Rose

Thorn #11

"You can sit down anywhere, Shisui." Koharu sat on the ground, crossing her legs. It would be considered impolite for a lady, but she didn't care too much for little things like that in front of a person who knew she was a fake.

Shisui stared at her for a moment and then sat down opposite her, mirroring her sitting position. "What did you have to tell me?"

Koharu smiled at him. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

The Uchiha was a little taken aback when she asked a difficult question right off the bat. It may be difficult to say it aloud, but if someone asked a question, unless it was confidential, he would answer.

"Kind, gentle, genuine, optimistic and…" Shisui tore his eyes away from her, "Beautiful."

"I see. What about after?" Koharu wasn't fazed at all, but it did amuse her that it was hard for someone to admit such things, and cause so much embarrassment or humiliation. She told many lies with those lips, after all.

Shisui fell silent, but he then spoke. "A liar."

Koharu's lips were curled slightly, but it wasn't because she was happy, but rather relieved that somebody had found out. "I guess you could say that. Then, what about now? What are you thinking?"

I already know, she thought, but let's talk a little bit before going to whatever I need to say.

"…that you're beating around the bush." Shisui said. "I'm surprised, you're ROOT but you don't seem like one."

Koharu stared directly at his onyx hues.

So he did get my hint after all. But did he think the correct way?

She was silent for a long moment, then chuckled lightly and shrugged. "What makes you think I'm ROOT?"

"I overheard you talking to Danzo."

"I see." She got up and made her way to the kitchen, where she got two cups to fill with water. She handed one to Shisui when she sat back down. "No, it's not poisoned, and yes, I am a part of ROOT."

Shisui stared at the water, at his own reflection. He was making a somewhat pained looking expression. When he was with her, it is easy for his face to betray neutrality with his real emotions.

"If you're wondering if I'm lying," She put down the cup, "No, I'm not. I can be pretty honest when I want to be."

"So I take it that this is something you 'want' now." The Uchiha half stated half questioned.

The girl nodded. "Alright, so what I meant to explain to you before you went to Momoka's grave was that she was murdered a couple of days ago."

"Murdered?" Shisui questioned with the crease of his brows. He looked up at the woman.

Koharu nodded. "I had to dispose of her body."

"Did you…?" Shisui wondered. The image of her getting away from the corpse of the highly sought after murderer flashed into his mind.

Koharu just smiled, but didn't answer his question. "She's resting in peace now, so I'm glad. Are there any other questions that you want to ask?"

Shisui wondered if she killed her own sister. He was sure she didn't, but he didn't know, because she was being cryptic again.

Was it Danzo's doing? That would make sense. Though, I doubt she'd answer that question.

"Why are you with ROOT?" He asked. It was a question that was pretty broad if made to be, but it would also end up with a narrow answer. He hoped she answered it with lots of information.

"Some things happened when my family and I came to Konoha, so…this is the result. Danzo is my superior so he's keeping me in ROOT."

…keeping? This all of a sudden doesn't seem to be about her that much anymore. I'm getting confused.

"You're confused." She laughed lightly and went to go lean against the bed.

"Why wouldn't I be?" The ANBU had a frown that was halfway between a frown and a pout. He adjusted his position so that he was facing her a little more. He continued, "I didn't know you were a ninja and in ROOT, and I only found out a few days ago. Now you're telling me all these other things; why wouldn't I be confused?"

"…fair enough. It's quite complicated, really, but long story short, I'm in ROOT because of my family." Koharu summed up.

"Your family…" Shisui trailed off. He stared at her browns with his own onyx, searching, trying to find something that would give her true thoughts and intention away. Unfortunately, she was guarded.

"Are you perhaps thinking that I am a different type of ROOT compared to others?" Koharu already knew what Shisui would be thinking, what kind of questions he would ask and what not. After all, he was someone who would know details, and is the type of person easily able to deduce something quickly, regardless if they're right or wrong.

He's the type of person who gets it right on the mark most of the time, Koharu thought, as expected of him.

Shisui's brows rose but it confirmed Koharu's thinking.

"…yeah, I guess you could say I'm a different type of ROOT. After all, I'm sure you've noticed but ROOT don't have families. I'm the only exception." The flower shop owner took a sip of water from her mug. "I'm also sure that you've thought of the possibilities of me, am I correct in my thinking?"

Shisui merely nodded. He knew that she wasn't dumb, so she probably already anticipated his answer.

He just doesn't know if she's a cunning woman or a woman of horrible tastes, or if she was just a liar that was working to protect herself or Danzo.

"So, then, since you think I'm a liar, why are you meeting with me today? I could very well be lying right now." She mused with a smile. "After all, this smile was what enthralled you in the first place, was it not?"

Shisui's brows rose and he looked at down at his feet. She was difficult to understand through her words, but she was also easy to understand. He felt that half the time he was talking to her, she was just playing it up with small talk that could easily be misunderstood.

Why is she doing this, then?

"At first, when Danzo gave me the mission to befriend you, I wondered why he wanted to do that," Koharu leaned forward and got on her knees, placing her hand down on the ground near Shisui's feet. She brought her hand forward and pressed it on Shisui's chest, pushing him with enough force that he hit the ground.

"What are you—" Shisui's became flustered.

Koharu put her knees on either side of his waist, bringing her hand to the side of his head, her right hand moving from his chest to his cheek, where she brushed under his eye with the side of her index finger.

His face flared with red at the position. It was awkward.

"You're an interesting person, I'll have to admit," Koharu didn't smile when she spoke, she just kept her neutral expression, boring her eyes into his own, "so it was fun. I'm happy to have made your acquaintance, Shisui. It was never boring with you."

Her hand that was previously on his face lowered to his neck, where her nails lightly scraped his skin. "Do you know what my next assignment is?" Her voice had lowered to a whisper.

Shisui, having recovered from the awkward positioning, just listened to her words, unflinching, unmoving.

Then, he spoke. "Koharu, I don't know what goes on in that head of yours."

Hm? She noticed that he spoke softly, almost like when they were together by themselves in the flower shop.

"You're a mystery. When I think I know what is going on, you confuse me further," He reached up with his hand, bringing it to her cheek, where he just held her there. "How much of that time did you spend with me, how much was it wasted on effort on acting?"

"All of it," She traced his jawline, "but it's up to you to decide which one. After all, to you, I'm just a liar."

She's just a liar.

"Is your next assignment to kill me?" Shisui questioned suddenly, voice back to normal tone.

"How did you guess?" She chuckled lightly, taking a knife out of her back. She brought it up close to the Uchiha. "Well, now, it was nice knowing you." She brought it down to his neck, and sliced.

Shisui was confused.

The knife hit a spider that was crawling on the wall, stabbing it straight there. He didn't even notice it was there until she had thrown the knife.

"…bullseye…?" He said, unsure.

Koharu chuckled at his reaction to her killing the spider. She poked his nose before getting off him and standing up to get to the knife in the wall, catching the dead spider with her hands to dispose of it.

As she did that, Shisui sat back up, touching his neck lightly. She didn't harm him, but he felt like he would die if he blinked. She was in ANBU and someone who wouldn't hesitate in killing, so it surprised him.

Wasn't it her assignment to kill me? Shisui wondered. Or was she just doing a show to kill that spider and intimidate me, that she can kill me anytime?

"That scared you a little bit, didn't it?" Koharu came back, laughing lightly. She was cleaning off her knife and put it back from where she got it.

"Why didn't you do it?" Shisui asked, genuinely curious. If he was her assignment, why didn't she? After all, she did do all the current things that Danzo asked of her.

"I guess it's because it's unreasonable. You're trying to help out the village, aren't you? If I killed a good Samaritan like you, what would others think of me? I'd just be a heartless person."

She's not voicing her own thoughts, Shisui noticed.

He went along with her anyway, "You aren't a heartless person."

His words would have caused her to look at him in surprise if she wasn't so guarded.

"That, I'm not sure about." She smiled and offered him her hand. He took it and she pulled him up with ease.

"Can I ask a question?" Shisui started. She hummed in response. "Koharu, is your family being held hostage?" His sudden words caused her to raise a brow.

He really is sharp, she thought. Not bad.

"Even if they were, I can't really do much about it." She ended up sticking honestly to her words. It was true, there were eyes everywhere. She'd need to have the help of an insider if she were to escape from the village and Danzo. Either that, or kill the man.

"But you're trying, right? That request of yours from before. You're not as heartless as you make yourself out to be." Shisui's last sentence made Koharu's brows crease.

As if I need you to tell me that, she thought bitterly.

"I think you should go home now, Shisui." Koharu gently pushed him behind the shoulders to the door. "Have a good night." She hurriedly pushed Shisui out the door and began to close it, but the Uchiha had wedged his foot in between.

"Can I ask another question?" He tried.

"What is it?" She sighed and opened the door just a little further and he slipped his foot away.

"Did you ever feel the same way about me that I did you?" His voice suddenly seemed too small, but he was hanging onto that rope, that rope of desperation that he hoped would reciprocate the time and effort that he thought of her, the feelings that developed for her.

Koharu didn't speak for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.

"Goodnight, Shisui."

The lingering of her eyes before she closed the door was almost like an afterimage of something that he longed for.

Was she cruel? No. Did she hate him? No.

She just didn't answer his question.