Okey dokey people- my second instalment to Runaway is finally here! Sorry it took so long, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Here we go!
Kasumi let out a small and almost inaudible sigh as she rest the teacup on the table in front of her, before planting her slender hands onto her red-clothed lap. Her eyes wandered the dark polished oak of the furniture before stopping to rest their gaze upon the beautifully decorated teapot, it's pure white porcelain surface bejewelled with crimson waves and cerulean swirls.
"I'm a runaway shinobi," she confessed diffidently, her eyes afraid of the reaction she would receive if she dared to look up at her hosts. Kyaku arched a brow in slight confusion, he'd never heard that term before and wondered what exactly she meant by this. He stayed silent, in hope to gain an explanation. Yet his happy go lucky grandmother couldn't stay quiet, she was intrigued.
"Oh? So you ran away from home, you mean?" she asked, watching the young girl carefully although Kasumi still didn't look up. She simply nod her head shyly, a lock of auburn hair falling to brush against the tip of her cheek as her fingers fiddled with the soft fabric of the scarlet slacks she wore.
"I did run away…but with the best intentions…" she asserted quietly, her face now lifting to look straight ahead at Kyaku who's blush returned to his cheeks suddenly, realising this young girl was watching him. He quickly looked to the floor beside him, avoiding Kasumi's penetrating gaze. Noticing how he reacted to her watch, the shinobi turned to Rin and delved further into her story. "You see, my brother was hurt in an- an accident," she said, lying a little bit but sure that it would do no harm. "So I left my hometown in order to find the person responsible for my brother's injury, but we have very strict rules about people who leave the village. Once they have left, they are known as 'runaway shinobis' and are hunted down by ninjas who are sent to kill the runaway immediately."
Kyaku, at the mention of killing, looked back up and watched Kasumi's expression turn from a once relaxed one, into a distressed and upset one. That of sympathy proclaimed his face, as his eyes seemed to soften and empathise with this poor girl's situation. Yet he still remained silent, in order to learn more.
"I have been chased for weeks now," Kasumi added softly, her voice trembling a little. "But I can't give up yet, I want to see Hayate and make sure he's safe, make sure he's ok…" she said firmer, as if determination was penetrating through her distressed frame of mind.
"That's very honourable of you dear," Rin replied, a warm smile capturing her lips as if it never left, even though she'd just been told that there were a group of murderers out to kill Kasumi, their new guest. It was difficult to tell whether Miss Azuma was strong or just plain naïve, the way she behaved was as if nothing ever went wrong; she was extremely laid back about the most severe of things. "We'll keep you safe here until you're ready to be on your way again," she added, a small 'ho ho ho' emitting from her wrinkled yet smiling lips.
Kyaku shook his head in disbelief, out of all the relatives he could have chosen to stay with…it had to be the strange grandma who ordered him about all the time. A thin bead of sweat trickled down the boy's brow as he smiled awkwardly at Kasumi. "Yeah, don't worry about a thing Miss…uh, Miss-"
"Please, my name is Kasumi," the shinobi interrupted, knowing the boy obviously wanted to know her second name. But if she told them that, then she knew she was putting them all at risk; she preferred to have just a first name, it was less formal and less dangerous.
"Oh, ok then," Kyaku replied with a gentler smile. "Don't worry about a thing, Kasumi," he said, chuckling softly as Kasumi returned his warm smile. Both teens sat and stared at one another for a brief moment, both pairs of eyes locking in a momentary grip and both their smiles bringing a faint blush to their cheeks. Rin watched both with a sly smile, knowing she could tease her grandson about this a bit later as she rose from her seat and addressed Kasumi.
"I expect you're hungry, Kasumi. Would you like something to eat?" she asked, a strand of snow-white hair dropping to sweep against her tanned cheek as she spoke kindly.
"Domo arigatou, Azuma-sama," Kasumi replied, bowing her head in thanks. "You are very kind," she added, not believing how lucky she was to have ended up with such welcoming people. Lifting her head up again, her sweet gaze rest upon the elderly lady as her cascading auburn locks whipped around her neck to fall against her shoulder.
"Kyaku, make some lunch for our guest," Rin ordained in a gentle voice, avoiding having to do the work herself. She was very sneaky that way; she could easily take advantage of people using her age as a form of weakness for others to succumb to.
Face fallen, the dark haired boy's expression turned sour as he rose from his place at the table and staggered over to the kitchen. He grumbled something inaudible under his breath, obviously not best pleased about the way his grandmother took advantage of him like this but deciding that he shouldn't cause a scene in front of their guest. Rin smiled contently and sat back down, facing Kasumi who looked a little surprised.
"Uh- Azuma-sama? Shall I help Azuma-san?" she asked as she prepared to stand up, not wanting to be informal and address them by their first names just yet. She watched her elder with bright crimson orbs, filled with curiosity and a sense of innocence, though she had experienced enough to be proven quite tainted. The old woman raised her hands and waved them defensively in front of her, chuckling as she did so.
"Oh no, please do not trouble yourself, dear. My grandson chose to live here of his own free will, so he will do as he's told without making a fuss," Rin explained, not going into any further depth as to why Kyaku had left home in the first place.
"Oh, ok then…" Kasumi answered, re-seating herself comfortably at the table and glancing to the open door that led out to the garden; the grass was damp with dew and rainfall from the previous day and it seemed quite boggy near the riverbank at the edge of the garden. That was probably due to Kasumi, who had dragged herself through the mud last night. But today was drastically different to the previous day; the sun shone brilliantly, only a few clouds drifted through the skies and the temperature wasn't too cold or too warm. Returning her gaze to Rin, Kasumi continued their conversation.
"So he chose to live with you?" she asked, knowing the answer to that question already. Rin nod her head as she reached for her cup of tea, taking a delicate sip and holding the mug steadily in both hands. "So why did he leave home?" the young girl queried inquisitively, similarly extending her hand to her own cup.
Miss Azuma paused for a moment before answering this question; she set her cup back onto the table and leaned in a little closer to her guest, as if she was afraid that someone else might hear her. "Well…the truth is, he doesn't get on well with his father…" the elder began, her once soft voice dropping it's soothing tone as if this matter affected her usually comfortable state of mind. "You see- his mother, my daughter died when he was very young, he has no brothers or sisters and so it was just him and his father- my son in law. But he wasn't used to children and treated Kyaku harshly…" Rin took a larger gulp of tea, as if trying to calm her nerves. "Once Kyaku was old enough, he decided to come and live with me away from his father."
Kasumi listened to this intently, she had no idea about other people's lives in this sort of depth; part of her was interested and the other part- disturbed. "How old is Azuma-san?" she asked softly, as if trying to lift the pressure off their little talk. Rin's thin lips curved into her usual re-assuring smile, something Kasumi was relieved to see.
"He's just turned eighteen, he's growing up very fast!" the waxen haired lady replied with a soft chuckle at the end of her words, finishing off her beverage and turning the cup in her hands, watching the leaves drop into a certain pattern. "You know- I always drink this tea, but I never learned what the leaves mean…" she said, completely changing the topic as Kasumi looked into her own cup.
"Well- one of my hobbies is fortune telling…" the auburn haired girl confessed with a tiny smile, as if sharing a secret with her host. Rin glanced up from her empty teacup, her eyes widening and brightening as her whole face lit up with excitement; it was so lovely to see, she looked so peaceful when she was happy.
"Oh really? How interesting!" she said happily and partly surprised. "Well- in that case…will you please tell my fortune? I've always wanted to know how it works!" Rin requested, extending her cup to the younger woman with a pleasing expression upon her aged features.
"Of course," Kasumi replied with a faint laugh, setting her own cup down on the dark oak table and receiving Rin's, watching the leaves carefully and furrowing her brows. The elder watched with parted lips, her enthusiasm apparent in the way she behaved. "Ah…" the shinobi spoke, her crimson eyes wandering the remains of the tea as if stumbling across some sort of realisation.
"Azuma-sama…here it says you're very fortunate…" Kasumi said softly in almost a humble whisper, glancing up to the elderly woman before returning to the tea. "But that you long to soothe your soul…" Kasumi said these words with slight confusion about her voice, usually this would have some link with death or rebirth, but this method of fortune telling was not always accurate. "Hm…" she mumbled, "I think that's it, Azuma-sama…" she finished, setting the cup down on the table before looking back up at the elderly woman who's eagerness seemed to be lost. She blinked, before smiling contently.
"Oh! You're very talented, Kasumi, domo arigatou," Rin replied, as she bowed her head in thanks. She then sat up slowly, her gaze drifting to the kitchen where Kyaku had just emerged with a tray of food for them all. Kasumi had peered into Kyaku's empty teacup but then looked up, seeing him come into the living room.
"Lunch is served!" Kyaku called, entering the room but sensing some sort of hostility; his brows wrinkled in confusion as he walked further into the living space and sat the tray down on the table. Three bowls of steaming hot rice had been placed on the serving dish, three pairs of chopsticks beside them. A trio of fish dishes and a vegetable platter accompanied the basic rice, as did a pot of sauce.
"Oh…this looks delicious," Kasumi said as Kyaku sat himself down opposite their guest in his usual spot; he smiled, his eyes locked onto Kasumi's as she looked over all the food he had prepared for them all. Realising he was staring once again, the dark haired boy tore himself away with a blush spread across his cheeks and began to nervously serve up the food on three white plates. Kasumi then looked up at Kyaku, a smile curving on her lips but then fading, remembering what Rin had told her…
"Right everyone, dig in!" the brown eyed boy declared, laughing quietly as he picked up his chopsticks and shoved them into the steaming hot bowl of rice. Rin immediately began eating her rice as well, after sprinkling some dark sauce onto it to give it extra flavour. The young Kasumi took her chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish, popping it into her mouth and devouring it very quickly without time to enjoy it's full taste. She avoided stuffing her mouth to the brim, but she was so hungry that she didn't care what she ate or how it tasted, she just needed food.
Dropping to the floor with a giant sigh, Kyaku stared up at the ceiling and let his stomach bulge from the food he had just eaten, he smiled and shut his eyes contently. Rin dabbed at her lips with a napkin, licking the edges of her mouth appreciatively as her eyes glanced towards Kasumi, who had already finished her meal and was simply sitting quietly with her hands embedded in the crimson folds of her lap.
"Excuse me, Azuma-sama?" the young kunoichi began, looking up to the elderly lady. "Do you perhaps have somewhere where I could exercise?" she asked, wanting to get some training in before she had to face the threat of the assassins again.
Rin smiled and nod her head, looking over at Kyaku who was strewn across the floor and making it look untidy. "Kyaku!" she called, gaining an immediate response from the dark haired teen as he sat up straight up. He blinked, watching his grandmother. "Show our guest to the dojo, I'll clear the plates," she said with a gentle smile as her grandson huffed and slowly got to his feet.
"Ok Kasumi, just follow me," he said as he walked towards the door that led to the garden. The auburn haired girl stood and followed, her scarlet outfit draped around her slim figure as it was a bit too big for her; her chest bounced a little as she strode to keep up with the older boy as they stepped through the opening and walked around the edge of the house, turning a corner to reach a large fawn coloured building almost the size of the house itself!
"Ok, come in," he said as he pushed the door open that led to the inside of the training hall; Kasumi followed warily, scanning the inside of the dojo as she stepped onto the polished light brown coloured floor. Kyaku stretched his arms above his head and walked further inside, yawning before he turned round and saw Kasumi looking around the dojo curiously. He smiled; she looked so cute.
"So, what kind of exercises do you do, then? Yoga? Sit-ups? Running?" he questioned, guessing that it would be something lightweight like that rather than body building or something hardcore like that. She didn't look the type.
"No, Mugen Tenshin style ninjitsu."
Kyaku blinked, he certainly didn't expect that. He probably wasn't thinking about it when Kasumi explained why she was here, she was being chased by ninjas…so of course, it would make sense for her to know some form of martial arts. "Oh…" he stammered, laughing nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "W-well in that case, I-uh…I-I'd better get back to the house…ya know- hel-help Grandma with the dishes or something…" he stuttered, although Kasumi didn't seem to be paying much attention to the way he spoke.
"Why don't you be my sparring partner?" she asked, her round ruby eyes glistening sweetly like glace cherries, her pert nose wrinkling as her rose lips curved into a small smile. Kyaku laughed awkwardly, he'd had no previous experience of martial arts before and he wasn't too sure whether he'd survive as her sparring partner. He looked quite nervous, it seemed to become a habit to him now that Kasumi was staying with them.
"Uh-sp-sparring? P-p-partner? A-are you s-sure?" he asked, hoping she'd say no although a part of him was interested to see her moves. Kasumi nod her head, her delectable features lighting up with the promise of a new friend, a new accomplice after being alone for so long. Kyaku just couldn't resist that face…
"W-well…o-ok then…" he answered, a thin line of sweat trickling down the length of his face as his dark wavy locks brushed against his neck, his eyes shutting to hide the anxiousness in his expression.
"Right then!" Kasumi answered, approaching her new partner with a steady balance and precision; she reached for his hand and clasped it, looking up momentarily into Kyaku's chocolate brown eyes that had opened suddenly as he felt the contact, and she became lost in them. Her own vivid crimson orbs flowed like blood; Kyaku watching her with slightly parted lips as he couldn't seem to break the gaze they shared. It was hazy, like a sweet fairytale where the prince and princess would instantly fall in love as they gazed longingly into each other's eyes…
Snapping back to reality, Kasumi shook her head and let out a quiet chuckle, before leading his partner to the centre of the dojo and letting go of his hand. The auburn haired girl's expression turned suddenly serious as she backed away from Kyaku, leaving him standing alone and bewildered; his mouth was partly open, he had no idea what to do as the girl opposite him got into a combat position. She then turned sideways, sliding her feet apart and raising her arms with her hands positioned like razor sharp knives.
"Copy me," she stated clearly, watching how utterly baffled the slightly older boy was. He nod his head and nibbled his lower lip, as he scanned her body and tried to copy the position she was now in. Finally grasping the basic concept of stance, Kyaku now watched Kasumi to see what she did next. "Ok, now you must try to block my attacks," she said, which made the dark haired boy a little panicky, knowing she was going to assault him in some way.
Suddenly, Kasumi ran at him at full speed, her body quick and agile as she leapt into the air and extended a slender leg in order to assault him with a high kick. However, Kyaku simply shut his eyes and covered his head with his arms in a panicked state, hoping she wouldn't hurt him too much. The auburn haired girl smiled, she had no intention of kicking him at all; she just wanted to see his reaction. Landing crouched on the floor in front of Kyaku, the younger girl then rose to her feet and chuckled softly.
"You shouldn't have worried so much, I would never strike someone that had never learned martial arts before!" she said, happily chuckling as the tall boy slowly opened one eye and then the other, lowering his arms to his sides and eventually joining in with her laughter.
"I guess I just panicked!" he said as he laughed gently, running his fingers through his feral jet-black bangs and watching how cute Kasumi was when she laughed and smiled like that. He even found himself staring at her different facial expressions rather than her cleavage!
As the laughter died down, Kasumi once again got into position but this time she faced away from Kyaku; she then arched her back and extended one leg, flipping up into mid air and performing a 'getsurin', where the whole body does a back flip but also a powerful kick at the same time. Her slender legs swiped the air as she then landed back onto her feet, standing up straight once again. The teen boy had watched this and was impressed by her agile movements, especially after having just eaten.
"Wow, Kasumi! That was so cool!" he exclaimed like a hyperactive child, as the girl turned to face him and cocked her head sweetly to the side, her lips parting to emit a small chuckle. Her long dark ginger locks that were tied back fell with the tilt of her head, swaying from side to side as her ruby orbs closed to emphasise the sweetness of her laughter.
"Thank you, Azuma-san," she replied, opening her scarlet orbs again and standing up straight; she was happy to have met someone so kind, and also someone so sweet…but she couldn't think about things like that- not when she had other things on her mind.
"Oh no, please call me Kyaku," he implored, raising a hand and waving it from side to side in front of him. Kasumi smiled warmly and nod her head, clasping her hands together in front of her.
"Ok, Kyaku-san!" she said instead, a warm smile curved permanently on her cerise lips.
"Heh, good enough I guess," Kyaku muttered beneath his breath with a small smile, watching the way Kasumi acted and spoke and admiring it in some way. She just seemed so playful, a contrast to before when she would hardly utter a word. It was a nice transformation, to him anyway.
"Would you like me to teach you martial arts?" Kasumi questioned, her voice angelic but her tone laced with seriousness; she'd always been the one who was taught, but she'd like to be able to teach as well. The young shinobi watched the dark haired boy for a reaction and an answer patiently; her crimson eyes keen and sharp as she waited.
"Uh- well-r-really?" he answered, a little shocked but grateful for the offer. He thought it might come in handy, and it would be useful to build up his figure, as he was quite thin at that moment. "Uh-y-yeah! That'd be great!" he replied, a broad smile washing over his face. Kasumi's lips curved up into a beaming smile at this reply.
"Good! In that case, when should I start teaching you?" she asked, hopefully teaching Kyaku would increase her own strength as well as forming an alliance with him; that would be useful, especially in her current situation, she needed all the help she could possibly get.
"Well, how about after we get back from school tomorrow?" Kyaku suggested, the smile still clear upon his lips.
"Uh- school?"
So did ya like it? If enough people liked this chapter, the next one will probably be pretty funny because it'll be Kasumi's first day of school! Muah ha haa…I look forward to that one, as long as this chapter fetches enough reviews! -crosses fingers-
Ok, ja ne!