Running, that's all I've done since this thing appeared on my neck one month ago. I was in class, reading, when I felt a sting just below my left earlobe. My best friend, Kiba, looked up with a frustrated expression to ask me something that he didn't understand but stopped mid-way, his eyes wide and mouth opened, the question never leaving his throat. I parted my lips to ask him what was wrong but the words that escape his surprised me.
"Run" he said in a hushed, but urgent whisper. When I didn't move, Kiba took my arm, threw his over my shoulders and asked the teacher if he could take to the infirmary since I wasn't feeling too well. I wanted to protest but one firm look from Kiba shut me up. The teacher gave us permission to leave and then continued talking some rubbish about the water and stuff. Kiba urged me to move forward but to not attract any attention. Soon enough I noticed that he wasn't walking to the infirmary and my suspicions were rewarded when we stopped in front of the ladies bathroom, Kiba pushed the door opened and entered without a care in the world. Some girls that were peering themselves on the mirror shriek loudly when we entered and walked out of the bathroom with quick steps, every so often looking over their shoulder at us before existing through the door.
"You can't be here, what are you think…"
"Look" he commanded me whilst pointing at the mirror "Your neck" I complied, turning around to see what the seriousness was about. Soon enough, I understood. A gasped came unwillingly out of my mouth and a hand shot up to my neck, fingers tracing my skin. There, where I felt the sting a while before, was the image of a compass. The circular ivory black form shone against my milky white neck. The little black arrows inside stood between the N and E but moved slightly more to the N when I turned to look at the compass better.
I knew what this meant, when people found out (because it was a matter of 'when' and not 'if') I would be hunted and most likely, killed. This compass appeared on very few people skins. They appeared on the skin of humans who have a soul-mate. They pointed way where your soul-mate was depending on where you were standing. I've heard about it since I was little, about not everyone getting a compass and how unlikely was for any of us to obtain one. I've also heard how people with a compass tattooed on their skin were some kind of threat to the government. I never understood why and I still don't but I knew that right now, at this moment, I was a threat and I would be hunted.
My body turned, shakily, to my best friend's form and my eyes stared into his, filled with unshed tears thanks to my fear. I needed his support. At a moment, I was just a student like everyone else and at another, I was a fugitive. The girls would have say something about a boy entering the ladies bathroom, someone would appear at any given moment.
"What do I do?" I whispered at him, my voice trembled just like my body. He bit his lower lip, extended an arm to touch my shoulder and pull me into his safe arms. I hugged him as if my life depended on it, the tears starting falling out of my most likely, red and puffy eyes. I felt his lips on my cheek and his warm breath gave me shivers when he opened his mouth to whisper oh, so quietly on my left ear.
"You run"
)
I was just reading a book and drinking from my mug of homemade tea when some officers burst into my house. I didn't jump nor flinched; I simply stared at them with irritation.
"Yes?" I asked while turning a page of the book I was reading.
"The commander asked to see you, he said it was urgent" I glanced at them lazily over the book that laid in front of me and quirk an eyebrow.
"Whatever for?" The words slid out of my tongue like silk and it fell over them like frozen water. I smirked when they shivered and stir uncomfortably. One brave officer dared to answer my question, but didn't dare to look up.
"He mentioned something about a compass and that you would be perfect for the job. We have no further information other than to bring you in as quickly as possible, sir."
I closed my book so suddenly that the sound echoed through the halls, making the officers' jump scared.
"Thank you, I will head there once I've finished preparing" Each of the officers nod and headed to the door without having to think twice. I stood in the middle of my living room shaking with fury. How dare he?! That bastard! He knew what this meant, he knew about my past and he was doing this on purpose. I had no other choice but to go and do the job that would be given to me but I will give him hell for it.
Putting my book on the settee, I head out to the HQ, growling at every civilian or officer that crossed my path.
"How nice it is to see you, Tobirama" His voice reached my ears once the doors opened at my figure to let me in. He was standing there, in front of me with a sickly and huge smile on his face. Fucking arsehole.
"I cannot say the same, Commander" His smile turned to a grin and he patted my arm.
"There, there. No need for such hostelries, right? What it's buried in the past, should stay buried in the past" I slapped his arm away and walked to the huge table where other officers from different ranks where sitting around.
"Just give me the mission and I'll do it. I don't want to be here anymore time that I have to"
"But of course" he said "We don't want you to feel uncomfortable" His hands grabbed a file from the table and he gave it to me. Inside couldn't be more than five papers.
"Why is it so thin?" I asked while opening the file.
"Sixteen year old girl, Hyuuga Hinata" One of the officers sitting on the table answered. My eyes shot up.
"Sixteen? You cannot be serious. Please tell me this is a joke" I demanded but nobody answered. My eyes roamed around until they stopped in front of Him. "Commander?"
"Sad, I know, but true. We cannot make any exceptions" I growled but opened the file. Inside was the photo of a young girl, blue hair and gray eyes. Her skin was pale and a smile was plastered on her mouth.
"Why me?" I asked, never taking my eyes out of her picture. The Commander answered me, nobody else wanted to talk.
"You're the best officer we've got" Lies! I screamed inside my head. You just want to torture me!
I swallowed and looked up into his eyes, my hands closing the file. He stared back at me, neither us of blinking. Oh, how I wanted to punch his face right at this moment.
"I'll be off then." I said and walked to the exit.
"Tobirama" The Commander called and walked to me. I didn't stop. "You know that there's another one, right? She isn't the only one." That stopped me. My body got stiff and my head turned to look at glare at him.
"Funny thing, soul-mates. If there's one, there must be a second one. Isn't that right, Madara?" He flinched as if he's just been slapped and that gave the satisfaction to walk out of HQ with a smirk plastered on my lips.
)
Kill her. A little voice shouted inside my brain. Do it now! But my body didn't move. Why? She is just in front of me, why can't I do it? But I knew why. Because of the Commander and what it was buried on the past. Because she was so young and scared. Because the world was unjust and cruel. I couldn't do it because she could be my brother, because I knew that this wasn't right. A sixteen year old wasn't supposed to run away from her home fearing for her life. And yet, here I was and there she was. Totally clueless to the danger that loom in the darkness, waiting to swallow her whole and leave her inside a black whole filled with doom and pain.
Her head turned to the side and that black mark on her neck was the thing that helped me move again. The same mark that I witness so many years ago. My hand curled around the knife inside my boot and my feet moved forward, steady and quietly. She didn't notice that I was here. Lucky me, easy prey. But too boring. My feet kept moving forward until I was standing right behind her, my knife aligned with her neck.
"Don't move" I said in a low voice. Her head shot up and she tried to look at me but my knife didn't give her that option. "Don't scream and drop what you have in your hands" She did without even hesitating. My eyes moved to the objects that she let go and I sigh when I noticed it was just a diary and a metal cup with water inside.
"Please," She begged "Don't do it" Her whole body was trembling like a leaf. I tried to ignore that.
"You know I can't do that" I said to her in the same low voice as before. My left hand snaked to move around her neck and to her cheek, tilting her head while my other hand moved to press the knife into her throat. I could hear her sobs and I just wanted her to stop. I couldn't hear her crying. Couldn't hear her beg. She sound so human and I couldn't deal with it. She reminded me so much of him.
"Shut up!" I snapped at her. "Don't make any sounds"
"Please!" She begged me again. "Please!" The edge of my knife cut into her skin making Hinata shut up and swallowed a yelp. I felt little drops of blood squezzing out of the opening in her skin.
"I told you to shut up!" I was so close, it is now or never. This is it, do it. Do it now! But I couldn't. She realized the exact same thing I did and turned to look at me. Those moon-like eyes froze me all over and the sight of her compass made me retract my hand. "I can't" I confessed. "I can't do it"
"Why?" She asked me and I stared at her like she was crazy. Any other person would have run already but still here she was, asking to the person who cut her neck why he couldn't kill her.
"Go" Was my answer. "Escape before I change my mind" She shook her head and bend to grab the diary and the metal cup.
"You won't"
"Why are you so sure?" Funny thing to ask when I knew that even if she ran now, I wouldn't follow. The hold around my knife loosen and it fell to the ground, side to side with my boots. Hinata eyed me through a curtain of night-sky blue hair and gave me the gentles smile I've seen in all my life.
"I have a feeling" My heart skipped a beat at her words.
Brother, you just doomed my life.