Paradise Found

CHAPTER 9

Kyohei was here today, after having been sent on another scouting mission that lasted only a few days when the leads they had followed turned out to be a dead end. The mission had been terminated and he had returned home early to help assess village security in preparation for the Chuunin Exams, which were set to take place in two months' time. But today, our planning and stressful discussions regarding the upcoming events had been put on hold, and I was glad for it.

Kyohei was back, and we had made the decision together to begin our more in- depth discussion of the Chuunin Exams that were looming on the horizon for another day. We had two months to come up with a suitable plan of action, and we had decided to use today as a de-stresser, which was something we both needed. I was glad for his company today, as well as a day free from the nervous anxiety that took hold over my heart when we spoke of Orochimaru.

My relationship with Kyohei had taken a turn for the better over the last month or so. After we had spoken in depth about my expectations from him in regards to our relationship, our friendship had only become stronger, and I found that I genuinely enjoyed spending time with him.

The four of us now ate dinner together at my apartment on a regular basis. Him, Naruto, Aki and I. Like a little dysfunctional family of sorts, and I treasured the time we spent together.

It reminded me of what I'd lost by being brought to this world, and left me with a sense of both joy and melancholy in tandem: the heartbreak that came with the reminder of the loss of my family and homeland, and the joy of the family that I found here.

My heart broke anew each morning I awoke without my family, even after twenty years it seemed the pain was still fresh, the scars never healing. But I'd found something wonderful here now, with Naruto and Kyohei, and I could only pray that they would not be taken from me as well. I wasn't sure I would be able to bear losing my family twice in a row.

"You don't have to do this if you're still unsure, you know." I heard Kyohei's

voice from behind me, snapping me from my internal reverie and catapulting me back to the here and now. "Sure, the whole kimono thing is a bit outdated, but if you're comfortable in that then I don't see the harm in it."

How many times do I have to tell him that this isn't a kimono?

"I know. And I wear a yukata, not a kimono." I returned, my voice hushed as I continued to stare in fascination at the clothing in the window. "But I've decided that I'm breaking from the traditions. They don't own me anymore, I don't have to follow their rules. I want people to know that."

"Then why are you hesitating?" He prompted, though his tone was more curious than anything of the accusatory nature.

His question was certainly food for thought. I wasn't sure. Why was I hesitating?
It's just clothes. What's the big deal?

But if I truly thought about it, it was so much more than 'just clothes'. It was a statement, a radical one to the society I had grown up in. It would be the equivalent of giving the traditional civilians of Konoha the middle finger. The pockets of men and women who actually wore the clothes that were in the expensive glass displays of this shop were numbered very few.

Even so, they existed, and I would soon be one of them. What was more, I wanted to be one of them. As it stood in any society, clothing oftentimes was a reliable indicator of your social class or background. The rich wore flashy brand names and quality fabrics, while the poor settled for hand-me-downs.

And just like any society, no matter the universe, Konoha was much the same. My old yukatas with sun-faded colors showed exactly which social class I belonged to: civilian, traditional, and dirt poor.