"Found her by the river they said, poor thing…" a voice echoed through the young, purple haired, pigtailed girl's head. "What about the other?" another voice asked. "Just outside the village… both look like they've been to hell and back," the first voice said. "The red-haired… her clothes look like that of those who are from the Village Hidden in the Sand… the other… Sarutobi said she was from the Village Hidden in the Mirror," the second voice. "The Mirror… are you serious?" the first voice asked. "Positive," the second one replied, "there's no doubting that pendant she wears… I was surprised too."
The girl opened her eyes, glancing around the room. 'Where am I?' she thought, her eyes fell on the occupant of the next bed. It was another girl, with short crimson red hair… lightly tanned skin… 'Is she the one they were talking about… the one from the Sand?' she asked herself. The red-haired girl groaned, opening one eye, then the other.
The purple haired girl smiled brightly at the other girl, who smiled back. "I'm Katara," the purple haired girl whispered, "who are you?" The girl thought for a minute, "Soma… I think," she responded. "You think? Don't you know?" Katara asked. Soma shook her head, "someone called me that once… I thought he was mistaken because I didn't know him…" "Why is your hair so short?" Katara asked, getting into a more comfortable position in her bed. "I guess it's because of the desert…" Soma said, running a hand through her short hair.
"So you are from the Village Hidden in the Sand!" Katara said, excitedly. Soma thought for a minute, "yeah… I guess I am," she said, smiling slightly. "What happened to you… you got a really bad bruise on your head?" Katara asked. "What happened to me?" Soma asked, laughing slightly, "what happened to you? You look more cut up than… a… fruit."
"A fruit?" Katara asked. "A cut up fruit," Soma confirmed, "you know like apple slices… I like apple slices." Katara laughed, "you're weird… but in a good way." "There's a good way to being weird?" Soma asked. Katara nodded, "I mean that I like that you're weird… friends?" she asked. Soma nodded, "friends," she confirmed.
Katara got up suddenly, noticing a basket of fruit in between the beds. She searched it, pulling out and putting to the side oranges, grapes and other fruit. She only stopped when she found a shiny, green apple. "Here," she said offering it to Soma. Soma took it, "thanks!" "Eat it," Katara said. "Well… what else I'm I gonna do with it… balance it on my head… hmm," Soma said, she suddenly put it on her head. "Hey look it balances!" she exclaimed, happily. Katara snatched the apple off of Soma's head, "eat it," she said again. Soma sighed, "fine."
"Soo… where are we?" Katara asked. Soma shrugged, "I just woke up," she said, taking a bite out of the apple. "So did I… um… hmm…" Katara said, staring at Soma. "What?" Soma asked, feeling a little uneasy. "Nothing," Katara said, leaning over. She raised her hand and flicked Soma in the forehead, just hard enough to make her fall over.
"Oww! Why'd you do that for?" Soma asked. "No reason… I just wanted to see you fall over," Katara said. "Well… you could've waited until I was able to walk around… I trip and fall all the time," Soma said, rubbing her forehead.
The voices stopped talking in the hallway, two entered the room. "OH! You're awake!" the women whose voice, Katara recognized as the first women to speak earlier said. The other woman approached Soma, "oh good your eating," she said, "I want to take a look at that bump on your head." Soma felt uneasy, she looked frightfully at Katara. "I don't think she wants you to," Katara said, after the first woman finished looking over her.
"Oh nonsense, she doesn't mind," the woman said, getting closer to her. "Actually," Soma began to say, the woman interrupted by grabbing her. The woman had a good grip, too good for her too pull her hand free of, she knew only one way to get the woman to let go. She opened her mouth, and bit the woman's hand hard. The woman screamed in pain, and pulled her hand free, causing Soma's teeth to tear the flesh. "Why you little," the woman threatened, raising her hand to Soma.
"Ah… okay," Katara said. Soma heard laughing above the woman's angry shouts. "Calm down," another woman's voice said, "her friend told you that she didn't want to be checked over." The woman looked older than the other two, "leave us," she said. The two others left without a word. Katara took over the speaking, "she didn't mean to hurt the woman… but I don't think she liked her getting so close to her without her permission."
"That's understandable, we are strangers to you," the woman said, "I am Miss. Shizeeki." "Nice name," Katara muttered to Soma; who giggled in response. "Did you say something?" Shizeeki asked. "We were just saying that we liked your name," Katara said, innocently. "Really?" Shizeeki said, reaching into her pockets. "AHHH! She's got something in her pockets! Run away!" Soma screamed running away from her. Katara screamed and followed, both ducked beneath the furthest bed from Miss Shizeeki.
"I was just going to give you two some suckers," she said, taking out an orange and red sucker. "I don't mind when people make fun of my name… I'm well aware of how funny it sounds." Katara and Soma slowly crawled out from beneath the bed they were hiding under. Katara hastily took the red sucker, which didn't bother Soma in the least, she preferred orange anyway.
"So… what are you're names?" Miss Shizeeki asked. "I'm Katara… and she's Soma," Katara answered, while taking the wrapper off of the sucker. Soma tugged at her wrapper… but it wouldn't come off. She tried biting it… with no luck. She let out a frustrated groan.
"You silly moron," Katara laughed, taking the sucker from her and taking the wrapper off, "there." "Thanks," Soma said in an almost whisper. "Now you two… try to get some sleep… it's pretty late out here," Miss Shizeeki said, with a small smile, before leaving. "I think I'm going to like it here," Katara said, climbing back onto her bed. "Uh-huh," Soma said in agreement, climbing onto her bed also.
"Oh yeah… and to set the record straight… I'm not a moron," Soma said, taking the sucker out of her mouth momentarily. "I didn't say you were a moron… I said you were a silly moron," Katara corrected. "Same thing," Soma said. "No it's not… silly moron means that you are silly as well… moron alone means your just a moron," Katara said. "I still say same thing… well I'm going to sleep… see ya in the morning," Soma said, chewing her sucker then putting the stick on a bedside table.
Katara put her hands behind her head and listened to the steady breathing of her new friend as she drifted off to sleep. 'Why is it that no one came for me… no matter how loudly I cried until after I feel unconscious… did no one hear me? That's impossible,' Katara thought.
Soma hadn't really fallen asleep… only made it seem as if she had. 'That boy… he seemed to know me… but that's impossible… unless… unless I am from the Village Hidden in the Sand… who was he… did I do something… that… I shouldn't have when I ran from him?' all these thoughts raced through Soma's head. 'I'm so confused,' she continued to think. No matter how many times she tried to remember nothing would come… yet she couldn't get the boys voice out of her head. When she fell off the roof… he sounded… so scared when he shouted for her.
Soma heard Katara roll over on her bed, 'oh well that's behind me… now,' she thought. She yawned and closed her eyes. Katara heard Soma yawn, 'I wonder why she came here by river… oh well…' she thought, also closing her eyes. Both orphans fell asleep easily, exhausted from their… "adventure."