When she ducked out of the small restaurant, it was twilight, quickly fading. She hurried to the forest, finding her spot with practiced ease. A small stream trickled down the landscape, and large, smooth rocks flanked both sides of the bubbling brook. It had been rather dry lately; the water was very low, Risa noted. She climbed up the boulder, and hopped down from the ledge it created into her space. A small cave was carved out of this same boulder, and she'd made a small weaving of branches and grasses to hide the five jars of Heiwa soil. She placed them quickly about her lying-space and lay down in the middle of the circle she'd created. The flow of familiar chakra washed over her, and the boisterous stream faded into the background.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back," Kyo said in her head.
"Ah my old friend. It's nice to see you too. I've had a rather busy month. The jutsu is wearing off quicker," she told him. She felt her age dropping off by the years.
"Well, it's kind of difficult to put a long lasting, masked genjutsu-that's-not-really-a-genjutsu to make you look nine years younger!" He hissed. "From forty kilometers away!"
"We've got the dirt," she argued. "It should be like we're standing right next to each other." She heard a sigh.
"Do you want to talk to Mei? She's been worried about you." Risa considered for a second. She loved the girl, but sometimes Mei was a bit eccentric. And loud. Very loud.
"Sure, but if things get too… Mei-like. Save me?" Kyo laughed at her misfortune.
"Risa!" Said girl flinched, as Mei was yelling in her head. "It's been too long! How many more years do you have to stay in that dreadful place? Shouldn't you be a jonin now? Can't you find where they keep it and take it already? It's been a decade since you stayed more than a few days in Hinkon! Your hometown isn't so bad, is it?" Risa bristled at the mention of Hinkon.
"Hinkon is notmy hometown," she hissed. Mei was quiet for a second. Risa felt her little friend leave, and Kyo reentered her mind.
"It's just out of habit, Risa. She knows that Heiwa is the real name of this town, but it's forbidden to call it that. She forgets sometimes. It's hard back here on the home front too." Risa sniffed, her nose twitching.
"I'll never forget," she replied quietly.
"She wasn't as involved as you, but she's supportive. Every day. And don't forget that you weren't the only one to loose someone that day," he shot. It was her turn to fall silent.
"I'm sorry. It's just that living in this place... It reminds me every day," she said finally and sighed. "I'm assigned to a new team. This is the last step to becoming a jonin. I'll get access to it soon. We'll get our victory."
"I think that should do it," Kyo said, and she felt the chakra begin to fade.
"You're getting quicker. Do you want to be rid of me so badly?" She joked.
"No!" He insisted. "I've just been practicing, that's all."
"Well, I'll see you when I need you," Risa said and stood up, rubbing a crick in her back. She replaced the jars into the cave, and upon covering them, went back to her flat for some well-deserved R&R.
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Remember to feed your authors! Sorry for the short chapter, but I'll post another one today.