Lantern Sending Festival

[sunshinemods]

The Event Details as Relevant to Characters
Dates: December 17th-25th
Where: Sunagakure

Every year, Suna takes this week and turns it into a time to honor those they've lost over the course of the year. It's one of the only times during the year, Exams excluded, that Suna really welcomes people from outside the village, feeling that anyone is welcome to revere the dead, so long as they're respectful about it.

Every evening will see people sending lit lanterns out of the village, many of which will have letters to the dead. During the day beforehand, there is usually a rather vibrant festival air, where local treats can be gotten and games can be played. All of these close up after dark so as not to disgrace those doing a sending except for the food sellers, and it's not unheard of that child toys can be found in excess during this time as well.

The History Behind the Holiday
The holiday has rather interesting beginnings, as once upon a time it was just a local tradition to send up lanterns at funerals, with no big fanfare otherwise being given. Now, this holiday has taken on a day and a purpose, after the story of the man who lost everyone, and was given them back by the lady of reincarnation. Due to this, it's not unheard of that children are conceived during this holiday under the belief that they might be revived loved ones.

The Story
The story begins with a man, whose name is long forgotten, who had lost everyone to war and sickness. His three children, a son and two daughters, his wife, his brother, his nephew, and even his parents were all lost to him, leaving him with nothing but grief and sadness. It was a terrible year, and he did not know how he could recover from the last of his losses, his four-year-old daughter, the youngest of the children and the longest to survive. He strongly considered joining them.

Instead, he wrote a letter, spilling out his grief and sadness, detailing how much he missed them to every loved one lost in that year and the year before. He knew no one on this plane could read the words he wrote, but that did not mean that they might not reach the next. Thus, that day, when he would have sent up a paper lantern for his daughter's memory, he made it from that long, heart-rending letter, and sent that instead.

What he did not expect was for a woman to come to him later that night, wiping his tears and saying nothing at all, who took him into her arms and comforted away his sorrows. By morning she was gone, leaving only the memory of warmth behind. He thought he dreamed her, in his pain, and thought nothing more of it until she came to him, a child in her arms, and smiled a beautiful smile at him as she handed him the child. A boy, one who looked exactly as his dead son. When he looked up she was gone, leaving the child with him, and no matter how he searched, no one had heard of her.

Thus, on the same week as the year before, he sent up another lantern, and he was joyous that she came to him, staying with him until morning as his son slept in his bassinet nearby.

Just as the year before, she returned to him again later in the year, giving him a child. He did not recognize this one at first, for he had not known his dead wife as a child, but when he went digging through pictures he held of his family, that informed him of who his little girl was. Of course, the woman did not stay any more than she had the year before, and he, being too busy with two small children, could not search.

Instead, he focused, sending up no lanterns that year, save one in the spring for a neighbor which did nothing at all.

It was only when he sent up lanterns that week of winter that she ever came, to bring him a tiny babe in the form of someone once lost to him, and thus he called to her whenever he thought himself ready for more of his family to be returned to him.

At least, until the day when his lost were all with him again, and she no longer answered.

Still, he knew she got his letters, and thereafter sent them all the same so that she would know he did not forget to give her his gratitude for giving him something to live for again.

Comments

17th-25th anytime

[heavenly_earth]

For once, Neji was happy to be at a local festival. Even more surprisingly, he'd purposely left his schedule wide open so that he might spend the entire week in Suna rather than an obligatory day or two. All of it could be blamed on one particular woman native to the village, because he simply couldn't ask for a better opportunity to spend a stretch of time with her. Given the newness of their cross-village relationship and conflicting missions, they needed as much of that as they could get.

But as a festival dedicated to the memory of the dead, it wasn't the most joyous occasion. The night brought solemn silence as the lanterns rose, and Neji stood next to Hinata or Hizashi on the nights they were present, lamenting the short life of his mother- a woman he couldn't remember. There was regret in the simple fact he held no strong feelings toward her, but Hizashi loved her, and she had loved them both- still did, he was sure. And that was enough to send up a lantern of his own alongside his father's, assuring her that he'd grown up well and that while he held no clear memories of her, he still appreciated the life and love she'd born him with.


[[ooc: so this is open anytime during the week and Neji can be found doing just about anything typical of the festival- walking between food stands, looking over merchandise, sending up lanterns, training, or even back at the foreign guest quarters for any potential neighborly run-ins]]

19th Mid-Afternoon

[abileunaspada]

That was a silhouette she hadn't seen in a while. For a brief second she held her breath, bracing a little before she approached Neji. He was alone, and... She hadn't seen him since the hospital in October, and with what had just happened she felt like she needed to talk to him. It helped that he happened to be near the guest quarters at the time.

"Hey, Neji," Adela didn't bother with formailities as she addressed him, looking him over with a nod. Yeah, what happened with Seph was getting to her a bit, with what she had done -- hell, she still didn't know what to feel. But it'd be just plain rude to bring it up out of no where, right?

[heavenly_earth]

Neji turned, taking in Adela with a blink of surprise. It felt like they hadn't spoke in... months. And there was good reason for that particular feeling, he realized with a stab of guilt. Not unusual, given his lack of time even for his own teammates, but regrettable all the same.

"Adela," he greeted with a return nod and gave her his full attention as he recognized the tension in her frame. She was on edge about something, and this wasn't a casual conversation. "I've heard you're recovering well. I apologize for my lack of availability in assisting you with that."

[abileunaspada]

"It's fine, it's been busy over the past few months," She shook it off, relaxing a little at his greeting. He seemed well... If she had to take a guess, he was happier than normal right up until she came up. Maybe he caught onto the fact that something was bugging her... Neji really was perceptive like that, after all.

"You enjoying the time in Suna so far?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji hummed a noise of agreement. Between training, missions, and struggling through his previous engagement, there hadn't been a lot of time for much else. But he brightened in response to her query, standing a little straighter with a hint of a smile playing about his lips.

"Yes. I've found a certain charm within the desert, and this festival affords an abundance of rare opportunity." Opportunities he could truly appreciate now that he had someone to share them with.

"However, all doesn't seem to be well with you, Adela," he said with a tip of his head. "We could find some fried scorpion and discuss it if you'd like."

[abileunaspada]

She knew it. Still, she didn't fight and instead just nodded, walking up to him and waiting for him to lead the way, "Sounds good. It's nice that it's warmer here in the daytime at least, even if it gets really chilly at night."

And, after a beat, she added, "Something happened a little earlier... I'm still not sure on how to feel about it."

[heavenly_earth]

"Certainly," he agreed simply and turned away from the guest building back toward the festivities. There were food stands everywhere, but he was set on enjoying the unique delicacy with Adela. It was how they'd first become friends, after all.

"Something happened," he mused because even for him, that was a bit too vague to drawn any conclusions from. Something that made her uncertain, but that could still be almost anything. He hoped it wasn't a kind of talk he'd find exceddingly uncomfortable, but he doubted she'd actually discuss things like that with him. .....Probably.

"I'll do my best to help you, Adela."

20th, night

[noboatbigenough]

The girls wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, at least. The seal on the door was a strong one, and he trusted the orders, and the decency not to break the windows, to keep them inside. That, and they were young yet, and even as Hoshigaki he'd kept them going enough to make them at least a little tired.

Kisame was tired too, but in a very different way. The lantern in his fingers was like a burning coal, and the sword over his shoulder felt heavier than Samehada ever had, and his steps were slow and heavy as a result. This moment was always the hardest one.

Perhaps it was his distraction and preoccupation that let him get so close to someone else. He hadn't expected to run into anyone on this side of the guest quarters so late, and it was with mild surprise that he saw an actual familiar face.

"Neji-san. This is unexpected."

[heavenly_earth]

Neji was perched in the lounge, the noise of the building and festivities low and somber for the time of night. Outside the window, lanterns were still fading into the stars. He wondered if Temari was still out there, was briefly tempted to seek her out through the Byakugan, but his attention was drawn away as someone crested the stairs.

He wasn't surprised to see someone he recognized, as there were plenty fellow shinobi that had come along from Konoha, but this was probably the only Kiri-nin he knew personally.

"Kajiki-san," he greeted with a quirk of his lips, folding his book shut. He'd only been half-reading it anyway. "Enjoying the festival?"

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame remembered the days he'd spent in Konoha on his mission, and remembered his guide with something that might be called fondness if one was being generous. He'd learned a few things, but more importantly met a shinobi who had had the guts and intuitiveness to realize the deception and call him out on it. He hadn't been able to share the truth then, but having the lie openly acknowledged had helped.

And now, he was no longer on that mission, and he was happy to strip the lies away. "As much as I usually do. But, I'll let little Kajiki-kun know you remembered his name. Kid was a bit too young to come to the festival with us this year."

Kisame paused for a moment and tipped his head to the side. "Now we can be introduced properly, eh? Hoshigaki Kisame."

He didn't add that he was a member of the Seven; if Neji was a ninja worth his salt, he would recognize the name.

[heavenly_earth]

So Kajiki was the name of a child, and it was Hoshigaki Kisame that he'd played host to for three days. Neji had known a few things were off when his background inquiries didn't match up.

"Well that explains your chakra reserves. I suppose I'm honored, and somewhat fortunate to have survived such an encounter."

He leaned forward, idly glancing around for those that may have accompanied Kisame, but there didn't seem to be any other Kiri-nin in the immediate vicinity- so far as he could see, anyway. Not that Kisame was here to attack him.

Neji spread his hands out in a peaceful gesture, although a Hyuuga's open palms could be as deceptive as Jyuuken itself.

"You're already familiar with mine. There would have been little point in giving a false name in my home village. I'm afraid I'm not quite as friendly as I may have seemed, however."

[noboatbigenough]

Kisame laughed a little. "I'm not that outstanding." There was a pause and a quirk of his smile. "For a Hoshigaki, that is."

It was what the clan was known for, in and out of Water Country, so Kisame felt free to share that information. The Hyuuga had probably learned more from the search he'd no doubt performed. Even before Kiri's founding, the Hoshigaki had been well-known.

"And I wasn't in Konoha to shed blood, eh? Our villages are not at war." There was an unsaid 'right now' at the end of that, because Kisame was always wondering when the next war would start, whether in or out of Kiri. War was always on someone's horizon after all.

But it was the last statement that obviously caught Kisame's attention, and he stood up a little straighter, almost vibrating with interest, but the smile fell, into an intent, but not happy expression.

"I think you've figured out by now that I don't prefer lies, unless I have to, mm, Neji-san? Unfriendly or harsh as you might be, I'd much more enjoy seeing the truth underneath all those pretty lies and layers you wear for others."

[heavenly_earth]

Neji shrugged, far from kind enough to argue. Kisame's chakra reserves were quite outstanding in comparison to the shinobi world at large. He'd only met one person that surpassed him and glimpsed a second, as horrifying as that had been. To think an entire clan had reserves like that..

He resisted the urge to stand in response to the challenging glint in the man's expression or the invasive nature of his goading. For all they were apparently on a first name basis, they weren't anywhere close to being friends.

"You have unique views, Kisame-san, but I'm afraid you'd be disappointed. There's nothing particularly interesting about me beyond my bloodline."

24th early afternoon

[not_thedragon]

It had taken the better part of the trip for Nagato to successfully convince Sasuke that it would be fine to leave his charge alone for a few hours and explore Suna, but Sasuke had finally accepted the blatant hint and left, though not without detailing one of the goshawks to stalk the man around the village, just in case.

He'd been to Suna before, but it was rare that he arrived without either family or on official business. This was technically a mission, he supposed, but he'd seen enough Konoha-nin around the village that it felt more like a casual gathering than anything else. Speaking of Konoha-nin -- he was positive he'd spotted Hyuuga hair wandering around the past two days, and it didn't take long to locate the Hyuuga it belonged to.

"I missed the opportunity to give you and Hinata congratulations in person," he commented, dropping down from a low wall to land next to Neji. A friend by now, he supposed, which would make Neji only the second Hyuuga not to eye him with total suspicion. "I suppose they're late now."

[heavenly_earth]

Neji turned a look at Sasuke with a mild hum. "We have you to thank for helping us. I'm not sure we would've managed as well on our own. The medical information you came up with was invaluable, and discomfited a few."

Ah yes, he'd always remember the looks on their usually dispassionate faces as they led strong and didn't relent even when they appeared to be backed in a corner.

"I believe I've been officially deemed 'unfit' to lead the clan," he said with a wry amusement. "The depths of irony are lost on them. But the way is clear for Hinata-sama now. She's displayed promise, in their eyes."

[not_thedragon]

Sasuke made a noncommittal sound in turn, lifting one shoulder in a shrug: he had his doubts as to how invaluable what he'd done really was, given how much of it had been squeezed out of a frankly ridiculous schedule over the past several months, but he could hope it was better than nothing. At the very least the record of inbred stillbirths he'd finally located had hopefully upset some elderly Hyuuga stomachs.

"Unfit," he repeated, however, mouth twitching at one corner. "Hinata had promise all alone. The thing that's unfit is their ridiculous branding policy."

Not that Neji likely needed any confirmation of that from an outsider. Turning the subject away from home almost physically, Sasuke tilted his head in the general direction of the festivities, raising an eyebrow. "But you're here without clan, aren't you? How has it been?"

[heavenly_earth]

It's an unwanted reflex, the way his jaw tightens whenever the seal is brought up, but he releases the tension with a controlled breath and a nod. Hinata had plenty of potential; it just didn't shine through in the those Elders were expecting.

But the change in topic is a welcome one. "Yes, I was only here in part with my father and Hinata-sama to pay our respects, but I have more reason than that to be here. As for you, I noticed you're the next liaison to Amegakure. How is that going?"

[not_thedragon]

It's not surprising by now, the way Neji tenses when it comes to the topic of his clan and the completely wasteful way in which it deals with its members by no virtue other than birth, but at least being outside of the village seems to be doing him good. Sasuke's face is disappointed for just a moment when he realises that he must have just missed Hinata, not that Nagato's schedule until now would likely have left him free, but he catches onto that dropped hint with a raised eyebrow.

"It's going as well as might be expected," he says, shrugging a noncommittal shoulder: there's no real policy against talking about an active mission as boring as this one, but the habit sticks. "But if you're outstaying the others, what is your compelling reason to be in Suna?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji nods, taking the silent cue not to ask for details. He's only mildly interested anyway, given how he'd been Nagato's last escort in similar conditions. It's only slightly unfortunate that the Uchiha takes the opportunity to turn the tables back onto him.

It's no secret of course, but he wonders how much Temari might mind so many Konoha-nin knowing next time she has the opportunity to visit. But Sasuke wasn't the type to spread information, and he half-expected the rumor mill would somehow get a hold of it anyway. He had nothing to hide, and Hyuuga had given him the leash, probably not expecting him to run with it.

"Sabaku Temari," And the way he smiles is indicative of a more substantial relationship than that of an escort- not that she needs one in her home village. Sasuke's smart; he's sure that's enough.

21st? idk I'm picking a random day

[abluntwind]

The night time hours are solemn, but the daytime is lighter. Not quite free like other festivals during the year around the continent, but still less somber. But she was ecstatic that Neji had found a way to stay the entirety of the festival. She had a tendency to disappear around evening, not because she didn't want to spend more time with him, but the evenings were more reflective and she wasn't sure she should intrude when their relationship was just beginning.

Today she simply appears at his side just before midday. She'd have found him earlier, but there was some snafu with the housing arrangements for a noble and ugh she was still working out the resulting headache. As a result, she doesn't look quite her usual lively free-spirited self. She looks tired, sounds it too when she speaks up.

"Hi. Enjoying yourself today?"

[heavenly_earth]

It's a warm feeling, to know that at any time, Temari might join him. He wonders if it's how she felt when he tracked her down during their games. But this time they're playing the reverse because she's the Kazekage's daughter and as a member of his immediate family, she has a number of responsibilities in regards to the celebration itself. It's slightly vexing, but he's patient and the past few days have been long and relaxing. It feels... normal, like something he could get used to.

Neji greets her with a smile as he does everyday, though it fades by a few degrees as he takes in her tired state.

"Moreso now." It's a little sappy, but he hopes it might cheer her up- even if it's just to tease him for the comment. "Is everything alright?"

[abluntwind]

She lets out a low sigh, more a hiss of breath than anything else as she shrugs her shoulders. Honestly, she wanted a nap, but this was so new she didn't think it would be something she could get away with asking for. And not being immediately available to put out fires if her father was otherwise occupied wouldn't reflect well on her so while she manages a slightly brighter smile as his response she's still wilted.

"Nothing a couple pain killers won't cure." She's already digging in the pouch at her waist for them as she speaks. Hand emerging with a small bottle that she shakes two round white pills into her open palm before dry swallowing them.

"Do anything interesting today?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji hums, looking her over with some concern. She'll be fine, he knows, but that doesn't keep him from wishing to help in some fashion.

"Not particularly. Avoiding all but select members of my clan, for the most part. But they should be leaving soon. Perhaps we should get something to eat and relax somewhere for the afternoon?"

[abluntwind]

She smiles in an effort to reassure him. This was supposed to be fun, she didn't want him worrying about her being tired or overworked. It was nothing she wasn't already used to after all, it was just that little extra bit more fraying to her nerves than usual is all.

"Mm, that sounds nice. There's a nice place just beyond the main festival area. Should be sort of quiet. We'll figure out the relax part after we eat?"

[heavenly_earth]

He tips his head, reflecting her smile with a mild one of his own. He doesn't quite care what they do, so long as they get to spend some time together. They have a good few more days ahead.

So he agrees with a nod and takes a slight detour past the main festivities in consideration of her likely headache. No races or games today, just a simple sedate pace and a comfortable quiet between them. He enjoys it as much as their good-natured competitions.