Recent Posts

Suzu felt like she was swimming in her own body by the time she arrived. The monotony of the trip had made her feel sluggish and anxious, and her mind had drifted all over the place as she was travelling. She was still on autopilot as she came upon the village, the trees lessening in density as she slowed to a light jog. She exhaled deeply. A light sweat had filmed her skin, and she’d gotten a bit hot from the journey. Luckily, the clothes she’d worn today were pretty breathable and hadn’t really gotten wet.

Finally, she arrived at the village. She got a couple strange looks, most likely for the sword hanging on her hip, but was greeted in a friendly manner, for the most part. Polite nods, smiles, and the like—luckily, this was a village which appreciated Konoha’s services. Regardless of this appreciation, some people just didn’t like seeing weapons in public. Like the ninja of Konoha, some of these people had seen war, even despite being civilians. She’d be looking for a Watanabe Takumi. After taking in the bustle of the town entrance, Suzuka kept on, stopping only to ask for directions. She’d headed toward the largest buildings she could see, but oddly enough, these held only shops and markets inside them. The location she sought—the Town Hall—was closer to the edge of town.

She entered and stated her business to the man at the door, along with her mission code. That was this town’s preferred way of confirming that she had, in fact, come for a specific mission from Konoha. Many towns didn’t particularly trust other hidden villages, so they had protocol to protect themselves from being infiltrated unawares, even if they couldn’t do much more than that. Soon enough, she was led upstairs and told to wait outside a large double door. She did so patiently.

Within minutes, a wiry, troubled-looking man walked out and beckoned her in. He was about Suzuka’s height—maybe a little shorter—and was balding somewhat. He ran his fingers through the whispy grey hair that was left, sighing quietly and walking back to his desk. Suzuka sat down quietly, her brown eyes moving around the room curiously. It was well-furnished, with ornate red and gold trim and a cabinet full of expensive-looking antiques. She’d seen rooms like this in books, but hadn’t ever sat in something quite like it. She didn’t quite understand how someone could do work in such a distracting place.

Suzuka was happy that the girl seemed to appreciate her offer. At least Naiya didn’t leave her hanging—that would be awkward. It wasn’t long before they got their food. Kimura placed Suzuka’s plate in front of her, and her mouth watered at the beautiful cut of beef that lay before her. The seasonings tickled her nose—the garnish pleased the eye. Truly, for this price, this was what heaven was. It was so tender and succulent… As every bite melted in her mouth, the world melted away from her mind. Not long after, Naiya was given her food, but Suzuka had already gotten halfway through her beef. She slowed down for a moment to take in the smell of Naiya’s food and noticed, to her great surprise, that the salad looked unbelievably fresh as well. I’ll have to tell more people about this place…

Just as Suzuka finished her beef, her scallops came. She wasn’t talking much, but then, food did that sometimes, especially good food. She drank some of her water and finally noticed that her sake had been sitting there. It was a small amount, so she picked it up and downed it in one gulp. Her sense of decorum had long since left her, but she wasn’t exactly being a pig, so she figured it was okay. Pushing her plate away, Suzu pulled in the bowl of scallops, which had been steamed and painted with a sweet and spicy glaze. She popped one into her mouth and bit down—an explosion of flavor surged through as her teeth ripped through the soft, delicious seafood. She couldn’t help a small “Mmm…” escaping her lips, and kept right on, finishing the scallops within a couple minutes. She grabbed the cloth napkin she’d been given, wiped her mouth, and finished the rest of her water.

“Well, I should probably head out soon… But I’ll tell you what—let’s hang out again sometime, okay?” Suzuka turned to Kimura, paid for the both of them, gave Naiya one last quick smile, and turned on her heel. Her stomach was unbelievably happy given the small amount of food she just had, and she felt just the slightest bit sluggish. Perfect… I’ll be able to knock right out when I get home. The cool night air hit her again as she left, and she headed back home, feeling much less numb than she had when her walk had started. Maybe she should try this whole outgoing thing more often…

But you’re so pretty! was the first thing that came to Suzuka’s mind, but she kept that to herself. That would explain some of the nervous energy Suzu had felt from the girl that night, but then, let her memory tell it, all Genin were jittery and awkward. Probably rude, probably inaccurate—she’d let herself get a little out of touch over the past couple years. But then, she was trying to remedy that now, so it was okay, right? “It’s fine… Nothing to fret over, really. As long as you don’t get caught up expecting things to be horrible or perfect, it usually turns out fine. Just go with the flow. You’re a nice enough person… I wouldn’t worry about making friends, if I were you.” Again, the pleasant smile. Really, Naiya didn’t have any reason to be nervous, if this was how she always was. “And we can be friends now, right?” Suzuka felt a little awkward saying something like that—it was a bit rainbows and sunshine for her, honestly—but she meant it. Naiya seemed like a pretty chill girl. And with situations like this, it was best to be direct and earnest, lest Naiya be worried that Suzuka disliked her or something. With anxious people, she had seen much less turn into huge misunderstandings.

“Hey, Kimura-saaaan,” Suzuka called cheerfully, having decided. I’ll have the small beef skewer and a small order of black pepper scallops.” He smiled and nodded politely, going to the back to grab the scallops. While it wasn’t a full meal, it would be satisfying. It was probably still too much to eat, but Suzuka patted herself on the back for not ordering a full size meal. Having her mom make most of her decisions for her for a lot of her life didn’t really help her with impulse control. “He’ll be back in a minute, but you can take your time ordering. My scallops will probably take a little while to prepare, so my food won’t be out for a little while. Oh!” She turned her attention back to Kimura. “And can I have a glass of water, please?” It wasn’t the drink she wanted, but she knew better than to order something sugary this late at night. It wouldn’t make her particularly hyper, but she would feel exhausted in the morning. Well, more exhausted given the paltry amount of sleep she was about to get. “Oh! Actually, and a sake?” With just a little bit of alcohol, Suzuka’s energy level would probably decline by the time she got home. This would definitely be a good thing. Kimura brought a glass of water over for Suzuka, who thanked him, and asked Naiya if he could offer her a beverage. He had apparently remembered that Suzuka liked her sake with her meal, though a lot of people were probably like that, she supposed.

So she had cold feet—well, that was certainly understandable. After all, it was easy as a student to get caught up in all the glory and action of it all, but this was a duty that required you to lay your life on the line without a second thought. It took a certain level of maturity to understand the implications of that—Suzuka sometimes wondered if letting everyone join this life so early was right. But then, anyone who would take part in it had to learn early, lest they be unprepared. No, Suzuka understood exactly why things had to be done the way they were done. That didn’t take away from the concern Suzuka felt for the younger generation, though. At some point, as a shinobi, you’d either lose your innocence or your life. There was no negotiating it.

“No, I understand that… It’s a pretty big transition—that much is true. It’s normal to have doubts… But don’t worry. I think you’ll be fine. You don’t have to put it on until it feels right… And I’m sure it’ll feel right for you, at some point. Just don’t sell yourself short, okay? As scary as it can be, I haven’t seen the academy officers make mistakes. If they think you’re ready, you’re probably ready. The way you feel about it will catch up with how they see you.” Suzuka hoped her words would, at the very least, make Naiya feel okay about not feeling ready. It was a big responsibility, and not feeling ready to step up was normal. Part of it was that Suzuka felt bad for making it seem more normal to be excited about it. She had to remember that not everyone had the same experience she had.

Suzuka was not happy to see that the same guy was there now, but she figured it wasn’t a bad time for an I-told-you-so moment. She marched over to his counter, sat down, and set the folder, in which the slip of paper she’d collected was clipped neatly inside, down on the desk along with the dirt she’d collected. For all she knew, he wouldn’t give a damn either way, but she’d definitely try and see. She folded her arms, leaned back into her chair, and… was ignored. The man kept filing, adjusting his glasses, very clearly pretending to be too wrapped up in his work to notice Suzuka. She felt anger rising in the pit of her stomach. She cleared her throat loudly, eyes cut, lips pursed. He looked up at her over her glasses, holding the gaze for a moment before speaking.

“Oh, Miss Hyoujikaze Suzuka! What a pleasant surprise.” They both knew he was bullshitting. Suzuka didn’t bother to respond. She simply turned her eyes downward, toward the folder, and then looked back up at him. “Ah! So your mission was a success, I take it. Well, let’s just see here…” The man opened the folder, flipped through its contents, and—in spite of himself—looked just slightly surprised. “Well, well…” This time, he sounded genuinely amused, if only just a tiny bit. “It seems like you are very thorough in your methods, Miss Hyoujikaze… Surely, this information will be useful.” He turned, filed it, and returned to his work. Suzuka sat there for a moment, feeling unfulfilled by the exchange. A sort of empty feeling replaced the fire in her gut. She hadn’t realized she was still sitting in that chair. “Thank you,” the man said, somewhat impatiently, looking at her quizzically over his glasses. Suzuka’s face flushed, and she stood, embarrassed, turned on her heel, and walked out quickly.

For all she knew, that information might be stuck in that file cabinet forever. She wasn’t an idiot, though. She headed back to her house, double checked that the extra copy of the report she had was still there, and sat down on her bed. Suzuka was nothing if not thorough. She’d give them some time to follow up, sure, but if they didn’t, she’d be following up herself—right over their heads. Feeling too energized for bed, Suzuka stood and decided to do something she'd been meaning to do for a while. Suzu combed every inch of her bedroom, and when that was done, looked everywhere in her house. Finally, she found them—her earplugs, nestled behind some pills she never took in her medicine cabinet. They needed a good washing, but she'd get to that later. Now, she left her house and went for a walk, enjoying the late afternoon sun. She had some things to figure out about her future.

Well, go ahead... Watch me.