Getaway {Closed to Masa}

[Masakuni]

Night in Iwagakure was especially dark, being that the village was encased in stone. Even in summer, the unique construction of his home city kept it cool at night, and more importantly very dark. The rays of the sun didn’t commonly penetrate inside the mountain too well, and as such Shiro’s rather light tan was, within the society of Iwgakure, about as tan as a person could get. He gently brushed the brown locks of hair out of his jade eyes, feeling the heft of his blade on his back. It seemed like every moment, he was reminded he was a ninja. He was struck with a sudden urge, a desire, to shed that, for even a moment.

His eyes swept across the ground, all the while watching the sway of Pandoru’s hair, back and forth, as she watched. This was nothing to say of the sway of her hips, which he tried to avoid watching. It’s pretty damn sweet… His kikaichu said. Very nice, very nice. Me likey da assy. Shiro rolled his eyes at the insects, brushing their minds away for now. He had other things to focus on besides the quality of Pandoru’s posterior. Despite it being of a high quality… He shook his head again, instead turning to look around at his surroundings.

It was a beautiful spot that Pandoru had picked for them, one of the few places in the depths of the mountain where the light of the sun, or in this case night, could actually be seen. He smiled lightly, letting his gaze sweep over the waterfall, pouring down into a gentle pool of falling liquid that flowed off into yet another downpour elsewhere in the deep places of the mountain. He set himself lightly down beside it, his arms resting on his knees as he sat next to the girl he loved. He turned and smiled as she started to speak, resting a brief hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said calmly, still smiling at her. “None of that commotion would have happened if I hadn’t been there… I should be the one apologizing…” He frowned lightly, thinking back to the chaotic morning that had half-destroyed Pandoru’s home. Shiro winced slightly at the memory. “Although I have to say… Lash-sama does not seem to like me… at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.” He placed a fist under his chin, running his thumb along the jaw and thinking. “I know she’s just protecting you… But she’s hindering you too. She won’t let you have enemies or friends. She won’t let you have reckless or impulsive fun of any kind…” Shiro swallowed. “She won’t let you love.”

And then she mentioned the night before. Shiro winced again. For a few long moments, he didn’t say anything. And then, he unstrapped his katana, laying it down at his side. He unzipped his vest next, neatly removing it and folding it up, laying it on the ground beside his katana. A quick tap of his finger left a lone pair of kikaichu to scurry along the objects. Shiro gently turned to face Pandoru, now leaving his upper body in his wrappings, his t-shirt, and the headband tied to the shoulder. “It’s…” He said, hesitating briefly. “It’s alright. I know what sake can do…” His next words were almost bitter, as though he wished she hadn’t been. “You were drunk.”

Spent a moment, just looking into her eyes. “I…” He stood, placing a hand on his forehead and turning away form her for a moment. “Do you know what you’ve done to me?” He said, almost exasperated, but more pained than anything. He sighed, crossing his arms. “I can barely think without…” He swallowed, red staining his cheeks. He needed to face her as he said it. “Without thinking about you.” He stood there; his arms held tightly to his chest, almost as though he was protecting himself, wide open to her, yet still not taking that final step…

I love you.

It had to happen.

[Masakuni]

Life is a collection of moments. Everyone goes through life one moment at a time, ticking them away. Among these moments, there are very few that will come to affect the others, to change the course of your life completely. This was a moment, however, that Shiro could say was one that he would forever remember, forever feel in his heart. He knew, from this very moment, that it would change the rest of his life. It was surreal. He could feel every gust of wind around him, every sensation of sound and sight and touch, each painting the picture, permanently burning into his mind. And yet for all the beauty in the air around him, he could see only one beauty, taste only one love, hear only one sweet whisper.

It was Pandoru. Toujitakumi Pandoru, a red-haired, fair-skinned girl from the uniquely explosive Toujitakumi clan. Painfully shy, deeply caring, highly intelligent. A strategist and an able leader for the village of Iwagakure. And to him… A lover. He watched as she stood, watching closely as she looked down and brought her hands together in front of her. He bit his lip, watching. Was she about to reject him? Or… Was she? His hands came down to hang by his sides, his fingers twitching nervously. Was she? It… Shiro watched, ever vigilant.

“I can‘t think at all!” she blurted out, “You make my head fuzzy and sometimes I forget how to talk,”

That was all Shiro needed to hear. He turned to stare at Panda, his eyes wide, his mouth almost hanging open. Did she… His blush flared, as he stared over at the girl, who still wouldn’t look at him. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to do something. There were no words to express it. He had to. His feet were striding, faster and firmer than ever before. In barely a second he was close, very close to her, his fingers underneath her chin as he gently lifted her chin, trying to meet her eyes to his. There were no words for this moment, nothing he could say that would fully express what he was feeling.

So Shiro did the only thing that made sense to him.

He pressed his lips against Pandoru, pulling her flush against him and wrapping his arms around her, holding her close to him as he kissed her as though his life depended on it. Maybe it did, because he felt like he would die without her, die if he wasn’t feeling her against him, feeling the warm press of her lips against his. He pulled her deeper into the kiss, letting out a little sound of love and desire against her lips. He stood there for what seemed like hours, months, years, just kissing her, one hand stroking her arm gently and the other around her, enjoying the taste of her, the feel of her, the smell of her.

After what lasted forever and ended way too quickly, he gently pulled his lips away from hers, sighing and letting his eyes flutter open. He looked straight into the sparkling cyan eyes had had fallen in love with, biting his lower lip. “I love you.” He said clearly, the words trembling the slightest bit. He leaned forward slightly, letting his forehead meet hers gently. “I love you, Toujitakumi Pandoru.” He said softly, one hand coming up to gently stroke her cheek. There was no moment in his life, no single second, no long hour, no full day, that he had craved more than this.

Well done. The kikaichu said, clipped and professional. We’ve been waiting for you, sir. his eyes shot up… He hadn’t heard that voice since… Since his exile. What… He asked them, confused. We’ve been waiting for you to come back…It was quite the dark journey you took. Shiro just held on to Pandoru tightly, sighing happily. So does this mean? The kikaichu chuckled. No way in hell. You still need to bang her.

I love you, Toujitakumi Pandoru.

[Masakuni]

There had never been a moment more perfect than this. Never, ever, in the life of Aburame Shiro had there been a more amazing moment. He’d finally confessed his love to Pandoru, kissed her, and more over she’d responded to him, her arms around his neck and holding him close to her. He smiled, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair. It was amazing, incredible… A dream. He kept a tight hold on her, fearing that he’d jerk awake, alone in his bed tomorrow. He smiled though, running his hand through her hair and sighing happily. This was what he wanted…

His world dissolved again as she quickly pressed her lips to his again, and he fought the urge to pull her deeper into the kiss, to take her and kiss her into submission right here. She needed to feel like she was in charge too, or the relationship wouldn’t work. Shiro nodded, gently twisting his fingers around hers. He smiled as she released his lips, leaving him short of breath, even if for such a brief kiss. He smiled across at her as she began to speak, all the while caressing her hand with his own. She was beautiful… And… He smiled. She wanted to dance.

Shiro smiled, knitting his fingers into hers and lifting them to his lips. He kissed them gently, smiling over the entwined hands at her. “Of course I will.” He murmured, kissing her hand again before letting them drift back down, though he did not release his hold on it. He took a few steps towards the surface of the water, his hand gliding to her waist and gently gliding her over to the pool of water. A tiny application of chakra, now completely second nature, was all it took to keep him balanced on the surface of the water. He smiled, pulling her unto the surface of the water with him. He smiled at her, gently running his thumb over her cheek.

“The most basic dance to start with is the waltz.” He said, smiling. “It’s like this. I put my hand on your waist, while you put yours on my back.” His left hand found her waist, settling on the warm skin. “And we take the other hands… And hold them… Like this.” He knitted his fingers into hers, clasping her hand and extending their arms, crooked at the elbow so that the hands were at eye level. “Alright.” He breathed, intimately aware of how close their bodies were now. “And we just sort of… sway with the one-two-three step.” He breathed in, utterly intoxicated by her.

His feet started to move, step by step, back and forth. “It’s just… one, two three… one, two three…” His body swayed, back and forth, taking Pandoru with him as he led a gentle, slow waltz, his eyes fixed on her. Could it be more surreal, or more perfect? He was dancing in the moonlight, by a waterfall, on the surface of a sparkling pool with Pandoru, in their own perfect world, as one, together… In love. Shiro’s eyes were nearly half-lidded now, as his face slowly drifted closer to hers, and before he knew it they were nose to nose… Normally, all his life, a situation like this would have to be considered, analyzed, probably regretted later. But now… Shiro knew there was something he could do to solve it all. Without a moment of hesitation he pressed his lips against hers gently, closing his eyes as the danced, swaying to a tune of their own in the little corner of wet heaven…

Nothing in the world mattered but this.

[Masakuni]

Shiro smiled, feeling the sensation of her against his lips… This was definitely something he wouldn’t mind doing more often. Hell, if he could spend his days kissing her, he’d be alright with that. There was just something amazingly right, about her pressed against him, her jasmine scent so close, her coppery hair falling gently through his fingers, her lips pressed wetly against his. It was a sensation he simply couldn’t get enough of… He wanted more.

So he was none too pleased when it ended, although that evaporated into surprise as she fell away from him, her chakra control apparently disrupted. Shiro was an Aburame, a Genjutsu User, and the creator of a pure chakra manipulation technique; the concept of losing control of his chakra without voluntarily giving it up was foreign to him; He had been trained to have complete and utter control of his chakra, through even the best and worse of sensations. So for Pandoru to lose control under the sensation he applied to her lips… Was amazingly flattering in its shockingness.

“Are you alright?” Shiro said, a faintly chuckling smile on his face as he helped her out of the water, holding her close to his chest as he tried to rub her arms slightly, warming her. Despite himself, he couldn’t stop chuckling lightly… It was… funny. He’d almost forgot that word. Don’t forget that the cold water has not only done… certain things to her chest area, but it’s also painted her clothing to her skin. The kikaichu contributed. Shiro froze for a moment… Damn… They were right. A little flush rose to his cheeks, causing him to bite his lower lip hesitantly.

“We should dry you up.” He said, looking around. “Some kind of… towel…” He needed something to dry her off with. There was his vest, which was full of explosives. His katana, which was… a katana. He sighed, his facing colouring more. Awh, fuck it. He reached up, tugging off his t-shirt and using it to towel off the soaking Tsuchikage, who he had brought over to the edge of the pool. GET NAKED! His kikaichu shouted. He didn’t like showing off his chest… Despite it being sexily muscled and a practical feast to the female eye, he also had a number of triplets on the base of his spine, along his arms, and on his neck… Which he didn’t like showing. He did his best to dry her, though she was still, inevitably, quite wet.

“Um…” The closest place was his home… But that wasn’t appropriate, was it? “We need to get you somewhere warm and in dry clothes…” He hesitated slightly, still rubbing her shoulders. “The closest place is my apartment…” He bit his lip. “But that’s… I mean… I understand if you don’t… If you’d rather go to the compound…” He held her closer, gripping her shoulders and trying to work the damp out… And a little bit of the love in. He didn’t know what he was thinking, inviting her to his home… That was completely inappropriate!

Oh yeah. Gonna get some lovin’ tonight, boy.

[Masakuni]

“… back to my crash-site of a home…?”

“Touche.” Shiro said, thinking back to her house. Now that he thought about it, anywhere was better than there. For all he knew, clay bombs were still exploding, Lash was rampaging about in the wreckage, and Shitakuma Tensai was flashing his golden junk around to the world. How in the world he would scrub that image from his mind, he didn’t know. Perhaps a sensation of extreme pleasure to cancel it out? His kikaichu suggested, gesturing at Pandoru in a risqué manner. He sighed, smacking himself in the head with exasperation.

“Thank you?” He said, smiling. He leaned down, claiming her cold, wet lips in a brief, loving kiss. “I should be thanking you…” He held her closer, helping her to her feet slowly. “You have… no idea how long I’ve waited for this.” Once more he leaned in, catching another kiss between their lips as he left her side briefly, taking the time to strap his katana to his waist. He placed the vest on his bare chest, so as not to appear completely indecent. His hands came back to Pandoru, holding her again. God, he was being possessive. But he couldn’t get enough.

“Alright, then, my place.” He said. She was cold, shivering, and desperately in need of some warmth before she got sick. Shiro bit his lower lip again, in that ever-present action of hesitation. “Come on.” His hands slid under her legs, gripping her thighs and lifting her in one swift motion, carrying her bridal style. It was inappropriate, but quite frankly he needed to bring her home, and quickly. And he doubted she could keep up with his pace. “Hold on.” He murmured, closing his eyes. Home was forty meters, in distance, if made in straight lines…

“Seriously. Don’t let go.” He teased, his feet picking up as he disappeared from view, carrying her with him as his image faded slowly, preserved by speed. His feet kicked off again, loaded with Ki, once more blasting forward, leaving a flickering image behind. Twice more this motion brought him flying, until he reached the building known as his home. He carried Pandoru up the steps, pushing through the door with his hand, bringing her into the warmly coloured lobby. He spared it barely a glance, instead proceeding into the elevator.

“Hi.” He said briefly to Nakamura Ando, the elderly man who lived in the penthouse. The old man simply shook his head at Shiro. “Kids these days.” He said, sighing. “You treat her right, boy.” Shiro coughed in shock, turning to shoot an embarrassed glare at his aging neighbor. The old man shot back a cheeky smile. “You’re as bad as the kikaichu.” Shiro murmured, turning to face the doors. We’re much sexier. the insects disagreed. Not bothering to respond, Shiro watched the doors, awaiting their opening. And lo, it came, like Kami to the priests.

He hurried through, bringing Pandoru into his apartment and closing the door behind him. It was a small, humble abode, consisting of a living room that served as a bedroom. A bathroom and a kitchen made up the rest of the house. All of it was in greenish, dark tones, homey and compact. The bathroom was fully equipped, whilst the large couch folded out into a bed. The kitchen was separated from the living room only by a half-wall. He sighed, gently setting the Tsuchikage back on her feet. “This is it.” He murmured embarrassedly. “The bathroom is over there… You can take a warm shower if you need it… I’ll get you some warm clothes.”

Ushering her towards the bathroom, he picked through his stuff, pulling clean clothes from his small bureau in the corner of the room, trying to find something suitable for the female. Ugh… Why do I have no clothing for women? He thought to himself, before stopping. Okay. Actually, good thing. With that, he extracted one of his many black and green tee-shirts, a bit smaller than normal, and a pair of green boxers… He didn’t normally wear boxers, but he had a few pairs. He figured a shirt wasn’t quite appropriate for Pandoru alone.

“Umm…” He knocked gently on the door of the bathroom, resisting his kikaichu’s urging to simply barge in. “I’ve got… dry clothes here…” He could feel the stammer, trying to creep back in his voice… He’d just gotten rid of it, damn it! His face was deep red, as his kikaichu flowed out of his body. They were used to flowing free at home, and he let them buzz and twist about inside the apartment. Of course, Pandoru had never been in the apartment before. Shiro, oblivious was he, was unaware of the tricks they were plotting. “S-Sorry I don’t have women’s clothes.” He joked nervously, still waiting for her to crack the door and take the gaments.

Dude. The kikaichu said. What? He snapped back.

Go in there and take her.

WHAT?!

~~
Suiguzo – 7.10

[Masakuni]

It was often said of the Aburame Clan that they consisted of not two minds, but one. The bond between the two components of the shinobi was so powerful and esoteric, many people claimed, including some Aburame, that the two were bonded to a level unimaginable, so much so that they consisted no longer of two entities of consciousness, but of two. How else, they argued, could the beings command their kikaichu so effectively, in places where they have no sensory output, at times when they can barely control themselves? The answer, it was believed, was the melding of minds.

Aburame Shiro could vouch that this was not true. It had not been a decision of his, or an order, of any kind, for his kikaichu to discreetly slide their way beneath the door into his bathroom. Notably, all the frames of the rooms in Shiro’s apartment had space for the kikaichu to move freely, something that Shiro himself had made sure of. It was a decision he was now cursing himself for, because the kikaichu made great use of them now, quietly observing as Pandoru undressed herself and broadcasting the images to Shiro. His face reddened deeply, trying to shake the images from his head.

It was no use; the kikaichu knew his mind inside out, and they knew he could ignore it as they crawled along the ceiling and walls, displaying images of the young Tsuchikage, naked as the day she was born, with hot water running down the rivulets of her body. She was… Shiro wiped a faint amount of blood from his nose, staring in awe at the insane amount of information the kikaichu were transmitting. He tried to shake it from his head, but it was no use. They had him. He bit his lower lip, trying desperately to quiet the lust that this was causing him.

He tugged off his vest, sighing to himself. Well, as long as she was in the shower, he didn’t have to worry about her seeing him, either. If he knew females, they took forever to shower. Stripping out of his pants, he quickly slid a pair of boxers up his lower body, concealing what had been just exposed. He glanced nervously at the bathroom door. Despite the images of her still in the shower he was receiving, he wanted to be sure she hadn’t seen that. He set about in the kitchen preparing a warm pot of hot chocolate, leaving the water to boil. His next move was to slowly pull the bed out from within the couch, impeccably arranging the pillows and cushions.

“Probably.” He chuckled, as she came out of the bathroom, just as he poured to cups of hot chocolate from the steaming mug. His kikaichu were busy buzzing around the TV, as if indicating something. He started suddenly. Clothes! “Oops! Sorry!” He said, blushing red. He was standing there in his boxers, for god’s sake! He hurried over to his drawers, tugging out... yet another identical t-shirt? He slid it over his chest, still blushing. “Sorry… I’m not used to people in the house… I tend to be underdressed when I’m alone.”

He hurried back to the kitchen before she could respond, grabbing the two cups of hot chocolate. He handed one to her, gently holding the other between his hands. “This is… a little embarrassing.” He admitted. “Not a lot of people come into my house.” His kikaichu buzzed more insistently around the TV. He glanced at them with a quirked eyebrow, before looking back at Pandoru. “Don’t mind them. They’re like that.” He bit his lip, looking around the room… What was he supposed to say now. HEY! the kikaichu finally shouted?

“What?” He said, snapping his head to look at the buzzing mass of insects. They responded by turning the TV on, setting off a series of noise and images commonly known as a show. “We’ll be right back with Bang: The Epic Story of a man as he fights to win the heart of the Toujitakumi Princess.” Shiro’s face reddened, not daring to look back at Pandoru. “But now, a word from our sponsors!” I’m going to kill you. He murmured to the kikaichu. “The latest CD of Ninja Love Songs! The best in Iwagakure, with such hits as Senbon in my Heart, the Double Suicide of the Soul, Lullaby for a Kunoichi, and the ever-famous one hit single, Love Chakra!” Shiro sighed, hanging his head.

Shiro set down his cup, hurrying over to the TV and clicking it off. He glared at the kikaichu, waving his arm and sending them swirling up around it, back into his body. “That… was inappropriate, my little buggy friends.” He murmured, going to grab his cup again and smiling nervously at Pandoru. “So.” He said, simply. It was a simple statement, but inside itself it bore a deeper question… What happens now?

[Masakuni]

“Oh, that it does.” Shiro agreed, happy to be free of the silence. “Especially the bit where her father blows up the castle..” He smiled, thinking back. The movie was, indeed, in his personal collection. “You could say I identify with the main character a wee bit.” He took another sip form his cup, taking in the warmth of the beverage. He didn’t keep caffeine in his house; it made his kikaichu completely insane.

“I didn’t know it was still showing on TV…” He said idly. His eyes glanced to the cabinet that his TV sat upon, frowning lightly. It contained his movie collection: a mismatch of action films, comedy films, and romance films. Luckily, Shiro was not one to partake in adult entertainment, so he didn’t have any revealing DVDs of the such to embarrass himself with. Still, he worried about that little corner of romance films…

What, ya think she’ll think you’re a pansy? You just admitted to liking Bang. If she decides liking romance movies is gay, you’re already in the stinker. His kikaichu jibbed at him, and he rolled his eyes at them. “So, umm…” He said, trying to stop the silence from resettling over the conversation. “I apologize about the… umm… walking around in my boxers… It’s a habit…” He shut his mouth solidly, to avoid further vocal embarrassment.

He gazed around the room, smiling lightly. It was a smile that was becoming more and more prevalent on his facial features… One that spoke of unrequited love, requited. He gently set his cup down again after one more sip, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. Being that it was the only area capable of being sat upon other than the arms of the now unfolded couch, it seemed the most logical choice. He smiled more widely at Pandoru, before leaning back on the bed.

“So.” He said again. A word he was coming to use more and more often, these days. “What does… What does this make us?” He bit his lip, continuing on, not really giving her a chance to speak yet. “I mean… I… I’d like this to be something… Us, to be something… I mean… I want you… Like… Not like that… Well… I mean… As a… romantically… Possibly like that… I’m not suggesting…” He sighed, sitting up.

“You know what I mean, don’t you?” He asked her, his eyes pleading understanding. Because if she didn’t know what the hell he had just said, he sure as hell didn’t. “I mean…” He stood up, tugging his t-shirt up and turning to point his back at her, displaying the bare flesh. It was a cruel network of twisted flesh, with no less than seven scars, each one thick and deep, slashed across his back, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, obviously from a katana that spared no mercy.

“Can you deal with… that sort of thing?”

[Masakuni]

A short sound, one of bliss, quickly escaped his lips as the kunoichi wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her pressed against the tracery of scars on his back. It felt… good. He had never felt any kind of pleasant sensation in relationship to the map of injuries along his back, but he couldn’t deny that right now, the feeling of delicious warmth and softness the red-hard artist presented was utterly perfect. He smiled lightly despite himself, his hands rising from their position at his sides to gently slide on top of hers, just a little more contact.

“The past can’t be changed.” He repeated, softly… He… He had to let it go. He took in another deep breath, his eyes focusing in on the hands of his lover. “I think… I’d like to tell you about my past before I let it go.” He said quietly, biting his lower lip. No one in the world, save his kikaichu, knew the full story of his origin. Renji knew some parts, as did Genki, as did Pandoru, and another part was attributed to Masaki, but they were all mere fragments. Pandoru knew him as an Iwa Nin. Genki knew him as his fleeing son. Renji knew him as the young musical prodigy… Masaki knew him as a fellow wanderer. It was time for the whole story to come together.

“I was born in Fire Country…” He began. “In the village of Konohagakure. I was never originally from Iwagakure… Both my parents were Konoha ninja from the Aburame Clan, and I was implanted with kikaichu shortly after birth. My father…” He stopped for a moment, silent. “My father was Aburame Genki, head of the clan… A sick and twisted man with military ambitions. My mother was one of the few individual souls left in the whole clan. The rest of them had just succumbed the totalitarian rule of my father.’

‘Being the son of a Aburame Genki was not fun. As soon as I could walk and understand speech, I began my shinobi training. When most kids were learning to read and write, my father had me reading instructional manuals and tomes on strategy. When they were playing tag, I was throwing shuriken and trying to walk up trees.” He gripped her hands tighter, sighing out a bit of a pained breath. “At the age of five, I entered the ninja academy in Konoha. By age six, I had graduated… And became a genin of Konoha.” He frowned, biting his lower lip. It was a difficult story to tell, but just the feeling of her being there was doing wonders for his psyche. Why hadn’t he mustered up the courage for this earlier?

“I met a musician named Renji, who taught me to handle a flute and how to use it with Genjutsu. As you can imagine, something out of place like Genjutsu did not go over well with Genki… He beat me quite a bit.” An expression of darkness flitted over Shiro’s face briefly. “Regardless, though, he simple encouraged specialization in Ninjutsu and went on his merry sadistic way. It continued on like this for a while, before I started to think about Taijutsu. This… this did not go over well with Aburame Genki either…” Shiro fell silent for a brief moment.

“That is when he took up his katana, and cut my back open seven times. He said it was one for each year that I had failed him as a son. Then he exiled me from the Aburame Clan and chased me out of Konoha.” He frowned. “I can still remember the shouts and the explosions…” He shuddered slightly. “It was then that I abandoned a village that abandoned me… If you look in my pack, you’ll find a scored Konoha headband…”

A smile returned to his face next. “And then, I wandered. For a good year and a half, I was alone, meandering through the countries. I had a companion… Masaki. I never knew his last name. He was an ex-ninja as well, just trying to survive after being thrown from his village… I identified with him, and we helped each other survive. We wandered almost the entire world in that time, save for a small country or two. Eventually, he sat me down, and told me I had to find a village.” Shiro hesitated. “I was young, and had committed no real offense… And Konoha was well hated. I stood a fair chance of finding a new home in one of the other ninja villages… Masaki on the other hand… His crimes had been vast and he could not join me. He led me to Iwagakure, and left me at the front gates… I never saw him again.” He sighed, running his finger over Pandoru’s.

“And then… You know the rest. By the age of nine, I had re-enrolled in the Iwagakure academy and met you. I held back what I knew because I wanted a normal academy experience… We graduated together, and everything since then… You know.” He smiled, leaning back against her slightly. “And I’ve been in love with you for seven years.” He gently caressed her hands again before speaking his final piece. “So… I asked you a question.” He said teasingly. “And I don’t think I gave you the opportunity to answer.”

How many life changing moments can you have in a single day, boy?!

[Masakuni]

(Not a problem at all. =P)

“I think I know a fair thing about explosions.” Shiro said, chuckling faintly. His stance readjusted slightly, straightening and firming into a solid column of support… Pandoru had that effect on him, it seemed, of hardening and strengthening his resolve. The kikaichu began to speak, but Shiro cut them off. Do not say a single word about hardening or I will personally squash all of you. He growled mentally. The kikaichu quieted, smirking. “You get a bit of a different perspective when you’ve ran through a minefield…” He chuckled. “I can see the artistic perspective, I guess.”

“Besides… I was investigating a method within the Reikiwa to defuse explosives…” He chuckled, letting a curl of the charka twist on his hands. It was odd, the effects of the unique compression of chakra he had devised to create the Reikiwa… There could be so much more to it, if he was willing to discover it. And he was… He chuckled, letting the floating cycle of visible chakra dissipate. “Your family… I have no family… What was my family attempted to murder me for nothing more than making my own choices in life.” His hand clenched slightly. “Yours… I don’t think they can quite match that, even if they were trying to kill me.” He smirked.

“One day… One day in the future, I will meet my father again. And only one of us will is going to leave that meeting… Aburame Genki… Will die by my hand.” The voice of the abandoned heir of the Aburame Clan shook slightly, despite the strength he was radiating. “But until then, I want to be with you.” He hesitated. His next motion was to turn to face her, whirling in her arms, his hands coming to rest around her waist, holding her closer to him in the kind of intimate hug that left no question about whether they were friends or lovers. He breathed in her scent, smiling lightly.

“Pandoru… I want to be with you… So badly… I decided a long time ago that our clans made no difference, nor our positions… If you’re the Tsuchikage, then I simply have all the more reason to protect you.” He smiled more widely... “And… I know, that the duties you have, and my duties, missions… It will take time, effort, sweat, blood, and tears. Something I’m more than willing to give… I will continue down this path… And become a Jounin. And I will protect this nation. And you.” He held her closer, closing distance that wasn’t there. “With everything I am, Panda, I love you, and have loved you, and will always love you.” His lips pressed against hers, infinitely long in the briefness of the contact, warm, slightly chocolate taste, interspaced with that natural mint flavor he presented, coming into contact with her unique flavor.

“Whatever it takes to be with you, I’ll do it happily.” He said quietly, his jaden eyes boring into the lightly coloured optics of the Toujitakumi. “I promise you that… I’ll be there for you.” He leaned down against, pressing his lips against hers, this time with more force, this time speaking for him, of lust, of love, of deep emotion, of everything in the apartment and the whole world beyond it, a million meanings of emotion tied together in a single kiss. His hands held her tighter, this time by her arms, a possessive grip, a grip that spoke a few words he was too busy kissing her to say. I’m not letting you go. Gradually, his hand drifted away from it’s vice on her arm, sliding down to the small of her back. There was just something… sexy about her in his shirt.

“I promise.” He said, coming up for air a moment later… Or two moments? Maybe three. Perhaps six. He had no idea how long he had stayed attached to her lips, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. He dove back in, kissing her passionately, his hands moving more comfortably around her, one hand pressed into the small of her back, the other lightly settled between her shoulder blades. Ever so casually, the kikaichu flitted to the light switch, gently dimming the illumination in the apartment. Ahh… Our boy is finally growing up. They said tearfully. A quick flick of the segmented leg rid themselves of their imaginary tears.

GET SOME!

[Masakuni]

Three words, three simple words were all it took to make him smile again. He sighed contentedly, feeling relief wash over him. A tenseness that had settled over their relationship was lifted, now that it was finally confirmed, official… Now that she was his. He resisted the urge to dive into her lips once more. Despite the fact that he’d nursed the rather achy sensation of unrequited love for many hears, he needed to recall that she was new to this relationship, to the very concept of relationships. He thought back with a smile to the work he had climbing up and over the many walls of emotional blockage she had built around herself… He gently took her hand in his. He’d have to try to be gentle.

“Well…” He said softly, fighting off the urge to kiss her senseless by instead squeezing her hand lightly. “What would you like to do then, my girlfriend?” He smiled, still caressing her hand, letting the warm feelings flood him. He wasn’t the type of person to be happy, naturally. Or at least, he didn’t used to be. Now, however, he was happier than he had ever been before, a feeling he could feel continuing for as long as this lasted. Conceivably, forever. In the shinobi world, lives that lasted twenty years and a hundred years were equally as common. Relationships were a bit more serious, under the light of the danger. Considering all the possibilities, Shiro was taking a great risk… But with the only reward he had ever craved.

“It’s late, and there’s going to be duties to attend to tomorrow...” He said quietly, leaning in for a quick, chaste kiss, nothing too mind-blowing this time, just a brief satisfaction of his desire for intimacy. “We could both use some sleep.” He looked around his apartment, thinking. “I can walk you to the compound if you’d like… Though you’re most likely still missing a wall.” He chucked lightly. “You could sleep here too if you like.” His face reddened, and he once again realized the words that exited his mouth had rather major implications. “Not like… together… In the same bed, or anything. I’d stay on the floor I swear.” He stumbled over his words again, brushing aside the kikaichu’s disappointment that he hadn’t been inviting her for a round of hot sex.

“Or if you want to do something else, I’m game.” He said. “I don’t really sleep too well on my own… Bit of a combination of nightmares and insomnia…” He trailed off, frowning for a moment. He looked up into Pandoru’s cyan eyes, and his smile returned immediately. How did she do that to him? “So I learned Iwagakure’s nightlife pretty well as a result.” He scratched the side of his cheek idly, tracing the ‘x’ shaped scar with a long, callused index finger. The particular scar hadn’t resulted from his exile… But he still wasn’t really comfortable telling that secret yet.

In time, he would. He doubted that he could keep any secret from Pandoru for long, nor would he ever want to. For now, however, no one needed to know about the battle, long ago, on the barren cliffs of Tsuchi no Kuni… He squeezed her hand again, awaiting her response. His travels were of no concern right now. What was of concern was Toujitakumi Pandoru, his girlfriend. He marveled at it, even as he thought of it. Pandoru was his girlfriend? How had he managed that? It’d been damn lucky… Or had it been more than luck, but some divine hand of the Kami, some destined fate? No matter what, he was happy to have her here with him now…

[Masakuni]

“… I‘m not going to make you uncomfortable in your own home,” she smiled. “There‘s room for two.”

Shiro’s eyebrows were raised almost instantly, timidly, as she heard his suggestion… She… wanted to sleep in his bed? With him in it? Shiro knew Pan well to know that there were no sexual connotations to her statement. But even so, it was a remarkable step of initiative. It spoke marvels to him about how much closer he’d gotten to her than anyone else had, that she was willing to sleep right next to him, so intimately, and trust him fully and completely. For the girl who seemed to fear that every time a mouth was opened at her it was in anger, it was remarkable.

“Arigato…” He said slowly, casting his eyes downward for a moment, his face glowing with a quiet happiness. He then looked back up at her, noting that she had taken up an expectant position, looking up at him with those cute, wide eyes. He smiled at her, melting internally. She must know that she can get anything she wants when she looks at me like that… he said to himself. She must have realized that. His kikaichu chuckled. Gawd, you’re a paranoid little pervert. Maybe she wants hot, sweet love in the tangles of your sweaty bed-sheets?

“Well,” he said, brushing those images out of his mind. “There’s quite a lot of bars in our city… Something I try to avoid, since you’ve seen how nicely sake treats me…” He chuckled lightly. “Some theaters here and there, wonderful restaurants, and one very nice park I’ve grown to love.” He smiled fondly, thinking back. “I met a good friend, there. Raikiri Kakari.” He settled opposite her, thinking back into his memories. “As you can guess from his name, he was a Kumogakure Shinobi… Back when the villages had their alliance…”

“Clear off, you disgusting creeps!" A strong voice rang out. Through the sting of blood and sweat dripping into his eyes, Shiro looked up blearily. The world was a haze, but one thing stood out to him very clearly. Eyes, glowing with an iridescent red radiance… “Kakari was the one who encouraged me to defend myself from certain shinobi of Iwagakure who had found out about my past as a ninja of Konoha.” Shiro continued, gently toying with the holes in his hand. He felt the firm calluses of his palm… Calluses that he had built and earned through sweat and pain. “You okay down there, kid?” that same, deeply powerful voice said. Shiro brushed the mixing fluids from his eyes and his forehead, staring up at the dark haired, muscular shinobi, garbed in the clothes of a Jounin, his Kumogakure headband displayed proudly. Slowly, Shiro nodded.

“He was on a mission of diplomacy, which required him to stay here for a full three months… I can honestly say I might have died without him.” He smiled lightly. “This business of precious people… I’d say he’s one of mine.” Shiro smirked fondly, letting his fingers leave his palm. “Just like you.” He stepped over to Pan and briefly, lovingly, laid that well-traced palm over the back of his hand. “So this Pandoru girl…” Kakari said thoughtfully, lifting his chopsticks to his mouth. “Well don’t give up, Mushi-kun.” Shiro smiled at the nickname, nodding to his friend. He would not give up… “He helped me in more ways than I can say.” Shiro smiled at his girlfriend lovingly, and then stepped into the bathroom, exchanging his worn pants for a pair of sweat-pants, curiously once more in a theme of black trimmed with green.

“So…” He said slowly, that word he so often used. He settled unto the bed, leaning back against the pillows and stretching out his legs. “I suppose it’s bedtime… Unless you’d rather stay up?” He smiled at her. There was something about hanging out with her, being with her, getting the chance to hold her and kiss her, to love her… Shiro just couldn’t get enough of Toujitakumi Pandoru being his girlfriend. He lifted the covers lightly, checking the sheets he was laying on top of… Freshly washed… he thought, relieved. Good thing you’re a clean freak. the kikaichu offered in a congratulatory manner. He smirked at them. Good thing you’re not Kamizuru bees. Can you imagine the honey everywhere? His kikaichu shuddered. So uncivilized. Shiro chuckled internally. Try not to eat her chakra tonight, m’kay?

…For you, boss. Only for you. They saluted…

[Masakuni]

Aburame Shiro’s eyebrows raised bemusedly to find her, quite pleasantly surprised to find her snuggled underneath his covers. He traced his lips with a finger, chuckling. “You’re just way too cute.” He said quietly. He made his way under the covers next to her, chuckling. “It’s alright. I could use some sleep myself.” He snuggled up to her, perhaps a little bit daring in its intimacy, but at this point he was comfortable with it. Arms wrapped comfortably around his lover, his breath calming as the lights were shut off. Very quickly, darkness had claimed him, and he succumbed to blissful sleep.

Sleep was, as a rule, not an enjoyable experience for the young Aburame. Insomnia and a hideous past had twisted what should be comfortable rest into horrible nightmares of death, destruction and despair for him. As he slipped into unconsciousness, however, body twined comfortably with that of Pandoru, he felt no darkness descend upon him… Not this night. This night, he slept with no dreams of shadows, only a few gently twisting fancies of joy in a mostly dreamless night.

When he awoke, he found himself flickering his eyes over sharply to the window. He hopped out of bed to hear a greeting uttered from outside it. His kunai was in his hands as he moved backwards deftly, crouching on the bed. His eyes then registered it as a Dragon ANBU, and he slid back under his pillow. Despite the jokes he received for it, Shiro always thought it wise to sleep with a kunai in the bed. He stepped off the bed to help Pandoru up from the ground, smiling at her lightly. He then turned to regard the words of the Dragon ANBU.

“Fair enough…” He said. “Be right back…” He landed a quick kiss on Pandoru’s lips before grabbing his scattered things, moving in a blink of an eye to the bathroom. His visit to this room must have seemed quite comical for those outside it, for a brief struggle was heard, followed by the sound of the shower turning on, only to be turned off with the next two minutes, following another struggle, before Shiro stumbled out the door, fully cleaned and dressed. “Alright.” He said, strapping his katana to his hip. “I’m ready.” Are you ever gonna tell people how you do that? Shiro’s kikaichu said. He chuckled internally. Nope.

“I know what Pan’s duties are, but what about me? Why a long day?” He said, thinking back to those words. “Am I getting assigned a mission already?” He frowned. He did know that he had to take missions apart from his protection assignment… Though he was still a new chuunin, and C rank missions were his bread and butter… Or so he was told. He moved a little closer to Pandoru, almost possessively.

(Feel free to assign me a mission if you want. xD C Rank plz if you do.)

[Masakuni]

Shiro nodded slowly, frowning. Official business... The last time there'd been official business, he'd had to kidnap her from her office to keep her from breaking down. It was not an experience he wanted her to go through again. He sighed and nodded again, though. It seemed official business would be a common thing, and it would not always be pure chaos, like the report of the Yondaime Kusakage’s death. Still, he was both her lover and her protector, and it was his duty, and moreover his pleasure, to accompany her. Readjusting his katana lightly, he smirked.

“Very well then.” He winked at Pan as she turned to look back at him. He smiled as she simply leaped out of his window… There were times when he just liked to marvel at how amazing being a ninja is. Swirling his kikaichu around him and calling them into his body, he simply walked over to the window and slid out. Falling down a swirling number of floors, his feet impacted the ground lightly, cushioned by chakra. With his ever-present smirk, he strode forward, following the other two.

=Exit=