Mail Time! (Ryan only)

Hana had woken up bright and early this morning for no particular reason other than the fact that she was going on a mission. She would be going on this mission with Grey. Just Grey. The girl found it odd that there would only be the two of them. However, that's all there was and Hana felt more comfortable that way. Hana had known Grey for a bit and really he could be considered her only friend. He was the only person the girl really liked so far. Usually when she tried to be nice the other kids would pick on her. So, Hana decided to give up on it for a while and focus more on missions, training, and maybe having a little bit of fun every now and then.

The young Uzumaki's morning was rather calm and just normal. Basically it was the same daily routine. Wake up, shower, get dressed, eat, and leave. However, the girl had woke up earlier than she thought. So, Hana would pull out something she hadn't looked at in quite a while. It was a small book but it didn't have words only pictures. The two people in the pictures started off young and as the pages turned the pictures began to show what seemed like a story. There would be a young girl with red hair and blue eyes. There would also be a young boy with black hair and brown eyes. Their story started off with the two young ones as friends. and eventually they grew into something more beautiful. Hana could only imagine what it was like. She had many questions abg.out the pictures that had never before been answered. However, one day she would get them.just not on this day.

After closing the book and putting it back in its secret space, the young Uzumaki would walk out of her home.It was still a slight bit early but she didn't care. Today, Hana would be the first to reach the bridge, where she normally met up with Grey and others on occasion. She would place her elbows on the rail and hold her head in her hands. All she did in this moment was think. Her thoughts would float from the book to the water below and back to the book again. At some point the girl would start comparing them but not for too long. Eventually, she would stop thinking and just stare over as she waited. The girl didn't want any questions to be asked about her thoughts. It was something she'd rather keep to herself.

WC:430

(Bleh hope its ok.. mostly just random.. didn't know what to do.. O.O)

His eyes snapped open extremely suddenly as he woke for the day that he and Hana were to spend some time together. Well... it was a mission but either way it would just be the two of them alone together and Grey didn't often spend that kind of time with people of the opposite sex. He blushed at the thought of it while lying in his sheets and staring up at the ceiling, imagining the time they would spend together today. He launched himself out of the bed and ran into the bathroom, rubber duckey boxers sticking out from his lack of outfit. He stripped and entered the shower before turning it on. He made sure to be extra careful, get all of the dirt off of him, and smell extra fresh for his mission with Hana. He even washed his hair twice. As soon as he stepped out of the shower, he dried himself and immediately shook his hair, allowing it to obtain its natural volume. Only a towel could be seen covering his naked body as he ran into the kitchen to pop some bread into the toasted before running back into his room to put his clothes on.

After dressing, he ran back into the kitchen and grabbed his toast, eating it without butter. Shousha sat at the counter, listening to the news on the radio. "I have the letter little brother." The older would say with blank eyes. Grey smiled and walked out the door with Shousha, a single piece of bread in his mouth. Since he woke so early, he would be delivering one letter without her in order to spend a little extra time with his favorite, and only, brother Shousha. "So you're going out with the Uzumaki girl today. You brushed your teeth right?" Grey's eyes widened as he was unsure of how Shou always got this kind of information on him. He looked at him and spoke. "Erm... No. Well kinda. We're going out together but its nothing like that. It's just a mission. And yes I brushed my teeht!" He immediately turned and smelled his own breath against his hand, a sigh of relief as he confirmed his claims. Shousha smiled and put one hand on the head of his baby brother without looking at him. "Alright then. This letter goes to that house right there." Grey looked at the house that Shousha was now pointing at and nodded his head. He reached for the envelope, which Shou gave him, and walked forward with it, delivering to the location.

It was a shop. A flourist to be exact. The nice kind, with big fancy letters and flowers that clouded your nose with a strong fragrence. He looked at the clerk and handed her the letter, at which she smiled and glady accepted on behalf of the owner. As he turned to exit the shop, he spun in a full circle, now looking back at the woman. "How much for a rose?" He asked.

And so he walked out of the shop with a rose in hand. Shousha looked at him and chuckled. "Just missions huh?" He said with a smile. Grey blushed but said nothing. "Yea. Just a mission. By the way, I'll see you back at home, I'm going to meet her." And with that he sped off. Shousha would then return home to look after their grandfather. He was happy for his brother.

Grey arrived at the bridge, just as where the two had agreed to meet up with a smile on his face and the rose hidden in his clothes. He wasn't sure anymore, his stomach full of butterflies. He had to admit he was a bit nervous, though he did a good job of keeping it hidden. "Hi Cherry, nice seeing you again." He would say with his eyes closed and a big smile on his face.

WC: 658
Mail Count: 1

Hana would try to keep her thoughts at bay until she looked up from the water. Soon after doing this, the girl would see two people maybe slightly older than herself. They seemed very close and they seemed to be having much fun. At this point, Hana would start to think back to the pictures. The very first were of a boy and a girl much like she was seeing right at this moment. In the beginning, they were just friends, squad mates, ninja in the same village, etc. It was exactly what she was seeing from the two strangers in her line of sight. If this was true, then whydid it seem like it was only a story. Why did she feel as if it were only a dream? It was as if the pictures only showed the girl a fairytale. However, it was very much real and there wasn't a happy ending. The girl would look down and shake her head slightly. 'What am I doing? I don't have time to be distracted.' Hana would try to think this thought so that she could keep her mind focused and for a little bit it worked.

Hana would continue to stand for another moment. Of course, it was still a bit early so the girl didn't care to stand for a while. Her eyes once again trailing along the water. However, it only lasted a few moments before the girl would hear what sounded like a child crying. When the girl looked in that very direction, she would see a child on the ground and his parents caring for him. The boy had fallen and gotten a scratch on his knee. His parents looked very worried but eventually the child was taken care of and ok again. Hana would sigh at the site for her story of pictures ended before such an occasion occured between the two in it. She knew how the reat of it went and that was why she started to ask herself questions.

'Why would anyone do such a thing? Why would someone poor their heart into someone else if they know one day that person will get hurt? Do they just think it wont happen? Do they just ignore it? Is there something I'm not understanding?' These questions filled the girls head as she turned back to look out on the water. For the longest time Hana had just been staring and trying to find her own answer. However, she just couldn't do it. Was there something she was missing? Hana couldn't put her finger on i but she knew something was off with her thought process. Just as she began to dig deeper, something broke through the girls head.

Hana heard a voice that would make her look up and turn straight around. 'Wow. I didn't even hear him come up.' Hana would blink at the sight of Grey behind her. 'I guess that's why they tell us not to let emotions and thoughts cloud our minds.' The girls face would remain blank almost as if she was trying to process what was happening. After realizing she looked like she had just seen a ghost, Hana's face would turn red. "Sorry. Hi Grey. Nice to see you too." Her voice sounded a bit soft and a slight bit shaky. The Uzumaki would lower her head trying to cover her face with her bangs and the hair that framed her face. Surely she had made herself look like a fool now. However, what really upset her was the fact she probably looked like a big cherry. This would make the girl sigh as she slowly looked back up at Grey hoping he wouldn't say what she thought he would.

WC:625+430= 1055

Grey was more than happy to see Hana, though her face seemed to be turning a little pink like it normally did when she was embarrassed. Though he could guess from knowing her a bit that she didn't like when it was pointed out. Though the fact that her nickname was Cherry was starting to make sense. He had never put the two together in his mind. He chuckled silently in his mind while looking at her adoringly. However, that made him lose his train of thought and stunned him mentally. "So uh... Let's go deliver these letters. I've got a few with me." He reached into his clothes and pulled out a letter that was addressed to the Hokage's office. "This one has to go straight to the administration building, or so it seems. It's not too far from here anyways!" He said with a smile.

He walked beside Hana and peeked at her out of the corner of his eye every few moments. She was so beautiful and humble and cute, but he was too scared to voice anything of the manner. He would just stay quiet while thinking of something to talk to her about. After a while, he finally knew what to say. "Do you like living here in the village?" He would ask softly. He had oftentimes thought of how life was in this village and the fact that there was nothign major to do here. He almost felt like a side character in a world of people doing things without him. Though, he had to admit that he did like living here. He had never been anywhere else so this place was the only one that he could call home. Plus Hana was here so what more could he ask for?

WC: 300
TWC: 958
Mail Count: 1

Hana was glad when Grey hadn't said anything about the fact that she looked like a cherry. She was even more glad when he spoke about delivering the letters. It seemed as if his mind was more focused in the mission than her, which would make her sigh with a bit of relief. Hana really wasn't th kind of girl to want attention because she really didn't recieve it often. Her father was gone, her mother was really a bit of a secret to her and liked to randomly disappear for an amount of time, and she really didn't have many friends at all. So, she was more used to just being a shadow or just in the background, which she didn't mind because that meant more time for her to train. However, she did like to spend a little bit of time with people so she really enjoyed doing missions. Plus, Hana hadn't been around the administration building in a very long time so it excited her a bit. As Hana got to thinking about it, She realized she hadn't ever met the Hokage before either. It was weird to know someone watched over the village and cared foe it but hadn't met all of its people. She was sure the Hokage would know of her but they hadn't spoken face to face.

Hana would be thinking about the Hokage, the village, and the administrations building when Grey asked a question, which sort of related to her thoughts. The question would make the girls head turn towards him as the two walked. A smile had now appeared on the girls face replacing the embarrassment she had held moments ago. "Of course I do. This village is the place I was born, the place I will be raised, and the place I would gladly give everything up for. I know it seems like I wouldn't care anything of it but my parents love it and I'm going to be just like them some day." Hana's smile would slowly fade as she looked down realizing she had refered to both of her parents, which she rarely ever said to anyone considering that her father was dead. Sometimes, the girl even forgot to refer to her father in the past tense. However, she wouldn't show any emotion other than happiness behind what she had said because she didn't want anyone to know more than the basics about her. Getting too close to people was scary for her especially after looking at her picture book so many times. The book that was never finished... the book that had a drop off ending... the book that had seen many tears... all for one reason. The reason being two people had grown too close together and were ripped apart by the hands of death causing much pain and suffering.

WC: 1055+474=1529

Her response made him smile. She seemed to be willing to place her life in the hands of a place, not a person or an idea, but a place: her home. Was it wrong of him to have doubts of the place he called him home, the village of Konohagakure. Ever since the origin of the village, the Uchiha had been seen as nothing but the shadows of the village, all becoming extinct but one, the only one to repopulate the entire world of Uchiha once again, and yet they are still persecuted due to his actions. Sasuke Uchiha, the great grandfather on his father's side, the man who once decided he would destroy the world as we knew it only to bring all of the villages together once more was seen only as insane. But even he could be accepted by an Uzumaki, just as Grey was accepted by Hana. He couldn't help but to smile to himself at the thought of it, that she was the one to accept him even if his home did not.

Her expression changed to one full of what seemed to be sorrow. Grey could see it in her eyes as he looked deeply into them just before she attempted to hide them. He frowned for a second but decided to take her mind off of it. "You know, we're pretty close to our destination. Its just ahead of us." He would say just before lifting his arm and pointing to the direction he had just mentioned. With his index, he identified the house just in front of them and handed Cherry the letter before looking at her with a smile. "Why don't you deliver this one? I'll walk up with you, but I'm not feeling the talking part of it." He said with his teeth showing a giant grin. He hoped she wouldn't ask too many questions about it as it was all a ploy to get her to take her mind off of whatever was saddening her without directly asking her to do so. If he was able to make her happy at any given time,well he would take a rather large amount of pride in it, as it was the only thing on his mind at the moment.

WC: 378
TWC: 1336

Hana's thoughts seemed to be filling her head. She couldn't quite understand why she was feeling such a way on this day but she guessed it would have to do with the date approaching soon. The day was getting closer and closer, which made Hana very nervous considering the fact that she would most likely have to go out and do something. However, if she had to then she would try and keep herself high spirited. Though,it was always very hard for her since her mother would leave early in the morning on that same day leaving her all alone. Hana never understood why her mother would leave her without a word, without a note, or some sort of sign but she knew her mother loved her. That was all that mattered to her.

The young Uzumaki almost seemed to be drowning in thoughts until she heard Grey's voice. He spoke of the mission and pointed off somewhere ahead. So, Hana would look from Grey, down his arm, and to the building he pointed to but his next words made her look at him as if he had asked her to do something impossible. As he handed her the letter, she would stare at it,"Me? Deliver this letter?" Her words seemed to be a bit studdered. Hana wouldn't have minded if it was anywhere else but this letter seemed important and she didn't want anything to happen to it. She also didn't want to say something weird to anyone who received it. However, she found a bit of comfort knowing that Grey would be with her. So, she would continue on towards the building hoping Grey would keep his word and come up to the door with her.

Hana's steps would slowly slightly as she made her way closer to the door not looking to see if Grey had in fact followed her. She was afraid that if she did turn around she may not go throughout with it and Hana only wanted to push forward. After reaching the door, the young Uzumaki would raise her hand to knock on the door freezing for a moment and then proceeded to do so. The knock would sound a bit weak to the girl but she was glad when the door had opened. Then, she would freeze slightly, 'I just have to say a few things. It's nothing big. You can do it.' The girl would try and reassure herself as she started to form words. "I.. um.. have this letter." Hana's words were soft but loud enough for the woman who had answered the door to hear. Her hair was blonde and done up it a bun-like style. Her face seemed rather sweet and her eyes were blue. Her appearance made Hana stare to her this woman was beautiful and her hair was perfect. She started to wish she were as pretty as this woman was. So, with the letter in hand the woman would smile, "Thank You." Her voice was soft. Then, the door closed and Hana snapped awake from what seemed to be a dream.

The girl would stare towards the door for a second and then turn around. She would then smile," I did it. I really did it!" Hana would be very proud of herself. The woman didn't even look at her funny or say anything about her hair. If Grey were close enough, Hana would try and hug him while thanking him.

WC: 1529+576=2105
Letters Delivered: 1!

Grey smiled as Hana delivered the letter. The lady who came to the door seemed amazingly polite and kind to the girl as she delivered the letter. Hana was nervous, Grey could guess as much but at the same time, he thought it was really cute. The two of them seemed to be exact opposites, though when it came to expressing his feelings, he had to admit that he was just as nervous. It was a bit funny how that worked out. He looked at her as she returned from the door with a giant smile on her face. Grey moved in for a high five, but she reached out to him and hugged him instead. His arms went limp and fell to his sides with hers under them as he froze for half a second, unsure what to do. Then it hit him! 'Hug her back dummy!' His mind shouted at him. A big smile grew on his face as he wrapped his arms around her. His cheeks turned pink as he did so, but he didn't notice it much.

However, he had to end the hug before things became too weird. He did not have any intention of being that weird kid who hugs people too long so he pulled away. His goofy smile was now replaced with a grin, he didn't want to seem like he was enjoying himself too much. "Nice job Cherry, I knew you could do it. Let's make these next two a speed round. They're both right down the street about fifty meters. We should make it a race." Grey handed her the letter that was to be delivered from the house across the street from his. "Ready, set, go!" He would say as he ran down the road. If she didn't run with him, well he would just look dumb. But he got to the house in no time before knocking on the door rapidly. "Hello, is anyone there?" He asked before knocking on the door even more. No one answered, but after a few seconds he could hear someone coming to the door.

A man answered it. He was at least seventy years old, and stood short, very short. He was bald and the only hair that could be seen was growing out of his ears. His teeth were missing and he was standing in his underwear, revealing all the wrinkles he possibly could. His pot belly stuck out over his tighty whighties. "Um..." Grey said while trying hard to look the man in his crusty eyes without looking down at his monstrocity of a body. "I have this letter for you sir." The old man looked at him confused and spat at him. "You have a what fer me?" Grey was a bit scared at this point.' What if this guy pulls a knife on me?' He couldn't help but think. He tried to make it hasty and said it again. "This letter, its for you!" He said a bit louder. "Eleven is for me? No I prefer eight." Said the man. Grey exhaled sharply to which the man replied. "Don't get snappy with me little lady, don't you know to respect your elders?" He said while continueing to spew saliva in Grey's direction. It was clear the man couldn't understand a word the Uchiha was saying and so he reached for the man's hand to put the letter into. The man felt his touch and slapped him in the forehead. "What are you doing girl? I'm married! Now get out of here!" Said the old man. Grey frowned a bit and had the door slammed directly into his face as he stood on the porch, confused as to why he didn't just slide the letter into the mail slot to begin with. And so he did just that before turning around, wiping his face off, and walking down the stairs and across the street to meet Cherry once again. Hopefully she didn't do too badly either.

WC: 680
TWC: 2016

One second, the girl seemed very happy and the next she was feeling super nervous. She was hugging a boy, which was something she had never thought she would do before since the girl didn't particularly like boys. To her, they were rude and mean. Well, most of them because after meeting Grey her mind changed a bit. Now, Grey could really be considered her bestfriend because she didn't talk to many others. However, she still felt rather nervous around him but she did feel slight relief when he returned the hug.

After the hug ended, Grey would challenge Hana to a race, which would make the girl grin. The young Uzumaki was actually a bit competitive wether it be with herself or someone else. It wasn't a bad thing to have a bit of competitiveness because it made reaching goals easier in her opinion. So, the girl would be handed a letter but She wasn't ready when Grey said go, which would leave her running a few feet behind Grey. Hana would then have to travel across the street, which meant she would arrive at her destination a few moments after Grey arrived at his.

Hana would run up to the door taking a moment to breathe before knocking. When she knocked, it was only once and it was a lot softer than one in a competition would expect. So, the girl waited a short moment before a woman answered the door. "Hi there. I have this letter." Hana would speak with a soft voice and a sort of nervous smile. The woman would return a smile before being pushed aside by a boy about Hana's age. "I knew it was her. I could tell. She's that weird Cherry girl with the fiery red hair-" The boy would be interrupted by the woman. "That is no way to treat anyone. Looks like you need to be taught some manners." The woman would sound angry as she scolded the child and soon after she spoke the boy would run away yelling, "Later Red Head." The woman would shake her head side to side as she took the letter from Hana, who was now looking at the ground. "I'm so sorry dear. I'll deal with him." She would start to close the door but pause for a second, "Oh and I think you're hair is beautiful darling. Don't let anyone get you down." Soon, the door would close and all that ccould heard was the woman's stomping... then silence.

Hana would stand in front of the house for a moment but then she would slowly back away. The girl would then turn around with a big smile on her face. Hana didn't want Grey to see her upset besides the girl chose to favor the woman's words over the boys. The young Uzumaki would see Grey crossing the street as she turned around and start to speak. "Well, looks like you beat me but next time I'll win." Hana would giggle before she spoke again. "Is that all?"

WC: 2105+507= 2612

Grey smiled as Cherry smiled at him. Something in his heart told him that things were working out, and that just made him extremely happy. Delivering mail, meeting people, those were two of his favorite things to do to pass the time. But after spending the day as he had so far, it was clear to him that his absolute favorite thing to do was spend time with Cherry, as she made everything a blast. His happiness could be seen in his eyes as brows were high and smile large, His top row of teeth could be seen, biting down on his bottom. He just couldn't control smiling with him mouth open, though he would normally do so with it closed. "I had the worst customer possible. It was this nasty old man who had wrinkles on wrinkles and..." Grey continued on talking about how gross the old guy was, though he couldn't help to laugh more now than when it was actually happening. Retelling the story to her made him chuckle to himself as he did it.

As the two walked, Grey thought about how special Hana was to him, though he didn't know a lot about her. Other than the little time they had spent together, neither really knew a lot about each other other than their names. Grey had a letter in his hand as he led the way to a house. Hana would likely be right beside him as he knocked on the door. He would smile and wait for a middle aged woman to open the door. She was clearly a mom, as her child was tugging on her pants leg. The inside of the house was rather average, signifying that the woman was nothing more than lower middle class. A pile of dirty laundry could be seen in front of her couch. The carpet looked a bit dingy, however the house seemed rather clean despite these things. It was clear that she worked hard on everything to make it look as nice as possible and was finishing up now. It almost seemed as if she was waiting to have some company over and wanted the home to look as clean as possible. Grey's grandfather was the same way, always making sure that everything was organized when they were to have people over for dinner or such. Though, this did not happen often anymore as Moki was having a hard time getting around lately.

"Mommy, mommy, juice!" Said the child as the mother smiled. "I'm sorry," says the mother as she accepts the letter. "He has just woken from his nap. Thank you two very much for delivering this. It's from his father... We've been waiting for news all week." And with that, she would turn around and close the door behind her. Grey looked at Hana and turned his head sideways a bit. "What exactly do you want to do when you grow up?" He would ask as he stared at the sky and walked towards the next home. The clouds moved slowly in the air and it made him think of all the times that he had gazed at the sky, not once had it been the same. Strange how almost all things seemed that way.

WC: 547
TWC:2563
Mail Delivered: 5

Hana didn't believe that she would think such a thing but she was actually glad to be around Grey. There were multiply reasons why she believed she would never think such a thing. One, is the obvious past with boys, rude comments, and mean jokes. Two, is just the fact that the girl gets very nervous around people of the opposite gender. There were also many other factors however, they were more appearance type issues. Such as, Clan rivalries and things of that matter. If people were to actually believe Hana was an Uzumaki, then the girl would probably be very well respected but the Uchiha were usually a different story. So, seeing the two together would be very odd to most others and they would most likely expect trouble between the two. However, at this moment it wasn't like that. At this moment, Hana wasn't nervous, she didn't care that he was a boy, and she sure wouldn't let other people bother her. The girl was having fun and that was all that mattered.

The young Uzumaki would listen to Grey talk. He started to sort of laugh between words and sentences, which would make her giggle a little. She would continue to walk besideof him as they made their way towards the next house. Hana would follow Grey up to the door and see the people who lived inside. One of the people was a small child and the other a woman. She seemed rather polite and her voice was very sweet when she spoke. Hana saw the small child to be very adorable. She started to wonder what it would be like to have a child but as she sstarted to think about it She sort of brushed it off. Children weren't really her specialty although, she might want to have some one day. However, that would be a thought saved for another day because it would be replaced by another. The woman had brought about information of where the letter came from and who sent it. 'Hm. I wonder what kind of things a dad puts in a letter. I wonder if my dad wrote me any letters. Probably not because momma would have given them to me... right? I don't know. Maybe, he was too busy to write letters. He wasa super great ninjas after all.' These are how the girls thoughts would run about through her mind. That is until Grey asked a question.

When Grey asked the question, Hana would sort of tilt her head to the right a bit. What did she want to do? The question running through her mind uuntil she reached what seemed like her perfect answer. Well..." She would begin before looking up in the same direction as Grey. "I'm not to sure what I'll want to do when I grow up but I can probably guess. I think I'd want to work really hard for the village and be the best kunoichi I can be. Hmm.. I think I might also want to hhavea husband and kids but that's only a silly dream all girls have at one point. Sometimes, it doesn't even happen so I don't hold high hopes for that part. Anyway, I don't know if that answers your question good but it's something ya know." Hana would be staring into the sky as if she were in her own little world. She wondered if maybe her mother ever had the same thoughts or maybe even her father except the kunoichi part of course. It just gave her tthings to think about.

WC: 2612+597=3209

When she spoke, he was sure to listen to every single word she said and how she said it. He watched every single eye movement, all of her insecurities and formalities slowly fading as the two spoke. Or at least it felt like that to him and it was very possible that he was imaginging the same thing in someone else. But that was not at all what it felt like. She was beginning to open up to him, and that made him smile almost uncontrollably. It made him smile a lot. His teeth poked out from under his lips which were as pink as possible while still maintaining his complexion in the sunlight. The whole idea of it felt a bit like smoke, as if it was fading from his as he spoke. It was almost like after this moment, it would be gone in the thin air, never able to be captured again. Though he did not like to think of it this way. He preferred to imagine it as if they were both smoke, trapped in a glass jar, unable to be broken yet not bothered by the intertwined gases that made up their personalities.

He thought for a moment as it was his turn to share what he wanted to be when he grew up. He was a bit nervous to say it as almost every child in the village shared the same dream as he, though she had told him and therefore it was only polite to return the gesture. "When I grow older, I will be the Hokage. And I won't let anything stand in the way of that!" In his mind he said it much quieter than he had, though he wasn't too silent as he had thought. He attempted to qucikly change the subject as the two walked down the street and he walked up to another house with letter in hand. He knocked twice, no answer. He knocked once more and waited a few seconds before deciding that no one was going to answer. He slid the small piece of paper holding another piece of paper into the mail slot.

"Did you know there are two starts in the sky that are millions of billions of miles away from each other. However, they are said to be lovers. they used to stand right next to each other in the sky, until humans were created. From then on, the mily way, our galaxy, stood in the way of them coming into contact with one another. Though, if you pay close attention to the sky on the seventh day of the seventh month, they can be seen in the sky together, inseperable for a single night of intamacy, only to be parted the next morning." He wasn't sure why he told this story, as it was one of romance and she would probably get a romantic impression from it. But perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe she would like it and tell him something else that was romantic. Or maybe she would catch on to his rambling.

WC: 516
TWC: 3079
Letters Delivered: 6

Hana would continue to stare into the sky. Her wonders seemed to be getting the best of her however, when she heard Grey's voice she would listen. Mostly because he was a bit loud when he spoke. What he said would capture her attention though. His dream reminded her of a few of her ancestors. She had heard stories of two brave shinobi that came from her clan. There names were Naruto and Kushina. Mother and son. They both shared the same dream ,to be Hokage, though only one of the two accomplished this goal. However, the young Uzumaki adored the female, Kushina, more than anyone. She was a brave kunoichi and Hana wanted to be like that but also like her parents. At the thought, the girl would smile not noticing they had moved on to the next home but somehow she had travelers there without looking. He head would turn at the sound of Grey putting a letter in the mail slot.

Hana watched as Grey delivered the letter and then started to speak. He told a story of two stars that were separated. It was quite a sad story and it only seemed to the girl like the stars were being teased since they were only allow to be close on one night the whole year. However, she knew that it didn't matter to the stars as long as they were together even if only for a minute. It was a story similar to one her mother had told her however, the one she was told was more sad. Even the ending of the story was sad but it was also filled with joy. Hana didn't know why but she decided to tell it anyway.

"I was told a story by my mom once. It goes something like this. There once were two lovers they were inseparable. They were together everyday and obviously they cared for eachother very much. However, one day they got separated and something happened to the man. The woman looked for him everywhere but she couldn't find him. Little did she know they had been separated into two different worlds. The man could see the woman and hear the woman but he couldn't touch the woman. The woman could not see, hear, or touch the man. So, she became very sad but she lived her life hoping she would find him one day. After a long time, the woman fell asleep but when she awoke. There was a surprise awaiting her. She could now see the man, heart the man, and touch the man. However, the two had a child, which was now left alone. So, until the day she was allowed to join them they would wait and watch over her. However, she was nowhere close to being able to enter so, she found a lover. They had a child but before the man could see the child he disappeared. He is believed to have entered this other world but the woman and child are still waiting for the day they can reunite with him. When this happens, they are said to be able to live together forever but the cycle never ends. So, there will always be someone hurt and lost."

After Hana spoke she would sort of look towards the ground. "I'm not sure why she told me that story. I know it kinda has a bad ending but I just thought it would be nice to share. It just reminds me of someone when I tell it or hear it. Besides, it's the only story I know." Hana would look up at the sky again this time her eyes seemed to be a bit teary but her voice stayed the same as before.

WC: 624
TWC: 3209+624= 3833

Grey felt his eyes slowly drift to the ground as she told him the story. It was rather, what was the word he was looking for? Cute! That was it. Or maybe it was something more along the lines of… beautiful. However, he tried not to use that word too often. Beauty… What exactly was beauty? You could ask literally anyone and they would all give you a different answer: those who are shallow within their soul saying something along the lines of looking appealing your being pretty, but a story can’t look a appealing, so there must have been something deeper inside of it which he had not been able to identify until right at this moment in which she had said it. Or perhaps it wasn’t the story at all; maybe it was just the fact that she was the one who was telling it to him. Maybe that was all it took in order for something as simple as a story to turn into something so abstract to him, yet so beautiful.

“Hana, that… was amazing.” He would say while attempting to form a gaze with her. He tried not to get too caught up in the moment however. He knew the two would have to deliver at least ten letters in the day in order to be promoted and he wasn’t going to lie and say he did not want the rank of Chuunin. However, he was extremely overjoyed that the person he was doing it with was Hana. He knew if he stopped now, he had enough missions to go to the office and claim his rank, however that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to help Hana, so the two could become Chunin together; otherwise it was useless to him. He wouldn’t tell her that he had done enough to pass, cause in all honesty it wasn’t that important to him.

He grabbed the next package and made his way to the next door step. He walked silently the whole way while Hana would walk beside him. He felt his cheeks turn red, though he couldn’t help but want to face his fears suddenly. He glanced over at Hana and quickly back at the package in hands. “By the way.
He said a bit softly, but audible to Hana. “I think you’re really beautiful.” He said as he made his way to the door. He walked a bit suddenly, almost too quickly for her to realize what he had said, but he was sure that she would indeed say something upon his arrival back. He made his way to the door a bit slower as he was halfway there, a bit freaked out by what he had done. However, he did not regret it in the slightest and was actually really happy that he had said what he said. He had the courage to do what was necessary and portray his thoughts, his only regret was that he walked away from a beautiful girl after calling her what she really was.

WC: 507
TWC: 3586
Delivers: 7

Hana's eyes we're still directed at the sky. She wondered why it was there she felt her loved one was so near. Was it just like her story? Maybe he could see and hear her but she just couldn't see and hear him. Maybe they were separated and when the time came they could live forever together. Or was it even anything like the story? Maybe he was just gone and decaying in the ground. Maybe there was no life after they died. Maybe there was no other world. What if the story was just that? A story nothing more nothing less. Perhaps, she had started to figure out why her mother told her the story. However, she didn't know for sure but she did like to hope it worked out that way. Hope... it could be all she needed.

The girl's eyes darted to Grey when she heard him speak. He spoke of her story being amazing. 'Was as it really amazing? He's probably saying it to be nice. Would he do that? I don't know.' Hana started to think these thoughts to herself as she stares at Grey. She started to notice something about him but she didn't know what. He seemed different to her but she just couldn't see what it was. Grey was the same to her nice and sweet. He also had that same smile Everytime she saw him. It wasn't a bad thing as a matter of fact she liked his smile. However, she did feel like there were times he was holding things back from her, which made her curious. Of course, she would say nothing but she really wanted to know. Anyways, even though he stayed the same she still saw him different.

Hana walked beside Grey as they made their way to the next home. She was still trying to figure out why he seemed different to her all of a sudden. The girl truly was oblivious to most things and it took a while for her to realize what her problems were. However, After hearing what came next all the girl's thoughts would stop. It was almost as if it had happened too fast but to Hana it felt like slow motion almost. 'Did he just say... beautiful?' This was the one thought that replaced all others inside Hana's mind. The girl had stopped in her tracks and stared into what would seem like nothing. Slowly Hana would take a strand of hair in her fingers and look at it. ' I'm...beautiful? ' That was the moment Hana had realized what was so different about him. She hadn't realized it until now but Hana had her first... crush.

WC: 448
TWC: 3833+448= 4281

He had to admit that after placing the package on the ground, it was a bit difficult to lift his legs and propel his body forward back to her as time went on. He was a bit nervous of what she might say to him or how she would react to his comment. He could expect anything from happiness to a slap on the face and wouldn’t know what to do in the situation. Though, while all of these thoughts clouded his brain, he could only think of one response that she may give that would make him extremely happy. If she thanked him, sincerely, then that meant that she actually enjoyed the compliment and probably wouldn’t consider him a creep. Hopefully that was the situation, and while not many people found him to be creepy, he didn’t know too many people to make the observation so it really could go either way at this point. However, the only opinion he cared for at the moment was hers.

He returned to her with rosy cheeks and a sly grin on his face. His eyebrows were not lifted however. No. They were in more of a neutral position, giving off a calm vibe if not anything else. This was what he hoped at least. He wasn’t dripping sweat as one normally would in a nervous situation. He wasn’t even looking at the ground. All he was doing was staring directly at her face, into her eyes as she looked back at him. However, that simple grin evolved into something greater; a smile of pure delight formed in its place. He could feel the muscles in his face move as he greeted her, not exactly with words but more with the presence of himself. Or perhaps it was her that was greeting him. All he knew was the warmth that he felt wasn’t just something that was in the air, it was something that was within himself, in his heart. His teeth began to show, and this time he wasn’t embarrassed of them or anything of the sort. He wasn’t worried about whether or not she thought he looked like a punk or anything of the sort. He just felt confident in himself for once and that was all that mattered to him in this moment.

He looked at her, the light hit her hair perfectly as it shined without a care in the world. “Something… more than that. Beautiful is just a word and I don’t know how to express something stronger that just a word.” He would find himself saying aloud. Though, he had to admit that he originally planned to say it in his mind instead, aloud was where he found himself announcing it.


WC: 455
TWC: 4041

Hana would look in Grey's direction to see him set down the package. At this point, she had decided to put the strand of hair down. She didn't know what she would say or do. Hana hadn't been called beautiful before. Honestly, Hana was still in a bit of shock and her thoughts came to her all jumbled. She couldn't clear her head. Then, she saw Grey smile but this one was different. It wasn't just because of her eyes or thoughts either. This smile truly was different and Hana could see that he wasn't holding back anything. This would make Hana smile slightly until she realized she had smiled. After realizing she had smiled, Hana's face would turn red. However, not once didn't the thought' Cherry' pop into her mind. Instead, they were about this was a feeling she didn't fully understand but she kinda liked it. It was warm and bright.

“Something… more than that. Beautiful is just a word and I don’t know how to express something stronger that just a word.” When Hana heard these words exit Grey's mouth, it was almost as if time had frozen. She couldn't tell if this was really happening or just some crazy dream but dreams never continued this long so it had to be real. It took a moment to process in Hana's mind. When it finally clicked, tears started running down the girls face. Hana would begin to wipe away the tears but they just kept coming. After a moment, the Uzumaki had pulled herself together enough to speak. " I- I've never been told anything like this before. I-I-I don't know what to do. All I do know is it's the best thing I've ever heard. Thank You, Grey. " Hana would smile once more as tears began to roll down her cheeks again. ' Stop crying, ' was all that Hana could think at this moment. She didn't want to him tot hink there was something wrong with her. She really didn't want him to think she was the kind of person to cry a lot but for some reason she just couldn't stop. It was like her heart had overloaded and her eyes just couldn't stop overflowing. " Hana what's wrong with you? " She would say this out loud almost as if she didn't realize.

WC: 391
TWC: 4281+391= 4672

All of a sudden the girl before him had burst into tears and he had no clue why. However, his instinct kicked in suddenly when she verbally insulted herself. Grey felt like he understood how she felt on the inside, a sort of empathy, however he knew that he could not fix it in this moment, just as thread did not close a wound on its own. One needs to heal in order to close the wound, so for now he would simply act as her thread until she was able to do so on her own. Until then, he would be right there. As she bowed her head, he moved in close and pressed it against his chest, dropping his hands to her lower back to hold her tight. She was warm, though he didn’t expect any less. While she wasn’t crying tears of sadness, he felt that even if she was, he wouldn’t feel any different purely due to the fact that he was so close to her right now, almost as if they were inseparable. While it may have seemed odd to someone who wasn’t involved in the situation, it felt the exact opposite to him, almost comforting, almost as if something was there to keep pushing him through it and shove the fear right down his throat, where it belonged.

After a moment or so, he pulled away from the hug and looked her in the eyes. He thought now was time to say something cool or romantic, but all that came to mind was, “Hey, we can finish these missions.” It felt really dumb and mellow, though he thought of a way to save himself. Before taking his hands off of her, he slowly slid his hand down her arm and onto her hand, attempting to grasp at her own palm within his own and hold her hand. His cheeks instantly burst into flames, but only metaphorically.

WC: 322
TWC: 4363

One moment, the girl was trying to stop herself from crying and the next she had stopped completely. At this moment, she was being held close by Grey. However, she didn't stop crying because she was nervous. Hana had stopped because of the way it had felt. Grey had felt warm, the hug felt comforting, and it made her feel safe. Safe from what? Perhaps, it was safe from the world or even safe from the mean words people spoke to her. It could even be safe from the thoughts she had about herself. It was hard for the girl to tell. Hana wasn't one to know much about her emotions so many of them She found herself confused over. The girl had decided sometime between her thoughts to wrap her arms around him as well. She would sniffle slightly a few times before all traces of her crying had slipped away.

Hana would smile as Grey pulled away. She listened to him speak. "Oh yeah. The missions. Almost forgot. " Her arms would be back at her sides when Grey had decided to make the move to hold Hana's hand. The girl almost seemed to freeze as he did so. Hana had never held hands with someone before, other than her mother of course. With her mother, holding hands just felt like a way to keep the two side by side for a short period of time. However, with Grey it felt like more than that but she didn't know how to explain it. Hana's face would turn red again as she thought about it and would turn her head to try and cover it up. After a moment, she would turn back and smile.

WC: 286
TWC: 4672+286= 4958

Grey's cheeks were still red, only less and less so as the two walked. He wondered what exactly she was thinking, but was a bit scared to ask her. Instead, he just looked at her once more, she wasn't looking at him and she was especially red. "Cherry..." he thought to himself, reminding himself of why her nickname was what it was. People called her Cherry so it just stuck with her. Though, he had to admit that he found it extremely cute, though he would say nothing on the matter. She was cute, that was certain, which should have made him even more nervous, though he had to admit that that was not the reason that his heart was pounding right now. This was a feeling similar to adrenaline, the one where you feel as if you're invincible and could jump off of the highest of mountains only to land on the top of a cloud and peek off to the see the snowy world below, off into the cold. But cold was the opposite of what he felt in his cheeks and body and especially his hand for the moment. Normally he would ask if this kind of behavior was okay, but this time was different. He wanted to believe his gut was right to hold her in his hand, but he also did not want to think too much about it either.

He held her hand tight and led the way, house by house in order to finish out their day together. Lots of mail still had to be delivered, but he was done doing it away from her. There were no more races to distract him from her, only the racing of his heart thudding against his chest, feeling like it was ready to explode. But the good kind of explostion in his chest, if you could imagine one. He led their way to the next house, the eighth on his list as a matter of fact. He knocked on the door with his free hand and pulled out the package as the owner of said parsel made his way to the door. However it was actually a small boy who answered. The boy looked at the boy and the girl, both who were holding hands and made a sour face as he probably thought at this point in his life, that love was the furthest thing in the world from his future. It was a funny thought though, Grey had to admit. At one point in his life he was the exact same way. Though, times had changed majorly, and right now a girl was all that he could think about for the moment.
Slowly but surely, the two had managed to deliver two more letters in what seemed like a short amount of time. He had to admit that after delivering three packages with her hand in his, he was worried that it was going to start to get sweaty, and he thought that she might think he was a bit gross. Though, all of that didnt matter to him for the moment. The next house was on his mind. This time and older woman answered the door. She had a fancy pair of glasses on as well as what seemed to be a hair piece. She was probably in her eighties at least. She looked at the two and gave off a curl at the end of her lips, showing the hint of a smile. "You know, my husband and I were married fifty years. I see a bit of us in you two." Her cheeks turned a bit rosy as she said it after a long pause. "I'm so sorry. I don't even know you two. But my husband, god rest his soul, always insisted on speaking the mind. I guess I still carry him inside." She moved her hand to the top of her chest, as if feeling her heart. Grey's cheeks blazed as he reached for her letter in his jacket. "I have this for you ma'am. And... thank you." He said with a smile.

With four letters down, the other three weren't that important, but Hana was all that was important to him for now. After delivering the last of them, the two had delivered thirteen total together. That was more than enough to earn both of them a promotion. Thirteen D Ranks was more than something to scoff at. On top of what the two had done, Grey already had an accumulation of about twenty missions under his belt at this point/. It made him happy to think he was moving up. However, that wasn't his main thoughts at the moment. As the sun went down in the background of the portrait that was Hana, he was lost in the sight of her. It made him wish that he was an artist. "I had a lot of fun with you." He would say as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, a sign of affection. He hoped she would allow it. After so, he would leave after giving a goodbye. "Let's have more adventures together, Cherry."

WC: 866
TWC: 5229
Missions Completed: 13

Hana's face continued to stay red from nervousness. There were two things on the girls mind at this very moment. The first was how she looked. The young Uzumaki knew that she had to look like a big cherry at the moment. 'Will Grey notice? Of course he will. Who wouldn't notice a bug cherry? Why do I have to look like this? He probably thinks it's weird or something but then again...' The girls thoughts would stop as she looked at their hands. 'He wouldn't be holding my hand if he thought I was weird right? He did call me beautiful. Does he really mean it? I'm sure he did if he said it. Why am I still thinking about this?' Hana would shake her head slightly as she if she were trying to shake away her thoughts. However, there was one thought that she couldn't get rid of.

Hana would be following Grey as they made their way to some more homes. Hana's mind wasn't on the missions though. The young Uzumaki had nothing more than their hands on her mind. She couldn't seem to make sense of the feeling so she just kept thinking about it. It was like the calm after the storm where the sun was shining brighter than before. It was like watching the sun set from the highest point you could possibly be. It was calming and warm. However at the same time, it made her feel quite nervous. It made her feel like at any moment it could be ruined. It made her feel as if the situation could only happen once and it was as fragile as glass. She didn't know what to do so she kept quiet and tried to keep it as long as she could. That thought would finally float away when Hana looked to see the child receiving his package. His facial expressions made her smile. Hana never remembered making a face like that about love. She usually made those faces about things that she considered to be gross like vegetables though. However, she did remember a time when she never thought about boys. Her thoughts were normally about animals, training, or just playing like most children. As she grew up, she started to hear about love from her mother and just the conversation of others. So, naturally she started to think about it. However, she never expected to get caught in it like she was now. Well, honestly she didn't know what love was fully so she decided to call this a crush. Until she knew the meaning behind the word love and truly felt the feeling of it, she wouldn't ever speak it to anyone. The exception being her family.

Hana's mind had been off in space for a short amount of time before she realized they had still een delivering mail. She had no idea how many they had been to yet but she decided to shrug it off. This would be when the two came upon a house with an elderly woman. As she began to talk, Hana's face began to turn red once more. By the end of her words though, Hana's face was a light pink color. Thoughts started to bounce off her skull again. 'What if he became my husband? No, Hana that's silly. Those sorts of things only happen in stories. He'll find someone prettier and marry her. I don't need to marry anyone. I'll be fine on my own... Then again, it would be nice to have someone to care for you. It would be nice to know that someone is thinking of you.' Hana would sigh as she thought about these things. 'Since when did I start caring about this stuff anyway?' Hana would ask this to herself. She realized that since Grey started to hold her hand she hadn't spoken a word. This would make her start to worry what he was thinking. For the remainder of carrying out their missions, Hana would have Grey on her mind. She wouldn't realize it until they had finished giving the last of their mail away.

Hana would smile as they finished. There were thirteen mail items, which meant they had just finished thirteen D ranks. This would make Hana fill with excitement. She had never done so much in one day before and she had so much fun while doing it. It seemed like a perfect day to Hana. The young Uzumaki would hear Grey speak and smile until she felt his kiss on her cheek. At this moment, it would feel to Hana as if her heart had just frozen. However, slowly another smile would creep across her face. After he said his goodbyes Hana would reply. "Yeah that would be great." The girl would then turn to go home. If her mother was there, she couldn't wait to tell her what happened. Even if she wasn't, it wouldn't change Hana's happy mood. To her, today topped the cake for the best day she ever had.

WC: 839
TWC: 4958+839= 5797