Hurting

By: Kiara Adachi

Chapter 5: Crying Wishes

Kiara stared at her father coldly. The anger almost glowing in her light blue eyes. He looked at her questioningly. He had never seen her like this, angry. She was supposed to cower below him, do as she was told, be there for him to push around and do what he wanted to her. But now, he could see, that she was no longer that person.

He smirked, and slowly reached down towards the shards of the sake bottle, preparing to pick one up. But as he did, Kiara's foot crushed down on his hand, causing his to stab himself with the shard of broken glass. He screamed in pain, and jumped up, clutching his hand as if he was gonna die from the small cut. Kiara smiled, making it clear that she was not going to put up with him anymore.

Her father recoiled back and growled at her. And they stood there, in silence for a little while. Suddenly Kiara's father lunged at her, and pushed her back into the wall, knocking the wind out of her. She fell to the ground in shock, gasping for her breath. Her father then kicked her in the stomach, causing her to cough up blood. No matter how much anger she had, she realized, she didn't have the experience fighting like her father did. He got in fights all the time, sometimes every other day.

She glared up at him, breathing heavily, and stood up again, much to her father's surprise.

"Your tougher than I thought." he said. "But give up, you can't win."

Kiara didn't respond. She stared at him colder than before, and then spat at him. This made him really mad. He lunged at Kiara again, and smacked her across her face, hard. She flew into the wall again, but this time, her bad arm was crushed in between the wall, and her body. She screamed in pain and a "snap" was heard. She fell down unto the ground, on top of Haku.

Her father kicked her in the side, and she screamed again. But he bent down, and covered her mouth.

"Listen girl." he said. "I won't kill you. Just come home again, and this time, your not allowed to leave the house." She opened one eye and looked at him.

"Never." she responded.

"What?" her father yelled, outraged.

She moaned and began to get up, rolling off of Haku.
"I said NEVER." she said again, a smirk on her face. Behind her back she held one of Haku's senbon, which she had taken from him a few seconds before.

Her father looked at her, his eyes swirling with rage. He stepped back, and looked at her, as if he didn't know what to do. But then he look a step forward once again, and lunged at her. Kiara smirked, and pulled the senbon out. She had no idea where most of the vital points were, like Haku did, but she did know one of them; the heart.

With a quick motion, she lifted the senbon up, using her good arm, and thrust it into his chest. His eyes widened and he froze in his tracks. Kiara smirked, and pushed the senbon as hard as she could into him, and then stepped aside. He wobbled back and forth, and then coughed. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell, colliding with the wall he had hit Kiara unto so many times. She bent down and looked for a pulse, but found none. He was gone.

She looked down the alley at her dad's two friends. They looked at her in fear, and she smirked and stepped towards her.

"You think she's a demon?" one of them whispered to the other.

"No, I don't think so... she just got lucky."

"Lets get out of here... she scares me anyway..."

"Right behind you!"

And with that, they turned and fled.

Kiara's smirk faded and she turned around. She looked at her father, dead. Blood was all around him, spilling from his chest. With a quick motion Kiara kicked him into the wall, causing the blood to splash unto her. But she didn't care.

She turned then to Haku, and knelt down beside him. His head had already stopped bleeding, but he was still unconious. She shook his shoulder.

"Haku, wake up.." she said. "Haku! Please, wake up!"

He didn't stir and Kiara felt sick to her stomach.

'What if he has a concussion?' she worried. 'What if he...'

She shook her head, trying to get those thoughts out of her head. She used her good arm to sit Haku up, against the wall. She bit her lip, as she stared at his pale face. He was hurt... and it was all her fault. A tear fell down her cheek, and landed on the ground.

"Haku! Please wake up!" she said, beginning to cry harder when he didn't move.

"I shouldn't have ever dragged you into this!" she said. "Now your hurt, and its all my fault." She stopped and sobbed. "I'm sorry... Haku, you have to wake up!" She buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

"Just wake up..." she said. "Please! I don't want to be alone."

Just then Haku moaned, and he began to awaken. Kiara looked up at him.

"Haku? HAKU? Are you OK?" she asked, as he opened his eyes up, and looked slowly at Kiara, blinking. He saw the tears in her eyes and looked worried.

"Whats wrong?" he asked her.

Kiara smiled, and then hugged him tightly, burrying her face in his chest again.

"Nothing! Everything is fine now." she said. Haku frowned, and looked around, spotting her dead father. He decided though, that it wouldn't be best to ask now. He looked down at her, and saw that her arm was bleeding again, but it didn't seem to hurt her too bad, as she cried.

"I'm sorry Haku!" she said. "This is all my fault!" she said, looking up at him.

Haku shook his head.

"No its not Kiara, I made a promise, and I kept it." he said. "I am not going to let you get hurt anymore. Kiara looked at him, and blinked, not knowing what to say. He had promised her that he'd be there for her, but she didn't want him to end up getting hurt...

He looked down at her confused expression, and gazed into her light blue eyes. He no longer saw the sadness she had held within her eyes before. But he knew it would be a while before she would be free. But she was closer than she had been before, much closer.

With a sudden motion, he came down and kissed her upon her lips lovingly. He wanted her to understand that he was serious about never leaving her. But most of all, he wanted to show her that he truely loved her, and that he would be there forever, even after she was free.

Kiara stiffened in shock, not expecting him to kiss her so suddenly. But she quickly relaxed, as she felt an extreme sence of warmth flow throughout her body. She kissed him back just as lovingly as he was kissing her. He was there for her, and now, somehow, she could feel that he always would be.

When the two finally broke away from each other, both blushing slightly. Haku smiled and whispered to her.

"I love you." he said. Kiara smiled too.

"I love you too." she said, cuddling against him.

"Kiara?"

"Yes Haku?"

"I think we should go home." he said, looking up at the sky. It was getting dark.

Kiara smiled at the word "home" but in her heart she felt now that Haku's home, was her home.
"Good idea." she said, as she stood up slowly, and Haku did the same. Haku grabbed Kiara's hand, and together, they made their way back to their cozy little home in a tree.