Loss [P]

Yurei eyes awakened, light returning to them. The Uchiha sighed, realizing he had just awaken. He looked to the ceilings as he often did, but, curiously, he did not feel so lonely. He felt warmer, nostalgic even. There was something in the air, a difference he’d not noticed before. Yurei smiled, if only thinly. The pain of Akio’s loss was still great, as was the pain of the village’s betrayal, but beyond that the alabaster Uchiha felt something kind – something embracing.
He felt at home.
Yurei sighed, now in relief. It had been a long time since he had woken up in such a mood. The last time was before his father had passed years ago. It was refreshing, almost hopeful. Yurei glanced to the side, noting the beautiful sunrise over Hoshigakure. Each day it rose, and each day that Uchiha looked to it. He desired the future, the future he would create. But now, he wanted to reminisce, if only briefly. There was no harm in such things, so long as that it was not the only thing one could see. Yurei was as ambitious as ever, but today… today he needed to reflect. Today was different.
The alabaster Uchiha rose, leaning over with his back curved. He looked to Esu who now lay resting at the foot of his bed. There wasn’t much room left, but Yurei dare not move him. Not out of fear, but out of sympathy. Esu needed company as much as the Uchiha did, and he knew the cold sting of the floorboards better than anyone else. He had tried to make up for it with Damon, throwing many miscellaneous sheets on the floor in an attempt to make a comfortable ‘bed’ of sorts. Hopefully it was enough for Damon. For a moment, Yurei questioned why he had not given his bed to Damon. Surely he could have used it.
He did not know. Perhaps it’s simply how things turned out, and the action was simply repeated due to a loose understanding, one neither had truly taken part in.
Yurei sighed once more, maneuvering his legs over his bed. Something smelled nice. Something strong. It was peppermint. His mother must have been up. Curiously, however, Damon was not present in the room. The pale Uchiha turned to look at the sky behind him. It was still incredibly early. Perhaps he was out training in preparation for the tournament.
The Tournamnet.
Yurei winced. He need to prepare for that – not think about the past. It required his full attention. He had to win! He had to-
No. Yurei’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve practiced. I know what I’m doing. I need this. For my family.”
Still, learning jutsu was part of what Yurei was, so the urge was still there. It was a difficult thing to resist, the Uchiha instead opting to memorize one and apply it later. For now, his mother needed his attention. His family did.
Ever since Roshi Uchiha, his father, passed, his relationship with his mother deteriorated. It was in need of mending. For the first time in a long time, Yurei didn’t feel like a monster. He said that to his father. Roshi was the monster. Roshi reciprocated hatred.
But he was a good man. He simply fell victim to human nature, regrettably at the cost of his life. But whether Yurei felt guilt about that now… that was a hard question to answer. Perhaps impossible, at least now. Roshi was an example of what Yurei wanted to achieve. Hatred had to be rectified, human nature forced into a change. He struck out against the boy he loved in hatred for shinobi. That was his test.
He failed.
Yurei huffed, his hot hair leaving his nose. Even now, the future intertwined with his past. The two were connected beyond any hope of separation. But Yurei’s changes were his own. They were a defiance to the world.
The Uchiha stepped forward, his feet freezing against the cold floor as he walked. He reached for his kimono, wrapping it around his body. He slid his arms into the coarse silk and tightened the front opening with an overlap and a silk belt. “Come on, Esu,” Yurei said, patting his leg. Esu perked up, leaping from the young man’s bed. He trailed closely behind Yurei, his bare feet far more durable.
The Uchiha slid open his wooden door. Peppermint permeated the air in a delicious aroma. It wasn’t honey, but at least the taste was nice. Soothing, really. A nice compliment to the bitter tea leaves in a way other than that of sugar. Of course, sugar helped.
Yurei continued on through the halls stretching as he did so. He walked slowly, twisting his torso and popping his bones.
“Is that you, Yurei? Or your friend?” a familiar voice asked, her smooth voice echoing through the hall.
“It’s me, Mom,” Yurei said, rubbing his eyes. They ached with dryness. Yurei quickly fluttered them, bringing tears to them.
“Good morning!” she said. Beyond the peppermint was the smell of cooking fish. It smelled scrumptious, with a hint of sweetness. “I figured the two of us could have a nice breakfast for once. It’s been awhile. Is your friend asleep?”
“No, he’s gone. Probably training for the tournament.”
“Oh,” Takia said, nodding. “Are you going to train today?”
“Just a fire style jutsu, but I can do it here. I know my way around it too well to just learn it and then come back. That’s too much walking.”
“Oh, alright,” Takia said, nodding.
“What are you cooking?” Yurei asked, walking over to the counter.
“A bit of this, a bit of that. I got some rice and fresh fish from the market. Go ahead and get your tea made before we eat!” She said, flipping the fish on its side and giving the rice a stir.
Yurei smiled. “Alright,” he said, grasping a teacup from the cabinet. He set it onto the counter and grasped a spoon, popping a bit of sugar into his cup. Reaching over Takia, he grasped the peppermint tea and began to pour it into the cup. In his other hand, he grasped a carton of milk, pouring the white substance into the dark brown liquid. The tea began to fog, shifting into an opaque, creamy brown. Yurei wafted the smell into his nose, chuckling.
“Smells good, doesn’t it?” Takia said, smiling. “Honestly, I love it. Probably more than the honey.”
Yurei nodded, taking a sip of it. “Delicious,” he said with an affirmative nod.
Takia smiled, chuckling herself. “Yurei, please, be a dear and hand be the salt.”
Yurei looked around, grasping the clear container and passing it over to his mother.
“Thank you,” she responded, sprinkling the crystals into the rice like sleet. “So, do you think you’ll be ready for the tournament?”
“Hopefully. I’ve spent a lot of time learning jutsu. Who knows, maybe I’ll win.”
“Isn’t that exciting? I wish I could cheer you on,” she chuckled. “Any strategies planned out?”
“Not really. I figure planning ahead complicates things too much. Makes it hard to adapt. At least with these kind of fights.”
“Oh, I see. Well, I hope you win! Oh, I think this is almost done. Here! Hand me a plate.”
Yurei nodded, retrieving a large, porcelain plate from the cabinet. It’s color was akin to that of his skin.
“Thank you, Little Ghost,” she said, glancing at him. She took the fish from the grill, placing it onto the plate. With a whack, the sliced the head off of the fish and began to cut into it. “Ooh, it’s very tender. This is going to be so tasty, Yurei!” she said with delight. “Here, drain that rice for me.”
Yurei nodded once more, taking a sip of his tea before he did so. He placed the cup back onto the counter and swallowed, emptying the water from the pot of rice into the sink. It drained with a horrible echo that caused both Yurei and Takia to laugh in the awkwardness of it all. The white haired Uchiha sighed. It had been a long time since he felt like this. Too long. It was actually pleasant within his own home.
“I’ve missed this,” Yurei remarked, stiring the now dry rice. “I’ve missed this a lot.”
“So have I,” Takia replied. “It’s been a long time since we’ve done anything like this together. I wish we had earlier, but… Well, we’re doing it now aren’t we?” she smiled, placing her hand on Yurei’s shoulder and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Her faint pink lipstick marked his face before he quickly wiped it off in laughter.
“Well, I’d say it’s just about done. Get us some more plates, and I’ll prepare it.”
Yurei gave another nod and smile, retrieving two plates from the cabinet. “Here you go,” he said.
Takia smiled, “Alright. Have a seat.”
Yurei grasped his teacup and maneuvered to the table in the kitchen. He sat on his knees, placing the cup of tea onto the table after taking another sip.
“And here we are,” Takia said, leveling two plates with both rice and fish onto the table. One for her and the other for Yurei. “Oh, I almost forgot!” She rushed back over to the counter, grasping her cup of tea and then sat. “Dig in!” she exclaimed, grasping a ball of rice with her chopsticks.
The pair sat quietly for a moment, eating to their fill. There was a warmness about it, a memory long since passed that had returned to Yurei, here, now. It was like living in the past. A dream, almost.
Yurei sighed, smiling.
“What is it, Yurei?” Takia said, looking up from her food.
Yurei chuckled lightly, tears forming in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, wiping them with his silk sleeve.
Takia’s neutral expression shifted. Her eyes widened in surprise, if for only a second. She smiled, looking on her son with welcoming eyes that danced in the light. “You’re welcome, Yurei,” she said. The woman reached over, grasping her son and pulling him into her arms. “I love you, too,” she said.
Yurei’s eyes widened. He knew she meant it. She had to. He pursed his slips, restraining the tears to no avail. He wrapped his arms around her, sitting there, if only for a moment. It felt like much longer, however. He felt he could stay there for as long as he wanted.
It was something he had forgotten in the years passed. Something unknown to him now, but something that had returned. Like losing one’s vision and then having it return.
That night, Yurei returned to his room. The moon had begun to rise, bringing a pale blue light to his room. It was dim, but Yurei could make his way to his bed, finding it and laying down, meeting Esu.
Today had been a reminder of what Yurei once had. He remembered it now. Those meals every day, sitting down with his mother and father as a family. There was no guilt, no regret, no remorse, simply love. It was simple. It was warm.
Embrace such as that was hard to come by. His relationships were cold now, deadened. Or so he thought. He had Damon. Esu. And now his mother had returned to him. It was a beautiful reuniting, one he did not know that he so desperately longed for. Yurei smiled, looking up at the ceiling. The ceiling from this morning was still there. A view that was not lonely, but home. This was home.
What this entailed for the future was unknown to Yurei. His goals remained the same. Human nature simply had to be rectified. However, with age, so comes the time that children must leave and expand their horizon. Yurei did not belong here, with his mother. It wasn’t the house. It was Damon. Esu. His mother. His family. It was love. Love was home to Yurei.
The Uchiha lay in his bed, throwing the sheets over his legs. For the first time in a long time, he felt he could rest easy, a weight off of his shoulders.
Yet, despite this newfound comfort, something loomed overhead. Something dark and cold. Something miserable.
Akio’s death would always be with him. The village’s betrayal would always be with him. This was a simple fact of his reality. One cannot give up the past and hope to retain its lessons. Yurei held onto it. He remembered that pain. But he remembered his love as well. He needed it. For without it, there would be a bitter cold. He would be like Kenshin.
That’s why he had his friends. That’s why they meant so much to him. Loss hurt Yurei, but it drove him. Loss drove him his entirely life. Nothing resonates within a person as much as it does, for it comes from love.

Yurei swallowed. This entailed many things, things he could not yet hope to grasp. The future was too expansive, too unpredictable, but, still, the young man stayed true to his goal. He had to save this world from the pain he felt. Loss drove him, but the pain… The pain could not be satiated. It never could be. That would always be with him. The only thing Yurei could do now was offer a kindness to the world. A way to prevent them from feeling the same loss. A way to stop it.

WC: 2249


[Exit]


Claiming: +22 AP, Great Fireball Shower continued from this