Desert Flower (IO, NK)

Amaiko's eyes turned completely brown, her face paled with worry. "Kojin... I think that was her name..." she said softly, recalling a name like that. She stepped over and hugged the boy, realizing he did in fact know one of them, and the one he knew was the one who died. "I'm sorry..." she said, trying to comfort the boy. Her hug wasn't loose, but it wasn't tight either. It was one of those secure hugs, the kinda that virtually said, 'It's ok, let it out. I won't judge you' and let the hugged person know it was going to be ok.

Kojin trembled as Ama told him about the name. "No no... What am I going to do? What am I going to tell Raijin... no.. dammit.." he mumbled. A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he said this. He had never had a friend die before, he never even expected anyone he knew to die! The boy barely noticed the hug Amaiko has given him, still thinking about Kirameki dieing. 'I.. I'm going to KILL whoever did this!' he decided. He knew revenge wasn't the way to go, but his friend deserved better than getting kidnapped and killed. The genin held his head down and silently cried, not wanting to make a gigantic scene in public.

Amaiko felt a slight wetness drip down on her shoulder, and she hugged him even tighter. A civilian or two glanced at the two, but looked away quickly, remembering the kidnapping and death reports in the paper recently. "I can't imagine what you are going through right now, but know I'm here for you," she said softly. There was a small area just near them, blocked off by the walls of buildings. It allowed privacy. Ama slowly lead the saddened boy to the more private area, wishing she could make it all ok. Once inside, she sat down, pulling him down with her. She placed his head in her lap and rested his hand on his shoulder. "Things will get better, I promise."

Kojin continued to cry while Ama was leading them away from the bench. It confused him to why anyone would kidnap a genin just to kill them. They might have been enemy ninja, so that gave them reasons. However, it was still all very cruel in his eyes. The poor boy trembled and even more tears flowed freely from his eyes. He calmed down a bit once he noticed Ama had rested his head down onto her lap. "T-Things will get better?" he questioned. He didn't really understand how anything could really improve at the moment. His friend had just been killed at the hands of someone he didn't even know. The genin was positive Raijin would be worst, after all he loved Kirameki after meeting her only once. He slowly lifted his head off her lap and sat up straight next to her.

He tried to stop himself from crying more, but a few tears managed to slip through. They were quickly wiped away from his cheeks as Kojin turned to face Amaiko. "S-Sorry about that. I never had someone I know die before, especially a friend". The boy looked at his ice cream and saw how it was somehow untouched. Thinking it was okay, he slid down the wall he was against until his head was up to Ama's shoulder. Hesitantly, he would rest his head on her shoulder and took a lick of his melting treat. "Y-you're a good friend Ama-chan.." he mumbled. He still trembled a bit, but for the most part it was subdued. 'If I was like this... how is Raijin going to react? Oh man' he thought with a frown.

(:P)

Amaiko let him rest his head on her shoulder, and she draped her free arm around his. She, too, took a quick lick of her ice cream. "Kojin, things always get better," she said, a comforting smile upon her lips. she licked her ice cream as well, and squeezed his shoulders a little tighter upon hearing his words. "Don't worry, it's ok. And thank you, you are a good friend as well."

Maybe Ama was right. Maybe things would turn up in the future, but not currently. He sighed and took a larger lick of his ice cream, wanting his treat to make him feel a bit better. Of course, he had Amaiko to do that instead. He smiled a bit when the girl had complimented him back. No one had said those words to him yet. They felt... good. They felt very good to him. "Thanks Ama" he replied, his lips curving upward into a small smile. "My friend will feel worst though. He really liked her- as in- loved her. I remember when I saw him with flowers saying they were for her" he said. The boy really did feel bad for the other genin. He sighed, this was all very troubling. 'I shouldn't be dwelling on it though. Kirameki wouldn't like it at all' he thought.

"So, are you a civilian? Or are in the academy... genin?" he asked. He wanted to try and stay away from the depressing topic at the moment.

Amaiko dropped the subject when she realized Kojin has as well. "Actually, I am still an Academy Student, along with my twin, Kaiya, who's out of town right now. Dad's a Senju, and Mom's a Shimai. I kept my mom's name since I inherited no bloodline, and Kaiya kept Senju 'cuz she has the natural ability for Mokuton. Said she'd help me out, though!" Ama said, continuing the conversation. "So what about you? Genin or up, since chidori is not a jutsu for a mere Academy Student."

Kojin smiled a bit once Ama had asked her question. He wasn't one to brag, but the jutsu he had were way above those of a genin. "Well, I'm only genin. I'm hoping to become a chuunin though" he replied. He looked at his ice cream and noticed how it was almost finished. The boy sighed and ate the rest of the treat anyway, leaving only the cone left. "If you want, I can always train you and your sister. I need the practice anyway" he said with a small grin. The genin loved helping those of lower rank. For some reason it made him feel like a teacher and that he was helping his village somehow. He didn't have anyone to help him as an Academy student, he didn't want any others to be the same way. He took a large bite out of the cone in his hand, getting a bit of leftover ice cream on his lip.

"Maybe I can help you with any jutsu you guys have any trouble with" Kojin suggested. Thinking about it, he wondered how Ama's sister was. 'If she's like Amaiko we'll get along juuuust fine' he thought. He decided to ask the girl this question. "What's your sister like anyway?".

"That would be nice~" Ama said, blue beginning to form back in her eyes. She listened to his question, and responded, lip out in thought, "Well, Kai is kinda like me, and kinda not. We're identical, but she has freckles, and her eyes don't change colors like mine do. They're just blue. And she wears her hair in a long braid, while I wear mine down. She's more shy than I am, and more quiet. But she's still awesome!" Amaiko said, licking her ice cream again. "So, do you have any siblings?"

Kojin kept on eating his leftover cone, making even more of a mess on his face. Sadly, he didn't notice anything. The boy tried to picture how her sister would look like. It was relatively easy since she said that they were twins. He made a face at Amaiko's question about siblings. "Uh.. no. I don't have any, I don't even know who my mom and dad are. They just left me at the orphanage" he mumbled with a frown. The subject about his family was a bit touchy for the genin. Honestly, he thought his parents had left him since they didn't want him. 'Well, forget them anyway. I have friends who are like my family' he thought. The boy continued to ear the cone in his hand until it was completely gone, the only thing left was his sticky hands and a giant mess on his lips.

"Um, Ama? Do you have a napkin or something, my fingers are kinda sticky" he asked the girl. He really needed to be more clean when eating his ice cream. This was the second time he made a mess! Kojin adjusted his head to face his friend, waiting for a reply.