Golden Rays Lick The Snow. [Open/Oba]

[Kokomo]

What a strange thing! It had been such a long time since the artificial sun had warmed the body of the hot mess the stood in the center of the bazaar. She was a strange woman, standing in the middle of the crowd with her arms spread wide, a smile on her face, and her head facing upwards. She was pale, so pale, in fact, that her skin seemed to glitter with the newfound light. Her hair fine and tangled in a blonde mess on top of her head that filtered like a wild wavy waterfall down her back. Her body scrawny and bony with malnourishment and sickness--and yet, she looked so happy! People pushing past, and snarling at her pleasant behavior in the middle of their shopping. They were disgusted by her absorption of the sun in such a crowded area. She took up space by standing still, tall, and proud.

But, today wasn't about being annoying and in the way like most days were. The 5'5" stranger was on a mission to buy her very first item that was all hers. A possession that would be bought with her own money and without the help of anyone else. Muzai walked barefooted through the bazaar, scrambling and ducking between people. She lacked people skills, and therefore had issues with knowing what was socially acceptable. Her wild hair and child-like behavior sent her dashing under people's arms and between their conversations to get where she needed to be--always in the way, she was.

Hopping over a dog, the woman landed in front of the stall she was looking for. Hair clips. It was something she had never used, but the nurses in the mental ward used them a lot to hold their hair back to look professional and cute at the same time. Crouching down, her fingers curled over the side of the stand, she peered as close as she could possibly get to the jewels. Her nose resting on the edge of the table as she watched each one. Muzai wanted the one that sparkled. She wanted the jewel that she could place in her hair and everyone would notice. One that everyone would envy and want.

And there it was.

It was the strangest thing, actually. She knew it had to be perfect, because her and the clip had a lot in common: They were blonde and unique. The clip was a golden feather, with amazing detail, roughly the size of her index finger in length. Pulling out all of the yen in her pocket, Muzai set down the coins, and a few pieces of lint and wrappers, and pointed to the clip. "I want that one, yeah?" She insisted, the man looking at the yen she had produced. Thirty coins too many, he took it, and nodded to her, as she joyfully pulled her hair back on one side, clipping the feather there for all to see and admire!--not realizing she had been severely ripped off.

 

[Honma Kotone]

A day off... What was that again, and how did you spend those?

Oba Kinnaku, the Medical Sennin, had given herself the day off to give her tired fingers a break from the constant companion: a pen. Oh how she hated paperwork to the very end. But enough of that: today was a good day, or so it would appear to be, because today was her day off- wait, that was already mentioned, wasn't it? Regardless, Kinnaku had sought out a fitting apparel for today, something less 'worky' and more 'comfy'. She dressed herself in a comfortable, yet stylish, milky, grey satin dress with accommodating blue accents. Kinnaku would be seen across the crowd of people, if indeed one could see that far, with a wicker basket cuddled into her body as it rested on her arched forearm. Within the basket she had several species of flowers, all exotic and colorful in their own right.

She smiled at the vendors, passing by awkwardly as they glared at her for not buying their goods, but also because she seemed to be taking her time viewing the goods. 'Move along', they wanted to say so unassumingly, but couldn't because she may become a customer. And it was at that moment, through the crowds, through the sea of fresh faces, the Sennin's eye caught onto the pasty face of Muzai; her patient and doctor alike. She would smile, prompting the wicker basket to remain seated on her arm, as she walked over to the woman with a gentle expression painted across her olive canvas.

"Muzai," She would say approaching from behind, "You're out and about." Muzai was a troubled, but politely beautiful woman, who suffered from a host of conditions that were going to cause debilitation her career and personal life. However, the Sennin couldn't help but take a shine to her. "That's a beautiful clip."

 

[Kokomo]

A voice echoed through the stalls as Muzai always grinning expression turned in circles to face the woman who now stood before her. She cocked her head to the side and gave a blissful smile--the kind that suggested that she had a secret. "Ah, Kin-Ku." She childishly nicknamed her as she folded her hands behind her back and rocked forward on the balls of her feet. "Oh, thank you, Kin-Ku." Someone had noticed the glittering gold in her hair, and this tickled her with delight as her frail hand raised to touch it gently. "I just bought it--my first item! By myself!" The woman said excitedly, as though she had won a handful of yen instead of buying a measly hair clip.

"It matches my new room." Zai stated, as though to reassure Oba that she was doing just fine. "Li did a wonderful job. He is a great host. I wish you would come by and visit me sometime." The last part, despite her soft smile, sounded sad, as her eyes spoke the tale of sorrow that her expression could not. "Gets awfully lonely sometimes. Li thinks that it's off limits because I am a woman, yeah?" She looked down for a moment and grinned, "Oh, wow." She said airily, as always. Breathing out her words as she rambled (she was common for rambling), "I am a woman." Muzai said, as though just realizing her own status.

 

[Honma Kotone]

The Sennin would stay relatively silent as the woman spoke, a part of her sentence causing Kinnaku some worry. "Sorry, what?" She would cock her head slightly irregularly at her statement about Li, and something about her being a woman? She didn't quite understand. Kinnaku was sure that the woman was going to brush over what she had just said with some kind of vague explanation, or would she? Wait, did that even make sense? Regardless, the Sennin would smile at Muzai's reiteration of her own realization that she was, in fact, a woman. What could she say to that, but laugh gingerly? "Muzai, I hope you've been well. How is your treatments coming along? I hope Li is putting some good grub in that belly of yours."

Next, the Sennin would look back at the stall where Muzai had just purchased her own clip - her first purchase. She would smile, observing the bits-and-bobs with a merchants eye. "What do you have planned for today?" Her words slipped from her soft, peachy buds as she continued to eye up the merchandise with a gentle glaze. "Because, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me? I'm just going to visit my family, if you wanted to join."

Kinnaku would lift her eyes from the stall and lay them back onto the frail cage, still smiling. Was that what the flowers were for?

 

[Kokomo]

Muzai scowled when the doctor asked her to repeat herself. Did she not make herself clear? Was she not really here to see her? Why wasn't she listening? Was she afraid to look at her? Was something wrong?

The sennin moved on without the young woman clarifying. She was left in a state of confusion on how she could have possibly of gotten lost in her sentences? Perhaps she was daydreaming. "Ah, yes, food." Muzai looked up at the artificial sun, smiling at the thought. Li hadn't quite caught on to her trick yet. Oh, no, Zai was very smooth. She knew how to sit at a table and appear as though she was eating every piece. Keep talking, that was the trick. Ask lots of questions. Cut everything up into small pieces. Offer others to try some. She knew what she was doing by now, for sure.

"Oh, nothing." Muzai spoke like she was in a daze as she stared past Kinnaku as she spoke. "Oh, wow." She suddenly said when the woman asked her about attending a visit with her. "How nice, Kin-Ku, yeah?" A bright smile came back on her face as she nodded, "Yes, yes, I would like that." Her hand reached forward to touch one of the exotic flowers, her eyes widening with life, as they had in the office earlier that week. Brightening with surprise and shock at such a beautiful sight. These were flowers that she had never seen--had she even ever seen flowers? They lived in a cave, and she lived in a room by herself for two years, so probably not. So this is probably more dramatic than it's actually being written as.

"Oh! Wow!" She beamed, bending down to touch them. They were soft and so beautiful. They were full of color and life--unlike the malnourished, pasty, and scrawny Muzai. "Beautiful!"

 

[Honma Kotone]

The exotic flowers would bloom with life at a single touch. They orgasm-ed with colour, sending forth vibration of light and life through the other budding petals. It would be a spectacular sight, to say the least, and probably unseen by most that swelled within Suna. But where did these flowers originate from; who knows? It didn't really matter, did it - they were beautiful in their own right, and their origins wouldn't need to be questioned because most of the time, if not all of the time, their beauty was enough. "I have them ported in from a little village of the borders of Kiri." Kinnaku would smile, lifting her wicker basket up so it was easier for the bony cage to observe, to touch and to sense the beauty. Regardless, the Sennin would show her glee at Muzai's acceptance of visiting the graves of her lost brother and sister - wait, what?

Oh, she didn't specify that. Perhaps visiting the graves had became such a normal thing that she would communicate with the headstones, as if they were real people. "It's not that far away, but I always make sure to bring them some flowers just because, well, they are beautiful." So, the Sennin would go to all that effort, to bring flowers from afar, to only a short distance away from her; just so they could rest by some stones. Some would find that a waste of time, but then again, nobody really knew about why she got these flowers, or where she went with them - probably because nobody asked her.

It's not that she hid what she was doing, but rather just nobody had asked her. "Let's get going." She would say, prompting her basket into a comfortable position, and setting off through the crowd with, hopefully, Muzai in hot pursuit. "So, why did you want to become a doctor, Muzai."

 

[Kokomo]

The flowers were beautiful, and a good experience for someone who had never really touched one in her life. Her fingers brushing over them, and they reacted in turn, brightening in color and almost singing in happiness as she brushed over them, Kinnaku watching in silence for a moment before inquiring where she had gotten them from. "I don't know where that is." Muzai said simply, shrugging. The young woman hardly knew where the restaurants in her own city were--oh, that was stupid. Why would any anorexic girl know where they are? Regardless, Muzai stood straight, looking to Kinnaku as she spoke of their beauty. "Yes, they are magnificent, Kin-Ku." She agreed, taking a step back to give her space. Her frail hands folding behind her again as the woman turned, moving back into the crowd.

Muzai was a bouncy walker. She took every step with grace as though it would be her last. Bouncing on each step to express her delight as her fingers twiddled behind her back. Following Oba as she moved skillfully through the crowd--but not in the same way that Zai had. In fact, Oba moved past people, rather than through them. She brushed and used her shoulders to prompt people out of the way instead of diving through the little spots like Muzai had. It was peculiar, but she made sure to mimic Oba's moves, for she was much wiser.

"What a strange question." She stated as she was asked about her ambitions and inspirations. "I wanted to become a medic because they are the most respectable of Shinobi, yeah?" That seemed like a decent answer. "They protect lives more than ANBU, because they bring them back. They bring life into the world. They make people smile again, and give them things that they cannot do themselves--while ANBU and the Main Branch, they take the life away from people." She frowned as her hand grabbed the sash of Oba dress to try and keep up. The act was much like a baby elephant holding it's mothers' tail so it didn't get lost in a dust storm. "I mean, sure the people are bad, mostly, but it doesn't matter. I wanted to give life."

 

[Honma Kotone]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e4Crth_Hb8

Oba felt the hand of Muzai latch onto her sash, she would smile and keep her head high and on the right path. She asked that question, about why Muzai wanted to become a Med-nin, because she wanted to get to know the woman a little better than what she read on the files. Sometimes listening to someone gave you a better gauge as to how sincere they were being. And, to the best of Kinnaku's interpretation skills, Muzai was being honest. "Respectable, but very hard." She would turn her head and raise her index finger, pointing the purple tip of her nail upwards, "I doubt those who are with Anbu, whomever they are, are even aware of how difficult our job is. After all... It's much harder to maintain life. It's easy to kill."

As the two broke free from the crowds, they would take a route through a few more quieter streets. Oba would say hello here-and-there to passersby that she may have treated previously, or just knew. But suddenly, she would begin to whistle a charming tune as a far off distant quartet band used their vocals to impress citizens for their own enjoyment, and nothing more. 'God only knows what I'd be without you', it would go like. After a few moments of walking, the two would draw up to a rather large red bricked wall, and a few meters down the pathway, there would be a large black gate; open to all. However, it would be remarkably obvious that this was a cemetery.

"Maintaining life," Oba would stop, turning to face Muzai with a heartfelt expression, "It's our job to do our best, but sometimes we can't save everyone." She would wait, expecting Muzai to leave and be consumed with awkwardness due to the fact that this was a cemetery, and not like a family house. If she did, it would be understandable.

 

[Kokomo]

They broke free from the crowds, and the little mock baby elephant, Muzai, would release her elders' sash as she skipped to her side and stuck close to her side--maybe a little too close. Her bare feet gracing the dusty ground as she moved along the woman happily. Her baby blue eyes (not near as bloodshot anymore) watched the streets open up. The woman beside her says her hellos to strangers, and Muzai scrambling to do the same. "---H-Hello!" She'd intrude every once and awhile, just before they turned their heads away to keep going down the path. Her frail hand waving with enthusiasm and excitement to meet the various people that her new friend knew.

Stopping by a large black gate, those sad eyes of Kinnaku's turned to look at the frail and childish cage of her inferior employee. Muzai cocking her head to the side as her eyes slowly wandered to the opened cemetery--her families' house. She stared for a moment as Oba explained to her. Her eyes never leaving the stones in the graveyard as she bent over to the weeds growing around the brick wall. Sure, dandelions were weeds, but they were better then nothing. So there, crouched down and hugging her knees, one by one, Muzai gathered the yellow weeds. Her lips murmured the song that they had heard in the street--learning the words by that time. Singing so softly as her cracked and dry lips blew each note gently onto each 'flower'.

Standing, an arm full of ugly and dirty weeds, Muzai smiled sweetly to Oba. "I'm ready Kin-Ku." She'd say simply, as though she was on some sort of mission. Stepping into the gate--as though it were some door to a new universe--she waited for her to lead her to the graves of her family. It appeared as though she wasn't really bothered by the idea--surprised, yes, bothered? No.

If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on, believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?

God only knows what I'd be without you...​