POSTED : [11~16~2017]

WORD COUNT : [1,369]

TAGS : [SI-OC Tenten] [Slight OOC Characters] [Future Character Deaths] [Slight Canon-Divergence] [Blood and Gore] [Strong Language]

[lots of poor attempts at jokes and romance]

Pairings: [NaruHina] [ShikaTema]

Other tags and pairings to be added later on.

STANDARD DISCLAIMER IS APPLIED

Read and Enjoy!~


||Chapter 2||

The Soul of a Broken Girl


Once, there was a girl,

She was rather sickly, thus, she neither had the opportunity nor the permission to do things she wanted

Once, there was a girl,

She was the heiress to a big-time conglomerate, seeing as she was the first-born and all

Once, there was a girl,

That girl was my sister

And what a spiteful girl she was.


Dusk was quickly approaching, yet the group that resided within the temple took no notice of the growing shadows outside. The ostensibly spacious room felt cramp and humid as Seiryu Hiromi, a woman in her mid-20's, struggled to push her second child out. The baby wasn't due until two weeks later, on the 22nd of March, but it seemed like it was growing restless inside. So, here she was now, a seasoned assassin and a feared person in her own right, howling in pain one could only experience from childbirth. "Breathe in slowly, your Highness, then push. I can already see the head now!" The midwife, Nobuko, said in a reassuring tone as she gently grabbed the baby's head. Hiromi, obviously in pain, could only pray for a safe delivery. Natural birth wasn't easy, after all. So through sheer willpower, she pushed with all her might. Her husband could only offer her moral support through the sidelines as she sweated in effort and determination.

Finally, after 8 hours of labor and painful contractions, the air shifted when a loud cry broke the deafening silence that the night had to offer.

There, bathed in the red of both the sky and blood, laid the newborn, with the soul of a broken girl hidden within the body of a stranger. There, the newborn with the soul of a broken girl who transcended death. Her wails sung a story of life and despair, though nobody in that room understood her. To them, she was just an infant, a flower yet to bloom, but she knew the truth. She was far from the innocence only a child could have, for she has experienced betrayal and death. So she cried and she opened her eyes to the living. Opened her eyes to a life she stole. It mattered not that it was given to her, no, all she cared about that she was supposed to be dead as herself, Katharine.

She did not want this disgusting feeling of want.

This sickening feeling of need. The need to feel. To live

It was nauseating and it made her now small stomach churn.

It was pitiful.

And it made her want to cry more.

She, the one with the soul of a broken girl, breathed in the air. The smell of blood, sweat and tears invaded her nostrils as she cried her heart out.

The action was not done by her former self. For that broken girl was dead and only her soul and memories and feelings shall live on to see another day.

She breathes in. She cries. She lets the world know that she is alive.

'Katharine is dead', she thinks

The taste of life was amazing.

-The Soul of a Broken Girl-

Nobuko handed the hysteric infant to the sweating mother who instantly broke out into a loving smile as her child was placed in her trembling arms. The midwife paused, "My lady, we've been blessed with another healthy daughter." her voice was soft, words practiced and confident as she smiled in mirth. Hiromi could only laugh and nod her head in thanks as she dismissed the much older then looked at her daughter for the very first time and felt something akin to the feeling of utmost devotion and , she looked at her husband and beloved. The feeling remained as she mulled over the fact that they were the ones who made this happen.

She was quite proud of herself, to say the least.

Seiryu Tatsuya, the aforementioned husband caught her proud and heartfelt stare. They shared a moment, just gazing at each other, like how couples would have done in the movies. They smiled and held each other's eyes as Tatsuya moved closer to kiss his wife on her sweaty forehead, not at all minding the fact that it was damp. He took their squirming daughter into his arms. Warm Brown met Icy Grey as the small baby finally opened her eyes and gazed into her new father's stormy eyes. She cried as faraway memories of a broken family on a pedestal entered her thoughts. But just as sudden as her tantrum, she was calmed in an instant as a callous hand was placed on her forehead and a chaste kiss was granted upon her nose. Her tremors and screams were reduced to mere sniffling. The duo looked into each other's eyes. Both of them containing heavy emotions swirling deep in their orbs, one of silent revelation, and the other with newfound endearment and affection. Tatsuya's normally reserved expression broke into one that portrayed happiness and glee. He glanced at his amazing wife, daughter in arms, and gave her a dimpled grin." Darling, I think I've fallen in love!" they both laugh in joy at his expression of complete adoration.

After the moment of shared contentedness, Tatsuya turned and walked towards the other people inhibiting the space.

He faced the other occupants of the room, 3 women which included Nobuko and 5 men all dressed in traditional Hanfu coupled with unreadable looks on their faces, who stood in attention to the happenings inside of the temple. He took a moment to gather and recollect himself. With a deep breath, he proudly lifted his child up to shoulder-length and started," I present to you, the second- child of the palace. She who shall be named 'Seiryu Miyako', I bestow upon you my blessings" By now, everything was still as a cold breeze passed them by. They paid it no mind as they opted to listen to their Clan Head."May the deities guide your path, my lovely daughter." With that, the people bowed graciously to their patriarch and his newborn.

"Seiryu Miyako, we honor your birth. Notify us of your greatness and you shall soar up to the heavens" the party of 8 promptly left the family to their devices, all with varying levels of exhilaration.

-The Soul of a Broken Girl-

After an hour filled with unrestricted delight and merrymaking, the adults in the room finally managed to fall asleep feeling spent from all of the adrenaline and euphoria of the day.

Katharine- Or Miyako, as she was now named, reveled in the warmth that her parents gave off. 'I never did get to experience this as Kath, didn't I?' Miyako thinks as the steady breathing of her father's chest and the soft thumps of her mother's heart slowly lulled her to sleep.

And although she was still unused to all of the strange events that happened after her death, she was comforted by the fact that she had a better family this time around. She could only hope that the priceless moment would last.

That night, the moon stood witness to the events on the night of March 9th, when a stranger's life accepted a broken girl's soul as its inhabitant.

That night, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, a smile could be seen on that broken girl's face as she slept.

The moon witnessed this, as its opalescent beams shone down on the figures of 3 people huddled together while sleeping.

The moon witnessed it all, from the cries of the mother to the cries of the child. So, as the night deepened, so did the shadows.

Clouds enveloped the moon who saw through, and darkness blanketed the land. Rhythmic inhales filled the cold and musty room, and in that moment, the room seemed larger than before, though certainly not emptier.

Their exhales reverberated against the walls, just like how the screams of life did before them.

That night, the Main family of the Seiryu Clan slept soundly.

Truly, life was amazing.


Chapter 2, "The Soul of a Broken Girl", end


"Even if this is the path I chose
Even if everyone says
I made my own destiny
Even if this is a sin I committed
Even if this whole life is just a price
To pay for the sin"

-A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone


Yo!

I'm really sorry (not sorry!) about the super delayed chapter!

In my defense, I was super lazy and it was -pretty hard- trying to come up with a second chapter xD I think I actually had 3(?) different approaches in starting this chapter and just settled for this one! All in all, it actually took me 2 days to make write this and half a day to edit!

As for what I've been up to ( if you guys are interested), I just spent the most of the days in my week-long break taking 25-hour naps xD The rest was spent "studying" (read: pretending to read and rewrite notes while consequently falling asleep lulz) and reading non-scholastic materials like comics! How 'bout you guys?

On that topic, does anyone here also read "webtoons"? It's an online platform for graphic novels and comics! I myself only started reading this July(?) and I've been hooked ever since! Esp on ToG like bruh... bruh.. bRUH

(I wish I could update on a schedule like that ( My Boo tho... Daily -and- with graphics? hahaha NOPE TT - TT))

Ok, now that we're speaking of "schedules", lemme just say that I do(n't) have "chapters" lined up and (not really) ready to go!

(they're mostly just snippets of what I want to do and a bunch of notes xD)

On the off-chance that I DO finish writing and proof-reading the next chapter, it'll probs be out by Sunday or Monday, on the 19th or 20th of November JST.

Side note: I actually plan on updating every other Sunday or Monday, so keep an eye out for that!

And... I think that's it for now? I'm gonna eat dinner now~

I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! (I worked really hard on it y'know TT)

Again, constructive criticism is very much welcomed~ Do let me know what you thought of the chapter!

See y'all in the next chapter!

-Xael