3
Fear's metallic taste
Stings like lighting on my tongue
Burning on a gale
Years later, the other girls started wearing skirts and shorts to do two things at once: deal with the heat of summer, and tease the boys. But Inazuma refused to follow suit. She would always wear long, tough pants that went down to her ankles, with silvery shin guards over them, no matter how hot the day was.
And she would never tell them why.
Just shrugging, "It's comfortable and practical, too," as she remembered the man with the blood red hair that she'd stumbled across in the snow.
"Really, Ina, I don't know how you can possibly stand the heat," her orange-haired friend Kamomi would laugh, her freckled nose crinkling and shining with sweat. The third member of their genin team, a tall, gangly boy named Shin would roll his eyes and simply pour some water from his bottle over his inconveniently black hair.
"One day, when I'm the only one standing after a fight, you guys'll forgive me."
"I don't see how long pants will help you be the last one standing," Kamomi snorted.
Inazuma fiddled with the end of her braid and stared at her feet.
"Well, you will see. One day," she muttered, almost loud enough for her teammates to hear.