Where's my Water? (Saya)

Today, like most days in this godforsaken land, was way too hot to do anything productive.  They had only been here for a little while but Sakana was feeling pretty homesick. He missed the food back home, his friends and most of all his lake. The only thing that he had found was a small pond and that wasn’t even close. What hoshi did have was one of his second favorite places to visit, the woods, they were always nice and peaceful to walk around. Taking in the smell and observing creatures. So he decided he was going take a trip through the Wildlife reserve in Hoshi.  He had to admit the real trees were much nicer than the rot forest, it smelled way better and had actually living healthy animals.
 
Walking through the forest he would see all different types of animals all living in seemly perfect harmony it was odd since they all originated in different places and in the animal kingdom they would be at war.  He saw rabbits, and rats, and birds. Oh the birds, Sakana wasn’t a fan of flying but he did admire the songs that they sang. But one of the best parts of this place was the seclusion. Here there were no villagers watching him or people yelling at him, here he didn’t have to watch his back for trailing Hoshi ninja. He would’ve probably walked for hours had he not seen an opening up ahead.
 
Sakana pushed through the tall grass, only to be super pleasantly surprised. There was a lake. A large lake. The water was so clear you could see the fish swimming from 50 meters away. There was no pollution or anything like that.  There was no villagers screaming or people pushing each other to get through a street, no here the only sounds were peaceful sounds. Sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking. Sakana stood at the edge of the lake an3 looked out.
 

WC: 327

Trying to find a suitable place to train was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Everywhere she walked in her ninja garb, eyes would follow her every move. There would be words whispered behind hands, sneers upon lips, and the ever so slightly change in body language. They didn’t really see her though. That, she knew. In a few instances, when Saya had dressed in casual clothing, no one seemed to have noticed her at all. Just another ant in grand scheme of things.

It was also at this point that Saya had grown restless in her visit to Hoshigakure. Training had become sparse, only limiting her to reading scrolls in her free time and practicing what she already knew. But, as always, her appetite for knowledge gnawed at her. Her hands shook and her head ached from reading the same things over and over. It was then that she knew she had to find an all exclusive place to move her body - to run as fast as she could and to tire herself out.

Which was why the dark haired girl found herself entering some kind of wildlife preserve, blinking at all the life teeming at its surface. It was very different from Kumogakure, where nature was just as gloomy and mysterious as its civilization counterpart. Saya, at one point, found a somewhat small clearing to start some exercises but found it extremely hard to concentrate when creatures would zoom or fly overhead, almost skewering them without a thought.

Figuring out that the place wasn’t the best place to hone her skills, Saya continued on until she heard the splash of water and a familiar chakra signature entered her senses. Sakana? She quickened her pace until the girl was met with a large lake and the pale boy’s figure standing at the lake’s perimeter. With a quick glance around, she found that he was alone. That wasn’t good. Senshi had been very adamant about every Kumo ninja, especially those that were genin, to always have someone with them.

She was no exception and had quite a stern scolding from the tall bearded man. Approaching Sakana, Saya said, ”I’m not surprised to find you here.” The girl remembered the lake that they had back in Kumogakure. Instantly, Saya thought the one at home was the better lake. ”Not that bad of a lake though, huh?”


WORD COUNT: 400

It was very nice where he was standing. The peacefulness, a perfect breeze, he assumed this is what beaches were like. He would have to try and find one some time, if he ever went traveling to a location that contained one. As he was standing there in thought he started to see the reflection of a girl in the crystal clear lake. At first Sakana was about to be upset by this, because he was so used to getting dirty looks from Hoshi civilians he figured that was what would happen here, but he was wrong.
 
The girl walking up on him wasn’t someone who would annoy him, no she was pretty much the opposite. It was Saya Kirihara. They had met back up when they had first gotten to Hoshi but they hadn’t seen each other since then.  She would come up next to him, and say she wasn’t surprised to find him there. Sakana would let out a small laugh, was he really that predictable? She would say the lake was nice.
 
The Meijin would take a second to think about that, it was similar, and admittedly much nicer, but it wasn’t the same. There was no tree that he liked to sleep on, or the fallen trees that Komori and he had broken training water style jutsu. “Not bad, nothing like the one back home though right?” Even though he hadn’t intended it, saying that to her would see if she felt the same way about the lake as he did.
 

WC: 584

Hearing the Meijin laugh placed a small smile on her face. It was nice to hear something that wasn’t all “damn ninjas and their damn arrogance” and “strutting around like they own the place.” Saya released her own chuckle of amusement at her unconventional way of greeting. She wasn’t exactly sure how he took it, but it was simply something the girl immediately associated with him - lakes + water + blue = Sakana.

While the duo hadn’t really managed to talk as much as she had anticipated after their initial meeting, Saya had come to accept him as a friend. ”Nothing at all,” she commented in agreement. ”It’s too… ” The words were escaping her, and she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to say. Too what? Her face scrunched up as she looked over their surroundings.

The lake’s surface was obnoxiously clear, allowing her to follow every push and pull of a fish swimming through. There was quite a bit of diversity of life in there, something that wasn’t all too prominent in the lake back home. A hand moved to rub the back of her neck, feeling the rush of annoyance flash through her. Saya couldn’t place her unnecessary feelings on any particular reason though. She simply… Oh. And there it was - her reason for disliking the place.

”Too...” The girl tried again. ”Too loud. Too bright. Too colorful.” It was everything that Kumogakure wasn’t. Saya quietly questioned her sensitivity to this before coming to the conclusion that she was simply bitter. ”It’s annoying.” It ended with a huff and the crossing of her arms over her chest.

Was she being childish? Perhaps. But Saya wanted to complain and speak ill of a village that seemed better off than Kumo currently was. It stung her pride to see that Hoshigakure had nice areas like the preserve, while they had the rot forest and rot monsters and three distinctively monstrous walls that divided their village.

WORD COUNT: 329
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 400 + 329 = 729

Sakana now turned to his friend inside of just looking at her through the reflection of the lake. He would listen to her think out loud, trying to find the words she wanted to say, eventually she said it was too much. Everything about it, was too much. She would cross her arms over her chest as a move of confidence he would assume. And while Sakana pretty much agreed he had to admire the serenity of the place. On one hand something about it felt amazing, like he wanted to live there forever, but on the other hand, it made him feel really homesick, and he despised it for that experience.  Crossing his own arms over his chest he would agree with her by saying, “I’m going to have to say you’re right. It is a little much isn’t it?”
 
After that the Meijin would just observe the lake for a while, he wasn’t sure what to do at this point. Maybe they should train, but that’s never a fun way to get back into the swing of things. Until he came up with an idea, they were at a huge lake, it was very hot out, and it didn’t seem either of them had any plans at the moment. Maybe they should go swimming? It was a fun activity that he assumed they were both good at and they would be able to cool off from the hot day.
 
The genin would uncross his own arms, look at Saya and say, “Any plans for the day? We can train if you want, but I’d personally much rather go swimming.” Sakana would give her a few seconds to consider it before he would asking, “So…. Are you up for it?” He would understand if she said no, but he would admire her dedication to training he would also be a bit disappointed.
 
WC: 903

She nodded with a slight vehemence, glad that he had agreed with her. It truly was too much. ”Yeah, but the one at home is definitely better.” A reiteration. Saya wasn’t sure if she repeated it because she believed it wholly or if she was just trying convince herself. She shook her head. Too much thinking could addle her beliefs and thoughts. And she didn’t want to start thinking about such things. It made her feel ungrateful for what she had back in Kumogakure.

There was a moment of silence between the two, allowing them to continue to take in the wonderful scenery. It probably wasn’t the best thing to happen as Saya’s facial expressions filtered through awe, annoyance, and bitterness. In a span of five seconds all Saya wanted to do was trash the entire place, but knew that she had no method or technique to do so. And so, the beauty of the lake and its surroundings remained to continue taunting the girl.

Oh, how she desperately she wanted to be home in Kumogakure. The hot weather wasn’t helping either. Saya had been quite determined to find solace in a suitable training ground that the sun’s heated rays didn’t register in her mind ‘till Sakana had spoken up again. She mirrored his movements, dropping her arms to her sides and turning to face him slightly.

Shaking her head at his question, Saya replied, ”Not exactly. I did plan on training, but we could do that later if you have the time.” She began to unclasp the bindings on her arms, letting them loosen until they fell to the ground with a dull thud and exposing her skin. ”Swimming sounds much more appealing right now.” Her weapon pouches were next to drop and shortly after her ninja boots were kicked off, leaving her barefoot.

”Urgh, you know… One of the things I don’t like about this place is that it’s too hot.” Saya tugged at her pants and off it went, followed by her tank top. Only clad in her undergarments, the genin then carefully waded into the water, nodding in approval at its temperature. It wasn’t ridiculously cold nor was it hot. It was a nice balance that wouldn’t leave her shivering or scowling at the lake.

WORD COUNT: 383
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 729 + 383 = 1112

Saya would once again say that the lake at home was better. And the Meijin knew she was right, objectively maybe not, but subjectively of course, the lake was almost like his second home. This place would never compare to the life moments spent there. He would just say “Agreed.”
 
While the Kirihara girl would be thinking of destroying the lake, Sakana would be looking out at a mother duck sitting on the edge of the water with her babies trailing behind. The five babies tried to keep a steady pace behind their mother. It was kind of funny how they copied her. Every time her head went under the water for food, they would too. Every time she would stop, they would stop too, usually resulting in them bumping into each other since they weren’t great swimmers yet. It washed over him with a weird feeling of awe for nature. In the back of his mind he would wonder if there were any turtles around somewhere.
 
He knew his time in Hoshi probably wasn’t going to get better, but he would push through it, as long as he had his friends around him it wouldn’t be that bad. Right? He actually wasn’t sure about that part and just wanted to make himself feel better.
 
After Sakana would ask Saya if she wanted to train or swim she would turn facing him, dropping her arms as he did. She would reply saying that she would like to train later but swimming sounded great right now. He would listen as her arm binding land hard against the ground, along wither her weapon pouches and ninja boots.
 
The purple hair’d genin would then say it was too hot, but Sakana wasn’t expecting what she did next. He was figuring they would just jump in the water with their clothes on and dry off later but Saya was already taking off her pants. The Meijin’s face would turn a deep deep shade of red as he turned his face towards the side., looking away. He didn’t know what he was feeling, embarrassment? Or was it something else? He wouldn’t see as she took off her shirt leaving her in only underwear. In hind sight looking away was dumb since they were in a crystal clear lake and he would see her once he entered the water anyway, but at the time he felt it was the respectful thing to do.
 
Once he heard her feet hit the water he would pick his head back up again, barely seeing the nod she gave at the temperature. Sakana figured he had to follow her lead so he quickly threw his bad down, kicked off his shoes and stripped off his T- shirt, and shorts leaving him in only boxers. He would quickly make his way into the water, standing along side next to her. The water wasn’t too hot nor too cold, it was a nice temperature. Weird how such an awful place can feel good at times.
 
Once they were both deep enough in the water to be wading (Saya probably would have hit this point way before Sakana due to the height difference) the Meijin would look over to her, staring deep into her eyes and not anywhere else and ask, “So what do you want to do now? Any suggestions?” If not the genin’s mind would probably think of something.
 
WC: 1475

In mere moments Saya would find herself neck deep into the lake. Her hair, which she had remembered to untie earlier before entering the water, splayed out behind and around her form. If there was one thing she liked about having long hair, it was the way her locks floated around her like some kind of autonomous ethereal magical entity. The thought of such unrealistic things made her want to snort in derision, but her childish side could only smile at the thought. Saya’s lips pursed, trying to fight off the thoughts of fictional wonders like fairies and elves. She was a kunoichi of Kumogakure, darnit! A girl like her shouldn’t be entertaining such immature fantasies.

Idly, she heard the drip-drop and parting of water as her friend followed her into the lake. Turning to face Sakana, Saya frowned at the height difference. He was a good foot taller than her, and instead of almost being submerged in the depths of the lake, the pale boy seemed to be doing just fine. Following his question, however, made her raise a brow. The girl actually didn’t think that far ahead. Swimming? Okay. Get in water. Drift a bit. What now? Saya had always done things to benefit her skills as a ninja, and now that she was suppose to chill and relax she found that she didn’t exactly know what to do.

The first word to come to mind was ‘training’ and nothing else. She blinked, confusion evident in her eyes. Her mind was trying to come up with something. Anything. But all Saya could think about were the techniques she could be learning and mastering in the middle of the lakes. She turned her head to look around her surroundings once more. Maybe an idea would magically pop up. But that did not happen. Her mind remained blank. This was quite a conundrum for the genin. Was, or rather, had she been so consumed by training and learning that she couldn’t possibly think of anything remotely “normal”?

”Uhm,” Saya turned back to Sakana, brows scrunched together in thought. ”We could…” A pregnant pause. ”What do you do when you’re suppose to be… relaxing?” She was quite sure to find an answer in her friend. While the Meijin had his own unique qualities, Saya firmly believed that he was somewhat normal enough to have an activity for them to do. After the day ended, the girl was determined to find something “normal” if another situation like this came up.

WORD COUNT: 421
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1112 + 421 = 1533

As Sakana was walking into the water behind Saya he couldn’t help but notice the way her hair floated all around her due to it not being tied up anymore. He couldn’t help but smile at that, to be honest he smiled at most things she did. He couldn’t really explain it, it sort of just happened.
 
After the Meijin had entered the lake the girl would turn and face him, frowning at him. That was a huge blow to his ego. His face would go bright read in embarrassment as he started to think. He didn’t know why, did she not like something about his body? Did he do something wrong? What was it? There was a million thoughts going through his head but sadly the reason for her frown, the height difference, was not one of them. But he would still ask his question anyway to hopefully get her mind off of whatever made her frown.
 
The Kirihara’s eyebrows would raise, as he asked if she had any suggestions on what they should do. Sakana was surprised at her lack of an answer. She did agree to go swimming with him, didn’t she? He would watch her as she looked around in confusion. It was so odd to see her like this, she was never has had a loss of words before. He wondered what was going on in her head. But her lack of an idea wasn’t a big deal, all it would mean is that the Meijin needed to take initiative on the day, not unusual for him lately but still a bit out of his comfort zone.
 
After she finished looking around she would turn back to face him. Her eyebrows were scrunched together as if trying to find something to do required an immense amount of thought. She started to talk but quickly stopped herself. When she found her voice again, she would ask what people were supposed to do when they were relaxing. Sakana wondered how her mind could be wired so training heavy, like it was the only thing on her mind and she was oblivious to things outside it.
 
Now it was the boy’s turn to think. There are many activity’s you could do in the middle of the lake, some of them weren’t applicable because they  only had two people and the others because they didn’t have a ball or anything like it to play with. Instead of just leaving her to watch him silently he would start to think out loud. “You’re supposed to let go of your troubles and worries when you relax but that might be a bit hard for us.” He would let out a small laugh before continuing. “Remind me next time to bring a ball, lots of games to be played with a ball. But since we don’t have one, we could just stay afloat in the water here and just talk if you’d like. No stress, no training, just a nice casual chat. I think we both need something like that right about now.” That part about just talking a large smile to his face, he would love nothing more than to sit here and talk with her for hours and hours. Learning every little detail about her life and her aspirations. Their previous talk at the like provided a glimpse into her life, but he wanted to know more. Training was fun and important but they overwork themselves way to often and deserved to relax. He would quickly ditch the smile in an effort to let her know he was open to other things too. He would end his reply to her by saying, “Or if just swimming and talking isn’t your thing I’m sure I could find something more fun for us to do. But it’s your call Saya.”
WC: 2119

Wasn’t it a wonder that Saya still didn’t understand the concept of unwinding? Her head tilted to the side, one end feeling heavier because of her dark hair dipping deeper into the water. She must have looked a bit odd as well, with just her head visible above the surface of the lake. What unease and apprehensions did she have that needed to be released? Saya liked to think that she didn’t have any. She wanted that perception of being unmoved by anything. The perfect apathy if one could call it that.

But if the girl was honest with herself, Saya knew that there was a lot burdening her mind. First and foremost was their presence in Hoshigakure. They were there for a party. A celebration for their peaceful annexation of Sunagakure. It was great, of course, and definitely a reason to throw up their feet and feast the night away. However, Saya didn’t feel right to be included in an event. Even if she had been excited to see the sights and any attractions of a foreign village, the genin was not meant to be there. If anything, Saya had wanted to remain within the walls of Kumogakure.

Sakana’s laughter jarred the Kirihara from her thoughts, choosing to simply smile at his last statement. It was true. Kumo ninjas were kind of a rigid group, always intent on sticking to their duties and focusing on whatever it is they focused on. What the pale boy was suggesting, however, was an entirely different thing to her. She knew what he meant and what he was talking about. Naturally. But the girl hadn’t engaged in those activities in some time. It made her nervous somehow.

Clearing her throat, she replied, ”We can do that.” A familiar pause, indicating that Saya was venturing in uncharted territory of some social etiquette of some kind. ”Talking, I mean.” Her facial expression was pinched as if having a “normal” conversation was the most horrible thing in the Five Nations. That wasn’t so, however. Saya was already brainstorming what the two could talk about, but just like moments earlier her mind drew a blank. ”We can talk.”

So she says, but Saya took a step or two back as she had unknowingly drifted further in the deeper ends of the lake, leaving her tippy-toes to barely scratch the sandy bottom. Once she felt her feet was firmly grounded, Saya took a breath and dunked herself underneath. Maybe a shocking herself by submerging her head in the cooling waters would jumpstart her brain into thinking up of something. It didn’t last long. A mere span of five seconds and the girl pushed back up with a whip of her hair. That was… refreshing.

And it looked like it worked. Saya wasn’t sure how the conversation was going to go, but something about what Sakana said had piqued her interest. ”You said something about games and a ball. What kind…” Her hand came up to wipe off the water from her face, and to push her bangs to aside. They had plastered across her forehead and prickled at her eyes. ”... of games are you talking about?” Saya was curious. Again, the effects of having a strict mother and having only focused on training left the petite girl unfortunately unaware of the fun that the other kids had during their childhood.

WORD COUNT: 568
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1533 + 568 = 2101