omg why is this so dramatic lmfao
WHO; Yamanaka Ino (ireadurmind)
WHAT; Shrine-building.
WHERE; Ino's room.
WHEN; This morning/early afternoon.
RATING; PG, if that.
All throughout the morning, Ino's room is almost completely devoid of speech. She found the supplies and the invitation almost immediately after waking up, and unlike most castle events, instead of launching into her morning beauty routine first, or checking the journal, she re-read the card before getting to work.
She moved to the floor, pushing aside a chair to make room for a proper shrine, as the card had dictated. Slowly but surely, she built up something decent, deliberately taking her time so as to keep the shrine from collapsing due to poor support. Of course, there are many flowers, and though the marigold flowers provided are beautiful, she knew there are others in her world that would be appropriate.
The rosette of the aloe plant, symbolizing grief; The spider-lily, symbolizing that they will never meet again. Secretly, she still hopes the second one will be proved wrong.
She tried her best to arrange them in a manner that was less than hideous, with not much success, thanks to her loss. But she sat back, looking at what she's put together, before she stood up and fished through a drawer. She found Asuma's scarf, his blades, his lighter; gifts from holidays passed in Paradisa. She crossed the room to her wall full of photos, searching only for a moment before she finds a photo, pulling out the tack and leaving the space empty on the wall for now. Then she moved to the bathroom, taking some candles from the counter.
She knelt in front of the shrine, placing the items methodically on the flat surface she's left, except for the lighter, which she used to light the candles. She propped the photo of Asuma up properly now, so it could be seen from eye level, and sat back.
The lighter was still in her hand.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She stared at the shrine for a long time, lost in thought, before she finally broke the silence.
"I still remember when we were first picked to be Team 10," she said, flicking the lighter switch idly. "I don't think any of us were really taking it seriously ... I don't think anyone was taking you seriously. Blowing smoke in a bunch of kids' faces like that ... but I guess we got used to it pretty fast."
She looked over the lighter, and then back to the photo.
"We did pretty well the first time we took the exam, huh? Even though it was a little ridiculous ... but we came back and passed pretty damn well, right? Thanks to you ..."
She reached up to feel over the studs in her ears. A gift for her promotion.
"Even though it was so long ago, sometimes it feels like only yesterday you were still around, Sensei," she says slowly. It's been more than four years since his death now, from her point of view. "But other times it feels like forever. I have photos, and things, but ... it's not the same. It's not the same as you being here."
She let her head tilt back, looking at the ceiling now.
"I wonder what you'd think of it, here? Would you like it? Kurenai-sensei isn't here, so you'd miss her a lot, and you'd really wish you could be there to see your kid be born. He hasn't come yet, but maybe someday you could see Sandaime-sama, too. If you came, and Shikamaru and Chouji came too ... we could be a team again! Wouldn't that be great?" She let out a soft, albeit a bit forced, laugh before looking back to the shrine.
"If you saw me now, would you be proud, Asuma-sensei? Things are different now ... I mean, I'm twenty years old. I've learned all kinds of new things, like new medical jutsu and better ways to fight. I'm sure just about everything that goes on here is a B-rank or higher mission, so I've really upped my credentials, right? If it carried over I'd look pretty impressive!"
She paused, as if waiting for a response, before the smile on her face fades.
"It's my fault, isn't it? If only I had been stronger, if my medical jutsu had been as good then as it is now ... maybe you'd still be here. You might have lived to watch Shikamaru and Chouji and I become amazing ninja, to get married to Kurenai-sensei ... to watch your son grow up ... Even if you can still watch over us like Shikamaru said, it's not the same!"
Slamming a fist into the floor, her eyes began to water. She could feel tears coming, and a brief flash of shame flickered through her, chest tightening, as she hastily rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. A shinobi must possess a heart that never shows tears. That rule was an easy way to keep herself in check, not to let things get out of control. She had to stay calm. Cool. Collected. Nothing can phase her and nothing should.
Of course, there was no rule about when you were alone.
"... I told myself I would never let you down again, Sensei. I intend to keep that promise. And maybe ... someday my spider-lilies won't bloom. Maybe we'll meet again."
She sat in silence for a moment longer before she moved to place the lighter on the shrine, taking a deep breath before blowing out the candles.
Standing, she heads into the bathroom to go on with her day.
WHAT; Shrine-building.
WHERE; Ino's room.
WHEN; This morning/early afternoon.
RATING; PG, if that.
All throughout the morning, Ino's room is almost completely devoid of speech. She found the supplies and the invitation almost immediately after waking up, and unlike most castle events, instead of launching into her morning beauty routine first, or checking the journal, she re-read the card before getting to work.
She moved to the floor, pushing aside a chair to make room for a proper shrine, as the card had dictated. Slowly but surely, she built up something decent, deliberately taking her time so as to keep the shrine from collapsing due to poor support. Of course, there are many flowers, and though the marigold flowers provided are beautiful, she knew there are others in her world that would be appropriate.
The rosette of the aloe plant, symbolizing grief; The spider-lily, symbolizing that they will never meet again. Secretly, she still hopes the second one will be proved wrong.
She tried her best to arrange them in a manner that was less than hideous, with not much success, thanks to her loss. But she sat back, looking at what she's put together, before she stood up and fished through a drawer. She found Asuma's scarf, his blades, his lighter; gifts from holidays passed in Paradisa. She crossed the room to her wall full of photos, searching only for a moment before she finds a photo, pulling out the tack and leaving the space empty on the wall for now. Then she moved to the bathroom, taking some candles from the counter.
She knelt in front of the shrine, placing the items methodically on the flat surface she's left, except for the lighter, which she used to light the candles. She propped the photo of Asuma up properly now, so it could be seen from eye level, and sat back.
The lighter was still in her hand.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She stared at the shrine for a long time, lost in thought, before she finally broke the silence.
"I still remember when we were first picked to be Team 10," she said, flicking the lighter switch idly. "I don't think any of us were really taking it seriously ... I don't think anyone was taking you seriously. Blowing smoke in a bunch of kids' faces like that ... but I guess we got used to it pretty fast."
She looked over the lighter, and then back to the photo.
"We did pretty well the first time we took the exam, huh? Even though it was a little ridiculous ... but we came back and passed pretty damn well, right? Thanks to you ..."
She reached up to feel over the studs in her ears. A gift for her promotion.
"Even though it was so long ago, sometimes it feels like only yesterday you were still around, Sensei," she says slowly. It's been more than four years since his death now, from her point of view. "But other times it feels like forever. I have photos, and things, but ... it's not the same. It's not the same as you being here."
She let her head tilt back, looking at the ceiling now.
"I wonder what you'd think of it, here? Would you like it? Kurenai-sensei isn't here, so you'd miss her a lot, and you'd really wish you could be there to see your kid be born. He hasn't come yet, but maybe someday you could see Sandaime-sama, too. If you came, and Shikamaru and Chouji came too ... we could be a team again! Wouldn't that be great?" She let out a soft, albeit a bit forced, laugh before looking back to the shrine.
"If you saw me now, would you be proud, Asuma-sensei? Things are different now ... I mean, I'm twenty years old. I've learned all kinds of new things, like new medical jutsu and better ways to fight. I'm sure just about everything that goes on here is a B-rank or higher mission, so I've really upped my credentials, right? If it carried over I'd look pretty impressive!"
She paused, as if waiting for a response, before the smile on her face fades.
"It's my fault, isn't it? If only I had been stronger, if my medical jutsu had been as good then as it is now ... maybe you'd still be here. You might have lived to watch Shikamaru and Chouji and I become amazing ninja, to get married to Kurenai-sensei ... to watch your son grow up ... Even if you can still watch over us like Shikamaru said, it's not the same!"
Slamming a fist into the floor, her eyes began to water. She could feel tears coming, and a brief flash of shame flickered through her, chest tightening, as she hastily rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. A shinobi must possess a heart that never shows tears. That rule was an easy way to keep herself in check, not to let things get out of control. She had to stay calm. Cool. Collected. Nothing can phase her and nothing should.
Of course, there was no rule about when you were alone.
"... I told myself I would never let you down again, Sensei. I intend to keep that promise. And maybe ... someday my spider-lilies won't bloom. Maybe we'll meet again."
She sat in silence for a moment longer before she moved to place the lighter on the shrine, taking a deep breath before blowing out the candles.
Standing, she heads into the bathroom to go on with her day.