Hidden in Bamboo [M Rated after page 3]

Oboro decided to dress lightly today. He wore no shirt and simply a fluffy pair of white pants as well as long boots. Otogakure was rather windy this time of year, and he decided to live in its beauty as long as he possibly could. He would allow his bare flesh to tingle as the wind filled his every cell, allowing a slight chill upon his skin. Though this touch of nature felt absolutely rejuvenating.

Through his recent ventures, it was clear that Oboro was seeking power. Power surely lied within this world, though many holders of such divinity were still unknown to him, hiding themselves from him, almost teasing to peak his curiosity.  His mind was absolutely forcing him to find a single member of the Akatsuki. Perhaps he could create a strong alliance with them, allowing his own entry into the S Rank organization. This was his very purpose today, like many other days, to find a single member.

He decided to move his ventures to those within the bamboo forest this week. Should he observe the area, waiting for a large amount of Chakra to surface, he was likely to catch his fish. These fields were a great place to train Chakra. Many could focus their Chakra in the tips of the toes, balancing on the bamboo plant itself. This was a feat that Oboro practiced while looking for his target. Though target wasn't an accurate word, a better description would be a future adversary. With links to the Akatsuki, he would mend his own power. Though, while power was his primary concern, his mind was also filled with curiosity and diverse techniques of the Akatsuki. These ninja were renowned for their particular talents. Oboro too looked at his skills as those of a unique individual, many chose nin or taijutsu over a specialization over the mind. Though his only techniques were mostly gag arts, they were still quite effective. One would be a fool to not fear him in combat.

From within the growth, Oboro could sense commotion. He decided to remain atop the forest to allow himself a better view, though he kept a close eye out for anyone seemingly powerful. Surely one person of importance would catch his eye today.

Akira had been wandering through a forest of bamboo. It was quite a beautiful and quiet place. It was a perfect place to think and also the perfect place to just take a nice stroll. Unlike others who would travel along the tops to the bamboo, Akira wandered along the ground. She touched every piece of the green plant she walked by. The girl was surely to stand out in such a place if she were to be seen. Her hair was snow white and her amber eyes almost seemed to shine.Akira also didn't dress like a normal shinobi would. Her dress was black with white ruffles on the bottom and she wore a small bag on her back. She never wore anything to show she was with a village or with the Akatsuki organization so she looked to be a normal female. At the moment, she felt like she was just a normal female.

Akira had been looking for something to cross her path or somewhere she could go to have a little fun. Maybe cause trouble or even just have a conversation with someone. Maybe she would act like a small child as she did in Konoha and mess with some shinobi or village people. Akira honestly didn't know and she felt that she was doingthe same things repeatedly. There were only two members of the Akatsuki. Her and her leader and he was more than likely busy so she would not want to be in his way. Akira was rather tired of there being nobody else and wished there could be more. Of course, they would have to be special and to her liking just as she was told the members would be. Hopefully, this would be the place she found something to work with.

(Hope it's alright.)

Upon his lack of discovery of anything interesting, Oboro was beginning to develop an attitude of slump after successive failures. Everyone that passed was either someone with no potential whatsoever or simply low ranked Chakra signatures. He was beginning to grow absolutely mad based on his boredom. As a last resort, he would use his Sharingan to locate larger Chakra signatures in the area. Hopefully this process would speed the rate in which he would find someone of interest. This plan had quick results.

Upon his activation, a large Chakra mark was clear before him. This wasn't some ordinary Chakra mark however, he's met this person before though he couldn't quite put his finger on who. Though it seemed as if their existence had left a large impact on him before for him to be able to recognize them. He forced his way through the bamboo thickets, moving diagonally and slowly descending to ground level. He began to slow as he reached the his location. From within the overgrow of the forest it was clear that it was a woman, though from behind, he couldn't recollect exactly who. He simply asked aloud. "Erm, excuse me?

Her thoughts seemed to repeat in her head. Akira just couldn't think of anything new or interesting. She had been doing the same things over and over for what seemed like forever. However, the girl stopped in the middle of her thoughts and movements. Akira had heard a voice behind her and she would turn in that very direction. This man seemed very familiar to her. She was quite certain that she had met this person before. So, with a look of concentration on her face did the girl tilt her head and cross her arms. Akira looked over the man from head to toe. It was actually quite frustrating to her that she couldn't figure it out. Perhaps, she wasn't trying hard enough to remember.

Akira would put her finger to her chin and start to tap it. She had been to so many places, met so many people, and seen many things but never had she had a problem with remembering a face. It was almost as if a light bulb had went off in that little head of hers. Akira had met this one back in her younger days when she was very high tempered. It was one of her more embarrassing memories but you could never tell what she felt about certain things considering she tried not to show people. So, with that thought did the white haired girl uncross her arms and smile, "Oh. I remember you. I met you back in.. Where was it again? Oh yes Suna. A couple years ago. Though I doubt you remember me. Many people forget because I tend to wander."

Upon the crossing of the girl she seemed to recollect the Uchiha in the slightest as well. He hoped she had the answer fore his head was folly with new Bungee Gomu strategies. It seemed as though she did have a memory of him as well though, explaining why her Chakra signature was so familiar to him. They'd met up in the Suna Desert as he was traveling on a mission. How could he forget. She was the beautiful Kaguya girl with ivory hair that glistened in the bright sun. Her optical advances on Oboro were stronger than that of his Sharingan on others. She absolutely fascinated him, ability and personality wise. Though he wouldn't allow his expression to portray the same emotion towards her, so his face remained neutral. "Ah! Yes I do remember you. You're name was Akira correct? You're the Kaguya?" He was almost certain that this assumption was accurate seeing as how even the Chakra signatures were the same. On top of that, the two red dots were apparent on her forehead, draped in luscious, silver strands of hair. He offered a bow to the lady of many years ago.

Upon his arrival in the thicket, he'd never expected to have caught a member of his past as opposed to an Akatsuki member. Though he didn't consider today a total loss, the disappointment he would have expected in his gut was absent. He wasn't some dew running down the thicket, but rather the nutrition necessary for its growth. One can only murder so much before requiring human companionship.

Akira was still smiling at the man in front of her. She didn't mind him and he was to her liking. Akira's smile was very real but if you were to ask she may say it was just for looks. The girl liked to think that her emotions effected her very little
From her appearance, it may not seem like anything effects her however on the inside she is like any normal person would be she just chooses to ignore it. As the man spoke, Akira ran her hand over her bangs just to make sure that the dots were not showing. Then she paused and started to think again. 'What was this ones name again. Something Uchiha. Ummm.. O- Oboro. Yeah that's it.' Her face would be blank as she thought and dropped her hand. Soon after the girl spoke, "That's correct. Your name is Oboro right? It's been a while hard to remember names. Especially when you're a brat with a temper." Akira would let out a slight giggle. Most of this was now just for show. She wanted to act like she was a nice girl and make the conversation flow easier. "So, this is your village?" The girl would ask not remembering which one he had claimed to be from.

(Sorry started storming so I rushed to finish.. ^^;)

Oboro would watch as the girls bright smile radiated into his soul. Her ivory smiled matched her personality. She giggled even though Oboro didn't exactly find himself very funny. Perhaps it was all personal preference or simply she was overwhelmed by the meeting of the two. Or perhaps she was hiding something behind a few chuckles. At that moment he stopped himself, realizing that he was taking this approach too psychologically. He didn't wish to overanalyze this person. The more curious one was, the more likely they'd gain the truth. Perhaps Oboro was more comfortable being in the dark with the girl before him.

Upon her recollection of his name, he gave a closed mouth grin along with a closed eye expression. He was happy to see that he'd made a slight impact on her life, and with this his interest grew. As she played with her hair, he admired it with an unchanging expression. She seemed to be covering the specks of her Kaguya heritage, though after already seeing them, it didn't do her much good. However, Oboro himself didn't understand why. She was beautiful in her entirety.

He reached his hand forward slowly and brushed her hair aside from her forehead, hoping he wasn't crossing too many boundaries. "Don't hide yourself. Masking such a beauty is sin. His brows furrowed as he said this to emphasize his seriousness. While he wasn't one for religion, he hoped he'd gotten his point across to the woman. With his hand still on the side of her face, he smiled while gazing into her eyes.

Akira blinked as Oboro reached forward and moved her hair from her forehead. She stood frozen as she felt his hand on her face. It was vary rare that the girl felt the warmth of another considering she was always alone. However, what really got her attention was when he spoke of her being beautiful. This made Akira blush slightly. She had never been told such a thing. Her parents never showed her any love except for when she did something to benefit them. They only needed her so she could become a protector of their small clan. They only needed her so that she could become one of their greatest fighters. Although, they had never shown her anything and used her for their own reasons, she loved them but because they were only seen by their marks they were killed. Ever since Akira has kept her marks covered so she was not targeted and killed. She still had much to do before she was ready to die.

Akira would close her eyes and move her head so that her face was toward the ground. "There is nothing beautiful about me. This mark is one of a clan that is known for battles to the death and fear. That's all that can be seen from this. When people see fear they do terrible things. That's all people would see in me and that's all they saw in my family. Now they're gone and I..." Akira stopped and covered her mouth. What was she doing? She couldn't just ramble on like this. She didn't understand why she felt like she could just say anything. Akira didn't understand and it could all just be a trick to get her to speak. If it was she just gave away part of herself. The one thing she couldn't help but think was, 'How will he react?'

Upon his words, the girl before him bloomed a bright shade of pink upon her cheeks, allowing a sort of rosy gloss to cover her face. It reminded him a bit of a peach in spring: one that hung from a tree on the top of a hill. He could imagine himself there as she spoke, lying back in the sun while gazing above at the leaves shaking in the wind. How beautiful this imagination was. However, a simple thought paled in comparison to the illusionary beauty before him. However, in a short period of time it seemed as if the lights had left her eyes. It didn't take a Sharingan to realize that her demeanor had changed suddenly in the past few seconds.

She hung her head and expressed her views on herself, discerning Oboro's comment of her grace completely. She explained how the marks on her forehead acted as a target for those who hunted the Kaguya. Living in Otogakure, Oboro had heard of black market traders interested in transacting with Kekkei Genkai, attempting to become stronger through clan arts. As an Uchiha, he constantly had to worry about people plucking his eyes for power or a quick buck. But it seemed as if this girl rather despised her power, her parents killed because of it. While he was too an orphan, he couldn't sympathise. His parents lacked the sharingan to his knowledge. They both died as he was rather young and felt no immediate attachment to them. However, after seeing heartbreak in millions of eyes, it was clear that this girl, Akira, was too a victim.

She seemed to stop herself mid speech, hanging her head, allowing her hair to cover her face. "Unacceptable," Oboro thought to himself. The Uchiha extended his right arm with his index finger curled and placed it under the chin of the last before him. He slowly lifted her hair until her gazed matched that of his own. "This world is filled with tragic animosity and lust for power. As a human, I too am influenced by this dark, cold world. However, shadows can only be created by light. Darkness cannot exist without a source." With his left hand he reached down and grabbed Akira's hand within his own before placing it over his chest, allowing her to feel his heart beat. "However there is also warmth within each of us. There is beauty in us; some more than others. Denying yourself of your own warmth and the warmth of others is tragedy.

Akira's eyes would meet Oboro's as he spoke. Her face still colored a light pink that only seemed to get darker as the girls hand was moved to his chest. She felt the warmth of his skin and the steady beat of his heart. Akira had never felt anything like it before and she had certainly never felt the way she did at this moment. She was rather nervous and didn't know how to respond to the emotion. After a moment, the girls mind ran back to the same question as earlier. What was she doing? She wasn't acting herself but it was as if she couldn't function. This one had clearly gotten to her and she didn't know what to do.

It had taken Akira a moment of thought before she realized thst she had said nothing. The girl diverted her eyes as she started to speak, " Well, I suppose I had better be ready when tragedy falls upon me. My warmth left me long ago. All that's left is the cold, dark hatred this world has left me with. However, I'm not just going to sit and do nothing about it. I have a... friend so to speak." Akira would smirk and then look back to Oboro, "Still believe I have that warmth?"

Akira seemed to have a rather depressed side and was likely to have experienced some rough things . Though, Oboro too experience rather traumatic events in his life. It was odd to see someone foil his own emotion in such events. Where he showed apathy and lack of concern, she showed extreme concern and its massive influence on her life. The Uchiha didn't quite understand. He'd heard of hurting and its effects but never really experienced it himself. All tragedies in his life were either meaningless or induced by himself, he could not feel her pain for her.

With his hand still on hers which was on his chest, he pulled her in for a warm embrace. She said she was cold, empty, frigid. He couldn't allow such hollow feelings inside a deity. "Allow me to be your warmth then." He said simply. His grip on her was firm and his eyes remained shut for the duration. He found his increase in concern for a a fellow human odd, but at the same time, he didn't mind. This made two people he would never want to see die... How peculiar.

Akira's face suddenly turned to one of surprise. She had been pulled closer to Oboro and he hugged her. Akira stood for a moment almost in shock she thought about pulling away until he spoke. For a moment she stood trying to understand what she was feeling. Akira felt the warmth coming from his body. She didn't quite know how it made her feel but it wasn't a bad feeling. So, the girl would slowly raise her arms to wrap them around Oboro. Akira would feel his skin which felt rather smooth. She started to feel other things she couldn't explain. She started to feel a bit of happiness and for the first time it wasn't from messing with people or causing others pain. It was a different kind of happiness one that made her feel like she was free. One that felt like she didn't need to worry about anything. Akira felt safe with this person.

Akira had always worked hard to get love and affection so they seemed more like a reward when she got it from her family. Though, she did know they only did it because they wanted her to be able to protect herself and work hard for the things she put in her mind. However, this was just something given. She didn't have to work for it and she didn't have to do something that she didn't want to. It was almost as if this feeling were real while the whole time she was only feeling something fake from her family. The thought of it overwhelmed her just enough to make a single tear fall from her eye.

Akira moved her hand so that she could wipe her eye. "Dang it. I must be getting soft. How did you do that? You broke me as quick as someone breaking glass." Akira's face would be red from admitting this. It was rather embarrassing to admit that out loud. However, she didn't mind. It was as if all her doubts about Oboro had faded away. It was like she could tell him anything.

Their embrace was rather warm and quite pleasant for Oboro and he assumed it was just as nice for Akira based on the tear she wiped from her eye. He never wanted to see her in a state of sadness again. While he normally didn't mind others experiencing tragedy, well this girl was different. While they'd only met twice, he felt as if her happiness was somewhat his responsibility. He would maintain her company for as long as necessary for her to realize her own beauty. After resting his jaw on her head for the final moments of their embrace, he pulled away only to look directly at her.

"Akira, let's go somewhere far from here. This land is full of beauties other than yourself. Let us enjoy them?" He asked her with bright eyes. While they were yellow, they still gave off a glossy tone. He smiled faintly, closing them while doing so while reaching for her hand once more, this time allowing her to choose if she wanted to merge with him. He would await her decision, and would go sight seeing regardless of her choice, though he'd prefer to go with her.

(OOC: Sorry its short )

Akira would listen to Oboro as he asked her to go somewhere with him. She would think gor a moment wondering what he could show her that she hadn't seen before. The girl had been wandering the many lands for a long time and had basically seen everything. She found nothing special about them but maybe he did. Akira wondered if maybe he could show her something the way he saw it. Perhaps, she could see something from another point of view. It also seemed like she was not needed at the time. So, she slowly reached for his hand and spoke, "Alright. Let's go see them then." She would smile back with a bit of a blush evident on her face.

( Yeah this is all I got.. :/ Sorry. )

As her fingers touched his own, once more a soft embrace was present. He interlocked his fingers with her own before turning and walking forward a bit. While she was likely unamused by the bamboo forest, Oboro found it all fascinating. Before becoming a Chunin, Oboro would always come out to this place and practice his taijutsu, never striking too hard for the bamboo to move. In a way, this was something similar. Should she be unamused, the bamboo would break. However, should she be entertained, the bond would only strengthen. Throughout his years, if there was one thing Oboro trusted, it was the patterns that existed in the universe. While unexplainable, they were immediately evident; such as two magnets attracted to each other. 'Are we magnets?' Oboro thought.

As he lead their way through the thickets with her close behind, he asked her questions to get to know her better such as, "What's your favorite color?" "What do you wanna be in the future?" "What goof do you like?" However, after inquiring more and more of her, he began to wonder why the relation between the two felt so different that before when they'd met four years ago. He asked her if she'd noticed the same feeling. "Have you felt anything... Different since the last we met? Almost like you're experiencing a completely different person?" There was something about her that was present now but never before.

After seeing her vulnerable, it was almost as if another bond formed between the two in a split moment. While normally perceiving vulnerability as weakness, he was now more understanding though specifically of her worries. It was as if he understood further because she was the one explaining, Or rather not explaining. Silence spoke louder than words. Perhaps the fact that she didn't beg for attention or for someone to hold her hand was what made him want to focus on her as well as grasp her palm next to his own. Maybe she was different from the others.

Akira would smile at the feeling of warmth in Oboro's hand as well as the feeling of her fingers sliding through his. This added on to that unknown feeling that she couldn''t name.It was a nice feeling. That feeling was happiness. It was as if he was the sun that had just split the clouds covering her heart and replaced the darkness with light. However, the feeling would only last a moment before her thoughts got ahold of her. 'He doesn't know.. me. He only knows a small part. If I were to reveal the rest would the feeling still be the same. I suppose it wouldn't be a surprise if not." They were the replaced with small questions, "Why do I care so much? What am I doing? Why do I feel the way I do?"

Akira's mind froze as Oboro asked questions. She didn't know if she should answer them. She didn't know if she should allow herself to get closer to him. Then a thought came into her mind, "Why not?" So, she decided to answer them. "My favorite color is black." "What I wanna be in the future? I don't know." Some of the questions she would skip or pretend she didn't hear. She was very good at avoiding questions considering she always tried to keep herself in the background. However, there was one question she heard that she couldn't ignore. "Actually, I have but it's strange I can't explain it." Akira would answer. The last time the two had met the girl didn't find any reason to keep her attention on him but this time even though he was the only one around she couldn't keep her attention away from him.

Oboro was extraordinarily pleased by the fact that she was opening up further to him. Though her favorite color was black. 'Rather dark' he thought to himself. If he had to pick one for himself, he would wither choose red or a shade of pink. Though, black did go great with everything. He completely respected her decision. While still leading the way so slightly, he slowed so that he would be more shoulder to shoulder with her, pacing them more. He had indeed noticed that a few of his questions were skipped but didnt mind too much.

Upon the answering of his last question, Oboro turned slightly to look Akira in the eye before turning around completely to face her. "Well this, this is my spot of solitude. Just beyond here at least. With his back turned to a dense patch of bamboo, he used his free hand to brush much of it aside and allow her a path into his oasis. From inside, a log laying in front of a single tree as well as a pond rested surrounded by bamboo. It wasn't anything particularly special, though he'd never brought anyone else here and didn't regret bringing her. This was his home away from home.

Akira looked at Oboro as he stopped and turned to face her. She listened as he told her where she was. Sghe looked into the bamboo as it was brushed aside. The area was well hidden by the bamboo and it was a rather nice place to go if somone wanted to get away. Akira would step into the area and say, "This is nice." She would look around at the water, the tree, the log, and all the bamboo. At least she wouldn't have to worry about other shinobi in the area unless somone else was aware this place was here. Even if somone were to come here nobody knew exactly who Akira was. So, there would be no problems unless they were to find out about the marks on her forehead. Then, there might be a slight problem but these were just small things that the girl worried about.

However, what did worry her was the fact that she still hadn't told him everything about her. Perhaps she should leave. Or maybe she should just go ahead and start talking. She was rather conflicted on what to do. So, the girl would stand with a rather puzzled look on her face and not move.

All that could be heard were the birds in the area as the Kaguya girl looked around the area. The simplistic environment brought great comfort to the Uchiha man, not having to worry about anything else in the world. The only movements were the two as well as the thickets rustling in the wind, giving off a feeling of comfort or even bliss. However, the feeling in his core was a bit different than how he'd normally felt each time he'd come here. He couldn't help but to feel a bit... nervous. There was a small pit inside his stomach of which butterflies fluttered.

He made his way over to the pond where two coy fish could normally be found. There were likely smaller ones within the pond as well, but only these two were noticeable. One was white with shiny scales and longer whiskers. The other was a dark red, shorter whiskers and dingier scales. This was the one that Oboro felt closer to. For some odd reason, he found that it resembled himself. While the two looked nothing alike, they someone acted alike.

"You know... I'm not entirely sure why I've brought you here. You're the first other than myself and a few animals to set foot here. It seems as if this place is somewhat... Forgotten. I only come to meditate. Though, I thought bringing you here..." Walking away from the pond, he made his way to the girl and placed his left hand on her cheek. "Well, its more beautiful with you."

The girl stopped to watch as Oboro looked into the pond. It made her curious as to what he was looking at. So, from where she was standing she would look closer at the pond and into the water. There seemed to be fish swimming around. She wasn't close enough to tell what kind of fish were in it but she could see the few blurs of colors. One of the colors seemed to be red and the other white. Every now and then the colors seemed to mix together only to separate again. This must be the two fish swimming near each other. It was quite interesting to watch only the colors. Akira liked to differentiate between the world along with the people in it and anything she could find. In this case, it would be the colors. Colors never changed and you couldn't separate them. Once they are mixed together they seemed to stay that way. Considering the colors never truely blended with these fish, they would always separate. That's what the world was like to Akira. People never truely blended together. They always caused problems, lied, kept secrets, and did things that other would deem wrong. That's why the could always be separated. If they were more like colors then the world would be a much better place with no problems. Nobody would ever have to feel the pain of losing someone, being lied to, or left abandoned. Well those were her thoughts anyway.

The girls thoughts were then interrupted by the voice if Oboro. She listened to him speak about nobody else coming here but him and how the area seemed to have been forgotten. Although, she didn't understand why it would have been forgotten. She did have to admit it was a nice little area and who wouldn't want to have such a nice place to be alone. Akira then noticed that Oboro had stopped talking. This is when she looked up from the pond area only to feel his hand against her cheek. Once again, the girl blushed as he spoke. He was rather sweet and she seemed to be taking quite a liking to him. Although, she may not know it she was starting to feel something else for him, which was why she decided to speak herself. Considering that nobody came around the area she didn't mind to speak such things aloud.

"I don't see how you can call me beautiful just by my looks. If you knew more about me I'm positive you would want to kill me as everyone else that dwells within a village does. You see I'm only saying these things so that you don't feel much pain or whatever it is one feels when they have to make a hard decision. You see I am a member of an organization known as Akatsuki I'm sure you've heard of it. I've never lived in a village, I've murdered out of cold blood, and I want to see the major villages destroyed because of my own hatred. Now, if you wish to throw me in a prison or kill me then do so because I have a feeling I havebeen abandoned anyway. I haven't heard from anyone in a while and being alone gets tiring after a while. However, if you can still find the words to compliment me or whatever then I will admit I will be truly confused." Akira spoke these very words as she looked into the man's yellow colored eyes. They weren't much different from the color of her very own but they were a slight bit. Of course, the girl was straight to the point in everything she said and was never very detailed in these serious situations. All the girl could do now was stand and wait for an answer.

(Hope it's ok.. ^^)

Oboro stood as the girl filled his head with the wrongs of her past. She had obviously been deserted, never belonging to any village.  She had killed in spite of the knowledge of the power of human life, as Oboro too had done countless times. Though, no matter how many people she’d done off with, no matter whom they were, their blood would not amount to the weight of the blood shed by the Uchiha. He thought of all the reasons she had given, convinced herself that she was a creature so ugly and deprived of beauty. This was absolutely insufferable. Oboro didn’t cart who she had killed, what she had stolen or who he had betrayed. Should she betray him, should she end his life… perhaps he wouldn’t mind so much, should she be the one to kill him.

 

‘What am I thinking?’ He thought to himself as he trembled from the inside. Was he really taking in the possibility of anyone ending his life? Was he so mad for this girl that he would allow her to strip him of his last breath? However, the most powerful question was: Did he really think that she could after showing him all the emotion she had revealed that day. Was there a reason for his own revealing to be matched with hers? Either way, it was clear that there was something special between the two. He felt a sort of sentiment towards her, at first it felt as if it were some sort of pity. After careful consideration, it was more a feeling of empathy as he realized that her pain was turning into his own. This was something he had never felt before. However, empathy didn’t define the feeling in his rib cage. That, well that was something else.

 

With the hand already on her cheek, Oboro brushed the silvery hair of the girl behind her ear and gave a reassuring smile. Though, rather than closing his eyes as he normally would, he stared deeply into her eyes. He spoke in a calm and collected voice that was backed by a sorry tone. ”You’re right. You are absolutely mad. And a murderer at that. For shamed. The logical thing would be to turn you over to the police. And you’re a member of the Akatsuki too, you must be absolutely crazy. He looked over his shoulder slightly before turning back towards the girl. ”Though, I like the crazy ones.” He would say simply before leaning his face closer towards her own, expecting her embrace.

Akira kept her eyes on Oboro's. After a moment, the girl started to get a feeling. One she had felt before even if she didn't know it. This feeling was fear. Akira didn't know what the man in front of her would do or what he would say. Honestly, if what she said had changed his mind and he felt that he would imprison her somewhere then she may just take her own life. Akira started to realize that she didn't wish to be captured. She did not wish to spend time answering question, being tortured, treated like nothing, or whatever it is these people would do to her. Even if these things did happen she wouldn't speak nor would she simply listen to them. Akira liked to make things difficult and she learned from the times she was abandoned or left alone that she should not do the same. She would never give away any information of importance and there was always the possibility of them poking around in her mind. So, the only other option would be to get it over with herself. Who else would there be to care?

Akira's mind suddenly stopped thinking when she heard the man's voice. She felt his hand as his fingers rounded her ear moving her hair back. She was ready for his answer. She thought she knew what he would say. She was ready for what came next. However, her eyes got a bit wider and were filled with confusion as he looked to her after looking away. His words were the opposite from what she thought. Akira didn't know what to think in that moment. She didn't know what to do either. All she did was stand as if she was frozen. His face came closer to her own but she didn't know what to do. She had never felt such things before and now it was more clear what she felt. Though, she couldn't quite put a name with it just yet.

Through his fingertips, he could feel a slight chill in the body of the girl he was just inches away from. At the moment, his heart acted as his only sense of bravery, overpowering all doubts in his mind as he touched his lips to hers. They were soft and sweet, just as he'd imagined immediately prior to. He'd never kissed a girl: he never really had the urge until now. However, he had no regrets as his warm lips touched those of hers.

As he pulled away, he blinked innocently into the eyes of her own. Starting at the corner of his mouth, he dragged his index finger from the edge to the bottom of his lip before leaving it there and smiling simultaneously. He covered the right side of his teeth with his tongue as he blushed slightly, still waiting on a reaction from the girl.

In a split second, it was as if everything had stopped. To Akira it felt as if her heart had skipped a beat or more. As she felt Oboro's lips against her own, her face turned red. She had never felt anything like it. His lips were war, soft, and she liked the feeling of them on her own. Of course, this would be the girls first time kissing someone and now she understood what feeling a spark meant. Now she knew why people gave such affection. Now she knew what it was like to feel.. love.

Akira stood staring at Oboro with her face still red. She watched his finger move across his lip. Slowly, the girl would move her right hand to her mouth and touch it with the fingertips of the three middle fingers and leave them there for a moment. This was all still a bit of shock for the girl. She had never felt so many different things before in her life but now she had felt them all in one day. Akira would then pull her hand away and smiled. However, tears started streaming down her face. These were not tears of sadness but tears of happiness, which is why the girl would touch her face and stare at the wet spot on her hand. "Why am I crying?" Akira would ask herself although she did it aloud.

As he pulled away, she too pressed her hands against her lips, as he did. Though she used three times as many fingers as he had. It was clear that the moment had indeed been an impact on her nearly as much as on him. He felt satisfied with the last ten seconds of his life. Perhaps they were his favorite so far. For a single instance, the world felt perfect; he wasn't worried about any betrayals or village issues, all he wanted was to hold her close. He noticed as tears began to stream from her eyes.

He couldn't help but feel concerned, though he then realized that the tears were of joy. With both hands he intertwined both hands between that of his own. He extended his arms to reach her hands, locking his fingers in hers. He leaned him close once more before whispering to her. "Can we just stay here. For now? Or even... forever? He gazed at her from a short distance, unable to control himself from smiling. He didn't want to leave this spot. Going back home, dealing with real problems, that was the furthest thing from perfection. Perfection was sitting right before him, gazing into his eyes.