Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder [Exit Village, Private Tsurino]

Age : 31 Posts : 157

Too long had passed since Tsurino had been to her village. Nearly a week had passed, the mission fell through, completed in her mind but with organizational flaws it fell through their fingers like sand. Still, bonds were made and she considered the trip a success none the less. She breathed in the cool crisp air of the high altitude village. A soft white scarf snapped around her neck in the brisk afternoon wind as she walked through the narrow stone tunnel that lead to the exit of the city. Yes her time in the village was brief but over.

Finally the darkness blossomed into light along with the high altitude nature that peppered the rocky landscape outside of the village. Tugging once at her gloves Tsurino adjusted her scarf and walked out, weaving gently through the gentle crowd moving in and out of the village. Caravans selling their wares, along with civilians traveling long distances walked past the water Ninja as she stepped over the rocky roads. The gravel was so worn with the shoes of the weary that it became powder, worn into a white rut streaking across the ground, weaving through the mountains. She walked through the path quickly until she became isolated in the rocky mountains. Chilled winds whipped at her silken hair back against her head with a single scarlet bead she brought to grip tightly at her hair to keep the cumbersome hairs from flying into her face on her journey.

Reaching into her satchel Tsurino pulled the small trinket from her belongings and turned it over in her hand a few times. The clay doll was intricately painted in streaks of red, black, gold and white. The face of the rounded figure looked back at her with soft pale dead eyes. It wasn’t much to look at but the story behind one such doll made it intriguing, even desirable. She hoped that Inoshi would like the little gift she bought one night along the many roads filled with vendors and shrines dedicated to the dead. Tales of ghosts and wishes made it all seem like a fancy tale. But everyone could do with hope whatever the reason so she left it at that and gently slid the doll back into its rightful place nestled among the delicate garments that Inoshi had given her before her exit from Kirigakure one week prior.

Has it really been a week?

She slipped her hands into one of her loose pockets. The soft fabric fluttered in the high wind. Tsurino looked out at the clear, almost cloudless skies for the last time for a very long time. She did not know when she should return to Kumogakure. But her time in the village hidden in the clouds was a good one. It was a nice trip and what she found now was that she was oddly homesick. A smile grew on her lips and she laughed to herself quietly. How many times had she dreamed of leaving her village? How many days did she spend looking out at the horizon believing that there was a better world out there. She had viewed the water country as a Prison. Locked by water and the rest of the world was freedom, freedom from the bias, the hatred, the abuse and cruelty. She was filled with so much cold anger, so numbed to her life. She was here now away from the Village that had once brought her so much pain and trouble and anger and she was returning. Not because she was a loyal dog, not because she felt she had to but she wanted to.

Tsurino had people she could trust. The village changed over the years and for the first time became a place she found calm, serene and worth saving. It may have its flaws but it was her home. Distance makes the heart go fonder. Though she did not look forward to the long trip deep into the isles. She could not wait to get home and resume her duties.

EXIT VILLAGE