Unfortunate Pairing

{OOC: directly after Trying to Forget }

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Ami stifled a yawn as she woke up, feeling the gentle breeze against her face and morning sunlight in her eyes. She had fallen asleep against a peach blossom tree, or rather had collapsed from pain and fatigue. But she didn't remember much, conveniently forgetting the solo mission she had taken only the day before. She would walk into the village, and headed straight for the Hyuuga compounds. She felt and probably looked like a wreck. After a simple and quick wash, she would once again set off for quite an important mission.

All she knew was that she was going to travel, and with a partner. The special mission had been assigned to her a couple of days ago. Her emotional state far from the norm, she hadn't really paid much attention to what was said, especially about the mission details. Ami had been struggling since her last mission with Keiji, to function like a normal human, failing miserably. The girl tried so hard to busy herself, to forget the heartache that she felt to no avail. She sighed as she walked down the streets, making her way to Kataki Road to meet her partner. Snap out of it...she would tell herself, knowing that if she paired up with someone new she would have to give a hundred percent of her attention. Ami secretly wondered if she'd be able to, something that was strictly enforced on group missions. The last thing anyone needed was a half attentive shinobi who cared more about her love affairs than her job.

She shook her head as though forcefully trying to clear her mind. She was wearing a dark blue dress and matching boots, with a light black coat over top. She had heard it would be cold but wasn't exactly sure how cold. Ami always underdressed for weather it seemed, praying that her partner would be more prepared. Her weapons with her as always, she stepped out of the village gates, turning down Kataki Road and heading towards the meeting area. She had hoped she would be paired with someone who was less absentminded as she was, and knew what they were doing. As she reached the place, her footsteps stopped abruptly, her heart skipped a beat as she saw him in the distance. It couldn't be him...she thought to herself. But judging from his attire and belongings, she knew that he was, not certain if she was excited or mortified that Keiji was her partner. She took a deep breath before walking up to him, remaining silent as she didn't and couldn't bring herself to say anything.

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And then he spoke...

The words she had wanted to hear for days, had longed to say back to him as well. Her eyes welled with tears. Mixed with the fact that she hadn't slept well for an extended period of time, her eyes stung and for once she lost composure. Ami was always about crying beautiful tears if she really had to cry, never wailing or throwing a tantrum. Silent tears trickling down her face was how she was taught at a young age, to never lose composure and dignity under any circumstance. But as she stared into his eyes, his voice ever so softly echoing in her mind, all the pain she had felt from the last few days pushed out of her body and her tears came down like a waterfall. She struggled to gain control, a hand over her mouth as she let out whimpers. How awful she must look now? How awful she must look to him?

His warm embrace melted her tired body. The same warmth he had given her had returned, as she fell into his arms, weeping like a child. She tried to tell herself to stop, tried to be mindful of the passerbys awkwardly looking at the couple. But all she could do was cover her face in her hands and then lay her hands and head against his shoulder. Her entire body trembled, and for once not in physical pain. "I...I...I'm sorry too..." she could barely formulate a coherent sentence as she wept. How she had longed for his embrace, how she had thought she'd heard his voice or seen his face in the past couple of days. It was rippling, but now she was safe.

She would go on and cry for a good few minutes, using up most of her energy she had left inside of her. Such foolishness and pettiness on her part she knew, but she simply couldn't control her emotions. Ami desperately hoped Keiji didn't mind seeing her like this...

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How silly they must look, two weeping teenagers hugging one another like there was to be no tomorrow. But only Keiji and Ami would know the importance and value of the tears they shed for each other. Their love, although not primarily based on tears, were brought closer together by them. And so they stood, in broad daylight, crying in each other's arms. As she felt his tears on her skin she would look up, her eyes searching in his. This was the first time anyone cried for her, especially a man. She was both delighted and guilty as men were not supposed to cry so easily. The girl felt his love, felt his weakness and his emotions through his tears. It was almost magical. She would blush as he kissed the top of her head, a tingling and warm sensation running through her veins like reduced static. She had missed this feeling...

She would hear him speak, nodding in agreement. They really needed to be more open with one another, to communicate. Such was the vital flaw of teenage love. They were both young and inexperienced, and their withdrawn personalities only further complicating matters. Ami would give him a smile, her lavender eyes never leaving his, her feelings for him trying to transmit through her gaze. "It was silly and unnecessary..." she was about to finish her sentence when he asked her about defining, which she guessed meant their relationship. "How do we define?" she would ask in a small whisper. Although not entirely rejecting the idea, she wanted to know what Keiji had in mind.

And as for her father...that was going to be a hurdle neither of them would see coming.

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She felt safe, warm and content in his arms. Ami looked at Keiji with loving and genuine eyes as she head him speak. Girlfriend? She blushed a deep crimson as she just nodded, her heart thundering in her chest. She would put her hand on his cheek, the remnants of tears still on his face. Brushing a tear streak away carefully, she would first glance around them. Seeing that there was no one near, she drew his face closer to hers, putting her arms now gently around his neck. The kiss she gave him would be short but filled with passion, her lips brushing slightly against his lips. Ami was not a very good kisser, she supposed.

She would then pull away gently, her arms unlocking from the back of his head. She had needed that kiss, yearned for it perhaps from the bottom of her heart. The young Hyuuga cleared ber throat before speaking in a soft voice. "Should we...get going?" She had just remembered what they were here to do, as her eyes rested on his belongings. "Do you know anything about what the place we're going to is like?" She tried to revert back to her serious self but the blush on her cheek remained, as though permanently plastered on her face.

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Though very much embarrassed to be kissing in the middle of the road, or so it seemed, for once she didn't mind, as Keiji held the kiss a little longer than she had expected. For once she welcomed the notion, not only because she was completely engulfed in their little world, but also because she just wanted to feel his lips against hers for a little longer. As the lovebirds finally released one another from the embrace, she would listen to what Keiji said about the Kellen Plains. So it was as cold as people had told her it would be, she thought, rather annoyed that she hadn't heeded the advice of the wise. She gave a small sigh, and looked at him with an incredulous look. "Don't worry though... I brought some supplies for the trip. I assumed my partner would be unprepared."

How annoying...she thought, as he knew her well. Ami was definitely an absentminded woman, leaving things behind wherever she went or simply forgetting to bring them. It was only a miracle she always remembered to bring her weapons along. She blushed slightly as he took her hand in his and secretly gave a small smile of delight, turning her head away from him so that he wouldn't see and have the chance to tease her. They would make their way down the road, no longer hiding their relationship, as they ventured off to the plains, in search of something she didn't really know too much about.