4
Nightshade's purple blooms
Kisses death on foolish lips
Cannot harm its bee
Six-year-old Inazuma squatted by the edge of the frozen stream, barely daring to breathe. Would she really die if she told anyone? She stole a furtive glance towards the bush that was hiding the man with red hair. It wasn't healthy for him to be lying in the snow with nothing but a cloak on. Should she help him? He could die! Maybe if she helped him, he would forgive her, and she could tell everyone what she wanted. This fear of speaking dug deep into her bones, clashing with her talkative nature.
She dug a thermos out of the pocket of her coat and peeked around the bush.
There he was, still lying there.
Her breath gasped clouds into the air.
Trembling, she skirted around the bush and came to the side where his head was, away from the poisoned cable.
"H-hello?"
She thought she heard a hiss, and swallowed back her fear. Ninjas must be courageous.
"I-I have some tea. It's in a thermos, so it should still be warm. I thought… I thought you might like it. It's dangerous to lie out in the cold."
She nearly swallowed her tongue when he tipped his head back so that he faced her.
"Go away, brat," he said softly, "I have no use for hot tea."
His voice wasn't raspy like before. It was like air, stirring and floating restlessly, like a prince in a stone dungeon. She swallowed.
"You'll get frostbite. Mum always tells me to be careful of letting my body temperature drop too much outside."
Eyes, flat and brown, stared up at her from behind red bangs. Then he blinked them closed, as though falling asleep.
"I'm sure your mother is very wise. Why not go home to her, brat?"
"But…"
"Leave me alone," he said sharply, "I'll be fine."
This time, whether it was a lie or not depended on luck. If enemy ninja found him while he was here, in this state (seriously depleted of chakra and unable to do more than twitch a little), he would not be fine. It was true, though, that the cold didn't bother him.
But the girl didn't leave.
"Where do you live?" He asked.
She jumped. Then frowned, "Mum says not to tell strangers."
He snorted softly, "Do you know then, where I am? I'm a little lost, brat, you see. Could you tell me what villages I might be near?"
"Um… Well, we are pretty close to the Village Hidden in the Clouds." And then she added brightly, "My parents are ninjas!"
He frowned. Just his luck.
"You remember what I said about the poison, don't you, brat?"
"That I would die if I told anyone about you?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"Good. Now go."
She turned and scrambled back away, feeling relieved and worried to be away from his presence. And then the fear struck again as she remembered the bloody-haired man's warning. She knew death was bad. She knew she would die if she spoke about him.
But could she hide the truth from her mother?