Taijutsu Training (closed)

consciousness, like the driftwood he had attempted to cling to only hours before, kept slipping from his grasp. He stirred not as the tide rose up around him, nor did he move to shoo away a flock of Ravens that had gathered, in their unkindness, for what they believed could be their next meal ticket. And yet, despite his unconsciousness, it could scarcely be said the young Misaki had been dreaming. No small part of the young male wished the images flashing behind his eyelids were simply just dreams, for if anything such a state would be easier to end. 

Like a flip book moving two fast for his eyes to register, he saw only colors. Red, blue and black, but each color was ablaze with a luminosity that set it apart from a mere simple shade. With a vibrant violence the colors flared in his haze, he could feel them getting closer to him until he felt as if his skin was simply being melted away. Unaware to him, his body convulsed, trembling and jerking as if shocks had been set through his flesh and scattering the unkindness brought by the Ravens. 

And then there was no pain. As quick as it had onset, the colors disappeared as a sea of dark blue rose around them in a manner not unlike the tide that slowly crept up towards the young male as he lay on the edges of the ocean, but rather more sudden and all at once. The darker blue was cold at first, icy even but as it overwhelmed the other three it exploded outward in warmth and disappeared altogether, replaced instead by a mist of white. 

In violent opposition to the three burning colors the dark blue returned from both inside and around the humid white mist. Like the heat from the previous colors, Bankai could feel the crushing pressure that this blue wrought upon his body, his body was chilled to the bone and he could pull no air into his lungs. And then the only color he could see was the a cold and empty black.


His body jerked and twisted, water and air sputtering from his mouth as the young Misaki awoke abruptly, the slow creeping tide having attempted, in a rather rude and largely hostile manner, to force water into his mouth and nose as it had crawled its way up the beach. What followed his panicked need for oxygen was nothing more than several loud gasps as the young male gulped down air, in attempt to settle  his protesting lungs whilst  he quickly pulled himself up the slope of the beach and away from the rising tide. 

The world was more out of focus than not for the male. Blinded by the bright light of the noon sun offset against the white sand, it was hard to say that seeing anything with the backdrop of brightness was going to be possible, but he turned his looked around, attempting to figure out exactly where he was, his brain opting to not acknowledge the events of the last few days with any clarity once he had been freed from his dream-like haze. Squinting his eyes, in attempt to block out some of the light and bring some much needed focus to his vision, Bankai looked upon his surroundings with no small measure of confusion. 

He could see the ocean that had previously attacked him and took note of how it was filled with various blurry objects, floating atop or sticking out of the water. Most of the various flotsam had not made it onto the beach yet, but still a few stragglers had been stranded ashore by the homicidal tide. 

"Where am I...? The young Lieutenant blinked rapidly, attempting to bring more focus to his vision as he mumbled to himself; his words coming out as more of a hoarse grunt than anything else, given the itch that had grown in the back of his throat and the dryness of his mouth. 

An overwhelming vertigo overtook the male as he pulled himself to his feet, but without great exertion, he managed to stay upright, looking around once more in attempt to discern anything helpful about the chaos that impacted Hanagakure and more importantly to him at this moment, exactly where he was. It was during this survey that he saw that which made his heart stop.  


"Kirima!"

The panic set in once more as he stumbled and nearly fell several times, attempting to cross the dozen or so meters to the where the red haired female lay just above the rising tide. His legs scarcely wanted to support his weight as weakness and fatigue clawed at his body in attempt to pull it back to the ground. Such matters were only made worse by the hot and unstable sand, burning his skin and shifting with each step he took, but he as quickly as he could he collapsed in the warm sand next to the female. 

Much like his own, her clothes were torn and tattered, ripped and cut by the both the sea and the various debris floating around that they scarcely covered more than a fourth of her skin anymore and the rest was covered with bruises, cuts or blood. Both concern and sorrow flashed across his expression as he looked upon the frail form of the woman whom he cared for so much.

"Kirima wake up.." His hand reached out and prodded her arm gently at first, for despite all her injuries, she simply seemed to be asleep."Kirima wake up !"

When she did not stir, the worried-filled male put his hand against her chest and his stomach twisted in panic. He quickly began inspecting her for anything serious, defaulting surprisingly to basic first aid training he had been given in Hanagakure's military many years ago. His left hand moved to her neck, taking note of the very week pulse, but also giving away the real problem. She wasn't breathing. She did not seem to have suffered any sort of injury that would cause any blockage or collapsing in her airway (or at least as far as his inexperience could tell) so the young male immediately continued to do the only he could remember from those classes stored in so long ago in his memory to get her breathing again. 

With careful hands, he tilted her head back, propping her mouth open slightly as his right hand gently plugged her nose. With no small amount of hesitation he brought his mouth down to hers, keeping his lips tight against to hers before pushing a breath into her mouth and causing her chest to rise slightly all the while hoping and praying that he could help her.

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Her body felt as heavy as a sack of stones as it floated about in the nothingness that surrounded her. This endless void which had no light and no shadows was completely silent. The woman's body was enveloped completely in the darkness as if it was the tight embrace of a lover - if death could be described in such a way. She didn't know if her eyes were open or closed, it probably didn't matter in there. What was there to see anyway? Probably nothing of importance, she was beyond that now, beyond anything that was light or filled with hope. Strangely, even if she felt confused and unsure just what was going on; then she was pretty sure that she was dying. That was really the only thing she was sure of at this point. However there was no sadness or regret which penetrated her fragile mind at that realization - rather she felt like curling up and enjoying the ride with a small smile on her dry lips. Heaviness inside of her chest grew with each slow second that passed, not that she knew if seconds or hours were passing. Perhaps days were passing as fast as seconds now that she was entering Death's flower garden.

She felt tired. She wanted to sleep. The mere thought of filling her lungs with fresh air was exhausting. To live sounded utterly pointless. Now she could just give up and sleep, sleep, sleep. Just as the female seemed to have made up her mind about simply giving up and keep floating around in the embrace of the darkness, there was a deep rumbling that shook her very core. It was as if someone was trying to reach her, but all the female could sense were the vibrations of the air instead of an actual voice reaching her ears. Even as she strained to listen, there was nothing she could make out. Not a single word. Just this powerful rumbling that threatened to set her teeth clattering. She knew someone or something was trying to speak to her, someone didn't seem all too pleased with the idea of giving up. Deep down in her gut she simply knew this, but couldn't explain why. Just like she couldn't explain how she knew where she was heading. It was irritating to have that rumbling interrupt her as she meant to simply float around there forever in peace. Each time a new vibration shook the air and tickled at the young woman, she would twitch slightly and feel yet again how heavy her body was getting. Each new vibration sent the tiniest of electric surges through her system - urging her body to fight.

Stop it. I‘m tired.

It was exhausting to think. It took a long time to form the words in her mind and send them out to whomever it was that wanted her attention.

"...up."

The rumbling grew louder, her ears were ringing, it felt like someone was prodding at her consciousness without any mercy.

"Get... up..." 

The words were forming in her mind, slowly as if it was a great deal of hard work. Was it her imagination or did that rumbling start to resemble a feminine voice? If you could call such a loud growling a voice. Her lips parted, she wanted to tell this creature or person to leave her alone, but no words left her mouth. The tightness and heaviness of her chest were starting to feel uncomfortable. Her eyebrows were drawn together on her forehead as she twitched slightly. Something new was going on inside of her, but she didn't know what it was. Was this rumbling the cause of the increased discomfort she experienced now in her tired body? It also felt now as if she was suddenly spiraling in the air, just like she was being thrown towards wherever the ground was. Down, down - she kept falling downwards but couldn't do anything about it. Panic was starting to rise, the rumbling of that distant voice continued to follow her but the words were lost to her yet again. The faster she fell, the more distant that voice was becoming.

Her chest had a weird aching in it now, as if pressure was building. The darkness was slowly starting to clear up around her eyes, until they suddenly opened up and she was staring up at the sky. She knew she wasn't breathing, she knew everything was wrong at that very moment. A shadow loomed over her, just now did she notice a mouth pressed against her own. Air was being breathed into her lungs, forced down to bring them back to life. It hurt... hurt... hurt. Her fingers started twitching, her chest heaved up, she tried to shake her head and ask that person to stop, until suddenly she turned onto her side and convulsed. Water streamed from her mouth and nose, a pained coughing shook her battered body as she curled up while trying to get a full breath into the already deprived organs. Powerful cramps shook her body, squeezed her lungs and heart.

The woman felt weak as a kitten as another fit of coughing violently attacked her. A shiver ran through her as she opened her eyes once again, staring out at the ocean which was so close. Fear, deep fear ran through her veins and she wanted to move away from that very ocean as if it was threatening her in some way. It wanted to engulf her, she knew it. Yet her body was so heavy, it was almost impossible to do much more than trying to breathe properly. So instead of fleeing from that spot she flopped onto her back again, now sucking down the fresh air as her deep blue eye searched frantically for that male’s face again - for comfort as well as because of curiosity and fear. 

“I.... what...?”

Her voice was strained, barely a hoarse whisper as she looked with huge eyes of wonder and fear at the young male. Something was pulling at the skin of her face, so she lifted a weak hand and dragged her fingers across the flesh, before pulling them away and staring at the crimson liquid that stained them. Just now as she noticed the blood on her slender fingers did she also taste the iron on her tongue

“W-was there an accident? What happened? Am... I hurt...?”

The sudden panic caused the words to stream from her lips, and immediately she started coughing again. If she was hurt, then why didn't she feel any pain? Panic was rising swiftly as she glanced down at her ripped up and soaked clothing. She started taking in the bruising and the blood that seemed to be everywhere. Her breathing was getting a bit too fast for her still tired lungs, and for a second she was sure she’d faint as the world started spinning. However, curiosity and stubbornness won over and she looked again at the male. Under any other circumstances she would have probably thought he was very cute, with those nice features, dark eyes and matching hair. Yet his stressed out expression along with his own injuries worried the female even more.

“Who...who are you? What... happened?”

It was as if she was almost afraid to ask. She really -was- almost too afraid to ask. Everything was swirling around in her brain, nothing seemed to make sense at all. She didn't feel like she was in familiar surroundings nor did she feel like she truly belonged to her own body.

“I... I can’t feel the pain...”

She whispered the words out with a shaky voice. Hesitantly her fingers stroked over her face again, up into her hair where she found a rather nasty wound that was still bleeding profusely at her right temple. Sure enough, all she could feel as her fingertips had prodded into that wound was a little faint stinging sensation, but other than that she simply felt light headed and like her limbs were made out of lead. There was no screaming pain as would be expected from such wounding. Her hand trembled as she looked at it again, now covered with the fresh blood. She looked back at the male with huge eyes as her hand started trembling more violently. Truly she was at the brink of panic.

“There’s something... something wrong... I can’t... what happened? W-who are you?”

Her voice sounded so small by now, she was so confused and scared as she started repeating the same questions. She had no idea if she should fear this male. Was he the source of her injuries? But wasn't he just trying to save her? Where were they? Anywhere near home? 

Home...?

The redhead froze. Just what was home? Where was home? A very faint headache, barely even noticeable, started knocking on her temples as she tried to think harder. The more she tried to think about what had happened and where they could be, the more difficult it was to keep the dizzy spells away. And just as the discomfort in her head started to slowly spread, did she notice how horribly nauseous she was. It didn't help that a knot was forming in her stomach, a knot of dread as she finally came to the conclusion that not only did she have no clue what had happened or who this male was ...

... she didn't even know who she was.

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There was no amount of self control that could have stopped the panic that grew within the young Lieutenant's mind and body as he forced breath after breath into the mouth of the woman who lay before him. Each of his hand shook almost violently as he struggled to maintain some semblance of composure, if only for Kirima's sake, he held her nose plugged with her right hand and gently rest his left on her chest as he once more took a deep breath, leaning down to push air into her lips as they slowly grew more and more of blue shade. The seconds felt more akin to minutes as the young Senju tried to keep his mind solely on his efforts and not to recall just how badly the odds were stacked in his favor.

After what felt like minutes to the desperate male, his hope was almost entirely diminished and more than a few streams of tears leaked from his eyes, but just as he had pulled back to take another deep breath Kirima's body jerked back to life; causing his own to jump slightly from surprise. She had seen him, that much was obvious, but her body had other plans before she could give him any words or symbol of recognition. As soon as her eyes had opened, the red-haired woman rolled onto her side and began to cough and sputter violently. 

"Kirima...are y-"

In reflex, Bankai's hands had quickly withdrawn from their previous position, his right hand which had been holding her nose retreated to his side; his left hand however, moved down to gently rest on her thigh as a gesture of comfort. His soft and concerned whisper was drowned out by all of her loud and hacking coughing as all the water she had held in her lungs now forced its way out. Each sputter and tremor that rippled through her form caused him to flinch in sympathy. His blonde hair soaked. 

After a what felt like ages to the Misaki(and more than likely longer to the red-haired female) her coughing finally subsided, but she did not look in his direction. Although she would not meet his gaze, it was not hard for his own glowing blue eyes to follow the vision cast from her fear-filled blue ones. Whether it was the source of her fear or not, it was the debris filled ocean that was the object of Kirima's stare. As it was the same ocean from which they had both escaped barely breathing (one obviously more than the other), the young Misaki could easily understand if it was the water that she feared; for he too felt that same fear as images of the water rising up around him still coursed through his mind. A by product of the experiments conducted on him.

As she fell once more onto her back, inhaling breath after breath to make up for the precious air from which she had previously been deprived, Bankai's gaze fell back down to her face, searching for any sign of how she fared, both mentally and physically. His hand moved up to rest on her own, a gesture of comfort, both to her and himself, as she spoke. His eyes were marred with concern as he surveyed the wounds on her face.

“I.... what...? W-was there an accident? What happened? Am... I hurt...?”

He opened his mouth to speak but found his words quickly drown out as she began to cough once more. He squeezed her hand in failed attempt to comfort her once more as the words "Calm down" or "Kirima you need to relax". Nevertheless, he looked at her with with no small amount of worry, he couldn't be sure if her memory had been affected, either by the lack of oxygen or from some head injury that had occurred during their trip in the ocean. He could only hope that her confusion was simply the result of her shock, but he had no way of knowing. 

“Who...who are you? What... happened?”

For the first time, Bankai's face flashed with an emotion that was more than just his concern or panic for the female's well being. She didn't even recognize him... her simple, albeit confused question caused no small amount of hurt to flash across his face. Had the phrase triggered less of an emotional response, the logical side of his brain might have kicked in and reminded the Lieutenant that her lapse in memory could simply be the result of the obvious trauma she had just suffered. 

“I... I can’t feel the pain...There’s something... something wrong... I can’t... what happened? W-who are you”

She whispered the words out, in her shaky voice still strained and hoarse. He opened his mouth, but slowly closed it again. He could find no words to reassure her, even as both his concern and hurt were shown clearly across his face. With a very unsteady hand he brought his right hand up slowly, pausing for a second and looking into her blue eyes as he placed it over top of hers, gently bringing back to her face as he ignored the crimson liquid that coated the tips of her fingers. He swallowed hard, attempting to push his feelings back down and spoke as calmly as his voice could manage.

"Just breath..." As he spoke his free hand reached down to the tattered remains of his shirt and tore off the cleanest section he could see, revealing more than a small portion of his pale abdomen. "Your name is Kirima..."With one hand he took the cloth, pulling both her and his hand away from the edge of her face before bringing the fabric to her face and wiping the blood from her wound. 

Until a large portion of the wound was cleaned, he did not speak and when he finally did he lied in an almost effortless fashion.

"We were on a ship that got caught in a storm...you're probably just in shock, give it some time...My name is Bankai...we're close friends." He paused for second and then, in a surprisingly graceful move hopped himself up into a low crouch. "Can you stand? We should probably find somewhere to at least check you for more wounds..."

Still holding onto her hand, he pulled it slightly, motioning for her to try and stand even as he tried to ignore the guilt that built in his stomach. He didn't want to lie to her, but it was far easier than explaining the truth to her.

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The Misaki did his best to give Kirima a small reassuring smile as he slowly rose to his own feet, keeping a hold on her hand, rising with her as she slowly stood to her feet. Despite the kindness shown across his face, the worry was still clearly marred across his expression, even more so as the red-haired female swoon as soon as she stood up. His free hand quickly rested against her right side to serve as a means to steady her even as she leaned against him.

"Take it easy..."

The young male could not help but fall victim to his feelings as the older woman leaned against him in her moment of weakness. He knew that her sudden case of amnesia likely meant that she did not and probably would not reciprocate the same feelings towards him, but nevertheless he still felt the worry in his mind recede just slightly as she leaned against him, they were physically close now, but not in the same manner as he might have embraced her as he did when she recognized his face. Neverthless, the short minutes went by far too quickly to appease the Lieutenant and his unrequited feelings and before he knew it she opened her eyes and stared into his as she spoke.

"Do you think there were other survivors in that... that accident?"

It would seem that even a case of amnesia could not take away every trace of the Kirima he had come to know from her mind. She spoke with obvious concern for others beyond the two of them, a level of selflessness that he could scarcely claim for himself. He could offer her no words of reassurance this time even as his lips curved into a slight frown. He did not know if anyone else had survived what had befallen the city, possibly because he still couldn't remember exactly what had happened; nor could he affirm that anyone had survived their 'accident' as it is quite difficult given the falsehood he had invented only moments before. 

He shook his head slightly as he opened his mouth and murmured slightly to her. " I-I dont know... maybe someone else washed up on along lower on the beach...but there's no one else here..." It was a half truth, for all he knew maybe there actually were other survivors of the city's destruction.

The tidal wave slowly made it's climb up the beach once more as he felt Kirima dig her fingers into his arm just enough to cause him to flinch slightly, if not as a result of her being unaware of her own strength then simply because his body was left quite sore as he had taken a beating from the ocean only hours previous. He voiced, no complaint however, merely keeping his gaze on Kirima's as she was clearly tormented by worry and thought before she spoke once more. 

"Listen... I'm sorry about not knowing who you are. I-I'm sure I will remember right away."

Bankai did his best to mirror the small reassuring that she had attempted to give him, but it left his own visage as quickly as hers had disappeared. Even if he would not openly admit it, he was worried as the 'helpless damsel' who stood before him. He spoke softly as he gently turned her away from him, lifting one of her arms and draping it across his shoulders as to obviously support her.

"Lets not worry about that right now." He tried his best to keep his composure a bit and even let out the weakest chuckle imaginable. "We're alive, together and mostly unharmed... that's really all that matters right? We can put the puzzle pieces together when we find somewhere to rest." 

Carefully maneuvering himself and Kirima (whom he gave no option other than to allow him to support her weight) he was ready to attempt to walk down the beach when an unfamiliar voice called out from short distance down the beach.

"Hey!"

His muscles tensed up as Bankai froze on the spot, instinctively he reached to his left thigh for his Ninja Kit... that had been lost amidst the ocean current long before he had awaken on the beach. Despite his state of... barely dressed (tattered leftovers of a t shirt still graced his shoulders and his pants were little more than raggedy shorts at this point) the Soldier had not felt naked or exposed until this point. If that was someone who harbored ill-will towards them he could scarcely fight them off and protect Kirima in her present state, where she would be more of a hindrance than an asset for obvious reasons. 

His hand quickly formed a half-tiger seal as the woman approached quickly. She had long brown hair, and a slightly tanned complexion to her skin, but all in all looked mostly harmless; not that such a fact put him at ease in any way. He did not relax his form, nor his grip on Kirima's side as he pulled her a bit closer to him, angling her away from this unknown person just enough to put him in the front line for any direct attack.

“You guys are hurt. Well no shit, of course you’re hurt. Here, let me help. I have a house not too far from here.”

The woman spoke as she got closer to them and without any form of confirmation from either of the two quickly took up a support role on Kirima's other side. He mentally swore, as there was no way for him to know how this new person might act and despite her seemingly helpful nature, he still defaulted to a less than trusting position.

“What happen to you guys?”

Hhis grip on Kirima did not loosen as he opened his mouth to speak, he was determined to make sure that she was closer to him than the unknown female. We were caught in a storm... shipwrecked...There was once a time when Bankai could not lie to save his skin, due to his honor as a Misaki, but as he spoke to this new female, he lied smoothly and effortlessly. Despite this, it was not as though he was lying for his own gain, but rather the young Lieutenant could scarcely predict how a scared Kirima might react if she knew the truth and he believed it would be better this way. As such, he could only hope that for the time being, this unknown female did not known enough to oust his less than truthful tale.

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 I-I dont know... maybe someone else washed up on the other islands...but there's no one else here..."


It was probably foolish to wish that others had survived, most likely it was probably way too optimistic to ever be true. Seeing just the state of the two of them, this accident had probably been horrendous. The ice cold reality of Bankai's words hit Kirima like a hard slap, and she could not help but flinch slightly as she realized that there was indeed no one else there. They were alone. Perhaps, probably even, the lone survivors. 

Kirima swallowed a lump in her throat but didn't say anything more. However sad this whole damn situation was, it honestly was rather terrifying to think of the ocean as a watery grave for all the other passengers, then the first and foremost priority was to keep them two alive. Even if it would sound harsh that they would only look after themselves for the time being, then the truth was that they couldn't help anyone in their current state. They both looked and felt like drowned rats and the most worrying thing at that moment was the still bleeding wound on Kirima‘s head which was probably the cause for her already partly disabled mind and memory. So they had to move now, further onto dry land and possibly find some help. Although finding someone out here was a very optimistic way of thinking – or so Kirima thought at least. 

"Lets not worry about that right now."  said Bankai as his facial expression was just about as weak as her own, yet it still managed to kindle a tiny flame underneath her hope. Yes, she could understand why they two were friends as this boy looked very kind. But, did she truly feel something more for him than just that? This is just way too confusing and messed up. "We're alive, together and mostly unharmed... that's really all that matters right? We can put the puzzle pieces together when we find somewhere to rest." Unharmed for the most part .... well yes, they were standing and even walking slowly. Yet Kirima couldn't feel any pain so she couldn‘t possibly know how badly injured she truly was. And just how was Bankai for that matter? Maybe he was playing the role of the hero and saviour because of her current state, but might be just as badly injured – if not worse. Despite the young male just having told Kirima to save the worries for later, she couldn't help but build an even bigger mountain of worries inside of her head. Which of course didn't help with the growing fuzziness and exhaustion.

It was alarming to think that they might be alone here at this place. Maybe there was no help at all, but they would have to swim somewhere else in order to be saved. No. Without even finishing the thought of swimming, she had already denied that act. It was strange, it felt almost as if she truly was scared of water deep down inside, besides the newly gained fear from the accident that had happened now. Perhaps it's my old self showing her face, I really hope so.

"Hey!"

Both of the young people tensed up at the sudden female voice ringing out. Kirima could literally feel as every single muscle in Bankai‘s body turned into rock against her side. Her sapphire eyes quickly found the source of surprise, and watched as a young woman made her way towards the two of them. It was a stunningly beautiful woman with a tanned complexion and light eyes. Naturally, as one would expect from the ragged looks of Bankai and Kirima, that young woman started to speak out and asking if they were okay. But, there was suddenly a definite change in her expression just as she had asked, and instead she started to look Kirima over while uttering a single word of surprise. 

“You’re-“ 

Judging from the way Bankai was behaving, Kirima could safely assume that they didn't know that young woman. Yet even as the woman was a stranger then wasn't Bankai acting a bit strange? And why did that stranger act if only for a second like she might possibly know Kirima? Maybe it was someone that Kirima knew but Bankai didn‘t? Right now it was as if Bankai was expecting the worst to come out of this situation. Even if he maybe didn‘t know it himself then the expression on his face turned quite scary once that woman had come into sight. Kirima felt confused as to how such an innocent and kind looking young male whom claimed he was a close friend of hers could turn into what could only be described as a ferocious wolf. However, there was no time to ask questions since just as suddenly as that woman had appeared was she now at Kirima‘s side in order to give some help.

“Holy fucking balls on a Sunday afternoon…” Kirima blinked slowly at the unusual usage of words. “How the hell are you-“ How the hell what? Did she maybe see the accident and didn‘t think anyone would survive? “You guys are hurt. Well no shit, of course you’re hurt. Here, let me help. I have a house not too far from here.” Despite not really suspecting that young woman of anything, Kirima couldn't help but find herself jumping slightly and tensing up as that stranger put an arm around Kirima in order to support her. No matter if she knew that this was just a nice person coming to help – then every single cell of Kirima‘s body was screaming out that this was dangerous and not right at all. Just what is going on with myself? All I want to do is jump away from her, heck I think I even want to punch her. 

Automatically, she looked to Bankai for help. Right now she was after all very helpless and confused. He didn‘t seem to be able to offer any reassurance or assistance though, but only kept up a guarded look as he answered that young woman about what had happened. The trio didn‘t move overly fast, mostly because of Kirima having moments where she could barely even move one leg before the other. Every minute or so her complexion would turn snow white or a sickly green as her stomach and head protested violently at the movements of her body. Obviously this, along with the rest of her problems, were the results of that nasty wound on her head. Clearly she had had a little bump in with something very sturdy – and it did not seem that she had been the winner of that encounter. The knowledge that this woman‘s house was pretty close by was enough to make Kirima almost weep from happiness as she was sure she would not last much longer. 

“Thank you for the help… umm.”

She paused and glanced at the mystery woman, since obviously she didn't know her name. Truth be told she didn't know anything about her - but it seemed to be that kind of a day where Kirima knew nothing about anyone.

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I-I dont know... maybe someone else washed up on the other islands...but there's no one else here..."


It was probably foolish to wish that others had survived, most likely it was probably way too optimistic to ever be true. Seeing just the state of the two of them, this accident had probably been horrendous. The ice cold reality of Bankai's words hit Kirima like a hard slap, and she could not help but flinch slightly as she realized that there was indeed no one else there. They were alone. Perhaps, probably even, the lone survivors.

Kirima swallowed a lump in her throat but didn't say anything more. However sad this whole damn situation was, it honestly was rather terrifying to think of the ocean as a watery grave for all the other passengers, then the first and foremost priority was to keep them two alive. Even if it would sound harsh that they would only look after themselves for the time being, then the truth was that they couldn't help anyone in their current state. They both looked and felt like drowned rats and the most worrying thing at that moment was the still bleeding wound on Kirima‘s head which was probably the cause for her already partly disabled mind and memory. So they had to move now, further onto dry land and possibly find some help. Although finding someone out here was a very optimistic way of thinking – or so Kirima thought at least.

"Lets not worry about that right now." said Bankai as his facial expression was just about as weak as her own, yet it still managed to kindle a tiny flame underneath her hope. Yes, she could understand why they two were friends as this boy looked very kind. But, did she truly feel something more for him than just that? This is just way too confusing and messed up. "We're alive, together and mostly unharmed... that's really all that matters right? We can put the puzzle pieces together when we find somewhere to rest." Unharmed for the most part .... well yes, they were standing and even walking slowly. Yet Kirima couldn't feel any pain so she couldn‘t possibly know how badly injured she truly was. And just how was Bankai for that matter? Maybe he was playing the role of the hero and saviour because of her current state, but might be just as badly injured – if not worse. Despite the young male just having told Kirima to save the worries for later, she couldn't help but build an even bigger mountain of worries inside of her head. Which of course didn't help with the growing fuzziness and exhaustion.

It was alarming to think that they might be alone here at this place. Maybe there was no help at all, but they would have to swim somewhere else in order to be saved. No. Without even finishing the thought of swimming, she had already denied that act. It was strange, it felt almost as if she truly was scared of water deep down inside, besides the newly gained fear from the accident that had happened now. Perhaps it's my old self showing her face, I really hope so.

"Hey!"

Both of the young people tensed up at the sudden female voice ringing out. Kirima could literally feel as every single muscle in Bankai‘s body turned into rock against her side. Her sapphire eyes quickly found the source of surprise, and watched as a young woman made her way towards the two of them. It was a stunningly beautiful woman with a tanned complexion and light eyes. Naturally, as one would expect from the ragged looks of Bankai and Kirima, that young woman started to speak out and asking if they were okay. But, there was suddenly a definite change in her expression just as she had asked, and instead she started to look Kirima over while uttering a single word of surprise.

“You’re-“

Judging from the way Bankai was behaving, Kirima could safely assume that they didn't know that young woman. Yet even as the woman was a stranger then wasn't Bankai acting a bit strange? And why did that stranger act if only for a second like she might possibly know Kirima? Maybe it was someone that Kirima knew but Bankai didn‘t? Right now it was as if Bankai was expecting the worst to come out of this situation. Even if he maybe didn‘t know it himself then the expression on his face turned quite scary once that woman had come into sight. Kirima felt confused as to how such an innocent and kind looking young male whom claimed he was a close friend of hers could turn into what could only be described as a ferocious wolf. However, there was no time to ask questions since just as suddenly as that woman had appeared was she now at Kirima‘s side in order to give some help.

“Holy fucking balls on a Sunday afternoon…” Kirima blinked slowly at the unusual usage of words. “How the hell are you-“ How the hell what? Did she maybe see the accident and didn‘t think anyone would survive? “You guys are hurt. Well no shit, of course you’re hurt. Here, let me help. I have a house not too far from here.” Despite not really suspecting that young woman of anything, Kirima couldn't help but find herself jumping slightly and tensing up as that stranger put an arm around Kirima in order to support her. No matter if she knew that this was just a nice person coming to help – then every single cell of Kirima‘s body was screaming out that this was dangerous and not right at all. Just what is going on with myself? All I want to do is jump away from her, heck I think I even want to punch her.

Automatically, she looked to Bankai for help. Right now she was after all very helpless and confused. He didn‘t seem to be able to offer any reassurance or assistance though, but only kept up a guarded look as he answered that young woman about what had happened. The trio didn‘t move overly fast, mostly because of Kirima having moments where she could barely even move one leg before the other. Every minute or so her complexion would turn snow white or a sickly green as her stomach and head protested violently at the movements of her body. Obviously this, along with the rest of her problems, were the results of that nasty wound on her head. Clearly she had had a little bump in with something very sturdy – and it did not seem that she had been the winner of that encounter. The knowledge that this woman‘s house was pretty close by was enough to make Kirima almost weep from happiness as she was sure she would not last much longer.

“Thank you for the help… umm.”

She paused and glanced at the mystery woman, since obviously she didn't know her name. Truth be told she didn't know anything about her - but it seemed to be that kind of a day where Kirima knew nothing about anyone.

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"Kia" she finished Kirima's sentence. "My name is Kia. I am-well was, a medic nin in the city. I-uh, kind of escaped before all of the stuff happened to the place." It was strange to explain the story. Most of the villages in the area if not all knew of the destruction of the city of Gin by the gigantic tidal wave caused by still an unknown cause. However, it was strange to tell to these folks because they looked like they went to a watery hell and back.

The young man looked fine. She could easily examined that he had no outer injuries. A cut here or there perhaps, but nothing she should be worried about. Kirima, on the other hand?

She got a good look at her. There were visible damage to her. Blue spots that were going to turn a discolored purple bruise on her shin. She could see the color in Kirima's face sway from pale to a slight color close to broccoli (or Kale, didn't really matter). Whatever had happen to her, she was in no condition to walk on her own as it was clear that the young man was holding her up. As they were walking to the house, she almost lost her footing. Kia would feel the weight of Kirima shift onto the side of the young man, then it was smooth sailings for a few steps. After a couple more steps, the shift would happen again only this time to Kia's side. It's like a teeter totter with this woman. she thought. She wish she was super strong and carry Kirima herself. why did she have to have super strength? Why can't the good looking guy holding the other side of Kirima have super strength?

This was some bullshit.

When they got closer to the house, they slowly embarked up the set of stairs that led to the patio. Kia had some pretty good workouts. There was no doubt that she couldn't hold her own weight when it came to doing heavy lifting. She was suddenly realizing how many stone steps there were that led up to the patio. She counted thirty-six. Thirty god damn six steps that started at the bottom where the beach and stone reached winding up to the patio itself. She herself was feeling a slight burn in her thighs and calves. This was no damn joke, Kirima was heavy as all hell.
She grabbed the handle to slide the door open. The immediate smells of roasted pheasant hit Kia's nose. The smell of paprika, cayenne, garlic and peppers made the house smell fragrant with food. 
They all heard footsteps. It was Mari. She had braided her hair that was once a large afro. Her hair trailed down to her back.  She was wearing a blue tank top with what appeared to be athletic shorts. She came around the corner with a smile only for it to fade.

"What the-" was the first thing that came out of her.

"Can you.." Kia huffed. "Ok, seriously, can you pull your weight and hold her uuhhh...uhhh, cute blonde hair guy? Shit, she isn't a light and graceful bird, you know."

"What do you need for me to do?" Mari was calm as a river. Her hands were on her hips, she watched Kirima and the young man with surprising distrust  Bless her heart, Kia thought. 

"I need a place so I can do an examination and do some healing. I don't know the extent of the damage yet but I don't think it's too serious." At least, I hope it's not too serious was what she wanted to say. 

"We'll use Alayasha's bed. The room is big enough to hold a few people in and give you enough space."

Kia stuck her bottom lip out. Twenty more steps. Twenty more steps of holding this woman up. "But that's like...on the second floor. Seriously, she weights like a ton of bricks." She looked at Kirima. "No offense, but you are seriously heavy."

"I'll get her." Mari walked over to Kirima and looked at the young man. Her eyes bore into his. They were panther like, examining, seeing into the young man's head. She nodded and gave a light smile. He was good. "Do you mind?" she waited for a response. He would have no choice. The place was warm, he could change clothes, he could get food in his belly, and the woman who helped her on the beach said she was a medic.

Mari grabbed Kirima and carried her like a husband carrying a bride. Although Mari appeared to be slim, Kia would be first to admit that the woman had muscle on her that would make herself be jealous. They walked up the stairs.

"You coming, uuhhh....you know, for now I'm just gonna call you cute blonde hair guy."


Mari set Kirima down on the bed. The sheets were already getting soaked but Mari knew that they were going to wash Alayasha's sheets away. She looked at the woman. She was about nineteen or twenty to her eyes with sickly pale skin but fiery red hair and alarmingly blue eyes. Mari was oddly unnerved about her presence. Something about her just made her stomach want to escape out her abs.

"Ma'am..." she said softly. 

"I'm going to get you some new clothes and probably something to eat or drink later. I hope you don't mind pheasant." She said in the sweetest voice she could muster. She wasn't exactly sweet. She was more like a spicy pepper, but she did her best to be pleasant. She left out of the room and out into the hallway where she saw the young man and Kia.

"I think you're gonna have to take off her clothes." Mari said plainly.

"I figured." Kia nodded. "I would hate to have a horrible mental reading with her shaking about like that. Do you think you can find some clothes for her to wear?"

"She'll probably have to wear some of my mother's clothes. I don't think she'll fit my clothing."

"That's fine."Kia said. Mari was about to walk off. "Oh!" Kia remembered " And find something from our cute blonde hair guy. He probably can't wear Kyu's stuff but...you know, try to find something."

Mari looked at the young man up and down. She took a deep, long breath as if she was trying to hold back a laugh. "I'll try my best." 

When she was out of sight, Kia turned to the young man. She looked into him. They were not kind eyes anymore. They appeared to be threatening. She was close to him now, looking at him with narrowher eyes to see what was so special about this kid. She raised one finger. "I don't know who you are or why you are with her I don't care in all honesty. Well, ok, that's a lie but that's NOT the point. I do care, but I'm simply here to help you out. If you don't trust me, then take her." 

She began to walk to down the hallway, folding her arms. "If you ever in your life try to pull that shit on me earlier on the beach with that handseal, I'll kick you in the balls so hard, your great-great-great-great grandchildren will feel it. You're cute, but you not too cute for me to shove my foot up your ass."

She walked into the other room and saw Kirima laying on her back. The bedsheets were already soaked but the room was warm. Still, she would need to get these clothes off her. She could do it, but she wanted to prepare for this examination the best. She turned around and looked at the young man.

"Cute blonde hair guy, take her clothes off while I prepare to do an examination."

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Out of Kirima's gaze and under her arm, the young soldier's eyes flashed wide. He did his best to keep his shock from Kirima's detection as he supported her weight as best as his scrawny form could do so. The last thing he needed was her poking her head into what had actually happened and more so the true cause of her injuries, the same truth that this new female obviously knew. Bankai could scarcely account for how she would react given her present confusion and he was in no shape to attempt to contain her if she did react badly. Nevertheless, as Kia took up position on the opposite side of Kirima, the Misaki said nothing and did little to relinquish the tense tone of his body as he begrudgingly followed the new female's guide. 

He let no word or sound (aside from the occasional grunt as Kirima's weight shifted back upon his form) as the three of them first crossed the beach and some measure of distance to reach a set of stairs. Internally he cried out. Scarcely did he want to try and balance the unstable red-head whilst attempting to navigate up a flight of stairs, even with Kia's help. His brow was already wet with sweat, no small degree of it stemming from not only the physical labor of his task, but also the heat of the sun that beat overhead. Nevertheless, Bankai grit his teeth and set up the stairs, both he and Kia obviously struggling as they did. 

Eventually the trio reached a small patio, from which Kia opened a screen door, assaulting the group with smells that caused the young Senju's mouth to water involuntarily. For the first time since awakening on the beach, Bankai realized exactly how long it had been since he had last eaten. Even in his rather murky memory he knew had been a while and now with all the spices he could only stand there helplessly as his stomach growled mercilessly. 

As he heard foots, thoughts of hunger quickly fled his mind and the more protective, almost 'guard dog' like persona came back. His body tensed again as another dark-skinned female came around the corner. 

"What the-"

Bankai said nothing, but on instinct he reached again for his absent kit.

"Can you.." Kia spoke for the first time since the trio had entered the house. Well she gasped more than she spoke, complaining towards Atsu. "Ok, seriously, can you pull your weight and hold her uuhhh...uhhh, cute blonde hair guy? Shit, she isn't a light and graceful bird, you know."

Bankai offered no response, save a small growl in protest as Kirima's weight was shoved more onto him again. He said nothing, mostly because he felt that his shoulders were being pushed down into his lungs as he tried to support Kirima's weight and in part because he did not trust these women enough to reveal anymore information than was absolutely needed. In suspicion, his eyes flickered back and forth as the two new females spoke.

"What do you need for me to do?"

"I need a place so I can do an examination and do some healing. I don't know the extent of the damage yet but I don't think it's too serious."

"We'll use Alayasha's bed. The room is big enough to hold a few people in and give you enough space."

"But that's like...on the second floor..." A groan escaped Bankai at this notion.'The Second floor?!' "Seriously, she weights like a ton of bricks." Kia turned to Kirima and spoke. "No offense, but you are seriously heavy." 

"I'll get her."

The new female over to Kirima, all the while Bankai gripped her side (with his hand that was draped around her back) to pull her close. As the new female bore her eyes into Bankai, he did his best to remain a statue, his own brown eyes staring back into hers. 

After what seemed like ages, she simply smiled and gave the young Soldier and slight nod. 

"Do you mind?" 

Her request really gave Bankai a strictly 'non-optional' type of feeling. Staring at the female [Mari] he gentling relinquished his grip on Kirima and passed the woman (by means of an awkward sort of 'dance') to her. He did not soften his gaze in some fashion and only handed Kirima off begrudgingly, his overprotective nature pushing his curiosity to the side as some might wonder how the small dark-skinned female, who was scarcely larger than Bankai was supposed to support Kirima alone. 

Without even a grunt of hesitation, she grabbed Kirima and carried her in both arms. An observation that left Bankai feeling rather scrawny and helpless. But he too was weakenedAs Mari walked up the stairs, Kia turned to Bankai, motioning for him to follow as she spoke.

"You coming, uuhhh....you know, for now I'm just gonna call you cute blonde hair guy."

"Bankai." He murmured silently following Kia up the stairs.


Upstairs Mari  had set Kirima down on the bed and now stood in the hallway and spoke with Kia. 

"I think you're gonna have to take off her clothes."

"I figured. I would hate to have a horrible mental reading with her shaking about like that. Do you think you can find some clothes for her to wear?"

"She'll probably have to wear some of mother's clothes. I don't think she'll fit my clothing."

"That's fine." Kia said as the other female was about to walk off. [color=#9900ff]"Oh!" Kia remembered "And find something from our cute blonde hair guy. He probably can't wear Kyu's stuff but...you know, try to find something."

"Bankai..." he muttered again under his breath, rather indignantly. 

She [Mari] looked the Soldier up and down, even he could tell that she was trying not to laugh as she spoke. "I'll try my best."

With the other woman gone, Kia turned her attention to Bankai finally. She stared at him harshly with one finger raise, like a teacher scolding a student."I don't know who you are or why you are with her. I don't care in all honesty. Well, ok, that's a lie but that's NOT the point. I do care, but I'm simply here to help you out. If you don't trust me, then take her." 

She began to walk to down the hallway, folding her arms. "If you ever in your life try to pull that shit on me earlier on the beach with that hand seal, I'll kick you in the balls so hard, your great-great-great-great grandchildren will feel it. You're cute, but you not too cute for me to shove my foot up your ass."

Bankai nodded, but said nothing.


Bankai had followed the older female, Kia into the bedroom without so much as a word, where her intimidation had not stunned him into silence (after all, his concern for Kirima outweighed any real sense of self preservation that he felt in this present situation) the words that followed shortly after his entrance into the overly warm room did so entirely.

"Cute brown hair guy, take her clothes off while I prepare to do an examination."

He blinked several times... and then he blinked several more times. "I... what?" Before her recent affliction, Kirima would likely have protested such an action wildly. Well to be entirely honest, Atsu was not entirely sure that she wouldn't be wildly protesting in her present mind set as well. 

His head turned towards Kia first, before turning in Kirima's direction, but his eyes did not meet either of theirs, he dare not; lest his embarrassment show clear on his face from the overwhelming blush that would grow out of such an action.
In alternative, the hardwood floor was positively a welcome sight to his eyes. He said nothing and did his best to keep the most impassive of expressions across his face. Scarcely did he even breathe as he rapidly put one of his bare feet in front of the other as he crossed the distance between where he had stood in the doorway and where Kirima lie on her back against the damp sheets of the bed.

As he approached, he still dare not look her in the eye, even as his own swept quickly across her form, surveying her injuries as he stood next to the bed, on her right side.  

He looked her in the face for the first time since entering the room just as his hand reached out to touch her shoulder. His face was lit with a faint blush as he tried his hardest to not think about the woman who stood in the corner of the room. He opened his mouth to speak to the red-haired woman, the words came out in barely a whisper as he spoke. "Do you need me to...?"His words drifted off as he could scarcely finish the sentence in his own bashfulness. 

He didn't really see Kirima as helpless to the extent that she might need him (or anyone for that matter) to care for her in the most basic of fashions as if she were a helpless infant, but at the same time, he would be damned if he would allow her to injure herself further simply to save herself from embarrassment or as the result of some prideful indignation toward such actions (as she more than likely would have acted in the past). 

As Kirima gave him the smallest of nods, Bankai gently reached to her side and pulled up her shirt in the slowest and most gentle of motions that he could manage, his face slowly growing into a deeper shade of red with each movements.  He couldn't look her in the eye and did his best to not look at any flesh he revealed, despite exactly how impossible it was to do.

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