“Good morning Kobayashi-san.”, the receptionist spoke, receiving a nod of acknowledgment from the man spoken to, who had just walked through the sliding hospital doors. His response being an automatic one, something the receptionist knew immediately but wasn't offended considering death had visited Kobayashi's family with it only recently claiming his mother's life. Having experienced loss of a loved one themselves, they knew the pain which he was going through, and that no amount of words could make things better. It would take some time to heal the wounds of his heart, receptionist knew this and looked forward to him returning back to normalcy.

However, unknowing to the receptionist, Daremo's thoughts weren't on his mother's, he already dealt with that years ago, rather on another topic of somewhat importance to him."Shizuka, where are?", he mused silently, mulling over the whereabouts of the blind Konoha-nin that found a place in his heart some time ago. Upon arrival to Hi no Kuni, he had begun his search for the ill-forgotten apprentice, wanting to check up on her well-being, and seeing how things have changed since the new Kage had been appointed. Alas, his search came up futile with many not knowing, or maybe unwilling, to tell him her whereabouts. Such thoughts plagued his mind occasionally, like now, but were push aside when called for, like in a situation like this.

With his mind focused on the one who had spoken, purple eyes looking in the general direction of the blonde hair, green eyed receptionist, Daremo's lips parted, his baritone voice echoing throughout the empty reception room, "Good morning to you too, Kaoru.", almost automatic, his words held the barest smidgen of his normal happier tone, something the reception was thankful for; it meant Daremo was returning back to normal.

"I never liked the smell of hospitals.", the pleasant smell of varying antiseptic agencies that were used to clean the entirety of the hospital made him involuntarily flare his nostrils, unintentionally getting a bigger whiffed of the hospital cleanliness, causing his nose to burn slightly. "This is a perfect way to drive off patients.", if he had his way, or say for that matter, the cleaning supplies used would have a light, gentle, pleasant,  fragrance to them.  It would make the hospital seem more than just a dreaded place to get heal. But, he didn't, with him being one of the many nurses that worked here.

Eyes looked towards the hanging clock on the wall right beside the receptionist desk, noting the time being 4 a.m. With his shift not starting for another hour, Daremo strolled up to the glass panel that separated the receptionist from him and leaned up on the wall beside it as the two made small talk; it having become a special thing between the two since his first day here. While everyone was friendly and supportive of him when he received the job. It was the receptionist who went out of their way to truly make him feel like one of the team. Not that he minded either way, but the gesture was appreciated, and in return, a friendship formed with him coming in early just to talk with them.

Time etched on quickly, and before soon, Daremo was saying good-bye to the receptionist, their shift having ended, as the new one took their place with them being acknowledged by him. With his own shift starting, Daremo pushed off the wall, moving down one of the two corridors, as he made his way to his boss's office, taking note of the name on the wooden plaque before knocking.

Once given permission, he stepped inside, the door closing behind him as he waited to be addressed by the burly, humming man before him. Jūbei, if one didn't know better would've thought the balding man was some sort of harden shinobi veteran who had stain their hands in blood countless of times. For his face, marred with scars of accidents of the past, was always in a permanent scowl, only changing for his wife and children in general. His physique, having passed it's prime, still showed sign of muscular mass unbecoming of a man going on in his late sixties, early seventies. It spoke of someone who was a taijutsu expert in the past, at least that would be if it was anyone else. From what Daremo was told, Jūbei is completely a medical shinobi with his only other skills being in fuuinjutsu, and barrier type ninjutsu; making him one of the few support-type shinobi in his era, and the current time.

"Sit down.", Daremo complied with the order immediately, sitting down in dark brown chair that was incredibly uncomfortable. As second turned into minutes, the man having gone back to humming a small tune while finishing up the papers on his desks. "In four hours, you will be appointed to our children play area. Where you and other staff members, along with another person, will play with and entertain them. All of these children are going through tough times, either because their parents are sick or they themselves are. So, it will be up to you, and the others to ease their minds." before Daremo could ask about the person, who wasn't on staff, that would accompany them, he was stopped by Jūbei. "Before I answer that question, you know we have been trying to encourage more civilians, and genins to volunteer at the hospital, specifically the children play center, right?", Daremo nodded, "Well, someone named Sayuri actually volunteered for today. So, asides from staff, she will be your other partner. She should arrive by the time you finish your runs. Now, go."

Having been dismissed, Daremo mulled over in the information provided. So, he, along with Sawako and a woman named Sayuri will be handling children, keeping them occupied, away from the troubles that might be bothering them. He didn't have any problem with this assignment, having done it before, except with only another staff member, and not with someone from the outside.  He wondered as he went about doing his errands, how would this person handle dealing with forty or more children? Well, he will find out in four hours.

---

[1058]

Sayuri arrived at the Konohagakure no Sato hospital right on time. Probably. She was not used to having to show up to anything on time, never having had to keep a schedule before had left her ill equipped to dealing with one now. She had left her weapon at the cabin again, being that she had volunteered to cheer up some sick children, it didn’t seem wise to carry weaponry with her. And it hardly seemed necessary anyway, what could possibly go wrong at a hospital? Famous last words probably, best not to tempt fate. Sayuri would giggle softly at her own joke as she went to push the doors of the hospital open and was startled when they slid quietly open instead. She would pause but the space of a frightened heartbeat before affixing a smile back on her delicate features and skip through the entryway.

She would walk merrily up to what looked to be a front desk and a fairly pleasant looking woman caged behind glass and lean forward clearing her throat. “Um, I’m sorry to bother you. I’m here to help with the children? The sick children that is, I was by the other day and, uh.” Talking to people was not one of Sayuri’s better skills. The kind looking receptionist didn’t seem to mind however as she merely smiled and pulled out a clipboard, running her finger down what was probably a list. “You must be Sayuri Kome then? You’re a bit late, but that’s alright, better late than never! We’re glad you came. Just head down that hall and take a left. It’s the double doors at the end.” The receptionist had gestured along with her instructions, but Sayuri had barely had time to try to remember what she said let alone take in her wild arm movements. “Thanks so much.” she mumbled quickly and hurried away, a scarlet blush forming across her cheeks as she went.

Of course she was late. She would head in the direction she assumed the woman had meant and took a second to think about which way was left. Why on earth is this so stressful? And why does everything look the same in here? Wouldn’t it be more helpful to have different coloured walls or something? She looked mournfully at what she could only assume were signs, squiggly text scrawled on neat shiny boards. She felt tears of frustration well up as she looked at the black lines that meant absolutely nothing to her, nothing that is except that she was an idiot who couldn’t read. With a sad sigh Sayuri turned to her left and plodded to the end of the hallway, stopping at a set of double doors with windows in them. The windows were frosted, so she couldn’t see very clearly, but she could hear just fine. Inside there were many voices, young and old, mostly young. For the most part it sounded like laughter and fun, she wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but playing had not been it. The sound of young children playing cheered her up and she would turn the handle on one of the doors and let herself into the room.

She laughed with delight as soon as she entered the room. There were a lot more people in here than she had been expecting. And she was mightily relieved to see that very few of them seemed to be in any sort of discomfort. There were some staff members milling about, but their number was disproportionate to the number of children playing in the room. She would stand at the door awkwardly for a few minutes, just looking at all of the activities. There were several groups scattered throughout the room; some were being read to, some were playing with colourful toys and still others were singing and running and telling stories. It was the most activity Sayuri had seen in one place since she was a small child herself. And it was at once both exhilarating and terrifying.

After an uncomfortably long period of time she finally gathered the courage to venture further into the room. She knew full well that she probably should have gone to a staff member. But she really didn’t want to, and besides she was supposed to be here for the children, who were less intimidating anyway. So she would approach a group of younger children sitting on the floor in a circle playing with coloured blocks. There was one girl in particular who had burns on her arms and face, or at least that is what it looked like to Sayuri. She would look up at Sayuri and smile at her sadly before returning to shakily trying to build a three block tower without much success. Seeing this, Sayuri knelt down beside the young girl, who was probably around six or seven years old, and helped her lift the coloured blocks to make a tower before speaking to her. “Hi there, I’m Sayuri. I hope you don’t mind if I help you, I don’t have anyone to play with, and I thought maybe it would be okay if we shared blocks?” The young girl smiled again, with mirth instead of sadness this time and happily handed over a block to Sayuri. “Sure! I’m Mai, it’s supposed to be a tree.” Sayuri smiled ruefully at the correction. She didn’t mind, imagination games were the best ones, and she was happy to see that Mai was willing to play with her at all. So she would roll onto her stomach, throwing her long white hair out of the way, and propped her chin up on both hands. “Tree it is, my mistake Mai. Tell me about the tree.”

976

Eyes flickered over at the hanging clock in the operation room but returned back to the task at hand. Medical chakra, vibrant green in coloration, rolled off in waves from Daremo's gloved hands, casting a soft glow on the surrounding area. Biting back a wince in pain, caused by a wound flaring up in response to him activating chakra, his continued with the task. "Everything will be fine.", he reassured the patient lying on the operation table surrounded by other nurses and a head doctor overseeing the entire procedure, making sure everything ran smoothly. "Don't worry. You will be back out there in no time.", receiving a tentative nod from the patient, Daremo lowered his hands onto their chest. Watching as his chakra reached out and clung to the  body, "Soon you will be chasing women all over again.", small talk, Daremo's way of getting a patient's mind off of the severity of their situation, preventing them from thinking about the 'what ifs' that comes with any hospital visit. If the uneasiness leaving their face was any indication then it seemed to be working. Daremo smiled warmly at this, and as his chakra healed the burns on their body, continued with the small talk. Timed quickly ebbed away, his chakra dwindled down to small wisps, fading soon there afterward. The greenish tint leaving his hands and the patient's body with his own pain easing away as the technique was stopped.  Daremo sighed exerting his chakra and the pain accompanying it took a toll on his body. There being a thin layer of sweat forming on his brow. Looking at the now sleeping patient, they have fallen asleep during their conversation, Daremo looked back at the clock and noticed the time.

"Twenty minutes.", he mused, stepping away from the patient, allowing a more qualified nurse to take over from where he left. Ripping the gloves off his hands, folding them within each other, and dumping them in the biohazard trash can, Daremo didn't bother in watching the rest of the procedure. Turning to a sink to thoroughly wash his hands, "I need to go.", he spoke to the leader of the current operation, "I'm needed in the children's room. Jubei-sama wanted me there for the remainder of the day."  With there being more concerning matters at hand, the patient currently being healed, there wasn;t any need to go into detail about his assignment the supervisor. Receiving an affirmative nod, he exited the room, removing the surgical gown and deposited in the nearby bin, revealing light blue scrubs underneath, The surgical masked soon followed along with the cap, revealing his long black hair in a low ponytail.

Now in the hallway, Daremo braced himself against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. The extensive use of his chakra having a far greater effect on his body than initially thought. "I need to finish that as soon as possible.", there was no longer any chance of putting it off,  he had to complete his senjutsu training in order to stop the pain from occurring whenever he used chakra. He had become lax once again, caught up with others things, and forgetting a major problem of his. But no more, this issue has to be dealt with the next time he has a break, for, he shuddered to think, it could cost him in a life and death situation. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he took a few seconds to compose himself before walking down the hallway.

Walking down the hallway, he acknowledged those passed with a warm smile and a casual greeting. There wasn't any time for small talk, everyone, he included, was on a tight schedule and was needed elsewhere. Of course, if things were different than he might have chatted with a few colleagues for a minute or two, however, that wasn't the case, thus they continued on their separate ways. "Glad she moved up in the world.", he mused, having passed by a familiar face from a lifetime ago, rushing passed him along with others on either side of a stretcher.  For a brief moment, he couldn't help but be prouder of the woman. She had seemed to be a lead doctor within the facility nowadays. "I knew she was the right choice.", deciding to go to the children room wearing scrubs wouldn't be the best idea, Daremo made a quick stop to a room within the staff restricted area.

Grabbing what was needed out of his locker, Daremo quickly went about putting on the clothes he wore upon arriving to work. His scrub top was replaced with a casual white button up shirt, the latter being buttoned up all the way. Scrub pants and shoes quickly followed, a pair of black dress pants taking their place along with making dress shoes. Once done, he tucked a loose strain of black hair behind his ear and made his way to the children's room.

Even before he could reach the double doors, he could already hear children's laughter. Their joyous sound growing louder the closer he came to the doors. Not pausing, he pushed the doors open, a cool rush of air greeted him accompanied with chatter and laughter of staff members and children alike. Only a few members noticed his entry with the children being too engrossed in their activities to noticed.

Daremo looked around the colorful and bright room, briefly locking eyes with the staff which was busy playing with the children. Unlike other rooms, there was a playful, child-like warm making anyone who enters forget their worries at the door. Even some of the most stoic doctors couldn't help but crack a smile when ending this children haven. Childlike murals, depicting various scenes from cartoons, movies, books, etc. decorated all the walls, and the ceiling if one looked up. Bins of toys were placed about with tables, chairs, bean bags, and playmats were strategically placed throughout the room with every area having children playing about. Sitting in the center of the room, a staff member was busy reading a story to a group of ten or more children. They all seemingly enthralled by tale being told.

"Am I late?", he asked, walking up to a staff member who was watching over some playing children. "Good to see you, Daremo!", was the exuberant reply from the black haired male upon seeing the fellow nurse. "No, just right on time.", his hand being grasped by Daremo and shook, "However, the same can't be said about our little volunteer."

Indeed there wasn't any sign of the volunteer who was supposed to help look after the children. Shaking his head in disappointment, Daremo thought this Sayuri person would arrive on time, however, that doesn't seem to be the case. Though he reasoned with himself, there could be a factor in why they haven't shown up yet. So, he couldn't pass judgment on them, until later. "Maybe they will be here soon. In the meantime.",  trailing his words off, eyes briefly looking in a certain direction, the other staff member nodded in understanding.

Daremo moved across the room, coming up to a small puppet stage. "This will work.", he mused, disappearing behind the stage and settling in. Using a small application of chakra, strings connected themselves with three puppets. They were nothing special, one being a shinobi with orange strands of hair, the other being a pink haired princess, and the third being a bandit with red eyes. With a twitch of his finger, the puppets moved, grabbing the attention of nearby children who ambled their way over to see what was going on. As he began weaving a tale of how the heroic shinobi saved the damsel from the would-be evildoer. Sound effects and funny dialogue were added with him and the laughing children getting losing track of time.

As the play slowly came to an end, his thoughts drifted towards the past not forgotten. Of simpler times where the worries of the world weren't on his shoulder. A time where, just like these children, he too laugh and was able to enjoy a moment. Even though it was noise, Daremo still picked up the sound of the double doors opening and shutting. Wanting to see if the volunteer had finally arrived, he peaked out from the puppet show, chuckling softly at the groans from the disappointed children who were looking forward to another show. "That's all for now. Maybe later, okay?", getting a nod from many of them, watching as they disperse throughout the room, rejoining friends who hadn't join them to the show.

Standing up, eyes traveled over to a staff member from earlier who tilted their head in the direction of one of the play mats. Daremo spotted another individual who he hadn't seen before, playing with a young girl.

Maybe that was them? He could entirely be wrong but something told him indeed the woman who was playing with the girl was Sayuri. Brushing off any specks of dust and dirt on his clothing, Daremo made his way over to where she was. Stopping a few feet away from her, he spoke, "Hello,", attempting to the grab the woman's attention. If successful he continued on, "My name is Kobayashi Daremo. One of the staff members assigned here today. I was told by my boss that I would be receiving additional help from a volunteer named Sayuri. Perhaps, are you her?", he inquired. A soft smile present on his face, purple eyes spoke of warm and someone who is genuinely friendly. If indeed she was Sayuri, Daremo would extend his right hand, offering a handshake, once doing so, allowing the limb to fall back to his side. "I noticed you were a little late. Did you manage to find the place okay?".

---

1667[2761]

Sayuri was so engrossed in her game with the young girl that she didn’t notice anyone approaching her until suddenly she heard a deep male voice call out to her, which naturally caused her to drop the blocks she was holding onto. She would look up startled at the source of the greeting, surprised to see the owner of the voice being a nicely dressed and very not doctor looking man. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but it was not him, that was for certain. His long black hair gleamed against the crisp whiteness of his shirt and was a stunning contrast to his violet eyes. She would stare into his eyes for a few seconds, fascinated, before shaking her head and remembering what few manners had been taught to her as a child. She would rise from her sitting position automatically, clearing her throat before answering in an overly excited voice. “Yes! I mean, yes, I’m her, Sayuri that is. Very nice to meet you Daremo-san, you’re uh. . . staff? I hope you don’t think it’s rude for saying but, well you don’t look like staff.” She would close her mouth abruptly as it dawned on her that in fact saying that had been rude. As the barest hint of redness formed on her cheeks she looked up at the much taller man guiltily and tugged self consciously at her white plaited hair. Breathe silly duck, look he’s just saying hello not interrogating you.

She would look nervously at his extended hand, trying to decide whether social convention was more important than the knot in her stomach. His eyes and smile were amiable, and she’d seen people shake hands countless times with no ill effect. It was simply that she didn’t like to be touched, it made her uneasy since hardly anyone ever did it. She preferred the company of animals, or children, which is what had inspired her to volunteer here today. Recognizing the awkwardness of the situation however she would raise her hand keeping it close to her body, and wave shyly while a grin tugged one side of her mouth up.

“Ah, yes I was late. I am so very, very sorry about that Daremo-san. I’m not used to having to keep the time, and well I’m sorry. Konoha is also quite large, I’m not from here, I found my alright though I just had to ask around a bit.” She would walk past Daremo towards one of the tubs of toys and start pulling out more coloured blocks for the young girl Mai to play with as she spoke, in an effort to hide her floundering. He looks so professional, I hope I’m not in trouble for showing up late. I need to figure out how to deal with that if I’m going to spend time with other people.

“You know though Daremo-san, I was thinking that maybe if all the rooms and hallways in here were different colours it would be easier to find your way around. And prettier, it’s nice enough now I suppose, but it all sort of looks. . . the same. Maybe flowers or something too?” She would reach down to the tiny burned girl and smile while handing her the armful of coloured blocks she had retrieved. “Now I can build a whole forest!” The small girl exclaimed happily as she took the blocks and started placing them one atop the other in a pattern only she knew the secret to. “Yes, you can Mai.”

Sayuri smiled wistfully at the happy child before turning back to Daremo. “So are you a teacher here?” She was immensely curious what sort of staff a hospital had that required such fancy clothing, where the other staff had plain scrubs and coats in pale colours and soft fabrics. Looking down at her own clothing she would let out a soft laugh as she realized she looked very much more like she fit in than he did. She would stand watching the children play as she kept sneaking mischievous glances out of the corner of her eye at the tall purple eyed man. Whatever the answer was, it was probably interesting, and she loved asking questions.

721/1697

He didn't know what to expect when he greeted the woman. However, her startled reaction, the blocks in her hand falling from her grasping and harmlessly tumbled across the playmat, coming to a stop not that far away, wasn't one of them. Sure, he should've expected it, he didn't make his presence known till speaking, and she was engrossed in playing with a child. "Mai, I think that's her.", silently chuckling at the woman's reaction, while recalling the child's name, having heard much about her from other staff members. She being a sweet girl that's generally loved by all; as with all the hospital children.

His eyes shined of amusement, having noticed the tiny, pale skin, heterochromia eyed woman not so discreetly checking him out. At least, unlike some others, she didn't stray too far nor lingered that long. Call it his vanity showing, but Daremo knew his appearance wasn't average by any means, being one of the many beauties in the nations. And the fact another woman was checking him out didn't bother him at all. He had grown accustomed to it.

Seemingly aware of what she had done or maybe remembering she didn't return his greeting, he watched as the assumed Sayuri rosed from her seat, clearing her throat on her way up. The height difference between the pair being obvious with Daremo standing almost a foot taller than the tiny woman. "She's an excited one.", he mused quietly, her overly delightful voice reminding him of a certain staff member he had talked to moments earlier, just a little worse.

Daremo nodded his head when she confirmed, indeed, is Sayuri, and apparently no surname The much-appreciated volunteer who offered up their time for a greater cause. And for that, she had earned a sliver of his respect, even if her reasons for helping would turn out to be less than pleasant. When she questioned on him being staff, saying he doesn't look like it, Daremo didn't hold back chuckling. Of course, all in good natured with him not being offended by the question at all. it being a first for him. "Thank you for the compliment.", the mirth in his voice still being present. "Indeed, I am staff.", his hand slipping into his pocket, pulling out his nurse identification card, he having not bother in putting it own upon changing out of his clothing.  "Here is my identification if you want proof.", the blue card showed a picture of him along with his full name, and what he did. Only after she had gotten a good look did the card disappear back into his pocket, where it would remain for the time being.

When she didn't immediately shake his hand, a common gesture when greeting strangers, Daremo wonder why. A man who, no matter the age, enjoyed figuring out people and their quirks. The fact she didn't shake his hand intrigue him  . . . momentarily. He coming to the realization that maybe, just maybe, it has to do something with her past. Maybe she didn't like being touched? That possibly could be hit. Of course, he wouldn't ask her about this.

While some might have gotten offended by her actions, he did not. He adapted, returning the wave with the outstretched hand, and once done, letting it fall back to the waist side. "Indeed, Konoha is quite large. And even though I have been living here for over a year, I still find myself getting lost or finding new places during some excursion.", he admitted, his statement being a lie, with no one being none the wiser. He had been to Konoha before, but that was a lifetime ago. And back then, he wasn't the first he is now.

He didn't need to make a comment regarding her being late. While he did ask the question, it was more out of curiosity than anything else. However, in order to quell her possible thoughts of being in trouble, he spoke once she had reached the tub, "I'm glad you manage to arrive here. We don't get many volunteers. So, we appreciate you at least showing up."

Shifting so he was still facing the woman while keeping an eye out on the other children in the surrounding areas, he listened to her suggestions regarding the hospital's decor. Holding little merit, the idea in itself is silly and childish even. However, the thought of his boss's expression seeing the whole hospital decorated in her suggestion was assuming. "Interesting idea, but I don't think some patients or those who help fund this place would appreciate such a redecoration. It would be funny though.", the last part coming after a brief pause.

Watching her interact with Mai so easily, Daremo guessed that she had worked with children before. Nothing she did seem to be forced. She seems to genuine enjoyed playing and being around children. It was warming to see.

She thought he was a teacher? No, while the idea was appealing, he had done his fair share of teaching already, "No, I'm not a teacher. I work as one of the nurses here, more specifically I'm an emergency nurse.", he spoke, going on to explain what he meant. "I'm trained to recognized life-threatening injuries. Working hand to hand with doctors to solve and treat said injuries. I'm not on duty anymore because my boss wanted me here. Someone else is covering for me tho.", he spoke.

Watching Mai play with the blocks Sayuri had given her. He turned his attention back to Sayuri, "What about you? What do you do asides from volunteering?", he inquired. Wanting to know more about the woman before him. Meanwhile, some of the children, those waiting for Daremo to return, had grown restless and was now making their way over to him and Sayuri, puppets in tow. It would seem Mai would be getting some playmates within a few seconds. . .

---

1013[3774]

Sayuri listened as Daremo explained that he was a nurse. She sort of had an understanding of what that was, looking at his badge previously had meant very little to her. It was a small image of him. With writing on it. She had looked at it to be polite, but really, there was not much for her to learn other than it’s colour matched that of some of the other badges of other people she’d seen throughout the hospital, and now saw peppered about the room. However despite her mild confusion, she smiled warmly while she helped Mai continue building her forest. “That sounds really important, you must really care for people.” She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have that sort of responsibility, to hold someone’s life in your hands. It made her sad to think that maybe you weren’t always successful. Sometimes, you couldn’t save them. She would reach out and smooth Mai’s hair away from her face, letting the silky texture of the strands against her hand serve as a distraction from the unsettling thoughts.

“What about me?” She would repeat the question aloud as she turned to face the statuesque man and tried to buy herself time. She hadn’t considered what to do if someone asked her this. She couldn’t tell anyone the truth that was for sure. Or at least not the whole of it. The whole truth was that she survived, and beyond that not much else that she could tell anyone. She had been given explicit instructions not to mention Tsuyo or Mitsuo’s name to anyone, for any reason. And she now knew in some small part why, just helping to hide them was probably enough to get her in heaps of trouble. Not that she minded overmuch, she knew what it was like to hide, she’d done so for more than half her life so far. Think silly duck, you can’t just say nothing. Tell him… tell him something! Anything! She looked shyly up at the very tall man and cleared her throat before answering. “Well Daremo-san, I um, don’t do much here besides volunteering actually. Like I said I’m new to Konoha. I came from Kumo actually, it was a very long way, had to climb a mountain and everything. But anyway, now that I’m here I um, don’t do very much. Trying to meet people, fill my time. I’m enjoying see new places and travelling.”

She would look expectantly at Daremo anxiously awaiting his response and then around him as she noticed a group of children making beeline straight for the raven haired nurse, some carrying and some dragging what looked to be puppets. Sayuri would glance around their immediate surroundings and noticing a colourful chair would flash Daremo a sly grin. “Looks like you have some admirers Daremo-san” she said with a laugh as she would dart over to the chair and pull it over until it was two feet away from Daremo. By then the group of children had gathered in front of both of them and were clamoring for more puppet shows. She would wait for a moment to see his reaction before, quite improperly, climbing onto the chair and standing as tall as she could so that she very clearly was now much taller than Daremo. Clearing her throat loudly as she’d seen people do at special events in small villages she’d snuck into, she looked down at the tiny group of wide and pleading eyed children. “Ladies and Gentlemen!” She would spread her arms out to the assembled group of children, her eyes sparkling and a welcoming smile on her lips. “I see that you are in need of a story! Well you are in luck, because I happen to know a good one.” Sayuri would hop down off the chair and gather up the puppets from the children, pausing to give each child a smile as she did so, and set them near the chair ready to be used for the story. She hoped that that Daremo would use the puppets to help out with her story, however if not she would do her best to act out all the parts in the story as melodramatically as possible.

“Once upon a time there was a young girl, about the same age as you Mai,” she spoke addressing the young girl she had been playing with earlier. “Who had a very simple and happy life. She lived on a rice farm with her family, she worked very hard all day long, gathering rice and taking care of her family and her village. Every morning when she got up she would go out and sing the Rice Song with her Grandfather” Sayuri began singing a short tune that was entirely nonsensical and only loosely based around the idea of rice, gaining some enthusiastic giggling from the small crowd. “The young girl had a dream however, she knew in her heart that she was supposed to do more than farm rice. And her grandfather knew it too. So everyday after her work was done he would train her in the ways of a Shinobi.” She would twirl about dramatically, pretending to sword fight, falling a few times for effect and laughing at her own silliness. Then she would get a serious look on her face as the story took a slightly darker turn. This part she intended to heavily embellish, as the truth did not have a happy ending, and she was here to cheer these children up. “One day while everyone was sound asleep bandits came! The young girl’s Grandfather woke her up and said ‘Come, we must protect the village!’. So together they ran outside to meet the bandits. The young girl was scared of the bandits, so she did something to make herself feel braver. She sang the Rice Song. All through the battle she sang and while she helped protect her village.” Sayuri would sing a different version of a song loosely based on the topic of rice and dance about, miming a horribly ineffectual sword fight that had her cracking up with laughter as well as the children. “Finally the bandits were defeated and ran away never to return! The whole village cheered, and there was a grand celebration. And to this day the Rice Song is sung to chase away bandits.”

She would take an exaggerated bow as the children laughed and sang and then would turn back sheepishly towards Daremo, speaking to him somewhat out of breath from all the singing and jumping and dancing. “Sorry for getting them riled up, I uh, enjoy playing with children. I may have gone a bit overboard.” She would grin mischievously at her last statement, she knew full well she'd gone overboard, that had been entirely the point. And in her opinion there was never such a thing as too much laughter.

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Did he truly care about the patients under his care? Whose lives hang in the balance with every decision or indecision that he made? Yes and no, the children are the only ones who cares for without having to imagine someone of importance being in replace of them. They represented a portion of his life that he never had, nor, as he thought about, no longer desires anymore. He very much prefers to let them be untouched by the cruelty of the world,  allowing them to retain their innocence, or regain it. This sympathy doesn't extend to most of his adult patients, with him only during what's necessary to prevent their death or make the process as painless as possible. Connecting with their families, telling them how sorry he was about their lost, took him thinking about others close to his heart. His outlook wouldn't be told to Sayuri, instead, he would allow her to continue believing he cared for all his patients; there isn't a need for her to know the truth.

A few seconds ticked by, after he inquired about the woman's activities outside of volunteering. The question being a simple one in his mind were apparently not for Sayuri. She had repeated the question out loud as if it was something foreign to her. Surely, others have almost asked her a question similar to this, no? It wasn't like he was asking for much, just wanting to know a little more about the one who will be helping him with the children. Speaking of children, a smile appeared on his face and he shooked his head at the group ambling towards their direction with puppets in tow. "Not surprising. I did say I would return shortly. Guess they got tired of waiting.", he silently mused any further inner monologue would have to wait with Sayuri clearing her throat, grabbing the medic-nin's attention. Looking down at the woman, clearly shy about something, Daremo smiled warmly at her as he waited for her to speak.

"Kumo, huh?", at the mention of the place, his thoughts went back to a certain apprentice that he had almost killed within the village, but didn't for whatever reason. His thoughts drifted to their last and final meeting where he once again almost took her life. Shaking those dark thoughts aside, he paid rapt attention to Sayuri. The woman having either been born and raised in Kumo or simply lived there sometime later in her life. She enjoys meeting new people as much as she did traveling, sightseeing, and volunteering. He didn't have much to say regarding her words, but, seeing how she most likely expected a response, he gave one, "Meeting new people, seeing new places. They are both enjoyable. You can learn much from experiencing new things."

At the mention of having admirers, Daremo chuckle at the notion. Sure, the children did enjoy his company, but he highly doubts he were the favorite amongst the staff who watches over them. An eyebrow was raised when Sayuri pulled a colorful chair close to him. "Now, what is that for?", he pondered, though not for long, his attentions turning to the children that have reached the destination and were now clamoring about, asking for more puppet shows. Briefly turning his attention to Sayuri, he didn't say anything as he watched her climb on the chair. "What is she doing?", he wondered, having to look up a little, the chair having made Sayuri taller than him now. Still, he remained quiet, wanting to see exactly what she had planned. With a quick look around, Daremo noticed he weren't the only was who were curious with some of the staff being so as well.

The loud chattering of the children came to abrupted halted the moment Sayuri cleared her throat, and welcome them all with arms spread wide. It reminding Daremo how some public speakers would grab the crowd's attention before starting their speech. Daremo watched with some amusement as she hopped down from the chair, rounding up all the puppets that were brought and placing them near the chair. No sooner had they been placed down, ten chakra strings snaked their way from each one of his fingers and latched onto a puppet. For a moment, the puppets jerked, as they slowly were being brought to life, rising up from their crumbled state, via the strings.  Twitching his finger muscles accordingly, the puppets spread out in the clear area a front of the children.

With the puppets spread throughout the clearing, having not moved from where they were station, Daremo awaited for Sayuri to begin her tell; he didn't have to wait long. The first puppet to move was one that looked like a young girl around Mai's age. It's jerking moment only last for a few seconds before starting moving normally, and going through the actions that Sayuri spoke up. As the tell continued, more puppets came to life, reenacting every scene that Sayuri spoke. Each jerk of his finger, twitch of his muscles, Daremo brought the story to life. As the children laugh and giggled, they have been enthralled by the tell, a genuine smile appeared on Daremo's face. As the story continued, the medic-nin found himself joining in, singing with Sayuri. While he didn't know where the song(s) were going, he did his best to follow her lead. Every so often, not to the surprise of the staff, Daremo would laugh along with the children and Sayuri.

When the story came to the end, staff and children had stopped what they were doing to watch the show from afar all applauded the performance. All the puppets took a bow, but, instead of going back limp, started to dance. Some staff members and children still singing the rice song, throwing in their own verses that were as ridiculously as the last. The words didn't matter though, only joy that came from the activity. Looking away from the children, while still having the points dance about, Daremo shook his head and chuckle at her statement, "No need to apologize. Because look.", his head tilting in the direction of the smiling, dancing, joyous children. Even those who weren't initially paying attention to the play, coming in later, had joined in with the others dancing, singing, etc. "Look at all the smiling faces out there. It's because of you. Yes, they were happy before, but it's your story that brought them this amount of joy. Even the children who didn't have any friends or were afraid to talk to others, find themselves making friends. ", he spoke, eyes glimmering with happiness, a smile ever presents on his face.

"Have you always been this good with children? Because they, especially Mai, seem to have taken a liking to you.", no sooner had he spoken that, a small group of children, including Mai, moved over to where she was at, all dancing and laughing.

---

1180[4954]

Sayuri was quite surprised at the response her story had received. The children clapping and dancing was quite the sight, but as she looked around the room she noticed the adults looking in her direction and became quite uneasy. It was one thing to play with children, it was another thing entirely to have the attention of so many strange adults. She could feel the familiar urge to run and hide, and as Daremo spoke to her she found her gaze wandering about looking for the best hiding spots and points of exit. It occurred to her then that she didn’t know anyone here. She had walked willingly into a place that she didn’t even know if she could get out of. The thought was enough to bring a shine of sweat on to her brow as she would clutch at the edges of her shirt sleeves tightly, trying to fight the rising panic. As fortune would have it Daremo spoke then, telling her of her achievement in bringing joy to the children around her. It wasn’t much, merely words, but it was enough to focus her attention away from her spiraling ruminations and outwards again.

She would look up at Daremo as he praised her storytelling, grimacing a bit as she replied as she wasn’t at all used to someone acknowledging her talents. Not that she even thought it was a talent. While she was growing up, children were the only ones that she felt comfortable around. They never questioned her, never yelled at her or threatened her. She felt very safe around them, and she had always been able to count on the children of the various small villages she stayed near to keep her hiding places secret. Sometimes, when they were feeling especially bold, they would even bring her scraps of food or tiny bits of cloth for her to add to her eclectic garments that she had hand sewn together. The passing memory of her old clothing would bring the shadow of a smile to her face again, but one that did not quite reach her eyes as she answered Daremo’s question.

“I guess I don’t really consider myself uh… ‘good’ with children. I just am comfortable around them. I can trust them. They wear their feelings right here.” She would place her palm on her chest as she spoke, sighing a little as she struggled to find the right words. “For everyone to see I mean. So if they tell you they love you, or they hate you, or anything. Well, you can see it. Right here.” She would gently pat the palm of her left hand on her chest again before sighing softly, dropping her hand to her side and shaking her head slowly. “I just understand them better is all. I’m not explaining it very well though.” She would give him a halfhearted laugh as she attempted to surreptitiously edge her way towards the entrance to the room. She would smile at the children dancing and playing, and sing a few lines of the Rice Song along with them as she encouraged them with hand motions towards other groups of children. “Rice, rice, rice! Gathering the rice, put it in a sack! But be sure not to drop it! Or else we won’t get it back! Rice, rice, rice!”

She dearly loved these moments of play, but she no longer felt secure in this strange place and she needed to feel the open air. Looking at Daremo she would cock her head to the side and raise an eyebrow slightly in a questioning manner before asking quietly, “Daremo-san, is it too early for me to leave? I’m not sure how long I was supposed to be here, and I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just… I need to go outside.”


650/3522

He would have missed it if he weren't paying attention. The way Sayuri gazed around at all the faces, all which were looking at her, smiling and applauding the performance she did. Yet, none of it seemed to register with the woman, her gaze not being on them, but seemingly looking for something. The light sheen on her brow, and the way she clutched at her shirt. The actions seemingly unnoticed by all but the more perspective nurses in the room, with them all sharing a quick look between them, including Daremo.  The way Sayuri was acting was keen to an animal who had accidentally stumbled into a room of predators and was now looking for an escape route or a place to hide.

"How quaint.", he silently chuckled at his own analogy, and how true the statement undoubtedly was. Indeed she was in a room full of predators with him, unknowingly to all, being dangerous of them all. The persona of being the benevolent, good natured, fun loving, medic-nin from Kaze no Kuni, has worked like a charm in getting people to trust him. How easy was it to act like someone else without having to think about it? it was effortless to take on the role of Koyabashi Daremo and play it perfectly. "Guess my skills as geisha paid off.", he silently mused, watching as his praise brought a grimace to her face, yet, eased some of her earlier signs.

He listens as she answered his question. Speaking about how children were their emotions on their sleeves and out in the open for everyone to see. That they were truthful with everyone, their innocent and naivety allowing them to be, and how she understood them better. "I understand that settlement.", images of children, none from this hospital, quickly flashed through his mind before being ruthlessly suppressed, "While my understanding of children only comes with my profession. There is something innocent and pure that comes with being around them. Unlike adults, who have seen the cruelty of the world and been warped by it, most children have not. With those who have been able to bounce back from the situation as if it never occurred in the first place.One doesn't have to worry about a child scheming or hiding their emotions for they would tell you outright, something that can't be said about many adults. "

As the children, still singing the song, started moving away from them, they have been directed by Sayuri. The other caretakers moving to gather the children attention, as Daremo focused his attention on the woman. When asked to leave, Daremo looked at the clock and then back at Sayuri, "Ah yes. You can leave. Thank you for helping out. It means a lot to the children. ", he spoke, briefly looking at the children who were still singing. "You can find you way out right?", he inquired. If she could, Daremo would wave at her retreating figure disappear before returning back to the children at hand. While she might have been able to leave, he still had some time before he could be relieved of his duties. Not like he minded, for the children gave him a needed break from his duties. Something that he needed. 

Sayuri breathed an audible sigh of relief as Daremo assured her it was alright that she left. With her back against the doorway out and her hand reaching for the handle she bobbed her head in a hurried bow, “Thank you Daremo-san. It was a pleasure, truly. These are. . .” she gestured with her free hand at the dancing and laughing children, “wonderful children. I’m only grateful that I was able to help out. If you need any more help, please let me know.” She turned to go and then realized the absurdity of her statement. There was absolutely no way he could let her know. No one could find her, they weren’t supposed to find her, that was sort of the point of hiding. “I uh, I’m in the market a lot. I like the ramen stand. You could probably find me there if you needed.” And with another flustered bow she hurriedly pulled on the door handle only to realize it didn’t open in this direction. With a small squeak of frustration she pushed and flew through the doorway, closing the double door and leaning on it, taking a moment to catch her breath content in the silence of the hall before retracing her steps out of the hospital.

There were tears streaming down her face by the time she stepped out into the sunlight and plunked herself down on a patch of grass. Curling her knees up to her chin and her arms around her knees she tried to shut the world out for a few precious minutes. She knew full well it wasn’t the safest thing to do, but that horrible feeling had yet to subside and she wasn’t in any danger as far as she could tell. All of it was too much. She was looking forward to going back to the cabin where Tsuyo and Mitsuo were. At least there she could pretend that the world was pretty simple and that people didn’t get burned, or hurt, or tortured, or die. The worst part of her current mood was that it had been brought on by happiness. Those beautiful children in there, the ones dancing and playing, one day they would have to feel pain. Assuming they hadn’t already. She sighed at the thought as she realized the conclusion that had just formed in her mind. It wasn’t enough to just make them happy for a few hours. She had to make sure that they lived in a world where they could remain happy their whole lives. Her shoulders felt a little heavier as she stood and placed a hand on the side of the hospital building and whispered to no one in particular. “I’m going to make that world for you. I promise.”  

Sayuri walked slowly back to the cabin with a heavy heart. She thought long and hard about the last few weeks. A few months ago her life had been an unchanging misery. Though misery was perhaps an unfair word to use, she hadn’t been miserable, it was only interacting with other people that had taught her that it had been miserable. She’d had friends, Daisy the cow, and occasionally a child from one of the farms or small villages. Food, when the forest allowed it or a child was brave, or she was feeling faint enough to steal. And shelter, she knew all the best places to hide; in barns and under porches, in wagon seats and in the hollows of large tree roots. It didn’t hurt her ability to hide that she was nearly small enough to fit in someone’s pocket. She would grin at her own joke as she walked, her step lightening a bit. “No, it wasn’t that bad. This is better. But it wasn’t that bad.” Her biggest heartache was the loss of her family. She had no one to call her own, she supposed that it was possible that she had other family but so far she had been unsuccessful in finding any. And for that matter she had no idea how to even look. “I’ll find them someday. I won’t give up.” To distract herself she picked flowers as she went, gathering a bouquet to put in the cabin. Such a strange thing, to have a place to keep things. With a childish giggle she ran the rest of the way to the cabin, unlocked the door and  danced around inside. This was better.

{Exit Thread}

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STR D-2 > D-3: 450 words + 75 Ryo
SPD D-1 > D-3: 850 words + 125 Ryo
END D-2 > D-3: 450 words + 75 Ryo

2000/2000 = Crimson Raiton Unlocked

530 words left over