[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjg4LjVhMzUzNS5VMmhwY0hCaGFTQWlRbkp2ZDI0aUlFdGhjM05vYjJ0MS4wAAAAAAAA/raggedways.regular.png[/img][/center] [hr] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjU0LjVhMzUzNS5TbUZ3WVc0dElERWdWMlZsYXlCaVpXWnZjbVVnZEc5MWNtNWhiV1Z1ZEEsLC4wAAAAAAAAAAAA/raggedways.regular.png[/img][/center] The drone of the cicadas cry reverberated through the pillared confines of the forest like a strange wordless song. Even in the darkness of the moonless night the life that teemed inside the woods was apparent from the noise alone. Only fireflies could be seen glowing briefly in the black spaces between the trees, appearing and disappearing like wandering spirits. They were the only other source of light besides the aging candescent bulb hanging just outside the door. A swine shaped incense burner sat by the entrance to the small home, the coil inside of it smoking and filling the air with an almost meditative scent. Despite the tranquil and noticeably mosquito free air a young girl sat in the doorway of the home wore a weary face. Her legs were crossed and her hands coiled around the string of a yo-yo, which she continuously unfurled and re-rolled. Somewhere behind her steam rose from a rice cooker and the blunt tapping of steel against wood occasionally clashed against the noises of the forest funneling through the open sliding door. [color=A52A2A] "Mama, please-" [/color] Brown's hands cupped her yo-yo as she stared back into the kitchen where a women manned a stove. Red bento boxes were piled up on the counter beside her and steadily growing as she worked. Two distinctly vulpes ears stuck up out of the golden swath of hair rolling down her back, twitching merrily as she moved. [color=DAA520] "No. No more complaints. I said I was going to pack you lunches for your trip and you were grinning like a cat. It's not my fault you assumed I was just going to hand you a single meal for a six day trip, to say nothing of the return trip. Like I would ever let you go hungry like that~♪"[/color] The women's right arm did most of the work, swirling the contents of several pans, chopping ingredients, and neatly setting them out to be put into their respective lunch boxes while her other sleeve hung emptily from her shoulder. [color=A52A2A]"But if I'm late then I won't be able to enter. I'll have to wait another four years before they hold another event in Rio." [/color] Brown's grip on the small, dark wooded yo-yo grew tighter while her mother simply shook her head. [color=DAA520]"The tournament doesn't start for a week and it's not like the Rio tournament is the only major event going on this year. Waiting a day for me to pack you some actual food isn't going to kill you. If that was the case you'd have dropped dead the day you left here to become a nomad." [/color] The kitsune women turned and grinned back at Brown, her brilliant bullion colored eyes shining with a happy radiance. Yet Brown couldn't return the smile and quickly broke eye contact, turning her gaze back to the darkness outside. Her mother stopped, wincing slightly at what she saw. [center][color=DAA520]"Brown...is something wrong?"[/color][/center] Setting down her knife and clicking off the stove Brown's mother stepped from the kitchen. She strolled across their minuscule living room and knelt behind her, resting her palm on the top of her daughter's head. [color=A52A2A]"It's nothing I'm just worried about-"[/color] [b][center][color=DAA520]"Brown."[/color][/center][/b] Her mother's voice grew firm, empty of any anger. [color=DAA520]"You shouldn't hide your feelings. You don't need to do that with me. You know that." [/color] [color=A52A2A]"Mama..." [/color] Brown's head turned back, her eyes wet and bloodshot. [center][color=A52A2A]“Do you think [i]they’ll[/i] be there?”[/color][/center] Her mother said nothing. Leaning forward she wrapped her arm around Brown's waist and her daughter followed suit, coiling her arms around her mother's midsection while burying her face in her shirt. Brown tried to contain herself, hoping to muffle the sound of her sobs or simply stop all together. Yet as soon as she felt the warmth of her mother's embrace tears began to pour down her cheeks, across the dark bags beneath her eyes. The kitsune sat there amidst the cries of the cicadas and her daughter. Eventually her face hardened and she too turned her gaze to the blackness outside. [center][color=DAA520]"It doesn't matter if they're there or not because you'll be there. You'll be there to show them, to show everyone that they're wrong. That I know for certain." [/color][/center] [hr] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjU0LjVhMzUzNS5VbWx2SUdSbElFcGhibVZwY204dElFOXVaU0JYWldWcklFeGhkR1Z5TGlCUWNtVnpaVzUwSUZScGJXVWcuMAAAAAA,/raggedways.regular.png[/img][/center] [color=A52A2A][center]"I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.I'm not late.[/center][/color] Brown's mouth seemed to move as fast as her legs did, the bottoms of her leather boots cracking loud against the pavement beneath her feet. She ran through the crowded streets leaving a wake of groans, shouts, and foreign slurs as people in front of her were knocked aside in her made charge forward. The stranger sounds and even stranger sights of the city around her seemed to go by in a blur as her vision narrowed and her senses sharpened. Even through the disorienting buzz of the urban environment Brown could still distinctly hear the deafening roar of a bloodthirsty crowd in the distance. Her heart began to race and her speed skyrocketed, her arms swinging like pendulums as the stadium came into view. Slamming her feet down Brown slid across the ground like a an out of control car, throwing up dusts and stray rocks. Brown came within a foot of crashing when her momentum broke and she came to a gentle stop directly in front of one of the sign up booths. [color=A52A2A]"I'm *gasp* Brown *gasp* Kasshoku and *gasp* I'm here to *gasp* register for the tournament." [/color] Even through a crushing lack of breath Brown spoke with an audible excitement that left her whole body twitching. The booth runner, a dark skinned women with dreads behind a foot of chicken wire glass, smiled back at Brown. "Sorry. You missed your chance!" Brown froze, her eyes locking with the women behind the glass. [color=A52A2A]"What?"[/color] "Final sign ups closed an hour or so ago and the preliminary rounds are essentially over. There's no way you can join the tournament." The smile on Brown's face withered and her bouncing energy vanished. Her eyes were left wide and her hands clung to the counter of the booth, her grip leaving visible marks in the wood as it tightened. [color=A52A2A]"B-but I got here as soon as I could! My boat sank and then there were pirates, and a bunch of sharks, and a really weird Mexican man in a mask who started throwing sharks at the pirates-" [/color] "That's nice. Well I'm on break now. Bye!" A sliding steel shutter dropped down across the front of the booth with an uncaring slam. Brown was left staring at scratched steel plating as inside the stadium, just a few dozen feet away, she could hear the crowd begin to work itself up for the next fight. Arms dropping to her sides Brown turned and walked aimlessly around the perimeter of the stadium. Her head hung and her eyes seemed empty. As soon as she found a bench Brown dropped into it and pulled the cord underneath her battered jacket, releasing the bento boxes from her back. Setting the stack beside her Brown grabbed a box from the top of the stack and popped it open. Uramaki inside out sushi rolls, steak teriyaki, and hotdogs cut to look like little squids with smiling faces stared back up from the box at Brown mockingly. A sticky note on the top of the box read [i]"DO YOUR BEST~"[/i] with a tiny fox face beside it sucked away any appetite Brown might have had. [color=A52A2A]"I was late. I didn't even lose. I didn't even get a chance to compete. If I'd come just a few hours earlier then-"[/color] Brown grit her teeth and fought back the urge to scream. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes. [color=A52A2A]"This isn't the end. It's just like mama said, there will be more tournaments to fight in. I should take the time to see who's competing and enjoy myself. Just because I can't compete doesn't mean I can't watch the fights. Getting inside without paying for entrance can't be that difficult."[/color] Brown exhaled and grasped the bento box in her lap with renewed resolve. Even as she reassured herself everything was fine, the happy faces of the people around her made it difficult to feel good. Fans riled up for the tournament. Food vendors making a killing on the crowd. Even the bag touting people sticking fat bricks of wire laden play-dough against the sides of the stadium seemed happy. Brown sighed and went back to her food...