Chojuro set his pack down with a loud sigh as he and Misuno arrived at the check-in desk at the gate of Konoha.
"Welcome to Konoha," said a spikey-haired ninja with a strip of cloth stretched across his face at the nose. He was looking up at them half-lidded as if he were bored, but he was greeting them with a warm smile. "Do you have your papers?"
"Uh, y-yes," said Chojuro leaning to reach down into his bag to grab his documents. Misuno was already handing the other ninja at the desk her paperwork and he was looking over it scrutinizingly.
"Ah, you and I got here around the same time, eh, Chojuro," said a loud female voice some distance from Chojuro. Lifting up, handing the check-in ninja his papers and turning to see who spoke to him, Chojuro spotted Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi walking down the road toward the gate. Kurotsuchi was smiling widely and waving at him in greeting.
He blushed slightly and waved back. "Yes, Misuno and I just got here. We're just getting checked in."
Kurotsuchi walked a little faster to get to him quicker. "How was the trip," she asked. She turned to smile and nod at Misuno, who just nodded curtly and turned back to the check-in ninjas. Kurotsuchi clenched her jaw slightly at that, but turned back quickly to Chojuro, who was glancing between the two but smiled widely at Kurotsuchi, sweat droplet forming on his forehand.
"It w-was fine, Kurotsuchi. We didn't run into any trouble and the weather was pretty clear most of the way," Chojuro said. "What about you?" Chojuro nodded a greeting at Akatsuchi as he reached the group, who smiled in return.
"It was fine, fine. No complaints. Well, at least from me. Akatsuchi here couldn't stop complaining when I wouldn't let us stop as often as he would like," said Kurotsuchi, pointing a thumb at Akatsuchi and smirking. Akatsuchi scowled at her and said, "not all of us can run at full speed for over 16 hours straight, Kurot—"
"Yeah yeah," said Kurotsuchi, waving a hand dismissively, rolling her eyes and frowning slightly. Then she grinned at Chojuro and said, "hey, you've been here more often than I have. Let's walk to Shikamaru's together, alright? I don't know if I remember how to get there."
Chojuro smiled back and said, "sure, okay. Sounds good."
Kurotsuchi and Chojuro talked about their last visits to Konoha, sharing details about their favorite places to eat and their favorite places to shop as they waited to be checked in and walked to Shikamaru's house.
They were leading the way, and Misuno and Akatsuchi were in the back listening to them talk to one another.
"You're a little predictable, Chojuro. You should try some new things," said Kurotsuchi teasingly as she elbowed him in the arm lightly and winked at him.
He blushed lightly and rubbed his arm defensively, saying, "what, I'm not predictable. I like trying new things, Kurotsuchi. But there are just some things that are just…reliable and safe. And sometimes reliable and safe isn't a bad thing!" He started speaking louder and started getting redder as Kurotsuchi got started giggling.
"Well, Kurotsuchi, you shouldn't take so many risks. Sometimes going with something reliable and safe is better," said Chojuro, turning away with a huff.
Kurotsuchi stopped giggling and grinned widely at him. "But taking risks are fun. There's an air of exciting mysteriousness in unpredictability, right?"
"But unpredictability is dangerous sometimes," said Chojuro, turning to look at her hard.
She raised an eyebrow at him, dropped her smile to a more serious small smile and said, "but, the danger is what makes it fun. The risk can sometimes bring about a really intriguing reward. Something you wouldn't have ever known or experienced before if you hadn't taken the chance to try that new thing."
Chojuro smiled slightly and his expression warmed every so slightly, but he continued to look at her hard as he said, "but the danger lies behind the unpredictability. With risk comes the chances of something not going the way you want it to — things not going in a positive direction. And with that comes the sadness and regret of having made the decision in the first place. Or worse, depending on the situation..."
Kurotsuchi looked at him hard and dropped her smile, and Chojuro continued to look at her and smile at her, but the smile seemed almost sad.
Akatsuchi looked between the two with a raised eyebrow.
"But," said Kurotsuchi, "that is what life is, is it not? Trying…failing…trying…winning…the continuous cycle? And without taking risks, how would we ever get anywhere — grow, improve, whatever?"
Chojuro's eyes widened slightly.
Kurotsuchi turned away from him and looked ahead of them. "Sometimes, taking a risk is necessary in order to improve a current situation." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them while smiling softly. "And, sometimes, sticking to reliable and safe is the best because it's just that…safe and reliable. It prevents something bad from happening — and if you are used to taking risks, maybe sticking to safe and reliable is taking a bit of a risk because it prevents you from knowing what the unpredictable thing would bring you."
Chojuro's eyes widened more, and his mouth opened slightly. He blushed a little, and closed his mouth. His thoughts were going everywhere. She…she…
"Guys, what the heck are you talking about," asked Akatsuchi, grinning and raising an eyebrow at them.
"They were talking about types of ramen from Ichiraku but now I have no idea," said Misuno stoically. She was looking ahead of all of them nonchalantly, but there was an air of anger and annoyance around her.
Kurotsuchi's and Chojuro's eyes widened and both blushed slightly. They looked at each other and quickly looked away to look at the two behind them. They both stuttered to reply.
"W-what—we were still talking about—"
"I was just—we were just—I don't know what you're talking about—"
They both stopped at looked at each other again, and turned redder.
Akatsuchi laughed at them, and the two turned away and turned to face the front.
"Akatsuchi, shut it," said Kurotsuchi with a growl. "We…we were talking about the ramen but yes we got off topic." She glanced at Chojuro. "We were having a conversation on our different philosophies, I suppose."
"Uh-huh," said Akatsuchi, grinning widely. "Is that right, Chojuro?"
"Y-yes," he said, mouth forming a firm line.
"Because, it sounded more like—"
"We're here," said Misuno, a bit firmly, talking over Akatsuchi.
Kurotsuchi glanced at Chojuro, who was clenching his jaw tightly. But the blush had faded from his face.
They walked through the gates of the Nara estate and when they reached the front door, Kurotsuchi reached forward to ring the doorbell but paused.
Behind the door, they could hear talking: "Naruto, I swear, if you knock that full bottle of red wine over onto the carpet I'll beat you to a pulp," said a loud female voice.
"Temari, no you wouldn't, that would cause an international war—" started Naruto in a sly voice, but he was interrupted.
"Naruto, the only war you need to worry about is the War of the Nara House—the Nara clan is with her, I will be right behind her holding you down with shadow possession" said Shikamaru with audiable laughter in his voice.
They looked at one another and laughed quietly before Kurotsuchi rang the doorbell.
"Oh, maybe that's the rest of them," said Shikamaru. There was an audible shuffle behind the door, then Shikamaru answered it and looked at them with his usual half smile.
"Hey, guys," he said, opening the door wider and stepping aside, extending a hand into his home motioning for them to come inside. "Come in, come in. Welcome."
"Thanks, Shikamaru," said Kurotsuchi smiling at him and walking in first. Chojuro nodded at Shikamaru with a smile, and followed behind her. The others followed suit.
They made light conversation as they entered the house.
"Let me show you to your rooms. You'll be staying in the guest house," said Shikamaru, guiding them through the house and out to the small two story house adjacent to his home.
"There is one full bath upstairs, last door closest to the stairwell; and one half bath downstairs, near the kitchen. There's a door to the balcony on the second floor in the middle of the hallway. You should have towels, toiletries and other items available in the bathrooms and in your rooms. If you need anything else, just let me know," said Shikamaru. They all nodded and said their thanks.
After they placed their packs down, they walked back with Shikamaru toward his home. He motioned toward the living room, saying, "we'll join the others in here, but first, would you like something to drink?" He motioned toward the kitchen, saying that they have refreshments in the kitchen before dinner would be served.
After grabbing their respective drinks, and saying hello to Temari and Karui — who were both in the kitchen finishing dinner — they took their places in the living room on a large couch. They were greeted warmly by familiar faces, and were asked questioned about their trip conversationally.
After a while, conversation moved away from them, and they sat listening to different conversations around the room in silence.
"Kurotsuchi," said Chojuro, leaning in to talk lowly. She turned to look at him.
"I…I wanted to apologize for earlier. Our conversation took an awkward turn, and I'm sorry for not stopping myself from going too far."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Wha…what do you mean," she said, head tilting slightly.
He pursed his lips, but continued, "I just…I should have been more careful about the things I said. I don't know why I let the conversation stray into something so personal."
She popped back slightly, a little surprised, but also slightly offended by his words. "Chojuro…you weren't the only person having the conversation. I was part of it, too, you know," she said with a small chuckle. He blushed slightly.
"Look, Chojuro. Don't worry about it. It was interesting. I enjoy it when people challenge me," she said, smiling widely at him. "But I considered it a step toward getting to know you better — we have become fast friends since joining the Union because I feel that we see eye to eye on many things. But I haven't ever spoken to you about things on a more personal level. I would like to — and grow our friendship."
His eyes widened at each word she said. "Really, " he said - and she nodded earnestly.
"Well, I would like that," he said, blushing slightly by smiling back at her.
"So…my friend…" said Kurotsuchi, smiling falling to a smirk. Chojuro's smile fell to an uncomfortable look. "Tell me more about yourself? The nitty, gritty personal stuff."
He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Jeez, Kurotsuchi. Always rushing."
"I'm serious, though. How about this — you tell me something I don't know about you, and I'll tell you something you don't know about me," she said, grinning.
"Well…" he said, scratching his cheek uncomfortably.
"Come now. Look, about about I go first," she asked, tilting her head more, smile softening slightly.
He looked at her for a moment, and bit his lip uncomfortably. But he gave in — he couldn't explain why, but he wanted to know more about her, and he was becoming comfortable with her knowing more about him. He soon nodded his ascent.
"You and Kurotsuchi seem to be getting quite close, Senpai," said Misuno, unpacking her night clothes and evening toiletries.
"H-have we," said Chojuro, nonchalantly. He was visibly sweating, and blushing slightly, but nothing in his voice conveyed his tension on the subject.
"Yes, you have. You've even stopped stuttering around her as much. You've grown comfortable around her. And you've shared personal things with her." Misuno looked at him, holding her things in her hands. "It's not necessarily a bad thing. It's good for international relations." She started to walk toward the door, and opened it slightly, turned away from him. "But, I strongly advise you to use caution and remember your position. Do not let your feelings get ahead of your duties or let them cause you to make a rash decision."
He turned abruptly toward her and before he could question her, she was out the door and the door had shut quietly.
He pursed his lips angrily, and turned back to his own pack. He stared at the contents but his mind wandered. Just…just who does she think she is…assuming she knows what I think or how I feel…and just what was she implying?
His let out a low growl in anger and pushed his pack onto the floor with a loud thud.
He walked around the beds and over toward the door of the room and out into the hall. Across from the room was a door that led out to a balcony. The balcony overlooked the Nara compound and parts of the city. The balcony was empty — save for a few chairs, a table and a few potted plants.
He sighed, and leaned onto the railing, rubbing his temple. He breathed deeply, trying to relieve the tension and anger that was building in his upper body.
Suddenly, the door to the balcony opened softly, and a familiar female voice said, "oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was out here." He turned, and saw Kurotsuchi sliding the door closed and he impulsively stopped her — "no, no! It's alright. I was just taking in the fresh air. You are welcome to join me if you wish." He smiled at her, and motioned for her to come stand beside him. She stopped closing the door, eyes widening at him. He didn't know why he told her to join him, but part of him wanted to prove Misuno wrong in his mind and spend more time with Kurotsuchi.
She opened the door, and half smiled at him before turning to close it. While he back was turned, her brow crinkled. Why did I blush when I realized it was him on the balcony… she thought, eyes widening slightly in alarm before normalizing when she turned back to face him.
He watched her as she walked up beside him to join him. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow questioningly, and he blushed slightly, smiled and turned to look straight out of the balcony.
"So…fresh air, eh," said Kurotsuchi, turning to face the same direction Chojuro was facing. "This is a beautiful place to do it. The lights," she pointed out into the village, "are beautiful." She glance at him from the corner of her eye and smirked. "But I don't think you came out here just for the air."
He turned to her and furrowed his brow, then realizing he revealed more than he intended turned back to look out into the village, hardening his facial features.
"What's wrong, Chojuro," she said, "you can tell me. I have been told that I give good advice."
He bit his lip, but remained silent.
"Is it something with your village? I know the stress of having been selected as your next Kage isn't easy…I…I understand," she said, looking down slightly, before looking back up.
Still, he said nothing.
"Is it Misuno?"
He choked slightly, surprised by her brazenness to ask such a personal question.
"W-what? W-why would you ask that," he stuttered, turning to look at her worriedly.
"Call it...intuition," she said, smiling softly. She turned to look at him and said, "what happened?"
He feel incredibly uncomfortable talking with her about this. Not just because the talk with Misuno was about her directly, but because of her tension with Misuno. He hesitated, trying to weigh his options and decide what would be the best thing to tell her.
"Well…" he started, hesitating and turning back to face the village. "Misuno…Misuno is my guard, but I am also her superior. But I also trust her to give me her advice and opinion when she feels the need about the way I should handle certain things. I value her advice and her opinions. But sometimes…"
He hesitated again. He wasn't sure how to phrase what he was thinking or feeling. So he took the only approach that came to his mind, sighing deeply as it came out of his mouth.
"Sometimes, I feel that she is judging me constantly, and she can sometimes make me more…nervous than I would like. And I've always let her say what she thinks but…there are times that I think she has said too much or crossed the line. Just earlier she…" He hesitated, biting his lip to decide how much more he should say. "I believe she crossed the line and gave me advice based on her personal feelings, which isn't something I want from her."
"You shouldn't let her walk all over you," said Kurotsuchi, furrowing her brow. She had turned to look back at he village at some point and was looking at it expressionless while he spoke, until that point. "If she is overstepping, or making you uncomfortable, as the superior you must tell her to stop."
He bit his lower lip again and nodded, but said, "yes, I know. But…it's…ah, it's difficult…"
"What do you mean," she said, turning to look at him.
"Misuno…" he said, struggling with the words again.
"Misuno…what," said Kurotsuchi.
"She…well…I…"
"Do you like her," asked Kurotsuchi, turning away and smiling slightly.
"NO," he said quickly, and a bit too loudly. She looked at him with a brow raised.
"Ah, no…I don't…that's not it…though, I believe she may like me," he said, turning red and closing his eyes uncomfortably.
"But that's not the only reason why this is difficult," said Kurotsuchi.
"No," said Chojuro with a sigh. "She…just intimidates me…" he said, turning away from her to look in the opposite direction.
Kurotsuchi looked at him with eyes wide and her mouth agape.
"Cho…Chojuro—" she started, but he interrupted and said, "I know. It's embarrassing. I'm a future Kage, and I'm intimidated by a subordinate. How can I call myself a—"
"No, stop, Chojuro," said Kurotsuchi, interrupting him with a touch on the arm. "Hang on a moment."
He looked at her uncomfortably, but waited for her to finish.
"I'm not going to say that you're wrong. You shouldn't be afraid of a subordinate."
He started to frown slightly and she felt him pull back from her, but she tightened her grip on his arm.
"But…listen, Chojuro. That doesn't make you weak in any way. It makes you human. We have all been where you are with Misuno. Intimidated by someone else. You just need to overcome your intimidation."
His frown lowered slightly, but he said nothing.
"If anything, having an obstacle like this will make you stronger, and make you a better Kage to your people because you will be able to understand their problems."
His eyes widened slightly. "Do you really believe that, Kurotsuchi," he said.
"I do," she said, smiling at him genuinely.
He smiled appreciatively at her, and placed his hand on top of hers.
"Thank you, Kurotsuchi, you have helped me a lot."
"No problem. That's what friends are for. And..." she moved a little closer toward him, "call me Kurot," she said, smiling softly at him. "You're my friend. And that's what my friends call me."
His smile widened slightly, and he nodded in affirmation as he said, "alright, Kurot it is."
Just then, Misuno appeared at the door, looking for Chojuro. She looked outside and saw Chojuro and Kurotsuchi standing close to one another, smiling at one another, and Kurotsuchi had her hand on Chojuro's arm and he has his hand on her hand. Misuno's eyes narrowed slightly, and she felt her jaw clench. But she soon stilled her features and turned away to walk back to her shared room with Chojuro, telling herself that she didn't want to know what went on in her Senpai's private life.
Later that night, around 2:00am, Chojuro yawned as we walked down the hall of the quiet house, scrunching up his face in exhaustion as he counted the number of doors from the stairwell to the door he was seeking — the washroom of the Nara residence guest house.
It was so late at night that he figured everyone would be asleep by now. But he knew he couldn't sleep until he washed the dirt and sweat from the day's travels off his body.
He arrived at the door, and found the door closed but all the lights off. He turned the knob, and found it unlocked.
He opened the door and looked into the room with sleepy, half-lidded eyes.
But, what he saw made him freeze in place and made his eyes flick open widely in shock.
Around the rim of the bathtub sat several lit candles, and residual bubbles from a recent bath. He could hear water draining, and could smell lavender in the warm steamy air. And standing next to the tub, Kurotsuchi was toweling herself off, back to the door. She was humming to herself, and seemed oblivious to his presence.
That was, until she turned around, and saw him by the door.
Then, she clutched the towel to her body with a loud gasp, a deep blush and shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT! OUT NOW! OUT!"
He slapped one hand over his face to cover his eyes, and used the other to close the door with a slam as he left as quickly as possible.
He ran halfway down the hall and stopped, resting against the wall, heart pounding and eyes wide in terror.
His mind raced. What…what just happened? Was that…Kurot? Why was she in there? And so late at night? And why was the door unlocked?
He clutched at his heart and fell to the ground, breathing hard. Why? Why did it have to be Kurot? Whyyy?
He closed his eyes tightly and laid his head back against the wall, moaning quietly in agony. She's…she's going to hate me forever… but it was an accident…
He sighed and lifted himself off the floor, holding firmly onto the wall for support. He felt like he was going to pass out. Blood had rushed so quickly to his head that he was feeling light headed and hot.
He looked just ahead, and saw the entrance to the balcony. Deciding the cool night air might help him, he walking forward and opened the door to step outside.
He collapsed onto one of the chairs and leaned forward to rest his head on his hand on the table.
She was so mad, he thought. She will never forgive me. I ruined it.
I ruined it, he thought, again, and she will never want to be my friend again.
Or anything else, he thought, mind getting foggy. Nothing else. Ever. I've ruined it.
I ruined it, he thought, again, inwardly groaning.
"…ruined…" he muttered out loud, head falling onto the table.
The door to the balcony came open.
"I've…ruined it…" he muttered. A dark figure came into view in front of him, and it put a warm, lavender scented hand on his cheek.
"…ruined…she won't…with me…nothing else…" he muttered, before passing out.
"Chojuro," said a familiar female voice in his ear. "Hey, Chojuro. Come on, wake up."
There was a note of concern in her voice, which surprised him.
"Chojuro, please, come on…wake up…"
He stirred slightly, and he heard her exhale loudly in relief.
"Hey, are you okay? I think you passed out. Did you hit your head or something when you ran away," asked Kurotsuchi, voice still worried. He was still very surprised to hear this.
"No I…well, maybe. I don't know," he said, not totally untruthful. He didn't remember much after leaving the washroom.
Oh, no. The washroom, he thought.
"Kurot—" he started, but she held up a hand and had her face very firm.
"Chojuro, forget it," she said, sternly.
"But, I want to apologize," he said, but she shook her head.
"It was my fault for leaving the door unlocked. I should have—" she started but he interrupted her now.
"No, Kurot. I should have knocked. But beyond that, what I am apologizing for is…" he bit his lip, turning red and looking away from her.
She raised and eyebrow and tilted her head at him. "For…what?"
"Ah…for…um…well…" he gradually got redder in the face, and couldn't stand to look at her. His voice steadily got quieter as well. Finally, he said, almost too quietly, "for seeing you…n-naked…"
Her eyes widened, and he reached a hand up to cover his face in embarrassment.
There was awkward silence between the two of them for a few moments, and then suddenly Kurotsuchi said, almost as quietly as Chojuro, "how much did you see?"
He dropped his hand and his eyes widened in surprise at this question, but when he realized the answer the hand returned, followed by the other hand.
"Um, well…" he says, voice slightly muffled.
"Just say it, Chojuro," said Kurotsuchi. She wasn't as angry as she thought she would be, and now she was curious. But she wouldn't let him know that.
"A…a fair bit…"
"'A fair bit.'"
"Yes…"
"Like what?"
"Don't make me spell it out, Kurot…"
"It was my naked body, Chojuro. I deserve to know."
He hesitated. She was right. She deserved to know, and being so embarrassed was pretty childish, a likely a little insulting. And it wasn't like he saw anything…bad…actually…
He dropped his hands, and opened his eyes to look at her. He looked at her apologetically, but didn't give the appearance that he was sorry he saw what he saw anymore.
"I saw…your chest and your backside. It was too dark to see anything else, and the towel covered...a fair bit."
Her eyes widened at his brazenness. But then, she did something unexpected. She giggled, and turned red. He looked at her surprised, and was about to question her but she spoke.
She smirked at him, and gave him a look that took his breath away. Then, under her breath, she said, "and what did you think?"
"W-what," he said, not sure that he heard her correctly.
She let out a snort of laughter. "Nothing, nothing," she said, waving a hand and chuckling. She got up from the table and walked over to the balcony, looking out into the village.
He watched her for a moment, still left slightly breathless. Did she just say…
"Your innocence baffles me, Chojuro," said Kurotsuchi with a grin and a small chuckle. She was turned away from him. "How can you call yourself a 'Deadly Swordsman Whatsit' if you can't even handle seeing a partially naked woman." She knew what they were called, but she was picking on him at this point.
He scowled at her, blushing madly. "Kurotsuchi, we are called the 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen,' and for the record I've seen plenty of naked women before."
Her head turned to face him with a snap, and she looked at him with a skeptical eyebrow raised. "'Plenty,' eh?"
He shut his mouth quickly but still continued to scowl at her. He moved to walk up to the balcony and stand beside her.
"If you've really seen so many, then why were you so embarrassed to see me," she said.
He blushed deeply and turned away from her, screwing his face up in embarrassment.
"Wellllll," asked Kurotsuchi, tilting her head to look at him, grinning.
"Because…it's…you…" he mumbled, still facing away from her.
"Excuse me," she said, moving closer to him.
"Because…it's you," he said, turning to her. "And I saw…a lot of you. And…I…wasn't ready for…that…yet," he said, turning away quickly. Thoughts of what Misuno said passed through his mind, and too much of it struck cords with him that he just wasn't sure what to do or how to feel at that moment. And to make matters worse, she was so close to him — too close — and he was getting light headed again.
"Yet? What do you mean," she said, eyes widening. She stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm again.
"Kurot, your…the lavender…" he reached for the first thing that came to his mind. She could see the haziness that crossed his eyes, and he started to lean closer toward her.
"What," she asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
"You're…so close…the lavender in your soap is making me dizzy…" said Chojuro, clearly wobbling from front to back, side to side - she suddenly realized that his nearness was just an illusion.
"Oh…sorry," said Kurotsuchi a little defeatedly, creating a wide distance between the two.
There was a long moment of silence between to two. Kurotsuchi was biting her bottom lip and looking out into the village, away from Chojuro. And Chojuro was looking at Kurotsuchi, unsure of what to say or do. He thought about approaching her, but again, Misuno and her words popped into his head. He furrowed his brow and looked away, shaking his head in frustration.
He let out a deep sigh. "Look, Kurot, it's getting late, and I need to shower. Let's talk about this some other time, okay," said Chojuro, moving toward the door.
Kurotsuchi turned and frowned at him, but said nothing and turned away from him again. He frowned, too, opened the door and left.
Sure that he was gone, Kurotsuchi muttered under her breath, "damn lavender…never again…"