desolate minds

xiv. full of love, full of light

"No, I can wait. Thanks for your help."

My frustration was probably clear on my face, but the man didn't comment. I had a lot on my plate and would rather be focused on clearing it, but I was here instead— waiting for an unreliable sensei.

I sighed, walking slowly down the aisles in a bid to kill as much time as I could. Browsing the wares, nothing really caught my eye. It was just your typical weapon shop inventory; I remembered being much more impressed when I was younger and more fresh to the world of shinobi.

Finally, however, something drew me to a stop. A memory of what seemed forever ago came to mind at the sight of the kunai pouches on the shelf.

Releasing a shaky breath, I reached out and more gently than I even knew I was being, selecting a kunai pouch with a scorpion design stitched on the front.

It wasn't the same as the one I had picked out for Sasori, but it was still a blatant reminder. I had forgotten all about that day, despite how much fun I had at the time.

Before I could continue my reminiscing, the shopkeeper's voice brought me back to attention.

"Shaiā, you stupid girl. Your new rookie has been waiting for you for the past hour."

That was a lie; I hadn't been here that long. With my attention caught, I wandered out of the aisle I was in and saw the shopkeeper speaking to a fairly tall young woman. Her skin was tanned, pairing well with her dark brown eyes. Her hair was also dark; cut short, black strands framing her face.

Overall, she was quite pretty. The air around her screamed "accomplished and respected kunoichi". Despite her serious appearance, her personality didn't seem to match it very well...

"What? You're lying!" Shaiā exclaimed, denying the man's claims. Despite it, she began looking around frantically as if to spot the pitiful child that had been waiting over an hour for her.

Seeing as I wasn't trying to hide myself, I moved to greet her but stopped when she noticed me immediately. Not even a second passed before the woman was directly in front of me, an apologetic look on her face.

"Kyojin? I am terribly sorry; I knew I was going to be a few minutes late, but an entire hour!? I feel horrible, I—"

The shopkeeper began to cackle loudly. "Always so gullible!"

Shaiā abruptly turned, marching back to the older man with her fist raised threateningly. "Tou-san! I told you to quit with your lies! Must you embarrass me in front of my student?"

The shopkeeper, and Shaiā's father, as it turns out, continued to laugh despite the lingering threat of a solid punch hanging literally over his head. He shook his head, wiping at a nonexistent tear. "I think it's best he just knows what he's getting into."

Shaiā rolled her eyes. "What exactly is that supposed to mean? Nevermind, I don't care." The dark-haired woman cleared her throat and stood straighter as she approached me for the second time. "Apologies, Kyojin. My name is Shaiā, and I'm your new sensei. Please disregard anything that pile of dust has said about me."

"Right..." I mumbled, glancing behind the woman at the still heavily amused shopkeeper. "Nice to meet you... I think. Um, please take care of me," I finished with a polite bow.

Shaiā laughed at my hesitance. "Trust me, my family isn't always this... rambunctious. Now, let's get straight to business. It's my job to nurture and train you to grow stronger and become a much more capable shinobi to Sunagakure. Before I can do that, I need to do an evaluation, so—" She grinned then, winking at me. "Race ya to Training Ground Sixteen!"