A Little Black Box

The merchant caravan would be staying at lodgings on the border between the two allied countries. The merchants were scheduled to leave at seven o'clock in the evening after auditing all of their stock.

On the same day, a team comprised of genin was to set out from the village at dawn and deliver rations to several guard outposts along the border. The merchant caravan's lodgings would be found along their route.

In other words, this was his only chance.

He had practiced concealing his presence and muting his chakra signature to perfection. He had gathered the necessary intel. He'd acted as casually as he was capable of, wary of tipping his new watcher off to his intentions. He'd made contingency plans in case of his cover, if broken.

All in preparation for the day of judgment.

When the time came, he had the mien of a general who was facing his first true battle.

With a bit of chakra, a little time keeper, and a lot of reckless determination, he infiltrated the wooden cart.

Five minutes later, he was outside the village.

It was like a dream.

He'd actually gone and done it. The scared little boy had successfully escaped that sandy prison.

This was the first time in his life he'd ever done something like this.

It was also his first time embarking on a journey outside those intimidating walls.

This could even be considered his very first foray into the world that he'd been longing to see. The unknown world that she inhabited.

Fraught with nerves. Pulse pounding a mile a minute.

Cheeks flushed with exhilaration and excitement.

This adventure would certainly be remembered for the rest of his life.

But just when he'd felt like celebrating, a complication threw a wrench into his plans.

Starting at noon, it was raining heavily. The air felt heavy even as he kept still, hidden inside a wooden compartment. It was if it had been raining for ages in the desert. The young genin guarding the cart rattled complaints. He curled into a tighter ball to ward against the chill.

He'd never thought to calculate how slowly the genin would travel during spring showers.

And today of all days, the rain just wouldn't let up, making it increasingly difficult to navigate without damaging the goods.

His anxiety was growing.

After stopping at that first outpost, the buildings that were visible became fewer.

The distance from guard station to guard station was unbelievably far. The genin stopped for an unbelievable period of time at each station.

By seven o'clock, they'd only reached the fourth one. There were still six more to go before they'd landed in the same area as the caravan, and time was running out.

From his hiding place, he saw a deserted landscape that was unfamiliar to him. He would never be able to find his way back home like this.

The time that's flowing slowly. The pain of hunger. The chill of the evening air.

All of it made him feel small and helpless inside his heart.

.

.

He waited until all the genin trooped inside the seventh guard outpost for warmth. Then he slowly climbed out of his hiding spot to ease his cramped body.

The cart had been parked close to the edge of a small cliff side. From his vantage point, the moon was already quite high in the sky. The dunes appeared ethereal and otherworldly under the moonlight.

According to the time keeper, the time that the merchant caravan was scheduled to leave was over an hour ago. But he'd already reached the halfway point of the route. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue towards his original destination.

With stiff fingers, he reached for the stone in his pocket out of habit.

He'd used it for his own personal comfort for so long, it was almost as automatic as breathing.

The sudden bang of a door startled him badly.

He fumbled with the stone.

No!

As if in slow motion, jade eyes watched the precious keepsake bounce at an angle and fall over the cliff edge.

But he could not stay and search for it.

With a heavy heart, he scrambled back into the compartment. Fortunately, he had not been spotted by the genin.

But. But.

The stone was gonegonegone.

He should have held tighter. He should have kept it in his pocket. He should have...

A single tear escaped, unbidden.

Frustration at himself. Frustration at this entire situation. All bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to break free.

He buried his face in the folds of his clothes. A strangled sob tore from his throat.

The cart did not move for two whole hours. The rain fell even harder. The night grew steadily colder.

Every minute felt like an hour.

Time itself must have had some evil intention towards him.

All he could do was wrap his arms around himself and stifle his tears as best as he could.

...She surely must have left the lodgings at the border by now.

But who could say she was there in the first place?

Running away from the village on flimsy information and pure desperation.

What did he expect to happen?

Realistically, there was no way he could meet her again until perhaps he was much older.

Yet he still made that gamble.

And where did that leave him now? He was so stupid.

Within his mind's eye, he saw a flash of pink. A hint of a smile.

He could not stop the streaming tears.

.

.

It was almost midnight when the genin stopped at the guard outpost he had been aiming for.

Gathering his strength reserves, he used shunshin while compressing his chakra to avoid the sentinel's detection.

Even when he passed the perimeter, he did not stop moving until he was at least two hundred yards away. There was no doubt that his village was in an uproar over his disappearance, so he needed to stay hidden at all times.

At last, he'd reached an outcropping. From that point onwards, he moved on foot towards the sleepy little town of Tenshu.

There were large tracks in the sand, trailing outwards. Plainly indicating the presence of several large carriages not long ago.

He trudged slowly towards the center of the town, his head pounding.

Indeed, there was no sign of the merchant caravan. He was over four hours too late. And now he would never know for sure if she had been there, or not.

At first, this entire journey had been an exciting adventure. But now it all felt utterly pointless. He should have just stopped while he was still in the village,

He silently collapsed onto the sand, unable to stay upright any longer.

The fatigue in his bones. In his soul.

Her name was on his lips, drowned out by the sound of the rain.

TBC...