An Un-seen Meeting (Closed)

Resting his arm around her, he let his fingers continue to graze her shoulder in a circular motion, his other hand remained over hers, keeping her as warm as he could. His eye’s stayed narrowly open as he rested his head on the wall. As he heard her story, heard about her, he couldn’t help but think of what it would be like for him. Could he ever handle seeing his mother or father dead? Could he ever cope with that? He could only reflect on the people he had killed, on the few missions for the Larsen family he’s done that required him to use the sharp end of his sword. He had only ever killed three person in his life though, oddly enough he didn’t know much about killing others, only injuring and hurting people.
His arm on her shoulder moved back to his face for a moment to move some hair away from his face before putting it and letting his fingers rest on her shoulder. He replied with silence after she told him her family died by the thugs, he looked down though and saw her tears. He felt himself feel the loss she felt as well, he took the sleeve of his Gi and gently placed the soft fabric on her cheeks, wiping the tears away and letting his sleeve absorb the fluid.

“Hm?” He let out when she said his name, looking down at her.

Thank you…

Roth couldn’t help but fully smile at that, his placed his hand fully on her shoulder and squeezing gently, showing his appreciation. His other hand remained over hers and he proceeded to use his two fingers to gently graze up and down her wrist while still keeping his palm on her hand. He wanted to give her other things to focus on and enjoy and not worry about the guards.
His eye’s moved back to them however, one stayed standing, another sitting down with his eyes on them, shifting to the other cell every once in a while.
He would let Bailey sleep, and try to rest himself but still keep watch.

Although to her the dream appeared short, it was actually surprising how long she slept, getting in a good hour. In that time Roth found himself increasing tired to the point where his eye’s fully closed and his head hung down, glassed just an inch away from falling off his face. His hair hung over Bailey’s face like a curtain around her. He was able to find himself feeling peace in her embrace and he fell in a state of a light sleep.

Suddenly he felt a hard impact on his eye which jolted him awake and placing his hand on his eye.
“Ah damn it” He pushed out as a wave of pain rushed through his brow and his hand holding his eye for a moment.
The pain began to sub side pretty quickly though as she told it was unlikely she was able to sleep.
“Had a bad dream?” He asked her as he rubbed his eye before pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

Bailey realized that she hadn't hit the wall like she thought. She turned to face him, a saddened smile on her face as she looked at him. She had meant to turn and make sure he was ok, but couldn't look away. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" She asked, moving his hand a bit away and looking at his eyes. She pulled his glasses off and looked at them, holding them carefully. "No offense, but the glasses make you look old." She muttered as she wiped them clean and handed them back. And they block his eyes from me too easily. She thought, the gut feeling come back and keeping her mouth shut. We are prisoners, not guests here. There's no reason for this, Bailey

Bailey sighed and looked down at their hands. When she turned, her hand moved and they were now linked together instead of just sitting on top of each other. Another blush came to her cheeks as she looked back at him, keeping her hand there. "You could say it was a bad dream, I'd call it a nightmare." She finally told him, keeping her mind on his question and away from his eyes. Thinking about the dream made her shiver and instinct pulled her closer to Roth.

He made her feel comfortable and let her forget about their situation. She was able to relax, forgetting about the guards outside. She was eager to know more about Roth and his past. "Roth, can I ask you about something?" Bailey started to ask him, but she was too tired and the words came out a bit mumbled. Looking back at him, she turned to face him fully, letting the warmth slip out from between them.

The impact wasn’t very hard so the pain died quite quickly, yet she proceeded to move his hand away and her fingers gripping the joints of his glasses. He didn’t resist, feeling the tips of her fingers on his temples as she slid them off his face. His eyes lit up just a touch more without the glass behind them. Yet he found it somewhat amusing as his vision didn’t blur or fade.
‘Old’ She said to him, they made him look old. Yet to him he got them when he was much younger. Wearing them for a personal reason rather than a lack of site.
“Old huh…” He muttered as she cleaned off the lenses.
He didn't take it as an insult, he just found the comment somewhat ironic.

This girl…

Why was she so open to him? So comfortable, were all girls like this? Maybe she liked him so that was why? Or…Trying to get him to let his guard down…?
The thought came with a daunting unease, could that be possible? Her mission seemed quite separate from him though and he hadn’t told anyone he was coming here. She was fighting those two bodyguards, and heard the combat as he arrived. So…No, it was unlikely she was just trying to kill him.

He was just wasn’t sure how to process what was happening. It would be so much easier for her to just be assassin out to kill him, that way he’d understand this affection she seemed to display towards him.

Yet he…

He couldn’t lie to himself, taught to listen to his instincts and hone his senses, he knew inside he liked her. He felt like she was someone he could trust, someone to depend on. Yet never feeling this way about a woman before, he wasn’t sure what to do with them. He hardly knew her, the physical contact could just be fooling him. He just wasn't sure though, He felt he could trust his heart telling him that he liked her, yet after so little time could he be so sure?
Those romance stories really had perfect guys say all the right things and do things that made the girl feel great. Should he maybe imitate those casanova’s in romance novels?

Moving her hand she seemed to interlock her fingers with his, to which he did the same with her. Resting on his chest, it was likely she would hear his heart beat going just a little faster. The battle of emotions with the battle of his training was under control so far.
His hand interlocked with hers her gripped her hand softly.

A nightmare she described, the sudden burst of motion would certainly make sense.
As she recalled it she found herself come even closer to Roth, her body now pressed against his, he even found himself accommodate her and use her arm on her shoulder to pull her in as well. Feeling her against him like this made his cheeks flush into a light red. His throat swallowing a lump that settled itself inside.
He wasn’t sure what to say from here, maybe look back at the guards?
No…No they were just standing there like normal, nothing special.
Maybe get a drink of water? No…He wasn’t thirsty.
Maybe just try to…Relax? Enjoy this for what it was?
Such a simple concept seemed to escape him until now.

Her words were quiet, they were clearly both tired. Yet she spoke and said she wanted to ask him something.
He turned his head to her, his eye’s finding themselves making eye contact with her right away. It was odd…As a young man he thought he’d find his eye’s trailing down to admire her body in some sorta lustful manner, yet he seemed happy to get lost in those blue eyes of hers. He admired them.
“Sure” He replied simply
“Ask away”

Bailey's cheeks turned a bit pink as he agreed to hear her question. She hadn't expected him to and she thought over exactly what she wanted to know. Phrasing the question over and over in her head until she found the right words. She wanted to learn everything about him and couldn't concentrate well around him. Momentarily giving up on the question until she had it right, she stayed silent for a moment. "What do you do besides trying to rescue your sword and help weak little ladies in distress?" She finally spoke, carefully placing the glasses on the floor beside them. It wasn't the question she had truly wanted to ask and her face showed it a bit, but she was still curious to his answer. Her fear of hearing his answer to her other question keeping her from asking it out loud. She hardly knew him and for all she knew, he could have been married already with kids. He has a family She reminded herself, trying to keep her hopes low just in case. He never said what kind of family.

As Bailey waited for her answer she thought over the events that had happened between them, the words shared, and even bits of her past that she normally kept to herself. She knew she wasn't really weak, but compared to him she felt it. Without her bow and dagger, Bailey wasn't as strong as she normally was, but that never stopped her before. She had let her bow become part of her, and in the process lost a bit of her bending abilities. Her fight with the guards had proven that.

Her mind was mixed with different feelings, some new to her and some just resurfacing themselves. Bailey couldn't imagine how to ask Roth about them, and she had been on her own for so long that she wasn't even sure how to explain them to another person, much less herself.

As she leaned against Roth's chest, she listened to his heart beat for a second or so. It was soothing to her and kept her calm as her own heart beat changed pace every time she looked at him. She couldn't tell if he noticed it or not, but once again feared his answer if she even dared to ask it.

Had she not thought about it right away? Roth saw her hesitation in her face as her eye’s shifted away from him and tried to think about the question that he thought she already had prepared. This only heightened his curiosity more. A part of him even wondered if she was going to ask if he liked her, to which he would then likely be rendered a babbling idiot.
As she thought though, he noticed the slight redness in her cheeks. It could be…Was she blushing?
He did indeed feel something for her, yet it only hit him now that she might feel something for him as well. Was such a thing possible? Why would she think something like that? Having not much experience he wasn’t even sure what it might be about him that would be considered attractive. Was it perhaps the touching? Cuddling as they were, or maybe it was something he said? He honestly had no idea.

What does he do besides help little weak ladies? Roth smiled at the question, she didn’t seem weak. After all she held her own against those two bodyguards and from when he found her the boss was on the ground, showing she had gotten him outside. He also wasn’t quite sure if he had saved her. Sure he stopped that thick fireball that the bodyguards fired, but he felt like she might have been able to do something.
“You’re far from weak.” He replied quietly, his voice soft and calming.
“Someone getting that close to the boss, fighting back guards and those bodyguards, deserves to be called strong”
He lifted his arm up as she leaned back against him, he found himself hanging his head a little lower in thought for a moment. His eye’s going back to the guards for just a brief moment who seemed to be now talking to each other.
“I’m just a Samurai though” He told her, answering her question.
“I train under my family name, following Bushido code and honoring our families code. We always believed Samurai were great and noble people, the part about justice and killing though is something our family see’s differently. We believe everyone deserves life, and for that we mastered the technique of non-lethal sword play” He explained to her, the last part of course referring to his style with using the blunt end of his sword as he fought the guards.

“I’ve spent my whole life in a dojo just training, becoming stronger…I joined the Earth Nation military recently though, hoping to start a new life, a life of my own.” He told her, no longer afraid of telling her about himself. He didn’t see her as a threat. Of course as a Samurai he had the training that let him react at a moment’s notice at all times, however he didn’t believe he would need to use that training with her.

He considered telling her maybe that a part of starting a new life meant getting new connections, maybe even somewhere along the line meeting someone. Telling her, or rather asking her himself if she was feeling the same way he was.

His heart beat strong and proud, he took slow and steady breaths out of consideration for her head resting on his chest. He couldn’t help but enjoy the scent of her hair, the garden smell she had underneath the smell of battle.
His ears twitched slightly as he heard the sound of the guards footsteps both walking out of the door, one of them holding a roll of what looked like a cigarette in his hand.
When they did that, Roth suddenly felt immense relief from a tension he wasn’t even aware he was feeling.
“Listen…” He said for a moment, looking away from her as he tried to find a way to convey his feelings into words. Now that the guards were gone he felt like he could speak freely.
“I know it’s just been a couple hours but…”
“Hey!” A man from the other cell called out.
His eyes darting upwards, Roth quickly caught the man’s voice from the other cell. It was the water bender he noticed earlier.
“Yeah?!” Roth asked curiously.
“Come over here” The man said, motioned his hand to beckon Roth over.

The samurai placed his hands on Bailey to lightly get some space between them so he could go on one knee.
“Wait here” He told her as he made eye contact with her before turning back to look towards the man.
Walking up to the iron bars he placed both his hands on the cold metal making eye contact with the dark skinned man’s brown eyes.
“Who are you?” The man asked Roth
“Just a Samurai” He replied
“They’re gonna sell you both ya know. These guys’ll take you and sell you both to slavers. You'll be put to labor work, and the girl, with looks like that, will be put into the sex trade” The man explained to Roth.
Roth looked back at Bailey for a moment, a small look of worry in his face.
“We won’t be here when that happens” He replied stiffly.
“I could bust you guys outta there ya know”
Roth felt a small joy in his stomach.
“Yeah that’d be-”
“For a price…” He interpreted with a cold expression.
Roth’s eye’s narrowed at the response.

“What?”
“I seen the weapons you had coming in here, and the looks the guards had, they were scared of you both.” He told him, his voice sounding more passionate.
“I’ve seen what these do to their prisoners, they torture the men for fun, and rape the women almost every day” He explained as he looked back for a moment at the three other people that were in his own cell with him. One of them being a woman who sat in the corner, her cheeks red from the tears she shed recently.
“This is the main base of the Red Minotaur gang, I want you to help me destroy it completely, and take their boss right with it.”
Normally Roth would agree to something like that, however he didn’t want to be killing anyone, not when they could bring these men to the Earth Nation military just as well. He wasn’t opposed to destroying the base however. Yet he didn’t want his sword to take any lives
He turned his head to Bailey.
“Hold on” Roth replied before walking back over to Bailey.
“What do you think?” He asked her in a whisper so the man couldn’t hear.

Bailey's heart raced as she listened to him speak. "You are far from weak." Roth's words hit her hard. He thinks I'm strong! she thought to herself, her blush getting a bit more bright. Listening to him talk about her fight with the guards reminded her of her father. "My little girl, so strong and brave. You are so much more like a soldier everyday." He told her as her arrow struck her first bullseye. "But Father, I don't want to be a soldier. They are nothing but ruthless and destructive people. Why do I have to be a soldier?" The younger Bailey complained as she lowered her bow. "Because, my dear, you must be strong and destructive like a soldier in order to understand how to be kind and gentle." Her father explained to her.

Bailey smiled at the memory as Roth began to talk about his job. Letting his words sink in, she let her hopes fly. He said he's alone! she thought, her eyes sparkling as they sat together. He said he's alone! He may not like me, but he's alone! Bailey kept her mind on the positive for the moment. Military, so he's a soldier, but he's not like the other soldiers I've met. He's kind and sweet, and... Losing herself in her thoughts. "Listen." Roth told her, breaking her from the small trance she placed herself in. ...and he's talking to you, Bailey! Pay attention!

"What do you mean?" Bailey asked as she began to focus again. She leaned forward just a bit to hear him, They were so close to each other already that she really didn't have to, but she wanted to be absolutely sure of what she heard. When the other man called out, Bailey sighed. moved so that Roth could go over to him, but didn't want to be so far apart from him. What is this, Bailey? Pull yourself together! She told her self as she looked down at the stone floor and waited for him to return. Over-hearing the conversation, Bailey shivered at the thought of all the women being raped and the men getting injured. Is he really that confident that we will find a way out before any of that happens to us? She couldn't imagine allowing someone to hurt Roth without stepping in to help him, just as he had stepped in against the boss earlier that day. Destroying the place would be difficult, but it was possible with the right plan. However, Bailey never liked killing people who she wasn't sent to kill. She sent Roth an uncertain look when he turned to her, conflicted on what to say. "I don't know, Roth, there's a lot of things that could go wrong trying to destroy the building." Bailey whispered to him, trying not to be overheard. "Plus, that would put every prisoner at risk. I don't know if I could commit to possibly killing everyone." Bailey looked up at him and pleading with her eyes to see her point. I just couldn't lose you. She fully finished her thought before resting her hand on his for a moment. "Roth, I know that samurai's take things seriously, so seriously think through this."

She couldn't understand what she was feeling that made her want to keep Roth safe. Everyone she ever got close to either ran away from her history, or died and became it. She wasn't sure she could stand having Roth do the same. But he had asked her for her opinion, making it appear that it mattered to him what she thought. Did it matter? She wasn't sure and pulled her hand back. He never got to finish his sentence before. She thought, pulling him a bit closer to her. "Roth, before we decide on what we are doing, please tell me what you wanted to say before. It could change my decision." She told him, worried about his answer, just as she was before. If he told her that he didn't care for her any more than a fellow prisoner, she was prepared to get back on track with her mission, forgetting everything he had ever said with every feeling as well. However, if by some chance he didn't, she would make it her mission to retrieve their weapons and get out, forgetting about killing the boss and the money that would have came with it. It was all up to his answer and his feelings, and it made Bailey worry even more.

Roth stood near the bars as he was talking to the water bender. He didn’t turn his head to Bailey when she spoke to him. He could hear her talking in his ear as the water bender continued. He listened to both of them with his eyes moving downwards in thought. She pretty much felt the same way he did, not wanting to kill anyone and being unsure about making any sort of plans at all. He couldn’t disagree with her. Yet hearing about these prisoners and the way this gang was, made him only feel a sense of justice to these people and a desire to free them, as any strong and capable samurai would. It would feel wrong to not help now.

Her look of concern made sense to him, and he looked back at her as she really seemed worried about it all. When she rested her hand on his upon going back to her, he lightly gripped her hand as well so that could be locked together. He began to feel her connection to him a little, seeing her grip on his hand was tight enough, and she was close enough to him that she didn’t seem to be uncomfortable around him in anyway. Roth himself didn’t seem to shy away from her presence in anyway, and even listening to her words was a pleasure to him. Her voice alone was nice to hear. The way they held hands, the way they cuddled, anyone else at a glance would see them as a couple.
The feeling he had in his chest, in his heart, he couldn’t explain it anymore. The fast pace heart beat combined with a sensation of warmth and peace around his upper body.
He could only ask himself.

Did he really feel something for this woman? The feeling was nice, but wasn’t it out of place?  Didn’t people usually go on dates to decide this kind of thing? Could he really already feel this way about her simply because they exchanged words of themselves and cuddled next to each other? Could he trust his own feelings?

He felt her pull him even closer to her as she asked him about what he was saying earlier. They were practically touching chests now from how close they were, feeling her breath on his neck and the natural, calm scent of her hair in his nose. Her smell grew nicer as the sweat that was on them earlier from battle was dried off of them as they had time to rest. He stood bit taller then her, his eyes away from hers for a moment as he thought about how to say this.
“I…” He barely got out, thinking of what to say, how to convey what he was feeling.

He looked down at her hands, and took both her hands and placed them together so that his fingers were wrapping around both her hands as he placed them together.
“When this is over…I…” He said sounding more confident for a moment, only to have himself choke again.
‘Damn it’ he thought, how’d those guys do this in the romance movies?
He did only what he felt he could, by looking up at her, making direct eye contact and letting a smile escape him as he looked at her, their faces just inches away. For a moment an image of the big kiss scene in those movies came to his mind. However he knew that would just complicate things, and even the thought was too much for him.
In the end, he felt there was only one way he could word it. So looking into her beautiful blue eyes and a smile on his face he asked her.

“I would very much like to go out with you when this over” He finally said in full confidence, not sounding weighed down by the feelings of uncertainty but instead genuine, heartfelt, and with a caring voice.

Bailey stood as she took his hadn in hers and smiled when he didn't move it. She wasn't sure if he understood her point or not, but she trusted his decisions.

Before Bailey could realize it, Roth had tightened his grip on her hand just barely, the simple movement sending a shiver down her spine. When he started to speak, she held her breath for a moment. Reminding herself to breathe as he tried to gather his thoughts. Her hopes slowly grew again as they stood there, so close to each other. "When this is over.." Roth started to tell her, breaking off again. Is he just as nervous? Just as scared? Bailey asked herself as she waited to hear him out. "Yes, what is it?" She asked, getting a bit anxious and impatient as she looked back at his eyes. " I would very much like to go out with you when this is over." Roth's voice was sweet to her ears. Bailey's hear felt like it jumped away from her as his words registered in her mind. He Likes Me! Her joy almost over-whelmed her as she realized she hadn't answered him yet. Embarrassment hit her for a second before she could collect her thoughts, she hadn't ever been asked out before and the concept threw her through a loop. Even though it was a loop she was hoping for.

"I...um... you mean me?" Bailey answered him in an almost shocked state, but still a bit shy. "I would love to." She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek before blushing a bit. "I was honestly going to ask what your feelings were before, but was too scared."

Roth tried his best to maintain his confidence after he had asked her, his stomach churned with anticipation at her answer. He was sure she liked him, she had to of right? A girl normally doesn’t just talk and cuddle with someone like this on a regular basis right? How would he even know though…?
He couldn’t afford to place doubt in his heart, however he prepared himself for rejection. Just in case.

You mean me? She asked. Roth’s eye’s narrowed her response, was this a good or bad thing? He had no way to tell, it brought a sense of panic to his mind though. The way she looked up at him though made his grip on her hands tighten just a little, not enough for it to hurt, but more like a comforting pressure.
Yet this was a good thing, a very good thing as it was the best answer he could have hoped for. She really said yes, before Roth could even begin to wrap his mind around that she suddenly rushed her face up to his and he felt a soft graze of flesh touch his cheek, causing his eye’s to widen a bit and lift one of his hands up for a moment to process the kiss.

She really wanted to ask him the same thing? He couldn’t believe it; this whole time they both felt the same way? So all of this stuff they were doing it was just building up inside them. Was this even possible? Roth wasn’t really looking for any girls, he wanted to start his own life but the part of asking girls out didn’t even come to his mind. Yet here one just shows up, he began to feel a burning passion build in his stomach, a motivation as he now had something to protect and to look forward to when this was all over. He was going be going on a date when they got out, which meant he had to protect Bailey, and they would have to escape. The Red Minotaur gang would show no signs of stopping this if they let this building remain standing

Yet a smile came from Roth as heard her saying she was too scared.
“I was scared too, but I’m happy I asked” He told her before letting go of her hands and placing them on her shoulders, making direct eye contact with her.
“I want to get out of here, and I want you by my side. Are you with me?”

Bailey nodded to Roth before kissing him and working together to free the prisoners and explode the mansion. It was easier than Bailey thought it would be and no one was too badly injured, except the boss, who was found crushed underneath the rubble. Bailey and Roth checked everywhere in the destruction for their weapons and found them beside the Boss's body. Her bow had a few nicks in it from the explosions, but was still in tact.

About a week later, Bailey took Roth back to her home on Ember Island. The whole time, Roth stayed right beside her, and she felt comfortable walking through the streets again. "Look, its the Kenta girl." Some of the villagers called out, but no one threw anything at her. To her amazement, Bailey could stand tall again.

Eventually the two of them got married and Bailey became pregnant. They rejoiced with friends and Roth's squad before he was called out on a mission. When the team came back, Roth was injured in battle and sent straight to the hospital. He was unable to be there when Bailey went into delivery, and was pronounced dead moments later. The nurses were kind enough to restrain from telling Bailey until after she had given birth, attempting to restrict the amount of emotional stress going through her mind.

Bailey gave birth to two gorgeous twins, one boy and one girl, both with Roth's hazel brown eyes. She cried as she held them, knowing that they were the last of her beloved husband. "I will name you Shuramine, my dear little boy. Shuramine and his sister Amaya." Bailey told the nurses as she pulled her twins closer to her. Amaya's golden blonde hair contrasted against Bailey's at the moment, but she knew that just like hers did, it would grow out to be a beautiful darker blonde, where Suramine's brown locks would remain that color.

The funeral for Roth was held by his family. They helped to provide for Bailey and help her with the twins when she had to go on requests.

(Topic Finished)