Mirror Image

Chapter 14: The Darkness

Mikuo burst through the door. He was out of breath, tiny beads of sweat dripped down his face. "Kaiko!" he yelled placing the hollering Rin on her bed. "Please, help Rin. She's hurt," he said over her screams.

Kaiko took a look at Rin, gasping at the sight of her bloodstained cheeks. They were dried and were slowly cracking from her changing facial features, but her tears began to re-liquefy them. Her screams rang loudly in her ear drums. Her friend's pain and frustrations were apparent in her actions. She'd never seen her in such a state. "What happened?" she asked, quickly gathering her medical supplies.

Mikuo banged his fist against the wall. "It's all my fault," he said through clenched teeth. "If only I wasn't so focused on that damned King then none of this would have happened." He looked down, his eyes appearing angered yet saddened. He felt both emotions eat away at his insides. "Her eyes," he said through wavering anger, "they're injured."

Kaiko nodded as she carefully approached Rin. "Rin," she said softly. "I'm going to need you to work with me, okay?" She couldn't treat her while she was this out of control.

Rin couldn't comply. She was hearing voices, but she wasn't seeing any faces. She could see only darkness. Where was she? Who was talking to? Kaiko? She couldn't be sure. How could she? Rin couldn't even see her. How could make sure of anything without her sight? She began to whimper. Why had this happened? What had Rin done to deserve this? The darkness was painful. Living through this was painful. She was weary of the blackness. It weakened her mental state. So many voices were thrown at her all at once. It was too much for her. She began to hyperventilate.

"It's no good," Kaiko muttered. "Mikuo, Luki. I need you to hold Rin down for me," she ordered. "This is going to be painful."

Rin was startled. Someone had grabbed a hold of her. Was it the soldier? Had he come back? No! She didn't want to be hurt again. She began to break free of the tight grasp. She wouldn't be brought down. Not after her first humiliating defeat. "Stop it," she yelled. "Let go of me," she screeched. She broke free from her capture, knocking down everything in her path.

"Rin, you have to calm down," warned Luki.

Mikuo shook his head. "It's no good. She's been like this for a while now."

"Just bring her back here. I need to know how damaged her eyes are."

After what seemed like an endless struggle, Mikuo and Luki brought her, holding her back tighter than ever. Somehow, Rin had calmed down, just a little bit. She had become more aware of her surroundings, realizing that she was surrounded by friends, not enemies. Still, the crushing anxiety she felt hadn't dispersed. If anything, it had worsened with time

"Rin, I need you to open your eyes for me. Can you do that?" She furiously shook her head in response. As she calmed down, she was more aware of the agony from exposing her eyes out in the open. It brought excruciating pain, not that it wasn't painful already. Kaiko frowned "I'm sorry Rin, but I have to do this, with or without your consent."

Kaiko forced her eyes open, causing a scream to escape from Rin's lips. She quickly turned away, shutting her eyes tight. "No!" she yelled, but Kaiko ignored her shout of protest, turning her head towards her. Again, she forced her eyes to an open, observing the damage done to them for a long, long moment. Soon, she poured a thick liquid substance onto the whites of her eyes. It burned to an unimaginable degree. "Ahh!" she screamed.

"Shh," Kaiko said soothingly. "We're almost done."

She pulled on her hair. In a swift motion, it was tied into a high ponytail to make way for the thick pasty bandages wrapped around her eyes. It was tied tightly, the pressure nearly cutting off her circulation and covered the top half of her head.

"And we're finished." Kaiko breathed.

Rin laid on her bed in silence. She had her arms crossed against her chest as if she were a deceased person at an open casket funeral. Of course, she wasn't dead, but she might as well have been. She knew in her state, she would be nothing but extra baggage on her friends' journey to the Capitol. Rin was blind. It gave her a disadvantage in every way possible, and all her hard work, the weeks of training, her exhaustion, the hours she'd gone without rest...it had all been for nothing. What good was she if she couldn't even see her own sword?

The destiny Len told her about was now wasted on her. She wouldn't be able to fulfill the promise she swore she'd do. Rin would never be able to help Mikuo and the others in the rebellion, and most of all she would never be able to see Len. She would never see him smile, or see him laugh, or see him happy. She had imagined their first true meeting countless times, but she knew it would forever remain a fantasy to her because Rin. Was. Blind.

Blind. The word made her heart ache. Would she live like this for the rest of her life in...in this darkness? It was like her dream state when she first spoke to Len, but this was so much worse. Seeing nothing but the blackness brought crushing defeat on her ego. She felt so lost and alone in her blind state.

"..."

Rin's ears perked. She heard voices.

"...I disinfected the wound. The blade cut only on the whites of her eyes, but the knife was most likely coated with poison. Luckily, none of it entered her bloodstream, but it affected her pupils, blinding her."

"Will she ever get her sight back?"

There was a silence.

"Kaiko?"

"...Well, I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor, Mikuo. Meito only taught me the basics." She paused. "Wait. I remember Meito said something about treating eye injuries once. I don't know if blindness can be placed in the same category, but―"

"That's great!"

"Shh. Keep your voice down. You don't want to disturb Rin during her rest. Anyway, I wouldn't get your hopes up. This is only a possibility."

Rin sighed. She had heard everything. Her other senses were slowly beginning to enhance. It was one of the only perks to losing her sight. She hadn't really believed in the fact, not until today, but what did it matter? She was still as blind as a bat, and she was still the last thing she ever wanted to be. Useless.

She fell asleep that afternoon. Though her vision was now gone, her dreams still projected crystal clear images. Bursts of colour exploded in the pitch blackness. Her dreams brought her to a grassy field. Flowers of all types bloomed under the summer sun. The sight was magnificent. The scents, heavenly. Happiness swelled within her. She let out a laugh as she fell into the field. This was pure bliss.

She closed her eyes, basking in the warm sunlight. That was until she felt a shadow loom over her. She slowly opened her eyes, meeting a pair of sky blue orbs identical to hers. She gasped, sitting up as she quickly got back on her feet. She was lost of breath. She never expected to see him again. Not even in her dreams. "Len!"

He smiled, but said nothing.

They stood in silence. Rin's face reddened, her pulse quickened, and her palms were slippery with sweat. She was nervous. What was she supposed to say in this situation? Hello? "What are you doing here?" she said in unintentionally rude tone. She wanted to eat back those words, to apologize, to make him feel anything but uncomfortable, but she remained silent.

His smile was plastered, and it was then she understood. This wasn't Len, but the Len of her fantasies. The realization made her heart break. "I guess when you said goodbye, you really meant it, huh," she said in a cracked voice. She took a breath, blinking away tears that threatened to fall. What was she so sad about? Seeing Len, even if it was just a figment of her imagination was better than no Len at all. Rin would take advantage of that.

She ran towards him. She wrapped her arms around his taller frame, inhaling his artificial scent, and twisted her finger around his loose ponytail. She could feel him. He was there. Even if he was just an empty shell of her fantasies, he was still there, and that was the greatest gift of all.

But then she woke up.

She tried to open her eyes, almost forgetting they were forced to a close. She was brought back to the darkness. The beauty in her dreams disappeared. Her Len, gone. It was as if someone had splashed a bucket of cold water on her face, bringing Rin back to her reality. The one she so truly wanted to escape from, but there was no escape. She knew there was nothing that could save her. Rin could only live.

She heard the door open.

"Rin? Are you up?"

She recognized the voice as Mikuo's. Quite some time must have past for him to disturb her during her rest. She figured it was already evening. She could no longer feel the dim sunlight on her skin. She remained silent. She didn't really feel like striking a conversation with her friend. Not now. She waited for him to leave, but had yet to hear the slam of the door.

"...I'm sorry..." he said in a less than audible tone, but Rin was able to pick it up.

She remained dangerously still as she listened on.

"I'm so sorry you ended up this way," he said elaborating on his apology. He sighed, looking over what he thought was her unconscious state. "You must despise me."

She didn't. Really. It was her own fault she ended up this way. If only she hadn't been so stupid then Rin would be able to see the wondrous view of the night sky, the cracked ceiling of her room, and her friend's unbelievably pitiful teal eyes.

"I swear I will never let this happen again," he continued. "We'll get your eyes fixed, and even if we can't, I promise I will never give up on you. I will turn you into the best sword fighter in Yamis."

Now this peaked Rin's interest. Mikuo still thought she could be...useful? How? How would he be able to train her with the way she was now? What made him think he could do it? What made him think she could be successful? "Why," she began, her voice hoarse.

"R-Rin? You're awake?" he said, appalled.

"Why do you have so much faith in me?" she asked. It didn't make any sense. She began to realize this after the Rojin incident. There was an unexplained trust and connection they shared. Rin wasn't one to complain about this, she was honored to have such a relationship, but it was the origin of that relationship that baffled her.

There was a long silence before he spoke. "You remind me of my master." he said. "Like you, he was blind, but from a sickness not injury." He heaved a sigh. "It's a bit difficult to explain, but believe me when I say there is so much to relate to."

"...Is he stronger than you?"

She heard him laugh. "Unfortunately, yes."

She smiled. Maybe there was hope after all.