"Bah! I'm so bored!" Setsuko whined as she lay on her couch. Still dressed in her night dress, she had yet to get up and get dressed even though it was 9am. Kazeku would surely have a fit if he knew. "Ugh, two days in this desert and I'm already bored out of my mind." She sat up quickly, "I'm going out!"
It wasn't impossible for her to leave the premises, but it was very difficult indeed. It didn't help with two ANBU on the same floor as her, making leaving just the floor nearly impossible. But not completely! With a determined grin, she quickly got off the couch and made to get ready for her day. She took a bath to clean herself up, combing out her wet hair to straighten it. Opening the closet door, she picked out a dress to wear and laid it on the bed as she did her hair. Taking her long hair, she parted her hair down the middle and wrapped them both into small buns at the back of her head, leaving enough hair to dangle from them. With the free hair, she braided them and tied them off; now her hair only went to the middle of her back. Smiling to herself, she turned to her clothes and put them on.
Sticking her head out the door to her room, she looked up and down the hall to see if the ANBU were roaming the halls. Slowly she stepped out of the room, trying to shut the door as silently as possible and sneak down the hall. So far so good, she didn't hear anything but her own heartbeat. She wondered if they were even in their rooms. There was a sound from one of the rooms that caused her to freeze momentarily. When nothing happened, she sighed in relief and continued to sneak down the hall.
"Princess Setsuko, please return to you room," the voice of Aoi called from one of the rooms.
Setsuko froze instantly hearing the voice of the female ANBU. How did she hear her? She was sure she was being quiet! Hanging her head, she sighed and trudged back to her room in defeat. There was no going outside at this rate. She got dressed for no reason. The second she closed the door to her room she looked at the window in the living room; maybe it wasn't a lost cause after all. Opening the window she looked down at the four flights of distance between her and the ground.
"Oh man…that's a long way down," she chuckled and she worked up the nerve to do what she was thinking of doing. Looking back at the door over her shoulder and back down at the ground, "This is probably a bad idea…."
Stepping onto the window sill, she crouched down and slowly began to climb down the side of the building. She must be crazy for doing this! What was she thinking? This wasn't any higher than her palace but at least there she had things to use to climb on; there was nothing here. This definitely had to be the dumbest idea she's had in a while. The sand beneath her fingers burned as its heat contrasted her cold, but she had to endure it if she didn't want to fall. Slowly and carefully she made her way down, hearing people murmur as they noticed her climbing like an idiot without any support.
"I really need a pair of pants for this kind of crap…" she grumbled to herself feeling a little vulnerable doing this in a dress.
Her eyes widened and she gasped as her foot slipped. She screamed as she began to fall, her hands outstretched. Everyone below looked on in shock and horror that she was going to fall to her death. Setsuko shut her eyes, waiting for the impending impact when she felt a jerk at her shoulders. Hissing in pain, she opened her eyes to see her feet still dangling above the ground. She was still alive! Looking up, she sighed in relief when she saw that she had luckily caught onto the window ledge of the second floor window. Pulling herself up a little, she looked over her shoulder at the ground; it wasn't that far down now. Taking a deep breath, she let go. The skirt of her dress billowed out around her, rustling in the wind as she fell towards the ground. Her feet slammed into the ground firmly as she finally made it. Standing with confidence, she wiped her brow and wiped her hands.
"Piece of cake!" she exclaimed happily. Looking around, she noticed all the people staring at her strangely and quickly covered her face and ran away.
Her sandals slapped against the dirt as she ran from the crowd that had watched her climb out of the hotel window. Running around a corner, she stopped to catch her breath. Well that was dumb. Now those two ANBU are gonna know I left, she thought with an audible groan. Tilting her head back against the wall of the building she was standing against, she gave a big sigh, her shoulders going up and down before she turned towards the other opening. So much for a clean getaway, but she was sure she had a bit of time before they would go searching for her. Walking towards the sunlight, she emerged to a bustling marketplace.
Big blue eyes blinked furiously as they watched amazed at all the people. She had never been around so many; Kazeku never let her physically interact with her people. He was so old fashion it made her feel old, even at the age of eighteen! Trying hard to blend in to the people around her, she shyly walked down the street having people look at her. The sweet, light blue dress she wore stood out in all this color of browns and reds. The neckline was square and slightly off the shoulders, the sleeves puffy and all lined with white lace, while the skirt had a darker blue pattern of leaves and vines swirling around. Hanging her head, she really did still out like a sore thumb, but these colors and kinds of clothes were normal for where she came from. She really didn't know anything at all about Suna.
Looking up, she saw that she had walked right in front of a clothing store. How lucky was she?! She smiled to herself and hastily ran inside. Inside was fairly plain; it reminded her of her room at the inn. There were a few girls shopping around, but otherwise it was deserted. Happily she began looking around, trying to find some clothes that would make her look more like she belonged in this village. It was also a good plan considering she didn't want to make any assassin's job easier at spotting her.
She didn't know how long she had been shopping for clothes, but when she finally had, she was carrying a lot of bags! Stepping into one of their dressing rooms, she stripped out of her blue dress and decided on wearing some of the new clothes she picked out. Picking out an olive green midriff shirt with only one sleeve and pair of dark brown short with fake laces, she looked over her body. The silver necklace with a sapphire pendant stood out against the darker, earth tones compared to her icy ones. Dropping it behind her new shirt, only the silver chain could be seen against her pale skin. Slipping her sandals back on and stuffing her dress into a bag, she ran out of the store to explore the marketplace some more.
Carrying her many bags, she walked down the street looking at all the things there was to see. Children ran by playing with each other, couples went shopping together with smiles, and vendors were cheerful as they made their money. So this was what it was like to walk in a city. She really wished that she could do this all the time. Everyone seemed so happy here, very different from her home. Or maybe this was how her home was she just wasn't able to experience it. Setsuko greatly wanted to connect with her people but her annoying royal advisor never seemed to let her. He was always so strict with her. She wondered if Gaara interacted with his people where she couldn't. He didn't really seem the type to her but it was certainly a nice thought.
"Excuse me ma'am!" a voice called out to her, breaking Setsuko from her thoughts.
She looked over curiously, "Me?" she asked pointing to herself.
"Yes you!" a man replied with a big toothy smile. "Have you ever tried Sun Flakes?"
Walking over to the booth, she looked at him and then to what he was selling. The whole booth seemed to be dedicated to little flakes in the shape of suns. "No, I can't say I have. What are they?"
He looked at her a little surprised, "Never heard of Sun Flakes you say?! Well they're only the greatest delicacy here in Suna!"
"Really?" she inquired, staring at the small flakes sitting in mounds.
The man held out a hand with a single Sun Flake in it, "Here, try one on the house!" She graciously took it from him and popped it in her mouth, "But be warned, they're spicy."
Setsuko smiled as the savory spices danced on her taste buds, "Mmm!" It was so delicious! However that smile quickly faded when the true spices took over. She yelped in agony as her mouth was set ablaze, "Ahah! Why didn't you tell me it was that spicy to begin with?!"
"But I did," he chuckled.
"They're spicy, doesn't begin to cover it!" she shouted, using her fingers to make quotes as she spoke his words.
He couldn't help but laugh at her, "Well I'm sorry I didn't give a better warning ma'am."
"However!" she started, staring him down making him a little uncomfortable, "I'll take a big bag!" she exclaimed beaming at him.
Composing a large bag of Sun Flakes for her, he handed it to her as she handed him the money. Thanking him for the food, she opened the bag and began munching on the crunchy little flakes. As she happily strolled down the marketplace eating and hearing the cheer in everyone around her, Setsuko stopped in front of what looked like a book store. Maybe she would be able to get a good history book about Suna, or even another storybook. Something she's never read before would be nice. Walking inside, she took a deep breath and sighed happily to herself. The smell of books was always so calming to her; it was as if she could envision the words jumping off pages and telling their stories to her without having to read them.
Walking through the darkened book shop, she looked at all the shelves of new and old books. Some were worn and some were sleek, but they all held something special in them. Stopping half way through the shop, she noticed an old brown book with gold filigree lining. She pulled the book free and looked it over. Outwardly it was obviously old from the faded colors but was still in good condition. Looking at the spine she read the title, The Desert God's Prayer. Interesting title, she thought as she opened the cover; the pages were stained and a little frayed from the years that it sat on the shelf. Flipping through the first few blank pages, she stopped when she saw a dedication. The words were faded but still legible and there seemed to be some kind of single discolored stain towards the bottom of the page.
My Dear Daughter Kohaku,
I write this last story for you. I know you will never read its words but I can't very well leave this world without showing my love and regret. I did so many things that caused you suffering and even though I wish I can take them all back, I can't. My time is slowly coming to an end and we will be reunited again. If you don't ever want to see my face again I would understand, but I so hope that you can forgive my selfishness and learn to live the rest of your eternity in peace. These words I write are filled with so much love and pride to have had you as my daughter. I love you.
Setsuko couldn't stop the tear that slid down her cheek from reading the dedication. This parent obviously loved their daughter a lot to put so much feeling and life into just the dedication. If they truly put all their heart into this book, it would be a true epic. Closing the book she wiped her eyes and continued looking through the shelves, carrying the book with her. She clung to the old book tightly, not wanting to let it go. As she wandered through shelves and shelves of books, she wondered to herself who this Kohaku was and what happened to them. Old books really were the best when it came to storytelling. They were the ones that seemed to be so full of life! Their authors truly had a passion for what they did and it showed in every word, every page.
Reaching the history section of the shop she began looking through the books, hoping to find one that was good enough to give her a little bit of history on Sunagakure. And index finger traveled through all the book spines, reading each title carefully. Finally her finger stopped at a book, A Chronicle of Sand. The title was enough to grab her attention, but was it the right kind of material she was looking for? Taking the book off the shelf, she opened it up to the Table of Contents to look through the different chapters. General History. Military. Architecture. Customs. Yep! This was the one she wanted. She didn't need to read the rest of the chapters to know that this was the right history book for her. Taking it with her, she put both books on the counter to be purchased.
"I think it's time to go back," she said to herself as she heard the book shop door close behind her.
"I couldn't agree more," a low voice said beside her.
Setsuko screamed in surprise, dropping everything she had purchased in the process. Standing next to the door was none other than Gaara, leaning against the building and his arm crossed over his chest in such a relaxed manner. "Gaara!"
He pushed off the building and faced her, "What are you doing out here?"
"Me?! What are you doing scaring people like that?" she shouted, her hand to her chest as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. When her heart and breath had finally calmed, she picked up her things, "How'd you even find me anyways?"
Staring at her with stoic features he reached out and grabbed the end of one of her braids, "You stand out too much." As he felt her hair slip from his fingers he noted that it was soft and felt like silk.
"Well excuse me!" she snapped, glaring at him.
Without another word, Gaara turned from her and began walking away. Watching him go, she sighed and followed after him. She wasn't even home and yet she was still getting in trouble! Following behind him, she pouted to herself at his rube behavior and aloofness. He could at least show some emotion once in a while! He reminded her of Hui a little; she barely ever showed emotions as well. She was always so serious and quiet. Letting her gaze travel up his back, she noticed that his arms were crossed against his chest again and he didn't once stop to talk to anyone; in fact most people seemed to just kind of ignore him.
The sun was just starting to set when they reached the inn. Looking out at the vast desert just beyond the city limits, she was awestruck by the beautiful orange color that lit the sky; like fire. It was uncommon in Aisugakure to see the sun; it was usually covered by clouds and blizzards. There were a few times where they got to see the sun, but they were so rare that she couldn't help the mystical feeling she felt while seeing such a sky. This place, even though it was different and new, was beautiful in its own way. Gaara stopped suddenly causing Setsuko to run into his back.
"Ow!" she cringed, rubbing her nose. "Why'd you stop?"
He didn't turn to look at her, "We're here."
Peering from behind his back she saw the two guards posted outside the front doors of the inn, "Oh…" Slowly walking around him, she stopped at the first step, "Thank you for escorting me back." The two guards opened the doors for her and she walked inside.
Reaching the top floor, she walked inside her room and dropped everything. With a solemn look upon her delicate features, she stared at the wooden floor. How would she survive here if she was confined to her room? She somewhat understood his position, but Gaara wasn't allowing her to do anything. All she wanted was to go home. Picking out the old book she had purchased she walked over to the couch and flopped down. As she lay back against the armrest, she opened the book to the first chapter and began reading.