The Business Date [Private]

[Uchiha Izura]

“…1pm tomorrow, at the cafe within FiRE E&M building. Don't flake out or else...!"

Two fingers pointed towards Izura face like a gun. With a quick jerk of her hand to simulate recoil, Yume closed an eye in a wink, barely smiling.

“Bang!"​

As expected, Izura arrived with a blush on his face, looking a bit worried as he held a small box of chocolates in his hands, carefully wrapped with what seemed to be some gift ribbon, deep blue in color. They were pretty expensive chocolates too, coated with those thin pieces of gold that only the finest dining tended to have in dishes. Izura himself had gone all out on his own attire too- looking more formal and refined, about to go on a date, than a shinobi assassin, given the sheer utilitarianism of his usual outfit. Although one could say he looked good in either, especially after seeing what happened with the stylists back at the record store…

Being able to teleport around had it’s perks. It was an especially busy time around 1pm, with everyone out at work leaving to go to lunch. Izura was able to avoid the hustle and bustle of the hour by using his ocular powers to teleport there. It had the great bonus of avoiding any potential mishaps in getting dirt or moisture on his nice clothes or well kept hair. He arrived early too, getting to the cafe an entire 15 minutes earlier than Yume probably expected.

Izura looked around nervously as he sat down at one of the cafe’s small tables for two. It was by a window, so that it’d be easier for Yume to spot him as she headed over.

Don’t screw this up Izura….you’re here early already, so don’t screw this up.

He gulped out of nervousness, clasping his hands around the small gift box and waiting for Yume to arrive. This was a date after all, right? He didn’t do anything wrong, did he?

 

[Yume]

Choreography practice can be such DEATH. Yume plopped her rear onto the hardwood floor of the dance studio with an exhausted groan, before dropping back and lying down all sprawled out like a starfish.

"I'm so tired! Is it lunchtime yet?"

With the eventual affirmation from the choreographer, Yume started rolling herself towards the door. She had lost count of how many routines, old and new, she had to go through in preparation for the tour; but she did know this. All this dancing about constantly is killing her!

She managed to reach the shower. The cold water washed away the fatigue. It had to, since there was an appointment she had made herself today at lunch. There were a couple of repeated, tired sighs, until she snapped out of it enough to slap her face alert.

"Ow!"

That was too hard.

Yume changed into a new set of clothes. They weren't fancy by any means - just a simple long tunic--almost like a loose mini dress--with short shorts underneath to combat the warm day. Her hair was twisted up into a messy bun. Grabbing her bag, she hopped down the flights of stairs of the FiRE building to the lobby on the ground floor.

Her music played amongst the chatter of cafe patrons and clatter of coffee cups. Waving hello at the receptionists as she passed them by, Yume headed off to the side of the lobby where the cafe was, waving at the barista behind the counter. "Oh my gosh, thank goodness you're working!" she giggled. "The usual, the usual! Will you still give me a discount? What? You won't?! Cheapo!"

Ordering her usual drink of a double espresso white chocolate mocha and a sandwich for a quick lunch, Yume loitered around near the counter until her order came. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was only five to one, she probably would have to wait for Izura to show up.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

“A-ah-I..I’m here…” Izura said, his voice not loud enough to where Yume noticed. She kinda just strolled straight past him and ordered right away, not noticing him whatsoever. He even raised his hand and partially stood up out of his seat, raising his hand. When he noticed that she was completely oblivious to his presence, AND she wasn’t dressed up nearly as fancily as he had, Izura’s face turned beet red out of embarassment.



I screwed up again…didn’t I? Ohno-ohno-ohno….

Izura bit his lip and put his hands on his head, wracking his brain for possible next actions. When he couldn’t think of anything, he closed his eyes tightly and thought some more.

Come on Izu! Think! You probably misread the situation! Why’d you dress up so fancily for this?! Clearly she’s not dressed the same way! You buffoon!


Izura’s inner conscience scolded him like crazy for his awkwardness…The internal panic was very real.

But eventually, Izura took a deep breath and stood up, walking over to Yume with his hands behind his back. He held the chocolate box behind him. Still holding the chocolate box in one hand, he tapped her on the shoulder, still blushing as he nervously avoided eye contact, feeling like he had just made another awkward mistake. At least it wasn’t as blatant as the time at the record store…

“I….I brought chocolates for you….” he stammered, as he continued to avoid eye contact shyly.

 

[Yume]

She looked up from her wristwatch upon the tap of the shoulder from behind and turned around. The girl blinked, sweeping a quick glance over Izura's form before landing her blue eyes onto the chocolates in his hand. "Oh! Izura, thank you," she smiled, taking the sweets graciously.

Her other hand had grabbed the coffee cup and sandwich pack without so much a glance over her shoulder to the barista. She gave Izura another once over. "You're looking very nice today," she chirped. "Be careful, you don't want another fangirl incident or anything like that!"

Pointing over to where Izura sat at before, Yume took the table once again sipping her much needed caffeine and began opening up the package of her sandwich. One would think idols would want a coffee made from beans in sand that was ground up by a diamond cut grinder. Or perhaps an idol would only eat sandwiches drizzled with truffle sauce and gold flakes. This was not the case with Yume. To the unwitting eye, she was just a girl having a coffee and eating her lunch, who just happened to be U<3ME.

"Have you had lunch already?" she asked, blinking at him. She'd wait if he left to order food for himself, shrug if he claimed that he was full. Regardless, the next time their eyes met, Yume dropped the big question.

"So tell me about yourself."

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura rubbed the back of his neck and smiled a bit out of humility when she complimented him on his attire, teasing him about attracting fangirls. But then when she mentioned food, Izura’s face got red again- He had totally forgotten to order food!



“R-right! I-I’ll be right back in a moment!”



The awkward boy got up from their table and scurried back over to order his food and drink. A cafe bianca mocha and an artichoke and grilled chicken panini were his two choices, which he promptly received within a few minutes. After that, he promptly came back to the table and sat down opposite from Yume. Still nervous, she then asked about him.

Izura didn’t really know where to begin! It was such a simple question really. A question that he would have easily answered with his history as a professional shinobi, or some sort of fake, forged history when he was under the alias of Tsukuro or some other unknown ninja. But here at this moment, Izura’s crush on Yume caused him to worry so much about not screwing up that it was actually detrimental to him acting normal around her.

“Ah….uhm…w-well….” Izura scratched his cheek for a brief moment.



“My favorite color is blue….M-my favorite foods are beef curry, tori paitan ramen, and green tea mochi…I…o-obviously like your music the most….”

Izura’s face got redder and he covered it with his hands.



“I m-messed up again and overdressed, didn’t I?” he said, with an exasperated sigh of feeling like he screwed up royally.

 

[Yume]

Yume chewed slowly on her sandwich as she stared at the flustering Uchiha throwing out random trivia about himself. That... That wasn't exactly what she was asking for but okay, the answer was interesting enough.

"I see... I like pink myself," she replied with a sweet smile. She didn't really have a favourite food now that she thought about it, unless she counted Pocky as one. Which she didn't. The girl did blink at him a couple of times afterwards though, watching his skin get redder and redder behind his hands. "Oh, you're overdressed?"

She looked around at the other patrons in the cafe and turned her attention back to Izura. "You blend in here pretty well, Izura. I'm more of the odd one out, hehe!"

Popping the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth, Yume lifted her hand to her ear. Pressing the button her hidden earpiece with a soft click, Yume excused herself from the conversation with Izura with a held up index finger and her head turned towards the winder. He can use this time to gather himself and stop being so stuttery.

"Oh, Oppa? Are you still in office? Can you grab me a change of clothes, pretty please?" There was a faint reply from her earpiece. He didn't sound too happy. "I didn't say you were a butler... though with how you're dressing, you might as well be... Nothing! I didn't say anything! Soooo... about the clothes- Hello? Oppa? Oppa!"

A pout flashed across her visage as the girl turned back to face Izura. "Oops, I guess I can't match you in clothing, Izura."

Though she could rock casual clothes pretty well, no?

 

[Uchiha Izura]

While Yume was pre-occupied with Oppa, Izura took a deep breath and took a couple bites of his toasted panini sandwich. He thought about everything he had done up until this point, and how awkward he had been. How he had failed to show Yume how he actually felt, and how he failed to really figure out what the heck was going on for this little outing of theirs. Deep in thought, it wasn’t until she mentioned the following, that Izura responded in earnest.

"Oops, I guess I can't match you in clothing, Izura.”

He smiled at her comment, and replied rather genuinely, albeit in a quieter tone. Still loud enough for her to hear.

“It’s ok Yume…i-in my opinion you’re already so pretty that it doesn’t even matter that you aren’t dressed fancier right now…” he said, blushing and smiling a bit. He fidgeted with his hands a bit. His nervousness rose as usual for a brief moment, but then something changed. He was able to control his nervousness a bit better. He was still nervous, but at least he was able to continue...

“I’m sorry for being so awkward…it’s just…ahh jeez….how do I say this without being a complete dunce?” he scratched the back of his head.

“You m-make me nervous…but i-it’s only cause y-you’re so nice…a-and you’re pretty too! A-and well….y-you also make great music!”

Izura grew quiet for a few seconds, smirking at his own awkwardness…he averted his eyes from her for a brief moment.

“All this time I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you how I feel…but I just keep ending up a stuttering mess because I don’t know how I should react. T-these feelings...they’re so new to me…Most of my life I was worried about shinobi work more than anything else...but now things are different...”

He gulped out of nervousness again, before smiling, about to express his confession to her. It was either now, or she’d never know for sure. Part of him felt like she already knew, but at least this would clarify things between them. Beyond a single doubt.

 He looked at her in the eyes as he spoke.

“I…I really like you, Yume…”

 

[Yume]

She was smiling patiently as Izura struggled to say what he wanted. Nothing on her expression implied anything judgemental, nor did her eyes avert away from him at all, even though he did. Yume had thought about it once, how a supposed veteran shinobi could be like this shy schoolboy of a person. She had thought about it only once, during the time they had impromptu tea yesterday evening, but quickly brushed it aside on the conclusion that she was being too assuming and perhaps a bit self-absorbed to even be thinking that he might. So, it both surprising, yet also unsurprising to see that she was actually correct.

"I... I really like you, Yume..."

Her smile never left her face, like a frozen doll painted that way. There was a moment of silence among them amidst the clamour of the busy cafe, until Yume broke it with neither acceptance or rejection.

"Are you sure?"

If she thought about it harder, Yume could not understand the affection Izura held for her. They had only met a few days ago, and before that for however long ago, Izura only knew of her through music, pictures and a screen. Who was to say that wasn't her true personality? She relayed all this to him.

"You actually like U<3ME, don't you?"

She didn't understand. Humans were confusing.

Her hand went to her ear again and she spoke to her manager. "Oppa? Cancel vocal coaching this afternoon, I feel sick. I'll practice at home." She hung up before he could protest.

Interlacing her fingers together and placing her chin on top of them, she gave Izura a small grin. "I hope you can forgive my disbelief, Izura. I like you too, you'd be a cool friend if I knew you better." But there was no way she would be able to answer to this confession. It was too superficial in her eyes. The paths Izura could take from her were limited. Either accept her reasoning, or prove it.

Yume straightened back up in her seat, taking a good sip of her coffee.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Doubt crossing his mind, Izura felt saddened by her response, and so he was about to get up, but then stopped himself. If he left now, then he’d be dooming any form of relationship or friendship with Yume whatsoever. For how long would he continue to run and hide? He was a proud veteran of the Samurai war- this behavior was atypical for him.

Izura thought about her words very carefully. She was right…before they had met in person, all it had been was a crush on U<3ME. Her music captured his attention and drew him towards that inexplainable fate where they were able to meet at a record store in Konoha.

“When we met at the record store….yeah…maybe that’s all it was. But still….you changed me. After what happened there I was so confused about why I felt so empty. I tried to shut you out. To go back to my old ways of doing things…being a professional shinobi. I crashed your class, but I couldn’t help but feel distracted as I left. Like you had something to tell me, but there was no way that you’d be able to tell me unless we crossed paths again.”



Izura wasn’t stuttering anymore…he was speaking in a calmer, steadier tone. But it was undeniably genuine.

“I kept trying to avoid any further contact…because I didn’t know how to deal with how I felt. And then I met you in the garden…and I saw that you were just as vulnerable as me. I think I saw the real you…”

Izura continued, his voice remaining calm and steady.

“…..I’m a rogue ninja….left Konoha when I was no older than 13 years old. I had been chased by assassins all my life, and when Konoha refused to protect me despite the imminent danger, I left. Accused of treason and branded a traitor when all I was doing was trying to escape death. I lived under fake names, lived constantly on the move….but for some reason I couldn’t help but tell you who I really was….stupid, I know…But you…the daughter of the old hokage, trying to break away from the burden of living under other’s expectations that you’d carry on his legacy in his name. And yet you remain cheerful, despite all these burdens placed on you…it’s admirable…”

He took a deep breath.

“…It hasn’t been very long since we first met…I know…but I can’t help but feel the way I feel. I’ve never felt this way before with anyone…and to be honest, I like U<3ME…and Yume…I want to learn more about the real you. I…I want to smile with you. Share laughs. Good times…”

He clasped his hands together in hope.

“Will you give me a chance? I want to spend more time with you…”

 

[Yume]

Her eyes flashed into the poisonous green as Izura pushed himself off from the table. God damn it, this would be the third bloody time he would run away--or this time rather, try to. Before he could move another muscle, Yume exclaimed to him something uncharacteristic of her, "Ah, wait wait wait! You don't have to be embarrassed and run away again! Just stay here before I kill you, got it?"

Hopefully the threat wasn't too fierce. The girl sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. His words were less jittery and easier to interpret without the stammering. It was quite the story, something a young lady would probably wipe a tear at. Instead, Yume raised a brow at his mention of his name but the curiosity dropped when he clasped his hands together hopeful for a chance.

"You're a ridiculous guy, you know that?" she said after an exhale. "Well okay... I have the rest of the day off, so a date should be fine. We should be able to learn plenty about each other then, ne?"

Hopefully, this date doesn't come back to bite her in the ass; otherwise known as the paparazzi and tabloids. Yume considered transforming to someone else, or at least wearing a wig. Either option was hard to maintain though. Sipping the last of her coffee, she placed the cardboard cup down on the table with a soft thunk.

"Give me your personal radio frequency as well. Oh...!" She paused, thinking back to Izura's long speech. "Should I be calling you something else, Izura?"

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Kill him?! She threatened to kill him?

Izura had conveniently spilled his heart out to Yume, without really thinking about what she had said when he almost got up and left. Her cheerful, bright idol demeanor was one thing, but this was an entirely new side of her that frankly, made Izura smirk. She was scary, sure…but what did she really mean by that? Izura was amused by that little quirk of hers. Not that he wanted to actually piss her off of course- that’d likely incur some sort of demonic wrath that he hadn’t seen in her before. He made a mental note not to just disappear again. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Izura blushed at her, ecstatic at her willingness to go on a date- a real date this time!

“O-okay! My Radio frequency is 30.175….”

Thinking about her question about his name, he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down a bunch of names. His face reddened out of embarrassment, he handed it to her. The names were varying- some were kid's names, some were women's names, some had titles, etc....one of the fake names just so happened to be Yamaguchi Kami, although that was more of a brief stunt than anything...

"Those are my fake names....I came here as Tsukuro the leaf ninja..."

He thought for a moment, thinking of all the possibilities that the rest of the day could have in store for them, and soon enough a light turned on in his head! He had the answer!

“W-want to go flying with me tonight? I…I have a bird summon we could ride. Her name’s Soraka!” he said.

As Soraka was large enough to carry people on her back, Izura had grown fond of flying above the clouds at night, looking over the landscape below, whether it was dotted with lights or the majestic beauty of mother nature. The only downside was that it was rather cold…hopefully Yume would remember to wear warm clothing if she decided to go!

[If Yume agrees, I'll consider this a topic left and then make a new thread]

 

[Yume]

She took off her earpiece to fiddle with and add in his radio frequency. A normal course of action, certainly. What wasn't normal was the piece of paper sliding across the table towards her. Yume skimmed over the paper; her expression became more and more confused as she read another name. Yamaguchi Kami? She won't even ask.

"Okay... Tsukuro, then," she said, trying out the name herself. This was probably the longest time in the eye of the public where she wasn't entirely smiling - or rather expressing a lot more besides that or a pout. Such expression was of apprehension upon his suggestion to go fly... on top of a raven. Otherwise known as an animal.

"Mm..." He would clearly be able to see the hesitation on her face, though the idea wasn't a complete rejection. There was merely a reason. "Animals don't like me."

His reassurance that his bird, Soraka, was different and wouldn't not cower or kill her for no reason for no reason did little to settle her anxiety. What was her name again? Soraka? It wasn't the same Soraka she came across long ago when she was still with her parents, was it? That one had goat's hooves and legs. Izura clearly said it was a bird.

... She was digressing. Stalling.

"If you say so... but legit, I told you so if your bird tries to kill me." She smiled at him, slightly weaker than before. "You know where I live, Tsukuro. See you later."

For once, Yume was the first to stand and leave. Since she cancelled her vocal training, she might as well go home, get ready and catch up on her singing practice.

Topic left

 

[Kairyuu]

Voided.

Izura never left Sand, and thus never entered Leaf.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

[To avoid re-posting the entire RP, I'll just continue from where I left off and consider the whole thread "reposted". Yume is okay with this too and can confirm if needed. I don't see the issue as this is a private thread between the both of us anyway.]

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura smiled and responded to her.

"A-alright! See you later! I promise Soraka will be nice!"

They'd set the time for 6 at night, later that evening. In his mind he couldn't help but feel like he was on top of the world. This was his chance!

Hopefully he wouldn't be such a dunce this time around...

After she left, Izura would promptly teleport away, brainstorming for the date later that evening...

He'd send a letter to Ayame too, just to make sure she was okay.

[Topic Left]