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Post by Roka Ningyo on Aug 2, 2010 11:08:28 GMT -5
Roka was surprised when a voice other than Sayuri's interrupted his thoughts. 'Shia?' He stared at the other girl, stunned, hearing her call him 'friend' and trying to take some of the guilt weighing so heavily on his heart. He couldn't even imagine what reason she had to be kind to him like that.
Actually, thinking back, he really hadn't even spent much time with her and most of it was in battle, against her. Roka recalled, not able to smile about it right now, the almost comical look of rage on her face when she was able to move after he'd 'borrowed' her appearance. But aside from that, he'd spent almost more of his time with her as a possessed demon than a normal person. How was it that she even cared at all...?
"You weren't the one attacking her." Roka replied quietly, grateful, but he couldn't just accept that logic. He didn't want anyone trying to ease his conscience. "You shouldn't try to make me out to be less guilty than I am. I almost killed you, too." He sighed softly, staring down at his scarred hands. "I don't know how either of you can stand to be near me after that, much less talk to me..."
He nodded to what Shia said to Sayuri. "That's what I meant. I know how it feels like to lose a mother. I don't want Ryuu to go through that." He smiled weakly. "Protect me from what, Shia? Myself? How?" He shook his head. "...Thank you, though."
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Post by Otogakure's purple rose on Aug 2, 2010 18:16:43 GMT -5
"Miss! You need to go back to your room!" a young nurse shouted down the hall. "Why? I can walk so I'm fine!" Kioku shouted back. "Miss, you passed out promptly after arrival! Give yourself time to recover! We still have some questions for you to answer as well." "Yeah yeah, whatever," she gave a quick smirk, slid into the room with everyone and shut the door. "Hey guys, I found ya!" she smiled, falling into a chair, masking her exhaustion. "Glad to see everyone conscious. Hope you dont mind me hiding out in here for a bit."
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Post by Roka Ningyo on Aug 2, 2010 22:59:08 GMT -5
"Sure, why not? Join the party..." Roka offered her a weak smile, shrugging. He wasn't surprised in the least to see someone as strong willed as Kioku fleeing medical attention. "Are you sure you're really okay? ...The doctors here are skilled and I know some of them personally, if that makes you feel any better. I'd like to be sure you're all right." He didn't finish with, 'after all, that's my fault, too,' though his tone implied it.
He glanced at her physical appearance, and though she hid her exhaustion very well, he was still gifted at sensing things in people. A family trait on his mother's side. "You...really should try to rest, you know. Even the strongest need it sometimes."
((Good to see you, we've missed you on NNG & here))
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Shia Maehara
Newbie
Queen of Hearts[D3v:Tamashiii]
Posts: 181
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Post by Shia Maehara on Aug 3, 2010 5:47:21 GMT -5
((Welcome back~))
Shia's thoughts about Roka were of like a hate-liking kind. She hated how he had easily defeated her, taken on her appearance and all that, but she respected him either way. There was something about him that pleased her, especially now that he was feeling so guilty. Even though Shia had opposed him and probably played her part in ngering him into his demon form, he was apologizing. She was just about to put this in words when Kioku burst into the room.
Shia lowered her hand dryly and looked at her. "That's right. Of all of us, you probably fought the most consecutive battles." Then, carefully, she moved her self into a sitting position, with her half-bandaged feet dangling over the edge of her bed. "I'm fine, Roka. Thanks, though." Turning her attention to Sayuri now, she 'tsk'ed. "Shouldn't you be in bed aswell?"
A strange thing about Shia was that whenever someone got hurt or fell ill, a motherly instinct of sorts surfaced. She would then abandon her non-caring ways and take care of them. So even though Shia couldn't stand up yet, she reached over and pulled at Sayuri's shirt to get her closer. Felt her forehead, then grabbed her shoulders, turning her towards her empty bed. "Go on." She urged her back with little pushes and shoves.
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Post by Haku on Aug 3, 2010 23:26:17 GMT -5
Haku sighed softly, shaking his head from the thorough headache. He wanted to check on Sayuri first of all, but the hospital staff had a lot of questions for him, considering he was the only one who didn't seem injured, incapacitated, or in Roka's and Shia's cases, unconscious.
The unfortunate part was that they really were asking the wrong person. While Haku had come in the hospital barking orders, he really had little to do with the fight itself. "Honestly, I'm telling you people for the last time, I don't know anything about that. They are my friends, there was a fight, they're getting medical help, and that's really all that matters to me. Now I would like to see my lover, if you don't mind."
The nurse and doctor regarded him with looks of pity, before the doctor answered, "I'm afraid your boyfriend may still be unconscious, ma'am."
Haku barely resisted the nearly uncontrollable urge to strangle him. "I'M A MAN, DAMMIT!" He grabbed the doctor's shirt, clutching it just tight enough to be a stern warning. "Just. Tell. Me. WHERE. Sayuri. Is..."
The doctor's eyes grew wide and the nurse had backed away fearfully and looking around for help, or possibly hoping to find a tranquilizer shot. "...Down that hall, take two lefts, a right, and it's the fourth room on the left." Haku released the shirt with a sigh. "Thank you. Have a nice day." He trotted off down the hall toward the room, passing another, nearly frantic nurse yelling loudly for some woman to stop hiding, come back to her room, and rest...? He blinked. 'Wonder what that's about.'
Haku quietly opened the door and was surprised to see Sayuri, Roka, Shia, and Kioku, all awake, looking more or less sane, alive, and at least in better shape than before. "Ah. Hello, everyone." He looked at Sayuri, who was currently being pushed by Shia, and smiled, relieved to have found her. "Are you all right, love?"
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Post by Sayuri, Deadly Phoenix on Aug 6, 2010 7:39:34 GMT -5
The state Roka was in just talking about it would have seemed understandable to Sayrui at first if she had not had her own emotions involved. She could see it caused him pain, but it felt painful for her too. She knew Roka was her friend, and it had seemed it was him that would have killed her if it weren't for his animalistic partner, and this saddened her. She did keep reminding herself that he was wrong, that it was this other entity that attacked her, but he was right. It was hsi body. She would have been dead. She shook her head gently and slowly, and her face appeared angry though when she spoke it was with compassion.
"Roka. You could say anything now and it wouldn't make a difference. I am going to be there, and I will always be your friend. We all will. But, we're forgetting that this was a state of... well, almost a war." she reminded him, thinking of Yuri and the capture, and all the other Leaf nin too. "Regardless, I understand. But that doesn't make a difference." she repeated.
The only monster, she thought, was the fact he was letting it get him down. Of course he was angry and upset, she knew and she understood. But this should onyl spur him to keep better self-control of his other side, to use it when he wants to kill, and to banish it again when he had no use for it anymore. Although, this was seen as irrelevant to the current conversation, by her, so when she opened her mouth with no words, Shia helped out, again.
Being a little relieved, it quickly turned to exhausted fury.
"Can you both stop that?! I know the risks, and I always do. Every time I have or ever will get into a battle, any at all, I know them, I worry, I am concerned for my family. But I am also a shinobi. I can protect myself, and even if I coudn't, this is my life. I'm not your responsibility. Protect me if you want, but you aren't obliged." she mumbled the last sentence, feeling a little embarrassed.
Kioku came in, shortly after she spoke, with her girlish and upbeat attitude once again at large. Pity, she thought. It might have cheered her up, but she had found herself in rather a sombre room. Sayuri was glad to note though that she was still ignoring orders from anyone else, so it only meant she was feeling well.
"I'm glad to see you're okay, Kio-chan." she smiled weakly, and while there was feeling in her words, there was none in her face. She was exhausted. At this she let herself be pushed, though reluctantly, to a bed, but she didn't gratefully lie, turn and rest, though it was tempting. She just sat on the bed, with the pillows propped in the small of her back. The door went again, and she ntoiced Haku. A surge of love, relief and safety, too, washed through her. She reached out, with a small gesture for him.
"I'm ok, love. Just tired." she said, quietly. Sayuri was grateful he was here, but she didn't know what would ensue, with Roka, Kioku and Shia, too. It was surprising to think that they were all fighting not so long ago. She had quickly shook her head free of those thoughts, though.
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Post by Haku on Aug 15, 2010 12:30:51 GMT -5
When Sayuri reached out for him, Haku immediately moved to her side. Taking the hand she had reached for him with, he placed a kiss on her knuckles and offered her a loving smile. He nodded to her words. He had been expecting her to be pretty exhausted right now, both physically from two grueling fights in a row, and emotionally, from both of them being against friends.
He glanced over Kioku, Shia, and Roka, taking in their injuries. Nothing too serious. "I'm glad you're all still alive." He stated, softly, then lingered momentarily as he studied Roka. "And it's good to see you're...you again."
He listened to the conversation quietly. While he was Roka's friend and Sayuri's lover, the fight between Konoha and the Otogakure had not included him, so he hesitated to comment on what he did not even fully understand.
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Post by Roka Ningyo on Aug 15, 2010 14:22:43 GMT -5
Roka nodded uneasily to Haku's comment of being himself. He was, as far as he knew. However, he couldn't ignore the voice in the back of his mind as it added, 'But for how long...?'
He smiled at Sayuri's determination. In spite of himself. In spite of his guilt. In spite of everything. "You're crazy. You do know that, right?" He shook his head slowly, almost feeling like he could laugh, but began to sober up as soon as he registered her other words. "War. Tch."
The hanyou sighed, staring up at the tile on the ceiling in mild contemplation, though he already knew his answer. "I'm aware. And I can't speak for all of us, but my goal never changed throughout that mission. I was there to protect the people most important to me. And that meant getting Yuri home for Charon's sake. But you know, that also meant making sure I didn't lose the people I was fighting against. Not just the people I was fighting for. Honestly, I wanted to be there for you guys, too, in case...someone else forgot, we're still friends." The smile came back momentarily, but it changed into one of bitter irony. "I just didn't expect that would be me."
He listened silently and subdued to her frustrations over their concern. Roka admitted to himself that she was right, they all knew the risks, and it wasn't something they needed to remind her of. They were ninjas. It was a lifestyle they'd all chosen of their own free will, of their own violition, with full understanding of the dangers, the horrors, and the consequences that so very often came with a battle-scarred life.
"...Don't say that." Roka muttered finally, after being quiet for a while. He glanced up at her through his bangs. "Don't say you 'aren't our responsibility,' Sayuri. Don't call it an 'obligation.' Especially not if you're still going to say, after what happened, that you'll stand by me. If being with me was some sort of obligation to you, you could just walk away. And really? I'd want you to. It isn't like that and you know it."
"You're right, though. It's pretty stupid to tell you 'be careful' with the life we've all chosen, but since when do we follow that kind of logic, anyway?" He snorted softly. Leaf ninjas, Sound, and Mist, all fighting each other and yet all friends. Roka decided this fact proved 'reason' was totally overrated.
"If you really think about it, you're being hypocritical, because you've said the same to me." He shrugged. "You said it doesn't matter what I say, so it doesn't matter if you know the risks or that it's your life. You decided to be a shinobi, but you also decided to make friends with us, so if we're overprotective, you just have to accept the consequences of your choice."
After saying that, the hanyou felt he had used his own logic to back himself into a corner. He felt like he really had no right to risk Sayuri's life by letting her help him. But she was choosing to help him, no matter what. He wanted to refuse, but saying he wouldn't take no for an answer, that she had to accept unconditionally his desire to keep her safe...that was hypocritical, too.
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