Chapter 10 – Closed Doors
• Katsuro told himself he didn’t need her, that she was just part of a mission. But he was lying to himself. — This chapter is more about Katsuro’s feelings than anything else. He has to decide whether to attach himself to her or not. This is also the start of him going against Itachi’s wishes. It’s still passive, but it’s there nonetheless.
• He had simply gotten too close to her, and it made him feel like he’d left an opening. — this gut reaction that he has will be one that stays with him a long time.
• “They were going to kill me. Itachi found me before they could.” — Katsuro believes this. Itachi supports this. Whether it’s true or not, he’ll have to discover for himself.
• Birds took to wing, glistening black in the golden afternoon light, endlessly flitting and darting, skimming insects out of the breeze. Still, she did not stir from that spot. — Slightest foreshadowing as to what is bearing down on her. It is not necessarily a pretty afternoon picture as these birds are picking off insects unawares. And, of course, glistening black birds corresponds to Itachi
Spoiler Notes:
• There it was again, he thought, the slight pressure at his leg where it fell over her blanket. This time he saw it. She reached her fingertips out to graze his bent knee, a little touch of reassurance. Katsuro’s breath caught in his throat. — This small action is very much in keeping with Sakrua’s character. She grew up in a more accepting environment, so she’s naturally more accepting of others. The contrast is in Katsuro, with how shocked he is.
• She stood outside the doorway, one arm folded over her stomach, a hand gently covering the fresh pink scar inside her elbow. The gray light streamed around her. She only looked up the stairwell, not making any effort to move. — This unconditional self-soothing movement of covering her scar when she’s troubled and deeply in thought will come back again.
• “Closed Doors” — The title is meaningful in the obvious sense that this is the end of this little moment they’ve shared. But later on, he will think about this time with her as something special, something set apart, and conversely at one point he will think about his memories with her as something he has to keep locked away. So it’s bittersweet. Like the panels, it is the interaction that brings them to life. But there is a deeper symbolism because the paintings — like the memories they’ve made there — are still back there, hidden in the darkness, where time can’t touch them. Even after Katsuro and Sakura have left and will have forgotten about them, they are still there. The theme of memories locked away behind closed doors will be referenced by Naruto later on.
• Sakura’s pov: Sakura scuffed numbly back up the steps. Crossing the main hall in darkness, she aimed herself for the dimly lit doorway on the other side. She pushed the old door open. Grey light permeated the little room, pooling darkly in the corners, but the room was empty.
– Katsuro’s pov: But when he creaked open the heavy door to the room, panic set in. It was cold and very dark. He scanned the seemingly empty room, alarm rising that she might have actually tried to escape—
– Leaving the temple: “We need to close it back up, I don’t want anything to happen to these,” he said, gesturing to the paneled walls.
— The Closed Doors theme also represents the divisions between them at the end of this sequestered time together. Both had to recognized that they wanted the bond with the other one to continue. Sakura, because she needs to survive. And Katsuro, because his feelings have evolved. Doors are portals to change, but the action has to be taken by the individual. Thus, in this chapter they are opening doors expecting to find one another (and disappointed when they are not there (or in Katsuro’s case, find loneliness on the floor where he’s searching for the lost orange)), and closing doors to protect the paintings which now have a value because of their experience together.
• He had simply gotten too close to her, and it made him feel like he’d left an opening. — this gut reaction that he has will be one that stays with him a long time. As he grows, this idea borne of survival, that people who are close to you can hurt you, will be a hard thing for him to shake. It was important to establish this knee-jerk reaction he has early on in the story, so when he reacts sharply later on it is in keeping with his character.
• ”They were going to kill me. Itachi found me before they could. — Katsuro believes this. Itachi supports this. Whether it’s true or not, he’ll have to discover for himself. This is also foundation for the wide gap between what he believes to be true and what actually happened. Later on, his beliefs will come to the surface, so this is just setting the stage for that, as well.
<< Return to Chapter 10 • Go to Chapter 11 >>
20 Jun 2010 No Comments
Chapter 10 notes
Chapter 10 – Closed Doors
• Katsuro told himself he didn’t need her, that she was just part of a mission. But he was lying to himself. — This chapter is more about Katsuro’s feelings than anything else. He has to decide whether to attach himself to her or not. This is also the start of him going against Itachi’s wishes. It’s still passive, but it’s there nonetheless.
• He had simply gotten too close to her, and it made him feel like he’d left an opening. — this gut reaction that he has will be one that stays with him a long time.
• “They were going to kill me. Itachi found me before they could.” — Katsuro believes this. Itachi supports this. Whether it’s true or not, he’ll have to discover for himself.
• Birds took to wing, glistening black in the golden afternoon light, endlessly flitting and darting, skimming insects out of the breeze. Still, she did not stir from that spot. — Slightest foreshadowing as to what is bearing down on her. It is not necessarily a pretty afternoon picture as these birds are picking off insects unawares. And, of course, glistening black birds corresponds to Itachi
Spoiler Notes:
• There it was again, he thought, the slight pressure at his leg where it fell over her blanket. This time he saw it. She reached her fingertips out to graze his bent knee, a little touch of reassurance. Katsuro’s breath caught in his throat. — This small action is very much in keeping with Sakrua’s character. She grew up in a more accepting environment, so she’s naturally more accepting of others. The contrast is in Katsuro, with how shocked he is.
• She stood outside the doorway, one arm folded over her stomach, a hand gently covering the fresh pink scar inside her elbow. The gray light streamed around her. She only looked up the stairwell, not making any effort to move. — This unconditional self-soothing movement of covering her scar when she’s troubled and deeply in thought will come back again.
• “Closed Doors” — The title is meaningful in the obvious sense that this is the end of this little moment they’ve shared. But later on, he will think about this time with her as something special, something set apart, and conversely at one point he will think about his memories with her as something he has to keep locked away. So it’s bittersweet. Like the panels, it is the interaction that brings them to life. But there is a deeper symbolism because the paintings — like the memories they’ve made there — are still back there, hidden in the darkness, where time can’t touch them. Even after Katsuro and Sakura have left and will have forgotten about them, they are still there. The theme of memories locked away behind closed doors will be referenced by Naruto later on.
• Sakura’s pov: Sakura scuffed numbly back up the steps. Crossing the main hall in darkness, she aimed herself for the dimly lit doorway on the other side. She pushed the old door open. Grey light permeated the little room, pooling darkly in the corners, but the room was empty.
– Katsuro’s pov: But when he creaked open the heavy door to the room, panic set in. It was cold and very dark. He scanned the seemingly empty room, alarm rising that she might have actually tried to escape—
– Leaving the temple: “We need to close it back up, I don’t want anything to happen to these,” he said, gesturing to the paneled walls.
— The Closed Doors theme also represents the divisions between them at the end of this sequestered time together. Both had to recognized that they wanted the bond with the other one to continue. Sakura, because she needs to survive. And Katsuro, because his feelings have evolved. Doors are portals to change, but the action has to be taken by the individual. Thus, in this chapter they are opening doors expecting to find one another (and disappointed when they are not there (or in Katsuro’s case, find loneliness on the floor where he’s searching for the lost orange)), and closing doors to protect the paintings which now have a value because of their experience together.
• He had simply gotten too close to her, and it made him feel like he’d left an opening. — this gut reaction that he has will be one that stays with him a long time. As he grows, this idea borne of survival, that people who are close to you can hurt you, will be a hard thing for him to shake. It was important to establish this knee-jerk reaction he has early on in the story, so when he reacts sharply later on it is in keeping with his character.
• ”They were going to kill me. Itachi found me before they could. — Katsuro believes this. Itachi supports this. Whether it’s true or not, he’ll have to discover for himself. This is also foundation for the wide gap between what he believes to be true and what actually happened. Later on, his beliefs will come to the surface, so this is just setting the stage for that, as well.
<< Return to Chapter 10 • Go to Chapter 11 >>
by tricksie in Chapter Notes