"Where do you think they are?" Asked the brown haired man, letting his eyes graze the land just before Konoha's gate. His best friend shuffled his feet running a hand through his dark blue hair then placing his hands into his pockets before answering,
"I don't know. Im sure their fine though."
"I should go look for them." With that the concerned brunette made his way out of the village only for his wrist to be grasped tightly, pulling him back.
"Im sure they just fell asleep, don't sweat it Izumo." His friend exclaimed, Izumo turned his head to face his friend in shock slowly turning to anger. With one swift movement Izumo yanking his wrist free of the tight hand, slowly moved his feet backward.
"Dont sweat it? They've been gone for a day Kotetsu!" He yelled angrily to his blue haired friend, "I must find them; I can't just sit here and expect them to come back when a day has passed. I know Mei wouldn't let that happen." Slowly thoughts of his younger sister flooded his mind. How when she smiled her black stud snakebites would frame with her skin. When she laughed, her pale hand would cover her mouth, her nose would scrunch and her bridge peircings would hide themselves behind her blindfold that folded as her cheeks filled with a smile. Or when she would walk in sunlight, her skin blended with her sliver layered hair, letting gleams fall down upon each strand.
"Yes, but we are not assigned to leave the village. You can lose your job if you do that." His friend explained, knocking him from his happy memories, planting him back into the hard situation.
"Im not going to allow myself to lose my sister. Not going to just sit here while she is facing who-knows-what. We were just re-united 5 years ago and I cannot bare myself to live if I let something happen to her so easily." As the strong words left his mouth, the memory of his first encounter with the young silver haired girl washed into his head…
Flashback
I paced myself down the dirt road, taking long slow strides, dreading the fact I was only heading to work. The sun shone down on Konoha, letting it be a perfect day for grocery shopping, kids to play, and chores of men to slowly get finished. I sighed, knowing work was just around the corner. Taking one long step I purposely rounded down a wrong street but knowing a way around without turning back. A very common street, holding parks, homes and the local school. Slowly passing it I noticed the kids outside, a young blonde fuzzy headed boy waved to me with a huge smile planted over his face. Im pretty sure that's the one they call Naruto. Without a thought I waved to the young boy, earning his grin to widen but slowly whipe away as a young pink haired girl ran over and hit him over the head. He yelled and began chasing her, earning annoyed glares from other kids. It soon stopped as she ran up to another boy, one with blue spiked hair, crossed arms and eyes closed resting agaisnt the building. She and a few other girls fawned over him but only pouted as he sighed and walked away.
I smiled noticing my copyment in his movements as I sighed and walked away from the noisy school. I began to feel hot as the temperature slowly increased upon the bustling town. Slowly but surely I made my way to work, dreading each foot I made to it. Faintly I heard a slight hum, its slow constant tune changed suddenly into a more rythmic patten. What was it? I looked around to see nothing. Until a constant tapping was heard, the dirt slowly shuffling with it. I turned around to see a young girl, her black hair slightly showed sun bleached blonde atop. Her eyes closed and a large grin over her face as the humming of her song continued. Her small red dress slightly blew in the breeze she crossed, her hands flung back and forth, matching her large strides. I stopped, I couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't in school. Suddenly she stopped, she was a few feet away from me. Opening her eyes she turned her head to me and smiled.
"Hi!" Her high cheerful voice yelled out happily as she turned to me "Are you lost?" She asked, her grin never stopping.
"What? No. Hello. Arent you supposed to be in school?" I asked, she had caught me off guard with her quick question. Her sudden forwardness struck me.
"Oh, I don't usually see you come down this way." She smiled, her blue eyes twinkled as my question was never answered.
"I don't normally use this road…" My voice drifted away, her smiled never ended, giving me a creeped feeling.
"Oh, well my name is Michiko, when ever you come this way you will most likely see me." Her small tan hand extended forward. I smiled and shook it, my hand nearly twice as big.
"And my name is Izumo. So why arent you in school?" I asked, hoping my question will be answered this time.
"Oh, I can only see MeiMei during school time, but don't worry Mister because I only see her for half of the day. Then I go to school." She whipped her hand up and down in reasoning, trying to reasure my concern.
"Im sure teachers at school notice your absence."
"Yeah, but I give a good reason."
"Which is?"
" My sister is in the hospital and I can only visit her in morning hours." Her smile dropped into a slight pout, her eyes showed sadness as the words left her mouth. She fiddled with her thumbs and her head dropped low in greif.
"Im sorry…" I felt horrible for the young girl, she looked so young, maybe 9 or so.
"What? Oh, no that is my excuse. She's not really in the hospital, but with no excuse I would get in trouble at school and my mom would find out about my friend and disapprove putting friends before school." She laughed at my confusion, but turned back to a serious face as the talk of her friend came.
"And who is th- Michiko you know you shouldn't talk to strangers…" A soft stern voice sounded just ahead of us. I turned my head to see a girl not too far away. Her arms were crossed in annoyance. Over her eyes…a blindfold? The young girl advanced towards us. Her pale skin contrasted the warm climate, as her light brown short hair swept in a small breeze flowing past us. I couldn't understand why her blindfold was on, why she even had one, how she could see?
"MeiMei!" Yelled the young Michiko who happily hugged her quiet friend. "Im so happy you are here! I was just talking about you!" She yelled, the tan girl's arms were wrapped around her friends neck as she scooted to the side, abling me to feel the blindfolded girl's glare.
"Who is this man?" she asked, her face never turning from me. Michiko released her grip from the girls next as she reassured her friend on my prescence.
"Oh, that's Izumo, I just met him." I could sense the aggravation on the girl 'MeiMei's' nerves. She slowly turned to her friend. "Ok, before you say anything. Yes, I know not to talk to strangers AND not to befriend random men walking down the streets, but he seemed lost and was wandering why I wasn't in school so I told him why. I mean it was a good reason, right?" She said hastily, trying to calm her concerned friend. MeiMei sighed a deep quick sigh,
"Either way you should have just kept walking."
"He had a question, MeiMei!" The young girl pleaded,
"If an old creepy man had a lollipop and asked if you wanted to taste it, would you?" The young blinded one folded her arms as the quick question left her mouth. Michiko looked up and put a finger to her chin then once more looked at her friend,
"No."
"Good. And Michiko please call me Mei not MeiMei."
"YAY!...awww….." The black haired Michiko hopped in circles around her friend, swinging her hands up and down in her cheerful pattern but they dropped when she realized Mei's request. Mei swiftly put her foot out, letting Michiko fall over, sending her face into the dirt and all her cheerfullness with her.
"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" I asked, the words not even having a chance to process before they left my agaped mouth. She shifted her head to where her face looked towards me.
"No. Don't you think talking to a 9 year old girl you don't know about her education is a bit weird…?"
"Um, uh yeah I guess…" My hand whiped the back of my neck in awkwardness. I didn't know what to do, how could a girl of her age be so intimidating, especially to me?
"Exactly." With that she began to walk away, leaving her friends dirty body where it lay. As soon as the girl began to walk further and further into the distance, Michiko popped up almost as if she sensed her friends distance.
"Wait MeiMei? Where are you going?"
"The orphanage." With that her friend was gone from sight as she turned into a medium sized building, almost run down. Its red roof dimmed and the color worn away from numorous things. The two story building looked unstable, sort of leaned, some wooded boards that made it up, began to un-nail and lean off the building. Was that the orphanage?
"What did she mean orphanage?" I asked as I leaned down, lending my hand to the young girl still on the ground. She looked to me and smiled as she took my hand. Pulling her up she began to dust herself off.
"Oh well, I really don't know when she first came here, she just told me she lives at the orphanage because she was abandoned there…but when I met her she was already there, and we met about 4 years ago so I think she has been there since a baby." She explained there was a slight gloomy sense in her voice. The words on this 'Mei' how she was abandoned, how she had no one for her growing up, reminds me of my own past.
My parents not wanting me from the very beginning of my life, not desiring to have a child they left me with my grandmother. She took me in right away and cared for me growing up, the mother I never had. She would read to me when I couldn't sleep, she would bake all day, asking me to try her new cakes or pies, she would help me with a problem I couldn't handle by myself. She loved me and I loved her. My mother and father would often come to visit when she grew ill when I was 9. Everytime they visited I noticed my mothers stomach grew bigger and bigger, I merely thought she was letting herself go. They, my mother and father, would try to help my grandmother who was put on bedrest for the remaining of her life on how gravely sick she was. However they often would not help her much for my mother and grandmother would argue and yell at each other, I sometimes heard my name and often talk of 'her' and 'take care of it' but I didn't know too much and tried to ignore their arguments. They often got so bad my father would take my mother and leave without a word and my grandmother would cry and tell me she was so sorry, I would try to tell her it was okay but she would say "you just don't understand, but you will"…when I was 10 she died and I was left to fend for myself in her own home but she taught me well and without her I don't know where I'd be…
"Mister?" I felt a slight tug, and looked down to see the young Michiko grasping my navy sleeve, her blue eyes staring up at me with slight concern.
"Yes?" Her words unexpectidely woke me from my deep thought, as light shone into her eyes.
"Are you alright? You seemed in thought?" She asked as she let me sleeve go and stepped back some. For such a hyper-active girl she knew what to do, and what was going on.
"Oh, yes I'm fine. Well I must get to work, the Hokage will not be pleased with my tardiness." As the word Hokage left my mouth, Michiko's eyes widened and her mouth went agape.
"You work with the Hokage? You are so lucky!" She jumped up and down happily as a smile crossed my face.
"Yeah, I guess so"
"What do you do?"
"Um, I do the Hokage's errands and do what he asks me to do, its not too special…"
"Not too special? How can you say that, the Hokage takes care of us and protects us the best he is wonderful, you should feel honored to be working so close to him and helping him even if it may not be too great at times!" She pointed an angry finger to me, showing me how wrong I was but how great she felt and how inspired she felt to the Hokage. I smiled at her and nodded
"Your right. Im sorry, I didn't mean to affend you." She smiled happily
"Its alright. But mister, can you promise me something?" Why would she want me to promise her something when we have only just met? However I was glad to see her happy, and know how she could trust me so easily.
"Sure."
"Ok, everyday, or when you can. Can you find me on your way to work and tell me what you did on the previous day?" She asked, placing her hands together in a fold. She wants me to tell her what I do for the Hokage…everyday?
"You mean tell you my missions everyday?"
"Yes, so everyday is a new mission for it happened the day before, because I cant be here in the afternoon." I got what she was saying, and nodded.
"Alright well I must be off." She nodded and I began to make my way around her but to be stopped by a small pair of arms around me.
"Goodbye Izumo." She released me and ran to the orphanage waving to me. I watched her and soon noticed a familiar intimiadating girl, sitting on a second story window sill. She was resting her head against one side of it as her elbow rested on her knee and her other leg just drifting down off the window. Her face first up towards the sun, came down to look to me. Her face never changed, her body didn't move, but I felt her stare behind the blindfold, it wasn't like the earlier glare it was more of a comfortable look. I waved up to her, she only raised her head up and climbed back into the run down orphanage she was so used to…
Flashback End
"Izumo? Hey Izumo?" the dark haired man placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, slightly shaking the brown haired man. Izumo pulled his head from the deep thought,
"I'm going after them." He spoke as he remembered the previous conversation. Kotetsu sighed a deep quick sigh.
"Okay but I'm going with you."
"No, you should stay here; I rely on you if something happens to me. We need you here to cover for me and for back up." He sighed once more
"Alright."
"If im not back in 2 days, then I need help…" Kotetsu nodded to his friend. Izumo turned and began off on his way to find the 3 missing girls, the wind swept passed him as his pace went faster into a sprint. The world blurred around him as he went faster and faster, focusing on finding his sister and her 3 friends. Slowly he blocked the world around him away just thinking of his goal but allowing the memory of finding Mei as his sibling to flood over his mind.
Flashback
Heading down the now familiar street, I headed to the orphanage that I was so used to by now. I have been going and telling Michiko all about me and often Mei would make her way over to us. She would stand there and listen and then walk away when I was done. However I feel that I have grown closer to her, she has opened up to me and often tells me of how she is or of her past when we are alone. She trusts me more just as Michiko did the first day we met. Her and I have grown closer than Michiko and I actually. We have so much in common.
I neared the orphanage, the old door was gone and replace by a large scarlet piece of cloth. I pushed it aside as I stepped into the building. It was silent. Suddenly a stampede of kids ran down the dark stairs, trampling over one another and all flowing into the nearby dining room. The old dark floor boards matched the dark large table covering most of the room. Around it small mats were place and almost everyone was soon filled with the many orphaned children, waiting for food. Out of a nearby door came a nice middle aged woma, the keeper of the orphanage. Miss Saketo. She was holding a large tray of many different bowls, containing soup. She nearly toppled over from it, however I managed to keep it balanced, hoping no soup wouuld spill.
"Why thank you, Izumo." Her old voice sounded when I managed to level the tray. She began to pass out the many bowls, regaining her balance upon the tray.
"No problem, I just merely helped." I looked around at the many kids who hungrily ate their soups. Talking and conversating with one another. However one seat was missing, and all around the table Mei was not around. "Where is Mei?" Miss Saketo looked up, worry and sadness plastered all over her face.
"She wont talk to anyone, she wont come down from her room." She explained sadly. Mei has always been quiet and dark but rarely would she be like this. I nodded and made my way up the unstable stairs to the room all the girls in the house shared. I placed my hand on the cold metal knob and opened the door. The room filled with a couple bunk beds, one or two dressers and an open window which released cold air from the winter season. Seated over the dark wooded window sill was Mei in her normal position. Head against the frame, one leg up with her elbow resting up on its knee and the other drifting out the window. She turned her head to me, like usual no expression was over her face but after so she just turned her head back out to face the world around.
"Mei, don't leave the window open, you could catch a cold." As I said this I walked over to the window, trying to shoo Mei away to shut it however she wouldn't move. I didn't notice but Michiko sat at a nearby bunk bed. Her face buried into her hands.
"Michiko?" I asked. She looked up but didn't take her head from her hands, making her face drag from the previous spot they rested from.
"She wont talk. I tried so much and I have to leave soon." Her normal happy voice was a bit bland now. "Im sorry MeiMei I have to go. I will see you tomarrow." Mei only nodded and with a sigh Michiko left the room.
"Whats wrong?" I asked walking over to Mei leaning against the window sill, just right next to where she rested. She didn't answer me just kept her blindfolded stare out the window. "Mei." She turned her head, knowing where I was going with this so she kept her face to me. She sighed and faced once more to the window.
"Mei come on, nothing will get better if you don't tell someone how you feel." With a flash her face faced me once more.
"Have you noticed less children here?" She spoke, her voice quiet and smooth as the words left her mouth. I nodded.
"So many children are getting adopted, finding new homes. Everyone is slowly leaving. Im the only one who doesn't have someone here. Everyone down stairs they have each other and care of each other like a family but I always leave myself out."
"Why would you leave yourself out?"
"Because if one gets adopted its just another hole in my heart." She sighed "Today is my birthday. The day before was abandoned here by my so called parents. I have never, not once seen them or even know their names. They left me here, all miss Saketo says to me about them is that they walked up to the orphanage and placed me in her arms with no emotion and just walked away. That shows how much they didn't want me." Right when she said that my eyes widened, I realized how my parents never wanted me either. "I refuse anyone who tries to adopt me because they arent my family. I will stay In this orphanage my whole life if I have to…" her head drifted low. Suddenly Mei climbed from the window, and sat onto the roof resting her head onto her knees wrapping herself from the cold.
"Mei what are you doing? Its cold out there." I said frantically, fearing she would slip from the frost. "Mei I understand where you are coming from with this, I do. My parents abandoned me too. They left me with my grandmother and my grandmother died when I was 10. I know how it feels to have no one." I said, trying to make her come back in but to no relief. She is 10 so she must understand how I've felt in at least some way, obviously. "Please Mei you could slip and fall out there." She still did not move. "Mei. Please, you are not alone, I have gone through the same things. I have been alone and abandoned, I don't have any family left." Her head slightly turned and then she looked around to me. No emotion once more spread over her face. "I swear, you are not alone." My eyes peirced her blindfold as the wind began to quicken, nearly pushing me down. She looked forward again, and began to climb back up. As she got up I notice she used one of her feet in the slim gutter of the orphanage, she must have slipped them when she was sitting. She tried to walk up to the window but was restrianed by her stuck foot. She tugged against it trying to pull it away but to no avail.
"I cant get my foot out." Once more she tugged but much harder "Im stuck." She said letting her head face mine.
"Mei hold on I'll help you." As I was about to clumb from the window a strong gust of wind blew also as Mei tugged once more. Finally her foot came free only for Mei to fall back off the roof from the long cold breeze. The young 10 year old yelled as she slipped off the roof, letting wind blow through her hair viciously as I tried to grasp her small hand but wasn't quick enough. As soon as I saw I couldn't reach her hadn I ran down the steps and out the house sliding against the dirt road as I turned a sharp corner too fast. As I came around it the first thing I saw was the young girl laying agaisnt the ground, trying to pick herself up but only to fall back down in her weak state.
"Mei!" I ran to her as fast as I could. Her body so pale contrasted agaisnt the dirt she currently rested on, many cuts and scrapes lined their way over her skin and her head held a medium sized cut, letting blood fall down her head, her neck held a large bruise with many cuts all around it. The wind whipped us harder but I was only focusing on her. "Mei, Mei please answer." Her body wouldn't move and her head dropped back as I lifted her body. As I did so her hair maneuvered its way around her neck, and her shirt collar not yet high enough to reach a mark on her neck as I carried her. A small mark right against the nape of her neck. The small symbol was similar to my clan's symbol. A small blue flame like symbol while a similar white flame symbol was inside it. But Mei's mark had the same symbol of the two flames one inside of the bigger one, not blue nor white but the larger one just a bit darker than her pale skinned color and the smaller flame her exact skin color itself. What did this mean? I have to find out more…but first I need to get her to a hospital. I ran so fast, taking long strides as I tried to quicken my pace however my feet wouldn't let me, I was running the fast I could without realizing it. Dodging people, and slipping past them they stared at me like I was insane but I didn't care as long as I got my friend to the hospital, soon. I saw the hospital in sight. It was coming up close as I tried with all my might to run faster. I ran up the steps of the large building and ran into it, letting the well lit building nearly blind me. Running to the desk I stopped and frantically spoke,
"Please, please help her, she feel off a roof and hurt her head and neck." I said trying to regain my breath from running so hard
"Alright sir, please calm down," As the woman spoke other nurses came up to me and took the motionless brunettes body from my hands. They carried her down numerous halls, I trying my hardest to follow. They soon entered into an open room-
"Sir, please we need you to stay out here until she's alright." One woman gently pushed me from walking into the room, I tried to look in only to see them placing her body on a hospital bed, her hidden eyes still shut her body motionless but the door was quickly shut by the woman who previously pushed me out. I was now standing alone in the hall, hearing the shuffling of feet behind the closed hospital door. My breaths in short pants, it finally catching up with me as I rested my back on the opposite wall of the door, letting myself take in the past events. The small girl I looked at like a younger sister had just fallen off a roof while in my sight, I can't believe I let her fall…this was my entire fault. I closed my eyes, unable to bare the sight of the closed door that held the girl I almost killed…
I waited and waited, about an hour has passed and I've only seen two of the three nurses leave and only to have one to come back. The daylight outside slowly began to weaken as the sun hid itself behind the tree's horizon. It soon became dark but the outside world stopped to me as the door just a couple feet from me opened wide to reveal one of the nurses. She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear to fully show her grin.
"Don't worry she is fine. Her wounds will recover nicely. However she must take it easy, her head will need more care. She barely missed a concussion, as for her neck there are no broken bones just a large bruise that needs much care as the head does." She spoke as she wrote down things in a clipboard, her body blocked the doorway so I just nodded hastily and waited for her words to stop "Now what is her name?"
"Oh, her name is Mei." I spoke, she looked up at me with one eyebrow risen
"Last name?" I thought for a moment, I didn't know her last name, neither did Mei herself.
"I don't know" she sighed,
"Her age?"
"10" As I said her age I couldn't believe we had known each other for only a couple months, almost a year, it felt like longer.
"Alight I shall try and figure out what clan she comes from, you can see her now." As she said this she ventured more down the hall. I hastily stepped into the quiet room, seeing one nurse inject something in my young friend, who currently rested on the small hospital bed, under the thin layer of blanket. Her blindfold still over her eyes, but not too many patches of gauze over her face. Medical wrapping was circulated around her head, covering the damage that was placed when she fell. I walked closer as the nurse walked away, out the room soon followed by the other nurse who carried a tray of gauze and medicine. I sat on the rim of her bed, just a few inches away from her.
"Mei?" I asked quietly. She did not do anything, no stirs, no movement, nothing. I sighed knowing maybe she had fallen asleep when they were treating her due to the fact she did not have a concussion so she must have woken before. Suddenly her uncovered arm began to move, it twitched slightly over the white blanket. Her fingers followed her arm also. "Mei?" I spoke once more this time slightly louder. She groaned quietly signaling a wide smile to spread over my face.
"I-Izumo?" She spoke, her small voice cracking slightly as she said her first word since the accident. "What happened, where am I?" Her questions flowed as her head began to look around more.
"Shh, it's okay. Remember you fell off the roof and were unconscious so I ran you here. You are just bruised up and need to take it easy for a while." I spoke quietly, trying to reassure her. She moved her head to face me on her pillow. "I'm sorry…" I spoke quietly, my eyes on the verge of tears.
"For what?" The quiet voice I was used to know somewhat raspy as it slowly came back.
"I couldn't catch you, I couldn't stop you from falling…"
Her face showed confusion from what I saw through the tear blurred vision. Then her head slowly went from side to side.
"No. This was none of your fault. Technically you saved me by running me here. This was all my fault, I was too caught up in my problems to realize the danger I was in. I let myself fall, not even bothering to grab the gutter that was perfectly in my reach. You tried to grab my hand as I did yours but we were just too far. You helped me all you could. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be laying here right now talking to you…" She spoke, the wisdom just dripping on her words as she this time tried to reassure me.
"But-"
"-No. Today you saved me and I am gravely thankful to you." She reached a hand to my lips, covering them before I could finish as she spoke. My eyes slipped to the birthmark on her neck, eyeing it, realizing how much it resembled my family's trait. My mother had it every time I saw her, on her neck also, my grandmother had it on her neck. She often would place her old hand on it and rub it continuously, I remember asking her about it and she would look at me and slide my sleeve down. I would look at my shoulder until she took me to a bathroom and showed me the same mark but further down near my shoulder blade. She would tell me I was the first son to have it and that all family members are born with it, no matter what.
That's when it struck me. Mei's hair color is not too far from mine just somewhat lighter, she has no parents or they abandoned her right after birth, as did mine but gave me to my grandmother but she died when I was 10 and every time I saw my mother her stomach was bigger and bigger and my mother and grandma argued on and on about me and a her. Also when my grandma died I was left to fend for myself and Mei is 10 now…
I got up quickly and peeked out into the hall. Just my luck the familiar blonde nurse was walking down the hall to this room. She saw me,
"I'm sorry sir we found no matches on what clan she comes from." She spoke somewhat sadly, I reassured her it was fine,
"That's alright, however do you think you could take her and my blood to see if we are related in some way?" I asked frantically, earning a confused stare from her however she hesitantly nodded. She walked into the room and took a needle. She told me to sit down and I did so, planting my bottom in the seat just next to Mei's bed.
"Izumo what are you doing?" I didn't answer her as she sat up and looked towards me. The nurse put up my sleeve and whipped down the joint of my arm then slowly injected the needle. I didn't wince from the pain, all I was focused on was the blood test. I watched as blood flowed into the needle. Afterwards the nurse took out another one and did the same to Mei, her mouth twitched as the needle went through her skin. Then she turned her head to me as her blood filled the needle,
"What is happening?" She asked, impatience filling her words
"I just am getting a blood test done."
"Why?" She asked as the needle was removed, I nodded to the nurse as she left the room, both needles in hand. I turned back to Mei who was still looking at me and began to explain what had gone through my head not too long ago. A few minutes passed from everything I explained to her, she was silent as she fiddled with her thumbs
"So you and I may be related…siblings?" She asked, the pleading waves her eyes sent through her blindfold burned a hole into mine. I nodded; a small visible smile crossed her face. I smiled to her, not having seen her smile for about a week or two.
"So Izumo, you have the birthmark too?" she asked, I nodded as the nurse came in, "everyone in your family does?" I nodded once more as I overlooked the clipboard the nurse recently handed me before she walked out. I looked over the results as I felt Mei's gaze come directly onto my face, searching for some kind of answer.
"Its negative, isn't it…" She spoke, her voice sad. I sighed
"I'll be back." I spoke as I got up and left the room, my actions and words barely masking the joy I held in my heart at the fact she was my sister, the sister I never knew I had but waiting to surprise her after I adopt the young girl from the orphanage.
-1hour later-
I slowly made my ways down the hospitals halls. Holding the positive sibling blood test in one hand and the signed adoption form in the other. She had always been my sister, we just never knew but now I know and have taken my sister from the dreadful home. I neared her room, trying to hold in my enthusiasm and happiness as my hand twisted the silver knob of her door. There she sat in her bed, looking out the window, eyeing the moonless night. As I stepped in her head snapped to me,
"Izumo" she spoke, joy hidden in her voice as I sat on her hospital bed, a smile creeping over my face. "What is it?" she asked, seeing my smile grow wider. Gently I handed her the adoption form.
"The blood test is positive. I Izumo Kamizuki are elder brother of you Mei Kamizuki." She smiled larger than I had ever seen a smile on her face before as she understood what was in her hands. Suddenly she threw the paper on the bed and wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you for saving me, thank you for being here for me, thank you for adopting me, but more importantly…thank you for always being the brother I never knew I had…until now…" I hugged her tightly in return as I felt small drops of water rest themselves on my back, knowing she was crying I hugged her even tighter.
"I told you, you weren't alone…" I spoke softly as I stroked her hair, letting both of us fully consume our bond of brother and sister…
Flashback End
Izumo ran faster and faster at each thought and memory. He knew he needed to find her soon, and not just her but the two friends she had come to know. A strong feeling struck him, not the usual one he felt at similar missions where someone was missing but a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. One he knew where something was wrong, very wrong. Suddenly without thought his pace quickened, the wind whipping past him nearly stinging his face and the dirt he ran through clouded up as he kicked past it.
Please be alright. He thought as the picture of the three girls ran through his head, causing tears to sting the edge of his dark eyes.