All this time
I can make it right
With one more try
Can we start again?
He watched her for some time, trying to figure out a way to get close to her. Talking to Mari was not an option yet. What would he even say to her? What could he do with her? She didn't remember him enough to willingly ask him to hang out, and he didn't dare ask her himself.
He sighed, watching as she did circus tricks on the street. The smile on her face was bright and contagious, never faltering as she did back bends and flips and splits that showed her flexibility. The small crowd that gathered around her and a little boy went up to shake her hand while she did a hand stand. She kindly shook his back, and then stood right side up so she could meet him properly.
Sasuke frowned. Never had he seen Mari smile as much as she did just now. Never had he seen her be so kind to people so easily, when before she would wait until they proved to show respect. The old Mari would never show her talents in public places; she liked to keep people on their toes and be unpredictable. Now here she was showing off in front of people, and for what? What did she have to gain for joining a circus?
"Oh, hello Sasuke!"
His thought process was shattered by the voice that could sooth his soul in a second. Now the girl stood before him and although his feelings for her were still there, he felt as if there was a wall between them that he couldn't get pass.
"How are you, Mari?" he said, trying to act normal.
"I'm good. Just trying to brighten the spirits of these folks is all," she said pointing to the disappearing crowd behind her.
He frowned at her answer. If she was distracted with them how did she know I was watching her? "Say Mari, how come you perform now?"
She shrugged. "The circus I'm a part of raises money to help out orphanages. Once in a while I go out on my own and perform just to make people smile and they donate just because they want to. I don't think I'd want to go back to being a ninja."
"You remember being a ninja?" he asked in hope.
"Not really," she said carefully, causing him to deflate a bit. "Naruto brought it up before when he noticed I wasn't…training like I guess I used to. I don't think I have a violent bone in my body."
"Being a ninja isn't always violent. You could become a medical ninja, or be trained in the Interrogation Squad." Anything I can relate to again.
She smiled. "Sorry, but I like what I do now. It won't change my opinion of you though!"
He nodded, but he felt broken. The girl he came back for wasn't remotely close to who she used to be. She still had a fire about her that he appreciated, but she wasn't someone he could relate to anymore. Giving up usually wasn't an option, but Sasuke no longer knew what to do.
He watched her walking away towards a girl who was a knife thrower. She tossed the blades carelessly at her targets and hit a bull's eye each time, earning the amusement of another crowd. He shook his head unimpressed since he's seen the skill numerous times before, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of Mari. From what it seemed, she volunteered to stand in front of the girl's target so that she could aim knives around her.
It's funny how something so simple can entertain ordinary citizens. For them, the girl missing Mari by mere inches was like magic. For Sasuke, it was a simple skill about precision. However, he caught how the girl's eyes widened at her recently thrown blade. He noticed the frown on Mari's face as she eyed it aiming right for her arm. Before Sasuke could run over to catch it himself, Mari had caught it between her fingers and threw it back at her friend. Catching it, her friend stared at Mari in shock while the crowd remained blissfully ignorant and applauded, thinking it was part for their act.
Sasuke's mouth hung wide open. Mari forgot all of her ninja skills, yet she just caught a knife and threw it back within seconds. A small smirk started to form on his face. Maybe she forgot her skills, but they're so innate that she's not aware of what she can really do until it happens.
He could use that to his advantage.