Disclaimer: DOA is not mine.
This fic was inspired by a freaky story a friend told me. I'm not sure if anyone else had this idea before so whatever. I thought this was going to be a one shot but I realized I was getting carried away. So there's more than one chapter. Each chapter will be a bit short. I wanted this fic to be weird, but meaningful at the same time. Anyway, hope you like it.
Chapter 1 - Snow Rabbit
Wounded, defiled, and ashamed.
These were the words that described Ayane. She was utterly defeated and left alive by the runaway that slaughtered the entire assault. She was retreating back to her clan with a wounded and unconscious ninja in her arms. His arm was draped over her shoulders, his gi was torn, and his face bled; he was limp, beaten by the runaway. And Ayane was exhausted. The battle had been short, but the fight had been great and costly. Many continued to die as the runaway lived.
She approached the clearing. She and the ninja were home again in the safety of the clan. But the comfort was broken when she laid eyes upon the runaway that had survived the ordeal. Kasumi was beside her brother behind a hut, hand in hand and her head upon his shoulder. Ayane's anger boiled as she watched the deception take place. The two were not to speak, let alone breathe the same air. And as Kasumi departed, she approached, dropping the ninja at her leader's feet.
"They are dead," she declared, standing straight with her head upright, "They are all dead . . . And she lived to tell you about it."
The leader glanced at his wounded warrior before abandoning his two underlings towards the warmth of his hut. It had been discussed many times before. His feelings were his own and not of her or anybody else's concern. But the truth of the matter was that they were being betrayed by the one person who supposedly spoke the truth and would even die for his clan. Ayane could tell. She could reveal their true leader to the clan. But they would not believe her. They had much trust for their leader as she used to have. They would shrug her off and say nothing at all, but would continue to ready themselves for a pointless battle against the runaway.
Ayane returned to concealment of the trees. And there, she fumed, she screamed, she threw her fists into the trees, and she ached. She ached from the pain of her wounds, but she ached even more from the feeling of uselessness. And as she let out one last cry, it all became evident to her. Her life was pointless. The training, the weapons, the silent rampages out into the wilderness, the attacks on the runaway, the blood, the sweat; all of it was pointless. Each of the days, she sacrificed her all just to make the runaway die and each of the days, her sacrifices brought noting in return. She was slowly deteriorating and she knew she would soon be amongst her clan members deep within the ground to rot away all the false hope, courage, and loyalty. It was too difficult for her to accept, but she hadn't yet thought up another way to take her life.
She lifted herself up off her place on the damp ground and leaned against the nearest tree. She still bled. The runaway's mark was conspicuous on her skin: a gash on her cheek, a slit on her arm, a bruise on her shin, and another gash down the side of her back. Ayane had no desire to head back to the clan though her wounds needed healing. Going back would mean walking on the same ground as the one that betrayed her. She hated him for loving the runaway. Though she loved him for his words and strength. Even if his words proved to be false, he had astonished her and she vowed to be by his side through thick and thin.
And then her tears fell. She cried for being weak, easily manipulated, and for being so vulnerable . . .
Ayane unsheathed her wakizashi from her back. The blade was still in top shape. It hadn't punctured skin and spilled blood in so long. And the only blood it sought was the runaway's. Ayane knew that if her life continued to repeat itself everyday then her blood would never be upon her blade or her hands. She was in desperate need of a change.
Ayane jerked her head up from her wakizashi at the sound of breaking twigs and pattering of footsteps. In the darkness of the night, a small creature could be seen, catching her eye. Ayane watched the white rabbit, roam through the forest, picking at the ground. It was spring, but the rabbit bore snow white fur. Kasumi would often feed these animals during the winter days before her runaway. And as Ayane watched the rabbit sniffing the nectar of the flowers, Kasumi was there. She rubbed its soft fur and patted its small head.
The rabbit abruptly picked up its head at the sound of breaking twigs. Its ears searched for any further noises that may be a sign of danger, but it was too late. Ayane clutched the fragile creature in her hand, her fingers pressing into its neck. The rabbit kicked up dirt as it tried to escape and cried an ear-piercing cry, causing Ayane to cringe. The cries were futile, but its struggle forced Ayane to use more strength than she expected to pin it down. And then she raised her wakizashi. Kasumi could not stop her.
"Don't kill me, please!" the rabbit cried in a shrill voice.
The wakizashi dropped along with Ayane's jaw. A creature who was completely ignorant of human ways had spoken to her and she had understood. Her breaths came fast and uneasy.
"Demon," she uttered in disbelief.
She quickly retrieved her weapon and raised it high above the creature that squirmed under her firm grasp. Before she could drive her blade into the rabbit, it had spoken to her again.
"Please, don't! I'll grant you three wishes!" it cried.
Ayane's grasp weakened around its neck. She deliberated whether the demon's words were true or not. It could speak and understand. And it seemed harmless enough. It couldn't even escape her grasp. She knew she could easily kill the creature with a quick swing of her blade. But Ayane found that her grasp was getting weaker and weaker as the seconds past until she was completely limp and her wakizashi dropped by her side in a dull thud. The rabbit slowly sat upright and shook the dirt out of its fur. Then it looked upon the girl before it with its big brown orbs.
"Surely, you have desires," the rabbit spoke, "Everyone does. Some are greater then others though. So tell me, Ayane, what do you desire?"
Desires. There were many things she desired. She wanted to be loved, she wanted to be understood, she wanted to be accepted. And she wanted the runaway dead. Only when the runaway is dead will she be able to crawl from underneath the rock she had been forced under and see the world the way it was meant to be seen. The world underneath the rock bore black skies and bare trees. There was no noise; silence. But the silence itself seemed to scream at her, wanting to kill her or wanted her to kill. Every person held a scowl and every hand held a dagger.
But the world outside the rock would be better she knew it. And she would see that world even if a life was a sacrifice.
"Heal my wounds," she told the creature in front of her, "Make me better again."
"The proper words are 'I wish'," the rabbit responded.
"I wish my wounds were healed."
"So be it."
The rabbit closed its eyes and in a matter of seconds Ayane could feel her skin near her wounds tighten as they pulled together, sealing away her insides and stopping her blood. Ayane watched in pure awe and amazement as her wish was carried out. She was covered in blood, but her skin was whole. She touched her cheek that once held a gash and found only her blood. She was regenerated and could stand on her feet without having the urge to fall to her knees. The rabbit was no lie.
"I can't believe," she spoke, looking down at the palms of her hands that no longer burned from her firm grasp on her hilt, "I can't believe you've done it."
"You still have two more wishes," the rabbit told her, "What shall they be?"
"Well, I . . . No one understands me," the troubled, young girl spoke, kneeling in front of the white rabbit, "They don't know how I feel. Not even Hayate understands me. I whish he would . . ."
"So be it."
Ayane watched as the rabbit closed its eyes, "I didn't mean . . ."
Far too late. Her half brother could feel her distress as if it were his own. And little did she know, he was getting out of bed to peer out of the window, waiting for her to return from the darkness of the night. And he wouldn't stop waiting until she returned.
"You have one more wish, Ayane," the rabbit spoke after opening its eyes.
There was plenty more that was desired, but only one wish. Ayane smirked. Things would be sorted out one way or another.
"I wish for a million more wishes!" Ayane exclaimed, her eyes brightening.
What she wished was what she received. It was her desire.
"So be it," the rabbit said.