Karatsu's Room

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu led Amaya inside and quickly shut the door behind them. The room was metal set. It looked more like a holding cell, rather than a room. There was also a large hatch under his bed and a large door at the other end of the room. It seemed to be a large deep-freezer. Another thing Amaya noticed was a large, cylindrical tube with blue liquid at the east end of the room. It looked like something you kept a person in when they're severely injured. There was also a wooden table to the left of the entrance. It had many instruments on it. Forceps, tweezers, syringes, his room seemed like some sort of macabre medical station. It wasn't surprising, though. At that moment, Amaya seemed to have thoughts cross her mind. Now that she saw what Karatsu lived with back in Suna and on the way home, she could only imagine what he had to go through routinely just to stay alive. Karatsu could feel that she felt a little sorry for him. She didn't say anything, but he still replied. "You don't have to, you know."

[Amaya Takahashi]

Amaya stopped looking around the room and focused her attention back on Karatsu. Her lips formed a straight line as she thought over what she was going to say.

"I know that I don't have to, but I want to. Are you trying to get out of teaching me, Sasaki?" She asked. She held the mask up, but still didn't take her purple gaze away from him.

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu smiled. "Ah, come here." He cleared off a large portion of the table and signaled Amaya to place the mask there. She did so and Karatsu took the silver tape off. The broken cylinder rolled across the table. He stopped it and placed it into the slot and held it there. He made sure Amaya was watching and pulled out a little metal rod from a drawer. He lit a nearby candle and held the rod in the flame until the tip was red hot. Then he trailed the rod over the cracks so they would seal shut. Then he held it into the slot and asked Amaya to hold it until he came back. "Turn it until you hear a click." He went to the large freezer and pulled out a little vial. He came back and set the vial down. "Did it click?"

[Amaya Takahashi]

Amaya stepped away so that Karatsu would have enough room to do what he had to do. She nodded as she did so.

"Is that medicine or something?" She asked as she watched over his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around herself because the chill in the air was getting to her, though she tried to act as if it wasn't. After she rubbed her arms briefly she dropped them at her sides once more.

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu opened a chamber on the end of the cylinder and slid the vial in. "Yeah. It's a rather concentrated dose, so I might be a little sluggush for a while, but I'll be back up and running." He turned his head back toward Amaya. He saw her shiver slightly. "Oh, sorry. It is really cold in here. I didn't notice. I must be used to it." Karatsu walked over and grabbed her hands in an attempt to warm them for her. He stared down into her eyes. He was there, holding her hands, looking down her purple gaze. He was so hypnotized. All of sudden, something snapped. Something just had to happen, or he would lose it. Would he pull away? Would he say something? He was thinking about it, but his instincts kicked in. He leaned in. Closer. He was less than an inch away from Amaya's face when he leaned in farther and kissed her.

[Amaya Takahashi]

Although Amaya was surprised, she didn't hesitate to return the kiss, and place her hand on his arm as she did so. A few seconds later, she pulled away slightly and smiled at him, her face pink. She didn't make a move to put any more distance between them, or to take her hand away from his arm.

"So is that included in the repairing process?" She asked, her voice little more than a whisper as she looked up into his eyes.

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu chuckled a little. "Well, if it is, I'd better break this thing more often." He felt so right with her there. With her in his life. He was about to apologize for his suddeness, but he sensed she was ok with it, so he just smiled. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time placing his hands around her waist. After a few more seconds, he broke away and smiled warmly at her.

[Amaya Takahashi]

Amaya was a little flustered when she also pulled back, and focused on the mask that was still sitting on the table.

"You should probably put that back on now, right? I don't want to be the cause of you getting any worse." She said softly, and squeezed his hand before letting it go. She smiled at him warmly back at him.

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu's smile faded as he noticed the mask. That acursed mask. His limitation. His lifeline. He hated it so much. He wished that someday he wouldn't have to wear it. Karatsu knew this wasn't possible. As much as he thought about discarding it... well, why shouldn't he? He knew it only made him so much more delicate. He just wanted it to stop. He hadn't had to take it off in so long, he had forgotten what fresh air was like. When he looked at the mask on the table, it looked nearly exactly like it did when on the exmintaion table at Orochimaru's hide-out. In that icy prison. His mind was flooded with memories. Some he had tried to push so hard out of his head. As much as he despised his mask, he also had a reason to continue wearing it. In his eyes, it was a much more rewarding reason. It was Amaya. For so long, he had lived on the thrive for survival and success. He had nearly forgotten it. A feeling. A very strange feeling to him. It was strong. Very strong. He knew Amaya induced it. She caused him so much... happiness. In the second he looked away from his mask and back at her, it felt like an eternity as he tried to recall the name of this feeling. The sad thing was, he couldn't remember what it was.

[Amaya Takahashi]

Amaya didn't mean to say anything to make Karatsu unhappy, and as soon as the smile faded, she frowned as well. She watched as many things registered on Karatsu's face as well as his body signals. Of course, she had gotten so good at reading her partner over the short time that they'd been working together that she really didn't need to see his face now to know that he was going through troubling memories.

She was about to say something to pull him out of the darkness when he looked at her once more. She studied him for a moment. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

All of this was new to her, Amaya hadn't let herself feel genuine emotion ever since her mother was murdered, It was always easier to copy everyone else's feelings rather than have her own. However, for some reason.. she couldn't help but feel with Karatsu. She cared about how he felt, what he thought, and how he felt about her.

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu barely heard Amaya speak, but he was able to make out her words. "No... I'm fine. Or will be." He grabbed his mask and placed it on his face. That was when the dreaded whirring began. The sound of the screws tightening. He winced as they once again drilled deep into his jaw. Once it was secure, and he was safe, the pressure was released and the blood from the holes closing began to drip down. He wiped his cheeks with a rag and tossed it aside. His head felt heavier this time. It was vague, but familiar.

[Amaya Takahashi]

Amaya was still frowning as she watched Karatsu put the mask back on. She could only imagine the torture he must go through wearing that thing to survive. She walked closer to him and stood on her tip toes and kissed his forehead.

She took his hand and squeezed it gently and offered a smile. "There's the partner that I've come to know and admire." She said, looking into his eyes.

"So Sasaki, whats next? You know, when I first realized how cold it was in here, I always imagined this was where Zetsu stored Hidan's old sacrifices for late night snacks.. I'm glad I was wrong."

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu ran his hand over the mask. "A body cooler? No, that's the hatch under my bed." He looked over at Amaya who had a strange look on her face. A sweatdrop went down the back of Karatsu's head. "I was just kidding..."

[Amaya Takahashi]

"I knew that, I usually keep mine in the closet. There's not enough room under the bed." Amaya said without hestating. She grinned at him slightly, a twinkle in her purple eye as she did so.

"So, feel like going out and facing the world again?" She said with a sigh.

[Karatsu Sasaki]

Karatsu chuckled. "Oh, yes. You are sooooo diabolical." Karatsu took her hand as she asked him the question. "Only if you're coming, too."