The Girl In Red

[ThatGuy]

Abari was no stranger to the slums. He'd been there many times in the past. Sometimes it was just to get away from all the stress of his life as a shinobi, sometimes it was to take a life. Today was the former. The red-haired swordsman knew that he could never blend in, but at least he could be around people who didn't know a damn thing about the Itotsuki name. To them, he was simply another shinobi, which meant everyone was terrified of him losing his temper and deciding to go on a killing spree. It wasn’t ideal, but it took a lot of pressure off of the social interactions. Most avoided him, but the few that tried to grovel were easily dismissed. It provided him with a nice balance of being around people without having to interact with them. 

He'd taken a liking to a particular teahouse some ways outside the border between the slums and the village proper. The food was good, but the real reason he kept coming back was a particular waitress that worked there. They were of a similar age, and she was always very nice to him. It was part of her job, obviously, but it gave him some level of social fulfillment that he couldn't get back at the village. But that was it, he had no intention of it going anywhere. He’d just eat his meal, drink his tea, and leave. 

“Abari?”

Abari was so lost in thought that he jumped a bit at the sound of his name. He suddenly turned to find the source. It was the waitress, of course. He had ordered tea not too long ago, and she was bringing it to him. The sudden glare of a shinobi caught her off guard, however. The woman tripped, but Abari immediately dashed out of his seat to catch her. He grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling forward, but the tea tipped over and spilled all over him. Despite being a shinobi, the boiling water still burned his arm and chest. All the other customers froze, as they expected the waitress to be killed on the spot. The owner of the establishment looked as if he wanted to step forward and beg for forgiveness. All were paralyzed with fear. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

”I’m so sorry!”

Abari blushed and quickly let go of the girl. He acted on instinct and hadn’t thought about how inappropriate it was to touch a stranger like that. The waitress gave him a look of confusion and stared at him for a moment before blinking and shaking her head. 

"No, it was my fault! I’m so sorry, sir. Let me help you.”

She grabbed a washcloth from her waist and dabbed at his shirt in an attempt to dry it. Abari’s face turned a shade more red than his recently burned skin. His focus was entirely on the fact that she had put her hand on his chest instead of the pain that came with the dabbing. Embarrassed, he quickly grabbed the washcloth from her and started to dry himself off.

"N-no, it’s fine. I got it!”

”I… Aren’t you upset?”

”It was my fault you tripped in the first place.”

The woman stared at him for a minute before catching a mean glare from the owner of the restaurant and hurrying off to replace his spilled tea. Abari shook his head as he continued to dab at his clothes. How embarrassing! He’d never be able to show his face here again. The waitress probably thought he was a creep now! The waitress returned with his tea, the owner standing behind her as she bowed her head. 

”Please forgive me, sir!”

”Her behavior is simply unacceptable, especially towards such an esteemed guest! I can promise you that she will no longer be working here?”

”What? No, absolutely not!” Abari furrowed his brow. ”She did nothing wrong.”

”But si-”

”If I’m such an esteemed guest, then listen to me. She did nothing wrong, so she should not be fired.”

Abari glared at the owner, not breaking eye contact. It did not take long for the man to bow and apologize for his own behavior. As the two headed back towards the kitchen, Abari took a sip of his tea. He didn't like making a scene, but he'd feel terrible if he was the reason the woman got fired. The situation ensured that this would be the last time he visited the teahouse, he'd already drawn far too much attention to himself.

He took his time finishing his tea, savoring the atmosphere one last time before paying his bill and leaving a generous tip alongside it. As Abari walked back through the slums, he heard rapid footsteps approaching. With a flash of steel, he drew his blade and pointed it directly at the person attempting to ambush him. To his surprise, it was none other than the waitress, her arms raised in surrender.

“Sorry. I just wanted to make sure I got a chance to thank you for saving my job.”

Abari silently stared at her for a moment, trying to decipher her intentions. It was hard for him to believe, but he supposed that she might be genuinely grateful. Lowering his sword, he shook his hand back and forth dismissively.

“No need to thank me. You wouldn't have tripped if I didn't scare you.”

“You're sweet, you know that?”

“I'm… what?”

Abari’s face turned beet red as he tried to gather himself. No one had ever called him sweet before. Kiyo had come close, but she was a friend, this was a complete stranger. One that he had a crush on that was growing by the minute. She gave a smile that made him want to melt into a puddle before speaking again.

“My name is Akane. Please come visit again. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Oh, uh… Y-yeah. I will.”

Smile growing even more, she gave him a slight bow before turning around and walking away. Abari sat there, stunned for a moment, simply watching as she left. Did that really just happen? A war was fought within himself. The parts of his brain in charge of hope and suspicion both competing with each other in an attempt to make sense of the situation. After finally getting a hold of himself, he found a dumb smile growing on his face as he continued to walk back home. With butterflies in his stomach, he thought to himself.

Akane, huh?

[ThatGuy]

Abari could not believe how lucky he was. In just three months, his life had been turned upside-down in the best possible way. The day after Akane spilled tea on him, he returned to the teahouse, and they got to talking. Then he returned the day after that, and the day after that. After just a few days, Akane was asking him to come visit her outside of work. Before he knew it, they were a couple. The words had not been explicitly stated at first, they had just gotten along too well. Abari didn’t make the first move, of course, that was simply not something he was capable of. Amazingly, Akane not only realized that, but understood it. She took it upon herself to give Abari the slight push he needed to progress the relationship without making him feel rushed or overwhelmed. It was more than he could ever have asked for.

By all accounts, their relationship was moving slowly, but their feelings were not. They had fallen for each other hard and fast, but Akane knew that Abari wasn’t comfortable with moving forward at that same speed. So it wasn’t until a month into their relationship that they first kissed. The memory still made Abari want to cry. It was something that he thought he would never get: love. It was likely way too soon to call it love, but that’s what he felt. What else could he call it? He smiled whenever he thought about her and started to resent going home. She was perfect as far as he was concerned. Did she have flaws? Of course, but he accepted them wholeheartedly, just as she accepted his own.

In an attempt to spend even more time with her, he'd started training in the slums instead of his normal training ground. She was perfectly content with watching him practice sword forms every day. He'd go the extra mile here and there just to show off a bit, hoping to impress her, and while she certainly was, Akane always showed more interest in his personality than his capabilities. Even though she made him feel immense pride, he had kept their relationship a secret. A shinobi dating someone from the slums was one thing, but an Itotsuki? His father would kill him. There was not much he could do to hide the fact that he was gone from the house more and more as of late, but he could at least keep where he was going and why to himself.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

The words snapped Abari back to reality. He had been stuck reminiscing when the real thing was right in front of him. Akane had been resting her head on his shoulder as they both sat outside of her work, soaking in the moment.

“How did I get so lucky?”

She chuckled before lifting her head and meeting his eyes with a warm smile. Abari had spent a lot of time looking into those eyes as of late, but his heart still skipped a beat when they met. Akane's loving gaze had a way of piercing right through his barriers and melting the heart they protected.

“I should be the one asking that.”

“You think you’re lucky to be dating a guy with terrible social skills?”

“You’re a lot better at social interaction than you think you are. You just worry too much about what other people will think and get stuck in your own head, but once you get comfortable, you’re quite easy to talk to.”

“Do you own a dress?”

Abari had not yet gotten used to receiving compliments. Akane had chastised him for stubbornly denying them all the time, so he had adapted and begun switching the subject. She didn't exactly appreciate this either, but it was a step in the right direction. She laughed at the suddenness of the question before answering.

“No, not really. My mom has one that was given to her by my grandmother, but I don't think it'd fit me. Why?”

“You've complained about not having anything nice to wear in the past, and I know you don't want me buying things for you and your family, but I want to get you one.”

Akane eyed him suspiciously for a moment. When they first started spending time together, Abari had doubts about her intentions. He just couldn't wrap his head around why she wanted to be around him. It was far more believable that she was after his money or his status as a shinobi. He never said a word about it, but somehow Akane could tell. So from the beginning, she made it a point to pay for everything herself. After realizing she had no ulterior motives, he started to insist that he start paying for things. After some back and forth, she finally relented and agreed to take turns paying for dates.

“I don't need gifts, Abari. I'm not looking for a savior, either. I just want to spend time with you.”

“And we will. I’m not trying to buy your attention. You try not to show it, but I can tell you’re a bit self-conscious about the quality of your clothes when you’re with me. I’m always wearing a kimono, and I’ve seen the look in your eyes as you realize your shirt is fraying at the edges. I think you look great no matter what you wear, but I want you to feel like you do too. If you still don’t want me buying you something, then I’ll start changing into something less obnoxious when I come to visit you.”

“It’s not obnoxious! Look, there’s no need for either of us to change. You’re a noble. You wear fancy clothes. I’m from the slums. We don’t wear fancy clothes. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“What if I said I just really want to see you in one?”

Akane was stunned for a brief moment as she processed the words that just came out of Abari’s mouth. His entire face turned a bright shade of red from the embarrassment. He just wanted her to feel better about herself when they went out. Abari was starting to learn that she wouldn’t do things if it was just for herself, however, so he decided to try a different angle. Admittedly, he did want to see what Akane looked like in a dress, but it was far from the main reason he wanted to get her one. His heart felt like it was going to explode as it kept beating faster and faster, the seconds of silence between them feeling like hours to him. Raising an eyebrow, Akane gave him a mischievous smile as she spoke.

“Oh you mean that kind of dress? When did you get so bold?”

“N-not like that! Just a normal d-”

Abari's words were interrupted by her lips. She pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. Normally, something like this would only turn Abari into more of a stuttering mess, but there was something about her that grounded him. By the time they finally pulled apart, his ears were no longer burning.

“Fine. But I have two conditions.”

“Done.”

“You haven’t even heard them yet!” She chuckled and pushed him playfully before continuing. “I want you to have dinner with my family this weekend.”

This was a bit of an awkward subject. Abari had no issues with meeting her family, but it wasn’t exactly something either of them were looking forward to. Akane had told them about him, but she was careful to avoid mentioning that he was a shinobi. It would only make them worry that their daughter was going to be kidnapped or killed. So making a good impression was going to be critical to deepening his relationship with her.

“Yeah of course. I’d be happy to. What else?”

“I don’t want to go get fitted alone. You’re going to be there.”

“I was already planning on it. I want you to be comfortable.”

After another kiss, they went back to watching the sunset together. Abari couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all a dream. Spending time with her, feeling loved—it all felt so surreal. It was something that he thought he’d only be able to achieve in dreams, but here they were, and it was better than anything that he could ever have imagined.