In Memory [open]

"Thats good, at least we're both on the same page," She replied as she felt him let her go. She didnt like it, but she did need to lie down. She lay back and rested her head on the arm of the couch and felt a little bit better now her back was resting on a soft surface. She was suddenly thankful the couch was so comfortable. "Minoru...Before i forget," She said as she looked up at the ceiling. "Thank you...For everything. For saving my life, for bringing me back...Just everything," She said to him. "Thank you,"

For once, in God knows how long, Kurai felt safe. When he said that she knew that he meant it. Sure, she could take care of herself but she couldnt handle the whole Akatsuki on her own. With Minoru there, she felt safe. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. "One catch...If you went down to hell, i'd go with you..." She said and, again, she couldve been joking. It was still quite difficult to tell with her. It depended on how Minoru saw it.

She opened her eyes again, looking up at him. Her expression was unreadable for a moment but then, slowly, she smiled again. However, this time it was different. Her smile was warm, kind and above all, loving. Most of her smiles for months now had been artifical, just there so people wouldnt see the nervous teenage girl underneath. Now she seemed much more mature, more like her mother than she had ever been. In that fact alone, she took solace. If she could become anything like her mother she could die happy. At least, that way, she would be remembered as Aoi was.

She laughed slightly, trying to hide probably her first blush in years. Her red cheeks werent caused by the cold for once. "Heh..You think so? You flatter me far too much, Minoru," She joked, trying to get some of the heat off her. "I cant promise anything, but i'll try and smile like that more. Maybe you'll notice it if you're lucky," She added, shifting her head on the arm of the couch so she could look at him properly.

ooc: Hm?

She tried sitting up again and winced as she put pressure on her arms to try and sit up. She'd forgotten her arms had been injured as well. She shook her head as if to try and shake off the pain and looked out the window. The storm was definitely here now. The window panes were shaking and she could see so much snow was being disturbed from the ground that it looked like a number of small snow cyclones were gathering around the houses in the village. Of course, the houses were strong enough to take it but her eyes were still clouded with worry.

ooc: you'll get better as time passes ^_^ You can just expect to go from 3 lines to about 7 overnight. Dont worry, you'll get there

She blinked and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. It didnt hurt HER pride, but it hurt the Gobis. 'Hmph, i couldve done that...'. Kurai rolled her eyes at the demons comment, shrugging it off as she shifted herself once again. She lay back against Minorus chest gently, resting her head just below the base of his neck while still looking out the window, more peaceful than worried now. It wouldnt be long before it was morning, and the villagers would dare to venture outside to see if the storm had blown over. Obviously, now it had.

ooc: yep ^_^ I'll help any way i can

She laughed, nodding. "At least SHE does. If i could get her to shut up for at least one day maybe things would be less stressful around here," She teased as the Gobi snorted. 'Joke about me all you want, pup. If that keeps up i wont let you keep seeing this boy here'. Kurai rolled her eyes again. "All i get from her are idle threats, day in and day out. It's becoming somewhat of a bother for me," Gobi didnt like that at all. 'Alright, thats it! From now on, you're forbidden to hug him, kiss him, even look at him!. Kurai let out an aggrivated sigh, she obviously wasnt taking the Gobi seriously. 'Yes, Mom' She teased.

Kurai said nothing, she just wanted a front row seat in this arguement. She shut her eyes and just relaxed for now. 'Now listen here! I can quite easily stop Kurai from even going anywhere near you and dont you forget it!. "Then why am i leaning back against him right now..?" Kurai asked lazily, looking up at Minoru with a grin. 'Because i'm allowing it!. "But you just said you were gonna keep me away from him. You're contradicting yourself, Gobi-San," Kurai chuckled, falling silent once again.

'Listen here, human. If Kurai does disobey my orders and hugs you or kisses you, i WILL take over. And when i do i'll make SURE you stay away' Gobi hissed. Kurai, not convinced, snorted. "Sure you will. Because its SOO impossible for me to regain control of my own body, isnt it Gobi-San?" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Gobi didnt have much to say on that matter, but her growl was definitely heard. It was a terrifying grown, right enough, but there was something behind it. Gobi did care for Kurai, and she would never take the girls body against her will unless it was 100% nessecary for the safety of them both. Gobi, for once, was silent.

Kurai reached up and touched Minoru's cheek with her hand. "I think thats enough, Minoru-Kun. I don't think she'll say much more," She murmured as Gobis prescence faded away again. But they werent alone for long. Peacock decided to spring up as well. 'Awwww! Well isnt this just the sweetest! She crooned. Kurai squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, for once, just dont give me a migraine," She muttered, teasing her but it was hard to tell. 'But its so CUUUUTE!. Kurai sighed and shook her head. There was no point in trying to get her to shut up now. Once Peacock went on a rant, there was nothing on this Earth that could stop her.

"Thats Peacock. You havent seen anything yet. Just wait a few minutes until she really gets going," She warned him, shutting her eyes. 'Awww..Look at you two!'. "Brace yourself..." Kurai muttered. 'KAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' If Peacock was visible at that time, Minoru could plainly see her jumping around the room, practically bouncing off the walls. Kurai put her hands to her ears, wincing. "Peacock! My ears!" Kurai barked. 'Woops, heh, sorry Kurai-Chan! Got a little carried away'. "No shit.."

"Is it too much to ask to have 5 minutes to talk to Minoru without my two demons looking over my shoulder the entire time?" Kurai muttered. 'Well, technically Kurai-Chan, you have 3 demons'. "Yes, but the third clearly isnt bothering me, is it? Now go back to sleep, my ears are ringing. If you really need to ask questions, ask them later," Kurai sighed, removing her hands from her ears. 'Awwww, you're no fun! Fine, get ready for my questions later, Kurai-Chan. Believe me, i wanna know EVERYTHING!' Peacock chirped happily before her presence faded away as well. "Ugh, thank Kami for that.."

"Uh...Well.." She started, pushing herself off him and sitting in front of him instead. "Ugh where do i start..." She sighed. "Right...In the Niwa clan, the females are those whose kekkei genkai matures the most. Thats why it was unheard of to have a male head-of-house in the Niwa clan. The females, however, come with a catch. When we reach the age of adulthood, so 16, our body begins to fade away to something like the lost souls we try to save. We need to go to our clan grounds and find a soul and fuse with them to make our bodies whole again. And not just any soul. That soul needed to have the same blood type as the clan member when they were alive, otherwise the fusion wont work since the soul thats trying to fuse with them isnt used to that blood. I fused with my mothers soul, which left a demon behind. Its called my Spirit Form, and if its let out it could probably kill me if it wishes to. However, since its my mother it has a shred of humanity within it, so its never caused a problem that i couldnt handle,"

She blinked then smirked, nodding slightly. "It never speaks, so half of the time i dont even know its there. The only time it talks is when i'm in real trouble in battle, it'll give me advice on what to do and even then its only a few words," She replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "I have a lot of secrets behind me, huh? I suppose it all adds to the mystery of being the last of my clan," She said with a wink. "And the mysterious stranger is always a fun person to be, isnt it?"

She chuckled and nodded. "We've both got somewhat of a shrouded past behind us, and i dont think i'll ever tell anybody else what i've been telling you," Her face suddenly became serious, yet slightly vulnerable. "Minoru...What i've been telling you tonight must never leave this room, alright? I'm trusting you with all of this. If anyone else finds out, i could be killed," She murmured. "I'm trusting you, Minoru," She added. Somehow, saying it just made her feel all the more vulnerable. Trusting someone was one thing, telling them one of your darkest secrets is another thing altogether. She just hoped her judgment of him was right, and she could trust him the way she wanted to.

She smiled in relief then got up. "Alright, then one more thing wouldnt hurt," She said as she made sure there was enough room. She made a few handseals and winced slightly as her back began to sting and itch slightly because of the wounds. However, the jutsu worked and soon, that familiar pair of blinding white wings emerged from her back, folding out into their full glory. Her eyes were closed, as if she was concentrating deeply. When she finally opened them again, she turned her attention to Minoru. "You really had no idea what you were saying when you called me an angel," She teased, lowering her hands back to her sides again.

If she didnt know better, she wouldve laughed. However, for now she waited until he was able to speak. She moved her wings back and forth, keeping the movement regular so her wounds could get used to the wings and the joints wouldnt get stiff. She looked pretty impressive now, with her wings alone. It was worth wondering how she would look if she was wearing her Yukikage kimono with her wings out like this. When she really tried to look good. However, for now Minoru would have to deal with just seeing the wings. He needed to get used to them first.

She grinned and rubbed the back of her neck again. "Its just a jutsu, trust me i'm far from it," She said as she snapped her fingers, causing one of her wings to disappear, giving her more space to move. She turned her body and tilted her remaning wing in Minorus direction. "Go ahead, you can touch the feathers. They wont hurt...Well, they wont hurt YOU anyway," She laughed, forgetting to explain that the feathers can be potentially lethal. A wound between her shoulder blades had reopened because of the sudden pressure, but it was nothing compared to what it had been before. She barely even felt it. She'd get herself cleaned up later, now was not the time.

She was relieved that he didnt pull at them in any way, like some other people had done before. He was gentle, which thankfully didnt disturb any feathers. If they did, they wouldve almost certainly cut him. "See..? Soft, huh? You'd think they were real. They're constructed entirely of my chakra, y'see. Took me a while to get it right but i can even use them to fly now. They're far more than something pretty to look at," She smiled, ruffling her feathers slightly as his hand went over where the joints wouldve been. "Heh, sorry, that tickled a little. Just dont pull any of them out, they get really sharp as soon as they leave my chakra," She warned him, wanting to let him know before he did do it.

"Thanks," She replied, amused at how he was quite happy to keep playing with the feathers. Right now, her chakra wasnt at its strongest so she couldnt keep the wing there for long. She wasnt going to disturb any of her demons for something as trvial as this. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," She teased, sticking out her tounge. "But seriously, i cant hold it there any longer, its wasting my chakra," She winced slightly, waiting for him to take his hand away before she moved in case the feathers cut him as she pulled back. She was being very careful with him, even though she knew he could easily handle it.

"You give me far too much credit, Minoru," She said with a grin, sitting down again. She looked over her shoulder and saw the sticky patch of blood on the back of her shirt. She sighed. "Great, just great. I'll have to get that cleaned up," She said, frowning. "Eh, at least i'm alive i suppose," She said as she looked at him. "I know you tell me not to keep saying 'thank you' but i owe you my life, i cant just let that blow over," She raised her eyebrow, daring him to challenge her. "Don't you agree?"

'Yeah..Well if you hurt her you'll certainly be facing one of them...' Gobi grumbled, eyeing Minoru cautiously. Kurai rolled her eyes. "Look who's up...Gobi, shut up. I really can handle myself, despite what you tell me," She muttered lazily, almost bored by the bijuus presence. Gobi muttered yet more colorful words before disappearing again. "I'm sorry about her..She doesnt know when to keep her mouth shut," She smiled crookedly in apology, looking quite awkward at the Gobis outburst. She cleared her throat, trying to just forget what Gobi had said, while looking out the window again to at least look busy.

Kurai groaned and placed her hands over her ears, bracing herself for the outburst that inevitably followed whenever Gobis limited patience was pushed too far. Surprisingly, it never came. The 5-tailed demon was surprisingly quiet as it surveyed Minoru from within her hosts body. 'Hmph...I stand by what i said, if you hurt her, you'll face me. I dont care how many of my tails you cut off, i'll make sure you feel pain ten times worse than what she felt...'. Kurai's hands slowly came away from her ears as she blinked in surprise at what Gobi had said.

'Oh yeah, brat!? Ohh, you're so ignorant i could scream!' Gobi hissed, showing her teeth even though he plainly couldnt see them. Suddenly, Kurai's voice cut right through their arguement, a single word but enough threat and power behind it to silence Gobi without needing to even use force. "ENOUGH!" She said, with her eyes shut tight and her fists clenched. 'This is getting out of hand..If theyre going to bicker whenever i'm within 5 feet of Minoru i'm gonna end up going insane...'. She looked at Minoru, ignoring the grin that admittedly sent shivers down her spine. "If you make her swallow your chakra, that would directly affect me as well. I never let her out of my body," She replied to him, trying her best to not say a word about his grin. These were the moments that bothered her. She cared deeply for Minoru and even for the Gobi but they couldnt just expect for Kurai to let them fight like this.

'Get over yourself...' Gobi hissed. "Gobi..." Kurai gave her a warning growl, her own patience obviously being pushed majorly. She rubbed her temples with the palms of her hands and shut her eyes. "I swear, i cant take this if the two of you are just going to fight and bicker..." She sighed, shaking her head. Gobi was silent, retreating back into the furthest corners of her seal so no more fights could take place. Kurai rested her head against the cool glass of the window, slowly opening her eyes. 'It better be over now...'.

"Gobi's intentions are good at heart, even if she's reluctant to show it...Trust me on that one, Minoru," She said as she leaned back again. "I understand how you dislike bijuu but it'd really mean a lot to me if BOTH of you could try and at least bear each others presence." She glanced up at him, putting on her softest face to try and break down his resolve. "Please, Minoru-Kun?" She asked, batting her eyelashes. It was amazing that she had the gall to try it, but it wouldve been amusing to watch, no doubt about it.

ooc: XDD sorry, couldnt resist the blackmail

Something in her eye glinted, noting his reaction for future reference. She nodded and pushed herself forward to hug him. "Thank you, Minoru-Kun," She replied melodically, smiling strangely sweetly. She saw how he melted, now she was just seeing how far she could push it. At that moment in time, Peacock was having fits of laughter and even Gobi was fighting back a smirk or two. Both kept themselves well hidden from Minoru, muting their sound so he had no idea what was going on, or if Peacock and Gobi knew about what Kurai was doing.

She sighed, her tight hug easing into a more comforting one. "Sorry, Minoru. I was just playing, was all," She bit her lip. She shouldve known better than to get that carried away. She didnt say much more, she didn't want to trigger any more painful memories for him. She just kept herself where she was, whispering an apology now and again but keeping relatively quite other than that. It was probably the most quiet she'd been for a good while when she'd been in a relatively good mood. She didnt mean to hurt him, far from it. She honestly felt terrible about it.

"I know...I'll let go if you want. I'll even leave the room if you want to gether your thoughts," She replied gently, treading lightly as to not upset him any further. She dared to tilt her head to try and get a look at his face, wanting to see if her actions had affected him as much as it sounded it had. If it had, she'd never forgive herself for it. At all.

ooc: gtg, see ya Tony

She blinked, not used to Minoru displaying such emotion. She nodded slightly and continued to hold onto him. "Alright, i'll stay then," She said simply, not wanting to admit that she pretty much needed him as much as he needed her. It wasn't a nice existance to be constantly alone in a barren wasteland purely made of ice and snow, sitting in your office with your two demons driving you insane at every waking opportunity. She was glad for his company and was happy that he didnt want her to leave. She didn't want to leave either, so she smiled to herself in relief.

"Huh?" She said in surprise as she shifted back ever so slightly to look at him. "Minoru..Are you sure? I mean, its barely on the map and we dont have the facilities for many strong ninja. It's mediocre at best," She admitted with a downwards glance, disappointed in her lack of authority. "You'd be giving up a lot. I wouldnt want you to just throw it away like that," She frowned, thinking so thouroughly that Minoru could practically see the gears in her head moving, trying to process Minoru's request. "I'm not even sure what rank you would obtain if you joined. Something pretty high up, i'd assume,"

"Minoru..." She started to say. She was going to say how she could take care of herself, then thought better of it. She stopped herself and shook her head, giving in before the debate had even started. "If its what you really want, then i'll gladly take you into the village," She smiled, nodding. "It'll be good to have you here, Minoru," She said as she kissed him on the cheek, something that she rarely did, before hugging him again. "Welcome to the Snow then," She chuckled. "We just got a lot stronger in the space of 2 minutes," She joked, making a good-natured jibe at how strong Minoru was and how his power would boost the snows miltary forces.

"You're stronger than me and i have 3 demons for crying out loud," She laughed, shaking her head. "But, seriously, it'll be good to have you with us. I'm still not sure if you should give up everything you've got just to defend me, though," She sighed, tilting her head. "Are you sure thats what you want, Minoru?" She asked him, wanting to make sure his mind was definitely made up over the matter before she gave him his Snow headband. She might care for him more than most other people, but when it came to new villagers she was strictly business.

She blinked in shock, surprised that he would become this protective of her. "Then...Welcome home," She replied with a smile, reassured that he seemed so confident and serious about the matter. It reassured her that he wouldnt back out of his offer. "I'll sort out all the paperwork tomorrow. Right now, i really just cant be bothered doing it," She cleared her throat, noticing how lazy that sounded. "Uh..I mean..Ah, never mind," She shrugged, not even bothering to hide that she hated paperwork and anything at all that remotely resembled it.