1 Dysphoria [Takao | NK ] Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:42 pm
Issei
D-rank
Having lived in Iwa for so long before returning to Kiri, he felt right at home when he woke up in the hotel room with a view overlooking the Bazaar. His friend, Masa, was going to be busy at work for a good portion of the day, meaning that Issei was free to do whatever he wanted until late that night. Though there was nothing in particular that he wanted to do, he couldn't stop thinking about his ex-wife, and he decided he would drop by his old house to say hi to her. Isamu remained fast asleep in the adjacent bed as Issei got up, put on sandals, faded gray jeans, a flannel shirt and a black coat. He opted not to wear his Kirigakure headband around his head like he usually did and instead tied it around his left arm. He shoved some ryo into his pockets and headed off toward the living quarters.
The village was bustling and Issei felt more and more uncomfortable. His eyes darted back and forth, searching through the crowd around him, making sure to avoid eye contact or bumping into anyone. Once he'd made it through to the residential district, he went back down the familiar streets that led back to his former home, and what was now Haruyo's home. He approached the stairs outside her door and reached out to knock, but found himself frozen with fear. What was he doing? They'd been divorced for a while now and she had probably moved on. It wasn't like she wanted to see him, anyway, and everytime he saw her, he only ended up worse off than before. He was using her as a crutch now, because he didn't want to speak to anyone but he also didn't want to be alone. It was a catch-22. Finally, he turned away and left the house, resisting the urge to at least look into the window on the off-chance that he would see her sitting there, in the living room, reading like she used to. She was one of the few people who actually enjoyed the books he wrote in his younger years, and she always encouraged him to continue pursuing his career as an author...
Emotions started to burn out as Issei moved further away from the house, taking the path that led up to Waterfall Point. There were still people around, but he didn't pay any attention to them, too focused on his past to care. He cracked the knuckles on his right hand repeatedly, a nervous habit, and kept his head down. Once he reached the peak of the waterfall, he sat down at the edge, planted his elbow on his leg, and rested his chin in his palm. A gentle breeze blew the hair out of his eyes and he felt like crying, but the tears never came. He just stared out over Iwagakure like it was a corpse, and it sort of was; it was the remains of a phase of his life, a time when he called that place home. Now, Kirigakure was Issei's home again, and he wasn't a freelance writer with a wife and an easy life, but instead a shinobi with a devotion to his village. Really, was his life so happy back when he was married to Haruyo to begin with? There was a reason they had gotten divorced, but he blocked out so many of the painful memories that it was almost like nothing had ever happened. He remembered the bruises on his back, scratches on his face, black eyes and a broken heart. He remembered feeling weak and helpless. But that was all over now, and he was technically doing better for himself than he ever had been before.
So if that was the case, why did he feel so lost?
The village was bustling and Issei felt more and more uncomfortable. His eyes darted back and forth, searching through the crowd around him, making sure to avoid eye contact or bumping into anyone. Once he'd made it through to the residential district, he went back down the familiar streets that led back to his former home, and what was now Haruyo's home. He approached the stairs outside her door and reached out to knock, but found himself frozen with fear. What was he doing? They'd been divorced for a while now and she had probably moved on. It wasn't like she wanted to see him, anyway, and everytime he saw her, he only ended up worse off than before. He was using her as a crutch now, because he didn't want to speak to anyone but he also didn't want to be alone. It was a catch-22. Finally, he turned away and left the house, resisting the urge to at least look into the window on the off-chance that he would see her sitting there, in the living room, reading like she used to. She was one of the few people who actually enjoyed the books he wrote in his younger years, and she always encouraged him to continue pursuing his career as an author...
Emotions started to burn out as Issei moved further away from the house, taking the path that led up to Waterfall Point. There were still people around, but he didn't pay any attention to them, too focused on his past to care. He cracked the knuckles on his right hand repeatedly, a nervous habit, and kept his head down. Once he reached the peak of the waterfall, he sat down at the edge, planted his elbow on his leg, and rested his chin in his palm. A gentle breeze blew the hair out of his eyes and he felt like crying, but the tears never came. He just stared out over Iwagakure like it was a corpse, and it sort of was; it was the remains of a phase of his life, a time when he called that place home. Now, Kirigakure was Issei's home again, and he wasn't a freelance writer with a wife and an easy life, but instead a shinobi with a devotion to his village. Really, was his life so happy back when he was married to Haruyo to begin with? There was a reason they had gotten divorced, but he blocked out so many of the painful memories that it was almost like nothing had ever happened. He remembered the bruises on his back, scratches on his face, black eyes and a broken heart. He remembered feeling weak and helpless. But that was all over now, and he was technically doing better for himself than he ever had been before.
So if that was the case, why did he feel so lost?
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