The breeze was warm as it drifted lazily across the village. It carried an earthy scent with it that smelled particularly refreshing against the scents of soap, dust and a spritz too much of rose petal perfume that wafted about a small girl. She breathed it in deeply. After a morning too long of scrubbing the homes of her elderly neighbors, she was ready to smell something other than the pungent odors best only described as ‘old person scent’. It was musty, it was stale, it was awful. Though she couldn’t complain too much. These were her neighbors, the closest people she knew to a family. Helping around their homes queued into the deepest part of her soul - to be helpful.

So no matter how much she’d end up smelling soapy and leave bruised from long hours scrubbing floors, she had to keep smiling. Raising an arm above her head against the sun as it fell behind the Hokage heads, the evidence of the day showed in patches of grayed wraps around her arms. They hung loosely and needed to be replaced. “Oh well.” She hummed. She stretched both arms, relaxing against the stretch of her tender back muscles. She folded them behind her head against the tree she rested under. The sunlight crisscrossed the sky with oranges and pinks, peering down in soft streams through the branches and leaves across the ground. One stream caught a couple of the colored beads on the brown leather bracelet on her wrist. They refracted the light brightly, tossing purple and blue light to dance about in the shadows of the surrounding grove.

Today she was resting in the Honored Shinobi Monument Grove, where a proud rock stood in black with engraved names all over each slated face. She herself didn’t know any of the names, though sometimes she wondered if maybe she could find a family member on there one day. As an orphan left on the steps without a word, she could only dream and wonder. It was a peaceful place to do so too. There weren’t many people traveling through this late afternoon. And those that did, did so respectfully.

The sun began its slow descent behind the Hokage mountain. The white fluffy clouds now drifted with a twilight sheen of purples and blues. Stars began shining here and there as the Moon begun to make her debut from behind thicker clouds. With the change, the breeze cooled quickly. Tickling goosebumps traveled down her arms. Dressed in simple black shorts and a red t-shirt she was bound to catch a chill. With luck, she had remembered to bring a jacket, of which hung just a couple branches away. She stood up from her seat on the ground and dusted off the back of her pants. No one wanted to see a dirty booty. Long rainbow hair fell about to her waist, drifting around her like a wistful cloak. Going to grab her jacket she realized she was no longer alone. Carefully she picked it up and slipped it on. “Hello, what are you doing way out here?” She spoke, unsure who it could be. Friend, foe, villager - she wasn’t sure at first, but curious to find out. It wasn’t common for anyone to be out in the night by this monument. She would know, she was one of the weirdos of the night to stay long enough.

WC 574

Retsu looked up at the large monument that stood in front of him, it was hard for the boy to believe it had already been ten years since the day that changed his life and yet he remembered it as if it were yesterday.

It was a dreary cloudy morning in late spring the smell of rain was heavy in the air, it was the kind of day that looked as if it would start raining any second however as of yet it had not released a drop. All of the Aburame had gathered in the Courtyard of the Clan Compound, every one of them clad in all black, all of them silent save for the five year old boy that stood at the front of the crowd. His cries echoed throughout the silent compound and no amount of comforting could soothe him, the boy had just lost both of his parents to a thief that mugged them. The doors at the back of the courtyard opened as hundreds of thousands Kikaichu flew into the courtyard carrying two wooden coffins, the Aburame splitting apart as the Kikaichu carried the coffins across the courtyard to the pyre that had been built. The boy's cries grew louder as the coffins passed by him and completed their task, the swarms then dispersed returning to their host some from every member of the clan. The clan leader stepped forward and began speaking, but the boy only heard his own cries. This rite was something that was usually reserved for those who died during service however it had to be done, it was the way it was meant to be. Despite the boy's parents dying in a simple mugging they were in service to the hidden leaf village, and the clan honored them as well as honored their son by giving them this rite. Once the clan leader had finished he turn to the Pyre taking a small nearby torch from a stand and tossing it into the pyre, before he turned back to the crowd this time his voice echoed throughout the compound drowning out the boy's cry. "We will see you both one day, until that day comes we will live a life of memoriam. You will always be in our hearts," the man finished speaking just as the flame took to the pyre igniting it into a blaze. As the clan stood silent watching the pyre burn, thousands of different types of insects took to the sky from the trees that covered the clan compound. The insects flew through the crowd of gathered Aburame like a leaf trapped in a whirlwind, no one moved no one said a word. As the pyre burned the insects dance in the sky around the rising smoke for hours, they were saying their own goodbye to the couple. As the fire began to die down the insects took off back to the trees from which they came leaving the crowd of silent Aburame, before they too dispersed almost all at once returning to their homes leaving only the crying boy standing alone in the Courtyard. As the dreary day turned to night the clouds finally unleashed the rain that it had held all day, the boy did not seek shelter, he just remained where he was a sad and broken boy. It was not until the boy's own Kikaichu came out and created a cover over his head from the rain that the boy stopped crying, he looked to his beetles as he sniffled and wiped his eyes that were burning from all of his crying. He new his Kikaichu would be his only family after that, and that they would be with him until his own end. That day the boy changed forever he was no longer the fun loving smiling face he had been before his parents were taken from him, he turned cold to the outside world secluding himself and never speaking bottling his emotions up and never showing them again. That was also the last day anyone had seen the boy's face, covering his face with a mask and his eyes with goggles he donned his father's cloak. The boy would never remove his cover around another being after that day, even among those of the Aburame. The day after the funeral the boy received a letter from the Hokage that his parents name was added to the monument, they were shinobi of the leaf and would be honored as such.

The boy's memory was interrupted when he felt something on his cheek, raising his hand to his face he felt a single tear something that had not happened in a very long time. The boy looked around him to ensure no one was watching him, just now realizing that night had fallen which meant the boy had been standing in front of the monument for several hours now. The boy quickly regained his composure wiping away the tear and recovering his face with his mask before turning away from the monument, cutting through the trees that surrounded the monument. Then there was the sound of  a female's voice calling out, he must of made more noise then he thought he had. As the young Aburame rounded a tree he found the source of the voice, a girl that looked to be younger than himself with long rainbow colored hair standing in front of him. The boy was in his normal attire, his long coal grey Aburame cloak covering most of his body save for the lower half of his black pants in his open toe black shoes. The collar of his jacket sticking halfway up his head, his face covered by a black mask and tinted goggles covering his eyes, the metal of the boy's hitai-ate covering his forehead reflecting the light from the moon and leaving not a single inch of exposed skin to the cool night air. The boy did not say a word to the girl that stood in front of him, he simply stood there looking at her though the tinted lens of his goggles. After a few moments the boy's Kikaichu slowly flowed from his right arm and began forming words that seemed to float in the air, due to the black exoskeleton the Kikaichu possessed it would normally be hard to see them at night, however thanks to the light of the moon shining down on the area the girl should be able to read the words. "I am not going to hurt you, my name is Retsu Aburame." After the words lingered long enough for the girl to have read them they began to reshape themselves forming a new sentence for the girl to read, "I am sorry if I startled you, I was just leaving but first may I ask what a girl like you is doing out here this late?"

---

~1159

The person - man, woman, it was hard to tell from both the shadows of the night and the dark, well covering clothing worn - stood quietly. They were hesitant, observing her as she observed them. She didn't feel any odd vibes, but you never knew these days what kind of creatures lurked around every corner. The clothing seemed suited for concealing one's face and was doing a fine job at it. With the shorter hair atop and the more masculine figure, even with the heavier clothing, it seemed fair to assume he was male. He seemed to also be marked with a Leaf Village headband. That made him a shinobi. Heavy gray cloak, black pants, similar shoe choice, and his face was hidden away. There were only a few assumptions she could make. One, he was having a really bad face day, two horrifically scarred - something she could share in common, and three he was of one of the few clans in the village that couldn't fair sunlight well. Though she selfishly hoped it was the scar factor, she was surprised to find it was option number three. Bugs slipped out from his right arm sleeve and swarmed in the air to cluster together into... Are they grouping into words? Plain as the day they were.

Meiyo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn't expected anything of this sort. Instead of a voice, she was provided with clear written language provided by insects. "Amazing..." She hummed, her lips curled into a smile that cherished this find. She stepped a little closer to get a better view. "Aburame, Retsu?" She spoke, glancing at the man to make sure she spoke it correctly.

The bugs shifted into more written word. Her smile widened even more, "Startled? No." she flicked her fingers in the air to the side nonchalant. "I'm just surprised to find someone out here so late. At this hour there's honestly not many people out and about other than shinobi leaving to and from for missions. I'm Ren, Meiyo by the way. It's nice to meet you and your friends." She rested a palm on her hip and leaned to that side. She looked about the dark insects. If not for the moonlight, I would have never seen them. Brilliant, just brilliant! She thought to herself, fascinated by them. For a moment she didn't know what else more to say. She glanced at the rock next to them, reaching out she softly touched a few names of honored shinobi she would never meet. Her smile softened and smoothed over, as her heart prayed for the souls. Though she'd never been religious she still was curious what afterlife could be. Haunted by demons in her dreams, there might be something.

Earlier he was here, standing so quietly. I wonder if he's sad? Missing someone? She hummed in her thoughts. Her brows furrowed curiously. She reached up with her free hand and twirled a strand of blue hair around her finger out of nervous habit. Her bracelet glinted in the light, shining from the soft moonlight. "Are you.." Her lips pressed together. She wasn't sure she wanted to say okay. He seemed like a quiet, keep to himself from his stance and well, dark clothing. "Do you know some of these names? You, of course, don't have to tell me anything, I'm just curious." She waited for a response, even something as short as 'bug off'. As one of the most talkative kunoichi in the village, she was used to getting the short end of the conversations.

She was curious though, as an orphan she often dreamed of meeting her parents one day. But in the world she lived in, it was more than likely her parents and the rest of whatever family she belonged to were long gone and six feet under. It was a sad thought to have. She hoped that with hard work she could make it a brighter future for those to follow. But for now, it was her and the few friends she was able to gather around in her small circle, and whatever stories of their lives and families they could tell to fill the void. Not many would understand this concept, she knew.

This boy seemed like a fun mystery to figure out though. All shrouded in dark colors and distance. He may not even have a voice, just speaking through his insects. That made him unique. Meiyo loved all the unique and special in the world. She believed that it took the brave to face the hardships and make a change, and living a life of creative differences was necessary to achieve this. She hoped he told her more about himself or what he was here staring at the monument for.

WC 811/1385

The boy was not at all shocked by the girl's response to seeing his Kikaichu forming words, in fact that was becoming the common response to his display of words with them. Some were curious as to how it worked having not seen it before, that was mostly because other Aburame did not often display this capability with their Kikaichu. Though this was a common ability all Aburame Children can perform, most Aburame do not use this for communication outside of the clan compound, mostly due to the fact that a lot of villagers were unnerved by the Aburame and all of their Kikaichu. Retsu however would rather form words with his Kikaichu then speak with his voice, not that he could not speak he just chose not to. Most of the villagers found the Aburame's connection to their Kikaichu creepy or unsavoury, this girl however seemed to be more fascinated by them then disturbed or afraid of them. A smile formed beneath the boy's mask when the girl said she was not startled, mostly for the fact that even if she had been she would of said the exact same thing. It was something that had always intrigued the boy about human nature, most if not all refuse to admit if they are afraid or get frightened which if one was not careful could end badly for the person, however it was not the boys place to judge. Though the boy did notice that the girl did not state why she had been out here.

There was an awkward silence after the girl gave her name, as if she was unsure what to say or maybe she was uncomfortable around the boy like the rest of the village was. The boy watched as the young girl began twirling her long blue hair, her bracelet shining in the moonlight. Then she asked the million dollar question, did he know the names, the boy felt the pain of the memory all over again. It was as if the girl asking that simple question opened up a wound that the boy had been trying to hide for the last ten years, the boy's Kikaichu formed the words "Aburame, Ren" and "Aburame, Tsukiko" underneath it. The boy did not tell them to do this, in fact he was not going to tell the girl anything about it. However his memory of his parents brought their names to his thoughts and the Kikaichu formed the names. This brought the boy back from his thoughts and to current moment, cursing himself for lowering his guard and allowing his Kikaichu to tell the girl his parent's names. He assumed the girl would probably ask about them so he prepared himself mentally for the question, however he would only diverge the information about the names if the girl pressed the matter and asked who they were or something.

If the girl asked about the names the boy would form his Kikaichu into the following message, "They were my parents, they were killed 10 years ago today."

Of course if the girl did not question the names then the boy would try to change the subject by forming his Kikaichu to say, "Its a beautiful night out tonight isn't it?"

No matter the course if the girl chose to continue to talk with the boy he would offer though his Kikaichu words if the girl would be interested in walking around or finding a place to sit to talk but he would leave it up for the girl to decide.

---

~598

The young girl softly patted the rock and then wrapped herself in her arms, leaning on a hip. Her hair softly swayed in the gentle breezes like a rainbow cloak. What an odd pair. Rainbow and darkness, it was as if the smallest angel was meeting a warrior of hell. That'd be a painting. she tucked the thought and the moment into her mind for later. The air was becoming colder as the night grew heavier.

Out of the air, the insects formed two names. 'Aburame, Ren' and 'Aburame, Tsukiko'. She repeated the names back in thought. Glancing with a glint of compassion in her gold eyes back towards the rock, she became only more curious. A male name and a female. Her mind twisted the names together and the boy before her, and the monument with its heavy importance. It wasn't too hard to figure out what those name could mean. She looked back at the boy. Her glowing smile faded to something pressed and small. Her heart swelled with compassion and understanding. "You lost your parents?" She asked quietly.

His insects responded on his behalf. She read them carefully as they flew through the air scripting his thoughts. Though she had put it together just a moment ago, the words in the air were heavier than the monument next to them. The weight was almost crushing on the soul. Her brows furrowed and her eyes looked to the floor at nothing in particular. "Today, you say?" Normally, she could spend hours bouncing about trying to cheer someone up with more cheerfulness. However now, she couldn't help but remember how hard days like this could be. The sadness, the hurt, how it all felt like fresh wounds ripped wide open. She wondered if he was as tortured as she was. From having been so long now, a whole decade, she hoped he wasn't as harrassed by nightmares as she was. That could drive a person mad. In fact, she often wondered if she was losing bits of herself in all the guilt and nonsense. "I'm sorry, that's hard. I know how a day like this is."Her hand reached up absentmindedly to rub the back of her neck where the length of scars begun. "I've not had parents, so I can't completely understand, of course, its' different for everyone. But if its any consolation, the same day I lost everyone I ever knew and loved is in two days. It'll be about four years now, but it still hurts, you know?" She shrugged. Recalling those feelings spurred the demons to rattle their cages in the deepest parts of her mind. Flashes of fire and shattering bits of wood crossed her mind's eye. Her real eyes warmed with tears ready to fall.

She bit her lip, the pain keeping her from crying like an embarrassing child. She looked up at the boy, putting on a tough grin. "Do you, want to go for a walk?" The night was colder still, there was a quiet in the air that was settling across the village afar. She nodded towards the main path. "We could talk some more if you were up for it?" She hoped he would be. For the most part, she connected to people through smiles and sunshine. This was all new to be able to relate to someone on a deeper level. An awful level, but a connection nonetheless.

WC 580/1965

The girl understood loss, she understood what it was like to be alone. This girl came close to understanding how the boy himself felt, something that even the other Aburame could not understand. Unlike himself who distanced himself from the world around him, this girl seemed to hide beneath the colors of a rainbow and the cheerful optimism of a smile. Yet she understood his pain, the girl caused the boy to feel something he had not felt before, sympathy. He understood the pain and sorrow for himself, and yet now he found himself concerned about this girl he just met. The smile had faded from the girl's face, and she seemed to bite her lip as if she was stopping herself from doing or saying something before asking if he would be interested in a walk. The boy simply nodded and moved to walk with the girl, the sound of their footsteps echoing throughout the silent village. The pair would walk in silence for a few steps before the boy stopped and looked back at the monument, at that moment the silence was broken.

"I wish I could say the pain gets easier with time like what they told me when my parents died, but I am not going to lie to you. Because it doesn't get better, the truth is the only thing that changes is you and how you deal with that pain." The boy spoke the words before he even realized it was his actual voice. It had been a while since the boy had spoken out loud, normally choosing to hide behind the Kikaichu that inhabited his body rather than speaking. His voice was shallow and faint as if someone who was speaking for the first time after waking from a long slumber, his own voice a stranger to himself. The boy did not know why he spoke the words rather than use his Kikaichu as he always had, perhaps it was because of the girl's own honesty or perhaps he wanted her to understand. The truth was that he did not know why he spoke, but he pushed his thoughts to the side and focused his attention on the girl that walked beside him. He was not sure what to say, or if he should say anything at all. His Kikaichu urged him to continue to talk to the girl, but he was unsure about himself. The boy finally decided that since he had already begun speaking to the girl that his Kikaichu were right and spoke again. "I don't remember much about my parent's, I was so young when they were taken from me. The one thing I remember the most is a song that my mother would sing to me at night, and what my father taught me about about nature." The boy paused as he searched for the words to what he was trying to say, "I've spent many years trying to hide the pain, but the fact remains that it is still there and it still hurts even now."

---

~515

With a nod, the man of the insects and shadows joined her on the night walk towards the village. It was dark but lit by moonlight and around every other bend could be seen the glow of the village lights. It was brisk and she was glad she had brought her jacket. She hugged it close to her body. Though her mind was mostly distracted by more important factors. They shared the loss of loved ones. Her heart felt heavy in her chest, though she tried to tough it out. Be smiley, be bright, be bold. she reminded herself.

For a moment the boy paused and looked back at the monument before they had strayed from its view too far. He seemed to contemplate its significance. Perhaps thinking back to his parents he had lost written there. She wondered if she should ask more, but he spoke. To her surprise, it wasn't his insects that conveyed his thoughts for him, but his voice. One eyebrow arched up in surprise at him. If he could talk, why the insects? Was he wary of strangers? Did he have a more playful side? It was very odd. But in this life, one could not be too surprised -strangeness was as common as a loss. She reached up and brushed a stray bang back behind her ear.

She listened and joined him again on the walk as he spoke. His voice was nice, she didn't know why he would hide it. Though the insects were amazing nonetheless. His voice and his demeanor were more open, but he still seemed to carry himself stiffly. He walked with determination. He seemed very sure of himself, but at the same time, it seemed to be this wasn't a common conversation he was comfortable with. It was a dim topic. Through this, she could almost see maybe a glimpse of who he was through the pain and sharing what little he would. At least we know you're human. she hummed in her thoughts with poor comedy.

When he spoke of his parents and what they had taught him, a song from his mother and nature from his father, a small little light lit a smile on her face. "A song and about nature? That's beautiful." Her mind trailed through the colors and the love her paintings. Beautiful things always reminded her of her art.

"You're right," She nodded after he spoke. "It's hard and it'll probably trail after us for a long time." She shrugged. Meiyo had been carrying the weight of her guilt and sadness a long time. Though it had become tiresome, and she feared the worst from years of it, she would be brave enough to carry on. Considering her new found friend of the night, she wondered if maybe he needed help carrying the load as well. Her compassion compelled her to do what she could. Though she wasn't sure how to lift the weight of memories and sadness - she hadn't the answer for her own. She hoped maybe company and friendship would help. "You're very mature about it though, I guess since it's been so many years you have built a wall." She pressed her lips thinking. He was a very curious character. She looked up at the stars pondering a question that she wondered of herself at times. "Do you not have anyone to rely on to help carry the weight of it? Is that why you bottle it all up?" She glanced back at him with a warm glow in her golden eyes and a slight smile. "If you ever need a friend, comrade, whatever. I'm never hard to find." She twirled her rainbow hair around a finger. Letting it go it waved about in the air like a flag in a gentle breeze. She hoped her confidence in that statement helped just a little. It was hard braving it alone - she knew that all too well. But bottling it up could be just as painful.

One thing still burned in her mind, she knew would be nosey. But boldness drew it out. "What did happen to your parents?" She asked hesitantly.

WC 704/2669

This girl was a strange one, she was not intimidated by the boy's Kikaichu like most were, she understood loss, and she actual seemed concerned about him. The boy had experienced compassion similar to this when his parents first died, but he closed himself off to them amd the rest of world and yet now he found himself opening up to this girl. Maybe it was because the girl actually understood what it was like to lose someone, and not just feel sorry for him. The girls question about having someone to help him carry the weight of it followed by offering to be there for him if he needed it, caught the boy off guard he was not expecting such an offer of friendship from someone he had just met like this. The boy could feel the warmth of the girl's smile and the sincerity of the young girl's words, he had never met someone as kind as this girl it was both shocking and heart warming at the same time. "When it happened there were those who made offers to help me where I needed it, I was just so young all I really wanted were my parents. I closed myself off from the world as well as those who tried to help me, I stayed with other members of the Aburame until I graduated from the academy but I never connected with anyone. After I graduated I left the village, I went back to the spot where my father and I went to camp and I've been living there for the past few years alone. It was not until recently that I came back this is the first time I have visited the monument since I left. Your offer is very kind and I appreciate it, but in all honesty I have dealt with it this long alone I am sure I will be fine. Though I will keep your offer in mind should the pain get to be too much, and I offer you the same kindness. If you need someone to talk to I will be there for you."

The slight breeze caught the girl's hair that she was twirling with her finger, causing it to wave slightly like a flag behind her as the pair walked down the path. It was amazing how mature the girl was acting considering how young she looked, but the fact remained she seemed more mature than her age to the boy. When the girl asked the question about what happened to his parent's the boy paused, the weight of the question was obvious as his pace came to a stop and his shoulders dropped slightly. It was a few moments before the boy would speak, silence lingering between the two as Retsu pondered how to answer the girl's question. "I was five when it happened," a single tear made it out of the boy's goggles that hide his tearing eyes, it had been many years since the boy had thought back to that day and it was obvious even underneath all of the boy's cover that it effected him. "It was my first day at the academy, I was so excited to begin my shinobi training following the footsteps of my father to become a shinobi of the hidden leaf. The last time I saw them was when they dropped me off, what actually happened after I'm not clear on. I am not sure if it was because I was so young that I did not understand or if I just blocked out the part where they told me. All I remember is sitting on the sidewalk outside of the academy waiting for them for hours, until finally just as the sun was setting my uncle arrived and took me home." The boy would stop talking after that, not only had he not thought about it in many years but he had never spoke about it out loud. He would resume walking as the silence began to linger again, as the boy struggled to regain his composer. He was not use to this, sharing not only words but emotions of any kind with anyone and he did not like the effect it was having on him.

---

~718

As expected the turn of events had built a wall, or rather he had built himself a fortress guarding himself against the outside world. He declined the offer but at the same time welcoming it. She shrugged. “We're one in the same, we have support but it's easier to fend and protect others than to accept help for ourselves.” Some of this she only based on assumption, considering he was a shinobi she figured he’d have to be protective of the village if need be. Though he had spent much time alone since. Of which she was curious how much of him could be left. She’d heard of mountain men going crazy from lack of social contact. It was an interesting appeal.

Asking the hard question, she was surprised he answered her. Maybe he wasn’t a fully armed fortress. Maybe somewhere deep inside he wanted someone to talk to about it. Well, she was going to be all ears. She looked up at the stars that shone brightly in the sky as he told his tale. They twisted in her mind's eye becoming bright and colorful. She could almost envision the scene. A small boy, bright and glowing with happiness as the sun lowered. Bright colors of a cheery afternoon dusking into oranges and reds of a traditional evening. A sad, faceless man approaching the small boy. The man was drenched in shadows that danced about his body like fumes. He reached for the boy’s hand, the boy, unknowingly taking it, learning of the news. The shadows sickness consumed the boy. Life from there flickered. The sun and moon soared over the sky several times. Each turn the boy grew taller and taller until he stood as he was today.  As the tale ended she found she was no longer looking at the stars but rather the boy, still seeing the fumes dance about his skin. The heaviness weighed upon her heart.

Never the matter those… she thought to herself, shooing her feelings away to think more clearly. “If they’re on the monument,” She nodded back. It was too round the bend to see now but it’s presence was ever strong in their conversations. “They must have died honorably. At least you can lean on that a bit.” She pondered a moment. “I’ve never met my parents, but I often come here wondering if maybe their names are here and I’ll somehow know them if I see them. It’s silly, but I often hope they were honorable enough to make it there. You’re probably very proud, however, having your parents on that rock. As hard and sad as it is to bear the weight of their absence, having their names there means that they were amazing shinobi who helped in keeping our village safe, saving innocent lives and all the heroic graces that come with.” Bold was one of the strong suits Meiyo carried. Bold enough to hardly know when to stop talking. But she always spoke in honesty and compassion. She meant every word. “Were you wanting to learn more about it? Or leave it as it is? I’d be curious myself, what heroic battle it may have been.”

WC 545/3214

Retsu would listen as the girl spoke of honor and how he could find some kind of comfort in how if they were on the monument they must have been honorable, how he probably felt proud about them keeping the village safe and saving lives and heroic graces. He doubted he would use the word proud to describe how he felt and there certainly was no comfort in their name being on a stone, but he supposed that was the difference in the two of them. Even though they had somewhat similar experiences in losing loved ones or growing up without a family, they were both effected in a different way. While the boy closed himself off from the world and not allowing himself to feel close to anyone since the death of his parents so that he would not suffer again as he still is with the loss of his parents, the girl seemed to be more open and looking on the bright side of things. While Retsu had no doubt in his mind that the girl still suffered, it seemed that she did so quietly without letting it affect her view of the world around her which would also explain her optimist personality and out look on life.

He did his best to hold back a snark when the girl asked him if he wanted to know about how they died and how she would be interested in what heroic battle it happened, but the boy already knew the truth and thankfully the boy's mask would hide any expression on the boy's face that might give away that fact. The fact however was that there was no epic battle no heroism or anything like that, the truth was the only reason they were on the monument was because of their long dedicated service to the village. They were taken out by some lowly criminal, but the boy was not going to share that with the girl. Instead the boy took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky as he collected his thoughts, the lack of clouds allowed the view of the beautiful blanket of stars that laid over the village to be seen from where the pair walked, the light of the moon and stars casting a beautiful dim light over the village. After a moments thought the boy would speak his words soft yet full of meaning, "I come here to pay my respect to their memory because there is no other place to go to do so, but to answer your question no I do not feel proud of their name being on the rock and I do not care to know why they are there. I believe some things are better left unsaid, my parents are gone and no writing on some rock or information about their death will ever change that." The boy would stop talking his words holding more meaning than even the boy knew, it was a statement on his own mindset and it revealed more about himself than he realized. There were no more tears in the boy's eyes no sorrow in his voice, the boy's wall had returned to him and the girl was on the outside of it. His moment of weakness had past and his words sounded colder than before, as if he was distancing himself from the conversation and possibly even the girl. The boy looked back to the sky and let the silence linger between the two as they walked the path, he was not sure if what he said about the monument would upset the girl or not however with him back in control of his emotions the young Aburame no longer cared.

---

~625

His words were sour for her taste. She could feel the gates closing on his fortress from her. Her brows furrowed as she contemplated this. Looking at him as he looked beyond. Wow, must still be a raw wound. she hummed in her thoughts. Regardless, however, it was his choice whether to let her in or not. And for now, it was a not. Against the cold he cloaked himself with, she smiled warmly like a little beacon of hope.

"To each their own," she spoke nonchalantly. Brushing his harsh words off. His pain and angst would not change her ambitions. "If you want to hide behind a wall, so be it." She spoke kindly, her gold eyes sparkling as they saw past his shadowed fortress. She stopped at the end of the road that crossed into the village one way and on a walking a trail towards the training ground through another. These circled her back towards her home. It was a longer route but she figured she'd put in some miles.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a palm-sized, black notepad and bit of charcoal. She sketched her home. A hill covered in grass with a wood door and one window. Flower pots all along the stone path up to it filled with herbs and berry bushes and in the window, a single flame. It took her just a moment to sketch it up neatly. Art was one of her many talents. She tore the page and held it out to him.

"This is my home, it doesn't have an address, so if you follow this path," she pointed to the one that led more into the forest. Cast in shadows from the tall trees, it was almost hard to tell there was a path at all. But it was there and more easily seen in the day light. "Through the grounds, you'll at one point find it. Come by for tea some time or if you ever need a sparring partner. I'm home or I'm training most days." Whether he took it or not, she pocketed her sketchbook and bit of charcoal turning towards the dark path.

"It was nice meeting you, friend," She hummed brightly. "And your insects, see you later!" She waved lightly and left down the road. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her shorts, holding her head high as her eyes adjusted for the lack of moonlight. Though she wasn't worried about losing her way, she knew the grounds better than the back of her hand. Dark and covered in shadows from the great trees that covered the grounds, she slipped into the shadows shortly on her way home.

-Exit Thread-

Final WC 457/3671

The silence was broken by the girl's words, she did not seem to be bothered by his response nor did it seem to push her away as it had others in the past. When the reached the end of the path that they had been walking on the girl stopped and pulled a pad from her pocket. The boy would wait till she was done with what she was doing though curiosity was welling up within him, when she handed him the paper the boy would look at her drawing of her house. Retsu was not one for the arts himself though he could appriecated it when he saw it, and this girl definitely had some talent even this quickly drawn sketch was a work of art almost as if she had taken an actual picture of it rather than draw it. "I will be sure to stop by soon, I will see you later." He would say as the two parted ways, the girl off on the path to her home as he turned to walk towards the main gates of the village and back into the dense forest that surround it where he lived. As he walked his thoughts went to that of the girl he had met, and how even through his own self sabotage he may have just made a friend.

{Exit Thread}

---

~226

TWC:3841
Speed Trained: E-3 to D-3 = -1475
Endurance Trained: D-0 to D-3 = -1175
Reaction Trained: D-0 to D-3 = - 1175
Total amount of Words Used: 3825
Discarded Words: 16

Toral Cost: 450 Ryo