Eri heard a noise come from her front porch and carefully made her way through her home and to the front door. She slowly unbolted the door and pulled it open only to reveal a man that had become such a familiar stranger to her. She smiled gently and held the door open for him, "Hello again."
The orange haired man slowly slipped around her and into the otherwise silent home. He was not sure how he had found Eri, but whenever things went wrong he found himself stumbling here, to this non-ninja woman's house, desperate for her comfort. Tonight would be different however, he was not in need of comfort, he needed to tell her something.
"Pein, darling," she spoke in a voice of twinkling bells as she led him to her kitchen, "What happened this time?"
He shook his head, his piercings reflecting the bright light that hung above them. He took his usual spot at the counter while Eri fished out her first aid kit from under the sink.
"You're covered in blood, darling." The raven haired woman stated calmly, walking back over to him.
The man looked down and took note of the few cuts that littered his body. They were mostly shallow, and a good percentage of this blood was not his own.
She carefully pulled his cloak off and leaned in close to inspect his wounds, "You're quiet tonight."
He stared at her until she looked up to meet his intense gray ringed eyes, then he spoke to her lowly, "Memories consume, like opening a wound. I'm picking me apart again."
The girls hazel eyes stayed glued to his but her fingers gently guided a sterile wipe over a cut on his chest.
"You all assume I'm safe here in my room. Unless I try to start again…" His eyes darted away from hers, nervous about what he was about to say next.
Eri could read this on his face; she had grown so used to his actions, "Keep talking, darling. I'm listening."
Pein hesitated for another moment then whispered lightly as she continued to disinfect his cuts, "I don't want to be the one the battles always choose, cause inside I realize, I'm the one confused."
She blinked a little, was he trying to say that he did not want to be a ninja any longer? That he did not want to fight for whatever cause he had been for so long?
"I don't know what's worth fighting for, or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate or say what I don't mean."
His fingers desperately gripped her chin and pulled her face up so she was looking back into his eyes. Pein's eyes were pleading and afraid. They were emotions that she had never seen in him before.
His words were much fiercer than they had been before, "I don't know how I got this way, I know it's not alright. So I'm breaking the habit, I'm breaking the habit tonight."
Eri stared at him, shocked by what he was telling her. Was he done fighting? Done being a ninja? Did he want a normal life like hers? Would he stay here? She had always hoped that he would…
Pein wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Eri's body was pressed up tight between his legs, but there was nothing sexual about this position, it was comforting, loving even. His breath tickled her ear as he spoke against the side of her head, "Clutching my cure, I tightly lock the door. I try to catch my breath again. I hurt much more, than any time before. I have no options left again."
Without really thinking, Eri breathed in his ear, "You do have options. You can stay with me."
He pulled back from her and smiled slightly, but the grin quickly fell from his lips and he stroked her cheek softly, "I don't want to be the one the battles always choose. Cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused."
The woman softly pulled him closer to her again and he buried his face in her neck, breathing in her soft skin.
"I don't know what's worth fighting for, or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate or say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way; I know it's not alright. So I'm breaking the habit, I'm breaking the habit tonight."
Her arms held him tightly, securing him too her, promising a safe haven. Eri would not let him go, if this was the path her wanted, she would gladly follow it with him.
Pein brushed his lips over her collar bone then spoke gently, "I'll paint it on the walls, cause I'm the one that falls. I'll never fight again, and this is how it ends." The man pulled back and looked up into the eyes of the woman he had come to care for and cherish more than anyone else. There was no place he would rather be than here in her arms. He could only hope that she felt the same and would have him. "I don't know what's worth fighting for, or why I have to scream. But now I have some clarity to show you what I mean."
Pein hovered his lips above the girls and Eri felt her breathing pick up and her heart thumped rapidly. She realized that she loved this strange man, despite his past choices and lifestyle. She loved every ounce of his being, every flaw and scar, she loved him.
"I don't know how I got this way; I'll never be alright…" He whispered, his breath cool on her red lips.
She shook her head, shivering softly, "You will be alright."
The man smiled a little, and spoke the last few lines of his message to her before sealing her lips with a gentle kiss, "So I'm breaking the habit, I'm breaking the habit. I'm breaking the habit tonight."