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Naruto Saga » Kaminari no Kuni » Kumogakure » Making Up for Lost Smiles [Private | Bokuden]

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Miyako

Miyako


D-rank
She couldn't quite remember what it was that made her leave the house that morning. It wasn't a verbal argument with her mother, nor a physical one. Not that physical episodes could be considered "arguments", seeing as it was almost always one-sided, with Miyako at the receiving end of the blows. It wasn't any of those today … but rather a scene that she had witnessed, her mother unaware that her daughter had been within visual and auditory range. To recall the specifics, however, proved to be quite the challenge - a challenge that she wasn't willing to take. Knowing that she herself had managed to store it into the back of her mind in the couple hours that she had been wandering through the streets of Kumogakure was surely a sign that whatever it had been, she didn't want to remember it. It left her uneasy, retracing her footsteps through the village without a clear destination in mind, only with the thought that she didn't want to return home yet.

Being one who didn't make friends easily, she didn't have anyone close that she could visit, or to find company in. It was a lonely life, one that she constantly reminded to herself was right for her. Friends would only be a distraction, and her mother didn't approve of casual, friendly relationships anyway, unless it had some sort of worthwhile value to it.  She should be used to it be now, she had gotten used to it as a child, always moving between the Academy and home without a stop in between to spend time with friends. But it seemed that the older she got, the more the feeling of loneliness struck at her. Having a squad had helped slightly, the closeness of the squad leaving her no choice but to interact with her teammates. It had been enjoyable. Fun, even. But it didn't last long, and now that she was a Chuunin, she had reverted back to her solitary ways.

Coming to a stop by the academy playground, she found herself drawn towards the monkey bars, easily reaching for the first bar and pulling herself up, letting her legs swing back once, twice, before using the momentum to flip herself over the top of the bar, eventually settling down between two bars, sitting comfortably on top of the play set. So this was what it felt like, playing in the Academy's playground. It was a first for her, the first time setting foot in one of the many areas that the Academy students hung out in during their breaks. Of course, it wasn't the same now. She was older, no longer the same child, and no amount of time spent here could make up for the lost memories. Letting out the softest of sighs, she shivered, realizing that the breeze had picked up. Scarf … Ah, I forgot it. Her favourite red scarf had been forgotten, neglected somewhere by her bed at home. It was surprising that she didn't realize that it was missing earlier, but now that she noticed, it manifested itself into a distractingly uncomfortable sense of loss. It appeared as though life was just placing her in upsetting situations, and there was nothing she could do to remedy it, or at least distract herself from it.




Word Count: 562

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Bokuden slid his hands deep into the confines of his pockets and tucked his chin down into his chest as a cold morning gust blew through the empty streets of Kumogakure. The sun had barely risen, leaving the air as frigid and unforgiving as the night before. Bokuden however, didn’t view the cold as the same uncomfortable condition as others did. He embraced the cold and the stinging of his cheeks that came along with its howling wind. He couldn’t really explain what about it he enjoyed. Oddly enough he seemed to feel at ease in situations that most people would find distressful or painful. Perhaps it was a penance he had subconsciously imposed on himself, a physical manifestation of the guilt that weighed on his soul like a ball and chain. Or maybe he simply enjoyed to solitude that often accompanied these kinds of conditions. It was too early in the morning and too cold for anyone to bother him, which gave him free range to wander to streets of Kumogakure in silence and deep thought. Come to think of it, it was probably that exact reason why he was so fond of locations like Sky Peak for his training rather than the Battle Plateu. The solitude was comforting in a sorrowful sort of way. If he went out to the middle of nowhere, a location devoid of people, a place where he was all alone the outside world would match his inside world.

His walk would come to a stop when he passed the shinobi academy, stopping to reminisce at the old building which held so many memories for him. It had been 10 long years since he graduated from the shinobi academy and was thrown into the life he knows now. Where did all of the time go? He remembered his time at the academy vividly. Every classroom, every bend in the hallways was imprinted into his memory like carvings in a stone tablet. Steam blew up from his lips, clouding his view as he exhaled in a long sigh. From the corner of his eye he would catch a glimpse of someone in the playground off to the side of the academy building, taking a moment to realize that it was no random stranger, but his old student Miyako. Normally he would continue on his walk and enjoy his solitude a bit longer, but having not seen her since his return to Kumogakure he decided instead to join her. He could have easily jumped the fence. It might have even been fun to do it like when he was still an academy student, running away from instructors or skipping class, but he was no longer that person. So instead he would take the long way around, entering from the opening to the playground behind where Miyako was located. “I barely recognized you without your scarf,” Bokuden said up to Miyako as he strolled casually into the playground and towards the monkey bars which she had sat upon, “Don’t tell me that you don’t find it fashionable anymore.”



515~

Miyako

Miyako


D-rank
It was cold. With the realization that she was missing her reliable buffer against the chilling temperatures native to Kumogakure, it was as though she had suddenly developed an acute sensitivity towards the cold. Normally, as was human nature, she would just have removed herself from the uncomfortable situation, seeking shelter - or at least moving away from the higher grounds that she currently occupied, making herself a prime target for the unforgiving winds. But she was also oddly comfortable in her current position, as despite the cold, it was nice to be in a spot where she could observe the area which she had longed to play in for so long, to participate in the games that the other children initiated, to be a normal child. Lost in thought, her hands absentmindedly reached up to tug at the open collar of her outer jacket in an attempt to close the gap, hoping to provide herself with a meagre defence against the wind. It was oddly quiet, too early for the Academy to start, she supposed. Or perhaps it was a day off, a holiday of some sort that she had yet to identify.

Legs dangling freely in the air, she was already turning to fix her gaze on the approaching individual, surprise registered mildly on her face. She had been expecting someone belonging to the Academy, walking over to tell her off for trespassing on grounds that would soon be filled with Academy pupils. Or maybe just a random stranger, curious about why she was here, or drawn towards the playground as she had been. But to see her former squad leader took her by surprise. It had been a while since she had last seen Bokuden, even longer since they had trained together as a squad.  Before she managed to get ahold of herself for long enough to come up with some form of greeting, he was already speaking, multiplying her confusion as he started it off with a comment about her missing scarf. She didn't think anyone would have noticed. Sure, it was a signature feature of hers, but that didn't necessarily mean that people paid enough attention to notice. Or bothered to comment should it go missing. Her blue-gray eyes were startled - a surprising fact, as only months ago, little emotion were expressed in the form of facial expressions. "I … no, I just … forgot it this morning." She thankfully managed a reply before the silence got too awkward - not that the reply was eloquent in the slightest. Without thinking, lost in a moment of self-consciousness, she reached up in her usual habit to tug at her scarf, realizing a moment too late that it wasn't there. Stupid. They were still talking about her missing scarf, and here she was, forgetting that it was missing. "It's been a while … What brings you out here, Bokuden … sensei?" Her voice was as soft as usual, and there was an obvious air of uncertainty as she attempted to refer to him by his title as a sensei. Even if he was now her former teacher, his position didn't allow for her to call him by anything less. She wanted to say more, willed herself to say more. It had been so long … but she never forgot the times where she felt so at ease training with her squad mates under his instruction, or the mission that the two of them had gone on together. It always helped her forget what worries she had before showing up to a meeting, to cast aside any other thoughts apart from the desire to do well.

Realizing that it was quite rude to be sitting - and at a higher level at that - she considered jumping down and remedying this, but another possibility occurred to her. What if by jumping down and standing by him, she gave off the impression that she didn't welcome his presence and wanted to hasten the conversation to an end? How troubling, and odd of her to be dwelling over this. Her sense of awareness for social interactions had somewhat improved, but in the oddest ways possible, it seemed. But this was Bokuden, and he commanded more respect from her than most others, and thus amplified her need to decide on the correct decision. She didn't want to appear disrespectful, but at the same time, she found that she really was relieved to have company from someone she was fond of. Miyako shifted slightly, moving so that she was sitting at the edge of the bar, ready to jump down if she ultimately decided to. Do it … just do it. A person of your position shouldn't be sitting above him. Pushing off the bar, she jumped, the ground meeting her all too soon as she landed lightly on her feet, turning to face the other once more.



Word Count: 1377

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
A smirk formed on Bokuden’s lips as Miyako replied to him and jumped down from the monkey bars. “Hmm, why did you jump down? You didn’t have to do that,” he said to her in a low tone befitting the early morning, “I was just going to jump up and join you anyway. Well whatever, it isn’t important anyway. It’s nice to see you again Miyako-chan. It’s been too long, how have you been? I apologize if my absence was an inconvenience to you in any way. I didn’t have much say in the matter.” Sliding his right hand from the warm shelter of his pocket Bokuden would reach over Miyako, who was still as considerably short compared to him as before, and gently place it on the crown of her head, rustling her hair a bit in the process. Bokuden hoped that her promotion and time as an independent kunoichi had not made her too averse to the old gestures.

“Ah!” he blurted out suddenly as a memory sparked in his head, “That’s right, I never got you a gift for your promotion to Chunnin, did I?” With his exposed right hand he would stroke his chin in thought for a moment before an idea came to mind. Quickly he would remove his left hand from his pocket and begin unwrapping the scarf that he was wearing around his neck. The scarf was a deep blue color with black and heather grey accents as well as a very unique pattern sewn into the article itself. “Please,” he said as he offered the scarf to Miyako in both hands, “I came across this scarf while I was doing some work overseas to the west. I hope you like it. I’m sorry it isn’t more, but I wasn’t expecting to run into you here this morning. I’ll definitely get you a real gift to commemorate your advancement. Congratulations Miyako-chan, I’m proud of you.”

Miyako should still have known Bokuden well enough to know that he would not allow her to decline his offer even if she wanted to, so when she did accept the scarf and begin putting it on he would add on to his previous statements, “Make sure you take care of it, okay? That scarf is one of my favorites. Don’t let anything happen to it. Sorry if it still smells like my cologne, that will come out before long.”

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