" Its not right." Rika whispered to a tree. " It seems you're my only real friend. If you could talk you would tell me your secrets wouldn't you?" the girl looked up at the tree. She put her hand on it's trunk and felt the cool, rough bark underneath. " Such a good friend." Her smile was a little weak, but it was still a smile.
" We are just trying to keep you happy, you know." a sad voice came from behind the tree. For a second Rika thought the tree was actually talking to her, but it was her mother's voice.
" Your not making me happy by keeping secrets from me." she turned and walked towards the clearing.
Sakura stepped from behind the tree. She looked sad, guilty. Her face was paler probably from all the worrying. " If you knew the truth you would probably hate us, and hate yourself." She looked down at a blade of grass that was waving slightly in the wind. A tear escaped her left eye. It slid down her face and onto that very blade of grass. A sad sight for a child to see.
You already hate them.
The voice just wouldn't shut up. Rika had had it with the hissing from Him. She wanted Him to shut up!
" That's it! Shut the hell up! Stay out of everything! You don't know me!" Rika shouted at the air. Sakura jumped at the sudden outburst. It was frightening for her to see her daughter start yelling at someone who wasn't their. " You will never know! And you can't manipulate me!"
We'll see about that.
Rika threw her arms up and pressed her hands tightly against her head. She knew that act was useless, but she found slight comfort from doing something physical. Her head was pounding.
Sakura ran the short length to her daughter. She fell to her knees and put her hands on the screaming girl's shoulders. Sakura was worried. Rika was losing her small battle with Him, and she couldn't do anything to help.
Rika screamed, opened her eyes, and what Sakura saw she will never be able to escape. Her child's eyes flashed. They flashed with deep hatred, and something she couldn't name. Her daughter's eyes flashed into a snake's eyes, Orochimaru is awake. We are going to have to seal her again. Sakura looked down, some what defeated she thought, How many times did that make now? Three? And she is only eleven. My child. tears started to flow down her cheeks. Sakura drew her child into a hug. Rika must have battled back Orochimaru because her body fell limp, she passed out again. That made it around the fourth time that night. That's not healthy. Sakura thought wryly.
It was a dark room where she started.
Sitting contently on a wooden chair, Rika sat with her hand clasped together in her lap. She stared straight ahead. It was as if she was waiting for someone, but for who?
" Who are you waiting for?" the voice came from all directions in the darkness. The voice brought back memories. Rika looked at herself to see she was, once again, a small child around the age of eight.
" I'm waiting for you." she said to the darkness. " I'm waiting for my brother!" she shrieked, she threw her head into her hands, and tears began to fall to the floor making it ripple like ink, black water.
" You shouldn't be waiting for me. I'm not coming back. Please, Rika, you have to move on."
She stood up, making more tears fall to the rippling floor " I can't! Its all my fault your gone! It should have been me!" she screamed at the bodiless voice.
" Rika." the voice sighed her name. It was sad, very sad.
When Rika awoke, for hopefully the last time in these weird ways, she was strapped down to the floor with chains. The floor was covered in signs and symbols made with blood, her blood. She felt liquid seeping out of her at the base of her neck, where her birthmark is. She heard voices, she forced herself to wake up so she could know what was happening, but that was easier thought then done. It seemed to her that she was very drained. She was drained of chakra, strength, and energy, but most of all she was drained of blood. She was worried now. The adults had never used this much blood. Now that she thought about it, they also had never made this big of a circle to seal her with. It'd be nice if she knew why they were sealing her anyways, but they would never tell.
She was waking up from fear, adrenaline was bringing her to consciousness. Noises began to escape her lips, and she was now wriggling trying to get free. Suddenly a soothing voice said " Calm down, this will only take a few seconds, you know that." It was her father telling her this.
" But, you've never used this much blood. And why is the circle so big? Why am I chained to the floor?" She was now becoming hysterical. It was confusing. They were going through a lot more then they normally did. She was seriously losing it now. They want me dead. I know it. I'm becoming too much of a problem for them. I need to die, but I don't want to. Not yet! Her thoughts were becoming a jumbled mess of emotions, and frantic thoughts. The emotion that was the strongest was fear. She didn't want to die, not yet anyways.
" Kakashi, Sasuke, Sai, Sakura she is starting to lose it! We have to get this done with, now!" Naruto's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.
A light flashed on all sides of her. She counted five. It was a five column seal. This was a new seal for her. She had only read about it. What she read was that the only pain that could top it was the sealing jutsu used to seal demons, and that required sacrifice.
A voice came into her mind. It was loud and clear, and full of menace. It screamed with pain, and rage. Somehow the voice took form. The man was underneath her still screaming. A bright, glowing light was beneath him, sucking in his body. Everything that was loose waved in the wind that came from the vortex. His face was contorted in agony from the sealing, but that didn't change that his eyes were brimming with eagerness. Rika was in the right place, he could easily grab her, and drag her down with him into the seal. She tried to move, she tried to get out of reach, but it was impossible she was chained down to tightly. This is it, she thought solemnly, I'm going to be sealed within my own body with some crazy delusion, and probably my dead brother, who is also another delusion. She closed her eyes waiting for the beginning of the end.
Don't give up! Her brother's voice whispered in her ear.
She opened her eyes, she was going to stay in this realm!
" AWW!" she screamed as loud as she could, maybe if she did they would realize she was being sealed too. She squirmed more, still trying to break free even though it was useless.
She was scarred. The man was still reaching up for her he was close now, but suddenly something happened. Something dark passed by her. It was a flash of blackness as if her vision ripped, and repaired just as fast. It hit the man and he was forced into the vortex along with the black flash. For a split second she saw her brother. Was he sealed along with the man?
As she thought this her eyes fell closed, and she relaxed into a deep sleep that she hoped wouldn't be her last.
