White drops of snow gently flew down from the skies and onto the lands of fire that used to flourish. Fuyuko wasn’t really used to the disappearance of so much greenery during the winter months. Most of the trees and bushes in her home country retained their leaves and thus their color during the cold season, but the same couldn’t really be said for the flora and fauna of the fire country. The tree’s at the very least were vastly different than the ones she found at her home. It was a new interesting sight to behold the bare tree’s that got slowly covered in a thin layer of white.

Watching nature change so drastically made her think a lot about her home using the difference in how the country reacted to the season as a comparison. It became abundantly clear to her as she roamed through the streets of the village. People helping each other out shoveling the snow to the side, clearing pathways so that people could walk over non slippery roads. She pulled her scarf further up so that it covered both her mouth and nose instead of just her neck. Helping her hide how seeing the warmth of the village even in cold times was affecting her. The village was all about helping and caring for one and another, yet where she comes from… that was a rare sight to behold. People kept to themselves, making sure not to intrude on what other people did. The village was active and loads of people were up and about every day, but no one interacted. Everyone appeared to be strangers while living in the same home. So seeing the village hidden in the leaf be so different made her sad to her core. “Where did this warmth go…” she said with muffled voice aimed at no one in particular.

Slowly she strolled her way out of the village and into one of the many forests that surrounded the village.  To the place she felt most at ease, even back home in the water country. Surrounded by the trees and flowers together with the critters that had made their homes there. No matter how much her heart ached for her country that was hurting, nature always seemed to gently wrap itself around her and bring a bit of comfort. Slowly but surely Fuyuko made her way through the trees, as a result of her being too deep in thought her feet were dragging over the ground. Leaving an obvious trail within the snow of where she had been. It had been snowing for a couple of days already, but no snow had really accumulated within the leaf itself. With most of the snow being shoveled to the side, but here, where no one touched it and nature had it’s way, it was slowly stacking up. Eventually she decided to jump up and get herself seated upon one of the many sturdy branches that were present in the forest and gaze into beautiful distance. Letting out a deep sigh before she once again spoke up into the vast nothing. “What am I going to do about it… What can I do to change the cold within… What needs to happen for it to be as clean as snow…”


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Walking through the crisp snow on the forest floor, the crunching of ice beneath her feet, Akaneya would perhaps never get used to the strange powder. With each step, her bare toes felt more troublesome. This was a different beast entirely than the cold floods she had known in the Land of Rice - where a simple pair of rain boots could keep one about as warm as they could be - no, the snow was perfectly settled on a ground and entirely still, but vexing all the same. Some part of her missed the Land of Rice, if only because she knew how the world worked there; she scarce had to contend with the White Devil that blanket everything in sight.

Hugging her new leather jacket tightly, she was still surprised at its effectiveness. The small crystals of ice and minuscule patches of wetness dotted across the thing were seemingly quite fully kept at bay and away from her less-resistant clothes. Her consistent choice of unlined gloves did not especially help the situation, though she would never regret choosing dexterity and flexibility over increased warmth. Even still, today was a particularly cold day, and after two previous winters in Konohagakure she was still surprised at how well she could keep so much of her body warm against the harsh conditions.

Akaneya rarely dared to venture into the forest during the coldest days and coldest months of the year since she had arrived in the Land of Fire. In terms of absolutes, it was most certainly colder than the Land of Rice had ever been, and lacking the proper protection as well as the knowledge of such, she had to rough through the cold times both years prior. This was not an entirely bad thing, for in her eyes, it allowed her to fight off any decadence or weakness through living hard; all the same, though, she preferred to stay in the village if she could under these conditions. Today was different, though. She was feeling somewhat bold.

Finding a nice, open spot to stop for a while, she overlooked the area. A ring of trees seemed to form around a place lacking much stone or brush or shrubbery. With no obstructions and plenty of openness for a radius of a few meters, it seemed the perfect place for her practice and meditation. Though she dare not deign to take a seat in these harsh conditions, she walked to the middle of the ring and pulled from her bag that ancient flute of hers. Holding it in her protected hands, she pressed the cold silver to her lips, positioned her fingers, and began to play.

The forest was filled with a certain melancholia, a song begging of tears and time long ago. Its slow, dulcet melody echoed to every corner of the frozen forest, the soothing lilt breaching the icy veil all around. The delicate high tones of the melody rang out in a faint cry, but none in the Land of Fire might recognize the tune. The deft hands that played the song infused it with a powerful emotion, be it calling to comrades, soothing a child, or recognizing remembrances, it was filled with an overarching sense of things that had been lost and yet to be found. Not a sorrow, nor a grief, but simply a loss. The calming flow of the song seemed to be as the wind, meeting the motion of the falling leaves and as biting as the frost.

The flute cried out, but as usual, as it was every time, nobody would answer. Could this time be expected to be any different?

So she pondered on the questions she had posed for herself. Staring off into the distance that was once green but now a brownish gray covered in white. The trees only appearing to be a husk of their former selves. Fuyuko couldn’t help but compare it to the village she’s from, the village hidden in the mist. While it’s a hard comparison for her to make, because she has never known how the village was before the current ‘tyrant’ kage. However she knows what they did right after their inauguration, she knows how the people are moving the streets, she feels the demeanor of the inhabitants as she passes by them.

While the crime rate is low, which she can’t deny at all, and which is obviously a good thing. The method through which that is achieved is… appalling in her eyes. A mistake was punished by something more severe and through this a loop of dread was created. People were incredibly cautious to make sure that they wouldn’t get in trouble with the law. However people that reached the wrong frame of mind, for even a moment and did something, they were punished without second thought. Someone that had been an upstanding citizen for all their lives, but made one wrong move would end up dead by the ruthless system that was in place. The village knew no mercy, it only knew how to punish those that did wrong in the eyes of the system.

Fuyuko felt a drop of rain fall on the back of her hand. Her head and eyes shifted to it, before her head looked up again only to see no rainfall at all. There were still only soft crystals of ice slowly drifting towards the ground. As another drop of water started to run down her face she realized she had started to cry. Lifting her hands quickly from their resting position to her cheeks and eyes to rub the tears away. It was also at this moment that she started to hear faint cries being carried by the soft winter breeze.

Without hesitation or thought her body had already reacted and so Fuyuko was jumping from branch to branch. The snow falling off the branches making it look like  the trees were losing their colours again. Quickly she closed the gap between herself and the origin noise. Fuyuko landed onto a branch as she reached her destination. Finding herself standing at the edge of an opening within the forest. In the field stood a short girl who appeared to be the source of the crying noise by playing a sort of flute. The melody was sad and almost felt like it was enchanting her in a way.

If her presence were to go unnoticed Fuyuko would wait for a bit longer and just calmly listen to the story the song was trying to tell. When her presence was noticed or the song would come to an end Fuyuko would close the gap between them further and start a conversation if the other person hadn’t already done so. “That was a very pretty song you just played, but why are you playing it out here for no one to hear?” she asked with a warm voice and a gentle smile. But before they could even answer that question, Fuyuko spoke up again. “Oh pardon me for my rudeness, I’m Miki Fuyuko, but you can just call me Fuyuko, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her words were accompanied with a bow and she had raised herself again by the end of the sentence.


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Partway through her melody, Akaneya felt a presence, a feeling as though she was being watched. She did not stop, though, but instead carried on with her musical outpour until its very sweet and very bitter end. The story that the song seemed to tell did not end on a happy note, though whether it was sad was entirely subjective; it had not changed key or style at all, simply keeping that same sense of vague loss. The actual ending seemed somewhat abrupt, with a slight slowing down and a finishing note that seemed almost unsatisfactory, as if the song had stopped just a few notes before its true ending. It could be assured, however, that there was nothing more to be played, that it had indeed reached its true ending whether or not that ending was pleasing to the ear and gave a sense of fulfillment and closure to the song.

Turning in an instant to look to the stranger who had approached, she found the other quickly closing the gap. The girl's eyes a little bit puffy, and her being entirely unarmed, Akaneya made no move other than to simply watch her approach. Upon getting close enough for idle conversation, perhaps a bit too close in Akaneya's opinion, she queried why such a pretty song would be played in the middle of nowhere. However, before she could even open her mouth, the other also introduced herself as Miki Fuyuko. Akaneya waited for just a second to see if the other had anything more to say, before starting herself:

"Kotone Akaneya," she replied in that classic blank monotone of hers, eyeing the stranger up and down for a brief moment to assess her as if preparing for the worst. "I play alone because I prefer to be alone. This is...meditation, for me. This flute has been the tool of my family for many generations in our art, and I do not intend to let it die with me. It is...practice, but more than that. It is becoming attuned to the world around with a clear mind through the use of sound. It is...meditation, as I said before."

It was a rather interesting story that the music was trying to tell, one that she hadn’t heard often. It was neither sad nor happy and instead seemed to be one that was telling a story about those who were lost. About people that weren’t sure where to go or what their next step in life should be. When the song ended Fuyuko was left with a feeling of want. Longing for a couple more notes at the very least. It was as if the last chapter of the book was ripped out and you weren’t given the satisfaction of reading the entire story. Regardless of how she felt about the ending of the song she approached the person that performed the play.

Despite having even just started their approach, the other would turn towards her. It became evident to her that she didn’t go unnoticed. It mattered not if they knew she was there for part of the song or not. However it was apparent to her that the other person was somewhat apprehensive about the approach they were making. Perhaps they were just that type of person, weary of others, or maybe there was another reason for it. Her curiosity spiked and the urge to inquire about rose, but for the time being she would try her best to restrain herself and not let her curiosity get the better of herself. She started her introduction and awaited the reply from the other.

They introduced themselves as Kotone Akaneya and their disinterest was quite obvious from the get go, which was only enforced by what she followed it up with. The monotone voice accompanied by the fact that she said that she’d rather be alone would make continuing conversation further a bit of a hassle. What Fuyuko did find interesting however was that despite Akaneya’s voice sounding so uninterested the tones that came out of the flute, and by somewhat of a stretch out of her mouth, were quite the opposite. She pushed the interesting thought to the side as she focused more on the details of what she was being told.

“I think it’s quite honorable that you’re keeping your families heirloom alive this way. I think this probably the best way you can honor something that has been passed down in your family. It’s better than to just appreciate it as it rakes up dust on the shelf, at least in my opinion. On top of that you’re quite skilled at it, so it would really be a waste if it weren’t used.” Fuyuko remarked, trying to say as much as possible to potentially spark a reaction from them. She continued “You also choose quite the place to practice or meditate. The winter look and feel of this forest is quite astonishing and brings warmth to my own heart, you really picked a remarkable spot to perform. Do you enjoy performing out in the open?” She asked with a gentle voice. She realized she had bombarded them with a bunch of words again and that not everyone was quite fond of that. So she tried to alleviate any feelings by using a softer, more gentle voice. However it was also partially done on purpose, if this attempt didn’t spark some kind of conversation, she would really need to grind the gears in her upper room to see if she could get something going.


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"Out...in the open..." she dragged the phrase out, quietly, thinking for her answer. "I suppose, in some ways, I prefer it." she concludes, very clearly not using a word indicating that she doesn't actually enjoy anything per se, "It helps me to hone my skills. The Kotone Clan of the Land of Rice has a unique sensory technique: using sound waves to 'feel' the nearby environment within a set radius. That is why, even though I could not see you, I knew you were there."

She looked around at the immediate environment, "Though, I would not call this place warm. I chose this place because it is unfamiliar, and yet open. It is not...crowded. Nor is it stagnant. It is an ideal location, more or less, to practice my bare sensory input as well as my technique." With this, she seemed to be finished talking - at least for a moment. Akaneya was never quite one for eloquence and idle chatter, even if this Fuyuko clearly was. She looked the other up and down for a moment, trying to process what, exactly, stood before her.

The height difference was quite significant, that was the first thing she noticed. Secondly, that this girl seemed to be trying to get a conversation of some sort. She was talkative and social, easily able to just approach Akaneya and initiate a dialogue without a second thought, and despite her being busy with something. She supposed there was one thing that she could do, to appease this lively spirit before her-

"So...what are you doing out here?"