| abstract
| - The finals of the Chunin Exams were creeping ever closer to a crescendo as the participants were awaiting who they'd be paired up to fight against. Amongst the crowd, a young samurai looks above at the board, the chatter of the surrounding participants feeling like nothing but vibrations in the air to him. But everything else, was silence. Kiritsu was born deaf, so he hears no natural sound around him. Instead, his other four senses picked up the slack, one of these being his sense of touch. He has been able to detect the vibrations in the air caused by sound, feeling it at his very fingertips with each passing source of sound that was carried on through the air. Despite his disability, he has always bore a bright, positive personality that always put his fellow samurai at ease. Even in the uneasy atmosphere of the finals, he feels no feelings of anxiety or nervousness, just a silent air of calm. Within the crowd, Kiritsu notices a girl, staring blankly at her surroundings, as if she was focusing on everything around her. Deciding to approach her, he sees she is blind, but has no problem noticing that she is a capable kunoichi. It put him more at ease knowing there was another skilled fighter out there who didn't let their disability get the best of them. Approaching closer, Kiritsu clears his voice. "Hello, there, madame. My name is Kiritsu, Kiritsu Taisei. May I be worthy enough to know of your name?" The young samurai asks, a smile across his face, an air of kindness in his voice. Kiritsu has always been seen as a just and kind gentleman, always approaching those he meets with a courteous greeting. She turns her head in his direction, and her eyes remain unfocused. Nonetheless, Kiritsu gets the sense her attention is squarely directed at him. After a moment, her face assumes a surprised expression, and confusion. "Kiritsu... yes. I recognize the voice. You seem different somehow. A kimono? I thought you didn't care for traditional garb. As for my name... I will feel very disappointed in you, if you've already forgotten it." "Hm? You must forgive me if I come off rude in saying this, but I don't believe we have met. I hail from the Land of Iron. But, at the same time, I feel as though maybe I have met you. This all seems strange to me." Sitting down on a bench next to her, he keeps feeling like he has seen her somewhere, but at the same time, he feels as though this is the first time meeting her. "With what you say, it seems like you've met me before, and you do seem very familiar to me for some reason, like seeing an old face you thought was gone." With that sentence, his calm, outgoing appearance turns to something one would see as a regretful look, like he feels like he has forgotten her, if he has met her at all. Upon his side is a small harp, one he rarely travels without, which he begins carefully plucking the strings, trying to focus, as though he was using his harp to peer deep within his memories, his subconscious. A soft melody that puts even the most tense soul at ease. Kyoumei sits in respectful silence, lilting her head slightly as she listens to the music. She smiles as the light notes wash over them, and quietly withdraws a tool of her own. A finger flicks Onsa Ken, and the tuning fork sword begins to hum gently. Although he can't fully hear the notes, Kiritsu can feel a new harmony of vibrations joining his own. The blind ninja's notes form a duet with his own, a counter-harmony that dances and weaves between his. As the two play, Kiritsu's sense of familiarity grows, but no memories are forthcoming. As their music reaches a conclusion, Kyoumei voicelessly retrieves an object from her pack. A curious set of yellow headphones rests in her hands. "You gave these to me shortly before you..." Her voice wavers for a moment, and trails off. A guilty, saddened expression crosses her features. "I didn't think I'd get the chance to meet you again. I don't think you're the same Kiritsu I met in my world, but I feel I have an obligation to return these to you." Kyoumei extends the headphones in her outstretched hands. She smiles sadly and wistfully says, "You always did love music." Holding onto the headphones, Kiritsu's eyes widen, as if a rush of memories came flourishing through him. He didn't realize it, but there were tears upon his face. "I can't believe it... Kyoumei. I, I remember you. I gave these headphones to you in the ruins of old Amegakure as a sort of memento. I can't believe how I could have forgotten this." Wiping the tears from his face, he looks towards Kyoumei, pulling her into an embrace. "I'm sorry for forgetting you, Kyoumei. I won't be doing it again. How could I have forgotten the one I felt happiness around?" His voice was trembling from the sadness he felt in forgetting his dearest friend, but his tears of sadness coincided with tears of happiness upon the reunion of himself and Kyoumei. But he was still confused as to how this all keeps happening. Like he feels that upon seeing Kyoumei's face, he sees she has lost someone dear to her. Though he didn't want to, he began putting the pieces together. "I... I died in your timeline, didn't I? It's why you have such feelings of sadness. I can see it upon your face, as clear as day. It must hurt seeing me again, when you knew for sure I was dead. I'm sorry if seeing me brought up painful memories for you, Kyoumei." Kyoumei doesn't answer. Rather she looks horrified, even fearful. "I... yes. You died. I'm sorry." She gets up suddenly, turning her back to him. Although he can't see her face, he notices a couple of drops of water drop into the ground at her feet. "I'm sorry." Kyoumei runs away, disappearing into the crowd. In moments, her presence is lost in the tumult and activity. "Kyoumei? Kyoumei, wait!" Seeing her run, he tries to catch up with her, but has a hard time finding her through the crowd.
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