Streaks of sunlight leaked through the leafy canopy of the quiet forest. Shadows danced with the warm light and created fluid patterns that flickered along the ground. The serene silence was interrupted only by the occasional rustle and the soft breathing of a blond teenager.
A young Riza Hawkeye leaned against the gnarled bark of an ancient tree, the rifle in her hands pressed against her shoulder. She closed one eye and peered through the sight, lining up the crosshairs with the center of the target. She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger, shattering the calm of the forest.
She didn't need to walk over to the target to know that the bullet had landed on the bull's-eye. She just instinctively knew. Her bloodstream was spiked with adrenaline from the thunder of the gunshot, and the thrill of yet another perfect mark. She once again focused on the center of the target, her finger resting on the trigger, when a sickening thought entered her mind.
She imagined the bullet entering flesh, puncturing internal organs and exiting a body in a spray of blood. A man on his knees, red dripping from a hole in his chest. A sharp gasp as he tried to inhale, unable to fill his perforated lungs. Falling to the ground, unmoving, as his heart failed to pump blood. Dead. And worst of all, Riza felt a smile tug at her lips at the image.
Riza shuddered and immediately lowered her rifle, ashamed at the dark thought. How could she possibly think of such a thing? No normal person would ever feel a sense of merriment at someone's death, especially one they caused themselves! Was this how murderers felt? A sick sense of satisfaction?
The teen sighed as she studied the gun in her hands. A murder weapon. An instrument of death… no, it was more than that. It was also a means to protect, in the right hands. Riza once again lifted the rifle to her shoulder and took aim at the target. I have to protect him, no matter what. I can't let his vision go to waste. Even... if it means killing. But I'll never feel satisfaction. I'll never feel happiness at taking someone's life. I can't let these thoughts control me.
She squeezed the trigger, the gunshot echoing throughout the woods. Another perfect mark. Riza clicked the safety on and turned around to head back to her house, where her father and the man she must protect were waiting.
This must be my purpose.
AN: I'm not sure how I feel about this, so I'll let you all decide.
