To Breathe. [Open]

Children's voices rang like the first songs of spring, the birds complimenting with their gleeful tunes. Footsteps echoed through the empty alleys of Konohagakure no Sato, though vacant, not alone. "Catch me if you can!" The light breeze brushed her hair from side to side as she ran, giggling, smiling. Sun and excitement colored her cheeks red, a careless boy following her aimless path. He huffed, but he was by no means out of breath. Her amusement bounced wherever she went, bringing even the lightest of smile to those who crossed her path. All was bright and cheery, all alive. It was no surprise to anyone to see children at play on such a day.

As she ran forward, a startled man dropped his boxes of produce, barracading her escape route. Her heels put her to a halt, almost losing her balance in the process. "Got'cha!" He surprised her, grasping her in a hug from behind. They both laughed happily, despite their fun coming to an end. The man scratched his head, retrieving his boxes, and being on his way once more. The two children walked home smiling, hand in hand.



A loud knock sounded upon the board door of the home, breaking the peaceful silence of sleep. She rubbed her eyes at the commotion, unfamiliar voices blended with those she knew. The voices became louder and louder, everything was audible, yet so unclear. The doll of a girl stood in the hallway, peering out at the peculiar scene. The woman's hands over her mouth is sheer surprise and horror, the man confused and angry. So much negative energy, such strange, and overwhelming emotion. A small sound escaped the child's mouth, the woman turning to her, and escorting her back to bed. "Where's onii-chan? Where's big brother?" The woman shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes, then caressing the young girl's face with her gentle hand. She stood up, slowly closing the bedroom door behind her, and leaving her in darkness.

She whimpered, tears rolling from her glossy eyes, down her rosey cheeks. Small hands trembled, as horrible thoughts came to mind. Sitting in her own misery, she searched for comfort in the emptiness of her room, but nothing. Fists clenched her blankets, as she rested her head on her tear stained pillow, crying herself to sleep on the coldest of nights. She yearned for the missing warmth in her dreams.



Pulling herself from the sheets, she stood at the side of her bed, face expressionless, but eyes full of thought. Without sound, she walked to her wardrobe for a quick change of attire, then continued down the stairs to the kitchen. Aroma of morning meals filled the air, but struck no interest in the girl. Both the man and woman sat, watching her peacefully, saying nothing, but knowing. She took a plum from the basket of fruit in the middle of the dining table, and continued on her way out the door. The worried woman sighed, bringing her hand to her face. The man shook his head, thinking aloud. "How long will it be... How long must she suffer..." He followed his words with a sigh of his own, and attempted to clean his plate, stomach churning.

Karis put the plum to her mouth, biting it gently. Her eyes focused on the ground before her, as she wandered the streets of Konohagakure no Sato. She bumped into a few people here and there, without thought of even a polite apology. Regardless, most continued their daily path, but one. This time she had bumped into a larger man, knocking the half eaten fruit from her hand. She finally looked up, but only to bring back more memories. The familiar man sighed, but she turned around before he could speak up, only hearing a mumble of words that may have made out an apology of his own. However, she knew it wasn't for the reason of crossing paths, but a night so long ago, yet so memorable, it seemed only like yesterday.

She picked up her pace, avoiding the streets now, and the people who followed. Eyes met the large staircase, her feet adjusting to the new terrain, and incline of elevation. Karis walked the steps, running her hand across the railing. Though not for balance, but just to feel it there. As she finally reached the top, she walked to the ledge, looking down at the village before her. She approached the cliff, pulling her legs over the railing, trying for a comfortable seat above her home. The light breeze caressed her face, as it brought back repressed memories of other days like this one. Karis looked up at the clouds above, squinting at the sun. She thought to herself of days come to pass, and wondered if the world had always seemed so oblivious...

Morning, a fresh start to a New day, Sky felt alive for once. He was definitely a morning child, he cooked himself breakfast, simple things of eggs and bacon. Home alone, like always. Mother never came back now, once in a blue moon she would drop a letter with money or such in it, but he hadn't seen her in months. He sighed silently at the thought of this, then turned his attention back to eggs, which were beginning to burn. He scraped them off the pan brutally. He wasn't much of a multitasker, he could barely think and cook at the same time. He ate his meal happily swinging his legs as he ate at his chair, which were almost too long to do now, but for the moment, he could still swing his legs happily. He finished his meal and cleaned up the mess, knowing there was no one else to do it for him, and went to his Usual spot, it was about 5 AM, right before the sunrise. He raced to get to the mountain in time, few merchants were in the streets so he had a clear path towards it. The few people in the streets were preparing their stalls and shops for the upcoming day, tiding up and making everything spotless.

He made it it seemed, and sat a good distance from the main entrance of the viewing platform. He snuck out under the pole and sat on a crevice in the cliff face. Swinging his legs cheerfully again, a smile on his face he watched the sun come up, once it had. His mood changed. His feet stopped and he dropped his chin into his hands, cupping the chin. He sat there looking rather annoyed at nothing in particular. He watched as the people moved like ants through the streets of the village, noise began to adhere to the calm village, and the City became alive. A tiny smile was brought to his lips from this, and he resumed swinging his feet. The sound of footsteps approached from behind and Sky looked over his shoulder. A good 20 meters away a girl had approached the edge of the platform and sat on the railing, looking out at the village, her face held nothing, she moved as if a ghost. Sky remained silent as ever. A tiny smile appearing on his lips.

He used chakra to glue himself to the cliff and began to move across towards where the girl was standing, he silently crept across the cliff. When he was almost under her, yet still out of her field of view simply because of the angle of the cliff, he jumped up, standing some 2 feet or so from her. He mouthed the word "Yo!" but no noise came from it as he smiled and waved once at her. Hoping to surprise her or make her jump. This wasn't easy being mute.

Her eyes showed just how lost in thought she was, as she stared off at the burning horizon, as the pastel colors took their place in the painting of the sky. Such a peaceful scenery, and then the morning chores began. The people of the village were moving about now, starting their daily lives. Noise arose, though not as loud from where she was sitting. It still seemed to bother her, she had liked the quiet while it lasted. However, she didn't exactly mind the liveliness of the people below. All this meant was she had to force a smile to get through another day, to ease worry from her friends and guardians. With the thought it mind, she realized how long it had been since she had even spent time with friends. She even wondered if they remembered her, or if they had moved on, and forgotten.

It didn't matter to her, right now anyways. They all seemed replaceable, compared to her recent loss of a person that meant much more to her. Of course, she enjoyed the memories she made with those friends, but the ones most vivid to her were those she had made with her brother. All this time, he had been by her side through all the years, and pain of feeling there was no place to belong to. Now that he was gone, she didn't know how to react.

Karis continued to stare off into the distance, but her concentration was suddenly broken as she came to realize a young boy below her. She was a bit caught off guard, and even managed to fall back off the rail, onto the hard ground of the mountain ledge behind her. She squinted her eyes as she hit the ground, and clenched her hands into fists. As she opened them both, and peered over the cliff, she was able to see now that the boy was around her age. For a moment, she just stared blankly, only blinking here and there. Then after awhile, she began to laugh. However, this wasn't fake amusement, or something of the sort. She was actually laughing, and for what reason was completely unknown to her, but she couldn't seem to stop. Karis rolled back onto the more solid ground, wiping the water from her eyes.

A smile placed itself upon her lips, and she looked over the ledge again. This time, she managed to speak. "Good morning, stranger." She closed her eyes in a gleeful manner, as she made this small greeting. In so many ways, even after so many years, and the times she had been through, she was still childish...

Sky tilted his head as she fell off the rail. His eyes opened a normal amount and mouth closed, he simply stared, blinking every few seconds, after a second she began to laugh. His head tilted more the same analytical stare. She kept going and a smile appeared on his face, it was funny for some reason he didn't know why but he just smiled. After a few seconds she recovered and got up. She wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing and even chuckled a bit as she stood up. "Good morning Stranger." she said and Sky smiled and waved politely. His mouth remained closed, as he extended his hand and pointed at himself, and then up to the sky then to himself again. How he wished he could speak, sadly enough doctors didn't know if he couldn't speak or just never wanted to or never learned. He remained still tilting his head then pointed at her and took out his headband and pointed at it, he did this with a questioning look in his eye.

It was odd, this whole morning meeting. Sky hadn't been as happy as he was in a long time, most days seemed to drag on and on, never ending until it was time to sleep, full of loneliness and sadness, only reminiscing on his own past and missing his old friends. Wishing he could do things that he could not, most days left him in tears, today; would be different. He shifted his standing position so his feet wouldn't sore. He looked over right shoulder towards the village seeing a bird floating on the air above the village, soaring he smiled at it as it dived into the streets. Then turned back to the girl and tilted his head, he pointed at her and then the bird. He then pointed at himself and then the bird and nodded with a smile.

As he smiled and waved, she responded the same, in a polite manner. She watched him curiously, he didn't seem to intend to speak. He mostly gestured with his hands, and facial expressions. Karis was unsure whether he did this because he didn't like talking to unfamiliar people, or whether there was another reason behind it. Whatever the cause, she was still as polite as she was to anyone else. Her eyes followed as he pointed at the sky, and back to himself. She brought her finger to her lips, in thought, as she tried to understand what it was he was trying to say. Was he simply referring to the beautiful scenery, or was he trying to say something else. She wasn't sure to look beyond the obvious, or see it as it was.

She pondered this for a short while, then decided to ask, no matter how stupid she might seem. "The sky? Sky... is that your name?" Karis came to this conclusion only because he had pointed to himself afterward, and she could not think of any other meaning. Games like charades were unusual to her, but she decided to play along. No harm could come from it, right? Her eyes continued to watch him carefully, trying to make out his actions, and put them into words for him. This time, he had brought out his headband. It was just like hers, showing the leaf symbol of their village. He tilted his head at her, and she assumed he was asking if she was from the village as well.

She frantically looked at her equipment, almost forgetting where she had wore her headband. Then she pointed to her waist, her headband tied there. "I'm also from Konohagakure no Sato. I rank here as a Genin. What about you?" Before she could completely finish, she noticed him point to the sky again. Though, this time he seemed to be pointing to something in the sky, a bird. However, this time, she was the one tilting her head...

Sky watched carefully as she responded to his actions. "The sky? Sky... is that your name?" Sky nodded happily glad that she was able to deduce this. People who were dumber then she, would often just call him Silent which he didn't like. When she asked if he was from Konoha, he shook his head, then pointed to his ear. He couldn't find a way to explain where he was from to her without writing, he smiled then thinking of how to write without pen or paper. A single stream of bandaging shot out from under his coat sleeve. He didn't want to waste his time trying to explain where he was from, that was boring. Instead he began to write with the bandaging in the air, its shape holding as he moved it with his mind, his tongue stuck half-way out of his mouth as he did so, he hadn't done this before. "Can..." Was the first word that he wrote, "You," "Fly?" then stopped and the bandage went back up his sleeve. He tilted his head, wondering if she understood what he meant, which was the literal term, could she fly? He smiled then, he determined that she was probably his age, maybe a bit younger, she had a headband too so she was also a ninja, probably the same as he was. He thought about this for a moment, then let it slide past.

He pointed to himself then shook his head, then motioned words coming out of his mouth. "I. No. Speak." Or I can't speak he wondered if she understood this, she seemed to be enjoying herself, at least he hoped she was, he would feel bad if he was wasting her time trying to explain who he was. He hoped she was enjoying herself, and he hoped he wasn't making a fool out of himself. These thoughts ran through his mind, speeding so quickly that he could barely maintain a steady chain of thought. He blocked it out then, trying to focus on her, analyze to see if she was enjoying herself, watching for simple things like a slight smile or a curious look. Oh how he wished he could speak. A sudden breeze blew towards the two, Sky's black attire fluttered in the wind as did his violet hair, he winced until it stopped, and was calm as ever. He looked curiously at the sky, wondering what had caused the sudden wind.

Karis watched just as curiously as he began to respond to her, she was glad to have gotten the first right. His name was Sky then, and she wondered if she should introduce herself as well, it was the polite thing to do. "A pleasure to meet you, Sky. My name is Karis." When she spoke, she was unsure of her words. Not that she was happy to meet him, or that her name was Karis, but whether or not her name was really that important. Regardless, she had introduced herself, and she would leave it at that. He shook his head again, and then began to simplify what he had been trying to tell her earlier. She watched carefully, once again. To her surprise, his bandages around his arms came loose, and he began twirling them in the air. These motions confused her at first, but as she thought about it, it seemed he was trying to write. Her eyes traced the motions.

Can you fly? She tilted her head once more, the question seemed odd to her. Karis responded to him with a shake of the head. "I do not fly, if that's what you meant." She watched the bandages retract back to his sleeves, and pondered the simple, yet confusing question. Her thoughts we interrupted as she saw him make small gestures again, this time pointing to himself once more. She watched his lips, mouthing words. It was then that she realized he indeed could not speak. A half frown stretched across her face, though not out of disappointment. "I see... I'm sorry. I must be difficult to communicate with." Instead of being sad, she was more apologetic, and sympathetic. Although understanding him was difficult, she knew that trying to communicate with people without words must be frustrating. However, she was determined to understand, and that wouldn't keep her from trying to comprehend him.

Her concentration was broken as a small breeze picked up, blowing her hair in her face. The large, ribbon bow on her head began to loosen. Before she could react, it unraveled and landed in her hands. She often wore bows or hats to conceal her peculiar ears when in public, she didn't like the attention. But it seemed her secret had been revealed to Sky, and now they both knew something about the other. Karis brushed the back of her head nervously, unsure of how one might react to such a strange birth defect, as she thought it...

Sky smiled, Karis.. He rolled the thought through his mind, and nodded, and took a small bow. A Pleasure. He stood tall again and smiled. He watched as she watched his bandages turn into words, she looked confused at first, wondering what he meant, then She responded to his question, she could not fly. Sky smiled, he mouthed the words, Do, You, Want, To? using his hand gestures to help explain what he meant if she couldn't get it. He smiled and rose a brow to question her.

Then she looked sad as he explained he could not talk. He shook his head, telling her not to be sad. He put his index finger of both hands on the sides of his mouth and raised it up forcing a smile. Then chuckled noiselessly. Knowing that what he had just done would appear quite funny. He tilted his head she looked determined for a second, then when the breeze hit she became troubled with something, she reached up to grab a bow that was in her hair but it slipped out from the breeze. Two large ears perked up on her head. Sky's eyes widened for a minute. Then he smiled, Cool! He mouthed. He smiled it looked as if they both had learned something about each other. Questions ran through his mind but he didn't want to pressure her into talking about her ears, she seemed embarrassed.

He did the forced smile again, he then asked her the question again. Do, you, want, to, fly? Smiling brightly now, His eye was drawn to her large ears but he respected her and kept his eyes on her face, not that it was hard to look away from it. He blushed for a second but quickly recovered, not thinking about anything for a second.

His smile beamed at her, making is difficult to resist a smile herself. He bowed, and she did so as well, to be polite. As she rose her head once more, she watched him mouth words again, though she couldn't quite make them out this time. She stood and stared a moment, trying to make out his words. However, before she could finish piecing her thoughts together, he brought his fingers to his face, forcing a smile. At first her expression showed astonishment, but followed with a small laugh, and a smile of her own.

It didn't last too long though, she was a bit worried about her ears showing. He didn't seem to make much a big deal about it, other than the fact he seemed slightly interested in them. The sudden attention put on her made her blush slightly, her eyes traveling to the side for a moment, as she tried to regain herself. Then, she looked down at the ribbon she grasped in her hands, contemplating whether or not to tie it upon her head again. She stared at it a moment, then slowly wrapped it around her wrist, and tied it. For the moment, she would withstand her strange appearance. Besides, Sky seemed to be accepting of his inability to speak. For his sake, she would learn to cope. Being different couldn't be all too bad, right?

Sky forced a smile again, making her smile once more. He then repeated the words he had mouthed earlier, and she tried even harder to translate them this time. After a moment of figuring, she drew back again, surprised. "Are you asking me... if I want to... fly?" The question was unusual to her, no one had ever asked her that. Despite how strange, she wasn't bothered by it, because it only made her think even more. What would it be like to fly, like a bird? She wondered. After a brief moment of imagining, her eyes met his again, and she nodded. "I think it would be most interesting to fly." Her smile grew as she thought of it, and the feeling of freedom that flying might bring...

Sky noticed that the two had blushed at the same time and almost made himself blush again but he kept himself hidden. Karis did not re-attach the ribbon to her head, which made Sky smile, she was okay with him knowing her little secret. He was glad that he was able to make her smile with his forced smiles she didn't seem very happy when she arrived at the viewing platform. He hoped she would not become sad again, he liked when people smiled especially when he helped, it made him feel like he could make a difference in the world, when usually he felt he could not because of his speech impediment.

She looked confused at his question. "Are you asking me... if I want to... fly?" Sky grinned and nodded happily, she said that she would like to fly and Sky looked excited. For a moment he just stood there, then after a few seconds, bandages flourished out from behind him in the shape of two very large wings, it was un-proportional to his body but they worked. Sky had tried it before. He adjusted them and raised his shoulders getting used to the extra weight. He held out his hand and smiled, wondering if she would take hold of it. He beamed at her, he looked very excited.

The wings were shaped oddly, they had a lot of curve to them in the center to allow greater lift for two people instead of only one flier, and since they were so large it made Sky look somewhat like how a butterfly looks. They were shaped like feathers as if he was a bird though, Sky loved birds, and the Sky, perhaps that is how he became known as Sky. He smiled in thought of this. He knew he could support two flier's, but... there was a first time for everything..

Spoiler:

She watched curiously as he took on such great excitement, it seemed so sudden. He smiled brightly, glowing. The surge of joy of his was so strong, she felt excitement herself. Anxiety filled the air she breathed however, he nervousness didn't keep her from smiling. She wasn't sure why all the sudden she felt as if her adrenaline was about to rush through her veins, but she wasn't afraid either. Karis just turned, looking off at the fluffy clouds, as they passed them by. Oh how breath taking it must be for one to fly, she admired birds, and other winged creatures now. The freedom to soar above everyone else, to oversee everything from such heights, it was all too amazing to her, she simply couldn't imagine. As the breeze became a little stronger, she brushed the hair from her face again, and slowly turned.

As she turned back to make contact with Sky again, she found herself looking at much more than just a small boy. Wings had sprouted out of nowhere, like a bird, a butterfly, or even an angel. They were a beautiful, gleaming white, and resembled a feathery texture. They were fairly large, much bigger than the boy, which surprised her even more. Karis couldn't help but stare in amazement, it seemed so impossible, yet she saw it with her own eyes. She took a moment to rub her eyes, just to see if she was dreaming again, but opened them to prove she was indeed awake. Finally, she gasped. "They're beautiful! Amazing!" Karis beamed back at him, examining his new wings from every angle, even circling around him. They looked so delicate though, she was afraid to touch them...

Sky grinned happily as she circled him, looking at his wings, he laughed silently. She was extremely amused by them it seemed, he moved his wings gently showing that he could. He took a small bow in thanks to her statement of their beauty. He pointed at her then her ears and then a two with his fingers. Your, Ears, Too. He mouthed these words as well and smiled afterwords. He looked up at the sky then and sighed breathlessly. Then down at his feet and the ground in front of them.

"Stop it!"
"Apply pressure here"
"What are you doing!?"
"Okay, preparing first Injection, standby, hold him down, he is going to seize."
"It Hurts! Stop!"
His body shook vigorously as he shouted in pain, everything went black then.

He shook his head, his thoughts raced through his mind, in a matter of seconds, even so he felt the presence of something else. His smile vanished suddenly and he looked over his shoulder at a tree. Nothing there. He looked forward again, a confused look on his face. He glanced back over at Karis who was still examining his wings. His smile Returned, he turned to face her, his wings creating a slight breeze in the air and blowing his hair around. He grinned then, then jumped grabbing her with one arm and dove off. His wings were bent close around the two to lessen the air that would blow at them.

They dropped like a stone, the wind causing Sky's eyes to burn and he closed them then opened his wings, causing the two to angle upwards and soar some 100 feet above the Village, Sky wrapped a bandage around Karis, just in case. He looked down at her smiling, wondering what she thought.

She continued to circle him, squealing in glee as he fluttered his wings. "So cool. Soo cool!" When he pointed to her ears, and mouthed that he thought the same of her, she blushed slightly, and rubbed the back of her head. "Why, thank you."Karis paused a second, closing her eyes and taking it all in, and failing to notice Sky's change in expression. The excitement of something so simple, yet unbelievable overjoyed her. It seemed like it had been so long since she had been so happy, let alone smiling. In fact, she wondered just how long it had been. After her brother's disappearance, she was only haunted by reoccuring nightmares of the night he went missing, and dreams of memories they had shared. All this caused such emotional confusion, she was constantly trapped in thought, and never showed much but a blank face that no one seemed to read, or stop and figure out.

Before she could fully wake from her train of thought, she felt herself lift from the ground. When she opened her eyes, she came to realize that Sky had actually taken flight, and picked her up along the way. She felt them drop, striking fear, but giving her an adrenaline rush like no other. Her heart raced, but she couldn't find the voice to scream, she only gasped. As she surely thought they were falling, he caught the air like a parachute, and they began to glide over the village. Her eyes watered from the abruptness and excitement, but she couldn't stop smiling. It amused her how she thought that just sitting atop the village mountain had a wonderful view, and now she was actually flying above the very village she walked everyday. As she finally caught her breath, she began to laugh. "This is simply amazing. Soo much fun!" Her eyes were squinted from the rush of air in her face, but it was obvious they were sparkling brightly in the sunlight above them...

Sky heard her gasp and looked down at her smiling ensuring that it was okay. Once they had flown over the village for a moment, Sky made his way towards the Hokage tower, the tallest building, he angled the wings and beat them a few times creating a rush of air as they accelerated upwards into the sky. They moved up the side circling the building as Sky continued to beat his wings they reached the top and Sky landed on the Top of the building. He kept his wings out and remained holding onto Karis, the ground was sleek and metal it would be best if she didn't fall. He Looked out over the village The Tallest peak, even higher then the Mountain faces, He bent over and looked down off the edge of the building, spotting the people below, he didn't move his feet then leaned back uneasily, he tilted his head upwards and kept a firm grip on Karis as he grinned pointing to a cloud. He Jumped upwards then beating his wings at the same time, they began to fly higher upwards towards the clouds. The air became lighter and lighter. Breathing became harder but finally, They reached the cloud, Sky remained a good 5 or so feet from it.

He moved close enough so that Karis could reach out and touch it, Then a bit closer and finally the two entered the cloud. Sky smiled moving his free hand around in it, cutting holes in the cloud. He wrote his name in it and grinned, and added "Was here" to it and stuck out his tongue in a goofy manner. He watched Karis then, grinning widely.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of everything and everyone below, all looking much smaller than they actually were, due to the extreme heights they were elevated. Karis focused her attention ahead, as they approached the Hokage's tower. At first, she was unsure of whether or not they were closing in too fast, but Sky had no problem making his way around the tall building. In fact, he soared higher, until he had the perfect position to land on the sleek roof. Her feet planted themselves lightly on the surface, but Sky kept hold of her to make sure she didn't fall. The view revealed much more than the mountains, surprisingly. She brought her hand to her mouth a moment, gasping at the scenery. It was more beautiful than anything she had ever seen, and she wanted to fully capture the image, so that she may think back to it in the future, when she needed a peaceful thought. Her smile lightened, her spirits lifted, but she was no less happier than moments ago.

She traced his hand as it pointed upward, towards the sky again. This time, he was directing her attention to the clouds. He beat his wings, and launched to the skies again, closing in on the clouds above. They were so close, she wanted to reach out and touch them, and ended up doing so. The texture was contradictory to how they looked. Despite how fluffy the looked, they were cool and wet, with nearly no texture to them at all because they were so weightless. The air cooled her nose, and she realize just how much more difficult it was to breathe. However, she didn't mind it at all. She was just tooken by the moment, she still couldn't believe she was floating...

Sky allowed Karis to enjoy the clouds for a few moments, a first touch of a cloud but despite Sky's unwillingness to leave his chakra was not endless. He quickly checked his reserves, the hard-breathing gave a strain on his body and the fact that he had to beat his wings only made it harder to maintain a steady breathing pattern. He began to lower the two, slowly so that neither would get a headache from the sudden drop in air pressure. He beat his wings slowly as they descended to their original location. He set her down gently and released his hold on her and took a step back. In a few milliseconds his wings whipped back into place under his clothing, as if they were never there in the first place. He brushed off his shirt and then turned his attention to Karis smiling brightly. He took a deep breath of the fresh air then, looked over at the village and pointed down there, at a dango shop and rose a brow, "Go there?"

He shook his head adjusting his hair then pushed it out of his face, returning it to his original position, the high winds had messed it up quite a bit. He smiled then noticing her ears again, they were interesting, he wondered if they gave her any advantages against another ninja. He turned his attention away so that she wouldn't feel awkward and smiled at her face, listening closely for her answer.

Although the moment only lasted a little while, she knew she would remember it forever. Something that breath taking couldn't be forgotten, she thought. As they slowly descended, she took in each breah of air more easily now, and was sure to catch the last bit of scenery before they reached the ground. He released her from his grip, backing up, and retracting the wings, as if they were a part of his body. The way he could control his bandages like that intrigued her, making her wonder if it was a special technique he knew, or something more. It reminded her of her ears again, and the fact that even she didn't know what they were for. They seemed to have no real special characterists, they just resembled that of a cat's ears. She could move them at will, if she wanted, but that was it. As she thought about her ears, she remembered that she was in public again. Her attention momentarily met the ribbon tied around her wrist, and she wondered if now was a good time to equip her bow, or maybe pull her hood up over her head.

Her concentration on the idea was broken when she noticed Sky pointing in town, as if he wanted to go somewhere. Karis gasped, taking a good look around. The streets didn't seem too busy, but she knew that they would become busy in a short amount of time. People were always moving, going to and from jobs, missions, and shopping. Every once in awhile, she would see a family eating together. The thought made her smile, she imagined that being together like that must have been joyous however, she wouldn't know herself, she had never known her family, just her brother. She had her adoptive parents, but she never really found herself that close to them. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful, she owed them a lot and constantly tried to find ways to show them her respect. It was just they weren't her real family. She shook her head, supposing that it was odd to miss something you never had. Karis redirected her attention to Sky, and nodded, smiling sheepishly...

Sky glanced over at her, she looked down at her bow, then back at Sky and nodded. Sky smiled, then pointed to her bow and to her head. Saying that it was okay to put it back on. He grinned then tilted his head towards the village, and began to walk in that direction, sure that Karis was following closely, Sky smiled. He opened his mouth, "I, Should, Teach, You, Sign, Speak, then, you, know, what, I'm, saying, easier. He mouthed, pointing or using hand gestures to help prove his point. He did this as he walked, and if Karis was going to bump into someone he pulled her out of the way since she was paying attention to what he was saying. He smiled after doing so and listened. He watched the people going by, some old, some young, small groups of children running amuck playing some game which brought a smile to Sky's face. Couples walking and talking together about what they needed to buy, ninja squads and patrols moving through with the look of dignity and determination on their faces. She politely nodded to any higher ranking ninja who walked by.

Dust was kicked up by those who walked by, Sky sniffed smelling something delicous, like cooked apples or something of the like. He looked around trying to spot where it was coming from. He spotted it, a long line of people connected to a stall selling Caramel apples, he smiled, spotting a kid with so much caramel on his face you could barely tell what color skin he was. He chuckled silently at it then continued moving towards the intended direction of the Dango shop. As they approached the door Sky pushed it open, causing a small bell to ring. He held the door open as he walked through, spotting a good clean table and sat down.

She smiled thankfully as he pointed to her bow, and to her head, assuring her that it was okay that she wear it again. Karis untied the ribbon from her wrist, slowly pulling it into her hands, and quickly tying it into a bow on her head. She felt around carefully, adjusting, and making sure the bow covered her ears just enough for them to seem invisible to others. A small sigh of pleasure escaped her mouth, as she closed her eyes and nodded once more. As they began walking at a slow pace, she interpretted each word as he mouthed them. He was trying to say something about a language using signs, that it would be easier for her to understand him. "That sounds most interesting! I would love to learn your language." The thought interested her, she would love to be less of a burden to Sky, so he didn't feel the need to try and explain himself all the time. They would be able to communicate in their own language. She nodded happily, showing her excitement.

Through the busy streets, she followed her new friend. She nodded to everyone who casted a glance her way, as a gesture of greeting, and a sign of respect. Every once in awhile, she would receive the same nod, and a shared smile, which only made her smile more. The aroma of all sorts of different foods filled the air, causing her stomach to growl out of sudden hunger. She then remembed she hadn't eaten anything but a plum that morning, and brought her palm to her face. As she passed families and children with their lunches and snacks, her eyes glimmered, as she craved the chance to taste a meal of her own. Karis giggled at the children covered in a sticky mess of caramel, as they ate their candied apples. Fellow ninja passed them in the streets as well, and she even stopped on occasion to bow to them, then scurried off in a hurry to catch up with Sky.

As they entered the shop, Sky held the door open, sounding the bell. She shyly entered, and waited for Sky to lead the way once more. "Thank you." As he approached a vacant table, she followed gratefully. They took their seats, and she awaited further action...

Sky glanced across the table at Karis, and held up two fingers so that she knew he wanted two, it would be easier that way since it would be harder for the waiter to communicate with Sky. He thought for a moment about how to start teaching her sign language. He held out his hands open, then moved them around in 10 different patterns, each one being explained as he changed them. Two fists and two palms were the most frequently used, two fists meaning me, and two palms meaning you. He then explained some different words, like You, said. Using one palm and a crossed finger held open. He would stop if she had any questions, he only had time to teach her some basics right now but after they were done with the dango's, he would finish the job. All that he taught were basic, non-moving hand-signs, like a fist and an open palm meant you and me, you didn't have to move your hands at all. Moving ones were generally actions or verbs, and Moving and stopping ones were complex sentences. There were certain occasion that didn't follow these rules but as all languages, it has a personal bit to it.

Most basic things like Numbers were said just by holding up the amount of fingers, but for larger numbers you would clap your fists together, each time adding a zero, for example, fist fist fist, 1 2 3, meant 123, not 1 2 3. He adjusted his position and glanced out the window for a moment in thought, wondering what else he could teach her at the moment. An "Aah!" came to his face, and he glanced back over at her, he explained how signs were connected, to become one word instead of being two. Like In, to, would be into. There was a connecting where you would press both thumbs together then continue with the following word and showed her what he meant. He looked over at the waiter, it appeared their dango's were here. He smiled happily, saying in sign language. "We Finish Later."

As the waiter walked over to greet them, and take their order, she quickly comprehended Sky's actions. "Oh! Uhm.. Two, please!" The waiter nodded with a smile, and walked off to place their oders. In the spare moment, she glanced around the place. Out of all the years she had lived in Konohagakure no Sato, not once had she been here. Everyone seemed at peace here, enjoying their meals, and making civil conversation. It all brought a curious smile to her face, as she wondered if it was always like this here.

Karis returned her attention back to Sky, just in time to learn some basic sign language he used. She watched carefully, attempting the movements herself subconsciously, while still paying close attention to what he mouthed, describing what each meant. It intrigued her how different it was to talk with hands, rather than words. And somehow, it was a bit exciting to learn a new language that she could use with her new friend. In less than a full day, she had already learned so much from Sky, and made memories she would probably never forget. For a moment, she closed her eyes, and felt the breeze upon her face as they were soaring through the air. She opened her eyes with a smile, satisfied with how vivid the memory was. Karis wondered what time might have in store for her, now.

Sky temporarily ceased his teachings, just in time to eat. The waiter set the dangos on the table, with a nod. "Thank you!" With that said, the waiter was off again. Karis curiously watched, as Sky was about to start eating. She could not recall ever eating dangos, but for some reason, they seemed familiar. The sudden thought puzzled her...

Sky smiled at Karis once in a while as he taught her, it was fun to see someone who was actually interested in trying to understand him instead of just labeling him as a mute and letting him make a fool out of himself instead of actually trying to help him or anything. He smiled, finally, one who cared? Even if only the slightest, it still felt good. He grinned, the Dango's had arrived. He reached over the table and picked a stack up licking his lips. He did a hand gesture with his other hand, she wouldn't know what it meant yet, but it would come obviously to some as "Dig in!" He smiled extending his lips over the dango and biting down, the sweetness of it entering his mouth. He grinned happily at this and took another one. There was five on each stick. He ate them happily swinging his legs a bit under his seat as he did so but not enough to bump Karis's legs.

He looked out the window or at Karis as he ate, watching the people strolling by, wondering what was going through their minds. There was always work that was the benefit of living in Konoha, even if you were poor, stupid, strange or something worse, there was still work for you on something or other. Enough to feed your family, to pay your taxes. Sky smiled remembering how lucky he was to grow up here instead of Sound Country. He smiled differently now, instead of a cheerful smile, it was more of a, "I'm Lucky. or Thank God" Smile.

He finished his dango's and looked at Karis, smiling listening to what she had to say next.

Karis watched casually, as Sky reached across the table to take some of the dangos from the plate, and began eating them happily. They were quite peculiar looking, rounded into light colores spheres, five on each stick. Their aroma also seemed familiar somehow, which continued to puzzle her even more. She stared off into space, trying to figure when she might have eaten such food. As Sky made a gesture for her to take one, she snapped out of her trance, and reached for one, herself. She carefully held the stick in hand, and nibbled the one on the end. One bite was enough for a taste, and she took another soon after. The taste was becoming familiar as well, but she still enjoyed it. Her eyes were squinted, as she took from the stick, bite by bite. It was when she was nearly finished that she really began to wonder. Had she had dango before? And if so, when? And with whom?



The air was crisp, the temperature moderate. Music traveled from ear to ear, cheerful tunes. Children's voices were heard all about, and laughter was all around. The sun was already setting, but lanterns were burning against the dim sky. The enviroment was pleasant, everyone seemed to be at ease. In a small shop, a little girl with dark hair sat, as if waiting for someone, in the company of a boy looking much alike, but a couple years elder. Her legs were swinging impatiently, but happily. The boy smiled as the girl jumped up, running toward a woman and man who had just entered. "Mommy! Daddy! Eat now? Eat now?" The couple laughed, taking a seat at their table. They took their orders, and the arrived only moments later.

The little girl sat, staring at the plate intensely. "Eat.. this? This food?" She had never seen something so odd on a plate, expecting to be eaten. It was cute, but didn't exactly strike her as something for eating. The three laughed and nodded at her. "Eat it, Karis. It's yummy!" The boy encouraged her to eat it, and she finally did. Her face turned bright red, expression showed surprise. "Ah! Ah! Yumm!" Laughter was heard once again, as the little girl sat in wonder, a smile on her face, laughing even herself...



She had been staring off the whole time, not once had she blinked. Her eyes finally moved, as she came back to reality. Karis shook for a moment at what she had seen. Was she imagining things? Or did such a thing really happen? Her eyes looked back to the dango in her hand, coming to realization that it was indeed what she had just seen in her vision. She blinked a few times, then looked back up to Sky. With her sudden zoning, she probably worried him, and this bothered her. In hopes to reassure him she was fine, she continued nibbling at the remaining dango, her eyes squinting in glee once more...

Sky finished his dango's and glanced across the table at Karis, her face held a confused expression, his head tilted to the side, wondering what it was. She seemed to be zoning in and out of consciousness. His head tilted more, he was a medic, perhaps he could do something, but before he did anything. She blinked a couple times and resumed eating, smiling happily again. Sky's brow raised a bit, but he did nothing. He smiled then, acting as if nothing had happened, in the back of his head he wondered what had happened, but he thought no more of it, Karis probably didn't want to speak about it since she hadn't brought it up. He looked outside again and put his stick down on the plate the dango's had come on. Another harsh breeze, the weather was going to change soon, he could feel it.

He looked in all directions out the window for the oncoming storm, but could see nothing. He looked confused. Then looked over at Karis. "Storm, coming, I, Think." he said in his little language. He said, pointing to the tree's which were blowing pretty hard at times, then were calm after. He waited for her to finish, then reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out a handful of ryo. He picked his way through and pulled out the right amount and placed it on the table, then tilted his head towards the door. As if to say, "ready?" he smiled sheepishly then.

She finished her dango, quite satisfied from the meal, and the company. Every so often, her mind would drift back to her vision that happened only moments ago, but she tried to put it aside for later thinking. In all honesty, she wanted to enjoy herself, and the time with her new friend. Karis placed her stick on the plate, glancing up at Sky. Her eyes traced his gaze past the windows, and she could see the wind swirling outside. The leaves danced, and the clouds seemed to be darker now, and moving at a slightly faster pace than earlier. She frowned, she knew that not so fair weather was on its way to Konohagakure no Sato. It was due, a storm. The village had been without rain for awhile now, and the nature would be pleased for rain. She also remembered a few words of wisdom she had heard a long time ago, something about rain being nature's way of cleansing the world. This thought alone, made her smile. A clean, fresh start was always nice, the way she saw it.

As Sky exchanged glances across the table, he made the gesture that he also sensed a storm approaching. Karis simply nodded, figuring it was probably best they leave now, before the weather became even more unfavorable. He paid the waiter, though she felt guilty for not paying for herself. She eased her mind by leaving a thoughtful tip, and sighed gratefully. "I suppose we should get going, before the weather gets any worse, no? Although her words weren't exactly something she even wanted to hear, she smiled...