The second I felt it, I glanced down to the crimson line that was slowly lengthening. Every second that past seemed like hours as the line grew ever longer, as my worst fear was realized. Everything I had ever truly worked for was all being ended right before my eyes. If it was possible at the time, I would have puked.
Although my eyes were still widened in horror, I glanced up the cause. To the one reason why things turned out the way they did. I stared at the woman, in an attempt to read her expression. She met my expectations. I could see a wave of relief wash over her face. Her eyes were no longer completely filled with hate. In fact for a moment, just a moment, I thought I saw remorse in those eyes. Her face seemed to say, "I'm sorry this was the way things had to be".
Any feeling I had was instantly wiped by the contrasting face mere feet away from the first woman. This girl's expression made me sick. I could see relief in her face as well, but it was different. It looked as if she had only just completed her mission. There was no feeling, no regret. Just one more job completed. I clenched my jaw for a moment, but even that was taking too much effort.
I bowed my head to avoid caching either woman's glance. All I wanted was to be free of their penetrating eyes. I wanted my mind to stop working. I didn't want to fill these seconds with thoughts of how things could have been different. However I lost control of how my mind worked. Thoughts of my past flooded my mind, nearly drowning me in the weight of the moments.
I recalled them leaving. They said they would be back soon. I smiled and laughed, I was only a child at the time, and said I'd see them later. The next thing I remembered, they didn't come back. Ever.
My mind next led me to trying to recreate them. All the time I toiled just to try and fill the void they left. My success was only temporary. I tried to mimic their embrace, to get the feeling of comfort and warmth back. But it was not there. Instead my breath caught for a moment as they fell. In my mind it played in slow motion. Falling down lower and lower, then the sickening clatter they made when they hit the floor. That was my last memory of them. When they fell.
I swallowed mere air as I turned to my left. I saw the man, the man who had left all those years ago. The man whom I wished I would get the chance to see again. But he was not the man at all. This was not the face I wanted to see, just an imitation. Just a reflection of past sins. Looking down again, this crimson line grew longer. I never thought there was a capacity of fluid to create a line so long.
I turned away from the line, staring to my right. There she was, looking at me with the same cold eyes as the man. They held no love, no warmth I needed before. This woman, this woman who had changed my life so was now cold and lifeless. There were so many differences between what she was, and what I wished she was. Although she looked similar, she was not what I wanted. No, it was not a want. She was not what I needed.
I struggled to choke out words. With the knowledge I had I knew I could make a difference. This was my apology to the woman who eyes had always shown me sympathy. As some would say, in that moment, I atoned for my sins.
They call me Akasuna no Sasori, and today I was reunited with my parents.