desolate minds

xi. things i almost remember

It was a nice day.

That is a sentence not normally spoken during an apocalypse, but it was true. I really did think so.

The weather was calm, and, given the situation, it was fairly quiet outside for once. The temperature was hot, but a nice breeze blew through every minute or two.

So, yes, it was a nice day.

Watch duty was much more bearable on days like these. I could almost feel all the tension leave my body, and a sigh of content slipped past my lips. All at once I could forget about the hell that went on around us. I could forget about the weapon in my hands and the blood that went along with it. I could forget about... everything.

"Are you ready for the supply run tomorrow?"

I jerked, my little brother's sudden appearance startling me.

All at once, I was forced back into reality and forced to remember everything I had just wanted to forget.

Sighing, I gave a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Don't whine, everyone else goes on them. Now it's our turn."

"Yeah, yeah. So I've been told." I rolled my eyes despite Max's assurances, having heard it all before. This conversation seemed to happen every single time we were up to do a supply run.

Max pushed me playfully , nearly making me fall over. He's taller than me now, more strong, I should also add. He'd grown a lot during these terrible years. "C'mon Debbie Downer, I want to spar some more."

"Why? Wasn't yesterday's session enough?"

"Are you asking if I'm getting tired of kicking your ass? The answer is no."

"God, shut up. You're so annoying."

Max wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "I know you love me~"

"Moron," I replied with a cheesy smile.

× × ×

Murai sat on the Suna Academy's rooftop, basking in the everlasting rays of the sun. It was lunchtime, and the pink-haired boy didn't feel too inclined to spend any additional time with his peers than he needed to.

Especially now, with the two new Konohagakure additions. Murai didn't care enough about them to even remember their names, but Niijima-sama had specifically ordered that Murai keep a sharp eye on them.

One, a stocky boy with a shaved head and a gruff attitude, always had a frown on his face that intimidated most of the students. The rest just found it annoying. His name was Ibiki Morino.

The second student was a petite girl —probably the shortest in the entire class— with pale skin and long black hair with a blue hue. Her eyes were a pupil less ivory. Her name was Rika Hyūga.

Murai didn't have much recorded on their family or backgrounds, but he had a few bullet points on their skill sets.

Still, he couldn't be too bothered to focus on it entirely. Instead, he'd rather sunbathe like a cat, and read the letter he had just recently received from Kyojin.

Apparently, Kyojin had befriended a few Konoha-nin along with several of the students in the Academy that was held over there.

This... was not pleasant news, but not exactly all bad either. Murai was mostly worried that the Konoha dogs would corrupt Kyojin in one way or another. On the other hand, he thought it was great that Kyojin was evolving a bit more socially and allowing himself to open up more.