1 Like Skipping Stones, We Fall {Private/Suzuna/No Kill} Wed May 28, 2014 1:53 pm
Kyohei
D-rank
A series of small splashes, followed by a deep guttural “plop” were the sounds made by a single stone skipping across the surface of the Naka River. From the river bank Uchiha Kyohei, the one who cast the stone, sat with under the shade of a tree, a pile of stones beside him as he rolled a single stone around in his right hand. Such a pointless and redundant activity, skipping stones. No matter how many stones he skipped or how skilled he became at skipping them the outcome would never change. The stone would accelerate from his hand, picking up steam as it made its first bounce. It would bounce a few more times and perhaps even a few more times after that, but it would inevitably sink. There was no surprise ending, no great deviation from the pattern, just the same motions over and over again, and yet the activity captivated so many. Kyohei wanted to know why.
In many ways the act of skipping stones was similar to the direction of the human life. Cast into this world by some outside, unseen force they skip along. The path to their destination may differ with each bounce, but the destination is always the same. Just as the stones were fated to sink at the end of their run, so too were men fated to die. Death was the only promised thing in this world, and despite the efforts of many men who dedicated their lives to the sole aim of escaping their fate the results were always the same, like a stone skipped on the water. Looking down at the stone in his hand Kyohei wondered what it would be like if the stones tried as hard as people did to avoid to unavoidable. Would they veer themselves off of the straight path in hopes of finding their own way? Would they struggle futilely to reach the other side, ignorant to the fact that how far they will go was already determined the moment they were cast on this journey?
“It doesn’t really matter,” he mused to himself as he drew his arm back and with a quick flick of the wrist send another stone on its way, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… That one made it a bit farther than the others. I wonder what was so special about it that it got that extra bounce.” He looked up at the clear blue sky and thought about his situation. The weather was perfect, sunny, clear, a nice breeze… not a normal day for someone to be in such an introspective mood. Perhaps it was the weather that made him feel differently today than his usual self. Usually a loner, Kyohei couldn’t help but feel that day as if he actually desired company. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to, but he wasn’t holding out hope on that front. On the very outskirts of the village, far detached from the hustle and bustle of Konohagakure’s main streets, there was no one looking for company but him.
518~
In many ways the act of skipping stones was similar to the direction of the human life. Cast into this world by some outside, unseen force they skip along. The path to their destination may differ with each bounce, but the destination is always the same. Just as the stones were fated to sink at the end of their run, so too were men fated to die. Death was the only promised thing in this world, and despite the efforts of many men who dedicated their lives to the sole aim of escaping their fate the results were always the same, like a stone skipped on the water. Looking down at the stone in his hand Kyohei wondered what it would be like if the stones tried as hard as people did to avoid to unavoidable. Would they veer themselves off of the straight path in hopes of finding their own way? Would they struggle futilely to reach the other side, ignorant to the fact that how far they will go was already determined the moment they were cast on this journey?
“It doesn’t really matter,” he mused to himself as he drew his arm back and with a quick flick of the wrist send another stone on its way, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… That one made it a bit farther than the others. I wonder what was so special about it that it got that extra bounce.” He looked up at the clear blue sky and thought about his situation. The weather was perfect, sunny, clear, a nice breeze… not a normal day for someone to be in such an introspective mood. Perhaps it was the weather that made him feel differently today than his usual self. Usually a loner, Kyohei couldn’t help but feel that day as if he actually desired company. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to, but he wasn’t holding out hope on that front. On the very outskirts of the village, far detached from the hustle and bustle of Konohagakure’s main streets, there was no one looking for company but him.
518~