And that's exactly what it left her with.

Loneliness.

Her body, frail and foreign once again, shook at the fact that time had thrown her back, even if it was just for a moment. That foreign sun setting, the water rising amongst the cobblestone steps, it all seemed so distant. Yet, there she was, her feet planted in the exact spot her body once was fourteen years ago.

What did she do to deserve this? She had stopped letting time consume her. It would no longer be a host within her, it would be exiled to the far reaches of her thoughts to never resurface as a concept. Yet, right now, it resurfaced with a smoldering wave. Her lungs began to feel heavy as her breathing became ragged and her vision began to blur.

This is what pain and heartache felt like?

She tried to stand tall, but her hands slowly made their way to her chest. Her eyelids cringed closed and her eyelashes were soon coated with salty water droplets. Her hands gripped her shirt, trying to reach for her heart that was painfully stabbed at repeatedly by the sight before her.

She didn't deserve this.

Why must she relieve this moment over and over again? The moment that was the glorious start and painful end to her existence?

The sun continued to set in the portrait painted by the horizon. Water started to creep up around the soles of her shoes, soaking them just like her shirt had been soaked by the tears that crept down her face. However, her hands then started to sink into her chest, fading at a pace of familiarity. Her fingertips became transparent and she raised them to her face. The aesthetic landscape before her showed right on through and a small smile crept on to her face.

Maybe.

Just maybe?

She raised her swollen eyes to the landscape before her and shook her head for a moment. The back of her petite ten-year old body raised itself and stood tall. If time wished to throw her back, after all these years, what did she have to lose? She had given so much to it that didn't time owe her something at the very least?

"If this is your repayment for all of my tears and calls, then I will accept this painful encounter, despite all the risks. You owe me, you and Haku owe me, for all that I have wasted on you two."

Time owed her.

But did it?

Or did she rather owe time? Owe it for the moments it had given her during her childhood? It was an equation of give and take after all.

With that, she planted her first step forward and entered the foreign memory that once was. She would take the reign on her own time and encounter what she wished to encounter here. She was not a slave to dreams, memories and hopes anymore. Time wouldn't weave its fingertips into her life anymore, for she was the one who dictated how her own time was used.


The aesthetic landscape that passed her by was filled with a familiarity that brought an aching rather then a longing. The red paint that stained the old amusement park buildings no longer provided a sense of curiosity, but filled her with a sense of discomfort. The smell of the spirit food that wavered through the air brought about not a touch of hunger, but a touch of sickness. The landscape around her was once a place that had provided joy, but it now stood still with a blanket of numbness. The memories that were attached to this place were ones she honestly wanted to forget. However, Time isn't something that is so generous. Time holds memories, memories hold feelings, and feelings contain pain. She had told herself that she would take back her own time, but with every step she took back into the land of being spirited away, it only brought more doubt and anxiety.

What would she even do here?

The thought crossed the young adult's mind as she rounded another blind corner of the dirt covered street. A wave of nervousness flooded over her in that moment as her petite body slowed to a stop. Her ten-year old body shook as she subconsciously realized where her body was now standing. The unsettling portrait that presented itself was not one that was ready to be seen. There were slabs of wood that were fitted together perfectly to create a walkway over the deep cavern below. The walkway was adorned with thin red railings on each side that glistened orange as the sun approached the horizon. The walkway led up to an all too familiar looming building that was crafted with a sense of mystery. The materials of the building leaked a sense of magic that wafted through the atmosphere around it. A gentle stream of darkened smoke ventured out of the chimney into the blue never-ending sky.

The ten-year old's eyes drifted up slowly to the landscape that existed before her. She could not comprehend the feeling of nostalgia and pain that riddled her body. It was exactly like it had been fourteen years ago. The same memory plagued her mind, as Time made sure it was deeply imprinted into her soul. Her eyes glazed over every inch of the bathhouse, taking in it fortitude and mystery. Then a wave of complete numbness came over her small, frail body as she spotted a lone figure standing by the railing of the walkway.

Emerald eyes glancing into the distance.

Emerald hair wavering in the wind.

Pale skin glistening in the light of the falling sun.

Just as she was about to turn in fear and run, the figure's face turned to greet her. His eyes scanned her body then widened at the sight of her. His eyes felt as though they were piercing her heart that was bound by shackles of pain. She did not want to be recognized, she did not want to have those familiar eyes seeing her soul, and she did not want to be teared apart by this moment.

"You shouldn't be here, get out of here now! It's almost night. Leave, before it gets dark." The words slipped off the figure's lips effortlessly. Even though this instance was slightly different from when she was first here, his words were still the same. High pitched, but with a hint of masculinity and care.

She shook her head and took a step back.

"I won't be tortured by this anymore." She whispered to herself.