Memory 2 - From Memory Crystal (Sound and Touch)
((ooc: Memory taken from manga chapter 173, pages 1-6 and 8. ~~~ indicates words Spring cannot hear yet. Backdated to 8/21.))
Spring was training in the Dojo Island courtyard, practicing his high kicks against three practice dummies at once. The dummies were laughably predictable at Spring's level of fighting skill. He had hoped for more of a challenge, but so far he was still getting very little response. It was frustrating, because he knew there was something to his high kick. Something had happened that time he had lost it, down in Wilderness when he had fought Rain. Yamazaki. And he had yet to recapture that feeling. He wasn't sure what had triggered it, but he knew it had happened when he performed the kick that had smashed his opponent in the chin. He hoped he could catch it again if he practiced over and over. Surely, something would return to him.
He had just straightened up from one of his kicks when the sound of buffeting air whizzed past him, and something yellow flew just an inch from his head. He ducked out of instinct, then whirled, hoping to knock his attacker's feet out from under them with his heel. No one was there. Confused, Spring stood again and turned around. It had been a strange pair of yellow nunchaku that had nearly hit him. One of the practice dummies hadn't been quite so lucky. One of the handles had slapped it right on the shoulder, wrapping the weapon a bit around the arm. But there was something else there, wrapped to one of the handles and digging into the dummy, helping to hold the nunchaku in place. Spring looked over his shoulder once again, then approached the dummy to examine the nunchaku.
The thing attached to it was a sort of crystal, and Spring felt he should know what it meant. Frowning, he reached forward to take it, thinking perhaps he should show it to Youth before he did anything else, but as soon as he touched it--
The world around him suddenly went black. Normally, someone would panic in this situation, but Spring felt there wasn’t any need for that. He realized it was similar to that time in the bazaar, only this time he couldn’t see. A memory when he could not see? What did that mean?
Someone laid a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head towards them. The hand came from behind him. It was soft, steady and feminine, but it felt like a comforting gesture rather than an intimate one. It was quiet, and Spring could hear his own breathing.
"So,… how is he?" Someone spoke at last, breaking the silence. Spring recognized the voice immediately. Youth. For a moment, there was no answer. Then another voice spoke. A woman, the owner of the hand. She was practically whispering, but it was quiet enough in the place, wherever they were, to hear every word quite clearly.
"It breaks my heart to tell you this… but you must quit being a ninja."
Spring breath caught in his throat. He felt his eye twitch, though he continued to stare at nothing. He heard a sharp intake of breath, then a nervous laugh from Youth. "Ha ha ha, Tsunade-sama, what a lame joke…"
"There are numerous bone fragments lodged within vital parts of your neural framework." The woman’s voice was authoritative and brooked no argument. "You’re in no condition to operate as a ninja. Even if I operate on you…"
Spring felt a chill work its way down his spine. No, that… that just couldn’t be right. He was strong. He was whole. He didn’t need an operation. There was no way he was going to give up fighting. That would be…
"~~~! This is an imposter Tsunade-sama! Damn you, you must have used the metamorphosis no-jutsu! Who the hell are you!?" Spring could hear strain and desperation in Youth’s voice. It was a rare sound. He couldn’t even remember a time when he had heard Youth swear. His denials were met with telling silence.
Spring opened his mouth, closed it again. It felt so dry. Once again, he opened his mouth, managing to speak at last. "There… there is no hope?" His own voice sounded small and weak in his own ears.
"I am the only one able to perform this surgery, but not only will it require a large amount of time… it is also incredibly risky." The woman, Tsunade-sama, remained serious and steady. Professional. Cold.
"Risky?" Youth again. Spring waited, holding his breath to hear Tsunade’s response.
"At best, the highest rate of success for such an operation would only be fifty percent…" Only 50 percent, like the flip of a coin. The luck of the draw. Then she continued, "If it fails, he will die!"
Spring felt something break; the dam of optimism crumbled and a flood of emotions came crashing down all at once. Hearing that he was walking the edge between losing the biggest part of himself and losing his life was soul crushing. Tsunade was talking again, but he could barely hear her over his own shallow, shaky breathes. Suddenly, he felt like he was freezing from the inside out. Sweat beaded on his clammy skin. His heart picked up. He just couldn’t seem to get enough air in his lungs.
Before he knew it even himself, he was moving. He grabbed something in the dark, then hurriedly pulled on his suit. He clutched at the crutch (that’s what he had grabbed, he realized) and leaned heavily on it as he struggled to move out a door in the darkness. He heard Youth mutter something incomprehensible but Spring didn’t turn around. He needed to get out of there before he lost it in front of both of them. He had to get to that place. Certainly no one else would be there. He walked further into the darkness, with barely a thought at all except for escape from this nightmare.
--Spring gasped, suddenly back in the courtyard where the setting sun was still bright enough to leave him temporarily blind after the dark memory. He was panting, and the sweat he had thought was only in his memory had resurfaced in the present. Fear choked him at what the implications such a memory held for him. Was it possible he had taken the surgery anyway and...
♫Oooooh~ Oooooh♫~ A strange sound and voice seemed to fill Spring's ears and he found himself looking around. The scene was the same as he had left it, practice dummies and all, but his clothing had changed to a ridiculous shade of yellow and those lyrics... Spring let out a sob, sinking to his knees as he chuckled, despite himself.
"Dammit, this is not funny," he muttered, then finally lost the war with his emotions. He would never admit it, but the tears he cried then were not manly at all.
((ooc: And now Spring is officially wearing this full costume and is being forever followed by Kung Fu Fighting for the next 4 days.))
Spring was training in the Dojo Island courtyard, practicing his high kicks against three practice dummies at once. The dummies were laughably predictable at Spring's level of fighting skill. He had hoped for more of a challenge, but so far he was still getting very little response. It was frustrating, because he knew there was something to his high kick. Something had happened that time he had lost it, down in Wilderness when he had fought Rain. Yamazaki. And he had yet to recapture that feeling. He wasn't sure what had triggered it, but he knew it had happened when he performed the kick that had smashed his opponent in the chin. He hoped he could catch it again if he practiced over and over. Surely, something would return to him.
He had just straightened up from one of his kicks when the sound of buffeting air whizzed past him, and something yellow flew just an inch from his head. He ducked out of instinct, then whirled, hoping to knock his attacker's feet out from under them with his heel. No one was there. Confused, Spring stood again and turned around. It had been a strange pair of yellow nunchaku that had nearly hit him. One of the practice dummies hadn't been quite so lucky. One of the handles had slapped it right on the shoulder, wrapping the weapon a bit around the arm. But there was something else there, wrapped to one of the handles and digging into the dummy, helping to hold the nunchaku in place. Spring looked over his shoulder once again, then approached the dummy to examine the nunchaku.
The thing attached to it was a sort of crystal, and Spring felt he should know what it meant. Frowning, he reached forward to take it, thinking perhaps he should show it to Youth before he did anything else, but as soon as he touched it--
The world around him suddenly went black. Normally, someone would panic in this situation, but Spring felt there wasn’t any need for that. He realized it was similar to that time in the bazaar, only this time he couldn’t see. A memory when he could not see? What did that mean?
Someone laid a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head towards them. The hand came from behind him. It was soft, steady and feminine, but it felt like a comforting gesture rather than an intimate one. It was quiet, and Spring could hear his own breathing.
"So,… how is he?" Someone spoke at last, breaking the silence. Spring recognized the voice immediately. Youth. For a moment, there was no answer. Then another voice spoke. A woman, the owner of the hand. She was practically whispering, but it was quiet enough in the place, wherever they were, to hear every word quite clearly.
"It breaks my heart to tell you this… but you must quit being a ninja."
Spring breath caught in his throat. He felt his eye twitch, though he continued to stare at nothing. He heard a sharp intake of breath, then a nervous laugh from Youth. "Ha ha ha, Tsunade-sama, what a lame joke…"
"There are numerous bone fragments lodged within vital parts of your neural framework." The woman’s voice was authoritative and brooked no argument. "You’re in no condition to operate as a ninja. Even if I operate on you…"
Spring felt a chill work its way down his spine. No, that… that just couldn’t be right. He was strong. He was whole. He didn’t need an operation. There was no way he was going to give up fighting. That would be…
"~~~! This is an imposter Tsunade-sama! Damn you, you must have used the metamorphosis no-jutsu! Who the hell are you!?" Spring could hear strain and desperation in Youth’s voice. It was a rare sound. He couldn’t even remember a time when he had heard Youth swear. His denials were met with telling silence.
Spring opened his mouth, closed it again. It felt so dry. Once again, he opened his mouth, managing to speak at last. "There… there is no hope?" His own voice sounded small and weak in his own ears.
"I am the only one able to perform this surgery, but not only will it require a large amount of time… it is also incredibly risky." The woman, Tsunade-sama, remained serious and steady. Professional. Cold.
"Risky?" Youth again. Spring waited, holding his breath to hear Tsunade’s response.
"At best, the highest rate of success for such an operation would only be fifty percent…" Only 50 percent, like the flip of a coin. The luck of the draw. Then she continued, "If it fails, he will die!"
Spring felt something break; the dam of optimism crumbled and a flood of emotions came crashing down all at once. Hearing that he was walking the edge between losing the biggest part of himself and losing his life was soul crushing. Tsunade was talking again, but he could barely hear her over his own shallow, shaky breathes. Suddenly, he felt like he was freezing from the inside out. Sweat beaded on his clammy skin. His heart picked up. He just couldn’t seem to get enough air in his lungs.
Before he knew it even himself, he was moving. He grabbed something in the dark, then hurriedly pulled on his suit. He clutched at the crutch (that’s what he had grabbed, he realized) and leaned heavily on it as he struggled to move out a door in the darkness. He heard Youth mutter something incomprehensible but Spring didn’t turn around. He needed to get out of there before he lost it in front of both of them. He had to get to that place. Certainly no one else would be there. He walked further into the darkness, with barely a thought at all except for escape from this nightmare.
--Spring gasped, suddenly back in the courtyard where the setting sun was still bright enough to leave him temporarily blind after the dark memory. He was panting, and the sweat he had thought was only in his memory had resurfaced in the present. Fear choked him at what the implications such a memory held for him. Was it possible he had taken the surgery anyway and...
♫Oooooh~ Oooooh♫~ A strange sound and voice seemed to fill Spring's ears and he found himself looking around. The scene was the same as he had left it, practice dummies and all, but his clothing had changed to a ridiculous shade of yellow and those lyrics... Spring let out a sob, sinking to his knees as he chuckled, despite himself.
"Dammit, this is not funny," he muttered, then finally lost the war with his emotions. He would never admit it, but the tears he cried then were not manly at all.
((ooc: And now Spring is officially wearing this full costume and is being forever followed by Kung Fu Fighting for the next 4 days.))
