Hitoriaruki: Walking Alone

Chapter One: Baka

By: Kasia

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are NOT mine. The storyline is the only thing that is. All credit for characters goes to the original author, Higuchi Tachibana.

Brushing a wisp of her snow covered black hair behind her ear, Imai Hotaru continued to fiddle away at one of her most prized inventions. Much to her displeasure, the motorized white duck's engine couldn't be. This was bad, the snow around her was piling up and she was at least three miles from camp. At seventeen, she and her four classmates were in a dilemma only two days into their first mission. This would not make the academy very happy...

Now her fingers were going numb, her body growing weak, and her vision growing blurry. Struggling to stand from her kneeling position, she lifted her thick hood and secured her newest invention: night and heat goggles. With the foliage blocking out any light the moon might have offered (yet somehow letting in the snow), she could do nothing but scoop up her mobile-bird and stomp through the slush. Imai adjusted her goggles to heat mode and tried to keep her eyes on her feet so as to see the branches and roots that could so easily trip her.

With a sigh, Sakura Mikan folded the map and passed it to Sumire, who was endeavoring to get Hyuuga Natsume's attention by batting her eyes and flipping her curly hair. She hardly glanced the paper before passing it on to Nogi Ruka, who was entertaining a small wolf cub by playfully batting it with a stick. He studied the inscriptions more closely, but they all knew that Hotaru was the navigator. If only she would get back already...

"We're almost out," Natsume murmured, indicating the few pieces of wood remaining. He stood to walk away from the camp without explaining himself, but no words were expected. It was one of the first rules of survival: always have the necessary provisions well before they are needed. Ruka stood too; he turned to the two young women and gave a quick nod.

"We'll be back soon," he assured with a smile. Sumire watched them leave longingly, knowing she couldn't accompany them. Another rule: at least two people watched the base at all times. Mikan stood and stretched. She stepped over to the supplies and began to prepare a quick meal for when they returned.

Sumire was just thinking how tense Mikan looked; it occurred to her that it was her job to take Mikan's mind off trivial matters and keep her focused on the mission ahead. Hotaru was the mission leader, followed by Natsume, Ruka, and herself, with Mikan withholding the lowest rank (though she was quite certain this had more to do with Jinno-sensei's disapproval than Mikan's ability). She knew Mikan well enough to know how to assure her of Hotaru's safety. It was her duty with the rest of the group gone, wasn't it? She grinned and turned to her.

"Hotaru sure is taking a long time," Sumire noted. Mikan nodded and hid her concern by turning her back to Sumire as she worked. "I wonder if she's hurt or something. Then again, it is Hotaru, so I'm sure she's fine. And she has that duck-thing, too, so she can fly here if she needs to." Mikan nodded again and turned back to Sumire.

"She's too tough to be beaten by the weather," Mikan reasoned aloud, "I have no reason to worry for her." Hotaru was her best friend, after all. If she couldn't trust her to gather some fire wood, what kind of friend was she? Dropping a few fish into a skillet, Mikan turned to Sumire and asked her to monitor things while Mikan rested for an hour or so.

The entire group hadn't slept for over 48 hours. Mikan had just returned from yet another near fatal encounter when the mission was assigned, leaving her the most weary of them all. Sumire nodded, and Mikan slowly slid into her sleeping bag, which was actually Hotaru's caterpillar shelter, and fell asleep.

With no trace of feeling in her hands and little in her face, Hotaru was struggling much more than any of the others thought. Eyeing a marker she had left behind while travelling away from the camp, she realized just how far she still was. It would take at least another hour, maybe two at this rate, and she wasn't certain how much longer her legs would hold out.

Pulling out the strengthening drink Anna had prepared before they left, she sipped it carefully. She knew she needed to ration it; much harder events would lie ahead. She trudged forward, yearning for warm fire and briefly thinking that if she didn't make it back, poor Mikan would cry.

Natsume and Ruka had returned nearly an hour before Mikan even woke up, and now both Sumire and Natsume were fast asleep. Ruka was on watch but facing away from Mikan, so he didn't realize she was awake. After a quick overview Mikan had gathered that Hotaru wasn't back yet. Standing to her feet, she silently slipped away from the group undetected and even managed to grab a piece of the cooked meat.

This is very, very bad, she thought with a shiver. Hotaru should have returned two hours ago. The snow that covered every inch of the ground worried Mikan dearly. Taking a quick glance behind her to make sure no one was looking, she rushed back into the woods. She was certain Hotaru had gone to the place they had passed the day before. The wood there was perfect, after all, and it was only three miles away. Mikan's pace through the snow reflected her good training.

Twenty minutes later, Ruka turned to see Natsume stirring and slowly standing up. They both realized what the empty sack meant at the same time. Hearing a twig snap, they turned to see Hotaru stepping into the camp. Ruka jumped up just in time to catch her as she collapsed forward.

Sumire woke at the scent of Hotaru. She grabbed the potions their schoolmates made and rushed to Hotaru's side. The two were far too busy tending to her to notice Natsume's absence until much later. Natsume, on the other hand, was too concerned for Mikan's safety and jogged out of the camp without bothering to tell them where he was going.

Almost there, Mikan thought, periodically flexing her fingers to keep the blood moving. She thought it would take her half an hour, at least, but her anticipation must have spurned her on for she was already entering the band of trees that were somehow dry and untouched. With a brief smile, Mikan called Hotaru's name.

No answer.

Well, she was half expecting that. If Hotaru had been in a condition to answer, she would have been back at the camp. Keeping her pace, she went through the greenery, somehow perceiving Hotaru wasn't there, but that something definitely was. She slowed her pace to a quick walk, glancing around. She felt the presence of something that she now knew was very sinister. Hotaru ...! I hope she's alright!

Out of nowhere four guards jumped at her. They were dressed in all white, and thus easily masked in every part of the forest save this one. Instantly, one was lunging to her. Dodge left, block right, low right spin kick. She tripped one of them while the other three came at her. She sprinted to the only opening in sight, but they pursued her and were just as fast.

Twisting around and delivering a quick side kick to one, Mikan blocked a fist holding a dagger that was aimed at her neck. She caught someone's leg, using her spinning momentum to flip him backwards. The fact that her alice couldn't be used in battle like the rest of her classmates had given her the incentive to learn how to fight. Four on one was unpromising, though, even after four years of practice with one of Japan's top martial artists.

Another guard jumped at her back and grabbed her neck. Mikan elbowed him hard in his rib and turned towards him to deliver a quick flat hand to his nose. She wasn't one to kill, but he was knocked out cold. One down. Spinning back to the others, she barely dodged a dagger that was flying towards her face. They had moved close to thick brush, and she had a few ideas that could turn the battle to her advantage. If they would just give her two seconds to grab her shurikens… But they were at her again, and this time she only managed to dodge two as the third sliced her cheek with his knife. Switch blades are so cheap, show a little honor!

Biding her time, she waited for one of them to make a mistake that she could use to her advantage. Two down now, things are easier. Dodge, dodge, block, kick. Using their split-second pause to pull out two of her cherished weapons, she took a traditional fighting stance. One of them, obviously less experienced, rushed at her and she instantly knocked him out. One more. But this one… He has a grin, like he's enjoying this, sick jerk. And I can tell by the way he fights that he's just messing around, is he trying to taunt me?

"Well done, well done. Now it's just one on one, isn't it? Shall we, then?" Lips curling a bit, he pulled out two seemingly short daggers, but Mikan wasn't fooled. She saw them when searching for a set of new shurikens. They had a small trigger at the base that would make them expand. And if he thought he was going to beat her with those, he was going to have a rude awakening. If she could defeat men with full katanas, defeating a fake with an evil grin that really ticked her off wouldn't be a problem.

He lunged at her, but she quickly dodged and judged the distance of his hidden swords easily. After fighting all four, fighting one was a pleasant change. "No slacking off," she could hear her shishou saying. Note: Shishou is a name for a martial arts teacher/master.

A quick block to her left followed by an attempted jab to her right, then came her flaw. As she had spun to block, her foot had snagged on a root and her ankle had twisted. The trigger was pressed, and her escape was too late. A slice ran across her right arm, immobilizing it and making her rely only on her left. Within seconds she had been flipped around, the man's dagger-turned-sword at her neck, a sneer across his lips.

"You've failed, and now those of us on the other side can use your power. It's a good thing I thought to slow down that girl, it lured you out ever so nicely." Turning Mikan around to face him, he forced her usable hand to drop its shuriken. How dare he endanger Hotaru, and just to get me here! Her lame hand flew up and stabbed him in the stomach at the perfect spot. Not a killing wound, but at least one that would keep him in one place for awhile.

"You… you don't know the truth yet, then?" He forced a weak laugh. "Friends are foes and foes are friends, my dear, and I'm not the only one looking for you. You'll be chased for the rest of your life." Unwilling to show her surprise at his words, Mikan pulled her shuriken back and turned to leave. She paused only for a moment to offer her calm threat.

"If you ever so much as look at her again, I won't be as merciful." She walked away from her battle scene, knowing that she had to find Hotaru and get back soon, but how? With her ankle she wouldn't be much help to Hotaru, anyways. She was having trouble stepping through the snow. So much for keeping my pace.

Natsume came upon the site with much shock and concern. He didn't recognize any of the four men, but he recognized the handiwork. All of them would live, he knew, but one had a serious injury. Following the footprints that left them, he noted that one side of them was somewhat smudged, like she was dragging her foot along. This couldn't be good, he had to find her fast and get her back to the camp. Thinking that one of Hotaru's flying inventions would have been really nice about now, he sprinted along the tracks, knowing the falling snow would cover them soon.

Back at the camp, Hotaru was slowly waking up. Instantly noticing that there was no smiling Mikan looking down at her, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Sumire was on watch, Ruka sleeping. Glancing Hotaru, she rushed to her and tried to get her to lie back down, but the girl wouldn't be quieted.

"Where is she? She didn't… Please say she didn't go looking for me in this weather." Raising a shaky hand to cover her mouth, she whispered "baka" under her breath.

"Don't worry Hotaru, Natsume's already went after her, I'm sure she's fine. She's capable of protecting herself, you know? I know you can't help but worry, but at least know that she's in good hands, Natsume wouldn't let anything happen to her." Hotaru wasn't listening. She had grabbed her bag and pulled out a mini- computer, pressing the button with an "M" on it.

A quick beep, and then a map appeared, a flashing light showing her where Mikan was. There were lines underneath the map, too:

"Position: 2.79 miles SSE. Speed: Stationary. Status: Alive."

She pressed "N" and another light began flashing.

"Position: 2.83 miles SSE. Speed: 4.6 mph SSE. Status: Alive." She breathed a sigh and slowly settled back down. They were close, it wouldn't take him long to get her back.

Mikan's vision was blurry and her entire body felt completely numb. She had collapsed after only a little walking, and somehow her body couldn't bring itself to move. She had to get back, she knew, but in her condition there was no way she could. It occurred to her that leaving without telling anyone where she was going had really been pretty stupid, and a slight smile flickered across her lips at the thought of Hotaru telling her so.

Feeling herself drifting in and out of consciousness, she was about to allow her eyes to close when she saw something pass in front of them. No… Who now? Friend? Foe…? I can't fight them now……… Gotta … get…… back… Someone was picking her up, and she could barely feel them speaking, saying something, but she couldn't respond. She didn't know if they were one of the group or someone else, but she could feel warmth and that was enough.

As they walked, she felt her body slowly revive, like she was waking from a dream. The strange battle came back slowly, and those words… "You'll be chased for the rest of your life." Who was he talking about? She carefully opened her eyes, but upon seeing Natsume carrying her she allowed them to close again. She was safe, she would be okay.

But how long would she be able to stay with them? Her friends… Her dear friends would be put into grave danger. If only she was stronger, faster, braver, more capable. Angry tears welled up in her eyes, their warmth spilling onto her cheeks. She leaned closer to Natsume and he looked down, surprised that she was awake. Slowing to a walk, he looked around them. Cave, a few hundred feet west of them. Hoping there wouldn't be any dangerous inhabitants, he headed in its direction.

Even after settling into the small cave and being warmed by a Natsume-made fire, Mikan wouldn't speak. She stared into the ember flames, annoyed at herself for making such a silly mistake in her previous battle and frustrated with the fact that she had to rely on someone else, even if it was Natsume. Granted, of the group she felt more comfortable relying on him than the rest, maybe excluding Hotaru, and she knew she could trust him to take care of her, but that was the agitating part. She didn't want him to have to take care of her, she wanted to be strong enough to take care of herself.

Why couldn't she have a more useful alice? It obviously hadn't done her any good in the previous battle, especially since none of them seemed to have an alice to begin with. Drifting into her thoughts, she didn't notice Natsume calling her until his third attempt.

"Nani o?" She instantly winced at the annoyance in her voice. It wasn't his fault she was so incompetent, it was pointless to take out her anger on him.

"Sorry…" she whispered, not that he had seemed offended to begin with.

"How did you get those cuts?" He stepped over to her, carefully removing the bandage around her arm and reaching into his pockets to grab something for her face. "Why didn't you clean them properly?" He gave her a cold stare, but she had known him long enough to know he was just worried.

"Gomenne, I was trying to get back, but my an-"

"It was foolish of you to go out on your own! Stop being such a baka all the time, you're going to get someone killed! This isn't a game, Mikan!" She pulled her arm away, frustrated with his tone but somehow seeing it to her advantage. The farther I get from them, the better, ne? Sorry, Natsume!

"I can take care of myself, Natsume! I don't need you to-"

"Yeah, that's obvious." He's getting mad and I know I'm out of line, but… "You were sure doing great when I found you buried in snow twenty minutes ago!"

"I could have gotten back, I was just taking a rest!"

"Baka! You would've died and you know it!" She couldn't respond. He was really angry, now, and obviously he would be. He had just saved her life and she was showing no appreciation whatsoever. Her pride wouldn't allow her to apologize, so she looked away as he hastily grabbed her arm and began cleaning it again. Amazing, he was incredibly mad at her and yet he was extremely gentle with her cut, being sure to put the antiseptic on slowly so it wouldn't hurt as much. When he was done, he stood.

"We've rested here long enough, better get back." He offered his hand, but she ignored it. Not to snub him, but because she was determined to stop relying on others, especially him, from now on. She couldn't help but think that she'd have to get away from them soon, just to keep them from danger. Natsume caught a glimpse of another tear in her eye, but she turned away and willed the tears away. No more crying. No more relying. Maybe even no more friends. She couldn't risk it, they were too important.

She wondered silently if they would ever understand that the reason she was pushing them away was not because she wanted to, but because she had to. She would protect them and their happiness at all costs. It suddenly occurred to her that she was going to have to be completely and entirely alone, that she shouldn't have contact with anyone at all for their own safety.

As Natsume turned to leave, she went to follow, only to fall nearly instantly when she tried to put pressure on her right leg, pain lacing from her ankle up to her thigh. She caught herself on the wall of the cave, trying to right herself quickly. Could she keep up this facade? It was going to be much harder than she'd thought to stop relying on others...

Warming her hands at the fire, Sakura Mikan shoved her nearly-waist-length light brown hair into a quick ponytail, knowing it would make her colder but needing to be able to examine the small map she and her companions had been given. Honestly, she thought, What's Hotaru doing out there? It's been nearly two hours already, and she just went to grab some wood… Granted, the only dry wood we've come across was a few miles back, but it still shouldn't take this long! A bit worried, she leaned farther over the map, memorizing the geography.