The Woman Who Waited [P, Spectre]

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

Life was a tough thing to deal with sometimes, especially when it handed you such terrible circumstances.

Since Yoroi had left the village for what could be for good, Kimiko had been an emotional wreck. Her wedding plans had fallen into disarray and she mainly spent her time half-assing her duties and wondering where she went wrong, why she had ruined things so quickly and why nothing was ever simple when it involved her. She had so many issues and hang-ups when it came to her inner psyche, as was seen in her spar with her younger brother and how badly she had messed him up both physically and mentally. Things just hadn’t been good as of late, and although the other people in her life were trying their very hardest to make her feel better, she still had that underlying feeling of ‘what if?’. What if she was different, was able to fight without going overboard? What if she didn’t jump to the wrong conclusions so quickly? What if she was somebody else? At times like these, she wished for nothing more; to be ‘normal’ and not different, to be boring and not unique, and above all to try and hold her little family unit together.

She had worked a large part of her daily routine around waiting for her younger brother to return. At the end of every day, which usually involved tonnes of paperwork and the occasional council meeting, she would venture out to the Mountain’s Graveyard where she knew Yoroi would return if given the choice, and she would wait until it became too dark for her to see properly anymore before heading back home. As whenever she was upset or worried about something/ someone, she hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep as late. Slight dark rings were present under her eyes, and her chocolate-coloured orbs had lost their usual sparkle and way of expressing her very emotions with one glance. She hadn’t been eating much and had lost a lot of weight, that much was clear. Toshiro had told her about it at first, because she hadn’t noticed whatsoever, but she never felt hungry. If ever she ate when she didn’t feel hungry, it wouldn’t be long until the contents of her stomach were thrown back up. She felt so sick with worry that she couldn’t keep herself nourished, and her performance as not only a shinobi, but as a person, was going downhill very quickly indeed. Since the disastrous first meeting between her fiancé and her younger brother, and later the spar between her and the latter, a lot of things had changed. Her beloved had told her that he would make an effort to apologise, for her sake, as long as good will was shown on the other party’s side as well. When she told Toshiro what she believed the problem to be about, he was shocked but it made sense. He knew it did. And he admitted that he had been too harsh by jumping to such conclusions.

It was a start, and it was a development that she was willing to run with. She would cling onto that, and she would tell Yoroi. She was sorry for how things had turned out, not only between him and her fiancé, but between them both as well; after their spar together. She had dealt a very painful blow to him with her burning blade, and she was sure that it was a wound that couldn’t go untreated. And yet he had left regardless. She found herself wishing and praying for somebody to be out there to help him.

The tears had long since stopped flowing, and as she sat there that day in the Mountain’s Graveyard on one of her few days off, she looked across the area with eyes that didn’t truly see. She wore a mid-thigh length kimono, coloured peach, with a large beige sash tied around her waist to clinch it and flatter her figure further. Her long ebony locks were left loose to sway past her shoulder blades, and although it looked healthy it was scraggy at the ends where she hadn’t been bothered to brush it properly, or had brushed it the wrong way. Her hands were clasped tightly over each knee, the ligaments in the appendages jutting up very noticeably to even the most untrained of eyes. She had been careful about what she wore, with the long sleeves of the kimono covering her arms which had come up the worst, with how her elbows had become bony. Her carelessness stilled shined through, even with her fine choice of attire. The sandals she wore were scuffed and bloody, obviously not washed from a previous assignment. Usually she was so on the ball with such things, to the point that it was meticulous OCD in many cases. Her kimono hadn’t been pressed properly, and a large crease stretched down the left-hand-side of the rich fabric.

She was a sorry sight, but she didn’t care. She was here to wait for Yoroi to return, no matter how long it took, she would wait for him. Because she knew, from the very bottom of her heart, that he was worth waiting for as a brother. He may think that she could live without him, but all he needed to do was look at her not to realise that… she couldn’t.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

It had been a while since Yoroi left the village in order to go on a bit of a pilgrimage of his own, taking a mission to the land of hot water, or more accurately, the village hidden in hot springs. The mission itself had been easy enough, to retrieve a package and return it to the village hidden in the leaf. But as was the case with everything in life, even some of the easiest things could turn into an obstacle that was harder to overcome then first anticipated. In Yoroi's case, he had been tasked with the collecting of several herbs that grew close to dangerous geysers and springs that no one could really gauge in terms of heat. The collecting of these plants came easily to Yoroi, though the fact that there was someone wandering around the place that wanted access to the medical facility in order to steal the data and kill all who worked there was what made things a bit of a nuisance. For the first time in about a year, Yoroi had been pushed to kill a man over something that had not yet happened, but was in the process of going down. Yoroi could not allow someone to plot something as horrid as the plundering and destruction of a medical facility that had the ability to heal diseases and other physical impurities.

Once he had taken the man down, he had received the package from the facility, allowing him to go back home. As per usual, going home was not as easy as he had first thought either, meeting with a girl he really liked. Asking her if she wanted to come with him to the hidden leaf, she had said yes, making him quite happy. Heading back to the village with a new friend and the package he was meant to retrieve, there were still several things that bugged him about heading back. It was because of the way in which he left that many believed that he had deserted the village and became a wanderer, no longer affiliated to anyone. This was only strengthened by the things he had told Kimiko about how he was planning on leaving so that she could have a nice life with Toshiro, something she could not have when Yoroi was around them. The day after he made these claims, his sister had been fighting him while telling him that she had pushed her relatives to the brink of death before, doing the same thing to him if he wanted her to. Shocked by the things she said, he had dropped his guard and received several wounds as a result of scorching attacks.

Having broken away from the girl he had brought with him to Konohagakure in order to prepare his camp for guests, he had hunted down and killed a large deer, allowing more then enough food for the two travelers. With the animal hanging over his shoulder, his free arm was holding several branches and small logs that would be used to light the bonfire in the center of his camp. Normally, the fire remained lit for extended amounts of time, though it seemed to have gone out in his absence. Drawing closer with the materials for a new fire and their meal for the evening, there was something off about the place. Spotting a peach colored kimono in his camp, he went in closer to see who had ventured into his territory. The large animal still on his back, he looked through the branches and leaves to see the raven colored hair that, mixed with the Kimono, could only mean one thing, it was Kimiko. Dropping the wood and the deer on the ground, he rushed over to her, noticing that she was not looking very well at all as he drew closer and closer. Placing both of his hands on her shoulders as he sat down in front of her, he looked deep into her eyes to see that something was definitely wrong.

"Kimi-Chan, are you okay? What happened to you?" he asked her, not knowing what he was supposed to be doing at all. She seemed so incredibly pale, almost as if she had not slept not eaten in days. Rushing into his tent, he came back out with a large amount of fur and hides, placing them on the ground next to her, allowing her to lay down and get some rest. Next, he rapidly tossed the wood he had taken from the forest and tossed it on the smoldering remains of his bonfire. Wasting no time to put a fire on through traditional means, he blew fire from his mouth after molding his chakra in his gullet. In doing so, Kimiko now knew three of his abilities, these being his Taijutsu, his Shikotsumyaku and the fact that he possessed the fire element. As soon as the fire started roaring, it would not take very long for the place to get a bit hotter. Returning to Kimiko, he made sure that she would not have to put in any effort of her own, carrying her a few steps from where she had been seated and into the soft and warm fur. He would not accept any form of struggle, making sure that she was warm when he put more furs over her body. Whatever had happened to her, he was going to make it all okay again.

Running down to the creek for water, it did not take very long for him to get back to her, being only 20 meters up and down, one of the reasons as to why he had made his camp site in this particular spot. Placing a plastic bottle with fresh water by her side, bones protruded from his palm, starting to gut the deer away from Kimiko, returning to her with sliced pieces of the hip, ribs and chest, these being the pieces that were eaten most, simply because they tasted best. Putting them on long sticks, he hung them above the fire to bake and dry, making sure that they were edible and free of whatever bacteria might try to travel along with it. Now, everything would take care of itself while Yoroi could take care of Kimiko, sitting down beside her with a pained look on his face. "Just take it easy, I will make sure that everything is going to be okay. I've gotten you some water, so please drink a bit, I am sure it will make you feel better. In ten minutes, we will be able to get some food too, so just take it easy for a bit." he explained.

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

Through eyes that didn’t truly see, it was strange how different the world appeared. To the ebony-haired kunoichi, all she could see was blackness, even in the light of the early evening. Even if one component of her hectic live was removed, she broke down into a shambling mess; unable to truly care for herself. She had been aware of how worried her father was, and her younger sister had started refusing food because it was what Kimiko had been doing. Her fiancé kept trying to reassure her, to tell her that Yoroi wouldn’t leave for good, no matter what he had threatened to do. Her best friend was there when she had cried until tears ceased to fall. Everyone was doing their best to bring her back from the depths of despair, but to no avail. That was why she was still here, of all places. On her days off, she should be planning for the happiest event of her whole life; her wedding, which was fast approaching by this point. If Toshiro had left instead of her younger brother, she would react entirely the same. The blame immediately nestled in the very depths of her mind, and wouldn’t leave until an explanation was provided. It was always her fault, never anybody else’s. Rightly or wrongly, she shouldered the pain and hurt, but she never grew to hate anyone. No matter what they had done, life was too short to hate people. She couldn’t even bring herself to hate the Missing Nin that had tried to kill her younger sister, nor the people from the strange organisation that managed to plague her thoughts occasionally. She didn’t blame Yoroi for this, and merely shouldered all of it for herself.

While she was here, she often started to hallucinate and see things due to her lack of sleep. A common thing for her to see was her younger brother returning, smiling at her and waving. It was a typical scene, until blood started to pour from his chest, and he would tear out his heart all the while screaming at her that she had ruined everything about him. Silent tears started to slip down her face while she imagined it all, her knuckles whitening while she clasped at her knees desperately. She needed to cling to something, something real that made her realise that this wasn’t really happening. She felt the coldness of a tear splashing on the back of her hand, but didn’t move or even try to wipe it away. Her face was streaked with sorrow, but she showed no sign of it. The salty tears were the only things giving it away; no emotion was present otherwise. From ahead, she was aware of the visions starting again, with Yoroi emerging from the undergrowth and walking towards her slowly. This hallucination was different, however, as she realised that this version of her younger brother didn’t even appear to be happy. He seemed… concerned? He didn’t simply stroll either, he was rushing right for her. Would he stab her, like she had done to him? Would he tear out her heart and hold it for her to see, to realise that it was as black as her inner soul? She didn’t know, and she didn’t wish to truly experience it. Her mind was long since lost, since he had left her. Instead of doing any of what she imagined, he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her, worried about something. Her unseeing eyes stared straight through him while he tried to meet her gaze, and she simply looked at him. He wasn’t real. Yoroi had left for good, he wasn’t coming back. And yet she still waited for him, every day without fail. This younger brother of hers was no more than an illusion, he mind playing cruel tricks on her.

That was when he spoke to her. He used her preferred nickname, and asked what happened to her. She didn’t move while she looked at him, obviously disbelieving. This… it couldn’t be real, could it? She had to be dreaming, or her hallucinations were being strangely nice to her today. She slowly became aware of the warmth that spread from his touch through her body, and started to realise that something about this felt different. Not in a bad way, more in a positive manner. Kimiko would almost believe that he was real, he had appeared before her and he had returned. He left her quickly, and started to gather things. Her gaze never wavered from staring straight ahead, but her eyes had considerably widened since he left. Could this really be happening? Yoroi returned with furs and the like, placing them down beside her. He rushed off again, preparing things, it seemed. He created a fire, but she was only aware of it by the slight flickering glow she could see out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t look at it. Her gaze didn’t follow where her younger brother was moving, and she simply stared ahead. The next thing she knew, she was being lifted and placed in amongst the furs, but her body still felt cold. She was placed near the roaring fire, but its warmth did nothing for her. The raven-haired woman was used to standing in fire, being able to hold it and not feel its burning effects on her skin. She didn’t move a muscle when Yoroi picked her up and moved her, and she continued laying entirely still while she was wrapped up in the furs near the fire.

When he returned after leaving again, this time bringing back water, she turned her head slightly, lolling to the side as she fixed her gaze on him. A small ghost of a smile touched her lips, barely visible if at all. She remembered his earlier question, about what had happened to her. Before he could speak, she took a deep breath that rattled harshly in her chest, audibly if he cared to hear. Slowly, colour began to return to her face as she realised that this wasn’t a trick of her crazy mind, and this was actually happening. Her brother had returned to her, in spite of everything she did. A lone tear slipped from her right eye, falling down her face before pooling and drying in amongst the furs that surrounded her body.

“I waited…”

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

It was heart breaking to see her in this state, for it was as if she did not even see him at all. Wondering about all of the things that might have happened to her, he could not help but think that something had been done to her in the village. Maybe someone had poisoned her or hurt her when he was away, while Toshiro had not been able to help her. It was a possibility, but it did not even begin to explain what she was doing all the way out here. There were so many things moving through his mind as he thought about what might have happened, though there was nothing concrete at all. Continuing to make more and more preparations to ensure that his sister was going to be fine, he did not even notice that slowly, her color was returning around her face. Making sure that none of the meat would burn or get black with ash, he also ensured that the outer perimeter was safe. Kimiko could not handle being attacked by a rogue ninja or a wild animal right now, so the best he could do now was keep Shakreido there and make sure that there would not be a single creature or human being that even got it into their skull to approach.

That's when she spoke to him. Even though she barely said anything, the few words that escaped her lips pierced his chest like a saber. All of the pieces fit together now, the reason why she had come here, why she was looking so underfed and sickly. Sinking through his knees, he almost collapsed on top of Kimiko, only holding himself up with his hands on the floor. Had he been responsible for what had happened to her, had he turned her into the person laying in front of him right now?. It seemed almost impossible to believe that this had happened because of him, especially since he had not even been there to do anything. Looking down on her, he placed himself next to her for warmth. "Why did you wait for me you dummy?" he said, fighting back a couple of tears as he wrapped his arms around her, placing his head on her shoulder in a warm hug. The realization of her having beaten herself up over him was truly hurting more then the damage she had inflicted on him during their spar. It truly hurt him, knowing that he had been responsible for this, even though he had just wanted what was best for her.

The entire reason as to why he had left her was so she could make things between her and Toshiro go more smoothly. It had become oh so obvious that Yoroi and Toshiro could not ever get along after the things that had happened. The world they lived in was far from perfect, so how could she hold on to such a fairy tale. The two of them would never get along, they could only try to not kill one another because they both loved Kimiko, but that was about as good as things were going to get. Making his hold slightly more tight, he wanted her to know why he had left, and figure out why she had waited for him. "You were supposed to be happy with Toshiro, i'd just get in the way of all that, you know that. A happy life with him and me won't work, that is why I left. So why, why did you do this to yourself, Kimi-Chan?" he asked her, not sure if he formulated it right or not. His mind was in complete disarray, just hugging her and trying not to cry. Considering the fact that he might have been wrong about leaving her with Toshiro, he could not really imagine why she would beat herself up over it so much.

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

Silence resounded between the pair of them, almost deafening while the ebony-haired female watched and waited for a response from her younger brother. He seemed to be shocked at first, as if allowing her words to sink in properly. He shifted closer to her and asked her why she waited for him, using a playful insult of ‘dummy’ tagged on the end. A small smile touched her lips and a weak laugh rattled through her chest, and then he had wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. It took her a short while for her body to realise that she was being hugged, and slowly her arms raised out of the furs she had been wrapped in to return the embrace. The sleeves of her kimono fell back as she did so, revealing her thin limbs and how the bones were visible. But she couldn’t care less about that. Her brother had returned, and she wasn’t dreaming this time. Her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her, and he was actually here. She closed her eyes blissfully, soaking up the moment and not saying a word. “I waited for you because you’re my brother.” She stated, clear as day and without any hesitation. It was true. Although not related by blood, the two of them had adopted one another as siblings. Families had their disagreements and their arguments, but at the end of the day they always loved one another and would do anything for each other. Not to mention their lives would fall apart without even one person in their life.

He held her tighter and stated that he wished for her to be happy with her fiancé, with Toshiro, and that it couldn’t happen while he was around. According to him, a happy family wasn’t possible when it came to the two most important males in Kimiko’s life. Thus, he asked her why she had done this to herself; why she hadn’t eaten for days on end, and why she had let herself get so run-down. She smiled softly, a knowing smile as she held him a little tighter. “Nothing in life can be perfect.” She murmured gently, closing her eyes as she rubbed his back with her outstretched hand; a well-known comforting gesture. “But that’s what makes it so beautiful.” Her smile grew wider wistfully, and she reflected on how her life had turned out. She had been that runty kid in the Academy, always last and never going anywhere. She laughed and joked to get attention, for people to notice her. Then she became a Genin, and her mother died soon afterwards. Sobering up and training hard made her stronger, and from there the world had been her oyster. She had the most wonderful relationship with the man (once a boy) she had fallen in love with, a doting father and younger sister, another adopted brother and numerous other individuals that made her life so wonderful. Lucky didn’t even cover how the young woman felt about what had happened to her, even if there had been low points, but they were what helped her appreciate the good. There couldn’t be happiness without knowing true sorrow, just like there couldn’t be anger without inner calm. Everything had its opposite, and without them life would be boring. Losing Yoroi like she had made her realise just how important he was to her, and how irreplaceable he had become in the short time they had known one another.

“I know that you and Toshi-kun don’t see eye to eye, and probably never will do… having one in my life without the other, however, doesn’t solve anything. I need you, Yoroi-kun, just like I need air to breathe.” Her hand didn’t stop its comforting motion, gently consoling him as she could feel his sorrow and self-doubt over this whole situation. “I need those close to me to continue living… to have my will to carry on… I spoke to Toshi-kun about what happened on that day, and he truly is sorry for what transpired between you both. You’re more alike than you think… but that’s not important right now.” She took pause, feeling tears slide down her face and the familiar choked up feeling one got while crying over something. But she wasn’t sad; no, she was happy. Absolutely delighted. Elated and ecstatic. “What is important, is that you’re my family now. And I’m yours. That means, no matter what happens, we have to be there for each other. We will disagree and meet challenges, but will always find reason to stay together.” Her tears flowed thick and fast now, but she still smiled even if her breathing started to become shallower and faster, the lump in her throat rising even further.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

When she told him that she had waited for him because he was her brother, he had to try a lot harder to keep his tears back. Yoroi had attempted to leave this woman because he thought she did loved someone else more than him, that someone else who was obviously being aggressive and condescending to him got her praise while he just had to deal with it. She had told him that it was just the way that he was, that there was not much to be done about it, as if any of that made him feel any better about her obviously picking a side. She probably knew that this was still on his mind, even though he did not feel like talking about it anymore. All it would do was make the situation worse, and he did not want to spoil a somewhat precious moment. It was strange for him to hear all of this from his sister, knowing just how much she cared about him now. When he had left, he did so with the knowledge of her taking Toshiro's side in the argument, even though she had seen what had been going on, having heard the truth about the things that had been said and done. There was not much he could say to make that pain go away, nor could she really say much that would make it all okay either, though he still hoped that they could move past it someday.

But she was right, they were family now, and that meant that they had to be there for one another, even if they met a lot of problems along the way. They were obstacles that had to be overcome by the two of them, that much was a certainty. Going by how she said it, it seemed that she knew that there would be more clashes and disagreements in the future, though Yoroi hoped that it would not come to this again. He was not a fool, knowing full well that everyone had their bad days, though that did not mean that he was not allowed to be hopeful. Not saying anything, he just kept listening to her as she spoke about how nothing was perfect, but that it was because of that fact that things were more beautiful. It was the same kind of fairy tale stuff that Toshiro had been talking about, which also brought up the next point. Once she said that she had spoken to him and that he had stated that he was sorry, it was not that he did not believe it, it was just that he didn't care. Even if he was sorry for what he had said, it did not mean that it was not how he truly thought of Yoroi, as a strange abomination, a freak of nature. Again, he kept quiet about the subject, figuring that whatever would come out of his mouth would just add to making the situation worse. Even though he was being particularly quiet, Kimiko just kept talking about what was on her mind, tears rolling down her face.

She said that she was his family, and that he was hers now, meaning that they would always have each others backs, no matter how horrible the world would become. At this point, Kimiko was not the only one that was crying as tears started rolling down his cheeks too. He had tried to hold it back, but it was not working at all. Unlike Kimiko, he was both happy and sad at the same time, for her words managed to bring out dormant feelings of sadness, as well as feelings of happiness, creating a strange sensation. Where Kimiko had an actual family and someone she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with, Yoroi had nothing of the sort. All he had was Kimiko, having no natural family in the world, for his parents had been killed, while most of the people related to them had died either in barbaric combat or because of old age. He would never know if his parents were warmongering barbarians or gentle and loving people, this often making him quite sad. Just because she was all he had, her choosing someone else over him made him feel bad, angry, almost to the point of growing hate. Hate, aggression and anger were inside him, more so than any other, the Kaguya blood that coursed through his veins being the cause of it all. Despite that, Kimiko had once told him that it was he who chose the kind of person he would become, not his blood, nor his background.

"Thank you.. for waiting.." Yoroi said, his voice being all jumpy, a large amount of sadness being more than present when he spoke. He had wanted to say something else, something about how stupid it had been for her to reduce herself to such a state just because he had left. He wanted to tell her how stupid it was that she was being this hurt over someone who was not even related by blood, just by words, that she had more than enough relatives and friends in the village to be able to live without him. What had come out instead seemed a lot better in hindsight, for she had just explained how it did not make a difference that he was not related by blood, but that they had chosen one another to be family. "I love you, Kimi-Chan". Having never really said it before, it sounded quite weird when it actually came out. It felt weird, though it also felt right at the same time, for it seemed like it had been long overdue. He knew that she loved him, and she most likely knew that he loved her too, though it could never hurt to actually tell them. Being the first time in his life that he had ever said such a thing, the warrior in him felt embarrassed for the sorry state that he had been reduced to. For now, that had very little impact on him, preferring that Kimiko knew how he felt about his big sister, rather then living up to his own twisted pride.

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

Because feels:

Emotions were strange things, not particularly ‘things’ at all; rather, they were ideas. Feelings. They affected a person’s choices in life, and they dictated what actions would be taken. They held such power over the human mind and body, and yet they were often taken for granted. Although Kimiko was almost always happy, that didn’t mean to say she hadn’t experienced other emotions. She knew what it was like to hate somebody or something. She knew how it felt to lose someone precious. She had experienced so much pain, emotionally and physically, that she had long since lost count of the times it had happened. But, she had known true love in many forms. She had been happy, perhaps more than the definition of such an emotion could ever explain. Whereas many individuals tried to shut themselves down in terms of emotions, to not experience pain sadness or sorrow, the ebony-haired woman was open to everything. Her emotions were what made her strong and yet so weak, and she realised that at the end of the day; she was only human. That was all everybody ever was. Even those despicable people she had met in her lifetime, or those she was yet to meet. Everybody had a beating heart, a brain, flesh and blood, and feelings. Repressing them built up resentment, and could ultimately turn somebody down the wrong path in life.

As she sobbed, holding tightly to her brother and smiling, feeling her heart thud and the sound of blood rushing through her ears, she knew that she was truly alive. Yoroi thanked her for waiting for him, and she gently patted his back with her hand before pushing herself up to sit in the furs as opposed to laying down, adjusting her companion to sit beside her. She never let go of him the whole time though, and it was as if she was expecting him to disappear into thin air the moment she stopped hugging him. She rested her chin on his shoulder, instinctively rocking her body from side to side as she continued embracing her brother, still smiling with her eyes closed and tears streaming down her face. This rocking action was something she had adopted after her younger sister Aya had joined the family; when the girl was sad, distressed or upset in any way, she always wanted a hug and the soothing, familiar motion always calmed her. No matter how old anyone became, the fundamental swaying or rocking motion never ceased to calm anybody. “I’ll always wait for you. No matter how long it takes, or why. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t?” She squeezed him gently in the embrace, managing to settle herself from the rocking motion. She was still crying rather hysterically, but not out of sadness. Her tears were ones of joy and sheer relief that Yoroi was back here, with her, where he belonged.

The ensuing silence was sweet, and allowed each of them to let the situation sink in properly. She had been expecting it to continue for quite some time, but that was when her younger brother broke it, quite unexpectedly. Not only did he speak, which surprised her to begin with, but he told her that he loved her. This was coming from Yoroi, the youth who had never truly known what love was or how it felt to have parents, or a constant person in his life aside from himself. She had known that he was close to her, and he appreciated her company and sisterly love, but hearing it come from his own lips… utterly shocked her. Chocolate brown eyes grew wide as she let this realisation sink in, and for a second or so the tears stopped falling, although the previous lot left stains on her cheeks. She leant back, placing her hands on his shoulders and looking at him, really looking at him as opposed to staring or not seeing. She searched his eyes, which were swimming with tears just like her own were, and she studied his face, how he appeared to be torn with different emotions. Primarily, he seemed happy. That was what made her smile; her lips turning up slowly at the realisation, when it started to dawn on her the magnitude of what she had just heard. “Y-You do?” She murmured softly, not quite able to believe it due to the suddenness of the whole situation. Even after everything she had done to him? She had hurt him physically and emotionally in their spar weeks before, and then there was that time at the Memorial Stone when he and Toshiro first met. Surely she was at fault there, with both her fiancé and her brother. In spite of all that, he truly still loved her.

She didn’t even have to question it any further. It sunk into her mind, and it was reflected on the outside. Her face crumpled and creased slightly, but amongst it all, a smile remained bright on her face. She gasped and lunged for him, wrapping her arms tight around him and kneeling up to hold Yoroi like one would hold a smaller child. She was so protective over him and their bond that this visual representation of it seemed right. He needed comforting, and she needed to be close to him. Fresh tears flowed from her eyes, and she found herself truly sobbing; choking up and gasping for breath. She nestled her head atop his, keeping him in the strong, sisterly hold until she regained the ability to speak. “And I love you too, Yoroi-kun…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it needn’t be any louder. Her actions would speak louder than words ever could anyway. She briefly pulled away, keeping the contact but not quite as close as she looked down at him, seriousness present in her watery chocolate brown orbs. “Don’t you ever forget that… no matter what happens. You hear me?” After asserting her point, she went back to embracing him tightly, still knelt up in front of him to elevate herself as she was the smaller one of the pair, in spite of being the eldest. “I’ll always stand by you. I’ll always be here for you, to do whatever I can for you. I’ll protect you and look out for you. Because without you…” She trailed off, lowering her bony wrist to his eye level for him to see the side-effects of him leaving, of her malnourishment when her world fell apart. Any component of her life removed from the loving circle she had going on would crush her.

But no matter what, they would be there for each other. That was the promise they agreed to after becoming brother and sister by adoption. It was something they would stick to for the rest of their lives, no matter where they each ended up. Who cares what the future holds? None of it mattered as long as they had one another.

[Exit]

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

It was true that every word coming from Kimiko made sense, resounding in his mind and making him more happy than he was earlier. To hear these kind things from her was good for him, because after the things they had been true before his departure, it seemed that they could both use it quite a bit. Still a bit ashamed of having told her that he loved her, it seemed that Kimiko was also a bit startled by him saying it, not having expected that he would ever bring the obvious to words. As expected, she told him that she loved him too. Despite it being more than expected, it still made him feel all warm inside, opposing his naturally neutral feelings. Drying his tears on his sleeve, he contemplated on crying as an almost grown man. "I really shouldn't be crying this often, I am seventeen for gods sake." Yoroi said to himself in a degrading tone of voice. Truth be told, Kimiko was about the only person who had ever seen the emotional side of him, the only that even really knew about it existing. When other people saw him, they saw the stoic side of him that he showed to the entire village, or wherever he went really. From what he could see, she was getting tired from all the talking and trying to act like she was doing fine. It was clear that she was not fine at all, so the next things on his list were to reverse that and make her okay again, starting with her getting some rest.

Holding on to her as she had tried to elevate herself, he placed her back on the furs that had been laid out for her. There was no need to push herself any longer, so he hoped that she would not mind having him take care of her for a change. As she was placed back on the floor, he put one of the furs over her for added warmth, allowing her to take a nap if she felt inclined to do such a thing. From this point on, Yoroi would not allow her to get up and walk anymore, deciding that he would do everything for her until she truly felt better, something he would personally be the judge of. He had been around enough people who claimed to have been okay, only to be the polar opposite, so that was not something he would let himself get charmed into. "You know, I always wanted you to see this place sometime, just not like this. I'll see to it that everything is nice and tidy so we can have some dinner here. Just get some rest and i'll tell you when dinner is done" Yoroi explained to his sister, hoping that she would not try to overexert herself in her battered state. Figuring that they would probably not be going anywhere for the rest of the night, Yoroi walked away from Kimiko for a bit, moving a large rock away and revealing a wooden crate beneath it. Inside of the crate were many different sizes of fur that had never been used before, making for the perfect sleeping rugs, pillows and blankets, at least that was what Yoroi thought.

Inside of the tent, he placed the unused furs and turned them into a thick, soft rug that one could sleep on. Throwing some of his prepared Picking Kimiko off of the floor, he took all of the furs with him in one go, placing her inside of the tent. The humidity and the heat inside of the tent were just about right, something Yoroi knew all too well. After all, he had made it himself and had slept in it for many years, showing that there was nothing wrong with his construction. By the time all of the meat would be dried and ready for consumption, they would easily be an hour away from the present. It was quite some time, that much was true, though it would at least allow his sister to get some sleep before dinner could be served. For now, he would just sit around the campfire while Kimiko was given the time to sleep. It was still hard for him to believe that she had allowed herself to wither so much in his absence, though it at least proved that the love she had for him was not just another lie. By the time dinner was ready, he would wake her up to get some grub, after which the two could finally have some much deserved rest. He figured that she would not mind sharing a tent with her younger brother, who would have his arm around her the entire time.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

End of Topic & Ready for Eval