Their wait was not very long. Medical was very efficient; the sense of urgency, the feeling of tautness, pervaded the entire ship from bow to stern. Yuzuki knew that, in fifteen to twenty minutes, she would have to be downstairs and dressed out with the rest of the engineers, but... for some reason she knew this was something that she needed to do. It was stupid, sure, but necessary.
When the two of them finally settled down in one of the recreation rooms, Yuzuki with scissors in hand and Kai cross-legged on the floor, it was kind of like the two of them were inside a bubble, with the world going by on the outside. There was about a half an hour on the clock, still; Yuzuki grabbed some of Kai's hair, smoothing it down, running her fingers through it.
"You don't cut this yourself," she observed, "Who usually does?"
"Well, No-one, since basic. it's been growing for almost a year now. I think I actually did cut it myself about then, but it was horrible. scrounging around a Nebula can get pretty darn boring." Kai felt his hair again, putting some of it behind his ears to keep it out of his face. Yuzuki took some of it from him then, their hands brushing together again, however briefly.
"You can't really want it all off?"
Kai tensed slightly. Again, their hands had touched. In all honesty, he hadn't even touched anyone other than one of the medics in a long time and he missed the physical feeling of another person. "Yup. at least half of it, but don't make it ragged. I'd rather not die ugly."
It was an attempt at a joke; whether or not it would be humorous the Yamataian did not know. Yuzuki's reaction told him enough; she offered a fleeting smile, slightly forced, and said "Well, there's that. I'll try."
She picked up a comb and, separating the unkempt mane with it, began to snip away some of the straw-colored mess. A few locks tumbled down onto the deck carpeting, the little hairs from them speckling Kai's shoulders.
The Yamataian tingled a bit as he imagined he could feel the hairs separating from his body. It was an odd thing, cutting your hair. If you weren't used to it, it could be an interesting experience. "Just.. Don't cut too much." he said, somewhat nervously, straightening his back and forcing himself to sit still while Yuzuki adjusted to match his new posture.
"You said you wanted it shorter," she said, pausing and taking her hands - and the scissors - away from his head, "You never really said how short you wanted it. So, I'm just taking it down a few inches. Um, you still... want to be able to tie it back? Right?"
"I... Yeah... No. No. I want it short. Like, three, maybe four inches. can you do that?" he finally said, forcing himself to make a decision. He wanted it different. Just as this mission was different, and he would be different at the end. "I feel like getting a haircut signifies something, you know?" Kai said, feeling at the spot where Yuzuki had cut it, before taking his hands back down. A knuckle brushed past a knee in the movement.
"You'll look a little silly," Yuzuki warned, putting her hands in her lap, "And I think I know what you mean. If you let me cut it, like I think you might like, even if you don't like it, it will grow back."
"That is a good thing about Hair." the Infantryman conceded. "Have at it, then." the newly-appointed Heisho allowed, Looking back at Yuzuki and winking before sitting forward and straight again. He would have touched her hand, but the way they were sitting would have made the motion awkward. The nekovalkyrja started clipping away at his hair again almost immediately, anyway.
After about a minute where the only sound in the room was the shears snip-snipping away, Yuzuki said, "Thanks for letting me do this. I don't think I could have managed to keep looking like I know what I'm doing, if I'd had to go back downstairs right now. I'm no good at waiting around and looking important."
Kai paused after she spoken, having been lost in the feel of his hair being cut. "Uhh. No problem, I guess. It needed doing sometime or another, and now is as good a time as any." the Yamataian assured, smiling a bit, despite the fact that the sprite wouldn't see it.
"You shouldn't have to try to look important if you don't want to. Just be you, you know? those who are going to notice you will, and the ones that do notice are probably the ones you'd rather have noticing."
Again, Yuzuki stopped cutting his hair. This time, she just didn't say anything. When Kai turned around, Yuzuki dropped her eyes away, and her voice followed, soft and quiet. "I'm sorry, that's just it. I'm terrified. But, I can't let anyone know, because if I'm scared, they'll be scared, too."
"I'll let you in on a little secret." Kai said, softly, as he turned himself all the way around to face properly at the Sprite. "I'm scared, too. Deep down, there's a part of me that's certain I'm going to die at any moment. I know everyone feels it, on this ship. Nyton, Masako, Tom, every one of the sprites; Even Kotori-Taisa. Sometimes, it's best to let someone know you're scared. that's how they know they can help." The Yamataian placed his own hand on the Sprite's and squeezed it a little.
At that, Yuzuki looked up.
"Kai," she said, "I'm scared."
Kai gripped the Sprite's hand a little more firmly, and gently pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. "Don't be scared. Everyone is here for you, Yuzuki. The whole ship, the ones who've been here, and the ones who just came. They are all here for you. And you're here for them. Don't let anyone down, especially not yourself. Okay?"
She nodded in reply. A few awkward moments passed before she took the leap, and leaned forward, putting her head on Kai's shoulder. She had only ever done this once before, and she had been close to a complete breakdown at the time; now, fully in possession of herself, she found the contact comforting.
Kai found the contact comforting as well. He took slow breaths, so as not to bother Yuzuki, and squeezed her a little when she unfolded her legs and settled sideways into his lap, shifting her forehead to rest on his neck, instead. It had happened rather suddenly, and Kai was surprised at his own daring, but he knew that the orange-haired sprite needed comfort, and he was there to give it. Her own movements had only added to the situation, but Kai didn't question it, either.
The distractions were now gone from Kai's mind, his little games to keep himself occupied so he didn't worry about what was probably going to happen, the thing that made him always seem so relaxed. Right now, he was focused on Yuzuki. The way she felt, the way she smelled, the weight of her on his lap, the warmth from her body. Kai forgot about the Mission completely.
The haircut could wait.
