Hurting

By: Kiara Adachi

Chapter 1: -title here-

OK, I don't really feel like putting up the prologe to this, because I'm kinda still editing it. This goes somewhat along with my other stories about me and Haku, but has a more realistic twist to it, and I am writing this from my own point, where I really am in life. Haku is alive, for I did revive him, but the past of us, like in my other story "Haku's Revival" the past in which we met is different... I guess the only real difference is that I still live with my dad, insted of on my own...

A cool, crisp breeze blew through the spring night. A full moon was high within the sky, surrounded my the uncountible stars. A small house sat within a dense forest, a few miles outside of the main village of Kiri. The lights in the house were on, and it should be a peacful scene. But the peace was broken by a loud yell...

"What do you mean you threw out the rest of dinner!" A loud man's voice called. "I was going to eat that!" The voice sounded extremely mad.

"Dad... you said you were done eating, and that you were going to bed." A small, female voice said, shaking. "So I threw it out, it was cold an--"

"I SAID I WAS GOING TO LIE DOWN, AND EAT IT LATER!" the voice came again.

"I'm sorry... I'll.. just give me a little while, I'll cook something else..."

"I don't want anything else! That was the last fish we have here!"

"Then I'll go catch some more.."
"I DON'T WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG, I AM STARVED!"

"Dad.. calm down."

The girl's voice was shaking, as if she was about to cry, but knew she shouldn't.

"Calm down." the man said. "You think you have the nerve to tell me, to calm down?"

"I..."

"Girl, I am gonna slap some sence into you! Don't you dare talk to me that way!"

There was a loud rustling, as if some stuff was being knocked down, and a frightened scream from the girl.

"GET BACK HERE GIRL!" the voice said, and it sounded like he was chasing her around. In the room that was the kitchen, there was a loud clanging, as if a bunch of pots and pans had been knocked down. There was a muffled cry.
"Get away from me.." The girls voice calmly said, trying as hard as she could to sound soothing.

"Girl, you are going to get it now!" the voice. There was another sound as if things were being knocked over, and then a loud scream of pain.

There was silence, only broken by a crying that could be heard from inside the room.

"Now honey." the man's voice said, calm now, as if satified. "I want you to go into town now, and bring back some things so you can cook me another dinner, I want to eat before ten."

There was no responce heard by the girl, but the door opened and she limped out of the house. Her right leg and arm badly bleeding from deep cuts, just freshly made. She looked back once at the door, as her dad appeared.

"And when your done with dinner, I want you to clean this house, understand?"

The girl only nodded in responce, and began to go down the path that led to the village.

After a little while, when she was out of sight of her father, the girl left the main path, and followed a small path that winded around through the trees. She clearly looked as if she knew where she was going for she forgot about the pain in her leg, and began to run, following every twist and turn by heart. After a while, she reached her destination; a tall tree in the forest, that shadowed upon all the others. She glanced around and found a rope ladder that hung down, and began to climb it, untill she reached what she was aiming for, a house built in the tree, but completely hidden from the ground. She stepped upon the small porch and wobbled over to the door, and quietly knocked on it.

"Haku... Haku...are you there?" she whispered, clutching her arm. She suddenly felt nautious, and fell against the door, moaning. The door swung open, reveiling Haku. His hair was down, and he looked tired, as if he had just woken up. The girl fell into the room, and snapping awake, Haku caught her.
"Kiara... Kiara, what happened!" Haku asked her. She lifted her head and looked up at him, with tears in her eyes.

"I made dad mad again.." she said quietly, she moaned. "I don't feel good Haku..."

He looked around, and spotted a couch, and quickly picked her up and placed in upon the couch. He looked at her. Her cuts on her arm and leg were still bleeding pretty badly, and her clothes were soaked in the red liquid. Haku quickly took out some medical supplies that he kept handy in the small one-room house in which he lived.

"Kiara, you really need to do something when he gets like that..." Haku said softly, applying pressure to her wounds, so the bleeding would stop.

Kiara sniffed. "I can't Haku..." she said. "No matter what I'd do, then I'd just make him more mad than before... I just have to sit there and let him do as he feels like doing or It'll just get worse.."

Haku sighed. This was not the first time this had happened, but it was certainly the first time he had acctually hurt her more than hitting her. He was about to ask what had happened when Kiara started to talk again.

"I threw away his dinner... he said he was done, and that he was going to bed... but less than an hour later, he was back up again and said that he hadn't finished. I offered to cook him something else, but he said that he didn't want it and went after me... I tryed to get away, but he cornered me in the kitchen..." she stopped, as a tear fell down her cheek. "H-he took the knife.. and came after me... He was going to kill me, but I curled into a ball.. and he stabed my arm and leg insted of my chest..."

Haku nodded, listening, and removed the cloth from the wound, to see that the one on her arm had stopped bleeding. He took some bandage so that he could wrap it up, and waited quietly for her to continue, if she wanted too, and she did.

"And then he snapped back to normal, like he did when he got mad, and started talking calmly, as if nothing had happened but a little quarrel. He told me to go into town and get dinner, and then to clean after I cooked... but I didn't think I'd make it to town.. so I came here.."

Haku nodded, as her wrapped up her arm tightly, but not too tight. He removed the cloth from the wound on her leg and started to do the same thing to that wound. It was silent for a few moments, untill Haku was done.
"There." he said. "Don't move too much, or you'll re-open the wounds..."

Kiara nodded. "I'm sorry about this Haku..." she said. "I don't want to drag you into my problems, I shouldn't ha-"

"Shhh." Haku said softly. "Don't say that Kiara. I care about you, and whenever you need someone to help you, I'm there for you." He smiled softly and

She smiled. "Thank you Haku." she said, then quietly said. "I am so glad I have you.."

Haku smiled again and began to put the medical supplies away. He pulled up a seat next to Kiara and looked at her.

"You better stay here tonight." he said, concern in his voice.

"But.. what about.." She started.

"Your father can wait Kiara, we can take care of him together when the time comes, but untill you can safely move around, your not leaving! I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let you leave and... and... well if something happened again.."

There was a silence that seemed to last for an hour, but was really only five minutes. The breeze caused the tree house to sway slightly, but in a soothing way. It was sort of like a mother rocking her child ever so gently. The distant roll of thunder sounded, signalling that a storm was on its way.
"Haku..." Kiara almost whispered.

"Yes?" he answered.
"Thank you... for this... and for everything else you've done for me..."

"Its nothing Kiara." he said, then stood up. "Are you hungry?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "I haven't eaten anything but a cup of ramen for two days..." she said.

He nodded and quickly began to look through the cabnets.

"I don't have all that much right now..." he said. "All I have is more ramen.. some rice cakes I was saving... and.."

"Rice cakes sound good.." Kiara said.

Haku nodded. "OK.." he said, retrieving the rice cakes from the cabnet. He turned around and Kiara was attemping to get up by herself. He set the rice cakes down and rushed over.

"Be careful!" he said gently, but a sence of demand in his voice. She nodded, and leaned unto the back of the couch, sighing. Haku went over and got the food, then returned, handing her one to eat with her good hand.

She ate quickly, but quietly, staring at her lap in deep thought. When she finished she sighed, and looked up.

"Thats all I need." she said. "I don't need to eat that much..."

Haku looked at her, knowing that she was lieing. He had gotten to know her well enough to know that she could eat a horse if she wanted too, but he guessed she was only going to eat as much as she needed until she felt better.

Kiara slowly, carefully, laid back down on the couch.

"I'm gonna go to sleep..." she said, Haku nodded, taking the blanket he was using earlier, and put it over her. Then he sat back down in the chair, and watched Kiara untill her breathing became slower, and he knew she was asleep. By then, the slight patter of rain fell upon the roof of the little hut, and thunder rolled outside. But Haku paid no mind. He stood up and put away the food. He wondered over to a counter and tied his hair back once again. And with a quick glance over at Kiara's sleeping form, opened the door and stepped out into the rain.