[Shitai Maimomu]

Chuunin exams.

Remembering her own was a bitter thing. Despite lamenting her past, Umechika sees beyond her own short-comings and takes specific delight in this time of year. Twice a year, she's attended as many as she could to see the shiny new fledglings rising in the ranks of universal militia. It was delightful. And as always, festivities excite her, so of course she booked a week long stay in one of Akazaya's various inns, opting on the nicer side of luxuries and amenities. 

Once she had discovered Hayato was to be attending, even if he's on less of a fun spectrum, Ume decided to drag him along. 

Their room is a ryokan, sitting in a quieter realm of the hosting city. Tatami-matted floors with a bamboo finish, spacious rooms, a wide open balcony on the left wall. It's nicer than my apartment, Ume thinks upon seeing it as they enter for the first time. It's cold outside. Ume's face is tinted pink, but she hardly feels it against her dead flesh. Her cloak keeps her warm enough. 

"Whaddya think?" Ume booms, twirling to walk backwards, leading Hayato into their shared living space. She stretches out her arms, bags hanging from them but not at all throwing off her balance, as if to ta-da the room. "Told ya it'd be worth bookin' in with me!"

She twirls around one more time as she steps further into the room to drop her bags off in a corner. Unencumbered, she turns to Hayato as he disarms as well, hands on her hips. Her smile cuts through her maw.

---

Kazuhiro Hayato - 266

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] Even when he tried, he couldn't remember how his exams had fared. Just the memories of shadows and death and then the cold grasp of a war that should have killed him. But this was another opportunity for the grey tithe, the great reaping of talent that had been cultivated for the village and that could be used for the villages newly rechristened special operation service. One that he would be leading once the announcement from Kizumi was made. In truth, he would have been content if he had been granted a cell in one of the INKA safehouses, but he supposed that Umechika had a way with words to convince him to book a room with her. After all, he had all his income he barely used. Once inside, he would look around, reminding him on a house he had been invited once during a mission. It was, as they would say, cozy. And as the pinkette would twirl around, killer smile upon her lips, expressing her delight in the room. "It is nice." He agreed, carefully placing the knapsack he had used to bring his belongings with, just the essentials to survive and retain decorum when the exams started and he had his chance to take notes for hopefuls that could be inducted in ANBU... No, not that. It's INKA now. He reminded himself. As he would look around, taking his shows in the small entrance of the room, his would stand on the tatami mat, his eyes looking at the warm little place. Stopping as he looked at the twin rolled up mats that had been awaiting to be used and noting that aside another room, this was mostly a shared space. "Are you fine with not having your own sleeping space?" He asked, turning towards her, wondering if she had asked for a bigger room and this was the only thing they had. [attr="class","ditags2"]317 ✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

Pearly delight radiates off of Umechika as Hayato commends the room, even if he's short about it. As he settles his things, Ume looks around the room herself- and then spots the two bed mats laid out side by side in the middle of the room. She blinks at them as he also calls attention to the problem.

A faint blush touches her cheeks, the tips of her pointy ears. "Hwah? The rental lady when I reserved said it was, er... oh. Deluxe double." She laughs, but it's crooked and gnarled and not her normal boisterous cackle. She rubs the back of her head, kicking at one of the beds. "Ah, thought it meant two rooms."

This time, the cackle is usual. "Oh well, we can pull 'em apart later. Fer now, I have items on our agenda!"

Sliding up beside him, she produces a piece of notebook paper with a list of things to do scrawled in her chicken scratch handwriting. It's titled "things to do with hayato" with a little drawing of her head grinning mischievously. On it is everything that there is to do in Akazaya. There are a few added activities, like watch over the festival, oversee training in the fields, and such to the like. She holds this up in front of Hayato, leaning into his shoulder. She points at hot springs first. "I wanna go here tonight, but we can do other stuffs first." She leans away now, but still holding the list out to her old captain. "I say we go eat first. Unless y'see anything on the list yer interested in first."

For now, she is mostly unaware of her own latent desires, so the furthest thing from her mind are ulterior motives. Yet here they are in a room they're meant to spend a week in together, with a list of things to do together. She knew there was business underlying their stay, but she was still a sucker for these festivities and events.

---

333

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] "The hotsprings?" Hayato replied, showing surprise in his words. He had read the list that that she showed him. Most of the subjects were sensible and part of their duties as part of security and to make sure that the entirety of Ayakaza was secured for the incoming delegations and the for the inhabitants. But some of them reeked at him to leisurely activities that seemed at odds with the purpose they were here to begin with. "We're here on assignment, Ume." He said, turning to her not as a chastisement but merely as an observation of their duties. "We can certainly go to eat, but we have objectives to fulfill." And in truth, he wanted to take what was going on seriously. Specially since they were meant to proof that INKA was an organization worth of taking the mantle of ANBU. His glare remained on her and he would relent, considering better to negotiate than outright deny any request. "If we check on security and check the detailed reports of the current garrison in time, you can go." He responded her, giving her a concession before she could have mount any protest on the situation, preferring to have his ad hoc aid in good spirits rather than make her think there was some derision. "Now." He told her as he would rise to his height, towering over the petite pinkette. "Get settled. And feed first. I need you sharp and I don't think carrying you on my back whilst you groan in hunger is a good idea." That, the Commander said gently. Placing a hand on her shoulder as a sign of concern for her. "Once you have your 'drink' then we can go and have food and then to the head quarters of the garrison." He said, not trying to rush her. [attr="class","ditags2"]304 ✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

As soon as he suggests they're on assignment, Ume laughs. Yeah yeah yeah work and all that, but come on man, we can have fun! She doesn't say any of that though and instead folds her arms and pouts at him.

"If we check on security and check the detailed reports of the current garrison in time, you can go." Ume smiles, arms splaying out excitedly as he relents. She gives a little bounce, a clap of her hands, and chants. "Yay! Yay!"

Then he is standing to his full height and towering over her and settling her with a hand on her shoulder and she freezes, stares up into his dark eyes and blinks slow and leisure. Her smile is paused, not fallen but clearly struck with a small startle. There he went with concern and affection again. Her gut twists. She rolls her eyes, tilts her head away from the hand on her shoulder as her offended arm's hand comes up to wrap gently around his wrist. The same wrist she'd once drank from. She blushes a little, avoiding eye contact by searching the far corner of the room. Her pouty lips lets out a small voice. "Are y-you... offering... yer blood, er sumthn'?" The question is sheepish but bold, and she taps her finger against his wrist gingerly with some level of awareness. "I- er- fed this morning. I'm fine..."

Steak sounds good. Well, blood sounds really good, even if she did feed on a blood bag reserve from her fridge this morning. But she couldn't indulge again. Not on Hayato. Not like that.

She'd thought too much of it since that day and she would really like to stop thinking about it, thank you.

---

288

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] "No." He would tell her, keeping his expression neutral as he watches her reaction, taking stock of the tone that she chose, the slight, imperceptible pulling of muscles beneath the skin of her face, the slight tint on her cheeks and ears. The Commander found that somewhat peculiar, almost if the implication was something very much private and intimate. He blinked quietly for a second and released a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Under duress perhaps, but I'm not a walking ration pack. I just ask because I've seen you under the effects of the thirst." He explained, again coming from a position of care. "Now, if you allow me." Hayato would say, his eyes finding the lines that she had wrote about things to do. He found the line that read 'eat a steak'. Honestly anything would do. During his service he had made survival out of things he had caught in the wild or the ration bars that reminded him of cardboard despite the fact the formula had been refined and blends had been assured to improve flavor, he didn't find them delectable. But he didn't scorn the food whatever it was. You never knew when it would be the last time you had something to eat. "Well, if you're ready then, let us get your steak." He added, waiting for her to follow him before leaving their shared room and soon they would leave the hotel. "I will say, you did prepare a lot for this visit." He said, turning to her. Taking notice on how much she had planned the whole ordeal, beyond just doing their duty and make sure that the security of the event was as tight as it could be. He would look around on the roofs, taking notes of improvements that could be made and of the evident shades of the spotters that were supposedly to be in duty. "Some of these shinobi seem sloppy... I've seen no less than a dozen flaws that could be exploited by an enemy." [attr="class","ditags2"]340 ✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

"No."

The pout deepens, her shoulders sag, and she blows air out of her nose with a soft hmph. before she throws no further fuss, respecting his sentiments on the matter. She only pipes up when he claims to have seen her under the thirst, and she corrects him quickly. "You've seen me starving. The thirst is... something else." They move on smoothly, and Ume shoves the list away into her giant coat when they're done and he suggests they go on to get her steak first. She hums a bit, sing-song voice chiming out, "Yes, please!~"

Once they're out on the streets and headed onward, Ume surveys as well, but is nowhere near as scrutinizing as Hayato. She is far more interested in decoration and the tourists. Even as evening is just around the corner and the skies already threaten to turn dark, there are people still lingering in numbers. She wants to say thank you but it feels icky, so she only speaks again once he's pointed out how sloppy some of the shinobi are at their jobs. Ume snickers a little. "I noticed a few too. Probably lax 'cos of the festivities and allat."

Sleeves empty at her sides, Umechika's arms are folded over her long sleeve top. Despite the cold, she's wearing shorts, but opts for white leg warmers over her boots. She notices Hayato looks the same as usual, and she supposes she does too, but there's a certain uniformity to him about it. She side-eyes him as they round the sidewalk and cross the paved street, wondering if he knows how to loosen up and have a good time.

Ume has a specific teppanyaki restaurant in mind she hadn't been to since she was a child with her mother, and when she sees it in the distance she perks up and points at it, breaking open her cloak. "There!"

---

Kazuhiro Hayato - 315

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] "All the more reason for them to be wary and ready." He said, taking note of the lax security and hoping that these were mere lapses of judgement rather than the usual state of affairs of security. He would have to have stern conversation with the garrison commander when he met. His features tightening slightly at the idea of the changes he would have to implement once he took de facto command of the garrison at the advent of the festival and the exams that were soon to follow. "Sloppy..." He managed to say, shaking his head in disgust at the lack of following procedures in this. Yet whatever complaints he might have had died as soon as his companion pointed out the restaurant they were going to. A teppanyaki place for the looks of it. He had never been to one of these, but he had heard that food was cooked in front of the guests. Allowing Umechika to lead them, the two entered the restaurant, the combined scents of food being cooked assaulted him, the sound of sizzling meat and vegetables being a welcoming music as for once, he felt his own mouth water. "This place looks nice." He managed to say, his eyes wondering from a side of restaurant to the next. Soon they were sat in front of a teppan, menus provided for them as the cook began to prepare the surface. His eyes moved to menu. All seemed delectable and in truth he wasn't sure what would be the proper to order. He would then turn to Umechiko. "I think you might order for us." His eyes drifting to the selection of drinks, turning once more to his companion. "Don't order alcohol, after this we're still in duty, we need to go to the garrison to continue our inspection." [attr="class","ditags2"]303✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

Once they're in the joint and the food is sizzling all around them, accompanied by wafting, mouth-watering scents, Umechika is coming out of her skin with elation. Even her companion seems to enjoy the atmosphere, commenting positively on it - Ume beams. "It is nice!"

They're being seated in front of a giant metal plate, their server stationed across from them. He's in all white, ungreased by food, and Ume wonders if he changes attire between customers.

"I think you might order for us." Ume inflates with excitement, mouth hanging open to call for alcohol, despite being the worst lightweight in Kumogakure. Her plans are quickly dashed. "Don't order alcohol, after this we're still in duty, we need to go to the garrison to continue our inspection." The chuunin pouts, but orders an appetizer of harumaki and a wide selection of meat and rice to share, opting for a few vegetables as to not look unhealthy in front of Hayato. Usually, she'd leave those out. She only orders water as their drinks.

The harumaki comes quickly, before they have much time to discuss anything at all, but as soon as it's served in front of them the chef on the other side of the cooktop begins searing their chosen foods. Sizzling acts as background noise on top of the various voices lingering over the atmosphere, but not at all too distracting.

"So," Ume says pointedly around a mouthful of spring roll. She swallows and gestures with her chopsticks, appetizer still clinched at their tip. "How ya been since the last time I saw you? You seemed pretty sad, and I got pretty drunk, and then..." Her eyelashes flutter a bit and she looks sideways to the chef, then back to Hayato. "Well. Y'know." She shoves the last half of the eggroll into her mouth, chewing with puffy cheeks. She really has no table manners.

---

Kazuhiro Hayato | 313

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] And she orders their food, with practice ease, or so it seems to him. He goes quickly through the options, the steamed rice and harumaki rolls, water came to them in a bottle and two glasses as they waited for the meat to arrive that he understood it would be cooked before them. He would reach for the chopsticks and carefully split them, his eyes finding Umechika as she spoke, half the roll in her mouth as she spoke, asking him about his mental state. As she chew the roll and he took notice on how little table manners she had, he thought as he went for a single roll. Taking a bite and enjoying the filling, chicken, mushrooms, carrots, he detected. "You drank my blood, yes." He said in a manner of fact tone. He wasn't sure why she acted so strange about the fact. He had provided his own vitae from his free will, and he had done so out of a place of concern for a companion. If he didn't know better, it seemed that for her this was akin of vulgar image. He imagined that it had to be something normal for her and her kin. Hayato kept his counsel about the first part of her question. "I am fine." He said. He still had some lingering thoughts about his past, but the new position that Kizumi had assigned to him had kept him busy enough and it had returned some of the familiarity of the past. "I'm not sure if I'm sad or not. I suppose that I just am." He didn't know how else to put it, he had just tried to keep on working and making sure that things were simply going along. "Although, I sometimes do feel absent." He admitted as he would take a sip from the cold glass of water. "And you? How is your mother? Have you talked to her?" [attr="class","ditags2"]321 ✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

"You drank my blood, yes."

Ume's eyes widen and she chokes on her food a little, eyes darting to the chef who seems to pay no mind beyond a glimpse of eye contact. The fledgling clears her throat, blushes, nods sideways. "Yep. I did that..." More spring roll enters her mouth and she chews with a fixed gaze as he goes on, attempting to describe to her how he feels. She knows all too well how hard it is to do such a thing, to be vulnerable. It would almost make her uncomfortable, if she did not find herself caring for him as of late. Sometimes her imagination would wander, she would dream of drinking his blood, both in waking and sleep. She thought of things she would not dare tell him of, but only because they were morbid and not at all anything he would understand. Her feelings were complex. Visceral, guttural, bloodthirsty.

His question snaps her out of the spiral. She swallows, sips from her own cold glass of water, and addresses it with some level of detachment.

"My ma..." Ume's eyes sweep across Hayato, resting comfortably on the metal stovetop the meat is being seared atop. The smell is pungent, delightfully so, and she pulls a few steadying, deep breaths through her nose. Then she smirks and snickers a little, nervously, and looks back to Hayato. "Well, she had a lot of questions about you. But I don't really talk to her about the deep stuff."

Wishing it was alcohol, Ume takes another sip from her glass.

---

Kazuhiro Hayato | 260

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] Umechika does ponder a lot, whatever is unspoken by her is deeply tied to her being or she is too shamed to share it with him. He however, decides not to press the issue. If she wanted, she would've shared with him and perhaps it was for the best not to do so in front of a stranger in the form of the cook. He averted his gaze to the man as he worked the meal for the couple before him. His hands playing with the cooking utensils to an audience that didn't pay much attention beyond the growing hunger that was mounting in their stomachs. It was then that the pinkette mentioned Omaharu, and her expression became even stranger as if she didn't spoke at length of what he was doing with her. The way she phrased that too, seemed like there was an spoken rule broken, a strange dichotomy and a covert nature of their meeting, treating it as if it were a tryst that broke boundaries. He blinked at her explanation, feeling it lackluster and only serving to feed up speculation to her mother. "We were drinking." He said with a shrug and look of confusion. "I'm not sure what else is there to explain. I brought you to the only home I knew you had, so she would take care of you. It was my responsibility." He said and it was that. As the cook began to serve the dishes on plates, he wondered what she had been thinking to cause such reaction and he thought that perhaps he had made her and her mother uncomfortable with his presence. His expression slackened. "If I made anything out of place that upset your mother, I can apologize to her when we return to the village." He said, as he would pour soy sauce on a small plate and take one of the seared cuts of meet, popping it in his mouth and enjoying the exquisite taste of the seared flesh, before swallowing. "Still, you should talk to her, she seems as a wonderful person. And as someone whose mother has passed, you never know when that could happen." [attr="class","ditags2"]361 ✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

Hayato mistakes her phrasing for having done something out of place - she can tell by the tone in his voice alone that he is already planning on being super apologetic and gentlemanly about it. Their meats and vegetables are served to them and Ume is forced to laugh out loud at her comrade.

Her chopsticks take up a slice of meat and she plops it in her mouth plain, chewing giddily and humming at the ooze of flavors filling her senses. It wasn't blood, but it was rich and delicate. "Apologize?" She fills her own small bowl with soy sauce, then piles a fair share of meat and veggies onto her small platter as she speaks sideways about the ordeal. "Nah nah, she had questions about who you are to me. She thought you were all gentleman and shit." She drenches a pepper in the soy sauce and tosses that into her mouth too, giving a happy little shake of her shoulders as the flavors sing on her tongue. Topping it off with a chug of cold water, she lets out a satisfied sigh before leaning back a little, hands gripping the edge of the black countertop. "Yer probably right though. Not to be a bummer about yer own ma, but like... I dunno, it's not so easy."

Ume's face softens, grows somewhat sullen, as she contemplates what it would be like to lose her mother. Her father she'd lost at a young age to the Red Thirst, but all it had really done was leave her with a morbid obsession with liquid crimson in her own way. What would her mother's passing leave her? An ache? A hole in her heart? It was complicated - it was twisting and painful and ugly. She was a horrifying mirror of her mother, both in all she could have been and all she never will get to be. And Ume could only see herself in her mother, but in a way that it was the other looking in - her mother must see herself in Maimomu, and Ume wondered if she hated what she saw. Or did she only see Chihaku, and the monster Maimomu could be?

Snapping herself out of the spiral, Ume flashes her pearly whites, fangs poking over her bottom lip as she grins at Hayato. A mischievous twinkle rolls over her blue eyes. "Anyway, didn't I say I'd save the mommy issues for the third date?"

As she settles back on her stool, Ume sips from her glass again. "But, ah, don't worry about my ma. She liked ya."

---

Kazuhiro Hayato | 429

[Kazuhiro Hayato]

[attr="class","dilyrics2"]Shinobi May Keep Secrets ButLoyalty [attr="class","dilyric2"]Is It's Own Reward

[attr="class","dibody2"] "I didn't mean to imply that it would be easy." Hayato answers, his chopsticks deftly taking a hold one of the seared pieces of meat that had been served. Taking a moment to dip it in soy sauce before bringing it to his mouth, chewing as he tried to get through the flavors that had been associated with the spices and the cut as the head had cauterized the flesh and melted the fat away. He found the taste pleasant, chewing the cut until he would finally turn his gaze to the pinkette. "I meant to suggest that you should try to reach a point of truth and reconciliation." He told her in a quiet tone. "With how our lives go, it is best not leave things unsaid. You regret not being able to speak out." At least, he thought he did. He wasn't sure if there was anything he would like to tell his mother or his father right now. Or if he would be able to tell them anything at all. His life had been for all intends and purposes sequestered, kept away from interactions like this one by sheer merit of his duty as a shinobi as ANBU Captain. He could imagine their sadness at that prospect, even if he couldn't truly remember their faces. As she would remind him that she had left such details about her mother for a third date, whatever that meant, he simply chuckled, a brief smile perching on his lips before his gaze returned to her after she mentioned her mother once more, this time mentioning what she thought of him. "I'm glad." He said, meaning that genuinely. "I thank her for that." He added. In truth he didn't remember anytime anyone aside the Shinobi under his command gave him a compliment like that. [attr="class","ditags2"]303 ✖ Shitai Maimomu ✖ notes if you want

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Shitai Maimomu]

What he says makes her blood feel a little icier than usual, so she shovels two cuts of meat into her mouth dry and chews a bit quickly. Was there a point of truth and reconciliation with her mother? Now that he's putting it into this kind of perspective, Ume starts to wonder if she isn't a little afraid of her mother too. In a different way from how Omaharu feared her daughter, but it was a fear nonetheless. Really wishing it was alcohol, she swallows down the meat with the last chug of ice water - she raises her hand and waves for a refill.

"Maybe you're right," and she sounds a little bitter about it.

"I'm glad. I thank her for that." Ume smirks at him with meat hanging from her chopsticks, dripping soy sauce onto her small platter; but she says nothing and eats a few more cuts of meat, allowing a moment of comfortable silence between them. Her mind stirs - about her mother, about the truth, about what Hayato had said. It makes her feel a bit melancholy, a weight bringing her down. She would shed her coat, but she knew the physical release would do nothing for the emotional swell aching her muscles. When her new water arrives, she sips from it to make the dryness in her throat cease. There's a hum rising from her chest before she speaks again, a vain attempt at soothing the awkwardness that comes with being vulnerable with one another.

"What would you say?" Her voice is soft but steady, bold and unwavering, despite unnerve. For as close as they were, it was mostly military and business. She knew him on the battlefield better than she did at the bar, over drinks, as friends. How were they supposed to move beyond that? It was uneven footing for her, and she dared not question the way she longed to taste his crimson again. "I, ah, don't know much about yer situation. I don't mean to pry..."

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Kazuhiro Hayato | 335