My grandmother sighed in contempt as she looked outside at the pink trees that lined the streets.
"Ti Lin," My grandmother turned to me. "Can you do me a favor?"
I looked at her and smiled, giving a nod. My grandmother gave another happy sigh and patted my head, ruffling my black hair.
"Your such a good girl, helping your grandmother so much..." She smiled, and reached for her purse. Pulling out 50 yen, she placed it in my hand.
"Please run down to the market and buy some ginseng and tea for me? The rest you can spend on what you'd like!" She winked and a smile erupted on my face. I give her a tight hug, which throws her slightly off balance for a second before she returns it gently, patting my back.
I take a step back and wave goodbye before quickly bound off to the market place in Konoha.
~~~
I shifted the bag of ginseng and tea in my arm.Who knew ginseng was so heavy?!I thought as I rolled my sore shoulder.
I looked up at the shop sign hanging above my head: Yamanaka Flower Shop.
I walked in and examined the shelves of flowers that lined the walls, searching for a special flower out of the jungles of plants surrounding me.
"Hi, Ti Lin!" A perky voice sounded from behind me.
I jumped and spun around to meet Ino, who was behind me. She laughed at my reaction, and put up two hands to show she wasn't going to hurt me.
"Chill, jeez..." She smirked, moving her hands to place them on her hips. "Quit acting like I'm going to kill you or something!"
I smiled at her and give her a playful shove. She's always scaring me like that, taking advantage of the fact that I'm not a ninja and have some weird super sixth ninja senses or something.
"What flower are you looking for today?" She asked, gesturing to the wide assortment that decorated the store.
'I'm looking for spotted tiger lilies.' I signed to her.
Yes, you read right, Isigned. I'm mute, which is one reason I can't become a ninja. Mute means I can't speak, laugh, or scream. I've been signing all my life, and I'm lucky that most people I know can understand me.
Ino, being trained as a medical ninja, had to learn how to use sign language. She did it willingly though, taking it as a great chance to understand what I was trying to tell her when we were, or at least Ino was, talking. Bit o' mute people humor there for ya folks. But bad joking all aside, Ino and Sakura, who was also a med in training, taught all my friends how to sign to people.
"Okay, there over here." Ino led me to the lilies, the beautiful flowers appearing behind the next corner in all these different sorts.
'How much for two?' I signed to her.
"10 yen." She answered as I plucked two white tiger lilies with black spots from the vase that contained them.
I nod and place then ten yen in her waiting hand. Now I had about 15 yen left, with no clue what to spend it on. Well, I'll figure that out later...
"Thank you!" Ino chirped.
I nod to her and smile, which she returns. Giving a wave goodbye, I skip out of the shop, being stupid enough as not to watch where I'm going.
Crash!
I flew backward, the bags and flowers flying from my hands. I hit the ground with a thud, as did the person I ran into. Ino, who saw what happened, abandoned her store to help us up.
"You okay?" A voice asked me. I looked up to see inky black eyes staring down at me. I nod slowly at the boy who stood before, not seeming to bother to offer a hand to help me.
"Ti!" Ino called, rushing over to help me up. I looked at her over my shoulder and nodded in thanks. She looked over at the boy who was standing there, and gave a slightly nervous smile. "Hi, Sai."
"Hello, Ino." He said without much emotion or any sign of a warm greeting in his voice. He smiled at her, but it seemed off, like it wasn't a real smile. He looked down at me, and I stared back, taking in his features.
He had inky black eyes and neat hair of the same color. His skin was a ghostly pale white, making his eye color seem to stand out more. He wore a cropped top which stopped a little above his stomach, exposing more of his white skin.
'Sai?' I signed to Ino, looking for assurance. I never met anyone named Sai before, or even heard anyone by that name either.
"Oh, Ti Lin, this is Sai. Sai, this is Ti Lin." She said, introducing us.
"Nice to meet you, Ti Lin." Sai said to me, giving another fake smile.
'Nice to meet you too.' I signed to him, and he looked at me, slightly confused.
"Can't you speak?" Sai asked, and I mentally cringed. I hated that question. Just another reminder of harsh reality, thank you very much!
Pushing away the thought, I shook my head, causing my black hair to quiver in the afternoon sunlight.
"Ti Lin is mute. She can't speak." Ino informed him, patting my head, even though she knows I don't like it when she does that.
Sai, though I didn't notice because my eyes were closed and I was trying to resist the urge of flipping my friend, stared at me with a flicker of interest. Ino stopped patting me, and I let out a sigh of relief, happy that I didn't need to lash out at her.
I looked down at the ground to see the ginseng I purchased lying strewn about on the ground in an utter dismay. Sighing quietly, I begin to pick up the sticks of bitter root only to see Sai, starting to pick it all up for me. He places it in the bag and hands it to me, a slightly fake smile plastered on his face.
'Thank you' I signed, and he just keeps up his weird smile and nods.
"Your welcome." He said, and I gave a startled look. He could read my signs?! I thought Ino would just translate that for him! Where did he learn to sign?
"Where did you learn to read sign language?" Ino asked, projecting my thoughts.
"Awhile ago actually, I never thought it would be useful until now..." Sai trailed off, looking at me again.
My cheeks lit up slightly at his gaze, he seemed... interested in me?
I watched as he picked up the two tiger lilies I had just got from the store. "Here." He said, handing me the precious flowers.
'Thank you!' I smiled at him, my real one meeting his strange fake one.
"I have to go, errands to run." Sai said, before heading off in the direction of the markets.
I watched him leave, giving a small wave goodbye. That guy was kinda cute, if it weren't for that little smiling flaw of his...
Ino, showing off the fact that she was taller than me to get on my nerves, propped her elbow on the top on my head. "He's cute, isn't he?" She said dreamily. "He reminds me of Sasuke!"
'Everything reminds you of Sasuke...' I sighed and signed.
She giggled at that comment before lifting her elbow of my head. "I suppose I should get back to work... I'll see you later, Ti!" She called to me before jogging back to the store to finish her shift, leaving me alone in the streets.
I gathered my bags in hand and set off for one spot before heading back to my grandmother.
~~~
A lot of people thought the Konoha graveyard was a depressed place, but some thought it was also a happy place. I found it a cross between the two. It was sad because loved ones slept in here, but it was also happy to know that most of them were in a better place.
I approached the two combined graves in front me and lowered myself onto my knees, removing the incense from the bag from the store that I stopped by on my way over here. Lighting one of the sticks, I placed it on the stand then put both on the grave in front of me. Picking up the two tiger lilies, I carefully set them down on the cool marble, and leaned back on my knees. I looked down at the ground and smiled.
Lifting my head, I looked at the scripture on the stone.
Rensa and Grenji
Lovers and Partners In Life And Death
Silently, my shoulders move up and down as silent sobs escape my throat. What I hate the most about losing my parents is that they knew how to talk to me, they knew how I thought and could tell when something was up. They knew how to act, how to cheer me up, how to calm me down, how to joke around and make me smile. Of course that when they went away on an S-rank mission and didn't come back.
Footsteps sounded softly behind me and I quickly wiped my face to remove any traces of whatever tears that had formed in my eyes. A white hand was placed on my shoulder and I turned my head to see those same inky black eyes from earlier today.
"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at me with a slightly concerned face. This shocked me. He seemed so emotionless earlier, but now you could the concern clear on his face.
I nod, staring at him with slightly surprised eyes. He smiles, and it takes my breath away. That smile was pure as the sun is bright! Holy crap! I felt blush creep to my cheeks as he offered a hand to help me up. I took it, and he pulled me up, then looked behind me at the grave's inscription.
"They were... your parents?" He asked, reading the gravestone.
'Yes, they died when I was ten.'
"That's sad... I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." He said, giving a rueful smile.
'What?' I signed, tilting my head in confusion.
"Don't tell me you forgot me."
I stared at him, trying to dig up any memory of him. Come to think of it, he did look familiar...
Then it hit me.
I gaped at him, the memory hitting me like a trunk.
'Your that kid!' I signed to him frantically.
He smiled and nodded at me, taking my hand and kissing it softly. "So you do remember me? Sai. We were best friends... up until the day your parents died and I was taken away. It's been ten years."
I nod, too shocked to sign anything. The little six year old boy, my best friend, we were always together. I was crushed by two things that fateful day, my parents lose and my best friend leaving in my time of need. I had forgotten him over the years, but now I could tell with every fiber of my being that this indeed was my best friend. My best friend Sai.
"I've missed you, Linny." He said, using my old nickname. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I hugged him back happily, pressing my head into the crook of his neck. He released me and lifted my chin with his hand. Leaning forward, I felt his warm breath brush against my lips.
"I've been waiting to do this for a longtime. Ti Lin..." He whispered before pressing his lips to mine in the most intoxicating, gentle way.
My head was spinning, but eyes closed as I slowly returned the passion. I was kissing... Sai? It was so strange, but it felt right. I knew it then, that I had fallen for my friend when we were six and I had just fell for him... again.
He pulled back all too soon, smiling at me with the most beautiful smile that I've ever seen. "So do you forgive me for leaving?"
I smiled back at him. 'Read my lips.' I mouthed to him.
~~~
Ino stared at the two people in the Konoha graveyard. She was on her break from her shift at the shop, so she decided to see if Ti Lin would like to hang out with her and some of the other girls for lunch. She had followed her to see if she wanted to go and part of her was curious as to why she bought flowers.
There and now, she saw Sai lean down and kiss Ti Lin. Ino gasped and raised a hand to her mouth before scuttling away to tell the girls that the two were now together, surprisingly enough. But that didn't see very juicy enough... perhaps adding a little exaggeration?