Kura blinked. Somehow he had been talked into riding horseback with Rindou out around the fields around Pine Village. It was the second day, a nice middle day sunshine. Rindou's horse was the smooth caramel color all people wished their horses were, with gold and fine cotton harness and seating with deep dark leather.

Rindou was dressed in a royal red vest with several necklaces to accent his barechest and his golden bands around his wrists while his simple copper-shaded sash brought attention to his thin belly and then to his rather dull appearing pants. His hair was wrapped up in a matching tan turban, to match the shade of his pants. Kura, stuck borrowing clothes, was dressed in several layers of tans and browns including a vest, longsleeve shirt that was loose under that, a sash-tied pair of pants and leather sandals. He didn't look half bad.

Rindou pointed at the horizon to several oak and willow trees. "Want to go eat over there?"

"We didn't bring anything!"

Rindou blinked. Just then he remembered: his sudden attack on Kura, who had been sleeping in, had resulted in not having enough time to grab a planned pick-nick basket. "Uh... Whoops." He chuckled nervously, "W-well... Maybe we could find some apples."

"We'd have better luck eating the bark off the trees." Kura answered in a grumble, starting to feel hungry. "Let's just go back!"

"No! I wanted to spend time alone with you!"

"So you can attack me."

Rindou shook his head, "No. I'm going to convince you honestly to marry me!" A few minutes later they were sitting on the fresh green grass in the shade of the trees with the horse tied up near them.

"So.. What's your horse's name?" Kura asked, just to strike up a conversation with someone he didn't really think he could talk with anything personal.

"Champion!" Rindou answered, more of in a praise-like tone. "He's so loyal to me!" Kura smiled a bit, finding Rindou's burst of energy so entertaining. "And he'll follow me around to get me to give him carrots or food! And he loves it when I go to brush him!"

"I see.." Kura nodded. "So... I'm not familiar with it, but what exactly do you do?"

"I'm taking lessons to rule over the whole city." Rindou answered, looking at Kura. "Sort of like... A president of a company I guess."

"I meant, do your parents help you out?"

"Actually my father died last year of cancer."

"Sorry."

Rindou shook his head, "He's okay.. I'm sure he's out of pain now." He smiled a bit, looking up to the shaded leaves overhead. "Mom says it's better he died of that than war or suicide or murder..."

Kura nodded slowly, looking to his hands as he started to play with the blades of grass. "Your mom? Where's she?"

"She's on international business at the far south."

"That's international?"

"Yeah." Rindou nodded, "We aren't all one country even though we get along!" He laughed a bit.

Silence surrounded the boys for a good ten minutes until finally a duck's quack broke it. Rindou stared at Kura. Between his two thumbs, pressed to his lips, was a blade of grass possitioned just right to make the sound. He blew again, as if playing a trumpet but without moving his lips, and another loud echo of the sound filled the air around them.

"How are you doing that?" Rindou asked after a moment.

"You take the grass and hold it firmly like this," Kura showed him how he held the blade firmly in place with his thumb's knuckle and joint ball on the finger. "And you make sure there's a little bit of room to blow the air right here," he pointed with his nose between at the blade able to be seen between the two fingers. "Then if you hold it straight enough, blow." Kura demonstrated again.

Rindou didn't understand at first. The first time he blew the grass blade completely out of his hands. The next few tries were just as bad resulting in the blade breaking or bending so it couldn't be used. Kura showed him again and blew to make the echoed sound. Rindou nodded and tried again.

"Like this?" he asked, and blew. A pathetic attempt of a sound came out.

Kura laughed, "That's well on the way! Try again!"

The two sat there playing with the grass for the next few hours, completely forgetting about their hunger.