Sakura Kinomoto was rollerblading, because that's what she always did. It was a bit wet, but still nice. She was going really fast and then... she turned a corner. She let out a shriek, jumping on one leg as the other went into a pothole. She tried to correct herself, but instead she went skidding off, slamming into the wall, then hitting the fence. She bounced off it and skidded on the ground. Fortunately, she wore padding. But it still hurt and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Even worse. Her ankle really hurt now...
Naru is amongst the types who go towards the screams. Or yelps. Shrieks even. Especially when they're just on the sidewalk outside the store, even if the store is closed for the evening already. She was on her way up the stairs, but quickly turns that back to going back down the stairs and out to look.
Well. At least there's (currently) no giant killer plants.
Naru does spot a flattened Sakura and hurries over to where she's a bit of a heap on the pavement. "Oh my goodness, are you all right?"
Sakura Kinomoto eeped, and looked up. She wiped her eyes, the little forming tears getting herh and wet. "I-I'm fine," she lies. Trying to be a big girl. Then she tries to get up. She lets out a soft cry of pain, falling back on her butt and grabbing her right ankle, the tears starting to form again. Oh dear, looks like she might have twisted it.
"Yeah. I totally know that flavour of 'fine'." Naru comments as she crouches down to offer Sakura her arm to balance on getting up. "I was that flavour of fine after a particularly dramatic ending to a set of stairs on one of my runs." She smiles gently. "If you don't mind coming up to the apartment, we can clean you up and I've an elastic bandage for your ankle. I'll help you with the stairs." She pauses a moment and then adds. "I'm Naru, by the by."
Sakura Kinomoto took the arm, nodding. "O-oh. Okay. That... that sounds nice. I-I'm sorry for being such a hassle," she mumbled weakly. "Sakura Kinomoto," she said with a weak smile. She cringed a lot and had to hold onto the girl, but did tough it out, going with the woman. She had a few bruises and scrapes from the crash, but wasn't too banged up. She'd just need to pamper the ankle for a day or so, most likely.
Granted, naru would find a new problem when they went inside... and one of her pictures were hanging up, just opposite the door.
"It's totally alright." Naru assures as she provides plenty of support on the way into the apartment, tucked in above the OSA-P jewelry store.
"We'll put soem ice on it, let you rest it a bit. Do you have someone who can come pick you up rather than rollerblading home?" Naru keeps the chatter up to distract Sakura as they make it up the stairs and Naru pushes the apartment door open.
Especially as close as they are, with Naru playing crutch at the moment, Sakura can feel the immediate bit of tension of something being /wrong/. Her eyes are drawn to the painting, widen a little, and her breath catches. All very subtle signs of Naru's concern and distress.
There's a moment of looking and then she forces herself to look away, focus on Sakura again, just a hint of tension in her voice that wasn't there a moment ago. "Just over here on the couch, sideways so you can put your foot up. I'll get the ice pack."
The painting, quite prominantly displayed, is nightmarishly horrible. Jagged, as if the painting protrays a broken mirror of death, doom and gloom with a side order of looming emotional negativity. It fairly oozes all sorts of uncomfortable emotions.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, going with her. "Ummmm, not really. Daddy won't be home for a few hours and big brother works tonight," she said softly. "I'll be fine after I let it rest a bit, I'm sure." She held on gently.
Then the woman froze and looked up. She turned to it and... "that's... an interesting... painting?" she offered. "Who painted it?" It got worse. When she was moved to the couch... more of the paintings were up. Spread throughout the house. In front of doors, windows, all hanging up and on prominant display for the world to see. Granted, most probably couldn't as it wasn't a ground floor apartment. But still.
"See how it feels after a rest and some ice." Naru comments as she settles Sakura on the couch.
There's a deep breath as Naru realizes just how /many/ of her paintings are hanging and she straightens, looking around with a slow turn. "I.. I did." Naru admits in a small voice. "Oh. My. Goodness."
Many of the paintings are of obviously magical experiences, most of them are more interpretive and abstract than specific portraits of a scene or situation. A great many of them actively have energy in them (if one can sense such a thing), and a disturbing number of them are disturbingly dark.
Naru has apparently forgotten she she was supposed to be getting ice and a bandage and perhaps a snack. "Oh. My. Goodness."
Sakura Kinomoto looked around, gulping as she stared at all the pictures. She could sense a little magic in them. A clow card? She'd need to make sure to investigate later. But not now. "Is... something wrong? They're... nice?" she tried. Honestly, a lot of them scared her. Dark art like that... well... it frightened her. She was a nice, gentle girl. Not the kind who'd be... okay around such things.
"Naru-kun?" She started to get up. And let out a shriek of pain, falling back down.
The shriek of pain is excellent distraction and Naru blinks back to the here and now. "And that's why I'm going to hope I can find you a ride home rather than walking." Naru points out as she heads for the kitchen. "Just settle on the couch, I'll get you that ice pack."
From the kitchen, Naru comments. "No, the paintings are not very nice. Some of them are well painted, but few of them are nice. I'm sorry that you had to see them." She comments as she returns with the ice pack to settle on Sakura's ankle.
Sakura Kinomoto cringed, letting out a hiss of pain when the ice touched her leg. She then looked up at naru and frowned. She looked around and... "No... they're not very nice. But... but i think you are! And... and if those paintings are something you made, that means they're nice too! Even if they are a bit scary," the little girl said, lowering her eyes.
"I'm not sorry I had to see them. If they're special enough to you to put them all over the house, then... then they must be really important to you."
"If it's sore enough to the touch, you are so not walking home." Naru points out as she sets a tea towel down to keep the ice from irritating her skin. "Let's see if it's crazy swollen."
"No, I can be nice and not paint nice things." Naru frowns a little as she focuses on fussing at Sakura. "They don't generally hang in the house, no. I'll take them down after you're a bit settled."
Sakura Kinomoto cringed then. The ankle was a bit swollen. In a few hours she'd probably be fine. "W-well, I guess I can call daddy after a bit. But I don't really want to bother him. He's had to work all day as it is, I don't want to make him come take care of me... Especially since it was my fault..."
She shook her head. "N-no! There's no need for that! They're your pictures, you can leave them up! They don't bother me, really!'
"Well, they bother me." Naru points out with a half twist of a smile. "Which is why they don't hang in the house, generally."
Naru crouches as she checks on Sakura's ankle. "Depends on how quickly you heal, really." She comments. "Did you faceplant on the sidewalk on purpose then?" Naru asks with a quirk of her brow.
Sakura Kinomoto blinked and then looked down. "I'm sorry they upset you," she said softly, as if it was her fault.
She then shook her head. "N-no! It was that little hole in the ground, my foot got caught on it and I ended up slamming into the wall and fence. It was so embarrassing," she mumbled. "I'm such a clutch sometimes..."
"Then it was an accident, and not your fault." Naru points out. "And not something to get mad at you about. Accidents happen, and being a klutz isn't the end of the world. We all have our moments. You at least have a better excuse than I did, I just missed a bottom step for no good reason at all."
Naru stays crouched where she is and mmms softly. "Well. It really /is/ my fault that they exist. I just am really not sure why they're out."
Sakura Kinomoto smiled up at her. "Thank you. That's so kind of you to say. I don't know where the pothole just... it came out of nowhere. It seemed kind of dangerous." She shook her head, then looked around.
"Maybe your parents put them out?" she asked. "Maybe they really like them, too?"
"My mother doesn't know about these paintings." Naru mmms softly as she lets Sakura settle with the ice pack for now, and she stands. It's the first painting that she spotted on walking in that Naru walks over to and takes down off the wall, starting to gather up the various canvases.
"Can I get you something to drink while you're healing up? Juice? There might be pop, but I don't think so. Tea or coffee for certain." Naru finally remembers that she's being a negligent hostess.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. Well, that was weird. How else would-- she froze. "W-w-wait. You... you don't think... i-it was a g-ghost, do you?" she asked, looking around fearfully. "W-what? No! P-please, i=I'm not thirsty! S-stay in here! with me? Please?" Oh gosh she was scared of ghosts.
"W-we can talk some more! Ummm, h-how about that shop downstairs? Does your mother work there? Is that why you guys live up here?" she asked with a nervous laugh. Yup, terrified of ghosts.
"Honestly?" Naru pauses in her taking down of the paintings. "I think it's a prank by a friend of mine. I'm not sure which /one/ yet, but that's FAR more likely than a ghost. I've never had any trouble with hauntings before, so I can't imagine that it'd start now." She smiles gently. "No ghosts."
"My mother owns the store, yes." Naru is proud of her business woman parent, it's clear, even if that's explains why her mother's still working even after the store's closed. "That's why we live up here, yes."
Sakura Kinomoto let out a sigh of relief. Oh, just a prank. That was fine. "Oh, ummm, in that case, some tea, please," she said with a smile. "I ummm... weak, please?" She didn't like it very strong. She then looked down and paused.
"Wait, she OWNS that store? The jewelry one downstairs? Wow, I bet you must wear all kinds of pretty jewelry all the time!"
Naru stacks up a few more paintings as Sakura relaxes, tipping them to lean with their faces away from further viewing. "I do have some lovely pieces. I don't wear a lot of jewelry day to day, to be honest. I suppose being around it all of the time growing up, I'm not so much of a magpie for shiny rocks."
Naru ahs at the request for tea and heads to the kitchen. "What school do you go to, Sakura?" She asks as she gets the kettle on, and mugs acquired for tea, close enough to still converse.
Sakura Kinomoto smiled up at the woman, eying the pictures. She bet the woman was so talented. Even if her pictures were scary. She wished she understood it better. "I go to Seishou public. I'm a fourth grader," she saidd with a big smile. "Oh, wow. Well, I think you look really pretty even without a bunch of fancy jewelry," she said with a big smile. If naru went by her room she might notice a small white flash. Just a secod. As if a big white bug just went through the wall. Nahhhhh, had to be her imagination. Ghosts weren't real... right?
"Oh! I do too." Naru smiles warmly, leaning in the doorway to the kitchen to be able to hear the kettle as they chat. "I'm in grade nine though, which is probably why I didn't recognize you off the top. Mmm. Ariel might be in your class?" Naru pauses thoughtfully. "No, I think she's a grade ahead. Close though."
The little flash of light in her room doesn't quite register, a little /something/ out of the corner of her eye, but not enough to really mark.
"Well thank you." Naru ducks her head, a touch of colour to her cheeks at the compliment. "Usagi's always been far more fond of jewelry than I have, so if I'm picking out jewelry, it's for her." She adds after a moment. "We've been best friends since forever."
Sakura Kinomoto blinked a few times. "Friends forever? Oh, i know how that is," she said with a smile. "Tomoyo chan is my best friend in the whole world." Then blinked. "Though... normally I think I'm the one who she dresses up. Eh heh. Sometimes i just feel like her doll or something," she joked with a little smile. The scary thing was how true that was. "Usagi? Ariel? I don't think I've ever met either of them, sorry."
"Well, Usagi has /things/ to say about my fashion sense usually, so it's a fairly mutual dressing up." Naru laughs softly and moves back into the kitchen as the kettle clicks to pour hot water into mugs. Two teas, one a delicate steeping.
"You will eventually, and when you do, you'll be able to think 'ah! I remember that name, I should say hello.'" Naru smiles as she emerges form the kitchen with teas, and a tupperware container of cookies too. Sprained ankles are far better with homemade ginger snaps. "I know I find it easier to meet people if I've at least heard them before, and you might make some new friends that way."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded, gently taking the tea. She very delicately sipped it, giving a nod. "Wow. Your tea is delicious, thank you Naru-kun."
And then cookies! Oh gosh she looked up with big, starry eyes. Looking down at the cookies then up at her. Well, she was just a little kid. Once she got the go ahead, she happily took one, nibbling it happily, giving a content sigh... "Hmmm? Oh, that's true! Having more friends is always so great! Ever since the cards--" She blinked. "E-ever since I... started... playing with cards, I've made so many new friends. Eh heh... Like Yuuki-kun, Haruna-kun, Naomi-kun, Haruka-kun. I've been so lucky."
"You're welcome." Naru passes the cookies over in invitation for the taking. "I think you might need a second cookie, one for you and one for the ankle." She encourages with a little laugh before she settles herself. The paintings in immediate line of sight are stacked again, and she's quite pointedly not looking at them.
"Playing with cards?" Naru quirks her head, curious. Her smile turns warm at the list of names that Sakura provides, nodding a little as she sips her tea. Clearly at least a couple are familiar to the older girl.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "Wellll... I guess my ankle probably does like cookies too." She, oddly, had an almost usagi level op appetite. Well, a younger version of it, she could put the food away if Naru let her. But at least not bottomless. She then urked, nodding.
"Oh, uhhhh, yeah. You know. Errr... old maid and games like that. eh heh heh... heh. I have tried a few others though, too. Like, ummm, the pokemon one. And this weird old one called magic. And then another with a weird guy on the cover with pointed hair." Kero wanted her to be VERY thourough on finding the cards. "I only tried them, though. Not any good, eh heh heh."
"There's plenty, help yourself." Naru gestures at the cookies in easy reach. "Don't be shy about seconds, or thirds. Healing takes fuel." She nods sagely at that, with a bright touch of a smile.
The mention of children's card games brings a little nod from Naru and she has to think a few on the last one. "Dragonball Z? Wait.. no..t hat one had like a tenticle thing on the back? Maybe? I didn't play any of them, but I've seen some magic cards, they have gorgeous art on them." Because of course that's the bit that Naru notices.
Sakura Kinomoto nodded and then gave a sigh. "Yeah, they do have some nice art on them, but... welll..." She frowned. "I ummm, I actually bought one of the little collections of cards, the little packs? And it had this really, really pretty shiny card! It just had the picture, none of the words. Well, and the name. I wrote my name on it and then everyone started screaming at me. I haven't gone back to that shop since."
"Ooooh." Naru blinks a little and then she starts to giggle. "I get the impression that the card collectors get rather weird about that sort of thing. But it was your card! You can do with it whatever you like."
Naru reaches for another cookie herself, clearly not shy about helping herself to more than just a single cookie. Or even two. Someone else has a fairly healthy appetite too.
"So I know that you like to rollerblade, and play cards." Naru ndos to Sakura. "What else? How's the ankle feeling?"
Sakura Kinomoto looked down at it. "actually, it's feeling a lot better. And ummm, wellll, I love sports! I'm part of the cheerleading squad, too. Oh, and I like drawing, though I'm not very good at it. I love games, oh, and dancing. I adore swimming. Oh, oh, I love cooking, especially for Yukito~" She kind of blushed and grabbed her cheeks when she said that. Ah, so obvious. Then eeped and shook her head.
"A-and I love skating, oh, I guess you know that. Ummmm, oh, I like festivals games too! They're so much fun! Oh, I love the sailor V games, too, though I'm still not that good at them. Oh, and pokemon go! I found a charmander!" Wow, seemed she liked just about everything! "What about you? What do you like?"
"You heal really quickly." Naru sounds pleased for Sakura's benefit and nods. "Oh wow, you /do/ keep busy. I'm not much for sports, really. I run, but that's nto quite the same." She sips from her tea again and then gestures vaguely towards her room, not the pile of paintings. "I'm an artist."
"Oooh, and so tell me more about Yukito." Naru smiles easily as she watches that blush. "I enjoy cooking too, nothing fancy. I leave fancy cooking to Makoto, she's got a gift for it, but the basics. Pokemon Go is absolutely a thing."
Sakura Kinomoto gasped. "Really? You're an artist? That's so amazing! Tomoyo-chan is a great artist, too! What kinds of things do you normally paint? Can I see some of them?"
Then she blushed. "W-w-well, Yukito is just... so wonderful. He goes to infinity with my big brother, they're both seniors. And he's so kind and sweet and nice and handsome and strong and fast and wonderful and he always has candy for me and he's so generous and he is an amazing cook and he shares everything and he--" And her cheeks went red when she realized what she was doing. "I, I ummm... errr... I-I can cook a few fancy things. It's not my turn to cook tonight, though. Daddy is. I cook tomorrow, though." Oh, she cooks by herself for the family? At such a young age? So mature. At least, if she hadn't just been gushing like fruit gushers.
"Mmm. I see." Naru smiles at the gushing about a handsome wonderful delightful senior. "And apparently you have a big brother too. Any other siblings? I know a few people who go to Infinity, I wonder if I know him."
Skewed perspective ftw, Naru doesn't look boggled at the notion of a ten year old being able to cook dinner for the family. Sounds legit to her.
"I paint all sorts of things, that I am generally /willing/ to share." Naru uncurls from where she's sitting to retrieve her sketchbook. "Used to be a lot of trees and nature, people and market scenes. Doodles in class. There's more than a few less than flattery doodles of my teachers."
Sakura Kinomoto shook her head. "No, just Touya. And he's the absolute WORST! The worst person in the whole wide world! He's always picking on me or calling me monster and just, ugh!" And yet somehow they were both so popular. She then blinked. "Though... sometimes I feel like Tomoyo-chan is my sister. And... Haruna and Haruka. I'm even going to get princess lessons with Haruka, she said we look so much alike we could be actual sisters, tee hee." She looked happy at that. Then urked. "Errr, princess lessons for... a... ummmm... acting! I enjoy acting, too!"
Weird, did something disappear into her closet when she walked into the room? Odd, nothing in there... she did look through them, though, gasping. "Wow... you're so talented..."
"I think that's part of the nature of siblings. Usagi and her brother sound about the same, to be honest.. and I'm there enough that he's practically /my/ little brother too." Naru laughs softly and quirks a brow at the mention of princess lessons. "Be sure to include how not to trip on a long flowy dress wiht pretty shoes on."
"Practice." Naru declares as she watches Sakura flip through the sketchbook. There's none that are obviously magic in that book, but plenty of sketches and drawings and doodles. A few that have energy infused into them, but none that actively move. "Lots and lots and lots of practice. It makes up for a lot."
Sakura Kinomoto hmphed. "Yeah, but at least SOME brothers have SOME redeeming features. Touya has none! Not a single one!" And then gulped. "Y-yeah. heh heh. I, errr, will. For the play." She was a horrible liar.
She looked through them and nodded. "Daddy says practice is a talent too, and those who work really hard become really talented!"
"They do, it just sometimes takes a little while to recognize them." Naru chuckles with the confidence of someone who does not have to /live/ with siblings. "For the play. Of course."
"I.. hadn't thought about it like that, but I suppose it's true." Naru smiles. "Subborn is sometimes a virtue, but I have to admit, it's easier to practice when you really do enjoy it."
Sakura Kinomoto snorts. "Well, he'll be going away to college. THAT'S redeeming." She kept looking through the pictures. "Wow... and it really shows. You're so talented, Naru-kun. I'm really happy I got to meet you. Even if it was a bit of a... rough way to do it. Eh heh...."
"It was perhaps not ideal, on either side." Naru glances to the face down paintings and then back to Sakura. "Thank you though. My ego appreciates the compliments. I'm glad I got to meet you as well, I hope your ankle is feeling better." She sets her tea down to come over and offer a hand. "Oh! Elastic bandage, let me get you that, if you're going to be stubborn yourself about getting yourself home without a ride."
Sakura Kinomoto nodded. "Well... I don't live that far away, anyway. Just a few blocks. And honestly, it already feels a lot better." She managed to get up, but quickly sat back down, which a whimper. "Think you could help me down the stairs, though?"
"Bandage first, than stairs." Naru is quick about offering, unless Sakura protests utterly, she doesn't keep the girl too much longer. She does help her back down the stairs. "I'll just walk the few blocks with you, I'll feel better about it. Please?"
Sakura Kinomoto did take the bandage, she felt embarrassed but she was smart enough to know she needed it. She blushed and nodded. "Well... if you don't mind... okay." It was a simple walk ,at least. And she did live close, a nice little place off on her own. She'd even wave when she got home, promising to bring the bandage back.
It would probably be nice. Until Naru got home. One of the pictures were hanging up again. Waiting when she opened the door. The only one this time.
"I don't mind at all, I insist." Naru gets Sakura's ankle all wrapped up and sees the younger girl home, waving as Sakura goes inside.
The walk back to her apartment includes a flurry of text messages, and a lot of deep breaths. The reality of her pictures being rearranged again when she opened the door causes her to pause, closing the door behind her and just waiting. Looking around, and waiting for a few moments. Listening. She really wasn't gone that long.
And yet... there was no sign of anything... as if whatever had done it had just... gone away. Nothing to hear. Nothing to see. No one there...
Oh dear.