Wibble Wibble.

[Morishige]

It needed to happen. There would be no avoiding this.

I stood in a clearing not to far into the forest. Rumor had it if you ventured too far in that the Inuzuka would take offense and proceed to attack anyone who entered their territory unannounced.

I wasn't sure of what would be said. Or what she even thought of me now. So far, it had been all business. For the betterment of Kumogakure. I couldn't tell how she was feeling about me being back. I was gone for a year, the assumption was that I went rogue. And even though I was proven to be innocent, a year was a year, and feelings just don't go away.

I had a messenger leave her a letter at her house. It wasn't anything special. "I'll be in the ancient forest from noon till dusk. Find me if you want to talk." it read. I wasn't hiding, nor was in a particularly difficult area to find.

Currently, I was standing with eyes closed, thinking on all what had transpired since my true self had been revived. What was I feeling? Failure? Disgust at myself? Despair. My future was not bright. Shinobi held grudges and memories as close as any memorized jutsu. I suppose time would tell.

Kaiju was at my side, nomming at a gerbil he had caught in waiting. The little monster had gotten bored with the waiting as took to practicing his hunting, despite this not being his natural habitat. My mind was far too occupied to even keep and eye on him; besides, he was already pretty formidable in terms of survival.​

 

[Yukari]

Hikari's home was much changed. While she still had an office area, it was now an unused area for leisure. Reading, writing, arts. It was the area Hikari could look at and know that had she not a much more defining purpose in life, she would have ended up there. It was, many a hard day, where her heart lay at the end of the night. Sadly, as alluded to before, this area was nearly unused. She simply did not have time to dream. In fact, she had allowed work to encroach on the area. Boxes of paperwork- mission reports and important non-critical intelligence information- had made it's way there so that she could review it when possible. It was no longer such a dark place, as she had recently moved into a loftier apartment, she had made sure that this one was adequately lit. There was still aft hung on the walls, still a collection of rare artifacts, and venerable finds. In a private room, there was a shrine dedicated to her personal gods. One was plain, with a black alter and a blood stained basin, while the other was light- the color of thunder clouds, and held more pretty aspects of worship. the red haired woman had long since completed her morning worship, and was now contemplating a report over a glass of some caffeine saturated beverage,

She mumbled curses and scribbled notes down on a piece of paper that was already almost full. "We need-" She began. Probably would have continued something about her division's lack of personnel, if not for the loud grunting and murmuring coming from the other side of the house. Hikari set down her pen and sighed.

Kariku​

She had just moved to stand when Kariku rushed into the room, "Someone's here!" He growled as fiercely as he could. Considering he was all of two feet tall and fluffy, one could imagine the effect. "Someone's in our territory."

"It's fine, Kar." She said standing and patting him on the head as she went toward the door. "Probably just a courier."

"But-"

"Be polite, Kariku." She said, reaching for the door just as it was knocked on. "Hello?" She said as she opened it.

"Message for you, Tanaka sama." The courier, a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes, said, offering the letter.

"Thank you." Hikari replied taking it and dismissing her quietly as she opened the thing. It was a twice folded paper written in a hand she recognized. "I'll be in the ancient forest from noon till dusk. Find me if you want to talk." it read.

"Zaku. Who else?" She muttered. Kariku grumbled as he padded up beside her,

"Who's that?"

"From the wall." She murmured, pushing a hand through her hair, "Why couldn't he just come here? Knock on the door, 'Hi Hikari, wanna talk?' but no." She huffed, the discomfort grew for a moment and then she started getting dressed. It needed to happen. They both needed to talk.

Hikari changed the message on her home receiver to say that she was going to be out for most of the day attending to matters she considered personal, and then left, Kariku in tow. The little bear was excited to play in the woods. Hikari was anxious. Who knew how her friend had changed. Who knew how he'd respond to her. To be honest, she was as anxious about her own reaction to him.

________________________________________________________________________________________​

The forest was unfamiliar to her, though she had lived in Kumo all her life, she hadn't spent much time outside the populated centers. To be honest, it seemed an odd place to meet, but she supposed he'd picked it for its location away from most everyone else. Privacy, perhaps, from the civility of their world.

She found him quickly, in a clearing ringed with huge trees. His creature was nearby chewing on some unfortunate rodent. Hikari held back, watching for a moment. He truly looked little like the boy she'd grown up with. Some things were the same. His bearing, his eyes... but other things, like the line of his nose, and his brow, even his jaw were different. Almost unfamiliar in their deviations. Hikari tried her best to keep her face impassive, as there was too much going on in her emotions to be only one thing, She entered the clearing, "Zaku..." She began, but then was uncertain of what to say in greeting, Welcome home sounded trite in her mind, so she said, "I got your note." She waved the piece of paper. Kariku sat down at her feet and began rolling in the grass.

 

[Morishige]

"Zaku... I got your note."

I exhaled deeply and slowly turned to look at her. She was waving it around. I looked to the bear at her side who was now enjoying himself with a smile. Even with the emotions that I was feeling, I was never able to resist smiling when something truly made me feel better. Perhaps that was a weakness of mine, but I would not try to hide it. I needed to be honest both with Hikari and myself at this crucial juncture.

I turned to look at Kaiju who had immediately taken notice of the bear, a leg of the groundhog sticking out of his mouth. His eyes were curious, and questioning as to what the furry thing was. Raising his head, he gulped the rest of his meal down and began to move forward toward Kariku. He was walking clumsily upright, still getting used to moving on land. Most of his time with me had been spent in a sandy bowl so I wouldn't worry about leaving him behind in my travels. I questioned how the two would react to each other, but something needed to be said to Hikari. While I wished with all my heart the past year never happened, I couldn't reverse it.

"His name is Kaiju." I began, frowning for a just a moment. "He was given to me by his mother, after I proved myself to the lord of the deep." I explained. Better to ease my way into a conversation rather than just diving into the heavy stuff right away. "Little chunk just eats and sleeps all day!" I said, my voicing rising as a small chuckle accompanied it. But it was quickly followed by a sigh. I knew the longer this took the harder it would be.​

 

[Yukari]

Zaku took a breath and turned, he smiled at Kariku, and sighed. At the same time, his beastie took notice of her bear. "His name is Kaiju." He said, frowning, "He was given to me by his mother, after I proved myself to the lord of the deep. Little chunk just eats and sleeps all day!" Hikari chuckled.

"This is Kariku. I found him wandering around outside the village. His mother had fallen... She died, so I took him in." At this, the bear sat bolt upright, noticing the clumsy lizard walking toward him. He cocked his head and looked up at Hikari, then ambled over toward Kaiju. The bear lifted his front paw and booped the lizard on it's nose with a single claw, then bounded back, Kariku didn't want to get booped back, it seemed. Hikari smiled and watched them for a moment. aware of Zaku's sigh. She looked up at him, uncertain of where to begin. "Masao died." She offered, "And then... Donut. He's as good as dead. I had to step up." The memory of Shin saying that Masao had suggested her as a possible replacement before his fall tugged at her, as did the last personal words he said to her I trust you, my niece. "It's been really rough lately." She said, "We've lost too many good people..." After a moment she continued, "It's hard... I don't know what to say. This isn't something I'm used to." She took a step forward, careful to avoid the miniature battle of the ages which was about to break out between Kaiju and Kariku. She very nearly told him that she'd missed him, but the words stuck in her throat, and she swallowed them. "Welcome home Zaku kun."

 

[Morishige]

Her laugh was pleasant to hear. It meant that she had not completely written me off just yet. Well, I suppose she wouldn't have shown up if she had given up on me either. Still, it was was a nice confirmation.

It was her turn to introduce her own friend, the cub. His name was Kariku, which was rather cute. But how they came to be paired was not at all a happy story. I smiled slightly watching the bear make his way to meet Kaiju. "At least Hikari found you before a predator had." I thought to myself. The exchange between the pair was rather benign until Kariku decided to boop little Kaiju on the nose. My smile stretched wide at the interaction, and grew wider still when my young friend didn't seem to understand what happened. He pawed at his face, as if something were stuck to it, and fell over entranced with what had happened. The fat little sea monster rolled around until he could stand once again and glared playfully at the cub. Kaiju marched more quickly this time, intending to wrestle with the mammal.

"Masao died."

The words cut deep, but I already assumed that had happened. Hearing it for the first time was difficult still; and then the news about Natsu didn't help at all. This information only lead to my feeling as a failure to deepen and become more apparent.

"We've lost too many good people..."

I nodded slowly. "We sign up knowing this can happen. But you never really expect it to..." I added, my eyes staying on the exchange between the young creatures. Kaiju seemed to be taking the offense with a goofy grin. It was nice that the innocent were ignorant. I didn't want Kaiju to worry about me just yet.

Hikari continued to speak, but I had nothing else to add. I would say I felt the same, but I wasn't even here to go through that... to help her through that. Now look. I'm both a failure to the village and as a friend. Another sigh escaped my lips and an aching began in my gut. That is, until she said the words.

"Welcome home Zaku kun."

I inhaled deeply, swallowing hard. Suppressing the most obvious hints of weakness, suppressing my emotions.

I turned to face her, my eyes searching for hers. A faint glistening of tears might be noticed beneath my eyes. "I-I..." I began, swallowing once again. My mouth was so dry. It was hard to speak.

"I'm so sorry..."​

 

[Yukari]

Kariku booped Kaiju, and then bounced backward. Instead of booping Kariku back, or even trying, he began to paw at his nose. Kariku sat back and chortled to himself as Kaiju began rolling on the ground trying to get whatever had tapped it. The cub looked over at Hikari who was smiling, and up at Zaku, who was grinning. The bear puffed up and 'roared' it's cute little roar, as the lizard got up and glared. Kariku bounded over at his playmate and leapt to tackle the deep sea animal.

Hikari told him about Masao, and about how they'd lost so many good people. He nodded and replied, "We sign up knowing this can happen. But you never really expect it to..."

"We sign up as children. It's a rare eight year old that can contemplate the idea of the losses we suffer." She said, her voice holding more bitterness than she would have thought herself capable of. "It's painful to see people you respect... people you love destroyed. Cut down in an instant. Nobody teaches you how to grieve in the academy." This was something she was still struggling with personally. Maybe some day she'd figure it out do just that.

Kaiju seemed to be taking the offense, his grin goofy, as Kariku rawred at him, backing away, leading the reptile on a merry chase about the clearing.

Hikari continued speaking, ending with what felt like a lame, 'welcome home'... which seamed to break through something in Zaku. He looked at her frantically, and stammered"I-I...I'm so sorry..." He said, his eyes shining with tears.

The red haired woman shook her head, her own eyes reddening. When he was reported missing, she had been angry. Furious. She'd felt betrayed and abandoned. It soothed her soul to know that what had been speculated about him, was not true, "None of this was your fault, my friend." She said, her voice husky. She put her hand on his arm. She wanted to do something more, hug him, but Hikari was not a hugger. She was brave enough to yell at the generals of two armies, and make them send their troops to the seas, but she wasn't bold enough to put her arms around her friend. Gods that's pathetic She thought of herself.

 

[Morishige]

The moment I gave my apology, I expected nothing in return; I did not allow myself that hope. But what I got was more than I could ever have dreamed of. I had spent the previous night tossing and turning, questioning just what this meeting would be like. In every scenario, I saw her walking away without reconciliation...

I felt her hand on my arm, and her words resonating in my ears. "My friend." she said. I realized then I was shaking, but my face was already red from all the other emotions mixed up inside me, so this minor embarrassment wasn't going to be apparent. In all this time, which seemed like decades, my eyes had never left hers; they were locked onto her beautiful green iris'. I shrugged off her touch and took a step forward, my arms encompassing her in an incredibly tight hug. She may not have been a hugger, but if there was any form of intimacy that I favored, it was a hug.

I took a deep breath, my head hanging low next to hers. My hot, moist breath was no doubt bothersome on her neck, but that was the nature of crying. I didn't care if she protested, I wasn't letting go.

In this time, Kaiju's attention had shifted from battling with the bear cub to focusing his eyes on Zaku. He didn't understand what was going on, but the monster had never seen his friend in such a state. He was concerned. A small grunt could be heard as the lizard clambered his way close to the hugging friends, clumsily I might add.​

 

[Yukari]

As she touched him, he shrugged away her hand, seeming overcome with emotion, he pulled her into a tight hug. His breath was hot and moist, and the tightness was somewhat uncomfortable for her. She was rethinking her inclination to hug, but she realized after a moment, that he wasn't just hugging her... he was crying. His body was shaking. Thinking about it from his perspective, Hikari imagined that it had taken a lot of courage to ask her to come here. He had been thought a rogue shinobi. He must have assumed that she would judge him for it... but Hikari had a soft spot for Zaku that had never healed. She put her arms around him and leaned her head on his.

She felt her throat tighten and her face was too warm. She took a deep breadth and hugged him back. "I'm glad you're home." She mumbled, fighting her own breathing. Her breathing was getting higher pitched to her own ears. "I missed you." She mumbled.


At this point, Kariku and Kaiju had stopped fighting. They had each noticed their friends' emotional state. It was strange to Kariku, to see Hikari's face so pink. He trotted toward them and pawed at Hikari's leg while Kaiju clambered toward them clumsily.

 

[Morishige]

She put her arms around me as I had done to her. But at this point it meant little. My rational thinking self was gone and I was lost to any kind of meaning behind her actions. I just recognized the feeling of comfort and that she wasn't just standing there awkwardly.

I felt her words before I heard them. The vibrations of air close to my shoulder. They were welcoming, not harsh. Had she wanted, it would have been very easy for Hikari to crush my spirit in such a intimate setting. But she was no Hoshikata. No conniving, politically minded egotist.

I, however, could not say the same as she had. I didn't even remember her so how could I miss her? That was the worst of it. All my memories only returned within the last week, the last thing I remember before it went dark was wondering if anyone was coming after me... if I was remembered.

It was now known that at least one person didn't forget me.

I smiled, and then looked down to Kariku who was pawing at her leg which only helped to alleviate my mood. As soon as the tears began, they stopped. I wasn't one to remain emotional for long. I inhaled deeply trying to catch my breath again and pulled away from her.

"Thanks, for coming... and for not giving up on me..." I said softly, looking now to Kaiju who had take to lounging in the sunlight. His attention span wasn't the greatest... "No one else really seemed to care in there..." I said, thinking back to the meeting.​

 

[Yukari]

He drew back, his eyes red. but smiling. He was looking down at Kariku, who was pawing at her leg. Hikari reached down and petted the cub's head soothingly, She murmured something to the effect of 'it's ok, don't worry,' as she smiled back at him.

"Thanks, for coming... and for not giving up on me..." He said, his eyes seeking his little friend, who had found a spot of sunlight. "No one else really seemed to care i there..."

Hikari felt a little guilt at his words. She had never tried to go after him... granted her world had been consumed with her job at he time, and it had been presumed that he left on his own... but she still felt the uneasiness of 'you should have done more' in her heart. "There are a few of us who missed you a lot." She said, "I... I'm just relieved. I'm happy you're home, and you didn't really abandon us..." She blinked away the stinging in her eyes, and took a deep breath, "There were a lot of people who... It doesn't matter. Do you have a place to go?" She asked, "I have a house now. It's just me... Plenty of room if you want..." She let the offer hang in the air, incomplete, with its sentiment bare.

 

[Morishige]

"There are a few of us who missed you a lot." She said, "I... I'm just relieved. I'm happy you're home, and you didn't really abandon us..." She blinked away the stinging in her eyes, and took a deep breath, "There were a lot of people who... It doesn't matter. Do you have a place to go?"

I looked up into the trees thinking on what she had said, especially the unexpected part there at the end. There was a pair of birds flitting about until they both landed on a branch and began to do bird like things. They gave me something to focus on while I pondered the choice. "It is good to be home, seems the same as when I left."

Whether that was good or bad was to be seen. It didn't feel right going back to the complex. After being on my own for so long as Kenta, going back to being dependent seemed like this wrong choice. And moving in with a good friend while dealing with my own identity crisis was a good option. But I didn't want to be a burden. "If your sure it's not going to be a problem, then it would be my privilege, Hikari-chan. I don't think I could go back to living at my Cousin's." he confessed, scratching the back of his head.

Now they were at a crossroads. Stay in this beautiful place, or get a move on with trying to return to normal. "What is normal..." I thought. "So should we get going or..." I began, but trailed off because I wasn't sure was the next step.

[Topic Left?]

 

[Yukari]

He looked at the trees, at the birds chirping ad chattering above them, but Hikari only looked at him. She smiled as he thought about her offer. "It is good to be home, seems the same as when I left." He said.

For her, it was vastly different. Almost overwhelmingly so. She shook her head, "Everything's changed." Including herself. It had only been a year, but the year had made such a difference.

"If your sure it's not going to be a problem, then it would be my privilege, Hikari-chan. I don't think I could go back to living at my Cousin's." he confessed, scratching his head.

"No problem at all, Zaku kun." She said, "You're my oldest friend. You'll always be welcome in my home." She said firmly.

"So, should we get going or..." He trailed off, uncertainly.

"Home?" She asked, "I'll help you get whatever you need from your family's home, if you want, so you can get moved in. Maybe we grab a bite to eat after? I did ask you to have dinner with me, and you said yes." She reminded him. Although, that hadn't really... been him. Well, it had been, he just hadn't been himself. She started to feel a bit guilty, "Of course, you don't have to..."

[not quite?]

 

[Morishige]

He smiled. The young Ishikawa did agree to having dinner with her. And then he was also reminded of what he had thought of her in the moments before his true identity was returned to him. Zaku's face grew slightly red and his expression shifted to that of embarrassment. He had not said it out loud thankfully; she would most likely be confused from the sudden change though. He masterfully regained composure and nodded his head. "Oh no, it's cool. I'm starving anyways. Didn't have much to eat since the whole...thing happened. It's rather troublesome sorting out whats real and whats not." he explained with a sigh. "Come on. It shouldn't take that long to grab the essentials." he concluded and gestured to Kaiju to come along. It was going to be a long walk, so a familiar looking nimbus formed in front of the little monster. He climbed aboard and lay on his belly with a goofy grin. The cloud of sand took position above one of my shoulders. The Ishikawa began the walk to the main streets of Kumogakure...

"So Hikari as Sennin. Who would have thunk it. You are one step away from the Raikage. Must be alot of guys looking for your hand right now." he said with a smile as they walked along the streets.

 

[Yukari]

Zaku smiled and blushed, which made Hikari smile. It was nice to not be the one surprised by the advances of someone else. The smile turned into something else for a moment, but then he nodded, and the weird awkward look was gone. "Oh no, it's cool. I'm starving anyways. Didn't have much to eat since the whole... thing happened. It's rather troublesome sorting out what's real and what's not." He sighed, "Come on. It shouldn't take that long to grab the essentials. He gestured for his little friend to come along with them, and created a nimbus cloud from sand.

"Nice trick." She said, and gestured for Kariku to follow.

"So Hiari as Sennin. Who would have thunk it. You are one step away from the Raikage. Must be alot of guys looking for your hand right now."

"Don't get me wrong, I have ambitions... but I'm not ready to be more than one step away from Raikage." She laughed, "I have enough people depending on me as it is. As for men... well, there may be a couple, but so far..." She paused awkwardly, eyes flicking over to him, then back before she could really see his expression. She shrugged, "Being a Sennin has kept me busy. A few months ago, the Queen of Bear was flirting with me." She said with a smirk, "She offered me a position as Interim Sennin- just to fill in while they found someone else. I was all set to go before Donut got sick." She said, "Masao had a hand in it- the position being offered... But mostly it was me. I was a damn fine Ambassador, Zaku." She said, "You never saw me in action. Not really. I made an armies go home by yelling at their generals." There was a deep satisfaction in her voice. "I made a difference." Too bad it wasn't enough. She thought, shaking her head. "Eh, anyway, to your cousin's. What do you wanna eat? Dinner's on me."

[MFT 300+]

 

[Morishige]

Naturally, Zaku didn't even realize her glance. He was to focused on walking between the people in the streets they were now navigating. While carriages were a more efficient form of transportation for stock and wares, most of Kumo got around on foot. It wasn't a giant place, not like Raiden's eye, so most people lived around the services they needed. He sidestepped a rather large man as she continued to speak, somewhat offended by his stench. He expressed his disgust by a simple shake of the head, but his attention was on her. Her stories were entertaining, to think that she was being hit on by an official was a bit of a stretch, but he had no reason to disbelieve. It just seemed so unprofessional. Perhaps that was a story that needed elaboration.

In the end, she was proud of what she accomplished and believed in her promotion, which was probably why things had gone so swimmingly in a time so chaotic. She was prepared. The main branch did something right, that's for sure. Zaku nodded his head every so often, indicated he was still listening, but now it was his turn to talk. A moment to think, a small habitual gesture. "Hmmm corndogs. Yup that's what I want." he said without hesitation. It was possible that Hikari was looking for a more sit down dinner, but all he wanted was food that reminded him that he was home. And that, my dear reader, was corndogs. "Come on this way, I know where there is a stand near my cousin's." he verbalized. It seemed that his walk increased in speed as well, like he was worried it might disappear if late.

In time they arrived, got their food, and found a seat on a bench nearby. A rather small one to be accurate so it was a tight fit. But the smile on Zaku's face when he bit into that cornbread was blissful. He forgot about the world for a moment but then some bright red hair brought him back to reality. What was there to talk about though. He sighed a little. There was nothing that they could talk about that would be a happy topic, save for old memories. So he looked up into the late night sky, and posed a question. "What is to be done with him?"

 

[Yukari]

Hikari chuckled. "I'm offering to buy you whatever you want for dinner, and you pick corndogs. Man of simple taste." She laughed.

"Come on this way, I know where there is a stand near my cousin's."

"Alright." She laughed, trotting alongside him. As they arrived, they went and got their food. She got two corndogs as well, though it seemed quite a foreign food. Hikari watched with pleasure as Zaku enjoyed his food. It'd been long since she'd seen such a look on his face. She took a bite as well and found them odd, but not unpleasant.

After a moment he sighed. "What is to be done with him?"

She, paused mid-chew and swallowed before speaking, "He's going to give up the power to do what he did to you. That will never happen to anyone else." She promised. "And then he'll be exiled. If he performs service to the land, and fulfills certain terms, he may one day be allowed to come back here. I know it isn't what you wanted..." She said, taking a piece of the corn bread and hotdog and giving it to Kariku.

She shifted herself and adjusted her legs so she was comfortable, and brushed his knee with her own, though she hardly noticed it, they were in such close quarters it could hardly be avoided. "I..." She chuckled, "Do you remember that time in the dojo, where I-" She covered her mouth as she chuckled, "Where I fell on you?" She felt her laughter making her blush.

 

[Morishige]

He looked out as she spoke, his jaw tightening as each syllable was uttered. He questioned what words to say in response, but what good would they do? He cursed Shin mentally. If war ever came to the land, he wouldn't fight for a man who didn't fight for him. "Perhaps it was better as Kenta." he thought. Potentially traitorous thoughts were soon ended by the sensation of Hikari's knee rubbing against his own. Goosebumps erupted across his skin, unseen due to what he was wearing. It had been some time since the last time he was alone with a girl, even if she was an old friend.

But then she had to go and bring up old memories, particularly embarrassing ones at that. He took a bite of his corndog after dipping it in some mustard. She laughed and spoke about their...close encounter. He was mid swallow and nearly choked it up in his own fit of laughter. With a big gulp he took a breath and shook is head. "That was quite the, uh, misunderstanding wasn't it?" he replied, taking a look at her, noticing the blush. Her red face elicited one of his own and he looked away to avoid her noticing. "Why are you looking away?" he pondered. This was not a feeling he'd felt in a long time.

"Stupid Donut." he continued, taking a bite of the delicious food. "And you miss clumsy face. You put us in that compromising position~" he chimed with a smile.

 

[Yukari]

The red head hadn't noticed their knees touching at first, but as he noticed, his face turned red and he looked away, she blushed more. She fumbled for words for a moment before going back to the incident.

Hikari took a bite of her corndog and snorted, "Yea it was. Oh gods, that man was a creeper. Not to speak ill of the dead, but in that last fight before Masao... well, I was immobilized, and he did something." She grimaced, "I was so angry, I could have killed him... but we were being attacked, so I set my feelings aside. He truly was a pervert."

"Stupid Donut." he continued, taking a bite of the food, "And you miss clumsy face. You put us in that compromising position~" he chimed with a smile.

She laughed, "Yea," Then she paused, smiling mischievously, "You didn't seem to mind it at the time." She said. One thing Hikari was not, was subtle. She winked, clearly teasing. It had been awkward as hell in the moment. And the moments afterward had been embarrassing. "We were fighting abut something before that, weren't we?" Of course she remembered. She remembered that the incident had resolved things somehow. They weren't closed off. They weren't open, but there wasn't resentment anymore. At least not from her. Something about totally not dry humping in a dojo, then getting caught and wrongly accused by a man with a backpack full of pastries brings people, together... She shifted in her seat and blushed more deeply, then decided to take a bite of her corndog so she wouldn't be expected to speak for at least a moment.

 

[Morishige]

Horrid conjurations of what Donut had done to her began to play in his mind, most of the scenes the crude sexual 'accidents' that happened in manga somehow. Like when a guy just happens to trip and land on a woman with his face pressed up against her ass.

Thankfully her words took his mind off of the disturbing images and instead focused them back on that day specifically when... "Good god..." the very thought he had about Donut and her was identical to what had happened between them; except Zaku's face was no where near her ass. In fact, had he put his hands up to stop her descent, they probably would have planted upon her breasts quite nicely. The idea made him smile and laugh, but there was no way he was going to say why he was chuckling.

Her wink was, as mentioned, anything but subtle. Her own attitude was bringing out his own flirtatious side. He continued to smile wide, eating the last of his corn dog as she continued to think of the past. "Yes we were, I forget what about." he admitted. Probably something silly that children got in tiffs about. She took a bite of her own food and Zaku looked to her with a serious stare. He was thinking about what the future held in store for them. He was going to rooming at her place after all. "Does that mean more embarrassing moments are in store for us?" he wondered. It was only a matter of time before he walked in at the wrong time and caught a face full of her naked body.

It was then the subject matter needed changing. "So about Donut, what exactly did he do to you during that fight that proved his perversion?"

 

[Yukari]

As she spoke, he started laughing, "What?" Hikari wiped her mouth, thinking it might be something on her face, "What are you laughing at Zaku kun?"

She took another bite, and moved her leg so that her calf rested against his. Instead of responding to her question about his laughter, he replied "Yes we were, I forget about what."

Hikari wondered if he was telling the truth. She remembered it well enough to count the snowflakes and the lightning strikes. "I remember being very angry with you." She said hesitantly. "But after Donut walked in and accused us of..." She chuckled, "We didn't even have to say anything to each other. We were united. His accusations never stood a chance... though that moment... before he walked in. Kinda felt like..." She shook her head slightly.

"Eh? Oh. That bastard attacked me with the thousand years of pain jutsu!" She shivered and sneered. "Oh man was I angry!" Hikari was grateful for the change of subject from that to this. "Yes sir I was. I mean, if we hadn't been outgunned..." She shook her head, "And then, next time I saw him was after the battle, and after Masao was already gone." She said slowly, "I attacked him verbally. Maybe my anger made me too harsh... I was very cruel. What did I say...? I... I don't remember... The memory is a blur of pain... We lost Kitsune.. Do you remember her? Our first class together. She died there. Gave her life to heal us. But whatever. It's in the past. She's gone. He's gone. They're all dead and gone... but we aren't. I've spent a lot of time nurturing the grief in my heart, but I realize now I shouldn't. We all knew. We were all raised to know that we could die out there. I'm sorry, Zaku... for dumping this on you. There's good stuff too... I met a couple family members. Two of my aunt's sons joined the academy. They're strange boys, both of them." She laughed, "Actually, Miko reminds me of you, he's a little shit. He's lucky he has his brother to cover for his antics. They're so small, and he has such a temper, too. I made him very angry by correcting him on something. It's an interesting experience, getting to know him, especially since my experience with children- I'm rambling, feel free to stop me whenever you want." She said with a nervous laugh.

[MFT 410]