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?