Sorry for the late update! I've been busy with adjusting to school life and the homework load, well technically, all the work I have to do, but I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and I just want you guys to know that chapter 7 is already in the works.
Please review, cause reviews are what make me a better writer and they are great sources of encouragement.
Chapter 6: Holding Out for A Hero
A hero is someone who stands by your side, who's always there for you and helps you get through those hardships, and my hero, was my brother.
He told me he'd be there for me forever; he promised that he'd never leave me behind. And most importantly, he promised that he'd protect me from the things that scared me the most.
As a child, my brother was always there for me to take the blows that I couldn't bare to handle and I admired him for it. For his courage, for his stubbornness to continue to protect those who were precious to him, and I always thought I wanted to be like him someday. That maybe one day, I could help him and repay him back for all the things he'd done for me.
He was the only person who understood who I was and who I wanted to be; he knew how much I wanted to break away from what was expected of me and form my own path of doing things. And that's what was different about Akio.
He never judged me; he always listened; and best of all, he accepted me for who I was, not the person that people were trying to make me become.
I hated him for that; I hated the fact that he cared so much for me and was always there for me. I detested how much he showed so much passion in protecting me and understanding me because he left me here, alone.
It wasn't supposed to end up like this; Akio was always supposed to be here, standing beside me and talking and ruffling my snow white hair as I annoyingly would try to shake him off.
I could never say I was disappointed in him; every moment he got, he only made me more proud as I watched him change and grow into a strong person.
The only thing I could say I was disappointed in was that he broke a promise; a vow that he'd be there for me when I needed him most.
The love from a brother can never be replaced, or from any sibling or family member for that matter. It's irreplaceable and no matter how much you try to search for that love again, you won't find it in anyone else.
And that's what hurt most, that there was no one in the world that could even come close to my brother or replace him in any respect. It hurt that he wasn't going to be there for me; it pained me to realize that he wouldn't be there to see me change and grow up into a mature person and see my progress. And as I now clutched onto the necklace around my neck that he had given to me, I knew that he wouldn't be there to correct me when I did wrong and to guide me to the direction I wanted to take.
When you lose someone that makes up most of your life, you feel broken, as if your heart broke into a million pieces and becomes too hard to repair. It's actually heartache that you feel inside your chest that keeps bubbling on the inside and building up, until you can't take it anymore, because the pain, more than anything, is what becomes unbearable.
No one really believes in bad luck, but when something like this happens, you start believing in it yourself. I never knew my life could change in just a few weeks and while it just started out with a simple arranged marriage to a loss of a family, I didn't know if I could take it anymore. Pain is too much to handle, especially pain that's dealt in loneliness.
No one likes or enjoys being alone and I never thought I'd be in this type of situation where I was alone; I felt lost, like some poor, abandoned puppy who had nowhere to go but to travel around the world alone.
I had become immune to my own tears and as I saw more and more still continue to fall from my eyes, I realized that I couldn't just move on. I was looking back every second I got as I moved further and further from my home.
Even after a few hours of traveling, I could still see the apparent grey smoke rise up from the treetops, upward towards the sky. The grey smoke reminded me too much of what had just happened and all I wanted was to find some comfort; I didn't need all of this and I never asked any of this to happen, but I didn't know what to do anymore.
I wasn't going to find the same people I had grown up with my whole life and while I continued walking through the forest, I felt helpless. I had no idea where I was headed off to and despite how I tended to let life lead me wherever it wanted to take me, I wasn't too sure about that anymore.
I felt lifeless now, as if I was a walking ghost just in human flesh and as my body instinctively lead my feet along the dirt path, I didn't care to observe my surroundings; all I was focused on was watching my feet slowly move my body forward and despite how dirty my appearance was, I didn't care anymore.
It was hopeless now; I knew I was already far away from home and the fact that I had no idea where I was headed too only made me feel worse in my own predicament.
But I tried to not let that get to me too much and as I stubbornly trudged on, I heard a rustle in the bushes and at that moment, I froze in fear.
It was the fear of death; more than anything, I didn't want to experience the same pain my family and village had gone through, and as I stood there as still as I could be, I waited patiently for what was going to happen.
I didn't know if I was ready to face on the enemy and as I calmed my mind down and waited for whatever was going to come out of the bushes, I tightly held onto my kunai knife in my left hand until I nearly saw my knuckles turn white.
The suspense was nearly killing me and as I almost lost it right there, I let out a sigh of relief as I saw a small, brown rabbit come out and hop past me.
Wiping sweat that had come from my brow and loosening my grip on my weapon, I calmly stood in my spot and silently laughed at my own fear of a small rabbit.
I guess luck was still on my side and as I continued to think of this incident over and over again, I think I was able to give myself a small smile and even laugh a little as I continued on.
But I guess just as good luck is given to you, it can also be taken away because a few moments later, I saw a huge shadow tower over me and before you knew it, I felt a harsh tap on my back and then, I felt my body slowly close down, not only from the journey I'd had, but also from a hit to my pressure point. And just like that, I felt my body slowly begin to fall, and I couldn't remember anything after that because I completely blacked out.
The next moment, I found myself slowly regaining consciousness; I didn't know how long I was out for, but as I felt my heavy eyes slowly open, I saw that the room I was in was barely lit. There was only a few candles lighting the whole area and as I suddenly regained my body's senses back, I felt a strange feeling of being suspended in the air.
As I turned my head to see what was the cause of my discomfort, I realized that I was being restrained by metal chains; my arms being held in place and as I felt my own body hover over the stone ground, I was beyond confused.
The last thing I remembered was that I was in the forest, and then it became all blank from there.
It took me a few moments to come to the conclusion that I had come to and as I silently panicked in my mind, I knew that I was headed for trouble. And as I pondered over what would happen to me, it only made me want to struggle against my restraints as I attempted to pull my arms and legs off the wall.
But no matter how much I tried, I just couldn't find enough strength to fight back; the energy I had used in my journey took a lot out of me and as I used the last of my strength to try to free myself, it was useless.
I ran out of energy, and that meant, that I was a prisoner.
I was now like a caged bird that would never see the light of day, and it was hopeless now.
I stopped my actions and was breathing heavily from exerting so much of my energy and as I just turned my gaze to the hard, stone floor, all I wanted was some answers.
I didn't understand how things could've been taken this far; I had no one to help me because I was alone.
Alone; in this desolate place and as my nose caught the stench of something metallic and horrible, I knew the scent was blood.
The smell only further reminded me of how much blood I had seen that day and as I quivered in fear from the small amount of blood near my feet, I was sure to back as far away as possible from it.
The smell almost caused me to puke and as I tried to hold everything in, my vision started to blur as I continued to have a hard time adapting to such a foul-smelling place.
The stench was truly unbearable, but as I tried to focus on other things on my mind, I tried to look for a way out.
There had to be some sort of escape or an exit and I was determined to find it. There was no way I was going to wait here for whoever was coming for me and as I quickly scanned the area with my green orbs, the only chance I had to escape was first getting my restraints off, and that wasn't happening anytime soon.
It could've been a few hours or maybe a few days, (I wasn't sure anymore), before I actually saw a human face. I continued to stay in my same position for a long time and as I began to feel the numbing pain hit all my limbs, my body limply stood in its place.
My head was still turned towards the ground and as I continued to stare at the many cracks and tiles of the stone floor, I was waiting for any small movements or voices to come into my cell.
I could've sworn I heard some footsteps nearby; they felt like the type of steps that a strong, authoritative person would take as I heard the footsteps silently echo against the walls, they suddenly stopped.
I had no realization that my breath was slowly hitching in pitch as I heavily inhaled and exhaled from my own anxiety; the truth was that I was scared. This person already terrified me and I haven't even met the person yet. But I could tell from the footsteps that this person was strong and possibly cruel or sinister.
And if I had to face this person alone, I wasn't too sure that I would live up to my own expectations.
More than anything I'd want to live up to my own expectations, but the fear that was spreading throughout my body was only causing me to almost start into a panic attack. I felt my heart pounding heavily inside my chest and as I took deep breaths to calm myself down, I managed to almost return back to normal.
Akio always told me to never show fear or weakness in times of dire situations because you can never let the enemy know your every emotions. But that was a shinobi's way of dealing with things. What happens if you've never even encountered something like this? What if you were just some common civilian that was just caught up in some bad luck?
I guess I was in that type of situation and as I waited for any sign of human existence, I heard a large door echo its sound throughout the hallway, before finally slamming back to its original place.
The echoes were loud and intimidating enough to make me instinctively shiver from the mere sight of what or who I was going to see. I had closed my orbs the second I heard the loud sound and as I slowly opened them, I couldn't make out the person standing before me.
I tried squinting my eyes to make out the appearance of the person before me more clearly and as I had a slight glance of the person's shadow, I could tell that the person's body was a built of a man. But before I could get a definite view of the person,I was blindfolded. The piece of cloth was rapidly pulled over my green orbs and as I became indifferent with my own circumstances, I quickly felt the person unlocking my chains.
As I felt my bare feet hit the hard, stone floor, my capturer roughly pushed me forward as he lead me towards who knows; as far as I was concerned, I didn't know where I was going, but I was at least glad that that foul stench was gone from my senses.
At first, my limbs had trouble cooperating with my movements as they stubbornly rejected even the smallest movements I made, but as the male behind me kept pushing me forward, my body was forced to move on its own accord despite its own scream of refusal.
I listened to the footsteps behind me as they continued to meet up with my own steps and as I heard him sighing behind me, I guess I was walking too slow for his liking as he quickly came up beside me, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me throughout the rest of the way.
We were making so many turns as we continued to walk that I began to feel slightly dizzy; it was as though my head was spinning on its own accord and as I felt myself slightly lose my own balance, I tried to pick myself up before I would fall to the ground.
I managed to hold all the contents in my stomach in, but the queasy feeling continued to stay with me as I felt my capturer harshly push me into a room and rapidly close the door.
I had fallen onto my knees from the forceful push and as I slowly used the palm of my hands to pull myself up, I tried wiping off the dirt that would've gotten onto my clothes, (not like it mattered, considering that I was already a total mess), and quickly I felt my blindfold slowly be lifted from my eyes.
As the piece of cloth was now gone from my sight, my sensitive, green eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness of the room along with the amount of color that was present in it. The cell that I had stayed in was a bland, dark gray color, while this room held more color with dark red, black, and splashes of light gray as well. My orbs had a hard time adjusting for a few seconds and as I felt the light enter through my eyes, I took the time to observe my surroundings and I saw that I was in some sort of office space.
There was a large wooden desk a few feet away from me and as I felt several pairs of eyes silently turn their attention towards me, I felt a bit self-conscious. There were several large and scary-looking men that were in the room and as I scanned over everyone standing in front of me, my eyes came to focus on the man sitting in a chair behind the desk.
He was wearing some sort of grin on his face and as he propped his elbows up on his desk, I felt his eyes turn towards me as well. His dark hair was slicked back with tons of hair gel and no strand was out of place. He was also wearing a black suit and a tie and from his appearance, I'd conclude that he was a businessman of some sort. But considering that I was surrounded by thugs, I don't think he was the 'good' type of businessman.
Behind his suit, glasses, and professional appearance, something about the man was off to me; just the mere smirk and gaze that he held on me gave me the idea that he was a cruel person.
His appearance made my skin crawl from fear and as I tried to hide any type of weakness from showing on my face, I turned towards him and waited for any explanation that was going to come.
"It's nice of you to join us, Miss Tsutano." My eyes widened in shock as the man addressed me by my name and as I looked at him with a frightened gaze, I was quick to swallow and lick my dry lips before responding back.
"What do you want from me? I don't think there'd be any reason else why I'd be restrained by chains and kept in a cell."
"As impatient as ever, aren't you? Very well then, everything will become clear within time, Miss Tsutano…I've forgotten my manners actually, my name is Noroshi Ronin."
At the mention of that name, my eyes widened a second time as I began to shiver and realize that the man sitting before me was probably one of the most notorious businessman in the world. Even coming from a small town, I heard his name once before; he was most well known for taking over small towns and exploiting their own resources along with making slaves out of the people he controlled. He was called the demon in sheep's clothing because of his cruelty and while standing before him right now, I could tell behind his nice façade held a demeanor that could rival any demon.
Back at my old village, his name caused fear whenever it was mentioned because despite how we had a small group of shinobi, there was always that slight chance or possibility that he could take over our own town; but I didn't need to worry about that anymore because my home was gone, but for the moment, I was worried for my own well-being.
I couldn't lie to myself; I was afraid of death just like most people, but more than anything, I was scared of suffering. I didn't want to go through anymore hardships and just looking at the hidden cruelty behind his black orbs made me quiver on the inside.
One of the most powerful men was sitting before me and as I attempted to hold my head up high, I waited for anything he had left to say
"I suppose you're wondering why you're here, am I right?" he asked as I watched him slowly get out of his chair and stand before me.
I could see that he was about a few inches taller than me, so his size didn't really intimidate me, but because he was surrounded by such strong-looking men was what scared me more. But despite his height, I knew he held a lot of power; I knew that he controlled some large corporations and probably worked underground in the black market. From the amount of expensive things in his room and his appearance, he definitely had to have gotten his money from somewhere.
As I pondered all this new information in my mind, I slowly nodded my head at his question and as I watched him pace back and forth, he stopped before me and took a short pause before answering.
"I'd imagined now that you've known the outcome of your village; it was quite sad actually. I gave your father a choice to either give me the location of the Hero's Water or face the consequences and because he refused, you probably know how that story ends. I did warn him though, but I guess his stubbornness turned out to be his downfall." He said as he let out a chuckle.
It took every will of my being not to attack the man in front of me as he continued to smirk and wait for any reaction from me, but I wasn't willing to give him any sign of satisfaction. My nails were digging deeply into my palms and as my knuckles began to turn white from the amount of pressure I was applying to them, that was my only response. Despite how he was bad-mouthing my father's own choices, I couldn't let my anger take over me, so I continued to remain silent.
"So now, I turn to you to redeem your own father's decision; where's the Hero's Water?" he asked as he returned back to his seat and looked at me, waiting for an answer.
My throat dried up at that moment, and as I had trouble trying to form any words or even a sentence in my head, I remained silent; I truly didn't know where the Hero's Water was and as I stood before the man who was responsible for everything bad that had just happened to me, for my father's sake, even if I knew anything about it, I wouldn't say a word. The only thing I was sure about the Hero's Water was that it gives an enormous amount of power to whomever drinks it, for a price by lowering that person's life span, but other than that, I wasn't that well-informed.
"I-I don't know where it is." I replied.
Sighing at my response and pacing around the room as he held the bridge of his nose, Ronin was quick to stop before me once again and reply back with, "You're testing my patience, Hikari; all I need is to know where it is, and you can be free to go. Don't make the same mistakes as your father."
At that moment, his glare only intensified. I knew it was a warning and I could already tell that he was an impatient man from the start. From his posture and actions you could already tell that he wasn't the type of man who liked to wait. And I guess it was just more of my bad luck that I was stuck in this type of situation.
Taking a short pause and strengthening my own tone, I responded with, "I'm telling you, I don't know. If you wanted someone to tell you, I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong person."
"Why must you be so stubborn like your father? Why put yourself in such a difficult position even after your father and family are now gone?" he asked as he slammed one of his fists against his desk and continued to watch me carefully, waiting for my answer.
I only continued to hold my head up higher and said, "Because, I'm willing to hold up my father's choices up until the end; he may have made a couple of mistakes, but if he was smart enough to keep this secret from you, then so be it."
"I'm giving you a choice, Hikari; you will find that I can be a very humane person, but once my patience is lost, I'll resort to other ways to get the information I need to get out of you." He warned as he returned back to his seat and snapped his fingers.
From his threat, I turned to look towards the men that now stood beside either side of his desk; the first sight of them, I noticed their weapons, their sharp swords and I could tell that they weren't ordinary bodyguards. Their quick movements were what alerted me of this; I was certain that they were shinobi from their very posture and their speed. No ordinary person moves that fast, at least not one that I knew of.
The men that were now standing in front of me were more intimidating than their boss; their was no doubt about it that they were strong. I could tell from their chakra signatures that they had more than the average amount of chakra stored in their systems and that meant they'd ideally be strong. Along with that, if they were hired for this type of job, they had to have some great credentials to be responsible for this profession.
"Now, I'll ask you again, Hikari, where is it?"
His voice brought me out of my thoughts and as I noticed that it portrayed his own hidden frustration, I could tell that if I didn't give him the answer that he desired, I was going to be headed for trouble. But with either circumstance, I didn't have the answer, so there'd be no possibility for me to tell him the right answer.
"I-I don't know." I stated as I stood there, completely still.
"That's the wrong answer." He said as he narrowed his black orbs at me and snapped his fingers once more.
Before I knew it, I felt my body quickly hit the opposing wall as a punch had met my gut. As my back crashed into the solid backing, I was quick to clutch my stomach as I violently started coughing up some blood.
I had managed to fall to my knees and as I had trouble getting back up and breathing regularly, I felt another punch hit me as it connected with my jaw.
I had no time to recover from the previous hit and now that I had another one to deal with, I felt pain spread throughout my body. My stomach and jaw were throbbing from pain and as I felt someone grab me by my collar, I struggled in their grasp.
As I slowly opened my orbs, I saw one of the shinobi hold me up in the air and as I met up with his brown orbs, I saw Ronin come beside him as he asked me his question again.
"You should be ready to tell me now; now Hikari, where is the Hero's Water?"
Twitching one of my orbs as I felt the pain pass through my body again, I nodded my head no as a response to his question. As far as I was concerned, I didn't have anything else to lose because I had lost everything to this man already. And if I was going to stay here, I wasn't going down without a fight.
"Very well then, it's only going to get worse from here, Hikari." I heard him say as he nodded towards the man who was holding me up and as I watched him snap his fingers again, I felt my body be thrown harshly across the room.
My body hit the floor loudly and as I felt a slight crack, I knew one of my ribs was broken. The harsh impact I took was pretty ground-breaking and as I lay there, waiting for whatever else he had planned for me, I heard him turn towards both his shinobi as he gave them some orders.
"Do whatever you have to do to get the information out of her." He had said as I heard the door softly close, leaving me alone with the two shinobi.
I couldn't tell you what happened to me because frankly it would either be too gruesome to tell or it could be because I could hardly remember how many beatings I had to take before they stopped.
But as far as I was concerned, they weren't through with me yet and as I now lay on the wooden floor once more, I took notice that my torturers had left a few moments ago.
Relief would be an understatement of how I felt when I heard them leave and despite how I had gained new wounds and bruises on my body; I knew that this was just the beginning.
Ronin had returned back to his office after his shinobi left me, and as I still was lying on the ground, that man had entered through the door and acted as if nothing happened.
I could barely lift myself up and as I tried to see who else had entered with him, I just allowed my body to fall to the floor once again, just allowing my ears to listen to the conversation.
"Deidara, take her back to her cell." I heard Ronin order as he returned back to his work.
So they were done with me for the day, but despite how my torture session felt endless, I was satisfied with myself in a way; I didn't know how long I had been tortured for, but the many injuries that I had sustained and the bruises that now covered my ivory skin was further evidence that I was tortured for a long time.
From where I was, I couldn't tell who he was talking to. My vision was nearly blurring from blood loss and as I turned to see who he was gesturing too, I saw the familiar pattern of red clouds, and at that moment, my eyes widened in shock.
As my eyes traced the cloak's pattern, my gaze slowly came upon the wearer and at that instant, I thought I was seeing things.
The person that stood before me was surely the same man who had stayed at my home for two weeks; I would recognize that blonde hair and blue eye anywhere, and at that moment, my jaw dropped.
I was stuck in a daze as I silently watched the blonde nod and take me by the elbow as he led me out of the room. Our journey back to my cell was quiet because frankly, I didn't know what or how to feel towards this man.
Surely he wasn't working with them because he definitely didn't fit in with the physique of the other men, nor did he dress the same as them. But no matter what, I couldn't help but feel mad at the blonde man before me.
He didn't just lie about who he was, but as I connected the puzzle pieces together, everything made sense now; he was there two weeks prior to my town's massacre and that couldn't have been a coincidence.
Finally, it clicked in my head; he was the one behind my family's death and that's what angered me the most; not the fact that he lied, but because he was fooling everyone the whole entire time.
As this Deidara person continued to lead me down several hallways, I began to just glare at his blonde head and in my mind I just hoped he would die a horrible death or become bald for all I cared, because frankly, he didn't deserve my respect.
I knew that it was a bit childish to think that my own harsh glare would somehow get rid of him or cause his own death, but in my own moment of frustration and anger, I was just a bit stubborn and remained stuck in my childish ways.
He had suddenly stopped before a large door and as I continued on my way and managed to bump into him, my glare only intensified despite it being my own fault that I had bumped into him.
His back was still facing mine and as we both stood before the large, wooden door for quite some time, the dead silence of the hallway only made the situation more awkward.
I didn't understand why we were standing in the hall for such a long time and for a moment, the silence was getting to me; I could only stay quiet for a short amount of time and as we both stood there, I just decided to confront him.
"You're a liar. You lied about yourself." I had whispered.
I saw the blonde's blue eye widen at my statement and as he slightly turned around and looked over his shoulder, he gave me a smirk and shrugged his shoulders as he said, "I may be one, but it was all for a purpose un."
His statement only further angered me and as I rapidly pulled my elbow away from his grasp, I said "A-a job? A job to kill my whole family for what? You killed everyone and yet you stand before me as though you have no heart! What kind of person are you?"
"A criminal; you should get used to it, kiddo, un. Death happens all the time, it's nothing different." He responded back as he slowly turned his back towards me again and began to unlock the door before us.
But I wasn't going to let him get the last word in as I quickly grabbed the back of his cloak and held it in place, I wanted to make sure that I'd catch his attention and as I saw one of his blue orbs turn towards me, I quickly exclaimed, "I am not a child! I trusted you! I can't believe you out of all people! My own father let you and your partner into our home and that's the way you thank him? Killing everyone and not even feeling ashamed about it!"
"What's done is done, un. You can't change it. Besides you should be more worried about yourself, un." The blonde had said as he rapidly pushed me back into my cell and locked me up again.
I was surprised with his response, at how it lacked any sympathy for my situation and as I got back onto my feet and rapidly came to the bars of my cell, I watched the shadow of his figure disappear from my view and I realized that I was alone again.
I hadn't realized how much energy my yelling had taken out of me and the loss of blood wasn't helping with keeping me conscious, so as I now was leaning against the stone wall, I realized that Deidara hadn't locked me up back into my chains. It was probably because I was too weak in my current state to try to escape and as I continued to stay in my current spot, I tried to calm my own mind. But the only thoughts that came to were the thoughts of what was going to come next.
I was safe from Ronin's wrath for now, but for how long?
I knew he'd continue to ask me the same question over and over again, and if I stayed here, I'd be tortured for as long as I lived, and there was no way in hell that I was going to go down that road, so the only solution would be escape.
A few days later:
I had woken up, still severely bruised and sore, and as I adjusted my sitting position as to not put too much pressure on my broken rib, I had woken up to the same cage, like everyday.
The bars and floor were still the same, but as I saw some cracks in the walls, I noticed that some light was entering in through them. It was nice to see the place a little more bright than usual and as my green orbs adjusted to the new lighting, I tried to take my mind off from the pain.
It took a lot from me not to cry from the pain I had received yesterday and as I tried to move as little as possible to alleviate the pain, it was futile; even the small breathes I was taking was enough to make me tear up a bit and as I felt my stomach grumble, that was just another problem I had to add onto my list.
Looking around my cell, I wasn't going to find much nor was I going to find any food around here either.
I had been beaten senseless for about four days now and as I continued to feel the effects of each beating as I found new bruises and injuries on my body, things weren't looking too well for me.
The amount of blood I was losing on account of all the beatings wasn't doing wonders for my health and as I just sat there thinking of my future, it didn't look that great to me. The most likely scenario for me would be dying on the very spot I was sitting on now and as I continued to ponder these thoughts through my own mind, I heard an explosion not too far from where I was.
It was a loud noise and I could've sworn I heard several more footsteps enter into the building.
In an instant, something clicked in my mind; if there was this many people inside, then with the explosions, there had to be an invasion of some sort; that was the conclusion I drew from the situation and as I heard more small explosions bet set off, I heard a wall rapidly crumble into a thousand pieces.
The whole building was shaking and as I felt it continue to move, if that one wall was the main wall of the structure, then there was chance that the whole place would fall down.
I didn't know where I found the strength to stand up, but once the idea of escape came into my mind, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to take it; with all the confusion and distractions, this was my chance to get out of here.
At first as I pulled myself up and got onto my feet, I was still getting used to the feeling of walking (considering how long I was locked up for), and the whole shaking of the building wasn't helping my situation either. But as soon as I managed to stable myself, I felt the ceiling of my cell slowly break down.
There was tons of dust falling from above and as I tried my best to cover my nose and mouth from the amount of dust, I had trouble as I started to cough.
I was making my way towards the door to my cell and as I continued to cough, I knew that I had to get out of there quickly. If this invasion was real, they I'd have to hope that these people were skilled at what they do. If I was lucky, this situation would last long enough or longer for my own benefit.
I made finally made it to the door, but once I tried to pull on the bars, I had completely forgotten that it was locked.
This was just another roadblock in my situation and as I tried to look around for anything that could help me, I almost gave up until another idea clicked into my mind.
I wasn't sure that this would work, but in a situation like this, I was willing to try anything, so despite all the doubt I had held in my mind, I quickly took out a bobby pin from my hair and tried unlocking the lock with it.
Of course I had no idea what I was doing, but as I heard a soft click, I immediately stopped my actions and tried pulling at the door again.
I was holding my breath and as I felt the door move from the amount of force I put in, I was nearly ecstatic as the door opened and allowed me out of my cell; I was about to jump up and down over joy, but once I realized how much it hurt to even walk, I decided against it.
In the situation I was in right now, I'd rather save all the celebrating once I was out of this hellhole and as I quickly made my way through a hall, I tried my best to not let my numerous injuries slow me down.
Every now and then I needed to take some sort of break and catch my breath; the amount of pressure I was putting on my body wasn't suiting well, especially for my cracked rib and as I took another break, I stopped in my tracks and clutched onto my side.
I've never felt this much pain before and as the intensity only increased each time I tried to move or breath, I didn't want this one chance of escape to run away from me. This small obstacle in front of me wasn't going to hold me back, and I just told my body to continue on, despite the pain because freedom is worth. It's worth every shot you've got, and I learned that when I was stuck in my cell.
If you're caged in, it'll only make want to fight against everything and find a way out; that was what my situation was like. I didn't want to be stuck anymore, and maybe it was a sign that I couldn't, nor shouldn't be stuck in the past.
I had to admit, I cried so much that I didn't know if my eyes could ever produce tears again and I was still stuck to my past. I realized that and as I stopped in my own tracks, just before the exit of the building, I knew that a part of me had to let go.
I'd already gone through too much, but I wasn't sure if a part of me wanted to let go of something like this; it pained me to even think about it again, and I couldn't help but let more tears fall.
Everything that was happening around me didn't matter anymore because once I get out of here, I won't have anywhere else to turn to; I wouldn't have a home to go to, or people to come home to. And that thought was what haunted me the most.
For as long as I stood there, I thought over everything, from the time this first began and how it would end in both scenarios; something was holding me back, from just running out of here, and I think I figured out what it was.
It was because I was afraid of being alone; I've always have since the time I was a child. And maybe that's why I found comfort in being with the ones I loved because they kept me from being isolated.
That was what was keeping me from moving my feet and getting out of here and I just needed a small push to get my head out of the gutter.
I tightly held onto the very necklace on my neck, and as I looked down at the blue crystal, dangling from the silver chain, the thought of Akio came into my mind.
I knew for certain he'd want me to live on and let go so that I'd find closure and be happy. And maybe for once, I needed to listen to him and find my own way out, and that's exactly what I was planning to do.
As I felt another rush of determination glide through me, I wasn't afraid anymore to take that final step outside, and for once I was glad I did pushed past my own fears because that feeling of sunshine on yourself and the fresh breeze, was all worth it.
I felt my own bare feet hit the hard, dirt ground and all I wanted to do was continue to run and not look back. My heart was pounding and as I felt myself breath heavily in and out, I wasn't even going to slow down my pace.
I was stumbling a bit as I was running and I guess that happens because I hadn't run or walked for at least a few weeks; after being chained up against a wall and not being able to see the light a day for awhile really got to you, and as I managed to catch myself each time I almost fell, it felt nice and comforting to have the sunlight hit your skin.
The feeling of being free and outdoors was something I always took for granted and now that I was running for my life, I definitely was never going to take this for granted. We all don't realize how many things go unnoticed and unappreciated and we just need to take the time to realize what we really have in life. I guess if that whole experience being locked up in an underground prison taught me something, it was freedom is probably the most worthwhile thing you can find; you can gain all the materialistic possessions that you want in your life, but without freedom, what can you do?
Nothing because as a caged bird, you can't find happiness; you find that those bars that hold you back truly do restrain you and even though you continue to fight back to be liberated, you won't win. The only way you can be truly free is realizing that despite everything that has happened to you, you've managed to make it all the way to the end and maybe I was finally finding my ending.
I heard rustling throughout the forest and as I picked up some strong chakra signatures headed towards me, I knew I would be dead if I was caught; I could feel them speeding up and as if I had enough energy to increase my speed, it was as though I was easily gliding through the forest.
The many branches and leaves were quickly falling into my hair and causing small scratches on my skin, but as I took another quick turn around a bush, I felt my kimono catch onto a branch.
Not even realizing it until it was too late, I felt myself slowly fall down as I face planted my face onto the dirt ground; my kimono had snagged onto the wooden branch and despite its beauty and the expensive silk that it was made out of, I quickly ripped the piece of fabric away. It didn't matter to me what happened to this kimono because all I wanted to do was to get as far away from those people as possible. I needed to find help and as quickly as possible before they'd catch up.
Now I truly did know what fear was; it's that feeling you have when your life is in danger, where you really are panicking and you can't seem to find a time to calm down and think clearly. All you have is that fear that runs through your mind constantly, at a fast rate, and it consumes you. There's no question about it that it eats you up inside until you fall to it completely, and then that's where you lose hope.
But I didn't want to end up in that forsaken alley; I didn't plan to either and as I started up my own running pace again, my feet became numb again; it seemed like my body had become numb and indifferent about everything that was going on and as I ran as fast as possible as I heard more rustling around me, my heart skipped a beat.
I felt like I was some prey being hunted down by a hunter and as I continued to be at a disadvantage as I drove myself further and further into the lush, green forest, I hoped that this would end in my favor.
My hair was tangled in my face and as I tried to brush the few strands away from my vision, I hastily made my way through the forest as I jumped over a small bush; just skidding past a small flowing river, I heard the splashing noise behind me as I quickly made my way out of the water and continued running.
A few hours later:
I knew I told myself that I wasn't going to look back, but just the mere thought that the rustling and their movements had stopped caused me to become curious. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them as I felt their chakra signatures slowly become faint and as I slowed down my pace, my heart was still pounding within my chest.
Looking back just to see if they had caught up or were just hiding somewhere in the bushes, my green orbs scanned the area behind me and found no presences nearby. And just when I thought the coast was clear, I quickly turned my gaze back forward and as I started up with a somewhat fast pace, I nearly stumbled into something solid.
My body slowly fell to the ground and despite how I tried to catch myself before I'd fall on my bottom, all those attempts had nearly failed as I was now sitting down on the dirt floor and looking up at what or who I had bumped into.
At first my eyes couldn't make out what I had crashed into, but as the sun slowly disappeared from my vision, my green orbs widened in shock as I saw who was now standing before me. And for a moment, I thought it was just impossible.
"Hikari?"
Sometimes life gives you curveballs that you don't expect and despite how hard you try to avoid those obstacles, they always seem to catch up to you and whether you have bad luck or good luck, you're bound to get both.
Or maybe, just maybe, someone out there in the world just hated me and wanted me to suffer.
I hope you guys liked the chapter and loved or or hated it, please review!
I'm sorry that it was such a late update, but as for right now, I'm just going to say updates may be slow, but please be patient with me and I'll make sure you don't regret it. I hope all of you guys continue to read this story.
The reason being why this chapter was late was because I didn't want to make Hikari seem too sad or depressed over what happened, and I'm hoping that I managed to find a balance in between. So I hope I was able to do that.
Other than that, let's make these reviews a little fun and in your review (after your comments and such), tell me who you think Hikari bumped into?
Please remember to review and until next time!
-Katara