Never Far Away [ Private/Minako]

[Kiri]

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Kiri watched the moving hand of the pocket watch. It was somehow mystifying, putting him in a brief trance. But his eyes were far removed from the present. He viewed the world both in the present and in his soulscape. This forest had long been his sanctuary, and this secret lake that opened to the skies and the hidden parts of the ancient forest of Kumogakure’s depths used to be his sole secret. And yet, as he looked down, he watches the sleeping form of the woman he had brought there. He quickly hides the pocket watch in one of his pants-pocket. The solitary moon up above was silent despite knowing that it would soon fade into the bright lights of day. For now, at least, in the remaining darkness and mist, it gifted an enchanted glow to this mystic lake.

Her hair glowed against the remaining moonlight, casting an eerie ghostly effect, almost too precious for him to even touch. And yet, was not too long ago that he shared a kiss with her? His eyes sharpened at the thought of the recent memory and he looked away, drawing his knees close to him as he tried to reflect on what he had done. Almost like a child, pouting, angry, stubborn. He looked on at the lake where once some of the forest creatures would bathe in, but never whenever he was there. Perhaps they knew of his presence all too well. Or perhaps because his presence often shrouded this place with his overwhelming chakra, seemingly transforming it into the lake inside his soulscape. Ah, but that was the reason for it. He could transcend through time and space in his soulscape, and this lake he cursed with the power he received from Hogosha allowed him brief moments of melding the two realms. Thus, it is at once both the real and his soulscape’s imagery.

He began to think why he brought her there. Perhaps he was hoping that he would be able to catch a glimpse of her inner soul right where his power was stronger. And yet, when they had arrived, they both remained silent. The woman– Minako– may have attempted to speak, but Kiri only replied was what needed, nothing more. And then, it came to pass that they would both sit near the edge of the lake, and his chakra began to converge with the place. Soon enough, golden flashes would surrounded them before they would grow thin and warm, subdued to a soothing sight. Only the rustling leaves against the wind, and the flowing waters from the nearby short falls would echo in the silent forest as they remained silent.

It was some time by then when he noticed her chakra changing. So he reached at her and pulled her close, embracing her, letting her lean on him as he would slowly let her lie her head on his lap. She must have been exhausted. Or perhaps he was still not proficient in his chakra control that he still had that effect of overwhelming others. Needless to say, he stayed silent as he watched over her sleeping form, touching her face a few times, and it that one strange moment, he leaned in and gave her another kiss on the head. This time, it was long, almost as if he was yearning for something, before he parted. It when he then sat upright and began to watch the time on his watch, trying to distract himself, only to fail for the next hour or two.

And as time passed, with the remaining glimpse of the moon diminishing over the canopies of leaves of trees, and the rays of dawn opposite it, Kiri could feel his own chakra calming down. And so, it would seem as though he would lie next to her, face close to other as he continued to look at her, thinking that by doing so he would know the answer to his questions. "Just who are you to me?" he whispered with a hand on her face. He hoped it would, right before he completely fell asleep. But it didn’t. Instead, the last of the convergence of his chakra with the lake would disperse, the dimly glowing lights would break into the light of day and Kiri would fall deep into sleep next to the woman that seemed to have suddenly lingered in his soul.

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Minako wasn’t sure what happened exactly, while she slept ever so peacefully, she attempted to overcome the events that happened, yet she cannot. They are embedded in her mind a bit too much, she was glad it didn’t disturb her sleeping, because her mind has been going bonkers, and it all started with one man that she met… Kiri was his name, and he swooped her off her feet the moment they met that very same night. He stole her first kiss, and even beckoned her to follow him, to which she did…

The night was quiet, to say the least, Minako tried to ask a few questions while she followed Kiri, but in the end, she felt that the night would be better off with her thoughts still contained in her mind. In the end, she was lead to a strange place in what was the forest, a place that Minako doesn’t remember, or if she did remember, it didn’t feel so magical as it did right now.

Still asleep, her breath could only be heard briefly as she felt her face be caressed a few times, it didn’t wake her up however, in fact, it made her feel much more relaxed than she already was, the soft touches felt mystical, as if they felt right… but at the same time, it also felt more at peace with herself. At one point, she even felt his warm lips against her forehead, which just excited her even more. After some time, Minako continued to feel at ease, she felt his soft touch over her face once more before she felt the hand release its gentleness on her face.

Finally, some time passed between the sleeping duo, and Minako’s eyes fluttered opened softly after hearing a voice call out her name once more, just like it did the night before Kiri and herself spotted each other back at the dawnbringers plaza. Luckily, the voices stopped, and Minako slipped on a small smile. She noticed that Kiri slept right next to her, that was when she shuffled closer to the male and wrapped one of her arms around him. She knew that the guy was probably going to be in a bit of shock when he eventually wakes up, but she didn’t want to leave his side.

Words: 385​

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[Kiri]

In his dream, there was an endless blue sky. It was so clear that clouds were mere patches of cotton fluff at corners of his periphery. It was so vast that he felt like a tiny speck of dust compared to the magnitude of the world that sky looked down upon. And as he looked up, Kiri could tell that he was lying down, back against dirt. It was rough against his clothes, some small pebbles and perhaps grass, and perhaps soil. But he didn’t need to look to the sides to see it. He was simply certain of it.

Then, another sensation came to him. He felt it along his hands. They weighted heavily, almost as if they refused to move at all. Though it could also be his will. It was being stubborn and lazy that he didn’t want to move from where he was. And so, he allowed the wind to blow against his face, his white fringes swaying across his eyes. And then, a hand appeared. It was feminine, and it reached over from above his view and brushed his hair aside to clear his line of sight. His eyes looked up and saw against the light of the sky, a shadowed face, but her hair was blonde, regal, elegant. A movement of her lips and he felt like his smiled at least before he found it hard to fight off his eyes from closing in on him despite his stubbornness not to.

“I don’t want to lose you. I want to see you more,” he whispered in the darkness, and in the real world.

Just then, he felt as though there was a fluttering of wings. At that, he opened his eyes to be greeted by daylight. He was silent at first, just letting his breathing be heard. It felt nice. It felt as though he had gotten a good rest. After days of studying, then a day of worrying, he never did got any rest. And yet, waking up just now made him feel slightly less burdened. At peace…

Right until he felt another’s presence. The chakra presence was intense that he was mostly certain they were close and with just a turn of his head, he caught sight of her. He lay still for a good two or three seconds as his mind raced to comprehend things, before his eyes grew sharp and he immediately rolled on top of her and, seemingly pinning her down. “Who are you?!” He almost growled, his face close to hers.

But before the other could answer, there was a moment of realisation in his face. Eyes grew wide as memories flashed into his mind and his heart began to beat wildly and loudly. Gasping, he instantly drew closer, embracing her, holding her head close to him as he glanced left and right, then when he was content, he let her go and raised himself slightly above her so as not to burden her of his weight. Then he looked down at her with flushed cheeks. “You’re... real?”

And as if drawn by curiosity and the deafening sound of his heartbeat, he leaned closer and slowly planted a kiss on her lips. And if she protested, he would have pinned her hands to the side. Only after the kiss would he part and then come to sit at the side, placing his own hand on his mouth and finally saying, “You. Are. Real.”

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Hearing them words leave his mouth was quite astonishing. For some strange reason, she felt so precious when he said them words, even more precious than when her father or even her brother praised her for not being such a lazy bum. This was rather special to the female, and she started to feel all tingly inside. She hoped that wasn't a major issue though, especially when she shuffled closer to him. She almost wanted to tell him that she wanted to see him more too, but that would be strange because he was right there in front of her. In fact, this was her first ever time sleeping next to a male, so it also meant that he stole her first session of sleeping beside one too, even if it wasn't properly.

Slowly, but surely, Minako began to smile softly for once, it was unusual, not many people would usually see her smile because she usually wore a mask to cover her scars on her cheek, but for once, she was well and truly smiling, she found her happy place, or so she thought anyway. That smile didn't really last though, because the next second she knew, she was pinned onto the flooring, with an angry Kiri asking who she was. Her mind drifted off into a state of panic. What did he mean by that exactly?! She could've sworn he wasn't like this the previous night.

Her state of panic soon washed away the moment Kiri's facial expression changed back to something that wasn't so angry. He even gone back to the embracing and even looked around his surroundings before he released some of his weight from her body, while it felt nice to have his weight on top of her, it also excited her some more when he got rid of that pressure on her body. That was when he asked if she was real… to be honest, she was asking herself if the whole situation was real, it didn't feel real at all. In fact, it felt like a dream… it was only when he placed his lips upon hers for a second time, that she also knew this was real. She started to feel excitement build up inside her once again, but it felt much more controlled this time.

When the kiss was finished, he sat down beside her before stating that she was real after all. The blonde smiled softly once more and sat up herself. “Yup…” she nodded. “I'm real, for sure.” After that, she had a moment of silence to herself before she looked to him once more. “I hope… that isn't an issue…”

Words: 442​

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[Kiri]

Disbelief had always eluded Kiri. There was just something about the world that he had never thought to question too much. Perhaps it was because he lived with his beast of a brother for so long that the idea of normalcy has never appealed to him. Thus, he knew for certain, despite his often confusion when meddling between his soulscape and reality that what he perceived, or what he may have wanted to perceive as an illusion was far from that. This woman before him was as real as any other. And he would nod in acknowledgment at her words.

It came to be that the two would be lost in another long moment of silence. This time, Kiri was admiring the scenery of the lake. He never did stay till morning there. He preferred the night scene. But somehow, even when the daylight shone all around, it didn’t seem as overwhelming as he first thought. It was simply a different kind of time and so even the inhabitants were equally different.

At that, he remembered that the woman may be hungry. They must have slept for quite a long time and it would be inconsiderate of him to let her starve. He didn’t know much of her capacity, he didn’t really know much about her at all aside from this recurring vision. And so, he suddenly stood up and left without another word. That was his mistake. He should have at least said something- like for her to wait or not to wonder about too much. He shouldn’t treat her like one of his soulscape occupants that could very well read his thoughts. They were not connected in that way. Even if he were to protest and say that they were somewhat connected by fate, it was still ambiguous at the moment.

And so, as if it were a normal thing, he went to hunt along the deep forest. The first in order was one of those bears. Surely, that big of a creature would be enough for quite a feast.

Unknown to him and Minako, should the latter have taken the option to try and follow, a lingering shadow drew close to her the moment she left the security of the hedges that surrounded the lake. And as known to many of the more veteran shinobi as well as citizen of Kumogakure, the ancient forest was like a haven for the surreal and the unimaginable. But really, there would have been no use for her to have stayed. The lake was a creation of both reality and Kiri's soulscape. As such, when he left, the blur became sharp and lake area would turn into a stream surrounded by giant trees, almost unrecognisable.

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

There were a few things that were best left unsaid, but for Kiri to walk up and then just leave her without saying anything kind of begged the question of whether it was okay to follow the male or not. Was it okay to follow him?? Her curiosity hypnotised her, it allowed her to stand up and allowed her the ability to walk a few steps away from him. While she wondered if this was acceptable, she just couldn’t let him be… not just yet. She wanted to spend more time with him, and this was the first time that these type of feelings have overcome her, so her feelings was giving her a little fight inside between her heart and her mind.

While following him, she started to feel weird, a shadow seemed to be edging closer to the young woman, it wasn’t going to stop her though, in fact, it only made her walk closer to the silver haired male. Meanwhile, she wondered what he thought of her exactly… they have only been given first impressions of each other and that could seriously affect their current relationship. She already assumed that Kiri was the over-protective sort that will keep her protected, but will also try to keep her away from everything as much as possible. She also thought of him as a tad mysterious, but that whole mysterious thing is just because of how little she knew about him, apart from his name.

“Where are you going??” Minako asked Kiri, trying to understand his motive for getting up and just leaving without saying a word. “I hope I wasn’t wrong for walking with you, if you need me to head back, I will happily do so.” She admitted. If he did want her to go, she will simply leave, but if he wants her to stay, then that’s fine too. He may have gripped her heart, but she was struggling to comprehend just how close they already are, still trying to get over the fact that it isn’t a dream.

Words: 342​

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[Kiri]

Kiri made his way to the deeper part of the forest. It quite a bit before he noticed her. He was, for the most part, surprised as he turned and found Minako standing there. Eyes shot past her and saw the hedges appear. It would seem as though the lake had vanished into the natural setting of the ancient forest. He couldn’t help but feel a little ticked. Didn’t he plan to just go look for food for the two of them and then return? And yet, here she was, following him like a pup. But what made it worse was probably her words.

At that, Kiri sharpened his eyes and scratched the back of his head before looking to the side and clicking his tongue. He knew he was confusing. Heck, even he was confusing himself. And yet, why couldn’t he just say it to her? He had always been direct with most people. He would even be too direct to the Raikage and the Hokage in the recent past that had almost cost him his life if only the others were not there to vouch for him. And yet, there was this invisible wall that’s stopping him from simply saying the words to this woman before him… this woman that was worrying him, intriguing to him, and seemingly filling up his mind.

But he was a stubborn fool as always, turning completely and beginning to walk, “Do what you want?” That wasn’t exactly what he meant. It was more along the lines of “do what your heart tells you” or “you’re free to do anything”, but he was showing more of his harsh side than normal.

Just then, he felt another presence and quickly perked up. Upon quickly sensing, he turned around with ease and dove at Minako, both falling to the ground. Of course, he had his arm wrapped behind her to cushion her fall as a slithering sound breezed past them. He clicked his tongue again before he quickly rose to his feet and lifted a hand, his chakra instantly gathering up before it shot outwards in the form of a spiraling large dragon made of water. Immediately, it would crash into the trees up ahead and a screech echoed. Not one to be complacent, Kiri followed it up with a rain of fire. And at its wake, taking two bold steps, it would seem as though a mix of a serpent and a chicken, a giant monstrosity would reveal itself before falling limp on the ground. Burned, battered, blood spilling along the haunting wounds on its body, the mutated beast was freed from its mortal torment.

“This part of the forest is known to have a lot of these. Mutated creatures,” only when he was certain that the beast was dead would he then look back to Minako, a small cut on his head seemingly trickling with blood, and yet his eyes were deadly as he looked back at her. But his voice betrayed him. “Are you okay?” He then approached her and knelt towards her, holding her face on his hand as he sighed, “That scared me. Now, all the more do I want to keep you near me until I find out just who you are to me.”

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Minako’s breath halted as she was walking with him, that was until he told her to do whatever she wanted. She felt like an arrow literally went through her chest, maybe this was… not what she desired after all, maybe he was keeping a little act to hide his true personality underneath. If that was the case, then he isn’t doing a fantastic job, this is the second time she's doubted this weird type of relationship. In fact, can she even class it as a relationship in the first place??

Just when she decided to stop walking and turn back in hopes to never see him again, he turned around himself, dived straight for her in some sort of protective embrace before they both landed on the floor. Minako was a bit worried about him, but as soon as he stood up and gathered up a ton of chakra to summon what he did kind of shocked her. This guy was clearly powerful, and it made her just a bit scared… She doesn’t know what the hell was going on.

After his little chakra escapade that involved water and fire, he spoke some words before turning to Minako. He looked… dangerous… yet, he still had the ability to ask if she was okay. His tone, mannerisms and various other things like himself keeping a hand on her face was finally giving her mixed messages. He was scared, and she was wanted near him at all times… but why did he say what he said earlier?? She doesn’t understand any of this at all.

“I see…” She mumbled softly, she was trying to not let her confusion show, and she hoped that she was doing it rather well. After them little words, she raised her hand in the air slowly and then reached towards his cut mark. “You’re injured, yet I don’t know anything to help it go away, I apologise.”

Words: 320​

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[Kiri]

Kiri blinked a few times at her words, the fierceness in his eyes disappearing, and right before trying to glance upwards. “This? It’s okay. I’m a Mednin. I can take care of it,” he would reply. Oddly enough, he would hold her hand in his and gave it a warm breath before he titled his head and said, “Don’t worry, okay?” Then he reached out to pat her on the head. He sat before her and then reached to his pant-pocket before procuring what seemed to be a small rolled bandage. It was almost as if he knew he was going to get injured and that it was there all this time. Then again, as a mednin he was always ready. “It’s not uncommon that I have this with me. Sometimes I find an injured shinobi out on patrol. Sometimes it’s a pet. It would be a shame if a Mednin came unprepared.”

At that, he cut enough and then wiped the blood with the hem of his sleeves before applying a small amount of healing chakra, then he would wrap the bandage lightly. It wasn’t all that grave, but he didn’t like it when his hair would touch the wound and make him feel a little irked. It came along as being a Mednin as well– he was sort of a neatfreak in terms of being clean with wounds and even a brushing of his own hair would make him feel as though thousands of microbes would enter the wound and infect him. Perhaps he was reading too much medical journals lately.

Then, he would look back at Minako and gave her a good thorough inspection before nodding. “You look fine. No bruise, no scrape. That’s good. Then, shall we go look for something to eat. I was worried earlier that you were hungry and decided to go. But it seemed you were worried for me. Please don’t. I’m more than capable, and this forest has been my hunting grounds for a long time. I won’t lose my life here.” At that, he would rise onto his feet and help Minako up as well. And almost as if he had a sudden recognition, he gasped and then stepped back. “I’m talking too much. It’s not cool.” So he covered her ears.

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

“A.. Mednin…” She mumbled. She has heard of Mednins before, and she highly respected them because of her hospital visit that she was forced into because of the incident that happened that halted her from being a shinobi for a while. While she was reduced to having some ugly scars on her cheek, she couldn’t thank them enough for their help when she really needed it the most. “Okay, I won’t worry.” She reassured as much as she could before she was patted on the head, while that made her feel weird inside, she was glad that he was making sense.

Watching him do his business with his little injury that he received, Minako smiled softly, she felt much better knowing that Kiri was patching himself up. After that little moment, he seemed to be looking at Minako herself, she didn’t know what was going on until he mentioned that she had no bruises or scrapes. She… was surprised at that, to say the least. He didn’t mention her scars?? She knew that her scars can still be seen, she checked herself before she went out to the plaza. They were worse before she got her new body though, and she was glad for that. Then he asked if they should look for something to eat, before telling her to not worry and helped Minako to get back onto her feet.

Her smile was replaced with confusion the moment her ears were covered by the young man, she didn’t understand why he thought he was talking too much, but she decided to reassure him by slipping her hands on top of his and taking his hands away from her ears. “It’s ok, I really like your voice and I like it when you talk…” She admitted, quickly looking away. She probably spoke too much herself now.

Words: 306​

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[Kiri]

Kiri blinked a few times in surprise as the woman would so easily put his hand away. Then again, he didn’t really resist and was quite flustered to begin with. Still, what Minako would say next would inevitably make him red around the cheeks as well, even more so as it reached his ears. Times like this he cursed inside and wished he brought his mask. It would save him a great deal of embarrassment. He was naturally pale and that made his blush all the more obvious all the time. He would never heard the end of it from his mentors, even now when he was supposed to have shown great improvement.

But perhaps what really struck him the most was that she actually liked his voice. He didn’t care so much about his voice. It was ordinary. It was average. And at times, it could be annoying according to others. Probably because he would growl when fighting, especially back when he was still under the influence of the cursed beast. Still, it had always been a part of him that made him feral to others, if not rude and completely naive. Yet, she found it nice.

“Really… you...” he stammers his words as he closes his eyes for a moment. “If you say things like that, I may just want to do it. I really want to hold you close and kiss you and keep you for myself right now,” he manages so say before he pauses and takes in a few deep breaths. Then he would take a step back to give her some space. He sighs heavily, seemingly trying to regain his composure before he reaches out and holds her hand almost naturally. “Let’s just go find something to eat, okay? We can talk more when you’re not hungry.” Then came his own tummy betraying him with a growl. “Or me,” he adds as his face grows another shade of red deeper.

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Seeing Kiri blush to some degree made Minako chuckle ever so slightly. He really must have been lost for words because he stammered ever so slightly and closed his eyes before being able to speak to her. The things that he said really made Minako a bit blushy herself. The fact that he mentioned that he wanted to kiss her and keep her to himself felt… strangely enlightening, although a bit possessive too. She didn’t mind that for this moment though…

Chuckling softly, Minako nodded slowly to his words while he held her hand. It was probably a good idea to find food for the both of them. There was only one problem… Minako doesn’t need that much food to eat, sometimes even only eating one meal was enough for her. She didn’t want to tell Kiri this however, maybe it was for the best to just let the day roll. Maybe Kiri will eat most of it anyway, he was the one with the growling stomach that was begging for its nutrients and whatnot.

Biting her lower lip, she took a few steps towards him, letting her hand release from his grasp as she then walked right beside him. “Sure! Let’s get some food. I have my favourite swords with me so I can help with hunting! And it would be good practice too. Oh, I also know some jutsu’s that can help!” She announced as kept patting her hips. “I am sure I have them around here somewhere… oh! Here!”

Finally, Minako grinned as she took out what appeared to be butterfly swords, her grin was wide and even the hilts were nicely decorated to look like butterfly wings, hence why they are called butterfly swords. They both reach up to her elbows and they indeed looked very precious to her. “They have been in my possession for some time, and I quite love them.”

Words: 317​

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[Kiri]

Kiri looked at her at first before he understood. Even if he didn't want her to do anything, even if he just wanted to leave all the trivial things to him, he understood. She was a shinobi like him. To deny her out of chivalry was to deny her existence. It was the worst thing he could possibly do. He let his eyes linger in the swords for a bit longer. He didn't want her sudden spiritedly charm to disappear, but why did it feel hard to think she would one day be on the frontlines, fighting for her life. He didn't want that.

Forcefully, he suddenly hugged her tight. If she resisted, she'll know just how much strength he had to keep her still. Because that's what he wanted. He wanted this moment to last, when she was far from the battles and potential sacrifices. And yet, he knew it would only offend her. So he let her go as quickly as he hugged her.

"I understand," he said before looking to the side and led the way through the forest. Some of the paths were unknown to many, but Kiri has already learnt them by heart. And as such, he would them far from the depths. They weren't that close to the village but at least they were now far from the dangerous creatures. He didn't know her capacity as a shinobi, but he didn't want to risk it either.

"This area has large boars with great tusks. One should be enough. I'll let you lead. I'll watch you hunt," he said as looked back at her. It wasn't a challenge. It was also part of his plan. His curiosity to get to know this woman had peaked and he wanted to know fast. "I'll be here, so don't worry... Mina."

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Minako wondered why the male would just stare at her swords. Did he think they were pretty?? If that’s the case, then she couldn’t blame him. Minako herself found them beautiful, and it reminded her of the fairy king and queen, which is why she named them Titania and Oberon. They were the king and queen of the fairies in fairy tales after all, and they belonged together, just like her swords, they belonged to each other, and one wouldn’t work as well as the other.

Suddenly, she felt Kiri’s embrace entwine with herself, his arms wrapped around tightly, and even if she tried to wiggle around for some breathing space, his sheer strength didn’t allow her. Instead, she stayed there until he let her go, which was rather quickly.

After giving out some words, she was lead throughout the forest, going through as the birds chirped their song and as the animals got with their daily routines. Minako found it rather weird though, because she liked it when Kiri was leading, why though?? She didn’t understand, but she felt comforted by it. It gave her a small vision of what appeared to be her being lead by another blonde in a beautiful red dress, her feet kept walking along with Kiri’s lead until he stopped, that was when the vision stopped also.

Upon hearing Kiri’s words, she blushed slightly as he spoke her name. With this, she placed her face near his and kissed his cheek before backing away and getting herself ready. “I’ll be fine, Kiri… I don’t even know you all that well and you’re concerned about me… You’re sweet.” She chuckled before she ran over to a suitable spot and entered stealth. She was glad to fight in stealth if she was going to be honest, simply because was probably one of the worst fighters to watch when it came to fighting because she isn’t as graceful as she probably looked. Her body acted very robotic when she fought, so when she fought in the shadows, it wasn’t as noticeable.

Quickly spotting one of the large boars that Kiri was talking about, Minako made a dash for the boar and with as much speed and strength as she could muster, she struck the target, blood swirled around her, letting it dance in the air with her as she span around above the creature, she then landed on the other side, remaining in stealth. She then bit her lower lip as she then turned the footing below the target into loose pebbles, which caused the boar to struggle with it’s walking. Minako then followed up by dashing towards them again and making an X mark on their side. Needless to say… Minako has finished them off properly.

“Hell yeah!” Minako grinned as she looked to the blood on her swords. “Looks like these will need wiped when I return home.” She admitted as she then looked over to the boar before hiding her butterfly swords and crossing her arms. “I did it though.”

Words: 506​

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[Kiri]

To be honest, he was not ready to be kissed. Well, he was just not ready for anything serious at all. When Minako had taken it upon herself to approach him and kiss him, Kiri stood stiff. It was almost as if his entire body had decided not to move. In fact, it was almost as if his entire body decided that it would just not have any of it. And so, he stood still as he watched her leave. It was weird. He should have control and yet, that was a moment of not being in control and it felt unnerving. It also made him redder than a tomato.

After finally getting over it, Kiri would stealthily follow her, stopping a good distance away. He didn’t need to be close to carefully observe her. His trained eyes were enough to look from afar. And the forest was almost like his home. If he thought of her as his prey, he could very much find the perfect vantage point to spot her. And just like that, he perched on a branch and watched with intrigued eyes. For the most part, he was surprised that she took such an approach, though he did see her flaws. Still, she was the capable shinobi and for that he was a little bit relieved. Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but worry if a large-scale war were to happen and she would be caught in between. Then again, he shouldn’t think of her as incapable. She’ll eventually be able to hold up on her own, so long as Kumogakure invests on its shinobi well.

He would then come down from the branch and make his way to her. Seeing how the woman was still in bright spirits, he came close without announcing his presence and hugged her from behind, leaning on her back and placing his chin on her shoulder as he looked on. “That was good. I could teach you more, but you look promising already.” Then he let his eyes glance at her before he continued, “Mina… I like that name. You really intrigue me. I want to know more.”

He then let go and went close to the dead boar and observed it before he pulled out a long scalpel the size of a dagger and began to cut the body apart, seemingly making it known he knew his way around finding the parts for cooking. “If you can set up a fire pit, I’ll have the meat ready.”

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Minako was breathing heavily, but she still had a smile on her face because of the task completion. Her blush quickly arrived though when she suddenly felt some arms wrap around her, she knew they belonged to Kiri’s. His voice was also a big giveaway, and the fact that he wanted to teach her more merely made her feel happier than she already was.

“I don’t really like my name.” She admitted softly as she chuckled. “Now, the name Kiri, I could get behind, probably because I have never heard anyone named Kiri before though.” After them words, he let her go and then started to inspect the kill, to which he then started to cut the meat off the boar. She was then told that if she could set up a fire pit, then he could perform the task of getting the meal done for the both of them. Minako wanted to gulp… if she was going to be honest, she hasn’t got the experience for this kind of thing, she knows what one looks like... So she could wing it??

With this, she got herself straight to work, she dashed all around the area, looking for the necessary equipment and whatnot in order to make a makeshift fire pit for the both of them. This included twigs, stones, even leaves. Minako wasn’t sure what the hell she was doing, but she was hoping that whatever she was doing, she was doing it correctly.

Not too long after, she inhaled before exhaling some fire onto her creation, setting the thing alight. That was when she turned to Kiri and crossed her arms. “There we go! I done what I could, it isn’t much but I can’t really find anything else to roll with, sorry…” Uncrossing her arms, she sat down next to the fire and hugged her legs with a smile on her face, she even swayed side to side while humming what seemed to be a little song.

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[Kiri]

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For now, he took the moment to prepare the meat and rearranged the stones around the firepit so he could place the meat on top, like a makeshift grill. Stone-slab cooking wasn’t that rare, after all, especially when one lived in the wilderness such as he. He knew how to survive without having to resort to eating raw meat. But as they would wait, Kiri couldn’t help but feel as though the lingering comment about names remained in the air. It was a tension that simply begged to be noticed.

What’s in a name? It was a recurring question to as many individuals over the years. It was one of those that often curse a person to live throughout their lives. It was one of those that gave hope and pride. And also one of those that felt like burdens. Kiri could see that his brief moment of unguarded comment may have made Minako feel a little ashamed of her name. But it was really dependent on who held the name. In the same way that Minako would turn the tables on him, speaking highly of his own name. Had this been a few years back, he might have frowned at the suggestion. But that was then, and this was now.

“My name is indeed unique,” said Kiri as he kept his eyes on the cooking meat. “And there’s a reason for that. One slight change of kanji and the name means ‘to kill’. Death would have been better as it was a state. But ‘to kill’ is the act itself, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all with what my… with what those people in the past had expected. It could also have been ‘to cut’ through the disabling rules of the clan. I believe that was the intention from the start. To become someone to break through. And yet, another expression of a kanji would be ‘duty’ of which my father no doubt had taken to heart,” he gave a brief frown. “One’s place. One’s duty. Clans often operated in such terms. There was only so much one can achieve and to be able to give their life for the clan would be something to pride oneself with. But the clans can be selfish, egocentric… And fathers can be too expectant.”

He paused there, letting his voice trail with a deadly tone in the air before he used his scalpel-like kunai and turned the meat over just as it began to sizzle against the hot slab. And so the two would be brought into another long silence.

“What’s in a name?” he finally said glancing up to Minako. “If I say your name is beautiful, then that is all that should matter to you. In the same way that I will only cherish your opinion of mine.” He placed the scalpel down and faced her, still sitting near the fire as he raised his hand towards her, as if beckoning her. “Minako,” he repeats her name with a slow deep tone, “Come here. I want to hold you close.”

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Upon hearing Kiri’s name meaning. The female bit her lower lip and sighed softly, Kiri’s name really did have some sort of meaning. So much information, and yet she wasn’t even overwhelmed by it. That was until he mentioned clans. Minako wasn’t in a clan personally, she has never really been involved in them, nor does she have any knowledge of them either. That was her problem though, and nobody elses. The closest she has to a clan is her little family of Fujiwara’s, and even then that was quite dysfunctional due to her mother.

“I know the feeling… but with my mother and not a father…” Minako mumbled softly under her breath, with a small smile on her face that resembled the epitome of sadness.

Silence ensued the both of them while Minako thought about various things, including the food that Kiri was cooking, and their strange meeting. What would father and Yusuke say if they both found out about this meeting?? Would they both think it was scandalous, how would they think of two complete strangers meeting up with each other and then one of them whisking their daughter and sister away?? Surely, they would be angry at the both of them. With this in mind, Minako has decided that she will keep quiet about this meeting, keep it her little secret, one that she will not want anyone to know… Was she selfish to think of that?? Probably.

Speaking once more. Minako looked up to him, her attention changing from the warm, toasty fire. Kiri… most certainly had a way of words, thats for sure. What he said was true, if she liked his, then it was only right for him to think of her name as beautiful. He then brought out his arms and encouraged her to bring herself to him. It didn’t take that long to obey his command, on her knees, she walked over to him. She wanted his embrace once more.

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[Kiri]

Looking at her as she came close, Kiri couldn't take it anymore. She was so innocent, so naive, that he wanted nothing but to protect her. To have her close. And that he did. As she was within reach, he would take her by the arm, pulling her close to him, as he leaned backwards until he was lying on his back and she was on top of him. He would caress her face before his hand would brush hair back and settle behind her head in a protective hold.

"You're too trusting. It makes me want you more and keep you safe from everything out there," whispered Kiri as he pulled her closer to kiss her softly on the head. "I'm taking you home. Be mine forever."

They would stay like that for a bit longer and just as their hunt would cook into a fine steak, Kiri would show off a bit of his survival cooking skills. After which, he would not waste time to take hold of her hand and lead her away.

Despite his own inability to comprehend the progression of this encounter, he did know one thing- that he wanted to keep her, to mark her, and to share a moment of passion with her. He didn't care anymore if it started as merely a whim to comply with a need to preserve lineage (no matter how foolish that was) but it now occurred to him that their fate was bound together even with needing a reason for it.

It hurt to know that he was only learning about this thing called love now. But he supposed it was better than never.

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[Fujiwara Minako]

A few moments after her going over to him, he pulled her towards him to the point that she was suddenly on top of him. Her blush was present once again as he then felt her face and placed his hand at the back of her head. She felt… safe… to say the least.

Minako kept her voice silenced as he whispered them words to her, even though she wanted to tell him in desperation that she was okay, that she can fight and keep herself safe, she just couldn’t. She didn’t know how to word it to him unless she wanted to get some sort of romantic defiance or something of the sort. What she felt bad about though, was the fact that she wanted to be his forever, but at the same time, she wanted to belong to herself. Why is that, she wondered… she may never know. Would it also be okay for her to be in a strangers house?? To be honest, she stopped caring there and then, she just wanted to spend time with him.

Some time afterwards, survival skillage was shown before Kiri took her hand… she walked away with him, unable to resist his clutches like usual…

She didn’t know how this was possible, she has never been this swayed by anyone before, but this guy actually managed it. He managed to sweep her off her feet, made her feel safe. She was going to be darn sure she won’t forget it either.

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