[Marsh Country] Across the Field of Gold [Private/Kei]

[Senju Shizuka]

Shivering a little in the fresh air, Shizuka yawned while stretching like a cat. Usually she wasn’t up this early, unless she had to, but sleeping with two strangers in the camp, even if they were from the same village, somehow didn’t allow her to be asleep that soundly. That or perhaps she was still somewhat worried about the attack they’ve faced a little while ago. Maybe it was the mixture of both. She wasn’t entirely certain about that, but she did know one thing for sure. The fresh air tugging at her dark locks was really bringing her to the world of the ones who were awake. There was no need to go back to sleep now, she had gotten enough sleep to recover whatever energy had been lost the previous day. Now it was probably time to clean up a little, then start the day. Her stomach’s idea of starting the day was by getting food first, but she knew they would have to catch something before they could eat it. And that she would rather do without looking like a dead body just dug up from an early grave.

Quietly getting her towel, toothbrush and some other stuff, she snuck out of the tent thinking that everyone else, everywhere, was still asleep. That’s why an expression of light surprise marker her face when her eyes found Kei when she turned back toward the tent to get some senbon she had forgotten. Breakfast was fast, so she needed something to catch it with.

Smiling gently once the surprise faded, she silently nodded to the girl, then realized that she couldn’t see the gesture. “Morning~”, the Senju recovered quickly and let the other one know about her presence. While it was clear that Kei had her own tricks to maneuver around, Shizuka preferred to be clear when it came down to allies. Besides, should Kei freak out then everyone would probably whack her on the head for jumping a blind girl.

Blinking she used her free hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight seeping between the branches. Now she had a much better view on Kei. “I’m planning to go wash my face, think there is a stream nearby, a very small one, we’ve passed a couple of puddles on the way here.”

That’s where she shrugged unsure if creating some water would be the better option here, but Shieo had said to spare chakra, mostly as not to get unwanted attention. Hence she planned to take a look first, then create some water if finding it would turn out to be a major hassle.

“Want to come with me? Though, I have to admit that I’m not sure it’s there or that it’s .. eh clear water. Might turn out to be some muddy pool..” Thinking about it, she wondered if small animals would come there to drink, if that would be the case. “We might be able to get a snack under the way. It won’t take long.” They wouldn’t venture too far off.


**

 

[Sato Yuji]

The bird were singing when Kei rose to consciousness. She had been up late last night listening to Shishi and Yuki talk about… something. The conversation hadn’t really been interesting enough for her to pay attention during the actual thing let alone the day after. Shivering she slowly got up, having forgone the tent last night might have been a bad idea now that she looked back on the decision. She had started sleeping in their but it was too many feeling in too small a space so she had been forced to move out. Thankfully Brother had packed a had packed hammock for her and with the plethora of trees around her it had been easy to set up. Being able to actually use her eyes was also a treat. Last night had been a new moon so only the stars had illuminated the sky causing a low enough level of light that opening her eyes hadn’t killed her. Sometimes she wished she only had to live at night or in the darkness of the forest. Giggling at her melancholy she rolled out of her elevated bed and stretched. It seemed that she was the first one up, a good thing considering she needed to change. Shivering in the cool morning air she moved back to the hammock and began packing it up. Folding the structure she pulled out her sealing scrolled and put it inside. That done she unsealed her clothing and toiletries and went to get ready for the day. It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, there was a reason she was being carried by Yuki and tended to follow people around.

Kei quickly changed and did her daily routine. Thankfully, the camp was pretty flat she didn’t trip over anything and the water source was easy enough to find. By the time she was done another person was stirring. Sitting silently she smelled Orange stumble out of the tent. Feeling pangs in her stomach she frowned. It seemed like someone was hungry and it wasn’t her when the fact that she couldn’t really feel that was considered. Feeling a shock run over her skin she straightened up. “Morning Orange,” she exclaimed in response. “Kei already washed but Kei can hunt while Orange washes up.Kei is very good at hunting.” Moving over to the other girl she prepared to walk with her.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

“Oh, I see.” She smiled instinctively. Now it almost sounded as if there was no difference between a washed Kei and an unwashed Kei… Ugh, she hadn’t meant it that way. About to turn slightly awkward she was saved by the idea of a hunt and her stomach’s enthusiastic agreement to it.

“Sure, that would be nice, I’ll help you once I look less like a homeless person.” Then again, at the moment, they pretty much were homeless people sleeping in half-tents in the woods. Nobody would probably blame her for not combing her hair if she wouldn’t think about it. Still, last thing she wanted was to be smelly. And if she had the scent of orange all around her, well, she hoped to keep it linger.

“Mind pointing out where the stream is you’ve been to? Might be quicker considering you’ve already found a place to wash up.” Cheerfully nodding, she wondered if it would be difficult for Kei to lead, but at the same time felt like it wouldn’t be fair to treat her like someone who couldn’t do things. Because it was obvious that she could take care of herself without others’ help.

Following Kei, she stayed silent for a moment, a very short moment. There were questions she would like to pose… and with them being out here, she didn’t see why she wouldn’t.

“Do you have a family name, Kei?” She asked while dodging a tree branch hanging a bit lower than the others. The soft sound of water could already be heard. It cheered Shizuka up to know that she would soon be able to scrub her face. However, it didn’t distract her from wanting to know more about the other girl.

“Are you in the Academy as well? And.. how did you and him meet?” Him.. well done, she thought while mentally slapping herself for forgetting his name. She remembered ‘Yuki’, but knew that the young man had said a different name at the end of the bonfire. Unfortunately, by then she had been a bit too tired to pay too much attention, and aside from that she had been annoyed as well.

“What do you think about being a kunoichi, or becoming one in the future, hmm?” There was genuine curiosity present in her voice. In a way, everyone’s opinion had its own value. She mostly tried not to disregard them for that reason. Though, ‘Yuki’s’ had been slightly too radical for her tastes.


**

 

[Sato Yuji]

Kei could feel waves of mugginess coming off of the other girl as she spoke. She laughed as Orange’s stomach growled. It seemed that was where the hunger pangs were coming from. “Kei can’t exactly tell you if you look like a homeless person,” Kei said lightly. Mentioning her lack of sight didn’t have an impact on her. The only time she disliked her lack of sight was when she was in a new place. It seemed the girl wasn’t oblivious. If Orange was willing to let her lead her to a stream she knew better to trust first appearances.

“Sure, Kei can lead Orange to the water source.” When she had woken up unable to stand light memorizing movement had become second nature to her. Any path that she took she remembered, that meant leading was easy. Gesturing for Orange to follow she led her deftly to a small stream. It wasn’t the most obvious water in the area, there was a larger puddle closer to the camp, but the one she led them to was a source stream. It was small but the water was crystal and safe enough to drink.

As she led the way to the stream she felt pressure against her spin. It seemed someone was curious. As the questions were posed to her she answered. “Kei is just Kei the same why Jein is just Jien.” She said innocently. “Does a family name really matter when someone already knows who they are? Does it hold that much power over a person's self?” The last sentence was slightly more serious. She laughed brightly as she danced around the branches in her path as the next question was posed.

“Is Kei in the Academy? Kei doesn’t think so. Brother recently told me that Kei’s promotion would be coming in soon and that was 25 days ago. So Kei is probably a Genin now.” This was more thinking out loud then actual replying. “Kei and Yuki met on a class but Kei can’t really tell you about that.” It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who was bad at names. It was quite obvious when Orange had posed the question that she had forgotten both Yuki’s name. Not that Kei was any better.

The last question was slightly harder to answer. “Brother said that Kei was a kunoichi so Kei will become one. When Kei woke up Brother told her she already had the training and, with Kei’s skill set and… problems, no other job would fit well. Kei didn’t really care about that though, she was happy enough to do it for Brother.”

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Briefly she considered describing to Kei what a homeless person looked like in her opinion and how she matched one right now, but then decided that it would probably come across way too silly. That’s why she busied herself with other matters while being guided to her washing place. To her surprise, and joy, the water Kei had found was of very high quality. One could easily drink from it too. Perhaps she would have to return here with their flasks to fill them up for the future journey. Every time one had the chance to do something, it should be done right away because the future was unknown and procrastinating could lead to dire situations. Like lots of thirst.

“This is a really good find, thanks!” Crouching, she let the water run into her palm. It was a little cold but the feeling was a pleasant one regardless. “Not sure about the whole ‘holding power over a person’ but I guess it just shows who you belong to.” Blinking cautiously she wondered if Kei didn’t have any parents. Perhaps that’s why she said that Jien was just Jien, a brother. Maybe he was tied to her by blood, maybe not. It was probably too early to delve in that deepily into Kei’s life. If she wanted to surely she would tell her about it.

“You can’t tell me about the meeting or the class?” Unsure if that, too, would be pushing the limits of their acquaintance, she tried regardless. Relaxed, and still listening to Kei, Shizuka started to wash her face. Picking up more water, letting it splash on her eyes and cheeks. Then came out the towel, the toothbrush. It would only take her a couple of minutes to fix things, so if Kei would stick around they could hunt together. If not, well, they could do their each their own thing in silence.

When she hid her stuff into the small pouch she had she took the senbon out. Then turned to see what Kei was up to. Once she had her location pinned down, Shizuka moved swiftly to land besides the girl. “By the way, what did you mean by ‘when Kei woke up’?”

Surely Kei knew that saying something like that would raise questions. That’s why Shizuka took it as a cue that she was actually allowed to pose some. Otherwise Kei would have simply answered in a way that didn’t allow the younger girl to continue bothering her. Right? Yeah, that had to be it.

“Need a senbon?”


**

 

[Sato Yuji]

When they reached the stream Kei was leading them to she took a seat down on a rock that was nearby. Crossing her legs in front of her she rocked back when she felt bubbles brush against her. Reaching out she popped one of them letting out the sound of tinkling wind chimes. Giggling in delight she popped another one. Whatever the girl was feeling wasn't something Kei was around often, if ever. Such an emotion wasn't common in the people she was normally around. Kei hadn't been gone to the stream for only one but herself so she simply shrugged when Orange spoke about her find.

Kei snorted when the other girl answered her question. Orange's response supported Kei's initial analysis of them. Belonging to someone was just a nicer way of saying that they had power over you. Brother had never spoken of the last name so she assumed, rightly, that they simply did not have one. That was something she was thankful for, people who had the same last name seemed to own one another. It was a very strange phenomenon.

"The class was very strange so Kei doesn't really know how to explain it. Kei also doesn't feel like explaining it either. Kei and Yuki were also told not to talk about it. Has Orange never had a class like that?" She smiled blindingly at that sentence. Was that class really that strange? Kei didn't get the point of keeping secrets. Information was a currency that was more important than money for a shinobi. With this, she could be potentially establishing a relationship of trust with the other girl, a relationship that could lead to alliances and information exchange.

Hearing things being put away she perked up. It seemed the hunting was about to start. The sound of metal being picked up made her slightly happier, she had been beginning to get bored. Hearing Orange come over next her she looked in her direction though it seemed that Kei wasn’t done asking questions. “Kei woke up in Tea with brother. That was the first thing Kei remembers. Brother said that Kei got hit on the head and lost her memory.” Smiling innocently at the girl she spoke. “Hey, since Kei answered Orange’s answers can Orange answer Kei’s?” That was a demand covered by a question. “Why is Orange’s last name important? How did Orange join the Academy? Why is Orange with Shishi? What does Orange think about being a shinobi?” Those questions were posted one after another. “After we are done talking Kei would love to borrow a senbon. Kei’s weapon isn't suited for hunting small game.”
--------
[WC:438]

 

[Sato Yuji]

Accidental double.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

While she had to think about it for a moment she still didn’t manage to come up with a class she hadn’t been allowed to talk about. At least not in the context of discussing it with a fellow shinobi student. Of course there were things those following classes at the Academy didn’t tell ‘normal’ people. Half of the things they were taught wouldn’t have made sense to them anyway, so she didn’t see the harm in that. Keeping secrets from other students, though.. well, she was certainly curious now about what type of class that had been.

Barely holding back the urge to question Kei about it regardless of the latter not feeling like talking about it, Shizuka bit her lip and moved on. Perhaps Kei would tell her later. Perhaps not. Perhaps the whole purpose of that class had been to learn how to keep information behind tight lips. She could imagine it being some sort of test for those present in the class. ‘Don’t tell anyone’, and if other students end up knowing, they fail you. Something sneaky like that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if you asked Shizuka.

Listening to what Kei was saying, she ended up linger on the matter of memory loss. Not for long, though. Kei didn’t allow her to. It seemed that there were things she wanted to ask Shizuka about, and it appeared only fair. “Sure, go ahead.”

Unsure if the harder tone had shown itself because Kei didn’t like talking about her memory loss or she simply wanted for her to comply, Shizuka waited for whatever Kei planned to fire at her. Ohh, classics.

“Hmm ‘important’ is a bit much, I think that it just shows where my roots come from. And about the Academy.. well, I just enrolled. Both of my parents are shinobi, so it was only natural for me to join when I was old enough.” Nodding she thought back at all the excitement and pride she’s felt the day that the Academy took her in. Of course, she had known that it wouldn’t be easy, but it felt right to be a part of it.

“Well, me and Siu-san walked into him during our.. traveling through Marsh. Considering we’re heading in the same direction it seemed safe to stick together for now.” More nodding followed. Unsure if Siu minded that she had spoke about them traveling through Marsh.. as if it wasn’t obvious, she didn’t say anything about the mission or the artifacts. Shizuka wasn’t the leader of their duo-team, so she didn’t make any decisions that could have consequences of sorts.

“It .. seems like both a gift and a burden to me. We can do things others can’t, but at the same time we have to do things that others don’t. So it’s a double-edged sword. It’s a very different life from those who don’t mold chakra, but one I wouldn’t want to give up.” She decided with a wide smile, then handed some senbon to Kei. It was time to get breakfast.

“Let’s go grab some food?”


**
[MFT: 515]

 

[Sato Yuji]

Kei listened closely as the other girl answered her questions and the only conclusion she could come to was that the other girl was boring. Sure, Orange was leaving something out when it came to what she as in Marsh, deception was incredibly easy to sense simply because of the amount of exposure Kei had to it, but that was the only interesting thing. Orange truly believed what she was saying about being a shinobi. Now Kei didn’t have that much experience with the workings of Kumo, but from what she had heard it was not as cut and dried as Orange seems to think it is. It wasn’t Orange’s fault though from her story she had grown up expecting to become a kunoichi. Probably had been taught that being a kunoichi for Kumo was the best thing she could do with her life. Or maybe Kei was thinking to much into and Orange was simply an dumb.

Kei had a choice she could have some fun and try to convince Orange that Kumo was not something she wanted to be a part of or Kei could leave it alone, let her continue in live in her own bubble. Her thoughts were interrupted by a stabbing pain in her stomach it seemed Orange was deciding for her. Kei trying to convince her that what she was doing was not all good might have been might have been kinder than what she might experience that shattered the image in her head. Kei was many things but kind wasn’t one of them so instead she smiled and took the offered senbon. She did have one thing to say, “Kei thinks Orange is naive, but Orange shouldn’t worry she will learn. Now let’s get Orange some food.”

Hunting was easy for Kei. Animals “felt” different than humans but they still “felt.” Taking a deep breath she focused on herself then slowly outward. Orange was the most powerful smell quickly followed by wintergreen than coffee. Once found they were easy to ignore. She hummed when she found what she was looking for. Standing up she began to sneak in the direction of what she had found. It would only take a few minutes for Orange to see what Kei was leading her. Stopping next to a tree, Kei smiled and pointed at the bear in front of them then turned back and raised an eyebrow at Orange. She wonder if what she had found was large enough to satisfy Orange’s painful hunger.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Unsure if she should be offended by the comment about her way of looking at things, she decided that starting a fight with someone she barely knew out in the middle of nowhere - or rather enemy territory - would be a foolish thing to do. Mostly it would be a loss of energy and time. Hence, with a small raising of her right eyebrow, she shrugged, then followed Kei to wherever she was heading to. It seemed that this blind kunoichi had quite some tricks up her sleeve when it came down to finding things. It was quite astonishing, honestly. Shizuka had never interacted with a blind kunoichi before. Scratch that, she couldn’t remember having interacted with anyone who didn’t possess the basic ability to see their surroundings.

Thinking about it now, in silence, she recalled the vague explanation of feeling others. That was what Kei had said the previous day, right? Damn, she had been quite sleepy and wasn’t recalling everything as clearly as she would have liked to. Perhaps, if she wanted to know for sure, she would have to ask Kei about it, but now wasn’t the right time. The hunt required both silence and concentration.

Though it soon became clear that none of it was truly required from Shizuka. Kei had already pinned down a target, one large enough to feed all of them for days - so the young Senju wasn’t sure if Kei really wanted to attack the bear. Ohh, the eyebrow was a sign of sorts. Shizuka took it as an invitation to move forward and disappear to the side. The fur would be a nice blanket, she figured. Shieo’s armor did look sturdy but not too comfortable if you asked her. In fact there was no way that she would have been wearing it if there was a decent alternative.

With the grass reaching almost to her thighs here she crouched enough to only keep her head above its surface. The cold steel senbon in her hand slid a bit forward as she moved into the direction of the bear. In theory a well thrown senbon should be able to end the hunt, but from where she was standing she didn’t have a clear shot at the bear’s head. Sniffing, she thought that he was sniffing something on the ground. Perhaps even eating a breakfast of its own.

Another step allowed her to get a better view on whate- a duck! Somehow this bear had found a duck! Well, she thought that to be a better snack than a bear! However, this one was already taken.

Throwing a quick look to the side she tried to pin down Kei’s location. To kill a bear now might be a waste. They wouldn’t manage to eat all of it, they wouldn’t take most of it with them, and well, it would take time to get the meat ready. A duck or two could be a nice alternative. So, if it wasn’t too late, Shizuka thought to head back to the water and follow the stream. Maybe they would find some fish there as well. Surely some were migrating now.

No fur.., oh well, she could manage without it. Besides, she already knew that she would have to carry it herself and it would be heavy. Too far from home to really enjoy its softness she knew that the bear needed it more.

“Bye buddy,” the student whispered to nobody in particular while carefully disappearing into the long grass again. The senbon slid back into her pocket. It wasn’t its time to fly just yet.


**

 

[Sato Yuji]

It seemed that Orange didn't want the bear and that was disappointing. Kei had gone out of the way to find it. She felt Orange move away from their prey and instead head back the way they had come from. Kei couldn't understand that action. Orange was still hungry, the pain in Kei's stomach was proof enough of that fact, but she was refusing to kill the animal in front of her. Kei contemplated taking the kill anyway. She was sure Yuki and ShiShi and whoever the person in the tent was would also be hungry. Transportation of the leftover meat wouldn't be hard, she was still carrying her storage scroll, and the fur would be useful as a blanket. The fact that last night had been cold and she wasn't sure how many blankets her brother had packed for her was what made her decision for her. That and the fact that Orange's stomach pangs were getting very annoying.

Now she just had to decide on how to kill the thing. If had been any other situation she would have just set it on fire or cut it apart using wind blades but she actually needed most of its body. Not only that, the smell of burning fur was not a pleasant one and she had no wish to take another wash. That meant she would have to get up close to it. Sighing internally she moved away from the tree and into the tall grass inside of the clearing. The bear was distracted by the small animal it was eating which made Kei's job much easier. Crouching in the grass, she began to silently move around to the bear's front while remaining downwind of it. The plan was quite simple, she would stab the senbon Orange had given her into the beings eye. That way the damage to the body and fur was minimal while the animal still ended up dead. Just as she was about to be in her place of the attack the bear realized something was wrong, Kei felt the bear's demeanor shift. Letting out a low curse of words someone her age shouldn't know she stabbed the senbon at it hoping it would go into its eye. It didn't, instead, a loud crack was heard as the needle went through the bear's skull into its brain. Kei was just thankful she had enhanced her arm with chakra. The outcome was the same either way, the bear's brain was stabbed and it ended up lifeless. Standing up Kei giggled brightly and called out to Orange who hadn't made it that far. "Does Orange want to dress the bear here or does she want to bring it back to camp?" Kei was fine with either option Orange decided on. Doing it out here was fine, the clearing was large enough for her to pull it apart and the kill had scared off any animal in a good mile. To Kei Orange felt hungry enough to eat the bear here but Kei also had a habit of believing peoples emotions were stronger than they actually were. If Kei had to guess, the overestimation of emotional response was because it was hard for her to feel emotions for herself. Kei's own feelings were covered by other people making them hard to separate from the dull roar.

 

[Senju Shizuka]

Turning a little to see if Kei was following her it turned out that the blind girl was set to get the bear. Perhaps it was a thing of pure pride, perhaps now. Shizuka wasn’t sure at this point, but decided not to interrupt as not to cause unnecessary conflict. She did feel slightly uneasy about getting the bear. It appeared a waste, but maybe Kei had a plan. That would explain her actions which consisted out of smooth assassination by a senbon to the head. The furry beast dropped dead. Its fur was left unmarked.

“It might be better to bring it to the camp,” she replied when Kei addressed her. There was a brief break between her saying it and actually moving back to Kei and her caught prey. “Don’t you think this will be a bit much?”

At this point Shizuka really wanted to eat but now they had to deal with a bear first. Unsure if dragging it would be handy she sighed. Silently going through the jutsu she knew that could help them move the large creature, all she could come up with were clones to help them carry it.

“Do you want to pick it up or how are we going to do this?” Checking with her partner first, she readied herself to form two wooden clones should it be required. Carrying it with the four of them would be easier than when there were only two people to do it. But, she waited with creating them, because, Kei might have a back-up plan for this.

Wondering if she could leave up the taking apart of the animal to Kei, once they had it in the camp. Maybe some of the others would want to help, too. Meanwhile, she could start making them some breakfast, and steal a piece of sizzling meat here and there while she was at it.


**

 

[Sato Yuji]

“Camp it is then,” Kei said brightly as she moved far enough away to pull one of the scrolls from her back and open it. “Orange felt very hungry, but if she doesn’t think she can eat it Kei can always store it.” Kei could also it, not being able to feel hungry and not being able to feel full came hand in hand after all. She could eat as much as she wanted without feeling sick, but had to watch out for accidental overeating. Especially if the people around her were hungry. When Orange next spoke Kei shot her a look that clearly conveyed her exasperation at the question of how to transport it. “Kei will carry it,” she said brightly. After that proclamation, she jumped up onto the top of the bear and laid the now open scroll on top of it. Nodding to herself she then placed a hand on it, using some chakra to activate the sealing matrix. The bear disappeared and Kei caught the scroll before it touched the ground. She then swung the scroll over her shoulder and looked towards Orange. “See, carrying it won't be hard.”

Walking past Orange she began to chatter again. “If Yuki is up he can freeze the leftovers after we are done eating it. That will make it last longer. We can also cut it into thin strips and smoke. Or we could turn it into jerky. Kei needs to stock up on some food supplies. Kei can hunt but sometimes she doesn’t like to. Kei will also be taking the fur.” The last sentence was more of a hard statement than the former cheerful nattering. “After all Kei did kill it.”

 

[Senju Shizuka]

The sun came down hard, forcing Shizuka to squint. That’s why it took her a moment longer than it usually would have to realize what Kei was up to. High likely it also had to do with the fact that she didn’t know how to seal things into a scroll. Gasping when the bear disappeared, she felt a wave of admiration for the other kunoichi. This was a handy skill to have and Shizuka made a mental note to either ask Kei about it later, in the camp, or bug Siu. Somehow there wasn’t a shred of doubt in her mind that the older girl knew how to perform the act of sealing.

“Now I understand why you hadn’t seemed to be worrying about dragging it back.. sure, you get to keep the fur.” Nodding, she couldn’t help but smile a little. It seemed that Kei wasn’t unpractical even if she was weird. Now it was time to get back and start on that breakfast of theirs.

“I’m already looking forward to eating some of it.” Rubbing her tummy she didn’t feel annoyed anymore. There was no reason for it any longer. She knew now that the irritation had come from a never voiced misunderstanding. Perhaps this was what instructors had been on about when mentioning the importance of knowing your teammates. If that had been the case there never would have been any confusion in the first place. That had her thinking. It also had her wondering if Kei herself was finding some things odd about her (Orange, as she was called).

“The others will probably be quite glad with the catch. Nice work.”


**
[Topic End]
[MFT 275]