young, pretty girl, who was staring at her nonchalantly. She wore her brown hair in a single braid down her back and was dressed in a bright green kimono. What did she want? It didn’t sound like simple small talk.
Slowly, Misoka turned off the water before she answered the girl’s question. “Yes… for tonight, that is.” They both fell silent for a while, only interrupted by the sound of water as the girl washed her hands at the sink as well.
“I’m Suzume,” she said then.
Misoka looked at her, slightly confused. She hadn’t asked for her name, had she? But the brown-haired girl only went on with a sad smile,”I loved him, you know. This seems like ages ago after what he’s done to me.”
He? Bokuden? Was Misoka honestly the right person to tell this to? “I…” The young Karisuma tried to intervene, but at that moment, Suzume turned to look straight at her. Were there tears in her eyes? Misoka swallowed; she clearly felt a bit overwhelmed. But it only got worse as Suzume wouldn't let the topic drop.
“I’m here to warn you. Bokuden loves to break the hearts of women. He’ll make you believe you’re special to him… only to break up with you for someone else who seems more interesting!” – “No, that’s… I mean, we’re not in a relationship..! I’m in no position to get involved with anyone!”
Misoka lifted her hands almost defensively, her eyes widened. What had she gotten herself into? And somewhere in the back of her mind for now, she pondered the things that person had just told her. That girl… she was without a doubt one of Bokuden’s ex-girlfriends.
A dry smile played on Suzume’s lips as she countered,”But why did you agree to be his date tonight?”
Misoka wanted to answer her question, but she was at a loss for words.
Before she could find her voice again, Suzume continued, looking at her feet as though she fought back tears. “I’m only telling you this because I don’t want the same happen to you. Bokuden is nice, true, on the surface. But he loves to play with girls, everyone knows that. And now that he’s become a Jounin… he’s got his own squad.” She suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh. “His first squad and … all three students are girls around his age. Pretty unusual, don’t you think?”
Misoka could only stare at that point. What could she possibly give as reply anyway? The only thing that came to her mind was,”And why should I believe you?”
Another smile flitted across Suzume’s face, so contrary to the tears she was wiping away. “You don't have to, you’ll see for yourself. Good luck.”
And having said so, the brown-haired girl went outside, leaving Misoka behind in the bathroom, completely perplexed. All the doubts she had suppressed ever since the banquet had started returned at once. Her thoughts were swirling inside her head, combining the old woman’s words with what Misoka had heard just now. A womanizer, a heartbreaker – these two words could very well go along with each other.
She exhaled in a sigh, shaking her head. No point in worrying about this. She would just have to be careful… And who knew, maybe that girl had been lying anyway. Secretly, Misoka hoped for such a simple explanation which wouldn’t put the blame on Bokuden.

Trying to regain her carefree smile, she made her way back to the table where Bokuden was... – And right after entering the main hall, she froze. This couldn’t be. So there was truth in Suzume’s words after all…
With her mouth open, Misoka continued to stare at the scene before her: A girl dressed in a very revealing red outfit was sitting on Bokuden’s lap and he was grabbing her shoulders to… well, Misoka didn’t want to think too much about what they were doing.
The burning feeling of anger started rising inside her. Was Bokuden so shameless to make out in the middle of an important clan event? She had considered him more, much more responsible than that. But then again, she hadn’t even wanted to believe he could be playing with her… well, there was the proof now. He had asked her out to this banquet only to fool around with other girls behind her back.
Hang on – her face flushed red, both out of anger and embarrassment – she wasn’t in a romantic relationship with Bokuden, so why play jealous? It wasn't like she cared about who he made out with.
‘Just calm down,’ she thought to herself, exhaling deeply. When she had made sure that the polite smile was back on her lips, Misoka decided to walk to her seat.

“Excuse me.” She cleared her throat and added in the calmest voice she could manage,“I hate to interrupt your little moment, but you might want to go someplace else.” ‘If you’re so horny…’ she completed the sentence in her head, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Then she sat down, averting her gaze.
From the corner of her eye, though, she could see the black-haired woman smile widely. A smile which Misoka would have loved to punch out of her face.

[OOC: that Suzume girl is friends with Mitsuki, they had this all planned out xD]

“Excuse me. I hate to interrupt your little moment, but you might want to go someplace else.”

“Misoka! I-“ Bokuden blurted out, almost jumping out of his seat in surprise as Misoka walked over to her seat, “This isn’t what you’re thinking. I was just sitting here waiting for you and then-“

“And then something better came along,” Mitsuki cut him off as she placed her hand on the side of his face and glared in a haughty manner at Misoka from the corner of her eye, “Sorry sweetie, he made his choice. That’s why you’re over there and I’m in his lap. You understand, right? A nice looking girl like you isn’t fiery enough to keep a man like Bokuden interested. So thanks for keeping him warm for me, but your services won’t be needed anymore. You can leave now, you’re in my seat.” Her lips curled into a devilish grin as she spoke, almost taunting Misoka before swinging her leg over Bokuden’s lap and going in as if for a kiss.

His blood now boiling at the sheer audacity of Mitsuki’s words Bokuden immediately raised his hand to intercept the kiss, and with his fingers press on her forehead to push her away. “Have you lost your damned mind Mitsuki?” Sebastian growled angrily as he picked her up by her waist and removed her from his lap, standing up between her and Misoka in the process, “Why are you even here? To embarrass me and insult my date?”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Mitsuki replied as she once again tried to inch closer to Bokuden extending her arms as if to wrap them over the back of his neck, “I’m here to rescue you from that.” Her eyes shifted over to Misoka as she said that, the inflection in her voice clearly meaning it as an insult.

Bokuden took a hold of her wrists and kept her at arm’s length away from him. “Mistsuki, stop!” he commanded, “Why are you doing this? I left you months ago, is this just out of spite?! The nerve you have saying that to her. If she can’t keep me interested why is she here with me and you’re here being rejected? You’re right, I have made my choice. I choose Misoka. Now, you’re services aren’t needed anymore. You can leave now.”

Mitsuki’s cheeks burned a bright red as all the eyes at the table turned to see her standing their rejected. She furrowed her brow and contorted her face as the anger built up inside of her, finally resulting in a hard and loud slap across Bokuden’s face.  She didn’t storm off though, she simply stood there huffing in puffing in anger and embarrassment as the crowd gasped and murmured in shock at her striking him in the middle of the event.

The slap was hard enough to cause Bokuden’s neck to turn to the side, resulting in him facing Misoka with his cheek stinging red from the slap.


(OOC: I wanted to leave how Misoka responds to this up to you. You could even bring Suzume back in to the picture if you want xD)

The slap didn’t bother Bokuden so much as the audacity of the whole situation, it wasn’t like this was the first time a girl has slapped him anyway. It was however, the first time anyone had been so bold as to publicly assault him at one of these events. Add in the fact that Mitsuki and Suzume went out of their way to sabotage his night with Misoka and Bokuden was visibly livid. The only thing that kept him from exploding into a storm of verbal insults was a tug on his sleeve, prompting him to look over to see it was Misoka who had grabbed his attention.

"Sit down and ignore them. They'll leave eventually," Misoka commanded, masking her displeasure for the situation with a smile and behaving as if nothing had happened. Suddenly, a surge of shame and disappointment flooded through Bokuden as he noticed the crowd gawking at the events that had transpired. He didn’t care about the crowd, but how must he have looked to Misoka? She had already shown herself to be uncomfortable with crowds and being the center of attention outside of the building when he met her earlier, somehow he doubted that changed in the half an hour or so they had been there. Beyond that, how could he possibly apologize Mitsuki’s words? And then there was the way she threw herself on his lap… but he figured that might not be as big of a deal to Misoka as it was to him. They were together that night, but they weren’t “together”, right? As far as Bokuden could tell the attraction between them wasn’t mutual, evident by her continual hesitation in allowing him to do something even simple as hold her hand. He had already accepted the possibility that Misoka might never see him the way he sees her, but even so he invited her out that evening to get her away from her own issues, not take on his. Now everything was ruined.

Without saying a word he agreed and began turning around to take his seat… only to have yet another intrusion on his evening. “What the hell is going on here?” exclaimed a male voice from behind him, “Is there a problem Mitsuki?” Oh great, just what Bokuden needed now. He stopped himself from sitting down, knowing exactly where this was going, and clenched his fists, keeping his back turned to their new uninvited guest.

“It was Bokuden!” Mitsuki exclaimed, clinging to the man and wiping fake tears from her eyes, “I was walking by and he called me over! I tried to be respectful and greet him in turn and he just grabbed me and forced me onto his lap! I tried to get away, but he wouldn’t let go of me! When I finally got away he threatened to hit me… so I slapped him…”'

“What?!?” the man roared angrily, “Do you think you can get away with this just because of your position?! We’ll resolve this how our clan resolves all issues of honor, draw your sword!”

Bokuden pressed his hands against his temples and began breathing deeply, attempting to calm himself down. No one was going to make his life any easier tonight, were they? Lowering his hands once again he turned to face his clansmen who was now brandishing a katana against him, “She’s lying to you. She was never interested in you, she only wanted access to this event to get to me. She used you to that end. And now you are committing treason amongst the ranks of your clan by threatening your superior… over a woman who you have probably known for a week at most. Go back to your seat before I take disciplinary actions into my own hands.”

(OOC: I want you to rp how they react, I'm starting to run out of ideas for them xD)

Oh no, this was getting worse and worse. She could see that Bokuden wanted to follow her advice - she gave him credit for his remaining sense of responsibility - , but then a male voice pulled him back.
Misoka blinked in surprise, her eyes shifting to the man rushing to them. "What the hell is going on here?!"
When Mitsuki threw herself into his arms, it wasn't hard to figure out who that man was.
By the time he challenged Bokuden to a fight, Misoka had no idea what to believe anymore. Who was at fault? Bokuden? The black-haired girl Mitsuki? And what about Suzume? Her eyes wandered back and forth between the three people she had just listed in her mind. She soon had to admit that Bokuden seemed like the most trustworthy person of them, not only because she'd known him longest, but also because the whispering about a 'plan' and Mitsuki's violent actions weren't exactly in their favor.  

“Do you think you can get away with this just because of your position?! We’ll resolve this how our clan resolves all issues of honor, draw your sword!”

Misoka snapped out of her thoughts, alert in an instant. Now this situation was about to escalate. Worst case scenario, probably.
As Bokuden pressed his hands against his temples in frustration, Misoka's eyes softened. For a moment, she tried to put herself in his position: Representing the Ryuzoji head family this evening and being caught up in a huge scandal before the enjoyable part of the event had even begun. He didn't deserve that... no one did.

"Go back to your seat before I take disciplinary actions into my own hands," Bokuden was saying to the other man at that moment, obviously trying his best to stay calm. 'Just go already,' Misoka thought to herself, glaring at the small group: Suzume and Mitsuki exchanging meaningful glances and the furious boyfriend still pointing with his sword at Bokuden.
A few seconds of silence followed, which seemed to last forever, until Bokuden's opponent gave in.

"Fine," he grunted, turning away and taking Mitsuki's hand. The girl looked up at him surprised - what did she expect? That they would be fighting over her in a banquet hall? "Go on molesting others' girlfriends just because you can! You like to threaten with execution, don't you? I would beat you here and now if it didn't mean my death in the near future!"
Another gasp went through the crowd, including Misoka. Execution? What was that man talking about? Had he lost his mind? He would end up in a not too comfortable prison cell if he kept on spreading lies like that.
At least the troublemakers finally returned to their seats... wait, no. The young man was stopped by one of the elders midway and drawn into a short conversation. By the end of it, the man's face had turned pale.
In the meantime, the crowd gradually calmed down, murmurs and whispers dying off while the servers were running around taking orders.

"Um..." Misoka said awkwardly, throwing a sideways-glance at Bokuden. “So when does the party start?”
She didn’t want to talk about what he’d done with Mitsuki or not done now or wonder what the elder might have said to that other guy; she only wanted to go back to the time before all of that happened. Making an attempt to ease the tension in the air as well as to save the rest of the evening, she forced a smile and motioned for him to sit beside her.

"Misoka.. I.. please, we need to talk... just please..."
The forced smile faded from her lips, leaving only confusion and concern behind. Bokuden looked terrible - no - terribly upset and his voice sounded unusually strained.. as though he had trouble squeezing out the words. Of course she hadn't expected him to sit down and proceed having a good time just like that, but she'd never thought he would truly want to talk about that embarrassing scene. Being slapped by a girl in front of all people... she could imagine how humiliating it must feel like.
"Okay." The word was out before she'd really thought about Bokuden's request. She hesitated for a split second, wondering why she'd agreed so quickly, but then chose to take his hand without further ado.
He led her past the other guests, past the annoying trio Mitsuki, her date and Suzume, past the elders. Misoka's pulse began to thud while feeling that they had the crowd's full attention now, a not very pleasant thought. Her eyes, filled with concern for his strange behaviour, shifted up to Bokuden's face when they went out of the main hall.
"Are you sure you can just..." She trailed off, shaking her head slightly. Never mind. After what had happened a few minutes ago, it wouldn't make a difference anymore if he left the event for a while.
So they kept on walking, her hand still in his as she noticed, but she didn't mind this time. Somehow, she even hoped it might calm him down a little bit.

Okay, this was quite much to take in. Misoka stood there, unsure of how to respond to Bokuden's long, emotional explanation, which she highly assumed to be honest. Which would mean then... Mitsuki had been lying, it must have been some kind of trick to humiliate him, a plan. She paused in her thoughts, her eyes narrowing slightly. So her gut feeling had been right after all. She recalled that Suzume girl talk to Mitsuki and mention a plan which "would still work out"... As a logical consequence, Suzume must have told only lies as well.
'Which takes me back to sqare one,' Misoka mused, regarding Bokuden closely. And then it came: the feeling of guilt slowly rising inside her. Ever since they'd gone to the banquet, she had kept her distance and Bokuden had known all along. 'You’ve been treating me differently.' His words resounded in her head, making her heart ache. He must have probably felt rejected or simply confused with the recurring question in his mind what he'd done wrong.

A sigh escaped her lips as she turned away from Bokuden and leaned over with her arms on the balcony's balustrade. It was a nice view. A gorgeous night.
"I'm always running," she stated calmy, her eyes wandering across the streets below. "Sometimes it feels I've been running my whole life."
She knew she was speaking in riddles, but it felt right. This was how she wanted to tell this story, no, how the story wanted to be told.
A sad smile lingered upon her lips when she went on. "After my mother was killed, I thought I had to be strong for both of us, my father and I. But in fact, I was only running away from the pain. I distracted myself. I took one mission after another, never something more difficult than D-Rank though.. much to my regret. My father said I was too young or too weak, he was always searching for reasons to keep me at home as long as possible. He became overprotective of me. But who could blame him? He was always afraid I might get killed like my mother."
Misoka paused for a moment. "And when the seamstress told me that you're well-known for being a 'womanizer', I did what I could do best. I was running again. I was afraid you might have a ulterior motive for helping me and so I went back to distrusting you. It's the easiest way. To avoid conflicts. To stay on the safe side. You can't be hurt if you keep away."
She finally turned around to meet Bokuden's gaze. There was no trace of anger in her eyes, she'd already accepted his apology. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before she said,"I should be sorry for thinking the worst. You've offered me your help and I can't even see through that girl's lie. I truly believed you were the one at fault, just because it would confirm my nagging doubts." A hint of guilt flitted across her face, but then she chose to smile again in an attempt to lighten up the mood once and for all. "Like I said: I'm a runner. It's a bad habit, yes, but it has also kept me living in freedom for a bit longer than usual."
She chuckled despite the fierce truth in her words, her heart feeling lighter than before. How strange. Did it actually feel good to get things off your chest? For now, she was relieved and okay, a tiny bit embarrassed at the same time. She hoped Bokuden was still listening.
"Ehh.. anyway, to cut a long story short: Apology accepted. Just let me ask one last question, I'm curious." The amused smile didn't leave her face. "Do you really have only girls on your squad?"

So at least this piece of information was true. Misoka had to suppress another chuckle when she tried to imagine what Bokuden’s unusual squad must look like. Back in Suna, she had always hoped to be assigned to a squad with only girls due to her fear of men. The smile on her lips widened as she wallowed in memories about her former team: the kazekage Gin-sensei dripping with confidence, the little girl Jezzi who would never mince matters and the only cock of the walk Kaizen, a calm and smart boy who would help her accustom to the opposite gender.
Her heart ached while thinking about the time they’d shared together. How they had begged for her to stay. She missed her squad… just like she missed her hometown.

Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind for now, Misoka quickly replied to Bokuden’s question. “Ehh no… in the bathroom, there was another girl –“
Before she could finish her sentence, however, Bokuden suddenly took a hold of her hands, interlacing their fingers as though this was a completely natural thing to do. Needless to say, Misoka’s words had caught in her throat by then and she could barely hear him say,”No more gossip.”
Her heart began to race. Why was he always holding her hands? Why –
She almost started panicking when he leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. What was that about? She’d never been so close to a man before, she had absolutely no idea what to do at this moment. Then her mind swirled with possibilities of how she could pull away politely or escape this unknown situation. Far too nervous to meet his eyes, she stared down at her feet, feeling her face grow hotter with each passing second. She could only hope that the dim moonlight wouldn’t let him see it so well.
“No more averting your eyes.” Huh? Misoka flinched, hesitantly looking into Bokuden’s blue eyes. What was going on? Was he teasing her again? But he seemed so serious.  
Her heart continued thudding in her chest, threatening to break out of her rib cage. She listened to everything Bokuden had to say and remained silent throughout his entire speech, but none of his words helped her calm down in the least bit.
In her head, all thoughts were still racing and bombarding her with questions: Why did he enjoy her company so much? Why did he care about what she thought of him? Why was he afraid she could hate him? And just why did he want to be that close to her right now?
Misoka felt so nervous she feared her head might explode every moment, but she wasn’t an idiot. Everything pointed to one simple explanation. The simple probability that this was some kind of confession. Okay, she could imagine which kind. But this didn’t mean she could believe it.
Bokuden’s words sounded so much more sincere and heartfelt, so different from the clumsy “I like you”s she had always declined. He knew she would have to leave sooner than later and still he seemed to hold onto the “We’ll do this together”-phrase. Her heart sank. She wasn’t a naïve child anymore.

The silence stretched out between them as Misoka was searching for words, but couldn’t find any which would describe how she felt. She was nervous, very nervous, grateful for the trust he put in her and confused by the intensity of his words.
“I…” Her voice sounded so hoarse that she had to clear her throat quietly. The blush was still evident on her face. “I don’t really know what to say.”
She swallowed, closing her eyes for a heartbeat and muttering under her breath,“Okay, no running this time. I owe you that much.”
But then, she found herself again struggling for words. How she honestly felt about him? What did he expect her to say? How did she feel about him? She’d never really given it that much thought. How could he even expect her to think properly with him being so close and all… that was when she started panicking again.

In one swift movement, she pulled herself free and took two steps back.
“I’m not good at this. Not at all,” she apologized in a squeaky voice. But from then on, the words automatically came out of her mouth. “I don’t trust people easily. Especially not now that I’m a fugitive. I’ve already had my share of problems in Iwa because I ran into a nice looking kid who set his wolf on me. And that’s why I’m so surprised that I told you things I never tell anyone. I mean, I barely know you. It’s crazy, scary even. But somehow you’ve already become a good friend to me, one of the few I still have.” She took a deep breath. “I’m glad I met you. You’re fun to talk to, you make me laugh when I should be crying instead… But don’t… please don’t make it any more complicated.” Her gaze went down to her hands. “I don’t know how much time I’ve got left. I only know I’m going to save my father no matter where this leaves me. You shouldn’t expect too much from me… umm… I’m not the right person, you know…there are other girls...” Now she was stammering, the blush intensifying again because she felt like an idiot assuming things which could very well be wrong.
Perhaps Bokuden didn’t even mean to say he liked her or anything like that.
Perhaps his question wasn’t about whether she liked him back.
And… if it was, she had given him quite a vague answer, she realized. But it wouldn’t make sense to think too much about her own feelings if she wasn’t even suited for any relationship. Hopefully, he would understand.

Oh, so she'd been wrong after all. A wave of relief washed over her as Bokuden smiled and claimed she'd misunderstood his intentions. "Of course," Misoka replied, half laughing. "I thought it was weird for you to... I mean you barely know me as well and I'm more trouble than anything else!" She kept the smile on her lips, all the while trying to ignore her inner voice,Just who are you fooling now?
Bokuden seemed sincerely happy...no, 'happy' was not the right word, there was just no trace of displeasure on his face. And still, she knew that she would see through his smile if she only tried a bit harder. But she didn't. It was the most sensible decision to leave this all behind, any hints of romance between them were to be extinguished.
And so she ignored the strange sting in her heart when she agreed with Bokuden immediately. "Yes, I'm glad we could clarify things. About the running part, it's not so easy to break a habit." She let out a small chuckle before adding quietly, almost to herself,"But by deciding to confront my clan, I guess I've taken the first step into this direction."
Upon looking up, she saw Bokuden's gaze shift to the illuminated streets below them.
"Hey! How about we sneak out of here and head over to the street festival going on in the village?" He suggested excitedly.
At first, Misoka could only stare at him surprised, but then a smirk spread across her lips. "Is this just my bad influence or have you always rebelled against your clan's traditions?" She asked playfully while rolling up the thick kimono to her knees. Without another word, she jumped on the balcony's balustrade, keeping her balance effortlessly. "You're coming or not?" Maybe she really got better at teasing when hanging out with Bokuden.

[sorry for the late reply, I've been sick the past couple of days D: terrible headache =.= worse, my english writing skills suffer from it... forgive me for my bad post this time ;__;]

Misoka glanced down at her kimono. She had to agree with Bokuden: There was no way she could jump around in such expensive clothing. Hmm... Before she could ponder any further, she suddenly lost ground and felt herself being lifted up in Bokuden's arms.
She didn't even have time to argue - all she squeaked in surprise was an "Oh, you..!" - as he already moved on, from rooftop to rooftop on the way to the festival. A blush spreading across her cheeks, Misoka buried her face in his shoulder to hide her embarrassment. But she couldn't blame him - this was, in fact, the easiest and fastest way to make it to the street festival in time. Keeping that in mind, she pushed aside her injured pride of being carried instead of moving on her own and managed to relax gradually. After all... this wasn't so uncomfortable... was it?
At that moment, she heard Bokuden apologize once again, how he had to hurry because of the elders and so on. Misoka looked up, blurting out hastily,"No, no, don't worry, I understand! I could never afford such an expensive kimono..."
A sincere smile tugged at her lips when Bokuden added a compliment. "Oh, you're too kind," she muttered under her breath. The next moment, they had already reached the street festival - After jumping off the rooftop they'd been standing on, Bokuden put her down with another smile.
She wondered whether it was as empty as the one he'd given her on the balcony. His words sounded more cheerful, she had to admit. Or was she only imagining things?
Slightly confused about her own thoughts, Misoka didn't waste time to answer him. Focus on the festival, she said to herself, picturing all the wonderful things Bokuden had just told her about. Nothing else mattered on this evening.
"Umm... let's buy something to eat first and then we can go watch the dancers! They did amazing this morning and this was just practise!" It worked. Now she was brimming with excitement, looking forward to all the different things you could do at a festival. She hadn't been to one in a while, no, in a very long time.
"Would you do me the honor?" Bokuden interrupted her thoughts, offering his arm to her.
"Oh, err, sure!" She hadn't been prepared for such a formal gesture coming from him now that they were far away from the banquet. Still, she couldn't help but feel flattered by his gentleman behaviour.
Taking his arm gently, she let herself be led closer to the huge affair which was this annual street festival. Shortly after they had entered, the crowd was swirling around them, loud and boisterous. Men and women laughed and cavorted through the streets, oblivious to any rules of proper conduct.
The closeness of the people around them made Misoka glad she was holding onto Bokuden's arm; otherwise, she might have lost him already.
In spite of herself, she didn't exactly feel uncomfortable this time. Perhaps it was the people's laughter ringing in her ears or the fact that she liked the feeling of disappearing into a crowd.
"This is amazing," she mumbled, not sure whether Bokuden would hear her. "Everyone's so cheerful. I want to be like them."

(OOC: No worries, I hope you're feeling better. Your health is more important than out rp <3. And don't be silly, your post is wonderful.)


"This is amazing, everyone's so cheerful. I want to be like them." Misoka muttered in a low tone, almost low enough to be drowned out by the sounds of the festival and the crowd, but not low enough to escape Bokuden's hearing. Without stopping in the middle of the crowd Bokuden leaned his head down towards Misoka's ear, aiming to speak to her and her alone while they waded through the jubilant crowd. "You will be, I promise," he whispered in Misoka's ear as they walked, "For the rest of your stay in Kumo... or whenever you are with me... or even just for tonight... this is where you belong. Here, with me. You aren't a vagrant anymore. You aren't a runaway or a fugitive or whatever other title that you've been associated with up until now. You are Misoka and for the night, you're mine. I won't let you be stolen away from me by thoughts of your past or what is to come, so I want you to promise me that you'll help me accomplish that goal of yours... to make you happy." Bokuden pulled his head back slightly before softly kissing Misoka's cheek the same way he had done the night before. "Deal?" he said cheerfully as he stood up straight once again, offering her the most sincere smile and adoring look in his eye that he could manage.

He had just told her on the balcony that he did not intend for them to be anything more than friends... and yet everything about their relationship went way beyond the "just friends" level. He essentially had asked her out on a date minutes after they had first met at the entrance of the village... and then a moonlit dinner for two atop the Tower of Heaven... and then inviting her to live with him... and then the banquet... and now the festival. This is to say nothing of the emotion and drama that had surrounded them at every turn as their time together seemed to be an emotional roller coaster, turning with every revelation of each other's past and seemingly accelerating with each moment they spent together. Two people with eerily similar troubled pasts and with every reason to be distrusting of one another, or anyone for that matter, so quickly divulging closely guarded secrets and sharing such intimate and vulnerable information and then going about as if this was a normal thing to do. Abnormality was an occupational hazard in the life of a shinobi, but this was different. Bokuden himself had wondered ever since their meeting at the Durian Tree why he had taken such an interest in Misoka. He knew it was irrational, dangerous... some might even say foolish to get involved in this kind of scenario, especially with nothing at stake for himself. He didn't know... no, he no longer cared about the answer as to "why". The sudden feeling of a surge of electricity that flowed through Bokuden as his lips touched her skin, even in as harmless and common a gesture as a peck on the cheek, told him that it "why" no longer mattered. They were there, in that moment of time, together. All he had to hope for now was that she would stop running away... from him.