Vigil of Sorrows
Chapter 8
"Meeting an Acquaintance"
…..
Beautiful.
The one word Sakura could think to describe this land was beautiful. It was almost the complete opposite of Kanashimi. The sky was bright and vibrant with colors. The ground was covered with rich grass and flowers, swaying in the light breeze.
An excited smile spread across the Shinobi's lips as she spread her arms out and closed her eyes, welcoming the drastic warmth of Yokusei. After a long week, the pinkette finally felt peaceful and…happy. Was it the effect of Yokusei on her? This place was so wonderful. What could be so bad about it? The sound of Itachi's soft voice reached her ears.
"Sakura-san."
Sakura opened her eyes and turned to him. "Yes?"
Itachi stepped closer to her and lifted a hand to her head. He brushed something out of her hair and, glancing to the side, she noticed they were flower petals. "You have flowers in your hair."
The Shinobi felt her cheeks heat up as the Uchiha lowered his hand. She giggled slightly to cover up her embarrassment. "It's windy and there are flowers. Where else are they supposed to go?"
"Hmm…" he replied before shaking his head. "I don't seem to have any in my hair."
Sakura lifted her gaze to his dark hair and smirked. 'It would be funny if he did have flowers in his hair.' "That's a shame. I feel foolish being the only one with them in my hair."
"No need to feel foolish," Itachi replied, walking past her. "It would not be the same if they were in mine."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked before moving to fall in step beside him.
Itachi looked at her and tilted his head, "it compliments you better."
Sakura rose a hand to her pink hair and ran her fingers through it. "I suppose it does."
The pinkette smiled slightly as she remembered how she used to feel about her hair. When she was six she hated it because it was such an unusual color. No one else in Konoha had rosy pink hair.
Sakura sat on her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and her head buried in her knees. Her eyes were wet with the tears she'd been shedding for nearly an hour.
There was a quiet knock on her bedroom door and her father stepped inside. He smiled comfortingly at her and shut the door behind him. "I know what's bothering you, Sakura." He then proceeded to cross the distance of the room and sit beside her on the bed where he pulled her into a loving embrace. "But I don't understand why."
The young girl sniffed and returned the hug. "I don't look like anyone else. Why did I end up this way?"
"There's nothing wrong with being different. Let me tell you something. I decided to name you Sakura not only because your hair is the color of cherry blossoms, but because it's unique like you are. The pink you are ashamed of is actually a gift. A gift that reflects who you are." Kizashi pulled away and lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. "You are my daughter and you are unlike anyone else. Be proud of that, Sakura."
Sakura felt a smile form and she nodded. "Okay, Daddy. I will. I promise."
Kizashi returned the smile, but it was playful. "I doubt you'll worry about that by the time you start liking boys. That feature will probably be what attracts them to you first."
The pinkette scrunched her nose in disgust. "Boys? Eww."
He only laughed and kissed her forehead. "Trust me. You'll feel differently in about two years."
Sakura's smile widened. He father always knew what to say in order to cheer her up. He was right, though. She learned to accept her unique hair color and never worried about it again after that conversation. Also, it was around the time she turned eight that her crush on Sasuke started. It was about a month after they started at the Ninja Academy. He was always very talented and she was impressed by his skills, along with everyone else in their class. However, that was only what made her admire him.
Haruno Sakura swung back and forth on the swing outside the Academy, digging her bare feet into the soft grass. Her father was late today and all the other kids had already been picked up by their parents. She sighed and focused her gaze on the ground as she waited.
The sound of the Academy door closing and the scuffling of someone's feet as they ran made Sakura raise her head and locate the source of the disturbance.
A boy who appeared to be about her age was running in her direction. She instantly recognized the familiar spiky black hair atop the head of Uchiha Sasuke. He appeared to be in a hurry and only stopped running when he was in front of her. He looked around him quickly, but dropped his head in disappointment.
Sakura was concerned and proceeded to ask, "Umm, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke lifted his head and stared at her in confusion. "Do I know you?"
"N-no. Well, sort of. We're in the same class together."
The Uchiha simply nodded and looked around himself again.
"I think it's fantastic how talented you are! Where did you learn to throw kunais like that?" Sakura asked curiously. She had always wondered and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask.
He glanced back at her briefly before returning his attention back to the Academy. "My brother."
Sakura smiled. "Really? He must be a very good teacher."
As she stated this, a figure walked around the corner and Sasuke's face instantly lit up. "Nii-san!" He ran to the man and hugged him.
Sakura couldn't hear anything that they said, but Sasuke was smiling happily up at the newcomer. She had never seen him smile before and it made her heart throb to see it.
Sakura lifted her arm and placed it on her chest, where she felt the beats of her heart. The memory of that day made it beat quickly. Her eyes widened as she realized something. 'That was Itachi! I never put that together before now, but I saw Itachi that day, too!' She lifted her emerald gaze to the Uchiha beside her once more, but was surprised to see his eyes already on her.
"Itachi," she started hesitantly.
"Hmm?"
She bit her bottom lip, but asked, "how many years older are you than Sasuke-kun?"
"About five years," he replied.
Sakura nodded before placing a hand on the top of her head and stretching her arm out in a straight path to Itachi's shoulder. "Hmm. I think you were shorter then."
"Shorter when, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked.
The pinkette tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully. "If he was eight, then that would mean you were thirteen."
Sakura lowered her arm from his shoulder when she felt him stiffen slightly. Was it something she said? Maybe her approach to this topic was awkward for him. Perhaps she should try something else? "Did you ever go to the Ninja Academy after you graduated?"
"Did I…What do you mean?"
"I'm just trying to confirm something. Now answer my question," Sakura demanded.
"I suppose I did, every now and then," Itachi responded.
Sakura smiled and snapped her fingers. "That probably was you then!"
The Uchiha shook his head, "Sakura-san, I am going to be perfectly honest with you…" he paused a moment before continuing, "I don't have any idea what you're talking about."
"You don't?" Sakura pondered this a moment before asking, "Would you like an explanation?"
Sakura noticed Itachi smile slightly before nodding, "Aa, if you would be so kind as to offer me one."
"Okay," she responded, stopping in her tracks and proceeding to sit comfortably in the grass. She met his gaze as he turned around and patted the spot beside her.
Itachi nodded rather slowly and approached her where he then lowered one knee to the ground. Sakura understood the gesture he gave and sighed. "Alright. Let me think…this was about a month after Sasuke-kun and I started attending the Ninja Academy. I'll start from the beginning." She paused, waiting for his approval to continue.
Itachi nodded and she smiled in return before stating, "Ever since our first day at the Academy, Sasuke-kun showed talent as a Shinobi. Everyone saw it."
"Yes, he was top of his class, I believe," Itachi replied.
Sakura nodded. "Yes, he was. Anyway, because of this, all the girls in our class adored him, but I didn't at the time."
Itachi remained silent so she decided to continue, "Until the day I mentioned, a month or so, my dad was late picking me up and everyone else was gone, except Sasuke-kun. I didn't know he was still there at first, but I did after he ran out of the Academy. He kept looking around and I was worried so I started a conversation with him. I was always curious how he learned to throw kunais so well during practice so I asked him and he told me his brother taught him."
Her Uchiha companion smiled at something, but Sakura guessed it had something to do with what she said. Looking at her, he said, "Aa, I did."
"I thought that was very impressive and I said you must've been a great teacher, but he never answered me because, and I only just realized this, you showed up. He looked so happy to see you and hugged you as soon as he saw you. That was the first time, and maybe only time, I ever saw Sasuke-kun smile," Sakura stated cheerfully.
She noticed a faint sadness in his eyes as he mused aloud, "Sasuke…used to smile all the time…"
The smile disappeared from Sakura's face. "He did? Who would've guessed?"
Itachi simply nodded and she watched as his eyes turned to the large field. Was this her doing? Had she unknowingly brought up something he would've preferred to forget?
Returning his attention back to her with a small smile, he stated, "You were the child on the swing."
"Yes, I was. Did you just remember that?"
Itachi nodded and responded, "I did. I didn't even notice you at the time."
Sakura grinned slightly, "That's alright. I didn't know it was you at the time either."
"Hmm…" he mused. Itachi then lifted his hand and rested it against her arm, only a few inches above the ground. "You were quite a bit shorter then, as well."
Sakura furrowed her brows at this. "I was not that short, Itachi."
"Well, then…" he lifted his hand slightly and stopped beside her shoulder. "How about this?"
"Hmm…" She dropped her gaze to his hand and shook her head. "Not even close."
The pinkette watched as he reached forward and extended both his middle and index fingers before placing them gently on her forehead. Itachi titled his head and met her gaze with his. "How's that?"
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. Why did he just do that? That was certainly strange. Maybe it was just something he liked to do. She shrugged and replied, "t-that seems about right…Itachi."
It was indeed strange that he did that, but even more so that she didn't mind. She had always been sensitive about the wideness of her forehead and yet, it didn't seem to matter right now.
After a moment, Itachi nodded and lowered his hand. Though it was only for a few seconds, she missed the feeling of his touch, but she knew she would just get over it soon anyway.
He sighed and directed his attention back to their surroundings, "you ready to continue, Sakura-san?"
"What?" Sakura asked, still slightly dazed. After a second, she processed what he had asked and nodded firmly. "Yes. Let's go!"
Itachi then rose to his feet and looked to her before extending his hand, a slight smile forming.
Sakura grinned and slid her hand into his. "I promise not to shove it away this time."
The Uchiha nodded. She watched as his smile grew before he gently pulled her to her feet. She expected him to let go off her hand the second she was standing, but instead he glanced down at it. "You…have a really small hand, Sakura-san."
"What?" Sakura followed his gaze and blushed slightly. "Maybe you just have a big hand, Itachi."
Itachi tilted his head, his eyes not wavering from their scrutiny. "Hmm….no, mine is an average size." He then looked to her, "but I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's rather fitting, considering the proportions of its owner."
Sakura giggled. "So you're saying my hand is suited for me. In that case," she extended her other hand and rubbed his softly, "yours is fitting for you, as well."
For a moment, Itachi was silent before nodding his head. "Thank you, Sakura-san."
"You're welcome, Itachi. Thank you for helping me up," Sakura said with a smile.
The Uchiha returned her smile and nodded, "of course."
Itachi lifted his gaze to the sky then and Sakura tried following it, hoping to discern what he was looking at. In vain, she stared at the sky and frowned as she dropped her gaze. It fell onto his hand, which she was still holding between her own.
She was debating whether or not she should say something to her companion when she suddenly heard a strange noise and Itachi moved her out of the way of something. Quickly spinning around, Sakura caught a glimpse of a strange man as he ran down a distant hill and out of sight.
Sakura was bewildered by this and looked up at Itachi for an explanation. "What…was that?"
Itachi sighed before shaking his head, "You remember when you laughed at my being placed within the land of madness? Well…there's a reason this place is called that. The people here are…for lack of a better word, insane."
Sakura recalled the other day when she laughed in The Court of Tortured Souls. It sounded so amusing that Itachi had been in the land of madness, but after witnessing that maybe it wasn't something to laugh at. "Okay. Just out of curiosity, how insane are they?"
Itachi shrugged before replying, "It differs. It ranges from a man beating fish against the dock to having them announce their devotion to you as some representation of an ancient, aquatic god."
"Wait, someone thought you were a god?" Sakura asked through a chuckle.
"Yes, actually," Itachi nodded. "Tinderwood was his name. An extremely eccentric sort of fellow. Perhaps you'll meet him, when we reach the village."
Sakura placed a hand on her hip as she smirked. "Well, then stop stalling."
Itachi raised a brow. "Sakura-san, if you recall, I was not the one who decided to stop and sit in the grass to converse over something we could have spoken of while walking."
"Okay, but you were the one who made that comment about the size of my hand. We might've been there by now if you hadn't," she countered.
He glanced down and Sakura followed suit, realizing she was still holding his hand, but he withdrew it and walked past her. "You're just exaggerating now."
Sakura scoffed, "Well, so what?"
Itachi glanced back at her with a smile, "stop stalling, Sakura-san."
"Hmm." Sakura lifted her chin and quickly moved to catch up to him. "then stop responding to everything I say."
"I don't wish to appear rude," Itachi replied simply.
The pinkette offered him a genuine smile. "Don't worry about it. Itachi, I don't care what others say, but you're a true gentleman."
Itachi glanced at her, but didn't say anything in response. He simply returned her smile before a silence ensued.
Sakura found it ironic how much quieter of a traveling companion Itachi could be than Naruto. Though he was one of her dearest friends, Naruto would rarely be quiet and he always spoke in a booming voice. It was a drastic contrast, but she welcomed it contentedly.
Itachi eventually broke the silence, saying, "In that case, Sakura-san, despite how you might come across to others…you don't annoy me at all."
The Shinobi lifted her gaze to him again with a grateful smile. He was obviously referring to Sasuke. "Thank you, Itachi. I appreciate it."
He nodded and they continued walking in silence. Sakura didn't want to disturb Itachi's thoughts so she instead looked to the terrain once more. The sky was starting darken, but it was still as enchanting as before. She noticed the temperature was still the same and was grateful she had returned the coat she borrowed from the Tachikawas. Glancing down at her short-sleeved shirt, Sakura's eyes widened. How could she forget that there was a coffee stain down the front of her shirt?
"There's a man there we can speak with. He's from Kanashimi," Itachi stated.
Sakura nodded her head. "Do you think he has anything to clean this out?"
"Pardon?"
She tore her gaze from her top and directed it at him. "My shirt. It still has a stain from that coffee I spilt."
Itachi lowered his eyes to her shirt a moment then they met hers again as he nodded. "It's possible, though it really isn't all that noticeable considering your shirt is red."
Sakura furrowed her brow. "Now Itachi, this is you we're talking about. Normally I would trust your opinion, but when it comes to this, I don't think it's such a good idea…considering."
"Why would you not trust my opinion on this?" Itachi inquired.
"Well, because of your eyes," Sakura answered bluntly.
The Uchiha nodded. "Ah yes. My eyes." Itachi then directed his attention ahead of them, where she noticed a town was.
Was this the one he was referring to in his earlier statement? 'Makes sense,' Sakura thought as she followed Itachi down the hill.
"In any case, let's just wait and ask the man if he can help you out with that."
"Okay," Sakura nodded, "I just hope he can." They were now in front of the village where she supposed was the entrance. Only it was blocked by a pile of rubble and she lifted a questioning brow at this. "Wow. What happened here?"
Itachi looked at her then followed her gaze. "Oh. Not sure." He then proceeded to walk past it and venture into the town.
Sakura glanced at the destruction of rock briefly before she ran to catch up to him. She noticed a few civilians were stepping out of their houses and various places of the street. 'What interesting people.'
A strange, cloaked man approached them when they reached the center of the town. He walked in a demeanor that concerned Sakura, considering he had his head bent low and seemed to stumble over his own feet as he walked. He came to a stop in front of them then suddenly grabbed Sakura's hand. 'What the hell?'
She noticed Itachi place his hand at his side, which was where he kept a weapon of some sort, she guessed. 'Probably his dagger.'
"What are you-" Itachi began, but the man interrupted him.
"Mmm," he responded before he lifted the girl's hand to face. He then sniffed it, "the smell…is better than the taste."
Sakura blinked. Who was this freak? The Leader wasn't kidding about there being some sort of madness curse. This cloaked man was crazy.
Itachi broke her from this reverie by quickly grasping her wrist and forcing her hand out of the stranger's grip. He then lifted his dagger to the man's chest. "Move along."
The mysterious man only chuckled gruffly in response before quickly rushing out of the town. Itachi then relaxed and returned his dagger to its former place before he released Sakura's wrist. "Remain vigilant with these people. I had one attempt to kill me within the first village I came across."
Sakura had anticipated crazy, but she never imagined something like that. What was the point of that interaction? Who walked up to a person and randomly sniffed their hand?
Another man quickly approached them from behind and punched Itachi in the arm. When the Uchiha turned to him, all the man did was hold up two fingers then disappear.
'What was that about? Who are all these freaks? Did he, maybe, mistake Itachi for someone else he knew?' Sakura shook her head and decided it was probably unimportant. Recalling where they were headed, she asked, "Who is this person we're meeting? You said he's from Kanashimi, right?"
Itachi nodded then turned and motioned to a stable a short distance away, "he lives there."
"Ohh..." Sakura responded. After a moment, she snapped her fingers excitedly, "he's your informant, isn't he?"
It was strange, but Itachi laughed. Uchiha Itachi laughed. It had a very sweet sound to it and Sakura found herself liking the way it sounded. 'Was this the first time I heard him laugh?'
"Yes," Itachi nodded, "that would be him." He then made his way to the house by the stable and knocked upon the door.
As the wooden door was opened, a man poked his head outside. He seemed to be worried about something as he was looking around the area, but motioned for Itachi to enter his house.
The Uchiha nodded, but looked to Sakura and moved to the side instead of entering. "She's my traveling companion," Itachi said. "Sakura."
Sakura saw the man smile as she led the way into the house then the man shut the door behind them. He then turned to Sakura and held his hand out to her, "well met. My name is Gregor Youngling."
The pinkette grasped his hand and shook it in greeting. "Hello. It's nice to meet you, too. As you've already been told, my name is Sakura."
"It's a very pretty sounding name," Gregor told her before releasing his hold. Turning to Itachi, he said, "I did not expect to see you back, my friend. Why have you returned so soon?"
Itachi sighed. "Something has come up. We came seeking your insight, Gregor."
"My insight?" the man asked, confused.
Itachi nodded. For several moments, Gregor was silent before he motioned to the table. "Why don't you take a seat and I will prepare some tea. We will go into the details then." He then shifted his gaze to Sakura, "do you like tea, miss?"
Sakura giggled slightly as she glanced briefly in Itachi's direction before answering, "Yes, I do. What kind do you have?"
Gregor shrugged and turned to his cabinet, which he pulled a wooden box out of. "Just the standard flavor. There are some components of herb and mint as well as a hint of spice."
"Spice, huh? I like that," Sakura replied with a smile. "I would love some."
The man nodded before returning the smile and starting the preparations for the tea.
Sakura watched as Itachi crossed the room to the table and proceeded to casually sit in one of the chairs, resting his head on his fist.
"What if I wanted to sit there, Itachi?" Sakura jested.
"You were stalling again, Sakura-san," Itachi said, smiling slightly.
Sakura mock-pouted and moved to sit in the chair beside the Uchiha's. "This chair is probably better anyway. Serves you right."
"Perhaps it was my intention that you should have the better chair."
Her eyes widened in false astonishment. "Itachi! I'm honored that you thought of me."
The Uchiha tilted his head, "Why so surprised, Sakura-san? I seem to recall you having referred to me as a 'true gentleman'."
"Okay, I'll give you that one. However, it feels like this gentleman thing doesn't give much benefit to you."
"It's not supposed to," he explained, "it would defeat the purpose, I think."
"Hmm. So why do it?"
"Well," Itachi paused a moment before looking to her, "because I want to."
"That doesn't exactly answer my question," Sakura retorted.
"Are you perhaps actually trying to determine why I'm acting this way towards you in particular?" Itachi asked.
Sakura forced a scoff and crossed her arms. "Don't be ridiculous. I was just wondering why someone would choose to be a gentleman. Simple curiosity."
He smiled slightly as he replied, "hmm, well then, I suppose it's not always a choice. It's just a part of who I am."
Sakura recalled again that conversation she had with her father about her hair. It was a part of who she was. She smiled, "It makes you…unique."
"Does it?" Itachi asked.
"Yes," Sakura nodded. "Though I'm sure are plenty of people who would be considered 'gentleman', they still behave in different ways. Isn't gentleman basically a title anyway? It's up to you how to act under this title and that's the difference. It reflects your own unique personality."
Itachi nodded. "I agree that everyone is unique, but holding that title does not explicitly make me unique. A fact you amended when you stated that it simply serves to reflect my defining characteristics, right?"
Sakura shrugged. "Yes and no. I wassaying that it defines you personality, which make you you. And the title also contributes to being who you are. They both make up your unique self."
After a moment, Itachi asked, "Mind if I ask you something then, Sakura-san?"
"No," she replied simply.
He nodded. "How much do you really know about me?"
"Only what I've seen and heard. Why?"
"Because, I figured it was appropriate to the present context," Itachi replied. "What is it exactly, that you have seen and heard?"
Sakura pondered her answer. What had she seen and heard? First of all, there was what she read about his Shinobi abilities in the library and she heard rumors about his skills from people here and there. There was what Kakashi had told, what Naruto had told her, though barely anything, and mainly things about him and Sasuke, including the …massacre.
However, there was also the Itachi she was now speaking to. He was easy to talk to, which wasn't always easy to find in a person, but he didn't like talking about his family, for obvious reasons, and it seemed like he cared about them a lot. So many things she knew about him contradicted each other and she didn't even know how she felt about it.
Sakura laughed lightly. "You have a split personality," she joked, unable to seriously answer the question with all this confusion.
Itachi sighed and nodded. "Alright then, Sakura-san. We'll discuss this sometime later then."
"Okay, Itachi," Sakura nodded. Glancing at his hand, she remembered something she did know about him. "You said your favorite color is purple. Why are your nails painted that color?"
"Uhm, it's…just part of the uniform, I suppose," he responded.
"Who designed that uniform?"
"You disapprove of it?" Itachi asked, smiling slightly.
"Well…" Sakura began, "it doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would really compliment anyone's appearance. And it's very obvious who you are when you see the red clouds."
The Uchiha nodded, "true, it does. I believe it should be more covert, definitely. However, as most in the organization aren't necessarily concerned with a confrontation, covert was obviously disregarded as being unnecessary." He paused, "and I'm sure they weren't designed for appearance sake."
"Or someone's cheap," she added with a smirk.
"Aa," he nodded, "our financial advisor does not allow for excess spending."
Sakura furrowed her brows. "Financial advisor? What sort of organization is Akatsuki?"
Itachi tilted his head and there was silence for a moment, "well…I'm afraid I can't really divulge into too much information on that point. I'm not even privy to everything concerning Akatsuki's intentions."
"You're not?" Akatsuki was definitely a strange organization. S-Ranked criminal in a group together wearing cloaks with red clouds on them and having polished nails was very unusual. They even had a person who limited the spending of the members.
He shook his head, "No. We're an organization of some of the most notorious criminals of our time. There isn't exactly a great amount of trust there. We also have past affiliations to different countries, some who have been enemies for countless generations."
"Oh," Sakura nodded. "They sound like very dangerous people. Itachi…why did you join a group like that?"
Itachi smiled sadly, "I'm one of those notorious criminals, Sakura-san."
Sakura dropped her gaze to the table, downcast. Even if she said something to deny it, that wouldn't change the truth. Itachi was a criminal. Why did it make her feel sad to admit that to herself? "You're right, Itachi," Sakura replied before lifting her gaze and offering him a small smile. "Where's Gregor with that tea?"
The Shinobi wanted to break this tension that suddenly appeared between the two of them, but Gregor, she noticed, had been gone for a while. She dropped her gaze back to the table and traced an imaginary Hidden Leaf symbol on the wood. Two mugs were then placed on the table and the delightful scent of the herbs caused Sakura to slowly lift her head and see Itachi sit down and take a sip of his tea.
"Even though I'm classified or 'titled' as a criminal, I will admit that you probably know me better than anyone else in the organization, as that's all they see me as."
Sakura glanced back down at her tea and took a slow sip, prolonging her response. Setting the cup back down, she met his onyx gaze. "I don't even know how well I know you. It's not that comforting knowing the fact that I might only know you better than a bunch of criminals who couldn't care less."
Itachi shrugged, "I feel like I can be myself around you."
Sakura cocked her head to the side curiously. "Are you saying you don't act like yourself around everyone?"
"Aa," Itachi smiled slightly, "everyone but you."
Sakura smiled. "Really?" She felt herself blushing again and averted her attention to her tea, of which she proceeded to take a long sip.
She heard him exhale and lifted her gaze back to him as he took a sip of tea. Setting his mug on the table, he smiled and looked at her. "Hell yeah, Sakura-san."
Sakura laughed. Itachi always seemed to know the right thing to say to cheer her up. "You're very good with words, Itachi."
"Thank you," he nodded.
"You're welcome, Itachi," Sakura replied. She then remembered something else he said and smiled, "You said before that Sasuke-kun used to smile all the time. What about you?"
"I did," he replied simply.
Her smile widened warmly. "It sounds like you were both very happy."
Itachi nodded again in response, "we were."
There was silence between the two of them before Gregor reentered the house through the door.
"Sorry about that," he said, "had to feed the horses."
The man then prepared his own cup of tea and sat across from them. "Now then…what is it you need, my friend?"
