desolate minds

xiii. good, bad, and undecided

The house was empty when I returned. I didn't know if that meant Chiyo and Sasori were out of the village, or if they simply weren't home at the moment. A part of me was a little put out that there was no one here to welcome me back, but I understood my family was busy.

Komushi, however, could have at least stopped by to check on me. I hadn't seen him in so long; he didn't even get to see me off when I left originally. Surely his team would understand if he took an hour or two off to visit his friend.

With a huff, I dragged myself and my bags to my room. Upon opening my door, I saw a few things were out of place... My bed was unmade and had clearly been slept in, my desk space looked to have been taken over, and the floor was littered with dirty clothes and various ninja supplies. I frowned.

I knew Chiyo mentioned something about Sasori staying in my room for a bit, but I couldn't remember why. Regardless, it was unlike him to leave such a mess behind. Was he alright? Was the stress of war getting to him? Something I'd have to look into.

After such a long journey, I wasn't really in the mood to clean. So, I decided to just toss my bags down and plop onto my bed for the moment. I calmly breathed in what could only be Sasori's scent; the smell of copper, wood, and oil— but with a sweet undertone of cacti blossoms that always seemed out of place when matched up with my brother.

I think I managed to doze off for an hour or so, because in one second I blinked, and then the next I was jolting myself awake.

The house was still empty, and it looked like no one had come to check on me, yet. Rolling my eyes, I cleaned myself up a little before setting off into the village. If no one was going to come to me, I just had to go to them myself.

'Honestly, you're gone for several months... You'd think they could at least poke their head in.'

Murai was a bit more understandable, since he was probably busy catching up with Jin among other clan things. I wasn't sure how clan politics worked, but it probably had something to do with that... Komushi, however? Sure, it was possible he was busy with his team or doing missions, but he could at least stop by for just a few seconds. He was always one to drop in without any notice and to leave just as suddenly.

So, what was going on?

Hitting the streets, I was met with the hot and sticky climate that came with Suna. It was not one I really missed, but it did make me feel some type of way— it reminded me that I was home.

As the sun beat down on me, I kept walking without a destination in mind. I'd run into Komushi sooner or later... He always seemed to be everywhere at once.

Walking and walking.

Brows furrowed and scrunched in confusion.

For some reason, something felt wrong. My stomach felt weird; like there was a heavy weight inside it. I unconsciously scratched at my skin as I looked around the area for any possible causes. I didn't see anyone but the usual civilians and ninja passing by.

The world seemed to spin around me.

Why did I feel so sad?

I began to tremble and my knees grew weak. Crouching down in the middle of the dusty street, I curled in on myself and tried to control my breathing. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I was starting to freak out. Was this poison? Had I been attacked? Where's Sasori? Where's Chiyo? Where's Ko—

"Hey, are you alright?"

My heart leaps. Finally— "Komushi—!" I beam up at the boy, relieved he found me at just the right time, but stop myself short. The smile fell from my face and my expression blanked. The boy in front of me wasn't Komushi; he was just a random genin. He looked concerned, but he wasn't Komushi.