A breather through the streets

She led on into the busy village main. The hustle and bustle was quite interesting. All around them shops were bright and busy. There were smells of all kinds from fragrant oils to delectable foods. There was such variety here on the main merchant walk. Book shops, ramen shops, snack shops, galore. Chisana loved to come here and explore. There was so much to learn and observe. The streets were always crowded here, so many voices and so many faces. She spent good time here, observing to get a feel of the village. 

Chisana walked beaming with a groggy smile, still waned from her training. But in this busy street, you could almost absorb the energy around you just by passing through. She lightly bounced, gently down the street like a little less the collected girl she could be on the training grounds. Her curiosity could explode here, and that's how she liked it. 

"I like it here," she spoke contently, twirling a piece of strawberry wine hair. It had come undone this time in waves wistfully swaying around her. "There's so much to do and so much to see. It's only to decide where to stop first." She glanced between the shops, and a few of the merchants outside with their stands, hesitated as they saw her coming through. These were the few she often barged in on wondering questions of their wares. A few were snack merchants and she eyed them right back, never one to turn down a stare. She was too tired today to bug them though, she just needed a break before returning back to the grounds.

Word Count: 272

Kaen smiled at his best friend as they walked through. It had been a while since he traveled through town just for fun, and that wasn't even for fun, as he was just training. Kaen's smile went away for a second when he thought about the fight that he had with his father before the boy shook his head trying to forget that thought. After Kaen had been finished hanging out with Chisana, he was going home so he could rest.

Kaen loved the smell of the town. There was a range of smells from food to delicate flowers and the beautiful work of smithing. Kaen sighed in relief as he started to forget everything at the training grounds, hoping never to think about it again. Kaen smiled as Chisana seemed a little more bubbly here, it was cute to see her act less like she did when they were training.

The Yuki looked over to her when she had spoken. Her face didn't seem to match her mood, but Kaen could tell she was just tired, as he was too. 

Kaen had stretched with a yawn as he leaned back slightly and put both of his hands on the back of his head, "Yeah, it's a pleasing place. I especially love all the smells that are around here, it gives me nostalgia from my childhood, well, most of the time."  

Kaen noticed as she twirled about her beautifully colored hair, she'd wind it and then unwind. He had seen her braids had come undone, but she still looked great, "Do you like your hair, Chisana? I think it's very cute," Kaen would state as he noticed she'd always play with it not matter if they were training, or not. He'd then blush profusely as he just considered what he had said, Kaen slightly shook his head. They were friends, and he wasn't going to ruin that. 

Kaen would rub his hand through his spiky coal-black hair, and brush it back up slightly. Seeing her mess with her hair, instinctively, caused him to mess with his hair. 

"Where do you want to stop first Chisana? I'm all out of ryo from buying the Jutsu Encyclopedia, so I can't do much in a town," Kaen chuckled lightly. That was a failure on his part. It wasn't nice for the lady to pay for things. He'd start doing missions as soon as he could, Kaen noticed the people slightly glare at her, and he returned it ten times the force that they had. They slightly turned away as Kaen continued to glare at them. He turned around and smiled at Chisana as they continued walking.

WC: 459

TWC: 459

She looked up at Kaen, "Ah. I like the smells too." She took a deep breath of the air, stepping with a flowing nature about the crowd, and keeping up with his longer legs. But she was curious still, entertaining a childhood of all the smells and people and noises. She thought it might have been overwhelming. "What was it like growing up in all this?" She waved her free hand about the general vicinity, still twirling her bit of hair. It was becoming twisted, curlier than the rest from the amount of torment it  had to endure. It was her favorite piece, just about her ear, as long as the rest but more convenient for fixing. "Do I like my hair? That's a stupid question." Her face scrunched up, brows furrowed, lips twisted about the side, "You're odd, kaen for sure. But beside that, let's go there!" There was a small merchant spot just out in the alley about half a block ahead of them. It boasted a short table littered with packaged goods of much variety. 

Chisana grabbed Kaen by the arm and drug him about the crowd, for there were many people around this time of day. It was like salmon fighting to get back up the river getting through the wall of faces. But Chisana was little enough to slip through here and there to reach the table quickly. She placed her small hands up on it's edges and peered at the pile of goods. Her eyes were alight with excitement. There were very few things that Chisana liked in this world. One of them was her insatiable liking of snacks. 

She looked about and about, until she scooped up a short armful of goods. "How much," She spoke, balancing the items until one little bag slipped. She scooped that up, stuck a corner of it's package into her mouth, and pulled out a small slip of Ryo. 

"50 Ryo, for all that." The merchant responded, holding out his burely hand. For such a small stand, Chisana thought, he was a big man, now that she was looking at him. But she shrugged and pulled the cash and placed it into his hand with a slide of her thumb, moving the rest of her money back into a pocket. She turned to Kaen, she had about six bags of cheap snacks overloading her arms. Measuring him up, his arm length was more than able to compensate for the stretch, and as such she handed the snacks to him. "Take this." Well, five snacks, the one in her mouth she pulled down and popped open. She breathed in the salty scent of sea weed chips. "mmm...Let's go snack!" She led the way about the busy market to an outside table that had a few seats open. The wood was splitting and ageing from the constant humidity of their village, but it would do well for the purpose she needed it. she sat promptly, crossing her legs in which her sweater covered her lap comfortably. She popped a few chips into her mouth and chewed with satisfaction. Then looking about the table, there was much more to choose from.

There were the sea weed chips in her hands, strawberry wafers, kiwi gummy candies, a small bag of variety nuts, chocolate pocky (for charm) and a small four pack of red bean rice cakes (think Mochi Daifuku). Knowing this boy well by this point, she waved at him to begin devouring the goodies with her. With a big swallow, "You can tell me your childhood now." She popped open one of the rice cakes and took a savory bite.

Kaen had no time to respond as the girl grabbed him by the arm, and if you knew Kaen already, you could that he was already blushing.

"Woah!" Kaen said as she ran through the district. They bumped into many people, but it hadn't mattered to them as this always happened in the busy streets of Kumogakure. They finally reached where Chisana was dragging him, and he laughed slightly as the man looked at them. Ah, the delicious snacks that Chisana seems always to have.

Kaen had stopped listening for a second until he had said '50 Ryo.' Kaen cringed as he wanted to pay but Chisana didn't allow for any delay in her mission for snacks. Trying to scoop all of them up she dropped one, and Kaen went to reach it, but she had taken it before he could even grab it.

She pushed them into his hands before running off once again, and Kaen had followed without any hesitation. As soon as they reached the table, Kaen had recognized all the snacks she had gotten. She had all the snacks he had loved as a child!

Kaen didn't care about that though as he reached for the godly rice cakes and began devouring them at the speed of light. 

"You can tell me your childhood now." Chisana had said looking at him as she took a bite of her rice cakes.

"Ah, oh, well..." Kaen didn't know where to start, and he also didn't want to embarrass himself. He wanted just to be silent, but he was aware that Chisana wouldn't accept that as an answer.

"Well, as a kid I was alone a lot. My dad would always go on missions, and he started to act weird after my mother died. I didn't have a lot of friends in the academy really, and I usually just played video games." Kaen looked away for a bit before he turned back to her with a small smile, "When I learned that she was a ninja that was my life line. I wanted to become a ninja; I had decided from that day I wanted to become just like my mom. To represent her even though she wasn't there, you know?

"I trained my-" Kaen was about to curse but felt as if he didn't think that would be polite in front of Chisana, "Butt; off to become a ninja instead of a tall, lanky kid with no talent. 

"I came into town a lot to hang out with children; that's why I'm so familiar with it. Other than that my dad has been acting weird a lot so currently, I'm treating him in bed, and he claimed that he was going through a lifetime crisis, so I don't even know anymore," Kaen finished. "So, all I do is practice. For my mother, father, and for myself."

Kaen laughed slightly, "I also want to do certain things in my ninja career."

"I learned that my mother was a Medic, so I've wanted to do that, I love chakra and my ancestry, so that's why I train in Ninjutsu, and I'm kinda stricken if I should learn Taijutsu or Genjutsu." Kaen laughed lightly once again.

"That's my story so far. It's nothing too depressing, or too happy. It's just bland, and I'm okay with that. What I really want to know is more about you Chisana-chan." Kaen said as he listened to her replies and then to her story.

WC: 601

TWC: 1060

Chisana listened intently. Chewing her way through a few more chips and some pocky sticks, then a red bean bun delectably between three fingers, a warmth spread beneath her cheeks as she ate and listened. Snacks were heaven on earth, and she wasn't even of a religion. 

So his mother was dead, but he wants to aspire to be in her career. His dad is potential, sick? And that was basically all she got out of him. However she still had a number of questions boil beneath her scalp. 

"You expect to really do as your mother had? Was her carerr that prosperous?" She begun with, then with a pocky stick in hand she pointed him with it. "And your father is bed ridden. What is his illness? I'm not familiar with life time crisis, is this a disease of some form? If so why is he not being treated in a hospital?" She eyed him suspiciously. Perhaps he was more cunning and daring than she had realize spoke with feeling but what she gathered from his short speech spotted possible underlining malice. She pulled her ankles closer to herself, leaning more across the table as in to even physically absorb what he could say next. 

He had asked about hers. However this was another moment she thought she had gone over it thoroughly. But perhaps not. "Myself. I was raised in the mountains, training for all I can remember, the day I was supposed to take another kill to earn the chance to travel, we were found by jounin of this village who chased off my master and brought me back here. And here I am. They gave me a name and a place and allowed me access to the village after a few months of interrogation and probation periods and I begun learning the culture that is Kumo." She snapped a bite of nuts and chewed casually, leaning back against the back of her chair. The length of her hair seemed to catch in the splintering wood, but she didn't mind, wood in her hair wasn't a big deal.

Kaen slightly glared at Chisana. He knew that she was blunt so that he couldn't be angry at her. Even though he was annoyed with her, and he felt as if he had a right to be.

Kaen responded to her with slight venom in his voice, "Yes, I expect to do more than my mother had. I hope, no, I plan to bring her back through her techniques, and her lifestyle of a kunoichi."

 Kaen's glare vanished as he cleared his throat and brought his jacket up a bit more so that it covered his face slightly, and he zipped his jacket up as well.

"I think a career of helping people is prosperous," Kaen said, crossing his arms as he felt slightly hurt and turned away to glare at nothing in particular. He didn't look back towards Chisana as he continued to speak, "Nothing is seriously wrong with my dad. Some states of depression, which I expect you to know at least what that is."

Maybe that had come off a little harsh. Kaen didn't care though as anger clouded his vision, one thing about his mother and it had just set him off like a match to an explosion.

"I'm not sure exactly what a lifetime crisis is, but I feel as if it has something to do with my mother's death. He had been acting weird when she died, and I'm not sure if he resents me for figuratively killing my mom as she died because of my birth," Kaen paused slightly as his eyes traveled to her figure as she leaned slightly across the table before he looked back to non-existence.

Kaen noticed her accusing glare, "He's not in a hospital because it isn't serious. He's just tired so can you back off?" He snapped slightly at her, and as he did, he turned back to meet her eyes.

Scoffing, Kaen turned away slightly listening to her story. Damn, he didn't mean to be this rude. He hated when he got as emotional as a baby.

WC: 355

TWC: 1415

She glanced down at her snacks at his small outburst. And when her eyes came back up they were fire behind an ice prison. All his aggression, all his angst and misplaced frustrations, she was still learning and still coming to understand as a way of this village and the culture of life around the world. But the necessity, it left her a bit bewildered. However, she wasn't going to let him see this strange bewilderment. She never let anyone and never did. She knew intellect required that of the remission of emotion. So here she would be, his shining example. 

She licked the salt and sweet off her lips, watching him with her look of controlled, strong demeanor. She took a pause before responding, ensuring she had his attention. He would have no idea how much it hurt just to say what she would have to say. "Eat snacks, Kaen." She spoke like a leader, with the firmness of giving him no other option. He wouldn't be allowed to leave, he wouldn't be allowed to refuse, the strength in her eyes, her stature, the way she leaned forward, she may be small, but a commander she could be. 

If he stayed, if he ate, she'd hold him in her stare for a moment, then back off smoothly. Her persona would lighten entirely to that of her actual age, a small, eleven year old girl, snacking with her best friend. She popped a few strawberry wafers into her mouth and hummed happily. "Snacks are exciting for me. This is where I let go of those emotions. The only time I let them control me."

Kaen stood up calmly trying not to look in her eyes. He wouldn't show weakness he would repeat in his mind.

"I'm sorry Chisana. I think I'm going to go train for a bit," Kaen said with a trace of venom still in his voice. He didn't want to be mad at her, Kaen hadn't wanted it, but everyone needed an output for their anger. If they hadn't it would just swell up and explode when you didn't want it too.

He wouldn't show weakness.

"I'll," Kaen stopped a bit before looking back her way for a second before turning around and putting his hands in his pocket, "I'll see you later." Kaen walked away in a cold rage. He had some techniques he wanted to learn either way.

He wouldn't show weakness.

"Don't wait up," He whispered to no one in particular. Chisana wouldn't, no couldn't understand, he didn't even know anything about what she liked except for training and eating snacks. She had already told him what he knew and hadn't mentioned anything else.

He wouldn't show weakness.

There would still be a chance to catch up with him, or else he'd leave. Frustration was hard for Kaen, topics about his mother was hard for Kaen, being mad at Chisana was hard for Kaen.

Kaen's disposition wouldn't falter.

He wouldn't falter or show weakness as he walked away from the table. He knew it wasn't Chisana's fault. She hadn't done anything. Just a few simple questions, but he felt as if he didn't owe her that. He hadn't even needed to snap; he was acting childish. At least he knew Chisana would think that. Would he? He didn't actually know anything about her, and she wasn't willing to tell.

No matter how much he liked Chisana, he would not falter.

Kaen scoffed once again to himself.

He wouldn't show weakness in front of his crush.

WC: 348

TWC: 1763

Chisana tilted her head. The poor boy. She thought to herself. Incapable of the simplest codes of the shinobi way. Ice cold as usual, an ironic factor between the two. She nodded and shrugged as he left. Assuming this was just another one of her many victims walking the line of shame. It did slightly bother her though. If she would have known he was going to just make a fool of himself and leave anyway, she would have actually allowed herself to speak her mind fully. Instead she actually let her feelings for him falter her judgment. There was so much he needed to know, so much she wanted to tell him. It burned within like an acid wash. 

So many should haves she would have to consider in this short episode. Chisana picked up another pocky stick, the last of the little package, Looking at it's thin wafer pretzel dipped in a fast cool sweet paste, this snack was perfect in all design. Simple craft, enjoyable ease of handling, deliciousness literally on the stick. She sucked on it a little bit, thinking things over. Why was it when she actually tried to be nice things ended up so, empty? She wasn't harsh in any way and yet this boy allowed his feelings to consume him. Was this village really so poisoned to the fact they were made blind? It would be boiled in its angst and fevers if the problems weren't eradicated. But...how? 

The sweet slipped away from within, she pulled the pocky stick out and looked at it. Damp and undressed of its sweet shield, a thought came to her mind. Maybe there was a relationship here that she had left unnoticed. Maybe she would have to strip the niceness from this boy. Maybe he could be one of her experiments. His heart was so attached to these municipal connections it would prove to be his demise one day. And maybe hers if she continued to endure this despondent behavior of his and others. 

She snapped a bite of the pocky stick, chewing it roughly. Again she looked back at the pocky stick, missing the top half entirely. A sigh of mental exhaustion slipped from her lips, she clunked back in her seat and flicked the last of the pocky stick to a garbage bin just a few feet away. 
 

She gathered the snacks, pocketed them and walked a lot less bouncy back to the training grounds.

Why was he even getting under her skin?

(LEAVE)

TWC: 1923
Stat point request: 10

Kaen hadn't expected her to come after him. He dares say if she came after him he would've laughed until his face would turn red as an apple.

So why was he frustrated when she hadn't come? He knew the outcome of walking away, and he still had done it. Kaen knew he was tired, sweaty, and angry. All of those mixed into one wasn't suitable for him, or anyone near him. He'd tend to his father and then take a cold shower; after that going to train.

Still, he missed Chisana even as he walked away. He was angry at her, but he knew that he wouldn't be mad at her forever. Sometimes, just sometimes Kaen had wished he had a better friend that was- normal! That was the key-word, she just didn't understand. 

"She doesn't understand emotions or opinions," Kaen muttered to himself, "She just knows facts and that's all. It pisses me off she just doesn't realize-!"

Kaen realized he was clenching his hands tightly against the skin of his hands, daring it to break. 

"Fuck," Kaen stated as he stopped digging his nails into his flesh. There was a slight dribble of blood, but that hadn't mattered. He was going to train.

A few memories of Chisana smiling - mostly when getting snacks - had come into his mind before he shut them out. He wanted to apologize for snapping at her, but he just needed to forget her-

Whatever. It was time to blow some steam training.


 WC: 264

TWC: 2027

Requests -

Stat Points: 10