After the ordeal in the cave full of glowing crystals, which apparently was called Koudo Sutajiamu, Sayuri was terribly tired. Not tired enough to sleep, but her leg and arm hurt where she had been cut and subsequently refused healing. Now that she was no longer faced with the immediacy of having to touch someone’s hand it seemed like a rather silly decision to refuse. Especially since she had no medical knowledge of her own, the best she could hope for was to wrap the wounds up in something and pray they would heal on their own. She had always just healed on her own from minor cuts like this, but they usually left nasty scars. The wounds she had sustained that were more major had been taken care of by medical ninja and although there were still scars, they were pale and almost pretty.

For now though she was more interested in enjoying the meal that she and Harichimo had asked for before they left on their mission. She hadn’t been overly specific in her requests to the chef, only that she had wanted something sweet and now she had a surprise waiting for her. If there was one thing better than a good meal, it was a surprise good meal. And sweets at that. Sayuri skipped along on the way back to the University, cheerfully singing the Rice Song. “Rice is the best! Better than the rest! All day long, eating the Rice!” She didn’t expect Harichimo to sing along with her, the Rice Song was something she remembered from her childhood; an amorphous song that changed it’s lyrics and tune depending on who was singing it. The only thing that signified it was the Rice Song at all was that it mentioned rice in it. Somewhere. There were times when it was used as a children’s song, like when she was in the hospital in Konoha. And other times when it was used to give her courage, like when she was young and fought alongside her grandfather.

Despite taking her time, meandering and skipping about, they would reach the University in short order. Dashing up to the doors of the University Sayuri would push them open with both hands and wave for Harichimo to hurry up. He was faster than her, and so the gesture was moot, but she was far too excited to think clearly. There was food involved after all! Without waiting for her Sensei to cross the threshold she raced to the floor that she now lived on, skidding along the stone floor and sliding down the banister before tumbling once in a somersault and springing back up with a cheer. It was the finest display of tumbling she had ever done, she was certain of it. But she wasn’t entirely sure that Harichimo would approve of her acrobatics in the stately hall so once she had secured her landing she would lean casually against a wall with a mischievous grin on her face and wait for Harichimo to descend so they both could eat.

517

Harichimo had become quite pleased with the willingness of Sayuri to learn and follow directions. Without hesitation she was tossed into the deep end of a rather one sided fight and seemed to come out of it just fine, minus the small amount of blood on her clothes. It was odd to him that someone would readily decline healing but he was not one to judge her for it. When they finally reached the exit of the underground arena he would notice it was only starting to enter the late afternoon and soon the meal he had promised to Sayuri would be waiting for them. With little meandering he would lead Sayuri back the way they had come from the university.

Harichimo kept a slow pace as they wound through the less crowded street with neon signs advertising the dinner specials of some of the restaurants. All of them tempted Harichimo with their specials. The thoughts of all this good food made him hunger more for the meal the chefs of the university were making. His usual diet in his secluded apartment mostly consisted of instant ramen and fast cooking stove top food which were of probably not desirable quality. But he thought it was the best he could do until he could return to his normal life. Now the thought of having high quality food was enough to take his attention away from the singing and skipping around Sayuri was doing as they walked.

In very short time they reached the university doors. Sayuri seemed more then eager to get to the meal and ran ahead to open the doors and wave him in. Harichimo would pick up the pace and take two steps at a time to reach the doors as she took off for the door to their floor. She seemed to take off like a mouse and hurriedly shot down the stairs. He would walk and pass by the desk where he found a package of books waiting. It had a card with his name on it and he knew what it was. He would grab the books and take them with him. When he reached the door he put the books by the side of the door and walked down the staircase to meet Sayuri who greeted him with a grin like she had accomplished some major feat of athleticism. He could smell the food from the kitchen and was ready to dash right past Sayuri to get at it but he had to show some sort of manners.


"Alright I am sure our food is almost done so how about we make sure to wash up and change. I do apologize about your clothes and we can get those cleaned in the morning." After her reply Harichimo would walk towards the doors opposite of Sayuri's make shift room and use the bathroom on the men's side of the hall. He would undo his arm bandages and wash off the little bit of dirt that managed to cling to them. He would double check and make sure his hair wasn't to messed up and when he had met his satisfaction he would walk out to meet Sayuri when she was done with her preparations.


542

As Harichimo descended the stairs Sayuri grinned all the wider. It seemed that he had not noticed her less than graceful entrance, or at least if he had, he’d been polite enough not to say anything. Not able to hold back the impulse for more mischief, she would giggle while placing both her hands on her hips and doing her best to look as though she might be annoyed. “You’re so slow. How am I supposed to do anything waiting around for you.” She of course was not annoyed, she was merely having a bit of fun. He was ridiculously fast, she’d seen it with her own eyes not long ago, in comparison she was the slow one. Suddenly concerned that her new teacher might not realize her jest, she blushed and waved her hands in front of her anxiously. “I didn’t mean that! You’re not slow at all, I was only joking, please don’t be angry. I’ll give you some of my sweets!” He had been so kind up until now she was hoping that she hadn’t just immediately destroyed whatever chance she had at a friendship. She listened attentively as he spoke about cleaning up for dinner. It was not something that occurred to her to do, having spent most of her time outdoors. When you took the time to wash with soap and smell lovely before eating, usually that was when things decided that they wanted to eat you.

Taking his suggestion of cleaning up to heart, she would tug self consciously at her clothing before mumbling “I’ll be right there.” and scurrying off to her room. Her room with three beds. Seeing the extra large bed cheered her up and made her worry of offending Harichimo fade away as she went to vault on to their soft surface. She stopped just shy of actually landing as she remembered that she was actually covered in blood, and she didn’t want to get it all over the bedding. With a sigh she would hastily remove all her clothing and her boots and then stand there for a minute with them in her hands as she was unsure where to place them. Ordinarily she would toss the in a basket, which was probably for clothing though she’d never asked, but now that they were this soiled she thought that might make a bigger mess. After deliberating for what seemed an age, she finally sighed and tossed them in the corner on to the floor. Beside the basket. “Close enough, I’ll have to figure out where I can clean those tomorrow. Or later tonight.” She shrugged happily with her decision and walked over to the chest that held the rest of her clothing. Pulling out a soft blue dress she laid the garment carefully on the bed while she searched about for something to clean off her wounds. Finding nothing appropriate she grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself and made her way to the bathroom.

508/1025

Harichimo would reappear from the men's washroom with his now clean arm bandages and face. He would survey and look around to see a lack of Sayuri. Who was probably still getting cleaned off or dressed from their little excursion in the dusty dark arena. He would look behind the statues to make sure she wasn't just hiding around somewhere and waiting to ambush him. She seemed to have an endless amount of energy even after their adventure. Satisfied with his search results he would hurriedly stride back towards the stairs and door leading to the main floor. He would quickly open the door and grab the stack of books he had left and just as fast stride back to the men's side of rooms. Now he had to find a hiding spot for this little surprise. He would pick the first room with a bed in it and light one of the wall torches to see what he was doing. The stack of three books were stacked neatly and held together by a gold ribbon. As if they were a golden gift from the library at his request. The books themselves were covered with dull book covers to keep them in still great condition, since some university students can't be trusted to even keep their own dorms clean let alone a borrowed book, but also to keep them looking inconspicuous if Sayuri has seen them. He would tuck them away on top of one of the beds and cover them with an extra pillow for good measure and return to the main room. When he returned again the sound of running water was still going as he let out a sigh of relief.

And now the full aroma of a hearty meal was flowing into the room from the kitchen area. The smells of meats and sweet things were beginning to fill the air and make his stomach rumble. For the last couple months he had been forced to lay low and live off meager bags of ramen and easy to make meals that were no where near the quality he was used to enjoying normally or whenever he had dinner at the Kazako clan clinic. The ramen was just of such bad quality he would have never eaten it before or now if it wasn't one of his best options. Now he was going to have a meal fit for the Tsuchikage himself. What smells were catching his nose the most were of bacon which was just a standout and what seemed like honey barbecue smell that lingered just outside the door. He was tempted to just walk in and see what kind of dishes would be awaiting them. But it seemed only the polite thing to do and wait for Sayuri to finish cleaning up. It seemed strange to him that she refused to join in on the free bit of healing he was providing to the genin after the exercise. He felt bad that her clothes had become stained from the couple of cuts she had endured but she seemed to be pretty tough and smart enough to hold herself back from completely obliterating the genin after they caught her. For now he would grab a seat on a bench next to one of the statues and wait for her to finish what she was doing.

565/1107

Towel clad, Sayuri wandered into the washing room. Once inside she took a closer look in the mirror at her wounds. They had stopped bleeding, but they were angry and red and looked as though they could use a good cleaning. Stepping into the shower she took her time cleansing them, this was not the first time she’d had to clean one of her wounds, though normally she didn’t have clean water and soap to do it with. It didn’t take her long to figure out that the soap was a terrible idea though, as it stung as soon as it made contact with her injured flesh. Quickly rinsing off the wounds with water she decided that the best approach was just to jump in the shower and get it over with. It would be irritating yes, but at least it would be quick. Bathing as fast as she could, her enjoyable hot shower interspersed with the occasional whimper, she brushed out her long white hair and then wrapped herself in her towel again. Examining her wounds again she saw that they didn’t look quite so bad with the blood washed off of them.

Making her way back to her room she could smell the aroma of their meal through the hallway, and it was enough to encourage her to move a bit faster. While she was not anywhere near as hungry as she had been at points in her past, she was famished. It had been a long day, and there had been a decent amount of combat and now her stomach growled impatiently as she began picking through her clothing looking for something to wear. Eventually she remembered that she had already made this decision, and with a giggle at her own absentmindedness she turned back to her bed and picked up the pale blue dress. It was plain, only being a single colour, but the cut of the dress complimented her small frame beautifully and the way the fabric moved as she did was like water. She slipped on some white canvas shoes and secured the silver watch that Tsuyo had given her to her left wrist. She briefly contemplated bringing her weapons with her, but it seemed a bit much. There was a nervous aching in the pit of her stomach that she was sure wasn’t from lack of food as she left her room without her tanto. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gone somewhere without it. But here she had decided to try to learn and grow and she didn’t exactly feel that carrying her tanto around at all times was expanding her realm of what was comfortable.

Closing her bedroom door behind her, Sayuri made her way towards the cafeteria. All the while she kept repeating the same phrase over and over in her head. It will be fine, you don’t need your weapon, you’re safe. It might not have seemed that big of a deal to other people, but that tanto had been her sole source of safety and security for the better part of her life. It was more than a little bit difficult to leave it behind, even if it was just for a meal. Her face brightened as she saw Harichimo sitting on a bench beneath one of the statues in the hall and she would smile as she quickened her pace. The urge to climb one of the statues was now even stronger, and it took some doing to not bound up begin her ascent. Instead she would lean against the statue while speaking excitedly. “Ready to eat? I’m sorry for making you wait for so long, I didn’t want to get blood everywhere so I cleaned up a little. It smells wonderful out here by the way, I’m so excited for our meal.” She would pause a moment with a look of uncertainty on her face as she added a quick question. “Do you think maybe you could help with my cuts? I don’t really know how to take care of them.”

690/1715

It didn't take much longer for Harichimo to hear the doors on the other side of the room open and a now clean and sparkly looking Sayuri to reappear in the main room. He would stand up and walk towards the middle of the room to meet her. The blue dress seeming to amplify the already natural blue of her eye and pop the green from the other one. It seems that fashion and upper class things are her forte. Hopefully Iwagakure will suit her needs while I am teaching her what she needs to know. "Well now I feel under dressed for the occasion." Harichimo would let out a small chuckle before she would ask him a simple favor. He had forgotten to notice the small blood stain was now gone. She seemed to have done a good enough job to clean the small kunai cuts and the dress may have kept some pressure on them but they were still probably open. A very simple matter for him to deal with.

Harichimo would put out his right hand and focus his medical chakra to call forth a coat of green chakra. The chakra seeming to create a calm rippling water effect as it washed over the his now bare palm. It was seeking what needed to be healed and fixed, sense it didn't find what it was looking for it chose to gather and overflow. "It would be no trouble at all Sayuri. This is the easiest and fastest way to deal with some injuries and keep them from scaring. Tsuyo and I are just to alike in our ways. Both practiced fighters and accomplished medic. Just take a hold of my hand and imagine in your brain for where the cuts are and my medical chakra will do the rest of the work to make sure you are as good as when you arrived in the village. The chakra will go to the cut and you may feel a small tingling as it puts your cuts back together" Once she would take his hand it would only take a minute for the chakra to have healed her cuts. When she would take her hand back the green chakra would dissipate. "There now you should feel a lot better and those cuts shouldn't cause any discomfort."

After the healing session the kitchen doors would open and the head chef would sound for them to enter. 'Come, come you two we have a big meal for you two. We worked hard on it all so you both should clean your plates." Harichimo would let Sayuri lead the way into the kitchen. When they would both enter the center most table seemed to have been decorated with a black cloth that had the same gold trim as his jacket. Harichimo would walk forth and pull out a chair for Sayuri. If she would take the seat then he would take off his Monolith jacket and drape it over the back of his chair. That was when the head chef would stop by the kitchen door. "Alright everyone our guests have arrived finish garnishing the dishes and plate the deserts." With that the chef would disappear. "I think they may have gone a little overboard for their first guests on this floor in a long time."

557/1664

Sayuri was intrigued as Harichimo explained both what he was going to do, and the likenesses between him and Tsuyo. She had not realized the similarities between what she considered to be her best friend and her new teacher - who she also hoped to build a friendship with. And now that she was looking at him more closely, she could see the shared skills, kindness, and even the brashness of Tsuyo within Harichimo. And she was quite sure that Tsuyo would approve of Harichimo’s coat, it was nothing if not dazzling. Hearing that she would have to take hold of his hand in order for the healing chakra to do its work she froze internally for a moment. It was still difficult for her to accept physical contact with others, there were times when her mind suppressed her fear of course, but more often than not it reared its ugly head. Come now silly duck, it’s not as if anything bad is going to happen. You did ask him to help you after all, and this is not your first occasion with healing chakra. With her inner chiding giving her a small bit of courage she would gently place her hand into Harichimo’s open palm, letting out a quiet and shaking breath as she did so.

Closing her eyes Sayuri would try to visualize the cuts as Harichimo had instructed. She did not find it as difficult as she had expected, as this exercise was not overly different from the meditations that she did everyday. She was easily able to conjure up the image of her injuries, small as they were, and just as Harichimo had said there was a strange tingling sensation as she could feel and very nearly see the injured flesh knit itself back together. It was a delightful feeling, and were it not for the fact that this process necessitated an injury she would not mind overly to experience it more frequently. She felt calm and more surprisingly, safe. As she took her hand back from Harichimo she smiled shyly and in a quiet voice spoke. “Thank you very much Harichimo. That wasn’t scary at all. And now I won’t have anymore scars.” She would grin at her last statement and clasp her hands together in an overt effort to not wave them about and inevitably lose her sense of self control and finally climb the statue near the both of them.

When the doors opened and the chef would call to them, Sayuri would jump just a bit. She had known why they were outside the cafeteria after all, but the business of healing had put their meal to the back of her mind. Now that she had been reminded however, she was ravenous, and an excited giggle would spring from her mouth as she jumped up towards the door while holding her hand out to Harichimo as encouragement to come quickly. Seeing the table in the center of the room decorated with a cloth of black and gold she was delighted and would smile all the wider. She would sit as gracefully as she could in the chair that Harichimo pulled out for her, smoothing out her skirt as she nestled into the seat. “This is just lovely! The cloth on the table even matches your coat Harichimo!” She would beam up at him as he laid the same coat over the back of his own chair. She was more excited than she had been in quite some time, certainly since she had arrived in Iwagakure. She would run her fingers delicately across the tablecloth, enjoying the sensation that the fine fabric provided. She had not realised how much she had missed a good meal accompanied by the rich trappings of ceremony. Looking at Harichimo as he spoke, she would laugh with sparkles in her eyes. “It must have been a very long time, this is quite extravagant. Not that I mind of course, I rather like it. But I must say I have quite forgotten what I asked for them to make for me.”

Just as the words left Sayuri’s lips the kitchen staff would begin bringing in plates of food. The smell was wonderful and she would breathe in deeply of the sweet and savory aroma drifting from the many beautifully decorated plates. Spying a plate with some daifuku on it she would grab a green coloured dessert and bite into it hastily, enjoying the sweet peach filling, before remembering her manners and setting the confection down on a small plate directly in front of her. “I’m sorry Harichimo, they just looked so good, I couldn’t wait!”

785/2500

Harichimo was glad to see that Sayuri was enjoying the evening. It had bee some time since he had a day with more then training or dealing with insignificant bandit problems. It was then the cooks came through the door carrying trays of all sizes and so much food they could have fed an entire village. Harichimo say smoked hams and barbecued chicken and his favorite pork belly. It wasn't healthy but was it a treat for the pallet especially for his under stimulated taste buds. When they came around Sayuri seemed very eager to grab at one of the deserts and start snacking on the morsel. She then seemed to realize her manners and apologized for her eagerness. Harichimo would just chuckle to himself as the chefs laid out several plates around the table among their two guests. "It is very fine Sayuri. You must have worked up quite the appetite from our little excursion. Which reminds me thanks again for your help today. I know Tsuyo sent you here to learn from me but hopefully you can consider me a friend rather then somebody who is going to lecture you about what you came to learn. But for now let us get to enjoying this small feast."


Harichimo would first grab the plate of pork belly and admire it. Thick cuts of pork slathered in a rich and sweet barbecue sauce from what he could smell. The chefs would then put glasses next to them and offer them water. He cut himself off a big chunk and enjoyed its savory juices as he chewed the meat and fat. It was the first time in a long time that his taste buds had something better then a cold sandwhich, instant ramen, or quick junk food from a vendor. The fatty oil and juices made his taste buds rejoice in heavenly delight. When he swallowed the juicy morsel it left a presence of divine quality. He looked to see Sayuri scanning over everything on the table not knowing where to start. He would slide another plate of pork belly towards her. "I would really reccomend this. Pork belly, it is a cut of meat with a little extra fat on the bottom. Think of it as a sweeter bacon strip. And slathered in barbecue sauce yum." Harichimo would let her eat it or continue to look over the assortment of plates. Harichimo would look over and grab a plate of thinly cut beef and take his chop sticks to slather the slices in the remaining sauce of the pork belly.

Harichimo would lose track of time as he and Sayrui enjoyed the feast. When he had polished off his last plate he would let himself slump back into the chair. He would rub his stomach as he let out a small hiccup from being full. Harichimo would take his glass of water and finish it off before remembering his surprise. He would get up as the chefs would return to take the dirty plates away from them. "Excuse me for one second Sayuri I have a small surprise for you." Harichimo would leave the kitchen and head back to the room where he had left the books. Still wrapped in with the ribbon they had arrived in. Harichimo would bring the books back with him to where Sayuri was sitting. He would gently lay the books down in front of her. "Now that we are full from eating maybe we can work off the meal with some studying. These books were written by some very smart people to help others learn and I will sit here with you and go through them. We have a couple hours left of the day so we won't press to hard on the subject. What do you say? Are you up for the task?"

642/2306

Sayuri happily accepted the plate that Harichimo handed her. Pork belly was a mildly disturbing concept, as it had her thinking more about adorable pig bellies than food. After briefly closing her eyes and giving her head a shake, she would resume eating, confident that she was now just eating delicious food and not a cute pet. It turned out to be amazingly tasty, and she ate with haste, finishing her plate off quickly and looking around for more to eat. She was not disappointed, there were plates of food all over the table, her side mostly covered with sweets. It was divine, to be able to eat as much as she wanted, from an abundance of her favourite foods. It reminded her very much of the time spent in Konoha with Tsuyo.

As they both finished up, she was a bit surprised to hear that Harichimo had a surprise for her. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, although from Harichimo’s tone of voice she supposed it wasn’t likely that it was a bad surprise. She also couldn’t think of anything else in the world that could surprise her. Since she’d come to Iwagakure she’d been showered in wonderful things. She had a whole room to herself with what was now one giant bed. A whole floor to herself even, well more or less. She was unsure if she would be sharing the floor with anyone else. The chefs she supposed were obvious, although whether they lived here was a question she would have to remember to ask Harichimo. She would curl up on her chair, slowly digesting her meal, and wait anxiously for her teacher’s return. As the doors to the cafeteria opened she spied a small bundle clutched gently in Harichimo’s hands. And she would peer at it with an eyebrow slightly raised in curiosity.
She would place her hands on the pile of books, tenderly running her finger along the edge of the topmost one in awe. “These are for me? I. . . don’t know what to say. Which is surprising for me, I know. But, you really think I can read these?” Her voice was little more than a whisper as she tried to process what was happening. She had known she had come here to learn things like this, reading and the like. However it was shocking to have it happen so fast, and more importantly that Harichimo was willing to sit down with her. When she had first imagined what it would be like to study reading and writing, she had thought that it would be many long frustrating hours spent alone with books, and paper and pen. To have her teacher actually sit down with her was more than she could hope for.

“Yes, I would like very much to start studying. I want to be able to read everything in the whole University!” A cheerful smile lit up her face as she would stand up quickly and leap towards Harichimo in order to embrace him. She was undeniably excited and even more grateful with the way her trip to Iwagakure was turning out. If he allowed her to hug him she would squeeze tightly before releasing him and leaping onto the chair she had just sprung from and landing in a heroic pose. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is turning out to be the best day ever!” As she would place her hands on her hips she would smile wider at the impulse that had jumped into her head with the sudden rush of energy. There were still statues in the hallway that need climbing. And after that maybe the outside of the University itself. As a sly smile replaced her excited one she would look towards Harichimo while holding out her hand to take his. “You know, I bet no one’s ever climbed all the statues before.”

658/3158

As he laid the books on the table Harichimo could see the disbelief and excitement build inside of Sayuri. She seemed lost for a short while as she looked over the books and asked him her question. It was just as Harichimo would think one would react when a big task was set before them. He had never been a quote classroom teacher. Probably the closest he could count himself towards that were the times he had walked his younger siblings through basic medical techniques and making simple medicines. But today seemed like it was the perfect chance to take on such a role to help out a fellow student of his sensei and help her complete whatever it was that he had requested of her. Harichimo would pull on the top of the ribbon to undo the bindings as the golden ribbon gently feel flat and he pointed to the top most books before speaking. "These books on top are meant to help anyone learn to read and it shouldn't take long for you to grasp it. Then this last one is more of a big book of kanji to help you write that letter you plan to send back to Tsuyo."



When Harichimo was done explaining the purpose of the books he would watch as all the internal excitement burst forward as she yelled her readiness to start learning. Harichimo could see that she was more and more willing to tackle challenges and help those who asked of her. And with that burst of energy he soon was trapped in a hug from the girl. A new feeling filled his head for a second. A feeling of accomplishment that he had not felt before. For once a student was more then willing to learn from him and was sticking to their guns and this one wasn't even one of his couple of squads that had been assigned to learn from him. He would give Sayuri a couple of pats on the shoulder as she released him. It wasn't long before her spark of energy turned to mischievous thoughts as she talked about climbing the statues in the main area of the hall. He would shake his head in amusement. He knew the statues were never climbed as dedicated staff would set up scaffolding to clean them. In his head it seemed only right to let her have her fun before they started the boring activities. "Alright I will join in your little game. Just be careful, I know these statues look very well built and that's just more incentive to climb higher and higher until you can touch the ceiling." He would just chuckle to himself as Sayuri would extend out her hand the the look of her face giving off vibes of anticipation. He would let Sayuri grab his hand and yank him out into the hallway where the statues lined both sides of the room each in different poses but all holding up the roof.



503/2809

Pulling on Harichimo’s hand as she hurried out of the cafeteria, Sayuri couldn’t help but to laugh in excitement. She was so often told that her ideas or games were childish, or inappropriate, to have someone willing to play along was glorious. As they entered the hallway she would stop and take a good look at the statues that filled the room. As far as climbing surfaces went, they were a bit on the small side, seeing as she normally enjoyed climbing the tallest of trees or mountains - but they had some interesting looking hand and footholds that she felt might provide a challenge. Moving to the closest one, she finally released Harichimo’s hand and sprung upwards to catch her hands on the statue’s outstretched arm. She didn’t think much about her current state of dress until she was halfway up the carefully carved piece of stone. Didn’t think at all until her soft shoes slipped on the statue’s smooth surface. Fortunately, this was not the first time she had gone ill equipped on a climbing adventure, and it was something she was used to so the slip wouldn’t end up in a fall. It did however lead to more bouts of laughing as she finally ascended the stony monolith and let out a cheer from her new perch near the ceiling.

She would look back, hoping to see Harichimo climbing with her, or at least encouraging her own misadventures. And then suddenly realize that the whole reason she was even in the University in the first place was to learn. Hopping down to the floor, breaking her fall with a graceful somersault, she would motion again to Harichimo and scurry back into the cafeteria to grab the stack of books. They could probably look at them in the room they had just had dinner in, but she wanted to be outside. She always wanted to be outside, where there were no walls or ceilings to trap her. Books in hand, and barely pausing to make sure that Harichimo was following, she would dash up the stairs, through the lobby and out the main doors into the receding daylight. Picking what looked to be a rather lush looking patch of grass she would plop herself down and then lovingly lay the books on the emerald coloured vegetation.  Taking the topmost book in hand, she flipped it open to the first page, trying to make out anything in it before Harichimo arrived. She was intent on getting this right, and she wanted to impress her teacher with at least her willingness to learn, if not her actual accomplishments as of yet.

Sayuri would spend the rest of the evening with Harichimo, studying and practicing reading. It was occasionally frustrating, but on the whole she kept a cheerful demeanor, not wanting to invest negativity into the task at hand. She deeply enjoyed the time that Harichimo spent with her, he was patient and fun, as well as quite knowledgeable. While initially she had been saddened to be sent away, she was now glad of it. As it happened there were plenty of things here in Iwagakure to enjoy, and new and wonderful people to meet. Using the time that she had with him, she asked the question that had been bothering her since she had arrived here at the University. Something that had not actually bothered her most of her life, but then gaining comfort and having it taken away again was probably worse than not having it at all. “Hari? Um, do you. . . I mean, are you-” She would take a deep breath before continuing again. “Sorry, this is difficult for me to word properly. I don’t want to seem needy or anything. Do you, uh, live here? In the University I mean. I guess I’m just wondering if, there’s a chance that uh, I’m going to be here all alone.” She would blush slightly at her partially admitted fear. She knew she was vulnerable and afraid, but she didn’t like to admit it, in some ways it made it a bit worse. “I just am, well, I got used to living with other people, and now I’m not sure if I will be. So I’m just. . . a bit worried I guess.” Waiting for Harichimo’s answer, she would tug absentmindedly on her long white hair, knowing full well that either way, she would have to deal with one of her fears. Being alone in a building - or being in a building with other people.

With a small sigh and a chuckle she realized that no matter the answer, she was still tired and sleep she had found could cure a lot of things. After hearing Harichimo’s reply she would nod sleepily, gather up her books and carefully retie them with the golden coloured ribbon. “Thank you Harichimo. For spending so much time with me. I’m sure you have other, more important things to attend to, so I really, really appreciate it. I look forward to many more lessons! However now I must sleep, it has been a very long day, and I don’t think I can really absorb too much more knowledge.” Pulling herself reluctantly to a standing position, she would hug the books to her chest and meander back inside the University and down the stairs, waving sleepily at the statues as she passed them by. Pulling on Harichimo’s hand as she hurried out of the cafeteria, Sayuri couldn’t help but to laugh in excitement. She was so often told that her ideas or games were childish, or inappropriate, to have someone willing to play along was glorious. As they entered the hallway she would stop and take a good look at the statues that filled the room. As far as climbing surfaces went, they were a bit on the small side, seeing as she normally enjoyed climbing the tallest of trees or mountains - but they had some interesting looking hand and footholds that she felt might provide a challenge. Moving to the closest one, she finally released Harichimo’s hand and sprung upwards to catch her hands on the statue’s outstretched arm. She didn’t think much about her current state of dress until she was halfway up the carefully carved piece of stone. Didn’t think at all until her soft shoes slipped on the statue’s smooth surface. Fortunately, this was not the first time she had gone ill equipped on a climbing adventure, and it was something she was used to so the slip wouldn’t end up in a fall. It did however lead to more bouts of laughing as she finally ascended the stony monolith and let out a cheer from her new perch near the ceiling.

She would look back, hoping to see Harichimo climbing with her, or at least encouraging her own misadventures. And then suddenly realize that the whole reason she was even in the University in the first place was to learn. Hopping down to the floor, breaking her fall with a graceful somersault, she would motion again to Harichimo and scurry back into the cafeteria to grab the stack of books. They could probably look at them in the room they had just had dinner in, but she wanted to be outside. She always wanted to be outside, where there were no walls or ceilings to trap her. Books in hand, and barely pausing to make sure that Harichimo was following, she would dash up the stairs, through the lobby and out the main doors into the receding daylight. Picking what looked to be a rather lush looking patch of grass she would plop herself down and then lovingly lay the books on the emerald coloured vegetation.  Taking the topmost book in hand, she flipped it open to the first page, trying to make out anything in it before Harichimo arrived. She was intent on getting this right, and she wanted to impress her teacher with at least her willingness to learn, if not her actual accomplishments as of yet.

Sayuri would spend the rest of the evening with Harichimo, studying and practicing reading. It was occasionally frustrating, but on the whole she kept a cheerful demeanor, not wanting to invest negativity into the task at hand. She deeply enjoyed the time that Harichimo spent with her, he was patient and fun, as well as quite knowledgeable. While initially she had been saddened to be sent away, she was now glad of it. As it happened there were plenty of things here in Iwagakure to enjoy, and new and wonderful people to meet. Using the time that she had with him, she asked the question that had been bothering her since she had arrived here at the University. Something that had not actually bothered her most of her life, but then gaining comfort and having it taken away again was probably worse than not having it at all. “Hari? Um, do you. . . I mean, are you-” She would take a deep breath before continuing again. “Sorry, this is difficult for me to word properly. I don’t want to seem needy or anything. Do you, uh, live here? In the University I mean. I guess I’m just wondering if, there’s a chance that uh, I’m going to be here all alone.” She would blush slightly at her partially admitted fear. She knew she was vulnerable and afraid, but she didn’t like to admit it, in some ways it made it a bit worse. “I just am, well, I got used to living with other people, and now I’m not sure if I will be. So I’m just. . . a bit worried I guess.” Waiting for Harichimo’s answer, she would tug absentmindedly on her long white hair, knowing full well that either way, she would have to deal with one of her fears. Being alone in a building - or being in a building with other people.

With a small sigh and a chuckle she realized that no matter the answer, she was still tired and sleep she had found could cure a lot of things. After hearing Harichimo’s reply she would nod sleepily, gather up her books and carefully retie them with the golden coloured ribbon. “Thank you Harichimo. For spending so much time with me. I’m sure you have other, more important things to attend to, so I really, really appreciate it. I look forward to many more lessons! However now I must sleep, it has been a very long day, and I don’t think I can really absorb too much more knowledge.” Pulling herself reluctantly to a standing position, she would hug the books to her chest and meander back inside the University and down the stairs, waving sleepily at the statues as she passed them by. It was a bit out of character for her to be as friendly as she was, normally she would ignore people as best she could - even if they were statues - in order to go unnoticed. However in her sleepy state she was barely aware of the feeling of the hard stone under her feet, or the lingering scent of their delicious meal hanging in the air. Had she been more awake she might have noticed the remnants of their meal had been carefully placed in a small paper box, for eating at a later time. As it was though, she did not, and she would walk past the cafeteria in a slight daze while fondly remembering the plethora of desserts she had just had there. Once inside her bedroom she placed the stack of books down just long enough to carefully remove her pale blue dress, opting to lay it over the dresser as opposed to tossing it on the floor or into the waiting basket in the corner of the room. She had learned enough about finer things to understand that treating them with care was what prolonged their life. Something she had never considered before, her previous ‘clothing’ had been scraps that she had poorly hand sewn together. And it wasn’t until she began dressing more appropriately that she had even cared at all for what she looked like. It had been one of the things that was definitely on the bottom of her priority list, and when she thought of it at all it was in terms of keeping herself warm in the cold climate of Kumogakure. Many a storm and blizzard came and went in those mountains and fashion was not something that mattered as the harsh wind and pelting ice ravaged the land. Her mind was filled with memories as she put on the soft linen shift that she used for sleeping in, memories both sad and happy. Sad as she thought of the things she had lost or left behind - friends and family both. But also happy as she considered what she had now, warmth and food and new friends. It was a relief to her to know that now when she slept, she would be safe. She would wake up in the morning and be warm and cozy in bed, not covered in frost or dirt. And she would be safe - there wasn’t anyone here that was seeking to cause her harm, and a smile would cross her features at the feeling of comfort that brought her. She was barely able to keep her eyes open as she dressed for bed, and with one final sleepy sigh she fell onto her ‘bed’, books still in hand and drifted away to sleep.

1381/4539

{Exit Thread}

Training: Medical Ninjutsu (learned from Harichimo) -> None to C-Rank 4500 words

39 words discarded

Harichimo let Sayuri drag him towards the first statue that held resemblance to one of the old kage with one arm holding up the roof and the other outstretched as if beckoning them to return to their studies but Sayuri has other plans as it seems. She was quick to try and ascend the marble monolithic statue but seemed to stutter in place as her shoe slipped but she had managed to not tumble down unto her head which made Harichimo give a sort of sigh as he shook his head at the humor of the situation. With some more effort he watched as Sayuri conquered the statue she stood victoriously on the arm of the statue and seemed to call for him to join her. Harichimo looked at his bare hands and knew it would be a tad more challenging without the grip from his bandages but he could easily climb it as well. He got down on to one knee and took a jogging start to get a leap off of the pedestal and he had enough air to wrap his arms around where it connected to the shoulder and pull the rest of him up to Sayuri's level.

But almost as soon as he made himself comfortable on the statue's arm Sayuri would shoot down and motion for him as she bolted back to the kitchen. When he would let himself fall and land on the floor Sayrui would reappear and lead him back up the stairs and onto the main university floor which seemed to be now empty but still lit up from the sconces on the walls. He would follow her until they were eventually outside. The dwindling hours of daylight made the Iwagakure skyline stand out as the mountain village was getting ready to say goodbye to the day. He kept up with Sayuri as she picked out a spot for them to sit down and start to get into the real learning. They would sit until the sun was almost gone and its rays starting to wave their last goodbyes. Sayuri had done well for their first short session and had gotten to a good place to stop. Once they stood up Sayuri would start to ask her questions. She seemed to be worried about being alone which Harichimo could understand. Being only brought into the new and scary place. Harichimo would answer in his calmest tone. "It's a sort of yes and no. You will have that whole area to yourself that we ate and set up your bedroom in but there are guards patrolling the hallways and the immediate area so you have nothing to worry about." Harichimo would smile as she chuckled and wrapped the books back into their golden ribbon. He would lead Sayuri back to the door to her floor and give her a wave good night as she went to her new temporary bedroom. Harichimo however had to return to his apartment and get ready for the next day after having such an eventuful day and filling meal from the cooks.



Harichimo would soon return to his apartment. He would throw open the door and hang his Monolith Jacket upon a hook near the door. He was feeling super tired from everything that had happened today. His sensei sending him someone who was instructed to learn from him, teaching a class of new genin, and then finally squeezing in some actual studying time for the new student. Sayuri seemed capable enough that it shouldn't take to long for her to get the grips of what she needs to learn. Harichimo was interested to see what Sayuri was really capable of in terms of combat potential, only having seen her use her raiton jutsu to cage in her group of genin. But for now it was time to pass out with his stomach full of delicious non bottom shelf food. He would lay himself out on the couch and start to doze off as the lights turned themselves off and the light from the waning sun finally disappeared in the night. There was much more to come on the horizon of tomorrow and the future.

Exit Thread
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