After warming himself up Sora took a curious look around the inside of the tent. After going through some of Tsubaki's belongings one thing in particular stood out to him. It was a pencil drawing of an older woman. She was sitting in a chair, and smiling as if she was posing for it.

  'She looks just like Tsubaki.'

  Meanwhile, the young girl had made her way to the tall circular pavilion that featured a large grill, and a man bigger than even Aoi.

  She sat at a table, and watched the man closely.

  "Big Bowl." She called out.

  The man turned around in surprise, and looked at Tsubaki with a scowl.

  "Tsu..."

  "I told you not to call me that."

  "Ah, you wound me girl. Why can't I call my daughter by her nickname hmm?"

  The man went over to a pot, and scooped out a bowl of hot stew rich with meat, and every vegetable under the sun.

  "Because I'm not actually your daughter, idiot. And I'll need a second bowl."

  The man chuckled. "Don't you mean a second and a third? Where's Aoi, and Straw? I heard ya'll went on a scouting run earlier today."

  "It's a long story."

  And so she told it starting with when they left early in the morning. Big Bowl grabbed himself a bowl of food, and sat across from the girl listening to everything she had to say. She told him about the idiot boy in her tent, and about Straw, and about Haruki Okami, and her fight with him.

  By the time she'd finished telling her story the two were both done with their food, and whatever was left in the pot had grown cold and dry.

  "So that's everything then," Big Bowl replied with a heavy sigh.

  "It is."

  "You did the right thing by protecting that boy."

  "I'm not so sure. He's an idiot who doesn't understand what he's losing by being out here. It pisses me off."

  "Hmm, did you ask him?"

  "What?"

  "Did you ask him what he's running from? Did you ever ask?"

  "Tch, what's there to ask? He's protected by the Kusakyu. He lived inside the village, he-"

  "Didn't you also live inside the village? Weren't you protected by the Mizukage?"

  "It's not that simple, it's more nuanced than that!"

  "And there ya go." Big Bowl said with a smile. He couldn't see Tsubaki's expression under her helmet, but he knew he'd struck a chord.

  "............"

  "This doesn't change anything. I'm still bringing him home."

  "Do what you feel is right, Tsu. Just don't take too long before you tell Roji. He'll want to know what happened, and the longer you keep it from him the more suspicious of you he'll get."

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "He can wait until after the meeting with the Kusakyu. Speaking of which, what the hell are all these 'Orange Men' doing here?"

  "Ah, I almost forgot. Cayan has some kind of meeting with the lead jonin. Think it's got somethin' to do with a slave girl they brought."

  "Whatever, as long as it doesn't interfere with my plans to get the hell out of here. As soon as the meetings done we'll finally be able to leave Amegakure."

  "Are you really sure about this Tsu?"

  "Of course I am. I don't want anything to do with this village anymore. I want to leave it all behind, and start fresh."

  "Ya know if you talk to Rubin about the Mock Exams, I'm sure he'll let you-"

  "And what good would that do me huh? I'll just bring attention to myself, and then-" She looked away, "and then someone will come kill me."

  "You said your mother."

  "Don't. Mention. My. Mother."

  Big Bowl nodded. "If you say so Tsu, if you say Tsu."

  "Tch," The girl took the extra bowl of food, and brought it back to her tent. On her way she stopped by the armory, and grabbed some light leather armor.

  'All out of swords huh?'

  She brought the equipment back to the tent, and sat it just outside.

  Inside she saw Sora sitting up in her sleeping bag staring at the other end of the tent.

  "Hey." She said, "It's cold, but-"

  Sora eagerly took the bowl from her and scarfed it down.

  "Wow, this is the best meal I've ever had. Like, I've literally never had anything as good as this."

  "The first meal you eat after escaping death tends to stick with you."

  The boy paused for a moment, and looked down at his food.

  "Oh, yeah I-I guess that's what it is huh?"

  "Get this armor off me."

  "O-Oh, right!"

  Sora put the bowl down, and reached up to help Tsubaki out of her armor, his legs still stuck in the sleeping bag.

  "Hey Tsubaki." Sora said meekly.

  "Hmm?"

  Sora's head was facing her chest plate, and as he was undoing some of the straps he simply stopped, and looked down at the ground beneath him. Tsubaki couldn't see it with her helmet on, but she could hear it. His tears hit the ground beneath him.

  "You were right. I am scared. I've been trying to hide it, and lie, but what I saw back there t-the carriage, a-and what happened to Straw- I... Please take me home, Tsubaki."

  The girl raised her arms, and removed her helmet. Then she placed a hand on the boy's head.

  "Idiot. Finish getting this armor off me."

  The boy did as he was told, and finished taking the armor off of the girl. Afterwards she placed the pot on the ground outside the tent. Too ashamed, and shocked to notice, the girl crawled into the sleeping bag with him, and turned opposite to him.

  "I will." The girl said. "I'll get you home."

  Sora closed his eyes trying to stop the tears. He was so thankful for the girl's help, but after everything that's happened - Images of the carriage kept flashing into his brain, he couldn't get them out. After some time he felt some kind of warm embrace across his body; something was holding him, and coddling him. He did not know what it was, but it was warm, and kind, and precious. Everything that had happened today no longer mattered, all the blood, and pain was meaningless. It was gone, and he was happy.

  The following morning Tsubaki woke up feeling more energized than usual. She'd only slept for a few hours, but for some reason her chakra had been fully replenished. She considered Big Bowl's meal, but even those were just leftovers, and she'd eaten his food plenty of times before so she knew how much it helped when it came to her chakra levels.

  Tsubaki sat up, and quickly covered her eyes as some sunlight was peaking in through the tent. She leaned back a bit, and then turned to the boy next to her.

  "H-HEY!" She yelled.

  She grabbed the boy, and started to shake him awake.

  "No, no, no, no, no, no, no how could this happen?!"

  The boy was wrapped head to toe in deep purple vines, and plants. Just like a cocoon in a spider's web sitting aimlessly in the dark waiting for its execution.

  Tsubaki began tearing through the vines until she saw him. His body was weak, and his eyes were sunken. If it weren't for the faint pulse she felt in his wrist she would've pronounced him dead.

  As late as they got in last night it was a miracle they'd only slept for a few hours.

  'A full night's rest and... '

  Before Tsubaki could finish the thought the boy opened his eyes.

  "T-Tsubaki," he said.

  She grabbed the boy, and tore him away from the plants, and out of the sleeping bag some of them resisted her pull as she did.

  "Agh!" The boy made a pained expression, and reached up holding his head.

  "I don't feel so good," Sora said.

  He looked around the tent and saw purple plants everywhere; it was like a small forest had bloomed overnight.

  "W-What is this?"

  Thankful that the boy was okay, she didn't skip a beat.

  "Let's go. We're running late," she said, her voice cracking nervously as she spoke.

  Sora helped Tsubaki back into her armor; he did so meekly and without question. Afterwards she reached outside the tent, and pulled in a shield, and the leather armor from last night.