{R.elease.} (Jazzy)

[Sanny]

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial

It was a fairly nice Saturday, the wind was just but a breeze, and clouds floated lazily overhead. Little creatures scattered about the surrounding woods, and many of the elementary kids were at the playground, playing tag and screaming or laughing. This should've been so relaxing and fun, but it wasn't for Sanjuro at all, for she was fully focused ahead of her, lost in concentration and her unusual anger. It was almost as she'd been looking through a tunnel, refused to see around her, or even listen to her surroundings. This was the one time a week that San could release everything, and take all of her pent-up emotions and spill them out in a somewhat healthy way, so she wouldn't explode the way she felt like doing so often. Besides that, she needed to get away from everything. School was stressing her out, and they had a big basketball tournament coming up fairly soon. But this wasn't basketball Sanjuro was training for, this was volleyball.

The Hyuuga's white, emotionless eyes were completely focused and glued to a volleyball sitting motionless in the palm of her left hand. It sat directly in front of her, rays from the sun lighting it up and causing it to shine. Sanjuro was temporarily distracted, but then raised her right guide hand, getting ready to serve the ball over the net. Flipping the volleyball out of her left hand, her right hand met it in mid air, and with a ton of force and power, the ball flew across the tall volleyball net directly in front of her. It landed with a hard thunk on the ground below, landing just at the back line of the court. It bounced off against the wall ahead of it, and rolled a few feet before Sanjuro stood there for a few moments, contemplating on whether to fetch it or just kick it around for awhile. She knew that you weren't supposed to kick volleyballs, because there was a myth that they exploded, but she did it anyway, because it never happened to her.

A few minutes later, the freshman took a few long strides, meeting the motionless ball, and then moved away from the net. Now she was facing the wall, and with as much power as she could, Sanjuro tossed the ball up, and hit it with such a force that it flew away from the way and behind her into the grass. Steadily, it deccelerated until it came to a halt. But she herself didn't move, she merely watched it, contemplatig what to do now. Slowly, her white eyes glazed over, and Sanjuro began to daydream just standing there. Now she was lost in her own world, enveloped in her steady train of thought that never seemed to leave.

The bitterness of one who's left alone
Ooh, the years burn
Ooh, the years burn, burn, burn

[/color][/size]

[Jazzy]

Driving up to the park in her big maroon truck, and parked it the biggest spot available. Turning it off, the black hairgirl reached back and grabbed a volleyball before stepping out. Jasumin wassn't in her usual clothes. Instead she was in a tight shirt and some shorts so she could practice. Closing the door and locking the car she walked over to the vollyball court. Seeing another girl there Jasumin thought of asking her whether or not she wanted to play together but the older girl decided against it.

Standing far away from the net, she eyed it with concentration. Serving and spiking were her worst parts in volleyball. Finally, after a minute, Jasumin threw the vollyball into the air and hit it with as much power she could muster. Naturally, with her bad aim, the ball shot to the left, way off from where she wanted it to go. It bounced off and rolled to a stop near the younger girl that Jasumin had noticed earlier. Letting out a loud, Damn! She started to walk over to the girl.

Hey. Can you hit it over here? Raising her hands up, Jasumin waited for the girl to throw the ball over. Maybe the could play, she wasnt sure how the girl would react with being asked to play. The younger girl looked pretty steamed. Eyeing the girl for a moment, Jasumin realized her knew her. This was the angry freshmen. Uhh... Hyuuga Sanjuro. Tilting her head to the side she called out to her, You're Hyuuga Sanjuro. Aren't you?

[Sanny]

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial

[/i]

Sanjuro narrowed her white eyes ever so often, almost as if she were puzzled about something that she was thinking about. Absentmindedly, the girl pulled her arms over her chest and crossed them. To an outsider, it might've looked like she was trying to make a decision, but that was not the case. As she started to think, memories began to flood her head, and they leaked from which the back of her mind that they were contained. Thankfully, though, a loud slam had caused her to nearly jump and blink her eyes. She almost forgot were she was, but then realized by the slamming of a hard ball against a hand that she was at the Park, her sanctuary from school or home.

Blinking a few times, Sanjuro strode over to where her ball was, and reached down to pick it up, but at that instant, she was halted by another ball knocking hers. Her brows furrowed in frustration for a few moments until she heard someone cussing and then out of the corner of her eye saw some kind of motion. Her white eyes shifted over to the girl, still bent over. She looked familiar, because she must've gone to the highschool and played volleyball, possibly. That must've been why she recognized her. Sanjuro thought that she'd seen the girl on the court before. She herself was a setter, but she couldn't remember the girl's name or what position she'd played.

Reaching down to scoop up the ball, the young Hyuuga tossed it somewhere in her direction, not really caring if she hit her target or not. Then, she picked up her own ball, and began to stride away, until the girl decided to talk to her.
Sanjuro stopped in her tracks, but replied with turning her head around, since she wouldn't speak. Even if she tried to, she couldn't, the only one she could talk to was Yang. It was almost like a physical imparement, but it had to be mental, since she really could talk. The Hyuuga eyed the girl warily, so very cautious. Opening her mouth as if trying to talk, she tried to push her vocal chords, but nothing came out, so she closed her mouth again. San was almost surprised that someone even acknowledged her. So, she didn't glare, but merely gave her a blank look. So what if she was Hyuuga Sanjuro?

The bitterness of one who's left alone
Ooh, the years burn
Ooh, the years burn, burn, burn

[/i][/color][/size]

[Jazzy]

Blinking, she watched the girl open her mouth but nothing came out. Her blue eyes narrowed in thought before she relaxed. Either Sanjuro didn't like her or couldn't talk. Deciding to take the offensive, Jasumin moved forward and picked up the ball she hadn't bothered to catch. This girl was on her volleyball team. She was the only girl Jasumin didn't know personally. It was time to get to know her. I'm Jasumin. I'm captain on the team. Naturally she was captain, she was the oldest of the volleyball team. Wanna practice together? We might be able to show eachother pointers.

Silently, Jasumin waited for the younger to respond. When she didn't the older girl sighed. Hold on. Turning around, she jocked back to her maroon truck and opened the driver's side of the door. Reaching in, she grabbed a paperpad and pen. So the girl could talk. Locking and closing the door, she started away from the truck at a jog. Coming to a halt beside the younger girl, she handed both items over to her. Write and tell me what you think.

[ooc] bleh.. shortness

[Sanny]

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial

The young Hyuuga watched the girl quietly, and as her eyes narrowed, Sanjuro's white eyes narrowed. She was used to these looks, but she never did take them kindly. Her body tensed slightly, and her gaze never left the girl. Sanjuro could merely listen to the introduction, and then her gaze relaxed. Jasumin...she mentally noted the name, and then felt stupid after hearing that she was the captain. Mentally, Sanjuro kicked herself. No wonder she looked so familiar. And she was a senior, her hypothesis was true. But really, she'd never gotten close to her volleyball teammates, because 1), she never really felt the need to because it really didn't involve much talking except for "I got it! or Mine!", and 2) Sanjuro didn't really like any of them, but she tolerated them because she had to play with them.

She soon became thuroughly puzzled at Jasumin's question. Sanjuro hadn't even seen that coming, it hit her right in the face. Her expression became curious, but she had to think about that. She really wanted to be alone due to her unsocial persona, but improving couldn't hurt. No one had ever asked to practice with her, either. Sanjuro merely blinked as she watched Jasumin jog off with a curious expression, but as she started to jog back, Sanjuro grimaced and stepped back. Too many years had she had him running at her like that, but with an angry expression. She took another step back, and Sanjuro's muscles tensed as Jasumin got closer. She grimaced again.

The sudden halt and movement of the paper being shoved into her face made Sanjuro automatically flinch and look away, waiting to be smacked or something. But realizing that Jasumin was still waiting for her to take the pen and pad, Sanjuro looked back at her, though avoiding eye-contact. She resisted taking the items, but then shrugged in reply. Really, she didn't want to, but she didn't let that show and went along with it anyways, nodding solemnly.

The bitterness of one who's left alone
Ooh, the years burn
Ooh, the years burn, burn, burn

[/size][/color]

[Jazzy]

Frowning slightly, Jasumin stared at her in wonder. The girl was really aloof. They would need to get past that. Sinking down to the ground, the older girl patted the ground next to her. Sit. We need to trust eachother a little before we do this. Setting the pen and pad down next to Sanjuro, she started first. Afterall, Sanjuro seemed more reluctant to make friends than her. Glancing over at her, she started to speak. Basically, I've had a shitty life. I was abandoned when I was born and then I went from foster home to foster home until I was ten. Then I was adopted by Kakashi. I didn't trust him until about a year after I was adopted. The horses helped with bonding, I guess.

Wheen I was about your age, 14. I got a boyfriend. At first he was real sweet and stuff but then he started dragging me into drugs, drinking and sex. If it had been normal circumstances, I would've dumped him. I couldn't though. He abused me and threatened to kill me if I left him. So for about a year I dated him. Kakashi found out somehow about my secret life and took me away from it all. Thankfully he never did find out that my boyfriend had abused me. It might not have ended out well. Jasumin grimanced. After that, life was normalafter that. For the most part. I gave up drugs but I sneak into the bar for drinks. She grinned slightly. Now we are here. Go ahead and tell me whatever you want about yourself.

[Sanny]

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial

The young Hyuuga eyed Jasumin warily with cautiousness as she got an odd stare and narrowed her white eyes. Sanjuro definitely wasn't liking this, and her body tensed. She really wished that Yang would come soon and swoop her away from all of this. But as the girl patted the grass beside her, she hesitantly waited for a few minutes before finally dropping, though leaving necissary space in case if something happened, or Sanjuro needed to get away. She was quiet and polite in listening to Jasumin's story though. San had wished herself that she could've just been abandoned by her family, that would've been the best for her.

But the ending of her story intruiged her the most. It shocked Sanjuro that people could be so alike and not even know it. The abusing part made her shiver, and then grimace, remembering all the times that she'd been hit or beaten to the point of near death. The scar running between her shoulder blades started to tingle, and a wave of sympathy washed over Sanjuro. It must've been hard for Jasumin to get off all of the drugs and start to trust again. She somewhat envied the girl because she could trust somehow, but San herself just couldn't seem to.

After Jasumin's life story ended, San cringed, realizing that she couldn't just write everything out and feel good about it all. She stopped and hesitated a few moments, then reluctantly reached for the pen in the soft grass benieth her, thought for a few moments, then set it back down and sighed. She turned her back to Jasumin, then rolled up her shirt with difficulty, exposing the large, tan scar that extended from her left shoulder blade to her right shoulder blade, then rolled the shirt back down again. In bulletins, Sanjuro wrote in a small summary of her life story in short sentences.

• Dad beats Mom, she dies.
  
• Dad drinks, beats me.
  
• Beats me to unconciousness, thinks I'm dead, runs off
  
• Nearly goes to foster home, Yang saves me.
  
• Gets nicknamed "Mute."
  
• Tell no one.
  

Sanjuro's white gaze looked away from her pad and up to the blue sky above her, grimacing of the memories that came forth. Her father's large hand coming down on the side of her face, getting kicked in the ribs, constantly crying, always bloody. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Her nails dug into the grass so hard, she pulled the green out of the wet earth, then sighed, looking away. She didn't mean to seem like such a stupid crybaby, but now she was. And look at Jasumin, she was so tough and didn't seem to mind talking about it. Worse had probably happened to her that herself. Picking herself up, Sanjuro reached for the white volleyball beside her and began to set mindlessly to herself. She wanted Yang to be here soon, the moment was so akward, because San had never EVER told anyone what had happened, besides her adoptive mother.

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial

[/i][/color][/size]

[Jazzy]

Seeing the scar, Jasumin's eyes widened in shock. What happened? Though Kouji had abused her, he had never used weapons. She had only got bruises. Before she could say anything, Sanjuro rolled her shirt down. Watching the younger girl, she watched her write down about her life. Her blue eyes widened when she saw that Sanjuro's dad had abused her. Glancing at the younger girl, she let out a sympathetic sigh. Turning her gaze away from Sanjuro, she stared at the grass, thinking for a moment or two. You know... what happen to us will stay with us forever. We can never forget it. What happen is a part of us. I always think about what he did to me. It scares me, you know? Never knowing if I might see him again and he might hurt me. I have to look strong, if I didn't, Kakashi would find out what had happened. Only a few people I trust know.

Though it must've been harder for you, it was your Dad. Raising her head, she raised her hand and reached out gently to brush the side of Sanjuro's face. I can see you don't trust people very much. I was like that at first. I just recovered faster. Even now though, I haven't dated anyone since him. I'm scared to. Smiling slightly, she glanced up at the sky. For people like you and me, we need to be proven that the people we see or talk to can be trusted. For some people it takes longer. Like you.

Turning her head, she looked over to Sanjuro. Maybe I can be one of the people you trust. I want to be one of people you trust.

[Sanny]

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial

It was funny, after the young Hyuuga let everything out on only a mere peice of paper, a wave of relief spread over her. San actually did feel better surprisingly. It was weird how such a conversation started out with mere glances, and suddenly, Sanjuro felt guilty. Jasumin had walked up to her, willingly trusting, wanting to become friends with someone she hardly knew. Herself, on the other hand, couldn't even try, and didn't want to. She wanted to know the secret of her new acquaintance. How did she learn to trust so fast? It'd only been two years since everything had happened, and what, four years since things had happened to Jasumin? She already looked happy and such, but in two years, could Sanjuro say she'd be the same?

In agreement, she nodded solemnly. So far, there was no boy or man that Sanjuro could trust, they were still cruel in her eyes. It might've been an ignorant thought, but the only man in her life that was supposed to protect her and love her beat her instead. The sudden brush against her ghostly complexion caused San to squeeze her eyes shut tightly and flinch, then pull her head back suddenly. She still couldn't handle anybody or anything touching her yet. Her white eyes flickered back open, then rested upon the pen laying on the ground. Breathing a sharp intake of air, Sanjuro took the paper and began to scribble on it.

But you loved him. I always hated him.

How, how did you learn to trust...?

It was a question that Sanjuro was curious about, and longed to know. It was funny to her that Jasumin could smile and laugh and talk. But perhaps she didn't have nightmares every night, and she had people to soothe her. Yang tried her hardest, but still, San didn't know if that was enough. It was also a wonder that Jasumin was still scared, because she put on such a brave face. In her own eyes, Sanjuro was still a coward, hiding in cubboards or anything she could possibly conceal herself in, just to get away from him.

Her white gaze lingered on Jasumin for a few more moments before also looking up at the sky. Nothing had changed in the past hour, the white clouds still floated lazily. The blue was something you could easily get lost in, if you put your thoughts to it. Sanjuro sighed shakily before biting her lip at Jasumin's last comment. She seemed safe, and ok. They did have some in common, and she was able to bring out something hidden in San. Sanjuro was slow to trust, but maybe, just maybe Jasumin could be trusted. She herself didn't have any friends anyways, she was always a loner at school, though she preferred to be. No one wanted to even be around her anymore since she'd knocked the guy on his ass for his threat.

Looking back at Jasumin, Sanjuro tried to speak, but instead emitted a small squeak of content. Then, for half a second, a small, crooked smile flickered across her face, then disappeared as soon as it had came.

The bitterness of one who's left alone
Ooh, the years burn
Ooh, the years burn, burn, burn

[/size][/color]

[Jazzy]

Silently, she watched Sanjuro write on the pad. It didn't take long and when she was done Jasumin took it and read it. Her gaze became thoughtful as she set the pen and pad down. The younger was was right... in a way. Jasumin had loved him, yet she had hated him for what he had been doing to her. She would've been willing to leave him if it weren't for the fact that he had threatened to kill her.

It is strange. In a way... you are right, but you are wrong too. I did love him, but I hated him so much. I would've left him at anytime I could. He'd said he would've killed me though. Though I would've done anything for him. Leaning back, Jasumin fell back onto her elbows and stretched her legs out infront of her.

Looking over to Sanjuro she sighed. I mostly learned to trust because I had my horses. I could talk to them and I could hide behind them when I needed to. They were the comfort I needed, you know? She fell back and tucked both her hands behind her head, bending her leg so her foot layed flat against the grass. She stared at the coulds for a little bit, thinking.

Finally she glanced at Sanjuro. You know what we should do? I should take you to see the horses. It would be a lot of fun.

[/center][/color]

[Sanny]

This song's for everyone like me
Everyone not afraid to stand alone
And lonely
Can you identify with me?

[/i]

Sanjuro waited patiently for Jasumin to read her message, and then listened with curiousity as she explained. Her white eyes gave her privacy, so the young Hyuuga looked up at the sky quietly with her hands behind her head. Finally, she was beginning to relax somewhat. A another wave of sympathy washed over Sanjuro as she listened. She loved and hated him, but couldn't leave, she was forced to be with him. Her white eyes widened, and a small squeak was forced out of her throat. They were so different, but almost the exact same. A shiver involuntarily ran down Sanjuro's spine.

But Sanjuro didn't love her father, she hated him to the very core, which made her deeply bitter. As a child, she never felt the love for him like family should, after seeing her mother being beaten by him so much. She'd tried running away from him constantly, but was always found and beaten to unconciousness. The young Hyuuga wiggled her toes to draw her out of her memories and remember that Jasumin was here. This girl, even though they'd just met, ingruiged her greatly. There was just something about her...She wasn't like everyone else. Sanjuro was scared to trust her, though. What if something happened to her...?

Sanjuro suddenly felt jelous of her. She had horses, people who liked and cared for her. Sports was her release, it was possible that her coaches cared for her. It was comforting, but only for so long. You couldn't constantly be around them like you could with horses, though. And it didn't help that Sanjuro wouldn't talk, either. She wished that around people, she could, sometimes. But other times, it was better to not be able to speak. It was easy to hold your tongue if you couldn't talk. But her white eyes shifted to Jasumin again, and widened. Take Sanjuro to her horses...? Her gaze drifted back to the girl, and then grew curious. She wasn't sure if she should...

This song's for everyone like you
Come and ride with me
We will not back down

[/color][/size]

[Jazzy]

Glancing over at Sanjuro, she could see the uncertainy in her eyes. Tilting her head to the side she sat up, Do you think I can call whoever takes care of you? Shew stood up and stretched before reaching down to get the volleyball. If I can't then maybe we can wait for your guardian to come so we can ask if you can come riding with me. Jasumin's voice became quiet, Only if you want to though. She then threw the ball up in the air and looked up to watch it before bumping it and letting it drop to the ground again. The older girl had gotten lazy during the time she and Sanjuro talked. Oh well, she'd probably be riding soon anyways. Atleast she'll get a little excersize.