Tilling my own Grave to keep me level...

[Otomeken]

If the thought of a smile on Otomeken's face enraged Kaliri, then the actual sight of her might invoke something completely different. She wasn't crying, and wasn't exactly stoic at the sight of her friend breaking. But she did have a soft empathy on her face, though it's hard to discern a person's emotions without the aid of their eyes... Otomeken, by the third punch, was on the ground in front of Kaliri on her own knees and picking the girl up into a hug, forcing her up into a hug, one she would not easily relinquish...

[Kaliri]

kaliri folded, tired of straining, tired of fighting. Life was hard, true, and life was a struggle for everyone on some level, also true, but Kaliri had had just about enough of having to struggle with EVERYTHING. It was about time she could be soft and no one was trying to talk her out of it. It was about time she could hurt and not be shunned. it was about time someone could take the gauge of the full scope of her emotions and not think ill of her. She was tired of having to hide how much she felt.
She turned herself so her body conformed to that of Otomeken, and she wrapped her arms around the taller girl, as she bawled. She held on tight, comforted by the memory of the arms that had carried her to her little pithy shack when they first met. The same arms that had pushed her away so many times were now doing exactly what she'd wanted them to do so long ago. Just hold her, protect her, cover her, so she could be soft. surround her, so she could be safe to feel.
It felt like a moment of absolution, when the whole universe was looking down and saying "okay, Kaliri, you've earned it. Go ahead." She didn't know why it was happening, or what was going to happen next, but for just a minute, just this one minute, it felt bliss to sit and cry and be held by these arms. these strong arms, for just that perfect moment, knowing she was safe. Knowing she was where she was needed.

[Otomeken]

Otomeken stayed where she did the most good for the girl and just softly cooed in the other language of her ancestors, trying to sooth Kaliri and make her feel welcome within her arms...

'An raibh tu cnoc phadraig, bhi ag ni campai, bhi ag na Francai; mise 'gus tusa 'gus robail na muice, 'gus bacadh Shile Andai...'

It was a soft and rythmical song. The intention of the mysterious words wouldn't be clear, but it was soothing if nothing else...

[Kaliri]

Kaliri didn't know how long she stayed sobbing in the woman's arms. Finally she started trying to talk through the tears.
"I didn't know what I'd done wrong. I tried so hard to be what you wanted me to be. I wanted to help you, make you be happy, and not so angry. I wanted you to be happy with me. I just wanted to make you happy. I loved you, and you just kept hurting me. It hurt so bad, when you yelled... when you said I was weak... I just wanted you to be happy that you knew me. I just wanted you to smile at me. I was standing there in the middle of the street, and you looked at me, I saw your eyes, and you smiled, and you were worried, and then I blinked and you were always mad. I wanted to see you like that again. I wanted to see you happy again. I wanted to see you care again. I don't like seeing you mad. I feel like I failed. I just wanted you to be happy. It hurt so bad..."
"And now everyone's gone, and I'm all alone again, and I just wanted a friend. But I've let everyone down, and now they're all mad at me, and they all went away. I can't do all of this. I can't be this strong. I try to be tough, hard, so I don't care, but I always end up caring too much. And it hurts, but I can't stop. I love them all, but it hurts so bad. I just want to tell them I love them, one more time. Because i do. I love them all. Even though they went away, I still love them. I love them like I always loved you. I just wanted to make them happy. I just wanted to help them. It's all I live for. I love them, I love you, but it hurts so bad!"
She continued crying, carrying on in the same way, the same words and feelings repeating themselves over and over.
She felt as though everything she was feeling made her weak, but she just couldn't help it. She saw all this emotion as a crack in her defenses, nothing to be proud of. If only she could stop caring, maybe she'd be stronger.

[Otomeken]

"There are places you can go if you don't want to care. There are places that drill the caring out of you through torture, torment, beatings, and desensitivity. If that was really what you wanted, you wouldn't be in konoha. But you're here. So that means you're strong enough to become a ninja, and still be a real person. The fact that you haven't given up at all, really proves this. And, hey, if it can prove it to me... I must be true..." Otomeken was smiling again, but still holding the girl inher arms...

[Kaliri]

Kaliri slowly settled, taking deep, shaky breaths. finally, she pulled her head back to look Otomeken "in the eye". She was glad the other girl couldn't actually see her, as she was sure she looked really terrible at that point.
"Do you really think so?"

[Otomeken]

Otomeken nodded. "Anyone who can stand a test of time and not give up, can't be weak. Especially if easier pathes are out there for them to follow. So yeah, I'm sure hun..."

[Kaliri]

Kaliri considered this.
"It might have been easier to give up on you...." She stuck a moment on that thought. "But even you should know how impossible that is.... You're too important. You're the reason why I've done all that I have... You and Papa..."

[Otomeken]

Otomeken shook her head. "You know... I should probably know a lot of things... but while being too self-absorbed... I missed most of them...

[Kaliri]

Klairi looked up at Otomeken, and dared to smile a tiny little bit, knowing the girl couldn't see it. She broke gently from Otomeken's embrace, and grabbed her hands on the way back. She pulled the backs of both hands to her forehead, bending slightly at the waist and neck. "That's okay. I still love you." She dropped the hands and took a deep breath, looking vaguely around at the dark and the shadows.

[Otomeken]

Otomeken stood up again and surveyed their surroundings. "So... Which way now?" she asked, knowing one way would lead them out of town, one back to it, one to the lake, and one to the training ground....

[Kaliri]

Kaliri looked up, blinking, and not konwing the area, she couldn't make heads or tails of it in the dark. "Actually... I don't know... i can't see anymore.. or not as well. I don't know where we are."

[Otomeken]

Otomeken nodded and pointed in the four different directions, letting Kaliri know what lay at the end of each path, and again giving her the choice of which way she would like to wander in...

[Kaliri]

Kaliri looked down each path. "I can't go out of the village yet, so I don't think we should go that way. It's late, and I can't really see much, so going back to the training grounds where we just came from, wouldn't be too useful. So, either the lake, with it's coldness this late at night, or back to the village. I'm thinking the village proper, cause I have to change and clean up, one way or another. She tried to point down the general direction, but her hand cramped up. The hand she was pounding on the ground, and it really hurt. She dropped her arm and attempted to keep it down out of sight, and instead switched to her left hand to point.

[Otomeken]

Otomeken nodded and started walking, mostly in the direction Kaliri pointed. "Good idea... we can get you some bandages," she said without looking at her, having seen more in that gesture with her ears than anyone would have with their eyes...