Cousin Catch-ups

[zory_alechiv]

Contrary to holding out his hand to help her up, Jashin merely slumped into the grass beside her. Pillowing his head on his arms, he closed his eyes and basked in the warmth the sun provided. Already his legs were starting to become sore from over-exerting himself and his fingers still twitched from using the new light lightning jutsus he trained in. And now that Akemi had helped him exhaust his body, his mind felt clearer. She always did know what was best for him and it pissed helped him more than she likely realized.

After a few moments of catching his breath and muscling up some energy, he kicked his foot against hers. "Come on, get up. I ain't carrying your ass. Not like you had to strain too hard to keep up anyway," he snorted playfully, a lot less angry now than he had been. He rolled to his feet, only staggering a few steps before turning towards the direction he knew his apartment to be in. A slow grin crossed his lips as Akemi was getting to her feet before he shoved her to knock her off balance before taking off into the trees. He wasn't going as fast as he could. Instead, he only ran to push his limits even further, to feel more satisfied that he was training.

Jashin didn't expect to stay ahead of her, but she had a key and he needed to stop by the market. It didn't take longer to grab her steak and the potatoes for their dinner. He'd grabbed himself some eggplant to cut into steaks as he didn't eat meat before heading upstairs to his apartment. By the time he made it, he knew she would be there and he shoved the bags of potatoes into her arms before heading to the kitchen.

"Wash them. And while you do, you can tell me all about why Takeshi and you aren't hitting it off like you thought you would."

[Kaida]

Feeling Jashin settle in beside her, she smiled to herself with her eyes closed. Turns out he was just as big of a dumbass as she was. Sometimes feelings were too hard, and the only thing that could really help was to push yourself past the point of screaming. The release of rage and frustration left the mind clearer, helping to pave the way towards whatever it is you thought you had to run from. It made her happy to know that they were still so similar after all these years of distance.

She snorted at her cousin as he lamented her lack of effort and implied threat to leave her behind. What took the most effort was insuring she didn't hurt him while also making sure to not get hit with his bullshit raiton. Seriously where the fuck had that come from? She was sure it was Takeshi's fault somehow, it was the only thing that made sense. As she made a move to stand up, she felt Jash trying to knock her over. Humoring him, she fell into a roll and cracked her neck as she came out of it. "I guess we're racing then you brat."

Akemi waited until he was 40 meters ahead of her, then she took off at 40 speed bypassing him easily as she beelined for his apartment. She saw him dip out around a corner to the market and laughed to herself as she rushed through the streets, avoiding all manner of pedestrians and civilians. Skidding to a halt in front of his stairs, she took them two at a time and grabbed the key from under his mat. Letting herself in she took off her shoes and went to wash up knowing that he would be expecting her help with dinner. And be help, she meant basic prep. Jashin loved to cook, as did Akemi, but she tried to stay out of his way as she enjoyed seeing him so at peace and in his element in his cozy little house.

Once her cousin had returned, she was already making her way to grab the groceries, sticking her tongue out at him as she went back to the kitchen. Growing up didn't mean she had to stop having fun, and giving him a hard time was something she thoroughly enjoyed. As she washed the vegetables, she thought about what she could tell him. It wasn't that her and Keshi weren't getting along, it was more like there was something in the way. "We have great chemistry, and I can feel there's something there. I just don't know how to...remove whatever obstacle is in the way. It's like there's a wall or something, made of fear or insecurity and we're both just skirting around it. Trying to make sense of it and how to bring it down without unleashing ruin with it." She wasn't sad, as opposed to their last conversation. No, this Akemi was introspective and thoughtful. She had taken what Jashin had said to heart last time, and realized he was right. She had also realized that whatever this could be with her captain and commander...it would be worth it for how seen he made her feel. Like she was something good and that was enough.

Shaking her head, she dried the vegetables and placed them on the counter beside Jash. "I've done enough thinking about Takeshi, my floor is probably dented from all my pacing. Why don't you tell me about Rai? Seeing as how we already talked about the mission bit that was pissing you off." Her teasing tone was gone, she was being genuine in wanting to know what had happened. Her brother wasn't prone to lashing out or losing his temper. For him to feel this frustrated there must have been a lot of hurt and confusion under the surface. And so help her if Rai had hurt him, she'd risk everything to make that right if that were the case. And killing the blonde haired idiot was not out of the question.

[zory_alechiv]

He would have kicked out at her to trip her again when she stuck out her tongue, but she had the groceries now. And he didn’t want to spend the time cleaning them up after the wrestling match that would ensue. Instead, he merely rolled his eyes and pretended he was above her childish nature. He wasn’t, but he’d get revenge later. When she least expected it.

“Maybe it’s the fact that it’s something new that’s creating a wall,” he suggests with a shrug before grimacing. He felt a little like a hypocrite, considering her wasn’t taking his own advice, but they weren’t here for him, yet. “I mean, he’s been with Nakano, but has he really been with anyone else? And really, other than your friends, have you been with anyone like this? New can be scary. I’m sure if you give it time, it’ll smooth out. Or it’ll let you know if this is right or not.”

Jash was glad she was less upset this time. Her drive to find out why meant she would figure it out and resolve whatever was troubling them both. It was their way. Of course, he didn’t point out that she was doing the same thing he had done. A great, emotional outburst then introspective thoughts. She just happened to invade his emotional outbursts. He sighed dramatically and moved to place the steak and eggplant on the grill.

Of course, when she brought up Rai, he winced. He’d been avoiding that train of thought. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes. There was concern there, and a genuineness that kept him from deflecting for the time being. Instead, in a last bout of petulance, he sighed dramatically before taking the vegetables. He didn’t look at her, but even before he spoke, he could feel the blush start from the tips of his ears and disappear under his mask. His heart pounded in his chest as he remembered the night Rai had spent there and he was torn between anxiety and giddiness. It made him nauseous.

“He kissed me.” A single pause as he looked towards her. “On the lips, without the mask. Just…he didn’t care.” He waited for whatever reaction she would have as he faced forward, his cheeks heating up even more. “And he spent the night, but we remained clothed.” He added quickly.

He continued to cook while she reacted to the information he had given her, eventually plating their food. Jash’s brows would furrow in confusion before he turned back to Akemi with questions. “He called me an endearing dumbass for not realizing he was flirting with me. Was he really flirting with me the entire time?”

[Kaida]

The antagonistic flicker behind Jash's eyes told Akemi she'd pay for her brattiness later, something that caused a devilish smirk grace her face. The two of them had always enjoyed teasing each other through various pranks and typical sibling behavior. It was nice to know that that connection hadn't vanished amidst all of the secrets and hurt.

Thinking on his words as she washed the produce, her mind started to whir once more like cogs in a machine. It's true that neither of them had been in a real relationship before, Takeshi with Nakano had been more about gaining independence. Akemi with Kohaku and Eiji had been about security. But a real relationship? That was new to them both, something built on trust, respect and mutual feelings. It would take time to find their footing and what worked for them. She just hoped he wanted to find solid ground as much as she did. "You're probably right. We're both still kids after all, a grown up relationship takes effort and time." She nodded to herself, reaffirming her conviction. It was more than just physical attraction, there was a string pulling them together.

The nervous way in which Jashin skittered about regarding Rai had Akemi giggling under her breath. It was a breath of fresh air to be on the other side of their dynamic, seeing him out of sorts about a boy and trying to find his own footing now that he was coming back into his own. A genuine and soft smile was aimed at the older Nara as he confessed to his first kiss, still being confused that Raiko didn't care about Jashin's perceived imperfections. "I imagine Rai to be an honorable man of substance, given what I've seen of him. It's not surprising that he cares more about who you are underneath everything else." She bumped their shoulders together in a comforting gesture, hoping Jash might finally start to see what everyone else did.

At the notion that the Kumo nin had called Jash an endearing dumbass, Akemi lost all sense of subtlety and burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, it's not funny of course, but yes you idiot. He started flirting with you the second he saw you! How did you not notice?" Her hands had gripped her sides as her eyes crinkled with mirth. The irony of the reversed situation wasn't lost on her, but that didn't make it any less comical and endearing to experience.

[zory_alechiv]

For a few more minutes, Jash left his mask up, despite moving their plates to the kotatsu. Why? Because his face was as red as the sauteed tomatoes he’d made. Really, all this time? Maybe he really was an idiot. Or oblivious. His fingers froze above his plate as he thought of why. Why would Rai be attracted to him? He had a mask that covered up most of his face, boring brown eyes, and a mess of hari that he barely did anything with, aside from pulling it back. Not to mention, his first impression was that he had failed his teammates and was bleeding everywhere. Not the best impression.

He had to have imagined the entire thing. Why was it so much easier to believe when Rai was here? Now that he was gone, it was difficult to trust that it had even happened.

He groaned and let his forehead smack the table.

“I’m an idiot, Akemi. Why did I agree to this? Why did I let him in? He lives in another village.” In hindsight, he realized that he and Akemi were very similar. Both tended to panic over the unknown if their brain couldn’t work through it.

“I totally dreamed everything, didn’t I? Look, if you’re still having problems with Takeshi, there are plenty of Nara that remain single their entire lives. We can be single together. That’ll make things easier.”

[Kaida]

A loud smacking sound resounded through the apartment as Akemi smacked Jashin upside the head. "You are impossible you know that?" The fond exasperation in her voice teetered on caged frustration as she spoke. She knew of course how he was feeling, she herself had been there most recently with Takeshi. And it was highly hypocritical for her to tell him otherwise, but they both appeared to be the stupidest people alive when it came to matters of the heart and their own self worth.

"Listen up baka, you are a good person. You have done some questionable things and you have had tragedies in your life. That does not make you a bad person. The fact that you're still here means that you know there's more out there. So what if Rai is from a different village? What does that matter? He's funny and charming, obviously a talented shinobi, and he looks at you like you hung the moon. I think that's worth giving him a chance over." Her hands had drifted to his shoulders, keeping a firm grip as she forced him to look at her during her monologue. She was hoping this didn't have to resort to another ass kicking, but Jash was a bit dense so there was no real way to guarantee a healthy way about this.

She sighed as he started to spiral, the familiar emotional ground on which they stood bringing back fond memories and a gentle smile to her face. "You and I both know that we don't want to spend the rest of our lives alone aniki. That doesn't mean we'll lose each other. You're my brother and I love you. It's time you gave someone else the opportunity to try to love you too. Raiko will surprise you if you let him, you just have to let yourself want it. And if he hurts you, I am fully capable of kicking his ass and I think he knows that." She pulled him into a hug then, squishing him to her shorter frame and pouring all of her love through him via osmosis if that was even possible. She knew that Jash's healing, much like her own, had only just begun. And it would be a long and difficult road to traverse. But she would be there every step of the way to pull his head out of his ass and let good things happen to him for a change.