Settling In (Complete)

[Shadow]

Shadow quickly was pushed onto his back by the small woman. He was somewhat surprised by the power that was packed into her. Weather or not it was adrenaline he smiled at the forcefulness she was able to exert. He laid there for a moment before sitting straight up and looking to her. He'd gather his thoughts together, coming to the conclusion that she had froze on the bridge. "Did I take your breath away?" His reply was snarky as planned, but also was the only way he learned to ease tension in such situations.

Taking hold of the rope of the bridge he'd heave himself up and bent somewhat to offer help to her with an outstretched hand. "Let's get off this thing, huh?"

[Deleted]

Asouka was flustered, unsure on how to react to Shadow's playful banter. It was something she wasn't used to and was evident upon the failed attempt to turn her face into an emotionless mask. The blush was all he needed to see that his comment affected her. "Of course you did! Your fat ass made it hard to breathe!" Her retort had little thought behind it, only embarrassment and anger towards herself for making it into such a huge deal. If only she continued down the bridge, not let her fear of heights get to her and leave her frozen with all the what ifs and terrible conclusions to her life.

His movement caused the rope bridge to sway, a squeak of fear escaping her lips as her hands quickly searched for something solid. Of course that something solid was Shadow's outstretched hand, but this time, she would swallow her pride, if only just a little, and allow the man help her up. "Yeah..."

She was tired of making a fool of herself for the night. She only wanted to be in a warm bed now, maybe have another cup of tea with milk before headed to sleep. Eventually, she'd have to apologize for what she said to Shadow. He was allowing her to stay in his home. Her mind continued to work, thinking about the current situation and how awkward it would be if she stayed ever so silent. This time, it would be her to break the silence.

"... I'm sorry." Her voice was but a mumble, but she hoped the man could hear her none-the-less. Clinging to his arm was embarrassing enough and she didn't want to repeat herself. Not yet, at least.

[Shadow]

Shadow waited with his outstretched hand for her to grab on. Asouka's blushing and squeaks made her words seem like a childish tantrum in a way, a smile was evident on his face and he did little to conceal it from her this time. He had no reply to her 'harsh words' deciding to ignore them lest she'd start to get flustered all over again and fall to her death.

She was growing on him. The way her actions and words contradicted themselves constantly gave him an odd sense of happiness. Like a child that wanted to be considered a grownup, but not yet ready. The small mumble from behind him only amplified the feeling, Shadow turning around to show he didn't mind her outburst. "It's fine."

Together they would cross the rest of the bridge, her clinging close to his figure, finally reaching the mountains face that jutted out to make up Shadow's courtyard. It was an odd sight to see within the village. Brown and grey rocks, zigzagged mountain faces and so on was not in low supply. That's what Iwagakure was, but unknown to most, Shadow's mansion home was exactly the opposite. It was full of lush green colors and rainbow hued vegetation.

The courtyard was paved down the middle with a white marble that fed into the house. The grounds filled with grass and small pools of water on either side, the leafy hues of trees popping up every few meters. Lining the walls of the structure was a hanging moss that blossomed small colorful flowers and vines.

Letting his grip on Asouka's hand slid a little he'd breath in deeply. "I don't know about you, but this is the perfect place to relieve stress." His eyes moved to her figure. Hopefully she'd feel at ease now that they were back on land, albeit it was a hanging mass of land nonetheless.

[Deleted]

Feeling her cheeks grow ever warm, she pulled the scarf about her neck higher so it barely covered the tip of her nose. Her actions were unbecoming of a shinobi, even moreso of a kunoichi. She was embarrassed at herself for making such a fool of herself, and seeing this man, who gave her shelter in this new, alien land, smile, it made her feel even worse about the whole situation. Because of it, her eyes stuck to the path they walked along, unable to meet Shadow's dark eyes.

Upon entering the grounds of the Kaguya man's home, Asouka's eye grew wide in shock. The landscape was breathtaking, a small world of paradise in this drab village. It was almost like she was back at home.

Her eyes instantly moved towards the ponds that were placed within this paradise, her body relaxing once she knew that she still had the comfort of a familiar element. Water always had a calming effect on the woman, even when she was just a toddler.

She was then snapped back into reality as she caught the last words of Shadow. She nodded at his words, finally allowing her lips to quirk into a soft smile. "I'm sure it'll help me adapt here."

She then turned her gaze towards him, having to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "Could you point me in the direction of the bathroom? I'd like to take a bath." She couldn't stand to be in such a beautiful place with this man. It started to make her heart do funny things as she looked at his profile. A bath would help clear her head.

[Shadow]

Shadow watched Asouka as her eyes moved to the pools of water. Instantly he could see her guard be let down and solace cover her face. He'd nod at her request and grabbed hold of her hand with a slight pulling motion to follow him in the house. They trailed down the marble pathway to the two enormous doors that opened as they neared. 

The house inside matched the outside, bright and lavish with color. A mix of quartz walls and dark oak floors lined the various halls and rooms. Spotted throughout were plants of different sizes and types due to the height of this estate and the amount of windows flora here thrived. 

He stopped as they entered this combined green room foyer and looked to her. "Uhm...you don't have a change of clothing do you?" He hadn't seen her carrying a bag and unless she was hiding it somewhere he would have to get something for her from one of the many guest rooms.

[Deleted]

This building called a house was more of a city to the woman. She was used to small shacks and tiny apartments. And this was another thing all together. It was likely that she would get lost in this place.

She'd then sneak a glance to Shadow, envy masking the awe she had. This very distant cousin of hers had lived in luxury, at least she assumed he did, and Asouka had to fight to survive. It was amazing how these two could have lived two different lives, all thanks to their clan's arrogant behavior.

The woman did little to hide the jealousy she felt towards Shadow as he asked her about her clothes. Removing the hand he held in his, she placed a hand upon the fabric of her oversized yukata, the fabric bunching up under her fingers.

"No. We left in too big of a hurry for me to even think about grabbing a change of clothes. It doesn't matter, though. Getting the bijuu here was more important. I'll just go buy some clothes tomorrow, try to look like I belong in Iwagakure."

She let silence fill the air between them for a few seconds, glancing everywhere, minus him. "Now, where's the bathroom and where will I be sleeping?"

[Shadow]

He nodded to her. "I didn't think you did." He took hold of her hand again after she pulled it away. "However you will not be buying any clothing especially since I have so much laying around that isn't being used. It'd be a waste, no?" The question was rhetorical of course. They traveled further into estate coming to a grand looking double staircase that fed the way to the top regions of said estate. It was made of the same material as the rest of the house and had a large piece of glass that let in sunlight situated in the roof. 

"The bathroom is up here, at least the main one is." The house had a few bathrooms in it, but most were only half with a few as full. Even so it seemed to Shadow that the girl needed to relax. "As for clothes there should be some in the bedroom across the hall from the bathroom. That's where you can sleep if you'd like."

He pointed to the rooms that she needed and let her hand go. "If you need anything else you can find me in my office." He trailed down to the end of one of the halls that opened into a circular room with a desk and various books stacked against the walls and quite dim in comparison to the other areas of house. Behind the desk was a door in which he entered and closed behind him.

[Deleted]

Asouka bowed at the waist as he began to leave her, voicing her thanks. Once she heard the door to his office click closed, she raised back to her erect position and turned towards the bathroom, pale fingers turning the door handle to enter the no doubt luxurious room. At this point, the woman was no longer surprised at all the lavish items that filled this mansion. It only tired her out more knowing that her distant cousin had lived this life while she was stuck in a hovel, hidden away from the rest of Kirigakure. She supposed that she'd get used to it, however, now that this too was her home.

After drawing a bath and soaking in it for a good few hours, Asouka quickly wrapped a towel about her long ivory locks before getting dressed once again in her oversized Yukata, her ferret companion happily wrapped in the confines of Asouka's scarf, his own fur drenched from a quick bath. The Kaguya then gathered all her garments, holding them to her chest carefully, so as not to squish the ferret, and left the bathroom, making her way towards the bedroom she was assigned across the hall.

She'd toss her clothes onto the floor, holding Hibi in her arms before setting him on one of the pillows. Letting the towel wrapped about her hair fall over her shoulders, Asouka began to dry her hair, trying to get most of the water still clinging to her locks before crawling into bed.

In the morning, she'd deal with the new clothes. For now, she just needed rest.

{exit}