Yesterday's Tomorrow [Solo]

After hours of staring, the individual grains of rice blurred had blurred together into a little white smudge, and Koemi finally regained her focus. She blinked, looking off into the trees, and listened.

Watching.

Waiting.

All she could hear was the hooting of an owl.

All was well, and she was tired.

The little girl yawned, stretching her legs out of the ball she was curled up in before. She wiggled her fingers, her toes, her nose, and stretched backwards into an arc, listening to the way her spine cracked, and she smiled a bit to herself. The night breeze was fresh against her cheeks, its scent sweet, and the swaying of the trees felt like music. And it was dry outside. No snow. No rain. No footsteps. She was safe, for now. While it lasted.

Koemi pressed her back against the tree behind her; it was almost comfortable. The entire place was almost comfortable, really, with the large trees bunched so close that they felt like security. Inside the largest, her backrest, was a hollow, though it was a bit far up into the tree. She’d have to walk up a bit to get there, but that was alright. She’d be safe from the animals that way, after she put her fire out.

Right. The fire.

She still needed to start that.

Sighing a bit, she positioned her hands into a tiger seal and whispered a command. For a moment, the forest was illuminated in electric silver, and it glinted off her blue eyes like fire. Or maybe like ice. Then, just as soon as it lit up, the forest fell again to the darkness, all save for the soft orange flicker of a small flame that rose out of a pile of soft wood.

Raiton: Sparks.

For an experienced shinobi, this technique was useless, but at least it could start a fire.

Koemi flexed her barren fingers against the soothing flame, trying and failing to work out a bit of the cold that clung to her joints. Though Fire Country was widely known for its warmth in the summer, it grew cold in the winter, a fact which grew more and more real to the girl as she continued on to higher ground. She was nearly to the Land of Iron, a country of mountains and snow, and though she was relieved at the progress she had made on her journey, the cold was nothing to sniff at. Maybe she’d already crossed the border? There were no landmarks in this stretch of the wilderness, but the trees had begun to thin, and that was something. That was something.

A low growl interrupted Koemi’s thoughts and she grimaced, clutching her stomach. She needed to eat.

The eleven-year-old girl flicked her gaze once more to her measly bag of rice, so small yet full to the brim. It was the last of her food, and of her ration pills as well, and really it was only enough for a week if she really tried to stretch it. Even then, she’d be going hungry, and when it all ran out…?

Koemi simply hoped she was to a village in the Land of Iron by that time, because there was nothing to scavenge in snow-covered mountains like their was in the woods, and she definitely couldn’t stock up in Fire Country.

She was wanted, there. For murder.

Koemi filled her cup with the water at her side and placed it on the hook situated over the fire. It hung low, the small flames licking the bottom of the metal container, and so she finally picked up the bag.

Her eyes glazed over as she began to stare at the rice in her hands once again.

Claims Progress:

The snapping of a twig in the fire brought Koemi out of her memory. Strangely, she felt a wetness on her cheeks… The girl lifted her fingers to her eyes and discovered her eyes drenched with tears. When had she…?

Koemi wiped the sadness fiercely from her eyes, scowling at her own weakness. It was all she could do not to scream out into the forest with rage. Even now… Even dead, her father still had the power to haunt her mind. To control her. To make her feel things she never wanted to experience again. She shook her head, burying her emotions as she opened up the bag of rice in her hands. It was just food. It held no influence over her, and neither did the memory of her father.

The water was boiling. She poured a small amount of rice into her cup and watched it as she cooked.

As she waited for the food to finish cooking, Koemi forced her mind to stay blank. She couldn’t let her mind dominate her again. Not when she was here, on the run, trying to keep herself safe. Not when she finally had her freedom from the hell that was her life before.

At that, Koemi couldn’t help but smile. Bittersweet, but she was used to that -- used to joy that wasn’t really joyous at all. Because, despite what came before, at least she had her freedom. Her dream of eleven years was finally beginning to take form, and every step she took from that horrible house was a step she took towards true independence. Five years. For five years, she had lived her life like every day was a competition against herself, her prize miniscule compared to the consequences if she lost. Now, her only competition was against the force of nature. The air she breathed was free air. The moves she made were done without invisible balls and chains. Koemi had avenged her mother and gained her freedom, and this was something that her father could never take away. Not anymore. He would forever be only a memory.

The rice was bland when Koemi tasted it, but the flavor of independence made it sweet. She was low on food and out of money, and with every second, the cold clung tighter to her bones. But she had hope. For the first time in her short life, Koemi had a hope so tangible she could feel it with every breath and every blink. She was alive in the tomorrow of her yesterday, and it was beautiful. The world was a canvas and she had finally found her paint.

She spent hours smiling into the fire until even the embers burned away. Then, she collected her things, climbed up into her hollow, and slept until dawn broke brightly between the branches of the trees.

Final Claims: