Star Crossed Paths

Casual Roleplay: Harumi and Kumiko Kyoko

Two women meet in the night, both driven by the past. Jounin's ready for some relaxation and drinking, an unorthodox 'Girl's Night out'

Vetisa: \_It was just another
restless night for the likes of Harumi. She was stricken with nightmares of the
past for the fifth time this week and no matter how hard she tried to keep them
at bay, they still found a way to creep into her subconscious mind.  She had been tossing and turning for quite
some time before she heavily sighed out and draped her arm over her eyes.  9pm already and still nothing.  Running out of patience Harumi lifted herself
up out of her bed and proceeded to dress herself she needed a drink. Something
cool and soothing to relax all the tension within her body, so why not head on
out to get some Sake. After a couple of minutes Harumi glanced at herself in
the mirror simply checking to see if anything appeared out of place, but from
the looks of nothing at all. Making her way to the door she glanced back
towards her window and spotted the moon. The moon on this night was
particularly lovely, so full and bright, even brought a slight smile to her
lips as she turned around once more to walk out the door. Upon closing the
door; she was sure to lock it, she wasn’t one for leaving herself open for
unwanted intruders. On her way to the stand she noticed that the village was
unexpectedly quiet and calm, this was rather unusual to her, seeing as how the
Village is fairly rowdy into the late hours of the night. Though she carelessly
tossed it to the side, it was better this way. Eventually Harumi made it to the
stand where she was kindly greeted by the owner of it, sliding onto the nearest
seat she nodded in his direction before speaking out to him. “Would you mind
getting me some sake? Please. Also maybe some dango as well?” The man smiled at
her saying “Coming right up. Though it is kind of odd seeing you around here so
late at night.” Shaking her head a bit she had to agree with him. It was in
fact odd for her to be up so late and moving around. Yet with a night like this
she needed to be out and about rather than stuck in her room lost in thoughts
of the past. Finally after a moment she replied to the man with a smile “you
know, you’re right. It’s just one of those
restless nights that require something to ease the tension.” Turning
around the man went on with filling her order. That was when Harumi glanced to
her left side once she heard the faint sound of a twig snapping in the
distance, then a shadowy figure came into sight. The figure was making its way
towards the stand.\_

ChikaKururugi: Kumiko had not had the best of times as of late. It was too close to
that time, and she realized in another handful of months she'd be another year
old. Could it have already been so long since he was gone? Her eyes glazed over
for a moment as she shivered. She sat in her living room, staring at the corner
that held the tattered headband and the picture of her and a rather attractive
red haired male. The her with a bright smile, flushed cheeks, and her glasses
askew. The her that was obviously quite in love. A wry smile danced across her
lips as she released a small sad sound. She got up from her spot and wandered
over to her room. She got dressed in one of her older outfits. It felt nice to
strap on the old Purple Kimono styled top, strapping on the old belt and
pouches that came with it. She put on her shorts, and then slipped on her
sandals and made her way from the house. Where was she going? There was a stand
outside of town, not far from the Jounin watering hole. She wasn't much of one
for drinking, but every so often even she needed a drink. This was one of those
nights, and she desperately needed it. It was quiet, still and the air seemed
to be clearer than it had in awhile. It was only slightly crisp out, and the
sky seemed brighter than usual, for a night in the village. She pushed back a
stray hair, opting out of her usual bun. Instead the strange pale purple hair
was allowed free and riotous around her face. The bangs swept over her eyes and
she had even clipped in the older of her daisy clips. The one she had been
wearing when she first met Masaki. It was a good memory, but she realized that
it was time to let go. Time to move on. She had moved through all the stages,
and finally she was on the last one. It was time to let go, time to move on.
With a sigh the woman's small feet drew her towards the stand. There was
already someone there it seemed, and she approached cautiously. It appeared to
be another Jounin, one she recognized from a handful of meetings the Jounins
had to do since the Hoshikage had been taken into custody. Who would lead the
village next? Kumiko had no idea, and that night she didn't care. She stepped
next to the other woman, and bowed her head politely. "I hope I am not
intruding." She said softly as she looked at the owner of the stand.
"A bottle of your sweetest, please..." She said simply as she took a seat
and put her elbows on the counter. Leaning forward a little and just staring
ahead of her for a moment.

Vetisa: \_ Harumi breathed out a sigh of relief once she saw that the
figure was in fact an another Jonin that she had spotted multiple times in the
meetings held by the village to ensure that certain precautions were made to
protect the star from unwanted guest. That’s if they could even get past the
canyon known by few that is enveloped by a toxic gas that could kill anything
within a few seconds. Yet, that was beside the point. Harumi knew that this
woman was of no threat to them.  The
woman seemed so friendly in a way, even asked if she was intruding, but to show
that her presence was of no concern Harumi simply shook her head in response. With
that Harumi glanced over her and gradually took in her appearance, considering
this is the closet the woman had ever been to her. So it was only natural that
she would want to take in certain details.
The first aspect that piqued her interest happened to be the floral clip
that was barely holding back a few wispy strands of her soft lavender colored
hair.  It was rather lovely in her
opinion, but clearly something that she herself would never wear. Her days of
being cute and innocent were long gone, her brother Tomoki stole that from her
as a child. Mentally pushing Tomoki from her mind she continued to take in the
woman’s attire. Her eyes skimmed down her seeing that she wore an old Purple
like kimono type top with shorts and a gear belt with pouches.  The woman obviously had more color than that
of Harumi. She tended to stick with her blacks and greys over color. Which
proved to be better for when working in the depths of the night. It keeps her
body fairly hidden. Harumi was known to stick with her usual attire of a black
shirt that was adorn with netted sleeves, and black shorts that cut off at her
thighs before turning into netting that stopped at her ankles, which was hidden
due to her black sandals. A scarf was known to be around her neck at all times
as well as a tanto strapped to her waist that rested against her bottom in the
back. She usually wore a lace cloth mask that covered her face from the top of
her nose to well past her chin, but on this night she decided against it.
Averting her gaze Harumi looked forward watching as the man who asked for her
order continued preparing her dango, after nodding in response to the woman’s
order. Closing her eyes for a moment she leaned her head back and inhaled
deeply the cool crisp air of the night. When she opened her eyes they were
greeted by the glistening stars above. It was so beautiful to her.  Somewhere in her heart she longed for her
parents to see such a sight, or if they were possibly looking down on her right
now. Maybe they had become stars themselves and wanted to sparkle up there for
her and show that they know she can keep going, knowing that they were okay. Or
for that matter they forgive her for not being able to protect them from
Tomoki. Oh how she wanted to see them, if only but for a second to say how much
she loved them and that she was sorry. But fate was cruel and held no
compassion for her. She’d have to overcome it and know that life must go on.
She can’t allow for her parent’s death to forever haunt her, or for that matter
the death of the sweet woman who took her in back at Kumogakure, Meiyu. The
woman who died giving her the second chance that she needed. Harumi wouldn’t
let her death be in vain. She would take this new life that was given to her
and make use of it here in her new home. This was her home now. Eventually
Harumi was brought back from her thoughts when the man came forward with a
bottle of Sake and a plate of dango. Grasping her scarf, she tightened it around
her neck a bit, feeling a slight chill from the cool air. Placing the two
before her she gave a brief nod of thanks in his direction, before noticing him
come back to hand the woman next to her a bottle of Sake as well.  Being friendly was never one of her strong
suits since Tomoki, but she needed to at least know this woman’s name, and try
to be friendly at least. Though it completely went against who she was, it was
only right that you greet a fellow drinker on a night like this.  But before she did Harumi poured some Sake
into her cup and gulped it down in a rush, noticing how the drink gave off a
warm soothing feeling as it went down. She then turned a bit in her seat and
spoke out to the woman. “Hello. My name is Harumi. I know we haven’t really
talked much before, but I just thought that maybe you’d want to know my name.
You are?” Harumi tried her best to not sound as cold and bitter as she usually
was, but she could tell that there was a slight tone in the way she spoke.  Though she clearly wasn’t intending it, this
time that is.\_

ChikaKururugi: Kumiko bowed her head
politely to the other woman. Her fingers just barely grazing the pendant that
hung underneath the top of her purple Kimono garment. She stared ahead, her
hair sliding down around her shoulders and brushing passed the top of her chest.
Her hair was longer than when Masaki had died, but that was to be expected. She
was going to keep growing it, even if her typical hair style was a bun. She
looked up at Harumi, watching the other woman for a moment and taking notations
about her. Everything from the way Harumi moved, to the way her facial muscles
twitched, was logged in Kumikoi's mind for further review. "I appreciate
it, thank you for allowing me to stay." She said in that soft voice, that
edge of sorrow was there but she was obviously making it go away. When Harumi
introduced herself she extended her own hand and smiled as she looked up at the
other woman. She did not look her in the eyes, but instead stared in the
general direction of Harumi's ear. The habit that she just couldn't seem to
break. "Kumiko Kyoko." She said softly as she flashed a smile and
lowered her gaze. Taking the cup and drink and pouring herself one, and
knocking it back to let the liquid burn through her. "I lead Team 2,
yourself?"

Vetisa: \_Harumi immediately stretched out her own hand in a friendly
motion, trying her best to not come off as an odd one or for that matter
unfriendly. She was bound to cross paths with this woman again. First
impressions mean the most in some ways. With that she grasped the woman’s hand
in her own and gave a brief, but firm hand shake. While in the midst of the shake
Harumi was quick to take notice that the woman avoided eye contact, a thing
that was considered rather disrespectful in the eyes of Harumi, but she couldn’t
be quick to assume things such as rudeness, for all she knew it could have been
out of habit. Hearing the woman address herself brought a thin hit of a smile
to her lips, “Kumiko Kyoko? Hm, has a nice roll of the tongue to it.” Shaking
her head a bit, Harumi released Kumiko’s hand and reached for her own bottle of
Sake, filling her cup to the brim, just like the last. The second Kumiko
lowered her gaze Harumi followed in suit and downed her cup once more. Enjoying
the warm yet sweet liquid as it flowed down her throat. The sensation that she
hadn’t felt in quite some time. Setting her cup down Harumi glanced back
towards Kumiko and replied to her question. “I lead Team 1. A great bunch of kids
from what I hear. Though I’ve yet to meet them. I’ll most likely meet them
tomorrow afternoon. You lead Team 2 you say? How interesting.” After that
Harumi proceeded to fill her cup up once more, for the third time.\_

ChikaKururugi: Kumiko enjoyed the flow of the sake in
her mouth. Humming a little as she poured another cup and downed it. She shook
the other Jounin's hand rather firmly, when it was actually returned and lost
herself in the drinking of a few more cups. Letting the aching burn spread
through her system. Her breath leaving her in a small rush. "And Harumi is
a lovely name as well." She said as she gave the other woman a shy smile.
She chuckled when Harumi spoke about her team and pursed her lips. "I've
met two of my team. One is a grown man that was a Samurai for most of his
life... and the other is a young Namikaze." She said with a soft laugh.

Vetisa:  \_Harumi was pleased with
the fact that Kumiko returned the firmness given with her own in the shake. It
went to show that not all women were soft handed. Harumi watched in amazement
at how many cups of Sake Kumiko had drank in such a short amount of time, if
this kept up she was sure things would get interesting fairly quickly. Then again
it wasn’t her right to question another’s motives. For all she knew, Kumiko
could be going through her own trails, just as Harumi herself was with her
brother.  Lost in thought Harumi was
brought back to the present when Kumiko stated that “And Harumi is a lovely
name as well.” That had completely come as a shock to her. Never in her life had
she been told her name was lovely. Nor was she expecting it anytime soon for
that matter. Then again she never thought she’d see herself caught drinking
either, but here she was with another fellow Jounin in the middle of the night.
A shy smile across Kumiko’s lips went to show that she was sincere either way.
Averting her wondering gaze Harumi poured another cup, before glancing over at
her pate of dango. At first she was craving them so badly, yet now here they
were and she wasn’t even tempted to eat them. Though ignoring her thoughts, she
picked up the end of the stick, and bite one of the round dango pieces off and
chewed it. Either way she couldn’t let it go to waste. Food was food and it
doesn’t come cheap.  While chewing the
dango she heard Kumiko talk about how she had only met two of her team members,
even went into detail of their past.
Ending with a soft sigh Kumiko had finished speaking from what she inquired.
Harumi couldn’t help but wonder how her team would be, from the files she was
to lead a team of three young men. Teach them the ways of the shinobi and give
them the lessons needed to survive and protect the village. “Heh.”  She thought to herself.” I wonder how I’ll be
able to protect these young genin, if I couldn’t even protect the ones closest
to me from Tomoki. Ugh.. I can’t think like this. I have to remain strong and I
have to give them a chance at life, a fighting chance. These genin aren’t like
me nor have they lived the life I have. But what I can do is prepare them
enough to do something about those that have wronged them.  I’ll give them what I wasn’t a proper
foundation.” With that Harumi swallowed the piece of dango and followed it with
another shot of Sake. The warm liquid flowing down her through and warming her
from the inside. She may not have been drinking for long, but Sake was alcohol and
when it sets in it sets in. She was already starting to feel in in her legs.
The man behind the counter was looking at the two women. Probably wondering how
long they would be there and if he’ll need assistance later. Though that was
beside the point. So much had been on her mind in the small amount of time she
had been present there, yet still in the back of her mind she questioned
whether or not after this was all said and done if she would be able to get
some sleep. Hopefully the sake worked its magic. With her eyes stilled focused
on the dango and Sake before her Harumi spoke out a simple question to Kumiko
next to her. “Must the past always haunt those that wish to move on from it and
make anew with themselves? Or am I just wasting my breath..? And my time on
trying to find an answer to all this?”\_