ii. the beginning
Konoha, Sayuri realizes quickly enough, is quite the bustling place.
Hugging her bag to her chest, the girl stares wide eyed as the Yamanaka guide her through the village. They don't speak to her, but she is happy enough to be left alone as she takes in the sights. While Konoha isn't the only large village she has been to, it's definitely quite different than the "normal" villages outside of the ninja world. Not to mention a lot larger than she had initially anticipated. Her eyes can't help but catch onto the ninja gear being sold in booths, the weapons that glint in the sunlight, and the flickering figures running on top of the buildings. It is obviously a ninja village but...
It's quite bizarre to her- she had expected something less... village like, and more like.. a village wide weapons shop with ninja fighting everywhere.
More death and gloom than... this.
Her ignorance is showing again. She can acknowledge that she has allowed herself to believe stereotypes over logic, and Sayuri can't help but snort. The curious glance that Saiki throws towards her is ignored as she watches as a couple of kids run past. Again, she thinks it's quite bizarre. They look about her (physical) age, but also look much more carefree than she has felt in a long time. The way that the kids zip through the crowd and the shouts that result from the adults reminds her of any other village she has been in. She envies their carefree attitudes. Sayuri misses the days where she didn't have to worry about a psychopath coming to kidnap her and experiment on the changes he did to her years ago.
Despite the few odd eccentricities, the village really looks like any other. The marketplace itself is very similar to many she has travelled through, though larger and more crammed then one she has been in for a long time. She's curious to explore the village and see what it has to offer, and see if there are any other stark difference and parallels.
It's halfway through the marketplace when Inoichi stops their group with a, "Here we are."
Sayuri looks up at the shop that they have stopped outside of and blinks at the sign. "The Yamanaka sell flowers?" She can't help but blurt out. Ninja and flowers.. Somehow, she can't quite understand the relation between the two. Though, she supposes that anywhere you go you will find those who have an interest in them. Not to mention there would always be a market for them so long as relationships are prevalent. Still, she finds it surprising that the Yamanaka, a ninja clan, are the ones to own a business for them. Sayuri wonders who in the clan has the hobby, and why they thought to make a shop out of it.
"Yes."
"Huh." She says as she watches Koino disappear into the store, "Cool." And then pauses, "Wait, why are we here?"
"This is where we part ways." He informs her, and then gestures towards the other male Yamanaka, "Saiki will escort you to your temporary home."
"Oh, right." She says with a nod.
"If you ever need anything, come here." Inoichi says with a smile, "If not me, then someone of the clan will always be here to help."
"Thanks!" Sayuri chirps back, quietly confused by the abrupt stop.
Secretly, she is quite certain that she won't approach the clan for help. If there is one thing she has learnt from her loops is that trust is not something she can wave around freely, and that if she wants something she has to get it done herself. Sayuri can't rely on the Yamanaka, this is something she knows in her heart. It would be simply asking for trouble, to be used and taken advantage of. Perhaps it was illogical to turn down help, wherever it may come from, but she couldn't help but shy away from any possibility of pain or betrayal. The snake man had taught her a lot, despite the circumstances.
To distract herself from her thoughts, she scratches the back of her head and then nervously says, "Konoha is pretty big... yeah? It's good to know there is someone I can count on! A friendly face."
The smile he wears in reply is... not as friendly as before. Mechanical? No.. She can't quite tell, but it doesn't reach his eyes. For a moment she panicks, wondering if her thoughts showed on her face or if she was being obvious in her lies.
( It reminds her of the snake boy, with his sweet smiles and eyes as cold as a winter's breeze. )
Inoichi's reply is smooth, however. "We are family, however distant, and we take care of family here."
It reminds her of the letter that she had received from the Inocho fellow. We take care of family. It seemed to be their motto. In the back of her mind Sayuri wonders just how they are related, and if they know her mother, but stores it all away for later contemplation. She gives Inoichi and Saiki a small and polite bow and says, "Thank you very much for everything." Then, before either can reply she straightens and looks between them and asks, "Can I look inside before we leave?"
Saiki cocks an eyebrow towards her and says, "Have an interest in flowers?"
Sayuri ducks her head at that and murmurs, "Ma has a garden, but she only lets me weed it."
"Sounds like her." Inoichi cryptically murmurs and opens the glass door. Sayuri sends him a glance, but the conversation continues to move before she can question him about the comment.
"Weeding is important for the health of the garden. It's an crucial task that she had intrusted you with. You should be proud." Saiki says with a faux serious tone. Or at least she thinks that he is faking it, but she can't really tell. She can't get a grasp of his character which makes him difficult to read.
"It's boring." She clarifies as she walks past Inoichi and into the shop. In contrast to her complaints, Sayuri doesn't minded weeding. In all honesty she finds it quite relaxing, especially on nice warm days. The repetitive hard labour proved to be peaceful and calming to her. But, well, she was a child and whining was what children to do. So what if she enjoyed it a little? It wasn't exactly something that the Yamanaka needed to be privy to, anyhow.
As soon as she enters the shop she is blown away by just how many different kind of flowers there are. "Wow." Is all she says before she starts looking around the modestly sized, yet jam-packed store.
"Inoichi, you're back." The woman at the cashier's desk says pleasantly, "How was the trip?"
"Successful, if you can tell." His voice sounds dry, but Sayuri doesn't pay much attention as she kneels in front of a cactus. A cactus. Here, in Konoha. Amazing.
"Very successful." Sayuri absently agrees, raising a finger to poke one of the cactus' spikes. To the side of the spiky plant there is a table of small, cute little cacti and succulents. They are absolutely adorable and Sayuri wouldn't mind taking some home with her if she had the spare change. Unfortunately, she could not afford to splurge her money on cute plants. Maybe later, after saving some of her money, she would give in and purchase one. She misses a large portion of the Yamanaka's conversation as she coos over the cacti, and eventually the hanging plants in the back. The aloe vera plants are also quite adorable, not to mention useful, and she adds them to her mental list of things to buy when she has the chance.
But she is drawn back to the front when she hears the woman at the cashier's desk flatly say, "Orphanage."
Sayuri creeps her way back to the front of the shop and innocently eyes the three adults. Koino was no where to be found, and Inoichi and the woman behind the desk are in what would appear to be a stare off. She assumes they are talking about her, and wonders what the commotion is about.
Inoichi patiently replies with, "Everything is already arranged."
"Oh really?" She replies, giving him a look.
Sayuri sneaks a glance at Saiki, who looks like he'd rather be elsewhere. He catches her eyes and raises his eyebrows at her in a conspiring way, before looking back at the other Yamanaka's. She's certain that there is a silent conversation going on between them, and the fact that she is actually picking up on it leads her to believe that it is intentional. Most likely on the woman's part.
"Yes." Inoichi responds, body language casual and utterly unaffected. "Really."
"I thought we had spoken about this, Inoichi."
The man gives a small smile, "We did."
There is a long stare down before the woman turns to Sayuri, kind smile lighting up her face. "Hello, sweetie. I'm Inoichi's wife, Mizuru. It's nice to meet you."
Well, that explains something in their conversation. She isn't sure what the context of their spat is, but her parents have had arguments similar to the one she has just witnessed. High tension and attempts at keeping it on the down low so the children don't realize that something is going on. Unfortunately for Inoichi, his wife didn't seem to care much about the secrecy. She figures that Inoichi is a reserved man.
Sayuri blasts a large smile in response and greets her back. "Hi! I'm Sayuri! You have some nice cacti!"
Mizuru laughs lightly, "Thank you. Some were grown here, in our green house. Others were imported from Suna."
Sayuri makes a quiet "ooo" sound, impressed and interested. She's never been to Suna before, but maybe she'll have to add that to her list of places to go to; especially if they have cacti as cute as the ones in the shop.
Then the woman stares at her in thought before she exits from behind the counter. "Follow me." She doesn't give Sayuri much of a choice to consider otherwise, as the woman walks away from her. Sayuri sends a confused glance to the two men in the room, expecting some sort of explanation. Evidently, there is none. Inoichi's gives no response and Saiki just looks vaguely amused.
As told, she follows the woman to the wall of flowers and watches curiously as Mizuru plucks a flower from one of the bins.
"Sayuri." She murmurs, more to herself than anything. Mizuru then kneels in front of Sayuri so they are about the same height. It feels very intimate and she feels the need to step back, but that could also be interpreted as rude, so she refrains from doing so. "Did you know that your name means 'small lily'?"
Honestly she'd never really thought much about her name and it's meaning. She knew that it was named after the lily, but other than that she had never felt the need to ask for an explanation for it. Sayuri gives a nonchalant shrug, not really caring.
Mizuru gives her a smile, "It is also the name of the orange lily."
Sayuri doesn't see how any of this is relevant to anything. She chalks it down as ninja and their cryptic ways. "My mom likes flowers." She says as an explanation.
"I don't doubt it." She says softly. After a moment Mizuru hands the white flower to Sayuri with a smile. "A lily for a lily."
"Not an orange one?" Sayuri asks, before realizing how rude that could be taken and is quick to say, "But! Um! Thanks!" and delicately holds the flower close to her chest.
"Maybe later. Let's see how things go first." The comment itself is cryptic, of course, like always, but Mizuru is quick to change the conversation. "You know, Inoichi and I have a little girl like you too. She's a bit younger than you, however."
"Ohh?" Sayuri intones, before lifting a hand to frame her face and obnoxiously says, "Is she as cute as me too?"
"Cuter" Mizuru says with a wink, before casually sliding in. "I think you two would get along."
Sayuri doubts it, she's not really a child anymore, but says, "If she is anything like you then I'm sure I would!"
Mizuru laughs, and looks over to Inochi and Saiki. "A real charmer you picked up."
"Indeed." Is all Inoichi says, sounding a bit amused. Saiki laughs as well, and mutters something into Inoichi's ear. She's not sure what he said, and she worries for a moment before her attention is diverted to Mizuru once more.
The woman looks back at Sayuri, features soft. "You don't have to go to the orphanage, if you want. I've spoken to Inoichi about it, and we would gladly take you in until you have everything settled. Ino would love to have another girl around." She then gives a quick wink and a pointed glance to Inoichi.
Sayuri stares for a moment, taking in the offer and thinking about it. Obviously Mizuru and Inoichi weren't on the same page about this, if their previous discussion had anything to say. While friendly, Inoichi seemed more than okay with Sayuri going to the orphanage, whereas Mizuru had a different idea all together. She wonders about their separate motives, and how many times they have spoken about this. It's odd to think that they have spoken about her, and she can feel a quiet paranoia setting in. Regardless, she knows what her choice will be.
( In her mind, she doesn't really have a choice. )
"No, no, it's fine! I don't wanna be a bother, I'll be okay at the orphanage. It's just until I get accepted into the academy, right?" Sayuri beams, attempting to project sunshine and the cute essence of puppies.
Ninja could not be trusted. This is something she knows now. She had been naive in her previous loops, had faith in those who had malicious intentions despite all the signs indicating that she should do otherwise. Sayuri would not make the same mistakes again, she would not fall victim to the ninja's cunning and wile any longer. Mizuru looked innocent and kind, but so had the snake boy. Behind every smile there is a motive, she is certain of this. Accepting the offer would allow the Yamanaka's to have surveillance over her. She would allow them the chance to do to her the same that the snake man had done. She couldn't do it. She couldn't allow it. At least at the orphanage she would be one of a dozen, easy to blend in and somewhat independent until she could live on her own.
Mizuru's expression doesn't change, she merely says "If that is what you desire." The Yamanaka stands up from her kneeling position and adds, "If you ever need anything, Inoichi and I will be glad to help."
"Thank you!" Sayuri chirps, once again doubting that she will reach out to them. "I will keep that in mind."
From the sidelines, Saiki claps and drawls, "Well, kiddo, now sounds like a good enough time as any to leave. Let's go."
Sayuri gives the Yamanaka's her farewells, and leaves shortly after. She feels like she has failed some sort of test, and steels herself and her resolve. Sayuri had made the right choice. she knows it. Or perhaps it is closer to say that she refuses to think otherwise.
.
.
.
The next few weeks will likely be busy, Inoichi had told her on the walk to Konoha.
That had been an understatement.
After arriving in Konoha and settling in at the orphanage she had taken an aptitude test to see if she was eligible to join their Ninja Academy. The tests themselves were fairly basic and covered both academic and physical proficiencies. The students were expected to be able to read and write at a fundamental level, which Sayuri gladly knew. Unfortunately, she had gone into the tests believing that she would have an edge due to her multiple lives.. Only to remember that she knew very little about ninja. Luckily, the academic test itself wasn't too difficult and after a few days she had been notified that she had passed the qualifications.
Once accepted she had taken a medical exam, which had been stressful for a variety of reasons. Her fear of the snake man had, apparently, leaked into a fear of doctors, hospitals, and anything concerning glowing hands. The doctor had been patient with her, thankfully, but she still stressed out during the entire appointment. Sayuri was terrified over what the doctor might find on her. In her.
However, despite her worries, the appointment was basic. She didn't even have to strip her clothes for a body search. As such, the medical nin had not found "anything out of the ordinary" and had stamped her file with a passing grade.
( A curious thing to find out, considering that Sayuri knew for a fact that her body was not ordinary or typical. The snake man had done something to her- changed her in a way that was everything but ordinary. What of the symbols that had been marked and glowed upon her body? The scars that were left on her skin? Yet she couldn't say that; she couldn't disclose the fact that she went back in time every time she died. It would be suicide. Who knew what the ninja would do to her if they found out? Would they react the same as the snake man? Tie her to a chair and experiment on her until she took her own life? Sayuri had made it this far, and she wasn't going to throw her chances away just like that. )
Declared healthy, she was officially accepted into the academy.
Additionally, upon acceptance students without families or caretakers have the option of applying for welfare program. While not a lot of details had been disclosed about it when first mentioned, Inoichi had mentioned that the village made sure to take care of their future ninja.
Sayuri was quick to apply to the program.
The orphanage that she was left at was relatively okay, however she shared a room with three other girls. The food was less than ideal and it was always buzzing with activity. Every night she checked under her mattress for bugs, and was vigilant with making sure her hair was tied up and free of any critters that might want to find home on her scalp. All in all she had been in worse housing situations. Nothing can compare to the dingy prison cell she had spent so many years suffering in, so she doesn't complain about it.
But she was more than ready to leave and live on her own.
It takes a couple weeks, but right before the academy starts she finds herself moving into an apartment building about ten minutes from her school. It's an ideal location, close to the school and the marketplace. The building itself looks like it would fall over if you sneezed at it, but her room is decently sized and it's all hers.. Sayuri could not be any happier. The day after she gets her new apartment, Sayuri takes a much needed trip to the marketplace. Along with buying food for the next few weeks, her allowance from the village was just enough to cover her school supplies and an outfit.
.
.
.
On the day of her entrance ceremony Sayuri is up and awake by sunrise. Old habits die hard, and the blessing that is farm life is that she finds herself awake by the time the sun starts peaking out of the horizon. To waste time she goes through the daily motions of making breakfast, making a lunch, doing her vague training regimen consisting of pushups and zigzags, then showering. When she is ready to leave she is dressed in a simple black t-shirt and pants she had found on sale, her hair brushed, and bag all packed and slung over her shoulder.
Finally, Sayuri is ready to start her ninja carrier.
wow look who is finally updating...
holy fuck i'm so sorry this is so late. i cannot express how apologetic i am, life got really busy but regardless there is no excuses that can make up for this. so here is a chapter. it's rough, and my writing style is all over the place, but i hope to get back into the flow as i write the next few chapters. i was hoping to get more into this chapter, but i wanted to get it out asap and figured 3k was enough so. next chapter will likely have a lot of time skips so watch out for that.
once again, there is a lot of stuff going around in the background and once again sayuri is making dumb decisions, but that will be a reoccurring thing lol.
thank you all for your patience!
[date: 2O17/O9/O1] [word count: 3376]
