literature

HSV: Been Away For Too Long

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…what did I miss?” he wondered as he sat quietly atop a tree.

The cold air bit at his skin, so the assassin unrolled the sleeves of his dark trenchcoat and pulled up his cloth mask over his nose. He then crossed his arms over his chest, wrapping the coat further around himself to keep slightly warmer. His ever-vigilant eye, a blue as icy as the weather, scanned the landscape around him. He scratched the back of his head, his fingers running through feathered, white hair.

Kuroku, though utterly confused, sat atop his tree along the border of the village with determination to complete his task.

I mean, I was gone for a while…” he mused in his mind. “I left to visit the parents for a few weeks…or months…but it doesn’t change what’s going on. Guess that’s what I get for not telling anyone I was going dark for that long…

It would be a shock to anyone, really. To arrive home after a long trip away, only to find your village and its inhabitants mostly in shambles. No buildings were leveled and no one was particularly injured, but something was very wrong with what Kuroku saw on the day of his return.

I’ll take work when I get it…but still, something seemed incredibly off with the higher-ups…” he continued. “I’d probably get some sort of notice far in advance before being told to do something so…urgent? I guess that’s the word.

The second the white-haired assassin arrived home, he was greeted with empty streets and hollow winds. Before he could even question where anyone was, he was swiftly turned around and sent back to the border.

“What the-?” he remembered saying.

“Get out of here, it’s not safe!” a voice from behind said to him. “We need able bodies outside. Keep anyone from leaving or entering. No trace of this…whatever it is should spread. Now! Get!”

Thinking back on the event, Kuroku shook his head.

She wouldn’t even tell me what ‘that’ was,” he thought. “Guess I shouldn’t have expected to be welcomed back with open arms. But what the hell is going on?

He gathered what he knew for the moment.

So…apparently whatever this is, it’s so dire that no one can enter or leave the village. No one was around in the streets from what I could see. I wasn’t even allowed three feet within the village barrier, as was promptly given rations and sent to the borders for a watchman position…

He looked over to his left and right, seeing other ninja hiding in other trees scattered around. Some he recognized as Assassins, and others as ANBU Black Ops operatives. But it didn’t really matter, since both parties gave Kuroku a sort of glare.

…guess they didn’t take my leave of absence so lightly…” he thought. “Anyway, moving forward. No people inside, all of the houses were locked up by the look of it, and I was promptly kicked out upon entering. And I’m…not supposed to let anyone in. Or out.

He took a minute to consider it all once again.

What could cause a village to go dark like this?” he pondered. “An assassination? No, no one would be that easy to eliminate. A lack of food? Of course not, they gave me rations before pushing me out here…

…a breakout? Some sort of sickness?”

It all was coming together for the white haired assassin when he heard footsteps below him. He peered down, seeing a wandering traveler of sorts trudging through the snow to reach the front gate of the village. Kuroku hopped down behind the traveler, causing him to turn around at the noise.

“Ah, who are you?” he asked, looking the assassin up and down. “Y-You kinda look scary…but you’re wearing pink, so I a-assume you’re from the village?”

Kuroku glanced down at the fringes of his jacket, for once thanking the vibrant color for avoiding a dodgy situation.

“Listen, pal…” he said in a low tone. “…um, how do I put this…”

“Put what?” the traveler asked in return.

“Um…we’re closed?”

Kuroku cursed to himself in his mind. His communication skills were still rusty as usual, and leaving for months on end definitely didn’t help.

“What do you mean, ‘closed’?” the traveler asked. “Y-You never turn anyone away, right?”

“Well, yes, but…” Kuroku started.

“Omoichidou is a village of love and togetherness, right?” the traveler continued. “You extend your hand in friendship to everyone, correct? Is it wrong of me to want to enter your fine village to trade a few things?”

Kuroku sighed. “Listen, I just…” he tried to explain softly. “I’m gonna need you to cooperate for a minute. You simply aren’t allowed in. I’m going to have to ask you to turn around.”

“B…But that defeats the meaning of being a welcoming v-village!” the traveler exclaimed.

“Calm down!” Kuroku spat sharply in his low tone. “I’m just as confused as you are. Just work with me here. I’m sorry I can’t really help you at the given moment, but I just need you to turn around and head back to your caravan.”

The trader was about to open his mouth in protest, but he then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. From tree to tree along the border of the village, other village watchmen and women began dropping down from the snow-covered treetops. They all gave the trader a look as he stammered silently.

“See? I’m not trying to be a jerk,” Kuroku reasoned. “It’s something out of our control. That’s all you need to know.”

The trader calmed down after a few moments and nodded, turning back the way he came slowly and trudging back through the footprints he previously made. The other watchmen and women ascended their trees, and Kuroku did the same.

It doesn’t feel normal to just push someone away like that,” he thought. “I have positively no idea how I managed to live life doing that before.

He sighed.

Ah, well…if that’s what this is…then I guess the only thing I can do is wait for it to blow over. I mean, it has to eventually. The medics will find a solution. Assuredly.

Huh…so much for a warm welcome back home…
...title says it all. For some odd reason, HSV seemed to have left my mind once stress about getting into college and AP Art Studio deadlines and all that started...I feel bad for even blaming it on that, because it all sounds like an excuse ^^;

I've been meaning to get back into this for a while. I just never had time. Sorry, everyone!

Anyway, this is Kuroku undergoing the current Path Mission for Assassins; standing guard at the village's border and preventing anyone from entering or leaving. But since I've been gone so long, so has he, and he has no idea what's going on.

I swear I'll try to be more active ^^;
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bobby-os's avatar
Nicely written!!