Mission Details:

It had been some time since Yuna had seen Saki when he lost his temper on the sex traders that tried to sell Vera. She was planning on heading into town to try and find Henry, the homeless man she visited, as she had also not seen him in weeks. She had already fed the birds, tended her garden and made her daily pot of tea. Today she did not make rice as she had wasted too many pots when she had been unsuccessful in finding Henry.

When she arrived in town she went to all of Henry’s usual spots. She still couldn’t find him no matter how hard she looked. She was walking through an alleyway when she smelt something rancid. The putrid smell was coming from under some boxes. She pushed them aside and was horrified to find Henry’s decaying body sprawled on the ground. She screamed and collapsed on the ground, tears running down her face. The death of her family at such a young age prevented her from being able to deal with death. After watching savage men brutally murder her mother, father and sister she that day and every day since would collapse in a fit of despair when in the presence of death.

She laid there for hours not able to control her sobbing. She only was taken away from her despair by the calming voice of Saki and his warm embrace. He lifted her up and carried her from the alleyway and away from the putrid smell of Henry’s rotting corpse, the reminder that her friend was gone forever.

She had fallen asleep and now as she was awaking from her slumber, slowly opening her eyes, she tried to gain her bearings. She vaguely remembered hearing Saki’s voice, but didn’t know whether she had imagined that and didn’t know where she currently was. She was lying in a soft bed with a fur blanket covering her, but no one was in the room. She got up slowly walking quietly. She peeked around the door to see Saki sitting at a table playing cards. He looked up at her, she could see worrying in his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but he was already on his feet enveloping her in his arms. She wasn’t sure about how close he was to her, but it still felt comforting given what she had just gone through. He said in a hushed voice, “How are you feeling?” She didn’t know how to describe her feelings, but she responded with a simple “better”. She pushed away from his embrace and caught a hint of sadness in his eyes as she pushed away. She pondered if there was something more to this than him just comforting her. She dismissed it thinking that she was looking into it too much.

Saki said she could stay while until she felt better. She told him that with a little tea and a little time she should be feeling back to normal. Saki offered to warm her pot of tea back up and she gratefully accepted. The two of them sat in silence sipping tea. The only interruption was Saki telling Yuna that he had never had such good tea in his life. Her arm was resting on the table as Saki rested his hand on hers. Her first reaction was to pull back, but something about it felt right. He smiled at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

The moment ended when they heard someone shouting outside. The two of them went to the front door to see what was going on. Outside was a family shouting “Fluffy”. Yuna asked the father what they were shouting for. He told her that their family’s pet dog was missing and they were worried that if not found soon that she would be eaten by wild dogs. Yuna greatly cared for all living things and the thought of the dog coming to harm hurt her greatly. And thus, she decided to volunteer herself and Saki to the search for Fluffy. Saki whispered “wait what?!” Yuna gave him a look that made him regret questioning her.

Saki told the family to split up and search the middle of the village and he and Yuna would search the outskirts. Saki grabbed Yuna’s hand and led her off into the night to find Fluffy. Watching Saki pull her along through the night on a mission to save the happiness of a family by saving their pet kindled something inside of her. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling. It just felt warm and fuzzy, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. His strong grip on her hand was reassuring and comforting.

She had been so wrapped up in thinking about Saki that she didn’t realize they had reached the outskirts of the village and come to a stop until Saki had let go of her hand. He knelt down and was examining foot prints on the ground. “The dog passed by here,” he said. He picked up some of the dirt and smelt it. “Fluffy passed by her about 30 minutes ago and she went north,” Saki told Yuna. “How do you know?” said Yuna. “I used to track game with my father,” said Saki. “We better get going while the trail is still hot,” said Saki. Yuna agreed and so they headed north with the hope that they soon would catch up to Fluffy before night fell and the wild dogs came out.

“What if we don’t get to her in time?” said Yuna. Saki pulled her into his embrace and said, “ don’t worry we will find her.” Yuna stared into his eyes and felt a sureness that they would succeed. All her doubts washed away and a warm feeling flooded her body. She looked away feeling her cheeks burning red. She felt his fingers caress her cheek as he eyes once again locked with his. He leaned closer, his lips glistening as she felt a longing for their touch.

They both jumped as they heard a loud bark from a boisterous white fluffy dog. The dog approached them and licked Saki’s hand. Yuna said, “you must be Fluffy.” The dog responded excitedly to its name. Saki said, “we better get her back to her owners.” They headed back into town and the family  was overjoyed with the return of their pet.  

WC: 1088/1000

Strength E>E1 75 words