Rainy days

"Your fine, most wouldn't realize I'm new anyways. They don't bother to think much of it," Yusuri explained, back into her monotonous voice. Not one for any sort of theatrics. Looking around at the stores and building she noticed a few of them were still going on strong even with no business in this cold, rainy weather. It was kind odd how this town was always so cheerful, not in a bad mood, not by any means. It had a few dark spots though, but that was just the town’s grumpy people dimming the mood in one area or another. Continuing to soak in the surrounding buildings and shops, Yusuri didn’t realize that she was spinning to look around at the marketplace’s layout. There were the weapon shops on the right, there were the armor smiths down the way they came to the left, there was a whole string of restaurants on the left following the ramen shop, and the stores continued to run on until residence areas appeared.
Walking beside Seresana, Yusuri watched the girl's movements slowing to a relaxed pace and thought it was a good time to give Seresana a riddle. Pondering she smiled and looked to the other girl,  "Sere-Chan I have a test for you, answer it and we can go to a specific place of your choice and I won't say a word against it, for a little test of comprehension. I have a eye that doesnt see, but cries loudly. What am I?"

Word Count: 250/4750

Seresana had opted to begin leading them both down the streets towards one of the residential districts when Yusuri proposed her riddle. "A storm?" Seresana replied with barely a moments hesitation as she continued to lead Yusuri. Curious about whether she'd gotten it right or not, Seresana paused in her steps and turned about to face Yusuri with a curious grin. Seresana in truth hadn't had much experience with riddles, but this one seemed easy enough, especially with the storm that was already raining down on both Seresana and Yusuri. Speaking of which, the storm showed a potential sign of stopping by lightening up just a bit. The rain drops became smaller, and less frequent but the still very heavy and dark clouds didn't disperse at all, showing that while they might be due for a break in the immediate rain, the storm was far from over.

Also to note, while they weren't truly in the residential district yet, both could easily notice the change in style of building as fewer were built as shops and more were designed to be houses, or even apartments.

Word Count: 186
Total: 4954

Yusuri had given her easiest of riddles on purpose. She was one to increasingly make harder riddles, ask for harder questions. It was conditioning and development of the mind, intellect to her was just as important as the body. Sighing Yusuri admitted defeat, “That would be correct. Good job Sere-Chan that was one of many to come, but a promise is still a promise. Take me where you will.” She stated, bending her arm across her waist and giving a curt bow. When she did her earmuffs slide forward, but remained clamped to her body. Waiting for her new… friend to lead the way, the rain had let up, however, it was definitely far from over. Rain like this was something from her past land, a land hidden within actual rain. The kind that within that climate could last for millennia. The village hidden in the rain was secretive at the very least, and they were known only for that one well known fact, they were always within rainstorms. Not that it bothered them, but with a dark clouded sky, many found they outer world amazing compared to where they lived.Yusuri had been utterly lost for words when she first saw a clear sky, it was like a big pool of water, just sitting above her. It was astounding to her, the vast view of more than just dark clouds, peaceful and almost carefree. Made her want to practice, practice her dance, practice her weapon use, and her jutsu.
Word Count: 250/5000

Seresana grinned all the more brightly as Yusuri confirmed her right answer, but then the expression faltered as the reward for solving the simple puzzle came to the forefront of her mind. Where should we go? Seresana silently mused as she began to rattle her mind in thought, an action symbolized by a hand rising to just under her chin while the other went and cradled the other's elbow. A clearer sign of internal thought was hard to find as Seresana began to ponder. The rain's letting up, but it's not going away, that means most stores that are already closed will probably stay closed, though it's not like the stores were all that much fun to go to anyways. It was really too muddy and wet to play too many games outside as the puddles were growing to very large sizes and mud was getting absolutely everywhere. It's only a stroke of luck that we aren't already covered from head to toe.

Seresana paused in her internal monologue to glance towards the cloud filled sky. The dark grey collections of moisture overhead held no attempt at hiding what they could unleash upon the two girls, and any others unlucky enough to be caught out in the weather. It was noticeable though that the usual dark grey sky was just a bit darker than it had been a few hours ago when Seresana had first seen Yusuri this day. Oh, it's already starting to get late, that means it'll start getting colder too. Mom and dad will probably want me to come home soon, but I really don't want to stop playing with Yusuri. Plus there's still the matter of the challenge I won, and Yusuri said she'd go any place I wanted to go to. Hmmm, well it's too late to go to the training fields, and certainly not my own special training spot, it'd be too likely to run into something while in the woods at night. And we just ate so there isn't a need to go to any resturant. Hmmm, oh! Seresana's chin suddenly lifted off the hand post as she looked up with sudden realization. Then she turned her happy expression over to Yusuri and the smile turned to an almost mischievous grin. "Yusuri, if we go to this place I have in mind, would you stay there with me for a while? You don't have to go home too soon do you? Your parents aren't expecting you?" Seresana asked curiously.

Word Count: 415
Total:5369

Yusuri's form went rigid as the area around the two became tense, as if there was steam pouring out of there bodies. Steam making the atmosphere so unbearably humid, she couldn't stand it. She had a disdain for humid atmospheres like the one that was right outside her village and the one to come after this storm. Do I tell her? YUSURI! No no no no, I wont tell her it’s already bringing me to them, I shouldn't be able to hear them or anyone else. I'll just give a vague answer and go with that. It'll work out. Yusuri opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, her voice wasn't responding. It faltered, opening it again she started to mouth her words, but again her voice didn't come. So she tried a different approach, sliding her arm inside her cloak she moved slowly to make sure the movements were undetectable. Reaching into her tool bag she grabbed a shuriken and spun it in her left hand before pricking herself with the blade right on her corresponding hip. A small trickle of blood began to flow as she put up the shuriken blade back into the pouch.
"I live with a roommate, since I moved here, so I'm not expected back anytime soon. So I can stay as long as you want me to Seresana." Yusuri said vaguely, trying hard to avoid the words 'Parents' and 'Family'. Those words were entirely too painful to say out loud. Instead of leaving the humid atmosphere still, she choose to disperse it, sighing under her breath. Please be enough explanation. I don't think I could explain it again or at all. Yusuri twitched and fidgeted inside her mental cage. Her safe haven from the world that had upset her so much. It was cracking slowly from this girl. Breaking? No, but it may have as well been with how slowly things were getting to her. Emptying her mind of thoughts and such she put on another fake smile, “And where might you be taking me this time Sere-Chan? The Hokage rock? I’ve already been there. Or let me guess it’s a surprise?” Yusuri looked at Seresana, waiting for her answer. She was no longer surprised by the fact of how much this girl liked to make things surprises. Surprises were no longer surprises… The irony of such a statement was clear long before it was said. Irony of the highest state; a contradictory statement. The amount of surprises were no longer surprising. Like opening all your Christmas presents, all the while being surprised. As you get older the surprises grow less unexpected and more predictable while remaining a mystery.

Word Count: 450/5450

Seresana's face had been locked on Yusuri's face as she awaited her reply, and when the taller girls opened her mouth to speak but didn't say anything, Seresana's happy expression diminished slightly. When it happened again, Seresana's hands lifted slightly as she started to cringe slightly. "It wasn't that tough of a question, was it? Did I say something that could have upset her? I...wait, this has happened before. Yusuri's hesitated and locked up when answering me before, and both times... it's been when I asked about her... family. Oh no, something must have happened, but what could it be? Did could they have had a fight? Are her parents not together anymore?" These thoughts and more rushed through Seresana's head while Yusuri was busy stabbing herself to break her train of thought. Seresana's expression had turned almost pained as she continued to think up more and more hypothetical situations, but her face hadn't turned away from facing Yusuri's.

Even looking right at her though, Yusuri's spoken words surprised Seresana and she quickly forced away the pained expression in exchange for a brighter one. "If Yusuri can put on a brave face, then I can too," Seresana thought to herself as she finally smiled again. "Wow, you live with a roommate," Seresana replied at first and she was about to go on about how lucky Yusuri would be to not have to deal with any younger siblings, but she held her tongue on that comment. "Oh it's not a surprise. I was just going to show you back to my house. We can get dried off and play some board games and stuff," Seresana said then to diffuse the notion of their destination being a surprise. "It's getting kind of dark and cold out anyways," she added before taking a step forward to take Yusuri's hand again. "It'll be fun, right? Because we'll be there together, and you can even stay the night just like friends do," Seresana went on as she started to take a couple steps to lead Yusuri down some of other streets and a new destination. "If we walk back, the rain might pick up again too and then we can really enjoy the walk back," she added as she adopted a slower pace. "Oh, and is there anything you'd want to see on the way back? We can make plenty of detours since it's such a long way back."

Word Count: 403
Total: 5772

GOOD JOB YUSURI! REALLY PERFECT WAY TO NOT DRAW SUSPICI- Yusuri interrupted her outer conscience, the screams and voices of those from her village screaming as if in an agonized pain whispers for help filling the loud group voice. Shut up! I dont want to hear you, so stop talking. Yusuri growled sulkily in her head, she didn't need this, even if her conscious body was incapable of hearing this area of her mind's vast void like regions. Currents of water and clouds of rain, the only think upon her mind. Silencing, extinguishing, and snuffing out all the fiery thoughts that may have protruded out like a smoke signal in her mind. The rapid washing tide and downpouring rain quenched the life of fire In her mind. This blocked her caged mind from her conscious knowledge however, causing problems far worse than the murder of those she knew. It caused problems much akin to to that of a pumpkin hollow, a gourd. It was empty. Her heart and mind were plagued by the disease of tragedy and despair. Yusuri lived on despite that fact, she didn't let it consume her life. It gave her morals to live her life by, and plans of what she refused to ignore.
"I believe you know Sylvan-Senpai? She looks like she slept in a bush." Yusuri said just in case the first name didn't help as much as it was meant to, gave a small description of her roommate, Sylvan. The antisocial queen herself, ruler of super ninja level closet class shut-ins. Watching Seresana speak and processing the wording, she shook her head. Walking next to the shorter ninja in-training, she matched the pace, her eyes shifting down to give Seresana a blank gaze. Blinking, she allowed the water to run down her face before she attempted to speak up and answer, "I've never seen the Konoha graveyard and their shrines before. Is that a possible stop?" Yusuri asked, it seemed like genuine curiosity and a wish to see the people who had passed; give her respects.

Word Count: 350/5800

"Oh Syl, yeah, I know her," Seresana replied as she took up walking and leading Yusuri along the streets of the village again. "She's in our class after all and I've seen her out in the woods a few times when I've been out there training or gathering up things. She's really nice," Seresana replied as they walked. Seresana hadn't a clue what'd brought that up, but she didn't mind it much. "Though how do you know her?" Seresana asked back curiously while she tried to think back to the times she'd been around Sylvan, trying to specifically remember any mention of Yusuri from the other, more nature favoring girl.

Then her second question came up and Seresana paused in her steps. "I uh, suppose, but neither's a very good spot to visit in the dark and rain," Seresana started as she though towards the two places she could take Yusuri. "There's a memorial stone, over that way," she started with a point. "It's dedicated to all the shinobi who've died on missions or while fighting, honoring those who couldn't have a normal burial," Seresana added as she paused for a moment to think of when she'd seen the stone and seen her father's tears when they come to it once. Not letting that get the best of her, Seresana turned with a smile towards another direction. "And over that way is the graveyard and burial shrines," Seresana added with another point in the new direction. "We can swing by either, but both are a little out of the way from my house. We could try to visit both if you'd want, but it'll be kinda late by the time we get back."

Word Count: 283
Total: 6055

"Yes she is also part of our class, nothing deniable within that statement." Yusuri said blankly, not quite getting the point of a responce you dont respond to. Reading Seresana's lips rather easily she gave a small smirk like smile from amusement, "Your not quite one to put two and two together are Sere-Chan? Sylvan is my roommate that I meantioned, I would have stayed with Samhaim if we werent told we cant." Yusuri said, stopping only to listen to Seresana ask her her next question out of the many the smaller girl had.
Listening to her options she hummed to herself while thinking. The memorial stone sounded more like something she would want to read over to look for names on. Thinking it over and weighing her options she shrugged, "Lets go visit the shrines and the normal graveyard. Tonight if we just go look that'd be fine, then we can just run back. If we walk there and run back to your home we should be good. What do you think Sere-chan?" Yusuri asked, glancing her misty grey oculars down at her evening company, knowing that even if Seresana said no, they could simply sleep and then go.

Word Count: 200/6000

Seresana's smile drooped a little at Yusuri's second comment as she didn't like having her intelligence insulted or being talked down to just because she was a bit younger or shorter than most of the academy students. She couldn't have known the two lived together, after all she had no idea that Sylvan didn't live with her parents and she barely knew who Samhaim was at all. She tried to connect a face to the name, but found she couldn't quite do it and that chased her grin even further away as confusion mixed with the slight frown. However, she didn't say anything for the moment, and forced away the down trodden expression rather quickly as she tried to remember that she wanted to keep happy for Yusuri.

"Yeah, we could do that Yusu," Seresana replied as she looked back up to Yusuri and once more reached out to grab her hand, though there was just the slightest bit of hesitation in the gesture before contact was made. "We'll still need to walk quickly though if we're to get there before it get's too dark," Seresana added before beginning to lead Yusuri along some of the streets towards a less packed side of town. It didn't take them too long to reach it, but according to what Seresana had said it was supposedly in the opposite direction of her house. It wasn't a massive graveyard, but it there were a number of graves and old shrines to it that marked areas where multiple people were buried, usually families. A simple and low lying fence surrounded the plot of land on three sides, but remained open in the back to allow the graveyard to expand as additional deaths occurred. That didn't mean however that only newer graves were towards the back though as some of the newest stones even appeared in the first couple rows of the grave yard.

"I don't come here too often, but I have visited with my dad before. His family, the Hatasuko's, have a shrine back a short ways that we could visit though. While they aren't a line of highly accomplished ninja, they were a long lasting family who've always been skilled craftsmen and hard workers for the village," Seresana explained as she started into the graveyard, still leading the way over the water soaked ground. The graveyard wasn't sparred it being littered with puddles.

Word Count: 400
Total: 6455

"Of course, but we're in training for this. No? Quickly is easy." Yusuri said as Seresana reached over to grab her hand, returning the gesture after Sere-Chan had reached her hand. Wrapping her hand to clasp itself around her companions. As the smaller femme moved, Yusuri stumbled for a short moment to find a good proper pace, something that seemed to elude her for a moment. it was a off pace rhythm of steps, which is what caught her off guard as she was rather good at staying on pace. As they made their way down the streets, Yusuri remembered Seresana saying it would take longer to get back to her home. With this knowledge she determined to make this a rather short visit, she had never seen a graveyard before, or a shrine before. Or at least not a proper one, it was impossible to find a proper shrine for anything but Kage in Kiri, inside the village.
Looking out at the grounds, as they reached the two girls destination, Yusuri was met first with the sight of three long low-lying fences and a field of tombs. The headstones each with their individual names, some in line with families that in all probability died together, or in some cases it seemed that the platoons and teams from missions were buried together to show that they were honored for their services, it made Yusuri curious of how she would be buried, and where she would be buried. She was young, but Yusuri had been taught through torment that death was not something that you should find funny by any means, nor should it be something anyone can have the right to do to anyone, no death was justified by any other means than natural causes. It was the logic source of her only hate; fire. She loathed the burning flames that caused her such chaos, she had no desire to allow the people around her to use fire, her enemies would be punished for using such a destructive force. Even though her logic made sense that she would not kill, Yusuri had no such restriction barring her down, if she had to kill, she would, and if she ran into an enemy who used fire, may the Heaven's cry a storm for their death. They would get no showing of mercy, despite the girl attempting to discard her hate and move on.
While Seresana talked, Yusuri seemed  to trance not watching for the younger girls words. As she focused back, Sere-Chan lead her through the graves area and eventually most of the shrines had been looked at as well. Feeling the rain start to pick up even more, Yusuri tugged on Seresana's hand, "Come on were going back. The winds picking up too, we don't need to be in this anymore, you will get sick."

Word count Total: 6475 [End of Thread from my perspective]

Seresana's grin lessened as the two wandered through the graveyard, even her ever joyful mood didn't seem entirely unassailable by the dreary atmosphere of a graveyard in the rain. Still though, it never fully went away, even when she paused for a moment before one shrine. It wasn't overly elaborate, but the well made and sturdy woodwork stood strong in the dark and rain. She stood before it for a moment, placed her hands together before her and bowed her head briefly to offer respect for the dead relatives of her father. She'd never gotten the chance to meet any of these relatives buried here, but there were countless stories her father told. Some seemed more the stock of legends with the predecessors holding the power to assist and even save the hokage during times of war and battle, but there were others that seemed far more believable like how her great grandmother used to have the most spicy dumplings that she could eat without worry while everyone else was struggling not to spit fire. Or the tales of how the house she now lived in with her family had been constructed by a lineage of the ancestors, each one adding more to the house so that those who came after would have something even better to live in. A tradition not lost to her eyes as her own father had been steadily preparing for a new additional work shed addition to the property.

A little bit after Seresana's moment of respect and reflection passed, she felt the rain pick back up and looked up to Yusuri as she spoke. "Oh you worry too much Yusu," Seresana replied with a smile as the rain splattered down onto her face. "I told you already, the cold doesn't bother me. Though it is pretty dark now and I should probably be getting home. Plus we don't want you getting sick either," she added before adhering to the tug and walking with Yusuri back out of the graveyard and through the rain soaked streets. Now though they only had the street lights to guide them as most of the shops had closed down for the night, their darkened windows staring back at them right alongside the now closed food stores and stalls. The storm it seemed had forced nearly everyone to close early tonight. Even without the rain though, it would have taken some time to reach Yusuri's dwelling and the rain that was present meant the trip took a little longer as they tried to not get lost or lose their footing in the storm. Eventually though, they would come upon Yusuri's home and after another tight, and soaking wet hug, Seresana smiled up at Yusuri. "Well, I had a lot of fun Yusu, let's play in the rain again some time," she said before releasing the taller girl and turning about to wander back off towards home herself, which was still hours away for the her.

Word Count: 495
Total: 6950 [thread end]