In all of his days as a shinobi, Buriel admitted that nothing hurt more than her passionate punch. Granted, he had also been caught by surprise by the display of violent affection (or at least, he hoped it was affection), so it may have caused the pain to affect him more than the "usual". Maybe he was weak; there was a cut just above his left cheekbone as if he had just escaped an attack by another shinobi, and his arms, though partially covered by long sleeves, were painted with purplish bruises.
Or maybe...
His eyes closed. With a bit of difficulty he tried to smile, but instead he said, "Oh...my...mouf is...bleeding..."
He deserved every bit of her animosity and he knew it. Honestly, it almost felt good. Guilt had been eating him alive, along with a certain, earnest sense of longing for her that he couldn't quell with simple memories. That was the reason he stood before her now, regardless of his fatigue and numerous injuries (and now his mouth was bleeding too). He was glad, though. She still felt something for him, even if it was...
Hatred?
"Oh my gosh! I'm so...oh my goodness!" It couldn't be hatred. The blonde frantically searched for her pocket watch in an effort to "fix" him.
"You're lost, aren't you?"
"It's alright, I deserved that," he tried to say, but because he was in pain, it sounded like "Iths alrigh, I deserved tha".
Why had he been gone, anyway? For three years (though he couldn't fathom how the time had flown by so quickly and without his consent) he had done more than wandering; the hidden villages of Yume, Hoku and Sakura had become beautiful and stable thanks to his efforts, though not before returning to the place of his birth to settle some unfinished business.
Three years ago...
