I am outside

And I've been waiting for the sun

With my wide eyes

I've seen worlds that don't belong

My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize

Tell me why we live like this

-Paramore, We Are Broken

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

As the seconds passed, the sun got lower and lower in the sky, casting shadows in the corners, making them writhe and dance. They grew bigger and bigger until they had turned the entire room into one big shadow. Naoko raised her head slightly, just enough to peer over her arms. A small part of her was shocked to see how dark it had gotten; just how long had she been sitting in front of the door? She shuddered and lowered her head again, feeling her heart beating heavily against her ribcage. There were no words to describe how she was feeling. But she knew she wanted to scream. She wanted to run away, break something, do anything. Anything that would make her feel differently than she did now.

It was infuriating.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

She took a deep breath and raised her head again, further this time, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness before she tried to rise to her feet. In a way, she felt numb. Her mind wandered to places they shouldn't be. Even now, though she had been reassured many times that she was a citizen, she still worried about what would happen to her. What would happen to her? There was no way that this was a permanent situation, and if they expected her to believe they would leave her alone from this point on, it was wishful thinking on everyone's behalf. She was an outsider; a complete stranger and potential threat to the entire village. They wanted her to snap. They wanted her to panic and do something stupid that would allow them to kill her.

And maybe she wanted to do it, too.

She leaned her head back against the door, fighting to keep her breath at an even pace. If she didn't calm herself down now, she would panic. There was no telling what would happen. What if something went wrong and the villagers somehow found out that she wasn't just a new face, but someone who could easily kill them all? What if they found out that she was the enemy? What if they found out that, at the end of the day, their deaths would be the means for her escape? What would they do to her? Would they cast her out? Or would they kill her?

She let out a shaky breath and brought her hands to her face. Something cold touched her cheek, and looking down at her hands, she saw the glint of a little key in her palm. She frowned, staring at it for a long time. She turned it over, this way and that, examining it closely. It was unscratched and new, silver and cold-foreign. She took a deep breath, held it in a for a few seconds, and then let it out slowly.

Then she stood, pocketing the key as she got to her feet. On her way up, her shoulder hit a switch, and a humble light flickered on over the table. Beyond the table was a sliding glass door that she hadn't noticed the first time she'd seen her new apartment. Naoko took a few stumbling steps forward, keeping her hands slightly raised just in case she fell. She was very aware of her off sense of balance; the world sat at an angle tonight.

When she reached the door, she gripped the handle and pulled, trying to open the door, but it didn't move an inch. She grimaced and leaned down, checking the lock. It wasn't locked. She yanked on the door again, but it still would not move. She took an unsteady step backwards, staring at the door like she had seen a ghost. Had someone sealed the door? A hysterical laugh bubbled up past her lips, and she shook her head, reaching up to grab her hair. Of course they had sealed the door. She had known it all along; she was still a prisoner. Shisui had been wrong.

She took a shaky breath and walked back to the door, trying again to pry it open. She yanked and pulled, using her entire body to try and open the door, but it didn't move. She swore loudly and pulled one last time, but her fingers slipped and she went crashing into the table. She yelped in pain and rubbed the back of her head, wincing. Her eyes flicked up at the door, and anger clouded her vision. She screamed as loud as she could, lashing out with her foot, slamming it against the nearest chair. It slammed into the table, but didn't nothing else. She growled under her breath and kicked the chair again. This time it clattered to floor beneath the table and settled with a satisfying crack.

Shaking, she took a deep breath and rose to her feet. Naoko turned and looked at the fallen chair for a brief moment before she picked it up, gripping the back so tightly her knuckles turned white. She aimed and then swung the chair at the glass. The window shattered, spraying glass onto the balcony. With the door gone, a frigid blast of air rushed into the room, making Naoko shiver. She hugged herself tightly and stepped out onto the balcony. Her eyes took in the sight of the entire village laid out before her, all of its grandeur taking her breath away.

She took a small step forward, barely registering the sound of glass crunching beneath her bare feet, and sat down down. She closed her eyes and began humming under her breath. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

She opened her eyes. "One, two, three-"

Lightning flashed, dividing the sky in half with a single red streak. Seconds later, thunder crackled. The wind whipped her hair around her face, a few drops of rain hit her skin. Naoko closed her eyes again and began humming her song once more.

"I've never heard that song before. What's it called?"

She didn't respond and kept humming. The voice she had heard sounded familiar, but if she was correct, which she knew she was, Shisui was the last person she wanted to see right then.

"Naoko-"

"Do not speak!" She snapped, her golden eyes blazing. She glared at him, but he stared at her with an unreadable expression. "I do not wish to listen."

She was surrounded again. Naoko shook her head. "No peace."

"You are in no place to make orders, girl."

"I have a name."

"Not that I care enough to use it," the man barked.

Naoko's jaw clenched tightly, and her hands, which were pressed against the ground, pressed harder against the glass.

"Captain, she's bleeding."

She swayed slightly but was able to keep herself sitting upright. Her vision blurred slightly; black edges in her periphery made everything look fuzzy. She opened her mouth to speak, but then she shook her head, pressing her lips together into a thin line. The shinobi that stood around her, ready to attack if they needed too, were baffled by her actions.

She opened her mouth again, taking in a deep breath before she spoke. "I do not want to escape."

They were silent. Her eyes turned towards the ground and stared at her hands. Crimson was rapidly pooling around not just her hands, but everything within two feet of her. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight. She was fascinated by it. Naoko raised her hand and watched as the blood dripped from her fingertips and made small ripples in the puddle of blood.

"I am no one." She whispered, swaying again. "I have no home." Her eyes fluttered shut, and she began to fall. "I am very tired."