Act 4, Scene 34 (Cont)
Cooking was something that she was used to. It was easy to imagine all the ways that she could go with it. She wanted to make a dinner, and she wondered what Emiko would advise. Certainly, Emiko had to know how to cook for herself, but at the same time, it was hard to imagine her in certain ways. She wasn't a Mother Hen, not in that way. Shizue herself had so much experience that to her it seemed natural.
Perhaps Rika wouldn't see it that way, of course. But Shizue was happy in the kitchen, working on trying to make a meal, and she was especially happy because it was her pipes that made it possible.
Because it took a lot of water for what she was going to be trying.
She bustled this way and that, splattering all over her apron, thinking about the work she'd done on some of the further pipes. They were traps, that far out. Through a special valve they were disconnected from the water at large. They were just pipes that looked like they connected… which meant that it was the perfect place to put bombs. Hopefully an attacker wouldn't even look at it.
The first step was a nice miso soup, with some tofu in it. She had beef, but she was planning to use it for the main meal. Taking a small page from local styles, she was going to make a heavily spiced and sauced beef and white rice dish, the rice mixed in with vegetables and yet more spices to give it some kick.
And then… dough balls filled with dates for dessert. It seemed to be a decent enough spread, and Shizue had thought about other things she could have added. It all felt very domestic, which she knew wasn't entirely… conducive to romance. But she liked the idea of feeling useful, and maybe it'd make him feel better. She knew he'd been busy with training, they'd all been working hard in the aftermath of the fight.
So she sweated and slaved, but she did so with a smile, though after she was almost done cooking she had to step away to quickly do her makeup up again, to cover the scars. It was a work in progress, and she could think of little else.
When she looked in the mirror, she saw scars and nothing else. When she thought about herself, she didn't know… would it hurt to hold him close? Would it hurt to kiss him? Her body felt new and strange, and she avoided it, as much as she could: she practiced fuinjutsu and puppetry because she couldn't quite stand to test herself, to push herself and see what happened. She'd have to do so with Yuichi. He was struggling, and she'd watched him train.
He wasn't even weak, the problem was that while he had a good set of moves, skill with taijutsu and considerable skill with genjutsu, he couldn't bring it all together well enough to beat, at the very least, someone like Akachi, who kept his distance and knew how to deal with genjutsu.
What she needed was to give him a trick, and also just more and more time to grow stronger. He'd been holding back, afraid. Maybe he needed to go on a mission soon, a safe one, to know that he wouldn't mess up again.
...it was especially odd because Yuichi's failures barely were failures. He didn't stand up against a Jonin, he didn't see what nobody else had seen. He hadn't been able to do much good, but if it wasn't for her sound jutsu, Shizue wouldn't have done much good either. Seiichiro meanwhile had been clumsy: outmatched, yes, but even with the skill he had he hadn't used it well.
So it was something deeper than that. She didn't know how she was going to help him, but she knew that she would.
So she touched herself up while thinking on other things, glad that she was becoming a better hand with a makeup. Eventually it'd all be second nature: that's the way things worked. Jutsu, tricks, puppetry… everything felt strange and new at first, but if it didn't become familiar and welcome, it at least became something you knew how to deal with.
*******
The table was laid out, the chopsticks there, the cloth on it, the food almost done, when there was a knock on the door. Everyone had cleared out of the kitchen and dining area as if they knew what was coming. Or who.
So when there was a knock on the door, she hurried forward and opened it, already smiling. Okiie was in a nice shirt, a dark green that suited his complexion rather well, she thought, and a dark pair of pants. It was remarkable how simple it was for a boy to look nice. To Shizue it seemed an odd sort of miracle, but she really did like the way he dressed, and yet for a girl to merit the same… or was that really so? Perhaps she should ask Rika, and of course she was biased by the fact that, well.
Okiie was cute. It didn't take much for him to look great. "Shizue-chan, thanks for having me."
"Of course," Shizue said. "You look well-trained." Tired was another word.
"I'm going to be going on another mission soon," Okiie said.
"Oh?" Shizue asked, not sure what to say as she led him towards his seat.
"That's a nice skirt, Shizue-chan."
It was a little cumbersome, and warm in this weather, though fine for desert nights. She smiled at the clumsy compliment and said, "Thank you. What are you doing?"
"Courier work. Something simpler… I hope."
"Anyone else going with you?" Shizue asked.
"I'm not sure yet. Probably," Okiie admitted, sinking down into the chair and groaning slightly as he settled in. "I've been working hard lately, but I think. You know I've been wondering. Imagine if we were somehow able to go to the chunin exam. You and me… and…"
"Rika-chan?"
"Well, but what about close-up? Ichiman-kun? Or Saya-chan. You like her a lot," Okiie said. "Though Rika definitely doesn't."
"No, she doesn't," Shizue said, smiling as if he'd figured something out, rather than just stating the obvious. "But… so, teams in the Chunin Exam? You know it'd never happen."
They were missing-nin, they faced trials far greater than just going up against a bunch of teenagers to prove that they were tough.
"I know, but it'd be so cool. I think I'm a lot stronger than most people my age. I'm already learning C-rank jutsu, and your puppets are amazing. And I've heard you have smoke bombs now."
"Yes, I do," Shizue said. "But, most of the people in the chunin exams are sixteen, right? They're probably a lot stronger than we are, even with all the training we've had."
"Are they? I don't know. Even the younger ones are far ahead of where a genin would be. I think?" Okiie shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't want to talk about nonsense, but Seiichiro-kun was speculating. So was Junko-chan."
Shizue snorted. "Would you like some soup?"
"Of course! I'll like anything you make," Okiie said.
Shizue hoped eventually everyone would like her food, and not just out of love.
*******
He slurped the soup, but that was okay. "And so I was saying, if I have an attack jutsu with wind, what I need now is something a little different. Perhaps an area attack, or something that lets me put up defenses. Emiko-sensei is an expert on earth jutsu, so perhaps I could make a wall? But then, I could also do the caltrops thing with the earth jutsu, and focus on, say. A fire jutsu to create a wall of flames? That'd be a lot cooler, wouldn't it?"
"But pretty chakra intensive, right?" Shizue asked, frowning.
"Usually, yeah. But I've been working on that too. My chakra reserves need to be way bigger if I'm going to be a real shinobi. I can't master all the things in the same field, at least not right now. But… I think I can figure something out. Emiko-sensei also mentioned the possibility of combination jutsu."
"Oh? Isn't that common?"
"With yourself. Which I think's a little harder. But if Chuichi-san taught me a few more clones, then bam, there you go!" Okiie paused for a moment, setting down his spoon. There was a drop of miso on his chin, and Shizue reached out to wipe it away with her hand. She could feel a little roughness there. Not the start of a beard, or anything so dramatic, but a slight growth of fuzz, a sign perhaps that she wasn't the only person changing.
She couldn't tell whether he'd gotten taller or not. There was of course perspective.
His face was red, but he added, "So, uh, yeah. That's what I'm working on."
"It's good that you're keeping busy," Shizue said. "I've had a lot to do."
"Everyone knows you do too much," Okiie said. "I mean. Akachi-kun complimented your coffee the other day."
Shizue blinked, "Really?"
"He said it wasn't as bad as poison!"
Shizue giggled. That sounded like Akachi. And that was definitely an Akachi comment. "So, the rice should be ready, soon."
"Ah, good. What are we having?"
"Beef," Shizue said.
"Huh. Akachi-kun's leaving too, so he's not going to join my on the courier thing. He said he's going to go herd cattle and practice his marksmanship. It seems like everyone's finding something to do."
"I have my… recovery to see to."
Okiie set down his bowl, after slurping another spoonful, and said, "Well, Rika-chan's optimistic, right?"
"She is," Shizue admitted, biting her lip. "But you never know if I'll actually look…"
"What?"
"Good again?"
Okiie frowned, and made a gesture as if he were trying to chop through a tree. "C'mon, Shizue-chan! Stop being so down. So the beef! How did you make it? I assume it's spiced? That's what everyone likes around here."
"Yes, and I added in some wasabi. Emiko-sensei really does spend a lot on the food budget. It was in one of the scrolls," Shizue said. "As well, some carrots, a little bit of yam…"
"Ah, yam. Do you think it'd be too strong?" Okiie asked.
"Strong?"
"Well, I suppose it depends on the sauce." Okiie shook his head, blushing. "Sorry, I shouldn't trouble you."
"No, no, actually. Come with me, and we'll see." Shizue gestured, already picturing the act in her head, and red-faced at the image. She was definitely teasing and toying around with him, now, but she liked doing that. She liked how he squeaked. She liked the power that she felt like it gave her.
There was the beef, and the sauce laden all on top of it. She reached a finger and ran it along the bowl she had it in, making sure that nothing was left on the gas burner. The dates were done too, though she'd need to heat them up. She pulled up the finger, filled with the reddish sauce, and said, "Here you go, Okiie-kun."
Okiie blinked, "What?"
"I mean, you wanted to try it, didn't you?" Shizue tried to sound playful and teasing, and he grinned broadly and stepped forward, before pausing, fidgeting his foot a little, and then grabbing her hand softly and suckling on her finger down to the knuckle.
She put a hand to her face. She'd almost expected he wouldn't do it, because it was pretty silly.
Okiie pulled away. "It's delicious, uh." Okiie coughed. "It tastes amazing. Would you… erm." Okiie was sweating now. "Like to taste it too?"
"Of course I would," Shizue said, reaching a finger over towards the sauce.
"Not like that," Okiie said. "Er, if this goes wrong, it's not my fault, but would you like to, uh, kiss and stuff?"
"...what does that have to do with tast--oh."
She closed her eyes slightly and leaned in to kiss him. He tasted of the spice, warm and inviting, and she could barely breathe as the kiss lengthened and multiplied. Two kisses, and then three. Her face didn't hurt, so clearly it was okay. She finally pulled back, but only long after her doubts had began to melt away.
Like ice in a desert.
She felt warm all over, sensitive and bursting with joy, and she fidgeted uncomfortably. Finally, she took a breath, "S-so, food."
"O… of course," Okiie said.
******
They didn't eat in silence, but they did eat one-handed, the other being busy as they held hands under the table and smiled. Something had broken, or perhaps the tension… it made Shizue feel weird that it was kisses that had done it. Surely she wasn't that shallow. But now when he talked about jutsu she was able to sing the same notes, talk to jutsu back at him, without thinking about how he might be looking at her.
The food was good, though it was spicy enough that she went up and came back for water three or four times. Her eyes poured forth their own water too at one point, when she dabbed some of the sauce on an eyelid while lifting the rice and yams and meat up in her chopsticks.
Okiie, the whole time, was watching her with a sort of amazement that made Shizue want to capture it, to take a photo of all of this so that she'd never miss it again.
"Saya-chan's been talking about you, Shizue-chan," Okiie said. "Apparently you're going to go and talk to Genta-kun?"
"Yes. I'll do that tomorrow," Shizue said. "I think he needs the help."
"Yeah, tell him I said hi, okay? I mean, he's pretty cool. And smart. He shouldn't feel sad, no matter what he did."
"Even if…" Shizue began, and then hesitated, feeling disloyal even to think about just what Genta had done not even two months ago. It wasn't that long ago that he broke down, that he almost died. "You're right. He shouldn't feel bad. I'll make sure to cheer him up."
"Yeah. And Shizue-chan, we really should hang out more. I mean, do you need any help with your puppets?"
"Actually… I might."
*******
It was a nice room, really, Shizue thought as she opened the door, though it was rather different than she expected. There were no windows, of course, but there was a plant on the corner, right next to the shelves of books that she'd expected. Had Genta made them himself, or bought them?
But the room as a whole, perhaps thanks to the lighting overhead, or perhaps thanks to the light, airy, and cheerful colors, felt different than expected. For one, there was a couch with a floral print in the far corner, though it was covered in what looked like clothing.
Then there was a quilt on a rocking chair in another corner, but her eyes were first drawn to the sparse futon, and the curtain over something in a corner, and then finally on small, elegant Saya, sitting in a wooden chair with a table in front of her. There were three chairs, and the tea seat was all laid out, complete with a lacy white tablecloth. Then there was Genta.
He looked different, and Shizue didn't know how. He was wearing pants, a shirt, though the shirt was white and slightly flowing. His eyes weren't glowing, so he wasn't using his powers, and his hands were tucked halfway under the table itself, as if he were holding Saya's hand. Was that it? But the table was too big for that.
"Ah, darling Shizue-chan. Finally joining us. Please sit down. The tea is going to go cold," Saya said.
Shizue frowned. His eyes seemed larger, his lips bigger, his whole self… expanded somehow? perhaps it was the slight smile on his face, nervous as it was? That was certainly something that she wasn't used to seeing. At least, not recently.
She sat down. "How are you doing, Genta-kun?"
"F...iiine," Gent said, his voice slightly quieter than usual. "Just fine. And how is your training going, Shizue-chan? I believe you are working on fuinjustu, an interesting topic indeed."
"Well, it does interest me, but I know you have other things you're focused on," Shizue said, as Saya began to carefully pour the tea.
"Piffle. Both of your areas of interest are boring trifles compared to taijutsu," Saya said.
Shizue didn't respond to the invitation to spar, instead raising her glass and carefully taking a quiet sip. It was very good tea, and she closed her eyes to savor some of the notes.
"So, together with Ichiman-kun and Okiie-kun, I believe you should be able to make good strides on your puppets. Don't let Emiko-sensei suggest genjutsu puppets, however. Her project currently in Genjutsu poison might lead to her trying to incorporate genjutsu into everything, even things that seemed previously… unfruitful?" Genta spoke casually, thoughtfully.
Saya chuckled, "But really, you had something else you wanted to tell Shizue-chan."
"Oh, yes," Genta said. "I've come to the conclusion that Ken has to be working for someone more than the Baron. His people show up too consistently, and the Baron has money, yes, but… that much money? He's gathered an army when even a single missing-nin can charge a premium. Logistically and economically, it only makes sense if he's an agent for someone else."
"Really?" Shizue asked, eyes opening wide to see that Genta was fidgeting a little bit.
"Yes. Emiko-sensei won't confirm it, but I've always seen things that she doesn't want me to. And it's clear to me that she knows that there's more to it. Think about the past year? Hidden Road has been everywhere, and everywhere they are, things have happened that could have caused a war, and--"
"Not that," Saya said. "The other thing."
Shizue glanced back and forth between them. "The other thing?"
"Well, Shizue, I was meaning to ask you…"
He stopped talking, and Shizue waited.
"Ask me?" Shizue asked.
"Could you…"
Saya sighed. "Come on, you're not a kid, just--"
"Call me Maki-chan, please," Genta said.
Maki? Maki… chan?!
Shizue is stunned, flabbergasted, and confused. But her reaction/what she says is:
[] Write-in. Anything too articulate and understanding will be vetoed. Feel free to ask questions or fluff the reaction or whatnot.
******
A/N:...surprise!
