Plans & Apologies

"I'm okay!" Cassie assured her movie star boyfriend.

She drew a deep breath and neatly folded her hands on the table. This one was going to sting... She knew that Akashi would always be in her life, but leaving meant Shinobu would never be her boyfriend again. She felt her eyes start to get misty at the thought, but quickly shook it off.

"Um... Finals are all done, so I've just had a lot of other things to catch up on. It's been a busy day." She nodded, with a permanent smile on her lips. "I hope Fujiko wasn't too mad."

Shinobu's eyes lit up as Cassie said she was ok, but as she seemed to have trouble afterwards, he coolly scrutinized her as she spoke, deciding that everything seemed in order when she finished. "Oh, she can be upset. She never is for long. I've missed you, Cassie-chan." Shinobu said with a nod.

"How have your studies been going anyway? Have you been doing well?" He asked. "I think it's always important to keep learning, though I'm far removed from school. I'm lucky I get to learn things in a very specialized way."

"They're going really well," Cassie said, nodding. "I only have one year left before I get my degree. I guess graduating high school early worked out well, because it's taking me an extra year to finish university, thanks to wrestling." She made a conscious effort not to say the word with any bitterness.

"Should we order? Ah, sumimasen!" She said to a passing waitress.

"Oh, yes, if course!"

Shinobu said and flagged down a waitress. He sent off his order and then turned to face Cassie. He folded his hands neatly on the table and smiled at her. "The film I'm working on should be wrapping up soon. After that, I think I'll be taking a bit of a break, so we'll be able to spend a lot more time together. Won't that be great?" He said as he grinned and reached out to take her hand.

"I know being with me has been difficult, but I want you to know, I truly am committed to you. I've also been giving it some thought... maybe you were right about the wrestling thing after all..." Shinobu laughed. "Maybe it's best if I just leave it to the professionals... like you!"

Oohhhhhhh...

That WOULD have been great SIX MONTHS ago. Dang it, Shinobu.

Cassie just smiled and nodded, and had nothing to say, until he moved on to the next subject. She kept nodding. She was nodding a lot.

"Well, Shinobu, if you think wrestling is really something you want to do then don't let anyone stop you. It's a lot of hard work, and it's not a forgiving career to have... It really has to be your passion to make it work. But I could see you being happy in something like jiujitsu, it's much more... honorable." She nodded.

Shinobu shook his head at Cassie's words. They seemed a little odd. She knew that he was never as serious as Cassie was about wrestling and he certainly never expressed any vocal interest in doing Jiu Jitsu himself.

"Acting is my passion, Cassie-chan." He said. "I'd never push myself in wrestling to the point where I'd give up acting." He paused. "There's actually very little I could give up acting for." He mused with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye. "Though... I hope I never have to make that sort of decision. Still, I have been feeling a bit restless lately. Anything we do, even if we love it can sometimes become tedious and burdensome, but that doesn't mean we should just give it up!"

Cassie pursed her lips and nodded. She knew that much about Shinobu. He was too committed to his profession, and too successful, to ever just walk away from it.

"What do you think I'm passionate about, Shinobu?" She asked inscrutably.

Shinobu balked a little bit at Cassie's question. "Ahhh, well..." He said, tilting his head and looking over Cassie. "Your Jiu Jitsu, of course, and wrestling... and your family as well..." He began. "I think that you are pretty passionate about animals as well, but..." Shinobu pushed a finger to his lips. "I think that you put a little bit of passion into whatever you do, really. It's one of the things I really enjoy about you, Cassie-chan." Shinobu smiled once more and looked at Cassie.

"Mm."

Cassie was becoming more troubled as the conversation went on. She didn't know what to say that wouldn't make things... uncomfortable. She didn't want to just dive right in.

"Jiujitsu is my life," she said simply. "But... My family is more important. Family is more important. And..."

She paused to think, but never managed to find the right words.

"Hai." Shinobu said and nodded. He understood that as well as anyone. His own family was almost his whole life as well.

"And?" He said, tilting his head as he looked at Cassie. "Do you miss them?" He asked. "Hasn't it been a while since you've been back to your home?" He asked. "Well..." He began. "When my work is finished, why don't we take a trip back? I'd love to meet more of your family. Your brother is such a wonderful young man."

Shinobu nodded. "In fact, it could be quite beneficial aside from just getting to meet your family. I have been wanting to make more inways into the western scene. I've done a little work in Vancouver, but I had really hoped that I could do more. It's the perfect gateway to Hollywood and being nearby would definitely be a big help."

Shinobu paused. "Then again... it's not like we'd be moving there... If it was just for a few weeks, that might not help me accomplish anything."

Shinobu waved the thought away. "I shouldn't be thinking about things like that! I'd just want to enjoy our time together most of all."