夢の団扇 [Private]

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura had made sure to be especially prepared for that evening, choosing to wear something that was still equally as regal and formal as the attire he had worn earlier that day, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous…at least a little bit. Sure, Yume had agreed to an actual date, but how did she see him? Did she agree to meet with him out of pity? Or was it something else- that maybe she actually liked him?

Izura sighed. There was no use in berating himself. He had already embarrassed himself in front of her several times over- it wasn’t like she wasn’t already aware of his flaws. But Izura just wished that she knew that it was because of his feelings towards her that he acted this way- a far cry from the confident, professional shinobi that he was on a regular basis. In any case, Ayame would’ve been furious at him- he wasn’t exactly being smooth, and if Ayame was here, she’d more than likely try some shenanigans to change that.

Izura looked like quite the sophisticated gentleman that night, arriving at Yume’s doorstep, Soraka by his side. The arrival had been silent, Soraka’s exceptionally quiet flying allowing for a very smooth and unnoticed landing.

He wasn’t worried about Soraka’s behavior becoming a potential issue. If anything, Soraka could’ve been considered more professional than he was. The bird was absolutely dedicated to aiding Izura, having been on countless missions with him and never faltering in her resolve. She kept her personal feelings out of the affairs of others, and although she didn’t exactly like what Izura was doing here, her opinions were kept to herself. He was her master, and that was the end of that.

He knocked on the door, gulping a little bit as his pale red eyes scanned over the door frame, waiting for the very moment she’d open the door. It was somewhat cold outside, the humid Konoha air making it feel even colder than it actually was. Izura’s breath was visible, his exhale forming a wispy cloud of vapor for brief moments before disappearing into the night air.

He cleared his throat.

“Ah-uhm….it’s….Tsukuro…” he said. He glanced over at Soraka with a slight look of annoyance. To most, Soraka would seem completely uninterested, but Izura knew her well enough to know that she was amused greatly by his hesitation and lack of confidence around Yume. It just wasn’t like him, at least not while at work. But Izura had already made up his mind. He’d prove Soraka wrong tonight. And maybe his sister wouldn’t be as angry either…

WC 440

 

[Yume]

In a sense, it was pity.

The true answer was a little more complicated than that. Behind the front door of the Yamaguchi house, Izura could probably hear voices faintly conversing. One male and one female. The volume was so muffled and faint, that he wouldn't be able to tell if the discussion was friendly toned or not.

The door opened suddenly. The old woman that he had met once before would stare up at him curiously before turning around to call over her shoulder. "Kiseki-san! Jun-kun! Were you expecting anyone?" The conversation stopped in the distance. The old woman smiled at Izura and told him to wait a moment, offering him a seat inside in the entertainment room he sat to have tea with Yume before. If he refused, then he would simply have to wait outside by the doorstep.

Deeper inside the mansion, Yume frowned towards her door as she shoved her hands into a pair of white gloves. Standing in a corner of her bedroom was the manager, arms crossed tightly with his eyes closed in thought.

"Talk about a lot to take in," Yume sighed, struggling to clasp on a plain gold necklace. The manager went over to clasp it on for her. "First Izura is all about the Yakuza, now you? When did you think about telling me, Oppa?"

"It wasn't going to be until you were more established," the manager admitted, helping her shrug on her tan coloured dress coat. Fur trimmed of course. She buttoned up the coat herself, covering the plain white playsuit underneath.

"The boy just accelerated my plans on discussing it with you."

"Classic dad," Yume remarked dryly. She turned around to face him. "So what, you want me to do this thing? That's why you're even my manager to begin with, wasn't it? Get me back into the family? Gasp! Is your name even what you say it is?!" Instead of receiving an answer, the man simply pushed the girl out the door and down the hallway towards where Izura would be, be it in the entertainment room or the doorstep.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything, Yume," he said finally. "Have fun on your... date."

He seemed to have difficulty expressing the last word. Another rough shove of her back sent Yume stumbling forward. She caught herself before she tripped and fell, spinning her heel around madly to puff her cheeks at the purple-pink haired man.

"Yah! Get outta here, Oppa!"

The man only huffed once as a chuckle, keeping a keen eye on Izura for a good second before turning around and disappearing back into the mansion. That dumb manager, now Yume would have to probably explain why he was in the Yamaguchi house in the first place!

Well, if Izura didn't ask, she won't tell.

Turning to the Uchiha with a smile and greeting, she stopped short upon sight of the large raven Soraka. He had reassured her that the bird wouldn't do anything to her, but that didn't stop her being from being filled with apprehension. Ravens had a surprising keen sense of smell, didn't they? "Evening, Tsukuro-kun," she gathered herself to say cheerfully.

Yume gave a once over on the man's attire like she did at the cafe. Her smile never broke, always hiding whatever she truly thought underneath. So far, it wasn't bad. She giggled.

"You look..." Like how Oppa clothes himself. "... very sophisticated. It's nice."

Topic entered with NPC Manager. NPC topic left.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

He raised his hands partway, smiling apologetically to the old woman.

“Ah! It’s fine! I’ll just wait outside!”

She’s an awfully kind old woman. Izura thought to himself.

He didn’t wait too long at the doorstep, but eventually Yume appeared…getting pushed out the door by none other than…Oppa.

He took a step forward as if to catch her if she fell, but stopped as soon as she caught herself, turned around, and scolded Oppa for pushing her.

She’s very acrobatic for someone who isn’t a ninja…

The thought crossed his mind for but a brief moment, before he turned his attention to Oppa.

Izura’s face turned red with embarrassment, although there was also a hint of annoyance somewhere in there. After all, this was the same Oppa that was fairly dismissive of Izura, even going as far as to label him some sort of creep. What was he doing here? Was he aware of Izura’s meetings with Yume at all?



In any case, Izura gave a curt nod to Oppa when the man looked at him for a second.

Jeez…what the heck is he doing here?….

Soraka’s vigilant gaze fell upon Yume, and although she didn’t do anything overtly hostile, the bird was scrutinizing every move Yume made with the intent of finding out if she was trying to somehow mislead Izura and manipulate him. Yume definitely gave off a strange aura that Izura likely didn’t sense. But being an animal, specifically a ninja one, gave Soraka an exceptionally keen set of senses. She almost immediately felt as if something was off about the idol. That she was hiding some ulterior motive perhaps?



Soraka briefly looked at Izura with those eyes that let him know she sensed something was off. Izura returned a stern look to the bird’s gaze. It was a dialogue of sorts, albeit more through knowing how each other thought than words themselves. But if it were in words, it’d go something like this…

She’s dangerous, Izura. Something’s off.

You can stay vigilant, but relax a little bit…She’s fine, Soraka. Don’t screw this up.

Alright…but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I think she’s after something else…

Izura smiled graciously as Yume complimented his attire.

“Evening to you as well, Yume-san. Thank you...although I'm not sure if my sophistication can compare to how beautiful you look now...”

Part of Izura was incredulous about how he was able to say that without blushing like hell or stuttering like a complete moron. Maybe it was a subconscious attempt to look smooth in front of Soraka? But he was holding it together! Yay for improvement!

Izura courteously held out his hand, the other arm behind his back as Soraka lowered closer to the ground so that the both of them could get on her back, with Izura helping her get seated. He gave Yume the choice of taking the front or back seat.

“After you?”



Assuming that she had gotten onto Soraka's back, Izura would get on Soraka’s back as well…..and the bird would gently flap her wings until they achieved enough elevation for her to begin flying over the night sky, silent as ever.

They'd soar over the Oak District, hundreds of meters into the air until all that remained were the specks of light far below, the moonlit sky above, and the clouds beside them. It was quiet up here, so high above the world.

"It's so serene out here, don't you think so?" he'd say to her in a quiet, serene tone.

 

[Yume]

Yume smiled, eyeing Soraka warily as the bird stared her down. She braced herself for the inevitable: a frantic flap of the wings, perhaps a peck to crack open her head. When nothing happened, Yume breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Izura was getting better with his stuttering, which lead to easier conversation. She chose to sit by the front end; that seemed the most stable place to ride a giant bird. Not that she was concerned about falling off and killing herself, that wasn't possible. This way, her expression was harder to discern at this angle, and his face was harder to look at.

They took off into the night, gliding across the air above the Oak District. Admittedly, the night view below on the village was something to behold and a part of her enjoyed what she was seeing. The other part thought a string of wonders, quietly. Eventually the altitude was in level with the lowest clouds, brushing a dewy glow against her cheek. The cold didn't seem to be much of an issue either.

The flight was silent. They said silence is golden, but this case was almost lethal. Yume stared at the view below her a good couple of seconds after his remark, before straightening up her back in her seat. "Oh... Yes. It's quiet," she replied with a smile.

She was so used to the noise of her work though. The only silence she had in her life was when she slept.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura stared off into the distance a bit, thinking about his time spent with Yume. Why was it that she didn’t like her real name?

“So….Yume-san…..you never told me why you never use your other name….Kiseki…”

He figured it would a good time to ask, given that they were away from prying eyes or ears. Apart from Izura, Soraka was the only other one listening, but she wouldn’t have been able to say anything about it anyway.

The bird then made a slow turn, gliding over the rest of the village. The land still bore the scars of the Leaf-Samurai conflict. Reconstruction had already been completed, but Izura still remembered where many of his comrades had fallen and died. He remembered where he died. At least that should’ve been the result.

“It’s….okay if you don’t want to talk about it.” His pale red eyes scanned over the area below as he thought about the past few days.

“When I look at the village below….I can’t help but feel dissatisfied with the outcome of the war. There is peace, but people are still suffering….just look at Crater City and you’ll know what I mean…”

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a photo. It was of him and his sister, Ayame, smiling. Reaching around her, he showed Yume the picture. Izura blushed slightly, his head over Yume’s shoulder as he leaned in.

“That’s my sister Ayame….I came to Konoha to retrieve my fortune so I could better take care of her….but she keeps getting into trouble with people who just want to exploit her for her powers…”

He hoped Ayame was alright. She had already proven capable of defending herself, but Izura still couldn’t help but worry. But Izura figured it was only for a few days…it shouldn’t be THAT bad.

“That was the plan at least…..but then…”


Izura laughed at himself a bit.


“I couldn’t help but get distracted by you….you’re the only one that I’ve ever been distracted by before…It’s hard for me to explain the feeling…”

He blushed again. Izura had been a shinobi all his life, taught to suppress all his emotions as to avoid showing weakness. Because of this, he hadn’t really experienced what it felt like to have a crush. Let alone spill his heart out to a girl he had met only recently. He hadn't really noticed himself, but he had placed his chin on her shoulder while lost in thought...

“In a way…..I guess it’s because you remind me of me….both trying to escape a past that keeps clinging on, no matter what we try….”

 

[Yume]

Immediately after his prying question, Yume's head snapped around towards Izura in a pointed stare. Not quite the glare Yume would seldom shoot when she was truly angered, but the dead stare was unnerving enough to say that she never wanted to talk about it. The name is a curse.

He left it at that, thankfully though it would have been better if he had never asked to begin with. She followed his sights down toward the view of the village below. She didn't hold the same sentiments as he did. The war only happened when she was but a toddler after all. She had her mother... She had her father, she supposed, if you could even call it that... and they were far away from the destruction, having disappeared on their own volition.

Then they just had to leave her in Stone, passing through life inconspicuously as a shinobi student until Leaf came back. That was when her name was known as Yume. Yamaguchi Kiseki was a name no one truly needed to know, nor her birthday even.

So, she wasn't able to find a response to Izura's commentary on the village. That didn't matter anyhow, for soon Izura had broken into her personal bubble, laying his chin on her shoulder and telling her about his sister, whom he loves so much.

Oh yes, I have a brother. I found his dead body. Never really knew him.

That wouldn't be an appropriate response. Instead Yume gave a small smile at him, though half of her hoped that he would realise what he was doing and get off that shoulder. Leaning slightly forward, she looked down towards the ever glowing structure of FiRE E&M Tower. It was past operating hours, but she was sure it was more noisy than up here.

She liked noise.

He could say what he thought about their perceived similarities. Personally, she didn't think she was running away from anything; rather, consciously choosing not to follow down that path.

Though with the shitshow she endured the past week, the paths might just be melting together into one.

"Hey, um..." she started. "You did a great job with this, Izura. Really. But the quiet, the silence. It's not my scene." She pointed towards the glowing company building. A grin spread across her face.

"I'll meet you there instead."

And the next minute, gravity reached out for the girl. The air wisped her hair along like a bloody cape as she fell.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura recoiled at her stare apologetically, lifting his chin from her shoulder just as she gave him that look. He didn’t pry further about her name- she had made it clear that she didn’t want to talk about it even a little bit. Izura sighed and frowned slightly.

I messed up again, didn’t I…

His confidence took a turn for the worse, but it didn’t make him stutter. Rather, it made him feel ashamed. He was supposed to be making this fun for the two of them, and instead of doing that, he had to be a buffoon and spill his heart out to her for maybe…the second or third time in a row since meeting her?

Then she spoke, complimenting his intentions in bringing them into the sky. But that the silence was not something she enjoyed. She then pointed at the FiRE E&M Building and told him that she’d meet him there. And Izura was about to respond, asking what she meant by ‘meeting him there’, only to be startled as she fell off the bird, letting gravity quickly pull her towards the village below.

Izura’s eyes widened in surprise before he instinctually dove off after her, his sharingan activating instantly. It was quick- so quick in fact that Izura barely had time to register what he had actually done. He dove after her without hesitation, his body moving before his mind had the time to process what had happened.

Izura dove towards her and grabbed her in a hug from behind her back as they fell, and almost within the same instant, they were instantaneously teleported onto the rooftop of the FiRE E&M building.

Izura’s landing wasn’t exactly clean. As he held Yume and they teleported onto the rooftop, he skidded on his back across the concrete before they came to a halt. Luckily for Yume, Izura had taken the impact for her. The back of his coat now had some rips and skid marks, soiled by the landing, but Yume’s clothes were unharmed.

Izura sat up, cringing from the pain of the fall. He was scraped up with some light bleeding, but it wasn’t anything serious. His breathing slowing from the rapid, more panicked pace he had during the whole teleportation from the sky, he looked at Yume with a concerned look.

“S..sorry….Are you okay? I…"

Izura paused for a moment, contemplating.

"I acted without thinking….” he said, more concerned than anything else. But there was a hint of an apologetic tone hidden there too.

They were on top of the FiRE E&M building now, under the bright neon sign overlooking the rest of the village. The sign cast a glow on the both of them, illuminating them both in a cascade of color.

 

[Yume]

There was no impact. Damn.

Completely unharmed and unscathed. Yume brought herself to her feet and stuck a hand out towards Izura to help him up. She giggled at him. Damn. She wasn't able to see if, like her mother, she could survive a fall like that. She had seen it time and time again. The way her mother landed from an insane jump was creepy, to say the least; much like a rag doll. Guess she would have to experiment another time with this phenomenon.

"I'm totally fine. I think I would be," she replied, tilting her head to the side. "Are you bleeding? Turn around."

If/when he did, Yume would clap her hands together in prayer. A quiet exhale left her lips and she'd place only her fingers on his back. A familiar green glow reminiscent of the magic medical ninja worked emanated from her fingertips, slowly patching up the scrapes and scratches on his back to nothing. It was slow, of course. She wasn't an actual medical ninja.

She passed the relative silence with off-handed comments here and here. "Sorry about your coat, I think wardrobe on the fourth floor won't miss a piece."

Her blue eyes looked towards the neon sign behind them on the rooftop and frowned. That was not there last she checked. "Who moved this sign to up here? It was fine being above the ground floor entrance, now it looks proportionately small and tacky."

She shook her head. It was like someone misunderstood a description memo somewhere.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Slowly the pain subsided as she healed his back, passing the time with her comment about his coat. He quietly laughed along with her giggle at him. It was a bit ridiculous what he had done, jumping from a bird to save the proverbial damsel in distress, but if Izura knew that Yume might have been actually capable of creepily surviving insane falls as if she were a rag doll, then maybe he might’ve felt that his actions weren’t nearly as crazy as he thought.

He smiled, grateful for the help.

“Thanks for healing me…It’s fine though. I can just get a new coat or fix this one!”

Technically speaking, he could’ve healed himself, but it was much easier this way. Reaching his own back wasn’t exactly easy.

Izura looked at the sign after Yume brought up its odd new location. 

“Er….I can move it pretty easily, if you’d like. Like how we got here….except with less of a crash landing.”

He smiled again, scratching the back of his head.

“Oh! And uhh…I wanted to ask…besides the whole idol thing…what do you usually do for fun? Like hobbies or something…”

Izura was hoping she’d let him know, so that next time he wouldn’t take her flying. It was already bad enough with Soraka eyeing Yume the whole time…

Speaking of the bird, after Izura and Yume suddenly disappeared, Soraka already began searching for them in the village below. She still hadn’t spotted them, likely to Yume’s relief.

 

[Yume]

"Really?"

Yume paused and examined the damages before finishing up her healing. The coat was definitely worse for wear now, and it'd take a masterful tailor to fix this up into something decent looking. She dropped her hands to her sides. "Well, if you say so... There, your back is all healed. It might still feel a bit tender; I'm not a certified medic after all!"

She smiled briefly before turning her attention elsewhere - specifically that out of place sign. The girl shrugged at his question and waved it off. "Nah, that's okay. Someone in the morning will fix it. Come on, let's go inside."

Hop, skip and jumping giddily over to the door on the rooftop, Yume turned the knob (after some quick lockpicking with a hair pin) and swung the door open noisily. The flights of stairs down to the ground floor was numerous, with different floors housing a multitude of things. Gym, recording studio, dance studio, photography studio, makeup floor, wardrobe floor, boring office floor, the choices and possibilities were... well, not endless. But many.

Yume looked back at Izura with an innocent blink. "After you," she offered with a chirpy tone.

Edited Wed Feb 15, 2017 1:33 am
Inactivity Leave - say security caught them, they had to escape and split paths, and didn't meet.