Only half the story

[abileunaspada]

Who: Adela Milani (abileunaspada) & Shisui Uchiha (shunshinoshishi)
Where: The bench near Adela's favourite Takoyaki Stand
When: December 3rd, mid-afternoon
Notes: A mission has recently gone awry and dire consequences were barely avoided. Shisui has already spoken with one party about said mission, and now it's time to address the other.

For some reason the sauce tasted bitter when it should have just been... She didn't even know anymore.

A heavy sigh left the kunoichi donned in civilian wear as she stared down at the plate she held, her hand piercing the second piece of the set. She thought the treat would help fix her mood, but at the moment she just... Couldn't stomach it properly. It just didn't taste good. Adela didn't know what else to do for it except to stare down the plate, as if it would answer things for her.

The details of that incident on the mission were still fresh on her mind, and although they had made it back okay and the rest of the mission had been fine... She just didn't know, she couldn't get over the fact that she had done so poorly. It wasn't a matter of rank, she still should have done better...

The shadow was the first thing that caught her eye, and the first thing that clued her in to the fact that she had let her mind wander quite far before it was brought back. That was when her gaze lifted and she was met with a familiar face, "Shisui-san."

Comments

[shunshinoshishi]

Alright, no tea then. He sat himself down in his assigned spot, across from her.

"About what, specifically?"

[abileunaspada]

"When you mentioned 'him' earlier. What did you mean?"

[shunshinoshishi]

He almost shrugged, but let out a soft sigh instead, sliding lower in his seat.

"Sephiroth."

[abileunaspada]

"... I never told you about him," It was a murmur, almost defensive as she looked away and hugged her arms to her chest. Damn...

"... That's sort of part of it, though. When... When I lived in Kiri, I was surrounded by prodigies -- monsters. Sephiroth is my cousin, and likely the single-strongest shinobi I know of. I was probably the weakest kid the clan had produced in a while, not even close to measuring up to members of my own family or other clan kids around me, right up to the night when I was taken away. Part of me... I..."

She bit her lip then, wanting to curl up as she thought about it, "... I was... I thought that I was sent away by my parents 'cause they thought I wouldn't survive and they wanted me to live. I always tell myself that's not the reason why, but part of me thinks it is. That ninja from Kiri would always be too strong for me to take on, and that I'd never measure up or even come close to matching anyone from there. That the instant I'd run into them, it'd just be over. It's... Something I've never told anyone. And... I guess I still haven't gotten over it."

[shunshinoshishi]

"No, you didn't." He doesn't mention where he got his information, though. He'd promised not to tell.

He watched her, listening closely even as he pulled his chair closer. By now he was leaning forward, elbows pressed to knees, fingers laced lightly in front of him.

"Have you ever considered that your parents might have wanted more for you than to just become a ruthless shinobi? I've heard of Kiri. Konoha doesn't do things that way. Here, we place more importance on heart. On love and protection and living for another. That was the basis upon which Konoha was founded; the first shinobi village and it was built out of love by the two strongest shinobi in the world at the time. There is nothing stronger than that, Adela. Fearlessness and power is only one aspect, but it is meaningless to try and move forward in life without the human element.

"Of course you don't match up to them. You don't even come close."

He paused here, watching her.

"Because you far outdo them in the way you think and feel for those around you. It was that selflessness that made you snap out of that moment of fear and come to Sasuke's aid.

"You're not weak, Adela. But you are holding back. The only person dragging you down from reaching your full potential is yourself. And I think, perhaps you might want to start there."

[abileunaspada]

For a long time she was silent, her eyes on the floor as she only listened to what Shisui had to say. About what her parents might have wanted, about the ruthlessness of Kiri, and about how she was supposed to be better than she was, how she outdid typical kiri nin in how she felt about those around her. How it was that strength that pushed her into action in spite of her fear. Part of her knew she was right, but at the same time...

"... What's the guarantee that I won't freeze like that again? When it really counts."

look who's hella late |:

[shunshinoshishi]

"There is no guarantee." He was smiling. "But the chances of it happening again would be a lot smaller if you stopped doubting yourself."

There was the distinct sound of wood scraping against wood as he pushed his chair back before standing. "Maybe... you need to start letting go." He's only done it to three other people before this-- Itachi, Sasuke, and Ami. But here he was, doing it again: his hand in her hair, gently ruffling for a second before he just rests it there. "So, what'll it be? I've got some of that new sparkling grape juice if you don't want tea."

Pffff it's cool

[abileunaspada]

"... Tea's fine," She went a little red when he did that, though she didn't swat it away for the moment. It was kind of embarrassing (though she would use the word annoying), but at the same time Adela appreciated the gesture and what it meant. Or, at least what she thought it meant.

"M'not fond of sweet things."