Oh no. Why had he told her to come in? He was obviously not finished. Or did he really sleep without a shirt? Her cheeks flushed bright pink as she quickly turned her head away, embarrassed by her childish reaction. But what could she do - truth be told, she had never seen a man shirtless before, well, except for her father sometimes (to her regret).
Shyly, she raised her gaze again, only to see Bokuden walk over and kiss her on the cheek. "Is there anything you could possibly wear that you wouldn't make my heart skip a beat in?"
Misoka let out a nervous chuckle, hoping her cheeks had cooled down by now, but if he continued complimenting her, this could become difficult.
"Oh, don't be silly.." she murmured with a smile, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. For a moment, she longed to close the remaining distance between them and rest her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. The next second, she felt embarrassed for thinking about something like this, especially now that he didn't even have a shirt on. All these emotions were so new to her.

Slowly, Misoka walked past him and let her eyes wander across the room. It was rather simply furnished, a bathroom attached to it, a small cupboard, a king-size bed. Why king-size? she found herself wondering, but then it occurred to her that he'd had girlfriends before so of course he would want them to feel comfortable at his place. Or whatever other reason there might be, it didn't matter after all.
Misoka tilted her head back at Bokuden, giving him another playful smile.
"Don't worry, you can put on your shirt in peace, I won't look." A soft giggle escaped her lips as she turned around again, completely oblivious to the fact that most boys tended to sleep in nothing but pants on warm nights.

Okay. Someone. Kill. Me. Now. Why did she speak without thinking...no, why hadn't she thought of this before - It was a warm summer night so of course it was Bokuden's full right to say,'Hey, tonight I wanna sleep shirtless, yeah!'. Um. Yes. Better stop thinking and get back to present time.
"No, no! You got it all wrong!" She blurted out, raising her hands appeasingly. "It's fine, it's perfect this way! Come on, why shouldn't I like your well toned six pack body?" She laughed and reached out for his hand again, giving it a gentle squeeze. Somehow she felt less embarrassed than before despite the charming words she'd just said to him. Maybe it was the fear of disappointing him in any way - she only wanted to make him smile and feel happy, nothing less. The little time they had left she planned to cherish. There was no need to be shy or embarrassed, there were no more secrets between them. She wanted both of them to feel comfortable.
Pushing these thoughts aside for now, she saw Bokuden sit down on his bed and invite her to join him.
"Coming!" With a smile, she sat down next to him, their hands still intertwined. For a second she hesitated yet again, but then gave herself a mental jolt and leaned her head on Bokuden's shoulder. Blonde strands of hair fell over his bare chest. She only hoped they wouldn't tickle him.
"I thought I'd stay a vagrant forever." Misoka chuckled slightly. "Catch fish, make a fire, sleep outside. Oh right, get almost killed by a ninja wolf." Her smile widened at the memory of her horrible stay in Iwa. Thinking back, it wasn't so bad anymore, well, since she'd come out of this alive.

She looked up at him bewildered, hanging on to every word he whispered to her and wondering once more how he could make her feel so warm and fuzzy inside by just spilling his heart to her. Was it possible that someone could be so understanding? It was hard to believe that he really feared to be a bad person.
After he had finished speaking, he slowly got closer, bit by bit, until his mouth found hers. Though she felt a little startled by his sudden passion, she began to return the kiss while warmth flooded her body, a growing tingling feeling in her heart. She realized this kiss was different than the ones before, more desperate and yearning. Her lips moved against his like they were made for each other.
When Bokuden pulled back and breathed an apology, she only rested her head on his chest, sighing softly.
"It's alright. I'm not scared yet," she murmured with a smile and closed her eyes. It was true: Despite her overwhelming fear of physical contact with men, all she could think about was how wonderful it felt to be close to Bokuden this way. For the first time, she wasn't anxious, only a bit light-headed.
Misoka focused on Bokuden's steady heartbeat, her eyelids growing heavier as she let herself completely relax in his arms.
"Still, we should try and get some sleep. It's past midnight," she then said in a soft voice, her hand stroking Bokuden's cheek lightly.
It was a long way from Kumo to Suna and she knew that she couldn't afford too many breaks if she wanted to reach her destination as soon as possible. She had to be rested. With Bokuden by her side, she hoped to have a dreamless and pleasant night after all this time she'd spent worrying about what the future would behold.

She crawled under the sheets and flipped over onto her stomach, using Bokuden as a pillow. With her eyes still shut, Misoka breathed in blissfully. Bokuden smelled like cold night air. And love. And home. A place to return to.
Her mind became fuzzy as she slowly drifted off to sleep. I am safe. It was such a simple thought that filled her heart with a joy she didn't know how to put in words. After all the nights spent in the wilderness, always having to stay alert and jerk out of her light sleep if necessary, it felt more than comforting to have a shoulder to lean on. Someone who promised to protect her from any harm.

~~~~~~~
The next morning

Misoka stirred slightly in her sleep, snuggling her head against her soft pillow. Wait, soft? It took her a few more moments to open up her eyes. She was in Bokuden's bed, she reminded herself, but after letting her gaze wander across the room, she found out he wasn't with her. Where had he gone? And how long had she been sleeping? The dawning truth embraced her again with its cold damp fingers. This was the day of goodbye. Temporary goodbye. Yes, only temporary.
Slowly, Misoka got out of bed, pushing aside the thoughts revolving around her father and her clan, and went into the kitchen.
She'd been right: There he was; Bokuden who was apparently preparing breakfast for both of them.
She couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Good morning!" she greeted him happily.

"Uh, yes, thank you." She wrapped her arms around him and breathed in his scent once more, before letting go and sitting down opposite him. All the while she tried her hardest to keep smiling and talking so the mood wouldn't drop and remind them of what was going to happen today. She didn't want to ruin this perfect moment, this perfect breakfast they had - This, she wanted to keep in her heart for the lonely hours ahead of her. The time with Bokuden was a treasure, something which had made an impact on her life, something worth fighting for. As short as it might seem, she wanted to make herself believe that they would meet again. In a few months. A year perhaps.
And so Misoka talked about other, more pleasant things, she laughed, she tried to joke, she took a sip of her coffee and just smiled.

Once they had both finished eating, however, her throat tightened in agony of what was now to come. The silence she had been afraid of from the start loomed over them like a dark cloud bringing the rain. She didn't know how to say that she needed to go get her backpack. Leave the room. Leave him. She wasn't good with goodbyes, she never had been.
So... With empty eyes, she glanced down at her hands, at a complete loss of words. What was there to say anyway? And then again, her heart flooded with emotions she wanted to express somehow. There was hope and love and sadness and so much more. If only they could have more time together, she would surely become better at this girlfriend thing. She would leave her fears behind once and for all and stop being hesitant about taking some initiative in their relationship. All of this would have to be put on a hold.
In any case, the nice talk was over for now. The man they had kidnapped a few days ago had only confirmed Misoka's fears. Her father was held captive in the Karisuma estate, thrown into a small prison cell with hardly anything to eat and drink. The Karisuma leader was impatient and cruel, a poisonous combination for his victims.

"I... uh.." She swallowed and looked up painfully. The words wouldn't slip her mouth. But the hurt in her eyes and her quivering lips would let him hear them nonetheless. She knew it. He had always been too good at reading her mind. It's time.

[OT: let's just say the man they kidnapped has already been set free by them again xD he'd ruin their goodbye scene I think XD]

"Yes, you're right," she said and "I promise". Though she didn't feel much different from the young Chunin she was. And she certainly didn't feel like a hero. At least her promise was sincere: If anything went terribly wrong, she wouldn't hesitate taking all the chances she had. Run. Send Bokuden a message. Fight.
A sad smile formed on her lips. "Yes, this isn't goodbye so I'm not going to say it."

---

Cold air hit her face when they stepped outside. Summer was reaching its end as indicated by the dark clouds gathering in the sky. The air smelled of rain though none had fallen yet. How could the weather reflect her mood so well?
Misoka stared up in wonder for a moment before giving Bokuden’s hand a gentle squeeze and walking on. Her backpack was heavier than on the day she had first arrived in Kumo, now filled with enough supplies for a week. Not that she intended to take this long; in three to four days at most she wanted to reach the sand village.
They walked in silence for a while, hands intertwined, until they came to the gates of Kumo. This would be the border separating them, the line she would cross and the place where he would stay behind.

Misoka stopped in her tracks, her hands trembling ever so slightly. Fear overcame her of an intensity she hadn’t expected. Fear of their goodbye. Fear of what awaited her in Suna.
She tensed up, reminding herself to draw a breath. ‘Stop it!’ Annoyed at herself, she tried to replace the fear with a more pleasant feeling: hope. Yes, hope would calm her down. She couldn’t afford having something like a mental break down now. She was a ninja, a Chunin at that, too. Nothing was supposed to have her freak out.
And so she exhaled softly and managed to plant a smile on her lips.

“Let’s not make this any harder than it is,” Misoka said in a seemingly cheerful tone. “I’ll just go kick some asses now and return with my dad! Oh, but you might want to reconsider your offer – my dad can be very annoying at times.”
Then she laughed and went on about how her father ate so much and liked to exaggerate things and was overprotective and if Bokuden really wanted to put up with someone like him.
At some point, her laughter turned into tears. They flowed with ease, like water, caressing her face.
Embarrassed about her sudden emotional reaction, she quickly started wiping her eyes, but soon realized she couldn’t stop the tears from coming. With a repressed sob, she turned her back on Bokuden and apologized.
“I know we said this isn’t goodbye, but it... it still hurts. I’m sorry, please just give me a second.”
‘Stop crying,’ she thought to herself angrily. ‘This is pathetic. What kind of ninja are you?'

She hated crying in front of others. Tears denoted weakness and provoked compassion. She usually preferred to cry in private where she didn't have to hold back.
With Bokuden, however, Misoka realized that he would be the last person to judge her, may it be openly or not, and that there was nothing to be embarrassed about in his presence. And so she stopped struggling and let him bring comfort to her. Misoka closed her eyes, waiting for her tears to run dry.
How could one person affect you so much that it changes you... for the better? What a strange life this was. Strange and.. so very beautiful as well.
Thank you.

She knew that she couldn't stay, but for the moment she felt a tiny bit better. A tiny bit more hopeful. She wanted to convince herself that things would be fine, that she would soon come back to this place, to Bokuden. Still, she couldn't ignore the nagging question in the back of her mind: What if not?
With a heavy sigh, Misoka turned around, finally looking up at him again. A thin smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she tried her hardest to picture a bright future where she was reunioned with Bokuden and her father. She wanted to believe so strongly in it that it would wash away all of her doubts.

"I..." Her eyes followed his movement when he picked up the necklace he had given to her and reassured her that he would stay in her heart. "Yes."
It was such an insignificant thing to say at the moment when so soon she would have to go.
She swallowed, close to panicking again because the words wouldn’t come to her now that she needed them most. In order to calm down, Misoka reached out and took Bokuden’s hands in her own. It helped. Slowly, the thoughts returned, making her remember all the things she had to tell Bokuden, everything he had to know before she left. Before she might never get the chance to say it again.

“I will go now.” She drew a deep breath, holding his gaze. “But I won’t falter anymore. You showed me what true strength is, what believing in yourself means. You made me happier than I’ve ever been in my whole life.” Her smile widened. “I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend with you and... and I hate to leave now. But we’ll be fine. They can’t keep me from coming back, I won’t let them.” A soft chuckle escaped her mouth, but it didn’t reach her eyes. For a second, she thought that she should also consider the possibility of failure. She should tell him to move on, to forget about her in that case, but Misoka couldn’t bring herself to talk about it. “Just... promise me to take care of yourself in the meantime, okay?” It sounded ridiculous for her to say this to him, but she knew how Bokuden suffered under his father’s actions. Not that she could help him... but maybe someday they would find a way – together. First, however, she needed to solve her own little problem.

She knew that she wasn't good at showing affection. Part of her had always hoped she would never get romantically attached to anyone.
And there she was now, changing vows with a person she intended to come back to and stay with. He was someone who had managed to break through her shell almost effortlessly as though her fearful heart had been holding out for him this whole time.
So as he leaned in, keeping the small gap between their lips, she was no longer afraid to show him what he meant to her.
With a smile, she slowly brought her hands up to cup his face and closed the distance between them. She kissed him softly at first before she let herself drown into the kiss, deepening it ever so slowly. One hand entwined in his smooth silver hair as their tongues danced in unison. Now she realized she was kissing him fiercely, exactly like someone who wasn't going to see her love for a very long time. She relished the warmth swelling in her heart, the passion.
Pulling away to catch her breath, Misoka wrapped her hands around his back, hugging him tightly. She wanted to remember everything about this moment, how he felt, how he smelled, how they were holding each other. Absent-mindly she wondered whether she'd done it right for it was her first time taking the initiative. But then she reminded herself that this was hardly the point now.
With a last sigh, she pulled away and gave Bokuden an encouraging smile. It'll be alright.
"Until we meet again." She was thankful for her steady voice now that she felt the back of her eyes sting once more.

Then she let go of his hands and walked away. But once she was past the gates and about to descend the hill Kumogakure was built on, she turned around to look at Bokuden one last time. He was far away now, but she could still see him as if he was right in front of her. She lifted her arm, waving at him with a sad smile.
The next moment, she continued walking down the hill, trying to turn her thoughts to the question how she was going to rescue her father.
"Oh, Kami help me," she mumbled, but what she imagined in her mind was her mother guiding her from somewhere up above. The thought brought comfort to her. It fought off the feeling of solitude which wanted to fill her heart the second she could see neither Bokuden nor anyone else anymore.

[Exit Thread]