Early Morning Tea [Mitsuo]

The sun was just beginning to rise over Kirigakure and already Kaia was seated outside on the bridge that went over the beautiful koi fish pond of the family’s private garden. In truth she had been there since around two o’clock in the morning, once again having found herself unable to sleep. Her mind was too active, too many ideas floating around in her brain to allow her the peace that she needed to slumber. The torches that lined the garden provided a gentle glow of light, enough for her to work by. In her lap sat a book of blank, thick pages meant for the watercolor pencils she favored so much. She had already filled several throughout the early hours of the morning and once again had flipped to a fresh blank page after the previously done one had finished drying. The family garden had always been a place of serenity and inspiration for Kaia ever since she was a young child, and it had fueled her love of watercolor paintings. The sculptures that filled it, the roses and other various flowers, the cherry blossom trees, and the koi fish pond had always offered her an unending supply of subjects to place on paper.

At the moment it was a particular koi fish of beautiful coloration that was swimming around the tips of her toes as they gently brushed the water as her legs dangled over the bridge that held her focus. There was something graceful about the way it moved, something innocent and free that inspired her to begin to trace it upon the fresh blank page. She lost herself easily in the creation of the koi fish she was tracing out, saving smaller details for later on but providing enough that it would be easily recognizable.

Feeling a particular nip on her small toe of her right foot Kaia giggled and glanced down, pausing as she placed her pencil off to the side. The fish darted off to the side and then Kaia placed her book off to the side before leaning back, propping her weight up on her hands as she stared up at the beautiful coloration of the sky as the sun rose - appreciating the mixture of pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows that shot across the sky. “I could use a nice cup of tea…”, Kaia muttered to herself, realizing for the first time just how long she had been sitting outside.

Mitsuo would feel the sun streaming into his window, causing him to become irritated as he would pull the covers over his face. He hated the fact that the sun seemed to want to mess up his sleep, which if it was up to him would simply last all day and night, and he would never have to deal with life. He did, however, know that at some point his mother would come and knock on his door and tell him to get out of bed and do something productive, to which he would sign and comply with what she was telling him to do. He would get himself out of bed after a few more moments of silently protesting with himself, looking into the mirror and seeing his dishevelled appearance as he would try to fix his hair before giving up and walking out into the kitchen instead.

Kensai would see his sister sitting outside of their home in the Yuki compound and decided that he would do something to brighten her morning today, getting some water and tea leaves and preparing the cup. He had been taught by his parents how to correctly prepare green tea, and he knew exactly what temperature it was supposed to be at, especially for a Yuki who would drink it colder than usual anyway. When the cup was prepared he would walk outside and make his way towards young Kaia, offering her one of the two cups and sitting beside her.

“I don’t get how you wake up so early. I find it so hard to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed. In that way, I look up to you.”