Five Leaves Left

"You came here with s-senpai before?" She looks at him with a curiously

After seeing how she reacted to my tonfas I don't think it'd be wise to mention his pike.

Keepin' an eye out for a brother, man. It's what I do.

"Yeah. We pretty much made it our own hang out spot."

"We don't do much there."

She hears of him having something like a friggen pike or my kunai and I swear I don't know how she'll react.

I stand myself up.

"Know anything about something called 'The Worry Tree?'"

Sumiko stands up and nods her head
"I-I have been hearing quite a few r-rumors about it." She looks around a bit worried

"It's acutally located around our clearing-..."

I look behind me where I came from with a hand on my chin before pointing.

"...Over there."

"It seems to be just a little more large than the other trees around it and I found it with 'Worry Tree' carved in it's trunk."

"Never understood the meaning."

"N-No one know how i-t was given it's name" She touches the carving with her left hand
"W-who made this..?"

[Whoa-let me explain the scenery before we teleport to the clearing ]

The clearing is a small one.

There are multiple slit marks all over the bark and around the words as if it was used for target practice (tee hee).

Nearby there is what seems to be a makeshift dummy of hay inside a couple cloth sacks.

"Like I said, this is how I found it."

I point over to the dummy

"I just added that thing over there and-"

God, she's about to think I'm insane.

"-..well...the markings around it as well..."

3..2..-

"Eh?! Yyy-you m-made these?" She looks back at the marking then steps back
"Www-was senpai here with y-you made this?"

"Yeah."

In my mind I am just dying to say 'Yeah. He made those too!' and point at the nearby trees that are snapped in half.

I wouldn't be lying but the reaction she'd give would be worth all the money I ever make in my entire life.

However I restrain myself for the sake of keeping his secret.

"Him and I are practically brothers so we'll come out here together often."

"Oh..." She relaxes a bit but still frightened she takes another step back
"I... ummm.."

Son of a bitch-did that scare her now?

Pff-I give up. I ain't ever going to get through to this girl even if Cook and her are hanging around me.

Turning away I lean up against the tree with my right leg crossed over my left.

Voice injected with lack of faith fills the air.

"You may leave if you like. I can see it in your body language clear as day."

My language is dark. My speech challenging her to go ahead and run away from me again.

This experiance brings back the bad memories of my old school. The rumors that made you want to harm a man for concieving came second to the ones that made people fear me.

Those you could do little to stop because if you tried to prove those ones wrong, people wouldn't let you.

They would practically run away like you were death itself.

That is the reason I don't judge anyone. That is the reason I decpise such people even if it isn't their fault they are like that. It makes no difference to me anymore.

It's the mark of a coward to me. Someone who would choose to run from something when people depend on them.

My past experiences forged my feelings that way. Now I can't help but look different upon those who size me up.

Those people like Sumiko.

I suppose people can be cowards everywhere you go. No matter how much you change, Satoshi, you ain't ever going to stop frightening somebody wherever you go.

That is your curse.

I glare at the only other figure in the clearing with intense eyes.

A stare that penetrates the darkness itself.

She shakes her head and takes a few steps forward. His monotone voice sounded more like a cry for help.
"I-I won't leave!"

(Chris stumbles into the usual forest and overhears Satoshi conversing with Sumiko. He appears from the dense trees.) Satoshi, that's enough.

This daring move on her part causes me to cool it a little.

My gaze becomes blocked by my eyelids. For now.

"Alright."

'Satoshi, that's enough.'

"Hm."

I give a small huff before glancing upward with much less distressed eyes.

I can recognize that vocal pattern anywhere.

Once someone starts reciting someone like Joseph Stalin, their voice practically becomes engraved in your mind.

Christopher.

With that voice she knew who it was once he uttered his words.
"S-senpai?!"
Why is he here...? He should be in bed.

Hey, Sumiko. (Chris sneezes.) I've been trying to warm myself with tea, medicine and rest, but I come to this place purely out of impulse.

My voice becomes less monotone. It lacks life but Christopher's sudden presence took my mind off of current matters with Sumiko.

"What's up, bredduh? Sick?"

Wait-she's taking care of him? I swear, these two need to go out already or something.

A little bird told me they have been hanging around eachother often.

Sure it is a rumor but it is a harmless one. One that would not even cause any harm or help to be made so it has reason to be legit.

I, however, never knew of how close they've gotten.

(Chris rests on a tree stump.) So what have you been doing out here, Satoshi?

"You should not be here senpai you should be in bed!"

Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Sumiko. (Chris stands back up and proceeds to make his way back to his dorm.) Good night, guys. (Chris lets out one of his signature wolflike howls.)

"I'm just-"

'You should be in bed.'

"..Hmm.."

By now I'm used to being interupted so I don't mind it one bit. My soft-spoken attitude has taught me much pacience.

'Good night, guys.'

"Nigh-"

*AHWOOOOOOH!*

"...eeeh.."

Dafuq, bro! Don't do that in front of someone who doesn't know what you are exactly-she's going to think you're under the influence of something! Yeesh, bredduh, I care about you but don't do that in front of someone you haven't told.

After Cook is out of sight I turn back my attention to Sumiko.

"You really mother him, don't you?"

"I don't mean that in a negative way-by the way. He's a bit of a momma's boy so I already know he appreciates it."

That's the way him and I met. Through common interest of having a deep relationship with our mothers.

Sumiko looks back at Veach with a confused look
"D-did Senpai just howl like a wolf?"

My question may have been completely ignored but I don't blame her one bit after that little moment.

You mother fucker.-you totally owe me for what I'm about to do.

"uuuhyeah! Yes he did!..."

"All manly men are able to howl like that. I'm just a small-"

*English* "-pooppy-" (What I call a dog.)

"-so I can't do it well."

I proceed to attempt a similar howl but my vocal cords are much more bass than Christopher's.

"AAWOO-EEH!" *KEH! KEH! EHEM!*

"s-so...yeah.."

MotherfuckerSOowesme.

Not know what Veach said in the middle of that sentence it sounded like English which see was not good at in any way but when he tried to imitate Cook's howl she giggled a little.
"T-that was a nice try but n-nowhere near close."

I really have to bite my tongue after covering Chris at my own mental expense.

YOU

"Told ya. Gotta be pretty manly for such a feat."

TOTALLY

"And I ain't really enough to be able to do that."

OWE ME,

"You're a lucky girl." (I can tell she may like him a little by the sound of her vocal signature as she spoke to Christopher.)

DUDE.

I look back toward the open clearing.

"I myself stick to other means to show my own masculinity."

Her curiosity sparks
"H-How so?"