Walking into the common area of Kisa and Takao's apartment as the door closed behind his host, Akito took a good look around, taking in the sigh of the home the two of them had made for themselves since the last time he saw them. As far as studio-style apartments went inside of Konoha's walls it was rather roomy, seemingly as large as the Hokage's though significantly more modern.
"This is a really nice place you two found. Much nicer than the apartment I was staying in during my time here." He stated as he came to a stop a large window and looked outside at the village he knew as his second home, bringing Takao to laugh.
"Well I would like to think that is because of how new the place is; renovated just before we arrived here in town. Gotta admit though, it's expensive, and if it hadn't been for Lady Tsunade's reference we probably wouldn't be able to afford it, even with the money we've been making on missions." He replied as Akito laughed a bit under his breath and looked back out into Konoha, allowing Takao to walk up beside him.
"So you've really been out searching for Deidara again all this time?" He questioned the boy who looked back at his friend and nodded.
"Him and several others." Akito replied, bringing Takao to laugh.
"Like the Hokage said earlier, I'm very much so surprised that the Tsuchikage thought it was a good idea to let you go looking for what has happened. Last time you did you were nearly killed, had it not been for us!" He teased, again causing him to grin as he shook his head, though his laughter slowly died off; his hand reaching up and grabbing the curse mark on the back of his neck before gently rubbing it.
"Yeah, well… things have changed since then." He replied as Takao caught a glimpse of what exactly he was talking about. Ever since Kisa told him about his curse the night they found him as Akito rested by the fireside he had been curious about it, though he had refrained thus far from asking out of respect for his partner.
"I'd say so. Kenjutsu, Lightning Release and… that. You've been doing some serious training." The man stated as he leaned up against the wall at the opposite side of the windowsill, bringing Akito to shake his head.
"Not necessarily. Lightning Release is something I've always possessed as it is an integral part in being able to manifest and control Explosive Release, but I've just never really used it before on it's own, especially not now since it counteracts the explosive clay Deidara and I use." He replied as he looked down at the sealed mouth on his left hand once again.
"And as far as the Kenjutsu goes, my father made sure I had a decent understanding of the art when I was a child, saying it was necessary to survive against those who utilized it further, but after his death it sort of fell to the wayside." Akito added as she looked out at the sun in remembrance of his father, though after a moment he formed a small grin.
"I used both of those techniques to help separate the man that became known as Ibarkai from myself, but if I was to be honest using Kenjutsu again kind of felt good… maybe I'll practice a bit and use it more often." He added as Takao patted him hard across his back.
"Well if that's the case I would be glad to take you on as my student!" He cried out in laughter, instantly causing Akito to form an exasperated expression that he held until Takao slowly came to stop. Wiping a tear from his eye as he shook his head, Takao leaned on the windowsill and redirected his watery eyes back to Akito with a wide grin.
"Oh man, that was rich. Really, really rich. Anyway, as you've seen, things have changed quite a bit here as well." Takao stated as Akito hummed.
"I've noticed. You two have really become part of the village here it seems, and it looks like Kisa's found both a friend and a mentor in the Hokage. She's even learned her most signature technique." The boy replied as he subconsciously reached up and rubbed his bruised face, again causing Takao to chuckle under his breath. He had heard how Kisa managed to break Ibaraki's mask and reveal him for what he was using Lady Tsunade's signature strength multiplying technique; a story that he couldn't help but laugh at the first time he heard it despite the girl's concern over nearly breaking his neck.
"Yeah she has. It's not quite the same as Lady Tsunade's since she can only use it when her mark is active, but it's still pretty powerful… as you've noticed. But it's not just the one that gave you that big shiner. She's learned quite a lot of medical ninjutsu as well over the last few months, enough that she sometimes spends her day working at the hospital when they need her. From what I understand she's one of the first picks on their list." The man replied, bringing Akito to look down at the floor as he did so in an attempt to hide the small grin that formed on his lips.
One of his biggest fears when he brought them to Konoha was that they would have a hard time adapting to life in a new village, a fear that only grew when he woke up hundreds of miles away from them. But now, seeing their new home, their relationship with those around them and their flourishing involvement in the community, he couldn't help but smile. They were doing well, and he couldn't have asked for anything more.
Seeing his small grin as he stared down at the floor, Takao raised a brow in curiosity and crossed his arms; instinctively assuming that he was simply daydreaming about Kisa as he often did back in the day.
"You know, I've learned stuff too, important stuff, and I'm kinda offended that you haven't noticed!" He stated to break the boy's concentration, bringing Akito to lift his eyes back up to him with a small grin.
"The only thing I've noticed different about you is this… crazy wardrobe you've chosen for yourself." He replied, to which Takao scoffed.
"I'll have you know that these clothes are very comfortable and give me excellent mobility!" He exclaimed in retaliation, though before either of them could go any further the apartment door suddenly opened and shut, bringing them to look back towards it as Kisa pulled the beanie from her head, hung it on a rack near the door and gently played with her hair to make it somewhat presentable.
"Well, what's the verdict? Are we in trouble?" Takao immediately asked, bringing Kisa to shake her head.
"No, everythings okay. Lady Tsunade just wanted to talk to me about the mission, that's all." The girl replied as she slowly turned back towards both Takao and Akito; her lips forming a small, subtle smile at the latter's own.
"Hey… how're you holding up?" She questioned as the two locked eyes, bringing the boy to hesitantly break eye contact with a nod.
"Takao was just showing me around your apartment. It's really nice." He replied in an almost formal fashion that Kisa could tell was due to his nervousness, though what exactly he was afraid of she did not know.
"It is. We were lucky that Lady Tsunade was able to find it for us, and for such a good price." She responded as she stepped a bit closer, again causing their eyes to meet as her own settled on the large bruise around his left eye, once more igniting her desire to heal him further and alleviate the pain she knew he was in.
"How are your injuries? Is your eye or your side bothering you?" She asked though Akito simply shook his head, prompting her to stare at him in an effort to get him to admit what she already knew.
"It's okay. Lady Tsunade knows you're not a threat, so I'm sure she wouldn't if I healed you a bit more." She added, bringing him form a small smile and again shake his head.
"I'm alright, Kis. Tsunade might not mind, but maybe it is best that I remain this way for a while longer. I can see the fear in people's eyes and… I think it's just best this way." He replied, driving her heart to flutter at the affectionate way he said her name as the memories of the other times he said it flooded her mind. He would really call her that after everything that had happened?
At first she was unsure of how this first conversation with him away from Tokuma's vigilant eyes would go. She had planned to stay away from laying anything heavy on him so suddenly, especially anything to do with his curse, his time away or their relationship, but now she found it hard to ignore the question tearing at her chest.
Stepping a bit close to the two of them while subconsciously rubbing at her left arm to try and ease the nervous pit in her stomach, the girl smiled once more at Akito and turned to her roommate who, much to her surprise, already knew what she was going to ask.
"Well, now that you're back I'm going to head to the store as it seems that much of the food we had in the fridge has gone bad and I am quite hungry for a home cooked meal." He stated as he looked at her with a large smile and a wink before turning towards Akito.
"Whatcha think? You hungry?" Takao added in question, bringing Akito to look at him with a small chuckle as he shook his head, recalling now just how much Takao loved food.
"I am. He replied, bringing Takao to clap his hands together with a wide grin.
"Alright, in that case, I will be back shortly!" He exclaimed as he once again patted Akito roughly on the back and quickly made his way to the apartment door and exited without delay, leaving the Kisa and Akito standing in an awkward silence as their eyes met yet again, instantly causing them both to blush as Akito desperately tried to think of something to say. This was the first time they had been alone together since being reunited, so it was hard to determine just what was alright and was not.
"So, I… noticed you dyed your hair." He finally noted sheepishly with a nervous swallow after a few moments of awkward silence, bringing the girl to look at him as her hand subconsciously reached up and ran her fingers through her long black strands.
"This is actually my natural hair color, but I've been dying it white for so long that sometimes even I forget it isn't my real hair color, so I know why you are surprised." She replied, catching the boy by surprise.
"Really?" He questioned as the girl nodded and formed an involuntary smile at the memory of her first time dying it with her grandmother's help.
"Yeah. My mother was born with naturally white, frost-like hair, so in a way it was always a way to feel close to her." She replied, though her smile quickly faded after a few more seconds of thought.
"But with my curse mark it grows far too rapidly to keep up with now, and with everything that's happened I figured that it was for the best as someone with dull black hair was far less likely to be picked out in a crowd." Kisa added as Akito formed a smile.
"I don't think it looks dull." He blurted out without much forethought, instantly causing Kisa to look up at him.
"You don't?" She questioned, bringing the boy to slowly shake his head and look down in embarrassment.
"I actually think it's... really cute." He replied with a red face, driving Kisa's dark tremendously as her heart leaped in her chest. Why would he say that so abruptly? Did he actually mean that? To her this mirrored his comment about how her name was beautiful back when they were in Getaru City, but yet this felt more impactful, more intimate, as if said to a lover. Was this because of the connection that had shared before he was taken from her?
"O-Oh… w-well thank you." She replied with a nervous smile as she watched him struggle with his embarrassment from the corner of her eyes, causing her grin to grow uncontrollably as the smitten feelings she held for the boy swelled. This was the Akito she knew well, a part of him she had not seen since they were reunited, and it felt good to know it was still alive after everything that had happened.
Taking a deep breath, Kisa slowly grabbed ahold of the necklace around her neck and gathered her thoughts together carefully. If she was going to apologize for what she had done and make it right so that this could continue, she had to do so now.
"Akito…" She began to say after moment to draw his attention, though as he looked back up at her with his soft, kind yet somewhat fearful and nervous smile, she suddenly finds herself unable to ask what she desperately wanted.
"I…" She muttered as she bit the inside of her lip to try and force the truth to come out, but as the boy tilted his head and hummed in question of what she wanted, Kisa had little choice but to say something quickly and resorted back to her concern from earlier.
"Please let me take care of your wounds." She stated as the boy's eyes widened a bit and lingered on her own before finally forming a small nod. He had always known her to be persistent for all the right reasons, especially for reasons she felt so strongly about, so he wasn't going to force her to continue to worry.
"Do you think it would be alright if I showered first? It's been a few days since I've been able to, and even though I was able to clean off in the stream yesterday I still feel… gross." He questioned with a small laugh, bringing Kisa's disheartened expression to slowly form a halfhearted smile.
"Sure. The bathroom is just down the hall on the right, and if you want I will pull some clothes from the scrolls in your things." She replied, to which boy nodded.
"Thank you, Kis." He said softly as their eyes remained locked together for a moment or two longer before he slowly made his way down the hallway to the bathroom, leaving her standing in silent frustration.
She had been waiting for months to finally bring up everything that had been troubling her since she nearly lost him, so why couldn't she say what was on her mind? Why did she suddenly get cold feet? Was it because she was afraid of what he might say? That he might not have forgiven her as she had hoped he had based on the way he had been acting, or was it that she was afraid to find out things would never return to how they once were between them?
Tightening her grip on his necklace, Kisa waited for the bathroom door to close before making her way to the kitchen counter that Takao had set the boy's belongings on. Coming to a stop, she looked down at the vest he had worn as Ibaraki beneath his other belongings; the grey material on the left side of the vest nearly completely dyed red with blood from the injury that nearly killed him. Subconsciously she placed her hand to large tear and felt the tattered edges around where the blade had pierced through into his flesh, causing her to shutter before proceeding to locate the small scroll pouch on the vest's back where she knew he would have kept at least one set of spare clothing, even if it wasn't his normal attire due to the secretive nature of his mission.
Pulling out what she believed would be a set of clothes, the girl turned and walked to the large table in the center of their living area and unfurled the scroll to unseal it as her mind continued to berate her for her decision to remain silent. How long would she continue to do this? Would she ever work up the nerve to confront him, or would everything she had to say just go unsaid forever?
"Stupid. So stupid." She stated to herself in disgust as she gently folded the clothes in her hand and stood up before walking to the bathroom door which, to her surprise, he had left slightly ajar. Knowing he would need them once he was finished, she slowly opened the door and set them on the counter, all while trying her best to resist looking towards the shower and risk catching sight of the naked boy within. Her task complete, she then backed out of the bathroom and silently closed the door back to where it had been before turning and making her way to the main living area, and then to the small balcony outside of their apartment in the hope that some of the fresh evening air would clear her head.
After several minutes in the somewhat hot yet certainly refreshing shower, Akito emerged from the bathroom, now dressed in the rather bland gray-colored sweatpants Kisa had drawn from his scroll though the upper part of his body remained bare. With his injuries it was a bit difficult to pull a shirt over his head without hurting himself, especially in a cramped space like the bathroom and given how he had to nearly tear his last shirt off to get in the shower he didn't feel struggling again.
"Kisa?" He questioned aloud as he stepped out into the hallway and looked around in silence before slowly beginning to cautiously make his way to the living room. He was opposed to simply parading himself around her house undressed, but with how large the living area was he knew he could more easily don the shirt.
"Kis?" He called again as he came to the end of the hallway and looked through the living room before spotting her outside the apartment's balcony door staring off into the sunset in a way that reminded him of the night of their date, causing him to form a small smile at the memory before seizing his chance to finish getting ready without her seeing.
Moving a little bit further away from the hall, the boy put both of his hands through the arm holes of the shirt and began to quickly raise it up over his head, successfully pulling down the right sleeve in the process. However, just as said sleeve fell into place he found himself hung up on his extended elbow which, in turn, causing him to become frustrated. When he packed for the trip he hadn't expected to have an injury that limited his mobility, so now that he was unable to easily manipulate his left arm without causing himself substantial pain in his side he found himself struggling.
"Come… on!" He grunted as he attempted to force the shirt down over his extended elbow without hurting himself, groaning in pain all the way. Because of his wishes to remain weakened to ease some of the tension between himself and the team that had captured him Kisa had only healed his side enough to prevent bleeding, leaving the tear in his skin susceptible to being reopened by sudden movement.
Attempting one more time to pull the shirt down before planning to pull it off to start again Akito grunted loudly, though just as he did so he heard the glass sliding door leading to what he assumed was the balcony open, causing him to become even more flustered and his face to dark red in embarrassment. He had failed to get dressed quickly, and what was even worse was the fact that he was now stuck with his head inside of the shirt. How could it get any worse?!
Lifting her head up as she stepped inside, Kisa immediately froze at the sight of what she was greeted with in complete surprise. She hadn't expected him to be done with his shower yet let alone dressed, but she certainly hadn't expected him to be standing shirtless in the living room.
"Akito? What are you…" She began, though as she watched him try once more to drag the shirt down onto his chest she couldn't help but let out a short giggle of amusement. However, as her eyes fell on the large scar that pierced through his side near the site of his barely healed wound, her smile quickly faded. This was the first time she had actually seen what she had done, as even when she was healing him at the site of their battle she didn't look for the scars, sending her heart plummeting deeper into her stomach.
"Hold on." She stated as she shut the balcony door behind her and made her way up to the boy before grabbing ahold of the shirt that was tangled around his stiffened arm and lowering it down, revealing the red-faced, embarrassed boy beneath.
"Thanks. I didn't realize getting dressed again was going to be such a challenge." He replied with a tired huff as their eyes met, once again forcing him to form a nervous smile as the girl shook her head.
"That's because your side is likely swollen from not healing the right way. You need to take it easy." She replied with a small, fleeting smile of her own. This was her chance. This was her time to make things right and to try and repair what she had broken, and she wasn't going to allow her fear of what he may say to ruin it. It had to be done.
Swallowing nervously as she rapidly debated what to do and as her eyes again returned to his, Kisa bit the inside of her lip for a brief second or two until she finally found the will within herself to push out of her comfort zone and into action.
"Akito." She stated as she reached forward and took the boy's hand in hers, bringing his eye's to widen and his face to return to the dark red state it was just starting to recover from; a state that grew even darker as the girl sat down on the couch and gently pulled the boy down to sit beside her.
Doing as she silently instructed without opposition, Akito bit the inside of his own lip for a moment as the girl's fingers slid up his arm to just above his wrist and remained there in a subconscious bid to prevent him from running away, though as their eyes again met and he saw the hurt in her soul he would never dare to do so.
"We need to talk." She stated as she took a silent yet deep breath and prepared to speak, bringing Akito's own stomach to knot a bit. He wasn't sure what this was about but given the situation he had found himself in it could have been any number of things, though what seemed to be causing his heart race the most was the touch of the girl's hand. It had been a few months since he last felt the warmth of her skin on his and even though this had not been the first time she had touched him since their reunion he still couldn't seem to calm himself, resulting in his heart pounding each time.
"Is everything alright?" He questioned instinctively, again bringing his caring and compassionate nature to light and forcing Kisa to smile as she nodded her head, despite the fact that inside she was deeply troubled about what was about to transpire.
"Everythings okay." She replied out of habit, though after looking up to the concerned boy's face she shook her head in an effort to remain true to her intent.
"Actually Akito, it's not." She redacted as she shifted a bit more towards him and placed the hand that remained at her side atop the other and took a deep breath. This was the moment she had waited nearly six months for and she couldn't back down.
"I just… I need to apologize… for everything I've done. The way I acted towards you before I ran away, what I did that night; all of it." She tactfully confessed as the boy, just as she had anticipated, shook his head.
"You don't need to apologize." He replied, though before he could barely even finish she shook her head and averted her gaze down to their hands as they rested so close to one another yet so far away; the memory of the things that she said to him playing back in her mind.
"But I do, though. That night… the night I ran away... I said things to you that I should have never said, terrible, horrible things that I know now are not true. Lady Tsunade, she… she told me about what happened… about your family. From the way you always talked about them I just always believed they were back in Iwa, I… I had no idea that… that they..." She continued as she looked down at her hands in shame, causing Akito to do the same at the mention of his family tragedy.
"They are all gone." He stated under his breath, bringing the girl to bite her lip in shame. She could tell from his voice that this was a sensitive subject as she assumed it should be, though she didn't know how he was able to remain so calm. Her father's death was hard enough for her to talk about, so she couldn't dare assume she knew what it was like to talk about the loss of his entire clan.
"I… I didn't know. I should have just let you speak. You were trying to tell me to make me feel like I wasn't alone, and I freaked out on you. I called you a liar and drove you away. You had never been anything but nice to me. You cared for me, protected me… y-you became my best friend... and I… I-I spit in your face." Kisa resumed briefly as she looked up at him, recalling exactly what she said to him as well as the look on his face as he left to prevent himself from taking out his anger on her, causing her to freeze once more as her hands subconsciously tightening on his arm.
She had thought about what she said to him many, many times that day, but it never seemed to get any easier. Each and every time her words echoed in her mind her gut wretched and her heart ached. She should have never, ever said those things to him. The only thing he was guilty of that day was trying to make her feel safe and calm, and she punished him for it.
Ashamed of her past, the girl broke their stare and once more looked down at their hands. The further into this conversation they went the harder it was for her to remain in control of her emotions, especially since they were closing in on how it all ended, furthering the pit that grew in her heart and making it harder and harder for her to look him in the face as tears silently flowed from her eyes.
"But yet, even though I said all of those horrible things... you still came to find me. Y-You risked your life to try and save m-mine… a-and I repaid you by nearly t-taking it from y-you myself. I a-almost killed you, a-and not a day goes b-by that I don't think about it." The girl managed to state out loud amidst a sharp sob as the memories of the way she found him flashed in her eyes; the blood running from his wounds as clear and mortifying as it was nearly six months prior.
"W-When I came to, I refused to leave your side, just like you refused to leave mine, b-but when the Tsuchikage took you back to Iwa, I… I h-had no choice. I t-thought I would never see you again… a-and that's why I need to apologize. I broke my promise, I hurt you… I-I let you down... and I-I know that after everything that has happened y-you probably hate me, b-but I needed you to know j-just how sorry I am." She finally concluded as she leaned a bit forward to combat the nauseous, lost feeling in her stomach, all while Akito stared in silence.
"Kisa…" He said softly before biting the inside of his lip, struggling to cope with what was happening in front of him. Watching her fight with her emotions was hard enough, but seeing her cry after all this time was breaking his heart and forcing him to act. She really thought that he hated her because of what happened?
Swallowing nervously, the boy gently pulled his right hand from beneath her hold on his wrist and placed it atop her own before gently rubbing the back of her hand in a calming manner, causing her to look up at him and her face to darkened.
"When I woke up… I thought I would never see you again, either. I didn't know where I was or what happened… but when reality set in and I saw my injuries, I wasn't mad… I was afraid." He replied to her confession, bringing her to widen her teary eyes in attention as she continued to blush from the heat of his bare hands.
"A million things rushed through my head; did you manage to escape, did… did he kill you… I-I was scared that I had lost you, and if it hadn't been for my grandfather being there to tell me you were safe I would have had a heart attack." He added as he looked down in embarrassment, though it was both of their cheeks that grew darker by the second. He was so worried about her that he nearly had a heart attack? Was he really that afraid that she had died?
"He told me that he came to Konoha to bring me home, and that he had met you. He said that you were alright, but that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to come back to make sure that you were alright… but I couldn't. I was too weak… I could barely eat, let alone walk, and there was no way he was going to let me make the trip." The boy continued as Kisa's hold on the inside of her lip strengthened until it nearly drew blood, knowing full well that she was the one who put him in such horrible condition.
"W-Why didn't the Tsuchikage try to contact Konoha? Lady Tsunade said that she had tried several times to check on you, but that Iwa never responded. If we would have heard something back, I-I… w-we would have come to see you, regardless of where you were." Kisa admitted in response, to which Akito looked up to her with a bit of hidden surprise. She would have come to Iwa to see him even though she hated his village? Was that true?
"Onoki said that when Konoha's messenger came to the border he replied to let them know I was alright, even offering to set up some kind of meeting, but that he never heard back after that." The boy replied, causing Kisa's heart to sink even lower. The Hokage didn't reply? Could that be the truth, and if it was, why was it? Why wouldn't she accept a chance for them to see him again?
"I...I don't understand. Why wouldn't she reply?" She questioned as she shook her head in disbelief. The Hokage told them that it was Iwa that didn't reply, even doing so just an hour or so prior as she interrogated him. How could this be?
"I don't know. I don't think my grandfather was lying, but at the same time I don't feel he told me the complete truth, especially since Lady Tsunade mentioned that Iwa never answered... but ultimately it didn't matter. Once this happened, I…" He began to explain as he cast his vision over at the blooded clothing of Ibaraki, bringing her to follow with her own eyes until she saw what he was staring at, at which point her hands again tightened. Was this because of her too?
"This? How… how did this happen?" Kisa asked with a small sob as she looked back to Akito who in turn looked down at the floor.
"It's… complicated." He replied in a subconscious effort to try and move past the topic, though as Kisa gently squeezed his hand he couldn't help but return his attention to her; her teary eyes desperate to hear what he had to say. She wanted the truth, and that was something he wasn't going to deny her.
"With everything going on… the Akatsuki, your curse... I refused to just lay around. I started to push myself, training to build up my strength so that I could get back to Konoha on my own... but it wasn't enough; I wasn't healing fast enough... and that's when I was offered a deal." The boy began to explain in shame as the hand at the bottom the pile reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, showing her just what he meant.
"The curse mark." She stated out loud as Akito nodded.
"Around the beginning of May I was approached by this man, a member of Iwa's Anbu… I don't know his name nor what he looks like, just the codename assigned to him... Aoi. He told me that if I was willing to help the Anbu with their hunt for the Akatsuki and containment of the threat they posed, he would give me something that would speed up my recovery and get me back on my feet faster, as well as make me stronger; a curse mark, just like those being placed unwillingly by Orochimaru." He admitted, instantly causing Kisa's expression to grow confused and then irritated at the knowledge that he willingly allowed himself to be marked with the curse.
"Akito Himaku, what would posses you to do something so stupid? This thing… it isn't a tool or a gift, it's horrible; a literal nightmare that turns men into monsters… and me into a dangerous freak." She began to sternly lecture before shifting to a more worried demeanor as she recalled what else was imprinted on his skin.
"And above all else, you let them put a kill seal on you. Do you know what that means? They could end your life at any time, for any reason, and there would be nothing you could do about it… why would you do something like that?" She questioned, bringing the ashamed boy to shake his head.
"I had no choice. The man who made it, some… scientist who's been studying those with curse marks coming from Otogakure, was afraid I would lose control. He placed some kind of limiter on the seal's power to keep it controlled, but Aoi insisted that the seal be added... without it they wouldn't have allowed me to take the mark." He responded, causing her to grow more frustrated.
This Aoi he was speaking of must have been the same man who accompanied the Tsuchikage to Konoha; the same man who spoke so negatively about him why he sat in such horrible condition. Why would he insist on him wearing the kill seal? Was he afraid he would go rogue, or was it something more sinister. Anbu were not always known to play nice, not even to their own people; did he plan to use Akito only to get rid of them time came?
"Then why do it at all? Why would you want to be cursed like me… why would you risk your life?" She sharply contested, bringing the boy to look up at her.
"I-I wanted to get back to you, a-and I…" He began to explain before falling silent as his mind began to frantically go over what he almost blurted out. What he was about to tell her was something that he was unsure how she would react to, especially since they had only been reunited for several days after months of being apart; months that she now knew he spent involuntarily avoiding her. Before the disaster she thought that he was lying to relate with her, would she think this was done for the same purpose?
Centering her vision on the boy at his sudden pause Kisa's eyes widened as her face grew dark, though that flustered feeling quickly faded. At first she was just surprised and a bit flustered to hear that he would do this to get back to her, but after hearing that there was something else on his mind she couldn't think about anything else besides what he was about to say.
"Tell me, Akito." She said softly as the thumb of her top-most hand rubbed against the palm of his hand above, bringing the boy to look at her in embarrassment about what he was about to say before looking back down with a deep breath to try and drive the anxiety in his chest away.
"I-I hoped that if I had a cure mark too, maybe I could help learn about them, and… and possibly find a way to free you from your own."
Hearing the boy's response the girl let out a silent gasp that left her mouth agape. He willingly allowed himself to be cursed to try and help her? Was he being serious? Why would he put himself in such grave danger for her? Sure, he had done it several times before, but was she really so important that he would do so even after waking up from a coma she had put him in?
"Why… why would you do this for me?" She questioned, bringing Akito to stare at the floor of the apartment in silence for a moment or two before forming a small, nervous smile on his lips. He had already told her this was done for her, so what was the point in hiding the reason why?
"B-Because when you care about someone, you have to keep them safe… e-even if it means risking your own life." He replied softly, instantly bringing her heart to flutter and breath to quiver as it left her lips. He did this because he cared about her? Did… did that mean Lady Tsunade was right? Did he still care about her as more than a friend, like how they were before they were torn away from one another?
Sitting in silence for a moment or two without a reply, Akito's eyes slowly drifted from the floor up to Kisa who was staring at him in shock with a rather heavy blush displayed across her face, though he couldn't exactly read what she was feeling. He couldn't tell if she was flattered or offended, and that uncertainty was killing him.
"I don't blame you for what happened. I don't. And I certainly don't hate you... I don't think I ever could." He replied as he lowered his sight back down to their hands, again causing her breath to quiver at the realization that what he was saying was nearly identical to what she had told him on the night of their date.
This was the proof she needed, the sign she had been waiting for. Akito didn't hate her and despite everything that had happened, all the pain she had caused him, he still cared about her deeply, so much so that he even risked his life to take on a cursed seal to try and help her; something that, while she wished he wouldn't have done so, caused her stomach to flutter with endearment. This was what caused the tinges of love she began to experience back then, and she was glad to see that they still held true now.
Unsure of what to say the beet-red girl continued to stare at the boy for a moment or two longer before sniffling and wiping away the tears that remained in her eyes. If she couldn't form the words to describe how she had been feeling since his return, then she would need to show him how happy she was another way.
Without hesitation, Kisa turned towards and then slid closer to the boy, wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and then gently pull him into a tight, chest-to-chest hug that caught him off guard, though he instinctevely placed his own arms on her back to support her as she buried her face into his shoulder. She had been waiting to give him a hug ever since she saw him in that field and now that she had the chance she didn't want to let go.
"I'm glad you're safe." She sniffled into his shoulder as the boy's heart raced, bringing him to close his eyes and lean his head against hers as the warmth of her body rushed over him, sending his heart into a frenzy.
"I'm glad you are, too." He replied as Kisa hesitantly leaned herself back from his body to sit back in her legs that now sat folded beneath her.
Placing one hand on her knee as the other reached up and nervously brushed a loose hair behind her ear, the girl looked up at him from the top of her eyes for a second before subconsciously forming a small smile and looking down at their now separate hands. Part of her wanted to take it with her own to restore the warmth, though in heeding Tsunade's suggestion to let it all come back naturally she refrained from doing so, no matter how hard it was.
"I know I said it earlier, but thank you for watching over me the past few days, Kisa." He admitted as she shook her head and widened her smile.
"Don't thank me… it's what you do when you care about someone." She replied in clear reference to his own statement, causing both of them to blush at her attempted tease; something that she never thought she would do again.
"You're still an idiot for doing that, even if it was for me… you know that, right?" She added, bringing him to laugh lightly with a painful wince.
"Yeah, I know." He replied as she looked up at him with a giggle, though upon seeing the bruise around his eye she reached up and placed a hand to his cheek to begin healing him, allowing their eyes to meet once again as she did so.
This all still seemed so surreal. She'd spent so many nights lying awake hoping this day would come, and now that it was here it still felt like a dream. At the same time however, she couldn't deny the very real feel of the weight she had been carrying around in her heart for the few months melting away, allowing her to finally breathe again after what seemed like forever.
As Kisa continued to heal his face and then eventually his side the two sat in silence with little interruption, save for their blushing glances at one another. To them nothing had to be said. They were happy just being in each other's company once again, knowing that they were each safe and that everything was okay, though as the door handle turned and the door opened to reveal a grocery-laden Takao, that quickly changed.
"Ey, you two weren't making out in here, were ya?!" He exclaimed in a muffled way due to the rather large pocky stick shoved in his mouth, instantly bringing them both to turn beet red and the girl's blood to boil.
"T-Takao!" She exclaimed as the man laughed.
"Oh come on, you know as well as I do that the chances of that having been the truth were very high!" He replied, furthering her frustration.
"S-Shut up before I come over there and make you eat that candy whole!" She bickered as Takao kicked the front door of their apartment shut with a lingering grin; his eyes focusing on the girl's hand as it continued to heal Akito's side.
"Oh yeah? I highly doubt that since you're currently healing our boy over there. You wouldn't stop just to chase me." He joked in a voice similar to that of a movie villain as he placed the first bag of groceries down on the counter and turned back towards her with an evil glare.
"Infact, I bet I could get away with whatever I wanted at this moment. Care to know what Kisa's favorite color of underwear is, Akito?" The man purposely antagonize, causing the girl's eye to twitch anxiously.
"Y-You son of a bitch… when I get done, I-" She muttered angrily under her breath before turning back to the equally flustered boy beside her as she felt his hand reach over and calmly place itself overtop of her own. Confused, the flushed girl watched as he slowly formed a small grin and gently pulled her hand away, signalling that it was alright for her pursue her desire to sut Takao up, at which point her vision darted back to the man as his eyes widened.
"Oh shit!" He exclaimed as the girl quickly pushed off of the couch they were sitting on and dashed straight towards him, causing him to drop the remaining bag of groceries in his hands as he made a break for his bedroom door.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Kisa screamed as she followed, leaving Akito sitting on the couch alone as he slowly formed a wide smile at the last time she watched the two bicker. It seemed that things between the two of them hadn't changed much, and that was a welcomed sight.
Turning his attention back out to the window as the sun neared its final destination on the horizon, the boy took a deep breath. Things had been rough the last few months and the future ahead was still clouded with uncertainty, but at least for the time being he was able to find some solace in the company of his two closest friends. The world was changing and he knew his time here in Konoha was limited, so he had every intention to make the most of it while it lasted.
