The Sunshine Itself [Akira]

Roaming about the city square was all he could convince himself to do. Soon he would be in need of money, but for now he had a full belly thanks to a rich girl who happened to be passing by. With a flash of a smile, she seemed to become infatuated by him, offering him a lunch he could not refuse in a million lifetimes. He did indeed feel a bit guilty about eating her food and failing to return her flattery however. Howver, she seemed to be okay with it as he told her he would be unable to do so. Luckily for him, she did not seem to notice too much and still insisted on him eating at her demands.

The food was good and still on his mind, but that was stray from things he should perhaps invest more focus into. He was in a land far away from his home, for what seemed like millions of miles. The weather was warm here and the air was different from at home as well as within his new home of Sunagakure. He had to admit, he felt like an alien but it seemed people didn't seem to think he stuck out. It was rumored that the chunin exams were taking place soon and he questioned whether or not he himself should attempt to become a slightly higher ranked ninja. He never really saw himself as a "shinobi" but he did indeed need to gain rank in order to learn stronger abilities. He would also be able to make more money this way, allowing him to buy his dream sword. For now he simply wondered, waiting for something to do.

Arisu hadn't been in this village long yet she felt like she had been everywhere. She had been near the river multiple times trying to figure out how it worked but she hadn't quite got it yet. She would have asked someone if she hadn't gotten distracted by other new things. Arisu couldn't quite tell wether she liked this village or if she was afraid of the things in this village that was so new to her. Everything about it was odd. The weather wasn't as harsh. There wasn't any sand. The houses looked so different on the outside. Arisu couldn't quite understand it. She believed herself to be smart until she was finally able to escape from that hole in the ground. She hadn't known anything else aside from that place in the ground and the sandy village that had saved her from near death. Everytime she thought about it it made her shiver. Not only at the cruelty of the underground hole but also at how angry the voice inside her was when she finally awoke.

However, none of that was on Arisu's mind at the moment. She was too busy walking her way through this new village. She had trouble remembering the name but she knew she'd get it eventually. The girl as always wore no shoes however she did carry them. Her headband sat on top of her head as it always did. Her wavy hair was up in a ponytail, which was tied by a white ribbon. She also wore a white dress with white shorts underneath. It was her favorite outfit.

As Arisu walked along, she stopped at the sight of someone. Her mind seemed to be troubled. "What seems to be the matter?" The voice inside her head would ask. "Uhm.. well.. That person looks familiar.. but I don't know where from. I'm sure I've seen him before." "Why not speak to him then?" she would hear the voice reply. "Well, what if he's a bad person. You know.. one of them." "If that was the case, you would surely recognize him. I'm sure you know all of their faces. Am I not correct?" Arisu would listen to the voice once more. As she thought it over, she would nod. "Hmm.. yeah I guess you are right." Arisu would smile and then continue to walk. She would make her way to the boy with spiky hair and poke him. "Hi there. I'm sorry but do I know you from somewhere?" Arisu would ask as she stared at him with a smile.

He had to admit he was a bit taken aback by the girl from behind him asking if she knew him from sort of prior context. He looked at her with a smile one his face and shook his head. She was cute, the type of cute you see occassionally and wonder about. There seemed to be a bit of a glow about her as well. She also seemed to be around his age, though he expected she was entirely different than he simply due to the region. There was no way someone way out here in the middle of a village was similar to him, in anything other than aspirations at least. However, he learned a long time ago not to spread prejudice to others and simply smiled to the girl. "We probably have not met before, that is unless you are used to the harsh colds of the Iron or the intense sun of the Desert."

Akio did not know her, though he was not surprised to find himself longing to know her. She seemed like a timid person, near the mentalilty of a rabbit as if something was wrong. His hero complex found that as something that would likely need addressing and felt naturally compelled to help her, but only if he was metaphorically invited in by her. She seemed nice enough and the worst thing she could do was kidnap him or something of the sort. He was sure he would be fine no matter the case.

As Arisu stared at the boy in front of her, she continued to stay nervous. However, she kept the words of the voice in her head close. He couldn't be one of them. So, already she was less nervous but that didn't mean he wasn't someone bad. However after she watched him smile, she came to the conclusion that he was just a normal person. She wasn't as nervous to be around this stranger. When he spoke, she listened fully. Her attention slipped from thinking about what kind of person he was to what he was saying.

"Hmmm... the intense sun of the desert." Arisu would say as she tapped her cheek. Her mind thought back to her sandy home of Sunagakure. She imagined the sun shining on her skin. She imagined the warm sand beneath her feet, which felt very little. She imagined the people, homes, and the shinobi that ran about. She loved that village. It made her smile to think about the place She called her home. The place that saved her. "Suna," she would say as she looked at him,"that must be what you're talking about, right? Well, that would be the village I come from." The smile stayed on the girls face.

He smiled as someone from his new home had finally shown their face to him. The gentle mass of trees he was yet to be used to swayed from the wind which paled in comparison to the wind of the desert. The breeze was nice however, he had no complaints. However, it was nothing that he was used to. He couldn't tell yet if he preferred this gentle weather as compared to that of the harsh conditions he had adjusted to long ago. Though, in this moment that wasn't what he was thinking of directly, only passively.

His gaze was set solely upon the blonde haired girl before him. She seemed to have a subtle sense of gentleness similar to this place. Had she asked him rather than told him, he would indeed assume that she was from here rather than there. "Well," He said with a reassuring grin on his face."It's nice to think I have at least one friend here. You're actually the first person I've had a real conversation with so far. People don't seem to take kindly to foreigners around here, or anywhere I suppose."

Since Arisu was close to this boy and felt better about being around him, she decided to take the time to study him. She looked over the spikes of his hair, which was the first thing she had noticed about him. She looked at his bright blue eyes, which made her shiver slightly. The color blue reminded her of rivers and even the ocean. She still didn't quite understand them so they sort of scared her. Perhaps, those two features were how she remembered him. However, where could she possibly remember him from?

Arisu would then listen to his words. Then, she looked around. She had noticed that she hadn't met anyone from this village yet. "Oh, yeah. I didn't notice. I was too busy paying attention to other things." Arisu would say as she turned back to the boy. "Wait, friend?" Arisu would smile and giggle a little. "Well, if you want to be my friend I have to know your name. My name is Arisu. Nice to meet you." The girl would hold out her hand as if she were waiting for the boy to take it. Arisu liked handshakes. It was really one of the only greetings she knew.

Whatever she was thinking of, it must have been something important because she seemed absolutely lost within her own thoughs. Akio also had moments like this, but he had to admin that it wasn't too often that he was unable to focus. With his mind always set on the task at hand, he supposed he could have a slight case of tunnel vision. Nothing major, just a list of priorities in a sense. However, being lost in one's own imagination was often a gorgeous thing within this world. The ability to just escape was astounding.

She greeted him with her name so he assumed it only customary to announce his own. Before he was able to do so, she extended one hand to him in what seemed to be a handshake. With a cheekish grin on his face, he reached for the newly announced Arisu's hand, grasped it and pulled it toward himself to deliver a kiss upon the back of it. "My name is Akio, of the Land of Iron, Currently of Sungakure. It is a pleasure to meet you." He replied sincerely. He looked into her eyes before closing his own with an accompanying jolly smile.

Arisu's face began to blush as the supposed handshake turned into a kiss upon the back of her hand. This had never happened to Arisu before. She had never felt so nervous before. Arisu didn't speak much with boys due to the fact that she was so afraid of them. She believed they were stronger. She believed they were smarter. She believed they were faster. She believed they could be quite cruel. So to see that this boy was not like that, it sort of surprised her. However, the man that had saved her wasn't mean at all. He gave her a home. He helped her when she needed it. Perhaps, it was only those from the village She resided in that weren't mean? She didn't know.

Arisu would bring herself back to the real world when she realized she had been standing and staring at the boy. She would sort of laugh nervously when she realized she had been doin so with eyes wide open and a blank look on her face. "Akio, huh?" She would say as she smiled trying to draw attention away from herself. "I like that name. So, you say you come from a different place but live in Suna?" This would make Arisu begin to think more. She still didn't know where she herself came from. She didn't know where her parents were. However, it didn't bother her because she had a new family.

Akio looked slightly down at the girl before him. For every answer he could give, there was another question, and he enjoyed this because at the current rate, the conversation would never end. However, he had to admit that he did not come out simply to meet others, he did need to get a bit of work done before he could go back home, as he needed money for the exams. He didn't suppose she would like to do missions at this exact moment, but perhaps she had nothing better to do any enjoyed his company just as much as he enjoyed her presence. So far, things seemed to be going extremely well, and he hoped to keep things going that way.


"Say..." He made a grimace with his face as he tried to excuse the awkward situation. "I don't suppose you'd like to join me on a few missions because I really have work I need to get done today. If not, I understand, I could manage on my own. But it might be a bit more fun with you there." His expectations for her answer were not too high, but the least he could do was hope for the best. Perhaps she indeed did need something to do today.


He had a list of missions he would like to complete, and the longer he could milk her company, the happier he would be. Not only did they pay him more, but he got to spend time with an enchanting creature during the duration.

Arisu would stare at the boy and listen to him speak. She didn't understand what the face he made was for. She disnt know if she had done something wrong or maybe it was something she said. What did she care? She had just met this boy. She had other things she should worry about more. For example, she had her village, her family, and her training. This boy was simply someone she had just met so why worry about him? Then, she would hear him say that the missions might be fun with her there. Maybe if she did some with him, it could be fun for her too.

Arisu would think about it for a moment. She liked to make friends. She liked to do missions. She liked to have fun. She liked to explore. Maybe with this boy, She could learn a lot. Perhaps he knew about the simple things that she didn't. Maybe he understood more about the environment of this village than she did. Arisu liked the idea he had thrown forward. "Hmmm. Alright! I'd love to do them with you." Arisu would smile and wait to see what they would do next.

With a smile on his face, he brought the girl close behind him. He decided that since she did indeed decide to follow him, he would at least admit what he promised before. He slowly reached for her hand and took it behind him, though he walked fast enough for her to stand close behind him. The direction they were going was directly to the capital building to pick up the posters for the Chunin Exams. It did not take them long to reach the building, so the trip of silence to it was short.

"Clancy, let me get those advertisement posters. I checked the job board earlier, I'd like to hang the advertisements with this lovely young girl, Arisu." Clancy smiled and handed the stack to Akio, which he happily accepted with his free hand before handing a few of the posters to Arisu. "So, firstly we'll deliver these to the walls of the town square!" He said with a charismatic grin. He was happy she decided to come with him, thrilled even. "And to answer your question, I'm from the Land of Iron. I moved to Suna recently actually." The trees were swaying in the wind now, gently releasing small pieces of pine straw onto the ground below. Though, he was only looking at Arisu for the moment, so he completely missed out on everything else happening. It was great, because the little pieces of nature he was missing seemed so tiny.

WC: 244

After she had answered, the boy took Arisu's hand. She didn't think much of it. She had held plenty of people's hands before but that was during times she didn't like to speak of. Those were thoughts that she believed were in the past but still haunted her. She was afraid of these thoughts. So, she tried to keep them locked away in the back of her head. As she thought these thoughts, She shifted her head up only to see the back of this boy. He was different to her but it was a good different.

Arisu had been thinking a little about this boy when they arrived at a building. It looked to be very important. Maybe this was this villages important place. She listened as the boy started to speak. 'Clancy? Is that someone's name? I've never heard that before.' Arisu would think to herself as she looked at the person he was speaking to. 'Lovely?' Arisu had been called lovely before by the man who saved her. She liked the word. It would make her smile.

Arisu stood with a stack in her hands. She listened to the boy as he told of what they were doing. He sounded very excited, which would make Arisu smile. She loved when people got excited. She liked to watch their movements and listen to the way they spoke. Then, she heard him answer her question. This would make her tilt her head a little. She wouldn't speak. 'He's from somewhere different but he knows where his home is. I'm from somewhere different too but I don't know anything about it. So, we're similar but not quite. Interesting.' She would think as she continued to look at him. Then, she would smile. People were so interesting. Maybe she should learn more about them too. Learning seemed to be everything to her now.