Days all the same... (Youmu)

Sound of trains passing by.... Fuss created by large crowds of people walking here, walking there, always in a hurry, never stopping to look around. Unable to see anything but their own troubles. These aren't the noises, that can be heard in forests... No... Not the harmonious songs of birds... Whenever you look around- the only things you see are those created by man. Things out of concrete, out of metal... No colours, no life in them. Everything is so grey, so gloomy. Not a single hint, that once trees stood here.

Amongst these same looking grey people, rushing without purpose, not knowing what they are really doing, amongst those grey cold walls, a single spot for those who feel no need to hurry, for those who want to relax even for a moment, a single oasis of colours- two benches.... And shabby poster hanging on the wall. Not strange at all that none of those people stopped and sat down there. Why should they? Especially when one of those two grey benches was occupied by a kid.... A kid?! What is he doing here?! Well... This kid, actually may be a good representation of this whole place...

Long black coat with only some silver stripes didn't promise any colours as well as his white hair(which looked pretty grey in this gloomy lightning) and silver eyes. The kid wasn't moving. It seemed that he had no life in himself. None of that childish activity. Looking directly above, into ceiling, he was quite a good decoration for this whole place... He may have been dead... Who cares...? No one! ..because everyone had their own business. Business... What a mighty strong word...

"The days are all the same here... Nothing new, nothing interesting. Only this gloomy atmosphere, grey colours, eternal rushing and faces, that do not know what smile is... How wonderful... Why did I get here in the first place?" His eyes were cold, his face was like frozen and the only movement was his right hand... It was doing something. Though no one could have noticed. This hand was repeating the same hand seals over and over again. "I have to get out of here... I have to get out of here... I have to get out of here...." The only thing in his head were these words.

It was an early morning. Bright beams of sunlight touched Youmu's face and she slowly opened her eyes. First thing to see was a scroll with descriptions and pictures of her own eyes, second thing was a clear sky and sun shining through the window, so bright so bright, just like yesterday... yesterday. Suddenly she realized it was morning of the "tomorrow". "Damn, I fell asleep.... But now I know that this wouldn't have made it possible for me alone to do it. I still need a companion, just like he said." She pushed the scroll away from her other items.

Youmu was is her apartment and sun caught her sleeping on the table. Now she was preparing to depart. She quickly dressed up her light armor and a cloak on top to hide it, took her Ghostblade and placed everything needed into her ninja pouch. Then she rushed out of her apartment through the roofs of nearby building in direction of train station. She rushed all the way, while the sun was shining at the back.

After few minutes she was already there, searching for the correct train. It wasn't hard to find, since she remembered which train she had to take. It was still some time till the trains departure and she remembered that uncle said her to find a companion. When her mind calmed down from the rush, she looked around and felt the gloomy atmosphere of the station, people were all in a hurry, just like she was a moment ago. Nobody paid attention to their surrounding and people around them, only to their way and their problems.

Soddenly something or rather someone caught Youmu's attention. It was a boy dressed in dark colors, sitting in a corner. He wasn't moving at all from the first look, but when looking more closely Youmu noticed repeated movements of his right hand. Another thing that seamed strange about him was his hair, it was nearly same color as Youmu's - white. This fact interested her, could he be one of her clan? She slowly approached him keeping her eyes on the boy he seamed bored, sick or somehow tired, lifeless. When she was few steps away from him, she asked: "Hello, are you alright? What are you doing here?"

(OOC: Forgot to tell that he was lying on that bench. Never mind, lets keep it as it is.)

As the time passed by, not a thing changed. Boy sat, looking at the ceiling, even his right hand stopped moving. He sank his eyes down and now observed the ground beneath his feet. Whole flooring was made from multiple black and white tiles. It looked like a chess board. For a moment boy's mind jumped from constant "I have to get out of here..." thing to chess. He remembered having a good play with one old shoe maker, somewhere in the south part of Kaze no Kuni. In the end boy lost, but it was an interesting play. It felt like real, whole situation just thrilled him back then. Ohhh... What wouldn't have he done there, in that 'vampiric' station, to get out of that place and that whole boring routine. Ever since he finished academy, there wasn't anything to do. Other genin were assigned to squads... But not Tsume... Not him... Maybe it was fate of his...? Slowly his mind jumped again. From chess to adventure. Boy was just simply dying how he wanted to do something fun, something dangerous. It made him feel alive...

Who knows for how long was he sitting like this there... Minutes? Hours? Days? He didn't remember. Or at least didn't want to. He had no purpose for now. Maybe he was waiting a sign from Raikage or maybe a sign from the God himself. Who knew? His mind was far far away from that place, in valleys covered by trees, full of wild animals, birds and other things. Though he wasn't someone you could call a 'city child', he felt now like one. Not seeing forest even for few months was something unimaginable. His backpack, always ready for a new journey was sitting next to it. It was the only real friend boy had in Kumo. Though the backpack wasn't in the mood for talking today, so they both sat silently(as silently as the environment would let them.) thinking... His sight had begun to get blurry. Maybe he was falling asleep.? He nodded through his sleeps, being not fully asleep, nor awake.

Finally the silence was broken. "Hello, are you alright? What are you doing here?" He heard pretty, maidenly voice ringing. Though he didn't believe that it is possible to see a girl here, in the station, and only thought, that the voice only sounded so sweet. "Hey there." Boy silently answered with a little bit of jest in his voice. "I'm sorry about asking but... Aren't you late somewhere? Haven't you got any matters to attend to? You know, time is money and without money... I doubt that you have time to care about some gloomy boy in the middle of the gloomiest place in the world..." He giggled silently, though it wasn't funny at all. It was strange to hear someone talking to him, especially here, so he raised his eyes in order to see this strange stranger.

He saw a small cloaked figure standing in front of him. Nothing special at first look but his sight went higher and higher, right until the head and stopped there. The face.... Face of a girl... Face of a cute girl... He blushed, because of his impolite speech earlier. And then the last bit... Short white hair... They felt so nostalgic. Immediately memories of that mysterious night when he first met that girl, who game him the pendant, that was still hanging on his neck, came back. All the sensations, all those feelings, all those ideas. "May it be... That she is the one... From that night...?" A sudden as a lightning idea reached his head. "No.... The hair, no matter how similar, are still different and the eyes... Not silver but deep blue... As the sky. And this girl seems to be younger and shorter. Who knows maybe they are connected somehow, maybe she was sent to me by her? And what if not? Nothing! Maybe she needs some help... Or company... Or anything.... I don't really care as long as I get something to do." A sudden smile flashed on Tsume's face, he swiftly jumped up from the bench and bowed to her. "Hey there once again. Surely am I alright, it was only this whole accursed technology, zombie like people and this metropolis mess that made me so... How do you say it...? Ahhh... Remembered! Gloomy! My name is Tsume. Ookami Tsume, you know, from Ookami clan" He leaned closer to this girl and whispered "Though there's no way anyone would know this clan" He begun laughing for his happy speech seemed almost alien to him after this whole silent time. As he scratched his forehead and continued talking. "The answer to the question "what am I doing here?" can't be found so easily... I'm not sure myself... I guess.. Maybe... I am looking for a opportunity to feel alive again... You know... Dangers, adventures, thrills, nature, animals, good sleep, good food. It is all that makes you alive in these days... Or maybe... I'm just... Existing... With no purpose in my sight..." He stopped and thought for a minute. Didn't he looked strange there, standing in front of her, talking non-stop? Well he didn't really care about that anyway. "And so... How about you? Are you on a journey of some sort? Or do you need any help? Directions? I'm pretty new here myself but I think I might just be able to help you... So...?" As he finally shut up, leaving some time for her to speak. He felt that there was a good reason for their meeting.

Youmu observed boy's reaction, which was slow and not energetic at all. He muttered some questions back and then slowly raised his head to see her face. Youmu was about to answer those questions that boy gave, but another thing caught her attention, buy's eye were silver color, which was different from those of Fuusoku, also he had this strange mark on his left eye. While Youmu was wondering what it might be, is it a seal or just a simple tattoo, the boy suddenly jumped up and bowed to her. "Hey there once again. Surely am I alright, it was only this whole accursed technology, zombie like people and this metropolis mess that made me so... How do you say it...? Ahhh... Remembered! Gloomy! My name is Tsume. Ookami Tsume, you know, from Ookami clan" "Ookami? I see, he's doubtfully my relative, unless more distant that Yousei." Youmu thought in a strange relief, but Tsume's hint about nobody knowing his clan and his whole changed behavior still left her interested.

"The answer to the question "what am I doing here?" can't be found so easily... I'm not sure myself... I guess.. Maybe... I am looking for a opportunity to feel alive again... You know... Dangers, adventures, thrills, nature, animals, good sleep, good food. It is all that makes you alive in these days... Or maybe... I'm just... Existing... With no purpose in my sight..." As he said about dangers and adventures an idea of making him her companion suddenly flashed in Youmu's head. Now she was getting excited too, if he agreed.... But then a counter-idea appeared too. "And what if he's just being excited and doesn't actually want to go, or if he'll get scared when he learns about the danger she would be getting him into, or what if he's actually weak and won't be able to handle that danger?...." Anyway, she had to learn more about him, if he's to be her companion. "And so... How about you? Are you on a journey of some sort? Or do you need any help? Directions? I'm pretty new here myself but I think I might just be able to help you... So...?"

When he gave her a chance to answer it all, she smiled to his energetic nature. "Well, yeah, I am on something like a journey and actually you are just the person I was looking for. You see, I need a companion for this journey and I couldn't find any till now. Just one thing, if you want to go with me. I need to know your motives, why are you willing to help me? To see nature, to get out of here, just to feel alive? Or is it something else behind it?" She crossed her arm waiting for the answer. It was few more minutes until her train departs... what a strange boy.

As the answer was finally spoken. Tsume couldn't believe his ears. He looked at that figure, standing in front of him with an amazed face. "What a.... Strange... Girl..." First idea that somehow found its way to Tsume's head. It gave boy the shudders. "She didn't tell her name... She didn't tell anything at all... Immediately she jumped to business. And that is not enough! It seems that she made a conclusion, without asking me, that I want to go with her...." Boy looked at his backpack as if he wanted to find some sort of an answer there. But the pack was 'sitting' quietly there, where he had left it, fully loaded and ready for any sort of a new challenge. As boy looked around, nothing had changed and at the same time everything felt so different. It seemed that whole world was trying to say something to him but unable to understand what it said boy just sighed.

"Quite a mind reader you are... Or did I say that I'll use my first opportunity to get out of here?" Boy didn't remember clearly, his memory wasn't the best one in this world... But he didn't want to lose his chance. Few ideas of this whole mess being somehow unnatural and maybe even dangerous came to his head but as usually he pushed them away. Boy acted based on impulses, not on logical thinking (he was quite good at that as well but somehow, this ability was always suppressed.). "Well... Anyway... I think... I make my decisions based on impulses... Not motives... Well, usually that is... If you know, what I mean... And now... What can I say. I'm used to travelling and having all sorts of fun. Not sitting in one place for ages, doing nothing. Especially, when that place is something like this" With a single movement of his hand, boy showed everything around him. "So... I'm doing this to help you AND help myself. That's the only motive I can give you. If that's not enough... Well... Too bad." Tsume giggled and sat down, extending and crossing his legs.

Listening to Tsume's explanations Youmu repeatedly checked time. She still had 4 minutes to get into the train. Tsume seamed surprised with such a turn of events and Youmu's invintation. "Quite a mind reader you are... Or did I say that I'll use my first opportunity to get out of here?" Youmu was about to say: "You said you're looking for opportunity to feel alive again and named all the things that will be in my journey as feeling alive...", but the boy spoke on. He said that he's more impulsive than motivated and that he isn't used sitting in such a place, but rather traveling somewhere. Maybe he didn't fully express his motive, but Youmu understood that he has much time and nothing to do, that he hates wasting his time like that and wants to do something useful, at least to others.

"Alright, I'll take this chance and its risks. In the end I'm going to face bigger danger than this guy could pose, I guess..." She looked as Tsume sat next to what looked like his backpack. "All the better, it seams, he's ready for the travel..." She looked at the her watch - 3 more minutes, then back at Tsume. "Your motives are ok with me, if you really wish to help me and don't fear the danger then I'd like to ask for your company. Name's Youmu by the way, I've been living here, in Kumogakure, since birth... Oh, and our train is leaving in less than three minutes, I hope you have all your stuff in your backpack..."

(OOC: Such a shorty, I know... There's just... Not much to say...)

Not much left to say. Tsume felt as the happiest man in the world once again. He jumped up, grabbing his backpack and immediately putting it on his back. He bowed to Youmu. "Glad to meet you, Youmu, it seems we're in the same train but you won't regret taking me with you. I won't make any trouble... At least no big trouble..." He smiled. It seems that his old spirit got back. He clapped his hands and shouted out something like "Yeah! Let's do it!" and later, silently added something like... "Rero..."

He looked around, it seemed, that no one will miss him here and there's nothing to leave. maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe fate, for the last few days boy never left his apartment without fully loaded backpack. Maybe it was because he was planning to make a short escape for a moment or maybe because he loved to be ready for everything. Just now he noticed the blade, his new companion had with her. That meant some trouble... And that were the best news that day. As happy as he was, boy begun jumping up and down and repeating "LUCKY!" And that wasn't without a good reason, he really was lucky."So lead the way!" he said after finally cooling out. He begun running to the nearest train without waiting, not knowing nor willing to know will this train take them where they need to be taken..

Tsume seamed very happy to go with Youmu... he started jumping up and down, but then calmed down a bit, asked for a way and without listening to her answer rushed to the nearest train, which luckily was the one they needed. She stood there for a moment surprised, then smiled to herself and followed him into the train. "It was very fortunate for me to meet him here.... what an interesting day..." Just as she thought so, the clouds covered sun and sunshine stopped outside that station, after few minutes a rain started.

Youmu entered the compartment, that was already reserved for her (size for 4 people) by her uncle, sat down and embraced her katana. Looking through a window, into the rain she thought about a wonderful start of this journey... the weather had an effect on her and she felt very sleepy as the train departed. All those scroll she read this whole night were now spinning in her head and a light fear of danger ahead appeared too. The weather and the lack of sleep got the best of her. "Hope you can handle the speed... we will need it..." She said and fell asleep. The bullet train, that they took was now taking them away from Kumogakure pretty fast.