Waiting for Hayate, Kiyomi was dressed differently this day. Wearing a short dark blue shirt with a dark brown vest, she had her hair loosely. It reached and rested mostly on her shoulder, but there were some strands of hair in front of her right eye. Furthermore, she was wearing a short skirt with some dark red and black pattern, A black panty and normal sandals, she waited patiently on their meeting point. In her right hand, she held a beanie, instead of the regular bandanna that was once of Hiron. ''Hmmmhmmmm.'' Humming, she kept looking around, wondering what was keeping Hayate.
As he came around the corner, Hayate's jaw nearly dropped. He had seen Kiyomi standing, clearly waiting for him, and he had stopped in his tracks. She was stunning. Checking himself for the hundredth time that day, Hayate wished that he had some nicer clothes. Making a mental note to save some money for that purpose, he forced himself to keep walking towards her. Hayate was already late as it was, and he wondered if his trip to the gardens before heading out had been worth it.
Walking up to Kiyomi, Hayate smiled warmly. Pulling out the small arrangement of flowers that he had gathered from the gardens of Azumi, he held them out for her. "These, uh... these are for you Kiyomi-chan." He blushed slightly, hoping that she wouldn't find him childish. "My apologies for the delay."
Finally he showed up, causing her to smile. As he pulled out a small arrangements of flowers, Kiyomi was surprised by the gesture. Taking it with her left hand, she looked at them with a genuine happy look. ''Aww, Hayate. How sweet of you!'' Looking back at him, she still held a smile on her lips. ''So, are you ready? You look cute.'' She said, in a more teasing manner to make it clear she was just joking around. But partially she meant what she said. Still holding the flowers with her left hand, she waited for his reply.
Blushing a little more profusely now, Hayate looked down briefly. "Thank you Kiyomi. You... you look beautiful." He raised his head a little, and offered her another smile. Reaching out he took her free hand in his. "I am ready when you are." Hayate was excited, he had never been to a carnival before and he wondered what it would be like.
Giggling, she had put on her beanie on her head. It was dark grey one that made her bright hair color stand more out. Wondering where she would keep the flowers, she let him take her free hand. ''Good, then lets not waste any time. I arranged a carriage for us. It was a bit of a hassle to make sure I had some free time and such, but I think two shadow clones of mine will make nobody miss me.~'' She said, making it clear that she had planned this on her own. As she started to lead Hayate away, her head turned around and shot a look at his leg. ''How is your wound?'' She asked, sounding a bit worried.
Looking down at his leg himself, Hayate thought back to the fight with the bandits. "The wound itself is healing nicely. To be honest it doesn't hurt, at least not nearly as much as the humiliation of getting injured fighting bandits in the first place." Looking back at Kiyomi for a moment, he grew an apologetic expression on his face. "I am sorry for letting you down Kiyomi. And for letting Kensuke-sensei down too."
She didn't look at it anymore. Pulling him after her, Kiyomi was leading him to a carriage that was standing an alley. The man that would drive the carriage would be a known figure to both of them. ''You didn't. I have read about the mission and though I am glad you defended the others, I wish you would consider your life to have more worth now and then.'' Kiyomi simply replied back. Nodding towards Kazuo, the silent butler, who made a short bow to both Kiyomi and Hayate, she opened the door. ''Oh wait.'' Turning around, she looked at Hayate with a playful smile. ''Did you wished to open it for me?''
Smiling as he saw Kazuo, Hayate nodded back towards him. Turning back to Kiyomi he couldn't help it as his smile grew larger. "I don't know, it's kinda nice this way actually." He grinned, his tone joking as he gestured for her to enter before him. "After you Kiyomi-chan." Giggling, Kiyomi made a small bow. With pulling up her skirt, lightly with her hands, while lowering through her legs, she nodded. A gracious and femine bow. ''Well, thank you sir.~'' Entering the carriage, she waited for him. There was a light glint in her eyes as she waited for him to enter the carriage.
Letting out a small laugh, Hayate returned the bow. Following her up into the carriage, he turned to close the door behind him. Turning back, Hayate took a seat beside Kiyomi. "I must admit, this carriage is quite lovely. I'm glad it's not pink though..." Hayate shuddered slightly in memory of the Honeymoon suite. Leaning against him, she slowly started to grin as the glint in her eyes started to grow. ''Oh, you find this carriage lovely? I thought you had a different taste.~'' She said in a bit of higher pitched voice than normal. It was one of the habits she had gained when being around with him, with nobody around that knew them. ''But if you like the carriage.~'' Moving a bit away from him, the carriage was starting to move, likely heading to the gate.
Cozying up next to Kiyomi, Hayate felt truly happy in that moment. As she poked fun at his taste, Hayate couldn't help but laugh. "I think my tastes may have changed... just a little." His tone remained joking. "But hey, talking about different tastes, weren't you the one who picked this carriage out?" As reaction, she raised an eyebrow. She had thought she had made a clear refference and hinted something. Brushing the few strands out of her face, who just fell back, she answered back. ''I did. Anyways.''
Around two hours later.
In some village, several kilometers away from Konohagakure.''
The door of the carriage was opened by the silent butler, Kazuo, and Kiyomi waited for Hayate to step out first. Already she curiously looked out to the carnaval that was there. From even the distance they were at, it looked really fun and exciting. She also never had visited something like this. Actually, she had never done something that could be considered anywhere near this.
Stepping outside of the carriage, Hayate quickly offered up his hand to help Kiyomi step out. He briefly heard the noise of the carnival in the background but for the moment his attention was focused on the beautiful girl in front of him. Stepping out behind him, Kiyomi spoke to Kazuo. ''Kazuo-san, here.'' Throwing a little bag towards him, the butler caught it with even making his usual short bow in her direction. It rinkled. ''Also enjoy yourself a bit. Oh wait, got my bag?'' As his answer, the butler nodded and offered a small shoulderbag. Again making a bow in both directions of Kiyomi and Hayate, he turned around to attend first to the horses. ''Come, lets go! I am so excited for this.'' Kiyomi said, moving the shoulder bag to let it rest on her left shoulder as she offered an arm.
Happily taking it, Hayate moved close to Kiyomi and began walking towards the festive looking place in front of them. As they walked he smiled happily. "I am also excited! Have you ever been to one of these before?" He had heard about carnivals in the past, but Hayate truly had no real idea what to expect. While they walked, Hayate's queston did surprised her. She had expected he had. ''No, I never have been to those. I did watched them from a distance sometimes during some missions. But they never really appealled to me. However now,'' She began to pull him closer, smiling. ''They do.''
In that moment, Hayate was pretty sure he would find anything appealing, just so long as he was with her. A small flush coming to his cheeks, Hayate grinned. "Well then this will be a good first for both of us... Though... I may have a bit of a hard time paying attention to the carnival." Kiyomi glanced, a bit confused at first by his words. Then she managed to get what he meant. A laugh escaped her as she pulled him closer and placed a kiss on his cheeks. Saying nothing, they started to approach the carnival. There were quite some people walking around as there were many stands. There were bands that played music, children running around and laughing. It all had such a lovely and warm atmosphere to it. Seeing a cotton candy stand, Kiyomi looked at it with a curious look. ''That looks funny, doesn't it?''
A warm flush filled him as he felt her lips on his cheek. Smiling brightly, Hayate held her close as they walked. Turning, he spotted the stand. It had a strange, colourfully fluffy substance that people seemed to be eating. Seeing the smiles on the faces of those that ate the strange food, Hayate grew curious. "It does indeed! Shall we try some? My treat." Pulling Kiyomi towards the stand, he hoped that she would want to try some as well.
''You sure? I can also treat, us both with ease.'' She said, wavering a bit. She had nothing against him paying for it. It was kind of sweet he wanted, but Kiyomi thought it would be better if he would save his money. Unlike her, he didn't had a rich guardian or a place that generated some income next to her kunoichi carreer. It made her giggle inside to realize she was the one that was more than capable of spoiling him than the other way around. At least, that was how it was suppose to go? In that book she had read about...
Hesitating for a moment, Hayate smiled, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I insist. I have been saving a little bit. Besides, you always treat, tonight is on me." He had been saving as much as he could for some time, just so that he would be able to do something like this. While he didn't make as much as Kiyomi, Hayate still wanted to be able to treat her every once and awhile. Walking up to the stand he looked at Kiyomi. "What colour do you think we should try?
Though she wanted to resist, she wouldn't want to ruin the evening already. Deciding to bite her tongue and just go along with what he wanted, she would make sure to transfer some money to his bank acount later. With approaching the stand, she noticed a few kids walking away with the strange treat. It was in all kind of colors. ''Lets go with pink. Shall we?'' She asked, wanting to be sure he would go along with the color as well.
Laughing slightly at the mention of pink, Hayate nodded his head. Ordering a large pink cotton candy from the vendor, he tore off a chunk and handed it to Kiyomi, tearing off another chunk for himself to try. As Hayate placed the strange fluffy food in his mouth, he was hit with an intense sweet flavour. The fluffy candy seemed to melt in his mouth and he briefly closed his eyes enjoying the strange new food. Opening his eyes again he stared at Kiyomi, smiling. "How do you like it?"
It was very sweet. Taking the chunck with her free hand, it was a bit annoying that it was sticky. But she decided to not nag or worry about that. ''It is very sweet. I like it. You?'' She asked back. Noticing a bit at the left corner of his mouth, Kiyomi only smiled but said nothing. Taking another smile bite of her chunk, she pulled him to come to walk with her again. There was so much to see. ''So many stands. What would you like to do now, Hayate-kun?''
"Whatever it is it sure is tasty. But very sticky!" He laughed as he licked his lips. Realizing that he had some at the corner of his mouth, Hayate tried to quickly wipe it away, hopeing that Kiyomi hadn't noticed. He blushed a little, embarrassed. Walking close beside her, Hayate found his eyes drifting around at all of the unique attractions. Looking back at her he smiled. "I am not certain to be honest. There is just so much to do." Glancing around again he noticed a stand that seemed to be a game of sorts. Pointing at it he glanced back at Kiyomi. "That looks kind of fun, what do you think?"
Looking at what kind of stand he was pointing, Kiyomi noticed it was about throwing balls at target to win a prize. It was something they both could relate too, with their carreers expecting them to throw weapons. ''Sure. Lets see and try it out.'' She said, actually sounding enthoustic. Still tugging on his arm, Kiyomi shivered for a moment. It wasn't cold, but she realized that this was kind of a date actually. Their very first one. With a little smile, the little unique smile she had when being truly happy, she walked close against him towards the stand.
As they walked towards the game stand, Hayate felt Kiyomi briefly shiver beside him. He held her a little closer in case she was cold. Hayate couldn't help but think about their time together so far. This was the first real time that they had together where they didn't have to fear for their lives or hide in utter secrecy. He glanced over at Kiyomi while they walked. He couldn't explain how it felt being able to see her happy like this. To know that he was a part of the cause only made him feel more honoured.
As they approached the stall the man behind it called out to them. "Hey look at the cute young couple. How about ya win a prize for the pretty girl? Step right up, three tries. All you have to do is knock over the bottles and you win one of these lovely prizes back here." The man said, pointing towards a large array of stuffed animals behind them. Hayate couldn't help but smile slightly, it was more than likely that Kiyomi did not need his assistance to get one of the prizes, in fact he was more than certain that she would probably out throw him with ease.
Releasing his arm, she took a step backwards. Letting her left hand rest on her bag, she curiously watched how Hayate would throw the balls. Her green eyes gained the glint again, the little smile playfully on her lips. Unknown to the couple, the balls were messed with. As soon as the man gave Hayate the three balls, the third one was altered. It was a bit heavier, filled with a different stuffing. ''You go, Hayate-kun.'' Kiyomi said, hoping he would just have fun.
Stepping up, Hayate grabbed the first ball, holding it in his hand for a moment he stared down at the bottles. This seemed simple enough. Lining up his throw, Hayate took aim at the top bottle and threw the first ball. The ball hit his target spot on and he watched as the top bottle was knocked off. Hayate smiled, glancing briefly back at Kiyomi. One down. But as he watched, the man behind the table walked over and reset the top bottle. "That's one try. Two left." Puzzled Hayate looked back at the man. "Why'd you put it back up?" The man smiled, a little too mischeviously for Hayate's liking. "I said you have three tries to knock them all down. But you have to get them all with one throw, otherwise where's the challenge?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Hayate supposed that the man had a point. Picking up the second ball he decided to aim a little lower this time. He would hit the bottles on the bottom, and then cause them all to topple. Launching his throw, Hayate watched as the ball flew straight at the bottom bottles and then bounced off. The two bottles at the bottom rocked very slightly but other than that they didn't move. He was confused for a moment longer before realizing that the bottom bottles must be weighted. Unhappy that the game was apparently rigged, Hayate set his sights on taking down the bottles with the third ball.
Picking it up, Hayate absently tossed it into the air a few times, wondering what to do. As he tossed the ball he noticed something slightly off with it. It was almost as if the ball would flutter a little as he threw it up, shifting more to the side instead of going straight up and down. Allowing the ball to settle in his palm, Hayate pondered for a moment. So the game was even more rigged than he'd thought. He had already paid the man, and Hayate did not feel like being cheated. Instead of confronting the man however, Hayate had an idea. Reaching subtly into his pouch that contained his clan's alloy, he made it look as if he was just scratching an itch. Pulling his hand back, Hayate had covered a small portion of his palm in the metal, hiding it from the man's sight. Injecting the metal into the ball, Hayate caused it to become heavier, and far more stable. If the man wanted to rig things well then two could play at that game. Grinning, Hayate lined up his target and let the ball fire from his hand. It had enough weight to it now that it had no problem toppling all three bottles. Standing back, Hayate smiled at the man who now looked thoroughly puzzled himself. "How--" The man caught himself, realizing that if he was too confused then it would become clear that something was wrong with the game. Regaining his composure, the man offered the two a fake smile. "That's quite the arm you've got. Pick a prize for your girlfriend, anything from behind me."
Turning to Kiyomi, Hayate smiled. "Well, what would you like Kiyomi-chan?"
Silently Kiyomi had payed attention to the whole unfolding scene. Tilting her head a bit to the right when the man mentioned a challenge, she thought it was a bit odd. But she wouldn't step up and offer to do it. After all, she could already think guess that Hayate wanted to win this for her. Her eyes briefly went to the big sized stuffed animals. One of them caught her attention. It was a big brown teddy bear. Noticing that Hayate was readying himself to throw again, she wasn't looking at the balls, but at his face. Catching herself to stare at him, she looked at the bottles instead, her cheeks turning a bit reddish. But she stayed never the less silent, keeping to observe the situation.
Even she wasn't able to catch the ''scratching itch'' of Hayate. Only when the ball suddenly managed to topple the botles, Kiyomi realized what he had done. In a way she was very happy and wanted to laugh out loud, but she wasn't sure if it was really fair he had used ninjutsu. But he would likely have his reasons for it. ''I want that one!'' She said, trying to not sound too cheerful or happy. As the man reached for the big teddy bear and gave it to Hayate, Kiyomi couldn't restrain the giggle that came out of her. ''Thanks!'' Leaning forward, she would peck him on his lips before examing the big stuffed animal. ''I like it! Thanks Hayate-kun.''
Beaming from ear to ear, Hayate was in a happy daze. "You are welcome Kiyomi-chan. Heck, if that's the kinda reaction I get, I'll go back and win every one of those bears for you." Standing close to her, Hayate also took a brief look at the prize. She had picked a good one. "So where would you like to go next? Do they have any shows or anything here?" He asked, looking back into her piercing green eyes. He could stare at those eyes forever... Realizing that he was staring, Hayate glanced away for a moment, blushing again.
''One is enough.'' She said, briefly laughing. The bear was really big. So it wasn't handy if she would walk all the time with it. Thinking what she could do, she started to walk away with Hayate. Out of the sight of the man of the stand, she made a shadow clone who would bring the bear to the carriage. This left Kiyomi free, instead having to carry the stuffed animal over the whole place. ''I want to win something for you now.'' She said, looking around. There were only so much stands. Seeing not a stand, but something else, she suddenly took Hayate's hand and pulled him with her. Leading him to a kind of attraction. It was a pole with some meters on it. It went to five. Seeing how a boy was wielding, what looked like, a heavy hammer to let it hit a mark, some red dot went up. It stopped at the height of two meters before it went down again. ''Aaah, sworry mie boy, ya lost. No no prize for ya.'' A rather cheerful man said. Kiyomi thought he had a funny moustache. As the disappointed boy, who was almost a head taller and looked broader than her, walked away, Kiyomi stepped forward. ''This seems like fun.''
Smiling, Hayate allowed Kiyomi to lead him towards the strange attraction. As he watched the larger boy fail to get a prize, Hayate couldn't help but smile. He had a feeling that Kiyomi would surprise them. Watching to see what she would do, Hayate folded his arms across his chest and looked on with an amused look on his face.
The man examined the smaller girl. Though Kiyomi had a confident attitude, that could make it clear she wasn't bluffing, her appearance lied about what she usually boasted. This time the man made the crucial mistake for taking her as a girl that just wanted to have a try. ''Little garl, ya may try but ya need to reach this height!'' As a joke, he easily reached just above her head. Some bystanders started to laugh. The smile on Kiyomi's lips faded away. she was aware that she wasn't the tallest. A lot of people had always mistaken her for being weak, due her short height. Only then to often fall for her. As the man grinned and handed her the hammer, Kiyomi waited. Slowly she took out her jacket. ''Hayate-kun, sweety cake?~'' Kiyomi said with a sudden very honeyed tone. Reaching out, still with a smirk on his face, Hayate took Kiyomi's jacket and folded it over his arm. "Have at it Kiyomi-chan. Show them how it's done."
The words of Hayate were only greeted with a nod. Stepping forward, Kiyomi took the hammer and seemed she was having trouble with lifting it up. The man of the attraction leaned against the pole. Crossing his arms, he chuckled and told another joke. ''Know whatte garl? If ya manage to hitte the 3 meter, ya may have two gifts.'' Some bystanders started to chuckle, laugh or giggle. Narrowing her eyes, Kiyomi spread out her foot work. A bit of dust was whipped as she suddenly grabbed the hammer with both hands. ''Tiiiiimmmbeer!''
The hammer hit the ground, causing the ground to tremble a bit as the red dot suddenly was sent flying towards the end of the pole. Trembling, the man had fallen backwards as the pole kept trembling. Sighing, Kiyomi briefly closed her eyes as she then leaned on the hammer a wicked smile on her lips. ''Seeing its on the top, I think I may choose several prizes.'' Looking at the prizes, she tilted her head a bit to the left. ''Hayate-kun, do you see anything to your liking?''
His smile never faltering, Hayate admired how Kiyomi fared with the hammer. She was impressive as always. Stepping forwards he took a look at the prizes. Spotting one in the shape of a dragon, and another in the form of a large cat, Hayate grinned. "Those two are nice Kiyomi-chan, what do you think?" With Hayate looking at the prizes, most were baffled by the feat of Kiyomi's strength. Though she hadn't been honest at all. But it was what they deserved for treating her like that. Calmly standing next to Hayate, she looked at the prizes. They were more diverse than the previous stand. ''I think that might look cool on you. Then we both have a beanie.'' She said, pointing to a black coloured beanie. ''Now, what else?~'' She asked, finding it fun that they could choose more prizes.
Nodding his head at the mention of the beanie, Hayate searched for another good prize. His eyes perused the assortment before finally something stood out. Smiling, Hayate pointed towards the item. It was a medium sized vial that was full of multicoloured sand. When he looked at it it first reminded him of the mission that he and Kiyomi had taken to the Sea Country... The place where everything started. Regardless of all of the negatives, the mission had been the cause of the greatest joy in his life, and seeing the vial now, it was almost too perfect. "What about that Kiyomi-chan?" He asked, a little timidly. He was afraid at first that she would find it unappealing, and he turned to look at her, waiting to see what she thought.
Kiyomi looked at what Hayate pointed at, after which she seemed to be a bit lost in thoughts. ''We will take that too.'' She said suddenly after some moment of silence, with a friendly voice. ''May I have my jacket back, Hayate-kun?'' Kiyomi asked, on a soft but yet very friendly tone. She was actually enjoying herself, spending time like this with Hayate. Maybe they should keep visiting carnavals and playing a dirty game back at those carnaval folk. Meanwhile, the man of the attraction with the weird accent went to grab both prizes for Hayate as he was still baffled by the idea a girl of Kiyomi looks managed to wreck his attraction.
Glad that she had been okay with his choice, Hayate smiled warmly. He held the jacket up so that he could help her put it back on, before offering her his hand once again. So far this night had been perfect, and Hayate had a hard time believing that they still had a fair amount of the carnival to check out. Seeing the look on the carnival man's face as he handed them their prizes, Hayate had to fight hard to surpress a chuckle. Served him right for doubting Kiyomi in the first place. Glancing around, he wondered where they could go next.
Moving her arms into the jacket, she smiled as she took on the jacket that Hayate hold. Turning around, she wrapped an arm around that of Hayate's, looking for something new as well. Suddenly she saw what was just perfect. ''That seems like fun.. for couples.'' She said, saying the last two words with a much softer tone. It was a ride in the love boats, that she was reffering to. Glancing up to Hayate, Kiyomi briefly wondered if he was willing to try that.
Couple... Now that sounded nice, Hayate thought, a smile forming on his face. Looking over to what Kiyomi had noticed, he saw the love boats. He was slightly hesitant for a moment, but even he wasn't sure why. Then, glancing down to Kiyomi, he felt that warm feeling again. "Let's go try it out shall we?" His voice was also soft, and though he had said they should go and check out the boats, he made no attempt to move. Hayate was too busy staring into Kiyomi's eyes.
Those eyes narrowed slightly as they glanced at the boats. It seemed that those who entered them were having fun. Seeing this had been great so far, she decided that they could try it as well. ''Yes, come.'' She finally said, a smile flashing back. Noticing he was staring in her eyes, she stood still for a moment. Then she winked at him, pulling him with her towards the attraction. While they were approaching the attraction, she kept looking at other couples. Softly, her arm that was tugged around Hayate's moved down till her hand held his. Waiting for their turn to step into a boat, she mumbled something. ''This time I won't put you in a sack, Promised.''
As she pulled him, literally and figuratively, out of his temporary trance, Hayate followed Kiyomi along eagerly. He could not help the warm laugh that spilled out as she mentioned the sack. Briefly squeezing her hand, Hayate saw that an empty boat was coming up. Stepping up to it, he moved so that he could help Kiyomi get into the boat, after which he would get in beside her, still holding her hand. "I must say, it is much nicer being in a boat with you and actually being conscious. Definitely a bonus." He playfully nudged her with his shoulder before leaning closer to her.
A light blush started to show on her cheeks as Hayate helped her in the boat. Sitting close next to him, she smiled. ''You think?~'' She asked, looking at him with a smirk. ''I also never heard you complain to be a sack either.'' She stated, with the slightly higher pitched voice. As the boat started to drift, Kiyomi noticed that they would go into a cave. It was lighted by all kind of lamps, in different colors. It gave both an interesting as a very beautiful lightning on both the water as on them both. Brushing slowly the few strands of her hair, behind her hear, she leaned against Hayate's shoulder. ''Hey Hayate-kun..''
Letting out a chuckle as she reminded him once again of his journey as a potato sack, Hayate turned his eyes on Kiyomi when they entered the tunnel. When she brushed the hair from her face, he let out a small sigh. "You know you make it hard when you do that Kiyomi-chan?" His voice was soft, and it sounded more like he was teasing her than anything.
''What do you mean?'' She asked back, her voice also soft. Briefly she turned her head to look up to him. The glint in her bright green eyes somehow seemed to grow by the lights of the latterns in the cave. ''Hard for you to not stare?~'' She asked, clearly teasing him back as well, her smile growing. Staring into her eyes once again, Hayate had to force himself to focus. "Well, that too. But I was going to say hard for me not to kiss you." As he said it, he reached up gently with his free hand and pulled her head towards him. Leaning in, he kissed her. Realizing that this was the first time he had actually kissed first, Hayate trembled slightly.
Giving herself to the kiss, she closed her eyes and tried to wrap her arms around his neck. Her heart skipped a beat and as she felt him trembling, she broke the kiss briefly. Still keeping her head close to his, his lips being a mere inch away from hers. ''It seems its not that hard, is it now?~'' She said, both to his previous statement as well to tease him about being clearly nervous. Placing her lips on his lips, she was starting to lose herself again the kiss. Only to then feel a shock going through her body. As she had her eyes closed, Kiyomi had been able to see the colors of the latterns vaguely. However, they suddenly vanished. Opening her eyes, she noticed that it was completely dark.
Pushing Hayate abruptely away, Kiyomi looked around. They were moving away from the light. Why was it suddenly dark? What was the meaning of this? Her heart that was first jumping, cause of them kissing, was now jumping for some other reason. ''No...'' Her eyes wide open, she still couldn't see any light ahead of them. ''We-We need to go back. N-Now. Hayate-kun... Ha-Hayate-kun.'' Kiyomi started, panicking as she kept looking around. The darkness, the pitch black surrounding that she hadn't experienced for years was suddenly back.
He had been about to respond when she had kissed him again. Lost for a moment in the sheer bliss, Hayate was suddenly wrenched back into reality as Kiyomi pushed him away. At first he wondered if he had done something wrong, and then he realized that he couldn't see. Feeling Kiyomi's panic, Hayate looked around, trying to find a source of light, anything to explain what was going on. Grasping Kiyomi's hand in his, Hayate tried to calm her. "What is it Kiyomi-chan? Can you sense something?" He hoped that her enhanced senses had picked something up, because so far he was still blind. Holding her as close as he could without being overbearing, Hayate wanted to protect her against whatever was happening.
Jerking her hand out of his grasp, she started to breath in an irregular way. ''I don't want to-to.. I need to get away. I-I need to get away!'' She hissed. A flicker of lightning sparked from her right hand before more lightning started to gather around the hand. It lighted the aura around them, letting Hayate see the expression of fear on Kiyomi's face. With her hands free, she made a cut in her left hand. Hissing again, more because the dark returned with the lightning fading away, she wanted to perform some handseals.
As she pulled her hand from his, Hayate felt a fleeting moment of pain. Seeing the look on her face as she arced the lightning from her hands, Hayate realized something. When the lightning faded, he could feel her panic growing. So it was the darkness. It couldn't be an enemy, otherwise she would have reacted by now. Hayate had never seen her like this, and it caused him far more pain than he had ever experienced. Thinking quickly, Hayate searched the pockets of his jacket for his lighter. Pulling it out he flicked it to life, casting a small amount of light between himself and Kiyomi. "Focus on the light Kiyomi, focus on me. I am here. You are okay. We are safe." His voice was as calm as he could make it. Concern still poured from him and he hoped that he would at least be able to calm her down.
She was just one handseal away. One away to summon the Void Rose. Shivering, she noticed the source of Hayate's lighter. Combined with his voice, she didn't finish the last handsignal. Instead, she froze and tried to calm herself down. It was like a conflict inside her head, much like when she had confronted 'Other Lilia'. Only this time, the enemy she was facing didn't show himself. This enemy was way more cunning and deadly. It was nothing she was struggling against. ''S-Sorry. I-I..'' Feeling ashamed, she briefly looked at the cut she had made with her lightning. Blood dripped from the small cut, from her hand in the boat. ''Help me..'' She whispered, trembling as she tried to focus on the little light.
Seeing her like this almost tore Hayate apart. He quickly realized that the lighter would not be enough. "Shh... I am going to help you Kiyomi-chan, I am going to help you but I need you to do one thing for me." As he spoke, Hayate had used his free hand and began drawing metal out of his pouch and across his body. Before he would finish speaking the metal would be almost halfway covering his body. "When I tell you Kiyomi-chan, when I tell you, I need you to release some of your lightning." The metal was crawling up his neck now. Looking Kiyomi straight in the eyes, he could see her fear. "Look at me Kiyomi, focus on me now. I need you to release your lightning now." The only part left exposed on Hayate was his face. He did not cover it for fear that it would break Kiyomi's concentration. As he asked her to use her lightning, Hayate grabbed her hand in his.
Still trembling, she was shocked. Releasing her lightning? ''Ha-Hayate...But it could hurt..'' She felt the cold metal as she tried to seek some kind of warmth of his body, trying to make it herself clear that she wasn't alone. Not alone with the darkness. As if her chakra was more willing to listen to Hayate, a flicker of lightning sparked through the air. ''I-I don't-'' She stuttered, wanting to say she didn't want to hurt him. Some tears were starting to roll down her cheeks, her shame growing.
Feeling the lightning charge through him, Hayate gritted his teeth against the pain. His plan worked however, as the lightning sparked around him, casting more light than his simple lighter had. Releasing the metal around his hand so that he could feel her skin against his, Hayate kept his eyes locked on hers. "You won't, but I need you to use more Kiyomi-chan." The spark of lightning that she had first hit him with was starting to dwindle. Putting the lighter aside, Hayate reached up with his now freed hand. Pulling back the metal on that hand as well, he gently brushed away her tears. His voice grew soft. "Please Kiyomi, focus on me. We can do this together... We can do anything together. But I need you to focus for me. Can you do that?" He still held her cheek in one hand, and her hand in another. Not breaking eye contact for a moment, Hayate waited for the next surge of lightning.
But no lightning came. Slowly calming down, she tried to lose herself in his eyes. But as the lightning faded away, she lost the sight of his eyes. As slowly as the light faded away, the fear started to creep back. ''I can't..'' She first said. A strange feeling entered her system. Something that was familiar. It drove the darkness away as some light started to shine. ''But...'' She whispered. A flicker of a blue flame started to light up in her right hand. It was instead of hot cold, so it wouldn't burn Hayate. Still trembling, she could see his eyes again but soon laid her head against his shoulders. ''I-I am sorry.''
Pulling her close, Hayate held her tightly. "You have nothing to apologize for." He said quietly, gently kissing the top of her head. "I am just glad that I have you back. I..." He stopped himself, and instead focused on holding her. Letting the metal recede entirely, Hayate wanted to make her as comfortable as possible. Feeling some of his body warmth, Kiyomi started to calm down more. Her breathing came regular again, but the feeling that the fear was lurking around her was still present. It was like a shadow that spying on her, waiting for the best chance to strike at her.
I had embraced it... I can't...No.
The thought in her head made her tremble again, a cold shiver running down her body. ''Help me. Please.'' She almost begged as she whispered the words to Hayate, trying to keep the fear away from her.
Using one of his hands, Hayate lifted Kiyomi's head slightly so that he could look into her eyes. "I am here Kiyomi-chan. I will always be here. I will never leave you-- I..." Lowering his head he placed his lips against hers for a moment, a brief moment, before pulling ever so slightly away. "I love you Kiyomi." The words he said, the declaration of love made her look up to him. As he briefly kissed her and told her that he loved her, she was only surprised. Then she opened her mouth, trying to say something back. But it looked like she was more of searching for the right words. ''I love you too.'' Moving her body closer to his, she stared at the blue flame, only to then see there was light coming from a distance. Likely the boat had made a turn. Letting the blue fire fade, she wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her head lean against him. ''I love you too.''
Those words made Hayate forget about the rest of the world. As the boat drifted back into the light, he found himself embracing Kiyomi, almost forgetting the pain from a moment ago. For awhile he felt like he should reply, but he let the silence grow. It felt like a comfortable silence. Wrapping his arm around Kiyomi, Hayate watched as the boat exited the tunnel. When it reached the platform, Hayate reluctantly moved from their comfortable spot and shifted himself so that he could help Kiyomi get out.
Staying quiet, she accepted his help and moved out of the boat. The man who stood at the exit, smiled warmly. Likely he though the dark red blush on Kiyomi's cheeks were due that he thought that they had done what a couple do in such tunnels. However, she was deeply ashamed of what had happened. ''I want to go home.'' She whispered, looking to the ground.
Gently taking her hand, Hayate led her away from the ride and towards an area that wasn't as full of people. Turning so that he was standing in front of her, Hayate used his free hand to slowly lift her chin so that she was looking back at him. "Let's take you home then." Hayate's voice was also quiet, and filled with deep concern. Locking eyes with Kiyomi he spoke. "I am sorry Kiyomi-chan... I..." His voice failed him and he just stood there, staring into her eyes, hoping that she understood what he was trying to say.
Gently, a hand grabbed the wrist of his free hand. ''I.. know.'' She said. Slowly pulling his hand down, she couldn't look at him. Though she felt happy that he tried to understand it and wasn't asking anything, Kiyomi felt bad. ''Shall we go?'' She asked, not moving away from him as she had a hunch that he was likely trying to make her feel better. It was sweet, but she knew better. It would take some time before she would be able to look back at him. That moment when she had saw that pitch black darkness, it was just too much in all of a sudden.
When she looked away, Hayate felt a twinge of sadness. Slowly he nodded his head, before realizing that she could not see the motion. Standing silently for a moment, Hayate looked down too. He wished so badly that he could fix this. Stepping forwards he hugged her. Placing his head on her shoulder, Hayate wanted to say something, something to make everything right... but the words wouldn't come to him. So instead he simply hugged her. Releasing the hug after a few moments, Hayate once again took Kiyomi's hand and began walking back towards the carriage.
Standing still, she closed her eyes as he hugged her. Once he released the hug, she still looked away. Knowing that he was suffering due her made it all just worse. Walking with him, hand in hand, towards the carriage, she spoke again. ''It.. was fun.'' She said with a soft tone. Kiyomi meant the things they had done and seen before the whole love tunnel ordeal. Squeezing his hand, she managed to drive some of the reddish tint on her cheeks away. ''I-I... I love to do this with you.'' She whispered. The carriage seemed to be ready with Kazuo sitting ready. The butler was reading a book, but by the sight that two were approaching, he placed his book away and waited for a word of Kiyomi.
As they approached the carriage, Hayate squeezed her hand briefly. Turning his head towards her and offering a small smile, he whispered back. "Tonight, with you Kiyomi-chan... It has been the best night of my life. Let's do this again sometime, okay?" Hayate wanted her to know that, despite everything that had happened in the tunnel, and even including a bit of it, he had enjoyed himself more than ever before. And she was the reason for that.
A little smile appeared on Kiyomi's lips, but she didn't return an answer. Walking to the door of the carriage, she waited. Though she wanted to open it, she remembered something. His smile widened as she paused at the door. Stepping in front of Kiyomi, Hayate reached out and opened the door. Pulling it open, he gave a graceful little bow. "Milady." He said, waving one hand towards the now open door. Not really in the mood to laugh, she couldn't not ressist to not smile at his gesture. Stepping into the carriage, she waited till he would enter as well. Once the door was closed, Kazuo would make the horses ride. As the carriage started to move, Kiyomi looked outside the small window on her side.
''How are you feeling?'' Was the question that Kiyomi asked, still looking outside. The tone of her voice was soft, but there was a hint that she was serious about her question, likely reffering to what he had seen this evening.
Sitting beside her, Hayate noticed that she still avoided looking at him. Though he still felt slightly hurt, he could at least understand a little. Pondering over her question for some time, Hayate finally answered. "Every time that I am with you Kiyomi, I learn something new about you. I know that it might not always be something good, and sometimes you may even think that it will be something that will push me away. But I want you to understand that it only makes me care about you even more... I meant what I said earlier Kiyomi-chan." He hesitated for a moment. Looking towards her, Hayate grabbed one of her hands. "It pains me to see you like this. But I understand a little bit more about you now, and I love you even more for it."
Love? It made her feel warm for a moment, she wasn't sure if she really believed it. There were parts that she wanted to keep from others. The fact she hadn't expected that Hayate would see this made her actually experience that old fear. ''Hayate, I rather not talk about it.'' She said back. Squeezing his hand, she didn't pull it away as she first wanted to do. ''Not now.''
"Okay." Hayate said softly. He did not like seeing her in pain, but he could also understand how talking about things didn't always help. Sitting there for a moment Hayate allowed a silence to linger. Finally, a small smile crept to his lips. "I gotta say though... that was a pretty awesome shot with the hammer you had. I thought you were gonna make that guy cry."
''Oh, don't start that. Like I hadn't noticed you played unfair at that first stand.'' She said back, trying to sound more cheerful. The big stuffed teddy bear was on the other bench of the carriage. ''But I think we shouldn't go to such things. Else they will jus throw the prizes at us.'' After saying that, she moved closer to lean against him. Closing her eyes, she let out sigh. There was so much she wanted to explain and tell him ,but it felt wrong. Maybe if she would give it some more time, she would be able to do so, but for now she wouldn't disturb him more than he had been already.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Hayate wrapped an arm around her as she leaned against him. "Well, we probably would have played more fair if they had too. But you're right, sooner or later we'd run out of space for all these prizes!" Hearing Kiyomi sigh, Hayate lowered his head and rested it on hers. He stayed there for a moment, not saying anything. "Just know that I will be here Kiyomi. If or whenever you are ready, I will be here."
Not responding, the carriage kept going towards Konohagakure.
Around two hours later.
Back in Konohagakure.''
''Thanks Kazuo-san. Would you be so kind to bring the carriage back to Azumi?'' With the butler nodding, Kiyomi looked in Hayate's direction. ''Its getting late, you know.'' She said, looking behind her. Her home was around two minutes walking distance. Though none of the shadow clones had poofed away, so her plan had hopefully worked out fine. ''Tomorrow, we're needed to group at the entrance of the training fields. But..'' Becoming silent once more, Kiyomi wondered if that was starting to become a thing when she was only around Hayate.
Closing the distance between them, Hayate reached one hand up and gently turned her head towards him. "I want to be able to see those beautiful eyes again at least once tonight." He whispered, before moving in and planting his lips on hers. He held her like that for a moment, finally pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. "I really wish I could walk you home Kiyomi-chan..."
Placing her hands on his chest, she waited till he break the kiss. ''Hayate-kun, you know that you can't. This.'' She softly patted his chest with her left hand. ''Isn't real. Remember? We're not together for our safety.'' Kiyomi told him. It was a rather strict rule that they weren't allowed to have a relationship that many should know about. Only a very few knew about it and the reason for it was that it was both for his and her safety. If some enemy wanted to try to see if she would go on a rampage with the Nibi's chakra, than they could try to do that by hurting Hayate. ''Tomorrow. Don't be late.'' Slowly stepping backwards, she didn't broke the lock on his eyes. Staring back, she flashed a little smile in his direction.
Sighing, Hayate nodded his head as she reminded him about the fact that nobody could know. It wasn't that he had a problem with it, as he really didn't have many people he could even tell anyways. It was more that he wished he didn't have to hide his feelings with her around other people. Seeing her smile, Hayate could not help but smile back. She truly was beautiful. "I'll be there... Goodnight Kiyomi-chan. Thank you for tonight."
Turning around seemed to be harder than expected. Slowly turning around, she picked up the big stuffed bear. As she walked away, Kiyomi couldn't help it. Turning around, she gave Hayate another flash of her smile. Kissing the head of the bear, she then turned around, holding the bear with both her arms. While walking, she thought about what she had experienced this evening. Almost, she was eager to turn around again to see if he was still there. To know he was watching her.
Watching as she turned around again and kissed the bear, Hayate's smile widened. When Kiyomi turned again and headed back towards her home, Hayate stood, rooted to the spot. It wasn't until he could no longer see her that he turned back to the carriage. Looking up to Kazuo before he entered, Hayate offered a short bow. "Thank you Kazuo-sama. For everything tonight. It was a pleasure having you as our driver." Stepping inside the carriage once again, Hayate glanced down the road that Kiyomi had walked down. With a sigh, he reached out and closed the door. It had been a good night...
