Girl Time

Once Midori gave her assent, Riku gently poured warm water onto the taller girl’s head. Then, she rubbed shampoo between her wet hands and began to massage it into Midori’s dark, wet hair. Riku’s fingers gently massaged the shampoo into the strands and her nails scraped against Midori’s head gently with just enough pressure to feel pleasant. The blue haired girl worked her way through from root to tip, pausing to undo any tangles she came across.

It was a lengthy process, but once the worst of the knots were out and all of Midori’s green hair was lathered, Riku rinsed it with more water poured over her friend’s head. She used chakra to gather water in her hands and guide it through Midori’s hair to get out any excess shampoo. After that, the shorter teen began to work in conditioner and pick out the smaller tangles and knots.

By the time this process was finished, Midori’s hair was nearly tangle free and was softer than it had been before Riku started. The blue haired girl rinsed out Midori’s hair one last time, leaving it plastered to the tall girl’s skull, neck and shoulders.

“You have pretty hair Mi-chan, you should take time to get out the tangles once in a while,” Riku advised, stroking the top of Midori’s head.

[13]

Midori had never really washed her hair with shampoo and conditioner before; it was an unnecessary expense, and her soap had ensured there was nothing too horrible lived there amongst the strands of ever-dark green. The only reason she brushed it was because if she sweat too much and it was tangled it would become painful and irritating… but the pleasant smell of the shampoo and the way Riku worked magic through her fingers, Midori found herself slowly loosening up and leaning backwards into the massage.

She was taking notes though, because this would not go unanswered; she had every intention of taking what she was learning from this experience and applying it to her reciprocation. She had no idea that this could feel so nice, as it had always just been one of those chores she had to do in order to make sure she was staying clean, but this felt like nothing she had experienced before.

Midori was beginning to like ‘Girl Time’ a bit more.

Once the entire ordeal was over, she felt Riku all but petting her and smirked, twisting into a standing position and pivoting perfectly to wind up behind Riku, placing her hands on the smaller girl’s shoulders. With a gentle nod and a small smile, she guided her into sitting in the same stool, and prepared to repeat the process for Riku. While the blue haired teen had been very thorough and gentle, Midori proved she was capable of the same level of care, weaving her fingers carefully through the young woman’s scalp and massaging the skull while threading shampoo into the mix after having finished scrubbing her back. Her long, strong fingers showed their capability to almost work the entire scalp at the same time, and it wasn’t long before Midori was working similar magic on her new friend.

[14]

Riku didn’t resist being pushed onto the stool. Her eyes were half lidded and her own frame visibly relaxing as Midori figured out how to work that same magic on her scalp. A soft, happy sigh escaped the blue haired teen. This settled it: Midori was her girl best friend, hands down.

“You’re magic, Mi-chan,” Riku mumbled happily.The tips of her fingers and toes began to liquefy a bit as her focus was disrupted by the pleasant sensation on her head. It was a comfort that the blue haired teen usually only got when her aunt or mother washed her hair. Tsughi could also be just as gentle when she wanted to be, but the youngest Mizushima was often too impatient.

“Nee, Mi-chan,” Riku spoke up again, sounding sleepy. “Do you and Miyu-chan do this together, too?”

[14]

Midori was working in the conditioner whenever the question was asked, and the taller teen knew she was going to have to give an audible answer rather than a physical one because she was behind the young woman. “Only to clean… this is something more.” It was downright enjoyable, is what it was, but Midori was so foreign to the concept that the words didn’t sound right in her head, and instead of sounding stupid, she decided to leave it like that.

She couldn’t weave the water quite like Riku herself could, not able to manipulate it with her chakra, but she was very thorough when rinsing out the woman’s hair and untangling any knots she found. While she did lack the ability to weave the water, she was extremely thorough and efficient when it came to finding and detangling the knots on her scalp. Doing this one someone else was much easier than on herself. Once the final rinse was complete, she moved around towards the front of Riku, offering her a hand to help her up.

[15]

Riku smiled up at Midori and took her hand to pull herself up. She scrubbed herself off lightly and rinsed off.

“Let's get to the best part,” the shorter teen said, sounding excited.

She briefly wrapped herself in her towel before tugging Midori along once more. “Have you ever been to the public baths?” They walked out to the bath, which was a large hot spring set in stone, surrounded by a tall fence for privacy.

Other women and girls milled about, in small groups scattered about the steaming pool. Some had their hair wrapped in towels, others used their towels as neck pillows as they reclined against the edge of the water. Some sat with their legs in the water, chatting quietly among themselves.

Riku picked a spot that was unoccupied and dropped her towel before stepping into the water.

“There's a ledge we can sit on in the water,” the blue haired teen told Midori.

[15]

Midori mirrored the blue haired teen’s actions, wrapping herself up as well before following her, or rather, getting dragged along by the hand into the next room. Another question was posed, and she shook her head side to side; there had never been a need… or rather, a want, to visit the public baths. Not only did she only think of bathing and such as a chore to be done as needed to keep clean, but she also had the issue of the way she had grown up.

Her figure was something that she, herself, despised because of the way a lot of guys and some girls at school looked at her. She didn’t like it, for some reason, and it made her uncomfortable, and it got to the point where she had people who would follow her around from time to time. Naturally, Midori who was confused by all of this went to her default emotion; anger. And that caused more than a couple of fights between her and other students, not that she minded that part at all.

But the dark green haired teen had to admit, as she slipped into the water, she was pleasantly surprised at how warm it was, and how nice it felt on her freshly scrubbed skin. After having their bodies washed the warm water felt amazing as she dipped down within it, slouching, almost melting, into the water to the point that only her nose and above were not submerged. It was obvious from her facial expression that she was deeply enjoying it.

[16]

The other women at the bath paid the two newcomers little mind other than a few glanced because their eyes detected motion.

Riku giggled at Midori's reaction to the hot water and settled down next to her after bunching up her towel to use it as a head rest. She tilted her head to look at the green haired teen. She smiled to show she was glad Midori was having fun.

Even with being more talkative of the two, Riku wasn't the most verbose person. The quiet between them felt comfortable to her and she didn't see a need to talk about nothing.

After a while, Riku appeared to be dozing lightly in the water. The blue haired teen's skin had reddened some from the heat, and her eyes kept closing sleepily.

Then, her stomach grumbled, making her eyes open. “Maybe it's time to move onto food.”

[16]

Midori was thoroughly relaxing in the hot water, feeling her muscles loosen and relax as the heat soaked into their fibers, helping her soreness from yesterday's training. She only wished it would help with the Chakra channels, as her chakra control training had been what she had been focusing on a lot lately, but she would take what she could get. The green haired teen had never been one for complaining anyway, and she was not about to start now when she was having such an enjoyable time.

Even with her head mostly underwater, she heard the gentle cry of Riku’s stomach, and turned her gaze to meet the blue haired girl’s own. She nodded in agreement to the idea of food, although part of her didn’t want to leave the bath, she too was quite hungry; they didn’t have time for breakfast after all, having started this excursion well before the time for the first meal of the day. She waited for Riku to rise, and would follow suit.

[17]

A bit reluctantly, Riku rose from the water and toweled off and wrapped herself with the damp fabric. She padded back into the building to retrieve her clothes and get dressed again. The blue haired girl pulled her locks into a short braid which she pinned up with a few senbon. Then, she closed her eyes and focused for a minute. Slowly, she dried as her body absorbed the water on her.

When her eyes reopened, Riku looked as if she hadn't been in the water to begin with. She looked over to see if Midori was ready before tugging the taller girl along as she left the establishment.

“Do you know what you want to eat?”

[17]

Midori stepped out, drying off quickly and effectively but did not wrap herself back up; unlike Riku, she didn’t have a way to absorb the water like that, so instead she simply let herself air dry as she got back to her clothing. Once her undergarments were back on, which was still a set of spandex chest piece and shorts, she slipped her Kimono back on carefully after tying up her hair, feeling the fabric on her freshly cleaned skin and enjoying it.

Moving along, she quickly followed up behind Riku and fell into step beside her, listening to her question. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders once; normally, Midori cooked, which Riku knew, so she wasn’t all that familiar with what to do regarding going out to eat. Sure, there was types of food that she liked, but she hadn’t really diversified what was out there at large, sticking with what she knew and was comfortable with. With a gentle wave, she offered for Riku to pick, curious what the smaller teen had in mind.

[18]

Riku raised a single, blue brow at Midori’s gesture, but complied, taking the tall girl’s hand and pulling her along towards the Market. There were plenty of things to eat in that area and they could pick something that smelled good. Taking the lead like this felt a little odd since the blue haired teen was used to following Satori around, but not completely unfamiliar. Even if Tsughi had a more forceful personality, she still followed Riku’s lead because Riku was the eldest.

When they first met and the tall green-haired teen had sized her up, Riku never would have guessed Midori was someone who might follow her lead of all people. Satori, maybe, because people had a tendency to follow the spiky haired boy, but not Riku. The short teen while having a violent streak, wasn’t the most outspoken nor very aggressive outside of combat.

But here they were, with Riku leading and Midori trailing along, trusting her to pick. Riku wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

When they got to the Market, the blue haired teen refocused her attention to the various aromas hanging in the humid air. There were several stalls with street food, shops, and other businesses with a few restaurants sandwiched between.

Riku glanced at Midori to get a read on the tall girl before deciding where to go.

[18]

Midori fell into step as Riku dragged her along, walking quickly towards the open market and came to a stop as the blue haired girl paused and turned to face her. With the scents of different foods flooding around her, it was her turn as her stomach let loose a low growl, indicating that she too was hungry as could be. Looking around, she still wasn’t certain what was good and what wasn’t, so she looked to Riku expectantly, hoping she would choose and soon.

Midori was, outside of combat, extremely peaceful and quiet when it came to day to day activities, but it was a side of her that not a lot of people got to see. The thing was, she could flip a switch just as quickly as drop a dime, and be right back into the mindset of being ready to fight to her last breath. Come to think of it, the only person who had ever seen her other form had been Satori and those in the Trial that day, and no one really spoke of it that she knew of. Considering she didn’t like relying on its abilities, it was no wonder… but it didn’t mean that side of her could go untrained; she had to ensure she would never lose control to that power again.

[19]

Midori mostly looked hungry and expectant, smiling a bit at how the tall girl's stomach also growled, she pulled her into a tea shop.

“Welcome!” A man with dark brown hair greeted them with a short bow.

Riku nodded at him and requested a table for two.

The waiter, Haru according to his name tag, led them to a low table with cushions placed around it for them to sit. There was a short walk cordoning it off from nearby tables and providing a back rest. On the other side was a booth, but that was empty.

Haru left to retrieve menus while Riku and Midori took their seats.

[19]

Midori couldn’t help it; she sized him up as a threat the moment that he approached, but considering he wasn’t anyone that was a threat, and her assessment confirmed this, she let the entire ordeal slide without issue. She followed Riku to the table and assumed a spot across from the blue haired teen on instinct rather than anything personal, noting that it was polite to look someone in the face when talking to them. Taking her seat, she settled into the cushion and relaxed a bit, taking in the smells of the shop once more and was pleased by what she breathed in.

But now she wasn’t sure what came next. The green haired teen looked and noted that other people were talking about various things and she turned to look to Riku; she knew that Midori wasn’t all that great at the socializing thing, but she didn’t want to seem rude either. She rapidly tried to think about what they could talk about, something Midori knew a decent amount about and could actually engage in… and she was turning up empty. Feeling embarrassed she looked towards the table, her face growing slightly flushed, unsure how to navigate the social side of it all.

[20]

Riku settled onto her cushion, legs folded to one side. She adjusted the sleeves to her kimono, tracing the white trim around the edges. The silence was fine for her, so Midori’s lack of chatter didn’t register as a problem. The blue haired girl debated working on her shopping list. Since they were at the market, the two of them could look for some practical items as well.

Riku looked up and noticed her friend turning quite red. She reached across the table to set her fingers on the back of the green haired teen’s hand. When the other girl looked up, the blue haired girl would raise a questioning eyebrow, silently asking what’s wrong.

Haru returned with a pair of menus and some warm towels for their hands. Riku accepted them gratefully and asked for a pot of chamomile tea for them to share. The dark haired man bowed and left, giving the two teens some privacy.

[20]

The physical contact brought Midori out of her embarrassed focus for a moment and she looked up suddenly, unsure how to feel about the contact, but more importantly, ashamed that she was found out so easily. The green haired girl was usually so good at masking her emotions, hiding them behind a veil, this embarrassment something new and foreign and unfamiliar. She looked down at her hands again, trying to focus on the girl’s contact with her own hand and not the questioning eyebrow raise she had seen.

“This is a place to talk. Not good at talking.” As if to prove her point, she lifted the free hand to gesture around them, all the different groups of people sitting around and talking about whatever was on their mind. She quickly grew quiet again as Haru returned with their tea. Midori locked onto that with her vision, her face still a little red, and not able to think about the woman’s hand on top of her own with any clear answers, but unwilling to move it either.

[21]

Riku’s face softened at Midori’s explanation. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t have anything to say,” the blue haired teen explained. “You communicate just fine without words. Besides, you’ve been patient with me while I’m learning to talk without speaking. I can be patient here, too.”

She removed her hand from Midori’s to pick up the pot of tea and pour the green haired girl a cup. Riku poured some tea in her own cup before setting the pot back on the table, her palms red from the heat.

She glanced at the sugar and back at the nervous girl across from her. “Sugar?”

[21]

Midori took a deep breath, obviously relieved that she wasn’t going to be expected to carry on a conversation like the people around them. She gave Riku a gentle smile before she settled down a bit, sitting on her cushion a little more relaxed as the physical contact ended, looking at her own hand that had been touching Riku for a moment.

Warm… but in a different way. Odd.

Dismissing that for the moment she watched as the tea was poured but furrowed her eyebrows together in concern at the redness of her hands. “Burn?” she asked, leaning forwards and inspecting them curiously. At the offer of sugar she simply nodded, placing her cup a bit closer to the sugar and beginning to put the substance into her tea, seeming very careful about measuring it.

[22]

Satisfied that Midori was no longer uncomfortable, Riku began to contemplate how to prepare her tea. The taller girl’s question brought Riku’s attention back to her.

The blue haired teen shook her head and held up her palms, which were no longer red, but still a little pink. “Just hot.” She flashed a smile at the green haired teen to show her appreciation for the concern.

Riku reached for the honey and began to drizzle it into her tea. She stirred it and took a careful sip to test the flavor. The mild taste of the chamomile was complemented nicely by the honey. Satisfied, Riku put the honey back and used the warm towel to wipe her hands off before picking up her drink. Balancing the tea in one hand, Riku used the other to pull a menu towards herself and scan its contents.

Upon Haru’s return, the blue haired teen requested two orders of dumplings and a pot of green tea. The waiter turned to Midori and asked, “Would you like to order anything?”

[22]

The redness fading into a pink and Riku’s assurance made Midori sit back down and look to the side, blushing slightly. Of course she didn’t get burnt… why was she so worried about it? Riku was a ninja and nearly completely unphased by any sort of physical damage thanks to her bloodline, so Midori was just being silly. She shook her head a bit to clear her mind as Riku ordered her food, and then they asked if she wanted anything, and Midori had a moment of panic.

She didn’t know what the hell to order… she never went out to eat, so what was the right thing in this situation? Luckily she came up with something just in the nick of time. “I will have what she's having.” It was a complete cop out, as Midori hadn’t even looked at the menu for as distracted as she had been, but that was fine, and she handed the menu back to Haru quickly and quietly, blushing again. She really didn’t do well out here in society.

If she had a technique to make herself invisible, she probably would be using it right about now.

Putting her face in her hands, she willed the blood to retreat from it so she would stop acting like a dumb school girl. She was a warrior, through and through… why was this so damn hard?

[23]

Riku watched Midori retreat behind her hands with mild concern. She had never seen the taller woman act like this before today. Unfortunately for the pair, the blue haired girl was reaching the limits of her own social skills as well.

Haru took the menus and left them alone.

“Don’t worry about it. The dumplings are good,” Riku tried to reassure the girl across from her. She drained her tea and poured another mugfull. “More tea?”

[23

Midori took her own cup and downed it as well, nodding as more was offered. The reassurance had done a measure to help her get herself together, and while a bit of color still decorated her cheeks, she was trying not to let it affect their time together. She wouldn’t ruin this enjoyable experience because she was no good in social situations; that would just be rude and give Riku the wrong impression. She actually was having fun for the most part, she was just inexperienced.

As her cup was refilled, she brought it close but set it down gently on the table, looking into the liquid for a long moment. She needed to show her appreciation, but she wasn’t so good with words and stuff, so she would go for something simple. “Thank you… for today…” she said, her index finger tracing the top edge of her cup. It meant a lot for Midori to say something like this, so she hoped that Riku would understand the significance.

[24]

Riku smiled brightly at the green haired teen, an expression she didn’t usually make, but had worn more today than normal.

“It was fun. Wait until the food is here. I think you’ll really like that.”

Despite Midori’s concerns Riku appeared perfectly content to sit together with tea. She kept both their cups full and sweetened to each of their liking. Before long, the pot was empty, drawing a pout from the shorter teen. Her expression brightened again when Haru brought them the green tea.

The waiter set it down and took the empty pot before leaving again.

Riku poured both of them another mug, looking quite pleased with the situation. “Try this one with honey,” she instructed, stirring a bit into both their cups.

[24]

For some reason, the word ‘was’ made Midori lose the little smile she had on her face. Like all things, this day too would come to an end, and she would be forced to resume her normal activities, but she had deeply enjoyed the day. Not wanting to jinx it, she didn’t ask if they could spend more time together, although she knew she wanted to. She would simply hope that she would get another invite soon.

The green haired teen tilted her head slightly at the idea of putting honey in with the green tea, and carefully blew on it while holding it gently, cooling it slightly so she didn’t burn her tongue. Once satisfied, she took a small sip and her smile quickly returned. Honey in tea… genius. She added just a pinch of sugar as well and it was probably going to become one of her favorite drinks of all time. Adding honey to her arsenal in the kitchen might open up some doors to making new recipes of her own too.

Maybe she would invite Riku to try some of her cooking next time.

[25]

Riku smiled when Midori tried the tea and added a pinch of sugar, noting the green haired teen seemed to have a sweet tooth.

She continued to drink her own tea, enjoying the flavor. “We should do this again sometime,” the blue haired teen said casually, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

Just after, Haru arrived with their dumplings, setting two plates in front of each young woman. Riku smiled up at the man and thanked him for bringing their food.

Haru flushed red and bowed before retreating.

“Let’s eat!” Riku cheered, using her chopsticks to snag a dumpling from one of her plates.

[25]