Wounded Worlds

四

I love you because you were like a cold breeze of sultry summer for me. I don't know why my heart pumped so fast. My words inevitably betrayed me. Your single look was like spring in desert. The heart was so pleased that it said, this was the moment to start beating.

•

By the next morning the Senju clan was in murmurs, confusing a certain brunette all around. Which was strange for her because this had never happened before. Even her father, a stoic man, had almost a look of mourn on him. And it prompted the girl to ask him about it and the strange vibe around their clan.

To her surprise, Angela had learned the wife of Uchiha Tajima had passed away last night. Word had traveled around and reached to their clan. The Uchiha were heavily grieving over the loss of their beloved lady, especially those closely related to her— her family. Today was supposed to be a day where the Senju and Uchiha clans fought at dawn by the forest, but they couldn't make it.

The brunette felt saddened by the news, even though she had never met these people. To lose a mother and a wife... she couldn't imagine the sadness they felt. Needless to say, she was an empathetic person. From her once confused but pleased state, she was sad for most of the day. The news lingered in the back of her mind.

Though trying to shrug the sadness away, Angela focused on her tasks ahead to be distracted. Currently she was practicing her shūji on a parchment of paper with a brush and cartridge of ink to dip in. It allowed her mind to be set at ease and instead focus on her neat handwriting in the quiet room. It was just her in there practicing alone.

After the encounter with the Uzumaki girl, the clan decided to move in into empty homes and were also in the process of building new homes for their newfound allies. So far Angela hadn't seen Amrit and she quickly assumed she was in training again. Sometimes she wondered what it'd be like if their roles changed. Would Angela be happier? And it wasn't that she wasn't happy here at home and satisfied with her role, but she was rather unsatisfied as a whole— feeling as if there was more to life than to serve her future husband as a wife or a concubine.

As soon as the tip of the brush was dipped into the ink, the sound of the shoji door being slid open and slamming against the end frame startled her greatly. The brush knocked the cartridge of ink to the side, spilling its black contents all over her work. Angela whipped her head to the side, ready to scold whomever barged in so rudely, but immediately closed her mouth at the sight of her friend from yesterday standing there. "Amrit!" The Senju's pink lips stretched into a bright smile at the sight of her. A childish grin suited her well.

Her scoldings and care for her work were suddenly thrown out the window. Angela stood up and approached the Uzumaki girl calmly even though she wanted to run. Her friend spread her arms apart, inviting the Senju to a hug. Even though they had only seen each other since last night, it felt like a longer time. The night they spent with each other was the best night in Angela's life. Amrit was her first friend outside of her clan and family, and to have many things in common? It truly was a bliss.

Amrit was the first to part from the hug. "I didn't know merchants came to your village. No wonder your clan is wealthy." She said, walking down the hallway with the Senju in tow. At first Angela was unsure of leaving her work a mess but the idea of spending time with Amrit again was overriding her duties. She would face the scoldings later, for now she wanted to see these merchants and what they brought in this time. It was always a delight to invite merchants over since they always brought new items and foods from all over the world to her clan. Sometimes her mother would surprise her children with new clothes she bought from merchants.