The Flower We Saw That Day [Kazumi]

[Inuzuka Ryou]

"Hahahaha! And don't forget your book on the way out!"

WHACK!

A thump resounded loudly through the forest's floor as a body was flung into its grassy roots. Tufts of hair followed suit slowly as the body lay limp in the forest's grasp, unmoving and unwavering in its current emotional status. Ocean blue orbs stared up at the night sky blankly as the leaves from the trees all swayed and rustled in the wind, a sigh being carried away into the dancing wind of the evening. With little effort, the figure arose from their landing to just sit up and rest an elbow on their bent knee. Sora's hair was a mess and undoubtedly unkempt more than usual, the impact and previous harassment clearly visible on her physical form. It was just a simple situation of verbal belittlement upon a chance encounter that led to her being pushed around, and thrown into the forest halfway into its depths. The maiden looked around with a turn of her head, sighing as she felt a sudden surge of pain right in the side of her neck.

With a pale hand reaching up in an attempt to soothe the pain, the woman verbally groaned with her eyes closing. "I knew I shouldn't have gone out tonight... What a drag...", she mumbled without so much as a second thought. It was night's like these that caused a sense of detachment from her village of Kumogakure, causing her to wonder every single day why she even bothered to stay here let alone keep living the way she was now. She had no one to go back to, no friends, no family, and she found a monumental amount of things in the world to be what she considers 'a drag'. It was with a heavy heart that she just found herself waking up, breathing, going back to sleep, waking up again, breathing... She repeated that process over and over again like it was nothing. If one were to ask Sora what happened the previous day in any location, even her own country? She wouldn't be able to tell anyone.

She was lost in her own world and stayed there for her own safety and security.

It was night's like tonight that gave her problems with trusting others, and her past only helped to contribute to everything. With a heavy sigh through her nose, the blonde kept her hand to her neck to ease the growing pain as she looked around for the book she had with her. The men had mentioned to not forget her book on the way out, so they must have thrown it after they tossed her in here, right? Or maybe they might have destroyed it. Either way, Sora knew she wasn't going to be able to find it with the looming void that was the darkness of the forest. Nevertheless, she had to admit that in the midst of the night with how thing's were playing out...

It was still beautiful.

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* Marked for training; word count: 500 words

 

[Ko]

Nights were usually only really good for walking around in. Why? Mostly because everyone tended to keep away from the darkest paths in case some else was in them. Of course that someone else this time was the person who knew that there would be no one else on one of these dark paths. The mental gymnastics that the Jounin had to jump through to get to that conclusion were far more stellar than the stars that unsuccessfully tried to light the path in front of him.

Where he had come from? Well the man had just come from working on some of his body after the last mission. A few bits of his arms and legs were coming a little loose, and without the well kept maintenance on them he would find himself prone to breaking down. Sure it was a pain to keep on working on his body rather than hire some kind of mechanic… but what mechanic in their right mind would agree to trying to fix a puppet arm or leg? Kind of silly in his opinion. No it was better for him to be left to his own devices, and fix himself in the end.

How he winded up heading through the forest was confusing, but somehow he ended up going through it to head home. The trees were covering the canvas of stars in the sky, leading him into the darkest reaches of the ancient forest, before he felt something below him. He would try to catch himself, before making a small yelp and falling over.

He would quickly check his body for any splintering (not checking once before led to a lot of problems in the future), before looking to see what got in his way of falling. It was hard to tell in the light but it felt like it was… a book of some sort. He brushed it off, hoping it didn’t damage it, before looking around.

Who would have left a book lying around like this? Kazumi thought to himself as he looked around. It was way too difficult to see in this light. Maybe it had been left there by someone for a while. The forest wasn’t somewhere that people were usually keen on visiting in this hour. The owner had probably lost it as it fell out of a bag whilst they were traveling through. Maybe he would leave it on the other side of the forest, and hope that the owned would find it

He would keep on his guard as he walked through the forest. He would activate a spirit lantern to light the way, revealing both the physical and illusionary that would be set before him. It would shine up the forest, poking hole through the gaps in the trees and revealing all paths the puppet man could take. But he would stick to the roads, at least for now.

At least the roads were empty right now. The lantern wasn’t going to last all night.

Marked For Training- 501 words

 

[Inuzuka Ryou]

It was in her momentary loss within the world of reality that a bright light burst into her dreamland, startling her out of the world her subconscious dived into. The maiden made a sound and shielded her eyes with her arm, her form curling up slightly in the slightly mossy grass. It was within a few moments that she tried to squint her eyes, curious to find the source of the sound within the rather annoyingly bright world. This was something that Sora wasn't used to; being so close to a bright source of warmth in any situation. And so the woman began to find it rather annoying and disturbing, but at the same time worth her ever growing curiosity. With her blue orbs shifting, daring to find where the source of the light was surging forth from, she merely closed her eyes from the pain of even trying to look around.

The blonde could barely keep her composure together for the night so far after being thrown out here in the depths of the forest. In the night, she merely wanted to enjoy an evening among the stars where she'd traverse out into the night with nothing else keeping her company but the book she had. Now, Sora doesn't even have that with her. Just her locks of messy, tangled up hair and shame abiding her minute-by-minute. Embarrassment was also another evident feature among her pale skin, the genin's cheeks a rosy color as she was failing to keep her once calm composure in check. With a quivering tone to her once flat voice, she spoke aloud to whoever (or whatever) the source was. It was a dangerous and bold move since the forest can prove to be quite dangerous at night; at least, 'twas rumored it was since regular civilians avoided the pathways as if they were a deadly plague.

"C-Could you please dim that light? I-It's doing a number on my eyes here."

With a mental sigh and mumbled curse, a pale hand reached down to her turtleneck to extend the fabric. Sora was beginning to become very uncomfortable on top of everything else her body was allowing her to experience and feel. Feeling so much at once was beginning to bother the genin beyond an extent like no other. She never allowed herself to become so emotional ever since she was little, alone, and a shadow in the world itself. But now, the maiden could barely pinpoint what the source of all her current emotional struggle was birthing from. It was as if she was breaking down, an anchor weighing in her heart pulling her heart down further in an aching motion. It was as if something was begging her to break down, to let everything out.

But there's no way she wouldn't. Not now.

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* Marked for training; word count: 469 words

 

[Ko]

The light continued to illuminate the darkness, sweeping all fears of possible threats away from the majority of the forest. Of course anyone hiding behind a tree and could continue to lurk and stalk him even in this light. It may give him light, but it didn’t give him 360 degrees of vision like the Hyuuga had. In fact, if he was Hyuuga he would have been able to spot people’s chakra anyway so why would he even need the light then? What a funny thought to have regarding shinobi senses.

It was then that Kazumi heard a slightly meek voice appear from one of the trees in the immediate area. It would ask in a girlish voice to dim the light, that it was “doing a number” on the eyes of this suddenly sentient tree or animal or something. He would realise that by putting the light on in the middle of the night he was probably ruining the photosynthesis of the tree who could apparently see… That was his bad.

”A-ah s-sorry there! I didn’t mean to cause any kind of blindness in this time of the night!” He would frantically try and stop the jutsu, causing the light to flicker, and flash until he worked out how to turn it off. ”There we go! Perfect and completly terrifyingdarkness…” Just the way he liked it.

He nodded to himself, not that the magical being in front of him would be able to see in this lack of light. Kazumi himself would stand there for a moment, before realising he should probably find out who it was that asked him to turn the light off.

” Pardon my intrusion into your vicinity. I was just walking back through to my home. I didn’t mean to cause blindness, or ruin any activity you were doing.” Activity being photosynthesis. ”I know you were just minding your own business, and as a member of the shinobi here that protects this village… I apologise.” It was his duty to protect everything in the village… even sentient tree people.

”Y-you know it’s rare for me… in fact it’s never happened to me before to meet something of your stature. Despite the smallest chakra signal it’s amazing you have this magical power to have developed eyes and the speech of the human tongue. May I ask you if you have a name, miss tree? I mean… you ARE a miss aren’t you? Or do trees have spouses...? I-I should have probably asked someone of the Kyoubaku clan this before entering the forest.” He was rambling on with nerves as he was standing before the great talking tree… whichever one of them it was.

He brushed himself off, running down his arms that were covered by his coat, as well as the front of his coat. He was pretty much covered from the neck downwards to not show his puppet limbs. He still felt embarassed about them, and didn't really want people to know about them at all. But hey... he was making friends with a sentient tree, so who was laughing now?

 

[Inuzuka Ryou]

With a stutter and a shake, the voice replied through the darkness into the depths of the night. Judging from the sound and frequency, along with the vibrations within the tone, it could be distinguished that the voice originated from a male. The way he stuttered in his structural sentence meant he was startled upon her inquiry to his lantern, but it would be a rather common if not natural response at this time of the night to be caught off guard. Although, his added lighthearted joke to his observation of the environment must have meant he was a rather humorous being. It was with each action and reaction that Sora was relaying all the collective information through her cognition miscellaneously, just glued to the spot she has temporarily claimed on the ground.

It was within the passing moment of silence that the voice reverberated again through the humid forest, stating his reasoning as to his current whereabouts in the late evening. It was with a kind apology and formal mannerisms that curiosity in the kunoichi's world began to infect the depths of her subconscious, a brow raising as the source continued in his vocal train of thought. This curious source seemed rather innocent, nervous, and yet... curious. It was with a strange intention blossoming forth that Sora closed her eyes and listened to this being, seeming to just relish the time period of not having been treated like a figurative piece of trash.

But as the being continued to speak, the maiden's brow began to twitch. The way he addressed her as never having met something of her stature, the potential to have developed eyes and a human tongue... It was almost as if he thought she wasn't a human being at all, but some peculiar being living within the forest's trees. But it wasn't until his next statement that Sora's head sprung downward in shock, her once calm composure completely shattered within a few words.

"May I ask you if you have a name, miss tree?"

Miss Tree? Did she hear those words correctly? Miss Tree? Sora's eyes were the widest she's ever had them in years, the most expression on her pale face clearly evident in what feels like an eternity. The woman merely looked in the voice's direction with an expression that practically screamed confusion, eyes wide and devoid of color while her jaw was only the slightest bit agape. With a twitching eyebrow and scrambled thoughts to only keep her collective consciousness company, it took a few moments for the woman to come up with something marvelous. An idea gave rise to a side Sora hadn't even experienced herself before, but the opportunity was presenting itself right here and now. With squinting eyes and a poker face lip, the woman arose from the muddy puddle on the ground to hide behind one of the graceful trees looming over the forest floor.

Peeking out from behind the tree, the blonde no longer cared for her disheveled appearance or ragged features. All that was on her dull mind was a rare case of mischief that would most likely never reveal itself again. With a voice dripping in sarcasm and coated with even the slightest bit of cheer, the woman spoke in a way that provided humor to herself and would perhaps keep the stranger intrigued long enough to be entertained. "Oh, yes! I'm a missus! After all, if I was a mister, this voice would really attract the wrong crowd!", Sora grimaced at such a statement she created on the fly before continuing. "What's more, I seem to have startled you, my dear! I apologize! But I do have a slight confession to make, young one! For you see, I am no tree... I am...", and with a dramatic pause, the maiden emerged from behind the tree with the most horrifying expression her body would allow her to create!

"A WOMAN!"

 

[Ko]

The meek voice would speak once more, this time with a little more confidence. It was a girl tree after all! Trees did indeed have genders. Though… wrong crowd? Could trees even have crowds in the first place? The thoughts would betray his facial expressions as he looked more puzzled than before. But he didn’t have much chance to ask the tree a question, but instead she seemed to apologise first.

Before he got a chance to say anything, she confessed she wasn’t a tree but something much more frightful than a talking tree at the dead of night. Instead she was in fact the horror that lurked in the dark… woman that seemed to lurk the forest?

”Ehhhh?” Kazumi almost screamed, falling backwards onto his rear and crawling backwards. The book had fallen out of his had, and onto the floor as he had tried to get away. ”Y-you’re not here to mug me are you?” He would slowly get up and brush himself off, before looking around.

”Ah… no, if you were part of some kind of criminal group you’d have all surrounded me by now and I’d be stripped bare and left to exposure from the weather here.” He smiled softly, not that would see it in the darkness here. Even her figure was very faint and hard to really work out in the distance between them.

His body would feel more relaxed as he started to chuckle, which then became a laugh as he realised how stupid he was for thinking she was a tree this whole time. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself for not realising that she was there. Maybe it was the low chakra signal? Or the fact he was so used to no one being around this late, and he was certain he would be alone the whole journey.

”Well you definitely got me! I can’t believe I was under the impression that a tree would even have that ability to talk. I’m just so used to walking home at night without anyone around here, and since my light didn’t reveal anyone I just thought it would only be the supernatural around here. My apologies for not guessing that you were just someone who was out at this hour… behind a tree.” And then something clicked inside his head that made him wonder about what she was actually doing.

”Say… what were doing out here all alone behind a tree anyways? It’s awfully late to be in a forest like this. It’s really too dark for anyone to do anything!”

He kept his calm composure, though he was ready with his puppet strings if something did turn nasty here… but she seemed harmless enough. Maybe he could get to know her better?

 

[Inuzuka Ryou]

Ah, the scream of terror. It was with a snicker as the stranger fell backwards onto his rear that Sora found the smallest amount of amusement. It wasn't until the man started shuffling backwards against the ground that the noise graced her eardrums, capturing her once diverted attention. Within the moments of his temporary terror, an object fell out of his person as he attempted to distance himself. Reminding herself to inquire about it later, the ragged woman simply hunched her back with pale hands resting on her knees to gaze upon the stranger. The way he phrased his current question only seemed to prove more amusing, for it earned yet another chuckle from the woman herself. Albeit, this one was a bit more dry than her usual ones. How and why would she mug him when she before has been mugged herself? Such a silly thought and yet not unwarranted considering the current circumstances the man found himself in.

She had to put herself in his shoes, after all.

"Mug you? Look, kid, I don't mug people. I've been mugged myself before and trust me: Not recommended. But your theory about the criminal group is an accurate one. There are groups that exist that are the types to pull those kinds of low blows, but I haven't experienced the cold biting at my skin like that yet.", she dryly shared as her once amused expression faded into that of neutrality. The blonde then straightened up her back as this faint stranger seemed to arise from his once fearful composure on the ground, hearing the faint brush of skin against fabric to dust a mysterious substance of. It was by this point that the maiden had to squint her eyes to receive a better perception through the dark folds of the forest around them, crossing her arms promptly just underneath her chest.

It wasn't until the mysterious stranger started to chuckle that Sora raised a brow, blinking as that chuckle unfolded into a laugh. It was at this point the woman was in a position of utter confusion, unsure of what to make of this individual before her. Why was he laughing? That was something she couldn't quite pinpoint or understand, and being kept in literal darkness did not help the cause to observe his movements so she can deter what his next course of actions would be; or even what he was like. But if anything, the maiden would give him a chance and listen patiently and quietly. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do and anybody to go home to like most folks do. It wasn't until he explained himself that the blonde finally began to understand his reason for laughing in such an amused fashion at what seemed to be nothing at the time. However, it was the way he expressed the last words of his sentence that Sora knew that - in itself - sounded fishy.

To him, a woman hiding behind the tree in the dead of night would send off all the wrong signals. It was with a figurative sigh that she figured something like that was going to be asked sooner or later. For her, the amusement turned from being humorous for her to a real drag. Closing one eye as she brought herself a few steps closer to the stranger, she just calmly remained a safe distance away, uncaring if she was attacked at this moment or not. The man seemed friendly and willing enough to just chat away in the dead of night. Who was she to deny him conversation anyway? "If you're really that curious as to my circumstances out in the woods at this hour... In the most simplest terms, I was cornered by a group of men, and thrown out her for good measure to satiate their boredom.", she answered with a frown. "I had a book with me but I seem to have lost it when they threw me. And if you don't believe me, I suppose you could take a good look at me for yourself to see the damage.", and it was then she opened the eye she had closed.

Oh... Where were her manners?

"Oh... Uh... I'm Sora... by the way."

Cue the mental facepalm for faltering in her calm composure at introducing her own name. That was smooth.

 

[Ko]

Good. She wasn’t here to mug him. He was nowhere near his puppets right now so he would have had to fight with his own body. He wasn’t entirely sure how his own augments and traps were working since he fitted himself with them. But there were some good little tricks literally up his own sleeve. Though she seemed to be less startled by criminal groups in this area. In fact she just didn’t seem to care about anything.

Kazumi would listen and analyse her tone of voice, noticing that it was dry and cold. Each time she spoke she seemed to be that of an angsty teen, angry at the world and probably her parents. She was probably the kind of ninja who listened to all that music to do with death and darkness and all that kiddy stuff. Probably the kind of girl who had all these posters of bands that her family would disapprove of, and went to thrash raves and all that. Someone who just didn’t care about the world.

She moved a little closer, and while her figure was a little easier to see she wasn’t all that easy to see in this light. But as she approached a little more he could see she had her one of her eyes closed. He squinted a little to make out her face, but it was still a little difficult.

His demeanour dropped from that of a cheerful and laughing manner to that of a solemn one as she had been ganged up on by a bunch of guys. Her story seemed to make sense since she mentioned the book that he had found in the forest. Must have been her book that they had taken and just left there.

It was then that he could see some of the damage they had done to her, and he shook his head in sadness at the extent of the trauma she must have gone through.

”People can be real jerks, huh?” he sighed before realising he should have also given his name. ”I’m Kazumi, and I believe I found your book on the way back I just… may have dropped it when you jumped out from the tree so err… hang on a sec.”

He let out a couple of puppet strings to search the floor as he made a face of concentration. His eyes would look up in thought, along with his tongue stuck out and up slightly while they looked around. But luckily it wouldn’t take too long for him to find the book, before they retrieved it and put it in his hands.

He would stretch his hand out at arms length to give it to her, knowing that she probably didn’t trust him and he didn’t really trust her…

”Here… I hope this is the right book or else I’ve picked up someone else’s book and I’ve raised more questions than answered…” He would let her take it, before moving his hands away. ”You should probably get your wounds checked out at a hospital, and probably report the incident if they’re attacking you. I’d go take care of it myself but… after seeing what they did to you? Not sure how easy I’d go on people who corner someone.”

He could feel the annoyance build up in him, and that was rare when meeting a stranger. But a victim of an attack deserves this kind of justified rage on their attacker.

”I can take you to the hospital if it needs be? Or maybe I could try and use my own medical prowess. It’s not much, but I can give it a go?”

MFT 609 words

 

[Inuzuka Ryou]

People can be real jerks, huh...

There was something about those string of words that flowed together with such an overwhelming amount of truth. However, there was no way Sora would admit that aloud and proud. There were plenty of people in this world that preyed upon the weak, eating away at their precious treasures in the world and all they hold dear. There was something about this stranger's - Kazumi's - words that struck a cord with her. Not in a bad way, however. It was in a way to where it rang nothing but the truth, and the maiden's once careless demeanor seemed to soften a bit while lost in the train of thought. Whether this man before her or not noticed the way she seemed to falter in her careless nature was for him to discern, but the genin found that this innocent man was provoking her thoughts in a way she didn't expect.

A very sentence caught her off guard.

You're getting careless. Your own thoughts don't matter right now. You're just letting things get to you, dumbass. It's not like you have anything better to do in your life, do you? No one is at home waiting for you, Sora. No one car -

"No...", she mumbled in a wince, a single eye closing once more in pain of the thoughts eating away at her subconscious. The blonde was having another spell where her thoughts were attacking the very fortitude that was her mental state. It had been a while since such an evil that was hidden away in the depths of her body would start quashing her now of all times in front of an acquaintance. It was in this moment that the woman realized that Kazumi was indeed still standing before her, posture faltering even more as blue orbs jerked to gaze upon his form. Squinting her eyes in the darkness of the night, Kazumi seemed to acquire an object from what appears to be thin air from the maiden's perspective. It was rectangular in shape and size and resembled that of a fairly sized object. It wasn't until Sora gazed upon it for a few more moments as the man stretched out his arm to her, revealing the mystery item a little more clearly in the night's gaze.

It was the book she lost.

It was with a slow motion that the blonde stole a glance at Kazumi before retrieving the lost item that belonged to her, holding it close to her person as if it was something precious. Sora could scarce believe that this man before her found it in the shadows of the forest, but despite her ever growing curiosity of his abilities as both a shinobi and a man, blue orbs simply downcast to the earth's floor below as she listened to his words. There was an internal struggle defiantly raging within the woman at this very moment still, no distraction that she tried to execute seeming to halt her self-harm. However, it was with Kazumi's words that kept her grounded, and motivated her to keep up the facade that dare waver and quiver with certain movements and actions. After all, it was in this very moment that if one were to care enough to recite one of the many shinobi codes of conduct, it was that in #25 a shinobi must never convey their emotions; even in times of great sadness and peril, tears must be kept within.

But right now, it was becoming much harder to follow such a pathetic rule.

It wasn't until Kazumi offered to treat her words that Sora's voice shook significantly, the signs there in the tone of voice no matter how calm she tried to keep it. She was in the beginning stages of crashing down in front of this man, and there was a weakness in her heart that was begging to know why such an inexcusable feat was happening so suddenly. The blonde knew bouts of this happened on occasion whenever she was alone, but why did such an embarrassment have to happen now in front of a person she just met? She knew little to nothing about him and yet her body was denying her the solitude it needed... Her heart was denying her the loneliness she had grown addicted to.

She needed to get this done quick.

"I-If you don't mind, I would much prefer you to tend to my wounds at the moment. The hospital, i-in my personal opinion, is much too far a walk. I'm feeling a little too lazy to even make the effort, so... I guess I'm sorry for taking your time, Kazumi. Home is much closer than the hospital. A-And to be frank, there's really no point in telling anybody about the problem. It's not like anything would be done about it when there's more than one group out there causing harm to others such as myself."

Because nobody would ever help you, would they? You're not worth their time.

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* Marked for training; word count: 834 words

 

[Ko]

Sora took the book from the older shinobi and held it to her body. At least… that’s what he thought she did he still couldn’t properly see her in this light. Though he couldn’t really tell how she was feeling in this situation she at least seemed glad to have her book back. It was good to see at least one good deed he had done was recognised by the person… even if she didn’t even know she would find that book. Maybe had she waited until the morning she would have found it anyway, but it didn’t really matter.

Her body seemed to jolt at the suggestion of him treating her or taking her to the hospital. Her words would begin to stutter and tremble in front of him. Was she beginning to feel nervous? Uncomfortable with the hospitality perhaps? Something about her seemed very… strange.

Perhaps she didn’t really enjoy people around her?

”That’s fine by me, Sora-san. Just stay still for a moment and I’ll patch your eye up.” Nodding quickly, Kazumi would make some handseals and his hands would begin to glow with a green healing chakra. It would illuminate up, showing that he was completely covered from the neck down in clothes. Despite being covered it didn’t seem to really cause him any issues with movement even though the clothes weren’t loose in any way, shape or form.

He would then move his hand slowly and gently forward, hovering over her face as the basic medical jutsu would begin to take action on her wounds. They would heal quicker than a basic medical student, and in fact better than most medical practitioners in the profession. The only downside was that being only half human made controlling chakra a little more difficult. Getting chakra through fake limbs cost more on him.

”You know I’m glad we didn’t go to the hospital. I don’t like doctors and how they like to poke about in bodies, and experiment on people.” Totally not from personal experience.

He would wince a little bit through the process but found that the healing would be done sooner than he thought. If she had any other wounds other than her face they’d at least find some comfort if they hadn’t been healed.

Kazumi smiled as he moved his hands away, leaving her to check the wounds herself.

”W-well there you go. All ready to take down those guys who wronged you!” It was meant to be a joke. No way was she going to fight them and win. ”Maybe you should heal home soon. I’ll be heading back through the forest to my own home anyways.”

He pointed down the path he was going before he shone his light and blinded the poor girl.

”The other way will take you back to the main area of the village, but I figure you’d probably know your way around this village by now.”

He fiddled through his pockets, before finding a kunai and giving it to her. She shouldn’t be alone without a weapon.

” For just in case you get attacked again. I have no use for it since I don’t really use anything other than myself when it comes to fighting. These paths aren’t always nice in the day or at night, but at least it’ll make people think twice.”

MFT 557 words

 

[Inuzuka Ryou]

Unknowing of the curious observations the man was drilling in his own mind, the woman merely shifted her weight from one leg to the other nervously. The book her pale hands clutched close to the midst of her chest was only a temporary distraction from the depths of her self deprecation. The blonde was waiting, willing to get such a bother over with so that a full retreat may be made into the depths of the night, and away into the confines of her home so that she may finally shed the tears that were daring to surface. There was a want, a need to escape so that embarrassment may be prevented. However, upon looking back in the events of the afternoon, Sora couldn't ignore the cold truth that embarrassment had already settled its way into her skin the moment she was thrown into the abyss of the forest. And yet...

It was in the dark of the night that the hermit met a man who's kindness was easing her heart. With his words slicing through the tension of her cold body, the woman flinched as he began to make hand seals. It wasn't out of fear for her safety or for suspicion but of a more shy demeanor and timid mindset if nothing else. With a bright and yet warm glow that suddenly fluttered into life from the palm of his hands, the maiden was able to capture a clearer perspective of Kazumi's appearance. His clothing seemed to suit his rather goofy yet kind nature from head to toe, and yet she still couldn't quite capture a glance at his face in the night's shadows. It was still too dark for her eyes to sneak a glance but it wasn't until his hand began to move forward that Sora stiffened all the muscles in her body.

His hand hovered over her face, positive in the depths of her mind that he could see some of her dull features clearly. There was nothing impressive about her unlike other women in the world, many much more beautiful and outstanding than she. It was in this thought process that her own mind began to attack her again with thoughts of petty disgrace and turmoil, insulting herself between every passing moment that her subconscious allowed to slip through. And yet in all the pain and ever growing sorrow, the maiden struggled to keep the same motionless face that was only a bit scrunched up as Kazumi was performing his procedure. It wasn't until the man spoke again to her as the wounds that broke skin started to heal, his voice as soft and patient as before.

He didn't like hospitals. Then again, who did? Besides the ones working there. It was in the moment that blue orbs simply struggled to examine Kazumi's face in the darkness, unsure of what his expression was in the midst of all this time. For a passing moment, Sora didn't utter a word. She merely stood there stiff, mulling over the correct sentence and wording to use before slowly drawling it out of her lips. "I-I don't blame you... Don't really like people poking at me like I'm some sort of display." Not that she was speaking from personal experience or anything.

It was then afterwards that Kazumi's hands fell, a joke passing his mouth that seemed to cause Sora's muscles to relax a little. Ah, there was his goofy nature again, distracting her from the bad thoughts that were beating her down into submission. And yet he cared enough to advise her in going home straightaway, not that she had anywhere else to go. The woman's eyes softened as she let herself be distracted, blocking out anything else that existed in the world except the man before her. There seemed to be a shuffle of movement from him before a bright light broke through the darkness in a powerful glow, all but blinding the blonde. By having to cover her eyes, she released a groan of momentary pain as he spoke, assuring herself patiently that he must have forgotten how bright it might be to eyes like hers that have been in darkness for a while.

While rubbing her eyes with a single hand, she furrowed her brows and squinted her eyes in slight annoyance before finding a kunai being handed to her. With her free hand, she accepted the offer with little thought other than momentary confusion as to why he was giving her what is considered a weapon. But the odds for her to be attacked again were unlikely now that he presented such a means of defense upon her; little did he know, however, that she barely knew how to stand up for herself. It was with a few passing moments that Sora's eyes adjusted, looking upwards to get a good look at Kazumi's face.

Ah...

Blue orbs widened slightly at his appearance, a strange feeling in her heart taking hold and birthing into something new. It was strange, she thought. Tilting her head in confusion at her own emotions while gazing upon the man, the woman's eyes softened before she sheathed the kunai just underneath the hem of her skirt and her voice emerged from the grips of silence. "Kazumi... Th-Thank you. I...", she drifted off into silence and felt her cheeks warm up, another strange feeling betraying her heart.

She wasn't very good at social interaction.

She began again.

"I... I'm grateful for your assistance. It's... been a long time since anyone has ever helped me.", and with a red face she thrust the book into his chest, and began to run off as fast as she could.

Sora didn't think twice about giving him that book. It was the first of a series that she owned, one that she truly adored. Despite its tattered hem and rustic pages, it was something that she treasured. However, it was in her moments of running home into the village streets that she realized she just gave her book to an acquaintance as thanks. Yet she didn't mind. After all, maybe he'd find some joy in them as well just like she did no matter how big or small. Despite the story's romantic induced settings and mystical world, there were touches of friendship and innocence that invoked a sense of peace and understanding in one's heart.

A story about a girl who loved to act, but was alone... and a man who was a delinquent, captured by her nature.

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* Marked for training; word count: 1,084 words

{ Act One :: Sora has taken her exit. }​