Private deep orange and blue days

[Ryuu Goro]

“I don’t belong here.”

It was just a momentary invasive thought escaping from her lips, standing here on a monument of true legends of the past. The scale of what she truly wanted to accomplish crashing down on her tiny frame, insignificant in the face of these giants. If she accomplished her goal, would the people of the land construct magnificent statues in her honor like this? The thought aroused a small chuckle from the pensive girl with dreams of grandeur. She couldn’t even begin to imagine it. Not as she currently was anyway.

She leans against the railing, a gentle breeze wrapping itself around her, as if to soothe her apprehension. One step at a time, little sprout. She couldn’t falter just because she saw what it meant to become world renowned. To become so famous that people speak your name for generations to come. It was easy to feel small on the summit of heroes, but she would have to soar even further, not just for family, but for herself. Miyako wished to someday be an idol for people to find comfort in too. Something that could bring hope and solace to people in need like the Hokage.

One day, indeed. Today, however, would be a day for her to take in the sights and meet the people in her new home. She didn’t have to become a shining star on her first day. She walks over to a kiosk, orders her favorite dango and takes a seat on the nearest bench. Miyako relaxes, looking out on the bustling, joyous faces, illuminated by deep orange, content to bloom when she’s ready. To bloom into someone that would make everyone proud.

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

I want to belong here.

A constant, focused thought which urged every step Utsumi took. She spent the better part of her afternoon trudging up this path, the physical exercise lost on her as - per consistency - her mind output heavier exertions. It wasn't hard to just be good at things. It was hard, sometimes, to remember that you were. It took a stretch - cracking fingers behind her back and planting her hands on her hips as she looked out over the structure she had scaled - to wonder if that's how even these figures once felt. She looked from them to out over the whole of the Village, seeming to be undecided on which interested her more. Did these people - these remarkable talents and strength, inlaid in stone for eternity in reverence - wish so badly to be recognized as the greats before them? Did they ever find themselves up here with these same sights, perhaps a little aged, and hope for their own strength? Did they have these dreams? Did they make them come true?

If someone else has done it, Utsumi knows she can.

If someone else hasn't, Utsumi knows she will.

She slipped into leisurely steps, pacing back and forth against the railing with bright, sharp eyes scanning the city below. She wondered briefly if she could jump this. If needed, of course. Like, if there was an evil do'er atop the buildings, causing trouble or -- setting bombs, or something. Surely that would be just cause for her to take the trillion foot plunge? She felt an exhiliration in her heart. Utsumi Nanamiya on Hokage Rock. Utsumi Nanamiya on top of the world. She stopped pacing, hands now carressing the rail, and for a moment it looked like she just might. She was no baby bird, preening in its nest with a belief a better tomorrow would come for it. She knew hope came from migration. She knew all she needed to do was spread her wings and --

One leg lifted up against the boundary as if she was seconds from tossing herself off.

 

[Ryuu Goro]

A young couple walking hand in hand, an old man walking his dog, a group of small children playing in the park. Hokage Rock was just the kind of atmosphere Miyako craved, a cacophony of happy people living happy lives, one where her family wasn’t hovering close behind to make sure everything was on schedule in her sterile, rigid regimen. But there was one person that was behaving rather bizarrely. A small girl, somewhere around the same age as herself, pacing rabidly back or forth along the railing. Miyako didn’t pay any attention to it at first, but as she took a bite of her dango, she realized the girl had been doing it for quite some time, contemplating something. She looked so intense as she did it, back and forth, over and over again. It was kind of entertaining. Is this what it was like to go to a zoo? Miyako never would have imagined that watching a strange girl like this would be so fun! She was behaving so erratically, so free, so unlike how Miyako was raised.

In a mere blink, the situation would become more dire. For some reason the girl was attempting to climb over the railing. Is she insane? What is she doing? The animal is escaping the zoo! No, no Miyako, that's not important right now. Miyako instantly drops her dango onto the ground, a single metaphorical tear drooping from her eye, knowing some feral beast was about to make off with it and sprints towards the girl, weaving in and out of a bustling crowd to make it towards the would-be leap of faith.

Miyako wraps her arms around the little daredevil and simply escorts her gently back to safe ground. Well, that’s what she’ll be telling everybody else. The reality of the situation is once she got there, Miyako did not handle the situation elegantly at all. She grappled the wild, little creature and perhaps- uh… kind of suplexed her away from the railing in a way. “What the hell do you think you’re doing up there, missy!? Are you out of your gosh damn mind!? Where are your parents!?” Miyako fired off a rapid onslaught of questions at the girl, white with shock, jittering and legs wobbly from the shot of adrenaline she was coming down from.

She crouches down with the girl, wrapping around her gently, for real this time, head pressed to Miyako’s rapidly beating heart. “M-My apologies. I didn’t mean to be so… well, you know. But in my defense you were being irresponsible! Come on, I’d like to buy you a treat to make up for it and maybe you can explain yourself to me, God and the dango that were lost along the way.” There wasn’t a hint of irony or malice in any of her words as she consoled the small girl, taking her hand to help her back to her feet.

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

A threat.

Utsumi felt hands on her, pulling her off this distracted destination, and the weight of that grip against her skin. It sent needles up her spine and flexed a tightness in her arms. Her eyes widened in that instant that Miyako yanked her from the railing, only then realizing along with the contact that she had been climbing it at all. It was just a silly thought! She had just wanted to feel the air whisk around her while she pretended, for just a moment, that she, too, was one of these greats; stony and implacable and watching studiously out for the village beneath their gazes -- did it look like she was going to jump? Wait, no --

Her heart skipped a beat, heat flushing out through her limbs from her chest as she was pried away. Instinct. A dangerously warm breath from her gasping mouth. Invaders must die. Get your hands off of ME --
Thankfully, the interaction was over faster than her surprised form could react, and she fell in a pile under the well-intentioned intervention and found herself scraped and sprawled on the sidewalk. Her eyes went dizzy, lips moving in a daze, but no sound followed her stabilization. Just little chufts of air and the pattering of her hands on the ground as she tried to find again her balance. The moment of desperation had passed as quickly as it took her to refocus deep crimson eyes on the girl who had relocated her. The fear and rage in that moment was more akin to an agitated beast than it was a life-or-death response, but she still didn't enjoy the feeling.

She fidgeted when pulled into a consoling hug, but found it wasn't as bad as the arms pulling at her before. She could even relax, ebony hair shifting down her bare back and then over her shoulder. She smelled soft. Pretty. She allowed the entrapment for a moment longer before shuffling onto her knees and then sitting criss-cross in front of the other, watching herself be talked at. Her head tilted left, then right - canine - and she opened her mouth once more before closing it. She wasn't done being berated. That made sense. Her fingers, however, did tap on the ground along with Miyako's words; Utsumi's own version of adding an undercurrent of noise to a conversation, akin to the idea of humming approval or disapproval.

She waited for Miyako to finish, politely, eyes empty in a thoughtless but not uncaring way: and then accepted her hand with fingers lightly clasping around the outside of Miyako's, pulling herself up in a single firm rush. She waved her arms once standing straight, as if trying to dispel any lingering concerns, and broke into a sheepish smile. She almost looked as embarrassed as she was surprised. She stepped back and shuffled through a pack at her hip, pulling out a pen and notepad and scrawling her responses to Miyako like an over-excited child that had kept their peace until the adults gave them the chance to speak.

[ hi! im utsumi! you're funny haha : D what's your name? you're pretty : ) i wasn't jumping btw XD ]​

She continued, shoving that one into Miyako's hands as she kept writing on another note. I didn't realize I was climbing it hehe! : P I was just thinking about how cool it was up here! I was raised by priests. I'm a Shinobi now. : ) Are you one too? I like your sword! I could go for dango, too. Her eyes trailed off to the side, seeing the forgotten treat on the ground already being thieved by various little insects and offered a genuine frown. She seemed, herself, disappointed. I'm sorry about yours. : ( You didn't have to grab me! I wouldn't have fallen! I'm really good at climbing things.

She grinned cheekily, her eyes quickly lifting up with vibrant little sparkles at her next thought. Do you want to play a card game with me?

 

[Ryuu Goro]

Miyako blinked at the notepad, index finger tapping at her lips as she leaned in to read, her other hand resting on her hip, realizing the little daredevil was mute. “Hmmm~ Let’s see… Pleasure to meet you, Utsumi. My name is Tachibana Miyako, but you can call me Miya~” She pats Utsumi’s head and giggles, swaying back and forth with a warm smile. “Etto~ whoa you really think I’m funny!? I fancy myself something of a jokester.. Y’know as a panic response.” Miyako waits patiently, intensely inspecting the girl. She was by far the most interesting person she’s seen in the village so far, seemingly unfazed by this whole ordeal. Miyako figured she didn’t enjoy being talked down to, but it couldn’t be helped! This kid was a gremlin! An amusingly entertaining and adorable one, but still!

Another note flashed before Miyako's eyes. “Well, I was right to be worried if you didn’t realize you were doing it, silly girl! No matter how good you are at climbing, all it takes is one strong gust to lose your balance and then we wouldn't have been able to be friends and play card games together! Come now~ your incredible onee-chan will tell you all about herself once we’re settled in.” Miyako bounces back to the kiosk, peering back to make sure the raven-haired lass didn’t stray too far behind with a smile. She leads the way to a vacant picnic table, setting her sword down next to her. “To answer your last few questions~ Yep! I’m also a shinobi- well, starting today I am. I just settled into the village today, but I come from a long lineage of samurai- hence the sword~ Thank you by the way. It’s a gift from my family.”

Michiko taps her hands on the table, excitedly leaning in until she is face to face, gazing into vivid scarlet. “So! Enough about me. Teach me how to play this so-called ‘Card Game’. I’ve never played it before!”

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

There was a slowness to the moment that overtook Utsumi as Miyako began her replies: it was as if her cheery-bright perspective of the world had been stunned into silence, the hues of orange and blue in the midday sky saturating to something so sweetly pastel it made her teeth hurt. It was the feeling of a door slipped open, almost as if by accident, and cobwebs scattered from heart hinges. It was the feeling of someone who had never truly been alone finding the truth to loneliness. Someone had joined your world for the first time.

She slammed back to reality. 'Nee-chan'? she mouthed, a twinkle shared between two curious eyes. The light was traded back and forth with every tilt of her head, lifting her hand to tap knuckles at her chin in contemplation theatre. This girl was really silly. This girl was really funny. This girl had such hidden energy beneath a facade of composition - the messy lines we draw inside until bold blacks win out eyes and the color seeps just out the edges. She was perfect. Utsumi forgot where her notepad was tucked away as dazed hands ran down her frame, pawing at every pouch until she realized it had been in her grasp all along. She shook her head, tapping a foot on the ground to find center in the rhythmic sound. Everyone had always been nice to her, especially once she joined the Academy - her teachers and peers all enjoyed her company, or at least pretended to, and she never had any trouble with bullying.

Yet,

did she have any friends?

Nice to meet you Tachibana-san! ^ w ^ Oh! I can't talk! Sorry, I should have said that first! XP Ha ha ha! She thought only for a second. I wouldn't have lost my balance. It came flatly, writ as if delivered in monotome. The offer of the girl's companionship, however, wasn't lost to her, and this is where she found herself more scattered than she expected. Her tongue explored the side of her cheek and teased at teeth as if the saccharine could coat it with something witty. Still, you're a really nice person for worrying, and I am sorry for worrying you. So how about this: you never worry about me again! I won't ever mess up anything. : )

She skipped alongside her, nose wrinkled at the pet to her head, but all due benefits were given to every doubt -- Miyako was just very, very dorky. It was impossible for Utsumi to take it personally. She didn't know, of course, that Miyako thought of her as the gremlin in this company; as far as she felt, Miyako was the one she wasn't sure she could leave alone now. She kind of seemed like she needed someone to talk to, too. Like maybe she didn't have anyone else to. Welcome to Konoha! It's really cool here. The government is really nice and everyone's bad at card games.

She trailed off with her pen, a 'speaking of ...,' and then wrestled out a stack of trading cards from her pack. She lifted them and waved a card around, letting Miyako look it over while using it to guide both girls into their seats and properly set up across from each other. The rest of this interaction was in pre-written notecards she slammed on the table like they were a full house, spreading them out in a fan to form a complete picture of instructions. They were ... maybe, overly complicated at times. A little hard to grasp, even - but the basic idea was simple and sound: both player's decks have 20 cards and you draw two cards every turn with a starting hand of 3. The playing going first does not draw. There are Monsters and Magic, and you can play 1 (one) Monster a turn. You can play any number of Magic, but they all have a drawback associated, such as discarding cards, not drawing, or taking damage. Monsters can attack and they, and some Magic, do damage to your opponent. Any type of damage can be blocked by your own Monsters. You lose when you've taken 20 damage to your Health.

There were a lot of more complicated rules; like how Monsters have a Rank rating from 1 being the highest and 3 being the lowest and their summoning conditions change are different based on that, Magic being able to be placed as hidden information on the board and used on your opponent's turn, and various types of additional ways to get more than one monster out in one turn even though you can't directly play more than one out of your hand a turn ... it goes on.

I made it! And all the cards. This one's my favorite. : )

 

[Ryuu Goro]

Miyako takes a look at the instructions, nodding along with a keen certainty, like she had understood every bit of information scribbled on these notecards. This was a lie, far too embarrassed to clarify anything with the excited dusk-haired child. Miyako wasn’t a complete idiot- she was sure she’d figure it out from looking at the cards, but just in case she let slip a little remark to save some pride. “Ehh~ Just so you know i’ve never played any games like these, so you have to be nice to your onee-chan okay? I’ll eventually be sooooo good at this that you’ll be begging me to play with you! Got it!?” Mitako shuffles through some of the cards. She was genuinely surprised at the quality on display. This kid had talent and was clearly passionate about the idea of making games. There was a particular card that caught Miyako’s attention, nearly leaping out of her seat in jubilation, tugging on Utsumi’s sleeve for attention as she revealed it to her, dropping her holier than thou demeanor. “Oooh oh! This one is sooo cool Utsumi-chan! Did you really make all of these? I’m so impressed! They’re all so good!”

They begin their little game to determine who would be the queen of all card games- or at the very least that's how seriously Miyako took it. She wins the coin flip as it were and chooses to go first, trying her best to follow the rules laid out before her, pausing to double check and profusely apologizing each time she did out of sheer embarrassment. It sort of felt like Miyako’s deck was filled with far weaker cards than her opponent and you know, inventor of the card game, but she was far too dignified to call out an eleven year old for cheating in a children’s card game of all things! Regardless, she was having fun, completely enamored by this rambunctious little girl. Miyako wanted to squish and pamper Utsumi so badly like a good big sis, shining the most radiant smile whenever the two would make eye contact.

“So Utsumi-chan~ You said you were a Shinobi, yes? That means we’ll probably see a lot of each other in class! I think we’re going to be great friends. Hehe~☆” She trails off a bit, lost in thought as she double checks the rules to make sure she can summon the card she so enthusiastically showed to her opponent before the game began. Standing up in a ridiculous pose, her pompous grin partially obscured by the card held between her fingers. “Heh-Heh-Heh~ Come forth, samurai wielding infernal steel~ Burn all of Utsumi’s monsters to ash! I summon-” She takes a moment to look at the card again, double checking to make sure she gets the name right “Ahem- Masked Samurai of the Flaming Sword!”

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

No, she wouldn't. Utsumi's stare was blank - kind, but blank - when Miyako asserted she'd be really good at the game one day. No one's ever good at her games.

Still, it brought her infinite joy to have someone try so hard to share her passion: if Miyako really, truly understood the rules this quickly, maybe there was hope for someone to actually play with. She spent so many nights - unnecessarily sleepless, yet sleepless all the same - coming up with an entire comprehensive rulebook that seemed to scare away anyone from really interfacing with it (or her) but was just enticing enough to get people interested to try. She realized very quickly that there was no satiating the desire for a complex, but fun, but depth-filled, but approachable, but balanced, but exciting experience in a game. Any game, really: she posits it's why adults aren't that interested in having fun as they get older. It just becomes too much effort and your time is spent complaining anyway.

Ah ... hope was killed near the instant of its birth, and who are we but the murderers of our own delights? Miyako had no idea what she was doing. She had actually less than no idea; she seemed to have a negative understanding of the rules, as if she filled in the blanks with ideas that seemed right to her, but lacked the werewithal (or design creativity) to string even her fake knowledge together in a cohesive way. Utsumi was aghast. She even tried to summon a Rank 2 Monster without sending another Monster or Magic she owned to the Doom Pile, thus rendering the gamestate illegal for her Ultra Chaos Blast Motion Cannon Spell to resolve and kill Utsumi's Dragon-Armed Devil Engineer [Destroyer Mode]. How was she so blind to reason!? It took all Utsumi had to not summon her Grim Statue of Eating Limbs (to enable her Horrific Beast Fusion FORCE) and give Miyako one more turn to correct her mistakes.

But that one turn became another ... and another, apologies and sighs and concessions en circle. A cat that would bat at the mouse, sure, but laid down and waited when it didn't seem to know to run. It wasn't really about the hunt: the company just became more fun.

Communication during her games was second nature to Utsumi. She had pre-written notes that handled any major upsets in the game as well as table chatter, such as small talk and answers to generic questions. My favorite color is RED, thanks. (Like flowers, and BLOOD WARLOCK THE DARK FANG) Hehe. : P Half the time she barely gave thought to what she was replying to - just offered a note so the game could go on. This allowed a fast hand at the edge of the table to respond to anything that truly earned consideration without interrupting the game.

This was settled, so why was it so hard to think of what to say? Miyako chanted a summon - impassioned and giddy, excited for a card she had praised Utsumi for creating - and Utsumi was left with an unsteady grasp of her pen and starry eyes.

And there it was, in this heart of hearts. And there, the shadows cast away by the light of fiery blade and innocent reverie. And there --

Well, she still didn't summon it right, and you can't actually attack with Masked Samurai of the Flaming Sword under Utsumi's Fun Horror Dimension Field Magic - uhm, but -

I love you, Miyako-chan. Let's be friends forever, okay?
We can be Shinobi and still play card games like this. That's a promise, okay?

 

[Ryuu Goro]

Why was a simple game like this so much fun? It was very unbecoming of a proper maiden like Miyako to be so into a children’s game. She was supposed to be above such trifling matters, right? She was on the path of heroes. One that would lead her family to worldwide recognition. Who cares about that right now! Miyako was completely mesmerized by the game created by Utsumi-chan. She plays her cards out, turn after turn the effervescent smile never once fading even as she is thoroughly trounced by the little raven girl. It was her first day in Konoha and yet, everything before this felt like a hollow daydream. A bubble being burst by a storm of passionate feelings. Agonizing over misplays, the warmth of the sweet girl who was gentle and understanding and the thrill of battle. Utsumi had awakened a beast that would not be sated until she humbled this queen of games.

It took her a while to pull herself away from her cards, trying hopelessly to find an out to this awful scenario. She put on a good show, but there's no way this modest samurai could best the shogun herself. Miyako bows her head to read her excellency’s message. She chokes out a silent gasp, her eyes lighting up, shimmering and twinkling vehemently enough to put the night sky to shame. “Of course I’ll be your friend, Utsumi-chan! You don’t even have to ask. I love you, too! So, I’m definitely going to need some help with this card game. I’m no match for you right now, but give me a few games and I'll be coming for your crown~ Heheh~” She whisks herself away from the table, wrapping around Utsumi’s neck to hug her.

Miyako scampers back to her seat, kicking her legs in pure jubilation as she wiggles side to side. This chance encounter felt destined. This miraculous conjunction of two kindred spirits was the dawn of a wonderful friendship. The affection in her heart cascading into every little mannerism as she continues to play out her cards as best she can. “I love this game so much, Utsumi-chan. I’d play it forever with you in a heartbeat. I mean it, truly. Just stick around with your dazzling Onee-chan and you’ll never be bored, okay?” A sincere little smile and sugary wink as she passes the turn back.

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

There was a level of reverence afforded between the two girls; it came primarily from Miyako, with her structured and charismatic view of the world, but Utsumi leveled something of a burden on Miyako's shoulders just the same. There was this feeling of consistent awe - not because of anything ground-breaking, but from the simple nature of the ground not so much as cracking under their two-step. It happened so smoothly. It happened so easily. They bled into each other's lives within the flash of a pen, and like ink the vividness they painted together was overwhelmingly saccharine even for Utsumi's soft features. Her cheeks were pink. Her eyes were bright. In accordance to divine providence, two girls found Eden in the truth of the most gratifying experience one could: friendship. Real, honest, earnest friendship.

She melted into this instantly plausible chemistry, the resulting concoction gentlesweet. Her body - so prone to its fits under the constriction of even a lightest touch - didn't so much as flinch away from Miyako's easy arms around her shoulders. She froze, of course, but she didn't fight or flight. She thawed. She swallowed it down, stewing in the brilliance of the seconds until color could return to her cheeks and Miyako would rejoin a world just outside of Utsumi's again. A trembling hand trailed at the edge of their table, and then it was over, and she breathed a better breath. A tired softness to the slope of her shoulders, but a genuine warmth to crimson that fell on boundless pink. She simply nodded along.

Miyako was trying so hard; for herself, for Utsumi, and for this little haven they had all but stumbled into together. That selfsame nervous hand rose more prominently up the table, steadying on its ascension until it could slow to brush away a wayward strand from Miyako's bangs and offer - in return to a freed gaze - a bright smile. A happy smile.

That hand then fell back to the table, shifting forward one card on her turn, and leading her 'til then unseen hook to pull a new note into view.

Dark Demonic Death Knight Bringer of Apocalypse attacks you for game. Good try, Miyako-chan. : )

And then.

Sorry, sorry, O ~ nee-chan. Next time, right? Let's try again. You're getting the hang of this really fast! She wasn't, really. You'll catch up to me soon! Very unlikely. She was being grifted.

But every soundless word clung around them soft as down.​

[ thread end ]