Konoha Sun (Haruka)

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki bit her lip, hesitant.

"With all due respect, Haruka-san, I can't tell you if Inu-chan didn't. It isn't my place to tell things abouyt her, you know. But I'm glad she's okay."

She didn't say anything after that, feeling the awkwardness in the air.

She wondered how Inu-chan and little Aiji-chan were doing. She also wondered why Inukami-chan hadn't told Haruka, but had confided in her. Was it because she and Inu-chan were both...or used to be...

They weren't missing nin, now, of course. They belonged to Konoha. But the simple fact that Inu-chan knew what she had been through had opened her up alot.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka looked down into her lap, feeling as if she had completely intruded on something very big in the life of one of her good friends. "I understand that..." she said softly. "If Inu feels like ever telling me, she will..." She was just trying despritly not to ege it on and keep prying for imformation, as was often her nature.

"May i know at least when it is, so that i can gauge if i've seen her since it's occured?" she asked. Having not seen Inukami for about a month, it was possible that she just had not had the time to tell her.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki thought about it for a moment, estimating and guessing at both Aiji-chan and Inukam-chan's ages. She played with the numbers a bit, trying to make sure it rang true. Inu-chan hadn't told her everything, of course, but she had left enough blanks that Kyokki could fill them in herself.

"Maybe two years ago," Kyokki offered hesitently, "I don't know excatly."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka quirked an eyebrow. "Ok... never mind what i said then..." she said, scratching her head. "I won't mention it to Inukami, unless it comes up." she promised her. "THat would be fairly rude..."

She tried to get on a better subject. "So, you're done with your food. What do you feel like doing?" she asked politely. "Or you don't have to. It's just an offer." she tucked her hands informally behind her head as she waited for an answer.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"Anything sounds good. To be honest, I spend most of my time training, reading, or walking around aimlessly, so I don't really know what all there is to do around here. We could always go to the park, but I doubt you'd find my fascination with swingsets interesting. And the boy who took your journal - I'm sorry, I forgot his name- might still be there, looking."

Kyokki thought about it for a while. When it was just her and bachan, she often had the day to herself, because Amane was at rehearsal, or on stage. She had mostly stuck to one-person activities. When she and Amane did something together, it was normally something like going to the beach or training or going to the movie theater.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka's face widdened into a grin when she brought up the idea of the park. "Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed. "I have not been to the park in YEARS!" This sounded like a splendid idea to her. She had not been to a park, let alone swung on a swing set, since she was about seven years old.

"I would love to go to the park. I'd feel like an idiot being a fifteen year old girl amongst young children, but what the heck!" she shrugged She had never been one prone to embarassment for little things like this.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

Kyokki laughed softly.

"I can't say the same. I turn eighteen this summer, and I still go almost everyday. I think I scared some of the kids at first, but eventually they got used to my being there. I didn't get to go to park by myself much as a kid, so I guess you can say I'm making up for lost time. Come on, lets go."

She started walikng in the direction of the park, hoping whats-his-face wouldn't be there. that might be a little awkward.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka nodded, turning swiftly on the ball of her foot and following Kyokki. "That's a good way to put it. 'Making up lost time.' " She quoted her. "I'm always embarassed to admit that i did not really go to the park like normal kids when i was little." she shruged. "Beats me as to why."

She looked down he street, curiously. She was still keeping an eye out for Kiro, just in case he came back, like Kyokki had been worried about before. Her journal getting stolen again was not something she wanted.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"My parent were always worried, since from the time I was three to the time I was nine we were at war. My mom was a famous worry wort. Ame's kind of a rough place to start with, any ways. By the time I finally had the chance, I wasn't interested. I spent more time, first with Soyo-sensei, and then with Hiroko-sensei and the other two misfits on my team, getting ready for the chuunin exams. So I'm doing it now."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka listened politely, being able to see Kyokki's reasoning a good point. "I see.... you must have a had on heck of a rough childhood..." she said thoughtfully, looking down at the cobble stone street as they walked. "I was just so busy at my... caretakers house i never got to go to the park. Well, more specifically i did not have time to." she sighed. This was hard to explain with out giving too much away. She did not like to tell people that she was formerly a servant in her 'caretaker's' house. It was degraiding.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"No, not really," Kyokki disagreed, "Compared to a lot of people in Amegakure, I had it real easy. It's a village of refugees, so I was actually pretty near the top, life-style wise. The worse I had to put up with was bullying. And that's normal, I guess.

"Things didn't go sour until pretty recently. It's weird, actually, being a refuge from Ame, since so many people go there to flee... whatever it is they're running from. But enough about me.

"You said something about... a caretaker?"

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

"Sounds pretty tough still. Maybe normal for you, but still..." Haruka shrugged. It may not have seemed to bad to her, but it still seemed like she had barely been given time to be a kid.

Haruka suddenly found herself bitting down on her bottom lip. "Um... yeah... the family i lived with here in the city until about three years ago when i moved out..." she said quietly.

That did not seem to give anything away. In fact, it almost made i sound more like a foster home or something. she was unsure of if she could trust her enough to tell her and not have her laugh in her face, or call her dirt and spit at her. But Kyokki did not seem like that type of person.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

They reached the park and Kyokki sat down in the exact same swing as she had when she had come here with Inukami-chan. The thought of it made her remember the Ame hitai-ate with its missing nin mark in her shuriken holster, made her supersensitive to the sound of it clinking against herweapons as she swung. Most people thought of her as filth.

"Tell me more?? I mean, if you want."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka took a deep breath, finally deciding to take the chance and tell her. "Alright... well, i didn't exactly move to Konaha at my own will..." she started. "My father... after my mother's death... sold my older sister and me to a pair of merchants, who in turn sold me to a family here in town." she finally walked over and sat down on the seat next to Kyokki, using her heals to push herself slightly back and forth.

"It's really complicated and long story... and boring probably. You don't have to listen..." she added.

[Kyokki Tenkiame]

"Sold?" Kyokki asked, shocked. Honest-to-goodness bought and sold like a slave? Even in amegakure, you didn't hear to terribly much about that kind of thing anymore.

"I'm sorry.... please, go on,"

Her voice was softer now, and she motioned with her hands for Haruka to keep talking. She didn't know what would be appropriate to say here, if she was allowed to get angry at Haruka's father.