[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Sachi waltzed onto the stone path leading to the inn where Kai was staying, her twin tails swaying back and forth with each step, the smoke from her kiseru pipe trailing behind her in wispy tendrils. The chilly winter air nipped at her, haori providing little protection against the cold, causing her to hunch slightly in discomfort. As she approached the entrance, her azure eyes scanned the area, searching for the familiar figure of the black-haired Uchiha.

After the end of the exam, Kai had requested to meet in private and so tonight she had come alone. Even though she was a little drained, she couldn’t reject Kai’s request especially because they seldom had opportunities to be together as they lived in different shinobi villages–a factor Sachi hadn’t thought too deeply about until recently which was due to her change in perception. Because of what had happened earlier, her heart was racing with a little spark of anticipation and it was new and scary for the girl but a welcomed feeling. There wasn’t enough time for her to figure out the clear reason for the change but she accepted that she had changed in some way and it probably was a good thing.

Despite her weariness, Sachi's demeanor remained merry and bright, as if her very presence exuded the essence of imaginary pink flowers, the scent of sakura petals adding to her general exuberance. With each click of her geta shoes against the wooden floors of the lobby, she approached Kai with a wide grin, her excitement infectious as usual. "Ah," she exclaimed upon finding him, her grin widening further. "Uwa! Fancy meeting you here, Kai. What a coincidence!" Her cheerful tone masked any hint of fatigue as she greeted him warmly, cheeks flushed pink against her pale skin. "Good evening~”

The merry Kisei sported a light green yukata that she had borrowed from her inn, her regular clothes cut up and hastily put together during an intermission due to one of her fights. Her body and face still had cuts and bruises from her matches.

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tag: Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

Kai was still recovering after the rather incredible fights he'd had prior. There were bandaged wounds all over him, bruises, and battle damage a plenty... Which made sense, honestly, considering how badly the two of them had been battered around.

But even still, he felt after their last fight, he wanted to sit back and talk with Sachi for a while- Decide where they'd go from there. Decide, where their adventures would take them. The earlier days talks and the way she got all nervous- It was clear more was on her mind, so Kai went out of his way to invite her to a lovely hotel, where they could sit down, drink together, enjoy eachothers company, and discuss... Well.

Discuss where they were going from here. He was wearing the same things as he had earlier- His typical black combat pants and boots, his gray shirt, and above that, a shell of the Kumogakure style Hoodie he got as a consolation prize for picking it up as his support item.

Kai's eyes met with Sachi's as she entered the room- And indeed, her presence was enough to make his heart swell with joy. She was so soft when she walked, so kind and lovely- He couldn't help but smile back as he placed his hands on either of her forearms.

"What a coincidence indeed. Good evening, dear. I already have a room prepared upstairs, if you want." His eyes drifted to her injuries, as he moved a bit closer, gently moving a thumb under one of her cuts, his smile temporarily fading into a frown as he placed his other hand upon her shoulder.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you beaten up like this... Even if it is in our job description." Truth stung his statement. They were shinobi- They were expected to get into fights and get hurt. But even still... It didn't make it any easier to see a loved one, beaten and cut, standing before you. In a way, he almost wished he could kiss them better, some sort of jutsu-... But that was a fairly ridiculous ask, all things considered, as he allowed her room to move and talk at her own leisure.

"...Shall we?"

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

As usual, Kai responded to her playful greeting with a quip of his own. The inn they were in was pleasant enough, similar in quality to the one she had stayed in with Saya, yet the atmosphere felt slightly different. Was it because she was alone with Kai at the moment? Should it feel different? The thought left her feeling unsettled, prompting her to try and mask her emotions with her usual expression, though she wasn't intentionally hiding her feelings.

"Hm?" Sachi paused momentarily as Kai's thumb brushed over the scratches on her face, noticing the slight sadness in his expression. Her eyes widened before she averted her gaze, feeling a flush of feverishness rise to her cheeks. "Has he always been this touchy?" she wondered silently, mirroring his action by touching her face in response. Despite feeling a bit bashful, she quickly composed herself, taking a silent breath to steady her nerves. Kai had always been more forward when it came to public displays of affection, though Sachi had never given it much thought before.

"That's... true," she replied, glancing off to the side as she continued. Upon closer inspection, the kunoichi realized that he was far more battered and bruised than she had initially noticed. "We rarely go on missions together, and we don't see each other often enough for that to be the case. But honestly, I'm fine. Comparatively, you're in much worse condition." With a nod, she followed closely behind Kai as he led her to his room, keeping up the conversation to distract herself from overthinking. "I do have some ointments that can help with healing if you need them."

As she walked through the doors of the inn, Sachi was greeted by the sight of a spread of food and various drinks arranged on the small floor table. Her eyes widened in surprise, her hands instinctively covering her mouth as her whole demeanor seemed to sparkle with delight. "You prepared quite a bit," she exclaimed with a giggle, genuinely touched by the unexpected gesture. "I feel bad for just bringing myself now~"

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tags: Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

The way her eyes pierced his own- Those beautiful, blue orbs finally glancing away, as he gently lowered his hand.

"That just makes me worry more. About the times I can't be there to help." He said, though he didn't seem to say it with actual worry in his voice. It was more of a passing comment, a smile lifted behind it as he patted her shoulder once more before beginning to lead her up towards the room of the hotel.

"Don't worry about me though. If this was enough to keep me down... I'm pretty sure my Cousin would take away my Uchiha card, not to mention my Sister..." He shook his head. The thought sort of ran through his head. He hadn't spoken to Kazui in a while. After the results of that last fight... Maybe she could provide some training insight on how to properly prepare himself against foes he didn't have an advantage against?

Regardless, indeed, food was spread out across the tables, drinks and the like- He had quite literally gone all out. Money would not be an object tonight, as he wanted to truly treat his girlfriend, slipping behind her as he squeezed her shoulders.

"Oh trust me. After the fights we had? We deserve this feast. Come on, take a seat, dig in. Consider it my treat." He was just happy to serve. Or well, in a sense. He still had some questions to ask her but... He wanted to ask those on a full stomach.

You know, unless she asked first. In which case, man, wouldn't that be funny? But what were the chances of that?

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

"Cousin?” The pinkette thought as tilted her head as she didn’t usually hear about his extended family often, the new information catching her off guard but something she wanted to delve into later. Sitting down on her knees, the girl clasped her hands together before pouring the sake bottles into her cup right away, the warmth of the bottles heated her in an instant. "Thank you for the food.”

Taking her chopsticks, she picked up pieces of the side dishes and rice, the girl took many small bites, feeling Kai’s warm body suddenly behind her, his hand on her shoulder felt like it was going to burn her skin. She expected him to sit across from her and was worried that he could see her skin heating up or the face she was acting differently. He was too close for comfort, the size difference not helping it and so she couldn’t help but glance to the side again.

Cup in hand, she sipped the sake, her face becoming redder than it already was. "So…” Her voice trailed as she suddenly had the urge to go outside again like she was going to faint from overheating. "What did you want to talk about?”

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tags: Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

Her tolerance to alcohol must have been awful, considering how red she was getting from just a few sips... Is what Kai would have said, if he had no idea about what she was blushing about. But he had a hunch. An idea. And so, as he sat across from her, he moved to his own drink, sipping it down as he let her eat for a bit.

"Ah. Yeah. I wanted to say... You've been acting rather odd lately." He explained calmly, thinking back to the past... Well, few days, honestly. It hadn't just started during the Chuunin Exams, though it had gotten... More heated.

"... I-" He wanted to make a joke about hitting her too hard during the exams, but realized in retrospect how awful that would have sounded. And how rude it would have been to say in general. Instead, he looked down at his food, picking at it for a moment, before he spoke up again.

"Is there anything you've got on your mind?" He asked, clarifying directly afterwards... "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to. I just wanted us to have a nice night to talk about things, without having to worry about interruptions." He shrugged.

"Get stuff off our shoulders, I guess." It seems he had some baggage of his own.

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Sachi felt a tad guilty after Kai had switched his seat to be across from her, blue eyes darted to the side as she raised her cup to her face, covering her expression slightly. Feeling a bit exposed, she wondered if she was that easy to figure out and felt like she hadn’t thought about it enough to give a proper explanation. She took a large gulp of the wine in front of her, returning the cup to the table.

"An oil lamb becomes brighter after trimming, a truth becomes clever after being discussed,” the aphorism returned to her just as it did in the spectator booth this morning. It was concerning him after all, the source of the smoke that imparted effects unknown onto her. Within the haze of her feelings, she wondered if the brightness of Kai’s fiery presence could light her way even just a little.

"I..." Sachi began, her voice light yet steady as she sat with composure, her hands folded in her lap as she unlit her kiseru and set it on the table. Meeting Kai's gaze unwaveringly. She was still nervous but the girl could always perform under pressure especially when it came to conversation, her formal position allowed her to do so even if she was slightly tipsy. "I mentioned before that there was something different about you, didn't I? Something cooler, perhaps?” She closed her eyes as if gathering her thoughts, the beating of her heart loud but now slowing down.

"I may have underestimated you, Kai. Despite finding you endearing from the start, I realize now that I may have harbored preconceived biases about your abilities as a shinobi and maybe as a person. It's hard to explain." She pauses trying to think of words to appropriately explain a little embarrassed that she had admitted her faults. "I feel like when we first met, I already assumed things about you that continued to stick with me until a bit ago. I know vaguely about what had happened in your past and so it became a reason to support my preconceived notions about you and I do apologize for it.” She bowed her head with a small look of repentance, her twin tails falling before her.

"But during our battle, suddenly, I realized you've always had been a hardworking, amazing shinobi and once I thought of that, I recalled all the times from the past and realized that you've always been quite a serious person, not just in our match either. As serious as you were during our battle, you were also that way in our relationship. I don’t know why I didn’t see it or rather… I feel like I overlooked it. I guess the gravity of what those words meant was shrouded by how I thought about you. Those things I did for you weren’t special or different from things I would do for anyone else...” Lifting her gaze to meet his once more, she continued, her voice softening with sincerity. "The time you've spent with me, the dates we've shared, and the love you've expressed... I now realize the significance of those gestures, and I apologize for not fully appreciating them before. I understand now that you are serious about us, about me."

She paused, her eyes reflecting a mixture of emotions as she continued to bare her soul. "I do feel really bad about it and the reason why I’m thinking about it as of late is because you’ve been on my mind lately. I thought about why that might be because usually my thoughts are occupied with studying and plants. It’s weird for me to think about any singular person for a long period of time but,” Her eyes gazed wistfully almost looking past him as she continued to speak softly, her cheeks turning bright red, "I’m constantly thinking about the next thing we might do with one another, when will we see each other again. Sometimes, my train of thinking will pause and go "Ah, Kai is my boyfriend” and then my line of thinking will repeat.”

With an awkward smile, she confessed, "I-I feel both excited and nervous whenever we talk now, especially after our battle. It's as if I'm experiencing something new, something almost like falling ill, aha. It's a bit scary too, knowing what how I viewed you before and how much it's changed." Despite her self-awareness, Sachi remained oblivious to the obvious signs of her growing feelings, perhaps intentionally ignoring them for the sake of self-preservation--even if there was no sense in doing so.

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tags: Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

"I see..."

Kai stared down at his food as his mind ran circles around him. She was explaining a lot of things and, truth be told, tonight he had a lot of things he himself wanted to say. Yet... Well, he wasn't an idiot. Maybe dense sometimes, maybe he used to even be lazy but... Now?

Now he sort of understood. He undestood how things worked, and what she was explaining to him right now...

"Heh... Man. I should be a little offended. That you didn't take me seriously before. Especially considering how hard I've been working, but..." He got it.

"I get it. I haven't really... Put a pin on everything just yet myself. It's been a rough few seasons for me... Since everything that happened to my team. But you've... Really opened me up again. Opened my heart. And..." He clenched his teeth as he decided not to eat.

"I think... What your feeling... What I'm feeling... What we're feeling... I'm no expert, but..." He looked up at her again, mismatched eyes aiming to lock orbs with her own.

"I know what love is. And I love you, Sachi. And... If everything you've said is true... I think... You might, too." He rubbed his shoulder. Explaining what love was to someone was weird. He was still a teenager, after all, still coming to terms with his own emotions and body, so explaining it to someone else?

That was tough. But there was weight behind his words, and he aimed for it to be like a wrecking ball that broke through the barriers she had put up, either on purpose or otherwise, with a declaration of love. He calmly waited, to hear her response.

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Sachi intertwined her fingers nervously as she listened to his response, the sake failing to mask the heavy tension she was feeling. She additionally continued to feel guilty even after apologizing, the only clarity explaining it all was that she had wronged him–even if unintentionally. "But?” Her eyes questioned his statement as she fully expected him to be offended or hurt by her words, again for the nth time she’d elaborated on her thoughts.

Oblivious as she was in the moment, she didn’t put the pieces together until Kai had said, "You might too.” Three simple words fired some neurons in her galaxy brain and she was finally able to realize it. "Eh?” Her eyes lit up as she brought her gaze to his, her face flustered in an array of reddish hues.

"That…” She averted her gaze towards the floor, the nervousness evident in her articulation, pausing and starting again as the thoughts raced in her mind. "Love…huh…really…?”

The girl chastised herself for being blind for too long. Bringing her hands to her cheeks, Sachi uttered her expression mixed with nervousness and joy, "So that’s what this is…” The fear and nervousness, as well as, the excitement and the longing for a person, were different from the familial love or the love she had for her friends, the love of her plants, and her various hobbies.

"I…” Glancing at him again, blue eyes seemingly sparkling and shining, excitement overwhelming her. "I think…I probably am..”

She hoped that it wasn’t a mistake. Indeed it is just as her parents said that she’ll know when it happens, although maybe not exactly in the way she would’ve thought it would come about.

"...In love with you.”

–🌸–

Attempt by Necro
Tags: Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

Her hands moved to her cheeks. And she seemed to be excited... That glitter in her eyes...

A wave of good energy ran through his body, energy being sent to every part of his form, as he moved his hands forward and opened them for her to grab.

"... That... Makes me really relieved to hear. I want to spend more time with you. I think... We should get rid of that silly one year thing... And just... Play things by ear." He nodded a few times.

"I want you as my partner. I could sit here and tell you a ton of things and reasons why, but... I think... I'd rather just say I love you. And that I want to be there for you. We may be a village apart... But in my heart- You're always there next to me." Okay, sappy sappy, god if anyone was watching they would roll their eyes into the back of their head, but...

He returned back to his seating position, rubbing behind his neck.

"Heh... This food and drink is going to get cold at this rate. Shall we dig in? ... A cheers, to our relationship?" He asked, as he grabbed his glass, holding it up for her to tap as well.

He wasn't really sure exactly what he was doing here. He was more just following the flow, what he felt was right. And this felt right.

Sachi felt right, to him. And he wanted to keep that up.

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

A sudden hint of unease appeared in the blue of her eyes as she listened her Kai’s suggestion, another wave of bashful feeling appeared as he spewed her feelings for her. It was a suggestion of them to end the one-year agreement that Sachi had created but something about the way he carried his words, she wasn’t sure about his resolve past the sappiness of his statements. She needed formality and straightforwardness, especially at times such as this one, where she wasn’t sure how to go about engaging her emotions other than following her selfish desires.

The girl took the cup of sake and filled it up to the brim before chugging down, tired of her emotional roller coaster and her inability to express herself truly. ‘Pwah!” She exclaimed finishing her glass, her nervousness and unease going away, her more dominant personality arising from the intoxication.

"I didn’t find my contract silly nor am I going to just simply play things by ear? If anything that’s what I’ve been doing.” Sachi declared as she stood and slid towards him, a little past tipsy, eyes slightly glazed over. A small hand caressed his chin, lightly propping his head to look towards her. "If you want to get rid of the contract then ask me properly. If you dance around it and just suggest it like so, I’ll surely misunderstand, like when we first met. I might even take an initiative that you don’t like again.”

"We aren’t partners yet, we just made a temporary agreement.” She moved closer, their foreheads almost touching, pink hair grazing over his face as it fell forward, her voice becoming nearly a soft murmur. "We should start over, don’t you think?”

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tags:Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

He didn't expect that kind of initiative. That... Forward personality. He was suggesting things, being calm, trying to not push her into anything, but now...

Well, here she was, sliding towards him, a hand under his chin as she just... Laid things out. She wanted him to be direct... Guh. He thought he was being direct... Jeeze, was he sure he knew what he was doing here...? He placed a hand behind his head and scratched at it, trying to come up with the proper words...

"Yeah. Alright." He sighed, forehead to forehead, as he was... Ever so close to her.

"Sachi. Would you be my partner? My girlfriend?" He asked, his heart beginning to race again. Damnit, he thought he had some level of control, but the truth was...

He was still just as clueless as he was before. He only knew his feelings. And his feelings... Were telling him to ask her to be his. He just hoped he was asking it in the correct way, as his eyes dared to look into hers.

Or at the very least if he screwed up he hoped she'd be able to tell him!

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Sachi smiled in satisfaction, her requests were answered in full although she felt bad about being so assertive. She brought her hands together and stood straight again.

"If you’re still okay with me despite everything,” Sachi began, her voice light and airy in contrast to her more serious tone, "Then I happily accept.” Pulling back she did a little spin before bowing deeply, "I look forward to being in your care from now on.” She returned to her side of the table, opened the window, and grabbed her kiseru pipe before sitting down. "I’m sorry for interrupting dinner. We can get back to eating now and talk about what we’ll do from now since we have the chance. Although, I’m actually kind of full, now that I’ve drunk a little too much.”

Green sleeves covered her red face slightly as she lit her kiseru pipe once more giving it a few puffs, the aroma of sakura petals overflowing from her pipe. "I’m considering going to Konoha more often since your family might not be so keen on letting you come to Nohara as often as we would like. It might be nice to travel back and forth between villages but I’m sure we would have to get approval first.” She tilted her head with a big smile, pouring herself another glass.

"Ah, and meeting my parents.” She smiled a tad awkwardly, showing a glint of melancholy, wondering if it was the sake making her ramble. "My mother is hiring someone to help take care of the house as she had an accident recently. I mentioned before that my parents are elderly as they had me when they were much much older than average so, I’m a little worried about them not being here for me to introduce you to them.” She beat around the bush a little but it was a slightly sensitive topic for her as the new caretaker, the new help in the house meant that her parents were truly getting into the latter years of their lives. "Just in case you know, aha.”

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tags: Uchiha, Kai

[Uchiha, Kai]

Being in his care? ...Ah, right, that was... Part of that, wasn't it. Heh. Crazy. Yeah, Kai could take care of Sachi. He could do that and more as he rested his head back, finally feeling as though the weight was off his chest. All the stress of building up a relationship... Once you got there though? It was liberating. Calm. Like that piece of your soul you were missing was finally there again.

"Ah... That's fine. I can work on getting to you more often as well. An approval would be good, but perhaps as a Chuunin I'll have more freedom to travel wherever I want. I don't intend to leave you alone for long periods of time, you know." He calmly explained, though it seemed to be in a friendly manner, not a possessive one, as he continued at his food.

She really loved that pipe, huh? He closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. Man, at this rate, he was going to start smoking too. It seemed like the cool thing to do, and he was nothing if not malleable to peer pressure. And what was more pressure than smoking and drinking?

As she brought up her parents, Kai nodded along. He knew introducing Sachi to his parents would be a... Challenge, to say the least, so to hear she was so open to showing off her family was a bit more calming to him.

They continued to talk, words exchanged as Kai felt as though he was in the perfect relaxed state, his mind dwindling around as they cleared things up with one another, really sharing in a bonding moment between the two.

As the night drew on, however, Kai knew she might have to leave soon. Their food was long since eaten, and while she was smoking, he was drinking a light bit, his eyes drifting off to the side.

"It's getting late. I'm sure you have to return back soon... Unless..." He cleared his throat. Be direct.

"Unless you wanted to stay here in the hotel with me tonight?"

[Kisei Sachi]

Kisei Sachi🌸

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Sachi and Kai talked for a couple of hours into the late night, sharing information about each other and planning for the future. The girl eventually had to return to the inn she was staying at with her senpai, walking towards the door, completely sober although continuing to smoke her black and gold kiseru pipe.

However, Kai suggested something unexpected. Sachi blinked twice before tilting her head as if thinking about his suggestion and then gave him a pat on the shoulder. Again, she rather he had told her what he wanted as Sachi didn’t specifically have a preference, although it would’ve been nice to stay with the Uchiha she was also fine with going back to her inn. Direct didn’t seem like Kai’s strong suit, maybe a work-in-progress.

"Pfft, just be glad I stopped drinking a couple of hours ago. I’ll be leaving now, thank you for the pleasant chat.” She bowed, smiling brightly and cheerfully at him. "We’ll see each other tomorrow.” Turning towards the door again, she paused as she opened the door as if hesitating. Suddenly, the pinkette turned around again and quickly walked up to him. Standing on her toes, she held his hand as her lips touched his.

Pulling away, big eyes gazed directly into his as she murmured, "Aha…I couldn’t wait until the morning, I’ll be going now.” She winked playfully and then scurried out the door a little bashfully.

–🌸-

Attempt by Necro
Tags: Uchiha, Kai