Konoha Sun (Haruka)

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"It's okay," Kyokki said softly, "Don't worry. I don't ever trust merchants that much. I learned my lesson early into my travels. Bachan was so furious with that guy."

Now that she thought about it, Amane-bachan's thirtieth birthday was coming up pretty soon. She wondered what she should get. It had to be something nice, considering all that they'd been through in the last year, all that Amane had stuck with her through.


"You're right about the fighting," she agreed, "I don't like it either. Bachan made sure I could take care of myself, of course, but I try to avoid it."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka sighed as she looked around at the other vendors, hoping to find a familiar face amoung the crowd of merchants. Not seeing anyone she was familiar with, she turned back to Kyokki.

Fingering the flap of her weapons pouch, Haruka sighed. "Fighting is sometimes the only answer..." she inverted. "And there have been many times that i am glad that i chose to learn how to." she shook her head.

"By the way, you talk alot about your bachan alot. Is she here in the village as well?"

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki was startled by the question. It triggered a mental red-alert. The three Chikara siblings knew about Amane, about the past she and Amane shared. Sen knew now, too, but she didn't trust anyone else with the information. If she told the wrong person, they could both end up dead.

"No, she doesn't." She didn't want to sound rude, but it was as if her brain had shut off with that simple question. She knew Haruka hadn't meant anything by it, but...

"She pretty much raised me after I turned thirteen. Took over from my parents. But she doesn't live here."

It was the most she could manage.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka took a step back slightly at Kyokki's sharp tone. Quirking one eyebrow and shaking her head to clear it, she replied, "Uh... o-okay... Just asking..." Turning her head, something at a table caught her eye and all offense as forgotten.

A small leather bound book at the table seemed to stick out like a sore thumb to her. It appeared to be a writing journal, something she owned and had already almost filled.

"So, ummm.." she stuttered, trying desperatedly to find a new topic from them to pick at. "What kind of books do you like to read?" she asked out of the blue.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"I'm sorry... it's just not a topic I'm comortable with. Actually, I read a bit of everything. Some non-fiction, like biographies, books on phsycology. Occasional books on history; they're wondeful when you find the gem in the trashpile. But I read more fiction than anything. Sci-fi, fantasy, realistic fiction, historical fiction, mythology; there are keepers in each genre. I read a little poetry, but some of the romantic stuff makes me gag. I figured out books don't talk back to you, though"

Kyokki went to look at the display that Haruka was examining. Next to the journal Haruka was looking at was a slightly smaller one, bound in smooth leather, cool-blue in color.

She picked it up and ran her fingers over the creamy pages inside, and her lips curved in a smile. Perfect.

"How much is it?" she asked the vendor.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Sighing with relief as she found out that it was not something she had done to cause her defensivness on the whole Aunt subject, she smiled. "I've always been the fiction type of person as well. But i like the adventure/romance type of stuff. If i can find a good fantasy book series i'm very satisfied as well." She smiled. Finally. Another reading freak, it seemed.

The vendor looked over to Kyokki as he closed a deal with another customer. "Oh, a nice selection, young lady." he said happily. "This item is priced at one hundred and twenty yen." he gestured to the blue bound book in her hand. "Interested?"

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki scrounged around in her pocket for the nessacary cash. She had it, easily.

"How on earth is it so cheap?" she asked as she pulled out the bills, a little suspicion in her voice, "120 yen?"

She was already imagining what she could fill it's pages with. Photos and postcards, to be sure, although it wasn't excatly what it was made for. Passages from songs and poems the Amane-bachan liked. Exerts from Amane's favorite parts of the two books Kyokki herself had written. And she'd have to leave some room for more to be added later, of course. It would be the perfect gift.

(I'm not sure if this is right, but all the online yen-to-dollars converters said that equals maybe $1.20, $1.21)

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

(Yes, but keep in mind that in Japan, it seems like much more.)

Haruka could not help but curiously look at the book in Kyokki's hands. It seemed to be fairly well crafted, and the blue dyed leather was slightly rouch in texture. The pages seemed to be well cut and placed within the spine. Surely is should have been more that 120 yen.

The vendor rubbed his head as is finger pointed to the large yellow sign on the side of his cart. 'Sale! 40% off!' it read. "It's original price is actually somewhere around 550 yen."

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"Oh," Kyokki laughed, oblivious me. Sorry."

She flipped throught it, examing the details- a pearly blue-white ribbon sewn in and meant to be used for a bookmark, the sturdy golden clasp, the binding. It would definitely be perfect for Amane.

"I'll take it," she smiled, handing the money to the merchant, "it seems like a pretty good deal."

She turned to Haruka as the man got her reciet.

"Do you write at all, Haruka-san?"

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

The vendor nodded a quick thanks as he took her money and set it in his box, which seemed to be serving as a sort of cash register. "Thank you. Come again." he said with a toothy grin, revealing several missing teeth.

Haruka cowered back slight at this before she looked back to Kyokki, looking down at the book in her hands. It was very nice and she wished she had noticed it sooner. "I write. Mostly my journal, but i've been trying to write this idea i've had for a stor fo a long time." she said with a grin. "It's not turning out so good."

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki tried not to flinch. It wasn't...pretty, but the man seemed nice enough. Shrinking back would be rude, and he hadn't done anything to her.

"I will," she told him, and then started to walk, conversing with Haruka again.

"I don't keep journals. Don't have the patience for them. I've tried a few times, but they always end up sitting on the shelf, collecting dust. Whn I need to think something out on paper, I write it as a story. Problems are easier to fix when they're not yours, you know? So what's your story about?"

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka laughed. "Yeah, journals are actually a tough thing to keep up with, especially with certain kids that want to read them." she said, hinting slightly at the previous predicament of her childish pursuer from that moring. "But anymore it's just my end of the day thing, a part of my routine, i guess you could say."

Nodding head in agreement, she looked down at to her bag, flipping open to pull out the notebook she was currently writting in. She had already filled two others. "I guess a problem is easier to solve if it is for a character or something." she said in ageement. "I often put my own problems into my story lines though."

Flipping the notebook open to the where she had the summary written, she skimmed it over. "It's not about much. Just and adventure fantasy i came up with. If you want to read the summary just ask." she smiled.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"Sure, could I?" Kyokki smiled and asked. She wondered if Haruka the same kind of genre that she read. Kyokki herself normally wrote something that was a mixture of realistic fiction, and fantasy. It was possible, no matter what other people said.

Of course, her writing apparently wasn't good enough to print. Kitsunenoyomeiri, and Sanmyuujikku had both failed to impress publishers. It probably didn't help that they were both written by a seventeen-year-old girl.

Appearences shouldn't count for anything in the publishing buisness, but they did, more than most people knew.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka nodded, handing over the notebook somewhat hesitantly. "I've never had anyone besides myself read it, so there's probably a few gramical errors." she warned her before she read.

On the sheet was a short, two paragraph summary, like the ones you found on the backs of books. Her hand writting was much more neat than it usually was, but still rather messy.

'Samuel Prdoger has had a terrible life sine his parents death when he was nine. Considering bullies, evil teachers, and annoying customers at the blacksmith shop he currently works in, anything would be better. But his whole life takes a drastic turn when a mysterious ship, called the Sea Snake, pulled into his home island, Estukai Harbor.

In this tale of magic, mystery, and friendship, (as well as some really bad pig calls) Samuel will learn a truth about his parents that he never thought possibe. With the help of some new found friends, can he hope to unlock the mystery surrounding the strange sapphire around hi neck?'

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"It sounds interesting," Kyokki said, looking up at Haruka, "Not something I would've come up with, but I'd like to read it if you ever get the chance. It sounds good. So when excatly is it set?"

"Not much like my stories" she thought ot herself, "but it's probably a lot better. And at least you can read her ideas straight through. Mine are scattered all over."