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Who: Ashiko and Itachi
Where: An inconspicuous little village in the Land of Rice
When: April 15
Notes: A friendly encounter. Sort of. Mostly, he's just happy she's alive.

'Perhaps you should take it easy, Ashiko-sama,' a few of the lower-ranked servants had suggested, meek and worried. 'It was such a stressful situation. You deserve a rest.'

Honestly. It was as though they didn't know her at all.

Ashiko could never be happy cooling her heels, even if the alternative was being away from her master's side. Since the caravan debacle he had elected to keep a low profile, which meant that Ashiko's little errands resumed, with more frequency than ever before. Otogakure had no shortage of skilled medical ninja, not the least of which was her esteemed Danna-sama, so it wasn't as though she was even on the mend; she had been patched up as good as new by the day after their return, and had only her own bruised pride to pain her.

She didn't care that Orochimaru had stabbed a person through her, really; she was upset that she had hindered her master to the point that he had even had to do such a thing in the first place. It was a similar sentiment that had kept her from using her scroll to make contact with any Konoha shinobi. How exactly did one broach such a strained social situation? 'My master and I are in good health, I hope that none of you were fatally poisoned after we defended ourselves from your highly unwarranted attack,' seemed ill-put.

But even Ashiko could nurse a grudge, if one on behalf of her master.

The woman sighed softly and ducked into the inn and tavern that would be her lodgings for the night, sliding into the last available booth and leaning back against the old, lacquered wood tiredly. She was in the pink of health, but the weather and the long hours she had chosen to undertake had worn her out for the day.

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"Yes," Ashiko said, though it took her a moment to churn up the relevant memory. She frowned thoughtfully and looked back up at him. "I'll need to be on my stomach to do it like that, won't I?"

It might get a little difficult for him to act as insurance against her head going under, if she flipped over now. He did seem to know what he was talking about so far, though, so Ashiko had no reason not to trust him for this next step.

"Something like that, especially for the kick. It's a simple stroke and it should be the easiest for you to learn." Itachi spoke almost absently, trying to work up the nerve to grab her hair and yank. His movements seemed to slow and fuzzy, and he'd only have one chance to do this quietly...except having her flail around like a landed fish wouldn't be quiet, so he should think of a better plan. Maybe he could just slit her throat when they were back on dry land, after she'd gotten dressed, of course. Better make it look like a mugging gone bad.

Before he could move much at all, Ashiko took the vague slide of his hands to be a gentle implication that it was time for her to switch over. With that thought in mind, she carefully got her feet back on solid stone and turned to face him, water that had perviously seemed so scary swishing harmlessly around her hips.

She blushed a little at her own cowardice and prayed he either couldn't see it or chalked it up to belated modesty on her part.

"How, um...how do we make sure my face doesn't go under?"

Water certainly made clothes form fitting. After a quick glance which seemed seared into his pupils, Itachi kept his eyes on Ashiko's face. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen naked or half clothes women before, but this was Ashiko and it was somehow different.

"By teaching you to swim?" Itachi suggested rather lamely. "Look, get back in the water and I'll show you the arm motions, and then I'll hold you up while we get the kick worked out." Itachi, knowing how cold the balmy night would seem now that he was wet, was reluctant to stand.

Most likely because she was always so put together, a picture of carefully layered silks, rich embroidery and gilded hair combs. He had never seen her in anything but the full ensemble, and to see her with only a fraction of it—a fraction he had never had reason to see before, either—could only be...jarring.

But Ashiko wasn't thinking about that. With a slightly reluctant wrinkle of her nose, she sunk back down into the water until her shoulders were covered as well. She could float, now, she reminded herself sternly. There was no monster to yank her down by the ankle here; that had only been a story to keep children off of the ice.

"Now..." Itachi found his brain worked better when Ashiko was in the water. "Keep your fingers together. Those are your paddles and it will help you move the water if they're close together like that." Itachi demonstrated the motion with his own arms, causing ripples.

"And then you bring your arms back in and do it again." It was simply, but combining the kicking and arm movements in such a way that would not sink you...that was the hard part of this.

Ashiko copied the motion obediently, frowning at the first attempt and diligently repeating the motion until it was just as smooth as his had been. It felt a little silly, true, but if a frog could do something so basic then certainly she could pull it off, right?

"Like this?"

"Yes," Itachi grinned a little. She was a quick study. "mostly you have to swim to figure out exactly how to do it, but you've got the basic movements down. If you'll give me your arms, you can try the kick." Itachi offered out his hands.

"Right." She took his hands, gripping a little tighter than strictly necessary as a way to compensate for the obvious slickness. From there she carefully transitioned into a half-float, keeping her shoulders and neck tense and taut to avoid the water's surface.

"Just relax," Itachi commanded. "Your head and shoulders are going to be higher than your legs, and your main propulsion will come from your legs. Don't be afraid to get your head wet. Just hold your breath when it happens." He felt a little like he was teaching a kid at the Academy.

"Telling people to 'relax' and 'not be afraid' is counter intuitive because it focuses their attention on whatever distressing thing you're trying to get them to avoid worrying about." It was a soft, slightly dry murmur, possibly not even meant to be said aloud, but Ashiko gripped his hands tighter and obligingly started kicking.

Itachi smiled. "As always, I bow to your wisdom, Ashiko-san." Itachi raised himself up just enough to see Ashiko's legs. "Fold you knees a little more before you kick back out."

"Okay," Ashiko agreed, flushing guiltily at his reply. She applied herself even more to the task at hand, working to perfect the kick in penance for her lapse in restraint. It wasn't the first of the evening, but there was no need to be rude out of mere nervousness.

"Better." Itachi looked down at the top of Ashiko's head. "Now I'm going to let go, and you're going to use your legs and your arms and hope you swim instead of sinking." Itachi didn't bother to smile. There was no way to do this but to go for it, and it wasn't as if he would let her drown in a few feet of water.

Itachi almost grimaced at how easily thoughts of planning her death had slid out of his mind.

"You're going to—already?" No, no, she could do this. She could. She set that thought firmly in her mind and grabbed hold of her normal calm capability.

That vanished about the same time his grip did, however, and her motions became more erratic and desperate. She sank a little, before fear drove her to new heights and the motions smoothed out. It was ungainly, but each successive stroke and kick came a little easier. Her heart was still racing, and she must have splashed around like a fool at first, but she was doing it. She was swimming.

Itachi stayed close enough to grab her if he needed to, but as she stayed afloat, he pushed himself backwards in the water. "Smooth your movements. You're disturbing the water too much. It's easier to stay above the water if you're calm about it."

Itachi couldn't remember when he'd last taught someone something that didn't involve killing. It was a very nice sense of accomplishment.

Little by little, she did so. And little by little, she actually managed a feeble sort of locomotion. It wasn't very notable at first, and she was more concerned with the suggestions for improvement he had given her. She wasn't so far gone that she didn't notice when one of her strokes ended up brushing her fingertips against bare skin.

She floundered slightly and stood, head ducking in reflexive apology. "I—forgive me, I should have been paying better attention!" Holding hands was one thing, but touching somebody's body—especially a shinobi's —without permission was a mistake most people only ever got the chance to make once. And generally, afterwards any other mistakes were impossible; mortally so.

Itachi would be lying if he said he didn't feel a very electric jolt when Ashiko touched his skin, but he was more concerned with her not going under as she floundered. He was in the process of stepping closer and reaching for her, rising out of the water with the intent to pull her up when she stood. Itachi stopped in mid motion.

For a moment he wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. He'd grown up with a younger brother who's demanded hugs, and two older cousins who were had been very affectionate--and in Obito's case still were. Itachi might flinch if a stranger touched him, but Ashiko...wasn't. She was comfortable and familiar, even though she shouldn't be.

Itachi shook his head. "There's no harm done." He could feel no burning or pain where she'd touched him, so he didn't bother to glance and see if the touch had been somehow intended to hurt him. It didn't take much more than a touch with some ninja, but Ashiko was a civilian woman. She posed no danger in just a touch.

~~Would that be relaxing? Knowing someone who touched you couldn't kill you as easily as breathing? Would it make touching them more desirable.?~~

"But, I think you have the gist of it. All you need now is practice," Itachi said as he pulled his hands back to himself.

Her hands were folded together beneath the water, but she slowly straightened from the half-bow of repentance se had flown into. She offered a tentative smile at the praise, and slowly it gained strength and warmth. "Thank you, Iori-kun. I never would have gotten around to learning something like this if you hadn't insisted; I'll be sure to practice when I next get the opportunity."

She rubbed her shoulders, ignoring the chill of evening air on wet skin for the moment. He was right, in a way; at the moment, she posed no danger whatsoever. It might have been a different story if she had the full arsenal of her sleeves at her disposal, but even then she had little reason to strike out at him without some show of hostility on his part to put her on her guard.

But no, that wasn't the issue at hand. The issue at hand was the fact that they would, in short order, be out of the water and shivering in the cold. Ashiko tilted her head to the side, her eyes meeting his thoughtfully. "...if I promise to keep my eyes shut and ignore you for a little while, is there a way to get us dry fast?"

"I'm glad your acquaintance with me has been of some benefit," Itachi replied with a bit of sarcasm. There didn't seem a point in being Iori anymore. They both new and there was no one else around. He might as well be himself, or stop trying to put on an act.

In theory, he could create a giant blast of wind to dry them off, but that would likely be noticed. More subtle would be less effective, but he could try. He could keep himself warm with chakra.

"Perhaps." Her clothes would be hardest. "But I'll have to touch you, and it will work bets if you're out of the water."

Her smile turned a bit wry as she began making her way back to the edge of the pool. "Well, fair is square, as I believe the saying goes. I'm certain I can trust you to be a gentleman about it." Or at least as gentlemanly as a man could get, while touching a woman in her underwear. At least, since the mask of Iori seemed to be dispensed, he wouldn't be stammering out apologies.

She stood on the grass, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she waited for him to follow suit. She now saw the allure of summertime beach trips; then, at least, the coolness would be refreshing. Late spring evenings, however, lacked the same appeal.

Perhaps she would try the more traditional option after she had practiced a little more.

Itachi didn't think he'd ever been called a gentlemen. He followed Ashiko out of the water, instantly feeling goose bumps rise on his skin. "There's one way to look at it, I suppose." Itachi stepped up behind Ashiko and fliped his hands through signs, taking his time. The cool water made his hands ache a little. Gently, he placed his fingertips on her back. Despite the cool air, her back was warmer than his fingers, and he had the urge to place his palm flat on her back.

Water, he found, was easy to work worth. Is was intensely malleable, but drawing it from where it lay hidden could sometimes be a chore. His small chakra reserves meant Itachi always had to precise, and that made it easy to gently wick the water away from Ashiko's skin, drawing it back as he moved his hand away and pulled most of the water off of his own body with a little more ease before letting it slap into the ground and drain away.

He could have done so very easily; she would have simply assumed it would maximize the effect of whatever she was doing. She kept her eyes shut despite being turned away, true to her word, and only opened them once she felt the chill disappear and his fingers pull away.

"Thank you," she said simply, with a sweet smile, before moving to the bench that held her clothes and carefully beginning to redress. Years of practice meant that she was back to her normal immaculate self fairly quickly, though the alcohol still in her system was probably to blame for the slight crookedness of her obi's bow. Only one thing was missing; her hair comb was still in her hand, rather than tucked in.

"Ah...your braid came slightly undone," Ashiko explained before he could ask, gesturing to his hair. "I could...fix it, if you'd like."

Itachi had moved to redress, forgoing his normal Iori outfit in favor of something less threadbare, darker in color, and that would probably scream ninja to most civilians. The clothing with generic, but as he intended to leave here quickly via trees and other less civilian ways, he didn't want to risk getting something snagged in the looser clothes Iori wore. he had just pulled his bun out, which had partially destroyed his braid when Ashiko spoke.

Itachi actually felt the need to sit down for a little while. The water might have sobered him a little, but he thought that might be a clever illusion. His brain felt a little muddled.

"You...don't have to. I can get it." Even if his fingers twinged from being in cold water and felt stiff, and he didn't want to waste chakra warming them. Itachi took a little extra time trying to get the hair tie out of his braid. His fingers had been nimble enough for the signs when taken slowly, but not so for hair tie removal, it seemed.

"Please," Ashiko said, her voice quiet but firm as she shortened the distance between them and reached out with her free hands, her smaller, warmer fingers stilling his. Those clothes made the parting—the finality—much more real than it had inside the tavern. "I want to."

She took over loosening the tie, extricating it in the quick and painless way that only a life time of fussing with fluffy, curly, rebellious hair could properly teach. She wound it around two fingers so as not to lose it in the gloom of the evening, and carefully drew her fingers through his hair once, twice, three times before using the comb. It was, perhaps surprisingly, just as functional as it was decorative, and helped her take care of the smaller knots her fingers missed.

A little more forward than she would be under normal circumstances, yes. But this wasn't normal, by any stretch of the word, and was probably the last chance she would ever have.

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