𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 | 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨 [HEAVY EDITING]

𝟑𝟒 | 𝐘𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐚

I... think I've been frozen. By a Jutsu? By my shock of me actually being able to remember something of my forgotten childhood, maybe? I can't feel Sakura's hands on my anymore. I can barely even feel Ino's repetitive jabs into my side – in an attempt to grab my attention, I assume. It's like the world around me and this person doesn't exist anymore.

I-I don't know what to do.

A loud announcement is made – it echoes and startles me from my thoughts. It's telling everyone to proceed into the arena so those in the procession can offboard and enter their gallery seats. Sakura's and Ino's hands have been resting on my shoulders, I'd realized after coming back down to earth. We don't move, aside from the jostling we get from everyone else around us moving toward the arena. The three of us are likely going to be the last to enter it, so it makes me glad I'd given Sakura the money to buy us the tickets ahead of time. And when they all disappear, save for a few stragglers, the envoys and nobles begin to disembark.

The door of the litter for the Yamada Clan – which it still feels almost too surreal to say – creaks open on either side's hinge, revealing the two people named to be inside – a shorter white-haired boy wearing a frown and a disturbed set of intricate violet robes, and a taller brown-haired boy, his pale red robes crisp and orderly. And even though they share the same colour and shape to their eyes, I know that he was the one the eye had belonged to.

I know that this one is Sen. But this is all I know. How and why, oh, how I wish I knew.

"Wow," Sakura and Ino say in unison, as if breathing the same air. And while I now find myself terrified of the fact that these two people are walking toward us – me – my two friends squeal about it behind my back.

I stand uncorrected. By my friends' standards, Sasuke is very cute. And I won't deny that there's truth to this, but... these two...

Oh, right, they're here. As subtly as possible, I match his last few steps he makes before reaching me by stepping backwards to hide behind Sakura and Ino. His hands tucked inside either of his sleeves, Sen smiles around at us before making a quick bow of his head.

"Good morning, everyone," Sen says – the sound of his voice instantly makes my chest tighten. I can't even bring myself to make eye contact with him. "Kari."

"Hi there," my friends chorus. With as much false courage as I can muster, I turn my head, and raise my eyes from the ground to meet his.

Geez, he's tall. "H-Hello."

His smile seems to grow wider. "I suppose it may be a little insensitive to ask you if you still remember me," he starts, "but perhaps too much time has passed for you to no longer hold me in your memory?"

"I... I'm sorry, but... I only know your name," I end up mumbling. "I remembered your eyes."

"My eyes," he repeats. "Well, I'm grateful for even that. It has been a long time since we've seen each other – this is a welcomed surprise. As we have the morning and afternoon to sit through these examinations, I'd like to propose an exchange of tickets between yourself and Kyōharu, here."