Under the Sun

Chapter Ten

She loved to watch the dutiful citizens of leaf village rise early, get ready, and begin again. All the while, recall how she had trudged out of bed, neck stiff, eyes puffy, earlier that morning. Everyday it was the same. From the hustle and bustle of the village to the ever present calm of the forest. Things happened as they always did. Nothing was ever unexpected. Her time away from home had been well spent. Hanabi committed to memory the times when shops opened and closed and learned to recognize young faces and old ones. Names, however, were harder to remember.

She pressed two coins into the hand of an elderly gentlemen with graying hair and a face beset by sun spots. He thanked her and passed on a cup of his best liquor, over a red bar top. The liquid swirled round and round, creating a shiny ring inside the cup. Hanabi licked her lips and took the plunge. She gulped it down, eyes squeezed shut. She wasn't used to the effects of alcohol. But in the short time she'd begun to frequent the bar, the overwhelming taste grew on her. Throat parched like sand paper, she thirsted for more. The refill came and two more coins made it into the wrinkled hand of her server.

Village life was much the same as clan life, except that no knew her and no one seemed to care what she did. Hanabi could come and go as she pleased and people minded their own business - much like the owner of the little establishment she was in. He didn't ask for her name or where she came from. As long as she paid him, he'd refill her cup until she was satisfied.

The bar was close to where she was staying. Hanabi could drink her fill and return anytime it suit her. Like the barman, the owner of the inn didn't bother to ask questions. There seemed to be a strict policy in place against prying into the business of guests. Accommodations were cozy but far from comfortable. Each room was limited to a bed, toilet, and something that could resemble a shower if one had an active imagination. The other guests who paid to stay the night, were usually gone all day. Like Hanabi, they kept to themselves. Familiar faces, that's all they were.

As she waited for the rain outside to let up, Hanabi found herself asking, is this it? Is this where I throw in the towel? Months of searching for Seiichi had left her feeling desperate and full of regret. Hanabi was certain it would swallow her whole unless something changed. She'd had no news of travelers in over a week. That was the only drawback of people staying out of each other's business. Gossip was hard to come by and clues to Seiichi's whereabouts even more so.

All she had to go on was what she knew of what happened to him last winter. Seiichi had escaped with an optical injury. Something that devastating would have disabled him for some time. Hanabi had always figured that the man couldn't have gotten very far afterwards and was probably recovering somewhere outside the village. Her search had taken her up and down the river. She stuck close to the Leaf but when there was a possibility of finding him, she ventured out further towards Kumogakure. Nothing. Days, weeks, months, and still nothing. All Hanabi could do was drown her frustration in a cold, hard drink.

The barman eyed her from further down the bar where he was refilling someone else's cup. Hanabi pushed her cup away from her and he nodded, understanding the gesture's meaning. He didn't return to her side. Hanabi slid off her wooden stool and slowly made her way out of the bar and into the evening light. The rain had calmed some and was now a light drizzle. She ignored passerby and followed a string of shops down to a corner, where she made a left. Lights from inside the inn lit up the place from the outside. Hanabi was drawn to them. She walked on, hating that her clothes were getting wet, and was looking forward to a hot shower and eventually long nap.

She was halfway down the street when the sound of a door sliding open caught her attention. She turned toward it and waited. An unfamiliar man, dark hair and dark clothes, exited a shop two buildings down. A woman dressed similarly followed him. And behind her appeared a man much shorter than the first. He had light brown hair tied into a knot and thick rimmed glasses protruding from his oval shaped face.

Hanabi ducked behind a conveniently placed food cart on the side of the road. She hadn't any idea who it belonged to, as the owner was missing. The hours-old smell of fried octopus reached her. Hanabi did her best to ignore how it made her mouth water. Continuing to take in the scene, she crouched lower and peeked out from behind a large black tire wheel. The taller man in front was leading the trio. They were heading in her direction. Thinking fast, Hanabi masked her presence. She was small and hopefully wouldn't be seen.

The trio entered her peripheral vision and passed beneath a street lamp. One by one, they stepped into the light, features accentuated. Hanabi focused on the first two, eyes peeled for more distinct characteristics. When the taller man passed her, Hanabi saw little of his actual face. He had it turned inward, as if he expected people to be watching him. Hanabi wondered who he could be hiding from. This part of the village was less populated, although it did tend to be frequented often. In contrast to her companion, the woman was being less cautious. Reddish hair darkened by brown undertones lay flat over a petite frame. Stance relaxed, she walked slowly and stayed close to the shorter man behind her. Under the light, Hanabi noticed an odd looking symbol tattooed over her cheek bone - a triangle flanked by two parallel bars sat diagonally at opposite angles. Hanabi studied the trio for as long as possible before they were out of eyeshot. Then, she revealed herself. Rainwater seeped into her skin. She shivered.

When she was back inside her rented room and drying herself off, Hanabi could still see the trio in her mind. They had been such an usual group of three, traveling together. She concluded that they were passing through the village and would not return. Something in their manner of appearing so soon after Hanabi had been drowning her frustrations in drink after drink, struck her as fortuitous. Even partially drunk, she was aware of everything around her from the dank smell of the inn to the unfriendly aura of its patrons. Could it really be coincidence that when she had wanted a sign, suddenly she had one? If no, the question became what should she do now?

Trusting in her instincts, (they had gotten her this far), Hanabi forewent showering, gathered her things, ran downstairs to pay for her stay, and checked out of the inn. She decided, she better go after the trio before they disappeared for good. And then, she was back in the rain, chasing down a lead that she hoped would yield information about the man she was seeking.