Rose [Shisui Uchiha]

Thorn #5

"Shisui, are you going on another mission again?" Koharu asked, setting down a hot cup of tea in front of him. He was sitting on the opposite side of the counter while she sat behind it with her own cup of tea.

It had been a while since the two of them had sat down and taken the time to talk and relax. Shisui had been busy with missions and Koharu had been taking care of the flower shop.

"Yeah." The ninja breathed, nodding slowly. His fingers went around the tea cup ear, pulling it closer to him when he lifted it to his lips.

"There seems to be lots of missions for you lately. I'm a little lonely that you can't be with me a lot more." Koharu confessed, twiddling her thumbs.

Shisui's eyes softened and he took a light sip of his cup, then put it down and reached his hand across to hers, wanting to take hold of it.

But, a sudden thought made him stop, and he pulled his hand back with a tight lipped smile.

The girl was a little surprised, yet disappointed, that he pulled his hand away. She knew what he was going to do, but why did he stop?

It looked like he was troubled by something...Koharu's brows knitted slightly together, and she took action instead, doing what Shisui was too hesitant to do.

She placed her hand over his, slowly squeezing it as she stared him in the eyes. "Shisui, what's wrong? You're troubled."

The male sighed, relaxing his shoulders under her touch. "I'm just stressed from work, that's all."

"How stressful is it? Do you have to do something you don't like?" She questioned, looking at him worriedly.

Shisui nodded just briefly and held her hand with both of his, bringing their hands to his lips, where he closed his eyes in a prayer like pose.

"Shisui...?" The flower shop owner tilted her head just slightly.

"Sorry...just let me stay like this for a while." He seemed to bring her hands closer to himself when he said those words.

Understanding that he needed time to sort out his own thoughts, Koharu nodded and kept silent, occasionally taking a sip of tea while she worked with her free arm.

"Koharu, have you ever had a time when you were too scared to continue, knowing that something bad will happen from it?" Shisui suddenly spoke, looking up and opening his eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked gently.

"I mean, have you ever done something that you knew wasn't going to benefit you or another in any way in the end?"

I have plenty, she thought.

"Yes." She nodded. "There are a lot of things I've done that falls into that category."

The male looked a little dumbfounded, "A lot of things?"

She nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. A lot of things." After a momentary pause, she continued, "You know, just like us. You're a ninja that always goes on missions that involve life or death situations. I'm just a mere flower shop owner. When you're on missions, I pray for your safety but I don't know whether or not you would come back to me alive." Koharu admitted.

"You thought those things...every time I went on a mission?" Shisui was careful in the use of his words, not sure whether or not his voice would crack at how much those words hit home.

He felt the same way, except he didn't know whether he himself would come back to her. Especially when it came to the coup and what was stirring behind the scenes.