A Letter in the Wind [P]

Sun Jan 16, 2022 4:12 pm

The light outside the window flashed only to be followed five seconds later by the slow-rolling rumble of thunder. The perfect lullaby to remain asleep to with the slow-rolling rumble starting, steadily growing louder then drowning out to nothing. There was nothing more soothing to the young Hyuuga. It was a day that normally most people would remain inside for and negate training for the day.

Slowly, his eyes opened and he looked through the glass of the window to see the dark sky that made it as if it was still partially night. He didn’t want to move from the bed. His head was still heavy with sleep while his eyelids slowly moved down over his mint-like hues as if trying to brush away the remainder of sleep dust. On the floor beside his bed would be a book that he had found while going through his mother's old stuff. A book that should have been kept much safer than it had been considering it held many photos from members of his main family.

Zunair had started to scan through but thought it would be better to lay in bed and look through it. Well, he didn’t have much of a choice about it now. The morning had come and there was no real reason for him to go outside for the moment. Slowly, he turned over in his bed and held the book in his hand, his fingers moving over the rough pages if he was going to study. His hair was ruffled up against the pillow and a dried place of spit was on her opposite cheek as his eyes moved over the pages. He pulled the blanket up under his nose while he continued to look a the pictures.

His heart sank when one of them was a picture of him and Hikari playing together when they were oh so young. He just finally found out that she was alive by being sent on that strange mission into the moon country. His eyes darted outside as the sky began to clear but his mind back in the past.

-Flashback-
"Hikari? Is that you?" Zunair began to question his eyes, but he knew that had to be her. From her small frame to her snowy-white hair, and the distinctive white-pearless eyes of the Byakugan. She was his elder cousin, as they were both from the main branch family as her mother, Yuki, and his father, Hoshi, were brother and sister. Since Yuki was the elder of the two, she was the Head of the Hyuuga Clan; however, her mother and father perished so his father became active head leader of the clan. Since knowing the feeling of losing a parent, after Zunair's mother died, Hikari was there for him when no one really was. Zunair always looked up to Hikari, she was such a kind person that would go out of her way for anyone but it was until the death of her brother, it seemed she disappeared without a trace from the Hyuuga compound so they thought she was dead. Losing basically almost all of his immediate family and then being suffered through his father's rigorous training regime as the sole heir to the main branch is what caused Zunair to become reclusive. Shaking his head, he had to interrupt his thoughts, he ran up to the female Hyuuga, "where have you've been all this time," tears began to from the corner of his eyes.

-Current-
He knew he wanted to visit her and see how she was doing but is now the right time? Well, he hasn't been doing anything and wasn't really doing missions at this point. So, why not visit her? Well, he would need to send a letter to see if she would even want him. Crawling out of his bed, he gather piece of parchment paper and pen and started writing.

The Letter:

Zunair smiled down at parchment as he finished the letter. He then got his messenger hawk, strapping the letter, sending off the bird from his bedroom window.

[WC]

Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:05 am

Hikari Hyuuga
Post WC: 1,100
Total WC: 1,100

AP:

610/610

Hikari was curled up under the covers in the room she rented at the inn in Tanbogakure with her wolven friend laying beside her on the floor. Their eyes were both glued out the window to her left, watching the rain trickle down the glass pane. It was the perfect day to spend the morning inside with her best friend, giving her mind and body a much needed break from training. All work and no play would make for a very monotonous life, with the potential risks of getting burnt out or worn out from the continuity.

Her lilac tinted orbs watched two raindrops race down the window, eagerly anticipating which little drop of water would reign victorious. There was a light tapping sound as she noticed a hawk was perched on the window sill, a note attached to its leg and it’s break gently banging on the window. “I wonder who that could be from…” The snowy haired woman mumbled to herself as she rushed to her feet and slid the glass to the side, cracking it up for the bird to hop through before she closed it to keep the rain from frenching her temporary room. The hawk shook its feathers, the water leaving no surface untouched as it sprayed everywhere. She got a cup of water and food for the bird to replenish its strength and energy after the long journey from wherever it had flown from. Once she placed the bowls down the magnificently large bird extended its foot to her, her fingers gingerly removing the protected parchment and unraveling it.

After scanning the contents of the letter, or more specifically the sender listed at the bottom, she found the note to be from her dear cousin, Zunair. They had been reunited after years apart thanks to the mysterious fox man known as Yoi who had summoned them to help with a few missions in Christmas town. It pained her to recall how she had just up and left without a single word to him, her grief stricken mind so consumed with revenge that she couldn’t think to even send him a letter to let him know she had survived the war…

Tears began to fall from her eyes as she recalled how hurt he must’ve been without her there to be his protector, how he must’ve struggled against his father all alone with no one to lean on. Her eyes remained uncontrollable water ducts as she read his letter, hearing about how much he had missed her and what he had gone through in the time they spent apart. He had faced many hardships similar to her own tribulations, although she had wished he would never have to go through anything like what she did. Even though death and war went hand in hand with being a shinobi, she had tried to remain optimistic that he wouldn’t face either of them for a very long time. In her mind he would always be her kid cousin who was too young for the cruelty of the world.

Kuro, who had been patiently sitting beside her, began to nuzzle her arm as her cries turned into small sobs. He was silently telling her that everything would be alright and that she didn’t have to bear the burden alone, he would always be right beside her. “Thank..you...Kuro.” Her voice muttered weakly as she tried to flash a grin of reassurance towards her wolven friend; her smile ended up resembling a crooked grin rather than a lighthearted expression. “I-i’ll be alright…he wants to see me, w-wouldn’t that be fun?”

He nodded his head and wagged his tail in agreement, a soft bark escaping his muzzle. She moved over to her desk and pulled out some parchment and a pen. The words came easy to her as she wrote them in a neat script, her handwriting elegant and pretty.

Hikari’s Letter:

The snowy haired woman folded the piece of paper and put it in a water resistant covering to protect it from the rain, much like the material her cousin had used with his letter. Then she tied it securely around the foot of the hawk and it flew over to the window, signaling it was ready to take flight after its short break. “I guess you are ready to go home, I can’t say I blame you. Have a safe travel little one.” Hikari’s voice was soft as she slid the glass pane over for the hawk, who stepped out onto the window sill before flapping its large wings. After a few flaps of its wings, the bird took off into the storm. Within minutes it was lost in the horizon, leaving Hikari in its wake to pray for its well being and safety.

Wed Jan 19, 2022 12:10 pm

Leaning wearily on the sill, Zunair gazed out through his bedroom window. Rain battered down on the land below, sounding out a rhythmic drumbeat on the roof of the house. The young ninja could have sworn he'd seen a flash of lightning in the distance - the rumbling heavens certainly suggested it. He sighed in disappointment. It was no climate to be heading out to train in, that was for sure. He'd planned on heading out the woods so he could hone his abilities. The stormy weather wouldn't usually stop him, but he wasn't in the mood to get wet this evening. The rain cascaded down the glass, distorting the view of the outside world. Not that the heavy, grey clouds allowed much light through to see by. Tapping his fingers on the window, the young Hyuuga cocked his head, drifting off into his thoughts.

The mint-eyed Hyuuga thumped his finger now against the window sill, thinking about what his life would be like if his mother was still here. Zunair hadn't revisited his memories from his life before in quite some time. This one in particular left a nasty taste in his mouth. It had been his first true heartbreak when his mother passed away. Even though death can be quite common, it wasn't war that took his mother away, but an internal sickness. At the time, the genin had accepted his loss, but now... "Pah." He muttered, dismissing the memory. He knew it didn't help to dwell on the past. That's why he wants to become a medic, to try and cure some of those devesting sicknesses for people. Shaking himself from the torpor led himself back to the bed as he settled atop of the covers, crossing his legs and sitting up straight.

The young Hyuuga would have argued about the qualities of meditative training, but as his father taught him that he was well-versed in using these to control his emotions. Much as he hated to admit it, this form of training had its uses. Exhaling slowly, he allowed his mind to wander, trying to sink into his subconscious. As if in a dream, time passed without the genin being consciously aware of it. Minutes became hours and the hours soon accumulated. After about two hours of total stillness, Zunair took a deep breath. The atmosphere in the room started to heat up, the air feeling a little like it contained the static charge. The meditating Hyuuga seemed nonplussed, remaining in precisely the same position. There was no apparent change in anything else within the room, either.

That's when he heard a *tick* *tick* at his window. Hm, the bird was already back. Smiling as he went and opened the window, allowing the wet bird to sit upon the window frame. He collected the contents of the bird's leg and began to read what was sent to him. Knowing what the letter said, Zunair smiled again as he was happy his elder cousin doing well in the village to the north, Tanbogakure, and said that he can visit at any time if he would like to. Well, that immediately made up his mind. He would go visit her as soon as he got the chance.

Zunair went and retrieved some bird feed so the messenger hawk can feed while he wrote another note.

The Letter:

Wrapping the paper into the container, he then attached it back to the hawk's leg and sent them off. Watching the hawk disappear into the sky, he then began to pack some of his stuff, ready to take the trip to the north.

[TWC: 1,522]