Team 8 - The Conf- Wait no. *cough* R & M - The Confession

R'tari was on the roof of the Dipugakure Library, it was 5:55, he had told Mimi to meet up with him on the roof around this time but had arrived earlier because he was nervous. Truth be told he didn't really know how this was going to go, he had mentioned that he wanted to talk to her about something important, perhaps it was because of the war he was forced to accelerate his plans. At anytime he could die thanks to some Dobutsu, a random Knight or worse a Shogunate shinobi and him putting it off because of fear would just end badly. Where is she...maybe she's not going to show up...it's almost sunset. Tch I knew it would be cheesy I shouldn't off picked this spot. he was pacing at this point having never confessed to a girl before. In the Mikaboshi clan you kind of just palmed the person you liked in the face to get their attention and declared your intentions to mate with them to produce a strong offspring.. Usually referencing their skill in combat in case you were female or their wide birthing hips if you were male.

He didn't think that she'd appreciate him saying that but he would say it if all else failed, he had originally written a poem but tore it up because he thought it was too embarassing and he'd be more liable to just faint instead of reading it out. So that brought him to this point pacing in a circle while awaiting the girl he had been was in love with for over a year now, Mimi Bakuhatsu.

As R'tari waited for his companion, he would hear a great deal of ruckus and what sounded like a small explosion from below. It was out of his general vision, but down below Mimi was messing with some people, losing them behind the building and popping up to the top where she found R'tari waiting for her. Mimi came up from behind him and gently put her hands over his eyes from behind. "Guess who?!?" she asked with a big grin. Sure he had mentioned he had something serious to talk to her about, but that didn't mean she couldn't greet him in the same old happy go lucky way, right?

On the way there Mimi had thought about the nature of the situation, it was on top of a library building. Of course in their friendship such a location had a significant meaning to them, being that the place they first met was atop the rooftop of the library back in Kaosgakure. Those were the days... way back before the war had even really started. They went on a lot of misadventures back then, most of which involved Mimi dragging him into some form of trouble, but she wanted to loosen him up. Back then he was a bit stiff and depressing. He was still similar but it seemed her presence always perked him up a bit. She wondered what he had to say though, usually she was the one inviting him places, and he hardly ever specifically asked to meet to discuss a serious topic. Mimi supposed she would figure it out eventually, but the anticipation of it made her giddy.

R'tari would stop pacing the moment he felt her hands behind him forcing down his blush he would try not to sound overly happy, deciding to put forth just enough happiness in his voice so it seemed like normal. Mimi, hey you came. R'tari said his voice happy yet with the underlying sound of somber that he was known for even while happy he wasn't vibrant except when training then he channelled his inner Might Lee. Either way he would lift his hands to attempt to grasp hers to pull them apart from his eyes and then turn around to face her, with a small smile on his face as he took in her appearance. There she was same as always a youthful ball of excitement and energy so contrasting to his gloom, perhaps that was why he found her so enjoyable to be around. But now it was time to focus before he ended up spacing out as he typically did while looking into her eyes, usually she'd ramble on and not notice but this wasn't one of those times.

Hey um Mimi..uh do you errr..want to sit down and..watch the sunset. R'tari said looking away the last part being muttered out rather than said loudly as he looked towards the numerous buildings in a bid to hide his blush. Once he got that under control he would face her once more and continue speaking. You know like talk and stuff we rarely get to hang out as much since you've been promoted and there is a war coming up and we'll probably be stationed in different villages...so this might be the last time we get to talk...for a while.

Mimi smiled at him warmly when he turned around and saw her. She was wearing her casual clothes at the time, which is what she usually wore. She had always hated being in uniform and rarely actually put it on. There was even several times in the past she went on a mission in normal everyday clothes. This usually irked her squad leader, but she didn't care too much. Her excuse was that she had an easier time fighting and moving around in regular clothes, which was partially true, but she mainly just disliked wearing a uniform. Her hair wasn't really styled as usually and hung around her loosely. "Of course I came, I've always come running if you every called for me." she said with a playful poke. "Sorry for being a bit late, some mean merchant was yelling at someone about his cabbages, so I blew up his stall as punishment." she said with a furrow of her brow that showed she was very serious about the justice she put upon the merchant.

Mimi kicked at the ground impatiently as she waited for him to get past his awkwardness, but finally he spoke and asked her to sit down and watch the sunset. It was a bit of a weird request at first, but hey, she had nothing better to do. As Mimi sat down and let her legs hang off the edge of the building, he went on to explain why he wanted to. "Oh... uhh yeah... of course." she said with a quieter tone than what she usually used. She was expecting him to tell her something new and exciting that was serious, but apparently he just missed her. That was fine though, she missed him too. R'tari was her best friend, without him she wasn't really sure what she would do with all her energy, she figured she'd probably go crazy. "Of course we can hang out. And I will never let us be separated! You know I don't follow the rules, I'll sneak to whatever village you're assigned to and they'll just have to deal with it!" she said with a poke of her tongue in the direction of the Kage building.

Attire:

R'tari would smirk, that damnable store owner, this was like the third time this month his store had been harmed and his screams of cabbages plagued the the citizens of Dipugakure. He was glad she blew up his store, though only she'd be carefree enough to do something like that. Heh only you Mimi, only you. he said his legs also dangling off the roof as he would lean forward a bit and place his head in his hands. His thoughts were a mess but he would thankfully be given a window of opportunity due to her comment, he couldn't just pussyfoot around the issue he would have to say it directly. He was a man right? A Mikaboshi, he couldn't be scared of confessing his crus- no his love for his best friend... Okay that was a lie he was terrified, what if she didn't feel the same way, what if she was dating someone els- They would die a thousand deaths and only then will they be able to meet eternal damnation in the bowels of Amatsu no Mikaboshi. R'tari thought to himself his killing intent intensifying as the throught about the chances of someone claiming his Mimi.

Well I'm glad you'd do that for me, but just in case...I have to tell you something.. R'tari said looking over at her his eyes determined, he was going to do it he just needed to open his mouth and say three words. R'tari would stall for a bit before shaking his head and closing his eyes before deciding to just say it and damn the consequences. Mimi. I love you. R'tari said opening his eyes once he got it out before continuing. Not just because your my best friend but because your the most wonderful person I've met. I realize I can be a depressing person but you were never put off by it and instead of pushing me away like most did because of my shortcomings you decided to be my friend. I've loved you for a while now but I always kept it in because I didn't want to change anything between us because I value our friendship but I realized...with this war if I didn't say it I might never get a chance to. he said slowly and carefully watching to see her reaction before continuing once more.

I would understand if you don't feel the same way I just...I couldn't keep it in anymore..

Mimi smiled at him as he understood her justice of the cabbage merchant. He was such an angry fella, she figured by now he would've realized he should probably change up his act if he wants to keep his precious cabbages. Mimi wouldn't give up though, she would continue to deliver her justice until something changed. R'tari would lean forward a bit an place his head in his hands. Was he okay? She couldn't really tell, something seemed a bit off, he was always a bit out of things, but nothing like this. Did he get an assignment to go off somewhere already and was stressing about it? Mimi scooted up closer to him and put her head on his shoulder while wrapping her arm around his side, squeezing him gently to show she was there for him.

Mimi got off of him once he turned to talk to her again, at which point she maintained eye contact with him. So that wasn't all he had wanted to say to her, there was more, she should have guessed he was avoiding whatever it is he wanted to say. "Go ahead! You can tell me anything, anytime, anywhere." she said with a warm smile. After a second he said that he loved her. Was that really it? She already knew that. "Well duh! I love you too!" she said with a laugh. As he went into more detail of what he meant, Mimi's eyes widened a bit as she came to understand what kind of love he meant. She turned her eyes down towards the streets below and continued to do so for a bit after he finished talking. "This might hurt you a bit but..." she said. She was being mischievous as usual, making it sound like she was about to reject him. After hearing those words R'tari would be quite surprised to find her tackling him and landing on top of him on the roof. Mimi looked into his eyes for a moment before arching her back to near her lips to his.

"This might hurt you a bit but.." Hearing those words were agonizing the depression which lingered around R'tari hovering over his entire frame like a raging storm, he would literally slump in defeat. That is until he was tackled, only not falling over because he anchored himself with chakra with Mimi landing on top of him causing him to look into her eyes. What was this she was leaning..could this mean? Well despite his hesitation he would take his chance and lean upward to meet her lips with his desperately hoping she wasn't teasing him. Then again while she could be flighty and unpredictable Mimi was never cruel so his eyes would dampen, because he was a Mikaboshi and Mikaboshi didn't cry, due to said happiness. It was a simple kiss, innocent mainly due to being R'tari's first he didn't really know how to proceed he wasn't knowledgable on sex and the like having never perved around with the others of his gender.

Truth be told the only reason he even knew about the Harem technique was because of Kaosgakure's heat often civilians wore revealing outfits to deal with it and thus he had gotten a general idea of how the female form was supposed to look. Of course nothing compared to the real thing, and he would find his hands moving, awkward hesitation later he would find himself hugging her as well the blush ever present on his face.

Mimi would let him take his time to realize what was happening, and smiled under the kiss as he was able to confront his feelings in a physical sense as well as verbal and emotional. They had always been close, the best of friends, the inseparable dynamic duo. Had Mimi loved him in the past? Not exactly, she cared for him very much but any feelings such as those didn't show themselves. Mimi's take on relationships were, if it happens it happens, if it someone wanted to be with her and it was something she was willing to be with then it was good to go. She wasn't really the type to chase after people on her own and develop crushes. R'tari was easily the best person in her eyes to be with, he was her closest friend and was someone she could stand to be around at any time of the day. Hearing his confession of his feelings opened up that pathway for her and she accepted it, the thought of being with him made her happy, and she knew his feelings were genuine and that he would treat her well.

Mimi had never really experienced this type of stuff. Anything she knew she heard about from her peers that actually experienced it and told their probably exaggerated stories in front of the group of envious teenagers. Mimi took great interest in the subject though and always payed close attention to the things she heard and the occasional couple she saw kissing in public. Over time her general idea of how that sort of stuff was done was formed and she had a pretty good idea of how it worked. Now she had a chance to experience some of it, and she wasn't going to let R'tari's shyness cut it short. "No not yet..." she whispered as he broke the kiss. Mimi went in for another one, this time leading him into it as she lightly grazed his bottom lip with her tongue to show her amorous intentions, before leaving her mouth parted enough for him to take the invitation if he wanted to. As he hugged her, Mimi gently moved his hands down to wrap around her waist instead, and once they were settled there she wrapped hers around his neck and pressed her body more firmly against his.

A smile, he was glad that even with the awkwardness it was as if they were still besties just, could do this as well. He didn't want that to change ever, as though grateful for her returning his love he would never want to trade out his best friend either. No this was a best of both worlds case scenario and honestly he couldn't be any happier. R'tai would blush, as Mimi decided to initate it this time deciding to let go of his nervousness and go for it as a result he would take advantage of her parted mouth to deepen the kiss. It was unsure but let it not be said he wasn't enthusiastic, sure he wasn't the type to eat her face like he had seen other people doing but he let his tongue explore and figure out the syncronization which felt right either way. His eyes would close as he let himself get into it more his hands being lowered to her waist her body pressed against his only served to make him squirm a bit as his pants tightened.

Oh no..what if she thinks I'm a pervert..wait I mean does that count am I allowed to err get one because we are kissing? R'tari thought to himself as he would open his eyes briefly to check her reaction to his...bulge but if she was okay with it he'd just close his eyes and focus on the kiss once more. As he got into it more he would find one of his hands wandering a bit as he would place one on her rear mainly to press her closer to him while the other stayed on her waist. Though truthfully he wouldn't go any farther, a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty as a result subconciously he would always be waiting for cues and the like. Him even doing that surprised himself perhaps there was some sort of hot blooded male under all of his submissiveness...doubtful.

Truth be told she was really happy to be in this situation with him, so much had happened lately with the war and everything, the stress of it all even managed to get to carefree people like Mimi. At least with having someone there for you that loves you and cares about you, you have something to fall back on if all else goes wrong. She had put off training for the war a bit too much and was falling behind the other chunin, she could see the the shinobi council was one of the weaker of the factions that were vying for power, which was problematic. Now that her and R'tari were together like this she wanted to always have this in her life, which meant she had to protect it and preserve it. Now with an incentive to defend her allies and her village, Mimi was certain she would put more work into her training.

Mimi was glad he deepened the kiss, she had made it so he could go for it easily if he wanted to, but at the same time she didn't want to force him into it and take away his masculinity by leading the kiss for him. Her eyes also closed as she experienced her first deep kiss. It was a great feeling, her blood rushed in the excitement of the situation, and even more so as she was surprised by R'tari moving his hand lower by himself. As for the bulge, it was a nice thing, she was pleased to know that she was turning him on, as of course the feeling was mutual. If anyone deserved to feel such a way it was R'tari. Mimi became slightly more aggressive with the kiss and rocked her body back and forth subtly to go along with the rhythm. The kiss was fantastic but she had to breathe for a moment so she regretfully broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his with her eyes still closed.

Time passed without him noticing as his mind blanked during the kiss, oxygen was the last thing on his mind though unlike him it seemed that Mimi had maintained her mental faculties and broke it. When it ended though it cemented the fact that he needed to be careful, sure he knew even with this he wouldn't go back on his oath to protect his teammates but his life had more worth attached to it. Truth be told he valued Mimi a lot, she was probably the reason he survived this long and hadn't signed up to one of the rescue teams venturing into the Badlands or the Empire to wish out surviving refugees instead deciding to stay in Hakagakure volunteering for the Academy. But meeting her that day in the library caused him to reprioritize and now this made him rethink things once more. Perhaps it was a good thing, that he'd be a bit more attached to his own life instead of acting like some sort of meat sheild he'd save it for a last resort.

Either way it wasn't time for such thoughts, instead he'd have a small grin on his face which was a rare thing seeing as R'tari didn't grin. Smiles at least true bright smiles were rare and far in-between unless he was in Mimi's company in which case they were something which happened when she said or did something truly humorous but now he was grinning so something could be said about how he felt at the moment. Amazing. That was no that is something we need to do a lot more often. R'tari said once his brain rebooted completely and he was able to order his thoughts to say something opening his eyes so he could look into Mimi's assuming she opened hers as well.

What a thrill that was, it was her first time with a guy in that way. Mimi wouldn't go any farther for now, but to think that was just the scratching the surface of what intimacy feels like. Having caught her breath, she looked into R'tari's eyes back and kissed him gently on the cheek. "There's a bunch more where that came from." she replied in her usual voice. "Taritari... I love you too." she said to finalize the fact that she reciprocated his feelings. But now what? What happened from here on? Were they dating now? Would things be really different between them? Mimi's mind flooded with questions. "No... Whatever happens happens, let's just make it fun." she thought to herself. She was never a fan of complicating things, especially within her own mind. Wherever this relationship headed, that's where it would go, she wouldn't try to predict the outcome of things and try to sway it in any which direction.

As for R'tari if he was leaving to be stationed somewhere, she would go with him despite what their superiors said. She could care less, she hardly did anything in the war anyways, why should they care where she get's positioned? From there she would work on her clan techniques as well as her own that she had been working on, and then practice. Mimi wanted to be able to fight alongside her allies and especially R'tari in order to defend their home, and more importantly defend their livelihood from being changed. If she lost R'tari she wasn't sure what she would do, and surely he wouldn't fair well without her either.

He'd chuckle at her first comment before his grin would turn into a warm smile at her confirmation, she was good at distracting him though since he hadn't obsessed over the fact that she didn't say it back. Then again how could he when he was occupied with doing more important things like making out with his new girlfriend, even thinking about it made him excited. Then again it was in his mind, he had confessed, they kissed, she answered back and thus they were together causing him to reprioritize, he would want her by his side now so if things did go wrong at least they could die together. Grim thoughts but R'tari was never an optimist so it only made sense that he'd have such thoughts, no instead he would spend his remaining time with her living to the fullest. It wasn't as if he was planning for death, no he would try his best to not only protect his teammates and Mimi if she did disregard orders and follow him but likewise stay alive himself after all he had more to live for now.

Can we just stay like this for a bit? It's...calming. R'tari said thinking outloud moving the hand on her waist upward so as to press her forward as he moved his head to the side so she could lay on him more comfortably. For some reason even more so than usual when he was with her his problems seemed insignificant, his only regret is that this war was still going on and that would likewise put a damper on their happiness. Still..it could also be a good thing, the urgency and what not made every moment seem fleeting, like it might be the last and thus they would probably cherish it more.

R'tari's request to Mimi was absolutely adorable. She would go along with it happily and roll to the side a bit so that she was less directly ontop of him and more so cuddled up against his side. Mimi laid her head on his chest and looked up into the water's far above their heads, beyond Dipugakure's dome. She like Dipugakure quite a bit, much more so than Kaos. Kaos was home to her, but it was a really dreary place. Dipu was bright and pretty, and the sky was legit the underside of the ocean, which she found really amazing. She wondered how the village was even created, the technology required to make such a huge underwater dome seemed impossible. However it happened, she was glad it did.

Mimi moved to clasp her hand with R'tari's if he would let her as they lay there in silence. As peaceful and nice as it was though, Mimi wasn't big on silence. Being lost in her own thoughts drove her crazy. Sure while they were making out she was completely silent, but being caught up in the actions was enough to keep her mind busy. "Say, R'tari... what do you think of the war? Like... who do you think is right?" she asked. It was a bit more serious of a question then she would usually ask, but the subject had been on her mind as of late. In the past she would have blindly said the Shinobi Council, but these days she wasn't so sure. It almost seemed like each side had a reasonable cause for their actions, sure some didn't handle it too well but. Would this war really end in peace? It seemed incredibly unlikely to Mimi.

R'tai would grasp her hand while looking at the sky no underwater line, after all the dome was such, sure often during the day they liked to simulate the actual sky but everyone living in Dipugakure who had been above ground knew it was fake. They allowed people to actually see what lurked beneath during the night time with the dome being illuminated so it was seathrough often schools of Epioth could be seen swimming about, while the occasional Ceadues drifted by. Rarely an Abyssal Lagiacrus or two would linger around the dome but eventually it/they too would swim off though their bio-electricity sparked often being something equivalent to "stars" to the average Dipu citizen. He was brought out of his thoughts by Mimi's question, which side was right in all honesty he didn't know, he guessed everyone had a reason for what they did but in his opinion this war was something that really didn't need to happen.

I think...the Shinobi system itself is at fault. We fight, constantly it just so happens that we have more enemies than just ourselves. The Dobutsu fight for territory, they are beasts but which beast tries to encroach on things which aren't their own or at least what they perceive as their own in the first place. Epsilon Republic is peaceful, albeit isolationist only makes sense that the Civilians would eventually get tired of us and decide to make a society without shinobi involved. Pandora..no Pandora is evil, all they know is destruction and creating abominations they are of the worst sort. The rule of the Shogunate was peaceful..but exploitive and corruption trickled down from the upper echelons down to everyone and now that they've lost their hold over the Shinobi World it exposed the flaws in the Imperial Dynasty. The ASC has it's own faults wanting to regain it's former glory and the like but for what? For us to promise to be allies and then end up fighting once more... No I think the Shinobi system as a whole should just end and have it be a guild like system, likeminded shinobi banding together to work. I'm probably not the only one who thinks so really, my clan decided for mercenary work rather than join a village again and it isn't the only one, the Mishura, Toketsu, the Arashi even those damn Bishamon all are clans who decided to simply go back to their roots. So...really everyone is at fault for this war at least those in charge anyways...that's how I feel. R'tari said his voice slightly saddened but still firm as he truly believed what he was saying. How could he not, when Kaos fell he fell into his depression too, however the things that got him the most was Asura and then Tikatchi leaving as it felt like a part of him had died. His fellow Bringers of Chaos decided to become mercenary "missing nin" as some of the ASC shinobi tended to refer to them as.

Mimi gazed dreamily at the ocean until R'tari replied. Once he did she maintained her gaze but listened to what he had to say. For the most part she agreed with him. The war didn't need to happen, the most peaceful the shinobi world had ever been was under the shoguns rule, but even that was corrupt. Heh... shinobi's world. The world would be so much more peaceful without shinobi at all. Then again civillians would probably take up arms, being able to fight their own wars without the powers of shinobi running rampant. Also the creatures would be far worse, the civilians would be unable to keep up with them, especially the dobutsu. It wasn't the shinobi who were flawed it was humanity, wasn't it. Such a sad thing to think about.

And there it was, the silence. As Mimi found herself thinking about what R'tari had said there was complete silence again. "I think so too." she replied as she looked from the ocean to R'tari again. "Dipu is a nice place isn't it?" she said after placing another kiss on him, on his neck this time. "I read that a long time ago there was a beautiful Abisukage that fell in love and left her ties to the shinobi world behind and disappeared from it. All for the one she loved. Some say their love was so strong that they ceased to exist in this dimension. I know that's kinda crazy, but isn't it a nice thought?" Mimi said dreamily as she cuddled back into R'tari's chest.

It seemed, she agreed that was nice he was glad she saw things the way he did after all the world wasn't black and white perhaps it was his own weakness that allowed him to see the shinobi world for what it really was, a cruel harsh place where children are taught how to kill each other initially passing it for a game only to become hardened as they experience loss and pain. Truly one of the most beautiful villages, you know they said the only rival in terms of scenery was a Shigakure as apparently being so high in the clouds gave a completely different view of the world. R'tari said before she continued her statement causing him to think about the books he had read, sure enough he would remember as he had spent countless hours holed up in the library and occasionally reading the same genre got boring so he looked up history. Tayuya Toketsu, the Abisukage he forgot which the 5th? Perhaps he hadn't really paid much attention to her title beyond her being a Kage during the War directly preceeding the Shogunate's interferance. She was notable because she didn't die during the war nor was put to death after the Shogun took over but rather disappeared after some point.

Well then I'm happy for her and her lover then, they were able to escape from the burdens they carried to live in peace with each other. You know...sometimes I think maybe I'm not all that cut out for this life, just holding out to see another team through and maybe stumble upon my teammates killers so I can avenge him. Then I'll probably retire and become a school teacher not a Instructor at an academy of course..I don't think I could bear teaching children how to kill like I did, nor could I bear hearing about their deaths leaving me wondering whether or not I taught them well enough. But maybe I'll teach civilian children how to read and write, become some sort of novelist or something..I do like books. R'tari said moving slightly to kiss the top of Mimi's hair before continuing. What about you any thought about the future or does the lovely Mimi simply go wherever life takes her. Then again that is what makes you so appealing to me he said the last sentence being only thought about as he continued to look up at the ocean view.

Mimi wasn't too surprised to hear him talk about wanting to live a life outside of being a shinobi. Mimi hated the war, but she enjoyed being a shinobi. There wasn't another course in life that would be any more exciting than it, and that is what Mimi lived for, excitement. What R'tari wanted to do was cute, but such a life sounded incredibly boring to Mimi. When he asked about her future she was quiet for a moment. She didn't really think about the future too much, she preferred living in the moment and just plain enjoying life instead of stressing about the outcomes of things. "I go where I can live life to the fullest." she said at last with a big grin. Sure Mimi didn't have a clear purpose for living her life, but that is why she was able to always be so cheery, she didn't have anything to lose, nothing to worry about. Now though... now she had R'tari, would this relationship change her? Mimi didn't want to change, she didn't want to stop being happy all the time. The fact that developing a relationship with R'tari put her happiness at risk was a terrifying thought. All the more reason for her to get stronger. Mimi wanted to attain some sort of authority in her clan so that she could use it to protect R'tari, but... she wasn't a very responsible person, and being clan head would give her another thing to worry about. "Gee... growing up sucks."

R'tari would smile as he figured her reply would be just that, however he would notice for some reason that the grin perhaps wasn't as filled with happiness as it usually was. Well, whatever it is you wish to do know that I'll always support you. Besides don't ever change not for me anyways. After all I love you just the way you are. R'tari said, albeit sappy it was true and he didn't want her to feel obligated to shift her goals just because she was with him, he wasn't petty like that. Rather he'd be happy with whatever she wanted to do, as just like he didn't want to be restricted, he didn't want to restrict her. Either way he would become quiet as he didn't see the point in talking he was just fine with enjoying her company, and his mind would drift instead focusing on other things like avenging his teammate. He would push himself more in his training, he needed to, after all he had no idea how strong Rainer Hokkai or Tumu...something had become since a year ago they could be chunin by now. Either way he knew that he needed to train harder and become strong enough so that he could pay them in kind, blood for blood and thus settle the score. He might not be the most Mikaboshi of Mikaboshi's but he knew how to hold a grudge, and this particular one would not go away not anytime soon. He had considered telling Mimi about it but...never saw the chance, after all how could he even talk about wanting to kill two people more than anything.

Topic End.