The Things I'll Never Say

So here I stand,
In the pouring rain.
So now I can,
Feel the growing pain
Of having rain,
Coming down like the Armageddon flame.

I can see raindrops playing their game,
Even though they all look the same.
For now, I know that there is no more to rain…

Adapted from Alex Ymj

There was nothing else…only the mission at hand. Repeat. Keep repeating. Repetition was the key. The storm meant nothing. The wound meant nothing. Keep running.

Lightning blazed through the darkened Tethe'alla sky, rain pounding savagely against the earth. Wind tore at the prairie grass, whistling through the field like a morbid requiem. Amidst the swirling vegetation, a woman thundered through the plains leading to the Imperial City. The Summoner's speed was only slightly impaired; she left a splattered trail of blood in her dreamlike passing.

Shinobi aren't supposed to feel pain. There is only the ninja and the mission; obstacles, emotions are meaningless.

Life.
We live to die…we live to kill…
Revenge…hopeless dreams…
Meaningless friendships…
Ninjas are tools for killing…

If only she could believe this…

Emotions are what kept her going during that fateful journey nearly a year ago. She would never forget the bonds that were formed and strengthened during the journey of regeneration. Her friends, the people of her clan that depended on her, him…they inspired her to fight through it all, to combat her fears, to never give up hope.

Him, it was the pain that was making her think this way. At this moment, though she regretted to admit it, part of her longed to look into his eyes, one last time…

Damn monsters. She was ambushed, outnumbered, and unprepared. Trust this to happen on her first solo night mission as the Emissary of Peace. She had won, but the price she paid hadn't seemed worth it. Her loss of blood made it increasingly difficult to see straight and keep her balance. She felt herself slowly dying.

Sheena cringed, clutching her left side in excruciating pain as she continued to run. She began to stumble, but kept running, stumbled some more, nearly falling, and repeated the agonizing process. She could feel the blood flowing out of the wound; her shoulder pulsing achingly beneath her fingertips. I don't have enough strength left to heal myself…d-dammit, I'm not going to make it…

The Meltokio gates became visible, like a beacon of salvation lighting her way. In what seemed like an eternity she reached the entrance to the city. Sheena stood motionless, in the middle of the empty street, she made it, she was still alive.

"Ugh…I-I can't go any farther…" Sheena thought aloud, stumbling over to the steps leading to the palace and slumped against a wall; it felt cool and slick against her gaping, burning wound. She slid down to sit, a harsh smear of blood dripped down the wall, contrasting the white marble.

She didn't have to fight back tears; the storm just washed them away.

This is the place, isn't it? Funny how fate brings me back here…

This was where they first met, all those years ago: on the steps leading to the palace. She was a ninja in training, studying at the research institute. He was an aristocrat, the son of the Chosen. She was quiet and shy, he boldly took her hand.

She remembered his gentle face, his flaming red hair, his sparkling blue eyes, that cheerful smile with an underling twinge of pain. His past was covered in blood; her future was filled with suffering.

At the time she was so cheerful, so blissfully unaware of the anguish that would befall her and her village. So blissfully unaware of the perilous journey and obstacles ahead. So blissfully unaware that the boy she met all those years ago would become her weakness…

With her remaining strength, Sheena rose to her feet. She slouched over for a brief moment and braced herself against the wall. She coughed, blood splattered on the cobblestone road. Heh… I'm so pathetic…

She turned her face to the sky, into the rain which plastered her dark hair against her face. There was something unmistakably beautiful about the water pouring down from the heavens, washing everything around her into pale shades and forgotten shadows.

Such a strange phenomenon…rain is able to wash virtually anything away. Her heartache became weaker. Even the throbbing in her side seemed to fade. She smiled weakly as the droplets crashed against her face.

"Oi! Sheena!"

She thought she heard her name, somewhere off in the distance. She couldn't make out who was calling her; the voice was drowned out by the storm. She was hallucinating. Her mind shrouded in a thick cloud lacking of sensation. Blood trickled in a thin line off her finger onto the pavement.

"Sheena!"

Her legs buckled from exhaustion, and she collapsed. Death beckoned her softly, seductively. Before she hit the ground, she felt a pair of gloved hands brace her fall.

Someone was calling her name continuously, frantically. The rain muffled their cries. Someone enveloped her in a tight and desperate embrace. Her body became numb and limp in their arms.

Then, everything went blank…