[Shitai Maimomu]

Somewhere around the third or fourth day of her stay in Akazaya, Ume takes a day to herself as Hayato does. Well. Whatever it is he's doing today.

Interested in seeing the Genin and visitors coming from all over, Ume takes to one of the various training fields plotted around the outskirts of Akazaya. Though it's expected that ninja will come and take a peek at the training shinobi, Ume felt as though she could be a little more useful than that - so she checks in with the Kumogakure medical head of this specific training field and takes up the duty of on-site medic-nin, at the ready for any injuries that arise. She dabbles in supervision, so since today seems slower, she takes to watching from afar in the early afternoon.

The sun is warm, melting away what snow lays atop the earth. Even though it is bitter outside, a biting chill creeping over Ume's exposed skin, the near-dead Shitai does not shiver. Her oversized cloak covers her small frame, and she breathes warm air into the tall collar. Puffs of white exhale from her as she scans the area. Everything seems to be going relatively smoothly. 

She croons backward against the training dummy that she's leaning against, groaning, wondering what her travel partner is doing. Maybe she should have tagged along.

---

Honō Saya - 222

[Honō Saya]

One more. Saya thought, her breath coming in slow, steady drags as she looked down at the quartet of seals she had placed on the ground. None of them were individually very strenuous to place, but together the four Senkin represented a significant chunk of her chakra- not all of it, but enough that she could feel the strain, making her sweat despite the chill in the air. Her outfit was damp with the stuff, soaking through the fabric of her yukata (lined today with wool for added warmth) and making it cling to her skin as she drew a line in the loamy earth with her blade, chakra spiraling through the iron as she planted a fifth and final seal on the ground.

"There." The Hono girl whispered, the cold shuddering through her as she held the quintet of seals together with her chakra, panting slightly from the effort. She had never tried to hold so many together at once, but it was good practice for what she would need to do in the Exams… whatever that was. No one knew, not even the Jounin she’d come with, and there was no real way for her to find out, not in foreign country who wasn’t exactly Kusa’s favorite friend. Not an enemy, certainly, but not close either.

Release. Saya thought as she forced the five seals to dissipate, the strain on her chakra network easing somewhat… but not all the way. Her reserves had dropped very low, enough that she was only just now noticing it, her limbs shaking as she tried to step away from the field… and failed, collapsing to her knees in utter exhaustion.

"Uh… hello?" She said as she tried to sit up, her arms refusing to work, the mud soaking into her hair and clothes, chilling her already frigid skin. "Anyone? I could use some help getting up…"

Shitai Maimomu

[Shitai Maimomu]

Lost in thought, Ume doesn't notice the foreign genin amidst the few ninja present on the field. It's not until the strawberry haired teen collapses to her knees and struggles to get up that the chuunin even looks up, and it's a second beyond that before she stirs. Narrow eyes track the outlander, witness a short struggle, and she cocks her head before pushing off the training dummy to approach. Beneath her large cloak comes a single handseal, and suddenly the older pinkette is at Strawberry-chan's aid.

Kneeling into the earth, Ume's cape hangs over her back as she rolls her shoulders free to hook an arm around to the girl's other side, other hand catching hers. The stranger's kusagakure headband flashes at the kumonin - an ally. When she has a good grip on Strawberry-chan's closest hand, Ume begins prying her from the mud. "C'mon, kusanin," Ume cooes in an almost derisive tone - it might be xenophobic ordinarily, but for the leech it was only her natural inflection. "It happens to the best and worst of us."

Once she's out of the mud and on her feet, Ume slides under the girl's shoulder - which is easy, given their height difference. Taking her by the wrist and guiding her forward with a hand hovering at her hip, Ume quickly but smoothly brings Strawberry-chan over to the medical tent. Nodding and speaking quickly to one of the other cloud medic ninja on site, the fledgling takes her patient to the far most cot set up at the back of the white, cotton abode. The front flaps are drawn and tied off, bringing in the afternoon sun.

"Here y'go," comes again the crooning as Ume gently drops Strawberry-chan to sit on the edge of her black cot.

---

Honō Saya | 294

[Honō Saya]

Saya heard her good samaritan well before she actually saw the woman; her ears picked up on the soft squish-squish of feet on mud, the sound sending a wave of relief through her as she looked up at her savior. She was a pale thing, petite in a feminine way, though her figure wasn’t so thin as to be considered unhealthy, nor did she think her weak. There was a tone to the stranger’s arms that bespoke long hours of practice, and when the Kumo-nin bent down to pick the Hono up, she wasn’t surprised to find herself rising from the mud with nary a huff or puff from the pink-haired medic.

"T-thanks." The Kusa Genin said, her voice soft, teeth chattering slightly at the cold that was seeping through her skin. It was a warm day in Akazaya, but that didn’t mean much; snow littered the ground in places, and she could still easily make out her every breath; that meant it was cold enough to get sick in, if she stayed for too long. Which she undoubtedly had, given how hard she’d been working to practice her Fuinjutsu. "Didn’t realize how little chakra I had left."

Once the Kumo-nin held her to her feet, the pair of them hobbled over to the medical tent, the shorter woman holding the redhead upright despite the distinct height difference; it took a little doing, but soon enough she sat Saya down on the edge of a black cot, the tent’s cotton flaps open to the sun but still enclosing a good bit of heat inside. It wasn’t the best place to catch your breath, but given her only other option was to freeze out in the mud, she’d take what she could get.

"God, this is so embarrassing." She murmured once the other woman had set her down, body swaying slightly with the effort it took to stay upright. She hadn’t worked herself into a state of chakra exhaustion in years, not since just after she had graduated from the Academy. Before her Sensei had given up, before Kojirou had gone to that disastrous Chuunin Exams… Ugh. The teen shook her head, pushing the thoughts of those days from her mind as she swayed to her left, leaning against the Kumo-nin for support.

"Would you mind telling me who I have to thank for pulling me from the mud?"

[Shitai Maimomu]

The kusa girl is easy enough to get along to the medical tent, and easy enough then to set safely there on the cot. Strawberry-chan seems a little out of it, and leans into Umechika's hip for support. The pinkette's face slacks, eyes fluttering as she stares down at the girl. Tentatively, she gives her head a few pats. Soft hair, if not damp with exhaustion.

Then she asks a kind of simple question, yet a confused expression falls over the chuunin's front. One eye disappears into her fringe, and the other corner of her lip turns up. "Huh? Me, duh." Then it clicks, and Ume lets out a short laugh. "Oh. Right. M'name's Umechika. You can call me Ume." The hand that had been carefully patting the girl's head shifts, so that her hand is on her shoulder. She eases her upright again, testing her strength. How far had she pushed herself? "Wanna tell me who it is I pulled out've the mud?"

Umechika did not normally take interest in others, especially not another from a different village - even if their villages were allied. Not interest that went beyond curiosity, anyway; judging from afar as opposed to getting to know someone up close. However, she was always curious about the up-and-comers, the future leaders and serfs. Idly, Ume wonders which one Strawberry-chan will end up as.

---

Honō Saya | 227

[Honō Saya]

A soft, somewhat painful chuckle ripples through Saya at the Kumo-nin’s antics, her lips parting a warm smile as she leaned into her hand, relying on it to keep her upright, though not utterly. She could stay up, she just… needed a little help.

"Hono Saya." She said, her smile fading as she took in a deep breath, allowing herself to really feel just how much she had pushed herself. Her reserves were dangerously low, but there was more to it than that; the redhead had been pushing herself for days, getting in every second of training and practice that she could. She had gotten up before dawn, and gone to bed well after sunset every day, and that relentless pace had finally caught up with her. She would need to rest the next few days if she wanted to be in any condition to participate in the Exams.

"Thank you for helping me, Ume-chan." Saya mumbles, leaning forward as she closes her eyes, voice soft and low, enjoying the other woman’s warmth. Her breathing is slow and soothing, and before long the young Kusa-nin feels herself slipping into sleep, her body going slack against Umechika’s shoulder.

Shitai Maimomu

[Shitai Maimomu]

The girl's chuckle is a warm hum and she reciprocates the touch with a smile. Her voice is soft, velvety, tired. Almost gravelly, but in a soft, girlish way. She seems far too worn out, and it forces Umechika to wonder how long she'd been training. Since she got here? Really, she should take it easy before the exams, save up her energy for it.

But Umechika says none of this. She does, however, purse her lips and let her eyes wander down the sleepy girl. She is fit, youthful, cute. She seemed strong; strong enough to push herself to exhaustion, at least. Foolish - but Ume liked fools. As she leans forward, as if searching for the chuunin, Umechika slides onto the cot next to her so that she can lean against her. Sitting side by side, with Honō Saya sinking into her shoulder, Ume watches the kusa-nin carefully.

What was her game here? She was making Ume's face tingle, pin-pricks of heat swarming her cheeks. This felt weirdly intimate, and as the girl's breathing comes to a dead slow and Ume knows her to be asleep, the vampire feels her dead heart clamber into her throat. This was wrong, and icky, and felt too warm and cuddly. But the girl makes a soft noise in her sleep and Ume melts a little bit, throwing her head back in agony as she lets out a soft groan of protest.

What was she supposed to do now? Let her sleep there? Lay her down on the cot? Ume would deliberate for what felt like hours before gently lowering Saya down into the bed to rest her head on the pillow strewn there.

Heart still at the back of her tongue, Ume takes back to the outside of the tent. In the time it takes Saya to wake up, she contemplates leaving before the girl wakes up.

[Honō Saya]

Saya closed her eyes, the warm feeling of Umechika’s skin against her cheek as she drifted off into sleep, only vaguely aware of being lifted and moved before falling into the black abyss of unconsciousness. When she opened them again, hours later, a moment of confusion spread through the redhead’s mind, her thoughts sluggish and scrambled by sleep.

"Where-?" She says, sitting up slowly in the darkened tent, her honey-yellow gaze unable to see much beside an unfamiliar shape standing at the entrance. For a moment, the Kusa Kunoichi has no clue what is happening, her mind playing catch-up with what happened- but eventually, enough of the grogginess drains away from her thoughts for her to remember. Right. I collapsed, that Kumo-nin helped me to the medical tent, and then…

A slight flush passed across the Hono’s face as she remembered what had happened next; she’d all but thrown herself onto the other woman, likely making her rather uncomfortable in the process, then had the gall to pass out without so much as offering an apology. It was a miracle Umechika had stayed as long as she did, with behavior like that. Getting up out of the cot with a sigh, Saya strapped Hitsuiken back to her hip, checking to make sure she hadn’t lost her mother’s necklace (she had not) before she shook the stray thoughts free and walked, slowly, towards the entrance. At least she made sure someone was watching me.

"Um… thank you for watching over me, but I’m awake now." She said, her voice still holding the dredges of her exhaustion as she approached the person in front of the tent… and froze, surprise writ large across her face. "Ume-chan?"

Shitai Maimomu

[Shitai Maimomu]

Daylight sags by and nighttime floods the fields in darkness, and one by one those who had been here volunteering their time disappeared. When it was only the vampire and one other medic, Ume had dismissed them to wait herself. It was the least she could do for the girl.

It's chilly out and Ume's breath clouds visibly from the high collar of her thick coat. Back turned to the open tent, wondering if the cold might wake the girl up sooner, the pinkette stares up at the moon and studies its beauty quietly. Focused on her breathing, she clears her mind. Still tuned into the world around her, she hears Saya before she speaks. As soon as she's closed the gap, the chuunin turns her attention to the redhead and smiles, vicious fangs poking over soft lips. "One and only," she muses, before taking a step sidelong to gesture the genin out. "You've been out for hours. Rest is good, but let's get something in yer belly."

She wouldn't leave room for protest. Umechika takes a moment to lock up the tents before setting out, making sure to keep the kusa girl close. Umechika makes idle conversation, and the bustling village is none too far away. Already, smells of the night market's vendors serving endless goods waft into their short travel. "Nobody came to check on you. Aren't ya with yer sensei and teammates or something?"

[Honō Saya]

"You don’t-!" Saya began, only to be cut off, her eyes widening as the pink-haired medic told her they would be getting something to eat. Umechika had let no room for debate in her tone, the woman asserting her medical authority to stifle any dissent; the Hono girl almost, almost argued anyway, her sense of propriety waging war with the weight of what she had already done, but eventually propriety and politeness won out over shame, and she nodded, looking away from the Kumo-nin as she closed the tent off.

The Kusa-nin’s cheeks flushed slightly whenever she looked at the Shitai, her usually sunny disposition displaced by the burning embarrassment of her sleepy forwardness, so it took her a moment to recognize when she was being asked a question- though, when she did, her blush grew into something far less awkward and far more ashamed.

"I don’t have a team. Or a sensei." The redhead said softly, glancing away from Umechika as they walked, right arm crossing beneath her breasts to grip her left forearm. She had made the right choice in leaving her former team and Sensei, but the way things had ended with them had been far from ideal. She had Sachi, and to a lesser extent Atagi, but they were busy with their own training, and Kojirou wasn’t due to arrive in Akazaya until the Exams started… so there really was no one.

"I used to but… we parted on bad terms. None of them even bothered to come see me compete."

Shitai Maimomu

[Shitai Maimomu]

What was with this girl? It wasn't that she was meek or wimpy - she seems rather strong in her own, strawberry right anyway. Yet she was sheepish, bashful, a faint tinge of pink dusting her face. Umechika tries not to look, even as she starts to explain, but she presses her arm beneath her endowment and Ume simply cannot deny the suppleness there beneath modest robes. Now a dusting of pink slides over the operative's ears, cheeks, nose - she rolls her eyes to the stars, tries to count out a constellation or two.

"Damn. Sorry to hear it."

A beat.

"Err..." Ume scratches awkwardly at her cheek, lips pursed and blue eyes pointed anywhere else. "I'll watch ya compete. Got no other genin to keep m'eye on, so.."

She coughs. They're in town now, the various smells wafting from every which way. Even in the early morning hours, vendors lined the streets offering various goods and sweets and meats. "Go ahead and find anything you want. I'll get you whatever." Once again, her tone leaves no room for debate - she would see to it that the girl was alright, all fed, and nor forgotten. If no one else would be here for her, what harm was there in Ume being here? She was an ally, anyway, so it wasn't unprecedented.

Normally, Umechika would not offer so much either way, ally or not. Something about Honō Saya was catching her attention, though, and something resonated with going without. She would feel bad if she let her continue that way.

Ugh, what would Hayato say?

[Honō Saya]

Why am I so nervous? Saya thought as the pair of them walked, her honey-yellow gaze lingering ever so gently on Umechika’s face, the soft tinge of pink that was scattered across both their cheeks. There was a moment of silence, a quiet awkwardness that shouldn’t have been there- and, of course, the Hono girl had a feeling she knew where it came from. It had to be her hug from earlier. It had been a simple act, something she’d done without thinking, exhausted and more than a little loopy, but it was having some serious consequences now. She would have to fix that, before it made things even more awkward between them.

"Thanks." The redhead said, forcing the sheepiness from her voice as she looked away from the Kumo nin, eyes focusing on the road ahead. It took her a moment to summon up the courage to speak; despite her many years of experience dealing with awkward situations, it had rarely ever been her fault, and never quite so uncomfortably intimate as this one was. Not that she found the pink-haired woman to be unattractive, but… well. She was a Genin. Umechika was at least a Chuunin, probably older than her by several years, and likely just wanted to do right by someone in need.

"I, uh… I’m sorry. About before." Saya began, trying to keep her voice light as she spoke, not wanting to make things any more awkward. "I didn’t mean to be so… forward. I was tired and you were warm and I just… didn’t think about it." She had felt comfortable, though. Very comfortable. It had been nice, being cuddled up next to someone, even if only for a few minutes.

"There’s a nice Yakiniku spot near where I’m staying." She said after a moment, glancing away from the Shitai as she walked, still trying not to look at the other girl, heartbeat loud against her eardrums. There was no reason for her to be this nervous, and yet she was. Very much so. Even after her apology. "It’s a bit of a walk, but… Well. I like the food there, if you’re offering."

Shitai Maimomu

[Shitai Maimomu]

Oh, Gods. She's bringing it up. Damned girl, don't you know to leave things unsaid? Umechika grows itchy, fingers twitching at her sides beneath her oversized coat as she keeps her gaze pointedly ahead. Even though she's legally dead and her heart is slow to pump blood through her retched vessel, she feels every inch of it now, sparkling with the flush rushing to the surface of her pale, clammy skin. Her blue eyes flash against the red, and she attempts to feign a casual click of her tongue. "Eh, what damsel in distress doesn't throw her arms around her knight in shining armor?"

Okay. That was awful. Ume is making it worse. She turns her head away, cheeks puffed out as she holds back a noiseless scream, eyes wild for just a moment. When she turns her head forward again, her expression is smooth, a pearly fang poking over her curled lip. This was fine.

Yakiniku perks up her ears, eyes flicking up to the taller kunoichi's face with new ease. "Barbeque? Tch, of course, girly." Her voice is an ooze, thankful that Saya is choosing something the kusanin can enjoy too.

The prolonged walk is not to be unenjoyed either, and she tries to overcome the initial awkwardness by playing it cool and definitely not making it any more awkward. Maybe avoid further discussion of failed relationships or misguided affection. What a strange way to bond with a foreigner. "My Chuunins sucked," she muses, stretching her arms out in front of her, palms fronting with fingers locked. "I made a fool of myself by thinking I was the best. Turns out everyone thinks they're the best. And some of 'em are more right than you." Her fingers come apart, arms swinging to clasp wrists over the base of her spine, coat pushed back to reveal her black catsuit with her signature chest window showing off pale white. Even in the wintery night over the mountainside village, she could not feel its biting chill. "Still passed though. Somehow. I dunno, the whole thing was embarrassing."

Her eyes had slid closed somewhere in between, but one parts to peek up at Saya now, no stutter in her gait. She grins more sincerely, a little wickedly. "Should've bitten a few more throats to get ahead, aye?"

As always, Umechika has a point - but she's taking the roundabout way to get to it.

[Honō Saya]

For some reason, airing out her own misgivings about what had happened and apologizing for it did not have the effect she thought it would. The awkwardness between them only grew as she spoke, her words drawing forth a deep, scarlet blush that made the Kumo-nin’s pale skin look all the more beautiful. Saya took in a deep breath, turning her honey-yellow gaze away from Umechika as the other woman spoke, her own face growing flush to match as she remembered what had happened… and how much she had enjoyed it.

"Yes. Barbeque." She said after a moment, turning her head back towards the older woman, her blush fading as she took in several slow, steady breaths. There is an awkward silence after that, a quiet tension between them she can’t quite place- thankfully, though, the Kumo-nin breaks it first, changing the topic before she can, somehow, bumble into another embarrassing moment without meaning to.

"My cousin said much the same thing about his exams." Saya said, looking at Ume as they walked, her expression shifting to something more thoughtful, though not yet completely devoid of the soft flush of embarrassment from earlier. "I don’t think I’m the best here, but I intend to do my best. I have a lot to live up to." And then, as if on cue, things got awkward again; Umechika spoke further, closing her eyes and stretching out her body like a cat, revealing the black bodysuit beneath her jacket… and all that it didn’t hide.

The Kusa-nin felt her face heat up, cheeks going crimson as the other woman finished speaking, the innuendo and advice missed as she stared, somewhat dumbfounded, at Umechika’s outfit. She had seen people wear things like it before, but for some reason the way the pink-haired woman stood, the contrast between her pale skin and the black bodysuit… it set something off inside of her. As if her whole life she’d been working with a pile of dry wood, and now it had been lit up, burning through her head like a fire.

"Uh… y-yeah. Right."

Shitai Maimomu

[Shitai Maimomu]

For some reason, Saya seems disgruntled. Umechika can't figure out why right away, until she realizes the only difference is her newly exposed body, lithe and small and catlike exposed between them. A wicked little grin carves out beneath her eyes. She wonders how often the girl leers at others or if the Shitai is an exception.

There's at least a dozen different ways the vampire thinks of off the bat to mess with the poor girl, but she decides against it. Don't wanna rile her up before the exams. Still, "Pervert," she can't let it go unpunished.

As they walk, Umechika's arms naturally retreat, her coat finding estate over her form again. She doesn't know what to say, so she doesn't say anything for a time, her face, chest, core still tinged with more warmth than she's used to her body producing. Ume plays it collected, her face straight save for the twitch of an eyebrow on occasion. She tries not to think of Saya in any way except central; she is here visiting, anyway. When would they see each other again? And what would Hayato think?

Twitch.

Why does she care what Hayato might think?

The thought surges her forward. She might be dead already, but she'll only live one - that's what she tells herself anyway when she grabs the grass girl's hand. Her touch is cold, snaking, her fingers twining like silk between Saya's. She admires the warmth of her living body, the soft contrasted by the callouses of a warrior. With this comes a new skip to Ume's step, a quicker pace as she coaxes the girl along.

"Hurry up!" but her voice is tender and excited. "You got me hungry for steak~!"