[Graded]Circumstances

[Kabu]

Eiko let out a quiet sigh as she sat in her hospital bed, looking out the window bored out of her mind and entirely unsure of what to do with herself. She was all but blind at this point and Iko was busy with other patients so there was nobody that she could talk to and she had gone through the last of her books, not that that did any good at this point. This seemed to be her day to day life at this point, the hospital refusing to let her go as she couldn't really live alone in her current condition and there was nobody for her to stay with. It was honestly depressing to know that she had come so far yet now she was back to being entirely dependent on others.

She heaved another sigh, though she couldn't help but turn her head in the direction of the door as she heard it open and familiar footsteps walking in, able to recognize them as belonging to Iko. "Eiko, you should probably go get a bit of fresh air, I already cleared it. Sorry, but we're swamped so I have to go."

"Okay. Thanks Iko." she said as she slowly climbed out of her bed and grabbed the cane that was her new companion, slowly making her way out of the hospital and into the streets. "What do I do though?" she muttered to herself as she walked along, simply enjoying her temporary freedom for the moment.

[Willoria]

Ever since Izumi had stepped away from Black Ops, she had found Eiko on her mind more than once. The young woman had been a key part of her life before Banri made it clear that she had to let her go, for her own safety. Being in a relationship with a member of Black Ops would only put her in danger, and to protect her Izumi had called off the relationship. It wasn't something she had enjoyed doing, the conversation had been more than a little emotional, and as such Izumi froze as she walked through the market and saw the woman just ahead of her. They were just a block up from the hospital, and Izumi hadn't even realized her feet had been carrying her in that direction until now.

She ducked into an alley and pulled on her cloak, grabbing her old mask without a thought and pulling it on. She couldn't imagine Eiko would be happy to see her, but she also couldn't resist temptation as she channeled chakra through the seal in her mask to change her voice before speaking. "Aren't the streets a bit difficult to navigate alone?" Shikeishu was speaking, though Izumi was simply dying to hear her voice.

[Kabu]

As Eiko walked through the marketplace she found herself lost in thought, her mind focusing on Izumi in particular. She knew that letting her mind wander wasn't exactly the best thing to do but she had found herself thinking about her more and more recently. She wanted to see her so badly.. and to apologize for how poorly she had reacted when their relationship had been called off. She couldn't help but to blame herself for them not having seen each other since.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a sudden voice, causing her to jump more than a couple feet in the air, which luckily had prevented her from bumping into a nearby stand. After taking a moment to catch her breath and recover she turned her head in the direction of the voice. "It's a little difficult but I also don't really have much of a choice." she responded, pausing as she thought she had heard familiar footsteps just a moment before.. Maybe it was just my imagination.. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

[Willoria]

Izumi chuckled as Eiko jumped and she moved forward, resting a hand on her elbow. "Relax." she assured her, keeping the voice of the mask for now. "If there's somewhere in particular you're trying to get I can guide you... though we might get some odd looks as I'm wearing a mask." she explained, wondering how Eiko would respond.

Hearing her voice brought a smile to her face, and even the simple touch of her arm was enough for goosebumps to raise across her arms. Part of her wanted to tell her, to kiss her even, and she was realizing why it was so difficult for her to break up with her in the first place. Other than Tokaido, Eiko was the only person whose very presence affected Izumi.

[Kabu]

Eiko simply tilted her head as she considered the offer and slowly shook her head. "There's nowhere in particular, I'm just wandering for now, trying to figure out what it is that i want to do. I've been in the hospital for a while and it's kind of.. had an effect on me." she replied with an almost embarrassed blush. "Though.. I wouldn't mind having a bit of company." she added almost as an afterthought.

She couldn't place it exactly but somewhere deep down she felt that there was something familiar about this person.. despite the fact that she couldn't exactly see them. It was just a feeling that she had in her gut.. based particularly on that set of footsteps she had heard a moment ago and the feel of the hand currently touching her arm. She knew though that it was her imagination, or at least she felt that it was.. she wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. They really did remind her of someone though.. so maybe that was it. She just coudln't be sure.

[Willoria]

Izumi led her along for a few moments in silence, that smile still on her face as she moved with Eiko, enjoying the moment even if Eiko had no idea who she really was. "You seem too pretty to wander alone, don't you usually have company?" she asked, she couldn't help the question. She still found Eiko beautiful and for a moment she was glad her voiceover technique made her sound closer to man than woman.

Honestly she couldn't help the question though because she was fishing. She wanted to know if Eiko ever thought about her, part of her wished she did. But some part of her also hoped she had found someone new, some kind of happiness. Yet it all nagged at her... this was the first time since her retrieval mission that Izumi hadn't worried about Tatsuo.

[Kabu]

Eiko slowly shook her head at the question as she let herself be led along, though she did blush at what had seemed to be a compliment. "I usually have one of the doctors that was assigned to watch over me but the hospital is swamped today.. and I don't have anyone else. My dad went missing some time ago and I'm fairly certain that the one person that I have left doesn't want anything to do with me. We.. had an.. argument and it was all because of a poor reaction on my end." she said, biting her bottom lip.

"I still can't help but to think about her all the time though and I hope that one day I can make up for it." she continued, cracking a small smile as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think that you would really want to hear about all that." she added after a moment, not quite sure why she was being so open with someone that she had just met. Maybe it was because of the familiarity.. Either way something about this person just gave her some sense of comfort.

[Willoria]

Izumi chuckled and shrugged, pausing as she found a bench out of the line of sight of most. It would afford them a place to talk without anyone staring because of her mask. "I'm all ears." she mentioned, guiding her to the bench. "Here, you should probably rest if you've been in the hospital quite a bit lately."

Izumi sat with her, looking at her through the mask as she wondered if Eiko was talking about her... she had to be right? She was starting to feel silly for fishing like this. But she was so scared that Eiko might just get upset if she knew who she was talking to. "So why haven't you tried to talk to her? I mean, why wait for some day to come along, I assume you know where to find her right?"

[Kabu]

"Thank you, and I do need to rest actually." Eiko said, setting her staff aside as she took a seat on the bench, actually having started to get a bit tired. She didn't have nearly as much energy lately due to being laid up.

She sat in silence for a moment,chewing her bottom lip as she considered the question. After a moment she let out a quiet sigh, looking down towards the ground. "Yeah.. but I'm scared about what will happen if I try. My biggest fear is rejection and I guess that I just convinced myself that it would be better not to try instead of trying and then getting pushed away. I really do want to see her though.. to hear her voice and to let her know how sorry I am." she responded, looking towards her companion whose name she realized that she still didn't know.

"You know.. It's strange. In a way you seem familiar to me. You kind of remind me of her.. and I guess that's why I'm able to tell you all of this. I'm normally much more closed off from others, especially recently." she said, managing another smile. "I'm sorry, I don't think that was something that you would have wanted to hear. It was just a thought that I had."

[Willoria]

"Sounds like pushing this person away hasn't helped at all, in fact you sound rather upset by it." Izumi remarked, smiling behind the mask as she listened to Eiko speak. She was sure by now that she was talking about her, and it was interesting to hear that she was just as worried as she was, and about all the same things too.

It caught her a bit off guard as Eiko guessed, without really realizing it, that she was actually with her. Obviously she was dismissing her hunches and feelings as something else entirely but it kinda made Izumi happy to hear regardless. "Honestly it's fine, I don't mind listening." she replied, reaching over and taking Eiko's hand in hers with a light squeeze. "Sounds like it's something you needed to get off your chest."

[Kabu]

"You're right, It's been hard and I'm more than a little upset by it but I've just been so worried that I didn't have much of a choice. I.. I've been so stupid, I realize that now." she said, cracking a small smile as she felt the warmth of the other person's hand in her own. Even this reminds me of Izumi.. she thought to herself. Iko had tried to convince her that she was being silly with all of her unnecessary worries but she had stubbornly refused to believe her.. Why was now so different?

She looked over in their general direction with a smile, knowing what it was that she had to do. "Thank you for listening.. I think that I know what it is that I have to do now. I have to go to see her and let her know how silly I've been, how much I miss her. Even if we can't go back to how things were I need to tell her how it is that I feel."

She was about to stand up but then with a sudden blink she remembered something. "Oops, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Eiko."

[Willoria]

”I know.” Izumi replied from behind that mask with a smile as Eiko introduced herself to a girl who already knew her. She kept Eiko’s hand in hers a moment, sighing quietly as she lifted the girl’s hand and brought it to the side of her face, or rather the mask. She only left it there a moment before moving Eiko’s hand long enough to remove the mask from her face and letting Eiko’s hand rest against her bare cheek.

Even now she was still scared to tell her, scared she’d be upset, but somehow she thought Eiko would understand that she hadn’t been the only one worried about how the other might react.

”I’ve missed you too, Eiko.” Izumi said quietly, turning her head to kiss the other girl’s fingers as she waited for her reaction, practically holding her breath.

[Kabu]

Eiko was admittedly more than a little puzzled at first but she was starting to put the pieces together as she first felt her hand against Izumi's bare cheek and then heard her voice. She wasn't sure how to react at first.. aside from a tiny shocked gasp. Izumi had been right there the entire time? She had been telling all of her worries about what had happened to the one they had been aimed towards without realizing it, which frankly was a little embarrassing but she didn't care about that at the moment. "Izumi... I.." as she spoke she threw her arms around the girl. "I missed you so much.. and I'm so sorry about the way things ended before." she wanted to question why Izumi had been hiding herself from her but for a moment she wanted to stay just the way that they were.

She left her face bured in the other's shoulder a moment before looking up at her. "I think that I understand why you did it but it was silly for you to hide yourself from me." she said, feeling around for Izumi's hand and grasping it once she found it, smiling as she did so. "I thought that something seemed a bit off the entire time but I kept dismissing it as my imagination. I didn't think there was any way that you want to see me again."

[Willoria]

Izumi couldn't help the grin plastered on her face as Eiko hugged her and she wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her shoulder as well. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you anything... I probably still can't but... things have changed." she told her quietly, kissing her neck before pulling back enough to rest a hand against Eiko's cheek.

Gently, if Eiko didn't move or stop her, Izumi closed the space between them and kissed her on the lips gently. She didn't try to push her luck right now, simply kissing her gently and not trying to push anything further just now. She wasn't even sure of Eiko wanted her still, maybe she had someone else in her life. Right now all she wanted was for Eiko to realize that what had happened wasn't her choice, that she hadn't wanted to end things at all.

[Kabu]

Eiko accepted and returned the kiss, a bit disappointed when Izumi didn't push for anything further. "I.. I never stopped hoping that I would get to see you again. I was just too afraid of what might happen if I went to see you.. though it seems that I was worried for nothing." she quietly spoke as she felt around and after a moment took both of Izumi's hands in her own, grasping them tightly. "You know, recently you're all that's been on my mind.. and I realize now that despite what happened that I still love you and I want to be with you so badly even though I know that I can't." she continued, truly opening her eyes for the first time that day as tears flowed from their now murky depths.

"And even if it could work you wouldn't me anyways.. I'm practically a walking time bomb at this point, a blind time bomb" she muttered to herself.

[Willoria]

Izumi shook her head almost violently. "No. Eiko things have changed... I left... that." she told her urgently, trying to get the girl in front of her to realize just what she was trying to tell her. "You were with me when I was blind, when I couldn't stay with you, and it's all changed now. I have my eyes, and I can be that for you." she told her, suddenly moving to put one arm behind Eiko's back and the other behind her knees, lifting her clear of the bench as she began to walk with her.

"I'm not letting you out of my sights again, Eiko." she told her. The girls were so similar in build and height that it should have been difficult for Izumi to lift her, but her determination spoke volumes, and they weren't that far from home. Izumi would carry her up the street and push the door open of her own home as she carried her in, refusing to put her down until she set her on the couch, and Izumi was grinning at her the entire time.

[Kabu]

Eiko let out a tiny surprised squeak as Izumi picked her up with relative ease and began carrying her up the street. "Izumi.." she very softly muttered the girl's name as she looked up at her, at least as best she could, her eyes growing wide as she realized what it was that Izumi was trying to tell her. Could it really be true..? Could they really be together again? The thoughts coursed through her mind and for the first time since she had been hospitalized she genuinely smiled, feeling a sense of happiness for the first time in a long time.

As Izumi carried her she couldn't help but to think back to how silly she had been and how right Iko had been when she had told her not to worry so much. I could definitely stand to start listening to people more when they tell me that I'm being silly. she thought to herself.

She was broken out of her thoughts as she felt herself being set down on what she had to assume what was a couch and she couldn't help but to tilt her head, wondering where exactly they were. Though that didn't matter right now. "Izumi.. you have no idea how happy I am."

"This is real right? I'm not still in bed dreaming again am I?" she posed the questions mostly to herelf, though speaking them out loud without realizing it.

[Willoria]

Izumi was grinning as Eiko asked if she was dreaming, meanwhile Izumi's right hand slipped up the bottom hem of Eiko's skirt and pinched her outer upper thigh. "See? No dream." she told her. "You're not even on a bed, you're on the couch at my home... and Tokaido isn't home." she added. "So it's just you and me."

Izumi leaned forward and kissed Eiko gently once more, her left hand slipping behind Eiko's head and burying her fingertips in the other girl's hair as the kiss quickly turned from something sweet and innocent, to something deeper and far more passionate. Izumi only spoke again as her lips broke from Eiko's to catch her breath. "I'm so sorry... I was given a choice back then, and I chose wrong... I'm never letting my ambitions take you away from me again..." she whispered, a single tear drifting down the side of her face. She hated herself for losing Eiko the way she did, for letting her ambitions in black ops destroy what she cared for.

'Forgive me, Father, I may never see you again... but I can't be you... I can't lose what I love for the sake of a singular goal...' she thought to herself.

[Kabu]

Eiko yelped as Izumi's hand slipped up her skirt and pinched her outer upper thigh and she couldn't help but pout, though it quickly turned into a smile as the pain assured her that she wasn't dreaming.. that she was really back together with the one person who meant everything to her and even better that for the moment at least they were alone.

She was still smiling even as Izumi kissed her, a kiss that she quickly returned just as fervently, keeping it up as it became something far more deeper and much more passionate than how it had started. She had definitely missed this and she pouted again as they broke apart, not wanting it to end, though as Izumi spoke once more, apologizing for what had happened Eiko shook her head and gave her a smile. "It's okay, I forgave you a long time ago though I never should have gotten angry with you in the first place. I never thought about how it might have been affecting you and I'm sorry for that." she whispered in return, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as she ran her hands up either side of Izumi's body until she finally planted them on her cheeks and she went in for a gentle kiss. "Though I'm going to make up for that the best I can and I'm going to start by never letting you get away from me again."

[Willoria]

Almost immediately Izumi reached out to wipe tears from the girl's face, following up with a kiss. "It's not your fault I... God I wish I could tell you all of it, I let my own drive consume me, I quit acting like a person and... I can't do that anymore. Tokaido was even in it, all because of me, and I just couldn't do it anymore. I can't lose everything like that again." she told her, smiling as she suddenly pulled the girl over on her own lap, her hands wandering up Eiko's skirt again to just run fingertips across her skin with a smile on her face.

"I'm not doing that again. I'm not going to lose you again." she promised her, kissing her deeply as she wrapped arms around the girl's waist, clearly not planning to physically let go of Eiko any time soon either.

[Kabu]

Eiko accepted and returned the kiss that Izumi offered as she sat on the girl's lap. "And I'm not going to lose you either. I won't let anything tear us apart again." she took a moment to say as they broke apart before moving in for another passionate kiss, enjoying every second of it while also enjoying the feel of Izumi's fingers against her bare skin. Every kiss, every touch, it was all just as intoxicating as it had been before, if not moreso. "I love you. I always have.. and I don't think that I've ever stopped."

She leaned in closer and snuggled against Izumi. "I'm glad that you're here though. The hospital has been soooo boring but they won't let me stay at home anymore." she said, wrinkling her brow and pouting. "It's kinda depressing really that I need someone to take care of me. I guess that I don't really blame them though with my tendency to stress myself out over nothing." she added with a quiet sigh, resting her head against Izumi's shoulder.

[Willoria]

Izumi smiled as Eiko snuggled against her and she wrapped her arms around the girl with a content sigh, nuzzling against the girl's hair. She had missed Eiko more than she cared to admit honestly, it felt so strange to her still though. She had strong feelings for Tokaido, but also for Eiko. In some ways it confused her, in other ways it simply made her wonder why Tokaido was okay with it. Part of her didn't like the idea of Tokaido having someone else, but she could only assume that if she had someone else, than so did he, right? And from there her thoughts could just spiral away from her, and so she pushed the thoughts aside for now and focused on Eiko in her arms instead.

"It'll get better." she assured her. "You'll adapt, and if I have to I'll find a new place that fits all of us." she added with a grin, kissing Eiko gently on the forehead.

[Kabu]

"I know." Eiko said simply, letting out a content sigh as she did. She could tell that their feelings for each other were just as strong if not stronger than before and part of her honestly wondered why exactly it was that Izumi felt so strongly for her but that didn't matter right now and she knew it. For now she wasn't going to question anything, she was simply going to let herself be content with how things were.. or at least that was her intent until another thought crossed her mind, one that caused her to let out a quiet sigh. "I'm really happy that now I have you back with me but I want dad to come home... I know that he has stuff that he needs to do before he can come back but I just miss him so much." she spoke quietly, holding onto Izumi a bit tighter.

"Is it wrong of me to want so much?" she muttered under her breath, mentally berating herself for letting this take such a turn.

[Willoria]

Izumi looked down at Eiko and thought for several moments. There were many who were angry when it came to Eiko's adopted father, and Izumi was partially among them. The man had been a skilled shinobi, he was supposed to be their next Raikage, and the next thing everyone knew he was a Missing ninja and this civil war had begun. Izumi had never seen death like she had in this war, and it really got to her some days. On the one hand she knew Eiko really just wanted her father back because he was her father, there was no other reason.

But on the other hand, in recent days, Izumi had come to see things very black and white and she could only see the man as a criminal. "It's not wrong." she replied quietly, forcing herself to remember her own father and how many would react if they knew just who he was. Izumi's life was not full of innocent people either and no matter one's status... they still had family who loved them. Izumi's own mother had been a missing ninja, killed by the family that adopted Izumi herself. The young Ishiguro had found many moments where she absolutely hated her adopted family for what they had done to her mother. She might have been a criminal, but she was Izumi's mother and nothing would change that, just as Hayate was Eiko's father, and nothing would ever change that either.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting the people you care about to be close to you."

[Kabu]

Eiko chewed on her bottom lip a moment, falling silent as she thought about Izumi's response. She really wanted her family to be whole again.. it wasn't much of one but it was hers and the last thing that she wanted was for something to happen to cause it to break apart for good. Part of her wondered though if Hayate even wanted to come back, if he decided that it.. that she wasn't worth facing the wrath of villagers who were no doubt incredibly angry with him. No.. the last time that she had seen him he had made it very clear that he would be returning home once his business was done and she had to believe in him, she knew that.

Yet she still felt a sense of unease that she couldn't quite explain, though it was mostly alleviated for the moment as she laid her head against Izumi's chest. She had really missed this, the sense of comfort and security that came from being in the arms of the girl she loved. "You're right. she quietly spoke, pushing herself up slightly and running her hands up against Izumi's sides until they finally found her cheeks at which point she gently kissed her. "Thanks for listening."

[Willoria]

"You're welcome." Izumi replied quietly, pulling Eiko tighter against her as she snuggled up with the girl, smiling as she returned the gentle kiss. If anyone understood the desire to be with their family, no matter what they'd done, it was Izumi. There were so many reasons for her to understand, her mother, her father, and even her recent assignment to bring a missing ninja home... a though which reminded her she needed to visit Tatsuo the moment she was able.

With a sigh and a quiet yawn, Izumi couldn't help a chuckle as she lay her head back against the back of the couch, feeling sleep pull at her in this moment of contentment, something she didn't entirely mind.

[Kabu]

Eiko yawned and snuggled against Izumi, resting her head against the other girl's chest as she felt sleep beginning to pull at her as well, fighting it at first as she wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer but eventually with a sigh she gave in and closed her eyes, beginning to drift off in Izumi's arms, soft breaths soon coming from her as sleep took her. She knew that she was likely going to catch some heat from Iko later for not getting back to the hospital but right now at least she didn't care. She was feeling truly content for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"Never ever again..." she muttered in her sleep, hugging onto Izumi even tighter, not wanting to let go even in sleep. Her most precious person had finally returned to her and she was never going to let her get away from her again.

"I promise.. no matter what"