Skills to Pay the Bills [NSFW, 18+]

Oriana gave Niko a confused look at the almost flirty line. Then, despite the deepening red color of her face, tried to brush it off as her master just being silly. None of the things that people normally meant when they spoke like that seemed to fit Niko’s personality or how the blacksmith usually interacted with her. The genin had never seen the taller woman show that kind of interest in another person. At best, the jounin was cuddle-hungry. That discovery came from dragging Niko to bed after finding her passed out in the forge and forcing her on bed rest. Well, bribe was probably a better word than force. The red haired woman seemed content to stay put if Oriana laid on or near her. Even her insistence on working seemed to dampen in the face of snuggles.

However, those instances were increasingly rare due to Oriana’s presence in the forge. She tended to kick Niko out once the blacksmith showed signs of exhaustion. It was probably for the better. Lately, that kind of interaction made her feel squirmy in a way that wasn’t like her usual aversion to physical contact or being in close proximity with another person.

These thoughts were hard to brush aside, however, as Niko requested her help with the press. It was something she had more or less gotten used to by now, but today, Niko’s breath tickling the back of her neck sent a slight shiver down her spine.

“You are.” Oriana’s nose crinkled in an expression that approximated a pout. “Very tingly. And steamy,” she tried to explain.

[13]

Niko waited a moment longer, listening to her response and thinking about it for a few moments, trying to process the words, and lack thereof, into something she could understand. The tingly part was completely foreign, but she could definitely understand how a steaming human being could be a bit distracting. But how did that make someone tingly? That part of the situation didn’t process properly at all. She would have to ask, but that would have to wait a moment. “Well, I will try to be less distracting.” She chuckled and leaned back, a silent indication for her to do the same, and ripped the mold apart. This time, the wooden mold broke almost cleanly in half, but considering this was the last one of the order, Niko was fine with that.

With a frown she set the ruined wood aside and grabbed her tongs, pulling the glowing hot shin guard from the ruined mold and bringing it back to the bench where she would begin hammering away. She would clean it up in a minute if Oriana didn’t get to it first. “So, you said tingly. Normally, I can figure out your words, but that one didn’t make it through the translator. What did you mean?” It was meant mostly in a joking way, because she knew how to turn what little Oriana did say into a full conversation most of the time, but this time it just hadn’t made it.

[2/3 for C-Rank Shin Guard]

[14]

Oriana felt relieved to step away and allow Niko to open the press. It was difficult to voice her thoughts in detail at any given moment, but today, it was more challenging than usual. Niko eliciting this strange sense of embarrassment and other unusual reactions made it harder to communicate. She had known the jounin would ask questions the instant she blurted out the truth.

To avoid answering more than anything else, the genin began to tidy up the broken press. The burnt wood was discarded into the fire. Though it wasn’t the best of fuel sources, it would be consumed and stop taking up space, which was good enough for her purposes. Oriana wiped away yet another layer of sweat before turning to face Niko.

After having a few moments to collect herself, the genin realized she was left in a very awkward position. She knew why she was reacting so oddly to the red haired blacksmith and that admitting it was low on her list of things to do. Oriana wasn’t “innocent” or “naive” when it came to these things --her past hadn’t allowed for that-- but it was a feeling she didn’t typically attribute to other people.

Usually, she liked to take the easy way out in social situations. In this case, it would mean lying to the person she trusted most. Throat tightening.

“I feel strange.” Oriana explained, though it did little to clarify what she’d said before. “Too hot.”

It was a weak excuse, but a believable one; Oriana’s tolerance for the forge didn’t match Niko’s by any stretch of the imagination. With that, she hurried out of the forge and straight for her room, intent on taking a cold, no, freezing shower. Niko wouldn’t follow, not with the shin guard in need of the final steps to be formed properly. She needed some time to think.

[14]

Niko heard the woman’s response, finally, and then plunged the final shin guard into the ice water below, letting the hiss and steam to overtake her as she watched Oriana vanish towards her room. She would not escape this time, however, because the moment she had wiped off the shin guard and set it aside, Niko did follow her, and there was a major flaw with the feline girl’s room. Only one way in, one way out. Sure, that made it one of the most easily defendable positions in the house, regardless of the large windows to let sunlight in, but it also made it to where, in situations like this one, it was particularly easy to trap her within the room in order to have a talk.

Niko slipped inside, noting that Oriana hadn’t locked it for once. Perhaps she had wanted Niko to follow her, knowing that her concern for the young girl was warranted. She waited until she heard the water of the shower turn off, using her natural skill to have entered the room undetected, and stood in front of the door, eyes closed completely. When she spoke, the concern in her tone was easily heard. “Can’t use Ebony for the first time without my apprentice, firstly… but more important than that, I am worried about you. You seem a bit off. Do you not feel well? Your behavior has been a bit peculiar lately.” And it was true; this wasn’t the first time Niko had noticed a bit of strange behavior coming from the pink haired Genin. She was finally confronting her about it now, having dropped hints about her concern for the girl periodically throughout the past months.

[15]

Oriana cursed mentally when she opened the bathroom door only to see Niko leaned against the door to her bedroom. She froze, unsure of what to say or do now that her master had finally cornered her. The genin had successfully dodged talking about her occasional bouts of odd behavior for a few months now, but now the game was up. The red haired jounin was out of patience.

She glanced towards the window. It was a pipe dream to think escape was possible now. Where would she go if she jumped out the window wearing nothing but a towel? Even if Oriana had thought to stash clothing on the roof (and Niko didn’t find them), she would eventually have to return to the house. Staying in a cheap motel to avoid a conversation would only make Niko more persistent.

Oriana chewed her lower lip while she considered her limited options.

“I’m not sick,” the genin said. It was true and maybe it would be enough to satisfy Niko’s need for answers. It probably wouldn’t, but a girl could dream.

The jounin would hear the closet door opening as Oriana shuffled through its contents in search of something to wear. Even if she wasn’t just buying time, which seemed to cost more each time she tried it, the genin was not going to have this conversation while practically naked. That, and it made escape through the window much, much easier.

Confrontation warranted several layers of clothing. Though the clothes couldn’t shield Oriana from the conversation to come, she would feel better if she were bundled up. The closet door shut and the genin said, “You can open your eyes.”

The pink haired teen looked every bit her usual self --a dark grey sweatshirt with a hood, long pants, and probably more layers underneath. She looked distinctly uncomfortable, but that wasn’t an uncommon expression for her.

[15]

A year ago, even after they had been together for a considerable amount of time, Niko might have had to worry about Oriana trying to escape in this scenario. Hell, it had happened a few times, but it didn’t work out the way the pink Genin wanted to at all. The only time the red head had ever done this was when she was truly worried about something, and when she would run off, all it would do was take up the blacksmith’s time when she would chase her or track her down so they could get whatever it was ironed out. It delayed things like training, getting work done in the forge, and chores, causing the blacksmith to stay up later to make up for lost time. Oriana seemed to have picked up on this and stopped running eventually, not wanting to cause more delays.

And Niko knew that the pink haired Genin cared about her enough to not want to stall things or make Niko lose what little sleep she allowed herself most of the time. Once she was told she could open her eyes, the brilliant green eyes would blink a few times and lock onto the Genin. She had layered up, as per normal, but having heard that she wasn’t sick had only caused the concern for her to deepen. “Do you know what’s going on then? The reason your behavior has been a little odd lately?” Because the truth was she understood that it might be something that the smaller woman might not understand herself, and that would mean she could slowly unravel the mystery with her. Knowing she didn’t need to guard the door anymore, Niko moved to the bed and took a seat near where Oriana’s feet would be normally, and patted the spot next to her, hoping she would join her.

[16]

Oriana opted to keep her distance, hovering maybe a meter from the bed. Ordinarily, she might have taken a seat on the other end of the bed but today was different. It was easier to stay calm when she maintained greater distance between herself and the red haired jounin seated on her bed. She shuffled her feet awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say or do next.

At first, the odd feelings had been easy enough to brush off --they could be attributed to her natural dislike of close proximity with anyone, or being tired, or too hot, or simply having a strange day. Oriana turned to any line of reasoning except ones that involved the sorts of emotions she didn’t want to face. Ignoring it had mixed success. Some days, the genin had managed to act normal or avoid Niko without raising suspicion; after all taking two missions instead of one or seeking out other genin to train with were behaviors her master encouraged.

However, there were times when it caught her off guard or was simply too much to take it in stride without reacting visibly. And those times where Oriana slipped up had begun to add up, one by one, until they stacked up into a mountain of events that didn’t fit into normalcy. They begged an explanation, one that Oriana was loath to bother figuring out for her own sake let alone share with someone else.

“I have an idea.”

[16]

Oriana was being coy. She did this when it was a topic she didn’t want to talk about, and the fact that she had refused to sit with her hadn’t bode well either. Had she mis-read the signs earlier that she liked compliments from Niko? Doubt crept into her mind as she tried to figure out mentally what it was that could possibly be wrong. If she wasn’t feeling unwell, and didn’t want to talk about it… Perhaps it was time. A slight smidge of dread and sadness touched Niko’s emerald eyes for a moment, but quickly vanished as she steeled her resolve. If that was Oriana’s decision, if she felt she was ready, Niko wouldn’t stop her, but she had feared this day would come for about as long as she had been acting strangely, but now that the confrontation had come up, she couldn’t back down and pretend it never happened. It wasn’t the Kanuchi way.

She took a deep breath, trying to ensure that she shaped her words properly in her mind first, and slowly let it out, locking onto Oriana’s eyes and showing her the same love and care that she always had, ever since she had first followed the red head home. “Is the idea… that you want to move out?” It hurt her heart to think that Oriana would leave, that she would lose her apprentice and friend, someone who was a part of her family that she cherished deeply, but Oriana had always been someone who was independent and prized her privacy. Perhaps she was ready to move on, and had outgrown Niko’s care. It was obvious in her tone that she didn’t like the idea in the slightest, even though the redhead had tried to hide it.

[17]

Oriana watched carefully while Niko considered her half-answer. She could detect distress, though not the cause until the redhead spoke. Her eyes widened as she rushed to the Jounin's side, arm lifting slightly before lowering as if she were thinking of setting a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"No. Not that. It's like… kind of… the opposite?"

The flood of words betrayed the genuine character of her reaction. She'd gone from being shifty and evasive to attempting to reassure Niko in a heartbeat. If she'd been lying, she would have looked for a nicer or easier way to say that she wanted to leave. The mild look of worry showed that Niko's guess was dead wrong.

"I don't want to leave you."

That much was true, in fact, telling Niko what she'd discovered might make staying together more difficult. More shifting and shuffling followed, clear signs of anxiety. There wasn't much that would have motivated Oriana to tell Niko what she was thinking or feeling in this case, but making sure the Jounin knew that it wasn't separation was a good start for convincing the pink haired ninja to start talking.

The Genin began to worry the sleeves of her sweatshirt while looking for the words to use. Oriana didn't talk much, but the few words she did use were typically chosen with some level of care or thoughtfulness.

[17]

The opposite?  The opposite of moving out was moving in… but she already lived with her.  That didn’t make a lick of sense, and normally, she probably would have been able to piece together more if it wasn’t for the overwhelming sense of relief that coursed through her heart and mind.  Niko hadn’t realized how much the idea of losing Oriana, even if she just got her own place, had affected her, or rather, would have, until she thought it had been a possibility.  With it now not a thing, she couldn’t help but smile for a moment as she let that fear vanish at the confirmation that she didn’t want to leave the house, and that was enough to cause the breath that she had been holding without knowing it to slowly and silently release.  She hadn’t gotten tired of Niko yet…

Having her move so close and then again start to squirm in place… it was still so odd, and slowly the smile began to fade and the concern returned.  So if leaving the house wasn’t the problem, what was?  Surely not Shunko; the pair went on missions often enough together that she must have liked the sibling to some extent, surely… or at least tolerated her better than most people.  What else could it be?  Had Niko done something else to cause her this distress?  Not knowing was doing a number to her mind, because the further she dug to try to find the truth on her own, the worse the ‘what if’s became.  She needed to know before she jumped to another painful conclusion.

“Please Oriana… what can I do to help?  Am I making you uncomfortable somehow?”  That much was all she could really say for certain… and her concern continued to deepen.

[18]

Oriana shook her head back and forth a few times to indicate that Niko had done nothing wrong.

"No, well, yes… not you…."

Her usual short-hand version of speaking wasn't working. The pink haired genin took a few deep breaths and stopped squirming for the moment. She needed to get this right because the only thing worse than Niko reacting badly to it was Niko feeling unnecessary worry and stress over a misunderstanding.

"You didn't do something wrong. I just…."

That part was easy enough to say. This was more of a wrong on Oriana's part. She wrung the cuffs of her sleeves in frustration.

"I like… someone."

It wasn't quite accurate, but Oriana left it at that for now. "I don't know how to stop."

Finally, she looked up at Niko's face once more, looking somewhat desperate. As if the Jounin might be able to stitch together what her apprentice was saying. The problems that came with such feelings were many fold. The idea of wanting that sort of intimacy with anyone was prickly and uncomfortable. It was too close to what her life had been like before. Oriana had never really talked about, at least not explicitly, what she used to do before being rescued a few years ago. Fortunately, Niko had understood more or less that being forced to work in a brothel wasn't fun.

However, that experience made any sort of thoughts about trying an intimate relationship with someone feel dirty, even if there wasn't any money involved. The feelings she'd had back then we're conflicting at best. Now, to seek that out seemed wrong.

"Feels… it's like my old job but not. I shouldn't want…" she shook her head again.

[18]

Her first reaction was very odd, to say the least. Oriana didn’t waste words… so her stuttering around like this was not something that happened… at all… to her best recollection. Seeing her at a complete loss for words was nothing short of a cue for Niko to be very concerned. Sure, it was great that the pink-haired Genin let her know that it wasn’t something Niko had done herself, but she was not used to Oriana beating around the bush. Not say enough to be properly understood at times, sure. But not outright act like a squeamish teenager wanting the talk about the birds and the bees… not that she needed that talk anyway. That innocence had been taken from her long ago… and if the redhead ever found anyone ever trying the same, they would die without question.

And then the bombshell dropped. Niko struggled for a moment not to go slack jawed and to actually be somewhat of an adult… she was very, very tempted to squeal a little bit like a schoolgirl herself and start giggling in excitement but contained the urge with some degree of difficulty. The smile that spread across the redhead’s face now was of pure, unbridled joy. As she explained the conflict within her, Niko would wave her hand, asking the Genin to pause for a moment. “Oh no no, Oriana. To have those feelings for someone means that you are finally healing. It means you are ready to try to love again. This is something you need to pursue and explore, but make sure you do at your pace. I’ll help you any way I can. But you have to tell me… who is he? She? Do I know them?”

It was sometimes hard to remember that Niko was only a year Oriana’s senior in age, still technically a teenager, what with her adult body and extremely mature demeanor. She wanted a little bit of gossip while helping her budding friend come into her own light, one small step at a time.

[19]

Oriana blinked a few times, clearly confused at Niko's sudden shift in mood, head tilting curiously. Her brows furrowed for a moment at the idea that these feelings could be associated with healing. Sure, the Genin was aware that regular people often paired up. She'd seen couples out in public before, and most of her classmates had parents that had been together at one point at least, if not parents that were married. The young woman had assumed for a long time that these things weren't for her.

She had also gathered through observation that her former line of work could be seen as unsavory or "dirty". Oriana had no infections or illnesses, thanks to luck, being as careful as allowed, and chakra. However, that couldn't erase the social stain her situation afforded her. In the eyes of many, she was nothing more than used goods. The Genin had a hard time viewing herself in a better light.

After a drawn out pause, Oriana said, "Someone who deserves better than a…" she paused, thinking of how Niko might react, and then finished, "than me."

Even if the pink haired ninja hadn't said the word she'd thought of, Niko would know full well what she had meant and why admitting who it was she was interested in was such a challenge.

[19]

Niko listened to her words and had to stop herself from interrupting the woman. The idea that someone was too good for Oriana was absolutely insane, and she needed to be able to carry that into this situation with both eyes open. “You have been through more growth in the past two years than most people do in their entire lives. Anyone that you decided was worth your attention, especially if it might be love? They are the luckiest person on this planet. If they think I’m wrong or hurt you, they will answer to me personally.” And Oriana would know that was no idle threat. No one hurt the Kanuchi family.

But she couldn’t help but noticed that the girl had dodged the question again. “And if you won’t tell me this lucky bastard's name, at least give me a ‘boy’ or a ‘girl’. Trying to keep it gender neutral is killing me.” She wanted at least a hint… try to narrow down the possibilities. It might even be Shunko… but she felt like that was less of a possibility. They were too dissimilar. And yes, she wanted to know, but knew prying it out of the pink haired Genin would only cause her to lock up further.

[20]

Oriana just stared at the red haired blacksmith. Niko, who seemed to be able to read her mind half the time, had managed to wander so far off track. How was this possible? The pink haired teen had hoped to lead her master to the answer. Usually, Niko was able to pick up on things this obvious.

Oriana massaged her temple with one hand and sighed.

"I know you could do better than me."

It was much easier to admit it this way, Niko had simply opened the door for that comment. Oriana had little doubt that Niko could find a partner that didn't come with her struggles with communication or intimacy. The Jounin deserved someone who could properly cherish her without feeling dirty or broken. Now that Niko knew, she might feel obligated to accept Oriana's feelings. The idea that Niko would give up her own chance at finding someone for her was even more uncomfortable than the thought of admitting she liked her master in ways that were not appropriate for siblings.

[20]

Niko’s eyebrow raised at the girl massaging her temple. She remembered that motion; it was used a lot early on when she was learning how to take Oriana’s words and understand them with a deeper meaning, when she had misunderstood her often and needed further explanation. Had she missed something? Thinking back on it, she had been nothing but supportive of the girl, and didn’t think anything had slipped by her. And then she stated that Niko could do better than Oriana, which was probably the weirdest example she could have used considering things.

“You're silly… you got it backwards. You’re way too good for me,” she stated so casually as though it were nothing but a trivial detail. “And you're still not gonna tell me who it is? You’re killing me girl!” She gave her a small laugh, smiling wide and rolling a little bit on her hips to exaggerate the silliness she was trying to lighten the mood with. The truth of the matter was that she did think Oriana was a true treasure. She was smart, fast, strong and if you got her to open up, snarky and funny. It was all the best qualities that could be asked for. Plus, Niko had absolutely no experience with anything even resembling a relationship… Oriana may not have gotten the experience from the best of sources, but at least the girl knew what the hell she was doing.

[21]

This time, the Genin pinched the bridge of her nose in a rare display of frustration. In the beginning, communication had been difficult and Oriana had been forced to speak in what felt like excruciating detail just to be understood at a basic level. Over time, Niko seemed to just learn her language and a few well placed words could take the place of long-winded or even complete sentences. Today, it felt as though they were back at day one where they were negotiating terms for Oriana not reacting with violence or fleeing.

"I just told you, Niko."

Oriana locked eyes with the Jounin, starting to look a bit hurt at being laughed at.

"It's you," she repeated for emphasis.

At this point, the level of vulnerability was more unsettling than if she had just stripped herself naked and invited Niko to have at it. Oriana wasn't sure how much more obvious she could make things.

[21]

Niko slowly lost her smile, not only because the laughter seemed to hurt her friend’s feelings a little bit, but because the smaller woman had laid out just how far in left field Niko had been traveling. So much so that she wasn’t in the same area of the map anymore, if one were to try to describe it. As the realization fully began to dawn on her, she would utter a single phrase that would be the first time that, in the two years they had been together, had ever been spoken. Niko had made it a point to never curse.

“Damn.” It wasn’t bad, but just how much of an impact that it had on her conveyed with that simple word. There was a light coating of dismay, another smidge of fear of messing it up, but also a healthy portion of excitement that decorated that word as her emerald eyes danced around the room’s floor for a moment, rapidly compiling things in her mind. Suddenly, everything made sense, the dominoes falling and forming the picture in her mind so quickly that it might have given her whiplash. How had she been so blind? But there was a much more important factor that was also needed to tend to much more immediately.

She finally looked to Oriana, locking eyes with her again, the barest of smiles on her face that she didn’t even realize was there. She had encouraged Oriana to explore those feelings, but now that she knew that they were pointed in her direction, she wasn’t sure how to go about the next step in any way. Should she help her? Instinctively she wanted to say yes, and not completely for innocent reasons, but she didn’t know how. Suddenly, she was the novice, and the pink haired Genin the master. She blinked hard, searching for the right words before the one hesitation that lingered heaviest came to mind and then out of her lips. “I… don’t… I’ve never… I’m not sure how. I don’t want to mess it up. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you.”

[22]

The irritation faded once Niko finally got what she was trying to say. Now, Oriana watched the other woman hesitantly, trying to understand the reaction. The realization had definitely made an impact on the Jounin as well. Oriana had never heard the blacksmith utter a curse word in the entire two years they'd known each other. It was hard to tell whether Niko was happy about this or not, the emotions flashing across her face changed too quickly for Oriana to track.

Now that the secret was out, the Genin felt… not so much relieved as deflated. She was lost on how to go on from here. Pretending this conversation never happened wasn't an option, Niko wasn't the sort of person to allow that. They had to decide what they were going to do about it.

Oriana gave a sort of half shrug.

"That's not a concern. You've got better options. Shouldn't waste your time with--"

[22]

Niko watched her carefully; Oriana was not the only person who was feeling particularly vulnerable at the moment, as her heart was open wide.  She was using her Sensory, but more strongly, her instincts and feelings, to try to read the smaller woman as she seemed to almost shrink before her, not quite the reaction that Niko had hoped for.  She knew how delicate of a situation that this was, how tender this was of a subject for Oriana, and how quickly it could go wrong.

But when she started to speak about Niko having better options, before she could finish her sentence regarding the redhead’s time, the larger woman found herself on her feet and wrapping her arms around the Genin in a firm hug.  Normally, Niko would have never done something like this; her logical mind was normally so much stronger than her emotions she could stomp on a knee-jerk reaction like this before ‘trapping’ the pink-haired girl in these types of moments, but that was not the case now.  And now that she was here, she didn’t plan to let go.  “You have never been, are not, and never will be a waste of my time.  You are the reason I felt alive again… living.  Not just surviving like before.”

[23]

Two years ago, such a gesture would have triggered a short scuffle. Being grabbed suddenly often elicited violent responses from the pink haired teen, something that was kept in check by drugs when she'd been in that brothel. Now, Oriana was capable of stilling herself and refraining from lashing out. Her body tensed at the effort because even after knowing Niko and how emotional she could be for all this time, it could still catch her off guard.

The Genin relaxed into the hold, recognizing the Jounin's need for reassurance through physical contact. Niko only got this grabby when overwhelmed by emotion or exhaustion. It was harmless, even if her body couldn't tell without conscious effort.

Oriana rested her face on Niko's shoulder to hide a frown.

She'd known that the redhead cared, but had been blissfully ignorant of the quality of that significance until now.

"But I… I have a long way to go, still. I'm not good at this."

Hopefully Niko would know that "this" meant physical affection. Oriana avoided it like the plague most of the time, though she would allow Niko closer than most. Even Shunko had yet to get so much as a handshake despite being her sibling and sharing a home with the Genin.

Oriana didn't do touch. She just didn't. Relationships usually required a significant amount of physical contact, a quantity that likely exceeded the tolerance she'd developed.

"You could have someone else… someone who could give hugs."

Hugs weren't the only thing Oriana was bad at and almost never indulged in, but it was the closest she would come to outright saying she thought Niko would be happier with someone who didn't have all her hang ups.

[23]

Niko felt the smaller woman relax into her hug, knowing it had taken some effort on the pink haired girls part to make that happen and not flinch too badly. Even that much had taken a long time to get perfected, but now it was more important than ever. Hearing Orianna’s concerns, she slowly shook her head and kissed the top of the woman’s head. It wasn’t until Oriana had basically told her to find someone else that she realized that it wasn’t really an option, not that she had been looking in the first place. She pulled away just enough to look Oriana in the eyes to show what she was about to say was the truth.

“I’m not good at it either… actually worse, because I don’t even know how to do anything… but you do. In that regard I would be the student and you the Sensei… which means it would go at your pace. And I can’t imagine anyone I would rather have teach me.” Niko hadn’t used so many words, but she basically had just formally accepted Orianna’s feelings and dedicated herself to the smaller teen, so much so that she was willing to let the Genin lead. Niko was just as vulnerable in this moment, because she cared so damn much that if this went sideways she didn’t know what she would do. She wanted to be with Oriana and that was a fact… she just didn’t realize how much until now. The thought of losing her had made that painfully obvious.

[24]

Oriana stared at her master (student?) in mute shock. She hadn't expected what was probably the best case scenario to just happen. For weeks, the Genin had prepped herself to face rejection with a smile, to assure Niko that it was alright not to feel the same way and pretend it didn't sting when they distanced themselves from one another because what else would they do after a rejection?

The pink haired teen had never doubted that Niko cared about her, but she had assumed that she was at best the taller woman's favorite student. She hadn't spent much time even considering the possibility that Niko would want her. The weight of providing a good partner for her master was heavy, even with assurance that they could go at Oriana's pace. Niko always seemed so confident that this display of vulnerability was just as unexpected as Niko wanting to be with her. Oriana hadn't realized that the Jounin might not be ready for jumping in head first, either.

In an unusually overt display of gratitude, Oriana hugged Niko tightly, pressing as close as physically possible and clinging like she was afraid to let go.

[24]

Niko waited, her breath slightly shallow as the pink haired Genin stared at her and for one of the first times that the redhead could remember, she couldn’t read the smaller woman’s body language. But as the smaller woman closed the gap again, pressing against her deeply and holding her tight, Niko would respond with equal parts pressure, care and gratitude. It could be noted that her regular unusually warm skin was a little warmer than it normally was, probably because her face was slowly becoming the same tint as her hair, but it wasn’t embarrassment this time or anything like that, but reworking through her mind all the times that she had lightly teased the smaller woman and how she probably had brought the entire situation on herself.

Not that she was complaining, mind you.

Taking a very deep breath, feeling Oriana breathing against her chest, and feeling how perfectly the young woman perfectly fit into her curves so that there was literally no space between them was an interesting sensation. Prior hugs, even made in moments of high emotion, had always had a little bit of space between them, a little bit of an escape route that if Oriana had really wanted to, she could have used. This… what they were doing now, felt a lot more intimate than those hugs prior. But Niko was nervous. She had placed the mantle of ‘sensei’ on Oriana more than just because she wanted the smaller woman, who had such experiences with these types of matters, to make her uncertain if she wanted to exercise these feelings in the first place. No, it was also because she didn’t know how to continue, but as her hands gently rubbed the woman’s back, her willingness to try became obvious. “I… I think I know what you mean by ‘tingly’ now.” She had felt it begin to bubble within herself at smelling Oriana and feeling her so closely.

[25]

Oriana nodded into Niko’s shoulder in response to her comment about understanding the use of the word “tingly” to explain how she felt. It was reassuring to know that the taller woman genuinely felt it, too, and wasn’t just agreeing to this because she thought it was what the Genin wanted.

Now that there was no reason to hide her feelings, the pink haired ninja relaxed further into the hug once Niko began to rub her back. It felt nice to just enjoy it and not worry about making the situation uncomfortable by liking it too much or in the wrong way. It still felt strange to allow herself such close contact with another person, and enjoying it still felt a little wrong, but Oriana still didn’t want to pull away so much as she felt like she was supposed to.

That thought brought another issue into mind. Oriana tilted her head so she could see Niko’s face without pulling away from the embrace just yet.

“Isn’t it wrong for sisters to be like this?” she inquired, remembering Niko formally adopting her into the Kanuchi family and claiming her as kin. That brought about more complications. Would the redhead have to disown her to make this relationship appropriate?

Oriana’s brows drew inward in concern.

[25]