a/n wow. it's been some time since I've updated, eh? It was Christmas eve when I got all the others up, correct? anyway! I hope you enjoy this chapter!! laterz! (a.k.a the bottom of this chapter)
Song of the Full Moon's Child
Chapter Four-Color
"Kaiyo! Are you almost ready to open up?" Natso called into the building.
"Uh...just hang on a second!" I called back, running a hand through my long, mint-green hair. I had been working there for a number of days. I hadn't expected to stay as long as I had been, but I was there nonetheless.
They need a break from their hard work I told myself as I rubbed my eyes. I was trying desperately to help them earn more money. It was working a little bit, but was costing me most of my energy. More energy than the couple was earning.
"I'm sorry Natso-kun, but I was wondering if I could have the day off? Just today?" I said after finding my way over to him.
"Of course! You've been working non-stop since you've gotten here. It's the least I can do to repay your kindness."
"You don't owe me anything!" I exclaimed, appalled. "You gave me a job, a place to stay, food, everything!"
"Well you offered to work here. That's worth more than any of the things you mentioned. Now go. I'll handle the work."
"Are you sure?" I asked uneasily, slowly backing away from the stand and onto the street.
"Kaiyo, you know I love your help, and appreciate it greatly, but you need a rest. Besides, you asked for the break, why are you trying to get out of it?" Natso's smile was both smug and amused, but oddly, I didn't find it offending in the least.
"No! I was just making sure you could spare me!"
"My, how self-righteous we have become," Natso joked, grinning widely; I rolled my eyes, laughing a little.
"Well, I'll be heading off now, boss. Thanks again!"
"Yup! Hey, Oki? Could you bring the baby out here for a minute?" Natso's attention had already been turned away from me, his employee and back to his family; I smiled sadly to myself.
That must be nice, I thought as I watched them. Even though they were impoverished, they were happy. I had never experienced that ideal picture. I had pretty much always wanted it, in a sense. When I was younger, I felt an empty feeling whenever I saw people like that. But my family had never had that...closeness...
My parents never really liked Reina-onee-chan. In fact, I don't know if Poppi and Mom ever even really liked each other. Poppi never really was home...
I gave my pouch of money a tight squeeze, turning down a small side road, in search of a certain shop I had seen on my first day in the Tourist village, in search of a part-time job.
Soon enough, I found it. It was on the lower level of a wide, two-story building. The doors were open wide, letting in the hot air. Hanging from the doorway were shells of all shapes and sizes. I smiled lightly as I made a part in them; they clashed against each other, making a pleasant, tinkling noise.
A woman ran over to greet me, a bright smile on her face; she kept her hands folded in front of her. "Greetings, Miss! What can I help you with?"
This was supposed to make me feel welcome, I was sure, but, to the contrary, it made me feel unwanted. Like the lady was trying to get me out of there as fast as possible.
"Oh. I was wondering if you had any large...banners? And colored pencils?" I said, awkwardly squirming where I stood.
The woman smiled kindly, pushing her light hair away from her face and putting a hand on my back. "I'll show you where they all are," she said, directing me towards the back right-hand corner of the large room. There hung scroll-like banners of many sizes and with all sorts of different coloring on the back.
"The colored pencils are all on the shelf right there," the woman said, pointing to a shelf nearby.
"Oh, thank you," I said, truly grateful. This would help me so much with what I planned on doing.
"Not a problem, sweetie. Just call if you need anything else, alright?"
I gave a quick nod, which the lady took as a sign and bustled off to the counter at the other side of the store. Watching her for just a moment, I turned back to the giant scrolls. Lifting a couple just slightly, I saw either words written Kanji-style or a pretty picture.
I decided to buy two of them, both with pictures on the back. Keeping the images clear in my mind, I walked over to the shelf with the colored pencils and picked up one of the wooden boxes, but my mint-green eyes stared at each of them. These, too, was lovely. Each was unique with its own various, ornate designs carved into the fine wood.
One specific one, towards the back, caught my eye. It was mahogany wood with a large full moon carved on the front, craters and all.
"Why?" I inquired, sitting up and staring at her with interest.
"Because the Full Moon is always watching you..."
"Nani?"
Reina looked up at the sky, a wistful smile on her face as she stared at the giant white marble that rested on the silky black canvas of the sky.
"Have you never noticed how everything's always alright with you when the full moon is out? And also, how you are always attracted to things with an impersonation of the moon?"
I shook my head, jaw length mint colored hair whipping at my face.
"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't, since you're still so young. But it's true."
"I still dont get it," I mumbled, lying back down on my back.
Reina looked down at me from where she sat on the fat wooden pole, stuck into the ground. Her long, teal hair hung in her face. But her grin showed through the hair, and made me smile as well.
I stared at it for a while longer and then decided: I had to have this one. Sure, the pencils inside were probably all the same but, I was drawn to the object. It was just as Reina-onee-chan said. Or maybe because of that...
"Umm...excuse me?" I called out, waving my free hand in the air to catch the shop keeper's attention. "Could you help me out, please?"
The woman hurried over, smiling lightly. "What is it that you need?" she asked kindly, but then she spotted the box I had chosen. "Oh, what a lovely choice! How odd though...I don't remember ever stacking that box? And I remember everything that I stack. If I like it, of course." She laughed airily to herself. "So really, honey. What do you need!"
"Could you help me get two of those scrolls down?" I asked, looking over at them.
"Of course! Juts tell me which two you'd like!"
I walked over and, somehow remembering exactly where the two I liked most where, I pointed at them. The woman smiled as she lifted them both into her arms and then waddled back to the front counter; I followed after her.
"Okay so, these with the box of pencils would be..." she paused, typing each individual price into the money register. "Exactly one-hundred-fifty."
I opened up my money pouch up and paid her the money. As I went to lift the items, I paused. On the back of one was a picture I didn't recognize. The woman must have recognized me staring, because she also took a look,
"Yeah, it's pretty...Strange. I don't remember stacking this either. And I really like it...well anyway! You sure do seem to have a thing for moons!"
Or they have a thing for me! I thought, wide eyed, but gave her a weak smile. I hadn't even LOOKED at the scroll she was talking about.
"Could you hold these here for me? Just for a moment! I want to go look at the scrolls again. They're really pretty..."
"Of course! Take your time!" She smiled easily; as I walked back over to where the banners were, she sat back on her stool and picked up a magazine.
I stared curiously at all the scrolls, both rolled up and open, hanging on the wall. I hoped that I wouldn't have to rummage through them, trying to find the one I had intended to buy but hadnt, but seeing as I didnt have x-ray vision, I had to.
Making sure I was careful, I knelt down on the ground and began searching. But it was nowhere. It was as if the scroll had disappeared off the face of the earth.
Sighing, I stood and walked back towards the front. "Arigato," I said as I grabbed my things and headed out.
"No, no. Thank you Make sure to tell your family where you got the lovely banners!" she said, smiling; I nodded stiffly and walked outside, back into the heat.
My family... I thought, frowning deeply, squinting through the blinding sun beams.Pfft.
Using my hand to block out the sun, I scoped the immediate area to find a barren place. Seeing as there were none, I walked for a bit until I came across a place, far from any buildings. It was a field, covered completely in lush green grass that danced in the silent wind.
I allowed myself only a small smile, taking one more step forward before taking a seat on the ground. Carefully, I placed the three items I had just purchased on the ground beside me. Stretching my legs out in front of me, I brushed of the front of my dark colored dress. As I did so, my fingers brushed off the fabric and onto my leg; I touched something cold and felt myself freeze.
It was my forehead protector. I had forgotten about it, tied there around my right thigh. It had been there for so long I no longer felt it, unless my fingers happened to graze over it, as they had just done.
Subconsciously, my finger traced over the design etched into the metal plate. It was a simple crescent moon, with a small star hanging from either point; nearly touching the edge of the 'moon' was a slightly larger star than the other two.
"I almost forgot I was a ninja," I said, disapproving. I had been so busy with helping out the Kaemons that I hadn't had any time to practice.
"I'll need to do that soon," I whispered to myself, my finger still moving around the metal.
Giving my head a slight shake, I brought myself back out of my thoughts and grabbed one of the two banner/scrolls, sticking it out in front of me. Before I rolled it open, I brought my legs back underneath me.
Once the large thing was open, I stared down at it; a blank, white canvas stared back, menacing. It was daring me to destroy that clean, disturbing white.
My tongue stuck out the side of my mouth and I gently bit down on it, thoughtful. In my mind, I could see a clear image of what it could look like. But if I looked away from the paper, the image would fade. My eyes burned as I continued to stare, waiting for the vague image in my mind to grow stronger. Once it finally did and was bright and clear, I turned to my side, grabbing the box of pencils. Sliding off the top with ease, I began to rummage through the many pencils in search of a pale brown.
It was towards the bottom, but once I got it I eagerly set to work. My hand moved fast, making small dots every hear and there that outlined the shape. My teeth bit down harder on my soft tongue as I thought. Abruptly, my limp hand grew a life of its own once more as the tip brushed against the white paper, filling in the outlined shape.
That part was simple enough. The part that followed was the more difficult. I dug my hand into the mahogany box, searching for a darker box so that I could give the drawing dimension.
What was drawn was a large, clay pot. I stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before lightly making marks with the darker pencil.
It took less time than I thought it would, and I was soon moving onto the next task.
I randomly grabbed a light pink colored pencil from the top of the stack. Just as the tip made contact with the paper, it fell from my hand, which had opened. A distant look came over my face as my mind temporarily blacked out.
"That looks nice, Kaiyo."
I immediately turned, the voice having broken my concentration, and grinned up at my older sister.
"Arigato!"
Reina laughed a little as she ruffled my hair with her one hand. Then she turned towards the wall and frowned, removing her hand from the top of my head.
"Well, I better get going, before I'm late," she sighed, and took a step away.
"Wait!" I whined in my childish way. I was a child, so that made sense. With my tiny hand, I grabbed at her clothes. "Where are you going? Why are you leaving?"
"I need to get to the Academy, so I can take the classes." She paused, a happy smile coming onto her face. "To think that in a other three years, I'll be a ninja! Isn't that cool?!"
"Yeah!" My smile was brief because then, a concern came into my head. "When you're a ninja, will you be spending less time at home?"
She shrugged. "I'm really not sure. A ninja's schedule is unpredictable. You'll learn that in a few years when you go to the Academy. I think that you have to at least be seven so...heh. How ironic. You'll be coming the year I graduate." Reina chuckled to herself as she pried my hand away from her clothing.
My laugh was weak. I may have been young, but I knew that one year wasn't long, which meant I'd be spending even less time with her.
"Well, I really need to get going. See you later, Kaiyo dear!" And with that, she was gone.
I frowned deeply before turning back to the paper, chucking the light oink pencil I still head and replacing it with a teal one.
This time, I wasn't going to be able to draw my sister in the picture, but I could do something else.
I searched through the box for a red and a black. Once I found them, I began to draw. In the center of the 'pot' I drew it: a cardinal. It was always Reina's favorite bird.
As I drew the wings, spread out as if it was in flight, I smiled weakly.
"Onee-chan," I whispered, and looked up at the sky. Ironically, a bird flew by up ahead. Blinking and swallowing hard, I turned back to the banner.
Many hours later, as night was falling, I stood. My legs were sore from remaining in one position for so long; it felt good to stretch out my knees.
I stood there, breathing in the fresh scent of late evening, for several minutes before I finally bent down and grabbed the two posters I had been working on for so long, and the lovely mahogany pencil box.
Now all that's left for me to do is find somewhere to put these... I thought, heading back towards civilization. Shops were closing up, and slowly, less and less people were occupying the streets, heading for their homes.
Holding my items close to me, I ran towards the Kaemon house and stand. I silently went to my room, put them down, and tip-toed through the hall to a small workshop. Conveniently, a box of nails and a hammer were right by the door. I grabbed them, sprinted back to my room, and grabbed one of the two scrolls, knowing which it was by the design showing, and discreetly headed back out.
Making sure I didn't make eye contact with any of the few people I passed--because I had become very well known in the town and they'd surely want to chat--I made my way to the center of town. I needed an open building, or a house in the area.
My eyes flickered about until I noticed a man standing in a doorway, his back facing mine. He was flipping a sign on his door from 'open' to 'closed'.
"Wait!!" I shouted, managing somehow to relieve one hand from holding the banner. I raised it high so he could see who was calling to him.
My luck high for once, he spotted me and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you need? I'm closing up..."
Half-running over to him, I shook my head. "I need nothing from your store. But I would like a favor."
"A favor? I don't even know you!" the man exclaimed, aghast.
"I'm Kaiyo. Nice to meet you!" I said a bit irritably; I needed to get this done! But the man took the hand I offered and shook it enthusiastically.
"You're the girl who's been helping out the Kaemon's, right? I don't know how they can spare the money!" He disbelievingly exclaimed; suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "They are paying you, aren't they? Because if they aren't, I could always--"
"They're paying me," I said shortly, taking my hand back so I could hold onto the three items.
"Oh. Okay!" The man sounded a bit disappointed. "Well, what is it that you need? And make it quick. I need to get to bed so I can wake up early."
"I was wondering if I could nail this scroll banner thingy onto the wooden square. You know. Right there by the door. It is meant for advertisements, isn't it?" I said, since the man was clearly confused.
"What?! You want to advertise another business on MY notice board?!"
"Well why not? It isn't as if they even do the same thing as you!"
"They could! You know better than I how desperate for money they are--they do whatever the customer needs!"
I rolled my eyes. "Please. I feel bad saying this but, it's so rare that a customer comes to the place that what you just said barely matters!" I caught sight of meat hanging in his shop window. "And plus. I dont think they'll be giving up any meat they manage to get a hold of."
The man scowled and began to weigh his options. Finally, he growled, "What do I get out of it?"
"The satisfaction of helping a family less fortunate than you," I replied bluntly as I thought to myself, What a selfish man. If this were my village and I had asked this, I would get a 'yes' in the blink of an eye!
"Well that doesn't seem like very much. In fact it isn't..."
I bit my lip to stifle the exasperated shout that was bubbling up inside my throat. "Yes, I know it may seem like a poor reward but, looking back at some point in time, when the Kaemons are thriving, you'll look back in satisfaction saying 'Hey! I let their helper put a simple banner on my notice board! It's thanks to me they're doing so well'!" I hoped the bitterness in my voice wasn't too noticeable; it was people like this guy, only worse, that had killed my sister. Now I had never liked selfish people but, since then, I couldn't stand to even look at the type.
"Well aren't you self confident," the man said, smirking slightly with raised brows. "You really think a simple advertisement will help them all that much?"
I shrugged. "You can decide that for yourself. Here. Take it and open it up--vertically."
The man easily slipped the large scroll and rolled it open.
"How is that an advertisement? It's merely a drawing of a cherry blossom tree at sunset!"
I rolled my eyes. "That's the back. Turn it around."
"Oh. Yes, of course," he murmured, fumbling with his hands as he went to turn it around. In an instant, his embarrassed expression went to shock of a sort.
"Hey! This is pretty good! You drew this?"
"Sure did," I said smugly. I tried not to be so proud, but it was hard when it involved my artwork. Ever since I was a kid, I had had an interest in drawing. Not only that, but I had a talent for it.
Reina wasn't just saying that.
"Hey kid, how old are you anyway?!" he asked, looking from me to the banner.
"Young enough," I said vaguely. "But not too young to have a talent. In more than one thing." My hand subconsciously moved towards the forehead protector on my thigh again.
"Hm. Well, I do admit it's very nice. Wouldn't disgrace my notice board, that's for sure." He grinned down at me. Then a thoughtful expression wafted over his features and his smile that made him look quite like a pig fell.
"Okay! I've decided. You go ahead and do what you need to do with my notice board. After all, it might draw people into my shop, right?"
"Right! That's the way to think!" I exclaimed, barely refraining from saying the words dancing at the tip of my tongue: Like the selfish pig you are!
"Okay, so go ahead and put it up. But try to keep it quiet, eh? I need my sleep."
I bit back the answer on the top of my tongue and merely nodded. Something about this man made my temper flare, and I didn't know what. Usually when I was around selfish people, I didn't get quite as irritated as I was getting speaking with this one man. So, obviously, there was something else about him, something I couldn't see.
"Well, I'll be going up now. I'll see you around, Kaiyo!" the man cheerily said and headed into his shop, the door slamming shut behind him.
I stared at the 'closed' sign on the door for a bit before finally taking the few steps towards the large, square plank attached to the front of his shop/house.
I gently set my advertisement for the Kaemon's shop on the ground before grabbing two nails from the box; I stuck one in my mouth as I firmly held the other in place, the tip digging into the wood. Taking my other hand, I hammered away until it was tightly stuck in there but there was still room to hang something. Directly next to the first one, I repeated the process with the other.
Smiling a little to myself, I stooped down and lifted up the banner, unrolling it as I straightened myself. My finger slipped under the loop of a ribbon and I held it there. It actually wasn't all that heavy, I realized with some relief, and then hung it on the two nails.
I smiled proudly to myself as I stood there, staring at it for a bit. As I read the dark black words that I had written on it, another idea of how I could help them popped into my head.
But first I have to take care of that other banner... I told myself, and took a step away from the butcher's shop. As I started walking slowly down the road, I resisted the temptation to run back to his shop, loudly wrap my knuckles on the door and shout at the top of my lungs 'I'm finished!!!'
Stop it Kaiyo!!! I scolded myself. This man, however selfish he may be, still allowed you to hang up the ad! Of course, he only decided to say yes because it might draw more business to him but...still!
"Oh how I really wanted to slap him though," I whispered to myself, and was immediately ashamed afterwards. I didn't know the man, so I had no right to think poorly of him.
But still...NO!!
Hoping that running would stop the ill-wishes for the stranger from coming into my mind, I took off at ninja speed through the rest of the village until I reached Natso and Oki's home.
Silently, I slipped inside through the side door. The room I was residing in was located nearby. Despite this, I silently crept through the halls, just in case they had gone to bed early again.
I cringed as my door creaked when I tapped my toe against it. Waiting a moment and looking around, I almost allowed myself a relieved sigh. But I couldn't take the chance. I stole inside, grabbed my other banner, and then hurried back outside with the hammer, nails, and new banner.
A few hours later, I wasn't sure exactly how man, I headed back inside, completely exhausted. Not only had I hung up the banner--above their stand, might I add. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy--I also cleaned. Every nook and cranny of that small little stand I dusted, swept, whatever. Through the darkness, I still had been able to see it was a huge improvement.
As soon as I changed into some pajamas that Oki had given me, I fell back on my bed and instantaneously was asleep.
a/n oh would you look at that! later has already come! so what did you think? next chapter, she's leaving, a little, insignificant spoiler. I'm not telling you what else is happening next chapter though because...well, honestly, I'm not sure myself. but I know that SOON she will be in Konoha and we can all be happy. see? HAPPY! also, if any of you read Butterfly Prophecy or Cherry Blossom Kiss, this story takes place a little later on. so when Kaiyo eventually meets either Emi or Cho (not telling you which) it's closer to the Chuunin exam time. not there yet, but closer. as in the Academy students have graduated, they have teams and all.
okay so that kind of gave it away. oh well. you people don't know the rest of that story...
enough of my ramblings! I'll speak to you later!!