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Post by Tera on Dec 29, 2006 16:35:46 GMT -5
The busy streets of Epsilon were as they always were....busy. And although Tera was not fond of the constant bickering of merchants and the obnoxious voices of auctioneers, she felt she had no place to go. She trudged through the crowded roads, one hundred scents flooding to her and once. Body odor, fish, fresh bread, and the smells of many different people. It was true that Epsilon was known for being a cultural melting pot, but Tera was shocked by what she saw. So many different people of different races, some friendly to each other while others shoved on lookers from their paths. Clothes of vibrant colors and dull colors were everywhere and far too many voices made the shinobi anthromorph's head spin.
"Welcome to Epsilon traveler, now what might a fine young lady such as yourself be interested in? Souvenirs? Jewelry? How 'bout a pretty dress?" asked a rather loquacious man from his stall. Tera politely turned him down, not in the mood to bargain over useless fulfillments. Truth be told, she wasn't sure why she was here in the first place...
Well that was partially a lie. She was no where near ready to head back home in fear of seeing a certain someone. She was quite positive that she did not want to see Ezra again...after all he had another woman to keep him company. She was just a play thing like always. Easy to use and easy to break. Tera had been broken one too many times in her life. Finally she had found trust in the silver-haired shinobi...and then he broke her heart.
Stuffing away the hateful-and hurtful-memory, Tera brought a strand of violet hair out of her equally violet eyes and gazed around. So much was going on that it was almost suffocating. She had never been one for big crowds and this was ridiculous! At first she politely said 'excuse me' to those in her way, but soon enough she acted as the rest of them did and resorted to pushing.
She had not seen Alexander again either...the boy she knew and yet did not know. She could trace his outline so perfectly in her mind, feel every detail, and yet she could not remember him from before... His name she could place...he placed hers as well. Such a strong emotional connection was entangled in the puzzlement of forgotten pasts. And then like always, she lost him too.
Biting down on her lip angrily, Tera slid past a burly man with an orange beard. He seemed to not realize this for he was in a severe argument with a petite blond woman. Tera ignored them completely. Too many conversations went on for her to follow. And all the while that she made her way sluggishly though the hordes of human bodies, her thoughts skipped back to Ezra again as she thoughtfully went over all of the things she had liked about him. All of the things he had never said and of his touch that would have been hers. Life was not a bright thing to Tera as of late.
Obviously that was an exception for the people of Epsilon that were packed on their streets like rats in the catchers. She gave a disgusted look at the number of grimy and sweaty bodies, carefully avoiding the largest of them. She may have been small and slender, but she could take care of herself at least. Finding the money for an inn and a shower on the other hand...well she wasn't quite there yet.
Finally there was a break in the crowd and Tera forced her way into it. Little did she know that this was not the kind of break she had been hoping for. A small ring had formed around three older teens that collected bets for a cobra fight. Tera scooted to the outside of the circle, watching the cobra stare down a weasel and prepare to strike it. The weasel, however, scampered away in time. It was soon back and ready for more. Though people placed money on the cobra, Tera had a feeling that they would all be missing their coin later.
"Oh bloody hell..." Tera muttered, frustrated for the never-ending absurdity of this city.
"What, love? Don't like to watch the fights?" One of the teens had found her and grabbed her wrist, clearly pleased that he had found a young woman to tease. Tera did not take kindly to this sort of treatment though. In seconds the man was on his knees, holding his wrist tightly and mouthing off profanities in long strings.
"No, I don't," she told him with venom in her voice. It was not long before a different fight broke out and Tera found herself flinging teens over her hips and into the dirt. Many other older men joined the fight, slamming each other into the dirt while the brawl advanced. Soon elbows and fists were flying, no one knowing who they were aiming for. The snake and the weasel were forgotten though if someone would have looked, the cobra was being split open by the slinky-animals claws.
Tera was sure she caught an elbow in the eye and one in the lip but not without banging a few heads together and kicking out at those who got too close. At one point in time she felt her arms pulled behind her, reacting by ramming her head with the attackers. Oh how she loved these sorts of fights...
After she had done enough damage, the young woman found her way out of the group and scrabbled away, wiping the blood from her lip and smiling ruefully in spite of herself. She caught sight of the mangled body of the cobra as the weasel picked at it's insides, Tera grinning and wincing as her lip split again. She was sure she'd have a black eye after this little incident. Ah, Epsilon... she thought wolfishly.
She found a stone wall to sit on as the fight continued, a few guards coming to break things up. Tera could not help but grin again as she saw a few of the men she had decked unconscious. She shut her eyes for a moment wondering what else this city had to offer.
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Jan 7, 2007 20:44:16 GMT -5
Life was full of countless forks in the road. Some of these forks were mental, requiring a person to make a crucial decision usually about their life's course or of someone close to them. And yet others were the literal forks. To the left or the right? To stay or to leave? In the end, that's all these decisions amounted to. For more often then not a person deciding would be on a path searching for something. And if they knew where it was, where the object of their attention resided, their choice would either lead them closer to it or forever further away. And in there world, no matter what the old wives tales of small worlds told you, it was difficult to find someone that got away on a different path. Things had been rather full of forks for Ezra, and not even speaking on any kind of food reference, he had his fill of them and was rather full. Most of his life he had been alone, only having his mother to take care of and worry about. Then things seemed to change for the better the day he met the anthro female he came to know as Tera. The pair had grown together in such a short amount of time, having a feelings for each other that were akin to love, if not already love itself. Heh... and to think a single day at the beach... to think that an act of kindness... to think that saving a beautiful black-haired girl from her own death would have thrown all that to hell. Ezra had saved Isabella from drowning, whether she had actually considered it help or not. He had carried her body to a safer place, and in that Tera had apparently stumbled in at nothing less than screwed up timing. Ezra had wanted to explain it so badly to the woman he admired, to Tera. And yet even with his ninja training was not able to catch up to her in time to do so. Another fork in life's road. Isabella or Tera? Ezra had the choice of either staying with Isabella to help her or go search endlessly for the woman that he wanted to love. In it's most plain sense, it was the choice of going with what he wanted to know more about or trying to figure someone else out all over again. Not to say that Ezra loved Isabella, yet not saying that he rejected her completely either. More decisions only came to Ezra as he went back to Mizukage and gathered his things. This would be no easy choice, but Ezra hoped he had made the the correct choice, proverbially the "right" path in both direction and in right or wrong. He had spoken with his Kiona, his mother, briefly on the matter. To his greatest of thanks, she made no objection whatsoever to Ezra's proposed search for Tera on his own. In a pack that he carried on his back was everything that he would need. "I've heard of a place called Epsilon," he told her. "I'm not sure why, but I think it'd be best to start there." :: Many days and nights pass :: It was hopefully his final fork in the literal road for Ezra on his way to find Tera. In reality, Epsilon might have been the absolute worst place to look for Tera in his mind. After all, from the day he had met her, she herself in one way or another revealed herself to be an introvert, not talking and trusting just as much. Ezra had been privileged enough to have gotten to know what little he could of Tera. And yet he was still left wanting more. He wanted to feel her again. He wanted to see her, to hear her, to speak with her... he wanted to kiss her again, as tenderly and passionately as he had on their night of meeting. Daytime, and the streets were already packed. "Heh, just as I've heard. I've never even been here before. And yet, from everything I've heard about this place, I could probably make a map of the entire place... that is, if all these people would get out of the way." Pulling out his pouch, Ezra observed it's contents. Inside was enough money to stay in Epsilon for at least a week, perhaps more if he were able to skip a few of the less important things. He sighed inside and out. Only a week? Would that be anywhere long enough to search for her? Would there ever be enough time to look for Tera? Worse yet, would he even find her? If he had to go pack to Mizukage empty handed and empty minded, that might crush him. To have such a bond with Tera already... what kind of person was she? Did she cast some kind of spell on him? Ezra's trained ears caught wind of a brawl that was happening a few streets over. A ninja in plain clothing and long silvery gray hair eased his way through the crowds, making little disturbance as he was trained to do. Gentle winds lashed his pony tailed hair in any direction. His sword was as plainly clothed as he was himself, held by his right hand instead of on his back as he was accustomed to. Standing a safe distance away from everything, Ezra only observed everything unfold. The flying fists, the blood, the many bruises and broken bones that would occur, and the guard that tried miserably to restore peace to the crowds that were ever-present. Scoffing at them, he rolled his eyes and shook his head at their conduct. Any such thing in his home country would come to a swift end, if not by the leader, then by one of his subordinates. And yet... Whether he knew it or not, his search was practically over. Ezra was unknowingly very close to Tera, on the other side of the street in fact. He had not seen her yet, he only needed to look straight ahead of him. Sadly the crowds and the guards and everything else that possibly could stole his attention from where it needed to be. If only he would look in another direction, even if only for a second. Hopefully, Tera's keen eyes would catch him first. Hopefully, she would recognize Ezra- his long silvery hair, his face, his gray eyes. It's not like everyone had them. No more forks in the road for now if only he would look forward...
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Post by Tera on Jan 7, 2007 21:29:33 GMT -5
There was a moment…a simple moment in time…where a wave of anxious panic hit the young woman on the wall. Why this had happened, perhaps she herself did not even now. But now she was looking out at the crowd, wary and confused. It was as if she had to do something now…if she was too late, everything would be different. She looked around swiftly unable to realize what she was searching for. But that feeling never went away. It was there on the back of her mind, a prickling shadow constantly keeping her on edge. What was this?
Many people were casting her dirty looks, the young anthro shinobi upon the wall. She looked like trouble and knew it. Truthfully, she had not cared about his sort of thing. Ever since she had been standing on that stupid beach with that betraying bastard thing had been harsher in her life. Small things upset her because there was nothing like forgiveness left. She had forgiven one too many people during her life…she was done forgiving.
Because she was done being hurt.
She slid off the wall, not as gracefully as she would have a few weeks ago. The crowd was still crazy, person after person shoving into one another and causing the smaller of people to fall. Chaos was the perfect way to describe the post-bawl setting. Tera grinned again, ignoring the stinging pain of her lip splitting pleasantly open once more. Her figure could be seen winding through the hordes, not knowing quite where she was going. But then again, she could care less.
Her mind was tumbled and tousled, a hectic mass of thoughts and feelings that did not quite match up with one another. She would not admit it, but she had been pretty messed up. Of course she had been one to fight before, but lately it was the escape for her hurt and anger. She vented her feelings through her fists no matter the cost. The blood on her cheek was enough proof of that.
Continuing to wind her way through the several bodies in her way, Tera did not look up at where she was going. She was concentrating mostly on memories again, biting her already mauled lip and letting her ears droop to the side. And then she ran into someone’s chest…hard. Startled she backed up a few steps, wondering why this stranger had not bothered to move. But her gaze traveled up to see something that she was not prepared for.
He stood stiffly, watching the mess of the crowded street, his silver hair brushing his cheeks as the breeze played with it. She looked up at his face in shock, the yellow and green color blooming around her swollen eye making it difficult to see anyways. She found out quite quickly, though, that her vision was not distorted in the least. This was Ezra. She could smell him, the sweet intoxicating scent she had loved. And yet she could not speak as he looked down at the woman that had ran into him.
She could not remove her violet gaze from his face. There were two sides to this reuniting. One was the most bitter frustration and anger she could manage. It burned her and ached her to feel it. And yet the other side…it was relief. It was wonderful…trying to memorize his outline again. To see every feature on his face and place it in her heart so that she might never forget again. She continued to breathe him in, her lips parted in silent surprise. But she could not draw herself away…and could not admit that she had missed him more than anything in the world. She repeated his name in her head. Ezra. It broke the barriers she had put that name behind. There had been a time when she never wanted to hear it again. And now it was defying all measures and slowly breaking all the laws she had placed upon it. Ezra. Ezra. Ezra.
And then it snapped back into place. He had crushed her, just like everyone else. Used her and played her. The hurt came back, rushing into her eyes with a strange intensity. She shook her head, ignoring the dizziness that it caused. She tried to pretend like the tears coming down her face were not there, but every time she told herself such a story, more tears came rushing down her pale cheeks. The salt from the liquid stung the place below her eye an inch where a long red line indicated that she had indeed busted her cheek pretty hard. But she could not feel that pain. Only the other one.
Her heart ached. She was falling apart inside and she could no longer look at his gray eyes and think. So she turned from him, her arms crossed over her chest like she would fall apart if she let go. She disappeared into the crowd, finding a small ally to duck into. And there she slumped against the wall, her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them as she let out shaky breaths and wished that for once…
She had never run away.
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Jan 7, 2007 22:42:25 GMT -5
Ezra stood there, his eyes glancing over everything in the crowd, at the tremendous amount of action that was going on. Things had gotten quite hectic, and yet Ezra still did not know what the cause was. it was like, and in a way was, like he were standing on the outside trying to look in... trying to see what could have caused something that grew into so much. Was it even anything valid? How could it be? What thing in the world could have gotten people so upset that they simply just went into a rage on the nearest person? Or what it more than that? Was there some greater problem that even his ninja training hadn't enabled him to pick up? Was everyone just trying to focus their anger on someone specific, and everything just came together?
No, it was more than that. Less, depending on one's perspective. A singlle person, or a small group of them was to blame. And yet, unknown to Ezra the person he was looking for was in the middle of it all. Tera was the cause of it all, and Ezra couldn't have stopped it, for he wasn't there. Had he known that, he might have cursed his not getting to her sooner.
Thankfully, he would not have to worry about trying to find her in the crowd. He was getting closer and closer to her without even having to move. Tera was moving his his direction in an attempt to get away from everything going on, and ended up running into him. He grunted from the force of her unintended tackle, but was ultimately not phased by her. He did not realize at first that it was Tera. Ezra had been getting ready to brush her off his body and continue his watching of the crowd the he felt the slight tickle of... fur? What the heck? What human would have...
Ezra took a good look at the girl that ran into him. It was her... Tera. His forks had finally converged on the one thing he was actually looking for. "T...Tera. I..." Ezra found himself at a loss of words.
His inner self melted as he watched the tears begin to stream from her eyes. And yet, he could not tell. Were they tears of joy? Tears of pain? Were they both? Whichever it was, Ezra was not given the time to ask her or even find out for himself as Tera broke from his body and ran off in the opposite direction. "Wait! Tera! Tera!... dammit!" He had been getting ready to use the walls as springboards, getting ahead of Tera before she could leave his sight again. Deciding against that, he chased after her on foot, pushing aside people more roughly than before.
In time, he had caught up to her, standing at the mouth of the alley while she was just a bit further in. His mind raced with possible things to say, what to do first. Then he remembered... even though it was unintentional, he had hurt her. So much so that she ran from him, from her feelings, and from more heartbreak. Acting on that, Ezra turned off all other feeling and emotions but his kindness and loving care. Approaching Tera as she huddled herself on the wall, he took off the jacket he had on him, stepping up to Tera and draping it over her. Crouching down, his softness came out in his voice.
"Tera..." his voice muttered. "Please... just... calm down. Let me get you fixed up. I should explain what you saw..."
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Post by Tera on Jan 7, 2007 23:05:08 GMT -5
She did not want to feel…she did not want to see…hear…nothing. She wanted to sit as she died inside, her head against the wall as she struggled to keep herself quiet. She knew he would follow her. After all it was Ezra and he had not changed as much as she had…but then again she did not know. Her heartbeats were long and painful, and she could feel his presence there in the mouth of the ally. She could feel his eyes on her and yet she could not run this time. Why? She had no where else to go.
It seemed only seconds and he was beside her, his jacket falling to rest around her shoulders. At first she could not look at him. She did not want to look at him. And yet the depths of her mind craved to see his face for a reason she did not know. And very carefully she raised her head.
He was the same as always though maybe more tired. He glowed with the features she remembered most, and his eyes were filled with sadness, worry, and guilt. She tried to get a better look at him, her left eyes only giving her a tiny crack of vision. Color bloomed and speckled around it, her eyelid already black. But her other eye was focused on him intensely, the violet pupil searching for the truth in his eyes.
His voice was as wonderful as she remembered, though she suddenly did not want to hear what he had to say. All of the tears turned into that of rage, her half-gaze resting on him angrily though underneath it all he would see that she was just upset. Almost accusingly she looked at him, her lips quavering as she tried to laugh bitterly. But no sound came out from those parted lips. Instead she spoke.
“What I saw?! How…how can you explain what I saw! You will not explain anything. You are just as low as the rest of them, Ezra Hibushi! I trusted you! And you treated me like just the rest of them! I hope she makes you happy, okay? Cause God knows she’s the pearl of your heart now! I have been used and tossed around my entire life, Ezra! I told you that! I trusted you enough to tell you!”
By now Tera was falling apart, her head in her knees as she pressed her fists to her eyes to try to stop the tears. Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and she resorted to letting in uneven breaths through her mouth. She could not stop seeing him over and over, leaning over the woman and speaking with eyes so bright and caring. It sent her a way of nausea, feeling more betrayed then she ever had.
“I trusted you Ezra!” she repeated, “I loved you!”
She reached back and roughly dropped the coat from her shoulders to the ground, watching as it began to soak in a puddle. For several moments she looked at it, regretting her actions. No tears fell in this point of time until she finally reached down with numb fingers and picked it up again. This time she held it instead of wore it, her fingers gripping the fabric tightly as she hid her face in it.
And all this time she could hear his laughter. She could see him smile and kiss her softly. And more than ever she wanted to feel that again. To feel what being loved felt like. To feel cared for…he had made her happy. But did she still love him? Could she love him? How could she ever look into his eyes again and feel that he was sincere? But she kept her face away from his, the warm blood on her splitting lips just as numb as the tears strolling down her cheeks. Ezra. Ezra. Ezra.
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Jan 14, 2007 22:52:26 GMT -5
He could hear it in her voice as plain as day. The hurt... the pain. Try as he might, Ezra could not sense a single bit of sarcasm or fake emotion, not the slightest hint of a joke that was going too far. Even with actions that he thought she would have admired, that he thought she would respect him more for... even with having saved someone's life, somehow he still ended up hurting her inside to some deep level he might never comprehend if he didn't make things better quickly. It hurt him inside to realize that. Tera was the the one person in his life he held on a higher pedestal than anyone else. Even if it was premature, he loved her. Seeing her hurt like this hurt him just as much. Still, he managed to restrain his storm of emotion enough to where she might not heard it so much in his voice.
"Tera..." he started, his voice seeming like it would trail off. "I'm sorry for being why you feel like this... I really am. Please, just..."
Some invisible hand choked the rest of his words in that statement. By sheer willpower Ezra forced that hand away and continued with Tera. "Even when I was with her, you were the only thing on my mind. And do you know why? Because you mattered to me, and you still do now. The night I was with you in Mizukage, I told you I was going down to the beach. It was nothing more than that, and I only happened to meet her by chance.
"Tera... she would have drowned if I weren't there. Her life would have been gone from this world. And if I had done nothing, I never would have forgiven myself. You know what I thought at that moment? I still thought of you. What would Tera say? What would she do? How would she look at me if she knew that I let someone die before my very eyes and did nothing about it?"
She was right in a sense, about Isabella making him happy. She hadn't been overly frustrated from Ezra taking her form the water. And she was kind enough to allow him to assist her back. He had to admit, she was a beautiful woman. But to Ezra, she was no Tera. It was everything about Tera that he might compare someone else to, and yet none of them would match. Her eyes, her body, her voice, and yes even her ears. No one could match how Ezra viewed her, how he viewed Tera. She was that precious to him.
"Tera... you know I still love you. I never stopped, and I never will stop. I'm not one of the people that tossed you aside. I never talked about you negatively when you weren't around. She wasn't my pearl, Tera. You are. You know that. I would not have kissed you like that during that night we had if you didn't mean something special to me... it's just you. You're right. I may be a little low right now. But that's only because of how you're feeling right now. I'm low right now so I can be there with you. I'm not trying to be someone who gets you to love me then pushes you away. I'll always return the good you feel and felt for me.
"I'm low right now so I can help you back up. I came all this way just to find you, Tera. I came to be with you, and no one else.... I'm low right now to help pick you up... to take you somewhere else where you don't have to feel like this."
Ezra's left hand rose slowly and cautiously toward Tera's face. It first graced her cheek, slowly moved back to her ear, and stroking a few stray strands of hair over and over. As battered as she might have thought herself, he still viewed her as being as soft and as gentle as he met her. "Tera... I want to be there for you still. Just... let me... okay?"
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Post by Tera on Jan 20, 2007 20:37:42 GMT -5
There was part of Tera that did not want to listen to what he had to say. Part of her that wanted to shrink away or fight back. But the fight was gone and Tera felt as small as she could get. And then..she wanted him to be telling the truth. She wanted him to be there with her. She did not want him to walk out of that ally without her. And she certainly did not want to leave alone again. But the way things worked out her in life, that just might happen. She had been used to being hit aside...why should this be any different?
Because he cares....
So she listened to his story, biting her already mauled lip while he spoke. And she felt stupid. She felt silly and strange and hated herself for it. She could feel the warm tears continuing their solemn journeys. But now it was different. They were falling as a rain of hope...of finding...and not of sorrow and pain. Tera looked up from her place on the ground with careful violet eyes.
And then her arms were around him, holding him tightly as she wound her fingers in his silver hair. "I'm sorry, Ezra! I keep making mistakes..and I'm just so used to people leaving me...I thought...I'm sorry...." she cried, her voice muffled by the fabric covering his shoulder. She wasn't going to be letting go of him any time soon. She had been so empty without this sort of love.
"I promise I'll never leave you again...I'm such an idiot... promise not to leave me, okay?" Despite the fact that she looked like someone had tossed her through a window, she certainly did not care. Ezra loved her. That was all she wanted. Ever. Ezra wanted her and that made gave her a purpose and a reason. She was loved.
The entire time she had been parted from him, it felt like things were not right. She had expected it to be just like any other time she had been left. She expected to go back to being her usual shy and slightly troublesome attitude. But she had felt empty. Pieces of her had been scattered and broken. But as Ezra was here with her now, she realized that she had not been broken. He had merely held the pieces of her that she had lost. And now she felt whole again.
"I love you Ezra..." she whispered softly through her tears and his silver hair. And she did. With all her heart, she did.
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Jan 20, 2007 22:04:36 GMT -5
Tera's tackle into a hug was somewhat expected by the silver haired ninja. He had already placed his right foot just a little further behind him to brace for the impact. And yet, it was still something that he wanted so dearly. This being.. this woman... Tera. Nothing in the world was closer to his heart. Nothing compared to how much she meant to him, how much he felt for her. Her words said it right. This was no longer some infatuation or initial liking of her. Ezra loved her, more than she might know. His arms had come to wrap all the way around her body, his head nuzzled into her as his breathing stemmed the flow of tears that would have come otherwise.
Even with everything else around them- the other people, the clash of various instruments in the background- Ezra heard nor saw any of it. He knelt there in Tera's loving embrace, and her the same, letting their silence stand and yet bring them that much closer to each other at the same time. His hand rose form her shoulder blade and stroked through her hair ever so gently.
"I love you too, Tera... I love you, too..." he answered back to her. "I love you more than anything... I promise I'll never leave you. Ever. You have my word. As a ninja... as a companion... as your boyfriend and as your lover. I'll never leave you again, Tera." His words, unlike Tera's, were not muffled from some soft fabric, or even by her hair. They were clear, and no uncertainty followed behind them.
His soft petting and various other mumbled words continued as he held Tera close to him, not wanting to let go her her anymore than she did of him. And yet, it was best if they went somewhere. He knew where to go, he had already heard of a good place, a decent inn to be at which the pair could stay. Ezra calmed down on the inside to the point where looking into Tera's eyes would cause him no discomfort. Somehow, he managed to back up from the hug just enough to prop Tera's teary head up and look her deep in the eyes.
He smiled the warmest and most loving of smiles at his woman, his thumb rubbing at the small area of her chin it could reach without moving the rest of his hand. "Heh..." he muttered before speaking again. "You still look beautiful to me, Tera. Come on," he said, leaning to his left and kissing her on the cheek. "Your eye could use some attention as well. And we should head to the inn so I can tend to your lip. You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now." Ezra scooted his body forward and took an odd position as his right arms scooped under Tera's legs.
Gentle so as not to scrape her knees against the cold ground, Ezra rose from his crouch with Tera's body cradled against him in his arms. He stood there for a moment, remembering... enjoying what it was like for him to hold hr body again like he was. De ja vu... just like the first day they met, the first time he held her like that. She had fallen asleep in his arms and Ezra had carried her back into Mizukage. He leaned his head down to give her a slow, soft kiss on her forehead. After that, carefully holding her body nuzzled into his, Ezra began his walk down the other end of the alleyway, where there was no one else really, and they could take a more peaceful walk to the inn.
"So," he started, handling her weight with ease. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
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Post by Tera on Jan 22, 2007 22:01:58 GMT -5
(Ugh...crappy post...sorry, I'm tried -_-; )
Tera listened to Ezra, her arms coming up to hold him around his neck. She pressed against him affectionately, happy to have her head in the nook between his own head and his shoulder. His words were like little dreams and promises, floating around her like little blue butterflies. She smiled, easing her lips into the shape she had almost forgotten. She was here now, with someone that brightened her life.
His touch on her face was gentle, her skin tingling where his fingers had just been. Beautiful ... that word was so foreign, its exotic sound lovely for her to hear. He was the first to call her such a thing...and mean it. He did not care that she was not born a shinobi and he did not care that she was different at all. She could feel his heart beat in his chest, hers beating along side it. She closed her eyes for a moment, still hearing that pounding sound of hooves as horses pranced through a silver storm somewhere both close and far away.
She felt his weight shift, bringing her up with him as he stood. She, too, felt so close to that moment when they had first met. The feeling of having someone with her. It had all felt so rushed and yet so right. Love was something she had learned to stop believing in. But if this wasn't love, what was it? This feeling that left her in such a state...it was amazing, intoxicating, and terrifyingly beautiful.
"I feel..." she told him softly, "like things are right again..." She nuzzled him once more, happy to just be with him.
"I started a fight," she told him with wolfish grin. There was a glint of mischief in the one purple eye that was working properly. Of course she had started quite a few fights in the last few days, but now she was speaking of her most recent. "It was kind of fun...I wished you could have been there. I bet the streets are still a mess."
She could not help but try to lighten the mood. She was so warm inside right now that everything coming out of her mouth was positive. In fact, something told that violet-haired anthromorph shinobi that things were changing quite quickly. She had a feeling she would like these changes very much...
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Jan 28, 2007 20:27:10 GMT -5
Despite having both his things and Tera pretty much in his arms, Ezra found that handling all the weight was quite easy. This was mostly due to his intense training as a ninja of Mizukage. But also, having Tera around seemed to erase most of the more negative thoughts that ran through his mind. He didn't mind doing things for her at all, if anything he wanted to more. Holding her, cradling her in his arms as he was then doing, helped her as much as it did him inside.
Ezra walked the streets as a slow enough pace so as not to disturb Tera while she was with him. Various twists and turns both kept them clear of the remaining disturbance while taking them closer and closer to the inn Ezra had planned to go to.
"You started a fight?" he jested in the form of a question. "Wow, I didn't figure you for someone like that. I guess that's where you got your injuries from, then." Ezra's chuckle would move Tera slightly, but nothing major. "At least you're still alright for the most part. I'll just tend to your eye and lip when we get to our room, okay? Here, hold on a sec."
Ezra knelt down on the ground for a second, still holding Tera with his left arm as he sat her on his knee. He reached around his back and grabbed a spare cover out of his sack. Shaking it out, he placed the bulk of it over Tera's shoulders so that in his holding her up again, ti would cover them along with a good portion of her torso. His silvery eyes looked into hers again, once again almost becoming lost in her. She's... just so pretty. Even though she's injured... it's like all I see is her beauty...
He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek again, before scooping her up into his arms and starting his walk again. "You just take it easy for now, okay? I'll take care of you while we're here." Strong arms tensed, he nuzzled her closer into his body, cherishing her in his arms. His thumbs rubbed at her shoulder and also at the part of her thighs they were touching, just because of how he felt and also to calm her down moreso.
"I've got an idea," he announced. "Perhaps when I tend to you, and it's a little later tonight, you and I could set out and watch the stars together. What do you think, Tera? Is that okay?"
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Post by Tera on Jan 28, 2007 20:43:18 GMT -5
It had taken her a moment to realize that she had shut her eyes. Ezra’s calming touch had made her drowsy, simply listening to his voice making her feel like he was singing to her. She had a feeling that her weight wouldn’t be a problem for him. For one, he was a ninja of Mizukage and trained to carry any large weight. And second, she did not weight much anyways. Being slender had its advantages. At this thought she felt a smell creep to her face.
She cracked a smile at what Ezra said next, her violet eyes opening and glittering…well at least one of her violet eyes. “I feel that I did quite good. My face is nothing…you should have seen the souvenirs I gave a few people. I’m quite proud of myself, despite the fact that I’ve been living like a rat without you.”
She let him adjust her, her fingers finding the blanket and clutching it slightly. She leaned in to the man that held her, her face pressed against his chest and she breathed in his scent. She began to memorize it and everything else about him, loving the warmth that crept across the side of her face now. His touch once more calmed her, her eyes flickering shut as she tried to focus on him again. He was just so perfect to her…she could not shut her eyes for a minute. If she missed his face, she might never see it again.
“That sound’s nice,” she told him, answering his question. “And you don’t have to tend to me. I’m perfectly okay and you shouldn’t waste your time trying to fix me. My face looks lovely with so much color and my back is just sore. The stars seem much more interesting.”
She smiled brightly, not wincing at the pain in her lip anymore. Due to the fact that she was being carried and unable to reach up, Tera kissed his shoulder –the only available kissing place-, and half-covered her face with the blanket. She looked up at him, her purple eyes dazzling as she thought so many wonderful things. About how he made her laugh. And smile. He was everything to her. How could she have let him go like that?
She mentally shook her head, feeling his body against hers and knowing that he would never let her go. That was all she needed to keep going and to keep caring. Never again. Never again would she run from him.
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Feb 4, 2007 17:39:53 GMT -5
Few people passed by them at all as Ezra took Tera through the back streets, still avoiding the majority of the traffic in the streets. In the distance, one could still hear the commotion of the fight that Ezra now knew Tera had started. However, his mind now blocked the most of it out, focused only on the woman that rested softly in his arms, tending to her wounds even though she was supposedly feeling better. In the back of his mind, Ezra hoped that the rest of their stay in Epsilon would be as peaceful as he felt now with her, calm and quiet. As he walked, he made sure not to make any sudden movements. He wanted Tera to rest the best she could.
Her gentle kiss to his shoulder spread a mental feeling of warmth throughout his body, that in turn spread his lips in an equally gentle smile. Ezra brought his arms up with her in them, bending his head down all the way to return her kiss. It might have been conceived as humorous, but it ended up on the tip of her nose. Kind of childish, yes, but Ezra was in that kind of mood.
"Come on, Tera," he let out finally. "Stop downgrading yourself." He didn't say it like some overbearing commander of sorts. His voice had the undertone of laughter under it, his face wore a genuine smile. There was no waste in anything if Tera's name was even in the sentence. "You know how much I love you. Nothing I do for you will ever be a waste of time."
Tera would come to be nuzzled into Ezra even more, if such a thing was possible. He held her close as he made the final turn and wound up on the street of the inn they would be staying at. Stepping from around that corner, one could stare off into the distance at the remainder of the brawl. Things seemed to be clearing up down the way. Shaking his head, Ezra scoffed at the mess of them before he walked up to the inn door and nudged it open with his foot.
He stepped inside and closed the door with the same foot. A simple nod were exchanged between the clerk and Ezra, as he had the chance beforehand to talk to the person and pay for his room in advance. Down the halls and to their room, Ezra crouched down again as he sat Tera on his knee to open the door with the key.
"We're here, Tera," he whispered to her as she was likely by now almost sleeping in his arms. Picking her back up, he carried her into the room and again shut the door behind him lightly with his foot.
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Post by Tera on Feb 6, 2007 16:34:56 GMT -5
Tera listened to his soothing words, his kiss soft and lovely even if it was on her nose. She did her best to work up a grin, her eyes feeling heavy as she hid her face into his shoulder. The way he carried her was sending her off to sleep quite quickly, even though she fought it with all of her might. She did not want him to disappear from her eyesight...not again. She would not dare tear her violet gaze away from him, even if she could only see out of one eye.
She could feel that she was suddenly someplace warm, the soft breeze of the outdoors no longer licking at her cheeks. Voices here were softer than outside and somewhere a piano played. Tera relaxed, shutting her eyes once more before realizing that she had done exactly what she was trying to keep from. She opened them again, looking at the door that Ezra approached and finding relief in it.
We're here, Tera...
She smiled a groggy smile, blinking sleepily as she felt the bed underneath her. For a moment she didn't move. She was warm, comfortable, and quite at peace knowing that he was with her. Still, she managed to pull herself up and scoot to the end so that her sneakers dangled over the edge. She braced both hands on either side of her, holding the soft fabric between her fingers.
"So what exactly is Dr. Ezra planning on doing?" she asked, her voice slightly husky considering that she was half-asleep. For some reason she liked the noise it made, smiling sheepishly and unable to pull together a wincing expression as her lip throbbed. God, she hated the aftermath of brawls. Maybe she wouldn't hate it so much now that she had Ezra to look after her...
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Post by Ezra Hibushi on Feb 10, 2007 17:57:19 GMT -5
Ezra had not really made any attempt to stop Tera from leaving his embrace against his chest. If she had enough energy to do so, he thought, he should at least let her. His cool gray eyes watched her as she walked on over to the bed, plopping herself down while the blanket he had given her still graced her body. Even through the obscuring fabrics of the sheet, one could tell of her small figure. Ezra admired her still, not for how she looked, no matter how much she downplayed herself, but for everything she was instead. Her pretty eyes and gracefully slender body were just another thing to admire about her.
Her voice was nothing that bothered him any great deal. He chuckled at it. Such a sound coming from a petite girl like her was an interesting contrast, one that tickled Ezra inside. He would not respond immediately. Instead, he would take a long stretch raising his hands above his head and cracking all the right bones in his body. The oddly pleasurable feeling faded not too long after.
"The doctor is planning on treating his patient," he laughingly said. He let his feet carry him toward her on the bed, though he himself would not sit. Not yet anyway. Rather, Ezra leaned forward and let his hand graced her cheek.Tilting his head, he kissed her forehead and pulled back. "Just sit tight right there and I'll be back with everything I need, alright?"
The Mizukage ninja managed to pull himself from Tera long enough to go to the bathroom with his packings and take out everything he'd need. Bandages, clothes, swabs, and a bowl filled with barely below hot, soapy water.
Balancing everything carefully so as not to spill the water, Ezra walked out of the bathroom with everything spread over either hand or arm. He took his time getting back over to the bed, smiling the whole time at his balancing act. "Here... comes the doctor," joked Ezra. He would not sit on the bed. Ezra would take his time and set everything up on the floor directly in front of Tera. He would first take the cloth and dip it down in the warm water, ringing it out so that the perfect amount would remain soaked into it.
"Close your eyes for now, Tera," he'd request of her. Knelt onto one knee, Ezra's right hand would hold the cloth just in front of her lip while his left hand motioned gently on her head to move forward. it might sting. In fact, he expected it to. Knowing this, he took everything slow so as not to catch her off guard.
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Post by Tera on Feb 10, 2007 18:15:09 GMT -5
Tera watched him, the one eye she had open glittering. She continued to keep her blanket about her shoulders, her legs swinging against the side of the bed. She watched him stretch, trying not to giggle as he seemed to loosen every muscle in his body. This was her Ezra. The one that she had grown to love. He was funny...caring...loving...there for her. He made her smile and put the color inside of her world.
She tilted her head up to face him as he came to stand before her. She shut her eyes as he kissed her forehead and then watched him make his trip to the bathroom. She had never been one that enjoyed getting her cuts looked after. In fact, she had done most of that herself. Then again, she was not very capable of healing herself. Proof of that resided in each small scar that littered her skin under her clothes. She wasn't quite sure she was going to like getting her face cleaned up...
She wrung her hands behind her back, watching him come out of the bathroom with everything he held balanced perfectly. She started laughing, unclenching her hands and letting them fold in her lap. He came to kneel before her as she looked down, her purple braid hanging limply over her shoulder. She went over everything he had brought out, trying to determine what would bring pain and what wouldn't.
Close your eyes for now, Tera... She obeyed after giving him an accusing look paired with a smile. She felt the warmth of his hands near her face and the slow pressure he applied to her lip. She grit her teeth, realizing that they were much sharper than a few moments ago. She squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the searing pain that blistered over her already black eye and made her grit her teeth harder. God, did she hate getting worked on like this. Still, she managed to get control of herself enough to stick her tongue out between her lips at him and grin slightly.
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