Chapter 1: Looking Back
Anoreen walked slowly through the calm darkness of the forest. The wind was blowing quietly through the trees above her. Normally, she would stop and admire the peaceful rustling of the leaves, but tonight her mind was elsewhere.
Her conversation with Deidara by the lake, earlier that day, played over and over in her mind. They had always been close, and Anoreen considered him to be somewhat the older brother she had lost in the massacre twelve years ago.
Deidara sat down beside her on the bank. Anoreen didn't look up from her reflection in the water. ' Why bother? It's obvious what he wants.' she told herself. They sat in silence. The lake water lapped at the edge of the bank as if to grab its two observers and drag them down to the bottom of the lake. A bird began chirping in a nearby tree. Then he spoke, "Let it go Anoreen. It's been a full year, and you're still sulking. I'm not telling you to forget about him, I'm just saying it's time to move on and--"
"Easy for you to say!" Anoreen shouted, "You two were always arguing!"
Deidara closed his eye. Knowing her, she wasn't done yet. So he waited for her to continue. "It's easy for you to just forget about him and move on, he's not your father! You don't know anything about my past! You have no right to tell me to move on! I'd like to see you 'move on' after someone raised you as if you were their own child, and saved you from starving to death out on the streets. I'd like to see you just 'let it go' after you've watched them die right in front of you by the hand of your little sister that you haven't seen since you were six! I can't just forget something like that Deidara!"
Minutes passed, and she seemed to be done. The bird had stopped chirping, and a slight breeze began to blow. Deidara opened his eye and turned to Anoreen. "I'm not asking you to forget, Anoreen, I'm asking you to forgive yourself. There was nothing you could do. You've got to stop beating yourself up."
"Shut up! You don't understand." she said, getting her emotions under control.
He stood up and turned to leave. "Then help me to." he said, defeated.
Anoreen turned to look at him, and they locked eyes for a moment, her sad, lonely eyes looking into his tired, weary one. Then he was gone, leaving Anoreen alone with her thoughts.
Anoreen's steps slowed. "Maybe he's right." she said to herself, "Maybe I should move on. It's not like I want to spend the rest of my life sulking around in this forest."