Sleepless Nights (Kiri)

[Fujiwara Minako]

It was strange to see someone kneeling down in front of the stone memorial at midnight. Even Minako wasn’t sure why she was doing such a thing, but it didn’t really stop her exactly. Standing up, the female bit her lower lip… this transformation was weird, if Minako was going to be honest… She usually wore her typical ninja stuff, and a mask to usually commodate for her scars which she usually wears all the time. To think it was all after a strange dream she had while she was asleep.

The dream consisted of her butterfly swords literally talking to her… She didn’t understand what they were saying because they were all jumbled up, but she also remembered that she was transported to a place… she remembered the place loud clearly, and she was worried about it in all honestly. She has never seen that place in her entire life, so she shouldn’t realistically be able to remember such a thing. It was like she was there in flesh and blood though… The place was busy, there was a lot of dancing involved, and Minako was there just going around, as if she was living someone else's life. The exterior was rather beautiful and elegant, it even suggested that it was way before her time, which was weird. There was just no explanation for having such a dream.

After the dream, the female woke up and felt completely weird. She didn’t understand why that was the case. It didn’t stop her from looking into the mirror after struggling to go back to sleep for some time and she was shocked at what she was seeing. She didn’t feel like herself, she wasn’t herself… Her hair changed slightly, her chest changed size, her eye colour was now blue and she seemed to be a more defined woman. There was one thing that still existed, but her new hair seemed to cover them scars pretty well. What was worse, was that she woke up in an entirely different set of clothes, and not her pjs. Just what was going on?? While she wanted to know, she felt like she didn’t want to know at the same time.

Minako decided that it was an excellent time to go for a walk, to quell her worries and to get used to her… changes. It is why she was at The Dawnbringer’s Plaza right now.

“Why am I… different??” Minako questioned herself before looking down. While she was glad that her scars have faded, she was still confused about all the other cosmetic changes that she didn’t deem necessary.

“Minako…”

A voice called out to the young woman, and she couldn’t help but look around in confusion, there didn’t seem to be anyone around her, and the voice sounded very female like.

“Minako… Minako… Please, heed our call...”

What the hell did the voice mean by that?? Minako still couldn’t see anyone, she even frantically turned around, just to make sure.

Words: 497​

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[Kiri]

Kiri sat in the middle of his room. His futon was long tidied up to the corner, and only the small opening of the shoji sliding doors allowed bits of the moonlight to enter through it. It was a strange dream that came over him, much of which he couldn’t actually recall. If anything, there was something about an unseen old man pestering him about grandchildren and what not. He had been trying to think of what it could actually mean, but he was always caught with nothing else . There had to be something.

At that, time flew by and it was now already nighttime and he still could not think of an answer to it, right until the last of the candle wax melted and the wick burned off, leaving him silent in his now dimly lit room. “Ah. I think it’s about succession,” he murmured as he glanced about and then saw the small Tsuyoshi Seal carved as decoration on top of the door. Almost immediately, a cold sweat washed over him. “Oh no. I’m at this age already. If I don’t do something, I’ll be a burden to the clan. After what Junko has done for me… the least I could do is… is…”

He trailed off as he suddenly remembered a certain redhead, a certain warm night, and a certain series of actions that had left him breathless and refreshed at the same time. Instantly, his cheeks grew hot, tinting a great deal of red before he fell sideways and dropped on the tatami. He was still for a long time as he just suddenly recalled that encounter and if anything, he wished he could forget it. There was no way he could produce a successor in that manner. All of the medical journals said so. And yet, he was slightly nervous as he ran a hand down as if to make sure he was still intact.

But then a certain caw of a crow outside jolted him and Kiri jumped into alert. He took a long while to compose himself before chuckling at his immaturity. “Shit. I’ll just have to look for a bride then, if that’s the case. That should do it. That should answer everything. And I won’t have to worry them so much about me.” In all earnestly, somewhere inside his soulscape, both his brother Eishin and Hogosha were in agreement that Kiri could really be stupid at times, but perhaps he needed to learn this firsthand, rather than through warnings.

As such, Kiri, who was still unnerved by this strange realisation, got up and changed into his black coat and left the manor. He would not rest until he could find an answer, a probable bride. Any second he waited, made him a second older– a second more of a burden. But he did not think, for as he passed by the memorial statue of Aion the Dawnbringer. He paused as he watched the grand sculpture, wondering if the man had once considered the dilemma of succession. Perhaps not. Perhaps he had other priorities at that that weren’t related to succession. Perhaps survival of the community was far more important that one’s own clan. And that, perhaps, was something that he was feeling at the moment. There was no immediate threat to Kumogakure for him to avoid this topic. All the more making him feel as though he’s not doing his duty for his clan.

And at that point, as he looked to the side, he caught a glimpse of a woman with tears on her eyes, or so it may seem with the reflection of the moonlight against her pale face. Kiri got on to one knee as he reached out a hand towards her and said, “What’s wrong? Please don’t cry. You’re better off smiling than worrying.”

[Entering Topic]

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Hearing a guy ask if she was okay while on one knee and holding his hand was rather weird. She didn’t comprehend why because she hasn’t been socially active with people for some time. However, she decided to roll with it because it could be a good opportunity to make some new friends! New friends were good, and it might even get her into new adventures.

“Oh, it’s nothing…” Minako answered before she looked up to face the male. “Actually, no… tell a lie… I woke up looking different. I cannot sleep because I am panicking over it. Don’t fear though, I am not crying.” Minako reassured. “It just makes me question, why do I look different?? I am not supposed to look different, I am supposed to look and feel the same cosmetically.”

With her saying all this stuff, it was clear that she was panicking to some sort of extent, but at the same time, she was acting all mature about it. Her intentions weren't to lay all her burdens down on the young man who clearly sees her as a stranger. Maybe the male will just walk away from her, or maybe he will talk to her more, she wouldn’t know what he had in store for her…

“Ah, I must apologise. I do not want to crap all my burdens on you.” She admitted before turning her head away from him slightly, finally taking his hand. “We might as well get acquainted. My name is Minako. Feel free to call me Mina though, because well… It’s short for Minako, haha. What about your name?” Hopefully, this might turn out to be a good conversation after all for the younger Fujiwara. “And why are you out here at night I wonder, are you having a sleepless night too, or is it just a Minako thing at the moment?”

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[Kiri]

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He didn’t so much as mean his actions when he did so. He only did it for it was what he had read about. Perhaps it was too much on the classical romanticist novels he’d occasional find in the library, as a getaway from all those days spent on perusing medical journals and such. But it was also ironic how, now that he was there and up close, he felt something different. With the moonlight highlighting half of her face and shining upon her blonde hair, Kiri couldn’t help but feel a strange pang in his heart. It was almost as if a memory was trying to resurface.

Indeed, somewhere in his mind, he remembered the scene of a woman with blonde hair. Although the face was blurry, and the vision was flitting, he was certain that he caught a glimpse of similarly blonde fringes. And just as the memory fades, it left a bad after taste and Kiri quickly pulled his hand away from the other, even if the other had held him. It may seemed as if he had suddenly decided to withdraw his earlier opinion of her.

And perhaps, that was what was happening. An unprecedented phenomenon was taking him over, like a wave of uncertainties creeping into his heart as he kept his eyes on the blonde. His eyes that always unnerved others with his intense stare, was now at work. His golden orbs trying to decipher through the woman’s blue ones, searching endlessly for any clue, any answer to his sudden questions. It was just unbearable to think for something deep down inside him cautioned him of this woman. If only his brother’s soul or even Hogosha could answer it, but they were silent. Or perhaps even the workings of fate was beyond their reach. All the more interesting and slightly threatening he thought.

He smirked before he finally stood up and turned around without another word. He began to step away, almost as if to want to ignore this out of suspicion. There was just no way he would suddenly bump into someone who could somehow draw out a strange feeling in him that in the middle of the night. And yet, there he was, pinned to the ground, unable to take another step forward.

There was simply too many cautions, too many things to consider that it was frustrating. It would have been better if he could neglect some of it and be his usual self. Be the way he was before when he didn’t have a single care. And yet, a part of him had already decided to change. This was just something he had to consider now that he has reached this point. Still, the burden of succession was deep in his mind and to think that he would be given such a great opportunity that night.

He spares a glance back to the woman, his eyes carefully engraving her features into his mind. There it is again, like a loud resounding warning in his head, he felt as though he should know this person and yet he could only see a vision of those long blonde locks fluttering in the wind. Her voice was just too… weak. Too timid. Kiri smirked at the thought as something rose within him– a desire he never knew he had. This too, would one day remind him that he was the son of his Hasegawa father, that there was dormant urge to pay attention for the need of succession, even when the concept was just fairly knew to him, if not recent.

“One could say that it’s just by coincidence that I’m here as well. But it was for something much more important that I came and found you,” said Kiri, mind beginning to pin down the events that led him there, from debates on succession, to trying his hand to charm anyone, and finally realizing that what he had experienced with a certain redhead had opened an entirely new world for him, if not a scary one, the real world that is. Then, he would approach her again and grab her hand before pulling her up to a stand before him in one swift motion, seemingly effortless. “I’m Kiri and I believe it was by fate that brought me here. I wonder, if it was the same for you, too. After all, it begins with an unexplainable feeling of uncertainty, of a doubt in your being, and then a sudden abrupt, uncertain event happens...” As he spoke, he leans closer to her, his free hand quickly snaking up to hold her face and he places a soft kiss on her lips, briefly before retreating and keeping his eyes on her, as if to find any sign on her blue orbs. Any sign that she was his.

A sudden memory of that time with the redhead flashed in his memory. It all began with a kiss, an unsuspecting kiss that often lowers one’s guard, allowing their fates to surface through their souls. And as a Hasegawa, Kiri was keen to observing such souls through their eyes. And this woman’s… Minako’s blue eyes were as soothing as the azure cavern of his sacred soulscape. “I know you, somehow…” yet there is a resistance… almost a deathly warning – he thought the last part, as he kept his eyes trained and focused on hers. What did her soul reveal– he waited.

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Stuff was clearly getting weirder and weirder for the younger Fujiwara. Staring at him felt insanely weird, but at the same time, it felt pretty nice. It reminded her of a few things back in her younger years, of how her mother and father were so close together before they divorced and she became the way she was today. The way her father stared into her eyes was as intense as it seemed to be right now, even when he pulled his hand away from her. Just what was this man thinking exactly??

Biting her lower lip, she noticed how he turned away from her, yet she moved towards him by one or two footsteps with her interest about him increasing by the second. Her head tilted to the side slowly. She only stopped when she noticed that he stopped too and was gawking at her once more. Minako couldn’t help but look away with some shy intentions. It really seemed that she had this guys attention, and it looked like she wasn’t going to get rid of this attention either. Was she meant to relish in it or something? She doesn’t really know how to handle it, considering the fact that she isn’t very good at feelings. Usually, she was so lazy to the point that she doesn’t even recognise her own feelings, never mind feelings belonging to anyone else.

Walking towards her once more, he took her hand and brought her much closer to him. He introduced himself as Kiri, before explaining something involving fate bringing the both of them here. As far as Minako knew, she only arrived there because she was struggling to cope with her new body. That was when his handsome face was closer to hers… placing his hand on her cheek, he allowed his lips to say hello to hers softly before .

Minako started to feel weird from the inside, it felt like butterflies were in her stomach, fluttering around and desperate to get out. Her cheeks began to grow very red, even her scars that decorated her cheeks began to grow rather red from the little action that Kiri performed, for it was her very first kiss, and that first kiss was stolen by Kiri. Minako was now unsure what to do.

Trying to keep herself calm, she slowly placed her hands over her cheeks. “Oh my god… that was my first kiss…” She mumbled to herself. “It feels… nice…” If anything, she was definitely not going to forget this moment, it felt too good not to.

After some time, she slowly released her hands that were cupping her cheeks and looked down. The butterflies were still trying to escape her gut, she completely ignored his words too, not deliberately either, she just can’t get over the fact that an extremely handsome guy decided to kiss her. It felt like a dream...

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[Kiri]

It was not was he was expecting. As he kept his eyes on her, he slowly moved away, giving her space, though he still held her face. Golden orbs were frantically scanning her face, trying to decipher her reaction, her motions, her voice, her very being. And yet, it was almost impossible to find that familiar sensation. Then as she began to speak much clearer, something struck Kiri. Perhaps he had made a mistake.

It was the inevitable. His memory was mistaken. His lingering affinity for souls were becoming more and more of a burden, it would seem, and he may have just created an unwanted scenario for him. Then again, if the woman was not so appalled by it, it could still work. He was silent for a moment, pondering on what all this could possibly mean. Had his spirit unconsciously reached out to hers and branded her his? Was it a glimpse of the past that showed him a vision of the woman? Or was it more dreadful, a glimpse of the sky and the woman before him? It was all confusing, especially when he was still in the middle of trying to master his newly acquired power, and yet, there had been times when the power was too strong for even him to control.

All the while, he had not noticed that his expression turned to one of disappointment, then of seriousness. His brows furrowed and he looked away as if still thinking, only to stop when he noticed he was about to take a step away. Only then did he glance back at the woman once more and said with vast determination. “I don’t care anymore. You’re mine.”

For the observer, this would definitely be the pinnacle of outright confusion. Just mere moments ago, he was ready to move on when he realized that the lingering sensation was different, almost absent. And then when he was on the verge of leaving, his mind decides once more and finally puts a closure to his ever wondering and indecisive mind. Shouldn’t he, for the sake of continuity, take a step back and evaluate his actions more properly? But it could also have been because somewhere deep inside, he was far too absorbed into the idea of fate and destiny and how he was to take it by the hand and commandeer it. Whether or not the same sensation he felt when he kissed that redhead was present, he would not forgo this moment.

The vision was simply far too strong that it gripped his heart and he was on edge.

Clicking his tongue, Kiri would hesitantly raise his hand again and brush the hair aside her face before cupping her cheeks. “Don’t think. I’m also… rather… annoyed by this… but I can tell. You are someone to me. And I plan to know just what you are to me.” His eyes grew sharper, almost the same way when he invited trouble.

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Seeing Kiri’s expressions change somewhat, the female got worried. He kissed her, yet he seemed to be doubting his actions. At the same time though, she could guess why… They were both strangers. Two people who don’t know each other, yet here they were, sharing an intimate moment with each other. It probably didn’t help the fact that it was her first kiss that the male managed to take from her. Nonetheless, Minako tried to look at the positive side of the current situation.

Well, that was until he said that he didn’t care and that she was officially his. Minako’s face just turned redder than it was originally. She felt so weird, the butterflies were going absolutely mad now, and she didn’t know how to quell that excitement. Kiri really has stolen her for himself, or so it seemed.

With him moving some of her hair away, he then placed his hands on her cheeks, suggesting for her to not think, but mentioning that she was someone to him. Him saying them words to her just made her think some more… maybe she should just follow what he was saying and stop thinking altogether… but… there were a few questions that she wanted to ask him. This may be a passionate moment, but this is no time for her mind to go completely crazy, at least, she tried not to anyway.

“H-how are you annoyed by this…??” Minako queried, her voice trembling as her blue hues directed themselves to his golden gaze. That was when Minako decided to lift one of her own hands up and placed it on the side of the males silvery mop of hair, twirling two of her fingers around some of his strands. “And how do you plan to find out what I am to you exactly…?”

To put it simply, she now felt electrified. The strangest thing though was that she also wanted to find out everything about this male too, she really hasn’t felt so dedicated towards someone so upfront before. Maybe coming to this area was a good idea after all, especially if she has just experienced a good encounter like this one. But alas, her mind was now fighting once again, and it seemed that she was getting more excited, she was determined to not show that however. Not to him, anyway.

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[Kiri]

Despite his earlier actions, what Kiri did not expect was the woman's reactions. Indeed, he had hoped to find any but even when the woman did finally seem to return his actions, it was baffling. He had thought of her to reach out to him as she did. He almost instinctively moved away from her touch, stopping himself only when he noticed that the hand would not reach him. Still, to think of her touching his hair made him red around the ears. He was wide-eyed, even if for a brief moment only before he tried his best to give her one of his usual glares. Would it fail to send her the right message? If anything, he'd come to realise that while he was comfortable with leading, he wasn't as experienced as he thought about receiving certain reactions.

To which he quickly raised his left hand and caught hers that played with his hair. "Don't get ahead of yourself," he seemed to snap back, though his tone was neutral and he kept a straight look at her, "There are things that takes time to sink in. Including you." What he probably meant was his own confusion and that to truly understand what was happening, he would take more time to assess her in relation to him. But while he spoke such words, deep down inside, he was aching to just know. He never liked being kept in the dark and this growing feeling was far from being comfortable.

He clicked his tongue once again and seemed to look angry before he reached in and pulled her into an embrace. A memory visited him- in that past when he was embraced the same way and he felt a certain security. Strange that he was seeking a similar effect from her when he knew fully well not to. Still, he would remain still, his head resting against hers as he looked on as if possessively glaring at the darkness behind her. And in that moment, he could feel her heartbeat against his, his being a little more in control though it was getting louder to his ears and soon enough he would have to let her go in fear that she would notice his own flustered self.

"I don't know how I'll know. But I will." He still seemed angry as he looked at the girl before he began to turn and walk away. Stopping after a few steps, he held his hand open to his side almost as if he was beckoning her to come without having to utter another word.

[WC: 431]
[MFT]
[Topic Left unless stopped]

 

[Fujiwara Minako]

Minako wasn't sure what to think with the current episode. His hair was rather nice and soft to touch, it was only when the male held her hand in his and was told to not get ahead of herself that she reminded herself that this was a stranger that she was performing the hair touching to. He looked rather serious and even said it in a serious manner. Was this truly a good idea? It probably wasn't… but did it stop her? Nope, it didn't stop the young Fujiwara either. It felt… right, which was strange to say, considering the fact that Minako has never really experienced anything like this before in her life… why did it feel so right? She didn't understand…

“S-sorry…” Minako mumbled weakly under her breath. “I just… feel overwhelmed… even now I… I feel… a nice sensation…” She admitted.

That was when Kiri pulled her closer to him, and she felt so much more excited inside now. Her happiness was begging to be released, yet Minako knew better than that, she may not have encountered romance till now, but she was sure that if she tried to right now, then there may be a few problems. It didn't stop her from wanting to go crazy from his words though. If anything though, she didn't want him to let her go, ever.

Soon, the males expression still seemed to be one of anger, which worried Minako to some extent. Was she doing something wrong? Will there be any way to rectify her mistakes? Was he even angry at her in the first place and just wanted to remind himself of the situation that he has gotten the both of them in?? She felt that she would never really know, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know in the first place.

With Kiri saying them words, she felt a throb in her heart, she never noticed this before, her heart was beating at a somewhat quick pace and as he turned and stepped away from Minako, her heart sank… maybe he just wanted to play with her heart, or so she thought. He suddenly stopped, and it seemed that he was inviting her to join him. “I'm sorry, Yusuke, father…” She thought to herself as she took his invite and reached her hand towards his and decided to go with him.

She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing…

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