01-Stuck in a Loop

Relative time: Just past the gennin exam

Yuki and Aki created a bond over the past two years. The other students were shocked to see Yuki actually talking without being spoken to first. The two were best friends and totally inseparable. Yuki still shied away from the other students but now was able to hold a normal conversation with them. By the end of these two years it was time to take the gennin exam.

It was a relatively simple test. All they had to do was perform a clone jutsu.

And they had both passed the exam with ease and were excited to find out what teams they were on. Yuki was desperately hopping to be on Aki’s team. She was the only one who truly understood him. Sure, as time had passed he had found that all of his classmates were quite friendly but they weren’t the same as Aki… She was the only who really tried to get along with him. She was the one who truly accepted him as normal…

They were in class now and their sensei was about to call out the teams. Aki turned from mindlessly gazing out the window toward Yuki with an excited expression on her face. Their sensei called out team after team and they both waited anxiously. Now the last team was called: “Ookami, Yuki; Hana, Aki; Shoseki, Kenji. Your will be under will be Rokku, Kenta”

Yuki let out a held breath and looked at Aki. He smiled. It was such a relief to be on her team. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they weren’t. And so each newly formed team waited for their Sensei.

Kenji Shoseki looked up out of his book and around the class room for his teammates. He scanned the back of heads row by row until his eyes fell on Aki, who was gently rocking side to side in her seat. He disliked her; She was too noisy. Then he looked to Yuki. He was leaning his head on his hand with his eyes closed. He was ok. He didn’t talk much. Kenji’s eyes dropped back down to his book and he continued reading. Finally, Sensei Kenta walked into the class room. He called out his team’s names and they got up and followed him out of the room.

Now Kenji studied his new Sensei. He was a large man with strong muscles and wore the standard ninja uniform. He had a angular face with black hair. He spoke with a loud raspy voice.

They followed Kenta silently down the halls and out the school. They walked out into the street and across the village. Eventually he stopped and turned around and looked at them. Aki was looking at him eagerly. Yuki was looking at his feet. And Kenji was reading a book.

He said, “You guys sure don’t talk much”

“Oh! Well… Hi!” Aki said embarrassed.

Kenta laughed and said “You guys don’t have to be so formal. Your not in school anymore. And if we’re to be a good team we should get to know each other.”

“So where are we going?” Aki asked

“We’re going to where are meeting spot is going to be from now on.” Kenta responded, “ Yeah, it will be right over there… That bench in front in front of the field.”

The three looked up ahead and saw the old, rusty bench. It had reddish-brown metal legs and arms and dry, dark, old wood seats. And there behind it was a waist-high wall and a somewhat large field. The field was surrounded by forest and had a couple of larges trees in the middle. The group walked over to the bench and Aki and Kenji sat on it while Yuki leaned on the wall and Sensei Kenta stood facing them all

“So let’s introduce ourselves and say what we like and don’t like, alright,” Kenta said

“Ok! I’ll start, I’m Hana, Aki. I enjoy being out doors and being with my friends. And, I don‘t like Mondays and the morning” Aki said cheerfully

“… Ok I guess I’ll go next,” said Kenji, “I’m Shoseki, Kenji and I enjoy reading, the library and quite places. I dislike loud noises and people.”

The group looked toward Yuki who was looking at his feet trying to decide what to say

“Well, I’m Rokku, Kenta. I enjoy training, exercise, and drinking.”

“Sensei!” Aki shouted “What kind of teacher are you?”

“At least he’s honest about..” Kenji said still reading his book

“Anyway,“ Kenta continued, “things I don’t like are formalities, paperwork and that sort of thing.”

Then there was a long pause and Aki whispered “Yuki?”

He looked up and said, “umm… I’m Ookami, Yuki and I like training and… uh… Well, I dislike it when… people stare… at…”

He left the sentence hanging. And memories began to pool at in his mind… Sad memories… Of people staring… staring at him… Hate in their eyes… and much worse… fear… They feared him… Like he was some kind of monster…

Aki noticed the sadness returning to him as he looked down again and leaned heavily on the wall. It troubled her to see him like that. He hadn’t seem that depressed seen when she first meet him. Had all the time she spent with her been wasted. She still didn’t know who was the real Yuki underneath that cloak of despair.

After an uncomfortable moment Kenta broke the silence saying, “Well tomorrow were meeting here at 7:00 sharp and bring ALL of your ninja equipment” and with that he vanished.

Kenji got up and walked away book in hand. Yuki still stood frozen and Aki was looking at him with concern. He just stood there, not even blinking. Aki stood up and walked over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” she asked
Yuki snapped out of it and said, “Yeah, I’m fine” with a weak smile.

“Are you sure” she asked, even though she knew he wasn’t

“Yeah” he whispered, “I’m going home, Alright?” He walked away.

Aki sighed. She didn’t know what to do. She had never been truly sad before. She lead a very pleasant life. She had no idea what he was going through. All she could do was be his friend. But she wasn’t getting anywhere. She was frustrated with herself. She couldn’t help the person she wanted to the most.

Aki eventually went home. She sat in her room the entire afternoon. She tried and tried to figure out how she should help him, but no answers came. Dinner came and went and she decide to go out for a walk and try to get some peace of mind.

She walked through the crowded street. Everything was so alive and busy. She was feeling better already. She peered through shop windows looked at all the people. She even spied sensei Kenta come out of a bar laughing. She shook her head. She soon had passed the ninja academy and there in a tree she saw a pair of feet dangling out of the foliage.

She walked to the base of the tree, looked up, and said, “What are you doing in that tree, Yuki?”

Yuki jumped. He had dazed out for quite some time now, Staring out into the horizon”

“…I always come here when I want to think about things.” He explained

“Could I join you?” she asked looking up at him hopefully

“Ok…” he said

And so both of them sat and stared out just as the sun finally vanished with an orange glow and purple night set in. And both of them thought about how they were getting nowhere. How they were both stuck in a loop.